Here's to state fairs and harvest moons

The local and state fairs are up and running in many states. There are some celebrations that are no longer in operation, as is true of the Michigan State Fair, but I hope that's a temporary condition. Autumn brings a wonderful feeling of fulfillment to the hopeful labor of spring planting and summer's tending. The September sun drops lower in the sky, and October's harvest moon hangs like a yellow-gold pumpkin in the sky. Autumn is a time to enjoy and build special memories.

Yep, been there, done that, ENJOYED IT immensely. The Writers' Police Academy in Greensboro, NC, was a neat experience, and a definitely-worth-it conference. If you write anything, even a romance, that even briefly touches on a cop or a firefighter or a medical examiner or an undercover cop or Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco action, this is the place you need to go. I know I had a great learning experience and all-around good time, and I think Tracy did, too. In case you wondered, this event follows no CSI script. The correct vocabulary and procedures are coupled with practical experience, as in Firearms Training. (FYI, by the third or fourth shot, the Glock 40 didn't feel as heavy.) This year's special guest was Jeffery Deaver--a genuinely congenial guy. Also met some very nice folks who just happened to be fellow writers.

'Course my writing has suffered because my head is spinning with so much information that needs to be included in my WIPs, but I need to be "authentic" if the stories are to ring true.

Well, y'all guys keep on keeping on, and I'll try to the same.

cj

The Jeff Johnston photo is a kaleidoscope of rides at the Fair in Mobile, Alabama.

haiku story

Back in June, I whined about learning to write a short story, well . . . I have just finished what I have to call a haiku story.

Backstory: On my schedule for late September is the Writers' Police Academy in North Carolina. Lots of Ex's will be there. Ex-cops, Ex-CIA, Ex-FBI, writer Jeffery Deaver as keynote speaker, et al. And these experts will offer sessions in forensics, investigation, and firearms training. Yep, I'll be handling a Glock. Woohoo. Anyway, all of this info is a prelude to the one contest I entered.

Contest Story Requirements: A beginning, middle, and surprise ending--a regular mystery story with all the rules attendant to writing a mystery. The kicker was that the story could be no longer than 200 words, and that included the title. Plus hyphenated words counted as two words. So, in order to get the word count function to accurately report the number, you had to delete the hyphens then put them back in. Two hundred words total. Now THAT's what I call a haiku story and I loved the task! The winner gets the Academy's Golden Donut Award--named in honor of the LEOs I presume. (Not presuming that I would win. Only thinking about the donut, one of my favorite food groups.)

The neat thing is that when I finished my haiku story, I sent it to a poet friend in Georgia and his comment was that he thought I was off to a fast start to my new novel.

He may have missed the rules of the contest, but come to think of it, he just might be right.

You keep on keeping on, and I'll try to do the same.

cj

The Jeff Johnston photo is of Jenne's Farm in New England. Looks like a perfect fall day.