A reader sent me a note today asking about WTUD. It is still alive and well, but, for the foreseeable future it is on the back burner, waiting for inspiration to strike and show me how to tiptoe out of the corner I have painted myself into. I expect those of you who have muses who have hung a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on their door know the feeling.

Tonight is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic. It is one of those stories that has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. It has all the elements of a great story. Tragedy and nobility side by side. Pathos and heroics galore. Bittersweet endings and survival. As a writer of fiction, the story of the Titanic reminds me truth is stranger than fiction. I mean, when Morgan Robertson wrote a novella entitled "Futility," the 1898 centered on a ship named ‘Titan,’ he had no idea it was more than a simple flight of fancy. (See the link below).

Another interesting piece, one that concerns Sandra Fluke's views on gender reassignment surgery.

Those who live on the Right Side of the Pond may find this rather quaint.

http://mrctv.org/blog/sandra-fluke-gender-reassignment-and-h...

As before, please be polite and give some thought to your comments. I ask you check your hatred and snarky comments at the door.

Nancy Cole

I'll not add my own views on this. No doubt it would raise the cackles of more than a few folks here, but it is not what most folks who know me would suspect.

Instead, I'll simply leave the web site address to the news story and let you decide.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/292686/too-young-deci...

Let's try to have a well reasoned, non-emotional discussion on this subject for a change.

Precious few readers here on TS/BC stuck it out until the end. To those who did and took the time to comment, I thank you. I knew going in this was not the kind of story most readers come to TS/BC to enjoy. I even stopped posting, as some of you are aware. So the low turn out was no great surprise. Perhaps some day I will find it in myself to craft a story centered around a unicorn and a fluffy bunny who are trapped in a shopping mall. But don't hold your breaths.

In writing ‘The Other Side of the Wire,’ I came across some facts that had no place in the story but I wish to share with you for I found them interesting and thought provoking. One set of facts included various actors who appeared in the 1942 movie ‘Casablanca.’ I expect after reading this you’ll never look at the movie the same way again.

Nancy Cole
www.nancycole.org

One often finds themselves wondering what it was that inspired them to write a particular piece. In writing 'The Other Side of the Wire,' I have no such problem.

There's an interesting piece in the UK Telegram today entitled 'Authors should have a sense of an ending.'

Those who enjoy writing should take a moment and have a peek at it.

Nancy Cole

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9086442/Authors-sho...

Okay, for those who have never had this happen, I ask that you don’t ask how it comes about. I mean, if I knew, I’d bottle the stuff and sell it.

Sometimes a writer has a scathingly brilliant idea that initially sounds great but turns out to have no legs. I’ve had a few of them. (‘Driftwood’ and ‘Annoying Facts.’)

Several people have asked if OSW is going to be available. After running it through the mill a few times, adding historical notes, a glossary, acknowledgements and recovering from 'Chapter 20 Fatigue,' I have finished it.

I am not posting it to TS/BC. As I previously pointed out, a story such as this is not the kind that fits in well here as evidenced by some of the responses I was 'blessed' with, (thank you very much). I have made it available on Lulu.com for those who really wish to read this kind of story. I believe it is my best work, but then, I am a bit biased.

N. Cole

I made a mistake. Not in writing the story, which by the way was finished well over a month ago. Instead, my mistake was in posting it here.

I am posting this link for your information only, not to open a venue for folks with an axe to grind against this political movement or belief. Please save your vitriol and derisive comments for the driver who just cut you off. If you feel you must climb up on a high horse and lecture, please do so in your own blog.

I think we all pretty much agree this is not the way we wish things to go, so do not feel everyone needs to beat their chests, trumpet their outrage, etc, etc, etc. It speaks for itself

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/9/sex-change-is...

Nancy Cole

Lulu.com is offering a sale of 25% off on books they publish from now until 14 December 2011.

It is good not only for my books, but any author who has published on Lulu.com such as Persephone’s book, ‘The Frozen Balance.’

All you need to do is go to Lulu.com, select you book and in the coupon section of the order form put;

Coupon Code: BUYMYBOOK305

This offer expires December 14, 2011

Some of the people reading ‘The Other Side of the Wire,’ are becoming concerned and more than a little disturbed by where I am taking the protagonist. In writing this story I am going to extremes to make sure the characterizations and the way the characters respond to each other as well as events is as near pitch perfect as possible and are based on the reality of their time and circumstances as I can make them.

Don’t ya just hate it when you are trying so hard to be good and finish a story only to have your muse dump a brilliant new idea right in your lap that behaves like a puppy, all bouncy and excited, leaping up and licking your face in an effort to get you to pay attention to it?

Today is Veterans Day. It is the day we in the United States remember those who stood a watch on the wall or ventured into harm’s way and survived. Memorial Day is when people like me remember the brothers I left behind.

In the UK it is Remembrance day, the British equivalent of America’s Memorial Day.

Writing tip for the day;

You know the time to stop writing for the day has come when you can no longer see the computer screen through your own tears and there's a danger those tears just might short out your keyboard.

Nancy Cole

P.S. Any body have a spare tissue you can lend me?

Yesterday I posted this material as two separate comments to a blog entry made by Ragtime Rachel, who was considering doing a story set in Germany between the world wars. It was a modest effort on my part to share information I had already ferreted out when preparing to do my story ‘The Other Side of the Wire.’ that I thought might be use to her.

The techniques and results pioneered by these men was actually far more advanced than I had originally thought.

No doubt some here have looked at my latest offering and asked themselves, 'Why is that twit bothering us with such a dark, yuckie story. I want to read about unicorns.'

Well, the old saying goes, 'Those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it,' seems to apply here. One only needs to look at a news piece that I just happened to stumble on this morning to understand not everyone sees the events that took place in Germany in the 1930s were all bad.

It is said a mind is a terrible thing to waste. It is also said fact is stranger than fiction. I may be living proof that the former is not always true, but the part of about fiction being harder to write than real life is without doubt a fact.

I have it from reliable sources that Persephone’s first effort, ‘The Frozen Balance,’ will soon be available at Lulu.com as a paperback, download and as an e-book. This is a revised version, so those who read it when it was previously posted will find some interesting and enjoyable changes.

Nancy Cole

A piece in today's Washington TImes, (Thursday, 29 Sept 2011) addresses an effort to allow TGs to serve in the military.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/sep/28/after-demise...

An note to authors who publish on Lulu.com announces the following;

'Starting September 27th we will begin migrating all Download products to eBook Products.'

This includes 'The Legend of Alfhildr' as well as my other books available through Lulu.com. When this will be done is something I do not know. But it is coming.

For those who have purchased them, I thank you for your patronage. Doing so serves as an encouragement to keep writing.

Nancy Cole

On Monday morning I posted two very different story chapters, one the collaborative effort Persephone and I are engaged in, (GSQ) and another a repeat, (WTUD). After two days the number of hits are the same, (at least the last time I checked).

In resuming my efforts with Caitlin, I must take great care in going forward, for the period of Irish history I am now entering into is not easy to navigate. Dealing with the political issues and attitudes of the various parties involved is quite dangerous. The Irish film, ‘The Wind that Shakes the Barley’ touches upon many of the issues and problems, for the period of 1919 through 1922 was always a civil war as well as a war against British rule.

Believe it or not, despite having a goodly amount of writing to do before I reach it, today I actually wrote the first draft of epilogue for ‘The World Turned Upside Down.’ While some may think this more than a bit odd, it is not at all a bad thing. I now have a very clear idea of where the story is going and what will become of several of the main characters. Some people may not like the end, but hey, there are those out there who would complain even if you shot them with a clean bullet.

There will be a pause in my reposting of WTUD.

As most people here know, one of the most difficult aspects of reassignment surgery involves dealing with the urethra, which is why surgeons who are or were urologists make some of the best GRS surgeons. Dr. Toby Meltzer, a man who helped sort me out learned the art of GRS while assisting a urologist.

The ability to correct young Hayes' problems were well within the ability of surgeons in the 1880s, as evidenced below.

Nancy Cole

Dear Readers,

First off, on behalf of Persephone and myself, I would like to thank those who have taken the time over the past few weeks to add your thoughts and comments to our humble effort. Comments do matter to a writer and those of you have left them have helped to spur us on and keep our story entertaining and fun.

Note: Because there was no Michelin Guide for our imaginary Kingdom, Persephone and I came up with this to use as a guide during our grand tour of Schwarzburg Immenstadt. Since we never found a place where we could use it whole, I am giving it to you here.

NC