A Mary Poppins Mother’s Day
May 09, 2011 
So, my Mother’s Day didn’t go exactly as one might hope. The eve of, I picked up my crying daughter from her crib, only to get covered in diarreah. The morning of, I woke up feeling like a piano was sitting on my chest,with a yucky cold. I hated to miss church because on Mother’s Day not only do all the children sing to you, but the men all bring these marvelous treats for the women to eat during the women’s meeting. Furthermore, I was supposed to pick someone up, and help with the children’s meeting, so it was actually a lot of work not to go.
My husband couldn’t help because he’d been working all night and needed to sleep before working all night again. After debating the possibilities, I finally concluded I really couldn’t (and shouldn’t!) go to church. THANKFULLY I made this decision, because just as we would have been in the car on the way, my 4-year-old threw up. Yes, it truly was quite the day.
So when I got my two sickies down to sleep, I proposed to my 7-year-old that we watch Mary Poppins. I loved this movie as a kid (I even learned how to say Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious backwards – Docious-ali-expi-istic-fragi-cali-rupus, in case you were wondering). My son would never watch it before, but since we don’t usually watch movies on Sunday, he jumped at the chance.
This time was the charm. He loved it! And of course I loved it all over again. I even had to watch the “making of” portion in the Bonus Features. That’s when my son lost interest.
Still, I found it fascinating. Did you know that Walt Disney spent 20 years trying to get the rights to film this movie? P.L. Travers didn’t want to see her work desecrated by Hollywood. But Disney had fallen in love with the book, and he never stopped trying. He just knew that it was something worth pursuing. (Sound familiar?)
And did you know that Julie Andrews only accepted the part of Mary Poppins after she failed to get the role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady? If you recall, that part went to the inimitable Audrey Hepburn. But guess who won the Oscar for Best Actress that year? I’ll give you a hint: it didn’t go to Audrey Hepburn. Ms. Andrews’ amazing success in Mary Poppins only came because she was first rejected. (Funny enough, she actually thanked the producer of My Fair Lady in her acceptance speech at the Oscars!)
So I won’t slam the morals down your throat, I’m sure you can see how these great stories might apply to us. But I will show you the picture my son drew while I was watching the “making of.”
Recognize it? If you don’t, go watch it again. If you’ve never seen it . . . well hurry and rectify that! Mary Poppins is an inspirational film. So simple, yet so complex. And even though my day may not have been all one might hope, I’m okay with that. Somehow, after seeing this movie with my son, I don’t feel so gloomy. And that’s the best a storyteller can hope for, isn’t it?
Reader’s Digest-esque Humor
One of my favorite bathroom reads is the Reader’s Digest “humor” sections. I have even submitted one or two in my time (*sigh* not published though). So today, wishing to offer up a good laugh, I present for your reading pleasure my own humorous short:
After asking my boys to clean up their room for the um-teenth time, I told them I’d help if they hurried. Of course, I found myself cleaning up on my own.
Well, I’d had enough! Hands on hips, and stern look on face, I declared, “I am NOT the clean-up fairy!”
My boys weren’t even phased. My oldest just glared back. “Then why are we the clean-up boys?”
Perseverence Pays Off
The Arc de Triomphe is another signature site of Paris.
This monument was commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon to honor his great victories as a general. He had proclaimed himself Emperor in 1804, and he was revered by the people for basically bringing greatness back to France after the horrors of the Revolution.
Construction began in 1809, and before it was finished, Napoleon was forced to abdicate (1814) by the French generals, and was banished from France not once, but twice (first to Elba, then to St. Helena after attempting a comeback).
Now you would think that given the circumstances, the French might have decided not to finish the monument, or at the very least dedicate it to someone else, but no. When construction was completed 19 years (19 years!!!) after Napoleon’s death, they had his body exhumed from his grave in St. Helena and paraded under the Arc on the way to its final resting place in the chapel of the Hotel des Invalides.
Turns out that many French people still saw him as a hero, despite his downfall. And in fact, the epitaph on his tombstone simply says “Here lies . . . ” because they couldn’t agree with the British about what to call him: hero vs. tyrant?
So, if you aren’t yet bored to tears over another history lesson, here is my writing analogy . . . so many to choose from with Napoleon.
But I choose to focus on perseverence.The French saw the building of the Arc de Triomphe to the end despite the obstacles they faced. Surely there must have been a moment where they questioned whether or not the monument to a leader fallen from grace was worth the resources it was taking. But they moved forward, and their work is beautiful. It is universally admired.
As writers, we too will face obstacles. We will find numerous reasons to quit and wash our hands of this tyrant that binds us down. But if we quit, we’ll never know the works we might have produced. The influence we might have had over countless others. I imagine that other European nations mocked the French for their folly, but not anymore.
So finish those Arcs! Fight the good fight! And never give up! (And I do believe that this was basically Napoleon’s philosophy, too.) 😉
Extreme Parallel Parking
You knew it had to come up . . . but darned if I didn’t see even one personalized plate in France. Yeah, I think that’s just not done there. Probably because the French spend all their energy learning to park in impossible places:
Why bother thinking up a creative 8-letter (or whatever it is in France) commentary about yourself when no one will be able to see the plate half the time anyway?
Actually, I’m wondering if personalized plates are an exclusively American thing. I’d love it if all of you who live in other countries would confirm or correct my opinion. (Please!)
Anywho . . . since there are more than enough creative plates here in Virginia to make up for it, I’ve decided on a compromise. Here’s how it will work:
- I will post a super fun license plate I found here, in the U.S.
- You will guess the color, make, and model of the car (like usual).
- The first person to get all three right wins a French candy bar. A Lion bar to be exact.
Good, yes? Because I have to say that I’m sacrificing a lot by sharing my limited supply of Lion bars with you. You can’t get these in the U.S., and they are SUPER yummy!
So on to the important stuff. I saw this car parked at the grocery story, and I was grinning the whole time I was there. You may laugh, but as a children’s writer, I’m trying to take lessons from my audience. We should all let something so simple make us happy.
And, the license plate du jour:
On your mark. Get set. Guess!
P.S. If you haven’t voted in the latest This vs. That, please head on over before I tally the results. 🙂
The Worth of a Thing
Our next stop in Paris was St. Chapelle.
Yeah, I didn’t get a great picture of it. I’m hoping you’ll forgive me.
Anyway, this little chapel was built near Notre Dame in 1246 by Louis IX (the pious Louis). Louis commissioned this chapel to hold some holy relics he’d purchased—namely the crown of thorns worn by Jesus on the cross, as well as a splinter of the cross.
Were they the real deal? Obviously Louis IX thought so, because he paid 135,000 livres for just the crown. Now, I can’t tell you how much that is in today’s money, but to give you a comparison, he paid a mere 40,000 livres to build the entire chapel.
Once you go inside, you’ll find that the pillared walls are merely there to support the endless stained glass windows. When the sun hits just right, the effects are amazing!
My pictures really don’t do it justice.
So my writing analogy for the day? Well, maybe this will apply to life-in-general, too.
It would be easy to assume that the worth of St. Chapelle is in the glamorous and showy stained glass windows. But Louix IX never saw it that way. Its value was as a shrine to two holy relics that might easily have been overlooked by most people. Items that were rustic and plain. Items that were simple. But not common. Definitely not common.
As writers, we sometimes want to base the value of our work on outward facts . . . how many requests we get for our manuscript; how many books we sell once we’re published; how many fan-pages are dedicated to us; how many people tattoo our mc’s name onto their bicep. Well, you get the idea.
But I don’t think worth comes from any outside source. I think that worth comes from the sweat and tears we put in. From our hard work. Though the stories we produce may be the most horrid things ever written (hopefully not, of course!), they have value for what we gain from them. For what we become from having written them.
I grew up hearing that it’s what’s on the inside that counts. And though I groaned every time I heard it as a kid, I embrace it now. I am not the same person I was before I started writing. I see the world differently, and I appreciate things I wouldn’t otherwise appreciate. I have gained skill and insight. I have gained respect for others’ work . . . no matter what it may be.
Even if I never get published, my time spent writing is not wasted, and neither is yours.
The Best Laid Plans . . .
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to go to France for two weeks as a tour guide. No, I am not French scholar. And Yes, it was a LOT of work to get ready.
This iconic building fascinates me. It was built for the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889. It was meant to stand for 2 years before it would be dismantled. Then they upped its life to 20 years, and finally, with the coming of the radio and its usefulness assured, they decided to keep it.
It’s hard to imagine, from our current frame of reference, that the French would ever have considered taking the Eiffel Tower apart. But back then it was something of an atrocity to many. Modern art at it’s worst, so some people thought.
Now we can look back and breathe a sigh of relief that they revised their plans. Somehow, Paris just wouldn’t be Paris without it.
Writing can be a bit like this. We lay out our plans. We set our goals. We write our books and think that’s the end.
And then the first critiques come back.
We revise our work and sigh with relief that that’s done.
And then the next batch of critiques come back. I’m sure you get the idea.
What’s important to remember though, are the breathtaking results from your efforts.
Oh wait! How’d that get in there? I meant to post these . . .
So when you’re working on that next draft. Just think of the Eiffel Tower and all the future audiences you will wow.
It will be worth it.
Getting Critiqued!
To Be A Classic or Not To Be A Classic
In an effort to help my wife with her blog and in an attempt to be literary; Have you ever wondered what makes a classic a classic? If you are like me, you sat through English class (or French, or Spanish, or German or well you get the picture) and some of the books you said,” yes, okay! That is a classic.” others you wondered what the literary powers were thinking. Some will argue that classics are in the eye of the beholder and that it is all subjective. Those that would disagree often use logical facts to try to prove their points. They may say something like the messages in that book are timeless and thus it’s a classic or it sold so many copies in successive generations, etc. But does that really make a book a classic?
Or is literature more based on how well it appeals to some one? Many books written are never published because they don’t “appeal’ to the agents or editors the book was sent to. Take Harry Potter by JK Rowling. She had tried several agents/editors before being accepted yet we can pretty much all agree that it has gained world-wide popularity. (Now you can disagree with it being a classic or well written but it is an international phenomenon.) Two things can be learned from this:
First, there are several very very very embarrassed agents/editors (actually my real point is that something being good is in the eye of the beholder these people are embarrassed because they DIDN’T see it as good). Second, that popularity may not necessarily make something a classic. So what do you think makes something a classic and do you know a book that should or shouldn’t be a classic and why?
For example, I had to read Brave new World, I hate a Brave New World and I understand its messages. But I don’t think it is a classic and think that the same messages could have been told in other ways. Yet I might argue that in CS Lewis’ books could be classics.
Where Are You Katie Kelly?
Katie, we haven’t heard from you concerning THIS, and we’ll have to choose another winner if we haven’t heard from you by Monday April 11. We’re sure you want it, but we have no way of contacting you!
So if anyone else knows Katie and wants to give her a nudge, I’m sure she’ll love you forever. 🙂
Brawl ‘n Haul Winners!
First, thank you to everyone who stopped in last week and participated. Vicki and I had a great time battling it out and reading all the votes and comments. You guys are a total riot!
So without further ado, here are the brawl results and winners:
Mock Me Monday:
Total votes: 49
Vicki’s BAD story : 40 votes; 82%
Janet’s eruption: 9 votes; 18%
And Vicki is the winner! Man, I knew I’d lost as soon as I read hers. She’s just too good! So head on over to Vicki’s blog for Monday’s daily winner.
Testing Tuesday:
Total quizzes taken: 27
Vicki’s Grade: 36/60; 60%
Janet’s Grade: 56/75; 75%
And I’m the winner! Woo hoo! You guys are awesome for pulling this one out for me. 😀
And the winner of the day is Lenny Lee! Congratulations, Lenny! Here is the fabulous daily prize he won. I know, you’re all jealous. But every good writer needs some snacks to pull through those rough patches. 😉
The answers to Vicki’s quiz are:
1. Which of the following celebrities have NOT been mentioned on Vicki’s blog?
b. Mark Wahlburg
2. The artist who painted the picture Vicki uses as her icon is :
c. Alfred Gockel
3. Ever the fan of odd writing analogies, which of the following has Vicki NOT used?
c. Writing is like popping a zit
4. Which of the following was NOT a title of a post?
c. Tickling Turtles
5. What is the working title of Vicki’s WIP?
b. Porcelain God
The answers to my quiz are:
1. Which This vs. That debate has NOT been featured on Janet’s blog?
c. Spring vs. Summer
2. Janet professes to speak another language. Which one?
a. French
3. What obsession (besides writing) does Janet constantly blog about?
b. license plates
4. What celebrity does Janet pose with in her profile picture?
d. Oscar the Grouch
5. Janet did a 4-part series on what topic?
b. Clichés
Wacky Wednesday:
Total votes: 35
Vicki’s POLLTREE: 0 votes; 0%
Janet’s BITE ME: 35 votes; 100%
Ouch! I think this was a combination punch. Poor Vicki, she never stood a chance. 😉
And the winner of the day is Yat-Yee! Congratulations, Yat-Yee! And here is a sneak preview of what you’ll be receiving in the mail. Because every good writer needs a handy-dandy mini notebook to jot down all those fabulous ideas that hit at the oddest moments. And of course pens you can trust to actually write when you need them. (I didn’t defend pen and paper for nothing!)
This vs. That Thursday:
Total votes: 46
Vicki’s Laptop: 33 votes; 72%
Janet’s Pen & Paper: 13 votes; 28%
Yikes, I really thought I stood a better chance, but alas. I guess even I can’t stop the steamroller that is technology. But I can admit defeat, so head on over to Vicki’s blog for Thursday’s daily winner.
Before announcing the Grand Prize winners, I had to show you how I’m feeling after a week of duking it out with Vicki:
She’s a hard hitter and a worthy opponent. I suppose technically we’re at a stalemate, having each won 2/4, but for future reference, I’ll think twice before messing with her!
Okay, now on to the part you’ve all been waiting for. The Grand Prize Winners!
Grand Prize #1: Ten-page Critique by Sarah LaPolla of Curtis Brown!
Grand Prize #2: Gift Basket including a $40 Gift Card to Amazon!
Congratulations to the winners! Please contact me as soon as possible with my “Contact Me” tab, and I will get you taken care of.
Also, I want to thank Vicki for playing along with me all week, and I want to thank Sarah for so generously offering a ten-page critique! I’m kindof sad this has come to an end. 🙁
And finally, my big news is that I’m heading off to France tomorrow (squee!) so I won’t be around the blogosphere for the next little while. But, darling husband has agreed to peek in from time to time and fill in for me. I have no idea what he’ll say. I might be a little worried. Wish me luck!