An Accidental Diarist
"If you want to write for yourself, get a diary. If you want to write for a few friends, get a blog….”James Patterson told Jonathon Mahler, author of the Jan. 20, 2010 New York Times Magazine article, “James Patterson Inc.” Patterson, the corporation, the Guinness Book of World Record-holding author of more New York Times Bestsellers than anyone, whose books, since 2006, sell at the rate of one in every 17 novels sold is a writer’s E.F. Hutton: when Patterson speaks, we listen.
And so I am considering his words. I don’t keep a diary, because I am not just writing for myself. I actively seek publication. I want my stories to be read by the multitudes, hoards, even. I do keep various on-and-off journals, what some might call “diaries.” My travel journal keeps me company on holidays. In it I record where I’ve been what I have done and seen and eaten, where I laid my head and if it’s worth going there again. My creative journal is on when the GGs, my creativity group, is meeting. We are currently, not meeting, so that journal is currently off. And I keep writing journals, one for each long project and an idea journal for snippets and starts—that one is always on and often switched off.
Jan 1st, 2009, I began this blog for exactly the reason Patterson said people should blog, because I wanted to write for a few friends. I didn’t set out to writing a blog. It began in 2005, as e-mail vignettes about my Jakarta life. I had only just moved from Houston to Jakarta. So many odd, exciting, new experiences were happening and I wanted to share them, so I did. My friends and family obviously enjoyed reading Jakarta News because they shared my notes with friends who shared them with other friends and before long, my list had grown to spam size—which is exactly what was happened! E-mails from me where re-directed to spam boxes. My Jakarta News was Spam??? Horrors!
That’s when someone suggested I start a blog. I know the person (who shall remain nameless) suggested a blog because then a wider audience could easily access my Jakarta News. It was supposed to take Jakarta News out of the Spam box and solve my delivery problems. Instead it practically Stopped. Me. Cold.
I became acutely, consciously and social-consciously aware that my notes were no longer intimate or semi-private. Anyone could read them! Gulp... And so, no longer comfortable writing about my Jakarta life, I began writing what I felt comfortable and free writing about—my writing life.
Turns out, my writing life isn’t nearly as interesting as Jakarta News. While before it seemed that everyone was reading, or wanted to read my stories, it now seems that no one is or wants to read what I post. But still I go on, and on, week after week, posting a blog entry. The irony of it is that while I never intended to—or wanted to—keep a diary. It seems I am. I have become an Accidental Diarist.
The last part of the Patterson quote I opened with continues: “…But if you want to write for a lot of people, think about them a little bit. What do they like? What are their needs? A lot of people in this country go through their days numb. They need to be entertained. They need to feel something."
For me, figuring out what I like, what I need, what I feel, what entertains me, happens as I write. And the confines of a blog give this rumination process boundaries. My hope is that anyone reading my diary might recognize similarities between their journey and mine, my discoveries and theirs. And so, with Patterson’s definitions in mind, the diary—or blog—goes on. Read it or not. Comment if you will. Regardless, I’ll be writing…
N1W1-SEEKING A CURE
My friend, children's book author and fellow VCFA grad, Barb Crispin sent the following note in response to our weekly group check-in:
Does anyone else notice the "no writing" virus that has infected us? N1W1 spreads through the ethernet. I'm sorry I gave it to Sharry and Kelly. Seems like Trinity has had it lately. Who's next? There doesn't seem to be any way to protect yourself.How wonderful to have friends here who will hold our hands as each of us suffers the pain of N1W1-- fear, avoidance, guilt. Once it is past, each writer picks up a manuscript thankful to be able to focus on some cherished story idea once again.
If only there was a vaccine!
Ahhhhhh, so that's what this is...
Help! Someone out there must know a cure!
TRUTH IN PROGRESS
“If you support the founding document [The Constitution of the United States of America] then you must also support giving equal rights to all U.S. citizens”--Marilyn Alexander and Gil Caldwell, founders of Truth in Progress, a national project created to promote cross-cultural understanding around issues of race, sexual orientation, and religion. The struggle for equality often gets pushed to the background when personal issues demand our time and attention. Pushing equality to the background is especially easy to do if you are Caucasian, straight, and gainfully employed, easy to do if you—by law—are receiving the benefits and the rights you deserve as a tax-paying U.S. citizen BUT…
That BUT is huge. And like all HUGE butts, especially when our own, we want to ignore it, we try to ignore it, it’s easier to ignore it, because doing something to change it requires honesty, effort, and commitment.
Fortunately for us, for the United States of America, a country founded on the principle that all people have certain purportedly “self-evident” and “unalienable rights” BUT where—for reasons of economics or bias or non-separation of church and state—all of our tax-paying citizens “unalienable rights” are not recognized, Marilyn Bennett and Gil Caldwell are not ignoring that huge BUT. The team, long-time friends and activists, have launched a three-year multi-media educational project, Truth in Progress, which aims to link gay rights and civil rights through a common interactive platform. “The fight for civil rights, and acknowledging equal rights, is always the same story,” Caldwell notes.
Truth in Progress continues what began in 2003 as an “extensive email exchange” during which Montana-based author Bennett and Caldwell, a retired United Methodist minister, shared “their personal life experiences of being black/white, straight/lesbian, older/younger, with cane/without cane, and male/female.” With the help of a $15,000 seed grant from the Rhodes and Leona Carpenter Foundation and the Montana Human Rights Network, their conversation is expanding to include interviews with activists and community leaders in cities significant to the Black Civil Rights and LGBT Rights Movement. (A feature length documentary will be released in 2013.) “Their common fight is a push to realize the full potential of the U.S. Constitution. It’s a document, they agree, that grants equality to all people regardless of race and sexual preference.”
“BUT we are the United States of America” we say, popping our heads out from under our cozy king-sized comforters. “Here, everyone is created equal. It’s written right there in our Constitution. Everyone is “...endowed by their Creator the same unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Isn’t that enough? Can’t we all just go along and get along? Live and let live?”
Sure we could, if this were the case BUT…
As a nation, we pledge allegiance to the Constitution, we support its tenets civically and fiscally, with our lives and our tax dollars, BUT we apply it selectively. We deserve the capital letter E brand of Equality, granting the same rights for every citizen to lawful union; rights to benefits; rights of survivorship; rights to dignity and respect.
We need this conversation to continue; support Truth is Progress.
*In 2007, some of these exchanges were published in a limited edition, Truth in Progress: Letters in Mixed Company.
2009 Recap-Redress-Review-Resolve
I'm delighted to be back home in Jakarta. It was an eventful, joy filled holiday season. I relished the time with family and friends. I am ready for some this-is-my-space-my-time-is-my-own-and-I-can-do-whatever-I-want time. (And, frankly, I was sick of every thread in the five+ mix-and-match outfits I had been lugging around for the past month and was perilously close to jettisoning the whole mess and buying new when the truth is more winter clothes are definitely not what I needed to cart back to my muggy close-to-the-equator, fabric eating/molding/decimating cupboards.) And I am eager to be where I have the time and space to write more than blog postings. Although I am puffed up proud to report that I, Kelly Bennett, kept my 2009 New Year’s resolution to begin a blog and to post at least one blog posting each week. My official posting count as of Dec. 31, 2009: 65 notes: 8 announcements: 4 drafts; some photos (not enough, but I’ll fix that in 2010). I not only met my goal, I surpassed it. Yeah!!!!!
This won't be a long stay in Jakarta as I return to the states Feb. 1st. I'm presenting at the IRA regional conference in Oklahoma City and spending a few days after in Tulsa with friends (Lexi is meeting me there.) The Bright Sky folks are supposed to be setting up promotional events for my picture book Dance Y'all Dance in the Houston area from the 10-18th, but I haven't heard a word— so no clue what is happening with that. I'm not going to sweat it; what will be will be. My mom isn't feeling well, so if worse comes to it, I'll use that time to go to Reno and visit her. The hardest part about this being a published author biz is this constant pressing feeling that I am supposed to be promoting/visiting schools/organizing all the time--while I enjoy sharing my books, the organizing takes so much time and energy, and even more of both is spent coping with the worry that I am not doing "my part." Now here is where I lapse into my version of the “in my day we had to walk 7 miles to school" bit: Back in the 80s and early 90s, when I was first published, aside from autographing at stores on occasion, authors were not expected or encouraged to do promotional stuff--because childrens' book publishers primarily sold to school and library markets--sales reps did the work. The author's "job" was to write more books. What luxury compared to this market or perish publishing world of today....Enough already.
2011 Resolution:
Be grateful I am physically able to write. Be grateful I am mentally capable of stringing letters into sensical order. Be grateful I have the time and support I need to write. Be grateful others want to read what I write. Be grateful that on some certain days, when the mood is right, the muse is willing, and the stars are just so, I write magic.
Singapore's Can-Can-Can Do Attitude
I am just back from Singapore. Curtis and I stopped off on our way home to Jakarta from the states to visit our doctors. Singapore, this tiny, progressive country clinging to the southern tip of Malaysia rivals any other—Germany, Switzerland, France—when it comes to being clean and well-organized. Their medical care is phenomenal. In the morning I stop in at the lab to give blood and urine for analysis, zip over to radiology for my mammogram and bone density, grab a snack, and by the afternoon my doctor has the results and is ready to take charge of my health management. More often than not, I leave the doctor’s office with several months’ worth of maintenance meds and an appointment for my next visit—having spent about a third less money and countless weeks less time than I would have in the United States! (Health Care reorganizers: take note!)
And to think that Singapore has only been an independent nation since 1965!
Singapore hasn’t always been so well-organized or clean. When independence was declared, it was self-admittedly (so the tour guides proclaim) a smelly, festering, disease-riddled, tropical eyesore. Then, in the mid-70’s Singapore began a mega clean-up campaign. And now, a mere 30 years later, even the reclaimed gray water is pure enough to drink. Why has Singapore been able to accomplish so much in such a short time? What do they have that others do not? I think it’s attitude.
Westerners use “sure,” “fine,” “all right,” “Okay,” “that’s a plan" and various other seemingly positive but not definitive phrases to say “yes.”
Indonesians (and native of some other Asian countries) say “yes” or “hai” to everything, whether they mean it or not, because to do otherwise is to lose face.
To give an affirmative response, Singaporeans answer “can” at least three times, quickly, strung together in affirmation: “can-can-can,” while vigorously nodding their heads.
When I informed my doctor's receptionist that another doctor's appointment was running late and could she squeeze me in later she said, "can-can-can" followed by a 7 pm call later that night saying Dr. Nair was just finishing up for the day and if I could rush over he would stay to see me.
Our cab driver answered the phone, listened and muttered before finishing with "can-can-can, okay, bye."
Waiters asked to substitute this for that, add this, do that answers, "can-can-can." There is no hesitation. There is no beating around the bush. It’s can-can-can and they do-do-do and keep on doing until a thing is well-done.
I am going to adopt this Singaporean Can-do attitude—maybe you should, too. Who knows what we can accomplish by deciding we CAN—not just once, either, or twice while we dance around the subject, but at least 3 times! Toulouse Lautrec watch what I can do when I CAN-CAN-CAN!
Two Stepper Unite--Time to Fight for our Dance Halls
Texas Dance Halls are facing extinction as more and more of them are closing due to "decay and disuse" says Patrick Sparks, president of Texas Dance Hall Preservation, Inc. The best way to save our dance halls is to "Dance in them" Patrick says. But some Texans are doing more--and you can too. Read/hear about it in this January 4th NPR report by John Burnett:
Saving Texas Dance Halls, One Two-Step At A Time
If the link to NPR doesn't work go here: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122009049
If you haven't made your 2o10 resolution yet, now is the time: come on y'all help save our dance halls--fight for your right to two-step! Dance on!