TICKON

While we were in Denmark, my sister and I were taken (by our bed and breakfast host) to Tranekaer Castle. He thought it would be an interesting place for us to visit while he worked on his cabin on Langeland (one of Denmark's many islands).

He dropped us off in the parking lot and bid us well. We didn't really know what we were looking at. The castle was great, but not opened to visitors. We were supposed to walk around the grounds. My sister had broken her toe and by the time we got inside the garden, she was ready to go back. And then it started raining.

We kept on however, and came across an outdoor natural art museum (of sorts). This is what our friend wanted us to see. Tranekaer International Centre for Art and Nature. After slipping in the mud a couple of times, we came across the piece of art shown above. It's called: Between the copper beech and the oak, by Alfio Bonanno. It was my favorite.

Although we didn't stay there nearly as long as we would have if we knew where we were going (we didn't quite understand the map), it was a pretty great find and not something that most tourists would see. We loved it.

The moral of my story is: Sometimes in our life and in our writing, it's a good thing to break away from our schedule. Who knows what delightful or interesting treasure we might discover if we allow ourselves the freedom to do so? Have our characters lived a rich enough life? Have we made the most of their story?

Sometimes, if we follow one suggestion, it can lead us to a cornucopia of new experiences.

ESCALATING SCENE IN DENMARK

Sometimes a scene takes an unexpected twist.

Imagine being a tourist in a foreign country, taking a walk through a public park, and taking pictures of everything in sight--birds--a group of school children--the ocean--a campground in an unexpected place. Very benign and peaceful.

The scene became somewhat comical when we (my sister and I) came upon two women just wrapping up from their nude sunbathing session (to the right of this photo). They were not the Victoria's Secret type of model, but rather the Lane Bryant type. Luckily we weren't exposed to too much. My sister and I got a good laugh out of it, and they didn't pay any attention to us at all.

Public nudity isn't outlawed in Denmark--they do have all nude public bathhouses there. We just didn't expect it at the park. My sister and I hapily kept our clothes on, and for the most part visited places where others did too.

Denmark and Blogs

What do they have to do with each other? Who knows? Except my new background picture was taken in Denmark. To celebrate Memorial Day weekend,and summer, I've included it. Summer is here. Slow down. Relax. Except of course when it comes to our writing goals.
Our characters can never relax. They need to be doing something interesting to move that plot along. However, sometimes even seemingly laid-back things (like camping) can move the plot along in an interesting way.
Does your character accidentally start a campfire on a no-burn day? (Arizona campers know what I'm talking about.) Does someone from the forest service come along? Does the fire get out of control? Does your camper get shot?
It's interesting that something so ordinary as camping can set the stage for either a romance, or a thriller, or even an action-based story. But each scene needs to count for something. Even though it starts out ordinary, we should decide what this has to do with the life of our main character. If the answer is nothing, maybe it isn't such a great scene after all. What can we do to add a little extra spice to one of our scenes that seem overly bland?

WHITNEY AWARDS GALA

At the Whitney Awards Gala this past Saturday several outstanding authors were given special recognition in their genre. Today however, I wanted to mention the OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT Award that went to RICK WALTON.

I met him years ago at a week-long writing workshop. He is nice, friendly, and unassuming for someone who has published over 80 books. I have only six or seven of his picture books in my bookshelf, but I love each one. They’re classic and fun-filled tales such as: Bertie Was A Watchdog, about a midget dog who saved the day; Bullfrog Pops! Is a crazy western about a hungry bullfrog. The book has a surprise each time you turn the page; Mrs. McMurphy’s Pumpkin is about a haunted pumpkin; and Suddenly Alligator, is an adverbial tale that’s full of fun. The man is a creative genius.
I hadn’t known who was getting this award when I bought tickets for the gala, but I was sure glad I was there to cheer him on.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Award went to SUSAN EVANS MCCLOUD, who I don’t know and have never met, but who gave us the wonderful hymn, “Lord, I would Follow Thee” and, “As Zion’s Youth in Latter Days.”

Susan's biography and numerous achievements are listed in Wikipedia.
Susan magnified her calling as a writer and poet while raising her family—something that’s not easy to do. Finding that fine line is hard; the line between total absorption in the creative process and spending enough time with your husband and children to make them feel important and appreciated.
For the first sixteen years of my married life, I was totally absorbed in motherhood, and it wasn’t until years after that when my desire to write was re-born. It’s been a gradual process for me, the emergence from total motherhood to wife-mother-writer-hopeful author. I look up to people like Susan and Rick, people who knew their talent and calling in life from the very beginning and not only made it work, but made it look easy.