Mandy Botlik's Blog, page 2

Organic Writing & High Fantasy

I will start with some definitions. Organic Writing: is any work written without the plotting and outlining that is done with formulaic writing. In other words you have an idea for a story, a character, a place, etc. and you put your pen to paper and write, letting the story evolve on its own as you go. High Fantasy: is a fictional story set in a fictional world. You would think High fantasy requires a great deal of plotting and outlining and that organic writing could not fit with high fantasy. Well here is my method.

I have loved to write since I was small. In school I was told to always star with per-writing or outlining and plotting. This was a source of frustration for me. I knew the story I wanted to tell but all that structure held me back from letting the story go anywhere outside of the outline. That was until I tossed the outline and plotting of per-writing. Then my stories began to grow on their own and go where they wanted to go.

I start each writing project with a story in my head. I’m one of those people who walk around everyday with complex stories in my head. Some people have songs in their heads I have stories. Sometimes I just have an image of a character or a phrase in the character’s voice that tells me to explore who they are. I put my pen to paper and I write a page or two perhaps a chapter. Then I answer some questions about my central character. I use a list of questions that I found online claimed to originate from Ursula Le Guin I don’t know if this is true or not. The questions are:

What are they like physically and how does this affect them?

Who are they?

What do they want?

How do they go about getting what they want?

I go deep answering these questions. I consider how I would answer these questions personally and try to give the characters equal depth. I draw the characters and collect images of the sort of environment they live in. I like to consider how their environment impacts who they are. I often begin drawing map of my world at this point too. This is a process that continues throughout the writing, on days when I don’t feel like writing. These character profiles can and do change as I work my way through my story. If I come across a new character that keeps reappearing, I write a profile for them.

World building is a necessary part of high fantasy. You are creating a world from scratch and it must be as complex as the real world so that if feels believable. For my world building I draw from the real world systems of government and elements of culture that do exist or have existed in the past. To organically write a realistic world I suggest reading widely in both fantasy and nonfiction. A strong basis in history is useful. I have no list of questions that I write out for my world. I look at my map and consider how differing geography affects the lives of people in the city and country. How do people make a living? What is their faith and how did it come to be? I never write out these answers they are just there in my head and the answers change as I go along. Some parts of the stories need prayers, texts, journals, or songs written. I stop and write them keeping in mind the world they belong to and the character that is using them.

My novel Shadows of Memories has gone through at least 5 drafts and two of those were massive rewrites of the whole book that changed the characters and plot in fundamental ways. I am currently working on a complete rewrite of the squeal, that is moving along nicely.

Magic in high fantasy: I don’t apply to the idea that magic needs to be scientific. Scientists and naturalists of the feudal ear and before didn’t always fully understand the phenomena they studied and many viewed their work as a sort of magic. Religion too can be viewed as magic. There are some things I consider about magic in my world. How do they do magic? What need or purpose does their magic fulfill in this world? Is magic tied to religious belief? Can it be learned or are some born with the ability? Do they practice magic openly or is it taboo? I like to keep magic intuitive and natural feeling, that is, like a force of nature.

As you can see, organic writing is very much and art and not a formula, which might be why I prefer it. I am also a visual artist. It can be difficult to a explain and is no better or worse than formulaic writing it is simply different. While organic writing makes some writers stress and pull their hair out the same is true of formulaic writing for others. If you are looking to write for yourself or for others, try different things and find what works best for you.

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-605a89b457893', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

Heroines of History Coloring Book Volume 2

My second coloring book of little known important women in history is live on Amazon in it’s paperback form. The ebook will follow when I get it formatted. Creating this coloring book was great fun. I got to contact people from all over the world to get permissions to create the derivative drawings. Since public domain laws vary from country to country this book is only available in the US regrettably. I did my best to cover women from many different eras, professions, and ethnic backgrounds. My niece had enjoyed working her way through the original drawings for both Volumes 1 and 2. I gave them to her as a Christmas present.

Heroines of History Volume two is the second in a series of books that illustrate little know important women in history. Each of the 30 line drawings are accompanied by a brief biography about the woman illustrated. This is a great enrichment activity for any history lesson or at home fun. The book covers women from all over the world with diverse backgrounds and professions. Color and read about each amazing, strong, and intelligent woman who broke with the traditions of her day. Visit Amazon and search Mandy Botlik or follow the link below.

Buy on Amazon __ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-602f58f9dd660', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

Poetry experiment with cinquains

A cinquain is 5 line poem with syllable counts of 2, 4, 6, 8, 2. So i gave it a try today let me know what you think.

Pandemic

face-masks,

social distance,

An airborne virus lingers.

My primal fear lives, masked by a

smile.

-Mandy Botlik 2021

Warming

New green

buds unfurling,

unseasonable, warm,

Squelching mud, jade January

greenhouse.

-Mandy Botlik 2021

What do you think? Any good? Thanks for reading.

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-6014a70cb87b4', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

Giveaways, Art for Sale, and Progress on Sequel

I am running a giveaway on goodreads for my ebook fantasy novel: Shadows of Memories.

In the aftermath of a genocidal war the kingdom of Mamera teeters on the brink of a second war. That means little to Taenen, an Ellean or nature spirit, who remembers nothing before he was enslaved, and his power bound. Everything changes when he is sold to the Temple of Áeled as a sacrificial offering. On the journey to the temple Taenen meets Liss, a member of a secretive and powerful people called Gloomlings. She claims to know Taenen and offers to release his memories. The memories begin to return leaving Taenen with more questions than answers. Can he trust Liss and the Gloomlings? Why did he choose to become a slave? As Taenen struggles to remember who he once was he must face the truth of the choices he made and the betrayal of those he once loved all while undergoing the brutal rites of sacrifice. Will Taenen find the strength to face his past and finish what he began during the war, even if it means starting another war?

Giveaway ends in: 23 days and 12:43:25

Availability:100 copies available, 155 people requesting

Giveaway dates:Jan 14 – Feb 13, 2021

Countries available:U.S.

Enter the Giveaway below.

Goodreads Giveaway

I’ve also started a Redbubble shop. My artwork on everything from cards to leggings. I’ve set the prices as low as I can and still make a little off of each sale. I intend to add more art when I have some time.

Check it out a the link below.

Mbotlik Redbubble shop

Last bit of news. I’ve started the missive rewrite of my sequel to Shadows of Memories. This book takes place about 9 years after the events of the previous book. It follows the character Jovi who has grown up and is carrying on the battle against the fire goddess Áeled and her followers. In a moment of sympathy she saves the life of an enemy. This enemy brings news of Áeled’s domain across the river. With new information Jovi is asked to return to the Áeled’s temple that haunts her childhood memories. If there is to be peace in her world, Jovi must face the horrors of her past and hold on to who she has become, while trusting her life to enemy she saved. What will it take to end the war? Nothing less than revealing Áeled’s secret and showing her people truth. Danger awaits and mental wounds of the past will be reopened. Is Jovi strong enough to survive Áeled, the temple, and her own mind?

Crossing my fingers this will be done sometime in the fall. Now back to my rewrite.

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-600a0fd60b412', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

My art for sale

I’m dipping my toe into selling my art. I set up a shop on Redbubble.com with a number of watercolor, colored pencil, and pen & ink pieces. There is one photograph as well. I hope to add more as time goes on. Head over and have a look at my new Redbubble shop!

https://www.redbubble.com/people/mbotlik/shop?asc=u&ref=account-nav-dropdown








__ATA.cmd.push(function() {
__ATA.initDynamicSlot({
id: 'atatags-26942-5ff77af271c9b',
location: 120,
formFactor: '001',
label: {
text: 'Advertisements',
},
creative: {
reportAd: {
text: 'Report this ad',
},
privacySettings: {
text: 'Privacy',

}
}
});
});

Reflections on 2020

The year is nearly at an end so I thought now would be a good time to reflect. 2020 started off well enough for me. I had big plans for the summer. I had my Broadway tour series tickets to look forward to. I saw Finding Neverland and Waitress before the theatres closed. I enjoyed trips to Crystal Bridges Art Museum. My parents and I were going to go to Colorado for a vacation. It all seemed to be going well. In the background there was talk on the nightly news of a new respiratory virus spreading in Wuhan China. A germaphobe by nature I worried a little but thought, “Well it’s not hear and SARS never really became bad here when it was going round in China.”

We took my great Aunt with us everywhere we went at that time. She is like a second grandmother to me since I have no living grandparents. One of the things I miss the most is taking her places and having dinner with her at home watching Frankie Drake Mysteries. One of our last trips to Crystal Bridges Museum was with her.

In February it looked like China didn’t have the virus under control and we took back our sick citizens. I was worried about this choice but told myself they were taking precautions and Ebola had been contained when it got here. They were being quarantined at a military base it all sounded good. Then the news reports came that the workers that offloaded the passengers weren’t properly equipped. I worried but still figured they would manage to control it.

I went to work everyday not too worried. We celebrated my dad’s birthday going out to eat and I made him some cookies. I started hearing of cases in our state and kept telling myself, “well it’s not here, not right where I live anyway.” I waited on customers at the Movie theater where I worked and have worked since high school. I was a little concerned about customers who coughed and I never have liked handling their butter slimed cups. I’m a mess in flu season washing my hands till they develop a rash.

Then, in mid March, I heard cases in the nearest large town less than an hour away. I went to work and had prolonged mild panic attacks all day. I tried to serve people ringing them up arms length from the register. I positioned myself where i could half stand behind the popcorn machine glass. I didn’t eat at work and barely drank anything. I was literally shaking and co-workers asked if I was ok. I explained my germaphobia and that I was freaking out a bit about the corona virus cases in the nearest larger town where many of them went to college. They thought my concerns were over the top and I figured they were too, just like they usually were.

Days passed and numbers began to climb in the nearest large town. Slowly we heard of cased in smaller towns around. Business stayed the same and I spent most days at work afraid to touch things or be near people. I still had occasional panic attacks but hid them well, I almost always have hid them well. Then finally the family that owns our chain decided to close temporarily mostly because the nearest large town was closing all theaters and public venues. Which also meant no more Broadway tour shows but I was too worried to attend them at that point anyway. It was such a relief to know I would have to be around the public everyday. I went home and the company filed for our unemployment. It was the first time I’d ever been furloughed or taken unemployment.

My niece and nephew came to stay with us for spring break. Their spring break stretched on until they went virtual. Then my mother, a former teacher, discovered her school wasn’t teaching her anything in the way of Science, Social Studies, or Reading. They were relying on the apps only. Her Spanish class was just what’s in the teacher’s fridge today with no reinforcement. We thought well it’s just the sudden switch to virtual. We compensated over the summer with homeschool written up by my mom, their grandma. They stayed as my sister, and essential hospital worker, had no one to watch them and didn’t want to risk them getting the virus.

I began to do art and write to pass the time. I finally began the massive rewrite my novel has needed for some time. I’ve been trying for years to find an agent or publisher that would take it on to no avail. I decided well no one wants to take it on so I’ll self publish if I can get it how I want it. My mom had a children’s book I had been illustrating on my days off. She was going to self publish and now I could do an illustration a day with no work in the way.

I worked my way through a cookie cook book I was gifted some years ago, making snacks for my niece and nephew. They loved most of them but not the sesame cookies. I learned to make rice that wasn’t instant when the stores ran out of instant rice. I tried so many new meal recipes. I really enjoy trying new recipes especially if they involve lots of spices.

We heard about George Floyd on the news. I watched the marches but had to stay home to protect my niece and nephew as well as my dad who has asthma. I hoped this movement would amount to something this time. My cousin started a book club focused on reading books by people of color. I joined her group and we worked through a number of non fictions while I tried to broaden my fiction reading.

I did Spanish class and art class with my niece and nephew. We watched a lot of movies in the evening here are just a few: A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, James and the Giant Peach, Ballet Shoes, The Secret of the Kells, The Song of the Sea, Long Way North, The Adams Family original series, Secondhand Lions, and many more. We also read books every night before bed. We read all the shorter picture books. Then we read: The Velveteen Rabbit, Fortunately the Milk, Matlida, Ballet Shoes, Odd and the Frost Giants, and so many more. I love to read and enjoyed sharing that with them. They both started wanting me to help them write their own stories, which of course I did.

My dad quit his job after someone that came in his work had it. My parents bought insurance and lived on my mom’s retirement.

All the while, I worried each month about if my employer would pay my insurance this month. Thankfully they did. They sold popcorn curbside but I didn’t. I cited helping my niece and nephew with school, but my germaphobia played a role in my decision too. As we moved closer to the start of the school year the company began to talk about reopening and bringing people back slowly. I requested to not be one of the first brought back. They said they would wait to bring me back. I was relieved but still worried about going back. The case numbers were still growing in our area. The company said nothing about upgrading air filtration which I understood would help the most. I listened the the expert they were following and worried that it wasn’t enough. I also wondered what would happen with my niece and nephew’s school. I was helping with it and proctoring some of my niece’s online classes. The wildfires in the Western U.S. made the sun look weird and I could smell smoke in the air.

The recalled me saying they couldn’t wait to bring me back. Home office wanted management back first. It would be part time and I’d still get unemployment. They would work with me on my schedule. I told them to give me till Monday to think about it. I looked into buying insurance and found a plan I could afford. I looked at my saving that I had planed to use on my big summer plans. I decided I would use that money to stay home to protect my parents and my niece and nephew, also to keep my panic attacks in check. I called and said I wouldn’t be coming back. It was a hard decision with many tears involved but after I made the decision I felt freed and relieved.

My niece and nephew went home and did virtual school until my sister saw how little they were teaching. My sister decided to homeschool her kids for the year. My mother wrote the lessons for her. I published my novel and worked on more.

I reworked some short stories I had written over the years.

I started on a coloring book for each kid for Christmas.

I decided to publish those too. We set up a haunted trail for Halloween so we could stay distanced and the kids wouldn’t have to go out trick or treating. They loved it and asked if we could do it after covid was over. I grabbed a photo of the blue hunters moon that night.

Thanksgiving came and we had our meal just my parents and I. My sister zoomed with the other grandparents but Thanksgiving has never been big in my family so we didn’t bother with zoom. Working at a movie theater has always meant having holidays around my work. I’ve been home for almost all the holidays this year and that has been a new experience.

Even as it got colder I made a point to get outside some. I started walking around our small farm for exercise. We’ve done curbside pick up for groceries since March. It’s been over nine months without seeing many other people or going anywhere. I’ve enjoyed the solitude but i miss going places too. I’ve been productive this year but haven’t really made much money.

My niece and nephew came back after Thanksgiving. My sister had to train new people and her schedule wouldn’t work out. We did school and Christmas crafts. Santa’s elf left them puzzle pieces to put together each night. I read all of our Christmas stories to them, all the picture books, The Little House Christmas Collection, and our American Girl Christmas books. We watched Christmas movies and I worried over how little I had for people for Christmas. I love to buy presents and this year I couldn’t do much. I made some cookies to add to everyone’s gifts. My niece and nephew went home for Christmas and we did our gift exchange the blustery night before Christmas eve in our carport all decorated up with greenery and a space heater.

We observed the conjunction of our planet with Jupiter and Saturn for the only time we’ll be able to see it, since it won’t happen aging for 800 years.

My dad came across an envelope in his sock drawer filled with pictures of his dad and his grandpa, our immigrant ancestor. I looked at my great grandpa who came here from Moravian Czech Republic, the Astro-Hungarian Empire then. He was standing beside his wife on their wedding day. There was something so eerie and fitting about seeing these people for the first time now. They both died in 1918 of the Spanish Flu orphaning my grandpa and his brother. I look at them and see something full circle about this in the midst of covid19. I am seeing the ones who didn’t survive but in the same pile of photos are my grandpa and his brother who did survive. I hope when all is said and done with this virus my family line doesn’t lose anyone this time.

Now the year is ending with the hopeful note of the vaccine and changes to come. The uncertainty of where I will seek employment once I get the vaccine still weighs on my mind. This year has been a gift as well as a hardship. I’ve learned so much about what is most important to me. I’ve learned that I don’t need all the things I would usually waste money on. I have created so much this year art, writing, food, quality time with family. I have forged new friendships, or perhaps they weren’t new just strengthened them, by staying in touch with co-workers by text. I have a cat that now thinks she needs treat whenever I go outside and follows me through the house. My sister gifted me a beautiful Christmas cactus that I love. I watch the blooms opening as I sit here writing this. Whatever 2021 brings I hope the perspective I have gained this year serves me in the future. I didn’t mention my constant worries when friends and acquaintances got the virus. I was blessed not have anyone in my life die but some were very very sick and hospitalized. I hope everyone’s 2021 is brighter and filled with the things that truly matter to us. I hope we have love and compassion for others as we go forward and try to rebuild our lives, businesses, and connections with friends. I wish everyone a happy and prosperous New year.

__ATA.cmd.push(function() {
__ATA.initDynamicSlot({
id: 'atatags-26942-5feb9fed2cf52',
location: 120,
formFactor: '001',
label: {
text: 'Advertisements',
},
creative: {
reportAd: {
text: 'Report this ad',
},
privacySettings: {
text: 'Privacy',

}
}
});
});

Haiku Sonnet

Still trying out some forms of poetry that are new to me. This one is a sonnet four sonnet of syllable counts 5, 7, 5 with a final couplet of 5, 7. I used a haiku i had previously writtand posted on my blog, lengthening it to make a haiku sonnet.

Lunar Birth

Astral collision

launchong bones of Earth skyward,

coalescing orb

Molten mantel clots,

heat ebbing into the void.

Scarlet crust fades to gray.

Mirroring starlight,

wan powder sprays from crater,

meteor trail glints.

A pallid pearl.

Warrior’s scared sheild held aloft,

torch in shade’s gloom.

Moon, Iah, Hina,

Coyolxāuhqui, Selene, Luna.

– Mandy Botlik

__ATA.cmd.push(function() {
__ATA.initDynamicSlot({
id: 'atatags-26942-5fd8801821387',
location: 120,
formFactor: '001',
label: {
text: 'Advertisements',
},
creative: {
reportAd: {
text: 'Report this ad',
},
privacySettings: {
text: 'Privacy settings',

}
}
});
});

An Experiment with chant poetry

I’ve wanted to write some poetry lately so I took the epigram from my book Ripples in the Milkyway and expanded it into a chant poem. Let me know what you thinking.

Earth means Ground

There is a power that courses through this land.

Courses beneath rocks and trees.

There is a power that was not meant for us, but we feel it.

We feel it in our hearts and in our bones.

There is a power, it bends us to it’s will, as the wind bends the branch.

We flutter, sway, and break at it’s will.

There is a power that courses through this land,

There is a heart and soul deep in the bones of this land,

it permeates the air.

Feel the power tingle on your skin and whisper through your hair.

Listen, know, without translation.

-Mandy Botlik 2020

__ATA.cmd.push(function() {
__ATA.initDynamicSlot({
id: 'atatags-26942-5fd5777ff1c73',
location: 120,
formFactor: '001',
label: {
text: 'Advertisements',
},
creative: {
reportAd: {
text: 'Report this ad',
},
privacySettings: {
text: 'Privacy settings',

}
}
});
});

Heroines of History Coloring Book Volume 1

(The featured image with this blog post is an early version of one of the illustrations. The newer cover image is with the amazon link.)

The process of creating this coloring book was long and ever evolving. It started out as a Christmas present for my niece since I was furloughed this year and money is tight. I decided other people might enjoy it to so I set about making a digital file. Then I began researching copyright laws on derivative work (work created from another image a piece of writing).

I had to start a file just for tracking permissions on original works I drew from, at least those that were not public domain in the U.S. Yes, I also dicovered that public domain laws are stricter in other countries. So, this coloring book is only available in the U.S. The process of getting permissions was daunting but in the end very interesting. I emailed foundations, foreign museums and governments, artists, universities. I really enjoyed the exchanges I had with so many around the world. I even got to try out my Spanish for one email I sent. I guess I did ok since I got a reply in Spanish that made sense. There will be a Volume 2 of this coloring book once the citations and formatting are finished.

This book has little know women in history. Some were scientists others warriors and everything in between. They all contributed to their societies in impactful ways. I hope that this coloring book is a useful supplement for history lessons at home or in the classroom. Teachers read my copyright page. I thought of you. It states you can copyright my pages for classroom or educational use, homeschool applies too. There is a bibliography in the back for both the original image (where there was one) and the biographical information. I did use Wikipedia as a starting point in many cases but I also backed it up with other scholarly sources.

Here is a list of all the women illustrated in this volume:

Nakano Takeko

Noor Inayat Kahn

Harriet Tubman

Leona Vicario

Susan Le Flesche Picotte

Hatshepsut

Frances Perkins

Princess Fannu

Nancy Wake

Rigoberta Menchú

 Cathy Williams

Helen Keller

Zitkála-Šá

Hedy Lamar

Jovita Idár

Martha Hughes Cannon

Sappho

Wang Zhenyi

Phillis Wheatley

Mary Anning

Queen Emma Kalanikaumaka

Boudica

James Miranda Steuart Barry

Ryu Gwansun

Pandita Ramabai

Sybil Ludington

Alice Ball

Colonel Petra/Pedro Herrera

Thankful 2020

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and today is a good day to reflect. This year has not been an easy one. It has been full of firsts, trials, struggles, and losses. But Thanksgiving is upon us here in the U.S. and I find there is still so much to be thankful for. In fact I feel more thankful for things I once took for granted like my health and the health of my family and friends. I’ve had a few relatives either test positive for covid19 or be told they had it based on their symptoms. I am thankful that they recovered, though I recommend anyone who has symptoms be tested. Someone I knew through work struggled through the virus and it nearly took his life, he is still recovering from the long hospital stay. I am thankful for family that have supported me quitting my job so that I could avoid bringing the virus home to them. It is hard going into the holiday season knowing there won’t be much for Christmas for everyone, but I am realizing that we probably don’t need nearly as much as I’ve given in the past.

I am thankful for the beauty and peace of nature that has kept me sane during these months of isolating as much as possible. Nature in all it’s beauty and power is a constant source of relaxation and a reminder that my problems are trivial in the grand scheme of our planet. I am grateful for my furry companions, in particular my cat Marya, who provide companionship and love.

I am thankful for Books and the authors that write them. They transport me somewhere else and make me reconsider my beliefs and the way I see things. I am also thankful for knowledge and learning, the willingness to always be growing and trying to better myself. Learning can come from so many places it is important to be open to it.

I am thankful for creativity and the arts. I so miss going to live plays, but one day that will be possible again. In the meantime, I write and create art. I watch PBS arts programs. (That is another thing I am so grateful for, PBS and all the talented people who make it possible.

I am thankful for the food in our pantry and on our plates as I see so many in need this year. I am grateful for the job that allowed me to save the money that I am living on while waiting for the virus to get under control.

I have never been so thankful for all the people who work in healthcare, trying to save lives and keep us healthy. My sister is included in this group. I have watched her struggle through this time and I do what I can to help her.

I am thankful for a hopeful future, surely things can only get better from this low point in our human history. This has given our whole species a shared experience, and that is really something.

There are so many more things to be thankful for, but I will leave it here. I hope this year as you sit down to a meal, if you’re fortunate enough to have food and shelter, that you take a moment to consider those who aren’t so fortunate. Consider the spirit of the holiday season, reflect; have you been giving this year? Or have you been selfish think only about what want and what make you comfortable. Have you done all you can to protect those you love? I hope this time of reflection is useful to everyone. I hope we also reflect on the history of this holiday and how for those who were here before us this is not a holiday of thanks but a day of morning and remembrance. In this year of covid19 I think perhaps Thanksgiving will unite many in morning, remembrance, and thanks. I know that is where my thoughts will be this Thanksgiving.