Thank you Michael Palin, Fantastic Writer

Whenever I want or need to be reminded of how to describe a scene, I return to one of my favorite books, Sahara by Michael Palin. Though it is a 'travel' book, it reads like a novel or a series of short stories in which Palin continually introduces new characters as he travels across the dry desert from oasis to oasis, remote town to remote town. He writes with such beauty: his combination of words; his clarity in describing a scene with all the senses: sights, sounds, smells as well as his internal reactions to what is taking place. Sometimes it seems as if he is capable of putting a complete 'scene' into one descriptive sentence. 


Oh, to be so good.
As writers know, to become a better writer it is necessary to read the works of good writers. So this morning, cup of peppermint flavored coffee in hand, I randomly turned to page 178 of Palin's book and was not disappointed, immediately feeling as if I had joined him on a camel caravan across the desert among a nomadic culture in which water, sheep and goats play a key role. Not very different from the one I am trying to describe in my 1000 BC historical novel in the Levant, The Thirteenth Moon.


Sure enough, approaching my story after reading his prose for 20-30 minutes, my own descriptive words flowed more freely and I came away feeling pleased with a scene that previously had eluded me.


Thank you, Michael Palin!
  

From James Scott Bell, writer and teacher I have learned many things. This suggestion of his (paraphrased) I am currently working on: keep learning the craft of writing and while composing or editing, concentrate on implementing a newly learned technique.

Currently I am editing my historical/biblical novel, The Thirteenth Moon, which takes place 3000 years ago in the Levant.  Taking Bell's advice this week I am focusing on Susan Vreeland's craft article "Dip Into the Riches of Historical Fiction" (The Writer, December 2011). Author of many books of historical fiction, she says, "To make the past come alive, a good work of historical fiction puts all of these elements to use:
-Sensory detail...,
-Material detail...,
-Process detail...,
-Cultural detail."

I find the last, cultural detail, the most difficult to incorporate into the mindset of my protagonist who lived 3000 years ago in the culturally turbulant Levant (Canaan, Lebanon, etc.).  People thought, worshiped and felt so different than I, who grew up in a conservative Christian background.

Thank goodness for scholars like Thorkild Jacobsen, Frank Moore Cross, etc. from whom I have learned that the "people" had a folk religion different from the religious elite we read about in the redacted Old Testament. It has taken me a few years of research and reading to understand this and to be comfortable incorporating the religious myths and cultic practices into the life, thought patterns and reactions of my character. 

My Heart Laid Bare by Joyce Carrol Oates, is a historical novel that takes place late 1800's early 1900's in the US.  Forgive me Joyce, (I greatly admire your work), but in this novel you so overload long passages with cultural details, they sound like catalogs...of songs, horse races...etc.  After the first three or four listings (and there were more) I found myself quickly skimming over them. 

Because I have done so much research for my novel, I find myself tempted to do the same thing.
SOOOO, this week I will concentrate on implementing Susan Vreeland's advice about cultural detail: "Keep in mind, however, that in order to avoid research dumps, every detail that enters the story should have an influence on the characters."

NEW WEBSITE. Trying to decide which to chose to host my website, Bluehost or Webgater? After much on-line research, I am going with Bluehost, although Webgater came in a close second.

I flew over the Elah Valley in Israel today!
Thanks to the website www.landofthebible.com and GoogleEarth, here at my computer, I took a real-live flight over the Elah Valley. From Bethlehem, where David was born, past Socoh and Azekah to Gath where Goliath and my book's heroine lived. Now I can truly visualize the Elah valley as it has always meandered between the ridges of low hills from which the Philistines and Hebrews faced each other.

Joining Dog Blogs

Joining Yahoo! Dog Groups has been interesting...So many, large and small, some worthy while a few contain spam-like, irrelevant information. Lesson learned and had to unsubscribe to a few.

March 29, 2012. Delightful morning reading The 12 Dog Days of Christmas in NYC to several pre-school classes at Shearer Hills Baptist Church.

Cleopatra...a Life

I am listening to the Pulitzer prize winning book, Cleopatra, A Life by Stacy Schiff. I like listening to books because I can easily replay parts...and because I can do other things while I listen...like exercise or knit. This has been a real history lesson as well as new insight into a fabulously rich and intelligent woman who spoke 8 languages, was capable of leading a sea armata, and managed a huge country.