Happy Thoughts

This week's Write on Wednesday prompt:

How do you find positive things to write about in these troubled times? Do you think the written word has the power to effect positive change?



Although times are truly depressing, I try really hard not to let this effect my writing. Truthfully, even though I love for people to read my works, I write for myself. It is the passionate part of my creative side and it has to come out one way or another.

I try to stay positive by writing about my children or my family. I'm working on journals for my oldest 2 daughters - both are getting married this year - so this is an upbeat project with lots of happy memories. As far as blog posts are concerned, I try hard to stay away from negative topics, but if I'm going to be negative, it is usually on my Rants blog - after all, what are rants for?

I do think the written word has the power to effect positive change. I have personally been effected by some of the words I've read. In the new age of Obama, his written words are translated in the speeches he gives, and I have been inspired by his optimism and passion.

One of my favorite quotes of Abraham Lincoln is:

"All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind."

This is what I try to do in my life, plant flowers instead of thistles, but sometimes it is not as easy as it sounds.

After suffering debilitating depression for much of my adult life and unstoppable grief for the past few years, trying to remain upbeat has been a struggle for me. But I know I'm the one setting the example in my family, so if I don't pull myself together the family might come unraveled. So I try to start each day with a positive thought and I end each day with a positive thought - this is not easy, but it is something I try to do. Believe it or not, writing these positive thoughts in a journal makes the thought more real, more concrete.

Looking back over these old journals, I am constantly surprised at the positive energy I was able to convey with just my written words.

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Jade's Mystery

One-Minute Writer Friday Fiction: Mystery

Friday Fiction is your chance to write a brief bit of fiction each week. Get creative making stuff up--and have fun!

Describe the moment a character solves a mystery.

JADE'S MYSTERY


Slowly, Jade sat up and looked around. All she could see were green things above her head. She had landed flat on her back, but found she could easily move, so no bones were broken.

She had accepted the assignment to come to the humanoid planet, but looking at the desolation around her, she was beginning to have second thoughts.

Jade stood up and surveyed the landscape. Although she had study for two years to learn the behaviors of the inhabitants on Earth, she was not prepared to be dropped off into this barren wilderness.

"Where are the towns?" Jade took a worn leather journal out of her knapsack and began thumbing through the pages.

"Metropolitan cities, large cities, small cities - but where are the cities?" She walked a few paces down a small slope into a clearing. Looking out over the abyss, all she could see for miles and miles was more greenery, just like the area she landed in.

Jade was prepared for cities with their fossil fuel cars and pollution. She was prepared for hundreds of thousands of people crammed into these cities. She was even prepared to make friends and infiltrate the people of the cities. But she was not prepared for all this greenery, even if her skin was also a lovely shade of green.

Flipping through the journal, she finally found what she was looking for.

"Mountains, forests, woods - places were trees, plants and other vegetation grow. These green things supply Earth with clean oxygen they require in order to breath and live. Ah," thought Jade, "my teletransportation must have missed the mark. Instead of landing near a city, I've landed in the mountains."

Swinging her knapsack over her narrow shoulders, Jade started walking down the mountain, heading for civilization. Heading for the people she would live with and observe for the next 10 years.

(This is another snippet of the Adventures of Jade)

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Write on Wednesday

Write on Wednesday is alive and well! Here is this week's prompt:

Is your writing life healthy these days? How do you keep your writing life alive? What are some of the remedies you use to revive it?

Fortunately, my writing life seems to be in overdrive since the beginning of the year. Not only do I continue to have a weekly book review column in The Harrodsburg Herald, a monthly column in Mercer's Magazine, a blog on Bluegrass Moms, and several personal blogs - I've also picked up a new writing gig as a community blogger (Mercer County) for the Lexington Herald-Leader.

In addition, I remain active in 2 writing groups in my hometown: The Mercer Community of Writers (Nomadic Ink) and Speaking Out II. For Nomadic Ink, I'm working on a personal essay about "March Winds". We will be having a community reading on March 15th, so everyone is writing on the same topic. For Speaking Out, we are analzying a poem and writing our thoughts and feelings.

I continue to plug away at 3 books I'm working on. One will be a personal essay collection with my Mercer's Magazine stories, so I am basically working on the editing process - my least favorite thing about writing. At the moment, I'm stuck half-way through an adult fiction book - The Baby Bones. I'm 65,000 words in, but now I have no idea where the story is leading. The other book I'm working on - The Harrodsport Chronicles - is a young adult fiction and it is moving along much smoother - I have 37,000 words on this one.

As if this weren't enough to keep me busy, I am working on a personal journal for each of my 2 oldest daughters. They are both getting married in 2009 - OMG, panic!! - and I am making keepsake journals from their lives. The first wedding is in June, so I hope to have her journal ready.

In order to maintain this "high demand" schedule I have imposed upon myself, I typically break my day down in several ways. Early morning before work I typically journal or work on personal essays. In early afternoon, after work, I work on one of the books. After supper is usually when I do my blogging, although sometimes I'll blog a post in the morning. Late at night is when I allow myself to creative write and use my imagination. Because I have chronic insomnia, I'm usually up until 2 every morning - sometimes later.

I have so many ideas that float through my head on a daily basis, so I keep a journal just for my ideas and thoughts. Whenever I'm stuck for an idea, then I can open this journal and find some good inspiration. Also, like Becca, I re-read some of my favorite authors if I'm in desparate need of inspiration.

As you can see, at this point in my life I'm having no problem with keeping my writing alive. In fact, sometimes I'm afraid writing is taking over my life. I still have time to read (obviously, since I do book reviews) and knit, plus have quality time with my family.

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One-Minute Writer - Neighbor

Today's One-Minute Writing Prompt: Neighbor

If you could pick any famous person to live next door to you, who would it be?

Actually, I'd be very happy if no one lived next door to me. As it is, my kooky neighbors are driving me crazy!

I would be happiest living in the country with the closest neighbor several miles away.

Of course, if I was forced to have a neighbor, Johnny Depp or Tim Burton would be my pics! Johnny is nice to look at and Tim is an excellent writer.

Write on Wednesday

Becca has given us a little busy work for you this week, while she's away on a trip.
This week's Write on Wednesday asks several questions:

What’s your favourite genre of writing?
I have many genre I enjoy reading: fantasy, vampire, science fiction and romance, just to name a few.

How often do you get writer’s block?
I don't get writer's block in the normal sense of the word. I have no trouble coming up with ideas to write about, but my problem is with follow-through. Sometimes I will give up on a story before it is finished. I will occasionally go back to these past works, but many times they languish in a file, never to be seen again.

How do you fix it?
Sometimes I will have ideas out of the blue that pertain to stories I have started in the past. In the past few years I have started keeping a journal of ALL stories I've started, this way when ideas come out of nowhere, I am able to quickly find the story I'm looking for.

Do you type or write by hand?
Normally, I do rough drafts in longhand. There is just something about using ink on crisp white pieces of paper. When I'm happy with the rough draft, then I'll start a computer file.

Do you save everything you write?
Unfortunately, yes! My children will have so many boxes of journals, files and old stories to go through when I'm gone, I feel sorry for them already!

Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it?
Many times I'll return to an old idea - sometimes I can refreshen the idea, sometimes I change it all together.

Do you have a constructive critic?
My hubby is my editor and he is good at giving constructive editing critiques. But recently, my most constructive critic is the leader of my writing group. He has been able to help me hone my skills and make my stories and essays better.

Did you ever write a novel?
I have written two novels and am working on three more. Have I ever had one of them published? No, but I continue to hope and I continue to put my work out there.

What genre would you love to write but haven’t?
I would love to write a thriller, but I haven't been able to come up with a good idea yet. Maybe in the future ...

What’s one genre you have never written, and probably never will?
Science fiction. Although I love reading sci-fi, I've never had any desire to write about sci-fi adventures.

How many writing projects are you working on right now?
I am working on an adult book (mystery) and two young adult books (both fantasy). I am working on my monthly column for my local magazine, Mercer's Magazine, and my weekly book review column for the Mercer Public Library and Harrodsburg Herald. I am also working on two stories for two different writing workshops, in addition to polishing several pieces to enter into a writing contest (deadline January 31st).

Do you write for a living? Do you want to?
Writing is currently a hobby for me, but I would love to write for a living. Even though I have a monthly column in a local magazine and a weekly column in the local newspaper, these are not paying jobs.

Have you ever written something for a magazine or newspaper?
Yes, see previous two answers.

Have you ever won an award for your writing?
No, but I continue to enter writing contests.

What are your five favourite words?
Love, happiness, peace, imagination and willful (but ask me again next week because these will change)!

Do you ever write based on your dreams?
I have written an occasional story based on my dreams. The problem is, I don't dream very often, and when I do, I have trouble remembering them.

Do you favour happy endings, sad endings, or cliff-hangers?
If the book is part of a series, I love cliff-hangers! I also enjoy both happy and sad endings - depending on the type of story.

Have you ever written based on an artwork you’ve seen?
I have recently had some writing prompts based on artwork or photos. I have enjoyed this type of writing and plan to pursue more in the future.

If you’ve answered all these questions, give yourselves a huge gold star and pat on the back. Now go off and do some real writing.

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!

Write On Wednesday

This week's Write on Wednesday prompt:

Do you find that physical activity inspires your creativity? What’s works best for you - walking, running, dancing, kickboxing? How do you get in touch with your body, and use that awareness to inform your writing? How do you keep your body and mind in balance?

I love walking my dog, but other than that, I'm not very physical. I realize I need to incorporate more physical activity into my life, but I'd rather be reading, writing or knitting!

The thing that really inspires my creativity is meditation. I try to meditate for at least 15 minutes every morning - more if I have the time. I work as a church secretary, so my meditation most often occurs in the dark, quiet sanctuary of the church. These quiet moments help to center my life and open me up for more creativity.

I do realize that inactivity has a damaging effect on my body - this is evident whenever I spend a marathon session at the computer keyboard or with the knitting needles. My joints get stiff and my muscles scream for mercy. I have realized the fact I need to get up every hour and stretch my muscles and work my joints. This helps to alleviate some of the stiffness.

In addition to my morning meditation, I try to spent a few minutes before drifting off to sleep trying to relax my mind and body. I systematically stiffen one muscle group at a time and then slowly release to total relaxation. I start with my feet and work up my body. I typically fall asleep while doing deep breathing exercises. This routine helps to give me a restful sleep and it keeps bad thoughts from haunting my dreams.

Being in tuned body, mind and soul takes practice and it is not always a perfect blending. Practice makes perfect, so I strive to find the best balance in my life.

(Photos by EasyArt and GoodAware)

Write On Wednesday

This week's Write on Wednesday prompt is:

So tell me, what are the areas closest to your heart? What aspects of your life in general do you find yourself sharing in writing? Do you enjoy reading/writing personal essays? Who are some of your favorite essayists?

Extra Credit (from The Right to Write): In your journal, list 50 things you’re proud of about yourself…what does this list tell you about the things you value most?

I think my family is closest to my heart, so I typically write about them. For my monthly column in the Mercer's Magazine I tend to write about memories from my childhood or from my children's childhoods. Personal essays are probably my favorite type of writing, mainly because it comes easy to me. Also, I have kept a journal / diary since I was 11 years old, so I have a lot of information to draw from. I don't know who said "Write what you know", but this is something I do in most of my writing.

I enjoy reading personal essays. For some reason, reading other people's memories and recollections gives me a greater sense of self. You get to know a person better when you read about those personal, private moments from their lives.

I enjoy reading David Sedaris - he has such a humorous way to describing life! His sister, Amy Sedaris, is just as witty and funny! I also enjoy reading essays by Chris Buckley, Joel Stein and Chelsa Handler. Erma Bombeck has also been a favorite and I still occasionally pick up one of her books.

Of course, creative writing is a different beast all together, but I still throw in things I know about.

Write On Wednesday

This week's Write On Wednesday:

How about you? Do you do writing exercises or warm ups? Do you think they could be valuable? Have you found warm up exercises helpful in some other area of your life, e.g. art, music, athletics?

Extra Credit: Try one of Johnson’s exercises above, and post about your experiences. Or create an exercise of your own and share it.

When I'm journaling, the words seem to come easy and I can flow through the day with little effort. However, sometimes when I'm working on creative projects, I find the muse can be a little stubborn.

One thing I have learned in a recent workshop is how to use "jump starts" to get my creative juices flowing. It can be as simple as picking a headline out of the newspaper, or a quirky quote I heard on TV. After writing down my jump start, then I write non-stop for 20 minutes about that subject and nothing else. Many times these writing sessions will last longer than 20 minutes, and many times I end up with really interesting story ideas. Once I have the story idea, then it is easier to flesh it out and make it better.

Another exercise I enjoy is going to a local diner. My favorite is The Bus Stop, which used to be a Greyhound Bus Stop, but it has been turned into a small diner/cafe. I usually go around 7:00 in the morning and sit at a table with my back to the door (which is something I'm normally paranoid about doing!). There is always a group of older gentlemen who congregate during that time of morning. I will order myself a Coke and wait with my pen and paper ready. These men always have the most fascinating conversations and I am able to jot down many great quotes, local gossip and old wives' tales. This exercise really helps when I'm working on dialogue, but I've gotten some great stories as well.

I've run out of time, so I'll tackle the extra credit later.

Write on Wednesday

Write on Wednesday:

Are you having a hard time staying the course toward fulfilling your writing dreams? What are you doing about it?

For too many months to count, I have totally been off course in regards to my writing. That being said, over the past 6 weeks I have finally found my writing voice again.

Although I have been continually blogging since the first of the year, my creative writing has been in a slump. Book ideas that have been cramming my brain, stubbornly refused to be captured on paper.

Finally, at the encouragement of my hubby, I joined a local writing workshop at the public library. This was a big step for me because I'm not a very social person and being in groups of people - no matter how big or small - fills me with severe anxiety. But I went to class faithfully and the help and inspiration from my fellow classmates has spurred my writing muse into action.

I have completed a short story to be included in the writing workshop booklet the teacher is putting together. I've also completed two other short stories and a few poems.

But my biggest accomplishment has been starting my NaNoWriMo project on November 1st. I have broken the 18,000 word mark and I'm very excited with where my book is going. Telling myself to write at least one page daily has been a big help. For some reason that one page turns into 3 or 4 or 10!

Hopefully, by the end of November, I will have reached my 50,000+ words. Then starts the daunting task of editing and revising, and finally, looking for a publisher. Right now, I'm happy with the direction my muse has taken.

Write On Wednesday

This week's Write on Wednesday concerns National Novel Writing Month:

Although I’m taking this year off from NaNoWriMo, I’ll be here on the sidelines cheering on all the participants as they pound the keyboard in their race to the finish line.

So, how about you? If you’ve done NaNoWriMo, what was the experience like for you? If you’ve never done it, do you think you could? Do you have a novel residing in you somewhere, waiting to get out?

This will be my first year participating in National Novel Writing Month and I am very much looking forward to it. I may be moaning and groaning by Thanksgiving, but I'm going to give it my best shot.

Although I have written 50,000+ words before, it is always a daunting task. I currently have several novel residing in me, it's just getting them out and onto paper.

In the Writer's Workshop I am getting ready to complete, my teacher says the most important thing is to get the words/book onto paper. Once you have the basic idea written, then you can go back and begin the editing process. He says everything you write should go through at least 3 different editing processes. So, my goal for November is to write the novel that has been poking at my brain for over a year.

Last year, there was a story in my local newspaper - The Harrodsburg Herald - about a baby skeleton found in a trunk a woman's attic. This woman had been a Registered Nurse for over 40 years, but was now suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. She had been moved to a nursing home and her family was cleaning her home out when they found the skeleton.

For months I have had questions about this skeleton: Where did it come from? Was it her baby? Was is a stolen baby from the hospital nursery? It was later determined that the skeleton was approximately 45 years old, but no other information was available.

This lady has since died, so the secret has died with her, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about the skeleton. My objective is to write a fictional novel and try to answer these questions. I may be way off base, but it has been fun thinking of suituations to add to the story.

With any luck, by the end of November, I should have the first rough draft. Wish me luck!

Write on Wednesday

This week's question for Write on Wednesday:

Do you make time to write everyday? Don’t you think everybody should?

Since I was 13 years old, I have made time to write everyday, even if it is only for 5 minutes. I have always kept a diary or journal and I have dozens and dozens of them in a box in my closet. No one may ever read what I've written, but I know they are there. Occasionally I will pull one out from a specific time in my life and remember what was going on at that particular time.

In the past few years, I have started blogging more and more. This in no way replaces my journaling, but it is an extention of my writing. Blogs are a place for me to store my newspaper columns, the book reviews I write, or the answers to prompts I get from Musing Mondays, Write on Wednesday, Fictional Friday, and Sunday Scribblings. These prompts help to keep my imagination running and keep me away from some of the everyday worryings that pop up in my journaling.

I really wish everyone would take time to write every day, but just like with reading, I realize that will never happen. My youngest daughter keeps a journal, but right now her goal is to write at least once or twice a week. However, I hope she will gradually increase her writing time, especially after watching my journal day after day. My hubby is not a writer, but he does keep a journal in his truck to mark his gas mileage: actual miles, where he buys gas, what he pays for gas, how much he puts in, etc. It's not my kind of journaling, but it's what he does - he can tell me how much gas was 10 years ago and where we bought gas in 2000 when we drove to Washington, D.C.!

Writing is a part of me, but I totally understand there are people who never think about or have any desire to write. Writing is my way of artistic expression and it is something I hope to do until the day I die.

Write On Wednesday

Becca at Write on Wednesday has overdone the typing this week, causing her much pain when using the keyboard. So this week's prompt is a quote for us to think on:

"Words are a form of action, capable of producing change."

-Ingrid Bengis

I realized several years ago that word can produce change. From letters written to my employer, my state legislator, the governor, even the president - I feel like at least one or two of my ideas make a difference.

This past August, I had problems with my daughter's high school, and it finally took a letter to the editor of our local newspaper to finally get any action. My 16 year old is an honor student with plans to attend college when she graduates in two years. However, when her class schedule came in the mail ten days before school started, I came home to a child who was broken hearted and crying.

My honor roll student - who had requested all honors and AP classes - had been put into all the "regular," lower requirement classes. I don't mean to make assumptions about other children in the lower level classes, but wouldn't you think an honor roll student with a 3.7 GPA, ranking number 36 out of 274 students, deserves to be in the honor classes?

I immediately got on the phone with the school system, only to be hindered by the rudest receptionist I think I've talked to in a long time. I'm a Church secretary, so I think I know a little about phone etiquette, but obviously the school receptionist and I were not on the same page. In her condescending tone, she informed me that juniors could not make changes to their schedules until next Friday (this was exactly one week away, and three days before school was scheduled to begin). I tried in vain to tell her this was more than a simple schedule change, but she became hostile and said there was nothing she could do. When I asked to speak to someone else, she said there was no one else there and then hung up on me. I tried several more times to call the school that afternoon, but all I kept getting was a busy signal. I also tried calling the board of education, but they weren't answering the phone either.

Over the weekend, I had phone calls from numerous parents who were also upset with the school system. Apparently, ALL of the class schedules had been screwed up, not just a few. The parents I talked with decided to band together and go to the high school on Monday. We had planned to meet at school at 10 AM.

When we got to the school, the parent lines were outside the door with people waiting to get in and change schedules. I waited patiently in line from 9:45 until 12, inching ever so slowly to the guidance counselors office. Then low and behold, at 12 o'clock sharp, BOTH of the guidance counselors locked their offices and said they would be back at 1; it was lunch time. There was practically a riot! We asked why both of them had to go at the same time, but we never received a satisfactorily reason.

I was so upset, I finally left the school - there was no way they would be able to get to all the parents waiting in line that day. I had already missed three hours of work, and I couldn't afford to miss any more that day. So, I went back to work and decided to try calling the school again. This time I got a different receptionist, but she explained that nothing could be done over the phone. I asked her how long the line was (this was maybe an hour after I left) and she said there was still many people waiting.

My next plan was to go to school the next morning and be there when the doors opened. So I arrived at 7 and waiting about 20 minutes before the first person arrived. Then I waited and waited and waited, as more and more parents began to arrive. By 9:30, no guidance counselors had shown up. When I asked to speak with the principal, I was told he was not in the building. What the hell was going on?

Upset and angry, I left the school and went in to work. By this time I had already lost 6 hours of pay for the week! I decided to write a letter to the editor of our local newspaper. If the principal, guidance counselors or school board were not going to help, maybe a public plea in the newspaper would do the trick. So I wrote, had several people read it to make sure it wasn't too angry and only contained the facts.

The letter appeared the following day in the paper, and by 6 o'clock that night, the principal was calling me at home. Hmmmmm ... he's too busy to talk to parents in person or on the phone, but shed negative light on his actions and he's riding to the rescue. He told me he didn't appreciate the letter I wrote, and that's when I let him have it. How dare he call MY home and lecture me, when I'd been trying to take care of this problem for three days? He wanted to know why I didn't call him at home, and I told him my reasons: 1.) School was not even in session, so I did not feel right interrupting his family time; 2.) I hate when my hubby's boss calls him at home, so I hate bothering someone else on their time off; 3.) I thought it was more appropriate to take care of the matter at school were all the student's records are kept.

Needless to say, my daughter's schedule was fixed the very next day. So, all in all, my little letter to the editor did more to change the situation that three days of phone calls and standing in line. It's amazing how the written word had more power than the spoken word. Since the Principal's phone call, I have received numerous phone calls from teachers at the high school - all praising me for writing the letter. They were all upset with the management of the school, but feared for their jobs, so they never spoke up.

It's nice to know that in this day and age of the world wide web, letters in local papers can still promote action in every day lives.

Write On Wednesday

This week's Write On Wednesday prompt asks the questions:

"Do you find yourself moving too fast through life? What’s your favorite way to moodle and make the mornin’ last? How does slowing down affect your creativity?"

As I've gotten older, I do find myself slowing down. In my 20s and 30s I was always in constant motion - working full time, caring for the home and trying to manage 3 daughters. Those years have passed by in a purple hazed blur. I realize now that I missed out on many of the smaller things in life, the things I have now come to love.

When my children were younger, I hated mornings! I was an RN working the night shift, so I always came home to a house full of chaos. Clothing issues, bathroom meltdowns, screaming and crying, and persistant nagging by my hubby for them to eat breakfast. The 30 minutes before I had to drive them to school were the worst 30 minutes of my whole day. There were many, many mornings when I would drop the girls off and we would all be mad at each other. Looking back, I realize that was no way for a loving family to act, but at the time, we were all stuck in the same rut.

My older two girls are now grown with homes of their own, and morning rituals that now suit their new lives. I retired from my nursing job three years ago, so mornings with my 16 year old daughter have changed. As a matter of fact, many things in my life have changed. Without the added burden of having to prepare for a stress-filled day of work, I can enjoy the morning with my daughter.

We now watch the morning news over breakfast and talk about what's going on in the world. We discuss any homework or school issues she may have, or I may talk about what my day will be like. (I currently work 9-12 at a local church, so even though I still work, it is much less stress.) Gone are the tears and yelling on the 5 minute car ride to work. Gone are the sleepless days when I was sure my children hated me (remember, I worked nights, so I tried to sleep during the day). Both my hubby and I have come to appreciate the calmness that has taken over our household.

As for my creativity, I have noticed a huge difference since my retirement. I see ideas all around me, instead of going through the motions with blinders on. Sometimes I'll write a few lines before work, other times it will be an afternoon writing marathon. My hubby has also noticed a change in my writing; he says I'm more clear and my writing isn't filled with the gloom and doom of everyday life.

I've always been a writer, even when the girls were little, but now I find myself falling in love with the art of writing. My passion has returned and my productivity has increased a hundred-fold. I have finally learned what my granny told me years ago, "Life is too short to run around like a chicken with its head cut off!"

Slowing down and taking the time to enjoy my surroundings has been the best thing I have ever done - for my hubby, for my family and for myself. I feel like I have another lifetime ahead of me to do the things I enjoy and to continue with my writing. Now, I finally have time to stop and smell the roses.

Write on Wednesday - Attention to Detail

This week's Write On Wednesday prompt asks the questions:

Are you detail oriented in your writing? What are some of the details you most notice in the world around you? What details do you focus on in your writing - place, character, emotional? What are the kinds of detailed descriptions you most like to read about?

Write On Wednesday Extra Credit: As you perform a household chore that you do on a regular basis - making coffee, washing the car, cutting the grass - notice every detail of the process. The smell of the coffee grounds as you spoon them into the filter, the hiss of the water as it splashes against the car, the rumbling of the lawnmower’s engine. Write about your experience in great detail.

I like to think of myself as detail oriented, especially in my writing. I love to read about the rich sounds of the big city, the alluring smells of the corner bakery, the magical sights of a lone country road, the touch of a tiny baby animal or the taste of an apple picked fresh from the tree. These details enrich my reading experience and make me strive to be a better writer.

All too often, we get caught in the trap of writing for the sake of writing - trying to hurry through the days word count or page count without stopping to make sure the words are the best that they can be. Many, many times, this is what happens with my first drafts - boring words with no attention to the details.

However, once I have the "bones" of a story on paper, then I can jump into the fun part of writing. Adding the color of my hero's eyes: are they sparkling blue like a midsummer's day, or swirling green like the changing forest? Adding the sounds of the current environment: is the town old and dying, or is it fresh, new and growing? Adding the taste and texture of the heroine's evening meal: is it spicy and hot with a flair for the exotic, or is it the comfort food of a lip smacking hot dog? Adding the smell of the current surroundings: is it salty from the spray of the sea foam, or is it dusty from the mountaintop coal mine? Adding the sensation of touch is sometimes hard: does the heroine's dress feel thread-bare and worn, or is it starchy and stiff?

With the onset of autumn - my favorite time of year - my attention to detail is heightened. The blazing rainbow of colors as the sugar maple trees start to turn, the deepening yellow color of the goldenrod as it ages, and the white snowflake blooms of the frost asters as they dance above the meadows.

Overhead I hear the loud honking of the geese as they make their way to winter parts unknown, the crackling and popping of a backyard bonfire, and the crisp, wet crunch as I bite into a freshly picked pear or apple. I love to touch the dew drops as they glisten and cling to all the garden foliage, feel the rough texture of the corn shocks as I make arrangements in my front yard, or the smooth feel of the pumpkins fresh off the vine. Autumn brings the taste of sweet and gooey carmel apples, the spicy hot flavor of a huge pot of chili, and the warm aromatic tastes of hot cocoa or apple cider. The smells of autumn are probably the best from the damp, wet leaves littering the sidewalk to the clear, fresh breeze after a rain shower to earthy fragrance of the late blooming herbs.

Paying attention to details and describing to your audience the five senses are the best way to draw the reader into your story. Being able to picture yourself in the situation be described is the hallmark of a good author.

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Washing the Dang Dishes

I'm not a domestic goddess and I don't play one on TV. Although I like a nice, clean house, I hate wasting time with everyday household chores. As a matter of fact, I have a cross-stitched sign hanging in my kitchen that I completed back in the early 80's:
"My Home is Clean Enough to Be Healthy, and Messy Enough to Be Happy!"
This saying suits me to a tee. But what is the one chore I absolutely despise? Washing dishes ...

On week's when I'm especially "lazy" I may go two or three days between washings. My philosophy - If I have one sink clear of dishes, then I'm doing okay. The problem with my irregular dish cleaning routine is the fact it causes me more work in the long run.

Drip, drip, drip - filling the dishpan with hot scolding water, I'm now letting some cooler water even out the temperature. Glasses first, some coated with leftover chocolate milk, stained from herbal tea or - oh my heavens, is that mold in the bottom of my hubby's coffee cup? - yuck! It takes elbow grease to finally make them squeaky clean. OMG - what is that smell? Last night's spaghetti and meatballs scrapes have hardened on two plates, salad dressing has dried in three bowls, and is that mashed potatoes still covering the bottom of a serving bowl from two nights ago? I'm surprised we haven't all been sick, just from the fumes escaping the sink! Scrub, scrub, rinse, rinse - then scrub, scrub some more.

The plates and glasses now glisten and gleam, it's on to the silverware. How do so many forks, knives and spoons accumulate when there are only three people in our home? Spaghetti sauce, garlic butter and the same mashed potatoes coat several spoons and forks. I swear, I will never let the dishes get in this shape again? Never, never ... but granny always said, "Never say never."

Why is it my nose always itches just as soon as I put my hands into hot, soapy water? It never fails and I end up with the same soapy water dripping from my nose. Now I have nice clean silverware to go with the clean plates and glasses, so the only thing left is the dirty pots and pans. As I left the lid from the skillet, I'm hit in the face with the molding smell of last night's spaghetti sauce - why didn't I take care of this last night? I guess the same could be said for the mashed potato pot from two nights ago.

Okay, go ahead, say it - you know you want to! I need to do the dishes every night - yeah, like I haven't been hearing that all my life. But the problem is, nighttime is the only time I get to spend with my hubby and I would rather spend it talking or laughing or making love, than standing at the boring sink doing the boring dishes. After all, I cook supper didn't I? My hubby said the meal was delicious, didn't he? And he doesn't care about the dirty dishes, as long as I can maintain that one open sink - and he and my daughter are the only ones that matter.

Write On Wednesday

This weeks Write on Wednesday prompt starts as a quote:

”If there’s a book that you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
--Toni Morrison

How about you? Is there a book you’d love to read that hasn’t been written? What do you love reading about, and how could you write about it? What fascinates you that could become the subject for your next story, essay, poem, or blog post?

Write On Wednesday “Extra Credit” Prompt: Make a list of 10 things you’re interested in learning more about…choose one and write about it in a way that inspires a reader to want to know more about it as well.

I love reading about underprivileged women who end up making something of themselves. I like strong female leads who know their own mind and are not swayed by public opinion. This woman does not have to be pretty on the outside, but she must be beautiful on the inside.

I enjoy reading about faeries and elves and all types of magical creatures, but again, I want a strong female character. She must strive to protect the people she loves and fight for what is right.

Some strong female characters that I enjoy are Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter, Princess Meredith NicEssus, Temperance Brennan, and Dr. Kay Scarpetta, just to name a few. I've always been envious of the work by Joss Whedon - he is the master of writing the strong female character.

Extra Credit:
1.) The Wicca Religion
2.) Eastern Medicine
3.) Holistic Herbs
4.) Demons
5.) Angels
6.) Psychic abilities
7.) Ghosts or other paranormal entities
8.) Werewolf legends
9.) Old Time Bootleggers
10.) ESP - Extrasensory perception

Whispers

People don’t believe me when I tell them I hear voices. Voices complaining about the past, voices telling me about the future, voices narrating my present; I am constantly bombarded with voices swirling around in my head.

I’ve always been sensitive to other people and my surroundings. When I was a little girl, I could tell when someone was going to speak to me before they even opened their mouth. I always knew the score to games we played and I knew the outcome of petty fights over prized possessions. During my high school years, I was always the top student, not because of my photogenic memory, but because I could pick the test questions right out of my teachers’ heads.

It wasn’t until my late twenties that I realized my sensitivity to other people’s thoughts was only because of the ghosts drawn to the energy my body gave off. Ghost are all around us, but it takes a special person to be able to notice a ghost. Besides being sensitive to the supernatural, ghost are attracted to negative energy; fear or sadness being major conduits for the ghosts to cross over. Once a ghost has crossed over, it is drawn to my energy and begins to effect my surroundings.

Most of the time, these ghost just want their loved ones to know that they are fine. In the energy level were ghosts normally exist, there is no fear or worry, but sometimes new ghosts retain worry for loved ones and friends. For the ghosts to be able to enter their new realm, some feel the need to reassure loved ones.

But ghosts are not the only thing that alters my energy. Sometimes people close to me will have such strong emotions about something going on in their life, that their anxious energy reaches out to me like a slap in the face. Over the years, I have learned how to protect myself from unwanted attacks.

Wearing a hat will help lessen my ability to read people close to me. I will sometimes wear a baseball cap or a wide brim straw hat; I’ve even worn bandannas. Because it is sometimes not acceptable to wear a hat indoors, I always wear a piece of emerald on a chain around my neck. My emerald is wrapped in gold wire and twisted into a pendant; it used to belong to my sister, but when she died it became mine. I’ve not had it off in the five years since her death.

None of these precautions totally stop thoughts and images from entering my brain and it certainly doesn’t stop the ghost from whispering in my ear, but they do provide enough relief that I’m not a captive in my home. And contrary to popular belief, sometimes I like to know what is going on around me. Sometimes I like to hear my sister whispering in my ear.

Tonight I'm sitting in the local Cactus Joe’s Steakhouse, huddled in a back booth trying to warm my fingers as I waited on best friend, Linda, to join me for a late supper and some beer. We don’t get to hang out much any more, but we still try to connect at least once a week, and tonight was the night. I had already ordered a pitcher of beer and I was halfway through my second glass. There was a blazing fire in the large fireplace angled in the corner and even though I was feeling warmer, by fingertips still felt frozen

I twisted my emerald between the fingers of my left hand and I gazed around the large room at other diners. The booth across from mine held two couples, a couple on each side of the booth. Although each couple was trying to act relaxed, the nervous tension emanating from the table was ringing a gong in my head.

“God, I wish this night was over with! I can’t wait to get away from David and Susan.”

This thought was coming from the perky little red head on the left side of the booth. At first, I thought David was the other boy, but after hearing more of her mental conversation, I realized David was her date; Susan was the other girl. Apparently there was some hanky panky going on with the opposite couples.

“Damn, Jennifer looks hot tonight; why can’t Susan look that hot?”

These thoughts oozed out of David. They should be so ashamed of themselves! Susan was sparkling with love for her boyfriend and David felt the same about his girlfriend. Susan and David would one day know the truth, but tonight was obviously not the night.

I picked up my glass, drained it and then poured my third drink; if Linda didn’t hurry up, I’d be ordering a second pitcher. I started nibbling on some bread, trying not to let my mind wander through the room.

A woman with cancer was grieving the end of her life; she was trying to put on a brave face for her husband of 37 years, but her brain was in the dark place. Another woman was upset because her husband had lost his interest in sex. A young lawyer was worried about an upcoming trial and a physician was re-living a difficult surgery from this afternoon. All these thoughts came flying at me. I clutched my emerald tighter and the thoughts faded but did not disappear.

© Bobbi Rightmyer

Write on Wednesday

This week's Write on Wednesday asks:

What’s your writing state of mind these days? How do you access that “mysterious faculty” where insight and imagination are nurtured? How do your instincts about your writing ability help you? What’s your experience of being in “the writing zone”?

Inspiration comes to me like a lightening flash - quick, sudden and to the point. I have learned to expect the suddenness of the muse and try to prepare in advance. I'm one of those writers who keeps a notebook on my nightstand table, in the bathroom, in my car, in my desk drawer at work and on my kitchen counter. I always have pen and paper available to jot down the lightening flashes when they hit.

I know exactly what it means to be in "the writing zone" - those moments of pure writing pleasure when your muse and your writing hand are in tune and they move as one instrument. There have been times I've been lost to my writing and I lost blocks of time out of my busy day. I have learned to cherish these writing frenzies for what they are - inspirational, joy-filled, and productive.

The problem is, those moments of zone writing are few and far between. Most of my daily writing can be reduced to notes jotted down with breakfast, quotes remembered over lunch and inspiration captured from the love of my family. These precious writing memories are just one piece of the puzzle that is my writing career.

It has taken me years to accept my writing style. When I first began writing seriously - over 20 years ago - I thought everything I wrote had to be perfect from the beginning. This mentality kept me from producing the quantity of writing I knew I was capable of. Once I learned to embrace my notes and doodles and scribbles, I became a better writer and my life changed forever.

You don't have to produce a manuscript in one sitting. All those memories learned from families, all those conversations heard over lunch, all those quotes you remember from your reading - all these things shape you into a writer and give your muse the fuel it needs to grow on.

Write On Wednesday

For this week's Write on Wednesday, Becca asks about the Power of Place.

"How about you? How does place figure in your writing? Do you feel comfortable in the place you live, or do you feel at odds with your atmosphere? Do you convey that in your writing? What stories does your location have to tell?

Write On This:

“The loss of a place isn’t really so different from the loss of a person. Both disappear without permission, leaving the self diminished, in need of testimony and evidence.” Bridge of Sighs, Richard Russo

Write about a place you’ve lost…."

The place I miss the most is the place I was during my 20s. I was married for the first time when I was 17 years old - not because I HAD to, but because I WANTED to. How stupid is that? All my childhood, I couldn't wait to be married and have children of my own - after all, my mom was married at 16 and I was born when she was 17. My mom was my hero!

Unfortunately, my high school sweetheart turned out to be the cheating hound of our small town. So, after 4 years of dating and 6 years of marriage, he decided he'd had enough and walked out on us. To say I was devastated is an understatement!

Although I graduated number 4 at the top of my high school class (176 students!), I had NO work experience and I had given up dreams of college so I could get married. My ex left me with NO car, NO money, and after 4 months, NO place to live. His family made me and the kids move out of our house because my in-laws wanted to move in! I couldn't believe it.

So, I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and found a job at the local Pizza Hut. My girls had never been in daycare because I had been a stay-at-home mommy. Now I was working 5pm until 1am and I had to pick my girls up in the middle of the night and take them home. I was miserable and so were they.

After a year of fighting my ex and his family, and working minimum wage at Pizza Hut, I realized I couldn't raise the girls the way I wanted if things didn't change. By this time, I was dating my current hubby, but I had no intentions of remarrying any time soon. With his encouragement, I enrolled in nursing school and began a 3 year adventure of changing my life.

My girls and I started school the same fall - me in college, the oldest in kindergarten and the baby in head start. With the help of my soon-to-be hubby I struggled to keep my grades up and hold down a full time job and care for my children; my ex and his family didn't even help with child care!

In May 1990, my life changed again - for the better. The 2nd weekend in May, I graduated with my nursing degree, the 3rd weekend I was married and by the 4th week, I was working full-time as a labor and delivery nurse. In less than 10 years, I transformed from a shy, inexperienced, stay-at-home mom to a confident, experienced, working mom.

In the 18 years since that time, my life has gone through may ups and downs, but I've always had my hubby and family to rely on. My hubby has been my rock of support and I am forever grateful. However, with the death of my baby sister 3 years ago, my life seems to be in a downward spiral.

I retired from nursing 10 months after my sister died. She was enrolled in nursing school and was going to come work with me at the local hospital (I was supervisor of our extended care facility). After her death, I lost my desire to help others. Over these long hard years, I've struggled with self-worth, self-loathing and self-hatred, but I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

My only regret is that I no longer have the energy or drive I had when I was going to college. I miss the spontaneity my hubby and I used to share. If I could go back to any place, it would be that time of struggle, love and freedom. But because that is impossible, I must settle for improving the place I live in now, lifting myself out of depression and making my family proud of me once more.

Write On Wednesday

This week's promt from Becca at Write On Wednesday concerns writing practice

"How about you? Do you have a writing practice? What’s it like? How has it helped you become a better writer? If you’re thinking about starting a writing practice, how do you envision it? What would work for you?"

Occasionally, Write On Wednesday will offer a writing activity to use in your writing practice notebook, or as an idea to blog about. Here’s one to start you off…

"Writing Practice Idea: Write about a time in your life when you were learning a new activity - a musical instrument, a sport, a language - and how you went about practicing it."

I typically write for 15 to 20 minutes every morning before work, but the bulk of my writing comes in the afternoons. I work parttime, so when I come home for lunch every day, I start writing. I consider this my second "job", though, right now, I'm not getting paid for it. Sometimes I will work on short (1200 words) articles for my monthly column, other times I may be working on one of my books.

For anyone who reads my blogs, you are probably aware of the fact I have ADD, so I have trouble concentrating on one project at a time. It is easier for me to work chapter by chapter. This week, I'm trying to work on my young adult book ("Charlie" is the working title), but I keep getting sidetracked when something reminds me of another book I'm working on ("Deep Creek"). I keep separate notebooks for each of my larger writing projects, so sometimes I'll have several notebooks spread out in front of my, jotting down notes in each one. I try to write at least 4 pages every day - that is the minimum I allow myself. Of course, this is only Monday through Friday; anything I write on the weekend is free pages!

The practice of have separate notebooks for each project has helped keep me on task. I used to worry about the fact my attention span was all over the place, but the separate notebooks have brought a calm peace to my writing world. Now I don't feel like I'm shortchanging one thing for another. I'm also a list making, so the separate notebooks are like a big list for me!

The greatest writing advice I have learned came from Stephen King's book On Writing. He says that writers write, every day, no matter what. When I was younger, I didn't think of myself as a writer because I couldn't stick to one topic. Now, I've learned how to channel that energy to improve all my writing. It may take me longer to finish a project because of the ADD, but when I am finished, I know it's the best I can do.

Of course, blogging is also a way to practice writing. I have become obsessed with blogging and it is helping me to hone my focus. Hence the reason I have so many blogs! Just like my separate writing notebooks, I have separate blogs for my different interests. Now it's a juggling act to keep up with all of them, but it makes me happy!

In addition to the notebooks I keep for each project, I also have a general journal that I write in daily. This usually has ideas, quotes, observations or anything else that catches my fancy. I will start using this journal as my practice notebook, so for today's assignment, I'm going to write about learning how to knit.

Write-On Wednesday

Here are this week's writing prompts from Write On Wednesday:

1.) Do you write fiction or non-fiction? Or both? I typically write both. I do memoir writing for my column in the monthly Mercer's Magazine - memories from my childhood and from my daughters' childhoods. But I also enjoy writing fiction and historical fiction. I'm currently working on a book called Deep Creek - a historical fiction book about a grandmother with Alzheimer's Disease. The grandmother is based on my own grandmother, with some of her real life adventures thrown in.

2.) Do you keep a journal or a writing notebook? I keep a daily journal that I use to write long-hand notes or draw sketches. I also keep a writing notebook on my laptop.

3.) If you write fiction, do you know your characters’ goals, motivations, and conflicts before you start writing or is that something else you discover only after you start writing? Do you find books on plotting useful or harmful? Usually when I start writing a fiction story, I have the seed of an idea already planted in my muse. Usually this seed is in the form of a question: who is it? what happened? where are we? when will this be over? how to I reach the end?

4.) Are you a procrastinator or does the itch to write keep at you until you sit down and work? For some things, I am a procrastinator, especially if it's something I have a deadline for. Otherwise, I normally write when the urge hits me.

5.) Do you write in short bursts of creative energy, or can you sit down and write for hours at a time? I used to be an all or nothing kind of writing, finishing everything in one sitting. But as I've gotten older, my muse is coming in shorter bursts, so I work with what I have.

6.) Are you a morning or afternoon writer? Although I do write some in the mornings - normally in my journal - I get the bulk of my writing done in the afternoon. It just fits in with my schedule better.

7.) Do you write with music/the noise of children/in a cafe or other public setting, or do you need complete silence to concentrate? After raising 3 daughters, I can write through anything! Cats, dogs, snakes, music, television, slumber parties - you name it and I've written around it!

8.) Computer or longhand? (or typewriter?) Both! I still jot out outlines and quotes longhand, but the bulk of my writing is done on the laptop.

9.) Do you know the ending before you type Chapter One? Or do you let the story evolve as you write? Sometimes I know the ending of a story, but for the most part, I like when the story evolves on its own.

10.)Does what’s selling in the market influence how and what you write? Ocassionally this happens. I'm currently working on a book I've tenatively called Charlie, which will be a young adult book about a young girl who sees ghosts. For some reason paranormal is big in young adult fiction right now.

11.) Editing/Revision - love it or hate it? Editing and revisions are the bane of my existence. I love pounding out the first draft, but then I usually drag my feet when it comes time for revisions.