Jigsaw Stories

How do stories come together?

Some writers prefer to work from an outline, others like to free-write in search of a story line.  I liken my style more to a jigsaw puzzle.  Anyone who has ever worked a jigsaw puzzle will tell you that we always begin with the frame. The frame has clear cut edges and often outlines the setting of the picture.  Once the frame is in place we begin looking at the larger images of the picture, seeking out patterns and lines that continue or complete the image. Finally, we fill in the details that add depth and complexity to the picture.  These are often the most difficult pieces to find. They are usually very similar in appearance with only subtle differences in size and shape.  It takes a discerning eye to discriminate and determine where each piece fits to complete the picture. Leave one piece out, no matter how insignificant it may seem to the larger picture and the puzzle is unfinished and disappointing.

In Windborne, the frame of the story is the basis of the setting in the rolling Kansas Flint Hills.  The setting is a constant throughout the story as each generation interacts with it based on the culture of the times. The larger images are the characters that move the story forward through their actions. The details are the nuances that form the theme and central ideas in the story.  This is where the writer employs literary devises such as symbolism, imagery and irony to add depth and complexity to the story.

In The Stone House Legacy, the frame is the story of the past. Since the frame in this story is used to hold together the picture of the present that is the heart of the novel, I have employed the use of a Prologue and Epilogue to define it. This time, the plot takes center stage as the characters struggle to overcome the major conflict in the story. Since this is the most important element in the puzzle, it is critical that the action of the plot builds so that each minor conflict leads to the major crisis. The reader must be brought along with the rising action. Once I have satisfactorily built the plot, I can go back and supply the details that give the story its dimension.

 I have a lot of work to do!  Stay tuned to follow my progress!

Whispers From the Past

“The value of history is, indeed, not scientific but moral: by liberalizing the mind, by deepening the sympathies, by fortifying the will, it enables us to control, not society, but ourselves – a much more important thing; it prepares us to live more humanely in the present and to meet rather than to foretell the future.”

Carl Becker, 1873-1945, U.S. historian

The title of my first book was inspired by a quote by Haruki Murakame from "Hear the Wind Sing." Having grown up in Kansas where the wind is incessant, it was a logical symbol for the sometimes random and unexplained events that affect our lives in ways we cannot control. By focusing on the lives of three women over three generations the book reveals the patterns of behavior that are passed from mother to daughter throughout the generations.

As the story unfolded, I became more intrigued by the repeating patterns of history and how the passage of time and cultural changes affect the way each generation reacts to similar circumstances. When I stumbled upon the quote by Carl Becker, I was inspired, in my new book, to look at the obvious similarities between the political and moral struggles during the turbulent years of the early 1960's as compared with those of a similar time in history one hundred years earlier.

Not content with a simple comparison, I wanted a more personal view of the moral and ethical decisions that drove some to commit heinous acts against of violence against their fellow man and others to place themselves in grave mortal danger to stand up against it. So I have placed my characters in situations where they must make a similar choice.

Most of us have at one time experienced a feeling of deja vu where we were overcome with the strong sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has been experienced in the past, whether it has actually happened or not. It's as if a small voice from the past is whispering the reminder in our ear. I decided to use this phenomenon to create a historical conscience that would serve as a moral compass for the characters. It  provides a ghostly reminder that we have walked this path before in a different time and place.

The challenge is to leave enough question in the reader's mind to wonder whether we have actually learned anything from history or whether we are doomed to keep repeating it. Beyond the time periods addressed in the story, there are obvious comparisons to the politics and cultural struggles of the present time. Without pointing them out, I hope the reader will draw his or her own conclusions about the patterns revealed in the story. At the very least, it should make for some interesting conversations among those who read it.

In Search of the Garden of Eden

Ever since they were cast out of the Garden of Eden, mankind has been seeking a return to a self-sustaining utopian society based on peace, harmony and communal living. Perhaps at no time in history was this more evident than during the 19^th century when hundreds of such societies littered the nation’s landscape, most disappearing within a few years without a trace.

Often led by charismatic leaders with high religious or secular moral ideals, these settlements experimented wildly with different models of government, marriage, labor and wealth. Unfortunately, paradise in the present has always been elusive but that hasn’t stopped people from trying. Seekers attempting to leave behind the conventions and restrictions of traditional society have created self-sustaining communities ranging from groups of tofu-making hippies in rural Virginia to expatriates living in treehouses in the Costa Rican rainforest.

So why have they failed?  For one thing, the bar is constantly being raised. Life in a modest American home today would have been the envy of the Middle Ages.  It seems that humans are not able to maintain a moral, financial or educational equality.  People will always want more, or someone else’s toys.  Competition is a core human quality of “survival of the fittest.” Any land of milk and honey automatically attracts swords and muskets.

Secondly, although acceptance into these societies is often carefully controlled and outsiders are not welcome, internal power grabs are even more poisonous to utopian dreams than external threats. Utopian leadership based on the model of the “benevolent prince” or “philosopher king” is inherently unstable. There are inevitably factions out of power who are unhappy with things. Charismatic leaders typically do not provide successors with anything like their talents. The competition for succession invariably favors not the wise, but the ruthless.

Finally, ideals are constraints, and the more constraints one tries to impose, the less viable the community will be. Since most religious utopias imposed constraints on the members’ worldly desires, they needed a mechanism for self-selection and, thus, exclusion of non-believers. Over time, however, these constraints become weakened through changes in leadership and outside influences and the lines between the society and the outside world become blurred.  In the end, each member must choose his own way.

In my new book, The Stone House Legacy, I will explore this phenomenon in more detail. I will look at the failure of one such settlement through the lens of modern day society. Are we doomed to continue to make the same mistakes in our search for paradise? In James Madison’s view, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.

The Mystique of Charismatic Leaders

I have always been fascinated by the concept of charismatic leadership.  What is it that makes the charismatic leader almost god-like in the eyes of their followers so that people line up behind them without question? What is the psychological bondage between leader and follower that makes them succeed? What are the attributes of such a leader, how does the social situation give rise to their power, and finally, how does the interaction between the leader and his followers give rise to his power?

Gandhi and Hitler were both charismatic leaders.  They were able to establish a strong connection with their followers based on a personal conviction, bordering on the magical...as if they alone had received the vision directly from some higher power. These men possessed the ability to connect with a large audience of supporters, often by reinforcing and then heightening their existing beliefs. They were brilliant communicators, always certain of their beliefs.

Both leaders rose to power at a time when their followers were in distress and were looking for someone who would identify himself with their problems.  The social situation was becoming increasingly worsened and the leader appeared at a time when people were looking for a savior. The leader represents a radical change in the current situation and his conviction arouses the followers to become part of the change.

It seems to me that charismatic leaders must face a critical turning point at which they must choose between the power and prestige of their position and their belief in their own god-like powers or accept their own mortality and move toward routinization of leadership, thus relinquishing their power over their followers. Those who try to hang on create a type of cult leadership based on authoritarian methods, while those who relinquish the power of leadership lose followers and quickly fall out of favor. They leave themselves open to attack from opponents who seize upon the opportunity to discredit the charismatic leader in order to advance their own cause.

As I begin work on my next novel, I hope to explore this phenomenon in more detail by bringing my main character to the decision point and seeing which direction he chooses.

Coming in 2014 (hopefully!)
The Stone House Legacy by Wanda DeHaven Pyle

Life is Not a Spectator Sport

Years ago I wrote a short story entitled "Spectator Sport" that was published in a small magazine whose name I have long since forgotten.  The story was about a young family struggling to make ends meet, who had finally scraped together enough to do some Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve.  It was snowing heavily when they stopped in at a small cafe to warm themselves.

Sitting at the counter nursing a cold cup of coffee was an old man, a regular at the cafe.  He had a long white beard and wore faded coveralls over a flannel shirt. A baseball cap covered his bald head and it was apparent that he had not washed in several days.  He liked to sit at the far end of the counter where he had a clear view of everyone who entered, but close enough that he could eavesdrop on their conversations without having to engage himself.

The cafe was crowded on this night and the little family could only find space at the counter near the old man.  The youngest of the children was a small girl of about five years old with big brown eyes that took in everything with a sense of awe and wonder.  This was her first real recollection of Christmas and she was fascinated by the all the lights, sounds and colors of the season.

She stared in wonder at the old man seated next to them and finally he smiled back at her.  In youthful innocence, she turned to her mother and asked, "Is that Santa Clause's brother? "Well, if it is," she said quietly, "we mustn't disturb him."  She gave the old man an apologetic look, but the little girl continued to stare.

The old man seldom interacted with anyone at the cafe.  He preferred to live on the edges of other people's lives by listening and watching their interactions with each other. But this time he couldn't resist the temptation to participate in the wonder of the season with a small girl.

"I really am Santa's brother, you know," he said to her conspiratorially.  "But this is such a busy time for him, that I seldom get to see him!"

"That must be really lonely for you," the girl answered.

The old man reflected on this for a few moments, "You're only lonely if you allow yourself to be," he said finally. "Santa's family is made up of all the children in the world, so since we're brothers, they are my family too!"

The old man and the little girl chatted together for several moments while the older child and her parents nodded and smiled in encouragement.  She wanted to know about his house and his pets and if he knew any of the elves personally.  The old man soon warmed to the story and answered her questions with sincerity and authority.

When the family gathered their things to leave, he reached in his pocket and found a shiny half dollar he didn't know he had.  He handed the coin to the little girl, "Santa told me you would be stopping by," he said. "And he asked me to give this to you."

The little girl's eyes widened in wonder," He knew I was coming?" she asked taking the coin in her mittened hand. She paused for a moment and then gave the old man a big hug.  "I don't have a present for him, but can you give him this hug for me?"

The old man smiled, "Of course! And I'll tell him it comes especially from you."

The little girl waved gaily as she left with her parents.  When the old man turned back to the counter, he found that his coffee cup had been filled and there was a warm cinnamon roll next to his cup.  He looked up in surprise, but there was no one else around. The cafe had emptied out and the wait staff had retreated to the kitchen to clean up for closing time.  The silence in the cafe was broken only by the sound of carols coming from the radio and the soft tinkle of bells.

During this holiday season, let us never forget the magic of Christmas and the wonder of the season!

Best Wishes for a Joyous New Year! -Wanda DeHaven Pyle

A Thanksgiving Prayer

As Chaplain of the United States Senate in 1947, Peter Marshall had an extraordinary talent for prayer. To him the morning prayer was not just the opening part of the services, but the most precious moments an individual spends with the Lord. When he clasped his hands together, the prayers seemed to flow from the depths of his soul. Dr. Marshall did not write down his prayers, but there were those in his congregation who did. In 1954, his daughter, Catherine Marshall, published the edited prayers in a volume entitled simply, The Prayers of Peter Marshall.

These prayers have sustained and lifted me through difficult times in my life. They have humbled me and reminded me to be more patient, more understanding, and forgiving to one another. In one of his last prayers before his death, he uttered the words, "We are standing on the threshold of time."  These words are as true today as they were in 1948.

As the searing tongues of misunderstanding and hatred leap out at us from the far corners of the world, it is far to easy to put our own self-interest and pride before all else and become complacent. Dr. Marshall's great concern was for the plain homespun virtues of honesty, integrity, and goodness of the individual. He saw clearly that we can never achieve nationally what we are unwilling to accede to individually.  Over and over he kept calling us back to these basic realities.

As we approach this holiday season, let us look forward with a true sense of gratitude for all the mercy and blessings in our lives. May we get on with the job of creating not only a nation but a world in which all men shall have the right to seek happiness. Let's make this season a time of rededication, when we shall think not of how much we can eat or what gifts we want, but of how thankful we are for what we have.

Seesaw Relationships

In a previous blog ("Dreamers vs. Realists: Magic or Toxic", 5/24/13) I reflected on the magnetic draw between dreamers and realists. Since completing my novel I have come to believe that that we are all seeking a balance in our relationships.  We are initially attracted to those who fill a void in our personalities so that our lives can achieve equilibrium that we believe will bring us happiness.

Relationships can be likened to a child’s seesaw in that they are balanced as long as the weight at both ends is equally distributed. Sometimes one end might be up, sometimes the opposite end might be up, but in order for it to work at all, there has to be equal weight on each end.  In relationships we are magnetized to each other because we see in the other person something that we need to achieve the balance. We strive to meet someone’s need and fulfill our own need at the same time.  This is true of friendships, work situations, and partnerships of all kinds.

In our attempt at balance, we often attract others that are on the same continuum as we are.  If someone is aggressive, he may attract someone who is meek.  In fact the meekness may bring out the aggression in that person.  To achieve balance, one needs to learn to set boundaries and the other to respect boundaries. Holding on to resentments only causes them to build until, finally, the relationship breaks.

In the case of dreamers and realists, the balance is often achieved when both parties move toward the center or the extreme together. However, if one party begins to move toward the center and the other does not, the balance is thrown off and the relationship begins to tilt to one side resulting in disharmony and disillusionment.

When relationships are in full bloom, there is energy about it.  There is enthusiasm and communication as each party learns what the relationship has to teach them. Then sometimes, for no apparent reason, all the energy goes out of the relationship.  There is no enthusiasm for the job, the people at the job, a particular friend, or partner.  This seems to indicate that we may have learned all we can from that relationship, and it may be time to move on to another one of life’s lessons.

In Windborne, the three women who are the central focus of the novel are also seeking this balance in their relationships. When the relationships end, they must reflect on what really makes them happy and what doesn’t.  They must learn to apply the lessons they learned from their relationships and pay attention to any red flags that come up in the future.

They must learn not to be afraid to be alone for a while if that’s what life has in store.  In spending time alone, they are actually giving themselves the opportunity to get to know themselves as individuals and to incorporate and integrate the experiences they have had into their new sense of self. They must learn that one of the most important relationships they will ever have is the one they have with themselves.

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