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The Write Way 28 October 2005 Daydreaming ... Greetings, A few weeks ago, the son of one of our famous long-range weather forecasters predicted that we were in for stormy weather in the months ahead. He said we could expect heavy rain and severe storms in October, worse in November and really, really bad ones in December. We took this with a grain of salt (as you do with weathermen these days) ... I don't know what it's like in your part of the world, but out here we can get three quite different forecasts from our three commercial channels (now don't roll your eyes like that, not all of us are blessed ... or cursed ... with squillions of TV stations). But this chap has a reputation to live up to; his dad was a successful forecaster, and both of them put their faith in studying sunspots. As you already know, we prefer to rely on the ants. And our observations of the frantic activity among our six-legged friends during our early morning walks recently led us to believe that Haydon Lennox may have been on the right track. So it was no surprise to us when the storms rolled in on Monday evening ... and Tuesday and Thursday ... I love lightning and thunderstorms, don't you? I think it's just that raw power that appeals to me, so as soon as the air gets still and the clouds start roiling around, we grab a glass of a full-bodied rough red and head out onto our front verandah to watch the show. And what a show it's been! This is spectacular ... Q1 is the tallest residential building in the world and residents have only just started moving in. Imagine their surprise when their building was struck not once, but eight times in last week's storm. And just look at this photo of the lightning strike on Q1.
Click on SE Queensland to see some amazing storm clouds. And this one shows an earlier lightning storm in May this year. (Our daughter's unit is around the bottom right of this photo and after seeing this, we're glad she's currently living in Melbourne!) There's no doubt about it, the weather certainly provides plenty of fodder for conversation ... and for writing. We all know how powerful our minds are, so if you're caught in the midst of some unruly isobars, now's the time to escape ... Let your imagination run riot and work on a few daydreams set Down Under. To be really effective, daydreams have to have at least one toe delicately attached to the real world, don't you think? So if you're not clear on what it's like out here, drop by my Australia site for inspiration! You could start with tiny Tassie. The beaut thing about Tasmania is that it's so small ... the most driving you need to do in any one day is around 2-3 hours, so that leaves plenty of time to enjoy all the great food! Speaking of food ... a visit to South Australia's Barossa Valley could be just the ticket for all you would-be oenologists out there - it's one of the country's most famous wine-growing districts, and you know what that means, don't you? Yep! Lots of B & Bs, restaurants, retreats, resorts, tours ... For somewhere completely different, there's Coober Pedy, where people live underground in lavish (and not so lavish) houses dug deep into the earth. Why do they do this? They started digging because of the opals, then realised it was a pleasant way to live when the daily temps can reach 52 C (around 125 F) for three months of the year. Now ... I didn't say it was balmy weather ... I just said it was completely different! Apparently though, there's something about the place that really gets into your blood. Friends of ours who visited were contemplating staying there ... it does that to lots of people. Are you a keen fisherman (er ... sorry ... firsherperson)? Or do you prefer to observe the denizens of the deep from a whale-watching boat? Do you see yourself lazing in crystal clear freshwater lakes? Do you enjoy being pampered in a luxury resort? Believe it or not, you can experience all of the above on the one island! Right here: What about a drive along the Great Ocean Road? If you want spectacular scenery, this is the place! Maybe your daydreams take you off the beaten track ... well, you can't get much further away from things than at Broome ... pearls, dinosaurs, surfing, swimming ... Now, if you can't find fodder for a daydream here, all I can say is that you're not trying. And if things are getting you down in your little corner of the world, you can always move out here! Read how you can emigrate to Australia. Or maybe just stay for an extended visit while you work in Australia and save a bit so you can see more. Perhaps this has jolted your Muse awake, and now you're ready to write that book (and set it in Australia, of course). Here's a helping hand to write your book. And this week's Little Something Extra shows you one excellent way you can win an audience for your new book ... No, you'll have to wait to find out what it is ... This week's quiz: Since we've been looking at daydreams this week (makes a nice change after our gory time under the cosmetic surgeon's knife recently), here are some words from Wilfred Funk's list of Most Beautiful Words in English ... You know what to do ... match 'em up: bobolink, gossamer, asphodel, myrhh, cerulean, halcyon, mignonette, damask, chalice, luminous 1. a rich patterned fabric of cotton, linen, silk, or wool; fine, twilled table linen 2. emitting light, especially emitting self-generated light; full of light; illuminated 3. of a deep somewhat purplish blue color similar to that of a clear October sky 4. migratory American songbird 5. a soft sheer gauzy fabric; something delicate, light, or flimsy; a fine film of cobwebs often seen floating in the air or caught on bushes or grass 6. any of various chiefly Mediterranean plants having linear leaves and racemes of white or pink or yellow flowers 7. a bowl-shaped cup or goblet 8. calm and peaceful; tranquil: prosperous; golden 9. Mediterranean woody annual widely cultivated for its dense terminal spike-like clusters greenish or yellowish white flowers having an intense spicy fragrance 10. an aromatic gum resin obtained from several trees and shrubs of the genus Commiphora of India, Arabia, and eastern Africa, used in perfume and incense Q: What was the greatest
accomplishment of the Romans? And here's a short story about those laconic Spartans: In ancient Sparta, citizens were noted for economy of speech. Legend has it that Philip of Macedonia, storming the gates of Sparta, sent a message to the besieged king..."If we capture your city we will burn it to the ground." A one-word answer came back: "If." Last week's quiz: Here are some interesting words ... some are so bleeding obvious, while others aren't what you're expecting at all! footle, debridement, fabulist, abecedarian, frigorific, cacography, cilice, drawcansir, endgame, fartlek 1. to waste time; trifle; to talk nonsense - FOOTLE (This wonderfully useful word comes from the Latin futuere 'to have sexual intercourse' and makes a t'riffic replacement for that fine old Anglo-Saxon term. Now you can advise those annoying colleagues to footle off!) 2. athletic training technique, used especially in running, in which periods of intense effort alternate with periods of less strenuous effort in a continuous workout - FARTLEK (This comes from the Old Norse fara 'to play' and leica 'a game.' See? Nothing to do with silly old folks.) 3. blustering, bullying fellow; a pot-valiant braggart; a bully - DRAWCANSIR (This has nothing to do with an employee who can illustrate, but comes from a character in the play by George Villiers called "`The Rehearsal.'') 4. a novice learning the rudiments of some subject - ABECEDARIAN (And yes, this comes from Latin ... from abecedarius meaning ... [wait for it] ...'alphabetical') 5. causing coldness; chilling - FRIGORIFIC (Also from Latin ... from frigus 'the cold,' and it doesn't mean anything remotely t'riffic.) 6. final stage of an extended process or course of events - ENDGAME 7. bad handwriting; bad spelling - CACOGRAPHY 8. surgical excision of dead, devitalised or contaminated tissue and removal of foreign matter from a wound - DEBRIDEMENT (This comes from the Old French desbrider 'to debridle or unbridle') 9. coarse cloth - CILICE (Also from the Latin cilicium 'covering made from Cilician goat's hair') 10. a person who tells or invents fables - FABULIST (From the Latin fabula 'a fable') Never-Ending Story Dr Morgenes and his mob have their very own blog here: http://write101-never-ending-story.blogspot.com/ Just click on the Comments button at the end of the entry to add your contribution. If you have friends who fancy themselves as writers, invite them to contribute (just forward this newsletter in its entirety to them). Map of the World I often trawl this for comments to post on my site ... so if you say something about the newsletter or site, be warned, you may end up being read by one of the 2,000+ unique visitors who visit Write101 every day! Make your Mark on the World. Then stop by our Map of the World and read the messages. (Just click List) and add your mark: http://pub37.bravenet.com/guestmap/view.php?usernum=3170114826 A Little Something Extra Podcasting:
a New Publicity Tool for Writers Charles
Hodgson produces podictionary, the audio word-a-day.
He does it because he loves words, but it was also his love of words that
let him produce a book about fun word histories to be published next year by Charles sees podictionary as a vehicle that can eventually help his book succeed in the sales department. He says, “I have about 1,300 listeners already, and I’ve only just started my publicity campaign. When the book comes out, all those people who have been listening to my voice every day will be pretty sympathetic to the idea of buying me in print.” He cites a number of other ways that writers are taking advantage of this new medium, “There are a fair number of writers who haven’t managed to find a publisher and who are actually reading their work out as podcasts.” The idea is that if they build a following, they will have an easier time convincing a publisher to take them on. There are also podcasts aimed directly at writers as a “how to” of putting together an audio book and delivering it as a podcast. Charles warns of the challenges though. The time he used to put into the writing of his book, he is now dedicating to the writing of his podcast, and then recording it. “No one seems to have figured out yet how to make a living from doing a podcast,” he says ,“to build listenership you need a quality podcast, and that takes time.” And money. Charles has invested in quality microphones, pre-amps and audio editing software as well as upgrading his computer to handle the large files that sound seems to end up as. “Those are the one-time investments,” he explains, “you also need to be aware of bandwidth costs.” Evidently podcasts eat up bandwidth. Forget it if you have a dialup connection. For the most popular shows, the amount of data that is being transferred to all those listeners in all those big fat audio files begins to compare to the peaks seen by major software companies. Podcast distribution servers have regularly been blown out by successful podcasts. Charles also consulted with audio engineers and professional radio broadcasters so that the quality of his show would attract rather than repel listeners. He justifies all the time and money, “I’m having fun and I think it’s all to a good end.” One piece of advice he’d give is to make sure your podcast matches your writing. There’s no use building an audience who loves listening to you talk about cooking if your book is about gardening. Word of the week: Palaver (n) idle chatter; talk intended to charm or beguile. This lovely word comes from Latin. (And you're surprised because ...?) It's from parabola (speech) which also gives us parable. Oxymoron of the week: still moving And a Latin phrase for all the know-alls of your acquaintance: Scire tuum nihil est, nisi te scire hoc sciat alter. (Your knowledge is nothing when no one else knows that you know it.) Kind regards, Jennifer P.S. Want to donate to the upkeep of this newsletter? Here's how: 1. Pay by PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/affil/pal=jennifer@write101.com OR 2. Click here to subscribe for a full year OR 3. Use your credit card on my secure order form: http://www.write101.com/fund.htm (You can also access the PayPal subscription link from this page if the link above didn't work for you. With PayPal, you can use your credit card, PayPal account or pay online using your own cheque account.) OR 4. Send a cheque (made payable to Jennifer Stewart): http://www.write101.com/fund.htm To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: mailto:WritingTips-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com or go to the web site, at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WritingTips This menu will also let you change your subscription between digest and normal mode. Copyright 2005 Jennifer Stewart Individual articles copyrighted by
their authors.
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