Resurrecting the Dead

When I was a child, my parents would send me off to camp for a week every summer.  Before I would leave, my mother would give me five pre-addressed, stamped envelopes with stationary so that I could write her letters while I was gone.  Seriously, most of the time I was home before those letters arrived, but that did not matter.  My mother probably did not know it, but she was teaching me a valuable lesson:  to write.  

My mother saved some of those letters and it is quite hilarious to look back on my 9 year old self.  I guess I have always loved the concept of mail.  Who didn’t enjoy opening their locker in junior high and finding a note?  And if you tell me you never got in trouble for passing notes in class, I KNOW you are not telling the truth, lol.  And, yes, I still have some “love” notes from high school boyfriends tucked away, somewhere.

Although my mail box today is full of bills, catalogs and junk flyers, I still get a small rush of excitement whenever I pick up the mail.  Sometimes, there is a treat for me in the form of a handwritten letter or card!  In today’s world of text messaging, online everything and social media, where you are lucky to get a couple of sentences out of someone, a letter or card can be compared to Christmas!  Oh, and while I am on the subject, it saddens me that people don’t send Christmas cards anymore.  

In the tradition of all good Southern women, I have personalized notecards that I keep with me, as one never knows when the need to dole out a handwritten note will arise.  Letter writing is one of the most beautiful ways to tell a story and can almost be considered a lost art.  Do you know how much of our world’s history can be attributed to letters and personal journals?  

This summer, why not try writing a few letters to loved ones in your life?  You may not think you have much to write, but if you focus on descriptions, emotions or storytelling, you might find that you have more words than you first thought.  

Here’s to resurrecting lost arts! 

~Michele

chele0001@yahoo.com

Forget "Where's Waldo?"...What Happened to Honest Abe?

Truthfully, the truth is not a BIG hit anymore.

I mean just try to find an honest…

Politician…

Car Salesman…

Mechanic…

Judge…

Lawyer…

Well, do any come to mind?  I hope so but unfortunately, they are few and far between.

Why? Good question.  Money. Power. Job Security.  Our society has put less and less value on the truth.  It is acceptable to placate, pacify and outright lie to make someone feel good or to get a better result for yourself.  We are taught to be do what is best for ourselves even at the expense of others.

Our society seems be either too polite-ok, ok, everyone gets a trophy or too sarcastic-Sure you look nice (under your breath mumbles not).  I am not condoning brutal honesty, you don’t always have to say something because you feel it is true.  “That hair cut makes your face look fat.” You can still be honest using a nicer truth such as, “Wow, you got your hair cut.”

Working with small children I hear a whole lot of the “truth”.  Children are sure to keep your ego in check.  “Teacher your hair looks crazy today.”  “This room smells like a dog.” “Mom said I was getting on her ‘nerds’ last night.”  “Dad and Mom were watching a ‘bad words’ movie.”  Children tell it like they see it and repeat what they hear. So be careful what you say when you think your little one is not listening.

How about honesty in writing? Writing is freeing and is a good way to put your thoughts and ideas on paper.   I love writing fiction, it is fun to create characters who do not always act or think the way you do.  The world you create is limitless and the characters are not bound by the laws that define our way of life.  However, when writing non-fiction, it is important to stick to the facts.  Personal opinions are great as long as they are presented as opinions.  People often take other people’s word instead of investigating the information for themselves.       

Why it is that someone can write about vicious, brutal and inhumane things and people eat it up like candy but they seem to cringe when people dare to share their beliefs?  Funny world we live in. 

Questions:

Have you ever heard something and assumed it was true, only to later find out it was not?

What are some funny “truths” you have heard? (My Granny was always VERY honest and VERY funny.  She would tell it like it is.)

Do you think that honesty is becoming a dinosaur? Why or Why not?

When writing have you discover some truths about yourself? What have you learned?

Summer has been crazy busy! Hope you are enjoying yours!

 To my fellow writers-I miss you guys-honestly! J

 Have a fabulous week!  

~Lisa M. Crosby

Summer Writing Goals

Friday, June 20, 2014

Summer Writing Goals

I set summer writing goals. 

In some ways, summer is busier than the school year for me. It’s also more flexible. I’m able to beg, borrow and steal time from various tasks (like laundry) and add to others. For example, most summer days I find time to write in the morning and the afternoon. I also find myself writing in places I don’t during the school year.

This summer, I have three writing goals:

1.       June goal – submit a piece of writing to a publication

2.       July goal – enter a writing contest

3.       August goal – write, record and edit a podcast

Links of interest

What about you? Have you set summer writing goals? If so, what are they? If not, do you think you will before the end of the season?

You may be interested in the following links: 

1.       Jacksonville Public Library/Jacksonville Zoo Poetry Contest

Deadline: July 15

http://jpl.coj.net/lib/locpoetrycontest.html

2.       Poets & Writers Database of Contests, Grants and Awards

Deadlines vary

http://www.pw.org/grants

3.       Good Housekeeping is sponsoring a non-fiction writing contest about love.

Deadline: September 1, 2014

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/blogs-books/all-about-love-writing-contest

Feedback

We would love to cheer you on as you reach your writing goals this summer. Feel free to share your goals here on the blog or on our Facebook page. Sometimes, making yourself accountable is all it takes!

~Nancy

Do You Follow or Follow Through?

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a picture from the most wonderful website of them all, Pinterest.  The picture contained a few writing ideas, one in particular caught my attention: read writers that are better than you.  Since I love to read, I do not find this task troublesome.  However, what is hard is finding the time to actually sit down, turn off my phone and pay attention to what I am reading.  I set a goal for myself to read the books that are debuting on the big screen this year and to see the corresponding films.  I am a little behind, but I will finish and I think it's an admirable and attainable goal.

Fast forward to this week.  As most of you know, I sustained an injury at the Gate in March and my doctor has not yet released me to walk long distances.  So I have decided to take up biking at the  gym.  I would MUCH rather walk outside for exercise and enjoy God's creation than be stuck in a gym, but for now, it will do because this biking has given me the opportunity to catch up on my reading.  I am currently in a series that is set in Regency England.  I love this time period; I definitely could have been an excellent duchess, lol.

Seriously, though, just reading helps our writing.  I find myself stopping after a couple of paragraphs and visualizing the scenery, costumes and menus.  I receive an extra dose of motivation to continue writing and then the freight train hits.  BAM!! I start writing and an hour later I realize I am still working on the same paragraph because I have re-written it about 40 times!  I am guilty of wanting my first draft to be epic and ready for publication.  Herein lies the problem:  I cannot get my story told because I am too busy editing every word.  I am my own writers block.

At every CCWW session, Nancy encourages us to write daily, randomly, consistently.  Do we do that?  I know that I do not.  Partly, because I try to edit. every. word.  Will you join me in following instructions to write daily, without perfection, just to write?  Perhaps then, we can follow through with getting the most important task completed:  our stories told.

I'm looking forward to our upcoming sessions and to seeing each one of you.  Until then, happy, fresh writing wishes to you!

Best,
~Michele
chele0001@gmail.com

Helpful Hannahs

Isn’t just wonderful that there are so many “EXPERTS” out there, I mean, how else would the average citizen even function without them.   

You know what I am talking about, there are always those “Helpers” who give you there unwanted, unsolicited advice.  For example, one might be out a simple shopping trip to the grocery store. There you are picking out produce and here she comes.  “You don’t want that one” she declares.  “See” as she squeezes the life out of your produce.  “Here, take this one it’s much better”.    Well, she was right about one thing, you don’t want your produce demolished.  

You might be diligently working on a project at work, doing your best and here comes the advice.   “Heaven’s no, don’t do it like that!” “This way is much better!”   Doesn’t matter that you had a reason for doing it the way you were doing it.  Doesn’t matter that they are destroying your vision.  Of course, their way is better, what were you thinking?

Even getting your oil changed can result in an “ERROR” message. “Oh, honey, no, you need the synthetic stuff, you are KILLING your car, uhh… do you like walking?”  I am sorry, please explain to me why I am not given options not opinions. 

And please don’t be a pregnant woman anywhere.  If you are now or have ever been, you know exactly what I am saying.   People are happy to tell you what you MUST and MUST NOT do.   Random strangers not only come up and touch you but also give you their nightmare story of child birth.  “Don’t get an epidural.”  “Do get an epidural!”  “Breastfeed.” “Bottle Feed.” “Hospital.” “Home birth.”  The list go on and on. In the end, just trust you own decisions, don’t worry what anyone else thinks.  It is YOUR body, YOUR child, YOUR life.

And when you have your child, don’t think it is over, it has only just begun.  EVERYONE is an expert on raising children especially if they don’t have any.  “Never…” “Always..”  “Public school.” “Private school.”   I could go on and on, another list that would blow your mind.  But my very favorite is when these “special” individuals have the nerve to declare how many children YOU should have. Wow.  Excuse me, are you going to raise MY children? Are you going to help pay for their education?   I do realize there are some situations in which people have children that they do not want or take care of. Yet some people want to dictate other people’s lives who do want and love their children.

Honestly, don’t we all have enough to worry about without taking on other people’s problems?  If we all took care of our OWN business instead of worrying so much about other people the world would be a better place.

Let’s not forget the “REAL EXPERTS”.  THEY could NEVER be wrong, right?  I mean, the other planets do revolve around earth.   Pluto IS a planet.  Bats are blind. Lightning NEVER strikes the same place twice.   Needless to say even the “REAL EXPERTS” don’t have all the answers.

Not all advice is bad, of course.  But when you are about to dole out advice, please do it responsibly. We can help each other but please, please allow the other person to make their own choices.  I know when you are super good at something it is hard not to jump in and take over but PLEASE allow people to take their own steps. And as difficult as it is, let them make their own mistakes.

Questions:

Did someone ever give you really bad advice? 

Have you ever given someone advice that they didn't ask for?

What are some ways you help other people out without being overbearing?

What is the funniest advice you have heard?

Has anyone’s advice helped you when writing?  Did the advice completely change or just enhance your piece?  

Have you ignored someone’s advice about writing?   

Have a wonderful week, and if you want my opinion-have an opinion but don’t always be too quick to share! ;) 

~Lisa M. Crosby

Forging Words

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Mountain vacation

 

We spent last week on a mountain vacation. On Friday, we met my aunt and uncle at the Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center in Mountain City, Georgia.  They drove to meet us from their summer cabin nearby.

The sign outside Foxfire gift shop in Mountain City, Georgia.

In the 1960s, an English teacher led his class of Appalachian students to write, edit and publish a magazine. The publication featured interviews with students’ relatives as well as tips on simple living. For example, students wrote about canning, rope-making, candle-making, woodworking and more. The magazine became a regularly published periodical.

The magazines were then turned into books. Book sales provided money for the Foxfire organization to purchase land and set up an Appalachian village where people can visit and catch a glimpse into the past. For more information, please visit www.foxfire.org.

On Fridays this summer, Foxfire is hosting artisans at work. Last Friday, we saw a blacksmith forge metal; a weaver weave with hand-dyed yarn and a broom maker bind brooms of many sizes.  The broom maker used to teach music in Jacksonville. Here's a picture of her and a sign she hangs outside her Foxfire shop. 

A retired music teacher assembles brooms at Foxfire.

Did you know you're not supposed to take an old broom to a new house?

Blacksmithing

I’ve been intrigued with blacksmithing for a long time. My knowledge of the trade came only from books. Last Friday, though, I saw a live demonstration, and I was surprised by the size of the blacksmith’s fire. I pictured it bigger. 

The blacksmith in his forge at Foxfire.

The actual fire, which is fueled by coal, is approximately 12 inches by 8 inches. It is, however, very hot-about 1800 degrees or so.  

Barry, the blacksmith, started with a metal rod about two feet long. He put it into the fire watching for the metal to light up with heat. Once it did, he moved it to an anvil and hammered it a few times. He repeated the fire and hammer procedure a few times and ended up with a decorative metal hook. 

The blacksmith hammers hot metal in his shop at Foxfire.

Forging Words

After watching the blacksmith, I made a connection between forging metal and forging words. Isn’t that what we do as writers? The creative fire in our mind heats the metal of our words and our inner writer hammers out stories, plays, memoirs, poems, etc.

The word forge has several definitions. The first two, according to www.dictionary.com, are:

1.       to form by heating and hammering; beat into shape

2.       to form or make, especially by concentrated effort

To me, writing encompasses both. We beat our words into shape through concentrated effort, don’t we? I find writing to be difficult no matter the genre or word count.

What about you?

Have you made any connections about writing this summer? Have you ever thought about forging words when you write? 

As summer moves forward, I will keep my eyes open to see more connections between writing and life. I encourage you to do the same. 

Please feel free to leave a thought below or on our Facebook page.

~Nancy

nancyleebethea@gmail.com

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble, Gobble, Blah, Blah, Blah...

Last week, my husband and I enjoyed a delightful, but rare Saturday morning breakfast at a local restaurant.   Delightful because we were able to spend some quality time together, but rare, because we typically do not go out for breakfast, unless we are on vacation.  During the course of our meal, I had three cups of coffee.  I am relatively new to coffee.  Oh. My. Stars.  I cannot believe how much I LOVE COFFEE!!!! 

Apparently, coffee loves me, too.  The burst of energy I received caused me to talk, so excessively, that my husband actually asked me to stop for a moment for me to catch my breath and for him to try to understand something, anything that I said.  I was talking. A lot.  But were we really communicating?  Someone once told me that excessive talking was equivalent to a bunch of gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble, blah, blah, blah.  

As writers, many times we struggle with the concept of "showing" instead of "telling" the reader our story.  Dialogue is an easy way to break up the monotony of the words and a powerful way to reveal just enough to the reader at just the right time.  Do you struggle with dialogue?  If so, why?  Do you find yourself describing a scene that could better be shown through dialogue?  

How about this?  Many enjoy "people watching", but have you tried "people listening"?  I hear some of the funniest conversations while standing in line at the grocery, or sitting in a booth at a restaurant.  What's better than that?  Listening to half of a cell phone conversation!  It really does not matter where I listen, the point is that I am only hearing dialogue and I am getting the story. 

How about setting your pen to writing a play this summer and bringing it to CCWW in the fall?  

Until then, happy writing with amazing dialogue!

Best, 

~Michele

chele0001@gmail.com 

You want some Fries with that Shake?

Fast food. Fast cars. Fast service. Rapid refund. Speedy Check-out. Direct TV. High Speed Internet. Instant Photos.  Snapchat. That’s right, people seem to have but one gear-HIGH.  Everything and I mean, everything needs to be done at neck-breaking speeds!  Are we there yet? Is it over yet? Is it Friday yet? We wish our lives away.

                                                                                    That fast enough for you? 

Don’t get me wrong, I am in the boat with you.  Let me hurry and eat so I can…do dishes, laundry or any of the bazillion things I might have on the list.  We run here and there to squeeze as much as we can out of life, but are we really enjoying it?  Must we jump from mountain top to mountain top to avoid anything that might give us a moment’s reprieve?

BORED.  BORED. BORED.  Anyone with children has heard this declaration on most likely multiple occasions.  We live in such an entertainment society that people have a hard time with “down” time.  You see them everywhere, they have to be multi-tasking at all times, as if it some contest to see who can do the most at one time.

 Patience is at an all-time low.   Do I have to wait in line? 10 minutes in the microwave?   Let me skip to the end of the book.  Can we skim through the boring parts of the movie and get to the good stuff?  I, for one, would love to know how you can tell the difference between the “good” and “boring” stuff, while you are zipping through the images at lightning speed. 

Is this blog about finished or am I going to be reading it for the rest of my life?  You were thinking it, but hey, it is almost over, so hang in there! 

We all need to learn to slow down and savor all of life’s moments, even the BORING ones.  If we don’t have the mundane, sometimes even painful moments, then we won’t truly appreciate the amazing ones. 

 Take a deep breath, spend some time doing nothing at all and if you are feeling extremely adventurous, spend some time “unplugged”.  You might be surprised at the freedom you feel when you are alone with your thoughts and no one is able to disturb you. 

I find that writing affords me the opportunity to unwind and for just a few moments, get off the “Great American Scream Machine” (also known as “Life in these United States”).  

 

Ooops, got a call, gotta run!  (Just Kidding…that was the TV…or maybe the microwave…or the doorbell… Who knows?)

Just a few questions:

What do you do to find "down" time?

What is something that you are impatient about?

Do you stop and enjoy life’s simple pleasures?

What is something that has made your life simpler yet more complicated at the same time?

                                   Wishing you and your family a fantastic week, with maybe a power outage or two! 

~Lisa M. Crosby