WORTH LEARNING

As you know, I am hopelessly in love with online learning. This holiday season, I am giving myself a treat. Hillsdale College is offering a free online course, “Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.” I have taken a number of Hillsdale courses and their production values are world-class. Here’s an excerpt from their website: “We invite you to join us as we enter into the mysterious world of Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Jacob Marley, the Ghosts of Christmas, and Tiny Tim in our newest online course…By taking this course, you’ll learn profound lessons from the Ghosts of Christmas, explore the true meaning of Christmas through Scrooge’s surprising encounters, and discover how to open yourself to life’s many joys and blessings.”

The course includes six lectures, each approximately 30 minutes long and starts December 4th. You can also access supplementary Q and A videos, study guides, and a discussion board. The best part is that you can do all of this at your own pace and in a manner that best fits your schedule. It sounds wonderful and I can’t wait! It feels like the perfect gift for me to make sure I keep my focus off shopping and on what’s really important! If you’d like to learn more or pre-register, here’s a LINK for you.

WORTH WATCHING

Now showing on Netflix is a sweet and quirky movie called “Leo” about a classroom lizard. The thing I love most about the movie is that Adam Sandler made it with his wife and daughters - each voicing one of the characters. I think all families should make a movie! This had to be way more fun than Disney World. And, just think, you have that movie and the memories of making it forever to share with your friends and future generations. We have a lot of little “under 10 minute movies” of our kids and grandkids. Some pretending to host a talk show, be pop stars, faking an argument, and countless others. The first one we made of the girls was when they were both still pre-schoolers. It is a series of vignettes where they acted out nursery rhymes in various costumes while they recited them. The favorite was Humpty Dumpty in which we tricked them with a switcheroo from fake eggs at rehearsal for real eggs on screen. Their reactions to broken eggs on the floor were Oscar worthy.

Keith and I are working on a concept for a video. I’ll let you know if that really happens because making our annual Christmas Card is the priority starting tomorrow! In the meantime, if you get the chance, watch Leo and let yourself be motivated to rally your family and create your own cinematic masterpiece. I’ll bring the popcorn to your premiere!

WORTH CELEBRATING

With no close second, the most fun this season for us was Flannel Fest, a family gathering of my siblings and our progeny. Here are about 75% of us memorializing a day filled with all the wonders you would expect from the love, talent, humor, and joy in the souls of these folks. We had so much fun, we decided we’re inviting all the cousins next time!

Many of you know or knew my brothers and sisters, some from many years ago, perhaps even back to school days. Well, here we are now: The Five Elders of our Clan. Below the photo is a thank you letter we wrote to our descendants after the jubilation of that day.

The Five Elders: (from left) Jim, Mary, Samantha, Carey, John

Dear Bright and Shining Ones,

Please accept our deepest gratitude for the unforgettable gathering. It was a time of joy, reminiscence, and a reaffirmation of the profound connections that tie us together. Our gratitude is not simply for your attendance, but for the spirit of unity and love you brought to this flannel day.

We are bound not only by shared ancestry, but by an unbreakable bond of affection and support. When it truly matters, we stand together, always caring, and always present.

In the hustle and bustle of daily life, it's easy to overlook the importance of these moments. However, as the years pass, we are reminded that our family is a source of strength, wisdom, and, above all, love.

We hope that this celebration has not only brought joy to your hearts but also kindled a fire within each of you to uphold the traditions and values that our family has cherished for generations. Our ancestors looked upon us with pride, and we must strive to pass on that sense of unity and love to the generations that follow.

In an ever-changing world, where relationships can be fleeting, our family's enduring presence is a comforting constant. We have seen how, in our family, we can always find support and love.

So, treasure the “flannel moments” in your life, and ensure that the bonds we share continue to grow stronger with each passing year. Our hope is that our family remains an unwavering source of solace, laughter, and love for you personally and for generations to come.

With our deepest love,
The Five Elders

WORTH READING

My brother John and I have been getting together about once a month for years now to discuss my poetry and his stories. For the record, he is a much better writer than I could ever hope to be, and I find him very inspiring. Working with him has given me space and permission to write some stories too, as I have many bubbling in my head waiting to be set free. My modus operandi is to go to the greats, so I started with the guru Steven Pressfield and this provocative book title. Whether you want to write some simple stories for yourself or your family, or a complex novel that makes the NY Times Bestseller list, Steven can help. Here’s my summary if you’re too busy writing to read the book.

NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T
By Steven Pressfield

OVERVIEW

"Nobody Wants to Read Your Shit" by Steven Pressfield is a no-nonsense guide to writing that challenges aspiring writers to confront the harsh realities. Pressfield’s candor and insights cut through the illusions surrounding writing. He provides practical advice on how to create compelling content that engages readers. I really like him.

I consider this book to be my writing toolbox. It’s filled with practical tips that are as accessible as a well-organized workshop, making it easy for me to grab the right tool for the job. Here are my key take-aways.

1 SIMPLIFY & ENGAGE
The book begins with the stark declaration that "nobody wants to read your sh*t." This sets the tone for a narrative that emphasizes the importance of capturing and maintaining the reader's attention. In a world saturated with information, Pressfield encourages writers to streamline their messages, making them simple, clear, and irresistible to the audience, to think of your writing as a conversation with a friend. You wouldn't want to bore them. You'd want to spark their interest and keep them hooked.

2 READER’S INVESTMENT
Reading is a transaction. Readers invest their time, and you must provide value. Ensure they don't feel they wasted their time on your work.

3 CONCEPTS
A good concept makes the audience see your work from a very specific, sympathetic point of view and by its logic renders all other points of view and all competing ones moot. When you as a writer carry over and apply this mode of thinking to other fields, like the writing of novels or movies or nonfiction, the first question you ask yourself at the start of any project is, “What’s the concept?”

4 DEFINE THE PROBLEM
“Calling 7-Up “the Uncola” positioned the drink not as a poor second-best to Coke or Pepsi, but as an equal alternative. Just as good, only different. Define the problem and you’re halfway to the solution.” When defining the problem in fiction, don’t ask “What is the solution?” Ask, “What is the problem?” The problem in fiction, from the writer’s point of view, is almost always, “What is this thing about?” In other words, what’s the theme?”

5 THE HUMP
“A real writer has something to give. They have lived enough and suffered enough and thought deeply enough about her experience to be able to process it into something that is of value to others, even if only as entertainment.”

6 THREE-ACT STRUCTURE
You’re not better than it, don’t fight it. “You, the writer, have to keep them riveted in their seats for that length of time. How do you do that? By hooking them (Act One), building the tension and complications (Act Two), and paying it all off (Act Three).” Marry the Three-Act Structure with the Hero’s Journey and that equals Story.

7 CLIMAX
“How can you tell when you’ve got a good Inciting Incident? When the movie’s climax is embedded within it. Apollo Creed picks Rocky Balboa out of the book of fighters and says, ‘I’m gonna give this chump a shot at the title.’ That’s the Inciting Incident of Rocky I. As soon as we hear it, we know that the climax of the movie will be Apollo and Rocky slugging it out for the heavyweight championship of the world.” If your climax is not embedded in your Inciting Incident, you don’t have an Inciting Incident. Start at the end. Begin with the climax, then work backward to the beginning.

8 STAKES
How high should the stakes be in your story? As high as possible. High stakes = high emotional involvement by the audience. Get your characters in danger as quickly as possible and keep ratcheting up that jeopardy throughout the story.

9 ENVIRONMENT
“A perennial query: Should I move to Los Angeles if I want to write for the movies or TV? Do I have to pack up for New York if I want to work in fashion? My dream is to be in adult films; do I have to move to the San Fernando Valley? You do. That’s how you learn.” Sometimes, moving to a different environment is necessary for learning.

10 NON-FICTION
“Write your nonfiction book as if it were a novel. I don’t mean make stuff up. That’s a no-no. I mean give it an Act One, an Act Two, an Act Three. Make it cohere around a theme. Give it a hero, and make that hero embody the theme. Give it a villain, and make that villain stand for the counter-theme.”

11 COMMITMENT
“A novel will take you two years to write. Or three or four or five. Can you do that? Can you sustain yourself financially? Emotionally? Can your spouse and children handle it? Can you maintain your motivation over that length of time? Your self-belief? Your sanity? If necessary, can you scrap your first eighteen months’ work and start over from scratch?” Can you do a first draft in three months? Too daunting? How about a rough sketch in three weeks? Still too scary? Maybe a rough-rough in seven days? Remember, the enemy in an endurance enterprise is not time. The enemy is Resistance. Writing a novel takes time. Break it down into manageable steps, and don't let resistance hinder your progress. Like training for a marathon, focus on each step, building endurance over time, rather than being overwhelmed by the entire journey. Thinking in multiple drafts is a corollary of thinking in blocks of time. If we know we’re going to do fifteen drafts before we’re done, we don’t panic when Draft #6 is still a mess.

12 UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES OF STORY TELLING   
• Every story must have a concept that puts a unique and original spin, twist or framing device upon the material.

• Every story must also have a theme, beginning, middle, end, hero, villain. 

• Every story must start with an Inciting Incident, embedded within which is the story’s climax.

• Every story must escalate through Act Two in terms of energy, stakes, complication and significance/meaning as it progresses.

• Every story must build to a climax centered around a clash between the hero and the villain that pays off everything that came before and that pays it off on-theme.

• What are the universal structural elements of all stories? Hook. Build. Payoff. This is the shape any story must take. 
(a) A beginning that grabs the listener. 
(b) A middle that escalates in tension, suspense, stakes, and excitement. 
(c) And an ending that brings it all home with a bang.

• We ask ourselves, what is the climax of Grandma Starke’s story? What scene or sequence does the entire saga build to? (Remember, it doesn’t have to be the latest chronologically.)

• Which idea, of all those swimming inside your brain, are you compelled to pursue relentlessly?  

13. CONCLUSION
"Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t" is a frank and motivational guide for writers, providing practical strategies for creating content that resonates with readers. It challenges writers to think critically about their work, redefine problems, and approach storytelling with clarity and purpose.

Pressfield's straightforward advice is both encouraging and enlightening, making this book a valuable resource for anyone aspiring to make their writing more engaging and impactful.

I bought my copy on Amazon for Kindle. Here’s the link: NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T (public library) by Steven Pressfield.

WORTH SEDUCING

When I started this letter some years ago, I said I would include a piece of Keith’s art with each issue. As I looked around the house for something with greenish tones to go in this love letter, I came up short. The one I am showing you has a LOT of greenish tones, especially in the beard, but the photo fails to capture that color (frownie face). Even worse, it’s not by Keith! I was seventeen when I sketched this in art class to impress that cute Keith boy who I heard liked art. It spent decades in a closet with other forgotten pieces until last year when we decided to hang as much art in the house as we could bear. We replaced the broken frame and stained matte. Now it hangs in the dining room which has lots of accents in this strange green color you can’t see on the artwork, but can see in the border. It is not my best work, but certainly the most important - it earned me a lifetime of love with that cute boy who liked art!

FAQ’S
1. The work is 10” x 13” and made with pastels.
2. The subject’s birthmark between his brows and the moles on his face were serendipitously achieved through accidentally splattered coffee. The children and I did not drink coffee, but the vandal will remain nameless.
3. The painting has no title (yet).
4. I did not draw it from my imagination. There were several old men in a book. I liked the one with a beard and long hair from which I made my drawing.
5. Yes, it bears a ridiculous resemblance to Keith as an old man, especially now with his beard and longer hair. It is almost as if my soul knew its mate well in advance. Kismet!

YOU THOUGHT I WAS MAKING THAT UP, RIGHT?

WORTH SENDING

As we approach the close of 2023, my mind naturally turns to reflections on the year gone by and anticipation for the one ahead. I'm excited to share a small project I created that has been a standout addition to my 2023 — Daily Daisy Quotes. I encourage you to consider adding it to your resolutions for the coming year, or taking the essence of it to make up your own version.

Daisy Quotes is a heartfelt gesture aimed at enriching the lives of my eight grandchildren. Each morning, I send them a curated blend of wisdom, humor, inspiration, life advice, and love encapsulated in carefully chosen quotations, sometimes accompanied by my own thoughts or a short history lesson about the famous person. It's a small yet meaningful gesture, a virtual kiss from their Granny to set the tone for a positive day. I think it would work just as well from a parent to their child.

One of the key elements that has made this project particularly enjoyable is the creation of weekly themes. Whether centered around quotes from a notable figure, like the insightful words of T.S. Eliot, or focused on a specific topic, such as the beauty of autumn, these themes add a nice coherence to the messages.

To further enhance the longevity of this project, I've compiled an online archive of all the shared quotes. However, for those who prefer a more tangible approach, you might consider documenting these daily gems in your word processor or, perhaps, compile them into a memory book.

Here are a few additional suggestions to help preserve the memory of your own project if you agree it sounds like fun:

1. MEMORY JAR: Encourage your grandchildren to contribute their own quotes, their favorites, memories, or responses to your daily messages. Collect and store these in a physical memory jar, creating a collaborative keepsake.
   

2. DAILY DAISY QUOTE ART PROJECT: Transform the quotes into art. Encourage your grandchildren to pick a favorite quote to illustrate their interpretation of the daily messages, creating a visual representation of the shared wisdom.

3. FAMILY QUOTE BOOK: Ask each member of your family to make up 5 original quotes of their own, one in each category: wisdom, humor, inspiration, life advice, love. Compile them into a keepsake book with added graphics and/or photos.
   

4. QUOTATION T-SHIRTS: I think custom tees are so affordable online now, it’s hard to resist personalizing all your tees. You could put together a graphic for each child’s favorite quote and give them their own unique remembrance. Or, my favorite idea, you could put everyone’s favorite quotes (or a selection of the quotes they wrote in the previous activity) on one tee. You could embellish with some daisy graphics. Ta da!
   

5. DAILY DAISY PARTY: I love parties, especially wrap-up parties at the end of the project. It’s a great excuse to give gifts, have fun, eat sweets, and tailor some of the activities above to a group setting. My grandkids are too grown-up and scattered to do this, I think. If they were a younger, I would do this with them in a heartbeat!
   

As you embrace the transition to 2024, if this project resonates with you, go for it! A little history, humor, biography, advice, values, inspiration, morals, wisdom, and love — giving that to the children you love makes a mighty worthy project that keeps on giving to them and to you!

WORTH COPYING

This intriguing cabinet is nestled at one of the entrances to our downtown library. It is stocked and restocked with all manner of goodies to help out those who need help. Free for the taking, you will find one cubbie filled with sweaters, another blankets, still another with canned goods. Each little Tupperware container in another cubbie offers wonderful surprises. The possibilities are endless and ever changing. And you don’t need to stand on a corner with a cardboard sign. You can just roll up and help yourself to whatever you need. We sometimes forget how loving people can be. We also underestimate how even little changes can have profound impacts. Maybe you know of a business or a cabinet that is waiting to change people’s lives?

WORTH INSPIRING

(I never looked at geese the same after reading it. Enjoy!)

Next fall when you see geese heading south for the winter flying along in a “V” formation, you might be interested in knowing what science has discovered about why they fly that way.

It has been learned that as each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. PEOPLE WHO SHARE COMMON DIRECTION AND SENSE OF COMMUNITY CAN GET WHERE THEY ARE GOING QUICKER AND EASIER BECAUSE THEY ARE TRAVELING ON THE THRUST OF ONE ANOTHER.

Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone, and quickly gets into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front. IF WE HAVE AS MUCH SENSE AS A GOOSE, WE WILL STAY IN FORMATION WITH THOSE WHO ARE HEADED THE SAME WAY WE ARE GOING.

When the lead goose gets tired, he or she rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point. IT PAYS TO TAKE TURNS DOING HARD JOBS.

The geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. AN ENCOURAGING WORD GOES A LONG WAY.

Finally, when a goose gets sick, or is wounded by a gun shot, and falls out, two geese fall out of formation and follow him down to help and protect him. They stay with him until he is either able to fly or until he is dead and they launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with the group. IF WE HAVE THE SENSE OF A GOOSE, WE WILL STAND BY EACH OTHER LIKE THAT. - Unknown