Candid Florida

Sister Sal and I were slightly above sea level at the Writing Below Sea Level workshop, nestled in the branches of silk bay trees at The Treehouse, an inspirational rental property where the Matanzas Inlet meets the sea at Summer Haven, south of St. Augustine.

With noted Florida novelist Connie May Fowler as our guide, we were there to find our own paths to publishing our first novels. I’ve been focused on telling one tale since 2004, a story born of the hurricanes of that year, and have struggled mightily with finishing it. Finally, I have a roadmap. Connie May suggested visually representing my scenes so I could arrange them into the plot.

In writing them and sticking them up on my studio wall, I uncovered gaps in my novel that needed to be filled, plus a couple of characters who came to the forefront from the backstage.  I now know my story arc and how to tell it … it’s just a matter of arranging my scenes in the proper order and writing the missing parts. My goal is to have a first draft completed by June 30. Wish me luck … and thank you much, Connie May, you are an inspiration!

Having fun at the Geneva 4th of July Parade

I had a wonderful 4th of July weekend vist with my friend Joan, who introduced me to the delights of small town Americana, Florida style, at the annual Geneva 4th of July Parade. This was as mom and apple pie as could be, including a parade where local children rode their bicycles and ranchers rode their horses – and virtually everyone in town who wasn’t on the side of the road was in the parade. Children sold lemonade, parade participants tossed candy to the crowd, antique planes did a flyover, and it was capped off with a community celebration at the town park, where you could join in a cake walk (which Joan did), bob for apples, take a pony ride on a trail through the woods, or just relax with a hot dog and listen to the local band play patriotic tunes. What a heartwarming experience !

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