Scribblings on Whatever

We'll Be Back!

11/29/2023

Well, we’re in the season of shopping, eating, worshipping, opening presents, and trying to finish off everything on our list for this year before we’re forced to think about next year. For Greta and me, our gift to ourselves this year is to take time off for the whole month of December.

For those of you who know us, you’re aware that we have a lot in common. Of course, we are both writers. Otherwise, having five blogs on our website together would be rather ridiculous! Besides this, we both have a passion for making a difference in the world in some way. We were both caregivers for our spouses and lost them within two months of each other in 2020.

Although I had only known Greta on Facebook, I felt drawn to call her in the summer of that year to see if she wanted to work together. The three and a half years since have been a journey for us that has been a blessing as we each worked our way through grief. We haven’t hesitated to switch gears in finding a vehicle that allows us to express ourselves. We have worked diligently with hope and expectations on our journey. However, the one thing we haven’t done is allow time for ourselves, putting work aside.

So, for the month of December, we are pausing posts on www.SassyScribblers.com and all its blogs. I am in the process of moving out of state, and Greta has begun the search for her perfect place. We both trust that everything is in Divine Order. We are looking forward to the new year and moving into Act 3 of our lives with gusto! See you in January, 2024!

A Curiosity Question for Readers

11/22/2023

This is just a curiosity question for readers. I was listening to a person on the radio the other week who was saying that people just don’t read books with high word counts anymore. His reasoning was that people are used to the digital age, and it has become obvious over the last couple of decades that lengthy online articles do not enjoy the popularity of short ones. He contended that people’s attention spans are much shorter these days.

What do you think? Is this just an online phenomenon, or does it apply to eBooks and paperbacks as well? We would love for you to comment and let us know your preference and/or your thoughts.

We noted that for adult commercial and literary fiction, Writer’s Digest considers below 70K too short, but they consider 80-90K “totally cool.” Anything from 100–110K might be too long, and over 110K is considered too long. They stress that a writer should strive to follow the rules rather than pray to be the exception. Of course, this has more to do with traditional publishers, who have stricter budgetary concerns than those who publish independently.

Our question is not about publishing budgets, however. It is about the willingness of readers to dive into books of different lengths. So, based on the word count divisions below, we would love to know to which you are most drawn and why.

Short story: under 7,500
Novelette: between 7,500 and 17,500
Novella: between 17,500 and 40,000
Novel: between 40,000 and 70,000
Novel: between 70,000 and 100,000
Novel: between 100,000 and 130,000

Even though I am presenting the question, I would have a hard time answering it. Why? Because I would want to insist it depends on the story. However, once again, I would be distracting myself from the actual question: Does the word count of a fiction story have an influence on whether I buy/read it? Has the digital age spoiled us with its brief summaries attached to headlines so we don’t have to read further? Are we too anxious to get to the point, the climax, of a story that we can’t relax into the journey?

As writers we are interested in your take on this, of course, but as avid readers, we are curious as well. Looking forward to your thoughts.

Invisible Shadows

11/15/2023

Articles from the Heart

11/8/2023

Have you ever considered writing what are often called "articles from the heart"? It can be a learning experience. It requires little research in the traditional sense. It does require you to dig deeply into your feelings and to be willing to expose those emotions to others while using them to enrich your creative efforts.

Do you think you can do this? Let's consider some of the attributes of a writer of articles from the heart.

1) Do you have strong ideas about the world, ideas about how to make things better? Are you anxious to express your opinions in whatever venue you find yourself?

2) Is giving considered advice easy for you? Are people always coming to you with their problems? When they do, does it feel like your mind moves into a special place where ideas and answers seem to flow freely?

3) Are you able to see the big picture? In other words, you recognize the negative, but you also see the upside possible if you don't allow yourself to drown in the negativity. However, you are not blindly optimistic; you are a blend of emotion and logic, making informed choices.

4) Are you willing to share individual experiences to create a bond with your reader? This can be difficult if your ego tells you that you'll be mocked or discounted. Only the individual circumstances differ from one person to another while the emotions link us all. The lessons to be learned from these experiences are common. If you share your journey, the choices you made along the way, and the results, you are offering your unique perspective to the reader, but the commonality will resonate.

There are a variety of categories for which you can write articles from your heart.

• Dying to tell others HOW TO do something? It can range from How To Write A Resume to How To Plant A Perennial Garden.

• In today's world with the political arena attempting to manipulate people's lives, there are a myriad of CONTROVERSIAL topics upon which you can offer your heartfelt thoughts.

• Are you full of stories passed down from one generation to the next? Has your own life been chocked full of ADVENTURE? Ready to spin your tale?

• Do you ever look at the world around you as you go about your day and OBSERVE things that are being taken for granted? Can you express the beauty or the sadness or the simplicity that defines them?

• Do you have wistful memories of another time? Are they still vivid in your mind? Share your NOSTALGIA, giving the stories size, shape, and color so that others can live there for a while with you.

• HUMOR is appreciated by everyone at some point. It is rare to find someone who can find humor in the simplest moments. Someone I have appreciated since meeting her on Facebook is Vickie DeCoster. The best humor isn't forced.

• The articles that have grown out of my passion are INSPIRATIONAL. Mine are in the field of Spiritual Psychology, but inspiration can cover many areas. These are about being able to motivate others, especially in a field about which you are enthusiastic.

Interested in writing articles from the heart? Give it a shot. It may be what stokes your passion.

Giving is as Much Fun as Receiving

11/1/2023

The holiday season has arrived. You either love it or not. The Canadians are smart and celebrate Thanksgiving in October giving them a little breathing room before Christmas. Here in the U.S., the holidays can become overwhelming, especially if you are the family's chief organizer, cook, decorator, and shopper.

When I was a kid, it didn't seem so hectic. Of course, there were no such things as Black Friday, multi-story malls, online shopping, and all the electronic gizmos that get so much attention now. My go-to shopping centered around the Sears catalog, the five-and-dime store, and the toy department at the local department store. And that didn't start until after we'd finished the turkey and dressing.

Concentrating on one holiday at a time was much simpler, easier, and less stressful. I know this is an old-fashioned mindset, but seeing aisles of twinkling lights, ornaments, and giant Santas competing with Halloween candy clashes with my memories of excitement and anticipation waiting for my folks to finally bring out the boxes of Christmas decorations.

Nonetheless, Christmas will always be special. It was never about being on the run, going to events and such, but spending time with my parents, grandparents, and uncle. Being the only kids, my brother and I grabbed the spotlight on Christmas Eve when we exchanged presents. However, something else stands out in my recollections – tagging along with my mom and dad when they went "visiting."

I recall the absolute joy on the faces of the old folks when we gave them a plate of food and a little inexpensive gift. For some of them, we were their only guests during the holiday season. They were so thrilled. Their joy was contagious; I felt so good! I learned that giving is just as rewarding as receiving, and that's what Christmas is really about.

That lesson has stayed with me and never lost its appeal. I still get the warm fuzzies when I can spread some sunshine in someone else's life.

That was in the back of my mind when I wrote a Christmas book for Patchy and Calico. In Christmas with Patchy and Calico, the lovable dog and cat discover the true spirit of the holiday season.

The two friends find a wealth of chestnuts and receive lots of treats from their human mommy. They share their goodies with all the dogs, cats, squirrels, raccoons, possums, and deer they can find and learn that giving and sharing are just as much fun as receiving presents.

Patchy and Calico's acts of kindness also helped the four-legged detectives track down the mysterious gift snatcher who had stolen all the gifts from under everyone's Christmas trees. The trail leads them to an underground lair where they confront the thief and uncover the bully's secret.

Download the ebook or purchase the print edition to uncover what drove the gift snatcher to do his dastardly deeds. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy reading these humorous stories. I'm sure it will make you smile.

Have a great Thanksgiving and Christmas!!!!

Christmas with Patchy and Calico

Available at Amazon

Print - https://amzn.to/3C3Fu7y

Kindle - https://amzn.to/3qqXvKU
Free on Kindle Unlimited

Risking: Living Without a Net

10/25/2023

Risk (risk) n. exposure to the possibility of injury or loss or to a dangerous occurrence.

When most people think of risk, they don’t consider it the possibility of an undesirable event occurring. They consider it a probability! Why do we make that subtle shift and give support to the idea that risking will always result in loss?

As children, you were warned against all sorts of dangers by your parents and others who meant well. How many times were you told “Don’t cross the street by yourself. You’ll get run over”? Not that you might possibly get run over, but that you would likely be history! This leads to a pattern of avoiding anything which is unfamiliar or is not accompanied by an obvious escape route. Often, it leads to the implementation of tremendous amounts of structure in your life as you mature. You are resistant to change because change is always accompanied by the risk of the unknown.

This is unfortunate because too much structure leads to rigid thinking and a boring, uneventful life. To have diversity and serendipity in your life, there must be creative juices flowing. However, too much creativity without some structure leads to chaos. So, there must be a balance of the two. This is true of any risky venture as well.

How would you define risk in terms of your business life? More important, let’s determine what it isn’t. It isn’t seizing upon an idea and jumping in feet first. It requires structure and creativity. First comes the idea. For example, you decide that your business needs to be reorganized because the current organizational model isn’t working. Your production is mediocre, and the staff members are not contributing any more than is absolutely necessary. So, do you just go in on Monday with a new organizational chart, inform everyone of the changes, and walk away? If you try this, you would be putting risk into the probability category for sure.

Developing a Course of Action
If you want to risk making a change, you must develop a course of action based upon the results you desire. If you only know that you don’t like what you have and want something different, you are taking the biggest risk of all!

You Have to Set Clear Goals
These goals can include organizational styles, production levels, interactions, as well as communication and motivational levels. It should include everything you consider important to the vision you have of your business. Once you have a clear vision, it is important to recognize at what level your business is functioning at the present. What do you think the problems are? Be specific. These two activities involve creating structure.

You might want to look at it like remodeling a house. You have an existing house with walls and all sorts of in-place connections for plumbing, electrical, and so on. You don’t want to move or tear down the house. You want to remodel. So you will have to deal with some of the elements that currently exist and decide how you can improve them.

You Use Your Creativity to Actually Develop a New Plan
You develop a plan that incorporates all the elements necessary for your business to reach the goal.

Your plan does these things:

addresses the problems that currently exist
establishes new functional relationships - better to use the skills of the personnel and to develop a sense of cooperation rather than subordinacy
streamlines the overall process and increases production without increasing overtime.

You present your plan to your staff for feedback. You are mindful of all their comments and suggestions. You adjust your plan where necessary. All these efforts involve allowing for the creative flow.

Risk Always Requires Courage
You have now balanced the elements of structure and creative function. You are focused on the end result you desire. You have gathered the forces of the others who must support this idea. Is the implementation of this plan a risk? Of course it’s still a risk! Change of any kind is a risk. The process of balancing structure and creative function does not remove the risk factor. It simply ensures that the risk remains in the realm of possibility rather than being highly probable. That’s the best handicap you’re going to get.

Remember how exciting it was at the circus to watch the trapeze artist who flew without a net? Imagine the courage it took for him to slip his fingers off that bar with no net and his colleague’s fingers just out of reach. Even though he had practiced for many hours with a net, when the lights went up, he had to be willing to trust the structure created by his practice and the creative function of his own abilities to lead him to success without a net.

To experience an invigorating life — personal or business — we must that same type of courage. The Old French origin of the word “courage” means mind, heart, and spirit, and it is from these places that structure and creativity emerge.

The Elyrian Emergence

10/18/2023

The Elyrian Emergence has been my only foray into the science fiction genre. I chose to tell this story the way I did because of my interest in metaphysics and spiritual psychology. In Metaphysical Minute, I define Metaphysics as “a fluid and wondrous approach that allows you and me to explore the same waters without prejudice or rules and receive from them the substance we need for our individual spiritual growth. Like the ocean, it is forever changing and forever constant. Universal laws always apply, but it is our use of them that changes. It is our use of them that reflects our spiritual growth. Unless we go beyond the physical to find the intimate connection that exists between our state of being and that which we call God, Source, Allah, or simply Creator, we cannot grow in spirit.” [Williamsen, 2006, p. 7]

Although The Elyrian Emergence is science fiction, the psychological struggles of the main characters, Milo, DeLana, Dylan, and Humphrey, are as real as those with which you and I often struggle. The darker forces will always be there in our lives, and conscious choice is required to avoid their influence.

Unfortunately, we can sometimes, in our complacency, fail to understand that good and evil create a balance. The power, the shift in the balance, comes from our choices: choosing good over evil or evil over good.

A Brief Blurb on the Story for You
Located in the Andromeda Galaxy, the planet Galen is unique in that it hosts only one country: Elyria. The principles on which this civilization was founded many centuries ago are demonstrated by the choice of names for the planet and their country. The names have metaphysical meanings, giving them importance beyond simple nomenclature.

Elyria is the only country on the planet of Galen which is in the Andromeda Galaxy. Galen meaning calm and Elyria meaning blessed place demonstrate the foundation upon which this civilization was founded many centuries ago. The inhabitants of Galen escaped from their ancient planet before it imploded as the result of their destructive policies. The mission of the Founders, those who orchestrated the means of escape, was to develop a civilization based on the philosophy of Self-Emergence.

On the surface, it seems to be working until the Karons, the sensitives who monitor the global energies, detect a negative shift in consciousness. The Karons’ visions shake those in charge from their complacency and send them scrambling to curb the decline, which it appears has been engineered by someone with an inordinate amount of power.

The questions this team of people find themselves asking are these: Can we stop this before it’s too late? How could we have not seen how vulnerable we are?

The ultimate question is whether Elyria will wake up and realize that Self-Emergence is a forever journey, one where fear of the mistakes of the ancient planet has no place. It is a journey that does not allow resting on one’s laurels, whether as an individual or a civilization.

https://www.amazon.com/Elyrian-Emergence-Dannye-Williamsen/dp/B094281ZXF

https://www.amazon.com/Elyrian-Emergence-Dannye-Williamsen-ebook/dp/B092P8XQXR

The Hard Work of Writing

10/11/2023

The hard work of writing isn’t getting the story down on paper. Yes, you can exhale a sigh of relief when you know you’ve reached the end of the tale; however, you had better take another deep breath because you’ve only just begun!

Before I continue, let me say that no book is perfect. There are always a few mistakes or perhaps just grammatical choices with which some people disagree. Without nitpicking, let’s agree that a “perfect” book is probably only 99% correct grammatically and that this is acceptable.

Moving on from this point, the question arises as to whether the writer is responsible for carrying their creation to the finish line or not. Some believe that the writer is only responsible for what they consider the hard work, the creative work: telling the story. As a writer and as an editor, I completely disagree with this philosophy.

You’ve heard the adage that “everyone has a book in them.” They probably do, but this does not make them a writer. A writer is a professional — a person who exhibits not just talent, but also skills and competence in the art of writing, a person who strives to uphold the values of the profession. This means being willing to invest the energy to do the following:

refine your words so that they say precisely what you desire
polish your sentences by inserting the proper punctuation marks which add clarity to your message
check the tense of verbs so the reader doesn’t get confused
make sure you haven’t contradicted yourself at some point in your content
check to see if you can enrich your descriptions or your characters
check to see if you have content that serves no real purpose, that is, it does not deepen the reader’s understanding of a character, strengthen the plot, or add to the reader’s experience in any way.

The opinion has been voiced by some writers on the internet that they are writers, not editors. I am sorry, but this does not hold water, as they say. Editors are not there to take your writing from inadequate to acceptable. They are there to provide a second line of defense — to catch errors you may have missed, to provide some objective observations about coherency and style, and to make suggestions based on their observations.

Bottom Line: You, as the writer, are responsible for bringing your work up to a professional standard. You should be the first editor of your work. The state of your creation when handed over to a professional editor defines the value you place on it because it directly reflects the level of energy you have been willing to invest in it.

How Can You Establish Skills and Competency in Writing?

Practice is, of course, a powerful influence on how quickly your skills develop; however, effective communication and research are two important elements which define your competency as a writer. To communicate effectively, you must be able to construct sentences by using grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structures correctly to convey the message you desire. Research is necessary to double-check what you think you know and to acquire new knowledge that can enrich your writing.

What does all this mean? It means that racing through a book and handing it off to an editor doesn’t make you a professional writer even if you have an editor willing to clean up your content so you can make money from the process. A professional gains the specialized knowledge necessary to produce the high-quality product or service of their profession, and he/she consistently goes the distance.

Do you do the hard work of writing?

Do You Believe in Ghosts?

10/4/2023

When I was around four or five years old, I had a terrifying experience.

My family arrived at my great aunt and uncle's house. After the obligatory hug and kiss to my relatives, I headed for my favorite spot underneath the gigantic tree that shaded their side yard. I didn't get there, though. Instead, I froze in mid-step when an axe tumbled down from one of the limbs. It hovered above the ground, moving up and down like it was waiting to chop me up.

No one believed my tale, but for me, it was a real memory.

It's silly now, but at the time, it was a big deal. That's the closest I've ever come to witnessing a supernatural event. It may not have included an apparition or ghostly figure, but it scared the heck out of me. Needless to say, from that time onward, I kept my distance from the tree.

A few years later, while watching a rerun of The Addams Family, the same scene played out across the TV screen. The infamous axe hung suspended in midair under a tree limb. However, this time, I saw the (supposedly invisible) wires moving it up and down.

Wow, my parents had been right – the whole thing was only a dream. My traumatic experience amounted to nothing more than a false memory implanted in my young mind by a 1960s television show. What an epiphany! I'd figured it out. Sigmund Freud would have been proud of me.

However, fifty-five years after my awe-inspiring insight, I'm still debating the existence of ghosts and mysterious apparitions. Are they real or subliminal ideas programmed in our brains? The existence of spirits has remained a hot topic over the centuries – ever since people began narrating tales around a campfire.

Is There Any Wonder So Many Folks Believe in Ghosts?
We're indoctrinated in spooky stuff from an early age. Halloween, for instance, is an unofficial national holiday.

Halloween's origin dates back to the fifth century BC and the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (sow-in).

The Celts believed the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead opened during Samhain. Ancestors and other spirits were expected to cross over and stir up trouble. To keep the fairies away from their homes, the Celts left offerings outside the village. To prevent the ghosts from kidnapping any living beings, the villagers dressed up in animal skins and heads, disguising themselves as monsters.

I wonder if the first Celt who stuck an animal skull over his head ever realized he was starting a fad that would still be practiced 2500 years later.

After the Romans took control of Britain, they merged the Samhain festival with two of their own. On the last day of October, the celebration of Feralia commemorates the passing of the dead.

The festival of Pomona honors the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. Her sacred symbol was the apple. Part of the celebration was to grab hold of a dangling apple without using any hands, hence the origin of bobbing for apples.

Many years later, the early Christians discovered they couldn't stop pagan celebrations, so they replaced them with religious alternatives. To replace the Celtic/Roman festival of the dead, November 1 was designated All Saints Day to honor Christian saints and martyrs, and the night before turned into All Hallows Eve. The rest we already know.

Halloween
Halloween traditions have changed over the centuries. Thank goodness! We can all be glad that animal hides and heads have been replaced with less graphic costumes, and most folks don't really believe that fairies and spirits come out to play on October 31. (You don't, do you?)
In any case, during its transition from a Druid ritual to a night of fun for the kids, Halloween has picked up a hodge-podge of other traditions from the old world, such as trick-or-treat and jack-o-lanterns.

What I love most about Halloween are the ghost stories. Some of the tales, myths, and legends have survived for eons. Others are more modern and easier to believe. I added A Ghostly Adventure to the Patchy and Calico children's book series a few years ago because everybody loves Halloween. The spooky holiday opened up so many ways the two principal characters could get in trouble. What better adventure could they undertake than to go hunting for a ghost and actually find one?

A clumsy yet adorable turkey buzzard named Elmer crashes his way into Patchy's great ghost hunt and makes life very interesting for the dog and cat. You'll have to read the book to find out what happens.

Anyway, I hope you have a happy Halloween. Be careful out there. Watch out for those stray ghosts or goblins hanging about!

~~~~~

Patchy and Calico's
A Ghostly Adventure

Available from Amazon
Print – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0975ZYC52/

Kindle and Kindle Unlimited https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0175CAORO/

Universal link - http://viewbook.at/pandcghostlyadventure

Genesis of the Bad Seed Manager

9/27/2023

How many managers do you know who have no management skills? I bet it didn’t take long for you to come up with several. It’s quite the phenomenon, but today I’m more interested in their ability to damage a business, possibly yours. A manager has a lot of leeway in how things are done. Consequently, it is important for the manager to be invested in the success of the company or the project.

If a manager is incompetent, it’s obvious how they can damage the business. What about if the manager is all about themselves? If this is the case, they can deliberately make sweeping changes to a business which will run it into the ground. I have seen this done.

Cut Your Losses?
So what attitudes should make you consider cutting your losses before it’s too late? Ask yourself if any of these describe your manager.

1) dictatorial
2) fails to listen to suggestions
3) unwilling or unable to explain rational reasons for changes
4) has a poverty consciousness
5) insincerity or phoniness when dealing with customers
6) fails to consider the long-term needs of the business
7) rarely institutes changes that increase the bottom line or improve the public face of the business
8) moody.

Okay, if more than one of these stands out for you, then you need to assess more closely what impact the manager is having on the bottom line of your business.

Qualities of a Good Manager
So, what should you require in a manager?

1) a person who is just as involved in the process every day as everyone else, who will step up when there is a need rather than putting a strain on others
2) a person who listens to suggestions and asks questions and then analyzes them against the mission of the business or the project
3) a person who thoroughly thinks through his/her actions before coming to a decision
4) a person who isn’t always expecting the next shoe to fall, who moves forward instead of always looking over their shoulder
5) a person who is always creating new ways for the business to prosper
6) a person who recognizes the importance of social skills in developing the reputation of the business.

Source of Some Bad Seed Managers
Of course, some people are just bullies, and the power of a management position allows them to exercise their power in a destructive way. However, there is another possible source for the emergence of an incorrigible manager: they have become the victim of a management concept.

Too often, business owners or boards of directors give people management positions who have inadequate experience, minimal leadership skills, and/or no social skills. One of the reasons this occurs is outlined in the Peter Principle. If you’ve ever worked in a medium-sized to large-sized business, I’m sure you’ve seen this concept in play. A person is doing a great job in their current position, and suddenly he is promoted based on his current performance. Sometimes this works out, but if promotions continue to be handled this way, said employee will eventually reach a “level of respective incompetence.” In other words, he will now be in a job for which he is not truly qualified. He has been promoted to his level of incompetence.

The impact on this person can vary. Often, the stress can cause them to derail important operations. Then, as a matter of survival, they may begin blaming those who work for them. Eventually this will lead to attrition in production. A year or two down the road, those who promoted this individual will start to wonder what happened. Dare I say it? Duh!

Don't be fooled. It doesn't just occur in larger businesses. As entrepreneurs, we can become somewhat dependent on certain individuals who have been performing specific jobs for us. In our enthusiasm for their work, we approach them about taking on another facet of our business. After all, outsourcing is supposed to be the game plan for entrepreneurs. Often, this individual may be as hungry for business as we are and overestimate their own skills to our detriment.

I heard a story a few years back about a writer who did this very thing with a contractor. Her enthusiasm for this person's work caused her to take her eye off the ball. It resulted in her learning a very painful lesson, financially and reputationally.

The bottom line is that as decision-makers, we should praise people for their expertise but not make the mistake of assuming they naturally have the skills to move to another level. They may, but they may not. As decision-makers, we must be prudent in our business decisions.

I will read forever because it lets me visit in my mind the worlds that I will never be able to see; it helps me put away the stresses of the day and relax into the rhythm of the story before me; it lets me bring to the surface and experience without regrets those feelings I hide away; it lets me re-experience the thrill of first love through someone else's eyes; it keeps my mind juiced so that it will never desert me; it is always there for me even when there's no one else. I will read forever no matter whether it is print or digital because the words will always call to me. ~ A Sassy Scribbler