2011 Resolution Challenge

I hope everyone had a good holiday. I read over last year’s resolutions and realized a few things.  I’ve drastically changed since then.  I have completely new ideas and feeling about almost everything, even writing. In other words I’ve grown.

I’m not going to post my resolutions this year, what I’m going to do is post about my journey through them.  Every change, disappointment, realization, expectation and success, and what happen to cause me to change. 

Since this blog is a journal about my writing journey, my first post this new year, and yes I’m starting a little early is about my decision to start using a writing book called The Weekend Novelist by Robert J. Ray and Bret Norris. 

Now I just have to decide on which project to work on.  I have one manuscript I started last year when I did the NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, in November of 2010.  I didn’t participate this year, 2011.   I started the revisions but had many questions.  Lets just say the revisions didn’t go well. I was not satisfied at all with the manuscript or the revisions and felt a complete failure as a writer. So I started purchasing and reading how to writing book.  I learned a lot, just not how to write a novel. 

One of the books I bought was about plot and structure.  This is what I thought was lacking in my manuscript. So I started a new project based on the info in the book.  The ideas were flowing and it was going good until I ran into a wall. Which is what happens to most novice writers.

How do I proceed?  It was frustrating.  I was in my bedroom sitting on my bed, almost ready to cry.  Looking around my room and that’s when it happened.  Right next to the bed is a small bookshelf where I keep the how to write books.  It was like a light shinning from heaven shown right on a book.  The Weekend Novelist, by Robert J. Ray and Bret Norris.  There it was, the answer I was looking for.

My newest decision.  Go through the book one weekend at a time and apply what I learn to my newest project.  It’s in the idea stage, so that’s perfect. 

I might be incorporating more but it depends on how much time I have writing. 

What new resolutions have you decided to do this year.  

Last Years New Year’s Resolutions.

Did you put down your new years resolutions yet?  I had a good look at my new year’s resolutions from last year.  I had different dreams back then.  My intention was to work on my writing platform.  I was to do this in several ways. 
 I started a Blogstory line.  Then posted my short stories in a few places trying to get my name out there.  But I came to the realization that my strengths in writing wasn’t strong enough to continue. 

My blogstory line, while some people read, there wasn’t much feedback  if they liked it or not.  One of my friends loved it and wanted me to continue.  I had others tell me they read and liked it.  I was happy with this, but then ran into a snag.  My conclusion was it wasn’t good enough to spark interest and continue.  I put it on hold until I understand the writing process better.

I took off all the short stories I had in different places.  I did revisions on them and plan to improve them more.  So I put on hold for a while.

Where I improved. 
What I did do was reach my 2011 Book Challenge.  This challenge I didn’t have too much trouble with because I love to read.  My challenge was to read 50 books throughout the year.  My final count was 68. 
(See 2011 Book Challenge - as I progressed through the year.) 

I did continue to study the writing process and have greatly improved, not only in my writing but in my critiquing. This was good for my Diligent Writes Group that I founded. 

The diligent Writers Critiquing Group is strong.  We don’t have a lot of people but we have a few committed individuals.  We are all progressing one step at a time.  Each writer is talented and adds a lot to each critique.  It has been my pleasure to start and work with this group.  I intend to continue it with the hope that other committed writers will come.  

I have started a project of 'The Fiction Writers Workshop.'   This class is doing one chapter once a month.  We tackle a different aspect of writing each month, and then do the writing exercises.  We get together and discuss them and then cover the next month’s topic. 

New Year's Resolution for 2012. I’m going to continue the book challenge and keep track of what I read during the year.  But this year I’m also going to keep track of my writing, how many words and minutes I write.  My intention is to learn discipline.  I stopped watching most TV shows, and other diversions that keep me from writing.  So my goal will be discipline in this next year.  I have other resolutions of a personal nature but won’t bore you with them. 

What New Year’s resolutions did you pass from last year?  How have you grown from last January to this December? What will you do to continue that growth.  Much came be accomplished in one year, don’t waste it on trivial matters.  Choose wisely. 

Until Next time. 
Picture from pictures.com

Christmas Miracle.

Have you ever had a Christmas Miracle?  I did but at the time I didn’t know it.

I was in College at the time. I worked at a local hospital on a work study program at night.  I worked then every six months I wrote up a report and received credits.  My position was a ward clerk floater. When one of the permanent ward clerks called off, I worked in their place.  If everyone showed up then they placed me in another area.  I worked all over the hospital and met many people. 

The day was Christmas Eve.  Usually my shift was 6:00pm – 10:00pm but I was able to talk my supervisor into allowing me to go home early.  I explained I hadn’t been able to shop for holiday meal yet and was hoping to go before the grocery store closed.  He agreed and allowed me to use some of my vacation pay to cover the time.  It was a slow evening in the hospital.   

So at seven I left the hospital and caught the bus to my little apartment.  It took about an hour because I had to connect with another bus in downtown Cleveland.  As soon as I arrived home, even though I was tired, I grabbed my reusable grocery bags and practically ran to the grocery store. My apartment was in a very ideal location.  I lived just off a main street, a few houses down from the corner and the grocery store was on another main street a few blocks down in the opposite direction.

As I was speed walking to the grocery store I couldn’t tell if it was closed or not. “Please let it be open” was my mantra.  But it was not to be.  When I turned the corner to the parking lot and main entrance.  The entire parking lot was empty and a large Closed sinn hung on the door.  At that moment my heart was empty. 

I hung my head and cried all the way home.  My speed walking was now a slow crawl. I was alone already and it was hard enough, now this.  Of course all the restaurants, and grocery stores will be closed on Christmas Day, so there was no way I could get any type of food. Christmas dinner was a no go and any kind of holiday for me was gone.  It was a very bitter pill to swallow.  I went to bed with prayers of love and devotion to the person who’s birthday it was. I was still grateful that I had a place to live, having been homeless a few years before. 

The next morning it was a beautiful sunny day, even here in Cleveland Ohio.  I watched the parade on TV and just did the best I could.   I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast, what else could I do?

Later when hunger finally caught up with me, I went scrounging in the refrigerator.  Leftovers it would be.  Strangely I found a few things and ended up having one of the best meals I can remember.  Sure it was leftovers but it tasted delicious. I remember praying and being grateful for everything that I had. I was happy to be alive.  The Christmas spirit came into this lonely heart of mine and I was filled with sweetness and joy.  Even years later I remember this Christmas above all others.  Of course I call my family and we talk and share, but I am still alone, or so I thought. 

It was some time later that I realized something extraordinary happened. I remembered that the day before I hardly had any food in that refrigerator.  I desperately needed to buy food not only for the holiday, but for the entire week.  Yet, on Christmas I had a lot of food in there.  Food I’m not sure where it came from.  And it was some of the best tasting food I can remember.  I also remember finally feeling the Christmas spirit. 

Every year since, I’ve had food in my refrigerator and the Christmas spirit in my heart. But still, I remember that holiday miracle even more. 

So the next time Christmas doesn’t quite go as you had planned for whatever reason, the holiday spirit is more important, and of course giving thanks and praise.  May your Holiday be blessed with the spirit within, and joy to you and yours always.

Until next time. 

Picture by picture.com

Stranger than Fiction. Part 2

This post is another strange thing that happened to me while I was in Sweden.  I had been living on a farm in the small town of Holmestad, near a little bit larger town called Gëtene.  Every day I would ride my bike into the town, crossing a main highway with two way traffic, and attend the language school.  The school consisted of many people from all over the world who didn’t speak Swedish.  But that is another story. 

This particular day, I went to school as usual.  After school, I don’t remember why but I needed to get back to the house quickly.  I started on my bike, and when I got to the main highway I stopped until traffic cleared, then proceeded on.  The first thing I noticed upon crossing that main highway was a deer on the other side of the road in a field.  He was eating grass when he looked up at me.  He was big and beautiful, but seeing a deer is not uncommon in the area.  The road leading to the farm is a two way road and the cars are driving on the opposite side of the road.  I was on the right going against traffic.  The farm itself was situated on the right side of the road. 

I have my books tied to the back of the bike and I was speeding along, the wind in my hair and my legs pumping.  I was admiring the surrounding area with its amazing simplistic beauty, the green grass, and yellow mustard flower fields, the small farms here and there. 

I looked down for a moment and when I looked back up, my head jerked to the left.  There was a deer, the same one that I saw earlier.  He was running along side me, but not on the road, on the grass.  He had his eyes on me as a rival for speed. We were running together neck and neck.  Why he was following me I cannot say.  But what happened next was unexpected.  Somehow the deer tried to cross onto the road.  I’m not sure what he was doing, but he moved towards me, like he was going to run with me.  Just as he was about to cross, a car was in his way and he swerved.  The deer turned towards me in an effort to avoid it but the deer didn’t realize its consequences.  The deer slammed into me at a great speed.   Me, the deer and the bike went airborne.  A small yelp was all I was able to get out.  We landed in the ditch in a great big heap. 

This all happened in a split second. 

The bike was on top of me and the deer on top of the bike.  The buck quickly got up and took off unhurt.  But my right leg and knee hurt.  Pain filled my body, but I was too stunned to do anything. 

The driver of the car was out in a flash and at my side.  He spoke quickly, his face concerned as he lifted the bike off me.  In those moments I was unable to form anything coherent.  It registered that I better say something. “I’m okay.” I said. 

He stopped for a moment then switched to English.  He gave me a barrage of questions.  I shook my head.  “No don’t call for an ambulance, I live up the street.  I’m sure I can get there in a few moments.”  The man waited until I was able to get on the bike and was peddling away before he left. 

Back at the farm I told my friend who invited me to Sweden what happened.  He looked at me stunned, and then he started laughing.  I could have killed him.  Here I was hurt and beat up, bruised and still in shock, and he was laughing.  I had a big black and blue mark on my right knee and surrounding area.  No broken bones, thank God. 

My friend had a good time telling all of his friend and anyone who would listen about my little bout with a deer.  I think him laughing hurt more than the bruise.  What Americans think is funny is different from the Swedish people. 

Until next time. 

Stranger than Fiction.

I thought I would write something funny today. 

You’ve heard the adage, life is stranger than fiction.  A few weeks back I saw one that I thought was strange.  Well, not really, but it was cute.

I’m taking the bus now since my car broke down about a month ago and the amount to fix it is beyond me at the moment.  So I’m walking home from the bus stop down an ally to get to my house on the cul-de-sac.  When I first entered the ally I heard dogs barking, easy since the sound is echoed throughout the entire ally.  I’m minding my own business, watching my step, because if I didn’t I would trip and fall.  I was thinking about all I had to do that night when I arrived upon the loud barking.  Mind you this was before the time changed and it was still light out.

That’s when I noticed a rooster walking along the rooftop of a building in the back of a yard.  the  dog that was barking at it was the one I heard upon entering the ally.  The rooster went from one side of the roof to the other and the dog was keeping pace with it.  I started laughing.  Know why?  Because the poor rooster just wanted to get back to his home, the chicken coop, and be with his hens, and the dog wouldn’t allow him to do that.

One thing about chickens and roosters, they do get out once in a while.  But the easiest way to get them back in is to leave the door open.  How do I know this? Well I had the opportunity to spend some time in Sweden back in 1994.  While I was there I took care of chickens and sold the eggs.  I also taught line dancing.  The Swedish people loved it. Well my students did.  Anyway I gained first hand knowledge about chickens and a rooster getting out of the coop. 

One of my roosters got out of the coop.  Not knowing what to do, I went chasing after it. 

That thing was fast. Those little legs can move and boy did it ever, clucking the whole time.  I chased the darn thing while it ran -- well, like a chicken with its head cut off.  After a while I finally sat down, too tired and defeated.  I’ll be darned that darn rooster after a few minutes strolled back into the coop and cozied up to his hens.  I could have killed it.  But he was in, and I could then get to my day.  So never again will I chase a rooster or chicken. 

All you have to do is open the door.   

Oh and another funny thing happened while I was there. Well, that’s for another day.  

Until next time. 

Pictures from Pictures.com royalty free. 

Inspiration. What Inspires You to Keep Writing?

Today I received My Writers Digest Monthly Magazine and saw an article on James Lee Burke.  Reading the article, he had so many really good things that can inspire writers to keep on. 

What I love about James Lee Burke is his no nonsense approach to writing.  He just does it everyday, no matter what.  He doesn’t accept any kind of rejection other than how it can help him become better.

James had three books published then went thirteen years of nothing.  That had to have been hard.  However he kept writing.  He developed a system and stuck to it. He said he  keep submitting to agents. 

James said. “Don’t compromise your work.  Submit your work anyway and go onto the next project.  Suddenly you find that you’re not interested in the fame, applause or silence.  You don’t hear any of them.  Never listen to the naysayers.  If you do, you will stop.  Don’t ever stop.” 

Work at it everyday, seven days a week.  No days off.  Keep perfecting your weaknesses. 

James says his nemesis is fatigue.  I can understand that.  What is your nemesis? What keeps you from writing?  Keep writing no matter what. Do it because you love it.  Find something or someone that inspires you and then write some more.  I will also.

On a side note:  JR.Ward author said in her Black Dagger Brotherhood Guide book, when her writing dried up she went in a whole other direction.  That was the best thing she could have ever done. 

Until next time.

All pictures from Pictures.com.   

She’s a Little Older and Wiser

I just published one of my short stories. This is a short story about an older women. She has a dilemma. Let me know if you like it. Just remember I'm still learning to write.


She’s a Little Older and Wiser