Life in a Tent

 It wasn't originally for sleeping in. It was for crawling inside to draw cool pictures on the fabric with a light pen. But when your bed is by the window, and it's cold outside, and your tent is ON your bed, and you crawl inside to draw and fall asleep and are warm for the first time without a mountain of blankets smooshing down your lungs, then you get the idea that sleeping in tents is not just a summertime activity. It puts me in mind of those "accidents" that ended up being great discoveries... the Ivory soap that was whipped too long in the mixing bowl, but the worker didn't want to get in trouble so processed it anyway, causing a flurry of homemakers demanding the "soap that floats," the inventor who worked diligently toward making a new, improved rubber product for the efforts of World War II and ended up cavorting around the lab with his fellow researchers and their blobs of Silly Putty. What happy accidental inventions do you know about, or which ones have you made?  

No Such Thing as Writer's Block

     I've heard the term "Writer's Block" since I was a kid (well, I'm still a kid, just a bigger one) and I've come to discover that there is no such thing. Instead, what a writer suffers from is an abundance of ideas, so many roads to choose from without knowing which one to take. You may consider that the same thing as Writer's Block, but think about this: if you tell yourself you're blocked, how is your sub-conscience going to take it? Probably by lying down and giving up. Yet if you view the situation as having so many ideas that you don't know which one to choose, then what? Your sub-conscience is going to believe in infinite possibilities. Much nicer.

     Now that we know what it is when we don't know where to go with our story, how do we deal with it? Simple. By writing. Even if you don't know exactly what to write, if you're writing, the very act will generate ideas. If you have an idea of where you want your story to go, then as you write you will uncover the thread you were searching for and continue on your merry way. The fastest path I've found to getting to the other side of clogged ideas is to be nonsensical while writing through the clog. Have the dog dance the Hokey Pokey on the table top. Have Mom jump out the laundry room window and catch a tree limb to swing herself up among the stars. Have Dad be the game show host of "Famous Garbage" where he interviews celebrities about their trash. The point is, the more ridiculous and free-thinking you are when you "write through the clog," the sooner you'll find that thread you were looking for and get going with your real story. It's great fun, and the "delete" button will clear things up nicely.

     Now get out there and write. What other excuses could you possibly have?

The Mystery of Mermaids

(Photo by Toni Frissell, 1947)

Since mermaid books are popular, I did some eye-splashing research to find that generally, mermaids are seen as meanies who tantalize sailors to their soggy deaths. Hans Christian Andersen gave the mermaids a break by implying that they simply forgot humans can't breathe underwater. (Yeah, and that's why humans have LEGS!)
Actually, many early artistic depictions of mermaids show long, slender legs instead of the fishy tail so common today. (Who's to say? Have YOU seen one? The Israeli town of Kiryat Yam has offered one million dollars to anyone who proves the existence of mermaids off the coast of their town. That ought to pay for your plane ticket!)
But while you're mermaid hunting, answer this: Do you think fish smells? Chinese mythology has mermaids born with purple tails that smell of happiness. Yet if something bad happens to them, they cry tears of pearls and their tails turn red and smell of sadness. So fisherman throw nets and lay traps hoping to catch a mermaid so they can sniff her tail.
SAY WHAT?
Some cultures portray smart, crafty mermaids, others have dull-minded mermaids who even forget they have little mer-children swimming around the sea. Some mermaids make beautiful cloth, others sit around as lively as seaweed. From evil to good to flirty to mischievous to innocent, naive, or honorable, I have lots of mermaid traits to pick from. Or I may make up my own, as long as there's water involved. (Watch for a mermaid story soon!)
So what is your take on merfolk? Do you have nightmares about them or want to be one? Are they friend or foe in your world?

What my sister said...

Hey, I didn't even know this was possible, but if my little sister says it, it must be true. She has Down's Syndrome, and according to her, Julie Roberts used to be short. Then she was in a movie and now she's tall. Over six feet tall.
Go, grow, Julia!
Abraham Lincoln was once asked what the perfect height for a man was. He replied, "Tall enough that his feet reach the floor."
Do you like your height? What height would you choose?