My Admiration for our Armed Services ~ Part Three

September 28

Dear Readers,          

  Rangers have participated in every major conflict in which the United States has participated, even before they received their name.

            Their courage, perseverance, and tenacity has earned them national and international acclaim and respect, even from their enemies.

        The fifth stanza of the Ranger Creed states:

            “Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country.  I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might.  Surrender is not a Ranger word.  I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.”

            Is it any wonder that this special breed of men inspired the heroes of my books and those of many others?

            “Surrender is not a Ranger word.”

Click here for Part 1

Click here for Part 2

May you know the Lord loves you,
~Jane

My Admiration for our Armed Services ~ Part Two

September 21

Dear Readers, 

            In an earlier post, I wrote about my admiration for the men and women who serve our country in the armed services.  In particular, I am fascinated by those who come under the umbrella of Special Operations, more commonly referred to as Special Ops, from where I draw the heroes of my books.

  

            With that in mind, I did some research on the history of these elite warriors and thought I’d share some of what I learned with you.

            The word “Ranger” was first coined in World War II.

            Major General Lucian K. Truscott, then the liaison to the British Consulate, recognized that the Allied Forces needed to employ different techniques if they were to defeat the Axis powers.  On May 26, 1942, General Truscott submitted a proposal to General George Marshall to form a group of American soldiers similar to the British commandos.

            With the War Department’s agreement, the 1^st Army Ranger Battalion was formed.  Truscutt chose the name “Ranger” because it sounded typically American. 

    
            General Russell P. Hartle, who commanded all Army Forces in Ireland, selected William O. Darby to lead this band of soldiers.  A strenuous weeding-out process followed, and on June 19, 1942 the Battalion of Rangers was activated.

            The Rangers lead invasions in Algeria and Tunisia, achieving much-needed victories for the Allies.  The most famous mission of the Rangers occurred during D-Day in the European Theatre when the battalion assaulted the cliffs of Pointe Du Hoc, France, taking out a large gun battery stationed there.

            Without this victory, German guns would have devastated the Allied Forces as they stormed Omaha Beach.

            Rangers continued their storied exploits in each of the conflicts in the ensuing years.

Click HERE for Part One

May you know the Lord loves you,
~Jane

My Admiration for our Armed Services ~ Part One

September 14

Dear Readers, 

            In an earlier post, I wrote about my admiration for the men and women who serve our country in the armed services.  In particular, I am fascinated by those who come under the umbrella of Special Operations, more commonly referred to as Special Ops, from where I draw the heroes of my books.

  

            With that in mind, I did some research on the history of these elite warriors and thought I’d share some of what I learned with you.

            Did you know that the Army Rangers can trace their beginnings back to the French and Indian Wars?  In 1756, Major Robert Rogers recruited nine companies of American colonists to fight for the British during the French and Indian Wars.

            Rogers appreciated the unique traits and cunning of the American frontiersman.  He understood that these men had skills necessary to survive in the “wilds.”  He used these skills to enhance traditional military training, turning out such heroes as Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, and Daniel Morgan, founder of Morgan’s Riflemen who fought against the British in the American Revolution.

            Another century saw a new generation of this special breed of warriors, such as Mosby who fought in the Civil War.  Mosby believed that by using highly trained men in extremely aggressive action, he could force the enemy to guard numerous fronts.  Once the enemy had divided its forces, Mosby and his raiders attacked the weakest point and overwhelmed the reduced numbers

            Though these men were never known as Rangers, much of the training and philosophies of present day Rangers evolved from these beginnings.

            Stay tune next week for more about the history of this courageous group of men.

May you know the Lord loves you,
~Jane

Tap Into Your Emotions, Then Use Them

            Fear, joy, love, sadness, surprise, anger. What do these six things have in common? They are all emotions, all of which we should be incorporating into our stories. Whether we write picture books or angst-ridden novels for the young adult set, we need to infuse our stories with emotion.

 

            I’m not talking about the purple prose of the novelists of earlier generations.  Nor am I talking about the writing of soap-operas or daytime dramas.  I’m talking about honest emotion that resonates within our readers and makes them think, “I’ve felt just that way.  I know what that character is going through.”

            Easier said than done. How do we tap into these emotions? What can we uses as triggers to free our writing of restraint and stiffness?

            Let’s take a look at the emotions I listed above and see how we can translate them to screen, then into books our readers won’t be able to put down.

              Fear.  I’ve never had to run from a vampire or face a serial killer.  But I have been frightened.  My fears frequently had to do when a child was sick.  When our then seven-year-old son, Robbie, faced serious surgery on his leg for osteomyelitis (infection of the bone), I was terrified.  My heart was beating so rapidly that I feared I was going to pass out when we received the diagnosis and the doctor described a brutal sounding operation where the bone would actually be scraped.  At the same time, my palms were sweaty, my stomach churning, my throat filled with bile.  

          These are physiological reactions of a body under extreme stress. I go back in my mind to that horrible time (it didn’t help that I was pregnant at the time with our fourth child) and tap into those feelings when I need to write a scene where my protagonist is terrified.  Are you thinking that the fears of a mother for a child are not the same as those of a young character facing down evil in the form of zombies?  Think again.  Those visceral responses are universal.  Use them.  It’s not enough to say “She was scared.”  You must find those emotions, then show the reader what your character is feeling.  Remember:  show, don’t tell.

              Joy.  What brings you joy?  When you think back over your life and try to pinpoint the most joyous events, what do you think of?  Is it the birth of a child?  Is it the sale of that first short story or book?  Is it that first  kiss between you and your spouse on your wedding day?  Whatever it is, relive it.  Bask in it.  Then bring those feelings to your character as she experiences overwhelming joy.

              Sadness. None of us escape this life unscathed by sadness and grief.  What has brought you intense sadness?  The death of a beloved pet when you were a child?  For those of us of a certain age, we might think of the death of a parent.  Many have experienced divorce, another kind of death.  Our current world situation is enough to make anyone sad.  Whatever produces sadness or grief within you can be used to describe those same emotions for your character who is enduring a heart-breaking situation.

              Surprise.  What surprises you?  Was it the birthday party that friends threw for you, even when you expressly told them that you didn’t want a party?  Was it a letter from a friend you haven’t seen in twenty years?  Was it a present from your husband for no particular reason?

               Anger.  Just as none of us escape this life untouched by sadness and grief, none of us escape without knowing, at least a few times, intense anger.  What makes you angry?  For me, it goes back to my family.  Hurts and slights to myself, I can pretty much pass off.  Let someone hurt my children, my husband, my friends, and I turn into a mama grizzly.  (Really, my husband says I skip the grizzly stage and go straight to mama wolverine, supposedly one of the most vicious animals alive.)  My claws come out, and I’m ready to do battle.  When I need to describe a character who is ready to fight, for survival, for standing up for the truth, for protecting a loved one, I go to those memories when someone threatened someone I love.  With that, my words take on an authenticity that goes far beyond the insipid phrase, “She was angry.”

      Find those emotions within yourself.  Find the triggers that will you back to when you felt fear, joy, sadness, surprise, or anger.  Then write with all the feeling inside of you.