A Good Time for Renewal.

January 31, 2012 by

I love spring.

All fine and good, right. But it’s February. And  a little early to be talking about Spring, you might think.

Not when you understand why I’m so fond of it.

 Yes, I like to put the big heavy sweaters and coats back in storage and pull out the bright-colored t-shirts and flowery blouses. It’s energizing to me to walk outside and have the sun warm my flesh. The singing birds lift my spirits and the blooming flowers demonstrate rebirth and renewal in a tangible way.

We all hit low points in our lives and look forward to the chance to get a do-over. We look for times and circle days on the calender that can represent a clean slate.

In December I had a major countdown to January 1. For me, flipping the page on the calender to a new year, meant I could bury last year with all its hardships and disappointments and begin a new one. It would be as easy as flipping open a new notebook and staring down at a blank page. There, I could start writing a new existence with a happy ending.

Only nothing has really changed besides the date. Has it?

So when work is still stressful, and the bills and laundry still reach mountainous heights, and daily life becomes a vicious cycle, the hope of a year-renewed fades. The winter doldrums take over, and we look for a new day on the calender to embrace as the first day of our do-over.

Often that becomes Spring, when the world shakes off hibernation and new life in the form of flowers and birds give us hope for a new, better tomorrow.

But I think only real hope can return when we don’t look to a specific date or even a specific circumstance. Living life is about accepting the challenges (and getting a helmet, a really pretty purple helmet with big yellow daisies if you want) and facing each and every day with the knowledge that we have the strength to over come them and push forward. Today can be better than yesterday, not because of the date on the calender of the season, but because we choose to keep pushing forward.

 

Filed Under: Fiction, Life, Writing Life Tagged With: , , , ,

What I Watched: American Idol

January 26, 2012 by

What are we addicts supposed to say…My name is Connie and I’m addicted to reality television.

 American Idol is one of my favorites, but probably not for the reasons you think.

Yes, I’m a big music fan. And yes, I’m aware of all the criticism the show receives about how it’s not about real music, that it’s more about image and consumerism. It’s been accused of feeding the big pop-machine that is actually a chief cause of the death of true music.

I think all these detractors are missing the point.

For me anyway, American Idol is about chasing a dream. It’s about going up against the odds and pursuing what the heart wants.

And that is why I love watching these early episodes in a given season. For those contestants who have been hand-picked by the producers and judges we get those poignant back story videos. We hear the tales of those who are strong enough to face  to chase after the stars and pursue the dream even though they face overwhelming odds and so many people who say they are just not good enough.

These are the people who I hope to emulate. They give me hope. And for that, I’m one of their biggest fans.

Are you inspired by anything you see on reality TV?

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Deciding To Move Forward

January 24, 2012 by

“ The thing that cowardice fears most is decision. ” –Soren Kierkegaard (1813–1855)

Facing difficult decisions is a pretty universal thing.  We all, on a daily basis, have to make some tough choices. And while it can be hard to evaluate if choice a or choice b is better, sometimes the hardest part of all is choosing to decide.

There are times when life puts huge obstacles in our way and the toughest decision is to choose not to let it put us on our butts.

We need to decide we’re not going to be paralyzed into indecision.

There are some aspect of life where taking chances and rolling the dice is advised, life isn’t going to come to you while you’re sitting in your lazy boy.

But when it comes to making decisions about the important things, well, that requires careful consideration. My only advice would be not to spend much time in consideration mode.  As Kierkegaard said,cowardice is best chased away with a decision.

 

Filed Under: Life, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

The Little Things

January 17, 2012 by

What is that old adage about the Devil being in the details. Or maybe the one about taking time to smell the roses is a better analogy.

There are times when we tune into all the details naturally: when we our taking a big test, working on a big project for work, or doing are taxes. Certain tasks simply have “you really need to pay attention here” written all over them. But most of the time, it seems we are peddling through life at such a speed that we overlook the little things. The important things.

And I’m not talking about the scent of that rose-bush as it begins to bloom; that detail can touch you as you breeze by. I’m talking about the texture of the petals, the small tear in a leaf or the crack in the stem. These details take time and patience to notice.

As well as to write about.

Currently, I’m working on a first draft. It occurred to me during a power writing session that the main thing that is missing in a rough draft is the details: the very intricate nuances that take the prose from words on a page to a full-fledged story that can move the reader emotionally.

And what is it they say about writing what we know…or feel. I think the best way to learn how to incorporate these details is to learn how to experience them everyday.

 

Filed Under: Fiction, Life, Writing Life Tagged With: , , ,

Holding on to Hope

January 12, 2012 by

“Hope never abandons you, you abandon it.”  ~George Weinberg

Don’t you wish hope was really a stone that you could pick up and put in your pocket? And then, when things felt hopeless, you could wrap your fingers oh-so-tight around the stone and keep believing in yourself? In your future?

Sometimes I think it’s hard to keep hoping because it’s not tangible. We can’t run our fingers over it. We can’t see it. And when life gets rough and other people tell us you can’t do that, you’re not good enough or you’re not smart enough; we don’t have physical proof they’re wrong.

We don’t have the magic rock to squeeze in our hand.

But that doesn’t make it any less real.

Like the Mark Weingberg quote implies, hope is always there. It never leaves, it is us who usually gives up on it.

As the clock ticks down to midnight on New Year’s Eve, hope surrounds so many of us as we let go of the previous year’s heartaches and make plans and set goals for the upcoming one. You can feel the charge in the air as if it were electricity. As the month of January progresses, when we fall back into the cycle of everyday life. Resolutions get broke. Hope fades.

My hope for you, reader, as this year progresses is that you are able to treat hope like a stone–not heavy and sinking–but something you can pick up, keep in your pocket, and hold on to.

How do you hold onto hope when it seems all is lost?

Filed Under: Life, Writing Life Tagged With: , ,

The Voices in My Head

January 10, 2012 by

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.      ~E.L. Doctorow

 

I’ve been known to joke from time to time about how I can’t medicate the voices in my head. They are where all my stories come from. Though I say it in jest, there is a grain of truth to it.

But this isn’t a post about how my characters grow their own voice  as I plod my way through a first draft. No, this is a post that just defends “the voices” right to exist.

Several members in my writing group have received set backs early in the new year. The bad news has left some feeling hopeless and questioning their path to publication.  At a recent gathering this question came up: “When is it okay to just quit?”

I answered their questions with what I often tell myself when the urge to give up becomes so strong: It’ll be okay to walk away when you’re sure you can live with the voices in your head.

On a daily basis, those voices whisper plot points, characters secrets, and new story ideas in my ear. They are a blended part of my being, but a part that I couldn’t live without.

I’m human. There are times when I get frustrated by slow progress and the sting of rejection becomes overwhelming pain. Sometimes the pain becomes so all-consuming it feels like I may drown in it, but I know that even if I decided to let go of the dream, those voice never would.

For better or for worse, those voices put me on this path, and they are going to keep me here.

Can you quiet the voices in your head or do they get louder when you try to ignore them?

 

Filed Under: Life, Writing Life Tagged With: , , ,

New Year: 2011 Reflections and 2012 Goals

January 3, 2012 by

It’s a new year, and I’m still here. That’s always something to be thankful for.

As usual, I’m going to use my first post of the year to examine the goals I set last year, and lay out some new goals for the year ahead:  goals for my writing, goals for my personal life, and goals for this blog.

Last year: writing

  • Continue submitting Resurrecting Harry.
  • Finish drafting The Ultimate Catch.
  • Submit The Ultimate Catch.
  • Draft a new project.

How did I do?

 Submitting Resurrecting Harry

Throughout the year, I continued submitting the manuscript to agents and a couple of publishers. I received some constructive and helpful feedback while pitching the project in NY. That advice combined with advice received from others, led me to a decision about this project. (See new goals.)

Finish drafting The Ultimate Catch

I did accomplish this goal and finished a first draft of this project. I’ve also started a second pass on UC.

Submit The Ultimate Catch

I have not completed my self-editing and revisions on this project yet, so I have not submitted it. I did, however, get the chance to talk to an industry professional about it and RWA conference last year and received very positive feedback on the project.

Draft a new project

I did start a new paranormal novel. It’s almost two-thirds drafted.

I’m happy with what I accomplished. I had a couple of “close but no cigar” goals, but for the most part I moved forward and achieved what I wanted. Given the personal setbacks I faced, I’m very happy with that.

My writing goals for 2012

  • Complete Ultimate Catch and submit
  • Complete Shifted and submit
  • Write a novella targeted for the e-markets

Also: because of the advice received on “Harry” mentioned above, I have hired a professional editor to go over the project. When I get the notes, I hope to be able to break down some doors.

Personal goals, in review and looking forward

I had one personal goal for 2011: to continue working out with my trainer and on my own to get healthy. I have met this goal. In the latter half of the year, I slacked off some. I didn’t work as hard as I did in the first half of the year and I let my diet slip.

Looking forward: This year I want to get back on track and stay committed. I want to work out five days a week and pay close attention to how I fuel the tank. I do have a magic scale number that I want to hit, even though I know we’re suppose to ignore that evil machine.

Blog Goals

I didn’t set goals for the blog last year, but have decided to do so this year. Because Monday and Friday are busy days for me at the day job, I’m changing my posting schedule to Tuesday, Thursday plus an occasional weekend post. I want to keep to my schedule as much as possible only taking one week off in July and the last two weeks of the year. I also plan to continue with my “What I Watched/Read” series (though not on weekly).

I hope that you, reader, will stick with me for another year and enjoy what I write here. I also hope that you have a wonderful year in which you reach all your goals!

Filed Under: Life, Road to Fitness, Writing Life Tagged With: , , ,