After reading Paffi Floodâs article about that new Beaver Bum smell, I donât feel so bad about todayâs google searches, which include best easy-open pocket knives, MAPP gas, and a variety of facts about the Tacoma Police Department in 1922. My search history may imply an interest in violence, safe breaking and the local politics of the early twentieth century, but at least I have not learned anything horrifying about ice cream.
It has been noted on more than one occasion that mystery writers tend to have rather disturbing research patterns. But really, of course we do. No one wants to get that detail about corpse bloat wrong. So embarrassing â how could I face the other writers at the conventions? But the other, less disturbing, research rarely gets mentioned. What gets served in high-school lunches these days? Hint: tater tots are still going strong. What are the three laws of robotics again? (Answer here) What brand would a black, vegetarian, female computer hacker smoke? Turns out itâs either Newport Menthols or American Spirit Organics. What do ballet dancers do strengthen their feet? (Video here)
My point? Thereâs a lot more research that goes into a work of fiction than just what happened to the dead guy. But that research isnât particularly titillating. Itâs simply the stuff we bore you with at cocktail parties. What I find interesting is that almost every person Iâve ever met has been an expert in something, from baking, bagpiping, needlepoint, and cars, to wood working, plumbing, or how the brakes on busses work. I never know when Iâm going to need that expertise, but I like to keep track of my various experts. After all, I never know when Iâm going to need to know how to crash a bus full of bagpipers. Not that I would ever publically admit to mentally cataloging my acquaintances by how useful they could be to future researchâŚ
https://bethanymaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/crediblehulk.jpg539600Bethany Maineshttps://bethanymaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Aug2016-Logo-op3-300x69.pngBethany Maines2016-12-15 09:15:382016-12-14 17:21:54The Other Research
For me, Thanksgiving and the coming end of the year frequently combine to make me philosophical and prone to navel gazing. Just what have I been doing with my life? Am I grateful? Am I curating my life in the path of gratitude? Do I even want to? Why should I have to? Is this my problem? Is this my fault? Then I start humming Paul Simonâs âGumbootsâ and then go shove some pumpkin pie in my face.
Tuesdayâs Stiletto Gang post from J.M. Phillippe discussed the nature of gratitude, particularly in the face of difficult times â When Gratitude isnât Easy â and struck a chord with me. I thought she expressed beautifully the idea that gratitude is not a binary thing, itâs a plus thing. Gratitude can be added like a spice to any recipe. Even if Iâm feeling other things, it doesnât mean I canât feel gratitude.
But the very concept of binary got me to thinking about our radically non-binary human nature and how it is so very at odds with our consistently binary thinking. We all have that one relative who is âsuch a nice guy, except for (fill in the blank)â Fill in the blank could be anything from his random use of racial slurs, his insistence on patting the waitress on the behind, or the fact that he tells jokes about Asians. He doesnât cheat on his wife (but maybe on his taxes), he doesnât use drugs, he holds open doors for people. ExceptâŚ
So is this character a good person or a bad person? Binary says: yes/no. Non-binary says: depends on other factors â Iâll have to really think about this. Iâll have to think about my own moral stand on multiple issues. And also, does he kick puppies? Because thatâs a deal breaker.
From a writing standpoint, this is the kind of thing thatâs fascinating to explore. But in real life, during an election season, itâs made Thanksgiving a cringe worthy holiday where we all go and wonder if Republican Uncle Bob is going to get more than his turkey sliced if he brings up Trump to Democrat Aunt Jane. I donât have the answers. Iâm not sure any of us do. Thatâs why binary is so attractive. Make the decision,  yes/no, and then I donât have to think about it anymore. Non-binary means I have to keep revisiting the topic â to keep thinking. If binary trims away the indecision, then it also trims away the additional factors â the pluses.  Good/bad. Yes/no. Happy/sad. Grateful/non-grateful. Is that what we want the answer to be?
If thatâs the way itâs going to be, Iâm going to call this whole thing to a halt.
— Gumboots, Paul Simon
And now if youâll excuse, I hear a pumpkin pie calling my name.
Youâre stuck in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with 8 strangers and no food or water, who do you eat first?
Dystopian novels have held a prominent place on our national reading lists for the last few years and while I occasionally enjoy a jaunt into the horrific futures that we could create for ourselves they donât really speak to me. To me they frequently seem like the ultimate lifeboat game. While occasionally itâs fun to work through the logic of how to survive in a treacherous situation, the real answer to any lifeboat game is to not get stuck in the lifeboat in the first place.
I was reminded of this principle recently when I visited a conference for my day job (graphic design). The conference was for public works personnel (AKA everyone who keeps your city functioning) and their lunch speaker spoke on how their department had handled an earthquake. From personnel rotation, calling in reinforcements, clearing roadways, reviewing housing safety, clean up â this department moved swiftly with the goal of maintaining safety and returning their town to normal in the shortest amount of time possible (and they did a great job). But having just read a dystopian novel I was struck by the realization that not one person in the room was thinking⌠âBob, Iâd eat Bob.â They werenât playing the game â they were strategizing about how to not get stuck on the lifeboat.
All of this led to four thoughts.  One â Iâm incredibly grateful for our public works personnel. From sewer maintenance, to bridge engineers, to water management, they deserve more recognition than they get. Two – All of you great public employees are screwing up a perfectly good dystopian plot line RIGHT NOW.  Weâre not supposed to be coming together to overcome a natural disaster and working for the common good! Come on, people. Where is the divisive hatred and the reaching for the shotguns? Thatâs it; Iâm breaking out the zombies. Bob is going to be dinner if I have to have three plot contrivances before breakfast.  Three â We as society need to invest more in infrastructure. And four â Because we donât invest more in infrastructure we all need to have 3 days to 2 weeks of supplies on hand depending on where you live. Be prepared. Donât let a dystopian novel happen to you.
https://bethanymaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Aug2016-Logo-op3-300x69.png00Bethany Maineshttps://bethanymaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Aug2016-Logo-op3-300x69.pngBethany Maines2016-11-09 18:18:032016-11-08 18:21:53Dystopian Games
Writerâs Group: to gather with others to read and critique excerpts of written work
Reading Group: to gather with others to read and critique books, drink and snack
When done correctly, a writerâs group can operate as an auxiliary brain or a training ground to push a writer forward in her craft. They can be fun, inspiring and incredibly helpful. They can also be a sucking hole of negativity and wasted time.
With that in mind, it was with some trepidation that I recently tested out a new group. The hostess had a dog (bonus points) and they had established a rule of positivity and compliments before critiques (nice). They had a time keeper and a word count on the segments we read (organized!). Each writer was doing different genres and styles, but that had the benefit of bringing diverse points of view to the table. In general, it was great. It provided very valuable feedback and I can only hope that I was equally helpful to the other writers.
However, in specific, it was wee bit disappointing as there were no beverages or snacks. The reasoning â that hosting the group was enough trouble and that we were here to do actual serious work, not carouse â makes total, logical, absolute sense.  But in the sense of âitâs been a long week, and Bethany wants a potato chip and a glass of somethingâ it was less than I had hoped for.
I think, possibly what I was really hoping for was a Reading Group. Every Reading Group Iâve ever attended came with crackers, cheese, and wine â the three low effort food groups. Now, in defense of the writerâs group, very few Reading Groupâs Iâve ever attended actually stayed entirely on topic.  There was a lot of⌠uh⌠digression, shall we say. And time keeping was absolute disaster. And learning was sort of ancillary by-product of reading a book I didnât pick out, but gosh darn it, the artichoke dip was fantastic.
So next month? Iâll be packing my own snacks to the writers group. After all, that group comes with a dog.
https://bethanymaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/bella-new-critique-group.png364516Bethany Maineshttps://bethanymaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Aug2016-Logo-op3-300x69.pngBethany Maines2016-10-27 12:30:032016-10-24 21:13:27Writers vs. Readers
The Other Research
/in General WritingAfter reading Paffi Floodâs article about that new Beaver Bum smell, I donât feel so bad about todayâs google searches, which include best easy-open pocket knives, MAPP gas, and a variety of facts about the Tacoma Police Department in 1922. My search history may imply an interest in violence, safe breaking and the local politics of the early twentieth century, but at least I have not learned anything horrifying about ice cream.
It has been noted on more than one occasion that mystery writers tend to have rather disturbing research patterns. But really, of course we do. No one wants to get that detail about corpse bloat wrong. So embarrassing â how could I face the other writers at the conventions? But the other, less disturbing, research rarely gets mentioned. What gets served in high-school lunches these days? Hint: tater tots are still going strong. What are the three laws of robotics again? (Answer here) What brand would a black, vegetarian, female computer hacker smoke? Turns out itâs either Newport Menthols or American Spirit Organics. What do ballet dancers do strengthen their feet? (Video here)
Originally posted at the Stiletto Gang on 12.14.16
Binary Thanks
/in General WritingFor me, Thanksgiving and the coming end of the year frequently combine to make me philosophical and prone to navel gazing. Just what have I been doing with my life? Am I grateful? Am I curating my life in the path of gratitude? Do I even want to? Why should I have to? Is this my problem? Is this my fault? Then I start humming Paul Simonâs âGumbootsâ and then go shove some pumpkin pie in my face.
Tuesdayâs Stiletto Gang post from J.M. Phillippe discussed the nature of gratitude, particularly in the face of difficult times â When Gratitude isnât Easy â and struck a chord with me. I thought she expressed beautifully the idea that gratitude is not a binary thing, itâs a plus thing. Gratitude can be added like a spice to any recipe. Even if Iâm feeling other things, it doesnât mean I canât feel gratitude.
But the very concept of binary got me to thinking about our radically non-binary human nature and how it is so very at odds with our consistently binary thinking. We all have that one relative who is âsuch a nice guy, except for (fill in the blank)â Fill in the blank could be anything from his random use of racial slurs, his insistence on patting the waitress on the behind, or the fact that he tells jokes about Asians. He doesnât cheat on his wife (but maybe on his taxes), he doesnât use drugs, he holds open doors for people. ExceptâŚ
So is this character a good person or a bad person? Binary says: yes/no. Non-binary says: depends on other factors â Iâll have to really think about this. Iâll have to think about my own moral stand on multiple issues. And also, does he kick puppies? Because thatâs a deal breaker.
From a writing standpoint, this is the kind of thing thatâs fascinating to explore. But in real life, during an election season, itâs made Thanksgiving a cringe worthy holiday where we all go and wonder if Republican Uncle Bob is going to get more than his turkey sliced if he brings up Trump to Democrat Aunt Jane. I donât have the answers. Iâm not sure any of us do. Thatâs why binary is so attractive. Make the decision,  yes/no, and then I donât have to think about it anymore. Non-binary means I have to keep revisiting the topic â to keep thinking. If binary trims away the indecision, then it also trims away the additional factors â the pluses.  Good/bad. Yes/no. Happy/sad. Grateful/non-grateful. Is that what we want the answer to be?
If thatâs the way itâs going to be, Iâm going to call this whole thing to a halt.
— Gumboots, Paul Simon
And now if youâll excuse, I hear a pumpkin pie calling my name.
Dystopian Games
/in General Writing, Graphic Design, Life, The Stiletto GangYouâre stuck in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with 8 strangers and no food or water, who do you eat first?
Dystopian novels have held a prominent place on our national reading lists for the last few years and while I occasionally enjoy a jaunt into the horrific futures that we could create for ourselves they donât really speak to me. To me they frequently seem like the ultimate lifeboat game. While occasionally itâs fun to work through the logic of how to survive in a treacherous situation, the real answer to any lifeboat game is to not get stuck in the lifeboat in the first place.
I was reminded of this principle recently when I visited a conference for my day job (graphic design). The conference was for public works personnel (AKA everyone who keeps your city functioning) and their lunch speaker spoke on how their department had handled an earthquake. From personnel rotation, calling in reinforcements, clearing roadways, reviewing housing safety, clean up â this department moved swiftly with the goal of maintaining safety and returning their town to normal in the shortest amount of time possible (and they did a great job). But having just read a dystopian novel I was struck by the realization that not one person in the room was thinking⌠âBob, Iâd eat Bob.â They werenât playing the game â they were strategizing about how to not get stuck on the lifeboat.
All of this led to four thoughts.  One â Iâm incredibly grateful for our public works personnel. From sewer maintenance, to bridge engineers, to water management, they deserve more recognition than they get. Two – All of you great public employees are screwing up a perfectly good dystopian plot line RIGHT NOW.  Weâre not supposed to be coming together to overcome a natural disaster and working for the common good! Come on, people. Where is the divisive hatred and the reaching for the shotguns? Thatâs it; Iâm breaking out the zombies. Bob is going to be dinner if I have to have three plot contrivances before breakfast.  Three â We as society need to invest more in infrastructure. And four â Because we donât invest more in infrastructure we all need to have 3 days to 2 weeks of supplies on hand depending on where you live. Be prepared. Donât let a dystopian novel happen to you.
Writers vs. Readers
/in General WritingWriterâs Group: to gather with others to read and critique excerpts of written work
Reading Group: to gather with others to read and critique books, drink and snack
When done correctly, a writerâs group can operate as an auxiliary brain or a training ground to push a writer forward in her craft. They can be fun, inspiring and incredibly helpful. They can also be a sucking hole of negativity and wasted time.
With that in mind, it was with some trepidation that I recently tested out a new group. The hostess had a dog (bonus points) and they had established a rule of positivity and compliments before critiques (nice). They had a time keeper and a word count on the segments we read (organized!). Each writer was doing different genres and styles, but that had the benefit of bringing diverse points of view to the table. In general, it was great. It provided very valuable feedback and I can only hope that I was equally helpful to the other writers.
However, in specific, it was wee bit disappointing as there were no beverages or snacks. The reasoning â that hosting the group was enough trouble and that we were here to do actual serious work, not carouse â makes total, logical, absolute sense.  But in the sense of âitâs been a long week, and Bethany wants a potato chip and a glass of somethingâ it was less than I had hoped for.
I think, possibly what I was really hoping for was a Reading Group. Every Reading Group Iâve ever attended came with crackers, cheese, and wine â the three low effort food groups. Now, in defense of the writerâs group, very few Reading Groupâs Iâve ever attended actually stayed entirely on topic.  There was a lot of⌠uh⌠digression, shall we say. And time keeping was absolute disaster. And learning was sort of ancillary by-product of reading a book I didnât pick out, but gosh darn it, the artichoke dip was fantastic.
So next month? Iâll be packing my own snacks to the writers group. After all, that group comes with a dog.
Halloween Contest!
/in An Unseen Current, General Writing, Wild Waters