Writing - Plot, Conflicts, etc.

 

Christmas 2024 - Hailey, Riley, Mike, Susie, Cassidy

 

From Facebook

Vehicle Assembly Building, Cape Canaveral

In all the years I've lived so close, even when I visited the Space Center, I never heard the statistics recently found on Facebook:  The VAB covers 8 acres. It is 525 feet tall, 518 wide. Built of 65,000 cubic yards of concrete, 100,000 tons of steel. The BLUE part of the American flag is roughly the size of an NBA basketball court. 

 

TWO ARTICLES ON WRITING

(from MAKING MAGIC WITH WORDS)

 

January 17, 2015


WRITING WORKSHOP 4 - Plot

 When I ran a search on Amazon, I discovered they offer 1,059* books on the art of plotting. (And I admit I've never read even one of them!) But the number makes it clear how important plotting is to your book. And if you want detailed help, your only problem is plowing through all the possibilities to find the books that are right for you.  I will, however, in the short space available, attempt to hit a few highlights. My experience is based not only on writing close to thirty books but my long years as an editor of both fiction and non-fiction and as the judge of more than 400 RWA chapter contest entries.

1.  Whether your plot is simple or complex, at least a hint of it should be apparent in the first chapters, Chapter 1, if possible. Example:  I once judged a contest entry which sounded like a classic category romance centered around a class reunion. But when I read the synopsis, it turned out the author intended it to be a complex romantic suspense. Yet there wasn't a hint of RS anywhere in the pages of the contest entry. This won't work with readers any more than it did with me. Know what genre you're writing and make sure the reader gets the genre he or she expected right up front.

2.  Sub-plots are okay in a long book, but don't stray into sidebars that don't advance your plot. Example:  cute dialogue that doesn't move the plot forward; secondary characters who push the hero and heroine off center stage. People sitting around chatting, to no purpose, simply distract, slowing your book to a crawl.

3.  Avoid "too much plot." I've judged a number of contests where the entry read well, but the synopsis had enough plot for a 3-book series. Since "showing" a book takes up more room than "telling," a plot with a zillion twists and turns is likely to run out of room. J. K. Rowling may be able to get away with a 700-page book. The rest of us can't.

4.  Plots have "rhythm"—character introduction, personality development, action, introspection, romantic developments, action, introspection, the high point, the black moment, resolution.** Unlike, say, Vin Diesel's Fast and Furious movies, romance plots have to allow time for breathing, for getting inside the hero's and heroine's heads, time for romance to develop. And even action/adventure movies have their more quiet moments when the main characters get a chance to slow down (and maybe a wee bit more—what would James Bond be without his throng of women?)

**Under no circumstances take this sentence as a "plot arc." I do not believe in arcs or outlines set in steel. I am merely giving examples of how the rhythm of a book varies. (A terrible blow is all the more powerful for coming directly after a moment when everything seems to be going well.)

5.  You can get away with almost any plot, no matter how outrageous, if you provide an explanation good enough to coax your readers into "suspended disbelief." Conversely, your book becomes a "wall-banger" when you toss in something incredible without taking the time to justify what happens.

6.  Amendment to #5. There are certain things you must not do, things that cannot be explained away. If you want to believe your readers are dumb enough not to care, well, that's your choice. But among the accepted no-no's are such things as the laws of British inheritance:  you cannot have a bastard become a duke. You also cannot toss a murder into a book without providing strong motivation. Basically, you cannot avoid the laws of common sense without an adept set-up.

7.  Some authors plot on instinct—at least that's how I do it. They learn from the ebb and flow of the books they've read over the years. We start with no more than a basic premise and build from there. Others need to meticulously plot out every chapter. No matter which method you prefer, remember that if you need help, there are all those 1,059 "How to Plot" books on Amazon.


*Grace note update: when I googled “How to plot fiction” on August 6, 2019, Amazon informed me that there are now more than 10,000 books on this subject!

 

January 24, 2015



WRITING WORKSHOP 5 - Other “Musts”

Goal, Motivation & Conflict

Unlike the 1,059 books on "How to Plot," when it comes to GMC, one book stands out above all the rest. In fact, I suspect Deb Dixon in her book, GMC: Goal, Motivation & Conflict, may have invented the modern concept of GMC as vital ingredients in every book. What you see below is merely the nutshell version. If you feel you are having trouble with these concepts, don't hesitate to add Deb's book, print or e, to your library.

Goals.
Every author has a different approach to plotting—from "out of the mist" to extensive outlines, storyboards, photos, etc. But no matter which method you use, you should always have a goal in mind. A goal for the book, a goal for a chapter, a goal for a scene. Short-term and long-term goals for both hero and heroine, and for the villain (if you have one). I may be one of those people who does not sit down and make a list of any of these goals, but I could not write a good scene if I didn't have a pretty good idea of where I wanted that scene to go, what I wanted it to accomplish. Yes, sometimes the scene surprises me and goes off in a quite different direction than planned, and then I have to ask myself: did this surprise direction add to the story, or did it distract?  

There are also other questions that apply to every scene you write:  Have I moved the story forward? Have I achieved my goal for this scene? Or have I wandered off into the wilderness, giving too much emphasis to unimportant details, unimportant people and events? Have I allowed a secondary character to grab too much intention? Or perhaps you've accomplished your goal but inadvertently shot yourself in the foot by giving your hero or heroine qualities so negative there's no retreat, no redemption.

Example:  have you tossed off remarks about a main character gathering a stack of speeding tickets? Unless this personality quirk is necessary for your plot, it simply weakens your character without adding to your goal of making readers like your hero and heroine. (Risking an accident—the possibility of hurting other people—is not a sign of daring. It's sheer uncaring recklessness. Definitely not the stuff heroes or heroine are made of.)

Example: do not have someone bump into your main character in a bar unless there is a reason for that bump. Unless the bump moves the story forward. Colorful secondary characters can enhance a plot, but extraneous characters who do not contribute to the story just get in the way.

Example:  A group of friends enjoy a kaffeeklatch where the conversation never rises above "cute." The dialogue does not reveal character, does not move the story forward. It serves as nothing more than a "filler." (Filler = Distraction, plot coming to a screeching halt.)


Motivation.
As mentioned under "Plot," you can get away with almost anything, no matter how bizarre, if you give your characters proper motivation. Never forget to make it clear why they do what they do. For example, you can't have a person who seems perfectly normal suddenly grab a knife and stab someone. A reader's reaction is going to be:  "Aw, come on!" You need to establish some kind of warning, like a creepy atmosphere, or establish that the villain is insane, a drug addict, or comes from a family with mental instability. Something to account for what he/she does. Even if your plot demands the murder (or dramatic event) come as surprise, you need to get some explanation in there as soon as possible. Otherwise, your book becomes a wall-banger. I wish I had a dollar for every time I've commented in Track Changes (while wearing my editor hat): Clarify. Explain. Why on earth would he/she do that?

Amendment to the above:  I recently encountered a situation, while editing, which I felt no amount of motivation/explanation, however clever, could justify. My recommendation:  delete. Exorsize that particular bit right out of the book. I strongly felt the plot could survive without it, while readers would definitely dig in their heels and balk if that scene was allowed to stay.

The "too stupid to live" heroine has been out of favor for some time, but you can still have your heroine do something stupid—like investigate a dark cellar—if you cite her motivation:  she thinks her child might be down there and needs rescuing, or maybe her lover. She's in law enforcement and it's her duty. The house has gone dark and that's where the fuse box is. Give readers a decent "why" and they'll go along. Toss off cockamamie things without explanation, and you've lost them.


Conflict.
 Without conflict, your story is: Boy meets girl, they fall in love, get married, and live Happily Ever After. (Or Boy meets Boy, Girl meets Girl, depending on your genre.)* Your book would be four chapters, tops. Conflict is an essential ingredient in Romance. Conflict is not bickering between the hero and heroine (or the h/h with friends). It has to be much more serious. Some seemingly insurmountable object, such as the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets, incompatible backgrounds, lifestyles, jobs, medical problems, etc. Or outside influences, such as someone trying to kill the h/h or a family member; they're caught in a blizzard, a hurricane, car wreck, war zone, etc. On a more personal level, the hero and heroine live and work in two different towns, neither wants to move. Just keep in mind the Conflict has to be serious.

Then, just to make it trickier . . .

The conflicts mentioned above are External—conflicts superimposed from the outside. Internal conflict is also vital to Romance. This would include the hero's and heroine's private agonies and introspection: their reactions to the serious external problems, their feelings about their relationship; their worries about how they're going to get out of whatever mess they're in. Or is it all going to blow up in his/her face?

In Romantic Suspense and Mystery, the conflicts are frequently more External, such as escaping from a dangerous situation or finding a killer. Nonetheless, Internal conflict remains essential (and is particularly important in the development of the romance).


*When I gave this workshop at Moonlight & Magnolias in Atlanta, a young woman came up to me afterward with tears in her eyes, telling me she was so glad I had included alternative lifestyles. Truthfully, I had thought this a battle that had been fought and won. Guess not. So I hope anyone who reads this will make an effort to be more tolerant of other people's lifestyles.
 

~ * ~

Featured Book

Another pitch for my latest book, which seems to go with the Plot theme above, since as an "out of the mist" author, I write from the heart rather than the head, "winging it" as I go along. And The Abandoned Daughter is a good illustration of that. I thought I was writing a Gothic set in Bath. Turned out it was more of a Mystery. And with a twist no one could anticipate as I didn't know it was going to happen until, lo and behold . . . 

 

                   

Isabelle Bainbridge—abandoned by her gamester father, leery of the young lord who claims he is rescuing her—is more than a little surprised to find herself employed as companion to his grandmother in Bath, who treats her more like a ward than an employee. A near idyllic situation, until Isabelle discovers a young woman's body floating in the Kennet & Avon canal—an alleged suicide—soon followed by a series of murders that shake the tranquility of the beautiful city known as a refuge for the elderly and infirm.

Although Isabelle is determined to despise her rescuer—the viscount who won her home in a game of cards—she is forced to rely on him as she is stalked and it becomes apparent she may be next on the killer's list. There are several surprises, as well as moments of terror, before this Gothic adventure finds its happy ending.

~ * ~

For a link to Blair's website, click here. 

For Blair's Facebook Author Page, click here.*

 

For recent blogs, scroll down. For Archives, see the menu on the right.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Grace (Blair Bancroft)  

 

Advice on Editing & Blair's Christmas Books

 Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, 

Happy Holidays, and a stellar 2025!

 

(Pic forwarded to me by my son.)

 Grace note:  Hoping to manage a new blog on Dec. 28.

 

Our family's Capital Room Bar is decorated from head to toe for Christmas, including "snow" in Florida. (You know you're in a really upscale bar when the menu of holiday cocktails comes in a Santa stocking.)

 On Friday, Nov. 29, my daughter, Susie, sang several sets of Christmas Music, accompanied by a jazz trio, at The Capital Room Bar. To view a short video, click here.

 

 ADVICE ON EDITING

This is far from the first time I’ve held forth on my particular method of editing, but as I plow my way through the creation of The Phantoms of Lark House (somewhere around Book #53), it seems like a good time to bring up this controversial subject yet again. I admit I haven’t read any “how to” manuals in a long time, but I suspect the advice has not changed much from when I was a beginner. Over and over, one sees (or hears), “Finish the @#$% book!”

Now this might be a good idea if you’re a procrastinator, if you find it difficult to make yourself sit down and write. I have never had that problem. Always a part-time author, I sit down six mornings our of seven—faithfully—and work on my current WIP. Some mornings, I am creating; others, editing. But I do it EVERY SINGLE DAY (except Sunday when I sing in the choir).

I have never followed the advice of “Just plow your way through the draft; edit later.” I cannot even imagine working that way. So, without looking at what I’ve previously written on the subject, below please find Grace/Blair’s method of editing.

EDITING AS YOU GO

WHAT IS EDITING?
    If you think your every word is perfect prose the first time around, you likely need an ego-ectomy. Admittedly, a few, a very few, authors are so prolific they must come close to that golden achievement, but 99% of authors don’t. Maybe 99.9% don’t. And you should never be upset you are among the vast majority who lay out words, puzzle over them, agonize over them, always striving to make them better—more colorful, more graphic, less cliché. We find places where we meant to get across a certain point, but somehow it never made it out of our head. The fix? We revise—changing, inserting whatever it takes to make it right.
    Or maybe we went off on a tangent, writing beautiful passages, none of which contribute  to the story—paragraphs that don’t move the story forward or give readers information they need to understand our characters or our plot.
    Editing is making your manuscript better.
    Editing again makes “better” sparkle.
    Editing is what lifts your story out of the mundane and makes it shine.

PREPARATION- before setting Word One to the Page.
    Plot. I have a general overall idea of the plot in my head. I scribble a few notes. (How my plotting method differs from the so-called “rules of writing” is a whole ’nother blog.)
    Characters. I begin my Character List with the names of the people who appear in my first scenes. (Really annoying to have to stop mid-sentence and create a name or leave a blank space to be filled in later.) I make an effort to add each new character to the formal Character List so I’m not caught, flat-footed, fishing for a name (or location) in later chapters.
    Setting. Having a basic setting fixed in your mind is essential. I may have an opening scene in the dark side of London, but I need to be ready to describe the great opening-up to the English countryside as my hero ventures out of the city. (Or your heroine comes to London, to Brighton, to a country house in Yorkshire, etc., etc.) Readers want not only to see your hero and/or heroine but the setting you create around them.

WRITING.
I never rush. Sometimes the words flow; sometimes, I sit there and play with one sentence or  a single paragraph, persisting until I find it at least passable. I usually manage one-third to one-half a scene at each sitting. (Again, I am a part-time author.)

EDITING.
Here is where my method differs radically from the common advice. I know from long experience that reading over my work shines an instant spotlight on where I could make it better. I may add a  single word, a sentence, a whole paragraph or two.

I edit hard copy, because that’s what works for me. (If you can edit on screen, fine.) I edit after EVERY CHAPTER.
I get out my angled lap table, red pen, highlighter; sharpen my pencils, and go to work—adding, deleting, clarifying, making a complete mess of my neatly typed pages. And yes, I’m then stuck with inputting all those changes. But, oh, the satisfaction of knowing the manuscript is now so much better.

Frankly, because each chapter builds on the ones that have gone before, I don’t see how anyone can wait until the end of a book to edit it. Surely so many juicy bits, even whole characters, could fall by the wayside. Not to mention that the thought of a FIRST edit of an entire manuscript makes me nauseous. Too big a task.

MORE EDITING.
After editng each chapter separately, I edit again after five chapters; i.e., I edit 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, etc., all the way to end of the book. Therefore, when I begin my first top-to-bottom read, I am on my THIRD edit of each scene.
I used to do only one full run-through. In recent years, I’ve done the top-to-bottom twice before running a final Spell Check and calling it quits.

Which Editing Approach is Right for You?
Only you can decide. My goal is to make newbie authors aware that there are DIFFERENT ways to edit. DO NOT let so-called “expert” advice turn you from the method that works best for you. I happen to believe “polish as you go and do it frequently” makes a better book, but if “dashing through a draft” keeps you from slowing to halt . . .

Nuff said. Stop, consider your options. GO!

~ * ~

For your Holiday reading . . .

Though A Gamble on Love was not written specifically for the holiday season, there is a long holiday scene in which many of the details are thanks to a class I took through the RWA's Beau Monde, lo, these many years ago.

 

Miss Aurelia Trevor has a problem. Until she reaches the age of twenty-five, she will have no control over her beloved Pevensey Park, and by that time her unscrupulous uncle will have run it into the ground. Marriage to someone other than her uncle's leering son is her only way out, but, one by one, she rejects the men on her list of suitors. In desperation, Aurelia does the unthinkable. She hires a solicitor to find her a husband strong enough to stand up to both her uncle and her cousin. And soon learns the truth of that old adage: Be careful what you wish for.

Thomas Lanning is a man of the City. Unlike Aurelia, who stands to inherit vast land and wealth, he has made his own place in the world. He is not at all tempted by the suggestion of marriage to an heiress, but other considerations, such as a power base for a seat in Parliament, tweak his interest. Plus an unexpected twinge of chivalry when he hears the full extent of Miss Trevor's difficulties with her uncle and his family.

Aurelia, who only wants to live in peace on her acres, finds she has acquired a ready-made family in Thomas's younger sister and brother, as well as a head-strong husband whose campaign for MP fills her household with a shockingly odd assortment of characters. It seems her marriage of convenience is fast becoming a marriage of inconvenience. Just how far will this strong-willed pair bend to accommodate each other? And will they do it before it's too late?

Below, two novellas, written for Christmas anthologies, both tending toward being tear-jerkers.

 After suffering social disaster at her very first ball—severely aggravated by the horror of an unfeeling family—Miss Pamela Ashburton hides herself in the country, expecting to live out her life as a spinster. Major Will Forsythe, injured in body and spirit at Waterloo, comes to the country to escape the concern of well-meaning relatives. Privacy, peace and quiet—that's all he wants. Until he meets a holiday sprite in search of mistletoe. And the Christmas spirit, in the form of a cluster of white berries, gives them both a second chance.

 

 Marriage, yes. Love, no. Lady Christine Ashworth's glorious Season in London comes to an abrupt close with the death of her father. Her home now belongs to someone else; her fiancé is conspicuous by his absence; and her younger sister is as miserable in their new home as she is. What can she do but accept an offer from the despised heir, even if Christine now considers all men anathema, particularly the perfect stranger who has taken her father's place?

Author's Note: This novella was first published in a Christmas anthology as THE LAST SURPRISE, but I always felt it needed more scope. Therefore, ten thousand-plus words have been added. A LADY LEARNS TO LOVE is a poignant tale of those faced with tragedy, amplified by unforeseen circumstances, who still manage to survive, aided by the spirit of Christmas.

~ * ~

For a link to Blair's website, click here. 

For Blair's Facebook Author Page, click here.*

 

For recent blogs, scroll down. For Archives, see the menu on the right.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Grace (Blair Bancroft)  

Bon Mots & a Family Favorite Recipe

  

Thanksgiving 2024 at the Reales, Sanford, FL

Susie, Riley, Grace, Lionel, Mike, Carlos, Gloria, Cassidy, Hailey.

 Apologies for such a long delay between blogs, but Life intervened in a series of disasters:  being left to cope with the Shawl Committee's contributions to the Church Fall Fair alone, as everyone else was singing in a performance of the Messiah. Followed by two wasted afternoons due to my car's starter dying (waiting for AAA, waiting for Toyota to fix it). And then . . . my dishwasher died, only a month after a costly repair. No putting good money after bad—new dishwasher time. Followed by . . . Aargh! My Internet bit the dust on the afternoon before Thanksgiving. Thank goodness Spectrum sent someone right away when I reported the outage after the holiday. So I am now playing catch-up. Sigh. 

The following quote has been hanging fire since just after the Election, but, with all the most recent headlines, it seems even more applicable now than it was three weeks ago.

Below, a quote from the Reverend Friedrich Niemöller—written post-WWII & now a permanent part of the Holocaust Museum. These are words that apply to ALL. Insert whatever non-Aryan race, religion, non-accepted gender you choose. 

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.  

            ~ * ~

Last night at Thanksgiving with the family, my oldest granddaughter - the only one to see Wicked so far - was raving about it, showing Ariana Grande videos, etc., etc. Then, this afternoon, I got a Wicked meme from my daughter-in-law in Connecticut with the following message:

Since the Wicked premiere was last night, I think now is a good time to remind everyone that Wicked is a story about a weak man gaslighting an entire land into believing a woman was their enemy, all because she had the guts to try and stop him from silencing and stripping the rights of a significant part of the population, inherently political, and unfortunately, relevant.

My DIL also sent a meme of a traditional Pilgrim/Indian Thanksgiving dinner. The caption: 

 CELEBRATING THE DAY AMERICANS FED UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS FROM EUROPE.

~ * ~

FEATURED RECIPE

Back in September, for Riley's birthday, my daughter asked me (at the last minute) to make Bacon Bread. I groaned and told her I needed more notice. She shot back, "Thanksgiving!" So . . . 

Covid put "paid" to this family favorite, a pull-apart bread, where everyone just dives in and grabs. Sigh. But the time had come to revive Bacon Bread. I hunted out the recipe, acquired all the ingredients, and once again began to play with a recipe created for the earlier, smaller version of Pillsbury's Buttermilk Biscuits. Below, please find Bacon Bread 2024. (I guess this version was the best yet, as my son-in-law's mother and two of the grandgirls asked for the updated recipe.) Plus the entire Bundt-sized bread disappeared in record time. So here it is:

 

Pull-Apart Bacon Bread - 2024

The original recipe was for the 7.5 oz. Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits, almost impossible to find any more, so I have attempted to revise the original recipe, using “Grands.” Two “Grands” make quite a bit more dough than three of the smaller biscuit packages, so I have adjusted the other ingredients accordingly. Needless to say, there is quite a bit of leeway for you to adjust the recipe to your taste, including increasing the amount of bacon, which remains the same in this recipe as in the original. In this 2024 update, I have increased the amount of butter, cheddar & fresh herbs.

Grace Note: This recipe is much easier if you do the preparations ahead of time - several hours up to a whole day. Cook the bacon to crisp. Cool & crumble. (I cut the strips into quarters before frying.) Shred the cheese; chop the onion & pepper. Snip the herbs into small pieces. Refrigerate until an hour or two before putting the bread ring together.

Shortly before taking the biscuits out of the package, melt the butter. BUT allow enough time for butter to cool a bit, perhaps 10 minutes, or you will burn your fingers when you mix all ingredients "hands on."

FINAL PREPARATION:

Prepare a Bundt pan with a generous coating of solid shortening (such as Crisco), plus a dusting of flour.

1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium green pepper, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup -optional)
1½ teaspoons vegetable or olive oil*
1 lb. bacon, cooked & crumbled
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1- 1½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Fresh herbs, chopped (if available)**
2 pkgs. (16.3 oz. ea.) Pillsbury “Grand” buttermilk biscuits

While vegies sauté, preheat oven to 350°.

Sauté onion & green pepper in oil until tender. Cut each biscuit into four sections. In a large bowl, gently toss onion & pepper mix, biscuits, bacon, butter, cheese & herbs, until combined. (This is a hands-on process—every biscuit piece needs to be thoroughly coated.) Transfer to Bundt pan, keeping mixture as evenly distributed as possible. Bake at 350° for c. 35  minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand for 5-10 minutes.(No longer or butter will harden, making it difficult to unmold.)  Carefully run table knife around the outer & inner edges of the bread before inverting onto a serving plate. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers. Reheat in microwave before serving leftovers.


*I sauté the onion & green pepper in the bacon fat (pouring off all but what I need). But sautéing in olive oil would certainly be considered more healthy.

**rosemary, thyme, parsley, basil, oregano, dill, etc. (dry, if absolutely necessary)

~ * ~

There's a story behind this week's featured book, Paradise Burning (with crossover characters from Shadowed Paradise). The climax of the book is a major fire destroying huge tracts of pinewoods on Florida's Gulf Coast. When I wrote it, it was fiction. Two or three years later, it became fact, the very acres I wrote about going up in flames. 

Suffering from burn-out, Mandy Armitage, a vital member of her family's international investigations agency, is sent on a working vacation to Florida—as research assistant to a best-selling author. The only problem: the author is the husband she hasn't seen in five years. As if that weren't enough of a challenge, her assignment plunges her into the darkness of international human trafficking and the ruthless men who run it. As the world around her literally goes up in flames, the girl once known as Mandy Mouse metamorphoses into a dynamic, independent woman as she discovers how easily black and white can dissolve into shades of gray.

Author's Note: Although PARADISE BURNING is a stand-alone book, reading SHADOWED PARADISE first (which contains several cross-over characters) may add to your enjoyment.

~ * ~

For a link to Blair's website, click here. 

For Blair's Facebook Author Page, click here.*

 

For recent blogs, scroll down. For Archives, see the menu on the right.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Grace (Blair Bancroft)  

 

 

REQUIEM

SWAMPED by Church's Fall Fair

(major contributor & "table-sitter")

Next Blog - November 30

(2 hours waiting for AAA on Friday, followed on Saturday by 

3½ hours at Toyota, so, sorry, no new blog until next week)

 

On the day after the election, my son sent me the following poem. The author is Dean Fiora, and that is all I know about the source. Although perhaps a bit overdramatic, it resonates with the bitter disappointment so many of us felt as the results came in. 

Who killed the country?

"I," said he president.

"A despot on day one,

"My reign has just begun.

"I killed the country."

 

"I," said the Congress.

"When you filled me with morons,

"Disaster was foregone.

"I killed the country."

Who killed the country?

"I," said the media.

"I kissed Donald's butt.

"And your throat is now cut.

"I killed the country."

Who killed the country?

"I," said the Russian.

"In your house horse race I meddled.

"Now you're in a fine fettle.

"I killed the country."

Who killed the country?

"I," said the billionaire.

"A president I've bought.

"Now the nation is fraught.

"I killed the country."

Who killed the country?

"I," said the Supreme Court.

"I took away your rights,

"And now you've lost the fight.

"I killed the country."

 

Who killed the country?

"I," said the insurance company.

"All your claims I denied,

"Thought you got sick and died.

"I killed the country."

 

Who killed the country?

"I," said Big Oil.

"My gunk filled th oceans,

"Setting slow death in motion.

"I killed the country."

Who killed the country?

"I," said the corporation.

"My carbon emissions,

"Led to clime demolition.

"I killed the country."

"We," said the people.

"We disdained education,

"Which helped murder the nation.

"We killed the country."

~ * ~ 

Below, from Facebook:

~ * ~

Life must go on, so next week, back to normal, 

including Gallery & Book Promo!

 

~ * ~

For a link to Blair's website, click here. 

For Blair's Facebook Author Page, click here.*

 

For recent blogs, scroll down. For Archives, see the menu on the right.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Grace (Blair Bancroft)