Write On Wednesday - Fresh Start

This week's prompt for Write on Wednesday asks the question:

What fresh new ideas do you have for your writing?

My muse has been abuzz with so many new ideas over the past few weeks. I think having a break for the holidays has really helped.

My first goal is to try and get the novel I wrote for this year's NaNoWriMo project into some kind of organized form. I have a writing mentor who keeps telling me time and time again: "Get it down on the paper!" After that, you can polish, edit and fluff until your hearts content. This is what I did - I have the basic story written in 55,000 words. Now I need to polish it so it will shine!

I also have two young adult books I want to complete and hopefully seek publication this year. It has always been a dream of mine to write a Young Adult series, so I have been persuing this dream.

Then last night, I had a story idea grab a hold of me during supper - literally pulled me away from the table. I picked up my notebook and started writing furiously. After an hour of solid writing, I picked up the laptop and started transcribing from my notes. Before I went to bed, I had 8 solid pages - almost 2,500 words!!

I've also discovered another writing prompt blog I've become addicted to - The One-Minute Writer. You get a daily prompt and then you write for 60 seconds. I try really hard to stay in the 60 second time frame, but sometimes I go over. Sometimes that 60 seconds of writing will lead to a continuation over several pages.

Of course, I still love the following writing prompt blogs: Sunday Scribblings, Musing Mondays, Totally Optional Prompts, Write on Wednesday (of course), Fictional Friday and Cafe Writing.

Friday night is the monthly meeting of my local writer's group: The Community of Mercer County Writers, or The Ink Blots as we sometimes call ourselves. I have finished both of the assignments for our meeting - hopefully I will be posting them here very soon. I also will be picking up with a local writing workshop I started attending in November: Speaking Out Mercer. I have finished the assignment for this class, but I'm afraid I won't be able to read it without crying; so I've started another piece, just to be on the safe side.

So far, 2009 has started out with a bang - at least in terms of my writing. Here's to many, many more pages for the next 12 months!

What Jade Left Behind

Redbubble Challenge - “What they left behind in 2008”.

What Jade Left Behind in 2008

Jade looked at the worn journal with envy and awe. Ten years of observations - it couldn’t possibly be over, could it? She knew today would eventually come, but she was not ready for the swiftness, or the emotions choking through her brain.

For 10 years now, she knew 2008 would be the final year. No more friendship, no more love, no more anything on this third rock from the Sun. Ten years, this was all she had been given. At the time Jade made the deal, 10 years seemed like an eternity, but it had passed in the blink of an eye.

How could she leave her new home? How could she survive the rest of her life without the new friends, new love she had found on this alien planet?

Jade’s eyes filled with tears as she picked up the journal and bid her old life goodbye.

One-Minute Writer - Senses

Today's One-Minute Writing Prompt: Senses

If you had to lose one of your five senses, which would you choose?

I really don't want to lose any of my senses, but if I had to lose one it would be speech. I am a writer, so it is easy for me to get my point across with words - I do it every day.

There are too many natural, wonderful things to smell - flowers, plants, food, even family and friends have their own scents.

There are too many textural substances to touch - a baby's soft skin, feathers on a duck, the coarseness of rocks, your loved one's face.

There are too many yummy things to taste - the perfect pizza, a tangy lime, velvety chocolate, even the hot sauce my daughter loves so much.

There are to many frequencies of things to hear - my favorite rock 'n roll music, the sound of my honey's voice, the buzz of the bees, the rush of water over a falls.

Yes, I would be afraid to lose all of these, but verbal speech is the sense I could do without. But thanks to God, I have been blessed with all 5 senses and I'll be forever grateful!

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Hitting the Big Time

For the past 12+ years, I've had a monthly column in our local magazine - Mercer's Magazine. For the past 3 months I've had a weekly column in the local paper - The Harrodsburg Herald. For a town with roughly 20,000+ residents, I've been proud of the work I do.

But this week, I've hit the big time. For the past 2 days, I've had blog posts printed in a regional newspaper - The Lexington Herald-Leader. To say I'm excited is an understatement.

I have been blogging on the Herald-Leader's break-away website - Bluegrass Moms - for just under a year and I've picked up a few more readers for my personal blogs. Now I'm hoping this added exposure will lead to something more.

Here are the links to the 2 published posts: Being the Best and Anti-Resolutions.

One-Minute Writer - Time

Today's One-Minute Writing Prompt: Time

What do you need to make more time for?

TIME

Time is elusive
It never ceases
No matter how hard we try
Time keeps marching by

What time is it now
Where did time go
I don't have enough time
When will there be time

Time slows for no man
It ravages every day
Until our time is up and gone
From every dusk and dawn

My Muse and Me

Musing Monday

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about library books…

Do you have a system for borrowing out books from the library? Do you know what you're going to borrow before you get there? How often do you borrow out books?

I love my public library! This love affair has been going on since I was 8 years old. Over the past 40 years, our library has grown and expanded and we are looking for the future remodeling project to start late this spring - it will be doubling in size!

I typically go to the library 2 or 3 times per week. Because I am a book reviewer for the public library, I'm always putting books on reserve or the librarians are calling me with a new book. I always go to the library on Wednesday afternoons; this is the day I take my youngest daughter.

I usually know what I'm going after before I get to the library. Our library system is on-line, so I can check to see what new books are available. The on-line system also allows me to reserve books and to check my reading history. Checking the reading history comes in handy after you've reviewed so many books - sometimes I'll have a "senior moment" and forget what I've read.

I typically have 6 to 8 books out of the library at any one time. Of course, this counts children's picture books and young adult books in addition to the adult fiction and non-fiction. I do reviews weekly, so I try to have a balance of reviews to appeal to a wider range of people. My usual "book nook" column will have 2 children/young adult reviews, one adult fiction and one non-fiction.

Of course, I also love the interlibrary loaning. This makes it possible for me to read books my library doesn't have. Occasionally I will read a book our library doesn't have and if it is a great book, I'll recommend it to the librarians.

All in all, the public library is my favorite place to be. Not only can I check out great books and DVDs, but there is a large research area and a section for newspapers and magazine.

I think everyone from - no matter what the age - should have a library card. Libraries open up opportunities you never thought possible.

(The first picture is the actual logo for the Mercer Public Library in Harrodsburg, Kentucky)

One-Minute Writer - Waiting

Today's One-Minute Writing Prompt: Waiting

What are you waiting for?

We seem to spend our whole lives waiting for something! This year I am waiting on my two oldest daughters to get married - one in June, one in October. On second thought, this means I'll have two different days I have to put up with my ex-husband - bummer!!

This year I'm going to try and not say "I'm waiting on this", or "I'm waiting on that." I want to try to live in the moment.

Of course, living in a rural community, I always have to wait on a train to clear the tracks ...

Sunday Scribblings #144 - For Richer or Poorer

Sunday Scribblings #144 - for richer or poorer

Twists of fortune, wedding vows, the woes of the economy, dreams of riches. You might write about what it was like being a poor college student, or what you'd do if you won the lottery. Or about what true riches are, or different kinds of poverty: poverty of the spirit, of the imagination, of the pocket. Have you ever encountered true poverty? How about ridiculous wealth? Most of us probably fall in the huge spectrum in between, but if you've had any experiences with the extremes, it might be interesting to write about that.

I grew up in a typical lower-middle class family - mom, dad and three kids. We lived in a rural subdivision and both my parents worked. We didn't have oodles of money, but there was always enough for bills, food and the ocassional drive-in movie on a Saturday night.

When I married the first time, I was only 17 year old (yeah, I know, I was crazy). The first 6 months of our marriage, I was busy finishing my senior year of high school - after that my husband and I both worked. Then 3 years later, along came baby number one, and I became a stay-at-home mom, because we couldn't afford a baby-sitter. Money was very tight and there was no extra left over at the end of each month. By our 5th year of marriage, we had 2 children and financially, things were going downhill really fast. We divorced after 6 years of marriage - it didn't end well.

For the next 4 years, I was a single mother working full-time at Pizza Hut and going to college full-time to become a Registered Nurse. To say times were tough is an understatement!! Even with working and getting a few scholarships, there was no money. I'm ashamed to admit, I had to sign up for food stamps just to feed my children. I lost count of the number of times my electricity or water were cut off!

But those 4 long, hard years paid off and I began working as a full-time Registered Nurse, making more money than I ever thought possible ($10 an hour - this was 1987). I was also remarried to a wonderful man who treated me and my children like queens! Now we had money and I didn't know how to act.

Unfortunately, during the next 15 years, I had a tendency to spend more money than I should - after all, I was getting paid well and I continued to get pay increases every year. I wasn't as frugal with my money as I should have been, but I guess we all learn lessons the hard way.

After almost 20 years as a Registered Nurse, and after raising 3 children, my hubby allowed me to retire from my job. The stress and anxiety from working in the medical field were taking a toll on my mind and body. I was thankful not to have to work in the high stress environment any longer.

I am starting my 4th year away from nursing. I work part-time as a church secretary and I am very happy. We no longer have any disposable income, but that's okay - I don't have the desire to "keep up with the Jones" like I did. My hubby and I are healthy and happy and that makes us rich beyond our means. I'm looking forward to many more years of retired living.

One-Minute Writer - Alien

Today's One-Minute Writing Prompt: Alien

You've been hired to write for a science fiction series. Describe an alien race you create.

The star-nymphs travel from planet to planet, observing different types of races. They can assume the shape of any flying creature in existence. They think humans are funny and they love to play tricks on them - disguising themselves as flies and mosquitoes!

They are the smartest creatures in the universe and they can blink in and out of galaxies without any artifical means. They are peace loving and use their powers to end wars on barbaric planets. They mate for life and can live for over a thousand years.

Anti-Resolutions

Annie from Annie On Writing tagged me for this unusual about anti-resolutions. It's meant to get your creativity going… so please play along..

The rules:
• List ten things you resolve not to do in the upcoming year.
• Be as creative as possible.
• Post them on your blog and leave a link to your blog in your comments to this post - oh and invite other writers you know to either visit Annie's post - or mine - or yours - or all of them and post THEIR links to them.

1.) I will not let the public know that I was a passenger on Oceanic Flight 815 when it crashed. I've been living on this damn island for 5 years now, but because of the internet it's been hard to pin-point my LOST location.

2.) I will not post on Ebay the potato I grew last summer that looked like the Virgin Mary. I may post the carrot shaped like George Carlin, but not the potato.

3.) I will not force my daughter to work at the drive-in theater just so I can get free popcorn when I watch a movie. This doesn't include the yummy, chargrilled cheeseburgers - Must. Have. More.

4.) I will not drop Mentoe into a 2 liter of Coke while my neighbor is out sunbathing. On second thought, maybe she'll put some clothes on ...

5.) I will not walk backwards around my neighborhood and tell the little kiddies that gravity is now working sideways.

6.) I will not answer the phone "Joe's Pool Hall, Joe speaking" in an attempt to keep my brother-in-law from calling the house.

7.) I will refuse to accept the crown for "Supreme Ruler of the World" this year - everyone knows it is bad luck to accept the crown during an odd year.

8.) I will not use special hidden messages from my blog posts to send signals to space aliens from another galaxy. Everyone knows they can't read English!

9.) I will not knit any more scarves for the house gnomes that live under my staircase.

10.) I will not substitue ExLax for chocolate in my homemade chocolate cake in an attempt to "have my cake, eat it too, and lose weight."

One-Minute Writing - First impression

Today's One-Minute Writing Prompt: First impression

Write what might go through someone's mind--or what you hope goes through their mind--when they first meet you.

Smiling
Friendly
Wife
Mother
Daughter
Short and squatty
Unconcerned with appearances
Helpful and considerate
Worry Wart
Empathic
Polite
Reader
Writer
Crafter
Gardener

Fiction Friday - Aunt Butter's Resolution

Fiction Friday Challenge for January 2, 2009:

Take a favorite character you have created. Pick a New Year’s Resolution that they truly intended to keep. Now, why did they break it within 24 hours?

Aunt Butter rarely made New Years resolutions - what was the point?? But after the devastating happenings of last year, she had sworn this year would be different. She made the resolution on the 2nd day of the New Year:

"I don't care what the town folk think about me - I'm not going to let anyone else into my life - so help me God!"

All of Aunt Butter's children had moved away from Grasshopper Holler, leaving her for lives in much bigger cities. Oh, they called often and wrote letters, but they rarely ever visited the tiny rural town of their birth.

The town folk thought Butter was "that crazy woman from the mountains", but they always came to her when the town doctor couldn't fix their aches and pains. Butter had learned the ways of herbal medicine from old Flora Bottoms - but Mrs. Bottoms was dead now, and Butter had picked up her cause.

All week long, Butter tended her herb garden up on Posey Ridge - a short 3 miles from the center of Grasshopper Holler. On Saturdays, she hauled her harvest into town and set up shop in the Apothecary. Doc Harper now depended on Butter to supply herbs and tonics for many of his older patients, so Butter worked long and hard to infuse tonics, make poultices and distill tonics.

For almost 12 years, Butter had worked alone, staying away from the town folk who thought she was crazy. She had every intention of remaining alone. That was, until Ginger came into her life.

Butter made her New Years resolution on Friday, January 2. The next day on Saturday, she found the little girl asleep under a bench behind the Apothecary. Neither of their lives would ever be the same.

"Lands sake, child! What're ya doing sleepin there?"

The child awoke and was startled by the woman towering over her. The woman looked scary with wild frizzy hair escaping from an old fisherman's hat on her head and both hands planted squarely on her large hips.

"Come on outta there, child. You must be half starved to death." Butter squatted down and extended a hand to the little girl.

And little girl she was - barely 11 years old and skinny as a rail. The girl hesitated only a minute, but then came quickly out from under the bench.

"Come on inside, let's find you something to eat. What's ya name, child?"

"Ginger," whispered the girl.

"Well, Ginger, after a bite to eat, ya can help me with my tonics. Doc Harper will be waitin for 'em, so I don't have time to babysit ya."

Later, as the girl finished devouring the sausage and biscuits Butter had planned on eating for lunch, and drinking the sweet tea from the thermos, Ginger told Butter about her mother dying. She was all alone in the world now and had no where else to go. She had run away from Tater Knob, a town some 15 miles away, because she didn't want to go to foster care.

As the girl began crushing the dried comfrey leaves in a mortar and pestle, Butter knew she would never be able to keep the New Years resolution. This little girl needed a family and home, and Butter needed someone to care about and love. It was a win-win situation.

She scolded the girl - in a loving way - and showed her the proper way to crush the leaves. Together, the girl and the old woman mixed tonics and a true friendship was born.

Aunt Butter is a character I created during a writing workshop in October. She is still a character under development, but I'm enjoying learning more about her.

One-Minute Writing - Resolutions

Today's One-Minute Writing Prompt: Resolutions

What resolution will you not make this year because you know you'd probably break it?


I'm not going to make the resolution this year to lose weight - I do this every year and I fail miserabley.

However, I will make a resolution to become healthier. I need to start taking better care of myself, get more exercise and try to get my entire family to eat a little healthier. If the by-product of this is weight loss, more power to me!!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all my readers!!! Here's to a bright and shiny 2009!!

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