Lucinda Moebius's Blog, page 6

Gatsby, what's so great about it?

Ok, Ok, I know there are some Gatsby Fans out there. I even work with one diehard fan of the Nineteen-twenties set story. Personaly, I've never seen much in the story-line. Fitzgerald is telling us a tragic love story in a round-about way. I mean, is this story about a tragic lost love or the lost chance at love, or is it about American Greed and self-indulgence? I just don't get it.

Daisy seems fairly intelligent. She is not completely clueless to her husband's affairs and yet she just blissfully accepts her marital problems as part of the lifestyle she is expected to live. Most importantly, she refuses to allow even the hint of scandal to be associated with her name. Is she in love with Gatsby or is she just in love with the fact that he appears to be insanely wealthy? I can't stand Daisy. She is so shallow it's like looking at the bottom of a pond through the emptiness of a soul. She doesn't take responsibility for her own actions, not even in the death she causes. It's always someone else's fault, always someone else's problem, always someone else's responsibility.

Perhaps I am just over-sensitive to the fate of women in literature. Daisy seems to think her own life is just horrible and hard. And yes, she is in an abusive marriage, but she had the chance to leave her husband, but she didn't. She is raising her daughter to be a pretty little fool, just like her. Every time I read the book I feel like I just want to reach out and slap her.

I teach Gatsby as part of the curriculum in my classroom, and I am not blind to the literary elements in the book. It does have a great story with some intense themes and a strong moral, I just don't like it. For all you diehard Fitzgerald fans, don't judge me too harshly, soon I'll be teaching Steinbeck and I love him. I do have an appreciation of great literature, I just don't think Gatsby is all that Great.

Love

In honor of Valentine's day I am writing about Love. Love is a powerful thing. It is such a simple word and yet it has the deepest meaning in the English language.

So many times love is associated with the love between a man and a woman. This love is the type you see on the commercials. The man and woman, flowers, diamonds, passion. This is the picture of love the world shows us, but this is not the only love in the world.

Love is the center of the universe. It is the power of love that brought the world Redeemtion through Christ. It is the power of love that brings family together. It is the power of love that turns friends into family and makes us a community.

Love isn't always flowers and diamonds. There is truth is the saying that you only hurt the ones you love. When you open your heart to someone you leave yourself exposed the possibility of being hurt. But, pain is part of life. I'm not a fan of pain, but some of my moments of greatest growth came from my moments of greatest pain.

So, for all those who think Valentine is all about making chocolate companies rich, there is more to love than giving gifts. The world offers us the opportunity to find love. I will not fear pain if in exchange I can know the power of love.

Ghosts

I believe in ghosts. I know I am a science fiction author, but Ghost stories always held a special place in my mind.

I believe there are three types of spirits sharing our world with us.

The first of these are the ones most people experience. Heavenly Father's children who are waiting to enter this world or just barely left are all around us. The Spirit World is here on this earth, separated from us by a thin veil, just keeping us from seeing it all the time. I believe these spirits are just visiting. They may not know they have passed, or they may just want to see what they have left behind. The personality they had on Earth follows them to the Spirit World. If they are angry, sad, happy or frightened, that energy follows them andbthat is the feelings they Before I became a teacher I worked as a certified nurses aide in nursing homes and hospitals. Being so centered around spirits just clinging to this world by a tenuous thread thinned out the veil and brought the spirit world close. I loved working nights at the nursing home. I used to walk down the halls and point to empty chairs and corners and describe the people there. Usually there were long time staff members who would then tell me the name of the person who had died anywhere from six months to many years before I ever started working there. One day I was walking down the hall checking rooms and I caught the glimpse of a woman standing at the foot of the bed. Thinking one of my very unsteady patients was out of bed, I immediately turned and entered the room. Both of women who occupied the room were in their beds, fast asleep. I described the woman to my coworkers and they were able to name a patient who had passed away six months before. It got to the point I would come out of a room smiling and all the other staff members would be waiting for me to describe who I had seen. I have many more stories like this and if you ask nicely I might tell you a few.

The next kind are the ones I don't like. These are souls who joined Lucifer when he was cast down from the Heavens. They were damned to wander the Earth without the chance to to gain a physical body. These spirits are desperate to have the opportunity to experience life as we do. When the scriptures talk about demonic possession these are the spirits mentioned. These spirits are pretenders. They can immitate spirits who have passed on. These are the demons who communicate through the summoning of spirits with tools like the ouji boards and tarot cards. I lived in an apartment that had been owned by people who used these type of devices. The spirit they had invited in to the apartment decided to stay after they left. It used to follow me around and watch me. One time he followed me into the bedroom. He was so close behind me I could feel the warmth of his energy heating up the back of my neck. I called upon the power of God and I felt a sudden wall of wind fly up behind me. I know I had an entire wall of angels standing between me and this spirit. A few days later I was standing at the top of the stairs preparing to descend when I felt a pair of hands thrust against my hips and I flew down three steps. I pulled a muscle in my leg and ended up having to call my dad to bring me to the hospital. I moved out of that apartment not long after that incident.

The final spirit is my favorite. These are the angels and spirits who perform the Lord's work. Angels are those who have already been born, lived their lives and passed on to the next life. They are about the Lord's work. These spirits are the guardian angels and messengers of the Lord. The other type of spirits have not been born yet and are working as messengers and guardians. They are the ones who whisper messages into our hearts and minds when they are needed. When my nephew was hit by a car he described spirits standing in the air above him. He said he now knew two things about angels: one, they did wear white robes and two, they didn't have wings. One day I was driving on the freeway to a friend's place in another town. My car had been acting up and he was going to repair it. My nephew was in the car with me and my mom and other nephew were following in a car behind me. I was passing a three tractor trailer semi truck and was near the cab when I saw his blinker go on. I had a sudden feeling he wasn't going to wait the required few seconds to pull into the next lane. I was in a tiny little Yugo and there was no way he could see me where I was. I laid on the horn and started shifting and slamming on the brake. I couldn't move very far because the center divider was a deep burrow pit and if I lost control I would have rolled the car. The entire time I had an overwhelming calm come over me. I suddenly felt the presence of two beings in the back seat of the car and hands on my shoulders. By the time the truck had moved into my lane I was hugging the edge of the road and the rear of the third trailer barely clipped my passenger side front fender. I was completely calm during the entire incident and knew I had placed mine and my nephew's lives in the hands of God. The guardian angels in the car had kept me calm enough to keep us safe. This is not the first time I have felt the energy of guardian angels in my life, nor will it be the last.

I know there are many skeptics out there. I also know there are people out there who will disagree with my theories. I'm fine with that. There are a few things in here that I know I believe and have seen with my own eyes. There are other ideas in here that are very much theory. I just like ghost stories so I decided to share a few things I experienced. If my readers share a few of their ghost stories I would love to share a few more of mine.(I have a lot of them). As long as your stories are clean and appropriate for all readers I would be happy to share them, real or fantasy. Oh, and by the way, these stories are as real as you want them to be. [image error]

22 hours ago · Like

Guest Speaker

My niece has asked me to come and speak to her careers class about being an author.  I'm doing everything in my power to embarrass her about the request.  I threatened to wear my short levi's mini-skirt and pixie halter top.  (just to give a little perspective, I'm a 41 year old, slightly muffin-topped, high school English teacher, oh and I teach in the same district as my niece's school).  I may just chase her down the halls and hug her and squeeze her and call her name George [image error]

This is what she has asked me to talk about:

You just have to talk about your job here's some things(reminder: your author career)



* Wages
* Favorite thing about it
*Least favorite things
* Inspiration
* Promote your book [image error]



Okay, so that's just a few things you can talk about, u can talk for up to about forty minutes maybe a little longer. If you need any other infoo just email me or call me either way!


Those of you who are authors are now rolling on the floor laughing.  I know you are.
I'm really looking forward to sharing my love of writing with this young generation.  I love teaching and this is going to give me the chance to share my favorite thing with a whole new group of victims.
 
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Huntress

She was The Huntress.  It was the only name she knew; the only name she had ever known. Her feet were silent on the forest floor as she made her way through the underbrush, a feat nearly impossible for any other member of the village.  There were others from the village in the forest, she could smell them.  The hot sting of sweat and blood was carried on the wind and assaulted her senses.  It took some time to filter those smells out and focus on the hunt, but she had time.  It was early yet and there was plentyof deer in the forest.  Even if she didn't bring a kill back today, there was always tomorrow.   There was enough meat stored away to last the cold season.  This hunt was just to build a reserve in case the snow and ice lasted longer than expected.  It had been that way since she picked up her first bow.  It boded well for the village, even though she was the first female born with the hunting mark since the histories had first been recorded. 

Just a glimpse into my writing process.  An image and a name popped into my head and I had to write it down.  This will go in a word document and will become a novel.  This is w Echoes of Savanna and Raven's Song started.  It's going to take a while, but I have a feeling this is going to be the beginning of a new novel.  This is how it starts for me.

The Lady or the Tiger?

This is the challenge I give my students:

Read "The Lady or the Tiger" by Frank Stockton (Found on the following link)

http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/LadyTige.shtml

Using the subtext of the story analyze the personality of the princess.  Did she send the young man to the door holding the lady or the tiger?

Write the ending of the story based on what you believe came out of the door.  Explain your reasoning behind your choice.

Enjoy!

Evil

 The idea of Evil has been on my mind all day. Maybe it's because I watch too much CSI, Law and Order and Criminal Minds. I love to see how the characters in the show analyze the mind of evil antagonists. I am left wondering if people in the world are really as evil as these shows make them out to be. I mean, almost every single bad guy in the shows seem to commit the most heinous crimes and do so without any remorse or sense of consequences for their actions. Is there truly evil people in this world?

All men sin and all men fall short of the Glory of God. If they didn't there would be no need for Christ and the power of Redemption. But, does sin make a person evil? Are there any sins that the power of Redemption just won't erase? Does the stamp of Evil ever stain the soul so deep there is no coming back?

It is so easy for authors to create an antagonist who is pure evil. Any time a writer wants to create a character no one likes (or likes too well despite their failings) all they have to do is show them reveling in the sins of the world. The bad guys kill without remorse, steal from the weak or the sick, laugh at the pain of others, sell harmful products such as drugs or weapons or drugs and weapons, own slaves, commit sexual sins, and as soon as the writer does this the reader knows they are pure Evil. But does this make them interesting?

I do believe there is evil in this world and there are people who want to cause harm and it is easy to judge those people as evil. But, I don't believe the true evil is found in these individuals. It's easy to see these people as evil. There is no surprise and fear for me in this. I find the subtly of evil more interesting.  True evil is found in the one who allows themselves to be tricked into evil.

It's not the big evils that haunt us and draw us down the path of sin. It's the small things that pull us off the path and make it difficult to return. Most people want to categorize people into good and evil. We tend to want to create groups, like our friends on facebook. This person goes in the bad guy group, this one in the good guy. This one comes off as bad, but he is just a victim in the world and if he is taken out of his circumstances he would become good. This one is just trying to act bad, but he's really good at heart. This one is pure evil, although he does love his family so that is his one redeeming quality. This one is evil, but before the end of the story he will see the light and be redeemed.

I have a real problem with these types of characters. I'm not saying I don't use them on occasion, but I think they are too over-used. So much evil in this world is not wrapped up in nice, complete packages of a serial killer, or a gangster, mobster, terrorist or so on. In fact many of these individuals may view themselves as the hero of the story.

Instead of creating a purely evil character, I like to create people who have a choice between good and evil. It's easy to justify evil in your life if you believe you are making a choice for the greater good. Sometimes the bad choice is the easier choice. Maybe there's a reason for that.

Raven's Song is Available

After much hard work, editing and a steep computer learning curve I have self-published my second novel. 

I am experimenting with pricing and marketing as I work on selling my books.  Right now I have Echoes of Savanna on sale for .99.  I am hoping this price will encourage people to buy the book and motivate them to order Raven's Song for 3.99.  I am still trying to figure out how to mark the discounted price as a sale price.  Maybe it isn't possible to do it while it is enrolled in Kindle Direct.  We will see at the end of three months.

Now I need to get to work on Lakota's Strength.  I need to balance finishing the third novel and completing my Doctorate.  I don't know if I am going to be able to get things done.  It's going to be difficult to prioritize when both things need to get finished.

Wish me luck, or at least give me some advice.

HELP!

American Realism

It seems when we are faced with grim outcomes and sad situations our art tends to take on a sense of gritty realism.  It's all about the common man and his desire to survive in an ever oppressive society. 

Right after the American Civil War the American art scene took on a sense of realism that went beyond just gritty and spiraled into what I would say would be downright depressing.  Perhaps artists were telling the common man there wasn't much hope and they should just be satisfied with their lot in life.  Perhaps artists and writers were trying to motivate the common man to rise up, to not accept their lot in life and they needed to rally against the 99% (Do we sense a theme here). Maybe the world was just reacting to the bitter war and the tragic loss of life on the American continent.  Whatever the reason, Realist reveled in telling it 'like it was'.

I have never been much of a realists.  To me life without hope leading to death, destruction and downfall just didn't seem to be in the plans.  I don't like the idea of all we have to look forward to is Death hunting us down in the end.

Does this mean I believe everything comes up smelling like roses?  No, we are bound to feel pain and sorrow in this life.  To quote one of my favorite movies "Life is pain.  Anyone who tells you anything different is trying to sell you something."  However, I believe pain is part of growth.  So is joy. So is love.  We need to feel what is real, but we should also believe in fairies and vampires and ghosts.  Life is as real as it needs to be.

So, to all you realists out there. Lighten up!

Faith

To have faith means to believe in things not seen.  Throughout my life many people have questioned my belief in a higher power.  I have experienced many events in my life that shook me at my foundation.  Despite all this I have never questioned my faith in God nor the redemption of my soul by his Son, Jesus Christ. 

I am struggling with some tragic events that happened over the past week.  My heart is heavy and I am contemplating some major changes in my life. Despite this, my faith and love for my Heavenly Father remains unwavering and I will continue to put my faith in Him.

I am asked on a regular basis to prove there is a God.  All I have to say to that is look around you.  Look at the stars shining in the heavens.  Look at the birds flying in the sky.  Look at the bright shine of love and joy in a child's eyes.  Look at he miracle of life born around us every day.  I can't prove there's a God.  I don't need to prove there is a God.  I have faith there is a God.  That is all I require.