tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34436941762302843872024-03-15T18:09:30.136-07:00A Writing LifeThe blog is now located at my new website www.mandymikulencak.com. Please be sure to visit the site. Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-25819252552668135132014-07-20T19:46:00.002-07:002014-07-20T19:47:44.225-07:00When Five Years Doesn't Seem So Very Long After All<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In the past five years, I've written four books. I've had some low periods (really low periods) when I thought this day would never come. But as this dream unfolds, I am grateful for the many family members and friends who always maintained that it wasn't "if," it was "when."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So, here it is... One very persistent story idea that refused to leave me in peace. One agent and her assistant who took a chance on a dark, yet hopeful, story. One enthusiastic editor who convinced her editorial board that the book needed to be published. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcqpiuA13wYPqCg7Kz7ixAUtdR0QbOB0RwuBhQwqeiFPWXnZLLhOfM7F3yptb9qUDWh0yVRHDrF4PkuDe4CzTfcLPq8goBCvpc-Vud1VAeTeYhFFuCPWCQOncUZg6LpVg4QoKV08u_dQ/s1600/FF_PM_announced_7-15-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcqpiuA13wYPqCg7Kz7ixAUtdR0QbOB0RwuBhQwqeiFPWXnZLLhOfM7F3yptb9qUDWh0yVRHDrF4PkuDe4CzTfcLPq8goBCvpc-Vud1VAeTeYhFFuCPWCQOncUZg6LpVg4QoKV08u_dQ/s1600/FF_PM_announced_7-15-14.jpg" height="97" width="400" /></a>Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-36464529106934218332014-06-25T11:36:00.001-07:002014-06-25T11:36:21.179-07:00Score: Universe 1, Mandy 0
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over the last several months, I struggled with two health
issues in addition to, you know, LIFE. All along I had a conversation with the Universe that went something like this:</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">UNIVERSE:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Slow
down. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">ME: Too busy.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">UNIVERSE: I mean it. Slow down.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">ME: Uh-uh. Too much work and stuff…you know, important
stuff.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">UNIVERSE: You’ll regret it later.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">ME: Whatever! Shut up and leave me alone!</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, I continued with work and more work. Found an agent
and signed with her. Finished up edits to the YA book that hooked said agent.
Started writing next book. Struggled with (ignored) health issues while
working, working, working.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally, my bum shoulder (health issue #1) screamed out
to be heard. After physical therapy, etc., the surgeon suggested ‘minor’
surgery to shave off a bit of acromion bone to stop the impingement. Minor
surgery ended up being anything but. I woke up in recovery to find they’d
clipped off part of my bicep and reattached the bicep to bone. Arm has been in
sling for five weeks now, and was almost completely immobile the first four of
those weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still have weeks of
physical therapy to regain function.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In fact, most of this post is being typed with my left
hand (non-dominant) only. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These past few weeks have been some of the hardest in my
life. The Universe told me to slow down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m not only slowed down, I’m at a standstill. And it’s uncomfortable.
But probably the biggest blessing in my life. I have had unprecedented amounts
of time to re-prioritize, to think through what I really want from life and
work. One thing has really stood out: because I haven’t been able to type, I
haven’t been able to work on my book. And I miss writing. A lot. And I regret
all those months I whined about writer’s block and not having time, etc. I had
time. I just didn’t take advantage of it.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thank you, Dr. Furry… for removing part of my bicep and
replacing it with perspective.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-47434489778881415352014-03-21T20:00:00.001-07:002014-03-21T20:00:19.532-07:00Starving for Details in a Novel or Movie
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m a foodie – I love to cook, bake and eat; I collect
cookbooks and leaf through them for fun; I visit epicurious.com more often than
most websites.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As a reader and a writer, I find it fascinating when food
is central to the plot. Is food plentiful or not, and why? Do meals reflect the
state or region? Do the foods featured give us an idea of the character’s upbringing?
Are meals used as a device to bring characters together?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHw9xERS4krYeOM-MGQ9MyTGOuwcyeYvS1xXbacuiiAdrsi14qOEm1sz8E_tjy70jcCyzWvUr5n57GU6uSlHUMgTQAYlv_gjAkG8nmEDvnvkbDy8eiUo_g4HdtZ617-oH79Bz2OVDlnQ/s1600/imagesM11APDJD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHw9xERS4krYeOM-MGQ9MyTGOuwcyeYvS1xXbacuiiAdrsi14qOEm1sz8E_tjy70jcCyzWvUr5n57GU6uSlHUMgTQAYlv_gjAkG8nmEDvnvkbDy8eiUo_g4HdtZ617-oH79Bz2OVDlnQ/s1600/imagesM11APDJD.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I just finished reading “The Dinner” by Herman Koch. The
entire book takes place at a restaurant over the course of a meal. Two brothers
and their wives are the diners. The restaurant is quite posh and this provides
tension, as one brother is wealthy and the other is not. I love how the book is
segmented by courses, from aperitif to digestif. Of course, this is all
background to a truly horrific story involving the couples’ sons but food is a
central character in my mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Food plays a major role in every book I write. In FACING
FIRE, the 16-year-old protagonist loses her sense of taste and smell because of
a traumatic event in childhood. For her, food is about texture and temperature
only. Eating is a chore instead of a delight. It affects her health and her
relationships.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the book I’m writing now, THE LAST SUPPER, the protagonist
is a cook in a Louisiana prison in the 1950s. She’s obsessed with creating the
perfect last meals for death row inmates. The planning and preparation of these
meals helps her avoid the trauma of her father’s death and the execution of his murderer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This same character is also worried that she
relies too much on her senses of taste and smell, and that her other senses
will suffer if she doesn’t exercise them more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When there is no mention of food (or meals or hunger) in
a book or movie, I find it quite odd. Food is such an important part of the
human experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Do you have a favorite book or movie where food is a
leading character or where food is noticeably absent?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-35136729239050389552013-12-20T16:05:00.002-08:002013-12-20T16:05:58.446-08:00Sharing the Big News -- and a Dose of Reality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63AJ8L2dQZKK_-fryZ2NejExvC3BSo84D_3Om7oGgWbEmeqNER1ifQ4jrmHehEjxlipOW0fVnNHkriuQMz-Bf-o3LR_mL77813Jv5eOmSsPIIwkzfeCwDLce9ATEs3fcz_NZLgcCSprc/s1600/toasting_the_contract.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63AJ8L2dQZKK_-fryZ2NejExvC3BSo84D_3Om7oGgWbEmeqNER1ifQ4jrmHehEjxlipOW0fVnNHkriuQMz-Bf-o3LR_mL77813Jv5eOmSsPIIwkzfeCwDLce9ATEs3fcz_NZLgcCSprc/s200/toasting_the_contract.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I recently signed with literary agent JL Stermer of the N.S.
Bienstock agency. (Cue the confetti and cheers and champagne!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Writers understand exactly what this
milestone means — that it often takes years of writing, and sometimes writing
more than one book, to land an agent. They also understand being represented by
an agent is just the beginning.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s a little harder to explain to non-writers. In sharing
my news, I’ve stirred up a mess of confusion that I feel obligated to clear up.</span><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Signing with an agent
does not mean I have a book deal. </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In today’s publishing world, authors do not pitch their
manuscripts directly to publishing houses. Literary agents serve as a writer’s
advocate, selling the story idea, and ultimately negotiating the deal. They
serve as a mentor and partner, helping shape a writer’s overall career. One
book may have attracted an agent, but the agent/author relationship goes on for
years.</span><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Authors do not pay
literary agents.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Legitimate literary agents do not charge writers for the
opportunity to represent them. Agents make their living purely off commission —
a percentage of what the author makes on any given deal. </span><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Literary agents are
not obligated to try to sell everything an author writes, especially previously
written books.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The relationship is a partnership but an author trusts that
the agent knows what will sell based on a lot of complex and competing factors.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes those earlier books are just
great practice leading up the one that captures an agent’s interest.</span><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Authors don’t (and
shouldn’t) share all the gritty details of the publication process.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What JL does now is magic…not really, but kind of. She’s the
professional. The book is in her hands; the process is in her hands. My job, as
a writer, is to be patient and to write the next book.</span><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Authors don’t get
rich overnight, land movie deals and go on nationwide book tours.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, maybe about .0001 percent of authors do and they are
ones with blockbuster hits, and their names are usually in a larger font size
on the book cover than the actual title of the book. Most writers want to have
steady, solid careers in writing and that’s a worthwhile goal. Don’t be sad if
your friend or family member is not the next J.K. Rowling.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Thanks to everyone who’s offered congratulations! And I
honestly don’t mind the questions. And for you writers who have recently landed
an agent, feel free to use this Q&A with your circle of people. </em></span><br />
<em>
</em>Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-53615743651400152462013-12-04T14:02:00.000-08:002013-12-04T14:02:47.837-08:00Hello, Universe! It's me, Mandy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfaLninQWEflPrmfk2B7q2L_9DjdyFV5v0XpPrw0VwVd07gPd3P6QW3b1l2OUDDMQXmumEIfGZIt9Au3eJ62CcDE35V5ywW2WDj4i0PjruxAa5SwxmGyp54_oYOB5q-lZ9emNQuyqikE/s1600/2012-vision-board11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfaLninQWEflPrmfk2B7q2L_9DjdyFV5v0XpPrw0VwVd07gPd3P6QW3b1l2OUDDMQXmumEIfGZIt9Au3eJ62CcDE35V5ywW2WDj4i0PjruxAa5SwxmGyp54_oYOB5q-lZ9emNQuyqikE/s200/2012-vision-board11.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A work colleague of mine from years ago used to write a wish
(dream, goal, intention) on a piece of paper and tuck it away in the back of a
drawer. It was a mindful and purposeful way of telling the Universe what she
wanted. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s not a new concept. Visualization, meditation, lists,
journal entries, vision boards, intention boards all help us clarify what we
want from life (in a career, in a partner, in friends).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sister faithfully creates vision boards
each new moon. Now before you react to the woo-woo-ness of that, let’s look at
what such boards accomplish.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thoughts usually run willy-nilly through our addled brains.
In the busyness of daily life, we rarely take the time to think about what we
want…what we really want. But when we start looking at pictures (from magazines
or catalogues or Pinterest or Google images), we engage a different part of our
brain. Pictures help us create a child-like sense of play without the judgments
that often crop up in journaling (this happens to me!). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I thought about how this might work for authors. Even before
I start outlining my next book, I’m exploring how to use a vision board to
capture the feelings that bubble up when I think about the characters and the
time period – the visuals that will lend themselves to words later on.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I stumbled across an author who uses a <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/carolematthews/a-cottage-by-the-sea/" target="_blank">Pinterest board</a> in that
way. It’s cool that we can go as low-tech or high-tech as we want when setting
our goals and intentions. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><em>Have you done anything like this before?<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span><br />
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-22980025080487131802013-10-31T14:09:00.000-07:002013-10-31T14:09:06.521-07:00The Gravity of Inaccuracies in Fiction
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><em>“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction
is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn't.”</em></strong> – Mark Twain</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4k4PJbXsWmmbAdZ9MKvGSGODsIsevvkLppQ9RizOOCrwBRid1Jawi5fV3BrIQMJsaT28wOKNysEqKfU4YuFh8bkiUQOXTNIQk4eIBVrxvZ4zkeheahyphenhypheneiWJ7_VUmIUGHHO5zrzpLjsQ/s1600/gravity-movie-review-george-clooney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4k4PJbXsWmmbAdZ9MKvGSGODsIsevvkLppQ9RizOOCrwBRid1Jawi5fV3BrIQMJsaT28wOKNysEqKfU4YuFh8bkiUQOXTNIQk4eIBVrxvZ4zkeheahyphenhypheneiWJ7_VUmIUGHHO5zrzpLjsQ/s200/gravity-movie-review-george-clooney.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My husband and I saw the movie “Gravity” recently because it
received such great reviews (top critics rated it 100 percent fresh on
RottenTomatoes.com). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My husband is an
aerospace engineer with a background in orbital mechanics (how things move in
space).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the movie, I asked him if there
were any blatant errors in science and he said, “Pretty much everything.”
Still, that didn’t completely ruin his movie-going experience because it was an
interesting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">story</i>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We tend to give authors/storytellers some flexibility with
fiction because it’s fiction! I think the problem is when inaccuracies pop a
reader/viewer out of the story, asking “Can that really happen?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I can suspend belief and logic far more easily when reading a
book like The Hunger Games. The book is set in a dystopian future so we’re
allowed to believe that technology has advanced to include force fields,
hovercraft and fiery costumes that don't harm the wearers. We can imagine a future where 12 kids must fight to
the death!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My writer friend, Micki, is a former police captain who
writes crime fiction. She knows what details need to be factual to maintain credibility.
And that's because readers/viewers are knowledgeable and savvy. I’m writing a book set in an infamous and horrific prison in the 1950s. I’m constantly
researching what <em>could</em> happen and what’s too far-fetched, even if the story is
compelling. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Do you have any examples of stories/movies that you found completely unbelievable? Did that lessen your enjoyment?</em></span></div>
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-10899512260829952602013-09-29T14:10:00.001-07:002013-09-29T14:10:25.355-07:00Telling the Untold Story<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I just saw this Maya Angelou quote on Twitter: <span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em>“There is no greater agony than
bearing an untold story inside you.”</em> </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2oFhwJnMivt1ydNubzfQlNQhaHXbSqLwnzZ_Ux2oJKulm0UgS8Or-5_XGSwAyxQ-Zzrz0IxjseVJY0vvyd4qvLcP5AIXQzUNv8bEO-HkO2wUgjj6rQgazkkJEKBcfFDXtb2bD9SczT0U/s1600/525637_420922861296816_158187266_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2oFhwJnMivt1ydNubzfQlNQhaHXbSqLwnzZ_Ux2oJKulm0UgS8Or-5_XGSwAyxQ-Zzrz0IxjseVJY0vvyd4qvLcP5AIXQzUNv8bEO-HkO2wUgjj6rQgazkkJEKBcfFDXtb2bD9SczT0U/s200/525637_420922861296816_158187266_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The concept of an untold story is nothing new to writers. It’s the germ
not yet developed. It’s the illusive space before that moment of clarity when
you finally say, “Yes, this is the story I need to tell.” I’ve known for a
while it was time to start writing my next book. But no story gave me that “greater
agony” to push me forward. I faced the same fear other writers have had before
me: what if I don’t have another book in me?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Then something amazing happened. A dear friend from Mississippi visited
and described a story idea she’d love to write one day. One morning a few weeks
after our visit, when I was in a gigantic blue funk about my lack of motivation
to write, I texted her: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“I need to steal your book idea. I don’t want to write anything else.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">That clarity came out of the blue. And it was so strong that it
overrode any fear or guilt I might have about asking such a thing from her.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Because she loves me, she texted back immediately, “You may have it.
You are much more likely to write it. I wouldn’t have told you if I didn’t
think you could take it.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Thanks to a generosity I can never repay, the voices in my
head (the good kind) are real again. And once
again, an untold story is ready to be told. (Katrina, I won't squander your gift.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-89654288470983524932013-09-05T08:45:00.000-07:002013-09-05T08:45:38.509-07:00Embracing (Not Erasing) Regrets and Mistakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BJ-69p6YcDyzZ69uFeD28bWikb9sSZ-x9N8iC53-J6fY8qaMGCm9IhEwdPbG1bw9eec5JIh2-YP5ehyphenhyphen2agYiuv0RerN01rpYQx4misxP0ch2_x2SGyGZoDAbwkSysti_xU4VOho9dEM/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BJ-69p6YcDyzZ69uFeD28bWikb9sSZ-x9N8iC53-J6fY8qaMGCm9IhEwdPbG1bw9eec5JIh2-YP5ehyphenhyphen2agYiuv0RerN01rpYQx4misxP0ch2_x2SGyGZoDAbwkSysti_xU4VOho9dEM/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I mentioned in my last post, I enjoy reading young
adult fiction. The storylines hold my interest and the characters are often
dynamic, flawed and interesting. The books/series I’ve read have cross-over
appeal, attracting readers in their 30s, 40s and beyond. (My book club read The
Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson; it was one of our favorite books that year.)</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here’s my admission: as an adult reader of young adult
fiction, I sometimes judge the characters for their decisions and feelings. (And
mind you, I don’t have children of my own so this isn’t a maternal thing.)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“What?! Can’t you see X loves you? Don’t go out with
that other guy!”</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“That’s dangerous! Why wouldn’t you tell X or Y so they
could help?!”</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Those protagonists are making decisions that a 14- to
18-year-old would make. They don’t have three decades of ‘learning’ from mistakes
to inform those decisions. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As a writer of young adult fiction, I have to keep those
protective (judgmental) feelings in check. Arlie, the protag in my YA suspense
novel, makes missteps, puts herself in danger (more than once), doesn’t read the feelings of
others’ accurately, feels she’s alone in the world. And that’s as it should be.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here’s another admission: I wrote in journals faithfully
from middle school into adulthood. I captured on paper some MAJOR errors in
judgment. About 15 years ago, I went back and reread journals from my high
school years. Adult Mandy was appalled at teen Mandy’s feelings for a guy who
turned out to be a pretty BIG mistake. And adult Mandy destroyed two of those
journals – as if she could erase feelings and actions that easily. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">See? Adults make major mistakes, too. And I learned from
that doozy. Those very real fears, regrets, hopes and dreams make me a better
writer of YA fiction. They are to be embraced, not erased.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-33714409926022745872013-08-17T12:27:00.004-07:002013-08-17T12:27:44.422-07:00The Trap of Instant Gratification<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9HezOsv3141N2R7DW_2c7yFhxmbwz1QUIOvtRRC7z6iz0daOovxNezBJJ1S3gM6LRs892P3jhDA4IpcWquhpsMeO5vdeUbQhyxYHo86uNRxLs_mxC-3yoWZRY9Q8yOHOJ9cPZeJdnTI/s1600/ya+covers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9HezOsv3141N2R7DW_2c7yFhxmbwz1QUIOvtRRC7z6iz0daOovxNezBJJ1S3gM6LRs892P3jhDA4IpcWquhpsMeO5vdeUbQhyxYHo86uNRxLs_mxC-3yoWZRY9Q8yOHOJ9cPZeJdnTI/s320/ya+covers.jpg" width="72" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Just saw this on Twitter: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Netflix
gives you 15 seconds between episodes to decide whether or not you're doing
anything with your life today.<o:p></o:p></i></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For those of you who stream and watch TV series on Netflix, you know
how addictive it can be and how easy it is to convince yourself to watch just
one more episode.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve experienced something similar with young adult novel series. I
read one book…then have to know what happens to the characters. I download the
next book from Kindle (immediately) and read non-stop. Then I’m hooked and
ready to read the next book. Then… <strong>WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE THIRD BOOK ISN’T OUT
YET?!<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The whole YA series phenomena puzzled me at first. Why weren’t writers
writing one great book and moving on to new characters and new places? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took reading a few series to understand
that I cared about these well-written, dynamic characters and wanted to tag along
for more of their journeys (just as I cared about television characters enough
to watch 11 episodes of Downton Abbey one Saturday – but that’s another story).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Katniss (Hunger Games) and Tris (Divergent) and Allie (Night School)
and Lyda (Pure) and Alex (Ashes) and Evie (Paranormalcy) and Lena (Beautiful
Creatures) and other teen heroines have dominated my Kindle and bookshelf for some time
although my reading tastes are usually darker and more literary (George Saunders, Donald Ray Pollock).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The publishing industry has found a cash cow in successful YA series and the brand loyalty they generate among readers. This is not </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a bad thing. After all, I’ve enjoyed these series and eagerly await
the next installments in some. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But I'm left wondering where the stand-alone
YA title fits in?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will readers of young
adult fiction go for well-crafted stories like The Sky is Everywhere (Jandy
Nelson) and The Mockingbirds (Daisy Whitney) or have they (we) been trained to
expect more? Fodder for another blog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-50501483034735812222013-07-06T11:42:00.000-07:002013-07-06T11:42:14.657-07:00Rejection! Attack of the Evil Brain!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofLntCygv0eCKzDULUgP4Xk7wgClQDa9PQ60JPobA5htsgcGiAqcN52WHt6KcdxIrueZlC9MzS0EEPapswsoXFOtlWJH0isIqV9QqwluYiLzEiCGVDphJQLfO0QEEzFhaF_qeeZziUPY/s1600/brain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofLntCygv0eCKzDULUgP4Xk7wgClQDa9PQ60JPobA5htsgcGiAqcN52WHt6KcdxIrueZlC9MzS0EEPapswsoXFOtlWJH0isIqV9QqwluYiLzEiCGVDphJQLfO0QEEzFhaF_qeeZziUPY/s200/brain.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I was a kid I thought the summers flew by too
quickly. That’s nothing to how I feel as an adult! With business trips, a week
being sick, family visiting and numerous writing projects (on top of a busy day
job), June disappeared before I could even say hello.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, “Hello, July, won’t you stick around a while?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As a “yet to be published” author, rejection is on my
mind quite a bit — especially now that six agents are reading one of my
manuscripts and three agents are reading another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Logic tells me that all nine will NOT email
with offers of representation. Rejection is a guarantee, in some form or
another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With that theme in mind, I want to share an article from
Psychology Today that explores 10 ways that rejections affect us psychologically.
(</span><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201307/ten-surprising-facts-about-rejection" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Read the article.)</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These three are particularly troubling:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ol>
<li>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rejection created surges of anger and aggression.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rejection sends on a mission to seek and destroy our
self-esteem.</span></li>
<li>R<span style="font-family: Calibri;">ejection does not respond to reason.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Whoa. The article convinced me that all types of artists
need tender loving care as they put their art in the public domain. No matter
how much we tell ourselves not to take rejection personally, our BRAINS do a number
on us. Perhaps zombies are altruistic when they run around eating those
dastardly brains that try to sabotage our work. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let's remember that the literary agents (readers, friends, etc.) who reject our work aren't the enemy. Often, it's just our dumb old brains.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-66509128714633192912013-06-10T09:31:00.001-07:002013-06-10T09:31:48.113-07:00Sharing Our Creative Endeavors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Wj0R56FkH6eur3sX4asZb2PKn0mGFjtkptDEWR_pn_W-dEKzSUjJsA2Bx-8j_xx3uCTGhgRJXDjzkgR3jIKg9xfu4j_oF4wiRWQjdRH-UBYlF-6uo6gSyjoGxnA9PYbNqpam0XGsa4c/s1600/DSC00081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Wj0R56FkH6eur3sX4asZb2PKn0mGFjtkptDEWR_pn_W-dEKzSUjJsA2Bx-8j_xx3uCTGhgRJXDjzkgR3jIKg9xfu4j_oF4wiRWQjdRH-UBYlF-6uo6gSyjoGxnA9PYbNqpam0XGsa4c/s320/DSC00081.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>
Yesterday, I was at a park enjoying the sunny day and the live music at Animas
Riverfest. I ran into a former work colleague I hadn’t seen in three years or
more. I faced the same dilemma I face every time someone asks what I’m “doing”
now.<br />
<br />
“Oh, I’m still a marketing and communications specialist for
Goodwill Industries International,” I typically say.<br />
<br />
And, then I must decide whether to share that I am also a
writer — of fiction. If I do share, then the conversation ALWAYS goes the same
way. I kid you not. EVERY SINGLE TIME. First, they ask if I’m published. Second, they ask if I’ve
considered self-publishing.<br />
<br />
<em><strong>No,</strong></em> I’m not published. <strong><em>Yes</em></strong>, I’ve considered self-publishing.
Most aspiring authors do consider self-pubbing but must carefully weigh 1.)
their reasons for self-publishing and 2.) how it fits in their overall writing
goals.<br />
<br />
More and more, I find myself not sharing my writing life. I find it tiring to explain how tough an industry it is -- even if you self-publish (especially if you self-publish). And I don't want to feel defensive about something so important to me.<br />
<br />
And did I tell this former colleague I'm a writer? Yes, yes I did. And yes, it played out as I described above. But that's okay. <br />
<br />
One of my best friends was up on stage, playing the bass guitar. Like me, she's a communications professional by day. But she had the guts to say, "I want to create music." And she went out and did it. Took bass lessons. Plays in bands. Puts herself out there. <br />
<br />
So, like Tracy, I'm putting myself out there. I want to write, no matter the end result. I think I need a cool hat like hers, though.<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<br />
<strong></strong><br />Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-33933714653864526472013-05-28T09:39:00.002-07:002013-05-28T09:39:21.612-07:00The Upside and Downside of Rejection: One and the Same<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-plsfMhhbj5N3Di-bmF61gLa86wlHxqVgIir95hRyA_xYzUXNXlyppVNOYXUt6riojm99qm9vrFyOcQUPutWYSizvcrFfzl_cC0p2EN2DZZ6JWLNdRGdtWKxAtU0tP440ZlRYLbvwlM/s1600/Picture-3.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-plsfMhhbj5N3Di-bmF61gLa86wlHxqVgIir95hRyA_xYzUXNXlyppVNOYXUt6riojm99qm9vrFyOcQUPutWYSizvcrFfzl_cC0p2EN2DZZ6JWLNdRGdtWKxAtU0tP440ZlRYLbvwlM/s320/Picture-3.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Writer blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other social media have made it
easier (and faster) for authors to get their work noticed by other writers,
agents and publishing houses. One phenomenon to arise from this instant accessibility
is the CONTEST!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your first 250 words! Your
query letter! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your most suspenseful
scene! Your best dialogue!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are numerous schools of thought about contests. Let's look at two. One lauds
contests as a means to land an agent. And success stories abound about how a
writer found his/her agent in this way. Critics, though, say that contests (when entered
too often) deluge the same agents and publishers with your work…that you appear
‘over-eager’ and ‘desperate.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Duh. That’s how many writers feel. Excited to get their hard work noticed,
desperate to find that one agent who’ll take a chance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Regardless of how you feel about contests, the downside and upside are
one in the same: you get to experience rejection. Lots of it. Some implied (no
requests!) and some stated outright through harsh critiques and feedback.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>It’s all valuable.</strong> We learn to trust our guts on what feedback to take
to heart and what feedback to leave behind. We choose to develop a thicker skin
and move forward, or we let rejection damage our self- worth and shatter
dreams.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t get me wrong -- rejection sucks. REALLY sucks. So find other
writers with whom to commiserate and stock up on dark chocolate. (I’m set on
both counts.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-29071785043167997212013-05-07T12:14:00.003-07:002013-05-07T14:51:01.993-07:00Life's Short -- Eat CheetosMy fingers are stained orange as I type
this because I ate crunchy Cheetos for
lunch. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll see why later.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5aDNFkjo6pw131UlHbm-79YMBKBS9A5sPq-BpCLxIjRpSeT9hV-ccq1S9Zne3Hhm7yKwyghJ7MxTPkcjrqqSHnClOW0TEmb43Ltg2H2PbbwnKz09WOi8Yr16EWofmDYPNlpxsObBSOc/s1600/cheetos-fingers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5aDNFkjo6pw131UlHbm-79YMBKBS9A5sPq-BpCLxIjRpSeT9hV-ccq1S9Zne3Hhm7yKwyghJ7MxTPkcjrqqSHnClOW0TEmb43Ltg2H2PbbwnKz09WOi8Yr16EWofmDYPNlpxsObBSOc/s200/cheetos-fingers.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
None of us knows the exact time and date
of our deaths. Mortality statistics give us the impression that we'll live to a ripe old age (76.3 years for males; 81.1 years for
females). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without a firm idea of the
time we have left, some of us put off doing things (saying things), believing
we have all the time in the world.<br />
<br />
That’s why I read obits. These stand out
in my memory.<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the vivacious 19-year-old woman who suffered a fatal seizure</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the 45-year-old woman who died after a recurrence of breast cancer</span><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the 52-year-old father who had a heart attack while sitting in front of his home computer</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the adventurous 23-year-old who died in an
avalanche while snowboarding</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I </span>don’t know any of these people
personally. But I wonder how they spent their lives. Did the 45-year-old woman
always skip dessert thinking the calories weren't worth it? Did the father regret
how often he brought work home instead of playing catch with his sons? Did the
19-year-old have a fight with her dad and didn’t have a chance to say she was
sorry?<br />
<br />
Whether we live 20 years or 100 years,
life is short. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And regrets are a bitch.<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Call the estranged relative.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take the vacation.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Write the book.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Retire at age 55.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Buy the house (or new chair, or bicycle, or shoes).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Eat Cheetos for lunch.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-88758284592031909582013-04-24T22:18:00.000-07:002013-04-24T22:18:01.676-07:00The Critique Sandwich: Tough to Swallow?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVt4mg59T3rFjuF2hDbNn4sv57xM5IOpM1rJJKUNfbPs-D2fReZVq7CqzvC17lgFnhpzRouuh0CNQzp1O60farG7o_J6ynqVZdJ4TrgLGXLcM1tLpv_JL94qpy1fHsbETlaQqWtms9ehE/s1600/dagwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVt4mg59T3rFjuF2hDbNn4sv57xM5IOpM1rJJKUNfbPs-D2fReZVq7CqzvC17lgFnhpzRouuh0CNQzp1O60farG7o_J6ynqVZdJ4TrgLGXLcM1tLpv_JL94qpy1fHsbETlaQqWtms9ehE/s1600/dagwood.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Most writers partake of (choke on?) some version of the Critique Sandwich (whether they are aware of it or not). It goes like this: to avoid completely demoralizing a writer, the critique partner (editor, loved one, etc.) says something positive first, then follows with what needs improving, then ends with something positive.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When we’re lucky, the ‘filling’ on the critique sandwich isn’t so thick as to overwhelm the ‘bread.’</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I’ve been an editor for too many years to count. When I was younger, I was often guilty of throwing a whole lot of filling at writers without softening the critique. I thought I was being direct, saving everyone time, getting to the point.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Well, ladies and gentlemen…during those years, I missed the point completely. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">People matter. <em><strong>People’s feelings matter</strong></em>. And there are always nuggets of gold buried in what we may think of as the worst essay, book, short story, poem, song or painting. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The life of a creative is hard enough. We battle our own inner critic and self-doubt daily. Encouragement of any kind can make the difference in someone forging ahead or giving up her creative dreams.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Today, I received the nicest rejection from a literary agent. Just the right amount of bread and filling -- definitely not a Dagwood special. Instead of being utterly disappointed, I’m feeling pretty upbeat.</span> Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-66264183477765372542013-04-11T08:05:00.000-07:002013-04-11T08:05:01.224-07:00Comfort in the Tangible<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><span>My friend, Christi, posted on Facebook this
amazing photo of a young boy r</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">eading in a bombed-out bookstore in WWII
London. The powerful image stirred up a bit of emotion.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTC46NwnoWsJSxZAnKtP6IpTduol4PL12LqGkuKHwy23vXIT85XGgaNhxLfaEl1ky7DkeOz-mN02HsjZDLDY_s8BvMBvv_TQZVJAPSpQEr3HrNG3MgtXkAvSoiLFDI47EGS5L3fpolok/s1600/537240_10152739518500296_176015957_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTC46NwnoWsJSxZAnKtP6IpTduol4PL12LqGkuKHwy23vXIT85XGgaNhxLfaEl1ky7DkeOz-mN02HsjZDLDY_s8BvMBvv_TQZVJAPSpQEr3HrNG3MgtXkAvSoiLFDI47EGS5L3fpolok/s200/537240_10152739518500296_176015957_n.jpg" width="140" /></span></a><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="color: black;">I write and edit for a living. But on a day-to-day basis, I don’t
appreciate the importance of books — or hell, any written type of
communication. Words transport, inform, inspire, incite, enrage. I shudder to
think of a world without written communication. While I love television and
film and YouTube and vlogs (yes, you, </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/LizzieBennet" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Lizzie Bennett
diaries</span></a><span style="color: black;">), I like the permanence of the written word. I like referring back
to books, to links on the web, to my own journals. Life is fleeting. Tangible
is comforting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">And yet, it was an <em>image</em> that inspired all this emotion I'm feeling. Hmmm…even
more to think about.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-962351816153140382013-04-04T07:11:00.000-07:002013-04-04T07:11:14.739-07:00Your Biography -- Courtesy of Google<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I saw a tweet from a publisher who warned writers that agents and
publishers always Google prospective clients. I mean, they have to make sure
you’re not a crazy-pants, raving lunatic or a highly opinionated person with
cringe-worthy views on politics, religion or the like.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I purposefully don’t post my views on politics or religion on Twitter
or Facebook or in this blog. I’m not trying to hide anything. But I’m aware
that polarizing views can make publishers leery – after all, I could be
alienating a whole segment of potential readers.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDS6iiUhfyzbhsRKFXMsW47IS3JMms7a7Q2cqT4h7v4J8NsDCQdQ17BzPJQwG0HF7xU56RewKtuBwKmLCttZGgtbTxBcOGs-OGI-f0sxYXEIGdXbNyhACq4PsdhKn-Ebgas6vc-P0fIPM/s1600/socialmedia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDS6iiUhfyzbhsRKFXMsW47IS3JMms7a7Q2cqT4h7v4J8NsDCQdQ17BzPJQwG0HF7xU56RewKtuBwKmLCttZGgtbTxBcOGs-OGI-f0sxYXEIGdXbNyhACq4PsdhKn-Ebgas6vc-P0fIPM/s200/socialmedia.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I Google myself from time to time. You can piece together a good bit of
my history if you bother to keep reading to the 7th, 8th
and 9th pages of results.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I’m the author of quite a few nursing articles because I was editor of The American Nurse newspaper for the American Nurses Association in Washington, DC.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I edited publications for the United Nations – so my name is connected to tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and other UN priorities, sometimes in French!<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was executive director of the Women’s Resource Center in Durango.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I teach continuing education classes (writing, marketing, graphic design) at my local college.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have a communications and marketing business on the side called mlm communications.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I drink a LOT of McDonald’s iced tea and post about it way too much.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have a cat (and post about her way too much).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have a blog!<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have a Pinterest board on cake decorating.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In 1982, I was crowned state queen of the Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas because of my rousing speech on What Fraternalism Means to Me. (This deserves a whole post!)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My life is an open book, so to speak. And so is yours, yours and yours
because of social media. But is your book one you’d want the public to read?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-67783518654942886282013-03-22T07:15:00.000-07:002013-03-22T07:15:24.250-07:00Ditch the Expectations and Watch Out for the Good Stuff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5r0_eizQRzl1lNniqg8nOPyZZj9kgwwNVQoOOsKdsK_Pby6G3tekwCr4pioCwuwSVz-5k3Tv4XkryCvSfSFLeDmEGa-OR-pP8uOJsrlf3qPPzFauIoT35vrPUkRilV6rCPdkFLDBxAMQ/s1600/baby-enjoying-chocolate-photography-studio-0036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5r0_eizQRzl1lNniqg8nOPyZZj9kgwwNVQoOOsKdsK_Pby6G3tekwCr4pioCwuwSVz-5k3Tv4XkryCvSfSFLeDmEGa-OR-pP8uOJsrlf3qPPzFauIoT35vrPUkRilV6rCPdkFLDBxAMQ/s200/baby-enjoying-chocolate-photography-studio-0036.jpg" width="159" /></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I recently watched a movie called The
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. An exchange between two actors has stayed with me
all week.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001132/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #136cb2; font-family: Calibri;">Evelyn</span></span></a></span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">: Nothing here has worked out quite as I expected. <br />
<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001749/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #136cb2;">Muriel</span></span></a></b>: Most things don't. But sometimes what happens
instead is the good stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This couldn’t be more applicable for my
writing journey. Many authors write multiple books before ‘the one.’ I was
certain the first book I wrote was the next “Secret Life of Bees.” (It wasn’t.)
Then, I was inspired to write my first young adult novel — which featured a
ghost just as the market was getting oversaturated with ghost/paranormal
stories. Then, my cozy mystery flowed so effortlessly (well, not that
effortlessly) and was so well-received that I sensed I’d have a career as a
mystery writer. (I didn’t.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Somewhere along the way, I went back to
an idea that had been niggling at my brain for some time… a story about a high
school girl whose face had been burned in her stepfather’s meth lab explosion
when she was little. I had even purchased a couple of books on burn survivors
for research purposes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This week, that book (titled Facing
Fire) is featured in two different online contests whose purpose is to get book
excerpts in front of literary agents. My book is doing well in BOTH contests.
One agent loved my excerpt so much, he asked to see the full manuscript
immediately. In the second contest, my excerpt was chosen one of 60 entries
that 15 agents will review next week. There were 427 total entries.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It takes some faith (and tears and
chocolate) to keep writing, to keep revising, to keep querying. But when I put
away my expectations for what a writing life should look like, opportunities
opened up. I need to remember this feeling for the tears/chocolate times ahead.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-7272794098181301962013-03-09T13:23:00.002-08:002013-03-09T13:23:44.570-08:00Rescuing the "Self" from Selfish
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In late February, I spent more than 37 hours in the air or
in an airport during an eight-day period. (One travel day was 17 hours because
of snow delays.) I can’t even describe the exhaustion I felt upon my return.
(Let’s just say there were tears involved.)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A family function I felt I had to attend in Texas
piggy-backed a stressful business trip. The family thing was important, and I’m
glad I did it. But it brings up some issues for me related to self-care. I kept
telling myself “I have no choice! I have no choice!” That's a steaming pile of horse
manure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I always have a choice. To stay in my current job or venture
into something new; to exercise regularly or watch more TV; to eat more protein
or stress-eat with sugar; to foster nurturing friendships or guilt myself into
staying in one-sided relationships.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The crux of the matter is that taking care of myself is the
harder choice because most of us are conditioned from an early age to think
that self-care is selfish. And the first baby steps we take to put ourselves
first often results in guilt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m convinced it just takes practice. What do you think?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-47364643481057073472013-02-17T12:24:00.000-08:002013-02-17T12:24:30.932-08:00Easy is a Four-Letter Word<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjst4hFJ28YSqjPU-bN-n0tGV33NMqyLeK2Tr88mkyhwyQDAN9h90V_WCWBelSB7Se-AGwaqDBlWMpP9KNKx8A_kOgZdLlyxVvTLHgRStrxvqfMnR8OaOkQHhKkg2CXv4xqFsti4-3cPt4/s1600/imagesCATP0NTJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjst4hFJ28YSqjPU-bN-n0tGV33NMqyLeK2Tr88mkyhwyQDAN9h90V_WCWBelSB7Se-AGwaqDBlWMpP9KNKx8A_kOgZdLlyxVvTLHgRStrxvqfMnR8OaOkQHhKkg2CXv4xqFsti4-3cPt4/s320/imagesCATP0NTJ.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I bought a beginner’s yoga DVD about two years ago. As of
yesterday morning, it was still shrinkwrapped and unopened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been sick for about three weeks with a
lingering cold (and haven’t exercised in much longer than that) so I thought I’d
give it a whirl. Surely, it’d be easy! What a gentle way to ease back into
exercising. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, yeah. Today, I can’t lift my arms over my head, my knee is
tweaky and the bones in the top of one foot ache. So much for easy.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">From time to time, don’t we all make assumptions that something
will be easy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many times have you
uttered, “How hard can it be?” only to then utter, “Damn hard.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of my resolutions is not to make assumptions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another is not to give up on something that
isn’t as easy as I thought it was going to be. Like writing daily. Like staying
connected with friends even though I have hermit tendencies. Like exercising
often, even if it’s just a walk around the block. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Is there something you've stuck with even thought it was harder than you thought it'd be? (I mean, besides marriage.)</span></div>
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-233766692840730972013-02-06T12:36:00.000-08:002013-02-06T12:36:16.297-08:00Fighting Extinction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5K1AMxxAq6hTMneOU2wiPm5N7Phb1bAQsKzrXfMvIOtImdnVbE_8IynMAG0EZCKBoEtHsnSOya0T1yjVubV6eCPUSfvQ7vWKdlFiHFWitlrXkd-_CeZDYgZfgDJhzKrIfUKJYW57J4yE/s1600/old_monopoly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5K1AMxxAq6hTMneOU2wiPm5N7Phb1bAQsKzrXfMvIOtImdnVbE_8IynMAG0EZCKBoEtHsnSOya0T1yjVubV6eCPUSfvQ7vWKdlFiHFWitlrXkd-_CeZDYgZfgDJhzKrIfUKJYW57J4yE/s200/old_monopoly.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">First the demise of the Twinkie and now this! Hasbro has
eliminated the beloved iron token from the Monopoly set and replaced it with a
cat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A cat! I know, right? And they let
the PUBLIC vote via a Facebook page.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do
they think that’s a representative sample of the Monopoly-playing public?</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Okay, that’s not the reason I’m irritated. I’m irritated by
change. It unsettles me. I feel a part of my worldview is altered. I feel less and
less connected with people born before 1990. (Let’s forget for a moment that I
write young adult fiction.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m not against progress. Hell, I experienced the horror of “Sun
In” hair lightening spray. It’s just that whenever I meet someone who doesn’t
remember something I remember, it feels like another part of me has gone extinct.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, today is my tribute to outdated things that hold a place
in my memory…and will until said memory falters with old age.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Interchangeable
IBM typewriter balls for different fonts</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Ta</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">b
soda</span></span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The
smell of mimeograph paper</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Push-button
transmissions (like the one on my ’64 Valiant)</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Flashbulbs
for cameras </span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Th</span>e old Monopoly set that had wooden pieces</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Feeling nostalgic? Check out the book </span><a href="http://www.abebooks.com/9780811827720/Remember-Technology-Geeks-Gadgets-Gizmos-0811827720/plp" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Do You Remember Technology? Geeks, Gadgets and Gizmos.</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-90533550190677594532013-01-27T14:06:00.000-08:002013-01-27T14:10:08.362-08:00The Delight is in the Details<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnKlkwkfbOdqhZtwdDrRuZ8_ERsQ9S8Jl6aL4Y3TBbFR6m6Myx_Yh4dBAxZ4RpGgJPglKOeduBWHPFyxOUG816nM9ofl9yqU1b3BVEOO6PEZJo0INpk2dsYjtw4bxA3OB9eOZrL_gH0k/s1600/DowntonAbbey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnKlkwkfbOdqhZtwdDrRuZ8_ERsQ9S8Jl6aL4Y3TBbFR6m6Myx_Yh4dBAxZ4RpGgJPglKOeduBWHPFyxOUG816nM9ofl9yqU1b3BVEOO6PEZJo0INpk2dsYjtw4bxA3OB9eOZrL_gH0k/s200/DowntonAbbey.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For some time, I’ve wanted to find out why there’s so much
hub-bub about the British television series, Downton Abbey. Its fans are
downright obsessive about it. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, the flu and I decided to spend Saturday watching … 11
STRAIGHT EPISODES. Yeah, obsessive is the right word. The multiple story lines
and interesting characters were engrossing. As a writer, I was most fascinated
by the way the smallest details told the most powerful story.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For example, the staff ironed the newspapers each morning
before his Lordship and family read them. A subtle detail like this said so
much about the expectations of the upper class in 1910s and 1920s Britain. The
show’s writer didn’t have to hit the audience over the head with an explanation
of the class distinctions of the time. The day-to-day workings of a household
said it all: female servants couldn’t serve in the dining room and never
answered the front door; bad news was often kept from the ladies of the house because
of their delicate natures; a hierarchy existed among the staff as well; some
servants felt genuine loyalty and sometimes love for their employers, as if
they were family.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I recently finished a novel called The Language of Flowers.
In it, a very minor character often dyed her hair wild colors like hot pink. But
the reader found this out by the stains on her pillowcase.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Other viewers and readers may not notice precise details as
I do. After all, it's often the sum of the details that sets the mood of a television
show, movie or book. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Still, I delight in writers who say so much with so few words. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Perhaps the smallest details of our own lives tell the
biggest story as well.<o:p></o:p></span>Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-75643570190090982272013-01-17T09:20:00.000-08:002013-01-17T09:21:54.076-08:00Forget the Timetable: We're Not a Swiss Train<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I’m pissed off. DO YOU HEAR ME, BLOGOSPHERE? PISSED OFF! Here’s why. I was on Twitter (yes, when I should’ve been writing) and ran across this tweet by the online editor at Writer’s Digest.
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>If you can’t carve out at least a short portion of your day to dedicate to writing, </em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>then you aren’t serious about finishing a manuscript.</em>
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjhH4yxssnEPRrT90uvm2gPDUKMACTqRqWER9BGiDumKB04SHl2lXGF9mMNEWQaXnFkMeDnok6N6TPynFFpGtv7JkQLuPcptmXQ5bptY3q__6GvsO9k80hq_BLHxCLacUsPjdwqCi5DQ/s1600/DoorKnock01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjhH4yxssnEPRrT90uvm2gPDUKMACTqRqWER9BGiDumKB04SHl2lXGF9mMNEWQaXnFkMeDnok6N6TPynFFpGtv7JkQLuPcptmXQ5bptY3q__6GvsO9k80hq_BLHxCLacUsPjdwqCi5DQ/s200/DoorKnock01.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My first thought was “Where do you get off?”
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My second thought was that he was trying to pick a fight.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Finally, I decided he was channeling my subconscious, which knocks, knocks, knocks daily with the same message. “You’re not a REAL writer if you can’t get up at 5 a.m. and write for an hour, or come home after work and write instead of watching Wheel of Fortune. You should’ve finished the damn manuscript weeks ago. Remember your plan to write throughout Thanksgiving break and instead, you baked!”
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So, maybe I’m mostly pissed at myself. More like disappointed. But enough finger-wagging.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Here’s the rub: a lot of writers feel this same way. And we make it worse by reading about other writers and their craft and their writing schedules and their successes. We refuse to believe that it’s okay to write a book in six months by only writing on Fridays and sometimes a Sunday or two. We find any reason to belittle our “process” because it makes the sting of rejection feel justified.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So, let’s rewrite that editor’s post using a different shaming example.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>If you can’t carve out at least a short portion of your day to dedicate to <strong>exercise</strong>, </em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>then you aren’t serious about being <strong>healthy</strong>.</em>
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Can we agree that’s a load of hooey? Then let’s agree that we all have our processes, our timetables, our high-energy days and our low-energy days. And the sweetest freedom is choosing when we create.</span>
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-40302486300295345272013-01-13T16:31:00.001-08:002013-01-14T09:40:04.857-08:00Was Grandma This Excited When TV Was Invented?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6XUCe_Wisl0lsNmy1ZdzNBDzz9DsxgMlvtQIzETdnf_8WkodBnYhLLL8Lxb1JvemekZ1uVNSAAxfWINFWHgPf_61lJImxJFm_g0QfV5N8PQnyScr1nSOOPeOoIxMmMnWDGYdxKKm2Es/s1600/Wordstar_Screenshot.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6XUCe_Wisl0lsNmy1ZdzNBDzz9DsxgMlvtQIzETdnf_8WkodBnYhLLL8Lxb1JvemekZ1uVNSAAxfWINFWHgPf_61lJImxJFm_g0QfV5N8PQnyScr1nSOOPeOoIxMmMnWDGYdxKKm2Es/s200/Wordstar_Screenshot.gif" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve joked to co-workers that I’m a social media dinosaur.
With as much time as I spend on Facebook and Twitter, that’s not exactly true.
I follow multiple blogs. I have Pinterest boards. I get most of my news online.
I designed and update my own website. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But I’m 47. Which means I didn’t have email or a cell phone
or the Internet in my first couple of jobs. I faxed news releases when I was a
media relations coordinator and followed up by phone. My word processor
required coding for bold, italics and centering. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Anyone remember WordStar?)</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Communications channels have changed dramatically over the
last three decades. And I am thankful for it EVERY DAY.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Because of a writer’s blog I follow, I found two new
critique partners this past week and we’ve already exchanged and reviewed
chapters via email. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of Twitter,
I learned of a blog contest where literary agents bid on writers’ work – and my
last book will be featured starting tomorrow. Because of a friend’s Facebook
post, I found a six-week online course on making my personal and professional
dreams come true. Because of e-readers like Kindle, I sent my sister the first
chapters of my latest novel for her review. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of Google, I can fact-check
manuscripts instead of going to the library to look up the same information. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">My life as a fiction writer – and a citizen of
this world -- is tremendously richer because of technology. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What mind-boggling advances await us? </span></div>
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-46473249283649048782013-01-07T15:21:00.001-08:002013-01-07T15:21:18.694-08:00Rekindling Creative Abandon<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My regular coffee dates with my friend Tracy always
inspire me, or at the very least, give me some new insight to chew on. At the
end of today’s coffee date, she said, “So…what’s up with your blog?”<span id="goog_89282453"></span><span id="goog_89282454"></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhuKWCFHbUtOaVKKPh62lwcpu8JsuJp_6f_YgJaBaq3RmHJDRT0CPWDBzd-2Fka5Q7kPGothpLoJJGxqnD5j25K2LxcUAmOWhkDJlALzoeMaIP_udKfOJIFTLlImF6Spcd0kQPILY4zk/s1600/coloring_outside_the_lines_med.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhuKWCFHbUtOaVKKPh62lwcpu8JsuJp_6f_YgJaBaq3RmHJDRT0CPWDBzd-2Fka5Q7kPGothpLoJJGxqnD5j25K2LxcUAmOWhkDJlALzoeMaIP_udKfOJIFTLlImF6Spcd0kQPILY4zk/s200/coloring_outside_the_lines_med.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had my excuses ready: no time, too much pressure,
nothing interesting to say. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We ended up staying at the coffee shop another half hour during
which time I had an epiphany. Tracy and I are both PR professionals who have
had to write and edit as part of our jobs for more than two decades. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We write for media and public consumption. Our
words have to educate or influence. Thus, they are evaluated by our employers
and our colleagues and our audiences. We adhere to fairly strict protocols and
formats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It matters what others think of
our work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Writing outside the work environment – be it fiction or
creative nonfiction – is more complicated. I believe the rules we apply to our
work writing negatively influence our creativity. In my case, I set up
unrealistic expectations related to how much I write, how often I write, who
reads my writing, etc. I don’t allow myself the abandon that should come with
creative work. I don’t allow myself to color the grass pink and the sky purple,
or to color outside the lines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Instead, I label the phenomena as writer’s block or
limited time or lack of energy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, there’s the epiphany. I have some ideas on how to rekindle
creative abandon and will share as I put them into practice. What's limiting your creativity?</span></div>
Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443694176230284387.post-85220834212062900592012-11-14T14:20:00.002-08:002012-11-14T14:20:44.317-08:00Reading Beyond the Lines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYptPcjR5EzU_p4oftxd5Vi9Cufo3l8W88_CKhw5EfDIeC3vG9QR-MnZvl_W7sfv2Y6V4BziHOhC2TEnd8i5u3sOtJ92qDeyLoRGUzbkFihK2kSiaQiNr6IbLz3keBGRzSkZ19Cin7QMw/s1600/toulouse-lautrec-two-friends-L731-fm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYptPcjR5EzU_p4oftxd5Vi9Cufo3l8W88_CKhw5EfDIeC3vG9QR-MnZvl_W7sfv2Y6V4BziHOhC2TEnd8i5u3sOtJ92qDeyLoRGUzbkFihK2kSiaQiNr6IbLz3keBGRzSkZ19Cin7QMw/s1600/toulouse-lautrec-two-friends-L731-fm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYptPcjR5EzU_p4oftxd5Vi9Cufo3l8W88_CKhw5EfDIeC3vG9QR-MnZvl_W7sfv2Y6V4BziHOhC2TEnd8i5u3sOtJ92qDeyLoRGUzbkFihK2kSiaQiNr6IbLz3keBGRzSkZ19Cin7QMw/s1600/toulouse-lautrec-two-friends-L731-fm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYptPcjR5EzU_p4oftxd5Vi9Cufo3l8W88_CKhw5EfDIeC3vG9QR-MnZvl_W7sfv2Y6V4BziHOhC2TEnd8i5u3sOtJ92qDeyLoRGUzbkFihK2kSiaQiNr6IbLz3keBGRzSkZ19Cin7QMw/s200/toulouse-lautrec-two-friends-L731-fm.jpg" width="140" /></a><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Calibri;">As a writer and storyteller, I love exploring
how artists use different media to tell stories – books, poetry, music, painting,
plays, movies. Each medium teases a different part of our brain. Some allow us
to be more passive (movies) while others require us to be more engaged (“reading”
a painting or photograph).</span></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #404040; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #666666;">The National Gallery of
Art’s website says this about reading paintings:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #393c41; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>With a book we have to imagine the scene, whereas with a
painting it is created for us (as it is with a film). So when we read a book,
we convert, via our imaginations, what is black and white on the page into
multicolour images. In this way, the visual image is immediately accessible and
engaging. Secondly, due to the artist's distillation of the subject matter into
a single image, a painting requires a longer look than is usual in our digital
culture.<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #393c41; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Take a moment to view the </span><span style="color: #404040; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Toulouse-Lautrec painting “The Two Friends.” The artist invites
us to compose the story behind his original rendering of oil paint on wood. We
might see a woman comforting a friend whose husband has died. Or perhaps, the
woman got caught in a downpour and her friend is warming her up with a shawl.
The exciting part is that we can make up a different story on each subsequent
viewing. The painting lives in our imaginations as much as it does in the
finished painting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #666666;">Music, too, is a powerful (and
lasting) way to tell a story because of the way our brains respond to it.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #666666;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/26/health/mental-health/music-brain-science/index.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Daniel Levitin, a psychologist who studies the neuroscience of
music at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, <span style="color: #666666;">believes the</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Calibri;">
structures that respond to music in the brain evolved earlier than the
structures that respond to language. He points out that many of our ancestors,
before there was writing, used music to help them remember things, such as how
to prepare foods or the way to get to a water source. These procedural tasks
would have been easier to remember as songs. Today, we still use songs to teach
children things in school, like the 50 states.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Calibri;">Today, I can still recite the Preamble to the Constitution by heart because of </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30OyU4O80i4" target="_blank"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Calibri;">Schoolhouse
Rock</span></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Calibri;">. (See, television isn't always bad for you.)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Calibri;">Yes, I still use words for my storytelling but my brain seeks out
stories everywhere: in the face of the elderly woman in the grocery store line,
the found poetry written by a friend, the types of “pins” on a friend’s
Pinterest boards.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #666666;">Where do you find stories?</span></span></span>Durango Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854000354374970070noreply@blogger.com2