Though our numbers were fewer than normal, our enthusiasm was unabated. Phil Arnold reported that he will have two articles in the upcoming edition of Elvis International. Sue Cook has been working on a series of stories on holiday themes, one of which she shared in our meeting. Printed Matters editor Leland Beaudrot borrowed an idea from the SC Educational Lottery, drawing names of volunteer reviewers as each person read.

Eloise Faris, leader of the Clover Chapter, asks that we all help her get the word out about her new venture: "Local Authors' Corner."

"It will be a store to recognize local talent, and every writer in the SC Writers Workshop. Anyone and everyone in all the chapters (no matter how they get published) will now have a home to sell their books. I do need help to get the word out there to all chapter leaders. My hope is to have the store open by the first week in December, in time for Christmas sales."

If you'd like to handle words one at a time rather than in paragraphs or stanzas come out join us for an informal game of Scrabble at McAlister's Deli in Lewis Village on Augusta Street. Bring your board and meet us for supper at 6:00 Tuesday night. For information and directions, e-mail Leland & Carolyn at verviers@earthlink.net

While we all enjoy Fall's turning leaves, we really want to be turning the leaves of your latest literary offering at our next meeting, 6:00 p.m., Thursday, November 6th at The Open Book.

John Kingsbury read us Chapter Two of the remake of his book Trailer Trash. The hero, Jake Marshall, is in a mental hospital being treated for bi-polar disorder. Jake listens to a conversation between three female inmates as they watch a video on co-dependency and look through a copy of Vogue.

Many in the group found it interesting to see the inner workings of a mental hospital. They enjoyed the conversation, but found it somewhat unfocused. It was suggested that John change the text from the video, which was interwoven with the women's conversation, to make it fit more closely with what the women were saying. Some people though that there were too many insignificant characters to keep track of, while others liked the characters enough to want to see them continue.

On a larger scale, it was hard to figure out what the point of this chapter was. John admitted that even he doesn't know where the story is going, and this may be the primary cause of the chapter's lack of focus. One group member said he liked the first chapter as well as the previously read Waffle House chapter, and felt he'd rather see Jake go out into the world than to read another version of Cookoo's Nest. Although it may not be necessary to have a complete outline before continuing, John may benefit from having a general goal in mind for this story.

The third chapter of Cindy Kay's Dance of the Water Spider, introduces Abner and Martha Callicutt. In flashback we find the shame and death of their unwed daughter due to pregnancy complications have seriously warped Martha and Abner. Have we found the "Spider's" true antagonists? Quite possibly.

The group felt Cindy needed to get into her P.O.V. character's head more quickly to anchor the reader and make the P.O.V. transitions less confusing. More description of movement was needed to clarify the actions of the characters. It was suggested the name of Mabel or Martha might be changed as their similarity could cause misunderstandings.

We look forward to the next installment to see where Dance of the Water Spider leads us next.

"The Nearly Forgotten Original Songs" by Phil Arnold

Clearly not everything Elvis recorded went gold and two of his original songs recorded in 1954 did not make it to store shelves until well after Elvis had made his mark on the industry. Phil's great research gave the reader good information leading to a clear understanding why "Harbor Lights" and "I Love You Because" became the "nearly forgotten." With this piece, Phil deftly captured the early days of Elvis as he warmed up into his superstar status.

The upcoming 50th anniversary of this 1954 recording session is well represented with this article. Even ardent Elvis fans will find it very interesting and might even learn a new thing or two.

Kami Kinard's collaborative picture story with Joy Purcell is beautifully written. It is a letter from a parent who is across the ocean serving his/her country. The reinforcement of love that the parent feels for his child is evident on each page. "I love you as high as the clouds that I flew through to get here" is one out of many examples.

Kami's book is written for the thousands who find themselves far away, while their children are growing up without them. Gently, she helps them find the words to express how often and in how many ways they love and miss their child. We always look forward to reading Kami's work and once again, she delivers. The only suggestions made were for Kami to interchange two lines and to refer to communicating through email. I think Kami should send this to a publisher quick, the time is right for a book like this.

An all girl band at a VA hospital is an interesting premise for a short story. "Hey Joe" by John Migacz is such a story. Naming the band, "What's This Madness," brings the story to life. The lead singer is a girl who sings half an octave above Jimi Hendrix, sounds like Jimi Hendrix, and is as shockingly beautiful as Frankenstein. Still, in the end, when the girl singer and the narrator go eye to eye she is beautiful. John takes us into the auditorium as a spectator not merely a person reading a story. His characters, two lonely G.I.s recovering from their wounds, find music in What's This Madness as they recover from the madness that lead to their injuries.

I really liked the idea of her music changing the lead singer like a chameleon with her powerful music her background color into something that the narrator came to admire as a woman of power. It was with some disappointment the story does not continue with a conversation between this girl and the narrator. Too shy to talk to her, I suppose.

Readers were intrigued with this month's installment of Kevin Coyle's A Cool Dry Place. We liked seeing the sexual tension develop between the protagonist and his girlfriend. We particularly liked Kevin's clever use of Pink Floyd lyrics from Dark Side of the Moon. This gave added dimension to piece, as the narrator is from that very place. In the section titled Friday, the narrator aptly displays the pain and frustration a crime victim's loved ones feel while seeking justice through the court system.

Some questioned the use of the slang "Bronx cheer" which Kevin explained to us, but thankfully didn't demonstrate. Other suggestions were made regarding making a few details seem more futuristic. At this point, our suspense has been peaked. We are curious to know more about the Hows and Whys of the crime involved and looking forward to reading the next few pages.

In "The Thanksgiving Bounty," Sue Cook reminds us that holidays can become a hollow daze when we lose focus on their origin and inner meaning. Nancy's kitchen is a whirl of activity in preparation for the big family feast when her daughter calls from college, hoping to bring along a friend: "Cindy! You know how I feel about keeping Thanksgiving in our family.... IMMEDIATE FAMILY - no outsiders." Nancy gives ground in the ensuing debate and offers a begrudging invitation. When the day arrives, and Nancy perceives that her daughter's friend is a foreigner, she can hardly conceal her disdain. Nancy's growing isolation from her daughter and her guest comes to a happy resolution when he appears in his Native American garb to offer a traditional toast.

Sue has crafted for us a timely, thought provoking tale. While in these days patriotism and paranoia are both running strong in the American psyche, she reminds us to approach our festive traditions thoughtfully that we not miss the mark as we mark the calendar.

"Did a bee sting your lower lip or are you pouting?"

Saying nothing, Thaleia answered by lifting her chin defiantly.

"The silent treatment, eh?"

"She put me in a box!" she said in a plaintive whine.

"We were moving, and you're a tin figurine."

She sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye with a finger. "Is that all I am, to you?"

"Of course not. My story made it into Catfish Stew, chicken soup for the southern soul. I couldn't have done it without you."

A dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth, she was trying to fight a smile. "Our story," she said, her icy tone quickly defrosting.

"That it is, and I hope it won't be our last joint venture. I need all the coaching I can get."

"That hasn't been particularly easy lately," she said. "Every time you pick up a pen you only use it to make a mark on the wall and then drive a nail through it. All the hammering is giving me a headache."

"Moving is a headache! But thank goodness it's over. Now we can get back into the grove."

Thaleia looked about. "Nice place. Where are we?"

"This is a retirement community."

"Retirement!? I knew we should have done something about your grey hair."

"Okay, so I'm not quite retired. But it's a quiet, comfortable place. I, eh, we can get down to some serious writing."

"Not too serious," she said. "Remember, I am the Muse of comedy."

"So, what's on our mind? What do we write next?"

Her eyes dancing with childish delight, she said, "This great idea came to me while I was locked up in the dark: Disfigured by a cosmetic surgery accident, former supermodel Chantrel lurks in the shadowy recesses under the runway of the Victoria's Secret fashion show where she kidnaps ugly duckling Janice, the fitting room assistant, to make her over as her protege in Phantom of the WonderBra!"

"Leia," I said. "Let's try thinking outside the box."

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: Brenda McClain, Marcia Migacz, John Migacz, Sue Cook, Cindy Kay, John Kingsbury and Kami Kinard.

Copyright 2003 by Leland Beaudrot, Editor. Contributing writers retain all rights to their work.