3/5 of way done!
Full moon in Scorpio tonight...things got pretty ugly in the story today, that Scorpio's a nasty bugger! Hoping I'll get it all out there and not in real life!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Breaking the Rules
Yes, I flagrantly flouted the rules. Our books are not to be shared until they are done. However, after I'd read some of Michael's book, he expressed an interest in hearing mine, so I graciously blasted him with the entire thing over 4.5 hours of reading out loud on Monday evening. Poor guy! He did agree beforehand, however, to only make positive comments and tell me how wonderful it was. He stuck to the plan, and so I am absolutely thrilled and convinced my novel will be the next big thing!
Problem is that I became so gratified and pleased with what I had that I was suddenly terrified that everything else I spewed out couldn't possibly be as good. How funny!
It took me a while, too, to develop my next bit of the story today. I truly don't know what's going to happen, half the time, and I'll be sitting here wondering, "Now, why did he do that? How mean!"
Oh, but actually, most of the guys in this soap opera are way too great. That's about to change, though....
Problem is that I became so gratified and pleased with what I had that I was suddenly terrified that everything else I spewed out couldn't possibly be as good. How funny!
It took me a while, too, to develop my next bit of the story today. I truly don't know what's going to happen, half the time, and I'll be sitting here wondering, "Now, why did he do that? How mean!"
Oh, but actually, most of the guys in this soap opera are way too great. That's about to change, though....
Monday, April 26, 2010
Half-way There!
I just hit 25,000 words, which is finally half-way to the goal word count!!! Yay! It's day 13, so if I can get to 50,000 by day 26 or so, then I'll have until day 30 to wrap up the loose ends of the story (if it hasn't been already). It's not as though it'll be ready for publication by then, of course. Lots of editing will be needed.
Michael had a marathon-writing weekend and is over 30,000 words, of course. Big show-off :) !
I read a bit of his book, finally, this weekend, and I'm blown away. It's too wonderful and funny and sweet!
Our books are from different planets, but they do both have the common elements of the South and jellyrolls! Speaking of jellyrolls, Michael made a gluten-free fig preserve jellyroll to die for yesterday...
Stephenie decided to make her book a two-month venture... I hope she can do it. We are terribly different, but if I had an open-ended deadline it simply wouldn't happen. Her kids will be out of school by then, too (a big factor for me!). But she was sitting down to write this morning, so perhaps she'll do it. She says worrying about word counts simply paralyzes her writing, so what else can I say?
Michael had a marathon-writing weekend and is over 30,000 words, of course. Big show-off :) !
I read a bit of his book, finally, this weekend, and I'm blown away. It's too wonderful and funny and sweet!
Our books are from different planets, but they do both have the common elements of the South and jellyrolls! Speaking of jellyrolls, Michael made a gluten-free fig preserve jellyroll to die for yesterday...
Stephenie decided to make her book a two-month venture... I hope she can do it. We are terribly different, but if I had an open-ended deadline it simply wouldn't happen. Her kids will be out of school by then, too (a big factor for me!). But she was sitting down to write this morning, so perhaps she'll do it. She says worrying about word counts simply paralyzes her writing, so what else can I say?
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Hanging in there...
All three of us are hanging in there for now. Word count should be up to 1/2 the required amount this week. Michael will probably hit it tonight or tomorrow....but I can catch up this week!
I had a tragic death scene and then got myself all depressed with the sad aftermath and now I'm dreading getting back to it! Isn't that just classic?
This is sort of fun, though, to see how it affects me. Reminds me of Kathleen Turner's character in Romancing the Stone. It's one of my favorite movie scenes of all time at the beginning of the movie where she's crying her eyes out while typing the end of her book. So funny and true!
Back to work, though...
I had a tragic death scene and then got myself all depressed with the sad aftermath and now I'm dreading getting back to it! Isn't that just classic?
This is sort of fun, though, to see how it affects me. Reminds me of Kathleen Turner's character in Romancing the Stone. It's one of my favorite movie scenes of all time at the beginning of the movie where she's crying her eyes out while typing the end of her book. So funny and true!
Back to work, though...
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Stymied, but going forward
Whew...a couple of realizations...
When I hit the 30-ish typed Word pages (hoping this translates to many more in novel format!), I hit a bit of a writer's block/ lapse in inspiration. I realize that this is also where I quit writing my last novel attempt. Michael, who is at a similar novel length thus far, tells me he was very inclined to drop what he has and begin a new idea, as well. Is this a universal thing? Hoorah for the writing program, which will hopefully keep us committed through to the end.
I was finally able last night to progress a bit, and I'm up on the required word count due to all the extra at first, but I haven't actually met my daily goals for a while.
The second realization is that the kids are no longer my focus. This was a big reason that I wanted to stay home with them, as, when I was working before, I found myself impatient and frustrated with them far more often. I realized that they would be grown before long and I'd have missed out on really enjoying them.
However, this is a 30-day gig and they'll be alright. It's not like I've disappeared... and it's probably good for them not to be center-of-the-universe every single moment. Oh, and of course it's not like I am generally angelic mama all the time, anyhow. I'm just LESS crotchety when I'm not so stressed with outside work and commitments.
An unrelated stressor is that I've just realized that my Facebook info page, which included this blog address, was completely open to all search engines. I removed this blog from search engines long ago, partly due to Michael's work and not wanting to affect his patients as they googled him for information. I am really quite dismayed at the idea that his patients and other virtual strangers have been able to look into our private lives via this blog. Then again, I do have FB friends that I barely know...I just assumed that most of them would no more bother to look at my blog than I would theirs. At least it's a sort of screening process, at least, and I thought that the blog address was restricted to only friends and acquaintances... That FB is a problem, too, with rampant viruses and all such. I've also found that I end up interacting with a whole different set of friends than my close old friends, who are mostly not active on FB.
I'm just whining. Word count is NOT met for today, but I've had some wonderful progress and have discovered Wikipedia to be my dear friend. You know, they even have pages on '1890's in fashion' and '1900's in fashion' by decade? What a boon! It doesn't seem a big deal until you go to write something like, "he put on his topcoat." Hmm, topcoat? overcoat? blazer? what? I have gone back through to add to and modify the dress.
Tip from Writing Kit: SO TRUE! It says to write down the things you absolutely HATE in books. Then, make sure not to include them. The kit claims you will inevitably include them unless you make a point of not doing so.
I thought this was a waste of time, but I realized last night that I had been planning for the past two days to include an element that seemed inevitable, even though I personally would have been quite upset to read it. I suppose those things just lurk in your mind, and you somehow manifest them through your trepidation! Again, blessings on the kit, as I finally remembered what it said (though I hadn't made the list and probably wouldn't have thought of it if I had). I'm so relieved at feeling empowered to stop that negative element from entering my book through my own conscious choices!
When I hit the 30-ish typed Word pages (hoping this translates to many more in novel format!), I hit a bit of a writer's block/ lapse in inspiration. I realize that this is also where I quit writing my last novel attempt. Michael, who is at a similar novel length thus far, tells me he was very inclined to drop what he has and begin a new idea, as well. Is this a universal thing? Hoorah for the writing program, which will hopefully keep us committed through to the end.
I was finally able last night to progress a bit, and I'm up on the required word count due to all the extra at first, but I haven't actually met my daily goals for a while.
The second realization is that the kids are no longer my focus. This was a big reason that I wanted to stay home with them, as, when I was working before, I found myself impatient and frustrated with them far more often. I realized that they would be grown before long and I'd have missed out on really enjoying them.
However, this is a 30-day gig and they'll be alright. It's not like I've disappeared... and it's probably good for them not to be center-of-the-universe every single moment. Oh, and of course it's not like I am generally angelic mama all the time, anyhow. I'm just LESS crotchety when I'm not so stressed with outside work and commitments.
An unrelated stressor is that I've just realized that my Facebook info page, which included this blog address, was completely open to all search engines. I removed this blog from search engines long ago, partly due to Michael's work and not wanting to affect his patients as they googled him for information. I am really quite dismayed at the idea that his patients and other virtual strangers have been able to look into our private lives via this blog. Then again, I do have FB friends that I barely know...I just assumed that most of them would no more bother to look at my blog than I would theirs. At least it's a sort of screening process, at least, and I thought that the blog address was restricted to only friends and acquaintances... That FB is a problem, too, with rampant viruses and all such. I've also found that I end up interacting with a whole different set of friends than my close old friends, who are mostly not active on FB.
I'm just whining. Word count is NOT met for today, but I've had some wonderful progress and have discovered Wikipedia to be my dear friend. You know, they even have pages on '1890's in fashion' and '1900's in fashion' by decade? What a boon! It doesn't seem a big deal until you go to write something like, "he put on his topcoat." Hmm, topcoat? overcoat? blazer? what? I have gone back through to add to and modify the dress.
Tip from Writing Kit: SO TRUE! It says to write down the things you absolutely HATE in books. Then, make sure not to include them. The kit claims you will inevitably include them unless you make a point of not doing so.
I thought this was a waste of time, but I realized last night that I had been planning for the past two days to include an element that seemed inevitable, even though I personally would have been quite upset to read it. I suppose those things just lurk in your mind, and you somehow manifest them through your trepidation! Again, blessings on the kit, as I finally remembered what it said (though I hadn't made the list and probably wouldn't have thought of it if I had). I'm so relieved at feeling empowered to stop that negative element from entering my book through my own conscious choices!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Mission aborted, back to work
Adoption records are sealed. Good thing I called first, before heading up this morning. We'll probably end up hiring an attorney, so who knows how long it'll be before I know for sure? How frustrating!
I'm trying not to take it too personally that Granny lied outright to me. She also denied the adoption rumors her whole life, so it had nothing to do with me personally. This may also explain why she 'withdrew' permanently from me, as I was on a constant genealogy mission whilst visiting them after the age of 12.
I talk about respect for the dead, and there is a very tiny voice in my head that questions whether I should respect her wishes about keeping the adoption private. However, we should look at why she wished this, versus why I want to know. I can only believe that the reason for the privacy was because her adoptive parents wished it and that they felt concerned about shame and scandal.
In this day and age, though, who looks down on her due to the adoption? It simply makes her a more interesting figure. Also, her birth parents are my own genetic line, so I feel I have a right to know who they were. She no more has a right to keep my ancestors from me than anybody else does, especially now that it cannot possibly negatively impact her life. In fact, I intend to memorialize her in my book. Folks will be rooting for her, and, in a sense, she'll go down in history rather than be forgotten.
I have great belief in our psychic powers, you know. This ability is developed to different degrees in different people. My dad, for instance, is extremely intuitive, perhaps more so than I am, but he would scorn the notion.
I am thinking, honestly, that my granny was able to block my intuitive sense of her birth truth until she was in the process of passing away, and that blockade crumbled. Perhaps my dad helped her, too, even though he didn't know he was. He honored his mother greatly and would have wanted to support her wishes.
Speaking of Dad, Michael and I have started speaking of 'the old Dad' and 'the new Dad'. I am absolutely amazed at the turn-around my father has shown in recent years. I like him--a lot! His mind has opened up to all sorts of new ideas, and he is a cub scout troop leader now! He initially registered his grandson for the troop, despite the fact that all other troop members and the leader were black, which he was fully aware of beforehand.
Also, Dad called me yesterday to excitedly discuss a fictional novel that he just read, and he plans to see the movie. Not an action story, either. I am flabbergasted. I can't remember him once reading a novel when I was young. I try not to show my surprise too much, though!
Anyhow, he may see if he can elicit any info from grandaddy, but I know he wants to be sensitive to his elderly and bereaved father's feelings.
Oh, Dad knows about my book, too, so it's not like I'm plotting behind his back, and he does know how much it means to me. Seems like he'd be a little interested in finding out who his maternal grandfather is, too (see, I'm still assuming Gaynelle is the mother).
It would be helpful if Dad can get the info, but I feel pretty sure I'll have a right to it legally, as a descendant of the deceased.
Okay, looks like my belief in Gaynelle as my ancestress is still there, so I should wrap this up and get back to work (not a word since the 400 yesterday morning). I'd love to get hold of her lover's name and find a bit more about him and his background before book 2, though.
I'm trying not to take it too personally that Granny lied outright to me. She also denied the adoption rumors her whole life, so it had nothing to do with me personally. This may also explain why she 'withdrew' permanently from me, as I was on a constant genealogy mission whilst visiting them after the age of 12.
I talk about respect for the dead, and there is a very tiny voice in my head that questions whether I should respect her wishes about keeping the adoption private. However, we should look at why she wished this, versus why I want to know. I can only believe that the reason for the privacy was because her adoptive parents wished it and that they felt concerned about shame and scandal.
In this day and age, though, who looks down on her due to the adoption? It simply makes her a more interesting figure. Also, her birth parents are my own genetic line, so I feel I have a right to know who they were. She no more has a right to keep my ancestors from me than anybody else does, especially now that it cannot possibly negatively impact her life. In fact, I intend to memorialize her in my book. Folks will be rooting for her, and, in a sense, she'll go down in history rather than be forgotten.
I have great belief in our psychic powers, you know. This ability is developed to different degrees in different people. My dad, for instance, is extremely intuitive, perhaps more so than I am, but he would scorn the notion.
I am thinking, honestly, that my granny was able to block my intuitive sense of her birth truth until she was in the process of passing away, and that blockade crumbled. Perhaps my dad helped her, too, even though he didn't know he was. He honored his mother greatly and would have wanted to support her wishes.
Speaking of Dad, Michael and I have started speaking of 'the old Dad' and 'the new Dad'. I am absolutely amazed at the turn-around my father has shown in recent years. I like him--a lot! His mind has opened up to all sorts of new ideas, and he is a cub scout troop leader now! He initially registered his grandson for the troop, despite the fact that all other troop members and the leader were black, which he was fully aware of beforehand.
Also, Dad called me yesterday to excitedly discuss a fictional novel that he just read, and he plans to see the movie. Not an action story, either. I am flabbergasted. I can't remember him once reading a novel when I was young. I try not to show my surprise too much, though!
Anyhow, he may see if he can elicit any info from grandaddy, but I know he wants to be sensitive to his elderly and bereaved father's feelings.
Oh, Dad knows about my book, too, so it's not like I'm plotting behind his back, and he does know how much it means to me. Seems like he'd be a little interested in finding out who his maternal grandfather is, too (see, I'm still assuming Gaynelle is the mother).
It would be helpful if Dad can get the info, but I feel pretty sure I'll have a right to it legally, as a descendant of the deceased.
Okay, looks like my belief in Gaynelle as my ancestress is still there, so I should wrap this up and get back to work (not a word since the 400 yesterday morning). I'd love to get hold of her lover's name and find a bit more about him and his background before book 2, though.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
New Development--Novel day 5
I head to Kingstree, SC tomorrow on a fact-finding mission. Michael deems it worthy of emergency rating!
First, I will tell you the basis of my completely fictional romance novel (with a villain, too). It is a completely dramatized and sensationalized and made-up account that comply with the dates and few facts that I do know about Caroline Cox and Charles Gamble (see past blogs). I am completely inspired and passionate about this novel, and I have a trilogy planned, with her daughter Gaynelle being the focal point of book 2, and my Granny book 3. I know that in Caroline's case, the situations are completely false, but it bothers me to have anything too drastically out of place with the few facts that are present.
So, when my Dad called today to relate that Granny was actually adopted (which he found out at her funeral--Grandaddy has adoption papers somewhere), I was almost traumatized by the thought that she may be completely unrelated to Gaynelle and Caroline. I am going to try to ferret out the records tomorrow, if I can, from the courthouse there. If it's Gaynelle that's her mama, then I'll feel as though I truly am channeling a great story. If her parents are completely different, then I don't know how I'll continue with the novel... the story would be fine, but my inspiration will be shot.
I do have a bit of hope, though, as one of Gaynelle's grandchildren spilled the beans, after which grandaddy admitted the truth. However, Dad says he 'didn't know' who the parents were, which is a point on the negative side. My hope, though, lies in the fact that the man was Gaynelle's grandson, and why would he attend the funeral of a great-aunt who was only adopted into the family. He'd be much more likely to attend the funeral of his true aunt, who had been mostly ignored and denied all her life by Gaynelle's relations.
Okay...I'm completely amazed that this is all happening so fast. It wasn't so long ago that I came up with the Gaynelle as great-grandmother theory, was it?
My word count was fabulous until today. 11,800 or so now, but only 400 today. I suspect my word count will continue to suffer this week, with the travel and all--but at least I can excuse the reason as book-related!
Freaky, isn't it? More freaky coincidences...I've only started listening to two new stories since we've gotten back from the funeral. One was simply the new Sophie Kinsella and the other was a random choice for the kids with a cute cover, called something like As the Bird Sings. BOTH begin with funerals and discussions about respect for the dead. Sophie's book has the ghost completely aghast...wait, I told you this already, haven't I? Forgive me!
Oh, and I resumed the Firefly series, a space cowboy Joss Whedon show (Buffy creator), and the next new episode involved the body of a man who requested that they transport him to his home planet for burial. Get this...he comes alive again! I see it as metaphorical for my bringing my ancestors to life in my stories. This show, too, was replete with discussions of various reactions to the dead. Oh...AND I just realize now, he was implanted with someone else's organs (which I'm correlating to the whole misrepresentation of Granny's genealogy). Whew... I'm either becoming extremely intuitive and the universe is speaking to me...or I'm going off the deep end. I've always lived pretty close to it, anyhow, so perhaps I haven't noticed my slide to the bottom! :)
Okay...Michael and Stephenie are doing fairly well with their word counts and plots, too, so all seems to be progressing appropriately for them.
First, I will tell you the basis of my completely fictional romance novel (with a villain, too). It is a completely dramatized and sensationalized and made-up account that comply with the dates and few facts that I do know about Caroline Cox and Charles Gamble (see past blogs). I am completely inspired and passionate about this novel, and I have a trilogy planned, with her daughter Gaynelle being the focal point of book 2, and my Granny book 3. I know that in Caroline's case, the situations are completely false, but it bothers me to have anything too drastically out of place with the few facts that are present.
So, when my Dad called today to relate that Granny was actually adopted (which he found out at her funeral--Grandaddy has adoption papers somewhere), I was almost traumatized by the thought that she may be completely unrelated to Gaynelle and Caroline. I am going to try to ferret out the records tomorrow, if I can, from the courthouse there. If it's Gaynelle that's her mama, then I'll feel as though I truly am channeling a great story. If her parents are completely different, then I don't know how I'll continue with the novel... the story would be fine, but my inspiration will be shot.
I do have a bit of hope, though, as one of Gaynelle's grandchildren spilled the beans, after which grandaddy admitted the truth. However, Dad says he 'didn't know' who the parents were, which is a point on the negative side. My hope, though, lies in the fact that the man was Gaynelle's grandson, and why would he attend the funeral of a great-aunt who was only adopted into the family. He'd be much more likely to attend the funeral of his true aunt, who had been mostly ignored and denied all her life by Gaynelle's relations.
Okay...I'm completely amazed that this is all happening so fast. It wasn't so long ago that I came up with the Gaynelle as great-grandmother theory, was it?
My word count was fabulous until today. 11,800 or so now, but only 400 today. I suspect my word count will continue to suffer this week, with the travel and all--but at least I can excuse the reason as book-related!
Freaky, isn't it? More freaky coincidences...I've only started listening to two new stories since we've gotten back from the funeral. One was simply the new Sophie Kinsella and the other was a random choice for the kids with a cute cover, called something like As the Bird Sings. BOTH begin with funerals and discussions about respect for the dead. Sophie's book has the ghost completely aghast...wait, I told you this already, haven't I? Forgive me!
Oh, and I resumed the Firefly series, a space cowboy Joss Whedon show (Buffy creator), and the next new episode involved the body of a man who requested that they transport him to his home planet for burial. Get this...he comes alive again! I see it as metaphorical for my bringing my ancestors to life in my stories. This show, too, was replete with discussions of various reactions to the dead. Oh...AND I just realize now, he was implanted with someone else's organs (which I'm correlating to the whole misrepresentation of Granny's genealogy). Whew... I'm either becoming extremely intuitive and the universe is speaking to me...or I'm going off the deep end. I've always lived pretty close to it, anyhow, so perhaps I haven't noticed my slide to the bottom! :)
Okay...Michael and Stephenie are doing fairly well with their word counts and plots, too, so all seems to be progressing appropriately for them.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Book Update
Yes, this whimsical girl is sticking with the writing. It's only day 3, but I've got a good start! I'm at 8800 words, so by the end of tomorrow, I should have a fifth of the total needed word count. This is not my first novel attempt, so I'm very nervous about getting distracted from the book or losing my motivation. Part of the strategy of the 30-day program is to implement public humiliation as a tool in encouraging completion. I've told several good friends, and I'm posting on here, but I'm not quite willing to go the ends suggested in the kit!
Okay, I'd better not spend any more time on here. Michael spends perhaps a third the time I do on his writing, but his word count is about like mine! I'm concerned about my sis, who has not been keeping up with it. The program dictates that she should bear mockery at this point, but instead she's mocking me, saying writing is my crack addiction! How did she manage that? We need Novel Program Administrators!!!!
Okay, I'd better not spend any more time on here. Michael spends perhaps a third the time I do on his writing, but his word count is about like mine! I'm concerned about my sis, who has not been keeping up with it. The program dictates that she should bear mockery at this point, but instead she's mocking me, saying writing is my crack addiction! How did she manage that? We need Novel Program Administrators!!!!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
And We're Off!
Countdown...7 minutes until my book-writing 'month' begins!!!! My sis and Michael are both doing their own novels, too, so we are kick-starting our novel stint!
Oh, darn though, Michael was just kidding about Dickens. I was actually pretty excited about writing Dickens-style.
Wish me luck! 1700 words per day or so is the goal...
Hotmail has tools for the New Busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. Learn more.
Oh, darn though, Michael was just kidding about Dickens. I was actually pretty excited about writing Dickens-style.
Wish me luck! 1700 words per day or so is the goal...
Hotmail has tools for the New Busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. Learn more.
Bookish Coincidences
So, I've been on the waiting list for Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella for a bit. It's her newest release, so it has been in high demand at the library. I finally checked it out, and I listened to the first CD today as I did housework. I was amazed that the story begins with the young woman attending a funeral of an elderly relative. The ghost of the relative appears and is nonplussed at the ridiculous claims of her life that the vicar makes. Isn't that some kind of coincidence, given my gripes I've just been making about Granny's funeral?
Oh, another one...I downloaded my friend's novel the other day quite a while after he'd originally published it for Kindle on Amazon. I wrote on that day to let him know I'd finally gotten it, and he replied, with surprise, that I'd written him about it on the very same day that he was signing a contract with Amazon for the book to be published in a bigger way. It's now going to a publishing house for professional editing and such. Isn't it cool that I randomly chose to download it on that important day?
Ahh...while I'm on a role with relating these 'coincidences'...just a week before Easter or so, I'd bought an inexpensive Easter ornament--a 'snow-globe' that held an Easter bunny. I've never bought one before or even thought about such. That evening, I worked out to an Angel episode in which Angel is nostalgically moping over just such an ornament (a snow globe with a bunny in it) that he'd bought his missing baby. In that same episode, another character breaks the globe open to drink the liquid contained within. Weird story facts, but I'm just relating them to point out that I didn't just see the figurine on the shelf, it was a central part of the story! Strange! Also, I'll point out that the Angel episodes are on DVD, so it wasn't being aired in correlation with Easter, unless the dates randomly coincided.
Perhaps I'm reaching, but I'm convinced there's some sort of weird connection that happens. I can't explain how they all coincide, since we've been watching Angel for ages and it was the next sequential episode and I'd had the Kinsella book on reserve for quite a while... but I can't help but think they are connected. Perhaps there is a higher power coordinating it all. Can our higher selves actually predict the future and lay out these things just so for us? Why such minor things as random stories? I'm without answers on this, but I'll be wondering.
Oh, another one...I downloaded my friend's novel the other day quite a while after he'd originally published it for Kindle on Amazon. I wrote on that day to let him know I'd finally gotten it, and he replied, with surprise, that I'd written him about it on the very same day that he was signing a contract with Amazon for the book to be published in a bigger way. It's now going to a publishing house for professional editing and such. Isn't it cool that I randomly chose to download it on that important day?
Ahh...while I'm on a role with relating these 'coincidences'...just a week before Easter or so, I'd bought an inexpensive Easter ornament--a 'snow-globe' that held an Easter bunny. I've never bought one before or even thought about such. That evening, I worked out to an Angel episode in which Angel is nostalgically moping over just such an ornament (a snow globe with a bunny in it) that he'd bought his missing baby. In that same episode, another character breaks the globe open to drink the liquid contained within. Weird story facts, but I'm just relating them to point out that I didn't just see the figurine on the shelf, it was a central part of the story! Strange! Also, I'll point out that the Angel episodes are on DVD, so it wasn't being aired in correlation with Easter, unless the dates randomly coincided.
Perhaps I'm reaching, but I'm convinced there's some sort of weird connection that happens. I can't explain how they all coincide, since we've been watching Angel for ages and it was the next sequential episode and I'd had the Kinsella book on reserve for quite a while... but I can't help but think they are connected. Perhaps there is a higher power coordinating it all. Can our higher selves actually predict the future and lay out these things just so for us? Why such minor things as random stories? I'm without answers on this, but I'll be wondering.
Just Plunk it Out
Don't laugh...I am going to try that novel thing again. Impetus? Well, I just happened upon a novel-in-30-days motivational kit at Barnes & Noble, and it sounds like fun and the right kick-in-the-rear that I need. It has gold stars and everything to promote you on your way.
I think I'm going to stop all current novels and leisure television shows, no matter how fascinating, so that I can totally focus on the book (excluding my workout episodes and the kid's bedtime and car stories). I'll just have to pick them up later. My sis and I are going to do the writing program at the same time, I hope. We've decided that she's Emily and I'm Charlotte (Bronte sisters, that is!).
This should allow us each to produce a novel before the kids are out of school for the summer. The novels may stink, but what a fun thing to claim! To be able to say, "I once wrote a novel" will be fantastic. The technique is all about quantity, not quality. Just spit it out!
Michael tells me that Dickens wrote that way. He had a quota for number of words per day, as his stories were published serial-style in the papers of the day.
I should be getting started in a couple of days. Stephenie and I are going to figure out dates and plans tomorrow. Maybe we'll start right away!
Of course, once we get started, I plan to limit blog-writing severely. I plan to post progress notes though...goal number of words and actual number and rough progress log.
Michael also seems to be somewhat interested, so he may join the novel club, though of course he doesn't have as much free time as we do. We'll see...
I think I'm going to stop all current novels and leisure television shows, no matter how fascinating, so that I can totally focus on the book (excluding my workout episodes and the kid's bedtime and car stories). I'll just have to pick them up later. My sis and I are going to do the writing program at the same time, I hope. We've decided that she's Emily and I'm Charlotte (Bronte sisters, that is!).
This should allow us each to produce a novel before the kids are out of school for the summer. The novels may stink, but what a fun thing to claim! To be able to say, "I once wrote a novel" will be fantastic. The technique is all about quantity, not quality. Just spit it out!
Michael tells me that Dickens wrote that way. He had a quota for number of words per day, as his stories were published serial-style in the papers of the day.
I should be getting started in a couple of days. Stephenie and I are going to figure out dates and plans tomorrow. Maybe we'll start right away!
Of course, once we get started, I plan to limit blog-writing severely. I plan to post progress notes though...goal number of words and actual number and rough progress log.
Michael also seems to be somewhat interested, so he may join the novel club, though of course he doesn't have as much free time as we do. We'll see...
Monday, April 12, 2010
Planning our Books...
I actually try to put some thought into what the kids and I are going to read together, though I let fancy strike randomly for my own readings. I want the kids to have exposure to my most beloved childhood stories. Classics are also important. Since I'm also a bookworm, we read or listen to children's stories that I'm simply interested in myself.
One idea that I've mentioned before is developing an awareness of the great mythologies of Europe. I actually don't mean to be ethnocentric, but most of the literature that I've ever been exposed to is mostly contained to European mythologies, so those seem most important. I have vaguer plans for later reading some Chinese myths and African tales and such, but those are not so grand and, actually, I don't know popular modern children's fiction to go along with those tales, so 'hooks' are missing there.
At the moment, European mythologies alone are a bit overwhelming.
Greek mythology is almost covered to my satisfaction at this point. We began with D'Aulaire's Greek Myths, which is a lovely simplistic and interesting retelling of the most basic stories of Greek gods and goddesses. We loved it, and we began the Percy Jackson series of books by Rick Riordan at the same time. This modern adventure brought the old mythological figures to life, and it was a fantastic adjunct for cementing those stories a bit more. I'd thought we were pretty well covered, but I happened to see the CD collection of Tales of the Odyssey, by Mary Pope Osbourne (the Magic Tree House author), at the library and we're nearly done with these wonderful tales of Odysseus. I hadn't realized how these tales were all part of the Percy Jackson stories as well, so I'm very grateful I happened on the retelling of the original myths. I suppose I should seek out a kid's retelling of the Iliad, too, to be complete... Anyhow, it's not like I want the kids to be scholars of Greek mythology, but I do want their bases covered!
Part of that desire, I think, has to do with my very gradual realization over time of how many films and books have roots in mythology. I believe I would have had far more appreciation if I'd had some awareness of the classic mythologies. Over and over I've heard and seen references to Athena, Diana, Apollo, etc. and I honestly couldn't do much more than identify them as Greek/Roman gods, despite all my reading. The standard Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and other mythological readings were far too dense and, um, boring for my taste, but these children's versions are wonderful.
Here I need to insert an apology to Mary Pope Osborne, whom I initially pronounced as terribly dull. I couldn't fathom why her Magic Tree House books were so popular. I was pretty emphatic with my opinion, but as we listen to more of her books, I'm increasingly impressed and now feel quite sheepish about my original opinion. I will say, though, that a most wonderful Shakespearean actor is reading these tales of Odysseus, and Michael mentioned a joke made on the radio that they were bringing in a Shakespearean actor to read the tax code to make it interesting...anyhow, kudos to the combination of the Shakespearean actor with Osborne's books!
Another part of the desire to educate the kids in mythology has to do with feeling lost when Greek mythological references are made by literate folks...again and again. I'm so glad my kids won't feel this way when they reach higher education. They're retaining the names and such better than I am, too, which I'm completely happy about.
I do want to get past Greek mythology, but I seem to be having some trouble! We have already completed the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. These books have a basis in Welsh mythology, but when I've tried to read our book of Read-Aloud Celtic Myths, the kids have been absolutely disinterested. They were pretty fascinated by the Celtic Fairytales, but that's a whole different thing and had nothing to do with the setting for the Prydain chronicles. I may need to seek out a different re-telling of the Celtic myths, as I doubt they'll let me get anywhere with the book I have.
Norse mythology is still on the agenda, and I have the perfect fictional books and accompanying D'Aulaire's retellings, but I'm loathe to go there for some time, as they are all so bloody and violent! Not that the Greeks weren't, but the Norse stories are far more intense...
Hmm...I suppose I don't honestly have any other plans for mythological studies, except that I am quite excited about a book we are already beginning. It's the Bible! Actually, it's a collection of 365 of the most important stories of the Bible, brief and told in a dynamic way. I felt a bit dismayed a few months ago when a common Biblical reference popped up and the kids were absolutely clueless. So, even though I'm not terribly religious, I'm reading the Bible stories to the kids over the next year. I'm quite excited about it, actually, even though they've groaned! Their groans have to do with hearing excerpts of the relatively dull scripture in church and my one previous attempt to read a very dull children's book on the creation story. I think I've found a winner, though, so it should be okay!
We are having fun with these stories, honestly! My kids are completely immersed in the tales and beg for their nighttime and car stories. We aren't restricted to just these tales, either. We are midway through the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We also just finished the first three books from the Sarah, Plain and Tall collection. Alex does seem to enjoy these 'girly' stories pretty well, though he balked a bit at Fiona Finkelstein, Big-Time Ballerina. I had to get that book, of course, because Fiona takes ballet! The pioneer stories are okay by him, though, and they all have prominent male characters. In fact, our first real Ingall's book was Farmer Boy, which was about Almonzo, and the third Sarah story was from stepson Caleb's perspective.
There is so much that I want to share with the kids! Old classics, new collections, the Bible and mythologies... I know I've written about it before, but it's actually pretty amazing how quickly we work through the books. It's easy to get 'filler' books that aren't really that beneficial or great, and I'm much happier when I put a bit of thought and planning to our upcoming books, though I definitely just grab things off the shelf quite a bit! There are a couple of staples that I want to keep in mind for 'down' time when I don't have something exciting planned. The Magic Tree House books are very numerous and generally educational, though a bit 'young' for my kids at this point, but I may make an attempt to keep those in mind for our CD listening. I think I have the bedtime books covered for quite a while, though!
One idea that I've mentioned before is developing an awareness of the great mythologies of Europe. I actually don't mean to be ethnocentric, but most of the literature that I've ever been exposed to is mostly contained to European mythologies, so those seem most important. I have vaguer plans for later reading some Chinese myths and African tales and such, but those are not so grand and, actually, I don't know popular modern children's fiction to go along with those tales, so 'hooks' are missing there.
At the moment, European mythologies alone are a bit overwhelming.
Greek mythology is almost covered to my satisfaction at this point. We began with D'Aulaire's Greek Myths, which is a lovely simplistic and interesting retelling of the most basic stories of Greek gods and goddesses. We loved it, and we began the Percy Jackson series of books by Rick Riordan at the same time. This modern adventure brought the old mythological figures to life, and it was a fantastic adjunct for cementing those stories a bit more. I'd thought we were pretty well covered, but I happened to see the CD collection of Tales of the Odyssey, by Mary Pope Osbourne (the Magic Tree House author), at the library and we're nearly done with these wonderful tales of Odysseus. I hadn't realized how these tales were all part of the Percy Jackson stories as well, so I'm very grateful I happened on the retelling of the original myths. I suppose I should seek out a kid's retelling of the Iliad, too, to be complete... Anyhow, it's not like I want the kids to be scholars of Greek mythology, but I do want their bases covered!
Part of that desire, I think, has to do with my very gradual realization over time of how many films and books have roots in mythology. I believe I would have had far more appreciation if I'd had some awareness of the classic mythologies. Over and over I've heard and seen references to Athena, Diana, Apollo, etc. and I honestly couldn't do much more than identify them as Greek/Roman gods, despite all my reading. The standard Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and other mythological readings were far too dense and, um, boring for my taste, but these children's versions are wonderful.
Here I need to insert an apology to Mary Pope Osborne, whom I initially pronounced as terribly dull. I couldn't fathom why her Magic Tree House books were so popular. I was pretty emphatic with my opinion, but as we listen to more of her books, I'm increasingly impressed and now feel quite sheepish about my original opinion. I will say, though, that a most wonderful Shakespearean actor is reading these tales of Odysseus, and Michael mentioned a joke made on the radio that they were bringing in a Shakespearean actor to read the tax code to make it interesting...anyhow, kudos to the combination of the Shakespearean actor with Osborne's books!
Another part of the desire to educate the kids in mythology has to do with feeling lost when Greek mythological references are made by literate folks...again and again. I'm so glad my kids won't feel this way when they reach higher education. They're retaining the names and such better than I am, too, which I'm completely happy about.
I do want to get past Greek mythology, but I seem to be having some trouble! We have already completed the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. These books have a basis in Welsh mythology, but when I've tried to read our book of Read-Aloud Celtic Myths, the kids have been absolutely disinterested. They were pretty fascinated by the Celtic Fairytales, but that's a whole different thing and had nothing to do with the setting for the Prydain chronicles. I may need to seek out a different re-telling of the Celtic myths, as I doubt they'll let me get anywhere with the book I have.
Norse mythology is still on the agenda, and I have the perfect fictional books and accompanying D'Aulaire's retellings, but I'm loathe to go there for some time, as they are all so bloody and violent! Not that the Greeks weren't, but the Norse stories are far more intense...
Hmm...I suppose I don't honestly have any other plans for mythological studies, except that I am quite excited about a book we are already beginning. It's the Bible! Actually, it's a collection of 365 of the most important stories of the Bible, brief and told in a dynamic way. I felt a bit dismayed a few months ago when a common Biblical reference popped up and the kids were absolutely clueless. So, even though I'm not terribly religious, I'm reading the Bible stories to the kids over the next year. I'm quite excited about it, actually, even though they've groaned! Their groans have to do with hearing excerpts of the relatively dull scripture in church and my one previous attempt to read a very dull children's book on the creation story. I think I've found a winner, though, so it should be okay!
We are having fun with these stories, honestly! My kids are completely immersed in the tales and beg for their nighttime and car stories. We aren't restricted to just these tales, either. We are midway through the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We also just finished the first three books from the Sarah, Plain and Tall collection. Alex does seem to enjoy these 'girly' stories pretty well, though he balked a bit at Fiona Finkelstein, Big-Time Ballerina. I had to get that book, of course, because Fiona takes ballet! The pioneer stories are okay by him, though, and they all have prominent male characters. In fact, our first real Ingall's book was Farmer Boy, which was about Almonzo, and the third Sarah story was from stepson Caleb's perspective.
There is so much that I want to share with the kids! Old classics, new collections, the Bible and mythologies... I know I've written about it before, but it's actually pretty amazing how quickly we work through the books. It's easy to get 'filler' books that aren't really that beneficial or great, and I'm much happier when I put a bit of thought and planning to our upcoming books, though I definitely just grab things off the shelf quite a bit! There are a couple of staples that I want to keep in mind for 'down' time when I don't have something exciting planned. The Magic Tree House books are very numerous and generally educational, though a bit 'young' for my kids at this point, but I may make an attempt to keep those in mind for our CD listening. I think I have the bedtime books covered for quite a while, though!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Inspiration and Originality
An old friend published a sci-fi on-line novel recently, and I just managed to figure out how to download it from Amazon. I became excited about certain correlations that I saw with another fantasy novel, but I'm afraid he might be a bit sensitive, and rightly so, about having his originality taken into question!
Frankly, I think pure originality is overrated and doesn't really exist. Every author I love has been inspired by previous books, films, or myths--even if they don't remember or admit it. Honestly, they often take different elements and put them together in a unique way to make something greater than the original work--or at least greater for their era...more suited to modern day.
There is such a thing as coincidence, though, but I definitely don't remember everything that I have read! When I was little, I started to try to write a story, and I was terribly disheartened because I could clearly see where most of the elements of my story were derivations of various bits of my beloved books. I thought I wasn't original enough, so I gave up.
As I've become more well-read, though, I've seen rampant 'inspiration' for new authors from older materials. C.S. Lewis, in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, practically stole his whole opening third of his book with the children heading off to their old uncle's country house at wartime from Edith Nesbit's Five Children and It. Which book is more famous?
I couldn't believe all of the correlations between Meyer's Twilight series and the Buffy and Angel television shows, actually. It seems to be only certain seasons (perhaps she watched them sporadically), but I suspect she doesn't know how much they influenced her stories.
J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series included many references to Greek and Celtic mythology, such as Minerva McGonagall (Minerva is the Roman Athena), Argus Filch (Argus has the 100 eyes and is a guard in Greek mythology), etc. She's simply peppering her work with literary mythological references, and I was very excited when I independently read in a book about British legends about a Celtic queen who was buried between modern-day Platforms 9 and 10 at King's Cross Station (you know, Platform 9 3/4!). However, I remember feeling a bit dismayed when I read British author Diana Wynne Jones' books and seeing many strong correlations with the plots and elements of her stories. At first I was a bit upset, thinking Rowling 'stole' the ideas, and then I realized that Rowling's books were better and I was glad she'd been inspired. Pullman, too, has many elements that seem inspired by Jones. She's not as great a writer as either of them, though!
The Percy Jackson books have been a big deal to us lately (Greek-myth based stories), and my favorite childhood series by Lloyd Alexander was set in a Welsh-mythology background. J.R.R. Tolkien was clearly inspired by Norse mythology.
Anyhow, I suppose I'm going on about this because the demand for originality affected me personally as a young potential writer and because, frankly, I am quite defensive of all my cherished authors. The ability to tell a great story has to do mostly with the author's wit and phrasing, in my opinion, and the ability to bring the story elements into a congruent whole. The actual story elements come second, but of course are important. I love seeing correlations anymore, as they seem to give me 'hooks' on which I can begin to understand a new fantasy realm, and they make me feel better about my own childhood writing attempt!
Frankly, I think pure originality is overrated and doesn't really exist. Every author I love has been inspired by previous books, films, or myths--even if they don't remember or admit it. Honestly, they often take different elements and put them together in a unique way to make something greater than the original work--or at least greater for their era...more suited to modern day.
There is such a thing as coincidence, though, but I definitely don't remember everything that I have read! When I was little, I started to try to write a story, and I was terribly disheartened because I could clearly see where most of the elements of my story were derivations of various bits of my beloved books. I thought I wasn't original enough, so I gave up.
As I've become more well-read, though, I've seen rampant 'inspiration' for new authors from older materials. C.S. Lewis, in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, practically stole his whole opening third of his book with the children heading off to their old uncle's country house at wartime from Edith Nesbit's Five Children and It. Which book is more famous?
I couldn't believe all of the correlations between Meyer's Twilight series and the Buffy and Angel television shows, actually. It seems to be only certain seasons (perhaps she watched them sporadically), but I suspect she doesn't know how much they influenced her stories.
J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series included many references to Greek and Celtic mythology, such as Minerva McGonagall (Minerva is the Roman Athena), Argus Filch (Argus has the 100 eyes and is a guard in Greek mythology), etc. She's simply peppering her work with literary mythological references, and I was very excited when I independently read in a book about British legends about a Celtic queen who was buried between modern-day Platforms 9 and 10 at King's Cross Station (you know, Platform 9 3/4!). However, I remember feeling a bit dismayed when I read British author Diana Wynne Jones' books and seeing many strong correlations with the plots and elements of her stories. At first I was a bit upset, thinking Rowling 'stole' the ideas, and then I realized that Rowling's books were better and I was glad she'd been inspired. Pullman, too, has many elements that seem inspired by Jones. She's not as great a writer as either of them, though!
The Percy Jackson books have been a big deal to us lately (Greek-myth based stories), and my favorite childhood series by Lloyd Alexander was set in a Welsh-mythology background. J.R.R. Tolkien was clearly inspired by Norse mythology.
Anyhow, I suppose I'm going on about this because the demand for originality affected me personally as a young potential writer and because, frankly, I am quite defensive of all my cherished authors. The ability to tell a great story has to do mostly with the author's wit and phrasing, in my opinion, and the ability to bring the story elements into a congruent whole. The actual story elements come second, but of course are important. I love seeing correlations anymore, as they seem to give me 'hooks' on which I can begin to understand a new fantasy realm, and they make me feel better about my own childhood writing attempt!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Garden Try Again
I have not found my green thumb. I'm frankly tickled when even a house plant survives my abominable care (as far as that goes, I always feel lucky that my children survived their early years, too!).
However, when my sister told me about her best friend's ardent belief in planting her garden on Good Friday, I laughed at first. I started discussing various bits that I had read, and I was fairly certain the moon wasn't even in the most auspicious phase (not hokey--gardener's have relied on moon phases for hundreds of years, just see your Farmer's Almanacs!). Pretty quickly, though, I stopped laughing and thought, "Hey, she always has a gorgeous, bountiful garden, and I can't grow a thing. Perhaps I should shut up and take note!" So, on Friday morning, I planted seeds and starts in our garden boxes.
Those seeds are starting to sprout out of the ground and are quite exciting to observe right now. I'm not overly hopeful, though, as last year my plants grew and flowered nicely but didn't make a thing. It's exciting to see the growth, anyway, and I still do have a smidgeon of hope, probably fueled by gathering those eggs on a daily basis now!
Stephenie's best friend apparently stayed up far into the evening, bringing lights outside so she could keep planting! It's sort of fun to get swept up in her superstition!
This is the same friend who dumpster-dives at store dumpsters. I doubt I ever (get to?) do that, but I will say that I was admiring a pretty, silver bracelet of quite fine quality on my sister's wrist and asked her where it came from (as she's not typically a jewelry person). Her friend had discovered at least two while dumpster-diving and had given my sis one. Anyhow, that was just an interesting sidenote. It's been fun to hear about this friend over the years, and she's become quite a strangely inspiring character in my mind! My sister feels supported emotionally by her friendship, receives fresh bounty from her garden, and even gets pretty eco-friendly jewelry--I'm liking this friend more and more! She seems to be a true life-long friend for Stephenie, and such interesting and compatible long-term friends are pretty darn hard to come by.
However, when my sister told me about her best friend's ardent belief in planting her garden on Good Friday, I laughed at first. I started discussing various bits that I had read, and I was fairly certain the moon wasn't even in the most auspicious phase (not hokey--gardener's have relied on moon phases for hundreds of years, just see your Farmer's Almanacs!). Pretty quickly, though, I stopped laughing and thought, "Hey, she always has a gorgeous, bountiful garden, and I can't grow a thing. Perhaps I should shut up and take note!" So, on Friday morning, I planted seeds and starts in our garden boxes.
Those seeds are starting to sprout out of the ground and are quite exciting to observe right now. I'm not overly hopeful, though, as last year my plants grew and flowered nicely but didn't make a thing. It's exciting to see the growth, anyway, and I still do have a smidgeon of hope, probably fueled by gathering those eggs on a daily basis now!
Stephenie's best friend apparently stayed up far into the evening, bringing lights outside so she could keep planting! It's sort of fun to get swept up in her superstition!
This is the same friend who dumpster-dives at store dumpsters. I doubt I ever (get to?) do that, but I will say that I was admiring a pretty, silver bracelet of quite fine quality on my sister's wrist and asked her where it came from (as she's not typically a jewelry person). Her friend had discovered at least two while dumpster-diving and had given my sis one. Anyhow, that was just an interesting sidenote. It's been fun to hear about this friend over the years, and she's become quite a strangely inspiring character in my mind! My sister feels supported emotionally by her friendship, receives fresh bounty from her garden, and even gets pretty eco-friendly jewelry--I'm liking this friend more and more! She seems to be a true life-long friend for Stephenie, and such interesting and compatible long-term friends are pretty darn hard to come by.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Fun Roll Pet Peeves
My nephew mispronounced the word 'funeral' as 'fun roll'. Not quite...at all.
Let me begin by relating a religious and personal anecdote that epitomizes the type of thing that I would like to hear, first-hand from family, at a funeral. My dad related that a day or two before her death, Granny was lying in bed with her arms held in front of her, waving them a bit. When Grandaddy asked what she was doing, she told him that she was "flying with the angels". This is beautiful evidence that Granny was ready for death and unafraid.
I will also say that I have renewed appreciation for the memorial services that I have attended at the Unitarian Universalist Church. These events have been so extremely thoughtful and nostalgic. Beloved friends and family have shared anecdotes and stories about their loved ones--generally encompassing the gamut, including their flaws, but mostly focusing on their attributes and how they were loved and would be missed.
Experiencing such moving, personalized, and respectful ceremonies at the UU Church accentuates the great disparity for me in the common, more fundamentalist Christian ceremonies of the deep South (the only other ones I have attended and can really comment upon).
In defense of the preachers at Granny's funeral, I will admit that she would probably have wanted the ceremony that they provided. The preachers seem to routinely take any death as an opportunity to praise God for his infinite mercy and to hammer into the bereaved how imperative it is to save their souls now, before death strikes again! A Church of God funeral is really another church service with added emotional fire and focus, fueled by whatever grief and fear is present. Granny's service was hardly personalized at all, beyond the fact that she was an elderly Christian woman who had been married for 70 years to a man who was himself a minister for about a third of those years.
The preachers did know her, but I am fairly certain they mixed up a couple of the few facts about her with which they peppered their sermons. Leukemia? No... but grandaddy did have it for a while. Driving a logging truck? What? Perhaps she pulled it forward once for grandaddy...
While I would have welcomed and been delighted to hear memories of friends and family, instead I felt assaulted, honestly, with the claims that every single one of Granny's attributes were due to her faith in God. I suppose it's tabboo to mention any fault or quirk that actually creates a personality at one of these fundamentalist ceremonies.
The preacher did try, I suppose, a bit, but he honestly didn't know her that well and it was all supposition. He kept calling this event a 'celebration'--"Praise the Lord!"--and when he tried to reminisce, he actually supposed that she or grandaddy must have had a lot of 'sexiness' to stay together for 70 years. "Mmm-mmm, my kind of woman," he said, clearly off in his own reverie of some old-time film star of his own imagination. (Not to say that Granny wasn't sexy, but this was hardly the time or place to be fantasizing about the potentially sexually-gratifying attributes of a dead woman he had hardly known...)
The other preacher claimed that she had had to at times 'choose' between supporting her minister husband and her children, which was preposterous. She loved to visit other church members with grandaddy, and I don't believe she felt she 'neglected' her children one bit. In fact, those 'children' ranged in age from 12 to 16 at the very beginning of his ministry, so they were hardly needy infants. This minister praised her for being grandaddy's 'shadow' of support. Grr. While of course she was supportive, she took pride in her own role and definitely had her own household rules and standards. She was queen of her home, and she was no doormat, despite her constant and admirable desire to uplift her husband to others.
I sort of understand why a fundamentalist Christian would think this is the time to praise God's grace and remind folks of the need to "accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior". But does God's grace completely obliterate the uniqueness, the specialness of each person's character? It's as though even at one's death, the individual person doesn't even merit the focus. Just another sheep in the shepherd's fold...so anything we say about the sheep is clearly related to the shepherd. No personality or character required or acknowledged. The personality that they did try to apply didn't sound much like Granny...and they clearly didn't know her that well.
Perhaps she would have wanted that, though. Granny and I obviously didn't see eye-to-eye in our world views, and that was her religion of choice. I personally find it upsetting, disrespectful of her, and a hindrance to what should be an experience of sincere love and grieving.
Cranky, aren't I? Yes, I've noticed that I get (even more) hypercritical when I'm grieving. Honestly, I don't think it's a unique trait. Death is a sad time, but it's supposed to be. Perhaps the attempt to divert the attention at funerals to small talk and sermons is simply a prevalent 'inability to deal'. Perhaps that's also why folks never stay to actually bury the person at the gravesite anymore. How very sad to think that all those folks are being put into the ground with absolutely no loved one around. They all leave, I suppose again because of the 'inability to deal'. Actually, I leave too, because we are 'supposed to' nowadays. Maybe we're all just ready to get on with our day and don't want to wait the extra time before dinner...
I get cranky at folks, too, for not bothering to show up at their own grandparents' funerals. It seems so disrespectful, but then I scowl at the disrespectful service and the whole modern idea of not staying for the burial anyhow...so I end up thinking maybe they're right and I'd have been better off mourning and remembering in private...
Note: I want to be cremated. If I'm 96, please do not post unflattering pics of me looking like a withered prune at age 94 on the obituaries. Please find the most flattering pic you can to memorialize me, regardless of my age in it. In fact, I think perhaps I should pick them out myself and keep them on hand for the occasion! If there is a memorial service (currently I'm inclined towards the UU church), please only allow folks who actually knew me well to speak, and leave out any type of sermon please. And...do show up or at least pay proper respects. I am very touchy and may very well haunt you if you don't!
Let me begin by relating a religious and personal anecdote that epitomizes the type of thing that I would like to hear, first-hand from family, at a funeral. My dad related that a day or two before her death, Granny was lying in bed with her arms held in front of her, waving them a bit. When Grandaddy asked what she was doing, she told him that she was "flying with the angels". This is beautiful evidence that Granny was ready for death and unafraid.
I will also say that I have renewed appreciation for the memorial services that I have attended at the Unitarian Universalist Church. These events have been so extremely thoughtful and nostalgic. Beloved friends and family have shared anecdotes and stories about their loved ones--generally encompassing the gamut, including their flaws, but mostly focusing on their attributes and how they were loved and would be missed.
Experiencing such moving, personalized, and respectful ceremonies at the UU Church accentuates the great disparity for me in the common, more fundamentalist Christian ceremonies of the deep South (the only other ones I have attended and can really comment upon).
In defense of the preachers at Granny's funeral, I will admit that she would probably have wanted the ceremony that they provided. The preachers seem to routinely take any death as an opportunity to praise God for his infinite mercy and to hammer into the bereaved how imperative it is to save their souls now, before death strikes again! A Church of God funeral is really another church service with added emotional fire and focus, fueled by whatever grief and fear is present. Granny's service was hardly personalized at all, beyond the fact that she was an elderly Christian woman who had been married for 70 years to a man who was himself a minister for about a third of those years.
The preachers did know her, but I am fairly certain they mixed up a couple of the few facts about her with which they peppered their sermons. Leukemia? No... but grandaddy did have it for a while. Driving a logging truck? What? Perhaps she pulled it forward once for grandaddy...
While I would have welcomed and been delighted to hear memories of friends and family, instead I felt assaulted, honestly, with the claims that every single one of Granny's attributes were due to her faith in God. I suppose it's tabboo to mention any fault or quirk that actually creates a personality at one of these fundamentalist ceremonies.
The preacher did try, I suppose, a bit, but he honestly didn't know her that well and it was all supposition. He kept calling this event a 'celebration'--"Praise the Lord!"--and when he tried to reminisce, he actually supposed that she or grandaddy must have had a lot of 'sexiness' to stay together for 70 years. "Mmm-mmm, my kind of woman," he said, clearly off in his own reverie of some old-time film star of his own imagination. (Not to say that Granny wasn't sexy, but this was hardly the time or place to be fantasizing about the potentially sexually-gratifying attributes of a dead woman he had hardly known...)
The other preacher claimed that she had had to at times 'choose' between supporting her minister husband and her children, which was preposterous. She loved to visit other church members with grandaddy, and I don't believe she felt she 'neglected' her children one bit. In fact, those 'children' ranged in age from 12 to 16 at the very beginning of his ministry, so they were hardly needy infants. This minister praised her for being grandaddy's 'shadow' of support. Grr. While of course she was supportive, she took pride in her own role and definitely had her own household rules and standards. She was queen of her home, and she was no doormat, despite her constant and admirable desire to uplift her husband to others.
I sort of understand why a fundamentalist Christian would think this is the time to praise God's grace and remind folks of the need to "accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior". But does God's grace completely obliterate the uniqueness, the specialness of each person's character? It's as though even at one's death, the individual person doesn't even merit the focus. Just another sheep in the shepherd's fold...so anything we say about the sheep is clearly related to the shepherd. No personality or character required or acknowledged. The personality that they did try to apply didn't sound much like Granny...and they clearly didn't know her that well.
Perhaps she would have wanted that, though. Granny and I obviously didn't see eye-to-eye in our world views, and that was her religion of choice. I personally find it upsetting, disrespectful of her, and a hindrance to what should be an experience of sincere love and grieving.
Cranky, aren't I? Yes, I've noticed that I get (even more) hypercritical when I'm grieving. Honestly, I don't think it's a unique trait. Death is a sad time, but it's supposed to be. Perhaps the attempt to divert the attention at funerals to small talk and sermons is simply a prevalent 'inability to deal'. Perhaps that's also why folks never stay to actually bury the person at the gravesite anymore. How very sad to think that all those folks are being put into the ground with absolutely no loved one around. They all leave, I suppose again because of the 'inability to deal'. Actually, I leave too, because we are 'supposed to' nowadays. Maybe we're all just ready to get on with our day and don't want to wait the extra time before dinner...
I get cranky at folks, too, for not bothering to show up at their own grandparents' funerals. It seems so disrespectful, but then I scowl at the disrespectful service and the whole modern idea of not staying for the burial anyhow...so I end up thinking maybe they're right and I'd have been better off mourning and remembering in private...
Note: I want to be cremated. If I'm 96, please do not post unflattering pics of me looking like a withered prune at age 94 on the obituaries. Please find the most flattering pic you can to memorialize me, regardless of my age in it. In fact, I think perhaps I should pick them out myself and keep them on hand for the occasion! If there is a memorial service (currently I'm inclined towards the UU church), please only allow folks who actually knew me well to speak, and leave out any type of sermon please. And...do show up or at least pay proper respects. I am very touchy and may very well haunt you if you don't!
Spring Wildflower Amazement
After passing this area of the woods just before Manning, SC several times, I had to stop and snap a photo. This scene was quite striking, as the expanse of wisteria and yellow jessamine was quite huge! I couldn't capture the magnificence with the cell phone, but it was very pretty and extensive.
Tooth Fairy just misses Easter Bunny
Fiona's first upper tooth finally came out last night (on Easter). She'll be eight next month!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
1934 Talkie movie and more sentimentality
Michael and I watched Jane Eyre, starring Virginia Bruce and Colin Clive, last night. It was sheer nostalgia, remembering Granny and thinking that she may have seen the very same movie at the age of 13 with Gaynelle and Aunt Kat. The star sharing the name Virginia was an added bonus, and it was entertaining to see the movie rendition of the novel I'd read so long ago as a girl.
Anyhow, it's hard to believe she's gone. Fiona shares her Taurus birthday, and I realized last night that Granny and I were married at exactly the same age! 18 yrs 11 months. Yes, I am in my sentimental/coincidence-seeking mode right now, I suppose... I took Fiona shopping this morning, and I bought us both shoes for the funeral that reminded me of something my Granny might wear. I've been wearing my nightgown that is like hers were and my shirts made of similar material to her dresses... It's so easy for me to withdraw into the mourning and sentimental state, but I am at a complete loss for how to help or support my Dad, who has always adored his mother. Thank goodness for my sister Stephenie, who jumped right into a take-charge, help-get-things-straight mode immediately.
I've been pulling together our funeral clothes (buying, mending, cleaning) and am otherwise simply in a sentimental fog. Clothes are nearly ready and perhaps I'll make a macaroni pie to take with us... The kids are wonderful and fantastic. They have been only cooperative, and they are becoming so self-sufficient and helpful. I suppose there's no more to say, as I'll probably only be thinking about coincidental sentimental nuances and the funeral and such for the next few days, and I feel quite inarticulate but as though writing will somehow clear the fog... 'Til later, then...
Anyhow, it's hard to believe she's gone. Fiona shares her Taurus birthday, and I realized last night that Granny and I were married at exactly the same age! 18 yrs 11 months. Yes, I am in my sentimental/coincidence-seeking mode right now, I suppose... I took Fiona shopping this morning, and I bought us both shoes for the funeral that reminded me of something my Granny might wear. I've been wearing my nightgown that is like hers were and my shirts made of similar material to her dresses... It's so easy for me to withdraw into the mourning and sentimental state, but I am at a complete loss for how to help or support my Dad, who has always adored his mother. Thank goodness for my sister Stephenie, who jumped right into a take-charge, help-get-things-straight mode immediately.
I've been pulling together our funeral clothes (buying, mending, cleaning) and am otherwise simply in a sentimental fog. Clothes are nearly ready and perhaps I'll make a macaroni pie to take with us... The kids are wonderful and fantastic. They have been only cooperative, and they are becoming so self-sufficient and helpful. I suppose there's no more to say, as I'll probably only be thinking about coincidental sentimental nuances and the funeral and such for the next few days, and I feel quite inarticulate but as though writing will somehow clear the fog... 'Til later, then...
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)