Witch on a Witch Hunt (nanowrimo excerpt)

I've been working on my NanoWriMo novel in process, Witch on a Witch Hunt, and too busy to think about my Blog, so I'm posting a small excerpt. Critiques welcome.

They drove away in silence.  James driving and Jade deep in her own thoughts wondered how Chadak fit in and was startled by her thought.  Chadak.  Chadak?  Why had his name come to mind?  Bits and pieces of whispered conversations from her youth drifted unbidden to the surface of her mind. 

"Unnatural, they are - evil.  They play with life as if it has no meaning and she was playing with that dark child of hers."

"Shhhh, she'll hear."

"No, she sleeps.  She must leave here soon"

"But, she's so young, she's my baby, her father will be devastated.  Surely they are no threat."

"I have spoken, it is law, and you have known the day would come.  Jadeah has reached the age of reason.  It is time, and not a moment too soon."

"Yes, Nana.  When?"

"Soon.  soon.  She is strong and she bested him.  Would you risk her life to the ire of those without conscience?  No, - not yet.  It is too soon.  She is better at the School.  It is time."

"But Nana, you're strong, you're on the Council.  Why do you fear Morana and this boy of hers?"

"Fear? No, child.   I know her and knowing her and her kind, I prepare me and mine and protect them from the dark side.  That boy is but a child, but a child raised in the dark is destined to walk dark paths.  ‘As the twig is bent...'  Ask me no more.  To speak of evil feeds its power."

James's stared at the road and mulled over the interviews at the university.  This Kane wasn't really intimately known by anyone.  He was a loner.  He spurned social invitations.  None of his colleagues knew what his experiments were about.  They could only point to his published papers.  James would review those tonight.  He glanced aside at Jade sitting beside him.  A small crease above and between her eyes were the only signs that some deep thought disturbed her.  "What is it, Jade?"

"Hmm?  Oh, sorry, I was a million miles away.  Did you find anything out at the University?  How does research on nanotechnology fit in?  I reviewed all his papers.  The possibilities are endless if his theories are correct."

What Do You Do When You Have A Cold

I've got another cold and I always resort to the old tried and true 4.

1.  Does chicken soup cure the common cold?  No, but it sure eases the symptoms.  One Mayo clinic study I read years ago found that it promoted the flow of phlegm so ridding the body of the virus quicker.  I’ve had a crockpot of it going for 2 days now and I’ve been sipping the broth throughout the day and replenishing the broth in the pot.

An hour before supper, I might add some vegetables, more onions, more garlic and turn it up before actually serving myself more than just the broth.

Chicken SoupBrown some chicken parts bone-in (Thighs, legs, wings…)
Add 1 chopped onion and sauté til golden
Add 3-4 smashed and finely minced garlic cloves and sauté a few minutes (don’t brown)
Add spices and stir briefly (cinnamon, salt, pepper, cumin, dash of cayenne, and a bay leaf)
Immediately deglaze pot with white wine, vermouth, or chicken broth and water to fill pot.
Add favorite veggies only an hour before a meal, if you want so they'll be a dente and not mush.
Simmer til done.

2. Does a hot toddie cure the common cold?  No, but it also eases the symptoms and I personally believe it speeds recovery.  My earliest memory of this particular remedy goes back to early childhood. 

Hot Toddie

1 hot whiskey
Juice of one lemon
1 generous tablespoon of honey
8-12 ounces of boiling water or tea.

Sip slowly, then wrap up warmly and go to sleep. As a child, I assure you I went to sleep and woke up wet from sweat and ready to go to school.  As I’ve grown older, it takes 2-3 such toddies to, but the effect is the same.

3. Do you really have to drink so many fluids and why?  Yes you do and the reasons are many.  The body loses fluids in a variety of ways: constant blowing of nose, fever and sweating, mouth-breathing. Remember teas are okay if herbal and not diuretic - water is the best.  Flavor it with some juice concentrates, or stir in some frozen OJ or Apple Juice.

4. Does the adage starve a cold, feed a fever have any merit?  I know that feeding a fever makes sense as we’re burning more calories.  But the starve a cold part probably comes from the fact that appetite disappears when you have a cold, or at least mine does.  I notice I eat less and on the upside, I drop a few pounds.  This close to the over-indulgent holidays, that’s a welcome reward for surviving the cold.

Are you the Heroine of Your Story?

“Write in recollection and amazement for yourself.” – Jack Kerouac

Who hasn’t read On the Road? Kerouac understood, as I hope you do, that each of us is the hero, in my case heroine, of our own story. My journal is my book, and sometimes in recollection, I am truly amazed.

simple notebook pen

soliloquy on the page
journal diary

a day once removed
to march cadence on blue lines
fill each empty page

siphoning angst hurt
experience clears the mind
for new adventure

My journal is the running memoir of my life, my confidant, my Wailing Wall, canvas for creative thoughts, and so much more.  

What is Meditation?

Falling into the gap

you meditate long enough
you fall into the gap between thoughts and
you are one with the one and for
you all things are possible like the quark,
you are now both here, and there.
           © Perle Champion

Meditation is not so much a thing to do, as place to go.  It is a realm unto itself, where we become our very own note in the one song that is the universe.

Can Doing Nothing Be Called Research

Golden rain of leaves

aerie, eyrie, perch 
leaves float on unseen breezes 
I sit pen in hand 

wanting to capture
it all on the page but words
cannot hold the wind
                    © Perle Champion

William Wordsworth wrote, “Come forth into the light of things, Let Nature be your teacher”.

So one could call my gazing hours on end out the window or off the balcony of my aerie watching the seasons change before my eyes as research.  

And, one could call my walking down sidewalks kicking leaves as hands on experience to commit to the page at a later date. 

 

Who do you write for?

Laying Life on the Line

she sat pen in hand
journal open before her
her life paced the lines

glory inglory
marching cadence cross the page
bare and unadorned

© Perle Champion

“Never mind the misses and the stumbles…” “The habit of writing for my eyes only is good practice, it loosens the ligaments.” - Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf's quote hits home for me, and if you would write, I hope for you.  There is something so freeing about writing just for yourself with no deadlines.  It doesn’t need to be perfect; it’s a conversation with and exploration of yourself for yours eyes only now or forever unless you decide to share it. 

Saying you want to write is not enough, you must write it.  The truth is so much writing is just mental gymnastics.  A skater skates, a harpist harps, a writer writes. It is the practice that perfects.

Day after day, with no one to see, no one to hear, and no one to applaud, I rise and go to my practice. I write in my journal.

Can You Publish What You Journal?

Filling the white space

white space taunts my pen
my épée etching each word
slowly on the page

words marching cadence
along pale blue journal lines
and then there is light
                  © Perle Champion 2009

William Wordsworth wrote: “Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart”

I’ve filled the paper or my journal since I was a child: daily observations, traumas & dramas,  poetry, essays, stories and more since I was a child.  I didn’t realize how much publishable material languished there in my own journal until one day.

One day I was rereading an old journal when I realized that one story was practically complete, so why not type it up and send it out. That story was “Rain” back in 2004.  What a thrill it was to see that story so dear me, not only published but resonating with so many readers. 

That day I started paying attention to what I wrote in my journal and noting in the margin whether it would make a good poem or essay or story or a character in a book.  That decision has since stood me in good stead.  Most of what I’ve published originated inthe pages of my journal.

Is Writer's Block Just an Excuse to Not Write?

I've often wondered about those folks who use the excuse of writer's block for not writing.  Yes, I think it is an excuse akin to a certain in-law of mine who opines, I can't cook.  My response to her is if you can read and follow instructions, you can cook.  My response to writers or wanna be writers. If you can put pen to page, fingers to keys, have a thought in your head, you can write.  

I write everyday in my journal - that's a start, and then there's the Blog challenges, NanoWriMo, and poetry contests, etc.  They all have deadlines, so I make the commitment and on top of my daily journal, I write.

It's day 6 of the BlogHer Blog-a-Day for November (note: they throw that gauntlet down every month), and I'm on track.

And

I'm still plodding away on my NanoNovel and have 17,545 words to-date, so I’m on track to get my 50,000 words done by and hopefully before November 30.  I plan to do heavy edit by/before December 15, so I can take advantage of Amazon’s offer to NanoWriMo winners (anyone who reaches 50,000 words) to publish 2 free hard copies of their novels.  I planned on uploading my finished novel to their Kindle platform anyway, but oh, to see the actual book in print (every author’s dream). 

I’m encouraged by the sales of my non-fiction e-book published on Amazon in late 2012 – How to Journal and How to Publish from Your Journal.  While not a best seller it is selling and yay!  It’s making money.  I opened my P.O. box this morning and amid the bills, 1 rejected manuscript and the detritus called junk mail, was the check - a royalty check from Amazon.com on my book.  It was not large, but oh it's such a nice feeling to get paid for doing something you enjoy.  As I have not promoted the book except for a few Blog posts and an Amazon affiliate link on my Blogs, I’m rather amazed and more than a little pleased.

I like the Amazon affiliate link, as it allows me to link all to the books I review and even those I just like and think everyone should read, and in return I make a few cents commission for having done so.  It adds up over time.

How a Journal Keeps You Grounded

In the midst of all things on my November ToDo’s list, I’m still writing my morning pages in my journal - at least 3 handwritten pages.  Why?

It’s my creative net to:

• Capture Ideas of the moment to pursue later.  The pen is my best memory.
• Give form to my dreams and ponder how to give them wings
• Brainstorm solutions to problems
• Write a poem, or essay or capture a character for later extemporization.

It’s my friend to:

• Give voice to things best kept to myself knowing the confidence will go no further.
• Give thanks for what I have without sounding maudlin.
• Cry over losses, and rejoice of triumphs
• And so much more.

Do you keep a journal?

November is a roller coaster of To-Do's

November is shaping up to be a roller coaster ride of

To do

To do

To do

          To do.

First off, November means a bunch of holiday open house events and gallery openings, and other parties and I try never to miss a one.  Then there’s Thanksgiving holidays, which in my family is a 4-day marathon of gathering, cooking, eating, etc.

Add to that:

NanoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is always a challenge. In order to write 50,000 words by November 30 I need to write 1667 words per day minimum.

• Solution: I’m banking words by writing as many words over 2000 as possible on a daily basis, because there will be days I won’t be able to manage more than 500.

BlogHer’s November challenge to post one blog per day for 30 days (NaBloPoMo).

• Solution: I’m banking blogs, buy writing 2-5 at a time and scheduling them to drop on the appropriate day; cheating and posting NanoNovel excerpts; dashing off a quick haiku or plain poem…

Two poetry contests.  

• One was due Sunday at midnight, and I got it off @ 6pm that day.  Cross your fingers for me – the prize is $500.  
• The second one is due November 30 same day as NanoWriMo, so I’ve already started on it in my ‘spare’ time.

Later gators. Tomorrow is my day out with my Mom, soooo I’ve got to write tomorrow’s blog and at least 1667 words on my novel.

What does your November look like?

Where is the History of Women?

“I prefer the pen. There is something elemental about the glide and flow of nib and ink on paper.”
― James Robertson, The Testament of Gideon Mack

Paean*

praise for the paeans
flowing from a woman’s pen
that told their story

quietly they rail
assail anonymity
filling silent pages

pen in hand they stand
long lines of women through time
countless pages writ

journals letters more
words telling the history
men tend to omit
              © Perle Champion

 *Paean:  It comes from the Greek παιάν (also παιήων or παιών), "song of triumph..

.

 So much of history is about men by men, but there is a rich history of women if one is willing to look.  It exists in journals, letters, and more.  So much has been lost or tossed as of no consequence.  And, some has been preserved for us if we know where to look. 

Southern History Room of Birmingham and the microfiche archives of the Linn Henley Library are rich with such histories.  To pluck any journal from a shelve and begin reading is like stepping back in time and experiencing a life lived.

I’ll be spending some more time there in the next few weeks as I have some research to do.  Birmingham has one of the best library systems I’ve encountered and I’ve known many. 

Note:Day 3 of NanoWriMo – Novel Wordcount is 8,449BlogHer Blog-a-Day challenge 3 for 3

What Is Your Sunday Ritual?

Rock Ritual & Rote

with rote of ritual

rock bottom can become our

solid foundation

© Perle Champion

Ritual can be elaborate, but many are simply the rote tasks we perform on a daily basis and never give a second thought unless life or the weather interferes.

It’s early Sunday morning (really early as I forgot to fall back) and, as with all my days, my first tasks are cat-related: put kibble in one bowl, pour fresh water in the other, put the coffee on.  But, it’s Sunday and Jazzmine somehow always knows when it’s Sunday and waits impatiently for her can of stinky, shrimpy, Fancy Feast for breakfast.  Seven days a week she gets kibble, but Sunday she’ll save the kibble for later and devour her stinky treat.

Sunday breakfasts require an audience, so I sit at the table with my coffee and keep her company whiles she eats.  I open my journal and begin writing my morning pages, much of which made their way into today’s Blog.

No hurry. No walkabout this morning – I’ll probably ride my stationary bike while I watch Today and later do yoga stretches while I watch Charlie Osgood and after I’ll make my way to my desk to transcribe my pages and begin my 2000 words for my NaNo novel..

Finished eating, Jazzmine dashed down the hall, and I know she’s gone out her window kitty door to the balcony.  Her rituals are simple, eat then outside to scratch her post and preen, before retiring to whatever pool of sunshine she can find to snooze in.

Moments later, she is back inside, and staring at me as only a cat can.  Jazzmine feels betrayed, and lets me know it - it's 31 outside.  The odd throaty ‘meorrow’ seems to ask accusingly, ‘what have you done to the weather’. She stares out the window and ventures out once or twice more before giving up and curling up on the electric leopard throw that kept us warm at my desk yesterday.

On the bright side, this is the south and it will be 65 tomorrow and back to a shirtsleeves 70 Tuesday and Wednesday.  Jazz will be able to resume, at least briefly,her daily balcony ritual foray – Winter southern style – gotta love it.

How to Over-Book November

Talking to a friend on the phone this past Monday, she commented that omg it’s practically November.  I looked up from my coffee to the kitchen calendar and noted that in my Kitchen, it already was November and it was already booked solid - omg indeed.

I had turned the page early Sunday morning to jot more than a few items down for November and as I could see from Sunday the 26^th all the way through to November 1, I just migrated the few events left in October to the November page.

Yes I still use a real calendar, two actually.  I have one in the kitchen for day to day life and one in my Aerie (that’s what I call my office/studio where I write and paint) for various deadlines and some duplication of the kitchen calendar.  Later I will put everything into my Google calendar which syncs with my iPhone calendar.  If they aren’t already there that is.

So, I’ve been looking at November since last Sunday, and still November 1 surprises me with all that I have committed to do this month.

• Write a 50,000 word novel for National Novel Writing Month – NanoWriMo.org
• Post a Blog a day for Blogher.com’s NaBloPoMo.
• Enter 3 poems in the Two Sylvias Press competition for the Russell Prize due tomorrow.
• Write a brand new poem and submit by the 30^th to Hermeneutic Chaos Literary Journal competition for the Jane Lumley Prize.

Oh, and lest I forget,

• Luncheon lecture at Lister Hill next week - History of Medicine thru the Ages.
• Three open house events I never miss in the little neighborhoods which make up some of Birmingham: Homewood, English Village, and PepperPlace.
• Three or four of my favorite art galleries all have November Christmas shows.

Oh, and then there’s

• Thanksgiving - the family gathers and cooks and it all starts the day before and runs through the weekend.

What’s your November look like?

Monday, Moon's Day

Monday is Moon’s day (Old English mon(an)dæg "day of the moon) and the beginning of the work week for most people.  I've retired from the 8-5 of Dilbertville, but I find I still begin most of my new projects on Monday - old habits die hard.   

Lately, I’ve been painting again with a vengeance- mostly on rescued wood.   I've posted a few below. I'll be opening an Etsy.com store as soon as I have a bit more inventory.  I already have interest in a few I've posted on FaceBook earlier which is encouraging.   I’ve noticed that I have an obsession with the moon.

My cat series, ‘Meowling at the Moon’, sold well a few years ago when I had a small show at Daniel Day Gallery, so I’m working on a new series.

My Fems in the Wild did almost as well

Small villages nestled in nature are next up.

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 I’m still writing.

• Working on a review of a friends book, which I will post on the Blog as well as Amazon, B&N, GoodReads, etc. 
• Finalizing some essays to pitch to a few magazines.
• Attending Lister Hill Library’s WriteNow program - just 2 sessions left, has helped me immensely to organize and create real-time deadlines for my writing projects.  Big thank you to Jennifer Greer for her encouragement and help.  

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Foodie Friday – The Perfect Easy Soothie

Food for the weekend, or a weekday for that matter, should be easy.  What could be easier than a frosty smoothie for breakfast on a hot summer morning.  I put a lot of good things into my smoothie, so instead of taking out all the ingredients every time I want a one, I prepare 6 or more at a time, then I can go several days without having to go thru all the assembly.

Breakfast Smoothie premix (store in next to smallest mason jars).

• 1 or 2 scoops favorite protein powder (follow package directions)
• 1 Tbs golden ground flax seed
• 1-2 Tsp ground psyllium husk
• 2 Tbs rolled oats
• 1 Tbs Organic cocoa powder
• 1 scoop MSM (follow package instructions)
• 1/8 Tsp cayenne (I like heat and it’s good for metabolism)
• 1/8 Tsp Turmeric (because it’s good for me)

Make the Smoothie

• 8-12 oz Liquid (I use juice, almond milk or water and sometimes I use yesterday’s coffee)
• 1 container of smoothie premix
• Fruit if desired (I love half banana, figs or blueberries in season)
• 1 tsp of blackstrap molasses (acquired taste – I love the stuff)
• 3 or more ice cubes.

 Blend til cubes assimilated – may have to scrape down sides. 

 This smoothie usually consumed around 7 in the morning, keeps me going til way past noon.

 Happy Friday – Off to Art show and lecture this evening at Space One-Eleven.

Did You Stop and Smell the Roses?

I begin Throw Back Thor’s Day with

Dear Mnemosyne, goddess of memory, mother of the Muses,

How I wish you interfered a bit more in human affairs as you reportedly did in ancient times, and force us all to slow down and smell those roses.

I’m still scanning old photos and looking at some of them I realize:

• I might remember some names, but I’ve long ago lost touch with the people
• I have no idea the details of what appears to have been a glorious day
• I remember wishing in the midst of this or that holiday bustle that I had a fast-forward remote to get it over with. 

How often go we go tearing through a day so intent on the destination, that we miss the journey?  I know toomany days on my morning 5-mile walk, I arrive back home and wonder how I got there.

Too few pictures of certain friends tell me we didn’t spend as much time together as we could and it’s too late now.  They’ve passed out of my life and some from this earth. Here's to Mark and Marsha.

I'm inserting into my life the Zen philosophy of ‘paying attention', and Facebook, however irritating it is sometimes, is one of my most useful tools    

It allows me to keep in touch with so many friends that might otherwise fall by the wayside, because the days are not long enough to visit and talk with everyone every day and many of them live far away. 

On FaceBook we can share short messages, pictures, family events, our own or our children’s milestones, and arrange to meet-up at various shared events - all those little things that keep a friendship alive and memory fresh. 

So as Mnemosyne has deserted me, Facebook, that meddlesome thing, allows me to keep in touch and share my friends lives and remember our times together a little better.  

3 Rules to Get You Walking

Walk About Wednesdays – Here are 3 rules to help you get your walk or other workout done early with no excuses.

Aside from walking to Lister Hill for my WriteNow session, I’m walking in the early mornings again as I once did religiously.  There was a time when I was up every morning at 5 a.m. and out the door for a 5-mile walk before getting ready and going to work.

Somewhere around the time I had the meniscus tear in my left knee repaired (years of various sports injury), I quit.  It’s true that it takes only 3 days to break a good habit, even one I’ve had for over 25 years.  I’m living proof.  The knee was getting painful before the surgery so my walking had gotten sporadic, but after thesurgery, I just couldn’t get going again.

I pulled out a blog I wrote some years ago and decided implement the rules that kept me walking for so many years first thing in the morning.

1. Park complete workout outfit by bed – on top of shoes stack socks, shorts, panties, bra, shirt.
2. Start dressing while on toilet (I always go first thing, so I take my stack of clothes with me).
3. Grab keys, phone, and small tablet with pen and stuff in pocket (these should be parked by the door)

I used to carry a camera, too, but with the iPhone takes jusst a good a picture.  I carry a small, as I'm a writer and good ideas seem to come when you're miles from home with nothing to write on. 

I’m usually out the door in 10 minutes.

Will this help you get some early morning walking done?

What Are You Thankful for Today?

It’s Thankful Tuesday.

"I'm thankful for serendipitous moments in my life, where things could've gone the other way."
- Rick Springfield

This quote resonated loudly for me on this Thankful Tuesday, as my injured hand healed right up and I’m typing away as usual today.

I fell off a chair on an old wooden porch Friday night.  As we all shifted our chairs around to watch the fireworks (thunder on the mountain) around 9 that night, the leg of my chair caught on the old porch and I slid off breaking my fall with my right hand.  Things could have gone really wrong, but they went my way instead of the other way – a truly serendipitous moment.

• I could have fallen down the stairs – I did not.
• I could have broken my hand or something else – I did not.
• I could have shattered my glass as I usually have a real glass – I chose plastic so it did not.

I was helped to my feet, the chair righted, wine glass refilled and we all watched the gorgeous fireworks and celebrated the 4^th of July.  I stayed awhile and continued my long walk home via another friend’s house, and thought no more about it until Saturday morning when the hand was hurting and slightly swollen. 

It was not bruised and the pain did not feel like a break.  I kept it on ice the entire day and most of the night favoring it as I prepped food and did other minor chores – you have no idea just how much the right hand little finger does in a day.  I have new respect for that digit.

Fortunately, I had an ARC (advanced reading copy) of a book I promised to review for a friend loaded on my Tablet, so the enforced tenure on the couch with one hand on ice was not total torture.  I alternated between the ice-pack and tall glass of iced wine, which helped.  Did more of the same on Sunday, but not as intense and it was obviously healing.

I slept with then hand wrapped flat in a silk scarf Saturday and Sunday nights and today the swelling is pretty much gone and I’m just shy of making a perfect fist again.  

I am thankful for serendipitous moments where things that could have gone so wrong, went just right.

What are your grateful for?

Do You Map Your Week Out on Monday?

I’ve dubbed Monday, Monday Map Day.  The first thing I do Mondays is map out my week of To Do’s.  This is the beginning of the list that will probably grow as the week progresses.  

1. Pre-write and schedule Blogposts for the week. Very important as I’ve committed to blogging daily for the BlogHer July Challenge.
2. Outline or hand draft new essay/query for my Wednesday WriteNow 2-hour session at Lister Hill Library.
3. Finish reading/reviewing Theodora Goss’s ARC of her new book: Songs for Ophelia. Started it Saturday while icing my injured right hand.  Making notes was a challenge.
4. Paint.  Add new layer to paintings in progress. 
5. Add hangers to finished paintings, photograph and post to Etsy.  FU with Genie and Ree for 2 of them.
6. Research markets for essay WIPs
7. Polish 2 WriteNow projects and submit to magazines.
8. Take Mom to Doc and day out on Thursday.

Moving on to Tuesday and hoping this list doesn’t get too much longer. 

What’s the first thing you do on Monday?

Sabbat Sunday

Sabbat Sunday - At the most literal of definitions, we have:

1. A day of rest, and
2. The Day of the Sun.

Latin Sabbatum (literally a day or rest, religious connotations came later), Ancient Greek σάββατον (sábbaton),
 from Hebrew שַׁבָּת (shabát,), from Wicca (sabbat).

Originally ‘a day of rest’,  for most religions it is a day of fasts, of don’ts and other obligations.

For others it is a day of feast and celebration of the cycles of the earth and her peoples, and that is why I prefer Sabbat.

I prefer celebration to deprivation (I always fast on Mondays).  This day of the sun awaits, and I’m off to enjoy every minute of it.

Mañana y’all