Let Us Not Fall into a New and Darker Age

“Mother, I am young. Mother, I am just eighteen. I am strong. I will work hard, Mother. But I do not want this child to grow up just to work hard. What must I do, mother, what must I do to make a different world for her? How do I start?"

"The secret lies in the reading and the writing. You are able to read. Every day you must read one page from some good book to your child. Every day this must be until the child learns to read. Then she must read every day, I know this is the secret”

― Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Throughout history the most common means of controlling the masses is to keep them ignorant. The best way to keep people ignorant is to prevent them from being able to read and write; in any language. If people cannot read or write, they must depend on those who can to tell them what is, or what isn’t.

In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Katie begs of her mother to tell her the secret of preventing her child from living a life of poverty, to which her mother responds, “The secret is in the reading and the writing.” She goes on to explain that she herself is ignorant to reading and writing, but Katie can read, and she must ensure that Francie is also able to read and write, and as a byproduct be able to think for herself.

As time goes on in our world, I sit back and wonder about our own children. With a growing preference for videos and movies, and all things that hold their attention for thirty seconds or less, I wonder. Will they be able to succeed in a world where the United States is ranking lower and lower on the education scales worldwide? There are third world countries that rank higher than we do. Will our children have the ability to think for themselves?

Katie’s mother came from the old country, Ireland. She came from a time when she did not have a need for reading and writing. However, in her wisdom, she recognized that in this new country, her children would need to know this skill. They would not succeed without it. They would not achieve anything great or even live a decent life.

There is no difference between now and then. Children who cannot read do not develop critical thinking skills, they lack the imagination necessary for innovative thinking, and they cannot comprehend simple mathematical story problems. Reading is the foundation of education in every respect. This applies to more than recognizing words. One must know what the word means in every context in which it is used. This is taught through reading and built upon through writing.

We are at a critical turning point in our own living history. The debate rages on whether or not we should continue to teach cursive writing, without regard to the fact that the original historical national documents are written in cursive. Who will tell the young what the Constitution or Declaration of Independence says? Will the children be forced to depend on others to tell them? There is a certain danger in this.

When I taught classes on personal financial literacy and employment readiness, I concluded that there are two keys to socio-economic success: 1) understanding money management; and 2) education. Without the ability to read, an individual has no chance to master either.

I am a strong proponent of child and adult literacy. In a global society we must be able to communicate in the written word, lest we fall to a new and darker age than we have ever known before.

There are many lessons to be learned in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but none greater than the fundamental truth: “The secret is in the reading and the writing.”

Through literature we learn to live, to love, and to conquer!

I Can't Adult Today

Summertime was great back home on the shores of Lake Sakajwea. The family – the whole family – sometimes fifty or more at a time would gather down on South Pointe of Parshall Bay, spending the day fishing, swimming, grilling, and roasting marshmallows over campfires when the sun went down.

Time rolled forward and Summer would turn to Fall. It was my favorite time of the year. The town would swarm with kids who had been here or there throughout the summer. The fall evenings would fill the air with the shouts and laughter of children, playing kickball, or a game that the title is no longer politically correct to name, hide and seek in the dark, and so many other games, until the streetlights sent us home. As we got older we would sit wrapped in blankets, star gazing and talking about boys – the ones we liked and the ones we didn’t. We would tell our secrets and pinky swear to never tell a single soul, take it to our graves.

The world turned one day at a time, and the winds of change would bring Old Man Winter across the plains. It was time for sledding on the Rock Museum hill, or snowmobiling on the streets to make the old people mad, trick-or-treating in homemade costumes, and building igloos in the backyard. Halloween would slip quietly away and usher in the Christmas season, requiring our best behavior for the simple gifts we received. The windows of Main Street would become laden with all the finest gifts the stores had to offer. The streetlights would be decked with boughs of holly, stars, or jingle bells. Santa Saturday would come and go, and soon Auld Lang Syne would be on the lips of the older folks as the ball would drop in New York City.

Love would be shared in the classrooms and between lovers at the Redwood Mixer as Valentine’s Day came and went. Shades of pastels would replace the rose red, again requiring our best behavior to entice the favors of a benevolent bunny that came and went each year. Spring arrived with the first sprout of the crocuses on the prairie. Pomp and Circumstance would become the theme, accompanied by the cheers of the graduating class as caps were tossed in the air in celebration of the close of childhood.

Every now and again, we all travel down the familiar roads we traveled as children. For me, as a writer, it’s an integral part of what I do. My memoirs are contained in every story and novel that I write. And yes, sometimes I miss Donna the Kid, those are the days I want to say, “I can’t adult today.”

Have a great week everyone!

The Secret of Authors

When I first began writing, I searched the world over on the best ways and means to write and get published. I frantically scoured the internet for the best tips from the most successful authors out there. I tried to mimic their patterns and thought processes. And then one day, I discovered that all the joy of writing had been sucked out of my passion.

I joined a writers group, only to discover those that were in it didn’t know any more about writing and publication than I did.  We all talked a good talk, but none of us were moving forward. Critiquing became an exercise in each of us telling the others they should change this, that, or the other thing, because ultimately it wasn’t the way we write. A writers group is not a replacement for a good editor. It’s mostly for two purposes: support in a common effort, or brainstorming.

Marketing in itself was taking a huge chunk out of my time. The time I could be spending with my family and friends, or writing. I would spend hours on Hootsuite crafting tweets and Facebook postings, and even some for LinkedIn, and then I realized I was spending more and more of my time marketing and less and less of my time writing.

If I want to be a good writer, or maybe even a great writer, I have to keep at it, every day; 30-minutes minimum - every day. It’s a developed habit. It can be a daunting task at times. Sometimes I sit there staring at the blank screen before me and I just want to cry because nothing comes out. “Write something; anything,” I tell myself. “Write all the chores you have to do today in story form.” Sometimes even that can be a challenge. Writer’s block is a very real thing. Sometimes the words just don’t come. However, I still sit there for 30 minutes, just in case. I have neglected my blog, or at least have seemed to, since August 30^th. The words just wouldn’t come. I assure you, I sat there, every day, for 30 minutes, and nothing.

My cure for writer’s block: I just sit with it for a while. After my 30 minutes of sitting, I go do other things that have nothing to do with writing. It works every time, sometimes it takes days, but it works.

In my quest to become an author, I also tried to write like someone else. This was a bad idea; a very bad idea. When I try to write like someone else, I lose all the flavor of the story I am trying to tell. I stopped doing that. I have to write authentically as myself.

I stopped listening to what the world was telling me about writing. I limited my marketing time – on purpose. I developed a habit of writing, and a cure for what ails writers the most. I developed my own voice. Now I write what pleases me.

Here’s the secret about successful writers. They don’t write for the market. They simply write for the sake of writing. Believe it or not, most of the great writers out there have had a flop of a book. They don’t dwell on it. They don’t drown their sorrows in wine and beer. They get to work, writing a new story. And, that is the true secret to becoming an author.

The Sky is Falling on the Indie Authors...NOT

There is clucking on the internet! Chicken Little is making her way through cyberspace, declaring the sky is falling on the indie authors. As with the original children's story of Chicken Little, the sky is NOT falling. Yes, change is coming. It always does, but that is no reason to race around the cyber streets sounding the alarm.

The ways of the first million-sales authors are not going to work anymore. The 99 cent books, the freebies, and the give-aways are becoming obsolete. These are gimmicks. Gimmicks were never meant to last forever. It's Marketing 101. I realize there are thousands, if not millions, of indie authors who have plowed hours of time, and immeasurable amounts of money into these methods, but all good things must come to an end. And, in this case, the end IS near.

Before you run into your shelter to take cover from the imaginary pieces of sky, falling on your head, think. Is the sky really falling? Do you see evidence of pieces of sky lying about on the ground around you? No. What you are seeing is the color of the sky is changing. It's twilight time in the publishing world, the time to prepare for the sun that will surely rise over the horizon tomorrow.

In my research, I have found an important key aspect of promotion and platform building that seems to be largely ignored, or maybe just overlooked in the indie author world. When a large publishing house takes on a new author, what do they do? Start promoting a title or the author themselves? It's a little bit of both, but in the end it's the author that is promoted and the title secondary eg: John Grisham's new book, insert title here.

I have spent the last three years building the Butterfly Phoenix platform. Oh God yes, I have promoted my book, but I have been doing more promoting of myself. People know that Donna R. Wood and Butterfly Phoenix are synonymous. They know my views on humanity and the environment. They know I have a special place in my heart for the unloved, uncared for, and unwanted. They know I have an interest in history. They also know that somewhere in my writing, these things will appear, or perhaps be the very subjects of the prose.

The majority of my Twitter followers, LinkedIn connections, and those on Google+ are not other authors. They are like-minded people who share the same interests as I do. Some are just the curious. Some are those with opposing views. The one thing all of them have in common is they all read. I can't say that every single one of them have purchased Sticks and Bones or will purchase the books in 'The Chrysalis Series', but odds are some of them have, and will.

The best thing you can do at this point is stop hiding behind your titles, and put yourself out there as a person. Build your platform and fan base around you. I have found that it is much easier to promote myself as a package deal. I am a blogger, a writer, and an author. I have a blog, a book, a short story, and a trilogy in the works. If I have to promote each of these separately, I will never get any writing done at all.

Think about this and then ask yourself, "Is the sky falling, or is it only changing color?"

Dreaming Big in the Big Dream Blog Hop

In early January, Cody L. Martin, author of The Adventure Hunters, asked me to participate in an intriguing blog hop, entitled: The Big Dream Blog Hop, the purpose being to dream big about your project, and letting your readers know what those dreams might be. I agreed to participate, because all great achievements begin with a single dream, right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Big Dream Blog Hop:

(Cody L. Martin)Writing is largely solitary, and sometimes a lonely endeavor. Sure, you talk to friends, experts for research, discuss what works and what doesn't with your editor, and bounce ideas off of fellow writers. But in the end it's one person pounding the keyboard or twirling the pencil. But what if it didn't have to be completely alone? Who would YOU work with if you could work with anyone on your favorite project?

In this post, that's what I'm asking. Choose a person for each category and tell why you want to work with them. If you want, feel free to post their picture, a piece of their work, or a link to something about them. The only rule is that the person must still be alive.

Writers dream. Now it's time to dream BIG.

You have the opportunity to hire anybody as your cover artist. If you write children's books or books that are heavily illustrated, who would you get for the interior artwork?

That's an easy one. Elena Dudina would do all the art work for "The Butterfly Fields" and the other two books in "The Chrysalis Series." Hands down she is the best and only choice.

Who would you co-write your next novel with? What genre? Why?

If I could write with anyone at all, I would choose Neil Gaiman, author of American Gods and Neverwhere, among others. The man is a genius, and a master story-teller. He is also a relentless propagator of the metaphor, like me. I'm afraid he would often refer to me as grasshopper or little spider or something along those lines. It would be in the fantasy genre. His sense of knowing when to insert comic relief would also be invaluable. 

Your publisher wants to do an audiobook version of your novel and they're not sparing any expense. Who do you think can narrate your masterpiece?

Sadly, I don't generally buy or listen to audiobooks, so choosing someone is difficult. However, to answer the question, I would choose Adele. She has a vocal range that would nicely accommodate the story of "The Butterfly Fields." She knows her way around a recording studio, and I think she would be fun to work with on the project.  

They're really going all out! Your novel is getting a full soundtrack. Who should compose it? If your novel uses a lot of songs, list your compilation here.

I love music, but I know very little, actually nothing, about composing. However, I listen to a lot of music while writing. There are many artists who come to mind while reflecting back on the writing of "The Butterfly Fields." If I had to list those I would like to have in the soundtrack, these would be them:

Aoife Ní Fhearraigh - one of the most beautiful Irish Gaelic voices I have ever had the privilege and pleasure to hear. Younger readers may know her song, "The Best is Yet to Come" featured in the PlayStation 2 game, Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 4 in the PlayStation 3 game. However I would choose her song, Mo Ghra-Sa Mo Dhia as it is so beautiful and fits the plot of the story.

Mary Chapin Carpenter - I love Mary Chapin Carpenter's folk songs. The depth of the emotion involved in her songs reveals the very inner soul of the singer. The song for "The Butterfly Fields" would be Closer and Closer Apart. Although the song is about lovers, it also can be applied to the situation between the sisters, Elsie and Annalicia.

Albannach - "The Butterfly Fields" is written in reflection of the times of the Gaels, although it is not a historical fiction novel. Albannach is a Scots-Gaelic performing group of drums, pipes and other traditional instruments of the times. They have a song that works well in the story during the time of preparation for battle, The Fire and Thunder of Scotland.

Clann An Drumma - As with Albannach, Clann An Drumma rocks the drums, pipes and other traditional instruments of the times of the Gael. Like many other tribal cultures of the world, the Gael used drumming and dance as a means to prepare themselves, in all aspects to go to war. The Gael is comprised of three of the six recognized nations of the Celts: Irish, Scots, and Manx. The dynamics, legends and lore of the Gael plays a significant role in "The Butterfly Fields."

Viktoria Tocca - Although her rendition of The Dark Waltz (Phantom of the Opera) is vampire based, she sings the song beautifully. I can't say much about this part of "The Butterfly Fields" as it would be a spoiler to the story. We mustn't disappoint our readers before they've had a chance to begin the journey into "The Butterfly Fields."

Enigma - I have loved this group for years. Their music speaks truths into the world that otherwise would not be heard. The Age of Loneliness speaks volumes to the loneliness of the soul of Annalicia in "The Butterfly Fields."

I could go on and on with lists of performers I would like to see on the soundtrack for "The Butterfly Fields", but there is not enough room in this post.

Congratulations! Your novel is being turned into a major motion picture. As the creator of the original work, you get to pick the director.

The Butterfly Fields is a work that could only align with the vision and insight of Polish film director, Agnieszka Holland. Not only is she a director, she is also an author, which I feel gives her a greater ability to envision what "The Butterfly Fields" really are, and portray it as such.

Agnieszka Holland is a Hollywood outsider, as far as director's go, which in my book says that "The Butterfly Fields" would be fresh and new on the screen.

The director has some ideas on who to cast, but you get to cast one character. What role/character is it and who portrays them?

There are no other options. The role of Seanmháthair, a pivotal character in "The Butterfly Fields", must be played by no one other than Dame Maggie Smith. One would think this decision is based on her acclaimed performance as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter series, but no. I love British films and one of my all-time favorites is The Secret Garden (1993) where Dame Maggie Smith plays the role of Mrs. Medlock.

Dame Maggie Smith has the best ability to portray Seanmháthair as the character is complex and requires someone who can pull off a traditional grandmother role, a strong grand matriarch, and yet someone who surprises even the most astute reader / viewer.

You've been hired to write a novel based on a preexisting character or franchise from another medium. Which character or franchise is it?

I love a challenge. I love complex people who confound and astound the masses with their antics. Yet, at the same time wear their emotions on their sleeve in broad daylight even though the world may not recognize it. I would love to write a novel on the life and times of Eminem. You didn't see that coming did you? Although Eminem is considered a 'person', in reality "Eminem" is the public persona or character played out in live action for the masses. Eminem is the alter-ego of Marshall Mathers III. Eminem is a man who is definitely Not Afraid. (Video not family friendly due to language)

It's the anniversary of your favorite literary character's debut. You've been hired (yay, work!) to write an anniversary novel. Who is the literary character?

The Velveteen Rabbit. This was one of my all-time favorite stories as a little girl.

Be sure to check out Charles and Wendy Siefken's blog tomorrow as "The Big Dream Blog Hop" continues. Charles and Wendy Siefken are the co-authors of Kia's Journey.

Rejection is not the End of the World

Being rejected is not the end of the world. In the moments after the initial blow it may seem like it. A person wants to crawl into the nearest hole, pull the cover rock over top, and stay there…forever. Instead of burying yourself in the hole, kick the rock aside. Go ahead, kick it hard. Then keep walking.

So the bombshell beauty at the bar shot you down. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe you don’t want that whirlwind catastrophe in your life. Maybe, it was a rejection that saved you a world of hurt that you would have never expected.

So the dream job that you thought you were made for rejected you without so much as an interview. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe there were organizational cultural differences that made you ‘not a good fit.’ Maybe their ways and means of doing business wouldn’t be in line with your core values after all. Shake it off and look for the next opportunity. Contrary to popular belief, opportunity knocks every day; you just have to be willing to answer the door.

If you want to be a writer or an author, rejection is part of the game, just like in life. I hold to the belief that every author that has ever lived has been rejected multiple times in their life. If you’ve never been rejected, then I tip my imaginary hat to you. (I don’t wear hats.)

The initial rejection from an agent or publisher feels like someone slammed you in the gut with their fist, and then did it again for good measure. You start questioning your ability, your imagination, your vocabulary, your prose, and perhaps even question your own identity.

Then you get angry. It isn’t your fault. They don’t know good writing when they read it. They have no clue of what they are missing. That’s right, you’re the next great American author and they missed out. Or, did they?

Honesty goes a long way when it comes to rejection. Some agents and publishers will at least give you some reason for the rejection. Sometimes that reason comes as a standard form letter. Here’s my take on the form letter rejection: The writing is of low quality. The end.  I would take that as a generous dose of politeness on the part of the agent or publisher. They could tell you exactly how they feel about the quality of writing, but choose not to, so as not to deflate your hopes and dreams of one day becoming better.

Agents and publishers aren’t the only sources of rejection. Reviewers can hit you in the gut with a loaded fist. Honest reviewers, and there are a lot of them, will tell it like it is, with or without your permission. If they don’t like what they read, they have a tendency to say exactly what was wrong with it, in their opinion. Reviewers differ from one to the other, but when that bad review goes to press, you better be prepared for it. Maybe they didn’t like your characters, or the whole thing was filled with clichés, or maybe the story just didn’t resonate or ring true with them. Are they wrong?

Instead of getting angry or upset, go back and look at the work from their perspective. Are the characters weak? Are there a lot of clichés in the story? Think, "It was a dark and stormy night…” Is the story believable? Or, is it accurate to its time? Historical accuracy is important to a lot of reviewers. Did you do your research? Grammar and punctuation are also important to reviewers. Editing anyone? Nobody is perfect and reviewers know this. But, there is a certain level of expectation.

The granddaddy of them all is the reader rejection. Readers can deliver a KO punch like no one else. Most readers today do not give reviews on the e-book sites. However, they give their reviews in the lunchrooms of schools and businesses across the world, or at the dinner table, at parties, to their friends and families. The word of mouth rejection eventually shows up in print somewhere. Maybe even in an email to the author, or on the author’s blog, or a social networking comment, but it will show up. Listen to what they are saying. They are your target market; they are your customers, your buyers, and most of all your crowd-source marketing team.

Author to author: We have a duty and an obligation to each other to call a spade a spade. When we beta read for each other, be honest. We need to tell each other when something is off, a plot hole exists, grammar and punctuation needs work, etc. Anything less is just back scratching.

What I want aspiring writers to take away from this post is this: I have been the subject of every one of these scenarios. However, the rejections that ensued were not against me as a person. They were about the poem, the short story, the novel. I could have thrown in the towel, walked away, and never thought on writing again. But, I didn’t. I took all the rejections, in the various forms, and learned from them. I learned to try my best to make sure grammar and punctuation were considered. I learned to show not tell (well for the most part anyway.) I learned to develop rich, believable characters, and not to use clichés.

In the next few weeks, I am again going to put myself out there for the rejections that might happen. No, the rejections that will happen. There will be agents, publishers, reviewers, readers and other authors who will not like what I have created. That does not mean they don’t like me. It means they don’t like the story. Not everyone is going to like it.

When the time comes for you to put yourself out there, just do it. See what happens, and learn from it. I guarantee you will be rejected, and sometimes that’s a good thing.

Monday Musings: She Comes by it Honestly

It was in the fall of 1984 when I wrote my first full-length novel. I was sixteen at the time. The story was written in a red wire spiral bound notebook. I don’t remember the title, or even most of the story line. I simply remember that I carried around this notebook and added to the story every day. As we go through life it’s what most people do – add to the story every day. My Grandmother kept detailed diaries from the time she could write. Every significant event in the family, precious thought she had, or perhaps thoughts she hadn’t intended on sharing with the world were neatly penned on the lines between the covers. Yet, when all was said and done and the diaries cracked open by the prying eyes of those she had left behind, a whole world opened up to us. In those numerous diaries, that covered some eighty years, were the additions to her story that she had faithfully recorded every day.

I often wonder if Grandma had spent time re-reading her diaries. Had they served a purpose for her, or were they merely recordings of a woman who once was as if to say, “I had lived, and in these pages are all days of my life.” Grandma was a writer by nature and as the saying goes comes by it honestly. Her grandmother was Mary Jane (Jennie) Strawn, a most amazing poet and writer, who was originally from Ohio and moved with her husband James Parker to Minnesota in the 1800s. Her grandfather's brother was her Uncle Samuel Parker who wrote for a small magazine, The Call, in the 1800s. Grandma also wrote for the Mountrail County Record for a number of years. She was a columnist writing about the society of our small home town.

Grandma passed the writing gene on to her son, who was a reporter for the Minot Daily News in the 1960s. After Grandma’s passing, stacks of articles he had written were found yellowed with age, neatly stored in the crawl space in the eaves of the house where she had lived with Grandpa. He had reported on some of the historical moments in North Dakota history, to include the building of the Garrison Dam and creation of the Sakajwea Reservoir. He is still living and is an avid reader. I suspect he has always been an avid reader.

There are some mighty big shoes to fill in the family when it comes to writing. I will always be grateful for Grandma’s insistence on perfection when it comes to reading and writing. When I was in upper elementary and junior high, I would send letters to Grandma in Arizona over the winter months, and with her reply she would send back the ‘edited’ version of my letter to her. As the years went on, the amount of red on the paper diminished. Grandma was a different sort of person. In all her years, sometimes she had been cold, hard and unyielding, especially when it came to the children, but I choose to believe that her heart and intentions were always in the right place. Anything less would be a travesty.

Sometimes we come by our talents naturally, but most often I think we come by them honestly through the time honored traditions in our families. For me, it is writing at the unwitting instruction of my Grandmother. For others, it may be the arts, or science, or some other vocation. No matter your vocation. No matter the tasks required if you come by it naturally or honestly then it is good.

Monday Musings: Are you naturally talented; or do you come by it honestly? 

Monday Musings: Heart and Soul

Have you ever noticed this when you are reading? You can always seem to tell when the work came from the heart versus when it came from the head? I notice it too. That is not to say one is more valuable than the other, it just to say the difference is noticeable. I am not just a reader of fiction. I have to admit over the last few years I have read more nonfiction than not. Perhaps it is a sign of aging, or some need for the brain to be in a learning cycle rather than entertainment. In any instance, fiction or nonfiction, the difference is still noticeable.

When I was in high school, I turned to books for escapism. I suspect many high school age young people of today read for the same reason. The books I enjoyed the most were the ones that oozed of the passion of the author. It was all in the way the story was worded. The content and how the events were conveyed. E. L. Doctorow is quoted as saying, “Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader – not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.” This can only happen if the author has put the passion of the rain in the scene. How does it smell, how does it come about, from where does the rain fall and why? What does it feel like when it hits the reader?

As I am writing The Chrysalis Series, I am attempting to keep this in mind. It is my hope to bring the reader into the story with the characters. It is my hope the reader will experience the events in the story alongside of the characters. However, not every reader will enjoy the way the story is constructed. I can accept that, and I don’t mind. Those who dislike the story are of just as much value as those who like it. Constructing a story is hard work that must come from the heart and soul. Ask any painter and they will tell you the same of their vocation.

Many times I have said that Charles Dickens and Emily Dickinson are two of my classic favorites. The reason is their writing, be it fiction or poetry, is inspired. It comes from a living, breathing part of their soul that just could not be contained. Another of my favorites is Danielle Steele. Wow, haven’t heard that name in a while, but you know what? Danielle Steele stands out because of the passion she poured into her stories. My favorite Danielle Steele book is Zoya. The story of Anastasia is a timeless classic in all its forms. I enjoy reading Debbie Macomber because of the simplicity of the stories. Sometimes the greatest passions come in the simplest forms. I have yet to read another author who can bring everyday living to life as she does in the written word.

I am constructing my Amazon Wish List and at the top of that list is author, Teodor Flonta. Of all the up and coming authors I have read, simply put, this guy can write. I am paled by his fluency in story building. A Luminous Future is at the very top of the list. I have not read the entire story yet, but I want to. Somehow, Teodor has evoked emotion in this heart of mine. I found myself hanging on every word of the sample, feeling compassion and horror all at the same time. The whole scene just screamed of passionate storytelling. It was as though it is a story that must be told. Not everyone can write like this. Not everyone can evoke this type of sensation from the first pages. Kudos to Mr. Flonta for his triumph in telling his story.

Not long ago, I was set to press the delete button and walk away from The Butterfly Fields, never to think on it again. I was frustrated that the words I chose were not conveying the feelings I wanted to evoke. I hated my story. I wanted to rip up the pages, and then found I would have to print all of them first just to rip them up. Then I wanted to delete the whole file and be done with it. Then, I closed the manuscript, shutdown the laptop and walked away. I am certain that all writers go through this, no matter what they are writing. I think I remember this same situation while writing my high school theme paper on Marie Antoinette.

Charles Dickens did not start out as a world renowned author. Emily Dickinson never saw her works in print, they were published posthumously. And, I  have read the countless numbers of stories of today’s authors who were rejected and or ridiculed for their work before becoming famous. I like Debbie Macomber’s story with Harlequin the best. In a nutshell she was told she should go home, trash her manuscript and never write again. Six million books later she’s a fantastic author.
 
I am still in the seedling state of writing. I suspect I won’t be a full grown author for some time. However, I am doing the best I can with the talent I have, and I won’t give it up for anything; and neither should you.

Monday Musings: Music of The Butterfly Fields

These are a few, a very few, of my favorite pieces that I listened to while writing "The Butterfly Fields"

City of Angels - Fallen



 

The Dark Waltz - Viktoria Tocca

 

There are no vampires in (The Butterfly Fields)

 

 

Imaginer - Jackie Evancho

 

 

Closer and Closer Apart - Mary Chapin Carpenter

 

 

Monday Musings: To where does the music carry you off? Have a wonderful week everyone and look for "The Butterfly Fields," October 15th, 2012!



Monday Musings: Reading, Listening, and Writing

One of my traits as an introvert seems to be that I know a lot of stuff. I know trivial things to minute details about the state of the world. I can usually hold intelligent conversations with just about anyone...usually. I am often asked how it is that I know so much about various topics.

Today, I am going to talk about this in relation to how it has improved my writing. There are two things in this world that are important on many different levels. The first is reading, and the second is listening.

Reading:

I have read since I was old enough to sound out the words in the Dick and Jane books in the first grade. I loved to read then, and I love to read now. There is nothing more pleasing in the world to me than the feel of the pages between my fingers.

I enjoy reading fiction to a certain degree. However, books aren't the only source of my reading. I read blogs - I'm world class blog stalker - I read various websites, professional journals, newspapers, etc.

I don't limit what I read to simply the things I enjoy. I read the news coming out of Afghanistan and I certainly don't enjoy it. Yet, it is a necessary act to know what is going on in the world in which I live. I also read the financial pages (you would think I would be a better money manager...). It's a quirk of mine to abhor the insane acquisiton of money to the point of greed. I view the financial pages as a study in human behavior. Just how far will people go to acquire wealth, what do they do with it once they get it, and in some cases how long will it last? I read to know the details of life as we know it.

If I am writing, I read a great deal about the subject; before and during the process. In the process of The Butterfly Fields, I have had to read many different things about the subjects of religion, culture, and finding one's place in the midst of it all. I will be the first to admit, I had no idea what the Augsburg Confession is, let alone the important role it plays in the history of religion in the world. In fact, the important role in the religion I have chosen as my personal path. I found the Book of Concord (the hardcover) fascinating. What an interesting time in the world. Another important book that I have had to read is the Bible itself. I'm still working on this one. I truly believe a person could study the Bible for an entire lifetime and still not know all that it says. Or, maybe I just started too late. I have also had to read a lot of information about the Dark Ages. I have another quirk about things being as historically accurate as possible. This includes dialogue, descriptions, and the way people really were, not how we seem to romanticize this era in our history. It was called the Dark Ages for more reasons than the religious discord in the world. Writing is a process. It is not something that can be typed out in a few sittings and offered to the world with any expectation of respect in the industry.

Listening:

Many times when we are sitting together in a room as a group, or just two people having a conversation, we fall into the poor listening skills area. Instead of truly listening to what the other person is saying as an active and engaged listener, we start planning what we are going to say next. There are even times when we let our minds wander into what's for dinner tonight or how am I going to pay a bill, and so on. Lastly, we do the ultimate act of poor listening, we cut the person off in mid-sentence assuming we already know what they are going to say. Personally, when someone does this to me enough times, I will just get up and walk away in the middle of the conversation. One it is without manners to interrupt someone when they are speaking, and two assumption is the mother of all miscommunication. We all exercise poor listening on some level, every day.

Growing up, I learned the fine art of listening due to the generally observed rule of children should be seen and not heard. I would also watch with great interest the interactions of the elders in the family and how they conducted themselves. They were far from perfect, but they had some things that always seemed to be engaged in the moment. An elder was always allowed to finish speaking, no matter how long it took, before anyone said anything. Many times a silent pause would follow what was said while the listeners processed the information that had been shared. I learned to think before I speak. Some people today don't grasp the concept that I don't like to give an immediate answer until I have taken under consideration what had been said. It makes it very difficult for some of us introverts to be actively engaged in meetings filled with extroverted people.

Listening to others plays a significant role in the trust factor of relationships. If you are a natural people watcher like me, listening coupled with picking up on body language, you understand how much of the story is never tranferred in the spoken word. We naturally learn a lot about and make judgments of other people based on these two things, more than any conversation we will ever have with them. This helps in character development in the story. I have a tendency to build characters based on the mannerisms of people rather than what they say.

I find listening more interesting and comfortable than talking. I learn a lot more when listening than when being fully engaged in the conversation. I view this as a strength. Through active and engaged listening I can make better decisions even if it takes a bit longer.

While working on The Butterfly Fields, I have had to do a lot of listening in addition to reading. Sometimes I didn't necessarily enjoy what I was hearing. However, I feel through this listening process, The Butterfly Fields, and The Chrysalis Series as a whole, is a stronger story. Also through listening, I have gained some personal skills in regards to who I am and where I am heading.

Reading and listening play an important role in writing. If you want a strong story with lots of detail and interesting characters, you have to know your subject. I will always read and listen for the rest of my life, otherwise the world will be very flat; very flat indeed.

Simply Saturday: Now Serving Meat and Potatoes of Life

The house where I grew up is a small three bedroom rambler style that was the uglies shade of 1970s orange I have ever laid eyes on in my entire life. Thankfully, someone has since had the good sense to change the color. The house is in a small town in the country, about ten miles as the crow flies from the shores of Lake Sakajwea.

In this little house lived myself, my siblings, our mother, and various pets over the years. Despite growing up poor as dirt, our mother provided us with everything we ever needed. When she would come home from work, she made dinner. It wasn't just any dinner. It was the meat and potatoes kind of dinner. We were not allowed to eat in the living room glued to the television. We ate together at the table. We discussed our day, picked at each other, laughed, and enjoyed the time we had together. There were a few times in which we told on each other for little acts of indiscretion, or in my case, told on myself for lack of forethought before I spoke. Never, ever tell of your greatest feat of the day at the swimming pool when you're supposed to be grounded. These things do not go over well with Mom. I couldn't help it, I jumped off the diving board for the first time that day. But, I digress...

In our little house we didn't have a VCR or an Atari game system. For the longest time we didn't even have a colored TV. It didn't matter to us, or for that matter to most of the kids who lived in the small town. We were all outside enjoying the meat and potatoes of life. We had too much to do to worry about whether or not we were missing something on the magic box in the living room. The TV was more of an entertainment piece for grown-ups. Prime time television? We didn't know what that was. We were out playing hide and seek in the dark, or other games. We built snow forts in the winter and tree forts in the summer. Kick the can was an awesome variation on the traditional hide and seek game. We had snowmobiles and horses to ride. There were frogs, turtles, and even snakes that needed catching. We had no time for sitting idly on the couch stuffing our faces with the deliciousness of chips, candy, and other munchies. We were living life.

As a person who endeavors to write, the importance of these past experiences plays a significant role in the process. The saying goes, write what you know. How can an author know anything if they haven't experienced the meat and potatoes of life? I wonder sometimes about the quality of writing. I wonder if the experience of sitting on the couch watching television or playing video games will effect future stories. Will it effect the stories that my grandchildren will read? I wonder if this is where telling and showing becomes difficult.

I have recently read a blog about the show don't tell technique. Although showing is important, telling has it's place in writing also. I think what matters is how we tell. What are we showing when we are telling? Look at all the greatest storytellers of all time. They showed more than they told through their animations, voice inflections, and descriptive wording. Thoreau is a prime example of the showing through telling. When you read his stories of his experiences, he is telling it, yet showing the reader the beauty that surrounded him. He is telling of the deepest thoughts and emotions that lived within him. He was serving up the meat and potatoes of life; as he experienced it.

Is the mantra of show don't tell really that important authors should be ostracized from the writing world, simply because they choose to be different?

Monday Musings: The Culture of Writing

As a person, I have worked in diversity and inclusion for a very long time. A lot longer than any paying position on a resume could reflect. However, it does not make me an expert on the subject, especially the legal aspects. What it does make me is a more cultured person, not any better or worse than others.

In our present day world, this cultured aspect of life is becoming more important. This is true especially for those of us who choose to write. No longer are we writing for the local or regional market. It is the global market that looms before us. As such, and this is only my humble opinion, it is my duty to ensure what I write accurately depicts the world as it is. Even if I have created a whole new world, such as in The Butterfly Fields, I still must practice diversity and inclusion in my work. Why? Because the market demands it.

What I know to be diversity extends far beyond race. Diversity is the cultures, traditions, lifestyles, histories, and subcultures of every group of people in the world. I once argued that the homeless population is a subculture of the urban lifestyle. It is part of the fabric which creates the tapestry of the diversity in any city. The same is true for the goths, industrialists, hipsters, generations, etc. We all, in our own right, contribute to the vibrancy of the world. This reality of our times should be reflected in our novels, novellas, short-stories, and essays.

People of all walks of life enjoy reading about themselves in a positive reflection of their reality. People like to be included. If we, as writers, are going to appeal to the mass global market, we must gain a satisfactory knowledge of those with whom we share the world. It is really a no brainer when it comes to modern marketing - of any product or service. If the goal is to expand the market base into the global market, the author, business, or organization must first understand those to whom they wish to sell their product.



In the writing of The Butterfly Fields, I acted with intent to include various words from different cultures in the world. I did this to reflect the cultures of the people in the story. I am not clever enough to create an entirely new language such as Klingon or Elven, but I am clever enough to utilize the translation tools available. I acknowledge that one must be careful when using online translation tools. I also consulted various language dictionaries, and people I know who speak those languages to ensure no unintended faux pas occur.

The Butterfly Fields is primarly written in the English language, however there are Irish and French words sprinkled throughout, with references to Romani and other cultures. My understanding of different cultures of the world has given The Butterfly Fields an authentic cultured flavor that we do not see in the usual novel. Or, do we and we just don't realize it?

As  you read your latest novel pay attention to what makes the characters so rich and vibrant. Is it the descriptiveness of their appearance and mannerisms? Or, is it the underlying culture displayed in the character's history, psyche, current or past circumstances, family life, etc?

Diversity is everywhere.