Taming Fire

Description

"Kystra, that's where my brother is!" Tearsgathered in Primcella's eyes. "Wack-O-Jack can'tburn that planet. My brother is at Helena'sResearch Station. So are the Extraordinaires.They're working on a special project. We have towarn them. There's no communication system."Mericolt fingered his space-cutting tool. "I'dhave to build tunnels from constellation toconstellation across the Greater Universe. I don'thave any maps. How will I know where the tunnelswill open? What if a tunnel unravels? Thathappened to Mother and she's an expert."I can't do it. I don't know..." A slight breeze brushedhis cheek. He heard a whisper. His Mother's voice."It's an emergency."

For me creativity is best when shared. One of my favorite examples is the first time I had the courage to read one of my short stories. Karleen Koen (Though a Glass Darkly and other historical novels) and Janean Thompson (an artist) started Women in Literary and Visual Arts - WILVA. They were tired of the loneliness of working in their studios. I joined the group shortly after it started for similar reasons. At one of our annual exhibit of members art and writing, I finally had the courage to read one of my written works. The group knew my art, but I was a closet writer. My knees shook as I read my short story. When I finished Karleen jumped out of her seat, took my hand and told me how wonderful the piece was.I call that incident, the five minutes that changed my life. Still glowing from my success, I petitioned my fellow artists at Archway Gallery to let me begin a reading series for creative writers. The Archway Reading Series began, with the help of my friend, Donna Perkins. I always made sure I had new material to read each month. In 1999 I selected three of the works I'd read at the Archway Readings, entered them in the Texas PEN Contest and won.Currently I'm part of the 35-year old Steamboat Springs Writing Group, an organization formed by Harriet Freiberger, a fellow local writer. The members read their new work and a short critique follows. Many of the members are published.Although I've been writing seriously for 20 plus years, I've chosen not to publish. Being a visual artist, I know that once your work is on display, the public expects a certain type of work. This limits the artist's creativity. I didn't want that to happen to my writing. Although I've written and completed novels, a series of young adult fantasies and short stories, I've kept them in the bowels of my computer, where I hope they'll mold and ripen into something fabulous.So now, I'm opening this moldy private area and sharing the contents with the public.