Silence or breaking silence? Deciding or not deciding? Showing up or not showing up?

As a writer, I have difficulty sticking to word counts. A magazine article might limit me to 800 words; a newspaper’s Opinion Page around 300; even my book. One editor informed me that the reading public has an attention span of around 250 – 300 pages, so, then, is the trick to use a smaller font? On my second book, after adding 190 photos, family quotes and the 10 commandments of the Cabin, we landed at 222 pages. Heather and I quickly looked up the significance of that number and read:

“In numerology and spiritual contexts, the number 222 is often seen as a symbol of balance, harmony, and spiritual alignment, encouraging trust in the universe and focusing on relationships and partnerships.”

What a very good place to call it a wrap!

Today, I’m exploring the genre of SIN PALABRAS, those “Without Words” moments that allow the viewer to catch what they can, bring their own experiences in to the understanding. Think of artwork in general. The saying that “Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder” also works with “in the mind of the critical thinker.”

While a student in Spain, I was introduced to the works of Quino, the Argentine creator of Mafalda. Mafalda is a cartoon featuring a six-year-old girl and her cadre of friends. Her name means “strong in battle” from the Germanic “maht” meaning “battle” and “hild” meaning “strength.” All of her friend’s names represent a layer to their personalities and often morphed into cultural and political undertones. Libertad, Liberty, is portrayed by a diminutive girl-child in a time of Argentina’s Dirty War. Often Quino’s cartoons came in the form of Sin Palabras. The messages could be interpreted as innocent scenes, such as children wrapping bandages around the globe with much deeper implications perceived by the adult viewer.