Archive for October, 2009

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Colorado Child

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_balloon_boy

I’m sure you’ve heard about this already.  The boy that was supposedly on a helium balloon was found safe at home.  But now the question is, was it a hoax?  I’ll leave that for you to discuss and debate, but just a few days ago my friend and I got into a discussion about a related subject.

Should rescued people have to pay for their search and rescue?

The issue is highly debated.  First, this the is the job of the search and rescue team; it’s what they’re paid to do.  Why should the rescued have to pay?  I mean, is a rescued person going to say, “No, don’t rescue me; I can’t pay for it”?

At the same time, there are people who commit hoaxes.  Those people are not only wasting someone else’s money, but also their time.  While authorities are busy discovering they’ve been tricked, there could be someone out there who really needs help.  In such a case, the tricksters are normally charged and fined, but is that enough?  Should they pay?

If this child and the balloon was a hoax, perhaps the family should be required to pay, but what are the ramifications of doing that?  It’s a tough topic.

Here’s another article I found that will help give some persepective on the debate:

 http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2008/04/national-park-search-and-rescue-should-rescued-help-pay-bills

What say you about this?

Posted in Ramblings | No Comments »

October: Week #3

Friday, October 16th, 2009

So, here we are.  How do we go about translating emotion into the text?  To tell the truth, I have no “writer’s secret” for this.  I don’t think I can tell you to use certain words or a certain format.  So, I suppose what I will do is to tell you what I do.

But for this to work, you’ll need to see how I write.  <b>NOTE (skip this paragraph if you want):</b> I don’t usually self-promote myself here (I don’t think it is appropriate for me to do so) but I think that if I start speaking from personal experience instead of sticking to what the experts say then you should be able to see my end-result.  I don’t see the point of following anyone’s advice if you’re not satisfied with the results they give.  Therefore, if you want to see my writing, see my dA account, specifically, my Silver Fox writings: http://michelay.deviantart.com/art/1-Silver-Foxes-Prologue-18406257 (truth, the first Silver Fox story isn’t my best, but . . .)

I think that the way I am able to translate emotion into my writing is first to feel the emotion I am trying to convey.  There are several times when I am in my bedroom, crying my eyeballs out because I am thinking of a sad scene in one of my stories.  My opinion: if you can’t feel emotion for your own characters, who else is going to?  Certainly not the reader.

Now, I have said over and over that the words “sad,” “mad,” “excited,” and others like it generally don’t mean anything in fiction.  Perhaps the reason writers use those type of words is because they haven’t gone into the characters head and experienced life from their eyes.  What you are doing as a writer is telling a story. 

Think about the last time you were sad and told someone else about it.  You didn’t just say, “I was sad.” No! You put emotion into it.  You told them what happened; you told them what you were thinking and how that horrible moment affected you.  And at the end of the story, if you are a good story teller, the person you were talking to can feel your pain.  That and more is what you need to do to translate emotion into the text. You need to make the reader feel as if the bottom is dropping from out of his stomach when he finds out the one the main characters has always loved has cheated on her. A story should make a person feel, and that comes with practice.

Posted in Writing Tips | No Comments »

Something Funny . . . but really not.

Friday, October 16th, 2009

The link goes to an article that depicts the story of a justice of the peace in Louisiana that refuses to marry an interracial couple because the children that may come out of that marriage is not likely to be readily accepted in black or white society.  Read the article and then come back for my reaction.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091016/ap_on_re_us/us_interracial_rebuff

I want to say off the bat that it isn’t funny, but I laughed.  Really, I did.  I cannot believe this guy. 

I really think this guy is being guinuine.  I think he really thinks that he is doing right. 

My opinion doesn’t flow the same way his does.  I am of the opinion that divorce is one of the worst things a couple could do.  If you get married, you need to stay married, and it is only a few instances where I think divorce is truly justified.  Entering into marriage is a sacred and serious thing.

At the same time, I think that two people (man and woman) who want to get married and can get married should be allowed to get married.  It is up to the couple to make it work.

In any case, the “funniest” thing the guy said was: “I’m not a racist. I just don’t believe in mixing the races that way . . . I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else.”

“They use my bathroom”–LOL!  I guess we don’t have to go behind the house anymore!  In all seriousness, though, I really don’t think the guy is a racist, just misguided.

Posted in Ramblings | 2 Comments »

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