Sabbath's Response to Pandemics and Epidemics

Yesterday (4/10/2020), on Facebook, I mentioned writing posts during my time off from work on the thoughts of my many characters about facing pandemics or even a nasty epidemic. Some wouldn’t care, others, a bit of concern, while a few would throw themselves into doing what they can to help others get through until the sickness was gone. Admittedly, many of these characters have magical abilities and decent skills in their fields, but the reactions would be different.

Naturally, Sabbath would be the first. She is my oldest character and most written. She occurs in many forms, so not all my characters will be voiced in these posts, but there will be many.

So, without further ado, the first of the many voices in my head on handling pandemics and epidemics; Sabbath Silverclaw.

Name: Sabbath Silverclaw

Alias(es): Sabreela Ethalli Silverclaw

Occupation: Retired. Formerly a protector of the world of Haven, Healer, Diplomat, Mage, and Lady of the city of Cat’s Haven

Sabbath’s reaction to what is going on in this world would be one of curiosity and genuine concern. It is her nature to help those in need to become well and do everything in her power to heal, by magic or more traditional methods, everyone who falls sick. But, there is a caveat. She won’t heal just anyone, and it wrenches her soul to not tend to certain ones.

First of all , they must want her aid. She asks if they want her to help them. Then, gives them the choice of magic or medicine. In the world she lives in, magical healers aren’t very common but aren’t rare, either. Few are strong enough to withstand the worst diseases by their own ability. For her, she considers it a blessing to be able to go where other medical experts will not due to the severity of the illness.

Sabbath would use the skills she learned by the guild masters to research the illness and find a cure that any healer in the guild could administer. She did not rely on magic and taught that to others when she could. When possible, she’d bow to the more experienced if she knew she could not figure out a means to cure the sick. But, she would record the ways which succeeded in curing without the aid of magics.

She’d work those long hours on the front lines like our doctors and medical personnel are doing now. Deciding who would be given the life saving medicines and who would die was never easy for her. Epidemics and pandemics would have her falling out of her True Neutral ways to the more lawful good side.

Altruistic, yes, and willing to do what it takes. She’d be one to stay in the hospitals 24/7 until someone made her stop to rest.

As a leader, she’d be urging everyone to keep calm and do what they could to keep from getting sick… much like how our current President is doing with us. But, in this case, she’d do what she asks others to do.

Any questions for Sabbath, I will gladly answer them in her ‘voice.’ Ask your questions here or on Facebook. Twitter is not used and rarely monitored.

Book Review: Making a Scene: A Guide for Fiction Writers

I would like to apologize for posting this review so late.  This should have been done much sooner, like last night, but a migraine popped up with the force of a sledge hammer to the back of my skull.  I things don't seem very clear, it is because the migraine is lingering but on its way out.

Considering that I am no fan of non-fiction, I found myself enjoying books from Brent Spencer.  I have read several of his books about writing.  This one, Making a Scene: A Guide for Fiction Writers is just what someone who wonders if they are making a scene right or not.

This is a short, quick read, with plenty of examples from works by other authors, both contemporary and classic.  At only 34 pages in length, it is packed with information and advice for the novice writer.  He starts it off in the most simplistic of ways and builds from there.

Judging by the way he discusses the process of making a scene, keeps it simple.  The K.I.S.S method came to mind immediately and it definitely worked.  He starts with differentiating types of scene: exposition, summary, and a full scene.

Exposition, he describes as something very general and short.  Example: We were mad.  Then the summary.  Example: Because the car was totaled, we were mad.  Then, he shows a short but expressive scene.  Example: The front end of the car was pressed inward around the thick trunk of the tree the thief crashed into.  Steam was spewing out of the cracked radiator and the engine was dying one loud knock at a time.  Carl and I were furious that our brand new car was in such a sad state.  While Carl clenched and unclenched his fists, he eyed the unconscious thief as if he was a prize lamb and he was the wolf.  Myself?  I was angry, but someone needed to keep a level head or we'd both end up in jail.  (Yes, I know, not the best but it is a brief example)

I found this book to be both entertaining and informative which is what I like.  Many times I wished all my teachers in high school could have done the same.  Ah, well, we live and learn, and this book makes it easy to learn.

My only problem with the book is that it was too repetitious.  It stuck to that single concept and repeated it with different wording over and over.  Considering it is a single subject book, I understand why, but it didn't have to be a one note idea.

Overall, I give this one a 3.5 star but it is one that I will read again and again.  As I mentioned, it is repetitious but, it doesn't really explain how to make a scene.  It more shows and lets you figure it out from there.

Making a Scene can be found on Amazon for 99 centers.  It is worth buying.

Book Review: Women Behaving Badly

Today’s book review comes at the request of the author Alana Munro after she read my review of Hanna Gray Gordon’s book, The Vu.  I must have done something right for her to request it knowing that I will be brutally honest about it.  To be fair, this is about as honest as I’ll get.  Don’t be scared of what I’ll say, but don’t be surprised by it, either.

Women Behaving Badly is a book that had me thinking hard after I was done reading it.  For non-fiction, it moved along at a good pace so I wasn’t bored out of my mind before the first five pages were done.  It is a book full of truth and insight that too many women don’t see in themselves or in those who they are friends with.

It also had me looking at myself in a new light.  I’m not as bad as some out there who manipulate others and try to take control of everything whether they are wanted or not.  Perhaps that is why I, like the author, was never really accepted into a group of women.  Or, if I was, never there for very long.

Book Blurb from Amazon:

Have you ever been hurt by a woman? Are you fed up with the constant bitching, gossiping and manipulation between the females in your life? Do you want happier and healthier relationships with females? Do you wish to weed out the toxic women and seek out only positive women?

If you have ever wondered why some women are complicated creatures this book will offer you straight talking answers. This book will highlight all the strange, controlling and spitefulbehaviours that some females specialisein. This book attempts to understand what actually drives women to be cruel or bitchy to each other. It attempts to make sense of the huge expectations women place on each other. How can we avoid toxic women? What bad behaviours should we be looking out for? This book explores every cruel behaviour possible and attempts to understand what is really going on between the females in our life. 

Alana goes into depth about the different types of bad women out there.  She covers everything from the forces-of-nature types who have to be number one in everything and the center of attention, to the one who do little but gripe about one thing or another whether it pertains to them or not.  (Something which I am guilty of)  She speaks of women who get all snobby and angry because (OMG) your life gets in the way of the special event that they spent so much time making perfect.

You know, I can be accused of many things, but being that kind of person?  No way, I’d be slapped silly by my mom and I‘m in my 40s, now.

She goes on to explain that the way the world views us as ‘the fairer sex’ and we are not allowed to seem too strong or be labeled as a, pardon the language, a bitch and not worth the attention or too weak and be considered less than what we are.  The world sees women in the light that we are not allowed to fight, we must keep the peace.  We are allowed to show emotion and boy do we show it.  With everything that we must do on top of being mom, sister, nurse, doctor, housewife, cook, maid, what have you, there’s no reason why we explode and behave like we do under stressful conditions.

All in all, I found the book worth purchasing.  There are many points in there that struck a bell and she points at herself as much as she does anyone else.  The stories she adds to emphasize her point at the end of each section set in stone what was just explained.

It isn’t a big book.  I read this on my smart phone using the Kindle app.  So, whatever 1991 is broken down to in a regular book would equal to something shy of a chapbook, roughly 117 pages.

Will I read this book again?  Maybe.  It will be a good reference to get an idea of how a forceful personality shows, or how a motherly type works when a jealous type are talking.  But, I’ll be loaning this book to my sister-in-law who really should be taking notes on how to behave from this book.

For my star rating, I’m going to be honest here, non-fiction is not my favorite kind of reading and it always (including this book) requires the effort to open the book and continue reading after interruptions.  That being said, I give it a 3.5 on the star scale.  It’s good, but the overall tone made it difficult for me to not just yell at the phone while I was reading.  Still, I like it and will recommend it to others who also find themselves on the outer fringes of a group and don’t know why.

P.S.

Now, because of this book, I am stating this now; I am sorry if my behavior was bad, or if I said something that wasn’t considered good or even right.  I have always been told to speak up and try to be as honest as I can.

Which brings to mind the trip to Wichita last year… the behavior I showed in the car going there, constantly bringing up the story idea, that was very bad and not like me at all.  I was both nervous and excited about being included (which rarely happens) and it showed in the worst possible way.  Feel free to give me a brain-duster if it ever happens again.  That is, if I’m ever included again.

My thanks to Alana Munro for creating this book.  Someone needed to do it and I hope to see other works from her soon.