What I Saw

I’ve mentioned, before, the lack of luck I generally have in photographing butterflies (and cool moths).

This southern dogface sulphur butterfly stopped long enough in Smelter Wash for a pose. Click to enlarge. Scroll for additional photos. Photo by Kathy Becraft.

My bad-butterfly luck changed last week during a hike through a remote Arizona wash. During the early morning, butterflies were everywhere, drawn to the sudden proliferation of purple desert-variety morning glory flowers and vines that snaked through the wash.

My frustration as these winged insects skittered about, wandering in a seemingly aimless path – and the fact that I just couldn’t get the shot – was rewarded when a few of them did come to rest. See additional photos below.

For Writers: How you craft your novel is your choice – whether you’re a planner or a ‘pantser’ (fly-by-the-seat-of). Both are completely acceptable and can result in delicious fiction. But in the end, your completed story cannot take the meandering path of the butterfly. Or you’ll lose your readers.

Yes, it’s true. It does happen … we’ve all read published novels that seem to go in loops – or go nowhere. I’m currently reading a novel that seems to lack focus and is an all-over-the-place smorgasbord of flashbacks. In fact, in some parts of the novel, flashbacks from three different eras are thrown all together. Confusing! I’m still reading and giving the book the ‘benefit of the doubt’ because the author is a NYTs bestseller (whom I’ve loved). But I have to be honest: the sporadic “butterflyesque” structure of the novel is distracting me.

A good read is one in which flashbacks are used sparingly – and peppered throughout – so that readers don’t get one giant dose of back story (or multiple giant doses). A good read is one that has rhythm and flow, yet tension and fluidity. A good read shows a natural progression as a character faces some obstacle or life change. We want to see how that character meets the challenge. Logically. We don’t want to bounce around the story with seemingly unnecessary scenes or characters that don’t advance the plot.

I didn’t think about it at the time of my hike, but oddly enough, it seems that butterflies and their jerky, uncontrolled movements revealed a lot about writing.

During my morning jog (and yes, it was a glorious 68 degrees this morning! Wahoo!), I witnessed something that I didn’t think happened in nature.

I came upon a tarantula “digging” a hole. He was excavating dirt away from the entry to his den. I honestly didn’t think they dug their own homes. But then, again, maybe he found some other burrow and was just tidying around the front door before settling in?

At any rate: a cool event. Photo below is from a different tarantula – equally impressive. Have I mentioned that I think tarantulas are cute?

This giant tarantula showed up under the breezeway a few weeks ago. He was at least the size of some of the kanagroo rats in the area – maybe five inches by three inches! Tarantulas get a bad rap and are not aggressive or poisonous. The worst they'll do, if threatened and roughly handled, is shoot some hairs from their abdomen onto you. OK. They also can bite, but only if provoked.Click to enlarge.