THE WRITE LIFE

History and Family Records-Part 2

2012-01-25T21:30:00.000-08:00

My obsession started in December 2011 while I was on vacation. I decided to compile my grandmother's writings. The more I read the stories of my grandmother's past, the deeper my passion grew to learn more about my ancestry. After all, Grandma had already started the research on the Bauman and Williams family lines, compiling notes, copies of census records, and vital documents. In her research binders were newspaper articles on her parents' marriage and her father's illness and death. She even went as far to hunt down her parents' marriage certificate, as well as an agreement of adoption for her father when he was a boy. I could not help but be inspired by how my mother's ancestors survived the trials and tribulations of their time.

After learning more about my mother's side of the family, I started on a quest to discover details about my father's side of the family. I browsed genealogy sites, conducted general web searches for family trees, and came across some amazing people who helped me find out more. I found a very distant cousin, who put me in touch with Kenneth Haughton, a family descendant who has written an entire book on our family ancestry. In my genealogy library, I now have a 1200 page book on CD on my family ancestry. Since, I have corresponded with two distant relatives who have sent me family information.

I am still researching and coming up with information on my family tree five generations back. This evening I found the marriage certificate at ancestry.com of my great-great grandparents. I mean, what could be better than that?

While there are many triumphs in my family research, there are also false leads. For example, my mother's great-great grandfather descended from Germany. In fact my grandfather's father came from there in about 1885 or thereabouts. I thought I had found the immigration passenger list with him and his young wife. After tracking down a family history my grandmother (my mother's mother) had tucked away, I realized I had been tricked by the names being the same. Later on, I found more information on his arrival to the United States.

My adventures in family research have led me to wonder what their lives were like back then. Most people didn't have luxuries, and if they did they were not the same kinds of things we have today. Two hundred years ago you might have found wealthy people with a fancy house, fancy clothes, and maybe nice outhouses and a shower house.

As I continue my research, I look forward to writing some stories about my ancestor's lives..The nice thing about fiction is that you can write about real people, put them in circumstances of their day, and build some great stories. There is no reason to know the exact details of a person's life, facts and imagination are enough to come up with a good story.

Meanwhile, I have my query letter out to agents and have heard back on a few. Most are standard rejections, but a few agents have provided compliments on my writing. I will keep querying, writing, and researching family history.

Happy writing!

History and Family Records

2011-12-08T17:03:00.001-08:00

A few years after my grandmother passed away and mygrandfather decided to move in with my aunt and uncle, I was given a large boxcontaining Grandma's belongings. In the box were several binders and papers inloose folders containing her writing. Grandma loved to write.

Grandma was a woman strong in what she believed, grounded in her Christianfaith, and never afraid to speak up when she thought someone was doingsomething to hurt themselves. One of thethings I loved most about her was her love of life and her ability to makedelicious lemonade out of the rotten lemons that life sometimes delivered.

This week while on vacation, I have had the opportunity toarchive Grandma’s writings, all 500 or so pages. One volume contains her typewritten memoirs aboutgrowing up in the twenties and thirties. Her biological father died when she was eleven months old, leaving hermother to try and raise Grandma and her siblings on her own. In Memoriesof Past Times, my Grandmother wrote:

My father built the house we lived in,which sat near the river in Georgetown, Illinois. He was a carpenter and also worked on therailroad repairing tracks. He made allthe furniture in the home. Each piecewas done with tender loving care and finished just right, as it was a gift tohis family. He also made the cradles weslept in as babies.

When my father passed away, my motherlost the house my father had built because of back taxes, and had to go to workin a second hand store to provide food, clothing and shelter for herfamily.

In addition to pages of her memories, my grandmother leftbehind two wonderful treasures. Thefirst is an undated handwritten letter titled To all our Grandchildren. Eventhough I had perused these same writings when I was first given her writings,this was the first time I actually saw this soul-revealing letter. She talked about the difficulty of her ownlife and her spiritual journey and then provided her own advice to living agood life. I transcribed this letter and today sent it to all my cousins.

The second treasure has to do with a story my grandmother told her childrenwhile they were growing up. From what Iunderstand, it was a serial story that she spread over several nights, maybeeven months. My aunts all loved to listen to Grandma's adventure and were disappointed that she never wrote it down. Well, just yesterday I found a faded handwrittencopy of Leilani in the Jungle. It isdifficult to read but I think I can transcribe it for future generations.

When I was asked to be the family historian, I was not surehow to organize our family history. Now,I have created a small library containing stories, poetry, and Grandma’s genealogicalresearch, as well as other things that were special to her. I hope that my family will find as much joyfrom reading her memoirs as I do.

Fall and Writing

2011-11-20T19:51:00.000-08:00

Today was beautiful with dark skies and intermittent rain. Wind sent the wind chimes hanging from my eaves into a musical dance. My therapy today was sweeping the yellowed maple leaves from my deck and carport. As soon as I had the driveway cleared, a gust of wind came along and sprinkled more leaves on the concrete. Such is life with so many things out of my control.

I have been working with diligence on my query letter for my novel The Man and the Mandolin, but I have been having great trouble getting it down to the bread on top, the bread on the bottom, and then all the story-meat in the middle. I have posted numerous versions of my query letter at the Absolute Write forums. Their feedback has been helpful and informative.

Right now, I am fine-tooth reviewing my manuscript to make sure it is as error free as I can get it. One fellow member of Absolute Write suggested I write out lists of (1) ten places where the reader might not be able to put my book down, (2) ten places where my protagonist’s mind is messed with (because I have deemed my novel’s genre as psychological thriller), (3) ten problems my protagonist has to overcome, (4) ten problems and why they are obstacles, and (5) what the protagonist must do to solve the problems. Once I have these lists, I choose the strongest ones and build my query. I will also have all the main points in which to construct my synopsis.

I have also been working on my other work in progress, which is a paranormal mystery. I have written about 20,000 words, which means it is about one-quarter completed. My goal is to write this as an 80,000 word novel.

My fiftieth birthday was yesterday, which I celebrated with the man I love. It’s amazing that I have reached a half-century of life. I as if I have acquired some kind of wisdom from being on this earth so long, yet I feel as young as I have always felt. I am not willing to put up with stuff that I tolerate when I was younger. Maybe these are all lessons about growing up.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. This will be one of the first Thanksgivings I have not spent with my aunts and uncle and at least once grandparent since the passing of my grandfather in April. I miss him every single day. I also understand the need of my family to do something different on Thanksgiving. Change is inevitable.

My goals for this fall are to write as much as I can and to get that query letter out the door to more agents. I want to complete my synopsis. I want to be completely prepared ~~in case~~ for when agents request my synopsis and full manuscript.

In the meantime, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I will try and not go so long between blog entries.

Writing World

2011-08-07T21:45:00.000-07:00

When you sit down to write, what is the place you write from? I don’t mean the physical place, such as the office, coffee shop, or library, but the place within yourself. Do you write from your external world living in your mind, or from that secret garden in your soul where nobody else has been? Or, maybe you even write from the in-between with one foot in your head and the other in your heart.

For me, writing from the external world means I look for my subject matter in magazines, newspaper articles, and the life experiences of other people. It means research, learning new things, and creating stories from experiences that I have never been through.

When writing from that secret garden, I go deep within myself for the almost forgotten memory or a universal feeling to create a story. This is not the same as a memoir, which is writing about the truth as you remember it during a certain time period. It means taking a fact, such as a childhood experience or something that happened yesterday, and creating a story around that one thing. It means remembering that feeling of abandonment, which we have all felt at some time in our life, and using it as a story theme.

The in-between is where I write from both worlds. For example, I read an article about someone who has been kidnapped only to live and tell the story. This inspires me to write a novel about a woman who has been kidnapped by a stranger and must fight to survive in order to reunite with her children. While I have not been kidnapped, I do know that universal feeling of fear and the need to survive.

What do these worlds look like to you? Which one(s) do you write from?

Finding Time to Write

2011-06-07T23:07:00.000-07:00

I work 37.5 hours in a law office where my brain often spins into the vast outer space of the legal world. I run and weight train four times a week, spend quality time with those I love, give lots of attention to my cats who think they own me, and just live life in general. With my love of writing added into my busy schedule, I am a busy girl!

With all that I do, it is often challenging to find time to write. At the writers’ forums I frequent, I understand many writers who do not write for a living also have to carefully maneuver their time with the pen and paper (or computer). It is not easy to find the extra time, but it is essential if you want to finish anything.

For awhile, I was working on two novels: revisions on one, the other a work in progress. I divided my time equally between the two in hopes of finishing revisions first, and then going full force on novel two. This did not work well for me.

Now, I have decided to finish the revisions on novel one so that I can start sending out query letters again. Once the revised work has been edited and is ready for submission, I will start sending out query letters again. During the “novel one in drawer process,” which comes before hard editing, as well as during the query process, I will continue writing on my second novel.

Oh yes, I have not told you how I find time to write. I allot at least an hour during the weekdays and anywhere from one to four hours on weekends. I try to write something every single day (email, responses at writers forums, and Facebook postings do not count, but my blog does). I have made creative writing my priority during my off-work hours.

If you want to publish, you must make time to write. You must stick to a certain schedule, and perhaps even create guidelines and deadlines for yourself. Finally, pay attention to rules Robert A. Heinlein created :

1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you write.
3. You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.
4. You must put the work on the market.
5. You must keep the work on the market until it is sold.

Meanwhile, when you have a break in your writing schedule, read what Mark Twain has to say on writing.

Now, I would love to hear how other busy people make time to write or, if you make a living, what your writing time is like for you.

Happy writing!

Stuff and Editing

2011-05-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

These last several weeks have been difficult. My grandfather became very ill and passed away. Grandpa lived one month and four days past his 95th birthday. On March 26, we gave him a bang-out birthday party where family and friends came from far and wide to celebrate. Grandpa died exactly one month later. I felt blessed to have lived close enough to visit him once a month. He was one of my dearest friends, and I miss him very much.

When tending to personal matters, something usually is put on the back burner. In my case, I was not able to keep up with my blog. However, I am back now and thinking about the many aspects of writing. Some of the writer’s forums I frequent have long and heated discussions on editing and the pros and cons of hiring professional editors prior to publication.

Some writers say you must always send your manuscript to a professional editor before submitting to an agent or publisher. Others say you must forget about professional assistance and learn how to edit your own work. In these discussions, I have seen more members teeter on either side of the fence than tread the gray area in between. I, of course, have my own opinion.

Freelance editors are expensive, charging anywhere from $300 to $1,500 or more to edit a manuscript. In the editing business, experience, expertise, and success rate cost even more. We all want our manuscripts to be in pristine condition before we start the submission process. I don’t know many writers who have the money to spend on freelance editing. Besides, the cardinal rule in writing is that money flows to the writer, not away.

Editors are invaluable. When an agent chooses to work for you, then somewhere in that process is an editor. It is part of the package of landing an agent, or at least having one interested in your work. However, I believe there is one situation where retaining a freelance editor prior to publication can work for a writer.

For example, if you want hands-on assistance to learn how to edit properly, a freelance editor might be the right professional for you. If you utilize this experience properly and pay someone who has a good track record with editing, then your money has been spent well. Once you know how to edit, whether you learned it from a freelance editor or a book such as Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, you have skills necessary for a writer.

Please do not hire a freelance editor if you just want someone to edit your work. You are wasting your money. Think of it this way. Say you hire someone to do this work for you, and then you submit it to agents and publishers, Said agent or publisher asks for changes, but you don't know how to properly edit, because you had the freelance editor do it for you. Face it, you are stuck. If you don’t understand the principles of successful editing, how can you make a decision on which changes to make and which to leave alone?

As mentioned earlier Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Rennie Brown and Dave King is an excellent resource. I also like Strunk and White and good old fashioned books on grammar.

Get to work on that editing now and.....

Happy writing!

Query Halt

2011-03-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

Screech!

I have halted the query process based on feedback from my beta reader and a critique group colleague. While I feel secure that my typos and spelling errors have been cleaned up, I have learned that I have problems with characterization.

My beta reader told me she would love to hang out with my main character but cannot connect with him. “Can you give him something outside of work to do?” She asked. “Maybe make him a dog lover or something?”

My critique colleague said my main character did not seem to have much depth, that things seemed a little too easy for him.

When I put this feedback side-by-side with what two prior agents said in wonderful rejection letters, I instantly knew I had written a cardboard character. I had the choice to either trunk the novel or do a rewrite.

I chose to fatten up my paper-doll, because I am a firm believer in finishing what I start. Therefore, I have stopped the query process while I rewrite to give my main character more substance and depth.

I am also working on a second novel, which my critique group seems to like. I have never worked on two large projects at the same time. I am learning how to prioritize my time so I do not get behind on one or the other. Believe me, working on two novels can be challenging.

This is it for now. Happy writing!

Query Rounds Again (Lessons Learned)

2011-02-13T20:38:00.000-08:00

I have learned some hard lessons over these last few months.

Number one is that it often takes several editing sessions for a novel to be polished. Late last year, I printed my novel out, edited it by hand and made changes to my Word document, and then conducted a spell and grammar check. I sent out my polished query, received request for two partials, and rejections on the rest. I made sure my partials were squeaky clean.

Number two lesson is that if your novel is still going through the critique process, even if on the last few chapters, it is not ready for submission to agents. How do I know this? Because, as my group talked about the last few chapters of my novel, they all said the climax was not strong enough. My character had to be more involved in the outcome. I had sent out queries for my novel, thinking my work was fine. It as not, which took me back to the drawing board.

I reworked the last three chapters and added to the first chapter. Once additions were completed, I once again printed out the manuscripts for a hard edit. I made the changes on my Word documents, and then thought I was done. After this, I sent out four more queries. Imagine my horror when I noticed a paragraph on page five that I had hard-edited but somehow missed making changes to in my Word version! Luckily, only one query went out this way before I caught the errors.

Lesson number three is that too much editing can kill voice, but not enough can kill your chances of publication. I am sure agents do not expect perfection, but they have a right to see something professional and polished. After all, they work on commission only and do not make any money until my book is sold. They must choose their projects carefully.

For my own edification, here is a recap of these important lessons:

It usually takes more than one editing session to create a polished manuscript.
Your novel is not ready if you are still going through the editing or critique process (or if it is still out to beta readers).
Too much editing can kill a manuscript, but not enough can kill your chances of publication.

Now that my novel has been edited, there will be no more changes unless under editorial direction (once an agent asks for changes). I have received one rejection from the four queries I recently sent out. I have three more responses to receive. Soon, I will send out another round.

In the writing business, patience is a virtue. Thorough editing is a must.

I have a writing acquaintance who says to submit to agents until there are no more agents left, and then submit to publishers. I am ready and willing to continue traveling this road toward publication.

Two websites which have been invaluable in my writing process are Writers Digest Forums and Absolute Write Water Cooler. For anyone who has never been to either website, you are missing interaction with those who have successfully published and are willing to share their experience. Information in the writing business is knowledge, and knowledge is power (to coin a cliché). We can always learn from those who have traveled the publishing path before us.

Happy writing to all!

A Night to Remember

2011-01-04T19:12:00.000-08:00

To properly welcome 2011, I have decided on a different blog entry. My next entry will be back on track with news about my queries and writing experience.

Don and I had an adventuresome New Years weekend filled with many surprises. It all started around 8:00 p.m. on New Years Eve. When we left around 8:00 p.m. to go a party, a light snow was falling. When we started home after midnight, the snow had become heavier. The drive from the party to his house is normally around twenty minutes. This night, due to the heavy snow and unplowed roads, we traveled at a snail’s pace. Even in his four-wheel drive, we started to slide every now and then. A small car on the other side of the road was half over the side of an embankment. A truck behind us skid sideways. Despite our nervousness, we got home safely.

On Saturday, we were scheduled to attend a New Year's breakfast with our pals in a neighboring town. However, when we got up, it was still snowing. The mountains behind his house and the roads below were blankets of pure white. We all stayed inside (except Don drove the 2 miles to the store to get some necessities) and watched the snow continue throughout the day.

On Saturday night when we turned in, the snow had become intermittent. In the wee hours of the morning, I heard strange animal sounds close to the house, which I cannot even begin to describe. Around the same time I heard the sounds, Don got out of bed and started getting dressed. He was going to check and, if necessary, replace a small propane tank because the house was cold. That was around six a.m. I talked him into waiting until daylight.

Don’s housemate, Paul, works the graveyard shift and returns around seven in the morning. On July 2, Paul said he needed to show us something weird. His private entrance into his room is sliding glass door which leads to a back deck. The deck had a lot of snow with animal tracks embedded. We thought they might have been Great Dane tracks from the dog up the street, but he's kept in at night and does not roam. Since Don's house is in the country, we also wondered if they were mountain lion or coyote tracks.

This morning, we attended our New Year’s breakfast. The host is an avid hunter. One other person at the party lives in the boondocks and has come across many wild animals. After looking at photos of normal range and close up photos of the tracks, they concurred that the tracks most likely came from a bear.

Meanwhile, I've started working on a new novel as I prepare to send out more query letters. Happy Writing to all!

P.S.: the latest consensus is possible wolf tracks rather than bear tracks. This makes me feel a little safer!

Query Letters-Round Two

2010-12-05T19:31:00.000-08:00

I sent out my first query letters on October 24, 2010. I have received eight rejections on my query letter alone. Two agents requested partials, but both issued rejections with the nicest compliments.

One agent said my writing was straight forward making it a breezy read, but that my work was not right for them. Another said she enjoyed reading my work and thought my story concept was good, but that she could not relate to the writing.

Now, some writers I know would not take the above as compliments. But, think about it-agents are busy people. They must read hundreds, or even thousands, of partial and full manuscripts each year. Legitimate agents make their money from sales of books written by writers they represent. It is important for them to think the work will sell, otherwise they don't make their money. Thus, for an agent to provide any kind of personalized feedback in a rejection is a true gift.

At his point, I still have eight agents I am waiting to hear back from. I know from reading their guidelines, some will only contact me during a specified time period if they are interested in my work. Soon, it will be time to get another round of query letters in circulation.

Writing a good query letter is a must. According to those who have read my query letter, it is well drafted. The point of the query is for the agent to want to read more. I have wondered if my query does not have enough story information, or if my hook is not strong enough. I think before I send out the next batch, I will play around my query a bit and see if I can make it stronger.

Writing a synopsis is another story. I have condensed my 70,000 word novel into about 1,000 words, but it must be shorter. It must include the main characters, the plot and the meat of the story, as well as the ending. It is not a this happened, then this happened kind of deal. My research tells me a synopsis must be similar to the inside cover of a novel. I've been working on my synopsis for weeks, just in case an agent asks for one.

Anyone who ever said writing is easy is wrong. The writing itself is hard work, but the query letter and synopsis are grueling! Perhaps next time I will share my experience with writing my synopsis...that is, if I have it completed.

Until then- happy writing!

Queries- Round One

2010-10-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

It took me longer than I expected to send out the first batch of query letters. I wanted to be thorough in my preliminary research. I would like to share the steps I have thus far taken in the query process. However, before I go any further, I have some important wisdom that published writers have so graciously passed on to me:

A legitimate agent never charges you a fee or money up front, they make money off the sales of your books only. If any agent wants to charge you upfront fees for anything, run the other way.

Now, on to the other important stuff.

I started by researching numerous agents at Query Tracker under the thriller genre. I studied their websites, which generally contained client lists and submission guidelines. I read what others at Query Tracker had to say about them. I conducted a general internet search, checked their reputation at Preditors and Editors, and searched the Bewares section of Absolute Write. Knowledge is power and leads to great success.

For me, success is about how I choose to live this entire query process. I have seen blogs and message boards dedicated to novel rejections, wherein there is a whole lot of complaining and putting down of agents who reject their work. I cannot help but wonder what the expectation is when sending out query letters. I want to find the right match for me and my novel, just as much as the agent wants to find the right book to sell. Rejection is inevitable.

My goal is to have between five and ten query letters in circulation until I find an agent. I realize I need to account for agents who might ask for a limited exclusive to review my manuscript, or who make an offer that I might want to accept. I have no doubt that I will find an agent.

For now, I need to work on my synopsis and other works in progress. I have a first chapter of novel two in the works (it’s an older work I did not complete).

You must write.
You must finish what you write.
You must refrain for rewriting, except to editorial order.
You must put your work on the market.
You must keep you work on the market until it is sold.

This is it for now. Happy writing to all!

Query Weary

2010-09-25T21:51:00.000-07:00

I never thought writing a one page query letter could be more difficult than writing a 350 page novel. In a query, I have one paragraph and three to five sentences to reel the agent into my fictional world. My pitch must be succinct, colorful, and end with a hook that gets the agent’s attention. My dream: once they read my brilliant query, they will want to read the rest of my manuscript. The reality: it is tough out there in the publishing world, and I will probably receive rejections no matter how great my query letter is. After all, rejection is part of a writer’s life.

After researching numerous resources on the internet, it took me about two weeks to complete my query letter. I stared at the blank page, and then wrote stupid sentences and long rambling paragraphs. Finally, I found a template at the Writers Beware blog, and the premise behind this skeleton of a letter began to take shape.

I have heard that pitching your novel is like speed dating—you have three to five minutes to tell a potential significant other about your greatest qualities. You must deliver a vivid picture of your novel in as few words as possible. It is essential to acquire both verbal and written skills in providing an unforgettable snapshot of your novel. You never know when you might run into an agent.

Last night before turning in, I posted my query letter at Absolute Write in Query Letter Hell in the Share Your Work forum. I was surprised this morning to find five or six replies, all of which were thoughtful and honest. The biggest compliment I received was that my query was solid. Someone else could not help me with the query but wanted to read more. Some writers suggested changes, which I incorporated into my final draft.

I have acquired a list of eight agents using Query Tracker. I have checked them all out at Preditors and Editors. I have researched their websites viewed their client lists, and read their blogs. What is the next step?

Tomorrow, I will buy nice off-white stationary with matching envelopes. I will personalize my query for each agent. This next week, I will send out queries to the eight agents. My plan? To keep sending those queries out until I find a reputable agent to represent my work.

If you are in the query process, keep your chin up no matter what. Start working on your next novel.

Happy writing!

The Next Step

2010-08-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

I have completed one hard copy edit of my novel, including major revisions and a few cuts. I am now twenty pages shy of completing a second edit, which had proven to be much easier with less mistakes and more smooth sentences. Now, I am ready to progress to the next step, which could be any of the following:

Send a query letter to agents or publishers that do not require an agent;
Send a query letter with three sample chapters to an agent or publishers that do not require an agent;
Run to the self publishing house to publish their work right away;
Send it to a freelance editor who, for around $300, will critique the writer’s work;
Edit, edit, and edit some more until the story has morphed into something else;
Send it to beta readers;
Stuff the story in a trunk and forget about it, because it will never be good enough anyway.

(Whenever a semi-colon is used, an angel loses its wings. Believe me, I feel very guilty right now).

I have thought long and hard about what my next move is. I do not care to self publish, and I am not interested in a freelance editor, because I believe money flows to the writer, not away. I have completely revised my story, as well as completed at least two rounds of editing, with the help of my critique group. I think it would be foolish to stuff my manuscript into a trunk and forget about it, because I truly believe it is a good story. Finally, I do not want to go straight to publishers, even if they do accept work without an agent.

Well, that leaves numbers one and six. My first order of business is to send my story to beta readers. Two of the people who have accepted to be readers are bookworms who read just about every genre out there. I want their opinions as readers. In other words, if they read the first few pages while in the bookstore, would they buy it? Once they stared reading, were they be inclined to read further?

While my manuscript is with readers, I will research agents in the thriller genre. I will also learn how to construct a proper query letter. I can’t wait to read Noah Lukeman’s EBook, How to Write a Great Query Letter. Finally, after my readers have given me their feedback, I will decide if anything needs to be revised.

That’s it for now. Happy writing!

The Saga Continues- Part II

2010-07-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

I have not kept up with my blog as much as I would like to, but only because I have been spending an inordinate amount of time editing my novel. As of today, I have about 55,300 words edited. What this means is that I have taken away and added paragraphs and pages, (it was heartbreaking discarding those brilliant sections that had little to do with the story), found incorrect punctuation, and sentences where I used one word when I meant to use another. However, my biggest chore during this edit is to tighten those sentences up.

What does sentence-tightening entail? It means using a whole lot less words to convey my meaning. This is not from my novel, but it is a great example:

Wordy: She went to the car, opened the door, and got into the driver’s seat.

Better: She slid into the driver’s seat.

Such a short simple sentence to convey the same meaning.

Words are important in writing, because every genre of short story of novel has a word count range. In order to increase our chances of selling our work, we must follow the publisher guidelines. We must make every single word count.

I find editing like eating healthy and exercising. If I eat the right foods and run four times a week, I get the physical results I want. Well, if I write tight and make every single word count, then I know I have turned out the best product I can. Perhaps the next step will be to catch an agent’s eye, with the grand finale being publication.

Now, it’s time to go for my run and then edit my novel. Happy writing all!

The Saga Continues

2010-05-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

I completed editing my first draft Sunday- May 23, 2010 to be exact. I now have a 305 page manuscript adorned with green sticky notes. Entire portions of my novel contain handwritten notes and lines through words, notations to add words, and small reminders to watch for repetitive phrasing. I gained insight into my novel’s strengths and weaknesses in both character and plot. It is up to me to take this manuscript and make it the best work product possible.

Yesterday, after pondering what my next phase of creativity would look like, I decided to sketch an outline. My story spans five days and contains viewpoints of one main character and two others. When editing, I noted some of my timelines were a little skewed, to say the least. My goal is to ensure that my timeline is spot on. I need to eliminate any reader confusion.

Last night, I started the chapter/scene outline. Today, I completed my outline/synopsis up to the newly revised chapter 8 (if I had not combined chapters, I would have been to chapter 13). I have been at it about an hour and a half. I can stop for the evening and do something else.

I am proud of myself.

My goal is to complete my outline by sometime next week, though I suspect it could be sooner. After this comes the restructuring of my novel, along with the revisions and additions, as well as deletions.

Many people have been giving me support during this process, for which I am grateful and blessed. A writer must write alone, but it is important not to isolate and shut out other people.

Happy writing all!

What Editing Feels Like

2010-05-09T19:55:00.000-07:00

As of today, I have edited forty-five pages.

Once I completed my draft, I did what most writers do-- I put my precious novel (bestseller, of course) away for a few days and tried not to think about it. The problem was I could not stop thinking about it! I knew I had left some plot points straggling and would have to pick them up and intertwine them throughout the story. Where did I drop these important tidbits? How would I pick them up again without changing major chunks of the story?

What if I had to start the entire story over because of one straggler?

This kind of thinking exhausted me. I knew I needed to take a step back.

Monday, the day after I wrote The End on page 305, I had this insurmountable urge to look at chapter one, or maybe just the first page or first few paragraphs. But, I stopped myself, because it felt like I was too close to the story. It’s dangerous for a writer to edit when they feel like they are a part of the story rather than its creator.

Tuesday, I decided I would start editing on Wednesday. I needed more distance.

Wednesday, I decided it was still too soon to start. My final decision was that I would start editing when it felt right.

Thursday felt like the right time to start looking at my novel through critical editor eagle eyes. So many questions came to mind. Will my hook catch the reader’s eyes, keep them reading? Are spelling and grammar correct? Do I use adjectives and adverbs sparingly? Are my sentences, paragraphs and scenes clear, and do they convey what the reader needs to know? Do I have unnecessary repetition in my story? Do I write distinctive voices for my characters, which means lean dialogue tags? Am I writing tight and lean sentences? Am I too wordy in some places?

Sheesh, the list continues into oblivion!

When editing, I need to be willing to kill off some of my darlings that do not belong in the story (actually, we don’t really kill them off, we just past them to a documents titled Little Darlings for Future Use). If a scene, character, or minor plot point does not work within the larger picture, I must let them go.

After editing-- which I am doing by hand, and then rewriting in my word processing program-- my goal is to start looking for an agent. I don’t want to circulate substandard work. I want my manuscript to be as close to perfect as I can get it. I want to leave as little work for an agent, editor or publisher as I can. It’s the writers’ job to know how to write.

Time to get back to editing. Happy writing all!

What The End Feels Like

2010-05-03T22:31:00.000-07:00

The end of writing a novel, that is. I cannot begin to describe the exhilaration I felt when I typed those precious two words. Thirty-one chapters and approximately 60,000 words.

The End.

I will soon start editing. Some writers let their novel sit for a week or two, maybe three, and proceed to other writing projects—a few short stories, an article or two. Some might even start working on another novel. Other writers let the manuscript simmer for no more than a day before they start the editing process.

I didn’t touch my novel today. I didn’t start any other stories. Instead, I watched an episode of Ghost Whisperer, followed by Medium. Some great stories in those television shows. Perhaps tomorrow I will start editing, or I might decide to take the week off. I’m not sure when I will start editing, but it will be soon.

I know editing requires that I take a step back and read my novel as a reader, not as a writer. I must be willing to sacrifice sentences, scenes, perhaps pages, that do not advance my story, even if the aforementioned will knock the socks off of any agent, publisher or reader. I must make sure my writing is tight, utilize correct grammar and spelling, weed out useless adverbs, watch for repetition of words—the list goes on. My most important task, I believe, is to make sure my story engages the reader through the gift of showing. Show don’t tell.

I care about my characters and their lives. They are as real to me as my family, friends, next door neighbors (okay, I’m exaggerating a bit here, but just let me make my point). I must give breath, body and personality to my characters in order for my readers to see them as whole human beings. The last thing I want to do is create cardboard characters.

Now that I’ve written this, I have decided I will start the editing process in a few days. Most likely on Wednesday, for no other reason than it is the day after tomorrow.

The end (for now).

What Fifty Feels Like

2010-04-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

Fifty-thousand words, that is. Last night, when I hit that 50,000 word mark in my unfinished novel, I had those same feelings as when I finished in my first Bay to Breakers race around fifteen years ago- surprise, exhilaration and complete satisfaction! Just like I knew I would finish the race, I know that I will finish this novel.

Anybody who believes that writing is easy is wrong. Just ask the writers who make a living with the artistry of their words, who have deadlines to meet, agents, editors and publishers to satisfy, and long hours trying to weave their words into saleable material. Just ask those of us who write long hours after our jobs to try and create a story that will grab readers and make them want to keep reading. I have not reached the “author” stage yet, but I know many who have. Just like novelists-in-progress, they produce a lot of sweat to put out an excellent product.

Currently, I am working on my second draft, which is quite different from my first. Why? Because the first time around, I was writing just to get the basic story down. This second draft, my story has been developing more meat around the plot, depth to my characters and the knowledge that if I have come this far, I can reach that finish line.

In fact, I guesstimate that I am about five or six chapters from the end. I don’t know how many words I will need to accomplish this. My goal is to complete this draft by the end of April, but I will not beat myself up too much if this does not happen. The first rule of thumb is to be kind to yourself no matter what.

One thing a writer must remember is that words are not just words. While a certain word count is necessary to comply with publisher guidelines, a writer cannot just write words for the sake of word count. When I was eighteen, my mother bought me one of the most valuable books in my library, Make Every Word Count, by Gary Provost. Now, thirty years later, the highlighting in this section has faded out, but the words are like music to me:

Remember this: the reader is always aware of the words you use and of the fact that you chose to use them. He takes your mistakes seriously. It doesn’t occur to him that a word slipped by you or that it jumped onto the page when you weren’t looking… (pg. 67)

Remember, word count is important, but make sure they are the right words. As for me, I must see what my characters are up to now. Happy writing!

Favorite Writing Books

2010-03-31T22:13:00.000-07:00

You can go to any bookstore and find a multitude of “how to” books on just about every aspect of writing, from how to get the first word down to how to find an agent, from publishing your book to marketing. It’s all there in the tall dark bookshelves of your favorite bookstore. In fact, most bookstores have an entire section on writing (though, in the last few years, many bookstores have merged the writing section with reference). In any event, if you want to learn how to write, then go down to your favorite bookstore and find the book that suits your needs.

When you get to that little independent bookstore on the corner, I want to urge you to look for two of my favorite writing books: On Writing by Stephen King and Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury. Why? Because both are about the creative process and writing life with a whole lot of biography stirred in. Both of these books are both small. You can stick either of them in your handbag (if you’re male, you can put one in your overcoat pocket), and catch a word or two at lunchtime. You can take them everywhere with you.

On Writing is a memoir on Stephen King’s life as a writer. Part one is his C.V., or more properly his Curriculum Vitae, about how he obtained his writing experience and the writing jobs he has held over the years. Part two is about what it takes to be a writer, and includes the tools her utilizes every day. He does not paint a rosy picture of writing, but a constructs a realistic panorama.

Zen in the Art of Writing was first published back in 1973, and has been reprinted several times. This lovely little book contains ten of Bradbury’s straightforward, intense and colorful essays. Like King, he writes from a biographical point of view, utilizing his own experiences to illustrate the truth about the writing life.

While my bookshelves are packed with many writing books I have collected over the years, the two aforementioned books are always within reach for a quick read. In order to be a writer, you must write. It’s also important to be realistic about what the writing world is like. Many writers, including me, have not quit their day jobs. I know one author who has written six novels, most of them on the best selling list, and he still works part-time. I love to write, have profited a little bit, but I know I will be at my job for quite awhile.

As for my writing, I just finished chapter 24 and approximately 45,000 words, and believe I have about five or six chapters left to go. I am getting really excited about concluding draft two. Then I must face the hard work of editing, adding, and taking away. This stage will be more intensive as, after two drafts, I feel I have crafted a good story.

Happy writing all!

Just in General

2010-03-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

I was surprised when Zac Petit from Writer’s Digest asked if they could quote me in their magazine. At the Writer’s Digest Forum, a question was posted regarding opinions on the best ingredient of a novel, the choices being plot/premise, style, characters or setting. I chose characters. Why? Well, since writing my entire response here might constitute plagiarism, you must go to the sidebar on page 10 of the March/April edition of Writer’s Digest, to read what I said. Writer’s Digest is one of the best magazines out there for writers, along with The Writer. I read both religiously.

I am still writing my novel, with my goal for completion for April. I am being lenient on myself, not committing to a strict deadline of 12:00 a.m. April 1. My goal is have the entire second draft completed by sometime during the month. Thus far, I have written 41,014 words. I already have a novel (40,000 words or more), but the story is half to three-quarters finished. I have anywhere from 20,000 – 40, 0000 words left to complete the story.

If I write 1,000 words per day, it will take me 20 days to reach 60,000 words, or 40 days to reach 80,000 words. Either way, I would reach my deadline. If I feel really industrious, I could write 1,500 words a day for the next 20 days and produce 30,000 words, and be done by the end of March.

I want to find markets for three short stories I have written. Persistence is the key. Robert A. Heinlein’s Rules of Writing from his essay On the Writing of Speculative Fiction, published in 1947, are well known to many writers:

These are excellent rules. I have given extra thought to number three, since many writers disagree with refraining from rewriting. However, Heinlein’s intent is very clear. As writers, it is our job to create a first draft that is polished and ready for the eyes of an editor, agent or publisher. Think about words, plot and every aspect of your story, and make changes as you go along. Once you put “The End,” you are done. While I agree with this rule, I have not yet gotten to the point where I do not go back and make changes.

Now it’s time for me to work on my novel. I am on chapter 23 to be exact. Until next time…happy writing, and write like it is.

Old Writing and Rejection Slips

2010-02-21T13:36:00.000-08:00

Last week, I decided it was time to rearrange my home office and sort through old paper. I already knew secrets were hidden in the shadows of ragged manila folders- old writing, rejection slips, and a lot of stuff I did not really need. While I am not attracted to things, as in “toys” (except for books, I love my home library), I hold on to paper longer then necessary. I am not admitting to anything, but it's possible that I might be a survivor of some kind of phobia-- perhaps Papermania or RTD, also known as Recycled Tree Disorder.

Well, that day as pulled cracked yellowed paper from disheveled folders, my shredder hummed at full force. Out went the duplicate copies of short stories (I only need the latest version), old bank statements, because everything electronically archived now, and other random documents that held no purpose but to gather dust. By the time I was done, I was elated to have more space for rejection slips dating back to 1984, important tax documents and unfinished work I intended to revive.

While I was going through those old papers, I ran across the jewel of a lifetime: eight aged pages from a journal I had written when I was 22 years old and a college student at College of the Redwoods in Eureka, California. I was a Police Science major, ready to go into the academy. I wanted to be a cop first, private investigator later. Due to a physical disability (bad eyesight), that dream never happened.

However, I also wrote about my one true dream of becoming a writer. At twelve, I started writing lyrics and poetry, and then moved on to short stories, and now my novel. I am not a big name in the writing world, but I have published poetry in small press, won first place in at least three writing contests, and have had four short stories published. I am proud of my accomplishments.

I also realize that I have not been holding myself to a high enough standard. I don’t submit my short stories to magazines often enough, and I have not been diligent in sitting down and writing every single day no matter what. I don’t study the markets enough. In other words, I have allowed myself to become complacent.

My goals are is to submit a story until it’s either sold or I have run out of markets to submit to, write every single day on one piece of substantive work (novel, short story), and make sure I study my markets well. The only way to be a writer is to sit down and write, and do the grunt work that goes with writing. Nobody else can do any of this for me.

Now, it’s time to get ready for my Redwood Writers Club meeting. When I return, I write. Happy writing to all!

Working Full Time and Writing

2010-01-21T13:00:00.000-08:00

This morning I read about a man who gave up his daytime job to write full time. With little money made from writing, he just up and quit. I felt admiration for this man, because I know it is hard to make a living from writing. It took a lot of courage for him to take that step.

I know of one author who has published six novels, some on bestseller lists, who keeps his part-time day job. He said his second income is necessary for him right now. Of course, I have no doubt he will quit his day job soon and give us more bestsellers.

I am one of the several who works full time while writing in the off hours of the day. Even though I have made a little money writing, I am not brave enough or ready to try and give writing full-time a try. Maybe if I win the lotto, or some rich relative dies and leaves me their millions (no chance of that, as I have no rich relatives).

With or without a job, sitting down and writing is what is important. I try to write at least an hour per day. My goal is to complete the second draft of my novel by April, need to be more disciplined. Two hours and/or 1000- 2000 words per day a will lead me down the road to completion. A little much for a girl who works full time? Maybe, considering I want to write some short stories and start submitting more.

I am a good writer, even though I am constantly learning. Discipline is the answer. In other words, I need to sit down and write more. Make more time, as it will not just come to me.

Happy 2010!

2009-12-30T22:40:00.000-08:00

It’s hard to believe that we are at the brink 2010, with one foot in yesterday, the other foot in tomorrow. Not long ago, we were waiting for 2000, with the Y2K crisis and the ending of the world. But, here it is ten years later and our world still lives on, just as it did thousands of years ago. Chances are the earth will continue to live on, even though human generations come and go.

I can remember being a teenager in the late seventies and looking into the future. What would the year 2000 be like? Every time I heard a mention of the millennium, a chill would run through me as I would think, in the year 2000, I will turn 39 years old. At seventeen, 39 seemed ancient. Well, here it is 2010, the year I will turn 49! My, how time flies!

As I peruse through these last ten years, I realize a lot has happened. I was deeply saddened by my grandmother’s death in 2006, but I am thrilled that my 93-year-old grandfather is alive and well. This decade, both of my nieces have had children, and one of my nieces has gotten married. Both of my brothers married early in the millennium. In 2005, I met the love of my life. A few months ago, one of my sister-in-laws died a tragic death, leaving behind the imprint of a kind and compassionate heart. My other sister-in-law was diagnosed with leukemia but, after treatment, went into remission. A few years back, my older brother was in an accident that changed his life, but he has overcome many obstacles and is stronger today than he has ever been. Finally, my dad was diagnosed with bladder cancer, only to be cancer free today.

Some things in life we have no control over. Life hands us triumphs and tragedies, gains and losses. I believe our job as human beings is to decide how we want to handle life on life’s terms.

Happy new year to all as we step foot into the second decade of the millennium!

To Join or Not to Join

2009-12-15T23:00:00.000-08:00

I have been writing a lot lately. I am finally over 25,000 words into the second draft of my novel. Sometimes, I find myself writing like a madwoman with no control, eager to get the scenes onto paper. Other times, I write slowly, contemplating each word as if I were moving through fog . However, I always try to do my best work as I go.

Recently, the Writer’s Digest forum had an interesting discussion on critique groups. The viewpoints on whether or not to join a critique group varied. Some writers, specifically those who have been writing for pay for years, believe that critique groups can do more harm than good. Other writers believe that critique groups are all the rage, because others can catch spelling and grammar errors and teach them how to be better writers.

One seasoned writer/editor suggested that if a writer chooses a critique group, that their work must be written as well as if it were ready to go to an editor or publisher. In other words, the work must have been written, rewritten and edited to a professional level. I agree with this writer/editor one hundred percent.

I participate in a critique group for thriller writers. Sure, we catch each other’s spelling and grammar errors, but the purpose of the group is to give and receive feedback on the story itself, on what works and what does not. I am certain that we all present our very best writing at each group.

We have been together almost a year, and we are still going strong. I would encourage any writer to join a critique group once they have a well-polished draft.

In the meantime, happy writing!

Left Meets Right- Positive Thought and Action

2009-11-02T20:04:00.000-08:00

As you may recall from my last entry, The Ant and the Elephant by Vincent Poscente played a large role in my research for my novella. Brio, the wise old owl, taught Adir, the ant, may lessons on being a leader. One of these lessons was as soon as you attach a specific, emotionally-charged thought to a gold dot, you will be sending clear, strong signals to your teammate (page 71)

Four years ago while writing Left Meets Right, I tried to create this principle of teamwork into my story in the form of character traits. On March 5, 2005, I wrote the following in my journal:

I am intrigued with the concept of imagining a gold dot, attaching positive thoughts to it, then sending it to my teammate(s)…does this imply that I am trying to manipulate my teammate into doing things the way I want them done, or does it mean that I am simply bringing my own positive light to the work situation? I guess that would depend upon what my true motivation is for sending a gold dot to anyone. I know that I will be working these antidotes into my story and create my protagonist with an attitude consisting of the above qualities (not all, but most, she can’t be perfect or else the reader will get bored; or, in the case of my presentation, the audience will get bored.)

I find that the gold dot principle is important in all aspects of my writing life as well. Teamwork includes participating in writing groups/clubs, creating conferences, volunteering and bringing my most positive self to the writer’s club meetings. I also see the gold dot as my creative project, whether it be fiction or nonfiction. When I put my own emotion, dedication, creativity, and hard work into my writing, I send the clear message to editors, publishers and readers that I am serious about my craft. I make sure my product is complete and polished before it makes it into the hands of the first reader, publisher or editor.

For anyone who has not read Poscente’s book, I highly recommend it. Along with On Writing by Stephen King and Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury. And do not forget to attach positive messages to your creative process. Keep writing!

Left Meets Right- Journey of the Ant and the Elephant

2009-10-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

While researching for my novella, one of my favorite books was The Ant and the Elephant by Vincent Poscente © 2004. This fable is about an ant (Adir) learning skills to lead the elephant (Elgo) to a place of Oasis. The wise old owl teaches Adir to look within himself for answers and to change his negative thinking to positive. As Adir begins his journey, he takes notes on how to become the best leader possible (Adir’s Notes to Self, Lesson No. 1, page 47):

Make fear your friend, not you master;
You don’t know what you don’t know. Open your mind to discover possibilities that may not be obvious at the time;
Zero in on a goal that has a depth of meaning. The journey has to be worth taking:
Action Step No. 1: Find the elephant buzz, i.e. the emotion that ignites the vision. Inspire your team through emotion. Never underestimate the power of emotion.

I believe that the above principles can be applied to our writing journey. For example, at some point or another, most writers fear rejection. Who wants to spend hours writing a short story or article or novel only to receive a rejection slip? However, rejection is probably the one thing that any writer can count on. Even the best writers receive rejections simply because there are fewer markets than there are writers.

I am certain that fear of rejection centers around a basic belief that once rejected, always rejected. Perhaps we feel our writing is not good enough, or that we do not have what it takes to succeed. However, my belief on fear: False Evidence Appearing Real. Do not give into it.

In writing, it is always important to open our minds to the many changes in the writing world. While devising your plan for publication, whether you choose the traditional or self-publishing avenue, never close your mind to other possibilities. Listen to other writers. Learn from what works and what does not. Always keep an open mind.

While keeping an open mind, find out what your goals are for publication. Create a plan. Build a network of writers—join a writer’s club, hook up with other writers online. Make it a point to learn from those who are more experienced, and share what you learn with other writers. Do whatever it takes to make your journey worthwhile!

Finally, I really love taking the action of using emotion to inspire. When working with a team, shared emotion is important in reaching a goal. However, as writers know, the actual act of creating a written work is a lonely job. Even if you form a group and write together, you must put the words onto paper. However, I think that igniting that emotion within oneself is what drives us as writers. If we do not feel that drive to write, treat our creation as if we are already succeeding, then we are selling ourselves short. I believe success means sitting down and writing whether we feel like it or not.

Happy writing all!

Left Meets Right- The Journey Begins

2009-09-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

When I was working on my B.A. in Liberal Studies a few years back, we chose our senior projects. We were to research a subject and present it in both oral and written form. I decided my research would be on workplace spirituality, my written presentation a Novella. I did not know how I would present this to my group of cohorts.

My mentor advised that my presentation be on my creative process. I was instructed to keep a journal as well. I had approximately sixteen weeks to research my subject, keep a substantive journal of my research and write a novella. I started writing my novella about twelve weeks before the final project was due.

As I look over my journal on this creative process, I cannot believe how much I did in so little time. At the time, I was trying to find a way to bring my best self into an unhealthy work environment. I did not realize how much of my own self worth I put into my work. It was an interesting experience to see how my creative writing during this time helped me to work through some of my own work issues.

On March 6, 2005, I wrote this in my journal regarding my creative process:

I have written six pages and 1531 words on my story since last night- and it is not coming out at all the way I planned. My synopsis and character profiles are specific enough to where I thought I had a pretty good plot: arrogant associate attorney comes on the scene and doesn't want to be a team player but Ms. Spirituality-at-work-paralegal teaches him about looking within for work validation instead of grasping outside of himself. Ha! As I wrote, the story began to take on a life of its own, as if I, the writer, were not in control! How can this be? Well, it is what it is, and my protagonist is still Lana the paralegal but she is the corporate money hungry monger who does not realize she is walking into a spiritual environment. We will experience through her eyes what it is like to come from a corporate mindset to just the opposite. Thus, my title Left (corporate left-brain thinker) Meets Right (spiritual right brain thinker). Does this make sense? Yes Left Meets Right.

Meanwhile, I continue to work very hard on writing my novel. I have reached the 17,000 mile mark, which means I am approximately a quarter of the way into my story. My protagonist is acting and reacting in ways I never imagined. The story truly seems to have taken on a life of its own. Who is in control—my characters or me?

Over the next several weeks, or however long it takes, I plan to post journal entries on my creative process while writing my novella. Next time, I may share some insights about The Ant and the Elephant by Vincent Poscente, and how to apply those principles to writing!

Happy writing!

New Trends in Publishing

2009-09-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

I have heard it said that a writer should never include chapters of their novel on the web, especially at their website. I have also heard that self-publishing is the kiss of death for a novel. Many old school editors and writers profess that agents and editors will not consider that which has been published online or is self-published. Worse yet, self-published novels do not sell. Perhaps sometimes these things are true, but I am sure they are not true in all situations.

Seth Harwood recently spoke at the Redwood Writer’s Club on how to podcast your novel before it had reached publication. In other words, produce a chapter each week for others to download and listen to on their MP3 players. This way, your writing gets out there and you get an idea on how well your work is received. Mr. Harwood said that he actually sold his book by giving it away. You can read all about Seth here: http://sethharwood.com

J.A. Joshi is a self-published writer who I greatly admire. She participates in the Writer’s Digest online forum. Ms. Joshi also self-published Follow the Cowherd Boy through Trafford. In her mid twenties, she followed her own intuition about how to publish her book, went on a marketing spree across the country, and has shared many of her adventures with the writing forum. She now has a wonderful blog: http://jaijoshiz.blogspot.com/

As a writer, I think many of the rules to selling your work are timeless. Spelling and grammar should be impeccable, story should be well crafted and in line with what sells today. Read writer's guidelines and follow them to a tee. Read the type of stories we like to write. However, I think that the acceptable manner of publication is changing as the internet becomes more predominant in our lives. Change is important, and it is even more important to move with the changing times.

In my own writing life, I am proud to say I am working hard on my novel. I am on chapter 11 (no, it is not about bankruptcy). While I was on vacation a few weeks back, I wrote anywhere from two to four hours a day. My goals are to write one to two hours a day on my novel, as well as write and sell more short stories.

What are your writing goals?

Happy writing to all!

Writing and Critique Group

2009-08-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

Writing is my life right now. Meeting with the critique group every two weeks helps me to establish a deadline. We made an agreement to submit the work at the current meeting to be critiqued at the next meeting. For example, while we talk about our critiques on Chapter 2 at the group (because we have all taken them home and critiqued them), we also have Chapter 3 for the group to take home and do their critiques. This all gives us plenty of time to critique and do our own writing. For the most part, this has been working well. However, we are all open and flexible to this rule for when a member cannot provide their piece at the meeting.

Sometimes I write like crazy, other times I make excuses about low motivation. The truth is that I like this system of writing a lot and then taking a day or two off. It seems to work for me, especially since I am revising right now. I have draft one completed of my novel, but it feels very disconnected and weak when it comes to characterization. This revision, along with the help of my critique cohorts, is bringing some depth to my characters and the story itself.

In my last entry, I touched upon my thirty-year class reunion. It is only a week away on September 5. I am excited, but also a little nervous. While I have gotten in touch with some classmates via Facebook, the truth is that I do not remember a whole lot from high school. I remember many of my classmates, especially those I went to grade school and high school with, but others I would not recognize if I passed them on the street. Thirty years is a long time! However, I find the class reunion to be a great opportunity to make some new friends and catch up on what others have been doing, and to share myself as well!

Well, time to write on my novel. Happy writing all!

2009-08-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

Last week was the first time in my life that I have been home sick for an entire five days. In fact, I rarely get sick other than a cold or flu. Monday morning, I woke, fed the cats and dressed to go on my usual run. I pushed myself out the door, just as I had been doing for the last couple of weeks. Well, about halfway through my run, I started getting nauseated and ran out of energy. I ended up walking the rest of the way home. By 8:30, I was still feeling nauseated and not very well and called in ill to work. To make a long story short, I had a fever and nausea for most of the week, had no appetite whatsoever and slept a lot. On Tuesday, the doctor told me to try to fight off whatever it was with my own resources, but to pick up antibiotics if I was not remarkably better toward the end of the week. About six hours after taking my first dose of antibiotics on Thursday, I finally began to feel better. Now, I am not 100%, but I am on the mend.

During the week, writing was the last thing on my mind. I seriously thought I was going to die. Well, on Friday night, I could not get to sleep- I tossed and turned, read, had a small bowl of cereal. Nothing would lead me into that sweet slumber. Finally, I brought my laptop into my room and wrote on my novel. Once I let my characters come out and live their lives, I was finally able to get to sleep.

Now that I have made changed in the plot of my story, it is moving along quite well. My critique group likes it thus far. I no longer feel like I am trying to force the story, but that the story is now coming together on its own. My job is to make sure I sit down and write, and to write to the best of my ability. All I can say is that it is coming along.

The other thing on my plate is my upcoming class reunion. Thirty years. I told the reunion head that I would love to help find missing students. To be honest, I could not recall how many kids I graduated with and expected there might be 15 or 20 missing students. Well, there was around one hundred! (I now know our graduating class must have been over 200!) I did not know how I was going to do this, but I truly believe where there is a will, there is a way. The glass is always half full in any given circumstance. Finally, I discovered USSearch, an extensive public records database, was offering a seven-day free trial. I found addresses for 88 missing kids! Some addresses I'm sure of, others are as sure as I can get right now.

I feel well and blessed today. Happy writing all!

Writing Experience

2009-07-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

These last few weeks, I've been having some strange experiences that seem perfect for scenes in my writing. For example, a few weeks ago, I was taking a walk in my neighborhood when a little girl carrying a doll walked toward me and asked, "have you seen my mommy?"

I thought I heard wrong and said, "what did you say, honey?"

"Have you seen my mommy?"

I stood there looking down at this darling little six year old, not knowing what to do. I had never come across a lost child before. I didn't have my cell phone with me. Seconds later, the little girl walked past me. I turned to see her walking toward a young man who had just parked and gotten out of this truck. Luckily, the young man turned out to be her brother and the one she had been speaking too!

However, this experience was eerie for me, because my novel is about an adult male who finds out he was abducted when he was six , and his journey to finding himself. My protagonist also works as a missing children's investigator and is on the hunt for a little girl who has been abducted. Even though I have not gotten this scene on to paper yet, I know how it will be perfect for my novel.

Speaking of my novel, it is progressing well. Since becoming part of a critique group with others who are writing similar type novels, I have felt supported in my writing endeavors. I would encourage all writers to join a critique group.

Well, time to get back to work on my novel. Happy writing all!

Muse

2009-06-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

If there is any truth to the existence of a muse, then he/she has made a sudden appearance. The first draft of my novel has been completed for quite awhile now, but is not ready to be presented to an agent. The characters don't have enough bones, blood and definition, and the plot is disconnected with holes that look like a children's snowflake cutout.

I began working on my revision about three or four months ago, when I decided to sign up for a thriller critique group. With the deadlines of meeting every other week, I have been writing like crazy. Recently, my writing cohorts asked me in the kindest way they could, "What does the murder have to do with what is going on with your main character?" I did not know what to say, probably because I did not know the answer!

Over the next few weeks, their question rolled through my mind like a gentle flowing river. I stopped and thought about my main character and asked him to share his story. Every time his voice came into my head, I listened. Finally, I realized that the murder is not important. However, the type of work he does is central to the story (in case you are wondering, he investigates missing children). The murder went, the work stayed.

I have rewritten chapters one and two and look forward to three. My story feels alive, real (well not real real) and my fingers are on fire. Speaking of, it's time to write now.

Happy Writing!

Creating Character

2009-06-07T18:18:00.001-07:00

In my writing, I often question whether I create my characters or whether they create themselves. I have a more difficult time writing about characters in a longer piece of work such as a novella or novel, and I find it easier to portray my characters in short stories.

For example, in my short story The Softball Crush (Vintage Voices Four Part Harmony, 2008), creating the situation and characters was easy, because the characters were based on children I went to grade school with. The story situation was based on two truths I had as a child: I could not play softball to save my life, and in eighth grade the most popular boy in school asked me to be his girlfriend.

My story The Bicycle will be published in the Vintage Voices anthology to come out this year. The only truths in that story were that my father really would not let me have a bike, and I grew up in a small town in California. The rest is fictional.

However, my novel-in-progress is not based on any part of my life. Through a series of circumstances, my protagonist finds out a truth about his past that literally sends him into a another world (we are not talking science fiction here). Thus, he finds himself embarking on a life changing journey that brings him in touch with parts of himself that he never knew existed.

We have all encountered finding missing parts of ourselves and learning how to integrate them into who we are today. I have never dealt with the depth of what has been missing in my protagonist for most of his life, and I have no real person to base his life on. Therefore, I am having to work harder on creating this character.

Writing is hard work not matter how you look at it. While my short stories might seem easier to write, I still have to put a lot of work into them to make sure they are what people might want to read. Sometimes I feel like throwing the pages of my novel across the room, other times I want to keep it close to me as I would a child. No matter how I feel, I won't give up on writing my novel. Feelings are fleeting, they just are. The written word is permanent.

Happy writing to all.

Writing

2009-04-26T17:35:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile. I have been spending a lot of time on Facebook, my main source of networking with other writers. So far, I have connected with most members in the Redwood Branch of the California Writer's Club, as well as hooked up with many local friends, friends from long ago, and family members. I have been having a great time!

I also helped create a critique group for thriller writers through the auspices of our writer's club. We meet twice a month and critique each other's work. For me, it is an invaluable experience to hear from other writers what they like about my work, what they don't like and any suggestions they might have. I also enjoy reading the work of my writer cohorts in the group. All the stories are different, but contain thriller aspects in them. In this type of situation, I have learned there is no room for hurt feelings. It's a matter of taking what I like and leaving the rest.

I enjoy writing on my novel as much as I can. However, as usual, I can find many distractions. It's not writer's block, just my own shortcoming of not being able to discipline myself. The deadlines with my writer's group helps keep me on track. It would be embarrassing to tell my group I have nothing for them to critique!

It's time for me to unhook my computer from the dsl modem, take my laptop into the living room and sit down and write.

Happy writing all!

The Lesson About Balking

2009-03-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing I have learned in life, it is that every time I balk at someone’s new adventure, I generally end up following not far behind. Take a popular eating plan as an example. Somewhere around fifteen years ago, numerous people started following this plan, a vegetarian no dairy eat all you want and still lose weight diet. Being overweight and trying to shed pounds, I knew that it was impossible to eat all I wanted and still loose weight. No, experience told me I needed to exercise, eat three healthy meals a day within a certain calorie range, and forget the Ben and Jerry’s. I knew without a doubt that these people were not living in reality.

Over a span of several months, I watched my friends become healthier- they shed the pounds, their skin began to glow and they swore it was indeed that they were eating what they wanted and still losing weight. I was eating all I wanted, when I wanted and gaining weight, had stomach problems and headaches galore. The more I watched my friends flourish with health, and the less healthy I began to feel, the more I decided it was time to see what they were talking about.

So, I tried the same eating plan. I ate as much as I wanted within the confines of the diet. I didn’t lose weight, but I stopped gaining weight too. Other amazing things began to happen as well- my stomach problems cleared up and, by not eating dairy products and sugar anymore, I realized that they were both sources of my headaches and stomach discomfort.

While I did not reap the benefits that my friends did, I certainly reaped my own rewards. My headaches went away, my stomach began to feel better, and I learned how to eat properly. Eight years later, I did lose all my excess weight and have been able to keep it off for the last seven years. I learned a lot from that experience.

Now, it’s about an interactive site on the internet. I heard how several friends signed up for this service, but I balked and formed my own opinion that was not favorable. However, this time, it took me less time to realize that I balked because I was afraid to try it. Well, a few weeks ago, my Writer’s Club announced they were now a member of this website. I went and signed up because I wanted to see what they were doing. As it turns out, this wonderful interactive website has become a networking opportunity with other writers that I never thought possible. Now, even a few personal friends are on there, and I have even contacted two friends who I have not seen in years.

My lesson is this: when I start balking about something someone else is doing (sometimes the balking is internal, other times I have to voice my opinion), it’s time for me to step back and look at my own fears.

As for the writing- I’m writing this moment. I was stumped on my novel for quite some time and had to go on to writing other things. I finally figured out the problem was telling the story rather than showing. Now, that I have started showing, the story line seems to be flowing well.

Happy writing all!

Vanity v. Self Publishing

2009-02-24T21:13:00.000-08:00

Today at my writer’s online forum, an interesting discussion ensued on Vanity vs. Print on Demand Publishing. I have since learned that Print on Demand is the method by which books are published, and that the real issue is between Vanity and Self Publishing. Many people believe they are one in the same because books are not published by traditional means. However, I have come to believe that Vanity and Self Publishing are not the same.

Vanity Publishers are often masked as a traditional publishing avenue. For example, we have all heard about markets where your poetry is accepted, but only if you buy the book. If you don’t buy the book, your poem is thrown into the garbage. My friend once wrote the worst poem possible, which got accepted only if she purchased the book. Her point proven, she did not buy the book. These vanity publishers really know how to talk an author up and, if you are not in careful check of your own need to be immediately published, they will reel you in.

On the other hand, I believe that a legitimate self publishing company is straight forward. An internet search of Self Publishers brought up many companies. From what I see, most Self Publishers are up front that the writer will pay to have their work published. They often list out their packages and costs. Others ask that you tell them about your book first. I believe the honesty of what they offer is what separates them from Vanity Publishers.

Of course, this all seems black and white, but I’m sure there are some grey areas in between. I suppose that Vanity Publishers can indeed be legitimate and honest about their services, just as Self Publishers can be sneaky and underhanded. I would say that, whatever avenue you choose, whether it be an adventure in vanity or a journey in self, be sure to keep your eyes open and explore all the avenues and alleys. Ask yourself why you are choosing your particular path and be completely honest.

I have had some poetry and two short stories published. I am nowhere ready to publish my novel. So, all of what I have written is based on a little experience, lots of research and some introspection. I guess that does not make me an expert in the publishing business, but it does show how well I can reason this all out.

When it's time to publish my novel, I have decided I will…..

Never mind. No time to think about it now.

Happy writing.

Changes in the New Year

2009-01-22T22:00:00.000-08:00

I am excited about living in the year 2009, especially with our New President, Barack Obama. I heard on CNN this week that the White House website has been revamped and is now an open and interactive venue for all interested in politics and reading about our leader’s plans and policies. They even have a blog, and yesterday’s entry is a video and print copy of the President’s inaugural address. If our president runs our country anything like he ran his campaign, all I can say, “Look out America! Change is in the here and now!” Stop by and check it out for yourself! http://www.whitehouse.gov/.

On the writing end, I have just finished a short story that I plan to submit to a few magazines soon. I have started another short story, perhaps a novel, which is loosely based on a current personal experience. I have found that I write best when drawing from the deep emotions of my life events.

Last year I wrote a short story based upon two childhood experiences: when I was in eigth grade, the most popular boy in school asked me to be his girlfriend, and when I was a kid, I could never catch a baseball. Once the story was published in an anthology, I was asked to read before the group. A few people afterward asked me if my character was actually me. All I can ever say is that there is a little bit of me in all of my characters.

Saturday while Don is at the Fiddle Contest in Cloverdale, I will be at a writer’s workshop in Petaluma entitled Where Does a Fictional Story Start? After an hour introduction, participants choose between Point of View or Character Development. I have already made up my mind to attend the session on character development, since point of view is basic to me. I know I need to learn to flesh out my characters more, give them more depth, and realism.

On a final note, life has been delivering some interesting gifts these last few weeks. I have been running into old friends I have not seen in years. Recently, someone gave me a spiritual gift without her knowing that it was exactly what I needed. No matter what life delivers, the glass is always half full, never half empty.

Until next time…happy writing!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-12-30T18:02:00.000-08:00

I have had this blog for about two years now,and I honestly thought few people read it- maybe my writer friends, Don, some family members. After all, I am not a well known novelist or someone who has accomplished great things that make people stop and say, "Ooooh, Aaaahhh." But, today I believe someone from work dropped a subtle hint that she has seen my blog. Now, the questions come barging through! Does she read it? Has she shared it with other coworkers? What does she think? What do they think? I can hear you asking, "Why do you care?" My answer is, "I care about what they think because I care about them." I work with some really neat people. What more could a girl ask for?

Which brings me to the New Year. I have decided not to make any resolutions, because I end up getting sidetracked, or I simply choose not to follow through. But, if I decide on the spur of the moment to do something, such as taking knitting up after a 20 year dead spell, or I decide to write a story today, then I will follow through. I am just not good at keeping lists, or trying to decide what I want to do in the next year. All I want is to be a better person, to show compassion, and to have a great time at life.

Our Christmas was wonderful this year- we spent it with Don's family. I had not made yeast bread since I was a teenager, maybe even a young adult. But, I made a loaf of bread, cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls. Everybody at the dinner said the rolls were wonderful. If Mother were alive today, she would be proud of me!

It seems strange that it will be 2009 in a little over 24 hours. When I was a kid, 2000 seemed so far away that it gave me chills just thinking about it. I recall being ten years old and figuring out that in the year 2000 I would be 39 years old. Now, it's almost 2009, and I will turn 48 in November. In the year 2020 I will turn 59...I think. Kind of eerie, if you ask me.

I have been writing, but not as much as I would like. I submitted a memoir to the California Writer's Club annual anthology, but I have not heard back yet. I just completed a short story and need to find a market for it. As for my novel, I have put editing on the back burner. Sometimes I wonder if I am a better short story writer than a novelist. I don't know. All I know is that I love to write.

I wish a happy and safe new year to all. See you next year.

Distractions

2008-11-23T16:59:00.000-08:00

I have been a lazy when it comes to writing. During the summer, I turned cable off and signed up for Netflix in hopes that an episode or two of my favorite TV shows on DVD would be a nice reward for writing. Well, as it turns out, Netflix is a distraction.

I came up with another plan this last week; I decided to take up knitting again after a 25 year hiatus. My plan is to write an hour per day, and then watch Netflix while I knit. Right now, I am working on a scarf for Don. My next project will be a sweater for me. Maybe I’ll knit a beanie and slippers. So far, the knitting plan has been more successful than the Netflix plan. I like rewards for writing. I just need to stick to the reward system.

Some would say I am blocked. I don’t believe this because when I sit down to write I actually put sentences on the paper that make sense and move the piece forward (like now). My problem is that I would rather be doing something else, because that other activity is never as difficult as writing.

Writing is hard work. Not writing is easy. But, if I don’t write then I won’t be able to submit for publication. I have been published at least six times- four poems in magazines years ago, and two short stories in the last year. But, these publications only happened because I wrote, edited, and submitted. In addition, I maintain my blog and my website, and writing is about 90% of my day job.

I need to treat my writing like a second job. When I work at my paralegal job, I am in my office working away except for breaks and lunch. I try to stay focused and shut out distractions. There is no reason that I should not be doing the same things for my writing.

Happy writing to all…and happy Thanksgiving!

Family and Friends

2008-10-21T22:19:00.000-07:00

Don and I have been busy with family events this last month. A few weeks ago, we drove to Paradise, California for his cousin’s fiftieth wedding anniversary. Once we reached Paradise, we were shocked at the devastation of the fires from earlier in the year. Many people lost their homes.

Don’s family is quite a large crowd spread throughout California, and they all try to keep in touch with one another. Thus, while many of the Sonoma County family had traveled to attend the party, so had family and friends from other areas. The evening was filled with music, laughter and a lot of dancing. Don’s cousin, Betty, is married to Louie, who has made his living playing Saxophone. Louie was on stage quite a bit with the band, even at one time playing two Saxes, one out of each side of his mouth. Don even joined and played his mandolin, and piped in with a few songs of his own.

This last weekend, Don’s nephew, Brandon, got married. Brandon’s mother, Shari, officiated the ceremony. Brandon was a handsome groom, and Carolina’s could not have been more radiant. The ceremony was beautiful, and the dinner and dancing afterward a blast! Since both Brandon and Carolina are young, I expected some current rock and roll at the dance. Instead, we danced the night away to 70’s and 80’s music where one song blended right into another!! I was pleasantly surprised when Staying Alive blared from the speakers, as the Bee Gees was one of my favorite bands when I was younger.

On the writing front, these last few weeks I have been making excuses not to sit down and write. No, I don’t have what is commonly known as writer's block. Not a bit. I am just finding other things to do instead of writing. Okay, the last six days I have had that awful cold/cough thing that has been going around. Today was the worst. When I called into work today, the first thing the receptionist said was, “Uh, oh, it got you didn’t you?” Yep, the bug got me full force today. But, after sleeping it off and taking the cough medicine the doctor prescribed, this evening I can truly report the worst is over.

This weekend, I am off to see Grandpa. I told Grandpa lunch is on me- he picks, I pay. I have no doubt he will chose Taco Bell, his favorite place. Don is gone to LA during this week for some gigs and then to Phoenix for the Folk Alliance Annual Conference. His band, The Hot Frittatas, will be the main showcase this year.

I really do plan to get some writing done now that I am feeling better. Actually, the around five hundred words that I am writing now count as writing. Thus, I have found writing more important than the something else I have been replacing writing with- if that makes sense.

Happy writing all!

New Adventures

2008-09-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

This last month, I have been working on a different kind of writing. As if I don’t already have enough to do, I have created a website titled Write Like It Is. If you ask me why, I will say, “I don’t know. I just wanted to see if I could create my own site.”

The whole thing started out as a site for construction defect paralegals. My profession is specialized, often interesting, sometimes broad and most of the time pretty much the same thing day after day. I love being a construction defect paralegal. But, about halfway through my free membership at Homestead, I decided I didn’t love it enough to give all of my hard work away.

Alas, it took me less than a week to concoct my writing website. It contains a pen loft where writers of all levels get serious, a library stacked to the brim with resources, and a playroom filled with fun toys. I even share a bit of my own writing there.

I posted awhile back that one of my stories was posted in a local anthology. Yesterday was the launch party for Vintage Voices where many of us read our publications. I have not read anything I have written in front of an audience for about two years. Yesterday, I read my story in front of about 20-25 people. I received many great comments from the audience, which made my day. In my community, we have some awesome writers. I am proud to be part of such a literary community.

Now, it’s late and time for me to turn in. Please visit my website! http://www.writelikeitis.com

Writing and Music

2008-09-07T19:12:00.001-07:00

These last few weeks have been busy and productive. One of my favorite magazines is Glimmer Train because its stories are well written and entertaining. Many of the stories are written by authors who have not been published before, and the magazine thrives on submissions to their monthly contests. I met my goal of writing a story titled specifically for Glimmer Train and submitted it in their open contest for September. It is about a woman who comes to terms with a childhood event that has shaped her for life. Of course, as any writer does, I am hoping for the grand prize. I will hear back in late December if my story becomes one of their winners.

A well known editor and author over at the Writer's Digest website writes often to "submit it and forget it." This is a hard lesson for me to learn. I submitted a short story to Ellery Queen in late June but have not heard back. Their response time is four months. It could be good news that I have not heard back, though. Perhaps they are considering my story.

Next weekend is the Old Time Bluegrass Festival at Anderson Marsh State Park in Clearlake, California. Don is one of the people who helped to create this festival with the goal of raising money for local schools. Besides the many smaller things he does for the festival, he is the musical director who brings in all the talent. I am glad he includes himself on the list of performers at the Bluegrass Festival because he is a very talented musician. This will be my third year of volunteering at the Festival, and I am pretty excited.

I am currently creating a website for construction defect paralegals. My first order of business is to provide links to Internet resources that construction paralegals use every day. However, I hope my website will also be useful to new paralegal graduates who are considering working in this field. I work with some amazing people who have taught me much, and I want to be able to give back to others what has been gifted to me. I am a true believer that we must share what we learn.

I hope you all have a great writing life...see you next time!

Changes and Moving Ahead

2008-08-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

Some exciting things have been happening in my writing life. The Sonoma County Book Fair is next month. It is an all day free event for writers. The Redwood Writer’s club has a booth and there is a variety of speakers every hour. I have been thinking about whether to volunteer an hour of my time or just to attend the event. Since this is my first year, I am leaning toward going for all the writing food I can swallow. There will always be future years to volunteer.

A few months ago, one of my short stories was accepted for publication in Vintage Voices, a local anthology. On September 27, there will be a launch party for the book with a chance to read our story and sign copies of the books. I am not big on the limelight, but I will probably go to the event and put myself out there as much as I can. It is good practice and motivation for someday when I publish my novel.

Recently, I have decided to turn off cable. I am tired of the Reality TV now and not being able to catch shows I like because they are on too late at night. I hate that a portion of a serial or movie goes ten minutes followed by eight minutes of commercial. I have decided to replace cable with Netflix. All show, no commercials and much cheaper. I feel like I am getting what I paid for. I can watch what I want when I want with no commercials, as well as view old favorites such as Mission Impossible (the series).

Now that I do not have cable, I find that I have more time to do other things, such as writing. Today I completed edit number one of a short story I will be submitting to Glimmer Train, one of my favorite magazines. Once I have that story out there, I will continue working on my novel and start another short story. My goal is to increase my writing time from an hour to an hour and a half each day. When I have reached my goal, the rest of the time is mine.

Well, until next time- happy reading and writing to all!

Goals and Other Stuff

2008-07-31T07:23:00.000-07:00

I have been working at setting writing goals; write at least an hour every day on a short story, novel or blog entry. My priority is editing the first draft of my novel, then working on short stories and then adding to my blog. Point: sit butt in chair and write. Find that passion within myself.

Today at the writer’s digest forum, someone wrote about losing her passion for writing after the death of her partner. A very wise man responded with something to the effect of the flame burns within, but sometimes it takes someone outside of us to light the match.

Reading this wise man’s response reminded me that human beings need people. It’s no good isolating and shutting the door on the world. No matter what time I spend writing, I need to interact with those I love- a phone call, a walk, or meeting someone for a movie. Other times, I just need to interact with a stranger- a smile, nod or even exchange a few words. I am a true believer that what we offer to the world is what comes back to us.

This week I was saddened to read about the death of a man I knew from my childhood. This was back in the seventies before home computers and email, when people actually took pen to paper, or fingers to typewriter, and sent personal letters through the United States Postal Service. Cell phones were unheard of, and most home phones were still rotary.

Well, at that time, I was 13 years old and had the maddest crush on a DJ at a country station. I would come home from school just in time to catch the last half hour or so of his radio show. In fact, I became so lovesick that I started calling him to request songs and just say hi…

When I was ten, I began writing poems and lyrics, which continued through early adulthood. Well, I started sending my poems and lyrics to my new friend. He thought they were very pretty, perhaps someday he would write music to them. I was ecstatic because he was the only person in the world who took the time to read my poems and lyrics, and he even understaood where I was coming from!

Always very nice and cordial, one day he asked me out of the blue, as if he had been holding this question in for the longest time, “Susan, just how old are you?”

“Fourteen,” I said in my sexiest voice.

A long pause, and then “Fourteen? My goodness!”

He may have even asked if my mother knew I was calling him, I don’t really recall. But, what I do remember is that my heart dropped to the floor and I held my tears back. After that day, every time I called the radio station, he spoke to me as if I were a little sister or just some nice kid. When my mother found out I was calling him, she was furious. “He’s in his early twenties and way too old for you!”

Well, as it turned out, my mother monitored my interactions with him, my crush passed, he moved to Arizona, and we continued to talk on the telephone and exchange letters for about a year or so. He was always kind and wrote good advice in his letters that I have carried with me throughout my life. I am sure he was not even aware of the impression he left on me.

On the home front, Don is doing well with his music- he and his band will be going to a music festival in Phoenix in the fall, and the bluegrass festival will be going into its third year in September. Don is such a talented musician and a beautiful boyfriend. I feel blessed that we can share our lives.

I plan on taking a trip back up to Northern California sometime in the fall to visit friends and my younger brother Vaughn. I am hoping Don can come with me, as his brother and sister-in-law live in Crescent City. I would also love to get up to Oregon to visit my special cousin Tammy, and to Washington to visit my older brother Tom. I also have nieces and other family members along the way. It’s been too long since I’ve been up in the Pacific Coast, which I love.

My grandfather is doing well, too. Don and I went to Dixon to have lunch with him two weeks ago. He was a little down because his brother, Paul, could not make his yearly visit this last month. The family always enjoys Uncle Paul and Don playing guitar and singing.

That all for now. I must say that I have reached my writing goal for today of one hour, which equals almost 800 words! Yahoo!

Writer's Block

2008-07-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

At a writer’s forum I visit, one of the most asked questions is How do I get rid of writer’s block? Answers from other writers range from there is no such thing to try to figure out why you are blocked. It seems to me that writer’s block has become a blanket excuse for not writing.

If there is such a thing as writer’s block, I feel it is more behavioral than anything else. In other words, we find other things to do rather than writing- go to the market, socialize, clean the cat box, watch the comedy channel, play Spider Solitaire on the computer, or even call Great Aunt Ethel who hasn’t seen us since we were six and doesn’t even remember us.

Excuses, excuses.

I don’t want to try to figure out why I don’t want to write. It’s easier just to admit the truth- I don’t want to write, I would rather (fill in the blank). That’s when I take responsibility and writer’s block becomes a choice rather than some psychological condition destined catapult me into a therapist’s chair (and take all the money I could be making if I were writing).

My cure to writer’s block is to write. I have a set time each day, five to six days a week, when I commit to sitting down and writing. On weekdays, I write in the evening for 45 minutes to one hour. On weekends, I am more flexible and will often write in different places, sometimes as little as a half hour, other times as much as two hours.

What helps me stay focused is to have several projects going at the same time. If I make the choice not to work on one, I will work on the other. I try to keep some type of a deadline in mind. Perhaps, I want to finish editing chapter six of my novel by the end of the week, but I also want to continue writing my short story in two weeks. If I have my priority on track, I will finish editing chapter six and then move to the story. If I have my priorities in the wrong order, then Spider Solitaire will pop up on my screen (all right, I open it, it doesn’t just pop up) and I will play a game. But, I always have the choice whether to continue my game or write.

If I’m smart, I make Spider Solitaire a reward for completing a day’s writing. Writing is hard work. I must pay attention to detail including spelling, grammar, and style while I use that creative and physical energy that can drain me to the bones. Rewards for hard work are a must.
Remember, those of you who do believe in writer’s block, this is my opinion only because, if I allowed myself to believe in writer’s block, I would probably use it as an excuse not to write.

I am still trying to find a home for one story. I am working on another short story that I want to submit to Glimmer Train, as well as editing my novel. My short story has priority because it takes less time to write than my novel. Finally, I have been considering a volunteer position in our local writer’s club, but I am not sure I will have time for it.
Time to get to work on my short story just for my reward of Spider Solitaire.

Fires in California

2008-06-29T18:43:00.000-07:00

This moment, as I sit at my desk facing the window, a canopy of redwoods lining the fence, blue sky peeks through the tall branches. This morning, the sun came up brighter than I have seen in days. In fact, today is the first day smoke and haze have not permeated the air, polluting, causing burning eyes, headaches and breathing difficulties. Like many others, I have been taking my exercise to the gym instead of outside.

The fires have been in areas other than Santa Rosa, all the way from Humboldt County (my old stomping grounds) down to Big Sur, and many places in between. In fact, other than two house fires started by electrical mishaps, Sonoma County has been very lucky. All we have gotten is the smoke, but it has been everywhere for days. In places where fires run rampant, wildlife has either died or been displaced, and many people have lost their homes. All from the natural phenomenon of lightning striking like an angry match.

I have only been in one fire, when I was five. We lived in a mobile home in a small town in the hills. I think it was California, or maybe it was Oregon. I don’t recall. My dad was a logger, my mother stayed at home. Sometimes she would put us down for a nap and go outside and split wood for my dad.

One particular day, she was outside working. She had told us to stay down for our nap. I was cold and asked my brother, who was six, to keep me warm. At some point, we found some matches and built a fire, just a small one in the closet to keep us warm until mother came back into the house. Within moments, that little fire took on a life of its own and raged out of control. The last thing I remember is my mother, five feet two and one hundred ten pounds, running out of the house with each of us under an arm.

I remember the terror I felt from the heat, the fear on my mother’s face as she rescued us from the preying arms of the flames, the anger in my father’s voice as he scolded us for playing with matches. However, I didn’t remember the incident until I was an adolescent, and then it came back full-force in flashbacks explaining why I hated fire, even that small flame when my parents struck a match to light their cigarettes.

In present times, I feel for those who have either had to evacuate or have lost their homes, including wildlife. Fire started by a natural phenomenon affords a lot less guilt than one started by matches. However, the emotions are the same- loss, anger, grief and the actions of picking up pieces and starting over. I remember when my parents had to pick up those pieces.

Each day, I say my prayers for those directly affected by the fires and for the fire fighters who have been working for almost two weeks to bring the flames under control. Other than prayer, and the angels who help out in numerous ways, all California needs is a good strong dose of rain.

Windows Vista

2008-06-15T16:14:00.000-07:00

This week, my Compaq Presario R3000 with Windows XP literally died. The power source inside of the computer shorted out and the computer would not start at all. It would have cost me more to fix it than to buy a new computer. Over the last year, I have had numerous problems with my computer- what appeared to be the backlight going out, which somehow “fixed” itself, problems starting up and crashing in the middle of work, and then the latest fiasco with the power source. My guess is that all those prior problems had to do with my system shorting out. However, despite the problems, I used my computer every single day for my writing and internet activity. It really was a great computer.

During my computer experience, I learned that there are still good people out there who are not after a buck. The technician at Mawson Computer Center did not charge me for the labor he had put into repairing the power jack ($270), but charged me a $69 diagnostic fee and told me to go buy myself a new computer. If I were to have the power source replaced, it would cost me well over $1,000 with part and labor. Without being asked to do so, and without charging extra, he also saved all of my “stuff” onto disc. I am really grateful. Here is a blurb on their excellent service record: http://www.diamondcertified.com/sonomamawsoncomputercenter.html

Now, this brings me to the real meat of this entry, which is a subject that makes many computer users out there pretty sore- Vista. Yes, my new Compaq Presario F700 came equipped with Windows Vista. I could have had XP installed for one low price of $59.99, but I wanted to try out Vista first before making that decision.

Let me tell you…..

I am glad that I did not install XP. I like Vista a lot. I have found it to be user friendly, fast and it looks great. Yes, it does look different and is probably a near-clone of the Mac operating system. However, it does things a lot easier and differently than Windows XP. For example:

1. When I hooked my DSL modem up to the internet, no action was necessary on my part other then plugging the correct cable into the correct port- Vista did the rest (whatever the rest was). XP required that I go through a few steps.

2. I installed my HP printer with no problems and no software- just plugged the printer cord into the computer and Vista did the rest. XP required that I used the software, which was cumbersome and too overloaded for my taste.

3. I removed the trial version of Word 2007 from my new computer because I didn’t like how difficult to navigate it was, didn’t want to purchase it, and love Word 2003. Since I already had my Word 2003 software, I tried to install it despite warnings from others that it might not work. Well, it installed just fine and is now in full working order.

For someone like me, who uses the computer for creative writing and simple things, Vista Home Edition is perfect. I don’t do gaming, but I do love to browse the internet to the writer's digest forums (link in sidebar on the right), research, listen to music, view videos and review blogs, and I spend a lot of time writing. Speaking of writing, it is time to get back to my editing chapter 8 of my novel, which now lives on my new Compaq.

What a Vacation!

2008-05-26T15:37:00.001-07:00

This last week, I have been on what I call a working vacation- time off from my day job to do work at home. My goals were to get lots of writing done, clean my filing cabinet, redecorate on a budget, have new windows put in and do the mundane things I don’t have time to do. On Friday, I planned on going up to Don’s and coming home on Monday. I promised myself that I would run early in the mornings as I usually do before work, followed by a half hour or so of browsing the internet while I ate breakfast and, finally, getting in at least two hours of writing each day.

I am more than tickled to report that my vacation went pretty much as planned, with a few setbacks. Sometime on Sunday night, my computer decided to become upset; every time I pressed the keys, the blue screen of death appeared followed by a quick restart where I didn’t have time to read the error message. I attempted system restore, updating Windows, and all kinds of other little things. I finally ended up buying a $15.00 external keyboard, which was the perfect solution. That is, until I forgot I had the external keyboard and started using my laptop keys again- and the computer hasn’t crashed since! My logic- computers have their personalities too!

This week, I met my writing goals. On most days, I wrote at least two hours. On Wednesday, while my windows were being installed, I got in four hours of writing. Since I live in a spacious 925 square foot condominium, I was able to work at my laptop in my office while the old windows were removed and installed at the front of the house. When they made it back to the office, I moved to the kitchen table. This system of staying out of their way while doing my own thing resulted in two things- chapter six and seven are revised/rewritten and I now have new double-paned windows that eliminate most of the outside noise and all of the old draft and keeps the inside evenly heated to my specifications.

The greatest gift I received this week came while I was cleaning out my file cabinets. First, I decided to rid myself of multiple copies of the same story, all of which came from when I took writing workshops about 15 years ago. Some of the copies had intelligent critiques, others contained nothing more than random doodles or words/phrases that made no sense. I shredded until I had the most current copy of each story, including those that went through major revisions. I am not a clutter-bug, except when it comes to my writing, where my ego is more at play. It helped put my own creative side into balance by throwing away that which was not doing me any good.

My other gift was finding a large folder containing rejection slips dating from 1991 through 1998. As any writer knows, rejection is a normal part of submitting your work whether you are published or not. As I read the rejections, I noticed that many were personalized letters and contained handwritten encouragement on form letters. Some were as simple as these:

*So sorry, not right for us.
*Thank you, I regret this is not for me. Good luck!
*Thanks for your submission, but we are not accepting fiction at this time. Best of luck!

Then, there were the personalized letters written directly to me, not form letters with my name inserted at the top. I love Cats wrote me this on April 29, 1992: “Thank you for sending me your story and I really enjoyed the piece and writing. However, I recently accepted a story on the same topic so I will have to pass on yours…”

There were other personalized letters telling me to check back in a few months, and another giving me advice on seeking a literary agent as opposed to submitting on my own, another rejecting my proposal but advising to consult with Writer’s Market and Literary Marketplace for a more comprehensive list of places to submit, and yet another rejection where the editor enjoyed reading my proposal but ran out of funding and would not be able to accept any work at this time.

Even the dark cloud of rejection can contain a silver lining (cliché, I know, but who cares?).

I quit submitting my writing for a good eight years after receiving the rejections slips. I don’t think it was the rejections themselves, but more life taking over- going back to school and getting my paralegal certification and then completing my B.A. degree in liberal studies. Both of those contained a lot of writing and submitting to no one else but the professors.

Early last year, I decided to start writing more, as well as submitting. I completed the first draft of my novel, and I am now editing and rewriting. Within the last 14 months or so, I have submitted three short stories, two of which have been accepted for publication. One of the stories keeps getting rejected. My first rejection was because the magazine decided to fold, which is not a rejection of my work per se. The second magazine I sent it thought it was a good story but that it was not right for their publications, perhaps I should submit to crime magazines. The last rejection was from a well-known crime magazine. Time to get that story back into circulation again.

My weekend with Don was great. We went to a musical gathering on Friday night, visited Grandpa on Saturday, attended a parade on Sunday morning (he actually rode in the parade while playing his fiddle and guitar), went for a boat ride and lunch outing on Sunday afternoon, and then I came home this morning. It was wonderful spending the weekend with the one I love and many wonderful friends.

Tomorrow I go back to my day job. Since I like the people I work with, as well as the type of work I do, I am ready to step back into the working world again. Right now, I enjoy being in my warm home (outside it is windy and overcast) and hanging out with my cat, Buddy and Oliver.

I hope you have all had a safe Memorial Day Weekend.

Angels in My Path

2008-05-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

Three mornings a week on my run, I stop to visit a sweet elderly Stallion named Festin. The last time I visited, my friend did not look well. Whereas he often met me at the chain link fence, this day he could not so. It appeared that his entire body was glued in place, and every tiny movement of his legs seemed too difficult. I picked up some hay and tried to feed him. I could tell he wanted to acknowledge my gesture in his usual way, but that he could not. I worried about him and hoped he would be okay.

When I went running later in the week, an acquaintance told me she had not seen Festin in the field for the last few days. “I think he’s gone,” she said. “I saw him limping last week as if he were in pain. He didn’t look good.” A few minutes later, when I reached Festin’s home, the field was empty. He was nowhere to be found. As I looked toward the wooden fence where he liked to hang out, or up by his water trough, I realized that I probably would never see him again.

Today, I read an article in our local newspaper that Festin had been put down due to a chronic leg condition that was beyond treatment. For the last two years, I have been blessed with the gift of a great friendship with this wonderful soul. Festin attracted a local audience with his spirit and friendly personality. I know several will be saddened by his loss, including his owners. I am really going to miss him.

To end my week, several angels stepped into my path. First, I received a check that was not due for ten days. I was surprised, but at the same time elated. Payday is not until May 15, and I wondered how I would make it through with the high price of gas and all. The money came just in time.

That Friday evening, I was on my way to Don’s for the weekend. On Range avenue, my car started shaking like crazy. I knew I had a flat tire. The only place I could pull into was the cul-de-sac next to where Festin used to live. I called the towing company to change my tire and called my boyfriend to let him know I would be late. As I waited for help, I imagined Festin running happy and free through the field. I truly believe that his great spirit was watching over me.

The towing company never did come, but a young lady stopped and said her boyfriend could change my tire. Once completed (and after I profusely thanked them for their kindness), they suggested I take the back roads to a local tire center. I made it there just as they were getting ready to close down. Instead of turning me away, the staff stayed overtime to put a new tire on my car and to make sure the rest of my tires were okay. While I waited the forty-five minutes, I worked on the editing process of my novel.

Until next time- be sure to keep your eyes open so you don’t miss any angels that come into your path.

What Makes a Writer?

2008-04-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

A recent question at an online writer’s forum was when to call one's self a writer. The responses varied, with opinions ranging from someone who is published and makes a living as a writer to those who simply love to write. My opinion was somewhere in the middle.

If someone asks what I do, I say I am a paralegal because this is how I make my living. However, in discussions on what we do outside of our careers, I tell people I love to write short stories, and that I’m working on a novel. But, I don’t call myself a writer because that is not what I do for a living. However, I might say that my hobby is writing.

When I was younger, I had dreams of becoming a lyricist. Then, I wanted to become famous writing short stories and novels. I saw the world through rose colored glasses. My mother thought it was wonderful that I wrote, but she also told me that one does not usually make a lot of money writing.

“You need to go to college, get your education and find a career. You need to learn how to support yourself.”

As any teenager would, I argued with my mother and stood my ground. As any good mother would, she encouraged me to continue writing and pushed me toward college.

Of course, mom was right.

I’m glad I chose my education and a career. On a daily basis, I create legal documents- compile facts and write about them so others can understand the case. Some time of each workday is dedicated to writing, some days it’s all I do. I love the law, and I love writing. What better way to earn a living!

When I come home from work, I write short stories and/or work on my novel, or do some other type of writing. Sometimes it’s 15 minutes, other times it’s an hour or two. It just depends. Once in awhile, I submit. Two stories I have submitted in the last year have been accepted. Two magazines have rejected another story. I think it’s a good story- perhaps I should continue submitting and see what happens.

As for the rest of life: it’s around 80 degrees outside and a wonderful spring day. I am taking a week off from work in a few weeks for window remodeling on my home. I will also be jumping into spring cleaning, as well as looking through some of Grandma’s writings and working toward compiling them into a family history.

Tomorrow, I will be going to the Redwood Writers Club joint meeting with Marin County. This should be loads of fun!

Grandma's Treasures

2008-03-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

March 22, 2008, my grandfather was the guest of honor at an open house for his 92nd birthday. A few weeks earlier, my Aunt had sent me an email that two boxes of Grandma’s things waited for me in Grandpa’s closet. Aunt Marta knew the boxes contained more of her writings, but that nobody in the family wanted to hold on to them.

The boxes were too huge and heavy to carry. After the party, I loaded two paper bags with the notebooks, loose papers, folders and binders. Over a week’s time, I weeded out Grandma’s writings and discarded other things, such as workshop flyers, newspaper articles, etc. that were personal to Grandma but meant nothing to me.

Over the weekend, my brother visited me from out of town and we went to spend the day with Grandpa. After lunch, I retrieved the last box. Contained therein were chapters of Grandma’s memoirs and random stories about their life in the sawmill camp in Arizona and New Mexico during the mid forties. Last night, much to our pleasure, my brother, boyfriend, and I were transported back through time with Grandma’s stories.

I am taking my time putting together the story of my Grandmother’s life, of what it was like for her in the 40’s raising kids in the sawmill camp while my grandfather worked in the mill. My aunt has already written about my grandparent’s childhoods and lives up until the time they married. I would like to pick up there and build upon our family history.

I keep a clean and neat house, but right now, my coffee table contains numerous stacks: one of binders, notebooks and journals, another of handwritten material, another of poetry, and a final stack of typewritten/computer generated stories. These are all treasures to me.

While friends and other family have wonderful memories, I feel like I have so much more- a compilation of historical events that helped shape my Grandmother into the wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, as well as the common bond of being writers.

Snow (Snow Ice Cream)

2008-02-28T19:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was cold and rainy and a nice day to stay in, but Don and I decided to trudge forward with our activities. On Saturday, we visited Grandpa in Vacaville. We had a wonderful lunch and played a game of Yahtzee afterward. Don has never won at Yahtzee while playing with Grandpa, but this time he came out the Yahtzee victor! Grandpa is nearing his 92nd birthday and so much fun to be around.

Later that evening, we had dinner with our friends Richard and Denise at a lovely Italian restaurant named Sicily. The evening was filled with great food and exciting conversation. However, just before we left for dinner, we learned that snow threatened to fall upon Lake County. Since I was at Don’s house that weekend, and I have not been in snow in several years, I wished upon a star that the Sunday morning ground would be white. Instead, the rain continued and no snow came.

I grew up in coastal northern California where snow is rare. Anytime it snowed, my mother made snow ice cream. She placed a clean bowl outside to catch the fresh snow. In our anticipation, my brothers and I checked that bowl every fifteen or twenty minutes to see if the sky had dropped enough white flakes. When Mother decided- and only when she decided- we had enough snow, she added vanilla, sugar or other type of flavoring. Sometimes we had chocolate or plain vanilla, other times strawberry. To this day, I can taste the sweetness of Mother’s snow ice cream on my tongue.

My favorite time for writing is in the evening with the rain hitting the roof when all else is quiet. If it snowed, I would get no writing done because I would be throwing snow balls or watching a bowl fill with snowflakes. Right now, I have just completed revising chapter three. Revising is one of the most difficult tasks this time around because I want to make it as close to the finished version that I can. When I do rewrite/edit number three, I may add or take-away, but I don’t want to spend a lot of time doing another big rewrite like this time around.

This is all for now.

See you soon!

Missing Mom

2008-02-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

January 24, 1985, my mother died of lung and liver cancer at the age of 42. Two months before her death, I turned 23 years old. She died two weeks before her birthday. When I was growing up, my mother and I went through the usual trials that seemed to push us worlds apart. However, by the time I reached adulthood, our relationship had blossomed into one of mutual respect and close friendship. I really miss her.

This year, the twenty-third anniversary of her death, I realized that I have been without my mother for half of my life. Over the years, it has been difficult watching mothers and daughters shopping at the mall, laughing at some private joke during lunch or walking through the park hand in hand. I am often amazed when my girlfriends talk about the wonderful times they have with their mothers, and even the difficult moments filled with mother/daughter issues.

How I wish my mother were here today.

Lately, I have been wondering what life would be like if my mother had not been taken by such a terrible disease. Where would she be, what would she be doing? What life transformations would she have gone through to become a human being of today?

Would she be shocked that a woman and African American are running for president?

Would she be involved in combating global warming?

Would she still make her beautiful quilts, crochet afghans for every family member, or bake those wonderful lemon meringue pies I remember so well from my childhood?

If she were alive today, I know that she would be proud of me. She taught me to stand up for myself, make my own way, and learn how to take care of myself. I have a wonderful life filled with family, boyfriend (who she would really like, by the way), a great career, and I own my home. I don’t have many possessions, but I have all I need and some of what I want. I think she would like my cats Buddy and Oliver as well.

I am grateful to my mother for her love, and for encouraging me to write. I still treasure two books she gave me in 1980 when I was 18 years old and sure I wanted to make a living writing: How to Write Short Stories that Sell by Louise Boggess and Make Every Word Count by Gary Provost. I am still writing my short stories and working on a novel, have had a few publications, and my career includes a vast amount of writing. I feel like I have succeeded.

Thank you, Mom, for all you have given me and for your spirit being present each day of my life.

Moving on up...

2008-02-01T23:07:00.000-08:00

Last week I took the plunge; I switched from 10 years of dial-up to DSL. I know, many of you are chuckling and asking the ultimate, “Was she really still on dial-up?” The answer is yes. But, now I am glad I switched.

Today, when I received the modem, it took me around 20 minutes to get it up and running. I didn’t change service providers, just my roadway of getting into the internet world. All it took was hooking everthing into the right slots and a quick call to customer support to configure my new internet path.

This evening, when I should have been revising chapter four of my novel, I was on the internet. I downloaded window updates. I found what used to take hours to download on dial-up now takes minutes. In fact, I downloaded two updates for two different programs at the same time with no lost connection or lagging of my computer! Technology in the last evening has come a long way for me!

After downloading updates, I gave more thought to my writing, and then promptly went to You Tube. Hey, I have never been to You Tube because my dial up became exhausted after trying to exercise its right to play video like DSL and Cable internet connections. I know this from trying to play other streaming video- it lost its stream (or is that steam?) pretty quickly before dying.

Now, here it is after 11:00 and I have not written much today. But, I am sure the excitement of DSL will wear off and I will get back to work on my novel. But, just for today, writing my blog is enough.

Now I lay me down to sleep only to welcome dreams from a high speed connection.

Welcome 2008

2008-01-20T18:44:00.000-08:00

I have been blogging since September 2006 and find myself writing less than I wanted to. At first, I thought it was because I was running out of things to write. Not true. It is because I am not searching inside deep enough for subjects to write. Of course, my main subject is the writing life. But, life does not revolve around writing, writing is simply an essential part of my life like breathing, eating and sleeping.

I am working on the second draft of my novel. Many things have changed, including the title. The interesting experience for me was that change in my focus began to take place somewhere half way through. I believe this is when the characters began to write their story and I became nothing more than a messenger.

I also submitted my short story, Goodbye, Jack, to Ellery Queen. A few weeks ago, it was rejected by one magazine with a note to submit to a crime magazine. That was one of the best rejections I received! However, my lesson is to study the magazines before submitting. The local library is invaluable for magazine research. If the library does not carry a certain magazine, sometimes specialty magazine shops do. A back copy can also be ordered from the magazine publisher.

Life here has been slow for the last three or so weeks. The cold/flu/whatever-it-is had been simmering in my system until it hit full force about a week ago. I have not been able to exercise for five days. Boy, do I miss my running! But, I know it’s important to take care of myself and get better. In fact, tomorrow is a holiday and I plan on staying inside and getting myself well so that I can exercise on Tuesday or Wednesday.

My advice for this “bug” going around- take good care of yourself. Do not get the silly idea you are going to beat it and continue to overdo life. Take a rest, drink plenty of water and eat right. Sleep as much as you can. This bug is aggressive and nasty!

Finally, my goal this year is to write more on my blog, to write more short stories and submit and to bring my novel to completion and to find an agent. Lots of hard work, but well worth it.

Holiday 2007

2007-12-25T20:14:00.000-08:00

The holidays have been busy. This year, Don and I spent Christmas with his family. Yesterday we visited with his cousin and her boyfriend, as well as a few other cousins. Today we ate Christmas dinner with his sister, husband and their kids and grandchildren, as well as Don’s brother. For me, it is a joyous experience to be with his family members, to share in their great sense of humor and compassion they have for other people.

This year, we did not spend Christmas with my mother’s side of the family,, as they have their own tradition. However, we did visit my grandfather a week ago and I gave him his gift, a book of short stories by Louis L’Amour. I suspect Grandpa has read every L’Amour novel out there, but I am sure he has not read this collection of short stories.

As for writing, I am now working on the first revision of my novel. In order to gain some objectivity, I had to let it set for a good three weeks. I tried to start revising about a week after my first draft was completed, but that did not work out very well. Revision requires stepping away from the story and letting the writer ego to simmer.

This is about all for now. Time to get back to that first revision. Happy holidays to all!

Laptop Mania and Vacation

2007-11-29T11:01:00.000-08:00

These last week I have been on a “me” vacation where I chose to stay home to complete household chores and the first draft of my novel. So far, I have painted doors and trim, repaired a place where I was hanging a curtain rod and pulled a little piece of the drywall off, cleaned, and played with the boys (my cats, Buddy and Oliver). I have taken my laptop in for repair, gotten it back unfixed, bought a monitor, keyboard and mouse to use on my laptop, and then returned all three. Today I take the boys to the vet for their shots, my car in for service tomorrow morning, and tomorrow night I have a grand gala cookie party to attend! One busy week!

Despite all the activity, as well as the problems with my laptop, I completed the first draft of my novel. I wrote the last two chapters in longhand and then transcribed them to my word processor. It was a great experience writing in longhand, but it was horrendous trying to read my own writing. However, when push came to shove, I was able to decipher well enough.

About two weeks ago, my laptop started doing some strange stuff. At times, the monitor looked like someone put a dark veil over it, and then began to flicker, until it finally went blank. I took it to one popular computer establishment, and they diagnosed a faulty sensor button. Apparently fiddling with the button brought my monitor alive again. They could not repair it, though.

I took it to another popular computer store and they sent my lovely baby out for repair. When I got the call from the repair serviceman, he said, “It’s your backlight. It will cost you over $800 for repair.” After I picked myself up off the floor, I asked the important questions: “Is the repair worth it?” “Do I have other options?”

The technician’s advice was to forgo fixing my computer. “Get a new laptop,” he said. “Or, if you cannot afford one, get a monitor, keyboard and mouse. All you do is hook everything up, close your laptop, and then your desktop appears on your external screen. Simple as that.”

It was not as simple as that, as I soon found out. In the midst of trying to make the monitor pick up my laptop signal, I called the computer store for advice. After several calls of nobody answering during business hours, I finally got through to a person who gave me a phone number to contact the service repair department. “We can’t give any technical advise here at the store,” he said. I called the number, which had two too many numbers. I called the store back, finally got a hold of the same person again after numerous tries, and he gave me another number- to a pleasure talk line!!

Finally, I unhooked everything and returned it to the store. My call to another computer store that does not send their laptops out for service, and who exhibits good service by answering the phone on the second ring, quoted me $500 total for the backlight repair!

Now, my backlight flickers every now and then. A gentle pushing of the sensor button brings my screen back up. I will try to squeeze another year out of this computer and back up all my writing. Once the backlight dies, I will decide whether to get it repaired or get a new computer. Personally, I love this one and I don’t want to part with it. It has given me almost three wonderful years of continuous use.

Oh, and Thanksgiving was wonderful! Don and I went to my Aunt and Uncle’s house in Sacramento. Besides many relatives, my Grandpa was there. He is such a joy to be around, and so full of great humor! He will be 92 on his next birthday in March. I hope all who read this had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!

Until next time…..

Stuff

2007-11-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

In my last entry, I wrote about my green-eyed tabbies, Buddy and Oliver, and the relationship they have been building since Oliver came to live with us on October 14, 2007. Now, two weeks later, they are the best of friends, eating and playing together, keeping each other warm during the night, taking time in the mornings to bathe each other’s ears and face after breakfast. It is so wondrous for me to witness to their cat culture. They are truly an inspiration to me.

On the home front, Don and I are doing well. We have attended many musical events over the last few months, including the Bluegrass Festival in Clearlake (of which he is one of the head honchos) and a musical presentation in San Rafael titled Music from the Crooked Road. When I was growing up, Mom listened to bluegrass, folk and country music nonstop, but I was always into Peter Frampton, Elton John and Olivia Newton-John. Now, as an adult, I have come to appreciate the bluegrass culture. I am thankful to share my love of muic with Don.

In the literary realm, I have been writing my novel at least 5-6 days a week, an hour or more each time. After 18 chapters and almost 40,000 words, I feel like I am finally moving forward with congruency of the smaller themes within my character’s larger journey. I am to the point where I want to be done with draft one so that I can tear it apart and start draft two. On the other hand, I know the value of just taking my time and turning the story over to a two-week hiatus before starting to work on the second draft.

This afternoon, I attended the monthly Redwood Writer’s Group, which is always intellectually informative and spiritually uplifting. There is nothing like being a part of a larger writing community, of feeling revitalized from the energy of those who enjoy putting words onto paper. Today, our introduction question was, “Why do you write?” My answer: “Because I like putting words onto paper to create a picture.” For me, that is what writing is all about!

I am excited because after the first of the year, Redwood Writer’s Group is having a four part workshop on editing, revising, polishing and proofreading your manuscript, in that order exactly! One of the workshop leaders, Jordan Rosenfeld, lived in Sonoma County and has a regular column in Writer’s Digest Magazine. I cannot wait to attend her workshop.

Holidays are coming up with Thanksgiving in a few weeks. We will spend it with my Uncle Clay and Aunt Marta in Sacramento. Grandpa will be there, as well as aunts and cousins and their families. I am looking forward to some good Turkey and great family interaction!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

My Green Eyed Tabbies

2007-10-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

The story of my green eyes tabbies started about two weeks ago when Don’s elderly friend, Mary, decided she wanted a cat after the death of her dog. In fact, Don had accompanied her to the feed store where she picked out the little peach and white tabby. A few days later, Mary decided the overactive kitty was a little too much for her.

When Don told me about her second doubts, I said, “If she can’t keep him, I’ll be glad to give him a home.” Since Arby’s death last May, my other cat, Buddy, has been lonely and a little bored. Not that he and Arby got along because, frankly, she hated him. However, he continued trying to win her affections, and he seemed entertained by her antics to keep him at bay.

I met my little friend for the first time last Wednesday. The first time I looked into those sweet little green eyes, I knew Oliver was destined to become part of our household. Buddy is a sweet loyal cat, but he also has a bit of a temper, especially when he doesn’t get his way. I think this goes back to his days on the street where he learned to charm humans and fight other cats until he got a nibble or a good meal. Thus, when I brought Oliver home, I didn’t know what to expect.

First thing, I set up Oliver’s space in my office area- his own food, water, kitty box, bed and toys. For the first 24 hours I didn’t let my green eyed boys near each other, but allowed them to both roam the house freely at different times so that they would become accustomed to each other’s smells. The next day, I came home from work, put Buddy in my room, and let Oliver roam free. That evening, I finally decided to allow them into the main living area at the same time.

At first, Oliver became too friendly and Buddy hissed a lot. Now, after four days of roaming the house together under supervised conditions, my two green eyed boys seem like they’re getting along better. Buddy still hisses to let Oliver know he is top cat (and I make sure Buddy gets a whole lot more affection for being so tolerant of another baby), and Oliver is learning to just sit back and wait for a better moment to use his kitty-friendly skills. I thought I was home today when they walked past each other in the hallway….and their noses moved toward each other….but, just when their noses started to touch, Buddy let out a warning, “hsssss.”

Okay, maybe that’s almost home.

As for my writing: because Oliver needed rest time in his own space, and the office is where I write, I temporarily moved my laptop out to the dining room table. I didn’t want to give Buddy any ideas that I was giving our new little guy extra petting. Now I am back in the office and writing chapter 17 of my novel, and I allow Oliver to roam freely (but supervised) when I am home.

The writing is coming along well. I can see all of the changes that will need to go into the second draft. As a writer, I know it’s important to keep plugging forward until I have completed the piece, and then I am free to go back and do the second rewrite. I continually fight the urge to go back and edit right now, to start over and make it “right” this time. A little too much self-judgment I would say.

In writing this novel, I can learn from my little green-eyes tabbies; they are always in the moment, live from their deepest intuitions and make constant forward movement. If I stick to their three principles, I cannot go wrong.

My Dream...

2007-10-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

I have often wondered what it would be like to be a full-time writer. In my dream, I already have it all worked out. The alarm would go off around 6:15 each morning, as it has been doing for several years now. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I would jump out of bed and take my 3.5 mile run, just as I do now. Nothing would change on Tuesday and Thursday either; I would hit that snooze button and sleep in until 6:50. Of course, before I run or hit the snooze button, my cat, Buddy, would demand his precious Science Diet, just like he does now!

After getting ready for my day- breakfast, coffee, etc.- I would go straight to my office at the end of the hall and sit down at the laptop and write for the next four hours. Sure, I would take breaks, just as I do at my job as a full-time paralegal, where I also spend a good day of my job on legal writing. Just as I do at my work now, I might even take a moment to make small talk with someone or get a Mocha from the coffee shop own the street. However, my focus would be on getting those words out of my head onto paper, where those characters can breathe new life and become more real.

I would spend anywhere from two to four hours each afernoon on research. As any writer knows, getting the facts correct, even in fiction, is essential. Recently, I had the honor of hearing Jean Hegland, author of Into the Forest and Windfalls, speak on the importance of setting and learning every detail down to the names of the bushes and the types of trees. I couldn’t agree more.

For example, if I am writing a story set in Cape Ann, I need to know every detail about the setting, culture, type of people, indigenous speech/sayings. Even though Don and I visited Cape Ann for one week last fall, I know that experience would not be enough to make the story realistic. I would need to ask questions of people who live there, as well as conduct book and online research.

As a part-time freelance writer with a few publications under her belt, every weekday I set aside at least one hour per day, and sometimes more, to write my novel. I do research after I have written an hour, or on my lunch break at work, or sometimes when I need a detail while writing. On the weekends, I can get anywhere from one hour to three or four hours writing time in. The way I see it, my discipline now is the foundation of becoming a full time writer in the future.

I can’t wait to be creating stories full-time….

Life In General

2007-09-12T21:21:00.000-07:00

A lot has been going on lately, some of it challenging my sanity. I live in a lovely condominium with trees all around, beautiful green lawns and where neighbors are nice but generally keep to themselves. A condo next door to me (I live upstairs in a flat that comprises all 950 square feet with two two-story condominiums connected to my back wall) was vacant for months while the owner tried to sell. With the housing market as it is, a sale didn’t happen and the owner rented it out.

They rented it out to two young men, probably in their early 20’s. I’ve had to ask that their visitors stop blocking my car, that they turn down their car stereo when in the carport, stop blasting their music and to get off my stairs. They sit there on my stairs below one of my living room windows and choke away on their cancer sticks, the smoke moving straight up into my home. The last two nights, I’ve had to burn incense and candles to get rid of the smoke smell. Worse yet, they leave their windows open while smoking pot, thus that disgusting smell wafts outside into my airspace.

A quiet little area has turned into traffic central since the first of the month! If they don’t respect my boundaries, I will need to complain to the homeowners association. Maybe there is another way, though-

I saw Freedom Writers where young people were encouraged to write their experiences and what life was like for them. In this vein, I realize I have no idea what their lives were like growing up, what their lives are like right now, why they act the way they do. Maybe I can go buy them some notebooks and encourage them to write about their goals in life and what they want to do other than irritate their quiet straight-laced neighbor.

So much for that...

As for writing. My novel is starting to come together quite nicely. I am on Chapter 8 now, page 83, 17,270 words. I am really enjoying this process of allowing my characters to tell their story. It’s fun writing without knowing what will happen next, allowing the characters to be people too. Yes, I know- if you are a non-writer reading this, I must sound like I belong in the loony bin. But, the truth is that characters are people too!

I find that I am most creative when I make myself sit down and write, when I don’t wait for inspiration, when I have a schedule and I stick to it. No matter what happens, I write at least one hour six days a week, more if I can. Writing to me is as essential as breathing, sleeping and eating….

So much for that….

Looking forward to when Don and I visit Grandpa on Saturday. I’ll have some more to write.

So much for now….this moment, this breath….

The Party and the Elk

2007-09-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Don and I drove five hours from his home in Clearlake up to Northern California. We left a little after 6:30 a.m. on Saturday. The main focus of this vacation was a 50th wedding anniversary party for my Uncle George and Aunt Bertha. Even though I have not seen much of them over the years, and had not seen some of my cousins since I was a kid, I have fond memories.

When I was around six years old, my parents bought their first house in Fortuna, a small Northern California town about 2 hours from Trinidad, where my Aunt and Uncle still live. During the move, my older brother, Tommy, and I were sent off to stay with George and Bertha. Uncle George taught me how to milk cows; Aunt Bertha showed me how a chicken runs around with its head cut off. As we sat around the dinner table eating fried chicken and drinking fresh milk, there was plenty of chatter and laughter. At night, we all huddled in the bunk beds that Uncle George had built for his six children.

At the party, I realized what a gift it is that George and Bertha made it to their 50th anniversary. Uncle George battled leukemia for several years, and has been in remission for awhile now. Both he and Bertha are strong, loving human beings. It was such a joy to be there and share in the love they have for one another and their family.

After the party, we headed on up to Crescent City to stay the night with Don’s brother and sister-in-law, Ed and Tori. On our way up, we came upon a large grassy area to the side of the road where a herd of elk grazed, their presence so magnificent and statuesque. I counted 25 cows and one buck, all within about 20 feet from us. Several tourists stopped along side of the road and got out of their cars to take photographs or to just observe. The elk seemed unbothered by the human presence, even though the buck scratched his huge antlers on a tree and watched us, as if protecting his family.

That night at Ed and Tori’s house, I wanted to do some longhand writing in a spiral notebook I had bought along the way. But, by the time dinner was done and we were settled in, I was so tired that I couldn’t bring myself to write a single word. Instead, I fell asleep on the sofa while everyone else watched a program about wildlife! Sometimes I can beat myself up for not writing. However, I also know that it’s okay to take a short break as I do with anything else, just as long as I get back to it after vacation. Saturday and Sunday were my break from writing.

Sunday morning after breakfast, Don and I headed back home. On the way, we noticed a sign directing us to another place to view elk. We found ourselves at a park with hiking trails shaded with towering redwoods. We decided on a hike, and on the way back the herd of elk grazed in a meadow with a swamp/marsh area. After eating her fill, one of the cows led the rest of the herd into the swamp. Soon, the buck came along and chased the female elk across the swamp away from the herd and out of the water! Once the cow got on land, the buck lingered in the water, as if keeping guard. After about fifteen or twenty minutes, the buck headed the other way back to the herd, dipped his antlers into the swamp and then, in quick succession, tossed water and moss all over his back. Before we knew it, the entire herd started running as a unit through the meadow, shaking the very ground we stood on.

Today, as soon as I got home and completed some essential tasks, I sat down and wrote on my novel. I have come to realize that I need to make time for writing whether or not other stuff gets done. In my two days of adventure, I can pull out many story ideas. I think I want to write a short story about an elk- how about writing it from the elk’s point of view? Okay, maybe that is a little far-fetched. But, the point is that story ideas are everywhere and it is up to me to sit down and write.

© 2007 Susan Littlefield

Writing and Freedom

2007-08-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time writing in my journal, a thick spiraled notebook I had bought at Woolworths. I wrote about whatever came to mind- fears that I was forever stuck in small town Fortuna, the hope that something better and more exciting would come along. I wrote sacred things, secrets I could not share with anyone but God and myself. I wrote verses of abstract, experimental poetry, then flowery heart-wrenching lyrics, filling notebook after notebook until I had a stack hiding in my closet.

Within those pages, I also wrote about my dream of becoming a writer. My dreams of becoming a writer grew big, so big that one day I fond the nerve to tell my mother. I showed her some of the poetry I had written. She discouraged me and said, “You need a real job, a career. And, don’t marry the first man who comes along either. You need to be able to make it on your own.”

When I was in high school, I wrote some essays and short stories for English class. I turned in the essays, but I kept the short story to myself. I thought I would be laughed at, ridiculed. After all, they were not as good as the stories I read in books. They were not even as good as my classmate’s stories!

Many times throughout high school, I would bring up being a writer to my mother. The scenario was always the same- I’d share my passion of writing, she’d tell me writing was fine but I needed to set my sights on a job that would bring me money. Finally, one day, after I’d graduated high school but had not yet decided on college, she told me I was just jealous of my aunt who also enjoyed writing. I was devastated at my mother’s words!! She wanted me to set my sights on college, on a career, so that I did not have to depend on a man to bring in my money for me. She would do whatever she could to make sure I saw value in myself as a self-sufficient woman. But, I wanted to be a writer and make my living putting words on paper!

About a week later, mother asked me to sit down. “I’m sorry I said those things to you. You’re out of high school now. Why don’t you go to college and you can also write.” With that, she handed me two books: Short Stories that Sell by Louise Boggess and Make Every Word Count by Gary Provost.

That day was life changing for me because I realized that my mother’s intentions were good. At 17, she chose to marry after taking her GED and decided her career was as a stay-at-home mom and raising three children (three wonderful children, I might add). She never had the resources to make a living outside of the home. She wanted for me what she did not have for herself.

Today I saw the film Freedom Writers and was inspired and reminded about how freeing it is to transport one’s truth onto paper. I cannot imagine what some of those kids lived through, the terror they endured every day. Sometimes it seems that verbal expression is not enough. My teenage journals contained truths that I cold not verbalize. I believe that writing is the one true avenue toward feeling freedom within, whether it’s journaling, writing a novel, or writing an essay.

Many years ago, I gave up my dream of becoming that famous writer, or of making a living off of words. Today, I still write but I write because I love it. I’ve had some poetry and a short story published, and I am currently working on a novel. However, my motivation has changed. I write because I love the feeling of freedom when I put words onto paper.

My mother had been gone since 1985. But, if she could see me now, she would be proud. I listened to her when she told me to go to school and learn how to take care of myself. I didn’t marry the first man who came along. I listened to her when she told me to write for fun. Mothers know what they are talking about.

Every time I look through those two books, I am reminded of my mother’s wisdom.

© 2007 Susan Littlefield

Life

2007-08-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

I have not written in my blog for awhile. This month has been a lot of fun, especially with family and friends. A few weeks back, Don and I visited my grandfather, who lives almost two hours away. We always have a good time with grandpa- he is a small German man with silver hair, mild-mannered and sweet as can be. He has an outrageous sense of humor that keeps the family in stitches!

For several years, Grandpa and I have had a tradition of lunch once a month- a different person pays each time. At first, when I was single, it was Grandma, Grandpa and I. Then, Don came into my life two years ago and the lunch routine changed to double-dates! Now that Grandma has been gone for a little over a year and a half, it is Grandpa, Don and I. The physical dynamic goes through a change, but the lunch tradition stays an integral part of our lives. Many times, we eat lunch out somewhere, or when Grandpa is not feeling well, we eat in. If no other family is present, we almost always finish the afternoon with Yahtzee. I have never beat Grandpa at Yahtzee, nor did I ever beat Grandma. Two seasoned Yahtzee pros if you ask me.

Around February, we had a scare with Grandpa’s health- at 90 years old, he ended up having his gallbladder removed. Luckily, it was removed with a laparoscope and Grandpa was able to recover quickly. The doctor warned there could be residual effects with gallstones. Sure enough, just this last week Grandpa became ill again and had to go to the hospital. He went through a procedure where the doctors found a stone in his liver duct. They had to make an incision made and remove the stone. Keep in mind, Grandfather is now 91 years old. Yesterday, after undergoing this grueling procedure, and after the comics of the anesthesia wore off, he was back to himself and doing very well. Thank goodness!

In between the business, I have been writing on my novel. I am striving with all of my might to write every single day. I like the feeling of getting words on paper. It’s important that I get my basic story down in an entire first draft before editing and doing a rewrite. I don’t know how many rewrites I will actually do. Before submitting to an agent, I want to make sure it is thoroughly edited and written to the best of my ability.

At the Writer’s Digest forum, there were some threads concerning “book doctors” and self publishing. I have already made up my mind that both flow against my grain. I really want to go through the entire process of getting an agent and of my work being accepted because I put my own sweat and tears into it. I have learned from seasoned publishers that self publishing is practically suicide for a novel. I am all for self editing and traditional publishing.

This is all I have to write for now. In the last 15 minutes I have written 570 words, and I am proud as pickles (where did that come from?) about it! I would like to write more on my blog, but sometimes working on my novel and plain old life gets in the way!

Until next time….

Take it easy out there!

© 2007 Susan Littlefield

After Vacation

2007-07-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

In my last entry, I wrote that I was going on vacation. I enjoyed the time I spent with my cousin, Tammy, and being present during her graduation for her Master’s Degree. I also spent time with my uncle and many cousins and their significant others, as well as second cousins! For me, it’s always great to visit with family and learn more about where I come from. Family is a reminder of how precious life really is.

I spent the rest of the week at home. I had grand plans for doing work around the house, of accomplishing great tasks that I did not otherwise have time for. As it turned out, I did not take any of those big projects on. In fact, I was quite lazy and found myself being a couch potato and snuggling with my white and gray tabby, Buddy ask Budster. Once I couldn’t take the daily lethargy anymore, I went to the gym and went on a cardio blast to get my frozen blood circulating.

My greatest accomplishment during vacation is that I found plenty of time to write. I have been writing a novel about an adult who finds out was abducted as a small child. It’s an interesting journey allowing my mind to run with the story, to bring my character alive within myself, to realize that, while I create the story, the characters create themselves.

Vacation

2007-06-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

Starting Thursday of this week, I will officially be on vacation through June 23. This Friday, I fly up to Warrenton, Oregon for my cousin’s graduation with her Masters in Social Work. Tammy, who is my double cousin (more on that in a few), is also my soul sister and best friend. She has raised a wonderful daughter as a single parent, owned her own business as a hairdresser and worked hard for the last several years to reach her dream of becoming a social worker. She is truly an inspiration to me.

Now, back to the double cousins, for those of you who may not know: our mothers were sisters and our fathers are brothers. Tammy and I are connected through the same maternal and paternal family bloodline. Simple as far as biology goes. However, the soul connection between us runs deeper than any I’ve ever experienced. What a wonderful gift.

I am really looking forward to sharing four days with Tammy. Then, I will be spending the last four days of my vacation doing things I want to do at home. I plan to finish painting the trim on my house, as well as doing minor repairs. At my condo, I don’t have a yard but I do have a terrace where I have plants and ceramic animals. I am hoping to expand my herb garden, as well as add a potted jasmine. Finally, I will work on organizing my home office, closet included. I can’t wait!

After returning from Oregon, and in between all of this work, I plan on sitting my derriere down and working on my short stories and my novel. The only way to learn discipline is to make a habit of writing creatively every day. I would like to average at least 10 pages (or approximately 2500 words) on my creative writing each day. It does not matter whether I work simultaneously on both my stories and novel or on just one of the other on any given day.

I look forward to all of the adventures during the coming 11 days!

© 2007 Susan Littlefield

Goodbye Dear Girl

2007-05-17T21:43:00.001-07:00

Today, I don’t want to write about writing. I want to write about my experience with Arby, a very special cat who I was fortunate enough to spend 17 years with. My niece was eight when she brought this six week old bundle of Russian Blue to me as a gift. I already had two cats, I wasn’t sure I could handle a third, especially a funnocious (this is a word I made up- do you think it will make it into Webster?) little kitten.

“What’s her name?” I asked Jennifer.

She looked up at me with her big blue eyes and smiled. “Arby. Arby Grey Face because she looks like a Native American Cat."

Within the hour, I knew Arby and I would be life mates. True to my instinct, she was with me through marriage and divorce, moves, job changes, and every aspect of my life. When I cried, she stayed close to me and provided comfort. When I laughed, she became playful and brought me even more joy. She stuck with me through thick and thin, sickness and health. She loved my boyfriend, Don, and always tried to greet him with a purr even when she wasn’t feeling up to it.

About a week ago, Arby took an unexpected turn. She had undergone treatment earlier in the year for an infection but bounced back. She was putting on weight, becoming involved again and seemed to be doing well. Then, about 10 days ago, her behavior changed. She became more quiet and subdued. I thought perhaps she had been having a few bad days. Until, a few days ago, she stopped eating. Yesterday, she was diagnosed with end stage kidney failure.

Having my dear Arby put to sleep was one of the most difficult things I have had to do in a long time. But, it was also humane and brave of both of us. I know she would have only worsened. Her quality of life was already diminished, and there was no chance of moving up hill. I miss her already.

As I have been with all of my pets who have reached end stage illnesses, I was with her at the time of her passing. I figure if my pet is with me throughout my life, I will be present when they take their last breath.

The good thing is that Arby is now with her best friends, Nicholas and Estelle. At one time, they were all three quite a bunch. I now say goodbye to Arby as her cat friends welcome her with open paws and purrs.

© 2007 Susan Littlefield

Being a Writer

2007-05-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought about what it means to be a writer?

I have written since I was a little girl. Writing has always been in my blood, a part of my soul. For me, writing means putting pen to paper and seeing what will come out. Other than a church newsletter and poetry invitations in Dickens’ Style for an annual Dickens Street Faire, I have been published five times in my life; recently a short story in Adventures of the Average Woman and poetry years ago in some spiritual chapbooks. My hope is to continue to publish my short stories and complete my novel and have it published. But, if none of these things come to pass, I will still call myself a writer.

I love writing and putting words together and figuring out how to create an image, or evoke a feeling. As a writer, it is my job to pull the reader in and keep him or her happy until the end of the story. Hopefully, the reader will remember and be satisfied with my ending. If I can do those two things, then I have succeeded as a writer.

One of my pet peeves is the use of adverbs, the writer’s taboo. Good thing because I despise those pesty little rodents. However, I have learned that they sometimes have a place. For example, I used “hopefully” in the paragraph above. I could have written “I hope.” I made a conscious choice to use the adverb because it did not weaken my sentence.

I worry most about adverbs in my fiction. When I first started writing, my fiction was riddled with adverbs. I thought they made my writing more colorful, strengthened images. It was when I learned to describe (show) rather then use an adverb (tell) that I began to feel better about my writing. Sometimes I might choose an adverb, especially if the scene is fast paced and already has a lot of description.

© 2007 by Susan Littlefield

The Joy of Acceptance

2007-04-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

Last week, Friday to be exact, I received confirmation that one of my short stories was accepted for publication. When the editor asked for a biography and photograph, I was at a loss as to what I should write. Back in the early 90’s, I published four poems in small press and won first place in two short story contests. My poems were experimentation of what was real in my life at the time, three spiritual and one feminist. Publication of my short stories was not part of the prize, first place certificates were. Did these credit count as part of a writer’s Curriculum Vitae? The more I thought about it, the more I realized that all of my publications do count, unless they are in some non-respectable magazine or in a medium that will publish anything. Winning first place in two short story contests is an important part of my history as well.

While I enjoyed writing poetry from the time I was preteen into my early thirties, my true love is short stories. I love to let my imagination go wild! I want to pull the reader into whatever that story is, to play with words to paint an image that will entertain the reader. I taking what I know and applying “what if.” For example: I went a different route to the grocery store today-

What if I ran into a threatening stranger?

What if I saw someone along side of the road who needed help?

What if I saw a crime in progress?

What is Santa Claus jumped out and said “Boo!”?

The possibilities in creating my stories are endless. But, my most important task is to sit down and write every day.

© 2007 Susan Littlefield

Weekend Lessons

2007-03-27T21:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend I attended my first writer’s conference in years. The workshop was led by Clive Matson, a widely published author of poems, stories and essays. He has also led numerous writing workshops all over the world. I must admit right off that I am not inclined to take a lot of workshops because the true secret to writing is to sit down and write!

Before I signed up for the workshop, I had never heard of Mr. Matson or read any of his books. But, something within urged me to attend. Often when I make decisions, I look for yellow flags telling me to proceed with caution and red flags telling me to stop. While deciding whether to go, no yellow or red flags popped up.

One of the first things Clive said was, "I'm not here to teach you to write. You already know how to do that." In the workshop, we sat our butts down and wrote. A lot. Then, we shared our priceless gifts and heard feedback from all, and then ended each session with our reactions to critiques.

I learned multitudes about my own writing process. I tend to listen to the negative voices in my head, especially telling myself my writing is not good enough and/or publishable. I’ve never heard this from another human being, it’s all my own inner dialogue. What a realization that I am my own worst enemy when it comes to my writing!

I also realized I have strengths in my writing. I am able to follow a point of view through and I describe very well. I hate adverbs- they are the lazy writer’s best friend. Okay, sometimes adverbs clarify, but mostly they distract. I must say I am the queen of description with few adverbs.

Will I take another writing work shop? Maybe. But, the secret to writing?

Sit down and write.

© 2007 Susan Littlefield

Tools of the Trade

2007-03-09T21:30:00.000-08:00

Just like lawyers need law books, and doctors need medical manuals, a writer has many tools of their trade. For me, my greatest tool is reading the type of literature I like to write. Two of my favorite authors are Stephen King and James Patterson for their ability to take an idea and turn out beautifully crafted prose that both frightens and entertains me. After reading one of their books, I don’t want to turn the lights off and I’m leery of any shadow or movement. Once I start reading a King or Patterson book, I can’t put it down!

I want to be able to write like both of these brilliant authors. My writing interest lies in writing literary pieces based on characterization rather than plot. I recently submitted two of my short stories to magazines. One tale is about a woman going to any lengths to be someone else. My second story shows the dark side of being a twin. By reading what I like to write, I was able to turn out a few interesting stories of my own. I’m still waiting to hear back but, no matter the outcome, I know I’ve submitted my best product.

Another tool of writing is involvement with a writer’s community. At the present moment, I am a member of an online writer’s community where we exchange ideas about writing and post works to be critiqued. Because the critique section is password protected, I feel assured that my writing is read and critiqued by others who are serious about this art. My next step is to either find a local writing group, or to create one. Either way, my online writing community will remain a necessary tool for the support I give to and receive from writers all over the world.

I am excited about attending an upcoming writer’s workshop later this month by a published writer. I have been told to bring either my laptop or plenty of paper. As a writer, it is important that I work hard to perfect my writing skills. Writing workshops and seminars are excellent tools. Besides learning about how to make my work product better, I will congregate with other writers of varying skill level.

Finally, I try to write something every day. Writing is what a writer does. I've dusted off the first daft of a novel I wrote 10 years ago. I want to continue writing short stories on a regular basis and submitting them for possible publication. My goal is to write at least 1000 word per day. Well, now that I’ve written these 4oo some odd words, I’d better get to work on meeting my word goal for today…

© 2007 Susan Littlefield

Thoughts on Writing

2007-02-25T22:04:00.000-08:00

Lately, I have been thinking about what it means to be a writer. In my online writing community, I come across numerous writers who are published and/or work in the publishing industry. I also come across some excellent writers who have never been published, or who have one or two random pieces in magazines. My question- does being published make one a writer?

I think not.

To be a writer, one needs to put some type of energy into writing something that is publishable. The truth is that some published material is substandard and some unpublished works are excellent. I believe part of getting published is a mixture of luck, persistence and knowing where to submit their work. Talent may be part of the bigger picture, but hard work is the bigger ingredient

As for myself, my goal is to work, research markets, work, work and submit my writing, and then work some more!! But, published or not, I am a writer.

Beauty in Nature

2007-02-12T21:51:00.000-08:00

Imagine yourself driving long, winding roads flanked by towering redwoods, the pouring down rain beating your windshield. For miles, as day moved into dusk, few cars traveled this road. While Don navigated the twists and turns, and we shared random conversation, I found myself drifting into daydreams, snippets of what could be my next story.

After a few hours of driving, we found ourselves at our destination- Mendocino, California. If you’ve never been to Mendocino, this tiny quaint community sits on cliffs overlooking the ocean. The buildings are colorful, historic, and well cared for. The town reminds me of a fictional town in a movie, or story, a small village set on the East Coast, where a good mystery unfolds or a romance blossoms.

Our main purpose in Mendocino was to attend the screening of a movie. Don’s band, the Hot Frittatas, contributed some of their recorded words for numerous scenes in the movie. They were invited to the screening as guests, as well as entertainment before the screening. Needless to say, they were a hit both live and in the movie!!

As people mingled before the movie, I was taken in by the strong community atmosphere where most people seemed to know one another. At first, I felt a bit like an outsider. Then, strangers began coming up to me, introducing themselves, drawing me into conversation. By the end of the evening, I learned that at least half of the people in the room were somehow involved in the movie. The other attendees were community support for the filmmaker, either family or friends, or support for someone who had contributed to the movie.

When we visited Rockport, Massachusetts last summer, I fell in love with the English style town lining the Atlantic. The dreamer in me yearned to stay, to pretend I could just fall into life on the East Coast, but the realistic part of me knew I had a life to go back to in Santa Rosa. This last weekend, I felt that same yearning, but the realization was different- I'm free to visit Mendocino anytime I want.

One of the best parts of this trip was staying at the quaint motel on the beach in Fort Bragg, a neighboring town. Late at night before sleep, as I listened to the rain, I wondered what secret lived within the history of those walls. For many years, people had come and gone, went on with their lives. What kinds of situations had transpired in that room? Of course, he writer in me imagined a good mystery, leading me right into dreamland….

© 2007 Susan Littlefield

Baking a Story

2007-02-04T19:17:00.000-08:00

Today, as Don played his guitar and I wrote on my story, I shared a bit about what I’m working on.

“I’m nearly finished,” I said. “But, I don’t think I’ve got it quite right yet.”

“Well, that’s okay,” he said. “You just rearrange all the parts until you get it right. It’s not like a soufflé where it has to come out of the oven perfect the first time.”

How true, I thought. But, how often I want to just sit down and write my story and have it come out perfect in the first draft. After all, isn’t that the way it happens for the famous writers? They take an hour and write a saleable short story, or they write a bestselling novel in 30 days? Why can’t I do that!

When writing stories, my greatest dilemma is following through on plot without leaving behind loose ends. For example, my current short story involves a woman who is unhappy and wants a different life. She receives a telephone call intended for someone else that has her name. She goes on a quest to find out all she can about this other person, and eventually tries to take over this other woman’s life. My first draft contained many loose ends that really had nothing to do with the plot. In writing my second draft, I concentrate on cleaning up the loose ends by either reworking them as part of the plot or getting rid of them entirely. I’m certain I’ll go through several drafts before being satisfied with the final work.

Once I have completed a draft I am satisfied with, or even a portion of a draft, I’ll take it to my writing peers for critique. A common pitfall for all writers is seeing the errors in their work. Fresh eyes can see problems that I, the writer, am unable to see. Something may seem like it fits into my story, but the reader may think it makes no sense. In the end, I decide what to keep and what goes, but other writer’s opinions are extremely important. I have never received a critique that I thought was harsh, but I’ve often wondered if someone has given me a sketchy critique because they don’t want to hurt my feelings.

Now, as I go back to work on my story, I know I don’t have to get it perfect the first time or at all. But, my final product needs to be my best work, something that I can be proud of and that editors don’t have to throw into a slush pile because it was poorly written.

If a story I write end up back in my mailbox, at least I know it’s not because I haven’t put my best product out there.

© Susan Littlefield

Editing- The Hard Work

2007-01-28T20:27:00.000-08:00

It has been my experience that editing is one of the most difficult tasks of writing, as well as one that is often not done well. I can use my own work as an example: what an embarrassment to edit numerous misspellings in my own articles published here in my blog!! I did initially edit using my spell-checker here in the blog editing interface. However, this particular editor does not pick up words repeated next to each other as misspellings, nor does it do a language check. From now on, I will do my final editing in my Word program.

I have read published writer's work often contain spelling and grammatical errors before the editing process, as well as extraneous stuff that needs to be cut. Nobody is a perfect writer, and most writers go through numerous versions of editing and rewrites before their work is ready for submission. As a writer, it is essential for me to make sure my work is well edited and my best work before publishing anywhere, including to my blog and the writer’s forum for critique.

Lesson learned.

© 2007 Susan Littlefield

Motivation- Part II

2007-01-21T20:45:00.000-08:00

My last article was on finding motivation and discipline to write. Well....Eureka!! I think I found it!

My boyfriend, Don, is a professional musician. I have been to many jams with him, which are usually parties with a lot of mingling, music and a lot of laughter. I have been fortunate to meet other writers at these parties. After all, musicians and writers understand the artistic side of each other.

In my last entry, I wrote about difficulty in finding motivation and discipline for writing. Well, on Saturday, Don asked me if I wanted to attend a jam with him at one of the local classy coffee shops. All I could think about writing.

"Sure, I'd love to," I said. "I'll bring my laptop and work on my story."

The jam was fast paced blues and lasted about 3 hours. I set up at a nearby table, got a mocha and worked on my current story that I'm writing for submission. I was so into the music and writing my story I was sorry when the jam was done. The best part is that in those 3 hours, my writer's block was lifted (if that's what you want to call it, when you don't know where the story is going so you just stare at the screen) and I added about 700 words to my story, along with some much needed editing. It feels great to have been on a word roll!!

I took a short break while writing and a gentleman next to me struck up a conversation about my computer, which led right into writing.

"I write science fiction," he said. "I'm just learning how to do it on computer rather than the old fashioned way."

"Are you published?"

"No," he said. "I write songs, which is really what I do. But, I wouldn't know where to submit by stories."

I wrote down the address of Writer's Market, as well as where to find the hardcover book. This interaction got me to thinking: wouldn't it be great to establish a writer's group and hold it at a coffee shop? http://www.writersmarket.com/

After such productivity this weekend, I have decided music jams are my new venue for writing. My next goal is to get a writer's group going and become part of the writer's community.

© 2007 Susan Littlefield

Discipline and Motivation

2007-01-14T19:03:00.000-08:00

As a writer, I often find myself at a loss of motivation to sit down and write. I get up at the crack of dawn three days a week and go for a long run. Three days a week, I go to the gym in the evening for my weight work out. In between, I'm at work and living life with myself and those I love. However, the motivation killer is having the TV on for background noise when I write. Really, who can have the TV on and write without distraction? Not many, I suspect.

So, I guess it is not lack of motivation that keeps me from writing. Perhaps it is more the lack of discipline. I wonder what discipline looks like to a successful writer? About 15 years ago right after my divorce I lived in a lovely little cottage in the country. An orchard was to one side of me and an orange tree lived in back yard. I had a beautiful garden and lots of countryside to admire.

And, I had a TV but no cable access.

When I lived in this wonderful little place, even with a 45 minute commute two ways for work, I found myself writing every spare moment. I joined a writer's workshop through the local community college and I wrote...and wrote....and wrote. In fact, every day after work and on weekends, I sat down at the computer and wrote my stories. I was motivated, but then again I didn't have the distraction of television either. My hunger to put words onto paper was strong, compelling, constant.

When I had lived in the cottage for about a year, I made the decision to move to the town where I worked. When I was doing the final walk through with Kathy, the owner of the cottage, I suggested she get cable access for the next tenant.

"It's tough living out here with no TV," I said.

"We have antenna," she said. "All you had to do was hook it up."

Funny, I hadn't even thought about hooking up the cord because the cable company said there was no access in my area. I really didn't miss television either because I was so busy writing!

My goal today is to keep the TV off until there is a show on I want to watch. But, writing comes first. And, believe me, with all the reality programs today, there is not much I am interested in. Just a few shows that come on later in the evening, thus no reason to have the television on for background noise. That's what music is for. And silence.

Now, it's time to get to work on my story with.....some beautiful silence in the background.

© 2007 Susan Littlefield

Healing Through Gathering

2007-01-08T21:53:00.000-08:00

This last Saturday was filled with the joy of Don's birthday party. A wonderful mixture of family and friends ranging from age two to eighty-something, showed up for this gala event and shared in food, laughter, music and dancing. People have gathered for generations to bond, heal or to share in the wonderful gift of life, and I believe this weekend was no exception. My experience of sharing Don's birthday with him deepened our own bond, but also reminded me of the gatherings in my own family, both large and small, and how they have helped to shape me into who I am today.

I have wonderful memories of Thanksgiving at my grandparent's house in Cloverdale, where my parents, my brothers and myself would meet my aunts, uncle ad cousins. Along with the wonderful food, and many hours of play, we would look at photographs and talk about old family legends. My favorites were stories about my mother growing up at a Sawmill Camp and sneaking pickles from the over sized pickle barrels. Along with the happy, funny stories were the difficult, sad experiences of my grandparents growing up during the great depression.

This Thursday, January 11, will be one year since my grandmother passed away. Over the years, she and I have shared a love of creative writing. I used to love to spend time with her talking about writing, and I was even given the privilege of reading one of her journals from the 1940's. Her other passion was researching our ancestors, and then sharing her experience of finding relatives who lived in our family history. After my grandmother died, my aunts asked me to be in charge of her family history research and writings. I can't tell you what an honor and gift it is to have my grandmother's writing and family research.

Today, the gatherings in my family feel different without my grandmother. My grandfather and I have carried on a long standing tradition with of monthly lunches, including Don and other family members, where my grandmother's presence is still strong.

(c) 2007 by Susan Littlefield

Culture in Story

2007-01-03T20:58:00.000-08:00

This weekend Don took me to an isolated 40 private acres in Lake County where grandfather trees lined trails leading to faraway lands. Off one trail near the home on the property is a series of caves where Native Americans lived. The cave ceilings are darkened and embedded with soot from fires to keep families warm during the cold, winter months. A chimney has been carefully carved to one side. As I stared at the caves, I wondered if the caves had been formed from weather erosion over many hundreds of years. Don thought the opposite, that the caves were created from the hard work of whoever had lived on the land. The more I studied the sometimes smooth, other times ragged, parts of the cave, I realized Don was right. I imagined Native Americans starting at the outside of the humongous rock and chiseling and carving away until shelter had been created.

My affirmation during this trip was finding a piece of obsidian outside of the cave, as if a hand had reached through history and left it there just for us. The obsidian had been worked into an arrow head, the indentation to the shaft still visible. To me, this small piece of history was a treasure. But, to a friend who spent childhood summers in Lake County, obsidian was a common everyday item.

"We used to find those all the time," my friend said. "We used to play with them."

I imagined children playing with obsidian as if they were Tinker-Toys of Lego's. "Didn't you ever keep them?"

"No," she said. "They were everywhere."

As I thought about what my friend said, I couldn't imagine the luxury of having such precious remnants of history at my immediate disposal. I grew up in Redwood Country with mountains at one end of the street, and the Eel River at the other end, and I was never at a loss for toys created by nature. Would my ordinary rocks, pine cones and redwood branches I used for toys be treasures to someone from another culture?

Culture provides structure and meaning to groups of people. When writing about any culture, it is important to research and to provide accurate facts, especially in fiction writing. Many questions need to be asked: what type of culture are you researching? What is everyday life like within the culture? What is its hierarchical structure? What is the driving force behind the culture? Of course, more specific questions will be geared toward how culture functions in your story.

I feel blessed to have experienced a part of history, to get a glimpse into a different culture.

© 2007 Susan Littlefield

New Year Resolutions

2006-12-29T20:50:00.000-08:00

The New Year reminds me of fresh beginnings, as well as a resurrection of old dreams lost somewhere in the shuffle of everyday life. When I was younger, I made resolutions I knew were impossible to keep due to a lack of motivation and a mindset that my every whim would just drop into my lap. Over the years, I have learned that anything I resolve to do requires action on my part. It does me no good to say I will earn $50,000 this year unless I have a skills and motivation to either find that $50,000 job, or to find extra work that will help me reach that goal. Hopefully, my goals are more realistic.

As a writer, I can set a goal to publish 5 short stories, 4 articles, 3 poems, 2 reviews and one novel (this song is titled "5 Writing Goals" to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas") this year. I know this will not happen for me unless I am established as a writer and am in the ranks to have tea with Stephen King or brunch with Patricia Cornwell. But, what about setting more realistic goals for myself? Here is my list of writing goals I have come up for with for 2007:

To put words into my word processing program (or, in the alternative, onto paper);
To set aside one hour a day each day writing- preferably after work;
To write no more than two pieces at the same time;
To finish all writing I start;
To continue working on my novel;
To submit at lease one short story per month for possible publication;
To create a writer's group in my area.

To some, this might seem like a lot. But, the difference between now and when I was younger is that my goals are not unrealistic. I can do all of the above as long as I put action behind my words.

Isn't that what life is about anyway, putting action behind our words? In the New Year, I challenge everyone to believe in their dreams and to put action behind their words Happy New Year to all!

© 2006 Susan Littlefield

Christmas

2006-12-25T21:08:00.000-08:00

The holidays this year were difficult with the absence of my grandmother, who passed to a better place last January. She and grandpa had a way of making every holiday special with their humor and special love of life. When I was growing up, my parents and brothers, aunts, uncles and cousins, would gather at grandpa and grandma's house for Thanksgiving weekends. As an adult, I was given the gift of spending many Christmas eves with my grandparents. This year on Christmas eve, I felt the grief of that first Christmas without a beloved family member, but also shared in the joy of spending Christmas Eve and Christmas with Don, family and friends.

My grandmother had a special way of giving memorable gifts. For many, many years, my grandmother gave me turtlenecks, all a different color each Christmas. I could never figure out how to tell my grandmother I didn't like turtlenecks, that all those beautiful tops lived unworn in my top dresser drawer, until one year it all came out while were were shopping in a local clothing store.

She headed straight for the turtleneck display, and then pulled one off the shelf and held it up. "Honey, don't you think this turtleneck is pretty?"

Right then and there, I faced my dilemma- I could lie and tell her yes, or I could tell her my truth about turtlenecks. I knew from experience that grandmother had a way of uncovering every lie I ever tried to tell.

"Grandma, it is a pretty color," I said. "But, I don't really like turtlenecks."

She shot me a casual glance. "Oh. I didn't know that."

Needless to say, Grandma never gave me another turtleneck again. But, she knew I loved tea and never hesitated to include a box with my crew cut tops and other essential items, like dish towels.

My grandmother was a wonderful writer who self published her book of poetry Memories On Wings about a year before she died. She always said writing was how she taught others about God, but I also believe it was her way of sharing her great compassion and love for others. One of her poems in her book is titled Christmas:

Christmas is fast approaching,
What are your thoughts today,
Will you have an old fashioned Christmas,
With presents and love to give away?
Will you invite the needy one
Who has nowhere to go,
Or invite the proud and rich,
And forget your love to show?
What really is the meaning of Christmas,
But to do good to your fellow man.
Share what you have with the needy one
And love them while you can.

I hope your holiday season was alive with family and friends and filled with love and compassion for all mankind.

Experience and Ideas

2006-12-17T18:04:00.000-08:00

This weekend was filled with surprises, some tender and heartfelt, others bazaar and scary. I was affected personally by all happenings, but I was also stirred as a writer because with each experience came a goulash of ideas.

On Saturday, Don and I had lunch with my 90 year old grandfather, two aunts and an uncle. After lunch, my aunts gave me some wonderful gifts. First was a picture of my mother when she was about seven years old. I was 23 when she died of lung and liver cancer. As I looked into her clear smiling eyes, I was reminded of how much I miss her, and how I have been blessed with a likeness to her in both looks and character. Even though my mother was 42 when she died and has been gone almost 22 years, I have experienced a continuing relationship with her, especially with comparisons of my life to hers. So many questions came to mind- how does my relationship with my mother live and breathe today? What influence has she had in my life, and what influences does she have now? And, what would life be like if my mother were still like today?

My aunts also gave me my mother's baby book, which contained the story of her life from birth to three years old. As I read through the pages, I sensed the joy of first motherhood in my grandmother's beautiful cursive. How proud she was as my mom grew to a three years old, with each step, each new word, and all of her cute sayings. As I read, I began to wonder- what was motherhood like in 1942 during World War II? How were birthdays celebrated during such trying times as the war? What type of gifts did children receive, or were families too poor to give gifts?

By late afternoon, Don and I were in the car on the way home. We talked about places and things, joys in our lives and, most appropriately, the upcoming Christmas season. In fact, just before I saw the headlights coming straight for us, we were talking about whether or not we wanted to get a Christmas tree! By the grace of some angel (who may have been my mother or my grandmother), I was able to hit my breaks and pull my car over to avoid the driver on the wrong side of the road. Perhaps it was that same angel (or angels) who made sure no cars were behind me to get the impact of that crazy driver. Once we had regained composure, I looked at Don and said, "Yep, I think we ought to get that Christmas tree!"

It’s amazing how such a brief, small experience was so life changing. All I could think about was that nobody was hurt because of the stupid choice of a driver on the wrong side of the road, and how my life is truly blessed. But, what would have happened if I had not been able to avoid the other driver? Or, after avoiding the crazy driver, what if there had been a car full of people behind me who were not so lucky?

The final bazaar event of the day was receiving a Christmas card from a family I did not know. I looked the telephone number of the family up and gave them a call. The woman who answered explained that her husband gave her a list of people to send Christmas cards to and my name was on the list.

“But, I don’t recall knowing your husband,” I said. “Please refresh my memory.”

“He said he knows you from the Starbucks down by Safeway,” she explained.

I told her I didn’t go to Starbucks by Safeway, but I thought I knew what had happened. There is another person in town with my name who I have received telephone calls for over the years. We are both listed in the phone book with our first initial and last name. I have been told by people who have called my number, thinking it was her they were calling, that I sound a lot like her. I have often wondered what this other person with my name is really like. What does she look like, what type of work does she do? Does she ever receive any of my phone calls?!

It’s interesting how one day can spring forth so many story ideas, but ideas are also waiting to be discovered within mundane experiences. My advice- treasure each experience, keep your notepad and pen with you at all times and don’t forget to write it down.

© 2006 Susan Littlefield

Thinking of a Geographical

2006-12-12T20:40:00.000-08:00

From the standpoint of a human being, if I or someone else says, "I'm thinking of a geographical," it means a move or job change is an easy road from big problems. However, from a writer's point of view, thinking of a geographical means contemplating where I want my story to be. How do you find the right setting for your story? Instead of just thinking of a geographical, take a geographical and do some research!

I love traveling, and once took a road trip halfway across the United States to Arkansas, where my dad and step mother live. While wandering through all of the different terrain, I wondered what makes each city, town or state different than others. What distinguishing characteristics does an area have? What might the place be famous for? Most importantly, how does this region fit into my story?

Suppose I want to write a story set in the church to the right located in Mossville, Arkansas. I've been there and taken this picture. Is visiting and taking this picture enough? It could be, if all I want is a church that looks a certain way to be in my story. But, if I want to bring some realism to my story, I might want to do some geographical research on the church, and the area. Since I've already been to Mossville and may not return, I might want to search online for anything on Mossville history I can find. I can write (or email!) their Chamber of Commerce or historical society.

Last summer, my boyfriend, Don, and I traveled to Rockport, Massachusetts. We visited his loved ones for about a week, went sailing, to the beach, shopping, and took long walks through the small, lovely English village with three and four story houses that, from this Californians point of view, look like mansions. Even though I experienced snapshots of life in the Eastern U.S., I learned enough to write a realistic short story or two. For other details, I can do online research or interview Don's relatives who live there!

As a writer, the important thing about geographical research is that facts are essential in creating realistic fiction, as well as maintaining my credibility.

Realizing Story in Everyday Life

2006-12-10T16:45:00.000-08:00

Don lives in a small, remote town in hill country where life is simple and change is difficult. I love going to Don's place because of the quiet and my feeling of stepping back in time. This weekend was no exception.

Saturday was alive with a Christmas party at a historic two-story house on the state park replicated to the early 1900's. In the parlor sat a beautiful decorated Christmas tree with presents beneath, Santa sat in a chair next to the fireplace and musicians, complete with guitar, base, mandolin and piano, led young and old alike in carols. Children sat on Santa's lap and leaned close to his ear and whispered their wishes. People from all walks of life, who might not normally cross paths during everyday life, came together to share in the joy of Christmas.

During a pause in music, one of the musicians said, "You know, this is exactly what people used to do years ago, sit around and sing. They didn't have electricity, just some oil lanterns and everybody else." As I pondered his words, I realized what a great story this would make, about a poor family whose only gifts were each other and the sounds of their voices in music. This story has been lived and written many times over the generations, but it becomes fresh with each new writer's voice and perception. What would be different for my characters around Christmas, or would Christmas be just the same as any time of the year? Would it matter? What all of the gift shared be handmade? The questions come until I have taken an old story and made it new again.

Each day of my life is a new experience waiting for the realization of a new story. Now, all I need to do is sit down and write.

© 2006 By Susan Littlefield

Characterscope

2006-12-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

This evening, while sweating away on the stair master (that's the one that looks like escalating stairs, but never gets you to the second floor of the mall), I engaged in 40 minutes of enjoyable people-watching. I love to people watch at the gym, or in any venue where interesting people congregate. While observing people, it is too easy to project my own judgments and create a persona of who I think a person is. In everyday life, this is a sign I am not accepting a person as is. But, in writing, it is impossible to create a character without drawing upon observations I have of other people (i.e., people watching) and who I think they might be.

What does building a character look like? Think about yourself and your own character. We create ourselves by our actions, words and choices. Sometimes we have behaviors that are not desirable to who we want to be; behavior is a symptom, whether positive or negative, of some underlying belief. In real life, we have many tools to for self-actualization and improvement. The concept of creating self can be applied to creating characters in story. If my character has a certain belief, or a certain set of beliefs, he or she will behave in certain ways- just like in real life!

Before building character, I need to have some idea what my story will be about and what the situation of the story is. For example, if I’m writing a novel set during the civil war, I cannot create a female protagonist who is a left-wing activist who convinces her female friends to burn their bras and forget about their husbands who are out fighting the war. But, it might be reasonable to create a strong female protagonist who is an example to other civil war wives, a woman who does what she has to do while her husband is at war.

Once I have decided my story line and situation, I can pull out all my perceptions drawn from people watching and throw them into a big old kaleidoscope and start spinning it around to see how the different characteristics mix together. Maybe my male protagonist will look like that tall man I saw running on the treadmill who did not make eye contact with anyone. I sensed he was lost in his own world and focused on his task at hand. But, in my story, my character’s wife has died in a car accident. In his grief, he keeps prefers to let no one into his life, thus he has difficulty making eye contact with others.

The wonderful thing is that building character is not black and white, but more like a characterscope filled with colorful possibilities.

Now, it’s time to go and give my new character some color!

© 2006 by Susan Littlefield

My First Words

2006-12-05T21:34:00.000-08:00

I wonder what my first word was. I'm sure mother cried as she told her friends in the sewing circle, "Her first word was Mama." Or, maybe dad passed around cigars to his work buddies as he said, "Dada. That's the first word my girl said." I wonder, was my first word actually some unintelligible muttering that pleased my parents so much that they simply heard what they pleased? What parent doesn't want their child's first word to be a reflection of their own parenthood?

The power of the written word captured me at an early age. When I was a little girl, my mother used to read me a story titled The Little Engine That Could. I can still see the smooth, bright cover with the train on the front, the colorful pictures and words within, as my mother read me the story about the train who had trouble getting up the hill. Ms. Choo-Choo pushed herself up the hill on pure motivation and the words, "I think I can, I think I can." While growing up and going through the growing pains of pessimism, my mother would say, "Remember the little train that could?" Even as an adult, those words have become a part of my being, a mantra that carries me through darker periods of low motivation and self-imposed pity.

I have always wanted to be a writer. I discovered poetry when I was about 12 years old, scribbling out long, rhyming verses on notebook paper. Poetry helped me escape to a place were I could create any kind of story I wanted, all it took was stanzas, meter and rhyming. I still have copies of those poems tucked away in a notebook.

When I was in high school, I began writing lyrics. I wondered what my words would sound like set to music. I studied everything I could at the library on writing lyrics. When I was 17, I secretly entered Velvet Roses in the American Song Festival Lyric Competition. Out of thousands of entrants, I won an honorable mention. I laminated that award, and it now lives with all of my precious memorabilia.

I have been a self-proclaimed writer for many years- I have poetry published in a few small press magazines, and have won first place for two stories in writing contests and have authored other small non-paying contributions. For my senior project for my Bachelor Degree, I wrote a novella then gave a presentation of my creative process. I have never been paid in more than copies, and most of my work has been for self-fulfillment purposes.

Now, as I embark on my new adventure, I feel a little like I am speaking my first words, or writing my first poem or short story. When I want to give up on my writing, or I wonder why I write at all, my mother whispers from a faraway place, "I think I can, I think I can."

Yes- I think I can. In fact, I'm sure I can.

(c) 2006 by Susan Littlefield