Get Your Daily Brain Cramp Here

7
Dec

First page of the Gospel of Mark, by Sargis Pitsak, a Medieval Armenian scribe and miniaturist (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At the bottom of this post I’m attaching a video from a pastor I deeply respect. I sent his blog a question and he answered it in this video. I feel like I won a radio call-in contest or something.

This whole blog post is off topic since it doesn’t have to do with writing per se, but I think each of us has worldviews that seep into our writing, whether we intend it or not. That’s how I’m justifying it at least.

Lately I’ve been grappling with the entrenched concept in evangelical Christianity that unless people speak with their mouths a “sinner’s prayer” that confesses sin, admits that Jesus is the Savior and asks for redemption from Him, then they are pretty much screwed (pardon me). However, some of Jesus’ statements seem to be at odds with one another, plus, Jesus’ stated purpose in coming to earth was to offer life. Does that mean that once Christ was resurrected anyone who lived more than a camel-ride away from Jesus’ neck of the woods was suddenly out of luck?

We could get into the finer points of this but I’m no theologian. What I do know is that there is a lot of church history and tradition that clouds the written words of the Bible. And I think there ought to be room to discuss this without calling into question the vibrance of someone’s faith.

Here’s the video for you to check out. I’d LOVE to hear your reactions and thoughts on this non-writing topic, and please know that I welcome all civil conversation but don’t have much patience for name calling or mean-ness. There, we got that out of the way. Whew. Have a great Friday!

http://youtu.be/3DInC3o7Gag

Welcome Back, Mommy

3
Dec

december greenery (Photo credit: postbear)

It is now December and National Novel Writing Month is complete. (Did I mention I made it to 50,000 words? I did mention it? Oh. Right. Sorry to bring it up again…but did you know how hard that was? I finished almost a whole novel!) Now it is time to reintroduce myself to my children and husband.

So far it has had mixed results.

Last night I was whistling. I whistle. I know this is not a common habit these days, but sometimes I do it without realizing it. My middle son does it too. He got in trouble at school for whistling a tune in the hallway, and I just wanted to explain to the teacher that he only does it when he’s happy, so it was a good thing that he was whistling. I don’t think she’d agree.

Whistle! (Photo credit: castle79)

Back to last night — I was whistling in the kitchen. I hit an impressively high note, and I looked over to see my husband covering his ears. Perhaps it was too loud? The funny thing was that he looked to my oldest son for validation, and my son said he didn’t even hear it. I managed not to laugh in my tiny moment of victory. You’d think that was enough annoyance, but there’s more.

I also sing.

Usually this gets my kids in a twist because they don’t like me singing along with music. But last night there was no music, so I was making my own. I have an amazing talent to be able to mimic other singers (okay, maybe it’s not so amazing and I might not sound exactly like them, but it’s still fun. Try it and you’ll be hooked, especially if you try to convince everyone around you that if you just had the connections you could have been that person on the radio). The song I was singing was in the tradition of Ethel Merman, and I forgot that my husband was on call this weekend. Suddenly he evacuated the area and I found out later that he was trying to take a work phone call and couldn’t hear because I was singing so loudly. Whoops.

Here’s a video of one of Ethel Merman’s last performances, in case you’re curious: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s62MrU8mHx4

The kids seem to be taking it better. I played an attacking game with one son last night, played a chasing game with my daughter, and body-slammed my eight-year-old in a wrestling match. These were all met with happy squeals and laughter that lasts so long it leads to the hiccups. Clearly, their regular mommy is back. (Don’t worry, no one gets hurt…usually. This is just one way we play.)

NaNo was great and I’m looking forward to finishing the two chapters that remain until the novel is complete. But it’s also fun to have mental energy to be more present with my family. That’s why I don’t write a novel in a month every month! No one around me could stand it, except my long-suffering husband, who might be hoping I get another project idea so I can go back to the quieter version of myself. The odd are not in his favor.

The Final Push to Complete NaNoWriMo

25
Nov

Galeries Lafayette – christmas decorations (Photo credit: whale05)

This will have to be a quick update because all my word-power needs to be channeled into my efforts to finish NaNoWriMo, a.k.a. National Novel Writing Month. Maybe I’ll tell you about the project I’m working on for it?

The story is roughly (and I mean roughly) based on experiences from my real life, so it is a realistic fiction set in small town Minnesota. It follows the lives of four women — four moms with young kids — who are a part of a mom’s group. They form a co-op that makes and delivers meals to each other each week.

What it is really about is the development of these relationships and how they respond to challenges that arise. Will they stick together or decide that friendships (and the meal co-op) are too much work?

I’m sprinkling in recipes for a little fun, since the story has a cooking element to it.

There you have it, the dry bones of the story. But the characters are what make it, and I think there are some people everyone can identify with. I still need a really catchy title, so if anything springs into your mind, PLEASE comment and help me out!

I look forward to returning to “real-life” once I get this done. I did pull out some Christmas decorations but haven’t taken the time to put them up yet. Every free moment I have feels like it should go to writing. It is intense but it is a limited intensity, since it is only this month. So far, my husband is still speaking to me, so that’s good.

Until the end of the month, I hope you’ll forgive very light, short posts, if I’m able to do them at all. After that, I hope to keep things updated every couple days (I don’t want you to get sick of the blog, but I don’t want you to forget about it either!). And please allow me to take this moment to thank anyone who is a recent follower…or a long-time follower. I appreciate your clicks!

Off to go create some havoc in the lives of four make-believe women! Wish me luck!

NaNoWriMo Scares My Socks Off (daphneshadows.wordpress.com)
NaNoWriMo (lastchancewriting.wordpress.com)
NaNoWriMo 2012: CHECK! (crimsonleague.com)

Writers Can Be Friends

21
Nov

At first, it may seem that writers cannot be friends with other writers. We are told that publishing houses take fewer chances on new authors and their slush piles (we keep hearing) that tower in corners of intern’s closet offices. Add to that the element of envy and it would seem that it is every man for herself out there.

Except that it doesn’t have to be.

Russell Crowe at the Picadilly Circus, London while filming A Good Year (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Did you ever see the movie, A Beautiful Mind, with Russell Crowe? There’s a great part when he had a mathematical breakthrough in a bar and realized that if he and his friends worked together they could all achieve something for themselves that would not have to put them in competition with one another. Rather than all going after the one bombshell girl, if they ignored her, they could all get dates. It was a win-win.

I think of writing like that.If we as writers support each other (especially now in the age of platforms and internet marketing and promotion) we can all achieve what we desire — to be published — without taking anything away from another writer. The market is deep and wide, with plenty of niches for everyone. Your success doesn’t have to threaten me or diminish my chances.

When I started my first novel (don’t sweat it, I’m only now writing a second one as a NaNo challenge. It’s not like I’ve written five or had even one published – nope, not yet. But it could happen!) through a series of “happy coincidences” I was put in contact with a woman who had established her career as a writer. Her encouragement helped me feel validated as a writer. It was as if I needed to hear from someone who had experience in the field in order to feel like I wasn’t play-acting.

She didn’t have to do much (she didn’t have to do anything!) to make a difference to me, I would have been thrilled with one kind word, but she went above and beyond, even shared personal contacts. To a fledgling writer, her words of encouragement went a long way. I wouldn’t go so far as to call her a friend, we don’t go out for coffee or send each other birthday cards, but she helped me feel like maybe I wasn’t just chasing an ill-founded dream, like maybe there was a chance that I was onto something real. Here’s her website: http://www.nancyjosullivan.com/ and her books are out there in bookstores and can easily be found on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Jo-Sullivan/e/B001H9TLN0

An unanticipated benefit of NaNo has been getting in contact with other writers who are out there working at their craft. No matter their experience or “success”, they are out there putting in the time each day during the month of November. Maybe they are working with more intensity than they would otherwise (some days those word count meters don’t seem to budge n matter how long I’ve sat at the computer!) but they are investing the time and creative energy. Knowing that other people are out there makes it seem like I’m merely writing in a next-door room rather than all alone.

So write on, fellow authors. We may not be published, we may not win NaNo, but that does not mean we aren’t writers. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and thanks for the encouragement you are to me.

What You Should Know About Writers (maasmith.com)
The Invisibility of Writers (marcys.wordpress.com)
Pep Talks for Writers (nepheletempest.wordpress.com)
Writing Communities (eemoxam.wordpress.com)

Neglect the Family: All-In for NaNoWriMo

16
Nov

The Common Pheasant, the most important bird for many gamekeepers (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My husband likes to hunt.

I don’t share this interest, but I am glad to benefit from his efforts. I didn’t grow up eating hunted things, but during our marriage I have developed an appreciation for wild game of different kinds.

Being a hunter, he goes out of town on hunting trips.

In the past I’ve been fine with these trips. He gets a lot from being outside and really enjoys everything about hunting. It’s the equivalent of a spa day for some people. I’ve gone with him once or twice, and there is something that feeds the soul when you walk through areas with no path and take in the beauty of creation.

That is, it’s very nourishing until your socks are wet, you can’t get warm and you’re considering peeing your pants rather than hang your cold, naked buns over that fallen log to do your business.

While I’ve been an Accommodating and Supportive Wife in the past, I’d say that this year I might teeter on the edge of Enthusiastic Wife. He’s got a trip coming up and I have to be honest and say I’m happy about the timing. With him gone, I can spend the evening typing away with abandon, with no guilt or compunction about neglecting him, since he’ll be out in the woods somewhere in South Dakota.

Because I am a SAHM, there is a certain amount of guilt that goes with being busy in the evenings. There is an expectation I have for myself that if there is anything personal or just for me that needs to get done, I should be able to fit it in during the day. Two of my kids are at school all day, and the preschooler is gone a couple hours most days. Surely this must be ample time to address any personal enrichment activities, right?

Not really.

If you’ve ever stayed home with kids, you already realize that they are a whirlwind of papers, toys and peanut butter. When my kids get on the bus, it takes me an hour just to put to rights the path of destruction they created by being in the house.

It doesn’t get any better when they get home in the afternoon.

In order to make any headway on daily chores or projects (and not be forced to employ someone else to do it), I spend hours, hours, in movement everyday to keep the great tide of chaos at bay. I fold, sweep, load, unload, wipe, scrub, recycle, sort and organize. And still my house is not as tidy as I would have it in an ideal world.

On the other hand, I like to think our house is fun.

During this weekend of temporary single parenting I’ve lined up plenty of kid-friendly activities for my three monkeys, sure-fire meals and snacks, and an aaaaaample amount of screen time. I may be behind in my word count for NaNoWriMo but as Meg Ryan said in the movie French Kiss, “I shall triumph!” (I just dated myself, didn’t I? I can’t help it, she was a bit of a style guru for me for a while, and I have photos of the haircut misadventures to prove it.)

My husband will have fun hunting, my kids will have their fun, and I will have fun writing like a crazy person.

Let’s all charge victoriously into the weekend and our writing (or hunting). 🙂

Coffee Shops and Opium Dens

13
Nov

Classic Car (Photo credit: jemoström photo)

I should be working on my NaNo novel rather than typing this blog post, or I should be at home with my family helping with bedtime snack, but instead I am sitting in a coffee shop trying not to listen to the conversations going on around me. And I’m wearing headphones! It’s the body language I’m interested in, the subtle nonverbals I’m most interested in. People lean forward, crane their necks, lean away, avoid eye contact, sneak glances at girls nearby. It is so entertaining…and distracting!

There was a meeting I was supposed to go to tonight, but I ran late and decided not to go when I was in the car already fifteen minutes late and still fifteen minutes from my destination. When I was rushing out the door, my husband asked why I wanted to go to the meeting so badly. And I had to admit it was because I knew that when I went there tonight and got to tell this group I had gotten two things in print since the last meeting, I knew they’d be excited for me. They’d say I did a good thing (apparently I’m some kind of golden retriever?). I don’t even know these people, except that we are joined by a common desire to write. They get it. They understand the terror that is the submission process. They’ve been rejected. Honestly, it’s what I imagine a support group is like. Maybe I’m a writing addict, but when I’m there it’s like a writing opium den.

Don’t we all need a support group? Don’t we sometimes wish there were people who “got it” and could empathize with us?

Maybe that’s what the online community becomes for people, a place to connect with people who understand a deep love of cats or classic cars, a profound fear of crowds or being hit by lightning.

Maybe that’s what this blog could be for people, a place to connect and be encouraged. I have been so encouraged by your comments and interest. Thank you for visiting here.

Whatever the subject matter, I hope that you have a group of people who cheer your accomplishments and mourn your losses.

Happy writing…or collecting Precious Moments figurines, or whatever your “thing” is. 🙂

Writing Tip #4: Build Your Portfolio

10
Nov

Writing can be a bit of a mobius twist. With good reason, people want to see your credentials and work before they take you on. In order to get those examples, someone has to take a chance and let you do a job without any of those examples. So if you don’t have them, how do you get them?

Reading (and common sense) in this area tells us that often we start too high up the food chain, and then we experience frustration when Time Magazine doesn’t want to use the brilliant article we put together.

This is Writing Tip #4: Don’t be afraid to start small.

I recently had something included in a neighborhood newsletter. It was just a small article, but it went out to the whole area where I live. It was a solid article with a good voice and positive spirit. Who knows what might happen because of it?

Two days ago, a piece I worked on earlier in the fall finally came out in the town newspaper. I’m not ultimately interested in journalism, but now I can use that as an example of my ability to write an informative, tight article. The paper has a circulation of 15,000 homes, plus online consumers. However, because the article was an interview, people from the interviewee’s (that seems like it should be a word?!) organization are also sure to read it, which extends the circle. That’s a good reach for me.

This summer, a blog asked for guest submissions and I volunteered. The blog isn’t about writing, nor is it a field of personal expertise, but by writing an entertaining blog post, I can point to it as an example of versatility and initiative.

None of the above have been paid opportunities.

That’s okay.

As I build my portfolio, I view these as something current to add to the materials I have from a few years ago (before I started having kids and temporarily lost track of everything outside of who needs a snack and when did we last change the baby’s diaper?). The fact that they are unpaid is unimportant at this point. Would I like to eventually be paid for my work? Sure. But these pieces are mutually beneficial: the organization gets new content, and I get to fill my writing resume and make some contacts.

What I’m working on now is a system for keeping track of deadlines, what went where and when, deadlines for contests, and a sort of “closing date” for each individual piece. If you have a way of keeping your writing organized, I’d love to hear about it.

Keep working your writing and don’t worry about if it is for a national audience. Do your best work each time and you never know where it will eventually lead!

Happy writing!

The keyboard of the Malling-Hansen writing ball, invented in 1865 by Danish churchman Rev. Rasmus Malling-Hansen and first produced in 1870. It was the first commercially produced typewriter. Although as in many early typewriters, the page is not visible as it is being typed, as late as 1909 the writing ball was still being used in European business offices. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Breaking into the Writing Life

23
Oct

English: Book and apparatus for writing. Engraving (prints). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Some people know from the time they are young what career they want. I am not one of those people; therefore, my career history is varied. Super varied. One of the constants has always been an appreciation for and dabbling in writing.

A couple years ago I started to write a story while I waited…and waited…for my kids to go to sleep. When I finished, I added what should have happened before the part I wrote. And all of a sudden, I couldn’t stop writing. I thought about it even when I wasn’t doing it. I made time to work on it early in the morning, late at night and even arranged time away from home to be able to focus on it. The thing morphed into a full-fledged novel.

Now I have officially entered the writing world since my manuscript has been rejected by a publisher (is this a yay! or a boo! ?). Even though this really knocked me on my butt, I learned that I wasn’t ready to give up on getting it “out there” someday. I also discovered that I really enjoy the process of writing, I enjoy and crave that creative outlet. On top of all that, I’m starting to formulate another story in my head.

This leads to a two-pronged approach for me right now. On the one hand, I love writing and have been told by impartial sources that I am good at it, so I would like to write for ongoing publications, i.e. magazines, e-magazines (“zines”), websites, etc. On the other hand, I am drawn to the richness of what a novel can offer in terms of theme and character development.

Blogging seems to be a good way to get connected to other writers, since often times I feel I am writing only for myself. And maybe we can help each other along the way. I’ll share what I learn, and maybe others will chime in and we can pool our collective intelligence.

The first tip I think is so practical and yet so challenging comes from Anne Lamott’s classic book on writing, Bird By Bird. In it she lays out a thorough attack plan, and what I’ll call …

Tip #1: Get your fanny in the chair and do the thing.

http://twitter.com/ANNELAMOTT/status/228366902668439552

Nothing earth shattering and yet so hard to actually do.

So for today, that’s what I’m going to keep going. I’ll keep chipping away at the creative process of writing, and I will also chip away at learning about the business of writing. These are two totally different parts of my brain, and it makes me a little crazy to hold them both in my head simultaneously, so I will choose one to work on first, then set that aside to work on the other.

Do you have any helpful quotes that keep you motivated? Do you have a suggestion for a book on writing that people must read? Please let us in on your secret! I look forward to hearing from you. Now go do some damage to that keyboard (or whatever you use to write) of yours. Best of luck!

Hello world!

22
Oct

Welcome to WordPress.com! This is your very first post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post. If you like, use this post to tell readers why you started this blog and what you plan to do with it.

Happy blogging!

The Burn of Anti-aging Moisturizer

20
Oct

English: Photo of L’Oréal’s anti-aging creams in Hannaford store in Orono, Maine, USA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My skin has always been sensitive. But I am stubborn and have tried to pretend it is just normal, or maybe combination? I’m always game to try new tactics when it comes to a beauty regimen. My mother loves to remind me of the time when she convinced me, on good authority from a friend of hers, that if before bed I put a dab of plain, paste-type toothpaste on a pimple, by morning it would be gone.She was right.

But what she didn’t tell me was that all the skin around the pimple site would be gone as well.

Then I spent the next week trying to nurse my face back to health.

Hilarious fun for a high schooler.

In spite of this and other ill-fated adventures, my fascination with beauty products persists.

Now I’m to the age when there are little lines around my eyes, just teeny ones, but enough to notice. So what do I do? I fall victim to American culture and attitudes towards aging and march to the store for a night cream with anti-aging properties.

Night cream, in my mind, is supposed to be a thick, dense, moisturizer that goes above and beyond your daytime face lotion. It conjures up an image of a woman’s face covered in light green cream. The cream I picked up was just white (bummer), but it was thick and held promise.

Soon after I put it on I had an eye itch, so I rubbed my eye. Little flecks of something were on my skin, so I wiped them off…them wiped off some more. At first I thought the lotion had separated or gone bad somehow, but upon closer inspection I discovered that in fact it was my skin that was rubbing away.

EWW!

Now listen, I can handle a little pain for the sake of beauty. I use those mean spot treatments for blemishes that sting something awful, and I don’t even flinch anymore. But the idea of a lotion purposely peeling off my skin like an end-of-summer hot shower was just too much. On top of that, my eye area wasn’t even moisture-y afterwards anyway! I actually put on additional lotion after the night cream! That is nuts-o.

I have been duly punished for my vanity and attempted fine line reduction. But I am a repeat offender, so don’t be surprised if you run into me in the make-up aisle at Target when I’m supposed to be picking up milk. It’s like a tractor beam and I am virtually powerless to resist.

What about you? Do you have any products you can’t live without? Anything that was a waste of money? Add your comment, and let’s help each other out!