Write with Your Senses Wide Open

I don't have trouble putting down a book. I can do it for an hour, a day, a month, a year, or never pick it up again. Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger (available from Simon and Schuster in February) is different. I couldn't put down, not because of the tragic love story, the spunky heroine, or the honorable hero. Monniger's strong sensory images drew me into that world. I felt the fine spray of paddles dipping in the racing river, tasted the first bittersweet sip of hot coffee on a brisk morning, saw sunlight filter though the pines to awaken iridescent colors from a black bird wing.

To show rather than tell, we must use all five senses to draw the reader into the story. I love camping, so the images in Eternal on the Water, appealed to my senses stimulating emotion. Emotion drives the story. The more our senses are awakened to the emotions we once experienced, the more we feel a part of the story. Senses not only connect us to the story, they announce the emotion. Slimy things crawling on the floor hint at something unsavory afoot. Champagne bubbling on the tongue telegraphs happiness and celebration.

Fit the images into the story. Long paragraphs of description are unnecessary. The trick is to pick the exact image to bring the story to life. A shower of sparks erupting from the campfire when a pocket of sap in a pine log bursts, the murmur of the river drifting through the pines, the smell of bacon frying over a campfire on a windy morning, streams of water twisting like dark rope in the current: these images tucked into the movement of the story bring us into the world and make it ours.

Shelter from the Storm by Dianne G. Sagan

New Release

Dianne G. Sagan’s second release of 2009

Shelter from the Storm

ISBN# 978-1-934335-35-2

Price: $14.95

Brittany Camp flees to a short-term shelter for battered women when the worst snow storm in 50 years hits Seattle. She must draw hidden courage from within and fight for her family's safety but finds herself only one step ahead of her volatile husband who’s bent on killing her.

What makes this work of fiction different than most about domestic violence? Shelter from the Storm has very little actual violence and has an underlying theme of hope for a woman who is running for her life. Brittany Camp is not a woman of revenge, she is a woman who hopes to find inner strength for the toughest thing she’s ever done.

"Poignant and positively captivating, Sagan's latest, Shelter From the Storm, will have you reading far into the night. A must read!"

----Deborah LeBlanc, Best-Selling Author of Water Witch

Available at http://www.amazon.com

http://dgsagan.tripod.com

Synopsis

Brittany Camp flees to a short-term shelter for battered women as the worst snow storm in 50 years hits Seattle. She uses the judicial system to fight for her family’s safety but finds herself only one step ahead of her volatile husband who is bent on killing her. This story focuses on courage and hope for a better life rather than the actual violence. Brittany’s journey shows the development of her emotions and personality as she learns how to face the fear and navigate the courts. Can she survive and save her children? Will the authorities believe her? How can she win when her husband, Abel Camp, is so charismatic? What if she loses her children?

A work of fiction, it is based on several women’s experiences. Its purpose is not only to entertain the reader but to help raise awareness about the plight of the thousands of women who are abused every day. It helps those who never experience the terror to understand the victims, and shows victims that there is a way out that does not include taking personal revenge on their abusers.

Foreword written by well-known author Deborah LeBlanc.

For those readers who enjoyed her book released earlier in 2009, Rebekah Redeemed, a historical/Christian fiction novella, this is a contemporary story. It is mainstream/suspense with an underlying theme of overcoming difficulties and life struggles.

An Interview with Dianne Sagan on Shelter from the Storm

Your new book, Shelter from the Storm, is different from your novella, Rebekah Redeemed. What made you write such a different book?

I think that both these books are parts of who I am and what is important to me. I realize that “we’re here to make a difference” has become a rather trite thing to say, but I believe that what we learn through life experiences should be used to help others. We can help others get through challenges. I use my writing as an outlet as well as speaking with groups or organizations.

Tell us a little about what it was like to write this type of book.

Parts of it were hard to write and emotional, but because it is fictionalized I could remove myself somewhat from the plot. I kept thinking that if I could make it a page turner and focus on Brittany Camp, the protagonist that people could empathize with her.

This is your second book to be published. Is it as exciting this time as it was with your first book release?

It is just as exciting but it is tempered with what I’ve learned about what it takes to launch a book. It is a lot of work. However, I’m sure I’ll be just as excited when the first box of books arrives and when I look on amazon.com and see it there. I wanted to take a picture of myself by the book shelves at the book store the first time I saw my book on the shelf. I do admit that when I got the ISBN number, I felt like dancing just like with the first book.

Who is your favorite character in Shelter from the Storm?

Of course I feel an attachment to Brittany Camp, but I like her attorney. He is a compassionate and understanding person, but he is also focused and wants to help his clients believe in themselves again.

Do you have any other works in progress?

Yes, I’m working on The Fisherman’s Wife. It is the second book in the Christian fiction novella series. I also have a few other books that are still in what I call the incubation stage. I work in my head a lot on story lines and ideas before I start actually writing.

Who are your favorite authors?

I read a lot of different books, both fiction and nonfiction. Some of my favorite authors are Francine Rivers, Terri Blackstock, Jerry Jenkins, James Patterson, David Baldacci, Carol Higgins Clark, Janet Evanovich, Lillian Braun, and Deborah LeBlanc. Some of my favorite nonfiction authors are Beth Moore, Max Lucado, and Jennifer Rothschild.

You are also a ghostwriter. What is it like to write as a ghostwriter compared to writing your own books?

The books I’ve ghosted were nonfiction and included subjects like leadership, overcoming fears, becoming a better person, becoming successful and teaching children about handling their finances. The biggest challenge is to write in someone else’s voice. You are writing someone else’s message and you need to be sure you are saying what they want to say.

Writing my own books and stories is easier because it just flows out and I don’t have to be sure I stay in the correct voice. I can just let the story or content develop from my own imagination or research. However, I enjoy doing both kinds of writing. They both have their own challenges and feeling of satisfaction when you complete a project and it is ready to go to layout for printing and release.

It is pretty cool to see your name on a book that you’ve written and exciting when you have a book signing and people actually want to buy your books and enjoy reading them.

Resolve to be an Empowered Writer

Why do we writers leave the responsibility for deciding the worth of our work in the hands of others and then feel completely devastated by rejection? The cure is to become and empowered writer.

The first step is learn your craft. In “No More Rejections,” Alice Orr describes her younger self in the woman's room of a sushi restaurant resting her head against the tiles feeling completely clueless about why her latest manuscript had been canceled after. The solution, according to Orr, is to learn your craft. None of us would trust our bodies to a doctor who said, “Hey, I want to be a surgeon. I think I'll try this operation on you. When I'm finished, I'll ask a senior surgeon whether I did it right.” That may sound facetious, but it's exactly what many aspiring writers do. They labor for months, or years, over their novel then fling it into the mail hoping an editor, agent, or publisher will love it. Anyone can write a novel – right?

As a professional, you should determine whether your novel has potential. You'll still get rejections. Many business decisions and matters of taste are responsible for a publisher's rejection of a manuscript. But when the letter comes back, you should not feel helpless. You do control the destiny of your work, if you understand it's limitations and can assess it's economic potential. Writing is, after all, a business.

The second step is accepting responsibility for your work. In a recent exchange on Amazon's comment section, a writer received a very negative review from a reader. Instead of shrugging it off as a matter of taste, the author became defensive. However, instead of giving her own reasons for the novel's lack of success, she blamed her editor. Editors can be extremely helpful. Mine is superb; but, not all editors are created equal, any more than doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers or mothers. If you really believe your editor is giving you bad advice, it's your responsibility to do something about it. If you elect to take the direction and keep your mouth shut, you can't blame the editor. As a professional, you accepted the criticism and you, not she, are responsible for your work. Your name is on the cover.

This brings us back to the first point. You can only be responsible for your work only if you have a thorough knowledge of your craft. At the start of this new decade, lets all resolve to become empowered writers.

Margaret Fieland -- Mathematical Poet

Margaret Fieland brings an unusual talent to poetry: expertise in mathematics. She discusses her work in this short article.


Writing math poems

My undergrad major was mathematics and my grad degree is in computer science, so in a way I'm a natural to be writing poems about mathematics. However, I started writing poetry as a teenager to express the usual teen angst and went on to write poetry for family holidays and the like and when I started writing poetry for publication it was about family and personal life. I never even considered writing poetry about mathematics.

I did, however, write "Round". Round was sparked by my memory of a discussion in a college physics class about the rate at which a cup of coffee would cool and how the shape of the cup played into it. I didn't love college physics, and this was easily the most memorable thing in the whole course. The other thing was a memory from a math class about the sphere having the least surface area per unit volume of any solid figure.

So I wrote "Round" and sent it off and it was accepted. A friend read it and pronounced the finest math poem she'd ever read.

Huh? This is a math poem? She did manage to convince me, and to consider writing a series of them. When I started on the series, I went looking for books on the history of mathematics, and found mighty slim pickings. One book on the story of counting for kids and one or two fairly serious, heavy tomes for grownups. I did find a few interesting articles online, but not a book of the kind I wanted.

I had initially intended not to submit any of the poems to journals, as I intend to publish them as a collection. I did submit several to Umbrella for the special school subjects fall issue and had two accepted, and submitted five this past October to the winter issue of Cyclamens and Swords (yet to appear), as the theme, ticklish subjects, seemed another good fit. I've subbed a query to one publisher and had them reply asking for some sample poems, which I sent them, and am still waiting to hear back. I'm also working on a MG/YA novel about a girl who wants to go to Music camp, and continuing to write poetry.

There is, however, still that little voice that says I should write that non-fiction math book for kids I couldn't find...

Enjoy this example of one of her poems.

Prices Reduced by Fifteen Percent
by Margaret Fieland

There's a giant price reduction,
it says prices are a fraction
just a teeny, tiny fraction
of the price they were before,

but I don't know how to figure
what the price is and how big your
really really big reduction
from the price it was before.

Since I didn't pay attention
when my teacher came to mention
how to figure a percent on
any item in the store,

now I do not know my fractions,
so I don't resist attractions
of the really big reductions
on the items in the store.

I succumb to the seduction
of their really big reduction,
but I wish I'd paid attention --
then I wouldn't be so poor.

More of Margaret's poems are available at Cyclamens and Swords. You can view them at
http://www.cyclamensandswords.com/main/page_ticklish_3.html

Worth Reading Whether you Remember Elvis, or Not.

The King and Dr. Nick is divided into two fascinating parts. First, we get a glimpse of the strange life of a super star; then, we witness what the media can do to derail a private citizen's life.

Elvis Presley was a larger than life individual. This book leads us into Elvis's world and shows us the problems, both health and psychological, he dealt with on a daily basis. It doesn't take much imagination to realize the incredible strain of performing before thousands of people nightly, coupled with the necessary travel,would place on someone. It, also, doesn't take much imagination to see that a person under so much stress would turn to drugs to try to relieve some of the pressure. It's also true that someone with the ego necessary to perform the way Elvis did, and the money generated by those performances, would be a very difficult patient to control. Dr. Nick makes a good cases that he did the best he could.

The second half of the book presents the truly shocking witch hunt engaged in by ABC that finally led to a medical board review and even a criminal trial. It's almost unbelievable that the media could create such a stir and derail the life of a private citizen. If the medical board, or the attorney general, felt there was a criminal case against Dr. Nick, in my view, they should have pursued it immediately after Elvis's death, not several years later after being hounded by the media. This section is well worth reading as a cautionary tale for all of us.

Read the book then judge for yourself whether Dr. Nick was a victim or a criminal. Personally, I think he did the best he could, and that is all any of us can do.

Excellent Short Biography of Alfred the Great

Benjamin Merkle makes Alfred the Great come alive. I knew very little about the “White Horse King” before reading this biography. Although, I'm not a fan of the retelling of ancient battles, these were interesting and led to the proposition that Alfred was more than a warrior. I didn't realize until I read this book how wide spread the Viking incursions into England were and the part Alfred played in keeping the Saxon heritage safe.

I found the description of Alfred's innovations in learning and in the defense of his country very interesting reading. Clearly what Alfred was able to do and the success he achieved say that his innovations were extremely important. Apparently we are the beneficiaries of these practices today.

I was particularly fascinated by his conversion of Guthrum. While it may seem incredible, it appears that Guthrum did indeed embrace Christianity and become an ally of Alfred. It's an excellent example of how we should treat our enemies. I found the devote part of Alfred's character the most interesting in someone living in that time period. It must have been a great temptation to deliver the fatal blow and be done with it, rather than wondering whether Guthrum would be true to his pledges.

Altogether an excellent read about a time in history that I, for one, little understood.

Teaching Toddlers to Read by Kathy Sempke

Learning language skills starts at birth. Children are naturally interested in mimicking sounds and words. In fact, children develop much of their capacity for reading in the first three years of life, when their brains grow to 90% of their adult weight. When parents sing, talk and read to their kids, brain cell links are strengthened and new ones are formed. These links are the basis for the development of all language skills.

Reading aloud to your child helps him to learn the correct way to read. By hearing you read the words on the page and sound them out, he learns that letters make words, and words make sentences, and sentences are how we communicate with each other. There are many activities that will make reading fun, and help to keep the toddler engaged in reading.

1. Use musical instruments to create suspense, or silliness.

2. Have the children act out what you read

3. Use a prop bag to illustrate parts of the story.

4. Ask your child questions about the story. Reading comprehension is one of the hardest things to teach a child if it doesn't come naturally to him.

5. Do a fun activity after you finish the book that relates to the book in some way. For instance, if the book is about a tall person, make your own stilts using metal cans. Punch two holes on either side of each can, near the bottom. Measure a piece of rope so it is the appropriate length for children. Thread one end of the rope into each hole and secure with a knot.

6. Reading to your child on a regular basis will give him an appreciation and respect for reading. If reading is important to you, it will become important to your child.

7. Here's a fun sight word game called, "Stinky Cheese." Cut triangles out of yellow construction paper. On 20 triangles write sight words that you want to practice. On 5 triangles write "stinky cheese." Put the triangles in a sack and shake them up. The toddler pulls out a triangle. The child reads the sight word on his cheese. If he chooses "stinky cheese," he holds his nose and says, "Stinky cheese!" in a silly voice.

8. Toddlers also learn quickly with hands on activities. Make clay out of flour, salt, and warm water. Form a large A, small a, and apple out of the clay. After the letters and apple dry have fun painting them and practice the letter sounds by singing silly songs. Take turns thinking of a word that begins with that letter/ sound. For example: say "A is for a a a a aaaaligator." You'll be surprised what words the toddler will come up with. Your toddler will be proud of the letters he makes and will want to show them to everyone.

9. Another great way to teach a toddler letter sounds is to make a personalized book. Take a photo of the toddler with food that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Paste the picture on top of an 8"-11" piece of paper. Under each picture with large letters write, Aa Brian eats an apple, Bb- Brian eats a banana, Cc- Brian eats a carrot, etc.

10. Most toddlers are physically active and love to move. Take advantage of this natural trait by moving to short rhymes that introduce letter sounds. Kathy Stemke’s book, Moving Through All Seven Days, inspires movement as children learn about the days of the week. The lyrical rhymes also teach them how to spell each day! The activities at the end of the book are designed to reinforce the concepts as well as give impetus to movement exploration.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Book available on lulu:

http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#

Sign up for a free monthly Movement and Rhythm Newsletter on Kathy’s blog:

http://educationtipster.blogspot.com