Robbed by Probably-Not-Raccoons

Let me set the scene. Friday morning after the world's longest work week. I make my way to the kitchen, all excited by the work (Newsletter day! Best day of the month!) and what's this? A few of the doors in the kitchen are open and a drawer. Weird. I shut them and continue with my regular morning tour which normally doesn't reveal very much.

Basically, the clean place I left is slightly... not clean. And weird too. Something is wrong but I just can't place what. Just stuff is moved, a bit.

And what oh what do I think? Now this just goes to prove that I am a country gal at heart. My absolute first instinct was that a dumbass raccoon got in. They look so sneaky, ya know? How could a raccoon get in? It happens.

So what if this coon was lurking around, hiding behind the sofa or something? I really needed my dog, but before I resorted to a St Bernard slobbering up the place I figured I better find it first, at least know what I was dealing with.

So I make my way to the youth game room. The backdoor was shut but the mat in front of it (the one that I placed so nicely the day before) looked like raccoons went skiing all over the centre with it. Dumbasses. I checked the door-- out of habit, I always check doors when I walk by them-- unlocked. Weird.  I mean, what kind of smarty-pants raccoons were these? 

Yes, sad to say, that was my exact thought. What kind of raccoons were these? Talk about denial, eh?

It was at about this point where I sunk into a heap of realization. Robbed. I'd been robbed by these probably-not-raccoons! How? When? Why in all of this world would anyone break in to a non-profit building? A million emotions crept up on me as I toured the building to find out what was missing. Of course, it could have been worse and when I saw the cash box was missing, denial crept in again, and I replayed my day yesterday, hoping to heck I didn't put the cash in the safe and maybe dragged it with me to the freezer or something. No such luck. I mean, of course not, I never did that yet.

So what's a gal to do when it's not a raccoon? Well. I did the exact same thing I would have done for the raccoons. I got my St Bernard to protect me and then I called someone to show me how my probably-not-raccons got in.

Wow. I did I ever get educated. Have any of you ever toured your house or business to look at it as an intruder? Very interesting.

Best part was when the RCMP officer asked me if I noticed anyone scoping the place out. The raccoon out back came to mind with their little bandit eyes. hmm. If I see one driving around on a new scooter, I'm turning them in. But seriously, never occurred to me to be on the look out for shifty characters. My job is to help people and keep dumbass raccoons out of the community centre. Now I added probably-not-raccoons to that list with a heavy sigh.


So, have you ever been robbed? What did you learn about yourself?

Secret Identities

I had one a few years back.

No, I'm not superwoman. And I don't mean I was using a pen name, because those of us using a pen name, well, that's for different reasons and could be a post of its own.

I mean, I lurked around the Internet pretending to be someone who didn't exist. Apparently, it's called a "handle" but it still feels like a secret identity to me, even if I know that nothing is really secret once you hit the virtual world.

I did it because I had no idea what was out there, this was a new world for me and I entered it with baby steps. I was cautious, checking things out. I write enough fantasies to know demons lurk everywhere.

So who was I? I travelled writing forums as one of the secondary characters from the Notebook Chronicles and I'd tell you who, but I noticed someone else is using that all too secret identity now. Hope that works out for her.

Got me thinking about the pros and cons of using my real name. This is what I noticed;

under my secret identity

• People didn't take my secret identity serious. It was overlooked. I had no friends. On forums my comments were ignored and I felt like I wasn't moving. Was I really that stupid or was it the name I chose that scared people off? I know it works for some people, but it didn't for me. Maybe I should have spelled it right, that might have helped, (ya think?) but I was trying to be creative.
• When I did post something useful under my secret identity, I didn't get credit. In fact, the new gal running around under that creatively spelled name might. (I think it's funny that she chose to misspell it too. We might have something in common.)
• When I asked questions, I got poor answers, if any.
• You can't build a platform if you don't exist and you trust no one. You can't talk to agents and expect them to know who you are if you don't say who you are.

under my real name

• I was bombarded with friends, emails, recommendations, advice, stalkers, questions... almost instantly.
• Over night, my writing improved, because I have to care about what I write, how I write. This is me, baby, I can't hide or change who I am. I can only say sorry when I goof.
• People answer my question marathons. I even receive answers from experienced people who never think I'm nuts for asking how much money they made from self-publishing. (I mean, that is a personal question, isn't it?)
• I exist. I am easy to find, my comments easy to track and everything I've done I can be proud of it. So far.  
• I don't ignore people using handles. In fact, I find them revealing to who they really are.

Any of you try out secret identities? How did that work out for you?


I found this link very useful in listing the pros and cons: GUCKES.NET
Another great post on handles was: Digitalbreezes.com

Have fun out there and be safe!

Rule Breaking Librarians! The Bookmobile- Part 3

The Driver 

The Bookmobile driver gets his own post. If you read the last post about my horrible memory about Bookmobiles, (LEARN ABOUT IT HERE) he's got a bad rep, and so I thought I'd make it up to him, because he's stuff of librarian legions.

It was the same driver for my entire Bookmobile experience. Same really cool wild hair, same smile I was petrified to disappoint, same eyes bearing into me like I was a Bookmobile villain. But! for the love of writing, I can't remember the guy's name. It was so simple, too. I tried looking him up, but Google didn't have him listed under my cool bookmobile driver. So if you're out there, please give me a shout! I haven't seen you in at least 15 years!!!!!

Well, regardless, he left an impact on my life. I can still see him sitting there, watching me hunt for books in his neato shirts. At first, I was really scared of him, and I think he was a little afraid to make me cry like that again, so we kept things very silent between us. But, I was very aware of the little extra things he did for me.

This is how I remember him (and as all memories go, might be a little distorted): 

• He let me on the bus before school, which was a big no-no, but really, he was already letting me get away with a card I shouldn't have, so what did he care?
• It never failed that he'd suddenly have a question for the nun if I needed to make a quick get away with a book she hadn't approved. I know, I was a real bad seed. 
• My favourite story was the time I asked him to drive to my "not in his jurisdiction" town for the summer. He gave me that doubtful look that told me I was pushing it but didn't say a word. Yet...OH MY GOSH! He did roll through! Funny guy said he was lost.
• I was granted a limited card that was pretty much unlimited. "Told you, it's three reference books, six novels." Next time, "It's a total of twelve books, any combination."  "I can just add these onto your brother's card, he didn't hit his limit today." Shhh, don't mess with power like that.

I still call him the driver, but he was the librarian of this library on wheels (LEARN ABOUT IT HERE).

He was very very good at his job. 

• He knew where every book was, and he always had the book(s) I needed, wanted, and would be sure to ask for. 
• He'd get us excited to read without even getting out of his seat. "Got a new Steven King, but doubt you want to brave that, I was saving it for the older grades..." Of course we would!!! 
• He'd ask us nonchalant questions about the sci-fi books we brought back. 
• He'd pay attention to us, watch where we went, what we pulled off the shelves, and how we talked about the books.

Truth be told, every librarian I know has been wonderful at their job! I just love walking into a library and the librarian has a stack of books ready that I might like. Or even better, when they ask me what to order!

But I really wanted to give him his dues since he came off a little shaky in an earlier post and he was a hero who touched my life in a very magical way. So thank you.

Is there a librarian in your life that makes your experience magical? Give them a shout out and tell us why.

Perspective

Do you see beauty, work,
or money?

SEEING THE WORLD AS ONLY YOU CAN

When I was young and got a chance to visit my uncle’s farm, my cuz and I would run through the trees and sneak into the wheat fields. We weren’t supposed to run in the wheat and would often leave itchy, which added to the thrill of it because we couldn't tell anyone why we were itchy. To me, the wheat smelt like giggles and it was the happiest place on earth. Still not sure why I thought that, but if giggles smelt, they’d smell fresh and exciting like wheat.

SEEING THE WORLD AS YOU NEED TO

I’m much older now and know better than to run through a wheat field giggling. (As tempting as it is.) Yet, standing on the open prairies looking at the wheat around me gives me a peaceful feeling, like I can do anything. It’s my happy place. I see the entire world in that field. Its scent is welcoming, home, warm, and endless. If I pick just the right moment, it will be bathed in a gentle light and become magical.

SEEING THE BIG PICTURE

I recently took a flight over the prairies and saw these wheat fields in a new light. Looking down, my world was very different. Cloudy, yet much bigger. Parts were broken into little patterns with defined parameters as if everything had a place I couldn’t see before. It looked harsh, demanding, and it left me with an empty feeling inside, like there was too much to do. I felt a sad hopeless rush overpower me, until I had to look away.

USING FAITH TO SEE

I’ve never been to space, but I’m told that the earth is round and my wheat field is but a speck in a sea of fields. I’m told my entire world is actually much more than what I see. I accept this even if I’ve never been that high. Not many have. This blind belief gives me hope that I am part of something I don’t have to understand, but that exist nonetheless.

BUILDING CHARACTERS WHO SEE THE WORLD

Building characters takes this type of perspective. Each character in every book interacts in a unique way with their world. They need to be a part of it, tasting, smelling, and feeling the world. But! They also need to pull away from their world and be allowed to see it in a very different way. We do this by adding conflict and by changing their world. These changes force them to grow and evolve and make them real for the readers.

Through all this, the characters we build must have a blind belief that shadows them and influences their decisions. Faith.

How does this translate? What does it mean? 

In the end, we all see a wheat field, but it doesn’t leave us with the same reactions now does it? Heck, even just changing my view changed how I saw the field. It’s perspective that makes our characters as unique as us. It’s perspective that makes them grow. Best of all, it’s this perspective that makes the reader relate to them.

In Action

Here's a tiny clip from Finding Balance, that allows us to see how perspective changes our character:

I handled the pictures, but almost dropped the last one. My sister drew that? I showed Light the half-naked woman eating the heart out of a man who looked a little too much like me. “Do you have a name for her?” I asked Oracle while Light looked at it with me.

“That’s the devil if there ever was one. She’s sneaky. I see her with you in my dreams all the time. She’s your friend or something.” Oracle shrugged.

A friend? She was tearing my heart out. A wolf demon wouldn’t be easy to tame. If that was my demon, I’d learn her language. I’d find myself a wolf phasing power and live among them, learn how wolves lived. “No demon is going to eat me.” I crossed my arms a little ticked that these boys thought this about me.

“Is that what you see?” Light turned the picture for a better look. “If you ask me, this beautiful woman is giving you back your heart. See here, how she’s fighting the demon that has her in its clutches. That’s a real powerful gal.”

I yanked the picture away from him and rolled it up while glaring. I was afraid he might be right and it was months before I brought myself to face that picture again because honestly, that was worse. A demon I could handle, a woman fighting demons for me meant commitment I wasn’t sure I deserved. -Finding Balance

Giving the reader the first image was crucial, since this is what our MC sees and feels. This is his view of things and how he needs to sees things playing out. Then we give him a new perspective and force him to believe something else might be out there, something he can't understand. When he pauses to reevaluate how he's seeing things, so does the reader. Gee, maybe Light is right and she isn't ripping out his heart but giving it back. What does this mean? The message is very different, not only for him, but for the reader and in this moment, we learn the truth; he thinks he's unworthy of love. Huh.

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

Perspective. It puts a nice spin on our character development, and man, is it ever fun to do!
How do you use perspective? Have you noticed your perspective change lately?


Oh and here are the links I enjoyed while researching for this post, of course these guys don't see things like I do. But really, who does?
Writing Exercise-Practicing Perspective
The definition of perspective