Daley Downing's Blog, page 42

Moon Shoot

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This was our view of the moon the other night. These pictures were taken by White Fang.

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Some Happiness

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Diversity in Fiction: Finding Better Ways

(Note: Here’s to Junicorn — June being Unicorn month, according to someone on Twitter. God bless them.)

So, last night we watched the new animated movie, Sing. From the previews, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was a little nervous, to be honest, since lately there have been far too many “kids’ films” that have not-so-subtly delivered heavy-handed messages. But Sing is a breath of fresh air.

The basic plot is of a down-on-his-luck theatre owner who really needs a smash hit to keep his stage open. He decides to host a singing competition, but his assistant screws up the advertising flyers, and an incorrect prize amount is listed, which of course leads to massive misunderstandings.

This film is so much more than slapstick of a talent show gone wrong.

A variety of characters join the show — a 1940s New York City-ish mouse, a pig housewife, an introvert elephant, a punk-rocker porcupine, a gorilla from a gang family — and they all bring their own lives with them to the theatre. The housewife has a big, rambunctious family to manage. The elephant has major stage fright. The porcupine has boyfriend concerns. The gorilla has a criminal father. These are all characters that learn to overcome their personal challenges and grow, individually and as a group.

No spoilers, I promise, but this is a great movie. You can watch it with your kids — there are no overtly political moments, very little inappropriate humor (and it’s fleeting), no bad language, and some truly wonderful themes about facing the music (ha, not sorry) for your choices, and still rising above obstacles in your path.

Something I really liked about how the characters were portrayed to show diversity was the simplicity of it. They were all different species of animals, from varying social/economic backgrounds, so it was clear without being annoying. Nobody spelled it out that there may be some prejudices going on due to someone’s class status or gender or taste in music, but that sort of thing was addressed seamlessly, as a natural, flowing part of the story. Most of the show participants banded together, regardless of where they came from, based on a love for music and theatre. That was heartwarming and inspiring.

Lately, so many political and social platforms in the real world have been about yelling that more tolerance is needed. Well, here’s a radical notion, folks: Stop shouting and just do it. Practice what you preach and quit preaching to your own choir. Actions speak louder than words.

This idea has come to me: If we stop pushing what makes us different, and focus on what makes us the same, doesn’t that create more tolerance?

Advertising our differences, then claiming that we don’t want to be treated any differently based on our race/religion/ethnic background/occupation/education level/favorite type of music, is beginning to feel a bit backwards.

If we’re supposed to be a “melting pot” society, but all stay separate from each other due to fear of offending somebody else’s culture/art style/cuisine/language/fashion, doesn’t that defeat the point?

Fiction that accurately and respectfully portrays origin without judging someone for it is currently rare and precious. Let’s hold up Sing as the monument to true acceptance that it is.

Cultural Authenticity in Fiction: Part 2

All right, ABC Studios, I am mad, and with good reason. Did anybody else see the premiere of “Still Star-Crossed”, a new TV show that takes up the story of Romeo and Juliet’s grieving families where Shakespeare’s play left off? If you have, I’d love to hear your thoughts (just be prepared mine will be a little grouchy). If you didn’t, here’s a brief summary:

The set is supposed to be the late 1500s/early 1600s in Verona, Italy. The first episode starts with introducing the city’s ruling family (a black father/brother/sister with British accents); two big, feuding families, the Capulets and Montagues (both of which have white and black relatives); and the tragic young couple, Romeo and Juliet, caught in the middle. Romeo is black, Juliet is white; Romeo is 15 or 16, and Juliet is about 14, which is the only part of Shakespeare’s play the producers got right.

This is exactly what ticks me off. In the 16th century in Italy, the native Caucasians were in power and wealth, that historically simple. Anyone of African descent found within the city walls would have been slaves. They absolutely would not have been intermarrying with politically important families. And I am not sorry and I do not care if that offends the modern sensibilities of the network.

If the producers truly felt that the 500-year-old story of Romeo and Juliet was worth revisiting with a diverse cast, how about setting it in the 1950s American South? Or in 2015 Los Angeles? Why couldn’t it be an Asian Romeo and a Hispanic Juliet? If the network is thinking about building bridges in our community, I’m not sure spotlighting the tensions between races is a good way to do it.

The idea of the show is that, after the tragic demise of Romeo and Juliet, the families proceed with an arranged marriage between a Capulet and a Montague to hopefully put the feud to rest. But, of course, the plan won’t work, and the feud will go on for the next 10 episodes or whatever.

But I won’t be watching it.

 

Muffin is 3 Today!

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Currently I Am…

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…thinking that I’ve never done one of these, and it would be a good way to catch up.

…busy, which is why you haven’t heard much from me this week.

…wondering when Muffin is going to get over his obsession with watching the same 3 movies over and over and over again.

So, here’s a brief summary of my life at the moment:

Between the holiday and a family illness, my whole schedule was thrown off.

Muffin has been insisting on not napping, and waking up by 6 a.m.

He will be turning 3 tomorrow, and I have no cake mix, no presents, and no plan.

I’m trying to find just the right song lyrics to complete the “moods” of my outlining for the rest of The Order of the Twelve Tribes (yes, through Volume 4), and my brain has decided to make this sound — kersplush.

Oh, and the library called, and they actually need to borrow the DVD I just checked out for an afterschool club today.

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More details on writing:

I am working on Volume 2. My goal is to complete the revised draft (because the initial draft was the biggest hot mess) by the end of July’s Camp NaNo. (I was shocked to see a message from NaNo about July, but then I realized, hey, maybe that will give me a better framework for getting these shenigans together.)

I’ve also concretely chosen to make the “canon” — the major story, focusing on Sophie and her family as the protagonists — only Volumes 1-4. Then I will compile short stories, novellas, field guides and the like (of all the other ideas I have for ways to explore this world/the secondary characters/their history) into two sets of “Chronicles” or…eh, yeah, I got nothing else right now. But you get the idea.

Reading:

I just finished (at White Fang’s insistence) The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles DeLint. I have mixed feelings… If you follow me on Goodreads, you can find my thoughts on it in my “read” shelves or my updates.

I’m struggling through Dawn of the Clans (Warriors). Book 3 nearly killed me, folks. So I’m taking a break and hoping to finish Apprentice Cat by Virginia Ripple.

Children:

As I mentioned above, Muffin will be 3 tomorrow, and I can’t decide between pooling into a puddle of tears or dashing around keeping busy to deal with it. (Someone please give me a better plan?!)

White Fang has about 3 more weeks of school, and once he finishes his exams, he will be headed to film-making camp. Then, much later, in September, he will…be…in…high school.

Tears? Dashing? Caffeine? Chocolate? Coping ideas, please, moths!

Summer:

Right now, plans for childcare are first and foremost, and Muffin is still in between, since we’re waiting on the official acceptance for his special needs preschool program. He’s on the waiting list, so we won’t get a definite start date for a bit yet. (We’ve worked so hard to get him to this point, so any and all prayers on that front would be greatly appreciated!)

We might actually look at a couple of day trips in the area once we nail down what the kids will be doing and when.

Music:

As previously mentioned, I am on the hunt for the perfect lyrics to complete my chapter outlines for Volumes 2, 3, and 4. For those of you who have read Volume 1, you’ll have noticed that at the beginning of each chapter, I quoted the lyrics of a song that has made an impact on my writing. Either because it was on my playlist during the writing/editing process, or it has stamped itself on my creative consciousness in terms of its poetry/meanings/muses.

Recently I’ve discovered Lord Huron, and stumbled across some totally awesome Minecraft parodies of Top 40 pop tunes. Also, while searching (rather literally) for some more obscure songs, I remembered some really great singles from my slightly checkered past. (Hey, you can still respect the coolness of the music without engaging in the less beneficial behaviors and attitudes.)

Other Things:

Who knows yet? Maybe I’ll be successful in dislodging myself from this bubble of The Cure’s glory days. Is that housework I see just over the horizon? Bah…

Unsanctioned Eyes: Cover Reveal

Good morning, everyone! Today I am featuring the cover reveal for Unsanctioned Eyes, a forthcoming release by Brianna Merritt. (See all her contact information below.) This sounds like an exciting, intriguing read, so if you’re interested in finding out more, please visit the author online!

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Unsanctioned Eyes blurb:

Her death was just the beginning.

Quinn Rogers doesn’t exist. There are no records of her name. Her DNA has no match. She is a ghost. A phantom killer no one can trace. The perfect assassin. Or so she thinks.

At the top of her game, Quinn’s no longer looking over her shoulder. Her master will protect her, save her, like he always has. But there are forces at work neither of them suspect.

Can Quinn find the truth in a world of lies? Or will her unsanctioned past catch up to her in the end?

Author Bio: 

Brianna grew up in a small town in Oklahoma learning the language of the wind and trying to survive the heat of summer. She fell in love with all things literary at an early age and the journey from reader to writer followed. With the help of One Year Adventure Novel, she finished her first novel in 2012 and hasn’t been able to stop creating new worlds and adventures since.

As well as writing, Brianna is addicted to tea, chocolate, and music. When she isn’t reading or writing, Brianna teaches Ballet and Jazz.

She lives in Virginia with her family and spoiled Dalmatian, Valentine.

Author’s social media links:

Website: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/briannawriting

Facebook: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briannawriting/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bgmwriting/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/59014298-brianna-merritt

Tumblr: https://briannawriting.tumblr.com

What’s the Deal with the Personality Types?

Okay, I just don’t get it. There’s this thing called the Myers-Briggs Personality Test, which everybody is enthralled with. (It’s really just an updated version of the Enneagram, if anybody remembers that.) I mean, I get it in terms of I understand the concept — you take the test and the software puts you in a category faster than the Hogwarts Sorting Hat. You’re supposed to answer the questions honestly, and it’s done privately; the website won’t share your results with anyone or anything. But, seriously, what’s the point?

Wow, if I didn’t just brand myself as a Vulcan. (Thank you very much.)

I’d heard of the theory several months ago, when some bloggers mentioned they used it to help create their characters for fiction writing. At the time, I truly had no idea what they were on about, so I looked it up. Oh, all right, I see now… Anyway, once it made sense, I moved on. To me, it didn’t seem to have much validity. An interesting social experiment, that’s all.

(Mrs. Spock? Your tea is ready.)

When we were first dating, my husband showed me a book someone had given him on the Enneagram. I skimmed through it, got the jist, laughed aloud, and never thought of it again. Until I heard of Myers-Briggs.

On people’s bios for their blogs and social media, there’s a lot of listing which “type” they are. And there have been several conversations in my feed that I just can’t participate in because I simply don’t know that much about this approach. For some reason, I felt a little left out.

So, I went and took the test. According to my results, I am an INFJ — also called “The Advocate.” Okay, I can accept that. Apparently, INFJs are big not just on changing the world, but changing it in a very “hearts and minds” sort of way — for example, why just raise money for a cancer charity, when we can find a cure for cancer? And I am definitely of a “teach a man to fish, you’ll feed him for a lifetime” mindset. The Myers-Briggs people believe that Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa were INFJs. If that’s the case, then I am in extremely good company.

That aside, the website goes on to list everything from the sort of friends and careers each personality type is likely to have, how they’ll probably behave with co-workers, spouses, as parents, and even whether they’ll choose Pepsi or Sprite. Okay, that last bit isn’t true. But it really is that specific.

And to me, this is where the problem comes in.

As someone who is prone to potentially obsessive behaviors (hello, autism spectrum), I can state with certainty and not-overly-dramatic flair that I can see people getting way too into this idea.

How many of us make fun of the rare individual who literally won’t walk into a salad bar on the second Tuesday of the month because their Zodiac sign supposedly falls prey to rogue beets during that part of the lunar cycle? Well, while you laugh hysterically at that image, you may want to take into account if you’ve been accepting/rejecting job offers, vacation plans, first dates, new recipes all based on your Myers-Briggs personality type.

It is good to get to know ourselves, and come to understand what kind of lifestyle/profession/hobbies we’re suited for — in fact, I’d say that’s a vital part of reaching our individual growth and success. But, determining your entire future (and analyzing every moment of your present, and past) based solely on what some pre-programmed software tosses up on the screen, that’s pretty dangerous, folks.

And there will always be those of us that never quite “fit” into our “personality type” category. We may identify with an ESFP 88% of the time, but have our days when we just don’t feel like exhibiting the traits the website claims is inherent in us. Or perhaps there were several questions on the test that simply didn’t apply to any part of your life, so your answer wasn’t accurate. That means you’re bound to become an anomaly.

And guess what — that is far more real and natural to how human beings actually are.

I don’t know about anybody else, but I’m totally okay with that.

When the Sorting Hat places each wizard in the House they’re most suited for, the Hat makes it clear: the choice is still theirs. The Hat may recommend Ravenclaw, but the wizard selects Hufflepuff, and is very happy for it. The Sorting Hat makes its decisions based on analysis of a wizard’s personality traits and family background, but perfectly allows for emotions and free will to have an impact.

In that regard, I think the Sorting Hat is probably smarter than the people who designed Myers-Briggs or the Enneagram.

What are your thoughts? Do you subscribe to any of these personality test theories? Would you actually avoid a salad bar on a random Tuesday if Neptune was in retrograde for Libras? Let me know in the comments!

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Masters and Beginners Volume One (The Order Of The Twelve Tribes) Book Review

Wow, this made my day.

Miss Elizabeth

Author: Daley Downing

Publisher: Daley Downing

Genre: YA Fiction, Fantasy

Pages: 194

“When Sophie Driscoll’s grandmother dies, her parents take over running the Annex, a warehouse facility that stores magical artifacts and documents proving, and protecting, the existence of faeries. Sophie and her brothers, Flynn and Cal, happily adjust to a new house, new friends, and a new way of living, joining the ranks of generations who have kept the fey and mortal realms separate for centuries. Before the first month of their new life is over, they’ll encounter romance, elves, talking cats, ancient secrets, and potentially lethal danger. What could possibly go wrong…”

There truly is not enough hype for good indie authors in the world. Daley Downing did a SPECTACULAR job with her book. She built an incredible world. Not to mention the characters! Why did this book have to end???

My Thoughts:

Whoa talk about a fanciful…

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Masters and Beginners by Daley Downing (Review)