For God is not a God of confusion but of peace...
1 Cor 14:33a ESV But all things should be done decently and in order. 1 Cor 14:40 ESV Today's devotional is entitled "Clutter or Calm", and let me just say it's definitely a "twitching" moments. Butttttttt...the perspective is so simple I can actually see myself using this advice. The best part is this is nothing new. Just a gentle reminder of what I already know. Clutter goes hand in hand with chaos, confusion, and even depression. What I endear to "nesting" is really a defense mechanism I use to feel safe and secure. What starts out simple enough turns into more clutter and less security. So, today i decided to do something about it. I set my timer for 20 minutes and organized the clutter on my bed. When the timer went off the, I set it for another 20 minutes. This was more than just putting things away. I could dumped all of it in a box somewhere and be done with it in less than 5 minutes. But what's the point of decluttering if I'm not going to organize as well? After 40 minutes, I have all my patterns tucked away in a craft box, all the loose, unused yarn back in its bin, and I only have the 3 projects left that are easily moved around without getting tangled. Is my room perfect? Not by a long shot. Do I have more to organize? Ha ha ha! At this moment, I feel better, more motivated, and encouraged to continue. Onto my next 20 minute project, hopefully just as productive as the last! An Apple a Day 7 Day devotional provided by Michael Mol, Dalene Reyburn and Christian Art Publishers. For more information, please visit: https://www.cumbooks.co.za/
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I have a very short attention span and must keep my tasks rotating to stay focused. The alternative leads to lethargy, headaches, overthinking, disarray... and this was a problem BEFORE Covid-19. 2020 has only magnified my inability to focus. For example, I set a timer to work on my website for 30 minutes. Then proceeded to spend the last several hours "revamping" the entire thing, only to delete everything I moved around because it only made things worse. This is my procrastination side trying to "look" productive, but only ends up being "busy" with nothing but a strained neck and a headache to show for it. So... I decided to actually blog, which was one of my goals today in the first place! I changed the name of my blog section to Goldfish Prose with the intent of adding short blogs to spur myself to write more. That hasn't happened, and considering the length of this blog, I might as well throw that idea out the window. But Goldfish Prose fits my personality so I'm going to keep it. Here are a few topics to be watching for: The Business of Writing
Craft of Writing
Short Stories and More...Faith and Inspiration
Last but not least...Better known as NanoWrimo (Just in case you're wondering, I pronounce it "Nan-Oh Reem-Oh". Others pronounce it Nan-Oh Rhyme-Oh." Not saying they're wrong, but...)
So, this is my plan in a nutshell... I know it's a pretty big nutshell, but what do they always say? Go big or go home...
Never did I ever think I could –
If this list tells me anything, it tells me NEVER to say NEVER. Lately, instead of driving all the way across town to my favorite library, I’ve been utilizing the one down the street from my house. I didn’t notice it for the longest time, because it’s a small branch located in a strip mall. I have fallen in love. There is always enough space for me and my sons to find a table and plug in. The library has better WIFI and helps me to focus on tasks whether it’s working on my novel or answering my much neglected emails. I have no other distractions, except maybe the people, who are always fascinating to watch. The last several visits, I have faced the juvenile non-fiction section. I can’t really read the titles along the spine of the books, but the library has strategically displayed eye-catching titles that are easily visible from across the room. One night, every time I looked up, I noticed a book about unicorns and other mythological creatures. I was intrigued. On a whim I picked it up along with a book on grammar. As we walked to the front desk, another book jumped out at me about Charles Darwin. I have no qualms of checking out titles for a younger audience. These books piqued my interest in topics I want to know more about. The next trip to the library came after participating in a workshop on poetry. The instructor had suggested a couple of poets to read, and while none of them were located at this library, I found two promising poets. Enjoying my hunt, I decided to check out their yoga section. (One of my newest passions) I DISCOVERED… There’s more to unicorns than meets the eye. I probably should apologize to all my English teachers from the 5th grade and up. Charles Darwin led a fascinating life. Poetry proves you can describe love using any terminology, even mathematical. And yoga rocks for any shape or size. What treasures have you found at the library recently? My dad has a copy of a story I wrote called My Life as a Clothes Hanger. The handwriting looks to be from the 3rd or 4th grade. I don't have any recollection of this story, but thought if I ever wrote a memoir, that would be my title. Then it hit me, I have a blog I never use...
Don't get me wrong. I can contribute to the writing world right alongside the rest. I have enough experience to help people along the way, even while I'm still learning. And I'm always learning.
But this page has been revamped to include more than just writing, because writing is only one "hanger" in my closet. (See what I did there?) There are plenty more hangers, maybe even a couple of skeletons. November is National Novel Writers Month.
What is NanoWrimo? A community of writers from across the world that come together for one month out of the year to cheer each other on by writing 50,000 words in 30 days. Even better, they raise money to support literacy and other reading/writing programs across the globe. What do I get out of it? Inspiration. Practice. New words. The beginnings of a new novel. The guts of a novel I'm stuck on. Support. Validation. Community. I discovered this wonderful world of writers almost twelve years ago. I have seven years listed in the "novel" section of my participant page. As I was gearing up to participate this year, I went through my memory lane and discovered little gems of my own writing history. I have to admit I teared up a little. I have attempted the same story several years in a row. Each a little different from the last, and now can be seen as the stepping stones of completed manuscripts. (at least 2 of them!) Even 2017 and 2018 are the same story. Different titles (much better, I might add). Even different character names! It is so much fun to see how things develop. It is officially day 8. I am at 11,307 words, which is a little shy of my goal. Even if I don't make it to 50,000, I will have something concrete to build from, and that's more than I an say before I started. If you are looking for a boost and a support system that will spur you into the right direction, check out it! www.nanowrimo.org I always start blogs, but never keep them up. I have a lot of things to say, but can never sit still long enough to say them. This is something I want to get better at. Then again, I also have plenty of entries that begin that way. So, this is me utilizing the space I have already created and allowed to grow dusty for far too long. I'm going to pretend that the gap in time doesn't exist and act like I've been here the whole time. I mean, what is anyone going to say? It's my website after all.
So this is HELLO to anyone who comes across this page. The craft of writing is no joke. Everyone can write. Not everyone can write well.
I love to tell stories, but writing them down is a challenge. Alone, I can't seem to pass on the emotions I feel for the story. That's where learning craft comes in. Sometimes a good critique session leaves me feeling like the girl in Jaws, you know, the first victim. Think about that one for a moment. Sometimes a good critique session leaves me feeling like I just finished a full body wax. I've never had one before, thank goodness, but I've had my eyebrows done ONCE. NEVER. AGAIN. Yes. These are GOOD critique sessions, even though they don't sound like it, because they make me better. A better reader, better critiquer, better storyteller, better writer. Then there is the good critique session that leaves me feeling like I've had the best workout ever. It's still not easy, but I feel energized and loose, ready to go onto the next chapter. I couldn't have the fantastic workout without the shark attack or full body wax. They condition me to be ready for the full workout. At the moment I'm going through it I wonder WHY ME?!? After it's over I can see, BECAUSE I MUST. MY QUERY UPDATE: 32 agents on my list, 26 agents queried, 10 rejections. The other six are waiting to be reviewed. (Some agencies allow you to submit to more than one agent, but not all at once. If one agent declines, you can send it to another. Some agencies don’t allow multiple queries. How will you know? Read their website)
Ready to query? Lesson #2: Be prepared – writing a killer query I am not an expert on query letters. I am learning as I go and I thought someone might want to learn along with me. So far, I have needed a combination of the following:
Things to consider: When I worked in human resources, I screened all the resumes before my boss even looked at them. Sometimes I knew from the very first line if a resume was worth passing on. Same goes for query letters.
What is a query letter? Have you ever created a resume? In a way, a query letter is like a resume. It is usually a three-tiered letter explaining: Your elevator pitch, a summary of your story, and a little about yourself. FIRST TIER: Your Elevator Pitch
SECOND TIER: Brief Description of Your Story
THIRD TIER: Marketability, Credentials, and Author’s bio
There are plenty of resources online. Type in: How to write a query letter and start practicing! FINISH STRONG: Don’t forget the 3 golden rules of writing:
Last but not least, have someone else read it. In fact, have more than one someone else read it. If you are in a critique group, fantastic! Let your group hack away until there is nothing left but a killer query letter. If you are not in a critique group, I would encourage you to find one. They aren’t easy to come by, but so worth the effort. Local writing groups (google writing groups in your area), libraries, and Facebook are just a few places to start. IMPORTANT NOTICE: I just learned something new today (2/15/17). I have seen other people do this, and I'm sure it is included in any online search, but since I have learned it, I'm passing it along. Always type the title of your book in ALL CAPS. Example: THE QUEEN AND THE FIDDLER. I am not an expert on query letters, although I am getting a lot of practice. I thought someone might want to learn along with me. Lesson #1: Finish your manuscript This may seem obvious, but it is the first step. At least for fiction. Non-fiction projects have their own set of rules, and if I ever travel down that path, I will include them in my lessons learned. For now, I am focusing on fiction queries. What do I mean by “finish your manuscript?” Have a complete story: beginning, middle, and end—but that’s not all. Do not start sending out queries after your first draft. There is a reason we call them first drafts. They need to be polished. So, once you have your beginning, middle, and end, then go back and edit. Edit as many times as it takes to get it right. Give it to someone else to read. Someone you trust to be honest, even if they don’t like it. Join a critique group. A good group is hard to find, but oh so valuable. It takes a village to write a good book. I’ve worked as a legal secretary for 20+ years. I was lucky enough to have a mentor who taught me 3 basic steps in the editing process of any document.
Again, seems simple enough, but everyone—EVERYONE—will misspell a word somewhere, sometime. You can have 10 different people read your work, and misspelled words will still slip through the cracks. The goal is to send out the most professional looking work possible. Polish until you can see your face in the reflection. |
AuthorMy dad has a copy of a story I wrote when I was 9 or 10 years old called My Life as a Clothes Hanger. I thought if I ever wrote a memoir, that would be my title.Then it hit me, I have a blog I never use... Archives
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