Newsletterof the Writers’Communityof Durham Region

The Writers’ Community of Durham Region encourages writers at all levels; offers opportunities for sup-port, education and network-ing; and promotes the value of writers and writing.

2015January/February

THE

THIS ISSUE:

Message From the Board

Sally Moore,President

The resolution of a writer has a familiar ring: follow your heart.

03 - Connecting Your Joyby Yvonne Hess

05 - ARE YOU READY FOR THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE? by Dorothea Helms

06 - Write Here, Write Now:The Toasted Walnut by William Humber

08 - Who’s Who? by Barb Hunt

10 - In My Opinion:What the WATTPAD? by Maaja Wentz

12 - Tranquilityby Patrick Meade

14 - Word Weaver Challenge Winners

Blustery winter nights — what better time to snuggle up with your favourite notebook and put to work that blue sparkle pen you got for Christmas? New Year’s Eve, how many of us decided to forgo the usual party and create a new character, finish that chapter we were too busy to get to over the holiday season, or finally submit that manuscript that’s been keeping us up at night?

The dawn of a new year is a good time to ask: why do we commit so much of ourselves to pen and paper, and share the most intimate parts of our lives with the world? For some, the answer is an easy one. But for most of us, the mystery of why can be a consuming question.

A seasoned writer asked me recently what year I started writing my manuscript that is finally

about to see the light of day. The answer gave us both pause. “Well then you must have been a child!” Almost, and thanks to him for that response. But the truth of how long this work has consumed me raises yet another question: why have I dedicated so much of my life to this story, to my writing, when success seemed so elusive?

The answer is, of course, character. Long before I called her my “protagonist,” this indefatigable warrior showed me the way to compete in a tough world that I often felt didn’t want me.

So as 2015 starts with its promise of new possibilities, I think of all the people at the WCDR I’ve met since I joined in 2010. So many of you have shared your secrets and incredible characters with us, and have had the

courage to deliver your stories to the wider world.

Every one of you has achieved something great. You wrote. And that’s the resolution we all come to, again and again. Writers write, and here at the WCDR, we share what we put on paper, and that’s the greatest gift of all. Happy New Year, WCDR!

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Message from The WW EditorWCDR Board 2013-2014

The Word Weaver is published by The Writers’ Community of Durham Region as a service to its members and other interested parties.

Publications are invited to quote from The Word Weaver upon obtaining written permission from the President:

The Writers’ Community of Durham Region, Bayly Postal Outlet, P.O. Box 14558,75 Bayly Street West, Ajax, ON L1S 7K7 905-686-0211www.wcdr.org

Sharon Overend, EditorBrittany LeClerc, LayoutAnnette McLeod, Copy Editor

Cryssa Bazos,Special Events

Jenny Madore,Vice-President, Treasurer

Sally Moore,President

Gwen Tuinman,Secretary

Sharon Lennox,Roundtable

Susan Croft,Public Relations

Maureen Curry,Membership

Sharon Overend,Workshop

James Dewar,Past President

Dawn Riddoch,AdministrativeAssistant

“A goal is a dream with a deadline”

— Napoleon Hill

Ah, the holidays. Although it was fantastic spending time with my children and my granddaughter, I’m grateful all decorations have been tucked away for another year, and am eager to welcome the bright and shiny new year. I’ll spare you any mention of New Year’s resolutions, which you may or may not have made, and which you may or may not have already broken. I’ve personally never been one to make resolutions, but several years ago I began using Jan. 1 as my date to check in with a document I’ve created called “My 101 Goals.”

“My 101 Goals” is a living document, and I’m proud to say this year I was able to place a checkmark next to a few — get a SLR camera, tick; read two books a month, tick; finish my novel, tick — while I’m still chipping away at others — be a kinder person, working on it; meet Oprah, someday — and have added new goals to strive toward — begin work on my next novel; replace my poor old, dilapidated car. Sure, some of my goals might seem goofy or overly ambitious, but one thing I know for sure is they will be a lot easier to achieve if I set them as goals and work purposely toward ticking them off next year.

Looking beyond myself, I can’t help but notice a number of my WCDR friends who will also be able to add ticks to goals they’ve set for themselves. Congratulations, fellow goal makers and goal achievers. Because you were able to name your specific desire, map out your route and set a timeframe, you have arrived at your destination. I invite you to now take out your red pen and proudly add that checkmark.

Best of luck, everyone, and may all your 2015 goals come to fruition.

Sincerely,

Greetings!

Sharon Overend, Editor

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by Yvonne Hess

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

There are many competing priorities in the day: work, home, children, sleep. I always seem to be trying to squeeze in time for writing. I’m sad to report that writing is often pushed to the bottom of my priority list, or disappears off my schedule all together. Recently however, I received a fresh perspective while making a Christmas ornament.

What does making an ornament have to do with writing? you ask. I will explain.

In my workplace we have wellness days, sometimes on serious topics and others just for fun. Fun is not often associated with work so “fun” days are a nice change of pace. After the facilitator—a wellness expert and occupational health nurse, provided the instructions —I chose glass beads with ice-blue centres, faceted crystals and tiny silver orbs, and started threading them on the thin wire.

As we set about creating our masterpieces, the instructor began to speak. “Imagine,” she said, “a world without creativity.” What? No “Starry Night”, “Moonlight Sonata” or “A Christmas Carol”? Unthinkable! “The more people do creative things,” she continued, “simply because they love to do them, the greater their sense of satisfaction and joy.”

We weren’t just making ornaments. There was more to this, a message that was resonating for me — a la my writing time falling off the schedule.

Positive psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi suggests the secret to happiness is “flow,” which he defines as “a state of heightened focus and immersion in activities such as art, play and work.”

Research has proven that actively engaging your right (creative) brain will:

1. Decrease stress and increase relaxation; 2. Stimulate balance (most of us use the logicalleft brain more often); 3. Connect you with your joy.

I liked the phrase “connecting with my joy.” Joy itself implies no pressure, no right or wrong, just simply being happy. For me, this happens when I’m in my creative zone. I needed to be there more.

Whether at the keyboard, or when — others might think you’re just staring into space — plotting, world-building or hearing dialogue, you are, in fact, investing in your health. No one would argue the health benefits of eating well or going to the gym, but it is creative thinking that challenges and stimulates the mind. Neglecting or ignoring this desire creates imbalance in our bodies and in our lives.

Lesson learned — don’t underestimate the benefits of doing what you love.

When the hour was done, I walked away with not only new sparkle for my tree, but also with a renewed appreciation for the value of my writing and its immeasurable worth for my body and soul.

Connecting Your Joy

Yvonne Hess is a learning and development specialist by day, and writes both historical and contemporary fiction by night. She is a proud member of the WCDR, Romance Writers of America and the Historical Novel Society and is currently at work submit-ting her Second World War era novel.

Joy doesn’t always pick up on the first ring.

Friday, April 24 Master Classes 1. Rich Helms – Book Trailers 101 2. Molly Peacock – The Camera-Eye of the Sonnet 3. Richard Scarsbrook – Creative Writing Kick-Start for YA Authors

Festival of Authors Readers, refreshments and revelry (open to the public!) ______________________________________________________

Saturday, April 25 Conference – The Schedule

Concurrent Workshops Terry Fallis – Podcasting 101 Annette McLeod – Character is King Allyson Latta – Punch It Up: Editing Tips for Tighter Prose ADVANCED: Andrew Borkowski – Delicious Dialogue

Lunch with speaker

Concurrent Workshops Craig Pyette – Breaking & Entering Barbara Fradkin – Blood Money Anne MacLachlan – Gather Your Tribe ADVANCED: Gwynn Scheltema – Should Size Matter?

Concurrent Lecture Series Karen Connelly – Writing as Witness Charles Wilkins – The Storytelling Animal Johanna Raisanen – Labour of Love Ali McDonald – Six of One

www.thewritersconference.com

an exciting event for writers of all genres and abilities… Join us for

2015 Ontario Writers’ Conference

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The Writing Fairy® Eat My Dust Column

ARE YOU READY FOR THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE?by Dorothea Helms

A freelancer’s life is hectic. Forget Monday to Friday, 9 to 5; when you are self-employed, you work when the work comes, and do what you have to do to complete it and bring in revenue. Living for the moment is great for greeting cards and vacations. Running a successful business involves thinking ahead, and as wacky as it sounds, planning for the unexpected.

Over the years, here are a few things I’ve learned about thinking ahead.

Read more about Dorothea Helms, a.k.a. The Writing Fairy®, at:

www.thewritingfairy.com

1. Query seasonal magazine topics at least six to nine months before the holiday issues come out. If you have a notion to write a piece about Father’s Day, you should have sent the query already. Thinking about summertime fun? Send your query in the winter. Fall decorating? Approach the editor in the spring. 2. If you receive an assignment with plenty of lead time, avoid procrastinating. Start it right away. You never know what might occur between now and your deadline. If the Zombie Apocalypse happens, we’ll all be in trouble and you’re off the hook, but if you get the opportunity to accept a great paying assignment that requires copious research and work, or you break your leg (I’ve done it, and it’s not a pretty picture), you may find yourself scrambling. Start now, do a great job, get the story in on time or early, and you’ll earn valuable brownie points with the editor! 3. Find out what a job pays BEFORE accepting it. You’d be amazed how many times I’m contacted by beginner freelancers saying they accepted a writing gig and are frustrated because they have no idea how much or even whether it’s a paid assignment. My answer is always, “Ask BEFORE you take the job.” I recommend saying, “What do you pay?” rather than “Do you pay?” If the client is a for-profit business or

publication and there’s no money in it, say no. If it’s a charity or non-profit organization and you choose to donate your writing to help the cause, go for it. Find out up front what is expected of you and where you stand regarding payment.4. Put aside your tax money so it’s there when you need it. The government is always waiting around the corner, so entrepreneurs should figure out a cash flow forecast and spend accordingly. This means not spending the money you collect for HST or the money you will eventually owe in income tax. Remember, the more tax you have to pay, the more you are earning. And don’t think Canada Revenue and the Receiver General will say, “Hey, that’s OK, you’re special so you don’t have to pay.” I’ve tried it, and it doesn’t work. Handing over moolah to the government is a necessity of life, like cosmetic surgery for The Real Housewives of New York and Mob Wives.

I approach these challenges through lists, charts and lists of charts. Sometimes I put off looking at my charts, which is, I admit, procrastination. So, to sum up, do as I say, not as I do.

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Write Here, Write NowThe Toasted Walnut: Café and Cateringby William Humber

Nicole McGarry had a dream and a plan, and both have come to fruition in her main street Bowmanville restaurant, The Toasted Walnut, a place renowned after only two years for its breakfasts, lunches, baked goods and, with a tip of the hat to Twin Peaks, “a damn fine cup of coffee.”

“It’s about the food,” she says, “We make everything from scratch, and most of our ingredients are purchased locally from farms and nearby gardens.”

While The Toasted Walnut aims to be more a restaurant than a coffee shop, it has that brilliant capacity to be both, and so welcomes an extraordinary number of returning customers, up to 80% of her clientele, Nicole says.

It’s now 25 years since Ray Oldenburg in his book The Great Good Place celebrated what he called “third places,” those essential gathering sites beyond home and work, such as pubs, intimate restaurants, coffee houses and other locally distinct settings, where we arrive on equal terms, share conversations ranging from politics to the prospects for our favourite hockey team, and

often drop a loony or two in the hands of someone short of cash.

The Toasted Walnut is such a ‘great good place’. Rarely do I stop by and not see someone I know, whether it’s Steve, a one-time professional bowler, or Amy and colleagues from Town Hall just down the street planning new green initiatives in Clarington (the larger municipal jurisdiction in which Bowmanville resides), or Jim with whom I can talk baseball, or the lady whose name I don’t know but who takes theatre trips to New York.

“I deliberately chose a place on the heritage main street,” Nicole says. “Yes, there’s a certain amount of competition from other similar types of eating places, but that’s a good thing. It brings people here, especially when we have street closing events like Applefest in October, the Santa Claus Parade in December, and Maple Fest in the spring. New customers learn about us and come back.”

Nicole McGarry realizes a restaurant’s long-term success requires more than the patronage associated

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with special occasions. She and her outstanding staff of five often arrive before the sun comes up to bake goods that might service just a typical day, or be sent out to a catered wedding or heritage event. For the last two summers, for instance, they’ve been suppliers and servers for the Bowmanville Museum’s wildly successful Wednesday afternoon teas and lunches.

How does a young person like Nicole manage the demands of such an operation?

“I’ve been in-volved in the food industry since I was in Grade 8. I served and worked at a bak-

ery-type place in Port Perry, and had an opportunity to buy into their concept, but I wanted something differ-ent. So, I took a small business and entrepreneurism program at Durham College and fast-tracked in one year what would have been a two-year commitment. Then I started looking for a place.

“I found this location (50 King St. E.). It had been occupied over the years by two coffee-type shops, but I wanted a restaurant. I obtained the security of a long-term lease, advertised online for staff, painted and repainted, and then repainted again the interior to get just the right earth tones, using a paint type known as herbes de Provence, so customers would feel its home-like character.”

Food critic Michael Pollan once recommended that supermarket shoppers should stick to the perimeter of the store where the fresh foods are, and to stay away from the core where the processed and trade name stuff resides.

Towns increasingly obey the opposite dictum.

Big box standard stores and franchise restaurants sit round the perimeter, while inside on the main and side streets of the old town are the distinctive and the local. These are places where friendly encounters, the once seemingly affectionate reminders of a lost small town life, flourish. The Toasted Walnut is a destination for those in search of such wonder.

Why yes, they do have candied bacon on their cupcakes.

The Toasted Walnut

50 King St. E. (at Division St.)Bowmanville, ONMon-Fri: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sat: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sun: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Call: (905) 623 - 9090

The Word Weaver’s column on the hottest spots in Durham Region to hole up, drink a hot beverage and write.

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Creative writing instructor, horror writer, and all-round WCDR curmud-geon Tobin Elliott would tell any novice writer not to worry about per-fection in their writing (right off), and the seasoned writer not to give up. But to be honest, he laughs often and is the first to admit there’s “nothing straight forward” about his writer’s journey.WW: When did writing start for you?

TE: It seems I’ve always written from a long way back, making up stories in Grade 1 and 2. Not that I was super serious about it, but by Grade 8 I was writing sci-fi and end-of-the-world stuff. I kind of let it slide from there. Then I had this amazing English teacher. She wanted to get one of my short stories published in the yearbook, but couldn’t. Around 1992 — so, 18 years later — she walks into the camera shop I’m working in, and says that that failure was one of her greatest regrets. She still had a copy of that story and came back another day to give it to me.

WW: Wow, that’s real validation.

TE: Yes, she certainly amped up and reignited my passion for writing because I’d let it go during university. So, I made this New Year’s resolution on Jan. 2 of that year. I wrote every day. I signed up for the creative writing course at Durham College and haven’t looked back.

WW: And you were writing sci-fi then, or what?

TE: Funny, every assignment came up horror in that class, even if it wasn’t remotely connected. I always seemed to drift towards the “dark,” Stephen King-like stuff.

WW: So when did you start teaching then?

TE: In 2000.

WW: And you’d discovered the WCDR by that time?

TE: Again, funny. I knew about the group and promoted it to all my students, but never ended up going to a meeting. Finally, I swore to attend the next breakfast meeting and

Who’s Whoby Barb Hunt

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decided to join online so I could get the member discount. I couldn’t believe what great networking there was. People like Dale Long, Kevin Craig, ME Girard, Sandra Clarke and Ruth Walker. All that experience to learn from and someone to share the trials and tribulations of being a writer with.

WW: It is a special place for a writer to be.

TE: You bet. The thing about the WCDR is you can come in with a challenge or a set-back and get a “been there” piece of advice, or lean on another writer’s “here’s someone who can help” connections.

WW: And then you began participating in the Muskoka Novel Marathon? That must have kicked up your writing.

TE: One of my second-year creative writing students at Durham College, Pat Flewwelling who’s now in Montreal, kept telling me I should do it, but my style of writing is sort of writing 50 words, getting up and coming back to write 50 more. Not marathon material. Honestly, I was scared to death, so it took her two or three years to convince me. But what a blast!

WW: And your writing, where’s that at?

TE: Oh, it’s complicated. My novella, Vanishing Hope, is published. No Hope, the novel, has its edits complete and I’m looking for an agent. And then follow-ups Blood Loss and Blood Relations — books three and four — were my last two Muskoka efforts. They’re almost finished. Then I have two other books off to the side. Stand-alone books at various

stages of completion. I’d also like to pick up some of my characters when they’re older and tell that story. That would be stand-alone too.

WW: Sounds very busy. And fruit-ful.

TE: Actually, about 18 months ago I took myself in hand. Started planning more. You know, so I’d have things more together.

WW: And it’s paying off. So, dreams? Wishes?

TE: Ha, Stephen-King-ian fame and fortune! No really, if I never get published again, I’d still be writing. I still have at least one more book in the series, although I have no inkling what it’s about. And I’ve been submitting some short stories lately. Prison Break (in the anthology Expiration Date, edited by Nancy Kilpatrick), will be published next March with the likes of Kelly Armstrong. Given the fact that I’m not a bum-in-chair style writer, I’m thrilled with how it’s all going.

http://www.edgewebsite.com/books/expirationdate/expirationdate-catalog.html

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by Maaja WentzWattpad is an electronic platform featuring 75 million stories. Thirty-five million people worldwide use it to read free, serialized fiction inside a social network and it is a rapidly growing literary showcase for writers.

In some cases, breakout Wattpad successes have earned big book and movie deals. Anna Todd’s One Direction-inspired novel, After, was so popular, Wattpad helped her make a six-figure publishing deal with Gallery books and Paramount bought the film rights.

That being said, many authors complain their Wattpad successes haven’t equaled higher sales. Despite its detractors, many of whom point to the site’s erotic dreck and unedited drafts, Wattpad recalls the early days of indie publishing, when eBook pioneers shot up the Amazon charts.

Romance fiction is huge on Wattpad, which attracts mostly young female users. Ottawa author Linda Poitevin has more than four million Wattpad reads. EBook sales of her self-published contemporary romance Gwynneth Ever After leaped from 310 copies in 10 months before Wattpad to 399 copies in its first nine weeks on Wattpad, leveling to between 200 and 350 copies per month. At the end of each free weekly installment, she reminds readers they can buy the entire eBook on her website.

When she first joined, Poitevin used Facebook and tweeted once or twice daily to her 15,800 Twitter followers to drive traffic to her online novel. She also reached out to Wattpad staff and blogged about her Wattpad experiment. They reciprocated, adding her to reading lists and featuring her book. “Eighteen thousand people get emails every time [she posts] something to Wattpad,” a staff member noted.

Poitevin is currently writing a spinoff romance, before finishing her dark urban fantasy series. “It’s been huge fun interacting with these young women on Wattpad.” The only thing she would do differently, she suggests, would be to start sooner.

Wattpad offers science fiction, romance, adventure,

YA, horror, paranormal, poetry, mainstream, fan fiction and more. Weekly and monthly contests help authors reach new readers, and annual Watty Awards publicize the best and most popular novels. There are Wattpad Twitter chats and Facebook groups, but some of the best interaction is offline.

Wattpad’s Toronto office holds meet-ups attended by writers, readers and a welcoming staff. Similar meet-ups are scheduled all over the world, including the Philippines, where Wattpad has spawned paperbacks, films and prime-time TV shows.

To see what the fuss was all about, I started posting my own serial this Halloween which, at the time of this writing, was No. 43 in the mystery/ thriller category. Feeding Frenzy is a paranormal thriller that explores our obsession with food. Chapters are posted as they are written, making Wattpad followers my first readers. The experience is extremely motivating as the number of “reads” (views) and “votes” (likes) increase with each new installment.

If you want to share or improve your work, Wattpad is an addictive hobby. For emerging writers and professionals, it provides real-time audience feedback for targeted publicity, and improved sales.

Maaja Wentz’s poem, “Fallow God,” appears in EDGE’s Urban Green Man Anthology. “Wild Caving” appears in the WCDR’s Amprosia anthology. “You” won a prize in the national Norma Epstein Foundation competition for Creative Writing. A reading of her poetry was recently featured on Geek TV.

For more info, visit: www.wattpad.com

In My Opinion:What the WATTPAD?A Promising Platform for Amateurs and Pros

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UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO SCHOOL OF CONTINUING STUDIES

U OF T MISSISSAUGA U OF T ST. GEORGE U OF T SCARBOROUGH

Express more.Terry FallisInstructor, Creative Writing, is the author of four books. His award-winning novel The Best Laid Plans was recently adapted into a television miniseries.

I’ve always believed that learning is more effective, interesting, and fulfilling when we’re with others rather than on our own.”

We offer boundless opportunity to enhance your skills and enrich your life. Courses are available across the GTA on all three U of T campuses and online. For easy registration or to order a free copy of our course catalogue, call 416.978.2400 or visit our website. Follow us on Twitter @UofTLearnMore.

learn.utoronto.ca

“

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I read once that the secret to writing waits within a quiet mind.

As I lie in this tub, thawing out from a cold December day, I wonder how does one find that solitude? How does one push away the rattling stones? The clatter of teacups, the bill collector? Do I just close my eyes and picture raindrops tiptoeing across a Tibetan pond? Or flutter like a dragonfly on a merry-go-round of daisies? I turn to my right and reach for the 26er. It is half empty. I pour another ounce, then another. Nothing seems to be working. Then ever so slowly, shadows don glimmering turquoise and ride off through the beige ceramic tile into another galaxy. I drift away into a rainbow.

Thoughts, not about doubt and uncertainty, but about metaphor and imagery, swirl about me. I am swept along on an aurora of wild flowers and fall off into a cobalt sky. I tumble with stars. Sedated by morning glories that bloom in the night, I melt into a field of lilacs. But then, from somewhere out there in the dusty universe, I hear shadows.

From the backfields of heaven, Thunder hurls its hammer across the cosmos. Meteorites gallop, their blackened hoofs shredding the arc of the rainbow. Flanked by a cloud of asteroids, the great monster Eclipse swallows the sun. I crash back into the three-by-six vessel of white porcelain. From my prone position, I catch the shower curtain dangling like a dark moment. I reach for the tub edge, grip the bottle and pour a few more drops. As its silky magic slides down around me, I read the label again.

Tranquility. But there was no Shangri La hiding within. Where did I go wrong? And it cost a buck 99. Maybe if I had purchased the bonus bubble bath. But that was twenty cents more and besides they were sold out. I was hoping for an elixir that would foam up into emotion and surprise, splash with murmurs and mist. Oh, if it were only that easy.

And as I lay waiting, only rays of clichés appear on my horizon. In panic, I squeeze out more of the purple liquid, but it is of no avail. I watch originality creep out of the tub and slip away under the door of temptation. Laden with granite antagonists, my mind is sinking. And even if those magical characters are rescued from the gallows of fear, would they survive my many eyes, my many knives?

And as I slosh through the murky waters of what if, I realize that the harder I swim towards that island of serenity, the closer I get to the pack ice in the frigid waters of uncertainty and doubt. Something is missing. I empty the rest of the bottle and it finally hits me as to what it is. I reach over and turn on the tap — damn! Had I only paid the water bill.

Tranquilityby Patrick Meade

Patrick Meade is a proud and fortunate member of the WCDR. His Newfoundland roots go a long way in explaining why he finds inspiration through all things water. Patrick writes poetry and is currently working on a memoir/novel called Lemon Pies. He lives in Bowmanville and has two daughters and one grandson.

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14

The dark lights sat in a tumble on the floor, looking so much like eyes balefully transmitting to the world what a mess, what a mess.

Outside the snow was falling in fat, lovely flakes, landing on the banks already present from a couple of weeks of Canadian winter, in time for Christmas, in time for the kids to shout and holler down the hill behind my house.

In time...but not in time for the luggage that was lost on the journey here, to what had been my home for the first 20, no 25 years of my life. Before it became easier to climb on a plane, easier to say what date I’d be leaving than, “Why...why...why...” even though that was the question. Why?

And now, why had the airlines sucked back my bags, bags containing the presents and clothes for my son and myself for the entirety of our two week stay. No clothes. And no money.

Life as a student had that caveat: no money. It didn’t matter as much where we lived, in that tiny town in the real west of the US of A, but here on the East Coast, with its high rollers and big stakes in every direction, having no money was akin to a mortal sin. Something one did on purpose simply to annoy those who struggled into their suits everyday and fought through commuter lines and arrived with their a.m. coffees still steaming to sit through another day at a cubicle where the best part of their souls wilted, faded, crumpled, and finally fell away. Then they belonged to the life they believed they had to live.

Like Socrates said, I thought, staring into the dark as though it might part, revealing the large blue canvas hockey bag holding my son’s pants, his snow suit, and most importantly, presents.

Presents for Dad, whose cancer would not abate. Ever. Just a matter of time before I moved back to take care, but I did not know this at that moment staring into the blackness.

“Any luck?” he inquired coming from the bedroom down the hall. I shook my head.

“Ah, well, he’s asleep now.” He being the sun, moon and stars to my father, his first grandchild, the boy he had hoped and prayed for. “Honey,” he put his hand on my shoulder, “I’ve got an idea.”

“What’s that Dad?” I tried, but the tear slid across my cheek, defying my best efforts.

“I have a little put aside.” He held his hand up shushing my objections about being an adult, needing to be on my own two feet. “It’s my gift to you. My Christmas gift.”

I gulped, the large knot in my throat easing as the tears carried on down my cheeks more slick than the kids on their sleds. “All right. Dad, thank you!”

One of the last Christmas times we shared and one of the best.

CHALLENGE WINNERSPrevious Challenge: In prose or poetry write about either tangled Christmas lights, lost luggage or a rainy day.

Christmas Gone Byby Charlene Jones

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CHALLENGE for the March/April 2015 Issue

In our western world that celebrates NEW, anything or anyone OLD is too often dis-

missed. That’s unfortunate, because lessons can be learned from history and from peo-

ple wunfoho have travelled roads we are only just embarking upon. What do you

think this couple might have to say about life, love, loss and/or joy?

Write a piece in poetry or prose where an older man, woman or couple are imparting hard-learned wisdom to a younger person.

Deadline for submissions is February 15thLimit 500 words per entry

wcdrwordweaver@wcdr.org

Summer Stormby John Jansen in de Wal

Distant thunder clouds crawl my waythrough heavy, leaden sky.The inklings of some rain drops tick my window - lightly still.Then cease.Sky brightens momentarily.The coal-grey threat of rolling cloud;draws heavy, solid line along the far horizon.Ominous blue and yellow tentacles lash out,angily slash across approaching weather front.Sky darkens. Heavy drops rat-tat-tat my window;a deluge of Gatling gun bullets.Fierce wind gust blastswhip tree tops into submissive genuflection,as they are tortured with water-whips.Lightning flashes blind my eyes,burn their images deep into retinas lighten up the interior of my skull.Heavy booms, like blasts of bursting bombsconcuss my ears as they reverberatethrough my window pane,force their way into my room,violate my privacy, disturb my peace.Then . . . Quiet.Sudden departure of wind, rain and thunder.The sun breaks through thin veil of mist,brightens the landscape and my room,steams wetted pavement,cycles moisture into new clouds.

RETURNING MEMBERS

Suzanne Elston

Nathalie Lacoste-Hofmann

Patricia Ward

NEW MEMBERS

WCDR Members,Welcome!

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Martha Di Leonardo

Sarah Fecteau

Beth Girard

Bruce Gravel

Sheryle Knight

Melanie MacDonald

Emma Paboudjian

Garry Patterson

Jane Pilling-Cormick

Spring Writers RetreatGuelph, Ontario, 17-19 April 2015

Join bestselling authors

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• Two days of intensive workshops.• Evenings of relaxed camaraderie.• Gourmet meals. Luxurious location.

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