The office was much the same way. Wednesday is our all-hands-on-deck meeting, and thus we were all together (which was really nice.)
After the meeting I sat at my desk and I knew I couldn't read anything while I was feeling so anguished. So, I did one small good thing. I sent out a signed, numbered bookmark for Laird Barron's Swift to Chase.
And I fielded some calls from clients.
And made some calls to friends I knew were as anguished as I.
When unsettling and disturbing things happen, my plan is always to have a plan. Plan A. Plan B. And if all hell breaks loose Plans C through Z. I like plans a lot. Lists. Spreadsheets. A sense of what to do, even if zombies are in the building.
Well, I've got nothing here. No plan of any kind. Unmoored.
Then, I realized I needed to just escape for a while. Collect my wits.
I got on the M20 bus and headed down to Mysterious Bookshop.
Walked in, seized the new Jack Reacher novel, and the new Michael Connelly novel, handed over my credit card, and exited. (Well, I said hi to Rob Hart too of course!)
Came home. Went to Night School with Jack Reacher.
I'm not finished reading yet. I'm going to hit the office and try to do some work, but mostly I'm going to be cocooning in these pages for a couple days.
Why is this important to you? Because you're novelists, most of you. You're the people who are going to make these next four years survivable. You're going to write the books that keep us from despair. That let us escape from reality for a while, so our brains can start working on Plan Q, R, S and T.
We are going to need you more than ever. If you're feeling like you can't write just now, I understand. I'm having a hard time working too. But this I know for sure: we won't get through this without stories. Stories to explain this new place we're in. Stories to help us forget this new place we're in. Stories that explain other people to us. Stories that let us imagine other places, other times, other challenges that illuminate where we are now.
And this, I know for sure: when the world is on fire, writers are the fire fighters. Consider this blog post your alarm. Get in to your turnouts, slide down the pole, grab on to the truck, and get moving.
ReplyDeleteAs the cold inevitable winter creeps into Southwest France, my pulse races. It is the time of year where I get a wholesale amount of writing done. Spring, Summer, and Fall are outside work times for me. I was just thinking this same thought earlier today. Funny, your timing as usual is impeccable.
As each day passes, your footsteps will lighten.
Cheers Hank.
I don't feel the despair. (I didn't vote for him, by the way, and I'm just as shocked as so many others). But rather, I feel energized and determined to make a difference in my little corner of the world. I just posted about this yesterday on my FB page. Like ripples in the pond, we have the power to spread good. And yes, I'm an eternal optimist. Love the firefighter analogy - that was how I earned my living. And I'm impressed you know what "turnouts" are :-) Thanks, as always, Janet for the best blog in town.
ReplyDeleteGet over it, it's just politics.
ReplyDeleteI'd love for it to be just politics. If I lose my health care, that's a whole lotta prescriptions keeping me alive due to a surprise aortic dissection I have (surprise due my age, not due to my genetics, though not quite enough of a medical marvel for study). And so a preexisting condition that would preclude insurance companies from signing me on. Oh, and as a woman, there's reproductive health threatened to. So a pregnancy could kill me. Politics.
ReplyDeleteBut. I should his 20k in my cyberpunk NaNoWriMo project today. Sequel to the surprise novel I wrote in July (or was it April?) (surprise because I meant to only write it as a novella).
Beautifully said, and I can't agree more. Stories take us out of our fear and they soften anger. Stories unite us because stories are hard-wired into us. I'm glad you found some comfort in a good story, and that's definitely my plan for tonight.
ReplyDeleteBut yesterday? Yesterday I found comfort with my group of high-schoolers that I meet up with once a week. I find that people who have no hope for the future are people who don't spend any time with the people who are going to create it. These kids are amazing, they're resilient, and they're stronger than anyone gives them credit for. So if you haven't talked to a teenager lately, try it - you'll be amazed by their intelligence and strength.
Then, in spite of everything, you'll understand that things are going to get better. I have hope that these kids are going to do better than I have. And I'm going to do my damndest to make sure they get the opportunity.
Today I'll start with the school run, the errands, the dog walk, and then...I'll be writing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Janet.
ReplyDeleteNot to beat a dead donkey, but Politics are an extension of our core values. I wish I could disengage so easily. Allow us a chance to get a grip, it takes a little longer when you get to my age deadeyespider.
Cheers Hank
Thank you for this post. The next four years are going to be about protecting the most vulnerable, and we can't do that without also taking care of ourselves. This was the perfect post for today.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletebats, I mean deadspidereye
All books are magic. Some are duds, sure, but there is nothing better than a well-spun yarn to change the world. So back to WIP. I wonder if I can write 50,000 words in a weekend?
ReplyDeleteBeen distracted from #NaNoWriMo the last few days. My pug was attacked by a pit bull (she survived but scared the snot out of me) and then The Election That Must Not Be Named.
Whew. Time to escape back into that impossible quest that is my WIP.
Hang in there, Janet. I snuck a look at the last few pages of the book and it will turn out all right in the end. But the pages leading up to it- some pretty rough stuff so hang on tight.
I spent most of the day yesterday quietly crying in a corner. It may seem dramatic, but I had only slept two hours the night before so I think everything hit me a little harder than I anticipated.
ReplyDeleteAround noon time I decided to start writing a book I'd had been working on, but couldn't find motivation over the last few months. It really helped me escape reality for a while, and I was surprised by how productive I was.
Then, sometime around dinner, I decided what I was going to do. My husband and I will spend these next four years spending our time and our money to combat whatever horrible thing might pop up. We will donate to women's shelters, lgbt charities, and I found a great charity that helps fight global warming (and has vowed to work hard against Trump).
I also sat down with my children and explained to them the importance of love and acceptance. My oldest was very upset, as he has muslim friends, and friends whose parents are illegal immigrants. I made sure to explain to him that he's at that perfect age where he will forever remember the impact this election had on us, and be able to fight to make sure things like this don't ever happen again.
We have a really great future generation of children, and that is one reason why I haven't lost hope.
You got it, Your Royal Supremeness, Mighty QOTKU. I'll get on to that just as soon as I make some semblance of order out of all these boxes in my new office. At a rough count, I'd say I have about 65 boxes of books stacked up in here all looking for a home. Which books will stay in this room, and which go elsewhere in the house? How many more bookcases do I need to get? How many more bookcases will fit? Fun times! I can't wait to be done and get back to normal life... whatever that is... :)
ReplyDeleteOh, and my son turns 18 today. I now have three adult children. *weeps*
I'm glad some have been able to turn their agony into a call to action. It's good to have a goal. But I'm not sure any election could shake the writer out of my blood. It's crept in and I'm powerless now.
ReplyDelete750 words prior to 6:30am always makes me smile. The rest of the day feels hopeless without it.
BTW, not sure how many of you peeked into Amazon at the first few pages of Janet's reads to see how the writers opened the stories. What did we ever do before the Internet?
Write on, indeed! And good luck with NaNoWriMo all those participating! I'm not sure how y'all do it. My life feels too much like the post office at Christmas to squeeze that many words out in a month.
I wasn't a supporter of the president-elect, but I'm not going to go down the "it's the end of the world" path. Our country, and the world, have been through far, far worse.
ReplyDeleteAs another president once said, "So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself--nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."
Have faith. Stand up. Advance.
At work tiny tears flowed on and off all day. On the most part we all held it together. Half way through lunch a bunch of employees came in for the breakroom. We were all on our phones, or like me, scrolling Huff Post on a Kindle.
ReplyDelete"Welcome to the funeral." I said. No one laughed. It was exactly like sitting in the back row during a viewing at a wake. That's when we began to talk.
God bless those who agree with me and God save the ones who don't.
For the record, I was not surprised at all that Trump won. Everywhere he went for the past 17 months, he drew massive, enthusiastic crowds. He connected with people here in Flyover Country.
ReplyDeleteBesides a little needed escapism, I see a more important role for novelists now. Understanding. I know people who absolutely could not fathom why anyone would vote for one candidate, and some who could not vote for the other. It makes me wonder what the world looks like from those disparate eyes. How would my life story need to change to make me want to vote for the candidate I abhorred? Jennifer's story is a great example.
ReplyDeleteBut people are so raw and angry that exploring these ideas in prose wpuld likely meet rejection, sound like blaming, etc. In novels though, ideas can be explored and understanding created in ways that simply capture the imagination without letting on that they're also changing the heart. What an exercise it would be for me to write, and people like me to read, the story of a middle-aged white man who watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon and believed that he could do anything. White male Americans ruled the world, literally and figuratively; they were heroes on every front as technology changed everything. Many would say good riddance to that (myself included) but it must taste like a bitter pill to face what you expected as the triumphant last phase of your life, when it is nothing like your dreams.
We could tell this same story from so many similar and opposing perspectives, and every one of them would add to our understanding of one another as people, society, nation, and world. Write away novelists! This situation was a long time in the making, and will never be addressed in the 20 minute news cycle. It's up to us.
Yesterday was traumatic – Not because Clinton lost (I’m glad the Clintons and Bushes are gone) but because I fear what Trump will do to the Constitution and how he’ll use of his administration’s power to intimidate everyone who’s not on board with him.
ReplyDeleteI read some of The Education of Dixie Dupree yesterday. It’s very easy for me to relate to the characters; but the depressing aspects of the book were magnified because of my own confused state of mind. I revised three short chapters of my manuscript – second time through. It’s so hard to be creative when in a confused state (confused more than normal).
As far as the role of writers, my mom (who would have voted for Trump) was a BIG John F. Kennedy fan. It was her first election after becoming an American citizen. She dragged me everywhere while she encouraged people to vote for him. A large picture of JFK hung on our hall wall up until she recently moved into assisted living.
Kennedy’s assassination hit the country hard. It really hit our household hard. The most solemn, surreal three days of my life. My first contact with ‘reality’ was my weekly bicycle ride to the Dugan’s Drug Store to buy my weekly fix of comic books. Those stories made sense and helped ground me.
DeadSpiderEye, that's what my husband said but to the woman I am this was OUR chance. Love her or hate her it was finally a chance to see if a woman could fuck up things less than a man. She's more than qualified.
ReplyDeleteI'm taking it personal because a man who distains women won.
For me this will take a long time.
From my shelf I took down the first novel I ever wrote. I was told by an editor that this book would make me famous. (Ha, that was ten years ago.)
Everything else is on hold. I am immersed in editing because I love it so. I need my 'familiar' right now.
It's much more than politics, it's a punch to the p**sy.
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ReplyDeleteAn escape to a bookstore is such a comfort. I'm a lingerer, though. I want to wander and read the backs, and hope I will discover someone new before making a decision. It is a delicious feeling to carry my treasures home.
ReplyDeleteI have always wondered if I enjoyed particular stories at certain times in my life, because of what was going on in my life at the time. Why do some resonate with us so strongly? Because we sense a connection and because we need that connection?
Connecting through words, hmmm. I think we can do that in real life too. Reach out to someone today.
And, Colin if I were closer I would help with those books. I love me some boxes of books!
"We tell ourselves stories in order to live... We interpret what we see, select the most workable of the multiple choices. We live entirely, especially if we are writers, by the imposition of a narrative line upon disparate images…" - Joan Didion
ReplyDeleteRight now, my internal world is the only one I even recognise.
I needed to read this today because I've been struggling with feeling helpless, hopeless, and useless for quite a while. I spent 24 years working in a field that was 90% white male and feel like nothing has changed. I feel like my voice is insignificant and unwanted. I feel like no one cares what a WoC like me thinks. I hear the chorus of "Who do you think you are?" in my head when I write, and it's been much louder the past year.
ReplyDeleteI mostly lurk here, but I wanted to let you and the commenters know that you do make a difference. Thank you for the lifeline. I will keep writing.
To speak to what kathy joyce said - I absolutely agree. The gulf is too wide right now and people simply don't understand what the other half of the country is thinking.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to understand what a lot of Trump supporters are thinking, read this article (it's from a comedy site, but it's written by an author who grew up in rural America):
How Half of America Lost Its F**king Mind. The writer does a brilliant job of gently explaining, not excusing, how so many people could support a man like Trump. And honestly, a lot of the struggles he described I didn't know about during the election.
It comes down to hope and inspiration. Like it or not, an awful lot of Americans who have had a very hard decade are feeling more hope now than they've felt in a long time. A lot of Americans are feeling more hopeless than they've felt in a long time.
That same author says (in a different article):
"Some of you never had a single polite conversation with a Trump supporter, but did hear about hate crimes and the baffling Reddit spammers and Breitbart bigots. You didn't think Trump would win because you didn't think half the country could be crazy assholes.
Well, I've got good news: You were right. If you focus on the racism and ignore the economic anxiety, you're intentionally blinding yourself to much of the problem."
Thank you, Janet--for your words and for this gracious community you've nurtured. It's a little corner of the internet where respect is still shared, no matter who you are or where you're from. That's something I don't think any of us take lightly.
ReplyDeleteI feel a little stronger today. As I was reflecting in my journal this morning, I realized how life has prepared me for this, in a strange and personal way. For the past five years (like others here, I know), I've been struggling with illness. With this illness I never feel calm, never truly feel safe because every minute, day in and day out, I'm fighting for my life, though it's an internal battle.
There's no exaggeration here. I'm a little bit soul weary. There are times when I sink so low in defeat, I wonder how I'll find my way back out. But I always do--I always find my reason to keep looking towards tomorrow; I always find the strength to keep fighting. These past few years, advocating for myself and others, I've learned how to stand up to ignorance, how to be strong and brave even in the face of defeat. My experience taught me that, and I'll always be grateful for it.
So now I can use that strength and spirit to continue standing up and advocating for the rights of others. Because it's not about politics. It's not about who won and who lost. It's about the voices that aren't being heard; it's about the safety and livelihoods of individuals, our fellow citizens, who are vulnerable to violence and so much more because of their religion or color of their skin or status. No one should have to live with that fear--not one single person. I'm ashamed to say I didn't understand it before. But I understand it now.
I don't know what to write anymore. The novel I was working on doesn't seem appropriate at the moment. I think maybe I'm finally ready for The Damn Novel, the WWII novel that stalled out.
Because now I understand that, too.
Dropping in for one last comment -
ReplyDeleteGrace Wen, thank you for continuing to write. The country needs voices like yours. And also, I whole-heartedly echo what you said. This community is amazing. :)
2NNs - right now the first female president is out there, and she's making plans. Maybe we haven't progressed as far as we'd like, but we've still got a lotta fight left in us. Keep your chin up; we can do this.
To all of you taking this confusion and pain and turning it into art - I'm proud to be part of this community with you. To all of you taking a few days off to recover, I'm proud to be part of this community with you. To all of you starting up old projects, starting new ones (NaNo!), or watching your stories go out into the world, I'm proud to be part of this community with you.
Bethany Elizabeth That article nails it. And thank you for reading DIXIE and that review on Amazon. What a gift!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteGreat article.
On the political stuff, I just heard some commentators saying what Bethany Elizabeth and, I think, Julie said yesterday. Essentially, the majority of Trump voters are not the crazed, bigoted loons most fear. They are simply hard-working Americans who feel disenfranchised by the the elites on both coasts. They feel like their voices are not being heard, and their struggles are not being addressed. Trump's appeal for them was in the fact that he's not one of the political class, and the fact that he listened to them. There are some traditionally Democrat-leaning states that fall into this demographic. Hillary's mistake was to assume that they would stick with her. They didn't.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how much of that is 100% spot-on, but if you can get inside the head of someone who feels like their government has been ignoring them for the past 8 years (maybe longer), you can begin to understand why such a person would vote for Trump. And understanding goes a long way toward combating fear, and making for that much-needed unity in this country.
I feel like I was going to say something else... hmm... oh well, if it comes to me I'll share. If not, it can't have been that important. :)
Back to the boxes...
You're the people who are going to make these next four years survivable. You're going to write the books that keep us from despair. That let us escape from reality for a while, so our brains can start working on Plan Q, R, S and T.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I became a writer to begin with. Youngest of six with most of my siblings screwing up, sneaking out, doing drugs, crashing cars, my parents were busy. Books filled in the gap. They taught me things I still believe today. They got me through the gaps where I had no friends. They helped me make new friends--in the real world sense, too, my high school group of friends met me because I was reading Harry Potter at school.
I want to be that writer for someone. Though so many other things about my life has changed, that one constant remains. I want to be the writer on the other end of pages that stir someone's soul.
One of the positive things I experienced yesterday was seeing writers and publishing professionals supporting the importance of storytelling. I was glad to see that theme continued today.
ReplyDeleteTo Grace: Your voice matters. Please share it.
Carolynnwith2Ns:
ReplyDeleteYou know the received wisdom states that religion and politics are not suitable subjects for discussion? My thinkings is that the reason for that, is that those are the topics for which people nurse their own illusions, so not only is it never possible to resolve a discussion, you encounter the prospect of unsettling another persons deeply held convictions. The disillusion of others might be considered an insignificant price by those with a strong imperative to press their own agenda but myself, it's not something I take particularly lightly. Conflict with reality and divergence from truth, is not particularly uncommon, neither does such illusion aggregate to harm, in fact in some circumstances it is quite beneficial.
Beneficial or not, conflict with reality can never equate to truth and as such, it will always be vulnerable to being undermined. In circumstances where the illusions arising from that conflict with reality are turned towards self indulgence, as witnessed--oh I dunno, somewhere not a million miles away, then I think we can assume the net effect of those illusions are harmful. With this in mind I will say, if the case for beating Donald was so desperate or getting your favourite gonads inside the president's trousers was so important, then perhaps, Hillary wasn't such a great choice with which to pursue those aims.
I would have been somber either way. I suspect that Mr. Trump will soon realize that many things he built his campaign around will be very difficult to actually accomplish. Just like every President before him. There are a lot of checks and balances, and as May pointed out, a lot of ways to stand up for what you believe in, regardless of who's in office. Hallelujah we live in a country where we can do that.
ReplyDeleteHey folks, OT, just FYI - if you pick up your phone at your desk, typing numbers on your keyboard will NOT call anyone. Thought I'd pass on that pearl of wisdom.
DeadSpiderEye, your words and themes are impressive but what I saw, felt and have experienced in the last two days is really much simpler.
ReplyDeleteI'm a journalist (sort of). A newspaper pays me to write. But I'm not a reporter. See how I am distancing myself from the press.
The rug I stood on was provided by the press, (so called), the pundits, the experts, polls, talking heads and the rest. They all said, without a doubt, my candidate was going to win. Along comes reality and the rug gets yanked out from under me.
I feel betrayed but more than that, I feel stupid. How could I have been so naïve?
Want overrode reality.
We can analyze the 'why' until the cows come home but no matter what, I am devastated because my favorite rug is balled up in the corner. I never should have bought it.
And that, my friends is all I have to say about that.
Boys and girls, have a nice day.
Nothing would have helped me more than a trip to the Mystery Bookstore with my credit card. I'll have to be happy with checking in at both libraries here. Maybe I can get the new Tana French. I'd like the Jack Reacher too I'm sure. And the second and third Elana Ferrante.
ReplyDeleteI worked on my video edit that is due and when that is finished and the snow falls I hope to get back to that novel. Worked on the novel from 2 am to 3 am this morning but that doesn't count since I wasn't at the keyboard though it make perfect sense at the time.
and then my cat wanted a hug and when the cat wants a hug she should get one.
Susan - Please, please write The Damn Novel. And keep us posted when it hits the outside world. I need to read it. The stark realities of this election have given a Dr-Frankenstein's-lightning-jolt to my own Damn Novel too.
ReplyDeleteJanet, I can't tell you how heartening it has been to read your blog post today. It's one of the few things that truly brings comfort right now.
Thank you for this post. I'm definitely in 'cocoon mode' and will be for a while. As part of that, I'm taking a lot of walks and focusing on the beauty of nature.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back my friends to the show that never ends, so glad you could attend.
ReplyDeleteYes, every four years half of America feels left out. Greive as you must and then get back to work. One thing I need to work on is to be more patient.
There is a very strong chance that the Presidency will bring out the good points in Trump. Like most who bluster I think he is, in essence somewhat cowardly.Bluster is good camouflage.
Because I have ties to farming I know how some of that other half feel. It will be good for the country if something can be done for those who felt so disenfranchised that they could bypass all of the bad things about Trump and vote for him.
I didn't vote for him but for me it was more about the picture he was painting. I have always preferred brightness over dark. I also felt he was just making a presidential campaign into a WWE wrestling show and that further turned me off.
Maybe he knows now that he is in over his head and will do most of it right. There will be potholes but we will have to see.
I've had this Neil Gaiman speech rattling around in my head the past two days. Last night I printed out a portion and taped it above my desk:
ReplyDelete"Life is sometimes hard. Things go wrong, in life and in love and in business and in friendship and in health and in all the other ways that life can go wrong. And when things get tough, this is what you should do: make good art."
My NaNoWriMo novel has been sadly neglected these past few days. I've felt so powerless; the idea that telling my own pitiful little story could make a difference has seemed laughable. But I realized that what I'm writing - a queer YA about overcoming hate and accepting yourself even when your family and community doesn't - is so much more vital now. It is going to be exponentially more important that we tell marginalized stories now, especially in children's literature. So many kids and teens are feeling scared and helpless and like their lives and voices don't matter. I want - no, need - to write stories that tell them "Yes, they do."
ReplyDeleteAt trial today, the defendant in my case filed a document which stated that, for reasons not quite clear, Donald Trump was required to be in court to testify on behalf of defendant. He wasn't present (and no subpoena was served) and the court agreed with me that he was probably a bit busy right now, so trial proceeded without him.
I've cross examined and/or evicted several actors and celebrities in my life, but this definitely would have been the most famous and/or unusual.
Keep the faith and write on!
I predict another wave of dystopian novels.
ReplyDeleteSo of course I started a fairy-tale retelling.
Dena, you ought to write a memoir! The courtroom must provide you with plenty of material. Funny, poignant, scary...
ReplyDeleteMy favourite Neil Gaiman quote seems appropriate here:
ReplyDelete"My cousin Helen, who is in her 90s now, was in the Warsaw ghetto during World War II. She and a bunch of the girls in the ghetto had to do sewing each day. And if you were found with a book, it was an automatic death penalty. She had gotten hold of a copy of ‘Gone With the Wind’, and she would take three or four hours out of her sleeping time each night to read. And then, during the hour or so when they were sewing the next day, she would tell them all the story. These girls were risking certain death for a story. And when she told me that story herself, it actually made what I do feel more important. Because giving people stories is not a luxury. It’s actually one of the things that you live and die for."
Bethany Elizabeth: great article. Thanks for posting the link.
ReplyDeleteAndrea, yes, yes and yes.
ReplyDeleteYa made me cry all over again.
Colin
ReplyDelete"Trump's appeal for them was in the fact that he's not one of the political class, and the fact that he listened to them."
Trump had zero appeal to me. Zero. My man was Cruz because he actually did go to Washington and fought the establishment, which was important to me. For that he was hated by both the left and the right. He's also, apparently, one of the few politicians in America who understands what the constitution is. I was sick of business as usual in Washington.
The Wikileaks emails proved what some of us have been saying for years, msm is nothing more than a DNC propaganda machine. And we were called conspiracy nuts, and still are by those in denial. Donna Brazile is only sorry she got caught cheating. That ought to tell us something.
I was more sick of the Benghazi mess and lying politicians covering it up and then the media helping them to hide their mess to get their liberal candidate elected. I was sick of the military being asked to do more than it should humanly be asked to do and given no respect here or abroad or even untying their hands so they could fight to defend themselves. I was sick of money being funneled from vets to illegal aliens and no one giving a good damn. My son was one of those vets who got illegally denied care, but who gives a rats ass as long as we can shove in illegals and unvetted refugees as fast as possible and take care of them?
Now, does anyone understand when Obama said we have to elect Hillary so we can have four more years I said, no, not only no, but hell no? And if people don't like that, I'm sorry. If that makes me a racist, so be it.
This. So much this. I had this open on my computer this morning, and it motivated me to exceed my NaNo count past the usual 1667 words. Now to edits.
ReplyDeleteLet us all keep fighting the good fight!
I've been going wildly back and forth between trying to be calm and optimistic, and feeling such anger and despair. I can't look at social media right now and can barely glance at the news. I haven't been able to write fiction for several days (sorry NaNo), so I'm escaping into reading. I know that will change. Probably soon.
ReplyDeleteAs long as we're sharing quotes, this one has been in my head. Especially the first half, which feels like more than just explanation of how I'm feeling; it feels like benediction. Eventually, I'll get around to the second half again:
"The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: a human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To him, a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create — so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really alive unless he is creating." ~Pearl S. Buck
Bethany Elizabeth, thank you for sharing that link. I read the article a few weeks ago and then couldn't find it again yesterday when I wanted to send it to someone.
This funk y'all are in hit me back when we heard who the final candidates were. I'm glad I'm in scientific academia; after a brief discussion yesterday about what this means for science funding, the world (my tiny corner of it) moved on. By necessity. Undergraduates still needed to learn about conservation of energy, abstracts need to be finalized. Holiday plans need fleshing out and winter head-colds need eradicating.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Janet. We must gather 'round the fire and tell the secrets of our souls. Our children will pass them down as the birds still may fly to the heavens.
ReplyDeleteSome people make this journey worthwhile. You are one of them, Janet. I’m honored to know you.
ReplyDeleteI stand by you and your community now and always and send love and prayers.
I know I will be working very hard to make a difference via my writing, too. America to me is also home, and a much loved one.
Julie - you are not a racist and neither am I. I hear you on Benghazi, the VA and the military. You and I both know people whose lives were taken because of security breaches. To those of you who aren't aware - it's a big deal - ask the sailor who took 6 pictures on his cell phone because he was proud of his sub. He's in jail now. People died because the Secretary of State couldn't be bothered to follow protocol and she didn't even get her hand slapped. No way would I vote for her. There are other women in the world. I have no doubt one will be president. I don't hate women. I am one.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like Trump but he's growing on me. I voted for him because I want our borders secure. I'm sick of ranchers being shot by illegals crossing their land, of Kate Steinle getting killed by someone who shouldn't have been here in the first place. I want our taxpayer money used to take care of veterans and our citizens who are hurting, like some here on this board. It grieves me no end to see people who defended this country in dangerous places told "Sorry we have no funding for you" while there's apparently no end to what we can spend on illegal aliens. I'm still angry that during the government shut down a few years back the veterans memorials were closed off to WWII veterans but a rally for illegal aliens was allowed to go with full audio and grandstands set up on the Mall. How was that right? How much did that cost? How many veteran suicides might have been prevented with that money?
Hubby and I should be able to retire soon. We'll probably be working until we're 80 and of course we're told there's no money for Social Security, yet there's plenty of money for all sorts of other things government has no business financing - anyone recall shrimp on a treadmill? At least Trump knows what it is to meet payroll. I am sick of being bled dry by politicians who keep getting richer while the rest of us struggle to survive. We cannot keep spending into oblivion. A business man just may understand that. Politicians don't.
I don't vote for people because they're the first black or the first woman. The only thing I care about is getting out of this hellish economy we're in and having some ray of hope and prosperity for our kids. Which is why I write late into the night after I get home from work and early in the morning before I go in, in hopes that I may someday write something someone may deem worth paying me for and may put some tires on my ten-year-old paid for car and maybe take us out for dinner one night.
I know a lot of conservatives. Not one is a racist or a homophobe or a xenophobe or a woman hater or any other name we're being called right now by people I'm not sure have ever even met a real live conservative yet seem to know all about us. We don't usually say anything. We don't have time. We're too busy working our butts off supporting ourselves, our families and the entire fricking rest of the world besides. We care about people, but we can also do math. The road we're on is not sustainable and that's the truth.
If Trump screws up, I'll let him know about it. But I'm going to give him a chance first because our alternatives so far have sucked.
Julie: Just a point of clarification--I was referring to Trump's appeal to those who voted for him. I recognize there are plenty who didn't vote for him that can still identify with the issues.
ReplyDeleteI am a firefighter? What a revelation... and with that, the sense of responsibility!
ReplyDeleteThank you for putting it so beautifully, o my Queen.
And my thoughts and prayers are with you in these uncertain times.
Thank you, for all it is you do for us :)
Life sucks. It really does. It's full of thorns and thistles, and noxious weeds.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I write escapist fiction. It helps me to escape the misery and in turn helps others to escape. (Nothing will lift the soul better than helping someone else.)
I sat at work and watched the results unfold while dozens of Australians asked me to call upon the info I learned in Civics classes many decades ago to explain what they were watching.
It knocked the mojo out of me for a few hours. I simply could not write.
Then I remember I am a Force For Good in the world, got a good night's sleep then commenced writing in the morning.
We need fiction. We need to read and escape. This is good for our souls. It aids us to withstand the things we cannot change and are not ready to accept.
Day after the election the Amazon ranking on one of my Romance books skyrocketed over a million rankings. Shot straight up. Looks like there were a lot of people out there who desperately needed to escape.
Glad I could help.
That was a lovely post. i haven't been able to write, except for snarky comments addressed to gloating Trump supporters on Facebook. I've been compelled to do good deeds, as if little kindnesses will change the course of humanity. Perhaps i do need a good novel where good triumphs over evil. Too bad it's fiction.
ReplyDeleteI thought I must have malaria this morning - fever, shakes, joint aches. Then I realized it was just a post-election reaction. My thoughts are with you all.
ReplyDeleteColin and Cynthia brought up the topic of security. Here's some relevant info.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.infrasupport.com/our-political-leaders-set-a-sorry-security-example/
Cynthia, share your words widely:
> Which is why I write late into the night after I get home from work
> and early in the morning before I go in, in hopes that I may someday
> write something someone may deem worth paying me for and may put some
> tires on my ten-year-old paid for car and maybe take us out for dinner
> one night.
.
.
.
> We don't usually say anything. We don't have time. We're too busy
> working our butts off supporting ourselves, our families and the
> entire fricking rest of the world besides. We care about people,
> but we can also do math. The road we're on is not sustainable and
> that's the truth.
Until I read your post, I thought I was the only one who spent lots of weird hours trying to write, for the same reasons you described. I lost count of how many times I've opened my eyes in front of the keyboard with a sore neck and drool running down my chin. Yeah, writing is glamorous.
- Greg
Between the election and the death of my big black dog, I've been frozen. This post will help me get back to the storytelling. (Of course, we're also working on our plan C.)
ReplyDelete