Category: Writing

In the Black and White ‘Fifties

On By Betty OwensIn Betty Thomason Owens, Bluetick coonhound, Dogs, families, Happiness, hound, humor, momma's cooking, Writing

Living in an imaginary world can be difficult. Especially when it’s a world that existed in the past. I’m listening to ‘fifties music, watching old black and white movies––and noticing their footwear, by the way. I’m pushing my memories back as far as they’ll go, and trying to remember the sights and the sounds of the era.

It was so much easier writing fantasy, because nothing in that world existed until I created it. I experimented and I had fun. I pulled out dreams and wishes and wove them into my stories. The land and the characters are loosely based on reality. 

But that could also be said of my work-in-progress; the historical. The characters are loosely based on people I’ve met. I love their language, because it brings back precious memories of some of my favorite people. The time seems enchanted, because it comes straight off a page in my childhood. A simpler time. Not so evil, and filled with violence as it is now. 

Sometimes, I have to remove my rosy glasses, and gaze past my perceptions into reality. There was violence. There was hate. There was prejudice. There was a strict moral code and an active class system.  Things never discussed in polite company. Lines you did not cross. Ugly signs on doors, limiting who entered. Trouble brewing beneath the surface.

And then there were long, lazy, summer days, homemade lemonade and ice cream. No one asked what was in the hot dogs they served at picnics. I loved my patent leather Mary Janes and my puffy crinoline skirts. I loved tire swings and playing corncob jail and kick the can. 

So I’m weaving all of these things into this story-in-progress. Pulling out all the stops and telling the story as it flows from my heart. At regular intervals, Samson lopes into the scene and provides warmth and maybe a chuckle or two. If you’re wondering who Samson is, read last week’s post. 

I’d love to hear some of your favorite memories, if you’re old enough to remember the ‘fifties. Please drop me a line. 

Thanks for reading,

Competition vs. Whatever

On By Betty OwensIn Competition, race, Writing

My sons gulped down their food so fast, I barely had time to sit down before they’d finished. With them, everything was a competition. Who finished first? I don’t remember, because it wasn’t important.

This went on in every phase of their lives. To this day, as grown men, they still feel compelled to compete. Yet, in most ways, all three are completely different. 
Competition definitely holds a place in most every walk of life. It pushes you forward to achieve more, run faster, think better, gain more stuff, lose more weight, etc. I could go on and on. The competitive person is never satisfied. Tell them “no,” or rate them second-best, and they’ll rush to prove you wrong.
On the other hand, the “whatever” person could care less (so they say) whether they finish a race. It’s too much work. They didn’t get a promotion, but it would’ve been too much stress anyway. Shrug a shoulder and say, “Whatever.”
There’s an overabundance of competition and rivalry everywhere you turn these days, and at times it’s so tempting to say “whatever,” sit in your chair and dose off. 
But the painter paints, the composer composes, the singer sings, the writer writes. No matter how big the challenge, and believe me, the competition’s heavy right now. In the face of so much opposition, we 
keep plugging away, day after day. Hope rises and sets like the sun. One day we’re inching forward, the next, we’re flat on our faces, humiliated and spent.
I can’t really say where I am in that race, I’ve completely lost sight of my opponents. Are they so far ahead of me? Should I just give up? No matter how much I’d love to, I can’t. What if I can’t see my fellows because they’re that far behind me?
Whatever I accomplish in this world, whether good or bad, even if no one remembers my name, I know one thing for certain and it is this: I tried. I ran. I wrote. 
Thanks for reading. See you out there!

I hear you fine, I just can’t understand…

On By Betty OwensIn ebooks, hearing, Kindle, letter, phone, Writing2 Comments

It’s possible no one will ever read this. I am happy to say, it doesn’t matter. I am going to write even if no one reads what I write. 

If you’re a writer and you want to guarantee someone reads what you write, then write letters to loved ones. I still have a few family members who don’t have computers. They love getting letters, especially handwritten ones. They read mine, then they send me an answer. Instead of seconds or minutes, the whole process takes a week or two at a combined cost of nearly a dollar. 
I could just pick up the phone and call them, but I have trouble hearing on the phone and some of them have the same problem. Our conversations tend toward hilarity. “I hear you fine, I just can’t understand what you’re saying…” 

And in the end, I find I must write a letter to be sure they understood what I told them on the phone. So it saves time, if not money, to write a letter.
One dear friend who calls me a youngster was wondering when I’d publish another book. I told her I have an ebook in progress. “You should get a Kindle reader, I think you’d like it,” I said.
“I’ve seen those for sale,” she said. “I don’t reckon I could figure out how to use it.”
“Oh it’s easy to use,” I told her. “You could get your son to set it up and after that, it’s a breeze.”
“Yeah, well, it’d just be another thing I’d have to remember where I set it. Then I’d spend half the day looking for it, and another half of the day trying to remember what I was looking for.”
I couldn’t argue with that. 

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written. I’ll try to do better here on out. Hope you’re having a wonderful day. 
Thanks for stopping by!