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Dandelions: Weed, Poetry or Human Sin?

4/29/2013

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Dandelions. Dent de Lion (lion's tooth, sharp & scary). A life force that isn't desired, like sin, or maybe unrequited love, a nuisance that persists. . . 
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Source: www.organiclifestylemagazine.com































The term weed is subjective, generally unwanted in human-controlled settings, dandelions stomp in every morning. 

Spring fever. 

Like love, lust or sin, for some, the dandelion feels near impossible to control. It invades us & strips us of those civilized controlled environments we may think we desire.


DANDELIONS is also the title of a story I've been working on - rampant with weeds, human sin, and possibly even poetry. On the weekend, I was eradicating my yard of dandelions and rewrote the opening lines:


On the morning of the party, Mrs. Goodman was kneeling in the shadiest garden bed, yanking dandelions--each extraction more vehement and savage than the last. 


From across the way, Heidi kept one blue lazy eye on Sarah Goodman. At first, Heidi didn't think anything of it, but later she realized that it was at that  moment: everything fell into place. . .


Read an excerpt from Dandelions here


It's that time of year: some of us wonder while others wander.


In French, we call dandelions pissenlit (piss in the bed) Garden beds or lovers' beds? [I wonder]

At the mercy of nature, no matter how we try to fool ourselves, our attempts to master nature--whether our personal natures, or mother nature--are all for naught. . .



. . .Except in poetry:


The First Dandelion.

Simple and fresh and fair from winter's close
      emerging,
As if no artifice of fashion, business, politics,
      had ever been,
Forth from its sunny nook of shelter'd grass--
      innocent, golden, calm as the dawn,
The spring's first dandelion shows its trustful
      face.

--WALT WHITMAN.

Have a great week everyone!
Dina 

(aka TartanFrog)

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Every Good Writer Knows About "Soul Toupees"! Do you?

4/20/2013

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Image: www.thisnext.com












We all have soul toupees!


The best writers absorb them and regurgitate them into the most memorable characters.

Here, in Canada, I think of Alice Munro and Carol Shields as masters of the soul toupee.


BUT, WHAT IS A SOUL TOUPEE, YOU ASK?



In We Learn Nothing, Tim Krieder wrote:

"Years ago a friend of mine and I used to frequent a market in Baltimore where we would eat oysters and drink Very Large Beers from 32-ounce styrofoam cups. One of the regulars there had the worst toupee in the world, a comical little wig taped in place on the top of his head.  Looking at this man and drinking our VLBs, we developed the concept of the Soul Toupee.  Each of us has a Soul Toupee.  


The Soul Toupee is that thing about ourselves. . .


Read conclusion

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Writer's Block Exercise: Strange Facts vs. Fiction

4/11/2013

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What's your favourite writers' block exercise? 
I love creating obituaries for my characters & 'weeklies' for my settings...
PictureSource: lygsbtd.wordpress.com
BELLA DESVEAUX DEAD AT 106; SLEEZY EX-NUN, CENTENARIAN AND CROTCHETY OLD SOURPUSS FINALLY KICKED THE BUCKET

Better yet, someone may have kicked the bucket for her.

On April 15, 1912, two fiascos reeked havoc in this zoo we call history: first, at 2:20 a.m., the RMS Titanic sank in the northern Atlantic Ocean after striking an iceberg. Less than an hour later, no less catastrophic, Bella (b. Aucoin) Desveaux tore through her poor mother’s uterus, the first of a long list of cruel acts she would inflict on her, and later on others, notably on the Catholic Church.

It was Papillon’s coldest April on record when the weak and shivering Patronille and her husband Hypolite Aucoin first glimpsed their daughter: face like a slapped arse and smelling funny. Hypolite cut the umbilical cord himself with a rusty pocketknife and then doused the baby with moonshine to ward off infection.

And, as if her rumoured affair with notorious artist Diego Rivera didn't create enough racket in these parts...At least, Bella was deprived of her secret wish—to be lauded as the woman who found and brought back a treasure that saved those of us condemned to live out our years in this god-forsaken hellhole. 



Sadly, the overdose—whether self-administered or with a little help from her friends—didn’t make her death as slow and painful as she deserved.

Bottom line: Bella was about as useful to society as an ashtray on a motorcycle.

Her only redeeming quality was her skill at canning lobster. She’ll be cremated tomorrow following a funeral service she ordered for happy hour, 5 pm at Eglise Saint Paul. A lobster boil will follow hosted by one Matante Bijou, Bella’s 'mad as a hatter' sister-in-law.

Hallelujah!


PictureSource: www.wquercus.com




Papillon, Cape Breton’s Weekly News
June 26, 2019

 
APOLOGIES & RETRACTION

On behalf of the editors & staff of L’Acadie Weekly Star, we would like to offer our deep-felt apologies to Isabelle Desveaux for the unfortunate obituary that appeared in last week’s paper. It appears our on-line version of the paper was hacked and we are fully cooperating with Officer Cassianni, a rookie the RCMP assigned to the case. 

 LOCAL NEWS

On that note, we’d like to welcome Officer Todd Cassianni and his wife Belinda. We certainly hope you’ll be joining us at the July 1st Canada Day picnic.

We’d also like to send our best wishes to Paulette Muise, our long-suffering editor Marguerite’s niece. We heard you got your wisdom teeth pulled and we’re rooting for you (pun intended:) 


ISLAND NEWS

Inverness Boy, 9, saves his sister in a near drowning accident at Moody Lake.

“I wouldn’t do it again,” says the hero, “she’s been a royal pain ever since.”

Given the almost-tragedy, the parishes of Inverness and Papillon have joined forces to fundraise for a water safety course. There will be a special envelope available at the back of the church at this Sunday’s fisherman mass.


 
INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Oops: French President’s Camel Accidentally Cooked in Stew

(Huffington Post) – That’s right. "According to reports, a family in Timbuktu has eaten Francois Hollande’s camel."

Get the full story here.

Rooftop beehives create buzz above French parliament 

(Reuters) - The roof of France's National Assembly is ready to buzz with activity after the arrival of three large bee hives this week as part of a project to promote pesticide-free honey.

Get the full story here.

L’ACADIE STAR OF THE WEEK

And now, it’s time for L’ACADIE STAR OF THE WEEK. 



Our star this week is none other than…sound the drumroll:

Sabine Poulain-Desveaux! That’s right Bella’s granddaughter (Isabelle’s daughter) will spend the summer with us. A little bird whispered in my ear that she’s angling for the job at the new waterfront art gallery. Probably means none of my brother’s kids have a snowball’s chance in hell of landing it, but good for you, Sabine. We sure wish you a happy homecoming!




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From Humble Beginnings, REALLY? 

4/1/2013

4 Comments

 
Picture
Photo by Sally Carpenter
















I love the pic (above). Made me rethink self-publishing whereby I could chose a cover for my next novel....hmmm.

The house in the photo is my mother's abandoned family homestead. So you see, when I say humble beginnings...


I REALLY mean humble beginnings!


Don't get me wrong - I'm well aware of my privileges & my challenges.


What's the point, you ask? 


See, over the weekend, I was chatting  with a writer-friend about a recent book launch we attended. We both noticed that lately writers keep emphasizing their connections to hard times & the rural poor, & THE DISENFRANCHISED... 


(oh right, like using words such as disenfranchised isn't a sign of privilege)


One of these confessions came from a white, university-educated guy who grew up in an urban, affluent family & whose main connection to poverty was a paid trip to get in touch with & help the needy in poor countries. 


Seriously? What IS that all about?


Must writers look back at every miserable obstacle & look equally miserable as a precursor to success?


Picture
Source: Grumpy Cat
Can we not BE more creative?


Or, is it that age-old stereotype that without poverty & hardship, a writer  couldn't possibly dip into the well of human dimension?


Last I heard, Stephen King's riches are not hindering his creativity, nor his characters' dimensions. 


                          concluding thoughts

4 Comments

PITCH MADNESS FEEDBACK 

3/16/2013

6 Comments

 
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THANKS so much for the feedback both here and on Twitter (excerpt removed for edits)!!

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Sunday Synopsis in 30-Minute Snapshots

3/3/2013

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7:00 a.m. No more excuses. Must revise synopsis for the contest. Now THINK.
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7:30 a.m. Still thinking. 
NEEEEEED coffee!! Crawl out of bed. 
Make cappuccino instead of brewed.Takes longer to make pretty designs in the foam. 
More time to think:
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8:00 a.m. Telephone rings. 
Seriously! It's SUNDAY.
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9:00 a.m. Caffeine definitely kicking in.
I start making faces at the computer screen. Looks something like this:
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9:30 a.m. Now stop that. Calm down.
NEEEED inspiration. A quote maybe...but it has to be calming. Which one? Which one?
Here we go, but first more coffee.
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10:00 a.m. Doorbell!
What? Am I the only person who knows it's Sunday?
It's the person who was trying to call checking to see if I'm okay:
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10:30 a.m. 
That's more like it. Quiet again.

Re-caffeinated and on a roll...
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11:00 a.m. 
The roll trickles to molasses...
Time for a pep talk:
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11:30 a.m. 
Back at it and typing with renewed confidence when suddenly another quote pops into my mind:
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RESIST! It's not even noon yet...

11:40 a.m. Patience is wearing thin
11:50 a.m. And thinner...
Until...
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               Read the synopsis conclusion
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WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW: Friends & Lovers though?

2/1/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Source: Retreat by Random House
The simple answer to whether you should write about friends & lovers is this: 


If you want to keep them in your life, I'm thinking NO. 


Besides, if you're serious about keeping them around/getting them back, you'll likely end up with flat characters whose traits are all positive. Personally, I haven't met any perfect people yet. 


But, what about those friends & lovers who are no longer in your life?

Picture
Source: SendScraps.com Click on image to link to their website











Segue:

“There was a time when our desire for each other would have landed us in an asylum or prison, had it not been sanctioned by mutual assent.” ~Krauser

Sounds like a lover's declaration, but I can honestly say that I've felt this passion for both friends & lovers (even books:)

The quote reminds me of times in my life when my emotions felt like they were river-rafting: a strong, flowing current of life. They live on in my memory, thus, however imperfectly. 


Yet here we are.

Some relationships haven't withstood the test of time and some great loves are now relegated to 'we'll always love each other, but we'll never be in love with each other'. 

Does understanding WHY make it any more BEARable?


Picture
Source: gogopedro.com
Not for me.  But writing about the emotions does. Whenever those river-rafting moments corporealize like they do on occasion, I feel...sad...sometimes devastated...like I've lost someone I never quite had, all over again.


My advice: Go ahead & write 'what you know, with authenticity - it's not about recreating those people on the page (unless you're writing a memoir). Of course, the quirks you observe in those around you are bound to morph & burrow into fictional characters. Many of my friends & family have asked, "Is so-and-so based on so-and-so?" 

Which is fine - let them have their fun!

Personally, I make exceptions with dead people, not unlike the character of Isabelle from my first novel:


"Maybe I'll make a rule. From now on, I'll only frame dead people's paintings. It's a good rule. And it seems just as reasonable as many of the rules our society lives by."


Read conclusion


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Confessions about BullShit

12/10/2012

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Nini, from France. Photo: Jean-Daniel Sudres/Hemis/Corbis
Get a group of writers together, and sooner or later, a story emerges (& laughter) about how most of us go through periods of writing bullshit. 


Why not wait for that exquisite gem of inspiration? (you ask)

Well, for some of us 'the one' might not happen without 'the other'. No bullshit; no gems.

Call us truffle hunters: 

We sniff through bullshit in order to arrive at a meaningful thread that hangs a whole thesis or poem, a novel, or I'd even argue, a community together.  


If you're starting out & hoping to avoid those many (wasted?) hours. . . 


Read my TOP 3 WAYS to cut through crap (which works 1/4 of the time:)


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Another 'Stroem': Soirées lacking wit?? No Way!

12/3/2012

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Picture
We've all heard of life's two certainties: Death and taxes. 


In sizing up my life, I prefer to think of those certainties as writers' group and Sunday potlucks.

At last Sunday's gathering, one of the regulars observed that our soirées reminded him of the salons hosted by Gertrude Stein & AliceToklas. . .



. . .but with less wit?!


Really?? Well, something would have to be done about that!

So, I penned another stroem--this one's more story than poem--called OUTWIT to read at this Sunday's potluck gathering.

Now, I'm no Dorothy Parker, but if you've got a hankering for some wit, here's a 2-page tale about the fallout after a Newbie Visits a Sex Shop 


Feel free to send your feedback. This is a first draft.


Here's to a witty week!
Cheers, 
TartanFrog
(aka Dina)

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A Valuable Writing Lesson I Learned this Weekend

8/20/2012

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A wonderful editor reminded me this weekend that I shouldn't limit myself to thinking I'm writing for a smaller audience who will understand my mythology.

WRITE FOR THE WHOLE WORLD!

The learning came about due to a simile I'd written about 'sinking boats and fisherman' lore.
I'm a fisherman's daughter.

Lesson learned: 
Pay closer attention in my writing (and my life) to my assumptions about mythologies and history. They may not be shared or understood by everyone.

The good news:
I have10 days (okay 9 now) to revise my novel to incorporate that feedback and invite EVERYONE into the world of PAPILLON.

Did I mention I was moving in 10 days????


This makes me only slightly more batty than usual. 

Happy Monday Writerlies & Friends,

TartanFrog


UPDATE: MADE IT TO THE NEXT ROUND!  WOO-HOO!!!



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    Welcome to my Blog!

    My name is Dina 
    (aka TartanFrog)
    I'm a writer & educator.


    More about me

    More about the book I just finished

    Why blog? Why write?
    My dream: To see all children grow up with dignity, self-esteem and a passion for their dreams.

    I've met many children and adults whose dreams and innocence were stolen. 


    I write for them; I write as one of them.


    I try to blog weekly. 
    Blog topics:
    Writing & publishing-related tips for my writerly friends;
     social justice issues that touch children, adults, trees or threaten our world of future wholesome communities; my experiences navigating the process of living & writing. 

    Spoiler Alert:
    Some days, these may be rants:)

    Why TartanFrog?  
    TartanFrog--a celebratory tip of the hat to the interweaving of my French Acadian roots with the Celtic culture  of Cape Breton. 


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