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WATCH OUT FOR FLYING BODY PARTS: Body Language for Writers, Part I

1/26/2018

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BODY PARTS ACTING INDEPENDENTLY
When I wrote this blog originally I had just finished copy edits for an impending book release and, as a result, felt exasperated by comments from the editor. Since this continues to be an issue with editors and authors, reviving and updating the blog seemed worthwhile.

One sentence in my manuscript read, 'Her wide gray eyes gazed into his, growing even larger, as though he’d taken her by surprise.' The editor's comment was, “All by themselves? Body parts can’t act independently.”

Really? I beg to differ, even though I know I will lose the battle. When you have your eyes closed, and you hear a loud, unexpected noise near your head, don't your eyes pop open? Or do you say to yourself, "That loud noise scared me so I will open my eyes now to see what it was."?

While I realize publishing houses have their standards and the editor will prevail, and I understand the concerns editors have for eyes flying across rooms and arms that lift, I have to wonder if they've never read about Retained Neonatal Reflexes, muscle memory, or reflex actions? How about body language, which makes up over fifty percent of human communication?

Here are some examples from over the years of being published. I'm not claiming these are the greatest literary sentences in western literature, but I also don't think the editor's comments applied.

● My confused mind grappled with the sensation that I didn't know where or who I was.

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Okay, believe it or not, our minds can "grapple" and "struggle" and "wander." It's not something you decide to do…it just happens. This is a sentence I wouldn't change for the editor.

​
● His brow scrunched into a confused frown.
A person can definitely decide consciously to frown. However, if surprised, startled, or in spontaneous response to a sudden emotion, a human being can frown as a reflex action. To me, saying, "He scrunched his brow into a frown" sounds like an intentional action. The other form seems more like a reflex action in response to the situation.

● My stomach clenched.
Sorry, but I don't purposely clench my stomach. Do you?
​
I’ve done a fair amount of research on body language and, under certain circumstances, some body parts do, in fact, take actions independent of conscious thought. And that’s a scientifically proven fact.

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SPOILER ALERT
There are lots of books, publications, and classes on interpreting body language. I've used some of them to write this. I am by no means an expert, but a lot of it you already know. I just want to prove my point.

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​BODY LANGUAGE
Are readers so unfamiliar with body language that they will be confused or misinterpret the words authors write? Personally, I don’t think so.
​
The study of body movements is called Kineses, and there is abundant research available on the topic. Research shows:
  ● Most humans communicate more through body language than through speech.
  ● Most humans are very adept at interpreting body language.
  ● Body language is so important that descriptions of it have become integral parts of our written and​   spoken language. For example, if you write that someone blinked to show the character's confusion, or you write that someone is bleary eyed to mean he was not focusing, that doesn't need to be explained. Readers get it.
  ● A substantial amount of body language gestures are reflexive and unconscious, but it is possible to learn to control some of them. It's not necessarily easy, but possible.
  ● Individual body language gestures can mean more than one thing and should be interpreted in relation to other gestures, activities, and other kinds of information (particularly since it is possible for a person to control the body language gestures).
  ●Kevin Hogan, Psy.D., Body Language Expert, says nonverbal communication is between 60% to 75% of the impact of a message. I've read other experts who claim it is as high as 90%. You can be sure that over 50% is nonverbal communication.


BODY LANGUAGE INDICATORS
Body language is defined by some as a reaction to an emotion. Because writers use those non-verbal indicators of mood and emotion in their writing, it’s good to be familiar with reading and understanding body language. At the end, I’ve listed several links for interpreting body language that you may find useful. Below are categories of body movements that can be used to describe mood and emotion. As noted above, it is possible for a human being to learn to control many of the following indicators.

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  ● Posture: Guess how these people are feeling. ​►
  ● Head motion
  ● Paralanguage
  ● Facial expression

  ● Eye Contact (or lack of contact)
  ● Voice and tone, speed of speaking
 
● Personal Space

  ● Gestures
  ● Other movements and aspects of the eyes
  ● Silence
  ● Listening


UNCONSCIOUS REFLEXES
To some extent humans retain some of the involuntary reflexes (controlled by the lower centers of our brain) from the womb when the central nervous system is not fully developed. In the early years of life, as the higher centers of the brain begin to mature, these reflexes are gradually integrated. But there are certain residual primary reflexes that stick with us.
  ● Fear
  ● Pain
  ● Surprise
  ● Anything that triggers fight or flight response.
​
According to Body Language Insights, “Body language is a largely automatic response to fearful situations. The behaviors of our body language are mostly innate to us, though some might be inherited. Either way, we have little knowledge of or control over when our bodies react to fear and how. Depending on the severity of the situation, our fear can excite us, encourage us, shock us, or completely paralyze us. And it will be written all over our faces!” 

​      
Fight                                        Flight                          Fear
Most of us are familiar with the fight or flight adrenaline rush of the sympathetic nervous system. This reflex readies the body for survival during stressful situations. According to Bookrags.com, “interactions between the neural and hormonal systems of the body work together to get the body ready to stand and fight the challenge or run away from it. When faced with life-threatening crises, unnecessary functions are temporarily shut down and energies are diverted to functions vital to survival. Any stress, whether physical, psychological (anticipation of an unpleasant event) or emotional (anger or fear) will produce some, if not all elements of the fight or flight response.”
​
So, in situations where our fictitious characters are startled, surprised, hurt, or stressed (including anticipation of something unpleasant), the body does react without conscious thought, both viscerally and physically. Sure, the reacting body parts are attached to a person’s central nervous system which is sending signals to cells as electrochemical waves travelling along thin fibers called axons, but that’s happening at a subconscious level. For all intents and purposes, the body parts are acting independently of the cerebrum.

So, if your character is startled by a loud noise and gasps or her hand rises rapidly and reflexively (God forbid that it “fly”) to cover her heart, it isn’t because she stops to think, “Wow! That startled me. I am going to raise my hand to cover my racing heart.” It happens as an involuntary action. The hand does raise itself of its own volition.
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MUSCLE MEMORY
Muscle memory can be described as a type of movement repeated so often that the muscles become familiar with it over time. When a movement is repeated over and over, a long-term muscle memory is created for that task, eventually allowing it to be performed without conscious thought or effort.
Photo: afrikareporter.com/

Therefore, in a physical situation such as a fight, playing a sport, playing a musical instrument, driving (in a novel or real life), if a person has been well trained, the reactions of the body may be the result of muscle memory and basically act independently. You can do something without realizing you’re doing it, depending on the circumstances and action involved.

VISCERAL REACTIONS
These reactions are more accepted by readers and editors as uncontrollable reactions, but many are detectible, usually through sight or smell, by others and can be used to alert other characters in your story (and readers) what’s going on. The problem is, people have these visceral reactions for lots of reasons. Hence, the advice that one needs to observe a number of body language indicators, the surroundings, and what is happening, before interpreting what the other person is thinking/feeling.
 
There are additional signals the body sends that are detectible to others and give them impressions and information about the person. There are also important body language indicators which are not, for the most part, controllable. Those tend to be visceral (characterized or proceeding from instinct rather than intellect) reactions.

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● Secretions and excretions / smells
While many secretions are detectible only by smell, others such as tears and watering of the eye, perspiration, and saliva, can be visual. There are other secretions, but I’m not going to go there. ​(FYI: Earwax is also a secretion, but I doubt that it has much of a role in writing novels.)


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● Gaseous output can also include smells
Gross! Gaseous outputs include exhaling, sneezing, coughing, burping, and intestinal gas. They all give information about the body and, in some cases, mood or emotional reaction. A sigh can be a form of exhaling that indicates weariness, relief, resignation, and so on. Coughing and sneezing, used to dislodge obstructions in respiratory passages, may also be caused by irritants. We can all figure out which of these can be controlled

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● Electrical activity
This is one I had trouble getting my arms around even though I know that brains cells (neurons) use electrical energy to communicate with each other.

There are four types of brainwaves generated depending on what a person is doing, and these are associated with mental states. For example: Anxious people tend to produce an overabundance of high Beta waves. Another example: When you close your eyes, your brain automatically starts to produce more Alpha waves, associated with the mental state of being awake but relaxed and not processing much information.
​
Yeah, so? So-o, it’s something to be aware of.

Brainwaves can’t be detected without benefit of sophisticated medical equipment. Hence, they are not only involuntary but undetectable by others. But haven’t you been in a room full of excited or hostile people—situations where emotions are intense—and actually felt the electrical output in the form of tension? The old cliché “the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.” Electricity in the air is not just metaphorical.

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● Heat
While the human body generally maintains a temperature of 98.6º Fahrenheit, body temperature is an uncontrollable indicator which can give visible and sensory indicators to others. A blush from embarrassment, a flushed face from fever, or sexual attraction. Sometimes it’s possible to actually feel the heat pouring off someone, and that is an uncontrollable reaction. However, no flying body parts need be involved. 

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● Sound
Sounds like coughing, sneezing, humming, stuttering, a high-pitched voice, speaking too fast, wheezing, clicking the tongue, and so on are common signals we understand. They may be unconscious and uncontrolled, but one can learn to control or stifle them. Even changes in our breathing, while usually reflex actions, can be controlled.

One visceral reaction, and sound, that can’t be easily controlled (and for most of us, but not at all), is heart rate. In addition to being able to see pulse points jump and throbbing arteries, research indicates that in close proximity you can hear another’s heart beating.


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● Dilation of the pupils
Try to control that reaction. Not going to happen.


​​A WORD OF ADVICE
Editors are still going to give you comments like those at the beginning. I'm giving you some ammunition in case you want to write that your character's mind wandered, or someone's stomach roiled. Go ahead and argue, if you want, but your editor will probably prevail.

I'M GETTING OFF MY SOAP BOX NOW! You're safe to move freely about your business. Thanks for listening.
​□

Resources
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-attraction-doctor/201105/you-dont-say-persuasive-body-language-flirting-and-dating
http://www.explainstuff.com/2009/06/03/what-is-muscle-memory-explain-stuff-scientific-concept-of-the-day/
http://sapientology.com/body-language/palms-and-thumbs/
http://communicationtheory.org/body-language/
http://femalebodylanguage.net/
http://www.kevinhogan.com/bodylanguage.htm
http://bodylanguageinsights.com/fear.html
http://www.squidoo.com/readingbodylanguage
http://bodylanguageinsights.com/sadness.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_language
http://sapientology.com/body-language/eyes/
http://changingminds.org/techniques/body/parts_body_language/eyes_body_language.htm
http://www.bodylanguageproject.com/dictionary/bodylanguage-dictionary-e-eyebrow-flash-eye-direction-eye-flash-energy-displacement-emblems
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Guide_to_Social_Activity/Body_Language
http://www.wikihow.com/Understand-Body-Language
http://changingminds.org/techniques/body/parts_body_language/eyes_body_language.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Read-Body-Language
http://www.doctornerdlove.com/chemistry-sexual-tension/all/1/
https://www.arinanikitina.com/body-language-of-the-eyes.html
https://tearsinmyemoeyes.deviantart.com/art/Tears-In-My-Emo-Eyes-71925779
https://www.quora.com/When-a-girl-catches-a-guy-staring-at-her-does-she-immediately-think-that-he-is-ogling#!n=12
https://tearsinmyemoeyes.deviantart.com/art/Tears-In-My-Emo-Eyes-71925779
http://www.ehow.com/about_5042633_causes-dilated-pupils.html#ixzz1R5bgZrXb
http://www.scientificpsychic.com/workbook/chapter4.htm
http://betterlookingguy.com/hack-your-posture-body-language-to-look-more-confident/
https://havemoreinfluence.com/body-language-mistakes/
https://www.zistboon.com/body-language-reveals-postures/
https://www.naukrinama.com/stressbuster/how-to-read-body-language/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/significance-body-language-sheelagh-mcnamara
http://www.ceramicarte.it/it/verbal-and-nonverbal-communication-essay.html
https://www.slideshare.net/margaretlakra/body-language-46603284
http://www.verbal-aikido.com/articles-and-exercises/fight-or-flight/
https://wendythewanderer.wordpress.com/2016/06/22/muscle-memory-works-better-than-brain-memory/
https://www.realmenrealstyle.com/facial-expressions-iq/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paralanguage
https://synapseweb.clm.utexas.edu/axons

 
● Dilation of the pupils
Try to control that reaction. Not going to happen.

A WORD OF ADVICE
Editors are still going to give you comments like those at the beginning. I'm giving you some ammunition in case you want to write that your character's mind wandered, or someone's stomach roiled. Go ahead and argue, if you want, but your editor will probably prevail..



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Who Built The Great Wall of China?

1/19/2018

1 Comment

 
​Since you’ve been bombarded recently with information about the Great Wall of China and my new release Destruction Of The Great Wall, I figured you could stand a little more. I mean, you ought to know who built it. Right?

​Putting The Wall Into Context

​If you've read my blog about the myths and legends you already know The Great Wall wasn't built by a single ruler, all of it wasn’t built at the same time, and that it is not continuous. 
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 In its most simplistic format, the map to the left shows China and the location of the Great Wall in relation to the rest of the country. Seen here, the construction may not appear that long, but remember, China is nearly as large as the United States.

​Still, the wall considered by historians and scholars as one of the greatest feats of human engineering. It’s one thing to look at it on a map or in short segments but, as you see in the photograph below, it is built on the top ridges of some pretty high mountains. Today this would be a difficult and expensive project, even with the sophisticated equipment existing now.

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​It is reported to have been over 13,000 miles long – equal to half the length of the equator – but today, were all the section connected, it would be about 5,500 miles long. That is still a very long distance which has been under debate for a long time.

In 2007, China sent survey teams out to the 15 Chinese provinces for the purpose of measuring every trace of the wall they could find and came up with 13,173 miles, taking into account all the walls that were ever built, whether standing or not.
​
The Great Wall of China is now designated as one of the "New Seven Manmade Wonders of the World" and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site visited by millions of tourists every year.

Zhou Dynasty (1045-256 BC)
Construction began around the 7th century BC by feudal warlords of the Zhou Dynasty, along the borders of states because they constantly warred against each other. The fortifications were built to withstand attacks by soldiers with small arms such as swords and spears.
​
They were constructed by stamping earth and gravel between board frames (rammed earth construction). The importance of this building method is that it doesn’t hold up to centuries of weather and wear. The original walls are essentially all gone, but although it sounds like flimsy construction, this method was surprisingly sturdy and fragments still exist today in spite of thousands of years of erosion.

​Qin Dynasty (221-210 BC)
Eventually, the state of Qin proved strongest and established the Qin Dynasty unifying the independent states under Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The walls in the northern part of China built by the states of Qin, Zhao, and Yan were joined into a single wall 3,100 miles long. This served as a line of defense against Mongol harassment from the north. Unfortunately, not much is left of this original construction.
​

        Emperor Qin Shi Huang
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QIn Dynasty (206 BC -220 AD)
During this dynasty, one of China's Golden Ages, China was consolidated. The northern fortifications were strengthened and lengthened. Sections of wall, for 5,000 miles, ran parallel to and interlinked with the Inner Mongolian border (including branching walls, natural barriers, and trenches). Just a little less than from Los Angeles, CA, USA, to London, England.
​
Medieval Dynasties (220 AD – 1385 AD)
Although construction and maintenance of the Great Wall continued through the feudal (220-960 AD) and Song (960-1279 AD) dynasties, the Jin (115-1234 AD) from the north and northwest got through the wall and controlled China until the Mongol Empire invaded the Jin and founded the Yuan Dynasty. (1271-1385 AD). I don't know the reason for the overlapping dates of the dynasties, but I'm sure there's a long explanation somewhere. T.M.I.                                                                            
Founder of Ming Dynasty Zhu Yuanzhaug

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​Ming Dynasty (1386 – 1644 AD)
Under the Ming Dynasty, which lasted for nine generations, renewed interest in the Great Wall resulted from several long battles with Manchurian and Mongolian tribes.

To keep them out, the Ming constructed walls along the northern border of China. But unlike the earlier walls, this construction proved stronger and more elaborate because they used bricks and stone instead of rammed earth. They built 25,000 watch towers and repaired the older parts of the wall. The map below compares the segments of the wall built before and during the Ming Dynasty.

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Most of the ruins and reconstruction we see today are from the Ming period. The maps also show a more connected wall. In 2009, another 180 miles of previously undetected parts of the wall, built during the Ming Dynasty, were discovered.

Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD)
In 1644, the Manshus crossed the wall, seized Beijing and established the Qing Dynasty, which ended Han control in China. Under Qing rule, because China's borders extended beyond the walls and Mongolia became part of the empire, construction and repairs on the Great Wall were discontinued.

Peoples Republic of China
While archeologists have been interested in the Great Wall for a long time, it wasn't until the People's Republic began restoration that any major work was done on the wall. The Badaling section, near Beijing, was opened to the public as a tourist attraction in 1955. Since then there has been more restoration of the Ming portions of the wall.

I visited the Badaling portion of the wall in 2001. The stone steps of the wall were uneven in height, although all of them seemed high, and the tread was narrower than my foot. Unless you were close to the side, which wasn't always possible with all the tourists, there was nothing to hold on to. I made it to the first tower, which was not very far. Only the young and healthy attempted to make it to the second tower.
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To the right is a photo of me and my friend Sandy Rodgers who traveled to China with me. The first tower is above our heads at top for first hill

Put The Great Wall On Your Bucket List
If you ever get a chance to go to China and visit the great wall, don't let the opportunity pass you by.

​◘

Resources
http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/cn/World%20Heritage%20Sites%20in%20China
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9314152/The-Great-Wall-of-China-more-than-twice-as-long-as-thought.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China
http://www.chinahighlights.com/greatwall/history/
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5510818_great-china-wall.html
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/archaeologists-identify-oldest-part-of-chinas-great-wall_100332573.htmlhttps://www.chinahighlights.com/greatwall/map.htm
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/history-china-industrial-parks-sophie-ji
http://www.china-mike.com/china-travel-tips/tourist-maps/great-wall-china/
http://www.great-wallofchina.com/contruction-of-the-great-wall-of-china.html
https://www.mapsofworld.com/travel/destinations/china/great-wall-of-china
 
 

 
 
 


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MARC ANTONY and CLEOPATRA: greatest love Stories Ever Told

1/19/2018

1 Comment

 
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VERSION OF THE STORY, PLAY, OR MOVIE?
"Some love stories are immortal. And the true love story of Antony and Cleopatra is one of the most memorable, intriguing and moving of all times…The relationship of Antony and Cleopatra is a true test of love." http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130190252,

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
This is a great love story everyone is familiar with – at least some version of the tale – and it has captured the interest of many from Shakespeare to Cecil B. DeMille, and presented in many stories, movies, plays, and artwork. According to historian Adrian Goldsworthy, most of the retellings of the love affair are less than accurate, so it's possible your favorite version of the story isn't quite the way it went.
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In this story our characters are historical and, because of who they were and the political roles they played, their tale seems to be of historical importance. We'll find out if it is or isn't.
Great love stories involving real people are difficult to tell because many are shaped by wars and struggles for power and domination. In studying the historical love stories, I find the external events drive the love story, making it difficult to separate the romantic and the historic aspects.         
You can't have one without the other.

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MARCUS ANTONIUS
Without getting into too much Roman history – because it is long, boring, and messy -- Marcus Antonius of Rome was Julius Caesar's second in command. After a civil war, when Caesar assumed his fifth and final consulship in 44 BC, Antony was his co-consul.

Antony heard rumors of the plot against Caesar, but was unable to warn him in time. After Caesar's death on the Ides of March, 44 BC, Antony took charge of Caesar's will, which named 17-year-old Octavian, Caesar's adopted son, as his heir.                                                                                                         
Statue of Marc Antony
                                                                                                                                
This made the three men of the triumvirate enemies of Octavian, the future emperor, but it put Antony at the pinnacle of power over the known world of the time. The map below shows the extent of the Roman Empire in 40 BC.

Octavian (Augustus Caesar)

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​CLEOPATRA
Cleopatra VII Philopator was the queen (pharaoh) of Egypt and the last monarch of the Ptolemaic Empire, part of the Macedonian empire established after the death of Alexander the Great. Legend claims she was not only beautiful but intelligent. She spoke nine languages, was skilled in mathematics and, although she is often considered a seductress, she was studying to be a nun.

It's probable that she was Macedonian Greek mixed with Egyptian blood, but no one knows for sure.

Cleopatra became queen at the age of 17 and ruled Egypt for 22 years. Her father, and later Cleopatra, were dependent on Rome to maintain the empire. Hence she became an ally and lover of Julius Caesar until his assassination in 44 BC. They had one son together.
​
THE STORY BEGINS WITH LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
After the death of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra was accused of being a party to his assassination. Mark Antony summoned her to his headquarters in Turkey, to explain herself. In 41 BC, she crossed the Mediterranean Sea to meet him. It's said she sailed up the Cydnus River in a decorated barge with purple sails, dressed as the Greek goddess Aphrodite.                                                 

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​It was love at first sight.
​
Well, maybe. But definitely each of them saw something they needed from the other. For Cleopatra, it was another chance to achieve power in Egypt and Rome. Antony was twenty years older than Cleopatra … so maybe he was having a mid-life crisis.

​According to a 2016 FactFiend article written by Karl Smallwood (http://www.factfiend.com/cleopatra-knew-make-first-impression/) they began their illicit love affair with "Cleopatra stripped naked save for her best come- to- bed- eyes and a shit ton of eye shadow and had her servants roll her inside of a gigantic carpet. She then gave the order to her slaves to deliver this carpet to Caesar’s room. When Caesar opened his door to greet the slaves, they unfurled the carpet at his feet revealing the naked Cleopatra who was now lying on the ground inviting him to into her private chambers."

I was confused by the use of the word Caesar and thought this referred to Julius Caesar. However, it's clear from the rest of the text that Smallwood is referring to the meeting of Cleopatra and Marc Antony, not Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. The word Caesar was the title given to a Roman emperor, especially from the reign of Augustus to that of Hadrian. Antony, at the time, was one of the three Caesar's who ruled the Roman Empire.

Regardless of how they got together, they became lovers, which put Egypt in powerful position. Cleopatra gave birth to twins shortly before Antony was forced to return from Egypt to Rome. They had a third child after he returned to Egypt.

They were married in Antioch, Syria, in 36 BC. As a wedding present, Antony gave her much of the middle east to rule. Soon, as is the tradition of many eastern monarchies, Antony and Cleopatra began presenting themselves as divine -- as gods. That was the last straw for Octavian. He declared war on Antony.

TRAGIC DEATHS
In the Battle of Actium, Greece, Antony and Cleopatra's combined forces lost to Octavian, and they fled back to Egypt. Octavian invaded Egypt and took over Alexandria.
​
There are two versions of Antony's death. The first, Antony heard Cleopatra had been killed and, in desperation and grief, fell on his sword and died. In the other version, Antony surrendered to Octavian and, following Roman tradition, committed suicide by falling on his sword.

      
Cleopatra                                     Marc Antony                              Octavius                               Julius Caesar

​
After Antony's death, Cleopatra was captured by Octavian who threatened to parade her through the streets of Rome as his prisoner. Either because her heart was broken by news of Antony's death, or because she was unable to bear the humiliation Octavian planned for her, on August 12, 30 BC, Cleopatra dressed in her royal robes, lay upon her golden couch with a diadem on her brow, and had an asp (an Egyptian cobra) brought to her concealed in a basket of figs.

By allowing the asp, a symbol of divine royalty, to bite her she would, according to Egyptian beliefs, become immortal. She was 39 years old when she died. Two female servants died with her.
​
THE WINNERS WRITE HISTORY
Considering who they were and the political roles they played in two great empires, it is, perhaps, surprising to realize neither Marc Antony nor Cleopatra changed the world in any significant way, unlike Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar. After all, the winners write history, and Antony and Cleopatra lost the war with Octavian who became Emperor Augustus Caesar of Rome.
​
Their love story, however, has inspired the world for centuries thanks, primarily, to Shakespeare and an innumerable number of plays, books, and movies.

​    
        Theda Bara                    Vivian Leigh and                       Rhonda Fleming and               Hilde Gardnel
​                                                    
Claude Reins  1945                   William Ludigan   1953            Charlton Heston
Leona Varela                                    Claudette Colber                            ElizabethTaylor                          Davies/ McIntosh
​Billy Zane                                        
William Warren                              Richard Burton
                                                    
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So, while Antony and Cleopatra may not have made any major contribution to the history of Western Civilization, their love story has outlasted and outshone the battles and wars of history. I'd say that's a significant feat as well as a testimonial for true love.
□                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Painting of The battle of Actium
​Resources
http://www.theholidayspot.com/valentine/stories/anthony_cleopatra.htm
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ptolemy-XII-Auletes
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130190252
http://www.biography.com/people/groups/mark-antony-and-cleopatra
http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/eng/lfletcher/ac/rcameron.html
http://www.ancient.eu/article/197/
http://www.shmoop.com/antony-cleopatra
http://www.portlandactors.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Antony-and-Cleopatra-Study-Guide.pdfhttp://www.datehookup.com/singles-content-historys-greatest-love-affair-cleopatra-and-mark-antony.htmhttp://spartacus-educational.com/ROMantcleo.htm
http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/antony.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/cleopatra.shtml
 
 



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THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

1/5/2018

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MEMORY IS WHO WE ARE
Memories make up the ongoing experience of our lives. Our collective memories provide us with a sense of past, present, and future, and make us who we are. Memory makes fictional characters who they are as well.

Memory is not something you have, like eyes or hair you can touch, but the active process of remembering which involves encoding sensory perceptions, storing them, and recalling information. It is a brain-wide process made up of a group of systems that work together, but each playing a different role, in creating, storing, and recalling memories.
The notion of memory being like a filing cabinet in one location of the brain is no longer the current scientific view of what memory entails.

As you learn and experience the world, and as changes occur at the synapses and dendrites,more connections in your brain are created. The brain organizes and reorganizes itself in response to your experiences, forming memories triggered by the effects of outside input.

As you learn and experience the world and changes occur at the synapses and dendrites, more connections in your brain are created. The brain organizes and reorganizes itself in response to your experiences, forming memories triggered by the effects of outside input prompted by experience, education, or training.

OH, MAN! HERE COMES THE BORING STUFF
The brain can process large amounts of information. How much depends on the source you're consulting, but all sources agree the brain can only register a limited amount of information taken in by our senses of sight, touch, sound, smell, feel (non-tangible such as mood).


We only store sensory information for fractions of a second in our short term memory. According to Richard C. Mohs, PhD, "Short-term memory has a fairly limited capacity; it can hold about seven items for no more than 20 or 30 seconds at a time."
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Then the data moves to parts of the frontal cortex responsible for analyzing the sensory inputs and deciding if they're worth remembering. If they are, they're shipped off to the various parts of long term memory. Much of it returns to the sensory cortex areas where the brain originally received it.


Picture
If you want to get into the complexity of neurotransmitters diffusing across the space between brain cells, I'd suggest you read these articles.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/human-memory.htm
http://www.human-memory.net/index.html

If our long term memories are essentially who we are and what we believe in, then everything we see and do is filtered through that lens. If three characters (or real people) walk into a room, they don't all see the same thing. Presumably all three will take in the gist of things without the details. Let's say they all perceive a luxurious-looking dining room with a large table set for a dinner party, and soft music playing in the background.

Picture

The important thing: we remember only those details which the brain chooses to store based on what the individual has learned and experienced.

See, that wasn't too bad, was it?

WHO WE ARE IS WHAT WE PERCEIVE

But since our brains only focus
on a fraction of the details, our filters kick in. We tend to focus on those things that matter or are important to us. Although humans seem to rely more heavily on sight, remember that sounds, vibrations, touch, smells, and a general sense of mood are all processed through the brain in the same way.

The architect ogles the dome above the center of the table, thinking about the construction and how effective other color treatments might be.
The wife of a diplomat may focus on the table settings, the flower arrangements, the fragrance of the candles, and the way in which this number of people are seated for lunch. She could care less about the dome. A musician might focus only on the music playing. I can guarantee that neither the architect or the musician will remember the color the placemats.

What your characters notice and perceive is a way of describing for the reader what matters to the character and what interests they have.

SEEING IS BELIEVING
Have you ever used that cliché? Most of us have. Unfortunately, what people see and experience is not necessarily an accurate record of reality.

Brain is good at taking in the general gist of things without taking in the details, particularly if you see the item, person, or scene frequently. Again, this applies to all the sensory inputs although, as mentioned, humans
rely heavily on sight. The brain, however, receives, processes, and stores information that the individual is not aware of at the particular moment.

On the History Chanel production of "Our Bleeped Up Brain," the host challenged people to pick out, from the picture below, which penny is the actual penny (which is something we all see all the time) from several false images. Do you know off hand which is the correct depiction of the US penny? Respond to the blog with your choice of the correct coin...BEFORE you look at a real one, please.
Picture
The point is, the brain recognizes a penny without necessarily registering the details. Have you ever looked at a family member, co-worker or someone else you know well and had the feeling something is different about them...but you don't know what?

Your brain recognizes who the person is from general indicators and fills in the details from memory (the way it has been seeing the person). It may take a while before you realize that she cut her hair or that he shaved off his beard.

So, seeing (smelling, hearing, touching, ) is not always believing. First, because a good story teller can get people to believe almost anything. Second, everything we see is filtered through our own individual values, beliefs, and our perceptions of what is important. Third, because the brain fills in the details.

Probably the best illustration of not necessarily believing what you see is an optical illusion.
Our minds can be tricked into seeing things that aren't there or are different than reality. This is the one I like the best. Above are two photographs of body painting by Craig Tracy.

FLASHBACKS
People have flashback, just like characters in books. A flashback, in the more medical sense, it an involuntary memory in which an individual has a sudden powerful re-experiencing of a past event, such as suffers of PTSD. A flashback can be, to some people, like reliving the experience, particularly when it's a traumatic or highly emotional event.

Most of the time, humans simply remember something about another time, place, event, or incident. That isn't like reliving the event or watching a movie, although it can evoke sounds, smells, and emotions.

First, to simply "recall" something, our memory/brain requires a retrieval cue or trigger. You have to see, hear, smell, or receive other stimulus that makes you pull that memory out of its storage places in your brain, partly because you may not have been aware of it when it went into storage.

Second, remembering is a process of reconstructing what may have happened based on the details your brain chose to store during the experience and, afterward, was able to recall. So those particulars which the brain didn't choose to store won't be there for you.

Third, the retrieval cue itself makes a difference what is recalled. The more specific the cue, the more complete the memory. But the cue can also influence the memory. Asking a person if he saw a car speeding away from a hit and run accident and, then, asking if he remembers the color of the car, may give you one answer. Asking if the person saw a red Ford speeding away from the accident will almost always get an answer that the person saw a red car, even if that wasn't the color.

So, the trigger itself may cause someone to reconstruct the memory incorrectly. I believe that's part of the reason many of us have selective memories.

Flashback and internal thinking are tools of the trade for writers. It's important to remember fictional characters have the same kind brain as we do. When a character thinks about how she first met her husband, it doesn't just come out of thin air while she's driving to work and worrying about the project she's working on, unless something triggers the memory.

I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS ONLY A YEAR OLD...
One more thing about memories. It might be possible to remember something from when you were a year old, but not probable.

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While infants use their memories to learn, most people can't actually remember events before the age of three. That's because the parts of an infant's brain dealing with memory need about two years to develop fully. Early childhood memories are lost (usually by the age of seven) in a phenomenon known as "childhood amnesia." (Freud)

Many times there are early childhood events which have been described by others so often that a person believes these are his own real memories. General Patton believed in reincarnation and was convinced he had fought in, and personally remembered having participated in, the famous battles in history.

Be sure your characters' memories and motivations from early childhood events are generally possible, unless you can explain why this individual is different than the norm.

WHAT'S YOUR ANSWER TO THE PENNY QUESTION?
Write a comment giving the number of the correct image of the penny. Then go compare that to a real penny and see if you were right.
(I'm not going to give you the answer.)

References
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/how-memory-works.html
http://www.history.com/shows/your-bleeped-up-brain/episodes
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/brain.aspx
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/aprilholladay/2007-03-12-memory-first_N.htm
http://www.human-memory.net/brain.html
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/brain.aspx
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_pieces_of_information_can_the_human_brain_process_in_one_second
http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5006337_human-brain-remember-things.html
http://www.willamette.edu/~gorr/classes/cs449/brain.html
http://home.comcast.net/~momtofive/SIDWEBPAGE2.htm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2659620/Memories-really-ARE-Researchers-uncover-brain-decides-remember.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/humanbody/brain.html
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/The_average_age_of_the_earliest_reported_memory_is_roughly_years_of_age
http://www.psychicsdirectory.com/articles/general-george-patton-and-reincarnation/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140124135705.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childhood_amnesia
http://www.human-memory.net/processes.html


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    Author R. Ann Siracusa

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