New About Town by Traci Kenworth

Vintage map of the United States of America from 1837

New Looks About Town

Traci Kenworth

Something I’m just noticing around my hometown are these beautiful posts being put up by the school. They’re only about knee-high and each decorated with a unique design. I’m sure they represent the different classrooms. There are ones with handprints, bows, animals, and colors. They are marking off the circular park I walked in so many times when I was young.

We are in our bicentennial so I’m thinking they got the idea to spruce up the celebrations. Isn’t that just sweet though? Having children from different classes create these art pieces to place out there for everyone driving around the park to see? It’s homey. It’s educational. It cheers the heart. Not to mention the delight it brings the passersby.

New sidewalks are going up via the infrastructure. A lot of people in town walk. I know I did in the years before driving. It was a favorite pastime and a way to see what was new with everyone’s place. A new Pre-K to 12^th grade school is going in down the road after a couple of years of building and preparing.

The old high school or first one is now the library. Isn’t that neat? We tend to re-use things here. Speaking of such, I recently heard a rumor going on online for the friends of Berkshire High School about there being a tunnel from WWII that connects the building I went to school (now closed) with to the library. There are differing opinions, of course but it’s interesting, nevertheless.

On the same page, others mentioned that there was a home over by the old elementary school that had been part of the Underground Railroad. I almost bought a house in Bristolville, OH that had been the same. They even still had servant quarters in their upstairs. The owner’s children decided not to sell, and it was a good thing for me because that aged house would’ve been way to expensive for me to repair not to mention all the buildings on the grounds.

You think you know a place. It’s ins and outs. Years later, you discover stories you didn’t have the faintest hint of. Just goes to show. Pay attention. You could learn a lot about your hometown or another nearby city or maybe even a place you just moved to.

There have been changes over the years. Restaurants shut down. Burned down. Catching success. Buildings going up or yanked down. New banks opened. Stores dying out. Part of the success of bigger places loses out for the older stuff. It’s both sad and a part of life.

Sometimes, you don’t realize how much a place has changed until you look around. And sometimes those changes barely register. It’s nice to take a pause in the day to take that good look. To learn of the new and what’s been set aside.

Part of our future is always in the looking back at the past. That’s just life. Who we are. Our ancestors carved this land. They set the village dimensions. They will always be a part of this town, this history. Just like us. One day, we’ll be part of what was as well as part of what will be.

Tell me, have you taken a look about your town today?

Some products you might consider. I do receive a small compensation fee from the seller for the advertisement.

Some websites you might like to visit!

Writers Helping Writers: https://writershelpingwriters.net/2022/08/fear-thesaurus-entry-a-loved-one-dying/ Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they’re a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health condition, or stem from a past wounding event, these fears influence a character’s behaviors, habits, beliefs, and personality traits. The compulsion to avoid what they fear will drive characters away from certain people, events, and situations and hold them back in life. Angela and Becca have been such refreshing teachers when it comes to our writing and digging down deep to find out more about your character/s.
Syl’s 65 Blog: https://syl65.wordpress.com/2022/08/06/lions-heart/ Poetry, music, creative writing and a desire to inspire….Isaiah 45:2-7 I will go before you and will level the mountains[a]; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. 3 I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord Always, always such great poetry!
This is Horror News Round-Up: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/news-round-up-week-ending-5-august-2022/ Rowan Vane, a wannabe writer with the confidence of a leaf in a hurricane, is on a soul-searching vacation with his damaged family in Hell’s Gulf – a ramshackle, no-horse stain on Florida’s reputation. You might be forgiven for asking why he’d go there, but forgiveness isn’t much of a commodity amongst the denizens of this godforsaken place – they’ve a bit of an axe to grind. With a history as dark and pungent as its waters, this bit-too-quiet beach town in the navel of nowhere is patrolled by a delightfully xenophobic sheriff who sees ‘foreign agents’ arriving on every rotten jetty. This picturesque town boasts abandoned ghostly ruins, unusually amorous sea life, mutant creatures and dastardly deeds that form the stories of the town’s affable alcoholics. Oh, and something’s been killing the people here for decades. Yes, folks, Hell’s Gulf really has it all. All you need is a little imagination. Fortunately, Rowan’s brought his along with all the bells and whistles. And some fishing tackle. Available for pre-order now in paperback and eBook, you can guarantee your copy here.
Chris the Story Reading Ape’s blog: https://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/2022/08/06/moving-between-scenes-with-summary-and-spacers-by-sharon-oard-warner/ It’s difficult to overemphasize the importance of scenes in writing and reading narrative—whether it’s fiction or nonfiction. And if you are writing a stage play or a screenplay? Well, then, scenes are everything. In his book Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting, Syd Field says that “good scenes make good movies.” Good scenes also make good novellas, novels, and memoirs, but scenes alone won’t give you a graceful and sturdy narrative arc. For that, you need a little mortar, some grout or glue, and—yes—you need spacers.
Smorgasboard Magazine: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2022/08/06/smorgasbord-posts-from-my-archives-memoir-waterford-ireland-history-the-colour-of-life-james-the-landlord-1939-by-geoff-cronin-2/

My father-in-law, Geoff Cronin was a raconteur with a encyclopedic memory spanning his 93 years. He sadly died in 2017 but not before he had been persuaded to commit these memories of his childhood and young adulthood in Waterford in the 1920s to the 1940s.

The books are now out of print, but I know he would love to know that his stories are still being enjoyed, and so I am repeating the original series of his books. I hope those who have already read these stories will enjoy again and that new readers will discover the wonderful colour of life in Ireland nearly 100 years ago. A fascinating look at life in Ireland history. Sally also has wonderful posts on everything from food, books, to music and more!

Teri Polen: https://teripolen.com/2022/08/05/the-daughter-of-doctor-moreau-by-silvia-moreno-garcia-bookreview-scifi-history/

Carlota Moreau: a young woman, growing up in a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of either a genius, or a madman.

Montgomery Laughton: a melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his scientific experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers.

The hybrids: the fruits of the Doctor’s labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities.

All of them living in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Doctor Moreau’s patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction.

For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.

THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU is both a dazzling historical novel and a daring science fiction journey.

Writers in the Storm: https://writersinthestormblog.com/2022/08/the-yin-and-yang-relationship-between-psychology-and-storytelling/

There main reason writers need to know psychology is to enrich their storytelling. Here are four more reasons:

1. Engagement. Knowing how readers think and feel allows you to leverage that knowledge to engage them more fully in your story.

2. Relatability. Understanding the psychology of experiencing helps writers create story experiences that have a real-to-life feel.

3. Truth. When writers design characters with plausible traits, flaws, talents, motivations, etc., the reader will believe in them.

4. Understanding. Writers need to know themselves — why they write, what they really want to write about, and how to get out of their own way.

2 responses to “New About Town by Traci Kenworth”

Smorgasbord – Variety is the Spice of Life.

August 16, 2022 at 10:16 am

Thanks very much Traci.. those are lovely images and a wonderful idea to get the children involved in the celebrations… ♥

1. tracikenworth
  
  August 20, 2022 at 10:06 pm
  
  Yes, the posts look so lovely and invite people to enjoy the art. You’re welcome, Sally! Hugs!

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