Inspiration

This picture inspired me. Made me think about disasters, something my number one brother and I share a love for - on screen that is! And while the flooding wasn't quite so bad in my WIP, I have a few more disasters up my sleeve to torment my characters with. Like this:

My characters are about to leave this place in search of answers.

It's been slow going. I've been working on this since November and am just now closing in on 20K. But. I think my chapters are more coherent and that there will be less to revise later, less major stuff. We'll see...

So. What's inspiring you?

International Be Positive Day

"Do you have a happy place?  You know, the place that you feel your very best.  Your heart is content. Your mind relaxed.  A place that you go to (physically or mentally) where you can breath.

Saying positive things not only helps the person who reads it feel better, but it also helps the person who wrote it.  Let's face it, writing is a hard gig.  There is more rejection than acceptance in this industry, but we can help each other by showing our support for our fellow writers and friends (and even strangers) by saying or doing something positive."

 Sharon K. Mathew invited folks to participate in this and I thought it was a great idea. Here's my little slice of happiness:

This is the condo I stayed at with some of my family a few years ago on Sanibel Island. Right through that opening and up the stairs to the fourth floor...

This is the view from our condo to the beach we sat on, played at, swam, and walked to our heart's content.

This is me at the bird sanctuary right around the corner.

And this is the lighthouse we walked to our last day, collecting shells along the way, wading in the warm waters, and wishing we didn't have to get on a plane and go home quite yet...

Sanibel is my happy place. I don't think I was ever more relaxed or at peace than when I was walking along that beach and searching for the perfect shell. If there's a Heaven, this is mine, and yes! You are welcome to share :)

Where is your happy place?

speaking of dreaming

what do you think about using dreams? Do you use them in your writing? What about when you read about dreams in books other people have written? Like them? Hate them?

And what do you think dreams are? A mish-mash of memory, hope, and fear? Or synapses misfiring.

I forget where I read it but there was an article about dreams that basically said something to that effect. And I might have gone along with the idea if my dreams weren't so specific, so appropriate, and ultimately, revealing.

Tell me what you think about dreams, and writing.

the shower epiphany

I'm not sure why this happens but I've seen other posts about it. That strange phenomenom so many of us experience in the shower. What's up with that? Why does the shower precipitate ideas? Is it the water? Is it the enclosing shape, the rythmic sound? Sometimes I wonder if there isn't some similarity between the shower and say, a pyramid? I know. It sounds a little nutty. But if you don't believe me just check this site out:  http://www.algonet.se/~anki-p/pyramidpower.html

Anyhow, the other day while in the shower it occured to me I might actually embark upon a plan for my blog. You know, like regular posts. I mean I already have the first impressions thing Dianne and I do the first week of the month. And I could easily do more 'to follow or not to follow' posts as there are tons of bloggers I follow. Not to mention all the other things, like real estate, the movies, how to write a story, authors/books I love, etc. What do you think?

Meanwhile, I've been revising and editing The God Chronicles per the suggestions of my crit partner, Carol. It almost feels like I'm slacking, since I'm not actually writing anything new. But I know this will pay off as I get closer to the part where I left off, late in book 2. Then I can finally rescue Tamsin's captives. They've been stuck there a long time.

comments and following

First, I have to thank our three submission for March: Marisa, Carolin, and not the girl. I really appreciate them all for participating And of course I have to thank Dianne for teaming up with me. She’s really good at this. Trust me. I know. Grimoire wouldn’t be half as good if she hadn’t read/critiqued it.


Now, about comments and following. I read somewhere you should follow lots more blogs than you have followers and I do. The trouble is reading everybody’s blog AND commenting. So I want you all know, all you bloggers I follow, I actually do read your posts at least two to three times a week. I just don’t always comment. Sometimes I have nothing to say. Sometimes I do but someone else has already said it better. And sometimes I think I have something relevant to say. Of course, sometimes I’m wrong. But the point is I am reading what you’re writing, just not commenting all the time. So don’t stop. Because I truly believe that the more we write (whatever it is) the better we get.



And because spring is only a few weeks away and I can’t wait to hear the peepers (I promise to let you know as soon as I do – hmm, I wonder if I could record them…), here is something green.

My sister who's living in Singapore sent me this and for some reason it inspired me to write something that may or may not turn into a tale. Maybe it's all that green, I'm not sure. But I like it.