On a recent vacation I came across an obituary in the local newspaper of a small agricultural town between point a and point b. It was for a 98 year old woman who stared back at me, smiling through glasses in a neat and tidy flower print shirt. But, as I read her story, I read between the lines and it made me incredibly sad.
She had been born in a town only 15 miles or so from the same one in which she died. She had six children who also lived in the same town, along with ten grandchildren in the same town, and great-grandchildren.
I realize that my reaction was filtered through my own experiences and therfore may or may not have been a fair assumption of her life. But, I still couldn't help but think...
What made her stay rooted?
Was she truly happy, or had she convinced herself that she was?
Why had her children never left, or her grandchildren?
Friday, May 7, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Blog Confessional...
Odd things that fascinate me, in no particular order:
The lives of Truckers. They are kind of like modern day Pony Express riders, only they have more horses under their asses. Whenever I pass a trucker, I can't help but wonder what his (or her!) little 'man/woman cave' in the back of their cab looks like. Is it tastefully decorated, with clean linens and grooming utensils carefully packed away in a bag to cart into a truck stop shower? Or, is it a stench filled festering pocket of dandruff and sloughed skin cells, used condoms (or, ew, 'used' tube socks), with linens that haven't been washed for 2 years? Or, worse yet, is there some poor soul chained up against their will just praying for some passing driver to somehow sense their turmoil and alert the authorities? These are just a few of the things I ponder when I see a trucker on the road.
I am also fascinated with Trailer Parks. They are such interesting snippets of Americana. Like the great philosopher Forrest Gump said - "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get." Well, the same goes for Trailer Parks. You could be venturing into a neighborhood worthy of being the set for the Forth Sequel to "The Hills Have Eyes", or you could be venturing into a neighborhood full of Easter egg colored trailers, each with tidy little astroturf yards with friendly Garden Gnomes peering at you from every nook. Yes, you never know what you're going to get with Trailer Parks, and that's why they fascinate me.
The lives of Truckers. They are kind of like modern day Pony Express riders, only they have more horses under their asses. Whenever I pass a trucker, I can't help but wonder what his (or her!) little 'man/woman cave' in the back of their cab looks like. Is it tastefully decorated, with clean linens and grooming utensils carefully packed away in a bag to cart into a truck stop shower? Or, is it a stench filled festering pocket of dandruff and sloughed skin cells, used condoms (or, ew, 'used' tube socks), with linens that haven't been washed for 2 years? Or, worse yet, is there some poor soul chained up against their will just praying for some passing driver to somehow sense their turmoil and alert the authorities? These are just a few of the things I ponder when I see a trucker on the road.
I am also fascinated with Trailer Parks. They are such interesting snippets of Americana. Like the great philosopher Forrest Gump said - "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get." Well, the same goes for Trailer Parks. You could be venturing into a neighborhood worthy of being the set for the Forth Sequel to "The Hills Have Eyes", or you could be venturing into a neighborhood full of Easter egg colored trailers, each with tidy little astroturf yards with friendly Garden Gnomes peering at you from every nook. Yes, you never know what you're going to get with Trailer Parks, and that's why they fascinate me.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Too many voices in my head...
David and Lauren
Michael and Elle
Aiden and Elizabeth
Aaron and Kate
Yes, these are all the heros/heroines in the books I am writing.
David and Lauren Book I is almost done!
David and Lauren Book II is on it's way to being done.
Michael and Elle is almost done.
Aiden and Elizabeth is planned.
Aaron and Kate is in it's infancy.
I am contantly being nagged by each of these personalities about their stories. David will interrupt my shower with dialogue. Elizabeth will pout at me while I'm driving, wondering why I haven't spent any time with her for a few days.
Of course, if this were all literally happening to me, you could call the looney bin. But, I am trying to illustrate the way a writer's mind works. It's in constant motion. I cannot shut it off. With every trip to the store, or every play of a song, I am wondering "What if..."
What if Aiden worked in another city? What if Elizabeth were married to the zoo Vet? What if Aaron has a handicap (I always thing men with canes are sexy - I mean young men, of course!)? What if Kate didn't win the drawing?
I owe it to my characters to see their stories through to their happy endings. They have become my friends.
David and Lauren
Michael and Elle
Aiden and Elizabeth
Aaron and Kate
Yes, these are all the heros/heroines in the books I am writing.
David and Lauren Book I is almost done!
David and Lauren Book II is on it's way to being done.
Michael and Elle is almost done.
Aiden and Elizabeth is planned.
Aaron and Kate is in it's infancy.
I am contantly being nagged by each of these personalities about their stories. David will interrupt my shower with dialogue. Elizabeth will pout at me while I'm driving, wondering why I haven't spent any time with her for a few days.
Of course, if this were all literally happening to me, you could call the looney bin. But, I am trying to illustrate the way a writer's mind works. It's in constant motion. I cannot shut it off. With every trip to the store, or every play of a song, I am wondering "What if..."
What if Aiden worked in another city? What if Elizabeth were married to the zoo Vet? What if Aaron has a handicap (I always thing men with canes are sexy - I mean young men, of course!)? What if Kate didn't win the drawing?
I owe it to my characters to see their stories through to their happy endings. They have become my friends.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Vacation of a Lifetime
Recently, life gave me the opprotunity to go on an awesome vacation to Edinburgh, London, and Paris! It was a wonderful thing, but, I am not going to blog about that vacation. Sorry.
I am here to discuss a psychological phenomenon that seems to be spreading like an epidemic! I call it "Linear Living." My definition : Linear Living occurs when a person has lost all sense of magic and hope.
LLers are the folks who, upon hearing you are going on, oh I dunno, a Mexican Cruise, say "That's the vacation of a Lifetime!" To me, that implies that one can only (should only?) take that particular vacation once. Why? Who made those rules? I used a Mexican Cruise as an example because they really are not that expensive, and with the right planning almost anyone can take one, or two, or a dozen.
But, it is this kind of mentality that completely befuddles me. I use vacation as an example, but it is deeper than that.
It's your neighbor who goes grocery shopping in her pajamas then goes home, curls her hair and watches TV.
It's your aunt who thinks you are crazy for eating sushi but refuses to even try it herself.
It's your best friend, maybe, who saves and saves, and waits and waits, then finds that she's forgotten what she was saving for, let alone what she was waiting for.
The TIME IS NOW! DO IT!
Live like there's no tomorrow, because - there isn't! It's always a day away!
I am here to discuss a psychological phenomenon that seems to be spreading like an epidemic! I call it "Linear Living." My definition : Linear Living occurs when a person has lost all sense of magic and hope.
LLers are the folks who, upon hearing you are going on, oh I dunno, a Mexican Cruise, say "That's the vacation of a Lifetime!" To me, that implies that one can only (should only?) take that particular vacation once. Why? Who made those rules? I used a Mexican Cruise as an example because they really are not that expensive, and with the right planning almost anyone can take one, or two, or a dozen.
But, it is this kind of mentality that completely befuddles me. I use vacation as an example, but it is deeper than that.
It's your neighbor who goes grocery shopping in her pajamas then goes home, curls her hair and watches TV.
It's your aunt who thinks you are crazy for eating sushi but refuses to even try it herself.
It's your best friend, maybe, who saves and saves, and waits and waits, then finds that she's forgotten what she was saving for, let alone what she was waiting for.
The TIME IS NOW! DO IT!
Live like there's no tomorrow, because - there isn't! It's always a day away!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
The Book I am Writing...
I want to write a story that will seize and hold my reader’s rapt attention. I want them to remember and love the characters long after they’ve read about them. I want my reader to be able to clearly visualize each scene playing out in their head as if they were watching a movie. I want my readers to feel ubiquitous butterflies in their stomachs as they read and re-read the love scenes, causing deep tell-tale folds to appear in the bindings. My story will be neither sickeningly sweet, nor unbelievably spicy. It will not be historical, with awkward sentence phrasings; neither will it be contemporary, only to become out dated a few years after it’s published. The story I want to write will be timeless and beloved by millions.
And, it is also a dream.
But, we are discussing here the kind of story I want to write, not the kind of story that I am writing, which may or may not end up falling into any of the above mentioned parameters. I realize with trepidation that undertaking the task of penning one’s first novel is a daunting process, comparable to stripping naked and standing on stage in the middle of a theatre of your peers. Often, its enough to make one want to give up, put their clothes back on and go back to sitting comfortably in the audience, casually flinging either tomatoes or roses at the next poor naked soul to appear on stage (as if your opinion were gold). But, one must not give up, and neither can I!
The novel that I am currently whipping up is one cup political intrigue, two cups monsters, one half cup conspiracy theory and a whole bag of romance. I am carefully mixing all of these ingredients, and will bake them as long as necessary with a bit of dry humor and a few mixed nuts. With a little luck I should end up with something worthy of a bake sale, at least.
And, it is also a dream.
But, we are discussing here the kind of story I want to write, not the kind of story that I am writing, which may or may not end up falling into any of the above mentioned parameters. I realize with trepidation that undertaking the task of penning one’s first novel is a daunting process, comparable to stripping naked and standing on stage in the middle of a theatre of your peers. Often, its enough to make one want to give up, put their clothes back on and go back to sitting comfortably in the audience, casually flinging either tomatoes or roses at the next poor naked soul to appear on stage (as if your opinion were gold). But, one must not give up, and neither can I!
The novel that I am currently whipping up is one cup political intrigue, two cups monsters, one half cup conspiracy theory and a whole bag of romance. I am carefully mixing all of these ingredients, and will bake them as long as necessary with a bit of dry humor and a few mixed nuts. With a little luck I should end up with something worthy of a bake sale, at least.
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