Nature abhors a vacuum

Nature abhors a vacuum.  What does that really mean?

"Aristotle argues, that if there is such a thing as a void, then it would be a place with no thing in it. Having defined a void, or a vacuum, as a place with no thing in it, Aristotle goes on to argue that no such voids can exist. Thus, the Aristotelian universe is a so-called plenum. We here find the seeds of the medieval doctrine that 'nature abhors a vacuum.' " Evolution of the Concepts of Space and Time: Chapter 5

In my life, it simply means whenever there's a hole due to the end of one thing, something else comes along to fill it up.  Hubby claims it as physical space and the one time he managed to completely clear out the garage was just before we married.  It was blessedly empty and clean for a very short period of time. Then I moved in and filled it up again.  *grin*  Which will be 20 years in August.   I filled the empty spots in his life, both physically and emotionally.  Awe.  Anyway, I digress.  11th grade is ending and 12th grade curriculum has been ordered,  I'm down to only facilitating one more class at WVU, and I had a moment of boredom the other day.  Imagine that?  So what did I do?  I signed up for a Short Story Workshop through Writer's Digest.  I started reading Fierce on the Page which sparked the writing engine to life.  I vowed to write everyday, in whatever form it took. And I somehow managed to agree to lead a read and discussion of War and Peace with my 52 Books group.   Hmmm! Do you hear that?  I think Aristotle is calling my name.

May Reading Wrap up

Right down to the wire.  I just finished the last book in my may birthstone bookology challenge and  managed to clear some dusty books of my shelves this month as well. I discovered 4 new to me authors, read an even amount of physical versus ebooks and continued to delve into my comfort genres  - paranormal and fantasy.  I traveled from 11th Century England to the 21st century imaginary town of  Bitter Bark, North Carolina and into 4 different fantasy worlds.  


E: Blood of the Earth - Faith Hunter (#1 Soulwood,  Paranormal, 384 e)  Nell is an earth mage, but has had to hid it so she wouldn't be accused of being a witch by the cult she escaped from.  Rick from Jane Yellowrock's world, brings PsyLed to her doorstep to help her discover her powers as well as save her from the cult that's hiding a secret. 

M: Mapmakers War - Ronlyn Dominguez (Utopian, 226) Intriguing utopian story written in the 2nd person point of view, written mainly in summary narrative and without quote marks around the dialogue which tends to make difficult to distinguish the character's conversation from the rest of the story. 

E: From the Corner of His Eye - Dean Koontz (paranormal suspense/thriller, 729)  A complex story that managed to weave a disparate group of people together from a blind boy named Bartholomew to a sociopath who is bound and determine to destroy him. Scary good!

R: Cold Reign - Faith Hunter (#11 Jane Yellowrock, paranormal 371) Non stop action in Jane Yellowrock's world as she fights to protect the vampires against revenant vamps.  

A: Aedyn Chronicles: Chosen One - Alister McGrath (YA fantasy, 208) A young adult fantasy story about two kids who fall through a garden pond into a dystopian world where they are expected to free slaves from evil lords.  

L: Lord of Chaos - Robert Jordan (#6 wheel of time, Fantasy, 1011)Continuing saga of Rand and company!

D: Fire Dance - Della Jacobs (historical romance, 344 e)  New to me author and set in England's middle ages.  Involves a wicked lord, a deadly purple cloak, a knight ordered by the king to kill the lord, seize the castle and marry the lord's daughter who seems to have disappeared.  


Blood Kissed - Keri Arthur (#1 Lizzie Grace, Paranormal, 310 e)

Sit, Stay, Beg - Roxanne St. Claire (#1 Dogfather, contemporary romance, 300 e)

New Leash on Life - Roxanne St. Claire (#2 Dogfather, contemporary romance, 316 e)

Storm Watcher - Lilith St. Crow (#2 Watchers, Urban Fantasy,184 e)

Fierce on the Page - Sage Cohen (nonfiction, writing, 229)

Reinventing the wheel - Nah! Fresh Start!

Do you ever feel the need to reinvent yourself, start over with something new?  I've been blogging for ten years now and am ready for a makeover.  Sometimes makeovers are scary, because you end up looking like a stranger.  Every one hoots and hollers and wolf whistles, then the make up comes off and the old clothes get pulled out of the back of the closet and you are still the same.  So maybe I should say I ready to do something different and am in the discovery process.  Or maybe I already know what it is I need to do and just need to stop procrastinating.  

I just finished reading Fierce on the Page by Sage Cohen which totally lit a fire under me.  Wonderful book which I'll be talking more about later as I work through some of the Be Fierce exercises.  One of the things she mentions in the chapter, Art of Incubation,  is procrastination is sometimes confused with incubation..."the process of ruminating and allowing ideas the time they need to take root."  After reading the entire book, underlining multiple ideas that struck a chord and scribbling thoughts in the margins, I realized I've been stuck in the incubation stage and Sage's book has pushed me into the illumination stage.   

She highlights french scientist and polymath, Henri Poincare who said creativity happens in four steps:

• Preparation
• Incubation
• Illumination
• Execution

I've been stuck on editing Eyes in the Ashes and haven't worked on it for many months. The other day I had an epiphany which will help move the story forward.  I also realized I ended up sabotaging myself and my writing.  I've been saying for quite some time that I love the first draft stage but hate editing.  The joy is supposed to be in the journey, the discovery process and editing is all about discovering more about your characters, the setting, the story itself and bringing it to fruition. I've been planting the seeds, but not watering or tending the new shoots, so end up with nothing.  Sage's book has been very illuminating and given me the kick in the butt needed to get back to writing.  

I'm working on goals, getting back into writing habit, both story wise and blog wise and studying the craft as I just signed up for a Short Story workshop on Writer's Digest.  June will be a month of experimenting with schedules, writing times, brainstorming and figuring out a blog schedule. My goal is to write every day ala Julia Cameron's morning pages and Write Brain exercises as well as other resources. 

Time to get the writing party started.  

  

Book Review: Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams

First Sentence:  As the man dressed head to to in khaki turned the corner and began racewalking uphill in my direction, I had to wonder:  had we met before?


In Mark Adams Turn Right at Machu Picchu, he takes us into the past while in the present traversing the trails, taking us along for the ride as he explores Peru's history, follows in the footsteps of Hiram Bingham who 'discovered' Machu Picchu and the mysteries of the Inca trail.  He takes what could have been a boring historical travelogue and fills it with humor and insights into the past. We get to experience all his trials and tribulations along the trail as well as met interesting people from the past and in the present.  

A to Z Alphabet challenge - A

Book Review: The Translator by John Crowley

First sentence:  "The first time that Christa Malone heard the name of Innokenti Isayevich Falin, it was spoken by the president of the United State's John F. Kennedy."

John Crowley's The Translator is another dusty historical fiction book that's been waiting for the right moment.  A young college girl becomes enamored with her professor, an exiled Russian, during the 60's.  His Russian poetry is politically symbolic,  but when translated into English, doesn't have exactly the same meaning. Combine the Cuban missile crisis, political intrigue, students needing to fit in and campus protests with the quest to understand literature and poetry and it makes for an interesting read.

Birthstone Bookology - G A R N E T

Book Review: Echoes in Death by J.D. Robb

First sentence:  "Was she dead?"

J.D. Robb's 44th book in her In Death series, Echoes in Death delivers once again.  The story is a bit dark and deals with couples being attacked, a  murderous rapist as well as spousal abuse.  Although I did kind of figure out who the culprit was halfway through, I enjoyed seeing how Eve figured it out. We didn't get to see the whole cast of characters this time except for an update on what they've been up too.  I love Eve and Roarke and can't get enough of Robb's In Death series. I'm currently rereading the series and discover something new with each read.

Birthstone Bookology - G A R N E T

Book Review: Snowed by Maria Alexander

First Sentence:  "I want to kill the person who tore down my flyer."

Once I started reading Maria Alexander's Snowed,  couldn't put it down. What an awesome and unique story. Instantly memories of high school filter through my brain as I read - bullies and clicks, geeks and jocks, trips and tricks in the hallways. Now throw into the pot - a death, a dark past, love, electronics, skepticism, a dash of spice, a tablespoon of humor, and a cup of mythology. Mix it all up and you have an action packed story that won't let you go until the end.  Snowed has been selected as a finalist for the Bram Stoker award for superior achievement in a young adult novel.

Birthstone Bookology - A M E T H Y S T