Back on the Blog Chain: Come Talk to Me

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Although I was last on the previous Blog Chain, I'm third on the current one (hence the reason I'm posting another one so soon after the last one). Kate would like us to talk about talking, or dialogue:


Do you enjoy writing dialogue? Do you use a lot of dialogue in your writing (for our purposes "a lot" will be defined as more than a smidge and yet not so much that the quotes key on your computer is completely worn out.)? Do you have example(s) of dialogue you especially enjoyed from something you've read? Do you have example(s) of dialogue from your own writing? What about these examples makes them special?

Amanda posted before me, and Eric comes next.

I can't resist posting this video, even though I've posted it before.




I would have to say yes, I enjoy writing dialogue, and I employ a fair amount of it. When I'm drafting a scene, it tends to be mostly dialogue and action. Dialogue comes more easily to me than, say, description, though that doesn't always mean it works as well as it should. I've been told in crits that sometimes my characters sound younger than they are, so that's something I have to keep in mind as I write. But I like how dialogue can advance conflict and show character; it's especially fun if your characters can throw in some wit as well.

Speaking of wit, here's an example of some dialogue from Gail Carriger's Soulless. The book is set in an alternate Victorian London where vampires and werewolves are part of polite society. Here, Alexia, a spinster with the ability to negate supernatural powers with her touch, is talking to two werewolves about a vampire who tried -- and failed -- to attack her. I'm cutting out most of the expository text (there is a lot of it), but I still think you can learn a great deal about the characters by how they speak. Words are italicized as they are in the novel.


"I suspect that is precisely what the vampire was thinking when he found you without a chaperone. An unmarried female alone in a room in this enlightened day and age! Why, if the moon had been full, even I would have attacked you!"

"My dear sir, I should like to see you try."

"You do realize modern social mores exist for a reason?"

"I was hungry, allowances should be made."

(The other werewolf gives Alexia a sandwich, and she says, "this is delicious!")

"I keep them around for when his lordship gets particularly testy. Such offerings keep the beast under control for the most part. Excepting at full moon, of course. Would that a nice ham and pickle sandwich was all it took then."

"What do you do at full moon?"

"Alexia!"

"Uh, do you want half of this, my lord?"


For an example of my own dialogue, here's a bit from Across Two Universes. Here, Paul's father is explaining to him how he was cloned from a famous rock star who also happens to be his ancestor. This is backstory, something writers are normally advised to avoid telling through dialogue. The reason I think it works here is because this is information Paul himself really wants to learn at this point in the story:

“Jo was against it from the start. That’s why she became your mother.”

“Huh?” Paul looked at Dad — or the man he’d always thought was his dad — again. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“I guess I’d better start from the beginning.” Dad pulled out the tranquilizers again. “Are you sure you don’t want to take one now? You’ve had an awful lot of shocks the last couple of days.”

It was very tempting to numb his emotions away, but Paul shook his head. “I’m an actor; I have to feel this. Maybe I can use it later.”

Acting was the only thing he could count on right now. He opened himself up to the chill in the air, the sick feeling in his stomach, the sense that his vision was going to blur.

“Here, eat something.” Dad pulled out a sandwich and a can of his favorite soda, pressing them into Paul’s hands. He adjusted the thermal sensors woven into his shirt as if he was still too young to do it himself.

“When I first met your mom, she’d already been hired by her uncle to retrieve Sean’s DNA—”

“But you said she was against it. And she hated Great-Uncle Jack, or did that happen later?”

“Let me tell the story. Jo was more chip than shoulder when I first met her. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she saw very little of your granddad when she was growing up. She blamed him for everything, even when her mom developed TransAIDs and they couldn’t pay for both her medical expenses and Jo’s education.”

“Granddad didn’t help?” It seemed so unlike the man Paul knew.

“Jo didn’t ask.”

That was very like Mom.

Dad gestured for him to eat. “Anyway, shortly after the Sagan survived its first passage through the wormhole and found the alternate TwenCen Earth, people realized they could harvest genes from organisms long gone from our Earth. From there, it was only a short step to cloning famous people, like Elvis Presley. That gave your great-uncle the idea to clone Sean.”

Paul spit out his sandwich. “You mean I owe my life to him?” He wasn’t normal, his parents weren’t who he’d always thought they were...that fortune cookie at lunch had been right after all.

“Jack doesn’t own you, Paul. No one does.” Dad’s gaze pierced him. “He couldn’t have done it without your mom. There’s a lot of Sean still on your side of the family, and she could pass for his cousin. And she did. When she visited the other Earth, he wasn’t a star yet, so she was able to meet him, stay at his house, and steal a DNA sample while he slept.”

I feel as if I should provide some advice on dialogue, even though Kate didn't ask us to do so. As a science fiction/fantasy writer, I create new settings, including expressions unique to that culture. I do this by making my world-building details serve double duty. For instance, in one of my shelved projects, there are four gods and goddesses protecting the country of my heroines. The God of Winter is also the God of Death. After people die, their souls spend some time in His realm before being reincarnated. However, the irredeemably evil souls are frozen so they can't be reborn. Therefore, in this book, my characters use "freeze it" and "frozen" the way we use "damn" and "damned."

That's all I have for now. Please look at the other Blog Chain posts for more dialogue about dialogue!

Ten Word Tuesday: Children's TV

The heroes look smart because everyone else is dumbed down.

Alex and Storytime Live!

Last year, when Alex was into the Wonder Pets!, I bought tickets to Storytime Live, a live show featuring characters from four childrens' shows: Dora the Explorer, Kai Lan, The Backyardigans, and of course, the Wonder Pets! Since then, his interest in the Wonder Pets! has waned; he's currently obsessed with Richard Scarry's Busytown characters, and he's starting to get into Thomas the Tank Engine. I wasn't sure if he would still enjoy the show, but we decided to keep our tickets.

We went to the final performance, which was at 5:00. We had really good seats near the stage; I wanted to make sure Alex could see what was going on. He got a little upset because we left his Thomas trains in the car, but he calmed down before the show started.

The show was set up very muck like the Nick Jr. channel. Two characters (Moose and Zee) came on stage to introduce each episode. The show started with Kai Lan going to a party at the Monkey King's castle in the clouds. Then the Backyardigans did a parody of Robin Hood, with the Robin Hood characters saving dirty villagers from a mayor who wanted to keep the whole town filthy. Alex really seemed to enjoy this part of the show. He got a little antsy during the intermission; I think having some snacks on hand helped. He did get pretty boisterous during the second part of the show. He didn't pay as much attention to the Wonder Pets part as I thought he would (I thought this part was a bit cheesy, as they represented the characters with big puppets controlled by onstage actors), but he seemed OK with the Dora episode. Characters from each show came on at the end to sing a version of "Shout."

I think if Alex was a bit older, he might have gotten more out of the show. We don't watch much Nick Jr., anymore, though he's seen at least three of the shows. Still, he got a kick out of some parts of the show, and it's always good to hear him laugh. We'll see if he wants to watch these shows more often or if he'll stick to his current favorites. I feel like he watches too much TV as it is, so I'd rather encourage other activities anyway.

Words of Wisdom

Some people ask me if I get depressed, if I lose confidence in what I am and whether I get upset with those terrible people. Well, I do. for a moment. But I am really too busy, I don’t have time to be depressed, lose my confidence, or think ill of anybody, for long. I just don’t have the time.

-- Yoko Ono, from a speech called "A Quiet Revolution" given at Oxford University on March 10, 2010

(You can read the whole speech here.)

I know there are a lot of people out there who do get depressed and lose their confidence. I see this discussed fairly often on writer blogs, though of course lack of self-confidence isn't restricted to writers. But I agree with Yoko. I work full time and have a toddler; I'm always busy, sometimes busier than I'd like to be. There's lots that needs to be done at work and at home, so I just do it. When you're busy mentally juggling half a dozen things, you don't have time for negative thinking. But negative thinking can keep you from accomplishing things -- if you let it.

Another quote I like is from drummer Mark Schulman: “There are always going to be better drummers out there, but that doesn’t mean I’ve ever doubted my ability to do this.”

The same applies to writing. Don't worry about what other writers are doing; focus on making your work the best it can be!

Back on the Blog Chain: Holding out for a Hero(ine)

Yep, the Blog Chain post is making its first appearance on my blog this month. Eric posed this question:

Do you create characters that are larger-than-life or are your characters more like the average Joe?

(For discussion purposes, let's use his definition of "larger-than-life" as meaning exceptionally talented. It doesn't have to be a supernatural talent--an Olympic athlete would be larger-than-life.)

In his book Characters and Viewpoint, Orson Scott Card discusses how these two types of characters go in and out of fashion. Most of my esteemed fellow Blog Chainers, from Eric to Kate, have been on the side of the average Joe or Jane. I think some of this is due to genre. A few people admit their characters have a slight supernatural twist, but for the most part, larger-than-life characters are considered too perfect, too hard to relate to, or even too cliched. We're at the end of the chain now, and there's only one person left to champion the champions: a short, overweight, almost-middle-aged speculative fiction writer. In other words, me.

Let's cue some music for our discussion:




Most of my protagonists have had some extraordinary gift. My first two books featured magicians, as does my short story "A Reptile at the Reunion." My NaNoWriMo book from 2007 had a pair of shapeshifting sisters. Paul, the hero of Across Two Universes, lives in a science fiction universe, but he has a "quantum quirk" of his own. The only protagonist who might be considered an "ordinary Jane" is Paul's mother, Joanna, in my novella "Move Over Ms. L." So, how do I avoid the previously mentioned pitfalls of larger-than-life characters?

First of all, I don't think a larger-than-life character is necessarily perfect--or should be. Many legendary characters had flaws as big as their virtues. Hercules was very strong, but he wasn't above using dirty tricks in battle. Lancelot was in love with his liege's wife. Modern-day larger-than-life athletes like Michael Phelps and Tiger Woods have shown what I'll call lapses of judgment. Even my beloved Beatles have done drugs, had affairs, made poor business decisions, and otherwise proved they're not perfect. Having an extraordinary talent doesn't mean you're invincible either; just look at Achilles and Samson. I could go on, but the point I want to make is that the larger-than-life characters may be good at what they do, but if they're too good, then the story loses any suspense factor. Struggle is at the heart of all stories, so your characters have to face challenges that force them to stretch themselves. Heck, much of the time my characters struggle just to get along with their allies!

Another concern writers have about writing larger-than-life characters is how to make sure the average reader can relate to them. It's not as if most of us turn into animals every full moon or perform magic and read others' minds. Here, I think the key is to focus on emotions or experiences that can be universal. Many larger-than-life characters in speculative fiction face problems readers can relate to; for example, Carrie Vaughn's werewolf Kitty has a mother dealing with cancer. A classic Star Trek episode, "The Devil in the Dark," features an alien that's basically a sentient rock. Yet this creature is also a mother trying to protect her young. How can any parent not relate to that? If you can relate to a rock, magicians and other larger-than-life characters ought to be easy.

As for whether or not larger-than-life characters are cliche, I think anything can become one. It's not always easy to find a unique spin on a subject, but it can be done.

Going back to Eric's question, why do I prefer larger-than-life characters? Part of the reason is escapism and wish fulfillment. I live in Midwestern suburbia, and I like taking mental breaks from it with my fiction. Having high-powered characters means you can demand more of them; they buy you a seat at the high-stakes plot table. But there are other reasons for enjoying larger-than-life characters and speculative fiction. By looking at the extremes of the human condition (or even examining non-humans), we can learn something about the ordinary parts too. And while ordinary characters in extraordinary situations can do astonishing things, extraordinary people can inspire us to transcend the commonplace and reach for something we never thought possible. Our future depends on how far we can see and our drive to try new things. If we work at it, what was once considered extreme or even impossible can become part of our mundane reality.

Ten Word Tuesday: Small Steps

Even ten words at a time add up to something.

Sonnet for Women SF Authors

To celebrate International Women's Day, Feminist SF--The Blog! posted a cool sonnet about women reading and writing science fiction. It inspired me to write my own:

Hey Mr. Spaceman, don’t think I’m your prize,
Something you win for exploring new worlds.
Protest all you want; I know you despise
Women who don’t act like helpless small girls.

Don’t tell me that science and math are hard
And romance novels are what I should read.
I learned quantum physics in the schoolyard
And made DNA with wire and beads.

It’s time you accept I’m not a token
The only woman to serve on your crew;
It’s time you learn how women have woken
Up to the wonders of planets so new.

Hand over the spaceship; I want to fly
And see what’s beyond my half of the sky!

Alex and the Mud

The temperature rose above 40 today. (I'm talking Fahrenheit, not Celsius. That would be unheard of for March in the Midwest!) I was hoping to wash my car today, even though I knew that would mean either holding Alex one-handed while washing the car or letting him hold a brush and create chaos. But after a temper tantrum this morning (normally he doesn't mind if we brush his teeth, but today he didn't want to give me a turn) and a nap strike this afternoon, I gave up on that idea. Instead, I asked Alex if he wanted to go to the park, and after a half hour, we were finally able to leave.

When we arrived, there weren't any kids yet, and an alarm at the elementary school next door sounded for several minutes. Alex kept asking about it, even after I reassured him the policemen would shut it off. (They did.) He didn't want to go down the slide, but we went on the see-saw, and he wanted to swing in the baby swing all by himself. Then, after rocking back and forth on a purple puppy and a fire truck, he wanted to climb a snow pile. Unfortunately, I didn't think about the mud and puddles in front of the snow. Alex slipped and fell, coating his hands, coat, and pants with mud. Right away he wanted to clean his hands, but all I had with me were a tissue and a glove liner. I put him on top of the snow pile, and he stood there for a few minutes before we went home. In the process of cleaning him up and getting him in the wagon, I got mud on my black wool coat. But I still managed to clean Alex up, change him, feed him, let him finally succumb to sleep, take a picture of his muddy clothes (which I can't upload now, sorry), and load the washer before Eugene came home from work.

I suppose as a writer, I should try to find some writing lesson in this, something like "observe details" or "think about all the possible implications of an action." My take-home lesson was "use my day as an excuse to run away to the bookstore to write this evening, leaving Eugene in charge of Alex." It didn't work out tonight, so Eugene owes me one!

The Business of E-Books

I'm back with another article from the New York Times, this one about how much it costs to produce a hard-cover book as opposed to an e-book. Surprisingly, there's not much difference in profit, though author royalties may differ. But if profit margins become too thin, then publishers can't justify taking the risk of publishing new authors, especially since most books aren't profitable. This article suggests that we don't want to switch over to e-books too quickly. Personally, I don't have an e-book reader yet; they're too pricey for me right now. Instead, I buy lots of paperbacks. The more books we writers buy, the more likely it is that publishers can afford to publish us!

The Science of Science Fiction: Culture and Human Evolution

I was thinking about doing a Ten-Word-Tuesday post about being sick (something I ate didn't agree with me), but I'm sure you don't want to hear how often I've been to the bathroom today. So here's a more interesting article from the New York Times about how human culture, long thought to shield us from natural selection and evolution, may actually affect our genes.

Some of the best examples of culture influencing our genetic makeup have to do with what foods we eat, as our genes determine how well we can digest certain types of food. For instance, many adults are unable to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk, because the genes that break it down are no longer active. Populations whose ancestors reared cattle retain the ability to digest milk as adults. Northern Europeans tend to be lactose tolerant, but there are a few groups in Africa who have the same ability. The interesting point is that each group took a different genetic route to arrive at the same cultural destination, implying they evolved this trait independently.

Milk isn't the only food that influences our genes; starch consumption affects how much amylase (a starch-digesting enzyme) people produce. People who live in societies that grow food have more copies of the amylase gene than people who primarily hunt or fish. Diseases may also affect the genes of the immune system. Biologists think up to 10% of our genes may be influenced by selective pressures, though we still have much to learn about the roles of these genes.

So the next time you decide to send a group of humans off to colonize a planet or create aliens for them to encounter, think about what kind of environment they'll be in and what traits they'll need to flourish there. Perhaps humans aboard a generation ship will adapt to space travel, only to have their descendants struggle to survive on a planet. Perhaps they'll evolve so they can eat new types of food, and this change may have other side effects. These situations can tell us something about what we're like here and now.

Alex at the Shedd

It's been another busy week for Eugene and me, so we decided we needed to do something this weekend. We discussed a couple of options, but we finally chose a visit to the Shedd Aquarium because it seemed the most toddler-friendly.

Although we were all up by 7:30, it still took us a while to get ready. We got to the Museum campus around 11:30; it was still pretty chilly by the lake. I'm glad Alex was free admission since the ticket prices are very expensive, even without paying for the aquatic show. We also had some problems stowing our coats, as the locker jammed. I had to go to the Information desk for help. I considered using another locker but decided it wasn't worth it.

Once we got those frustrations out of the way, we were able to focus on the fish. We saw only a fraction of the exhibits. One of the one we did see was about the coral reef in the Philippines. After lunch, we visited the toddler play area. Alex had talked about seeing the dolphins, but when he finally did see them, he wasn't too impressed. Perhaps they weren't close enough, or perhaps it was because we only viewed them underwater, so he didn't see them jump. But he did enjoy a yellow submarine with lots of buttons and knobs to play with. The only thing that got him out of there was a stuffed penguin Eugene bought for him; when Alex saw that, he tried to reach it through the glass window. We then spent some time watching the real penguins swim. I got a kick out of one penguin standing on the rock; he posed for a while as if he was some penguin martial arts master about to dramatically dive into the water, but in the end he waddled off like a poseur.

We knew Alex would need to nap at some point, so we wouldn't be able to spend the whole afternoon there. Although he was obviously tired, he gained a second wind from eating and a third from playing. But by 3:00, even the fumes of energy were gone. He fell asleep in my arms as I carried him toward the exit. He woke up for a short while but napped on the way home.

Later this evening, Alex put shoes on his stuffed penguin's feet and made him dance. I took a couple of pictures but haven't uploaded them yet. We've never shown him Happy Feet; it's possible he may have seen it at daycare as a special treat. But at least he has a friend to remind him of his visit to the Shedd; we probably won't go back until he's old enough to last a full day.

Ten Word Tuesday: Fatigue

I'm too tired to come up with ten words today.

Back on the Blog Chain--Building Your Characters' World

This round's topic was suggested by Cole, who asked

48296

which translated, means How do you get inside your character's world?

(And no, she didn't post the number, but when I pasted it in accidentally, I thought it would be funny to leave it there.)

My current project, Across Two Universes, literally takes place on two different worlds: one is a future Earth, and the other is a 1980 Earth. Travel between them occurs through a wormhole, so much of the story is also set on a spaceship. I have a lot to keep in mind when I create my settings, so how do I do it? It's a mixture of research and extrapolation.

Researching the 1980 setting would seem to be easier, but sometimes I have trouble tracking down the specific information I need. My characters land in the western part of the U.S.; how do they get to Chicago? In earlier drafts they flew, but this time, they have less money, so they take a train. I had to research routes and schedules, estimate prices, and look up pictures of the cars in service at that time. The Internet was a big help here, not just for looking things up directly, but by finding people willing to send me additional information. I even researched some points the old-fashioned way, via books at the library. An important scene is set outside the Museum of Science and Industry at the U-505 exhibit. I remember seeing the submarine when it was still outside the museum, but I couldn't remember how it was set up and if it was roped off. I found a book about the history of the submarine, but the pictures didn't show me how the exhibit looked. In the end, I went with what worked for my story. I tried to be as accurate as possible, but if it's not quite right, I can always claim that that's because it's an alternate universe.

With the futuristic settings, I start with what's known or what's projected and go from there. The future Earth setting contains references to global warming, problems with agriculture, and overpopulation. For the spaceship, I chose to make it fusion-powered (since that seemed the most likely power source to me) and made it self-sufficient with fish ponds and greenhouses.

To bring these settings to life, I think about what my main character would notice as he moves from one location to the other. He smells, feels, and tastes differences between the two universes. He misses having access to computers in 1980 but is amazed by how lax security is. It's all in the details, so I try to include telling details when I can.

That's all I have for now. Go check out what Mandy said yesterday and what Michelle will say tomorrow!

Petitions

I have links to two unrelated petitions to share with you.

British libel laws impose severe restrictions on free speech, to the point where they are about making money instead of saving a reputation. They interfere with both journalism and science. Foreign libel suits are brought to London because of these laws. Because of this, an international petition has been set up to reform British libel laws. You can read a report about the libel laws and sign the petition here:

http://www.libelreform.org/

I believe they're also on Facebook, though I'm not a member of the group.

Speaking of groups leads me to my favorite musical group, the Beatles. Their historical recording studio, Abbey Road, has been put up for sale by EMI. (I've been there and have pictures -- somewhere.) If brought by property developers, the site might be turned into apartments. Fortunately, the National Trust has expressed interest in preserving the site. If you'd like to show your support, please go here:

http://www.petitiononline.com/abbey/petition.html

More Math Articles

Trying to catch up on my blogging here. I mentioned a few weeks ago that the New York Times online was posting a series of articles about basic math. Here are the next two articles in the refresher course:

Rock Groups (on the properties of numbers)

The Enemy of My Enemy (subtraction)

Ten Word Tuesday: Nature

Deer are beautiful--when they're not standing in the road.

The 10% Solution

One of my goals for this year was to read two writing books on my ever-growing to-read pile. I've already read one of them: The 10% Solution by Ken Rand. This book is subtitled "Self-Editing for the Modern Writer," and that's what it teaches you to do.

It's a short book (less than 100 pages) with two main parts. As promised, this book teaches you how to trim your writing so it's crisp. The first part discusses Rand's theory of editing, which is basically a left-brain/right brain approach. The left side of your brain tends to be more analytical (the editor part), while the right brain is more creative (the writer part). The trick is to focus on one task at a time, either writing or editing. I admit this is something I have problems with, as I tend to ease into a writing session by editing my previous day's work. The second part of the book discusses some of the most common words to look for when editing, such as "that," "of," and "was." While these may not always be problem words, they can indicate wordiness. Some of these words are ones I try to avoid in my writing, but it's still useful to have a refresher course. In summary, this is a useful book for any writer and packs a lot of punch per page.

Family Business

Several interesting things have happened with Eugene and Alex this week, but I've been so tired I haven't felt like blogging. So here's a quick recap:

We took Alex to a birthday party Sunday. It was at a place called Jumps and Jiggles. Alex has been there before, but not recently. This indoor playground features tunnels, slides, big blocks, and a carousel. The party was during prime nap time for toddlers; Alex fell asleep on the way over, but luckily he wasn't cranky when we woke him up. When we got inside, he found a small compartment with a steering wheel, and since he's into cars, he really enjoyed that. I finally got him away from there to eat, and he ate more pieces of cheese pizza (minus the crusts, which he gave to us) than I've ever seen him eat before. He was a little hesitant to ride the carousel at first, but once he did, he didn't want to leave. He even stayed on without me holding him! (He was wearing a safety strap, and I rode next to him, holding onto his shirt like the paranoid mother I am.) We finally lured him off with the promise of cake. He only had a couple of bites before it was back to the steering wheel. We left with a goody bag of candy, which he quickly figured out how to open. All the sugar couldn't keep him from resisting a late and much-needed nap.

I'm a whole four months older than Eugene. Yeah, I was a cougar before the term was even invented. :snort: Eugene always teases me that he gets to razz me first about my birthday. So this Monday, on his 39 1/2 birthday, I surprised him with a birthday card. I wanted to do more, but Alex got sick at daycare and had to go home early (and stay home on Tuesday). I gave Eugene a nice card; I'm not ready for the "Over the Hill" stuff yet!

Tonight was our date night. Instead of going out, we prepared a special meal from Dinner by Design: shrimp cocktail, bacon-wrapped filets, garlic mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Then we curled up and watched some Whose Line before picking up Alex. It was a quiet date night, but the important thing was spending some time together.

I have several writing topics I'd like to discuss, so hopefully I can post them next week. Stay tuned!

Ten Word Tuesday: Snowstorms

Strangers are friendlier when you shovel snow with a toddler.

A 21st Century Brain Under a 19th Century Hat

Just how much do you love history? Sure, the Victorian era fascinates you, but would you really want to live there? Apparently, some people do. CNN has an interesting article, complete with a slide show, about people who regularly dress up in clothing from different eras, from the Victorian era to the 1940s or 1950s. (I wonder if there are people who dress in pre-Victorian styles.) These people aren't just Civil War re-enactors; they wear these clothes at home, on the street, or even at work. The "timewarpians," as some of them call themselves, choose this lifestyle as a reaction to the values of the modern world. Given the behavior some of the reality shows seem to encourage, I can't blame them. But timewarpians don't avoid all modern conveniences; they use social networking sites to meet others with similar interests. Since the timewarpians are becoming more visible and accessible, they sound like a great resource for writers looking for information about historical eras. They could tell you more than what the clothing looked like; they could tell you how it felt to wear it.

As for me, I love my jeans and wouldn't want to wear a long dress in the lab. However, I do find 1940s style of clothing appealing. I doubt I could find anything vintage in my size, though!

Shall We Dance?

I didn't plan to post twice tonight, but then I didn't plan to dance either.

Alex's daycare center had a dance for the kids, complete with a DJ. I took Alex last year, and he clung to me the entire time. I didn't think he was ready for it this year, but his teachers conspired against me. When I picked him up tonight, they had taught him to say, "I want to go to the dance!" He was so excited, running around with one of his friends, so how could I say no? I called Eugene to let him know about the change in plans, and off we went.

I took Alex to dinner at Panera first, and he ate pretty well. (The secret to a happy toddler is to make sure he eats well and gets enough sleep.) Then we drove to the banquet center where the dance was being held. It was pretty slippery; I fell as I got out of the car. Luckily, I didn't fall when I was carrying Alex (his Royal Highness doesn't walk if he can get me to carry him, and I usually do, no matter how awkward it is).

Many of the kids were dressed up for the dance. Alex was still in his casual clothes, but there were plenty of kids going casual too. I brought him to the edge of the dance floor for a couple of songs, but as I predicted, he clung to me. Eventually he wanted to leave the room. He started to get a little more active, especially once he saw a couple of boys from our playgroup. They had fun running up and down the hallway, trying to get money from an ATM machine, and generally acting like toddlers. Alex even latched on to one of the other moms for a while! Eugene met us at the dance and talked to a couple of other fathers there. One of Alex's teachers actually brought him onto the dance floor, and I danced a little bit too. It's been a long time, and I was amazed I still had the energy for it! But eventually the dance ended, and Alex ran out of energy. So we'll see how he does next year.

Back on the Blog Chain--Your Best Mistake

I'm back with another edition of the Blog Chain. This round, Rebecca wants to know, "What is the best mistake you've made so far in your journey as a writer? How has that mistake helped you grow?"

Check out Amanda's and Eric's posts to follow the other links in the chain.

This is a tough topic for me to answer. As a perfectionist, I hate making mistakes, not to mention admitting them. Of course, I do make mistakes, and I've had a lot of time to make them with my writing. The problem is I really can't point to a specific instance and describe it as a light bulb moment. So I'll discuss a few that are worth mentioning.

My very first attempt at a novel was pretty awful. I had what I thought was an interesting premise (characters who refrain from speaking to build up magic inherent in language encounter people who speak a different language), but the heroine was a bit cliche (white-haired female magician), and I tended to avoid conflict. They traveled, but it wasn't an exciting journey. I'm glad that one will never see the light of day.

I'd like to think my second novel, Day of All Seasons, has a better plot and setting, more characters, and more conflict. But it's also very long (about 170,000 words), and features a lot of viewpoint characters. I'm amazed it worked out as well as it did! My first mistake with this one was to submit such a long novel. I had a couple of partial requests, but I never got farther than that. Lesson Number One: learn to write shorter novels.

A few years ago, I dusted Day off and posted some of it on the Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. (The link is in the sidebar.) I tried reworking the beginning a couple of times according to suggestions, but I felt they were changing the story into something I didn't want it to be. Eventually the novel went back in the trunk. Lessons Two and Three: Sometimes you can't go back, and you can't change everything to please other people.

Many of my most memorable mistakes involve critiquing. I don't want to go into too much detail, but there have been misunderstandings by people who didn't understand what I was trying to do with the story. I've run into problems when I've tried to critique a genre I'm not familiar with. I've brought in stories that weren't thought through enough, I've made characters too unsympathetic in the beginning (my intent was for them to change over the story, but perhaps I went too far with their flaws) and made characters sound younger than they were. It took time to overcome these problems, and I'm sure there are others out there I'm not aware of. And while I'd love to start submitting Across Two Universes as soon as I finish this draft, I know I need some time away from it and a fresh reviewer to read it. Impatience can lead to some pretty big mistakes!

Mistakes are inevitable anytime you try something new. It's commonly said that you first have to write a million bad words before you can start writing good stuff. I guess that's one good thing about writing long novels in the beginning; it helped me speed through my first million words faster! I have no idea how many words I've written by now, but I hope they're starting to add up to something good.

The Science of Science Fiction--Rotifers Don't Do It, But Bees Do

I saw two interesting science articles in the New York Times Online today. The first one has to do with asexual creatures, like rotifers (a class of microscopic animals, most of which live in fresh water). The vast majority of animals reproduce sexually, even though that means each parent passes down only half their genes. One possible reason sex is so popular (besides the obvious) is that shuffling genes helps animals cope with pathogens. So, what do asexual creatures do to avoid parasites and pathogens? In the case of rotifers, they can literally dry up. By doing this, they can either outlast their pathogens, like fungi, or be blown away to a cleaner place.

I think this is an interesting idea to consider when creating alien life forms. If you want to create asexual aliens, how do they avoid disease? (And what do they do on Valentine's Day?) The dry-up-and-blow-away approach may not work for multicellular creatures; they would need to come up with some other method of dealing with parasites and pathogens. The fun part is dreaming up what that could be.

The second article is about bees, which do have sex. However, this article is about their ability to recognize human faces. Although they have a much smaller neural network than humans do, they can still be trained recognize human faces, and they even use the same technique (mapping parts of an image into an overall pattern). The science fiction aspect of this suggests that insects might be more intelligent than one would suspect. This research may also be used to make computers better able to recognize faces. Humm, could a hive of bees be used as a biological computer, with each bee processing a few bytes of information? It's a fun idea to think about, but I sure wouldn't want to be the computer programmer!

Ten Word Tuesday: On Politics

Primary today--my Taoist reading said to push demons out.

Reintroduction to Math

I meant to do a wrap-up post yesterday about my goals for 2010. Although I haven't written much in the last few days, I've made progress in other areas: I passed my goals for blogging and critiquing, I started one of the writing craft books that's been on the shelf for a while, and I suggested some panel topics for WisCon. Although I exercised more often than not last month, my weight's been steady. I don't know if my doctor will be pleased or not.

Anyway, I found a column in the online New York Times that may be of interest. It's not about science or science fiction, but math. If you fear math, this is a series you should read. It starts with the basic principles of math (going all the way back to Sesame Street) and promises to explain them. This first column is about numbers, counting, and addition. I'm not sure if I'll link to the rest of the series, so you may want to keep checking the column for updates.

The Science of Science Fiction: What Color is Your Dinosaur?

This article, while it doesn't particularly inspire me with story ideas, is still pretty cool. Some dinosaur fossils have structures that appear to be feathers, although not all scientists agree that's what they are. By looking at these structures under the microscope, scientists can compare them to feathers of modern birds. Both the fossilized structures and feathers have tiny components called melanosomes, or colored bodies. The melanosomes in the fossils appear to come in two kinds so far: one gray to black; the other, reddish and white. There isn't enough data yet to speculate what a dinosaur's overall colors were white, but this might give some writers ideas for describing dinosaurs or even aliens. And the purpose of a particular coloring? Again, that's something for you to play with.

Ten Word Tuesday: My Day Job

I passed a test but spilled hemoglobin on my sweater.

Back on the Blog Chain: Whose Voice is It Anyway?

I'm back again with another installment of the Blog Chain. This time, Sarah asked the question:

How did you discover your particular voice as a writer?

Mandy answered this question before me, and Eric will post tomorrow.

I have what may be an unconventional take on voice. While there are some parts of my writing style that are constant -- I use semicolons and long sentences, and even semicolons in long sentences; I like beats, similes, and interior dialogue -- my voice changes with each project. My voice is flavored by the viewpoint characters who tell my stories. In the end, they are all products of me, filtered by my perceptions of how a noblewoman, seamstress, teenage male actor, embittered lab tech, or magician in exile might view the world. But I work hard to ensure that the words I choose fit the character. It's like the improv game of All in One Voice, where two people have to make up and sing the same lyrics at the same time:



Voice is especially important when writing a story told in the first person. My two most successful stories so far were written in first person. ("Move Over Ms. L.," the prequel to my current novel Across Two Universes, earned an Honorable Mention in an international competition for novellas. "A Reptile at the Reunion" was published in an anthology two years ago.) I think part of the reason they worked so well is because of the voice. It's interesting that both main characters had some things in common with me: both women worked in a lab, either scientific or veterinary. They were also both soured by events in their pasts, and this cynicism and hurt carried over into their voices. (I hope I don't come across this way in real life!) Jo, the heroine of "Move Over Ms. L.," is described by her husband in Across Two Universes has having more chip than shoulder. Jo reconciles with her past over the course of "Move Over Ms. L.," going from this:

I stopped myself from blurting out the rest of my private nickname for him – Uncle Jackass. He was the heir to the wishing well – not to mention the money well.

To this:

And you’ll be loved, Paul. No matter what happens, both George and I will always love you. I promise you that.

My current novel is told in third person, mostly from Paul's point of view. I find it harder to establish a voice in third person, though as I said before, I try to filter the narration through his perspective. The expressions he uses are a product of his upbringing. For instance, when he gets in trouble, he refers to himself as being "in heavy water" instead of hot water. Although heavy water isn't used in the fusion engines that power the spaceship where he lives, it still seems like something he would know about and know was dangerous. Paul is also much more free with swear words than I am in real life, and as an actor, he likes to quote Shakespeare. I don't think Shakespeare counts as part of my voice, though.

One final point I'd like to make about voice is that for me at least, it takes time to develop. My first draft of a scene tends to be sparse, mostly dialogue, beats, and action. Dialogue comes fairly easily to me, but setting doesn't. I'm an organic writer who tends to figure out the purpose of a scene as I create it, so this is part of the reason why my drafts are quite drafty. And frequently, especially if I'm tired, the words I choose tend to be ordinary. Once I have a better sense of the scene and what my viewpoint character's motives and emotions are, I can go back and punch up the scene with details and interesting phrases to give it some spark.

To sum up, the voice of a particular story isn't just mine; it's a fusion of my perspective and my character's. We improv and experiment together until we come up with the words that sing. And my readers are lucky in that they don't have to hear me actually sing my stories. I'd drive them all away!

What are your thoughts on voice?

Contest for Book Lovers (and Views of My Library)

Rebecca Knight, one of our blog chain members, recently reached 100 followers on her blog. To celebrate, she's running a contest. You can enter from now through February 14th; the details are here. The prizes include a $25 gift card, a synopsis critique, and a copy of Shiver, plus some other goodies. You can earn points for the contest by spreading the word about it and showing your love of books, such as writing reviews of books, taking pictures of yourself with books, and posting pictures of yourself with your library. Here are my photos; please focus on the books, not me! I'm not very good at self-portraits.




The picture on the left is me in front of my non-fiction bookshelf. Included here are books on philosophy, literature, history, and textbooks from undergrad. On the right is the bookshelf devoted to my SF/fantasy paperbacks. I estimate this bookshelf contains over 500 paperbacks!






On the left is another view of my SF/Fantasy paperback bookshelf. On the right is a bookshelf with fiction hardcovers/trade paperbacks. The lower three shelves house my Beatles books/magazine collection.

In addition to these bookshelves, I have two other bookshelves in my office that aren't pictured. One holds more fiction hardcovers and trade paperbacks; the other, my writing books. They're not in good spots for picture-taking. I also have some books still in boxes in our basement. I probably have at least a thousand books, most of which I've read. (I don't shelve my books until I read them, with the exception of books like encyclopedias that you wouldn't read cover to cover.) And this doesn't include my husband's or my son's book collections!


Another view of my non-fiction.


So, Rebecca, that's my library. Five points, please!

The Science of Science Fiction: Animal Antifreeze

Do you like winter? I sure don't. If you happen to like winter so much that your story is set in a very cold location, you might want to read this article in the New York Times. It discusses ways in which fish and insects cope with cold weather. For these creatures, one of the main dangers of cold weather is the buildup of ice crystals, which can damage cells and organs. So, some of these animals have proteins that act as antifreeze. These proteins bind to ice crystals and extend the range at which water stays liquid. The really interesting thing about these proteins is that each different species has its own unique antifreeze; they all evolved the trait independently. Other insects use alcohols and complex sugars to control ice development. These molecules don't stop ice from forming the way the protein antifreezes do, but they keep the insides of cells unfrozen.

So, how can we apply this science to science fiction? I can think of a few ways:

1. These animals can provide inspiration for aliens in cold environments.
2. As a way to preserve organs for transplant (researchers are already studying this) or to save and freeze tissue/embryos so they can be thawed later (perhaps colonists could bring infants or young animals with them this way).
3. As a way to send humans on long space voyages; they can be frozen and then thawed on arrival.

Does anyone have any other general ideas they'd like to share?

Ten Word Tuesday: Tips for Overcoming Writer's Block

Check if your viewpoint is focused. Or, just cause trouble.

Where Does the Time Go?

Today was one of those rare days when I didn't have to work and Alex's daycare was open. I shamelessly brought him in. He had to stay home Friday since he wasn't feeling well, so I figured it would be good to get him back into the routine. Besides, I can get more done when I don't have to worry about him. I had a lot of plans for today, but as usual, I overestimated what I could get done in a day. My day went something like this:


6:10--Woke up (before the alarm), checked my computer, and exercised.
6:55--Came back upstairs to get ready.
7:20--Alex started to fuss. Eugene checked on him while I finished getting ready.
7:30--Went downstairs and prepared breakfast for the three of us. Wrote out grocery list. Kept Alex entertained and finished getting him ready for school while Eugene took his shower.
8:35--Finally got Alex bundled in the car.
8:55--Dropped Alex off at daycare.
9:10--Arrived at grocery store and bought a cartload of groceries.
10:20--Arrived back home. Put groceries away. Vacuumed upstairs. Realized I didn't have time to clean the master bathroom. Prepared a casserole and a frozen dessert. Warmed up leftovers for lunch.
12:15--Headed out for a spa appointment, leaving dirty dishes in the sink.
12:30-2:00 Had my eyebrows waxed and got a facial. It was very relaxing and long overdue.
2:20--Returned home. Cleaned up and unloaded dishwasher. Made tea and brought computer upstairs to my office.
3:00-5:30 Worked on Across Two Universes while surfing the Net, checking out stories to crit on OWW, and other things. Despite goofing off, I still wrote nearly 600 words, which is pretty good for me.
5:30--Left to pick up Alex.
6:10-7:30--Returned home. Finished cooking dinner while trying to find something Alex wanted to eat. Made French toast for him, but he refused it for plain bread and part of an apple. Set up a loaf of bread in the bread machine. Watched umpteen zillion episodes of Busytown Mysteries with Alex.
7:35-8:30--Eugene came home from work. He washed the salad, served dinner, and cleaned up while Alex occupied my lap. Ate dinner while watching umpteen zillion more episodes of Busytown Mysteries. Alex nibbled on a few wafer cookies.
8:30-9:30--Brought Alex upstairs and gave him his bath. Eugene helped him say "goodnight" to various things around the house and changed him into his pajamas. Alex finally decided he wants to eat ham. I brought some upstairs and watched him devour several deli slices while Eugene read several bedtime books. Helped Alex brush and floss his teeth. Finally get him in the crib.
9:30--now. Came downstairs, made more tea, checked a couple of my favorite sites, and finished this blog post.

What's the point of listing my day in so much detail? To show how much time goes into everyday chores like cooking, cleaning, and childcare. The sad thing is there were several other chores I had planned to do, like clean the bathroom, organize my office, and run a couple of errands at the mall. If I had done them, then I doubt I would have had any time to write at all today. (I was also hoping to critique a story on OWW today, but I haven't found one I want to do yet.) If you're not careful, chores can expand to fill all of your time. Some chores have to be taken care of, but sometimes you have to ignore them and carve out time for yourself.

So, dear readers, how do you allocate your time? What's your chore/writing ratio?

2009 High Fives

I was nominated for an award last night over at Inkpots n'Quills: the 2009 High Fives. If I understand this correctly, I'm supposed to list five accomplishments from last year and nominate five more blogs. This took some thought, but here are my accomplishments:

IFT

IFT stands for Institute of Food Technology, a professional organization. They hold a convention every year; food companies give out samples, and scientists present their food-related research. Last June, I flew out to California to present some of the research I'd done for my company at a poster session. Although it's relatively easy to have a poster accepted, it was still the first time I'd done something like this. Overall, the poster session went well, and we made some new business contacts.

JAPAN

Since I was transferred last year from research to Quality Control, I was sent to Japan for two weeks to our parent company for training. (There are a series of posts discussing my trip, which was in late September-early October.) I'm still trying to perfect the assays I need to do, but considering I don't speak Japanese and not all of the QC people spoke English very well, I'm glad it went as well as it did. They praised me for my ability to use chopsticks, and I made it to the lab in the aftermath of a typhoon. I also got to see the John Lennon Museum near Tokyo.

Parenting

One of the hardest parts about my business trips last year was leaving my family, especially my toddler son. Last year, we finally got him to fall asleep on his own and in his crib, instead of on us or with us in his room. We had to force him to cry it out, which was hard for all of us, but now everyone sleeps better. (Except for me, but I'm at the point where I need medical help to cure my insomnia.) I'm also pleased to report that while Alex isn't completely toilet training, he does use his potty. I think being in daycare and seeing the other kids use the toilet got him interested in it.

Writing

I didn't finish revising my current project as I'd resolved to, but at least my opening survived a public flogging.

WisCon

I was part of three panels at WisCon last year. The topics were keeping up with science, the science of time travel, and keeping science in science fiction. I contributed more to the first and last panel than I did to the one on time travel. That was a busy time of year for me, as we also had to plan for Alex's second birthday party and my trip to IFT. Adding preparation for the WisCon panels on top of that made things stressful. I'm glad they went well, but I think I won't sign up for so many this year.


I also have to nominate five other blogs for this award, so here we go:

Deathday Letters
Don't Think Twice

H. L. Dyer's Weblog
Mindless Musings
Working My Muse

Ten Word Tuesday: Perservance

Life is tough. Obstacles always pop up. Keep going anyway.

The Science of Science Fiction: Epigenetics

Welcome to a new feature on my blog: The Science of Science Fiction. Whenever I find interesting science articles online, I intend to link to them and discuss both the science and its potential in science fiction. My first article comes from Time and is titled "Why Genes Aren't Destiny."

As you probably learned in high school biology, deoxyribonucleic acid, better known as DNA, is the carrier of our genetic information. (For a refresher course on DNA, please check here and here.) With the exception of red blood cells and eggs/sperm, all cells in the human body carry all of the instructions, or genes, needed to create a human being. However, not all genes are needed in all cells, and even the ones that are on in a given cell have to be regulated. In order to turn genes on or off or to change how often their instruction are read, small molecules bind to DNA in specific places. These chemical markers form the basis of epigenetics, the study of non-genetic changes in genetic regulation that are heritable.

These changes in gene regulation can persist for a surprisingly long time. The article in Time discusses a Swedish study linking overeating as a child, even for a single season, to significantly shorter lives for that child's grandchildren. (That's a very scary thought, given the typical American diet!) Fortunately, unlike changes in the DNA sequence, the markers aren't permanent and can fade if the environment changes. Also, these markers are a possible target for new drugs to treat certain illnesses. Some markers can even overrule poor genes. Pregnant women are urged to get extra folic acid during pregnancy. It turns out that folic acid is a source of markers called methyl groups (one carbon and three hydrogen atoms), and a study in mice showed that giving folic acid to pregnant mice with a genetic tendency toward diabetes resulted in the babies turning out healthy.

So, what does all of this mean for a science fiction writer? Epigenetics is still a very new field, with much to be learned. One thing that is known, however, is that some genes have different effects depending on if they came from the father or the mother; this is another example of DNA markers at work. As a science fiction writer, I could see using epigenetics as a way to explain differences between genders or as a way for a population to change very quickly in response to their environment. You could even create a single alien race with several distinct types of individuals; they could all have the same genes that are regulated differently based on the genetic markers they bear.

I hope you found this new feature of my blog interesting and not too overwhelming. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to post them. Like our genome, this blog is also open to evolution!

Back on the Blog Chain: Writing Resolutions

Welcome back to the Blog Chain! This round, BJ picked the topic:

What are your writing resolutions for the year 2010?

Amanda posted before me, and Eric comes next in the chain.

Last year, I resolved to finish revising Across Two Universes. Unfortunately, I couldn't sustain the pace I set for myself (I got bogged down at some points). However, as I mentioned a couple of days ago, I am much farther along. My new goal is to finish this draft by my birthday (April 28). That will give me some time to take a break from it before the final review/polish. And by then I really, really want to start sending it out.

I'm not sure what else I'll work on besides ATU. I do have a sequel planned, but it might be nice to take a break from Paul and return to my NaNoWriMo project. (I have to do something better with that singing owl!) I might even work on some of my short story ideas.

Along with actual writing, I have several other goals in mind:

1. I will attend WisCon Memorial Day weekend. I go every year (except when I'm nine months pregnant), and I'm already booked for the con and the hotel room. I'm not sure yet if I'll be on any panels this year or if I'll just attend them.

2. I will read the writing books on my to-read list: Flogging the Quill and The 10% Solution.

3. I will blog more frequently than I have been lately--at least 10 times a month. I'm thinking of blogging about some of the science news stories I read and discussing the implications for science fiction. I will also search for more blogs to follow and leave comments.

4. I will critique at least two chapters or short stories on the Online Writing Workshop (edited to add: per month). I haven't had much time for it lately, but while my writing brain cells fade by the end of the day, the reviewing cells might still have a chance to function.

That's enough for now. Will I actually stick to my goals? Well, I do have my mind set on them:



But we'll see next year how well I did.

Five Random Things

Christina Fonseca posted this meme on her blog, and it looked interesting enough for me to follow suit. If you'd like to play along too, please feel free to do so in either a comment below or on your own blog. If you post it on your blog, please link to it so I can see what you said.

1) Most unusual or interesting job I’ve had…

My previous job in Research and Development for an enzyme company (I was transferred to QC last year). I had the opportunity to choose some of my own projects. Sometimes I'd go shopping at the grocery store and bring back different types of food to experiment on. Of course, that meant I had to taste-test the results, and they weren't always good!

2) Childhood Memory related to writing…

When I was in middle school, I studied German. It wasn't very popular, so when we held our Foreign Language Fair, we didn't get to perform the way the French and Spanish students did. I tried to change that by writing a short play called "A Little Demonstration of German." It was a couple of short scenes with German phrases. Nothing too fancy, as my German wasn't up to much--and I've forgotten a lot of it since! We didn't get to perform it, but my teacher gave me a special certificate that year.

3) Things I collect

I collect postcards whenever I travel. It started when I visited Germany as a teenager. I even taped them to the wall of my dorm room in undergrad. I don't display them any more, but I still buy them.

I also like to collect books and magazines about the Beatles. For a while, I used to buy Time's special Year in Review issue, but I've let that slide.

4) Obsessions

My pet dragons on Facebook. Sometimes if I wake up in the middle of the night, I'll log in to check on a battle. Heck, perhaps they're why I can no longer sleep more than six hours at a stretch. Yes, I'm strange.

5) Unusual “talents”

I'm not sure what to put here. I can crochet. There's nothing unusual about that--except I do it with my "weak" hand. I'm left-handed, but crochet patterns are written for right-handed people. It was easier to learn to crochet right-handed than to keep reversing the directions.

Baking Day

Since we were supposed to get 6-10 inches of snow today, I took the day off from work. I have a lot of vacation time this year, and my boss didn't mind. Although I haven't written much (Alex didn't nap for very long today), I did manage to bake a loaf of our regular sandwich bread (a variation of nine-grain honey bread, made in the bread machine), two loaves of potato bread, and a batch of lemon scones. The last two recipes were new to me. The potato bread wasn't too difficult, but I had more trouble with the scones. I had to cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork, and the scone pan we have increased the baking time (the recipe called for cutting the scones into wedges and baking them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, but I wanted to try the scone pan). They were still good. We had the potato bread with homemade lentil soup--a good dinner for a winter night.

Work In Progress Wednesday

It's been a long time since I've done one of these, so I thought it was time to post an update:

Currently Working On: Across Two Universes, Chapter Eighteen, Page 187
Total Number of Pages: 266
Total Number of Words: About 84,000

The word count shrunk because I took out a chapter, which I'm currently rewriting. Still, I'm finally beginning to feel that I'm close to the end of this draft. It's still too soon to predict when I'll be finished; it depends on how much I revise the end.

Tea at the Drake Hotel

If you're my friend on Facebook, you may have noticed that my most recent status update was about having tea at the Drake Hotel. This is something Eugene and I have been meaning to do for a while, and he booked a reservation a couple of weeks ago on a whim.

Earlier this week, I was wondering what to wear. This hotel is a posh place, and I don't have any winter dresses. I did look around a bit earlier, but I didn't find anything. Even if I had, it's too cold for a dress today--unless it comes with a built-in space heater. My characters in Across Two Universes have smart clothes that can warm or cool them, but they're still not quite ready for the general market. I finally settled on something warm: my best jeans and a nice sweater. Although there were some older women in furs, there were also plenty of other people in jeans, so that worked out.

The hotel was still decorated for Christmas. There was a huge Christmas tree and a little village outside the Palm Court. Alex also liked looking at the big wooden soldiers posted by the stairs. We sat next to the fountain and had a good view of the harpist's back.

We each got to order our own pot of tea (we didn't get any for Alex, but I let him try some of mine). Unfortunately, they were out of my first choice, White Jasmine, so I ordered Gunpowder Green instead. I probably should have chosen a herbal tea, as Gunpowder Green becomes especially bitter if it steeps too long. The selection of scones, sandwiches, and pastries was pretty good. Alex particularly liked the bread (I can't remember what kind it was). He behaved pretty well throughout the tea, though he did get a bit antsy toward the end since he wanted something else to eat.

I normally don't blog about bathrooms, but the ladies' room was quite impressive. After going through the main door, there's a short flight of steps leading down to two long couches. Each stall has its own private sink, mirror, and vanity stool.

All in all, it was an enjoyable experience, though I have to admit I preferred the high tea we had in London. Of course, the Drake is a little easier to get to than London (sigh). One of Eugene's classmates wrote a book called All the Tea in Chicago; I'd like to visit some of the other places in the Chicago area that offer a tea service. Or even better, I'd also like to bake my own scones and host a tea party sometime.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

I've been a bit lazy about blogging the last couple of weeks. I've been off of work since December 23rd (I had plenty of unused vacation time), but most of the time I've been doing things around the house, writing, or even relaxing. (It's probably not surprising I do less relaxing than writing!) So I didn't get around to doing a year-in-review post yesterday. However, since January is named for Janus, the god of beginnings and endings, I figure I can still look back before I look ahead. I know technically the new decade doesn't start until 2011, but since I hit a significant milestone this year, I feel like looking back to 2000, the year I turned 30.

Ten years ago, when I rang in 2000, it was with Eugene, although we weren't married yet. I was living up in Wisconsin (we were in a long-distance relationship), and I was working for an enzyme company up there. I can't remember exactly what writing project I was working on at the time, but it might have been an early draft of Across Two Universes or a related work. Well, today I'm married with a toddler son, and while I'm still in the enzyme industry, it's for a different company. I've had a short story published in the meantime and worked on some other writing projects too. I started this blog and joined Facebook; both of them help me network with other writers. And while it may seem as if I've taken a real long time with Across Two Universes, I feel that this draft is pretty close to final. We'll see if I feel that way after I have other people review it. (grins)

As for looking ahead, I'd really like to finish Across Two Universes and start submitting it to agents. My job is going in a new direction, so I'll have to see how well that works out. I'd also love taking a vacation with Eugene; I don't think we've had a real one since Alex was born. And yes, I do turn 40 this year. It's a little strange to think about that, though it may feel a little more real as my birthday approaches. Then again, I have too much to do to sit around and brood about it.

Happy 2010 to all of you, and if you made any resolutions, good luck in following them!

Kiss and Tell

According to Elana's blog (well, she got the idea from another blog), today is a Kissing Day Blogfest, when you're supposed to post a kissing scene from your blog. I don't often post excerpts from my work in progress here, but I thought I'd play along. This is from Across Two Universes. Paul is attempting to convince his childhood sweetheart, Yvonne, to help him, but he becomes distracted when he learns he has a rival....


Paul’s blood pulsed at the unfamiliar male name. “Caleb? Who’s Caleb?”

She flushed. “The minister’s son at Nana’s church. We dated a couple of times while I was on leave.”

He grabbed her hand. How dare someone try to steal Yvonne from him! He forced himself to breathe slowly, normally, as if he didn’t want to punch this Caleb’s guts out.

“You love him?” he challenged her.

“I...I don’t know. No. Not yet, anyway; I don’t know him that well. All I know is he expects to take over the church when his father retires. I felt like he was interviewing me for the job of minister’s wife. Stop squeezing me so hard!”

He relaxed his grip. “I’m sorry.” He rubbed her hands with his thumbs, hoping he hadn’t hurt her. “Look, I don’t care who this guy is, if he’s telling you what to do, he’s not the one for you.”

She met his gaze. “And you think you are?”

He looked down at her. Even as upset as she was, she was still beautiful. If anything, the tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes and the color in her cheeks brought her passion to the surface. Her hair smelled like lavender; he wanted to bury his face in it. For the first time since he’d revealed he was Sean’s clone, she didn’t seem afraid of him.

His hand drifted up to her chin. “I could be, if you’d let me.”

It seemed the most natural thing in the universe to kiss her, so he did. He wasn’t sure if she’d ever French-kissed before, so he pressed her lips gently with his tongue. When she let him in, he wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her closer. He’d waited years for this moment; he needed to savor every detail of her, from the way her mouth tasted of apples to the way her curves fit so well against him.

Yvonne’s hands crept up his back, raising prickles of excitement. Her mouth opened wider, and she returned his exploration of her mouth with a tentative quest into his. But then she pushed herself away. Stunned, he let her go.

She fought to control her breathing, but her eyes were still full of longing even as she said, “I can’t do this, Paul.”

The sweet taste in his mouth turned bitter. “I shouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry.”

He bolted for the exit so quickly he almost stepped on a butterfly.

The Polar Express

Early this evening, we took Alex for a ride on the Polar Express.

A nearby trolley museum hosts the Polar Express every year. We found out about this back in September. Although we haven't read the book or seen the movie, we thought this would be a fun activity for Alex, so we went ahead and bought tickets, since they sell out quickly.

After Alex woke up from his nap, we drove to the station. It's located in a forest preserve, but we were still able to find it without too much trouble. We had to wait about half an hour before we were able to board. It was a short train (two cars), but the inside was decorated for Christmas. Alex sat on my lap, so I didn't have much room to move.

Once the train departed at a slow pace, volunteers in chef costumes came around with hot chocolate and cookies. Another volunteer read the first part of the story; another person walked around displaying the book. Then two more people, one playing a guitar, led us in singing carols.

It wasn't long before we arrived at the "North Pole." Santa and Mrs. Claus boarded the train. After a bit of joshing, they went around and gave bells to all the children. We sang a song or two, then returned to the first station. The second part of the trip was similar to the first.

Alex didn't seem to know what to make of everything at first. He was quiet and looked around a lot. He didn't say much to Santa, but he took it in stride. He also enjoyed playing with his bell. After a while, Alex warmed up (perhaps the cookie had something to do with that). I think next year he'll get more out of it. It was a fun activity that I think will become a family tradition for us, at least as long as Alex believes.

For John....

Back on the Blog Chain: What Was I Thinking?

This is the last Blog Chain for 2009. (scary thought, huh?) Shaun picked a fun topic:


What is the silliest thing from a book or short story you've written, and why? It can be a line or a paragraph or a whole page. Anything that you look back at and go, "Say what?"

Or, as Christine Lavin would say, "What Was I Thinking?"



(Please note that this version is much more political than the one I know from her album.)

Mandy posted before me, and Eric comes next.

Personally, I think my funniest story was the one I wrote in March for another Blog Chain. It seems like cheating to use it twice, so I'm going to post an excerpt from my NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) project from 2007. The premise is that the narrator, who can shapeshift into an owl, is trying to cheer up her sister, a reluctant werewolf:



Although I couldn’t manage words, I could try to hoot a song and see if she recognized it.

I started with a song from the late 80’s. It didn’t take me long to realize that owls weren’t meant to sing. Although I could make different sounds besides hoots, none of them were exactly melodic. I continued anyway. So what if I drove all of the prey into Lake Michigan with my singing?


Yeah, I'm cringing myself. But hey, anything goes during NaNoWriMo!

I hope once you recover from reading that paragraph that you have a wonderful holiday (whichever one you celebrate). Although the Blog Chain will be on break until next year, I'll continue to post. Please stop on by!

Writing the Other: Review and CONTEST!

When Shaun started our latest Blog Chain a couple of days ago, he mentioned he had considered picking race and stereotypes as our topic. I read a book about this recently; I've been meaning to blog about it but haven't done so. So let me dust off my blogging fingers and get to it.

Writing the Other: A Practical Approach is a series of essays and writing exercises by Cynthia Ward and Nisi Shawl, who lead a workshop (or used to; I'm not sure if they still do) by the same name. If you've ever wanted to write about someone who isn't of your own gender/race/ethnic group/sexual orientation but didn't know how to go about it, this book can help. It's not going to tell you everything you need to know to bring that Buddhist Native American lesbian who uses a wheelchair to life, but it will point you in the right direction.

One of the first major points made in this book is that unless otherwise indicated, readers will assume a particular character is in the "unmarked" state. This means that the character is presumed to be white, middle-class, male, straight, able-bodied, etc. if you want more diversity in your cast of characters, you have to indicate that, or "mark" them. But it's not as simple as changing a few names and physical features; people are going to view the world differently based on their backgrounds. Some of the writing exercises in this book will help you get into another person's mindset.

Another essay discusses some of the common mistakes/stereotypes writers make when working with marked characters. For example, the hero may have a friend from a minority group whose main purpose is to suffer/die to save the hero. Alternatively, marked characters may be shown as not being the protagonists of their own stories or may require saving by someone else (in other words, showing them as less competent.) The authors mention books and films that have these types of mistakes; in some cases, they also list books that portray marked characters more realistically. I found this section especially useful.

I don't have the book with me at the moment, so I can't review everything that it includes. But besides what I've already discussed, it includes an essay about borrowing from other cultures and an excerpt from one of the authors of her own work.

Overall, this is a thin book, but it's got a lot of meaty material. The tone is generally meant to be candid and helpful, though it may come across as a bit "PC" at times. Still, I think this is an important book for every writer who wants to create realistic, diverse groups of characters. After all, although some people may feel afraid to write about marked characters for fear of getting them wrong, it's an even worse mistake to exclude them completely from your work. As people travel around the world and settle in different areas, populations are becoming more heterogeneous. If you can't show this in your book, then it feels less real.

(I recently read a paranormal romance set in modern Chicago, and all of the characters, even the minor ones, seemed to be white. Although this wasn't the only issue I had with the book, I think it contributed to making the setting feel flat to me. And since the main reason I bought this particular book was because of the local setting, I won't be reading the rest of the series.)

I bought two copies of this book at WisCon so I could give one away on this blog. So, here comes the contest part of this post:

1. A copy of this book will be given to a person, chosen at random, who comments on this post between now and Friday, December 11, noon CST.

2. No anonymous posts or spam will be considered. Also, any posts that are disrespectful of this topic or of other commenters will be excluded.

3. You can earn a second entry into the drawing by blogging or tweeting about this contest. Please e-mail me (sandra AT sandraulbrich DOT com) the link to your blog or tweet.

4. Although I would prefer waiting until after Christmas to mail out the book, I can do it sooner if you'd like to give it as a gift.


I think that's it! If you have any questions, please feel free to post them. And please feel free to discuss how you write about the other in your own work.