Today's Notes

Just a Note

2009-02-11T13:29:07Z

This is a short note to say I'm making the jump and transferring the blog completely to The Tekaran Lady.

This account will stay for the sole purpose of keeping up with some friends here on LJ, but no more posts will be made.

Thank you.

Being a Bookworm has its Benefits

2009-02-04T14:52:54Z

In the comments following an earlier post regarding finding time to write again, Five Reflections asked, "What are some of the reflections on the four college literature classes and other classes you participated in?" and, "What deep intuitive understandings did you collect from your study of other authors?"

I've been thinking about the questions ever since.

I picked a rather mismatched set of subjects to study in college, majoring in English and minoring in Biology. Originally I thought this would help me become a journalist for National Geographic someday while still being practical for a local journalism job. Plus, I figured it couldn't hurt to study the work of some of the greats and know at least the basic biological principals in pursuit of my goal to become a science fiction novelist.

How helpful these classes have been outside of college is a matter up for debate. On the one hand, my degree isn't particularly helpful in obtaining employment in the local market aside from what few journalistic jobs are available and secretarial work. My background in the sciences would be a greater asset; however, just a minor doesn't really count for much. Yet, the classes were and continue to be a huge help when it comes to writing.

Let's start with the easiest to explain first. Coupling biology with English literature may have earned me a few odd looks over the years, but although I enjoy the sciences, I took it up for a purpose. Simply put, I wanted the worlds I created to be as believable as possible, and understanding the fundamental rules of life systems has helped tremendously when creating new lifeforms.

Plus, there's the added bonus of being able to recognize some ingredients in medications and homeopathic remedies not listed under their most common names. How some things are on the market, I'll never know.

When it comes to literature, it's all about taking away what you need from it. Studying the classics won't guerantee you'll become a memorable or even good writer yourself. Learning to write well takes practice and lots of it, but much can be gleaned from a study of literature, classical or contemporary. (Mythology and literature from Chaucer's day until the Victorian Era just happens to be my personal cup of tea outside of contemporary science fiction and fantasy.)

First there's the laundry list of terms to label techniques used throughout the years high school teachers and college professors alike are so fond of handing out. You get a definition of the technique, and then you pick up one piece after another and are able to see numerous examples of how to employ the technique. After a time, you can almost develop an "ear" for what works in a process similar to the one we use as infants learning to speak.

Then there are the insights you can gain from seeing how literature has been used throughout the ages.

I've been fond of science fiction and fantasy since my parents introduced me to Star Trek, Lost in Space, and Star Wars as a child. Then I studied The Time Machine, Gulliver's Travels, and other early examples of the genres. The teachers pointed out how not only were the stories entertaining, but they spoke to fundamental truths of the age while providing a layer of protection to the authors for daring to speak against certain aspects of society.

I learned "escapist" literature can serve a larger purpose than merely to amuse, yet every reader will generally take away what they will from a story. I have the things I want to talk about, but not every reader wants to hear the discussion. So, I tell my story, weaving in my points and allusions to other works for those who look for them and keeping it entertaining for those readers who simply want to step out of their lives for a time, and I have my studies in literature for helping me learn how to do so.

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Blast from the Past: Oh, What a Grace

2009-01-31T17:30:50Z

I'm feeling thankful this morning, so I thought I'd share the one and only song I've ever managed to write.

If you like gospel, jump in the ol' way back machine here and take a look at "Oh, What a Grace," a song written so long ago, I hadn't even met Hubby yet.

Many thanks go out to Mr. R. J. Stevens for composing the music.

As far as I know, the song hasn't been published in any songbooks, but it has been spread from hand to hand throughout several congregations here in the Tennessee Valley.

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And folks wonder why I hate winter...

2009-01-30T21:31:17Z

Our heating bill arrived, and it's outrageous! Seriously, it's over 3/5 as much as we pay in rent a month.

We had some bitter weather this month, much colder than is normal for this area in January, and we're paying the price. And this is with layering and keeping the thermostat set as low as we can stand it!

More funny pictures

Thank goodness we're moving this coming month! The new house is the same size as the current one, but it's at least fifty years newer, better designed, and much more energy efficient.

Setting the thermostat at 68 degrees, when the house will actually get up to 68 degrees is one thing. Setting it at 68 degrees and having the house never get over 50 degrees is another thing entirely.

No wonder Boo and Sneak have been sick all month!

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Random Thoughts on Writing

2009-01-30T18:51:22Z

So, I've been trying to find a bit more time to write the last few says. My notebook has been getting a workout, but it never really seems to translate into posts. This is a good thing, since I've mostly been venting to the notebook about the frustrations of tending two sick children under the age of three, the stresses of trying to buy our first home, and how it looks like a giant has taken our house and shaken it like a child with a present the week before Christmas. It hardly makes for anything applicable to this blog, but it is helping me get into a better space in my head.

Writing Roads has issued a call for submissions for a LOVE e-book. I believe it's a grand idea. I've been looking for something for Hubby's birthday, which just so happens to be the day after Valentines, and this looks perfect. I haven't written poetry in years, but I'm actually thinking of dusting off those long neglected skills and trying for a submission. Even if it's rejected, I'll still have a little something personal to print up on pretty paper for Hubby's birthday.

You know, I don't believe I've taken the time to do any sort of writing exercise since graduating college. It's a shame really now that I stop to think about it. I got to thinking of them as a waste of time because they rarely result in anything publishable, but I've been missing the whole point. It's not about getting something publishable. It's about improving overall skills and gleaning ideas.

I haven't written a word on any of my major projects in well over a year because I've had an awful time getting my mind in gear. I've tried everything to break through the writers block besides a few random exercises, and just writing down random thoughts in a journal is actually doing more to get the words flowing than anything else I've tried. Perhaps it's time to give writing exercises a try again.

Yes, exercises it is!

Alright folks, leave me a prompt in the comments, and I'll answer the challenge as soon as I can.

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Practice and Nonsense

2009-01-28T21:27:45Z

I've been working on a compilation video of the girls' pictures to send to far flung family members using Microsoft Movie Maker, so naturally I got a silly idea. It wouldn't leave me alone, so I ended up making a Right of Succession teaser as practice.

Right of Succession Teaser

It needs work, but it's a start.

Any suggestions for inexpensive improvements?

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Finding Time to Write

2009-01-27T14:01:57Z

It seems like I've been struggling to find the time to write since I started the hobby all the way back in fifth grade.

At first it wasn't such a huge deal. I'd just take out my notebook and start writing sometimes in the evenings after homework and before bed, and weekends were largely free. It got a little trickier in junior high. The high school band was seven through twelve back then, so I suddenly went from one concert a year to several weekly practices, football games, parades, contests, and at least two concerts a year not including competitions. Plus, I had more school work and added responsibilities around the house, plus the occasional babysitting or tutoring job. Still, I could usually find a few minutes or a stolen hour here or there to write. (Half hour long bus rides to and from school helped.)

College brought tougher challenges of the same type between fair to heavy coursework and working to pay tuition; however, I usually had a long gap or two between classes, and studying didn't require the use of every gap.

The true problems finding time to write started up about the time I seriously began to think about trying to get some of my writing published. How well it all flowed and if it had meaning suddenly began to matter more, and I kept trying to carve out larger segments of time to devote to writing. When I wasn't thinking about dragging out the trusty old notebook, I was studying the work of other authors.

Have you ever tried taking four college literature classes while also trying to pass two science courses? I wouldn't recommend it.

Then I graduated, started a full-time job, and got married. Fifteen months later, I managed my first paying publication just a week before Boo was born, and I've barely written since. I certainly haven't gotten anything else published, and you know why? I kept telling myself I didn't have enough time, or I couldn't get my head in the game. I was always so distracted by housework, taking care of first Boo and now Sneak, and trying to find something I could do from home.

My problem was in my way of thinking. It's not about sitting down and making this grand leap all at once. It's about making headway.

It's such a simple concept, it's a wonder it has taken this long for me to get it through my thick skull. I've used it to good effect with the housework following particularly rough weeks, or incidents like my back injury last month. It may take three weeks to get back on track after being derailed for one, but it can be done, one small step at a time.

There's no need to try and set aside an hour to write each day. With two very small children, trying to buy our first house, and Hubby trying to teach four subjects at once, it's just not going to happen. But there is this sweet spot on the afternoons, when nothing will do for Sneak but to cuddle up in my lap for a bit of quiet time. She doesn't mind letting me have one hand free so long as the other arm hugs her close as she snoozes. So, I think I'll start gathering my new notebook, pen, and a cup of tea when I go to settle down in the big rocker each afternoon and steal a few minutes to write.

* Picture is my "little" brother with Boo and Sneak last month.

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Blast from the Past: True Nightmares

2009-01-24T23:18:34Z

Yeish, it's been forever since I've posted! Twenty-one weeks actually, but I've only just now regained enough time to notice.

I sadly don't have time for an in depth post on a new topic, so I've decided to bring you our first blast from the past post. Below is an excerpt from Succession, accepted by The Writer's Hood Science Fiction page, but never run due to the magazine's founder abandoning it the month it was due to run.

True Nightmares

Brihanni absently looked out the window as their enclosed sled topped the hill and picked up speed. The driving snow blotted out all else.

Where were they? Ralic's men should have appeared before now. She didn't know if the men could even find their small group in this storm. Had she lied to Kalie, pushing her to visit her "dying" mother, for nothing? She felt a pang of guilt as she glanced over at her friend, sitting with her feet jammed against the foot board to steady herself.

A commotion exploded outside, and the sled skidded to a halt. Brihanni looked across at Princess Kalie. Curious as always, the other woman leaned forward to peer out the window. Seeing her opportunity, Brihanni pulled the dagger secreted in her pocket free of its sheath.

"Whats this?" Kalie asked as Brihanni snaked her arm about the princess' neck and laid the bare blade against her skin.

"I'm sorry, Madam," Brihanni whispered in Kalie's ear, gripping the woman's arm as tightly as she could. "But, if you move I will slit your throat."

"Why, Bri? I thought you were my friend."

"I am, but I'm an ambitious woman. If you hadn't taught me how to hide things from that boy of yours, you'd know that by now."

Outside, Borcon's voice erupted in a primal roar. The cold slowed and weakened the dragons, but it wouldn't be enough to prevent Ralic's men from being slaughtered. It was time to give him a reason to still.

"Out," Brihanni ordered, keeping hold of Kalie as she opened the door and exited, gingerly feeling along the blind decent. "Call to him. Now!" She pressed the dagger's point to Kalie's jaw.

"Borcon!" Kalie screamed, setting Brihanni's ears to ringing and drawing the Yekaran's attention immediately.

"Surrender to us now, Borcon," Brihanni yelled, "or I'll kill her."

The dragon snarled, literally fuming but unable to produce flame this late in the winter. He roared again, louder than she'd ever heard any dragon bellow before, but he attacked no more of the strange soldiers. Where they wearing fur over their armor?

"It's nothing personal, Kalie," Brihanni whispered. "You're in my way. If you behave and do exactly as you're told, you'll be free again once I'm on my own road."

* * *

After what seemed like hours, the company reached the shelter of Tembar Proper. She'd be with her beloved Ralic soon, but not before she retrieved some warm, dry clothes. Borcon would attack again if he thought there was even the slightest chance to save his friend, so Brihanni rode beside the sled driver and pressed the dagger to Kalie's throat the whole way. She was soaked and freezing after sitting in the full force of the storm, but it would all be worth it to be queen.

Once they were inside the gates, the sled came an abrupt halt and a man in what appeared to be an odd-looking suit of armor modeled after a large bird sprang from the interior. He grabbed Kalie's slender wrist, wrenched her from the carriage, and held her close at his side. The soldier thrust his hand at Brihanni, and guessing his desire, she gave him the dagger. He laid the blade above Kalie's jugular and turned away without a sound.

Brihanni climbed down from the carriage and stood well away from the soldiers, but remained in the courtyard. She'd agreed to deliver Borcon to Ralic, and she wanted to see him chained and secured with her own eyes. The large, ebony Yekaran entered the courtyard, glaring at the man threatening Kalie, but complied in silence. He lay prostrated while the soldiers bound him with heavy chains and locked them into huge rings bolted into the ground. His silver eyes never left Kalie.

Brihanni watched the other woman; sorry building her future required her to betray her friend. The princess stood unmoving in the bird man's arms. Strands of long, blond hair escaped from her hood and blew in the wind. Brihanni could see Kalie was panting as the cold produced tiny, rapid bursts of fog before her. Brihanni could tell she was terrified even though her features were schooled into a mask of calm reserve. Why nobles always thought they had to hide their emotions was beyond her.

The last chain was secured, insuring Borcon was paralyzed from muzzle to tail, and one of the soldiers alerted the bird man. He nodded in acknowledgment as Borcon watched. In a flash, bright even in the blinding snow, the bird man raked the dagger across Kalie's throat.

The pure, white snow grew scarlet. Borcon's insane howls drowned out any other sound as Kalie's body fell to the ground in lifeless slow motion, and dead eyes glared accusingly into Brihanni's very soul.

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DIY Adventure

2008-08-30T13:48:11Z

What do you do when it's time for those traditional formal pictures of your growing children, the photo places in your budget stink, and you can't afford prints at the good photographer's studio even with the half off discount former employees get for life? You either shell out your hard earned money for crappy pictures, or roll up your sleeves and do it yourself, of course.

Today's technology makes it as easy as such things can be. You don't have to be a pro, or even more than average to take a decent photograph...if you can get the child to cooperate. Mistakes can always be touched up in photoshop, and red eye can be removed.

It's something we tried when Boo was still a newborn. We took her to get pictures made for her birth announcement, and after pictures where the angle was horribly wrong, three reschedules, and continual computer crashes, we decided to forget the photo center and just do it ourselves out of frustration. So, we threw one of the fancy baby blankets we got at her baby shower over our carrier, dressed her up, and snapped a few close ups. It took some tinkering with the lighting, but the end result was several times better than what we got elsewhere.

Here's the one month photo we took of Sneak yesterday. It's not perfect, but it's better than the ones we paid over $100 for when Boo was the same age. These will only cost us a few cents per print, and we can make replacements anytime we want without hassle.

We found out it's more difficult to get a good picture of an older child the hard way. We never would have tried this in our old apartment, the one we called "the cave" for a reason. The lighting is a thousand times better in the house we're living in now, and we overestimated it big time.

As you can see here, we threw a white sheet over a box we set on our kitchen table and used the lace curtains in our dining room as a backdrop. It would have been pretty if we had about three times the lighting. As it was, our camera's flash went off, and the colors were all thrown off by the shadowing. This is the best fix I was able to do on a color version.

Luckily, Mom reminded me about the huge sheet of black felt I got several months back to use as a table cloth at my Usborne Books at Home shows. I'd completely forgotten about having the thing, and as you can see from the pictures below, the high contrast between Boo's dress and the black backdrop made a huge difference.

So, we borrowed a halogen lamp from Hubby's parents to provide better lighting. Then we hung the sheet of felt over our entertainment center, and sat Boo on the lime green ottoman she received as an Easter gift this past year, and tried again.

She wasn't in near as good a mood the second time around, so we didn't get the big smiles we did before. The pictures turned out pretty well anyway.

Seeing Hubby act like a fool is usually good for a laugh or two from her no matter how grumpy or tired she might be.

Once we finished snapping the pictures, Hubby downloaded them from our camera while I tore down the "set." Then we got the girls to bed before I went back to fix them as well as I could.

Between nearly a year working for the local paper and two years of making sales materials for the local radio station in my days before motherhood, I've gotten pretty fair and quick with photo prep. Otherwise, I doubt we would have tried this again after the issues we had trying to take Boo's infant pictures in "the cave."

It was mostly just a matter of fixing the color balance and taking out a nasty case of red eye. However, there wasn't enough felt to cover the ottoman, and it clashed something horrible, so I painted over it with black as best as I could to make it look like it too was covered in felt. Then I cropped them down, and presto, formal pictures made for pennies.

What are your DIY adventures?

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Right of Succession Weekly Update

2008-08-28T12:40:10Z

Unfortunately, there's not much to report this week. Between Father-in-law's parents coming up from Savannah to visit on Friday, a one-month-old not feeling well while going through a growth spurt at the same time, a toddler determined not to nap anymore, a visit to the doctor, and Father-in-law's heart surgery, things have been kind of crazy here at home. As a result, I've had my hands full of a sleep deprived toddler and a infant who eats like she's a ravening wolf cub.

I took advantage of what little time I managed to snag here and there to write in my notebook, but those moments were few, far between, and short lived. Plus, I couldn't really remember where I'd left off with the Succession rewrites before, so I had no idea where I needed to start back. That's why I'd planned on going back through and rereading what I'd done. At least I did get a chance to start on that yesterday.

You see, it took me a day or two, but I finally figured out there was going to be no way I'd be able to get anything at all done on Succession unless I used the laptop Hubby and I share and work at the kitchen desk instead of the one in the office. For one, Hubby's needed the office computer to keep looking for a position to further his quest for a career change. Besides, I can get more done when Boo can play under the desk while I work instead of either trying to climb the bookshelves or screaming outside the door because Mama's inside, and apparently Daddy isn't enough to suit her.

Then, I had to track down the charger for said laptop. It's been sitting unused since the end of the former school year, and the battery was depleted. I found the charger yesterday afternoon and began going back through the completed rewrites, correcting the occasional typo and getting back into the voice of the story. Unfortunately, Boo cut her nap short just as Sneak woke to eat, so I only managed the first half of chapter one. However, I did find something I'd forgotten. I rewrote the first few paragraphs of chapter five a few months back, so there's more done than I originally thought.

Well, Father-in-law's parents are heading home this morning now that Father-in-law is through his surgery safely and back home. Boo, if she follows her normal pattern, will settle back into her regular nap schedule as things settle back into the routine, and Sneak is nearly through this growth spurt and not due for another one for about a month. So, circumstances should make for a more productive week to come.

Knock on wood.

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Dealing with a Cluttered Desktop.

2008-08-22T13:10:06Z

When I worked for the local radio broadcasting company a few years back, computer maintenance was just another part of my weekly schedule. I was the assistant for the entire sales staff for four stations, so my computer was something of an information hub. I had basic information packets, sales materials, backups for each of the fifteen to twenty account executives’ projects and presentations, and hundreds of logos to keep straight, so organization and security were high priorities.

Taking an hour or so to clear out duplicated or outdated files and emails, make sure everything was in the correct folder, compress old files, run virus and adware scans, and defragment the hard drive each Friday afternoon was just common sense. Yet I can never seem to find time to organize my personal files.

To be perfectly honest, it’s a wonder I can find anything in the jumble of chapters, short stories, articles, reviews, home schooling materials, and pictures. It’s a mess. It bothers me to no end. There’s always something else I need to do though, and the chores out here in the real world take precedence over the ones in the virtual realm.

I’m normally an organized person, one of those people with a place for every single thing, so why is it so easy to forget to organize something I use every day?

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Pushing on Toward the Goal

2008-08-21T12:23:00Z

Jamie Groves over at How Not To Write wrote an interesting article last month regarding the effect, “What if?” has on writing. He made some insightful observations, and I came to realize I’ve been cultivating a whole field of “maybe flowers.” They’ve sprung up mostly around Right of Succession, and I’m sure they’re a large part of the reason I’ve yet to finish the novel.

After doing some searching, I found the fertilizer I’ve inadvertently mixed up with the weed killer. Odd as it may sound, I’m afraid of finishing this particular story, and I believe I know why.

1. The idea for Succession was the first “real” novel idea I had, and by that I mean the first idea for a novel anyone other than my family and friends might have an interest in actually reading. To top it off, I wasn’t but thirteen-years-old when the original idea occurred to me. It has evolved over the years, but I’m still plagued by worries it may be as immature and horribly written as my first draft even after all these years of rewriting it as I learned the writing craft.

2. I’m afraid it will never sell. Yes, I know how it sounds, but the root of this fear is more that I will have wasted years working on draft after draft only to have it fail miserably. Plus, if Succession never sells, all the ideas for stories following the events in Succession will lay unread in notebooks as well.

3. I’m afraid my wellspring of ideas has dried up. A few years ago, ideas wouldn’t leave me alone. I have a small stockpile of story ideas stored away in a notebook on my shelf, but it’s been a while since I’ve gotten a new one to add to the cache. I suspect this may be due to the majority of my time being taken up with caring for my family and working on one of my three main ideas, but the fear I will never have another good story idea remains.

Fears are to be conquered, so how am I to go about stomping this one out? I’ve thought about it quite a bit the past couple of days. I could just drop the whole thing, but without the intrinsic problems Ben the Unlikely had, I can’t bring myself to kill an idea. So, the only recourse is the one Mr. Grove suggests. I need to finish the novel already.

However, I know how absent minded I am nowadays. It’s too easy to let goals get buried under the day to day grind. This is why I found a work out buddy to help me focused on eating right and fitting in half an hour or so of aerobics five or six days a week. Why can’t it work for keeping my mind on finishing off this manuscript?

It’s not like I can meet up with another writer to sit and work on our manuscripts a few days a week, so I’ve decided to make this blog my accountability. Every Thursday, I’ll post an honest assessment on the progress I’ve made and what happened to either further said progress or hold it up. It’ll be kind of like a food diary if you only entered your information once a week and it revolved around words instead of food.

Here’s where I’m starting. I finished rewriting the first four chapters of Succession some time back, and I went through and noted where major changes and rearrangements needed to be made. Now I’m going to go back and read through the rewritten portion to refresh my memory on the changes I made seeing as it’s been months since I’ve touch the thing and get back into the novel’s voice. Then I’ll begin charging on from the beginning of chapter five.

It’s time to press on toward my goal of having a contract for Succession by the end of 2010.

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Cutting back on watt usage.

2008-08-20T12:27:52Z

Living in Alabama, in a house built well before my husband and I were born, this summer’s been a nightmare where utility costs are concerned. We’ve become understandably interested in finding easy ways to save on the amount of electricity we use.

Now, we’d love to put some insulation in these thin, under insulated walls and upgrade to energy star appliances, but it’s cost prohibitive, especially for a couple with a toddler and a newborn. Plus, we rent our lovely little home, so there’s a limit on what we can do. Bumping the air conditioning up to eighty degrees instead of seventy-six and taking advantage of natural lighting as much as possible helps, but we’re looking for additional ways to shave a few megawatts off our usage.

We’ve heard great things about the new energy saver light bulbs, so we went to Sam’s and picked up enough to change out most of the bulbs in our house.

They do contain mercury, and we have a very active, extremely curious toddler. So we’re leaving the regular bulbs in the lamps. I could honestly see her accidentally knocking over the lamp and then playing with the pieces of the shattered bulb. The image is frightening enough without the bulb in question requiring specific safety measures for clean up.

We’re changing out the bulbs tomorrow while the girls are visiting their great-grandparents. Hopefully they’ll help us save a lot of wattage.

Has anyone tried these?

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Thoughts on World Building: Considering Architecture

2008-08-19T17:09:43Z

Ten weeks ago, I looked at how geology and climate play a role in world building and influence each other. Today I'd planned to explore architecture, travel, and technology. What difference do they make in a story? How does one influence the other? And is the geology and climate of the setting important in determining which way to go when deciding what each is like? However, the post started becoming a monster sized, so I decided to break it into two or three chunks.

How does a culture develop architectural style? A look into our own history shows the foundation of it is largely laid by the local climate and materials available. Wooden structures are popular in forested areas, and some form of stone or mud brick is largely preferred in arid regions for example. Towns built in areas prone to flooding are generally built on higher foundations and from lighter materials than those built high above sea level and far away from flood plains. Homes in regions prone to frigid winters or scorching summers have thicker walls and more insulation than those in more temperate areas.

Technology sets the limits on what can and cannot be done. Some method of adding structural integrity must be known for buildings to rise above a certain height or to take on odd shapes, especially in regions where seismic activity is prevalent or violent storms come in cycles. Would the pyramids still stand today if the Egyptians hadn't cut the stones comprising them in such a way they pack tighter together, all pushing toward the center and leaning on each other like the stones of an arch, as the pyramid itself settles? Yet, if you have a society advanced well beyond our capabilities, where are the limits to what can be done?

The culture also plays a role in architecture. Are your characters nomadic, settled, or is there a blending of the two? Do they place value on ornamentation or simplicity in all things?

What difference does architectural style make for a story anyway? Stories are about characters, not the buildings they live in. It's true, but isn't it also true that the world we live in plays a large role in shaping who we are? The whole purpose of world building is to know the setting and society molding our characters. This holds as true for the "back drop" as it does the government, religions, and history. Imagine the difference to The Lord of the Rings if the Golden Wood was exchanged with New York City and Helms Deep was a small village of wooden huts with only a thin stone wall protecting it.

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Returning from Maternity Leave

2008-08-18T12:48:12Z

I'll freely admit, I was caught completely off guard when I ended up on bed rest ten weeks ago. Sure I had the same problem at the same time when I was pregnant with Boo, but I was under the impression I'd removed the root cause, read tons of stress, from my life this time around. Turns out it's likely a genetic issue, so it's probably a good thing Hubby and I plan to stop at two.

I'd planned out a week or two worth of topics, but I didn't get to actually writing the posts before having to head off to the hospital that first time around. If I had, Hubby would have simply posted them for me while the medications the doctors put me on had me shaking so badly I kept hitting the wrong keys every time I tried to type anything.

At first I thought I might get a lot of writing done while confined to bed. Alas, worry for a child determined to be born too soon, the hormones of late pregnancy, and the nesting instinct hitting full force makes for a perfect storm of distraction. Besides, who has time to write when you have to give detailed instructions on how to use appliances and where things go to folks helping out with things around the house while you're forbidden to do more than pour yourself a glass of water?

Sneak was born last month, still a touch early but far enough along to be healthy. We've settled into a routine more or less over the last few weeks, and things are returning to normal at home and here on the blog. Look for posting to resume this week.

* The picture is Sneak in the hospital bassinet the day after she was born.

Searching for a Method to the Madness Part 3

2008-06-04T15:35:18Z

So far we've looked at the two extremes of writing methods and a few techniques falling somewhere along the spectrum between. Today I have one final method to discuss, and it's one anyone can use successfully.

No, it's not some snake oil, magic bullet method. It can work for anyone because its very nature makes it customizable. One need only take some time to experiment a bit as they adjust the method to fit their needs.

The Mix and Match Method

Now wait a second, isn't a mix mash of methods really no method at all?

Actually, Dictionary.com defines a method as a procedure, technique, or way of doing something. Using different techniques for each stage of the writing process doesn't negate method. All those techniques add up to a plan. Instead of a road map, you get something more like a set of blueprints. Each page shows you something different, but put them together, and you still get a complete project.

Can you tell this is a mental road block I had to get through while writing this series?

In my search for a method to the madness that was my creative process, I've been using the mix and match method for years. I've just hadn't realized it was there in front of me this whole time, waiting to be tweaked into something streamlined.

I'll use what I've come up with for myself as an example of how to put the mix and match method into use.

When an idea first occurs to me, I record it in miniature until I finish my current project. This works well for me because my memory is most closely related to a sieve. The big ideas stay, but the smaller ones disappear into the ether unless they're recorded. Then, being one prone to insomnia, I'll use a bit of the naturalistic method to expand upon the miniature idea in the form of daydreams. It's an old technique I've used to combat insomnia since adolescence and honestly how I did most of the world building and brainstorming for Succession. I'm honestly surprised, not to mention a touch flabbergasted, I haven't used it for others. And I'll make notes alongside the miniature as needed.

As I'm drawing to a close on the previous project, I'll begin putting the brainstorming tree method to use. By this point, I should have enough of an idea of the world and story to build a fairly complete tree. I think I may use index cards on a peg board verses tiny blurbs on a sheet of paper because it would not only be easier to rearrange as necessary but provide more room for detail. (Sieve like memory strikes again.)

I hold the jigsaw method in reserve. Depending upon the complexity of the world and/or the expansiveness of the story itself, whether single shot, trilogy, or series, there are times I find it necessary to write a character study, short story, or just a single scene completely out of sequence. If I don't, I'm prone to getting so hung up on a particular plot point or idea that it gums up the works when it comes to the story as a whole. Plus I've notice a tendency in myself to originally place scenes in a sequence that makes sense while writing but not so much when the story is viewed as a whole.

I want to thank those of you who have commented on this series as it progressed. The discussion was immensely helpful to me as I searched for a writing method I could use with some consistency and efficiency.

And I hope my ramblings and the discussions were of some use to you as well.

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Thoughts on World Building: Considering Geology and Climate

2008-06-03T18:34:30Z

In the first two posts in this series, I took a broad view of the world building process. I’m switching gears for the next few posts to take a look at several elements it’s needful to consider when constructing a fantasy or sci-fi world and how they interrelate.

While these elements are much the same for any genre, there are some elements you’d include for one genre you usually wouldn’t for another. I’ll be the first to admit that while I highly enjoy a good fantasy story, I’m much more of a sci-fi author. If you’re looking for something specifically geared toward world building for a fantasy novel or series, I highly recommend Kameron M. Franklin’s latest series over at Pens and Swords.

One of the first things to consider is the setting itself, and by this I mean the geography and climate. It may seem like a background element and therefore of little importance, but where we live and the environment in which our culture was born influences everything from native dishes and fashions to mythology to technology and architecture. How much different would the Greeks have been had they originated in the Nile River Valley? What about if they came out of Siberia?

This is one aspect of world building I recommend doing a bit of research on as you go. Geological features effect climate and vice versa, and these effects can produce different outcomes for flora, fauna, and the climate as a whole based on latitude, altitude, proximity to large bodies of water, and surrounding geological features.

Then again, the importance of scientific accuracy for this depends a lot on exactly how far the setting will feature into the story itself. If your story will be largely set in the same area and focused around the characters within a city or small country, it’s a relatively minor thing. However, if your characters will be traveling extensively or the setting and/or weather will play a large role in the story, a bit of research can go a long way toward making the setting feel natural. You wouldn’t expect to find lush jungles stretching for miles upon miles on either side of a mountain range for example.

Next week we’ll look just a little deeper into this topic as we consider its effects on technology, architecture, and travel.

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Searching for a Method to the Madness Part 2

2008-05-22T17:18:54Z

Last time I talked about two extreme writing methods. Today I have three more moderate methods to discuss.

The Brainstorming Tree Method

Other than outlining, building a brainstorming tree is the only method we covered in school. I'll admit to thinking it was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard when it was first introduced. Writing in little thought bubbles and connecting them with arrows just seemed like a silly, mixed up outline.

The main difference between the brainstorming tree and the mega outline is you stick to just the big points with the tree. It provides structure while allowing for more flexibility. You don’t necessarily need to restructure the whole thing should you change your mind about something halfway through to update your roadmap. Noting the change is generally as easy as swapping the direction and/or placement of the arrows.

The trouble here comes in if you have difficulty remembering the small things. You can add them into the tree, of course, but the more cluttered the tree becomes, the harder it is to read.

Also, some have trouble working with graphic representations of a broad idea. I actually work well with graphics, but they give Hubby headaches. Whether this is due to the damage done to his visual centers or the fact he's much more of an auditory person than visual, we don't know, but we do know a brainstorming tree isn't the method for him.

The Zoom Out Method

I'm rather fond of this method myself and use it in some form with my larger projects. The last three or four pages of my Yekara world book are filled with novels in miniature. As I mentioned in this week's world building post, Yekara and Right of Succession spawned a slew of ideas for sequels. I took the main plots of these ideas, wrote a single sentence for each one, and the results reside in the world book waiting their turn to undergo the zooming out process.

You can think of this method in several different ways. Personally, it helps me to think of it like being a forensic artist. You take the bare bones of the story and then carefully add layers representing complex systems, muscle, sinew, fat, skin, and finally the last details of eyes, hair, and coloring to see the organism as a whole.

It works well, but the zoom out method also takes a lot of time, generally speaking. I’ve used this method almost exclusively with Right of Succession, going through at least twenty-five or thirty drafts in the past thirteen years, each one longer, more complex, and vastly more detailed. I can’t take years writing the next one though if I want to publish more than just one or two novels in my lifetime.

Zooming out does make for an excellent learning tool for beginning writers. I know I learned the most about writing through all the incarnations of Succession throughout the years. Plus, lots of practice gets worked into the zooming stages, helping you slog your way through the “million words of crap” while keeping to one big piece.

The Jigsaw Method

Finally we have the jigsaw method. This is a good one for writers who prefer working in short spurts and in no particular order. You’re free to write any part of your story at any given time and worry about piecing it altogether in an orderly fashion, occasionally adding transitory paragraphs to glue it altogether as needed, later.

In the few writers’ groups I’ve participated in, there was always one or two people who became sidetracked from their WIP because an event scheduled for much later in the piece came to mind, crystal clear and begging to be written. They just couldn’t seem to get their mind off the troublesome scene to finish the section they were working on at the time. The beauty of the jigsaw method is it allows you to go ahead and write the scene ahead of time, save it somewhere, and then just cut and paste it in at a later date, making only what changes are necessary for continuity and voice’s sake.

Yet, the jigsaw’s main strength is also its weakness. The author has to be careful, or the novel as a whole can come out sounding disjointed. New ideas crop up, and this can cause differences in both continuity and voice if the novel as a whole isn’t read over with a careful eye and ear as the puzzle is put back together again.

I’m struggling with this myself as I work on rewriting Succession for what I hope is the last time. Over the years I’ve written shorts and character studies I’d like to incorporate in some small way into the novel, and as I read through the last version not long ago, I found several chapters in need of reordering, merging, or splitting apart. Luckily I have the old version in hard copy to work from with my notes in bright red ink in the margins as I work my way though the novel from start to finish. I only hope I can make sense of my scribbled notes as I continue on in the coming weeks.

This is it for today. Tomorrow will see my personal favorite method thus far and the end of this short series. I hope you’ll come back, and as always, if you have something to add, please join in the discussion.

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Searching for a Method to the Madness

2008-05-21T17:45:48Z

I first put pen to paper with the intent of creating a story purely for the fun of it in the late fall of 1990. Until I discovered online writing forums and began with the college newspaper some nine years later, what I knew of writing was gleaned mostly from trial and error. It still is to a large extent, but I do have some idea of what works for others and the craft of it. The one and only college creative writing course I took back in spring 2004 certainly helped, though it was mostly reading and critiquing the work of everyone in the class like a mega sized writer’s group.

Oh sure, I was taught to string together grammatically correct sentences and how to structure an essay in high school the same as everyone else, but writing fiction is a whole different game. How do you bring order and method to a creative process? Should you even try? I’ve been asking myself these questions for years and searching for a way to bring some method to the madness that is my “process,” and I know there isn’t any one size fits all answer.

I’m still searching for a way to refine the manner in which I write to make the process more efficient. The questions for world building list Bob Younce posted in the comments for yesterday’s post are a likely source of inspiration down the road.

Although I’ve yet to find a method to work for me, I have discovered some pros and cons to a litany of techniques and thought perhaps they could be of some use to other writers out there. So today begins a three part series on different writing methods. Like the world building series, this is another topic I’d love to have a good discussion on since while I have had the rare chat regarding world building, I’ve never gotten the chance to discuss writing styles and methods in any detail.

Also, it should be noted I’ve never seen actual names attached to any of these methods, so I’ve given them my own. If you know of a particular thing they’re called, please let me know.

The Naturalistic Method

Perhaps the most natural way to write is to just jump right in and see where the story takes you. I know it’s how most everything I write starts out, at least in the earliest phases, and it works rather well for short pieces. It’s the way all the essays, short stories, poems, and other various works of 10,000 words or less I’ve done were written.

The Naturalistic Method has one big drawback. It lends itself to meandering off onto tangents, dropped story arcs, and highly fragmented stories. When you don’t have any sort of roadmap, it’s all too easy to become enamored of and distracted by one particular element and either wander into a boxed canyon or become entirely lost.

The Mega Outline Method

When I first started venturing onto online writing forums, I heard a lot of talk about outlining before beginning work on a novel. I decided to give it a try.

Have you ever actually tried to outline an entire novel? Let me tell you, if you’ve only ever created an outline for a research paper, the size of it is shocking. You end up with the grandfather of all outlines.

Now, I like having an outline as a guide. It definitely helps keep the story on track and foreshadowing is much easier when you can see what’s ahead at a glance. Plus, if you’re as forgetful as I am, the reminders built into the outline work wonders for not dropping storylines halfway through or leaving plot holes gaping.

However, for those of us with a more organic sense of imagination, the mega outline is rather rigid and limiting. It helps for sure, but it gets annoying rebuilding the thing every time a previously unseen nuance comes along, you decide the ordering is wrong, or something needs to be deleted altogether.

I wasted so much time outlining and reoutlining, I finally just gave up on this method myself.

Here we have two extremes: one totally organic and flowing and the other the picture of order and rigid.

I could keep going, but to keep this post from becoming a behemoth, I’ve decided to split it into several posts. We’ll take a look at a few techniques falling somewhere along the spectrum between in tomorrow’s post.

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Thoughts on World Building: Getting Started

2008-05-20T14:52:05Z

After giving Jamie Grove’s suggestion following last week’s post some thought, I’ve decided to try my hand at a short series on the topic of world building. I’ve no idea as of yet how long it will be, and everything is based on my own experiences these past fourteen years or so since I first tried my hand at something longer than a picture book or essay. If you have something to add or completely disagree, I hope you’ll leave a comment. This is a topic I’ve very rarely gotten to speak about with anyone, and I’d love to get a lively discussion going.

As far as I can tell, the world building process generally starts out one of two ways: with the idea for a world or an inkling of a story. Things grow from there with either the story shaping the world or the world giving rise to a story.

I’ve built worlds using both methods, and although both work well, I have to say letting the story drive the world is the easier of the two for me. Perhaps this is because the one built around the story is the only truly alien world of the three I’ve built. I don’t know for sure.

Right of Succession started out as an idea for two characters, and the world of Yekara was born to explain and support elements of the story created for them before it spawned a dozen or so ideas for other novels to follow. Of Secrets and Stones, the only of the three worlds with an actual story in print, and The Icarus Project both began with the question, “What if?” and are alike only in the fact they’re based on our world with these questions answered.

All three required research, but Stones and Icarus took much more. How can you build an alternate world without knowing why this one is the way it is, or was in the case of Stones? Then again, perhaps the difference in difficulty isn’t so much about these two being based in fact as it is my knowledge of in depth history and politics being a bit rusty. If Hubby should work on world building for any project beyond the Secrets and Stones role-play guide book, for which he is my coauthor, I’ll let you know.

Yet no matter how you get started down the world building path, there comes a time where the story and world begin to fuel one another’s growth. It’s different for every story. Icarus reached it almost instantaneously. Succession made the mark about three months into the process, and Stones took even longer, so long in fact I nearly gave up on the world. No matter when it comes though, this step is crucial.

I’ve built three worlds yes, but I never said I haven’t tried building others. Those other attempts never made it to the compounding stage before I simply had to set them aside to work on others. Or at least they haven’t yet, we’ll see if they resurface somewhere down the line as old ideas are sometimes want to do. However, every idea where the story and world began fueling the other made it at least to the stack of rough drafts waiting their turn in revisions.

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The Dangers of Overdoing It: Or Why I was an Idiot this Weekend.

2008-05-19T17:54:51Z

Trying to cram two or three day’s worth of work into five or six hours is never very smart. Doing so when just over six months pregnant and over half the work has a physical component to it is down right idiotic. Well then, call me Moron.

I woke up Thursday morning with a clear idea of what my day would entail: the weekly gig, posting the first part of a three part series, and then I’d tackle a few chores around the house before rounding everyone back up from their respective activities. Then a couple of minor road blocks merged to shunt all but the weekly gig to Friday.

I decided to postpone the series, now set to begin on Wednesday of this week instead. Yet, idiot that I am, I decided to try and make up for lost time Friday by doing what I’d planned for the day plus what I hadn’t gotten done Thursday. Normally this wouldn’t have been a problem. Then again, I’m usually not so gravid and weak jointed, and what other time of year does everything have to be completed by 3 p.m., so I can waddle my way to this graduation or that?

You would think I’d learned my lesson last time. Once again, I was blissfully unaware of the damage I was doing, no only to myself but to Sneak as well, until I’d finished and went to try and get out of the car upon arriving at the school to pick Hubby up from work. The moment I felt the old bones start creaking, I knew I’d done it, and sure enough I woke the next morning feeling like I’d been hit by a semi. Worst of all, Sneak was harder hit by this bout of stupidity than Boo was when I did something similar during my eighth month with her, probably due to the fact my hunger and thirst has been more subdued this time around. The poor girl didn’t move at all until about 11 a.m. Saturday morning, and only then because Hubby and Mom talked me into downing one of those Java Chillers from Sonic to see if it’d get her moving.

It took two full days to recover from this round, and it got me thinking about how counterproductive overworking yourself can be, not only for us pregnant ladies, but anyone. Sure, you get more done in the short run, but there’s always a backlash of one sort or another. Either you exhaust yourself, thus reducing your productivity, usually for twice as long as you sustained the increased spurt of activity, or the quality of your work suffers. Sometimes both occur, and if you make a habit of it, burnout becomes a real issue.

How many of these real go getters, workaholics who sometime postpone settling down and having a family until they’ve established their careers, end up stressing themselves into serious health issues in their thirties or forties? How many go back to college searching for a new career after only a few years because they can no longer stand the thought of staying in their current field? How many crash from the adrenaline high over holidays to sink into a crushing depression until work begins anew, and the adrenaline starts pumping again?

It’s tempting to push through the pain to get more done. Sometimes, it’s even needed, but is it worth the risk to make a habit of burning the candle at both ends?

Personally, I think not. Now if only I’d remember the lesson, so I don’t have to take my lumps in the future should I forget.

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Perks of the Job

2008-05-14T14:16:28Z

I don’t bring up my day job often on this blog, but I thought I would today because I could use a little help figuring out what to do about something.

When I’m not writing, I work in direct sales to fill in the gaps. It’s something I thought about idly for several years before putting forth the actual investment.

I’d heard about various companies where individuals made their living peddling cosmetics, cookware, and home décor in their community. I enjoy some of the products offered through those companies, even get excited about a few of them, but I was never sure I’d be able to muster up the type of passion for the product needed to successfully sell it. Then I found Usborne Books.

I’d never heard of a publishing company distributing their books mostly through direct sales before, and the idea was intriguing. I looked into the company, and I finally became hopeful enough to cough up the dough to get started. My kit arrived a few days later. I got my first look at the books, and I knew being passionate about the products wouldn’t be a problem.

The books and tools are some of the best I’ve seen when it comes to children’s educational materials. They impart tons of accurate, helpful information in a format managing to be easy to understand, multi-sensory, conducive to retention, and fun all at the same time. I’ve heard customers talk about their children’s, and at times their own, enjoyment of the textbooks, learning tools, and kits. I’ve seen a young girl absolutely engrossed for more than an hour in learning her multiplication tables using one of the wrap up keys, but it was my daughter’s reaction to them that truly sold me on Usborne.

Boo’s been amazed by books from the time she was first able to focus on the pages of one. Once she learned to crawl and pull up, seeing her sit or lay back gazing at the pictures in her board books became a common sight. I’d never seen her perform a grab and run dash or go into a crying jag over one being put away before though.

I only began selling Usborne Books back in March, and I’ll tell you, one of Boo’s first tantrums occurred the day my kit arrived. I made the mistake of opening the box where she was able to see what I was pulling out, and she was none too happy to discover there were books in the house she couldn’t get her hands on, especially brightly colored ones obviously meant for children. Then I went and compounded the problem by reading the one board book in the mix to her. How stupid of me! To this day, she snatches the book and runs off to hide with it anytime she sees it within reach.

Thus far I’ve had to keep my Usborne products away from Boo because the few I have are what I use for my displays. However, I’ve recently earned one of the perks of working for a direct sales company: free merchandise. Well over a hundred dollars worth of free merchandise to be specific.

I’m ecstatic as you might imagine, but it’s difficult to cut down what I want. Hubby has his eye on a couple of books for his classroom next year I’m planning to get him for Father’s Day, and I let Boo pick out four of the touchy feely board books like the one she loves so much. That still leaves about sixty or so “free book dollars” to spend though, and I’ve yet to decide how I want to spend them. To keep with what Boo, and Sneak before long, can use now, or to think further down the road: that’s the question.

What would you do, keeping in mind roughly two to three hundred of the books in the product line go out of print every six months to make room for new titles or revised versions?

* Picture is of Boo at five months.

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Thoughts on World Building

2008-05-13T18:04:45Z

Something occurred to me the other day as I sat musing over what I’d write this week. The process of world building is a lot like pregnancy.

Now wait a minute before you go running for the hills. Yes, male readers, I’m talking to you. I’m not going to say anything gross. I promise.

Like all forms of art, sci-fi and fantasy literature, movies, and television shows begin as an idea, minuscule and delicate. The author oscillates between moments of manic research, quiet reflection, and at times days or weeks where the awareness of its presence, its potential, is nearly forgotten in the press of day to day concerns. Yet it grows: gaining form and purpose, developing systems, and gathering strength until the idea is finally able to make itself known.

Those first nudges are subtle and easily missed or forgotten by a distracted author, but they quickly become more definite and insistent. The author begins putting words to paper, taking care to ensure all needed elements are available and eliminated unwanted materials from the diet. Research intensifies. Preparations are considered, and growth accelerates. Soon the idea is only recognizable as the same tiny spark it was before in its most basic elements.

The first set of revisions and rewrites begin, and the idea, already almost fully formed, matures and gains weight. It occupies the author’s thoughts more now than ever, and the nudges, once so gentle, can be surprisingly strong even painful at times. Arrival is within sight, and the author increases their efforts to prepare.

Soon time for final edits arrives, the shortest and most painful phase for most. All is ready. All remaining is the final push and cleansing before the author holds their world, newly born and perfect in their hands.

Then the hard part begins.

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Gathering Courage

2008-05-12T13:51:51Z

We face the unknown today.

After spending the past three weeks or so fighting to gather all Hubby’s medical records, MRI films, etcetera and to get him an appointment with a new neurologist, we’re preparing to head off for the elusive consultation this morning. Both of us are skeptical, hopeful, and worried about what he’ll find all at once.

I suppose skepticism is somewhat normal. After being burned, it becomes hard to trust someone else, and his last neurologist burned us badly. You’d think a patient who has had more seizures in the past eighteen months than the sixteen years between the accident and the originating seizure just over a year ago would warrant some type of action. Apparently this is not the case. In the past year and a half the only tests run on Hubby’s behalf were ordered by physicians in the E.R. and summarily ignored by his former neurologist, who would do nothing in the follow up visit but treat poor Hubby like a moron, write a script for a larger dose of his medication, and shoo him out of the office.

However, I hear the gentleman we’re going to see this morning is both competent and extremely thorough. This leads to hopeful. We’re hopeful a cause will be found. We’re hopeful this cause will have a treatment, and we’ll be freed from living with a constant, nagging fear in the back of our minds. We’re hopeful Hubby will be able to return to doing many of the things he loves, which are currently just too dangerous for him to participate in under the risk of having another seizure in the midst of them.

But we’re talking about the complex workings of the central nervous system here. Aside from medication, there will be no simple fix. We know this. The severity of it isn’t lost on us, and we’re worried.

Yet ignorance is not bliss. Knowledge is needed before action, and without action there cannot be change. So we’ll gather our courage and trudge out to face the unknown today.

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The Simplest Gifts

2008-05-11T19:12:49Z

With Hubby not driving by choice, and necessity, of late, there was no store bought gift this year for Mother’s Day. That’s fine by me. It’s not our style anyway. We’re both more prone to loving gestures as gifts than piles of things to clutter already too cluttered lives.

I suppose it’s just something about to people prone to writing getting together. I have a big box full of the gifts Hubby has given me over the years: mostly poems, letters, and song lyrics set only to whatever melody pops into my head while reading them. In exchange, I give letters, short stories, and the occasional baked goods to satisfy the sweet tooth he harbors.

You would think a Mother’s Day spent sick would be one of the worst, but I’ve received three of the best gifts today. They didn’t cost a dime but mean so much more to me than something bought and paid for would have.

I’m prone to ear infections, and one set in for both ears last Friday. My doctor prescribed antibiotic drops. There’s one problem with antibiotic drops to treat ear infections; they’re next to impossible to take by yourself without risking contaminating the bottle by hitting your ear with the dropper. I tried exactly once and wasted quite a bit of the drops in the process.

Hubby’s been so helpful, dutifully counting out the dosage for me twice a day this past week despite the damage waiting for the drops to work did to his schedule. Then this morning, when I fell back asleep waiting the requisite ten minutes or so for the drops to work in the second ear, he decided to just let me sleep and by providence allowed me to sleep through the rupture. For those of you who have never experienced, or remember experiencing, an ear infection rupture I’ll tell you, it’s very painful. It takes a couple of hours for the pain to recede and equilibrium to return to normal, but once it does, there’s an immense sense of relief.

Then there’s Boo, little empathetic Boo. She woke and came toddling, still half asleep herself, into our room about the time I woke again. I helped her up onto the “big bed,” and she sat with me as I waited for the lingering pain and off balanced feeling to fade. After a while, she snuggled up to my side and wrapped her hand around my finger, doing all she knew to do to comfort another.

So there it is. My Mother’s Day was sweet and simple this year. The gifts may have not cost a thing. They’re not tangible, but I’ll carry the memories forever.

Happy Mother’s Day moms.

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