Rousing tails

For those who have been reading my blog regularly you may recall in June 2010 when I wrote Dog Days of Summer http://lindalaroche.com/blog/dog-days-of-summer

The blog post was about finding a dog, that I called Lucky and whose name was Einstein. Last Saturday when Coco and my husband returned from their afternoon walk they went straight to the backyard where Steven called out, “Look, Coco has a playmate.” Steven found a dog walking on our street and was convinced that he was a stray but I recognized Lucky Einstein in a heartbeat. He still had his quiet dignity despite that he seemed worn down, thinner and shaved for the summer but his eyes were talking to me.  He let Coco chase him because she's adventurous with a swelling surging zest for play. She let out joyful barks and because she likes other animals so much, she shared her toys, her parents and her treats but when it came to food—that's another story altogether. He went along with her play until he hid among the trees, and I sensed he was tired and it was time to go home.

I carried him so we could have time together. When the girl of the house answered the door she told me he's been sick and they’re going to have him put down this week. I knew this was no ordinary stroll that Coco and Steven had taken but Lucky Einstein's insight is still at work and it was his way to say good-bye.

This was more than an account of my meeting a dog, Lucky Einstein gave me life; preparing me for the moment of closure when, at last, it completes its predestined progression to full circle. The end of one life and the start of a new one. I shall miss you and won't ever forget you, Lucky Einstein, my dear sweet little friend!

 

Blog Tour

A decade ago I had a friend who was starting out as a writer, and she shared her dreams of a book tour. She’d travel around the world—at her publisher’s expense, of course—and hit the major bookstores, where she’d do readings and signings for standing-room-only audiences. Then reality hit. She never found a publisher and no one would be sending her anywhere. If she was going to do a book tour, it would be out of her own pocket.      

Just because you write it, doesn’t mean they will come. Her signings were hardly a case of sitting in a comfy chair, sipping herbal tea while her eager fans lined up. She stood for hours, hawking her books, schmoozing with customers, and chatting with the booksellers. On a good day, she sold 3 books. On another day, no books at all.


Out with the glitz and glam, and in with the independent book tour. Getting signings in bookstores wasn’t easy. The chains were reluctant to host them for her. She had more luck with local indie bookstores… but not much. One store might treat her like a rock star and be a pleasure to work with; others, less so.

Happily, it’s easier than ever these days to skip the indie tour since they are fading fast and you can do your own blog tour. 

Setting it up basically goes like this:

1.You plan months in advance

2.You research a lot of relevant blogs; creating a top-tier and second-tier list of blogs

3.You contact the bloggers and pitch yourself and your book

4.You follow up

5.You book dates

6.You come up with a giveaway. This is very helpful: it’s added incentive for people to read your guest posts and/or interviews, and it can stir up excitement, depending on what you give away. That’s right; you have to give something in order to get something back.  So be creative.

Remember when you’re setting up your blog tour to be professional. It’s easy to think that just because you’re emailing someone who isn’t a New York Times book reviewer, you can slack off with your inquiry, be disorganized, forgetful or even rude. Bloggers who agree to host or tour you are doing you a favor, one that will cost you your time and effort, as opposed to hundreds, even thousands, of dollars on promotion and advertising. So be prepared, keep your word, and do your best!

Earth Day

My freshman year in high school to commemorate Earth day http://www.earthday.org/2012 and to fight against air pollution I rode a bike to school.  Ordinarily I would walk but instead spent the entire day on my bike to make a difference.

My guess is that kids today are keenly aware of the modern environmental movement but whether or not they take part remains to be seen. From talking with a young set, some things are the same—they are bursting with ideas, are refreshingly un-cynical and their hip service ethos is setting the moral tone for the age.  I also find in groups some social entrepreneurs that think they can evade politics. They have little faith in the political process and believe that real change happens on the ground beneath it.

That’s delusion. If there is no rule of law your achievement won’t add up to much. Important issues always spark disagreement. Unless there’s a healthy political process to resolve disputes, everything will be destroyed. There’s little social progress without political progress. Unfortunately, today’s activists are good at thinking locally and globally but do they think nationally?

I rarely hear social entrepreneurs talk about honest courts or standards of behavior; it’s more uplifting to talk about sustainable agriculture. Are they missing something?  You bet. To fill in the gap I recommend reading the novels of Dashiell Hammett http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashiell_Hammett 

The noir heroes like Sam Spade in the Maltese Falcon served as a model for a generation of Americans, and they put the focus on disorder and corruption and how one behaves in the face of it. Spade has a layered personality and hardens himself on the outside in order to protect his finer inner attributes. He makes no social class distinction and is not self-righteous; he is motivated by a disillusioned sense of honor. Under his mask, there is a basic sense of good and order where the bad should be corrected and crimes punished. He knows he’s not going to change the world but he does his job—and doggedly plows ahead.

While today’s kids might not wear trench coats or fedoras they can learn a lesson here. Moral realism would be an original supplement to today’s prevailing ethos. It would put the focus back on core issues; order and the rule of law. And while that may not seem like much, it is necessary and just might work against self-dealing and self-deception.

Give Peace a Chance

It’s been on my reading list for sometime despite last year’s allegations. During spring break, I was spellbound by Greg Mortenson’s (a former mountain climber) memoir Three Cups of Tea. I thoroughly enjoyed his traipsing but placing adventure aside; is there a nobler goal than that of helping educate young girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan? This book has given an answer to this question, though it has also shown how people want to believe stories of redemption.     


Three Cups of Tea tells the story of how Mortenson was nursed back to health by Pakistani villagers after an unsuccessful attempt to climb the world’s second tallest mountain, K2. As a way to repay the villagers’ kindness, Mortenson promises to return to and build a school for the children. The book recounts how the charity he founded, the Central Asia Institute, went on to build dozens of schools in the region.

Three Cups of Tea became an international bestseller, and Mortenson’s charity, the Central Asia Institute, received millions of dollars in donations, including $100,000 from President Obama. But a 60 Minutes investigation revealed that the central anecdote in the book—the author being nursed back to health by Pakistani villagers —wasn’t exactly true. Though he climbed the world’s tallest mountain, Mortenson didn’t come across the Pakistani village of Korphe until a year later. And he was not, as the book asserts, kidnapped by the Taliban. More troublingly, some of the schools he claims to have built were never built at all.

When the revelations surfaced, it ignited a firestorm of reactions. Readers were, understandably, feeling cheated because they were lied to. But perhaps they need to ask themselves why they were so willing to believe this story in the first place: is it because the story offered them a familiar paradigm—Eastern women are in desperate need of Western saviors. Nevertheless, shouldn’t we put aside our differences and remember when we cooperate to build schools we transform lives and build a better world.   

Did you read the book? What was your take on it?

Tomorrowland

Every time I’m out in public and watch kids I think about the difference today's technology will make in the lives of tomorrow's kids.  With kids rushing to emulate the lives of adults and childhood getting shorter will it be wiped out? Every time I see a baby garbed in black leather (with young parents that think it's cool) or a 6 year old dressed like she's going to a nightclub, I can't help but wonder... but I'll leave that for another post.

 

Since the new century began, we’ve seen so many changes. And when I think about all the things that have passed before me, I’m amazed at how many times I’m able to dredge up a personal connection to the departed way of life. It’s probably why I’ve discussed this topic before. Although I applaud medical advances and enjoy not having a zillion cables in and around my home stereo, I believe the biggest detriment to mankind will be the loss of human contact,  that will result in fear and more violence.  Still, I’m giving a social forecast for today’s kids and what the future will hold for tomorrow. 

The evening news: News for kids today is not world events but primarily the mundane aspects about celebrities. The news is on 24/7. And if you're not home to watch it, that's OK— it's on the Smartphone in your pocket.

Books, magazines, and newspapers: Like video tape, words written on dead trees are on their way out. There may be some books—but for kids today, stores that exist to sell them will be as numerous as record stores are now.

Paper maps: At one time available at every gas station. They're practically obsolete today, and the next generation will not know how to read one and will probably have to visit a museum to see one; that is, if museums are still around.

Recipe Boxes: Why would anyone need their Grandmother’s recipes when its' got stains and wear and tear from being passed from one generation to another?  You can go online and presto!—a recipe complete with a calorie, fat and nutritional content.

CDs: First records, then 8-track, then cassette, then CDs — replacing your music collection used to be an expensive pastime; sometimes purchased for pleasure or for a party.  Now you can have a party alone on the Internet.  Music is as cheap and as close as an Internet connection.

Film cameras: For kids today, the word film will mean nothing. In fact, even digital cameras — both video and still— are in danger of extinction as our pocket computers take over that function too.

One picture to a frame: Such a waste of space to have a separate frame around each picture, how sentimental!  Gigabytes of pictures and/or video in a digital frame encompassing every person you've ever met and everything you've ever done — now, that's efficient. Especially compared to what we used to do: put our friends and relatives together in a room and force them to watch what we called a slide show or home movies.

Forgotten friends: Remember when an old friend would bring up someone you both knew in school, and you'd say, "Oh yeah, whatever happened to her?" The next generation will automatically be in touch with everyone they've ever known even slightly via Facebook.

Hand-written letters and thank you notes: For that matter, hand-written anything. When was the last time you wrote cursive? Will the future generation know what the art of letter-writing was or what the word cursive means? Will the future generation filled with materialistic values and a preposterous sense of entitlement practice the grace of saying thank you in a note?

Talking to one person at a time: Remember when manners were a sign of being brought up well? It was rude to be with one person while talking to another on the phone. Kids today will just assume that you're supposed to text and maintain superficial contact with five or six other people while not having to pay attention to the person you happen to be physically next to.

After Hours: Today’s kids will not know what it is like to stand in a pub and argue the unknowable; in a friendly discussion.  The world's collective knowledge is on your computer stashed in your pocket or purse. And since you have it with you at all times, why bother remembering anything? Or for that matter, having your own opinion.

Watches: Quaint relics.  Who needs one when the correct time is on your Smartphone, which is always in your hand.

Anonymity: Not long ago if you didn’t answer your home phone or went for a drive nobody knew where you might be. Now your phone along with your car and public cameras everywhere can potentially tell everyone exactly where you are at all times. And we call this progress.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Is anybody as happy as I am that after a long hiatus Mad Men is back on the air? Finally, the handsome, irresistible Don Draper seems to be happy. Times and social mores are rapidly changing for the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce gang.  And if you ever miss part of the show as I did last Sunday night you can go onto their website http://www.amctv.com and get more information than you’ve bargained for; such as finding out that Betty’s obsessive-compulsive eating disorder included snacking on Bugles. Does that bring back memories? The show is known for its’ historical authenticity, visual style, and great story-telling, but it wasn’t until I went online to find show 503 did I find out what a detail-oriented website they have!  It features exclusive sneak peek and behind the scenes videos, episodic and behind-the-scenes photo galleries, episode and character guides, a blog, and a community forum. It contains all the promotional and marketing aids I discuss in my Blogging class.  While the television advertising niche is a far-cry from my students’ goals, the website serves as an example that one can study and emulate. And since some students have their eyes glued to their computer screens or cell phones as they text—while I lecture; later when I’m asked questions on material I’ve already covered—I can refer to the website and my life just got easier, thanks to the Mad Men example.  See for yourself.  

Philosophy on the Page

I’m thinking about my fiction class; and how I’ve begun something new— and how chilled the students are when I discourage them from writing what they know. I say fiction is an act of courage and humility, a protest against our mortality, and we, the authors, don’t matter. What matters are our characters, those constructions of imagination that can transcend our biases, agendas and egos.  Trust your powers of invention, I say. Trust the examples of the authors you love to read—and trust that your craft, when braided with compassion, will produce stories that matter both to you and to readers you’ve never met.

Most students accept it. Week by week, their stories are rewarding, and with each revision, and they have to revise— I feel more optimistic, more moved by their work. I’ve long believed that what has kept writers, from fully transcending their personal experiences on the page was fear of incompetence: I can’t write a plot that involves a bank robbery because I’ve never been involved in one, etc. But what if it’s the opposite? What if the reason we find it so difficult to cleave our fiction from our experience, the reason we hesitate or loath to engage our imaginations and let the story rise above the ground floor of truth, isn’t that we’re afraid we’ll do the job poorly, but that we’re afraid we’ll do it too well? If we succeed, if the characters are fully imagined, if they are so beautifully real that they quicken and rise off the page, then maybe our own experiences will feel smaller, 
our actions less consequential. Maybe we’re afraid that if we write what we don’t know, we’ll discover something truer than anything our real lives will ever yield. And maybe we encounter still another, more insidious threat—the threat that if we do our jobs too well, if we powerfully render characters who are unbound from our experience, they’ll supplant us in the reader’s mind. Maybe we worry that fiction’s vividness will put our own brief lives in a meaningless state, and the reader, seduced by literature’s permanence, will leave us behind. Maybe we feel threatened that if our characters outlive us—there is the possibility that the writer, not the reader, will be forgotten. 


What do you say to that dear reader/ writer?