Dedication to our CEO's Mother
What's Hot and What's Not!
Secret Writing Styles
Barbara McNichol's Word Trippers
In Memory of Joe Massingham, Poetry Tutor
Competitions, Literary Agents, Writing Jobs, Conferences
Writing Terminologies
Off-the-Wall Holidays
Book Review on Best Friends
Points to Ponder
Connect with our CEO

 

In Loving Memory

"I am one of the few women who has loved two men, married both of them,
and outlived both of them."




 

We dedicate our April issue to Ruth Cloyd Pedigo, mother of our CEO, Deborah Owen.
Mrs. Pedigo passed away March 24, 2016, at the age of 97.
 

Raised as one of four children in the depression era, Ruth knew both good and bad times. She often told the story of eating water biscuits and water gravy during the depression, not to speak of the older sister who died at age four or the broken home that scarred Ruth for life. At age 17, she and a long-distance-cousin-by marriage decided to marry to escape their home lives and they agreed on one provision – there would be no divorce. Within a few years, a boy and girl completed the household.
 
Those were the days when TV was a new invention and a colored cellophane that was blue across the top, tan across the middle and green across the bottom made the black and white picture into the first "color TV." The cellophane stuck to the screen by static electricity. Never mind that the desert was green, John Wayne had a blue head and Indians wore fair skin… it was color TV.
 
Ruth was a housewife, Ray earned the bacon, and the whole family stayed home at night. They played croquet, badminton, volleyball and baseball until dark chased them in. Then they played Parchesi or Monopoly and munched on popcorn until bedtime. Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis and Abbott and Costello movies, fishing trips and drive-in movies made for fun living in the 1950's. By that time, Ruth and Ray had developed a deep and sincere love that even cancer could not destroy when it sucked Ray into the grave after 56 years of marriage.  Being a writer and poet, Ruth wrote poems about her beloved husband:
 

For two years, Ruth grieved and tried to keep the old home place up. Then one day she saw an elderly woman in a store... a woman she thought she had known earlier in life, so she approached her.

   "Is your name Bernice Pedigo?” Ruth said.
   “Why, yes, it is,” the lady answered. “And who are you?”
   “I haven’t seen you in almost 60 years. My name is Ruth Cloyd, but my maiden name was Crayton. I dated your brother, Buren, when I was 16 years old. Is he still living?”
   “Yes, he is. He lives in California.”

Ruth remembered Buren's charming ways, like the time he said, “May I have the pleasure of your company this Friday evening?”  Ruth’s heart fluttered with excitement as she spoke to Bernice so she spoke quickly, while she still had the courage.

   “May I have his phone number?”
   “No, but if you wanna gimme yer number, I’ll give it to ‘im. If he wants ta call ya, he can.”

It was a long evening. Would Bernice give him the message? Would he call? Ruth jumped when the phone rang. Tingly fingers lifted the receiver and a shaky "hello" burst forth. Buren's smooth voice called her name. That call lasted two hours, and two weeks later he boarded a plane for Indianapolis.

The commute between California and Indiana was heavy for the better part of a year before the couple married at ages 75 and 77. The picture at the top of this story is Ruth at age 75, just after her engagement to Buren.

Ruth sold her house and everything she owned and moved to California. Buren had cancer and he needed to be close to Mexico and the secret elixir that granted him 18 extra years of life. After six years of marriage, Buren passed away, and thus Mrs. Pedigo told her daughter, "I am one of the few women who has loved two men, married both of them, and outlived both of them."

Have you noticed that modern keyboard constructions do not promote maximum speed? Why is that? It is due to the time needed to completely depress each key before you travel to the next one.
 
To illustrate, let's look at an extreme example. The old manual typewriters bore letters on the tip of a metal bar. Each metal bar had to travel two to four inches before it struck the paper and made an ink letter appear. Typing in those days was like making your fingers wade deep snow.  
 
Tada! Enter the electric typewriters where your fingers flew over the keys, lightly tap-tap-tapping only enough to engage the key while the travel distance between keys also decreased. Typing on electric typewriters was more like putting snowshoes on your fingers while they did your job.

Enter the new age… Daskeyboard. This company makes mechanical keyboards (http://www.daskeyboard.com) that increase your typing speed by decreasing key travel distance. Handmade in Germany, these keyboards are top of the line and, as they say on their website, “Every Detail Matters.”
 
The main selling points of the Das Keyboard Mechanical Keyboards are:

1. Instead of a plastic membrane under each key, you will find an individual switch with a “tactile point” where you can feel the point of connection. That means you don't have to "bottom out" on each key, but just strike it hard enough to activate it.
2. You can listen to your typing! Each key click indicates a successful keystroke. The rhythmic keystrokes propel you along like silky water washing on a white sandy shore. The better quality keyboards will give you a life of 50 to 60 million keystrokes as opposed to the 10 million you may get on a mass-produced keyboard.
3. The Daskeyboard keyboards also allow multiple keypresses without locking up, which is helpful for faster typists and gamers.
4. Additional features include a detachable ruler that replaces the cheap, plastic feet beneath mass-produced keyboards, USB ports, and an extra-long power cord.

There are several keyboards to pick from, starting at around $100. For those who are 100% sure of their touch typing, one keyboard offers no markings – no letters, numbers or symbols on the keys! Whoa!
 
Definitely an investment-type buy, the standard three-year warranty screams quality. CWI rates this product as a strong 10.


 

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The verb “pale” means to enclose with pales or pickets, as in a picket fence. As an adjective, “pale” means deficient in color or intensity such as having a white skin color. The phrase “pale in comparison” describes something as being less important when compared with something else.

“The sturdy pales making up the fence kept the sheep in and the coyotes out. Without this pale, the shepherd couldn’t keep his flock safe.”

“The plastic garden pail was a pale green color.” – Laurie Fagen

“My face turned pale as I viewed the three-day-old fish the man left in the pail, which had been my favorite bucket.” – Bobbie Bookhout

Instant access! Word Trippers 2nd edition. Order the PDF download for only $6.99 at www.WordTrippers.com.
***
Avoid writing blunders in your world. Have your friends and colleagues sign up for Word Tripper of the Week at http://barbaramcnichol.com/word-trippers/.
***
Latest on nonfictionbookeditor.com blog.

Streamline Your Writing — WordShops in May and June

NEW! Now available as a PDF download for $6.99. 

For your print copy of Word Trippers, go to http://tiny.cc/BarbaraMcNichol.
Ebook available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.


 

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In Memory of Joe Massingham, CWI Poetry Tutor

"We were honored to have Joe Massingham on staff for three years," said CEO, Deborah Owen. "Joe was published in Australia, Eire, India, New Zealand, England, and the USA, to name only a few, and he took second place in the Bruce Dawe National Poetry Contest. He was one of the few old masters of poetry. Tutors like Joe are a rare find. We’ll miss him."

Mr. Massingham held a BA and PhD, was the founder and director of New England Writers' Center, the Director at Armidale School of Expressive Arts, writing teacher at University of the Third Age, and was Master of Wright College, University of New England, with other credits too numerous to mention. CWI mourns their loss and sends condolences to Joe's family.

Death the Nibbler

by Joe Massingham

Mr. Death nibbles tentatively at my brain every now and then,

waits for the full sensation to sink into his palate,

cocks his head to one side, shakes it slightly and steps away.

Not ready yet, I think joyfully, feed it a couple of crossword clues

and wander off in search of something new,

constantly aware this may be my last taste of life.

 

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Contests, Agents, Jobs and Writing Conferences
by Michelle Malsbury
Editor

Off The Wall April Holidays
by Bill Battis
 

We know April got off to a bang with April Fool’s Day, but let's lay aside the Proverb, “He who is born a fool is never cured,” as we attempt to educate ourselves. Instead, give heed to Mark Twain who said, “Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed.” Or maybe you prefer this one by Henry Louis Mencken: “A man always blames the woman who fools him, in the same way he blames the door he walks into in the dark.”

Apr. 2^nd National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day It isn't really a ‘National' day because Congress never declared it to be so, but the public chooses April 2 as their day to celebrate PB&J, the most favorite lunch component ever.

Apr. 3^rd Tweed Day. Tweed probably originated in Scotland, which is famous for woolen tweed clothing. This thick, woolen material makes warm suits, pants, coats and jackets. Probably a good recommendation for some of the blustery, rainy days of April, so try it at least once.

Apr 4^th Librarian Day. If we are trying not to be a fool, what better place to start than in a library! I hope you honored your local librarians, the guardians and providers of our knowledge. Be sure to thank them for their dedicated work all year long.

Apr. 9th Winston Churchill Day. In celebration of the day Congress bestowed Honorary U.S. Citizenship upon Winston Churchill in absentia for his role in restoring peace throughout Europe in WWII.
 
April 10th National Sibling Day. Forty-nine of America’s fifty states officially recognize April 10 as National Sibling Day. The observance has spread to India and Australia as well. Phone your sibling or send a virtual hug! It's never too late for this celebration.

Apr. 10^th Golfer's Day. There are arguments as to whether this day honors the golfer, the game, or golfing weather. Experts agree it should be all three. Tradition has it that this day is in honor of the first scheduled golf tournament played in the U.S. Others might argue that every day is Golfer's Day! Any one for a round this afternoon?

Apr. 18^th International Juggler’s Day. This day honors the ancient art of juggling: plates, balls, swords, flaming torches… even chain saws! It is a skill not everyone can demonstrate. Juggling records date back to the ancient Egyptian times. Today's modern managers juggle schedules, costs, deliveries, quality, personnel, profit, paperwork, sanity, and personal relationships while the white collars keep adding to the mix. Happy juggling!

Apr. 27^th Tell a Story Day. This observance is celebrated in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, although they can't seem to agree on the date. As a writer, you should especially celebrate this day. After all, most writing tells a story through books, magazines or articles. Celebrate Tell a Story Day with enthusiasm!
 

 

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Book Review On Best Friends
  Written by Martha Moody
        Reviewed by Karen Johnson
 Columnist 

 

Best Friends is a 503-page novel that depicts straight female friendships and the testimonial power of love.
 
Claire Mann was a middle class Protestant from “Happy Ville” Ohio. It was 1973 and life was changing. As the youngest sibling in a family of four brothers, she was leaving home to attend Oberlin College, just west of Cleveland. At age 18, she lived in a dormitory with Debby, Lindsey, and Sally Rose. Sally would become Claire’s lifelong friend and the growing years proved to be emotionally and morally complicated.
 
The two young women were opposites that created uniqueness together. Claire being
the poorer, worldlier medical student was not at all like Sally, the rich Jewish girl who was an uninformed law student prone to immaturity.
 
Many factors would threaten the friendship over two decades. Distance would separate them. Marriages and divorces proved chaotic, and a family turmoil spilled secrets the could destroy the bonds of friendship.   
 
The author shapes the characters around the social issues of 1970-1990. Yes, it is a bit overdramatic, but your heart will warm to the growth of friendship. Definitely worth the read, although it rates a 5 on our scale.
 
Best Friends was published by The Penguin Group in 2001.


 

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Points to Ponder

by Julie Canfield
Devotions Columnist
 

My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my words to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe. (Psalms 45:1 NRSV)
 

How many times have you had a great idea for a story or poem? What happens when you sit down to write it? Do the words flow easily or do they get caught in a mental traffic jam?       

There are times when calling yourself a writer is the most natural, accurate label you can wear. Those are the times when words and ideas pop into your brain and flow like a fountain, stream upon stream, rushing and tumbling over one another until they reach a clear resolution… the times when revising and rewriting are not dreaded chores but tasks that fill you with new inspiration.

Then there are the other times… the times when a blank page offers no motivation… when an idea, word, or thought eludes you like it’s playing hide and seek in the crevice of your mind. At such times, the ‘writer’ doesn’t fit well. It's the last thing you want to be called, but because you carry God's DNA, it's a label you cannot escape. God has written the ultimate story, the great novel you call your life. Try to show it to others. Your life story is worth telling. Someone can learn by it.        

Make your words worth reading and thus honor the Father who created you. When you honor Him, you come closer to living His dream for your life.         

Eventually, you’ll find the right words in their hiding place and the mental traffic jam will give way. After all, God created you to be a writer. You may doubt that, but He doesn’t. Yield and study.

 

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A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
Proverbs 25:10

 

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