Posted by: penpatience | March 1, 2023

WRITER “HELPMATES” ABOUND!

WRITERS WORDS: “Don’t forget—no one else sees the world like you do, so no one else can tell the stories that you have to tell.” – Charles de Lint

MARCH 2023 MONTHLY MUSING

 

WRITER “HELPMATES” ABOUND!

We are all writers. Writing begins at an early age with “ABC’s throughout life. Writing encompasses many styles, languages and has existed in various forms from the world’s earliest centuries. Historically, cave men used finger painting on cave walls for communication. Ancients utilized styluses, quills, and tablets that over time developed into today’s pencils, ballpoint pens, typewriters (yes, they still exist) and computer software.

Written communications affect all life activities. Many of us develop the love of writing from early exposure by family, schools and all levels of books and magazines.  Individuals from all walks of life have become authors, journalists, editors, novelists, poets, columnists, English professors and creative writing teachers. Writing, like any other profession, requires knowledge and developed skill sets…and most of all, an ongoing commitment and intense desire to write.

I muse…I believe one of the best “Helpmates” is reading. Reading non-fiction/fiction books and other available writings in all genres, over time, is beneficial in developing your writer voice. Writing in all its components has a long learning curve and as the Writer Words quotation above indicates, only you can tell the stories you choose to share with others. Over time I’ve perused many writer “Helpmates.”  I’m listing and sharing below some of my favorite writing support publications:

On Writing – Stephen King

Jane Friedman-online newsletters/writing course studies

Writer’s Digest and The Writer Magazines

Bird by Bird – Anne Lamont

Self-Editing for Fiction – Browne & King

On Writing Well – William Zinsser

Police Procedure and Investigation, A guide for writers – Lee Lofland

Fire Up Your Fiction – Jodi Renner

Worldwide Freelance-Gary McLaren

Funds for Writers, Hope Clark, Author (online)

And a recent 2023 read: “Dear Writers,” Inspiration and Advice on Writing, by Coleen Murtagh Paratore

A quotation by James Michener, well-known successful author: “I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.”

And another: “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us get up and go to work.”- Stephen King

And… an inspirational poem?

THE LAZY WRITER

By Bert Leston Taylor

In summer I’m disposed to shirk,

As summer is no time to work.

In winter inspiration dies,

For lack of out-door exercise.

In spring I’m seldom in the mood,

Because of vernal lassitude.

The fall remains. But such a fall!

We’ve really had no fall at all.

I believe reading various writing resources may aid and inspire writers.  However, the greatest “help” is at the end of your arm😊    – JUST WRITE.

HAPPY READING!          HAPPY WRITING!

 

 

 

 

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Posted by: penpatience | January 31, 2023

THE WEATHER – FRIGHTFUL & DELIGHTFUL

WRITERS WORDS: “Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.” – Mark Twain, American Writer

FEBRUARY 2023 MONTHLY MUSING

THE WEATHER – FRIGHTFUL & DELIGHTFUL

Earth’s weather, wherever we live, changes every day. Weather is mostly determined by locations: country, state, towns, cities where we reside. Most often, it’s the winter months many folks find challenging.

“Weather can be defined as the atmospheric conditions over relatively short periods of time—from seconds to a few years. Climate is the average and range of weather events over longer periods from decades to centuries – or longer.” (Old Famers Almanac-2023 Special Edition)

Earth’s weather conditions are many: Blizzards, Frost, Snow, Rainbows, Rain, Hail, Tornadoes, Drought, Hurricanes, Thunderstorms, Lightning, Sleet and fog.  Ah, yes, and much appreciated sunshine. And weather doesn’t just happen. Over the years, many scientific disciplines have been studied and utilized over centuries to assist in making long-range predictions. An interesting fact: “We believe that nothing in the universe happens haphazardly, that there is a cause-and-effect pattern to all phenomena. However, although neither we nor any other forecasters have yet gained sufficient insight into the mysteries of the universe to predict the weather with total accuracy, our results are almost always very close to our traditional 80 percent. (Old Farmer Almanac-2023 Special Edition)

I muse…Sometimes weather influences human moodiness. If you’re a jogger in a very hot, humid summer in the southern and western regions, U.S. A., you may become grouchy about postponing a planned, beneficial exercise. And if you’re an outdoor winter sportsperson in the northern U.S.A regions, and an overly heavy, snowy, slippery mess clogs highways and resorts, you may become crabby when a planned event is postponed. And for this former golfer, having your league play cancelled because of a heavy rainfall, is a total “bummer.”  It’s also been said that wind may have a negative effect on our moods in spring and summer versus fall and winter.

Here are a few interesting/fun weather facts:

·       The naming of hurricane and tropical storms officially began in 1953.

·       Fire whirls are tornadoes made of fire caused by wildfires.

·       Every second around 100 lightning bolts strike the earth.

·       The fastest speed a falling raindrop can hit you is 18mph.

·       The country most affected by tornadoes is the USA which faces an average 1200 tornadoes each year. (UGH!)

I believe weather does affect many folks’ moods. However, if it’s raining and you usually take a daily walk, open an umbrella, wear a raincoat and go for it!  If your winter event was cancelled because of severe, inclement weather, have a couple of hot toddies by the home fireplace and watch an old, favorite movie for the eighth time.

I can’t help but recall my former, deceased mother-in-law’s words of wisdom: “It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, you can’t control the weather.”

Last year, 2022 and the beginning of 2023 have been fraught with horrific, damaging, and destructive weather events. (i.e., Hurricane IAN and winter heavy snows/floodings)

I note February 2, 2023, is National Groundhog Day (see former musings on the famous groundhog, Punxsutawney) Let’s hope the beloved and celebrated groundhog does not see his shadow and toughs-it-out outside heralding an early Spring.

REMEMBER – SAFETY FIRST THIS WINTER!

 

 

 

 

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Posted by: penpatience | January 1, 2023

2023 – IS LIFE GOING TO THE DOGS?

WRITERS WORDS: “Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love. They depart to teach us about loss. A new dog never replaces an old dog. It merely expands the heart.” – Erica Jong

Readers: “Late Bloomin’ Writer,” my non-fiction essay, has recently been published on www.writeradvice.com under the heading “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up. Stop by and read it!

 

JANUARY 2023 MONTHLY MUSING

 

2023 – IS LIFE GOING TO THE DOGS?

 

2023– a New Year! My mind chooses not to be filled with this new year’s possible foibles. I remain upbeat hoping for a great 2023 for all. However, lately, my mind, in a good way, has “gone to the dogs.”

Many folks, with or without children, love animals and many have been dog owners. Our family, past and present, have dogs of various breeds from mixed heritage mutts😊 to various purebreds.  Today, dogs run the gamut from professionally trained to specific therapies and duties with many canines owner-trained (Yikes for an untrained dog!)  Dog owners acknowledge their dogs are intuitive and intelligent, but did you know they could also be emotional?

A recent article in the October 2022 issue of National Geographic states, “some animals have minds of their own and have complex emotions just like us.  An interesting fact. “An Australian Shepard being studied at the University of Vienna learned to be motionless in a magnetic resonance machine. Observing dog brains, scientists have found activity in areas similar to those in humans….”  “Words of praise lit up a dog’s reward centers. Videos of caregivers activated regions tied to attachment.” _ National Geographic, October 2022

Many dog owners believe their dogs have feelings, but there hasn’t been much scientific truth to back it up. “Canine cognitive science has come a long way over the past decade and can now prove dogs do have feelings. Not just simple feelings either; they display complex emotions such as jealousy. Researchers are just beginning to scratch the surface when it comes to understanding how complex their feelings really are.” – Puppy Leaks.com

I muse…some dogs became famous and were featured in former television shows and movies.  Who doesn’t remember “Lassie,” a fictional Rough Collie dog, originally featured in a short story by Eric Knight, later expanded into a novel called, “Lassie Come Home.” Folks today may   not recall the Saturday A.M. Roy Rogers- Dale Evans TV show. Yes, Roy had Trigger, a famous horse, but their dog “Bullet” always managed to sniff out the bad guys and save the day. There was Rin Tin-Tin, a male German Shepard, born in France who became an international star in motion pictures. Note: it was Rin Tin-Tin who was responsible for greatly increasing the popularity of German Shepard dogs as family pets. My family had Trojan, a purebred German Shepard. Trojan was well-trained, super intelligent with strong scent ability and could sniff out various requested scents.

Dogs are unique in they demonstrate unconditional love to family members. They show love in wagging tails when you return home from a rough workday. They ride, hopefully safe, in a vehicle, glad to be included in family outings even if it’s only to a drugstore or supermarket. They are observant, loyal, and non-judging companions.

Meet my grand-dog, Lancelot (above photo). He’s intuitive, intelligent and “emotional” showing loving reactions to most people.  DOG-GONE IT!  2023 -Is going to be a great year. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

 

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Posted by: penpatience | December 1, 2022

CHRISTMAS-DECEMBER2022-A TIME OF CELEBRATION AND HOPE

WRITERS WORDS: “Christmas Day is in our grasp, as long as we have hands to clasp! Christmas Day will always be, just as long, as we have we! Welcome Christmas while we stand, heart to heart, and hand in hand.” – Dr. Seuss

Readers: “Late Bloomin’ Writer,” my non-fiction essay, has recently been published on http://www.writeradvice.com under the heading “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up.  Stop by the site and let me know your thoughts.

CHRISTMAS – DECEMBER 2022 – A TIME OF CELEBRATION AND HOPE

DECEMBER 2022 MONTHLY MUSING

December, a time in the Northeast when temperatures drop low and folks hope for a snowfall to prepare for Santa’s reindeer. December is the last month in this tumultuous year, 2022, in the U.S. and abroad. It’s a time when we look past the year’s trials and tribulations and look forward to holiday celebrations with renewed hope for the season and the pending New Year.

I reminisce…I received a much-wanted Sparkle Plenty doll when I was a child. Do any readers recall the Dick Tracy columns/cartoons years ago? Mom baked scrumptious Christmas cookies every year along with Italo-American specialties for the holidays. A special brass Christmas bell that played “Silent Night” hung in her living room archway every holiday season. (PS. My grandson found an identical one years later in a Payson, Arizona antique shop and gifted it to me one Christmas.) My bell remains up year-round and Silent Night is heard often during the holiday season and sometimes beyond.

I muse…Christmas is a special time for children. They look forward to Santa Claus bringing them one of the latest technological or electronic toy, new bicycle, or much coveted sports item. I discovered this poem many years ago about the many diverse gifts we can share with our children – “What Shall We Give the Children:

What shall we give the children

Christmas is almost here.

Toys and Games and playthings,

As we do every year?

Yes, for the magic of Toyland

Is part of the Yuletide lore

To gladden the heart of childhood,

But I shall give something more?

I shall give them patience,

A more sympathetic ear,

A little more time for laughter,

Or tenderly dry a tear.

I shall take time to teach them

The joy of doing some task.

I’ll try to find time to answer

More of the questions they ask.

Time to read books together,

And take long walks in the sun.

Time for a bedtime story,

After the day is done.

I shall give these to my children,

Weaving a closer tie,

Knitting our lives together

With gifts that money can’t buy.   – Author Unknown

I digress…A family member was writing poetry since high school days and continued throughout her early life and retirement years. She was honored with a Silver Poet Award for her book of poetry, “Random Thoughts,” from a publisher in Sacramento, California where she traveled to receive it at age 83!

Peace for Christmas

Again, it’s almost Christmas Day

And time to bow our heads and pray

To every sense of Reason/

To seek and search each avenue and lane

For hope that joy and peace

Will Reign

Throughout the Christmas season. – Margaret E. Weldon

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

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Posted by: penpatience | November 1, 2022

THANKSGIVING – GOBBLE ALONG WITH ME!

WRITERS WORDS: “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy

2022 NOVEMBER MONTHLY MUSING

 

THANKSGIVING –   GOBBLE ALONG WITH ME!

            It’s that time again-November, the month we celebrate Thanksgiving. A time when many get together with family, friends, and neighbors to enjoy turkey dinners, relaxation, and tune in to a favorite football game. And yes, some family members visit shopping centers for Black Friday sales, although in recent years, the sales have been advertised well before Thanksgiving. However, did you know that November is also National Gratitude Month?

National Gratitude Month is the holiday where we can all gather and share our gratitude to the world.  Basically, gratitude month’s emphasis is putting attention toward the positive versus the negative.

Ralph Waldo Emerson advises: “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously, and because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”

I muse…2022 has been a difficult year for many countries, people, and families. Many have experienced heartbreaking losses through climate change turmoil, human brutality due to overseas conflicts threatening world freedoms. Hurricanes and fires have devastated people in our country and abroad leaving many folks deceased, homeless, and feeling helpless. And, for many Americans (Canadians also celebrate Thanksgiving) it’s difficult to envision a happy Thanksgiving celebration with limited resources and loss.

But then, gratitude, focusing on positive versus negative and, recalling memories of past traditions, small enjoyments and aiding others are optimistic perspectives.  I often recall my deceased Mom’s encouraging stance. Her credo was something good will come from a bad experience and, eventually, the sun will shine again.

A few positive thoughts for this year 2022: take time out to trot at the local Turkey Trot. Watch the traditional Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and our current U.S. President’s annual turkey pardon. Attend religious observances of choice and set aside time to give thanks for personal blessings. Volunteer your time and share your special skills to assist others in having a positive Thanksgiving experience.

“I am grateful for what I am and have. My Thanksgiving is perpetual.” – Henry David Thoreau

 

MAY YOU AND YOURS HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Don’t be a turkey. Don’t drink and drive

 

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Posted by: penpatience | September 29, 2022

HALLOWEEN – MORE THAN TRICKS – MORE THAT TREATS!

WRITERS WORDS: “There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a lit front porch.”-Robert Brault, American Author

 

OCTOBER 2022 MONTHLY MUSING

 

HALLOWEEN – MORE THAN TRICKS – MORE THAN TREATS?

 

October’s color is orange. It is a time for harvesting and carving scary faces on pumpkins, breathing fresh fall air (in Northeast, USA) and watching trees show off red, orange and other colorful leaves. However, adults and children prepare for the best and last day of the month – October 31st – HALLOWEEN. October would not be October without celebrating Halloween, also historically known as All Hallows Eve.

A little historical background on the origins of Halloween… Some historians believed All Hallows Eve originated in the 5th century BC or the Middle Ages and the holiday had both pagan and religious roots. The Gaelic harvest celebration known as Samhain marked the end of the growing season in Celtic England, Ireland, and Scotland. Many Celts believed the barriers between the natural and supernational worlds vanished on Samhain and that the dead could walk among the living. Folks would light fires, dress in animal costumes, and tell each other’s fortunes as part of the festivities.  Over time, the holiday evolved. The Catholic Church turned November first, the original date of Samhain into a religious holiday called, “All Saints Day” or “All Hallows,” making October 31st the date of All Hallows Eve now referred to as Halloween.

In America, Halloween was not recorded until the 1840s. As early as 1875, many people along with the Irish and Scottish immigrants celebrated Halloween. One of the first traditions was the Jack O’ Lantern.  Over time and influenced by a variety of cultures Halloween in American colonies began to change. In the New World it became a time for parties thrown to celebrate the harvest. Many attendees dressed in costumes and told scary stories helping to shape Halloween history into celebrations we enjoy today.

Halloween in the USA is enjoyed by children and adults. School kids parade around school grounds showing off hand-made and purchased outfits honoring animals, portraying super-heroes and other ghostly or scary get-ups.  Many communities participate in door-to-door trick or treating, local fire station and other establishments host “treat” parties for young folks and their families.  Adult Halloween costume parties have become very popular. Families and friends get together, eat, drink, laugh at costumes, tell jokes while sharing bountiful treats.

I muse…a young Halloween memory.  No welcoming light on by the front door-no “treat” sometimes earned a “trick.”  Years ago, during adolescence…a school chum decided this situation required a “trick” and dumped a bag of cow dung (from a friend’s farm) on the house’s front porch. (Hey! It was bagged!)   

Teenagers often decided to join the free candy tour and stuffed pillows in the front of their jeans, donned flannel shirts and a full-face mask and carried home a bag of candy bars. (Yes, regular size Hershey and other brand name bars.)

Unfortunately, we now live in more troubling times including the past two years of coping with the Covid-19 pandemic, but Halloween, remains a favorite October celebration. A reminder:

SAFETY FIRST was a program I initiated for a former employer many years ago and is applicable to young children roaming around in darkening skies. Remember: young children should always be accompanied by a responsible adult carrying flashlights to prevent accidents on darkened porches and streets. All treats should be checked before eating and always be aware of your environment.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!   BE SAFE!

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Posted by: penpatience | August 31, 2022

INSPIRATION! OH, Where OH Where have you been?

WRITERS WORDS: “I shall live badly if I do not write, and I shall write badly if I do not live.” – Francoise Sagan

SEPTEMBER 2022 MONTHLY MUSING

INSPIRATION! OH, Where OH Where have you been!

 

Writing is a job. Writing is hard work. Writing, like any profession, has its good days, bad days and stuck in the muck days.  Your computer in-box becomes the expedient communication to the fate of your latest project. “Thank you for your interest in our publication. However, this piece is not a “fit” for us currently, etc. etc. etc.  Rejections are usually nicely verbalized.

I note writers do not become writers. They are writers and most writers continue to write despite the trials and tribulations within everyday life. As F. Sagan mentioned in the above quotation, writers must experience life if we are to write and write well.

Our lives are filled with experiences that have potential to fuel imagination and stoke creativity.  Running into an old friend in the super unseen for years, catching up with a shared past. A hair-raising scare from childhood that keeps surfacing when least expected.  Memories- the happy, the weird, the painful, the comical, and a perhaps a shameful secret may contribute to composites or unique character traits in story protagonists.

Inspiration can be a fickle friend. Sometimes a memory, a character surfaces and words tumble out on the page. Other times, a days’ work hits the trash bin.  I muse…for me, as perhaps other writers, the enforced and lengthy claustrophobia caused by the Covid-19 pandemic had a negative impact on my writing. I was not out and about seeing and having new life experiences that often trigger projects. I was not sitting at a favorite shop drinking coffee and people watching, a favorite writing pastime. A short story mystery attempt sat on the kitchen table for months with only a page or two added and later edited out. I missed the personal rapport with people and friends that the Covid pandemic curtailed for a too lengthy time.

I muse… There are ways and means of recovering lost inspiration. I believe most writers have personal methods that often work for them.

Here are a few inspirational thoughts:

·       Take a walk, listen to music, allow your mind to relax and wander. Sometimes, a new thought or solution surfaces.

·       Leave a writing project(s) close by-on the kitchen table, by the computer, at your desk.  You may be annoyed when you pass by these reminders, but other times you may pick up pen or pencil and begin to edit, erase, rewrite, etc. 😊

·       Never leave home without a paper pad and pen!  Carry them in a purse/pocket, in the car, by your bed, at your desk/computer, etc. Do I dare say on vacation! You never know when or where Inspiration will grab you by the throat!

·       Read favorite and new authors.  Reading and enjoying other writers’ prose, may inspire a “can do” inspirational effort.

I recently found in a library book sale an inspirational book for writers. “A Cup of Comfort for Writers,” a national bestselling series edited by Colleen Sell, is filled with inspirational stories that celebrate the literary life. Perhaps reading other writer stories may motivate and inspire you.

It did me!

“The one talent that’s indispensable to a writer is persistence.” – Tom Clancy

WRITE ON!

 

 

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Posted by: penpatience | July 31, 2022

TIS SUMMERTIME! How does YOUR garden grow?

WRITERS WORDS: “If you have a garden and a library you have everything you need.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

 

AUGUST 2022 MONTHLY MUSING

TIS SUMMERTIME!   How does YOUR garden grow?

 

An old but well-known nursery rhyme: “Mary, Mary quite contrary how does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockleshells, and pretty maids in a row.”

I recall from childhood mom and dad did not grow “silver bells and cockleshells.”

They planted fruits and vegetables-lettuce, corn, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, rhubarb, snap peas, green beans behind our garage on two huge lots owned by my grandfather. A grape arbor thrived in the back yard with apple, peach trees and blackberry, raspberry bushes spreading helter-skelter on untilled soil.

A quick trip down memory lane: Corn on the cob was picked and shucked just before dinnertime.  Salads with various vegetables were served almost daily at our table. When berries ripened, we picked and strew them over breakfast cereal, eating our fill during the picking process. During the summer months when the vegetables matured, it was common practice for my sisters and friends to pick a tomato or cucumber, rinse it under the outdoor faucet and eat it for lunch sans bread. Our vegetables were grown with natural fertilizer. I guess, today, you would call this “organic” and pay more for these veggies than those grown through different processes.  Our parents had proverbial “green thumbs” with mom growing beautiful roses, tulips, and perennial blooms in her many flower gardens. One of the greatest gifts inherited within our family was respect and love of the land. Over time, our own thumbs turned various shades of green within our own gardens.

I muse. “Earth laughs in flowers” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Food for thought. Money doesn’t grow on trees. Trees, bushes, plants provide edible fruits, nuts, coffee beans, tea, herbs, etc. Money is necessary, of course, BUT is not edible.

Well, how DOES your garden grow? Not yet a gardener? No time or room to plant?

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” – Audrey Hepburn

I know there are many folks, like me, that learned about growing food at a young age. “Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden.” – Robert Breali

I recall the first time I watched dad plant green beans in rows. It’s an astounding miracle to watch a seed push up from the earth, sprout and, with care and watering, become beans for the supper table.

So, how to do you begin to sow your seeds😊

Local libraries often have book and magazine sales where a variety of gardening material is available. Your local Cornell Cooperative Extension Organization (www.cce.org/gardening) is filled with gardening information. Always, the Old Farmer’s Almanac, is a great tool for new and seasoned gardeners. There’s the National Gardening Association and local garden centers that can provide information on choosing, growing and planting vegetables and flowers that suit your tastes, locale and home environments.  Check your state’s planting zone for growing timetables.  If you reside in the Northeast, USA, it’s not too late to grow some vegetables.

A TIP: “Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.” – Author Unknown

BON APPETIT! (Good Appetite)

 

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Posted by: penpatience | July 1, 2022

WRITER HODGEPODGE: Memories, Memoir, Miscellaneous

WRITERS WORDS: “If you don’t have time read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” – Stephen King

JULY 2022 MONTHLY MUSING

 

WRITER HODGEPODGE: Memories, Memoir, Miscellaneous

 

HODGEPODGE – “An unorganized collection or mixture of various things.” (Merriam-Webster) It’s mind-boggling. Perhaps too much “hodgepodge” instructional information, sources and resources are available for writer perusal. There are many Writer Websites (Hope Clark-Funds for Writers,) Writer Magazines (Writer’s Digest, The Writer), and educational books (Bird by Bird-Anne Lamott; On Writing Well-William Zinsser; On Writing-Stephen King) and college courses offering diversified writing opportunities.

A brief description of Memories, Memoirs and Miscellaneous:  Memories can be something triggered by daydreaming at the beach or any experience that brings a recall to mind.  A Memoir is your account of a specific event or time in your life not to be confused by a Biography where you cover a “cradle to grave” story before you say Goodbye to life. Miscellaneous is anything that inspires you to begin writing words on pad, computer or the back of your hand. Also, a negative situation such as “REJECTION” of a written piece you thought would become the next “best seller of the year.” Anything regarding the writing craft can be categorized as Miscellany.

I muse…Looking back through accumulated and overflowing files filled with writer information, early writing Memories came to mind.  After enrolling in a yearlong study program focused on short story writing, my first writing professor died before Lesson Three. What I remember is the feedback received for the first two lessons. Too many conjunctions “ands, buts, etc.” underlined. Too many “that’s. and unnecessary pronouns.”   Yadda, Yadda, Yadda. I was crushed. I continued on with the second instructor through the end of the program. Yes, there were multitudes of red pen corrections, suggestions, etc., but I successfully completed the program and shortly after published my first fiction short story. (Yay!)  Perhaps one of the best tidbits of advice received from a now deceased professor/author was: “throw your English teacher under the bus – go with your creativity gut. Just write what your senses tell you, what you feel, see, hear, smell and even fantasize about.”

“Love Apples,” a short Memoir I wrote for a former Women’s Memoir publication contest (2012) requiring a recipe was one of twenty-five winners. An excerpt: “Mom was up with our rooster’s crow every morning getting Dad off to work and four kids off to school. Many mornings the scent of fresh baking wafted through the kitchen-a baked muffin or other goodie was in the oven. I could smell the apples and cinnamon from the hallway upstairs on the morning an apple crisp was baking. Still warm, Mom cut pieces from the pan; flipped the pieces over so the baked apples were on top and crumbled crust on the bottom. Pouring fresh cream over the apples, we ate a tasty and healthful breakfast before we walked to school. As I recall, Mom baked from scratch with all fresh ingredients. We were lucky kids.” 

My mother, now deceased, believed food was more than just sustenance, and her Apple Crisp was a gift that kept on giving through three generations.

Aah!  Miscellaneous stuff affects writers. Writers experience daily emotional elations, traumas and disappointments.  A writer’s day may be fraught with both positive and negative turmoil. Rejection of a submission, creativity droughts that attack without notice and the days page(s) end up in the waste basket. A half-written story lays on the desk and needs to be rewritten or tossed. Days when the words just won’t flow. And…then, when you least expect it, you pour a favorite beverage or take a leisurely walk, your mind relaxes and creative juices flow again.  I agree with one of my favorite authors, Stephen King (I’ve read all his books). Since childhood, I’ve been a reader and the more you read, the more you appreciate other authors’ successes and learn from them. I believe, every read book contributes to writer creativity. A writer’s learning curve is long and, perhaps, never over.

A Literary Miss    by Oliver Marble

There once was a lit’rary miss;

And all that she needed for bliss

Was some ink and a pen,

Reams of paper, and then

Thirty days to describe half a kiss.

Read On!       Write on!

 

 

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Posted by: penpatience | May 31, 2022

MOON AND MOONSHINE – FACTS & FUN

WRITERS WORDS: “Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars.”- J.R.R. Tolkien

JUNE 2022 MONTHLY MUSING

MOON AND MOONSHINE – FACTS & FUN

            On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon placing the United States Flag there. The quote: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

The moon, in its various stages, travels along with us no matter where we navigate on this earth. An ancient phenomenon that, hopefully, lasts forever.

The moon’s astronomical place is within the constellations in the celestial sphere. It’s earth’s only proper natural satellite, the largest natural satellite in the Solar System and the second brightest object in the sky after the sun. The moon’s position within the Zodiac is its astrological place. A note on Astrology…it’s a tool to plan events according to the placements of sun, moon and planets in the twelve (12) signs of the Zodiac. (i.e.-Gemini (May21-June20; Cancer (June 21-July22) I digress. Some psychics utilize the Zodiac to advise on future events in clients’ lives.

However, the moon is much, much more than horoscope predictive usages. Neil Armstrong was just the beginning of moon exploration. February, 1971, Alan Shepard became the first man to hit a golf ball on the moon. (FORE😊 and then, on April 21, 1972, Apollo XVI astronauts John Young and Charles Duke drove an electric car on the surface of the moon. It’s still there along with expensive tools and some film they forgot. (Tsk! Tsk!)  And, a few days ago, Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press, wrote an article that appeared in the local Daily Gazette. An excerpt: “For the first-time, scientists have grown plants in soil from the moon (lunar dirt) collected by NASA’S Apollo astronauts.” This scientific research is ongoing and, to me, growing food on the moon is a mind-boggling thought!!!  Perhaps, a future world farm???

Some Fun Facts, Folklore: (Source-The Old Farmer’s Almanac)

Astrology has named full moons.  A few: Blue Moon, Harvest Moon, Black Moon, Supermoon, Beaver Moon, Wolf Moon, Flower Moon, Strawberry Moon, Buck Moon. In Native American and early colonial times, the January full Moon was called the Wolf Moon because wolves tended to howl more often at this time.

·       Clothes washed for the first time in the full Moon will not last long.

·       The full moon is an ideal time to accept a proposal of marriage.

·       To have a project prosper, start it during the new Moon.

·       A halo around the Moon predicts wet or stormy weather.

The Moon is a focus for many love songs sung by famous artists: “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra, “Galveston” by the late Glen Campbell, “Moon River” by Barry Manilow, and a real oldie, “How High the Moon” by Les Paul and Helen Forrest. A full moon along with a starlit night, music softly playing and two lovers sharing favorite beverages. Ah, What a beautiful evening!

I muse. There is another old-time interpretation of Moonshine…. back in the day, Bootleg Liquor was nicknamed “Moonshine.” Why? Because this (ahem) alcohol was produced and distributed illegally during the nighttime to avoid detection. During Prohibition (1930s) many folks died drinking this high-proof, unaged whiskey.

May the earth’s Moon glow on all dads this June. H APPY FATHER’S DAY!

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