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If you've been reading The Muse since its very beginning, you might remember it would publish sometimes early, sometimes a little later in the month. When you're launching a brand new ship out to sea, it always takes a bit to get the hull to hug the waves just right, the prow to point at the sweet spot on the horizon.
I've finally come to that point. After a year of writing this newsletter, it feels good 'n cozy, HTML code 'n all. And the magic number is TWO. Henceforth, The Muse will hit your Inbox on the second Tuesday of every month (the second "second day" of the week).
How did I determine this? A secret formula passed down through the centuries by my forefathers in ancient Bohemia, and disclosed only to the first-born daughters after they've sheared their first sheep during the orange light of a supermoon.
Well... maybe not quite like that, but the color is indeed orange. An orange-yellow is LUCITA's color, and one of my favorites (Really. It's all over my website!). Orange-yellow is also the color of number two-hence the decision to publish on Tuesdays. Eight is a spring green, four is tangerine, seven and five are violet/lavender/teal.
Yep, I'm one of those. Gosh, this article even says synesthetes may "associate orange with Tuesdays."
!!
Happy Orange Tuesday!
~ Birgitte
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Last month I shared the story of Don Reginaldo Chayax Huex, the director of Bio-Itzá in the Petén region of Guatemala who helped me with the translation of portions of my novel about the history of cacao. I'm delighted to share that we raised over $600 to help pay his medical bills, and have sent the funds to the clinic.
Don Reginaldo's son Aderito sent me several emails thanking us for all of our goodwill. Here are a few excerpts, translated from Spanish:
I saw the web page and I teared up... I'm simply stunned because I never thought that someone could put into words what one has in her heart in such a way. I want to thank you for gathering these contributions for Don Reginaldo and I hope to be able to do something in the future for you and all of the others who helped us.
My personal thanks again to all of you who donated. You've made a real, tangible difference in the lives of an entire Itzà Maya community in Guatemala—because the elders are the lifeblood of Maya society.
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Not too long ago a reader posted a review on the Amazon page of my short story The Seventh Crane. The review was eloquently written, with feeling and care, and expressed the reader’s disappointment that the story did not go quite as deep and was not quite as rich as expected.
I smiled when I read the comment because I had originally thought about expanding the story into a longer piece, of plunging deeper into the narrative. But somehow, it had, at least initially, wanted to be short.
There’s a lot unwritten between the lines: a lot of backstory, plot, and substance that is not overtly expressed in words.
For me, that’s the beauty of short stories. The shorter the story, the richer, in fact, it becomes: it opens up a vast amount of space for the reader and his or her own experiences and imagination to fill in.
You can't please all of your readers all of the time, but you can listen to each and every one. One day I may write that longer piece. Make it a novella perhaps. And if I do, it will be because of this thoughtful reader who reached out via an Amazon review.
This is a part of a longer blog I wrote last week for The Write Practice. Check it out here.
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Twitter. Facebook. Linkedin. Google Plus. Pinterest. Instagram. Whatsapp or whatever.
Like it, cheer it, pin it, tweet it. Upload it, blog it, share it. Everywhere.
Can you feel the maddening din in your head? I do every time I think about all this social media buzzing through our lives. In small doses, it's fun and can be incredibly useful. Large mouthfuls however can cause dizziness, irritation, and that dull feeling in your bones that you get when you've been sitting for hours moving just a few muscles: your fingers on the keyboard.
There is nothing like sitting down with friends for dinner, especially one you made yourself. There's nothing like getting out there in the wild, running a few miles, strolling along the beach at dawn. Nothing like living and breathing the real world.
There is one thing Twitter was great for today, though: a compilation of photos of this weekend's extraordinary supermoon from around the planet. Tweet on!
Yes, I realize how ironic this piece is considering the "Connect with me" footer that follows it. Like I said... all things socialtech in balance and moderation...!
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Connect with me:
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You are receiving this message because you have signed up for my mailing list, registered with a user account on my author's web site, sent me flowers or dark chocolate, survived a live television program with me, or otherwise communicated with me and/or shown interest in my work or the official Birgitte Rasine author web site, or because you are someone I know personally. If you have any questions, please contact LUCITÀ via email at info@lucita.net or by telephone at +1 408.542.9942.
Copyright © 2014 LUCITÀ Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
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