The thought of Spring weather is playing with us in Minnesota. We went from 60 this week to rain showers and then snow flurries overnight. Changing from one season to another means we usually experience all seasons within one week. A change in season for me means an awaited call into the local pharmacy, someone cancelled their vaccine appointment and I was called in. I sat in the middle of the local pharmacy after a shot in arm for a precautionary 15 minutes before I was allowed to leave. A celebration is in order and this means a bowl full of ice cream. The oddest thing I experience within 24 hours is an odd taste in my mouth and waking up around 10:00 pm with an extremely sore arm. Yes, I’m writing just before midnight and stopping once in a while to rest my arm.
A little more about yesterday’s post – American Memories. I wrote that piece after seeing a very chubby and full faced boy sitting at a table with his Japanese family during dinner. His happy smile made me smile and I thought of my own experience at dinner. My family never thought that we looked different from any other family when we sat down at the table at home or at a restaurant. To be honest I never thought about it, unless someone else said something and asked questions which did happen, usually with families who also adopted or had questions about adopting.
My point with the piece was to normalize different kinds of experiences. It shouldn’t matter if a mixed family or non-mixed family sits down to have burgers, pizza, or any other dish. This is still an American experience. My family did make it a point to see that I tried Kimchi, Kielbasa, and corned beef and cabbage. I’m excited for the 17th next week because my mother died everything green and she always told me that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. My day usually starts with Irish music just like my mom. Easter means that I carry on by making a Polish breakfast, like my grandmother. We celebrate all of heritages in my household. Of course, I’ve had several different kinds of hot dish growing up in Minnesota.
Our homework for tomorrow is working on developing our characters. This time I’m following the advice of Reedsy at https://youtu.be/PqKxLx3As28. Watch the video and rewrite your protagonist based on her advice even if you started your chapters. This may give you a new perspective and open up your writing. Also, since her first piece of advice is writing a character that no one has met before, it may help you stay away from tropes or overused characters. No more damsels in distress even if some of us still need some rescuing. Sharing writing advice is to help you rescue your own writing.
I have to say thank you to those who leaves likes and comments. I’ve only been blogging a short time but if one pair of eyes takes a look, I’m thankful.
Follow as I post on my progress throughout the month and share the experience.
~Yoon Ju
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