Author: Trisha

‘My momma always said, “Life was like a box of chocolates….’

       We all remember this famous quote from Forest Gump……my box of chocolates are words…NEW words which I have never heard before.  Words that roll around on my tongue like a chocolate cherry cream out of my box of sweets.  For example here are some words I discovered …..

                            Tantalus: a Phrygian king who, for his crimes, was forced to stand hungry and thirsty surrounded by sweet water and fruit laden branches. I’ve seen it used loosely as an adjective: being tantalized without fulfillment.

Muniment:  a document, a title deed or charter

Muniment room: a storage or display room in a castle, church or university where pertinent historical documents or records are kept.

Entresol: a lower floor between two higher floors, between floors, mezzanine.

Cuckoo:  a common enough European bird but noted for its habit of laying its eggs in another bird’s nest which then hatched and raised the young cuckoos. The mother cuckoo never returns.  Which leads to the off-shoot of this word and description:
Cuckold:  Usually referring to the husband of an unfaithful wife.  To make a cuckold of (a husband) and it could follow that the unfaithful wife is impregnated by the lover and (like the birds) the cuckold’d husband and wife raise the child of another man.  Hence the use of the word.

When you write, never dumb it down for your readers. Remember you are writing prose. It’s okay to challenge your readers….it’s even preferred. 

As a writer, I hope that You love the flavor of words as much as I do…..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Bullies! Déjà-vu in the most horrific way!

cyber-bullying, bullying, girls who bully, short plays for teens, high school, middle school   A few weeks ago I published four short plays addressing cyber-bullying and verbal bullying in our schools.  My hope was that if teens and their teachers read these plays (and performed them in their classroom) it would maybe open a dialogue about this deadly practice.

In “You’re Fat, You’re Ugly…”  Aanya is a beautiful, talented student, much like Amanda Todd, who is driven to attempted suicide by her peers’ relentless bullying.  In “Cyber-Hate” Cathy is the victim of bullying that leads to violence. “The Bullies” is about boys who bully.

I wrote these plays depicting different variations of bullying…..Fiction based on dry statistics.

And now in today’s headlines we read about Amanda Todd, (age 15) a beautiful young girl who just couldn’t take anymore.  She felt her only option to escape this form of terrorism (bullying) was to take her own life.  It saddened me and my love and prayers go out to her family and friends.  This pointless loss of a young woman’s life also outraged me. Amanda’s cry for help (I assume) was a previous attempt at suicide by drinking bleach.  Her stalker-bully wrote a message to her, “Try harder.”  What kind of monster does this??

‘Amanda Todd, a Vancouver-area teenager who posted a story to YouTube last month about being cyber-bullied, was found dead Wednesday night in Coquitlam, Canada. Authorities believe she committed suicide.  Amanda’s video tells a heart-wrenching story of the bullying she was subjected to — both online and off. “In 7th grade,” she begins, sharing her message on cue cards, “I would go with friends on webcam [to] meet and talk to new people.” At one point, a stranger flattered her into flashing the camera…..

One year later, a man contacted her on Facebook, threatening to send around the picture of her topless “if [she] don’t put on a show.” Terrifyingly, the stranger knew everything about her: her address, school, friends, relatives, and the names of her family members. Soon, her naked photo had been forwarded “to everyone.”Amanda developed anxiety, depression, and anxiety disorders, she says in the video, followed by a path into drugs and alcohol.’ ~~ Huffington Post

We, as the adults, MUST take control of this deadly game that teens are playing.  Maybe the bullies need to see their parents go to jail for their actions.   After all, these bullies are just children,  and the parents are ultimately responsible for their child’s behavior.  The buck stops at the parents’ door step.

STOP THE BULLYING!

                                                                                            SAVE LIVES!

More resources re: Bullying, Cyber-bullying
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MY BLOG features INTERVIEWS with  best-selling AUTHORS!  

To receive my posts sign up for my   On the home page, enter your email address.  Thanks! 

 

To Purchase

 

 

Send your original ‘haiku’ poetry and I’ll post it

Haiku poetry, poetry, female poets, Japanese,I have been quite amazed at the number of searches for haiku poetry and then the search ending up in a visit to my site.  Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT complaining.  My amazement lies in the interest (in our modern world)for this beautiful type of poetry that has survived the ages.  Did you know that the oldest written work in Japanese literature is the haiku by Kojiki in the 8th century.

So I came up with the idea of inviting YOU to send me your haiku poetry and I will include it in a post from time to time.

I only ask that you write it in the correct and time-honored style of three stanzas, three lines each, five syllables, seven syllables, five syllables.  Tell me if you want me to use your full name. Be certain to include your website address so that we can continue to market each other. You can send it on the “comments” page or the contact us page and I’ll be sure to get it.

I love the idea that my new website is interactive with more than just my voice…..and will have others’ voices joining in……..

And if you are new to this form of writing, please try it and send it to me.  Here is a sample of my haiku to get you started:

The Seasons of the Sun  ©    from my book, “The World of Haiku”

angle of fall’s sun
so different from spring’s rays
dapples the sun porch

end of hot summer
the crisp, sharp tang of fall’s breath
smokes the air about

a waiting for sleep
under the blanket of snow
until spring sun beams

More trivia: The ‘Waka’ is the oldest form of Japanese poetry, used centuries before the more commonly known ‘haiku’.  Waka actually means ‘japanese poem’.  Traditionally lovers as well as persons of high social standing used waka poems to communicate.  Waka poems are noted for their attempt to capture feelings, rather than explain them.  A waka is also called a ‘tanka’; they share identical structures.

Best regards,  Trish

 

 

This artist is inspired by ‘dance’….what inspires you to write?

I am a big fan of reality dance shows (All the Right Moves, So you think You can Dance, Dance Moms, The Chance to Dance, Breaking Pointe; the list goes on and on).  Nope! Not a big a fan of Dancing with the Stars…..(sigh, sorry).   Wait!  Don’t give up on me quite yet…..please read on.

As my readers probably already know I create many short scripts about ‘real time’ challenges for the teens of today. And the other night I was watching the season finale of the Abby Lee Dance Company (Dance Moms) and Abby choreographed a dance, inspiration, teens, texting and driving, teenagers, textingpowerful and brilliant piece called, “The Last Text”.

All told in dance, it was about a car load of teens texting while driving and the predictable results, a horrific car crash.  The dance piece was stellar!  And won national awards! I am certain you can see it in a re-run; believe me it is worth tracking down.

I was inspired to write another short play for my “ShortN’Small”  series.  About texting and driving and the possible consequences.  I  borrowed the concept from her wonderful choreography (blocking) and the premise of the piece.  But the dialogue that her wonderful work inspired in me is all mine!

 I’ve always believed that excellence breeds excellence.  I have always been attracted to the company of smarter people than myself.  They teach me so much.  I always wanted to play with better tennis players…it made me a better player.  I was never jealous of a more accomplished actor than I was;  they made me grow and stretch as an actor.  And watching young dancers makes me happy; they are such athletes and so passionate about dancing…. of course, I was inspired !

texting and driving, teen texting, short plays, high school, middle school,

Writers, do you research enough? (4of4 Fairy Tales)

fairies, fairy tales, Tinker Bell, short plays, small casts, Disneyland, writing        While writing another short play, “Daughterland“,  I wanted a whole new spin on Disney’s Tinker Bell.  So more research.  This is what I found:   James Barrie’s first draft of his famous story  (1924) of the magical boy who never grew up originally christened the world’s most famous female fairy as “Tippy-Toe.”  By the time the play was first performed, the little pixie had been renamed “Tinker Bell” and has remained so ever since.

Probably most readers know that a tinker was an itinerant tradesman who mended pots and pans. He rang his distinctively high pitched “tinker’s bell” to announce he was in the neighborhood

Barrie pictured the fairy with fiery red hair because she was so small she could only have one emotion at a time, and the red hair seemed to reflect her most common emotions. From Barrie’s unpublished screenplay, here is the description of the first appearance of Tinker Bell:

“The fairy, Tinker Bell. Swallows perched on the outside of the window. The fairy music comes up. The fairy, Tink, flies on and alights on the window sill.  She should be about five inches in height and, if the effect can be got, this should be one of the quaintest pictures of the film, the appearance of a real fairy. She is a vain little thing, and arranges her clothes to her satisfaction. She also keeps shoving the birds about so as to get the best place for herself. Finally, she shoves all the swallows off the sill.”

When the animated feature was first released, the Disney publicity department insisted that this would be the first time that Tinker Bell would be visible as more than just the little spot of light flitting around the scenery. In actuality, a silent movie version of Peter Pan released by Paramount in 1924 had a live actress appear briefly in some close-ups as Tinker Bell.   Courtesy of Wade Sampson                                                                                                                                                               My research changed the way I thought of Tinker Bell, the Disney version. In doing so, my ‘Tippy’ (yes, I went with her orginal name) is quite different.  But the play is really about a father and daughter trying to find new ground in their relationship after divorce.

 

Haiku (Renku) Poetry and How to Write It (Part 1)

haiku, smaurai, Misashi, poetry, writing, blogging, blogs        Haiku (Renku) Poetry, an ancient form of writing poetry from Japan, is very strict in its structure. One section of three lines. The first and  third lines must be five syllables. The second line must be seven syllables.  A reference to nature is usually found somewhere in the poetry. My Sumi-E ink and brushwork you see here is an ancient Japanese technique.  In Renku poetry You write three or more stanzas using the same 5-7-5 discipline.

Tip:  When I first write haiku I don’t worry so much about the structure on the first draft.  I get my thoughts down and then start editing words (syllables) until I have the correct structure  of   5-7-5.  This works best for me.

Tip: Over the centuries (and certainly in the US) Haiku has been reduced to one section of three lines.  In ancient Japan culture (11-12th centuries) a haiku had three sections of three lines.  I prefer to write in the ancient style but it is acceptable, by some, to write a complete poem in three lines.
Continue reading “Haiku (Renku) Poetry and How to Write It (Part 1)”

Review: Dorchester Terrace by Anne Perry

Rating: writing, creating, reviews,fiction, children's books, fiction for adults, women's fictionwriting, creating, reviews,fiction, children's books, fiction for adults, women's fictionwriting, creating, reviews,fiction, children's books, fiction for adults, women's fictionwriting, creating, reviews,fiction, children's books, fiction for adults, women's fiction 4 quills

If you like World War history, you will love this book.  Set in London; while solving an interesting double murder, the characters lead the reader through the factual maze of what led up to World War I.  Politics, world positioning, greed and power were the ingredients of this witch’s brew long before Hitler came along. A tiny country, Austria, was the linchpin and match strike that started the ‘war to end all wars’.  How’d that work out for all of us? Author, Anne Perry tells a good story. Her dialogue is sharp and sometimes witty.  writing, review, world history, books,

A foggy night, at a ferry landing, inspired me…(part 4)

ferry landing, poetry, foggy night, blogs, writing, I was sitting, late one night, at a ferry landing, waiting and watching the boats ferry back and forth until it was my turn to board.  Fog horns, misty fog, reflections on the black water, the screech of the gulls, and the silent hunting of the pelicans.

The wet air, the silence, the sound of a lone fog horn warning vessels of danger.  The fog smearing everything I looked at… I was inspired  to write poetry.  But the scene could have inspired a murder mystery writer to write about a body, weighted down, being slipped into the water;  or it could have inspired a romance writer to write about two lovers parting as the boat docked.  Never to be together again.  For me, it was poetry.  Here is an excerpt of what came out of that black night……..

FOGGY NIGHT  © 

The white orb, saturated with tidal flows 

peers through the veil, 

a ghost ship slips up the fog laden channel

 Night gulls’ sing with strident cries 

fog seeps in, the tide rolls out, 

day is gone, the night creeps on 

Trees, dressed in ebony, drift by 

water glistens, injectable methandienone online in uk gold and wet 

Night is soft and tender, edges blurred 

damp seeps into cloth, hair, bone 

Fog casts tents of light over the landing 

Hunters of the sea know not day nor night 

Fishers all, white feathers stark 

against the night shadows 

Palm trees, silhouetted against the ochre gauze, 

brushes hardened with black paint……

I raced home as I had nothing to write with in the car.  Opening my front door, I dropped my keys and purse onto a chair, tore off my coat as I sped down the hall to my studio.  Waking up my computer, my fingers flew across the key board, lest I forget the words that were born in the night. 

To read more click here for the book, "Butterflies and Bullets"

 

 

 

 

In remembrance….9.11.12

I wrote this poetry (Haiku) after visiting the rebuilding site at ground zero September 2011.   The grief was still fresh but there was hope mixed in….   

Ground Zero 9.11.11

Heartache fills the chest
Terrorists murdered thousands
Pain is fresh and new

Haunts walk the gardens
Four hundred trees, firemen all
the fountain of tears

Green leafed trees stand tall
Names carved never to forget
Red, white, blue flies proud

and

Anniversary 9.11.11

I wait to exhale
will terrorists celebrate
with their big loud bang?

walking among us
to celebrate what they did
murder innocence

today, a grief day
remember a bright, fall day
ten short years ago

 

What’s your favorite word? Nostalgia is one of mine!

family, sisters, writing, blogs, women,     Were you there when the movie “Little Women” came out? Not the new (1994) version…the old version (1949, it’s on DVD)  with June Allyson who played Jo,  Peter Lawford as Laurie, Margaret O’Brien as Beth, Elizabeth Taylor as  Amy, and Janet Leigh (yes! from Psycho fame)  as Meg.   Do you go all nostalgic when you think about those simpler times with  Jo, Beth, Amy, and Meg?  I do.  Have you read the book by Louisa May Alcott?  She was writing about her family.

Part of me wishes I had a bunch of sisters, (be careful what you wish for, right?) part of me wishes that I had lived in a simpler time. I am a part of a family like the Marches.  My mother had  five sisters and six brothers.  I grew up with twelve aunties and uncles.  And so many cousins I still don’t know the number.

So I write about them.  I am much like Jo; writer, tomboy (in my younger days) outspoken and trying to be the very best at what I do…….writing.  

My suggestion to other writers is to write about your grandmother, great-aunt, second cousin, twice removed.  Write about what you know. Write about the past.  I am so very lucky to have the ‘Guyer girls’ to draw from …..I couldn’t make up the stories that they have given me out of their real lives.     family, women, sisters,