Volume VII, Issue 38 September 24,
2018 Dear ,
What? You don't think of dragons when you think of healers?
Courtesy of Artie Navarre via Pixabay
Then clearly you have not yet had the pleasure of meeting writer Michael A. Clark, who has been brightening, enlightening, and healing me and the members of our Thursday evening Under Construction class through his stories for a while now.
Mike, as we informally call him, sauntered into Under Construction right as I was losing my father. I sometimes wonder if that was
coincidence or grace. Mike grew up just a bit south of my home in Erie, Pennsylvania, but the geography of his fiction—and the time frame—seems to know no bounds. His ability to spin fantastical yet utterly believable scenes during our ten-minute prompt times often
makes our jaws drop, as does his knowledge of history and technology, his sly humor, and his understanding of the human heart—all of which are present in the consistently strong fiction he brings to class for critique.
I am privileged to be able to share his story "Triage" with you, which features a healer as well as a dragon, in a fantasy world that you will recognize as being much like our own.
Enjoy, and may the love of the "Mother-Maker" be with you,
Maureen Upcoming WordPlay
THE SEVEN ENERGIES OF WRITING Tools and Techniques to Enhance Creativity and Productivity
NOTE: These seven energies of writing are on the backside of that yellow card that describes the four "elements of human being" I mention
above.
If you’ve ever had a hard time getting started writing, finishing what you’ve begun, or gotten stuck in the middle (“writer’s block), knowing how to engage in the most helpful
“energy of writing” at each stage of your process—and on any given day—will be a game-changer. In this class, we’ll explore—and practice—the ins, outs, and benefits of all seven energies of writing. You’ll learn invaluable tools and strategies you’ll use again and again to write with maximum ease and effectiveness. Yes, you can be more productive, creative, and fulfilled, no matter what kind of writing you do or how experienced you are.
WHERE: Charlotte
Lit. 1817 Central Avenue, #302. Charlotte, NC
WHEN: October 2nd, 2018, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
COST: $55 – $65 depending on membership
TO REGISTER: To register, visit the Charlotte Lit website here for registration details.
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THE GIFT OF MEMOIR: How to Get Your Most Meaningful Life Stories on Paper with Ease (Preserving Family History; Writing for and about Your Family; The Art of Memoir)
NEW OFFERING FOR OCTOBER 2018!
Just for you, a two-session Gift of Memoir class to help you get your most
meaningful life stories written. As best-selling author Rachel Naomi Remen says in her book Kitchen Table Wisdom, facts bring us to knowledge, but stories bring us to wisdom. If you are interested in writing family and/or personal life stories—those significant tales of adventure, transition, love, loss, and triumph, as well as lovely everyday moments from times past or the present, come learn specific
tools and techniques to retrieve and record them.
You will learn and practice the fundamental tools and steps needed to both capture individual
events that have been important to you, reflecting on the impact and meaning as well as what happened, and the process of collecting events together into a full-length memoir or book of essays—whether this is for personal reflection, to share with family and friends, or to publish to reach a larger audience.
At the second session, you’ll have a chance to share one or two of your stories with the class to receive feedback and guidance in moving forward.
Our stories are a precious legacy. Putting them in writing is a gift to all who know and love us—they can be treasured and enjoyed for generations to come. It is also a gift to ourselves.
* For the benefit of participants, an audio recording of the class will be made each week so that participants are able to listen to classes they miss and/or review material covered at any convenient time and place.
These recordings are available throughout the class session, along with all handouts, in a shared Dropbox folder.
WHERE: The WordPlay studio, Ballantyne area. Directions will be sent upon registration.
WHEN: October 18th and 25th, from 10:00 a.m. –12:30 p.m.
COST: $77 TO REGISTER: To pay with a check via mail, email info@wordplaynow.com for instructions. To register online with a debit or credit card, please click this link to pay via PayPal. ------------------------------------------------------- 
THE ART AND CRAFT OF POLISHING A POEM
I have the honor of teaching the Master Poetry Class at The North Carolina Writers’ Network
2018 Fall Conference, November 2-4 at the Hilton Charlotte University Place in Charlotte, NC. The class, titled “The Art and Craft of Polishing a Poem,” which will offer registrants the opportunity to learn and practice specific revision tactics, as well as get detailed feedback/critique on at least one of their poems.
For the first time, Fall Conference will offer a full slate of sessions designed specifically for writers of stage and screen. In addition, as part of the Network’s ongoing mission to serve writers at all levels of experience, the Charlotte Center for the Literary Arts will sponsor a “Business of Writing” track at Fall Conference for those who feel ready to take their manuscripts to market. And,
because of the Hilton’s convenient location, getting to (and parking!) at a Fall Conference in the Charlotte Metro area has never been easier.
If a poetry master class is not for you right now, please
check out the many, many other offerings available that provide so much ways to learn and grow as a writer no matter what your level of experiences, plus many networking opportunities!
For more
information, and to register, visit www.ncwriters.org. -------------------------------------------------------
COASTAL WRITING RETREAT Connect with Your Creativity at the Sunset Inn
Good news! I've talked with the manager of the Sunset Inn,
and they are back open for business, so our retreat is a go.
Meanwhile, I know you, like me, are continuing to think of all
the people who are still struggling from the effects of
Hurricane Florence and sending all best wishes for recovery.
Renew yourself and reconnect with
your own creativity, whether you are a practicing writer, closet writer, or as-yet-to-pick-up-the-pen writer! The techniques and prompts we’ll use will spur your imagination, and can be used to create nonfiction, fiction, and/or poetry—the choice is yours.
$458 + room tax for the weekend beginning Friday, November 9th through Sunday, November 11th. The Coastal Writing Retreat includes writing sessions, two nights’ lodging, two breakfasts and Saturday lunch (hotel tax and Saturday dinner at a local restaurant not included).
Want to extend your retreat? If you’d like to stay another day to write, or to just enjoy the beach, the Inn is offering Coastal Writing Retreat participants the opportunity to stay Sunday night at half
price.
WHERE: The Sunset Inn, 9 North Shore Dr., Sunset Beach, NC 28468 WHEN: Friday, November 9th –
Sunday, November 11th, 2018
TO REGISTER: Please contact the Sunset Inn directly at
888.575.1001 or 910.575.1000. If you would like to handpick your room, view your choices here first, then call.
You’ll need a copy of Spinning
Words into Gold, available for $23.54 at the retreat. Or order a copy
now.
Michael A. Clark’s short stories have been published in Liquid Imagination, The Penman
Review and AHF Magazine, and his short story “Where Eagles Care” will appear in the next edition of Gypsum Sound Tales. He lives in Charlotte, NC, works in industrial automation and hazardous chemicals storage management, and spends as much time as he can outdoors. Born in Los Angeles, Clark grew up in Sharpsville, PA, a small town that’s grown smaller with age. He earned a BS in Geology from Edinboro University of PA (not Scotland), and has worked as a radio news reporter, an aerospace systems
subcontractor and a butcher’s assistant. Baseball is his sports addiction. What Michael says about WordPlay
"One thing that continues to help improve my writing is the chance to read it aloud in the workshop setting of Maureen's Wordplay class. The reactions and commentary from my classmates helps me figure out what works and what doesn't in my
stories."
An excerpt from
Triage
by
Michael A. Clark The thunder of dragons’ wings heralded the arrival of more wounded. I glanced at Doran as the young Shaman’s Apprentice sighed. The blonde stubble on his face was streaked with sweat, and his eyes had that exhausted
thousand-yard stare. I probably looked worse. The fighting at the front had been fierce. We’d been mending the broken bodies that had been airlifted back to us for hours.
“Healers! Incoming wounded!”
shouted a sergeant through the open flap of the hospice tent. I caught a glimpse of the landing field outside, clouds of dust swirling in the hot sunshine as the EVAC dragons came to ground. The huge beasts landed almost daintily with their battered living cargo gurney-strapped to their scaled sides.
Corpsmen dashed to the flying ambulances, quickly offloading the injured soldiers and then hustled towards our tent, bushflies buzzing halos over the wounded. Another load of men for us to fix. Gods, was I tired.
Doran had already cleared a cot, tossing bloodied rags and bandages into an overflowing waste bin. He had his All-Charm out when the corpsmen arrived with the first soldier, and was murmuring the initial Healing Chant by the time I’d fetched my (hopefully) sterilized surgical kit. The soldier groaned when laid on the tainted white sheet.
“This one’s pretty bad, sir,” said one of the corpsmen. “Looks like he took a broad-axe to the ribs, and maybe a lance point in the thigh. Lost some blood, and his aura feels weak.”
“Good diagnosis.” I gauged the soldier’s survival chance at maybe 60/40. “More on the way?” I asked. The damn bushflies had followed the wounded in, and an orderly was shooing them off the battered bodies scattered
around the operating area. Other Healer teams set to work on the injured soldiers flowing into the hospice. I knew the place stank, but what “clean” smelled like… I couldn’t remember.
“Yeah.” The
corpsman pushed his dirty cap back from his forehead. “The Black Duke’s forces have launched a major offensive. Looks like a full division of Blue Ogres hit our front lines, and skirmisher teams of Raptors have flanked our cavalry.” He glanced around the hospice floor. “It’s bad, sir. I’d be prepared to move out at short notice, if I were you.”
“Great,” said Doran, as he swapped his All-Charm for a Peace Stone, and gently laid the purple gem on the soldier’s forehead. “Capt’n, we have to get on this guy fast.”
“Right,” I said, as the corpsman saluted and rushed out of the tent. Our Mobile Ambulance Sorcery Hospice unit had been ten miles behind the front. “I thought this sector was supposed to be quiet…”
“That’s what you get for listening to officers, Sir,” said Doran, examining the patient. “His aura’s weak, but I think I can stabilize it.” The purple stone resting on the wounded man’s forehead faintly pulsated. “I’m going to try the Oak Psalm,” the young SA said, reaching into his worn charm-sack with grimy fingers.
I nodded, and applied two thick leeches to stanch the flow of blood from the puncture in the man’s leg. Then I cut away the bloodied shards of leather armor from his side with a serrated blade. “By the Mother-Maker,” I
muttered. His ribs were a pulverized, heaving mess. The soldier wheezed, Doran’s incantations rising and falling with the man’s labored breathing.
We were professionals, performing meatball
healing with science & sorcery. One couldn’t work without the other.
“I’ll have to put him under,” I said...
To continue reading, please click here: https://liquidimagination.silverpen.org/article/triage-by-michael-a-clark/
| Liquid Imagination ~ Liquid
Imagination liquidimagination.silverpen.org Fiction. Fiction
Introduction by Edwin Riddell. Contributors from England, Georgia, Wales, Kentucky, Ireland, and Virginia help to make this a truly international edition. |
WordPlay Now! Writing Prompt
This is WordPlay—so why not revel in the power and potential of one good word after
another? This week, it's "healer." PROMPT: Write about a time a healer (of mind, heart, body, and/or spirit) healed you, someone you know, or, if you're a fiction writer, one of your characters. Try setting a scene, as Michael A. Clark does in "triage", complete with setting details,
dialogue, along with the thoughts, emotions, and observations of at least one person in the story.
It's fun to play with prompts in community with fellow writers, and to be able to share the results when you're done. You can find out about WordPlay
classes, workshops, and retreats here. MAUREEN RYAN GRIFFIN, an award-winning poetry and nonfiction writer, is the author of Spinning Words into Gold, a Hands-On Guide to the Craft of Writing, a grief workbook entitled I Will Never Forget You, and three collections of poetry, Ten Thousand Cicadas Can't Be Wrong, This Scatter of Blossoms and When the Leaves Are in the Water.
She believes, as author Julia Cameron says, "We are meant to midwife dreams for one another." Maureen also believes that serious "word work" requires serious WordPlay, as play is how we humans best learn—and perform. What she loves best is witnessing all the other dreams that come true for her clients along the way. Language, when used with intentionality and focus, is, after all,
serious fuel for joy. Here's to yours! |
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