Write with TLC

A name identifies a character and provides clues to ethnicity, gender, and familial relationships among other thing. Paying attention to the names assigned characters might seem secondary; however, those names can affect how a reader views each character's personality and identifies with the character. A name creates a relationship between the reader and the character. When a character reacts to their name, it provides the reader insight into the character's personality. When a character receives a nickname from another character or gives a character a nickname, the reader gets an insight into the thought process and personality of both characters involved. A nickname or lack of one can also establish the amount of intimacy or lack thereof between two characters. While a character's name rarely directly affects the plot, it can often allow the reader to understand motivations, see into a person's past and personality, and to identify with the character. When writing my ...

Recently during a conversation, a friend described me as being passionate about my beliefs. This was stated as a compliment, and I took it as one even though it made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Over the next few days, I reflected on this statement "you're passionate about your beliefs" and finally understood why it made me uncomfortable. I can certainly understand why someone would think I'm passionate about my beliefs, but I don't think I am. I am very passionate about my values but not so much about my beliefs. I am fairly certain this is where some readers are ready to shout "semantics", but it's not, really. My beliefs are subject to change when the facts supported by research warrant the change. My values, on the other hand, are much harder, some impossible, to convince me to change. I have cultivated my values over the course of my life in a way that informs my life, how I live in the world, and how I interact with others. I am proudly passion...

April is designated National Poetry Month . We are encouraged to celebrate poetry. by reading poetry, writing poetry, and sharing poetry. All poetry all the time for a month.  Then in May, we go back to our normal attitude toward poetry, whatever attitude that might be.  I'm fairly certain the intent is to remind people to embrace poetry all the time, but it doesn't seem to work that way.  People who truly love poetry, love poetry all year round. People who want to love poetry, tend to get nostalgic and determined during National Poetry Month. Those who hate poetry... Hhmmm! I guess they probably think National Poetry Month is a waste of time and energy, but I'm not really sure. Those who are apathetic toward poetry probably just don't notice National Poetry Month at all. As a reader of poetry, I appreciate the attention shift to poetry. I appreciate seeing poetry show up in places I didn't notice it before.  I appreciate people sharing poetry they normally wouldn...

As my husband drove our gold Ford F150 Lariat out of Lexington, Kentucky turning off Man O' War Boulevard on to Winchester Road, the landscape changed from stores and businesses to horse farms with black fences and pristine green pastures fronting beautiful homes - the kind of homes reminiscent of the glory days of Kentucky horse farms, large and stately. Horses grazed lazily in the fields swatting flies from their backs with their tails. Humidity laced the air causing our air condition to work harder. I opened my window just a little expecting the scent of overheated horse and manure to waft toward my nostrils. For just a moment, my mind tricked me into believing those odors were there. Those were the smells I remembered from this area. Instead the smell of exhaust mingled with hay and trees. I could no longer taste the freshness of newly cut clover on the air. Traffic whooshed by us interrupting the stillness of the farm community reminding me that progress exists everywhere. In ...

Not many people send cards these days, or at least not many people I know do. I used to make my own cards. I wrote the poems and used photos taken by either my husband or me. It was fun to create cards for family, friends, and colleagues. I sent many cards that expressed a special connection to a friend, family member, or colleague. Some were more universal. Over time I slacked off on sending cards, especially after the printer I used to print cards broke down. Eventually I started sending store bought cards again for a variety of reasons but mainly because I like sending cards to people I care about. It wasn't quite the same as creating my own, but the sentiment was the same. Over the years, several people expressed an interest in buying my cards to send to people in their lives. After giving it some thought, I did some research. I decided to make some of the cards I created available for purchase on Zazzle . I have started uploading my portfolio of cards. I hope my cards will ins...

Far too many people seem to think there should be no consequences for their actions no matter what while also thinking other people should face consequences for theirs. I don't understand this thinking. I was raised to always be prepared for the consequences, good or bad, for my actions, good or bad. I don't always like those consequences, and there have been times I desperately wanted to avoid them.  Every time I start thinking like that I hear my parents' voices in my head saying "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime." and my science teachers teaching me Newton's Third Law  "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." These message instilled in me that there are consequences for which I need to be prepared. My words, my actions, even my thoughts have consequences, even when I'm the only one aware of those consequences. That doesn't mean there isn't context to apply to situations that can possibly mitigate...

Recently while looking for a way to address my waning ability to focus, I remembered a presentation on ways to get back on track when one's writing suffers I'd been asked to give a few years ago. I dug through my files and found it. As I read it, I realized many of the items could apply to anyone, not just writers, who felt overwhelmed, stuck, or discouraged while working on a project, but I also realized I've developed new techniques since.  So, before we start, let's take a moment. I'd tell you to close your eyes, but then you couldn't read the next part. Take a deep breath and exhale. Another one. Let go of your day. Focus your thoughts on a project that you're struggling to complete. Don't focus on the why, just on the project itself. Imagine it completed and how you feel. Imagine abandoning the project and how you feel. Imagine working on it and how you feel. Now, I suggest you close your eyes as you imagine all that again while you slowly inhale an...