Eva Pasco's Blog, page 33

Eva’s Byte #225 – Making a World of Difference

To me, there’s nothing more profound than the simple cliché, “The best things in life are free”.

Since many of us in the 40+ age range make a world of difference to others in our capacity of caregiving, time and energy for fostering one’s well-being are often nonexistent. Speaking from personal experience, I let things get the best of me. I even berate myself for not being able to write more than I do.

Hence, the gift of “time” makes a world of difference, affording me the wherewithal to indulge in life’s simple, yet grandiose pleasures:

One of them, tending to my floral arrangements.

Staying home for a day or two, allows me to recuperate from the rush of running several errands, and driving back and forth in accommodation. I’m able to focus on my creative endeavors at the keyboard while sipping a Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee, preferably mocha or vanilla.

Since I thrive on very little sleep—4 to 5 hours at most, every now and then I enjoy an afternoon nap. Even better if that nap coincides with a rainy day.

The luxury of time allows me to recharge and build up my stamina for the next round with potential to ruffle my feathers.

I’ve yet to indulge in gifting myself a leisurely drive to the shore to reflect upon all that glimmers in my horizon. Until I do, I’m appreciative of the bay breeze wafting through my office windows on a relatively carefree day.

*What are your simple pleasures that make a world of difference?

Eva’s Byte #224: Graphic Details

The Naked Truth

An Indie author whose primary genre is Contemporary Women’s Fiction which I classify as “lit with grit,” I aspire to the treatise on the subject of mimesis cited in Aristotle’s Poetics. Simply put, human beings feel an urge to create literature that reflects and represents reality: Art imitates life.

Without elaborating on the story elements of character, plot, setting or dialogue as they pertain to art imitating life in my novels—I’m going to get “graphic”—as in autobio-graphic-al.

Graphic Details alluding to my fragrance obsession:

From 'Underlying Notes' (2008):

Carla: I don’t consider myself an addict any more than someone who fancies himself or herself a collector of fine art, wine, rare books, antiques, stamps, or comics. I view this pursuit as a noble enterprise to elevate my olfactory senses, satisfy momentary whims, relive memories, restore tranquility, or boost flagging energy. Above all, fragrance completes me.

Graphic Details incorporating the antiquated methods of bookbinding based on my college summer employment at a factory:

From 'An Enlightening Quiche' (2016):

Augusta: The antiquated method known as “folding” sustains the company’s longevity through the production and proliferation of leaflets whereby the folder creases each printed sheet into a trifold. Or, creases a printed sheet down the middle to create a booklet page called a “signature.” At the completion of a run, the signatures are arranged sequentially by the stitchers who feed the saddle-stitcher by piling up signatures until they’ve assembled a stapled booklet at the end of the mechanized cable line. The saddle-stitcher, by any other name, is Brulé Bookbinding’s Trojan workhorse!

Life, in all of its graphic glory, exposing the naked truth, enriches our artistic endeavors.

*What autobiographical details have you incorporated in the art from of writing?

Eva’s Byte #223 – Missing Links

Mine!
As pertaining to hypothetical extinctions connecting my book to major online retailers. Meaning, I no longer provide my separate Amazon purchase links on Facebook ad posts.

Instead, you’ll notice:

EBook and Paperback available @ major online book retailers

My reactionary policy stems from upcoming changes in FB algorithms with potential to send Indie authors down the river:

1. Facebook is tracking the link funnel which could trigger the Click Gap Signal:

If your link leads to a retail page with questionable content (also-boughts and sponsored books) in violation of community standards, your reach is suppressed and your ads could be denied.

So—send traffic to your own website—you think? Not so fast!

2. Links in posts can be determined click-bait, or something that flags the Click Gap Signal:

Website link or not, Facebook will reduce the reach of a post if the number of clicks from Facebook is higher than it is in other areas of the internet. Your post will be construed as click-bait or spam, prompting Facebook to suppress your ad and/or shut down your account.

We Indies have enough strikes against us!

On that note—I don’t need no stinkin’ links.

Potential readers can find any of my books by typing the title in Amazon’s search engine.

Best wishes to all Indies for navigating the land minds on social media.

Eva’s Byte #222: All work and no play…

makes -------- a dull person.

A scene from The Shining comes to mind where Wendy takes a gander at the typewritten manuscript her husband, Jack, has been working on for weeks. Gobsmacked, she reels in horror upon discovering every single page covered with thousands of iterations of the aforementioned proverb!

True Confession:

An Indie author who works hard to perfect my craft within the meager time available each day, I don’t conquer nearly as much territorial white space as Jack Torrance. Then, again, I don’t walk away from each session without feeling a sense of accomplishment on ground covered via plot progression, character development, and clever turns of phrase.

I know better than to “work the room” if I’m stymied or firing blanks. That usually happens when I’m tired, predisposing me to slur my words like a nonsensical drunk.

Turnabout is fair play:

Self-disciplined, industrious, and organized out of necessity, due to demands in life away from the keyboard—even I recognize when it’s time to retaliate by prioritizing play. I’m gearing up for a few vacation days with family. I plan on frequenting the nearby shore to take in the scenery.

After all:

“The only difference between a rut and a grave are the dimensions.” Ellen Glasgow

Mind over matter: Every once in a while it behooves us to stray from well-worn, deliberate paths and detour to those roads less traveled.

Eva’s Byte #221: Tossin’ and Spurnin’

I couldn't sleep a wink just thinking of what I had to do the following morning. Something I should have done years ago when I transitioned to flying solo, procuring sustenance through dine-out, takeout, or microwaving frozen meals.

Spurnin’ and itchin’ to toss, I opened the door to my upright cabinet, a storehouse for the spices of life acquired over a decade ago when I compiled a thick notebook of recipes and took pride in trying new dishes. This venture became my source of joy after retirement from teaching.

When midlife restlessness prompted me to revive my dormant flair for writing, I should have tossed out the old when I embraced my new lifestyle in more unforeseen ways than one.

So, long overdue, I discarded outdated jars of spice in assorted sizes, some of which I’d never gotten around to opening:

Cumin, thyme, rosemary, parsley, ground mustard, ground ginger, curry powder, pumpkin pie spice, paprika, cayenne pepper, ground red pepper, crushed red pepper, chives…

Although, I’ve purged the past, I’ve “literally” preserved a piece of pride in the guise of my own modified quiche recipe which I include in the epilogue of 'An Enlightening Quiche' (Contemporary; 2016):

An heirloom quiche recipe and baking rivalry turn up the heat in a New England mill town rife with secrets and scandals, precipitating mishap and mayhem.

An Excerpt from Chapter 11:

Augusta: Estelle tapped her wine glass with a fork until she silenced the clan from running off at the mouth. “Appointing myself chairperson of this convocation, I hereby declare Augusta’s crustless, spinach Quiche Simone a formidable contender for Beauchemins’ Blue-Ribbon Bake-Off. The minced pepperoni makes it renegade French, for lack of better terminology.

Hip hip hooray for pepperoni, one of my added ingredients to heat things up.

*What have you been remiss in tossin’ and spurnin’?

Eva’s Byte #220: Knit-Wit

Through a stretch of the imagination and purls of wisdom, I’m keeping my wits about me to knit my Work in Progress in the genre of Contemporary. I envision this yarn as a scarf that’s going to be longer than originally envisioned—when it comes down to word measurement.

Started in 2017, I think it’s safe to say I’m halfway through, but there’s no projected date of publication due to the speed at which I write, the meager 1-2 hours set aside each day to do so, and—an obsession to perfect my storytelling. I’m my own harshest critic.

As I ply my knit-wit to fabricate plausible plot-lines and compelling characters, I recall my mother teaching me how to knit when I was a youngster. She tutored me in the mechanics of wielding my needles to produce a knit stitch. The practice materialized into a scarf-in-progress. A seemingly never-ending project, attributed to my lack of enthusiasm. It had gotten so pathetic, one could see the line of demarcation where I’d left off during a previous session.

My mother always ended up repairing my dropped stitches before I’d resume. Eventually, I lost the last stitch of interest, so she finished the scarf for me. At the age of 12, I retired my needles, preferring to ply my wit knitting short stories which I typed on a pink Tom Thumb typewriter.

Then, as now—there, but for the grace of God, go I! Writing for the long haul through dedication and determination, no matter how many years it takes.

Incidentally, a 'Guinness World Record' cites the longest knitted scarf measuring 4,565.46 m (14,978 ft. 6.16 in.), achieved by Helge Johansen (Norway), in Oslo, Norway on November 12, 2013. Stretched out, the scarf spanning the entire length of Central Park in Manhattan, New York, took 30 years to materialize.

Now, that’s a wrap!

I daresay, I’ll finish wit-knitting my yarn in less than 30 years!

*How long have you been crafting your latest masterpiece?

Eva’s Byte #219 – My Glorious Declarations

With the Fourth forthcoming, Americans will proudly celebrate Independence Day commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, by the Continental Congress. That 243-yr.-old document, particularly its second sentence, makes a profound statement about human rights:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

On a grand scale, I do not take lightly, these precious endowments which endure, thanks to the sacrifices those in our military have made since the American Revolutionary War.

On a miniscule scale, to ward off the “mean reds” Holly Golightly alludes to in the flim 'Breakfast at Tiffany’s', my glorious declarations are cited in gratitude for fostering my freedom via independence and autonomy. It goes without saying that life can turn on a dime, predisposing us to redefine our pursuits of happiness.

Glory, Glory, Hallelujah for:

Good health: mine and my family’s—including my two elderly cats.

Get-togethers with cousins.

My keen mind—at least I think it is.

The joy of writing novels at my own pace for publication.

My vehicle’s reliability for me to navigate where I need to go.

Laundry service: rain, sleet, or snow.

Maintenance on the premises, ready to repair or replace an item with short notice.

The affordable luxury of maintaining regular appointments at my hair salon and day spa.

Procuring what was needed, I survived the DMV in obtaining a Real ID.

No need for me to go overboard; you get the picture.

“Fourth-Coming”—feel free to glorify an overlooked reason for gratitude in your pursuit of happiness.

Eva’s Byte #218: Wouldn’t You Know!

A little birdie told me!

Actually—relayed a clairaudient message conveyed through partial song lyrics crooning through the inner voice in my mind, as I went about my business in the kitchen. Sending me reeling to the theme from 'Moonstruck'.

The refrain of “Don’t you know!” repeating in my mind prompted me to listen to the source from which it sprang—the song adaptation of the aria, "Musetta's Waltz” from Puccini's La Bohème, recorded by Jerry Vale in 1964:

Don't you know
I have fallen in love with you
For the rest of my whole life through
Don't you know
I was yours from the very day
That you happened to come my way

Wouldn’t you know!

An Indie author, I took this further by incorporating the gist of these words for the dialogue of a scene I happen to be working on in chapter 28 of my current Work in Progress.

Furthermore, the scene that’s shaping up has prompted me to change the name of my main character which also happens to be in the title. Yes, I have my work cut out for me, thanks to my muse who mind-melded with me.

Whenever I open my novel document to resume writing, the “pantser” approach renders the process an adventure beset with unexpected plot twists.

Literary works undergo many revisions to absorb the writer’s newfound visions.

(Don’t You Know – Jerry Vale)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gydqT...

Eva’s Byte #217 – Some Like it Hot!

And, some like it—NOT—at all!

An Indie author, I’m referring to the topic of lovemaking scenes, or lack thereof, in writing.

*Note to authors: However, you portray or bypass it—the more power to you!

*Note to readers: Choose the type of book that resonates with your comfort zone.

As for engaging in the act itself (writing, of course):

Implied or Explicit?

If you go along with the premise that the most powerful sex organ lies between the ears—a writer has plenty of material to draw from: physical, emotional, social, and sensory.

Since Contemporary Woman’s Fiction is my preferred writing genre, veering toward “Lit with Grit,” I incorporate lovemaking scenes where deemed appropriate, and in keeping with character. They are a by-product of my storytelling, and require much staging on my part to fit the parameters of a scene. Therefore, some excerpts may be disturbing. Others, romantic or humorous.

Along those notes:

From 'Underlying Notes,' Chapter 18:

Carla: Joe puttered around in the barn, reorganizing his treasure troves of tools on the bench when I came up from behind, put my arms around his middle, and kissed his ear lobes and the back of his neck, dampened with sweat. Turned out, this gesture was the prelude to crude barn sex devoid of sentiment or foreplay, and consummated as I leaned back against the double stacked bags of fertilizer, grass seed, and bird feed.

There's more, but...

*Implied or explicit, there are times when scenarios are best left to the reader’s imagination.

Eva’s Byte #216: The Setback

Not the first, and certainly not the last of many temporary setbacks while writing my current Work in Progress, I’m back at the drawing board. My most historic setback occurred when, after 8 years, I picked up the slack from Chapter 3 to resume writing my multi-award winning Contemporary, 'An Enlightening Quiche' (2016).

You can’t hurry writing, no you'll just have to wait
You gotta just give it time
No matter how long it takes

(Poetic license taken with “You Can’t Hurry Love,” a 1966 song originally recorded by The Supremes on the Motown label).

After a hiatus of 10 days, I’m in the throes of the Great American Novel, drafting chapter 28 in spurts of 100 – 200 words per day. A mere pittance in comparison to other Indies who don’t allow life to bog them down, spilling thousands of words per session.

The fact that I’ve published four major works since I retired from teaching, having embarked on a writing career in 2007, astounds me. I’m not even taking into account all of my random memoirs, Sixties essays, and Rhode Reads in my repertoire. And, without fail, I’ve come up with content for my weekly blog based on my own human condition.

As for projecting a ballpark publication date for my Work in Progress—it ain’t happening, as I will not pigeonhole myself. Nor, am I engaged in a rat race with myself or the Joneses. Although I write the novels I’d like to read, I respect potential readers who deserve a story whose characters linger in the mind and heart after the last page has been turned.

So, however long it takes…