Embracing Stress

Hello from the Land of the Morning Calm!

Over the past week, I've been put in some pretty stressful situations (not the least of which was navigating a two-day airport adventure), and it made me think about stress -- specifically how people act when they're stressed.

Some people lash out, becoming irritable and rude. Some people crack and curl up in a ball to cry. Others spiral into depressions and resort to lethargy and solitude to get by. Still others bottle up the stress, seeming to thrive under the pressure only because they are adept at compartmentalizing.

None of this is news. But, it's important to remember that not all of these reactions come from the people you'd expect. The toughest of men become weepers, and the meekest of children become terrors. Too often, I think, authors fall into the trap of stereotyping (or worse, completely ignoring) the reactions of their characters to stressors -- which, lets face it, are the majority of the elements that make up a story.

No two reactions are created equal, and sometimes the diversity of humanity comes from the surprising ways people have of coping with various situations. Keep that in mind the next time Jane Protagonist goes out on a date the same week she finds out her dog died and then has to give an important presentation at work the next day. I know I will.

Super-Mini-Blog: Embracing Travel

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm alive, and I'm moving to Korea today!

We'll be back to the regularly scheduled program before long. In the meantime, check out my updates regarding Korea over at Dear Korea...

Ciao for now!

Or rather, Annyong kyeseyo!

Super-Mini-Blog: Embracing Random Quotes

It is not necessary to change.  Survival is not mandatory.  ~W. Edwards Deming

Embracing a Whole New World

Since returning from my blogging hiatus, I have alluded to something big happening in the non-writing-world-of-Sam. Finally, I am able to share the news with all of you...

I am moving to Korea to teach English!

Let me preempt one question I know you're all wondering; I don't know when or where I'm going, as I have not yet secured a teaching position.

However, I do know that I've given notice at work, I've told my apartment complex that I'll be out by October 31, and I've told my family.

What does this mean for Wuthering Life? Nothing. I will still be here, and I'll still be writing. If anything, this experience is only going to make my writing life richer.

If you are curious about my Korean adventures, please feel free to stop over at my new blog, Dear Korea..., and check out my letters to the land I will soon call home.

If you're not interested, I'll see you back here for more adventures in Wuthering Life.

Embracing My Five

I'm hoping to get back to Freaky Fridays before long, but I thought that this dreary and oh-so-important Friday could use some positivity and hope.

What better day than the anniversary of a national tragedy to begin my journey to making a positive difference in the world?

So after much delay, I present my five:

1. Encourage others to pursue their dreams. Of all the things that I'm grateful to my nearest and dearest for, this is the one that tops the list. Having the faith and support of those around me has made a greater impact in my life than almost anything else. I know that I would not be where I am today with encouragement and kind words. I want to do that for others, and to do it more often.
2. Lead by example. It may not seem like a particularly philanthropic goal, but it might very well be the hardest of my five for me to live by. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." Too often, we forget that it's only by allowing ourselves to be happy and prosperous that we can even begin to help others to achieve the same.
3. Pay more attention. When I begin to think about what I can do to help – to help the world, to help the impoverished, to help the distraught, to help the hopeless – I realize how little I know. Because of the pessimistic, never-point-out-the-good-in-life nature of news (particularly American news), I avoid it almost completely. But if I want to make a difference, I can't tune out the bad. I have to pay attention in order to spot an opportunity to act.
4. Be mindful. Every day I ignore opportunities to reduce, recycle, or reuse. I know all of the little tricks that can lead to less energy or water consumption, to less pollution, to less waste. It's time for me to take those extra few minutes to take my recycling out. It's time for me to find places to donate old clothing/equipment/furniture/etc. instead of throwing it out. It's time for me to do what I know I should be doing anyway.
5. Reach out. Whether it's an e-mail from a long-lost friend, a phone call from a relative on a non-holiday, or a compliment from a perfect stranger, it feels good to make connections and be acknowledged. I don't do that nearly enough, and I plan to change that. 

How can you change your life, and the world, for better in five ways?

Super-Mini-Blog: Embracing Thought Provocation

Kimberly over at Oceanside Praise posted a very interesting question on her blog today, and I'd like to pose it to all of you:

Are dreams just the opposite of our deepest fears?

(Check out her blog comments for my thoughts, but feel free to discuss wherever.)

Embracing What's Come Before

Merriam-Webster defines original (adj.) as "not secondary, derivative, or imitative" or as "independent and creative in thought or action".

M-W defines an archetype (n.) as "the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies".

When we look to the ever-helpful Wikipedia for guidance, we learn that Tolkein's beloved Gandalf is an archetypal figure himself, the wizard-as-advisor, of the likes Merlin — who himself was quite possibly modeled after religious authority types (like Odin).

Hold up, JRR Tolkein, the father of modern fantasy, was unoriginal? His main characters had been done before? His venerated series is allegory?

You may be wondering why the Hell I'm giving you a vocab lesson. The truth is, I think that we (writers, agents, etc.) can use the reminder. There is a big difference between the use of an archetype and a lack of originality.

The goal of a work of fiction, as far as I am concerned, is to pull something new and exciting out of those old stories and characters – out of the familiar. That balance of new and old is what makes a great story great, in part at least.

We've got to move past the anything-with-a-school-is-like-Harry-Potter and anything-with-a-butt-kicking-female-protagonist-is-a-Buffy-rip-off reactions. See stories for what they are, and if they're good enough, it won't matter how many tropes the author used.