Just a Musing...

Taking things for granted...Or do we remember to experience gratitude?

       During childhood most of us are taught to say 'thank you.' And typically we meant it, even if we had to work on getting the words right. To remember our manners. I certainty loved receiving a cookie or a special toy. At Christmas my siblings and I were taught to pay attention to the person giving us the gift so that we may show our gratitude and respect towards the giver. Perhaps it made for a more orderly 'opening of the presents' but we learned to appreciate what we were given. And in turn when a gift we gave was appreciated, we felt warm and fuzzy inside because we knew they enjoyed it and were full of gratitude.

      Now, gifts given by a 'giver' who wants our gratitude in such a way as to be controlling is an entirety different manner, left for another article. Because those are gifts we open with a hesitant heart and a wary soul. 

      Gratitude is important, otherwise we fall into the trap of taking things for granted. And unfortunately we don't even realize we take things for granted until suddenly something terrible happens. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all. But shouldn't we take a bit of time, before we leave the bed in the morning, or before we shut our eyes at night, to take a deep breath and remember what is important? To say 'thank you'. To remember our manners? 

       And not only for things such as clothes, food and toys but for the soil that our food is grown in? The rain that falls on our Earth and supplies us with life? For the sun that warms our planet? Should we remember to be grateful for the cycles of life and the joyful times of development our children grow through? Perhaps we could take a moment to be grateful for dogs because they are loyal and treat us like royalty when we do nothing more than give them pats on the head and puppy treats when they wag their tails?

        It's like writing. I grow frustrated because I haven't achieved my goals, I haven't found an agent or signed with a publisher even though I finished my book and edited until I could edit no more. But perhaps I should feel a bit of gratitude. Why? Because I could write. My brain could form words and sentences and ideas. Because I could embrace my creativity. Because my fingers obey the commands of my brain and type the keys on the computer that I want them to. Journeys of any sort can be difficult, taking our manners with us can help. A bit Pollyanna, I know, (the people that dwell in the world of negative are cringing) but gratitude is a spark of light which is always important otherwise we grow soul weary. And that just sounds like a tired state of being to me.

Weekly Writing Tip

Characters. They can make you grin or pull out your hair in frustration.


    Last week we talked about naming our characters. It's easier than naming your own children but by just a fraction. :) 

    This week lets talk about the psychological make up of your character. Uh, oh. My character isn't crazy, he's not an axe murderer why do we have to analyze him? Because we need to know what makes your character tick. Everyone has quirks, habits they perform, things that set them off because of events in their lives and a great character 'experiences' those same problems.

    Now, with that being said, the reader may not know everything you know. Just because you know your character to drink three cups of strong coffee and a single piece of toast for breakfast, doesn't mean it might ever make it into the story. The reader doesn't need to know all that is mundane, just what pertains to the story.

     So why bother to know so many details? Because it adds depth and realism to your character. If you understand your character than you know what they will do in situations, how they will react, what emotional response they will have and you will be able to convey this information in a way that captures our emotions and makes us care about your character. There's nothing worse than having a character that no one cares about it. The readers have to care about your characters to care about your story. 

     To start figuring out your character write down this information; where they live, what job do they have, what job would they like to have, what foods they like and what foods they don't like, do they have a pet and how do they treat that pet, their family and the thing they hate most. What are their views and how do those views effect their outlook on life? 

     You don't have to write a complete diary or a novel on your character. You would never have time to write the story if you did that but write a couple of pages just to start to understand your character, realizing that you can add to it as you write the story or even change things if you decide something would work better. You can also write down slang or certain pieces of dialogue they are prone to use. 

     The idea here is to have a reference guide of your character. To add depth to the why your character does certain things. It can also help keep characters consistent if you take the time to write their details down, then as you write the story you can refer back to it as you need to. 

      Remember, this is your character and they need to seem real, like they could step right off the page and into someone's living room. Know the mundane of your character but focus on what makes them likable (or unlikable if need be) and human.

Just a Musing...

Lunar Eclipse and Freezing in the Cold...

       Monday night and into Tuesday morning I was shivering under layers of clothing and a thick blanket watching the slowly disappearing full moon. It was wonderful and agonizing slow. I've never seen a lunar eclipse and didn't realize that they stretch over a bit of time. Or at least it seems a bit slow when your toes are going numb and your nose is as bright as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer's. Brrr. 

      But it was worth it. I'm not going to try to wax poetry here, it isn't my strong point in writing, but the moon was beautiful. A wispy winter cloud cover made it difficult to see the copper orb high above us, but binoculars helped us see more of its awesome red color. And slowly as the minutes past, more and more of the moon faded from the sky. 

     The night was still, the city was quiet. And the Earth was blocking the sunlight from hitting the moon and so for a few minutes in time, the sun, Earth and moon were in alignment. Does it mean anything? I don't know. Some cultures and religions put significance on the event. Is it cool? Completely. When else can you be reminded of how small you are in the universe than when you're watching heavenly bodies line up all in a row?      

      We are all part of something much bigger than we can even imagine. 

     As the moon was nearly completely blocked and had turned a lovely copper color, I woke the kids from their warm beds and they hurried into boots, coats, and mittens. They were ready to see a full lunar eclipse on the night of the winter solstice. My youngest looked at it for a few minutes with a huge grin and then went promptly back to the bed. My oldest pondered the mysteries of the universe through the glass of a heavy set of binoculars and then joked about greeting the start of winter because it seemed just as cold yesterday when it was Fall. Around here winter tends to kick Fall out on her arse a little early. Grin. 

      Twinkle, twinkle little star...because we start to ponder the sky above us from birth. 

     On another brief musing...Last week I wrote about miracles. And it's fascinating me, must be the season. But I came across this quote that I would like to share. 

 “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”

 Albert Einstein

Merry Christmas to everyone.