Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

Every week for the last six years, bloggers, blog-readers and real people have been coming to the Ten Things of Thankful bloghop to catch the latest in gratitacious reflection and lists of things what made people feel thankful. The format is simple, the intention laudable and the execution…well, lets say eclectic and let it go at that. (I kid. Everyone who sends in a TToT post are of a talent and skill that makes the reading easy and the pleasure inevitable.)

Riding herd on this the blog-that-Lizzi-created, is Kristi. She makes sure the lights are on and the rent’s been paid.

Speaking of Kristi, she’s been a whirlwind of activity and preparation for the Sixthaversary of the start of this here blog here.

1) Una

Dog riding shotgun.

2) Phyllis

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work the ground and care for it”*
Landscape Orientation
*Genesis 2:14-16**
**Bow Wow Edition

3) Wakefield Doctrine: sine qua non, y’all, sine qua non.

4) Una’s Garden (and driveway corn) Garden at the top… photo of the driveway below

Soon to be lined with elephants.*
I’ve planted the driveway corn on the left edge of the above driveway.
Time will tell.
(Portrait Orientation)
*Rogers and Hammerstein

5) Synopsiseses… ayye…fricken…yiiiee!  So the path to (traditional) publication apparently includes writing a synopsis. Requested by both agents-to-be and publishers is what makes this exercise unavoidable. What makes it worthy of my ayyiiee is that although the dictionary defines synopsis as ‘…an outline, overview of a novel, screenplay….” most sources place its maximum length at two pages (double-spaced) (Can I get an ayyiiee?) They want to know the primary characters, the significant events, conflicts and resolution and… and, how the major character has changed. Thats all. I did say, ‘Two pages, double-spaced, didn’t I?’ Thats approximately 500 words… five hundred. I will find a way. All because I’ve been driven by a certain theory of personality. (Won’t mention any names, but it rhymes with ‘Wakefield Doctrine’) lol. I sure am glad I’ve been participating in the Six Sent…… hey! a grat item! Lets put this to good use, ….coming in at Number 6!

6) The Six Sentence Story. A bloghop based on writing a story from a weekly prompt word. It’s hook, (the ‘hop, not the word), being the story needs be Six Sentences in length. It’s hosted by Denise (who took over from zoe ) and I’ve been a participant for years. I suspect my taking liberty with the glue of semi-colons and invoking a certain J. Joyce with my Lego sentence construction, have resulted in developing the beginnings of confidence in the editing process; to take a 500 word story and turn it into a 300 word story, which, of course, as long as there are only six periods, becomes a Six Sentence Story.   Where was I?  Oh yeah, editing. So all I need to do is think of my synopsis as a huge-ass Six Sentence Story and reduce it down to those words that carry the essence of ‘Almira’ (Girl realized she doesn’t know who she is. Girl (and the Reader) hear the life-story of a sleeping woman. Girl (and woman) understand their life and place in it.) Like that… ‘cept I give away the ending in the synopsis. For the sake of those still reading, I won’t do that here.)

7) THIS SPACE AVAILABLE. Got yourself on the edge of the diving board. Pretty sure you want to dive into a TToT? Inertia starting to glue them feets to the floor? Try this: send us one of your Grats in a comment and I’ll post it right here.

8) Book of Secret Rules (aka the Secret Book of Rules) It is the philosopher’s stone for the temporarily (or chronically) blocked TToT post writer. Know you have plenty to write but every time you start, your mind and your inner critic start to wrestle like over-tired six-year-old boys at the end of someone else’s birthday party? Doesn’t matter why, its all about the struggle. There’s a Secret Rule for that! Lets say you are totally in a bad mood, but have participated in the ‘hop for months, everything you think of reads like a sarcastic Paul Lynde. Yes ma’am there is a Secret Rule for that. I’d cite the Chapter and Verse. but…. yep! another Secret Rule prevents that. (Hint: don’t give up, there’s a Secret Rule to get around that too!)

9) Sunday Supplement

10) Secret Rule 1.3 “..the approaching conclusion of a list of things of thankful is, in and of itself, something to be…. you got it!” [ibid. op.cit. etc.]

(some kind of music vid)