Category Archives: Writing

Deeply Ingrained: #2 Blog Series

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All families have that one member who’s a nutritional overachiever.” – Unknown

I had to laugh when I read this quote. Our family knows good humor and it’s always a good time when we gather.  There is even has a place for “nutritional under-achievers,” and  we are well-taken care of by the others.

Now, our numbers are so large just among my 4 siblings, their kids and grandkids ( nearing 40)  it is no wonder my mom, (pictured hosting her/ and our last BIG fall gathering), knew when it was time to pass the torch to the next generations. God bless her and my Dad – they are probably sitting at the table of the Good Lord every Sunday, making sure all members are accounted for here on Earth. Fourteen live in other States, others locally. All come running when able or needed.

I have wonderful memories of our Sunday gatherings with my paternal grandparents and their only child, their son (my Dad), Mom and us 4 grandkids. We had plenty of room and sharing in the conversation was much easier. My grandmother more than made up for the lack of bodies by the number of dishes (always China) and even then every conceivable food stuff you could think of, including what was requisite back then – always the bread basket filled with warm rolls, and sliced bread. No doubt, one-hundred twenty-four years later, she’s not turned a blind eye either and knows exactly how fertility happens.

Today, I’ve been indulgent sharing my love for writing about a shiny window into a life.  I promise, I hold some writing about my own family in check most of the time.  Let’s get realistic. We too, have many windows of time when I or my big family is challenged in every conceivable way and in all proportions. There are not always clear windows. Some days are foggy. That’s life, and memoir writing. There are those who find sharing their stories much too painful so they are held close to the chest.

Post #3 in the series will be published on 10/29/2024.I will soon share an interesting post about this very subject. Will you join us again? Look forward to it.

In Our Thirst

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A friend recently stated, “the world is hungry for beauty.” I do believe she is right!  I take refuge in what I value and most appreciate. It’s been said we are products of what we surround ourselves with.

Many of the negative things that are happening in our midst, we can do little about but we can do something about our own personal environment in which we live. When you thirst, draw from your well or reservoir of what lifts your spirit and the spirit of others.

Working at the Scene

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Words are not just words laid down on a page to a writer and paint is not just paint to an artist. Paint and words are the mediums used to create the story. And it is much more difficult than many realize.

Color and light is important to interpret what the plein air painter sees before them. A writer makes every attempt to create a vision of color and life for their readers by choosing the right words which helps the reader clearly understand the picture and invest in the story.

When I set out on my daily walk sometimes I do mental gymnastics. Maybe I’ll look at an abandoned house or a stonewall or a field of flowers trying to make up a scene about what I am seeing. What was life like inside the house? What is the history behind a stone wall that has been there for many a decade? What is a skittering squirrel doing while running through a field of flowers all full of activity? It may sound very strange, but a writer is always composing stories.

When I get caught up in the story and haven’t noticed I am walking is when I think I might be onto something.

If you were the writer, what words would you use to create a story around this scene?

Creative Play

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No matter how we play it is freeing to let go even if it is wild and crazy – especially if it is wild and crazy! That means one truly has let go of inhibitions. 

Even though I am now a grandmother of two,  wrinkled, scared and all, I’m still plenty agile enough to climb a tree and haven’t lost a playful spirit. There is plenty of life left in me and I am so grateful for that.

What caused me to climb a tree? I took one of my most loyal reader’s suggestions after she read my recent post about my summer’s writers nest and how it may inspire me to one day write something profound. She said “You may even start climbing that tree to go out on a limb!” And so I did and I felt free as a bird. We are all at liberty to create any kind of fun we want for ourselves.

 ‘It is a happy talent to know how to play.’ – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The Golden Spiral Tree” pictured at the top of this post is by artist Gustav Klimt (1862 -1918)

Good Companions

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Literary and visual artists can be great companions and both involve forms of self-expression.

Both types of artists are essentially all about the story, yet the methodology is different in how it is relayed to the audience. When one looks at visual art, words are used to describe it. When one reads a narrative, visual images come to mind, such as what a character, place, or scene looks like. The co-mingling is there. The process of how the brain assimilates the two is understood by a few. It is so complex and how  words and images are interpreted is different for each of us.

The visible and invisible worlds are inexplicably intertwined…once you’ve opened your mind to this, you can dance between them. – Alberto Vilaldo

 

 

A View of My Writer’s Nest

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Today’s post is not quite as short as a tweet, but its about a sweet little thing that I am very grateful for!

I have a cool new summertime writing space, which gives me a bird’s eye view and I couldn’t be more pleased with it.  So, how I view life and the nature of people who exist in it is coming to you from a new vantage point. One day I might even be led by the spirit to go out on a limb and write about something existentially profound. 

It is a good day to settle in and ponder what that even means!

 

Entering Into the Worlds of Others

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I want to enter into the world of L.M. Montgomery. She’s an author whose home and whole universe existed on Prince Edward Island in Canada, one of the places on my life’s “want to see list.” In her Green Gables books, Lucy Maude Montgomery’s imagined characters and her descriptions of an idyllic, bucolic real place opens up a view of tranquility and serenity not found in many places today. It is brought to her readers  through her apt, uncomplicated writing. I like her penchant for simplicity and wholesomeness found in life and nature. Fans of L.M. Montgomery return to her book series time and time again for escape.

Lucy Maude Montgomery mentions the good company she finds among her dreams and her visions which as a writer I can relate to through penning my cozy Neighbor to Neighbor fictional series which includes Sew the Heart and Heart of Community. Someday I’d like to bring book #3 to my readers but, my visions for my self-created community within those books keeps changing and as a writer I am mindful of the fact that the “words we use,  shapes the culture we create.”

 

It’s not what the world holds for you. It’s what you bring to it. ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery

Happy 150th Birthday, Lucy Maude Montgomery! You left the world a better place for your contributions to the literary world.

 

 

A Woman of Wisdom

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I am feeling most appreciative for time spent writing a memoir for an inspirational woman. As her memoirist, it was my duty to get at the heart of her life story and I hope I have adequately done so. There is a certain level of trust which goes along with this honor and privilege.

Yesterday one proof copy of the book arrived on my doorstep, which will give me one last chance to go over it before it goes to print. Hopefully, between myself and the editor, we have found all the oops between the dots and the dashes.

My client’s request for privacy is important to both of us, so the publication will not be sold in the market place, but, I’d like to give you a little insight into her story. So, I will share the summary which appears on the back cover.

My takeaway from her narrative is exactly as John Dewey stated it, “…education is life itself.” I gained insight into how very important it is to keep learning new things and growing throughout one’s lifetime.

 

Insightful Storytelling

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Today marks the very near conclusion of a writing project I have been working with a client on for about two years. The manuscript has just gone to the printer for a proof copy. It is a publication which you will not be able to find through internet searches because it was written to not to gain fame or draw attention, rather to share a retrospective look at one’s life with a select group of people – family, friends and personal connections.

The advantages of independent publishing led my client to chose this option because she has come to understand after a long life, the words of Robert T. Kiyosak who once said, “You and only you are responsible for your life choices and decisions.” These wise words are reflected throughout many of my client’s personal recollections.

Independent publishing allows for a book to be published and sold (or not) perhaps more uniquely and creatively without regard to certain traditional publishing standards. I am an advocate for it’s flexibility and I thoroughly enjoyed working with my client on this independent publishing project. I am most grateful for the time spent together.

My client and I look forward to holding the book in our hands and celebrating together when we receive it.