We welcomed a number of enthusiastic new writers to our square tables under the flickering fluorescents: John & Marcia Migacz, John Williams, Diane Barr, and Catherine Hunter. It looks like the muses are multiplying like mushrooms. Our often Elvis author, Phil Arnold, shared snapshots of his recent trip to Memphis for the 25th Anniversary of the King's untimely demise. Phil not only garnered autographs of the King's men but gave one of his own. The man is making his mark. Our president, Randy Crew, has offered to lead a discussion of The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron.

The Greenville chapter had mixed results in the Horizons judging this year. Russ Burns upheld our past glory with both 1st and 2nd place in the essay category. "Personification" took the top spot and "Powerless" was the runner-up. Congratulations, Russ! This is the first time since 1997 that anyone from our group won 1st place in any category. That year we topped both essay (Randy Crew) and fiction (Doug Smith).

Either there were very few essay submissions, or the judges were incredibly tough, for only six entries made the anthology. Normally twenty or twenty-five are included. Pat Stewart placed with "Helen, Rebel Without A Cause," giving Greenville half of the meager number selected.

There are usually fifteen to twenty fiction winners, but this year there were only twelve. Here's the really bad news: not one from Greenville chapter. We should be ashamed. Next year, be prepared for a certain member to bug everyone for months to get our submission count up, especially in fiction.

The 2002 Horizons Anthology will be a skinny edition. Even poems were down from the usual forty or forty-five to just twenty-eight. But Greenville can lay claim to almost half of these, including Best of Issue: "Crate" by Nan Lundeen. She also placed with "Do I Have to Wear Pantyhose?" and "The Women in Our Family Wore Corsets." Our featured poets included Robin Monroe - "A Voice Whispering," "Underwater," "Winter's Done;" Carolyn Rice - "Blues in Black and White," "Peacock Display," "Strawberry Pleasures;" Steve Heckman - "First Half," "Billboard In The Woods;" Russ Burns - "Nostalgia;" and Phil Arnold - "The Bulldog and The Burger King."

If any of these anthology selections have not been read previously to the group, please bring them to the next meeting. It would be fun to hear them.

And start working on that short fiction. Only seven months to go to the 2003 deadline.

MetroBEAT is looking for freelance writers. "Experience is necessary. Self-motivation a must. A willingness to go the extra mile an absolute." Resumes should be sent to Chris Haire, MetroBEAT, 617 N Main St, Greenville SC 29601 or e-mailed to chris@metrobeat.net

Bring your best to our October fest... uh, meeting, 6:00 p.m., Thursday, October 3rd at The Open Book.

The last meeting set a record with five new guests, including three who read their work. John Migacz introduced us to The Dieya Chronicles, a series of fantasy stories about a watchman sent from a more advanced civilization to straighten out things in another culture. The setting had a mediaeval feel, with fires for heat and swords for weapons. And Dieya is a hero you don't want to mess with. The group pointed out a few viewpoint issues and the usual tell-not-show problems, but we all thought the story has potential. The always perceptive Nancy Parker noted the excessive references to "the man in black" (ten times in two pages), and she suggested it might be more effective to have the bully be cruel to someone other than Dieya to trigger the retribution. We don't have other fantasy writers in the group, so it will be fun to hear more of this story.

Leave it to Randy Crew to give us a different sort of exercise. He read us a draft of a query letter, but it won't be sent to editors or agents. Randy plans to send it to local cosmetologists, hoping to enlist their aid in connecting him with their frustrated, single customers. The main problem, as voiced by the group, was the tongue-in-cheek sample inventory of the type of men who have chosen Randy's social introduction service. We agreed it didn't work, but the was no consensus as to what would. A few improvements in the letter itself were suggested. Good luck, Randy.

Where does Steve Heckman get the inspiration for his stories, like "War on Terror" read at the last meeting. At the start, Steve deliberately left us in the dark about the setting for the story, and then stretched out a string of little details to clear it up. However, the reader does have to know that "Windows On The World" was the name of a restaurant atop the World Trade Center. The professor did not, so maybe one more clue is needed. Others suggested Steve made many of the clues too hidden, but this can easily be corrected. Also, as new visitor Diane mentioned, perhaps there should be more in the first paragraph to make us care about Ahmed. We were all a little surprised when Steve stated that the last paragraph was supposed to be uplifting. May I suggest he pull his books and homework papers from under the bed. Starting on that at 10 PM, rather than polishing his pellet gun, would show the boy's resolve to rise above his impoverished conditions.

Three very talented storytellers visited our group at the September meeting. I am looking forward to enjoying their story telling.

Pat Stewart read a personal essay titled "Memphis, August 11-16, 2002." It mentioned Phil Arnold, Elvis, and Jesse James. A most eclectic group. I liked her description of visitors to Graceland as "secular pilgrims." The use of quotations rather than paraphrasing a secondary source was jarring in the work. But as always, Pat's writing was entertaining and insightful.

Diane Barr read from her book, Conclave of Princes. That is such an interesting title. It is a story about a Roman Catholic priest who is a detective, but I am not sure if he is a professional detective for some office in the Vatican or an arm chair detective or amateur sleuth. While what she read was designed as a prologue it seems, from Diane's description of the work, this passage would fit farther into the book. The way she describes the inner deliberation of the Pope on the topic of being Pope was most artfully done. I think this book needs to be written and then revised as to story sequence. Stephen King wrote seven manuscript length training novels and Nicholas Sparks wrote two before they found publication. None of these manuscripts found publication under the famous authors' name. This seems like the only way to really learn the writer's craft. Page 14 of the handout she gave to me, but not to the group, ends with the prologue written in third person and begins with a narrative in first person. Diane's first person writing is stronger then the introspection of the prologue. It is also more interesting because the narrator seems more real.

Catherine Hunter read from Sword Woman, a science fiction novel that reminds me of the style of Robert Jordan. It reminds me of Jordan's work because it is similar in its stylistic description of places to 18th Century English novels - long on description and insight and somewhat short on dialogue. It seems to this illiterate Pigg that it might be more interesting to start with Noria curing the kaul and the discussion of the ancient legends being told by people in a tavern as someone rouses the rabble to do in Noria in the morning as murder at night violates some societal taboo. Whatever. It is difficult to build suspense at the same time you are providing historical back story or information. In a Robert Jordan novel this much story would take two or three chapters to unfold. Beginnings of novel are difficult to write until the entire novel is finished because it is nearly impossible to know what to foreshadow and where to actually begin. I usually find the beginnings of my novels in chapter three of the first draft.

When the (9/11) anniversary began to approach, (Doug) McCoy (of Centre Stage-South Carolina) again struggled with ideas for an appropriate way to commemorate. "I wanted to find something to do on the 11th, because this first anniversary is important. But there's really nothing apropos in the standard repertoire." This was, in fact, the same reason that Anne Nelson wrote The Guys. There were no existing plays that really spoke to the situation. McCoy had seen write-ups about The Guys and, after reading the script, felt a strong desire to present it here in Greenville....

The play itself is relatively straightforward. Joan, a journalist, has been asked to help a fire captain write eulogies for his men. It's a memory play, as Joan describes in monologues her experiences on and around September 11, while intervening scenes show some of her writing sessions with the captain. The New York Times noted that "....Perhaps the keenest message to emerge from The Guys is the assertion that writers - and actors - have a serious role to play in a grieving society." This role, pivotal to the history of drama, resonates in modern pieces like The Laramie Project and The Guys. These are works that help us to understand and contextualize our own feelings....

[MetroBEAT <http://www.metrobeat.net/> September 10, 2002]

Printed Matters is the newsletter of the Greenville Chapter, SCWW, which meets on the first Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at The Open Book, 110 S Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville, SC.

Thanks to our contributing writers and news reporters: Phil Arnold and John Kingsbury.

Copyright 2002 by Leland Beaudrot, Editor. Contributing writers retain all rights to their work.