Twas…my version of a Christmas Classic

‘Twas four days before Christmas, and all through the house All the boys did play Star Wars – yes, even the spouse; The cats had a fight under my Christmas tree and knocked off the ornaments – much fun for me. The seahorses curled on the corals with care, in hopes that their feeding tube soon would be there; And I with my Kindle and novels galore Settled down on the couch to read just one more, When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the couch to see what was the matter. Away to

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Do You Have a Heart for Hurting Children …

Over the weekend I went out to mail family Christmas gifts. On the way home, I heard a radio ad for a charitable organization I donate to on a periodic basis. I believe in the organization’s mission and the good works it does for children and for adults. For that reason, and that reason alone, I won’t be identifying it by name in this post. The radio ad contained the group’s new tagline, apparently designed for use during the 2011 Christmas season. The line, which made me stare at the radio in disbelief, is: Do you have a heart for

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Ho, Ho … Whoa.

By popular demand, our 2011 Christmas light display. Once the sun sets, our yard is a typical lights-on-the-rooftop-and-figures-in-the-yard display, featuring white LEDs and standard white Christmas bulbs. But when the sun comes up, this is what you see: And yes, that angel is carrying a shotgun. This is what happens when you put teenage males in charge of lighting design. Merry Christmas. (To everyone but Rudolph.)

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Writing Wednesday: Sacramento Writing Classes

We temporarily interrupt Writing Wednesday for a special announcement. Those of you living and writing in the Sacramento, California area should know about a new opportunity to sharpen your craft through the Sacramento Public Library system. The library has started a “community writing and publishing center” offering courses for writers at all experience and interest levels. Courses run 4-8 weeks, depending on content, and are offered in the evenings at various library locations around the Sacramento area. A complete course catalog for winter 2012 (courses starting in January) is available here. Among the offerings: The Craft of Creative Writing (all

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Lessons Learned From Christmas Photo Retakes

1. You can bring a dog to the mall as long as he has a photo sitting. 2. As between dogs and small children, the dogs are better behaved, quieter, and less likely to complain about their sweaters. 3. Also as between dogs and small children, the dogs in sweaters have better cause to complain. 4. A good photographer can make a family laugh after 45 minutes of waiting, even if they hate having pictures taken. 5. Mothers would rather focus on deciding which photograph of their two angelic sons to send to grandma than on separating the (same) two

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Family Christmas Photos 2012…A Tragedy in Haiku

Let’s go take pictures/No mom, I don’t want to go/Me neither, my son. Appointment at 8/We’re on time but they are not/Yay, an hour wait. Photo session starts/photographer is a newb/these photos will suck. Photos do not suck/because every one was lost/photographer fail. She offers re-shoot/at 10 pm? I think not./Ragequit studio. Next day, a phone call/manager recovered files/all-time worst photos.* Manager is nice/profuse apologizing/still, no re-shoot, thanks. Now we try again/New place, but same family/Let’s not hold our breath. * Note: the manager acknowledged that the photographs the newbie photographer produced were not only not professional quality, but shockingly

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Writing Wednesday: Should You Worry About Merger?

As I mentioned in last week’s installment, a copyright holder’s rights are reduced by the “merger doctrine” and the “useful article doctrine.” Since merger is more important to authors, we’ll look at Merger this week and Useful Articles next Wednesday. The “Merger Doctrine” in copyright states that where a topic requires or permits only one or a very limited range of expressions, the copyright in works about that topic is weak or nonexistent. The reason for the weak copyright is that where ideas are inseparable from their expression, the law says the idea “merges” with the expression, rendering it incapable 

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See What Happens When You Try?

On the heels of yesterday’s “NaNoWri…Mo” post encouraging everyone not to give up on dreams, I thought I’d share some others’ recent joy. One of my good friends has always wanted to fly airplanes. The rest of us didn’t know about her dream – it was something she kept close. No surprise. The dreams that seem least reachable thrive better in the shelter of our hearts and minds, where others’ disapproval or doubt can’t quench their tiny glow. But after years of dreaming, she has finally reached the skies. An unanticipated event gave her the opportunity to fly, and although

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NaNoWri…Mo?

Thousands of writers began new novels on November 1, 2011, prompted in part by “NaNoWriMo” – National Novel Writing Month. Only a fraction of those completed the “requisite” 50,000 word draft. (Some wrote more, but most wrote much, much less.) Two days ago I spoke with a writer who finished only 12,000 words before throwing the towel and declaring herself a failure. Just a minute there, my friend. Let’s back up a step or two. Failure to finish your novel in 30 days does not make you a failure. (Only failure to finish it … ever … wins that award.)

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