Last weekend, I departed on a trip that combined work with play, although the use of the word “work” is a stretch. I was returning to my alma mater, the University of Virginia, to deliver two lectures, so I guess I was working, but I take so much pleasure in talking with students about the importance of art in their lives that I feel a little like Steve Martin asking himself, “do I really get paid for doing this?”
Well…..
I thought I was back, but apparently, I wasn’t. At the new year, after a fairly long break, I thought I’d return to somewhat regular blogging, but it hasn’t happened, and there must have been reasons for that. I’ve kept up my resolution, recording daily how I’m doing with eating, exercise, gratitude, generosity, compassion, and mindfulness, and things seem to be going well. I’ve lost five pounds, feel good, have been available for friends with health concerns, have increased my charitable giving, and tried to notice all the good in my life and be thankful for it. I’ve been working hard on my third novel, and playing music, and teaching my class on the power of narrative to a great group of undergraduates in the Honors College at the University of Texas at Dallas. All good. What I haven’t been doing is promoting myself and marketing the novel that I published last summer. I just can’t generate much energy for that, at least not right now. We’ll see what happens as time passes.
My Best Resolution Yet
I love New Year. Not New Year’s Eve, I outgrew that long ago, and now struggle to stay awake until the Times Square ball drops, one time zone ahead of me. No, I like the sense of renewal that New Year’s brings. I make resolutions, and like nearly everyone, find them very difficult to keep. I’ve been reading about this phenomenon, and have discovered that keeping commitments is more about your state of mind than your willpower. Anything that points you in the direction of wellness—physical, mental, emotional, spiritual—is likely to help you do the things you want to do.
Where Ya Been?
I have received several kind queries lately, asking about my absence from this site as well as from social media. There are several reasons for that, including my belief that publishing the mundane aspects of one’s life are not only of limited interest, but could be construed as arrogance, as if my life were so fascinating that the public surely wants to know more, more, more.
My Heritage (with a little history thrown in)
I was raised in Virginia, in the city where the confederate battle flag was created, a city steeped in the Civil War, where as a young teenager, I found a cannonball in my front yard with a metal detector. I grew up familiar with the N-word and N-jokes, with very few African-American families and no African-American friends. My high school mascot was a confederate soldier, and we waved the battle flag at football games without ever thinking a thing about it.
A Personal History
I am fortunate enough to have had amateur genealogists in my family, on both sides, so I know a fair bit of my factual, verifiable history, which I want to share so that my subsequent thinking about the current battle over symbols, history, and heritage can be put into context.
Stories and Fiction and Truth
I’ve already said that history contains the word “story,” and most people think stories are “made up,” as opposed to the truth, which is, well, the truth. Let’s try to clear this up a little. Story is what we think is a uniquely human (I say think because I swear I’ve seen animals, including my own cats, plotting and scheming, and I think there must be some stories being told) way of making meaning out of facts and events. The classic structure involves a character we care about who wants something, and struggles to get it against more and more difficult obstacles. Eventually, the character either succeeds or fails, and is changed in some meaningful way by the struggle.
Symbols Matter
Flags are symbols that tell a story that is generally reflective of history and heritage. Those who display the flag are expressing their belief in whatever it symbolizes. Sometimes, there are differing interpretations of what a flag stands for. But not always.
Here are a few facts:
The Nazi flag was designed by Adolf Hitler. The swastika reflected his belief in the superiority of the Aryan race, particularly over the Jewish race.
The Nazis were more than a military force; they were sadistic criminals who murdered indiscriminately and caused unimaginable suffering around the world.
History and Heritage: Facts and Stories
History and heritage are all over the news these days, magnified by the recent tragic events in Charlottesville. These words are closely linked, and both are composed largely of stories, rather than facts. While history is often thought of as facts and events, we rarely confine ourselves to these elements, because, as humans, we seek meaning, and that drives us to create stories, which allows us to derive meaning out of facts and events. When we incorporate these stories into our lives, our culture, our norms, and our values, and pass these down through generations, we create our heritage.
Why I Write What I Write
I am preparing to give a brief talk about my new novel, Back Side Of A Hurricane, and when I talk about my novels, and try to answer the question, “What’s it about?” I always focus on theme rather than plot. Literary fiction writers, it seems to me, write about themes, and use plot as a vehicle for addressing the themes that matter to them. The plots tend to be somewhat less action-oriented than popular fiction plots, and focus more on the characters, and how they change during the course of the story. The best popular fiction writers are very good writers, too, but they are masters of plotting, and tell great stories full of adventure and suspense. Plot carries their novels, although many have well-developed characters, too.