Revisiting "Research, Research, Research"

Research
Photo Credit: Fuel Your Writing

In the coming weeks you will notice some changes around here. Thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law, Esther, of Seattle Moms Deal Finder, I’ve learned some new blogging tricks that I’ll be integrating into both new and old posts. If you have more tips or tricks for me, I’d love to hear them. Feel free to leave me a comment or post on my Facebook page, A Word in Season. I’m open to both positive and constructive criticism, as both are foundational to growth and expansion.

Though eager to get back into my flow, I’ve been finding it so difficult to write again. I discovered one reason while writing this several days ago and another reason while nursing my head cold with a good book this afternoon. The first reason boils down to research. I researched for over a month before I wrote my first lines about Queen Sophia Charlotte, and the truth is that her life was far less complicated than Queen Victoria’s.

Writer's Block
Photo Credit: Alexandra Sheppard

The second reason is more perplexing and possibly even a bit cliché. It’s that disturbing foe, writer’s block. Of course, I'm hopeful that continued research will help get the flow moving, but the fear that it won't is lurking beneath the surface even as I write these words.

I found a perfect description of the bane of every writer’s existence, and I was both encouraged and further terrified. In his novel, The Zahir, Paulo Coelho writes, “I notice that I go through the same process as I did when writing my first book: I wake up at nine o’clock in the morning, ready to sit down at my computer immediately after breakfast; then I read the newspapers, go for a walk, visit the nearest bar for a chat, come home, look at the computer, discover that I need to make several phone calls, look at the computer again, by which time lunch is ready, and I sit eating and thinking that I really ought to have started writing at eleven o’clock, but now I need a nap, I wake up at five in the afternoon, finally turn on the computer, go to check my e-mails, then remember that I’ve destroyed my Internet connection; I could go to a place ten minutes away where I can get online, but couldn’t I, just to free my conscience from these feelings of guilt, couldn’t I at least write for half an hour?”

Phoenix Rising
Photo Credit: Unique Visions

He goes on to describe what happens once his muse strikes, and my favorite writing quote of all time is found several paragraphs later, “When I used to read biographies of writers, I always thought they were simply trying to make their profession seem more interesting when they said that ‘the book writes itself, the writer is just the typist.’ Now I know that this is absolutely true…”

I trust that the more I force myself to face my enemy today, the less I will have to face him in the future. Unfortunately, this writer is far more experienced than I am, and it seems that he has only made friends with this adversary rather than vanquishing it. I will do my best to do the same and have patience with myself in the process. Meanwhile, I beg you to also have patience with me in the process.

Until next Wednesday, I hope this Thanksgiving you find at least ten things to be thankful for. One thing I’m thankful for is you, my first few faithful readers who keep me writing when I’d rather be taking a nap.

~Angela

image credits

Revisiting "Born To Be Queen"

Queen Victoria as a Child
Photo Credit: James Smith Noel Collection

Her parents married primarily for the sake of producing an heir to the throne. Her young childhood was fraught with manipulation and conniving. It seems as though she was appreciated only for the power she might one day imbue to those in her charge. Power hungry, mal-intentioned, manipulative adults filled only with eros love sheltered Victoria, not to protect her but to protect their own self-interests. My heart burns with anger as I write these descriptive words of Victoria’s parental figures.

It has been my hunch that her parents schemed right from the start to use her as a pawn in their plot to dominate the throne of a growing empire. I found evidence of this in the account written by Elizabeth Longford, "Queen Victoria: Born to Succeed." She relates the story of how Leopold of Saxe-Coburg arrived in Great Britain in hopes of marrying the Prince Regent’s daughter, Princess Charlotte. Though her father protested the match vehemently, Prince Edward (Victoria's father) allowed the two lovers to use his stable boy to pass letters back and forth. Three short months later, they were married.

Prince Edward
Photo Credit: Blupete

It seems that in payment for this service, the two lovers set up a “blind date” of sorts between Leopold’s sister, Princess Victoria, and Prince Edward. He visited with her for the first time in fall of 1816, and seeing a quick way to pay off his debts and return to England, he promptly asked for her hand in marriage.

Nearing the time of Charlotte’s due date, it seems there was a leak about Prince Edward’s affair with his French lady, and he grew antsy for a response from Princess Victoria. He sent a letter to a friend asking him to urge Prince Leopold to request a response from his sister as soon as the baby was safely born.

Victoria, Duchess of Kent
Photo Credit: James Smith Noel Collection

On the heels of this letter, tragedy struck. Leopold’s wife and the heir apparent did not survive labor and delivery, leaving the entire country of Britain despondent. This was a crisis of great proportions, and parliament required that the four living Dukes (including Prince Edward) return to Britain at once to get to work on producing an heir. Can you imagine??

Prince Edward and Princess Victoria were officially married on May 27, 1818, and they celebrated another official ceremony in England on July 11, 1818, in a double ceremony with Edward’s brother William and Princess Adelaide. Their marriage of convenience was not very convenient for either one of them. She did not speak English, and his expectation of 25,000 pounds extra per month was realized at only 6,000 pounds, not nearly enough to pay down his debts. After squatting in Kensington Palace under the disdainful eyes of the Prince Regent and constant reminders of the grim loss of Princess Charlotte, Prince Edward finally relocated his wife to Germany, where it was clear that she was indeed pregnant.

Revisiting "Parallel Lives"

Metamorphosis
Photo Credit: Insects(dot)org

I must say that I’m amazed at the parallels I’m finding between Queen Victoria’s life and my own. I have been knee-deep in research about her formative years, and as I’ve read about the circumstances surrounding her conception, the death of her father when she was an infant, and the machinations and manipulations she was subjected to by her own mother, my emotions have run the gamut of anger, empathy, pity, and sorrow.

Reading farther into her life, I have found myself swinging between paragraphs filled with understanding and paragraphs filled with disenchantment at her sometimes childish behavior. I've been surprised sometimes at my own sharpness in some of the things I wrote.

Freedom
Photo Credit: Unresolved Abandonment

Since I don’t believe in coincidence, it doesn’t surprise me in the least that Victoria appears to have had a severe and sometimes debilitating case of codependency. Her life was vastly different from mine, yet there is a silver cord of similarity running between the lines of her life that I cannot help but recognize as my very own struggle with depression, self-pity, and codependency.

Though she is lauded as one of the most prominent figures in world history, I can see that despite the popular perspective of greatness, she actually died a shell of a woman. She did not fully live her life, and that is not how I want my story to end. I will try so very carefully to address these issues with love and compassion, but there will be times when I know I won’t be able to be as gentle as I would like to be.

Faberge Egg
Photo Credit: Weston Jewelry

It is vital that you and I go farther than she did in her life. We may not find ourselves queen of an empire, but we owe it to our children and those who look up to us to push past the bitterness and resentments in our life and learn what it means to live life to the fullest. It is my job to push and prod and poke at the weak spots in her life to ferret out every last nugget we can learn from her.

Research Credits:
1. The World of Royalty
2. Joyce Gidel

Revisiting "Victoriana"

Asian Motif Brooch
Photo courtesy of Weston Jewelry

During the Romantic Period, jewelry reflected the sentimental nature of the times with mementoes, love tokens, and souvenirs from foreign travel. Italian cameos were brought back to Britain as souvenirs of the "Grand Tours" of the upper class to Italy and Greece. Victoria’s love for all things Scottish popularized many Highlander influences in jewelry and fashion, particularly brooches with a grouse foot set in gold or silver and tartan clothing. These trends lasted well into the 1860s. This was a time when culture and travel were extremely important to British culture, and throughout the era we see an influx of imported jewelry from many parts of the world. [Read more...]


[Insert a link to The Jewelry Annals.]

Revisiting "Piety or Peace?" (parts one and two)

Chaos
Photo courtesy of Spokane Community College

Excerpt from original post (part one):

Queen Sophia Charlotte had what I consider to be a serious character flaw, and if I’m not careful this discussion about my shift in priorities could leave you thinking that I’m prone to the same serious flaw. In fact, the truth is that I am, and you very likely are, too. I hope that by bringing this issue into the light we will diminish its power and see a clear path to take in detour toward true freedom....

Sophia Charlotte with Her Children
Photo courtesy of NCGenWeb

Lest I become guilty of the very thing I’m highlighting, I must say that I am so very grateful my radius of people for which to set an example is far smaller than hers was. In case you aren’t tracking with me here, the character flaw I’m speaking of is critical judgment based on a high moral standard. To put it into modern language, she looked down her nose at others who did not think or act the same as she did. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I have been struggling with a bit of writer’s block approaching this post. I think I’m beginning to understand a bit more why....

Sophia with Child
Photo courtesy of Forgotten Founders Exhibit

So the source of my writer’s block is this duel between judgment and affability, stinginess and generosity, public and personal life. Hmmm…and here we find our link to the “perfection disease” I posted about on Monday. 

Tiara and Combs
Photo courtesy of Jane Austen World

Truthfully, I sincerely wish we had more women in high position making domestic duties fashionable. Though it has become more fashionable to be a mother, most of us stay-at-home moms still search for our identities in what we do instead of who we are. Herein lies the problem with the mother of a nation, or any such role model, setting such high standards. I will not repeat the article I posted before, but I draw attention to the disease of perfection here. None of us are perfect and by setting any kind of standard of perfection without allowing for grace and mercy for ourselves as well as for others, we set ourselves up for living for other peoples’ approval, ever striving for more and better, looking down on others for what we think is going on in their lives, and looking down on ourselves because we will always offend ourselves if we are offended by others....

Balance
Photo courtesy of Motivate Thyself

(part two, originally published 10/06/10)

Today, I know that my tiara is sparkling firmly upon my head not because of what I have or haven’t done, but because I’m happy to be me doing what I’m doing right here and now. Instead of bracing himself for my hasty exit, my husband smiles when he walks in the door because he knows I’m going to be happy to see him because I missed him and not because I’m eager for him to take over with the kids so I can escape. My kids are happy, and they fill the air with far more joyful noises and dancing than angry words and fighting. I no longer find myself counting down the minutes so I can leave them and do something for myself....

Despite its negative overtones, I think this is the most important lesson I’ve learned from Sophia in these past couple of months. It is clear that she was firmly grounded in her life as a mother and a wife. She did not look to her public life or image to make her happy. Certainly she took her public role seriously, but she drew her strength from being with her husband and family. I want to take this lesson of drawing my strength from serving my family first, but without the excessive piety, judgment, and stinginess that marked her life. By putting first things first, I’m certain I will be free to be myself everywhere I am, thereby transferring this joy and strength to others far more effectively than when I was serving others as a means of escape.

Timely Inspiration

Stay tuned this Wednesday, as we will be wrapping up our study of Queen Sophia Charlotte. To be honest, I've been facing down fear once again. I've had a serious case of writer's block this week and have been turning around and around in my mind the different approaches I could take to discuss this week's topic. Up until just a few minutes, I was wasting time trying to come up with a way to bring all my thoughts together to say what it is that I really want to say to all of you this week. Thankfully, as usual, inspiration has come just in the nick of time. It came in the form of a blog post my aunt shared on Facebook. She advised that everyone take time to read this, and I took her advice. I'm so very glad that I did.

I've posted the article below because it is a must-read for every American, male and female, and I know that you, my faithful readers, will take it to heart and pass it along. I must warn you that it is at times heart-wrenching, but I assure you that this is a perfect lead-in to my coming blog post on Wednesday. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to seeing you in a couple of days!

http://www.danoah.com/2010/09/disease-called-perfection.html

~Angela

Revisiting "Has Anyone Seen My Tiara?"

Excerpt from original post:
This weekend I lost my tiara. It seems like it all started when my best girls and I decided to do a yard sale this past Saturday. We spent all of last week sorting and compiling our stuff. With oodles of things and three very busy ladies, we pulled it together by the skin of our teeth. We broke many yard sale rules, and needless to say we made very little money....

As though that weren't enough, I further complicated my weekend by starting a new job. I have to admit that this was the worst possible weekend for me to tackle this very flexible, could-have-waited-until-next-weekend job. I have enjoyed it thoroughly, but I have learned another valuable lesson. Even though I can do a lot in one weekend, it's not wise for me to do so much....

A true queen envisions her day and makes a plan. She recruits the help she needs and makes sure that she doesn't overbook her calendar. A true queen knows in her heart that she sets an example for those around her. Sure, she could be super woman and do it all herself, but she wouldn't want those around her to feel like they had to succumb to the pressure and stress that being super woman entails. I want to be a true queen, so I am determined to learn from my mistakes rather than beat myself up over them.

So the topic of today's blog is not a queen of old, but the lessons I've learned this week about overbooking and overworking yourself and how to recover without laying in bed for a week. Even though I have momentarily lost sight of my tiara and I very much did trade my ball gown in for armor this week, I have learned some very important lessons about being a queen. Here is what I've learned from my weekend:

1. Stick to your plan.

2. Know your limits.

3. Conserve energy.

4. Put first things first.

I am very grateful that I'm seeing the sparkle of my tiara once again, and I'm making lemonade out of the lemons of my weekend. I'm enjoying hearing my children play and sing, and I'm about to go make them dinner. Before I do, though, I wanted to highlight the photos in my blog this week. This is part of my new job. Once a month I will be making several of these collages with inventory from my brother's website and from Polyvore's database. Besides some amazing moments with my kids, working on these collages was the highlight of a very stressful week. Creativity really is an outlet for stress. How blessed I am that it has become such a large part of the working segment of my life.