Pen's Blog, page 3
December 15, 2013
Book Mark
I read it in a book once
of kings and queens
and knights of old;
around the table at which they sat
their medieval story was told.
I read it in a book once
of planets and aliens
and spaceships of glory;
a galactic war between good and evil
was the climax of their story.
I read it in a book once
of hobbits and wizards
swamps and scary things;
I travelled a land called Morder
and vanquished the evil ring.
I read it in a book once
of tombs and treasures
and priceless recoveries;
thousands upon thousands of stories
of magic discoveries.
In distant lands far away
where secrets are revealed;
I read it in a book once -
I know it to be real.
of kings and queens
and knights of old;
around the table at which they sat
their medieval story was told.
I read it in a book once
of planets and aliens
and spaceships of glory;
a galactic war between good and evil
was the climax of their story.
I read it in a book once
of hobbits and wizards
swamps and scary things;
I travelled a land called Morder
and vanquished the evil ring.
I read it in a book once
of tombs and treasures
and priceless recoveries;
thousands upon thousands of stories
of magic discoveries.
In distant lands far away
where secrets are revealed;
I read it in a book once -
I know it to be real.
Loose Threads
Another victim
Another story
Another prayer
whispered in the night;
Another child
Another woman
not alive to see the light.
They won’t make headlines,
won’t make the eleven o’clock news;
they’re just names in a growing list,
another number to add,
another report to file,
one more of life’s tragedies;
what were those names again?
I saw that little boy
on the playground yesterday;
I said hello to that woman
as we went our separate ways.
Loose threads in a tapestry;
pull one
the tapestry comes undone.
Another story
Another prayer
whispered in the night;
Another child
Another woman
not alive to see the light.
They won’t make headlines,
won’t make the eleven o’clock news;
they’re just names in a growing list,
another number to add,
another report to file,
one more of life’s tragedies;
what were those names again?
I saw that little boy
on the playground yesterday;
I said hello to that woman
as we went our separate ways.
Loose threads in a tapestry;
pull one
the tapestry comes undone.
Loose Threads
Another victim
Another story
Another prayer
whispered in the night;
Another child
Another woman
not alive to see the light.
They won’t make headlines,
won’t make the eleven o’clock news;
they’re just names in a growing list,
another number to add,
another report to file,
one more of life’s tragedies;
what were those names again?
I saw that little boy
on the playground yesterday;
I said hello to that woman
as we went our separate ways.
Loose threads in a tapestry;
pull one
the tapestry comes undone.
Another story
Another prayer
whispered in the night;
Another child
Another woman
not alive to see the light.
They won’t make headlines,
won’t make the eleven o’clock news;
they’re just names in a growing list,
another number to add,
another report to file,
one more of life’s tragedies;
what were those names again?
I saw that little boy
on the playground yesterday;
I said hello to that woman
as we went our separate ways.
Loose threads in a tapestry;
pull one
the tapestry comes undone.
The Soundtrack of Writing
Like any good movie, a good book requires the proper background music. Writing with a soundtrack can help boost creativity and productivity.
What type of book are you writing?
•Murder mystery
•Science Fiction
•Western
•Romance
Each of these categories has appropriate background music. Think of the last Science Fiction or Romance movie you watched. What type of music was in the background? Was it dramatic? Was it light-hearted? Did it enhance your movie-going experience? Whether you paid attention to the music or not, some of it probably stayed with you.
For that reason, using background music while writing will make a book stay with a reader.
Choose the Music for Your Writing
It stands to reason that Country Music may be best suited for writing a Western novel. But don't rule out listening to Garth Brooks or Trisha Yearwood for Romance. Likewise, consider Classical for Science Fiction or a Murder Mystery.
Some of the music of Phillip Glass is well-suited for stories of vampires, ghosts or the darker side of human nature. Many of his instrumentals are short and concise but have a deep sense of foreboding.
The Book Chooses the Music
There are times when music fits perfectly with whatever you’re working on.
For instance, for a recently completed Trilogy, all I heard was Pat Benatar.
•Invincible accompanied my protagonist as she rode her black steed, Galindore, to rescue her daughter
•Le Bel Age was background for every sword fight
•All Fired Up was instrumental in helping my protagonist face her worst fears
The strength and the wherewithal in the Benatar tunes helped to draw out the strength in my characters. My protagonist in the Trilogy lacked self-confidence in the first installment. By the final book, she was very comfortable with herself being the Queen of a Realm.
Song Lyric Interference
Afraid song lyrics may interfere with your writing? Give Classical compositions a try. Many movies utilize Classical music to set the tone. Those Classical pieces serve just as well when writing. A number of Classical pieces are available for free download at www.amazon.com. The music of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, et al, are timeless pieces and capable of evoking a myriad of emotions and visualizations.
It’s About the Reader, Too
Using music to set the tone for writing doesn’t just benefit the writer. It also serves to enhance the reading experience.
Like music enhances a movie, the music you hear in your head while writing will enhance every aspect of your writing. It will attune you to dialogue, character development, emotions and descriptions. The stronger and more realistic the visualization, the better you will write it.
The reader will not be able to hear what you hear. She or he may have an altogether different soundtrack in mind while reading. Or no soundtrack at all.
Regardless of what the reader hears or doesn’t hear, use your favorite tunes to create. The important thing is that you use the music to reach your best writing potential.
Any tool a writer can use to enhance her or his writing is invaluable. Create a Playlist that will enhance your writing experience. It is sure to flow over into the reading experience as well.
What type of book are you writing?
•Murder mystery
•Science Fiction
•Western
•Romance
Each of these categories has appropriate background music. Think of the last Science Fiction or Romance movie you watched. What type of music was in the background? Was it dramatic? Was it light-hearted? Did it enhance your movie-going experience? Whether you paid attention to the music or not, some of it probably stayed with you.
For that reason, using background music while writing will make a book stay with a reader.
Choose the Music for Your Writing
It stands to reason that Country Music may be best suited for writing a Western novel. But don't rule out listening to Garth Brooks or Trisha Yearwood for Romance. Likewise, consider Classical for Science Fiction or a Murder Mystery.
Some of the music of Phillip Glass is well-suited for stories of vampires, ghosts or the darker side of human nature. Many of his instrumentals are short and concise but have a deep sense of foreboding.
The Book Chooses the Music
There are times when music fits perfectly with whatever you’re working on.
For instance, for a recently completed Trilogy, all I heard was Pat Benatar.
•Invincible accompanied my protagonist as she rode her black steed, Galindore, to rescue her daughter
•Le Bel Age was background for every sword fight
•All Fired Up was instrumental in helping my protagonist face her worst fears
The strength and the wherewithal in the Benatar tunes helped to draw out the strength in my characters. My protagonist in the Trilogy lacked self-confidence in the first installment. By the final book, she was very comfortable with herself being the Queen of a Realm.
Song Lyric Interference
Afraid song lyrics may interfere with your writing? Give Classical compositions a try. Many movies utilize Classical music to set the tone. Those Classical pieces serve just as well when writing. A number of Classical pieces are available for free download at www.amazon.com. The music of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, et al, are timeless pieces and capable of evoking a myriad of emotions and visualizations.
It’s About the Reader, Too
Using music to set the tone for writing doesn’t just benefit the writer. It also serves to enhance the reading experience.
Like music enhances a movie, the music you hear in your head while writing will enhance every aspect of your writing. It will attune you to dialogue, character development, emotions and descriptions. The stronger and more realistic the visualization, the better you will write it.
The reader will not be able to hear what you hear. She or he may have an altogether different soundtrack in mind while reading. Or no soundtrack at all.
Regardless of what the reader hears or doesn’t hear, use your favorite tunes to create. The important thing is that you use the music to reach your best writing potential.
Any tool a writer can use to enhance her or his writing is invaluable. Create a Playlist that will enhance your writing experience. It is sure to flow over into the reading experience as well.
December 4, 2013
Getting into the Groove of Riddles
Do Christmas Day and New Year’s Day come in the same year?
When I was a kid, my dad had me spinning around in circles with the answer to that one.
The initial reaction of most people is to say, “No.” I’m sure it has something to do with the way the question is presented. After all, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are only two weeks apart. When the question is posed with Christmas Day preceding New Year’s Day, people naturally associate Christmas of one year with New Year’s Day of the following year and they answer, “No.”
However, upon further pondering of the question, especially if doubt about the initial answer is voiced, most people will automatically answer, “Yes” without even realizing why. Further voiced doubt will lead a person to answer, “No” again.
It isn’t until it is explained that New Year’s Day (January 1, 2013) and Christmas Day (December 25, 2013) do indeed come in the same year that most people realize the only answer to the question is, “Yes.”
It’s a riddle along the same lines of the age-old queries, “Who’s buried in Grant’s tomb?” or “What was Napoleon’s first name?” I actually had a Social Studies teacher who gave that latter question as a bonus question on a test in high school once.
And, of course, there is that time-old, time-worn riddle of “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” for which I honestly believe no one has an answer.
I think my all-time favorite riddle of my father’s was when he asked me how many grooves does a three-minute 45 rpm record have? (Anybody out there remember what a 45 rpm record is?)
I must have spent hours dividing 3 into 45, multiplying 45 by 3, and I think I even threw the pie symbol in there somewhere, trying to put my high school Algebra to some good use. To no avail. No matter what answer I presented him with, my father just smiled and informed me that it was a riddle. I knew there had to be a trick to it, I just couldn’t figure out what it was.
But it was dad’s way of keeping a person’s head out of the clouds and their feet on the ground. It was his style and sense of humor.
Dad loved little zingers like this. He got a big kick out of watching somebody spin around in circles over riddles. It wasn’t so much an issue of his laughing at someone else, but rather that it enabled people to laugh at themselves.
It also taught a few people that they didn’t have all the answers. Including myself.
It was a lesson, well-earned and well-learned, in humility. A lesson that many people that I know could use and one that I am eternally grateful to my father for having taught me.
And, just in case you’re wondering, there are the same number of grooves in a three-minute rpm record that there are in just about any other record regardless of time length or size.
One.
When I was a kid, my dad had me spinning around in circles with the answer to that one.
The initial reaction of most people is to say, “No.” I’m sure it has something to do with the way the question is presented. After all, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are only two weeks apart. When the question is posed with Christmas Day preceding New Year’s Day, people naturally associate Christmas of one year with New Year’s Day of the following year and they answer, “No.”
However, upon further pondering of the question, especially if doubt about the initial answer is voiced, most people will automatically answer, “Yes” without even realizing why. Further voiced doubt will lead a person to answer, “No” again.
It isn’t until it is explained that New Year’s Day (January 1, 2013) and Christmas Day (December 25, 2013) do indeed come in the same year that most people realize the only answer to the question is, “Yes.”
It’s a riddle along the same lines of the age-old queries, “Who’s buried in Grant’s tomb?” or “What was Napoleon’s first name?” I actually had a Social Studies teacher who gave that latter question as a bonus question on a test in high school once.
And, of course, there is that time-old, time-worn riddle of “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” for which I honestly believe no one has an answer.
I think my all-time favorite riddle of my father’s was when he asked me how many grooves does a three-minute 45 rpm record have? (Anybody out there remember what a 45 rpm record is?)
I must have spent hours dividing 3 into 45, multiplying 45 by 3, and I think I even threw the pie symbol in there somewhere, trying to put my high school Algebra to some good use. To no avail. No matter what answer I presented him with, my father just smiled and informed me that it was a riddle. I knew there had to be a trick to it, I just couldn’t figure out what it was.
But it was dad’s way of keeping a person’s head out of the clouds and their feet on the ground. It was his style and sense of humor.
Dad loved little zingers like this. He got a big kick out of watching somebody spin around in circles over riddles. It wasn’t so much an issue of his laughing at someone else, but rather that it enabled people to laugh at themselves.
It also taught a few people that they didn’t have all the answers. Including myself.
It was a lesson, well-earned and well-learned, in humility. A lesson that many people that I know could use and one that I am eternally grateful to my father for having taught me.
And, just in case you’re wondering, there are the same number of grooves in a three-minute rpm record that there are in just about any other record regardless of time length or size.
One.
December 1, 2013
Shadow
white rabbit scrounging
leaves no footprints in the snow
shadow of itself
leaves no footprints in the snow
shadow of itself
Night Reading
A Pegasus tapped
on my window last night
offered to take me for a ride;
I clambered onto his back
he opened his wings up wide.
We flew across the ocean
to places I’d never been,
He introduced me to people
the likes of which I’d never seen.
I held on tightly to his mane
for the Pegasus outflew a plane.
He took me to the stars and moon
much to my delight,
He told me the secrets of their glow
why they shine so brightly in the night.
The Pegasus flew me around the world
To the cold arctic zone of the northern pole,
to tombs and pyramids in Egypt,
to the beaches in Hawaii
and into the depths of a volcano.
When our night’s journey was done,
The Pegasus returned me home
and flew back into the sky
from whence he had come.
When I awoke, upon my bed,
where before nothing had been,
there lay a book which I promptly read
of all the places I had been.
on my window last night
offered to take me for a ride;
I clambered onto his back
he opened his wings up wide.
We flew across the ocean
to places I’d never been,
He introduced me to people
the likes of which I’d never seen.
I held on tightly to his mane
for the Pegasus outflew a plane.
He took me to the stars and moon
much to my delight,
He told me the secrets of their glow
why they shine so brightly in the night.
The Pegasus flew me around the world
To the cold arctic zone of the northern pole,
to tombs and pyramids in Egypt,
to the beaches in Hawaii
and into the depths of a volcano.
When our night’s journey was done,
The Pegasus returned me home
and flew back into the sky
from whence he had come.
When I awoke, upon my bed,
where before nothing had been,
there lay a book which I promptly read
of all the places I had been.
Ghost in the Garden
A ghost lurks in the garden,
that overgrown patch of weeds
where once vegetables grew.
I feel cold eyes upon me
each time I peer at those bushes;
sense the presence of some brute force
not of this world.
A malevolent intent?
I dare not question.
I do not think about the ghost at all
except to know that it is there
As aware of me
as I am aware of it.
that overgrown patch of weeds
where once vegetables grew.
I feel cold eyes upon me
each time I peer at those bushes;
sense the presence of some brute force
not of this world.
A malevolent intent?
I dare not question.
I do not think about the ghost at all
except to know that it is there
As aware of me
as I am aware of it.
