Outtakes 268

What Is Next?

By Cait Collins

Having come from a journalistic background, I sometimes find it difficult to choose the right descriptive word. Or phrase. Or the right response, When writing a commercial or a news story, I’m limited by time. The type of writing I do in my current position is a formal business approach. These writing styles leave little room for the creativity I use when writing a novel or short story. Sometimes the description escapes me.

For example, the hero in my current work is suffering from amnesia following a brutal beating. When he reaches for Liz’s hand, his fingers brush the ring she is wearing. The brief contact pushes the hero into a fugue state where memories bombard his mind. As he’s coming out of the fog, he sees Liz. “Kiss me, Lizzie Lou,” he demands. So is her kiss sweet and tentative or is it wild and passionate?

I say it’s brief. More than a peck, but definitely not h passionate. What if the relationship was new? Maybe there had not been time to develop the I-need-to-be-with-you-every-minute phase of a relationship. Maybe he was still trying to figure out why she was with him. So the next question is how does he respond? And that’s where I’m stuck.

Outtakes 267

Fall Back

By Cait Collins

I love this time of the year. The weather is cooler, thank goodness. (I tend to melt in the summer.) But the really special thing about fall is the color and the fragrance. Imagine an apple orchard filled with red delicious apples. Or groves of McIntosh apples. Did you know each variety of apples has its own fragrance? And what if you could buy an empty bushel basket and go pick your own apples?

Have you ever had an apple core fight? Never mind the mess, pelting your friends with crabapple cores is just plain fun. I recall one fight in Maine. We had two teams and made our garages home base. You see, we lived in military housing and two apartments shared a large double driveway and double garages. A sheetrock wall separated the garage space. Fun thing was the wall did not go all the way to the top. So we had about twelve inches of space to lob crabapples through the opening and bombard the enemy. Our parents were pretty cool about our little war. They didn’t scream at us to behave. Instead they allow us to play. And when time was called, every kid in the neighborhood pitched in to clean up the apple cores and the “applesauce” we had created.

Soon the autumn splendor began to fade and winter approached. Even with the cold and deep snows, my friends and I still managed to throw things. Snowball fights replaced apple core battles. And when the war ended, there were driveways and sidewalks to shovel.

Growing up military wasn’t so bad. The memories are inspiration for my stories and books. They are special treasures that brighten my life and bring smiles when I choose to open my memory box. As I type this blog, I see a group of children who knew how to play and also how to work. We were only together two or three years. Our fathers would receive orders and we’d move on. On nights like tonight, I wonder where they are. Are they happy? Did they reach their goals? Do they remember? I wish we could have a reunion. Or maybe we can have a long phone conversation. Or better yet, we keep the memory alive by telling our kids about our escapades. I miss those children…Paula, Randy, Mike, Wendy, Bonnie, Pat, Tommy, how are you doing?

Outtakes 266

What’s Important

by Cait Collins

I heard a great story the other day. One of my co-worker’s mother went to vote. She waited her turn, but while casting her ballot, she passed out. The election judges called the paramedics. When she came to, the judges noticed she only had two items left on the ballot. They asked if she wanted to finish voting before the paramedics took her to the hospital.

“Of course,” was her response. So, she voted and then went to the hospital. I call that determination and dedication. What a wonderful example for the rest of us.

The point is that we choose what is important to us and we seem to make time and sacrifices to achieve goals. Question is how important is our writing to us? Do we set and achieve objectives? Or do we make excuses for not writing something each day? I’m guilty of letting my work take a backseat to other things in my life. That needs to change.

So if a woman puts doing her civic duty, voting, over being checked out at the hospital, then I need to determine my own priorities. If I truly want to be successful then I must chart the course and once plotted, stay the course. It’s my choice.

For all of you that are writing a novel in November…Best of luck.

Outtakes 264

Life Changes

By Cait Collins

Sometimes life throws you a curve. A sudden impact with a sidewalk landed me in the hospital with a broken arm that had to be surgically repaired. Good news is the hospital stay was short and I have no down time. And I’m back at work. I’ll be out of the splint in six to eight weeks.

The point is this experience has taught me valuable lessons that I can use to better myself and as reference for writing. You see, I’m having to learn to adjust to having on hand. I had to buy cloths that don’t need to be buttoned, hooked, or snapped. For the time being, any type of heeled shoe is out. Personal hygiene is a challenge. I’m still fumbling with applying make-up. Frustration has increased. But I will get through this.

When I begin writing a story where a character is struggling, I now have better insight into his struggles, feelings and frustrations. I will create a better character because I have, to a certain extent, walked his path. How can we truly write pain and loss if we’ve never experienced them? Our interpretation of the character’s actions may or may not be correct for the character. But digging into our own experiences, we can add emotion and empathy to the story.

Another plus is the people we meet along the way: a student nurse eager to learn, Dr. Barbie who did not inspire confidence, and three young doctors who truly cared. Add friends and family who made this journey easier and memorable and I have a roomful of inspiration.

I’m sorry this happened. I’m sorry my sisters and I had to cancel our trip. But I’m not sorry for the lessons learned.

Outtakes 262

Breathe

By Cait Collins

Today me will live in the moment, unless it’s unpleasant,

in which case me will eat a cookie.

                                                                                                Cookie Monster

One of my co-workers adds some interesting comments, words of wisdom, and off-beat holidays to her morning report (Did you know today was Chocolate Milk Day?).But her Cookie Monster quote really got me thinking.

Sometimes we have those days when nothing seems to go right. You’re late for work. A kid is sick. The car breaks down. And your boss dumps an “it has to be done by close of business” project on your desk. You rush home to work on a free-lance writing assignment that’s due the end of the week, and you stare at the screen begging it to inspire you.

I think Cookie Monster has it right. Eat a cookie. In other words, give yourself a treat. A white chocolate mocha, a really good glass of wine, thirty minutes reading that book you bought last week, or just sitting on the porch and watching the sun set can recharge your creative instincts and allow you to make progress on assignments. A break and a special treat will relax you and allow thoughts to flow.

So me thinks me will get a bowl of chocolate/vanilla ice cream and read a few pages in me new book before me gets back to work on me novel. Who would have thought you could learn something from a Muppet.

Outtakes 261

Ooops

By Cait Collins

Sometimes fate steps in and deals a painful blow. Last Wednesday I was putting the finishing touches on the chapter I planned to read at Thursday’s critique meeting. Suddenly, the entire chapter was gone. I tried “undo”, but nothing. I tried “do not save changes” when closing the file, but nothing appeared when I reopened the file. I’m sure the chapter is somewhere out in Cyberspace, but I don’t have the address.

So what should I do? Midnight Thursday morning is too late to recreate the chapter, so I decided to punt. Occasionally I will write out of sequence. And knowing I had a key scene coming up, I decided to play with it. I had a 30-minute lunch break and wrote about a page and a half, printed it and took the pages to critique. It wasn’t my best effort but it gave me a start on the reunion of my hero and his nephew.

Writing under pressure isn’t ideal. You might get away with it once or twice, but it’s not recommended for every project. While I write by the “seat of my pants”, I do take time to research and plan. Face it, not everything can be spontaneous.

Outtakes 259

It’s in the Rocks

by Cait Collins

My current novel’s hero is a gemologist and jewelry designer. Like most of us, he has favorite stones. While many people are attracted to high quality gem stones, Sean enjoys what used to be called semi-precious gems. He is drawn to garnets, the quartz colors, topaz, carnelian, and agates. Question is does he believe stones have magic properties?

Throughout the ages, powers and properties have been assigned to gem stones and rocks. A simple example is the wearing of green gems to aid in the search for wealth. So if I were headed to a job interview or a casino, I’d be sure to wear an emerald, green tourmaline, chrome diopside, Helenite, or green jade. I own all but the chrome diopside, and am still a working girl. So should I believe the believers in magic? I don’t know, but I will be wearing a tourmaline ring and bracelet next time I go to the casino. I also keep a bowl of multi-colored tumble stones in an antique jadeite bowl, not because I believe they have ritual powers. I keep them because their varied colors are beautiful and peaceful.

Here are some other examples of gems’ magical properties.

Alexandrite      Love and Luck

Amber             Luck, Healing, Strength, Protection, Beauty, Love

Amethyst        Dreams, Healing, Psychism, Peace, Love, Protection against thieves; Courage, Happiness

Aquamarine     Peace, Courage, Purification

Azurite                        Dreams, Divinations, Healing

Beryl               Love, Healing, Energy, Anti-Gossip

Carnelian         Peace, Protection, Eloquence, Healing, Courage, Sexual Energy

Chalcedony     Peace, Anti-Nightmare, Travel

Citrine             Anti-nightmare, Protection

Coral               Wisdom

Quartz             Protection, Healing, Power

Diamond         Spirituality, Protection, Courage, Peace, Reconciliation, Strength

Emerald           Love, Money, Mental powers, Exorcism, Eyesight

Garnet             Healing, Strength

Jade                 Longevity, Wisdom, Prosperity

Lapis Lazuli    Joy, Fidelity

Moonstone     Sleep, Youth, Dieting

Onyx               Protection, Defensive Magic

Opal                Beauty, Money, Luck

Ruby               Wealth, Power, Joy

Sapphire          Meditation, Peace, Power, Money

Tiger’s-Eye     Energy, Luck

Topaz             Weight-loss, Money

Tourmaline      Friendship, Health, Courage

These are a few of the stones suggested to have magical powers. Powers and properties can be enhanced or changed depending on the color of the stone.

So let’s say your character is fixated on health and longevity. Which gems would he carry on his person? What about wealth and power? Or wisdom? Do believers carry their talismans openly or are they hidden beneath layers of clothing?

Are there stones that have negative energies? The Hope Diamond comes to mind. The beautiful blue diamond is reported to be bad luck as some of its owners have died while the gem was in their possession. And opals are said to be bad luck for those who dare to wear opals if it is not their birthstone. A treasure of Columbian emeralds brought wealth to the Atocha divers, but treasure came with a price.

Based on this limited information, imagine the possibilities of having a gem as a character in one of your stories. You can even give the jewel a name. It might make the stone more powerful and energized.

Outtakes 256

A Glimpse of the Past

by Cait Collins

I’ve come to realize how pampered I am. The boiler system for my apartment complex broke down and we’ve been without hot water for several days. Frustrating, absolutely. I’m so used to turning on the tap and out comes an unlimited amount of hot water. But for the past few days, I’ve had to get up half an hour early to heat water for a bath and to wash my hair. The inconvenience caused me to think about times when hot, running water was not available.

Think about early settlers who had to dig a well, draw the water, and build a fire to heat the water. Imagine a 100 degree Texas Panhandle afternoon, stoking the fireplace just to have hot water. It gives new meaning to Saturday night baths.

Our forefathers were made of sterner stuff. No grocery stores to provide fresh produce and butchered meat. Of course not. They tilled the soil, planted seeds, and nurtured the growing plants. The harvest was canned or preserved to provide food during the moths between the harvests. As a child, I helped weed our garden. We’d buy vegetables from roadside stands, and mom would rope all of us into shelling peas and snapping beans. She’d can or freeze the prepared veggies. She made pickles, jams, and jelly. I think of the hours my mother spent making sure her family had good food to eat.

I wish I’d listened to the stories of hog butchering and wringing a chicken’s neck. Or grinding meat into sausage and stuffing the ground meat into casings. Maybe if I had listened, I would better appreciate what I have now.

And maybe, I could use that knowledge to spice up some characters. Think about the hermit who has chosen to live in an area where there is no indoor plumbing, no electricity, and no running water. The closest water is the creek that’s a couple of hundred yards away. In the winter, snow is melted for drinking water. How would I describe him? How would I structure his day? What made him decide to live without modern conveniences? There are so many possibilities for this scenario.

I do not long for the good old days. I like my creature comforts. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate my forefathers and their “can do” attitudes. It makes me wonder what they’d think of their children. I’ll also admit I’ve been pretty grump these past few mornings. But there is a silver lining to the inconvenience. At least I didn’t have to haul the water from the nearest playa lake. Man, I don’t even want to think about that.