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 The Good Life. |
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You Are Welcome Here Life is good. Let's share it. New Year, New Strategy For 2026, I launched a weekly topic rotation designed to help me stay d i s c i p l i n e d while ensuring that you, the reader, always know what to expect. Unfortunately, I have yet to acquire a million followers  and gain official WDC "influencer" status, and I often find myself seduced by whimsy. Thus, my blogging strategy continues to evolve.So, What Can I Expect? I'm glad you asked. For now, until whimsy strikes again, here's what you can expect: Subject Sundays I'll publish an educational and/or discussion-provoking article, probably on one of the following subjects:.  Music & music education The art and business of writing Owning & managing a small business Science & technologyMain Character Mondays I'll establish goals every Monday and touch base about family, work, health and leisure. Tuesdays through Fridays I'll work on and update weekly goals. When I check off completed writing goals, I'll share the fruits of those labors, if applicable. These posts are likely to include blurbs about my day and the occasional rant, although I try to post rants at "What the Fork?"  * I can only commit to one review per week. If you would like your short story to be in my reviewing queue, please send me a WDC review request. Check out my public reviews to get a sense of what to expect.
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| Web News My last business website revision was 2016, so it was way past time. I started building a new one in 2025, finished it summerish, then couldn't easily migrate it. Stymied, I let it sit and cool off for about seven months. I broke it out again sometime in February (it all runs together, see "What the Fork?" for my opinion on February), but there's always a debugging period, so I'm still tweaking. One thing on my list is to go through my 2k+ photos in my media library, eliminate photos I don't need, duplicates (and triplicates... and there are a lot of them), and label the rest for easier searching. That way, when I need a photo of a kid playing a cello, I can search for "cello" instead of "20230821_170847-scaled".  I did a bunch of labeling, but that feels like a neverending job....now, don't yell at me over "neverending", dumb spellchecker. *pokes at red squiggles* Everyone knows it's not "The Never-Ending Story". So, in addition to hours and hours of media library cleanup (punctuated by texting ancient photos to friends, moms, and grown-ass kids who used to be adorable five-year-olds), I also updated the "Music Lab" and "Teachers & Staff" pages of my biz website: Music Technology & Learning Lab Teachers & Staff I was on such a roll that I also started working on my author site. I basically just tossed another Wordpress site into a subdirectory on my domain. I went to the media library to look for some photos I could get a headshot out of.... aha! That's how I got sucked into the media library cleanup project. Stupid ADHD. Anyway, the author site currently looks like this: http://michelletuesday.com/author Give it time. It will soon enough look as glorious as the homepage (http://michelletuesday.com). Progress against goals (and a new "Build author website" goal) are below. But first, enjoy 11-year-old Phillip's Music Lab poster. This kid's dad is a professional marketing guru, so Phillip enjoys creating marketing materials for me (see also, the homepage.) Webbily, Michelle  Goals for 2/23/26 - 3/1/26 Work Goals   Review work tasks list 3x per week Payroll - Caught up on approvals as of yesterday. I'll need to run (process) payroll on March 1st. Website - v.2025 is still a work in progress. Today, I: Cleaned out all the test databases and files from design trial & error. Tweaked the blog page formatting. Storm Machine may notice.   Worked on the media library. Updated the "Music Lab" and "Teachers & Staff" pages.Writing Goals Create official author website- I'm having a hard time finding photos of my without a guitar in hand and mic in front of my face. Min 30 min/week on current novel - TBD One short story for "The Bradbury" - TBD and I still owe for last week. One themed blog post - TBD One review - I'm ahead by three weeks (2/23,3/2,3/9). Current assignment for "26 Paychecks " - caught up til our new assignment this Thursday. Current assignment for "The Sprawling Ink Society" - I plan to post another assignment Sunday (which is March 1st.) |
| What the Fork? Earned a Quill Award for Best New Forum (thanks for your votes!!  ) and got a shiny new logo and cover art:
Trinket Poll Grab a freebie trinket and cast your vote:
Entertainment Sunday has turned into our official binge day, which is bad because that cuts into my writing and WDC activity time! but good because hubby and I hang with the poochies.  Comments about our latest binges/attempts: The Hunting Party One of the worst "As you know, Bob"s I've ever seen in a network production at the end of Episode 2, and it was already cliche anyway. Two thumbs down and no Episode 3 for us. Amish Stud - The Eli Weaver Story (Lifetime movie currently on Netflix) Interesting story, terrible acting. I mean terrible. Nurse Jackie Finally! A winner! Heartwarming and humorous with great characters. Nurse Jackie herself is asking for some trouble with the double life she's leading. Goals for 2/23/26 - 3/1/26 It's time for a Goals adjustment. Changes include: - Reducing novel time to one 30-minute session per week. - Remove "PromptMaster !" goals due to temporary event closure (after this week)- I expect to add a couple more work goals soon. My productivity and focus today were atrocious. I only got four hours of sleep, which is sparse, even for me. Body stiffness is creeping back in, so I need to break out the PT exercises and stretches (and, you know, regular exercise  ) ASAP. I'm also on a different ADHD med (two or three weeks now), and the jury's out. Judging by today, I need a higher dose. But over the weekend I did better. I have another couple weeks to assess before my follow-up with the doc.Thus, I have little to report in the way of goal progress, other than to establish them for the week: Work Goals Review work tasks list 3x per weekWriting Goals Min 30 min/week on current novel - TBD Two poems for "PromptMaster !" - TBD - TBD One short story for "The Bradbury" - TBD and I still owe for last week. One themed blog post - TBD One review - I'm ahead by three weeks (2/23,3/2,3/9). Current assignment for "26 Paychecks " - caught up til our new assignment this Thursday. Current assignment for "The Sprawling Ink Society" - I plan to post another assignment Sunday (which is March 1st.) |
| There's been so much cool news at WDC in the past twenty-four hours that I just don't have much else to say. But I did want to log a quick Goals update for future reference. It's a pretty good goals week. Goals for 2/16/26 - 2/22/26  Min 10 min/day on current novel - Review work tasks list 3 days/week - Two poems for "PromptMaster !" - "Actually, Probably" - "My Voice" One short story for "The Bradbury" - One themed blog post (music/writing) - "What AI Is Good For (or, "Bottom Wiping")" One review - I wrote four, actually, and I've giving myself credit for the next three weeks! (2/23,3/2,3/9)- Review of "The Visit" - Review of "Team Ahimsa Blog Relay, Various Contests" - Review of "A Broken World" - Review of "All Alone" Current assignment for "26 Paychecks " - "Unwritten Genre: Military" Current assignment for "The Sprawling Ink Society" - "Target Audience & Voice" Cheers, Michelle |
| This post was generated by Google Gemini. It was also my first attempt at using "Columns" in the beta editor, and they're currently broken. I'm leaving them that way to file a bug report. I'm happy to report that SM fixed the columns. PROMPT: How did people wipe their bottoms before toilet paper was invented? It turns out that "the good old days" were many things, but "soft and quilted" was definitely not one of them. Before Joseph Gayetty marketed the first commercial toilet paper in 1857, humans were remarkably resourceful—and occasionally very brave—with their hygiene.What people used largely depended on two things: where they lived and how much money they had. The "Natural" Approach For the average person throughout history, nature provided the toolkit. If it was within arm's reach and didn't sting, it was fair game.  Leaves and Grass: The most common choice globally. Moss and Ferns: A "premium" natural choice because of their softness and absorbency. Fruit Skins: Specifically citrus peels or husks. Snow: Used by Inuit populations and people in boreal climates (surprisingly effective, if chilling).
Regional Specialties Different cultures developed specific "tools" for the job: Ancient Rome (The Tersorium): In public latrines, Romans used a communal sponge attached to a wooden stick. It was kept in a bucket of strong saltwater or vinegar between uses. Yes, it was shared. Ancient Greece: They used pessoi, which were small stones or pieces of ceramic (broken pottery) smoothed down at the edges. Ancient China: They were actually the pioneers of paper hygiene. As early as the 6th century, scholars mentioned using paper, and by the 14th century, the Ming Dynasty was manufacturing mass-produced, oversized sheets for the imperial family. Colonial America: The corncob was the go-to. Even after newspapers and catalogs became common, many still preferred the "scrubbing power" of a dried cob.
The Rise of "Paper" (Before TP) In the 1700s and 1800s, as literacy and printing increased, people transitioned to "recycled" paper: The Farmers’ Almanac: It was intentionally printed with a hole in the corner so it could be hung on a nail in the outhouse. Catalogues: The Sears Roebuck catalog was a legendary bathroom staple—until they started printing on glossy paper in the 1930s, which (to the frustration of many) wasn't nearly as absorbent.
Summary Table Era/Culture Ancient Rome Ancient Greece Coastal Regions Wealthy Elite 19th Century US Material Used Communal sponge on a stick Smooth stones or pottery shards Mussel shells or coconut husks Wool, lace, or hemp Corncobs or Newsprint Comfort Level Low (and risky) Ouch Rough High (for the time) Functional Please list your sources. To give you the "receipts" on these historical hygiene practices, here are the primary archaeological and historical sources that back up those claims: 1. Ancient Rome: The Tersorium (Sponge on a Stick)Source: Seneca the Younger, Moral Letters to Lucilius (Letter 70). * The Evidence: Seneca recounts a story of a Germanic gladiator who committed suicide by shoving a "sponge on a stick used for cleaning excrement" down his throat. Archaeological finds in Ostia (near Rome) also show a running water trough in front of toilets, likely for rinsing these sponges. 2. Ancient Greece: Pessoi (Stones) and Ostraka (Pottery)Source: Philippe Charlier et al., "Toilet Hygiene in the Classical Era," BMJ (British Medical Journal).The Evidence: Researchers identified ceramic shards (pessoi) in ancient latrine pits that were smoothed at the edges to prevent injury. They also noted the use of ostraka—pottery shards inscribed with names of enemies—found in Athens, suggesting a double use for political ostracization and personal hygiene. 3. Ancient China: The First Paper & "Poop Sticks"Source: The History of the Northern Dynasties (written in the 7th century) and the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.The Evidence: Scholar Yan Zhitui (589 AD) famously wrote that he would never use paper with the "names of sages" on it for "toilet purposes." Furthermore, in 1992, archaeologists at the Xuanquanzhi site on the Silk Road found bamboo "hygiene sticks" (cèchóu) from the Han Dynasty (111 BCE) with cloth remains containing parasite eggs. 4. Colonial America & Rural West: The CorncobSource: The Old Farmer’s Almanac historical archives and anthropological surveys of American folk life.The Evidence: Before modern indoor plumbing, the corncob was the primary tool in American outhouses. It was so common that when toilet paper was first marketed, it was often called "paper corncobs" to help people understand what it was for. 5. 19th-Century Innovation: The Sears CatalogSource: Sears, Roebuck and Co. Corporate History and the University of North Texas Digital Library.The Evidence: Photos and primary accounts from the early 20th century show the Sears catalog hanging in outhouses. The "Marketing Genius" theory holds that Richard Sears intentionally used thinner, softer paper (newsprint style) until the 1930s, when they switched to glossy paper, which was notoriously criticized for being "un-wipable." Key Historical Milestones Milestone Date Reference First Mention of Paper Wiping 589 AD Yan Zhitui's personal notes Mass Production (China) 1393 Ming Dynasty Imperial Bureau of Supplies First Commercial TP (US) 1857 Gayetty’s Medicated Paper (Joseph Gayetty) The Perforated Roll 1871 Seth Wheeler's patent |
| Today's post is mostly a goals check-in. If you're not opposed to XGC content, I wouldn't mind one or two more reviews for "Cursed" . If you're a serial novelist, I'm interested in your thoughts about this conversation: "Target Audience & Voice" .Goals are on target. I'm happy with them. Goals for 2/16/26 - 2/22/26 Min 10 min/day on current novel - Review work tasks list 3 days/week - Two poems for "PromptMaster !" - One short story for "The Bradbury" - One themed blog post (music/writing) - I have some ideas clunking around. One review - Review of "The Visit" Current assignment for "26 Paychecks " - "Unwritten Genre: Military" Current assignment for "The Sprawling Ink Society" - "Target Audience & Voice" Musically, Michelle |
I did a thing:
My first-ever attempt at horror, inspired by "Horror Writing Contest" . Warning! Mind the rating. It's legit.That fulfills last week's short story requirement, so I'm caught up, at least. Also, as a background story in my "The Sprawling Ink Society" project, this story is keeping that project in front of me, even if it doesn't specifically check of any boxes. It may have turned my Druid Archives world a notch or two darker. Today is Tuesday. I have no students on Tuesdays and Sundays, making them my freest and most flexible days. I should be able to get a lot done. Should. Goals for 2/16/26 - 2/22/26 Min 10 min/day on current novel - Review work tasks list 3 days/week Two poems for "PromptMaster !" One short story for "The Bradbury" - not yet, but I submitted last week's today. One themed blog post (music/writing) - One review - Current assignment for "26 Paychecks " Current assignment for "The Sprawling Ink Society" |
| Just a quick goals update today. I played in the worship band this morning (rare these days), napped, did my daily gamesbrain exercises, napped, then worked on rereading and editing my current novel project for a few hours. Still no Bradbury story, but I may still crank one out before sleep, after Netflixing with the hubs. Goals for 2/9/26 - 2/15/26 Min 10 min/day on current novel - I made up for it today. I've been editing. Review work tasks list 3 days/week Two poems for "PromptMaster !" One short story for "The Bradbury" One themed blog post (music/writing) - Copyright law One review - Actually, yes, but when I hit "send" WDC had logged me out and I lost it.  Current assignment for "26 Paychecks " Current assignment for "The Sprawling Ink Society" |
| As a contest owner, I've been grappling with this. I've tried to remain neutral and avoid rules around AI use in my activities, but fairness is ingrained in my bones. I fully support (and enthusiastically encourage!) AI for brainstorming and wording suggestions. But, in my opinion, once it rewrites what you wrote - tightens your prose, increases your pacing, and changes the voice of the author - even if it doesn't change the story itself, those paragraphs are no longer your original creation. The story is - that's the human element - but not the text. IMO, there's nothing inherently wrong with AI rewriting your work - until you publish it with your byline and stamp it with © Copyright 2026 Brandiwyn🎶 v.2026 (tuozzo at Writing.Com), because can you really copyright text you didn't write? In a contest setting, other authors are now competing with AI - and if you didn't disclose the AI rewrite, then your competitors don't even know it. I found an attorney's YouTube channel and a video where she addresses copyrighting in publishing of books where AI was used . In it, she says (2:10-ish) that copyright "protects human creativity, not generated text," and that if you use AI to "brainstorm, outline or organize your own human-created content, then you can copyright the human-created portions of your work."I have no idea who this attorney is, and the video is 10 months old, so I tried to check US copyright law for myself: https://www.copyright.gov/ai/ Part 2 addresses copyrightability of AI-generated text. The summary of findings is on page 8 of the Part 2 report. Relevant bullet points: Copyright protects the original expression in a work created by a human author, even if the work also includes AI-generated material. Whether human contributions to AI-generated outputs are sufficient to constitute authorship must be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. Human authors are entitled to copyright in their works of authorship that are perceptible in AI-generated outputs, as well as the creative selection, coordination, or arrangement of material in the outputs, or creative modifications of the outputsIn conclusion, that is where I'll draw the line for my competitive WDC events. My non-competitive events will remain neutral - use of AI, and to what extent, is entirely your choice. |
| I missed Main Character Mondays yesterday. Oops. At the music school, the hot water heater died. I got a quote from a plumber to replace it. It's up in the loft above the bathrooms, accessible by ladder in the music lab, and I swear the building was built around the stupid thing. It's surrounded by duct work and rafters, or whatever you call the metal framing that holds up the roof in a retail strip mall. The space was a coffee shop before it was a soccer store before it was a music school, so it had a 50 gallon hot water tank, where we really only need 20. So getting the new one in wasn't a concern, but I did ask about getting the old one out. Quote guy says to me, this isn't our first rodeo. Fast forward to installation today. It was supposed to take a couple hours. They started at 11:00, and at 12:30, they didn't look like they were super close to done, so I confirmed they would be done by 4:00 when the students were scheduled to arrive. They were clearing a clog in the old tank before they could remove it, but he thought it would be about an hour more. 4:00 was no problem at all, supposedly. So I left. Reception contacts me at 3:00. They can't get the old tank out because of all the framing and duct work. ...You don't say. At this point the clock is ticking, so they decide they're going to install the new one, but leave the old one up there, and we could worry about how to get it out later. I'm like, um, are you at all concerned that maybe the combined weight of the old tank plus the weight of the new tank plus water might exceed the weight of the old tank when it was full, which is what the support structure was designed for? (In case you're wondering, which I know you are, I asked during the quote if a permit was required, and rodeo guy said no. I said, even though we're changing the size?, he said nope and assured me that they were licensed and bonded and he knew what he was talking about.) The teachers decided to move the lab out into the lobby temporarily since the plumbers were clearly not going to make the 4:00 deadline. Amazingly, they managed to get the old tank out after all, so I don't have to have heartburn over the weight issue. Then the day got more fun, because the plumbers were unable to test the new water heater. That's because, right around the time they were plumbing it in, a water main broke in our plaza and we lost water to the store completely. According to the landlord, it would be restored by (either 9pm or 6am? Receptionist wasn't totally clear on which.) Which meant we also lost the bathrooms. So reception starts contacting all the students to cancel lessons for the rest of the night (third time in as many weeks, thanks to Snowmaggeddon and Minimaggeddon) and she's about halfway through that when the water comes back on. After the plumbers are gone, of course. So that was work today. I don't have students on Tuesdays, so I worked on the business website (michelletuesday.com, if you're interested - it's still purple) more and wrote my two poems for PromptMaster: For the prompt, "The most suspicious thing likely to make a librarian raise an eyebrow.": "Library Tryst" For the prompt, "Write a poem using a very limited vocabulary that is at least 8 lines long.": "The Band Director's Resignation" Y'all, Jayne truly is the PromptMaster. If you're not already participating, I highly recommend it. Goals are below. G'night, Michelle Goals for 2/10/26 - 2/16/26 Min 10 min/day on current novel Review work tasks list 3 days/week Two poems for "PromptMaster !" One short story for "The Bradbury" One themed blog post (music/writing) One review Current assignment for "26 Paychecks " Current assignment for "The Sprawling Ink Society" |
| One of the lesser frequently-asked question among prospective clients of my music school is, "How long will it take for me/my child to master the instrument?" Um. This question never ceases to baffle me. I try to look at it from the perspective of non-musicians who truly have no clue what's involved, but in my imagining, that only makes it worse. Looking from the outside at the task of studying an instrument, with zero music experience, it might seem almost insurmountable. Yet some inquirers seem to believe that learning music has an end date, like it's a crash course: Learn Piano in Just Twelve Weeks! And then you get your certificate, and you're an official Certified Musician. No. I had this conversation with a dad seeking voice and/or piano lessons for his 6-year-old child yesterday. I gave him my typical initial reply, which satisfies less than half the askers of this question: "The study of music is a lifelong endeavor." The parent acknowledged what I was saying, but tried to clarify what he was asking: "Yes, yes, of course. But how long until she can do it on her own?" I understood exactly what he meant the first time. What he really wanted to know is, How much is this going to cost me? He's just trying to budget, and I get it. Being a parent is expensive. I can't answer his question, though, because... it depends. It depends on how quickly your daughter learns. It depends on how much she practices, which depends on how much she loves it and how much you enforce it at home. It depends on whether she reliably attends her lessons every week, and whether you stay consistently enrolled or withdraw every summer for travel. Most importantly, it depends on your definition of mastery. That's my favorite part of these conversations - the client can't define mastery to pin down what their question even is. They flounder and reword and shrug helplessly and expect me to define it for them, for me to explain what the end of learning looks like - because isn't that the question they're asking, after all? Musicians with PhD's on their instrument are still learning. How long does it take to master a language? I don't know about you, but at age 50, I'm still learning English, which is my native language. How long does it take to master the art of writing? The mechanics of writing? The business of writing? The marketing of writing? We. Are. All. Still. Learning. Hopefully, I have successfully answered the question, and you now know exactly how long it takes to master an instrument. I'll close with a short (<2min) video about learning. With my apologies, it's a YouTube Short and cannot be embedded: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/zpR6AEKAZuc Educationally, Michelle Min 10 min/day on current novel Review work tasks list 3 days/week Two poems for "PromptMaster !" One short story for "The Bradbury" One themed blog post (music/writing) One review Current assignment for "26 Paychecks " Current assignment for "The Sprawling Ink Society" |
| I technically finished my story for "The Bradbury" after midnight (00:09? maybe), but I counted it, so here's the status of yesterday's goals: Goals for 2/2/26 - 2/9/26 Min 10 min/day on current novel Review work tasks list 3 days/week Two poems for "PromptMaster !" One short story for "The Bradbury" One themed blog post (music/writing) One review Current assignment for "26 Paychecks " Current assignment for "The Sprawling Ink Society" It's Friday morning. I have a packed schedule today because of all the rescheduled lessons from Snowmaggeddon last week. And now Mini-maggeddon is dumping more snow. I ventured out into it to meet the plumber at the music school, but after painstakingly making it past emergency vehicles and cars in ditches to the halfway point of my commute, I realized I forgot to reattach my insulin pump after my shower. I left it on the nightstand back at home. Soooo, I painstakingly made it back home and decided not to venture out a second time. Damn, this is a snowy year. I guess on the bright side, the bugs won't be as bad this summer? |
| Goals for 2/2/26 - 2/9/26 Min 10 min/day on current novel Review work tasks list 3 days/week Two poems for "PromptMaster !" - in progress One short story for "The Bradbury" One themed blog post (music/writing/etc.) One review Current assignment for "26 Paychecks " - in progress (1 of 3 complete) Current assignment for "The Sprawling Ink Society" Health Notes - My voice is coming back! After Botox injections in my vocal cords exactly 3 weeks ago, I've been weak and breathy - sometimes unable to speak even louder than a whisper. I've been wearing a personal amplifier that tour guides and fitness instructors use. The initial spike has finally worn off, and today, I was even able to speak loudly a couple times. - Left toes have been curled a lot today, probably bc I missed my 5pm dose of my Parkinson's med. Sleeping with the toe separator sock tonight. - Lost the 5+ lbs I had gained in Mexico in November, and I wasn't really trying, so keeping an eye on it. It's a good thing, unless it's a bad thing. I should have a lot more time tomorrow for knocking things off the list. G'night, everyone! Cheers, Michelle |
| I still haven't pinned down my blog topic rotation, but I may finally be closing in on my weekly goals list template for 2026. Goals for 2/2/26 - 2/9/26 Min 10 min/day on current novel (thinking counts) Review work tasks list 3 days/week Two poems for "PromptMaster !" One short story for "The Bradbury" One themed blog post (music/writing) One review Current assignment for "26 Paychecks " Current assignment for "The Sprawling Ink Society" Explanations thinking counts - the goal here is to keep it in front of me and not let my lack of progress lead to quitting. work tasks - rather than bore everyone with the nuts and bolts of my responsibilities, I just need a reminder to actually look at those responsibilities and watch for hot items. 3x per week = Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday. themed blog post - These types of posts require research (reading, listening, doing), which takes time. My original goal of one music post and one writing post was way too aggressive. I'm not opposed to dropping it to monthly if I still struggle to maintain the schedule. review - Likewise, this may drop to monthly if I can't keep up. It's OMEA Time The Ohio Music Education Association holds annual Solo & Ensemble adjudicated events for students and professional development conferences for teachers. My moonlighting educators who daylight in local middle and high schools often are required to attend some or all of these, as are my teachers who are currently pursuing a music education degree. And thus, did I end up picking up a ton of extra students last Thu, Fri, Sat, and yesterday (Monday). Tuesdays are usually free, but today, I have three hours of back-to-back lessons. Which means I need to get out of my PJs, take a shower and leave the damn house. That might derail my goals list for the week, or at least require me to voluntarily scratch things off the list. So it's probably a bad week to count on me for a review. On the plus side, we gathered and submitted all the required documents for the Bureau of Workers' Compensation audit, which is scheduled later this month, and everybody got paid yesterday (go, me!). What about you? How are you and February getting along? |
| Well, I did write a blog post today. It's probably still queued up on my laptop downstairs, unsaved, and I'm snuggled in bed. I'm not devastated. The post was unfinished anyway, because I ran out of time and had to get to work and teach all evening. But here's the gist. I wrote goals for the week and tweaked my theme rotation, moving "Self" Sundays to "Main Character" Mondays, because Mondays are too busy for the Music theme and are also ideal for goal setting. In my head on the way to work, I tweaked it more, combining Music and Writing into one research-based, intended-to-educate post per week. Stretch goals are good, but they need to be realistic, too. As for my goals for the week of 2/2/26, you're just gonna have to wait til tomorrow. |
| For today's episode of "Self Sundays," I started with a goals check-in. Quick Goals Check: One new novel chapter (or rewrite) per day. Incomplete.* One short story for "The Bradbury" " Incomplete.** Two poems for "PromptMaster !" Submitted. One review. Canceled this week, but tomorrow it'll be an empty box again. Complete my "26 Paychecks " Week 3 assignment. Pending.*** Do something with "The Sprawling Ink Society" Done. See also: "Happy February! Feb. 1 Ink Sprawlers Challenge" Organize/prioritize work tasks. It's complicated.**** Run payroll. Done. *Noveling No new words, but I did think about it - the story, the characters, the background - while brainstorming ideas for "PromptMaster !" and "The Bradbury" . I also revisited the global story arc (The Druid Archives) and started rereading background stories for my introduction in "The Sprawling Ink Society" .**The Bradbury We're closing in on the end of the week. I refuse to fall behind, so I may end up submitting a "See Spot Run"-flavored short that contains all the story elements (protagonist, goal, conflict, antagonist, climax, resolution) just so I get the practice in. Kind of like gymnastics conditioning but without the backflips. ***26 Paychecks I like to stay ahead, but for this assignment, I'm tempted to linger back and make sure nobody's port gets neglected. The good news is, I just shined up my own port, so the feedback on my recent renovations will be nice. ****Work Priorities No matter what other things crop up at work, priority #1 is always payroll if it's the 1st of the month, and I completed that on time. After that, the priority order is something I need to pin down, hence the checklist item. BUT two things jumped all the way up to positions 2 (we're being audited by the BWC) and 3 (I finally migrated my new website design, but all the individual pages still need a lot of cleanup), rendering the priority of everything else... well... low priority. See you tomorrow for Music Mondays, and hopefully to report a completed short story. Musically, Michelle |
| A little late to be blogging, but my list has exploded, and I'm trying to collect all the pieces and glue it back together so it's at least recognizable tomorrow.. Website Revision I designed the revision months ago, but didn't implement it until last night. Now that it's implemented, it's taken over my life. There are so many tweaks to make. *thinks* There were more things on the list... *checks list* Quick Goals Check: One new novel chapter (or rewrite) per day. I'm writing a novel???? One short story for "The Bradbury" " Oh, yeah. That was supposed to be today. Oops. Two poems for "PromptMaster !" final January submission. What was I thinking?? One review. Ooh. That might fall off the list. In fact... you didn't see, but I just X'd it. Organize and prioritize all the work projects and tasks I've been avoiding to focus more on writing. Not exactly. I started organizing. The first project I stumbled across was the website. I went - Oh, yeah. I wanted to do that. So I did it, with zero thought for prioritization. And now it's front and center. Because that's how my brain rolls.Also, I added two things to the list in the past twenty-four hours or so: Complete my "26 Paychecks " Week 3 assignment. I have two weeks, so low priority today. Do something with this: "The Sprawling Ink Society" . I have ideas, involving a secret-santa type event where we read each other's work, maybe to review, but more be a sounding board. Then later activities with goals, which will be easier to pin down after we get to know each other and each other's projects. I don't envision this as a fast-moving activity. Anything we do there is faster than what we're doing now. I'm kind of waiting it out to see if we get any more interest first before bouncing proposals in the forum.And since it's the 29th, and payroll is due on the 1st... Run payroll. This will probably happen Sunday. My catch-all day. If I'm not napping with the poochies again. And there you have it. The goals have spoken. G'night, everybody! Michelle |
| This blog topic was the brainchild of a consultation with ChatGPT, in which I asked, "Please provide me with a list of 100 vocabulary words that would make a narrative more whimsical and quirky". In an ironic meta example of whimsy, the list proved useless, but the dialog turned into an epiphany and a brilliant word bank idea I found very useful, indeed. If Not Whimsy, Then What? The conversation that followed is too long to publish here. The short version goes like this: I decided the list was too whimsical (I expected words like "quite" and "astonishing" and "frolic", but got words like "bamboozle" and "razzmatazz" and "sprocket"). We engaged in a discussion about the tone I was really going for in my current project, which is far less whimsical than I thought, and the origin story for this particular serial world, which is closer, but still not whimsy. If you're curious, ChatGPT thinks the tone I'm going for in the origin story is a combination of cozy fantasy realism, gentle irony, grounded wonder, and understated humor (um, is it me, or those labels leaning toward oxymorons?) ▶︎while the current project's target tone is grounded fantasy, earnest with sharp edges, and lightly cerebral. How do we know it's right? Your guess is as good as mine. ▶︎ Regardless of whether the suggested tones are right or wrong, they're far too nuanced (and multiple) to be found in a dropdown list on a submission form. Whimsical This whole discussion got me thinking about the word, "whimsical". Why did I have visions of walking canes and top hats, of playfulness and fancy, of imaginative creativity, of characters who are cartoonish and over-the-top adorable? What does whimsical mean, exactly? We're all writers here, and most of us words. Have you ever encountered a word whose meaning you originally deduced from context clues, an incorrect definition imparted during childhood, or some other way that caused you to have it wrong for years or decades, only to have an epiphany later?Whimsical. Prone to whimsy. Doing things on a whim. So.... flighty and unpredictable? A life pantser? I can see how "unpredictable" evolved into "imaginative". But really, "spontaneous" is probably closer to the mark. Meanwhile, "playful" and "cartoonish"? How did those even make it into the bag? What I don't see is how ChatGPT - and Gemini, I ran a similar analysis there - thinks that the vocabulary appropriate for a whimsical tone would consist of words like dillydally, kooky and scoot. Haphazard, maybe, and bumble, but those are wonky examples gallivanting and making a ruckus with their quaint shenanigans. Verb Bank Needless to say, I've updated my mental definition of "whimsy". I'm not so sure the nuanced tone labels that ChatGPT diagnosed for my two projects are wholly accurate, but I didn't go there seeking labels. I went for words, and ChatGPT delivered. Eventually. Here's an exercise you can try at home: select a passage you've previously written. Extract a list of all the active verbs you use and turn it into a handy one-page verb bank, which you can reference during the edit stage to clean up weak verbs (was, had, seemed, etc.) One thing I liked about this exercise is that ChatGPT grouped the verbs into three categories, claiming that they cover 80% of your prose:  Movement and placement (open, cross, arrive, set) Perception and awareness (notice, sense, realize, suspect) Atmosphere and change (fade, hold, drift, linger)Creating a verb bank for the revision process gives quick, easy access to options to tighten your narration and improve active voice, while still sounding like you. The categories help find appropriate options faster. See you next week for another Writing Wednesdays Topic. Or tomorrow for a short story, personal recounting, or maybe a rant. Either way, I'll be collecting your homework. Literarily, Michelle |
Y'all, guess what?! I worked on my novel today. Thank you, Snowmaggeddon, for shutting down my school for two days and forcing me to get bored enough to accomplish this.  You may be wondering what prompted my poll in the Newsfeed about your pronunciation of the word, "Query" (which I'm calling my "query query"). If you haven't yet voted, go here: "Query" Meet Mystic, riddling cat and envoy of Air: Seek not what is not yours to find, said the voice. Do question the thoughts in your mind, if you dare, but take care, for your Sovereign is there. Have you doubt, be you leery or thoroughly weary, then Mystic, true Envoy of Air, may you query. Penny pushed herself up off the floor, adjusted her glasses, and read through her notes. She added the earlier bullet points. Then she faced the window, prepared to look outside again, but it turned out not to be necessary. “Oh. Hello,” she said aloud to the black cat with golden eyes who stood precariously but quite confidently on the narrow windowsill - inside her bedroom. “Mystic, I presume?” That was an excerpt from my novel. Shit's about to get real in the Pennysphere. I was just curious about the percentage of readers who will recoil and go, WTF, query rhymes with very, not leery! Quick Goals Check: One new novel chapter (or rewrite) per dayIf you count 12:30am - 2:00am last night as "yesterday", then I accomplished this for both Monday and Tuesday. Since it's my goals and I get to pick, it counts. One short story for "The Bradbury" Two poems for "PromptMaster !" final January submission One review Organize and prioritize all the work projects and tasks I've been avoiding to focus more on writing Play games all dayOops... how did this get here?  Peace, Michelle |
| Warning: I'm about to get political. And then I'm going to talk about soup. It's a typical Music Monday up here in the Brandiwyn Blogosphere. I try to keep my virtual mouth shut on social media when it comes to anything political, for a couple main reasons: 1. I own a small business, which employs two dozen people. It makes practical business sense not to offend the people in my community - or in my employ - who support us. 2. I'm a legitimate fence sitter moderate. I rarely agree with anybody, and therefore, I piss off everybody. If I do open my mouth, it's probably to say, "But have you considered the other perspective?" I've been avoiding social media as much as possible for weeks or maybe months. It sucks me in, it riles me up, it wastes my time - and my time is precious and limited. But it's a vital part of my marketing strategy, so I bite the proverbial bullet and make appearances now and then. Today was an appearance day, since the weather has given a rare interesting-but-politically-benign topic to discuss. Despite recent social media avoidance, I am aware of current events, including the events of the last week in Minneapolis. Before I dive in: 1. I'm not a Democrat/progressive/liberal. However, I found Obama smart and compassionate, Trump an embarrassing idiot his first term, Biden weak, tongue-tied, and generally disappointing, and Trump during his second term utterly horrifying. If that makes me sound left-leaning, it's only because I appreciate intelligence in the leaders who represent me on the world stage, and I don't like bullies. My opinions on policy or the role/appropriate size of government definitely don't always align with those of the leaders I find least mortifying publicly. 2. I'm practical, and so I realize why most legislation is impossible to pass. The laws that do pass are never quite what anybody wanted. Solutions that meet the needs of everyone rarely exist.Therefore, I understand, for example, why we still don't have equitable healthcare in the USA. I don't blame anybody specifically for that, and I respect the often conflicting sides of the story. 3. I like numbered lists. All that said, I'm forking angry about the events in Minneapolis. I grew up an army brat, and my dad was an MP - military police - which means he was both in the military and a cop. I believe in defense, and in funding it. I am proud that my country has the strongest and most scientifically advanced military in the world - and the best trained. I'm already exhausted by this rant, so I'm going to cut this short and skip the part about how inadequate training of new ICE hires is the fault of their superiors. I'll jump straight to the part where a Facebook friend who is a vocal follower of Jesus is publicly arguing in support of the agent because the deceased "attack(ed) ICE agents who are merely doing their jobs". I disagree, but that's not the point. The point is that this person was (1) uninformed about what actually happened and had clearly not seen any of the videos - even the one in which the agent does appear to get hit by the vehicle, and (2) this person is talking like her death was justified rather than, you know, offering prayers of healing and comfort for her family or something a little more compassionate and Christ-like. Educate yourself, damn it. And be fucking kinder. Whew. I feel better. Now, about soup: We made soup. Bean soup, with the ham bone from the Christmas Honey-Baked ham, which has been in the freezer since December. We're still snowed in, we're still at DEFCON Snow Emergency Level 2, and the local schools are closed tomorrow due to frigid temps, so we (the music school) are, too. It's a soup kind of day. Warmly, Michelle |
| Recital Saturday's recital went smoothly. One student had an attack of performance anxiety, but she performed by the end of the session and did great! We finished and hauled all the instruments and gear back to the music school just in time for Snowmaggeddon to hit. We collected a ton of food (likely 150-200 lbs) but can't deliver it to the food pantry yet due to the storm, so it's currently all over my music-slash-exercise room (all nonperishable, so it's safe so long as I keep the poochies out of there).Novel: Stuck I figured out why I haven't added a chapter to my novel in almost two weeks now. One of my main characters is about to have a crisis, and I slowed down during the approach like the story and I were magnets with opposite poles pointed at each other. I know what needs to happen, but I can't spit it out. (It's technically more of an "I don't wanna" situation). So I used the nesting headers feature* in Google Docs to collapse all the chapters up until this crisis except for chapters featuring or told from the perspective of this particular character who's about to have said upcoming crisis. *see also: "Note: Check out my latest writing-related tech discov..." An Underdeveloped Character Here's what I discovered: When we first meet this character, she's experiencing a significant, life-changing event. However, that chapter is told from the perspective of a different character. Therefore, when my crisis character first starts telling her side of the story, said life-changing event has just recently happened... ...yet she comes home, greets the dog, pours some juice from the fridge and calls "I'm home!" to her mother in the basement. ??? Yeah, I'd say we're past the Ordinary World stage of the plot, and she's not frazzled enough. Or... at all. This character needs more of my attention. I think I'm going to need to rewrite all her perspective chapters up to the midpoint crisis and develop her better before I can tackle writing the midpoint crisis. Weekly Review Is complete. By request: Review of "A Different Route Home" Goals for the Upcoming Week - One new novel chapter (or rewrite) per day - One short story for "The Bradbury" - Two poems for "PromptMaster !" final January submission - One review - Organize and prioritize all the work projects and tasks I've been avoiding to focus more on writing What are your goals for the week? Literarily, Michelle |
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