Giving Time to What You Love: A Writer’s Heartbeat

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Last week, an author I know posted the following on Facebook:

This was from the Instagram post of another author. I cropped the image to leave off that author’s response, since I don’t know her and don’t have permission to use it. (It was a good response, however.)

This post is about the question. I do not know who asked it. And I know we’ve all had enough of the subject of AI. But I couldn’t get the question out of my mind.

It reminds me of when someone asked me, “How could you sit through that four-hour movie?” back when The Return of the King (the movie adaptation directed by Peter Jackson of the J.R.R. Tolkien book of the same name) was in theaters.

My response to that question and for the one posted on Facebook/Instagram is simple: If that’s your question, then I already know you won’t understand my response.

But since you, dear Reader, didn’t ask either question, I’ll give you my response to both, which has to do with one word: love.

Love doesn’t have a time limit. I would’ve happily watched a six-hour version of The Return of the King, had one been available. Also, I’ve never written anything—even a short blog post—in twenty minutes, let alone an entire book. In twenty minutes, I’m just getting started with the first paragraph.

Writing a first draft of a picture book took me an entire week. Don’t get me started on novels.

I understand the hurry culture and the belief some have that the faster you get a book done, the faster you can sell it. But there is a reason why Tolkien’s books are still beloved and why many authors spend countless hours building their worlds and writing their books. The journey is too precious to boil it down to just a matter of minutes.

If writing a book in less than twenty minutes is what you want (if that software exists), go for it. But just know that the AI probably learned from the works of authors who spent years honing their craft because of their love of writing good stories.

So, here is the short answer to the question at the beginning of the post: I would pay $0. How about you?

Quote from somewhere on Facebook and Instagram. Heart from healthticket.blogspot.com. The Return of the King cover photo by L. Marie.

Who Do You Want to Be?

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Screenshot from the video you can access if you click on the link in the paragraph below.

The other day, I watched one of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s podcasts (with her brother Craig Robinson) on YouTube. Her guest was Keke Palmer, whom I first heard of through the movie, Akeelah and the Bee (2006).

It’s okay if you’ve never heard of her or that movie. The point is, Keke was a child actor then. She’d always wanted to perform. Her family and others anticipated that she would become a huge star when the movie debuted. They also predicted that the movie would be a big box office hit.

Well, although Akeelah and the Bee eventually gained a following, it debuted with a less-than-anticipated outcome. But that was not the end of Keke’s career. In time, she did become a big star. But it took a huge amount of effort through many different acting experiences.

Then Michelle talked about graduating from Harvard Law School and practicing law only to realize she didn’t want to be a lawyer. At that time in her life, she asked herself the question that inspired this post: “Who do I want to be?”

That took me back to a time when I thought about going to law school, mostly because of the expectation of a large income. It wasn’t that I wanted to be a lawyer. No shade to lawyers out there. Some of my good friends are lawyers. You see, I really wanted to be a writer. (I know. Big shock.) But the legal career choice gained me the approval of people who assumed I wouldn’t make it as a writer.

But as I prepared to take the LSAT, I heard about an associate editor job at a curriculum publisher. I grabbed it instead of going to law school. Being an editor was my dream job. It later led to many work-for-hire writing gigs.

Years later, I thought I had arrived at writing stardom when a publisher offered me a four-book contract—a royalty contract! Money in advance! Wooooooo!

Yet within a year, all of the books were either out of print or headed in that direction. The publisher had wanted a bigger splash out of the gate than was the case.

I’ve mentioned this experience on the blog before. I had to ask myself if being a writer was still who I wanted to be in light of the failure of books that didn’t earn out the advance. For about a year after that, the answer was no.

That was two decades ago. I’m still writing. I had to get through the narrow perception I had of what success looked like. I thought it was a sprint—a quick 100-meter dash to riches—rather than a marathon. Enjoying the process even with setbacks was actually the goal.

I love what Michelle said in the video: “I am still becoming.” She keeps learning about who she is.

Who do you want to be? What have you learned about yourself in the process?

Photo from the video. Person with pen from wisegeek.org.

Imperfectly Perfect

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The other day I was more than a little dismayed when a friend discovered not one, but two typos in my resume.

Two. Typos.

What’s the big deal? you might ask. Well, I’ve been applying for full-time work for months. With that resume, I might add. Applying for editing jobs. Typos are not the best advertisement for an editor.

Have you ever proofread something only to find out that maybe you hadn’t caught everything?

I was mortified to say the least. After hastily correcting my resume, I reposted it on various job-related sites. Now I wonder how many of the rejections I’ve received were because of those typos. This is how I felt.

I’m reminded of a paper I wrote in high school for U.S. History. I’d worked my butt off to write the perfect paper. But my teacher took off 15 points—five points each for three typos.

Over the years, I have queried manuscripts only to discover typos in them after sending them off. Some of those manuscripts were for contracted books.

I have found that while some reviewers readily overlooked manuscript typos, they would not forgive a typo in a query letter. It could be because a query letter isn’t very long. A typo there, like in a resume, seems to have a blinking-neon-sign-level of egregiousness.

I may have achieved the badge in the screenshot above (given for the NYT Connections puzzle), but perfection has been elusive elsewhere.

I saw a zinnia the other day that had a quiet level of perfection—petals perfectly presented. So, of course, I took a photo of it, only to realize the photo was off center. But I didn’t take another one. Instead, I posted it here because it was perfect for this post on my lack of perfection.

Which reminds me of something I heard about the other day: kintsugi—the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery. Maybe you’ve heard of it. If not, take a look at this video found at the Japanese Food Craftsman YouTube channel.

Mugi-urushi is the adhesive made to seal the refitted pieces of pottery. Here is another video for how that is made. The artisan in the first video (link in the paragraph above) used different colors of lacquer to fill in the seams in the newly aligned ceramic piece before adding gold powder. This is called the maki-e technique.


Screenshot from the Japanese Food Craftsman video

The artisan mentioned, “Kintsugi is about finding beauty in imperfection.”

The cracks in the pottery weren’t ignored. Instead, they became veins of gold in what was once broken. I’m comforted by that.

Admitting to imperfection is not an excuse to avoid doing my best or to skip proofreading to find every typo in a piece of writing. But it takes the pressure off when I realize I’ve missed one. Or two. 😉

Random rabbit sighting

Failure sign from somewhere on the internet. Other photos by L. Marie.

Just Pick One?

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Remember when Michael Jordan played baseball?

“Now, wait a minute, you silly goose,” you might be saying. “He played basketball. In fact, some say he’s the GOAT—Greatest of All Time.” (By the way, this is not a debate about whether Michael or LeBron James is the GOAT. I’m just stating what you’re saying about me.)

Well, in 1994, after three NBA championships for the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan retired from the NBA and signed with the Birmingham Barons, a Double-A team affiliated with the White Sox. You can read all about it in this Chicago Tribune article.


Photo of Michael Jordan found at The Chicago Tribune website.

Some questioned his involvement, though he used to play baseball as a kid. He played with the Barons for a season, but ultimately returned to basketball in March of 1995. But the fact is, he played baseball.

That came to mind when I pondered some advice I’ve heard over the years—just do one thing well. If you’re a jack of all trades, you’re a master of none as the idiom goes.

Geffray Mynshul coined the phrase jack of all trades in an essay. The master of none part of the phrase was added by someone else. Look here for more information. Needless to say, the latter part of the idiom, which we’re more familiar with today, shows a common negative perception of someone who does more than one thing.

“Stick with what you’re good at” some say about the need to gain mastery in one area. While this is good advice, it is limiting (in my opinion) in some ways.

I say that because there is such a thing as EGOT—someone who has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. None of those awards is easy to win. That’s why only twenty-eight people have won all four.

 

Some people can sing, act, write, direct productions, and play musical instruments. We might grouse, “Yeah, but can they do them all well?” Yes. Yes, they can.

And maybe some of you can too. Maybe you write novels and poetry. Maybe you write and illustrate books. Maybe you compose music and make quilts. Maybe you write for more than one audience: kids, teens, and adults. Maybe you’re a doctor and write children’s books. Maybe you play sports and are a photographer. I’m reminded of Jordan Cowan, a former competitive skater turned camera operator. You can read about him here.

People might scoff without admitting to their own sense of limitation or because others criticized them for trying something different. But sometimes, trying something different just means you were meant for more.

Photo of Michael Jordan from The Chicago Tribune, May 7, 2020. Awards photos found at Wikipedia.

Rhapsody in White*

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*Not to be confused with the Love Unlimited Orchestra 1974 album (featuring Barry White) of the same title.

Though I’m usually partial to more colorful flowers, these caught my eye.

From afar, I thought they were large daisies. Do you know what they are?

 

How lush and elegant they look. I can easily see a wedding dress designer being inspired by them.

Writers are too. Fantasy writers who create their own species of plants in stories, often look to existing ones for inspiration.

At least, that’s my strategy. Since I’m not God, I have to know how real plants look and grow before branching out on my own creations! (Yes, pun intended.)

Looking at the white flowers above, if I had a flower character modeled after it, I’d consider a personality based on how they look. I’m reminded of the flowers in Disney’s animated classic, Alice in Wonderland (1951—adapted from the book written by Lewis Carroll). Some of them were very opinionated!

This flower and others in Alice in Wonderland were designed by Mary Blair.

Hmm. What kind of personality do you think a character would have who looks like the flowers below?

While you think of that, it’s time for me to announce the winner of the $20 gift card. Charles Yallowitz, get ready to spring over to Amazon or to another bookstore if that is your preference! Please comment below to confirm and tell me which gift card you would like.

Thank you to all who commented.

White flower from Alice in Wonderland (1951)  was found at the movie’s wiki. Other photos by L. Marie.

Birthday Feasts for the Eyes, Soul, and Stomach 😋

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My birthday happened well over a week ago, but then I went straight into the five-day virtual writer conference I help out with twice a year. So, I didn’t post last week.

 

Birthday gelato at GIA MIA

I’m posting about the birthday because I usually host a birthday giveaway based on the gifts I received. Before I get to them, I have to remark on the beauty of nature I saw in passing on the days I was taken out for meals.

 

The beauty of nature—another sort of feast, only for the eyes and the soul

As for gifts, I received gift cards to Amazon and Target, which I used to purchase needed items like books. Here are some of them.

  

Other gifts:

   

Yes, necessary items like chocolate chip cookies, See’s chocolates, bottles of Coke, tea, and SkinnyPop popcorn! So, a good time was had by me thanks to those who celebrated with me.

As for the giveaway, if you’re new to this blog, what I usually do is give away something similar to what I received—usually a book or a gift card. So, this year, I will give away a $20 gift card to Amazon or some other book/gift procurement place if you’re not in favor of the former. If you would like a book instead, please say which one. (And no, I wouldn’t force you to take a copy of the Tiny T-Rex book or any of the others I received. 😊)

Please comment below to be entered in the drawing. Instead of birthday wishes, please share something you experienced recently that was food for your soul. Winner to be announced hopefully sometime next week.

Photos by L. Marie, with the exception of the birthday gelato photo, which was taken by a friend.

Older Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Computer Illiterate

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I’m a certain age. Don’t ask what that age is. Just take my word for it. Suffice it to say that I’ve used computers for decades.

But lately, I’ve read narration in books or heard speakers joke about having to help older people—their parents or grandparents—use apps and other programs on their phones or computers. One person quipped, “Your grandparents don’t know how to open a pdf.”

That remark prompted this post.

Believe it or not, personal computers actually existed in the nineties (and even before that). They were low on RAM, sure, compared to computers today. But they were around, as were many different types of software.

When my parents were alive, they had computers. My dad had three. He used to change his computer every few years like some people change cars.

This is not to say that every older person is computer literate. But many people who were adults working in the nineties undoubtedly used a computer in an office setting. And those who are still working in offices have seen many shifts in technology and have weathered those shifts. Many are grandparents who don’t need help opening a pdf.

Maybe it’s time to retire the assumption that every older person is incapable of navigating technology, like conducting transactions online, using apps, or speaking to Siri or Alexa (or Anita as a Saturday Night Live skit hilariously mentioned; yes, I laughed at it).

Okay, this post is almost done. And there isn’t a young person to help me upload it. Guess I’ll have to somehow figure out how to do that on my own . . . after thirteen years of writing this blog. (Yes, that was sarcasm.)

Has anyone ever made an assumption about what someone your age (whether you were older or younger than that person) can or can’t do? How did you respond?

Computer from somewhere online. Pinkie Pie photo by L. Marie. Pinkie Pie, computer, and chicken are from the My Little Pony Equestria Girls Minis Pinkie Pie Slumber Party Bedroom Set by My Little Pony.

Spring Trees

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While on a drive, this tree caught my eye.

Ah, spring.

We get so used to trees looking like this:

But every spring, they blossom, going from “death” to life.

Here are some photos taken by my friend Ginger at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University.

  

Photos by Ginger V.

I’m also reminded of another tree I photographed ten years ago and posted about here. I think of it as the optical illusion tree, because it looks like two trees, but is really only one.

   

Seeing the blossoming trees in spring causes me to think of dreams I’ve had that I thought were dead. A “winter” of blighted hopes will do that sometimes.

You know what that’s like: constant, unwarranted criticism; people around you who pooh-pooh the notion of your dream coming true; a string of disappointments and setbacks. I’ve experienced those.

But I look at the trees and note the pulsing life within them. They weren’t “dead”—just dormant. Waiting for spring.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens photos by Ginger V. Bare tree photo given to me by someone I can’t recall just now. Other photos by L. Marie.

Star Trek—In Honor of My Dad

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Have you been watching the news about the Artemis II mission? I saw part of an NBC video in which a detailed list was given of what the crew ate for breakfast. 😊 It made me hungry.

Still, the excitement over the mission caused me to reminisce not about past space launches, but about a franchise I grew up watching: Star Trek.

The H & I (Heroes & Icons) channel has a lineup of Star Trek shows five nights a week in this order: the OG series; Star Trek: The Next Generation; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; and Star Trek Voyager. I hardly ever make it to Voyager. But I used to love watching it when it was on network TV.

I have mentioned in posts before that I grew up reading science fiction because that was my dad’s genre of choice. (My mom preferred to read nonfiction.) So, if a science fiction show was televised, I watched it, unless I was in college. I didn’t watch much TV while I was an undergrad.

Many of my favorites from childhood through adulthood: Doctor Who, Futurama, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate, Babylon 5, Firefly, The X-Files, etc.—there are too many to name here. I discovered some of these shows later through Netflix. Like Battlestar Galactica and Babylon 5—two of the best science fiction shows ever.

I also streamed or watched on DVD the Clone Wars animated series [both of them; the first was developed by Genndy Tartakovsky (image at the left) and had episodes that were five and ten minutes long]; Star Wars: Rebels; Star Trek: Prodigy—and others.

    

But the Star Trek reruns get more of my attention, because they are less angsty nighttime fare. A good way to relax before going to bed.

I realize science fiction is not everyone’s cup of tea. But I think of many of these stories as space fairy tales. (I grew up on fairy tales also.)

A science fiction book, A Wrinkle in Time (by Madeleine L’Engle), inspired me to write stories for kids. Though I mostly write fantasy stories now, I still love science fiction. And since today is my dad’s birthday, I especially wanted to honor him through this post. (He passed away in 2024.)

Like science fiction? Hate it? What is your genre of choice for books or TV shows?

Show logos found online. Other photos by L. Marie.

Bear with It

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So, I started a crochet project recently: a bear pillow designed by DeBrosseNYC, a shop I discovered on Etsy.

I am here—the pillow base. I should have started with the ears. But no. I decided to tackle the hardest part first.

Why is it hard? Look closely at the yarn. It is thick. Once you crochet several stitches, the holes disappear. You have to feel your way through each row to make sure you complete it successfully.

       

The pattern designers suggested using stitch markers (the little “safety pins” in the photo below) to mark certain places in the row. Using them helps to prevent frogging—a term that means ripping everything apart and starting over because you made a mistake. (See this blog post if you wonder why it is called frogging.) With yarn this thick, making a mistake is easy.

As an added precaution, I mapped each row to make sure I have the required stitches. (See note card below.) Each row has an increase of eight stitches spread evenly on the row. I want to make sure I place them where they should be.

It’s extra work, I know. But I bear with it (see what I did there 😊), to keep track of my progress and avoid mistakes.

This reminds me of what I do whenever I write a novel: I keep a calendar of story events. I know what happens every day—even if I skip days in the narration. I found a calendar online that I could write on in Microsoft Word. This one also has the moon phases, which is great information to know.

I started keeping a calendar when one of my grad school advisors challenged me to map the hero’s journey in my novel. Since I have three main characters in three different areas who eventually meet up in one spot, I needed to map their movements.

I “frogged” several times as I wrote the novel, especially when the characters moved from place to place in my made-up world. Sometimes, I miscalculated travel times. That meant rewriting.

This is not to say that you have to do what I do. I’ve reviewed and edited manuscripts by some authors who prefer the “next day”/“next week” method of timekeeping without the minutiae of mapping each day. If that is your preferred method, more power to you.

However, I had the unpleasant task of having to tell a publisher, “This narrative is off by three months” during a manuscript review. Why? Because of an accumulation of “next days” and “next weeks” that didn’t add up to the story’s purported nine-month schedule.

This is the kind of “frogging” you don’t want.

How do you keep track of your story events? Do you use a calendar? Why or why not?

Photos by L. Marie.