Naty Matos's Blog, page 53

Philip M. Bryant:Writing Militarily

Our last guest for 2011 is Historical Fiction Writer Phillip Bryant. This is a new side of fiction we've never explored at the Rising Muse, so for those history buffs out there, here's a treat…

"Sometimes a good story can miss the mark when we lack the minutia of details that can transport the reader or give our plot realism. Sometimes these details are elusive unless time has been spent living the life we wish to portray. Although a brief article on civil war or military parlance can't make up for having lived it, I will outlay some things that I hope will be helpful in creating realistic scenes, dialogue, plots, and character arcs.

I have always been a military history buff, the American Civil War being my favorite area of research but most periods of wars have drawn my interest. I've also been both a Civil War and WWII reenactor for over ten years.

One thing, no matter what period one is writing about, it was probably an era of conflict. What we see in movies and television is often inaccurate or cliché. Until the Second World War introduced a large and permanent standing army, our wars were fought by volunteer armies raised from state levees and disbanded as soon as peace was achieved. This brings the type of movie character we are familiar with, the fatherly sergeant, the young and inexperienced privates, into conflict with a very real dynamic that existed between soldiers and the command structure used at the time. For the Civil War time period, picking one or two published journals like Hardtack and Coffee by John Billings or Company Aytch by Samuel Watkins will give you an idea of soldier life. Another great resource is The Life of Billy Yank and The Life of Johnny Reb by Bell Irvin Wiley.

Do not assume that the army organization and functionality has remained static. Organization and how armies were used changed with tactics and wars. Here's a quick guide to the basic elements of an army unit. These exist in any branch of the army (cavalry, artillery).

For Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican American War, Civil War, and Spanish American War the basic element was the company. The reason for this is that fire is massed in a tight formation, two ranks. The smallest element in the company was the comrades in arms, a group of four men who made up a skirmish group.

The next formation up was the battalion, a grouping of companies under the second in command of a regiment. It is rare that this unit is separated from the regiment but a battalion could be sent off on a small mission where it is not expected to run into much resistance. Picket (a string of vedettes along a long line like on a river bank separating forces or spread out along a line of miles whose purpose is to be an early warning for the larger force behind it) and garrison duty would be the only reason a battalion might be separated from their regiment.

The primary unit of all of these time periods was the regiment, made up of 10 companies that march, bivouac, and fight together. Volunteer regiments (as opposed to regular army regiments) were raised by the states and federalized for national service. They retained their state designation and the governor of each state had the power to grant commissioned officers. Volunteers were raised from each county in the state, sometimes from specific counties in the state and the volunteers being formed into companies from those who volunteered from that county, so that one served with men one knew already. This was a consistent practice up to WWII. Officers and noncommissioned officers would be elected after the formation of each company or the captaincy of each company would be commissioned by the governor and other commissioned officers by the same process. When writing about soldiers in these time periods, it was the regiment that held their allegiance most and governed their daily lives.

The next unit of note was the brigade, made up of between three to four regiments. When reading about these various wars and battles, one often runs into the brigade being mentioned most as tactics governed the movements of brigade sized units about the battlefield.

The third and fourth unit was the division (made up of three to four brigades) and the corps (made up of three to four divisions). These are forces made up of thousands of men and controlled by the commander of the army.

The last organization is the army, a grouping together in a geographical theater of operations (a term meaning anything from a state to a region to an entire continent). An army was usually comprised of a variety of organizational schemes. For instance, as the civil war progressed and the need to control the vast armies grew, army commanders used a variety of methods to group regiments and brigades together. Up until 1862 the largest designation was the division or, as at Fredericksburg, Right, Center, and Left Grand Divisions made up of several divisions. After the Union disaster of Fredericksburg, Corps were formed and Union armies kept these designations and organization for the duration of the war. The Confederate forces used different means of organizing itself and never adopted the Corps structure."

Phillip M. Bryant Attended the University of New Mexico and earned his bachelor's degree in history and with a minor in American studies. He has been active in local New Mexico reenacting and on the national level is a member of the 23rd SNY as part of the Army of the Pacific, 1st Federal Division. He has been researching the American Civil War for over 25 years. His sources have included diary accounts, autobiographies, historical monographs and first-hand reports on the actions taken 150 ago published in the War of the Rebellion battle reports and War Department communications. Phillip lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with his wife of 18 years, is a deacon, an IT administrator, served in the Army National Guard for 15 years, and is a long time history buff. His first novel is out and he's working on the sequel now.

Phillip's novel They Met at Shiloh is now available on Amazon!

Get off your soapbox…

How many times when we are ranting about any subject we are told to get off our soapboxes? I found myself in a situation like that and it was me who told myself to get off the soapbox. But a writer's mind keeps always thinking about words and after the words left my mouth I wondered where did this phrase come from. So if you're wondering too, join me in a little history lesson…

Sometime in the 19th century, after WWI groups would gather in public places to listen to orators discuss different topics of interest: politics, religion, etc. In order to lift the speaker from the crowd they usually utilized a wooden box to stand on and do their speeches.

At the time soap was packed in sturdy wooden crates that made it easy and convenient for this orators to utilize them. Not only they were free, as they were disposed after being shipped to their destinations, but they were easy to carry around and sturdy enough to hold the speakers.

Although things have evolved tremendously, it is considered now any forum of public expression as some kind of soapboxing. So websites and blogs utilized for expressing opinions are the new forms of a soapbox. Who knew? Therefore join me every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on my little inspirational soapbox. I enjoy it very much.

Also remember that Growth Lessons is 99cents only until the end of the year. Time is ticking and it would be a great stuffing stocker.

Have a blessed day!

WF: Be my escape

The message of this song is very simple… If you're at your wits ends, if you have not made a decision for your eternity, or if you have, and troubles are overwhelming you and you feel at your wits ends…Escape… Escape into the arms of the one who holds the key out of your prison, no matter what prison it is.

Happy Friday!

Remember my book Growth Lessons Kindle and Nook versions will be 99 cents only until the end of the year, so grab your copy and stuck your friends and family stockings. Have a blessed weekend!

When everything seems wrong

Have you ever been in a situation where everything that could possibly go wrong does? and then you think, well…what else could happen? and it does. A pastor friend of mine used to tell me the bigger the attack, the bigger the upcoming blessing. So after you've fought your own battles and are finally coming out for air; the enemy comes and goes after a loved one. He thinks, "Gotcha! Now there's nothing you can do!"

I'm here to tell you that we've all felt that way, that sense of impotence in front of a situation where we feel like we are so ill equip to handle or help the ones we love. God always provides a way and if nothing else there's always something you can do:

Pray:

"Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) It is so hard to be cheerful when things are rough, but we need to remember that there's nothing…NOTHING bigger than God. We should pray for that mountain in front of us to move. We should pray for wisdom in the decisions to make in the middle of the storm. We should pray for the pain of our loved one to subside. We should pray for peace in our heart and those who are hurting. How many of us are where we are because someone prayed non stop for our lives? It's time to pay it forward.

Trust:

We need to trust that God will do his part, even if the end result is not what we want. We do know that everything in his hand will turn out for our good. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to "Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight"

Release:

Once you have prayed and with your trust in God you have to release your cares unto him. Oh this is a hard one for me!! How many times I've asked the Lord, " Ok, I prayed and I trust you but what do you want me to do?" and he responds…Nothing! Oh, he knows that drives me nuts, but he's right. He's God and I'm not. But if I trust I have to remember that all I have to do is "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken." Psalms 55:22

If you have a particular prayer request, please let me know. You are not alone and I will love to pray with you…

I hope your day is blessed…

Naty

Join Naty Matos and 9 of her author friends at Women's Literary Cafe's Christian Book Launch, December 13-15. Ten authors will discount their eBooks to just 99 cents. Buy 3 get 1 FREE!

http://www.womensliterarycafe.com/con...

@StaciStallings on: Musings on the Characters in Cowboy

We are blessed to have with us today Christian Author Staci Stallings who is here to introduce us to the characters of her book Cowboy. Enjoy getting to know these characters closer

Having lived with the characters in Cowboy for about 13 years now, it fascinates me how much they still teach me and others who read the book and want to talk about it with me.

Ashton Raines is the hero, and I think he kind of epitomizes where we all *think* we want to be–on top, successful, adored by many, hated by none. He's got the world at his feet. As the reigning King of Country Music, Ashton appears to have everything he's ever wanted and most of what everybody else dreams of having.

But the thing is it becomes obvious very quickly that Ashton is anything but happy. In fact, there's a large part of him that really hates his life and what he's become. Not because he's become someone bad, but somewhere along the way on the road to super stardom, he lost himself.

Whether we're a superstar or not, I think many of us can relate to waking up one day, looking in the mirror and having no idea how we got here. It's like we pursue life and our dreams, and then one day we're living this life we don't even recognize. Maybe we've got kids and a husband or we're in a job we always thought we wanted, and we look around and it's weird because we don't even really recognize who we are anymore.

In the story, Ashton uses his fame to hide from his pain. At least that was the idea. His wife has died of cancer, and it nearly ripped him apart. His plan to escape the pain is to pour himself into a whirlwind tour. The problem is pain isn't healed by escaping it, and the faster he runs, the more miserable he gets until one night, he simply can't take it anymore. After a concert, his manager comes up with a brilliant idea to help Ashton forget, and it snaps Ashton's will to keep up the charade of the tour. He gets in a rented car and drives, not knowing or caring if he'll ever come back.

Beth McCasland is the sweetest spirit you would ever want to meet. She's seen her share of heartache when her husband passed away in a terrible accident. Now she's left to raise her young daughter alone, and she shoulders that burden with grace and dignity.

The thing I like most about Beth is she is so simple. She sees someone hurting, and she's determined to help. Maybe she can only offer a meal and an ear to listen, but she is willing to do that. The thing that breaks my heart about Beth is I think true of a lot of us who care. When we go all-in to help someone, keeping a "safe distance" for our heart's sake doesn't always work. And it's so hard to really care and not get emotionally involved, especially if that person is someone we genuinely connect with on a deep level.

How do you care and let go, and care and let go, and care and let go? It's like getting your heart smashed over and over again, but what's the other option? Not caring?

I think the depth of her love is really a reflection of how God is with us. He's always standing there with open arms, willing to take us in and comfort us and be there for us, and somehow, He loves us enough to let us go again with no real guarantee that we'll come back. It's such an incredibly vulnerable place to be. For me, that was one of the hardest things about watching Beth go through the things that happen in the story, watching her suffer because of her great love.

I've had people describe Cowboy as Cinderella in reverse, which is rather interesting to me because in one sense, Ashton is the Prince on the white… okay, tour bus. But many readers have said they really felt Beth is the one to rescue him from the pit, which is also true. I don't know. Maybe sometimes in a relationship we're equal parts the one saving and the one being saved. I certainly think that's true of this story.

The truth is I love these two characters. They're like old friends now, and I love this story. Every time I read it, it makes me want to fall in love all over again!

Staci Stallings, the author of Cowboy and ten other books currently available on Kindle & Nook, enjoys writing books that touch readers deeply. Whether the story is about losing someone or fighting for what you believe in, you can bet it will hook you and not let go until you sigh as the ending slips in place in your heart. You can find out more about Staci at her blog: http://spiritlightbooks.wordpress.com and more about her books at: http://stacistallings.wordpress.com.

Join Staci Stallings and 9 of her author friends at WoMen's Literary Cafe's Christian Book Launch, December 13-15. Ten authors will discount their ebooks to just 99 cents. Buy 3 get 1 FREE!

http://www.womensliterarycafe.com/con...

WF: Breakfast

I heard this song by coincidence and it although it's kind of caricaturesque it's very true indeed. I don't think I could have use any other illustration to explain one of my motto's in life; which is to work with the things that matter and allow those that do not matter roll of your back.

I spoke about how we tend to complaint about our lives in a post not too long ago, and this song places in perspective that we get caught up in the things of this world instead of the things of the Word and that at the end of the day we need to make a decision which one matters to us.

Food for thought and Enjoy!

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$50 million vs. 50 years

Today the blog prompt for WordPress is which one would you rather have, $50 million or 50 years? Needless to say the $50 million are tempting, but I think I would choose the extra 50 years as long as I'm healthy. My purpose in life is not to become rich, as I'm already rich in blessings. Yes, the money could help me do some of the things I would want to do.

I believe that God has a bigger plan for me, therefore he can make those things that I'm purposed to do without the $50 million. I don't have a business mindset, so I would probably misuse that gift. However with more time to live, again, as long as I'm strong and healthy, I could give more of myself to the future generations, continue to work in spreading the Word of God and learning new things before I go to my eternal resting place.

The sad part about the extra time is to see loved ones depart before you. That would not be fun, but the hope of eternity and the ability to reach out to others, would be worth it.

Now back to reality, since I don't have an extra $50 million or the guarantee of a single extra day of life; I choose to use the resources God has given me in the best way possible. I choose to live the best life I can today, and enjoy every gift as if it was the last one.

God bless you!

Guest Post: God and the Garden Lizard

We are so blessed here at The Rising Muse. Recently we've had great Christian authors who have agreed to pay us a visit and share their stories with us. Today is no exception. We are glad to have Linda Yezak, enjoy this enlightening article!

God and the Garden Lizard

I pulled out of Mom's driveway the other day for another trek to visit her in the hospital. The car was in motion and well on its way when a garden lizard scrambled to the driver's side window and peeked in at me. Whether he was as surprised to see me as I was to see him was hard to tell. Reptiles aren't the most emotive of God's creatures.

But I felt so sorry for him. Can you imagine how huge the car must've been to him? And it was moving! He had no idea where we were going or whether he'd be safe. He only knew the wind was flapping his tail around, and he couldn't get away from it. Finally settling in the rearview-mirror housing, he swiveled his head between me and the lizard in the mirror that wore the same expression of fear only another reptile would recognize.

Apparently uncomfortable with his companion in the mirror, he crawled out of my sight, only to return later to cling to the silver window frame. From there, he kept his green nose to the wind as though determined to meet his fate head-on. He didn't know there was a vacant lot around the corner, didn't understand what was happening when the car stopped and the critter inside it came out. And certainly didn't understand when that same critter trapped him and put her hand on his body.

While any bug large enough to cast a shadow will send me into a screaming retreat, I've never been afraid of snakes, frogs, or lizards. So I caught him fearlessly and walked him to the edge of the lot. How odd that he seemed to trust me–he never once tried to jump from my hand, even when I lowered him to the grass. I had to nudge him.

As I watched him disappear among the weeds, feeling the warm fuzzies for a cold-blooded animal, I considered the wonderful lesson he taught me: When you're in for the ride of your life, stick your nose in the wind and trust your Driver.

Linda Yezak (pronounced like "yes" and "sick" thrown together with a "z"), lives with her husband and three cats in a forest in Texas, where tall tales abound and exaggeration is an art form. She is a two-time finalist in ACFW's Genesis Contest, in 2008 for Give the Lady a Ride, a contemporary western comedy romance published by Port Yonder Press, and in 2010 for The Cat Lady's Secret, a Women's Fiction comedy-drama. She has been published in Christian Romance and Vibrant Nation e-zines, has served as a judge in several national and local writing contests, and is currently a freelance editor and a volunteer editor for Port Yonder Press.

Join Linda Yezak and 8 of her author friends at Women's Literary Cafe's Christian Book Launch, December 13-15. Ten authors will discount their eBooks to just 99 cents. Buy 3 get 1 FREE!

http://womensliterarycafe.com/content/december-2011book-launch-nickels

Remember, just a few hours left for the 99 hours 99 cent event. Click on the green icon on the left side of this page to take advantage of this great opportunity to obtain your Inspirational/Christian eBooks for you and your loved ones for just 99 cents.

WF: Oh, Happiness

What a joy is to serve a God so loving, faithful and overall awesome. Worshipping him comes easy not because of what he does but for who He is. So on this Worship Friday let's just leap of joy for being part of the big family of God our Father in Heaven.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his[a];

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100: 1-5

Remember today starts the 99-hour 99 sale event. 9 authors, 13 books for 99 cents for the next 99 hours. You can't beat that! Plus there are prizes involved, yep free stuff on top of the sale!, so check it out!

Be blessed

My Lessons from NaNoWriMo 2011

[image error]Every year is the same thing, the challenge to write a novel in 30 days of 50,000 words or more. But is it really the same thing? In my three years doing Nano I can attest that it's never the same experience, even if you're meeting with the same people. So like every experience you take something out of it and I'm going to share my lessons from this year.

Thou shall not publish a book in October if you're planning to participate in NaNoWriMo. Goodness gracious alive! It was my first time, and as first timers go, I didn't know any better. I had no idea of all the work involved once you're published and balancing all that was quite challenging.
Write-ins are your friends - I don't think I would have made it this year without the write-ins and the support from my Pandas (Atlanta's wrimos) There were days I couldn't write being overwhelmed with other responsibilities, and writer's block rode on my back all month, but you get to a write-in with the mindset that during that block of time is to focus on Nano, and you also talk out your hurdles and everyone pitches in, it was awesome!
Not all wrimos are created equal I think I took for granted that I was kind of veteran in this NaNo business and the first week I pushed very hard ending with 30k. You may think that's amazing! Yeah, but then I was burned out and dragged the rest of the month. You shall never compare yourself to those non-human wrimos who can write 50k in a day (no names mentioned ) and know that 3-5k for you is ok that way you're not banging yourself against the walls in the middle of November.
Sleep is not optional - As much as I enjoy working all day and night… Wait, who am I kidding, I love my sleep! and  I missed it so much this month. If my plot came to me in a dream, then why didn't I just take a nap when I was stuck. My brain just doesn't function well with little sleep, it does things like forget to pay the bills, drive pass my exit, lose my car keys that are in my pocket…not a pretty picture!
I love my wrimo family – I have to say that at least in my region, wrimos are very close, even if we only see each other once a year. We stay in touch sporadically through social media throughout the rest of the year, but I've met some dear friends through this program. This year, a beautiful lady with whom I speak every day on twitter from Canada came to Atlanta and I had the opportunity to finally put a face with a name.  I also met two other Christian writers, one who I was her mentor and the other one who came to one of my write-ins. It's a great experience overall.

So even when I did write over 50k this year, I don't consider it a win because I didn't complete the novel, but I had fun, met some fun and exciting people, was able to get with my friends again, ate the best coconut cake in town, didn't gain weight during Nano and overall enjoyed the process of a new creation.[image error]

Until NaNoWriMo 2012, Have a blessed day!

Remember as it says in that cute green picture on the left side of my blog. From Dec 2nd to the 6th 99 hours of inspirational books by 10 authors for 99 cents, including Growth Lessons. Right in time for the holidays!