Writing Wednesday: Randomness and Rome

Many do not know that my daughter, Ayanna, went to Rome for the mid-winter recess with her high school.  She spent nine days visiting: Rome, Florence, Pompeii, Assissi, and  Sorrento.  She chose a trip to Italy versus a Sweet 16, smart girl!  She knows I "got her" for her wedding when she is older.  :D

Here is Rome told in pictures:

The National Museum in Rome.

The city park's fountains meet the river. Not sure which park or river.

Locks are placed by couples crossing the bridge to symbolize their everlasting love.  Nice!

The ceiling of one of the many churches the group toured.

Ruins made into a cat sanctuary.  The ruins were caused by the extraction of the metal that supported the columns.  They were recycled and used elsewhere in Rome.

This is the exterior of one of the buildings my daughter toured.  Translation please?

Modern day market stalls in a piazza surrounded by lovely buildings.

A beautiful fountain on a busy street.  Ayanna said they must have seen at least ten different fountains including the Trevi Fountain.

Angels & Demons anyone?  I love this structure and all the angels surrounding it.

This is  . . . *drum roll*. . . the ruins of the Roman Coliseum.

This is my baby girl in front of the Trevi Fountain.  It was dark and I don't know who took the photo.

All roads lead to Rome.  I couldn't help myself.  This is an ancient Roman road that is approximately two thousand years old.  Looks good, doesn't it?

And last is a photo of the sunshine trying to burst out of the cloudy sky.  I have many more photos but will save them for my next post.  That's all folks!

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Yum...

Having just discovered (literally minutes ago) that I was up for this week's 'topical' post, I immediately went to Google news and had a look-see at what was currently going on in the world. Not that I'm completely ignorant of what is happening, you understand, it's just that I needed a reminder.*coughs* 

It's quite depressing reading. But then, to be fair, it usually is. It's a rare occasion indeed to find anything happy in the headlines. Amongst today's offerings were the usual weapons concern in far-flung countries, some techy news regarding Smartphones, a little more (yet again) about Whitney Houston, a few articles on the greedy Fat Cats in the banking world... like I said, nothing surprising.

It's all so very gloomy. Nothing but doom, mostly. And you know what? I don't feel like writing about doom. So instead, I am going to talk about food. Because I LOVE food, and it always makes me feel better (as the current size of my hips will attest to).

In this day and age, it's probably not something that I should admit to, but food really is one of the only things that can cheer me up sometimes. Yes, I know that I should be eating healthily, and I know that there are people in the world who don't have enough to eat at all, but I am not being unfeeling or anything, I am just admitting to a guilty pleasure.

Receiving a box of chocolates, for example, is lovely. Not that it happens to me very often, but when I get them I smile. It's the thought behind the gift that makes it matter, granted, but I can't deny that tucking into the chocolaty goodness doesn't have the feel good factor.

Sometimes it's a cream cake that will do the trick. If I am feeling a bit down in the dumps, I find that a nice cream cake will work wonders. I make sure I walk pretty fast to the bakers and back (in order to justify the extra calories), and I figure I'm good.

It doesn't have to be the naughty stuff either. I had a lazy day yesterday and decided to skip the usual Sunday shenanigans (I'm not confused, yesterday WAS Sunday, I am typing in advance) and cook something simple for our main meal (the 'cooking something simple' was made even easier when I decided to skip the cooking altogether and order a Chinese instead, which is actually still naughty, but I digress...).

Anyway, I figured I'd cook a full roast today instead. A joint of pork with roast potatoes, lots of veg, Yorkshire puddings, the whole she-bang. Mmmm, lovely. It's cold outside, rainy and dark... and a  little (like today's news) depressing. But when I eat my roast dinner, I will be a happy bunny indeed.

Sometimes it really is the simple things in life that make us smile, eh?

PS...the picture is borrowed from here. It's looks lovely and everything, but there's not nearly enough gravy for it to be my plate...

I Like. BIG. BOOKS!

Erm. Apologies to Sir Mix-a-Lot. Seriously though, when it gets all wintery outside sometimes the only thing I want to do is curl up with an enormous book and live in it for a while. And since I read VERY fast, and sometimes New England storms can last a day or more, when those big fat books are part of a series and I can bury myself in them for the whole thing - as long as the lights don't go out, I'm in heaven. So here are my snowbound reads, in no particular order except for the first, to whit:

Outlander - Diana Gabaldon

This one's first 'cause I stole the "Big Books" thing from her blog. :-) There is pretty much nothing I don't like about this series (other than the wait time between installments, that is!). They're funny, they're well-written, they're HUGE, they're Scottish (you knew that was coming), and they are utterly unclassifiable beyond the catch-all label "fiction", 'cause we've got history and romance and time travel and medicine and politics and, not least, lots and lots of kilts. Yum. Spinoffs like the Lord John series and various shorts found in even-more-various anthologies can help bridge the gap between the main entries; she also has something called "The Methadone List" on her blog that contains suggestions for things to read in between releases. :-)

Asian Saga - James Clavell

Same source as the previous one (paired with Gabaldon's on her suggestions for a "Big Books" display), but since these were some of the few books my dad had in the house when I was a kid, they did snow-day duty for me in junior high so why not add them in? I would probably read them much differently now (for starters, I went to college with a heaping pile of people from that part of the world, so I understand more of the customs {and swear words} than I did as a 12-year-old) and should just suck it up and buy the series for myself one of these days. Anyway, multi-generational storylines, westerners in the Far East, opium and pirates and all manner of crudity (I'm surprised my dad let me read them, actually... then again, I'm not sure HE read them...), the writing's not always polished but sometimes I just don't care.

Earth's Children - Jean M. Auel

Yeah, I know, caveman sex, whatever. They are BIG, there are SIX, and they got me through some boring high school snow days (or the first 3 or 4 did, anyway), so they go on this list. :-) For those who have themselves been living in a cave for the past 30 years, the series focuses on a Cro-Magnon girl and her life circa 30,000 years ago, from being orphaned in an earthquake around the age of 5 and adopted by a tribe of Neanderthals, to her later travels with a man of her own species with whom she falls in love. While scientifically much of the story is debunkable (for example, recent research indicates that blue eyes are a recessive mutation only 5-8,000 years old, despite a character in the 6th volume remarking that nearly everyone has blue eyes), and the aforementioned caveman sex is seriously over the top in at least 3 of the 6, they definitely fit the escape criteria to a T.

Anything by - Phillippa Gregory

So once again the history's a little suspect and the romance perhaps a bit over-the-top - these still make great blizzard reading (I know this because I bought three of 'em in hardcover for half off back when there was still such a thing as Borders, and proceeded to read them all during {you guessed it} a blizzard). Most people know The Other Boleyn Girl, but she has a good dozen more that certainly make the cut, some of which are based on actual historical figures and some of which are wholly original creations. There's the set dealing with the Tudors and their associates, there's the Wideacre trilogy, and others focusing on topics as disparate as gardening and the slave trade.

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Well, duh, this had to be in here somewhere. Seven big old escapes (pictured here in a nice neat box, how lovely). My dear old friends, having been read and reread and discussed and dissected and analyzed and (in the case of most of my fellow Burrowers) expanded upon and/or rewritten, and I still love them. Anything that can stand up to that kind of treatment is a total keeper. If there's anyone reading this who doesn't know the basic story line (or, let's be honest, can't recite large hunks of the text verbatim and pick out word errors in the audiobooks {errrrm... or is that just me?}), you should really not be reading this blog post, you should be reading Philosopher's Stone! (Yeah, I know I'm in the US but the original title just makes so much more sense.)

The Inheritance Cycle - Christopher Paolini

Maybe a bit flawed, maybe a bit under-edited, but really big and full of dragons, so it totally fits today's criteria. I've mentioned this one before, but since then the long-awaited fourth and final volume has been released, so I'll focus on Inheritance. We finally have the wrap-up to this epic, and it's definitely a wrap - all storylines brought to a satisfying close by the end. I've noticed a trend in first-time authors writing trilogies (and quartets, as this turned out to be) - the final volume is much bigger than the others because the author underestimated how much wrapping up was needed. Paolini underestimated so much that the final volume turned out to be two volumes (Brisingr and Inheritance), and there's a considerable amount of story left even after the grand dénouement. (Angela, as always, remains a bit of a mystery.) Epic battle scenes, lots of strategizing, and of course, dragons dragons dragons!

Otherland - Tad Williams

Four books, 1000+ pages each, virtual reality. Yup, ideal retreat from the weather! In the near future, virtual reality has become a preferred escape from the trials of real-world life... at least until people start falling into comas upon entering. A diverse and fascinating band of adventurers are searching for answers in this scifi/fantasy hybrid, including South African Renie (whose brother is one of the comatose), her student !Xabbu, a Bushman, an American teen with progeria, and - oh, forget it, this series is so massive that no summary can possibly do it any justice whatsoever. Just read them all, in order, and you'll see what I mean (and when you're done, try Diane Duane's Omnitopia - similar concept, different style).

Chronicles of the Cheysuli - Jennifer Roberson

The two-books-in-one-volume omnibus editions I have of these are bricks, but the story is awesome and you don't notice the number of pages flying by. It's one of those multi-generational, prophecy-driven high fantasy epics which I just adore, but for some weird reason not too many people seem to know about it. Warring factions in the land of Homana make it a rather inhospitable place for the shapeshifting Cheysuli; invaders from neighboring Solinde and Atvia are wreaking havoc and the prince of Homana is exiled. The saga follows the long line of descendants of both the Homanan royal line and that of their sworn enemies, a race of sorcerers known as Ihlini. Fortunately, family trees are provided. I admit it, I read these in the summer, but they're an amazing escape and perfect for being snowbound.

Diaries - Michael Palin

Currently two volumes available, these are really long and utterly engrossing (granted, I am a massive Python fan AAAAAAAAND I got to meet him at a book signing for the first one, but still!) Okay, so if you're NOT a Python fan you probably won't care, but what the hell are you doing hanging out with us Burrower nuts if you're not a Python fan? ;-) Anyway, the first volume covers 1969-1979 and contains tidbits from the main Python years (in fact, that's the subtitle - The Python Years), while the second (Halfway to Hollywood) takes care of 1980-1988. While they certainly don't contain every word he wrote in those time-spans, they do contain a plethora of behind-the-scenes tidbits for everything from Python and Ripping Yarns to Brazil and A Fish Called Wanda, much information about Palin's personal life - wife, kids, parents, sister - and the simple minutiae of the everyday. He was cool enough to sign my copy on the page with the entry for my own birthdate - this is possibly because I'd handed him his fresh pint, which had been passed to me as I approached the signing table. :-)

The Baroque Cycle (or anything else by) - Neal Stephenson

A departure from his more usual cyberpunk (but with ties to Cryptonomicon), this is a massive trilogy that'll see you through any snowstorm and keep you thinking for quite a while afterward (for starters, there's a whole subplot on the Newton vs. Leibnitz calculus mess. Yep, I said calculus. In the same novel with pirates. Deal.). These are books to be savoured, digested, and pondered, with a huge cast of characters (both historical and imaginary) and more topics than you can shake a Shaftoe at (that being "Half-Cocked" Jack Shaftoe, if you're wondering). In case you get hammered with a real thumper of a storm, you should also have a few of his other books on hand (Snow Crash and The Diamond Age being two in his more "usual" style, while the latest two, Anathem and REAMDE {Read Me with a typo, get it?} skew off again. The only thing you can expect from Stephenson is the unexpected...

Inspector Lynley Mysteries - Elizabeth George

Yeah, I've had these on here before, but they're such great escapes (besides, our shared birthday is coming up AND she just had a new one released {pictured}). Though set in the UK and with bona fide policemen (and -women), they're neither cozies nor police procedurals; on the contrary, they tend to be rich character studies in which the actual murder(s) sometimes seem almost irrelevant. This time, Lynley is called in to look into the death of young man in a case where murder isn't even officially suspected. You know this is not your usual upper-class family as soon as toilets are mentioned (the Faircloughs manufacture them, you see), and as you meet the twin daughters and the returned prodigal son, it is quite clear that all is not quite - well, quite. Throw in the disturbed son of the (possibly) murdered man, a bumbling 6'8" redheaded Jewish reporter, and some decidedly 21st-century medical procedures, and you have a rich stew fit to see you through quite a whopper of a blizzard.

Collegia Magica - Carol Berg

More lovely high fantasy, and with the trilogy recently completed you can lose yourself in this world for days if you read slowly enough. Some of you may know that I'm terrified of flying; the first one of these got me through a flight from California back home to Boston with only a couple of mild freak-outs, so you know they're engrossing. Anyway, the world-building is superb, the characters are real and flawed and all those things characters are supposed to be, and there's a fantastic science-vs.-magic thing going on at the core of it that just makes my geeky little heart go ZING! The point of view character switches with each volume, so the voice never gets stale, and there's intrigue and conspiracies and people who are (duh duh DUN!) not what they seem. That's all I'm saying - you need to discover these for yourselves.

Delusional Anagram Thursday

Delusional.

Ledusional.

Sudinoalle.

Unload isle.

Allies undo.

Ail nodules.

A duels loin.

Lone laid us.

Dial ole sun.

Use land oil.

Sun aloe lid.

El slain duo.

La nude silo.

An oil duel.

Denial soul.


(Now sing it to the tune of "Old MacDonald"...)

The Beauty of the Fool

So yesterday I was in the midst of a Facebook conversation, where all great mind rushes seem to start, yes? And somebody pointed out the Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert fact of the day... they... the comedians... seem to be the only source of truth these days...

Image from Wikipedia

But this is not new. During the great European monarchies it was the Jester, the Joker, the Fool... those were the only people who could say the great truths without risk of execution by the king. Because of this, Shakespeare used them fairly frequently—they were both a historically accurate detail and a brilliant plot device. Some fools even acted fool, even while they manipulated their masters. Rumor has it Terry Pratchet's Discworld series uses this device—I have had these on my list forever, but my local library selection is either bad, or the books are too popular—I have trouble getting ahold of any at all, let alone the beginning.

So for Writing Wednesday I thought maybe we'd explore characters and techniques involving humor/fools for advancing plots.



Who is Eligible to be the Fool?

You know, I am not sure I think the fool works as an MC, because I don't think the reader can be in on their inner workings. I think the fool works best with a note of surprise. They should shock us. Or else they should make us laugh so we underestimate what they say, having it hit us only later. I suspect Terry Pratchet would make me eat my words, and a fool intent on actually controlling things would be a different sort of character—capable of carrying a story. Mostly, though, rather than a literal fool, I like a sidekick—a close friend willing to give uncomfortable truths and add some humor to an otherwise darker tale.

I've written such a character for my cozy mystery series. Much of the humor is in the form of Annie Schulz, BFF to my MC. And Annie speaks with my Tart voice, advising the heroine to do such things as 'go grope your boyfriend, or I'll have to do it'. But at the same time, she is the strength behind the MC.

Other likely fools however, can appear in surprising places. Consider the strange case of Professor Trelawney. She is an out of touch fruitcake, yes? I used to be fond of the saying, 'she has the sight, but hasn't a clue.' Meaning she could see the future, but was lousy at interpretation. This essay does a nice job of summing it up. Though the essay misses one of the big interpretations:

“When thirteen dine together, the first to rise is the first to die.”

Sybil comes and thinks she makes thirteen. But in fact there were already thirteen at the table before she got there—Peter Pettigrew is in Ron's pocket... and then ALBUS rises to greet Sybil. So in fact her prophecy is TRUE. She just applies it wrong.

And it is things like interpreting the Grim as death that make us not trust her, when it is not a Grim at all, but Sirius, she is seeing. Note she gets much better at interpretation as things get darker—by the Half Blood Prince almost every prediction she makes is accurate, if sherry doused.

Trelawney is a brilliant fool. She is so easy to dismiss. And yet it is her prophecy that sets the entire story in motion—Voldemort ACTS because of what she said, and by his acting, makes it true.

I love the idea that because they are funny, the fool can tell readers things they need to know in a way that they will still be surprised when they prove to be true, later.

What about all of you—have you ever used the fool to enrich your tale?

Reading Monday

I'm late...very late. You see a few weeks ago my computer crashed and I lost access to the schedule and then forgot. Now, all is good, thanks Tartlette, but I'm late...

Here is what I am reading and why I am reading it!

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. I read it years ago, the man and I watched a very good movie and I was inspired to read it again. It is ideal to read while I'm in heavy revisions because my book is nothing like a book written circa 1845! It is a sweeping hilarious non-family saga - Thackeray is a genius and although he and Dickens could've been crib-mates - a totally different approach. The heroine or anit-heroine, Becky Sharpe, is so obviously the model for Scarlett O'Hara - an ambitious little vixen - with her foil, Amelia Sedley ( Melanie) and her man, Rawden Crawley (Rhett). Well, I could go on. It is fun to read and Thackeray's skewering of the greedy upper-class is brilliant.

Feed My Dear Dogs by Emma Richler (daughter of the amazing Mordechai) - this is also a re-read. Oh, what a wondrous book this is - it follows the foibles of a girl in a wild bohemian family as it moves from London to Montreal. It is so obviously a love letter to her own wonderous family, and is written in the most amazing prose - I love it. Get it. Read it.

A Zillion Books on Writing and Revising - Lamott, King, Bell, Koch, and so on. I pick one up every time I take a break from my wrting retreat. They keep me going in what seems at times to be a fool's errand. Well, aren't they all, ultimately.

Sorry I'm late - here goes...

Friday Free For All: On Love

My hands were shaking as I walked into the Assistant Principal's office for the second part of my interview. The A. P. asked if I would sit at the table outside her office as she was talking to a staff member.

There you were, eating Chinese food with chopsticks. You greeted me with the most dazzling smile. We exchanged pleasantries. You asked if I was interested in any of the new positions posted. We talked for all of ten minutes before I was called into the office. I got the job. I got you too. You had me at "Hello."


Image courtesy of Scott J. Waldron.