What Am I Doing? A Writer at Eighty — BREVITY’s Nonfiction Blog

By Abigail Thomas I’ve always been curious about why one chooses fiction for one story and nonfiction for another. For me it’s pretty simple—some stories need to be served straight up. That’s nonfiction. Others need more architecture, that’s fiction. It’s a decision best left to the gut. It has been a long time since I […]

What Am I Doing? A Writer at Eighty — BREVITY’s Nonfiction Blog

Just sharing this author’s post because she’s wise.

And because a change has got to come to my site. There is no longer anything I find worthy of sharing in the ongoing saga of who found Fenn’s treasure, or where, or what did the clues in the poem mean…

I’ve been toying with switching over to a literary magazine format for quite awhile. In fact, I only started The Fenn Diagrams as an exercise to learn how to run a blog/website, an author’s website, to be more specific. And now, nine years on, (really?) it’s time to pull the plug. I held on thinking there would actually be some closure, certainly within a year of Forrest Fenn’s death. It hasn’t come. Sadly.

So the annual renewal is about to come due. I don’t know how soon I’ll flip this or how (cold turkey or melding or ???) But, if anyone wants to follow along, I think that the first story I post will be one that I shared with Forrest and he shared with Dal (and possibly Douglas Preston.) Both veterans approved. It was a story about a vet and had already been published in an online lit mag.

After that, maybe I’ll post the short story that won first place in the Minneapolis Writers Workshop Conference. But who knows?

Busy times here.

I’ve got to count all the bees in the hive here in the 100 acre wood.

The only gold I ever found.

The Keeper of the Bees

A story almost a hundred years old. A soldier, wounded inside and out, walks out of a facility and, in time, finds healing.

Keeper

Shell shock.

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Jump to today.  Same story. New name.

I listened to a podcast recently about a group (begun) in Texas called Hives for Heroes.  Commendable.  Give it a listen.  They are also on Facebook and at Hives for Heroes . com.

I’m only in my second year of beekeeping but I get it.

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Bees are mesmerizing. So organized, with a uniform goal of survival and yet independent.

And share with us such sweet rewards.

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Douglas Preston discusses —“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.”*… — (Roughly) Daily

Forrest Fenn’s friend Douglas Preston’s novel comes true??? Thought I’d share this since I read a few of his books while under the influence, hoping for hints, if not outright clues, as to where the Fenn treasure is hidden, not necessarily buried. ; )

 

A record of the most significant event in the history of life on Earth, the fossil evidence of the almost-instant extinction of most life on the planet: “The Day the Dinosaurs Died” (Plus- Cope)

via “Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.”*… — (Roughly) Daily

Nothing in the Rulebook joins judging panel for Adventure Writers Competition

Son of a son of a sailorWouldn’t it be beyond cool if one of the Fenn treasure hunters won this writing contest?

Oh, the tales they could tell.

nothing in the rulebook

vagabond-images-climate-change Adventure is out there as Nothing in the Rulebook joins forces with Adventure Writer’s competition. Photo credit: Mike Dodson/Vagabond Images

Creative collective Nothing in the Rulebook will thus year join the judging panel of the annual Adventure Writer’s writing competition, a contest widely known for being the only pure adventure writing competition available to writers today.

With a US$1,000 prize up for grabs, writers have until the 30 April 2019 to submit their work to the contest, before the founders of Nothing in the Rulebook will join the Adventure Writers judging panel to sift through entries and pick out a winner, who will be announced on 5 October at the Clive Cussler Collector’s Society convention.

Announcing the news, Nothing in the Rulebook’s Professor Wu said: “we’re delighted to be teaming up with the fabulous team behind the Adventure Writers competition and looking forward to seeking out some exciting…

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History 109 (Portal Revisited)

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East Palace

On a quiet Sunday afternoon, I finally strolled over to find Dorothy McKibbin’s obscure office space.

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(And found another interesting gallery nearby.)

 

 

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In a previous post, I mentioned Sheinkin’s excellent hx books

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And for an exciting historical fiction read regarding the Norwegian episode of the race, read The Saboteur, by Andrew Gross.

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A Bit of Poetry via the Journey to the Sea Blog

When death comes to ask forgiveness

May I be ready with a kiss.

Take these trinkets. Take that treasure.

I need nothing more than this.

Text: Linked to dVerse Poetics. Sarah hosts with the theme of ekphrastic poetry and introducing Fay Collins’ art. Photo: This image is of an oil painting by Fay Collins used […]

via Journey to the Sea — Poetry, Short Prose and Walking

This short, sweet poem just struck me.

Thank you, Frank Hubeny.

Stairs from above

 

A Swab of Hope

I’m sharing my friend’s story. Please consider getting swabbed for Be the Match. What a blessing for her.

Diary Of A Not So Wimpy Mom

November 13. A date, in my mind, that will forever denote hope, faith, love and life.

Five years ago, on November 13, 2012, an amazing young woman named Megan donated her stem cells to me. Her healthy cells replaced my diseased bone marrow after a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive blood cancer. She was a complete stranger to me at that time, who gave selflessly and unconditionally, simply because she knew she had the ability to save a life. Today, my five-year transplant anniversary marks an important milestone. The chance of relapse after five years is highly unlikely (that’s your cue to knock on wood). Today is my 5th “rebirthday”.

IMG_0150A swab of hope: the beginning. When my brother and sister had their blood tested, wishing to give me a second chance at life, neither of them was a “match” to be my life-saving stem cell donor…

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In Case You Couldn’t Be There . . .

Thanks to Toby for this video of the Fenn and Preston chat before the book signing:

 

 

The following are my opinions. I have, on more than one occasion, said and written that the event on May 18, 2017 caused a change in Fenn. He was already tired of the “activity” around the effort to find the treasure he hid. May 18, to me, was the straw that broke the burro’s back. […]

via The End Has Drawn Nigh. — A Gypsy’s Kiss

 

Update on Nov. 2nd Forrest Fenn Book Signing

Important read if you are planning a trip to Santa Fe for the Once Upon a While book release:

http://dalneitzel.com/2017/10/18/new-info-book-signing/#comments

Ticket from Collected Works Bookstore needed.

New Mexico Museum of Art

New Mexico Museum of Art

FROM DAL:  Anyone wanting a seat at the event must send a request for ticket/s either by:

  • Email to CWBookEvents@gmail.com with your name and phone number, requests will be processed in the order received and confirmed by return telephone call.
  • Or you may call the store at (505) 988-4226 and talk to Dorothy or Darrell between 9am-5pm daily. If not available, they will return your call promptly.

I can’t make it to this one, but plan to order a book once the dust has settled.

Enjoy all!

no fishing allowed

No Fishing Allowed

Happy Birthday, Forrest Fenn

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Cupcakes, of course.  

And from my backyard to yours:  A gallery of purple flowers and other wild things to celebrate your 87th!

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All the best!   I hope to get out west to see you next year.

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Swallowtail on Ironweed

Blue-winged Teal

And then these dropped out of the tree...
(And then these drop out of the tree)