I'm not the main character, but, hey, I'm important!

Main characters are the point of the story, sure, but secondary characters can be just as much fun. R2-D2 and BB-8 aren't main Star Wars characters, but I'll bet everyone in the world knows them. Supporting characters not only prop up the story, but add welcome distractions and can be as goofy and strange and idiotic as you want. In a literary sense they're called "foils." But, some of my favorites are secondary characters, and probably because they're silly and fun.

 

Amazing things happen when care and love is spent on all the players in a story, regardless how small. Fan clubs have been created for even the most incidental people in movies (yup, even the Elven Council scene in the Lord of the Rings, where a handful of elves are arguing, has fans of each of those elves). There's no knowing what people will latch onto, or why they like what they do. So, why not include a bunch of choices In my own work, I've found it hard not to smile when some of the secondary characters show up.

 

I'm still astonished by the spectacular success of the new Star Wars, and really hope the toys will branch out beyond the main characters. I'd love to have a toy figure of that old man who gave the starchart key to the resistance pilot at the start. Or, the goofy parts dealer who only paid with powdered bread (I must admit, I love that little detail). Actually, I'm sure they'll sell as many toys as they can reasonably get away with.

 

Captain Phasma--what was it she did?

 - M

Lottery fever strikes again!

Tonight was the massive drawing in the Powerball lottery of over 1 billion dollars. 1.5 billion is what I saw. Such a huge number is nearly beyond imagining, though I'm sure people do. It seems everyone is talking about what they'd do with such a payout. I agree it's fun to think about. More than likely someone won tonight, and probably a multitude of smaller winners too. If not, then people will keep hoping and wishing and doing what they can to win.

 

Benjamin Franklin had a lot to say about money. One of his famous quotes is: “He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.” Flowery speech aside, what he's saying is not to allow money mastery over you. Money is simply a tool. Sure, more of it makes life a whole lot easier, but it doesn't award any happiness or contentment you don't already own. Sorry to philosophize, but I grabbed a few tickets too and it got me to thinking.

 

Oh, and, nope, I didn't win a dime. Actually, I didn't have a single correct number (even out of order) at all. Ah well, at least it was a fun experience. Kind of like playing Bingo (which I've never won either). There's no harm in playing a game, but once it becomes personal it's dangerous. I suppose any game is like that, whether it be football, poker, billiards, or scratch-and-win. So, have some fun if you like, just be careful how deep that desire becomes.

 

- M

Ode to my Aunt Linda: Death and loss, from a distance.

When life ends, it sends shockwaves through the survivors. Depending on your religious views, it may be joyous, piercing, or simply numbing. For me, I am in the position of offering what encouragement I may to the family. I have very fond memories of Aunt Linda, who died just a few days ago, and her husband Uncle Ken. She was a fine woman, a sturdy bulwark of confidence in times of trouble, and as great an aunt as is possible to be. I'll never forget vacations where I tormented their kids (I actually built a little fort to keep out Drew, the little rascal, as he kept bugging me while I was reading).

 

Aunt Linda, radiant as ever she was.

Because of distance, I never knew her well. I wish I had. Reading comments of eulogy, I regret that fact, because clearly she was wonderful and loving. I do remember how kind she was, and her great sense of humor. Even though I haven't seen her in many years, I'll never forget her face. It's funny how memory is, because many days I don't remember what I had for lunch, yet her face is etched in my mind as I write this. She was the sort of person you'll never forget. That's as it should be, because your memory will hold the best times, the fine days, and not the hurtful ones.

 

Distance, though, has granted me a very special blessing of viewpoint. I am privileged to see the amazing outpouring of love and encouragement being given to this woman's family. To say I'm impressed is an understatement. Really, I'm humbled. This great woman touched many lives, and those lives are now raising their voices in thanks. What a testimony! I add my voice to these many, and thank Aunt Linda for her marvelous life. Thank you!

 

- M

Pretending to be someone else with pseudonyms

Ever wonder why well established authors use pseudonyms? The most recent one in the news is the author of Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling) writing under another name (Robert Galbraith). Why would someone already highly successful do that? Starting entirely over with no name recognition at all? Even Stephen King has done it. So why?

 

The answer is humbling and simple. These writers want to know if they still have the chops to write great stories, or if it's just their name selling books. They want to prove to themselves that they are indeed good and not just a publishing fad. I totally understand (being a complete unknown myself at this time) and applaud these writers for putting their carefully crafted works of love into the slush pile to see if they rise to the top. Now, of course they do have far better contacts and knowledge of the industry to help them, but typically they go the unknown author route and seek to place their work without any knowing aid. After all, it would defeat the purpose if they just used their resources to spike their work (they want to see if they could start from scratch once again).

 

My guess is many more writers have done this than we know. It's only natural for an expert in their field to want to test themselves against the youngsters. I can only imagine that finding they are still awesome gives incredible validation to them. Sure, you could say they should trust themselves, but man is it ever great to find other people telling you without prompting. So, yes, the pseudonym phenomenon will continue as long as people create art, and we as audiences should be grateful because it means these artists have not fallen slack but are willing to extend themselves to further perfect their abilities.

Chuck Norris' daughter ...

- M

Rain in January, Snow in July, Dust in the Rainforest and Ice in the Desert

 

Sometimes nothing makes sense. I somehow managed to park my van in the garage without leaving any space for me to pull out. I don't even know how that's possible. I mean, even if I back straight out I'll rip out the side of the van and demolish half the garage! If I'm lucky, I won't be inside the garage when it falls down. Good grief, I feel like Charlie Brown. Or, maybe if I swing really wide I'll only tear the side mirror off? Is the Hulk on retainer, like could I call him up to yank my van to the side?

 

Does this not look like a horrible monster? Turns out it was a cord for a scented lamp...

I swear the craziest things happen to me. Not long ago I thought an Alien Facehugger was attacking me in the bathroom, late at night, while I was very woozy. I nearly wet myself in all the wrong ways and stumbled out in pure panic. Sometime much later I had the presence of mind to take pictures, because I knew nobody would believe me. You can't make this stuff up--well, okay, I probably could being a writer and all, but this was pure horror! And my horrifying scream didn't wake up anyone in my house. I could have been fighting for my life against some mythical monster, and nobody even rolled over. Sheesh.

 

It's not all bad, of course. I have plenty of laughs and great stories to tell. As they say, "Life imitates art." Maybe I have a crazy life because I pay attention to the stories, or so I can't ignore the stories. I'm not sure which, but it definitely keeps things entertaining. Hope you all have a wonderful week, and wish me luck as I do my level best to keep both my van and garage intact.

 

- M

Happy, fun, silly, bubble ... some words are just great to say.

Do some words make you giggle? Maybe tease your ears a bit and wobble around your brain for a while? English is a funny language after all, just ask any comedian (especially if they're originally from another country). I've often wondered if some of our vocabulary is created simply because it's amusing and likable. How else can we explain things like "abbreviated" being so long?

 

My current favorite is "sprinkle" and right behind it is "bubble." I love saying those words. There's a tiny child in me that giggles crazily whenever I hear them (such as hearing Karen Carpenter singing "Close to You"; just listen, she's so amazingly happy when she says, "sprinkle"). My list is constantly changing, especially as I use and learn more words. I urge you all to find your own favorites and enjoy them.

Mary Poppins doing her magical best

And then we get to the completely ridiculous side of the spectrum with fully made up words, like Mary Poppins, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (yes, I had to look that one up, yeesh). These I don't mind so much, because they're clearly a joke and meant to be funny. Popular culture also tries making new words, with random success as far as I can tell. When it comes to words, there's no limit to the wackery involved ... see, I just made a new word!

 

- M

Roleplaying is fun, and strange, and really very interesting.

I think it's safe to say we've all heard about roleplaying at some point. Some people associate it with fantasy games, but it's a part of wonderful corporate team building exercises (note sarcasm to this statement) and psychology sessions all over. What I really like is "getting into character" when I'm playing a game, like pulling on a new coat and creating something unique. In a sense, it's what actors do, and they sure aren't the only ones who can. I've had some of my best fun doing that in games, and my friends and I still talk about the times we created.

 

Beware the Battle Beagle!

For some strange reason roleplaying is not well accepted like acting is. Could it just be the word? I'm not sure. Somehow it's silly, or strange, or downright weird. I don't care. I try not to judge (even people who LARP are just doing it for fun). Either way, I think it's an adult's way of having the same fun as a kid playing cops and robbers. Why not just go with it?

 

To me, I'll stick with creating stories for the characters I play in games. But, I'm a storyteller, so it's natural to play a game and write a story at the same time. And, I get to involve others in the story as it's created--that's the best part of all. I wonder if I'll use these experiences in a book? (There are plenty of examples already, such as Drizzt.) You never know, maybe you'll see Mohi Sedo or Xiphos running around (yeah, those are my characters, so no, you can't have them, *grin*).

 

- M