Words and Pixels

Overheard #180

2012-01-27T16:46:00.000-05:00

The more words I take out, the better my writing is.

Endowed Objects

2012-01-26T15:16:00.006-05:00

One evening at Honesdale, we discussed endowed objects. The definition in my notes is: a subject or object that seems to mean something other than it is, or has significance other than the literal.

I thought of many examples in fantasy and paranormal novels. Consider the ring, the mithril coat or Sting in Tolkien’s The Hobbit. The Harry Potter novels have too many to list. The Everafter by Amy Huntley is a novel of endowed objects as each item Madison finds allows her to revisit the time in her life when she lost it.

Realistic novels can also have endowed objects. In Nowhere Girl by A.J. Paquette the tea box contains Luchi’s past and her future. The mountain in Louis Sacher’s Holes is the cause of Stanley’s curse and the means of ending it.

I’ve been thinking about my novels. Over the years, I’ve “endowed” calluses, a basketball, a balcony, a camcorder, a chess set and a cane. What are the endowed objects in your manuscripts?

Sunday

2012-01-22T06:00:00.002-05:00

Last summer, I repotted these begonias, and they thanked me by blooming a month or two early.

Overheard #179

2012-01-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

"Do not let the facts get in your way!"

Polishing and Tinkering

2012-01-18T06:25:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, I brought a couple snippets of my newly transformed manuscript to critique group. Faithful blog readers will remember that my protagonist and his love interest changed places. This was the first time anyone had read the new stuff.

It was greeted with faint praise.

Of course I was discouraged.

Then I realized that I’d lapsed into polishing and tinkering, and the manuscript isn’t ready. The do-si-do draft (where the characters changed places) was a quantum-shift revision. I need to embark on another. My protagonist’s personality, which is completely different from my previous protagonist’s personality, must shine from every sentence.

Polishing and tinkering is simple, seductive and fast, so it’s easy to be lulled into revision complacency. I thank my critique group for waking me up and getting me back with the program.

Overheard #178

2012-01-13T06:00:00.002-05:00

"You don’t know exactly what they mean by what it is that they said."

Tracking Devices

2012-01-12T09:35:00.002-05:00

I’ve been researching spy gear for my WIP with the understanding that products available on the internet may be less sophisticated than models used by real secret service organizations. So far, I’ve gleaned that it’s easy to make tiny cameras and listening devices and hide them in ingenious places. Making a micro-tracking device is more difficult, probably because of the size of the battery.

The Spark Nano is about 2”x3” and intended for use in a vehicle. The smallest tracking devices I’ve found are designed for pet collars.

The BBC production called Spooks in the UK and MI5 in the US showed tracking devices about 1”x1/4” that could be attached to a lapel or collar. They may exist, but I haven’t found them on the internet. I’ve read (and I can’t remember the book) about tracking devices that were minuscule adhesive discs. I suspect it was a fantasy novel.

Sunday

2012-01-08T06:00:00.002-05:00

Early morning light on the Red Cedar River.

zoom

weird ice #1 (of 2012)

Overheard #177

2012-01-06T06:26:00.001-05:00

"I sound more enthusiastic in writing."

What's In A Name?

2012-01-02T06:04:00.001-05:00

I just finished critiquing a novel for a woman I met at that SCBWI-MO conference. She had emailed me an electronic file named "Everyone’s Counting On Me." I wrote quite a bit about why I didn't like the title. I told her it was a plot of action so of course we're counting on the hero. I suggested her title could hint at the steampunk genre since the early chapters felt like historical fiction. I blathered on.

She wrote back to tell me the manuscript does not yet have a title. She named the file "Everyone’s Counting On Me" to remind herself that her husband and critique group expected her to finish and submit this manuscript.

Ha! I guess I’ve been taking myself too seriously.

Currently my work-in-progress is saved in a file called Honesdale Draft 3 which has little to do with the plot.

Sunday

2012-01-01T08:51:00.000-05:00

Michigan bridges falling down

Overheard #176

2011-12-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

"When I grow up, I'm going to be a grownup!"

The Core Story

2011-12-29T07:17:00.000-05:00

Tell me what your novel is about in one sentence. I don’t mean an elevator pitch intended to sell the manuscript in thirty seconds or less. What is your deepest connection to the story? Why are you writing the blasted tome anyway? When we discussed this at the Whole Novel Workshop, Stephen Roxburgh suggested considering concepts like redemption, salvation, forgiveness or recovery.

Here are the core stories for my many trunk novels and works in progress.*

A boy rediscovers friendship.

A girl acquires courage.

Two brothers learn to love each other.

A girl rescues her grandfather.

My statements are general enough that they could describer many novels, but they state the underlying concept that the reader is supposed to identify with and remember. They also remind me why I started the project in the first place.

*I have another WIP that my family and critique group have encouraged me to focus on. To be truthful, I don’t yet know the characters or the plot well enough to state its core story. I can’t write that novel until I figure out what it is about.

Sunday

2011-12-25T06:00:00.004-05:00

Mid-Michigan lost a lot of trees during this snowstorm, but most don't break like this.

rosehips

This isn't barbed wire.

first ice

Overheard #175

2011-12-23T06:16:00.000-05:00

"Someday you’re going to sing a level of poetry that will move you."

Holiday Links

2011-12-22T08:32:00.003-05:00

Writing quotes (Susanne Gervay)

Writing excuses (Kathy Cannon Wiechman of Swagger)

Reading suggestions (Nancy Pearl and NPR)

Inspirational animal rescue (Great Whale Conservancy)

Are you ready for Christmas? (The Bearded Iris)

Solstice song (James Taylor and Yo Yo Ma)

Happy Holidays

2011-12-20T07:06:00.001-05:00

Our holiday officially started last night when we picked up Sam after his last final. For the next couple weeks, the house will be full of young rock stars, ninjas and mathematicians. Amazing amounts of food will be consumed. The Christmas tree will shine and Chanukah candles will blaze.

I also plan to finish my current draft, the one where I’m listening for Selena’s voice. I don’t imagine that I’ll nail it, but I hope to make progress. My next draft is also dedicated to Selena’s voice.

Sunday

2011-12-18T06:00:00.001-05:00

Does anybody know what these pink berries are called?

Overheard #174

2011-12-16T07:04:00.001-05:00

"Sometimes the nearest exit is behind you."

Dear Ann: This Sounds Ridiculous.

2011-12-13T06:44:00.001-05:00

At the Whole Novel Workshop in Honesdale, our teaching assistant, Candy Dahl, proposed an exercise for developing a character’s voice.

Take a blank piece of paper.
Write “Dear [your name]” at the top.
Write “Love [your character’s name]” at the bottom.
Lie down on your bed and imagine your character entering the room and talking to you.
After five minutes, get up and write what the character said. Stream of consciousness is okay.

Yeah, it sounds crazy, but it works.

I experimented with this technique at Honesdale and got amazing results. I am doing a major revision in which my main character and his love interest change places, and the voice of the new main character has eluded me. Since every draft should have one purpose, I put aside my worries about voice and focused on the major changes in the plot.

The first draft is finished, and now is the time to think about voice.

I decided to start each writing day with Candy’s exercise. My (new) main character is bossy and more than happy to tell me what to do. It’s working so far.

Sunday

2011-12-11T13:16:00.000-05:00

across the Charles River in Boston

Overheard #173

2011-12-09T06:00:00.002-05:00

"She must have an opinion. She drives a Cadillac."

Sunday

2011-12-04T06:00:00.003-05:00

I photograph this crabapple tree a lot. This time, I was trying to catch the last bit of light before the sun sank below the tops of the trees. The snow always photographs a bit blue at this time of day.

Overheard #172

2011-12-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

"There will be words on the page."

White Out

2011-11-30T11:30:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow we start driving to Boston for Jeremy's audition. Let's hope this is all the snow we're going to see for a while.

I took this picture before the sun was all the way up to avoid glare.

Puzzle Bark Puzzle

2011-11-26T06:40:00.001-05:00

Yep, the picture is a close up of sycamore bark. This link is better than the picture I took of the whole tree.

And now for the awards!

goes to Rebecca and Lori who guessed it was tree bark.

goes to Debbie Diesen who suggested “a patch of psoriasis on the elephant you used to ride when you worked for a traveling circus.” I’ve never worked for a circus, unless you count those 18 months with the USDA.

goes to Charlie B. who suggested it was “one of Sam’s first grade art projects.” Charlie gets extra points for identifying the objects in the painting.

goes to Ruth McNally Barshaw who said it was “a close up of wrapping paper for earth-friendly gifts.” Absolutely, and it’s recycled paper too.

goes to Buffy Silverman who suggested it was a map for my upcoming fantasy novel, “Finkelstein Crosses the Gray Sea and Ravishes the Kingdom of Small Pox.”

goes to Amy Huntley who wrote, “Ahhh... my utterly unRomantic relationship with Nature explains why I failed to see the bark connection everyone else thought was so obvious."

Thanks for humoring me.

Award Images courtesy of Power Point clip art.

Overheard #171

2011-11-25T07:24:00.000-05:00

"Finish it up so there will be a clear day tomorrow."

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T06:09:00.001-05:00

I have much to be thankful for - including my readers.

Enjoy the holiday.

Mystery Photo

2011-11-21T06:00:00.002-05:00

In preparation for the upcoming familial feeding frenzy, I have embarked on my own cleaning/shopping/cooking frenzy. In keeping with the spirit of celebration, I’m holding a mystery photo contest. The winner will receive leftover turkey shipped to his or her home.

Not really. Much of our leftover turkey will be sent to college with Sam to nourish him through his upcoming final exams.

There are no prizes.

But there will be awards!

All you have to do is guess what the photo is and tell me in the comments section.

The answer will be posted on Saturday (11/26/11).

See you on the other side.

P.S. Is this one too easy?

Sunday

2011-11-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

Overheard #170

2011-11-18T06:00:00.001-05:00

"Panic is part of the process."

A Chance to Win 2012 CWIM

2011-11-16T20:41:00.001-05:00

Shutta Crum is hosting a cool contest. She's giving away a copy of Children's Writers and Illustrators Market. Click the link for details.

Storyboarding Is Not Just for Picture Books Anymore

2011-11-14T17:10:00.007-05:00

Novels in their early stages tend to be unwieldy collections of scenes. In order to become a novel, causality must be established. Each scene must lead inexorably (yet unpredictably) to the next. Tension, emotion and the presence of secondary characters should also be tracked. A storyboard can help. The entire technique is described in Writing Stories: Ideas, Exercises and Encouragement forTeachers and Writers of All Ages by Carolyn Coman, but here’s a brief overview.

Draw a simple sketch depicting the main event in every chapter. (The art doesn’t have to be good.)
Below the pictures, write a phrase describing the action. (Use an action verb.)
Above the pictures state the primary emotion.

If you do this on index cards, it’s easy to rearrange the order of the scenes.

You can check for sequences where the action or tension is lacking.

You can monitor the ebb and flow of emotions.

Here’s my example from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the scene where Harry fights Lord Voldemort in the graveyard.

Sunday

2011-11-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

Overheard #169

2011-11-11T06:00:00.001-05:00

"No one at this table needs to use a semicolon."

Librarian in Paris

2011-11-10T10:21:00.004-05:00

So far, my experience with Paris consists of aerial views and two four-hour layovers in the Charles De Gaulle Airport. Many Americans go to Paris to shop, and on my return trip from Italy, I was no different. I had finished my book, and I don’t yet own an e-reader. Thinking that the shops at Charles De Gaulle airport must sell books in English, I began my search, and was finally rewarded by finding an entire shelf of books written in my mother tongue. An elderly American couple joined me.

“How about that one?” the woman asked.

“I’ve read it,” the man said.

This conversation was repeated about ten times, and the man was starting to sound cranky. I couldn’t blame him. We were both faced with the prospect of traversing the Atlantic without a book. Most of the wife’s suggestions were thrillers or mysteries, so I handed him Eye of the Red Tsar by Sam Eastland.

“You might like this,” I said. “It’s historical fiction about the Russian revolution.”

“Oh, thank you!” The man rushed off to buy it.

I’ve always wanted to be a librarian.

Real Writing

2011-11-07T10:39:00.002-05:00

I’m going to continue my posts about things I learned at Honesdale, but this is about something I felt at Honesdale. The Whole Novel Workshop was an opportunity of a lifetime. It was a solid week of writing, complete with a brilliant critique of my entire novel, insightful comments from my peers, and spectacular food prepared by other people. I worried that I wasn’t accomplishing enough during my Opportunity Of A Lifetime. Since I returned home, I realized three things.

1. A revision of this magnitude requires hard thinking first and hard work second.

2. Real writing, for the most part, doesn’t happen in a cozy cottage surrounded by spectacular fall foliage. It happens around teenage rock bands that show up at dinnertime, mountains of laundry, and days when AWOL characters can’t be coaxed onto the monitor.

3. Writing must be done for its own sake. In the face of uncertain economic times and the changing publishing industry, the only thing a writer can do is make the writing as good as it can be.

Sunday

2011-11-06T06:00:00.002-05:00

back at the Red Cedar River

The water is running faster than three weeks ago.

Most of the leaves have fallen.

Overheard #168

2011-11-04T06:27:00.001-04:00

"I can’t tell you how many times I’ve crossed the street to avoid a palindrome."*

*Overheard statements do not necessarily reflect the views of the management.

Purposeful Drafts

2011-11-02T11:41:00.000-04:00

Several years ago, I heard Jaïra Placide speak at an SCBWI conference. For me, the most important thing she said was, “Every draft should have a purpose.”

When revising, it’s easy to ignore the big issues and fiddle with words, but word tinkering should be left for the last step. I find that my revisions are most effective when I focus on a specific goal for each draft. These goals are large issues like adding personality to a secondary character, making a character’s voice consistent, or getting the characters into the action sooner.

At the Whole Novel Workshop in Honesdale, I was reminded that every draft should have ONE purpose. In my current revision, two of the main characters are exchanging roles, and it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the enormity of this task. I keep reminding myself that this draft is for stage management. All I’m doing is moving the characters around. At this point, it doesn’t matter if the writing is clunky or if the characters have lost their voices. I’ll fix those things in subsequent drafts.

Rick Steves' Post on Cinque Terre

2011-10-29T06:24:00.000-04:00

Rick Steves wrote about his memories of Cinque Terre and the flood.

News from Cinque Terre

2011-10-28T13:32:00.007-04:00

I heard from Christine who manages the B&B where we stayed in Manarola. Both of her emails follow:

Dear Ann,
Thank you for writing to check on us. All of us in Manarola, Riomaggiore and Corniglia are safe and were incredibly fortunate, as there was only minor damage in our villages from the storm. The situation in Vernazza and in the old town of Monterosso is tragic. They have been without water, electricity, gas and telephone service since Tuesday. The situation is particularly difficult in Vernazza, as it is now only accessible by sea. My husband went there today by boat with a group of volunteers from Manarola, to bring supplies and help with the cleanup. He said that the conditions there are even worse than we had imagined. The heavy rains caused a huge landslide at the top of the village, which diverted the river there onto the main street of the town. The river brought with it mud and debris which now almost completely covers the main floor of the buildings all along the main street. Several people are unaccounted for, and nearly all of the businesses in the town have been destroyed. The cleanup efforts will likely take months, but the people of the Cinque Terre are very resilient, and are determined to recover from this terrible tragedy. Thanks again for your concern.

Kind regards,
Christine and Family
Carugiu B&B

Dear Ann,
Thank you for the link to your blog. You are welcome to include my e-mail. Your pictures are beautiful!
My husband and I went to Vernazza by ferry today to help pump water from a friend’s house, but only residents were allowed to get off there, so we dropped the pump off and continued along the coast. The sea is filled with debris, but the mud that turned the water from blue to brown has started to settle. There are numerous emergency crews working in Vernazza and Monterosso, and electricity has been restored. Heavy equipment has been brought in by boat to remove the incredible amount of mud in the streets. The Italian government has declared a state of emergency, so special funds are now available for cleanup and relief efforts. Support has been pouring in from around the world, and is greatly appreciated by the locals. Our communities are working very hard to return to normal as soon as possible.
Kind regards,
Christine

Overheard #167

2011-10-28T06:00:00.002-04:00

"There is an ugly stage in ever painting just like there is in every manuscript."

Storms in Northern Italy

2011-10-26T19:26:00.001-04:00

Tuscany and Cinque Terre have been devastated by storms. (Telegraph Article) I emailed the manager of the B&B where we stayed to ask if she and her family are all right, although I suspect internet connections won’t be working for some time. The damage was horrendous. Monterosso and Vernazza were “all but wiped out.” The people who live this beautiful place are in my thoughts.

My pictures of Manarola can be seen here and here.

The Three Solution Approach

2011-10-25T09:19:00.002-04:00

I just returned from the Whole Novel Workshop put on Highlights Foundation. Wow. It was great. I cannot claim it all smooth sailing. I’m doing a MAJOR revision. This is not mere whining. Those words were used by Stephen Roxburgh and Carolyn Coman.

The biggest problem with my novel is point of view. In my first discussion with Stephen, we decided there were three possible approaches: 1) make my protagonist female, 2) write the novel in third person and make her female 3) switch the roles of the protagonist and one of the secondary characters. Stephen suggested that the first was the most conservative approach and I should start there.

The process reminded me of my former life as a laboratory scientist. When something didn’t work, my husband would say, “Think of three ways to solve the problem and do them all.” I already had that skill set, so on the first full day, I rewrote my first chapter three ways. It was immediately obvious I should take approach #3.

The Three-Solution-Approach works. Trust me. The other writers at the workshop started referring to it as “doing an Ann.”

Sunday

2011-10-16T06:00:00.002-04:00

The Red Cedar River

Whole Novel Workshop

2011-10-15T06:00:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow I leave for Honesdale, PA to attend a Highlights Founders Workshop led by Carolyn Coman and Stephen Roxburgh. Serious revisions of SSA are in my immediate future.

Please check back tomorrow for some pictures of Michigan’s autumn. I may post periodically while I’m away.

Overheard #166

2011-10-14T06:31:00.001-04:00

"I only try subtlety when I have to."

Macro Italy

2011-10-12T07:40:00.000-04:00

I took a few macro shots in Italy.

I think this is a type of juniper. They grow everywhere.

twists

spikes

a wild orchid

These lizards are fast. This was the best shot of many tries.

sparkles

Oleander also grow in my hometown.

Pisa

2011-10-11T17:08:00.005-04:00

We arrived in Pisa in the afternoon and set off on our Tower Quest. We’d walked about halfway there when the storm that had been brewing in Manarola hit Pisa.

We took shelter under a covered walkway.

Pisa is beautiful in the rain.

It started to hail. (Click on the picture to enlarge it.)

We ducked into this shop for espresso and sustenance. Eventually the rain lessened, and we continued our journey to the Tower.

Zach held the umbrella over the camera so I could take this picture.

The Mediterranean Sea

2011-10-10T16:05:00.000-04:00

I grew up a mile from the Pacific Ocean, but this was my first view of the Mediterranean Sea. (Technically, the ocean off Cinque Terre is called the Ligurian Sea.) I was amazed first at the deep teal color of the water. The Pacific tends towards blues and grays. Second, I couldn’t believe how calm it was on the day we arrived. The Pacific, contrary to its name, always has waves.

This is an early morning shot of the main swimming area for Manarola. There is no sand, but people bask on the rocks and on the cement ramp.

We went swimming at the second beach because fewer people go there. If you enlarge the photo, you can see a ladder by the little breakwater. The water was surprisingly salty which made it easy to float.

I wasn’t the only person fascinated with the ocean.

See what I mean about the color?

On Sunday, the water started to get rougher.

A storm was blowing in.

Whitewater

Close up

Manarola

2011-10-09T20:03:00.001-04:00

Manarola is a magical little town on the Mediterranean Sea. The time we spent here was the best part of our trip. We climbed its hills, ate its wonderful pesto and pastries and swam in the lovely little cove. Many thanks to Kristen Wolden Nitz for suggesting we visit Cinque Terre.

Manarola is the second town in Cinque Terre. From south to north, they are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso. On this trip, we saw Riomaggiore (briefly) and Manarola. I guess we’ll have to go back to catch the rest.

I'm going to have to get a polarizing filter or figure out how to use GIMP to make the sky bluer. The above shot was taken in the early morning.

This is from the top of the town, looking down. Note the terraces for grapevines.

You can see the breakwater that protects the little harbor. When the weather gets rough, they lift the boats up up to the town with a winch.

This is where they grow grapes for wine. Someone calculated that there is more stone in the terraces of Cinque Terre than in the Great Wall of China. I have no way to verify this.

Cropped sunset

Manarola at night.

Overheard #165

2011-10-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

"There are interesting things you can do when you integrate into the complex plane."

Via dell’ Amore

2011-10-05T09:59:00.001-04:00

We traveled next to Cinque Terre, or Five Lands. They are small towns perched on the cliffs over the Mediterranean Sea. It was a gorgeous place, and I took a zillion pictures. In an effort to divide them into manageable blog posts, I’ll have one post on Via dell’Amore, one on the town of Manarola and one on the ocean.

The five towns were quite isolated until a railway line was built in the 1920s, and a trail was made between Riomaggiore, the first (southern most) town and its northern neighbor, Manarola. Landslides closed the path until after WWII when it was reopened and became a meeting place for boys and girls from the two towns. A journalist coined the name, and the path became Cinque Terre’s lover’s lane.

A hiking trail and a railroad now connect all five towns. Due to a landslide between Manarola (town #2) and Corniglia (town #3) and a railroad strike, we only saw Manarola. This was hardly a hardship, and we hope to return to see the rest.

Our first glimpse of Manarola as we walked along Via dell’ Amore from the train station in Riomaggiore.

These fences protect hikers from landslides.

A better view of the coast.

The rocks and retaining walls of Via dell’ Amore are covered with amorous graffiti. It is also traditional for couples to leave a small padlock attached to the fences as a token of undying love. This is the iconic statue for Via dell’ Amore, complete with padlocks. People also tie strings, bits of plastic bags or anything they can find to the fence.

We added a ribbon.

Sunset

Another sunset – because I can’t take this kind of shot in mid-Michigan.

Seagull

Lucca

2011-10-01T15:48:00.000-04:00

The resort arranged a brief afternoon trip to Lucca. I’m sure there is more to this town than we had time to discover.

The town is still enclosed by its ancient wall and has expanded upward, not outward. From the streets, all you can see is tall, old buildings rising above you. In some places, even the wall isn’t visible.

Throughout history, Lucca has had three walls. The first was a rectangular structure built by the Romans. A larger stone wall was built in medieval times. When cannons were invented, the medieval wall was reinforced. The Lucchesi built a 100-foot wide mound of dirt faced with bricks and devoted a third of their income for a hundred years to its construction. As it turned out, none of the other city states ever attacked Lucca. Now the wall has been converted to a park with a bike path, lawns and trees. The rounded area you see in the picture was where they used to have cannons.

Lucca was known for its silk trade and wealthy merchants flaunted their affluence by building towers. At one time the Lucca had 160 towers. This is in a space enclosed by a wall with a circumference of only 2.5 miles. The most famous is Torre Guinigi. We had a hard time finding it because you can’t see it behind other the tall buildings. I had to take a picture into the sun, but it was the only glimpse I was likely to get. This tower has a rooftop garden, but we didn’t have time to take the tour.

A lovely old church.

The view from the train station while we waited to travel to Cinque Terre.

Overheard #164

2011-09-30T05:57:00.001-04:00

"It’s outgrown its etymology."

Barga

2011-09-27T08:25:00.002-04:00

The ancient town of Barga is a short drive from Il Ciocco, and the conference organizers arranged an afternoon trip to visit this ancient walled city. As we waited for the shuttle bus, my husband asked if I had my camera. I'd left it in the room! I ran up six flights of steps to retrieve it, forgetting about the altitude. (Gasp).

This cathedral is Barga's crowning glory.

Some of the windows are made of thin slices of marble, so the inside of the duomo was extremely dark. I learned later that you can pay a euro to turn on the lights and take pictures.

Having a wall around the town prevents urban sprawl. The cobblestone streets were delightfully shaded and cool on a hot September afternoon. We heard several music students practicing opera as we wandered around the town.

Click on the picture to see the detail in the carving.

Looking down a narrow street.

My next post will be about Lucca.

Il Ciocco

2011-09-24T06:00:00.002-04:00

We went to Italy because my husband was asked to speak at a scientific conference held at the Il Ciocco resort in Tuscany.

I took a picture of the Maritime Alps through the airplane window although I didn't expect it to come out.

This is from our balcony. It was a bit hazy, but the views were breathtaking.

This is a nearby vinyard. If you click on the picture to enlarge, you'll be able to see solar panels behind the white building.

This old house picked up the glow from the setting sun.

The sun setting behind the mountains. The conference ran from Sunday evening through Friday morning. They held sessions in the mornings and evenings and let the scientists out in the afternoons to enjoy the resort, hike, or visit nearby towns. While the meettings were in session, I looked out over these views and worked on my newest novel.

The ancient town of Barga as seen from the terrace of Il Ciocco. My next post will show pictures from our excursion to Barga.

Overheard #163

2011-09-23T07:27:00.001-04:00

"Napping is my superpower."

On My Way Home

2011-09-19T05:22:00.000-04:00

The Paris airport allows 15 minutes of free Wi Fi, so here I am. It was a wonderful trip, and as soon as I dig my way out from under the laundry and get my photos organized, I'll be back to write about the details.

An Award!

2011-09-14T05:07:00.001-04:00

Sue Bradford Edwards was kind enough to give my blog this award. I'm supposed to write about myself and nominate other bloggers. I'll do my homework when I return from Italy. In the meantime, I wanted to say how delighted I am.

(As a fun note, I logged on through Google Italia. When I spell-checked, it marked almost all of the words - because they're not Italian. J)

Sunday

2011-09-11T06:00:00.001-04:00

The palate is changing to green and gold. Fall is coming.

Overheard #162

2011-09-09T06:00:00.001-04:00

"Morning walks are good for realizing what you might already know."

Intermittent Blogging

2011-09-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

On Friday, I’m going to Italy. I’ve never been to Europe, and I can’t wait.

I won’t be blogging much for the next couple weeks. I have some photos scheduled for Sunday and an Overheard coming up on Friday, but I suspect my posts will be haphazard for a while. I hope to have lots of pictures and stories when I get back.

Random Acts of Publicity and the Royal Family of Montmaray

2011-09-06T10:51:00.002-04:00

A Brief History of Montmaray and The FitzOsbornes in Exile by Michelle Cooper (Alfred A. Knopf) describe the fictional royal family of the imaginary island kingdom of Montmaray. The first two books in the series take place in the turbulent period between the World Wars. If you’re a Dorothy L. Sayers fan, this series will bring back fond memories of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. The British upper classes happily ignored the political upheaval and the suffering of the poor in favor of tea parties and debutant balls.

Cooper has created a fascinating cast of characters. The setting is rich and the history fascinating. I’m looking forward to the third book in the series.

The first two books in the Montmaray Journal series were recommended to me by Amy Huntley. Check out her webpage and blog, and definitely read her book, The Everafter.

Sunday

2011-09-04T13:58:00.000-04:00

I love the color blue.

Overheard #161

2011-09-02T21:52:00.000-04:00

"It takes no courage to do something you’re an expert at."

Music v. The Environment

2011-08-31T20:56:00.000-04:00

Tonight on NPR, they described a Justice Department raid on the Gibson guitar factory for illegal use of endangered woods, specifically ebony and rosewood from Madagascar. Protecting the world’s rainforests is of critical importance. On the other hand, these guitars must look beautiful and sound wonderful. I wish I knew more about the type of wood used to make guitars. Apparently, some of these same laws apply to vintage instruments that were made before environmental laws were passed. In the early 1970s, I played an ebony clarinet and have no idea where the wood came from. It’s an interesting controversy.

I was positive the lead-out music would be Norwegian Wood by the Beatles. Nope. It was My Guitar Gently Weeps. If you’ve never heard that song on ukulele, click here.

Sunday

2011-08-28T06:00:00.001-04:00

Update

2011-08-27T06:00:00.001-04:00

It’s been a month since the crit group retreat, and I’ve done almost no writing. Yeah, I did some research for a new project until I got stumped with a logical conundrum in the plot. I also submitted a manuscript (SSA) to The Whole NovelWorkshop put on by the Highlights Foundation. To my surprise, it was accepted. I’m excited to be spending a week in Honesdale and looking forward to expert mentorship on my project.

The last month has been a busy time. We traveled to Washington DC then Vancouver for family weddings. I’ve been helping Jeremy with his college applications, and outfitting Sam’s new college apartment. My volunteer responsibilities for the band and choir have been huge. However, this is my last year as a high school mom.

Today I started revising SSA one more time before I have to send it to Carolyn Coman or Stephen Roxburgh for the Whole Novel Workshop. Next week, I must clear several more hours and finish this draft.

Overheard #160

2011-08-26T07:09:00.002-04:00

"You could always eat the inner bark of trees."

Sunday

2011-08-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

I went to the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery of Art and photographed spider webs. It had rained earlier.

Overheard #159

2011-08-19T06:00:00.001-04:00

"When times are bad, prepare for when they're good."

The Spy Museum

2011-08-16T08:56:00.002-04:00

I had a great time at The Spy Museum in Washington DC! I studied each display and read every plaque, but have no photographs because cameras are not allowed inside. The tour starts with basic surveillance techniques, like dead drops and spotting hidden cameras. There is an excellent video on how to pick a lock, and a wonderful display of recording devices. Micro-technology has certainly improved over the years.

The section on codes is well-done, and I got to see an Enigma machine. I would have liked to see a diagram of the scrambling circuitry, but perhaps that is too technical for the target audience. The historical rooms are fascinating, and I’m eager to read more about the spies of the American Revolution and Civil War. The story of the tunnel under the Berlin Wall is also something that I’ll have to investigate further.

Even though I spent four hours at the museum, I could easily go back and learn more. After some internal debate, I decided not to buy a SPY GIRL T-shirt. It would blow my cover.

Sunday

2011-08-14T06:00:00.001-04:00

I love them not.

Overheard #158

2011-08-12T06:00:00.001-04:00

"They call me mellow death metal."

The Company We Keep

2011-08-10T09:29:00.002-04:00

The Company We Keep: a husband-and-wife true-life spy story

by Robert Baer and Dayna Baer

Crown Publishers, 2011

If you want to know how CIA operatives spend their days, read this book.

I have more spy stuff coming. Several more espionage-related books are on my to-read list. On Friday, I’ll visit the Spy Museum in Washington DC.

Sunday

2011-08-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

At last, some nature photos

a white-faced meadowhawk with sun on his wings

They seem to like to arch their wings forward.

I tried to consider negative space when I cropped these pictures.

Overheard #157

2011-08-05T06:00:00.001-04:00

"There are only three ways to really get to know a person: marry them, spy on them, or play Scrabble with them."

Writing Retreat and Band Camp

2011-08-04T09:53:00.000-04:00

The World’s Greatest Critique Group spent four days at a retreat center in Saugatuck. When I left home, I was unsure what I would work on. I started with a sequel to SSA, but my plan for this book didn’t fit well with the novel format I learned from Martha Alderson’s Blockbuster Plot series, so I put it aside for now. I switched to a new project and didn’t expect to get far, but ideas came, and I ended up with a plot plan, twelve chapters outlined and one chapter written.

On Monday morning, I headed out to band camp. For incoming freshmen, band camp is their first high school experience. Watching the transition from the middle school to the high school mind set is fascinating, and the reason why I’ve written a couple manuscripts with 14-year-old protagonists. I’ve also written novels with 17-year-old protagonists. Perhaps that’s because some of the seniors enjoy being at the top of the heap while others are ready to move on.

Photographic Evidence of Our Writing Retreat

2011-08-01T21:32:00.000-04:00

The retreat was terrific. I'll write more about it when I finish my volunteer duty at Band Camp.

Overheard #156

2011-07-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

"All you need is the curiosity you were born with."

Retreat

2011-07-27T07:23:00.000-04:00

The Fourth Annual Writing Retreat of the World’s Greatest Critique Group starts tomorrow. But first, I need to:

Decide what I’m going to work on at the retreat. G&CBS is currently being queried. SSA will soon join it. The project I’m most interested in is a sequel to SSA, but it’s silly to spend any more time on this idea before it gets a glimmer of interest. I have a couple other projects sketched out, but I’m not committed to either yet.
Find Sam a place to live. His housing plans fell through, and at this point in the summer, student apartments in Ann Arbor are scarce. We may have landed an efficiency on the east side of town.

I’ve been hard at work organizing choir uniforms. Over 200 students participate in vocal music at our high school, and they all need concert uniforms. Because it’s easier to organize the uniforms than the kids, we label every hanger and arrange the uniforms by size. We’ve finished the pants, jackets and vests; the dresses remain.

Band camp starts on Monday. 8:00AM to 9:00PM six days running. I’m helping out on two days. This is valuable writing experience because I get to interact with lots of kids.

Overheard #155

2011-07-22T08:08:00.003-04:00

"Seemingly, everyone who made a significant contribution to mathematics was completely insane."

Negative Space

2011-07-20T16:54:00.000-04:00

“Negative space isn’t the absence of space but rather the space that defines the positive space.” [link]

This is my Aunt Bibi’s bird. It’s all about negative space. The sweep of the neck and the curve of the back enhance image.

As a former scientist, I’m fascinated with biological design and tend to do a lot of macro photography. For macro shots, there’s a trade off between zooming in for detail and zooming out to improve the composition of the picture. I posted this flower a couple weeks ago. The close up (with minimal negative space) shows textures and the play of light through the petals.

Backing off the flower increases the negative space and gives a sense of the wider world of the garden.

It's a trade off.

Overheard #154

2011-07-15T06:45:00.001-04:00

"It's not for the faint of heart. It's for the faint of mind."

Songwriting, Malware and Writing Days, Oh My

2011-07-14T06:45:00.002-04:00

I had intended to write a thoughtful post on negative space this week with examples from my photography and applications to writing. Then Jeremy decided his band needed a songwriting room. He and Neil (drummer) cleared out another corner of our basement, picked up some salvage furniture and carpeting at MSU, and created a cute and comfortable space. That corner of the basement had been used to store a lot of stuff, but I’ve now relocated our tax return files and trashed or recycled a lot of stuff that should have been gotten rid of years ago.

Just as the basement issue was getting under control, my PC got another malware infection and had to go back to the computer hospital. All of my photo-editing software is on that computer, so Sunday’s nature photo is unlikely to happen this week.

Some members of The World’s Greatest Critique Group have planned writing days for today and Friday. To heck with all these other issues. I’m going to finish revisions this week.

Sunday

2011-07-10T06:00:00.002-04:00

sunlight through petals

Another view of the same plant.

macro lily

The blurry green leaves in the first two pictures bother me, but my husband tells me they are negative space and therefore okay. Negative space is something I need to learn more about.

Conversations About Art and Photography

2011-07-09T10:57:00.001-04:00

My friend, Susan Miller, is posting a painting almost every week on her blog. Check them out. Susan is a fantastic artist. I mentioned to another friend (and another fantastic artist), Ruth McNally Barshaw how impressed I was with this goal of creating a painting a week because I often have trouble getting a photograph each week to post on my blog. Ruth was surprised.

Why is it a challenge to take one photograph a week?

1. I need to find something to photograph. If I photograph the beautiful lilies in my garden, it will look exactly like a million other pictures of lilies.

2. For every photograph I post, I often take ten or twenty frames that didn’t work out.

3. I’m still learning to use my camera. It’s a complicated computer, and I don’t know everything it can do.

4. I often don’t know what I’ve taken until I view the picture on a big screen. A few weeks ago, I was concentrating getting an unusual red bug in focus before he flew away. I didn’t know until later that I’d captured the optical illusion of a giant shadow caused by the leaf’s shadow superimposed on his.

Overheard #153

2011-07-08T06:00:00.003-04:00

"Pictures aren’t proofs."

(in case you thought seeing is believing)

Sunday

2011-07-03T06:00:00.001-04:00

Cottonwood fluff on a crabapple

on a rosebud

in a spiderweb

Overheard #152

2011-07-01T06:36:00.002-04:00

"What’s the point of being in charge if everyone gets a vote?"

Hot Rod Lincoln

2011-06-28T22:16:00.000-04:00

“My daddy said, ‘Son, you’re going to drive me to drinkin’ if you don’t stop drivin’ that hot rod Lincoln.’” All of my teen driving posts should have that song playing in the background.

My spies tell me that Jeremy plays air guitar with his right hand while driving with his left. Remember when I told him he shouldn’t sing and drive at the same time?

Sunday

2011-06-26T06:00:00.001-04:00

fuzzy bee fly

dusty red beetle and shadow

Overheard #151

2011-06-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

"Bass clef just screams boss."

Wednesday

2011-06-22T13:33:00.000-04:00

Blogger finally let me post this photo of the first fairy rose of the year. I didn't notice the bee fly when I snapped the picture.

Sunday

2011-06-19T06:00:00.002-04:00

June is a good time to photograph spiderwebs because they catch cottonwood fluff.

From underneath our deck, looking up at the web.

Playing with contrast and brightness.

Overheard #150

2011-06-17T05:35:00.000-04:00

"You can fund schools or you can fund prisons."

Does Anybody Really Know What Day It Is?

2011-06-14T16:53:00.002-04:00

One of my readers for SSA remarked that my characters were driving around Chicago at an impossible time of day. I’m a California girl who totally understands rush hour. In the early drafts, my characters behaved sensibly, but somehow in one of the revision shake ups, my characters ended up in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

I fixed it, by having them drive all night. Believe me, it’s a better option. Other changes expanded or contracted the original time frame, and now all references to the day of the week are incorrect.

My next revision step will be to make a calendar for my novel. I’ll block out a page of scratch paper with a box for each day of the story. I’ll note what the characters are doing on that day and where they spent the night. Let’s hope they’ll make it home on time.

Sunday

2011-06-12T06:00:00.003-04:00

I played with the exposure an color a little with this picture. Taking photos of white things in full sunlight tends to result in a bleached out picture.

Damselfly. Unfortunately my profile shots didn't turn out well. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you might be able to see the hairs on his legs.