The wonder of beginnings

  In today's fast-paced world our stories compete with a huge variety of entertainments. Hence, our beginnings have an important role in hooking the reader. The words of a first paragraph may determine whether you captivate a certain reader; they may increase your chances of reaching a wider audience or convince an editor to get to the gist of your story. (On the other hand, a first paragraph that is not captivating is not an indicator that the story is not worth reading).
   Powerful beginnings are those that set an emotion or make an interesting statement that kindles our curiosity. They may set a specific situation or a conflict that intrigues the reader. They may throw us into a vivid setting that we want to explore further.
  In my case, writing a compelling first paragraph can become the force that pushes me to write the whole story. It can be the key to unblock the rest of it.
  Let's examine the beginnings of some short stories by well-known writers.

"Thomas withdrew to the side of the window and with his head between the wall and the curtain he looked down on the driveway where the car had stopped. His mother and the little slut were getting out of it. His mother emerged slowly, stolid and awkward, and then the little slut's long slightly bowed legs slid out, the dress pulled above the knees. With a shriek of laughter she ran to meet the dog, who bounded, overjoyed, shaking with pleasure, to welcome her. Rage gathered throughout Thomas's large frame with a silent ominous intensity, like a mob assembling."
Wow. This is a very strong beginning.We see a clear scene and there is conflict. Thomas does not like the woman getting out of the car with his mother. The narrator calls her a "slut" and the tension is intense right from the start because he is very upset, but the slut does not seem to care. What's going on here? We are compelled to read on. This is the first paragraph of the short story  "The Comforts of Home" by Flannery O'Connor.

"My husband gave me a broom one Christmas. This wasn't right. No one can tell me it was meant kindly."

Brief and funny. A woman received a broom as a Christmas gift and, not surprisingly, is offended. We all wonder why her husband did that to her. What was behind his action? Would you keep reading? This is the first paragraph of the short story "An Interest in Life" by Grace Paley


"Miss Adela Strangeworth came daintily along Main Street on her way to the grocery. The sun was shining, the air was fresh and clear after the night's heavy rain, and everything in Miss Strangeworth's little town looked washed and bright. Miss Strangeworth took deep breaths and thought that there was nothing in the world like a fragrant summer day."
 I like this first paragraph because it describes a vivid scene with simple words (sun shining, fresh air, little town, fragrant summer) and it transmits a strong emotion about the character. This is the first paragraph of the short story "The Possibility of Evil" by Shirley Jackson. It won the Edgar Allan Poe Award and was first published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1965.

"There must be some approach to this, a method, a technique, that's the word I want, it kills germs. Some technique then, a way of thinking about it that would be bloodless and therefore painless; devotion recollected in tranquility. I try to conjure up an image of myself at that time, also one of you, but it's like conjuring the dead. How do I know I'm not inventing both of us, and if I'm not inventing then it really is like conjuring the dead, a dangerous game. Why should I disturb those sleepers, sleepwalkers as they make their automaton rounds through the streets where we once lived, fading from year to year, their voices thinning to the sound of a thumb drawn across a wet window: an insect squeak, transparent as glass, no words. You can never tell with the dead whether it is they who wish to return or the living who want them to. The usual explanation is that they have something to tells us. I'm not sure I believe it; in this case, it's more likely that I have something to tell them."
This beginning enthralls me.The narrator wonders something about those who have died. Do they need to tell us something? The narrator is evoking a memory, an image of herself set in the past. I feel intrigued because I  would like to know how  this matter about those who died connects to her recollection. Her voice is strong too and compels me to read on. This is the first paragraph of the short story "Hair Jewellery" by Margaret Atwood.

What do you think about these beginnings? Let me know about your experience when you write the first paragraphs of your stories.

New tenants over our door

We have new tenants: a family of robins built a nest over our door. I took a picture of their beautiful nest without disturbing them.

 Robins are very cute. The American robin's chest is orange. Its eggs are light blue. Robins hop along the ground after rainstorms, or in freshly overturned soil, looking for worms and insects. As harbingers of spring Robins presage new beginnings.

An uplifting post

A few days ago I enjoyed  the Anthony Petullo's collection at the Milwaukee Art Museum. The artists whose work is shown here are an inspiration to all of us. Their life experience sets the example of what passion and persistence can achieve when they go hand in hand.

-Many of these artists were self-taught.

-Many of them endured economic hardships and/or had mental disorders.

-Many of them started working on their art in their forties and even later.

 I would like to mention some of of my favorite artists from this collection:

Frederick James Lloyd: he grew up on a farm in Cheshire in England and had different jobs before he devoted himself to his art. He worked as a farm laborer, stoker, lamplighter, bus conductor and police officer. At the age of 42 he remarried and fathered nine children. You would not think that was the best time to work on his art, right? Wrong! He worked on something else to support his family during the day, but in the evenings he painted at his kitchen table with his kids running and playing around him. One of the paintings I am showing here (the one with the face) is Lloyd's work. 

Sylvia Levine is another self-taught artist who began painting at the age of 45. The landscape here is one of her many paintings.

Madge Gill is a woman who worked with ink and pencil. Here is a link to some of her interesting work:

http://madgegill.com/Pencil-and-Ink-Drawings

 I cannot finish this post without telling you about Leo Navratil, a psychiatrist and author from Austria who encouraged his patients to draw and paint. While supporting his patients' creativity, he discovered that some of them were very talented. He sent some of the artwork to Jean Dubuffet and they created a group called The Gugging artists. Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985) was an artist attracted to the art of children and the mentally ill. He did a lot to promote their work. He attacked "conformism" and mainstream culture which he described as "asphyxiating". Feel free to visit these links about Jean Dubuffet:

https://www.artsy.net/artist/jean-dubuffet

http://www.theartstory.org/artist-dubuffet-jean.htm

If you are close to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, you may appreciate a visit to the Milwaukee Museum of Art to enjoy Anthony Petullo's collection.

Writing dialogue

  Dialogue should have one of these two functions:
1) Reveal character.
2) Move the story forward.
This is what Catherine Ann Jones states in her book "The Way of Story".
 When I edit my stories I keep those functions in my mind. I ask myself, " Do these words have a purpose?" I get rid of unnecessary chatter. I also read the dialogues aloud to know if they sound natural and realistic.

Dialogues can help us  show the reader something about the character. They can also contribute to shed light on the theme in subtle ways. Words sometimes lead to something that is not expressed but can be felt or intuited.
Catherine Ann Jones mentions that we can use dialogue to offer some back story about the characters. She sets Shakespeare as an example of this. Interestingly, I'd read some advice against using dialogue to reveal back story. I don't take this piece of advice seriously. The best lessons in writing are always learned by reading other writers' work.
  What are the challenges you face when you write or edit dialogues in your stories?

Water, a source of inspiration

Whenever I get stuck with an idea, or just for the fun of it, I like to be close to water. It works marvels when I need to roll my thoughts into stories. Sitting by a lake, contemplating the ocean, listening  to a stream or river flowing, walking by a pond, are all gifts to my creativity.

There is a pond close to my house and I like to peer out the window to rest my eyes on it and let my mind wander.

Here you are some interesting facts about water:

-Our bodies are made up of 60-70 %  water

- Coffee, tea and soft drinks contain caffeine - not just water. The diuretic effects of caffeine make your body lose water.

-Our brains need water. Why? Studies have shown that if you are only one percent dehydrated, you will likely have a 5 percent decrease in cognitive function. If your brain drops 2 percent in body water you may suffer from fuzzy short-term memory, experience problems with focusing, and have trouble with math calculations.

- Don't take water for granted. One billion people worldwide have no access to safe drinking water. 

-Half of the world's hospital beds are filled with people who suffer water related illnesses.

I was visiting the aquarium in Milwaukee a couple of weeks ago when I thought about writing this blog entry. At that instant, a man approached me to ask for feedback on a website about the conservation of water. 

Here is the link to his website:

www.h2oscore.com

Now go and enjoy a nice sip of cool water.

If you enjoyed this post feel free to read my post on Light Pollution. 

Thanking my enemies

 I don't like to have enemies. Who does? Yet I have to admit that they've had an impact on my writing life.
  Don't we need conflicts in our stories? Thinking about enemies from my past and what they have done to me has helped me to create realistic stories that captivated readers and made them empathize with the narrator.
  We need tension, don't we? Enemies have inspired me to write stories where tension builds up easily. They have led me to craft thought-provoking stories where I exposed the dark side of human nature.
 "There's good and bad in everyone" says Paul McCartny's song, so I was able to find something good about some of those enemies unless the character was a psychopath. Enemies have ignited rage, fustration, shame, strength and even wisdom and patience. I put everything to good use and explored those emotions to the best of my ability.
   Creative writing has allowed me to see my past under a different light. Don't be surprised if some of the toxic people out there help you create your next popular story.
  To a writer, each experience is a gem, a potential treasure of creative endeavors. I prefer to have friends, of course, but life is not always beautiful.
  Did negative experiences with people fuel your creativity?

The "Smart Cookie" award

 I want to thank Cindy from  http://dreamersperch.blogspot.com/ who gave me the "Smart Cookie" award a couple of weeks ago.
 Now I have to do a number of things as the recipient of this award:
1) Thank the award giver and add a link to their blog. (See above).
2) Share some interesting facts on anything.
3) Pass the award to other "Smart Cookies".
I am going to give this award to the following bloggers:

Elizabeth Varadan aka :  http://elizabethvaradansfourthwish.blogspot.com/

Liz Davis http://novel-moments.blogspot.com/

Karen G http://karenjonesgowen.blogspot.com

Rick Watson  http://dorahighschoolalumni.blogspot.com/

J.L Campbell http://thecharacterdepot.blogspot.com/

Rachna Chhabria:  http://rachnachhabria.blogspot.com

Rebecca Kiel: http://rebeccakielpages.blogspot.com/

Now I will share some interesting facts. I have an interest in the mind and the human brain so I will say something about them.
1) Meditation has been shown to have beneficial effects on our brains. A study showed that after meditating for eight weeks the brains of those who meditated showed measurable changes in gray matter density in areas related to memory, empathy and learning. (MRIs were done to show the findings).
2) According to the same study, meditation also reduced gray matter density in the amygdala, an area of the brain connected to stress and anxiety
3) Exercise protects the brain as it ages. It has been shown to improve concentration and learning.
4) Studies suggest that  exercise helps to preserve mental functions and it may help to prevent Alzheimer's dementia.