And Here's the Rest of the Story

Two days ago, I left you with the unfinished saga of the beginnings of a community service organization.  To refresh your memory, I am writing an article for a local magazine about this organization, Solon Civic Club.  I had already asked the co-presidents about its origin, and they did  not know.

So, thus my journey began.  I next spoke with a former president, Donna, and asked her, among other things, if she knew the history of Solon Civic Club.  She thought it might have split off from the Women's Club, but wasn't sure.  She referred me to Nancy.  Nancy thought it spun off from a men's club, but wasn't sure.  She referred me to a former president, Julie.  Julie thought it came from the Solon Jaycees, and she referred me to Debbie.

Debbie told me this story:  Once upon a time there was a Solon Jaycees, which was a community service organization for men.  To accommodate their wives a Solon Jaycee Wives club was created.  After a while this group noted that there were women who wanted to join who had no male counterpart in the Jaycees.  So given that and a desperate need for new members they became the Solon Jaycee Women.

More time passes - Some women (nationally) brought a lawsuit against the Jaycees.  These women wanted executive positions and the Jaycees were helping the men get these positions - meeting people, community service looked good on their resume, and the Jaycees were even promoting themselves as helping men get ahead.  So, the women felt that was unfair and discrimination.  The case went to the Supreme Court in 1984 and the Jaycees lost.  It appears that the national organization was prepared for this and within days of the ruling had merged the Jaycee and Jaycee Wives clubs.

The Solon Jaycee Women had become quite independent by now, and many of the women had no male counterparts in the Jaycees.  So, for them it was simply a matter of what their new name should be.  Thus in 1984 Solon Civic Club was born.  Some of the initiatives they support such as Lunch with Santa and Amblyopia (lazy eye) screening had already been going on for some time and are actually older than the name!  (But of course they have been done by the same women all along.)

I never would have guessed that was its genesis.  There was no animosity, nothing earth-shattering, but interesting how it all evolved none the less.  Just thought you would like to know.

A New Day

I am a temporary empty nester.  Yes, I still have children at home, but I just sent a short story off to a contest.  Almost like another daughter, I gave birth to this story.  I groomed her and refined her; I watched her grow.  She has touched my soul.  And while she is still a part of me, somehow, for her to live fully, she needs to leave my hands just like my flesh and blood son who recently left for college.

It is a happy and sad feeling all in one.  I am excited for her future prospects, even if they are uncertain.  And, I am sad she is no longer mine alone to treasure, to mold, to hold close.

Of course this is temporary, other stories will come and other stories will go.  But she will never lose her spot in my heart, my love will not diminish with time, only deepen.

I don't know if you understand what I mean, or sense what I feel.  Maybe you think I'm just a little touched.  But that's okay.  Especially if you eventually read my story and fall in love, too.

Unraveling the Mystery

Being a writer can take on many forms.  While I am currently finishing my first book, I am also writing short stories and magazine articles.  My latest magazine article took an unexpected twist last night.  I am writing about a community service group for a local magazine, and to that end interviewed the two co-presidents last evening.  Wanting to include their history in my article, I inquired about the club's beginnings.

It appears that no one knows how or when it got started!  It's clearly been around 38 years, since the lunch with Santa program this month has been going that long.  But what is the actual story?  The co-presidents left my interview, heading straight to a board meeting of the club, promising to see what they could learn.  Looking through the past president's notebooks apparently yielded no new insights.

Today I spoke with another member and former president of the club who thought they were originally part of a different club, maybe a woman's club, and split off to allow themselves more and better ways to serve the community.  But being unsure, she referred me to another member.  That member thought it was the offshoot of a men's club, but again, could not be certain.  She referred me to a past president.  I will be making that phone call soon.

I never thought a magazine article would lead to being a faux investigative reporter!  It reminds me of mysteries and the secrets people hold.  I don't think this secret, if I'm able to track it down, will produce much drama or any accusations.  However, it can be surprising where mysteries and secrets do arise.  Hmmm . . . I think I'll tuck that tidbit away.

Things are Not Always As They Seem

Do you ever notice how a clear winter day is deceptive?  The sun seems so bright and vibrant.  Surely it is bathing the world in warmth.  And it can even feel that way on the inside, sitting by a window, as I am now, with the sun raining down upon me.  It is intoxicating, and yet it lies.  One step outside will prove that.  Some of the coldest days in winter are the ones where the sun shines brightest.  There is no buffer, no cloud cover to hold warmth in.

It is foolishness to be taken in.  There are certainly warning signs.  Maybe I should remind myself it is almost December, or maybe the unmelted snow should be my first clue.  Do not be drawn outside, resist, resist!

Literary characters can be the same way.  You are drawn in by their charm, their professed experience or knowledge.  You are enticed by flattery.  But is it real?  Can they be trusted?  Once you step inside their circle will you be met by a cold shoulder or worse, experience their icy heart?

Maybe I'm too much of a dreamer or an optimist, but I believe, that in reality, there are few people who are actually like this.  Not many trouble themselves to act one part while being another.  There are some, but I believe they are few.  BUT . . .  do we really want our novels peopled with "real" people?  Believable, yes; but boring, work-a-day people?  Not likely.

So, my best hope in my next novel is to draw you in, make my characters believable, lovable even, and then . . .  (I guess you'll just have to read the book when it comes out, won't you?)

Shh ... Secrets

Have you ever wanted to write like Agatha Christie?  The twist and turns and surprise endings are so captivating.  Hallie Ephron (The Secret is in the Secret, The Writer, July 2012, pp. 27-29) expressed what so many mystery writers feel, a desire to follow in Agatha Christie's footsteps when crafting your own mysteries.

At first it appears that by adding hints and misdirection this can be accomplished.  But Hallie Ephron points out that it is really in the secrets that people hold, and how those are revealed that a great mystery is built.  A secret kept means people acting in suspicious ways, a secret revealed sheds light on the situation and brings in a whole new set of suspects.  She says, "I've discovered that if I let the characters and their secrets drive the plot, the clues and red herrings take care of themselves." (pg. 27)

I have paid attention to this and found it incredibly insightful.  But, I am learning, it is not just for the mystery novel.  I recently finished reading Emma, by Jane Austen.  What makes it interesting is the secrets kept and revealed.  (Spoil alert: if you haven't read it and intend on doing so, stop now.)  Secret #1: A would-be- suitor for Emma's friend, Harriett, is actually in love with Emma.  This puts the friends in a tailspin.  Matters are further complicated when the shunned suitor returns from vacation married to an insufferable woman.  Secret #2: A secret engagement, when revealed, casts everything in a new light: people's actions towards each other, an apparent cold shoulder, etc.  It once again changes the dynamics of the story.   Secret #3:  Harriet reveals her latest crush which leads to a different kind of secret.  Secret #4:  Emma realizes that she has secretly been in love with that same man, only she had kept the secret from herself!  Secret #5 (a two-for-one deal): All is well, because Harriet has actually never fallen out of love with her would-be-suitor from the beginning of the story (not previously mentioned here), AND, he still loves her despite her previous rejection.

Wow!  There is the whole story laid out in the secrets kept and the secrets revealed.  So, as a writer, can you keep a secret?  Hopefully not for too long.

Perspective

I had every intention of writing a different blog today.  I really did.  But when I arrived at the library this morning, "my" chair was askew, 90 degrees askew and swapped with the table!  Those of you who have been following my blog will remember the day "my" chair was taken by another.  Oh, the horrors!

My first thought was to right everything.  Given the cramped space, this would not be an easy task.  "Why not try it this way?"  crossed my mind, "It will provide a different perspective."

And so it has.  I now face nothing but windows, a fuller view of the outside than ever before.  It is a bright, inviting, crisp morning.  The direct sun is blocked by an outside column, yet it cannot be contained.  It spills out on either side.  It is encouraging, yet taunting.  I like this new perspective.

My thoughts have been diverted as well.  My back is now to the rest of the library.  One might approach me unawares, peek over my shoulder, invade my space and shake me from my reverie, no doubt frighten me.  It is an uncomfortable feeling.  Maybe I can better empathize and care about my characters, made victims by my pen.  Will I write them more realistically?  Will I identify with them?

Will I give myself nightmares?  I suppose, in an odd way, that if I do, I am succeeding.

Moving On (short story part 3)

How do you move on, shift from one focus to another?  Is it easy or challenging?  I suppose it depends on what you're changing from and going to.  When my children transition from school to summer vacation, easy doesn't begin to describe it!  Not so of the reverse.  In the late summer, moving from relative ease and freedom, sleeping in until Mom insists you get up and "do something" to alarm clocks, quick showers, running to catch school buses and that dreaded homework - now that's hard!

What about a change of scenery - a new job, a move, or even literally a change of season?  Some of these we welcome, but they still require adjustment on our part: making new friends, finding new doctors, pulling a sweater out of a box.  I have finished bringing life to my short story characters.  Their tale is told as much as a short story (or I) will allow.  And so, other than edits and revisions, they are gone.  They are finished.

Can I leave them so easily, now that they have become my friends?  I must, there are others waiting.  And yet, I wonder how they are faring now?  How is life treating them?  I think I'll send them a Christmas card.

Getting A Running Start (short story part 2)

A good running start makes long jumps longer and high jumps higher.  Starting a car early on a winter's morning warms up the engine for a better drive.  This blog is my warm up to writing each day.  It starts the fingers moving and the thoughts flowing.  But, today, my motor is already running.  The characters I referenced yesterday are almost fully fleshed out.  They are alive and real to me.

So, this is short today, because they call to me.  No blog need be my running start today, my characters are already that, and they are waiting ...

Left Hanging . . . (short story part 1)

Yesterday I took a departure from my typical writing plan.  Instead of working on my book, I stopped to write a short story.  It had a different feel to it and became intoxicating.  Time passed quickly, too quickly.  Other duties called and I knew I had to leave these new found characters behind, but I longed to stay.  Like real family members they have occupied my thoughts ever since.  They retired for the night with me, awakened in the midnight hours by my side, and arose with me from bed early this morning.

I am troubled by them.  They are in only half told form, missing elements that I already know exist which are not as yet penned.  And I know that until those events are pinned down, they are fleeting, merely hopes on the wind, dreams maybe not to be realized.  Will I recall all that has passed through my imagination?  Will I do them justice on the page?  Will they realize a full life and not a shallow one?

I do not know.  I can only hope.  And now, if you will excuse me, I need to write.

"Opinion" Piece

While recently completing a crossword puzzle I was interested by the clue leading to "blog."  It used the word "opinion" as part of the definition.  I must say I've always thought of blogs as personal online journals or topic based collections (think cooking or writing, for instance).  But "opinion" was not what came to mind.

When I think of opinions I think of letters to the editor or heated discussion, even arguments.  But when someone writes their thoughts, surely those are opinions, are they not?

That thought naturally leads to the conclusion that what I do - write - is very much founded on opinion.  This is not like math (i.e. 2+2=4 and always will).  Something very different is at work here.  What about a non-fiction book?  Isn't it still compiled and written according to the writers viewpoint and tastes?  This must be so or you wouldn't have different biographies of Lincoln, for example.  Only one would be needed, as it would have exactly the same information and conclusions of any other.  What a boring existence to not have opinions!

And since there are opinions in the way writers write, there are also opinions in the way readers read.  I have published articles in magazines.  Obviously an editor liked them enough to pay me money and then print them.  But has everyone had the same opinion?  I highly doubt it.  I am currently writing a book, a loose memoir, if you will, about mothering.  Generally my feedback has been positive, but there are those who do not care for my writing.

What to do with such opinions?  I imagine if the reviews are universally bad, one should take a hint!  And one can learn from criticism.  But what is your overall opinion of your own writing?  One must find the positives and push those through.  Find the publisher who likes your book, or rewrite the weak parts without discarding the whole manuscript.  Even J. K. Rowling's very popular and successful Harry Potter was rejected by twelve publishers before it found its audience.  (And now "Rowling" is so well known her name does not show up as a misspelled word!)

I may never aspire to write great literature, but I am writing stories that I like to read, and hopefully others will like to read as well.  And since not everyone thinks like me, I expect to have my detractors.  That is the nature of this game.

And that is my opinion.

Thick as a Brick

Writers, good writers that is, see the extraordinary in the ordinary, or more precisely they create the extraordinary from what is not.  Use the brick for example.  What can be made of a brick?  Below, are just a few thoughts.  Add your own in the comments and other suggestions, if you like.

1- A history lesson.  My husband's grandfather, a chemist, invented the red color that we see in the ordinary brick.  What a story.  It could be the true tale of how he used the royalties from this to pay for his medical school or a fictionalized version with plots to steal the formula and profit from it, or maybe it's like the artist that never realizes his due while alive only to achieve fame posthumously.

2- As a murder weapon.  This may be an obvious choice.  The reddish brown color of blood might go unnoticed on a brick for weeks before its startling discovery.

3- As a symbol of construction, both literal and figurative.  Few things speak of stable, conservative construction like a brick house or a brick foundation.

4- Density.  Is someone slow witted?  They are thick as a brick.  Will an idea float?  No, it sinks like a brick.  Is the bread light and fluffy, or is it a brick?

5- To strengthen meaning.  Would a speech delivered from a brick platform carry more "weight" than one delivered from a hastily built plywood stand?  Would a mason's advice to his friend be stronger when delivered during a brick laying session?

6- Sayings.  Any number of sayings utilize bricks, for example: running into a brick wall, building something brick by brick,  or it's just another brick in the wall.  These may be overused and cliche now, but the first person to come up with them was really using his brick.

Wearing Red Today

Some days you just don't feel like writing.

Election Day

Now, let's get this clear.  This is a writing blog not a political one.  But can you really resist capitalizing on  election day for a tightly contested presidency?  I'm not even going to try.

So, how does this relate to writing?  I have begun to muse on how much of oneself does an author actually put into his or her writing?  Surely our experiences shape what we write, our views on certain issues, even what settings we may employ.  With all of that, can the author retain some anonymity?  Do she even want to?

Here then is my question.  If you don't know me, can you tell from what I have written who I would prefer for president?  Are there any clues along the way?  I can assure you I am not a fence sitter on this issue.  I definitely have a preference.

If you think you have picked up on any clues in my writing, I would love to have you comment.  Tell me who you think my choice for candidate is and why you think that.  Even if you do know me, can you discern anything from the written word?  What do you think my writing reveals.  I will respond to comments . . . tomorrow.

Just the Facts, Ma'am

There is a time and place in writing for just including the relevant facts, being succinct and directed.  Who wants the wandering sidebar that adds nothing, for instance?  Do you like all of the political rhetoric in Les Miserables and just want to get back to the story, or are you one who enjoys that?  Maybe there is a place for the irrelevant in books.

When I, personally, set out to accomplish a task I am focused and determined.  I don't want to be distracted from what needs to be done.  This is my biggest hurdle with writing, writing the meaningless, the distractions. In reading Emma by Jane Austen there is a character who is so talkative that she bores Emma as well as the reader.  But that is the whole point!  You see this character as a real person.  Who doesn't know someone who is a real talker?  As you read her dialogue you feel with Emma the impatience.  You understand.

This adds realism to a novel.  Life is not without its distractions or its mundane.  For instance, dishes need to be washed and clothes cleaned, but do these add anything significant to your life story?  Not likely.  But add a little of these to a story and it seems more believable.

Additionally, what mystery would be complete without the irrelevant thrown in as red herrings along the way.  It adds to the mystery and suspense, not knowing what squeaks and sounds are relevant to the tale.

The danger comes with utilizing this too much.  If, in Emma, Jane Austen had continued for twenty pages some inane dialogue we would all lose patience and try to skip ahead or just set the book down.  It certainly wouldn't be a book that has stood the test of time.

I suppose, like so much of writing (and life), the secret is in finding the balance.

The Common Itch

Have you ever read a book that seemed to have an unresolved itch?  The boyfriend just seems a little too attentive or the cook's dinner bell a little too timely.  The author may or may not have drawn attention to this little detail, but it tickles the back of your thoughts; it is an itch that won't go away, yet cannot be scratched.  Is it just your imagination?  Or is it the secret that will blow the mystery wide open?

When the conclusion dawns and you were right, oh, what triumph!  Your itch has been assuaged (and validated).  But if your itch was unfounded are you disappointed?  Was it a purposely placed red herring or an example of your imagination run amok? (Or, heaven forbid, poor writing?)

How to place an appropriate itch is part of the writer's craft.  If carefully placed, it will draw attention, but only slight attention, like the absent minded scratch of the back of your hand.  If the itch is too strong it becomes a distraction - a very pesky mosquito bite that demands immediate attention.

Agatha Christie was the master of this, placing itches along the way that were only recognized in hindsight.  Other authors may fool you a few times, but become predictable when they use the same kind of itch in every book.  While we may feel self satisfied at figuring out the mystery before it was revealed, when it's too easy the fun is spoiled.  Finding the right balance for the reader is the trick.

But the itch also afflicts the writer.  Whether mystery or novel, do you want to reveal too much too early?  Are you eager to share all that is going on behind the scenes?  Or with literature, do you want to spell out your metaphors instead of letting them speak for themselves?  Understated itches will tease yet never torment. That is the goal.

May the itches be always in your favor.

A pause . . .

A few posts back (Embrace the Unexpected) I spoke of my writing corner in the library and its unwanted tenant, a large wasp.  My encounter with said wasp ended in the wasp's untimely death (or in my case - timely).  But, yesterday made me rethink that encounter.

It appears my corner has a wasp problem.  They seem to appear on a regular basis, sometimes in startling ways.  There was the day a woman was slowly flipping through a binder of reading lists.  As she thumbed through, a wasp suddenly rose from the next page.  She was a little unnerved, to say the least, and afterwards chagrined at having jumped.

This, along with other appearances, made me realize the wasps were around to stay, at least 'til cold weather "did them in".  So, what to do?  Should I find another corner?  Should I insist the library "do something" about it?   I was slipping into a decision by simply not deciding.

Yesterday, while writing, a familiar buzz interrupted my thoughts.  I shifted to an opposite seat so my back was no longer to the window, or the source of the sound.  I continued to write, a little wary, but still mostly focused.  Out of the corner of my eye, I did, however, keep track of the wasp's movements.  She (I have learned it would be a non-mating female) happily crawled around the window.  Window paint happens to adorn my corner window panes, and the wasp actually stopped to make a snack out of the paint.

I have decided that I will talk to the library about the problem, because even if they do die off in the winter, they will be back with warmer weather.  It is noteworthy though that I learned a lot by pausing before acting.  My wasp friend, or likely German yellowjacket, is an interesting creature.  I watched, I observed, I did a little internet research.  I gained by my pause.

Writing, I know, is about more than writing itself.  It is about reading and observing.  Reading has never been a problem with me, and maybe, just maybe, I can learn a little from my taking the time to observe.