Month: October 2014

A Foggy World

On By Victoria LK WilliamsIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

It’s midmorning, and the fog still lingers across the lake.

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The sun hasn’t come out from behind the clouds to burn it off yet, and there is a slight damp chill to the air. The wind shifts, and you can see the thick misty vapor drift, thicken in clusters forming pockets of blindness around the cove.
You feel a sense of peace, of being wrapped in a blanket like a moth in a cocoon. In the distance, you can hear the traffic behind you, but for the most part it’s quiet. The birds cry to each other as they drift out in the water, sometimes within easy vision, sometimes drifting into that pocket of fog and momentarily disappearing.

As I watch the fishermen, busy down past the pier, I wonder how they can tell where their line is going as a cast into the river. When it arches over their heads, it seems to disappear. Then suddenly you hear a splash and see it landed in the water, but for that instant it was as if it had vanished.
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I hear the sound of a rhythmic paddle’s back splash, and I look towards the sound coming out of the fog. It’s a kayak with its lone paddler enjoying his morning solitude. This is the perfect time for meditation and prayer. There is nothing visually to disturb you as you look out over the water and contemplate the day ahead of you.

As you watch a the almost mirror-like surface of the water in front of you, a circle of ripples from the activity of the fish below the water forms. Occasionally one will jump and clear the surface landing with a splash. The noise will catch the attention of the lone pelican floating on the water, who will leisurely work his way over to see if breakfast is arriving. This morning even the pelicans to seem to be uninterested. Everything seems to be waiting for the fog to clear so the day can begin in earnest.

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I sit watching the Pelican float with the current, moving through the misty pockets of fog, and the wind shifts; a clear patch begins to form the horizon. The day is changing. Already I can see the outlines of the islands in the river, and soon the sun will be out. The warm rays will burn off the last of the fog, and the area will take on a whole new look. The day’s activity is ready begin along the waterway.

But for now it’s a quiet, little place full of mystery and wonder.

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Under the Currents

On By Victoria LK WilliamsIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

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Ever wonder?

I’m sitting on a bench by the river and I can clearly see that there is a current that runs through the water some days it’s not so noticeable but today is definitely a strong currents you can watch the lines in the water as it moves from  North to South. Occasionally a boat will go against the current which accents the flow the current even more to your visualize

But if you ever wondered what’s going on under the current? Yes, I know there is fish and dolphins and even some dreaded alligators, but there’s so much more. My wandering imagination makes wonder are if there mermaids under the water’s depths?

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Every so often, you will notice a fish jump out of the water as if  running from something. Is that a mermaid pulling on the fish’s tail and are they jumping to get away? That sounds much more interesting than they’re just jumping from the big fish. And if  mermaids are under there, how far do you go with your imagination? Is there a whole city? Does the river lead to Atlantis?
If not, then maybe a community where the Dolphins and the mermaids play together, where sea horses are raced for fun. Occasionally, a human might drive down snorkeling and just catch a glimpse of the fun that’s going on beneath the surface and wonder if what they are seeing is true.

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As I sit on the bench I wonder did they laugh at us and human attempts to traverse their underwater their home?  From snorkeling, swimming, to kayaking, paddle boards and motorboats, we all are trying to enjoy the water they live in. Did they laugh at our feet and toes? Do our feeble attempts to maneuver around in their habitats cause them to giggle with mirth?

Those occasional times when I wander into the waters, I find strands of seaweed underfoot. Is that seaweed, or is it the reins of a seahorse or a mermaid’s hair that tangles around my ankles?  Would the mer-people help me if I couldn’t free myself? I would like to think so.

Well that’s enough wondering of my imagination. Time to put my feet firmly back on the ground and get back to reality.

But it makes you think, right?

Experience The Words

On By Victoria LK WilliamsIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Not my usual cup of tea…

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This weekend I took the opportunity to do something different, something that I’ve never thought I would do in a million years. I went to a gun show, and I have to admit it was interesting. There’s a completely different group of people that attend a function like this. Those attending are enthusiastic; they’re honest, open, and forthright. They are honestly are more than willing to help answer your questions. But I went as a writer, NOT with the intent to purchase a gun, but with the intent to learn and to get the feeling for what it would be like to hold one. As a mystery writer, (and most mysteries include murder) I took the opportunity to get the feel for “the tool of the trade”. I have to admit it was a completely different feeling then what I imagined. And what an education!  There are so many guns; handguns, pistols, rifles, automatic weapons-it was over whelming, and I walked away probably more confused that when I walked in. But, on the other hand I did get a clear understanding of what it is to hold a gun and what it is to own a gun. An added bonus was there were people there that had kits for making panic rooms and secret compartments for holding weapons within your furniture. It was very interesting, and set the wheels in motion for twist and turns within my plots.

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I think as a writer, part of your job is to learn as much as you can about what you’re writing about. I took the opportunity to learn a little bit about guns. Somebody who’s writing a medical thriller should actually go and get soak up the feeling of the medical field; walk in and sit in an emergency room just pay attention to what goes on. If you’re writing about animals you should spend time with an animal and be around it to see what it does and how it interacts with the people and animals around it.

What I’m trying to say is it takes more than the right words to write a good book. You need to communicate an experience and the reactions with those words. And isn’t that what a good writer is trying to do; communicate the experience to our readers so that they can feel like you’re there with you, holding that gun?

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So I encourage old and new writers try something different. Get some experience of what you’re writing about, even in the smallest possible way, and see what actually happens to your writing.

I think you’ll be looking at it from a whole new viewpoint.

Oh, For That Forgotten Time…

On By Victoria LK WilliamsIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

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I’m sitting on a bench by the boardwalk watching as people walk by. The sun beats on my head and the only relief from the heat is a cool breeze coming off the ocean. As the breeze dries the mist from the ocean, I can feel the salt on my lips. As I watch, I noticed a rather quant trend; some of the women walking together are carrying UV protection Umbrellas. Yes there’s a chance of rain, but I think it’s mostly to protect themselves from the damaging rays of the sun. The use of a women’s parasol is returning.

As I watch, I noticed that the women seem to be walking together, while the men walk together-unless they are walking as couples. But then I noticed there’s another divide; there are the women with the umbrellas held over their heads, shading them from the blinding rays, and the women who are just walking with no protection. I look a little closer. The women with no protection seem to walk a little hunched over as of protecting their face from the sun. Many may have hats on, but they also seem to have one other thing that the other women with umbrellas don’t: something is in their hand and it’s a phone. Some of them are so busy talking and texting on that phone that they’re not looking at the view around them. They miss the sights of the coast line as the ocean waves hit the shoreline. I cast my attention to the women who are holding the umbrellas. They are only using one hand to hold the umbrella and the other hand is free, swinging as they walk. I noticed something else too, they stand straighter, not trying to protect themselves from the sun. The umbrella is doing the work for them and they seem to walk a little bit more elegantly, they hold themselves straighter, and they are actually looking at the sea while they walk.

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I close my eyes for a moment, letting my imagination take me back in time. I can picture all the beautiful ladies with their elegant parasols, their dresses of lace & ruffles trailing along the wooden boardwalk. It is a walk letting them enjoy their afternoon out. It was a different time then; much simpler, and to me much more romantic.

Today many women, myself included, are caught up in the hustle & bustle of life. That phone we have in our hand is a necessity, not luxury. It’s not a toy; it’s what gets us through the day. The days of walking slowly and elegantly down the boardwalk up holding a parasol are long gone. There too many demands on our life now; we work, we raise families, we run her own businesses, we try to have an active social life.

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Oh let’s be honest, we try to do it all and we don’t think anything less of ourselves for trying. We only think less of ourselves if we don’t succeed! Where did all this craziness come from? How did we get so caught up this way of life?

I look at my watch; time to quit day-dreaming and get back to work. Over is my break and time to yearning for the simpler times. Over is my time to imagine that I could be one of the ladies walking the boardwalk, holding my parasol, enjoying the afternoon sun and the sea breeze.