07.20.05
Posted in Writing at 5:04 am by Administrator
One of the first lessons taught in writing, shortly after grammar and structure, is finding your voice. I’ve always been a bit confused by this because I just figured I already had my “voice.” I Write, therefore I have Voice. Apparently, this is not the case.
Voice is characterized by those qualities and elements an author puts into her writing which is distinctly hers, unique to her stories. It’s sort of like an extra fingerprint for an author. The difference is that the author is the one who creates this voice as she develops her writing. Just because I own a computer and can type and find myself spewing out seemingly witty stories, does not mean I have found or developed my own unique fingerprint.
Stop for a moment and look closely at one of your fingertips. Your fingerprint is complex. It is subtle. It is also quite uniform. The swirls and lines are all part of a larger picture. It is not random nor is it sloppy. It is neat and tells clearly who that finger belongs to.
The same is surely true for a writer’s voice. But instead of being created with that gloriously individual fingerprint, as a writer I must now figure out how to make that fingerprint my own. Complexity requires great thought and effort. Subtlety is not so easy either. Uniformity, a clear purpose, neat and orderly? These are not qualities that are natural to my life! How in the world am I to simply create a fingerprint for my writing that is all those things?
Practice. Only God got it right the first time. I, on the other hand, befuddled by my sinful nature, will have to practice. And if you join me on this journey, I hope you will see growth and eventually see uniformity, complexity, subtlety, purpose and order.
If not…well, I wont’ think about “if not.” I am determined to reveal my 11th fingerprint…My Voice.
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07.19.05
Posted in Books at 5:57 am by Administrator
I have refrained from writing anything about Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince since its release. I was afraid I might not be able to say anything about it without giving everything away for those who have not read it. But I find I cannot refrain any longer. And yet, I am at a loss as to exactly what to say and how to say it. Then I talked to my dear friend Rita and she summed it all up for me.
She said, “Wow.”
That is a succinct and wholly unsatisfactory, yet wholly adequate description of this work. Wow.
Questions are answered, puzzles almost solved, lights flicker on as the “aha!” factor becomes more prevalent. Wow. As has become the case with each successive volume of this series, people die, Harry grows up a little more, and life continues to move inexorably along. Wow. I cannot put the book down, I read through the book while I have company visiting me from out of town, I stay up until all hours of the night reading, and I find myself dreading the ending because I know it means I must wait probably two more years until the series finale. Wow. I finish the book on Sunday night, I find myself not willing to let the story end on Monday morning so I re-read the last chapter, savoring each word. Wow.
At one point my husband came to me and said, “Almost half way through the book, huh?” I experienced immediate heart palpitations and that sinking stomach sensation. In dismay I looked at the top of my book and cried, “No! I don’t want to be halfway through the book yet!” Wow.
I wish JK Rowling was truly magical. Then she could simply create an event like the story in the Bible where the woman is down to her last cup of flour and her last drops of oil. With no money or hope for more, she expresses her faith in Christ and miraculously, every time she goes back to the barrel, there is always one more cup of flour and more drops of precious oil. That’s what I wish JK Rowling could do. Write so there would always be one more chapter. Just a few more drops of words flowing across the continually turning pages. Now that would truly be magical indeed. Wow.
But since it is not to be, I find myself already anticipating Book Seven. And in the meantime I do have some consolation. November 18, 2005 is the release date of the movie “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” That, and subsequent re-readings of all 6 books should tide me over until perhaps 2007 or whenever the final book is released.
2007. Wow.
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07.11.05
Posted in Books at 4:32 pm by Administrator
Do you know what these mean? Until recently, I had no idea!
I am a huge fan of Harry Potter. Not as huge or insane as some or many people on this planet are, but I have read all of the Harry Potter books at least 3 times, some now 4 times each. I love the storylines. And I love how JK Rowling writes. She is truly an inspiration to me…an aspiring author. But it was not until about 2 weeks ago that I discovered a small tip of a very large iceberg of online Harry Potter websites. I was stunned! And I was also quite confused.
The people who gather at these websites all have acronyms for each book. Once I realized this, it was easy enough to decipher. SS/PS=Sorcerer’s Stone/Philosopher’s Stone; COS=Chamber of Secrets; POA=Prisoner of Azkaban; GOF=Goblet of Fire; OOTP=Order of the Phoenix; and finally, HBP=Half Blood Prince.
I still was surprised to see how much time people devote to these websites and to discussions on Harry’s love interests, career choices, who will die, who will live, who will betray whom. I am an avid reader of these books. I even attended the midnight release of OOTP a couple years ago and stayed up reading the book until 2 am. I forced myself to turn the light off because my 3 and 4 year olds were not going to be so accommodating as to let me sleep in from my late night out. But I do not contribute to these websites. Oh no. That’s not for me. I just do it here, in the privacy of my own blog.
I am, however, awaiting the arrival of the 6th book very much like, as one news magazine article worded it, Christmas Eve and the stroke of midnight. I am already dreading the wait for number 7 and then, of course, the inevitable depression surrounding the knowledge that this is the end of the line for Harry Potter (seemingly). Unless we can all persuade JK Rowling to continue picking up her pen and spinning more magical tales.
I love to read her work so very much that she could write a story on just about any topic, and I would snatch it up like a dying woman grabbing a glass of water. So as I said, I truly love Harry Potter and all of his travails, as well as those of his friends. But it is JK Rowling and her talent that I admire more than (gulp) Harry Potter. So please, JK, don’t stop with book 7… I need more acronyms to decipher!
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07.09.05
Posted in Reflections on Life in General at 7:45 pm by Administrator
I don’t wish Dennis or any other hurricane on anyone. It’s terrifying, horrific, not to mention disrupting. Peoples lives are destroyed, ruined and taken by these horrible storms.
May God’s hand protect everyone in Dennis’ path.
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Posted in Reflections on Life in General at 8:04 am by Administrator
Hurricane Dennis is barreling its way toward the United States. I’m so excited! We’re already at the letter D and no hurricanes have hit us in Central Florida yet! Last year we experienced Charley, Frances, and Jeanne. Oh, and Crazy Ivan made a quick stop as well. Crazy Ivan was so named because he hit the panhandle of Florida, entering through the Gulf, went up through Georgia, out North Carolina, made a wild, sharp southward turn and came back to hit Florida from the Atlantic Coast, exiting back into the Gulf making a complete circle. Crazy Ivan indeed. But that was last year. This year is different.
So far.
We’re already up to Dennis and nothing more than rain and a few breezy gusts have hit us. Wonder how long our luck will hold out this year? Charley did not hit until around the 20th of August. We managed to pack in 4 hurricanes between August 20th and October 1st in 2004. I’m optimistic that they’re all heading up the Gulf. But I’m also hoping patterns don’t change and they start hitting us again.
I’m truly sorry for those folks in the Gulf (Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida’s panhandle), but we had a wretched Fall last year. I think it’s only fair to share the wealth with others. Give North Carolina and Florida a break.
Emily is next. Then Franklin. Followed by Gert. I don’t want to start on Harvey, Irene and Jose.
But who’s counting?
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