Winter is here

You may recall in early June I posted that Evelyn (and I quote) "is about to enter into her coldest and darkest [winter]." While I was truthful in saying that she was about to, it just happened that it has taken a further "two months" for it to come to fruition. And so I excitedly exclaim that WINTER HAS ARRIVED in the land of Evelyn. Not to say that this is an excitable thing for her. Quite the contrary. It is, however, excitable for me, as it means that we have stepped into another season full of unknown beauty to be explored. It also means that I am that much closer to completing Evelyn's story- a project seven years in the making.

Creative Genius

In my recent research, I stumbled upon a fantastic poem about autumn. Further reading found me a gold mine of creative genius. John Updike, you are my new hero. 

The stripped and shapely

Maple grieves


The ghosts of her

Departed leaves.

The ground is hard,

As hard as stone. 


The year is old,

The birds are flown.

And yet the world,

In its distress, 


Displays a certain

Loveliness.


- John Updike A Child's Calendar (1965)

He wrote one poem for each month of the year and compiled it as a children's book with illustrator Nancy Ekholm Burkert. The book was later edited, re-illustrated and reprinted in 1999 with illustrator Trina Schart Hyman. 

I'd love to get my hands on a hardcover first edition.

Indescribable

Some emotions, I've come to discover, cannot be described. We use metaphors and similes to attempt to speak aloud what is going on inside, yet always fall short in our comparisons. Oh the complexity of being a human! Such things are particularly hard to accomplish when I am trying to keep my readers in the dark and surprise them with small pieces of the story along the way to keep them interested...

Two vacant rooms stare back at me.

The lights are on but no one is home.

These lights they appear unchanging:

Dim like lit kindling, yet unable to draw a flame.

Look no further and it may seem a happy place,

But to venture on will be found something contrary.

Yet none look further; they see what they wish.

If just one would, maybe then it would change.