To the editor,
Writing in the March 21 Wall Street Journal, Peter Funt observes: “During the lockdown, the urge to write memoirs seems to have reached epidemic proportions. This makes sense for those who would rather self-designate as authors than paint the house or mow the lawn.” I was bitten by the writing bug about a year ago. No, it’s not a memoir – exactly – although there were some memories from youth to explore. I’m not sure how good it is, critically, but I had fun filling hours and days with the creation of my short novel.
Nearly all of us recall being stuck inside homes with much less to go and do aside from buying groceries and other necessities. I had always wanted to try my hand at, perhaps, an extended short story – say, 3,000 or 4,000 words. The unpublished novel, which I titled “Curahee Summer”, claimed some 33,000 words between late April and August 9 when I completed the narrative. (For the eagle-eyed, there is a reason for the titular misspelling). It took up late evenings and early mornings, some of which ran together; and, it was the source of more than a little frustration. But, boy, was it fun watching the story knit together!
I met new friends and visited other places in our state – or, rather – created them. Dave Beck and Trey Carson hail from, respectively, the fictional towns of Northfield and Weston – towns about as close together as, say, Rockingham and Laurel Hill. Set at “Camp Curahee” in August, 1968, the two 12-year-olds bond as they find themselves in Northfield at the military funeral of a young GI recently killed in Vietnam (yeah, I found a way to make that work).
“Trey” is small, sensitive, well-read, and thoughtful. “Dave” is smart, but athletic and rough-and-tumble. They discover a chemistry together, bonding, also, over a shared love of baseball. Three protestant ministers operate the camp, along with their wives. The three are a little “crusty”, but kindly. One minister finds cause to deliver a sermon that is stronger than would be expected for youngsters at a summer camp. The boys consequently find themselves discussing the sermon, exploring religious faith, sin, Vietnam, politics, and other topics.
There is fun and humor, too. A ventriloquist and her smart-aleck dummy elicit a few “yucks” prior to the sermon. In keeping with the setting, there are also bonfires, baptisms, and bullies. A benign incident around a bonfire one evening creates misunderstanding, with the fallout separating Dave and Trey for a few years. As noted, there is plenty of baseball here, and the boys face off in a championship ball game in 1972 where one of them experiences some big moments before the two meet up again and resume their friendship. The story unfolds in flashback between 1968 and 1972.
Yes, part of the house got painted and the lawn was mowed on a regular basis last year. But not by me (or the wife). I was having too much fun at Camp Curahee!
Douglas Smith
Rockingham
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March 24, 2021 at 12:25AM
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To the editor | Pandemic gives time for yard work, and creative work - Richmond County Daily Journal
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