Authors and Writing

Happy Sunday.

One thing the Babe and I enjoy about Sunday mornings, after the news is over and the political shows begin, is turning over to the CBS Sunday Morning program. We’ve caught some great interviews of people, heard wonderful music, and learned things about parts of life we may never learn in regular life.

Today was no exception. British author Ian McEwan was interviewed, so of course, I had to see and hear it all. I even stopped the live airing, and started the interview over to take notes.

I’ve never read one of his books, and now I’ve probably got another eighteen novels to add to my Goodreads “Want to Read” list of books. In his 52 years of publishing novels, he says he’s lost count of all the novels, short stories, and other things he’s written. He showed the reporter his green spiral notebook, where he scribbles his thoughts, claiming, “It’s just a mess.”

That caused me to smile.

When asked about how he was drawn into the life of a writer, he said his passion for reading led him to write. I love that. It seems that is the answer many writers give, and I think it’s true. I’ve always loved to write.

It didn’t matter if it was an essay in school (I know, it’s a little weird), a story my elementary school friend Toni Altic Freis and I used to write, or a report for school. I wrote reports for college with a passion, and always felt I could do a children’s book. It’s illustrated, but not finished yet.

Back to Ian McEwan. He says he has resisted the urge to use his own life experiences and events as a plotline. He doesn’t give a reason for that. I can tell you it’s hard when some of the people are still alive. You may be concerned about what the others think if their character may be a villanous creature, or a no-good person. They should have been nicer to you before this. Then they wouldn’t have a guilty conscience. They can just get over themselves.

McEwan has written about some very dark issues, including child sexual abuse and incest. He says, “I can never explain away the darkness I sometimes write. I believe it is exploring the human condition by playing out our worst fears.” I can appreciate that. He is optimistic reading will make a comeback. I hope so. I think it’s one of the joys of life, and pray I’m spared from the fate of macular degeneration Mom has. I couldn’t exist without reading. And being able to hear. That would be torture for me. No reading or hearing music.

He also shared he will never stop writing. He says he still devotes 12-14-16 hours a day to it. While that sounds like a lot, it includes rambling with his high energy dog around his English estate, and other things related to writing, namely, reading. What a way to spend your days!

I am headed to work on my quilt again. There is a lot to do, and I’m behind. And tomorrow starts NaNoWriMo. Sewing, quilting, and doing household stuff. November will fly by, too, won’t it? Have a beautiful afternoon and know we’re thinking about a lot of things and how to proceed. We all are, aren’t we? Life is a daring adventure, or it is nothing. Helen Keller knew what she was talking about, didn’t she? See you tomorrow.

Ownership

“Treat all things as if they were loaned to you without any ownership – whether body or soul, sense, or strength, external goods or honors, house or hall . . . everything.” Meister Eckhart

You don’t have to be rich to be possessive. We learn the word mine and what it means early on. It’s hard to learn to share. Ownership is an illusion of control, especially when it comes to people.

Material goods are one thing, but we can’t own people. Many centuries ago, women and children were considered property. How very sad. In some countries, they’re still considered property.

When people in our lives think we’re property, they lose sight of our value. They are our equals, no one above another. Ownership breeds anxiety, stress, misplaced responsibility, and exaggerated fear of loss. “If something happens to him/her/them I’ll just die.” No, you won’t. You may want to, but you won’t. We can only be stewards of our relationships and our belongings.

When we release the bad things that go with thinking we own another person, we can realize they are only on loan to us, to travel through life with. We are free to enjoy each other’s company, and experience each other’s growth while living as beings living freely.

Things will slow down tomorrow, as I continue to recover from this pesky virus. I certainly understand how the medical community is concerned about the winter being a triple threat; COVID, Flu, and Viral Illnesses. I’m not back to 100% yet, and thought I would be by now. It’s discouraging.

Tomorrow, I’ll plot out the first couple weeks of NaNoWriMo. I feel I need to get ahead of it if I’m going get to 50K words. The trick will be to do that, finish the quilts and keep my sanity. Hoping for a good night’s sleep and feeling better tomorrow. See you then!

Super Sunday

Yesterday, I went to an art exhibit to see the works of Liz Boutin. She is a new friend and artist I’ve just met, and she has her works at the VFW Post 2503 for Veterans Day Week. It was nice to see her nature paintings. She does some beautiful work. I purchased a Dragonfly painting. It’s in three parts, and she cautioned me it’s a real job to get all three parts equal when hanging. The Babe will have fun with that! A photo of the painting is in my header photo today. I love the colors. Since we have a Wetlands behind us, we have a bunch of Dragonflies in the yard. I love them! So beautiful. Thanks, Liz!

Today will be spent gearing up again for writing. It takes more than having an outline and a half of an idea of where I want the characters to go. It takes having the house clean – dusted, vacuumed, decluttered, and how it should be all the time. It takes having some meals planned so we don’t have to eat out. I’ve fallen deepy in love with carbs and ice cream again, so I need to get back on the Keto bandwagon. I will not backslide after losing 45 pounds. I’ve given away my big girl jeans.

It also takes plotting the play time with Goldie. She requires a lot of activity. Last winter, I got smarter and threw her toy down the basement stairs. She would run up and down, get her energy out, and stop when I tell her, “It’s time for a drink.” She laps up her water and goes to take a nap. Perfect! It’s that time of year again. If it’s 30 degrees outside and windy, forget about it!

I’m glad to be able to get back to writing. That first week, it was easy, then life got in the way. It’s ok though. Having 30 days is somewhat forgiving in case you have situations that need attention crop up. And the more you want to get done, the more interruptions you get. Murphy’s Law, you know?

The sunny morning yesterday gave way to clouds which stuck around today. The house is clean, and I’m done working for today. The culinary challenge of the day is figuring out which containers in the freezer contain meatloaf, and is it still edible? We have too many things leftover and frozen to buy new stuff. I’d like to clean out the freezer before adding more to the tundra. It’s interesting how I usually think I’ll be able to do so much every day. The days I get stuff done, it’s not unusual to crash in the afternoon, like I did today. I need to remind myself I did a lot of work, got the house amazingly clean, and moved furniture and decorative items and put out some new ones.

Cozying up with some new decorations.

I’m going to plot some points tomorrow morning for the story, book, and check how they will fit with what I have so far. It’s going to be a session in planning and time management, since I’m meeting our artist friend Liz Boutin, at the Post tomorrow. She will dismantle the exhibit she showed last week about PTSD. I’m a little sad it’s all over, but the holidays will soon be upon us, and people will be busier than ever. I hope the days are good and the nights short.

Thanks for being here today. I we’ll see each other tomorrow, and it will be another great November day. See you then.

Simply Saturday

After a restful day Friday, I think I’ll survive! The time leading up to Veterans Day was extremely busy, now I can settle down and concentrate on doing the rest of the month with NaNoWriMo. I am behind on that, and I need to plot some more scenes and chapters to finish. After that, it’s getting back to business to see if I can finish the month with 50,000 words more written for my novel.

A big part of the work with writing is learned through reading. I would imagine I read far more than 50,000 words a month. I’m reading a book now that is hard read; it’s the story of a woman who was molested by her grandfather. Her mother did not believe her. They had a volatile relationship through life. Laura Davis wrote other books; her “The Courage to Heal,” is a bestseller and has helped heal many women who had the same experience. A horrible one to have had experienced. I cannot imagine.

My father was a very proper man, my grandfather’s were also. A little girl should not have to worry about incest. She should be safe from her brothers and uncles, as I was. It makes me sick to my stomach at the thought of not being safe. My heart hurts for all the people who have to worry about such a thing. I’m glad I don’t understand how this can seem normal to anyone.

Laura Davis also has taught survivors to find their voices, write their stories, and hone their craft as writers. The trauma needs to be recognized to be healed. Sometimes healing never happens. Sometimes it is a painful back and forth as a survivor drifts between healing and not. If a reconciliation can happen, it’s healing for everyone.

The first book was written in 1988, when people barely talked about childhood sexual abuse. I cannot remember when I first heard about pedophiles. It was probably in connection with the Catholic priests who abused kids in our Archdiocese of Omaha. There were priests who taught at my high school on those lists. Several were abruptly reassigned and a new teacher would teach religion class the rest of the year. No one ever said a word. In the 80s, it was assumed pedophiles were homosexuals. Wrong again! I defend homosexuals to this day if someone mentions that in a conversation. A pedophile is not necessarily a homosexual. Get it right!

After absorbing the struggles told about this daughter and mother, the denials her mother made, and the rage her mother had at her own daughter, I need something to keep me from having a funky outlook this weekend. I’m choosing gratitude. Gratitude I never experienced this horror, and prayers no one I know experiences it. Life is full of difficult topics, and we need to learn how to walk with survivors just as we would with a cancer survivor, or an aging, forgetful person. Let’s choose compassion. Let’s choose caring. Let’s choose calm. Let’s not desert the survivors so they walk alone. Be an unrelenting friend. We all need one. I believe the pedophiles will receive what they deserve with a quick and just punishment by God Himself.

As you enjoy this sunny Saturday, remember those who hurt. Those who are homeless. Those who ache to have someone reach out and be a listening ear. Be a good human. We all need to work on that. See you tomorrow!

Another Tuesday, Enjoy!

It’s another beautiful, sunny day here at the Home Office in Gretna, Nebraska. I’m spending the day at home, doing some much needed home tasks and trying to catch up on NaNoWriMo. Folks, it may take me into December to finish 50K words at this point. I’ve had to sacrifice writing time to participate in volunteering for our VFW and the groups we support. Believe me, it is worth it. The friends I’ve made and the stories I’ve heard, I’m truly blessed to be able to know these leaders and know their stories. Veterans Day is an important day. It’s when we thank our Veterans when we think of their sacrifices. This year it is important to let them know we’re behind them, we support them, and we will listen. They need that more than ever right now. The withdrawl from Afghanistan was a mess, to put it mildly. I’ll leave it at that.

Yesterday was an amazing experience. Liz Boutin, a local artist, is sharing her art work about PTSD with us for Veterans Day/Week. I was able to listen to her inspirations for the paintings, which was a gift. From her time as a Red Cross Volunteer while a military spouse in Germany, she was in the hospital where the wounded soldiers from Iraq were sent. Some stayed long enough for her to hear their stories. She was part of the worst things in these soldiers’ lives.

They would open up to her, preferring a civilian over a military doctor or shrink who would put the information in their records. She needed a way to release the burden she was carrying. Her own mental health was suffering. She started journaling about her experiences. Later, she discovered she had PTSD. Doing more research, she learned about how art is therapy for those with PTSD. Liz has poured her heart and soul into this art. And it is beautiful. Hard to see? Maybe a little. But for the depictions of what she’s seen and heard and experienced, it’s an experience that is well worth having. I believe she is gifted in the world of art, storytelling, and observations in her life. We’re so lucky she is sharing her art with us.

We also have many reps from the VA to discuss everything from registering you for benefits to letting you know what you can expect in the process. It’s a convenient way for you to get started. We will have representatives from Moving Veterans Forward, ABATE, 22 Veterans Suicide Awareness Group, and information available from Guitars for Vets, and the Centering Corporation, the oldest grief organization in America. I have learned so much from them over the past twenty years.

Come see us Thursday. Veterans eat free, and we have a bake sale by the Auxiliary, some merch from various vendors, and Liz Boutin’s art is for sale. Don’t forget about the food and clothing drive we are sponsoring for homeless Veterans. We want them to have warm clothing this winter. It’s the least we can do. Help them out. Learn something new from our information sharing day. We welcome you. Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow!

November 8-Grateful

Another day to have something declared as what I’m grateful for. So many things to count! The encouragement from my friends to continue writing has been very nice. Your friends who support you are good ones to have as you get your sea legs about you. I’m grateful for all of you!

Yesterday was my son Nick’s birthday. Forty six years old, I can’t believe how the time has gone by. Nick was a smaller baby than Frankie was, but he got much taller and filled out in high school. The fact he has a 5 o’clock shadow at 5 a.m. after shaving is probably enough to say he looked much older than he is. Probably never got carded like his brother did. It’s over, and I’m glad to not have to deal with those days again. Nothing ages a single Mom more than having a child who looks much older than he is. I’m grateful those single Mom days are over. It was hard, but I’d still make the same decisions I did.

So many people we know have had some bad health issues; strokes, heart attacks, cancer, are all hard to recover from. We’ve seen cancer, broken bones, heart disease, a stroke, and a host of other issues. We are so fortunate we are still mobile, living independently, and having a great future ahead of us. The Babe is 71 and I’m 69. I told him the other morning, I hope we get another 20 years together. You never know; with God all things are possible!

I’m behind on NaNoWriMo. I loitered today instead of getting caught up. The Babe put it well. “Don’t make it a job.” Well, it doesn’t hurt to do it every day, to spread it out, but it felt good to sort of play hooky. I caught up on Yellowstone, (until the Babe got home and caught the end of the NASCAR Race), wrote some scenes out, and recharged. It was necessary.

Today, I need to catch up with posting all the info about Veterans Day at the VFW Post 2503. Resource lists must be compiled, then printed and copies made. Any posting about the events should be available for those who check the Events on Facebook to plan their week. Today will be busier than the usual Monday for sure.

Not sure what we’ll be doing Thanksgiving, but I think we’ll cook. Not sure if we’ll get a turkey, but I think it’s worth getting one, I’d even make it later if necessary. The traditional food is so full of carbs, what I may do is only make a very small dish of dressing, sweet potatoes, and veggies. I will make the normal amount of mashed potatoes, gravy, and dinner rolls. That should balance out all good, shouldn’t it?

Keto is hard during the holidays, but we started it last November, and lost a lot of weight before New Years. I will not gain it back this year. And I won’t next year. At this stage in life it is too hard to lose 45 pounds and I don’t want to have to do it again. I need to stay on top of it. Last year, we skipped all the goodies for the most part, and I have three pumpkin smoothies in the freezer. Will it be as good as pumpkin pie? Give me enough whipped cream and it will. Heavy Cream, Whipped, is allowed on KETO. They knew what they were doing with that one!

Hope your Monday is a good one. Take care, and let’s see each other again tomorrow.

November 5, 2021-Grateful!

It’s been a long week. I was revved up and happy to be home today to get an early start on NaNoWriMo. And I did 1353 words on my difficult passages. It’s exhausting but a very important part of the story. I’ll be fine, but wow. Sometimes it’s hard to look back at what we’ve survived throughout our lives. Looking back from this point in life, at this age, I’ve got gratitude to God for His Mercy. I am sharing some of the very hard times, as a contrast to very good things that can and have happened. As my niece told me, “You’ve lived many lifetimes in your years.” She’s right.

The writing itself is going well. I do find I switch between first person and third person. I need to read up on that, if I need to do only one POV through the whole novel, it’ll be first person, I believe. It’s hard to stay put. My mind has been sort of boggled the past few days. First person is usually past events, third person can be the present, as it happens. I can switch between POV’s depending on what is being told.

When I’ve finished writing for the day I really am grateful for where life has taken me, through all the good and all the bad, it’s all part of who I am and why I’m the way I am. Walking through personal growth for parts of characters is a good thing to do. The whole point is to create a story that draws your reader in and makes them want to find out what happens.

We’ve got a fundraiser tomorrow night and I need to get a couple more items for the raffles. There are some good things out there, and I need to finish up our part of the evening. It will be a night of great music and seeing new friends and a couple older ones.

I have a bunch of stickers that read, “Live a Great Story.” I’ve come to love that phrase. I find myself talking more and more about good stories, and how things turn out. Everything is a story. Sometimes there are lots of good parts or bad parts, but there is always a beginning, a middle, and an end. You can change them up and change them down, and change the ending, making it more intriguing. It’s your story. Tell it how you like!

Part of what I’ve discovered this year is our deep friendship with our group of friends from the VFW Post. We have lost two men this year. One had cancer for years, and many health issues the past couple years. It was sad to see him deteriorate week after week. And how hard it was for his wife. But we all stuck with each other. I love that no one backed off or stayed away. Good friends don’t desert you in your time of need. It was very sad when Nugent passed away. He was such a nice, kind man. We miss his presence.

And later this summer, when Lenny died, well wow. For all the years I’ve known his wife, I didn’t really know him. He was always a crazy man, which was good, he was always out there, living life to the fullest. He really didn’t give a darned what anyone thought. I marveled at his ability to do that. What he didn’t want anyone to know was how generous he was. He retired from a very good job and so did his wife. He never forgot to be kind to Veterans, kids, little old ladies, or his grandkids. He had funny stories. Lenny lived a great story. Be like Lenny! Before he died, he made the Babe promise to sign up his grandson as a lifetime member of the VFW. Lenny is smiling down at Connor and his new membership card.

Thanks for the memories, guys. And your ladies, too. Our other friend is a widow, and she is fun and helpful to the two new widows. They tell me they don’t want me to join the club (NO! Me neither!). But one day, I probably will. They will be there to be a friend when I need it. Grief is messy, all over the place. I have an idea of the devastation, and know it’ll be much worse than I can ever imagine.

I have a lot of faith, God has taken me through so many things. He will continue to do so, and I can trust that won’t change. God doesn’t change, through all eternity, He remains true. We are the ones who change, who doubt, who stray, who get lost, who take the wrong roads, and forget what their goals should be. A whole lot of being human gets in the way.

Take care out there today. Make a great story in your day as you live your life. Be like Lenny. Keep your goodness to yourselves, it speaks volumes to be understated. You’ll do the same amount of good and more by being modest. Be kind. Spread that around because we need it. See you tomorrow!

November 3-Already?

Customer Service is a dream when you receive it. And a nightmare when you don’t. It’s even worse when they don’t believe you paid your bill in July. Yes, July of 2021. I’ve already provided verification from the bank for the online bill payment. Just around Labor Day. And yet, Phillips 66 tries to tell me I did not provide info even though the bank did. They want it faxed to them. Again. I asked the lady how does that help me know you’ll pay attention to it this time? No notification on the fax cover sheet or anything. So no wonder they lost it. But to treat me like a person who doesn’t pay their bills, not wise. I will no longer do business with Phillips 66. That makes me very sad, I did for over 31 years.

It reminds me of about ten years ago, my good credit record allowed me to have a lower interest rate at the old Sears Department Store. I received that account with the divorce, and I was able to use it for a credit rating when I hadn’t worked. It was valuable. I cancelled it after the Babe and I received a letter stating Sears would raise our interest to 18%. It wasn’t because of anything we did or didn’t do. We were still stellar customers. They just had to raise everyone’s. Well, we know how that turned out. Sears went under. Probably because people like myself decided they’d take their business elsewhere. Sad, really.

I am grateful for good customer service. And, it’s even better when an issue is resolved. I’m also grateful for the good credit I’ve enjoyed for decades. We are happy to have such a good record, and it wasn’t easy to do. We persevered, and are doing fine. What a blessing.

There was another customer service snafu that affected our household today. This one had to do with prescriptions being transferred from one entity to another. The former pharmacy was stellar in their performance. The new one performed poorly last month, splitting my order between two stores. This time, I opted to have them placed in bubble packs as they were previously and delivered. I had to check several times about the delivery, was told someone had to be home. We were. Several hours later, I called because I hadn’t taken any meds all day, waiting for the delivery. It had not been taken with the driver. Holy smokes.

Long story, short story, no lives were lost in either incident. I’m not happy with myself for being human and getting angry, but wow. The possibilities to get things right abound. The possibilities to get things wrong exists, and unfortunately, take a front seat at the least opportune moment. Two perfect storms formed today. Hope that’s the end of the bad luck and life lessons now. We’re ready for less aggravation for sure.

On the NaNoWriMo front, things are going along. I did another 1,667 words again today. The subject matter is tougher the more chapters I write, and it’s emotional. It will be more difficult as the time goes on. I’m still on target, though, and should be able to maintain the pace. There are numerous Facebook groups and ways to communicate with fellow writers. Two young women have little kids. I have to admire their persistence and dedication. At their ages, I had the energy to study late, get up early, and keep weird hours, too. I hope they do well, too.

Tomorrow will the the first morning all week I’ll get to stay home and get right to work. I’m behind on advertising our Veterans Day Dinner and Resources Info. Must catch up tomorrow. And Friday night is a Guitars for Vets Fundraiser supporting Toys for Tots. Great organizations in need of support. It’s going to be a fun night. Thanks for catching up today, we’ll get started early and will see you again tomorrow. Be Safe out there.

November 2 – Grateful & NaNoWriMo

What a great day it was yesterday! Sunday, the Trick o Treater’s honored the lights off indication as we were not participating, and only one rang out bell. Worked out great. Our Doc suggested we not hand out candy after having COVID a few weeks ago. There could already be yet another variant not yet identified. His prediction is we’ll have COVID for a long, long time.

I had such a great visit with my Frankie, and we had a great breakfast. We were finally celebrating his birthday, and it was the best. I always feel I go back to my roots when I’m around one of my kids. Nothing helps you remember living your young life like your kids do. And I’m grateful to have three of my own and two of the best step kids ever created. All five of them are individuals, team players, and hard workers. Their spouses are the same. Frankie is the only single person of the five. That’s ok. He’s very happy. He does what he wants. Only has himself to answer to. Nothing he does hurts anyone else. That’s what it’s like to be single.

Then, home to write my first 1,667 words for NaNoWriMo. I found it took me quite awhile to get settled, figure out where I left off (even though I researched it Sunday), and figure out where I left off. I had a few minutes of doubt, but started writing and it was like I hadn’t quit. A year is a long time to leave a manuscript untouched. Or maybe it isn’t. Any authors out there, how long have you left a manuscript alone? Do they change? Do you change? Of course you do. And they do because your ideas change. It’s inevitable, isn’t it? I would think so.

It’s a little hard at first to wrap my brain around the fact I’m writing into the future; i.e., what I write about will be published at 4 a.m. or so tomorrow morning. It’s the best I can come out with during the month of NaNoWriMo. The shift is from the blog being the most important to the NaNoWriMo taking precedence. It’ll be fine. Just takes a few days (or 21) to form a new habit. Maybe we’ll be going gangbusters by December 1!

And that reminds me: I’m wanting to get back to doing squats every day. It helped me keep focus on my Veterans projects during the summer, and I’ve sort of lost that a little. This month is Veterans Day, and we have a lot planned for the entire week. I’ll devote a full blog to that later in the week. I’m proud to be a volunteer for Veterans. They deserve our support.

Since it’s a lot later in the day than I’d like it to be, I’d like to stop for now and start a lot earlier tomorrow with our visit. It will happen. Just grateful for the flexibility retirement allows us and so very grateful that, despite being “disabled,” I’m still able to get out and about on my own. Many are not as fortunate. This is my gratitude for the day. From deep withing my heart.

Thanks for reading today, Happy Tuesday! See you again tomorrow.

Day One – NaNoWriMo

And Day One of Gratitude

Sure, some folks think it’s cheesy to write what we’re grateful for during November. I want NaNoWriMo to be only one thing we talk about this month. I set up my 3 ring binder yesterday afternoon. I’m a nerd that way, I guess. When we were in grade school, I loved the feel of a new binder and a fresh ream of paper at the start of the year. Pristine, I suppose.

So the first thing I’m grateful for is the memory I have of starting school every year. I know the folks weren’t even middle class when we were all young. Dad probably didn’t start earning a great salary until after I left home. Years after he retired, I was making what he was making at the newspaper. I worked in I/T and finished my college degree, along with numerous certifications along the way.

And my kids and I struggled while I bought them school clothes, supplies, etc. It was hard for me, as it was hard for the folks. Our grandkids don’t know those struggles. Their parents make considerable higher salaries than we and our parents made. Unless your kids wear uniforms to school or have a strict dress code, you don’t really have any added expenses for school clothes.

My big thing was wearing brand new socks. Our family did not have a clothes dryer until I was a junior in high school. Seriously. Mom hung clothes in the basement during the winter and outside in the summer. The socks and underwear were always sort of stiff. Yuck! To this day, I marvel at a brand new, fluffy, soft pair of socks. It doesn’t take much to please me, what can I say?

I have mixed feelings about my novel at the moment. It seems like I wrote a huge amount last year with my coach. I submitted the first chapter as a stand alone short story to the Nebraska Writers Guild Anthology for this year. It was accepted to be published. I’m over the moon about it! Where I get concerned is probably by my own thinking that is timid at the moment. Much as I know I can do this, and I will do it, I’m looking at eating the elephant with one huge bite to gag on. That won’t happen. Not all 50K the first day. (Would that even be humanly possible?)

Of course not! I’ve now got some experience behind me, some coaching, the NWG printing Chapter One in December, and the excitement of a new undertaking. Now I know a few things I didn’t two years ago. I have better skills. I have the support of the Babe and all my friends. It’s going to be fun.

This will probably be it for today, I’m writing a day ahead and will have more to talk about tomorrow, after my writing session. We will have great fun this month, after getting the first day nerves out of the way. Thank you for reading today, I appreciate it so much! See you tomorrow!