Make Me Think Monday Archives - Page 23 of 35

12 09, 2016

September 11, 2001 and December 7, 1941: Days of Infamy

By judythemorgan|2016-09-11T20:35:27-05:00September 12th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

On December 8, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt called December 7, “a date which will live in infamy.”

December 7 and the words of his Infamy Speech have become synonymous with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Within an hour of that speech, Congress passed a Declaration of War thrusting the United States headlong into World War II.

Roosevelt’s words had a profound an impact on our nation. Recruiting stations were jammed with surges of volunteers. And, when World War II ended, the world was not the same.

Pearl Harbor was before my time. Thirty years after Pearl Harbor another event occurred giving us a new date I will always remember– September 11, 2001. Once again a day of infamy changed our world dramatically.

My heart rate still surges on the 9-11 anniversary as I recall waiting to know all our family members were safe . I have vivid memories of watching Katy Couric describe the planes crashing into the Twin Towers.

Those same memories return to bounce around in my head every 9-11. We’d had lunch in the Towers with family members only two months before. That made the terrorist attack more personal.

It’s been fifteen years now, but no matter how long it’s been from either date of infamy, one thing remains constant.

Nearly 3,000 people in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania lost their lives on 9-11, 2001. World War II causalities numbered over 60 million.

Pausing on the anniversaries of both events allows us to honor those we’ve lost.

Never Forget.

8 08, 2016

You Write What? or What is a romance novel? Part 1

By judythemorgan|2016-08-06T12:21:32-05:00August 8th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

As we’ve relaxed on the front porch with house guests this summer, those two questions come up a lot.

To the what do I write question, I respond romantic fiction similar to authors Danielle Steele, Nicolas Sparks, and Barbara Delinsky. Unfortunately, some of our guests have never heard of those authors, a sad, sad thing because those authors write incredible stories. So do I. :)

Others have no idea what romantic fiction means.

I completely understand the genre confusion because so many different types of books are lumped under the umbrella labeled romance. Many of which lack the very specific expectations for characters and plot structure romance readers seek.

So what is a romance novel?

Every true romance novel contains two elements – a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. (www.rwa.org)

Romance novels can be contemporary, historical, mystery, thrillers, fantasy, or any number of other themes with settings and distinctions of plot that create specific subgenres. Whatever the plot, a romance novel always centers on the developing relationship of two people and ends with what romance writers call HEA, a happy ending.

Romance novel formats include

Novella

20,000 to 25,000 words
Themed collections also called anthologies

Category

40,000 to 65,000 words
Series (or “lines”) with a certain number published each month. Harlequin Romances available on a subscription basis are an example.

Single Title

75,000+ words
Labeled as mass-market or trade by publishers based upon the format—small vs. large size and price point.

The industry standard for the romance genre is for the reader to experience the story through both the hero’s and heroine’s viewpoints, in third person, past tense.

The typical romance reader looks for only one viewpoint per scene in a story. However, there are romance authors like Nora Roberts who have challenge this standard successfully.

Lastly, the scope of the romance can be from sweet (no sex, no swearing) to extremely hot (no holds barred).

That fact always brings up another question: “You write like 50 Shades of Grey?” followed by a quick look and snicker at my husband. Whereupon, I quickly explain my stories are classified sweet romance.

More on romance classifications next week.

Considering the definitions above, do you read ROMANCE novels? If you have, tell us about one of your favorite novels.

1 08, 2016

Offering An Open Hand

By judythemorgan|2016-07-17T08:43:00-05:00August 1st, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Love these words from Biddy Mason, once a Black slave woman who walked from Mississippi to California working along the way as a cattle herder and nurse/midwife.

Quite a woman she was.

In 1856 she petitioned the California courts and won her freedom. She reached out with her open hand to immigrants and prisoners. Sixteen years later in 1872, she and her son founded the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in her Los Angeles home. That little group grew to nearly 3,000 members.

How’s that for offering an open hand?

25 07, 2016

Are Naps a Waste of Time?

By judythemorgan|2021-07-17T10:55:17-05:00July 25th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Nappers are often labeled as lazy. But are nappers the smart ones?

As youngsters, we fought naps until we collapsed in total exhaustion. These days social media can produce FOMO and like our younger selves we push on.

Unfamiliar with FOMO? That’s anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.

We tend to power through our day, tired or not, because we feel compelled to get everything done that we think we need to do.

Interestingly, recent studies indicate the tendency to avoid naps or take breaks to relax during the day can actually reduce productivity and/or produce results that are less than our best.

Check out The New York Magazine video below. You may change your mind about napping. I did and now I’m off for a nap.

18 07, 2016

Five Ways to Attract Blog Readers

By judythemorgan|2016-07-14T13:14:13-05:00July 18th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Today’s blog world is highly competitive. A quick check at Blogging Statistics – Worldometers shows over 2 million posts (and counting) for July 14, 2016.

With numbers like that, our blogs can get lost sea of options.

So what can we do as bloggers do to attract readers?

I suggest these five things.

An Irresistible Title

Something catchy that piques interest. Try one of these ideas:

Ask an open-ended question
Include who, what, when where, or how to
Make ’em curious– tease, contradict, challenge a belief
Offer a solution or benefit in the content

Plenty of White Space

Keep paragraphs short – no more than four lines is the guideline. Many readers use their phones and tablets. Lines and lines of text are boring and hard to read.

Captivating Graphics

What’s the quote: “A picture is worth a thousand words”? Include visuals that pull the reader into the blog.

But, always be sure to use legal-to-copy images. Last thing, any blogger needs is a copyright troll targeting your image.

Keep Your Posts Short

People are busy. Even 500 words can push a reader’s attention. I suggest my guest bloggers keep their posts under 500.

If your topic requires more than a 1,000 words to communicate the idea, maybe cut it into two posts by ending on a hook that will make the reader return.

Write Succinct Posts

Write posts specific to your target audience. Miller Farm Friday is a great example. Chicken Wrangler Sara’s posts are all about life on their urban farm. And, they are short!

Will these suggestions guarantee of success? Unfortunately, no. There are too many variables for guarantees, but I do believe these five things are extremely important to gain a reader’s attention.

If you want more ideas just Google “How to build blog readership.” I did and in .80 seconds, 341,000 results appeared! Lots of ideas on things to try to find readers.

Do you have ideas of your own? If so, please share in the comments.

11 07, 2016

What items work to regift and what doesn’t?

By judythemorgan|2016-07-02T14:11:55-05:00July 11th, 2016|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|2 Comments

Christmas is officially six months away. It’s time to start thinking about gift giving. For me, that means checking my gift box supply for things to regift.

What’s in my gift box? Items I’ve received over the year(s) that really didn’t work for me. Things that might suit someone else that I can regift.

In case you’re not familiar with the term, regifting is the act of receiving a gift, and then after some time, wrapping it up and giving it to someone else.

It’s a way of recycling what you don’t want or can’t use.

The trick to regifting lies in knowing what’s acceptable to re-gift, what’s a definite no-no, and the cardinal rule of regifting:

Only regift NEW items not used items unless they classify as antiques.

Here are ten items considered acceptable to regift.

Candles – Designed to be used up and thrown away, are very easy to regift when unused and plastic remains.
Soaps, Lotions, and Bathroom Items -Soaps, hand creams, lotions, bubble baths are all fine to regift. Only if the items haven’t expired and haven’t been opened.
Games, Toys, and Puzzles -Perfectly okay to regift if intact. Do make a note of who gave what to whom, though. Last thing you’d want to do is give a game/toy/puzzle back to someone who gave it to you.
Some Clothing -Don’t risk a friendship or argument if you travel in the same circle of friends and the fact you never wear the gift will be obvious. Also, be sure all tags remain intact.
Wine and Spirits – Wine only gets better with age. Hard liquor does too. So if it’s sealed, you’re good to give.

Gift Cards – Make sure the balance never expires, or is still intact because some devious people out there operate gift card frauds.
Gift Baskets -As long as you haven’t removed half the contents, destroyed the packaging, or kept the basket so long the items have expired.
Fragrances -Perfumes, aftershaves, and eau de toilettes are all fair game for regifting provided they remain sealed in the original box.
Kitchen Items -Toasters. Blenders. Frying pans. Coffee makers. All very regiftable if in original packaging. Be careful not to offend anyone who might come to your home and cannot see what they gave you. Awkward situation you want to avoid.
Novelties and Gag Gifts -Perfect for those white elephant exchanges that abound in December or age-related parties. The fun of some white elephant exchanges is the same gifts appear year after year and become a running joke.

Now these four things should NEVER be regifted:

Personalized items even if you share initials
Anything with an inscription
Opened CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Rays
Anything universally awful unless used as a gag gift

What about you? Are you a regifter? What things do you pass along?

27 06, 2016

Wandering and Stories

By judythemorgan|2016-06-23T10:06:15-05:00June 27th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Edie Melson’s graphics always grab my attention and stir my muse. She’s gifted and insightful and incredibly generous to allow sharing of her work.

The quote in this meme especially caught my attention. A writer wanders. And a once-lost story finds a home. I love that thought.

Are you a wanderer? I am.

I wander by foot, by plane, by bicycle and car. I meander through the house, the woods, the store, through cities and towns near and far.

You don’t have to go anywhere particular to be a wanderer. You can mosey in your yard, in your house, or across the ocean. Whatever way you stroll, wherever you roam stories will find you.

In fact, sometimes you don’t have to leave your front porch. Or, at least, that’s been my experience.

Once, sitting in a Dublin train station, an older woman sat beside me and began to share stories of her family and her country. She told me she was returning home after being with her daughter, who had given birth to their twelfth grandchild. Another grandson, she said with pride in her eyes. Yes, there were pictures and lovely stories as only the Irish can spin.

Another time, a young woman waiting behind me in the grocery checkout line patted the multi-colored headscarf she wore. “Chemo,” she said. Her eyes misted. I couldn’t stop myself I squeezed around my full cart of groceries and gave her a hug. She began to share her journey with breast cancer.

My dogs and I go for walks daily. Last summer a little girl playing outside one of the rental cabins nearby ask to pet the dogs. My Old English is old and well socialized. He loved on her. The Maltese jumped around all jealous then relaxed when she petted him too. As we walked away, the youngster plucked a purple wildflower and rushed over to give it to me.

Buried in each of those encounters, and so many more, are lost stories waiting to be told.

What about you? Do you come upon stories in your wanderings?

20 06, 2016

Summer at last!

By judythemorgan|2016-06-20T13:36:20-05:00June 20th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

Summer officially arrives today. Each day forward, we will head to bed later as early dawns, long days, late sunsets, and short nights begin. Today will be the longest day of the year.

Of course, in our little neck of the woods that’s hard to believe. Temperatures in the thirties and forties greet us every morning.

Still today at 22:34 UTC or 4:34 p.m. in MDT the sun will reach its highest point signaling the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. Meanwhile, south of the equator, winter begins.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Summer solstice has been around since the world begin. Ancient cultures recognized that the sun’s path across the sky, the length of daylight, and the location of the sunrise and sunset all shifted in a regular way throughout the year. Stonehenge stands as a testament to their knowledge. The summer solstice sun rises directly above the heel stone at Stonehenge.

Psychologists have long suspected a link between our level of happiness and the amount of sunlight in the day. Studies discovered what truly mattered was not the absolute amount of daylight but the relative change in that daylight. Or, was the day longer or shorter than the day that came before?

When the change in daylight was positive (as approaching the summer solstice), people expressed significantly higher positive affect than they did when that change was negative (i.e., approaching the winter solstice).

Therefore, today should be a long, happy day.

Not only will we have more daylight, tonight is a full moon.

Indian tribes called the June full moon a Strawberry Moon while Europeans call it Rose Moon. Whatever you call it, it’s the Northern Hemisphere’s first summer solstice full moon since 1967, the summer known as the Summer of Love.

Personally, I missed the Summer of Love — something about my husband’s Army duty tour in Asia.

In case you missed that summer too, scores of hippies converged in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. The city became a melting pot of politics, music, drugs, creativity, and total lack of sexual and social inhibition. The birth place of the hippie movement.

Tonight’s phenomenon of a full moon and the June solstice on the same day won’t happen again until June 21, 2062.

Don’t know about you, but I won’t be around for the next event, so I’m going out to peek at the sky. Join me.

13 06, 2016

The number 13 and Triskaidekaphobia

By judythemorgan|2016-06-12T20:59:31-05:00June 13th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|3 Comments

Today’s date, June 13, got me to thinking about superstitious people who believe the number thirteen is unlucky. When that fear becomes immersive and ongoing, it becomes Triskaidekaphobia.

I’ve considered making a character in one of stories triskaidekaphobic. It would be a fun character flaw that readers would relate to since around 9-10% of Americans are superstitious about the number 13. Of course, not all of those 10% are triskaidekaphobes.

Why is 13 considered unlucky, anyway? There’s no definitive reason, but a little research turned up these ideas.

Thirteen people were at the Last Supper. Judas Iscariot — the one who betrayed Jesus — was the 13th man to take his place at the table.
Traditionally, 13 steps lead up the gallows.
A hangman’s noose contains 13 turns.
The thirteenth Apollo space mission, Apollo 13 was an unsuccessful moon mission.
In Roman culture, witches gathered in groups of 12 where the 13^th witch is the ‘Devil’.
Old superstition says13 letters in your name, brings the devil’s luck. Slightly convincing when you consider the names of Charles Manson, Jack the Ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all contain 13 letters.

In the late 1800s, a group called The Thirteen Club formed to debunk the legend that seating 13 people at a table would result in the death of one of them in the year to follow. Club members met on the 13th of the month for dinner with 13 people to a table. Members who showed up late were fined – you guessed it, 13 cents. For the next forty years, Thirteen Clubs cropped up all over the U.S. but then faded in popularity.

(Interesting to note, five U.S. presidents: Benjamin Harrison, Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and Chester A. Arthur were club members. If you remember your U.S. history, two of these presidents were shot — one fatally. Kinda contradictory to the club purpose, don’t you think?)

The belief/superstition that the number 13 is evil and brings bad luck is so strong that many hotels, office, and apartment buildings skip numbering the 13^th floor. Airports usually don’t have a Gate 13 and airplane aisles omit Aisle 13.

The fear of 13 can be especially heightened when the 13th day of the month falls on a Friday. Many people don’t even leave their homes when that happens. Fear of Friday the 13 may stem from the fact that Philip IV of France arrested and slaughtered the Knights Templar, an ancient Christian military unit, on Friday, October 13, 1307.

By the way, fear of Friday the 13 is called – paraskevidekatriaphobia You’re said to be cured when you can pronounced paraskevidekatriaphobia. (Just kidding!)

To counter all of this undue hatred of the poor number 13, there is one very good reason to love the number 13: a baker’s dozen.

Yummy, we get an extra cookie!

6 06, 2016

Recharging the Writer’s Brain Well

By judythemorgan|2016-06-04T12:22:52-05:00June 6th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

It’s been said, “When you stop learning, you stop growing.”

Or, as Albert Einstein put it “Once you stop learning, you start dying.”

Many professions recognize and require ongoing learning.

As a teacher, I needed 40 hours of professional growth per year.

As an antique dealer, I constantly read price guides, watched Antiques Roadshow, and friended Kovel’s on Facebook to keep up-to-date on antiques and pricing.

As a writer, I attend a writing conferences or workshop every year. Some are on-line or podcasts; others in person.

Those in person conferences are the ones I enjoy the most because I’m not only learning I’m meeting my people. We writers are a breed unto ourselves and networking with those who understand is a treat.

Over the winter, health issues made writing difficult. I sorta lost my momentum. My zeal to write. (In case you’ve wondered, that’s why you’ve been missing new blog posts here.)

I truly needed interaction with my kind and some brain filling.

In May I attended a mini-con presented by the RWA chapter, Colorado Romance Writers. This well-organized conference delivered. And, delivered superbly.

The fellow writers were warm, friendly, and oh so understanding. We spoke the same language.

The daylong lecture from Donald Maass, President of Donald Maass Literary Agency in New York, challenged and charged my muse, as I had expected.

I’ve been attending Maass workshops since 2006. After decades in the publishing business,The Donald truly knows his stuff. His well-used books on craft line my bookcase line my bookcase —Writing the Breakout Novel (2001), Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook (2004), The Fire in Fiction (2009) , The Breakout Novelist (2011) and Writing 21st Century Fiction (2012).

If you’re a writer looking to push your craft to the next level, you should check out opportunities at Free Expressions Seminars and Literary Services and/or subscribe to the Writer Unboxed blog, where Mr. Maass is a monthly contributor.

That weekend conference refilled my brain well and supercharged my muse. I’m back on course and busy pushing to have the final book in the Vietnam War Era trilogy released this year.

How do you refill your own brain well?

If you’re a writer, I highly recommend attending an in person writer’s conference or workshop.