In a world where we now hurry up and wait, it is often difficult for many to sit back and watch things unfold. The internet, the largest innovative disrupter in history, changed the face of the world. From conducting business and customer relations to education and food services, every factor of the world changed in a flash. The need for business men to travel for weeks at a time became less and less, as skype, facetime, Google hangout, and a plethora of digital media service companies made it possible to conduct serious meeting all in a moments notice in front of a computer screen. Customer relations firms set up camp and reduced the need for companies to have internal employees, as the the digital world opened up the international business of training customer service reps. We all know the frustrations of hearing the delayed voices on the calls or typing in the customer service IM windows, but never the less the world changed. Of course food services changed and fewer jobs were needed in the food services industry because with the touch of a hand on a screen timers could be set, orders could be taken, and meals delivered by fewer employees. The face of education changed with the internet as research could be completed at the stroke of one’s finger tips, rather than laborious hours in the library. The internet brought about this need and hunger for immediate gratification reducing the patience of the people as a whole.

This refusal to be patience is interwoven in everyday life. From day one babies are given toys which have some sort of action reaction button. A mobile which lights up or plays music upon their voice activation. A sword with a button which makes the swoosh noise as they swing away. Even better, a toothbrush which plays sounds for three minutes to time them while brushing their gritty little teeth. As adults, we wait patiently for the release day of venue tickets, and press the buttons immediately upon the box office opening, to get our chance at the next latest and greatest activity. We build our next vehicle online and email a salesperson before stepping on the car lot for our purchase. Even applying for jobs has turned into digital prescreening before any interview takes place.  Even sixteen year olds applying to McDonalds’s must apply online and hope for a callback. Gone are the days of face to face meetings. Each of these situations breeds an anxiety and lack of patience because while we feel in control behind the computer the hurry up and wait game drives into our very core.

This brings me to my present situation. I have always played it safe. I studied Sunday through Thursday in college. I let loose only on Friday and Saturday, unless something pressing in my academic career put things off. I began teaching and poured my heart and soul into lesson and unit design, because back in the day we were all pioneers testing out new limits before the innovative disputer changed the face of education. Working in video production and post production for twenty years between teaching gigs, we wrote scripts and contracts and patiently waited for clients to respond back. We did not have the luxury of email for many years and this slowed the pace down a bit. Arriving back at teaching, and being tech savoy, I am the innovative disrupter in my school. I lose patience with those who stay behind in the 19th and 20th centuries of educational paradigms. It blows my mind when a teacher wastes more resources printing then the library of congress. However, I have no choices but to bite my lip, and slowly creep in, changing the ideas, similar to the Gates and Jobs in a world with stubborn heel trenchers.

This ramble began because I too suffer some loss with the changing of the guard, with regards to my new chosen path. My deepest admiration goes out to the frontiers before me in this indie author’s world. I know just enough to make myself dangerous and not enough which kills the process. This journey began exactly one year ago when I completed my Masters program. My children, grown enough to be helpful, needed less from me. My husband taking on two new business partnerships, and me, sitting and wondering what do I do next? I had ideas swirling around in my head and was involved in a national writing project associated with my teaching job. My writing group encouraged me to write my first work. While I am grateful to everyone, I completed the piece over about seven months and it sits on the back burner, until now. I have come to my crossroads, and the waterfall is pounding down upon me, as I figure out my road less traveled. Reflecting this morning, and sending out more emails and IM’s to well respected folks on my path and new journey, I recognize the need for regaining my patience and remembering this waterfall will continue pouring down, even when I am gathering myself together. Patience needs to be the foremost characteristic I take with me on this new road.

Reflecting upon the most influential writers over time and what genres brought them the most audiences, the romance division tops the charts. Authors such as Andreas Capellanus in his work The Art of Courtley Love, distributed  in the late 1100’s, brought about the ideas of what made love and sex worthy. According to Capellanuse, “Love is an inborn suffering proceeding from the sight and immoderate thought upon the beauty of the other sex, for which cause above all other things one wishes to embrace the other and, by common assent, in this embrace to fulfill the commandments of love. . . .” Capellanuse’s work drew many criticism’s in the early years, as sex was exclusively private and men dominated over women making his work appear too outlandish to be true. The ever influential Shakespeare wove in sex to his works in every which way possible. He stretched the power of his lexicon and made inferences which pushed the barriers of acceptability. For goodness sakes his reference to suckling thine testicles is blatant in  A Mid Summer Nights Dream, “My cherry lips have often kissed thy stones, Thy stones with lime and hair knit up in thee.” Shakespeare also references the battle for the oral pleasures in A Taming of a Shew, “What, with my tongue in your tail.”  The point of this boils down to critics of the modern day romance genre suggesting author’s push the limits.

Critics believe that authors, such as Anne Rice and Erica James, jumped the shark. Being aware of innovating disrupters suggests they merely reawakened the genre which already had strength and long living roots. Multiple writers join in the pool each day. Some are still breaking out of their shells while others have developed deep rooted fandom. Each of these authors belongs to a fraternity (or sorority of you play the feminist game) which is so ingrained in the soil it is time to stop the negative view of the genre and enjoy the ride. 

The book burners and and parent groups horrified and shocked at the selections picked by schools need to actually read a few of these works themselves. Works such as the Handmaids Tale or Jane Eyre all introduce some sort of romance and relationship intimacy. Even the suggested Young Adult novels which are pushed as rewards for reading begin our youth on the journey of romance. Works by. Cassandra Claire even push the limits by writing in characters off the heterosexual path. The bottom line is they are all good works which have served to expose readers to a wholesome organic body of literature which does include the taboo of sex. Why fight what has been swirling around in the world for centuries? 

The time has come to recognize most works subtly introduce some sort  of intimacy and carnal desires. Readers and writers alike need to know when to call the shots and read what they enjoy, without a pointed finger or negative push back. Bottom line romance is here to stay and the choice of each individual flatlined at just how sexy can you take it?

I was asked to write a piece last year, a short quick write, based on an object I brought to my writing group. I brought a stuffed frog, which my mom always carried in the back of her car for when the grandkids were passengers and needed something to do. This frog also held additional significance, because she used to have a rubber frog she would place on her podium before she plunged into the water and swam her heart away.  She made her way before Title 9 was a thing, and wet her toes in her way, on her terms. Enjoy, I only had about an hour to write this piece, but it holds near, dear, and true in my heart. It also put a smile on my momma’s face!

For those who missed the smashing FWP’s internet fame please give these a little looksy!

First World Problems Part 1

First World Problems part 2

I like to show these gems around the first six to eight weeks of school when the students begin thinking school is a waste of time.  Then I show them the the next pieces…

First World Problems Anthem

What Does Third World Mean?

Next we write.. and write… and revise… reread.. rewrite… and hopefully everyone increases their abilities to relate ideas of the modern world to problems currently occurring. Most of my students go on to join MUN groups, Mock Trial, and some begin blogs, or writing and publishing on other apps. I love this aspect of teaching and opening the eyes of the students to the world forum. It helps bring them to the understanding of universal themes and multi-genre writing styles.

For most authors ideas of infusing multiple writing genres in works is a natural fit. I look at the multiple books I’ve read over time, even within fiction, there are arguments made, narrative prose, and researched informational infusions. It is important we introduce our 21st century learners to the fabulous world of reading and writing from the beginning. The moment Dr. Seuss is read, or the fabulous works of Helen Cooper, with The Little Boy Who Wouldn’t Go to Bed or Pumpkin Soup, to our older adolescent readers enjoying Suzanne Collins and the Hunger Games to Cassandra Claire and her Mortal Instruments series and many more, each reader absorbs enough to begin thinking about writing. Once they begin writing, they too know that it is important to read like a writer and write like a reader. Who knows, one day they might just grow up and be the next big writer for Time Magazine or Esquire.  Some may become the next autobiographer or even rub elbows with a John Grisham!

Woke up to the wonderful +Corinne Michaels Facebook hosting a live chat feed.  Her recent work Say You’ll Stay is beyond words it is so well written. Reading a work which touches emotions in one’s core, while difficult, truly is the gift of a talented writer. When an array of feelings strike a nerve, and the audience truly exhibits anger, remorse, sadness, hopefulness, joy, the author’s craft truly deserves to be celebrated.

Recently I’ve read a host of books which I enjoy reading and learning from for a multitude of reasons. Some bring out the emotional blubbering girl in me, whole others inspire the secret heroine superpowers I wish I’d honed in on in my early years, and others use dynamic language and structure techniques which only add to the depth of the work. From those author’s who make me chuckle through the lense of sports or the deep seated desire to make things hot in the kitchen each author brings a true piece of creativity to the table. When reading a diverse grouping of styles within a genre it is important to recognize the stylistic moves which make you crave continuing on the journey as well as noting the sidebars which cause you angst about finishing the work. All off these author’s like +Corinne Michaels, +Pandora Spocks, +Sloane Howell, @celiaaaron, @jaymclean, @tialouise, @matthewhiley, +Quiet Ruby, +Mae Wood, +Meghan March, @serenitywoods, @  +Julia Kent, @jacobchance, @loganchance, @cassandraclaire, @veronicaroth, +John Green, @danbrown, @ruthclampett, +Helena Hunting, @aliceclayton,  @EBWhite, @marktwain, @johnsteinbeck, @nealshusterman, oh and so many more truly bring out the inspiration for some of us to continue on our  sojourn of writing.

Sitting in Professional Development learning about ways to manage student achievement through observation in different classrooms. It should be pretty darn important since it developed out of Harvard (if you’re a name throwing kinda personality). Of course my brain turns on and starts figuring out the part of my book I was stuck writing. Now all I want to do is get home and start writing.

Another distraction feeding my brain hovers around all the new book releases this week.  I need to figure out a way to make more hours in a day!