A Valentine's Day history lesson

Isn't it interesting that I would be the one to post on February 14? I think I'm the only one at Frightening Journeys who doesn't write even the hint of romance.

Clearly the Universe has a twisted sense of humor.

Or maybe the entire celebration is a little twisted.

Do you know the history of Valentine's Day? Sometime around the year 278 AD, a priest in Rome disagreed with the government. See, the ruler (Claudius the Cruel) decided to ban marriage. His thought was that if the men were single, they would be much more willing to go fight in some unpopular war. I'm sure it made sense at the time....

Anyway, Valentine thought that was kind of a dumb law. So, much like my father with the speed limit, he decided to ignore it.

When Claudius found out, he was livid. Really. He did some ranting and raving and decided that Valentine should be put to death.

Bad news for Valentine, but it didn't stop the priest. Legend has it that while in the slammer, Valentine befriended the jailer's daughter. Before his execution, he left her a goodbye note signed "From Your Valentine."

He was put to death on February 14.

Today we celebrate the day of his death by giving chocolates and flowers to each other.

A little twisted, don't you think?

Blessings!

Nichole

There's a little bit of good in every villain

My villains come from all over.

Those of you who have read my meanderings on character development know I don't believe a person (real or fictional) is all good or all evil.

How many of you have seen this bit of internet trivia?

It is time to elect a new world leader, and only your vote counts. Here are the facts about the three leading candidates.

Candidate A: Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologists. He's had two Mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.

Candidate B: He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening.

Candidate C: He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke, drinks an occasional beer and never cheated on his wife.

Which of these candidates would be your choice? Decide first, no peeking, then scroll down for the answer.

Based on those descriptions, who wouldn't select "Candidate C"? If you're familiar with this riddle, however, you know that Candidate C was only married a few hours before he and his longtime mistress-turned-wife committed suicide. Candidate C was also one of the most prolific mass-murderers of all time, killing more than 2.7 million people. Most of us wouldn't select Adolf Hitler to use a ruler, let alone rule anything!

Obviously, he had some good qualities. Clearly he took care of his own health -- well, up until the suicide thing.

My point is there had to be some spark of good in that 99% evil man.

The same is true for the woman at the dry cleaners who always manages to lose your clothes. Or the jerk who cut you off on the way into work. Or the paperboy who can never manage to deliver the paper onto the porch. Those everyday people have some evil. And some good.

So where do my villains come from? The people who tick me off, of course! I know they probably aren't really as bad as I imagine them, but it sure makes me feel better to write them that way and to know they "get what's coming to them" in the end!

Now that I think about it, maybe that's the reason I like this t-shirt so much.

Blessings!

Nichole

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Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Candidate B is Winston Churchill.
Candidate C is Adolph Hitler.

For the entire story, go to: http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/b/beethovenabort.htm

A brief history of the telegraph, newspapers, and war

First, the background. I may have mentioned that my background is in journalism. Let me assure you that I learned the lessons of that trade well.

Let's take the headline for example. Pick up your local newspaper and read any given headline. I'd wager that there is a noun and verb in it — not withstanding my dad's favorite exceptions — and that the first paragraph of the story expands on that headline. That's because the headline is actually taken from the information in the lead (or first) paragraph.

That lead paragraph probably contains the answers to those famous journalistic questions

of who, what when, where, why, and how. Or at least answers to most of those questions. The

rest of the article expands on those "5Ws and H."

Now for the history lesson part of today's post. Any ideas why articles are written that way? Anyone?

Well, war played a big part of it. Read a pre-Civil War newspaper article and you'll find the flowery language of the day. There's a good chance the article will start with a weather report. Much different than today's writing style!

Styles changed during the American Civil War.

First, thanks to the invention of the telegraph, newspapers could send their reporters to the battle field and have those reporters send back stories in a timely manner. The telegraph was much faster and more reliable than a horse and rider.

But, of course, there was a downside. Both the Union and Confederate armies used the telegraph to relay information, as well. This ranged from supply requests to troop movement orders. As you can imagine, the other side didn't want their enemies to have more supplies or to receive reinforcements!

The easiest way to keep the enemy from getting their needed information? Cut the telegraph lines!

Thus, reporters who were used to starting their stories with the daily weather report would often find their articles cut off in mid-transmission. The newspapers back home may not have gotten to the part about which side won the battle when the lines were cut. So a new style of writing was born. The type that adds all the important info up front and the details to follow. (That way, if the lines got cut, the newspaper still had a story they could run!)

What does that have to do with fiction writing?

Easy. The principle is the same. Mostly.

Clearly in my mystery novels, I don't want to start with "Miss Scarlet did it with a candlestick in the conservatory," but I do want to make the story interesting enough that the reader will want to continue. I want to "hook" them in.

A good novel — mystery or not, paranormal or not — hooks the readers from the first paragraph. Recently I read the best opening paragraph I've had the pleasure to read in some time:

“For the third time that morning I shut my eyes tight in the absolute and certain knowledge that I was about to die. Around me, people were screaming. Lots of people, but the prospect of dying in company did nothing to alleviate the terror.”

— "First Drop" by Zoe Sharp

What a great opening paragraph!

And then there are the opening lines that stay with you, long after the name of the author or the novel has left your brain. (Anyone know where I can find the book that starts out: "She was the alpha and omega: the beginning and the end." ? I know I read it in high school...)

So share your favorite opening lines. Let's vote on the best ones!

Blessings!

Nichole

History speaks volumes amongst the quiet graves

I like cemeteries. I hate funerals. I hate funeral homes. I'm not a big fan of memorial services. (In fact, when my time comes, please go to the local pizza place, order a bunch of pizzas and many pitchers of beer and have a good time!) I really like cemeteries.

I could blame my parents for my cemetery fascination. Heather and I did grow up down the hill from one. No, it wasn't spooky. It just was.

Actually, to take that "blame" one step further, I think my dad is mostly responsible for my fascination. You see, Dad is a history buff. He even considered being a history teacher for awhile. He taught us that history isn't just a bunch of dates and facts to be memorized. History is made up of people who did something.

Where is that more evident then a cemetery? The one near my childhood home was a Mormon cemetery. It started in 1846 when the Mormons were heading form Nauvoo, Illinois, to their final destination in Salt Lake City, Utah. The group got "split" at the Missouri River, half on the Iowa side, half on the Nebraska side. It was a nasty winter, and many didn't make it. The inscriptions and size of the tombstones tell a lot.

When my daughter was younger, we made a trip to DeSmet, South Dakota — home of Laura Ingalls Wilder. As part of a tour, we went to... yep, the cemetery. We saw the final resting place of Pa, Ma, their infant son, Mary, Carrie and Grace. I learned there that Pa was a Freemason. Must have been important to him. It's on his tombstone.

There is a large, historic cemetery in Deadwood, South Dakota. Mt. Moriah documents the town's history in ways newspapers and other records don't. There is a Chinese section of the land that speaks volumes to the discrimination they suffered. Former Sheriff and town VIP Seth Bullock is buried up high where he can continue to watch over Deadwood. That speaks to how well respected he was. And there is a Masonic section of that cemetery, as well.

So, you see, in addition to finding some wonderful names for characters, or to testify to a tough winter or an illness outbreak (if you see a lot of deaths the same year, you know something happened), cemeteries are one way to learn the history of an area. The things that are important to the people will show up in how they honor their dead. And what was important to them has shaped who they are now.

Don't think so? Try writing your own obituary. You'll find what's important to you!

Blessings!

Nichole