Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge?

Can you imagine having a name as Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge?

I am very thankful that I do not although I absolutely LOVE the book by the same name. The book has the most delightful and honest illustrations which I described in a poem:

The illustrator has the most remarkable way of capturing truth
Truth in an honest and loving and somewhat embarrassing way
A way we all look in our honest and everyday real self
Softened with watercolor gentleness displaying big bellies and skinny legs
Big lumpy bottoms, hangy down breasts and almost bald heads
Pants held up almost to necks with suspenders
Pantyhose stockings rolled down past knees with lavender dress shoes and orange dresses
Wilfred Gordon Patridge McDonald didn't mind any of these things in the least
He peers at his friends in an honest, loving and somewhat embarrassing way himself

note: This is part of a poem I wrote for the April challenge of writing a poem a day. As you can see I don't follow poetic rules but they haven't seemed to mind, so far. ;-)

As you can see the illustrator deeply warmed my heart and roused a warm "yummy" feeling for "our honest and everyday real selves." Julie Vivas is an outstanding illustrator

The story itself is a gift of warmth, love, deep longing and sadness, mixed with unabashed love that bringing the young and old together can often do. After being asked "is there actually a man living by that name? Or is it poetic license you're taking?" I, myself, became curious.
The first site listed after one Google search with "wilfrid gordon mcdonald partridge by mem fox" was
http://www.memfox.com/wilfrid-gordon-mcdonald-partridge.html

What a treasure on every level this site is. This is a precious jewel you will cherish. Do yourself a favor and relish all the finds there. This website has many gifts for the young and old. I can't wait to dig into it more.

Thank you, Mem Fox, for sharing with our world.

The Writer's OTHER Full-Time Occupation

Most any "On Writing..." book published, whether authored by a famous-name Fiction author or by an academic author, will mention -- almost as an aside the fact is so unanimously understood -- that 'real' writers are also serious readers. I've come nowhere near consuming every single "On Writing..." book ever written and yet I will stick my neck out and say nearly every single one will, at very least, allude to writers being nearly tireless readers.

I invite any and all to provide me evidence to the contrary; I will happily admit I was wrong. But we'll both know I was actually RIGHT, because the author of the work you cite will have simply edited their own oblique or pointed statement to the effect of 'writers are readers' as it would be superfluous to state an obvious fact, anyway... and they needed to bring the word count in a little.

I'm the one who snapped up Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott from the Library after our meeting on Tuesday. But don't worry, those of you who were hoping to be next in reading it -- I'm already nearly half through it and will get it back to the Library in a timely fashion.

I mention Lamott's book, not to rub anyone's nose in the fact that Nyah-nyah, I got the book! but because she mentions the 'writers are readers' adage in her book -- which is very good, by the way -- a couple of times in a couple of different ways.

Anne Lamott really likes reading. And writing. And her son Sam. She's extremely relateable. I like her, I like her book, and I really like her take on writing. And reading.

I'm in something of a slump, actually. 'Well, duh!' those of you at Tuesday's meeting might be saying to yourself! Not that I'm the center of the universe or anything, but my face? She does not lie. I don't mean to insinuate that everyone was looking at me and paying attention to me and wondering what was up with me... Only that I tend to eminate my feelings in such a way that -- for those around me -- it's kind of like trying to dodge the fine mist issuing forth when someone sneezes. Only like, emotionally. So, yeah.

What I like about Lamott? She is like me. She is in over her head, confused, full of "psychological illnesses" (her ...well, if not her exact words, it's at least her concept), and all sorts of insecurities and shortcomings.

Which makes her a FABULOUS writer.

Reading Bird by Bird is like going back to the "Square One" that Heather Seller's Page after Page (huh. Bird by Bird ... Page after Page ... hmmm -- similar titles, there. Anyway -- back to the thought -- ) rescued me from almost two years ago when I was knee-deep in a deja-vu like slump as well.

Do you ever get into one of those? What does it feel like? How do you describe it? -- Here's how I describe it: Shane Falco, describing 'Quicksand'. The most important question, however, is How do you get out of it?

Well, I've obviously answered the first question, twice over (at least) just in the time I've been a member of PnP! As for the second question... well, it feels like... well, I cannot say for sure how it feels to have a limb amputated or to be paralyzed, so I'll have to go with that awful 'pins and needles' feeling you get when a limb falls asleep. As to describing it... well in addition to the 'Quicksand' quote, see the previous answer. (I'm nothing if not redundant and repetitive.)

As for the last, most important question? Well, I think I'm in the midst of developing a strategy... I think I'm going to buy those "On Writing..." books that I find especially inspirational, especially uplifting... and when I hit a slump, I'm going to close my eyes, do an eenie-meenie-mynie-moe and pick one.

Then I'm going to do that thing that Every Writer Does, and read.

W-W-W-W-W Poem

It has been a long time since I have reviewed different ways to write poems, so I've been wondering about helps since I plan to "practice" some poetry writing next month. Then, would you believe it? I was keeping the grandchildren today, and the fourth grader brought home poems he had been writing to different formats. Some of the formats I had heard of before such as Haiku. One I was not familiar with was the W-W-W-W-W Poem. I'm sure you can guess that the W's stand for--yes, one could answer the questions Who-What-When-Where-Why to form a poem. The poems should be five lines long. The poem should tell a story or give a strong picture of someone or something. Each line should answer one of the "w" questions in the same order. When you read the poem, it should sound like two sentences put together.

Example:

"A Visit"
WHO: A college friend
WHAT: visited
WHEN: last Monday
WHERE: in my home.
WHY: She just couldn't stay away.

By the way, the idea came from www2.redmondk12.com. (I think.)

Nana

"Forget and forgive. This is not difficult when properly understood. It means forget inconvenient duties, then forgive yourself for forgetting. By rigid practice and stern determination, it comes easy."
----Mark Twain

I forgot to blog last week, and have just now remembered. What I want to talk about is audiobooks, which have been around for years, but haven't really been "on my radar" until recently. Recently, I bought an MP3 player (I may be the last person my age to do so), and besides music, it will play audiobooks, and both the Friona and Clovis library have added downloadable audiobooks to their repertoire of services.

My reading time, as all of my free time, has been curtailed by the kids' arrival, and listening to auidiobooks gives me a chance to "read" while also doing housework, or cooking.

I find it both satisfying, and unsatisfying. I am getting more "reading" done, including some classics, like Great Expectations (and a lot more junk food, like Twilight and some werewolf book I don't remember the name of). On the other hand, listening to a book doesn't allow for the re-reading and relishing of good passages, or flipping back to get things straight. The voice that is reading also affects my enjoyment a lot. Most of them seem to be quite mediocre in that respect.

What I really can't decide is whether listening to an audiobook counts as reading a book. Can I legitimately claim to have read Great Expectations, or is listening to the (unabridged) audiobook along the same lines as watching the movie? It seems to straddle a line between the two, since while the listening is a passive form of enjoyment, as is watching, it is not an adaptation being listened to, but the work in its entirety.

What are your opinions?

Writing Is Communication

We are told to write like we speak. I hope not! Our speech has deteriorated into something unrecognizable. I believe the following list of phrases should be eliminated from the English language:

"Put a lid on it." (Meaning Shut Up!)

"Not a problem." (Please just say You're Welcome.)

"We're on the same page." (Meaning I Agree with you.)

"It is what it is." (So exactly what is it?)

"A win-win situation." (There is no such thing. Somebody wins, somebody else looses.)

"Let's connect the dots." (Couldn't we just use some logic?)

"You have to understand." (I don't HAVE to understand anything.)

"Don't go there." (Go where?)

"At the end of the day." (Would that be around midnight?)

"24/7." (From here to eternity maybe?)

"Step up to the plate." (Please! I'm trying to eat here.)

"Boots on the ground." (Can't we respect them enough to call them soldiers?)

Other popular idioms that make me gag are: "Not a happy camper," "A teachable moment," "The bottom line," "Pushing the envelope," "To die for," "Bring it to the table," "Shovel ready," "They came to play," and the much over-used "Awesome!"

Wouldn't it be simpler to say what we actually mean? Y'know what I'm sayin'? Stick a fork in these --- they're done!

Revision - GO!

Okay, today I am printing out a copy of my Nanowrimo novel and I'm going to start revising that puppy. It's my New Year's Resolution. I should have started this yesterday, but somehow that didn't happen.

In one month, I want you guys to start asking me if you can read it. Seriously. Because by then, I want to have something I'm not totally ashamed to have others read.

I found an interesting writing website - hollylisle.com - that I think is a great resource, not only on revision but on many aspects of the writing life. The particular articles I am going to reference for my revision process (although I can already tell that I won't be adhering to her method entirely) are "How to Revise a Novel" and "One Pass Revision".

So I want to know - What are your writing goals for the New Year?

Why I participated in 2009 NaNoWrimo

*As a fluke
*Just for fun
*To have the experience
*To see if I could do it
*To see if I would do it
*To participate with Solard
*Solard was so passionate and involved in it last year and I wanted to be a part of that (she participated the previous year, also, but I don’t remember hearing her talk about then)
*I wanted the growth as a writer

What are some of the benefits I have gained from it:
*Persistence- (about the third day I came home from work, very tired, thinking “Do I really have to do this?!? I just want to eat a bite and go to bed!)
*Perseverance- esp. after losing my first 25,166 words half way into November…then choosing to continue
*Deeper friendships- with people caring about me and trying to help me recover my 25,166 words
*Deeper understanding of God- and his ways, how big He is, His grace, mercy, love and the meaning of the sacrificial blood shed for all of us
*Joy- from sticking with it and seeing the word count reach the 50,000 mark
*Commitment- I am showing my family and friends that I can commit to something and stay with it to completion.
*Respect- from Pens and Pages group They already loved and respected me but showed it often during this experience. I love them so dearly for it.

*Being able to say this: I did it! I am a novelist. I will not doubt myself about being a writer anymore.

Thank you dear writing friends for your encouragement and support in this endeavor!

Anyone care to join me for FAWM?
February Album Writing Month
Goal: Write 14 original songs in a month

Feminine Spirituality

When I signed up to write a blog in November, I thought I would write about "being thankful" because that's where my focus is in November. And I do have much to be thankful for this year! However,I've just read an interesting book called The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. It is her first novel, and all the while I was reading, I kept trying to figure out why her name seemed so familiar. I finally googled her name and found out that she used to write for Guide Post. She is now known as a contemplative, feminine spiritualist--thus the title for this blog. I found it interesting that Dr. David Jeremiah of "Turning Point" lists her along with Rick Warren and Brother Lawrence and others as "people who have discovered how we can bring real living excitement into this life".

One thing I find especially interesting about her is that her first full length publications are highly acclaimed memoirs. Regardless of what one might think of her "theology", I think The Secret Life of Bees shows a rich imagination at work. Lily, the main character will "stay with me" for awhile.

Nana

Nano Bits

I should have known better than to sign up for a blog in November, when I planned to do NaNoWriMo. SO I am a week late. But if we're all a week late, we'll be on time, right?

The good thing about having the external motivation of Nano is that I'm getting more writing done than I think I've ever done in such a short amount of time.

The bad thing is that it is at the expense of other important things in my life, like housecleaning. Luckily I'm not expecting a lot of guests this month.

SInce I haven't had time to organize a coherent thought that doesn't involve my novel, I"m going to link to some resources I've found during the course of this month.

First, I was relieved to find this article on "Dialogue Spines", because it is something I'd been doing in my first drafts anyway. Now I know it isn't just lazy writing to let my characters yammer on and then add the scenery and flesh out the scene later.

Something that bothered me a lot in my first novel was the unwieldiness of using Word (or the shareware equivalent, Open Office, which is what I actually use)for the two-hundred page plus document that was my novel, plus the multiple smaller documents that were things like scene lists and character lists, plus my handwritten outlines and character studies and such. After I put that novel aside, I sort of forgot about it.

Last week I stumbled across a computer program specifically for novelists that has all those features and more. It's called Liquid Story Binder, and you can download it for a free month trial, which is what I've done. There are so many features that it's overkill for me, actually, but if I can at least figure out the basics that I would need and use, I think it will be just what I need. I'm going to try to master it enough to figure out if it is indeed what I want by the end of the month, as it is on sale half off for November.

The Nano Pep Talks are available online here and are good reading even if you aren't doing a Nanowrimo novel.

Whoops.

I missed my blog post deadline, but forgive me: I'm NaNoWrithing.
Yes, you read that right. I'm doin' the NaNoWriMo, and I'm at the point (it hits me late, I guess) where I'm going, "WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!" So, yeah. I'm NaNoWrithing.

For those of you who don't know what NaNoWriMo is, look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanowrimo. It's wikipedia, so not the final authority, but a pretty good start.

If you think you might want to participate (you'd be starting kind of late, this year, but it's not unheard of either) go here: www.nanowrimo.org.

It's the best thing I've ever seen other than Dr.Wicked's "Write or Die" (here: http://writeordie.drwicked.com/)for slapping those words down on the virtual paper (or real -- many people still do it old school) and turning off the crabby little internal editor.

If you wanna write, you'll write, but sometimes you have a hard time getting over that hurdle of perfection. The NaNo helps with that.

So does Dr. Wicked...but you better be prepared to suffer if you don't keep typing...

Write on!

Edited to Add: (and show I don't endorse without trying first ;-)