Going Inkless

It's political season here in the United States.  I'm sure you noticed.  It seems like it's been that way for an unnaturally long time already, and it's not even close to done yet.  That's a presidential election year for you.  We need time to get to know each and every character who's running for the highest office, and I guess that would be wise except that the process gets so clouded with money and lies until most people don't really have a clue who they can believe.  The battle for the presidency has been honed over the years, and the candidates have only gotten better at their feints and parries.  Almost nothing can be taken at face value. Like many, I'm sick of it.  It's the only system we've got, so I have a duty to be aware and involved, but by this stage in the game, all the shine has worn off.  I'm sure much of the world has been watching our primary debates with the same kind of disbelief and horror I have.  What a pool of candi...

I've gone vegetarian, and I'm taking my family with me. Not full time.  Not vegan.  Just meatless for one day a week, and it's probably not for the reasons you're thinking.  I'm not generally a big meat eater to start with.  I have my occasional carnivorous moments, but for the most part, I prefer to keep the meat on my plate as an accent rather than  a focus.  In the past, I  have chosen to avoid meat on days when I wanted to eat lighter or simpler.  Vegetarian dishes often fit that bill.  But it's not always easy.  There's planning involved, and you have to be more aware of ingredients in prepared foods.  Picking vegetarian options at a restaurant can be tricky, and your family's not always on board with a home-cooked vegetarian dinner.  They didn't sign up for that; so, there's a little guilt involved in serving meatless meals.  When I proposed to make one day a week meat free, I expected some resistance from my husba...

Well, we've finally done it.  After years of writing, editing, rewriting, soliciting agents, researching self-publishing, and formatting our book to suit the publisher, the novel my husband and I started together is available in paperback form.  Along the way, I've had to learn a lot of new things. I built a website, and I switched to an entirely new word processing program.  I've converted all sorts of files and studied advice on working with digital images to get the right results in the final print.  In the story, we've had to adjust some of our original ideas, and the book that's published now is a little different than the early manuscripts we distributed to friends and family for review.  But I think, all in all, it's a stronger piece. And it's fatter, too.  I honestly didn't realize how thick it would get when we converted it from standard letter sized pages to a 6 x 9 trade paperback book.  Still, it was a very satisfying feeling to hold the ...

     Americans are well versed in cop stories.  We've been telling tales of crime and justice for a very long time through books, radio, TV and movies.  I guess you could add video games to that list as well.  And it's not just Americans, either.  Stories about police solving crimes and chasing bad guys are popular everywhere.  Still, since I am going to discuss recent events here in Fox Lake, Illinois, I'll begin by saying we Americans are pretty familiar with cop stories.  We know how this is supposed to go.  There are heroes, and there are villains.  Every crime comes with a set of clues that ultimately reveal the truth, and the criminal is caught before too long- half an hour maybe, or at least before you turn the final page.  We know the rhythm of it, and we know the characters.  While there may well be a twist in the investigation, we know it won't be too complicated and we'll be satisfied with the justice in the end...

Up to now, Fox Lake's claim to fame was that it was a favourite vacation spot for some of Al Capone's gang who spent a lot of time drinking and gambling at the Mineola Hotel.  Otherwise, it's a generally quiet place with some pretty scenery.  Working class families live here.  Neighbors might have weekend barbecues, and you have to take it slow on the side streets because it's not unusual to encounter packs of kids playing ball or riding bikes.  There's been a different tone since Tuesday. I say "here" not in the just-passing-through way you may have heard reporters use on the news lately.  No, "here" is where I live.  Fox Lake has been my home for around 20 years now.  That abandoned cement plant they referenced in the early reports of this crisis is the very same I posted about here (though it's now devoid of its cheerful graffiti.)  I passed by it on my way to work only about 10 minutes before the crime that day.  While I did not know L...

Writing is, by its basic nature, a solitary activity.  There's only enough room for one at the keyboard or the notebook page.  To write, you're taking things out of your head and transferring them to paper.  Nobody is going to do that better than you because only you have the front row seat to that show.  You can try to get someone else to share your vision.  That's pretty much the point of writing.  But no matter how good you are at describing your ideas, the succeeding versions will always be just a little different.  It's just the way it is, and it's not a bad thing.  I've commented before on the nature of art being a collaboration between artist and audience.  Half the magic is in what your reader brings to the experience.  Still, to draw this back to my original point, nobody else is as close to the source of your story as you; so you write alone. At the same time, writing's basic nature is social.  Yes, authors are often ste...

You see a lot of bookmarks when you work in a library.  For one thing, they're a particularly useful tool for advertising upcoming classes and events.  Each one is like a mini flyer, easily tucked into books or displayed temptingly for the taking.  It's kind of a natural fit because, for all the wonderful things a library offers these days, people do still come looking for books.  And, despite the urge to finish some books in a single sitting, most of us just don't have that kind of time all in one block.  In today's busy world, bookmarks are a necessity. In addition to the ones programming librarians create to promote their offerings, library workers also get to see a lot of bookmarks accidentally left in the returns.  These can range from manufactured types, lovely things purchased or received as gifts, to homemade crafts, to some creative substitutes.  Anything handy becomes a bookmark when you've suddenly realized you were lost in another worl...