Oggi a Milano si gioca Inter-Fiorentina: dopo i festeggiamenti della squadra viola (che è andata a cena insieme come riporta Il Corriere Fiorentino), si deve assolutamente pensare al campionato e riscattare la sconfitta pesante di sette giorni fa con il Parma.

L’Inter in Italia ha una mentalità vincente, lo ha dimostrato in questi anni e quindi per la Fiorentina sarà dura: non capisco come mai Mourinho faccia così fatica in Europa, visti i risultati in serie A”.

Il gioco dell’Inter però non si basa su questi due giocatori perché…non esiste un vero e proprio gioco e questa è la vera delusione di questa squadra a mio parere: vivono di individualità, se uno ha una giornata storta è un vero problema”.

Come reattività in questo momento non ha rivali, nel primo tempo non ha avuto problemi ma si è fatto trovare pronto nella parte finale di gara, quando il Lione ha cominciato ad attaccare e a mettere in difficoltà la difesa viola”.

Fonte:

http://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/parma/?action=read&idtmw=181478

At the risk of shameless self-promotion, I thought I would take a minute to plug the books I have available for sale, especially because after Yule I am raising the prices somewhat to compensate for cost of labor.  I have to be fair to myself.  However, in the interest of fairness to my readers, I will wait until after Yule to raise the prices.  So, if you are interested in getting one or more of my books in the near future, why not do so before the cost goes up.  If you know someone who wants to read one of my books, why not get them a Yule present.

Of my books, Visions of Vanaheim and American Wights have sold the most copies, and I’ve had some excellent feedback from people who’ve read the book and let me know about it. Wyrdness: Mysticism in Modern Heathenry also hasn’t done too shabby either.

However, the book I’ve written that I’m proudest of and is dearest to my heart is Peace and Good Seasons, a book about Ing-Frey – His importance in antiquity and relevance in the modern day, and some experiences and observations I’ve had in the nearly six years I’ve been oathed to Him.  It was truly a labor of love, and one that I recently expanded to 100 pages.  If you are dedicated to Frey, or are at least interested in getting to know Him better and enjoying more of His blessings in your life, this book is for you.  Peace and Good Seasons is available as a paperback or download.  Enjoy, and hail Frey.

Der japanische Autoriese Toyota hat angekündigt, seinen Mitarbeitern in Japan einen satten Winter-Bonus in Höhe von 7.000 Euro zu gewähren.

Das Weihnachtsgeld wird vollumfänglich ausgezahlt, obwohl der Hersteller zur Zeit mit einem umfassenden Sparprogramm gegen weitere Verluste kämpft. Wie verschiedene Branchenportale berichten, hat sich die Konzernspitze mit der Gewerkschaft auf eine ungekürzte Zahlung der Gratifikation geeinigt. Gleichzeitig sollen den Maßnahmen zur Kostenkürzung aber 300 Autohäuser zum Opfer fallen.

“Zeichen der Erholung”

Toyota-Management und Arbeitnehmervertreter hatten sich zu Jahresbeginn darauf geeinigt, die Gesamtjahres-Boni an die wirtschaftliche Situation des Unternehmens anzupassen. Branchenkennern zufolge ist die ungekürzte Zahlung daher als Signal für eine weitere Stabilisierung des Betriebs zu deuten.

“Die Boni sind durchaus als Zeichen der Erholung zu werten. Diese machte sich schon in den jüngsten Zahlen bemerkbar und zeigt sich aktuell als weltweites Phänomen in der gesamten Branche”, meint UniCredit-Analyst Georg Stürzer.

Inwieweit sich dies auf Österreich auswirkt, konnte uns der Generalimporteur nicht sagen.

Aber, wie heißt es bei Toyota: “Nichts ist unmöglich….”

I just got my new copy of The Catholic Epistles & Apostolic Tradition, a volume edited by Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr and Robert Wall that has come out of the SNTS Seminar on the Catholic Epistles in 2001-2006.

I’m pleased to see that it is dedicated to Professor Dr. Donald J. Verseput (1952-2004), the most prolific contributor of journal articles on James in the first few years of the new millennium. There is no doubt that his writings have had some significant influence on the New Perspective on James that we are now enjoying.

Of the 16 articles in the volume, I’m thrilled to see that 8 of them focus on James.

The dates in the following list are only found on the Contents page for this book on the Baylor University Press website. However, many of the titles in the book are slightly different than the titles found there. I’m guessing that means these are revised editions of articles originally delivered at SNTS meetings. If so, the dates below simply point us to the original papers.

One article that appeared on the Baylor page but is not found in the book…

C. C. Newman, “The Theology of the Apostles: The Convictional World Beneath the Catholic Epistles” (2003)

Here are the contents…

Part I
Introduction
1. Robert W. Wall and Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr, “The SNTS Seminar on the Catholic Epistles”

Part II
Catholic Epistles as a Collection
2. Robert W. Wall, “A Unifying Theology of the Catholic Epistles: A Canonical Approach” (2003)

Part III
James
3. Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr, “James in the Minds of the Recipients: A Letter from Jerusalem” (2004)
4. Patrick Hartin, “James and the Jesus Tradition: Some Theological Reflections and Implications” (2001)
5. John S. Kloppenborg, “The Reception of the Jesus Tradition in James” (2003)
6. Matthias Konradt, “The Historical Context of the Letter of James in Light of its Traditio-Historical Relations with First Peter” (2001)
7. Robert W. Wall, “Acts and James” (2002)
8. Robert W. Wall, “The Priority of James” (2004)
9. John Painter, “James as the First Catholic Epistle” (2006)
10. David R. Nienhuis, “The Letter of James as a Canon-Conscious Pseudepigraph” (2006)

Part IV
Petrine Epistles
11. Reinhard Feldmeier, “Salvation and Anthropology in First Peter” (2001)
12. Lutz Doering, “First Peter as Early Christian Diaspora Letter” (2003)

Part V
Johannine Epistles
13. John Painter, “The Johannine Epistles as Catholic Epistles” (2002)

Part VI
Jude
14. Jörg Frey, “The Epistle of Jude between Judaism and Hellenism” (2002)
15. Scott Hafemann, “Salvation in Jude 5 and the Argument of 2 Peter 1:3-11″ (2005)

Part VII
Conclusion
16. Ernst Baasland, “A Prolegomenon to a History of the ‘Postapostolic Era’ (Early Christianity 70-150 CE)” (2005)

This week is a great week for new titles on the Letter of James. According to Amazon.com, the following titles became available this week (perhaps some were available sooner, I don’t know)…

Batten, Alicia J. 2009. What Are They Saying About the Letter of James? New York: Paulist Press. (available since Nov 2, 2009)

From the publisher: “This book surveys some of the scholarship on the letter of James from the past 30 years, covering questions of authorship and audience, structure and rhetoric, themes, and relationship to some of the sayings attributed to Jesus.”

McCartney, Dan. 2009. James. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. (available since Nov 1, 2009)

From the publisher: “In this volume an expert in the field of Biblical Interpretation, Dan McCartney provides a detailed and thorough exegesis of the book of James through direct interaction with the Greek text. Working from the text, McCartney also provides a thorough sociological, historical, and theological treatment of James with rigorous academic sophistication. Nevertheless, the content of this commentary remains highly accessible and will prove to be an excellent tool for students, pastors, and scholars. This volume is sure to take its place next to the other great commentaries in the Baker Exegetical series, as well as alongside every great commentary on James.”

Niebuhr, Karl-Wilhelm and Robert Wall, editors. 2009. Catholic Epistles and Apostolic Tradition. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press. (available since Nov 1, 2009)

From the publisher: “Catholic Epistles and Apostolic Tradition asks two questions: Can the Catholic Epistles from James to Jude be fruitfully examined in relation to each other, without contrasting them with the Pauline Epistles? And, if so, will we learn something new about them and early Christianity? The essayists here answer “yes” and “yes,” offering provocative perspectives on James, the Johannine epistles, the Petrine epistles, and Jude.

Additional contributors are Ernst Baasland (Church of Norway), Lutz Doering (University of London—King’s College), Reinhard Felmeier (University of Göttingen), Jörg Frey (University of Munich), Scott J. Hafemann (Gordon-Conwell Seminary), Patrick J. Hartin (Gonzaga University), John S. Kloppenborg (University of Toronto), Matthias Konradt (University of Berne), David R. Nienhuis (Seattle Pacific University), and John Painter (Charles Sturt University).”

JAMES FREY, Mille morceaux, 10/18, 602 pages, 2006. Traduit par Laurence VIallet. Genre : récit autobiographique d’une désintoxication.

Ce livre est le choix de Levraoueg. James Frey revient sur son parcours de toxicomane et son combat contre sa dépendance grâce à un centre de désintoxication très réputé. On croise des personnages tous plus détruits les uns que les autres, les 12 étapes qui mènent vers la rédemption. Miles, Léonard, Lilly, Ted, Roy et bien d’autres ont tous essayé.

Ce récit est très dur. L’auteur raconte sans concession son expérience douloureuse et son retour à la réalité. Attention aux âme sensibles, les premières pages sont difficiles à passer. Pour les autres, tentez le coup jusqu’au bout car ce témoignage vaut vraiment le détour!

Bonne lecture…

Primo passo falso della Fiorentina fra le mura amiche e primo gol subito da Frey in casa in questo campionato. Già nel primo tempo si è visto che il gioco non era fluido e che la squadra aveva difficoltà a sviluppare le proprie trame. La scelta di lasciare in panchina Gilardino questa volta non ha sortito buoni effetti e il Napoli ha espugnato meritatamente il Franchi.

Note positive non ce ne sono molte. Anzi, a pensarci bene, una sola e nemmeno tanto positiva se si pensa che il nostro portiere è stato, quest’oggi, il migliore in campo. Frey ha disputato una grandissima partita condita da una parata su rigore e da almeno altri 3 miracoli. Come avevamo avuto modo di dire in un precedente articolo se è vero (e non dubitiamo il contrario visto che è stato dichiarato dallo stesso Frey in una conferenza stampa)  che il portierone francese ha una clausola rescissoria di 18 milioni bisogna stare molto attenti perché un estremo difensore con queste qualità fa e farà gola a molte società che spesso presentano tra i pali portieri inguardabili (ogni riferimento a squadre che hanno vinto di recente al Bernabeu è puramente voluto).

Oltre a Frey meritano una segnalazione anche Vargas, che ha messo anche oggi in mostra uno strapotere fisico e Zanetti che ha recuperato un numero incredibile di palloni. In “castigo” mettiamo invece Gobbi autore di una partita altamente insufficiente.

La classifica grazie soprattutto ad altri risultati, rimane comunque positiva e ci godiamo, anche se non in solitudine, il quarto posto.  Siamo sempre la seconda miglior difesa (dietro all’incredibile Bari) anche se l’attacco continua ad essere un pò sterile (8 i gol segnati. Solo Lazio, Bologna, Livorno e Siena hanno fatto peggio).

Giriamo velocemente pagina. Mercoledì ci aspetta una bolgia in quel di Marassi campo spesso ostico per i colori Violi dove però, l’anno scorso, conquistammo di fatto la Champions.

In the wake of recent changes both major and minor, I’ve had some moments of discomfort and even anguish – but I’ve also had a lot of clarity, and now the feeling of “coming home”.

Rather than reconstructing my Heathen experience based on what I think Bjorn Average (or in my case, Thordis Average) would have looked like in outlook, practice, and daily life, I admittedly draw a lot of my inspiration from the account of Frey’s priestess in Gunnar Helming’s Saga, because whether I like it or not, I am different and have to dance to the beat of a different drummer.  Admittedly there is a lot about this account to be desired, and it raises more questions than answers.  But it’s somewhere to start.

What do we know about this woman?

-We know that she owned His temple.

-We can infer from accounts of other temples what the temple might have looked like – if it was one of the major ones, there would have been images of all the Gods, with Frey’s figure being primary and getting most of the offerings, it belonging to Him, but nonetheless, major temple would have a space for the other major Gods.

-We can infer that apparently people came to her at the temple if they needed help with something.

-We can infer from accounts of other Godhar that she probably performed the blots for the community on the high holy days at her temple, but that would mean others actually traveling to the temple and going to her.

-She did Frey’s wain procession once a year. We can infer from Tacitus’ account of Nerthus’ wain procession that this involved feasting and celebration, where the wain would go.  This seems to be the only major interaction the priestess had where she actually went out into the people, rather than them going to her.

These are all very good points, and have given me some food for thought and great inspiration.  To help with the final process of sorting things out, and because I’m an uber-geek who finds these things useful and fun, I created a Venn diagram to illustrate my spiritual vocation.

There are three major components of my spiritual vocation, as well as four smaller parts, which overlap.

The first sphere is labeled “Temple Keeper” and I put it in blue as it’s more of an internal, private thing.  My home is dedicated to Frey, complete with an entire room for shrines and ritual use, and I have had people from around the world send gifts to put on the Gods’ shrines, and make use of them.  I have a daily devotional and meditation practice which has helped keep me grounded and sane.  I will eventually be raising a proper hóf to Frey with God-poles, but this will be in about 5-6 years… not now (it is, however, in the active planning stages).

For all effective purposes, “Temple Keeper” also includes the private celebrations had with my religious congregation Wessex Folc (as opposed to public ritual), and includes service to clients who seek me out directly for things such as divination and officiating at rites of passage, etc.

The second major sphere is labeled “Hlæfmass Procession” and is in red due to being a dynamic, action-oriented thing.  Frey had a yearly procession in antiquity, and from me He will be getting a public rite each year at Hlæfmass (Lammas), where His wain will go forth and others can pay Him respects and be blessed by Him if it is right for Him to do so.

The third major sphere is labeled “Vanaheim Fellowship” and is in yellow, or gold if you prefer, due to being a resource and a place of joy and healing.

Vanaheim Fellowship is a devotional community dedicated to the honor of the Vanir Gods and exploration of the Vanir cultus.  We are not now, nor will we ever be, a national organization.  Membership in the Fellowship is by invite only and limited to a select few, to keep it on-focus.  So far we have been having some really productive discussion, which has been spiritually inspiring and has given me a sense of belonging that I haven’t felt in just about ever (as opposed to a “near fit” where I ignored the slight twinges of discomfort shoehorning myself into someone else’s paradigm).  Besides the benefit to our own membership, we provide information for the general public on the Vanir Gods and Vanic side of Heathenism, and we also hope to set a trend in encouraging others to create their own small special-interest communities (rather than feeling hurt that they’re not invited to the party).

The first of the four minor spheres is “Wight-Whisperer”, which is between Vanaheim Fellowship and Temple Keeper because it has elements both of being an internal, private practice (work with my own local wights) as well as being a public resource (educating people on relations with their own land-spirits, and helping directly when possible).  It is green because of the obvious connection with greenwights.

The second is writing, which is orange for being action-oriented and is between Vanaheim Fellowship and Hlæfmass Procession because it is something I do strictly for the public, to provide information and inspiration as people can get it from my work.  It is not one of the major spheres because it no longer has the importance in my life it once did.

The third minor sphere is gealdor, which is purple for being magical, and is between Temple Keeper and Hlæfmass Procession as it ties both together.  It is the art of invocation to get the attention of the Gods and other spirits, as well as spellsinging to affect change – as above, so below; as within, so without.  Even if I am no longer in an official drýmann training program, I am still continuing in my studies and practice to refine and perfect my craft.  That is, after all, what witchcraft is – the craft of the wise.

The last of the minor spheres is seership, which is grey because it combines the colors and influence of all of the other spheres, and is the most nebulous and liminal of what I do.  It is also in the center, for it is what I See that guides me to what I Do.  If there was no Seeing, there would be no Doing.  Sometimes I See for others, and sometimes I See for my own ends.  But it was with me first, and everything else has built up around it.

A couple of final notes: I know there are a lot of Pagans who are not into labeling stuff, and feel themselves beyond labels.  I grok that for some people, perseverating too much about semantics is counter-productive.  For people like myself, labeling and categorizing is necessary even when the labels fall somewhat short.  That is how I think – how I am wired to think.  Doing is of course more important than talking about doing or labeling it, but I am one of those people who has a hard time doing if I don’t know what I’m doing.  That, folks, is called “being an INTJ”. 

Finally, while I have much in common with other “woo” people in my acquaintance, I refer to myself as a priest and not a shamanist or spirit-worker.  To me, shamanist and priest are two different things, albeit with overlap in some areas. A shamanist serves a host of Gods and/or spirits, and often has to travel with and interact with the denizens of the Otherworlds to help their client/s in this world; they do a lot of “spooky” like curse-breaking, luck-working, soul-retrieval, healing, etc. A priest is generally in service to a God with perhaps others by extension, and their duties are primarily to facilitate communion between Gods and man, both at rituals involving a community (even if that community is not human, if you catch my drift), and (sometimes) with guiding/inspiring/counseling individuals.

And that, folks, is what I’m doing… what I will be doing.  There have been some false starts, as well as some lessons I needed to learn that I could only get through certain venues.  And now I’m on the right path – on a wain which is my home, and one that I have opened to Ingui.  The journey promises to be interesting, and I will keep you posted.

Even as I have experienced some major changes internally and externally that have caused me to re-evaluate my priorities and how to align my outer reality with what I see as the correct course of action inside – I am still Frey’s priest.  That has not changed, and indeed the more things change, the more they stay the same.

I see a lot of people talking about how they serve their Gods – what they do in their specific vocation.  At some point, I may talk more about this particular subject, myself.  But I don’t see enough talk about why people serve, why they are on this or that path.  Indeed, some people will not give an explanation beyond “this is what They want”.  And while I think right action is important – you are your deeds, not your intentions – oftentimes wrong motivation brings about wrong action.  I have had to closely examine a lot of my own motivations for doing what I’m doing, for though I have a calling, I am also very much a human being with free will, I am not some robot who acts mindlessly under the influence of a “program” or being told what to do.

Questioning motivations is important especially in a religion like Heathenism – by any of its subsects and names – where we are still arguing about whether or not we need clergy.  While a long time ago I thought the outright disdain of anything clergy-related was offensive and vaguely blasphemous, I am now a lot closer to understanding “the other side” of the argument than I was previously.

-I think that it is the responsibility of every Heathen to be their own priest – to have enough knowledge and experience to know what they’re doing.

-We do not have paid clergy like other religions do, and everything is on a volunteer basis.  The priests and godhar of old at least had their own temples and enough “goods and gear” to be able to yield a livestock animal without trouble; in the case of Frey-priests, they were often well off enough to keep horses in His honor.  …Being on-call to provide information and/or pastoral counseling, especially when it is taken on assumption that one should do so without any form of energy exchange – “a gift for a gift” – lends itself easily to burnout.

Be that as it may, I still support the idea of priesthood.  Group rituals need a trained person to lead it, since it is a more delicate procedure than individual devotions, rites of passage the same, and sometimes people do need a little extra help – in this day and age, everyone needs a trusted person to go to sometimes with some things.  But, as my idea of what community should look like has changed, my idea of what a priest serving a community should look like, and do, has changed with it.

Being a priest is also not the only way to serve the Gods, and indeed, is not for most people.  It happens that the Gods work through ‘mundane’ people too – after all, if we were all trancing 24/7, nothing would ever get done.  A person can serve the Gods and the community through baking bread, making shoes, fighting fires, teaching children, and so much more.

I have asked myself about my motivations for doing what I do – if it is more about Frey and the greater good, or if it is more about myself.  I did not commit myself to Frey’s service because I wanted to feel important or “special”.  I am not one of those people who read two witchcraft books and decided, “OK I am a High Priestess now.”  I wanted to be a priest from earliest childhood.  Other kids wanted to be astronauts, or ballerinas, or the President.  I wanted to be a priest.  I felt very deeply connected to the land-spirits and knew Something Bigger was out there, invested in our world, and I found worth in it and wanted to be in its service.  As an adult, I am aware of the responsibility involved, and if anything I am even more sure of what it is I am supposed to do.

More to the point, I owe Him my life, literally.  He stood by me and gave me strength and support when I needed it – when everyone else in my life, including blood family, abandoned me.  He helped me to set things to rights, to rebuild my life, when I was left for dead.  Every day that I live is a gift from Him, and a gift for Him.  I owe Him my service, even and especially when it pushes me outside my comfort zones, outside of my neat little hidey hole.  I owe Him the work that I do to promote and revive His cultus, to promote the worth-ship of His family.  I owe Him the care that I give to others that He has sent my way, who I picked up on “the Frey-dar”.  I owe Him this, and I give it in gratitude, and love.

I would be lying if I said I got nothing out of it, myself.  I don’t expect accolades or everyone’s approval: I have the acknowledgment as Frey’s godwoman from those whose opinion matters – those I serve in some way – and from Frey Himself.  And that’s not why I do it anyway.  But – it is not wrong to want to feel good about yourself, and to feel good by doing something of worth.  It is not wrong to want to better yourself.  The work that I do, the path I am on, gives me a sense of rightness.  Very few people in this wolf-age, can say they have that within them.

So that’s why I serve Him.  Why I keep on keeping on, even when this entire year has brought me a great deal of clarity, but also no small amount of uncomfortable change.  I know that even if the details are subject to change, the bigger picture – what is at stake here – is worth it.  He is worth it.

Frey is the most renowned of the Æsir; he rules over the rain and the shining of the sun, and therewithal the fruit of the earth; and it is good to call on him for fruitful seasons and peace.
Gylfaginning XXIV.

It rained today, and while a lot of people in SoCal seem to not like rain and will avoid going out in it, I love the rain, and have loved the rain since I was a little girl.  As a grown-up Heathen, I see the rain as being a blessing from my fulltrui, Ingui, and took some time out to walk in the rain and connect with Him.

I find it hard to come up with words about why I love and serve Frey, why I am drawn to Him, what about Him I give worth to when I worship Him.  I have never really talked about why Frey? (I find experiences to be easier to talk about than feelings or perceptions) and as I am trying to get back to the basics of why I’m doing what I’m doing – I really should.

When I first found Frey in 2003, I had only given Him casual worship, usually alongside His sister Freya, or when hailing all the Gods at a holytide such as Yule.  I wanted to be one of Woden’s people, and didn’t really know what to think about Frey except I thought of Him as being “like the Horned God from Wicca, maybe”.

Frey showed up for the first time in a dream, and surprised me.  Rather than being like a shallow form of His sister in male drag, He presented with a gentleness and tenderness I had not seen in a male figure, with an underlying ferocity – a righteous anger at things that had happened to me, and the injustice and carelessness in the world.  He was very masculine, without being threatening.  He was the first man I was able to respect.

As I got to know Him, I found that Frey – or at least my experience of Him – is of two concerns: the quality of life of the land, and the quality of the life of the people on it.

I was animist before I was Pagan, and an environmentalist before it was fashionable.  I used to lecture my schoolmates about littering or doing things like throwing rocks at squirrels for fun.  I donated money and hands-on time to environmental causes from the age of nine on up.  I could see the spirits of the land, and I cared about them.  They were more my family than my blood family.

Frey’s caring and concern for the earth spoke to that place in my heart, which had been mocked and scorned by people who prided themselves on being progressive but wouldn’t actually do anything worth a damn to take care of what is, literally, home.

If we think of the earth itself as a living organism – Nerthus, Herself – we start to think of it as a big ecosystem with everything affecting everything.  The problems of modern “civilisation” make more sense when put into the larger perspective with what is happening to our planet.

I’m not here to preach at you or get up on some political soapbox.  That’s really not my thing, and I prefer to keep my religion and politics as far apart from each other as they can be, honestly.  But nonetheless, it is worth noting that I came to Frey because I saw He was concerned with the same things I was.

Before I found Frey, I was angsty and aggressive.  I was heavily involved in the punk scene, and kicked some ass back in the day with steel-toed boots on.  By the time I found Frey in 2003, a lot of my idealism and hope had been smashed to pieces by various life events, and I had literally become a nihilist.  While today I would argue that Woden, in His own cunning way, also is invested in what happens here in Middle-Earth and making a difference, at 23 years old I was drawn to Woden The Bad-Ass and didn’t give a fuck about anyone but myself, because I knew that the world was out to get me.  Or something.

Learning to trust Frey was difficult because He was so nice.  I wanted the bootcamp drill sergeant of Woden and His magical tutelage, and here was Frey being nice to me and giving a voice to hopes I had long since killed or at least locked away, deep inside.  Which was a lot harder for me than anything else.  Being told to trust again, to hope again – that’s hard, when you’ve had to kill or hide your hopes to preserve what shreds of sanity you have left.  After I oathed to Frey, He continued to push me past my comfort zones of trust, both in Him, and acknowledging my part in the world as opposed to thinking it was “all fucked” and escaping in my own way.  And there have been times when I’ve gotten hurt.  When it would be easy for me to run and hide, and not try anymore.  Yet He has me keep trying.  And it’s paid off enough times to be worth it.  It’s paid off enough times to be healing, to be validating, to be redemptive.

When people say Frey is the God of the World, His title “Veraldar Gudh” in Sweden as far as I know relates to the life of people.  And so He could be seen as a God of everyday life – the simple pleasures that make life worth living.  At a deeper level, He is about getting back to the basics, and to the Land, itself.  Frey is about healing the spirit, and restoring life to the Land.

If you know Frey as a sacral and sacrificed king, you know the secret that He doesn’t get cut down as some big show of how righteous He is, but because He knows His blood is what the Land needs, and He will be back to see the Land thriving, and the people with it.  Even if you don’t believe in His yearly sacrifice, the line of kings who are descended from Him – the Ynglings – were noted to be sacrificed themselves, when things went wrong upon the Land.  Frey would rather die than be alive to see needless suffering.  Those who are called by Frey are called, in different ways, to alleviate suffering as they can – to make their own sacrifices for the greater good – and often their journey with Frey, on their own inner wain, is a journey of personal healing.  As I heal from the traumas made by a broken world, I speak of the power Frey has to restore life, and vitality.

Frey is gentle, and kind.  He is good with children, or with our wounded inner children.  However, a lot of people mistake that being a peace God somehow makes Him a pacifist, and a lot of people will pay from that mistake.  Contrary to the belief of some, Gods don’t go around “smiting” people all the time because to “smite” one person is to affect the people they are connected to, and the people those people are connected to, and so on it goes, through the Web of Wyrd, in a cascade effect, and it would wrong innocent people.  But, Frey does get angry, in a defensive way, to protect what He loves.  He is not above action when it is called for.

When Frey speaks, it is often in metaphors of seeds and their growth, or seasons and cycles.  He does not have to use a lot of big words or fancy language to get His point across, and He’s also more likely to show rather than tell.

Frey will be very subtle until there is a reason for Him not to be.  He is not the God who knocks people upside the head and gives epiphanies every other day.  He expects His own to have common sense and figure things out for ourselves, even if that means we have to repeat cycles and have some hard lessons.

Frey does not inspire ecstasy and deep devotion in the way that a God like Woden does.  But Frey brings quiet joy, peace and a sense of rightness.

Frey is not about abandon and spontaneity – He is about the hard work, the dirty work, that needs to be done, routine and details.  He is also about the rewards, the fruits of that labor, that are present in this world, not the afterlife.

Frey is a systems builder.  He is a community organizer, a diplomat, and a leader who commands respect not through lording it over others or weaseling His way into power, but through leading by example.  He is the ring-giver who inspires His folc to “pay it forward”.

Frey, ultimately, is a God of hope.  That the world, even with its problems, is still a good place, and even when the crash of “civilisation” plays out to endgame, there will still be a reason to live – if anything, more so.  I honor Frey because of His caring, because He inspires me and others to “be the change we wish to see” and help heal the damage done, and because even as He hurts with the pain of the world, it is still His and He loves it.

As someone who did not have a lot of hope in my life, and who didn’t care until a few years ago if I lived or died, I honor the hope that Frey gives, best evidenced by the gentle rains that nourish the Earth, and the sunshine peeking out after the rain.  I honor the hope that He is.  I try to be more like Frey, or at least do His work.  It is worth it.  He is worth it.

Eála Ingui, monðwære ond cystig hláford.

~~~~

For more thoughts on Frey, check out my devotional to Him, Peace and Good Seasons.

“La Juve? Sappiamo che per Firenze è una gara particolare. Anch’io sono stato anti-juventino. Ai tempi di Parma ci furono degli episodi sfavorevoli talmente evidenti che ti chiedi: ma come è possibile? Non a caso poi c’è stata Calciopoli. A quei tempi avevano una grande squadra ed avrebbero fatto grandi cose lo stesso, certo però che di aiuti ne avevano tanti”.

Al Parma era giustamente anti-juventino e adesso che è viola non lo è più? Come son cambiate le cose da quelle parti!

Come di seguito riportiamo le seguenti probabili formazioni di Fiorentina – Lazio. Diretta Mediaset Premium, Sky, Dahlia TV.

FIORENTINA(4-2-3-1): Frey; De Silvestri, Gamberini, Kroldrup, Pasqual; Zanetti, Donadel; Marchionni, Jovetic, Vargas; Gilardino. All Prandelli

LAZIO(4-3-1-2): Muslera; Lichtsteiner, Cribari, Radu, Del Nero; Baronio, Matuzalem, Mauri; Foggia; Rocchi, Zarate. All Ballardini

FIORENTINA: La Fiorentina che scenderà oggi in campo è la solita, con Prandelli che sceglie ancora una volta in campionato il 4-2-3-1. L’unica assenza che c’è, è quella del capitano Dario Dainelli in difesa, assente per squalifica, mentre invece vediamo giocare da titolare De Silvestri. L’unico ballottaggio, invece è quello fra Donadel e Montolivo, con il primo che sembra più favorito. Infine c’è il rebus Gila, che sembra non aver smaltito al 100% la febbre, ma cercherà di stringere i denti e se non c’è la farà ci sarà pronto Mutu.

LAZIO: Una Lazio un poco in emergenza quella che scenderà oggi al Franchi di Firenze, con Del Nero costretto  fare il terzino, e con le assenze di Ledesma e Pandev, alle prese ancora una volta con i problemi societari. Ballardini quindi ancora una volta non rinuncia al 4-3-1-2, nonostante alcune assenze.

Here is the reality of the publishing business:

‘…the publishing industry treats writers like shit on their shoes.

The price you pay for being a writer is high.’ – James Frey

A Guest Post by James N. Frey — You Won’t Want to Miss This. This is a post from: Larry Brooks at storyfix.com

Una super-Fiorentina, determinata al massimo e mai così perfetta da inizio stagione, batte un Liverpool assente,  imbambolato, davanti a quelle prodezze di quel Jo-Jo, capace di metterli ko. Il Jo-Jo in questione, non è quel giocattolo con una piccola corda che va su e giù, ma stiamo parlando di un ragazzo montenegrino 19enne, di nome Jovetic, che è stato capace di trascinare la propria squadra ad un successo inaspettato facendo passi da gigante dall’anno scorso, visto che la maggior parte di giocatori di scommesse, ed anche di molti esperti,  non avrebbero mai puntato sulla vittoria della squadra viola. La partita è stata quasi sempre in mano ai viola, che conquistano la vittoria al primo tempo con la doppietta di Jovetic che segna al 37′ e chiude i conti al 45′.

LA PARTITA: 

Questa volta, nonostante il parziale fosse ’solo’ di 2-0, a Benitez sarebbe servito un miracolo ancor più grande di quello targato Istanbul 2005 per vincere la partita. Al rientro dagli spogliatoi per l’inizio del secondo tempo, infatti, sono usciti 22 giocatori ma nella prima frazione di gioco se ne erano visti solo 11. Quelli con la maglia della Fiorentina addosso.

Al fischio iniziale dell’arbitro Brych, infatti, si è immediatamente scatenato l’uragano viola, capace di travolgere la morbida resistenza dei Reds. Con Zanetti padrone del centrocampo, Marchionni e Vargas in buona serata sulle fasce, Mutu abile a non dare punti di riferimento ai marcatori puri Skrtel e Carragher, e con Jovetic a recitare il ruolo del fuoriclasse puro, per la Fiorentina è stato più facile del previsto sbloccare il risultato al minuto 28 con Jo-Jo. E siccome contro il Liverpool sarebbe stato letale sedersi sul vantaggio acquisito, la truppa di Prandelli ha continuato ad azzannare la preda sofferente senza lasciarle il tempo di rimettersi in piedi. Indemoniati fino al raddoppio dello stesso Jovetic al 37′, Mutu e compagni hanno continuato a premere fino al termine del primo tempo quando il ‘gong’ di Brych ha salvato Gerrard e compagni dal ko tecnico.

Al rientro dagli spogliatoi, la cura Benitez si è immediatamente avvertita, ma né Benayoun né Kuyt hanno impensierito l’impassibile Frey. Cresciuto nel possesso palla (già superiore nel primo tempo), il Liverpool non è comunque mai riuscito a sfondare. Il primo cambio, arrivato al 71′ (Babel per Insua) è risultato tardivo e la girandola di sostituzioni finale ha impedito a Gerrard e Torres di riaprire un match chiuso con largo anticipo da Jovetic. Un bambino in grado di fare la voce grossa tra i giganti. Un bambino in grado di recitare il ruolo del protagonista all’interno del film “Una partita perfetta”. 

“LA PARTITA” fonte: SportMediaset

Totti, Roma, con i suoi gol demolisce la Fiorentina

Campionato di Serie A- Ecco le pagelle del posticipo della quarta giornata tra Roma e Fiorentina allo Stadio Olimpico:

Roma:

JULIO SERGIO 6.5- Mantiene la concetrazione durante tutta la partita. Spettacolare ed efficace la sua uscita di pugno su Gilardino.

CASSETTI 6.5- Riscatta le ultime prestazioni negative giocando con grande attenzione.

BURDISSO 7.5- Resta il migliore del reparto difensivo. Insieme a Juan annullano Mutu e Gilardino.

JUAN 7- Lui e Burdisso si completano perfettamente. Gilardino non è mai pericoloso grazie ai loro interventi puntuali.

RIISE 8- Macina chilometri sulla fascia sinistra. Conclude diverse volte a rete, crossa efficacemente. È tornato il Riise di Liverpool.

PERROTTA 7- Motorino perpetuo di centrocampo. Ottimi anche i suoi inserimenti nell’area di rigore della Fiorentina. Sfiora il gol a fine primo tempo.

DE ROSSI 10- Dieci perchè è il terzo difensore aggiunto, dieci perchè dopo cinque minuti aveva già la maglietta sudata, dieci perchè non sbaglia un passaggio e infine, come ciliegina sulla torta, realizza un magnifico gol con uno stacco di testa perentorio, quasi, da fuori area di rigore. Scaccia le critiche.

TADDEI 6.5- Il centrocampista brasiliano nonostante alcune indecisioni è in grande crescita dal punto di vista fisico.

PIZARRO 7- Le sue geometrie a centrocampo sono preziose. Non sbaglio un passaggio. Rimane lucido nonostante la grande corsa profusa durante tutto il match.

TOTTI 10- Dieci perchè realizza in maniera impeccabile un calcio di rigore pesantissimo, dieci perchè fa gol con un magnifico controbalzo da vero centravanti, dieci perchè recupera palloni in ogni zona del campo come fosse un medio e, infine, dieci perchè gioca da vero capitano. Merita il rinnovo del contratto non per quello che è stato ma per quello che è: il numero 1.

VUCINIC 8.5- Demolisce, in coppia con Totti, la difesa della Fiorentina. Dainelli e Gamberini non lo prendono mai. Il suo peso e la sua classe in attacco sono indispensabili. Magnifico in occasione del rigore guadagnato. Il suo colpo di tacco è una giocata per palati calcistici finissimi.

OKAKA 6.5- Entra bene in partita. Da sottolineare una sassata da fuori area e un pregevole colpo di tacco.

FATY 6- Entra, lotta e non tira mai indietro la gamba. Buono il suo contributo a centrocampo.

MEXES 6.5- Minuti di incoraggiamento per il francese. Il suo contributo è troppo  importante per la Roma. Giocatore da recuperare.

RANIERI 10- Due partite di campionato due vittorie. Non sbaglia nulla sia durante la partita, sia nella fase pre-partita con le dichiarazioni in conferenza stampa. Poteva esserci esordio migliore nel suo Stadio Olimpico ?

Fiorentina:

FREY 6- Non può nulla sulle prodezze balistiche della Roma. Nega il gol a Taddei e Okaka con grandi interventi. La Fiorentina non può sempre sperare su San Frey.

PASQUAL 5.5- Il migliore della difesa. Buone le sue sortite sulla fascia. Nella fase difensiva fa quello che può.

DAINELLI 4- Prestazione imbarazzante da parte del capitano della Fiorentina. Commette falli in quantità industriale. Rude e nulla più.

GAMBERINI 4- Totti e Vucinic fanno il buono e il cattivo tempo. Ridicolizzato.

COMOTTO 5- Riise è incubo per lui. Troppa la differenza di classe tra i due giocatori. Bocciato ma è in buona compagnia.

C.ZANETTI 5.5- Prova a battersi in un centrocampo in cui De Rossi, Perrotta e Pizarro la fanno da padroni.

MONTOLIVO 4- Spesso lo si definisce una promessa. Maturerà mai ? Intanto ha perso la Nazionale.

MARCHIONNI 5.5- Prova a dare vivacità alla manovra offensiva della Fiorentina. Non sempre ci riesce.

MUTU 3- Un fantasma all’Olimpico. Spettatore non pagante. Non c’è con la testa.

SANTANA 4.5- Non combina nulla di buono. Quando esce dal campo la Fiorentina gioca meglio.

GILARDINO 6- Realizza un gol di rapina e ne sfiora un altro. Il suo contributo non manca mai.

JOVETIC 6- Dà vivacità all’attacco della Fiorentina. Il più in forma dei suoi.

DONADEL 5- Falli e niente più.

JORGENSEN 5.5- Muscoli e quantità al servizio della Fiorentina.

PRANDELLI 4- Continua il periodo nero della Fiorentina. Dopo il KO di Lione la squadra approccia malissimo l’incontro Champions dell’Olimpico. Non convince l’entrata cosi tardiva di Jovetic. Surclassato da Ranieri.

A group of elves approaches me, walking through a carpet of fallen fall leaves. Three men, two women. They are wearing cloaks over long robes, and walk to me through the fall leaves. The man who leads them is wearing a coppery-brown cloak and his hair is coppery-brown like his cloak. He glows with a faint golden light. I know they are light-elves right away. The leader smiles at me and says for the goodness and love I show their lord and the friendship I show their people, they want to help make things right. He asks me what I would like them to do.

I wake up and ask Frey what I should ask them for. He reminds me of that verse in the Sagas where a man is told to “blot to the elves for healing”, and that the equinox is coming and would be the best time to ask for it.
dream log from August 30, 2009

Originally we planned on faining the Ylfe in a local butterfly garden. At previous times when we visited there, nobody was around, just us and the butterflies, and we expected it to be so this time. We got to the butterfly garden and there was a large group of children there, supervised by a couple of adults, doing some activity. Needless to say, we didn’t feel like having spectators. Ever resourceful, we decided to go to the duck pond where we fained the Ylfe and Geofon-Freo on Midsummer Eve. I realize now we should have planned on going there all along to fain the Ylfe, as the pond has a very liminal, numinous feeling to it that reminds me of dreamvisions I have had of Ylfhame.

(Incidentally, the pond is on a street called Elrond, although I didn’t find this out until after the fact.)

There we had a picnic, able to keep to ourselves save the occasional curiosity of ducks and geese. After eating, the sun was setting quickly and giving way to twilight, so we filled our drinking horn with mead and approached the forked tree where we had fained the Ylfe over the summer. I spoke of the day and night being of equal length, and the seasons and balance. I spoke of my own need for balance – for the good to balance out the trauma and hardship and pain over the years. I don’t expect perfection, but would like healing, and to carry joy and gratitude with me in the presence of the Land and the Powers.

I thanked the Ylfe for their presence in the world, and watching over and protecting Middangeard. I drank to them, as did my other half. I poured the rest of the horn over the crotch in the forked tree, and felt the elves from my dream come forth. There was a small breeze stirring, and I felt the strength and power of the Land rise up through my feet, through my body, and into my own individual web of Wyrd. I silently thanked the Ylfe as they held me in their light.

When we got back home, we continued feasting; I put food in Ingui’s bowl at His altar and also gave some to Thunor and Sibbe in honor of the harvest season and the good will They have shown my household.

All shall be well and all shall be well and all shall be well.

La presidente Rossella Sensi aveva detto:”Basta parole! Vogliamo i fatti!“.Pretendeva una reazione e l’ha avuta: Claudio Ranieri ha ritrovato la Roma. All’Olimpico, nel posticipo della 4.a giornata, la squadra giallorossa ha travolto la Fiorentina per 3-1. Strepitosa prestazione di Francesco Totti, autore di una doppietta (27′ e 33′) e di un fantastico assist per De Rossi. Inutile il gol nel finale per Gilardino. In casa Fiorentina, alla seconda sconfitta in quattro giorni, è già tempo di processi.

LA PARTITA: Inizia bene la squadra gigliata con ottimo pressing a centrocampo e le solite ripartenze pungenti sulle fasce, ad essere però pericolosa per prima è la Roma con Riise al 4° minuti. Il giocatore della Roma ha tentato un diagonale pericoloso che Frey ha bloccato in due tempi rischiando anche qualcosa. Intorno al quindicesimo, prima ammonizione dell’incontro ai danni di Pasqual per fallo tattico a centrocampo, pochi istanti dopo sugli sviluppi di quella punizione, grossa dormita difensiva dei viola con Vucinic che a tu per tu con Frey ha calciato in malo modo favorendo l’intervento del portiere gigliato. Intorno al ventesimo del primo tempo ci provano i viola da calcio d’angolo con Mutu che stacca bene di testa ma non trova la porta. Insiste la Roma con il capitano Francesco Totti, pallone rimesso al centro per Pizarro che dal limite colpisce male il pallone e lo spedisce sul fondo. Al 26° del primo tempo palla in profondità di Riise per Vucinic che di tacco tenta di eludere l’intervento del difensore gigliato Gamberini, il giocatore viola nell’azione in velocità ha toccato involontariamente il pallone con la mano, per l’arbitro il fallo è risultato volontario ed ha concesso il rigore a favore della Roma. Sul dischetto Francesco Totti che dagli undici metri mette a segno il goal che porta in vantaggio i giallorossi. Dopo appena dieci minuti dal goal di Totti, Fiorentina in tilt e raddoppio giallorosso sempre messo a segno da Totti dopo un batti e ribatti in area. Sul finire del primo tempo ancora in goal la Roma con Daniele De Rossi che dal limite dell’area stacca di testa e mette per la terza volta la palla alle spalle del portierone viola Frey, non incolpevole sull’ultimo goal giallorosso. Finisce il primo tempo con una Roma costantemente in attacco ed una Fiorentina totalmente assente ingiustificata, dovrà sicuramente cambiare qualcosa Prandelli in questo intervallo anche per cercare di salvare il salvabile anche se fino a questo momento la Fiorentina ha dimostrato ben poco di positivo in campo. Inizia il secondo tempo con una Fiorentina, almeno per i primi dieci minuti, più propositiva ed infatti è riuscita ad arrivare al tiro in un paio di occasioni, l’ultima di queste con Montolivo che da fuori area che ha impensierito Julio Sergio. Dopo appena due minuti dall’occasione di Montolivo ai viola risponde la Roma prima con Taddei che impegna Frey e successivamente con Totti che dal limite calcia al volo, pallone che finisce di poco sopra la traversa della porta difesa da Frey. Al quindicesimo del secondo tempo girandola di cambi, nella Roma esce Vucinic per infortunio al suo posto Okaka, nella Fiorentina escono Mutu e Santana al loro posto entrano Jovetic e Jorgensen. Errore di Marchionni al ventesimo che si fa soffiare il pallone da Okaka, l’attaccante della Roma arriva al tiro dal limite dell’area ma Frey gli nega la gioia del goal, sulla ripartenza Jovetic avanza palla al piede ed arriva al tiro, pallone che finisce di poco alla destra di Julio Sergio. Al ventesimo del secondo tempo Prandelli effettua il terzo ed ultimo cambio, dentro Donadel per uno stanco ed appannato Montolivo. A meno di quindici minuti dalla fine dell’incontro incursione di Totti palla al piede dalla trequarti, panico tra i difensori gigliati e fallo tattico di Dainelli che viene ammonito per questo fallo, appena cinque minuti dopo ammonito anche Gamberini per fallo ingenuo a centrocampo. A cinque minuti dal novantesimo goal della bandiera per i viola con Gilardino che sfrutta un grossolano errore di Perrotta, il giocatore della Roma in ripiegamento difensivo regala un assist al bomber viola che non può far altro che battere Julio Sergio. Sul finale di partita bellissimo colpo di tacco di Okaka che libera Totti, tiro di quest’ultimo deviato dai difensori gigliati in calcio d’angolo. Finisce la partita sul risultato di 3 ad 1 per la Roma. La squadra giallorosa ha dominato l’incontro grazie alle giocate del loro grande capitano, Francesco Totti, questa sera ispirato più che mai. La Fiorentina torna a casa amareggiata per una prestazione a dir poco imbarazzante, mercoledì a Firenze arriva la “capolista” Sampdoria, sarà importante fare subito bene in casa contro i blucerchiati per dimenticare al più presto la partita di stasera.

“LA PARTITA” Fonte: TMW

“Mario Balotelli è un’arma utilizzata da voi giornalisti come e quando volete. Dopo la sua prestazione con l’Under 21 tutti lo hanno criticato dicendo che non aveva giocato bene ed era in dubbio per la seconda della due partite, è dovuto addirittura intervenire il c.t. Casiraghi per dire che per lui Mario era intoccabile e avrebbe sicuramente disputato la seconda partita contro il Lussemburgo. Qualche giorno dopo, gli stessi giornalisti hanno scritto che avrebbe dovuto giocare titolare contro il Barcellona.

Penso a quello che ha scritto o detto la stampa, quello di cui tutti i fenomeni del calcio hanno parlato, uno per esempio che si dimentica del suo stesso passato. Uno che sarà ricordato nella storia dell’Inter perché ha perso 5-1 in casa con l’Arsenal (Zaccheroni), in casa… e viene a dire a me come dovevo giocare questa partita contro la miglior squadra del mondo. Sono così intelligenti che si dimenticano del proprio passato… incredibile. Julio Cesar domani non gioca perché è stanco: nei 90′ contro il Barcellona ha parato tre palloni. L’Inter in Champions League ha giocato contro le ultime due squadre Campioni d’Europa. Posso consigliarvi di confrontare le statistiche relative alle parate di Julio Cesar, Buffon, Storari e Frey per capire che Julio domani sarà indisponibile perché è veramente stanchissimo… per aver guardato la partita.

Siamo una squadra sfortuna per quel che riguarda il calendario perché, ad esempio, abbiamo giocato domenica mentre il Barcellona aveva giocato il sabato prima ed ha avuto quindi un giorno in più per riposare, poi mercoledì giocheremo contro il Napoli che gioca oggi mentre noi giocheremo domani. A noi succede quasi sempre questo: ad esempio un avversario che gioca per i nostri stessi obiettivi, come la Juventus, giocherà di giovedì mentre noi scenderemo in campo domenica e mercoledì. Siamo quasi sempre sfortunati. In tutti gli altri Paesi c’è una grande attenzione verso le squadre che sono impegnate in Europa, mentre in Italia per una regola che probabilmente vuole privilegiare l’interesse delle tv,la squadra che gioca in Champions il mercoledì gioca comunque la domenica la gara di campionato ed è sempre svantaggiata rispetto agli avversari. Qualcuno può non farci caso, ma 24 ore in più di riposo a livello fisiologico fanno la differenza.

Quando vedo la stampa italiana criticare le proprie squadre impegnate nelle competizioni europee è facile capire che siamo un Paese che sa solo criticare e non trovare soluzioni. Siamo un paese che ama maggiormente piangere sul problema che non darsi da fare per risolverlo. Se si fa un confronto con altri Paesi, si può vedere come nelle altre Nazioni avvenga assolutamente il contrario: quando è ora di giocare in competizioni europee si è tutti compatti verso uno stesso obiettivo. Invece qui è esattamente il contrario, bisogna scegliere bene chi far parlare e non dare la parola ai frustrati che si dimenticano del passato. Noi siamo sempre negativi e mai positivi, portoghesi e italiani sono gemelli in questo. Per fortuna che io sono russo…”.

Come di seguito riportiamo le probabili formazione per la sfida di Champions, di stasera fra Olimpyque Lyonnaise – Fiorentina.

LIONE (4-3-3): Lloris; Réveillère, Cris, Bodmer, Cissokho; Pjanic, Toulalan, Kallstrom; Bastos, Lisandro, Govou.
All. Puel

FIORENTINA (4-2-3-1): Frey; Comotto, Gamberini, Dainelli, Gobbi; Donadel, Montolivo; Marchionni, Jovetic, Vargas; Gilardino.
All. Prandelli

Una sfida difficile per entrambe le squadre, perchè, potrebbe risultare, già, come uno spareggio per il secondo posto, visto che il Liverpool è nettamente di un’altra categoria. Il Lione, questa sera, avrà a disposizione la squadra al completo tranne per Grosso e Benzema, colpi di mercato messi a segno rispettivamente da Juventus e Real Madrid, mentre invece per i gigliati, mister Prandelli, non schiererà dal primo minuto Adrian Mutu: il campione Rumeno viene da un lieve infortunio, quindi per essere pronto quasi al meglio e per non rischiarlo dal primo minuto, dopo una convocazione last-minute, Prandelli deciderà a partita in corso di buttarlo nella mischia, il sostituto: Jovetic, il ragazzo Montenegrino sta percorrendo un grande momento. C’è anche Kroldrup, che ha smaltito l’influenza, ma per il momento il favorito vicino Gamberini come centrale di difesa resta Dainelli, all’appello ci mancherà anche Cristiano Zanetti, assente per squalifica, mentre, infine, sulla fascia sinistra, come terzino, per ora è favorito di più Massimo Gobbi a Manuel Pasqual. Staremo a vedere stasera, cari lettori, cosa succederà nella prima gara della Fiorentina, che appartiene al girone E di Champions League, in programma questa sera allo Stadio “De Gerland” alle ore 20.45. Buon spettacolo e soprattutto FORZA FIORENTINA!

The Process of Writing, Part Three: Character Creation

I hope my bit of pseudonomical help, actually helped someone last time. Pseudonomical, is that even a word? Eh, the dictionary isn’t too far away for me to reach, but at the moment I’m going to choose not to use it because I’m hoping that you can guess as to what pseudonomical may mean. If you don’t, I’m using pseudonym as a root word. It may not be the root of the root word, but I’m sure that it will be fine, and I’ve my fingers crossed that it will work.

I say that I’d mention character creation here, and how the characters in our heads have to remain true when they appear on the page. I used a method of Holly Lisle’s to come up with the example that I’m about to show you, if I’d had the character planned enough in my head it would have worked, alas I didn’t and all I ended up with were a few points:-

Name: Paige Demeter Braddock

Age: 17

D.O.B: 17/06/92

I really didn’t go that much farther. I knew where she was going to live, what the first scene was going to be and who she would eventually end up as, yet, because I didn’t have this fully-formed character in my head, just this brief spattering of a beginning and an end, I decided to forego this character in favour of Felix Booth and Phantasmagoria, the story I am now planning. As you may be able to deduce, the events that involved PDB and FB: Phantasmagoria, only happened a few weeks ago.

So, after I’d tried a great many methods and failed, I decided that I needed to know everything about my characters before I even thought about writing a plan, before I even decided to put this idea into action. In this, I managed to expand upon the antagonist of my novel.

If you have read James N. Frey’s self-help book, “How to Write a Damn Good Novel: Two” then you will have read what he has to say about characters and how all characters should have a motive, even if it is the smallest motive. They also need to be well-rounded. Now, as soon as I read that line, three motives popped into my head.

These concerned three characters that although they may have villainous qualities I have come to know and love. Now, one of the themes in Phantasmagoria is more of a question than anything. One that I thought long and hard about myself, trying to figure out what my answer would be: What would you do if you could lawfully travel back in time?

Now, there would always be consequences upon the present day, but this one thought added to the motives of my villains and I found myself knowing that thse characters weren’t all bad, they did what they did because they needed absolution; as is the case with many characters. Within life, many of us may find that we are searching for absolution in something, it may be the smallest of things but we want it and we will have it, it doesn’t necessarily make us villains, but it doesn’t make us the best of people either.

This is something that I wanted to portray with my main antagonist. I know that he has done evil things, some of them incredibly unforgiveable, but these evil things are simply because of a craving, one aching thing that he wishes he could change. Which is why he searches for the ability to travel back in time; even though in his world, it could potentially mean expulsion from the society.

It is with the things I have mentioned above that you are able to create well-rounded characters.

1. Pose a question that surrounds all of your characters. This is probably the question that you will want to answer in your novel.

2. Think of your character’s motivation. Why do they do the things that they do?

3. Consider your character’s backstory; there is no doubt that this will influence their motivation.

4. Who is your character? This is the point where you must decide, are they an antagonist, or purely misunderstood, or are they both, could they be part and parcel to their own eventual downfall?

So, there we have it, four questions that you should ask yourself when you are planning a novel. It’s a tried and tested method that I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and it’s that gut feeling that it provides that makes it all the more worthwhile, I really recommend it.

I hope that I’ve helped you consider more options on expanding your characters and really getting to know them. You’re Maria Von Trapp and these are your children.

Next time: The Process of Writing, Part Four: Is my goodie, really a baddie?