More Christmas

I'm still recovering from hosting Christmas dinner last night--17 people, after all was said and done.  The Alien Child's girlfriend also came over, as her trip to Oklahoma was curtailed by the massive snowstorm that closed the airports there.  But, the more the merrier at the Harbaugh house at Christmas!

It may sound odd to some to say so, but this really is the beginning of the Christmas season for us--liturgically.  Remember the 12 days of Christmas song?  Well, the Twelve Days begin on Christmas day for those who are Christians, although of course we prepare for Christmas like everyone else in the secular world (what people call the "Christmas season" is Advent for the regular church-goers). 

Which makes me realize, Christmas is both a secular and religious holiday.  The secular folks celebrate in their own way in the weeks prior to and on December 25th, whereas religious Christians go through the preparatory weeks of Advent, then celebrate on December 25th and for the 12 days afterwards...but not strictly, because we get into the secular before-Christmas fun, too.

All of which makes for an extra-long Christmas season for regular church-goers.  And which can make for extra fatigue, but I think the extra fatigue is laid on pastors more than anyone else. 

But I am feeling particularly relaxed right now and not inclined to do much, especially now that my right eye has ceased twitching.  Hmm.

Still, onwards and upwards. I need to venture out to get some split peas, so as to make split pea soup from the spiral sliced ham remains.  My niece Elizabeth loves split pea soup, so I will make sure to get some for her as well. 

But still, it continues to be Christmas, so here is something to consider.  If you are on Twitter, do a search for #gooddeed, which is a very Pollyanna search.  I think you will like what you find.

Much love to you all!

Pollyanna Christmas

I'm up to my ears in day-job work and preparing for 16 people to be at Christmas dinner at our house, and I doubt I'll get to post anything at length. Yet, Christmas is a time of light and celebration in the midst of the darkest season of the year; indeed, I think I can say all cultures in this world have some kind of mid-winter celebration that is focused on light and bounty. It's such a human thing to do: lighting a candle in the dark, shouting "life!" in the midst of a season that historically has been so starved of life (literally--winter has always been a season when food was short and life, shorter). I believe there is something both human and divine in the urge to give light in the midst of darkness, to search for life when death hovers at the door.

So, since actions speak louder than words, below are some links to news and such that are not only in the spirit of Christmas, but also in the spirit of Pollyanna.

Mystery couple sparks cascade of giving at diner:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34420892/ns/us_news-giving/

Secret Santas:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34420690/ns/us_news-giving/

Crime decreases; murder falls by 10%; lowest since the 1960s:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34510483/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Stephen King donates money to bring Maine soldiers home for Christmas, bless his heart:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34403601/ns/us_news-giving/

If there has to be a fight around Christmas, a snowball fight in Times Square is not a bad way to go about it:
http://blog.ricecracker.net/2009/12/20/snowball-fight-times-square/

Which was apparently started by some kids from Florida:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=211278819460&ref=mf

Anyone else got Pollyanna-ish Christmas news and incidents? Let me know.

Much love and light to all!
--Karen

Breathlessly catching up...

Kind of. Between doing overtime at work, NaNoWriMo, and the resulting shoulder and back pain, I've kept my writing very limited. Gotta heal up before I jump back into writing again, and that includes my blogs. There is stuff I've written for my blogs prior to this, but I have to find the time to finish writing and upload them. Sigh. I'll back date them to their proper date-of-creation when I do, so they'll appear before this post.


Meanwhile, I have to get back to work.

Oh, one bit of news: the Grail anthology "A Chalice of Roses" (which includes my story, "Miss Templar and the Holy Grail," will be on the bookshelves the first week in January. So, if you want a fun wintertime Regency adventure, give it a try. It's one of my "kitchen sink" stories, where I had an assortment of random elements and gave myself the challenge of seeing whether I could incorporate them all. So: Regency (think Jane Austen/Georgette Heyer), Holy Grail, Ivanhoe, Sir Walter Scott, and "Where's Waldo."

I do love challenges like this. Tell me "you can't do that" in a story and chances are pretty good I'll think of a way I can.

I remember when someone told me "you can't put a vampire in a Regency romance." Oh, yeah.... Hee, hee, hee.

I've got the app

I have the iPod Touch--essentially the iPhone without the phone, and I do like my apps.  I just downloaded one today called "Note to God."  I thought to myself, it'd be good every once in a while as a reminder to say "hey" to the Big Guy every once in a while.

So I downloaded it, and decided I'd see what the format might be to write a note.

Dear heaven.  I never thought....well, it is very heartening and a very deeply emotional thing to read people's notes to God.  I am reminded of the Psalms, where the songs range from a despairing cry of the soul to joyous praise, from bargaining and promises to selfless giving.  There is every human emotion here.  And reading them, I know I'm very blessed indeed.

All I can say is God bless Allen Wright for submitting this app idea to the Medl Mobile Co, so that people could pray this way if they felt they couldn't any other way.  This is really yet another way to pray, and to have one's concerns lifted up and prayed for by others.

New Blog

So....I decided to create another blog called "Playing with Words," which will feature anything I decide to write that has to do with writing and publishing. I will probably transfer my writing entries from this blog to that one, just to have all my writing-related stuff in one place. That'll be my "official" blog, rather than the informal one I have here at the Pollyanna Files. I'll continue to write what I feel like here, but it'll be more about my travels (oh, yeah, I'm going to relocate to Germany next year--did I forget to mention that? If I did forget, more on that later), knitting/fiber arts, and foodie stuff. If you want to relax, read, and chat here, you're more than welcome. If you want to stick to writing- and publishing-related topics, go to "Playing with Words." Writing and publishing questions can be asked over there.

There now! I feel so organized....

Storytelling with sand

The video below is one of the most moving pieces of performance art I've ever seen. I saw this before I went to work this morning--a big mistake, because it ruined my makeup. At the end, I gave a big sigh, wiped away my tears, and smiled, shaking my head at how one young Ukrainian woman could evoke such emotion with sand.



It's set during 1945. You'll understand.

Guest blogging at Embrace the Shadows

I will be guest blogging tomorrow 9/25 at Embrace the Shadows: http://embracetheshadows.wordpress.com.

Come visit!

My husband's dream of art

Last night the hubby and I were discussing the church band and the music program in general there, and how lucky we were to have such an open and creative music program that encouraged people and kids to explore their musical abilities. The music director, Brian, has a true gift for encouraging kid's musical leanings and developing them into true talent. John, my hubby, is the "sound guy"--the one who hooks up and monitors the sound levels and quality of the singers and musicians. He feels like working the sound board is like playing an instrument. I sat there, thinking it over, and said, "what kind of instrument is it?" Because, after all, a sound board doesn't make any sound. It modifies other people's sound, but it doesn't have a sound of its own. John shook his head, thinking about it, but it was late then, and we went to bed.

The next morning, I went to the kitchen, and there on my place at the kitchen table was a piece of paper, with John's handwriting on it. It said:

"Art is commentary on our existance as incarnate beings." And,

"An instrument is any tool of artistic expression."

I nodded--it made sense--and folded up the piece of paper and stuck it in my pocket to take with me to work, so that I could think about it for a while. However, this idea seemed to seize John with a vengeance, and around noon, I got an e-mail about his thoughts on it all. Later he elaborated on it...well, I'll just let him say it in his own words:

Last night, over dinner, Karen and I were talking about how blessed we were by the praise music and musicians at FWUMC. Being a sound guy, I said that, for me, running the sound system is like playing an instrument. She asked "what kind of instrument is it?" I thought about it, but could not really say. I was stumped.

"I went to bed, and had a dream. In the dream, I was in the sanctuary of our church. It was dark and quiet. Then, a voice said "In the beginning was the word." The dream progressed through the days of creation, first with lights in the heavens, then water and earth, and so on. Images of creation appeared on the walls and ceiling, with sounds of water and animals. It appeared as a staged event , like a play. On the sixth day, the lights came up to reveal the praise band. They stood and sat like statues, holding instruments, but expressionless, without life. God then breathed life into them. They came alive, and together with the congregation began to sing and celebrate.

"From this, I had two revelations. The first, that we are incarnate beings, who know of and act within creation through our bodies. That art, in its most general sense, is the expression of our contemplations about our condition as incarnate beings. That this invisible thing we call our selves would manipulate light, sound, words, images, anything at all, though our bodies as a contemplation of our condition as spirits embedded within creation. Sure, we do other things, like walking, loving, helping, and fighting. But art is unique.

The second was this: That, in the context of art, an instrument is any tool we use for artistic expression. The first instrument is our bodies, but our expression may involve other things as well. What is the difference between a sound system and the lens of a camera? Neither is the thing it manipulates, yet are they not the tools of an artist? Or what of a drum or piano that makes no sound without the sound system? Are they not musical instruments? Finally, consider the music director. While he or she may play an instrument or sing, are those their only instruments of artistic expression? On the contrary, every musician in the band is also their instrument."

I thought about this--it made so much sense. And then I e-mailed him back with my thoughts on it:

And in the end, just as the musicians are the music director's instrument, so are we God's instruments. As instruments of God, we express His contemplation of His condition as a supreme being.

From spirit, through creation, to spirit.

Attack of the Swine Flu Zombies

So, the news is that the swine flu cases climbed to 2200 this last week at Washington State University. Two weeks ago it was just five confirmed cases. Some people can't believe it rose that high that quickly. I have two things for them to consider:

1. H1N1 virus is highly contagious
2. It escalated during Greek Rush Week.

Anyone who has any kind of experience with Greek Week will understand what I'm talking about. It consists of fraternity and sorority applicants running from one fraternity or sorority house to another all week, mingling in dense crowds of students in a frenzied rush (hence, "rush week"), trying to network with as many people and Greek houses as possible.

Also, the university Food Services is entirely staffed by students. While there are strict sanitary requirements for the Food Services staff, they nevertheless come in contact with thousands of students every day. A person with the flu is often infectious before he or she shows symptoms. Therefore, easy transmission in a dense population, often by people who don't even know they have the flu--yet.

Of course, as soon as I heard the flu had appeared on campus, I sent a care package to the Alien Child, consisting of hand sanitizing gel, a thermometer, ibuprofen, Tylenol, herbal teas (Traditional Medicinal's Breathe Easy and Organic Echinacea), a bar of homemade soap, and a list of first-aid items all households should have and that he should buy immediately, which I'm pretty sure he does not have, as he is in his 20s and therefore thinks he is invincible. I also enclosed a pair of jeans and homemade kosher pickles, not that including these particular items will keep him from disease, but it can't hurt.

Even if he doesn't get swine flu, perhaps his roommates or his girlfriend might, so it may all come in handy anyway. Also, it's not as if he hasn't intervened in more-than-I-feel-comfortable-with medical emergencies already in the course of his college career, and he should be prepared with some kind of first-aid kit. If he's going to keep going to people's rescue, he needs to have items at hand with which to rescue them.

The Alien Child assures me--with that youthful I-am-immortal attitude--that he's fine, and it's not a big deal, and he has some friends who got that flu (tested and confirmed) and who were sick just three days, max. Besides, he's healthy, eating right, and having a lot of fun working out in his karate class. But, thanks for the jeans and the pickles.

The hubby of course caught the news on the Internet and let me know about this freakish escalation of disease while we were watching a horror movie (anime--I don't recall the name, but it featured robotic sorcerers with humongous cannon-like machine guns against what looked like deformed and disease-ridden demons) on TV. This is not the best time to talk about swine flu, because the inevitable comes to mind:

ATTACK OF THE SWINE FLU ZOMBIES!

"I'm picturing thousands of disease-ridden WSU students, stumbling their way to class, moaning and groaning in the way zombies do--" he said.

"Oh, please," I said, as the anime robot-sorcerer blasted away at a quivering jelly-like demon. But the image stuck, because hey, anime horror movies do have their effect.

"Derek and Amanda, the last surviving healthy humans fleeing for their lives--"

A movie poster started forming in my mind.

"I can see the movie poster already," said the hubby (did I ever mention we have been married long enough to read each others' minds?). "There they are, standing heroically atop College Hill, looking down on the ravaging hordes of zombie students clawing their way up, Derek with his nunchucks in hand, and--"

"Amanda with her submachine gun," I said, casting her into the "kick-ass gal with gun" role. "Ready to level the zombie populace in a last race toward survival."

"Yep, exactly."

We finished watching the anime horror flick, which had a strangely philosophical element to it, strange no doubt only to us, as we started watching it half way through.

"You think we should tell them we have featured them in a zombie movie poster?" I asked.

"Sure, why not?" the hubby said. "They're the heroes in the zombie movie poster. They can't object to that."

I will shortly supply a link to this blog post to my son. (Wicked grin.)

Put a little love in your heart

"Think of your fellow man
Lend him a helping hand
Put a little love in your heart....

And the world will be a better place..."

Enough of feeling down and despairing! It's time to get down and get to work!

I was reminded of this, when the old hippie flower-child song above (written by Jimmy Holiday, Randy Myers, and Jackie DeShannon) was played in church today, and I remember when I heard this as a kid back in 1969 on the morning radio before I went to school. My mom was a classical music fan, my dad was all jazz and big band sound, and had just a bit of suspicion about that weird hippie stuff, but they could totally get behind this song, because they believed in what it had to say down to their bones. My dad invited, every year, a couple of young sailors who were far away from home to our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, because he thought was terrible that young kids like that would not be with family during the holidays. And my mom--good heavens. I swear I have to make an appointment to see her these days because of her very full volunteer schedule (I will boast: she won Pierce County Volunteer of the Year award for 2000, and this year won the Outstanding Volunteer award).

So, when "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" came on the radio in 1969, my folks said we could listen to that kind of music all we wanted. There is everything right with having love in your heart and helping out people in need, whether here or abroad.

It's September now, and the summer heat is giving way to cold rain here in the Pacific North"wet." I love this time of year, when the leaves turn to red and gold, when fresh ripe apples are crisp and sweet in one's mouth, when curling up underneath a blanket with your loved ones is especially cuddly, and--of course---when the love of yarn turns to an orgy of fiber-addiction.

The great thing about this, however, is that if you have a great deal of yarn, or can't help adding to your stash, you can tell yourself that not only are you going to make your loved ones all warm and loving-cuddly with the products of your knitting (or crocheting) prowess, but you are going to spread that fiber-love to the world.

I once Tweeted that "I firmly believe that if everyone took time to knit, crochet, or do some kind of constructive hand craft, we would have World Peace." It was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but I am proud to say that Lion Brand Yarns picked it up and re-tweeted it. :-D Still, tongue in cheek or not, I do think there is something to that idea.

I think of all the charity knitting, crocheting, and sewing that is done--making clothes and blankets for premie babies, hats for the homeless, Afghans for Afghans, for our soldiers, and to raise money for various other causes, both here and abroad--I have to think there is a lot of love going on there for others. What if our world leaders, while in the midst of diplomatic negotiations, decided to sit down and knit or crochet some item for the needy in their opponent's country? They'd have to get the measurement of each person they did the handiwork for, where they lived, what kind of weather they had so that you could make the outfit or blanket or whatever suitable for their climate. And you know, when you do that, when you measure out a piece of fabric, when you tailor what you make for a person, that person is no longer some vague demographic statistic, he or she has shape and form. That person becomes real

And when he or she gets that item of clothing, knowing where that piece of clothing comes from, there is less animosity toward the person or country from whence it came. It was made specially for that person, and in good will.

There is a little love in each person's heart, both from the giving and the receiving.

So, as we enter fall and look toward the winter, I'm gearing up to do a lot of knitting and spinning of yarn. One of the projects I'm thinking of taking up is to restart my Building an Orphanage in the Congo project on my Etsy site.

I am thinking, however, of also trying to find some charity that benefits rural people. I've been reading a lot about rural poverty and the stereotypes people have about it. The stereotype a typical poor rural person is some white guy with a gun and beat-up truck, a "hick." But the truth is, typical rural citizens are African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans. The attitude we have about rural people is damaging, to say the least.

I won't go into the statics about that now. I want to do the Pollyanna thing instead, and that is to look around and see where there is need, then do something to help. I'm like a lot of middle class folks--I've got a job, and so does my husband, for now. I've got a mortgage and college loans to pay while sending a kid through college. But compared to a lot of people, that's tremendous abundance. I've got enough to pay for such luxuries as a TV and computer and...a sizable yarn stash.

It wouldn't hurt me at all to do something with that yarn stash to help those in need. And I bet I'll be joining legions of other hand-crafters doing the same thing. I know the folks at CTA (Clothing and Textile Advisors) are doing it. Then there's Afghans for Afghans, and Hats for the Homeless, and so many more. Want to find a local fiber arts charity? Try this link here.

Put a little love in your hearts, folks. Spread the fiber-arts love!

Reply to Kalitsu in Comments

Anna, my view of it is...not the usual view, but I think it's what is really happening, after more than a few years of studying demographics, geography, and rural poverty. In my opinion, most of the anger is coming from small towns and communities. Geography determines how easy--or impossible--it is to get to social services. In addition, our general policy of funding services and infrastructure so that they reach the largest number of people in the least amount of time means that large metropolitan areas will get their needs met first, and those in rural areas last, if at all. As a result, you have social and health services underfunded in rural communities, rotting infrastructure, lack of medical facilities, and persistent poverty that goes unaddressed. Yet, those middle-class citizens in those small towns are taxed the same as those who have easy access, while they watch their poorer neighbors suffer beyond their means to help.

An example: though the rate of persistent poverty and substandard living conditions is higher in rural communities than in urban, the urban poor get $250 per capita in living assistance, while the rural poor get $25 per capita. That is not a typo.

This has been happening for decades, but because those in rural and small town communities have small populations, they simply do not have the numbers to vote down taxes or laws that are detrimental to their survival. An example is when a whole state is taxed to build a stadium in Seattle, but those in Eastern Washington are not likely to use it...while many communities east of the Cascades desperately need medical facilities. To Eastern Washingtonians, this tells them that those on the west side value a sports stadium over their health care needs. Entertainment is more important than people in need.

For those in small communities that do not have access to health care facilities, all the health plans in the world will not help them. Once again, they will be taxed for services they cannot get to, unless someone realizes that clinics and hospitals need to be built, and medical personnel need to be supplied to those areas.

And that, in my opinion, is the source of the anger you see at those town hall meetings. It is from years, even decades, of being taxed for services and infrastructure that they will never get. This is often why you will find a higher percentage of religious people in small towns and rural areas. The church is the only social service they have, the only way they may find transportation to a clinic 50 or more miles away. It is hard enough for a sick person to travel five miles. It is even more difficult for them to travel 50 or more.

It especially stings when they voice their concerns, only to be dismissed as "hicks" and "stupid rednecks." After a while--if they have not given up in despair--they turn to anger.

I have been asked, if it's so bad, why don't these people leave? They forget that we need people to grow our food, bury our garbage, administer and guard our prisons, and pump our oil out of the earth. All these things are out in the rural areas and small towns, not in the cities. If it is hard, dirty work, it is left to the rural people to do. And throughout history, people who do "dirty" work, are considered "dirty" themselves as well, and all that implies. It's not a conscious way of looking at rural people, but it is there nevertheless, and very much felt by those who live in those areas. It's the same phenomenon you see when a white person passes an African American in the street. The white person will unconsciously clutch her purse closer to her, or he will pull his body in away from the African American. The white person doesn't even realize he or she is doing this, and would deny they did it, honestly believing that they would never do such a thing, even when confronted with a videotape showing they did indeed do it. But it is very real, and very visible, to the African American.

Years ago, one of my social science professors said that the number of disparaging synonyms for a particular group of people is a measure of how despised and oppressed they are historically. When you think of the bad words for women and minorities, as compared to men and white people, it's easy to see how true this is.

Now, think: how many disparaging synonyms are there for rural people? Now how many disparaging synonyms can you think of for urban people? I am willing to bet you will find more for rural people than for urban. Go check an online thesaurus for an objective count.

You will not hear anything like my urban vs. rural analysis on the news. This is because news outlets are based in the city. Since city people are their audience, they will naturally report on issues of concern to people living in or near cities. This reporting is not malicious--it's simply business, and a very large blind spot in our media.

As a result, everyone is surprised when small town anger reaches a boiling point. That anger has been there and growing for decades. But nobody has cared to notice.

The sad thing? When I point this out, with statistics from the CDC, the Census Bureau, and the USDA report on rural poverty, people refuse to believe it. It is because of "those hicks' stupidity" that they have problems. In other words, it's their own fault they're poor, and if they had only voted Democrat, they wouldn't be in that shape.

But, this is a story that has repeated itself from at least the time of ancient Rome to this day. Most revolutions and rebellions arise amongst the the working poor and middle class who live in comparably rural areas, far from central government. Unless the central government is severe in their suppression--starvation, martial law--war ensues.

Ironically, the vast majority of urban areas vote Democrat. I say that as a person who votes Democrat most of the time. Which is one reason why I feel a great deal of despair. Whether a person is determined worthy of being helped is based on political affiliation these days, not whether they are truly poor and in need. Political affiliation should NEVER in my opinion have anything to do with whether you think someone in need should get help. But it is there nevertheless.

Two warring factions

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

What if you knew of two groups of people--you have friends in both, and you know that deep down, these are worthy people, with deep concerns for others' welfare. They are hard-working people, caring, and kind. Each one has real concerns that worry them, that have hit them hard. In fact, both of them have a great deal in common. The only difference is, they generally come from different backgrounds and different regions, have different experiences in life. That's all, really.

If only they could see it.

Instead, these groups of people are determined not to communicate. They are determined to despise and look down on the other, whatever they may say on the surface. Every word is taken the wrong way, every virtue seen as a vice, or at the very least, suspect. "You can't talk to THEM," is the refrain on both sides. And you know that for as long as this non-communication goes on, each side holds their very real hurts to them like nails in their own sides, refusing to see that there are nails in the flesh of the other side, too. Or if they do, those nails can't be as deep and wounding as the ones they have.

What do you do?

I don't know. I really don't. These days, I have a persistent pressure under my breastbone, the pressure to weep. I don't know how long it has gone on for now...years, I believe. Most of the time, I can manage to look away, to look at my family, the people I love, the simple joys I have in everyday life and work, and I can smile and be happy. But when I look to the outside world, at my liberal friends and my conservative friends, and past that to the national stage on which the clashes of right and left are played, that's when I feel the deepest despair. No amount of explanation on either side is heard. No forgiveness is available, no tolerance or understanding is attempted, or if attempted, is done with extreme prejudice and resistance and subsurface contempt to the point of being useless. There is only the enemy, and that is whoever does not think like us. Our hearts are stone.

Where be these enemies? Capulet! Montague!
See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate,
That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love!
And I, for winking at your discords too,
Have lost a brace of kinsmen: all are punish'd.

School supplies

The Alien Child is starting his classes at college again-his last semester! He graduates in December. He called with the price of books: Political Science books are very expensive, apparently. The total cost for books including tax is $619.50. As many used ones as he could find. Dear heaven.

He is also taking a required elective, this time karate, a physical education class. One of the supplies he will need is an athletic cup, because karate is a contact sport, and there is always the chance of an inadvertent hit on a vulnerable spot. He didn't know how much these cost, as he has not bought one of these before, and of course it is not an item he would buy at the University's bookstore. However, being the good and helpful Mom that I am, I did a quick search on the Internet for prices. It is an awkward thing to do on one's work computer, even if it's done during lunch time. Especially lunch time.

I have long been aware that men tend to name their "thang," but did not realize this tendency extends to anything they may own that may be in contact with it. It is not enough that it is discreetly called an athletic cup. No, these items must be given creative names, even friendly, let's-go-out-and-have-a-beer-after-the-game names.

I suppose these are named by the manufacturer's marketing department--or the owner. I can imagine a big burly guy, someone used to coaching various sports, one of those hail-fellow-well-met sorts who has a fierce protective instinct toward his fellow man, gazing at the advertising proofs with a disgusted eye: "Athletic cup--that's a weenie name. We've got to have a manly name, something that tells the guys we're there for 'em. We're protecting their damn jewels, by God! And sizes--dangit, folks we're not having anything called 'small' in this company!"

Hence, we have such athletic cups as the best-selling "Nutty Buddy," which differs in price depending on the size, from the "Hammer" (child size), to the "Boss," "Hog," and last but obviously not least, "Mongo." I have no knowledge of what these mean in terms of objective measurement.

Yes, I had a difficult time communicating this as I reported these different size names to the AC. I may even have been rendered incomprehensible when I burst into uncontrollable laughter. I am a bad Mom.

Ah, the things I discover while buying school supplies.

$25 baby incubator for preemies

I love that there is enough creativity and compassion in the world that students can create an inexpensive incubator for premature babies in poor rural areas of Nepal.

One of those things that make you go...

Awwww!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32503763/ns/world_news-wonderful_world/

Live and Let Die

I was reflecting on the brouhaha around John Mackey's (of Whole Foods) comment about health care. For the record, I personally think it'd be good to have a safety net of public health care available. But regardless of what I believe, or what Mackey believes, about health care, I also believe we have the right to say whatever we want to say--free expression is a guaranteed right in our country according to our Constitution. You have the right to say what you believe, right or wrong, without interference from the government, unless it presents a clear immediate danger to others (such as falsely yelling "fire" in a crowded theater).

What is interesting to me is that we only give lip service to this idea. We all claim the right to say our piece, but when it comes to other people, fugeddaboudit. We will actively demonstrate, do what we can to bring that other person down, whether it's via boycotts, threatening e-mails, phone calls, and sometimes even vandalism. We think it's okay, because after all, if the person says something we think is wrong, and he or she gets hurt, they had it coming. They may have the right to free speech, but we apparently seem to think we have the right to punish them for it.

In other words, we may (barely) stand by the right of free speech, but we don't practice it in word or deed when it comes to the other guy. We don't really believe in it. We believe in free speech when it agrees with what we believe, but not when it comes to someone believing something different from ourselves. It's not live and let live when it comes to another person's free speech. It's live and let die a nasty death, crushed under the weight of public opinion and muckraking, and if we can drive 'em out of business and impoverish them, their families, and their employees, so much the better. Employees, by the way, who may not agree with the person's ideas on health care, but who do need their jobs.

While I applaud Mackey's way of giving health care for his employees--it does work for them--I don't think it'll apply to every situation in the U.S. Whatever else you believe about the guy, his goods may cost more, but he also pays his employees a living wage, instead of the minimum wage so many other store clerks get. The health benefits are generous. He does buy from local farmers. He has contributed a great deal to environmental causes. His employees seem to like to work there and are loyal, even though they may disagree with his health care views. In every other way, he is straight down the line in agreement with his whole foods customers...except for this one thing, that he disagrees with the current administration's plans for health care because he doesn't believe health care is a constitutional right. And for that one thing, it seems, a lot of people want to bring him down--he needs to be punished, and by association, his employees.

Wow.

I don't know about you, but I don't feel the desire to crush or financially damage anybody who disagrees with me. I don't think Mackey's proposed policies will work for everyone, but he has some good ideas, including making paying for health insurance tax deductible for individuals, the same as it is for employers. I like the idea of being able to shop for health insurance across state lines (why aren't we allowed to do that now? I don't get it). If you have a medical fund you've built up, you shouldn't be forced to use it up each year or lose it, you should be able to let it build.

His policies won't work for the unemployed, in my opinion. Well, he's not an elected member of Congress or any other kind of politician; he's just a private citizen giving his opinion. He doesn't represent you, or me, or anyone else. Just himself.

Let the guy--and anyone else, for that matter--have their say, then let it be. Live and let live, say I.

Grousing about research

Why in the world am I delving into another place and time instead of sticking to the Regency era? I know the Regency era pretty danged well. Writing a story in that setting would be relatively simple--simpler than writing a 1798 Irish Rebellion werewolf story. But noooo, I have to start from scratch again, from reading about the era, the economics, the politics, the religion, and last but not least, some Irish Gaelic language so that I can get the fictional village name right. Hell, setting a story in France would even be easier, because at least I know some high school French and more about French history than I do Irish. But nope, I have to build this story from the ground up, from the name of the village (Baile an faolchú; the English would probably pronounce it Ballinfaylku or Ballinfalcoe. It means "home/village of the wolf/wild hound"--and yes, I made it up; so far as I know, there isn't an Irish village by that name, but I want to get it right, so I want the Irish name, not the English), to how and why the curse of the werewolf would manifest, how the heroine knows the curse will soon be in force, how the hero will institute the practice of "tenant right" once he discovers the condition of his estate, and on and on.

Why can't I just do things the easy way? Or I should say, why can't my MUSE just give me an easy story to write instead of a difficult one? Grrr.

I suppose I could just drop this and write something else...but dang it, I know that way leads to doom, doom, I say! Whenever I go against the Muse's urging, it simply goes wrong. I either go dry or whatever I write is totally bleah.

Well. All I can say is that the Muse had better deliver on this.

Beginning a new story

All right, I'm starting the new story--the Irish werewolf one--for sure now. I've done some general history research on the Irish Rebellion of 1798, and re-familiarizing myself with Jonathan Swift's satire, "A Modest Proposal." The satire was published in the 1720's, but I plan to have it in a priest's library and in the villain's hands at one point. I'm going to start it just at the death of Wolfe Tone, leader of the United Irish. The fact that there is a prominent "wolf" in the Irish Rebellion is a nice piece of synchronicity; my idea of a werewolf in Ireland came to me years before I had done any kind of research into the Irish Rebellion.

(Sigh) It's a complex, very complex period. The English at the time did a good job of using sectarian animosity between the Irish Catholics and Protestants against the whole country, but it seems to me that underneath it all, they didn't really care what sect the Irish were; they'd do what they could to keep them from having a voice and owning land. Terrible things happened then. Terrible. But, as has been the case from the days when cities were first built to the present, the issues were still the same: absentee urban landlords who have the majority vote (if not the only ones able to vote) squeezing everything they can in the form of taxes and goods from the land and the rural people who live and work on it. And the land and the rural people usually lose. It got so bad that it culminated in the Potato Famine of the 1840s, where the English kept on exporting food cattle from Ireland while the Irish starved to death as the blight hit their potato crops. There was plenty of food in Ireland. Just not for the Irish.

One of the most touching things I read about the Irish Famine of the 1840s was the Choctaw Indian contribution of around $700 to the Irish when they heard of their plight. The Choctaw had suffered the Trail of Tears a good 16 years prior to that, and they knew what suffering and hunger was about at the hands of oppressive government. I understand there are Irish who travel to walk the Trail of Tears to this day in remembrance of that gift.

However, the great Irish famine is a good 40 years or so after my story begins. My heroine's family is going to be relatively poor, but not as poor as the rest of the village. Her family's very old Irish nobility and still holds some land, but barely. The hero is English, and has just inherited the land next to hers, and so he's coming out to inspect it, as he thinks his rent collector is cheating him (the rent collector is cheating both the tenants and the hero). So, there will be a lot of hard feelings and conflict up front that the hero will have to overcome--which will be near impossible without the heroine's help. I think I mentioned already that she's a knitter and spinner, things I have a lot of experience with, so can write with some authority on that. And what I don't know, I can get from friends who are even more expert than I.

I expect I'll shed a few tears as I write this story, but as Robert Frost said, "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader."

But don't worry--this is a romance novel. There will be a happy ending in the book. :-)

Erika and Televangelists

This is in response to my niece Erika on Facebook regarding televangelists. She said:

those people are corrupt. I think they do it just for the cash. Sad really..

Erika, it's more complex than that. People usually are more complex than they appear, but it's much easier to react to them on the basis of their surface appearance. The media does it all the time, unfortunately.

I think many of them start out sincere, really believing, and feel the need to express that in word and deed. But fame and money usually mean power, and power inevitably corrupts. The problem then becomes one of someone who relies on his or her past reputation as a sincere believer, or relies on the good cause they're supporting, who actually has done good, and because of that becomes very lazy about being vigilant about the state of their own hearts and souls. Because, after all, they're preaching about God and helping others, and so that must mean they're good people, right? Unfortunately, once you start believing in your own goodness and stop questioning your own motivations and actions, it's a sure-fire indication you're going down the path of arrogance and hypocrisy. And that's true whether you believe in God or not, or whether you're religious or not. A lot of people believe that because the cause they champion is just and good, that it bleeds over onto them, and that it must mean they're just and good, too. Well, causes are not you, and you are not your cause. You are a whole different entity from whatever cause you champion.

If you look at the televangelists who have gone through scandal, you'll see that at least at one time they have indeed helped others with the money they've gathered, whether in relief aid or other charitable works. Unfortunately, relying on that as justification of their goodness was their downfall. They began thinking they deserved the good things that came to them, and kept taking more for themselves ("hey, I'm good, I deserve this limousine"), instead of understanding that it was the generosity of others that put them where they were. They stopped being truly vigilant about themselves and looking to see if they could do more good for others, rather than settling for things as they were.

You know the tree by the fruit it bears. But you often have to look past the leaves to see the fruit, or else it's very easy to assume there's none.

Some music

I don't think I've ever mentioned music much, other than the fact that the Alien Child plays guitar and is in a band. I don't know why. There's not one day when I don't have music on. In fact, right now, I'm listening to some music by Outlier. First discovered JP on YouTube, Australia's Got Talent.

I started out a classical music fan--still am--and then of course there was the early 1970s music on up. What's called classic rock now, that's what I grew up with. Love Celtic music. Big fan of soundtracks, which I compile into a playlist on iTunes and listen to go along with whatever I'm writing. I'm afraid I'm not much into the the Top 50 songs these days. But I do like finding musicians unknown to the pop charts, and listening to them. Here are some local bands I like:

Local talent out of Tacoma, jazz: Kareem Kandi.

Uncategorizable from Tacoma (Celtic / Mexican / Latin/ Folk / Acoustic / Alt-Country/ Roots/ Soul/): The Paperboys. That mix shouldn't work, but it does for me.

As for other music...good heavens. I have 720 pieces of music in my iTunes. It'd take a LONG time to list them.

Random thought

Televangelism makes me think of used sponges. They become infused with germs as they get older, and are better off when someone applies regular heat-sanitization.

Looking for something to read

In the last few years, I haven't read much of anything except perhaps research articles and books--no fiction, can you imagine? When I was a kid, I'd fill a big box full of books every week from the library and read them all in a week. This continued through my high school and college years--my assigned books were not enough; I had to read more. Throughout my 20s I would read tons of books. I think I averaged perhaps three books a week.

But now...except for my critique group's manuscripts, I've averaged reading through maybe one or two fiction books a year. I don't know why that is. It's not expense; I can easily get books from the library.

I think it started with writing. I think the more fiction I wrote, the less I read. Perhaps I grew too analytical; perhaps being able to see the seams in the writing prevented me from trying them on. I know there are books that I'd start to read, and a feeling of irritation would come over me, as if I resented the author for not helping me see the book-movie in my mind and forgetting my surroundings.

It's worse regarding my own genre, which is why I think it's because I've grown very analytical. It's rare that I pick up a romance novel these days, even though I adore the genre, even though I have my favorite authors. I know they write as good as before, if not better. I don't have as many autobuys any more in the romance genre. When I think of it, I may be afraid of being too influenced, perhaps. I don't have a problem reading outside of genre--my autobuys in fantasy are Charles deLint, Patricia McKillip, and Robin McKinley, among others. When I think of it, I don't worry about being influenced by them.

But as much as I deeply admire Nora Roberts, for example, I have a hard time getting through one of her books. I've done it--I've read three, and liked them well enough. But that was it. I don't know why.

Well, wait, there are some romance authors that are autobuys--Jennifer Crusie, among them. I'm almost afraid of picking up her books, though, because I want to take my time reading them, and inevitably I'll start reading them all the way through, quickly. Which is a sign of a good read, but then I regret I've read it that quickly. Susan Elizabeth Phillips, is another.

At first I thought I was becoming jaded about romance novels, which would break my heart if it were so, because I love the hopefulness of them, the positive can-do attitude they all have. I notice, though, that these days I'll read contemporary romances, not historicals, and not many paranormal ones, either. Which of course is very different from what I write, which is paranormal historical romances.

So perhaps what it is, is that I don't want to be influenced by the books that are in the same category as mine. I don't want "idea seepage" from a paranormal or historical romance into any of mine. Straight-on fantasy or science fiction is okay, because they're not romance.

But I'm circling around the point, giving reasons for why I haven't read some fiction in a while. Thing is, I'm restless. I want...I don't know....

Oh, I want to find another autobuy. I think I want to find another author whose work I love so much I'll buy the books as soon as they come out, no questions asked. Which means I will have to go to the store and browse and everything. Which used to be such a pleasure for me, but I just realized I've come to have such a rushed life that I resent even taking time for that.

Oh, that's bad. I really do need to take time to browse through books and figure out what I want to read. But it's been years, years since I've done that, and there are whole new crops of authors out there that I haven't heard of.

I need to do it, though. I need to keep up. And maybe I'll find another autobuy one of these days.

Random Story beginnings

I'm writing so much more lately. Not on any story, but just in general. This is no doubt because I'm getting more sleep, as I no longer have to commute 2 to 3 hours a day to work, only 10 to 15 minutes, nor do I stay late at this new job. Right now, I'm feeling like I have much more brain energy--energy in general--so that no doubt accounts for all this Tweeting and blogging.

I mentioned on Twitter that I was feeling another spate of Random Story Beginnings coming on. This is good, because it means I'm storing up potential stories to write for the future. Beginnings always spur me to write whole stories since, for me, they have the seeds of the whole story in them.

So, now for the spontaneous Random Story Beginnings...thinking...thinking.....okay, here they are:

"It was on Tuesday that everyone realized only Arnold Milliken, CPA, could save the town from aliens."

"I once knew a boy who could fly. But I did not learn his name until I had lost my ability to dream."

"Mary Kate McRae closed and latched the shutters against the rising wind. It was a wolf wind, and no good ever came from such weather."

"If only her eldest brother could stop experimenting with wizardry for the space of a London Season, Miss Mary Cunningham was sure she could get vouchers for Almack's."

Hmm. I could definitely use all of these. The CPA the least, I think, but who knows? I am especially intrigued by the flying boy and the one with Mary Kate.

In fact, I think Mary Kate is the heroine I've been thinking of lately, who lives in Ireland and who spins yarn and knits. And she knows magic, of course, because she is Irish and knows about wolf winds.

Well, I'm filing all of these for later use. But I might, just might, work with Mary Kate shortly. And then with the flying boy.

Romance market trends

I haven't been to RWA national conference this year, and so haven't heard the market news, but that's fine...I know what they are, anyway. Which sounds arrogant, I guess, but anyone who has met me will tell you I'm not that kind of person. It's just that one of my hobbies is the study of demographics and market trends, focused mostly on publishing and in particular the romance market. I've studied it for...let's see...since 1995, ever since my vampire Regency (The Vampire Viscount) and paranormal Regency (The Devil's Bargain) first came out. Yeah, I wrote them way back before the vampire/paranormal thing was huge. I have a habit of doing that. It's tough going, because when you write ahead of the trend, most people think you're crazy. Hell, I predicted during the 2000 RWA conference that we were going to see a surge of kick-ass heroines and that paranormals were going to be huge, and gee, guess what? It happened--it was the news during that conference.

I gave a talk at the Emerald City RWA conference in 2006 about demographic trends, and predicted that we were going to see a social crisis in the next year or two, akin to the Great Depression (yes, there is a reason why our 401K is still okay, though it did take a hit, as everyone's did. Clue: look at the events 80 years ago). I did another workshop in a few years later on the exact same talk, and didn't change the date on my PowerPoint, to prove my point. The Seattle Chapter will vouch for me on this. :-D

Anyway, here are my predictions for the next few years:

Based on my observation of generations and demographics, plus the economic times, I figure romance and women's fiction--with an uplifting ending--are going to remain strong. As during the Great Depression, romantic comedies, stories with optimistic endings with the belief in the decency of every-day human beings. Think Ginger Rogers/Fred Astaire, such movies as "Daddy Long Legs," "Topper Takes a Trip" (romantic comedy/ paranormal), "Bringing up Baby." Comedies in general will do well--remember that Charlie Chaplin made millions during the Great Depression when movies were 25 cents per ticket.

And gee, as an aside, is it any surprise that musicals are becoming more popular with the under 30 set? The Seattle area is considered a "bellweather" region, and I'm seeing participation in musical theater and music like never before amongst the young 20's and teens. I want to emphasize the areas outside of Seattle proper--there are relatively few children and teens in Seattle, compared to most any other place in the nation except for San Francisco. If you want to watch for trends amongst teens and the early 20's, look at King County, outside of the city. Places like Kent, Auburn, Everett, Bellevue, etc.

Paranormals, and those stories with a spiritual/religious component will still be good sellers. Again, whatever gives a belief in something beyond ourselves will be popular, because in general, I think people's attitudes about society and our elected officials (on both sides of the political fence) is sort of...soured. Easier to believe in a larger abstract higher concept than individual fallible leaders.

Anything with a theme of overcoming difficulties to success/love/contentment should be popular.

In particular, I think vampires, while not as popular as before (saturation in the market) they will still be good sellers, in that these have the themes of encountering something potentially dangerous and navigating through discerning if it can be trusted or not. That reflects our times, plus the early 20-something and teen set. Anything else with that theme--encountering danger, going through a period of discernment, then triumph will be popular, because those just beginning to start their adult lives are facing the theme of a scary world in which they have to make their way. However, that theme has broadened to all generations because of the current economic and social crisis.

Also, though this theme is popular overall, for the Millennial generation (those born approximately from 1980 to 2000), stories with characters having a higher purpose and/or who are special in some way will be popular. This is why the Harry Potter books were so popular, and continue to be popular with them (aside for the fact that these books are simply danged good reading). In fact, they also had the strong, very strong spiritual/religious underpinning. No, they're not obvious to those who aren't familiar with religion (and ironically, a lot of religious people aren't familiar with their own), but trust me, they're there.

Despite the economic downturn, the Millenial generation is coming into their time of buying power. It's not as huge a buying power as the Boomers (still) have, but it's considerable simply because that population is so large compared to GenX and the Silent Generation (those who were children during the Great Depression).

And historicals..they'll keep going on. But what's missing--and wlll probably be popular when they do come about--are ones set during the American Revolution and possibly Civil War. Ditto WWII. Why? They all reflect what's we're going through/going to go through now. David McCullough hit a nerve with his books, John Adams and 1776. This is why he is both a bestseller AND a Pulitzer Prize winner (well, he's an awesome writer, so there's that).

Those are the eras the current crop of Millennials will find some common themes. The young people of those eras grew up in severely divisive times--as we do. Their elders could not come to any kind of consensus, and more time was spent squabbling and pointing out scandals than solving problems. The real concerns of the rural areas and those areas with less infrastructure (the American colonies during the Revolution, and the more rural South during the Civil War) were pitted against the concerns of the more sophisticated urban citizens (the British, and the very industrialized North, respectively). One of those crises ended up with a relatively healthy unity. The other...did not. WWII ended up with a healthy unity of purpose, and that was when we built the massive infrastructure that is now, unfortunately, aging to the point of danger to life and limb.

The current era...well, time will tell. We get to choose whether we get over our differences, find common ground, and work together, and I REALLY don't want finger pointing at the OTHER side that you just CAN'T talk to. Be the first to hold out the helping hand and open mind, people, and keep doing it. Really find out where the other side is coming from, what their fears are, and I mean their root fears, where they are suffering. Your survival depends on it. Although right now, my feeling is that either side's intention in finding out about the other side's suffering is in the interests of crushing the other side into dust. Or ignoring the other sides' suffering, period, because of course they're BAD. Yes, this Pollyanna is fighting cynicism.

To get back on track: As a result, there is a certain hunger in Millennials for hope (that is their nature), for the idea that difficulties can be worked through, that people can work together, that there is a higher purpose out there for every one. And, optimism is the very nature of romance novels, so I believe you will continue to see these novels prosper. Heroic fantasy will also do well, and fantasy in which the protagonists are fighting the powers of evil (Dresden files, is a good example).

GenX--do not dismiss this generation. This scrappy generation will help get us through the hard times. They do not hesitate to get their hands dirty and get the job done, and in hard times, that's what's needed. Think Patton. Yeah, those disaffected 1980's youth dressed in black and piercings end up being Patton, wreaking havoc amongst Hitler's armies. And they are really good consumers of paranormal stories that feature grim, realistic protagonists that wade through death and degradation to wreak destruction on predators. They are good at defending the weak and innocent while shooting off a witty quip, knowing that they will get no reward for their heroism, but that they're just here to do the job, hopefully with a small group of loyal friends or a devoted partner. (Think Buffy.)

Both GenX and the Millenials are hands-on, practical groups. GenX is a bit more gritty and pessimistic, while the Millenials are more optimistic. Both get the job done, and sooner or later become impatient with high-flying rhetoric.

I really also want to emphasize the religious/spiritual angle. When times are hard, when there is a crisis, people often turn to religion. This is why it is the most impoverished areas of the world that are the most religious; when you have very little, when your next day may bring hunger or the threat of poverty, then the only thing that often keeps you alive is hope in something higher and better, whether that would be your still-innocent children, or God, or both. In other words, these things represent hope for the future.

As a result, I expect books on religion and spirituality will stil be strong. Inspirational romances sales will probably hold steady, especially if there is some real spiritual insight there and realistic integration between some real, human life questions and religion/spirituality.

And...I expect the readership amongst men for romance novels will grow, and has been growing. Romance novels--especially those with suspense/mystery/action--will be especially appealing. Romance novels are probably one of the few fiction areas that feature men as good guys (we have heroes, after all!), and people, men need hope, too. That they have not much hope is reflected in the steep increases in male suicides, especially amongst teens and 20-somethings, in the last few decades, as much as 5 times that of females. It's also reflected in the fact that of all graduating high school seniors, 80% of girls apply to college, whereas only 20% of boys do, and that has been going on for a decades as well. That's another reason why the Harry Potter books were so popular amongst boys--these books are one of the few instances that featured a boy as a protagonist, a boy who was special, and who tried his best to do good. That's a hopeful thing for boys who are looking for a book to read.

So in essence:

• Romance will be strong, and hold steady
  
• Paranormals strong, vampires have glutted the market, but will still hold steady (and zombies as protagonists or heros--oh, please. A bump in the road. I could be wrong, but having a guy who has to keep sticking his face back on with superglue because his flesh is just a bit on the rotten side is not romantic. However, innovation does occasionally win).
• Ghosts...give those a try. Demons, ditto. However, redemption as a theme should be strong. We have a very punishing society, with almost no forgiveness unless you have money or fame. Redemption themes as a result is another source of hope for the rest of us.
  
• Romantic comedies--yes!
• Historicals will hold steady, but do give the eras of the American Revolution, the Civil War, and WWII a try, although I expect these will probably be most popular in about 5 years. If Europe, Puritans vs. the Cavaliers, and Tudor era would work. the The authors MUST do the research on those, as ever. Less costume dramas, more historical meat.
  
• Inspirationals strong, but must integrate realities and questions of life
  
• Perseverence and success in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds is always a good theme.
• Good vs. Evil, always a good theme, but make it real.
  
• Oh, and the theme of fighting or subverting an ever-encroaching totalitarian government should also be popular in science fiction/fantasy/romance. Wouldn't hurt to bring back a Matrix-like theme, although I expect that'll be more like 10 years from now.
• More can-do, decent, heroic guys. Guys need hope, too, and they're going to be looking for something to keep them working and holding on. As a result, it'd be good to defeminize the covers on the action/romance/supspense romances--not a problem, as I see they're doing much of that already. Wouldn't hurt to do that to some of the historicals that have more action/suspense, etc., too.
• Forgot to mention above: Graphic novels. Always a good thing. Will do very well in the coming decade(s) as they are very adaptable to both print and electronic media, and the concepts are easily transferred to the big (and small) screen. The more mutable a story is to differing formats, the better. If a romance novel--especially if action, suspense, and/or paranormal--can be translated to a graphic novel/manga format, perfect.
  

One more thing: Because the Millenial Generation is large in numbers but is going to be struggling for jobs, they're going to try to find their entertainment where they can, whether they make it or find it inexpensively. This means the publishing industry will have to find better ways to deliver their goods. They know this already, or should. E-books will do well, I'm sure, but if they're the same price as paper books...well, we'll see. Those who have a handle on this relatively new technology (and please, formatting!!!!), will do better than others, in the same way movie theaters that grasped the sound aspect of movies back during the Great Depression thrived rather than went out of business. It's a big initial investment, but it'll pay out in the end in both stability and profits when the economy turns up better (not right away. Expect a big downturn around 2012, and with luck it'll start rising steadily again. What mistakes this and the last administration have made will come to bear then. Invest in capital and be thrifty now, pay off what you can, then be prepared).

Even so, I don't expect paper books to disappear for a long, long, long time.

You fill a need in an economy, and you will survive as a business, and publishing is a business. Hope is a need. And in this economy, everyone needs hope pretty badly right now.

Story beginnings

I was playing around on Twitter the other day (August 4th, during lunch break) after thinking about the contest entries I had judged, and decided to spit out some potential first lines of stories. Of course, it being Twitter, you're limited to 140 characters. It occurred to me that that limitation is great for forcing a writer to try to get the essence of a story into a few words, which is really what you want in a beginning. The beginning of a story should foreshadow the rest of the story. The conflict should be there, or at least hinted at. On Twitter, I came up with four within 15 minutes:

11:55 AM Aug 4th
Random story beginning: "Amanda had never seen the point of sweeping corners, but since bits of gold kept showing up, she had incentive."

12:01 PM Aug 4th
Random story beginning: "Ever see Bermuda much?" "I'm looking at the Space Needle, so no."

12:08 PM Aug 4th
Random story beginning: "It wasn't that Scott disliked designing bridges. It was just that his client was a troll."

12:10 PM Aug 4th
Random story beginning: Sometimes Sir Galadriel could slay dragons with one stroke. Other times, the best he could do was fold underwear.

My last comment on my spate of first lines was:
"Okay, I'm saving that last story beginning. It has potential."

No analysis at that point; this last story beginning hit me in the gut: I knew it was one around which I could write a story, as odd as that particular Tweet may sound. When I think about it now, I realize it's because it has the seeds of conflict in it and it's also high contrast.

It's possible to have a solid story without a high contrast, high conflict first line. In fact, I do it all the time. However, I do think the first few paragraphs--the FIRST paragraph, preferably--should contain the essence of the story conflict, and what helps to keep it succinct is NOT to tell the conflict up front, but show images in the first paragraph that represent the conflict.

Each one of the first liners above has the seeds of a story; I could make something up around them. In fact, the third one is fairly intriguing as well. There is conflict in that one—the guy is designing bridges, but his client is (literally) a troll, and that can’t be good. What is the bridge designer going to do about that? So I could go with this line of thought. But it’s not as high contrast.

But the last one is very high contrast. Here is Sir Galadriel, who is capable of doing extraordinary and heroic things: not only can he kill dragons, but he can kill them with one stroke. But on other days...well, he can only fold underwear, which is very simple and very mundane, less than mundane, because dang, it’s underwear. So immediately I’m wondering, why is a hot-shot dragonslayer folding underwear? Is it his own? Is it someone else’s? Even more important, why is it the best he could do some times? And then I wonder, does he like killing dragons? Would he prefer to fold underwear? If so, why?

See the contrast? Hotshot dragonslayer = heroic and unusual. Folding underwear = ordinary. It creates questions, and questions demand answers. A story is about coming to terms with that contrast—-resolving the conflict.

Having it up front tells the reader, “look, here are some questions. Come with me and see how they’re answered.”

I may end up posting random story beginnings every once in a while. It's always good to have a few stored away for a rainy day.

Thinking about dyeing again

No, not thinking. I went to the Dharma Trading Company and bought some dyeing supplies, including a good book on the process. I already do know how to dye wool using a crockpot, but thought the book might come in handy for some tips and tricks. The Dharma Trading Company is a fantastic place to buy basic art and craft goods, particularly fiber arts. I really do mean basic, because you will not find findings or colored threads or yarn here. This store is really for the do-it-yourselfer, for the person who dyes their own fabric, thread, yarn, roving, etc. The only color of fiber here is white, pretty much. But, the prices are very, very, very good, and the service is excellent.

I believe I have a supply of wool that I will use. I have some pink that I think I'll overdye with blue for a varied pink-and-lavender color, and I probably have some white wool I can use, too. There is something very satisfying about spinning wool that I've dyed myself, so I might continue doing that from now on, with occasional forays to Etsy to pick up some really fancy stuff. I will also probably just spin white, and then dye it afterwards, although the thought of spinning nothing but white sort of bores me. But, it'll be an exercise in spinning control, instead of color control.

Making the leap

Into the water. Pretend water. I bought--oh, my superstitious side is saying I should not mention it, lest I jinx the whole exercise impulse--a rowing machine.

I have so far been very frustrated in my efforts at exercising. Joined a fitness center some years back, but something in the air kicked up my asthma, and I quit. Hard to exercise when I can't breathe. I then signed up with another whose air quality was better, and ended up not using it after a year or two because I took a job whose commute time made it impossible to get to the center either before or after work (the place opened after I left for work and closed before I came home, and as I was 20 miles away from the center, I couldn't go there during lunch). Then, I thought, I can just walk! Walking is good. But then on one of my walks I tripped and broke my foot and sprained my ankle...then proceeded to keep walking on the on my broken foot for two weeks because I thought it was only a sprain. I ended up going to the doctor after it didn't get any better and had to get a cast. That was last year. It still hurts and occasionally gets tingly and goes a little numb if I walk on it for more than ten minutes. Swimming is expensive, and I'm sorry, but I'm not exposing myself in a swimsuit in the shape I'm in right now. (Shudder) Get the idea that I just suck at exercising?

But rowing. That's different. I don't know what it is, but every time I go out in a row boat, I can spend hours at it. Literally hours. I love it. It doesn't hurt my knees. It doesn't hurt my feet. And by the time I'm done, my shoulders and back feel all loose and wonderful, as if I had just had a massage. I feel happy in a rowboat. Every April or so, I go to a women's church retreat by a lake, and I always find some time to go rowing on that lake, for at least an hour, going around the circumference of the lake, and through the middle, going slow, going fast, whatever I feel like doing. There's something about rowing in a rowboat that just makes me feel GOOD.

Now, a rowing machine isn't the same, in that it's not out on the water and I'm not going anywhere. But at least the motions are similar (I got one that supposedly mimics real rowing). Also, maybe there is some kind of DVD or a video I could get or download that is of someone rowing across a lake, and if I put that on the TV, it would give something of the illusion of rowing somewhere. Or, if not that, I could always watch reruns of Buffy or Firefly. Plus the price is right. The cost of 3 months of a fitness center pretty much covers the cost of the rowing machine.

It'll take about 9 days to get it, although maybe more, because I ordered it two days ago, and the rowing machine store only just now e-mailed me saying that it's sending it. And when I went to the web site to track its progress, it said I had just ordered it! Hmm. I feel a bit of foreboding about that. But, with luck, it'll take less than 9 days, and I'll be rowing my way to fitness at last.

Judging contests and beginning a novel

I judged a writing contest again. I believe I've mentioned before that actually like doing this, as it really helps me articulate the dos and don'ts of novel writing, and reflect on how to apply technique in my own writing. And, as always, a particular issue usually pops up more than once, and when it does, it tells me it's a problem that a lot of writers have.

One contest entry bored me to tears. The other left me bewildered--where was I? Who were these people? And why should I care? And there was one that was just right--I wanted to read more.

The writing was competent (well, there were two that were not, but I'm not going there right now). The common problem with the ones that didn't work was that they didn't begin in the right place in the story's timeline.

There is a lot of advice about how to begin a story, and the fact is, the how isn't as important as the when. Newbie writers are told that you want a hook in the first paragraph to get the reader interested in your story, you need to begin with action, you need to avoid description, yadda yadda.

Toss that advice out the window. Toss it out right now! If you know when to begin your story, then the rest will follow.

So, when? Begin on the day your protagonist is given a choice that will change his or her life.

I want to emphasis "day" and "choice." You need two elements in a beginning: the foundational setting, the home, the "ordinary life" of the protagonist, and the choice the protagonist makes that will propel him or her out of that ordinary life. Together, that makes change, and change is the essence of plot and character development.

The day (not moment, not month; anywhere from half an hour to 12 hours) on which the protagonist's life changes is enough time to show the foundation of a character's life, what is usual for that character. You need that foundation. It tells you where that character has been, so that you can chart the future. It is not possible for a character to have a future unless he or she has a past.

For example, in my latest novella, "Miss Templar and the Holy Grail," the story opens with Miss Arabella Templar going into Almack's with her mother and her cousin Jeanne. This is a typical day in her life. It's clear that she's done it before.

And then a stranger comes up to her just before she steps into the assembly hall, and pushes a dirty tin cup into her hand and tells her she's the Grail Guardian, and that she must keep the cup safe. Now she has to make a choice: Does she take the cup, or doesn't she?

As a result, it begins, thus:

There is nothing more odious than having the Holy Grail thrust into one’s hands when one is about to enter Almack’s. But what could I do? I had already my foot on the first step of the building’s entrance. Mama and cousin Jeanne were before me, already within doors. A crowd gathered behind me, eager to partake of the evening’s entertainment.

A touch on my shoulder made me turn, ready to greet a friend, perhaps Clarice, for she is one of my bosom bows, and had told me she would attend this week.

Instead, a masked man very boldly took my hand and closed it over the bowl of what looked like a dirty tin cup. He then pulled me too close to him. “You are the Guardian of the Grail. Keep it safe,” he said into my ear, and disappeared into the group of people moving toward Almack’s.

A masked man. Really. Why could he not have just appeared in normal evening wear, neckcloth neatly tied, presented himself to me in the proper manner, asked me for a dance or two, and then offered a pleasant remembrance of flowers the next day? Oh, no, he could not do that. No, he must appear masked, dare touch me on my shoulder without any sort of introduction at all, and then converse in a manner that must make any observer assume he was either drunk or an idiot.

When I think about it, that first paragraph pretty much encapsulates the conflict of the story: her past/normal life (going to Almack's and having a nice time), in conflict with her choice (taking the Grail from the mysterious man). That first line is even a hook, but not because I was deliberately looking for one, but because I wanted a first paragraph that set up/foreshadowed the conflict of the story.

In other words, if you have the elements of choice vs. normal life up front in your story, you will naturally have a solid beginning. I don't think you can help having one. And if you can make that first sentence Twitter-sized, you probably have a hook.

I think that's it for now...it's late, and I've got work tomorrow. Good night!

God has a Facebook page

I just discovered that God has a Facebook page. And even though I go to church weekly, I find myself actually hesitating friending the Almighty. Yow.

I noticed that God has 2,521,904 fans who friended Him. This is not a whole lot, considering that there are supposedly 2.1 billion Christians, 1.5 billion Muslims, and 14 million Jews in the world (total, 3,614,000,000). Now, granted, not all of them will be internet users. But 23% of the world's population uses the internet, so let's assume that 23% of those who belong to monotheistic religions have internet access. That's 831,220,000, or 483,000,000 Christians; 345,000,00 Muslims; and 3,220,000 Jews. 2.5 million is still way short of the 831.2 million monotheistic religious people who use the internet.

But, of course, not all internet users are Facebook users. There are approximately 250 million Facebook users. Well, let's say that there is the same percentage of monotheistic believers who use Facebook as there are in the world (54.22 percent). That would be 135,550,000 believers. That's 135.55 million Facebook users who are members of a monotheistic religion.

Still way more than the 2,521,904 people (2.52 million, as of August 2nd) who friended Him, and in fact I am willing to bet there are some people who "friended" God who don't really believe and who just did it to snipe at those who do, so that reduces the actual "friend" number even more.

But perhaps Muslims and Jews might have an objection to an image (an image could qualify as an idol) that somehow represents God, and there is a picture on God's Facebook page that is sort of universe-looking, but it's an image nevertheless. Perhaps they as a result aren't friending God as represented by an image. That leaves the potential 33% of Facebook users who might be Christians. So that's 47,442,500, or 47.4 million people.

That's still is way more than 2.52 million people who "friended" God. There are apparently a lot of people who are monotheistic believers who are Facebook users who haven't friended God. And I am one of them.

So, I think, why do I hesitate? I go through a process when I decide to "friend" someone--do I know who that person is? If so, then I friend them. If I don't, are there people I know who have friended them? If there are, then I will, too. But what if I don't know them, and none of my existing friends do? Then I'll go look at their profile and decide on whatever information I find there.

But there is always a chance that there will be a crazy in the bunch, a troll, or someone who just wants to make trouble. Will I get spammed? Will I end up being stalked, my web site/Facebook page hacked? Will I be targeted by Nigerian scam artists?

Oh, the fear. The lovely, lovely fear.

God's Facebook friends network is pretty large--2,521,904--despite the fact that so few monotheistic believers have friended Him compared to the overall population. Thing is, do I trust that network not to do me harm? How choosy do I get to be about the angry people (such as the one who commented "God is Dead" multiple times in 30 different posts. I wonder about such passionate anger and perhaps even hatred that leads one to post that many times in big capital letters) who are part of that network? Or about the other Christians who seem more intolerant than I feel is right? I really could be attacked by either side because my beliefs may not be in concert with their beliefs. It's happened.

But it does seem like God's network includes everyone, is open to everyone, believers or non-believers, haters and lovers, tolerant and intolerant. So far as I can tell, God is open to friending anyone on His Facebook page. You get to belong to a very large network of people who do well, and people who suffer. People you like, and people you wish would just go away. Nice people and nasty people. Seems like God doesn't discriminate much--His network is open to all. And you get to choose whether you join the network or not. Nobody forces you to do it.

I guess the bottom line is, I don't have a problem with God. I have a problem with the people in God's network.

Specifically, I have a problem with the people who are nasty in God's network, and it leads me to ignore the nice people who are in it, too, because as we all know, it's the squeaky wheel that gets the attention. And I tell myself I don't have the time to look for the diamonds in the rough, or muck through the mud to find the pearls. (To mix metaphors...ack!)

Which is not a very Pollyanna way to be.

It is a real dilemma. If I join God's network, it does mean I might have to deal with a lot of potential nastiness, and work pretty hard to find the gold, because mud does tend to cover up the pretty stuff. And no doubt there will be times when I think, God, why do you even LET people like this behave the way they do? It will not be comfortable, and I do like being comfortable.

Yet...as I read through the posts and comments on God's Facebook page, and pierce through the mud and muck, there are human beings there, people who hurt and are hurt, who grieve, who have joy and love, who are just human beings in all their glory and tragedy. No more, no less.

Just human beings. Just like me.

Much better now!

The weather has decided to cool down, and what a remarkable difference 85 degrees is from 104! Yes, it got up to 104 degrees F! One cannot think in such weather, much less move. Everything is sluggish in heat like that. It melts both brain and sinew.

Sinew. I believe that's the first time I've used that word in my writing. Hmm.

Anyway, it's cooler, and this means I have been able to gain back a certain measure of Pollyannish frame-of-mind, especially after seeing this video, which has got to be one of the best wedding videos I've ever seen:




Is that great or what? I couldn't help grinning when I saw it.

Too freakin' hot / Storytelling

98 degrees F today. It's supposed to be even hotter tomorrow, over 100 degrees. I called my mom today to see if she's bearing up under the heat all right, and she said that when she went to her doctor's appointment in the late morning, she saw two bank reader boards that showed 103 degrees. I looked at the forecast for Eastern Washington--10 degrees COOLER than the Puget Sound area.

We may break some records in Seattle.

I feel so lethargic in this kind of weather. I'd like to knit and spin, but it's too hot for that, even with cotton yarn. My hands get all sweaty and the yarn doesn't slide smoothly over the needles. So, I'm reading instead, which is good, because I've slacked off dolorously in my reading for too many years. It's not good to slack off reading when one is a writer.

Got hold of and am reading the latest Dresden Files paperback by Jim Butcher, Small Favor. I am a major fan of Butcher's series, because he's a marvelous storyteller. I think he tries too hard on the quips occasionally (he throws in a quip or two that I think aren't likely for the scene or action, and it pulls me briefly--I want to emphasize briefly--out of the story), but I'm more than willing to forgive him this one small flaw because I love the characters and Butcher has followed through with his storytelling promises enough so that I trust him to follow through every time. I understand something very, very unfortunate and unhappy is going to happen to one of my favorite characters in this series, but I'm willing to travel down that path, because I trust Butcher will do it right.

And that, to me, is a mark of a good storyteller. I don't ask that an author not go down an unexpected alley, or make a left turn when I'm looking for a right, and though I have my standards and sense of right and wrong, I'm willing to have the evidence presented to me and be convinced. What I do ask for is psychological consistency, for follow-through on the world-building and the characterization.

All stories have a framework on which they are built, and I really do not care how avant garde a story might be, there is always a framework. If an author says his or her story has no framework and that it is this free and wild and avante garde thing that cannot be confined by mere human expectation, then either he or she is lying or is a poseur. That's harsh, but that's my opinion, and since I am way older than 40, I'm not taking it back.

When a story has a framework, a reader instinctively understands whether the story that hangs on it fits or not. This applies to characters as well as the structure of the story. One big error that immediately screams amateur to me is when I see that the author has said upfront that a character has certain attributes, and then proceeds to contradict it. If a character is supposed to be smart and sensible, I don't care how emotionally involved he or she has become in a certain situation, that smart and sensible part is going to rant and rave and be disapproving even as the character does something wildly unlike him or herself. The smart and sensible part doesn't suddenly disappear. No, Smart and Sensible Part will sit there sobbing its little heart out because the character it is inhabiting is doing something dumb and wildly wrong. And as a result, you will have a character that is very conflicted, and much, much more interesting to read about.

Now, have I committed this sin of psychological inconsistency? Yes, of course, but hopefully not in print. And if I have, then no doubt it was while I was becoming increasingly anemic many years ago, and had not the mental stamina to examine such a horrendous error in literary judgement. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. :-D

I have about an hour and a half before bedtime--must get some reading in! Toodle-ooo for today!

Voodoo on the high seas

I'm taking some time during lunch to see what is going on in my brother's blog. Dave has a Blogspot blog which of course I follow, because not only is he family, he's a merchant seaman on board cargo ships that sail the world and a good storyteller as well. It's a good way for him to inform the family and friends about what's going on with him, as his e-mail length and time are limited when on board ship, and all it takes for him to blog is to send an e-mail to his blog address.

I find his travels to exotic places fascinating since, except for being born in Japan and my honeymoon in Canada's British Columbia, I've never been out of the United States. (So unfair! Everyone else in my family has been to foreign lands except me! Even the DH has been to Europe!) What's interesting to me is on-board ship culture, plus the different people he meets while on board as well as in the places he visits, not the least of which is his latest blog post about a possible Voodoo or Santeria incident on board the ship he's on now.

I'm reading his blog daily now, in hopes of finding out what is going on with the Black Salt incident. I gave what information I happened to remember about the use of salt in both religious and magical rituals (hey, I'm an author of paranormal romance novels--of course I would have this information in the recesses of my memory banks), and it seems to correspond to what is going on there.

Just checked his blog...he posted the info I gave him, plus additional stuff. I hope he posts more soon!

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Today is my wedding anniversary! The dh and I have been married for 25 years. I believe that's the silver anniversary. Not too bad, huh?

Argh

I was marveling at all the writing I was doing on this blog, and thought, wow, I must be gearing up for a major writing blitz.

Then I re-read my blog entries and realized they're mostly about food, or had food in them. I realize now that it began when I was thinking seriously about going on a diet and doing more exercise.

So, food obsession has kicked in, not a writing blitz. Grrrr.

I tell you, when not on a diet, I don't think much about food at all. Life is easy. Life is not stressful. As soon as I decide I need to lose some weight I start obsessing about food. Every bit of it. I want stuff I would usually not touch. All of a sudden I want sugary stuff, where I normally wouldn't touch it. Where I would normally be content with veggies and meat, I all of a sudden want pastries, which I normally wouldn't bother eating.

There has got to be a way not to want things I normally don't want when on a diet.

Good eats in Gig Harbor

As my mom’s surgery was of the outpatient variety with minimal anesthesia, we decided to go to lunch afterwards. Gig Harbor has become decidedly upscale since my high school days. The town proper has more shi-shi shops than before, and there seem to be far more private sailboats and motorboats now than fishing boats. The restaurants along the harbor are of the Anthony’s Home Port sort. On the east side of Highway 16, the new Franciscan medical and Multicare facilities have encouraged the spawning of mixed-use retail areas, including shops that definitely cater to the upper middle class consumer.

Part of me likes the shiny new development, which helps increase employment in an area that has a great disparity in wealth: in the Key Peninsula area, those who live there are either very, very rich, or very, very poor. Part of me is wistful for those little out-of-the-way, not-very-shiny places that serve good quality food at decent prices, but I am willing to let those go in favor of shiny places that help people make a living wage. However, the small restaurants that have something different and unique about them survive and thrive, as I soon found.

We at first thought we would go to Anthony’s Home Port, as it would obviously serve seafood, which my mother had a hankerin’ for, but it was closed for a private party. Our attention turned to a small restaurant right next door, the Marketplace Grille. My hopes rose upon entering, for even though the waiting area was but a low partition away from the kitchen, and the décor was not shiny, and the scents were rich and marvelous. Though we were the only ones waiting, the place was clearly busy. My mother and I were escorted past the kitchen to a back room, which had a gorgeous view of the harbor with Mount Rainier peeking above the evergreen tree-lined hill in the distance. Our server looked African American, but her accent told me she was from somewhere in the Caribbean Islands.

There was calamari on the menu, which my mother ordered, and I ordered the halibut fish and chips. Now, I don’t care for fish and chips much, as they are either the breaded kind that is overcooked, or the battered kind that has a soggy interior, where the thick fried batter exterior ends up sliding off onto the plate in a rather sad mess. But, for me, it is a test of a good seafood restaurant to see what the fish and chips are like, so I decided to try it. If attention is paid to the most common and least item on the menu, then chances are good that the other dishes are of quality, too.

Though it took a while to get the food, it was worth the wait. Halibut is not my favorite fish, as it tends to have a strong fishy aftertaste (yes, yes, I know, it’s a fish, therefore…), but one steaming hot bite convinced me that this was the best halibut fish and chips I’ve ever eaten. The lemon slice’s inner edge was dipped in what looked like ground chili powder or paprika (or other red spice), and once squeezed over the fish, deposited a light spray of mixed lemon juice and spice over it all. The fried batter crust was thin and crisp to the teeth, and beyond it was the soft halibut, with no soggy doughiness between crust and fish at all. It was a lovely contrast of crisp crunch and immediate fish goodness afterwards. The crust stayed firmly on the fish and never fell off into a mess, yet the fish inside was fully cooked and moist.

The chips—French fries—did not disappoint. They were cut thin and well cooked, again to a crunch on the outside to a brief softness of potato on the inside. No mushy thick bits here, nor tough over-cooked exterior, but crisp, lightly herb-brushed sticks. The flavor had a touch of chive and cheese, perhaps parmesan. They really did not need to be dipped in ketchup or tartar sauce, though these were available.

The traditional cole slaw was on the side, but even that was kicked up enough to notice, as the occasional bits of chopped dried cranberries gave the slaw sauce the delicate sweetness it needed, without either the overpowering sweetness or dull blandness you often find in a restaurant cole slaw.

Mom had the fried calamari, as I mentioned, and these, too, were different. They also seemed to have been cooked with the same thin crisp batter, but instead of being just plain, the batter in this case had a hint of spice in them as well. Again, the calamari was cooked to tenderness and not to rubberiness, and the crust was crisp. We expected the accompanying pink sauce to be the same-old same-old 1000 Island dressing that is usually served with seafood, but this sauce was not sweet, but had a tart and very slightly spicy taste. Delicious!

I asked our server about our meal, and she revealed that Chef Richard is from the Caribbeans, and that everything is made from scratch. Though I like a spicy dish, the spice added to the sauce and the fried crust on the calmari was not strong at all, but just light enough to support the basic flavors of fish and calamari--anything stronger would have overwhelmed the delicate calamari taste. The halibut was traditional fish and chips all right, but the subtle addition herbs and spices, plus the crisp thin batter crust, brought it way above the ordinary. Even if you are not a fan of spiciness, you will not object to the amount put on these seafood delights.

The price was decent, too. Lunch with iced tea and diet Coke added up to just a little more than $27, total, a touch more than $13 each.