Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Little Rules


Sometimes horses have to rest. Look at Miss Bug with her baby. She carries her baby around everywhere she goes. Birdie started preschool today. She said the boys were wild and that Mrs. Wise's hair is just like Gran's!

I DID make the scones. I used the package mix but added whole milk, butter, and almond extract. They were melt in your mouth good! Mags commented, "Bake the scones!" so I felt I must. I sent her this photo on Facebook and then . . . I ate them.

So here is what I'm thinking about . . . at school we've been talking about literary elements. First, we are discussing setting. As I was researching (trying to get smarter!) I learned that when writers choose their setting, they create a set of rules for the story. Frances, you can tell me if this is true, by the way. So I began thinking of rules and the rules that are specific to my life just now. Do you want to read a few? Okay. One rule right now is about eating: If I cannot choose WHAT I eat, I will eat a very small portion of the food I am given. Here's another rule: When I walk out of my classroom at the end of the day, I shall turn around and give it a sweeping glance before I lock the door and go home. I will say, "Thank you, God, for filling this room and keeping me in line. Thank you for the precious ones who spent time here today." Do you have some rules that others might find helpful? I am realizing that a lot of my rules have to do with shallow things. Yikes. I might need to create a little list of rules that could have a bigger impact on my day to day story. I don't mean "guilt" rules or "200 lashes with a wet noodle" rules. I mean personal and creative rules that set up your life and govern your actions. Any ideas?

8 comments:

debbie bailey said...

The most important rule of all: Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, strength, and might, and love thy neighbor as thyself. That about covers it all!

Gumbo Lily said...

A couple rules for me lately:

Listen to others.
Forgive quickly.

The scones look so good. I think I'll make some for breakfast tomorrow morning. Thanks for the inspiration.

Jody

Elderberry-Rob said...

how about ...always be ready to try something new and never be too proud to say sorry! Betty x

Leslie said...

What a sweet dog! I love the color of Gran's hair and I hope mine will look like it one of these days.

I like your rules and especially the one when you leave your school room. I should do that every time I leave my house.

Left-Handed Housewife said...

Re: setting--in my last book, which was a sort of fairy tale/fantasy, I had to make rules so that I would understand and remember what could and couldn't happen in the parallel universe the main character found herself in. But in realistic settings, I don't consciously set rules. Usually I set my stories in places I know pretty well, so maybe I already know the rules of the place.

I'm trying to think of rules for myself. I tell my children that I love them every day when I drop them off at school. I'm working on some dietary rules--no sugar, no alcohol, no grazing. Maybe you should read the Rule of St. Benedict--those monks are good at rules! Spiritual discipline--I could use me some of that!

xofrances

Pom Pom said...

Frances, That jives with what I've been reading about setting. I bet it was a challenge to stay within your created world. And they say that authors write from a setting they ARE familiar with and that makes the story easier and plausible. See? You're so smart! I have The Rule of St. Benedict on my Kindle!

SusanB-knits said...

I'm not sure about rules... "when I grow old I shall wear Purple..." have I reached that age yet?!

The scones look yummy. The girls look cute on their worn out horse. :)

Kerri said...

I've been thinking about this too. I haven't come up with any specific rules yet but I do think it's worth trying to create a framework for your life around what you feel is most worthwhile.

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