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How thankful are you? Thoughts on talking turkey from Isabel Swift

November 25, 2010 by in category From Isabel Swift tagged as ,
Thank you notes—the lack of them—was one of the key complaints about children in a recent conversation with a remarkably varied series of mothers I’d been speaking to.
Mommie Dearest aside, you don’t have to be an abusive parent to expect a child (or anyone) to respond to a gift with appreciation.  I wasn’t allowed to go out and play if I hadn’t finished my thank you notes for Christmas presents by the first week in January. While it was tedious, I really didn’t see it as an inappropriate expectation of my parents.  Now I send my thank you notes as Valentine cards—a little late, but decorative!
And when I got old enough to actually send presents, it became very clear how nice getting a note was—if only to reassure you that your gift was actually received!  With no response, one can spend months vacillating between resentment toward the recipient, concern that the package had been lost, and angst about whether one should contact the person & ask the embarrassing question:  
“Did you get the present I sent months ago?” 
“Oh, yeah.  Sorry!  I guess I should have said something…”  
Yeah.  That would have been nice.
Even as one mother was complaining of the effort she made to find her nephews and nieces things she thought they’d like and how ungrateful they were and unthanked she was, I was thinking of the presents I’d given her children for which I’d never gotten any thanks or acknowledgment. Funny how easy it is to notice failures in others and not in yourself, isn’t it? 
I asked her if she’d written thank you notes herself as a child.  She’d written some, but mentioned that her godmother used to give her beautiful treasures that she still cherished, but had never thanked her for.

Suddenly, after complaining about others, she realized she’d been just as guilty. She wondered if the statute of limitations had expired, but in my opinion thanks have no expiration date. You can send a thank you years later, and it will still be fresh—and possibly even more appreciated. Go for it. And she did.

In these days of endless communication options, there’s no excuse, but remarkably little activity.  And really, not much is required:  “Just got your lovely gift—thank you so much for thinking of me!” is really all that is needed.  Yes, it would be nice to reference the actual object & mention why it will be enjoyed (if indeed it is).  But details are not required, and neither are falsehoods.  
I believe in telling the truth, but not necessarily the whole truth.  So if you hate the gift for whatever reason, all you need to do is thank the giver for the kind thought.  Note, postcard, email, voice mail (hey, you can even call when you know they won’t be there!). 
It was interesting to note that this issue of lack of acknowledgement has been the subject of articles with business interviews as well.  
So just as we may wish for Christmas cheer to last beyond the holidays, it is worth asking…can you be thankful all year long?
Did you have to write thank you notes? Do you write them now? Did you raise your children to write thank you notes?
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e-maginings: Steampunk: The Next Big Thing?

November 16, 2010 by in category Archives tagged as ,

I know some of you are wondering, what in the heck is steampunk? Simply put, it’s Victorian-era science fiction, often inspired by the novels of Jules Verne. The graphic novel & movie, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, is probably the most obvious example.

Wikipedia defines Steampunk as:

…a sub-genre of science fiction, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s.[1] Specifically, steampunk involves an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century and often Victorian era Britain—that incorporates prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisioned them; in other words, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc.

Not all Steampunk technology runs on steam power, there are also ray guns, dirigibles, clockwork mechanisms and mechanical computers based on Charles Babbage’s designs.

I’ve been hearing about steampunk for a couple of years now, so I jumped at the chance to take Suzanne Lazear’s online class through the LARA Chapter and I’m learning a lot. Suzanne wrote a great steampunk post at Castles & Guns that will explain it better than I can.

Like steam itself, steampunk is impossible to contain. Authors are using their imaginations to add fantasy and paranormal elements, to re-write history, and to heat up the Victorian era with erotic tales. There is steampunk romance, steamypunk (erotica) and gaslamp romance (Victorian-era romance with steampunk or fantasy elements, but without elaborate worldbuilding). And it’s not just books and short stories, movies & videogames. There are steampunk RPG’s (role playing games), steampunk conventions, steampunk fashion, and steampunk sex toys. Some people have even steampunked their homes!

But why steampunk and why now? Some think it’s a reaction to our economic recession. In the foreword to Steampunk Tales Free, publisher John H. Sondericker III writes: “With many of us feeling the stresses and strains of a world economy in decline, the time is right for the resurgence of escapism into the magnificent and fantastic worlds of classic pulp.”

There’s a nostalgia about steampunk, a longing for an era when technology wasn’t just useful, but often elegantly designed and built to last. I grew up around antique cars since that was my dad’s hobby. Those old cars were beautiful, with tufted leather seats and brass headlamps. And who can resist the charm of a steam locomotive like the one used for the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter movies?

Personally, I’m looking forward to exploring this fascinating genre a little more. What about you?

Linda McLaughlin
w/a Lyndi Lamont

Steampunk Resources:

Steamed! Writing steampunk fiction blog

Steampunk Writers Guild

Steampunk Links

Free The Princess: A practical literary guide to Steampunk and the Victorian Era

Article on Worldbuilding in Steampunk by author G. D. Falksen


Steampunk Emporium
: Authentic Period Clothing for a Better Tomorrow

article in Boston Globe on Steampunk, Nov. 4, 2010

And last but not least, Lady Clankington’s Cabinet of Carnal Curiosities (This is a hoot, but may not be safe for work)

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The Berlin Diary of Lady Eve Marlowe: Else’s Story by Jina Bacarr

November 11, 2010 by in category Archives tagged as , , , , , , ,

On November 11th, we celebrate our veterans. But mothers are also veterans of war. Here is a story about such a mother written by Lady Eve Marlowe, the heroine in my novel, Cleopatra’s Perfume.

Before Lady Eve married a member of the British peerage, she was a cabaret dancer in Berlin in the late 1920s during the wild days of the Weimar Republic.

The scene in what I call a “story vid” (story video) takes place after one of the girls in the show is murdered and Eve goes to visit her mother.

Best,
Jina

The Blonde Samurai: “She embraced the way of the warrior. Two swords. Two loves.”

Jina Bacarr is also the author of The Blonde Geisha ,Cleopatra’s Perfume, Naughty Paris, Tokyo Rendezvous, a Spice Brief, and Spies, Lies & Naked Thighs

visit my website: http://www.jinabacarr.com/

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Taking Care of Yourself – Not an Option by Kitty Bucholtz

November 9, 2010 by in category Archives tagged as

I’ve been a full-time grad school student for the last eight months. It’s been wonderful and exhausting. I’ve loved school since kindergarten and I’ve been looking forward to grad school for nearly a decade. The process of getting accepted and enrolled happened in a whirlwind and I didn’t have any time to plan for it. I started school in March (the autumn semester here in Australia) and hadn’t even finished my U.S. taxes, so I started out behind already in terms of time.

And nothing really changed.

I stayed barely one step ahead of the slashing scythe of time the whole year. With three weeks left to go and three more assignments due – and Australian taxes due by the weekend! – I can tell you some things I’ve learned. I hope they help you prepare for NaNo or your next writing push.

Sleep

Know yourself. Do you need 6-7 hours a night? Then don’t go below 6. I am a happy camper with 8 1/2 hours plus time to lie in bed before I get up. (I like to talk to God about my day and mentally map it out.) So I try not to get less than 7, and I don’t get less than 6 hours two nights in a row. When I know I’m going to have a timing issue with sleep, I try to plan around it. On nights I’m out late for class or a meeting, I try to make sure the next morning is not a running morning. (On running days I get up at least an hour earlier.)

Know how you sleep and what helps you sleep better or worse. I’ve found I don’t sleep well if I’ve eaten in the last couple hours before bed. If I drink too much liquid in the last 4-6 hours of the day, I will often wake up and then rarely sleep well again after the bathroom break. (I now try to drink my many glasses of water from the time I wake up until about 3pm. I’m a big water drinker, but it’s bad for sleeping well.) The stress of school hasn’t helped either. A nutritionist at the local pharmacy suggested some natural herbal sleep aids. They’ve done wonders!

Exercise

I used to hate exercising. I don’t know why. I really don’t know why I’ve come to love running! 🙂 But here is a very real example for you. John and I ran a half marathon in September. We wanted a few days break from our running schedule, so we took it. Company came and we got lazy for another 10 days. Then it seemed to rain every morning that we planned to run. Before we knew it, a month had passed before we went out again. It was no surprise that we did terribly those first few days. What was a surprise was how much better I felt within a day or two after getting back into my regular running routine. I had more mental and physical energy to pour into my work.

If you exercise, keep at it. If you used to, but don’t do it anymore because you don’t have time, get back into it. If you hate the very word, do some floor exercises or at least stretches every day. This will help you stay strong while you spend time at your computer. And remember to stretch every 20-30 minutes. I set my kitchen timer this week and did a different stretch every 20 or so minutes. Each time took about 1 minute or less. Not that much time out of your day! I think you’ll see it has lasting positive effects.

Nutrition

This is my biggest weakness. (Have suggestions? Please share them!) The only thing I know for sure is that if I start the day with eggs or a protein shake, everything is better. I don’t have as many cravings and I find it somewhat easier to skip the sugary foods in my pantry. And I feel like I can concentrate better. But if I start with my favorite jaffa muffin from Brumby’s (an orange and chocolate chip muffin from my favorite bakery), I seem to crave sugars and breads all day.

When I asked the nutritionist about something to help me sleep, I told her about my life and stress and asked if she had any advice. She not only suggested the protein shake in the morning, or sprinkling the protein powder on healthy cereal, but she said I’d be better off keeping some fruits and nuts nearby for snacking. I’ve been eating prunes and dried apricots and almonds and peanuts for snacks lately. Again, big difference. Not only is it better for my body than sugary snacks and cookies, but my snack-craving fades after I’ve eaten a couple handfuls. Then I’m back to focusing on my work again. (One new favorite for breakfast or snacks – Special K with Chocolatey Flakes. Mmm.)

If you’re like me, and you work until you’re starving hungry and then have no self-control until you’ve put something in your stomach to ease the hunger pains – put a bag of your favorite dried fruit or nuts or whatever on your desk. Keep a package there – airtight so you don’t get bugs – and remind yourself to reach for it any time, guilt-free!

Rewards for NOT Doing It

We often talk about rewards as part of your writing routine. But it’s usually ways to reward yourself for your accomplishments. I’ve gotten into the habit lately of rewarding myself for what I’m not doing. If I don’t check email or do anything else in the morning, just sit down and do my work until lunch time, I reward myself with TV during lunch. My big weakness is doing other little things before the big thing that needs to be done in my day. (Lately, homework, but also putting writing first.) Then the big and most important thing doesn’t get completed until late in the day because I started it later than I should have/wanted to. (Or worse, it doesn’t get completed that day.)

When I go on my writer’s retreat this weekend, talking is going to be the biggest problem (and not just for me!). I have to think of something not-unhealthy to reward myself for not talking during our designated writing times. Giving myself cookies as a reward will only undermine my new goal for the summer to lose weight. 🙂 I’m still working on the rewards for changing my “bad” behaviors. Throw out some ideas if you have any. The idea is to sabotage your self-sabotaging behaviors.

One reward I decided on months ago was to do some teaching during the summer. I’ve been so busy with homework that I haven’t been able to do a lot of fun stuff lately. I’m excited to tell you that I’m teaching an online class in January – Going the Distance: Goal Setting and Time Management for the Writer. Look over the outline and sign up. We’ll start 2011 by creating better writing routines together!


Kitty Bucholtz is the co-founder of Routines for Writers, a web site dedicated to helping writers write more. She writes romance novels, light urban fantasy novels for adults and young adults, and magazine articles. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in Creative Writing program at University of Technology, Sydney.

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Would you like some mystery with that?

November 9, 2010 by in category Archives

Recently I’ve read a couple of thrillers by Michael Connelly that I really enjoyed. I admit, I hadn’t even heard of Michael Connelly before I won a galley of The Reversal, his new book, from his publisher via Twitter (thanks, Little Brown!). I now know, of course, that Connelly is super-famous and millions of people love his work (including my parents, who knew?). But the fact is, I don’t read a lot of mystery / thriller novels.

Not sure why…I was an Agatha Christie addict as a teenager, I’ve blogged here about how much I like Hank Phillippi Ryan ‘s books…the fact is, I probably enjoy a well-written mystery as much I enjoy a well-written romance. But for some reason the genre isn’t on my radar.

Until recently, that is. I’m in the process of adding a mystery to a novel that I’m working on, and it’s a whole new challenge. Coming up with a mystery that’s not guessable from page one, that has all the requisite clues and red herrings, and that holds my own interest isn’t that easy. Hats off to all you mystery writers out there!

I’ve read a couple of how-to books, and I’m reading within the genre. And I’m reworking my mystery subplot over and over to make it more…mysterious. But I’m open to suggestions on this – if you have any suggestions (as a reader or a writer) about what makes for a great mystery, I’d love to hear them. And, of course, any suggestions for great mysteries to read (but please bear in mind that I’m squeamish – nothing too graphic!).
Thanks!
Abby

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