Thoughts on Bram Stoker's Dracula

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays my eldest two children and myself hold an hour long creative writing class focused on the genre of horror fiction writing. After the class we listen to at least 20 minutes of Bram Stoker's Dracula on Audible. I start each of our classes with a call back to the previous lesson and a call back to the previous audiobook session. 

So far there have been a great many things to learn and analyse about Dracula. You can likely find a crap ton on professionals that have done extensive research and think pieces for many years on this classic literature. Here are my own musings as we uncover the story. 

1. Within the first chapter the foreshadowing and foreboding is far more heavy handed than anything I've read within the genre present day. While the devices used are great- I got to discuss with the kids how they could employ these elements within their own short stories- there sure is a lot going on here. We've got people crossing themselves, openly gawking pointing, praying for the solicitor, John and using fearful language galore. At one point an older woman doesn't even beat around the bush- she literally gets on her knees and begs him not to go to Count Dracula's for his mother's sake if he can't be saved from his own foolishness. 

I'm thinking we need only one or two of these instances to set the tone. 

2. However even with all the hullabaloo, John Harker, disregards it all. In reading between the lines I can't decide if it's jolly prejudice that compels him to do this or arrogance. It might even be lack of intelligence according to my kids!

3. We all agreed we enjoy the style of the story and it being relayed through journal entries and various forms of media. The kids think it's something they would like to see utilised in modern day writings more. I like this idea- especially the further away from the median of paper we get. In the eighties and early nineties we were still heavily reliant on mail- might be something to explore within setting and time period. 

Re-reading Fahrenheit 451 at a certain age.

Reading Fahrenheit 451 as a teen hits completely different than it does for my forty-three year old self. I'm re-reading the book aloud with my fourteen year old son as a part of his ELA for school and feel flabbergasted that so much went over my head that first and second time I read it. 

The amusing part is I remember feeling enlightened upon reading the book! Maybe it hits different due to the juxtaposition of our media/digital world being so prominent and parallel to scenarios in the book that it has my head whirling and my thoughts spinning. Still, I distinctly remember drawing comparisons and examples of the vapidness in pop culture during that time the same way I'm drawing pop culture and political parallels now. It's a testament to Bradbury's strong theme and storytelling. The description of some of the futuristic systems and robotic dog are striking and relevant to this day. As I read this time around I'm realising that this book will likely ring true and poignant for any time period. 

This time around my mind latches onto how extensive book bans have gotten. They were happening before but we're at an all time misguided high now. When Montag's boss gives his supporting arguments as to why they burn books it's sounding mighty familiar. 

"If you don’t want a house built, hide the nails and wood. If you don’t want a man unhappy politically, don’t give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none."

"Colored people don’t like Little Black Sambo. Burn it. White people don’t feel good about Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Burn it. Someone’s written a book on tobacco and cancer of the lungs? The cigarette people are weeping? Burn the book."

"So now do you see why books are hated and feared? They show the pores in the face of life. The comfortable people want only wax moon faces, poreless, hairless, expressionless."

Thoughts About Salem's Lot

So far, for me, the best part of Salem's Lot has been the Introduction by Stephen King explaining his back story on the road to writing Salem's Lot. It's fascinating and he plugs Bram Stoker's Dracula. I have a soft spot for rthat book right now since I am reading it with my kids.  Otherwise I am desperately slogging along. There was a long ass Prologue- it made me glad prologues are relatively out of style these days. This prologue was so long I literally stopped and flipped halfway through the book wondering if I was reading some modern addition. Bro, can I skip this? At this point it seems irrelevant to the rest of the book. 

Maybe once I am further along that prologue will be integral. Maybe when I'm further along all these character introductions will come into relevance as well. Maybe when I'm a little further in I will recognise the writer that thrilled me with Cujo and Pet Cemetary- whose ending I still remember being scary AF even though I can't recall it in vivid detail anymore. Maybe when I'm a little further in I will understand the reason for the format of accounting the hours.

Three chapters in and one of the most fascinating stories told is the one of the widow whose husband slipped into the mill grinder. In a little book I used for the kids horror creative writing class; Write Horror Fiction in 5 Simple Steps, Laura Baskes Litwin tells a little story about Stephen King witnessing a co-worker losing both of his hands up to his elbows in a factory accident. She uses it as an example for using what you know within a story. RL Stine would relegate it the memory floor of his idea factory but for me it spoke to how King could vividly use that experience across stories in various ways. 

A theme for February

We've talked about how I love a theme. In February I always hit health hard with my kids. I can cover self love; which has resulted in unit studies and joint reads covering self esteem, anger management, personal health and hygiene, self regulation etc. Under the theme of passion in February I always cover sex education with my kids too. We've read, studied, chatted, and researched using a plethora of books over the years such as; Usborne's What's Happening to Me? Guy Stuff: the Body Book for Boys, American Girls The Care and Keeping of You Vol. 1 & 2, Celebrate Your Body (and it's changes too), 30 Days of Sex talks for three different age categories, Good Picture, Bad Picture for two different age groups, Own Your Period-A Fact-filled Guide to Period Positivity. I don't limit the conversations to a single time of year but February is definitely a heavier catalyst for conversation. 

February also seems to be the time the I can come into a set mindset of loving myself more as well. I don't know if I intentionally can't get myself to fall in line health and personal fitness wise in January due to principle or some other psychology but I surely never truly get my act together until February when it comes to a new exercise routine or cleaning up my diet. 

The Great Courses

I'm wearing out these Great Courses! I've recently wrapped up "Wolves and Werewolves in History and Popular Culture." I learned so many things about wolf/werewolf legend and lore that I never knew and sometimes was appalled to find out. I also loved all the many references sited throughout the class. It was an excellent starting place for my shifter research to begin and now I have so many references for more resources! 

Next I happened upon The Great Courses's, "The Real History of Dracula." Still haven't finished but it's a great accompaniment to reading Bram Stoker's Dracula with my kids in our little Homeschool Horror Creative Writing Unit Study. It's been giving me little tidbits of additional insights to add to our discussions and really has me feeling boss level intelligent! Honestly, Dracula, can be a tricky read with kiddos due some of the adult themes going down but I've discovered I much prefer to face a lot of the challenging topics head. Literature is a fantastic catalyst for nuanced conversations. It's easy to discuss potentially uncomfortable topics in a way that feels safe and unpressurised. It was also charming to hear the creators of the course, Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman, echo this sentiment within what I would call their thesis statement on the purpose and importance of the work in the class introduction. It was also totally validating to hear!

The other course that I currently have in the works now and for the long foreseeable future is The Great Courses, Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques, taught by James Hynes.  Where the two former classes have a run time of about four and a half hours and the most interactive thing you have to do is listen- maybe jot some notes; this course runs over twelve hours and is stuffed full of concepts a novice pursuing writing can benefit from. 

It's actually a curriculum. A curriculum that you can borrow from some libraries for free, purchase from Amazon or Audible platforms, or even straight from the Great Courses website. Even if you pay out of pocket, it is a highly efficient and cost effective way to gain knowledge into the craft of writing. I decided to work through the material just as if I was taking a class- old school, but at home. The course is split into lessons, with exercises, resources and objectives and all of that so it's easy.

I printed the course materials out (it's almost 200 pages) from the Audible file and put it into a binder. Next I made myself a little schedule.  The schedule is mine so just like I love to do in my homeschool with the kids, if I want to go down a rabbit trail of learning I can do that. I promised myself I would read any and all resources of interest within the course and truly work on just enjoy the process. Enjoying the process is something I have a hard time doing sometimes. I tend to make my goal about finishing which sometimes can steal my joy. 

Unfortunately, thus far, the suggested reading neatly listed at the end of each lecture has included plenty of works that are out of print, hard to find, or unappealing (mainly due to them being dated). Overall thesis a minor set back being that there are plenty of modern day craft books that I have my eye on or that I even already own and have not read through that I'm sure will suffice as supplements. After Lecture 2 one of the books on the suggested reading list was Stephen King's, Salem's Lot. It's a rabbit hole I chose to hop right on down. This book has been on my TBR lis for years. So many craft books and classes site King's book in examples or as influence. Aside from his, On Writing, book I have not read a Stephen King novel since I was a teenager. It's been a neat and sobering experience to read his work as an adult. I'm about a quarter of the way through  and getting a bit antsy for things to come together. I feel like I've met every. single. person. in this measly town!

Anyway, as expected the course starts with beginner concepts and then progresses. Right now I'm at the point where we discuss getting into the writer mindset and the lesson also outlines bare bottom objectives like where to start when you actually do start to write and also how to start. Hynes starts out with the adages of evocation and Show, Don't Tell. It's one of those concepts that is completely overdone but if you are offering a comprehensive class you can't not include it. He provides excellent examples and commentary so I'm not mad about it. 

Some of the beginning lessons were quite exciting to me because I taught something similar in my teen co-op class this past November. We had the opportunity to participate in National Novel Writing Month as a class. It was such a fun and enriching experience that every single one of my students utilised and was excited about. I had fun giving the kids writing sprints, teaching them how to specifically start, and rooting out how and when "to show." It was cool to see I was on the right track with my course materials and layout.

With The Great Courses there is such a vast variety of subjects to explore. I also have James Scott Bell's course, How to Write Best-Selling Fiction. If I'm not burnt out, I plan to deploy that course next straightaway.  I whole heartedly stand behind the notion that these courses abound in laying the groundwork of research and development within any given subject. I would encourage everyone to use them as a starting source to build upon to give you structure when exploring a topic of interest. I look forward in sharing what I've scratched up through these courses on the blog. 

January good.

I like the general theme of new beginnings that threads through the month of January. So many people balk at a New Year resolution but I tend not to be so sour about folks making changes this month. It makes sense to me. I think it's important to personally evaluate/assess/re-assess. Shouldn't we all eye ourselves with a bare lens of honesty and ask 'what can I do different?' or, 'how can I improve?' January should bring up questions such as, 'What in my life is not quite serving me any longer?' 'What can I do about that?'  I like that at the very least once a year, collectively, folks mindfully and wilfully touch that stone. Even if only for a brief month's time. 

One of the many positive things about being a military family is that it's packed with tangible milestones and the chance to start something new again and again with each job or duty station. As a family, we move every 2-3 years being a part of the military. We've done this for about twenty years now. While we've struggled through some moves and beasted others, overall I still get excited each time we relocate. It's a chance to refine things and try something different on a large scale. It can be revitalising. 

So. 

January. 

It's a great time to reflect and try something new. 

We are doing several something news in the month of January in our household. This new year is an entire season of change and fine tuned recommitment to various things. I've personally re-committed to my writing. I'm back onto studying craft.  I'm locked in with a focus on writing with my students at co-op and even with my children in our homeschool. I have some specific goals; one of which is to focus on completing at least one of my novels this year. 

I enrolled in a paranormal romance writing workshop through AutoCrit that really has me excited and motivated. As a supplement to the workshop, my library lets me have access to the Great Courses for free, so I've been listening to The Real History of Dracula and taking notes. One of the stories I have sitting is actually a shifter based paranormal romance but maybe my writing future holds vampires as well!  If you are an Audible member you have access to The Great Courses, Wolves and Werewolves in History and Popular Culture if you're into that kind of thing. It's next on my list.

It's been fulfilling to make writing fun again through this blog and even with what I'm teaching my children. My eleven year old asked about doing a horror writing course, so I've been creating one for her and my son. I'm utilising RL Stine's Masterclass as a main resource/ spine of the curriculum but we're studying key figures and elements within the genre as well. We've done author profiles, writing sprints, copy work, curated genre research lists, watched videos, read articles, and have been listening to Dracula on Audible together. We are ripping apart and combing through that poor book and it's all been a blast. Secretly, I've been pumped when my kids have started recognising horror devices being employed in a show or spooky scene we're watching on television.

With the way my mind is set up I am always resolving to do something or other and I tend to not be able to let the thoughts go until I jump in and start. Most of the time the obsessions don't singularly hit in January so I start when the spirit moves me. Still this January I finally starting making that homemade pasta I've been thinking about. So far we've had fettuccine, spaghetti and homemade lasagne pasta sheets. My closets have embarked on an editing journey, and I decided to lose thirty pounds for good- though I haven't put a plan in motion on that yet. We'll have to see how many of the new try's become a way of life at our house. I love the different influences we've picked up over the years even though sometimes I do overwhelm myself with all the trying. Still, when the curtain finally closes on my life I will have done it all due to this somewhat annoying trait of mine! I know I'm a Jack of all trades and a master of not a single one- it's a satisfying life trying all the things. 

What type of things have you and your family resolved to do in this new month, new season, and new year?

(Vie-oh-lah) A Book Review

My grandmother was always an excellent cook. On one particular day she was making a new dish she felt especially proud of pulling off. I can't recall what the dish was now but I always tell the story with a heavy emphasis on the punchline. 

My grandmother reaches to lift the lid off the pot on top of the stove with grand flourish. She had the elaborate hand gestures going and all. Me and my sister were wrapt with anticipation to see what was inside. 

She hefts the lid like a grand cymbal and confidently exclaims, "Vie-oh-lah!" 

It's like a needle scratched off the proverbial record. Me and sis are clearly perplexed-it's etched plainly on our faces for a beat until my Auntie hollers from the dining room, "Do you mean, 'voila?!" 

The four of us fall into a ruckus of laughter until we cried. It's one of those memories that I can still see and hear so clearly even a smooth thirty years later. 

It's a story that came back to me while listening to, Finding Me, by Viola Davis. A story that has absolutely nothing to do with the book aside from the parallel of how Viola's family says her name in the book. Yet maybe I'm a little mistaken. There is so much in the book that calls to and runs parallel with my own story and my own rocky family ties that kept bringing me back to my own tales of old. Many of which I've been eager to leave buried in the dust of the past. 

I suspect Viola's story triggered, in the full sense of the word, my memories because there is much about the relationships and circumstances she had growing up in poverty that mirror my own. It was triggering in a reflective way and I found her voice gave insight/perspective into my own history and experiences that I had not considered. There were strong colorise themes that had me thinking more deeply as well. 

Riffing off the idea of Viola's writing voice, what an excellent narrator to her own story she truly was. Her literal voice has a rich fullness that had me conducting a quick search to see if there was anything else out in these streets narrated by her for me to listen to.  I highly recommend the audio version which is what I listened to. 

Finding Me is a book that has been on my TBR list for a long time and I kicked off my New Year listening to it while waiting for my son at swim practices. The book is raw and beautiful and poignant. She blasts off with a profane hook for the reader. (Peep my writer's jargon! lol)

I was gagged that she was out here cursing freely and frequently- I hadn't expected that. I had an image of who I thought she was. It was an image I had neatly generated over time after multiplying her public persona by the image of who I guessed she was in her acting projects divided by my own respectability. I was way off and I'm glad. So yeah, she curses- and it ADDS to her writing voice. It added to really understanding who she is and where she came from.

Aside from the excellently profane hook, within the first chapter she was, as the kids say, "spittin'". Just so much poignant truth. She has a beautiful way of telling her stories of the past while being anchored in the wisdom of her present. It's so well done. 

She speaks candidly about the entertainment industry and the evolution of her experiences within it. When she talks about the perception of "classics" and being classically trained at Julliard where any perspective  outside that scope was sub par, I felt that. It made me think more deeply about the history of code switching and instances where I've felt compelled to do so. 

I loved how she spoke of her experiences in Africa and how essentially it was a catalyst for her owning her own choices. She decided how she wanted to move and show up in the industry early on. The book has many poignant moments that call the reader to think differently. To reflect deeply. While the book spoke deeply to my experience as a black woman, the book is for everyone.