a roof over your head 5-4

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clay tile roof in Les Grandes Rivieres (image from Street View)

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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Earth)

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I am glad and grateful that, in real life, I have a roof over my head.

During my university days, a professor pointed out to our class how variable the humble roof can be.  The design of a roof is a case of ‘form follows function’.  For example, in areas where there is a greater snow load or lots of rain, steeper roof designs prevail.  In areas where there is no snow and little rain, the roof usually has a gentle slope or is flat.

During my virtual ‘travels’ through central France, I am amazed at the roof design, in particular the materials used – clay tiles …

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clay tiles on both house and outbuilding (image from Street View)

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The clay tiles must be efficient at repelling water or they would not be used on the newer houses …

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newer home with a clay tile roof in La Riviere (image from Street View)

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Many of the roof-scapes are interesting as well.  Most have chimneys and other vent pipes and stacks.  Some have sky-lights.  In many communities there are satellite dishes, or antennae from almost every house, suggesting no cable service …

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various elements of roof-scape on a roof in Les Grandes Rivieres (image from Street View)

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Occasionally, I see a roof needing a lot of repair …

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vegetation has taken over this broken roof in Les Grandes Rivieres (image from Street View)

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Best View: a picnic site in the village of Les Grandes Rivières.  A place for lunch if you don’t mind having no roof over your head …

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

writing a novel – characters with a point of view

As some of you will know, I have been working on a novel since November of last year.  Although I have been quiet about it in my Blog, I work on my manuscript almost every day and the plot is getting tighter with every edit.  I now have 83,000 words, 23 chapters and 273 pages.

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The novel has the working title ‘Saving the Landing Church’ and is about a woman, Sadie, who decides to buy an abandoned church as a learning center for her new writers’ retreat.  People in the community where Sadie lives have mixed opinions about her undertaking and Sadie meets a lot of opposition as she sets about acquiring and moving the church to its new location.

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abandoned church near Knowlesville, New Brunswick

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The book is written in the first person, past, from Sadie’s point of view.

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Sadie … she looks a little timid, but she is determined to own the abandoned church

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When I completed the second draft of the novel in January, I asked a few people in my family and my writing group to read it and tell me what they thought.  I also workshoped Chapter Twenty at the Maritime Writers’ Workshop Winter Retreat in February and received many helpful comments from the workshop participants.  I have obtained useful analyses from several people, most especially my niece who has read the draft carefully and given me many useful insights and edits.  Various members of my two writers’ groups have also listened to parts of the novel and provided ideas for improving the writing.

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One of the most consistent comments I have received is about one of my main characters, Sadie’s husband, Tom.  Tom is not well.  He has an advanced condition called Welder’s Lung and his doctors have given him less than a year to live.  This situation is one of the main drivers behind setting up the writers’ retreat – it will give Sadie a livelihood after Tom is gone.

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The criticism about Tom has been that his only role in the book seems to be to die.  Readers have consistently told me they want to find out more about him.  One of my writing group friends suggested I try writing the book from Tom’s point of view.  She said she knew I would resist this idea, and, sure enough, my first response was ‘No way!!!’  …  my book was almost done, my book was perfect!  And write from a man’s point of view? … squiggle!

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Tom, Sadie’s husband … he is looking a bit battered by his illness, but he is willing to do anything to help his wife

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However, I thought about the possibilities and decided it might be interesting to write a small part of the book in Tom’s voice.  I looked at each chapter and extracted a bit of the conversation or action that I thought might be better seen from Tom’s point of view.  In some cases, Tom’s viewpoint immediately solved the problem of segments where there was no action, only Sadie’s thoughts about where she was in her quest for ownership of the church.

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The new parts of each chapter were surprisingly easy to write and it took me less than three weeks to develop Tom’s ‘words’.  As Tom’s voice began to emerge, I realised that Sadie has some things wrong … an example is her analysis of Tom’s  response to his illness.  To her, he has given up all hope.  Tom sees his response not as despondent, but resolute.  Also, Sadie has a consistently passive response to some quite violent behavior in the community.  Tom takes nothing passively.  Confronted by opposition, he responds in kind.  And he has a couple of pals from his days on the construction site who will help him in any endeavor.

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Tom’s friends Paul (left) and Rigger (right)

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Tom also wants a dog and the introduction of Jasper, a German Shepherd mix puppy, to the action has been so much fun to write.  Try adding a dog to your own novel or plan for a novel.  At the height of the action, who is taking care of the puppy???

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Jasper responds to a crawling military toy

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Responding to people’s editorial comments is difficult.  First, your ego has to be tamed.  Then, you have to decide if the edit will really improve the draft.  I try to look at every comment objectively but this is so hard.  I give extra weight to a comment made by more than one person since this suggests the reading public may have a similar response.  I know, however, that when all is said and done, it is my book and I have to make the decision to edit or not to edit.

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My experience with the ‘Tom re-writes’ shows me that sometimes a seemingly radical comment can lead to an improved draft.  Writing from another character’s point of view can suggest new ways of working out plot problems, add dimension to the story and background, and take the narrative in new and interesting directions.  I strongly suggest looking carefully at each character in your story, writing a good character sketch for each and considering every bit of action from their point of view.  As your characters find their way through the story, they will reveal unique ways of responding to the action.

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As for my squirming about writing as if from a man’s point of view, this was easier to do than I first thought.  Tom’s character was embedded in my head, so I had a good idea of how he would respond to a given circumstance.  His ‘voice’ and reactions are unlike Sadie’s, so there is a significant difference in the words they use and the way they express their ideas.  Tom also speaks in the present or immediate past tense, so his ideas are more visceral and lack the reflection brought by time.  As for thinking like a man, I think Tom is likely from Saturn, rather than either Mars or Venus!  And he likes quiche.

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Lots of fun …

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Copyright   Jane Tims   2013

a ford in the river 5-3

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houses in Le Gué d’Alleré (image from Street View)

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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Maps)

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April 18′s virtual bike ride took me through the town of Le Gué d’Alleré.  A ‘gué’ is a place on a river where the water is shallow enough to allow easy passage, in other words, a ford.

The river in Le Gué d’Alleré was so shallow, it had no water at all.  I know this river sometimes holds water since there is an image embedded in Street View showing the river full of water!

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river in Le Gué d’Alleré (image from Street View)

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When I was young, we often visited my grandfather’s farm in Nova Scotia.  One of the places I remember well was the ford across the stream at the end of his road.  The water was shallow at this spot and people from the community would bring their cars to the ford to wash them.  It would not have been good for the environment.  Soap suds and leaking oil and gasoline would pollute the downstream water, probably harming the aquatic life, including the fish people liked to catch.

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ford

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at the intersection

of the lane and the County Road,

a ford crossed the stream–

flat stones and riffles

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in the shade of serviceberry and maple

we watched as distant cousins

washed their cars,

all suds and Daisies

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then took clean cars

further down the road

(further down the stream),

for an hour of fishing

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Best View: an image from my memory …

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

back streets, alleys and dead ends 5-2

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back street in Saint-Sauveur-d’Aunis (image from Street View)

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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Maps)

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On the second day of Phase 5 of my virtual bike trip toward the Atlantic coast of central France, I think I was on every possible type of road.  I began on the highway and almost immediately decided it was too boring …

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At the next turn, I took a detour into the village of Saint-Sauveur-d’Aunis.  With its charming yards and flower gardens, it was much more interesting …

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charming yard in Saint-Sauveur-d’Aunis (image from Street View)

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Once I had peddled into the village as far as possible, I turned into a narrow side street.  I tried hard not to peek into the windows as I drove by  …

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side street in Saint-Sauveur-d’Aunis (image from Street View)

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Everywhere in France I have encountered side roads labelled ‘Impasse de … ‘.   When I saw ‘Impasse du Moulin Corneau’ in Saint-Sauveur-d’Aunis, I looked up the word and found ‘impasse’ means ‘dead end’ or ‘blind alley’ …

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Impasse du Moulin Corneau, meaning ‘Corneau Mill Dead End’ (image from Street View)

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In another part of the village, I saw an alley running between adjacent houses.  In fact, it was not an alley at all, but access to a house set far back from the main street.  Where I lived as a child, our street had a back alley.  It was very convenient, used for garbage pick-up and to access the rear of our property.  Back alleys are almost non-existent in our towns in New Brunswick.  I think they are considered a waste of land, but, in fact, they serve a useful purpose  …

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narrow alley in the village of Saint-Sauveur-d’Aunis (image from Street View)

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back alley behind the house where I grew up … when I lived there, the back alley was not paved … I used to skip beside the power pole to the left (image from Street View)

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Best View: trees in autumn splendor beside the main highway …

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

more encounters with poppies 5-1

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houses in the town of Ferrieres – shutters and white curtains (image by Street View)

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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Maps)

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On my virtual bike trip on April 15, I cycled through the countryside to the east of the town of Ferrières.  It seemed to take forever to reach the first corner in the road.  This part of France is very flat and you can see what is ahead of you for miles   …

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When I reached the corner at last, I was so happy …

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I could see poppies in the ditch at the edge of the grain field, so I looked back and saw the closest thing yet to a whole field of poppies.  If you Google images for ‘field of poppies’, you will see some beautiful examples of the many poppy fields in France.  Sparse though it was, this is the best field of poppies I have ever ‘seen’ …

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a field of poppies and grain – most of the poppies are along the road or deep in the field just left of center (image from Street View)

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Afterward, I followed my poppy-colored bike path into the town of Ferrières.  This town seems to have more space than other towns I have ‘visited’ in central France …

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I must have been tired during my bike trip, because it was very hard not to stop and buy a scooter or motorbike at the roadside dealership …

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This is the first day on my virtual bike trip that I have been tired and not very motivated.  I know from previous bouts of exercise that quitting can be far too easy.

Since I began my stationary cycling trip ‘through’ central France, I have kept at it for two and a half months, exercising once in every two or three days.

I have been motivated by a number of things: looking forward to my next virtual adventure, reporting on my Blog about my progress, and choosing a subject and doing my pencil drawing.

I am also newly encouraged by my last blood work which shows both my cholesterol and my triglycerides considerably improved.   So today, I am heading back down to my tiny exercise room to see some new sights in central France.  Perhaps there is a huge field of poppies just around the corner!!!!

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Best View: shade along the country road…

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

wildflowers along the road

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I have completed Phase 4 of my virtual bike ride through France!  My entire ride (Phase 1, 2, 3 and 4) since January 30, 2013  has taken me from Lusignan to Ferrières for a total of  116 km or 1155 minutes (19.2 hours).

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The last bike ride of Phase 4 took me through the countryside east of Ferrièrres …

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The theme seemed to be one of wildflowers.  I saw Queen Anne’s Lace, Fireweed, and, best of all, Poppies, along the edge of the fields …

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I also saw a roadside shrub in yellow bloom.  Since the images were taken in May, I think these flowers were Gorse …

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I also saw a flock of sheep grazing in a pasture …

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Best View: a flower garden in Courçon …

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For Phase 5 of my trip, I plan to cycle from Ferrières to Nieul-sur-Mer, near the Atlantic Coast of France.  Hope you will stay with me on my journey!

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

lamposts and wirescape

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lovely lampposts in Angire (image from Street View)

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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Maps)

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On my virtual bike trip on April 8, I was impressed with the beautiful lampposts in Angiré …

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streetscape and lamposts in Angiré (image from Street View)

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French villages have their share of lampposts, telephone poles and wires.   ’Wirescape’ is such a normal part of life, I don’t usually see it at all.  But, just look up …

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wirescape back in Magne (image from Street View)

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Years ago, I took a landscape evaluation course in university, and as an idealistic student, I was quite negative about the wires and poles that clutter our landscape views.  I have mellowed, though, and now I wonder if wires above us help to enclose us and make us feel safe in our urban environments.  Perhaps wirescape will gradually disappear as our technology becomes more wireless.

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wirescape near Saint-Sabine (image from Street View)

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Best View: intersection – blue shutters and blue sky, no overhead wires …

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013