Connecting Stories

An Invitation

2012-01-17T09:23:00.003-07:00

Proverbs 11:14 Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Rocky Mountains touch crystal blue skies. Rocks, shimmering like glass, peer from the lakes that hug the mountain highway. My hands gently steer the wheel. As the hours go on, the mountains and lakes will soon be replaced by mountain ash trees and prairie grass. I slow, my eyes drifting to a deer grazing on the highway edge. Beautiful. My tires grind on rivets. I've crossed the line. The deer jumps, and gracefully disappears in the nestle of trees. I steer left, aligning myself right on the road again, glancing beside me and in my rear view mirror. My passengers still rest, eyes closed. I let out a breath, content that I did not disturb them. My traveling companions, these three ladies, are counting on me to get them home safely. And with all my heart, I am going to try my best to make sure I do.

We call ourselves the 'Tailgate Girls', Kerry, Laurel, Marilisa and I; a name derived from a planned outing of hanging out on the tail gate of my Jeep on the banks of a river only accessible by a 4-wheel drive. Although a rained out road de-railed our picnic to a spot just off the highway, the name stuck. Since then the four us have hiked the trails of Jasper, dined together on pizza and steak, and danced to the wee hours of the morning. And we have shared our stories, and hopes, and dreams. But what I appreciate most about these ladies is how they have lifted me up in my faith journey. And it all started from an invitation.

An invitation that saved my life.

In a time of brokenness and shame, I searched out healing. Led to a small group at my church, I met Mike, who invited me to attend an event for other singles within the church community. This one invitation led to me meeting the 'tailgate girls', and such an abundance of new friends and other events that there are too many to write in a blog post! But know, that one invitation did touch my life deeply. And I am forever grateful.

One invitation. A life saved.

As the radio plays softly through my car stereo. I tap my fingers to the beat. I think about the single dad on my block who recently had hip surgery. I think about the mom across the street with three young children and a husband who works out of town. I think about the widower next door. I think about the foster home with three teens around the corner. Just around the corner and when have I extended an invitation? Would they be interested in the youth swim party coming up? Or how about the newly divorced woman, Jackie, I see every week at bible study. Would she be interested in the singles volley ball on Friday nights? I let a hand off the wheel. I run my hand through my hair. What if they say no?

Kerry stirs beside me, stretches out her arms in front of her. "I feel better," she says. "How about you? Do you need a rest? I can take over the driving."

I shake my head, smile. "No, I feel good actually. Go back to sleep. You ran at 4am this morning! You deserve your rest." But I am glad for her concern, for her caring.

Kerry fluffs up her pillow. "You're a gem. But if you do get tired, just wake me and I'll say yes to driving." She leans back and I watch her close her eyes before I turn my eyes back to the road, both hands on the wheel.

Maybe Jackie would like to join us for games night? I make a mental note to invite her.

Is there someone you can extend an invitation to today? You just might save a life.

Tailgate Girls

The Costs of Discipline

2012-01-09T05:05:00.001-07:00

Photo Credit

"Discipline always yields results…in time. You’ll need to remind yourself the pain of discipline costs far less than the pain of regret."
Pastor Kevin Beehner, Sherwood Park Alliance Church, Sherwood Park, Aberta, Canada

Each year I choose a word and use that word as a guide for my decisions. Last year my word was Connections. So every opportunity that arose, I'd ask myself, "Will this decision create connections that move me forward toward my end goals?" So when it came to social activity, I almost always said yes. And, wow, did God bless me by deepening friendships I had, and by creating new relationships. The outcome was much more then I imagined when I began 2011.

The only shortfall...some of the the areas in my life, like finances and heath stayed stagnent or fell below the goals I had set. But I am okay with this. Although balance in all areas of life is a key goal coached by life-consultants, business gurus, and even our mom's, I think God puts us in seasons where He wants us to grow in areas more than others.

So this year, the word I have chosen is Focus. To stay present and disciplined, completing projects I have started such as my teen novel. And, as Pastor Kevin explains, discipline, although painful, leads to results of gain in the disciplined areas of your life. And regret, that is painful too...well, generally leads us to more pain.

We always have a choice. Discipline or regret? What will be your choice today?

Yup..Another Goal Setting Post!

2012-01-02T09:17:00.006-07:00

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” (Zig Ziglar)

I know you have probably been bombarded with goals and new year's resolution posts already! But several of my friends have been asking how I do my goals, so thought I would just blog about it even though I'm sure I am one of many, many others who are doing the same! Maybe you'll gleam something new....

First step: I write "End" Goals. These are yearly and long-term goals.

Important Note: When writing out my goals, I have to continually ask the question,

Am I serving God or am I serving myself?

To help me do this, I write the following statement on the top of the page before writing my goals.

Living Water-God is working through me

Then I decide on a word for the year. My word last year was Connecting. Next I create my Year Goals keeping in mind my End Goals and my word for the year. My End Goals are broken down into 7 categories-Spiritual, Relationships, Career, Writing, Photography, Fitness, and Contribution

Then at the beginning of each month, I read my End Goals for the current year and, keeping in mind my word for the year, write specific goals in each category for that particular month.

I use Microsoft One Note to set up my goals and then transfer the documents to Dropbox so I can see the goals on my Ipad and my Android phone whenever I like.

Recently I read L. Diane Wolfe's Overcoming Obstacles with Spunk. The entire book is excellent, giving clear direction on how to create and acheive your goals. I highly recommend it. If you would like to set up your goals using a Smart Phone App, I recommend the Goal Setting Workshop App for Iphone or Ipad. Also this Link will lead you to more Goal Apps for the Apple and Android market.

Next post I'll share how I did last year with my goals, what I learned you NEED to do to stay on track, and I will share my word for 2012.

Do you have a word for 2012?

2011-12-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

Peace. Living in a broken world of wars between nations, conflicts within countries, and feuding inside families, peace seems like an un-obtainable goal. And the bad news? It is. Since obeying the serpent, we live in a broken world and always will.

But there is good news! With Jesus' birth also came God's promise that there will be 'peace to men on whom his favor rests.' Peace between us and God became available. And, although our world will never be completely absent of conflict, we can bring a Christ like approach of peace to all that we do.

May you have a heart of peace this Christmas season and forever-more.

See you in January!

Love Lynn

Blessings from November

2011-12-05T05:41:00.005-07:00

“The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.” C.S. Lewis

I won a Melody Carlson contest, winning a signed copy of "Here's To Friends" by Melody Carlson from Melody Carlson. Melody's contest question was to describe why friends are important to you. I wrote:

My best-friends draw my eyes to the abundant sky. So often I am filling my plate with a heap of doing but what gives me more nutrition is a mountain of being. Friends that keep me centred on the journey, not the destination, vividly colouring my sky daily, are true treasures and blessings from God.

Here a few of my favourite friend moments from November

1. I was honoured and blessed by a friend who, inspired by my blog post on "The Call," wrote a song using words directly from my post.

2. I am the only writer among my close friends and so my blog readers are mainly 'cyber' friends. But this month a close friend complimented me by first reading my blog, and then exclaiming how much she enjoyed it saying "you write so different from the way you talk!" Ha! She also said I should be writing non-fiction! Since I am in the middle of writing a teen fiction, I could only smile and reply "Maybe one day..."

3. After attending a Christmas play together, my friend let me know how impressed he was on how I'd been following God, working on living His way, and connecting with the church community. I see so many ways my prideful nature still takes over and I drift away from God's way. But I am so blessed to have friends that counsel and remind me that every moment is a new moment, a new chance to be re-newed.

4. I am blessed by my friends who ask "How is the book coming?" They take an interest in what I do, even if they are not readers themselves. And how is it coming? Maybe from NaNoWriMo standards I have done just okay, accomplishing 50% of the novel, but I am happy! My goal for the month was to examine my heart, to find out if I should be focusing energy on my photography or on my writing. And writing has won! I have fallen deeply, madly in love!

Have you been blessed by a friend lately?

Reflection

2011-10-31T07:50:00.000-06:00

A reflection for you

The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.

Frederick Buechner

I'll be challenging myself to write daily and finish a novel this month of November. Not an easy decision as when I add something new, I have to let go of something else. And this something I need to let go is something I like to do!

I will be replacing my daily on-line social networking time (usually in the early hours before I get ready for my work day) with writing. My goal is to see if writing is where I am to focus my attention or if I have been called to something else. So I will be examining my heart in this process.

Have a beautiful, refective, peaceful November!

Love, Lynn

The call?

2011-10-17T05:10:00.011-06:00

I must admit to you, I've been wrestling lately whether I should continue writing this blog and posting pictures to my 365 blog project on my photography blog. I begin to question what is the purpose? what is the result? is it worth the time spent? is it serving others?

All this wrestling leads me to the deeper questions:

What is God's purpose for my life?
What is He calling me to do?

Do any of you wrestle with this question?

Now the LORD had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you
Genesis 12:1

And Abram went, with his large family and all his friends and herding a bunch of sheep. And on camels and on foot they traveled for 800 miles. And this is the kicker.

He was 75 years old.

But he went, following God's call, trusting completely even though he did not feel equipped to do His will, and had no idea where he was going and why he was going there.

How did Abram know it was God's voice?

I'd love it if God's voice was as loud as, lets say, the 30,000 or more fans at the Edmonton Eskimo football games I attend yelling "GO ESKS GO!"

Can you imagine? What if you heard a large crowd chanting "Go (your name) Go do (your purpose)?"

Would you go or would you still question? Do I have the right stuff? Am I equipped?

Is this really God's calling? Some questions you may want to ponder...

1) If God is calling you, you will probably feel unqualified. It is not the qualified that is called, it is the call that qualifies.

2) It feels radical. Like Abraham, you are taking a journey where you do not know the steps on how you will get there. To do this, you can't weigh the benefits or costs, but step out in complete faith, giving up your own will.

3) You feel useful. God's call advances others. His blessings on you, blesses others.

4) If it feels predictable and safe, good chance it is not God's voice being expressed in you.

Personally, I struggle to let go of my worldly pre-conceived ideas on how a plan needs to be in place before taking a step---well, more of a leap I'd say--- and my insecurities keep me wrapped around the tree branch on the cliff.

Are you holding on or letting go?

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:1).

A novel of inspiration shared abundantly

2011-10-10T20:41:00.002-06:00

I am loving my current Book Club read, Little Princes by Connor Grennan. Following this young man's journey that begins with his decision to start his year long travels volunteering for an orphanage in Nepal (to justify his self-indulgent behaviour to his friends and family) and that ends with his success of bringing displaced children home, separated from their families by child traffickers, is inspiring and humbling.

And I learned, while munching on Thanksgiving turkey and chatting with a member of my family who works at the U fo C, that 4,000 of Grennan's books were given to the new under-graduate students for the 2011 University of Calgary Common Reading Program.

Wow. That's a lot of books. And, I wonder, would any of these students be moved to make a change in the way they do life from reading Grennan's book? Do books change lives?

What do you think? Do you have a book that changed your life, small or large, inspiring you to take a new direction, or maybe giving you hope in what seemed like a hopeless situation?

Learning His Way

2011-09-26T06:18:00.000-06:00

I squirmed in my chair and twirled my coffee cup on the cafe table. I crossed my legs. Looked every else but not at him. I needed to gather my thoughts. No words were coming out right. I said a silent prayer, "God give me Your words now. Tell me what You want me to say at this moment."

Nothing.

Not even a fluttering in my stomach or quicken beat of my heart.

Just silence and stillness.

I looked at him, grappling for words, said a few more, his eyebrows raised, questioning. God, this isn't coming out right at all! Why can't You just tell me what I need to say, make me sound logical, place my mixed emotions in logical thoughts to be formed into words so I can understand. And then share my understanding.

Why am I struggling now? I questioned. I had this all figured out just hours ago!

Then came a flashing thought.

Am I solving this problem of mine the world way or His way?

Recently, a local radio station questioned listeners, "What makes a mature Christian?" One caller's testimony caught my attention. I pulled over, took out my note-pad and paraphrased what he said.

"As I walk in faith, when I reach challenges and problems I need to do it God's way, the way Jesus taught us. This isn't always the world's way and it is often met with resistance and each time I pass an obstacle another comes that is more challenging and met with higher resistance. Doing it God's way is harder and not logical. But He lights my path, gives me my words."

He lights my path. He gives me my words.

I looked up, straightened my shoulders and locked eyes with his.

"Umm...I don't...," I stuttered. Yikes....I thought I had the words. Where did they go?

Then he reached across the table, touching my fingers that gripped my coffee cup. "You don't have to explain," he said. "Our ways want an explanation but God just wants us to follow Him faithfully doing through our hearts where words do not lie. I don't need a logical explanation. I trust God is working His way in both of us and this is where He wants us right now."

Wow. He had the words! I just needed to listen.

Colossians 2:8-10
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

Are you one to logically search for an answer or are you okay with just not knowing the whys?

The story behind the story behind the story behind the story behind....

2011-09-19T06:25:00.002-06:00

John 8:7

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

There's a young woman on the street corner. She twirls fingers through threads of black hair that reach her bikini topped breast. Her other hand holds a cigarette, the red ashes falling in the dim light. Her black boots click, click as she walks. Her elbows rest on a grey sedan's open window ledge. She opens the passenger door and she gets in, rides away.

There's a teen on the driveway. She twirls fingers through threads of black hair that reach the lettering on her t-shirt across her breasts. Her other hand holds an over-flowing bag, the red sequins on the straps flashing like diamonds from the house lights. Her white converse runners squeak, squeak as she walks. Her elbows rest on the red mustang's open window ledge. She opens the passenger door and she gets in, rides away.

There's a child in the house. She twirls her fingers through threads of black hair that reach the collar of her pink sweater. Her other hand holds a blonde barbie, the doll's clothes laying on the bare floor unseen in the darkness. Her bare feet tap, tap, as she walks. Her elbows rest on the bedroom's open window ledge. She hears a door open behind her, closes her eyes and dreams of a white car and she gets in, rides away.

********

There's a 17 year-old woman, her name and picture flashed up on my television screen. A public risk, they say, charged for aggravated sexual assault for not disclosing her life-threatening STD to consenting sexual partners. She is hand-cuffed, chained, behind bars.

She is bad, people are told, for having HIV.

Her story today, as told by others, is all that anyone sees, knows.

**********

There's a baby in the crib. She twirls her fingers through threads of a pink blanket that reach her tummy. Her other hand holds a brown teddy bear, a red ribbon around it's neck highlighted in the moon light. Her toes wave as she giggles. Her elbows rest on the mattress. She hears a door open behind her, her eyes open wide and she waves, waves her innocent tiny fists and feet in the air, ready to be embraced.

In today's headlines, do you question "What is the story behind the story?"

Watching Willow Watts Launch--If I could be anyone I'd be.....

2011-09-14T01:48:00.005-06:00

It is finally here!

Today is 'Watching Willow Watts' Web Splash

And to celebrate TALLI ROLAND'S launch of Watching Willow Watts, we get to be whoever we want to be.

If I could be anyone, I'd be.....

Dolly Parton!!

Doesn't she just make you SMILE??

And Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, providing books for pre-school children, just melts my heart.

You can get your own famous hands on Watching Willow Watts at:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/nIygHP

Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/riMpmH

About Watching Willow Watts

by Talli Roland

For Willow Watts, life has settled into a predictably dull routine: days behind the counter at her father's antique shop and nights watching TV, as the pension-aged residents of Britain's Ugliest Village bed down for yet another early night. But everything changes when a YouTube video of Willow's epically embarrassing Marilyn Monroe impersonation gets millions of hits after a viewer spots Marilyn's ghostly image in a frame.

Instantly, Willow's town is overrun with fans flocking to see the 'new Marilyn'. Egged on by the villagers -- whose shops and businesses are cashing in -- Willow embraces her new identity, dying her hair platinum and ramming herself full of cakes to achieve Marilyn's legendary curves.

But when a former flame returns seeking the old Willow, Willow must decide: can she risk her stardom and her village's newfound fortune on love, or is being Marilyn her ticket to happiness?

I was lucky to receive a review copy of Watching Willow Watts. And loved it. Such a warm, fun read that you will smile bigger than Dolly's......well......you fill in the blank!

Missing the Details

2011-09-12T05:30:00.002-06:00

My daughter, Tessa, needs her wisdom removed. So I diligently made her appointment (well, 4 months after the referral when she started to complain about the 'gross flap'). The Receptionist (The R) and I, finalized a date and I dutifully wrote in my paper daytimer the instructions to call The R one week before Tessa's appointment to confirm. I followed her instructions. I called one week prior. I left a message. Done. Checked off my list.

Three days later on my personal cell phone I cringed in anger listening to The R's message, her voice coming through what I imagined were red painted lips with teeth locked, tongue wagging behind.

"I received your confirmation message but you know I have to personally talk to you and since you didn't call me back I am cancelling Tessa's appointment."

WHAT? I called. I did my duty. How DARE she! She never, ever called to let me know I had to talk to her personally. What was that all about?

I checked back on my calanders to make sure I had checked off my duty to call The R the day she requested. Yes. Checked. I looked at my home phone. No red blinking light indicating I had a message. None...notta one. How dare she accuse me of not getting back to her!!

I pride myself in being detailed. I have
2 Outlook Calenders,
1 Google Calender, and
1 Paper Daytimer

I have files upon file upon files...
I'm sure you get the picture...
So I took action. I complained to my daughters.
"Can you believe this happened to me....how dare they..."
I called up my regular dentist.
"I'd like to get a referral to another Oral Surgeon. That other office has administration problems!"

About a week later I noticed a blinking red light on my home phone. I dialed into my voice mail. "You have one new message and five saved messages." Five saved messages? I gripped the phone, my head hanging lower and lower as I heard saved message after message after message after message from The R.

"Hello Lynn. Thank you for Tessa's confirmation. Please call me back as I need to speak to you personally...."
"Hello Lynn. I'm calling about Tessa again. We need to talk before her next appointment."
"Hello Lynn. I've been trying to get a hold of you. Please call me as soon as possible or I will have to cancel..."
"Hello Lynn. I've tried several times to get a hold you..."

Ughh...the last message was for my son Cole.
Cole.
Up the stairs I ran, threw open his bedroom door.
"Cole, have you been taking the messages off my phone?"
"Yeah. But I saved them."
Oh God, help me.
"Cole, you got to tell me!"

But I can't blame him. I missed the messages because I came to the defensive conclusion The R was in the wrong. I ranted, I complained, I concluded and took action without all the details.

James 1:19
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

Needless to say I called The R, explained the situation and gave her my apologies for missed messages and misconceptions. Her teeth, I'm sure, were still clenched in frustration when I hung up. I can't always make my transgressions right of speaking too soon however, with God's help, hopefully I can learn to be slower to react. Thankfully He has given me another day to learn His ways.

Have a story like this one? Please share if you do! Or any tips on how you don't miss details? I need the help!

Magnify

2011-09-05T05:55:00.004-06:00

"Ouch!" I limped off the trail, sat on a tree stump and pulled of my hiking boot. Turning the boot upside down I shook it hard. I wiped a trickle of sweat off my brow and shook my boot again. Nothing. What the heck. I examined my sock, running my hand along my heel where I'd felt the stone digging into my skin during the last two kilometres of my mountain hike. Nothing.

I slipped my boot back on, tied the laces, grabbed my water bottle from my back pack, and hiking my pack onto my back, stood up and walked the few steps back to the main trail.

"Oh, Jesus!" I cried out. Hobbling on one leg I slipped my boot off again. And shook. Nothing. I reached into the boot with my hand, feeling around the sole. Ahh...there it was. The pebble was no bigger than a baby pea but it had felt like a boulder with edges as sharp as glass.

Slipping my boot back on I looked back on the trail I had just hiked. Mountain ash trees grazed the blue, cloudless sky and pink, blooming fireweed embraced the trial edges. An unseen crow cawed and branches snapped beyond the ground foliage that hid the squirrels, grouse and deer. Funny I hadn't seen any today, I thought. Usually I always see grouse lazily standing in the sun when hiking this trail.

And then, there he was, in all his fat splendour. He stood metres from the tree stump I had only moments ago been sitting on, looking like he had always been there. And he probably had been. But I had been so wrapped up in my own problem of the 'boulder' in my shoe, that I had missed him completely.

And I wondered, how often do I take a pebble of a problem and magnify it to the size of a boulder? A boulder that grows so big as I bring my magnifying glass closer and closer until it seals me in a cave of darkness, blocking out all light. And instead of seeing, I become blind to all that is around me.

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you." Isaiah 60:1-2

I turned on my heels, took a sip of water and looking up at the snow capped mountains, I stepped, gravel crackled under my boots.

Using the words of Joel Osteen: Magnify God, not your problems.

Otherwise, like me, you might miss the grouse on your trail. And His gracious, sun lit abundant sky.

What are you magnifying today?

Simplicity

2011-07-11T17:51:00.000-06:00

I'll be back here posting in September when I will have an update of my current project--a Teen Inspirational Novel. I am enjoying writing The First Draft! It's fun, not worrying, knowing I will be going back to fix later and just writing, writing, writing!

In the meantime, I would be honoured and humbled if you wanted to see what I am seeing through my camera lens at http://lpsdesigns.blogspot.com/

Blessings!

Lynn J Simpson

A series of fortunate events

2011-06-30T09:07:00.001-06:00

It was just one of those days. You know the ones. The ones where everything just comes together. And I don't mean BIG things, just a small series of events that bring a bounce to your step, a grin on your face, and a lightness to your voice.

Walking at 6:30 AM in my neighbourhood, a hoody covering my head to block the wind, my camera hanging from its strap around my neck, my Ipod tuned to Switchfoot, the rising sun glistening off the urban pond, I turned into a corner of the path and saw someone I'd recently been thinking of. He stood in his yard. So this is where he lives, I thought to myself. A grin on his face, he approached me and we talked, marvelling how just the other day he discussed me with someone. And here I was. I have walked this path many, many times, and never seen him until that day. Perfection.

Explaining why he was out so early: "I had to drive my son to the pool for his life-guard job." Really? I questioned. My daughter is also a life-guard but not working presently. The pool just lost a lot of full-time staff, he said. I must tell her. (I'm crossing my fingers she applies for this--summer time and teenagers---you gotta keep them busy, if you know what I mean!)

On the pond, geese and ducks swam, and red-winged black birds flew above them. I've always wanted to capture a shot of those black birds, I let my friend know. So far they had alluded me.

Forty-five minutes later, having left my new friend, I ducked from a low flying red-winged black bird. I honestly thought he was going to hit me in the forehead. He then perched himself on a tree just above me. And didn't move from the noise of my clicking camera. Perfection.

Later, writing in a cafe, one of my characters sung to the radio. What was he singing? The music from the cafe caught my attention. A Christian contemporary song in a popular coffee shop? That is unusual. Then the line: "Broken hearts become brand new, that's what faith can do." It fit perfectly into the the scene I was writing. Perfection.

Do you see your perfect moments today?

Hockey Craziness....

2011-06-16T09:06:00.001-06:00

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/06/16/photos-riots-fire-destruction-after-vancouvers-loss/

"....put a group of characters (perhaps a pair; perhaps even just one) in some sort of predicatment and then watch them try to work themselvs free....watch what happens then write it down." Stephen King, On Writing

I'm far from political. And this blog is not an editorial. However, I do have to mention I'm ashamed of the chaos in Vancouver after the Canucks loss to the Bruins in the final Stanley Cup play off game. In my facebook feed my Edmonton city companions have been out spoken against the Vancouver hockey 'fans' that started fires, overturned cars, smashed store windows, ran away with armfuls of high ticket items such as MAC cosmetics and designer bags. Craziness.

One Vancouverite on my FB feed called us Edmontonians 'self-righteous' in our attitude against the needless riot. He has a point. There was a time where Edmonton also rioted after an Edmonton Oiler team play off game back in June 2006. But from my research it rates closer to PG then double XX. I can feel my teeth clenching as I write this, so I'm going to back up before I start ranting.

And congratulations to the Boston Bruin fans who celebrated their teams win with exuberance but class.

http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/bruins/gallery/boston_fans_game7?pg=2

And through all this, though, I couldn't help wondering how my character would be reacting if she was caught in the riot. Would she be swept up into the mob mentality, running into designer stores to steal her always wanted Pandora bracelet? Or would she be cowering behind a building, frozen? Or pulling her boyfriend away from the chaos, running in the opposite direction?

How would your character react?

A thank you and a farewell

2011-06-08T05:11:00.004-06:00

I was sad to hear the passing of Andrew Gold who died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack on Friday, June 3, exactly two months before his 60th birthday.

His songs such as Lonely Boy played through my clunky walkman headphones many nights when I was a teen. And often at the end of a tearful call with my bestfriend 'cause the guy next door dumped me again, I'd place the phone receiver on the speaker of my Sony Cassette player and play her Thank You For Being a Friend.

My Sony Cassette player is long gone, but I can still play a song for you thanking you for all the kind comments on my last post. You keep me inspired. And thank you, Andrew Gold, for creating this song, for your music, and for sharing your God given talent. You have blessed many.

Second Chance at Faith

2011-06-01T05:29:00.003-06:00

Habakkuk 2:4 (NIV)

“See, the enemy is puffed up;
his desires are not upright—
but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness"

I must admit I've been wrestling with my faithfulness to my writing lately, wondering if I have it to complete a novel. Since announcing that is my next step in my writing journey, my day job has become busier, taking my energy so American Idol and Reba repeats are all my mind seems to be able to handle after a day of work and kids and other such life stuff.

It's at these times I wonder if God is purposefully pulling me away from writing, or if it is spiritual warfare--the enemy acting against God's desire for me.

Or maybe it just isn't my time yet.

So I wait. But I do wait sitting down at times, lazy in my chair like those security guards in crime stories that fall asleep or leave their post just for a moment. And the enemy escapes.

The enemy escapes.

My blog posts, I feel, do not have the same quality they once had. And nor have I been commenting as much as I once was, visiting all of you.

Thankfully, I do have a second chance to stand back up, be on guard again, engaged and serving. I hope you will be patient with me as I shake out the 'falling asleep' tingles in my legs and get solid on my writing feet.

And faithfully take the next step.

Have you ever felt like you were under spiritual attack? Or how do you stay on guard and keep the enemy in a locked room?

You are NOT lazy!

2011-05-25T05:19:00.001-06:00

Picture courtesy of my daughter Tessa
Dominican Republic

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

Psalms 23:2

I've developed an addiction, but only when I'm driving. No it is not texting , thankfully!

As a sales/trainer of dental software I spend a lot of my day in my red Jeep driving to and from dental offices. Sometimes these trips are only minutes away, some are four or more hours, and some destinations require overnight stays. And it is because of all these hours in my Jeep, alone, just me and the road and my radio, that I've become somewhat addicted to my free trial of Sirius Radio. Stars on Sirius to more precise. And Dr. Laura to be exact.

(If you're ever dry of story ideas, I'd advise to listen to Dr. Laura! Man, there are some people who have pretty messed up lives! My prayers go to them.)

A recent caller had just been through a year of deaths, illnesses, and job stress. I felt for this man. He was "crackin' up" he said, not sure if he could handle anymore of life. I waited for Dr. Laura to give him a 'to do' list of activities that could help with the stress. You know the ones: exercise, eat proper, journal, talk to friends etc.

But nope. Grab a beer and head to the beach for awhile, she said. Put your toes in the sand, your head back, enjoy a few brews, and relax for a couple of weeks. In other words she told him to go on a Vacation!

A vacation? Really? I thought. No 'to do' list to heal, get over our wounds, deal with stress?

The caller laughed, the lightness in his voice evident for the first time, probably in months, maybe even years. Yeah, he said, I could sure use some sun and beach!

God calls us to lie down at times. And it's okay! You're not being lazy. There is a time for rest, a time to be by quiet waters that refresh and revitalize; a time to restore your body and your soul.

May you let yourself rest with a peaceful mind and heart.

The Post of Awesome

2011-05-18T05:27:00.010-06:00

1. I'm Happy about what is MISSING from this picture:

No snow!

2. I'm blessed to have received a hand-written thank you and beautiful magnet from Jeanette Levellie

3. I'm honoured to have been chosen WINNER in the nature photography category by the Edmonton Outdoor Club for:

Isn't she adorable?

4. I'm excited for my summer reading.

All YA, because I am (gasp...) going beyond the short story and plotting my first novel. These are the novels I have chosen to read and study.

And I am thankful for all my AWESOME Blogging Buddies especially for recommending the following writing books.

From Susan Fields:

The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman (also recommended by Jennifer Shirk) and Hooked by Les Edgerton

From Laurel Garver

Story by Robert McKee and The Scene Book by Sandra Schofield

From Stina Lindenblatt

Writing the Breakout Novel Work Book by Donald Maass

From Tessa Emily Carr

The Art and Craft of Writing Christian Fiction by Jeff Gerke

From K.M. Weiland

Story Engineering by Larry Brooks

From Karen Lange

The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell

From Talli Roland

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamont

From Eileen Astels Watson

GMC by Debra Dixon

From Ed Piolla

Writing for Story

And that is the short list! What are you happy/blessed/honoured/excited about today? Can you spread some awesome too?

Who do you invite into your garden?

2011-05-04T05:35:00.001-06:00

Where are you in relationship with others?

That was one question asked to us by author/speaker Rosemary Flaaten at a Women's Breakfast I was attending. There is no doubt that we are made for relationship. But how willing are you to connect at a deeper level? Do you have relationships that go beyond your front door? Or do they stop at the kitchen and never see the garden?

I loved how Rosemary described relationships levels by how far we invite others into our homes.

First is Street Level. These relationships are like the people whose homes you pass by in your neighbourhood and take a peek through their windows to gawk at their television or the cat in their window.

Second is the Front Door. These people have a reason to be at your home. Maybe they are the carpet cleaner boys, the UPS men, or the girls selling girl guide cookies.

Third is the Living Room. These relationships are those we invite in beyond our front door but only into our living rooms where they see us in our best light. No messiness, no dust.

Fourth is our Kitchen. In the kitchen is where we do life, where stuff gets a bit messy, where mistakes happen and, importantly, where we nourish each other.

Then last is the Garden. The garden is pretty place but it also where all our soil is, our roots, even our compost, scraps of our life. Those we invite into our garden we also invite in to see beyond what is on the surface. There is no judgement, just acceptance and love. These people we allow to see the heart of who we are. And for most of us that may be 1 or 2, or maybe 3 people. It is the deepest level of relationship, the most rewarding, yet the hardest door to open.

What keeps people out of our hearts?

Our attitudes can lock the doors. Attitudes of anger, envy, and judgement.

The scariest part of inviting others into our garden is our assumption that they will judge us.

But an attitude of grace erases judgement. It accepts others and ourselves for who we are, and opens the door to forgiveness.

Who is in your garden today? Or is their someone in your kitchen that is waiting to be invited into your garden?

Mother of Pearl--Family 'off the grid' time

2011-05-02T08:40:00.001-06:00

In celebrations of Mother's Day I'll be posting a blog series by Pearl Girls. Whether you are a mother, a foster mother, a surrogate mother, have a mom, or know of someone who is just like a mom to you, I hope you find this series enjoyable.

Love Lynn

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just CLICK THIS LINK and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit http://www.pearlgirls.info/ and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!

3 DIY Mother’s Day Gifts that Celebrate Family By Beth Engelman

This Mother’s Day, celebrate family with this crafty games the whole family can enjoy.

Block Photo Puzzle

Not only does this 6-sided photo puzzle provide hours of family fun, but it’s also a great way to reuse favorite family photos.

Materials:

• 9 - Wooden Blocks (Use old alphabet blocks)

• 6 - 8 x 10 Photograph Prints or Colored Copies

• Ruler

• Scissors

• Mod Podge and Paintbrush

Directions:

1. Arrange blocks in a square and measure the length and width of the square.

2. Measure and cut print to the exact same size as the 9-block square.

3. Place blocks in a square on top of print. Position blocks so they’re lined up neatly and as close together as possible.

4. Trace and cut the outline of each block.

5. Glue print pieces to blocks using Mod Podge. Set aside to dry and then seal with 1-2 top layers of Mod Podge.

6. Repeat process until all 6 sides of the blocks are covered with different photographs.

Thank you to the creative folks at www.photojojo.com for sharing this idea!

“Go Fish with the Family” Card Game

This gift is perfect for Moms who like card games. Another bonus? There’s always room to “grow” the deck.

Materials:

• Camera

• Double stick tape, or a glue stick

• Several pieces of cardstock (one color)

• Scissors

Directions:

1. Take pictures of each family member and develop the pictures in duplicates (3x5 or 4x6 is fine, just make sure all the pictures are the same size).

2. Turn the pictures into playing cards by gluing or taping a piece of card-stock to the backside of each picture.

3. Game ideas include “Go Fishing with the Family” which is similar to “Go Fish” but, instead of matching numbers, the object is to collect matching pairs of photos. “Memory” is another fun game to play. Place the cards face down in a grid and try to find matching pairs of photos.

Family Bingo

In my house, Bingo is always a big hit because regardless of age or skill level, everyone has the same chance to win. However this version is extra special because the playing boards are populated with pictures of family members.

Materials:

• Color Coordinated Game Boards (download here)

• Images of Family Members (use photographs, drawings or clip art)

• Bingo Markers (pennies, pebbles or buttons)

• Glue and Scissors

Directions:

1. Create the game boards: Download and print desired number of game-boards. Remember each player gets a different game board.

2. Color-copy and paste images of family members onto each game board. Remember to paste one person per square and make each board slightly different.

3. Make “call-out cards” by writing the name of each family member in yellow, green, blue, purple and pink (which coordinates with the colors on the board)

4. To Play: Game play is similar to traditional Bingo except the caller will randomly select a call-out card and then read the color and person. For example, “Blue, Grandma Mary” means there is a picture of Grandma Mary in a blue square. Just like Bingo, the first person to get 5 in a row (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) wins!

Beth Engelman is a columnist for the Sun Times News Group’s Pioneer Press. Her column “Mommy on a Shoestring,” appears in over 30 local papers around Chicago area as well as on the Sun-times website where you can also view her Mommy on a Shoestring video series. She is also a regular on “You and Me this Morning” on WCIU and is frequent contributor for WGN America’s Midday News at Noon. Recently, Beth was chosen by a celebrity panel from NBC Universal and iVillage to become one of 15 national “mom” correspondents for NBC’s popular website, www.ivillage.com (over 3 million visitors a day) where she reports on issues that affect moms, families and communities such as bullying, divorce and weight loss. For more information visit Beth at www.mommyonashoestring.com

Cracking the books.

2011-04-27T06:00:00.002-06:00

It's time for me to hit the books again and study the craft of writing, applying the principles to my current project. I like books that give me practical tools, direct questions and worksheets. How about you? What is your favorite 'how to' book currently?

Presenting Psychologist, Speaker, Author-Beth Murray! Sat-is-faction

2011-04-20T05:03:00.008-06:00

We're so blessed to have Beth Murray author at Living Wholly, founder of Fresh Hope Counselling and author of When the Church Stops Caring HERE!.

From Beth's website:
Beth Murray is a Registered Psychologist in the Province of Alberta. She is also a trained, Level II EMDR therapist and eating disorders specialist.

Satisfaction. Wholeness. Completion. What exactly is it and how do I get me some?! The Rolling Stones sang about the elusiveness nature of satisfaction. Poor Mick! Despite his best attempts he still couldn't "get no -- sat-is-faction."

I recall a dreamy eyed Tom Cruise purporting to Rene Zellwegger, "You...complete me." Every wife in North America delivered a swift elbow to her husband as she grabbed for a tissue,"Why don't you say that to me?" Didn't it sound so beautiful? So moving? So incredibly sweet?! An utterly unrealistic expectation to place on another human being?!

Eeerrcch! Wait a second. "But I want my partner to complete me!" Compliment. Improve. Enrich. But not complete. One of the most remarkable seminary classes I ever took was a class with Dr. Donald Joy on Moral Development at Asbury Seminary. I still remember sitting in that classroom in Kentucky listening to the Hebrew words being explained with regard to the creation and fall of humanity. Biggest take away - the result of the fall left a certain brokenness -- a sin bent that fell according to gender. The woman would look to the man for her sense of completion rather than God (thereby idolatrizing the man). The man's bent would be to try to dominate and control rather than allowing God's rule in his life. I still remember the guy who was sitting beside me with a tear running down his cheek. "You have no idea how much that relieves me from feeling like I need to be something I can never be for my wife."

That's the problem with "the fall." It means we fell! We fell away from God's intended best for us! We see it acted out in marriage and human relationships when we function out of our "fallenness." Women look to their men to meet their every need and "complete them" as only GOD can. A man can never fill the God-shaped void in our hearts. Give the poor guy a break and let him function as your partner/lover/friend/support and not your Saviour. I think of my classmate who felt such relief from the burden of trying to be his wife's everything. For the men, living out their fallen nature by seeking to control and dominate. Ugh. Don't have to look real far to see how that turns out! Pride, arrogance, control, rage, abuse, anger, addiction, etc. Men will find their freedom in allowing God to lead their lives rather than feeling like they have to be in control of everything.

The great part of realizing that we fell is that we can get back up! With God's help we can live full and restored lives, transformed by the grace of God and through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. The cure for the fall is what this coming weekend represents -- the death and resurrection of Jesus. The cost of the fall - paid in full with the ransom of Jesus' blood.

The result? We can live fully in the freedom that exists in God. We can function out of our wholeness in Christ rather than our fallenness. "So you are also complete (perfected/whole) through your union with Christ." Colossians 2:10. What a relief! I don't have to try harder and harder to "perfect" myself! Imagine this scene -- God Himself looks lovingly into your eyes and says, "I...complete you." THEN we find joy, peace and sat-is-faction.

For more you can follow and comment directly at Beth Murray's place– http://livingwholly.blogspot.com/
Founder of Fresh Hope Counselling

And, of course, I would LOVE to hear your thoughts too! Happy Easter

All for the story-freeing yourself to 'get' the character. How far would you go?

2011-04-13T04:59:00.001-06:00

Next Wednesday, April 20th, counsellor and author Beth Murray at Living Wholly will be here!

I have journals of notes of events I attend. I open these journals for ideas and inspiration. But today I stare at the pages, reading words that are disjointed, ideas broken in pieces like cracked ice, rather than fluid in consistancy. I can't seem to get put any ideas together to convey a message worthwhile.

Have you ever had times like these?

Maybe my revisions have my thoughts locked in logic instead of creativity. It might be a better day to do my taxes than to write! But I've made a commitment to write this post today, along with revisions on my teen short story critiqued this past weekend by Science Fiction and Fantasy author and editor of On Spec Magazine ,Barbara Galler-Smith. If you write Spec Fiction, I'd encourage you to check out an issue of 'on spec' and her book "Druids," co-authored with Josh Langston.

I also had the priviledge to hear Lisa de Nikolitis author of The Hungry Mirror speak on "Things That Have Made Me a Better Writer." I loved how she expressed that when doing research you can step out of your comfort zone, be someone completely different than who you are, which "can be very freeing." Maybe you need to explore a bat-filled cave, or sit under the Eiffel tower, or have a beverage in a bar at an elite hotel you would never attend unless 'playing' a rich widow of an oil-executive.

Me? I've had a character brewing in my mind that is on her way to a convention of her favourite television show. If you read my last post, you'll know attending events on my own can be WAY out of my comfort zone. I'd be entering into a new level of uncomfortable if I went to THIS. Anybody want to join me?

Have you done or dreamed to do any 'out of comfort' zone or 'kind-of crazy' thing for research?

Moments of truth (April 4th, 2011)

2011-04-04T09:26:00.002-06:00

"Take your thoughts captive and then line (them)-up with God. Fix your thoughts on what is admirable...choose what to believe." Beth Murray

With only ten minutes left of my one hour drive, I do an illegal U-turn on the secondary highway.

"What if no one talks to me? What if no one likes me? I'm going to look so stupid sitting by myself surrounded by a bunch of chattering extroverts. Me, the quiet introvert, who takes moments before answering questions; I'm not likeable. God, why didn't you make me an extrovert? Why am I not witty, charming? No, I don't think You want me to go, considering all these doubts. I'll just go home and get my work done. You like a clean house. Am I a good enough believer? I still got to use the table of contents to see where Bible Chapters are! So, I lose a bit of money. It's 30 minutes before registration. I'm going to be late now anyway. "

"Hello hurricane, you're not enough....I'm a fighter fighting for control.
I'm a fighter fighting for my soul."

Switchfoot plays through my stereo speakers and invades my thoughts.

I turn my Jeep around once more and let Switchfoot's lyrics carry me into the camp parking lot.

Mike, our church Single 35+ Group leader, bellows from the top of the stairs in the main lodge. "Lynn's here!"

Yes I am.

I only recognize 5 out of the 50+ people attending the first Wholly Singles Retreat at Camp Nakamun hosted by Beulah Alliance, registrants extending to other churches in our area and beyond. I attend another church, but have been sporadically attending this particular Singles Group for a couple of years. I sit beside Laurel, a connection I make quickly and easily, and we join in on the singing and ice-breaker activity, and listen attentively to the speaker of the weekend, psychologist, counsellor and stand-up comedian, Beth Murray. She speaks on how our thoughts create our feelings and actions, and how to recognize our distorted views--what I am telling myself compared to what is truth.

I shake my head, in disbelief and believe. His timing perfect, again.

People break to swim, play volley ball, and ping-pong, but I stay with others chatting comfortably. Then lights out at 11:30. The weekend is a success, and at the end of it, I see people gathering emails and phone numbers, but I do not. And the old thoughts begin again. "No one likes you.'' I grab it, throw it away, and continue to chat with the one's I knew, the 5 I have known, but now know so much better.

Are you thinking truth today?

What Sells a Book to You? (23.03.2011)

2011-03-23T05:40:00.003-06:00

I'm suffering from 'flu-brain!' In other words, any writing now is likely to be as fuzzy as my....well, I'll spare you the gorey details. So, instead of writing more on character personality traits based on scientific research, I'm posting as a reader, a love even a fever cannot stop me from doing.

My lastest read was Giller Prize winner The Sentimentalist by Johnanna Skibsrud. I was first introduced to this book via television. I liked how Miss Skibsrud talked. Yes, talked. And that she was from Nova Scotia. I like authors who are from Nova Scotia, one of my favourite Canadian provinces next to Alberta, where I live. (Talli Roland, author of The Hating Game, who many of you know, is from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and you see how sweet she is!)

And yes, I was drawn to The Sentimentalists because of the author, not because of the story she wrote, which is a daughter visiting her father during his last days, and her discoveries of his time serving in the Vietnam War. I don't often read novels about war. Prior to reading, I peeked in at Goodreads, reading reviews that were mediocre at best, describing her book as too 'poetic', too 'literary.'

I really liked her prose. I like that I needed to read sentences sometimes twice to understand the meaning behind the words. The story was ok. It was her prose that kept me reading. And having seen her on tv, I felt more connected with Miss Skibsrud.

Just prior to reading The Sentimentalists, I read Playing with Fire by Theo Fleury, a memoir. I've heard of this book for a couple of years now, Mr. Fluery having been the centre of attention, along with hockey player, Sheldon Kennedy, for the abuse he received from his coach when he played junior hockey. But it wasn't until I heard Mr. Fleury's voice in a radio interview on the CBC that I decided to check out his book at my local library. I liked in the interview how he said he was now 'a passenger on the bus' in life, letting God do the driving.

And, even though the book jumped around a bit too much for me, and I found myself skimming over the details of hockey games, I liked it very much. I could hear Mr. Fleury's voice in my head, his radio voice. Again, I felt connected, as cheesy as that may sound.

I may only be only one reader, but tv, radio, seeing and hearing an author sells me his/her book. Whenever I attend a convention, I need to keep my wallet at home or else I'd buy every speakers book.

What do you believe to be best advertising for a book? What inspires you to buy a book? Do author television or radio interviews persuade you? If you are an author, have you used television or radio to promote your books? How'd it go?

What gets you grooving?

2011-03-16T05:46:00.011-06:00

If you want to get me moving, play me some Black Eyed Peas!

Do you know your character’s favourite television show or music genre? Does he/she like to read gossip magazines and romances? Or does she prefer classical literature and scientific magazines?

In March/April 2011 edition of Science of Mind Magazine, the article “You Are What You Like” explains the research behind the traits of personality types. Me? I’m definitely ‘open.’ If you’re going to create a character like me, you’ll have me spending my free time browsing the Psychology section of the bookstore, but my ‘social’ best friend will be flipping through the gossip magazines or purchasing the latest romance.

And how about my buddy who is looking for his next heli-skiing and ice-climbing adventure? He prefers to listen to rock and classical music over top 40, and if I sneak “When Harry Met Sally” into his CD player, or any other film track, he groans louder than Justin Beiber without his pop tarts. (Now, I haven’t personally heard the Bieb groan—this information comes from gossip loving, extroverted best-friend.)

You’ll also have me dancing in the kitchen to the likes of Brad Paisley or Johnny Cash but not my sensation seeking daughter. She needs more stimulating music to get her grooving. Don’t ask me the artists that get her dancing ‘cause I can tune out pretty easily when I don’t like what I’m hearing or seeing.

How about you or your main character? Social or reserved? Emotional or agreeable? Curious? Laid back or emotional? Considering personality type, what would get your/her groove going in the kitchen, or in the book store?

A must read: Author Jody Hedlund blogged today about her Skype experience with our book club

Why Blogging Works!!

2011-03-09T05:54:00.004-07:00

I often read posts debating whether blogging promotes books beyond the readers of blogs. Well, I say YES, it sure does! And I have first-hand evidence.

I first heard of Jody Hedlund's debut novel, The Preacher's Bride, through other bloggers who read, reviewed, and interviewed Jody. So when I saw the book appear in my Canadian local Christian book store, Inspirations, I eagerly picked it up. I wasn't disappointed. I was so taken with the book that I recommended my book club, Read 'n Rally, to choose it as our next months read. So, our leader Kathy had Inspiration's order enough copies for all our members to buy. Everyone bought a copy except for one member who downloaded the e-book version on her Kindle.

Now for the best part.

Jody was kind enough to agree to talk to us during our meeting! And, not just talk to us, but SKYPE in to our meeting! We were able to see her engaging smile, her eyes that lit up with passion when answering our curious questions. We asked her questions on her research for the story, her writing process, and how she created her characters. And she even answered what I would consider an author's most dreaded question:
"How much of YOU is in Elizabeth (MC)?"

What do you think her answer was?

(I've been recovering from a flu, and traveling for work the last couple of weeks limiting my blog commenting. I miss you all and will catch up soon!)

Writing Collaborative Fiction

2011-03-02T05:33:00.003-07:00

I asked my friend Eileen Bell, one of the authors of the Aurora award winner Women of the Apocalypse to write a post for me regarding her experience with writing projects with more than one author. And wow, did she come through! Thanks Eileen!

Eileen’s Rules for Happiness (When Writing Collaboratively)

Collaborative fiction: more than one writer, working on a single piece of fiction. This could be an anthology (multiple writers, usually one editor), a novel (two or more writers working together) or the type of anthology we wrote (four writers writing novellas connected by an overarching story, and collectively editing same.)

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Go online and check out the various collaboration attempts. I believe that there are probably as many ways to write fiction collaboratively as there are writers, and some of it makes for interesting reading. However, I am writing about my experience, which was four of us (called The Apocalyptic Four) writing collaboratively for a print publisher.

Writing collaboratively can be wonderful. It isn’t just you against the page -- you have your BFF’s there with you, through every step of the process. When you’re in the midst of writing, you find that you talk to these people more than you talk to your spouse, or your kids! However -- and I believe this is a big however -- you must remember that this is primarily a business arrangement, and it works much better if there are rules in place. After all, you want your friends to remain your friends, don’t you?

So, here they are. The Big Eight. The rules that I believe will make writing collaboratively a good experience for all involved.

1. Equal skills. It’s better to have everyone basically at the same place on the writing learning curve. It usually makes the editing process easier -- and can lessen the chances of hurt feelings and frustration.

2. Complementary areas of expertise. If the writers will be doing all the editing (as we did), it doesn’t hurt to have people on board who have mad skills in different areas, like plot, dialogue, setting,etc.

3. Trust. You better trust every writer in the group, because you are putting your work in their hands. If you find you don’t trust one person -- perhaps you need to change him or her for a person you do trust. If you don’t trust anyone -- go to therapy, get over it, and then try again.

4. Honesty. Develop the ability to be honest about each other’s work, no matter what, because collaborative writing is only as good as its weakest link! Remember, though, that you need to be honest about how to make the story better, and that is all. If you hate the story, keep it to yourself. After all, it’s not yours, it’s theirs. Just give the writer the information they need to make the story work. And if you believe that telling someone their story stinks is being honest, move on to Rule 5. This one’s for you.

5. Politeness is paramount. Any form of rudeness does not belong, and if anyone is rude -- or a bully, or whatever -- get rid of them, like the cancer that they are.

6. Egos must be left at the door. This is hard, but you all must commit to it. (Remember Rule 3, and head out for therapy if you can’t put your ego aside. The ability to accept constructive criticism is all bound up in trust issues. Trust me. I know.) The cool thing is, it will make you a much better writer and a better person! There is a second part to this rule -- and it has to do with you giving writing advice, and it not being used. Ultimately, the writer makes the decisions on what does or does not go into his or her story. Don’t get bent out of shape if your particular bit of brilliance isn’t accepted.

7. One diva at a time. Admit it. Most writers are drama queens (or kings) and EVERYONE has crises in their lives. However, nothing can kill a project quicker than everyone needing their hands held on the same day. (Or week. Or month.) So, no matter what is going on in your life, remember your commitment to the group.

8. Hit the deadline. Everybody better be able to write to a deadline. Everybody. This one impacts how your publisher sees you, and above all else, you want to appear business like. Nothing kills that faster than a missed deadline.

From these rules, you can tell that I believe it is important to know and trust the people you will be working with. But, how would you find these jewels? Look wherever writers tend to congregate. Check out the people in your critiquing group, if you have one, or at conferences. Or online. Begin to develop relationships with them. Then, talk to them about your idea, see who is willing to come on board, and get ready for the project to take on a life of its own!
But don’t forget the rules. They will make your life much happier.

Eileen Bell is a member of the Apocalyptic Four -- the collaborative team that wrote the Aurora award winning novella anthology “Women of the Apocalypse.” Watch for her at the upcoming Get Publishing Conference in Edmonton, Alberta in May 2011. She’ll be talking about (surprise, surprise) collaborative writing.

For even more of Eileen's rules of happiness you can find her at her blog http://www.eileenbell.com/.

Jumping OUT of the Circle of Craziness!

2011-02-23T05:54:00.005-07:00

"It's not what you do but why you do it."
That is a quote I jotted down while listening to Robert and Kathie Fetveit from Elijah House. Sometimes I hate when the truth of me comes out at seminars surrounded by a bunch of strangers! 'Cause I never have kleenex!

Robert and Kathie were explaining the Performance Orientation Cycle some of us (Me) have gotten trapped into. It starts with good intentions. Like if I'm feeling sluggish, a bit down on my life, I'll figure I need to do something, like maybe read a self-help book or maybe join another club, or maybe start another blog project. Then yea! I feel better! I'm learning, I'm gaining new contacts, I'm being recognized. So I keep doing, adding more but the recognition, the applause stops to matter because my check lists of things I need to do just keeps getting bigger, and soon I can't keep up. I get down on myself.

"It's too much!" I silently scream.

So I quit, stop performing, say I don't need this, I just want the simple life. Television and easy reading, here I come! Then I get down on myself for not performing. I'm in the Black Hole. I got to get out. I got to feel better. Maybe a self-help book? Or join that new dance club? Or sign up for that on-line course? Something. So I start to perform. Things get better. I'm back on top of the world! But, what? I can't keep up? I'm falling behind. I need to get out. I quit. I feel sad. I find something that will make me feel good. And so on and so on and so on....

Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest in your souls.
Matthew 11:28-29 NIV

When walking in a circle, I always knew where I was going. Knew how to react, and what to expect when I got to certain points. So when I recently found myself behind on my on-line course, my Google Reader with 1000plus unread blogs, my 100's of photos unlabeled, I threw up my hands, but then I remembered the Performance Circle and recognized where I was at.

And stepped out. And wow, it feels good to be out of that crazy circle!

So, friend, if you find yourself somewhere on the Performance Orientation Cycle, I pray you rest today.

Rest knowing you are enough. Rest knowing what others think of you is not important. Do not strive for all the wrong reasons that leave you weary. Instead, ask to be shown where you do perform for the wrong reasons. And for the wisdom to let them go.

Getting to know you blogfest

2011-02-16T05:27:00.008-07:00

Nicole Ducleroir is hosting a Bernard Pivot Blogfest today in celebration of 500 followers. She's got prizes too, so hop over and get to know your fellow bloggers better, or meet some new ones!

Okay, here's Bernard Pivot's famous questionnaire:
What is your favorite word?
Rivisible.
I just learned this word from my brother's Ipad Dictionary App. So, it's a new favorite.

What is your least favorite word?
Breathe and breath. But only when it is over-used in writing. I want to throw a book across the room when I read it more than once within a few pages.

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
People. Being around lots of people, like after a concert or conference. And music. And plays. And I really good scripted movie. And an interesting tree. And abandoned houses. And benches. Lots of stuff really--we live in a world that was 'created' after all!

What turns you off?
Siblings arguing. It just tires me out! So creativity hides until there is peace in the house-hold again.

What is your favorite curse word?
Balderdash. Interesting how it's original meaning was a disgusting cocktail! Now it's just nonsense!

What sound or noise do you love?
Moving water, like waves, creeks, rivers, fountains.

What sound or noise do you hate?
Dripping taps!

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
An outfitter that guides people, telling historical stories of the places we visit.

What profession would you not like to do?
Recycling Centre Engineer. I recycle but don't want to be the one picking through my blue bags later.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
There's no 'if' in my answer 'cause I believe in heaven 100%. I'm hoping He'll say "Welcome to My Kingdom, daughter."

How about you? Got a word that drives you crazy? Or one you love?

Next Wednesday I'll be writing on recognizing our Performance Cycles.

Just tell me what to do...

2011-02-09T05:00:00.006-07:00

Mark Hall, lead singer Casting Crowns

Just tell me what to do...

There’s this song by Casting Crowns called "Somewhere in the Middle" that makes my heart clench.

A few of the lyrics:

Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves

Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You'll find me

“...between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves.” That’s me alright, but probably a little more to the left of the middle, my hand only trailing in the water, my feet as dry as paper.

There are times I’ve been very tempted to take that leap of faith, when I felt a stirring, sometimes a definite ‘voice’ telling me it’s time to take that next step, the BIG one. Usually it’s when I’m alone, on my walk, or driving in my car with inspirational tunes playing loudly on satellite radio. And I say Yeah! It’s time! Then I walk through my door, with bills collected from my mailbox, two teenagers waiting for dinner, maybe a message from the school counselor waiting to be heard on my phone, and a toilet that is leaking again.

Really, voice, it’s time??

For me, as a believer, the voice is the Holy Spirit. Well, I think it is but I do wonder if I get it mixed up with my ego, my wants, instead of His. Or I over-ride His nudges with my fears, my self-doubts, my question of “what if I make a mistake?”

"Somewhere between my faith and my plans....you’ll find me."

I want to be faithful but I know my Holy Spirit muscle is weak. It’s a muscle that I need to strengthen. Brad Jersak, author Can you hear me? spoke regarding Direction and Guidance at Breakforth Canada 2011, and gave a few suggestions to help us work our HS muscle.

One is to go to someone who you owe an apology to. It could be as simple of an apology as “Sorry, I borrowed your socks without asking last week.” Take note of the part of you that wants to run away and know that is the ‘flesh’, the ego. Then take note of the part of you that feels right. That is the Holy Spirit.

Another is to pray, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. You may pray “Holy Spirit, you live inside me, make me attentive to your responses when I step forth in faith.”

And lastly, pray a prayer and then LISTEN. Give Him a turn to answer. Sometimes I’ve done this through ‘instant messaging’ journaling. Example:

Lynn: How am I doing?

G: You’re my daughter. I’ll always love you.

(Ohh...I just got shivers from writing/hearing that)

How are you doing? Do you find yourself on the far right, or the far left, or somewhere in the middle?

Good and Beautiful Life

2011-02-01T22:22:00.001-07:00

I spent my past weekend at Breakforth Canada 2011 and it is now a couple of days later, but I'm still (happily) recovering from lack of sleep. With over 8,000 attendees and popular author/speakers such as Dr. Kevin Lehman, Dr. Gary Chapman, John and Stacey Eldredge, and muscians such as Casting Crowns, Paul Baloche, Bluetree, and more, it was worth losing a few zzzz's!

I learned to the point my head was spinning by late Sunday evening but thankfully I took notes. And will share a few insights over the next few weeks, and hope you'll take away tools that inspire you too.

From James Bryan Smith, author of many books including Good and Beautiful Life series I was reminded again how I can work from the false believe that "I am what I accomplish" rather than "I am what I do." In the hurry of getting one thing done to accomplish the next task, or, worse, add on another commitment, I think I'm doing more. But the reality is that when I say Yes to a new task, I'm saying No to another, and pushing my priorities down.

According to Smith's studies the three priorities we drop are the most important in our lives.

1. First thing dropped is God time

2. Second thing dropped is time with family and friends

3. Third thing dropped is self-care

It isn't alway easy to keep priorities straight in a world that awards speed. In a world where technology is a few steps ahead of us, we're trying to catch the ball that's rolling downhill instead of waiting until even ground. Did you know the average American spends 7 hours a day behind a screen? And I'm not talking on the job or work screen time. I mean computer, televison, smart phones, electronic games.... I'm not saying technology is bad either. I like technology. What I don't like is that technology, along with the need to appear accomplished by hurrying to complete another thing, causes my priorities to shift in the wrong direction.

To combat the false negative that we are what we accomplish, to deal with our 'hurry' mentality, we need to have the courage to take responsiblity for our schedule, get out of the fast lane even though it does appear flashier, and more accomplished. (Smith said to try this literaly--drive behind the car driving 10 miles below the speed limit to combat 'hurry sickness'). Because remember, there is only so much time. When you say Yes to one thing, you are saying No to another.

One participate in the seminar mentioned how people these days are willing to give resources when asked for help--a website, a book referral, an article--but not their time. Yet, I believe God built us for community, for connection, for time with one another.

The slow lane, the right lane on the highway, goes in the same direction as the fast lane, and ends at the same place. But the questions are, what did you do along the way? how did you spend your time? When you are at your destination, how would you answer the question: "Did you have the courage to control your schedule according to what is most important in life?"

Interview with Lynn Dove-author of the "Wounded Trilogy"

2011-01-25T05:12:00.004-07:00

Lynn Dove is a graduate of the University of Calgary, where she earned her Bachelor of Education degree in 1981, she has spent the last thirty years teaching children in the private and public school settings. In 2007, she earned a Masters of Religious Education degree from the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary, in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada.
Tell me something about yourself?

I am a Christ-follower, a wife, a mom, a soon-to be grandmother, a teacher and a writer (in that order). I wear so many different “hats” that I find prioritizing them tends to focus me better. I have been married to my best friend, Charles for 32 years and we have three wonderful children: daughter, Laurelle (husband, Matt) are expecting our first grand baby in February, and we have two live-at-home teenagers, Brett and Carmen. I have been a teacher most of my adult life, and I still substitute from time to time at the private Christian school my teenagers attend. I love volunteering and working closely with the youth in our church as well. Lastly, when I’m not writing, I’m reading. I love to blog and when I’m not blogging, I’m working on my next book.

Do you have a life verse that you have claimed and why is it so meaningful to you?

My husband, Charles and I have claimed this life verse: “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 Through our nearly 32 years of marriage, this verse has sustained us through all the ups and downs of life knowing we may make our plans but God is always in control… AND He allows U-turns!

What led you to write your “Wounded Trilogy” books? Why did you target youth with these books?

Having been an educator for over thirty years, and I discovered that there are still very few good contemporary Christian books for a young adult audience.

Youth today are under such a spiritual attack from the enemy. He wants to destroy their spirit and he does it subtly by surrounding them with worldly messages that make them question their looks, their intelligence, as well as their hope for tomorrow. I wanted to write books that deal with relevant themes, but with a definitive Christian message running throughout: the hope in Jesus Christ.

I also wanted my young readers to know that everyone makes mistakes; Christians are not excluded from that. Scripture teaches us to “love one another” even when they make mistakes, however our actions speak louder than our words at times. I have seen wonderful young people crumble from the constant barrage of cyberspace bullying, malicious gossip and innuendo. Insensitive words and blatant lies can lead to deep emotional scarring sometimes with tragic consequences. My books deal with gritty topics such as “cutting”, bullying, gossip, family violence and cancer. We are not excluded from tough situations just because we are Christians, on the contrary it is exactly in those tough times that God comes alongside us and helps us. I want my young readers to understand that they are never alone; God is their ever present comfort and strength in everything they are going through.

Could you tell us a little bit about your books?

Shoot the Wounded, the first book of the Wounded Trilogy, is written for youth and young adults. It addresses how lies and gossip destroy a person's spirit and speaks to the heart of relevant themes such as bullying, teen pregnancy and family violence. The story points the characters, and ultimately the reader, to hope in Jesus Christ. STW was a finalist in the 2010 Readers Favorite Book Awards.

Heal the Wounded, is the much-anticipated sequel to STW and the second book of the Wounded Trilogy. HTW delves even deeper into the real world of teenagers trying to live out their faith in the midst of upset and struggle. Heal the Wounded, continues to follow the characters, Jake, Leigh, Mike (Jake's best friend), and Tim (Ronnie's brother) each of them dealing with the aftermath of their friend’s death in the first book. Jake is especially dealing with a variety of disappointments (“Job” experiences I call them) that cause him to question why God allows bad things to happen to good people. A new character is introduced into the story, Cassidy, a young cancer patient whose unquenchable spirit and faith impacts Jake, Leigh, Mike and Tim in a way that allows them all to experience God's grace and the power of His healing in each one of their lives.

Both STW and HTW have been selected as helpful resources on the world’s largest anti-bullying website: www.bullying.org

I hope to have Love the Wounded, the final book in the trilogy published next year. I am also writing an autobiographical account about my experiences and personal battle with breast cancer, and I am working on putting that book proposal together to submit to prospective publishers next year.

What advice would you give to young writers who are thinking about becoming published authors?

I have been asked often to give advice to young writers and truly the best advice I could give is this:

Write!

I believe everyone has a story inside of them. As a teacher, I encourage my students to write poetry, journal, write short stories and novellas. The more one writes, the more you improve and polish your craft. Write about things that appeal to you, write from the heart and write from experience. Much of my writing is based on my personal experiences and I believe God allows us to go through these experiences for a reason. Writing allows us the opportunity to share our life lessons with others. If God has called you to write…just WRITE!

I actually wrote Shoot the Wounded well over ten years ago. It started out as a short story and after I had written one hundred pages I knew I couldn’t consider it a “short” story any longer. Then the manuscript literally (hahaha) took up space on the hard drive of my computer for ten years. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 and battled the disease for two years. My family and I experienced God profoundly through that time and certainly to many I am considered a “survivor” today but I hope I have done much more than survive, I hope I have “thrived”!

I wanted to share part of that experience with my readers, so in Heal the Wounded, the main character’s mom is going through breast cancer and I write about how a family copes with that in the book.

The next piece of advice to young writers is:

Read!

I don’t think it is possible to be a writer if you don’t like to read. I read all genres and because I write primarily for young adults and teens I try to read all the books that they may be interested in.

Do you have any publishing and/or marketing advice for new writers?

I am still a “rookie” for all intents and purposes when it comes to publishing and marketing a book. For me, I find that writing a book is a relatively simple thing, but marketing a book can be extremely challenging, time-consuming, occasionally frustrating and discouraging. I have learned over this year to network with other authors, especially Christian authors who have experience with publishing, and those like me who are new to it. Some online social networking sites have given me the opportunity to meet some wonderful writers and authors who have been more than willing to share their expertise, their successes and failures with me. I have learned that book signings can be fun, only if you go into them with the attitude that you might not sell one book, but you’ll meet lots of interesting people.

One thing I would tell new authors is to not feel shy about purposefully promoting yourself in the marketplace. I think that was one of the hardest things for me to do initially. As Christians, we value a humble attitude, but as authors the louder and bolder we are in promoting ourselves to our readers the more books they will buy and read. Some self-published or POD (print on demand) authors are quite content to write for a select audience, family and friends, but for those of us who want to reach a larger, more world-wide audience, we need to be prepared to create a “buzz” about the book. The only way to do that is to get people talking about it. Word of mouth is huge!

That said, I think it is also important to ask yourself the questions ahead of time about what your personal goals are with publishing a book. I applaud my publisher, Word Alive Press for asking some pointed questions up front in their publishing questionnaire. One question in particular prompted me to prayerfully consider my personal goals: “What is the one thing, (the most important thing) you would like to accomplish with your manuscript (book)?” I remember I wrote, “My hope is that teenagers and young adults who read this book will be touched by the message in the story and ultimately that this book and any others I write will bring Glory to God.”

Other:

To celebrate the launch of Heal the Wounded, Lynn will be hosting a contest on January 25th on her blog, Journey Thoughts http://lynndove.wordpress.com/

Bring on the aliens!

2011-01-18T05:25:00.004-07:00

Oh my goodness! I can't believe how many things you use to be organized! Let it go girl!!:)) Terri Tiffany

Ah, Terri, I'm trying!

Organization is good, until you spend more time organizing instead of doing. I've come to realize my over-organization methods are not only a symptom of procrastination, but also food for my neediness to be in control. And I'm getting fat. Fat on rules and analytical thought instead of free with prose and creative expression.

So I browsed my writing book shelf, picked up Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones and from the back cover read: "The secret of creativity....is to subtract the rules for writing....a process of uneducation..."
And flipping it open, in the Chapter titled 'First Thoughts' I read Rule #4: "Lose Control"

To lose control, Goldberg directs to "burn through to first thoughts, to the place where energy is unobstructed by social politeness....to capture the oddities of your mind."

Oddities. Now that is a scarey place for me. I remember being directed by a writing teacher to 'let go', and she gave us a writing prompt. I wrote of an older couple, the wife chattering away to her non-responsive, newspaper reading husband, and when he finally pulled the newspaper away to give her an annoyed look, aliens were climbing out of his nose.

When I lose control, I see 'aliens.'
I've hated writing prompts ever since!
Funny thing is though, I have never forgotten writing that story. And 'odd' characters tend to be my favourites, like Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter.

I have three short stories in revision currently and I am making it a goal to work through a writing prompt book written by my local writer's guild I won recently. I wonder where the 'aliens' will come from this time...

Do you still 'practice' writing with writing prompts or other methods?

Time for a Team Re-Org?

2011-01-11T05:21:00.003-07:00

First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.

Napoleon Hill

Yes, the beginning is in your Imagination. And then planning the execution of what you imagine, with team members Productivity and Creativity. And the leader, the project manager, Organization.

But what happens when Organization becomes a micro-manager? Well, most business guru leaders will tell you, micro-management leads to a decrease in productivty and creativity.

I'm kind of an expert in Organization. Actually Organizationitis is more like it. I have three--oops, make that four calenders. I have my Polestar Daily spiral calender nicely split up into three columns; personal, work, appointments. I have my Daily Activity Calender for gratitudes, successes, and to list the 6 most important things to do each day. I have my Google Calender for my contract work, and my Outlook Calender for the company who oversees my work.

I also have my Morning Pages Journal, my Prayer Journal, my Goal Binder, and my Success Group Spiral Notebook.

I carry around with me at least four mechanical pencils because they are the only type of pencils I will use in my Polestar Calender. And fine point BLUE pens (black goes in the garbage) for all my journals. All four of my calenders are with me at all times (2 on my Blackberry). Oh, and I have two laptops-one I carry for work daily and another is my personal laptop. When I travel over night I bring both along with my calenders and journals. And along with two magazines (photo and news/women's mag), two books (one non-fiction, one fiction), and my spiral idea notebook.

I'm thinkin' an I-Pad may be my perscription for my 'disease.' But maybe I'll miss the satisfaction of placing check marks beside my completions with my blue coloured mechanical pencils (blue for done, green for need to be done).

Oh Lord, I really do need help...

Today I noticed a check mark was not in my Polestar Personal column beside an old entry, Revisions/Edits. This means Creativity and Productivity did not do their job!

Do I have a ‘chat’ with Creativity and Productivity? Or do I fire Organization? Because obviously she does not have a handle on her team if they are not completing their work!

Help! Does anyone else suffer from Organizationitis? How do you keep your Imagination team in order especially so one does not dominate the other?

Seeking the Different

2011-01-03T05:48:00.003-07:00

Can I follow you? Are you guys on Twitter?

Recently I heard an interview on CBC with a professor who studied creativity. One group of participants were asked to describe the different shades of blue on flash cards. Another group of participants were asked to do the same, however, while recording their answers, they heard another (control) person close in range recording answers describing the blue colour as green (even though they were describing the blue colour too).

The findings were that the participants who had heard the control group describe the colour blue as green were much more creative in their descriptions of the colour blue. For example, instead of describing blue as traditional answers such as 'blue sky,' and 'baby blue,' they may say 'Caribbean blue,' and 'newborn eye blue.' The experiment emphasized how important it is to open ourselves to others who think completely different from us to stay creative, and connected with the larger world we live in.

So often we only hear how important it is to surround ourselves with like-minded people, those who support our opinions so we can grow stronger in our own convictions. But does this thinking not create a bubble around us; make our world smaller instead of bigger? Maybe even make us prejudice and self-righteous?

I challenge you, as you make your goals and New Year's resolution for 2011, to create a way to connect to someone or a group who think completely different than you do. It could be as simple as following someone on Twitter who is Jewish if you are Christian, or vice versa. Or reading a book arguing against what you believe.

This isn't about changing your believes. Instead, it's seeking to understand and creating connections. And this isn't about seeking others who think differently to find the commonality. We already have that.

Love.

What step can you do today to break a bubble? Or what habit can you create to increase your creativity through seeking out others who think differently than you?

A Christmas Wish

2010-12-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

Tom Smith, a baker from Clerkenwell, London invented the Christmas Cracker in 1847. Thanks for all that answered my question in my last post. (And for visiting my photo site.) I discovered the Christmas Cracker IS a tradition celebrated in the Commonwealth Countries and the UK. But, my American friends I do recommend you try it, especially for the colourful paper hats, creating grins all-around at the Christmas dinner table!

May you be surrounded by sweetness and your heart be filled with love this Christmas. And always, always may you have a heartful of hope, forever.

And Merry Christmas!

And thank YOU for sharing your hopes and dreams. You inspire me.

God Bless!

Just a quick question...do you or don't you?

2010-12-19T17:27:00.000-07:00

So, often, at least for me, what I think is normal, and what I believe everyone knows about, is not the case at all. This reminds me that we live in a BIG world, and as important as it is for us to surround ourselves with people who share our values, or who our 'like-minded', it is equally important to be open, to find ways to connect with others outside our circle of friends, peers, co-workers, churches, comfortable community. Not only does this expand our vision of the world and possibly create new connections for us, but allowing in others who are completely different makes us more creative. A recent scientific study has even proved this to be true, which I'll share in another post. But right now, I simply have a question for you, especially to my American friends, but anyone can answer.

It'll just take a second. Pop over to HERE at my Photo Site. I'll post the results with some history on this Christmas "tradition" next week.

Connecting with Community

2010-12-07T18:33:00.001-07:00

Today from Reverb10-
Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or
otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more
deeply connect with in 2011?

A few years ago I was involved in a women's business development group. One of our exercises was to create a personal mission statement. The first step was to remember our favourite activity as a child and write a paragraph on how we felt when we were in that space, as little girls. The second step was meditating on what mades us feel complete as a woman and write how we felt when we we complete that activity. The third step was to fill in the following with the words that showed up most in the writings completed during the excercises.

I, Lynn, create ____________ through _________.

Mine became I, Lynn create connections through stories.
Neat huh?
That is how, about 2 years later, I decided my blog URL would be Connecting Stories and the title, Place to Create. I've decided to change the title recently to Connecting Stories.

Creating connections is important to me but, being somewhat on the introverted, shy side, I'm not always sure on how to create community. Being a single parent for many years, I do have a soft spot for woman who are struggling to make ends meet and who want to create a better life for themselves. But how do I help them?

I believe with all my heart stories connect us. A story can make one feel less alone, more connected with one's world. This is the reason I write. This is the reason I blog. I know they are steps to a bigger vision to create connections in my community and then extend to all communities. But the vision is still unclear to me. Maybe the fog will lift a little more in 2011. For now, I can just keep doing, and hope, and pray even during my darkest days.

Did you create connections in your community in 2010? Are there connections you'd like to add to your vision for 2011?

Book Making

2010-12-06T21:36:00.001-07:00

I won this t-shirt at my local writers guild book event this weekend. It came in a bag with lots of other great goodies that I'll share throughout December. I had a lucky day (and my sister says I should buy a lotto ticket now)!

At Reverb10, the December challenge has begun. I just came across this yesterday and thought, why not? December isn't busy enough right? Regardless, I haven't done a blog challenge since Creative Boot Camp in the summer, and need a kick in the booty. In this challenge, a prompt for a blog post is sent daily.

Today's is : Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you

use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time
for it?

When my children were young I sewed a lot. I loved the detail of cutting patterns and the sliding of material, all different kinds of textures, through my hands as the sewing machine stitched. The stitch remover was my favourite tool. Now, I rarely sew, finding WalMart more economical. But I do miss creating beyond a computer screen.

I purchased a pretty scrapbook at Chapters a few years ago with the intention of creating a 'dream book.' I wanted to cut pictures from magazines representing my dreams and make story pages. I did create one page, of my dream guy. But when it didn't work, when I was still divorcee single after a year or so, I ripped the photos and words off the page and left it blank for a while. Then last summer I bought those special double sided markers in bold colours and began copying favourite lines from books. I have one page done, and my hope is that the book will be fully filled of meaningful quotes that my off-spring can display on a table at my funeral. Kind of morbid I know, but I should have, God willing, a lot of time to fill those pages!

What are you making these days? Got a project you've always wanted to start? Will 2011 be the year you do make something new?

The Hating Game Blog Splash

2010-12-01T01:00:00.001-07:00

My favourite bonus of blogging is supporting new authors!!

Help Talli Roland's debut novel THE HATING GAME hit the Kindle bestseller list at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk by spreading the word today. Even a few sales in a short period of time on Amazon helps push the book up the rankings, making it more visible to other readers.

Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/hNBkJk
Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/hX2ieD

No Kindle? Download a free app at Amazon for Mac, iPhone, PC, Android and more.
Coming soon in paperback. Keep up with the latest at http://www.talliroland.com/.

About THE HATING GAME:

When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £2000,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes. Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end?

One-Winged Woes

2010-11-29T05:31:00.005-07:00

The hardest part of being slinged up from shoulder surgery isn't that I have had bad hair for a month (although that is one of my top ten whines) but that I haven't been able to hold my DSLR camera and do my Morning Pages. I can type one handed but that doesn't replace free flow writing, the emptying of thoughts congested, that my morning pages can do. These three pages of unedited writing done right upon waking helps me clear my mind of unneccessary worries and creates solutions to nagging issues. And so much more.

Julia Cameron, author of the must read The Artist's Way, explains the value of Morning Pages which, honestly, I didn't buy into until I tried it myself. And now value even more since I am tied up,so to speak!

Morning pages have become a tool for my creative writing too. Writing without the inner editor nagging me on spelling, syntax, and dangling modifiers frees me to experiment with words. And sometimes a phrase will arise that is perfect for a scene for my WIP. Are there tools you use to keep creativity flowing?

Have you ever had a time your favourite things to do were impossible? And does anyone know how to create a ponytail with one hand? :)

Justice or show Mercy?

2010-11-22T05:55:00.012-07:00

About a year ago my cat was stolen. Not lost; stolen.

How do I know?
Because the thief contacted me.

Shortly after letting Zues outside I received a phone call.
"You have a black cat called Zues?" she asked.
"Yes," I replied. What kind of trouble had he got himself into?
Then, the unexpected.
"You b.....! You stole my Cuddles and put a new collar on him."
What? "Umm..no. That's my cat you got." This woman obviously messed up.
"My cat. And you were bad to him!"
No. He'd been at the vet a couple of days before for a shave and dental work.
"Sweetie," I said calmly, my knuckles white holding the phone. "Where do you live?"
"My cat and you'll never get him again!"
Click.
Shock.
Then I sprinted into action calling on my neighbour first. And after ringing a few other doorbells and still no Zues to be found, she remembered the lady on the corner. The one who rarely left her house. She told me to stay out of sight as she knocked on her door, a few miutes later walking toward me with just Zues' collar in hand.
"Call the police."
I called. I waited. The police didn't come. Who could blame them? Just a stolen cat.

But then she came, driving her black SUV. As she was at my neighbour's door yelling, I opened the door to her truck but didn't have time to search for Zues. She pushed me aside. I started punching her.

Now she's got at least a few inches and a 100 pounds on me.
And I've never hit anyone in my life. But having your family pet stolen is just about as bad as seeing your kid walk away with a stranger.

She grabbed me by my shoulders, threw me aside, got back in her truck and sped away. She'd told my neighbour she was going to have Zues micro-chipped at the Humae Society. Finally a moment in my favour. Zues had a tatoo in his ear identifying him to me. I called the police again.

The police did arrest her at the Humane Society. But Zues got loose. He jumped out of the box as he was being transferred into the police cruiser. We haven't seen him since.

"Do you want to lay charges?" the police officer asked
I hesitated. Then, "Yes, I do. Assault and theft."

Which was the right thing to do, right?

Recently I heard Priscilla Shirer share the story of Daniel, a young man who danced in front of the first row at every church service she attended. He danced because of second chances. See, Daniel parents were mentally challenged and left him to be raised by his grandparents. As a young teen he got caught up in the drug crowd, shot and killed a man. After serving his time in youth detention, at 18 he awaited his sentencing, fully expecting to go to jail. Instead, he was set free. The grandmother of the boy he shot wrote a letter, asking Daniel to be pardoned.
So Daniel dances in gratitude for second chances and an act of mercy.

So I question if I should have been more forgiving, more merciful.
See, there's something just not right with my cat stealing neighbour. I don't know what but she rarely leaves her home, walks her dogs at odd hours in her pajamas, and stares out her patio window, open even in frigid weather, chain smoking.

I don't know her story.

I do know she will probably never marry, have kids, hold a full-time job, be in the parks of Paris; things I have and dream (and able) to do.

Justice or mercy. How do you choose?

A must contest to check out! And sweet, informative blog especially if you have any medical questions needed answering for your WIP.
Lydia's 500 follower contest
http://lydiakang.blogspot.com/

Life Interrupted?

2010-11-15T05:11:00.005-07:00

Still healing from ligament surgery in my shoulder, I type this message one-handed. And since I am right-handed, using only my left has been challenging especially for tasks such as printing. And driving! Thankfully I have an automatic transmission.

Life stuff like a surgery,or a surprise pregnancy, or a job loss, or a forced re-location, or an illness can knock us off our well intentioned road. And, wow, that can be frustrating when the plans we've spent so much time creating start to crumble like cookies in milk.

I'll never forget the moment 18 years ago when I felt that familiar nauseating sensation. No, couldn't be. But a trip to the medical centre confirmed my fear. The doctor was surprised by my tears.

"A baby is a joyful gift," he said.

"But I didn't plan this!" I wailed. "And my son is only 6 months old and going through surgeries for club feet! I can't do this again yet!"

"It will all work out," he advised and shooed me home to tell the 'good news' to my husband.

Well, the verbage that I released out of my mouth that day was far from 'good news.' I cried. I was scared I couldn't handle three very young children.

Currently I'm completing the study of Jonah-Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer. (Now talk about a guy whose life was interrupted. More on that in another post.) In a video segment of the study, Shirer has a woman hold a glass of water and she shakes her arm causing the water to spill out of the glass illustrating that when our life is shaken up, what's inside of us spills out.

And it isn't always pretty.

But, thankfully, we always have a chance to redeem ourselves.

And, thankfully, our shake ups bring us gifts beyond our limited plans.

Tessa, my now 17 year old, and I in Tofino this past summer.

"Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding." Proverbs 3:5

Is there a 'shake up' you'd like prayer for today? Or a gift you received from an 'interruption?'

A few random thoughts

2010-11-09T11:53:00.002-07:00

November 11th at 11am in 1918 (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month) the first world war ended in the UK. At 11am on November 11th, known as Remembrance Day in Commonwealth Countries, a minute of silence across classrooms, homes, work places, and celebrations pauses all to remember those who did and are defending our right to a peaceful life. Over at Just Jemi, fellow Canadian blogger Jemi shares a video of Canadian Country music artists singing a beautiful tribute to our veterans. This song crosses all nations and I encourage you to treat yourself and check it out.

Today, the Giller Prize winner will be announced. Since I've been home recovering watching daytime television, I am able to watch interviews of the 5 authors nominated. Fascinating. When I pick up a new book I read about the author on the jacket cover before even reading the description of the story. If I had a chance of a do-over, I would pursue journalism, specializing in book reviews and interviewing authors. Is there an author you would love to interview?

The shortlisted Giller Prize nominees (and books you may want to check out)

1. The Matter with Morris by David Bergen
2. Light Lifting by Alexander MacLeod
3. The Cake is for the Party by Sarah Selecky
4. The Sentamentalists by Johanna Skibskrud
5. Annabel by Kathleen Winter

Imagine if your name was on a national award list!

Lastly, I've dislocated my shoulder ALOT. And many people would ask me if I do the Mel Gibson move to get it back in.
Short answer is NO!
That looks like it hurts way too much.
My daughter watched a video the other day of one of those escape artist. Apparently he dislocates his shoulders to get out of his wrappings. I think that's plain crazy!!

How far would you go for your story? If your character was jumping out of an airplane would you go do the same just to experience for yourself to help you get into your character's head? Me? I'd rather just put the pair of shoes on I'd think my character would be wearing, a trick I learned when taking acting lessons.

Warning: This video is not for the sqeamish!

Time to just do it!

2010-10-31T21:20:00.002-06:00

In September I wrote about my Dislocated Shoulder Event in a post about obstacles. Now it's time to face that obstacle! On November 2nd I'm off to face the surgery I've been procrastinating for a year. Good thing is that I'll have two weeks off work and hope to feel well enough to write, complete revisions and catch up in Google Reader!

Have you won any battles with procrastination lately?

And Susan Fields is featuring non-fiction books on her blog AND a contest. Check it out here: Susan Fields Back from Haitus Contest

Always something happening.

2010-10-25T05:00:00.003-06:00

The one thing all famous authors, world class athletes, business tycoons, singers, actors, and celebrated achievers in any field have in common is that they all began their journeys when they were none of these things.
Yet still, they began their journeys.
Mike Dooley

Having dinner with a friend this weekend, I exposed my dilemma to her of not knowing what my next step is for writing and photography. "I want to take them to the next level."

"And what's the next level?" she asked, scooping another delicious spoonful of her pumpkin soup.

"You know, more of the professional variety. I'm stuck in amatuer mode." My spoon lay lonesome, untouched beside my steaming soup.

"Are you writing and shooting?"

"Yes. But you know....just journaling, blogging, joined a writing group, posting photos daily on my photo blog. That stuff. Not much."

Her soup bowl was so empty at this point I may have believed she licked it if I hadn't been watching her while she ate. "Just doing is okay you know." And she went on to tell me about the Mike Dooley CD she's listening to, describing his journey from where he was to where he is now.

"He just kept doing something. And opportunity opened as he went."

I finally picked up my spoon, my soup now distastefully chilled.

I should have just eaten it when it was placed in front of me. There's no reason why I couldn't have eaten and listened at the same time.

Sometimes I focus so much on what is around me, in front and behind, I forget what is already offered to me, steamy hot and ready to be devoured.

Earlier that day I attended an event on Writing for Magazines at the Literary Festival for Non Fiction Writers. The speaker was Lawrence Scanlan, journalist and author of several books, his most recent A Year of Living Generously. In the room were editors, writers, and aspiring writers. I fell in the last category because I am unpublished. "What is the road to publication?" the editors were asked by the aspiring writers.

"Call me," they said.

If you haven't been published, and do not have a CV to send, then they are happy to have you pitch your idea over a coffee. When sending a pitch, keep it to no more than two pages. And make sure it's a topic that hasn't already been done to death.

And what was Scanlan's advise? Read, read, read, and write, write, write even if it's just blogging or journaling.

But why does that not seem to be enough to me?

I do like magazines and have thought I'd like to write for one one day. But when presented with a table of free magazines right at this event, I only picked up two. One a literary magazine of stories and poems and the other a glossy mag advertising a photo essay feature on its front cover.

Enough for me.

Stories and photos.

I'd say maybe I'm more focused than I think I am.

And just by doing the everyday of reading, journaling, taking shots, posting photos, working on a story for my new writing group, writing this blog, I am moving forward, something is always happening.

Thankfully I have wonderful friends to remind me.

And, by the way, I devoured the rest of my meal while still steamin' hot!

What can you give yourself credit for today? You just might be doing even better than you think!

Playing the game

2010-10-18T05:04:00.005-06:00

This week I received my winnings from participating in Michelle Davidson Argyle's blog tour for her self-published novella, Cinders. The shell hair clips are adorable!

To find out more about Michelle you can visit her at her
Website. She is also a contributer to The Literary Lab where she discusses writing as well as her experiences of self-publishing. You can purchase Cinders by Michelle Davidson Argyle Here. It is also available as an ebook at Kindle.com and Smashwords.com.
I'm still waiting to receive my copy but here are a few Reviews at Good Reads from others who have read Cinders.

I do like Literary Fiction. I do like Contemporary Fiction. And I like YA and Science Fi. I like Supernatural themes and Realistic Fiction. I love to read and lately I've been spending more time reading than writing, justifying my reading time as 'studying the craft of writing.' And that's 50% true.

The other 50% is I've been sliding out of the game of life, becoming less engaged, going into hiding. A wave of sadness from lost dreams, from worries of my current work, and my heightened believe in my inabilites rather than abilities drowns me from playing the game, taking a chance at rolling the dice. I know of one way to get above this wave and ride the waters. And that's to get back to journaling every morning, writing my gratitudes and successes.

Another way is to do something that completely scares me, where my senses are heightened like an eagle diving for her prey. I'm not sure what that something is yet. Have you ever crawled out of a cave and jumped over a cliff into rushing, unknown waters to become alive again?

Discovering the Idol

2010-10-04T08:32:00.001-06:00

(Note: I'll be changing my name next week from Place to Create to Connecting Stories)

Over at Patti Neilson's Place , she created a challenge for writers to log their writing hours in the hopes of seeing how we are using our time. And how much writing we are actually doing. You can see and cheer on everyone that participated by heading over to her place.

How did I do?

Well on Wednesday I did 4 hours of revision on a short story. Now I could see this as failure because that isn't that much. But, nah. It is four hours more than I did the week before. So, I'm keepin my glass half full instead of half empty. How's your glass today?

Don't be decieved, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift if from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:16-17)

I had one of those kick in the gut moments this weekend. You might know the one. The one you just look up afterwards and say sorry and thanks in the same breath. The one where you start to get it. See, I was driving home from Saturday night church (the band rocked, by the way) wondering where I might be commiting idoltary--what I might fear losing the most, what gives me identity and makes me secure, what I'd like to known for.

Couldn't think of a darn thing.

Then whack. See just moments before I'd been speaking to the head of our church book club. We'd been asked to bring books from our home collections to a charity that takes care of the homeless and they'd prefer the classics. Classics? You want me to give up my Dickens, Laurence, Hemingway, Tolstoy? Nah. But I do have a few suspense and contemporary novels I could part with.

See, I have a row of classics in my living room bookshelf. Right there, high and mighty, so if anyone visits they can see I am a well-read, almost up there with the academics, person. And, well then, obviously smart. And deserving of their praise.

Whack. See where I'm going with this? I've been idolizing books. I've been using them to show my identity. And I feel angry or threatened if asked to give them up.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant....to put their hope in God who richly provides us everything for our enjoyment. Command them do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share." (1 Timothy 6:17-18)

So in a give-a-way book bag now lies Great Expectations, War and Peace, and a few others. It's not easy. But nor is it easy to live trying to rely on things and praise of others to feel worthy. He already sees me as worthy of His love. Even when I whack myself a time or two.

Are you hanging on to anything that gives you a strong sense of identity?

Beginning endings

2010-09-27T05:43:00.011-06:00

Do you recognize this ending? (Answer at end of post)

Someone once asked me why I write my last line first. And I didn't have an answer. I didn't know. I guessed it was because I liked to know where I was going, where I was heading, submerged in control.

But writing this post today, of lines that I've heard from movies and ones I've read that never let me go, I realized something.

All are from endings.

And I realized that endings never let me go. Words, phrases from movies, stories, linger in my thoughts, delighting and haunting. Words, phrases that I come back to again and again creating inspiration for my own writing, stay.

Sometimes I feel like I am in an ocean of words merged into one. None is no longer different than the other. But with each slight movement I create a wave separating, changing, chaos until settling occurs, each word in a different place. Then once again merging into one.

The words are alway there. Stories change.
And even when they end, we never, ever lose the words.
There are no endings.

Maybe I write the last line first because it is the beginning.

From Titanic
Rose: A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets.

From Bull Durham:
CRASH: I got a lotta time to hear your theories and I wanta hear every damn one of 'em...but right now
I'm tired and I don't wanta think about baseball and I don't wanta think about Quantum Physics... I
I don't wanta think about nothing...
(beat)
I just wanta be.
ANNIE: I can do that, too.

From A River Runs Through It.
Eventually,all things merge into one...
and a river runs through it.
The river was cut by the world's great flood...
and runs over rocks from the basement of time.
On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops.
Under the rocks are the words...
and some of the words are theirs.
I am haunted by waters.

Do you have favourite words, phrases from stories or movies that delight or haunt or inspire you to begin?

(Answer: A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway. Did you get right?)

Over at Patti's place, you can log your hours to see how much time you are writing this week. To read more and join the blog hop click HERE. I know I need this to get me working on my revisions.

Integrity-Time to Surrender

2010-09-20T05:00:00.008-06:00

At the beginning of every year I choose a word. This year is INTEGRITY.
And integrity not only means being impeccible with my word to others but also to myself.

Staying in integrity, doing what you say you are going to do, builds confidence and a stick-to-it attitude.

That's the theory, anyways.

I have writing goals but...

I have a confession.
Except for margin notes, and grammar corrections, I hadn't written since Camy Tang's Revision class in July.
I blamed time.
And family trials.
And full-time job.
And my house.
And being responsible for EVERYTHING to run my household.
And other favorite excuses.

But, all crap really.

Another confession.
I fell into a 'why bother' funk.
And dropped the two classes I registered for in the Professional Writing program I've been chipping away at for 2 years.
And a long way away from completing.

And I wondered, "Am I out of integrity for not completing the goals I set for myself? OR if I don't LISTEN to my discontent?"

See, I'd convinced myself that I need formal education to become an author. And that I Must do the goals I say I am going to do or my self-esteem will plummet to a frozen state of inaction.

But as I continually completed my to-do list, reading my goals daily and doing, doing, doing, I began
falling,
falling,
falling
until I almost froze, like a fallen leaf in the frost.

The complete opposite of what staying in integrity is to create.
No stick to-it attitude.
It was more like, stick it, I've had enough!

Something's off.

So I surrendered. And am surrendering.

I've heard of surrender before, surrendering when life throws you curve balls, when dreams are shattered and seem impossible.

And then doors appear. Life opens.

It's hard surrendering.

But I've noticed that by letting my goals go these last couple of month, I'm starting to feel warmer, a light wind releasing me from the frosty ground.

And I'm sticking to projects until done. Projects not on my goal list. Projects with no end goal except maybe love.

Like my granddaughter's digital scrapbook book I made for her birthday. It's no Robert Munsh. It won't get me on the best-seller list. Or even a step toward publishing. But does that make it less valuable?

Values. That was what was missing.
See, I'd set my goals on what I thought I valued, on false believes (I mean, Agatha Christie didn't have a degree), and shoulds.

How can one stay in integrity when goals are not based on one's core values? Or based on false believes and what others think he/she should do?

How are you doing with your goals? Have you ever had to surrender?

A link you may like:
Procrastinating Writers-Your Success Identity and How it Keeps you From Writing

Encouragement-Why?

2010-09-15T16:32:00.001-06:00

THANK YOU for all your well-wishes regarding my shoulder! One good thing that came out of the event (other than three handsome paramedics in my bedroom) is I now have new obstacles ideas for my WIP.

Have you heard of Awesomeness Reminders? You can have someone call you everyday to remind you how AWESOME you are.

Kind of a neat concept.

But my wish is that you don't have to have a stranger call you daily to tell you of your awesomeness. Rather, I hope that you have an encourager.

A pastor at my church recently described an encourager as:
1. Someone who sees your potential
2. Someone who gives you his/her gift of presence
3. Someone who gives his/her strength when you fall
4. Someone who lets you step ahead even if it means he/she falls behind
5. Someone who points you toward God

I don't think anyone wakes up in the morning making a goal to DIS-encourage (different than discourage as you may want to discourage your heart-broken friend from eating that 8th bag of M&M's) someone that day. RatherI hope (and believe) we wake-up and wonder "who can I encourage today?"

Who needs your encouragement today? Tell them they are awesome and let me know how it goes! (I think you may just get some encouragement of your own.)

And from me to you:

You are AWESOME!!

Obstacles-Real ones

2010-09-10T21:09:00.000-06:00

Thanks for all your comments about cliches! Now, I'm thinking it's okay to have a cliche or two in our stories to make our characters real to readers. Just like chocolate-perfect in moderation. But how about obstacles?

One writing class said I had to have three before the resolution. Then my last professor looked at me like I was from Mars when I suggested three obstacles were elemental to our short stories. Rising climax she ageed with. But on the climb even just one obstacle can make a story.

I was thinking about this a couple of days ago when I laid in bed, alone in my house (1st obstacle), flat on my back, immobile with a dislocated shoulder, and a dead phone (2nd obstacle) that I had managed to get to my hands via my feet , and a purse minus any cell phones (third obstacle-the purse also lifted off the side of my bed via my feet, the straps looped around my ankles).

Three obstacles and I still hadn't managed to get what I wanted-a working phone so I could call my daughter who was at her dad's house, to come unlock the door and to call 911.

I finally managed to hook between my toes the power bar under my bed and the phone cradle. I plugged the phone cradle into the power bar, placed the phone in its cradle, and waited. After a long 10 minutes it was charged enough to call my daughter and the paramedics.

I won't go over the grueling details of the attempts to move me, the screaming vocals, the IV's, the trip to the hospital, the wait in the hallway.

Back to the obstacles in our writing.

No matter how many obstacles we have, I learned, it's important that they be tough. Tough to the point that it almost breaks your heart to do it to the character. That's what keeps the reader engaged, and joyfully or sorrowfully connected to the character.

Back to the hospital. The nausea from the drugs almost gone, three hours later and I'm finally able to leave. As I waited for my daughter to come pick me up, I brushed my fingers through my hair. Bad move. Worst obstacle that could happen, happened.

Out came my shoulder again.

I shouted in pain and limped back in to the hospital, people moving out of my way, and admittance asking for paperwork . My daughter showed up in time to catch me before I fell, fainting.

If this was your story, what obstacle would you throw in next?

My Life - I am a cliché

2010-09-06T15:00:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone!!
Happy to be back! And thanks to Jemi and her Google Reader idea, I think I shall be able to keep up with everyone, stress-free.
If there is anything such as stress-free.
I kept my summer as simple as possible. I did post a photo almost daily at my photo blog.
And I took a writing on-line class. And woke up.
Woke up to the fact that my character is one big cliché .
We were instructed to stay away from the ordinary-to create original habits for our characters. No biting lips, no wringing hands, no sucking in breath.
No sucking in breath?
At the same time as taking the course, I was reading a best-seller where the character sucked in his breath so much I was surprised his lungs hadn't blown out through his skin by the end of the story. Or that he didn't die from some kind of stomach distension disease.
Anyways, I changed my characters habit of biting her bottom lip to stroking her guitar pick even with 'chilled' fingers. Then the comment back was, of course, if you can barely grip a coin with cold fingers, how can you stroke a guitar pick?
Good point.
But I must admit, I'm okay with some clichés when reading. They help me relate to the character.
Examples:
I'm a nail biter. I can completely relate if a character is biting her nails while driving, planning her next action step to get the guy or rid of the guy, or whatever dilemma she's dealing with. (And yes, you can drive with one hand and bite your nails with the other-hand held cell phones may be illegal but nail biting still acceptable!)
I eat ice-cream straight from the carton when I've had a bad day. This could be considered an over-used idea-a cliché -but what woman wouldn't relate to that??
And, I was divorced after 7 years--yes SEVEN years, how classic--and was swept away by a dark handsome bad boy. And of course it didn't work out. Can you get anymore cliché than that?
But it's real. Real life.
I guess you could argue that I am a cliché
But I am also real.
And I am also uniquely me.
So, bottom line, are clichés , if used sparingly, really that bad? Got a favourite? Or one that makes you suck in your breath or bite your lip in frustration whenever you read it?

Review-Wild at Heart by John Eldredge

2010-07-31T21:15:00.005-06:00

(I'll be back to my regular blog posting in September. Hope you're having a great summer!)

I believe Eldredge's intent for Wild at Heart is for men to learn how to find God's purpose for their life. Although he uses men's wild ways in the wilderness such as climbing mountains, kayaking, camping, hiking and canoeing to convey men's need for adventures, he also clearly points out that every man has his own way to reveal his wild heart. One man's way may be sky-diving; another man's way may be finding the perfect paint colour to create an adventure on a blank canvas. Either way requires listening to God's purpose, instead of getting caught up with trying to accumulate the same or more worldly stuff than your neighbour has, or trying to tame your heart by being a 'nice guy' all the time. In other words, he encourages to fight for what is right instead of agreeing to terms just to climb the corporate ladder, so to speak.

I did learn from this book, even though I had never seen the movies Eldredge uses to help clarify, illustrate the man's heart-particularly Braveheart. At times I wished he would have found other references instead of using the same ones continually on different topics. However, his biblical references were well thought out and I learned the deeper meanings behind scriptures.

As a mature woman reader, I was intrigued by Wild at Heart. And although I can't speak for all women, I do believe Eldredge is correct in his research regarding what women need from men--to know they are beautiful and to help fix what seems to be broken along with other princely attributes. Also, I learned that men do need their adventures; and I learned of the importance father's or other male role models play in a man's life. I do recommend this book to women readers, as well as to all men reaching for their heart. And I think that's just about everyone.

I do review books but receive no money as compensation for my opinions. There is no endorsing being done. I receive books for free from Book Sneeze, authors , but I am not paid for my opinions.

Celebrating Canada Day with Great Reads by Canadians

2010-06-30T23:24:00.003-06:00

(I'm Undercover but will be back on September 16th for Thoughtful Thursday. Have a great summer!)

Before you read on, I just have to tell you I got an honorable mention for my entry in Lady Glamis Short Story Contest. Whoohoo!

Happy Canada Day

In celebration I'm joining the party at Canadian Mom Blogger-CLICK HERE . Come on in!

I'm lucky to have traveled in almost every province and territory of Canada, just missing only Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and Nunavut. Today I thought I'd take you on a tour of places I've lived and share with you a few Canadian authors I adore.

From our 'Paris' in Canada, Mordecai Richler was a prolific and talented author. He was born and educated in Montreal , Quebec where he later returned after two decades in London. In Joshua Then and Now Richler writes with wit and insight the rocky journey of Joshua Shapiro as he navigates life, old and young, in Montreal, as well as Paris, London, Ibiza and Hollywood. I recommend this read to those who like an on-the-edge literary novel that's big and fun, and to those who want to learn a time of history in Montreal along the way.

Ruggedly beautiful Atlantic Canada (includes New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador) is breeding ground for Canadian gifted and prolific authors including Donna Morrissey who was raised in Beaches, Newfoundland and now lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Kit's Law is set in a small outport town of Newfoundland during the fifties. I fell instantly in love with Kit, the young teenage narrator who experiences a tragic loss that could send her away from her mentally challenged mother, and the home she only knows. Although dark at times, Morrissey weaves a strong and beautiful tale not unlike an Atlantic Ocean tide. I was born in Sackville, New Brunswick, and even though I spent only 3 months of my life there, I feel an undeniable tug to live in the Maritimes again.

After New Brunswick, my family moved to Ottawa, Ontario, home of author Elizabeth Hay and setting for one of my favourite novels, Garbo Laughs. Harriet and Lew Browning, and their two children could be the family that lives next door, except for Harriet's obsession with movies, and a young son that dresses like Frank Sinatra, and other such eccentrics. Or is it eccentric to want to escape life, enveloping yourself in movies? Hay's story telling is realistic with creativity in her prose I can only aspire to. Garbo Laughs also takes you on the real life adventures of skating the Rideau Canal and of being trapped in the Ottawa Ice Storm.

After Ottawa, my family moved Burlington, Ontario, where I lived until I was 14 years old. Most of my family still resides in eastern Ontario. Margaret Laurence originated from Neepawa, Manitoba but her last years were spent in Lakefield, Ontario. One of my favourite Laurence book is The Fire-Dwellers, maybe because I related to Stacy-she, like myself at the time of reading, is turning 40. There's a desperation to Stacy, but Laurence never makes her appear needy. Rather, I found myself drawn to her struggles as a wife, a mother-a woman. The setting is in Vancouver, where Laurence had also lived at one time, along with England and Africa. The time is the 1960's but, like all Laurence novels, the inner conflicts and resolutions are timeless. I recommend everyone to read at least on of Laurence's novels in her or his lifetime.

When I was 14 years old, my parents and I, along with Elsa, our German Shepard, drove the Gremlin (do you remember those) to Edmonton, Alberta. I'll admit it. I was sulky teenager the entire five day drive with Elsa taking up most of the back seat, her dog breath suffocating me in the un-airconditioned car. And when I first saw Edmonton, I thought "Are you kidding me? Where's the city? We're in the sticks!" But, honestly, that summer was one of the best in my life. But that's another story for another time!

It's the fictional rural town of Godsfinger, Alberta where we meet Job in Gail Anderson Dargatz's novel The Rhinestone Button. Job sees colours in sound, a real condition called synesthesia. But Job's real life plans and ideology unravels when his pastor brother, Jacob, moves back to his family home. This story has everything. Conflict, suspense, romance, wit and humor-and a thread of magic winding through it all. I was charmed too by her choice of settings-places that included Edmonton and Leduc, Alberta. And by her choice of time that includes Black Friday, Alberta's worst natural disastor in history. Dagatz description of the remains and the quiet after the tornado still haunts me years later- in a good way. Dagartz grew up and lives in the Thomson-Shuswap Region in British Colombia.

Directly from the back cover: "Monkey Beach is a spell binding voyage into the long, cool shadows of B.C's Coast Mountains, blending teen culture, Haisla lore, nature spirits and human tenderness into a multilayered story of loss and redemption." This was Eden Robinson's first novel and I loved it. Robinson grew up in Kitimaat Village, British Colombia, the primary residence of Haisla First Nations. I'm drawn to books about and by First Nations people of Canada. If you are too, I highly recommend you read this tender story of Lisamarie, a teenager searching for her brother Jimmy who's mysteriously disappeared. You won't be disappointed. And that's a promise.

In the 90's I was lucky and priviledged to live in the north, spending four glorious years in the pristine lands of Whitehorse, Yukon. I drove the Alaska Highway daily, and devoured the scenic landscape of places such as Emerald Lake, and Miles Canyon. Was it cold? Sure. But the graciousness of the people kept me warm. And their stories. There are so many stories in the Yukon. From trappers to transplanted Wall Street workers escaping the city life--the Yukon has it all! And arguably, one of the best history writers of Canada's north was Pierre Berton. Born and raised in the Yukon, Berton's facination and love for the north continued even after moving to Vancouver, and later Toronto. And who could ever forget his idea of a true Canadian:

"A Canadian is someone who knows how to make love in a canoe." Love it, Mr. Berton!

Some of you may be thinking, "Well, how about Margaret Attwood, Carol Shields, Joseph Boyden, Rohinton Minstry, Lawrence Hill...." And on and on. I'm blessed to share my country with many gifted and talented writers. Unfortunately one post will not be able to list them all! Please add in your favourite by commmenting. I love learning about new authors, too.

And speaking of new authors-- Canadian author Talli Roland from Halifax, Nova Scotia debut novel The Hating Game is scheduled to be released in 2011. Talli now lives in London, but maybe she'll follow in the footsteps of Richler and Laurence and come back to Canada one day! In the meantime we still love her, and you can follow Talli's adventures at Talli's Blogspot. She always has a fun story to tell, and sweet comments.

And lastly, but importantly, I must mention the 2010 Aurora Award winning anthology, The Women of the Apocalypse. The three lady authors are from Edmonton, and one a friend. So, lucky me got to hold the Aurora for a few minutes, and I can look at it with star struck eyes anytime!

HAPPY CANADA DAY. HOPE YOU ENJOY THE OTHER HOSTS At Canadian Mom Blogger!

Listen Up!

2010-06-27T07:36:00.004-06:00

I'm officially on a blog break here until September 15th but can't miss a party! Canadian Blog Party is happening on July 1st. Open to all Canadians to join and the WORLD is invited!

Are you in?

Undercover

2010-06-21T19:24:00.001-06:00

I'm crawling around but undercover until September 15th. Have a great summer!

Ending with Promises

2010-06-20T23:53:00.007-06:00

Creativity boot camp has ended and first, I want to thank all who dropped by, read, and commented on my exercises. You were my cheering team! I have a couple of blog items to catch up on. First, during CBC, I was presented the Life is Good Award by Anne at Piedmont Writer and to answer the following questions.

1) What's your favorite genre to read? Why?
I must admit, the books I read are dependant on the season, my mood, current school assignment, work in progress, and book club pick. I'd say realistic fiction is at the top of my favourites followed by teen fiction, historical fiction, and romance. I also like short story collections.

2) If you couldn't write in the genre you do, what genre would you write in?
I'd try fantasy or science fiction.

3) Pepsi or Coke?
Diet Pepsi is my treat at the movies.

4) How do you spend Sundays?
First I post my Sundays In My City photos at Lps Designs. Then I go visting virtually other cities around the world. Unknown Mami hosts the Sundays In My City event. I love learning about other places. Then I log off for the rest of the day to spend with family, and get ready for my work week.

5) Penguin or Giraffe?
I have to say Penguin. Seeing penguins in the wild close enough to photograph is on my wish list!

6) What type of vehicle do you drive?
An Olds that's only 6 years old, but has 280,000 kms. Sorry, I'm not sure what that is in miles! I'm praying and trying to figure out how I can get a new car as my job depends on it!

7) Would you lick a battery if your life depended on it?
Yeah, sure. Why not? Beats the alternative!

8) When do you write -- morning, afternoon, evening?
I work full-time and I have a family. So, basically, whenever I can! I have a plan to free blocks of time during the week rather than have a daily writing time.

9) Which do you like more -- FaceBook or Twitter?
I have accounts at both places, visit facebook for a few minutes a day, and rarely tweet unless it's to get extra points when entering a contest! If I had more time, I'd probably be on Twitter more than Facebook.

10) If you get hurt, (like a scraped knee or arm) do you ask for a band-aid?
Nope. I go get it myself. Ms Indie here!

Now, the following creative gurus are IT.

Secondly, I received the Rose Award from Grace

Grace used her talented graphic skills and creativity to design this award to pass along to bloggers who

encourage and support new bloggers. That's all readers I'd say. But to keep in the rules of the award, I'm to pass along to three others.

I pass the pretty rose to these three lovely ladies:

Just Jemi

Karen at Write Now

Susan Fields

On our last day of Creativity Boot Camp Megan directed us the following:
"I want you to think of some concrete actions that you can begin taking tomorrow to continue nurturing you creative soul."

The promise I'm making to myself is to write Dannie's Story. The whole story. Right now her story is short, but more is there. I've just been fearful to write a novel.

I also realized I've been a human 'doer' instead of human 'being.' I've been working, writing, reading to just get it done. Only photography has not felt like a task. When shooting I'm completely in the moment, present to the colours, light, textures of my subject, and to the roughness and heaviness of my camera. Photography is somewhat easier for me because I'm not attached to the result. I like a great picture, but I'm not fearful of never having my photo published or winning a contest. Yes, I still study and practice technique, but, unlike writing currently, I have fun practicing. I also create a story in the less then a second. And my photo stories are getting better and better, I must say. It feels effortless.

I know writing will never be effortless, but I do want to be present with my writing; let go and BE in my writing. It's the stage I'm at. And it may sound amatuer however, like shooting over 20 pictures to get that right one, it's time for me to write my first novel. Just because I like how I feel while I'm writing. And that's pretty fantastic.

Other promises from CBC you may consider:
I promise to spend _____minutes each day creating. {let it be five…at least promise yourself some time}
I promise to talk about my creativity with others.
I promise to continue to challenge myself creatively because that is how I get better.
I promise to be kind to my creative spirit.
I promise to applaud my achievements
I promise to cultivate relationships with people who share my creative interests
I promise to call myself an artist.

Even with all those promises, I still have one more to make. I do a lot of stuff. Now I promise to be a writer. To do that, I'll be taking a break from this blog. I love diving in to everyone's blogs,so you'll see me commenting from time to time. I can't give you up! And I'll be still posting a picture a day at my photo blog site. I'll be back here when I return to part-time school studies in September.

How are you feeling today? Do you have a promise to make? How are you taking care of you?

Creativity Boot Camp- End with a Smile

2010-06-18T06:48:00.002-06:00

Joy. Can you do one thing silly today to bring joy, a smile, a laugh to you and others around you? Could be as simple as dropping a bucket of water on yourself.

I dare you!

Creativity Boot Camp-Day 12 The Smooth of the Smooth

2010-06-17T07:23:00.004-06:00

Today's CBC word prompt: SMOOTH

☆ suave, polished, or ingratiating, esp. in a flattering, insincere way

from yourdictionary.com

A few of my favourite smooth characters.

George Wickham-Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

Handsome, well-spoken and charming, but a gambler and a liar, who uses his charm to manipulate Elizabeth to believe the the honest, gorgeous Mr. Darcy is a rogue. But Wickham is a loser in the end. Women are so smart!

Daniel Cleaver-Bridget Jone's Diary (Helen Fielding)

Daniel is charming and handsome, but cheats on Bridget with a younger, attractive, and more
conventional woman. A smooth jerk.

Zenia-The Robber's Bride (Margaret Attwood)

Zenia is beautiful, smart, and sexy but needy and ruthless. A smooth manipulative character who gets justice in the end. Or does she? I highly recommend this book.

The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Duma)

Athos, Porthos, and Aramis-I love these three. And, ofcouse, the young d'Artagnan. Smooth characters, but in a GOOD way because they fight fair and are just so, well, cool.

Do you have a smooth character you love to hate? Or just love?

Creativity Boot Camp-Day 11 Hush and Kiss Me

2010-06-16T17:03:00.002-06:00

Day 11. Whew! On the home stretch. Just two more laps to go! Sorry if I've run past you lately and haven't said hello. I promise to drop by and give high five's when I'm all done.

Today at CBC, Madeline asked us to reflect on how we happen to be where we are today. Sometimes trials that seem unbearable end up as gifts in the end. Have you had a situation that created a dominoe effect? A situation that may have been painful but led you to a new purpose, that now fulfills you beyond your expectations?

I was in a painful relationship once that I wished I had never entered. However, he put my first DSLR Camera in my hand, and now I love photography. Photography was the gift, another way I can create, can be artistic, and importantly, practice the art of presence.

Our word prompt today is Hush. This word brings me back to the sweet romance between of John and Janie, teen lovers torn apart by Janie's move to Europe. Now, its many years later and she is back in John's life. (I see a lot I can revise in this excerpt. CBC has sparked a light, and I now see much more potential for this story than previously. In July I'll be re-working this piece with the guidance of Camy Tang's revision course.)

“And your actions then told me you didn’t care if I stayed or I went.” Tears dropped from the corner of baby blues. “I didn’t want to go but my parents insisted. They didn’t like me getting so serious with a boy when I was so young. But if you would have even said one word that you wanted me to come home I would have John. I didn’t think you wanted me too.” She was crying heavily now.

John’s heart tugged at him to go to her but when he glanced down at the ring on her finger he stayed where he was.

Janie took a breath. “I’m not married, John. This is my mom's wedding ring. I wear it to remember to her.” She took a few steps closer to John. “And I wear it so I don’t get asked out on dates because whenever I went out with someone else, I’d only think about you. I decided it would be better just to play married. Then I wouldn’t be thinking about you...”

"Hush. Just hush up." John couldn’t let her talk anymore. He kissed her tear drenched lips. And even though he felt unsteady with so much love flowing through him, he knew his world was right again.

Creativity Boot Camp-Day 10 Now

2010-06-15T18:58:00.005-06:00

From today's creativity boot camp exercise:

"I want you to smell every smell, hear every sound, see every piece of beauty, feel every touch, and taste every flavor. I must warn you, the world will become overwhelming."

Our word prompt of the day: Full Bodied

Can you stay completely present in the moment? Can you trust that you will just know what you need to do without lists, the 15 minute warning tones from your Blackberry or other such devices, or the constant, repeating thoughts of what's coming up next?

Can you stay in the NOW?

At rare times I'm in the now, full bodied in the present moment. Times like when I'm trying to keep my knees and shoulders in perfect position so I won't spill head over heals when skiing a black diamond run in the Rockies. I'm aware of the sound of the snow crushing under my skis, the wind on my face, the smell of the pine trees lining the trail, the sun's light reflecting off my poles, and the tips of my fingers cool inside my gloves.

Present.
Completely present.
I love it
Would like to feel that way all the time.
But I do fear I'll forget what's next.
But maybe that's the point.
To forget and just be. Now.

Are you present?

Creativity Boot Camp-Day 9 (I know..same title different number) But new stuff!

2010-06-14T06:05:00.002-06:00

In case you haven't been here for the last nine days, I need to tell you I'm participating in Creativity Boot Camp. So no Gratitude Monday post, but your welcome to still share what you are thankful for today.
Our word prompt is drizzle, and below is an excerpt from CBC.

Madeline : "Sometimes, it’s good to step back and take yourself to an elementary level of art appreciation. Try to remember those first influences that got you thinking that “artist” was about the best thing anyone could ever be.... Is it the way that a certain author’s words just carry you from one thought to another?
Our work is nothing without passion. It would do us all good to get back to our artistic roots: to rekindle our love for art on a very basic and elementary level."

I don't remember a time I didn't want to be a writer. But there was a turning point, when it wasn't just about wanting to be a writer, but when I KNEW I could be a writer. S.E. Hinton wrote "The Outsiders" when she was 14 years old. Fourteen! The first time I read about Ponyboy and his greaser friends, I was 12 years old. And truly, not many days go past that I do not think of Hinton. Sure her books are displayed in the perfect eye level point on my bookshelf, but that's not why she's daily in my mind. Dannie, the character I shared with you; the one whose story was thrown in a garbage bin but still did not decay in the crevices of my mind, was born the day I finished reading The Outsiders for the first time.

She's with me everyday. Creativity Boot Camp has enhanced her image, like font tripled in size and bolded. I now know Dannie's story, along with John and Janie's, I have to write. They may be no good. They may end up as MS's in a decorative box tucked in a special place. One may be that book from the heart that never gets published, I've heard other authors speak of. It doesn't matter. The artistic root planted long ago can no longer take the suffocation. It's breaking free of perfection and untruths such as it must be written by someone more gifted, talented, and educated.

Only I hold this particular seed. And now I let go, let it grow, drizzle it with nourishment.

Who or what was the match that lit your artistic fire? If your fire is out, is there something or someone who reminds you of why you pursued your art in the first place?
Laura Marcella at Wavy Line corrected me! Thanks Laura. Hinton was 16 when she wrote The Outsiders, and published at 18. I'd been thinking she was 14 and published at 16! Still incredible especially since my kids study that book in school now.

Creativity Boot Camp-Day 8 Ornament as Grace and Beauty

2010-06-13T10:14:00.001-06:00

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

Or softly lightens o'er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express,

How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

excerpt She Walks in Beauty-Lord Byron

Today's Creative Boot Camp word prompt is Ornament. Keeping in mind my personal reason for boot camp was to open my heart to creativity, breaking down the walls to allow a flow instead of interuption by analytical thought, I chose to define ornament as grace and beauty for this excercise.
An old lover many moons ago made me a card with Lord Bryon's poem inside on special cut paper. He also added his own beautiful verses. Shadows and a sense of duty overcoming me, I ran away.
It was the right thing to do.
Sometimes, when I feel brave, I will go back and read his note as well as what I wrote of him. Sometimes I wonder, what happened to that woman who could love that deeply?
I thought I'd open up here, and share a piece of my poetry with him on my mind.

.....Still embraces my soul
Your voice echoing within its chamber
melting the frozen layers
To the parts you have only known
You have only seen.

.....To connect, to remember, to reassure
that the parts of me
With only you I have discovered
and without you, I fear
will lose.

May love embrace your soul today, with grace and beauty.

Creativity Boot Camp-Day 7- Fly

2010-06-12T08:24:00.002-06:00

Today our word prompt is fly. And instantly this song came to my mind. This song opens my heart, and I don't know why. Maybe it is because I don't let my own judgement regarding feelings get in the way. I grew up in a home where emotion was rarely shown or celebrated. May you celebrate today all the emotions of your precious heart. God bless you.
Do you have a song that makes your heart soar?

Creative Boot Camp Day 6- Fluid and Flow

2010-06-11T17:24:00.002-06:00

"Eventually, before we can even recognize that it has happened, our ways of creating become so habitual that we lose just a bit of our pure and free creative spirit".
Meagan, Creative Boot Camp Day 6

Word prompt of the day-Fluid

Today, we're asked to step out, to create in a different way than our normal. It may be as simple as shooting in colour if your photography is Black/White, or write a short story if you normally create poetry.

For myself, I know I just need to let go, and allow myself not to be in CONTROL. My creativity is harnessed. I need to let go of my internal reins.

I need to let the channel of creativity flow through me instead of locking up the borders of my mind, my heart. I have to learn to be okay with unexpectancy. And live instead in open anticipation.

I fear my creativity will take over my life. And that I may end up in isolation. Are those not the silliest fears you've ever heard?

Creative Boot Camp Day 5- Growing up

2010-06-10T11:40:00.004-06:00

Day 5 of Creative Boot Camp. I'm keeping up! But it hasn't been easy, I tell you. I'm falling behind on other life 'stuff.' But I'm okay with that. My friends say, "The housework will always be there but your muse may take unexpected vacations. Grab it when you can!" Does your muse take vacations? Can you leave the housework?

At boot camp today, we're asked to remember music of our teenage years. You know, the tunes you cried to over your first broken heart (mine was Air Supply, All Out of Love), or those that you partied to with your friends (ACDC, for me). The excercise was to re-awaken the deep feelings, maybe even angst of those years. I began writing Dannie's story then. And the story ended up in the garbage bin later (long story of why), but Dannie never left me. So I let her come alive again. Below is the ending of the short story. I'm at the 'leave alone and come back to later' stage. The theme fits in with our Creative Boot Camp word of the day-Grow.
(A side note-When writing this piece, I listened to Switchfoot's Mess of Me over and over...)
Green is Gold

It was the middle of the night when I awoke, unable to sleep with thoughts of the day before going through my head like a movie repeating itself in fast forward. I turned on my lamp and opened my bed-side table drawer to get my binder full of my unfinished stories, picking up first the bible it was hidden under. The bible slipped from my hands and fell along with a piece of note paper. I held the paper up to the light and read my mom’s fine hand writing.

Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but be new and different person with a freshness in all you do and think.-Romans 12:2

“I’m trying, mom,” I whispered to no one in the dark and felt silly doing it. Then I did what my mom would have wanted. “God, I’ve made a mess of the things in the past, I know,” I prayed. “But I want to make it right. Please help me get back to the best of me-the one that my mom knew.”

An overwhelming tiredness came over me then so I turned off my lamp, and fell into a deep sleep that lasted until almost noon the next day. It was the sound outside of Brock’s basketball that woke me. And then I could hear my dad in the garage hammering, his Saturday morning tradition of pretending to be a carpenter. The odd time he actually finished making something. I threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, brushed my teeth, and stepped into the garage.

“Good afternoon, sleepy head. Did you get some breakfast yet?” He took off his work gloves and leaned against the garage wall. I sat on the garage steps because I had a feeling this could be a long conversation. I didn’t mind. The open garage door let the sun warm my arms and face. After the night before, I knew things would be different for dad and me. It still wasn’t going to be easy.

“I’m not really hungry yet. I’ll get something later.” I picked up a nail on the garage floor and started twirling it.

“Danielle, I’m sorry.” I looked up. “You did make the right choice, calling the police. I got worried you were getting yourself caught up again in that crowd. I can’t tell you who you can be friends with but I hope for you that they are friends who make you better.” He looked out the garage, toward the sound of Brock playing basketball. “Lonnie’s been your friend for years, I know. But she’s changed.” Dad looked at me again. “And you’ve changed. It happens.” His eyes glinted gold from a beam of sunlight and then went back to brown as he stepped into a shadow. I remembered the Robert Frost poem PonyBoy recited to Johnny in The Outsider’s.

“So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.”

“That’s beautiful. Did you write that?” That was the second time in two days that I had said something out loud and did not know it.

“No, Dad.” I realized that it may not be a long conversation after all. “I think I’ll go see if I can beat Brock.” I heard Dad start his saw just as I left the garage, an outside stereo now playing a Christian rock song that this time I recognized

“Can I join you for a game of 21?”

“If you want to lose,” Brock grinned at me dribbling the basket ball. “A few of my friends are coming over in an hour. We’re heading to a movie. Did you want to come?”

"Sure. Now give me that ball. It's my turn to start this time."

I welcome critique and your comments, always. Thank you for reading.

CBC Day 4-Inspiration, Rock on and a return of John and Janie

2010-06-09T17:39:00.003-06:00

What inspires you? That was the question posed to us at Creative Boot Camp. The activity asked us to take pictures of an object and then describe why it inspires you. I didn't do this.
Because I would be repeating pictures from my previous posts here. I would be shooting my IPod again, because music inspires me; I'd be shooting my book collection again because stories inspire me; and I'd be shooting my vision boards because I made them with my friends who are always, always a huge inspiration to me. And that includes you. I find reading your success stories, and your heartbreak stories; and just your random thoughts on stuff that makes you you, inspires me. Your courage to share yourself inspires me. And I thank you for that.

Do you know what inspires you? And why? Do you have a photo of your inspiration where you can easily see it, and be uplifted?

Today's Creative Boot Camp's prompt is heavy metal. I was never a real true 'head banger' (as heavy metal lovers were called back in my day), but I did like Ted Nugent, Nazareth, and Rush. Neither of these bands may even be considered heavy metal, but they did rock hard! Iron Maiden makes the list though.

So, for today's excercise, I've re-entered into John and Janie's story, originally started in my picnic post, and added one of the kings of Heavy Metal.

John flicked on his wipers. The rain turned to hail, welcome balls of ice breaking on the glass drowning the sound of his palm pounding the steering wheel. He shifted to fifth gear and pressed the gas pedal to the floor.
Damn her. Not even a phone call. And why did her father tell him the news?
He closed his eyes. They were suppose to start college together.
The steering wheel jerked to the right, a tire pulled in by a pool of rain on the narrow highway. His hands stung as he steered his Honda straight. Giving up, he pulled off to the side, hearing the honk before seeing the blur shadow of the semi. If he didn’t feel like a metal pipe pierced his heart, he would have returned the gesture.
Rain drumming on the roof, John stared in to the dark shadows of the evergreens beyond the highway.
Maybe they should have done it, the night after their picnic. Now she was gone, forever. What happened to the original plan? That she was to be in England with her Aunt for only the summer?
John’s eyes burned. He needed a distraction. Starting the car, he turned on the radio, tuning to the heaviest rock station he knew. Iron Maiden filled his thoughts.
**“Out in the night somebody's crying
Out in the night the fires burn
Maybe tonight somebody's crying
Reached the point of no return”
He dug his balled fist into his eyes, giving in.

**Sea of Madness, Iron Maiden

CBC-Day 3 Unveiling the Layers

2010-06-08T14:48:00.001-06:00

From today's Creative Boot Camp exercise:

(Click on my sidebar to visit other campers)

"For example: "A classic creative buzz kill is thinking that you just don’t have the talent that other people have. But the truth is that most people are born with a drive that they work on and perfect which then becomes a talent. For proof of this, try to dig around online and view some of your favorite artist’s early work. Everyone starts somewhere…and for most of us, it’s at the bottom."

Creative buzz kills can be a lot of things. It could be a teacher that told you your grammar was horrific, or a painter who said you were colour blind. I have a few buzzing buggers but the above statement highly resonates for me. That I'm just not talented. And everyone is better than I. Even with an A grade and a statement that I have 'talent' from my recent short story class, I still question. Was the professor just saying that, and what did she mean my talent also comes from my 'hard work of revision?" Hang on. Is not revision from a drive to do better, and to perfect my skills? I may not be 'talent' but it is time to accept I walk a similar road talented artist walked before me. Are you on that road? I believe you are dear readers. Do you believe?

Our word today is mutilayer. I used to be a self-help junkie, reading books to connect to those hidden parts of me; getting me to the deep layers I was not conscious of, but making choices from. Below are a few. I say few because many I read were from the library. Now I read very few of these books, but don't caution against them. Like the perennial that requires sun in summer and cool temperatures in fall to grow, seed, and bloom again, we too have our seasons. And we have our tools we use on our road to our dreams and purpose that is planted into our hearts, with love.

Creativity Boot Camp-Day 2- Declaration and Picnics

2010-06-07T23:45:00.005-06:00

I am an artist. I am an artist. I am an artist.
Am I really?
Today at boot camp, I am to declare I am an artist. Too bad it wasn't just simply writing the statement three times to BELIEVE I am an artist. When I first meet someone, and they ask me what I do I usually answer with the typical descriptions: a mom, a grandma, a full-time dental sales person, and oh, yea, I like to write so taking part time studies for my professional writing degree, oh, and I blog, and enter a few contest, and, well, have few pieces out there right now.
Nope, not an artist. Writer maybe. Or a wanna-be writer. But an ARTIST? Don't I have to have, like, an art gallery, a collection of best sellers I've written, or at least been mentioned in the New Yorker before I can declare to be an artist? Or not have a DAY job? Or have an alcohol or drug problem? Just kidding, on the last one. I'm over that one now!
How about you? Do you call yourself an artist?

Our word of the day is Picnic. I'm currently revising my Romance Short so thought I'd throw my characters on a picnic together. What the heck. Let's see if we can get to know them a little better.

"Tell me, do you like Italian or Chinese?" Janie draped her arm over her squinting eyes, letting her fingers graze John's arm.
He crushed his pepsi can and tucked it into the empty picnic basket. "Anything for you babe." Finding the sunscreen behind him, he began rubbing the hot lotion on Janie's still ivory, flat belly.
"Anything?" The teasing tone not escaping John.
He bit. "Anything." He wagged a finger at her. "Except for that."
"What?" Her elbows supported her as she tilted her head toward her bare shoulder and raised her eyebrows at him.
John rubbed his hands together before flipping her hair to behind her shoulder and kissing her neck. She smelled like summer. Sweet with a hint of sweat that drove him wild.
He leaned back on his knees looking away from her. He had to look away. If he didn't think he would look stupid, he'd be sitting on his hands. "Did you see where the water jug went?"
Janie's legs wrapped around his waist. Her firm belly now against his and with her thumb she guided his chin, so he saw only her apple red lips.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Janie." The small curve of her back felt soft on his fingertips. He tossed his head back. "God I want you so bad!"
"Well, don't tell the sky, tell me." Janie's hands cupped his cheeks. "Let's do it. Tonight. After our dinner date. My parents are going out."
With a hurricane happening in his stomach, John crushed her lips with his, desperate to have her close.
How, sweet Jesus, was he going to keep his promise?

Critique is always welcome here! Thanks for reading.

Creativity Boot Camp- Day 1 (but really it's Day 2)

2010-06-07T15:51:00.002-06:00

I was a victim of blogger issues, along with at least 700 people. So, this post is actually for yesterday.

It is Day One of Creativity Boot Camp. On my side bar, you may click to the Creative Boot Camp button to join us on this two week journey. Honestly, I’m not sure what to expect. But being okay with the mystery is my challenge as I open my walled heart to allow creativity to flow.

Warning: These posts for the next couple of weeks may be somewhat of a rambling nature-more conversational than structured with thesis and argument.

Today we had to write a celebration letter to ourselves as if the challenge was already over. We tuck this letter away, and are to promise to not look at it until directed. The written letter still holds such power even in our current technology driven world.

Our word today is Ivory. With this word we can create in the medium we have chosen for this journey. I warred between writing and photography and, as already obvious, writing has won. My 365 day Mommytography and Sundays in the City will continue at my other place.

When I think of Ivory, I think of the colour white representing purity, innocence, and even love. In Song of Solomon, (7:4) a man pursues a woman he loves telling her ‘your neck is like an ivory tower....” Unfortunately, modern day language use of ‘ivory tower’ conveys hardness, and that one is in isolation, or disconnected from reality.

I wonder though, do we not need to be disconnected from reality, even if ever so slightly, to create? Or is disconnection reality? Maybe we have become so accustomed to society standards, a brain washing if I can be so bold, that we no longer know what is truth? Or more direct, our own truth?

Ahh..yes. My analytical brain is now breaking with deep thoughts on defining ivory towers and on reality. An ivory tower is unbreakable and incorruptible. Is not love, real love, unbreakable and incorruptible? In reality, love is broken, hearts are broken and scarred. But was this then real love? Where would you rather be- in the ivory tower or in reality?

(I think this topic is tickling my heart. And I feel a passionate need to research further and maybe even write an essay)

Thoughtful Thursday on Friday-Filling the Well

2010-06-04T08:15:00.003-06:00

"Art is the imagination at play in the field of time. Let yourself play." Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way

I'm obvious late writing my Thursday post. I'd scheduled myself to write it yesterday. I even had the day off work, so really had no excuse except that I found myself re-connecting with friends, and, well, writing. I edited a story for a competition. Then, while leaving my home last night around dinner time with the full intention of being back home within an hour, I had an urge to call a friend I hadn't spoken to for awhile, which led to a fabulous dinner and conversation at his place. And a very late night. (Checking my face book before tucking myself in for the night, I noticed my UK friends were fully into Friday already. How neat is that?? Time.)

Now, I could beat myself over not staying on schedule. But I'm not. I feel refreshed today, energized. Sometimes we have to get out of our routines, or at least add fun in to our schedules. Otherwise, as Julia Cameron in Artist's Way points out, our creative well could dry up, leading to ailments such as writers block.

If you have been following me for awhile, you may remember how I'm on the journey to open my walled heart, and to colour my grey skies. I'm starting with re-reading the Artist's Way and Creative Bootcamp that begins June 6 (I have a button on my side bar if you would like to link up). Writing morning pages and the weekly Artist's Date with yourself are very important, and non-negotiable tools to complete while walking the Artist's Way.

Another spontaneous tool I find that gets my creativity flowing is to just to have fun with words once in awhile. And, believe it or not, that's why I'm grateful for texting! Example:
To Karmen who likes to bake:
Karmen cooking up calorie crazy cupcakes?
To Paul, Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey fan (poor guy) from me, a fan of the Edmonton Oilers (some are saying poor me):
Slippery Oil sure slicked over losing Leafs last night.
Back to Karmen checking in while on a double date with a mutual friend:
Laura's locking lips with lovely Lyle!

Sidenote: If you're married or in a signficant relationship, texting can be nothing but flirty fun! I'm single and envious of the texting teasers couples can do. Oh yes, I'm an advocate of no texting while driving!

I'll do this with my real writing sometimes too. I'll know it's completely unpublishable material. And I'll scratch it out. Is it a wast of time? I'll argue no because it's fun. Is it wrong to play with words? Do you ever play with words when you write? Or is writing always fun for you? Wanna play now?? Please share!!

Gratitude Monday-We have winner

2010-05-31T06:00:00.003-06:00

And the winner is:

Janet Johnson

Félicitations!

Janet won my 100 follower give-away of an Amazon gift certificate. When you visit her site you will see why I congratulated her in French!

It's my traditional Monday post where we share at least three of our gratitudes. When thankful we cannot help but begin to see our world as a brighter place. Sometimes when our days are dark, it takes others to lift us up. Sometimes its as simple as sharing our stories.

I've several friends who are either pregnant or mothers of young ones asking me to share my story on how I managed when my children were 3, 4 & 6 yrs old, when I became a single mom. I don't lie. I tell them how I scheduled my days, but I also let them know of the nights, after all were tucked in bed, that I'd find myself slipping down to the floor, my back being bruised by the refridgerator handle, hanging my head between my legs, my hands on my mouth muffling the sobs. Then, back to smiling again when my next day began at 5 AM. Eventually I learned how to take time out for me to care for my emotional health. It hasn't been easy and I still fail at times. But that's the part my friends want to know about. The emotional journey. Sure, tips on how to make life easier through scheduling tricks like pre-made dinners can help navigate our route, but it's the emotional connections that make us feel we are not alone on our highway.

My dream has always been to create connections through writing. I'm still not sure what that looks like for me. But by opening my heart, (even though that is scary for me), I hope to find out, and along the way, create hope for someone else.

Today, first I'd like to thank my friends who not only keep me connected to me but also lift me up to see my blessings during a difficult times.

Secondly, I am grateful for coffee. Everyday I am grateful for coffee!And lastly, I am grateful for my first blog win, Raven's Ladder by Jeffery Overstreet from Rachel Starr Thomson

What are your three gratitudes today?

Dieu bénit