Have fallen behind again

Have been so busy writing in other places and working on other projects I have not even read the last three readings until today. I really don't have the time right now to catch up either.

Dec. 25: Merry Christmas

Today's reading starts with Fred Whites comments about how Christmas magically transforms the mundane. He further states that writers tend to see story material everywhere/anywhere. However, he also touched on the fact that not all Christmas stories are happy ones. He reminds the reader that there are those for whom the holiday season is one of loneliness.
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION
White talks about how writers, through their stories, can give the gifts of spreading goodwill, making a better world, blessings of joy and peace. He further adds that there can never be enough stories on these topics and they all need to be told.
TRY THIS
Compose a poem or short-story that will instill love or hope or compassion (preferably all three) in the hearts of others. Write it with the intention of reading it aloud to family and friends.

Merry Christmas all.

Dec. 24: The Ethics of Authorship

In today's writing Fred White discusses ethics as they apply to writing. He presents three key ways that ethics apply to writing; (1) what you write should be your own words and if they are not give credit to the person who uttered, or wrote them, (2) you should ensure that you write is factual unless of course you are writing fiction, and (3) if you are writing an autobiography "convey personal experiences as they actually happened without distortion." If you are going to exaggerate then we should call it "a novel, not a memoir".
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION:
Here Mr. White stated that the reader of a nonfiction has the right to expect the work to be truthful and accurate. However, he does allow for the fact that whenever a lived experience is turned into words there will be some distortion. But taking that into consideration authors should do all they can to "ensure theat the experiences they present are authentic. . . verifiable".
TRY THIS
After you finish a draft of your next essay, article, biography, or autobographical project, check it for accuracy, using the following checklist:

• Are the dates and names of places and person accurate?
• Are incidents accurately described? Can they be verified by others?
• Are facts and explanations accurate?
• Is the sequence of events accurate?

Not much of this today. I agree with everything Mr. White says. Quoting sources is something that drummed into our heads in college. I don't know of any one who has ever written college term papers who had not heard from their instructor or professor the consequences of not quoting sources, or taking credit for someone else's work. Also I am in a profession that sets very high standards for ethics and I hope I will also maintain the high standards I have to date.

Dec. 23: Revelation

In today's reading Mr. White discusses how the Book of Revelation in the Bible has influenced writers through the ages. He discusses how the main theme of the book has been the plot used by many writers. He states that since "the influence of the book of Revelation on world literature is pervasive and profound, which is why writers should be familiar with it."
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION
In this portion White states that prophetic visions appears in all of the sacred texts of all religions and they have all influenced contemporary prophetic works. He further stated that the final battle in which the forces of good triumph over the forces of evil has become synonymous with nuclear holocaust. White feels that this is no accident. He also sated that the prophetic visions of sacred texts have greatly influenced contemporary prophetic works.
TRY THIS
Write a story in which two armies from two radically different cultures (or, if you like to write science fiction, two different planets) confront each other with the fate of a carefully guarded secret at state. What is the precious secret? Why are two mighty armies about to go to war over it? What will be the outcome? That is for you to decide.
This is another assignment that I will probably not work on any time soon. However, there has been an increased interest in recent year in prophetic writings of all kinds. Also a renewed interest in the book of Revelation and the biblical battle Armageddon.

Dec. 22: Climaxes and Resolutions

In today's reading the author talks about the importance of the stories climax and then ultimate resolution. He give some suggestions for climaxes and uses a an example, what he called "the simplest kind of climax", is the Western "shootout". He further states that there are a thousand variations of possible endings to a story but the author can only chose one.
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION:
Mr. White states stories are mirrors of reality and as such they heighten the situations we experience in our own lives. However, our experiencs are usually not as pronounced. He uses two types of experiences as examples of climaxes: courtroom verdicts and medical dramas which he believes are the closest to the way we experience cimaxes in real life.
TRY THIS:
1. Study the way two or three novelists construct their respective climaxes; then outline a short story that includes two or more possible climaxes--each one perhaps, mirroring those of the respective novels you've been studying.
2. Write a climax scene to a story that is still in its planning stage. Working out the climax first will give you a better idea of how to dramatically render the steps that lead up to it.
I tried to work on one of the assignments from yesterday at work today only to not have the time because another therapist had to call out and I ended up doing her groups. I will try again tomorrow. Meanwhile these two assignments will go into the growing composition book.

Dec. 21: Holiday Traditions and Innovations

For today Mr. White discusses how that this is the time of year for all the holiday traditions. However, he also states it is a time for innovation, particularly for writers who can put a new spin on the old stories or write new stories with a holiday theme. He urges writers to contribute to the legacy of the holiday season by add a new song, poem, children's story, etc.
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION:
In this section Mr. White also reminds us that this is also the time of the winter solstice which is also a time of festivity that marks the shortest day and longest night but also that "the slow return to spring" has begun.
TRY THIS
Today has three assignments.
1. Write a poem in the manner of "Twas the Night Before Christmas"--only give it a somewhat contemporary spin.
2. Compose the lyrics for a song, perhaps in the manner of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," or "The Chipmunk Song," but use different animals instead.
3. Write a new version of the Kwanzaa folktale "Anansi and His Sons", or of the Dicken's A Christmas Carol.
I am going to have to do some research and maybe tomorrow I will have some time to attempt one or more of these. But tonight don't have the time.

Dec. 20: Reaching the Finish Line

In today's reading the author talks about how each step in a project is in fact a finish line. It takes several finish lines in able to cross the ultimate finish line which is the end of the project. Even scraping the project somewhere along the line, according to Mr. White, is a finish line.
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION:
According to Mr. White "writers' work includes many finish lines that ought to be acknowledged as suchalong the way to the grand finish line". He states that this is "a simple psychological strategy that keeps one's energy and motivation levels at optimum performance". It also serves as a reminder that writing is a "multistage endeavor".
TRY THIS:
The next time you plan a writing project, regard each step as a finish line. Don't just think it, record it as the headin for each stage--initial one-paragraph overview; initial outline/synopsis; revised outline/synopsis; opening sentence; first paragrah, first page of the discovery draft; and so on.
Writing now my writing efforts are not as detailed. However most of my projects do include a rough draft, research, revised draft, and of course part of the rough draft and revised draft is the opening sentence, first paragraph, first page, etc.