A Beautiful Sign........

I found some inspiration.  At least I think I did.   This afternoon, I spied a butterfly outside my office building, on the ground.  I gently moved it out of the path of cars that park in the lot.  I watched it for a while, wings mostly black with stunning orange arcs on each side.  Brighter than a ripe pumpkin.  Speckles of white also dotted the feathers.

It let me stroke and feel its wings.  The antennae would move, but its body would fall to the side. Each time I placed my finger gently along one wing to help 'right' it, it would lean over again.   My only hope was that it wasn't suffering.  Several minutes later, it was gone, no longer moving. 

I decided to honor it by taking it home as a sign and muse.  It was some cosmic message from the universe that it was meant to be with me.  It was meant for me to walk out that door,  at that very moment, to come upon it.  Mother Nature knew I would hold it most sacred.  Indeed, it's a treasured gift.

"Never Wander Far From Your Thesaurus.....

Wise words, indeed!   Most of you know, in addition to writing & editing, I'm also reading a STACK of books to help me improve before I submit anything officially.  The one I'm currently reading just mentioned exactly that....to keep a thesaurus nearby at all times.

As I write and edit, I always have www.thesaurus.com opened on my laptop screen.  It has helped me innumerable times in finding just the right word I want and/or need.  Whether I need to convey something and can't quite think of the word, or I already have a word in the manuscript, but it's too often littered throughout, it's a lifesaver!

So just a tip from 'lil ole me to my fellow writers - I bet you do the same, but if you're just starting out and need another helpful hint (I've been doing this a while, but I ALWAYS love finding new tips), that's my bit of wisdom for the day.  Happy writing!

Big Ben Loses His Name....England Disappointed Me Today

I love all things British. It may be partly my heritage - half English/half Italian, that explains the visceral reaction I felt this afternoon when I read that Big Ben was losing its name.

The Italian side of me was angry, and the English half felt like I'd been punched in the gut. I want to know - did they ask the citizens? Did Parliament just make this decision unilaterally? I'm a fan of tradition, which includes KEEPING THE NAME AS IT IS! I've also been in favor of keeping the monarchy, which has been an ongoing, spirited debate among Brits.

I'm an audiobook addict, and I've had an insatiable interest in British royalty. I've listened to every book out there from William I to Henry VIII to our current Queen Elizabeth. I never grow tired of hearing a British narrator read to me about all of the lives of the Kings and Queens of this beloved country. I've had the absolute pleasure of visiting England and long to return someday.

It wouldn't be the same without Big Ben. I know he'll still be there, standing tall and strong, but without the same connotation. It's a symbol. A symbol of history, and it should be preserved. Europeans are better with preserving history than the US, as we're still a younger country in comparison, but it's part of the allure that brings tourists far and wide. Ben's name has been steeped in this history for generations, so why was it tinkered with?

I remember standing in awe at the enormity of that gorgeously crafted tower clock. I strolled the quaint streets of Stratford-upon-Avon, where the masterful wordsmith Shakespeare was born. I was mesmerized by the stories behind the Roman baths in the town of Bath. My mouth was agape with the pomp and circumstance of the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. I was greeted by the beefeaters that 'guard' the Tower of London as the ravens pierced me with their glares. I stood on the very spot where most of Henry VIII's doomed wives met their gruesome ends.

My husband tells me people will still call it Big Ben, but I'm not so convinced. It breaks my heart. Since it's a done deal, I can only hope my husband is right. I know I will ALWAYS refer to it by its given name.

HUGE Thumbs Down....

Writers are voracious readers.  If they're not, they should be.  I started a new audiobook today that I couldn't wait to get my hands on.  The description sounded SO good.  Much like a movie that's over-hyped and winds up disappointing you, so does this book.

Most readers can tell whether or not they're going to like a book fairly quickly, and I'm no exception.  I can usually tell within 5 minutes.  This book is awful!  I gave myself until the end of the first full disc (out of 6), and I'm still slogging through it.  Don't ask me why, as half of Amazon's reviews warn readers not to waste their time.

Hey, everyone has their own taste in literature, and I don't begrudge them that.  What worries and maddens me is the fact that it got published when it clearly makes all the mistakes we're told NOT to make...

- Characters nobody can or want to relate to

- SHOW rather than TELL (one of the cardinal rules-this is nothing BUT show)

- Avoid not grabbing the reader as soon as possible

Snippets of some reviews go as follows: 

-"If this is really what modern experimental fiction is about, you can keep it. I found it boring beyond measure after my patience wore out at around page 75-100, and irritated for the rest of the book because the author just went further and further afield satisfying none of the mystery that was the original setup. The final pages of the book looked like there was going to be a token payoff, a central question answered, but .... No. Nothing."

-"Think about every bad characteristic of overly workshopped MFA manuscripts: "quirky" characters that don't remotely resemble human beings; ambiguity milked to an obscene degree; ridiculously tedious detail; and prose so affected and sterile that you are perpetually in a state of eye-roll. All of these are present and accounted for"

So, I say with a huge sigh, how are those of us who are trying desperately to follow every 'do' and 'don't' have a chance in hell of succeeding when things like THIS drivel grace the bookshelves?  I'm not sure if it's comforting or utterly discouraging. 

I'm an Official Yahoo Network Contributor....

Soooo....as if I wasn't stretched far enough, I've added ANOTHER exciting job related to my writing.  I'm a Yahoo Network Contributor.  Sounds official, doesn't it?  Well, it is in a way.  They provide assignments from the "Assignment Desk," as if you work for a newspaper.  In fact, they have to APPROVE any articles you write!  So far, I've had three published and intend to write another one tonight about Big Ben having its name changed.    (I'm vehemently opposed, and you can read about it once it's published)

Since I'm new to this, two of the three that were published are posts from my blog here.  I wanted to get my feet wet before going further - establish myself a bit.  I'm still navigating my way around the site.  Some articles actually pay you but most of it is more for exposure for us writers :)

Spread the word!   If you'd like, you can also subscribe to receive my articles via email, whenever I write one.  Thank you, as always, for your tireless support!

http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/1606986/dawn_dix.html