Living in a country with seasons encourages contemplation of the ever-changing reality. As the New Year arrives, this line of thinking magnifies – bringing to light the accomplishments, failures and plans that occurred over the past 365 days. Every one of these involved decisions. Choices with consequences that may or may not have ended the way we intended.

When 2017 began I had no idea I would realign my career, thankfully finding something more suited to my values and built around good people. I never would have imagined choosing to write a fanfiction for game that struck me with its complexity and beauty would lead to a friend. Someone whose history is very different from my own, yet for whom I feel a shared affinity. Together, we've created a magnum opus of a story in the Horizon Zero Dawn universe with emotional depth that has forced me to grow as an author.

While those are the highlights, there have been plenty of small moments throughout as well. Getting to know new people, connecting with strangers in passing that convince you, 'yes, I'm not alone'. Setting the foundations for future resiliency in quality of life and praising each day I awake to see what comes next.
It's easy to get profound this time of year, and I'm a person inclined toward that disposition anyway. My optimistic nature prefers to see possibility rather than limitations, focusing on what went right instead of what went wrong. That state of mind does not come as easily to some and can make preparing for the new year a minefield of insecurity.

I would like to offer hope to anyone who feels this way. Mine is a small voice, but I hope that it speaks to those who read the words I give. Offering something in a world that can seem daunting. So I will extend my sincere desire that 2018 brings you fulfillment and growth without much strife. May you and those you love be safe and happy, recognising the blessings that abound even in periods of discord. Words are not always adequate conveyors of feeling, but I hope the following adds something to your life.

What says comfort to you?

The press of warm blankets
A treasured song
Loved one's kiss.

Peering out a window
Seeing stillness -
or routine activity.

Feeling air shift along skin
Soothing or refreshing
Light at the beginning or end of a day
Illuminating familiar shapes
Crossing time to unite.

Whispering to a trusted confidante
Sharing fears and hopes
The uncertainty of life made bearable
By like experience.




Have a safe and fulfilling New Year,
~Katarina Claire

Miraculously (and, yes, I used that word intentionally given the last episode), this show somehow manages to balance depressing subject matter and silliness.  This episode takes us away from heavy psychological issues to more light-hearted body-swapping hilarity.  Yes, it seems that two of my favourite Animes have an episode for body-switching (Cardcaptor Sakura being the other one).  We begin the insanity with a motive: Nanami has asked her henchwomen to substitute the curry being used in Anthy and Utena's Home Economics class with a special one that will burn their mouths off.  Instead, it explodes and causes the two women (Anthy and Utena) to switch bodies.

While the two are recovering, Miki blames himself because he'd asked Anthy to make him a very spicy curry.  Confusion and laughs ensue when the characters are faced with an assertive, athletic Anthy and a submissive Utena.  Nanami's henchwomen even make some money selling photos of the two in reverse roles. 

Touga commands his sister to fix the problem so she and her posse go to India for more of the spice.  Utena learns that Anthy and Saoinji have apparently been meeting once every two weeks in a fitness shed to 'explore their love for each other' which, she is relieved to discover, only involves exchanging entries in a diary.   'Utena' and 'Anthy' discuss how Utena shouldn't be privy to what's in the diary.  Anthy reiterates that, if Utena doesn't want her to do something, she can tell her to stop.  Utena is frustrated, finally determining that she will write an entry in the diary.

At first she is touched by Saoini's apparently sincere feelings toward Anthy, but this turns to spite when she reads the hurtful things he's written about Utena.   After numerous disastrous run-ins with elephants, Nanami returns with the spice . However, it is then destroyed by another rouge elephant. 

Anthy makes everyone curry to cheer them up and Nanami's crew discover the unused spice in the Home Ec. room.  Therefore, it was Anthy's cooking that caused the body-switching, not the special spice.  Saoinji shows up unhappy about the latest diary entry, insisting Anthy's feelings have not changed - it's only because of Utena's malevolent influence.  Anthy feeds him and Cho-Cho some curry and we get a fantastic ending scene with Cho-Cho practicing kendo and Saonji in a tree eating a banana.

Although largely a silly filler episode, we do get to see Anthy and Utena reflecting on how the bodies they inhabit affect their characters.  Anthy says that she likes to see herself being more athletic whereas Utena is uncomfortable with her body being seen in a different light (AKA, more feminine).

Images courtesy of  http://ohtori.nu/

Authors love words – how can they help it? Words give life to scenes, emotion, and people. Create drama and worlds through their combination, tapping into the enormous potential of human experience and imagination. There are as many writing styles as there are people and each of us approaches the process with our own strategy. For me, writing mixes the logic of my desire for organisation and my desire for letting a narrative flow naturally. This means that I have outlines and vague ideas of where the story goes, but that anything I establish is flexible. I consider outlines to be more of a 'to-do' or 'nice-to-have' list, than rigid guidelines.

In my life, lists are a crucial part of how I maintain order. I have yet to transition to fully digital planners so a physical notebook is still my go-to for shopping lists and agendas. This is the same with my writing. Sometimes a scene will begin the creative process. A character will encounter something and I write it out. That scene might get linked to other existing scenes, or inspire further creations which stem from it. Generally, I write a few chapters before truly beginning to outline what's occurred and what I foresee. Planning for me usually involves certain key events that take place, not so much a trajectory of character growth, although that works its way in as well.

Often times, I find that the way a character develops ties into the overarching idea of the story I'm crafting. I don't initially imagine an end-goal for the character as a state of mind: more as a culmination of all the events coming to a head. That culmination is what my characters ultimately have to find meaning in. The more I consider this, the more it seems like my personal style is one that favours a 'based on life' approach. People in real life must roll with whatever happens to them, a lot of which they have no control over. The decisions made during such circumstances shape our natures as we witness the consequences .

Writing is a strange beast. It combines the desire for control with empathy for people. I love all of my characters, yet I am not always nice to them. It's a strange state – an awareness that strife fosters growth and a wider understanding of the world, while encouraging sympathy in united experience. We've all faced hardship – will continue to face it – and stories enable us to explore the hardships of others. Sharing stories is about this learning, free of the danger/pain that comes from directly experiencing the challenge. Even fiction set in fantastical realms is tied to human experience and can, therefore, offer profound insight into our daily lives. How to tell hat story is up to the author, and clearly organising the thoughts that go into is crucial to effective storytelling.

Lists and their purpose are, perhaps not surprisingly, on my mind due to the approach of the holidays. How do you utilise them in your own life? If you write, how do you plan out a story and its characters? Do you, or is yours a process of pure spontaneity? Whatever your method or preferences, I want to wish you all a warm and happy December!