Friday Art & History Feature - Fast and Fun Historical Facts

I wanted to do something a little different today and present you with a number of fast and fun historical facts that you may find intriguing and interesting.

An ancient Egyptian tomb

 During the First Dynasty in Ancient Egypt, numerous members of household staff, as well as family members, and animals were walled up within the tomb of the deceased king. These people and animals were supposed to accompany the king into the afterlife.

Julius Caesar

 Julius Caesar was the first recorded user of encoded communications. His method of encoding became known as the Caesar Cipher.

In ancient Rome it was considered a sign of leadership to be born with a crooked nose.

Laika monument

 The first animal sent into space was a husky named Laika. She was launched into space by the Soviet Union in 1957. In 2008, a monument to Laika was unveiled at the military research facility in Moscow where the dog was prepared for the space flight.

Ching Shih

 One of the most famous and powerful pirates was a Cantonese woman named Ching Shih. She was once a prostitute who eventually became a pirate who commanded 1800 ships and over 80,000 pirates. This was in the early 1800s in China.

Vikings

Vikings used the skulls of their enemies as drinking vessels.

Taj Mahal

 It took 20 years to build the Taj Majal, using 20 thousand men.
 

NaBloPoMo Wrap-up - Lessons I Learned

 "There's so much about the process of writing that is mysterious to me, but this one thing I've found to be true: writing begets writing." ~Dorianne Laux

Yesterday was the last blog post of the NaBloPoMo November challenge that I committed to. NaBloPoMo runs all year, but I thought I'd try it for a month and see if I can manage to write a blog post every day. I'm very excited to say that, despite all the other stuff going on in my life, I was able to meet and successfully finish the challenge.

Here's what I learned from doing it:

1) I can commit to a project and successfully carry it out.

At the day job, this is something that I don't even think about. Projects come left and right, and there's never a question of finishing them or issue with doing it successfully. However, it's always harder to do so in personal life. The first time I knew I could commit to a major project and actually accomplish it was when I got my black belt after five years of practicing karate. I'd started a couple of times before coming to this karate school (which ended up being the place where I met my husband) but would usually quit after a few months because life got too busy or exhaustion set in that was too much. The day I finally got my black belt was the day I knew I could do anything I put my mind to and that previous excuses were just that - excuses. This is the attitude I now take into everything I do, especially my writing.

2) "There's so much about the process of writing that is mysterious to me, but this one thing I've found to be true: writing begets writing." ~Dorianne Laux

I have to repeat this quote because I fell in love with it when I read it a few days ago. The truth of these words is undeniable and irrefutable. The more you write, the more writing you want to do. The more you produce, the more you want to produce. This was one of the lessons I learned when doing the NaBloPoMo challenge (even though theoretically I knew it, of course). I now have a harder time NOT writing for a day then ever before.

 So all in all, I would say great lessons came out of doing NaBloPoMo and I'm grateful for the chance to learn them.

With the holidays fast approaching and a few other things going on, I won't be able to commit for NaBloPoMo in December, but there will still be 2-4 posts a week. I also need to concentrate more on my two WIPs and put more time into writing there. I'm ready for the next challenge!

Writer Wednesday Flash Fiction - The Road Not Taken

NaBloPoMo Post #30

Prompt: The Road Not Taken

The road not taken leads me into trouble. Again.  And this time, literally. What can I say, my curiosity overpowers my reasonable side. Time and time again. So instead of taking the sunny bright path to find my runaway cat, I of course chose to take the creepy dark road overgrown with strange plants and sinister old trees.

“Buffy, where the hell are you?” Yes, my cat is named Buffy. The vampire-hunting, butt-kicking Buffy. Because I think that if my cat turned into a person, she would totally be a kick-ass chick.

A few pairs of glowing eyes stare at me from both sides of the path. 

“You better not have eaten Buffy,” I say to them, my voice bolder than what I feel. They just blink and keep staring.

I keep walking until I reach a dark lake. Mist is rising above it in spades. Very dramatic. Even more dramatic is the mermaid sitting on a large boulder in the middle. She flaps her green scaly tail at me and giggles. The mermaids here have the brain power of twelve a year-old. 

I’m about to pass her because I have no interest in mindless talk just now, but I pause to ask her if she saw Buffy.

“Oooo, a kitty. They are so cute,” the bubble head mermaid says. “You know, kitties don’t like water.” 

Great, she’s a fountain of useless, and unsolicited, knowledge. 

I’m about to walk away when the mist lifts a bit and I see Buffy curled up on her lap.

“Can I have my cat back please,” I ask her, my words dripping with honey. 

“Come and get her,” the mermaid says and giggles again. 

Ugh, great. She wants to play. Now I have to get wet.  I slowly proceed to step into the water. It’s weirdly warm and I plunge in. My head deeps below the inky depth and I feel water entering my nose.

I start coughing and open my eyes. I’m in my bed. Buffy is sitting on top of my chest and persistently licks my nose.

Teaser Tuesday

NaBloPoMo Post #29

Here are the rules:

1. Post 2 sentences from the current book you're reading. You can either

a) open the book and share 2 sentences from anywhere on that page or
b) share your favorite 2 senetnces from the book (they have to be in a row)

2. List the page #

*PLEASE DO NOT POST ANYTHING THAT CAN BE INTERPRETED AS A SPOILER!

3. List the name of the book and the author
"He rubbed his eyes and looked at me, and there was relief in his voice. 'No offense meant, Mercy. Your memories of the woman's death are very different from mine."

p. 275

Blood Bound. Book 2 in The Mercy Thompson Collection by Patricia Briggs (e- version)

Share your teasers in the comments or give a link to your blog if you're running a Teaser Tuesday.

Suspension of Disbelief

NaBloPoMo Post #28

Suspension of Disbelief is defined by Wikipedia as “a formula for justifying the use of fantastic or non-realistic elements in literary works of fiction. It was put forth in English by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleride who suggested that if a writer could infuse a "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgment concerning the implausibility of the narrative.”

It is often up to the reader to “suspend disbelief” so they can immerse themselves into a story and overlook certain fantastical aspects.

However, is is also up to the writer to help the reader to be able to do that. The writer has to wrap her story, no matter how fantastic, in something realistic and believable in order for the reader to accept it as possible. If there are aspects in the story that the reader can identify with from his own life and surroundings, it will be easier to accept that something somewhat different and unusual might in fact take place within that more common surrounding.

There are many aspects of TV shows and movies that ask the viewer to suspend disbelief, even in stories that are not fantasy or sci-fi in nature. Sometimes it’s small things, like the fact that a pregnancy test does not turn positive within 3 seconds of peeing on it (like it did on Walking Dead) or the fact that medical or forensic results are not available within hours of the test being done or crime being comitted. But there’s limited amount of time and content to be fit into a show or a movie, and so things like that are necessary to move the plot along without making a movie last hours or days.

In fiction, it is up to the writer to make the reader believe that something is possible that doesn’t seem plausible. The way to do that is to place the reader into a familiar surrounding, include details that are familiar and that will immerse the reader into the world. Then the writer presents a fantastical aspect by either saying outright that this is not a regular occurance in that world or by letting the reader discover that himself.

One of the most important aspects for the writer to remember here is to be consistent about her world and the details. If there’s inconsistencies throughout the story, it will instantly put the reader on alert and he will treat the rest of the story with a sense of caution or suspicion, and possible disbelief.

Pictures From Pennsylvania Weekend With Family

NaBloPoMo Post #27

I can't talk enough about how inspirational it is to be around beautiful nature for a few days. Here are a few pictures from the weekend spent in Pennsylvania with my husband and family.

Back in the city now, but the few days of relaxation was really helpful and I hope to keep the momentum going. One day I would love to be able to get away for a few weeks (or maybe even months) and just write and go for walks.

A Nice Family Thanksgiving Weekend

NaBloPoMo Post #26

I'm not posting an official  once blog post today because I'm away with my husband and my family in Pensylvania. It's so nice to get away once in awhile from the hustle and butle of a busy city and into a more country environment. It's beautiful up here in the mountains, in the midst of a forest. I can imagine myself staying here for a few months, talking long walks, breathing fresh air, and then sitting in front of the fireplace to write and read.

I will post a few pictures from here tomorrow.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Weekend everyone.