Precious Children #nanowrimo day 2 part 1

Joshua, Jaime, Amelia, Brandon, Luke, and Matthew
Precious children each and every one, but would there be more, could there be more. Emily wanted more but knew in her heart that wasn't the best. The Lord blessed her with 6 perfect children but at 39 she knew even thinking that way was pure silliness. She had been lucky to bring 6 babies into this world and only not bring 1, many of her friends were struggling to have more than 2 children. She felt selfish and petty even thinking another baby would happen.
Would a baby fill the void she was feeling, was that the missing piece?
As she woke noticing the sun was just beginning to come up, she held off getting out of bed, Josiah would wake soon and she was feeling a little off this morning. She tried to put the uneasy feeling out of her mind and moved her attention to her wonderful husband who was starting to move about and waking up.
Josiah rolled over and opening his eyes gave Emily a rough guy smile warming her heart, she smiled back matching his tone with what should have been a young girls smile instead it looked more like a twisted ____.
"Are you all right Emily? The look on her face told Josiah something was off.
"Not really, excuse me...." Emily got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom with a awful case of the drive heaves.
"Can I get you something? a cup of tea or a glass of water?" Josiah was up and standing just outside the door.
"a glass for water and a new towel from the closet would be wonderful." She tried to keep teh conversation light while in her head the battle began.

1,481 of 50,000 words for NaNo2012

The Vows: in Good times and Bad #nanowrimo

On an autumn afternoon not so long ago, Emily Ann and Josiah David joined hands in front of their closets friends and family.
As she remembered back to that day bits and pieces of their vows rang in her mind.  '..and the two shall become One; One in spirit seeking God's perfect union as Man and Wife..'  Such sweet words spoken to them as a young couple; now almost 20 years later she was struggling and could not put her finger on any one things that was bothering her, she was in happy in her marriage, but something was missing and she was desperate to find that missing piece before her children or her husband become effected by this cloud.

 "Em?" Josiah's voice brought her abrutly back to reality. "you feeling alight?"
"fine, why?" she hoped he didn't sense her anxiety.
"You usually have dinner ready by 6:00 and it is almost 6:30. Can I ask the girls to help do something ?"
"Oh my gracious, where is my head, I'll get it on the table soon. I'm sorry darling."
He reached out and gently grabbed her waist, "Emily, talk to me, what is wrong?"
"Guess I was daydreaming , I just lost track of time, I'm sorry dear" Emily was a pitiful liar but Josiah also knew not to push to hard or she would just shut him out.
"Come here darling" his voice was so calming to her anxious heart, " you know I love you with all my heart, even more than the day I married you, what if I ask Julianne to come stay with the children for a while and we take a short trip just the two of us."
"in the middle of the growing season? Who will take care of the crops? What if something happens to the animals?"
"it will be fine for a few days, the boys can take care  of the crops and nothing will happen to the animals, it will be fine. I'm more concerned about you than anything else, sweet Emily" He drew her in closer, wrapping his strong arms around her as if protecting her, from what he wasn't sure, but he knew his wife needed him.

"Mama, I'll make dinner." Jaime Anne eagerly offered to help, "you go rest, maybe read a bit. Papa is soup ok?"
"Sweet Jaime, soup will be fine. I think I spied a loaf of Mama's wonderful bread on the end of the counter, lets have some of that with it." Smiling at his oldest daughter with gratitude he turned back to Emily with care and concern. "since Jaime has dinner under control, you go sit and rest for a while. How about a cup of tea? I'm sure Amelia can but a pot on for some tea?"
"No Thank you, but a glass of water would do fine." Her thoughts all seemed jumbled and fighting with each other for control in her mind, something had to give.

*****
 WW
*****

Settingling into the rocker near the fireplace Emily sat quietyly reading from the book of Isaiah with an open heart looking for answers. Josiah quietly sat on the couch across from her just watching his wife's face as she read. As he watched her read, his desire to comfort her overcame him. He loved this woman even more than the day they met. What seemed like only yesterday to him was almost 25 years ago at a church picnic. His family had just moved to the county and he was eager to meet people his age rather than the children that had been so predominate where he came from. At 20 he knew it was time for him to settle down and start his own farm and family. Emily Anne was the first young lady he met at the social and he knew the second he laid eyes on her , she was the one for him. She was simple but beautiful with long auburn hair, deep brown eyes, and a fair complexion. Most the young men looked past her as she wasn't as slender as most of the girls, Josiah on the other hand saw the strength  in her. She was soft and gentle as she helped the younger children get their plates set on the tables. She was a natural with children, not showing any signs of wearyness, but only of love and sincerity.
Now the woman , his beautiful wife showed signs of weakness and of a broken spirit. He longed to bring back that beautiful spirit, 'oh Lord, help me comfort her, help me guide her back to the light that is your love" he silently prayed.

"Supper's ready." Jaime called from the kitchen.

 ****
WW end
****

 "Oh good, I'm starving" Josiah smiled at his daughters as he entered the dinning room.
"me too" squealed Matthew the 3 year old and youngest of the children.
"Is mama coming to the table?" Amelia questioned her Father.
"I don't think so Amy, Jaime can you take you Mother a small bowl of soup."
"Yes, sir" Jaime's quiet demeanor and willingness to help was a welcomed relief this evening.



"Thank you Father for the blessing of this food and for the hands that prepared it."  Josiah gave his children a gentle nod and they began to eat. Vegetable soup with salted beef was a wonderful welcome dinner especially with the sweet bread freshly baked yesterday afternoon.
There was little conversation as the children finished their meal. The older children cleared the table and helped the 3 younger ones down from table and to their bedroom.
"I'll get the little ones ready for bed Papa." Amelia stepped up to take her 3 younger siblings to bed.
"Thank you Amy,"
"You don't have to do that Amy, I'll take care of it" Emily's voice interrupted Josiah as she came into the room and picked up little Matthew giving him a squeeze and a gentle kiss on his forhead"
"Mama!" Matty squealed with glee. He loved to squeal any chance he could.

****
WW
****

"Thank you everyone for stepping in for me this evening. I am truly blessed to have you all as my family"
Josiah stood and took his wife and youngest child in his arms gently kissing her cheek and hugging them both.

As Emily took her youngest 3 children to begin their bedtime routine.
"Mama read tory." Matthew bounced around their cozy room hoping for a story before bedtime.
"of course Matty, get into bed and I will read a story to all three of you." Emily pulled a smile from the depths of her soul to comfort her children.
Matthew, Luke, and Brandon quickly pulled their night clothes on and climbed into their beds eagerly waiting for their nightly bedtime story and prayer time with their Mother.

"What story would you like to hear tonight my little ones? "
"Jonah" Luke piped up
"Jonah it is" Emily opened her Bible to the book of Jonah and began reading (and simplifing the story as she read.

****
WW end
*****

 1, 183 of 50,000 words

*just a note to anyone reading these posts ***ww*** indicates a WordWar, a game we play as part of NaNoWriMo,

Timeline or Timeless #nanowrimo

I started writing, actually writing last night, but this morning I realized I don't know what my timeline is. What year are we in? Does it really matter that much this early on? Better yet can the story just be timeless?

All finite details are what drive me crazy about writing and reading.

Alaina or Elaina #nanowrimo

So I have two names for my main character, need to research their origins and meanings to make the final choice.
After I wrote this initial piece she finally whispered to me , Emily.
Here long auburn hair and hazel eyes hide her true self in a cloud of comfort. She is a wife , a mother, and a caregiver. She is lost in her duty looking for herself.
 She is also cautious as she has only revealed a little of herself to me so far.
Who is Emily?

Red Satin and white wine #nanowrimo

Smooth and shiny with a hint of luxury, she laid quietly across the red satin sheets feeling each and every movement in a new energy. What was it about the red satin that brought this side of calm to her. As she revealed a new side of herself., he didn't say a word. The scent of sweet white wine filled the room as if a candle smoldered in the corner of the room.  She needed to experience something new and if those red satin sheets brought his wife to that new place he would give them to her.  He lit the candle on the dresser illuminating the room in a warm glow.
Josiah was normally a quiet man , working hard on the farm and living a simple life; tonight he allowed himself to let go and savor the beauty that was his wife in this new light. He loved her in a way that he could not explain, he would do anything to make her happy, anything to fill the void that had become an ugly presence in their quiet lives.
Emily a soft spoken woman never asked for much. Tonight she left her auburn hair down and accepted the gift her husband brought into their quiet farm house. Her tears tonight flowed with release not anger or sadness, tonight it was about being the center of his world rather than just that person who cooked and took care of the children's every need. Tonight she was allowed to let go of the inhibition that seemed to control her every move.


*** I'm not sure where this goes, but I was inspired and this will become part of the project under the working title "educating Mother'****

although NaNoWriMo doesn't offically begin until Thursday this is part of my NaNo2012 project

Setting, get a map. #nanowrimo #writing

As I am putting details together for this new project, I realize I haven't quite figured out the setting. I know it is a semi rural area, but I am not sure I want to keep it in Oregon.
One thing I know once I settle on the location I will get myself a map or at least google map it and the surrounding area.
Another thought, do you use local landmarks in your writing? Again, map it. I have read stories where landmarks are used but then the remaining scenery isn't verfied. I guess I am a stickler for details like that, even in fiction.

tossed around in the wind

Somedays you just feel like a tree being tossed around in a windstorm.

Thinking notes (Who is she?)

Who is she to everyone else?
Who is she when she is alone?
When she is with him, just the two of them, she is quiet and needy, but to the outside world, she is a determined force in their world.
She is hiding something, but what, and whom from?


These are some of the questions I am trying to answer about my main character. She is an interesting character and only revealing bits and pieces at this point.

A walk in the country

The cool breeze began to drift away as the sun fell below the hills. The sky became a mixed of colors like the oil painting  hanging in the office. At this moment  the beauty of the sunset and the crisp clean smell of the early summer air.


***this was something I started over the summer. If nothing else I like the picture***

Naming my characters

Why is it so hard to come up with names?
I don't want the names to be cliche' but I also don't want the names to seem like they are someone from my real life. Seriously, I'm really struggling here as well as with a previous project on the character names. Usually I do ok with the heroine, but the hero always seems to give me issue.
So between plot mapping and character frustrations, this  year's NaNo is getting off to an interesting start.

Educating Mom

Or  something like that.
I am playing around with an idea.
The premise goes something like this: a frustrated mom struggling to teach her children at home begins to realize she needs educating and it isn't necessarily in teaching skills, but in life, compasion and, loving.

I'm not totally sure where this will lead as the characters are just now being revealed to me. I love this part of the writing process, meeting new characters and seeing where their paths lead.

NaNoWriMo is nearly here, so much to do...

I am crazy stoked!
Actually I am freaking out, I'm not prepared and I still have a bunch of posts to write for my regular blogs before I can go crazy and shut the rest of the world out for NaNoWriMo
If you don't know what NaNo is, well  the cool icon on the top of this post sums it up, for 30 days you write the goal being 50,000 words.
For now, I have 5 character outlines to finish up , although I find my characters tend to show me who they are as I write, I also have to outline or map out the novel on paper , and finally get my notebook and note cards set aside so I have them with me all the time. I tend to write either on my laptop or with pen and paper. I hope to bring together a few ideas I have stirring around in my head and hopefully get a full story done this year.

Author Blog Challenge : Outlining my projects

DAY 7 Prompt: Describe your outline process for your book. What do you do to stay organized?

How do I outline a project?  Honestly I go back to the basic research paper style outline only I tend to center it on a page so I can make a ton of notes in the margins. 

I know when I get a real serious writing bug I tend to online my characters' stories individually and then combine those outlines with abbreviates for the various characters. 

Staying organized in the writing process is hard for me, I use Post-it Flags to mark chapters, issues, and other spots along the way. For projects that have only been online (here on the blog especially) I tend to use the blog labels.) When I print a project I try to put at least a partial copy in my accordion file and save a digital copy to a4GB USB Flash Drive thumb drive as well as an external hard drivePortable Hard Drive , of course several of my projects are old enough they live on a 3 1/4 floppy (am I dating myself with that admission?)

I have learned a hard lesson, don't depend on any one system to stay organized or keep your writing safe. Print copies can be lost, hard drives can crash , online locations can be hacked, etc... So I tend to keep copies in multiple locations and formats to try and keep my projects safe as well as organized in some fashion.

Author Blog Challenge Prompt #6

When did the idea for my first book come to me... that is actually pretty easy, although the book isn't finished my first novella idea stemmed from a One Act play I wrote my senior year of High School as part of my senior project for Theater.  Shortly after the production was complete I felt the script was incomplete somehow and realized it needed to tell a deeper story so I started playing with the story in college. I actually wrote the first two chapters as part of a Creative Writing : Advanced Fiction writing class my third term at the local community college.  I still have the peer review/ professor review copies of that project as well as several others I wrote for the class. While some of the criticism was harsh, it was honest and gave me some really sold things to work on. I have a working copy of that project in my purple accordion file that perhaps I will work on sooner rather than later. I think that was my first novel , however I have several journal and writer's notebooks full of story starts and ideas that go back as far as 8th grade, but my first real seriously focused project was Single Link from High School. 

A long Pause

Somehow June got away from me and I had to push the pause button on my creative writing. I had hoped to spend some quality time this past weekend writing/ blogging but alas that didn't happen.  I did manage to spend the other night going through an accordion file full of notes, story starts, forms (for character analysis and plot mapping). I found several story starts that are screaming to be explored, literally the file is sitting on the floor next to my bed and when I climb into bed I see the bright purple plastic and it seems to be screaming at me to pick it up and explore the trails that I started at various points in my life.  I also pulled together 3 different journals and managed to put the pages in chronological order and read through them, again there are several story trails I want to explore.  My fingers want to type stories or better yet scribble ideas and brainstorm fixes to the stories that are started and never finished. My head is filled with voices of these various characters wanted to visit with me and tell me their stories. I just need to find the balance to create more.  Hopefully I have found some glimpse of balance in today's cleaning activities; I managed to pull a CAT-6 cable from the router in my old office space (soon to be the 9 year old's bedroom) to the living room. This should solve 2 problems. First the need for a line for school activities in the living room (so I can have both boys in the same space while doing school work and not feel like I have to leave one totally unattended to run down the hall and help the other one); the second is the desire to have my laptop available for writing and not hide in the back of the house to write.
I need to talk to my husband again to see if we can come up with a balance, especially after the productive housework day the boys and I had.  Oh the stories I could write just from homeschooling 2 boys and living in a small rural community.  Here I go another tale stirring in my head.
I am going to try and do a daily prompt tomorrow but for today this is where I am and that is really all I can ask for.

Author Blog Challenge Prompt #3

Who are the writers you most admire? Who are your writing mentors?

At this point, I have so many writers I admire. I have read so many great authors over the years and a few have stood out to me. Currently I admire those writers who are also parents and raising their families. As a homeschool Mom of 2 boys I find it hard to balance educating them with housework (which I suck at), and writing. At the end of the day my brain is so wiped out that I will often think about writing and never get any farther than the thinking about  stage. I have come across several authors in the homeschool world that really amaze me. One particular author is actually a married couple Hal and Melanie Young authors of Raising Real Men, they homeschool their boys and write and share their message. While I haven't read Raising Real Men I have read other homeschool products they have written and my family has been blessed by those e-books. 

I truly admire any author that manages to raise their children and write their book while maintaining some sense of reality and sanity. I'm sure that sounds somehow cliche'  but honestly I know I can easily get lost in the stories I write and forget about the real world for a time and while that is a part of the job of being a writer, I still have responsibilities that take priority in my world. 

So , here's to the balance that I hope we all manage to find as we write and raise our children and maybe just maybe instill in them a love of writing or at least reading. 

Classes taken, Classes taught

What kinds of classes, programs, or workshops have you taken to hone your skill as a writer? What sorts of exercises did/do you use to improve your craft? Have you ever taught a writing class or workshop?

I wasn't going to write off the prompts when I started this challenge but this one and the first one seemed like good places to start and get back into the groove of writing.

Classes taken, well I took every Creative Writing Class including Script Writing in college that I could, I also took the basic writing comp series plus retook Writing 122 from a favorite Professor just to get a little extra push (she actually pushed me in the second class as I asked her to take it up a notch for me, she expected more than a WR122 level from me which helped a lot). I also attended local workshops in various genres including Romance, Mystery , True Crime, and Memoir writing, although it has been ages since I was able to take a in person class.

Currently I am participating in as many challenges through blogging as I can to exercise my art and connect with people who will at least read and maybe respond to my ramblings. I have done NaNoWriMo 3 years now and am also working toward Camp NaNo this summer in the hopes of getting my focus back.

I have taught a class. I taught a Creative Writing class, actually 2 classes to our local homeschool co-op. The first class was three years ago to a group of high school kids where I am happy to report 3 of the students made huge strides in their craft. This past year I taught a Creative Writing class to my oldest son's co-op class of 3rd graders and let me tell you that was a serious push to my comfort level. 

a piece of chapter 1 I believe it is...

Breianna walked across the dimly lit room. This room was her's for such a long time but now was her parent's guest room and computer room, tonight it served as her escape from reality. Tonight , she pretended the recent past was a distant memory and teh outside world was just that, outside. When she moved out of her parent's house almost 7 months ago everything seemed to fall into place, now it seemed to be falling apart; money was a focus that darkened her mood, she worked 2 jobs, attended classes at the community college 3 days a week and barely made rent. Tonight especially she pondered why she left. She wasn't living on campus  but rooming with a friend from her parent's neighborhood, neither one of them could afford the place alone so it seemed at the time to be a good idea, now though as she struggled to put it all together she began to regret that decision. The landlord had asked the girls if he could do some maintenance on the house (including fixing some serious plumbing issues in the only complete bathroom), so Brei and her roommate returned to their parents' homes for the weekend. As Brei stood staring at the guest bed, her bed she longed to just sleep, but that really wasn't an option tonight her classes had to be her focus, with 2 papers due by the end of the week and a presentation the following Monday sleep would allude her for at least the next day maybe two.

Thankfully, one paper was actually a creative writing project she dearly loved. Her writing became a safe haven where she could escape the mundane details of her life and the stresses that were the ups and downs of her romantic life. Her writing, an outlet for her emotional energy when no one really seemed to understand what she was going through.. She kept journals and jotted down every little bit of chaos she felt, good or bad.  These journals were the expression of anger , of joy, of solace, of resentment toward so many things and people, especially toward Dan and their mess of a relationship.. 

For the last 3 years Breianna and Daniel had been a young couple struggling to keep a dying relationship alive. Childhood friends for what seemed life forever to Brei, now a couple separated with little left to fight for. Recovering from her now broken heart as well as a desolate spirit would take more than time for Breianna. The last two weeks she ached to feel his arms wrapped around her, she wished to hear his words reminding her that they were together, for now though she couldn't even look him in the eyes, she couldn't say his name without first crying then yelling and scream even if it was only in her head.

Author Blog Challenge: How I started writing

Honestly I'm not sure when I started writing. I remember junior high my English teacher thought my poetry was too dark and I was probably suicidal or something, I still laugh about that one.  I remember writing in journals and writing letters to people, but it seems like it has always been a part of who I am. I spent a lot of time in junior high and high school writing, honestly if I had put half as much energy into studying as I put into writing in journals and writing stories I probably would have done a heck of a lot better than I did..  I did the crazy thing in college and took every comp class and creative writing class I could get my hands on, I even took Literature classes so I could read more and try to improve my writing by reading what professors deemed great writers. I continued after college to write and still write. I remember in college a friend and I would have these late night writing sessions where we would spend literately hours working on stories and potential novels. Of course, then I had kids and the writing pretty much got put on hold, until the other night when my husband and I were out on a date and he mentioned that one thing he missed from our early years dating was reading my writing (he use to read my pieces and papers for content), so I was basically given a free pass to write again, so I am sitting here listening to Pandora racking my brain to finish up this post.

Darkness before the Dawn

Sometimes it is hard to see the light through all the darkness surrounding an event or plan.  Brei was feeling the overwhelming darkness in waiting, too many things seemed to be causing delays in this trip. She tried with everything to focus on the good of the journey, but one more delay would drive her to the edge.
"history paper, check. Math chapters done , check. Registration for next term, check. What is left?"
She looked over her lists making sure everything she needed to handle were taken care of. Thankfully she had her notes for the paper due after her trip, so she could work on the paper during her flight and the bus ride.
She was beginning to catch a glimpse of the light.

A to Z Challenge Reflections

I have so many of the posts still in draft form, but haven't put the finishing touches on them. This challenge opened so many gates to my characters and gave me so many options as far as story lines. I am going to finish the alphabet and post them as I can, even though I didn't get them all done in April I will finish them. What an amazing challenge for a writer, for that matter for any blogger. I am so grateful to my characters to opening up and letting me get to know them along the way.

Thank you A to Z challenge for kicking my but into gear!

T is for Tea Please #atozchallenge

 

“I’m heading downstairs for some coffee, want something?”

“a Passion Tea would be wonderful” Addy didn’t even look up from the script she was reading.

“ are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”
”can’t gotta get through this script before 3:00. It is going to be a long afternoon at this rate.”

Addy’s office was too dark and the afternoons spent reading scripts always put her to sleep, coffee would be a energy kick but she never could acquire a taste for it…

M is for One More Minute… #atozchallenge

 

“One more minute, pweezzz  Nannie..” his little voice pleaded with Nanny

“It is time for bed little guy.” She tried to stand strong but his big blue eyes and soft blond wispy curls made it hard to say no.

“but Bear isn’t finished playing with Joey…” he was really trying to win her over.

“ Now Bear, it is time for your young friend Joey to climb into bed,” she picked up the well loved white bear gently setting him next to the blue pillow on  the white toddler bed. “There, look Joey, Bear is all ready for bed, if you climb into bed Nanny can read you both a goodnight story.”

The curly haired blue eyed toddler climbed up onto his bed, “ Goodnight Moon,  Goodnight Moon” he requested with a joyful clapping.

“Goodnight Moon it is , little one” Nanny gently laid the toddler down and pulled the  blue comforter over him. She pulled the glider toward his bed just enough to begin reading his favorite bedtime story.

I is for Ideas (where do they come from) #atozchallenge

 

I remember when a college professor telling us  “Write what you know”.  I  always fought the idea.I didn’t want to write what  I knew,but now I  love  going back and pulling from what I know to get ideas. That is just one place ideas come from. I see things in daily life of a homeschool mom that inspire an idea or a rabbit trail to explore. I also love pulling ideas from family letters and diaries, I inherited an  amazing collection of letters circa 1880s between my G-G-Grandparents during his time on the railroad.

Ideas come from so many places.  I love using mental graphic organizers to grow ideas or break down ideas that are just too complex.

I love using journal prompts or daily prompts online if I find myself sharing at that infamous brick wall also known as writers’ block. Sometimes a looming deadline can also help, sometimes it can also become the mortar holding those bricks together.

Where do your ideas come from?

H is for Help #atozchallenge

All she had to do was ask, he would be there for her no matter what if she would only ask. Jeremy was waiting for her to simply ask for help, he loved her and would hold on to her as long as she needed.

Brei didn’t know how to ask for help yet, she was still more comfortable in her darkness behind the security of the wall that she built around her heart.  She knew Jeremy meant breaking down the wall that she spent so long building around her heart.  Help was there but did she really know how to ask for it.

**** yes I know this one was short, it is a piece of a bigger picture...****

G is for letting down the Guard #atozchallenge

Could she let him in? Was he the real thing? Brei wasn’t sure if she  was really ready for something so real.  Jeremy seemed to have it all, a job, goals, ambition, and a heart as big as the world. There  was a security wall that Brei had built around her heart over the years, but slowly he was breaking down her wall brick by brick. 
The darkness was her comfort, her security wall; Jeremy was a light invading the darkness and Brei wasn’t sure if that light brought safety or more fear.
“Come on, let's get some lunch.” his voice snapped her backed to reality.
" OK , but something light.” she didn’t think she could eat with her mind wandering.
“ The Snack Shack it is then. “  The new café has just opened on campus and offered a lighter faire, it also offered a quiet quaint atmosphere where she could get lost in her thoughts but still have the comfort of his presence

S is for Snowy Nights lost in a darkness #atozchallenge

The window seem to glow as crystal in the night snow.
Each snow flake added another level.
Snowy nights wrap my mind in a cool white blanket,
Every snowflake inspires a new idea,
Where does it lead?

E is for Energy

“Energy, I need to see the energy!” the commanding voice of the artistic director drilled through her body, her feet blasted stinging pains and her arms arched to drop to the floor. This was not the way she thought it would be. The modern style took more energy most days than her classical ballet training ever did. Oh how she longed for the days of her classical training, full of structure and the same technique she was comfortable in.
No this is my opportunity to grow as a dancer, to show that even a classically trained dancer can express emotions.
“More  Energy, more, is that too much? Let’s take 5 and start from the top”… his voice snapped her back to reality.

D is for darkness #atozchallenge

Darkness
Comfort
Hiding places
Warmth
Alone
Darkness is such a save place for some. For this writer it has actually become my most inspiring place.
If I am surrounded by darkness, I am free of distractions, free to let go and join my cast of characters.

C is for Courage

Oh to have the strength and courage to express myself to those around me, without fear.
I long for the day that I can stand strong and know that what I want to say will be heard by the people that need to hear it.  I want to express my inner most thoughts without worrying who may be offended by my thoughts.
why after all these years to I worry about that so much. I am a writer and I know that I have a voice. While it may be a timid voice some days, other days it has the power of a thousand armies.
I want the courage I use to posses, the courage to stand strong in my conviction, the courage to not fear rejection, the courage to know in my heart of hearts that I am right.
Courage is  a funny thing you know. It comes to you when you least expect it. Some days it comes to me as I write, like tonight as I sit here in the dark typing I feel the courage I need to write even this simple post. One day I will be able to write so much more.

B is for boys

Two little men, rather small, but eager to please nanny as she shuttled them toward their bedroom. Mother and Father would  be home within the hour and expected their little boys to be in bed and near sleeping.
Nanny wasn't sure they would make it, but she was giving it her best. Most evenings Mother and Father were off at some charity event while Nanny watched the boys. Mother and Father would return in time to check in on the boys tucked in their beds. The next morning it was again Nanny who would get the up and ready for the day.
Oscar being 7 was already in school full time so Nanny got him up first , helping him get his school uniform on and breakfast eaten before waking  Jonathan up. Jonathan was only 4 and preschool was only 3 days and in the afternoon so there wasn't the strong push to get him ready.  Nanny would get him up and dressed  as Oscar was eating breakfast. Following Oscar's breakfast Nanny and Jonathan would walk Oscar the 9 blocks to the big brick building where he would spend the rest of the day.
Nanny walked Jonathan back to the house and set up his breakfast. Some morning Mother would join then for the late breakfast and let Jonathan tell her about his adventures.  Nanny would pick up their bedroom and then play or read Jonathan a story to fill the time before lunch and  preschool.
Nanny loved her boys and her boys loved her.

A is for alone

Alone in her thoughts, alone in her job, and worse alone in her life in this city.
As awful as most people would think that scenario, Addie was very content in her aloneness, at least for the time being.
Her days were full of reading scripts, editing, and rearranging scenes for various events; while her nights were spent quietly dreaming and working on her own project and dreaming of one day seeing her own production live on the stage. While this wasn't New York, she enjoyed the city life and for know the humming of a busy city outside her apartment window kept her company.

Top 10 Books I’d play Hooky with

I came across this fun weekly meme and thought it would be a fun list to share. Since I’m a homeschool Mom of 2 boys I don’t really get a chance to play “hooky” but I can still think of a pretty good list of books I want to read or re-read in some cases.
1. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran  This is a re-read but it is such a beautiful book that I could read it over and over again. I actually used it for a paper in college (I think we had to copy the style of a book or voice of an author, or something like that.)
2. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. This is a re-read too and a fun little book about a boy who is bored and doesn’t want to do anything about it.
3.Bound By the Heart by Marhsa Canhum
4. Clara’s Kitchen by Clara Cannucciari. This is an amazing little book of stories and recipes from the Great Depression; really makes you take an honest look at how we live today and realize it isn’t as bad as we would like to think.
5. Runaway Choices by Eisly Jacobs. I bought this Christian Fiction on Amazon a while ago and have been wanted to read it ever since. I love Christian Fiction and this one came with all5 star ratings.  I am told it is adventure and intriqued combined with Christian themes
6. Child of the Mist by Kathleen Morgan. This is another Amazon find that I just haven’t gotten around to reading.  I love Scottish historical fiction especially 1500-1700 era.  This one stuck out for me as mystery, romance, and historical value. It comes with mixed reviews on Amazon but sometimes that is ok.
7. Valeria’s Cross by  Kathi Macias (actually a collaboration). Early Christian Fiction set during the period before the fall of Rome.
8. Prose Works by Mary Baker Eddy As a student of Christian Science this is one of many books full of wisdom and insight.
9. Holiness Day by Day: Transformational Thoughts  by Gerald Bridges  a weekly devotional with daily passages, it is one I keep meaning to add to my mornings but just haven’t gotten around to it.
10.Love Amid the Ashes by Mesu Andrews is another Christian Fiction set during the early Old Testament surrounding Dinah and forgiveness. I’ve actually started this book but haven’t been able to get back to it.

An eclectic collection of books to be read, but that is how I roll.

Puzzle pieces

when I write here it may seem random , honestly mostly it is.. I see this as my notebook, a spot to share thoughts that come to mind.  Some of my posts may seem more like post it notes and honestly sometimes it is easier to type out my thoughts than it is to find a post it note or notebook paper; and to be totally honest I wrote a opening chapter for a future project in a spiral notebook and then managed to lose the stupid notebook before I got it transferred to a blog or even a disk, so it really is easier to collect my ideas as blog posts.

Someday I plan on taking all these random thoughts and printing them out and piecing together the pieces of the puzzle that will be my future novel or story collection.

I hope you enjoy the randomness on my blogs and can catch a glimpse what goes on in my mind.

Are you ready for the challenge? #atozchallenge

I am so looking forward to getting back to my creative writing blog, only 2 weeks left.  The count down is on. Have you signed up for the challenge? Are you up to the challenge? It is crazy easy to sign up. There is a simple Linky form Here . I loved the challenge last year and am looking forward to getting back into the groove especially since NaNoWriMo was a blow out for me last year. Feel free to leave a comment if you are taking part in this awesome crazy challenge.