CREATING A WORLD TO EXPLORE

BLOG 29
Melissa


 
I picked up a great tip from a  writer named Maggie Bresonis.  She won First-Place in 1912, in the Writer’s Digest Category Fiction Awards 
 Showcase for her science fiction story, Counterparts .  

Her tip (in Writer’s Digest, May/June, 2012) was,  “Know your world.” She said she developed  the  economic, social and political  climates of her world way beyond what she needed for her story.   It made it easier to make decisions for her characters.  

She reminded me of  the elaborate  maps by authors  I love;  C.S. Lewis, L. Frank Baum, and George R.R. Martin all 
created elaborate maps of their fantasy worlds. 

These maps are a form of storytelling in and of themselves.    They inspire me to map a rich, detailed world for Clare to explore.

I Was One of the Thousands of Children Adopted from Greece During 1955-1957

BLOG 28

JOANNA

There were three thousand children adopted from Greece during 1955-1957 period who are now middle aged or older. Many were sold.  Governments falsified documents so that there was no way to trace their journeys. Those who were babies recall little about the separation from their birth families, but this girl, who entered the United States  at ten years old, recalls every detail. 

After much soul searching, and due to extreme poverty, parents agreed to put their youngest children up for adoption through a special program run  by Queen Frederica of Greece and the government of United States.  Parents wanted to give their children a better life.   After all, going to America was special.  America  was for  the select. America was the land of gold, where people had walking and talking dolls, chocolate, and  lived happily ever after.  There were many difficult farewells and well wishes.

Parents trusted that all children would be looked after well--trust was their driving force. But what parents didn't know is that they would never see their children again. The moment their child left,  the connection with their Greek family and their old  life  was cut.  Some grown children don't remember the separation.  Some don't even know they have Greek biological families.

Now fifty years later, many who  were adopted continue to  look for their biological extended families.   Families on the other side, in Greece, continue  looking for that child that left them so many years ago.  Mine is the  story of one child's journey back to  her Greek family, a story I tell  in  "The Girl from the Tower."

 

Author: Dancing Skeleton, A Journey Through Stage IV Cancer http://www.lls.org/pages/calso/DancingSkeleton
The Girl from the Tower, A Journey of Lies
Wellness Coordinator for Juice Plus
Joanna Giangardella 949-291-2290
A variety of 17 fruits and vegetables in a capsule / the recipe for better health
Backed by medical research;
www.jgiangardella.juiceplus.com
www.jgiangardella.towergarden.com
http://www.mipcolostrumnz.com?




"A healthy person has one thousand wishes and plans, a sick person has one"

UNRAVELING YOUR BALL OF TWINE



BLOG 26
Elaine

On a sun-scattered Monday morning I face the blank page, first in a string of Mondays since last settling at my computer poised with the intention to write. Like a concert pianist I stretch my fingers and place them upon the keys; then I conjure the mantra I love the process! all the while reminding myself that a non-outcome for my effort is better than no effort at all.

Being in the midst of a dry spell is no picnic for an author. It's the last place I expect to find myself, dragging my heels through the parched, white metaphoric desert sand. While I experience this slump (aka period of rejuvenation) here are a few activities I purposely engage in to keep my writing fresh. I've discovered that writing isn't always about filling the blank page; the blessing is to find joy in the little things.

1) Never underestimate the power of an email! It's an opportunity to express yourself with an economy of words. Consider emails to be an exercise in effective communication. To compose a clear and concise email is good practice, while proofreading and editing will hone your writing skills.

2) Posting to social media is not considered writing (or is it?) If you are an author and have a Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, or blog, your posts are a potential reader's first exposure to your style. So take pride in what you post. Consider it an opportunity to make a difference, provoke a thought, or gain a new admirer.

3) If you're able to express yourself creatively, chances are you're able to express yourself through other channels, too. Photography is one of my favorite means of expression. Lately, I've also delved into the abundantly rich world of anything-goes mixed-media collage where the possibilities are endless and no rules apply. The rebel in me loves it. The author in me rejoices in its tactile simplicity. To wile away the hours cutting, pasting, and arranging rather than tapping away at a keyboard is a breath of fresh air.

So if you find your words have become a tremendous jumble (think: twisted ball of twine), do not despair! Every day I tug at the knots, and little by little I've begun to unravel the mess. When the time is right, there will be one continuous thread. And that thread will have amazing stories to tell.

FALLING IN LOVE WITH MADELEINE L'ENGLE ALL OVER AGAIN

POST 20
Melissa

I remember catching the spark from Madeleine L'Engle.  Madeleine L'ENGLE had just published  A Wrinkle  in Time in 1962.  I read it in 1966.  I related to the adventurous girl in the story. I was an adventurous  12 year  old.  I explored the land around my house and  imagined monsters in creeks, mysterious  strangers in abandoned cabins, and hideouts in trees.

But it was more than an adventure story.  A Wrinkle In Time,  gave 12 year old me permission to experience the deeply profound issues that swirled around me as I entered the bigger world.    I still remembers her chilling portayal of conformity:

"As the skipping rope hit the pavement, so did the ball. As the rope curved over the head of the jumping child, the child with the ball caught the ball. Down came the ropes. Down came the balls. Over and over again. Up. Down. All in rhythm. All identical. Like the houses. Like the paths. Like the flowers."
- Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time

Her  advice on writing resonates with me today: "You are given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself. What you say is completely up to you."  

Thank you Madeleine L'Engle for sharing your imagination and insights with an adventurous twelve year old girl. I will always be grateful.

A POEM IN YOUR POCKET

POST 19
MaryAnn

April is National Poetry Month and it's time to celebrate poets and poetry.  The bestfiction writing uses the same literary elements as seen in poetry: metaphor, symbolism, alliteration, and subtext.

Where do poets get their inspiration? "Poems come from ordinary experiences and objects, I think," Sharon Olds, winner of the 1984 National Book Critics Circle Award for her book, The Dead and the Living, says. "Out of memory—a dress I lent my daughter on her way back to college; a newspaper photograph of war; a breast self-exam; the tooth fairy; Calvinist parents who beat up their children; a gesture of love; seeing oneself naked 
over age 50 in a set of bright hotel bathroom mirrors." 

How do we read poetry?

First of all, we turn off the television. Secondly, we're prepared; we have a book of poetry on hand for those surprising moments when we have a chance to read. Third, we read silently and then we read the poem once again out loud, paying attention the rhythm of the lines as we slowly absorb the poem's meaning. 

Poetry demands our attention and concentration. Being able to concentrate in today's hectic world is sometimes impossible. Waking up in the middle of the night unable to sleep is the perfect time to turn on a light and read a few poem. Time spent having to wait 
for an appointment can be better utilized by pulling out a volume of poetry.

Good poetry has clarity of language that will help us in our own writing. The closer we 
look at poetry, the more we will discover about excellent writing. Poetry is, after all, words put together in the most perfect order.

Put a poem in your pocket during National Poetry Month. Read one, write one, and share one with others. We have 26 letters to play with and mold into art, and poetry makes the best use of those letters.

BRINGING THE SCENE ALIVE THROUGH THE SENSES

POST 17
KRISTEN

A friend of mine recommended an “excellent book—a simply must read!”  Oh, how I hate those.  They interrupt my life.  Do I write or read?  Load of laundry or read?  Go to gym—or read?  It’s an addiction.  Be it flame to moth or winno to whiskey, I went to my Kindle and three clicks later, I got my fix.  True to tale, amazing book.

​Not only is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerrbeautiful and engaging from every possible pore, one of the main characters is blind.  Doerr tells the story in third person omniscient; therefore, this character comes to us through sounds, smells, and touch.  Not only is this a refreshing way to know a character, it could be a great writing technique for our sighted characters as well.

​I’m going to experiment.  I’m going to have my characters enter rooms and I’m going to write the scene as if that sighted character is actually blind.  As writers, we struggle to bring the scenes alive through senses—always adding this and that.  It never occurred to me to actually to take something away.  

​I may or may not add vision to some of the scenes altogether.  Maybe it will be energizing for the reader to come back into a room visited many times before with the character (say the character’s kitchen, living room or office) but to experience this room through the other senses.  As I continue to brainstorm, maybe those smells can also “reflect” what is happening to the character.  For instance, tough times can have the smell of rot whereas good times can smell of roses.   If my character closed her eyes, what would she hear?  Close by and far away?  Are some sounds more comforting?  

​Looking forward to a much needed Writing Group fix where I will bring my newest experiment to be poked and prodded.  

ABOUT WEBSITES AND BLOGGING - PART II

POST 16

 Elaine

Louis Tigh, veteran of the United States Marine Corps and website designer, is the founder of Prometheus Design (www.prometheusdesign.com). Louis graciously 

donated his time to participate in the following Q&A about websites and blogging. This is part II of my Q&A with Louis. 

4) One of the biggest challenges for the aspiring writer/blogger is to attract an online audience. There are many useful tools that can enhance Search Engine Optimization; what would you classify as the number one most important blogging tool?

I believe you can learn a lot about how people find and interact with your website or blog by looking at the numbers. The best way to gauge this traffic is by using Google Analytics, a free tool offered by Google. It may seem intimidating at first, but I always encourage my clients to explore this tool to discover the viewing habits of their audience. For example, if you make a change to the site and people stay on that page longer, it may be wise to incorporate similar changes throughout the site to increase the amount of time people spend there. These numbers represent the culmination of direct marketing and you can quickly test and implement changes that will improve a users’ experience.

5) How often should a blogger add new content to a blog?

Realistically, I believe any regular interval is better than never adding new content. I have found that most people write one post per week, or one every two weeks, or even once a month. The important thing is to find an interval that works for you and stick to it. Before you know it, you will have added a large amount of content!

6) When a blogger provides a link to a website that is relevant to their own, does this help move their blog up the search engine train?

It may, however you usually want other websites to have links to your content. This not only looks good from a search engine perspective, but it will also lead people from their website to yours.

7) It's well-known that tagging helps link posts to the Internet. How does one go about selecting a relevant keyword or tags? What's the appropriate number of tags to add, and is there such a thing as adding too many tags?

Tags or keywords can boost your search engine ranking. To select keywords, compose a theme or a central idea behind your blog post. Choosing a few key terms that are associated or support this idea should be used. I would recommend no more than five tags per post.

8) Is it important to add images to a blog? What is “alt” text and why is it necessary?

Yes, I believe it's very important to add pictures because they break up the monotony of text. 'Alt’ text is short for alternative text and is used either because the image cannot load or the web user cannot see it, in which case their web browser will read the ‘alt’ text. ‘Alt’ text is also a great way of sneaking in some extra keywords that relate to your post.

9) Lastly, what role does social media play in optimizing a blog's exposure?

Social media is a great way to spread the exposure of your blog or website. While some people may feel comfortable trusting Google to provide them with the most relevant information, other people prefer to rely on humans instead of computer algorithms. By sharing your post or website on a social media platform, you effectively reach an audience you might otherwise have missed.

Louis, a veteran of the United States Marine Corp, is the founder of Prometheus Design launched in 2014. The company prides itself on offering powerful web solutions to small business owners throughout Southern California. In addition, they focus on providing timely service, cost-effective solutions, and outstanding customer service. Prometheus Design will sit down with you and combine imagination, strategy, research, and experience to craft a unique solution to fit your needs. To view a portfolio of their work go to