Ten Things About Short Fiction

I'm headed out on a fourteen hour drive from Texas to Illinois today, with Uno and Dos as my roadtrip buddies, so we can offer support to my mom as she goes in for surgery tomorrow.

Time for a post is scarce, so here is my slim 10 Things for Tuesday post of the week -- all about my most recent writing experience.

1. Writing short fiction is hard, you guys. I'm not sure I'm very good at it. This week's story had a goal of 2000 words, which I skipped right over, ending at 2,002. Not what I had intended.


2. Also, the story is not what I had intended. With a pretty tragic news article as my inspiration, and some specific thoughts about growing up in constant turmoil, I sought to tell the story of one character but ended telling the story of another.


3. Where did I stumble? I became so caught up in researching the culture of the girl I wanted to write about, that I panicked and felt my story would not be authentic enough since I don't actually know what it is like to grow up bi-racial.


4. I wrote five different versions of this story.


5. In the end, I began with a new perspective on a similar character that would still end in the same way. Because I could draw somewhat from my own past, I found this story much easier to envision. 
   


6. I'm still not completely happy with the way this story is organized. I needed to build reader compassion for my main character, and found it incredibly difficult to do in only 2,000 words. While I think I avoided the dread info dump, I'm not certain it's a completely balanced story.


7. Dialogue -- still not my thing. Not surprising, since I have sub-zero social skills, however I must find a way to work on this.


8. The Husband, as always, sat and listened and gave awesome feedback. I don't know how I would accomplish anything without him as my first and most trusted reader.


9. I also struggle in the little details -- how people move, what is happening around two people while they're immersed in conversation -- all those little things. While I've been told quite often that I paint a vivid story life that people can sink into, I notice so many holes that need filling.


10. Next week our 5,000 word story is due. I have my idea ready, and am hoping a little of what I learned in the last story will help guide me through this one with less struggles.

Ten Adventures Calling My Name

Time for that Tuesday Ten again, hosted by Crystal over at Straight On Till Morning. Hop on over there to join up and show off your own ten!

Here are ten things I would drop everything and do for myself, given the means. This list could go on for days and days, as I want to know everything and be everywhere and live every moment in huge ways, so it's probably good that I can only include ten. I felt a little guilty while thinking about this list, since it is all about me, but perhaps that gives me ten things to tell you about that I'd love to do for other people... next time!

Ten Little Life Experiences I Yearn To Have

1. Sell everything, buy one of them new-fangled RV machines, and tour the continent. Like this family.

Photo Credit

2. Go away for a bit to a quiet writer's residency, like this one. Or perhaps this one in Ireland.

3. Hike the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine.

4. Quit my job and start up a non-profit organization to write with at-risk youth and women survivor's of domestic abuse. Like this amazing organization that works with at-risk teen girls in New York.

Photo Credit

5. Start my own school. No, seriously. That's another post, entirely. Because my school would be the bomb-diggity. You can trust me, even though I say things like bomb-diggity.

6. Buy a ridiculously large plot of land and build homes for all my peeps. Is this creepy? It's not like I would make them live there. I mean, probably not. Like, not all the time.

7. Buy a funky two-story building in a University town. Turn the downstairs into a bookstore and coffee shop with a space for open mic nights. Play only local music in the store, and have their music for sale, along with a case at the front of the store to sell local artist's jewelry and other miscellany. Feature local artist's painting and photography on the walls. Upstairs, create spaces for meeting rooms, gaming rooms, and let people rent out the space to teach artsy and other classes. This store is picture perfect in my mind, and has been for several years.

Maybe with sweet gondola like this store.

8. Write the two professional development books rattling around in my brain. One is a manifesto on teaching with kindness. The other, a book on using mentor text poems to teach grammar and the craft of writing.

9. Go to this 10-day meditation retreat in Kaufman, Texas. (Are we sensing a pattern, yet?)

10. And finally, as I've wanted to do since I was a weird and thoughtful little 13 year old me, travel to the Galapagos Islands and get lost for a bit. My heart is still a little broken that it's not the solitary wilderness wonderland it once was; I missed the time before hotels and tourists, but that doesn't strip away my desire to plant my own two feet on this magical little nook of our globe.

Land iguanas are sort of like punk chameleons. Can't you hear him calling my name?

Photo Credit

#EveryDayinMay - Tuesday Ten From the Trail

Time for the Tuesday Ten, a little meme hosted by Crystal over at Straight On Til Morning! This week, I'm sharing ten things from the trail - reflecting on my first overnight experience backpacking. This ten seems to make a great slice of life post for my trail experience as well!

Ten Things From the Trail

1. Walking ≠ Hiking. You guys. You guys. When I set out on this trail, which I anticipated as a moderately difficult walk through the woods, I had no idea that I would spend so much time staring at my feet that I would have very little time to actually, OH I don't know, notice the actual wilderness all around me. While it wasn't very hot, I was a sweaty mess from the exertion it took to simply not fall on my face.


2. Trail maps are not enough. While the map is important, it doesn't replace being astutely aware of your surroundings. This is rather difficult, however, due to the constant staring at your own feet that I mentioned above. The trail we were on was either littered with huge rocks and fallen trees, or pock-marked with horse hoof impressions that had dried in the mud, leaving behind huge holes of doom. The blazes (marks on trees to lead the way) were not always abundant. We had to be ever watchful. Basically we were like Sherlock Holmes of the forest.


3. There is nothing more lovely than a cool breeze. It's amazing how revitalizing that little breeze can be when you're trekking up a mountain with a heavy pack strapped to your back!


4. Having a dog along on the trail that runs back to wait for you every time you stop to catch your breath is almost as nice as that cool breeze. While The Husband almost always took the lead on our hike, and Lily stayed right by his side, Grimm would double back and wait for me, or simply stop along the trail until I caught up. It brought a smile to my face every time. There was so much about the hike that made me think of years ago when my sweet Daisy was younger and loved being outside in the fresh air; it was a comfort to have Grimm by my side while I process all the losses that equal up to not having her in our lives anymore. He may be a spitfire of energy and constant silliness, but much about his faithful personality reminds me of her, and that comparison warms my heart, especially now.
   


5. I'm stronger than I believed. With 25 pounds on my back, I climbed my way to the top of Snake Mountain, terrified a snake would jump out from under a bush with ever step I took. Snake Mountain may not be very tall or daunting to most people, but I hiked it, and I'm proud!


6. There are no snakes on Snake Mountain. At least, none that wanted to sink their evil little fangs into my fancy space-age hiking boots. Although, I do wonder if my elephant-like tromping through the forest scared away every possible threat I might have encountered. 


7. The Ouachita National Forest is beautiful, and inside it lies a maze of so many criss-crossing trails that you could literally hike for days and days and never see them all. Definitely worth visiting. I know we'll be going back soon.


8. Camping along the trail is nothing like parking lot camping or even the yearly Ranch Rudolf camping I'm accustomed to. Everything is darker. Sounds are louder. With one side of my body pressed against our tiny Kelty two-person lightweight tent, I felt as if there were nothing between me and the packs of hungry bears and wolves that most certainly were roaming the darkness.
   
   

   

   The Husband demonstrating remarkable tent building skillZ.

9. You will be exhausted at the end of the day. Forget reading. Forget writing. Forget staying awake because you're sure the bears and wolves and boogiemen are out there waiting for you to drop your guard. Eventually, your eyes will close and you will sleep so soundly that when the sun rises and you open your eyes again, you won't believe it's morning already.


10. I love backpacking. I love the quiet work of one step after the next carrying you forward. I love that everything you need to survive is swaddled carefully on your back. I love the thrill of navigating through trees and ridges, of feeling lost and completely in the right place simultaneously. I love the smells and sounds (except for those weird killer bird/coyote nighttime sounds, lets be real). I love it all. I already have my pack repacked and ready for the next free weekend, so I can grab my gear and take off for the woods. Backpacking has bitten me, and I am all the happier for it.

#EveryDayinMay - Ten (New) Slices of Life

Go check out Crystal's Ten by clicking above!

Every day is an opportunity for new experiences. Some good, some bad, some completely unbelievable. Today's Tuesday Ten is also a Slice of Life brought to you by one experience that made me realize how many new things happen to us in a day that go unnoticed. I wondered if I could come up with a list of ten new experiences today, to notice each moment that otherwise might slip by without celebration.

Ten Things I Did Today That I've Never Done Before

1. Ate a veggie sandwich at Schlotzsky's. Sure, this doesn't seem like a big deal, but hey -- it was new to me. Lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, cheddar cheese, a spicy ranch sauce, all on a deliciously toasted sourdough bun. Tasty.


2. Shared one of my Google Docs with a stranger. Proof I'm learning to play nice with others. I recently created a rather lengthy planning calendar for the upcoming school year, filled with literary events celebrated on a global level along with monthly deadlines for district technology and literary initiatives. Yesterday I noticed a tweet by someone looking for a calendar of literary events to use in their school next year and I thought, "Why not?" If my overly neurotic need to plan can be of some use to a fellow human, I'm happy to assist.


3. Used Skitch to screen capture and annotate an article. I've used Skitch before on images, but haven't played with it to highlight text, take notes, and summarize my learning. I did this today in a Discovery Education training, and when our instructors and a few other teachers noticed what I was doing, they tried it out also. It was fun to watch this spontaneous learning spark across the room.
   
   

   

   I think it turned out well!



4. Ate half a brownie. Now, I could be wrong. There may be some completely forgotten time in my past where, halfway into brownie consumption, I pushed that scrumptious little morsel of gooey chocolate aside and said, "Oh no, thanks. I couldn't. I'm just stuffed." But I have a feeling it hasn't happened before. When it comes to chocolate, I'm all in. Or I was. Today I have the wrapped remains of my half-eaten brownie sitting in my backpack to prove me wrong.


5. Used my phone to video a person using their iPad to demonstrate how an app works. Now, this app is probably one of the coolest things I've seen in the world of all things appy, so my nerdfest device-o-rama was definitely warranted. A Heart Cam app. Awesome. Sauce. You can listen to my obvious glee in the video!

  heart cam AR app demonstration  I'd like to point out that I wasn't the one that asked if that was his real heart. Just sayin.

6. Gave a dog Benadryl. Grimm seems to be suffering from wonky allergies. He gets big welts sometimes, which I believe are from bug bites. The vet suggested dosing him up with Benadryl, and although I'm not a fan of dosing any living thing up on anything, the poor guy is all itchy and bumpy and sad, so I gave in. For the first time in his little dog life, he actually spit something out. I tried again by dropping the pill into a handful of treats, which he happily gobbled up. By the time Uno and I got home from our errand, all his bumps were gone!


7. Oh, the errand. This has to be the most sketchy and least worthy of celebration in my list of newness. Uno's car was towed the other night when he unknowingly parked in a spot that required a visitor's permit while spending the night at a friend's apartment. I went with him tonight to pick up his car, and about $400 later he emerged with his car from the fortress of steel and security cameras that will forever be known to me as Car Jail (Carcatraz??).

   

   Watch what you say, yo.



8. While waiting in line behind the four people ahead of us at Car Jail, a tow truck from another company drove up and the driver parked and walked over to join us in line. He was an older man that looked as if he'd had a life punctuated with discomfort. His mannerisms and quiet observation of the scene around him made my writer's mind start wandering, so I took out my phone and started a short character sketch. I've never used my phone to take writing notes like this before (I make far too many typing errors with my phone! Kudos to peeps like Lauren Oliver, who appear to have the ability write entire novels using their phone!), but I'm glad I had it because this wasn't the type of place where I wanted to take a leisurely seat in the dirt, pull out my fountain pen, and start writing away in my moleskine journal!


9. Followed Uno in my car. I'm accustomed to chauffeuring my kids around town. I'm becoming accustomed to having them follow me places now that they drive, and we sometimes need to take separate cars when we're out and about. I am absolutely not accustomed to following one of my children as they speed down the highway like an actual grown up human. It's weird, people. It's a weird, weird life we live.


10. Looked through a collection of Uno's photography to select some pieces to frame and hang in the house. Okay, I've done this with artwork before. All throughout the boys' childhood, I framed and placed their art around the house. But this feels different. These are black and white photography pieces from his first photography class in college. And they are timeless and hauntingly beautiful and a message about the uncapturable energy of youth. I love them, and not simply because they are a part of him.

Above photos by Steven Lifsey, who
doesn't like sharing as much as I do.

#EveryDayinMay - Tuesday Ten Again

Don't forget to go check out Crystal's 10 for Tuesday!

It's Tuesday again and that means it's time for the Tuesday Ten -- a list of ten things! Pretty simple, right? Crystal posts ten things every Tuesday, so I thought it would be fun to write along with her. Today I noticed a few things I now enjoy that I thought I never would, so I give you...

Ten Things I Once Hated But Now Love

1. Mushrooms. This is serious, you guys. Of all the things I thought I would never learn to even tolerate, the mushroom was at the top of the list. I mean, let's not even discuss how the odd little mushroom begins its strange life. Or the fact that I always felt like mushrooms had exactly the same consistency of a worm. But here's what I've figured out: if you get the shiitake mushrooms and chop them up pretty small, and it you fry those bad boys up with some garlic and onions, the funky texture goes away and you're left with a delicious morsel that adds some serious flavor to your dish. Mushrooms, you win. You're a tasty treat that I'm happy to add to any meal. Except salad. Or sandwiches. I can't deal with the uncooked mushroom. 
   


2. Memoirs. I grew up reading a fairly large variety of genres. Everything from fantasy to psychology and even a little self help (as if anything could actually help me). But one thing I really struggled to get into was the memoir. I'm not sure when I made the switch to a memoir-filled bookshelf, but after reading Becoming Odyssa I realized that a well written memoir is something worth savoring. These days, I'm not only reading memoirs, but I'm writing one, too.


3. Flip flops. As a child, I couldn't stand how the thong of the flip flop felt between my toes. As an adult, I thought they looked tacky. I'll admit it, as the director of a small private school, I didn't let my teachers wear flip flops to work. I just couldn't see how anyone could run after a child in an emergency with flip flops flapping on their feet. But I'm a definite flip flop convert. I blame my summer trips to Ranch Rudolf in Michigan for this. I bought my first pair when my aunt told me I could wear them into the river and put them on my hands to help paddle my tube around. Well, thanks a lot, Aunt Billie. I've been wearing them ever since. And yes, I wear them to work.
   


4. Being alone. This was a hard one. I used to fear being alone. But then, I used to fear a lot of things. These days I look forward to my alone time. I play my music, write, read, or watch some TV, or catch up on homework. Being alone is no longer something I fear. Quite the opposite; I've become a little greedy with time to myself and often have to force myself to socialize.


5. Waking up early on the weekend. Don't get me wrong here. I love sleeping in. Intensely. Passionately. To wake up without the blare of an alarm in my ear is lovely. But on the weekend, if I sleep in too late, I feel like I've wasted the precious time I have to myself. I'd rather get up, meditate, do a little yoga, work with my sweet puppy, and make some coffee.

   

   Cutest. Puppy. Evah.



6. Which brings us to coffee. Oh, coffee, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: as black as my soul, as dark as a moonless night, and as tall as a mountain. This is all my mother-in-law's fault. I had never in my life considered myself a coffee person. Give me tea, sweet fruited tea, or give me nothing. And then I spent some time in Iowa. In the winter. And began a sick and twisted love affair with coffee. These days at the Starbucks window, you can hear me ordering a Venti Americano, no room for cream or sugar, thanks. 
   


7. Wine. I was one of those dessert wine drinkers. Pour the Riesling, and keep it coming! Red wine may as well have been mushrooms, for all I cared. But then, again because of my dear mother-in-law, I found a red wine I actually enjoyed. And then another. And another. And oh man, it just really goes downhill from there. I don't even know how I survived this long without wine at my side.


8. Driving places without my GPS. Much like being alone, this really freaked me out. But then I realized that my GPS is a liar. A liar, you guys. I can find much faster ways and easier routes to get where I'm going if I just shut that stupid GPS lady's mouth and go it alone. And the upside? I actually remember how to get there the next time.


9. Not having a schedule to follow. Oh man, was I a list maker. An itinerary creator. A slave to the schedule. When I was getting my undergrad degree, I literally made a minute by minute schedule to live by each week. Granted, I was a single mom running a school and going to school -- but wow, guys. What a life. I even build itineraries for my vacations, afraid I might miss something important. No more, friends. I am willy nilly, flying by the seat of my pants. And loving every minute of it.


10. Cooking without a recipe. Sense a theme here? I measured the water for macaroni and cheese, guys. Macaroni and cheese! I don't even know what to say about that. But then I met an awesome personal trainer that taught me all about nutrition and healthy things, and made me eat an abundance of vegetables and things I had never tried before (he was the first person to suggest cooking the mushrooms long enough to make that icky texture go away, actually), and I start throwing all sorts of random things together in pans and pots and casserole dishes, and now I love my kitchen time. Just give me my Pandora station, a selection of veggies and spices, and let me go. Always a culinary masterpiece. Nom.

    

    Made this sweet egg fried rice last night, with mushrooms!

#EveryDayinMay - Tuesday 10

Every Tuesday, Crystal shares 10 things worth knowing.
Today, I copy her... but with less worthiness! I give you...

10 Things I'm Loving (For Now)

1. This video. You guys. You guys. There are a multitude of reasons this video should be nowhere near my happy list. I mean, my sister used to model. Also, there was that small tirade I started on FaceBook about how we as a society need to spend more time lifting people up and less laughing at their mistakes. So, yeah. I know. This video launches me right into a big fat cup o' hypocrisy. Don't care. Can't help myself. Because you guys -- those ankles! What on earth is going on there??



2. Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo. Now, Kate (I'm pretty sure we'd be BFF's if we met, so I'm going with the first name familiar, here) is one of my long-time favorite children's authors. Ever since I read The Tale of Despereaux, I've been hooked. You should be too. Flora & Ulysses is just another brilliant work for children in a long line of fabulous books. My 3rd and 4th grade book club members are loving it!


3. Theneeds.com, which I currently think of as FaceBook or Twitter for smart people. I sort of hate to say that, because I already think of Twitter as FaceBook for smart people. TheNeeds is more about content sourcing than general social media type banter. I found it via the Chrome App store a couple months ago, taught it all my specialized interests, and now I have a 24/7 stream of news and blogs to follow. Brilliant.


4. These snails. These snails make me happy. Tell me how you don't love a photographer that says, "I photograph all insect but snails have touched my heart particularly. I think that snails are simply extraordinary not only in their shape and form but also in their beauty and behavior. They are magic creatures for me." (quoted from the link above)

   

   Photo Credit



5. My über cool new Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation (whoa, that's a mouthful. Let's just call it RLSMLMF... hmm, no. I'm going with Rimmel MatMousse. Way easier.) I got this from Influenster in my last voxbox and it is definitely my go-to foundation now. Lasts forever, looks great on, and doesn't feel like I'm swimming in foundation. Love. It. Go getcha some.
   
   


6. Backpacking. My pack is slowly filling with supplies, I'm hungrily devouring my Ozark Highlands Trail guidebook, and my sweet hiking boots are slowly being broken in. The Husband and I just may be able to break away for a weekend soon to take a test run with all our gear. Can. Not. Wait. (Also, weather: please don't be 150 degrees or dropping tornadoes all willy-nilly when I'm trying to be all nature-y. Kthx.)


7. Hey Brother, by Avicii. 



8. Mary Oliver. Oh Mary Oliver, where have you been all my life? I'm currently smitten by The Hermit Crab, since I have previously rambled profusely about my own proclivity toward being a hermitty crab myself.


9. Welcome to Night Vale. The ever genius and darling Crystal recommended this podcast to me, and honestly, I can't believe I hadn't been listening in all along. It's creepy, funny, and totally unique. And where else can you find a mayoral race between a five headed dragon and the faceless old woman secretly living in your home? Trust me, this is something you don't want to miss.


10. And finally....