If a picture is worth a thousand words, what does this photograph reveal?

Initially, it shows the faces of five clowns, seated with what an observer might assume are other gleemen standing behind and perhaps in front of those faces. Maybe these five were part of a larger photo, but were cropped out for some reason. Maybe they were the stars of the show, and the others were only minor players. We may never know, but we can surmise.

How could anyone not directly involved with the photo, the show or behind the men know that these clowns all worked for the famous Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus? Furthermore, a person just looking at the photo for the first time could not know that my cousin had visited the Barnum and Bailey Circus museum where she found this photo or a larger one, on display.

I think the museum is in Sarasota, Florida and I intend to visit it as soon as I can to see if I can find the photo again. My cousin took a picture of the picture and shared it with my brother, who shared it with me and my other siblings.

It’s not that my cousin or my brother or I have a special affinity for jesters, but while reading about the circus, our cousin discovered something intriguing about the men in this photograph. The man in the middle is my grandfather and the man to his left is his brother. Another funnyman or two may be related to us as well.

Anyone who knows my siblings knows that we are all clowns. At some time in our lives, we have all sought to be the center of attention. Perhaps this is simply a by-product of being born into a large family and needing to vie for special notice; perhaps clowning is genetic. My mother said she did not want to consider dating my father, when she first met him, “because he is a show off.” Trust me; he was! My daddy knew how to draw attention to himself and he did not need floppy shoes or face paint.

Speaking of face paint, I learned that a clown’s face paint indicates what kind of clown he or she will be, and the Face is the clown’s character as much as the physical performance. The costume is also a big part of clowning. Whiteface clowns are the oldest type of Clown in existence and probably comprised the majority of the circus clowns. They were comical and performed very physical, exaggerated actions. Whiteface clowns have sub-categories: neat and grotesque. The Neat Whiteface clown is usually costumed in white with little face paint but the grotesque or comedy Whiteface exaggerates his facial features and usually uses props such as elaborate wigs, floppy shoes and big noses.
Auguste clowns became popular in the 1800s. Their costumes don’t fit well, are mis-matched and bright. These are the pie throwing, seltzer spraying clowns.
Character clowns like the hobos also wear unmatched clothing and tend to do standup skits; New Vaudeville clowns don’t wear makeup, but include their audiences by using magic, mime or juggling.

When I look beyond the painted on smiles of the clowns in the photo, I see the first three have wide, upturned smiles but the two on the far right seem to have already removed most of their makeup. They all look very tired. I can imagine the amount of energy these men might have needed to perform several shows each day, running around, acting as silly as they could. It’s certainly not a profession for older people, although older clowns do very well – just not trotting at full speed or jumping over things or into small spaces.

Maybe this photo was taken at the end of the week, after a long performance. Who knows how many miles they had to travel between shows? I recall reading that clowns and other performers often assisted with setting up and taking down the tents, which cannot be an easy task for anyone.

The body language of the two on the right suggest fatigue to me, as well as their sad expressions. Their shoulders are slumped and they seem to be leaning heavily on their arms, which are resting on their laps. Could they have been battling a bout of the flu or a bad cold? The photograph will not tell us if someone had just received bad news from home. Did they even have a home waiting for their return? Were they running away from something? When I look at my Grandpa’s body language, I think he looks like he might actually be ready to go out dancing – another family trait. We all love to dance!

The photo does not indicate a time, so I don’t know if this was before or after the first world war, but I do know my grandfather served; his brothers may have as well, and this could have something to do with their unhappy, tired expressions. My guess is they were simply tired from the previous performance and all they wanted was for the photographer to put the camera down so they could all go get a beer.

It seems that something new appears each time I review the photograph. Where did that newspaper come from and when did it appear? Who is reading it? Who wrote the words the person reads? Is that person a clown or another performer?

When I see this black and white reproduction of a black and white photo and look at the three white faces, I wonder what color their costumes might have been. For some reason I expect the one with polka dots might have been pink with bright green dots. The clown with streaks of tears could have been in a bright yellow costume and I suspect Grandpa might have just taken off a bizarre hat, while I’m sure the guy with the ruffled collar wore a comical wig to hide his tousled hair.

It can be confusing for a writer with a new story; you need new characters, but how do you name them? It’s as difficult as being an expectant parent trying to determine what to name your baby. Our characters are our babies.

A writer friend once told me she searches obituary columns for her characters’ names. A word of caution: be sure of the papers you are searching. If your book has a pastoral setting, you want to search online for papers with rural roots. Characters roaming the streets of a cosmopolitan city will have more sophisticated names such as those found in larger papers.

If you are engaged in online social networking, a good idea might be to cull your friends and their friends’ list for names that will work with your characters. Jot down the names that strike a chord with you and use them later. I don’t recommend using the first and last names as they appear online, but mix them up. After all, you don’t want people blocking you for fear you may use their names in your next story. Be careful you don’t use too many familiar names, because agents and editors can pick up on things that indicate you may be writing for a familiar audience.

If you’re lucky, skilled or both, your characters will reveal their names to you and you won’t have to deal with where to find clever names for them.

Let your characters’ emotions shine, even if you don’t care for them, personally. Everyone, even fictional characters has unique traits, opinions and ways of dressing, walking or talking. Let your readers see and hear your character’s voice. When they see your character’s names, they will know everything about them. Make your characters memorable so they come alive in the reading.

Here are some of my favorite characters’ names from other authors:

Wellington Cabot
Herschel Tatum
Gavin Weaver
Henry Fleming
Oliver Twist
Bob Cratchit
Dexter Morgan
Martine Rhodes
Shyla McCall
Sayuri
Esmerelda

With the highly successful social networking sites and business blogs consuming time away from my own site, I often have to force myself to just take time to write. It’s easy to respond to someone with a one-liner or a smiley face, but when faced with a blank blog that begs to enlighten, what should I write?

Who wants to read about my current angst or daily drama? Who wants to know what my newest photo of the day looks like? I can direct you to my facebook or myspace for those. If you want to know what I’m doing at work, just roll on over to see the newest issue.

But the question of my day is: how do I keep my own website current? What should I add to keep readers interested? Okay, I admit, those are the two questions of my day. The answer is simple, I need to realize that my readers are also writers and find something interesting to share with other writers.

With my task finally described, I’ll do my best to fulfill my obligation as a website owner and keep this site updated with writer-relevant material.

The first is a book by H.V. Rhodes, called The Brain Dead Manager .

If you hate your job or think you work for an idiot, this book was written for you!

With humorous insights such as, “Establish a “Process Action Team” for every conceivable purpose, then ignore their recommendations” and “Any managerial whim or personal preference, regardless of how bizarre, eccentric, or perverse it may be, is always expressed for ‘Business Reasons,’” the author seems to have found a way to help the most hapless employee cope with the situation at hand.

Visit www.braindeadpress.com for details or to order your book.

The second is by John Medina, who calls himself, “a nice guy, but a grumpy scientist.” His book is Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School .

In it, you will find the 12 principles describing how our brains work best, which form the core of Dr. Medina’s book.

1. Exercise. Exercise boosts brain power.
2. Survival. The human brain evolved, too.
3. Wiring. Every brain is wired differently.
4. Attention. We don’t pay attention to boring things.
5. Short-term memory. Repeat to remember.
6. Long-term memory. Remember to repeat.
7. Sleep. Sleep well, think well.
8. Stress. Stressed brains don’t learn the same way.
9. Sensory integration. Stimulate more of the senses.
10. Vision. Vision trumps all other senses.
11. Gender. Male and female brains are different.
12. Exploration. We are powerful and natural explorers.

Check out the website at http://www.brainrules.net/the-rules

HeliumWhat to write in a Christmas card

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HeliumCurbing family spending for Christmas in favor of emotional wellbeing

Five writers were individually selected for awards:
H.V. Rhodes
John Trieste
King Quillen
Sammy Haddad
Mary Brotherton

I am honored to be in such prestigious company.

If you click on the title link, you’ll still see my work.

If you are overcome with happiness or giddy with excitement, take time to write about your thoughts and dreams.

Even if you don’t have a need for them at that moment, when you find yourself stuck for how to describe a scene for a character who is angry, sad, annoyed, filled with joy or nervous you will already have the ideas in a file.

Mark a folder “feelings” or “emotions” and the next time you can’t think of how to express what your character is feeling, how he or she feels or what is happening – go to your file and find out.

Be sure when you write about your emotions, you use as many details as you can.
* What made this particular feeling manifest?
* Was anyone else involved in the scene?
* Where were you?
* What were you doing before you started to feel the particular emotion?
*What happened after the initial emotion subsided?
* Did you go anywhere or do anything as a result of the feeling/emotion?

Try to remember as many details as possible.

“I’m not good enough” and “It’s just a hobby” are excuses these writers use along with “I don’t have talent” or “I don’t have time to do it right.”

Nobody gets it right the first time and some great writers require multiple edits to accomplish the brilliance we buy. Learn to turn off the voice inside that tells you to revise, revise and revise again. Write your story. After you’ve completed it, you will feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction and you can begin to tell your next story, or you can start revising.

This is the time to clean up your grammar, check mechanics and repair those unintentional fragments. When you have completed your second draft, let your writing peers judge.

If you haven’t already, join a writers’ group and find a local or online critique group you feel comfortable working with. This may take some research and trial periods until you find the one that works best for you and your writing. Writing peers are invaluable for helping emerging writers establish themselves and build confidence; they are also great for checking egos.

After your group has helped you polish your manuscript even more, you have choices. You can start your search for an agent/publisher/editor or create a diverse focus group and allow these unbiased readers to give honest appraisals of your work.

Ultimately, the readers in the buying market will be your judge. Your book will become a best seller or it will be a flop. Either way, you’ll never know if you don’t start – today!