Pat Bertram's Blog, page 310

Blogs I Never Wrote

I was cleaning out my desk today and found a bunch of notes for blog articles. There were some great titles with no indication of what I intended to say: "Pot Holes and Plot Holes", "Plotting vs. Plodding". Maybe someday I'll write those articles, assuming, of course, I can think of anything to say.

I found a note to answer the questions I collected from readers for an interview about Facebook back in  . . . gasp . . . January. Has it really been that long? Eek.

I found a note to write a blog a...

Personal Totem Pole

Totem poles told stories, recounted historic events, celebrated cultural beliefs, symbolized a person's life. Some were simply artistic presentations. The most important symbol went on top, the least important on the bottom. (Of course you knew this because of the saying "low man on the totem pole.")

An animal was often used to represent a person. For example, a raven stands for introspection, courage, and self-knowledge. I just picked "raven" randomly, but oddly enough, that seems to be a...

Coming of Age in Middle Age

Coming of age novels chronicle a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood, and often (in movies anyway) the term refers to the first sexual experience. In a broader sense, however, coming of age refers to a young character's growth during the course of a story, either by losing innocence, assuming responsibility, or by learning a lesson.

It is not only in youth that one has to deal with such growth. Every transition in life leads to a new coming of age, and the death of a mate is ...

Consuming Words

According to a new report, the average American consumes 34 gigabytes and 100,000 words over the course of about 12 hours every day. Nearly half of that time is spent watching television; about a quarter on the computer; and the rest on radio, print media, telephones, computer games, recorded music, movies and other sources. Maybe those average Americans need to go on a word diet. Many of those words are superfluous. (If you consider the inanity of most television shows, radio programs...

"Daughter Am I" Giveaway. One Day Only!

WELCOME To BLOGMANIA !

(My Blog is 98 of 123)

You've arrived at exactly the right time to explore lots of new blogs, all of which feature a very special Blogmania giveaway for one day only – April 30th.

All the work has been done for you. No hunting or surfing. Each blog will have a number and each new blog link will have a number. These numbers will allow you to keep track of which blogs you've visited and how many are left to visit.

DAUGHTER AM I GIVEAWAY and RULES: All you have to do to enter...

Blogmania! "Daughter Am I" Giveaway

I am participating in Blogmania, a whacky free-for-all giveaway encompassing 123 blogs. If you stop by my blog on April 30th and leave a comment, you will be entered into a contest to win a print copy of Daughter Am I. Since the novel is the story of a quest, I am also including a couple of travel essentials to accompany the winner on his or her journey — a journal to note your own travel experiences and a Burt's Bees travel shower kit.

This giveaway is one day only, so be sure to stop by my b...

I Am a One-Month Grief Survivor

I have survived my first month of grieving. I'm surprised it was so hard, and I'm surprised I survived it (at times my lungs stopped working and my heart felt as if it would burst with all the pain) but in the world of grief, a month isn't much. Still, I've come a long way. I can look to the future, though I know the best way to deal with that future is to deal with each day as it comes — thinking of living the rest of my life without my mate makes me sick to my stomach.

And I have moments...

The Best Thing About Writing Fiction

This morning, author Lazarus Barnhill posted an article on the Second Wind Blog about why he writes fiction. He wrote:

"When you write about a controversial issue, you don't have to make it the center of your story to express it fully.  You just work it in.  For instance, when I wrote The Medicine People, I dealt a lot with the quiet underlying bigotry Native Americans and Western European descendants still harbor for one another but never express out loud.  And while it was essential to the...

The Problem With Grief

The problem with grief is its immensity. If it were only a matter of being sad that the loved one is gone, as I thought grief was, it would still be hard but doable. Instead, grief affects every part of your life. It's not just a matter of the person being dead, but also all hopes, dreams, plans, expectations that you had with him. If there was a misunderstanding of any kind, it can never be put right. If a person filled many roles in your life, as my lifemate did for me, then all those...

Blogmania — One Day Only. Mark Your Calendar!

On April 30, 2010, I am going to participate in Blogmania, a one day massive blog giveaway.  Picture it as one of those 200 mile long garage sales that attract thousands of shopaholics because of its size. The people who go to those events love the pure adventure of seeing how many miles of garage sales they can personally cover in one or two days. On Blogmania, you don't have to purchase anything. Nor do you have to wear out your shoes tramping from sale to sale. It's all online. And every p...