The Unconventional Convention

Let's do it together

2011-03-24T17:14:00.001-07:00

When my husband and I started dating, we used to have incredibly long phone conversations where neither wanted to get off. As long as we were talking, we were together. The only thing that got us off was me saying, "If you go to sleep and I go to sleep, at least we are doing the same thing."

Some view writing as lonely. We are alone in a room, listening to people who aren't there, aren't even real. To non-writers this looks like we are alone.

But we're not.

When I'm writing, I'm doing something tons of other writers are doing that exact moment, people who are just like me, who understand me and don't think I'm crazy when I say I threatened to kill my heroine because she wouldn't shut up.

So everyone reading this...if you write and I write, we are doing the same thing.

So get writing, so I won't be alone.

Jeanie

To Join or Not To Join, that is the question

2011-03-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

Whether 'tis be nobler in mind to suffer
the indignity of the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune
Or to take up arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die, perchance to sleep

That's enough of that. I can't believe I remember that. He isn't called The Bard for nothing. Talk about motivation. How many of us want to lay down our arms at one point? All of us. We wouldn't be human if we didn't. We all have questions. Writers turn those questions into books.

Today's question (I'm thinking about making this a series for my blog. What do you think?)
Should I join RWA?
http://www.rwa.org/cs/home

I see the question frequently in chat at http://www.SavvyAuthors.com,
so I thought I'd address it.

It's not cheap. Even in times of economic boom $110 is a lot of money. For some that just isn't feasible. For others it's a hard choice to make. For me, it was a no brainer, but that was before Savvy Authors and there really wasn't another organization to join. I'm a proud member of both.

Here's why.
1. You can never have too many writing friends.
2. You can never have too many opportunities to hone your craft.
3. You can never have too many opportunities to pitch your book.
Those three reasons, in that order, are why I belong to both organizations.

Savvy Authors is a much smaller organization, though by no means small, and this offers a level of intimacy and I don't feel lost among the crowd. I get the same feeling from the chapters I belong to through RWA.

I joined my state chapter (Maryland Romance Writers) because I didn't want to be alone at my first National Conference (2008). I am now my chapter's librarian. This month our speaker is Rosemary Ellen Guiley. Her book Encyclopedia of Angels, which I first bought when it came out in 1996, is one of the main resources for my current WIP. We've had a former CIA Operative and an expert in body language come.

When I move this summer to Boston, I am looking forward to joining The New England Chapter of Romance Writers. This month's meeting is critting each others first five pages. I'm not going to be able to go to Nationals next year, but I can make their regional Let Your Imagination Take Flight conference. Donald Maass is there this year.

(If you want to know what your local chapter is, do a search for your state and RWA.)

I see you in the back raising your hand, so politely. You have a question. "What about me, Miss Jeanie? I live in the middle of nowhere."

Fortunately, I just live on the edge of nowhere. I have to drive two hours to go to my MRW meetings, across the Bay Bridge (which I hate with a fiery passion. The bridge, not the distance). One of the benefits of belonging to an organization as large as RWA are the online speciality chapters. No matter what your sub-genre there is at least one speciality chapter for you to belong to.

Here is a sampling:

Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal: FF&P is now the largest. When I was researching joining RWA, I learned about FF&P. The second I got my RWA membership number, I joined. Here is a listing of some of the things i got through FF&P
1. I "met" Liz. Yes this is number one. I <3 Liz. Through Liz I learned about Savvy in its infancy.
2. The crit group, the mudpuddle.
3. The yahoo loops. There are several. This is where I get to "know" people in my sub-genre and Angie Fox made me cry (in a good way). Often when I'm talking with someone online, I grab their book, so I can explain to Hubby who I'm talking to. Sometimes I compare them to his guitar idols for reference.
4. 60 Days to Pro. Because of this event in 2009, I finished my novel, became PRO and got my first partial request.
5. Access to editors through their members-only blog. The first time I got to talk to Heather Osborn, then editor at TOR Romance, was through FF&P. I seem to keep running into her.
6. The Gathering. The yearly banquet at Nationals. Most specialty chapters do something at Nationals.

That's enough about FF&P. If you are a member of RWA and write FF&P, including urban fantasy, you should join.

Yes, next question.
"What about me, Jeanie? I write Romantic Suspense or Regency or about hot guys in kilts."

You're in luck because there is something just for you. And these are like potato chips. You don't have to eat just one. Here they are in alpha order (because that's how RWA lists them and I really don't want to type them all in again) Because I don't just write about angels, but am one, I'll give you the links to them, so you can investigate yourselves.

The Beau Monde Regency Special Interest Chapter: Jane Austin left out the sex. I can put it back in.
http://www.thebeaumonde.com/

Celtic Hearts Romance Writers: Sexy men in kilts and the women who love them, any time period, and even ones with fangs.
http://www.celtichearts.org/

Chick Lit Writers of the World: Here chicky, chicky, chicky
http://chicklitwriters.com/home

Electronic and Small Press Authors Network: New York, New York? We don't need no stinkin' big city press.
http://espan-rwa.com/

Elements of RWA: There's more to life than love. or "And they didn't live happily ever after."
http://www.elementsofrwa.com/

Faith, Hope, and Love, Inc.: Stuff your mother can read and show her church group
http://www.faithhopelove-rwa.org/

From the Heart Romance Writers: All I have to keep me warm is my computer and my ideas.
http://fthrw.com/index.php

Fantasty, Futuristic and Paranormal: In that order because it's alphabetical. No really, we voted on it.
http://www.romance-ffp.com/

Golden Network Chapter: I got a shiny gold heart, now what? (Golden Heart finalists and winners, RWA's contest for unpubbed writers)
http://thegoldennetwork.com/

Gothic Romance Writers: It was a dark and stormy night, and so is the hero.
http://www.gothrom.net/

Hearts Through History Romance Writers: Romance has been around since that first cave man clubbed his first cave woman and she kicked him in the balls.
http://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/

Mystery/Suspense Chapter (Kiss of Death): Knives and poison and guns, oh my.
http://www.rwamysterysuspense.org/

Outreach International Romance Writers: We are the world, we are the children (well not really. Children shouldn't read this stuff)
http://www.oirw.net/

Passionate Ink: Stuff you [I]really[/I] don't want your mother to read.
http://www.passionateink.org/

Published Authors Special Interest Chapter/PASIC: I made $1,000 on a single book (jumping up and down) I made $1,000. (Requirement to join PAN)
http://www.pasic.net/

Rainbow Romance Writers: Love comes in many forms.
http://www.rainbowromancewriters.com/

Romantic Women's Fiction: Eat lots of chocolate, pray for a contract and love
http://www.rwa-wf.com/

RWA Heartbeat: Paging Dr. Hottie, Paging Dr. Hottie
http://www.heartbeatrwa.com/

RWA Online: Meeting online, all the time.
http://www.rwaonlinechapter.org/

Scriptscene: Lights, camera, action (lots and lots of action)
http://www.scriptscene.org/

Young Adult Special Interest Chapter: Star light, Twilight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the guy I wish tonight.
http://yarwa.com/

That's a lot to digest. Go surf around. See if anything appeals to you.

How To Write

2010-10-20T09:16:00.001-07:00

Since I am a writer, I've been invited to speak at Younger's class. I am going to teach the kids how to write a story. I wrote a basic lesson plan to show the teacher. This is writing 101, how many writers come up with their stories.

1. What do you remember most about a story? Usually the answer is the characters. You can get away with a lot, including weak plotting, if you have great characters. So the first step in writing a story is to create a character.

There are lots of ways to do this. You need to answer three basic questions:
What does s/he look like?
What is s/he like?
What does s/he like/hate?

You can go as deep as you want to make that character real to you. I like to find pictures of my characters to help me describe them. Maggie is based on Inara from Firefly/Serenity. I even dress her in Inara's clothes. Janie is based on the work of a Taiwanese artist. I have a long list of questions that help me find out about the character. When I get stuck, I interview my characters. It's amazing where those interviews go.

2. What does the character want? If you don't know your character's goal, your story is going to wander. If your character doesn't want anything and take steps to get that, the character is weak and will not interest the reader.

3. Why does the character want this? You can make your character want anything if you give them proper motivation. Cinderella is a well-loved fairy tale that's so universal it's applied to sports teams. Most everyone wants to be a prince or princess, but it's the reason Cinderella wants it that hits our hearts. It's the motivation that makes Cinderella a classic.

4. What stands in the character's way? This is the essence of your story. It is conflict that propels the action. It could be anything.

Person/persons
Situation
That character, which tends to create the most interesting conflict

Any combination of these. Just keep sticking things in your character's way.

5. You can have an ending in mind, but you don't have to. You don't even need to have a beginning.

Now take all of these and write a story sentence: (character) wants (goal), but (conflict).

That's it. That's a story. Write the sentence in big letters and stick it by your computer. This will keep your story focused. Whenever you get stuck, just look at your sentence and it will kick start your muse.

Let's go back to Cinderella: An abused young lady wants to go to the ball, but her evil step mother won't let her. 18 words.

Your turn. If you do this before NaNo begins, your story will be much more focused.

What do we learn more from: Mistakes or Successes

2010-09-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

We've all heard the adage "You learn more from mistakes than successes."

That depends on what you want to learn. Do you want to learn what mistakes not to make or what works? What equals [i]more[/i] learning?

We all make mistakes. Writers make [b]tons[/b] of them just learning our process. We learn what not to do more than what we learn works for us. Each time we learn what doesn't work, we are that much closer to what does work, but ultimately what we want to learn is what works. Quantity-wise we have more mistakes, but quality-wise it is figuring out what does work that we learn more from.

On my desk is an email from August 2009. On it a professional author I adore said "your story gave me goosebumps...when you make that first sale, I'll be in line of release day to buy your book" about an email I posted to a loop. When I met her at RWA Nationals this year, she remembered my email. Her email taught me more than all of my mistakes combined. It said "Here is your strength. This is what works for you." It said "If you use this in your writing, it is something I want to read."

How many of us have gotten a comment, especially by someone we admire, saying something similar? That something in particular moved them? That they loved how you phrased something? That you nailed something? These comments teach us more than our mistakes. We simply don't think we learn from them. Since we did something right, what is there to learn?

The answer is we learn what works. If you take that comment and apply it to your writing as a whole, your writing will jump a few notches and you will gain confidence.

So don't just think about mistakes as learning opportunities. Think of successes that way, too. Below share some comments you've gotten that said "You are doing this right" and think about how to apply them to your writing as a whole.

That email is to the right of my computer. On the left is a quote by Stanislavsky "Craft is always secondary to the truth of emotional connection." As long as I keep that in mind when I write, how important that emotional connection is and how creating it is my strength, my writing stays on track.

OMG. I have to talk to an agent. What do I do? What do I say?

2010-09-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

In our continuing theme of "here's another way to look at things," I offer you my perspective on the all important pitch appointment.

We are writers. We love our stories. If we didn't, we couldn't have spent all that time pounding out 300+ pages and then revising until our eyes bled (your eyes didn't bleed? Go back and edit some more). Usually agents and editors are not writers. They don't think like us. I think that is the most important thing to keep in mind when dealing with the publishing world. We think differently than most people. That's why we're writers.

An editor's job is to think like a reader. Their job is to sell books to readers. By extension, an agent needs to think like an editor, since their job is to sell books to editors. If we want to get an agent, we have to think like one.

This does not mean writing to the market. Evil trolls who will steal your soul lie down that road. What this does mean is when we are pitching (selling) our masterpieces to them, we have to think like them. We are also readers, so let's put on our reading hats. Mine comes with a book light.

You just read the most amazing book and you want to get your best friend to read it. It's 2 AM, so you have to wait until a decent hour to call her (mine wouldn't, but you are nice). You try to go to sleep, but you keep playing the book in your head, thinking of ways you could make everything work out (the sign of a great book). The alarm clock goes off and you can finally talk to your BFF.

What do you tell her?

That's it. That's your pitch. What do you tell your best friend about this amazing, incredible book to get her to read it? Do you pick up the back of the book and read her the blurb? No. You tell her what you love about that book. What kept you up until 2 AM reading?

The blurb works great for the more formal setting of a query letter where you don't have the opportunity to answer questions. When you are at an agent appointment or talking to an agent in the bar, think talking to your best friend. Don't think like a writer pitching a book. Think like an excited reader trying to get someone to read the book.

I hurt myself by hurting myself

2010-09-09T08:51:00.001-07:00

We all suffer for our art in some way. I allowed myself to remember what it was like to have flashbacks in order to write a key scene. I thought that was the worst thing I'd endure for this book, I was wrong.

I finally have an opening chapter that makes me go "I want to read this book." In it, my heroine is snatched. At one point, the villains twist her arms behind her back and hold her against a wall with one hand. My villains are vampires, but I wanted to see the logistics of this. (If you know where this is heading, please don't laugh). I twisted my own arms behind my back to see where the wrists would meet. In the process, I sprained my shoulder. The pain is worse than labor and delivery. Now I have Vicodin to help me conjure up interesting things.

I tend to act out a lot of action to see the logistics. Hubby hopes my characters are never shot.

So how have you suffered for your art?

How to Write a Synopsis without Writing a Synopsis

2010-09-06T14:47:00.001-07:00

Telling me how to do something never works for me. Whatever my natural inclination is will override what I'm taught. Telling me why something is done will give me a new perspective and allow me to change my set ways.

We freeze at writing the synopsis. How do we boil 400 pages down to 2-3? That's one way of looking at a synopsis, but not what I see it as. It's just another format to tell the story you love so much, you wrote those 400 pages. (I love writing the synopsis now. I'll take every opportunity to tell my story.)

A synopsis is important. It shows you have a complete story with a beginning, middle and end. That is just one function. The goal is to get the agent to ask to see more, to see your actual writing, your voice.

I've heard that the synopsis doesn't need to include your voice. I disagree, but I will qualify that. It doesn't need to include the voice you used for the story, but it does have to include your voice, AKA your excitement and love for your story. That is contagious and will motivate the agent to ask to see more.

Writing the synopsis is like writing the book, and you can use the same techniques you would to plot it out. If you are a plotter or a hybrid, this part is easy for you. If you pants it all the way, I'll offer some suggestions.

The most important part of the story, and therefore your synopsis, is not boiling your story into one sentence. It is the initial idea you had, maybe even the idea of an idea. Think back to that initial idea. Don't think of the synopsis. Think of that idea. Let it wrap around your heart and strengthen you. Let it bring back the time when the words screamed to be let out. It could have been a month ago or several years. Try to think back to that time. You aren't writing a synopsis. You are writing the story that idea generates.

Now, if we were writing a book, one technique is to brainstorm scenes. You already wrote those scenes. I want you to brainstorm what you love about the story. Just list everything. What things made you stop and think "Damn, I can't believe I wrote that?" What things kept you butt in the chair, even when your muse decided to get a tan at the beach? What sweet nothings did he whisper in your ear? Just write it all down.

Look at that list and cross out everything that doesn't have to do with the main storyline. I'm sure it was very interesting when your heroine turned into a seagull, but if that isn't part of the main storyline, it goes. Look at the list again and cross out anything not vital to the main storyline. Can you tell the story without mentioning something or does it become a completely different story?

Take what you have and put them in chronological order. That's the skeleton of your story. Fill in the key points that makes the story flow. Guess what? You have now told your story in a different format, otherwise known as a synopsis.

This isn't a synopsis that just retells your story. It shows your heart, your excitement, in essence your voice. It will get the agent to request more pages.

Why do we write a synopsis? Because we love our story. Because we want to share that story. Because that love is infectious and will get others to read our story.

Isn't that why we became writers- to tell a story and have others read it? So tell your story. Don't freeze. Don't boil 400 words down to 2-3. Do what you do best, tell a story.

The All-Important Pitch

2010-07-08T11:09:00.001-07:00

I'm taking a two-week pitching class with Bob Mayer. The sole objective is to come up with that one sentence pitch the fate of our careers depend on (cue scary music). I came up with it in three tries: Endless Lives reimagines Judeo-Christian mythology to transform Lucifer into the first vampire who then attempts to overthrow God because he believes humans shouldn't suffer. (24 words-cue Rocky theme)

I did something last night I highly recommend. Instead of sorting email by date received, I did it by subject. That allowed me to see how the pitches evolved.

And that's the word I'd use. The pitches evolve. This word is changed for a stronger, more concrete word. Order of words is changed. Bob's comments are incorporated, making the pitches longer and longer. What is essentially happening is people are fine tuning their story sentences.

But we aren't writing story sentences. We are crafting pitches. Bob is honing in on the WOW factor, and people are trying to make their story sentence incorporate this.

I've pitched in person and I watched other people pitch. It amazed me how many people didn't even make eye contact with the agent/editors and just gave a prefabricated spiel. That's not what pitching is. It's a conversation and your opening pitch is your ice breaker. Conversations lead to relationships and relationships lead to favorable opinions.

That's what we are crafting, ice breakers.

I became comfortable writing synopses when I stopped thinking of it as condensing my book to 1-2 pages. Instead it was just another format to tell the same story. The word pitch is scary. It is important and the fate of our career rests on it. Ice breaker, not so scary

The all important first line

2010-06-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

Everyone has heard of the experiment in writing workshops where you give your first line and the others say if they'd continue to read on. There is one flaw that invalidates this experiment. It is done to other writers. Writers read differently than others, and most of our readers aren't writers. One of my most invaluable friends and beta readers isn't a writer. She is representative of my target audience.

One quote I keep near my computer and will constantly quote in my journal is "Craft is always secondary to the truth of emotional connection" Konstantin Stanislavsky. When writers read, they see flaws. When other readers read, they see pleasure. The most important thing I learned about writing, I didn't learn from a writer. I learned from a very modern major general. "People don't remember what you do or say (or write). They remember how you make them feel."

That all important first line is seen as a gateway to other writers. They will quote some of the great first lines of all time to tout its importance. Those lines are merely synecdoches, one line that stands for the gold of the rest of the book that made us feel something. That is why those lines are quoted.

The MOST important part of the book to a reader isn't the beginning. How many want-to-be-published writers spend all their time of the first line, first ten pages, first fifty because that is what will determine whether an agent will ask for more? Agents know this. How many agents are disappointed after they read that first line, first ten pages, first fifty because the writer didn't spend that amount of care on the rest of the book?

The most important part of the book to a reader is the end. It's the feeling you leave the reader with, the one that they carry with them. It is what determines whether they reread the book again to experience the feeling again. It is what determines if they pick up any of your other books because they trust you to give them a good story.

My beloved

2010-06-24T07:18:00.000-07:00

I love using words and phrases in other languages. I use 8 in the book--Coptic, French, Japanese, Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, Latin, and Chinese. Yesterday's addition was Ani L'Dodi, V'Dodi Li, from the Song of Solomon. I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine. Is there anything more romantic for Luke to say to Janie? I think when I get the tattoo celebrating the book, I may include it in some way (written in Aramaic).

Historical Paranormal

2010-06-22T09:04:00.001-07:00

Maggie and Joshua's story is fascinating, but it just isn't gelling. I don't want to force it.

I've enjoyed reimagining Judeo-Christian tradition, but what I've enjoyed most is the historical research required for Janie's past lives. I think I'm going to go in that direction instead. History International did a 2 hour show on Medieval Europe (primarily Western) and today my National Geographic Atlas of the Middle Ages showed up. I LOVE Teresa of Avila. I think I may start with her. I'm going to take a few weeks to brainstorm just what periods I want to do and what historical figures I want to include/research. I'll start writing this in September.

NYC and pickles

2010-06-12T15:58:00.000-07:00

Today I had a wonderful day in New York City with my wonderful brother-in-law and equally wonderful sister-in-law.

We went to two bookstores and I bought some books I really wanted.

In between them, we went to Bleeker Street Pizza and had the best pizza in New York. I burned the roof of my mouth.

We walked on an elevated park in Chelsea on our way to a free Monet exhibit at the Gagosian.

After that, we walked to Chelsea Market. We ate the best cookies at Amy's Bread.

Then I found the best pickles. My life is now complete.

I still can't talk, but I'm happy and that's what really matters.

The 16th

2010-06-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

I didn't get to send this yesterday, since I didn't have internet.

Yesterday was my 16th Wedding Anniversary. 16 is my lucky number. I didn't get to spend the day with my wonderful hubby. Instead I traveled to NYC to go to the Long Island Romance Writers' Annual Luncheon. There I met with agents and other writers.

I woke up and my voice was scratchy. When I arrived at the lunch, I barely had a voice. At least I'll be memorable. I did get several requests for partials. I'll send those on Monday. I have my foot in the door. Now it is up to the writing.

Poor neglected blog

2010-06-09T13:45:00.000-07:00

I've spent the last several month emerged in the book and my poor blog hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. Hopefully it won't be too mad at me. If it is, I'm sure it can get together with my livejournal and smother me in my sleep. Nothing horrific or gory. i save that stuff for the book.

Here's a brief list of ways Sophia is killed in the book:

Killed by a Roman centurion in the Second Dacian War
Killed by an Indian during the Schenectady Massacre
Burned alive during the French witch hunts
Shot by a police officer after the Great Kanto Earthquake
Buried alive (event not specified)
Had her heart carved out ritualistically (event not specified)
Hanged (even not specified)
There are attempts on her life, but you have to read the book for that. They are uber-spoilery.

I think the descriptions of these will most likely push the book into the urban fantasy category rather than paranormal romance. There's dark and then there's me.

Another fun fact: the book uses many languages

English (everyone obviously)
Coptic (Valentinus. Talk about a pain to find)
Aramaic (Maggie. Again, total pain to find)
French (Janie. Fortunately, I speak it)
Japanese (Janie.)
Latin (Maggie reads inscription from Saint Peter's Basilica)
Greek (Grigori and Luke)
Hebrew (Melania and God)
Chinese (Semyaza)

I think that is everything.

I love dead languages, but some of the words were hard to find. My favorite word was meli, which is ancient greek for honey as a term of endearment for Janie.

I hope all this work created a believable universe.

Sick of Vampires?

2010-05-17T15:11:00.001-07:00

I've heard this a lot over the last few months/years, especially with the dominance of Twilight. People are just sick to death of vampires.

But ask people who devour vampire books if they are sick of them and they will tell you "Please sir, may I have another." Vampire books are their own sub-genre with a loyal following. There will ALWAYS be a market for vampire books. Buffy didn't go off the air because people were sick of the show. It went off the air because Joss Whedon had told his story and wanted to move on.

People who are sick of vampire books are typically not the ones who read them in the first place. If people are sick of something, it may be poorly written vampire books, such as Twilight.

Are you sick of vampire books?

The Thrill of Writing

2010-05-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

I don't know what I love better, adding to my word count or taking words out. There are few things as good as when the words just flow and the only thing slowing you down is how fast you can type, but there is something about editing that makes me feel like a "real" writer, like I actually have a clue and my dreams are all possibl

For Posterity

2010-04-09T09:31:00.001-07:00

And because this makes no sense unless you read the book

Twelve Days of Jeanie Day Twelve: "To Be With You"

2010-01-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

There wouldn't be a 12 Days of Jeanie without my wonderful husband because there wouldn't be a Jeanie. He's the knight who rescued me out of a tower guarded by an evil witch.

Way back in 1992, we were still dating. We met April 1991 and instantly hit it off. I believe in love, but love at first site was too much, until I met my husband. Now in the words of the Monkees, I'm a believer.

He proposed to me with this song. He didn't mean to. This is one of our songs, and he learned not only how to play it on his guitar, but he practiced it until he could sing along as well, something he rarely did. The moment was so emotional, it was the perfect time to bring our relationship further along. I was crying before he even asked me. My first reaction was "Are you sure?" When I realized it was for real, words were no longer possible. I just smiled the biggest smile and nodded emphatically and cried and hugged him.

So I give you, Mr. Big's "To Be With You."

Lyrics
Hold on little girl
Show me what he's done to you
Stand up little girl
A broken heart can't be that bad
When it's through, it's through
Fate will twist the both of you
So come on baby come on over
Let me be the one to show you

I'm the one who wants to be with you
Deep inside I hope you feel it too
Waited on a line of greens and blues
Just to be the next to be with you

Build up your confidence
So you can be on top for once
wake up who cares about
Little boys that talk too much
I've seen it all go down
Your game of love was all rained out
So come on baby, come on over
Let me be the one to hold you

Chorus

Why be alone when we can be together baby
You can make my life worthwhile
And I can make you start to smile

When it's through, it's through
Fate will twist the both of you
So come on baby come on over
Let me be the one to show you

song
To BeWith You

Sorry, but I couldn't find the video.

Twelve Days of Jeanie Day Eleven "Let's Get Rocked"

2010-01-05T19:31:00.000-08:00

Day 6 I said I had two key chains. The other one I obtained at a very special concert. What made it so special wasn't just the amazing band playing, but the company I went with. I went with John and our two daughters. I mentioned Collective Soul was their first concert. This is the first one they actually remember. It happened three summers ago, shortly before we moved to Delaware.

Picture this, a young child, age 6 sitting on her daddy's shoulders with little rock hands shouting "We love you Def Leppard!" then believing the band could see and hear her all the way back in the lawn seats.

Today's song was easy to pick. I choose Def Leppard because not only is it one of my favorite bands, but it is one of my daughters' favorite bands. If we can't find one of their CDs, I know its either in the car or in one of the girls' rooms.

I thought it would be difficult to pick a song. Today, I asked both girls what their favorite Def Leppard song was. They each gave me several songs, but one song was on both lists. My husband doesn't like this song, but today isn't about him. It's about two girls who not only can sing along to most of Def Leppard's songs, but can tell you what album songs are on.

The Older in particular has an amazing ear for music. She can tell you who the band is for songs she's never even heard. Give her a few notes, and she'll tell you what song it is, if she's ever heard it before. She works hard at the clarinet and for fun decided to pick up the flute as well. She's learning guitar from her dad.

And before I continue, yes the band is still together, still making new albums and still touring. And yes, Joe Elliot and Rick "Sav" Savage were all over my walls in high school.

So I give you the song which I play in my mind to get myself out of bed, "Let's Get Rocked."

Lyrics
Do you wanna get rocked?
Let's get, let's get, let's get, let's get rocked

I'm your average ordinary everyday kid
Happy to do nothin', in fact that's what I did
I got a million ways to make my day
But daddy don't agree
Cause when I try to get away
He says he got plans for me
"Get your butt right out of bed"
Stop buggin' me
"Get up and move your sleepy head"
Don't shake my tree
He said "Mow the lawn" - who me?
"Walk the dog" - not my style, man
"Take out the trash" - no way
"Tidy your room" - c'mon get real
Sorry dad, gotta disappear
Let's get the rock out of here

Seven day weekend, up all night
In at the deep end, hang on tight
It won't take a minute, it won't take long
So get on in it, come on, come on, come on

Let's get, let's get, let's get, let's get rocked
Let's get, let's get, let's get, let's get rocked
Let's go all the way
Get it night'n'day
Come on, let's get, let's get, let's get, let's get rocked

I'm your average ordinary everyday dude
Drivin' with my baby to get her in the mood
She's dialin' through my radio
And I'm ready to make my move
But what she got ain't rock'n'roll
And it really blew my groove
It was Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven
It makes me wanna scream
Bach, Tschaikovsky, violins
Turn it off, that ain't my scene
Well I'm sorry girl here's my confession
I suppose a rock's out of the question

Seven day weekend, up all night
In at the deep end, hang on tight
It won't take a minute, it won't take long
So get on in it, come on, come on, come on

Let's get, let's get, let's get, let's get rocked
Let's get, let's get, let's get, let's get rocked
Let's go all the way
Get it night'n'day
Come on, let's get, let's get, let's get, let's get rocked

All I wanna do is take a ride into the blue
Every time I want to love you
I get stuck inside my room
Heaven knows I'm sick 'n' tired of dancin' with this broom

I feel lucky today
Hey look at that, man
Do you wanna get rocked?
Do you wanna get rocked?

It won't take you a minute
It won't take that long
So get on, get with it
Oh, come on everybody

Let's get, let's get, let's get, let's get rocked
Get on top baby
Let's get, let's get, let's get, let's get rocked
Do you wanna, do you wanna?
Let's get, let's get, let's get, let's get rocked
Get on top of it
Let's get, let's get, let's get, let's get rocked
Love to rock your body baby
Let's get, let's get, let's get, let's get rocked

Let's go all the way
Let's do it night'n'day
Let's get out and play
Rock the night away
Come on, let's get, let's get, let's get, let's get rocked
Do you wanna get rocked?

Song
Let's Get Rocked

Video
back when MTV played video's Def Leppard was a staple.

Twelve Days of Jeanie Day Ten: "1985"

2010-01-04T17:03:00.000-08:00

To say music is important to my family is an understatement. When we got our new car, we spent more time learning about the audio system than anything else. Today we spent way too much time programming the radio for our favorite XM stations. My favorites are 1st Wave (Classic Alternative, read: New Wave) and Alternative Nation. That isn't to say, I didn't like hard rock. I did and do, but Hubby already has those programmed, so I didn't have to.

My bedroom walls in high school could be divided into two sections, the OMG hot guys from the Brat Pack and the OMG hot guys from rock, especially Duran Duran.

So today, I give you Bowling for Soup's "1985"

Lyrics

Debbie just hit the wall
She never had it all
One Prozac a day
Husband's a CPA
Her dreams went out the door
When she turned twenty four
Only been with one man
What happen to her plan?

She was gonna be an actress
She was gonna be a star
She was gonna shake her ass
On the hood of White Snake’s car
Her yellow SUV is now the enemy
Looks at her average life
And nothing has been alright since

Bruce Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school
They tell her that she’s uncool
Cause she's still preoccupied
With 19, 19, 1985

She’s seen all the classics
She knows every line
Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink
Even Saint Elmo’s Fire
She rocked out to Wham
Not a big Limp Bizkit fan
Thought she’d get a hand
On a member of Duran Duran

Where’s the mini-skirt made of snake skin
And who’s the other guy that's singing in Van Halen
When did reality become T.V.
Whatever happened to sitcoms, game shows
(on the radio was)

Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school
They tell her that she’s uncool
Cause she's still preoccupied
With 19, 19, 1985

She hates time make it stop
When did Motley Crue become classic rock?
And when did Ozzy become an actor?
Please make this stop
Stop!
And bring back

Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school
They tell her that she’s uncool
Cause she's still preoccupied
With 1985

Song
1985

Video

Twelve Days of Jeanie Day Nine: "Death, Death (Devil, Devil, Devil, Devil, Evil, Evil, Evil, Evil) Song

2010-01-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

Above all those books about Christianity is a vampire, You press his stomach and his red eyes light up and he screams a scary scream. I love it. He's ugly and his black hair is a mess.

I'm goth, not morose-obsessed-with-death-because-I-want-to-die goth. I'm fun goth. I like the Urban Dictionary's definition

Someone who likes the darker side of things. They usually listen to death metal and goth music, such as Dismember and Bauhaus. Marilyn Manson is NOT goth. He's just...weird. Real goths are not depressing and suicidal like the posers you see at Hot Topic. Goths are fun to be around and aren't afraid to laugh at themselves every so often. They don't worship Satan and aren't evil despite what some ignorant people might say. Goths don't all dress alike either. They like to create their own unique style. Goths are also very intelligent and creative. A lot of them are writers and artists. Goths DON'T envy the popular people. They are what they are because it makes them happy. Goths would rather stay who they are and be among the so called "freaks" than be like everyone else and be popular. They understand that there are more important things in life than popularity, and usually succeed in life while the popular ones don't become much of anything.

Not so much with the death metal, but pretty much everything else are very Jeanie parts to being Jeanie. I write about vampires. There has to be at least a tiny part of me that's goth. With me, it's more than a tiny part.

Today, I give you a bonus. Victoria Frances is one of my favorite artists. With paintings like these, how can she not be?

To me goth is best illustrated by two people--Neil Gaiman and Voltaire.Voltaire is a singer/songwriter/animator/illustrator/graphic novelist/toy designer/writer (I think I got them all) extraordinaire. He has so many fun songs to choose from, this was probably my most difficult day. This song is my favorite, so I give you "Death, Death (Devil, Devil, Devil, Devil, Evil, Evil, Evil, Evil) Song."

Lyrics
My granny while on her death bed
She turned and said to me
"Why must you view life so morbidly?

I tried to teach you right
But somewhere I went wrong
'Cuz you sang those
Death death devil devil evil evil songs"

When six pallbearers put her down
And laid her body in the ground
My eyes were wet
My face was very long

The pastor said "son here you are
Won't you please take this guitar
Sing dearly departed Granny one last song"

And I sang death death
devil devil devil devil
evil evil evil evil songs
Hell you know that's how I get along

The world is full of tragedies
So how can it be wrong?
Singing death death death death
Devil devil evil evil songs

Well I was shopping at Hot Topic
And I was walking out the door
When two dumb jocks came up to me
They said "Hey fag it ain't Halloween"
And they kicked my lipstick to the floor

And I sang death death
devil devil devil devil
evil evil evil evil songs
Hell you know that's how I get along

The world is full of idiots
So how can it be wrong?
Singing death death death death
Devil devil evil evil songs

Well I went down to church on Sunday
I sat up front in a pew
The priest said "Jesus and Mary too
Son what the devils got into you?
Get up and sing a hymn or two"

And I sang death death
devil devil devil devil
evil evil evil evil songs
And you know that's how I get along

The world's full of hypocrisies
So how can it be wrong?
Singing death death death death
Devil devil evil evil songs

I was invited to the White House
The president pulled me aside
He said "Son sing us a song of peace
For those evil doers in the Middle East"
I rolled my eyes and kicked this rhyme

And I sang death death
devil devil devil devil
evil evil evil evil songs
And you know that's how I get along

The world is full of W's
So how can it be wrong?
Singing death death death death
Devil devil evil evil songs

Well then I died and went to Hell
I could tell right away by the awful smell
That this was clearly not the pearly gates
The devil said "come here young man
My wife and I are your biggest fans"
So naturally I felt I had it made

Well then he reached into an iron chest
And he picked a tool that he felt was best
Then he jabbed me in the shlong
With a pitchfork that had sharpened prongs
He turned to me and winked and sang this song

He sang death death
devil devil devil devil
evil evil evil evil songs
Yeah I know that's how you got along

I find your song hilarious
But now your soul's precarious
Singing your death death death death
Devil devil evil evil songs

I'm just kidding kid
Welcome to Hell
Enjoy the buffet

Death death
devil devil devil devil
evil evil evil evil songs
And you know that's how we got along

The world is full of sinners
So how can it be wrong?
Singing death death death death
Devil devil evil evil songs

Song
Death, Death....Song

Video

There are several vids of this song. I chose this one because it captures his humor well.

Twelve Days of Jeanie Day Eight: "Prayer of St. Francis"

2010-01-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

On my desk, to the left of my computer are the writing books I use most. To the right, are the reference books I use most. They are:

National Geographic's The Biblical World: An Illustrated Atlas
Rosemary Ellen Guiley's Encyclopedia of Angels
Ian Wilson's Jesus the Evidence
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Gnostic Gospels
Susan Haskin's Mary Magdalen
Elaine Pagels' The Origin of Satan
The Essential Gnostic Gospels
and two Bibles (the NAB and the NRSV)

Those are just the books I use a lot for the series I'm currently writing. I also have books like The Bestiary of Christ, Father Boadt's Reading the Old Testament, The Oxford Companion to the Bible, EP Saunders' The Historical Figure of Jesus, A Short History of Christian Thought and The Catholic Catechism. I have a Guiley's Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology on its way.

I tried, really tried, to write a simple vampire story. Somehow Judeo-Christian mythology found its way in. People love the premise of The Mark of Abel (a play on the Mark of Cain), so I'm glad it did. Writing became even more enjoyable when I stopped trying to hold back religion because I feared that the book would appear to be religious.

I am not Christian, haven't been for a long time, but I know Christian doctrine (especially its evolution), mythology and history very well, including its roots in Judaism and other earlier religions. It's sort of a hobby for me. I no longer want to be the first female Catholic Deacon, but I still love learning about Christianity. I will defend parts of it and love the beauty inherent in the mythology.

So to that end, I give you Sarah McLachlan's Prayer of St. Francis. Except for the whole God part, it is very much what I believe and shows true beauty.

Lyrics
Lord make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
And where there is sadness, joy.

O divine master grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love
For it is in giving that we receive-
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
And it's in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Song
Prayer of St. Francis

Video
This is a beautiful song, and there are many videos out there, especially since Joss Whedon used it to end Buffy Season 6 on such a beautiful note. I looked at many videos, but I like the imagery in this one best.

Twelve Days of Jeanie Day Seven: "Over the Rainbow"

2010-01-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

There are many authors who have influenced me as a writer, four in particular: Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling, Charles Dickens and L. Frank Baum. When I was a little girl, about the age of my youngest daughter, I would sit at my window and sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Few things captured my imagination like The Wizard of Oz. It was the first "big" book I read. Once hooked, my heart belonged to speculative fiction.

In 1995, The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True came out. It was a benefit concert for the Children's defense fund and stared
Jewel as Dorothy
Natalie Cole as Glinda
The Boys Choir of Harlem as the munchkins
Debra Winger as the Wicked Witch
Jackson Browne as the Scarecrow
Roger Daltrey as the Tin Man
Nathan Lane as the Cowardly Lion
Joel Grey as the Wizard

If you would like to hear clips, you can go here. It's a wonderful production.

Lyrics
Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby

Somewhere over that rainbow
All skies are blue, oh
And where dreams
That you dare to dream
Really do come true

Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
And troubles mount like lemon drops
Way above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly, oh
If birds can fly over the rainbow
Why, then why can't I?

Someday I'll wake and rub my eyes
And in that land beyond the skies
You'll find me
I'll be a laughing daffodil
And leave the silly cares that
Fill my mind behind me

Somewhere over that rainbow
Bluebirds fly
If birds can fly over the rainbow
Why, then why can't I?

If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?

Song
If give you the opening song from the concert and the finale.
Jewel singing
Entire cast

Videos

Twelve Days of Jeanie Day Six: Firefly Theme

2009-12-31T17:46:00.000-08:00

As much as I love Buffy/Angel, that love pales in comparison to Firefly. I have three keys (car, house and mailbox) and two key chains. One I got at a sneak preview of the movie Serenity. (the other you'll find out on Day 11) I was fortunate enough to go to two of the sneak previews. I am a Browncoat through and through. I even dressed up as Inara for one of the previews.

I have written many essays about the television series and the movie. I will be posting some of them here in the next few weeks.

So I give you, the theme to the television series Firefly, written by Joss Whedon and performed by Sonny Rhodes

Lyrics

Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me
Take me out to the black
Tell them I ain't comin' back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me
There's no place I can be
Since I found Serenity
But you can't take the sky from me...

Song
Firefly

Video of opening credits with theme song

Twelve Days of Jeanie Day Five: I've Got a Theory

2009-12-30T18:18:00.000-08:00

I have lots of theories. It's one of the most Jeaniest parts of being Jeanie.

While I am still on the topic of friends, I will share how I met my best friends and many of my other net friends.

The site All Things Philosophical About Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel the Series has a discussion forum where I used to frequent frequently. It was a great outlet for my essays that went beyond "OMG iz Angel haut." I learned from the people there, both their ideas and their friendships. Best of all, the board made me feel less like a freak and more like the cute little nerd I am.

I am going to be reposting some of my favorite essays. I started with I've Got A Theory from Once More with Feeling. It gives you a good idea of the types of essays I used to write and will write again, once I find a fandom I like.

Lyrics
(Giles)
I've got a theory,
that it's a demon,
a dancing demon,
no,something isn't right there.

(Willow)
I've got a theory,
some kid is dreaming,
and we're all stuck inside his wacky broadway nightmare

(Xander)
I've got a theory we should work this out,

(Willow, Tara, Anya)
its getting eerie whats this cheery singing all about.

(Xander)
It could be witches, some evil witches,
which is ridiculous cause witches they were persecuted, and wicca,
good and loved the earth, and woman power, and i'll be over here.

(Anya)
I've got a theory it could be bunnies!...............

(Tara)
I've got a theo--

(Anya)
Bunnies arent just cute like everybody supposes,
They got them hoppy legs and twitchy little noses,
And whats with all the carrots?
What do they need such good eyesight for anyway?
Bunnies, Bunnies, it must be bunnies!
.... Or maybe midgets?

(Willow)
I've got a theory we should work this fast,

(Willow, Giles)
Because it clearly could get serious before it's past.

(Buffy)
I've got a theory, It doesnt matter.
What can't we face if we're together?
What's in this place that we can't weather?
Apocalypse... we've all been there,
the same old trips, why should we care?

(All)
What cant we do if we get in it?
We'll work it through within a minute,
We have to try, we'll pay the price,
Its do or die,

(Buffy)
Hey i've died twice!

(All)
What can't we face if we're together?
What's in this place that we can't weather?
There's nothing we cant face....

(Anya)
.... except for bunnies

Song
I've Got A Feeling

Video

via videosift.com

For a little humor, the Potter Puppets do I've got a feeling

I've Got a Theory

2009-12-30T17:23:00.000-08:00

One of the ways I learned to write was analyzing the work of Joss Whedon. I will be moving some of my essays over here in the next few weeks. I start with the song "I've Got A Theory" from his masterpiece (as if every episode wasn't a masterpiece) Once More with Feeling.

This originally appeared on the discussion forum of All Things Philosophical about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel the Series.

I've Got a Theory

I just wanted to share something I noticed. The flow of the song "I've Got a Theory" is probably the best example in the Buffyverse of how Joss views society. Not his perfect society, but the reality of how it is.

It opens with Giles, representing the Patriarchy singing first. His first reaction is what he knows, demons. "That it's a demon." He goes on a bit further, "A dancing demon." To his logical mind that sound ridiculous. Demons don't dance and he dismisses it. The thing to remember is that Giles is right. It is a dancing demon. Giles not only represents the Patriarchy, but someone who is limited/hurt by it This won't be resolved until the finale of the series.

Then we go to Willow, who really doesn't want to sing (at least AH doesn't). Her inclusion is very important. No one else could have said those lines, so poor AH had to sing a bit. The Patriarchy is unable to solve the problem, so what happens? Something that happened in the first season is remembered "some kid is dreamin.'" When we don't know what to do, we often do fall back to the past. Willow's image of herself, which is based on her past, is going to seriously mess her up this season and the next. This too really isn't resolved until the finale of the series.

Next comes Everyman Xander. He is concerned with the practical "we should work this out." That is importantly followed by the trio of Willow/Anya/Tara who are concerned with feelings "It's getting eerie. What's this cheery singing all about." The rhyme scheme paired Giles' patriarchy with Willow's reliance on the past. It also pairs the male Xander with the female trio.

What follows is probably the best statement of what Joss believes and why he is a feminist. Everyman Xander comes after the pairs are set up. There is no rhyming scheme and he is paired with no one really. His first reaction, his gut reaction is "It could be witches. Some evil witches." Joss has been raised in the Patriarchy. No matter how much he carries the banner of Feminism high, his gut reaction is still "It could be witches. Some evil witches." In "Hush" when he needs 2 new characters to be terrified of the Gentlemen, he relies on Tara and Olivia. As much as he hated seeing the blond victim in the alley in horror movies and empowered her, when he needed victims, he turned to two women.

Then Xander sees Tara and Willow's reaction and changes his statement. "Which is ridiculous 'cause witches they were persecuted wicca good and love the earth and women power." Joss' feminism is a corrective measure to counter the Patriarchy that causes him to think "some evil witches." We have seen an evil witch, again in that first season. Witches aren't all wiccan good. Still, Xander feels bad and so now "and I'll be over here." The music drops off after "ridiculous" and comes back after he leaves. Xander has been taken out of the song by trying to correct the Patriarchy's view. Could there be a more succinct statement of the male feminist's dilemma which includes why he is a feminist in the first place?

Then we get Anya. Anya's reason is her biggest fear. She too doesn't rhyme with any one. Our fears separate us. It is simply stated. It sounds completely logical to her. The others look at her weird. To the audience, it is a ridiculous answer, but often our fears are completely rational to us, but to others aren't.

Tara tries to speak. She is almost the last person to give her idea and speaks quietly. She can barely be heard. We don't get to hear her. Before Anya's fear was calmly stated and fit with the melody. Now it overcomes her and Tara doesn't get a chance to be heard. Instead the music changes to a driving rock beat. She tries to rationalize her fear, giving us ridiculous reasons why "Bunnies aren't just cute like everybody supposes." She is incredibly insistent that "Bunnies, bunnies, It must be bunnies," but then the melody returns and she ditches that answer for an equally ridiculous one "Or maybe midgets." Fear tends to be rather irrational and can grip us one minute and cause us to do wild things. Then just as quickly, it leaves. Think of the mob mentality that follows national tragedies. It grips us and then just goes away.

Fear drowned out the feminine represented by Tara and Tara doesn't reassert herself. Earlier we had Xander - male Willow/Tara/Anya - female. The fear of Anya drowned out Tara, so next to sing is poor Willow. She goes over to Giles and opens a book. "we should work this fast." Tara couldn't to that and neither could Anya. Willow is representing the female here and she is trying to work with Giles. When this happens, the next line is a duet between Giles and Willow who are focused on the problem "Because it clearly could get serious before it's passed." They are right.

Then enter in Buffy. The music changes as Buffy rallies the troops. Buffy isn't concerned about the current problem. She is really the everyperson in this song. How many of us try to actually solve problems (I'll give you a hint we live in a REPRESENTATIVE democracy)? They just get solved somehow.

Everyone, but Giles joins in the song. Eventually he does join, but as the descant voice, not singing with the others. The song ends with they can face anything "except for bunnies." Fear is even stronger than together.

That song is more than just exposition to music. The flow of it shows stuff not only about each character and their motivation, but the flow of it from one character to another, shows how Joss sees society, most importantly, his/Xander's view.

The Twelve Days of Jeanie Day Four: Everything

2009-12-29T12:41:00.000-08:00

Alanis Morissette is one of my favorite artist. I knew I wanted to include her in the 12 Days of Jeanie, but her songs cover so many different facets. Narrowing it down was hard, until I decided I didn't want the angry or hurt Jeanie and I didn't want a love song. Each of her albums corresponds with a different phase of my life. The CD So-Called Chaos came out in 2004. That was a very important year for me, perhaps the most important in my life.

I have the most amazing best friends in the whole world. Not only can't I imagine my life without them, but I wouldn't even have a life without them. They pick up the pieces when I shatter. They remind me I'm more than my problems. They make me laugh when I need to. They are the people I celebrate life with. This song is about them.

Lyrics
I can be an asshole of the grandest kind
I can withhold like it's going out of style
I can be the moodiest baby and you've never met anyone
who is as negative as I am sometimes

I am the wisest woman you've ever met.
I am the kindest soul with whom you've connected.
I have the bravest heart that you've ever seen
And you've never met anyone
Who's as positive as I am sometimes.

You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can't relate
And you're still here

I blame everyone else, not my own partaking
My passive-aggressiveness can be devastating
I'm terrified and mistrusting
And you've never met anyone as,
As closed down as I am sometimes.

You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can't relate
And you're still here

What I resist, persists, and speaks louder than I know
What I resist, you love, no matter how low or high I go

I'm the funniest woman you've ever known.
I am the dullest woman you've ever known.
I'm the most gorgeous woman you've ever known
And you've never met anyone as, as everything as I am sometimes.

You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can't relate
And you're still here

And you're still here
And you're still here...

Music
Everything

Video

And because Alanis live is made of awesome:

The Twelve Days of Jeanie Day Three: Never Here Alone

2009-12-28T20:55:00.001-08:00

Collective Soul is one of my favorite bands. Besides having the best name in rock and roll, I can't decide on a favorite album, let alone favorite song. They were my children's first rock concert. Younger was so young, Hubby carried her in one of those baby backpacks. Yes, the band is still together, minus Ross Childress on lead guitar. The song I choose is from their 2007 CD Afterword.

I chose this song because the Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends" was too obvious. I want to include songs in the 12 Days of Jeanie that not only illustrate me, but expose my friends to songs they may not have heard. This song wasn't even released as a single.

Lyrics
Had a thought but it hurt
So I let it go
I let it go
See I don't need these verses
Laying down their blues on me today

I'm never here alone
I thought I heard some angel say
You'll never be alone
I know I heard my father sing
I'm never here alone
I'm never here alone

Have a scar, yeah a scar
So I let it show
I let it show show
See I don't need tomorrow
Fearing from the pain of yesterday

[chorus]

I'm starting back where love begins
Gonna get me those blue skies
Those blue skies again

[chorus]

Song
Never Here Alone

The Twelve Days of Jeanie Day Two: Intuition

2009-12-27T18:33:00.000-08:00

I don't like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test. Most of the questions I want to answer "both" or "neither." I tend to test right down the center on all the traits. Someone once called me an introverted extrovert. As I learn to trust myself more, one trait has been increasing--Intuition. It's the only category in the MBTI I test decidedly in one category.

So today, I give you Jewel's "Intuition."

Lyrics

I'm just a simple girl
In a high tech digital world
I really try to understand
All the powers that rule this land
They say Miss J's big butt is boss
Kate Moss can't find a job
In a world of post modern fad
What was good now is bad

It's not hard to understand
Just follow this simple plan

Follow your heart
Your intuition
It will lead you in the right direction
Let go of your mind
Your Intuition
It's easy to find
Just follow your heart baby

You look at me
but you're not quite sure
Am I it or could you get more?
You learn cool from magazines
You learn love from Charlie Sheen

If you want me let me know
I promise I won't say no

[CHORUS REPEAT]

You got something that you want me to sell
Sell your sin. Just cash in.
You got something that you want me to tell
You'll love me. Wait and see.

If you want me
Don't play games
I promise
it won't be in vain

[CHORUS]

music
Intuition

Video

Because Atlantic Records is made of suck, the video can't be embedded. You'll have to check it out here. Believe me, it's worth it.

Because Jewel live is just made of awesome, here's just one of the many clips of this song.

The Twelve Days of Jeanie: Unwritten

2009-12-26T13:19:00.000-08:00

Santa brought Hubby Bose speakers for his computer, which means I get his old ones. I love them. The speakers on the iBook were designed poorly. According to my brother-in-law, the sound engineer who has a page on IMDB (which is wicked), they are too small for bass. Same with ear buds. Not to mention, the speakers are quiet.

Now I can crank them up and hear my music in the shower. Life doesn't get much better than that. In honor of this change in my life, I give you the 12 Days of Jeanie, a new song each day that reveals something about me.

The first choice is easy. Last week, my family was coming home from Christmas shopping and as usual music was a major topic of discussion. The Allman Brother's "Jessica" came on, which was written by Gregg Allman and inspired by his young daughter. It is Younger's theme song. We decided to come up with theme songs for each of us. Younger (who is now 9 whimper), chose Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten." My gut reaction was because I have yet to finish my novel. She said it was because of all the writing references. The more I listened to it, the more I realized how perfect this song was for me. Besides, it's an awesome song.

Lyrics
I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you can not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you can not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

Song: Unwritten
(available for 7 days. If you are reading this after that, let me know and I'll reupload it.)

Video:

and an acoustic version:

RWA Go Boom

2009-11-21T08:02:00.000-08:00

Eight things comprise the Association of Authors Representatives' Code of Ethics. These things are specifically listed because there are so-called agents who use fraud to play on the hopes of aspiring authors. These agents steal thousands of dollars from individual writers and give genuine agents a bad name. Because of the educational endeavors of author groups such as Romance Writers of America, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America, writers are weary of scams.

So why did Harlequin Enterprises think they could pull one over on us? By us I mean the writing community. Why did they think they were above the most basic ethical principles? Did they think RWA, SFWA, and MWA would sit by and let them prey on the dreams of writers? Did they think that educated authors were just going to sit by and not warn others? Of course RWA is going to issue alerts. Of course writers are going to be up in arms. These are not new games. All that is new is that a formerly reputable publisher is now playing them (or giving them the benefit of the doubt, are being forced to play them by their parent company).

I am proud and grateful to belong to an organization like RWA, and one day hope to qualify for membership to SFWA. I am hopeful that now that Harlequin's actions have seen the light of day, they will wither and die and this won't affect future RWA conferences.

Now onto other things, like what do to after Horizons is removed and Carina, Harlequin's new epub imprint, still exists. RWA Nationals will be interesting.

A Full Monty

2009-11-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

My kids LOVE Monty Python. My youngest is particularly fond of the albatross sketch. If she hears the word, she launches into "Albatross...albatross...ALBATROSS" including the Pink Floyd song "Echoes," which makes Hubby very happy.

While Younger was at a sleep over, we let Older (age 12) see The Holy Grail minus one scene
(we'll let Younger (age 8) see it later. We just needed something fun for Older to do)
me: She can't see this scene.
hubby: Sure she can.
me: NO she can't. Don't you remember what it's about? If she asks questions, you get to answer them.
Hubby doesn't change it until the scene reminds him why she can't see it. I didn't think human fingers could move so quickly.

Older loved the movie and now knows where all those quotes Hubby and I say are from.

Today I needed something absurd for Daniel to find on the net and the airspeed velocity of an unladen African swallow came to mind. It fits since he likes to quote movies and you can't get any more absurd. I wanted to make sure I had the quote exactly right so I googled it and found this:

http://www.style.org/unladenswallow/

How I write

2009-11-04T14:20:00.000-08:00

Some of the feedback I receive about my writing is overwhelming. I print out the compliments and keep them in a "good feelings" file for those moments of doubt when I want to throw the computer across the room and cry. Many of these compliments aren't for The Mark of Abel, but short emails I've written. My voice was developed writing highly personal essays. I'm trying to transfer that level of emotion to my fiction.

I wrote much of the original story stream of consciousness during National Novel Writing Month 2007. I'm basically what you call a pantser, though I prefer that I write into the mist. I rarely wear pants. Skirtser sounds even weirder and dresser makes me sound like furniture. Now I'm trying to make sense of the various changes the story has gone through.

When I concentrate on the plot, scenes tend to fall flat. When I ask myself "what do I want to show about this character" the scenes often sing. That's how I wrote the beginning. What was important for the reader to know? Then I designed a scene around that.

The little stories I tell about my life on the various email loops are written with this approach. I want to convey share something about myself or convey an emotions, so I tell a story that illustrates this.

I fell into a trap. Conflict conflict conflict. Over and over again conflict's importance is stressed. I internalized this so much, when I had to write the final scene, where conflict doesn't rule, I couldn't. Conflict isn't my voice. Emotional connection is. When I focused on conflict, I lost that, I lost the characters and I lost myself.

So I'm rediscovering this. What do I want to show the reader about my character in each scene? Goal-Motivation-Conflict are important, but "Craft is always secondary to the truth of emotional connection" Kontanti Stanislavsky. I will do my best to remember that.

Or to put it another way, one of the agents at Upstart Crowe put it this way "I promise to approach your manuscript with an open mind, if you promise to approach your writing with an open heart."

Why I write - part 2

2009-10-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

There is another part to the why I write question--what book made you a writer. Many people read a book and it inspired them to write. They thought "I could do this" or "I want to do this." It's a common question--what book inspired you to write.

There are a great many books which have influenced me, but none of them caused me to pick up a pencil while I was still a child. That honor goes to my mother. Her favorite way of punishing me was to send me to my room, sometimes for hours. That didn't bother me. I could still do my favorite thing, read. She could put my body wherever she wanted. My heart, mind and soul lived in Narnia and Oz. She decided it wasn't a real punishment if I could still enjoy myself, so she took all the books out of my room.

She couldn't stop my very active imagination. I would sit by my window and imagine a prince coming to rescue me from the witch who stole me from my parents. Many imaginary friends kept me company and we came up with stories together. Eventually, I started writing down my stories as a form of rebellion. I told my mother I was doing school work.

It's official

2009-10-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

Back in high school, I was an active member on the Speech and Debate team. I was the only girl on it and it was my first experience with sexism, both from the judges and my team. Things could get really bad. One of my team's favorite activities was to see if they could make me blush.

Then I received my first major loss. It was an incredible speech and unlike most of my competition I had it memorized. My teammates who were there congratulated me on winning, even while the judges were in another room deciding. Then the results came in. I didn't win. I didn't even place.

The next day at school was hard. I almost didn't go. I wanted to stay in bed and hide, but my parents said I had to go. The whole day tears were behind my eyes, and I felt like a dry brown leaf crumpled up and ready to blow away. I resolved at the end of the day, I would leave the team.

Right after the final bell rang, the debate captain came up to me at my locker. There was no way I could put up with the shit he was about to give me, but before I could tell him that he looked at me and said, "It's official. You're part of the team now. You've received
your first shaft."

The team still harassed me, but it was more good natured, and I developed a much thicker skin. By the end of the year, I could make them blush. I learned to play the sexist games of the judges.

I'm telling this story because yesterday I received my first rejection. Not one, but two. There should be a rule that your first two rejections don't come on the same day. I'm not saying the agents were wrong. One was a very nice personal letter and I see where I can improve the story greatly. I'm looking forward to it.

But the feeling I got with those letters was the same I felt after I suffered my first crushing defeat. On the bright side, I'm officially a writer. I've received my first rejection letter.

If humans can change, so can weres and vampires

2009-10-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

It is generally accepted that weres and vamps represented various aspects of human sexuality to repressed Victorian England. These aspects were feared, as such, weres and vamps were scary.

Fast forward a few hundred years to the present. I believe there is a reason women are the ones who have most changed weres and vamps. These same aspects which were feared and repressed are now accepted and even openly celebrated. As women's relationship with sexuality changed, so did the creatures which represent it. I do not believe this evolution was entirely conscious. Symbols work best when they speak to or for our unconscious.

Many writers of urban fantasy and paranormal romance have weres and vamps as integrated parts of society. Few have them as necessarily evil, or if the race is inherently evil, there are those struggling not to be or are motivated by the heroine to be good. This parallels our feelings about sexuality.

There was a recent article about how the popularity of vamps can be explained because women want to have sex with gay men. The writer missed the point. There are many reasons weres and vamps are popular now. If there weren't, they wouldn't be so popular. It takes many individual reasons to make a phenomenon. I would put having sex with gay men very far down the list. Near the top is modern weres and vamps are a statement of female sexual liberation. They are a way for us to externalize the rapid changes going on within us. By externalizing it, we can better understand it.

Which to me is the highest goal of writing--to help us understand something, hopefully ourselves. You will see me write about this topic often. Even escapist literature, or most likely especially escapist literature, bypasses conscious thought and can speak to the unconscious. This happens both to the writer and the reader. Weres and vamps are two popular vehicles for this currently.

Even my daughters are unconventional

2009-10-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

Last year, searching for Halloween costumes was a pain, to say the least. My youngest daughter wanted to be a cowgirl faerie. I loved the idea and spent several hours going from store to store looking for a cowgirl outfit. We already had wings. When we had been to every store and came up with nothing, my daughter decided to change her costume. She found a way too bright psychedelic costume and decided to be a hippy faerie. She is my flexible daughter.

Not so with my oldest daughter. She's a tween, a very tall one. She no longer fits into kiddie costumes. After going to every store, I was tired and wanted to go home. I let her get a Dorothy costume that cost way too much. Her father said she had to wear it the next year.

Now is that next year and my daughter doesn't want to be Dorothy. I told her we could play with the idea. She could be Zombie Dorothy or my favorite, Vampire Dorothy. Dorothy strayed off the yellow brick road and was attacked by a vampire. She didn't like these ideas. Hubby and I tried to convince her how cool this would be, when mother's intuition told me she didn't want to wear the wig again. I was right. After being told she didn't need to wear the wig, the idea wasn't so bad. Hubby said we would get her ruby slippers.

"Daaaaaad," she said in that voice tweens start practicing, so when they are teens, they have it perfected. "Dorothy didn't wear ruby slippers. She wore silver ones."

That's my girl. I told her we could get her silver shoes and she could explain to everyone why she wasn't wearing ruby slippers. She loves the idea.

So my youngest this year is going to be Bat Girl. I think she just wants to go POW and BAM every chance she gets. My oldest is going to be BOOK Dorothy.

Why I write

2009-10-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

When most writers are asked why they write, the standard answer is "I have to" or some variant. One thing you will quickly learn about me is these types of answers never satisfy me. I always have to know why. In this case, why do I have to. There are as many answers to this as there are writers, but here's what I figured out.

After I got out of the "I want to be a faerie princess" stage, I wanted to be a paleoanthropologist. I loved the idea of working through the puzzle of human evolution. That is until I decided the actual field work was the last thing I wanted to do. Next I wanted to be a geneticist. I loved figuring out the puzzle of the human genome. Again, that is until I decided I hated lab work. Next came psychology. I loved puzzling through the human psyche. That is until I decided I would want to slap most of my clients.

The common thread is I love puzzles, but I hate what I have to do to collect the pieces. Not so with writing. Writing is one big puzzle, but I don't collect pieces. I create them. If X isn't working, I can toss it out or create something to make it work. I love the actual process of writing and love working with the pieces I create.

Another common thread is I love puzzles that deal with our very humanity. That is what books are. They tap into our collective unconscious and touch us on a profound level. Writing is not just dealing with any puzzle. Storytelling is encoded in us and one of the things that makes us human.

I am a paleoanthropologist who studies what environmental pressures affect my story. I am a geneticist who explores the various building blocks of my story and sees the results of various combinations. I am a psychologist who need to understand my characters and why they act the way they do.