iPod Essentials #10: "Get Together"--The Youngbloods

Hope the Holiday season has been treating you well.

In honor of the season, I have selected a song of peace and friendship. "Get Together" offers a simple plea--for us to "love one another right now." If we truly practiced those words, just think of the things we could accomplish: no more wars, bigotry, hatred. Our planet would be a peaceable kingdom.

I truly believe this until my logical side kicks in. With history, humans repeat the same mistakes without getting different results. Perhaps we will all "get together" in a different lifetime.

iPod Essentials #9: "Hot Fun in the Summertime"--Sly and the Family Stone

Even though parts of the U.S. are under feet of snow, and it is December, it may seem odd that I would select a summertime song to discuss today, but it somehow makes sense.

"Hot Fun" is the epitome of summertime tunes. Few artists blended such complex yet pop rhythms as Sly Stone. When I hear it, I feel as though it's ninety degrees outside.

Let's hope our friends in the Midwest can download this song. It will make them feel a little warmer...at least for two and a half minutes.

The Importance of Editing and Proofreading

No, I'm not Oscar Wilde, but if Wilde were alive today, he would be appalled at the number of people (students, namely) who fail to properly edit and proofread their works. They are very important parts of the writing process, yet students, as they hand in their final portfolios to me, say, "I still don't get what you mean by fused sentences." or "I think I found all the fragments." or "Who cares about commas?"

Your readers do, Virginia.

iPod Essentials #8: "Love Hangover"--Diana Ross

Forgive me for not being as blogfrequent as usual. I've sprained my back, and my chiropractor has ordered me not to sit for long periods of time. (And of course, I'm swamped with final grades right now.)

Don't ever sprain your back. It ruins your day with pain and misery and an uncomfortable back brace.

I will discuss the one disco song on my Pod: "Love Hangover," in honor of the upcoming release of DREAMGIRLS. This song is sexy (in 1976 terms), tightly orchestrated, and screams "DANCE WITH ME!" You can't resist it.

When my back heals, I will be back at the gym and dancing to it.

Shaken or Stirred: I'll Take the New James Bond Any Way

Greetings--

To feel better about my lower back injury (have no idea what I did), I treated myself to a matinee of CASINO ROYALE, the new Bond flick. Daniel Craig, the actor who plays the new, edgier but vulerable Bond, is a solid replacement for the affable and gorgeous Pierce Brosnan. In the film MUNICH, Craig proved he can act. I like the edge this new Bond has, and he can make my martini in any way he chooses.

As with most Bond films, CASINO ROYALE is too long, and parts of the story are unbelievable. But hey, it's a Bond flick. Still, many of the stunts are amazing. My favorite takes place along a scaffold of a building and involves cranes and bulldozers.

Makes me wish I were M at times. BTW, is it me or do Bond and M have an interesting sexual tension?

iPod Essentials #7: "That Lady"--Isley Brothers

Any time I hear "That Lady," I think of empowerment. Its rhythmic squeal of an electric guitar and a synthesizer give me confidence, which is something everyone needs a little extra of at some point in their lives.

In the song, the singer is asking the question : "Who's that lady? Sexy lady. Beautiful lady."

The lady is hot.

Have You Joined Your Local Writers' Group?

Yesterday one of the mystery-writing organizations I belong to and serve as corresponding secretary, Sisters in Crime Los Angeles, hosted its annual Holiday party at the South Pasadena Library. With seventy attendees, it was the best turnout we have ever had! Everybody pitched in and helped to bring food, pull out tables, set up and clean up--just a tremendous and festive response.

What's nice about our group is that everybody cares about their writing careers as well as the overall membership. By being a member of SinC/LA, I have learned how to improve my stories as well as how to market my works.

Yes, the act of writing is generally a solitary activity, but don't use that as an excuse not to get involved in your local writers' group.

We do need one another.

iPod Essential #6: "What's Going on?"--Marvin Gaye

WHAT'S GOING ON? remains one of my favorite albums to date. Back in 1971, this song questioned the sorry state of the world, how "war is not the answer."

It's almost 2007, and we haven't learned this lesson. We are in the age of technology, yet our world persists in a sorry state.

To-Do Lists

Have you noticed that your to-do lists keep lengthening?

The only way to conquer them is to prioritize. Right now, since it's the end of the semester, and I'm being bombarded with student stuff, teaching duties must take priority, even if it means I don't get any writing done. (Unfortunately, that's been the case lately. But with five classes and a lot of students, the workload tends to be intense.)

I don't like not getting to everything on my list in a given day, but I have to remember that I am a mere mortal and trying to complete the tasks on my lists every day will cause me to be more stressed and sleep deprived than I already am.

Perhaps I'll be reincarnated as Wonder Woman someday.

Seasonal Gluttony

I don't know about you, but over the Holidays, if something looks good and is edible, it goes straight into my mouth without the important question: "Are you hungry?" Most often, my answer would be no.

Over the Holidays, I believe that we tend to associate family with food since so many celebrations or parties are centered around food and lively family bonding. Some of us, myself included, can't separate the two willingly at times.

Also, cold weather plays a major role in our Seasonal Foodfests. We don't exercise much since we are busy, or because the weather outside is unfavorable.

We need to learn how to think before we nibble, I suppose. Only that cranberry bread on the counter looks mighty tasty...

iPod Essentials #5:"One"--U2

Hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

U2 is one of my favorite bands, and this is my favorite song of theirs. Now that we are in the Holiday Season (or should I say, the Commercial Season?), it's appropriate that I discuss this song today.

"One" has a theme that we all share a relationship, whether it's a love relationship or a global relationship. We are all human; therefore, we need one another to survive. Bono sings the lyrics to this song with so much passion and honesty that it's impossible not to be moved by them.

Common Sense: O.J., Part 2

Yes, Virginia, the American public has surprised me. In their outrage over the proposed O.J. Simpson book and TV special deal, the American public has pressured News Corp., the media conglomerate that owns Harper Collins publishers and Fox News, to scrap this ludricrous deal. This proves there is strength in numbers, and if we were this vocal about something, what else could we do to rectify other situations in this screwed-up world of ours? Action is power; apathy is danger.

Perhaps Thomas Paine was right in saying: "O ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose not only the tyranny but the tyrant, stand forth" (192)!

*Excerpt:
Paine, Thomas. "Common Sense". The American Tradition in Literature. 5th ed.
Eds. Scully Bradley, et. al. New York: Random, 1981.

A Low, Low Point in Humanity

We really have no one but blame but ourselves, folks.

This week Judith Regan of ReganBooks announced the impending publication of O.J. Simpson's new book, IF I DID IT. (If?????)

Baffled by her critics, Ms. Regan attempted to defend herself by saying that she sought a confession from Simpson since she had been a battered wife herself and that her batterer was acquitted of the charges. For the latter, I feel sorry for her. No one should be smacked and kicked. But the rest of her letter to the media (titled "Why I Did It") weakens in logic. If she wanted to feel a sense of justice, why not write a book about her experience and try to get her batter to admit guilt? Why not become a spokesperson for a domestic violence group? Why give a voice to a man who murdered two people and got away with it? (C'mon, he did do it.)

Because of us. This book currently has a ranking of #21 on Amazon. It will sell many copies, probably more than I will ever see of my books in my lifetime. We love our celebrities, the more emotionally unstable or downtrodden, the better. We will take these people in any way we can, whether it's through reading tabloids, watching them on painful reality TV series, or buying their books.

It's because of us, folks, that O.J. will earn lots of money. And still get away with murder.

iPod Essentials #4: "Sara Smile"--Hall and Oates

An oldie but a goodie. This pop song takes me back to the summer 0f 1976, a time of long days, abundant sunshine, and no school (sometimes a good thing for a teenager). For some reason, whenever I hear this song, I think of the beach or the park or friends who are now only names and memories in my mind.

Darryl Hall and John Oates crafted slick pop songs, and are among one of the more popular recording duos of all time. The sleepy, gentle rhythm of this song is perfect for a summer day.

Allergies

Allergies were created to make people miserable. Pollen, dust, mold, wind--they are my enemies. It's frightening knowing that I have tried about every medication and prescription available, and sometimes they still don't work.

Even my two dogs are troubled by sneezing and watery eyes. Could global warming be to blame for the worsening of many people's and pet's allergies? I shudder to think.

Read: Our Lives Depends on It

The title is true. If we don't read, we stay uninformed about new ideas or current events. Our imaginations stagnate, and we don't improve our vocabulary or writing styles. In short, we write and think like everyone else in the world. Lack of reading leads to excessive acceptance or apathy, both of which are dangerous traits.

Reading makes us question the things we know and the things we learn.

Since I feel most comfortable writing longer works, I read and tend to favor book-length works. Over the past few years, I've gotten back into reading nonfiction to try to understand our government, the world, and the environment we share. Reading fiction will be my first love since my imagination thrives on the world an author creates.

Pick up a book or a newspaper today. Think about the words and ideas in black ink.

Writing Tools

As writers, so many of us have to have our writing tools; otherwise, we put off committing to our pages. In college, when I first starting writing seriously, I used to draft my stories longhand, on notebook paper and with a blue Bic pen (Hey, I was in good company--Vonnegut and Hemingway). I like the feel the contact of the pen on the paper, and when I am writing in a journal, I still prefer this.

However, as I've matured in my writing career, my thoughts now flow faster than my writing speed. Thus, I now prefer using a computer to work on my novels. I own two computers, a desktop and a notebook. The desktop sees the most use while I enjoy the portability of my notebook. My notebook, which will never be allowed to visit the Internet, serves as my backup computer. It's essential to have a spare computer--computer problems, such as the serious virus my old desktop caught two years ago, may mean a lengthy repair wait and much frustration.

And flash drives are genius! They're reliable, portable, and provide writers with ample storage capacities. I own two. Since I'm a bit paranoid and overprotective of manuscripts in progress, I keep my writing stuff on one drive and my work-related stuff on the other.

Regardless of the writing tools we use to create, the point is, we should use the tools that suit us to find those ideas, sentences, and words that make our works uniquely our own.

iPod Essential #3: "L.A. Woman"--The Doors

It's time for the weekly feature once again. "L.A. Woman" is a classic rock tune steeped in jazz and blues, as so many of The Doors' tunes were. The lyrics describe a young man's first encounter with the L.A. nightlife: "Are you a lucky little lady in the City of Night?"

The stylized jazz melody gives this rock song power, depth, and unpredictability, much like the City of Angels herself.

I like to listen to this tune on the freeway, either the 101 or the 405. The song inspires yet warns.

You Hold the Power: Vote Today

It's Voting Day, but few of us will fill out of a ballot. We claim we have no time or that politics is a business for the rich and corrupt. Some of us don't care what will happen to our cities, states, or countries.

Apathy is a dangerous emotion since it leads to a physical and emotional shutdown of important matters. When we don't care, bad things, such as government corruption and abuses of power, occur and run wild.

Study the candidates and the propositions. Cast a vote! Care today!

Housecleaning

Today is Monday, also known as Housecleaning Day. While scrubbing and dusting, and vacuuming, I will also be working on my novels.

How? you wonder. Say I'm cleaning the kitchen. As I work, I imagine my characters' kitchens and food items that might be found cooking on the stove or staying cool in their refrigerators. I also ponder their attitudes toward housecleaning, since the way we keep our homes often reveals many things about us. If I'm putting laundry away, I reflect on my characters' closets. What is inside--both literally and figuratively?

While cleaning your dwellings, you can also be a writer.

Happy cleaning!

Movie Review: Marie Antoinette

In addition to books and music, I'm also a movie fan (as long as the movie is good). If I enjoyed writing screenplays (I don't--structure too constricting for me, as I found out while taking a second screenwriting class through UCLA Extension), I probably would be writing movies instead of books.

I saw MARIE ANTOINETTE. Since I loved Sophia Coppola's other two films, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES and LOST IN TRANSLATION, I was prepared to love this film. Unfortunately, I do not.

I wish writers and directors would understand that it's all about character, and in this film, our heroine, Marie, goes from having a sordid affair with a Swiss soldier to suddenly acting as the perfect wife to a inept, emotionally awkward Louis XIV. Coppola implies that it is because of her becoming a mother. It's a reason I don't buy--it's a cliched and underdeveloped reason. In short, although the movie is well acted (namely, Kristen Dunst as Marie), it's weak in characterizations.

The movie is gorgeous to look at; the screen pops with colors and other sensual detail. Peppered with electronic music and New Wave, the movie works as far as the anarchonistic soundtrack. I don't want to give away the ending, but instead of rewriting history the way Coppola does, I wish she would have rewritten the script a few more times.

iPod Essential #2: "The Theme From Shaft"--Isaac Hayes

Yes, folks, it's that time again when I wax about music. "The Theme From Shaft" is my favorite movie theme. I listen to it before job interviews, first dates, or any time I need to feel badass and empowered. Think of how it's introduced to us in the classic 1971 film: Richard Roundtree, as John Shaft, is walking down the crowded, mean streeets of Harlem. He wears a black leather coat and a bad attitude. No one messes with him, he intimidates all as he stides down the street, accompanied by the t-t-t-t-t-t introduction.

John Shaft, you're damn right.

Tolerance or Has 1984 Finally Arrived?

In light of the recent uproar regarding the blog of my friend, Sue Ann Jaffarian, (Go to sueannjaffarian.blogspot.com, if you are curious.) it concerns me that a lot of people in this world are blatant hypocrites regarding freedom of expression. One minute they chastize anyone who threatens to "thought police" words and ideas; the next, they attack anyone who dares to contradict, disagree, or pose new thoughts.

What's wrong with tolerance? Why can't we get along and accept the individuality of everyone? It comes down to this: many of us are afraid. We live in an environment of fear. The government, the media, and our peers contribute to this. If we don't understand something, or if it frightens us, we dismiss it or ridicule it. Most of us are not as intellectually open as we proclaim. For a change, we should own up to this fact.

Before we mock someone or something, we should ask ourselves one simple question: why? If we questioned ourselves more, then perhaps we wouldn't be physically or emotionally looking over our shoulders all the time.

Who Are You Gonna Be for Halloween?

One of the great things about writing is that we writers get to assume someone else's identity for awhile. If we are shy, we can be the boisterous politician in our story. If we are female, we can become a male character in a chapter of a novel.

I'd like to believe that writing about people allows us to become more knowledgeable and appreciative of the world's characters around us. Why are certain people behaving in the odd ways that they do? Will they change? Writing about people allows us to also understand ourselves better. I now pay attention to why I do things that I shouldn't (like eating that extra cookie when I'm full).

So, writers, when you are sitting in front of your computers, who are you gonna be for Halloween today?

About GOTHIC DOO-WOP: Rise or Fall

In my work I will always favor solid characters over a plot. Events happen to people; their responses make for the individuality of the predicaments they face. How will they rise or fall to their challenges?

That's storytelling, folks.

My first novel, GOTHIC DOO-WOP, chronicles a divorced probate attorney and her two teenaged daughters. One of them is a promising cellist who meets her challenge when she starts sleeping with her music professor. The other is a bad guitarist in a bad gothic rock band--her attitude is equally as bad as her playing. These characters must grow and change as their conflicts become more urgent. Will they rise or fall?

Write Stuff

This blog will be a multi-day discussion of my writing. I write because fiction flows through my veins. I can't imagine not having stories, both real life and fictional, to tell people. Coupled with my love of book-length works and words, and presto...a writer was born.

I prefer writing fiction because I must give a voice and life to the characters roaming through my mind. They talk to me, and if I don't get their words down on paper, they will haunt me. (No, I'm really not crazy!)

What's in a Weekend?

Does the week ever end?

iPod Essential #1: "Getting Away With It"--Electronic

In high school, I earned Quill and Scroll honors for writing record reviews and features for the newspaper. Since everyone's a critic, here comes my two cents on the tunes stored in my iPod (Why didn't I invent one?).

Electronic's "Getting Away With It" is superb, lush, melodic, danceable techno pop. Electronic was a studio band in the mid to late 80's, featuring some members of New Order and the Pet Shop Boys; their respective bands' sounds influence the melody and the teasing but honest lyrics: "I love you more than you love me."

On my Pod, I have downloaded the seven-minute version; it seems to make my time on the elliptical trainer pass by in strokes of strings. It's a song I never get tired of listening to--it, oddly enough, helps to heal a broken heart.

Teaching: An Undervalued Profession (Part 2)

I teach because I love talking about words, language, and sentences. In all classes, I try to impart my knowledge to students. I hope to show them why they need to improve their writing, reading, and thinking skills. Sometimes I succeed; sometimes I fail.

A part of my paycheck is watching students' work improve throughout the semester. Occasionally I am amazed how their work has matured from draft to draft. It always excites me when students, after days or weeks of struggling, finally understand an important but abstract concept about writing.

My job is to educate students about words and ideas and how to present them on paper. Other educators have different goals for their students. Nevertheless, we often move through our schools as unsung heroes.

Teaching: An Undervalued Profession (Part 1)

If it's Tuesday, then I must be teaching. Today I will be working with two sets of introductory literature students along with one class of developmental writers. Fortunately, this semester my students are serious about their educations and are dedicated, hard workers who want to learn about writing and reading.

It pains me greatly when students come to my class, expecting me to pass them just because they show up. (If they come, why do they have to do the work?) It also upsets me when weaker students, who need extra course support by way of office visits with me or tutorials at the Learning Center, do nothing to help themselves.

We, as educators, need to help students discover their minds. What will happen to our city, state, and world, if we don't?

The Importance of Good Zzzzs

It's Monday, my regular day off from teaching classes (that is, if teachers ever have a day off from prepping or reading assignments during a regular semester). I like to sleep in on my Select Comfort 5000 bed as the heater warms the house and as NPR recaps the day's events.

The Select Comfort allows me a comfortable night's rest. On a typical spring mattress, my body never relaxes, and I wake up stiff and sore, more tired than I was before I fell asleep. I used to spend sleepless nights on a cheap spring mattress until one morning I said, "Enough." I went to the local mall and bought my bed.

As long as you properly care for your Select Comfort matress, it will last you twenty years. It's well worth the money.

What's your sleep number?

Blogged Day Afternoon (10/22/06)

Good afternoon, folks. I am Lori Wolf, and I howl frequently. I am the author of two books, GOTHIC DOO-WOP and PARROT ON A LIMB. GOTHIC is the tale of a dysfunctional family of musicians coming to terms with their secrets, while PARROT is a mystery. I consider PARROT to be New Age pastoral noir. You should check out my website at www.loriwolf.com for more on my books and me.

I never thought I'd be creating a blog, but it's for the sake of my art. A friend of mine, Julie Anne Swayze (PasadenaJulie.blogspot.com), advised me to get one, so here I am. Alive and blogging as we speak.

Howlin' off,
Lori