Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Thu, Oct 28 2010
November 2010 issue of Deb's Monthly Review has been uploaded.
Get your red-hot November 2010 festivals and events. If you're reading this after November 2010 you can still see the archived issue.
posted at: 20:29 | category: /Arts and Entertainment | link to this entry
Get your red-hot November 2010 festivals and events. If you're reading this after November 2010 you can still see the archived issue.
posted at: 20:29 | category: /Arts and Entertainment | link to this entry
Mon, Oct 25 2010
Danger zone
Dear me. I've just begun, and then deleted, two different posts. Both of them sounded preachy, and if there's one thing I don't deserve to be in the writing department these days, it's preachy.
When writing fiction, the general idea would be to tell the story instead of preaching. When not writing fiction, objectivity is probably the best technique. Or is it? When I'm continually tempted to pontificate while telling a story I can call on the characters and subjugate my own beliefs to that of a narrator on a mission to get the story straight. But where's the story in a non-ficiton blog post? The answer may come to me later. It will probably end up being based on something that has nothing to do with blogs. How about you? Are you a writer with a preachment danger zone?
posted at: 20:47 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry
Dear me. I've just begun, and then deleted, two different posts. Both of them sounded preachy, and if there's one thing I don't deserve to be in the writing department these days, it's preachy.
When writing fiction, the general idea would be to tell the story instead of preaching. When not writing fiction, objectivity is probably the best technique. Or is it? When I'm continually tempted to pontificate while telling a story I can call on the characters and subjugate my own beliefs to that of a narrator on a mission to get the story straight. But where's the story in a non-ficiton blog post? The answer may come to me later. It will probably end up being based on something that has nothing to do with blogs. How about you? Are you a writer with a preachment danger zone?
posted at: 20:47 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry
Thu, Oct 21 2010
Looking forward to lights
Fair warning. If you loathe talk about Christmas as early as October you will want to skip this post. I've begun updating the site with the holiday light displays I'll be doing more updates throughout the season, so check back there once in awhile. For more information about where to see lights, head over to Christmas Lights.
posted at: 21:09 | category: /Arts and Entertainment | link to this entry
Fair warning. If you loathe talk about Christmas as early as October you will want to skip this post. I've begun updating the site with the holiday light displays I'll be doing more updates throughout the season, so check back there once in awhile. For more information about where to see lights, head over to Christmas Lights.
posted at: 21:09 | category: /Arts and Entertainment | link to this entry
Mon, Oct 18 2010
Dancing with the Characters
I rarely get a chance to watch most TV shows, but I've spent a little time watching Dancing with the Stars this season. It's interesting to watch some of the folks be a little out of their element. And it's interesting to watch the judges with their very human biases. The viewing audience also helps determine the outcome when they vote for their favorites by cell phone.
I can't help but wonder how much a person's general looks or a feeling of nostalgia for what they represent becomes a factor in the scores and votes they get. And there's that whole idea of who has progressed the most from the beginning of the competition.
It's all in good fun. But I see plenty of parallels to the contests and challenges of everyday life. We often disagree at work, at school or at home about who is smarter or better looking or more charming. Those things can be fun, but none really represent true depth of character.
It's easy to fall into a trap with our fictional characters when writing. We can give them great cheekbones or quick wit or fast reflexes. Our readers will have fun with that. But if we want a reader to bond with a character's struggles and victories, we'll dig deeper with a character's response to life and all that comes with it.
posted at: 21:16 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry
I rarely get a chance to watch most TV shows, but I've spent a little time watching Dancing with the Stars this season. It's interesting to watch some of the folks be a little out of their element. And it's interesting to watch the judges with their very human biases. The viewing audience also helps determine the outcome when they vote for their favorites by cell phone.
I can't help but wonder how much a person's general looks or a feeling of nostalgia for what they represent becomes a factor in the scores and votes they get. And there's that whole idea of who has progressed the most from the beginning of the competition.
It's all in good fun. But I see plenty of parallels to the contests and challenges of everyday life. We often disagree at work, at school or at home about who is smarter or better looking or more charming. Those things can be fun, but none really represent true depth of character.
It's easy to fall into a trap with our fictional characters when writing. We can give them great cheekbones or quick wit or fast reflexes. Our readers will have fun with that. But if we want a reader to bond with a character's struggles and victories, we'll dig deeper with a character's response to life and all that comes with it.
posted at: 21:16 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry
Tue, Oct 12 2010
Writers need freezers and then you must (not) boil cans.
I'm doing some writing this week, but also took time to work with my spouse to clean out the big freezer. (The door got left a little ajar awhile back and some of the contents seemed compromised at worse and unappetizing at least.) We weeded out the items that were in sad shape and also found some frozen sunflower seeds that made local birds very happy. Now we have less to eat, but we can find it faster. And every writer needs a fast meal to help out now and then when the work-in-progress is barreling along and the writer has no thought of stopping the whole flow to peel potatoes and invent a meatloaf from a sixth-pound of ground turkey, a few stale crackers and a few packets of condiments.
Since food has been on the mind a lot in one form or another, I'll invite you to check out a recipe for Salted Dulce de Leche Cookies from The Crepes of Wrath. I should warn you that making the filling involves what I've always been told is very dangerous. You boil sweetened condensed milk in cans. If you've ever tasted any of the dark, rich results of this culinary procedure you'll probably do it anyway, so I'll just keep my warnings to myself. And as long as you're not trying this at home and all, you should know that chilling the stuff and then serving slices of it atop pineapple slices and sprinkling with coconut, toasted or not, will evoke noises from make your dinner guests that will make your neighbors think you're all over there enjoying a lot more than dinner. (While you're at The Crepes of Wrath you should look around for other recipes, both savory and sweet.)
posted at: 15:59 | category: /Food | link to this entry
I'm doing some writing this week, but also took time to work with my spouse to clean out the big freezer. (The door got left a little ajar awhile back and some of the contents seemed compromised at worse and unappetizing at least.) We weeded out the items that were in sad shape and also found some frozen sunflower seeds that made local birds very happy. Now we have less to eat, but we can find it faster. And every writer needs a fast meal to help out now and then when the work-in-progress is barreling along and the writer has no thought of stopping the whole flow to peel potatoes and invent a meatloaf from a sixth-pound of ground turkey, a few stale crackers and a few packets of condiments.
Since food has been on the mind a lot in one form or another, I'll invite you to check out a recipe for Salted Dulce de Leche Cookies from The Crepes of Wrath. I should warn you that making the filling involves what I've always been told is very dangerous. You boil sweetened condensed milk in cans. If you've ever tasted any of the dark, rich results of this culinary procedure you'll probably do it anyway, so I'll just keep my warnings to myself. And as long as you're not trying this at home and all, you should know that chilling the stuff and then serving slices of it atop pineapple slices and sprinkling with coconut, toasted or not, will evoke noises from make your dinner guests that will make your neighbors think you're all over there enjoying a lot more than dinner. (While you're at The Crepes of Wrath you should look around for other recipes, both savory and sweet.)
posted at: 15:59 | category: /Food | link to this entry
Mon, Oct 04 2010
Dying to write or dying not to write, or writing or dying
I visited Write or Die for a few minutes today. It's a good place to go if you're either feeling stuck on a particular topic or you're feeling stuck in general. (I suppose that covers most all fronts, doesn't it?) I opted out of the more extreme modes, but they range from gentle to electric shock. Dr Wicked is your host.
posted at: 20:44 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry
I visited Write or Die for a few minutes today. It's a good place to go if you're either feeling stuck on a particular topic or you're feeling stuck in general. (I suppose that covers most all fronts, doesn't it?) I opted out of the more extreme modes, but they range from gentle to electric shock. Dr Wicked is your host.
posted at: 20:44 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry
