Westward Race

July 24, 2014 / Lisa / 5 Comments

Several years ago I read a book called Women’s Diaries of the Westward Movement. One thing that became clear from that book and subsequent reading, is that the majority of women took that hazardous journey, not because they wanted to go, but because their husbands went and they were basically dragged along for the ride.

What fascinated me researching this was that it was extremely rare for a woman to go alone. I came across one incident of a woman who traveled alone, and she had to hire men to help her. Her reason for going? To find a husband.

I was intrigued by this lack of women taking on that challenge alone. Since then I’ve felt I have a western story floating around me. I even started one a few years ago with two sisters who take on the journey. But the amount of research needed intimidated me and I never followed through.

Today on NPR I heard a story about a mother and daughter who traveled west on the Oregon Trail without a husband or father. They settled in Oregon and lived out the remainder of their lives. I again was fascinated by this. Two women taking a covered wagon and oxen and their worldly possessions and heading out. Leaving safety and security for the unknown and danger.

Then I realized that the NPR story wasn’t about two women traveling west. It was about two African-American women traveling west. The narrator talked about how most people, when they picture that covered wagon, picture a white family, and how there were a lot of African-Americans who also took on that chance for a new life.

I found myself at first a bit irritated, to be honest. With the knowledge that it was so rare, and so dangerous, for a woman to do this alone, why did race have to come into the story? I wondered when we, as a people, would tell a story without having to define it by race.

And then I thought about these two women. I realized that these two women had to face even more danger, even more obstacles, simply because of their race. So an event that was rare to begin with, became even rarer. These two women stand out in history because of both gender and race.

They must have been incredibly strong women. The NPR piece didn’t explain why the mother and daughter took on this challenge in spite of obstacles in their path. What would have sent them out their door? What did they have to face and overcome and surmount? Did they find happiness at the end of the trail? Did they have regrets?

So many questions. I’d have the same questions no matter what their race.

I wish I could have known them.

I wish I knew their story.

What Speaks To You?

May 15, 2014May 15, 2014 / Lisa / 6 Comments

In the last post, I listed eleven questions. Interestingly, most of the responses I got said the questions were too hard. Also interestingly, those responses came in to my email rather than here so I think it was difficult to admit that, too. So I decided to prime the pump of opening dialog by answering them myself. Not all at once, of course, as some are hard.

What makes a book speak to you – the characters, the setting, the plot?

For me, it’s always the setting that pulls me in. The characters and the plot keep me in the story world once there, but it’s the setting that hooks me.

I want to immerse myself in a place that resonates, even if it’s somewhere I’ve never been. Ellie Griffith’s book, The Crossing Places comes immediately to mind, with the salt marsh, the space between land and sea. I also think of the late, great, Elizabeth Peters and her Amelia Peabody series that took me, over the course of many years, to Egypt.

No matter what the location is, the emotional responses are similar. Especially if the setting is an integral part of the story so it becomes a character in its own right. I want to feel that sand in my clothes, the damp salt air on my skin, the freezing, biting snow (Winterdance, by Gary Paulsen). When the setting is so well written that I can see, smell, feel it, so well written that it no longer becomes just a background description but alive and vital to the story, then I won’t want to leave. I’ll want to read everything that author writes from then on. It’s a dream world that becomes tangible on the page.

I also love it when the author uses setting as a character, as I mentioned. Whether that land is an antagonist, throwing up conflict for the protagonist, or is a supporting character, or even comic relief. Writing like that brings the world even more to life, even if it’s a futuristic place on another planet.

For me, the land is the main character, and I’ll wander there, following the other characters as they move through that story world. I’ll even reach first for a book with a cover that shows the setting.

So what makes you reach for a book? What pulls you in, speaks to you, makes you stay within the pages all the way to the end?

Endless Chains

April 22, 2014April 22, 2014 / Lisa / 4 Comments

Remember chain letters? I suppose only if you are from a certain generation. I hated them, but had guilt if I didn’t follow through, thinking about all the people anxiously awaiting the arrival of their recipes, or whatever the chain letter promised. The premise was that you received a letter with a list of people and addresses. You had to respond, add your name to the bottom of the list, and mail it all off. Supposedly you’d end up with hundreds of new recipes if no one broke the chain. In reality you might get one or two, which always told me not many suffered from guilt.

These days, in the blogging world, chain letters have been replaced with the Liebster award. Which is basically a chain letter to introduce other blogs and learn a bit about a person. Having just been ‘nominated’ for this award, I now have guilt. The rules are, you link back to the person who nominated you, answer eleven questions, nominate eleven bloggers, and ask them eleven questions.

To ease guilt, I was nominated by ‘Simply Sam’ at http://www.sschroth53.wordpress.com. I’m going to answer her eleven questions below. I’m also going to add eleven questions. However, I’m not going to nominate eleven bloggers. Instead, I’d rather have a conversation and see who wants to answer some or all of the questions, and what those answers might be. So consider yourselves all nominated, and enjoy the guilt.

Simply Sam’s questions for me:
1. Favorite thing about blogging. Meeting new people, learning from them, stretching my imagination from conversations.
2. Favorite thing to write about. Mountains, forests, wild country. For me, the setting creates the associated stories.
3. Most interesting place you’ve been to. Dunnet, Scotland.
4. Favorite book. Come on, that’s like asking a starving person their favorite food. Can you really only have one favorite? I think not.
5. Favorite author. Similar to #4. Elly Griffiths, the late, great Elizabeth Peters, Meg Gardiner, Patrick McManus, Gary Paulsen…
6. Favorite genre. Mysteries
7. Favorite season. Spring or fall. Here in the mountains they’re the same. Some sunny days with underlying chill, clean fresh air, fat raindrops.
8. Favorite food. Anything related to bread, unfortunately.
9. Day or night? No preference. If it’s dark you’re supposed to be asleep. If it’s light you’re supposed to be up. Makes for long days in the summer.
10. Prefer the movie or the book? Depends on the book and the movie, and how well both are done.
11. Pets? In the past year I have gone from ducks, chickens, cats, dogs, a turtle, and a horse, to a cat, two dogs, and the turtle.

And my questions for all of you (pick one, some, or all and let’s chat):
1. What makes a book speak to you? (the characters, the plot, the setting, etc.)
2. What form does your creativity take? (writing, art, cooking, running, etc.)
3. What influences your creativity, makes it slam to a stop, makes it sing…?
4. What is courage, to you?
5. What is fear, to you?
6. Do you prefer crowds or solitude?
7. Why? (see #6)
8. Define ‘family’ and what that means to you.
9. Tell me one thing you are curious about that you hope to one day answer/see/do, etc.
10. Did something in the past week make you laugh out loud (not just smile)?
11. Can you answer the question, ‘who are you’ without telling me what you do?

The photo below is taken on a cousin’s farm. We rode that road on ATVs for a long, long time. The road seemed endless. Rather like chain letters and guilt.