Daniel Webster's Speech of 1850

 Before I get to some of the stirring quotes from Daniel Webster, let me share some stirring news of my own. I doubt it will be quoted like Webster, Clay, and Calhoun, but it's almost as meaningful for me. I signed a contract yesterday for the publication of another one of my short stories. I finished and submitted it last month. It will come out in an anthology early next month, and I''ll be sure to post a cover picture and link.

In addition, I'm about to finish another short story and submit it for consideration. I'm down to the final thousand words. I had a wrestle before the computer screen about how to construct a satisfying ending from the materials I brought to the project through the telling of the story to the two-thirds point. From that point the story must reach an exciting confrontation, which was already in progress, and resolve the tension the unanswered questions and conflict created. It's always the latter that is tougher to handle. It's easy to create questions, uncertainty, and tension. Resolving that is where too many stories and story tellers fall short. For further info, check out my posts on my writing philosophy of The Trauma, The Drama, and The Dream, or my presentation on the subject.

 

 Fun Fact:

I'm currently reading Fergus M. Bordewich's book America's Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen A. Douglas and the Compromise the Preserved the Union. The quotes below are from the Congressional Record as given in the book. So far, this book is excellent. It presents a fascinating account of the men and circumstances surrounding the Congressional debates of 1850 concerning the admission of Texas, and states from the territory gained in the war with Mexico. The slavery issue yawned like a great gulf that separated the factions in congress and threatened to divide the nation. After Henry Clay had presented his 8 point proposal for a compromise, and it had been debated and denounced by the extreme wings of the major factions. Daniel Webster spoke for four hours in support of the proposed compromise in a way that only he could do. It made him enemies all around and did not resolve the matter. Here are a few portions of it:

“In all such disputes, there will sometimes be found men with whom everything is absolute; absolutely right, or absolutely wrong. They deal with morals as with mathematics; and they think what is right may be distinguished from what is wrong with the precision of an algebraic equation. They have, therefore, none too much charity towards others who differ from them. They are apt, too, to think that nothing is good but what is perfect, and that there are no compromises or modifications to be made in consideration of difference of opinion or in deference to other men’s judgment. If their perspicacious judgment enables them to detect a spot on the face of the sun, they think that a good reason why the sun should be struck down from heaven. They prefer the chance of running into utter darkness to living in heavenly light, if that heavenly light be not absolutely without any imperfection.”

“I hear with distress and anguish the word ‘secession... Secession! Peaceable secession! Who is so foolish, I beg everyone’s pardon, as to expect to see any such thing? Who sees these states, now revolving in harmony around a common centre, and expects to see them quit their places and fly off without convulsion, may look the next hour to see heavenly bodies rush from their spheres, and jostle against each other in the realms of space, without causing the wreck of the universe. Peaceable secession is an utter impossibility. Is the great Constitution under which we live, covering the whole country, is it to be thawed and melted away by secession, as the snows on the mountain melt under the influence of a vernal sun, disappear almost unobserved, and run off? No, sir! No, sir! I will not state what might produce the disruption of the Union; but, sir, I see as plainly as I see the sun in heaven what that disruption itself must produce; I see that it must produce war. “Peaceable secession! Where is the line to be drawn? What states are to secede? What is to remain American? What am I to be? An American no longer? Am I to become a sectional man, a local man, a separatist, with no country in common with the gentlemen who sit around me here, or who fill the other house of Congress? Heaven forbid! Where is the flag of the republic to remain? Where is the eagle still to tower? Or is he to cower, and shrink, and fall to the ground? What is to become of the army? What is to become of the Navy? What is to become of the public lands? How is each of the thirty states to defend itself? To break up this great government! To dismember this glorious country! To astonish Europe with an act of folly such as Europe for two centuries has never beheld in any government or any people! No, sir! No, sir! There will be no secession!”

"[L]et us come out into the light of day. Let us not be pigmies in a case that calls for men. Let us make our generation one of the strongest and brightest links in that golden chain which is destined, I fondly believe, to grapple the people of all the states to this Constitution for ages to come.”

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There are few things that ring so true with regard to modern problems as the wise words of earlier statesmen. Unfortunately, those on opposite sides both attempt to bend those words to serve their own cause. Compromise held the nation together until those sectional divisions finally burst the frail seams of the agreement. Eventually--especially when one side's positions become more and more extreme, running away from the middle ground rather than toward a compromise position, the rift must open and swallow both progress and the hopes for a peaceful solution. 

Speaking of solutions to difficult questions: Check out Truth in Flames for some lively debate about independence amid fire and fury.

Gobsmacking

 Sometimes things don't go as planned:

 

The bugmageddon novel isn't complete, but I did get it nearly finished on Saturday as my fingers danced over the keys while episodes of Magnum P.I. (the good old one) played in the background.

 Excerpt from Bugs in the System:

Doot triggered the carbine. A bullet pierced the chitinous belly and exploded from the back of the rising centipede. The gun spoke no more. The last magazine was empty. The pede shot forward. Doot swung the gun like a bat, knocking back the crawler. The monster’s many legs held its lower body in place and it thrust again, head and upper body darting toward its prey. Doot took the pitch to the inside and smashed it wide.

The novel is deep in the gobsmacking wonderclash. The hammerschlag falls and the streams are crossing. A couple evenings or another Saturday writing session will have it complete for my Skirmish Team's review.

Speaking of wonderclashes, hammerschlags, and crossing streams, that reminds me that the time for my presentation on forging unforgettable stories is drawing close. I had hoped to do a local presentation this month as a practice for the Utah conference, but scheduling didn't work out. Those writers will get the raw, unrefined product, husks and all.

FYI Truth in Flames, my favorite book so far in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series is only 99 cents for a few more days, before it goes back up to $4.99.

Tomorrow's news today

 

Who can foresee the future or weave it from the past? Who knows what a man will speak or when he'll breath his last?

The future lies hidden in impenetrable cloud, while the past, with each expiring second, passes beneath a shroud.

The present rests precariously--yet perpetually--on the horns of fugacious dilemma. Where can today's video screen connect with tomorrow's antenna?

Show me the pavilion wherein lies futurity's looking glass. Who'll march victorious from the field, and who'll remain cold upon the grass?

Murky night obscures the way, so we seldom see beyond today. Tomorrow neither reveals itself nor deigns its secrets to betray. 

I may be a mess, but I do shower--that's where the first lines of that mess above came to me. Wouldn't decisions be easier if we could see how they're going to work out? That reminds me, Iago, Atu, and Alex have a discussion about that very idea and the problem of unintended consequences in Truth in Flames, Book 5 of the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series. Here's part of it:

--“Every stick has two ends. Every decision has a consequence. When we choose one, we also choose the other. Often, both choice and consequence are easily seen. It is the host of consequences unforeseen and hiding in the darkness beyond our comprehension that we fear most. Every stick we take up may be connected to a network of others. If one could see every stick, every consequence, would the decision be any less difficult? Understanding all the consequences might force us to select between exquisitely painful choices. Mere mortals are not made to cope with such manifold manifestations of the mysterious future. Indeed, the future is formed by a network of our own decisions and the choices made by so many others that we do cripple ourselves in compacting the whole weight of all the ponderous freight that follows upon that single point.”--

 I'll leave you to cogitate on that while you will.

 

 

Interview with Kimberly Wilkerson

Author of

Kingdom of Grace

Please tell me a little about your current work in progress.

I sporadically post to my blog between juggling a busy lifestyle. The second book/follow up to Kingdom of Grace is coming out by the end of 2022, where you will learn how the 2^nd Kingdom is doing and follow up on Grace’s new prospects.

Where did you get the idea for this book or series?

It happened while I was rediscovering my spiritual nature

Do you write in more than one genre?

Yes, however I have only published one book under Children’s/YA

Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention.

I’m not afraid to present things to children or young adults that they see anyway, so we can have open and age appropriate conversations about them.

Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing?

I write on what I have experienced, seen, and/or avoided based on those things. My soul is in all my writing.

What else would be helpful for readers to know about you?

Regardless of how little I have made writing, I donate a percentage of royalties back into the community programs.

Excluding your own work, what underrated author or book would you recommend that more people read? Why?

I have to give that some thought. I don’t buy or read books based on them being best sellers or on celebrity lists, so I don’t know whether or not my favorites are considered “underrated”. I just like what I like.

Which of your books do you most highly recommend? Why?

I recommend Kingdom of Grace so that you can get excited for the next book that will be out shortly.

Which break, event, decision, or fortuitous circumstance has helped you or your writing career the most?

The decision to stop all pain medications and attempt to come off of disability after multiple surgeries that limited me for many years was the best thing that could have happened to push me into my writing. It was my first step back into society and working towards goals that I continue to create and achieve.

What question do you wish you would get asked more often?

What comes next? I think I have asked it quite a bit BUT I don’t know that I would always like the answer (especially if there isn’t one) so I’m happy with how things have gone so far.

Do you have a catch-phrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it?

I do have a catch-phrase however, I am trying not to use it because it contains a curse word and that does not help my “children’s author” image (not to mention my own reflection that I want to see) but I am human and therefore flawed. LOL

____________________________

Thanks to Kimberly for participating.

I spent Saturday getting the paperback for Truth in Flames uploaded. Click on the picture to check it out.

Truth in Flames is the 5th book in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series. The novels provide a resounding response writ large in blood and fire to the question of how magic and dragons might have influenced the America War for Independence. This flintlock fantasy series blends the exciting history of the revolution with the exhilarating action and adventure of fantasy, which includes dragons, mythical beasts, and the power of mysterious magic. The memorable characters and their individual and collective struggles in the fight for liberty form the core of the narrative around a theme of persistent hope in the face of ruthless power. 

Tomahawks and Dragon Fire is the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of action-adventure fiction: "You've got your chocolate in my peanut butter. No. You've got your peanut butter in my chocolate." There's a reason the delicious treat is tied for the number one favorite candy in both the U.S. and Canada. Two great tastes that go together. It's the same with the series.

There are many reasons you'll love Tomahawks and Dragon Fire--and it doesn't cause cavities.

 Truth in Flames is up for pre-order. It will be available for download in a week. I recommend ordering your copy now.

Here's a little excerpt from the book -- used with the author's permission, of course. The formatting got messed up when I pasted it in here. It's a conversation between Rip and Antonio: 

Rip said, “We’re after gunpowder. Unless the British are going to welcome us in and hand it over, I don’t expect you’ll have time to make inquiries for a señorita, who may not even be on the island.”

“I expect she’s been pining away for me these few years. Probably wasted away to a mere shadow of herself with grieving and waiting for my return.”

“So you think she has forgotten the pearl necklace you stole from her?”

“Captain, you wound me. She gave it to me. Or she would have if she had been there when I went to her room to find her.”

“Her only item of any monetary value.”

“I couldn’t have her leaving it. I knew she would want to bring it. I took it so she wouldn’t have to go back for it.”

“And so she lost it.”

“And it got us out of that sticky situation with the lieutenant who wanted to have a look at our cargo and papers. His sweetheart may wear those pearls now.”

“He probably sold them. He didn’t seem the type to have a sweetheart.”

“We sailed away as free and easy as legal merchants. You have Catalina to thank for that.”

“We best not find her then. She may want payment for the pearls.”

Antonio scowled. “A pretty young thing like Catalina is never without resources. Some fancy captain or governor’s lackey will be supporting her in style.”

“While she wastes away awaiting your return?”

“Inside, Captain. She’ll be wasting away on the inside..."

__________________

Did you notice how the conversation above is quick, interesting, and builds some anticipation and tension for Antonio's encounter with Catalina? I mention those things because I've been watching The English via vidangel. I had heard good things about the show, but I'm 4 episodes in and trying to find a reason to keep watching. The dialog--and there's a lot of it--is long, slow, dull, and mostly pointless. Cue Roberta Flack, because it's killing me slowly with dialog--and slow shots of nothing happening. The 4th episode had me weighing the benefits of throwing myself into a woodchipper during the flashbacks and music playing over some dialog, which probably revealed a fact that will become important later--except it didn't reveal it to the audience. 

The conversation is too slow, and there's too much silence between words and exchanges. However, the use of the pop, pop, pop, pop, pop of the gatling gun in the distance was highly effective. It hammered the horror of the slaughter into the mind of the audience far more powerfully than any graphic display could have.

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Finally, Sons of Liberty. I'm glad I found the 3 one and a half hour episodes. I did like it. I give it three and a half flintlocks out of 5. What I'm about to say will make me sound completely enamored of my own work and unable to say anything good about potentially competing works. So let me reiterate, I did like it--just not as much as I had hoped. I think the main problem was that it tried to cover too much ground in too little time. The final episode covered Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, and the Declaration of Independence. It took five books in my series to get from Bunker Hill to the Declaration of Independence. Of course, I covered a whole lot of other ground as well. Now here's the part that makes me seem terrible. During the Bunker Hill and the Declaration of Independence portions of the episode, I couldn't keep from thinking that I did them so much better in my books. I imagine time, budgetary constraints, and the difficulties involved in getting the story to film account for many of the shortcomings. Still, I did do it better. Check out Threading the Rude Eye for my account of Bunker Hill.