Welcome the Season

I was going to do a post on the human condition surrounding Black Friday, but the house needs decorating and countless holiday chores completed. Therefore, I leave you on this Friday with two of my favorite holiday music:

My absolute favorite: Oh Holy Night by John Berry

My second favorite: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Jars of Clay

The Best Known Story: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. It seems to be the only one that remains free from the commercialization of shopping and glamour—even though stores are trying to take that away by opening early for shopping specials. The day is still mostly about the meal and giving thanks—the calm before the chaos we have come to know as Christmas.

When I was thinking about what to post today, I thought of this holiday. In actuality, it is a “story” in and of itself. The initial fable we are told as a child is of the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. The meal marked a peaceful union between the two cultures…at least for a time. Yet, considering how that story ended, I am sure the Native Americans are not holding this holiday up as a time to remember. In fact, if I had to venture an opinion, I would say Thanksgiving continues in the same light it began—the celebration of a harvest in a new world. According to National Geographic, the first thanksgiving wasn’t even about giving thanks. That didn’t come until later, when a drought left the settlers struggling and truly grateful for a harvest. 



Taken from Microsoft ClipArt

Over the years, this story has transformed from two cultures coming together for a time of peace (however short-lived) into a time to gather with friends and family. I think it is Charley Brown that first introduced the idea of Football into the story. Now, it is hard to see a Thanksgiving story on any television program that doesn’t either reference football or at least has the cast members playing. My favorite is the Friends' episode where they play for the Geller Cup (a ratty little troll drilled to a board). 

Another staple to the story is the long table piled with food. While the settlers ate deer, corn and shellfish, there is not a single episode that does not mention the turkey. In fact, on the first season of Everybody Loves Raymond, Debra creates quite a stir by making a fish for dinner instead of turkey. I always wonder, however, if Benjamin Franklin got his way and our national bird was the turkey instead of the eagle, would we still be eating fish for thanksgiving?

It seems in every thanksgiving “story,” there is conflict at the beginning and a peaceful dinner at the end. This is interesting because it is quite the opposite in real life, but I like today’s version. Life is tough and we tend to get sidetracked by little things. I know in my family it was where the dinner would be hosted and who was in charge of which course. Yet, it is nice to know that, in the end, the holiday is about appreciation. 

So, if you are celebrating the holiday tomorrow, then I wish everyone safe travels and a happy Thanksgiving. For anyone who does not partake, I wish you all the happiness in self-reflection and true appreciation of this short pleasure we call life.

Monday's Quote: Ralph Waldo Emerson

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I love this quote because I know I can get too wrapped up in my “goals.” I blame it on my childhood. It was always stressed to me to think of what I wanted to be when I got out of high school. What degree did I want to get? What did I want out of my life? Then, when I chose a profession, all the experts say to set achievable goals. After all, the only way to be successful, to make progress, is to set goals and plow forward. I know I also look back on my life and question some paths I’ve taken. Would my life be different if… Would I be further along in my career if… Did I choose the right path? 

Emerson is correct in saying it doesn’t matter what happened in the past. It doesn’t matter what happens in the future. What matters is who I am. Schools now have to teach “character traits,” which basically teaches kids how to be a good person. I think it’s sad that schools have to teach this in today’s society, but I do think it is still the most important aspect of life. We need to focus on who we are. We need to focus on being the best person we can be. Everything else will follow.

World Building is Not Just For Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels

I follow a reading group on Facebook centered on the appreciation form the fantasy and science fiction genre. Yesterday they posted the following picture in honor of the new movie Catching Fire. What occurred to me in the joke, besides the fact that it is entirely true, is that it emphasizes a key component in this genre, which is world building. I’ve discussed the topic before. Go to any writer’s convention with the genre present and you will certainly find a class on how to build the world. That, after all, is part of the flavor for reading. I saw a quote by George R.R. Martin “They can keep their heaven. When I die, I’d sooner go to Middle Earth.”

We want to experience the author’s imagination to the fullest. We want to live in a place unlike our own world. It’s that part of human curiosity that sends us exploring the ocean and space. Surely there are places unlike anything we have ever seen. The story is sometimes secondary to the place in Science Fiction and Fantasy.

However, I think that authors have to “world build” no matter what genre they are writing. In fact, world building in essence is not constructing a new land, but rather as part of characterization. What “world” does the character live in? I remember an English teacher saying Jane Eyre read too many books as a child and therefore did not have a grasp on what real life was. Her understanding of the world is that it should operate as her novels do, which is probably why she fell in love with Edward Rochester in the first place. It is also true that a teenager’s world is far different than an adult’s. Think of the YA books and their love stories. They are intense. They proclaim the idea that love will last forever, even if that love is a burden on those around them. It is the most important aspect. As someone who works with the age group, I can say this is accurate. 

But the characters don’t have to be “unworldly.” Let’s look at John Proctor in The Crucible. The world he lived in was not fantasy or science fiction, so-to-speak. Yet, it certainly is not the world that I live in today. Sure, that’s a historic piece (which probably has more emphasis on accurate world building), but current literature builds worlds as well. Is it a book that takes place in Washington DC? That book would be different from the “world” perspective of a diplomat versus a pizza delivery man. Keep the same characters and move them to New York and the entire world changes. Or, better yet, small town America. What we’re really talking about here is setting. But I ask to extend the thought. Setting builds the character’s “world.” Part of the intrigue in any genre is becoming a part of that character’s lives and how they perceive the world is a part of the plot…or should be.

Where are all the Happy Endings?

As this year of reading comes to a close, I found myself wondering….is there room for happily ever after anymore? I am actually a part of a group on Goodreads designed to discuss movies and books that end happily. Not necessarily because I require such an ending—actually the main reason is they have the best games—but the idea of ending a novel happy has been engrained in my writing career. Growing up, I had to satisfy one reader…my mother. She is the heart felt reader who loves her romance, her characters, and her happy ending.

Most of what I read this year was YA novels, so I will gear my thoughts in that area. You would think writers would want teenagers to believe in a world where such endings exist. Yet, reality strikes in the center of them. Think Harry Potter. It ended happy, sure, but there were certain character’s deaths that many would have preferred to take back. It makes the ending bitter-sweet, not happy. I remember when JK Rowling killed off her first character. The media hooked onto it. Death in a “children’s” novel? The horror. In actuality, she’s not the first to kill her character in the genre. I remember reading My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier. Now, granted the title kind of prepped me for the ending—plus the fact it was a revolutionary novel made the outcome a guarantee—but I was still impacted.

Hunger Games, of course, was built on the agreement that Suzanne Collins was going to kill off her character. Yet, she was still able to crush me in the third novel. Did she end it “happy.” Define the word happy. The main character survived and lived a long life…but I don’t know if I could say I was joyful at the end of the series. The Divergent series is the same way, ending the series on a bitter-sweet note, but certainly not happy. Both of these are Dystopia novels, so I suppose the point of the genre requires a non-happy ending. 

Okay, so let’s switch: Beautiful Creatures. There’s a book that should end happy. It’s a nice YA novel based on a girl coming of age as a witch. Yet, that novel made me so mad at the end because the authors decided to kill off a character I loved. I’m told he comes back in later books, but that feels like a cheat. 

So my question: is the world so haunted, so corrupt, that our books can no longer end happy? Or, are we striving too hard to match realistic life scenarios. I, for one, miss my Disney “and they lived happily ever after,” where the only deaths are that of the villain.

Monday"s Quote: Elbert Hubbard

"A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you."~ Elbert Hubbard

This one received the most likes on my Facebook page last week and I can see why. For me, this quote really strikes home. I think I've discussed before that I discovered writing in middle school. That is probably not the easiest place to find oneself...especially when that person is "outside" the social norm. It didn't take me long to realize most of my peers were not supportive of my passion for writing stories, and that was before they had even fleshed into full length novels. I didn't want to stick out--to be different--so I hid my joy from everyone except for a select few.

When I talk with high school kids today, I always tell them that your true friends are the ones who support you. I expressed my love of writing with a handful of people. While all the others I was trying to impress have since moved away, I still keep in contact with the ones who supported me all along. They cheer me on and have been my fans since the beginning. There is nothing like the feeling of knowing that they knew who I was--at one time--ashamed of expressing and yet they loved me anyway.

I don't care what there is to know about a person. True friends are those who know everything--the good, the bad, the dramatic--and they love you anyway. Great quote.

Can Novels have Realistically Strong Women and Weak Men?

Over the course of this week, I noticed many book-lover sites started posting cute pictures depicting the same concept: men are better in books. I would venture to say that women probably are as well. This got me to thinking about the types of characters that come out of novels and a conversation I had with my mother about a novel I just finished. We were discussing whether the author broke characterization by making her male protagonist wimpy in a certain situation. During the course of the conversation, my mother said his reactions were not realistic. 

 

It seems I always come back to talking about walking that fine line of realism in fiction, so I expanded her comment. In society, we expect our men to be strong, defenders of the family, “bread winners,” and leaders. This is slowly starting to change, but the stereotype, I think, has not. We also expect our women to be delicate. In some way they are in need of “saving.” They ultimately find a man over the course of the book and he...as a famous movie once said…completes them. I tend to think the stereotype goes outside of my bubble of experience. I heard a survey the other week that stated women don’t mind dating a man who is more successful (in fact look for it), while men do not want to do the same. Since this is the stereotype, it got me to thinking…how realistic is a novel if the roles were reversed? And does that novel exist?

 

What I found interesting is that I could think of countless women in novels who were strong. But I couldn’t think of one that didn’t involve a male lead as well. I know this is a big topic of conversation on whether a book would sell without the male lead. Then, of course, there are the feminist classes that would suggest such a book doesn’t exist due to societal stigmas. I fall victim to this “curse.” When reading a female point of view, I automatically look for the love interest. 

 

There is one good novel where I could remember the male character being depicted as “weak.” He wasn’t the lead character, but I think having a weak character as the lead would be tough. The novel is The Horse Whisperer. I will try not to spoil the book for those who still want to read it…because it ends drastically different than the movie…but in the story the mother has an affair with a rancher who is trying to help her child overcome a tragic horse accident that left her with a prosthetic leg. The husband was introduced a few times as a businessman, but was clearly second in control when it came to the relationship with his high-powered magazine editor wife. I believe he was made this way to justify the affair and drive the reader to wanting her to leave her marriage.

 

What do you think? Are there any good novels that break the stereotype