Tag Archive for: Links and Resources

Karina Teaches Worldbuilding – Final Lesson

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Over this year, Karina is going to share some of her writing seminars on the blog, with the lessons and references for further study. We’ll be posting these once a month. There’s no assigned homework, but if you have questions, please ask them in the comments. Her first workshop is worldbuilding. This is Lesson 7. Here are the links to Lesson 1, Lesson 2,  Lesson 3, Lesson 4, Lesson 5, and Lesson 6.

Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.   –Anton Chekhov

Now you’re well on your way to building your world! You’ve got–or have plans to get–all this great history, know everything about the orbital mechanics of your solar system, even know why your Grimphani part their hair on the left. Now, it’s time to tell your readers, right?

NO!

Don’t tell us about your world! Show us!

Everything we’ve done so far is background. Some of it may never come up. (Remember what I said in a previous lesson about the writer who has written an encyclopedia or game manual rather than a story?) Now you can use those elements, but don’t tell us about them!

So how do you avoid that?

Keep in mind point of view–even if you are using an omniscient narrative (i.e., the reader sees more than the character), do your best to describe things as they impact or are applied to the character or characters. For example, say I wanted to write a scene in The Miscria III: Hero Psychic, where there is a wild rainstorm that Tasmae (who controls the weather) has decided to allow to happen. I could just say it:

Joshua and Sachiko came in soaked from the storm. When Joshua saw Deryl, he asked, “What’s with the rain? Can’t Tasmae control the weather?”

 Deryl shrugged, though it was obvious he found Joshua’s soaked status funny. “The land is parched. Tasmae decided to let the storm come.”

 “She couldn’t have given us a warning?”

Or, I can show it:

 Joshua and Sachiko entered the city at a run, and the doors closed at their heels, shutting off the howling of the winds. As they stood there, shaking their heads and wringing out their clothes, Deryl strode toward them. “And where have you been?”

 Joshua gaped then pointed at the door. “Has your wife looked out the window lately?”

 Deryl shrugged, a smile tugging at his lips. “Tasmae said we need the rain.”

Of course, showing is sometimes easier said than done, so here are some tips:

  • See it through your character’s senses and experiences. Will your character know that the general is wearing the traditional (but itchy) dress of the Galvatin Space Fleet, with the braiding denoting his bravery in the Karu Nebula Encounter and the still-brass buttons that have been part of the uniform since 345 GT? Or will he just note that it’s impressive and traditional–but kind of gaudy?
  •  Use the detail that matters. If your hero is dodging a swinging blade, that may not be the time to note that it’s the Sword of Barnana, with rosewood hilt bearing the tiger-eye stones once stolen from the Kitcherie temple and which bears the curse that its wielder must kill a werewolf every full moon and how it has been highly polished yet has nicks. He may notice the crazed, possessed eyes of its bearer and how he pants, “Must killmustkillmustkill.” Once your hero defeats the swordsman, he may note some of these details–or he may be running like fun away from the scene. You decide how important the sword is at that point.
  •  The more it matters to the plot, the more detail you need. If you don’t intend to run across the Sword of Barnana again in the story, it may be enough to note that it’s a possessed sword. If it comes back later, you might want to note the odd tiger-eye jewels. If it becomes the focus of the quest (and hence the story), more background is needed.
  •  If you need to explain, let characters do it–but avoid lectures or extended Q&A.

Here’s Vern explaining his scratch marks on the local buildings to a member of the Los Lagos Beautification Committee. It’s a central point to the entire story, which is less than a thousand words.

“I understand you’ve… scratched some of the buildings in the area.”

“Yesssss….?”

“Well, you’re defacing the exterior!”

“Yesssss…..?”

“It simply won’t do!”

“Anybody complaining?”

“The Committee–”

“Anybody around here complaining?”

“No.”

“Those ‘scratches’ mark the area as under my protection. My Territory.”

“I realize it might be an instinct thing–”

I threw back my head and snorted. She jumped but didn’t back away. Score one for guts. “Do you know the crime rate around Territory?”

“Unacceptably high. That’s why the Los Lagos Beautification Committee wants to foster a more pleasant environment–”

“–Do you know the crime rate within Territory?”

“I don’t–”

“People don’t mess with places I’ve marked. They’ve got a stronger motivation than beauty. Me.”

For More Reading:

http://www.tarakharper.com/k_show.htm Great examples.

http://www.sfwriter.com/ow04.htm

Karina Teaches Worldbuilding – Lesson 6

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Over this year, Karina is going to share some of her writing seminars on the blog, with the lessons and references for further study. We’ll be posting these once a month. There’s no assigned homework, but if you have questions, please ask them in the comments. Her first workshop is worldbuilding. This is Lesson 6. Here are the links to Lesson 1, Lesson 2,  Lesson 3, Lesson 4, and Lesson 5.

Culture is roughly anything we do and the monkeys don’t.  –Lord Raglan

Probably even more important to your story than the history, military, or economic and political structure, is the culture. This adds spice to your story and defines your character. What do your characters do when they enter that universal pub that so many fantasy worlds have, or have to work with a new alien? Here you can find fertile ground for jokes, insults, conflict and even philosophical discussion.

Value System:

  • What are the values society treasures most? Leadership? Compliance? Ingenuity?
  • What are their attitudes toward children? The elderly? Lesser life forms (pets, wild animals, etc.)? The environment?
  • What’s considered success? Beauty? Intelligence?
  • What are good manners?

Education:

  • How much education do children get? Where do they receive it? How?
  • What topics are required? What are encouraged?
  • Do adults continue their education? Must they? Is education tied into promotions, or are native intelligence and natural skill more important?

Religion:

  • God: There’s no religion without a Higher Power (or powers, as the case may be.) Who or what are they outside of your people’s beliefs? (For convenience, I’ll refer to God as “He.” Of course, your world may consider God a she, it or something beyond gender.)
  • Believers: Religion must have followers. Who are they? What makes some of them more faithful than others? How do they experience their faith? Is your religion reserved for a certain section of the population? Is there a hierarchy of believers?
  • Relationship with God: What kind of God do these people believe in? How do they imagine Him, speak with Him, and believe He thinks about them (Loving? Wrathful? Jealous?) What does He want from them? Is He personal, like in the Christian religion, or some kind of encompassing force, like in the Jedi religion?
  • Method of communicating with God: Can they talk to God? Do they pray? Does He answer? If so, how? Does God grant graces or have special sacraments?
  • Method of worship: Is there organized group worship? If so, what are the rituals and requirements? Is it necessary?
  • Rules of living: What does God require of these people? What sacrifices does He ask? What rules of interacting with other sentients (or non-sentients) has He laid down? What commandments, laws, exhortations are there? What happens to those who do not live up to standards (heaven, hell, purgatory, mortal reward or punishment, etc.)? How does their religion deal with enemies—or aliens?
  • Spreading faith: Do they evangelize? Is faith instinctive or do they learn it? How do they grow spiritually? Are there rituals for spiritual growth?
  • Philosophy: How does their religion answer “Why?” Why is the sky blue? Why can I think and feel? Why do good or bad things happen? Why are we the way we are?
  • Record: How are the tenets of religion passed down? Is there a written (or equivalent) Word of God? Is it literal, allegorical, historical? What are the stories of their faith?
  • Roles: Are there prophets? Priests? Teachers? Saints? Angels? Demons?
  • Spirituality: How is it experienced? Expressed?
  • Symbology: What symbols does your religion have and what do they mean? A real-world example: if a red candle is lit in the sacristy (by the altar) of a Catholic church, it means Christ is physically present via the Consecrated Host. Symbols can be drawings or objects, gestures or words, clothing or constructs—but they all have (or had) meaning.

 Nit noids:

  • How are things named? Why?
  • What do people do for fun?
  • What are the bathrooms like?
  • How is their language structured? In my Dragon Eye, PI universe, the elves have a complex syntax and form of conversation: to say “Excuse me” is a ritual that involves recognizing the other person’s station in life compared to your own, the severity of the offence and several other factors.
  • What makes them laugh? Cry?

For More Reading:

A good way to come up with an alien culture is to read about new cultures and adapt it to your world. Read up on a place or religion you’re not familiar with.

Karina Teaches Worldbuilding – Lesson 5

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Over this year, Karina is going to share some of her writing seminars on the blog, with the lessons and references for further study. We’ll be posting these once a month. There’s no assigned homework, but if you have questions, please ask them in the comments. Her first workshop is worldbuilding. This is Lesson 5. Here are the links to Lesson 1, Lesson 2,  Lesson 3, and Lesson 4.

To seek out new life and new civilizations…  –Star Trek

Worlds are more than physics, and stories are more than settings. The most interesting thing about a world and the usual spot for conflict lies in the society that inhabits the world. Whether you have an intergalactic civilization with a history longer than the entire existence of the Earth or a small exploration group on an uncharted asteroid, you need to know how that society runs.

How much do you need to know? It depends on your story, your universe, and your own plans. David Weber has a complex and detailed universe for his Honor Herrington novels, and it shows. A short story, however, may only need a couple of important facts; the rest is immaterial. I once chatted with an author whose novel was unmanageably long because he was including every detail, right down to the history and construction of the blades used in a swordfight. One chatter suggested he was writing the world’s encyclopedia or an online game manual rather than a story.

Dream up as much of the background as you can and wish to, but don’t let it interfere with the story. Here are some things to consider:

 History:

  •   How did your country/world/empire come to be?
  •   Who were the major historic figures? (soldiers, statesmen, explorers, workers for peace, famous criminals, scientists, religious leaders, people not in power who do major things)
  •   What inventions changed their world?

Always start with those that affect your character, story and setting. For example, in the United States, every child grows up learning about George Washington, the Revolutionary War, and Pearl Harbor. In Colorado, however, kids will be more familiar with the explorer Zebulon Pike, while in Fredericksburg, VA, students learn about the apothecary and General Hugh Mercer.

 Military:

  • Are there a lot of wars on your world? Over what?
  • How does your society feel about war and the military? How does your character feel?
  • Does your character belong to a conquering “nation” or a conquered one? Or does his nation avoid battle, preferring negotiation or neutrality?

If needed, you can map out some of the major battles. Think not only about the ones that forged the civilization(s) you’re writing about, but also the area. In a real-world example, Fredericksburg, VA (where we used to live) was the site of several important battles in the American Civil War. Thus, you can’t walk for a block downtown without seeing something from that era – whether a statue of General Lee, a historical marker, a souvenir shop, or a Confederate Flag proudly displayed next to the Stars and Stripes. My husband has a Civil War sword that his neighbors dug out of their back yard.

 Economic:

  • How do people acquire things? Not all societies have a cash or barter system. In my world of Kanaan, people work for the joy of creating or performing a service and freely give away their wares. Lesser enjoyed duties (laundry, dishes, trash) are shared.
  • What are trade relations between systems, countries, etc. like?
  • How many resources does the average person have at their beck and call? Can they afford to throw food away? Broken or no longer wanted objects? How important is recycling?
  • What are the major industries, crops, etc? How do they affect the society and policies of your world?
  • Do you have big businesses or small conglomerates? How are they run? For example, in Rob’s and my Rescue Sisters novel, Discovery, we have a major space conglomerate, ColeCorp, which has its fingers in everything from universities to spaceship construction. It runs like a standard American business for the most part, but in the asteroid belt, it has a cooperative relationship with the small, independent mining companies.

 Political:

  • What kind of government does your world have? What are the variations? For example, you may have a monarchy, but instead of the crown passing to the firstborn son, it goes to whichever child demonstrates the strongest arcane ability at 16. Each child’s score is recorded, and when the monarch dies, the crown is passed to the most skilled.
  • Politics is more than governmental, however. How are decisions for groups made? How does this reflect society’s values?

 Inventions:

  • What inventions have transformed society? Think more than just commercially. Take the washing machine, for example. On the surface, it makes it easier to clean clothes, but look deeper, and you see it has changed our standards of clean, the amount and type of clothing the average person owns, and sparked the need for a whole slew of new industries, from detergent manufacturing to diaper services.

For More Reading:

Where do you come up with ideas for these things? Read about Earth! Read a history, political system or economics. Then ask yourself how you can adapt elements of this to your world.

Karina Teaches – Lesson 4

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Over this year, Karina is going to share some of her writing seminars on the blog, with the lessons and references for further study. We’ll be posting these once a month. There’s no assigned homework, but if you have questions, please ask them in the comments. Her first workshop is worldbuilding. This is Lesson 4. Here are the links to Lesson 1, Lesson 2, and Lesson 3.

Worldbuilding 101, Lesson 4: Your People

On the last day, God created Man (male and female), but we’re going to do it on Lesson 4.

For some of you, this won’t be too hard–you’ll have basic humanoids with some special quirk that makes them unique.

As you’ve already heard me say–and everybody join in this time–you need to think about the impact of the differences you make on the rest of your world. For example, for my novel Discovery, my husband Rob and I have postulated a race of creatures that are more patterned after starfish–radial symmetry rather than the vertical symmetry of humans. This introduced a whole slew of interesting questions:

–Do they have a sense of right/left/forward/back?

–Are certain digits devoted to walking and some to handling tools? Or are they ambidextrous?

–Where are their eyes? How do they see?

–How do they eat, sleep, procreate?

–What would their homes, vehicles, and equipment look like?

Fortunately for Rob and me, we will be dealing with humans exploring a long-dead spaceship, possibly abandoned, so we have some wiggle room for unanswered questions. We could concentrate just on the things that directly apply to the space ship, its design and especially its life craft. If we take our humans to this planet in another book, we’ll need more answers!

Even if you’re doing fantasy and are going to use some of the time-honored “aliens” like vampires, werewolves, etc., you still need to decide their biology, needs and how they are different. Is vampirism a disease, a genetic defect or a choice? Why can’t they come out into the sun? How does it really affect them–sunburn, allergic reaction or the good ol’ burst into flames? Do werewolves have to change in a full moon, or can they only change in the full moon? What happens to their clothes?

I’ve had a lot of fun playing with the usual clichés of fairy creatures in my Dragon Eye, PI universe. (www.dragoneyepi.net). For example, my elves are very long-lived. Well, when you live to be 500-600, your biology should slow down a bit, and so does your sense of time. Thus, while elves are able to interact with humans, they are also infuriatingly slow. Their language, for example, is full of prerequisites–to apologize for bumping into someone requires you recognize their social status and that of their family and tribe as compared to yours, the nature of the offense, the impact of that offense on the relationship and the relationship of their people… As my dragon detective Vern likes to complain, “It can take them half an hour to ask where the bathroom is.” (And, thanks to their changed biology, they do have half an hour before the need is urgent.)

Keep in mind, too, that the more that quirk is part of their nature, the more effect it will have on their civilization–but that’s lesson 5.

For more reading:

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Guide-Alien-Species-Star/dp/0345442202/ref=sr_1_1/104-5069618-1512745?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189371773&sr=1-1 The Essential Guide to Aliens (Star Wars) by Ann Lewis and RK Post. It’s amazing what people have come up with for creatures. Contains their history, biology and sociology. Great for ideas.

Dragon Magazine: Although out of print, each issue had a bestiary with incredible detail about certain kinds of creatures.

Dungeons and Dragons Players Handbooks or Monster Manuals: Pick a fantasy creature and these writers have thought of everything from how they react in an adventure to what they wear as pajamas. Forget the dice and the stats and just play with the ideas.

Real life creatures: Google a species that may have traits you want – like starfish or manta rays or birds. Even if you aren’t looking for a full creature, you might learn something. For example, if your alien has wings and can fly, you will want to study what else is involved – do they have feathers or skin like a bat? Do they fly or just soar like a flying squirrel? How does their anatomy support the wing structure?

 

Karina Teaches – Lesson 2

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Over this year, Karina is going to share some of her writing seminars on the blog, with the lessons and references for further study. We’ll be posting these once a month. There’s no assigned homework, but if you have questions, please ask them in the comments. Her first workshop is worldbuilding. This is Lesson 2. Find Lesson 1 here.

 

Lesson 2: Physics, Geology and Geography

HEY! Don’t open that! It’s an alien planet! Is there air? You don’t know!

–Guy Fleegman, Galaxy Quest

The more we know about the universe and what it takes to create Life, the more we realize just how amazing it is that any life–let alone sentient life–could have developed even once. The world must have a sun that is the right age, be in orbit at the right distance with an atmosphere to block out dangerous radiation and provide something to breathe. There must be carbon or some other basic building block that can combine with other elements to produce complex molecules that will work together. And of course, there must be water or a logical water-substitute. There must be time for those to evolve, societies to develop, etc…

Now, you may not have to start with quite these basics, but you should know to some degree (as determined by the need of the story) how what you’re doing will alter that delicate balance. Alter the mineral content of the world, and you might change its gravity. Change the gravity too much and you lose atmosphere. Introduce two moons and you mess with the tides. Even removing the tilt of your world (the earth sits at about a 23.5 degree tilt to the sun) and you mess with the seasons and the warming of the planet. Not that you can’t do these things, but you need to be aware of them and how they affect your world–and (if they are important to your story) what you’ll do for a work-around.

Second point for today is that planets are not homogeneous. Mars, for example, has a rep for being rather plain and desert-like, but it has fantastic topography, from huge mountains to incredible canyons, long stretches of deserts and rocky flatlands. There are polar ice caps (albeit made of carbon dioxide). Even the gas giants have regions of different climates and “topography,” or else they would not have storms. So the idea of a completely “Springlike” planet or an entirely harsh, rocky world isn’t especially believable.

Of course, there are exceptions. Arrakis (Dune) was desert from pole to pole, but Frank Herbert made it successful for several reasons: it was critical to the story, believable in its presentation, grounded in reason (the scarcity of water and the actions of the sandworms, who walled off water and kept it from rising to the surface), and he acknowledged (through the characters) its uniqueness in the galaxy, thus making it a mystery to draw you into the book rather than a distraction to pull you out.

The point, of course, is to know WHY your world is the way it is, and to make sure that its unique characteristics carry their own unique consequences. Fantasy artists can toss in another moon because it’s cool; writers have to deal with how that second moon affects the werewolves every month–or how it affects the counting of the months, for that matter.

Unless you are an astrophysicist, astrobiologist and geologist, you probably can’t readily say what will happen when you start tweaking your world. Fortunately, others have done that thinking for us. Find books, seek out professors at your local university–or call around and find an expert. And of course, remember that how deep you get into worldbuilding depends on how vital your world is to your plot–if you’re writing a fantasy tale that takes place inland, you don’t need to know how your second moon affects your tides so much as how it affects your werewolves. If you’re doing a “pirates on Xenologia” adventure, you’d better know how the oceans react to your second moon.

But my story takes place on Earth! You may not have to worry about the physics (unless you are introducing some paranormal element, in which case you might consider the “physics” of that), but your area still has geology and geography. Consider the differences between San Francisco, Chicago and Phoenix, for example. One is hilly and foggy; the other has multiple rivers; the third is flat and dry. Each has its own geography, and keep in mind that for the sake of your story “geography” includes man-made elements. Part of the geography of Los Angeles includes Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Hollywood, Beverly Hills… When I think about the geography of my hometown, Pueblo, Colorado, I think of the winding highway, I-25, with the mall at the north end, just before the big stucco welcome signs, and the rusting steel mill on the south end, where the city sort of peters out to an empty lot of the old drive-in and the greyhound race track.

 

For More Reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterrestrial_life

http://www.humantruth.info/aliens.html A fair summary of different life possibilities–from organic to robotic

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0091886163/vexencrabtree “What does a Martian Look Like? The Science of Extraterrestrial Life” by Jack Cohen

 

On writing…better!

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Pile of BooksWhat do you view as the most important element of your writing, or your writing life?

Passion? Yes, we all need that, especially when faced with rejection or obstacles in our quest for publication. But if passion were the most critical element in the making of a successful author, the bookstores would be overflowing with our works.

Persistence is certainly another closely related trait shared by successful authors. Again, though, while essential to success, it’s only part of the story.

Time (and balance) questions are often posed to well-known authors in Q & A sessions. It’s a challenge for everyone: how to juggle family/work/writing. That one has no pat answer. Each person has to find what works, and once a routine is established, be flexible enough to accommodate changing circumstances.

How about subject matter and finding a matching audience? Yep. Crucial. Have you written something that someone wants to read? How are they going to discover it? If you have a good handle on these basics, you’re a step ahead of many writers.

Let’s say you have all these ingredients. You’ve got a story (or a topic, for nonfiction writers), a passion for telling it, you are persistent, and you have a good sense of your target audience. You’ve created a workable plan that supports your creativity.

Anything missing?

I would humbly propose that commitment to development of one’s craft might actually top the list. If the final product is full of misspellings, inappropriate word choices, poor pacing, clichés, etc., no one is going to want to read it, no matter how awesome the premise.

Your goal is for readers to snap up your amazing work! And then clamor for more!

Development of craft can come through formal schooling (college coursework, or in-residence classes), informal schooling (online classes or workshops at conferences), or books. I’d like to share my favorite books on the craft of writing. Some of these have garnered mention in my contributions to the CWG blog over the past year or so, but I thought it would be helpful to list them together. I’d also love for you to jump in with your favorites.

  • Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Browne & King. The first craft book I ever bought, its precepts remain timeless and valuable.
  • Plot & Structure, Bell. Great for learning, well, how to structure fiction.
  • Conflict & Suspense, Bell. How to keep your reader turning the pages. The ideas pertain to all fiction, not just suspense, and can be applied to nonfiction, as well.
  • Revision & Self-Editing, Bell. Just what it says. (*Note: The last three books are by James Scott Bell, and are published by Writers Digest, which offers an extensive list of books on the different aspects of craft. There are other books on these subjects by other authors and other publishers.)
  • Save the Cat!, Snyder. Intended for screenwriting, it is a great resource for learning story structure and for increasing the level of dialogue (a trend in modern fiction).
  • Writing the Breakout Novel, Maas. Everything about novels and how to balance the elements, written by a high-powered literary agent.
  • Break into Fiction, Buckham and Love. Perhaps more geared to the genre of romance, but more broadly applicable.
  • Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies, Wainger. A top editor with many years of experience, this peek at our work through her lens is invaluable. Again, the content can be more broadly applied.
  • Believable Characters, Creating with Enneagrams, Schnebly. A method for creating rich characters based on personality types.
  • Punctuation, Plain and Simple, Edgar C. Alward and Jean A. Alward.
  • Roget’s Thesaurus.
  • Any good dictionary.
  • Words That Make a Difference, Greenman.
  • The Elements of Style, Strunk and White.

Books by successful authors about writing on my shelves:

  • On Writing, Stephen King
  • How I Write, Janet Evanovich
  • Escaping into the Open, the Art of Writing True, Berg.

Believe it or not, this is not a complete list of my reference books. Some of the rest duplicate the content of the ones listed, or stray from a strictly-writing focus. Have I read all of these? You bet. In some cases, several times over. Have they helped me? Absolutely. Would they help writers of the submissions of a recent contest I judged? Yes, yes, and yes again.

What references do you keep at hand as you write? What books do you consider so essential that you’d buy a copy for your favorite protégé? Let’s see how many different books show up in this list! Thanks for contributing to a reference gem for our fellow authors!

They Need to Stay Out of Our Faith

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I’m tired folks. Not because I am a senior citizen or because my back hurts or because I am a cancer survivor. All of that stuff is GOOD. I am tired and worn out from being slapped upside the head because I am Catholic. Yeah–just like all of you here– Catholic. It seems we go along day after day, year after year, and watch and hear our faith denigrated and mocked by a secular world where the slightest hint of a moral boundary professed or defended is ridiculed. God forbid anyone (especially someone who represents our church) attempts to say “NO” to anyone of “modern virtue” who has their own ideas as to what our faith should be.

I am a blue-collar Catholic guy who loves his faith and his church (just like all of you) and that is all there is to it. My three priorities have always been: God, Family, and Country—in that order. But you see, no one ever bothered us about that, right? God bless the framers of the Constitution. Were they SMART. Freedom of Religion–the very first amendment. They knew what kind of lid had to be placed on the pressure cooker of diversity that was to be America. They knew that religion transcended man-made law. It made things either right or wrong. It said yes and no, it gave us a “right thing to do”, it provided a moral compass. Ah, “yes and no”—how archaic to so many in our sophisticated and secular 21st century world. Yet, how beautiful and reassuring to so many others. Such a paradox.

Look, we go to Mass on Sunday and some of us, if possible, might go every day. And then, on occasion, we like to pay a “visit” to our church. It does not matter where the church is located. Anywhere in the world is just fine. They may look different but they are all the same. Jesus is there. For real. We believe that. We know that for a fact. It is a faith thing. We can stop in for five minutes just to say “Hi Jesus” or we can sit for five hours and talk to Him or not talk to Him. He doesn’t care. He’s always happy to visit with us. If anyone has a problem with that—oh well, Freedom of Religion—remember. Faith is that great intangible. Illogical if you have not been given it. Wondrous if you have embraced it.

So, what’s my problem? Well, first of all I thought that we were supposed to live our faith 24/7. I mean, when I leave church, is that it? Haven’t I gone to church to be nourished and reinforced, so when I leave the church and confront the world outside I am prepared to do my best to live up to my beliefs? And now, unprecedented in American history, an administration in power is telling us that when we go OUTSIDE our church we must violate our beliefs under penalty of breaking the law, facing a fine or even imprisonment. They have even suggested that we have declared a “war on women” because we are refusing to give contraception to women. Have THEY LOST THEIR MINDS? President Nixon signed Title X into law in 1970 , 42 years ago, and contraception on demand has been available all over the country ever since.

This first Tuesday of the month blog is supposed to be about ‘writing stuff’. Well, I am writing a little bit different here. I think it is what all of us have to do more of as writers. Write more about our faith that is being held under siege. I am tired of this unrelenting attack on our faith, supposedly being waged under the banner of “virtue”. What a crock. Maybe we should close all the Catholic hospitals and schools, foundling homes, Catholic Charities, the St. Vincent De Paul Society and HIV/AIDS Centers, homes for the deaf and the blind and the homeless. Have they LOST THEIR MINDS? They need to stay out of our faith and we need to, following the example of our bishops, defend it.

Using Photos and Images on Your Blog

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There’s something appealing about a good picture with a good blog post. I started using images as a matter of course when I noticed some of my favorite bloggers doing it.

It’s like a challenge, sometimes, finding the picture that expresses the post. Sometimes it’s a way of sending another message in the post.

Other times, it’s just a headache. Especially when you consider the copyright issues.

You need to make sure you list sources and that any images you use aren’t copyrighted. Lifting them from Google Images isn’t always kosher. (And, yes, I’ve been guilty of that in the past.)

Just as you don’t want someone just using your writing–or, to keep to the topic of blogging, your complete blog posts–without crediting you, photographers and designers don’t want people just lifting their images or artwork.

I’ve come up with a few rules in the last few months:

  1. No credit, no go. Whether I use an image that’s fair game online or one that my sister-in-law took, I try to give credit where credit’s due, usually at the bottom of the post.
  2. CYA. I cover myself and make sure I’m getting my photos from sources that are open source (meaning anyone can use them in a non-commercial way) or that I have permission. Period.

This is a serious issue, indeed. A favorite non-profit of mine was sued for money they didn’t have because, on their website, they had used a copyrighted image without permission. Lesson learned, for me AND for them!

Here are a few places I’ve found that are good for free, open domain images, suitable for blog posts and non-commercial content:

  • Creative Commons Search
  • Deviant (This an open online gallery and social site for artists. You can search it for paintings, cartoons, etc. that people have done. If you find something that you like and fits, contact the artist through his page and ask to use the image. Sometimes, they will want to charge. Others will be glad to let you use their image as long as you credit them. Be sure to thank them on their deviant art site and give them a link to your video when done.)
  • Flickr Advanced Search (use the option for Creative Commons licensed items)
  • FreeFoto
  • Gimp Savvy
  • MorgueFile
  • Stock Xchng
  • Wikimedia Commons

Here are a couple of colletions that have links to other places:

Have any to add to my list?

image source: MorgueFile

Helpful Blogging Links

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Are you a non-technical type? Are you new to blogging and feeling quite overwhelmed and unsure of where to start?

I found a few links and, since I’m tight on time this week, thought I would share them with you. Next month, we’ll dive into some blogging for beginners posts. Until then, this is your homework. If you’re confused about something specifically, feel free to leave it in the comments and I’ll do my best to field your questions.
– This has a lot of useful information and links. It explains some of the terms that I use rather freely (RSS, anyone?) and also outlines
– This post has some useful information in it, though it seems aimed at the travel industry.
– I know, by now you probably have a blog already. But sometimes I find it helpful to go back through the steps of something I don’t understand that well.
Seth Godin’s Free E-Book, Who’s There
– The link above opens a PDF file, but it’s worth your time. I found it as I was preparing this post, and as a fan of Seth Godin, I’m pretty sure I’ll learn something from it. I’m pretty sure, knowing Seth Godin, that you will learn something too. So let’s read it, and if anything strikes us, we’ll discuss it in the combox or a future post.
With that, I have to spank some deadlines into shape. Have a great couple of weeks, y’all!
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Sarah Reinhard blogs at SnoringScholar.com and is also on Twitter and Facebook. She’s the author of Welcome Baby Jesus: Advent and Christmas Reflections for Families.

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