Maybe It's Time To ....

We received sad news this morning about a friend who was airlifted to a hospital two hours from here after suffering a brain hemorrhage. The hospital is a highly regarded neurological trauma center, and I know she is getting the best care available to us.

Our friend is a woman in her mid-seventies but one that is vibrant and operates on a schedule that might daunt a thirty year old. She has given so much of herself to others throughout her lifetime. She has been a wife, a mother, grandmother, teacher, school social worker, and founder of the Children's Christian Concern Society.

The CCCS is a group that sponsors christian education in 21 countries around the globe. It began 42 years ago in Zacapa, Guatemala because of our friend's caring heart, and the organization has grown tremendously over the years, thanks to the leadership of our friend and her husband. She reminds me of the Energizer Bunny, always going, always doing something, even her mind seldom rests.

But now, she lies in a hospital fighting for life. And I am reminded of how very fragile life is. In a matter of minutes, our lives can change or even be snuffed out. It's totally out of our control.

It does make me think that I must do the things I've always wanted to do before there's no time to do them. I have a juvenile novel that I've written and never made a serious effort at marketing it, despite several people encouraging me to do so. Maybe it's time that I do that. Maybe it's time to stop saying someday and make it a today  thing instead.

Maybe it's time to tell special people how I feel about them. I know, but perhaps they aren't aware of it. And I'd like them to be aware that I admire and/or love them. Maybe it's time to treasure the little moments in life--like waking up in the morning with my husband's arms holding me close. Maybe it's time to say the thank you I owe to many people who have made a difference in my life.

Maybe we all need to step back and think about a lot of things. Tragedy illuminates the fragility of our lives.

As The Sycamore Grows--A Great Book

Jennie M. Helderman--Author of As The Sycamore Grows

You may remember a blog post about a writer I admire--Jennie Helderman. We met through our online critique group, wac. Jennie was taking a writing class in her home area. One of her assignments was to write a 1500 word magazine article on poverty in Alabama which described real people and their actual names.  She found a subject with help from the Director of a Women's Shelter. After an interview where she gathered enough material for her article, Jennie realized she had enough to write an entire book.

Perhaps it was a fleeting thought at first, but after the teacher read the article she'd written, he agreed that it could easily be expanded into a full length book. Perhaps the word easily is not appropriate as it took a journey of five years duration to bring the idea to published book. But today, the book is a reality.

Jennie submitted her book a chapter at a time to our wac group, and we picked it apart, giving suggestions about places that might not be clear enough, or exclaiming over a particularly well done section. We watched as she wrote and rewrote so that the story would do justice to the people in it and send the right message to those who read it. We watched at a conference where we had all gathered as she pitched her book to an agent.

Once the book was complete, she began the masochistic marketing process. That adjective may be a bit strong, but anyone who is trying to sell a book knows they are putting themselves up for being rejected time and again. It can feel like standing at a whipping post with agent after agent, or editor after editor thrashing you. But if you believe in what you've written, as Jennie did, being published can happen.

I have been reading my copy of  As The Sycamore Grows, and even though I know the story of a woman's fight for freedom well, I'm captivated by it, thanks in part to excellent writing. In only pages, I found myself completely drawn into Ginger's story as told by Jennie. She gives equal time to Mike's story as well. For, in any abusive marriage, there are two characters  playing out the story. Ginger's tale is one of escape from a controlling, abusive husband, of finding a safe haven, and finally of making a new life for herself and her two boys.It's a fascinating read, and I feel privileged to have been able to watch this book grow from a seed to full fruit.

Amazon has a page that has the book details and an editorial review. They are also selling it at a reduced price. To learn more, go to: http://www.amazon.com/As-Sycamore-Grows-Jennie-Helderman/dp/098277320X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285768860&sr=1-1

Books vs Movies

I've seldom found a movie made from a book that surpassed the book. It's not that I don't like movies. I do.
But almost always, I find that I enjoy the book far more. I got to wondering the other day as to the reason for that.

The director and producers of the films made from books are free to interpret the story in any way they like. That sometimes means big changes from the original manuscript, which means people who view the movie leave the theater saying, "Well gee whiz, that wasn't like the  book at all. They changed the whole ending."

I think that is one reason I prefer the book. It allows me to interpret it for myself. It lets me use my own imagination when reading. I set the scene in my mind, and the movie scenes may be quite different. I also devise my own mental picture of each character, and maybe my heroine doesn't look like Meryl Streep.

Sometimes whole sections of a book are left out of the movie. Sacrilege! At least, it is to someone who writes words that are all deemed important and takes offense at them being sliced away. And I'm going to guess that isn't only me but just about all authors. Our words are precious to us but obviously not to the Hollywood crowd.

If I had to list books and movies in order of preference, books would definitely be number one. How many of you agree with me?

Storm Stories

The picture above was on the internet showing the wierdest cloud I've ever seen and never hope to again. The building beneath the ominous black cloud is the football offices and locker rooms of Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS. It's where we live and where we attend all K-State football games. Going out from either side of the building is our stadium which seats 50,000 fans. 

Saturday, we were playing the University of Central Florida. I read in the paper that many of the UCF players had never been to the Midwest before. After the experience we had during the game, they may never want to return. During the Ft. Riley Day pre-game festivities, I watched the thunderclouds in the north. A few jagged streaks of lightning sliced through them every now and then, but it all appeared to be far away from the stadium. Suddenly, a cloud lower than the others began to appear, and it spread from west to east looking like a wall. Later I heard someone say the actual term is a wall cloud, but on TV that evening, a weatherman corrected it. He said what we had is a shelf cloud. Seems a wall cloud has tornadoes boiling up inside it and a shelf cloud does not, just brings on severe storms. Whichever it was, I found it pretty scary.

The game had been going for about three minutes when the announcer told the fans that the game was suspended because of lightning in the area. He urged us to leave immediately and seek shelter. Surprisingly, thousands of people filed out in an orderly fashion. Some went to cars in the parking lots, while others found refuge in the basketball coliseum close by. Those in charge had opened it immediately. By the time Ken and I had gotten into the coliseum, the wind picked up and flags whipped furiously on their poles, and then torrents of rain covered the area. 

An hour and twenty-five minutes later, the teams were back on the field, fans in the stands, and play resumed. The rain stopped, the storm clouds disappeared and the sun came out. We had a happy ending to the storm and also the game, which we won late in the fourth quarter.

The experience made me think about how great storms are for background in stories. What offers better possibilities for vivid description? What offers better chances to bring emotion to the characters? What offers better opportunities to weave suspense or terror into a story?. Take a look at the fiction stories you've written, then try and rewrite them with a storm theme running through. It could be like taking one of those new 2:30 p.m. five hour energy pills I see in an oft-repeated TV commercial lately. Weave a storm around your story, and it might end up a winner.

One Or Two?

I pay close attention to the critiques the members of my online group do for me, but I also read most of the ones they do for others. It's almost equivalent to taking a class on writing. I've learned a lot reading what others have to say.

One of the things I've noticed that is said fairly often is that there are two stories in a submission that should concentrate on only one. I've had it said about a few of my own submissions, and it came up again recently in a story someone submitted as a possible Chicken Soup for preteens story.

It happens when we write too much of an introduction or give too much backstory. In the one I read yesterday, the author had a lot of intro material that was interesting and was most likely done to set the scene for the real story which began more than halfway through the piece. It's where the action began and where my interest heightened. I'm sure she felt all the intro part was necessary to the telling of the active part. And a lot of the information in it was most definitely pertinent.

I would rather she began with the action part of the story and weave in the needed background information. For one thing, it is going to grab the reader's attention sooner. Or she could use the information in the earlier part to write a separate story, turning one submission into two submissions.

As I said, I've done this myself more than once and not even realized it until a critter pointed it out in her critique. When I concentrated on one part and made it into one story, guess what happened? The story became much stronger. I've learned that the answer to One or Two? is almost always One.

Celebrity Authors

Those of us who struggle to make a name in the writing world will understand when I say that celebrities writing books that get wide acclaim from the publishing world and the media irk me. The book doesn't sell because it's a good book. It sells because a movie star, singer, or other entertainment celebrity wrote it.

But did they write it? I'm sure there are a few who actually do write the book, but there are also many who use ghost writers or have the idea and editors at a publishing house whip the whole thing into shape for them. I don't know this for a fact, but I'm reasonably certain that it does happen.

If these celebrities want to to be taken seriously in the writing world, they should write the book under a different name and go through the process just like the rest of us do. I wonder what percentage would make it.

On the other hand, if the book they've 'written' has  real merit or is helpful to children in some way, I'm all for it. If they are doing it to keep their name in lights a little longer or to rev up a sinking career, then I'm really irritated. But how do we know where each of these people fits? We don't, so every time it happens, I start mumbling and muttering.

Do other writers have the same kind of feelings I've had on this subject? I'd like to hear from you.

Breaking My Own Rules

I did it. I broke one of my own rules. Time and again, I have preached about following the guidelines when looking for a place to send a story, poem, or article. It only makes sense to do the things the editor has asked for. If you don't, she'll toss the submission faster than a good running back moves down a football field.

Last night, I checked out a few possible places to send an essay, and while doing so, I found one that takes poetry. My poem about visiting Monet's garden in Giverny, France seemed a good fit in all but one way. They specified that shorter poems are more likely to be accepted due to space constraints in their publication. A suggestion of 18 lines came next.

My poem was considerably longer, but it definitely fit the other specifications. So, what to do? I mulled it over for a full 30 seconds and decided I had nothing to lose by sending it. If the editor looked at subject matter and appeal first, maybe it would pass. And if it didn't, I'd move on to another market.

I filled out the submission form, and clicked Submit, but as soon as I did, I started to feel guilty about breaking my own rule. That was last night, but this morning, there seems to be no sign of guilt. What I did hurt no one, unless perhaps myself.

Rules are good to have, but they can be bent once in awhile.