Learning How to Write

Susan Briggs Wright

     It was September, 2008 when I persuaded my friend, Peggy, to join me in a memoir writing class at the Women’s Institute of Houston. I chose that particular class because the instructor, Susan Briggs Wright, had outstanding credentials. I began to have second thoughts as the date drew closer. I called Susan about my hesitancy. “Will I have to read my assignments to the class?” The trepidation I was feeling was evident to Susan. She assured me that there would be no pressure to read our work before the class. I braced myself for the first class. We met every Wednesday afternoon. Gradually I felt comfortable about reading my work before the class. Susan and my classmates gave me constructive feedback which really helped develop my writing skills. I soon began to see some structure in writing down memories of my life with my mother. As time passed during the next two years, I began to set aside about two hours each afternoon for writing. The thoughts that would spring up in my mind were quickly added to my “parking lot.” Susan taught us this device - making a Word file in which I parked all my thoughts that I might want to develop at a later time. Finally my work was completed on the book of letters. It was published by iUniverse, an on-line publisher in 2011 and the memoir was published in 2012.
 

Susan told us she was editing and contributing to a collection of memoirs called Coping with Transition: Men, Motherhood, Money, and Magic – Memoirs from the Lives of Professional Women, published by Texas Review Press, a prestigious academic publisher. I was flattered to be asked for my feedback on several prototypes for a cover design. Susan encouraged me to speak frankly, and I did. When the book came out I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of the 15 stories. Some were sad, some poignant, and others just very funny. I get a kick out of seeing the book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites, reading the reviews there and feeling pleased at having been part of the focus group on the cover.
 

I recently received the following thank you letter from Susan:

Dear Diane,

I don’t think I ever properly thanked you for your special contribution to my qualitative focus group on cover designs for Coping With Transition: Men, Motherhood, Money, and Magic—Memoirs from the Lives of Professional Women. It’s a very long title. In our wisdom, we authors thought the letters would surely fill all the space on the cover. So we instructed our designer, to do several test versions with strong graphic treatments. Fortunately, he was wiser than we and included one concept with a picture, a wintry park scene. About a dozen women around the country reacted via e-mail. Strong likes, strong dislikes and no convergence on the graphics. “Those graphics assault me!” said a woman suffering through a painful divorce. “The cover needs to say. ’Come with me, You can trust me. This will be good.’” That kind of comment got us looking more carefully at the picture option! We liked the layout but were cool to the park scene. That’s when I showed the prototypes to you. Your comment was, “You’re coping, but where’s the companionship—the camaraderie?” Your question gave us the insight we needed to envision a totally different cover image to reflect the spirit of our stories. The book seems to be selling well online and at readings we’re doing at book clubs and bookstores. We lift our lemonade glasses to you!

Fondly, Susan

I’m glad I was candid in my comments and pleasantly surprised to see how well they were taken to heart.

Susan’s next term for her class, Legacy and Heritage, will start Tuesday, February 5, 2013.

 

Giddings Texas Word Wrangler Sept. 2012

Ready for the book signing at the Texas Word Wrangler



 

Marcia Bloh, a Buffalo Gal, helping set up.

 

A display of the books featured

 

A class from one of the Giddings schools asked questions

about my book on the Big Bend.

 

 

Nellie Kress, another Buffalo Gal and artist,

joins Marcia and me with the set up.

 

 A Giddings senior high student who

will someday by a successful writer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Janis Hannes, another Buffalo Gal friend,

celebrates the day with me.

Discussing books with an interested couple.

 

 

 



My Bucket List

I don’t consider myself an extreme sport devotee but I do love to try different adventures. So I’ll share with you my on-going bucket list of semi-daring things I have accomplished and then those adventures I have yet to try.

The Great Wall of China:
When I first retired my husband and I were able to travel to China. Part of the tour was to Beijing and the Great Wall of China. I couldn’t wait to see that wonder. I planned to wear my patriotic sweater of red, white, and blue stars and stripes when I did. The steps up to the top at this particular part of the wall are very irregular. Some steps were easy to climb but many of them were so deep and far apart that one had to make a great effort to stretch and climb in order to be able to make it to the next step. But I was determined and felt relieved when I finally reached the top. I took several pictures at the top and my husband took a few of me on the climb. It was truly exhilarating to accomplish that feat. How far we've come in our relations with this communist country. Although we were not allowed to ask questions at Tiannemen Square, I was allowed to proudly wear my red, white, and blue on that ancient wall in China.

View from the Top of the Great Wall of China

Hot Air Balloon Ride:
Ron, my husband, and I spent a month in the mountains just north of Taos, New Mexico one summer. During that time several family members and friends would join us. The week my son, Greg, and my daughter, Jennifer, were with us we booked a hot air balloon ride. It was thrilling. We had to be at the designated lift-off area very early in the morning to avoid the winds that begin when the sun warms the area. The pilot postponed the ride the first morning because of poor weather conditions. But the next morning the conditions were just right. We met our pilot and his crew and finally it was time to climb on board as the flames filled the balloon. What sights the four of us viewed. There was no sound except for the occasional flare to lift and lower the balloon as we sailed through the clean air in the flat plains west of Taos. The pilot even guided the craft to touch down in a small river and then lift up above the water. It seemed as though the ride was over before it began even though we sailed for about an hour.

The next part of the adventure included a visit with an owner of an "earth home." The home was dug into the earth and built of adobe with walls of bottles of glass and tires. The walls were so thick that air conditioning was not necessary. It had its own room-sized terrarium of trees and tropical plants that one would not ordinarily find in the dessert of New Mexico. 
 

Ballooning near Taos, New Mexico 

Snorkeling in Hawaii off Molokini:
I did some snorkeling in the 1980s in the Bahamas. But this snorkeling experience was so different. Ron and I were on our honeymoon in Hawaii in 1998. We were in Maui when we noticed a trip offering to the waters around the crested shape of Molokini Island. As the boat arrived in the diving and snorkeling area I climbed into my wetsuit with some trepidation. I had never jumped off the side of a boat into deep waters. Ron was a certified scuba diver and he was being way too relaxed compared to me. But I made the plunge anyway. The water was cold for a while but I became somewhat use to it as we explored the beautiful waters around us. There were many colorful and curious fish watching us watching them.

 





River Rafting:

 

 

Rafting on the Comal River

White water rafting on the Arkansas River. Notice our guide was a very competent female rafter.
Going through the Royal Gorge was thrilling.

Ziplining:

 

Ziplining through the tropical rainforest in Belize and Mexico.

(I think I can! I think I can!)

 

 

Gearing up for ziplining the temperate rainforest

out of Ketchakan, Alaska

 

 

Here I go zipping above the tree line in Alaska's forest.

 

What a view from my spot above the tree line of a logging camp on one of the inlets.



Ziplining at the Houston Livestock and Rodeo in February, 2013

Ziplining in Costa Rica
 

Parasailing in the Bahamas:



The crew lets out my line. Here I go!
 

Look Mom, no hands. I'm glad I remembered to put the camera strap around my wrist.
What a view overlooking Paradise Island next to Nassau.

 

This shows the enormity of the Atlantis Resort.

 

 

Elephant Riding:
One of the highlights of our trip to Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand,

and Singapore was to visit the Singapore Gardens and the magnigicent Singapore Zoo.

 

What a thrill to be on top of this magnificent animal.



Helicopter Riding:

On our honeymoon in Hawaii, Ron and I treated ourselves to a helicopter ride to Hana on the northeast side of the island of Maui. The sights along the way were wonderful especially the waterfalls that can only be seen from the air. When we landed we had a driver who drove us down the twisting Hana Road. A picnic was included on a black sandy beach.

 

Another helicopter ride was from Victoria on Vancouver Island to Seattle. Our latest ride was a highlight of a road trip we took to Mt. Rushmore with our friends, Bob and Holly. The helicopter flew us near the statues of the presidents. That was a thrill.

 



About to take off to see Mt. Rushmore from the air.

 

Flew as a passenger in a glider plane

 



More adventures planned for my bucket list:



Speed race on a race track
Travel on an African Safari
Travel to Australia and New Zealand
Pilot an airplane
Skydive in tandem
Master ballroom dancing with my husband

My Journey through Cancer

My husband and I have been blessed with the ability and time to go on many travels since I retired. We have visited Hawaii, many islands in the Caribbean and many countries in Europe, the Greek Isles, China, and Southeast Asia – from Hong Kong to Singapore. Little did I dream that the last two and half years a different kind of journey would be in store for me.

I was diagnosed with Stage Four pancreatic cancer in March, 2010. Several tests were run and finally with a second biopsy it was determined that I had an inoperable adenocarcinoma tumor which was wrapped around the vein from my pancreas to the liver. It was blocking the enzymes necessary for digestion. The doctor at M. D. Anderson’s Gastrointestinal Center was Dr. Milind Javle. He is quiet spoken but very positive and confident in his ability to help me. I have noticed over time how this doctor from India with a family is so devoted to his work. 

Dr. Javle and his team explained a protocol that would be the best treatment for my cancer. It would be five weeks of chemotherapy infusions of Gemcitabine and Cisplatin once every two weeks for a total of five infusions. That would be followed by radiation treatments along with Xeloda pills that were taken 2 at a time both morning and evening. 



Dr. Javle and me

The news spread through emails to friends and church members. I was included in many prayer lists for the next several months. It was a shock to all of us. Finally I knew why I was in so much pain and how it was to be treated. A pain patch was prescribed for me which I could change every three days. The infusions were started and even though the protocol always included medicine for nausea, the chemos began to affect my appetite anyway. I had slight nausea, and was very tired. I lost about ten pounds which was a lot when you consider that I weighed 105 before the cancer treatment. After the five weeks of chemotherapy using infusions, Dr. Javle set up radiation treatments for me. I was to have radiation every weekday for five weeks and with a chemo pill called Xeloda. I was very apprehensive about the radiation because of the location of the tumor. The pancreas is almost completely hidden behind the stomach and is very hard to radiate because of its location. The radiation team had to fit a saddle (they actually had to make two saddles for me.) I was to lie on these saddles on a gurney for each radiation treatment. It was very complicated to learn how to breathe in order to keep my pancreas in the exact location for the radiation to do its work.

The radiation team led by Dr. Crane was fantastic. He saw me each weekday that I had radiation. His assistant always explained what the procedure would be each day. When the team was having trouble fitting the forms called saddles to my body exactly, there were four or five physicists to set them up correctly. When the first plan didn’t work they were there again to develop another plan. The team that actually radiated my pancreas also taught me how to breathe and hold my breath. With much encouragement from my family and my pastor, I was able to learn how to manage my breathing. It was so strange to have to use glasses that were linked to the computer. Wearing the glasses I learned to make the blue line and the yellow line come together and change color and stay on that changed color by the way I held my breath and opened my diaphragm to raise my stomach so that the radiation was only on the tumor and not the surrounding area. Nutritionists advised me on how to maintain my weight with liquid supplements and other foods for which I might be able to have an appetite. Somehow I got through the five weeks with few problems.

My son, Greg volunteered to take me every time I needed to go for treatment. He was so encouraging as was the rest of my family. Greg would patiently walk with me from one end of hospital to the other to encourage me to get some exercise. Fortunately, I never experienced any major side effects that would cause me to use a wheelchair, check in as a patient, or go to the emergency room during this treatment. I didn’t lose my hair either although it did start to thin.

The staff at M. D. Anderson are all so caring. The lab which takes each patient's blood sample is run with such efficiency and joy. Even though the waiting room is full, there is a routine that keeps everything moving and soon your name is called. Each of the technicians will greet you with a smile.
I can usually reach my doctor's Physician's Assistant, Jackie Weatherley whenever I need Dr. Javle's opinion about my condition and the meds I am taking. She quickly contacts Dr. Javle and soon I have a call from Jackie telling me his advice.

Many of my friends and family sent flowers and cards. Many brought home-made soup and healthy egg custard for me. But best of all they came to visit and bring inspirational books of those who had lived through cancer with the Lord’s help. One of my church friends brought me a prayer shawl which I cherish. I always felt cold and it really warmed me waiting for my appointments.

I am a member of Memorial Lutheran Church, 5800 Westheimer in Houston. I missed going to church every Sunday and singing in choir, but I was just too weak to do it. It was only when I began to feel stronger after the chemo and radiation treatments that I felt like going to church again. It was onderful to worship in the Lord’s house, to sing the beloved Lutheran hymns, and take communion. Pastor Murray came to my home several times to give me communion, but I felt so blessed to be able to go to the communion rail on my own.

It was soon after I began to get my strength back that I began to write my books in earnest. It was a goal that I set for myself. It kept my mind busy with something else besides the cancer. Each day I would set some time aside for completing the books that I had begun in memoir writing class with Susan Wright at the Women's Institute starting in 2005. Now I have completed the two books and they are published. I can now share Jesus' saving grace with all that I meet during my presentations. 

As my strength returned, I began attending prayer healing services at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church with a dear friend who lives in our high rise. It’s informal with a few hymns played on a CD player, a short meditation and lesson followed by praise reports. Then each of us may have individual healing prayers said over us by one of the prayer leaders some of whomare J. B. Mallay, Ellen Mallay, and Kathleen Scott. I’ve been attending Wednesdays since my strength returned. The prayer leaders taught me so much about the healing power of prayer. I now know my purpose in life is to spread the Gospel. Each time I make a presentation before a group, I mention my successful treatments and how the Lord’s grace has helped me face each day with a grateful heart. The journey still continues now in October of 2012 with follow-up chemotherapy to prevent the tumor from growing. I’ve not suffered many side effects since I began this second round of chemo which should last another two or three months. As you can see from the calendar of events, I‘m staying busy with book sales and presentations. We’re also planning a cruise to South America perhaps in December. As you can read, I consider myself a survivor of cancer with the Lord's help. And so the journey continues.

Thank you, Melletta Bell of the Big Bend Archives!

Melletta Bell of the Big Bend Archives at Sul Ross University in Alpine, Texas deserves special credit for doing what she does everyday. She helps historians and amateur genealogists and writers to uncover the history of Big Bend. I didn’t realize when we visited the Big Bend Archives that I would discover so many photos and information of my mother’s history when she lived in Big Bend as an orphan and a student of Ivalee Bales in Glenn Springs in the Big Bend in the 1920s. Melletta was so helpful to grant permission to use the Big Bend photos from the archives in my books. I’m very grateful for her help. Here’s what she wrote to me after we met at Panther Junction, Big Bend for the Pioneer Days Reunion:

Diane,

Thank you for this. I so enjoyed your presentation and meeting your daughter and friend. But the best part was meeting you. You are amazing!

Best, Melleta

Before and After Photos of Settings in My Books about Big Bend

Remains of ledgestones used in dugout home of

the Clemente Mena Family on Tornillo Creek

(Photo courtesy of Louis Albach)



Map of Mena Family Home 1908

 



Map of eastern Big Bend on the Rio Grande



 



Glenn Springs candella wax factory owned

by J. D. Woods circa 1920s and 1930s

Glenn Springs home circa 1926 with Ivalee Bales,

Mary Susan Landrum, and W. D. Smithers sending carrier pigeons

to San Antonio paper with the latest news and photos from the Big Bend:

Notice cottonwood tree in the background. Compare it to the next photo.

2012 view of Glenn Springs home with only

cottonwood tree trunk remaining

(Photo by Tom Webb)

Troops 6th Cavalry, Glenn Springs, TX

 

Glenn Springs in 1918

2012 view of creek below Glenn Springs

(Photo by Tom Webb)

 

Building in Glenn Springs in which shoot-out between U.S. troops and bandits occurred.

Later it became the Glenn Springs School.

Glenn Springs School
 Ivalee Bales, teacher and Mary Susan Landrum

wearing cloche hat among the other students circa 1910 - 1920

(Notice bullet holes in wall from the shoot-out mentioned above.)

Santa Elena Canyon

Book Launch & Signing Party

My second book, Cinderella's Daughter and the Secret of Big Bend, is finally published and can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other ebook sites. The book launch and signing on Saturday, August 11 held in the Fellowship Hall at my church, Memorial Lutheran Church, was successful. Everyone seemed to enjoy my powerpoint presentation.

"I was very lucky to get a chance to work with a wonderful woman named Diane Gardner and create the cover art for her second book titled "Cinderella's Daughter and the Secret of Big Bend". She will be having a book launch and signing on August 11 from 1 pm - 3 pm in the Fellowship Hall at Memorial Lutheran Church, 5800 Westheimer @ Bering. More info. to follow. Please check out her blog, DianeGarner.Blogspot.com for other upcoming events". . . Tiffany Cintron of Tiffany Cintron Photography



Reading a few passages from Cinderella's Daughter

and the Secret of Big Bend


Cousin Mark Liberty and daughter, Jennifer Schroeder
with the author (middle)

 Friends Eleanor, Charlotte, and Holly

Friends Gloria Morrill and Michelle Tormo with the author

Explaining how the Texas Rangers befriended my mom in 1926.

 

 

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