Writers Course March 7 at Edmond Library
“It was a dark and stormy night.”
How many of us have spent an inordinate amount of time staring at a blank page on the typewriter or a blank screen on a computer, struggling to find just the right words to open our novel, story or screenplay? Writers’ block is no respecter of people. It has paralyzed both prospective and published authors.
There are no secrets to curing writers’ block, but there are some exercises and tips that can help launch you from the first paragraph to the last page.
From 2 to 3 p.m. March 7 at Edmond Library, I’ll be sharing what I’ve gleaned over the years about the creative process of writing. I don’t declare myself an expert, but I’ve been a good listener and a rabid reader through the years and an eager student of words and writing.
I’ll share the process I went through as a nationally published author to research, write and edit my book as well as writing the all important query letter.
Oklahoma, and especially Edmond, is blessed with a good number of writers of fiction, nonfiction, romance, science fiction and children’s books. Who knows who might be the next up-and-coming author?
There is no charge, but you need to pre-register to reserve a seat. Also bring a pen and some paper as I will try to cover a lot of subjects in our hour together.
To pre-register for the class call the library at 341-9282 . The library is at 10 S Boulevard , north of the intersection of Second Street and Boulevard.
The true identity of Rumble the mascot revealed
Is it just me or does Rumble, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s new mascot look a lot like Michael J. Fox in “Teen Wolf?”
A letter to the editor about student drug testing
David King of Edmond sent this satirical “letter to the editor” after reading about the Edmond School Board’s discussion on student drug testing. King is a life-long member of Edmond.
Dear School Board Members,
Sorry I wasn’t able to attend your meeting, but I was nursing a hangover all day and didn’t feel like getting out, so I want to thank the Oklahoman for the opportunity to write my comments regarding this ridiculous issue of Drug Testing. I am the President of the newly formed Pro-Pot-Smoking Parents Organization, or PPiS-POR as we like to call it. I wanted to say that I was really encouraged to hear about all the parents who showed up at the meeting to speak out against drug testing in the school system. Its about time that the Edmond school system gets off it’s high horse and starts patterning itself after other schools that get high…I mean have high standards. Some schools have continually rejected drug testing in their schools and have had tremendous success in their academic performance, and are graduating outstanding students. Students like… ..um… …uh… ..well…..anyway. I can only hope for the day that we finally have a great school system like theirs. Just imagine, gun-shots ringing out in the parking lot and the pinnacle……to hear the song “Cocaine” blaring through the speakers at the beginning of every football game. Oh Yeah Baby! What a glorious day that will be.
The Pro-Pot Smoking Parent Organization (PPiS-POR) realizes that since teaching was developed into a science, academic institutions have instructed teachers on the importance of the learning environment as an essential part of education process. The PPiS-POR group, however, prefers the position stated in the meeting by my fellow PPiS-POR parents that we need to stop worrying about the current drug-laden environment and worry about education, (so long as we don’t educate on the dangers of THC and lung disease).
With this “progressive” attitude we can ensure that fee and uninhibited use of hooch will continue unchallenged by school administration. In fact, we at PPiS-POR would like to be the first to sponsor weekly events like “Weed-Wednesdays” and “Fatty-Fridays”, (but only if someone else does it cause I don’t feel like getting off my couch).
It is clear, that based on the last 10 years of Edmond Athletic championships we obviously don’t need any improvement. I would be happy to have our new PPiS-POR spokesman, Michael Phelps, speak to the Athletic Director about the financial benefits of athletes who get caught high on drugs. If you think training kids to catch or kick a ball when their “straight” is difficult, just wait until your kids are seeing three or four balls. Now watching that at a game would be the Bong… I mean Bomb!!
I must admit, however, I am a tiny bit conflicted about the drug testing issue myself. Mainly because, without it, our PPiS-POR group could not show the “huge” numbers of National Merit, and AP scholars who regularly get high on drugs. (I’m confident I can find at least one)
In conclusion, I would like to encourage other potential PPiS-POR members, who also had parents that didn’t care if their kids got high, to join our organization’s cause. We have meetings semi-regularly, (or whenever we feel like getting off the couch). And some day I hope to get around to building a website for our group…. Just don’t feel like doing anything right now.
Sincerely Yours
PPiS-POR President
David King
Hundreds Compete In Frigid 5 Miler
Hundreds of competitors, 934 to be exact, braved a cold Valentines Day morning to compete in the Edmond Running’s Club Frigid 5 Miler.
Follow this link to find a list of winners in male and female open and by age groups.
Dodging The Edmond Tornado
For the most part tornados don’t scare me.
I tease my friends who live out of state that a tornado warning in Oklahoma is a signal to go outside to see the twister.
That’s going to change. Tuesday I was in Edmond doing interviews for news stories when I heard the tornado warning for west Edmond on the radio. That’s exactly where I was, so I decided to try to drive home ahead of the storm.
I’ve seen lots of tornados. One went over my house some years ago as a neighbor and I stood in the street and watched it pass by about 100 yards away. My job has been to follow a distance away and file stories as they happen. But Tuesday I felt differently.
As I stood near my patio window, the wind suddenly stopped. Everything got very quiet except for the sound of distant sirens. Then without warning the wind began to blow fiercely. I could hear trashcans in the neighborhood being blown away from houses. And for the first time in a tornado warning I did something I’ve never done before. I got inside a closet.
Minutes passed when I decided to drive outside my neighborhood to see if there was any damage. Driving north up Santa Fe I saw several cars stopped just north of Covell. To my left were downed power lines and a man sitting in his truck. He was trapped between the shoulder of the road and the downed lines. To his left was the Kanaly’s North Country addition. Several people were in the street assessing the damage to their homes.
There I met Lisa Brady. Her home was missing roof shingles and several large trees in her front yard had been uprooted. In a way she seemed relieved that nothing more happened. She told me she took her dogs to the closet when she first heard the warning sirens.
Next door Rick Early also lost shingles and trees. Parts of a metal shed wound up in his swimming pool, he told me. By this time police and utility crews had arrived to block off the entrance into the addition. I had to wait until power was terminated before crossing the street back to my car. It was then that large hail and rain began to pour. One of the residents of the neighborhood graciously allowed me to sit it out in his truck.
From there I filed a report back to the newspaper and eventually made it home to download my photos to NewsOK.com.
Later I went out again, this time to interview managers of local hardware stores to see if they had a demand for certain items due to the storm. Without question, flashlights, batteries and generators were in demand.
Reporting demands getting the story fast and accurate and safely. Going to a place of shelter was the right move for these residents and me. Fortunately I can only report on damage and not deaths in Edmond. Now the story moves on to the rebuilding and the healing.
