Writing Tips Cycle III

Today took place the third and final presentation of the series titled Writing Tips: The Improvisation of a Decalogue. Moderated by Maximiliano Tomas, three prominent writers were set to talk about how a fictional text is constructed.

The chronicle of the previous talk can be read at the following link https://reuniendoletras.blogspot.com/2015/10/writing-tips-cycle-ii.html , and from there you can trace your way back to the first one, which is why, once again, I will move straight to commenting on the event without introducing the basic details already covered in that entry.

The guest writer scheduled to close the series was Eduardo Sacheri. This writer is the author of, among several others, the book The Secret in Their Eyes (La pregunta de sus ojos). A book on which a movie was based that won quite a few awards. To read a very brief biography of him, you can visit https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduardo_Sacheri

However, the truth is that the final talk did not take place; it was suspended, and I do not know when it will be held.

As on previous occasions, and without receiving any prior communication or email notification from Yenny-El Ateneo, I arrived early at the venue. I spent some time walking around the bookstore, this time through the historical fiction section, and then went up to the second floor where the talks are held. The first thing I noticed was that nobody was there; nevertheless, the desk and all the chairs were already set up. There were no fewer than twenty-two chairs properly arranged, but what caught my attention was that they were cordoned off by stanchions used to delimit spaces or direct lines—also known as Tensabarriers, bollards, or posts with retractable tape. They were indeed enclosing the room for the talk, and in the center of the belt, there was a sign that said something like "Chairs not to be used, reserved for events." Since I was attending an event, I sat in a corner, and shortly after, three more people arrived—a woman and two men—who also walked in and sat down.

There we were, waiting, and no one else was arriving. After a while, a woman from the venue's private security team walked by. She looked at us and kept moving, went up one staircase and down another on her usual patrol. A few minutes later, the security guard returned, looked at the woman in our seated group, and asked:

·         Why are you sitting here?

·         We are waiting for the event to start, (replied the seated woman).

·         Which event? (the security guard asked again).

·         The 7:00 PM event of the Writing Tips series, (replied the seated woman).

·         Ah, that event was cancelled. I saw you sitting here a moment ago, so I went downstairs and asked if there was an event, and they confirmed it was cancelled, (replied the security guard).

And I ask myself: if she already knew an event was scheduled and it was later confirmed to her that the event was cancelled, why ask "which event"? Which other one could it be? Ultimately, she was respectful, notified us of the cancellation, and found a polite way to initiate the conversation to let us know.

The reason for the cancellation was the power outage recorded in the area for the past two days. News regarding the ongoing blackouts can be seen here:

20% of those affected by the blackout are still without power.

http://www.infobae.com/2015/10/15/1762571-el-20-los-afectados-el-apagon-todavia-sigue-luz

So we stood up and left. As usual, I took the stairs; the other three people, who were three senior citizens, also took the stairs—and thank goodness they chose that path! Just as I was reaching the ground floor, a total blackout hit the entire bookstore, leaving almost all of it in pitch darkness, except for a single lamp likely powered by one of those portable generators that businesses rent on blackout days and place on the sidewalks. I took a couple of photos in the dark and left, along with many other people who were also leaving, while the security guards kept a sharp eye out—since there was no power, it was dark and the anti-theft alarm control machines were not working.

That is how this series ended for me, with the last talk suspended… Now, on to waiting for the next series of talks.