Summer Ramblings

Summer is the time when you think you'll get lots of writing done. Summer is also the time when life accelerates and time fills up with pool wading, berry picking, and family vacationing. I know that I'm not the only one procrastinating on my WIP. My writers' group, The Inkblot Society, meets on Monday at my house and no one has submitted anything for critique this month. I guess that means the meeting will be short--maybe that'll give us more time to have a campfire in our backyard and roast some s'mores. 

Oliver and Adam, just sittin'

Sidewalk chalk on the 4th of July (Adam)

At the spray park with the Aunties (Adam)

So cold, but so fun (Oliver)

Too cool for school

Little climber (Oliver)

Marcus -- stuck at home with Mom

Flower of the Desert: First Chapter

Later this month my writers' group, The Inkblot Society, is going to give me feedback on the first chapter of my WIP. And since I'm sharing it with them, I thought I might as well share it with all of you too. Am I introducing the characters and the situation clearly enough? Does it make you want to read more? Feel free to give me your feedback in the comments section of this post.

Flower of the Desert: Book II of the Chronicles of Tancred
By Rosanne E. Lortz

Chapter 1


The hole in the floor of the church grew deeper with each thrust of the soldiers’ spades. Twelve men, blessed with broad backs and brawny arms, had been digging in shifts since the light of dawn. It was now nearly vespers.

Over the last twelvemonth, the Church of St. Peter in Antioch had seen its share of abuse. First, the Mussulman governor had turned it into a stable for his horses. Now, the Crusaders, who had captured the city after a long and arduous siege, were tearing up the flagstones around the altar without any thought for the sanctity of the place. The pit was already shoulder-deep, and who knows how much longer they would have to dig?

While the twelve men grunted and toiled halfway underground, hundreds of observers watched impatiently. Row upon row of Crusaders lined the sanctuary. The lords and leading churchmen stood closest to the center and the lesser men-at-arms spilled out onto the porch and street outside. Every soldier who could be spared from manning the walls was there. The stifling air of June in the East left the spectators nearly as sweltering as the shovelers. The atmosphere was rank with sweat and anticipation.... (read more)

The Inkblot Society

Sometime last autumn I became involved in a Facebook group for writers that one of my friends put together. After sending out invites to other friends and acquaintances on the literary road, our numbers swelled to around a dozen. We made a rather timid start to helping each other with our writing aspirations, posting links to writing resources and sharing our own writing goals.

Then, in January, we had a meeting which brought some impetus and structure to our formless group. We decided to review monthly submissions from members and create a biannual journal of our work. In February, after much pain and travail, we gave birth to a suitable name for our motley crew--The Inkblot Society, known informally as The Inkblots. Here is a description of our society, drafted by Bethany of The Erratic Muse for our display at the Trinity Arts Festival last week.

THE INKBLOT SOCIETY
a rabble of dedicated, but busy, writers striving to honor God with the terrifying and wonderful world of words. We have variegated taste and focus, different strengths, weaknesses, and end goals, but we are all committed to learning from each other and providing encouragement, accountability, and feedback. Whether it be with a four-line poem or a seven-book series, we strive to use the various genres of writing to change the world. We meet monthly and are currently conjuring up a biannual journal.

The first edition of the journal will hopefully be published in June. We still need to conjure up a name for our publication, and after all the agony that attended choosing a name for our group, I'm not really looking forward to the process. Suggestions welcome!