Lolly the Lobster, or Why We Need a Little Silliness Right Now

by Shelley Burbank

I've been in Maine for a few weeks now, and it's filling me with such contentment. And by that I mean seafood. Lobster rolls. Fried clams. A nice fried haddock sandwich. (No chowdah yet, though. I might have to make some at home.)

Photo of the week & a life as a wacky football game

Here I am hanging out on the coast this week with my good friend Lolly the Lobster. Actually I have no idea what the lobster shack named this cutie-pie crustacean, but I can tell you this: we all need a little silliness right now. Going onto social media is like walking into the middle of a football game--linebackers coming at you everywhere, whistles blowing, nobody paying attention to the refs, cheaters jabbing of fingers into eyes when no one's looking then looking around all wide-eyed innocent and saying "who me?"

And then the big dude in the sky box declares the winner before the game is over and an all-out brawl breaks out on the field and fans start throwing stuff from the bleachers and NOBODY is having a good time. 

Can't someone call a national time out? 

Meanwhile, when I avoid the interwebs and the ever-present handheld computer otherwise known as a smart phone, life seems pretty grand. I've done everything I love to do in Maine besides the one thing I probably should be doing: writing. I've given up the idea of finishing and publishing the novella before November and am now thinking, "Why not get it out in time for the holiday shopping season?" Stay tuned. 

How not writing is actually writing. 

Today, actually, I was visited with an idea for a good exterior plot action scene for Olivia Lively book 3, the next novel in my limited 4-book series. This book is going to be a lot of fun to write, but it will also be tricky to figure out the interior story line. It has to be a transition-type personal journey to mirror the (very cool and I can't wait to tell you about it) mystery plot. I know where my character will end up, emotionally/personally at the end of the series, but this third book has to get her there. This is how I'm looking at it: 

• Over the course of books 1 and 2, Olivia matures regarding friendship and romance and her personal goals and seems to come to a stasis. But stasis doesn't propel novels, so
• In book 3, I need to give her some sort of personal challenge with a resolution that will prepare her for
• A final opportunity to mature in the final book which will lead to a major life change by the end of the series.

This problem is what happens when you start out writing a flash fiction that turns into a serialized novel that turns into a series you never planned to write. It's okay. Thinking through plot lines and character development IS writing. Plus we all need puzzles to keep our brains in shape, right? 

I also hear seafood is helpful for optimal brain function. 

Good thing I'm in Maine. Now where's my recipe for fish chowder? 

Maine Chance

My grandson graduated from Colby College last Sunday. It has an excellent reputation for academics and was easily the most peaceful campus I've visited.

All the visiting relations stayed in Belfast the night before. My daughter, Michele, and son-in-law, Harry and his mother, June Crockett were treated to a great tour of the town by Murray and Margot Carpenter.

Belfast was fascinating and the town was one little hilly street after another. That surprised me and in a very short time all the muscles in my legs rebelled. By the bay the terrain was relatively flat and I was intrigued with the commercial aspects of shipping and ship-building. Besides, standing still and asking questions is a sly way to distract attention from a pained expression. These were serious hills. In town, yet!

I didn't know a thing about Maine. I've never been a huge supporter of the "write what you know" idea, but when it comes to setting, I think it's essential. No amount of Googling would have substituted for the couple of days in Belfast.

Streets in Kansas are wide and broad and in Maine they were narrow and winding. One could not zip right along.

From Maine we went to Manteo, NC where my granddaughter will be married Sunday. The family has gone to NC a number of times and I'm a little more familiar with that state.

But still! The chances of getting nearly everything wrong are sky high when writing about an unfamiliar setting. You'll have the flamingos going "eek" instead of "awk" and the wrong kind of flowers blooming at the wrong time and the wrong kind of grocery store chains.

However, there is a way of working around some of this if the protagonist is not writing from the viewpoint of a native. Write as an outsider. I did this with a couple of short stories that had a trucking background.

The outsider viewpoint is very useful for inserting background information. For instance, in my mystery series, Lottie Albright has moved to Western Kansas from Eastern Kansas and she often compares the two halves of the state

There is nothing wrong with using any setting you choose if you are willing to do the work. Visits, historical societies, and leg work can take you a long ways. As for me, I still enjoy writing about my native state.

Precious Possession

Our family gives an extraordinary number of books for Christmas. During one lazy Christmas vacation day a couple of weeks ago, we discussed the importance of libraries in our lives. We fondly remembered favorite books from our past and traded library stories. We recalled librarians we had known.

I'm a passionate advocate for interlibrary loan. Without that service I could not do academic research. I can locate microfilmed newspapers and obscure documents and have them mailed to my local library. When I heard of library closings or of students doing strictly on-line research I rise up to argue in favor of hitting the stacks.

The problem with using Google or other search engines rather than supplementing with library research is that on-line is too narrowly focused. By going to the library we are free to explore books that would be overlooked otherwise. It's an opportunity to expand creativity and make connections.

During this discussion, my grandson, John Crockett won the prize for library devotion. He's a junior at Colby College in Maine. He reached for his wallet and pulled out his very first library card. He received it when he was in kindergarten and had proudly signed his name.

This will be short tonight as I'm behind on a manuscript, but I just wanted our readers to know that libraries are alive and well and deeply embedded in the heart of America.