They change before my eyes: translucent, transparent telling of coming changes chanting their farewells across the sky.
If trees could talk what would be said of their transformation? Would willows weep or birches balk as their leaves are wisp away?
Maples seem to chatter in wind; while oaks remain stately and only rumble, rattle, roar as autumn exits clinging to their crisp leaves till spring.
My life could be as those sturdy oaks torn by stormy winds on darken days, as seasons change by hand of God I choose to cling to Him until spring again!
It was a dreary December evening and I was eight, a kindhearted age. Enthusiasm bubbled up inside my joyful heart which beat wildly hearing her thick, rich operatic voice.
Life was unhurried back then one could dawdle during most days. Unfortunately, people were the same filled with strife and bitterness of heart. I was eight, I did not understand.
Within a few days I matured quickly. As applause filled the rotund room icy sleet dropped from dim sky. Yet whispers brought a dissimilar gloom; supper was served in her dank room.
I don’t recall much of the ride home, her voice rich with passion lingered. She gave a message, a mournful plea which had been sung for centuries. Later, I heard metal crashing, ripping
down icy country road in December. We whirled in darkness of frozen night, turned a somersault in mid-air, flipped off vacant road; while music madly mingling with clanging metal.
I don’t remember much, I was eight when bombs dropped at dawn days later. Tears fell, languishing with fervor over the loss of life and loved ones. Just a child, I was confused with events.
Mine were simple childhood struggles, others were grave racial tragedies, and the world… agonizing over war! In a matter of days, at eight, I matured what seemed a lifetime yearning for music.
Nearly eighty years have come and gone, souls of people are more digressed as children are snatched from homes, black and white use murderous threats and wars dismantle society and nations.
I was a child in 1941 as the world changed!
“But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield. Psalms 5:10-12
“When black contralto Marian Anderson performed in Appleton in 1941 she was not allowed to eat dinner in the dining room of the Conway Hotel.”
Post-Crescent Media
“Early in 1941 it also became clear that production of passenger cars would need to be cut to save materials for defense purposes. As far as cars were concerned, WWII shut down the industry.”
Supercars.net
“Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, that was the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941.”
Between a sentinel of trees, in the deepest of twilight an image lurks down moon lit path. A chill in the air ruffles thick fur. He is alone. Each step leaves paw prints in the dirt as evidence of his presence, under a dangling moon. He finds a knoll. There he sits waiting as time ticks slowly by until the moon, a blood moon, ascends to its highest point in the autumn sky.
When no one listens, howling wolf calls to another, as blood moon rises.
It is a myth that wolves howl at a full moon. They howl to communicate at anytime. It is thought people noticed their howling more during a full moon, because extra light brings people out at nighttime. We do a lot of howling in our house even on moonless nights!
Jemi felt a chill. She shivered. It was as if a damp shadow encased her. Frostiness, unlike anything she had known, seized her small frame. Even the chilly mornings of Dor could not match this sensation. The coolness of the recent rain did not come close to this frigid feeling. For the first time ever, fear of the unfamiliar filled Jemi. The air loomed with unknown gloom and darkness dropped about her.
Jemi’s head throbbed with pain. Worry filled her mind stealing away any peace God had for her. Hadn’t she just been walking along the coast of Dor staring out at TheGreat Sea on her way to collect water? She had hurried to the new well. It had been raining, raining hard. The merchant’s ships had arrived. Rezin asked her to see his camels. What had happened? Where was Dor?
She tried to lift her body from the ground. Pain seemed to flow like blood through her veins. She whimpered. Then with a slight moan prayed, “Dear God, I suffer and need your strength. Please, Lord, fill me with peace as you did for my ancestor Job.”
Jemi’s Noble Quest (Whispers of Messiah): Coming soon through Amazon Publishing
Perhaps, a gentle protest after waiting decades to birth a book. Self-publishing has now made it cost efficient and possible. Jemi’s Noble Quest, (Whispers of Messiah) coming soon at Amazon.
There has been a tread in the last few decades, yes young writers some of us have been penning words for a very long time, to write a book in first person. Let’s take a look at “why”.
Two older sources below gave some interesting points. Although, as a writer of third person fiction I don’t totally agree. I do however, understand what these sources are attempting to reveal.
The protagonist, the leading character of the book, easily can connect with the reader. Or should I say the reader can connect with the protagonist.
First Person Perks
The reader gets inside the characters head
The reader becomes the “I” in the story and has an emotional reaction
The reader becomes the character’s best friend
All these things are happening because there is no filter, a narrator. The reader attaches with the “I” character and doesn’t need to sit and listen. Or do they?
From 1884-2020 books have been written in first person. One of the oldest being The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Example:
“He was sunshine most always-I mean he made it seem like good weather.”
Attractions to First Person
Emotional reactions
Chronological events
Shares feelings
Comes across as a diary
Who doesn’t want to read a diary? Perhaps, that is the main attraction for writing in first person. It appears the larger audience who are interested in first person books are YA. Maybe in their youth they are struggling to find a future direction. Who knows?
What about third person books? Where do they stand?
From 1884-2020 books have been written in third person. An older example is from Little Women.
Example:
“There are many Beth’s in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and shadow behind.”
Third Person Benefits
The narrator can float between characters
The reader can know the thoughts of multiple characters
The reader isn’t limited to one person’s point-of-view
“As the author of a novel, you get to decide who tells your story. Writing in the third-person point of view is like hearing an announcer call a sporting event—a narrator gives a play-by-play of the plot from an outside perspective.”
So who doesn’t want to be a sports narrator? Perhaps, the reader who wants to peek inside a diary. Both first and third person points-of-view have their place on the book shelf.
Will I change my writing to first person? I think not. I like the challenge of third person. It would drive me nuts to continue writing “I” this, “I” that or wherever“I” may lead. The only time I would consider first person book would be a children’s book.
“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”
Psalm 27:13-14
The coolness of the forest on a hot sunny day, Embraces my very soul and warms my heart, It is where I ran when you no longer breathed the breath of life.
The birds sang, as ripples of sorrow stained supple spots; Embarrassed for the tears which lingered along the brook, It is there grief washed away with dirt, dust and debris.
The scent of autumn leaves crackled with each sauntering steps, Eager I was to forget, move on and leave behind my mourning; It is what I want you to do, as it’s my turn to return to the earth.
It was ancient, their home, tall and stately. There they stood still staring through the veil of night. Waiting, wondering and watching each taking their turn while others rested.
It was said by many, “In their dreams they sleep with the moon.” But it was of no concern for soon break of day would come. Their silhouettes would stretch wide against cloudless sky.
Silently, with massive wings they would dive to feed. Raw carrion (caribou, cougar, coyote); it made no difference to the vultures. They had waited under a pale moon dreaming of this moment.
One may wonder of their care-free lifestyle. Perhaps if a day, week or year without the work of the messy vulture we would realize their need in our communities. There are stains upon the earth and it’s a vulture’s dirty job to do a janitor’s difficult work.
What’s in a book? Well, there’s a front, middle and back. When self-publishing an authors looks at a book in a whole new way. I came across the term Front Matter while going through KDP’s instructions. I thought, “What’s that?” It’s simple. Today I will explain the biology of a novel.
The Front Matter (first part of the book) can consists of: Title Page, Frontispiece, Accolades, Copyright Page, Dedication Page, Table of Contents, Epigraph, Preface and (or) Foreword. After all of that information an author won’t need to write a thing! Not every book has all the topics above. Some things to consider is what genre are you writing for, how much information do you want to share and what’s your personal choice? After all the book is being self-published, so the author isn’t stuck in a square peg if they happen to be a circle. There is no publisher to answer to or to help if you need questions answered.
Title Page, the full title with the author’s name as shown on the cover
Frontispiece: a illustration or photo opposite the title page on the left
Accolades: basically, quotes from notable people about your book… if you don’t know anyone popular don’t use them
Copyright Page: if you don’t have copyright yet, say pending
Dedication Page: the name of the person/persons the book is dedicated to and why
Table of Contents: chapters in your book and page numbers (it should list Front & Back Matter)
Epigraph: A quote regarding the subject matter (poem, song, another book, etc with permission)
Preface: the author’s note regarding the book (don’t give anything away!)
Forward: written by another person (scholar, friend, family member or someone popular)
The Body (second part of the book) is where the story takes place. But there can be extra things, including Prologue, Introduction, Chapters, Epilogue, Conclusion, and Afterword.
Prologue: used for fiction and sets the stage for your story
Introduction: used for nonfiction and tells of your subject matter
Chapters: hopefully, you have them already written
Epilogue: used for fiction and can wrap up the book (best used for series)
Conclusion: used for non-fiction and sums up the book’s main ideas
Afterword: any final thoughts
The Back Matter (the third and final part) which can contain Acknowledgements, About the Author, Copyright Permissions, Discussion Questions, Appendix, Chronology, Endnotes, Glossary, Index, or Bibliography List).
Acknowledgements: more “thank you’s” to those who helped
About the Author: a summary of your writing endeavors
Copyright Permissions: anything you’ve borrowed from another (song, poetry, artwork, etc)
Discussion Questions: academic prompts
Appendix: used for nonfiction to give updated information
Chronology: used in nonfiction (in other wards, timeline) of the list of events
Endnotes: supplementary notes mostly used in nonfiction
Glossary: definitions (words, characters or settings)
Index: specialty terms in alphabetical order
Bibliography: a list of research material used.
Does it seem overwhelming? Yep, but necessary if you decide to self-publish. This article was written by the help of Reedsy. Here is the original information…
