Rayne's Newsletter
I'm going to adopt a rescue dog. - Winter colour in my garden - Writing tip - What I'm currently working on.
Winter Colours in my Garden
At this cold time of the year, when temperatures drop below freezing, many plants go to sleep and won’t wake up until Spring. However, some berries - such as firethorn (pyracantha) and rosehips brighten the view with their scarlet glow.
A few days ago, the first snowdrops appeared, and soon the crocuses and early daffodils will bloom.
To my surprised delight, my winter-flowering clematis has produced flowers again, little creamy bells.
My Cats Supervise the Renovation Work
My cats take a keen interest in the remodelling and renovation of my home. When the builders left after pouring concrete, the cats obviously inspected the quality of the work. Based on the paw prints, two cats carried out the inspection tour. I think it’s Sulu (the chief cat who is curious about anything new in his realm) and McCoy (who likes the supervise the builders while they work.
Writing Tip: Beware the Smiles!
Many writers use ‘he smiled, she smiled’ far too often. Use smiles sparingly, so every one has impact.
Rephrase those sentences without using the word ‘smile’ and instead convey something about the person’s character, thoughts or feelings.
Here are some examples:
Her face lit up.
He beamed.
Her eyes shone with joy.
The corners of his eyes crinkled.
His lips curved.
Update about Jane, the Super-Intelligent Dog
Do you remember Jane, my sweet hyper-intelligent rescue dog? She’s so intelligent - the Albert Einstein of dogs - that she craves the kind of mental stimulation and higher education I couldn’t give her. So I’ve rehomed her with a friend of mine, Stoyan, who is an amateur dog trainer. He’s giving her the advanced-level training and attention she needs, and she’s thriving. I miss her, but it’s best for her.
Stoyan has trained her as a bodyguard to his four-year-old daughter, a job she loves and carries out with enthusiasm. The little girl and the dog Jane adore each other. Jane won’t let anybody except authorised persons near her young charge. This has already led to interesting situations, like when one day there was a substitute kindergarten teacher. Jane refused to hand over the girl to a woman she didn’t know. The whole kindergarten class got involved, because the kids all knew and loved Jane, and applauded her stance.
I Plan to Adopt a Rescue Dog
Now I have a vacancy for another dog, and I’ve started looking. There are many fostered and homeless dogs in Bulgaria, but I won’t just adopt any dog. Adopting a dog is a lifetime commitment, so it’s important that the new member of the furry family is right for this lifestyle here.
It needs to get on with other dogs (she’ll be a companion to Ginger), be friendly with cats, gentle with me and my guests, but fierce with intruders. The dog should be intelligent so I can train it (but not as sensationally intelligent as Jane), willing to obey, and sensible so it can run free without kennel or chain. Ideally, the dog should be a young adult, medium-sized and healthy.
I may have found the right one, a stray female who clearly once was someone’s beloved pet and desperately wants a home again. After her loving owner died, his heirs abandoned her to fend for herself. She’s been living rough for a long time, suffered a lot, and still keeps begging people for a home.
Kind folks who have been feeding her recently have told me about her. They’ve observed her personality and confirm that she meets my criteria. On Monday they will bring her on a visit, so we can all get to know each other and decide. I’m a firm believer that animals should have a say in adoption decisions. I’ll let you know in a few days whether this dog turned out the be ‘the one’.
![Books and writings deemed "un-German" are burned at the Opernplatz. [LCID: 31077]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!r6sY!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5fd43326-326b-44bf-9df3-72b2cf9d59ea_800x580.jpeg "Books and writings deemed \"un-German\" are burned at the Opernplatz. [LCID: 31077]")
What I’m Working On
While tidying up my computer files, I came across a near-future science fiction story I had begun and abandoned many years ago. I read the partial draft, and was enthralled: I knew I had to continue this story.
The tale is inspired by the rise of the Nazis to power, and the way the most ordinary German citizens did nothing to prevent it. In this, I’m reflecting on my own cultural heritage. As a German, I’ve always wondered why good, honourable, intelligent people like my grandparents voted for the Nazi party even after Hitler’s goals had become clear.
I don’t normally write science fiction anymore, but with this tale, I feel driven to write, as a way of making sense of what happened in the past and of what is happening in the present. The working title is ‘The Meaning of Compromise’ and it’s going to be a long story.
Have you ever dug up and finished one of your previously abandoned manuscripts?
Don’t Forget to Enter This Writing Contest
The closing date is approaching, and there aren’t as many entries as I had hoped for. Why don’t you write and submit a story? It can be short, because there’s no word limit.
But it needs to be about very cold weather, and it needs to have a Gothic touch. Above all: it must be written by author, without use of AI. Can you write a story without using AI? Then I hope you’ll join.
There’s no entry fee, and I’m offering good prizes.
Will you enter?
Books to Help you Revise and Edit Your Fiction
The blue books in the Writer’s Craft series help authors with specific skills and professional techniques. If you have a fiction manuscript that’s not yet as good as it deserves to be, these two books can help:
Novel Revision Prompts contains many ideas and specific instructions how to improve all aspects of your novel, from the overall plot to individual scenes and style matters.
The Word-Loss Diet focuses on stylistic improvements and helps yo to tone and tighten your manuscript.
Both books are available in ebook and paperback formats.
Here’s a list of the Writer’s Craft books currently available.
I had to smile to see the paw prints in the fresh cement. In our neighborhood there's a trail of kid's footprints leading to the house on the corner that must have been there maybe twenty years, so the kid is now well grown up. I hope that your plans for the new adoptee work out. I know you'll miss Jane.
Concerning your sci-fi story, I, as an American, am currently watching good people who voted for Trump and are cheering on the cruelty and chaos. I am also of half-German descent, and have albums of ancestors in Nazi uniforms. Human nature is something I'll never understand.