The Comfort of a Good Story

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“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.” ~ Brandon Sanderson

“Stories are the communal currency of humanity.” ~ Tahir Shah

No matter what’s going on in my life, or out in the world, I can always find comfort in a good story. I think most humans do that. We seek out stories to distract us, or help us make sense of ourselves and what’s going on around us. As I quote Roger C. Shank in my intro to my Story-Power podcast, “Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are ideally set up to understand stories.” For millennia stories have been painted on cave walls, or on other surfaces. We dance and sing them, we write them for others to read, and we perform them. Stories are all about trying to figure out our emotions and what it means to be a human being.

As I’ve written recently, I’ve been consuming heart-warming stories that give me faith in humanity. Friday night, Barry and I went to see a play at our local community theatre. 

The story of how the theatre company survived the pandemic and set up shop in our dying mall, is great on it’s own. But that’s a story for another time. We went to see this play for two reasons. It was directed by my teaching colleague, and two time podcast guest, Dave Dahl. And because it is a story about family.

But I’m burying the lede. The above photo is of the program cover for the play. It doesn’t take place at Thanksgiving as, Barry first thought. But it is about grandparents and their relationship to one grown grandchild, though one plot point does revolve around food. It’s also an immigrant story and how one generation attempts to boost the next one up to a better life than they had. I love stories where the characters have to come to grips with the ups and downs of their family and/or friend relationships. Stories like that can turn out sad but this one was poignant, a little sad, but mostly happy with the characters declaring their love for each other. Barry and I were very happy we saw the play because in the end it affirmed the goodness of humanity.

Another story we watched recently that has very similar themes, is Find Me Falling, on Netflix, with Harry Connick, Jr. and Agni Scott. It takes place on Cyprus, a beautiful island in the Mediterranean Sea. Connick’s character is a washed up rock star who has suffered a setback when his come back album flops. In an effort to find himself again, he buys a small house with a gorgeous view of the ocean not knowing that the cliff in his front yard is a prime spot for suicides. In a way, it’s poetic that Connick’s character has purchased such a place since he’s in a very sad place himself. But his attempts to keep people from jumping and the welcome he receives by the town’s people help him begin to heal. There are of course unexpected surprises in store for him along the way. But isn’t that one of the things that keeps life interesting? This is another life affirming story and I highly recommend it.

During this heat wave in the Northern Hemisphere, I hope you have a cool place where you can go enjoy some uplifting stories that help you feel good about your fellow human beings.

By the way, I’m doing another round of edits on Time’s Echo, the sequel to The Space Between Time. I’ll keep you posted about when it will be published. I may post some segments of it here for you to sample. And if you want to hear more from me in addition to my podcast Story-Power, I do have bonus content on both my Patreon and Story-Power Apple Subscription platforms. My next Apple Bonus post is going to be about Lessons in Chemistry. I hope you’ll check it out. You’ll find the details for those platforms below.

Thanks to those of you who go back and read blog posts from months or even years ago and like or comment on them. It’s interesting how long stories stick around.

Blessings,

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2024

The Space Between Time

Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards.

Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, after the last few years, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.

The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version and sequel are published.

Lucinda is also the host of Story-Power a podcast where she and her guests discuss their creative endeavors, and/or the stories that have changed their lives. It’s available here on Sage Woman Chronicles and on Apple, Google, and Spotify podcast apps. Please rate and leave a review. It helps people find me.

Rita Gau’s review: Recently, I finished reading a book titled, The Space Between Time, by my friend, Lucinda Sage-Midgorden. It was the best book I’ve read in a long time. It kept me captivated, which I have not experienced from any other book for the past couple of years. I loved all the little gems of meaningful and what I call spiritual statements throughout the book. You know, those words that make you pause and think, and sometimes have an “aha” from or a deeper awareness about something. And it was entertaining and informational about some of the history in the 1800’s and yet, contemporary. It also reminded me of the importance of “living in community” and how important it is to help one another and be engaged in your community. Thank you Lucinda for a wonderful, entertaining and captivating book!

Story-Power on Patreon and Apple Subscriptions

I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast, Patreon Community, and Apple subscription so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. They have recently instituted a free tier so you can try it out before you buy. The Apple subscription is $3 a month, again with content not found on the Story-Power podcast. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Or, you can add the subscription on Apple podcast where Story-Power is published. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.

PodMatch for Podcasters

If you are a podcaster, or have a message or fantastic product you want to share with the world, I encourage you to check out PodMatch. I call them a dating service for podcasters. Use the affiliate link and tell them, Lucinda sent you. Then contact me so we can set up a Story-Power chat.

Publish Like the Pros

This post contains affliate links.

Self-publishing means the AUTHOR is the publisher, but you’d never know that from browsing the internet. Most authors believe a publisher is necessary, that they must sign away their rights, creative control, and revenues to offer their books to the public. This is not the case!

1106 Design’s mission is to help authors publish books without sharing a penny of their net revenue from sales with a publisher. We provide self-publishing peace with quality services, reliable publishing advice, and the convenience of project management at every stage. Since 2001, we have helped more than 4,000 authors Publish Like the Pros.

From manuscript to market, 1106 Design serves authors who want traditional publisher quality for their self-published books without sacrificing their vision, rights, and royalties in return.

Expert editing, book cover and interior design, indexing, eBook formatting, author websites, and more — with convenient project management — ensure a stress-free process and professional results.

Download our free handbook, Publish Like the Pros: A Brief Guide to Quality Self-Publishing, at http://1106design.com.

1106 Design, Facebook, X, YouTube, LinedIn


PodMatch for Podcasters

This episode is brought to you by PodMatch, the dating service for podcasters. They introduced me to Michele Defilippo, and I’m so glad they did. I hope you’ve enjoyed our conversation and remember that if you have a podcast or something to share with the world, check out PodMatch at my affiliate link at PodMatch and tell them Lucinda sent you.

Story-Power on Patreon and Apple Subscriptions


I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast, Patreon Community, and Apple subscription so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. The Apple subscription is $3 a month, again with content not found on the Story-Power podcast. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Or, you can add the subscription on Apple podcast where Story-Power is published. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.

What a Difference a Week Makes

Bending Time

This post contains affiliate links.

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” ~ John F. Kennedy

“All the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” ~ William Shakespeare

The last few posts I wrote were mostly to remind myself that, while things seemed chaotic and uncertain, that usually means change is on the horizon. Well, last Sunday after my post aired, a huge change happened in the U.S. Even though I backed President Biden, the energy around his campaign felt heavy. Yes, he’s old, but I have to say that old people often know stuff that younger people haven’t figured out yet. But when he decided to step aside and let Kamala Harris, his Vice President, step into his place, I was excited. 

Don’t get me wrong, I think President Biden would still be able to do a good job, but there is a lot at stake in this election. And as Vice President Harris reminded us, we the people have to decide what kind of country we want to live in. She’s got the energy to see that our Democracy is protected. I think President Biden knows she’s got what is needed at this time and that’s why he is allowing her to take over.

In the last few days the tenor of the country has changed completely. People who were afraid we were going to lose many freedoms and go back to the 19th century, are heeding the call to stop the threats that the people who subscribe to the Project 2025 agenda are trying to put into place. Vice President Harris has raised, at last count according to The Washington Post, $250 million in just a few days. Lots and lots of people are registering to vote, volunteering to help her campaign, she’s getting important endorsements, and she keeps reiterating how important it is to keep the gains made by President Biden and his administration. All he has accomplished is making our country stronger than ever. She’s also choosing love over hate and that more than anything else is helping her gain so much support. Someone I follow on YouTube said many months ago that Americans are tired of war. We want peace not just for ourselves, but for the world as well. Vice President Harris promises to work toward that.

Even though I’m feeling better about the upcoming election, I have to remember not to continually scroll to find out the latest news about the campaign. Doing that can be addictive and I want to concentrate on my own creativity more than hope scrolling. It’s good to have hope about the future of our country, but I don’t need to spend hours watching clips about it.

On the other hand, since I want to help create a more equitable society, I’m looking for ways I can help create a better world. The way I do that is by using my creativity to help those who consume my work see humanity in new ways.

I may have written about this, but a few weeks ago, I got the idea to create a new YouTube channel, tentatively titled, “Classic Cinema with the Sage Sisters”. My sister, Celeste and I could talk for hours about the books, movies, and TV shows we read and watch. And while there are other YouTube channels that analyze books and movies, there are not many that concentrate solely on the classics. She and I love classic movies and believe they still have things to teach us if we go back and reexamine them. 

This morning I was thinking about how we might introduce the channel, and it occurred to me that Shakespeare was right, all the world is a stage and all of us are merely players. And the stories we humans create and lovingly consume, are our way of trying to figure out who we are, why we’re here, what kind of world we live in and how to cope with that situation? Stories can also be about how to create a better world than the current one we live in. Which brings me back to the election.

We’re all writing the story of the world whether we know it or not. It all depends on where we focus our attention. When something happens to you, do you immediately go to the negative side? Or do you take a breath and say, “Well there must be something to learn from that,” and try to find the positives?  We can change the story of the world at any time just by imagining something better. 

Now seems to be the perfect time to say, “The parameters we’ve adopted for human existence aren’t working any longer. Let’s create something more loving and inclusive. We can get rid of greed, the lust for power, fame and hoarding fortunes. We can make sure everyone has opportunities to build the kind of life that suits them best as in Star Trek. We can live in a world structured something like The Federation.” However, to create that kind of world, we might want to rethink our tactics. Angry demonstrations aren’t really the answer, but being curious and trying to understand our friends, family, and neighbors by encouraging dialogue and hopefully loving relationships with them is a great place to begin.

As Barry and I were listening to one Vice President Harris’s first speeches, she used the word “fight” more than once. Barry said, “I wish she’d use a different word than fight.” I got what he was saying and he’s right. But it’s going to take time to get used to a new way of thinking and speaking. We’re just at the beginning of turning away from hatred. It’s a learning process that we can all participate in.

I for one am looking forward to the new world of inclusion, hope, and love.

Thank you so much for supporting me by reading, sharing, liking and commenting on my thoughts. I appreciate it very much.

Blessings,

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2024

Story-Power on Patreon and Apple Subscriptions 

I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast, Patreon Community, and Apple subscription so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. The Apple subscription is $3 a month, again with content not found on the Story-Power podcast. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Or, you can add the subscription on Apple podcast where Story-Power is published. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.

PodMatch for Podcasters

If you are a podcaster, or have a message or fantastic product you want to share with the world, I encourage you to check out PodMatch. I call them a dating service for podcasters. Use the affiliate link and tell them, Lucinda sent you. Then contact me so we can set up a Story-Power chat.

The Space Between Time

Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards.

Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, after the last few years, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.

The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version and sequel are published.

Lucinda is also the host of Story-Power a podcast where she and her guests discuss their creative endeavors, and/or the stories that have changed their lives. It’s available here on Sage Woman Chronicles and on Apple, Google, and Spotify podcast apps. Please rate and leave a review. It helps people find me.

Rita Gau’s review: Recently, I finished reading a book titled, The Space Between Time, by my friend, Lucinda Sage-Midgorden. It was the best book I’ve read in a long time. It kept me captivated, which I have not experienced from any other book for the past couple of years. I loved all the little gems of meaningful and what I call spiritual statements throughout the book. You know, those words that make you pause and think, and sometimes have an “aha” from or a deeper awareness about something. And it was entertaining and informational about some of the history in the 1800’s and yet, contemporary. It also reminded me of the importance of “living in community” and how important it is to help one another and be engaged in your community. Thank you Lucinda for a wonderful, entertaining and captivating book!

Gain Disguised as Loss

Thunderstorm over Corfu

This post contains affiliate links.

The above title comes from Julia Cameron. It’s something she wrote in her book The Artist’s Way. And the huge tech glitch that happened yesterday, as I write this, might be considered one of those kinds of situations. It’s just one of lots of things happening right now that could be thought of as loss, but might in fact be a time of gain. What if all the chaos going on in the world right now is forcing us to take a look at the way we’ve been living and the things we value. 

I know some people shy away from self-reflection, but we really can’t avoid it. Everyone experiences times when their lives crash and feel like they are falling apart. Those are blessed times if we choose to take advantage of them. I know they don’t feel blessed while they’re happening, but when they are over and you look back you can see how much better your life has become.

But the question still remains, how do we make it through hard times? It’s always good to look for something that makes you feel better, even if it’s only for a short while. If you make the decision to seek things that make you feel better every day, eventually the amount of time you feel good will exceed the time you feel bad.

I probably don’t need to write this, but doing things that are harmful and addictive are not what I’m encouraging you to do. Things like walking outside and enjoying nature is sometimes prescribed by therapists to help alleviate depression. But a night out with friends, engaging in a hobby, reading a good book or watching something uplifting on TV, or taking a little trip are all possibilities. Sometimes I take a nap or write in my journal to make myself feel better.

Another thing I do is to disengage from anything that I call “noise”, like YouTube, or social media. Not long ago I read an article about the benefits of day dreaming. Maybe sitting out on your deck, or on a park bench and just watching the wildlife, clouds, or people walk by could be just what you need.

I keep harping on this because I’m sure some of you might be like me, a highly sensitive person, who wakes up every day wondering what new thing is going to invade our calm. I hope some of the possible tools I’ve mentioned above will help you navigate these stressful times.

Have a wonderful week ahead. Thanks for reading and take good care of yourselves.

Blessings,

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2024

The Space Between Time

Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards.

Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, after the last few years, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.

The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version and sequel are published.

Lucinda is also the host of Story-Power a podcast where she and her guests discuss their creative endeavors, and/or the stories that have changed their lives. It’s available here on Sage Woman Chronicles and on Apple, Google, and Spotify podcast apps. Please rate and leave a review. It helps people find me.

Rita Gau’s review: Recently, I finished reading a book titled, The Space Between Time, by my friend, Lucinda Sage-Midgorden. It was the best book I’ve read in a long time. It kept me captivated, which I have not experienced from any other book for the past couple of years. I loved all the little gems of meaningful and what I call spiritual statements throughout the book. You know, those words that make you pause and think, and sometimes have an “aha” from or a deeper awareness about something. And it was entertaining and informational about some of the history in the 1800’s and yet, contemporary. It also reminded me of the importance of “living in community” and how important it is to help one another and be engaged in your community. Thank you Lucinda for a wonderful, entertaining and captivating book!

Story-Power on Patreon and Apple Subscriptions

I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast, Patreon Community, and Apple subscription so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. The Apple subscription is $3 a month, again with content not found on the Story-Power podcast. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Or, you can add the subscription on Apple podcast where Story-Power is published. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.

PodMatch

If you are a podcaster, or have a message or fantastic product you want to share with the world, I encourage you to check out PodMatch. I call them a dating service for podcasters. Use the affiliate link and tell them, Lucinda sent you. Then contact me so we can set up a Story-Power chat.

Writing Historical Fiction That Is NOT Set in WW II

This post contains affiliate links.

“Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are ideally set up to understand stories. ~ Roger C. Shank, Cognitive Scientist

Bio: Cheryl King is a dyslexia therapist and author of teen historical fiction Sitting on Top of the World, a 2022 Eric Hoffer YA winner, First Horizon winner, and Grand Prize finalist. The sequel is Under the Paw Paw Trees. She also is enjoying various flash fiction contests. Readers can learn more at https://CherylKingWritesThings.com. Be sure to sign up for Cheryl’s monthly newsletter.

Website, Twitter, Facebook, Other links

Cheryl’s books: Sitting on Top of the World, Under the Paw Paw Trees

October in the Earth, Olivia Hawker

Chasing Eleanor, Kerry Chaput

1000 Word Flash Fiction Contests

Bud Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis

Authors in Grocery Stores

The Paris Library, Janet Skeslien Charles

The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides

The Project, Courtney Summers

Priestess of Ishana, Sorcery in Alpara, Of Kings and Griffins, Flights of Treason, Judith Starkston

The Lost Apothecary, Sarah Penner

The Dictionary of Lost Words, Pip Williams

Eric Hoffer Book Award, First Horizon Award

HFC (Historical Fiction Company) Book Awards

Reese’s Book Club

Cheryl’s TikTok campaign, Dear Reese

PodMatch
This episode is brought to you by PodMatch, the dating service for podcasters. They introduced me to Cheryl King, and I’m so glad they did. I hope you’ve enjoyed our conversation and remember that if you have a podcast or something to share with the world, check out PodMatch at my affiliate link at PodMatch and tell them Lucinda sent you.

Story-Power on Patreon and Apple Subscriptions
I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast, Patreon Community, and Apple subscription so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. The Apple subscription is $3 a month, again with content not found on the Story-Power podcast. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Or, you can add the subscription on Apple podcast where Story-Power is published. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.