December 2008
My paternal grandfather was one of the first school teachers in the Oklahoma Territory. I have a collection of sepia prints showing the tiny clapboard house they lived in with nary a plant or tree in sight. There was only bare ground surrounding the newly constructed “wooden box,” which served as home and a place of security.
There is also a picture of him standing behind his ten students who range from first grade to high school. In the image only one child is wearing shoes and he appears to be around fifteen. The over worn, ankle-high boots, look like they are hand me downs from someone with larger feet; and the teen wears them without socks. It is also obvious many of the student’s clothes are hand made. One little boy wears a shirt which looks like it was worn by an older sister.
The group is staggered on the steps of the modest wooden school house with the youngest in front; and it is obvious from their demeanor and clothing that life in the late 1900’s was harsh. I think the children look worn out before their lives have even begun. Yet one little girl has ribbons in her braids and the boys have slicked back their hair to show they care about their looks.
They are a vignette of an extended family. Farmers who lived hand to mouth and battled the elements. Families who wanted their children to do better than themselves. They were people who pulled together in harsh times, and because they persevered against nature and a great depression, my family are here today.
In looking back at these images I am reminded how important it is to keep the network of communication between family and friends open in these difficult times.
I also want to remind writers that their characters, yes even the antagonist, have lived through some type of conflict. Dig deep into the times we live in and use these experiences to enrich your characters lives.
Did I mention giving books as gifts this year to support your local writer????? I want to recommend two friends who have books out. Here is the information and how to get their books!
*Heidi Thomas has her debut novel Cowgirl Dreams available through: http://www.heidimthomas.com/
*Gabriella Herkert has her witty second mystery novel Doggone available through bookstores, or you can reach her at:
gabriellaherkert.com
See you all in 2009
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
November 2008
A tall spindle-legged blue heron stops by the pond about every other day, hoping to snag a goldfish for an early morning breakfast.
I watch his stealthy, hunter’s progress. He moves in minute jerks and starts, like a skipping CD or a frame by frame stuttering movie. Go-stop-go, go-stop-tilt head-stop-lift neck high-tilt head- and stand frozen in this posture to scan the depths of the pond, all the while hoping a fish will appear.
He’s out of luck. The fish are hunkered down under the water pump where it’s warm and they aren’t about to swim out into the colder water.
After about a half hour of this, the posturing heron gives up and takes flight. It always fascinates me how such a long legged creature can launch itself into the air. For a moment just after the bird is aloft its form truly mirrors something ancient-something close to its pterodactyl ancestor.
I am in the midst of moving bookcases and their contents from one room to another. To house my collection of mostly research books, I use the commercial shelving called Gorilla racks. These shelves allow for stacking books two or three deep and the metal framework will take heavy loads. I buy one extra set to use the frames and boards for extra shelves. To make the bookcase look cool I buy strips of wainscoting, cut and glue it, to the front and sides. This makes the whole framework look like an elegant custom made bookcase.
For the record, whenever I swear I don’t need to buy another research book, I find myself acting just like the blue heron . . . hunting for another tasty morsel. Bon appetite and happy reading!
I watch his stealthy, hunter’s progress. He moves in minute jerks and starts, like a skipping CD or a frame by frame stuttering movie. Go-stop-go, go-stop-tilt head-stop-lift neck high-tilt head- and stand frozen in this posture to scan the depths of the pond, all the while hoping a fish will appear.
He’s out of luck. The fish are hunkered down under the water pump where it’s warm and they aren’t about to swim out into the colder water.
After about a half hour of this, the posturing heron gives up and takes flight. It always fascinates me how such a long legged creature can launch itself into the air. For a moment just after the bird is aloft its form truly mirrors something ancient-something close to its pterodactyl ancestor.
I am in the midst of moving bookcases and their contents from one room to another. To house my collection of mostly research books, I use the commercial shelving called Gorilla racks. These shelves allow for stacking books two or three deep and the metal framework will take heavy loads. I buy one extra set to use the frames and boards for extra shelves. To make the bookcase look cool I buy strips of wainscoting, cut and glue it, to the front and sides. This makes the whole framework look like an elegant custom made bookcase.
For the record, whenever I swear I don’t need to buy another research book, I find myself acting just like the blue heron . . . hunting for another tasty morsel. Bon appetite and happy reading!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
October 2008
Fall is a busy time in my garden. It is all about taking stock of what worked and what needs changing. All the Tuscan Rosemary plants are mature and larger in scale than I imagined they would be. I have to decide if the dwarf boxwoods planted between each rosemary plant will need a new home. Since I am a beginning gardener and this is the fourth year for the garden many of the plants are reaching their stride, and need space to spread out. Big sigh, first time gardeners learn from experience.
And yes, when something works it is spectacular! The four year old Italian plum tree has, for the first time, produced a bumper crop of luscious purple fruit. And this is because of pruning and three series of dormant spraying at just the right time.
Writing is also about taking stock of what works and what needs to be edited. Self editing is a necessary task for any writer. Learning to cut out whole scenes takes courage; especially if the scene is well written but simply not working for the plot line. I have a “cut’s file” for each manuscript and this is where anything I edit out, ends up. Do not, repeat, do not, edit and throw away scenes. You may surprise yourself and find a use for that scene, or a variation of it, later on; or you may need the idea for an entirely different manuscript. Good ideas, well written are gems to be saved.
Not unlike the plants in my garden. Beautiful plants may need to be moved, need to be saved. And given a new place to thrive they will give back their beauty.
And yes, when something works it is spectacular! The four year old Italian plum tree has, for the first time, produced a bumper crop of luscious purple fruit. And this is because of pruning and three series of dormant spraying at just the right time.
Writing is also about taking stock of what works and what needs to be edited. Self editing is a necessary task for any writer. Learning to cut out whole scenes takes courage; especially if the scene is well written but simply not working for the plot line. I have a “cut’s file” for each manuscript and this is where anything I edit out, ends up. Do not, repeat, do not, edit and throw away scenes. You may surprise yourself and find a use for that scene, or a variation of it, later on; or you may need the idea for an entirely different manuscript. Good ideas, well written are gems to be saved.
Not unlike the plants in my garden. Beautiful plants may need to be moved, need to be saved. And given a new place to thrive they will give back their beauty.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Summer may officially be over, but please don’t tell my garden this! Finally, and I do mean finally, we have decent temperatures. The vegetable garden is on a roll to make up for lost sunshine. This is a catch twenty two for me.
Early morning is the best time to get out and tackle the garden chores while temperatures are cool. Early mornings are my best time to write. Mmmmmm. So I compromise and get up earlier like 5 am and either read for research purposes, or tackle a new scene. At 8 am I head outside and trim, pull weeds, dig up iris bulbs, and a myriad of other tasks.
Noon it’s lunch, a quick shower and maybe a trip to the grocery store or the garden store. Back home I sit down with a cool glass of tea and review what I wrote in the wee hours of the morning. More reading and time to prepare dinner. After that I usually return to my research and writing.
And of course every writer knows all of the best intentions get submarined by real life. Big sigh here. The main thought to hold on to is this. Each word you put down on paper leads you to another word, and another, and on and on. It’s like gardening. It changes. The best you can do is pay attention and do a little each day.
My favorite nature event for this month- all the pollywogs in the fountain pool hatched and transformed themselves into dozens of tiny iridescent green tree frogs!
Early morning is the best time to get out and tackle the garden chores while temperatures are cool. Early mornings are my best time to write. Mmmmmm. So I compromise and get up earlier like 5 am and either read for research purposes, or tackle a new scene. At 8 am I head outside and trim, pull weeds, dig up iris bulbs, and a myriad of other tasks.
Noon it’s lunch, a quick shower and maybe a trip to the grocery store or the garden store. Back home I sit down with a cool glass of tea and review what I wrote in the wee hours of the morning. More reading and time to prepare dinner. After that I usually return to my research and writing.
And of course every writer knows all of the best intentions get submarined by real life. Big sigh here. The main thought to hold on to is this. Each word you put down on paper leads you to another word, and another, and on and on. It’s like gardening. It changes. The best you can do is pay attention and do a little each day.
My favorite nature event for this month- all the pollywogs in the fountain pool hatched and transformed themselves into dozens of tiny iridescent green tree frogs!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Weekend Writers
Standing left to right: Ed, Heidi, Jennifer
Seated left to right: Sherry, Gabi
August 2008
I always enjoy reading the “Digging Into the Past” section of Renaissance Magazine. The fields, farms, and gardens of Britain are constantly yielding artifacts and treasures from the past; while my garden yields treasures from the present. The annual writer’s weekend!
We are a group of working writers intent on a weekend of constructive, developmental critiquing, good food, great wine, with lots of conversation and laughter. Not to mention my (not so well behaved) dogs and a sweet, very well behaved lab, who took to the pond to cool her feet amongst the lily pads and the goldfish. This year there were five writers with five stories in various stages of development. I cannot say enough about the positive support of a serious critique group. Here are highlights of their progress I want to share with you:
Ed Ratcliffe is working on a screenplay and is always the person to give those of us female writers a reality check when we are writing scenes from a male POV. I cannot tell you how many times he has saved me from making a complete idiot of myself with my male characters. Yes, we all chuckle in memory of my characters stumbling around in love scenes :D !
Gabriella Herkert’s second book DOGGONE, An Animal Instinct Mystery, hits the bookstores August 5th. Her first award winning book was CATNAPPED. Treat yourself to a fun read with both mystery novels and visit her website at: http://www.gabriellaherkert.com/
Heidi Thomas hopes to have her book COWGIRL DREAMS published soon and she has a new blog you should check out because she conducts interviews with other writers, Bob Mottram from Skagit Valley is the most recent interview. Heidi’s website is: http://heidiwriter.wordpress.com/
Jennifer Wilke has almost finished “her first novel, CIVILITIES – a tender, humorous, tragic, true love story about an idealistic boy from Ohio who wanted the country to be the way it should be.” Jennifer’s beautiful website is: http://www.jenniferwilke.com/
I would also like to mention two members who were unable to attend but we hope they will make the trek next summer- Kari Diehl and Janet Oakley.
Kari Diehl has a new job writing for The Guide to Scandinavian Food at About.com! I drool every time I read the recipes and see the photos, and I love her witty and funny Icelandic proverbs. Her cooking website is: http://scandinavianfood.about.com/.
Janet Oakley was involved in cooking of a different sort . . . demonstrating 19th century cooking techniques over an open fire at English Camp. She is working on two writing projects JOSSING and MISTSHIMUS, and in her spare time she writes for Historylink. Did I mention this wonderful woman loves her history enough to recreate , experience, and teach it?
Yes, gardens nurture, support, and reveal treasures of the best kind. And human beings have an innate need to make sense of their world through syntax and the narrative interpretation of our reality. Writers keep writing!!!
I always enjoy reading the “Digging Into the Past” section of Renaissance Magazine. The fields, farms, and gardens of Britain are constantly yielding artifacts and treasures from the past; while my garden yields treasures from the present. The annual writer’s weekend!
We are a group of working writers intent on a weekend of constructive, developmental critiquing, good food, great wine, with lots of conversation and laughter. Not to mention my (not so well behaved) dogs and a sweet, very well behaved lab, who took to the pond to cool her feet amongst the lily pads and the goldfish. This year there were five writers with five stories in various stages of development. I cannot say enough about the positive support of a serious critique group. Here are highlights of their progress I want to share with you:
Ed Ratcliffe is working on a screenplay and is always the person to give those of us female writers a reality check when we are writing scenes from a male POV. I cannot tell you how many times he has saved me from making a complete idiot of myself with my male characters. Yes, we all chuckle in memory of my characters stumbling around in love scenes :D !
Gabriella Herkert’s second book DOGGONE, An Animal Instinct Mystery, hits the bookstores August 5th. Her first award winning book was CATNAPPED. Treat yourself to a fun read with both mystery novels and visit her website at: http://www.gabriellaherkert.com/
Heidi Thomas hopes to have her book COWGIRL DREAMS published soon and she has a new blog you should check out because she conducts interviews with other writers, Bob Mottram from Skagit Valley is the most recent interview. Heidi’s website is: http://heidiwriter.wordpress.com/
Jennifer Wilke has almost finished “her first novel, CIVILITIES – a tender, humorous, tragic, true love story about an idealistic boy from Ohio who wanted the country to be the way it should be.” Jennifer’s beautiful website is: http://www.jenniferwilke.com/
I would also like to mention two members who were unable to attend but we hope they will make the trek next summer- Kari Diehl and Janet Oakley.
Kari Diehl has a new job writing for The Guide to Scandinavian Food at About.com! I drool every time I read the recipes and see the photos, and I love her witty and funny Icelandic proverbs. Her cooking website is: http://scandinavianfood.about.com/.
Janet Oakley was involved in cooking of a different sort . . . demonstrating 19th century cooking techniques over an open fire at English Camp. She is working on two writing projects JOSSING and MISTSHIMUS, and in her spare time she writes for Historylink. Did I mention this wonderful woman loves her history enough to recreate , experience, and teach it?
Yes, gardens nurture, support, and reveal treasures of the best kind. And human beings have an innate need to make sense of their world through syntax and the narrative interpretation of our reality. Writers keep writing!!!
Friday, July 11, 2008
July 2008
It’s been said Iris’ are the poor mans orchids. Mmmm. . . let me see . . . I don’t live in a steamy southern part of the country and don’t have exotic wildlife running around, so I guess I definitely don’t have orchids. I do have hundreds and hundreds of glorious Iris. Wow!
This part of WA has ideal temperatures for bulbs of all kinds and this year they put on a spectacular show. I kid you not, the spikes on the “poor man’s orchids” are as almost as tall as me. Certainly they are four feet high.
Three years ago a friend, who is in her eighties, decided she was no longer able to keep up with her Iris garden. She had over an acre of them and most of the stock was at least fifty years in the making. Lillian suggested I make a focal part of my garden with these gorgeous flowers. Soooo, late summer three years ago, I randomly dug up hundreds of her Iris bulbs.
Mind you Lillian was not into neat organized rows of flowers nor categorizing and labeling them. Not at all. Hers was a start close to the back door, and work outward plan. I think she would have gone on forever, expanding her flags of delicate pastel colors.
Plotting a story line is sometimes like starting close to the back door, taking a few steps, writing a few paragraphs, reading the scene aloud, taking another few steps, another verb here, or a better adjective there. It begins to look okay. Soon the writer has moved away from the comfort and safety of the back porch and has truly begun the adventure. There is an organic process taking place and no way of knowing what will take form. This is what a writing adventure is all about!
It’s been said Iris’ are the poor mans orchids. Mmmm. . . let me see . . . I don’t live in a steamy southern part of the country and don’t have exotic wildlife running around, so I guess I definitely don’t have orchids. I do have hundreds and hundreds of glorious Iris. Wow!
This part of WA has ideal temperatures for bulbs of all kinds and this year they put on a spectacular show. I kid you not, the spikes on the “poor man’s orchids” are as almost as tall as me. Certainly they are four feet high.
Three years ago a friend, who is in her eighties, decided she was no longer able to keep up with her Iris garden. She had over an acre of them and most of the stock was at least fifty years in the making. Lillian suggested I make a focal part of my garden with these gorgeous flowers. Soooo, late summer three years ago, I randomly dug up hundreds of her Iris bulbs.
Mind you Lillian was not into neat organized rows of flowers nor categorizing and labeling them. Not at all. Hers was a start close to the back door, and work outward plan. I think she would have gone on forever, expanding her flags of delicate pastel colors.
Plotting a story line is sometimes like starting close to the back door, taking a few steps, writing a few paragraphs, reading the scene aloud, taking another few steps, another verb here, or a better adjective there. It begins to look okay. Soon the writer has moved away from the comfort and safety of the back porch and has truly begun the adventure. There is an organic process taking place and no way of knowing what will take form. This is what a writing adventure is all about!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
June 2008
June is a greedy month. She acts as if she has hurriedly gulped, at the very least, two to three double lattes with extra sugar. Seriously. The garden is on a caffeine high. Forget the cold wet winter; the earth has turned on its axis facing the sun and those jolts of energy zap everything with exuberant, rampant growth.
Iris, tulips, rosemary, azaleas, and wisteria are blooming. The lime green hop vines are scrambling up and over the barn with the clematis vines closing in on them. A handful of bright yellow wild canaries sit on the wet fountain rim like noisy customers at the local sports bar, and a Coopers hawk methodically sweeps across the meadow searching for field mice.
I look on the garden as a fabulous dessert tempting me away from my writing, and I try to maintain a balanced diet so I don’t overindulge too much with one or the other. A taste here, a taste there, and when I have a plot dilemma I pick up my Felco shears and head out to do some pruning. Somewhere in the snipping and cutting my mind solves not only the gardening problem, but the writing problem as well.
But it is not all about dessert. Finding characters for a new story is like visiting my favorite garden/art store in Seattle. Lucca Statuary is an adventure into the world of human creativity and imagination. Their fountains are spectacular and their statuary and carved reliefs to hang on garden walls are wonderful. I have a bias relief of a beautiful Renaissance lady I painted. She is a favorite of mine, and I believe it is of Saint Cecelia.
And on my most recent trip I brought home an 18” high statue of a crow. I had the perfect spot to put it, but since it was rendered in plain grey cement it needed painting. This crow needed a stand out “character attribute.” I painted it red.
Mind you, there is a family of crows who live in the tall pines across the road and they are regular visitors to the garden. They use the fountain like it was a large a-jus dish to dip their morsels of freshly killed baby sparrows or finches in. And you thought hawks were the villains of the bird world – ha!
I feel like a hazmat cleaning service when I put on my long water gloves and high top water boots, to clean up the debris of feathers, and shredded tidbits of bloody bird parts…..Hey, get over it. Gardening is not for the faint of heart. Little crows in their nest have to eat too.
Which comes to villains. As a writer your antagonist must have some redeeming quality, must have one humane quality. You don’t have to like what he does, but he/she can’t be totally evil. I think you understand why I painted my crow bright red . . . Hmmm, I wonder if the red crow will find its way into one of my scenes.
Connections - it’s about reaching out and taking action – using energy to create, and transform an idea into something personal. How I love June!
Iris, tulips, rosemary, azaleas, and wisteria are blooming. The lime green hop vines are scrambling up and over the barn with the clematis vines closing in on them. A handful of bright yellow wild canaries sit on the wet fountain rim like noisy customers at the local sports bar, and a Coopers hawk methodically sweeps across the meadow searching for field mice.
I look on the garden as a fabulous dessert tempting me away from my writing, and I try to maintain a balanced diet so I don’t overindulge too much with one or the other. A taste here, a taste there, and when I have a plot dilemma I pick up my Felco shears and head out to do some pruning. Somewhere in the snipping and cutting my mind solves not only the gardening problem, but the writing problem as well.
But it is not all about dessert. Finding characters for a new story is like visiting my favorite garden/art store in Seattle. Lucca Statuary is an adventure into the world of human creativity and imagination. Their fountains are spectacular and their statuary and carved reliefs to hang on garden walls are wonderful. I have a bias relief of a beautiful Renaissance lady I painted. She is a favorite of mine, and I believe it is of Saint Cecelia.
And on my most recent trip I brought home an 18” high statue of a crow. I had the perfect spot to put it, but since it was rendered in plain grey cement it needed painting. This crow needed a stand out “character attribute.” I painted it red.
Mind you, there is a family of crows who live in the tall pines across the road and they are regular visitors to the garden. They use the fountain like it was a large a-jus dish to dip their morsels of freshly killed baby sparrows or finches in. And you thought hawks were the villains of the bird world – ha!
I feel like a hazmat cleaning service when I put on my long water gloves and high top water boots, to clean up the debris of feathers, and shredded tidbits of bloody bird parts…..Hey, get over it. Gardening is not for the faint of heart. Little crows in their nest have to eat too.
Which comes to villains. As a writer your antagonist must have some redeeming quality, must have one humane quality. You don’t have to like what he does, but he/she can’t be totally evil. I think you understand why I painted my crow bright red . . . Hmmm, I wonder if the red crow will find its way into one of my scenes.
Connections - it’s about reaching out and taking action – using energy to create, and transform an idea into something personal. How I love June!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
May 2008
This month has almost slipped by me, and I realize I haven’t posted anything.
The delay is simply that finally, finally our weather has warmed up and the garden is not only awake; but the weeds, especially the dandelions, have invaded every nook and cranny. I am slaughtering them as fast as I can.
Watching a garden drink up the sunshine and wake up is truly delightful. So is finding needed research information for writing. I am working on a scene which requires certain elements from the long ago past to come together.
As a fiction writer I have lots of wiggle room and could force elements together, but I like to see if I can discover some way for events to possibly occur. It is interesting to me that I have only to be a little bit flexible, and this will happen. Often it requires me to make an adjustment with geographical locations. Sometimes I am surprised when all the historical information is before me how much, or how little, I have to make the adjustments. And this is the wonder and joy of discovery, in writing.
Okay, so I thought this scene would to take place in Europe and the historical information refutes this. Absolutely. But it could occur in North America. And this is an unexpected twist for me the writer.
It took me two days of weeding in the garden to work out the plot sequence and I have to say digging and hacking my way towards clarity feels wonderful! Weeds and writing. Yea.
The delay is simply that finally, finally our weather has warmed up and the garden is not only awake; but the weeds, especially the dandelions, have invaded every nook and cranny. I am slaughtering them as fast as I can.
Watching a garden drink up the sunshine and wake up is truly delightful. So is finding needed research information for writing. I am working on a scene which requires certain elements from the long ago past to come together.
As a fiction writer I have lots of wiggle room and could force elements together, but I like to see if I can discover some way for events to possibly occur. It is interesting to me that I have only to be a little bit flexible, and this will happen. Often it requires me to make an adjustment with geographical locations. Sometimes I am surprised when all the historical information is before me how much, or how little, I have to make the adjustments. And this is the wonder and joy of discovery, in writing.
Okay, so I thought this scene would to take place in Europe and the historical information refutes this. Absolutely. But it could occur in North America. And this is an unexpected twist for me the writer.
It took me two days of weeding in the garden to work out the plot sequence and I have to say digging and hacking my way towards clarity feels wonderful! Weeds and writing. Yea.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
April 2008
April is starting off with temperatures well below normal and so my garden is patiently waiting for change.
My English Grandmother was a master at patience and had the skill of sitting quietly in her garden to coax wild birds to feed from her hand. She explained it was simply a matter of waiting for the birds to make up their minds she could be trusted. The Blue Jays loved her.
She intuitively understood the process of synchronicity –of calmly waiting for information and events to occur. The same process applies to this new writing project of mine. I am waiting for several inter-library loan books to come in. I need the scientific information. No matter my work is fiction, I still need to ground it in accuracy. From that point on I can darn well follow my fancy with what I want to do with it!
And this reminds me of one of my pet peeves. Dialogue must also be grounded to the time period being written about. I recently came across a sentence similar to this. “For the moment he felt her intrusion into his affairs too much of a hassle for him to deal with.”
Fine for a character who lives in today’s world, but jarring for a character living in the early 19th century. This was debut novel and I was constantly being bumped out of the story by historically ill placed words and phrases.
Barnhart’s Dictionary of Etymology should be a standard edition on every writer’s bookshelf. It should be dog-eared, look as if it sat out in the rain overnight, which mine has done, and its pages artistically stained with coffee rings and jam smears. It should be christened with love and familiarity.
This week I bought an Olea Europaea in a six inch pot. This “old world” olive tree will definitely need attention and love.
Writing and gardening need mindfulness and patience.
My English Grandmother was a master at patience and had the skill of sitting quietly in her garden to coax wild birds to feed from her hand. She explained it was simply a matter of waiting for the birds to make up their minds she could be trusted. The Blue Jays loved her.
She intuitively understood the process of synchronicity –of calmly waiting for information and events to occur. The same process applies to this new writing project of mine. I am waiting for several inter-library loan books to come in. I need the scientific information. No matter my work is fiction, I still need to ground it in accuracy. From that point on I can darn well follow my fancy with what I want to do with it!
And this reminds me of one of my pet peeves. Dialogue must also be grounded to the time period being written about. I recently came across a sentence similar to this. “For the moment he felt her intrusion into his affairs too much of a hassle for him to deal with.”
Fine for a character who lives in today’s world, but jarring for a character living in the early 19th century. This was debut novel and I was constantly being bumped out of the story by historically ill placed words and phrases.
Barnhart’s Dictionary of Etymology should be a standard edition on every writer’s bookshelf. It should be dog-eared, look as if it sat out in the rain overnight, which mine has done, and its pages artistically stained with coffee rings and jam smears. It should be christened with love and familiarity.
This week I bought an Olea Europaea in a six inch pot. This “old world” olive tree will definitely need attention and love.
Writing and gardening need mindfulness and patience.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
March offers promises and surprises.
Last fall I planted hundreds of bulbs and they are beginning to bloom. Yes, I made a detailed sketch to keep track of their placement so not to disturb them later in the season and lost the sketch . . . grrrrr.
The result is I walk around the garden feeling like a visitor, surprised and delighted when I spy clusters of crocuses, tulips, and wide swaths of daffodils. The sweet, clean scent of Hyacinths perfume the air and remind me, no fancy bottle of expensive perfume can compete with nature. All the fruit trees have been pruned and sprayed with a dormant spray and are waiting their turn to bloom.
Eagles, Robins, geese, and Mocking birds are returning. In between the water plants the goldfish in the fountain are coming out of hibernation and slowly investigating their liquid world. This reminds me, I will have to clean out the pump as soon as it warms up a little.
From the hard cold of winter March offers the promise of a new writing project. When I’m outdoors I’m surrounded by nature and indoors I’m collecting, not so neat, stacks of research books from the library.
I am always excited when challenged with a new subject to write about. Yes, I have planted the seed of an idea for a plot in my mind. Researching, along with my intuition, helps form and nourish the emergence of characters and story line.
This new project is like March in my garden – filled with promise, and sure to surprise.
Last fall I planted hundreds of bulbs and they are beginning to bloom. Yes, I made a detailed sketch to keep track of their placement so not to disturb them later in the season and lost the sketch . . . grrrrr.
The result is I walk around the garden feeling like a visitor, surprised and delighted when I spy clusters of crocuses, tulips, and wide swaths of daffodils. The sweet, clean scent of Hyacinths perfume the air and remind me, no fancy bottle of expensive perfume can compete with nature. All the fruit trees have been pruned and sprayed with a dormant spray and are waiting their turn to bloom.
Eagles, Robins, geese, and Mocking birds are returning. In between the water plants the goldfish in the fountain are coming out of hibernation and slowly investigating their liquid world. This reminds me, I will have to clean out the pump as soon as it warms up a little.
From the hard cold of winter March offers the promise of a new writing project. When I’m outdoors I’m surrounded by nature and indoors I’m collecting, not so neat, stacks of research books from the library.
I am always excited when challenged with a new subject to write about. Yes, I have planted the seed of an idea for a plot in my mind. Researching, along with my intuition, helps form and nourish the emergence of characters and story line.
This new project is like March in my garden – filled with promise, and sure to surprise.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
February 2008
NEWS FLASH: The King’s Map has placed third in the 2008 RWA
Coeur De Louisiane Romancing the Tome Contest!
This news has made my Valentine Day Perfect!
When I was in grade school blustery, snowy, wind whipped, February was my favorite month of the year. All of this was directly connected to Valentine’s Day which meant the teacher let us go all out with the art supplies. And oh, how I loved the colors of red and pink contrasting against crisp white paper doilies! No holding back, no admonitions to be neat and tidy, no scrimping on glue, glitter, colored paper, or over the top color combinations. Not to mention poetry! Words flowed from my child’s brain in patterns of rhyme which sounded like notes in perfect harmony, or words which rhymed in silliness and laughter.
February continues to be a favorite. It is a month to allow the mind to create, to feel excited about the mapped out possibilities which are just around the corner when the earth turns on its axis towards the sun. There are three new bare-root, plum trees planted in my garden. They will bloom with white and pink delicate flowers this spring. They will add to the adventure of the garden.
In my writing journey February is proving to be filled with excitement because my queries are finally getting really, really close. The detailed feedback has been helpful and inspiring. Thank you. Thank you!
Not to leave February undone, I confess to stocking up on, and hoarding, boxes of chocolates under my desk. Come on, admit it. This is the only month serious; quality chocolate, makes its appearance on the shelves!!
January 2008
January is the month of change. The days are getting longer, sunlight is on the return, and those of us who live in the rainy Pacific Northwest have expectations of warmth, gardens reawakening, and a welcome invasion of birds of all species.
This is the time I make a pest of myself at my favorite garden store. January is the month of bare root plants and trees. I am on the hunt for semi-dwarf plum trees. Green Gage and Satsuma varieties, to be specific. Yea, they are due in the middle of the month and I already have spots ready for them.
This is also the month to get out and prune the fruit trees already in the garden. This is the first time for doing this as the trees are only a few years old and it will be a new experience. I have books galore on the different techniques and my garden gurus have been generous in their advice and suggestions.
January also finds me pruning and editing my writing and gathering together resources for a new manuscript. A time for change and getting everything in order to move forward.
I salute the New Year with a plate of biscotti and glass of chilled Prosecco . . . well, more than one glass!
January is the month of change. The days are getting longer, sunlight is on the return, and those of us who live in the rainy Pacific Northwest have expectations of warmth, gardens reawakening, and a welcome invasion of birds of all species.
This is the time I make a pest of myself at my favorite garden store. January is the month of bare root plants and trees. I am on the hunt for semi-dwarf plum trees. Green Gage and Satsuma varieties, to be specific. Yea, they are due in the middle of the month and I already have spots ready for them.
This is also the month to get out and prune the fruit trees already in the garden. This is the first time for doing this as the trees are only a few years old and it will be a new experience. I have books galore on the different techniques and my garden gurus have been generous in their advice and suggestions.
January also finds me pruning and editing my writing and gathering together resources for a new manuscript. A time for change and getting everything in order to move forward.
I salute the New Year with a plate of biscotti and glass of chilled Prosecco . . . well, more than one glass!
November 2007
Recently I attended the Surrey International Writer’s Convention in BC. I have to confess a friend had to needle me to go, as I had never heard of it. I was always focused on writer’s venues in the USA.
Boy was I missing out. They had a great program, award winning authors, and four star agents in attendance. Not to mention it was laid back and offered numerous opportunities for aspiring writers (like myself) to interact with published authors and agents.
Here are a few of my favorite programs. The SiWC Idol Panel. Sort of like the old “Gong” show on TV. You get to anonymously submit 2-3 pages of your work. A presenter reads the submissions one at a time, and the panel of agents can raise their hands at any moment to stop the reading. Then the panel comment on why they rejected the piece. Most entries never got past the first few sentences. When a piece did work, the panel explained why it grabbed their attention. This exercise is brutally honest because it demonstrates in real time, that a writer has to make the opening pitch of their story count. A few entries made it all the way through. The writer, to loud applause, had to stand up, identify themselves, and they were assured an instant appointment with the agents who were interested in their work. On more than one occasion there was good natured haggling between agents as to which one of them got the writer first!
I also loved the Blue Pencil Appointments. You could bring 2-3 pages of your work and sit down with a published author and have them read, make suggestions or edits directly on your paper, or just answer any question you might have. I was lucky to have Joan Johnston . She was wonderfully gracious and gave me useful help.
Another conference highlight was the Genre Lunch. Tables had printed signs designating which genre could sit there. So if you were writing Young Adult or say Murder Mystery, you chose a seat and waited with baited breath to see which author and agent were going to join your table. During lunch you had the opportunity to chat and ask any burning questions you were sitting on. This was a great way to interact with professionals in the industry.
Since this was an International Conference of Writers I was delighted to meet and listen to writers from different countries and cultures. I encourage any aspiring writer to attend this conference.
PS The hotel was reasonably priced and the food was excellent. The dessert bar was yummy . . . needless to say I had seconds.
PSS Did I mention I met with several agents who asked for samples of my work, and have my fingers and toes crossed xixixixixixix
Recently I attended the Surrey International Writer’s Convention in BC. I have to confess a friend had to needle me to go, as I had never heard of it. I was always focused on writer’s venues in the USA.
Boy was I missing out. They had a great program, award winning authors, and four star agents in attendance. Not to mention it was laid back and offered numerous opportunities for aspiring writers (like myself) to interact with published authors and agents.
Here are a few of my favorite programs. The SiWC Idol Panel. Sort of like the old “Gong” show on TV. You get to anonymously submit 2-3 pages of your work. A presenter reads the submissions one at a time, and the panel of agents can raise their hands at any moment to stop the reading. Then the panel comment on why they rejected the piece. Most entries never got past the first few sentences. When a piece did work, the panel explained why it grabbed their attention. This exercise is brutally honest because it demonstrates in real time, that a writer has to make the opening pitch of their story count. A few entries made it all the way through. The writer, to loud applause, had to stand up, identify themselves, and they were assured an instant appointment with the agents who were interested in their work. On more than one occasion there was good natured haggling between agents as to which one of them got the writer first!
I also loved the Blue Pencil Appointments. You could bring 2-3 pages of your work and sit down with a published author and have them read, make suggestions or edits directly on your paper, or just answer any question you might have. I was lucky to have Joan Johnston . She was wonderfully gracious and gave me useful help.
Another conference highlight was the Genre Lunch. Tables had printed signs designating which genre could sit there. So if you were writing Young Adult or say Murder Mystery, you chose a seat and waited with baited breath to see which author and agent were going to join your table. During lunch you had the opportunity to chat and ask any burning questions you were sitting on. This was a great way to interact with professionals in the industry.
Since this was an International Conference of Writers I was delighted to meet and listen to writers from different countries and cultures. I encourage any aspiring writer to attend this conference.
PS The hotel was reasonably priced and the food was excellent. The dessert bar was yummy . . . needless to say I had seconds.
PSS Did I mention I met with several agents who asked for samples of my work, and have my fingers and toes crossed xixixixixixix
Front- left to right: Jennifer, Janet, Sherry, with Heidi standing in back.Plus: Sante and Cello the spoiled Papillions
October 2007
Welcome to my website. I’m so excited to begin this blog. If you have questions or suggestions for topics, please let me know.
Recently I hosted an informal summer-garden, writer’s critique group at my home. My guests were all wonderful authors and we had a great time hanging out, sitting in the garden, working on manuscripts, eating and critiquing. I plan on making this an annual event and will definitely host another gathering next summer!
I hope to make an entry on my blog at least once a month. I will be introducing a contest in the near future so check back for this.
And, on October 19, I will journey to the Surrey International Writer’s Conference in British Columbia. Maybe, just maybe, I will peak the interest of an agent . . . and wouldn’t that be lovely!
Thanks for visiting and going on this adventure with me.
October 2007
Welcome to my website. I’m so excited to begin this blog. If you have questions or suggestions for topics, please let me know.
Recently I hosted an informal summer-garden, writer’s critique group at my home. My guests were all wonderful authors and we had a great time hanging out, sitting in the garden, working on manuscripts, eating and critiquing. I plan on making this an annual event and will definitely host another gathering next summer!
I hope to make an entry on my blog at least once a month. I will be introducing a contest in the near future so check back for this.
And, on October 19, I will journey to the Surrey International Writer’s Conference in British Columbia. Maybe, just maybe, I will peak the interest of an agent . . . and wouldn’t that be lovely!
Thanks for visiting and going on this adventure with me.
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