“Sea chest open, treasure shimmering, fog lifting and loving the ever-unfolding mysterious adventure!”
And a hearty “ahoy” to Pirate Pal Mikayle. Hope Pirates of Penzance warms the cockles of your heart.
Ey, lads and lassies, mates one and all,
As I warned ye in the first log of this adventure, I would be at times droppin’ anchor and lettin’ ya go to shore, to carouse, drink a pint or two, and leave me to me writin’.
Well, today is one of those days when my wayward muse is back on board, penitent while at the same time full of herself. (If the two can be said to live in the same waters, and I can put up with her!) Ya see, sometimes she wanders away to have a think, to sit at the end of a bar or a pier, depending on ‘er mood, and lose her self to the project at hand, or so she says. Aye, I understand, even if I swear to feed her to the sharks when she returns. As my crew, you’ll see her jump ship, but let ‘er go. I have to trust the wench will be back.
And back she is. She’s so bloody lively, I’m gonna have to cut you loose, give you permission to swing the lead. So you’re free to wander and wonder what the damnation I’ll be squawkin’ about next week, for I have a bloody heavy tale to tell about this pirate’s life and past assaults on the Ship of Publication.
In the meantime, for fellow mates in the writing world, for those learnin’ the ropes, and for those who just love the wordy seas and adventures they toss up, here’s a quote from fellow pirate Roger Ebert, the scallywag who’s lost his voicebox, but not his voice. Here he’s writin’ ‘bout the movie Another Year.
I see a lot of movies where the characters have no personalities, only attributes. Every single character in Another Year is human, and some of them are all too human.
Aye, Roger, attributes. Pasting on artificial traits that do not a human make.
I, too, have fallen for this siren who calls me to the rocks when I be lazy. So now I advise me mates this way: when some good intentioned landlubber tells you to stick a few tics onto a character to make them real or to figure out what pretty frock your protagonist will choose to wear, jump their ship. What’s real, what calls to a reader, is how a character acts when they’re under siege. Do they jump ship, do they take the last lifeboat, do they fight to the finish, or do they have one moment, when their foes show a weakness that offers a way to win the battle? A character could do all. Or a coward might start out taking the last lifeboat, see a child drown as the ship goes down, and is so guilt ridden, he or she must seek redemption. What are they wearing in that lifeboat? Who cares? Unless it’s the last life vest, too.
So, think on it, and I’ll get back to my muse, who is now righteously pissed at my inattention. She’s workin’ me fingers to the bone, but she’s brought back the gold, so I’ll shut me gob and leave ya with a look at some of me pirate pals from this past year. They crew one of the best laden ships this side of the globe, Ship Holiday Market aka Saturday Market in the port of Eugene, Oregon. Ahoy, lassies! Keep smilin’.
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| Kim, Cindia & Elissa |
To our mutual success,
Captain Val
Coming Up and in No Particular Order!
“Chasin’ the Elusive Ship Publication”
“Sink or Swim: the Dangers of the Writing Life”
"The Fountain of Creative Ideas, or Why My Resume Wouldn't Land Me a Normal Job"
"Platform, Flatform"
... and an interview with Jessica Maxwell of Roll Around Heaven
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