Good Links, July Edition–Sort of…Not.

I wasn’t around much for July and when I wasn’t going old-school wireless (i.e. totally detached from civilization–talking no cell phone coverage even) I wasn’t doing much browsing online. I wasn’t even checking my RSS feeds. I know, it is crazy. And I didn’t even miss it. I must have been having a lot of fun to not experience any withdrawal. Anyway, that all babbled and done, I have no good links for July.

But what I DO have are a few things that made me go ‘hmmmm’. First of all, I should note that I am Canadian. Second of all, I traveled to the United States this summer. Whenever I visit our lovely neighbours, I am always amused by the slight differences in culture. What? We aren’t the same? Nooooo. We aren’t. (Alaskans have a very different view of personal space, btw.)

But mostly what I notice is guns. For example, in Canada in the ‘Bear Aware’ brochure there was the same info as in the American brochure. With one exception. In the American literature there was discussion on what sort of firearms work best on bears. I kid you not. Here is an excerpt: “If you are inexperienced with a firearm in emergency situations, you are more likely to be injured by a gun than a bear.” Then it goes on about some parks not allowing firearms before continuing “A .300 Magnum rifle or a 12-gauge shotgun with rifled slugs are appropriate weapons if you have to shoot a bear. Heavy handguns such as a .44 Magnum may be inadequate in emergency situations, especially in untrained hands.”

Huh. So, don’t use a gun on a bear, but if you do, go for a shotgun. And it is best to be well-trained so you don’t accidently shoot yourself. Got it.

And speaking of guns, here is sign you don’t see on banks in Canada. Heck, in Canada, half the time you forget people have even heard of guns, but in the States, well, I always start wondering how many average joes are packing heat and how many walk into banks…thus resulting in this posted sign:

Homeland security is another thing that I don’t give much thought to. However, when taking the ferry, we saw these signs. For a Canadian, they can be almost alarming, (especially one who visits Dictionary.com and reads “fairly large in amount or quantity” under ‘significant’. Yikes!):

What is ‘significant’, really and truly? We asked the ferry terminal operator about the sign and he said a ’1′ is the lowest on the 3 point scale. Gulp. So, on an average day, there is a ‘significant/fairly large’ chance of the ferry being attacked? (He said about 1 in 9 guests get searched on a level 1 day. And no, we didn’t get searched, although a crazy guy back near home thought we were ‘Narcs’. Right, Narcs often go undercover in a Yaris with their 6-year-old.) Oh, and back to guns being everywhere, when we arrived in (American) port the captain said folks could pick up their firearms from the storage area. Double gulp.

What do you think? Do you pack heat when you head to the grocery store, the bank or the ferry? And if you do, why? Have you ever pulled it out?

Just curious.

Hey, I’m Back!

I have returned! 5000kms later and surprisingly few bug bites seeing as I went north of 60 on this latest family adventure. Here are a few highlights, photo style. Woot, woot!

The wildlife (bison shown here–sorry, they kind of blend in. We also saw plenty of bears, moose, deer, mountain goats and a few porpoises too):

However, didn’t see any of these:

The carnage that ensued as we battled our mighty Yaris across the last frontier:

Tenting near a glacier:

Strange and Unusual (Lots of that! But here is a small sample. How about thousands of signs in a signpost forest?):

Or…Really, a cinnamon bun as big as a child’s head!:

And lastly a nice shot of the mountains in the middle of pretty much freaking nowhere:

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

Writing is Like an Army Campaign

Writing well can be compared to an army campaign. For example, the army *could* be quoted to say the following (or close to the following):

1) Do what you need to do and get the hell out.

Just like in writing. Don’t linger in a scene. Say what you need to say, briefly (don’t babble, use good, strong, appropriate words) and exit.

2) Prepare for any eventuality.

You never know where the story is going to take you–even if you plan it out ahead of time. Be prepared and go with it.

(Cool pen. It has a light in it, but really, it looks like you are writing something profound.
Hairy knuckles not included.)

3) Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes.

Bring your reader in close to your work, then slam them with some emotion. Don’t go spouting off, assuming your reader is close enough to the story that your hits are going to land.

4) Too many men can be as much of a hindrance as not enough.

Too many words can be as much of a hindrance as not enough. Same goes for characters. Scenes. Chapters. Slang/Colloquialisms. Etc.

5) Always prepare for battle.

Always prepare for inspiration to strike. Don’t leave home without your notebook. If you are writing, always prepare for that essential conflict in your scene. There must be something, no matter how minor, that pulls your reader forward, deeper and deeper into the story. Keep them wondering what’s going to happen, how things will play out–really, it’s just a warm up for the main show.

6) In peace, always prepare for war.

Like above. Always build to that major conflict in your story. The reader may think it is peaceful times, but there’s a big conflict coming. Just. Around. The. Corner.

7) Victory through skill.

Need we say more?

Surmount all obstacles.

You can do it, writers. Don’t give up. If there is a will, there is a way.

Hey, I’m off

No, I don’t mean that I smell bad…I mean I’m going on a little holiday. I had meant to make a bunch of blog posts for while I was away, but I had too much fun in the past few weeks visiting family. Therefore…I only have one coming up in a few days…then silence. Sorry.

I do have a bunch loaded and ready over on my Kid’s Play blog though. So if you get to missing me, check it out. Oh, heck. Even if you don’t miss me, go check it out!

Enjoy and have a happy, safe July!

Book Review: The X and Y of Buy

Book Review: The X and Y of Buy: Sell More and Market Better by Knowing How the Sexes Shop
By Elizabeth Pace

While this book is aimed at people in sales and marketing (and I am not), I found the topic to be very interesting. What is the topic? Well, basically it is how the male and female brains differ. In structure and therefore effects. What appeals to men and what appeals to women. As well, little social nuances are described as well. (Facts are based in brain research.) For example, most men find standing face to face to converse while making a great deal of eye contact to be somewhat confrontational whereas women feel that they are not being listened to unless you are face to face and making eye contact. The first 140 pages of 200 are devoted to explaining how men and women differ before spending the remaining pages describing how to make use of those differences to develop an effective sales technique.

Having an interest in sociology as well as what makes people tick, I found the first 3/4 of the book to be fascinating and I’m pretty sure I will be making use of some of the things I learned to communicate better with the males in my life. It is also a fast as well as interesting read. I found myself reading parts out loud to my husband. So, even if you aren’t in sales, this book may be for you!

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Cliff Pickover’s Writing Tips

Cliff Pickover has a bunch of great writing tips on his website. They are worth checking out. Two that I have to watch out for are introducing dialogue tags sooner and involving all the senses. For example, if you have gone more than 10 pages without stimulating the reader or characters…you might need to work on adding some in. Hello? Guilty!

I like the 10 page rule as it is something solid that can be put on the editing radar. And honestly, it isn’t hard to slip some sensory info into a scene. As well, if you have a TON of sensory info–that’s something to watch for too. No need to be overwhelming.

Book Review: The Cellist of Sarajevo

Book Review: The Cellist of Sarajevo
By Steven Galloway

I really enjoyed this story. It is written by a Canadian and the story is set in Sarajevo during the city’s siege in the 1990s. What I liked the most was how it focused right in on three characters and how during the span of one month (or one day in some cases), they changed. You could watch it happen. You could see it, hear it. The motivators, everything. Yes, we will not let them turn us into monsters of hate. They will not change us into fearful cowards. This is our city. We are still human. We have choice on how we will perceive it.

I know very little of the war that occurred in Sarajevo. It shames me a bit to admit it, but the crux of the matter is this: I don’t like listening to the news. I don’t like bad news, crimes against humanity or hearing about constant harm and injury being brought against innocent people. Every day. This is not my world. This is not how I want to view humanity and the world. And yes, at times, it makes me a bit naive and closed off. At the same time, you can’t allow the crimes of the world into your heart. My shoulders aren’t wide enough for the weight of the world.

Despite knowing little of what went on in Sarajevo and my dislike for heavy reality, this story fascinated me. As Martel Yann says, it is a book that expands stillness. And for me, it did. The moments I spent with this book, I slipped into the  world created by Galloway. A world where electricity working in your still unshelled (unbombed) apartment was cause for celebration. Fresh water and food is hard to come by. Nothing is taken for granted. You are trapped. You cannot escape the city. Snipers fire at you when you cross the street.

It sounds heavy, but somehow this book is not. You slide into the human element. You feel the weight on these people, yet they still have choice. (Very slim, but it’s choice.) You keep flipping the pages, curious. It draws you in. It is a book that will stay with you, yet doesn’t weigh heavy on your heart. And that is a rare talent. A gift. To gain that insight, but not have it weigh so heavy that you cannot carry on reading.

The three characters in this book are Arrow, a female sniper sent to protect a cellist who plays outside a bombed bakery for 22 days to honour the 22 people who were killed waiting in line to buy bread, Kenan, a father of two and husband who makes a day long trek twice a week to get fresh water for his family and neighbour despite the associated risks, and Dragan, a husband and father who sent his family from the city when the war started and has stayed behind.

This book was chosen by Yann Martel as a book for Stephen Harper, Canada’s Prime Minister, as part of his What Is Stephen Harper Reading initiative to promote the arts.

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