Once upon a time I had a story idea that was set in San Francisco in the 1850s, and it involved a Chinese girl. Knowing little about the Chinese culture in this decade and how it translated to the New World, I spent a considerable amount of time hopping from one [...]]]>

Once upon a time I had a story idea that was set in San Francisco in the 1850s, and it involved a Chinese girl. Knowing little about the Chinese culture in this decade and how it translated to the New World, I spent a considerable amount of time hopping from one topic to another, but all topics led back to the same thing: bound feet and those dinky shoes Chinese women wore.

It’s a fascinating subject, so I decided to blog about it at Unusual Historicals, and I thought the readers here might be interested as well.

The last factory that made shoes for Chinese women with bound feet stopped production of lotus shoes in November of 1999. For nearly a thousand years, bound feet, preferably no more than three inches long, were not only fashionable, but considered the ultimate in feminine beauty.

No one knows when the custom of San tsun gin lian or Golden Lotus began, but it first appears around 900AD in Northern China. Some say it began with the Latter Tang Dynasty (923-936 AD), when the emperor took a liking to a concubine who danced upon a lotus-shaped pedestal. Whatever started the practice is less important than the profound affect this custom had on the entire social fabric of Chinese culture.

A man who could keep a wife with bound feet showed his own financial power and prestige, so men of a certain social order refused to consider women with “clown feet” or unbound feet as brides. Besides, dainty feet covered with beautifully embroidered silk slippers called lotus shoes were considered highly sexually attractive. The smaller the woman’s feet, the more likely she would be to attract a wealthy or well-positioned husband.

As the years passed, the custom filtered down to the lower social orders as well, although in some areas of China, foot-binding was never practiced. Some say foot-binding was a way to keep women subjugated, since a populace of women who could barely walk wouldn’t pose a threat to the body politic. Women stayed close to home, and when they did venture out, they required assistance to stand and walk.

Toward the end, young girls of all classes had their feet bound. Zhang Ru-lian, an elderly Chinese woman with bound feet explains, “You see, when a girl became eligible for marriage a matchmaker would find a man for whom the young girl might be suitable. Then she would arrange a foot viewing. The man would come to the girl’s house just to look at her feet. If he thought they were too large he would turn her down. This was a very embarrassing affair, should it happen, since the whole village would surely hear about it.”

Mothers started their girls’ foot-binding between the ages of two and ten (one lady said she started at 17). The four smaller toes on each foot were broken and turned under the sole. Then long strips of cloth tightly bound the broken toes in place and slowly broke the arch of the foot so the toes bent back to the heel. The initial shaping took about two to three years, but the feet were bound continuously for ten more years to make sure they didn’t grow. It was a mother’s responsibility to make sure the binding was done properly and tightly so her daughter would be considered high quality marriage material.

Infections were commonplace. Sometimes the toenails grew into the foot, often flesh would rot and fall off, and sometimes gangrene set in. One source said nearly 10% of all Chinese girls experienced either serious difficulties or sometimes even death. Then there are the lifelong problem associated with bound feet–pain, fungal infections, and crippling. It has been shown that women with bound feet have increased bone-density loss, as well a difficulties with daily duties because of problems associated with the foot-binding.

So why would the custom endure? Sex is always a strong allure. Jim’s Asian Studies says, “It was believed that the way foot binding made a woman walk strengthened the vagina and made it more narrow. The girls’ buttocks and ‘jade gate’ were believed to develop to such a degree that she could grip her husbands ‘jade spear’ more tightly. . . There was also a large number of pornographic paintings and engravings with scenes of men fondling women’s feet. It’s no wonder that men were so adamant about their wives having bound feet.”

Wikipedia says, “Qing Dynasty sex manuals listed 48 different ways of playing with women’s bound feet.” Hence, an estimated 4 billion women over 1,000 years have suffered the pain of foot-binding.

Back to the factory . . . it was the Zhiqiang Shoe Factory and when did it START making shoes for bound-feet women? No, not a hundred years ago. It was in 1991 when the owners saw a niche market whose needs weren’t being met. An estimated two million Chinese women, most over the age of 70, live with bound feet today.

Sources:
The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco
Minnesota-China Connection
Universität Wien

Coming up: 1st Turning Point is publishing my article: How To Conduct a Featured Author Day on a Email Group. That will be on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

Check out the prizes at 1st Turning Point. All September commenters are entered, so make a comment and you could win! Some of the prizes include: Gueta, Justin Saragueta’s debut CD; an autographed copy of Gerri Russell’s To Tempt a Knight; a 1st Turning Point journal, and more good stuff!

Jacquie Rogers

Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues (See the Book Video featuring Justin Saragueta)

Jacquie’s website * 1st Turning Point * Myspace *** Twitter * Facebook

Faery Special Romances * Book Video * Royalties go to Children’s Tumor Foundation, ending Neurofibromatosis through Research

I’ve recently noticed a common thread in the blog circles I run with: people, especially women, are eager to fulfill their destiny. Many of us hold a job that we’ve enjoyed over the years but it doesn’t satiate the desire and longing for something more that’s been bubbling up to the surface. [...]]]>

I’ve recently noticed a common thread in the blog circles I run with: people, especially women, are eager to fulfill their destiny. Many of us hold a job that we’ve enjoyed over the years but it doesn’t satiate the desire and longing for something more that’s been bubbling up to the surface. “Is this what I’m supposed to be doing with my life,” we ask. “What about my dreams of becoming a writer, learning to fly, joining the circus?” We are no longer content to do what we must; we long to do what we love. We ask ourselves if we’re capable of fulfilling our dreams.

What would need to change in your life for you to realize those dreams and quench those desires? What if you could shake things up and change your world, all of our worlds, to ready it for something really big? What would you do if YOU were in charge?

Today’s prompt is to write a poem with the title:

If I Were In Charge of the World.

Judith Viorst shares what she’d do in the following poem:

If I Were In Charge of the World

If I were in charge of the world

I’d cancel oatmeal,

Monday mornings,

Allergy shots, and also Sara Steinberg.

If I were in charge of the world

There’d be brighter nights lights,

Healthier hamsters, and

Basketball baskets forty eight inches lower.

If I were in charge of the world

You wouldn’t have lonely.

You wouldn’t have clean.

You wouldn’t have bedtimes.

Or “Don’t punch your sister.”

You wouldn’t even have sisters.

If I were in charge of the world

A chocolate sundae with whipped cream and nuts would be a vegetable

All 007 movies would be G,

And a person who sometimes forgot to brush,

And sometimes forgot to flush,

Would still be allowed to be

In charge of the world.

by Judith Viorst

Go ahead, let yourself go with this one! I do hope you’ll share what you’ve written, or a link to it, in our comments to this post. I’m off to write mine… Have fun!

]]> http://www.textyladies.com/2009/08/12/poetry-play-thursday-7/feed/ 0 http://www.textyladies.com/2009/08/10/changes-challenges/ http://www.textyladies.com/2009/08/10/changes-challenges/#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2009 06:35:34 +0000 Pamela Sweet http://www.textyladies.com/?p=1002

On what was to be the day of our big reveal, we experienced formatting issues that made it impossible for us to continue using our chosen new template for this site. Over the next few days, we’ll reselect a template and make the necessary adjustments so please bear with us.

On what was to be the day of our big reveal, we experienced formatting issues that made it impossible for us to continue using our chosen new template for this site. Over the next few days, we’ll reselect a template and make the necessary adjustments so please bear with us.

In the mean time, I can tell you about a new feature here at Texty Ladies…the book challenge! You have noticed them on other blogs or might even be participating in one more more yourself. It seems that people can get quite addicted to them!

We’ve created our own challenge and if it’s successful, we might consider hosting one quarterly. Our first challenge is the:

Rules:

• The challenge runs from August 10, 2009 to December 10, 2009 (4 months).
• The goal is to read at least 1 ebook each month for a total of 4 ebooks (or more if you’d like). These can be read all in one month or one each month; it’s up to you.
• You do not have to have a blog to participate.
• It is okay to use ebooks you’re using for other challenges but at least 2 should be specific to this challenge.
• If you do have a blog, it would be great if you posted the books you are reading on your site, perhaps even writing a review for each one or post one wrap-up post about all the ebooks you’ve read for this challenge. If you do not have a blog, please comment on this article listing your name and how many ebooks you plan to read. You may also list their titles if you know them.
• To sign up, please leave a comment for this article with the above information. We’re having Mr. Linky issues right now but plan to use it for future challenges.
• Prizes, you say? But of course! We’ve got a Texty Ladies basket of goodies for the challenge participant whose name is drawn at the end of this challenge.

If you have any questions about the challenge and its rules, please leave your question in the comments or use our contact page and we’ll answer promptly. Oh, and please help yourself to the button we’ve created for this challenge.

That’s all there is to it. Easy as pie, right? We do hope you’ll participate and we look forward to hearing about your ebook experiences (and hopefully get to read some reviews as well)! Happy reading!

We appreciate your continued patience with the many changes occurring here at Texty Ladies. We sincerely hope our efforts will provide you with a much better organized site.

Hi kids, time for another writing prompt!

Please write a 400 word or less story or poem based on the picture below. Post it in comments or leave the link so we can find it.

I do hope I don’t post the same photo twice…

Have fun!

Jane E Jones

***

Jacquie Rogers Texty Ladies Columnist Copyright © 2009 Jacquie Rogers

If you’re writing western historical romance, are you swayed by the myths promulgated by the movie business in the early 20th Century? I ask because many readers are convinced those myths are true.

Question: should you write the myth? [...]]]>

Myths Dispelled

Jacquie Rogers
Texty Ladies Columnist
Copyright © 2009 Jacquie Rogers

If you’re writing western historical romance, are you swayed by the myths promulgated by the movie business in the early 20th Century? I ask because many readers are convinced those myths are true.

Question: should you write the myth? or the truth? Let’s take a look at a few of the things that make me crazy when I read a book where either the author hasn’t done her research, or the author has chosen to go along with the myth. (Myths sell better than facts, so keep that in mind.)

The Truth About Wagon Trains

Over 300,000 people traveled the Oregon Trail from 1840 to 1860, and of those, between 6% and 10% (depending on the source) died along the way. According to Oregon.com, the four most common causes of death were “cholera, wagon accidents, drownings during river crossings, and accidental gunshots.” Fewer than 350 of the 30,000 casualties died from Indian attacks. In fact, many never would have made it to Oregon without the assistance of Indians.

Frequently, deaths were caused by accidental shooting. Does this surprise you? Remember, most settlers weren’t country people. Most came from eastern cities, and were what today would be considered middle-income families. It was quite expensive to buy and outfit a wagon to emigrate west, taking about three year’s salary. Poor people couldn’t afford to go, and rural people already owned land so they didn’t need to go. These urban people were not a lot different from urban people today in that they’d never needed to learn to shoot a firearm, or kill and dress their own meat. So naturally accidents with firearms occurred, especially when you mixed in a little testosterone with the new gun.

Wagons didn’t travel single-file. Too dusty!!! Anyone who has ever driven on dirt roads, especially in the desert, would understand that traveling over prairie and plain in the dry summer would kick up lots of billowing dust and dirt, and frankly, a person just couldn’t breathe very well, even with a mask. When possible, wagons traveled side-by-side. The oxen were led; therefore, the driver walked. No reins, you see. Besides, the ride was too bumpy.

Pickles were the health food of the day. The emigrants ate lots and lots of pickles, their only source of vitamin C.

You wouldn’t have seen a horse-drawn Conestoga wagon. Not anywhere. Horses couldn’t survive on the prairie grasses and sage, and Conestoga wagons where too heavy and cumbersome. Instead, the travelers bought oxen or mules. While mules traveled faster, oxen had better dispositions so were generally preferred. Emigrants often used farm wagons covered with canvas tarps, but Studebaker made a smaller version of the Conestoga that was quite popular, albeit a bit pricey.

The Truth About Cowboys

First of all, cowboys weren’t called “cowboys.” Still aren’t in a lot of locales, although cowboy is the accepted term on the rodeo circuit. Men who worked with cattle were called cow punchers, cattle drovers, ranch hands, hired hands, and a few more terms–this was regional. If they handled horses primarily, they were called wranglers (in most areas). Ranch owners where I grew up were called “ranchmen.”

Only about a third of the cattle drovers were white. The rest were former slaves, Mexican vaqueros, or Indians. Indians were highly prized on a cattle drive because they could negotiate better deals with the local tribes when it came to crossing territories or helping with river fordings.

Drovers seldom packed iron. Every ounce counts when you’re riding a horse all day long, and firearms plus ammo weigh too much. Weapons were usually kept in the chuckwagon.

What About the Women?

Many women owned property or businesses all over the West and managed them without the aid of or ever having a husband or other man around. The largest horse sale in history was negotiated in 1898 by Kitty Wilkins, whose ranch wasn’t too far from where I grew up in Idaho. She built the most profitable horse ranch west of the Mississippi, and had a huge crew. A few weeks ago, I read a piece in the local paper where an author announced he was writing a book on this lady horse rancher. I can’t wait to read it.

Women in general were, by necessity, more independent than their sisters back East. Wyoming granted suffrage to women in 1869. Idaho did so in 1896, as did Utah. Utah actually tried to pass women’s suffrage sooner but it was struck down by Congress, who used it as an argument against polygamy. Many western states were community property states, and women have held city and county positions from the earliest days.

Goin’ and Comin’

A large percentage of emigrants couldn’t cut it in the West and booked passage back home. According to our family story (unconfirmed), this is how my g-g-grandfather made enough money to buy farms for all his children in Missouri–by bringing people back to the East from the California gold mines.

And for Fun?

Gambling was the main form of entertainment in the west. Everyone, and I mean everyone, gambled. There are two instances of preachers’ wives gambling away the church buildings. Kids, schoolteachers . . . everyone. And not little two-bit bets like you see on TV, either. They literally would bet the farm on how fast an ice statue would melt. Horseracing was extremely popular, and it is confirmed that my g-g-grandfather took race horses to the San Francisco area in the 1850s, held races, raked in the dough from bets, sold the horses for a fortune, and went back home a happy man.

Oh, I see John Wayne!

Gunfight duels: very, very rare. Hickok and Coe, yes. I can’t think of any others right now. There are only a few cases where the facts could be construed as a face-to-face draw at high noon, but even then, most weren’t. A quick draw was considered cool in some circles, though. Think boys and their toys. Even so, decision-making speed was often more imporant than how fast a man could clear leather. For a great resource on gunfighting and gunfighters, take a look at Triggernometry: A Gallery of Gunfighters : With Technical Notes on Leather Slapping As a Fine Art, Gathered from Many a Loose Holstered Expert over the Years

Little House on the Prairie

Sod houses didn’t have to be musty, wormy, dirty affairs. They could be extremely comfortable. My great-grandfather built one that was still in existance in the 1960s, and unless you were told, you’d never know it was a soddy. It’s as square and solid as any wood house. The walls were two feet thick–cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The house was quite large–living room, parlor, kitchen, den, and three bedrooms. Originally, it was whitewashed, but was painted when we were there. It had a double door, and the glass windows were all still intact.

I hope you enjoyed your mini-tour of the Old West today.

That’s about it for this Magical Monday.

I’ll be taking a few weeks off because my daughter is getting married so I’ll be out of state the first half of August. It’ll be a busy time because I’m going to my high school class reunion, too. Should be great fun!

Contests? Of course.

The biggest contest is at 1st Turning Point with fabulous prizes including a critque from Rowena Cherry, a Templar T-shirt from Gerri Russell, and a John Klawitter film short called Extinction. Besides those, Carol North is offering a way cool tote bag, Rebecca J. Vickery contributed her first release (ebook), and I’m throwing in Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues. So become a 1st Turning Point Parrot by subscribing, and you’re automatically entered in the drawing!

Want to wind a Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues T-shirt? All subscribers to Keely’s Contest and News Group are eligible to win!

Good news! Justin Saragueta’s CD is now released. You can buy it at the store on his site.

Have a great week!

Jacquie Rogers

Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues (See the Book Video featuring Justin Saragueta)
Jacquie Rogers * 1st Turning Point * Myspace * Twitter * Facebook
Faery Special Romances * Book Video * Royalties go to Children’s Tumor Foundation, ending Neurofibromatosis through Research

Instead of an article on the craft of writing, today’s Magical Monday welcomes Justin Saragueta–musician/singer, songwriter, poet, and novelist. He’s better known as gueta and that’s the name of the CD he’ll be releasing in a couple weeks.

I’m a Gueta fan through [...]]]>

Instead of an article on the craft of writing, today’s Magical Monday welcomes Justin Saragueta–musician/singer, songwriter, poet, and novelist. He’s better known as gueta and that’s the name of the CD he’ll be releasing in a couple weeks.

I’m a Gueta fan through and through. Justin wrote the marvelous theme song for my Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues book video, which has garnered tons of kudos. How did he come up with such a perfect song? I don’t know. He read the beginning of the book for tone, asked me what I wanted . . . I could only think of “attitude.” What you hear is the first version I heard–loved it, didn’t want a single change. I was astounded at how perfect it was, especially since he had to use a completely different style than is normal for him. So yes, I’m a fan forever. Justin is a very talented man.

So now, let’s get on with the interview!

JR: Welcome to Texty Ladies, Justin! We’re delighted you could take some time to share with us today. We’d like to know a little about you, your name, and your music.

gueta: Before I start tooting my own proverbial brass horn I’d like to thank Jacquie Rogers for the interview and for the chance of writing the theme song to her newly released novel Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues. Also, a quick thanks to those of you taking the time to read this, and everyone involved in some form or another for having me do this interview.

So!? Just who in the heck is Justin Saragueta? Well, that seems to be one of those elusive quandaries that stays as close and as a far away as a Swiss cheese shadow in the shade at high noon. What can I say…you asked for it.

I guess I should start when I first started crying. I was born in Southern California- Redondo Beach to be exact. Both of my folks are full-blooded Spanish Basque. No, this is not nor does it have anything to do with being a fish, catching a fish, smelling like fish or tarter sauce. I know, I know. Darn!

My father, Justo Saragueta, was born in a small village on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees Mountains a few gorgeous mountain sloped minutes to the border of France. Contrabanding rifles, horses, food, and Portuguese men and women- just to name a few that he has actually confessed to- is frowned upon in most countries. Yes, I was shocked by this as well. So, at the ripe age of sixteen he was sent to the states with twenty bucks, a tuna sandwich in a brown bag, and a note pinned to his chest, “Hello. My name is Justo Saragueta. I am sheep herding for Antonio Zalba in Fresno California,” written on the front of it. My mother, Marsha Saragueta, has been shaking her head ever since! Yes, some women ARE stronger than others!

We moved around a fair bit while I was growing up. My father became a restaurateur, finally settling us down in a small dairy town, Hanford, in central California when I was about thirteen. Our home was a loving and fun environment for the most part filled with laughter. It was an upbringing with loose to no rules that allowed my younger sister Jessica and I the liberty to fully explore who and what we wanted to be without judgment. My father, unlike my mother, has always been very non-conforming. And as the saying goes, the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree, regardless of height, weight or maturation.

It seemed like from the moment I graduated high school I wanted out of the house so I could finally start being my own man. So I did that which I thought most boys in my position would do, I partied enough to sedate a continent of full grown rhinos. I hid from the real world for four years at University of Pacific. With a freshly printed and signed BA that my father at times finds to be BS, I started working in what others consider to be the real world. Sales, bartending, truck driving, golf professional, that one failed attempt at ownership and employment of a high end super model only cliental escort service. I would have made one heck of a pinball machine but that thought never occurred to me until now. Then the day came when I just couldn’t fight it anymore. I listened to that intuitive voice clawing at my insides and I sold all my possessions, bought an around the world plane ticket, $200 guitar after tax and started writing my first novel, A Life too Important to Take Seriously. The creative dam didn’t just break, it exploded.

Since 2002, I have been traveling the globe with a guitar, ink-deprived notebooks, empty pockets, a curious disposition, and thirst for the unknown. I’ve played music for people in Australia, London, Scotland, Spain, Indonesia and Fiji to name a few. For me, life has become about unplugging from the societal norm so I can chase the search for inner understanding. The best way I know how to do this is through song, poem or short story. But I would have to say that the music has bullied its way to the front of the priority list. Not a second goes by that I don’t feel grateful for having the music in me.

JR: Congratulations on the release of your new CD! Please tell us about it–genre, how it came about, who’s playing on it, and how to buy it.

gueta: Actually, I am still in production on the new CD. My producer Cookie and I are hoping it will have an early May release date. It’s one of those things that you just want to get done so you can get to another rung on the ladder but then realize part of that journey is making it and the making of it is nothing short of a BLAST.

The genre would probably fall under Pop as most artists like John Mayer, Matchbox Twenty, etc. are these days. But I think it has some of that good old traveled grass roots folk rock with a splash of reggae, acoustic and Latin feel as well. They are songs with stories. My travels have molded me into something I may not have fully comprehended I was before embracing them. These things for me are hard to pigeon hole. But I am VERY proud of the work.

There are some amazing artists on the project. Cookie Marenco of Blue Coast World is producing it. She is a brilliant woman and a good friend. Patrick O’Connor of OTR Studios is the engineer and plays some mean guitar riffs while giving me much needed worldly advice on a day to day basis. Brain of Guns N Roses plays drums on some tracks as well as Billy Johnson formerly of Santana. It’s really kind of a who’s who instrumentally speaking.

So how do you buy it? Money helps! Please check out http://www.justinsaragueta.com

We, Cookie Marenco and myself, are taking a grass roots approach to this album. Just ask Cookie and she’ll tell you the music industry isn’t what it used to be. The solo artist needs to be a clever business person as well these days. Performing for the love of it won’t get you there unless you are meeting people and collecting names and email addresses along the way. So if everyone can please visit my website and join my email list you will be updated monthly on shows, events, the progress of the CD, and how to purchase tracks. Other sites to visit also include:

http://www.myspacecom/justinsaragueta

http://www.facebook.com/justinsaragueta

JD: Thanks so much for talking with the Texty Ladies today, Justin. We’re looking forward to the second part of your interview May 2, and I understand some lucky person who comments on either Part 1 or Part 2 of your interview will win a free, autographed CD, before anyone else gets it! Believe me, we’re really looking forward to that.

For the most impatient of us, you can buy a Special Pre-Release version of “MmmHmm” only available at Justin’s store.

Have a Magical Monday!

Jacquie
Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues (See the Book Video featuring Justin Saragueta)
Jacquie Rogers *** Myspace *** Twitter *** Facebook
Faery Special Romances * Book Video * Royalties go to Children’s Tumor Foundation, ending Neurofibromatosis through Research

So there are only so many original ideas and ways to tell those stories. That’s a pretty depressing thought. Why then do we write if we are only reiterating the same old love story.

Because we have to. I mean, I do. I can’t NOT write. It’s in me. I’m always writing something; a poem, [...]]]>

So there are only so many original ideas and ways to tell those stories. That’s a pretty depressing thought. Why then do we write if we are only reiterating the same old love story.

Because we have to. I mean, I do. I can’t NOT write. It’s in me. I’m always writing something; a poem, a song, a story. Lately, it’s been songs. But I’ve not strayed far from the literary world. I’ve got ideas I jot down, scenes that will not go away. And that’s a good thing. I don’t want my fount of creativity to go away. It’s part of who I am. I truly identify myself as a writer/singer/lyricist.

That being said, on another forum, someone posted a question about how to handle the similarity in her work and another’s. I was one of the ones included in saying, ‘move on, it’s not exact, you’re work is different and in your voice.” Nontheless, I was nonplussed when two days later I received my copy of “The Art of Sensuality” by Jax Cassidy (thanks hon!) and realized that she and I have similar affection for a name.

At first I was trepidatious about continuing my character with that name. But I remembered my own advice: Move on. It’s different. My voice. Plus…my genre is different from that of Miss Cassidy. Mine is historical; hers, contemporary, erotic romance.  So, the french name starting with a G? Yeah, I’ll own it. And the last name, while similar, is not the same. I’ll own it.

That is regarding my WIP #2. The ‘oh-no-what-to-do’ with WIP#1, I read an author whom I adore, Woodiwiss, and realized that a book of hers, which I’d never read until 3 years after I started Constance, bore similar plot lines. But I didn’t give up. Similar, but the characters’ motivations are different. Not even the same time frame, although, both are in America. (how’s that?)

The bottom line: There are an infinite possibility of ways to share and to show a love story. The only limit is our creativity. We seem to have a collective conscience though, and when we tap into it, we get something remarkable that while apparently similar, will be dissimilar in closer comparison.

So, write on, author, write on!

Imagine feeling anxious all day about what you are going to do and what you are supposed to say.   Now, imagine having a place where you could go, a sanctuary, if you will, where your anxieties and fears melt away.  Participating in an activity is a must in this sanctuary, and once you get [...]]]>

Imagine feeling anxious all day about what you are going to do and what you are supposed to say.   Now, imagine having a place where you could go, a sanctuary, if you will, where your anxieties and fears melt away.  Participating in an activity is a must in this sanctuary, and once you get started, your breathing comes easier, your shoulders drop and you’re free to explore the creativity inside you without fear of judgment.

We all need sanctuary from time to time, but how much more do those with special challenges need it?  Well, I know where that place can be found.

The transition school my son attends has developed an art program that is just such a sanctuary.  The students attending this school range from 12 to 21 years in age and have a variety of behavioral and learning disabilities.  It is a struggle in some form or fashion for these kids to get through the school day and when they first enter art class, they may be carrying baggage with them and may also be quite anxious about the upcoming project and whether or not their efforts will meet expectations.

I recently had the honor of meeting with the very compassionate and committed Director of this art program.  The time slipped away as I listened to her explain how these kids, while at first reluctant, get caught up in their projects and create the most amazing art.  The pictures you see in this post represent some of the projects they worked on this last year.  Along with various methods of drawing and painting, they tried jewelry making, bead looms, paper making, wood burning, clay, garden crafts, machine sewing, sand art, quilting and a host of other fun projects.  Art history and appreciation were also explored and proved to be a time for the kids to provide support for and give recognition to their peers for their efforts, an area often difficult for these kids.

The goals of this program are to help the kids develop life long interests and create a greater connection with others with similar interests.  They will develop better social skills, increase self-esteem, decision making skills, self-expression and awareness, and fine motor skills.  The activities help them to express themselves in two and three-dimensional ways, develop problem-solving skills; learn about contrasts, boundaries and spatial relationships.

The kids are encouraged to develop their own style and critique their own work.  They’re told that it’s okay to make mistakes.  And, best of all, they’re instructed to have fun!

The Art Director and her fellow art teachers, both of whom are amazing, caring women, also use art to teach the students relaxation skills to help reduce anxiety and frustration.  I have witnessed the benefits of this with my own son when he picks up a pencil and transfers his thoughts to paper.  His entire demeanor changes and calms.  He’s focused, productive, and clear.  It’s amazing what art, and some incredibly wonderful teachers, can do!

I was blessed when the Director allowed me to read a letter she and the art teachers had received from the parents of one of the students.  In it, the parents expressed their deep gratitude to the staff for their efforts in fostering their child’s interest in art, his boost in self-esteem, and a decrease in anxiety due to the self-control skills he learned in their class.  I dare anyone to read that letter and argue that art is not important in the schools and that we shouldn’t spend the money on it.  Be it writing, drawing, music, dance, acting or crafts, art is a necessary and incredible gift we can give our children and ourselves.  It can also be our sanctuary.

~ Posted by Pamela

Hello everyone! Today I’ll be talking about book trailers; specifically, how to make them. They’re great promotional tools, fun to create, and relatively simple. I’ll take you through my process step by step. I know there are different ways of creating them and different programs to us, but I’ll stick with what I [...]]]>

Hello everyone! Today I’ll be talking about book trailers; specifically, how to make them. They’re great promotional tools, fun to create, and relatively simple. I’ll take you through my process step by step. I know there are different ways of creating them and different programs to us, but I’ll stick with what I know and what is working for me. If you have any questions afterward, just ask!

Step One: First, you must find the graphics you want to use in your trailer. There are different ways of doing this; you can google PUBLIC DOMAIN PHOTOS, FREE IMAGES, STOCK IMAGES. Try istockphoto.com, freestockimages.net, stock.xchng (http://www.sxc.hu/), jupiterimages.com, dreamstime.com. Google is your friend. Just remember that if you’re not paying for it, the photo has to be royalty free, or you have to have permission. I have found some really fantastic photos at DeviantArt. Of course, I get permission from each artist before using anything and credit them at the end of the video.

Step Two: Find your music. Again, you must find royalty free music. I use Kevin MacLeod. I love him.

Step Three: Put royalty free images and music into an easily accessible folder on your computer.

Step Four: On your computer, go to START, ALL PROGRAMS, ACCESSORIES, then click WINDOWS MOVIE MAKER.

Step Five: Under CAPTURE VIDEO in the sidebar, Click on IMPORT PICTURES, find the folder in which you stored the downloaded images, and select the pictures you want. To select more than one picture, hold CTRL while selecting pictures.

IMPORTANT: Go to FILE, and click on SAVE PROJECT AS and name your video. After you’ve done that, click on SAVE often.

Step Six: if STORYBOARD is already selected at the bottom, click and drag your photos, one by one, into the large white slots at the bottom. You can rearrange the order of the pictures later if you need to. If STORYBOARD view is not selected, simply click on SHOW TIMELINE and it will switch to STORYBOARD. Later, you will need to change to SHOW TIMELINE.

Step Seven: Under EDIT MOVIE in the sidebar, select VIEW VIDEO EFFECTS. Choose the effect you want, such as EASE OUT, and drag it down into the little square with the faded out star on your photo on the STORYBOARD. Choose an effect for each photo, and repeat process. If you want to combine effects on a photo, such as EASE OUT and FILM AGE, OLD, simply drag in the EASE OUT first, then the FILM AGE, OLD. You can do this with as many as you’d like. Also, if you select EASE IN and drag this effect to the same photo several times, the EASE IN will be faster and deeper. I particularly like and use EASE IN or OUT in combination with FILM AGE, OLD, because it makes the pictures come alive.

Step Eight: Under CAPTURE VIDEO, click on IMPORT AUDIO OR MUSIC. Select your music.

Step Nine: Click on SHOW TIMELINE at the bottom. Drag your music to the third line under the filmstrip, where it says DRAG AN AUDIO CLIP HERE TO ADD TO YOUR MOVIE when you mouse over. Grab the music once it’s on your timeline and drag it to the beginning image, if it’s not already there. Then you can grasp the end of the music and drag it to where it stretches longer than your last picture. You’ll have to add ending credits; once that’s finished, you can stretch the music to be a little longer than the ending credits. Actually, we’ll go ahead and do that next.

Step Ten: Click on SHOW STORYBOARD. Click on MAKE TITLES OR CREDITS in the sidebar. Select ADD TITLE AT BEGINNING OF MOVIE. Type in whatever you want; on mine, for instance, this is where I wrote One Night With You in the top field, and By Jane E. Jones in the bottom field. Now, for every place you want words, to tell the ‘story’ for your movie, do the following: On the STORYBOARD, click on your image, to select it. In the sidebar, select MAKE TITLES OR CREDITS, the select ADD TITLE AFTER SELECTED CLIP or BEFORE SELECTED CLIP, wherever you want to place the words. You can also select your effects, text, and text color here. You can EDIT TITLES at any time. You can easily do this by right clicking on the text in your storyboard, as well.

Step Eleven: When you’ve finished with that, Select MAKE TITLES OR CREDITS, then CREDITS AT THE END OF THE MOVIE. Add your credits. To get more blanks, simply hit ENTER on your keyboard a couple of times.

Step Twelve: Add your VIDEO EFFECTS as we did in step seven. Now we’ll add VIDEO TRANSITIONS. Under EDIT MOVIE, click on VIEW VIDEO TRANSITIONS.

Step Thirteen: Click and drag desired effect to the blank BETWEEN your images on the STORYBOARD. FADE is my favorite but there are many cool ones.

Step Fourteen: Click on SHOW TIMELINE and scroll to the end of the music. Click on the end and drag the red arrow to the left, to the end of your video. Go a little too long, so you can fade out the music instead of ending it abruptly. RIGHT CLICK on the music line, and select FADE OUT. Play back the move to see if you’ve dragged the music long enough. You may have to make the music a little longer to get the correct fade out.

Step Fifteen: Play back your video and enjoy what you’ve created!

Step Sixteen: Save. Do some last minute tweaking. When everything is EXACTLY as you want it, go to FILE, SAVE MOVIE FILE, MY COMPUTER. Once that is done, you have your video. Go to MYSPACE, YOUTUBE, etc, and you can then upload your video.

Have fun with it! By the time you’re finished with your first video, the second one will be much easier and you’ll be an old hand at it. Enjoy! Let me know when you’ve made your video, I’d love to see it!

~Jane