Wow! I can't believe it has been so long since I posted an entry! I knew I had been busy getting ready for the American Christian Fiction Writers conference, but my goodness it has been forever. Please excuse me.
The ACFW conference is a tremendous experience. I added an extra day because I went to what the organizers called the Early Bird Conference. I wasn't sure what I expected, but it turned out to be a brainstorming session for the attendees. I came away with some good ideas to add to my work-in-progress (wip), Wyoming Wind. Deborah Raney and Colleen Coble were the reviewers/moderators of the session. They reviewed and critiqued submissions from 44 participants during the month preceding the conference. If they had as much work put into all 44 submissions as they did mine, they spent most of their waking moments over the last four weeks at their computers working on our work, not theirs. What dedication to the art of writing in the development of future published writers!
This is the third ACFW conference I've attended. The first was in Houston, followed the next year by the one in Denver. I missed the Nashville conference last year, but this year's was held in Dallas. Next year's conference will be held again in Dallas. If you're looking for a good writing conference to attend let me suggest the ACFW conference. It's expensive, but the cost includes all meals served from Thursday evening through Sunday breakfast (except Friday night this year). The hotel provided two snack breaks per day on Friday and Saturday as well. This is a Christian fiction writing conference, but that shouldn't make any difference. Most of the workshops presented focused on the art of writing which would apply to all writers of fiction, Christian or secular.
Another major plus to this conference is the availability of agents and editors. With your registration fee you can request a private meeting with one agent and one editor. I nearly cancelled both of my meetings, but I went ahead and met with an agent and an editor. The meeting with the agent was less than successful. She wasn't interested in me or my wip. She suggested that I speak with an editor for Love Inspired to pitch my wip idea. I already had an appointment scheduled for Melissa Endlich (the Steeple Hill/Love Inspired editor representative at the conference), so I met with her on Saturday and had a measure of success. She asked me to contact the company when I had my wip completed and send it to them at that point.
Am I excited about that? Sort of. I have the same feeling that I had when I went to an interview with Pat Smith, former superintendent of Marshall ISD, twenty-two years ago. I knew I was going to get the job at MISD before I went to the interview. The problem - I didn't want the job. I didn't want to work in Marshall. But I went. I got the job, and I spent the next twenty years working for MISD. Was it what I wanted? No. I wanted to teach at Sabine ISD; right here at home; just down the street. I didn't want to spend twenty years driving from home to Marshall and back ten months a year. I told myself I'd work for MISD for a while and then get a job closer to home. I applied a couple of times at Sabine ISD after that, but each time I left the interview I prayed that I wouldn't get the job. I didn't get either one. I knew I was supposed to stay in Marshall. I can't tell you why. I still don't know.
Now I have that feeling about Love Inspired. I'd rather be published by Multnomah, Tyndale, Bethany House, or Barbour. But is that what God wants for me? I don't know. We shall see. Of course I have to finish Wyoming Wind and have it written well enough for them to accept. I think I'm a little daunted by the prospect. After all I have to produce 60,000 - 65,000 words and don't have a lot of time in which to get them done. So I'll set a goal of January 1, 2007 for myself to complete the rough draft and see what happens.
I'm leaving Friday morning to go on a writing vacation to the mountains of North Carolina with my friend and writing partner Elaine. Normally we both have a laptop to carry with us. Mine died last month. I'd arranged to borrow one from my niece, but she's had an offer to purchase it by a friend of her brother, so it went back to her. I can't afford to buy it myself right now and go on vacation, so I may have to write on Wyoming Wind by hand while I'm on vacation because Elaine and I will be writing on a couple of projects for ourselves during that time using her laptop. That also leaves me without Internet access, so I won't be writing on this blog during that time. I hope to have a couple of guest bloggers during the next two weeks, but if not, I'll see you when I come home.
kmparis
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Friday, September 15, 2006
Critiquing, An Art
As a writer I look for assurance that my writing is of high quality. I want everyone to love, or at least really enjoy what I write. So when I hand over my books to someone else to read I'm hoping they will tell me they loved it and can't wait for another one to be printed.
Four years ago this month, I went to a writing conference, my first, walked into a 15 minute interview with an agent, and walked out with the woman wanting to represent me. Talk about an ego boost, wow! The agent had read the one book I had gotten published in July of that same year and loved it. I flew on a cloud for weeks. It was validation that my writing partner and I were good.
But was that true? Four years have passed without another contract. The agent? Well, she is a sweet woman but didn't manage to sell anything for us. About six months ago she asked to be released as our agent because she hadn't done us any good. Thus I became a free agent again.
Was the agent a good judge of my writing? I don't know. But I have been seeking a good critique group to join. I had been in a group with five other ETWA members. It was good for as long as it lasted. One problem with the group I had joined was that we were too diverse, I think. Members started dropping out until only two of us remained, so we disbanded.
It might have been too early for me to be part of a critique group. Again I don't know. I do know that sharing my writing with others is fine as long as I'm not in the room at the time. I am, after all, a shy person. Hush, those of you laughing right now, I am shy, introverted and insecure. Unbelievable, some of you are saying. It's true, but that's another story.
I have grown as a writer and person in the past four years. I find it easier to read sections of my books aloud to other people now, although marginally. What I do know is that I want honest appraisal of my wips, works in progress. If I am to improve them I require an honest critique. A simple, "That's great!" doesn't work. To give a good critique takes an analytical person with a good ear or eye. Critiquing is an art. There are several ETWA members who fit that role, but one of them performs a critique well consistently. Gay Ingram hones in on exactly what is wrong or missing from any writing I share with her every time.
She started her own business, Line By Line, several months ago. This business is an editing and reviewing service for manuscripts. I haven't spoken with her about how well it is doing, but I hope she is being successful. Take my word, she's good. If you have a book that needs work but are unsure of what needs changing, you might consider hiring Ms. Ingram to help you out. From the price listed in her advertising brochure, she is in line with other such services. You can contact her at gayingram@att.net if you need to discuss hiring her.
Handing over a manuscript and having someone else read it then giving suggestions is so much more attractive a proposition to me than sitting with a group and reading it out loud, and it might be to you as well. It feels safer somehow. Since you pay for such a service I feel that the feedback would be honest. An editor is not concerned with being your friend only in giving you a quality critique.
But I need to work on getting more comfortable with sharing my writing in front of others. So I have joined another critique group recently. I go to my second meeting with them next week. There are seven members in this group. Two of them are temporarily unable to be there physically, but we are emailing our sections to one another each month as well as meeting physically to present our critiques. That's going to work out well I think. The first time we met it took 3 1/2 hours to finish. We not only had to each tell what we noticed, but we had to read the section presented by each member first. Even with a six page limit that takes time. Having the section ahead of time to read and make notes will cut down on the amount of time it takes.
I left the first meeting invigorated and excited. Five women and two men make up the group. Most of us write in a different genre from the rest. One is writing science fiction, another fantasy (dragons), one writes non-fiction, while another one is writing an adventure set in the middle east, there is a romance, and I'm writing a contemporary inspirational suspense. Though we were careful to be as positive as possible, honesty in what we noticed that needed work ranked high during each person's response to what was read. I noticed that each person also made sure to point out the strengths of the piece of writing.
Most of us are new to one another. I foresee that this group will be successful as we grow to be more comfortable with one another. I hope so. It's what I need at this point in my journey to become published many more times.
kmparis
Four years ago this month, I went to a writing conference, my first, walked into a 15 minute interview with an agent, and walked out with the woman wanting to represent me. Talk about an ego boost, wow! The agent had read the one book I had gotten published in July of that same year and loved it. I flew on a cloud for weeks. It was validation that my writing partner and I were good.
But was that true? Four years have passed without another contract. The agent? Well, she is a sweet woman but didn't manage to sell anything for us. About six months ago she asked to be released as our agent because she hadn't done us any good. Thus I became a free agent again.
Was the agent a good judge of my writing? I don't know. But I have been seeking a good critique group to join. I had been in a group with five other ETWA members. It was good for as long as it lasted. One problem with the group I had joined was that we were too diverse, I think. Members started dropping out until only two of us remained, so we disbanded.
It might have been too early for me to be part of a critique group. Again I don't know. I do know that sharing my writing with others is fine as long as I'm not in the room at the time. I am, after all, a shy person. Hush, those of you laughing right now, I am shy, introverted and insecure. Unbelievable, some of you are saying. It's true, but that's another story.
I have grown as a writer and person in the past four years. I find it easier to read sections of my books aloud to other people now, although marginally. What I do know is that I want honest appraisal of my wips, works in progress. If I am to improve them I require an honest critique. A simple, "That's great!" doesn't work. To give a good critique takes an analytical person with a good ear or eye. Critiquing is an art. There are several ETWA members who fit that role, but one of them performs a critique well consistently. Gay Ingram hones in on exactly what is wrong or missing from any writing I share with her every time.
She started her own business, Line By Line, several months ago. This business is an editing and reviewing service for manuscripts. I haven't spoken with her about how well it is doing, but I hope she is being successful. Take my word, she's good. If you have a book that needs work but are unsure of what needs changing, you might consider hiring Ms. Ingram to help you out. From the price listed in her advertising brochure, she is in line with other such services. You can contact her at gayingram@att.net if you need to discuss hiring her.
Handing over a manuscript and having someone else read it then giving suggestions is so much more attractive a proposition to me than sitting with a group and reading it out loud, and it might be to you as well. It feels safer somehow. Since you pay for such a service I feel that the feedback would be honest. An editor is not concerned with being your friend only in giving you a quality critique.
But I need to work on getting more comfortable with sharing my writing in front of others. So I have joined another critique group recently. I go to my second meeting with them next week. There are seven members in this group. Two of them are temporarily unable to be there physically, but we are emailing our sections to one another each month as well as meeting physically to present our critiques. That's going to work out well I think. The first time we met it took 3 1/2 hours to finish. We not only had to each tell what we noticed, but we had to read the section presented by each member first. Even with a six page limit that takes time. Having the section ahead of time to read and make notes will cut down on the amount of time it takes.
I left the first meeting invigorated and excited. Five women and two men make up the group. Most of us write in a different genre from the rest. One is writing science fiction, another fantasy (dragons), one writes non-fiction, while another one is writing an adventure set in the middle east, there is a romance, and I'm writing a contemporary inspirational suspense. Though we were careful to be as positive as possible, honesty in what we noticed that needed work ranked high during each person's response to what was read. I noticed that each person also made sure to point out the strengths of the piece of writing.
Most of us are new to one another. I foresee that this group will be successful as we grow to be more comfortable with one another. I hope so. It's what I need at this point in my journey to become published many more times.
kmparis
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
The Signs of Our Times
Have you been in your car lately? Did you have to fill up the gas tank as you were driving? Did you notice anything different at the gas pump?
Don't say this too loudly to anyone, but the price of gasoline is down dramatically. At least it is around here in East Texas, most especially at the four stations near my house.
I drove my sister to a doctor's appointment on Monday morning. As we passed the Citgo station I noticed the price per gallon of regular unleaded had dropped to $2.35. The Chevron station's price hovered at $2.39 a gallon, but the Exxon station's price had dipped to $2.33 per gallon. I was excited! Can you really say excited to describe seeing $2.33 a gallon? I remember feeling outraged at $2.33 two years ago.
My best friend and I have been planning our vacation for the past several months. We laid out trips to different sections of the country. Which one we decided upon at the last moment depended upon the price of gas. We took a risk last month and booked a cabin in the western mountains of North Carolina. A long drive, yes, but reachable in two fairly easy days. Our short run plans were to Eureka Springs if the price of gas had continued to climb as it had been doing all year. But the price of gas had begun a slow descent about 3 months ago.
Why? Dare I ask that question? Have the refinery companies decided that the obscene profits they made last year need to be tempered a little? I know it's not because the price of petroleum has crashed because end-product users have cut back on usage enough to make the company owners feel the pinch. I've had to stop and think, not twice, but about 5 times before making the decision to drive into town to shop. I put off doing anything I don't have to do in order to save gasoline. I don't fill up when I do need fuel. I only put in about 1/2 a tank unless I'm driving long distance. Are there enough other people doing the same sort of cutting back to have made a difference?
As far as the price of a barrel of raw petroleum, well I've been told that the price of gasoline is set not on what a barrel of crude is actually selling for but on a prediction of what it might cost at some undisclosed time in the future. A prediction of what it might cost? What gives these people the right to do that to us? I guess it's because they know they can, and we'll pay a quarter of our paychecks each month to keep our tanks filled. I have heard that more people are riding public transportation in cities where it is available, sales of high-consumption vehicles have dropped, buyers are trading in gas-guzzlers in favor of more economical cars, and I'd bet sales of hybrid vehicles have risen. Now, I haven't actually done any research on the subject, but I bet if I did my opinions would be supported.
Vacation is only two weeks away. My prayer is that the prices will continue to drop instead of rising as we leave and that prices are falling in other parts of the country as well. Wouldn't it be nice to see a 1 following the dollar sign again when we drive up to the pumps? Sigh. As the tired old saying goes, if wishes were horses then beggars would ride. Stranger things have happened.
kmparis
Don't say this too loudly to anyone, but the price of gasoline is down dramatically. At least it is around here in East Texas, most especially at the four stations near my house.
I drove my sister to a doctor's appointment on Monday morning. As we passed the Citgo station I noticed the price per gallon of regular unleaded had dropped to $2.35. The Chevron station's price hovered at $2.39 a gallon, but the Exxon station's price had dipped to $2.33 per gallon. I was excited! Can you really say excited to describe seeing $2.33 a gallon? I remember feeling outraged at $2.33 two years ago.
My best friend and I have been planning our vacation for the past several months. We laid out trips to different sections of the country. Which one we decided upon at the last moment depended upon the price of gas. We took a risk last month and booked a cabin in the western mountains of North Carolina. A long drive, yes, but reachable in two fairly easy days. Our short run plans were to Eureka Springs if the price of gas had continued to climb as it had been doing all year. But the price of gas had begun a slow descent about 3 months ago.
Why? Dare I ask that question? Have the refinery companies decided that the obscene profits they made last year need to be tempered a little? I know it's not because the price of petroleum has crashed because end-product users have cut back on usage enough to make the company owners feel the pinch. I've had to stop and think, not twice, but about 5 times before making the decision to drive into town to shop. I put off doing anything I don't have to do in order to save gasoline. I don't fill up when I do need fuel. I only put in about 1/2 a tank unless I'm driving long distance. Are there enough other people doing the same sort of cutting back to have made a difference?
As far as the price of a barrel of raw petroleum, well I've been told that the price of gasoline is set not on what a barrel of crude is actually selling for but on a prediction of what it might cost at some undisclosed time in the future. A prediction of what it might cost? What gives these people the right to do that to us? I guess it's because they know they can, and we'll pay a quarter of our paychecks each month to keep our tanks filled. I have heard that more people are riding public transportation in cities where it is available, sales of high-consumption vehicles have dropped, buyers are trading in gas-guzzlers in favor of more economical cars, and I'd bet sales of hybrid vehicles have risen. Now, I haven't actually done any research on the subject, but I bet if I did my opinions would be supported.
Vacation is only two weeks away. My prayer is that the prices will continue to drop instead of rising as we leave and that prices are falling in other parts of the country as well. Wouldn't it be nice to see a 1 following the dollar sign again when we drive up to the pumps? Sigh. As the tired old saying goes, if wishes were horses then beggars would ride. Stranger things have happened.
kmparis
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Book Review - Without A Trace by Colleen Coble
Without a trace - do these words call to mind a mystery, a disappearance, or a murder maybe? For most people they probably do. In Without A Trace by Colleen Coble all three appear and are intertwined with skill.
Bree Nicholls and her best friend, Naomi Heinomen are the Kitchigami K-9 Search and Rescue team along with their dogs Samson and Charley. Their first task in Without A Trace is to locate two missing children, one of whom is diabetic and in need of his medication. Time is a ticking bomb as the SAR team goes to work hunting for the brother and sister pair in the forests of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Colleen Coble paints a vivid picture of the area Bree Nicholls calls home. The reader can see the mountains and the trees and can feel the cold as winter approaches. The urgency to locate the children of a local resident bursts through to the reader with Ms. Coble's smooth writing style. In the background is the knowledge that Bree is anxious to find the missing kids alive because her own son was lost in an airplane crash along with his father a year before. No one has been able to locate the crash site, not even Bree and Samson. Bree doesn't want another parent to have to suffer the pangs of grief over a missing child.
In her attempt to locate Timmy and Emily alive at all costs, Bree butts heads with the ranger in charge, Kade Matthews. Kade's need to locate the children may stem from a different point, but it is just as strong as Bree's. He wants the search to proceed his way, and Bree insists on doing it her way. When the search ends Kade has to grudgingly admit Bree's methods worked.
The strife between Bree and Kade continues throughout the book because his actions lead Bree to be suspicious of him when another local resident ends up dead. The Kitchigami SAR team finds the woman's body at the base of a cliff and moments later Kade Matthews appears out of the woods nearby. Coincidence? It seems so until an autopsy proves the woman died a short distance away and had been carried to the bottom of the cliff. Who killed her? She and her husband seemed to be at odds with one another. An old boyfriend argued with her in public and moments later her uncle attacked her verbally about a business deal she was about to conclude. Was the murder one of those people, someone else, or the mysterious woman roaming the forests nearby? Did Kade do it?
A year has passed since since the plane crash widowed Bree. She finds herself being drawn to Kade in spite of her misgivings about him. As she learns more about the man she grows more attracted. The unsolved mystery of the climber's death, Kade's stormy relationship with his teenaged sister, and his religious bent all bind together to keep Bree from allowing herself to let go of the past and explore a possible future with him.
Bree doesn't believe that the God Naomi, Anu (her mother-in-law), her sister-in-law, and even Kade worship could be as benevolent as they claim. If He were why would He allow her family to be destroyed? If God could let her husband betray their marriage and then take Rob and their son, Davy, away from her why would she want to devote her life to Him?
Readers become enthralled with the characters Colleen creates in Without A Trace as they grow to know the residents of Rock Harbor and are drawn into their world. Will Bree discover the crash site and be able to bury the bodies she will find with the carcass of the plane? Will she find the true love God has for her? And what about the murderer, will it turn out to be one of the people of the town? The only way to find out is to read Without A Trace. I think you will enjoy the search.
kmparis
Bree Nicholls and her best friend, Naomi Heinomen are the Kitchigami K-9 Search and Rescue team along with their dogs Samson and Charley. Their first task in Without A Trace is to locate two missing children, one of whom is diabetic and in need of his medication. Time is a ticking bomb as the SAR team goes to work hunting for the brother and sister pair in the forests of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Colleen Coble paints a vivid picture of the area Bree Nicholls calls home. The reader can see the mountains and the trees and can feel the cold as winter approaches. The urgency to locate the children of a local resident bursts through to the reader with Ms. Coble's smooth writing style. In the background is the knowledge that Bree is anxious to find the missing kids alive because her own son was lost in an airplane crash along with his father a year before. No one has been able to locate the crash site, not even Bree and Samson. Bree doesn't want another parent to have to suffer the pangs of grief over a missing child.
In her attempt to locate Timmy and Emily alive at all costs, Bree butts heads with the ranger in charge, Kade Matthews. Kade's need to locate the children may stem from a different point, but it is just as strong as Bree's. He wants the search to proceed his way, and Bree insists on doing it her way. When the search ends Kade has to grudgingly admit Bree's methods worked.
The strife between Bree and Kade continues throughout the book because his actions lead Bree to be suspicious of him when another local resident ends up dead. The Kitchigami SAR team finds the woman's body at the base of a cliff and moments later Kade Matthews appears out of the woods nearby. Coincidence? It seems so until an autopsy proves the woman died a short distance away and had been carried to the bottom of the cliff. Who killed her? She and her husband seemed to be at odds with one another. An old boyfriend argued with her in public and moments later her uncle attacked her verbally about a business deal she was about to conclude. Was the murder one of those people, someone else, or the mysterious woman roaming the forests nearby? Did Kade do it?
A year has passed since since the plane crash widowed Bree. She finds herself being drawn to Kade in spite of her misgivings about him. As she learns more about the man she grows more attracted. The unsolved mystery of the climber's death, Kade's stormy relationship with his teenaged sister, and his religious bent all bind together to keep Bree from allowing herself to let go of the past and explore a possible future with him.
Bree doesn't believe that the God Naomi, Anu (her mother-in-law), her sister-in-law, and even Kade worship could be as benevolent as they claim. If He were why would He allow her family to be destroyed? If God could let her husband betray their marriage and then take Rob and their son, Davy, away from her why would she want to devote her life to Him?
Readers become enthralled with the characters Colleen creates in Without A Trace as they grow to know the residents of Rock Harbor and are drawn into their world. Will Bree discover the crash site and be able to bury the bodies she will find with the carcass of the plane? Will she find the true love God has for her? And what about the murderer, will it turn out to be one of the people of the town? The only way to find out is to read Without A Trace. I think you will enjoy the search.
kmparis
Monday, September 11, 2006
The Aftermath - Five Years Later
A warning and an apology. It is not my intention to say that the entry that follows is one felt by all members of ETWA. It is not. It is mine alone. There may be members who believe as I do politically; there are many who don't. I have tried not to pour too much of my political standing into this recollection of September 11, 2001. I just felt the need to reflect on the incidents that transpired that day and some since. I apologize if I offend anyone reading this today. Please feel free to reply to this post as you will. If any members of ETWA wish to post on this same topic with their own memories, point of view, etc., they may contact me, and I will see that their posts are published promptly. kmparis
As I woke this morning my mind went directly to where I was five years ago on this day. It was a Tuesday. The cloud I had floated on since Sunday,after receiving word about the upcoming publication of my first book, still carried me high off the floor. I took my fourth grade class to the music room around 9:30 a.m. on that September 11. As I passed the computer lab, I saw a group of teachers and staff gathered around a TV monitor.
Curious, I stopped on the way back to see what was going on. I never made it to my room that period. I spent the next 45 minutes glued to the TV along with as many of the other staff members as could be away from their posts without abandoning any students. We watched replay after replay as the hijacked jetliners crashed into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon. Then we watched the news broadcasts in Pennsylvania covering the crash of United 93 as terrorists failed in achieving their assigned mission.
The horror of what had happened left me feeling so many emotions - fear, sorrow, shocked disbelief among them. The tears and anger came later. The secure world of the greatest country on Earth had been blown into dust with the collapse of the twin towers.
The question running through my brain was, "What do I say to the 22 students I had to pick up and guide through the remainder of the school day?" In my mind I kept expecting and waiting for the superintendent to issue an order to shut down school for the day. It never came.
It is said you always remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when a tragic event occurs. In my experience, that is true. The assassination of John F. Kennedy, my grandparents' deaths, my father's death, the start of the Gulf War in 1991, the destruction of both the Challenger and Columbia space shuttles, and now 9/11, each event flashes in brilliant technicolor in my mind with unexpected triggers - a smell, a taste, a sound, a picture.
On September 11, 2001 I finally understood what my parents and their ancestors must have felt on December 7, 1941. I had seen numerous movies, read many books, and studied the history of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Now I could feel the pain of those alive on that day. What I felt now was no longer academic sympathy but personal empathy.
The tears came on my drive home that evening. I never did say anything to the class that day. I couldn't. I would have broken down in front of them. The days following lead into weeks of raw pain. Each day it was difficult to get through the morning's opening ceremonies at school; the Pledge of Allegiance caused me to tear up daily. Veterans' Day that November filled the entire building with more emotion than I had ever seen. I did cry during the school's celebration that day, but I was in good company. Most of the adults and many of the children cried along with me.
Five years have passed, but the sharp pain of the devastating destruction on that day was nearly as great this morning as it was in 2001. The sight of President and Mrs. Bush as they placed a wreath on the crash sight in Pennsylvania brought a fresh rush of tears.
What were the long term results of that horrific day? A resurgence of patriotism, a pride in our country that had been missing for decades, more flag waving than I'd ever seen, an awareness of the brevity of life, and a knowledge that we are not exempt from the terrorism of fanatics. Some of these things were positive changes, some negative. Support for the President's war on terrorism, at first so high, has plummeted because it has taken so long to bring it all to an end. Americans, especially, expected a swift, decisive resolution to the surprise attacks on American soil. After all we had marched into Iraq in January, 1991 and by the end of February, 1991 all that remained of the Gulf War was the mop-up. Or so we thought.
The fear of flying after that day has segued from anxiety for our lives into aggravation at the delays and inconveniences as security procedures and restrictions have increased. No longer can we board a plane with a pair of nail clippers in our carry-on luggage. The latest no-nos are liquids and gels. You have to pack any items in those forms in your checked luggage. My question there is, if the lip gloss you carry in your pocket or purse or the gel deodorant in your overnight bag could be an explosive (don't forget that bottle of water in your hand), why is it safer for them to be in the luggage compartment instead of the interior of the plane?
Have the nearly 3,000 murders of innocent bystanders been forgotten by the masses? I hope not. I pray not. Those of us that escaped any direct link to the people killed in the three successful attacks and the one aborted attempt can put the events of that day behind us. After all no one we knew personally was killed. The people who died belonged to someone else. What we must realize is that it could have just as easily been one of us.
I received an email just yesterday pointing out that one man still lives because his son started kindergarten that day and he stayed home from work to take his son to school. Another person is still alive because of a pair of new shoes which caused blisters that made him stop in at a drug store to purchase bandages. There were a number of other such stories in that email. Were they all true? I don't know. I didn't take the time to check the urban legends website for confirmation.
The pain, horror, and determination to never let such an attack happen again should be retained by all of us still living. A sign on a local hamburger chain just up the street from my house said it all to me, simply and concisely - Remember.
kmparis
As I woke this morning my mind went directly to where I was five years ago on this day. It was a Tuesday. The cloud I had floated on since Sunday,after receiving word about the upcoming publication of my first book, still carried me high off the floor. I took my fourth grade class to the music room around 9:30 a.m. on that September 11. As I passed the computer lab, I saw a group of teachers and staff gathered around a TV monitor.
Curious, I stopped on the way back to see what was going on. I never made it to my room that period. I spent the next 45 minutes glued to the TV along with as many of the other staff members as could be away from their posts without abandoning any students. We watched replay after replay as the hijacked jetliners crashed into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon. Then we watched the news broadcasts in Pennsylvania covering the crash of United 93 as terrorists failed in achieving their assigned mission.
The horror of what had happened left me feeling so many emotions - fear, sorrow, shocked disbelief among them. The tears and anger came later. The secure world of the greatest country on Earth had been blown into dust with the collapse of the twin towers.
The question running through my brain was, "What do I say to the 22 students I had to pick up and guide through the remainder of the school day?" In my mind I kept expecting and waiting for the superintendent to issue an order to shut down school for the day. It never came.
It is said you always remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when a tragic event occurs. In my experience, that is true. The assassination of John F. Kennedy, my grandparents' deaths, my father's death, the start of the Gulf War in 1991, the destruction of both the Challenger and Columbia space shuttles, and now 9/11, each event flashes in brilliant technicolor in my mind with unexpected triggers - a smell, a taste, a sound, a picture.
On September 11, 2001 I finally understood what my parents and their ancestors must have felt on December 7, 1941. I had seen numerous movies, read many books, and studied the history of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Now I could feel the pain of those alive on that day. What I felt now was no longer academic sympathy but personal empathy.
The tears came on my drive home that evening. I never did say anything to the class that day. I couldn't. I would have broken down in front of them. The days following lead into weeks of raw pain. Each day it was difficult to get through the morning's opening ceremonies at school; the Pledge of Allegiance caused me to tear up daily. Veterans' Day that November filled the entire building with more emotion than I had ever seen. I did cry during the school's celebration that day, but I was in good company. Most of the adults and many of the children cried along with me.
Five years have passed, but the sharp pain of the devastating destruction on that day was nearly as great this morning as it was in 2001. The sight of President and Mrs. Bush as they placed a wreath on the crash sight in Pennsylvania brought a fresh rush of tears.
What were the long term results of that horrific day? A resurgence of patriotism, a pride in our country that had been missing for decades, more flag waving than I'd ever seen, an awareness of the brevity of life, and a knowledge that we are not exempt from the terrorism of fanatics. Some of these things were positive changes, some negative. Support for the President's war on terrorism, at first so high, has plummeted because it has taken so long to bring it all to an end. Americans, especially, expected a swift, decisive resolution to the surprise attacks on American soil. After all we had marched into Iraq in January, 1991 and by the end of February, 1991 all that remained of the Gulf War was the mop-up. Or so we thought.
The fear of flying after that day has segued from anxiety for our lives into aggravation at the delays and inconveniences as security procedures and restrictions have increased. No longer can we board a plane with a pair of nail clippers in our carry-on luggage. The latest no-nos are liquids and gels. You have to pack any items in those forms in your checked luggage. My question there is, if the lip gloss you carry in your pocket or purse or the gel deodorant in your overnight bag could be an explosive (don't forget that bottle of water in your hand), why is it safer for them to be in the luggage compartment instead of the interior of the plane?
Have the nearly 3,000 murders of innocent bystanders been forgotten by the masses? I hope not. I pray not. Those of us that escaped any direct link to the people killed in the three successful attacks and the one aborted attempt can put the events of that day behind us. After all no one we knew personally was killed. The people who died belonged to someone else. What we must realize is that it could have just as easily been one of us.
I received an email just yesterday pointing out that one man still lives because his son started kindergarten that day and he stayed home from work to take his son to school. Another person is still alive because of a pair of new shoes which caused blisters that made him stop in at a drug store to purchase bandages. There were a number of other such stories in that email. Were they all true? I don't know. I didn't take the time to check the urban legends website for confirmation.
The pain, horror, and determination to never let such an attack happen again should be retained by all of us still living. A sign on a local hamburger chain just up the street from my house said it all to me, simply and concisely - Remember.
kmparis
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Guidelines Are Meant To Be Followed
I listened as Patricia LaVigne told how being the contest co-ordinator had been a learning experience for her. Her emphasis was those entries that hadn’t included page numbering of any kind. Our brochure included guidelines yet some entries had disregarded them.
Perhaps this blog is where we can help new writers and wanna-bes understand the importance of following guidelines. If you’re writing for yourself or family and friends, the guidelines are not important. But if your fondest wish is to see your writing published, then entering contests is a good place to learn the importance of guidelines. Learn the rules and follow them. Here are a few:
All manuscripts should be typed on 8 ½ X 11 white paper with one-inch margins on all sides. Lines on the paper should be doubled spaced. This is to make it easy for the editor to make notations when they are considering accepting a submitted piece. Most editors prefer the following fonts: Times New Roman, New Courier and Ariel, in that order. Every manuscript should include a header that contains name of piece, page number and author’s name. Most contests ask that you exclude your name on everything but the cover page. One reason to read and follow guidelines. All of these features are part of every Word program in the computer. Take the time to get acquainted with your equipment and use them.
Electronic submitting has made some changes in editorial preferences. You may notice this piece does not have the five-space indent to indicate the beginning of a paragraph. Instead a space is used to denote a new paragraph. Some publishers prefer the submitted manuscript be posted within the body of the email; others accept it as an attachment. That makes it important that you learn the guidelines and preferences of every publication where you’re considering submitting your work. An up-to-date version of Writer’s Market is an invaluable tool for all writers seeking publication.
Success as a published writer depends of achieving a degree of professionalism. The ability to produce good writing is not enough. Learning the tools of your craft and incorporating them are solid steps to becoming a successful writer.
Gay Ingram www.freewebs.com/gayingram/
Perhaps this blog is where we can help new writers and wanna-bes understand the importance of following guidelines. If you’re writing for yourself or family and friends, the guidelines are not important. But if your fondest wish is to see your writing published, then entering contests is a good place to learn the importance of guidelines. Learn the rules and follow them. Here are a few:
All manuscripts should be typed on 8 ½ X 11 white paper with one-inch margins on all sides. Lines on the paper should be doubled spaced. This is to make it easy for the editor to make notations when they are considering accepting a submitted piece. Most editors prefer the following fonts: Times New Roman, New Courier and Ariel, in that order. Every manuscript should include a header that contains name of piece, page number and author’s name. Most contests ask that you exclude your name on everything but the cover page. One reason to read and follow guidelines. All of these features are part of every Word program in the computer. Take the time to get acquainted with your equipment and use them.
Electronic submitting has made some changes in editorial preferences. You may notice this piece does not have the five-space indent to indicate the beginning of a paragraph. Instead a space is used to denote a new paragraph. Some publishers prefer the submitted manuscript be posted within the body of the email; others accept it as an attachment. That makes it important that you learn the guidelines and preferences of every publication where you’re considering submitting your work. An up-to-date version of Writer’s Market is an invaluable tool for all writers seeking publication.
Success as a published writer depends of achieving a degree of professionalism. The ability to produce good writing is not enough. Learning the tools of your craft and incorporating them are solid steps to becoming a successful writer.
Gay Ingram www.freewebs.com/gayingram/
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Writing Conferences
Getting ready to attend a writing conference is a multi-faceted jewel. It's exciting to look forward to on one hand, but it can generate a lot of nerves.
The Annual Conference of American Christian Fiction Writers will be held in Dallas beginning Thursday evening, September 21. I'm getting to go this year. It will be my third ACFW conference in four years. I missed last year in Nashville because I was going on vacation soon afterward and hadn't saved up enough money to do both.
I found ACFW (then it was ACRW - R for Romance) in early August of 2002 when I was looking for writing conferences to attend during an Internet search. The conference that year happened to be in Houston. So I arranged for a personal business day from school, paid my registration fee and ACFW membership fee, and took off for Houston.
Her Home or Her Heart had been published in July, but I still felt like such an amateur. I still do! I missed the Meet and Greet on Thursday evening, got to the hotel at 1:00 a.m., and walked into the breakfast room about 20 minutes before the first session was to begin. I was there alone. I knew no one and felt sure all the other women walking around were multi-published writers leaving me the low man on the totem pole. They weren't all heavily published by the way. Most of them hadn't even had one book published.
Attending conferences is nothing new to me, except that all the conferences I'd ever attended were teaching conferences. I had entered a totally new territory. My writing partner had chosen not to attend with me. It was up to me to represent us and our writing. I signed up for a personal critique, a meeting with an editor, and a meeting with an agent. I walked away with a request for a proposal from the editor and with the excitement of an agent who wanted to represent us as a writing duo and as individuals.
What has happened since then? We were rejected by the editor, and the agent represented us for over three years but never sold anything. Just six months ago she emailed us and said that since she hasn't done us any good she was releasing us from our contract.
I managed to get my friend to attend the ACFW conference the following year in Denver, but she didn't enjoy it. Not her thing. So here I am once again going solo to ACFW. But that's okay. I have more confidence in myself as a writer, and I feel as though I should be going. Good things are going to happen.
I'm nervous about the Early Bird Session which will be held all day on Thursday prior to the opening Meet and Greet session at 6:30 p.m. Two well published authors, Deb Raney and Colleen Coble, will be conducting the workshop and have in their hands twenty pages of a novel I have started, plus my synopsis and a three sentence hook for the book. I'm supposed to leave that session with all the tools I need to polish the synopsis, the hook and prepare the first part of the book so that it is editor ready as a proposal. I understand that my writing will be shared with the rest of the class. What have I let myself in for?
Oh, well, it's too late to back out now. The only thing I could do is not show up for the session. But then I'd be wasting the $35 extra I had to pay, and I'd always be a coward. I might never finish the book. So I'll go, grit my teeth, and wait for the results. I'm just praying they will find it salvageable, and that I won't pass out before they finish with me.
kmparis
The Annual Conference of American Christian Fiction Writers will be held in Dallas beginning Thursday evening, September 21. I'm getting to go this year. It will be my third ACFW conference in four years. I missed last year in Nashville because I was going on vacation soon afterward and hadn't saved up enough money to do both.
I found ACFW (then it was ACRW - R for Romance) in early August of 2002 when I was looking for writing conferences to attend during an Internet search. The conference that year happened to be in Houston. So I arranged for a personal business day from school, paid my registration fee and ACFW membership fee, and took off for Houston.
Her Home or Her Heart had been published in July, but I still felt like such an amateur. I still do! I missed the Meet and Greet on Thursday evening, got to the hotel at 1:00 a.m., and walked into the breakfast room about 20 minutes before the first session was to begin. I was there alone. I knew no one and felt sure all the other women walking around were multi-published writers leaving me the low man on the totem pole. They weren't all heavily published by the way. Most of them hadn't even had one book published.
Attending conferences is nothing new to me, except that all the conferences I'd ever attended were teaching conferences. I had entered a totally new territory. My writing partner had chosen not to attend with me. It was up to me to represent us and our writing. I signed up for a personal critique, a meeting with an editor, and a meeting with an agent. I walked away with a request for a proposal from the editor and with the excitement of an agent who wanted to represent us as a writing duo and as individuals.
What has happened since then? We were rejected by the editor, and the agent represented us for over three years but never sold anything. Just six months ago she emailed us and said that since she hasn't done us any good she was releasing us from our contract.
I managed to get my friend to attend the ACFW conference the following year in Denver, but she didn't enjoy it. Not her thing. So here I am once again going solo to ACFW. But that's okay. I have more confidence in myself as a writer, and I feel as though I should be going. Good things are going to happen.
I'm nervous about the Early Bird Session which will be held all day on Thursday prior to the opening Meet and Greet session at 6:30 p.m. Two well published authors, Deb Raney and Colleen Coble, will be conducting the workshop and have in their hands twenty pages of a novel I have started, plus my synopsis and a three sentence hook for the book. I'm supposed to leave that session with all the tools I need to polish the synopsis, the hook and prepare the first part of the book so that it is editor ready as a proposal. I understand that my writing will be shared with the rest of the class. What have I let myself in for?
Oh, well, it's too late to back out now. The only thing I could do is not show up for the session. But then I'd be wasting the $35 extra I had to pay, and I'd always be a coward. I might never finish the book. So I'll go, grit my teeth, and wait for the results. I'm just praying they will find it salvageable, and that I won't pass out before they finish with me.
kmparis
Thursday, September 07, 2006
ETWA's September Meeting with Pamela Dowd, Guest Speaker
Time for the September meeting of the East Texas Writers Association is here. Friday, September 8, we'll meet at Casa Ole on Spur 63 in Longview at 6:30 p.m. for dinner (optional). The meeting will officially begin at 7:00 p.m. Pamela Dowd will be our guest speaker. Her topic will be on revision. I'm sure it will be terrific as usual. I've attended one of her writing workshops. She is organized and knowledgeable. We're expanding the time alloted from thirty minutes to approximately sixty to accommodate her topic.
Pamela has quite a number of publishing credits in several different venues. Among them are some novellas, magazine articles, anthology works, and greeting cards (she even had her own line - Cookie Jar Greetings - published by Warner Press). She has acted as a judge for the ACFW Genesis Fiction Contest for unpublished writers.
Ms. Dowd's accomplishments don't end with writing. Besides being the mother of three daughters, she has been a private school principal, a pre-school director, a kindergarten teacher, a legal secretary, and a children's clothing designer. What a wealth of experiences for her to draw from for her writing. We are lucky to have her as our guest speaker this month. We hope to see everyone on Friday.
kmp
Pamela has quite a number of publishing credits in several different venues. Among them are some novellas, magazine articles, anthology works, and greeting cards (she even had her own line - Cookie Jar Greetings - published by Warner Press). She has acted as a judge for the ACFW Genesis Fiction Contest for unpublished writers.
Ms. Dowd's accomplishments don't end with writing. Besides being the mother of three daughters, she has been a private school principal, a pre-school director, a kindergarten teacher, a legal secretary, and a children's clothing designer. What a wealth of experiences for her to draw from for her writing. We are lucky to have her as our guest speaker this month. We hope to see everyone on Friday.
kmp
Monday, September 04, 2006
Violet Dawn ... Continued
Stop. Let's not leave this topic of Violet Dawn just yet. There's more to the story.
Readers of Violet Dawn have a unique experience in store if they wish to participate in something special Ms. Collins has created for them. It is a sort of living, ongoing view into the lives of the characters she has created.
In the book the character of Bailey Truitt, owner of the Java Joint, has started a blog called Scenes and Beans to stimulate interest in her business and the town of Kanner Lake. In reality Brandilyn Collins has begun that blog for fans of Kanner Lake so that we can get to know the townspeople better.
Wait, you say, these are fictional characters. How can they write anything? Well, Brandilyn has worked all that out. She enlisted the aid of friends to begin the blog posts. These writer friends have auditioned and won the privilege of portraying one of the characters and writing a blog post as that character.
As a reader I often wonder at some of the back story of characters that could not be written into the book itself. The Scenes and Beans Blog allows us to get to know the characters more intimately. Take a look for yourself at http://www.kannerlake.blogspot.com. The authors of these character blog posts are doing a wonderful job.
Then after you've read Violet Dawn, read the Scenes and Beans Blog posts, and wish you could be a part of this wonderful idea visit the Kanner Lake website at http://www.kannerlake.com/scenesandbeans.html to learn how to audition for a chance to write one of the blog posts yourself. That's right you might get to be one of the guest bloggers.
What a great idea! Not only do the readers have something to look forward to with the coming of the next Kanner Lake installment, Coral Moon, but we can keep up-to-date with the lives of characters such as Leslie Brymes, Sarah Wray, Jake Tremaine, Wilbur Hucks, and others by reading the Scenes and Beans posts.
What will Brandilyn Collins come up with next? Hold everything. Is that Java Joint cup for sale for real?
kmp
Readers of Violet Dawn have a unique experience in store if they wish to participate in something special Ms. Collins has created for them. It is a sort of living, ongoing view into the lives of the characters she has created.
In the book the character of Bailey Truitt, owner of the Java Joint, has started a blog called Scenes and Beans to stimulate interest in her business and the town of Kanner Lake. In reality Brandilyn Collins has begun that blog for fans of Kanner Lake so that we can get to know the townspeople better.
Wait, you say, these are fictional characters. How can they write anything? Well, Brandilyn has worked all that out. She enlisted the aid of friends to begin the blog posts. These writer friends have auditioned and won the privilege of portraying one of the characters and writing a blog post as that character.
As a reader I often wonder at some of the back story of characters that could not be written into the book itself. The Scenes and Beans Blog allows us to get to know the characters more intimately. Take a look for yourself at http://www.kannerlake.blogspot.com. The authors of these character blog posts are doing a wonderful job.
Then after you've read Violet Dawn, read the Scenes and Beans Blog posts, and wish you could be a part of this wonderful idea visit the Kanner Lake website at http://www.kannerlake.com/scenesandbeans.html to learn how to audition for a chance to write one of the blog posts yourself. That's right you might get to be one of the guest bloggers.
What a great idea! Not only do the readers have something to look forward to with the coming of the next Kanner Lake installment, Coral Moon, but we can keep up-to-date with the lives of characters such as Leslie Brymes, Sarah Wray, Jake Tremaine, Wilbur Hucks, and others by reading the Scenes and Beans posts.
What will Brandilyn Collins come up with next? Hold everything. Is that Java Joint cup for sale for real?
kmp
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Book Review - Violet Dawn by Brandilyn Collins
Seatbelt Suspense, what could that mean? It is the watchword by which Brandilyn Collins's writing is known. Now I understand what it means. To read one of her works is like stepping into the front seat of a race car being controlled by an invisible driver. You'd better tighten that seatbelt and slip on the shoulder straps because Ms. Collins will take you for the ride of your life and you have no say in the matter.
Violet Dawn by Brandilyn Collins thrusts the reader into a world of murder on page one as Paige Williams steps innocently into her own hot tub at 2:00 a.m. one warm Idaho night. What happens after that I won't reveal. You'll have to read the book for yourself.
One of the best parts of Violet Dawn is the characterization of the antagonist as a snake, a black mamba. The evil Black Mamba is creepy, eerie, and I'm truly thankful that he/she is only a figment of Ms. Collins's imagination.Thrown into the mix of quirky characters that venture into the town of Kanner Lake's popular gathering place, the Java Joint, is S-Man. Now he is a little weird and most definitely "spaced-out", but this character made for some chuckles to lighten the mood from time-to-time throughout Violet Dawn. But is S-Man's manner for real or affected to hide something more sinister?
Getting to know the local population of Kanner Lake in the first book of this series is like moving to a new town or to a new job. Bits and pieces are revealed about several of the locals and lead me to want to know more about them. What will happen to Bailey Truitt's husband as his health condition progresses? Why is Wilbur so irascible? Will Frank West fall in love with the new girl in town? Brandilyn, when is the next book of the series, Coral Moon, due out? I mustn't miss that one.
Teachers of writing instruct their students to open their works of fiction with something, anything that will "grab" the readers and propel them deeper into the chapters ahead of them. Too many times a slow start will discourage a reader and one of two things happens: 1. the potential reader flips to the first page of a book, reads it, decides it starts too slowly and never buys it/checks it out of the library, or 2. the reader reads a few pages finds it moving to slowly, puts the book down, and never returns to it. Brandilyn Collins doesn't appear to have a problem with compelling readers to continue with one of her works. That is if the books don't give the reader nightmares.
My recommendation - if you're easily frightened then read Violet Dawn in the bright sunlight after the break of dawn, not during the black of night, if you wish to get a good night's sleep.
kmp
Violet Dawn by Brandilyn Collins thrusts the reader into a world of murder on page one as Paige Williams steps innocently into her own hot tub at 2:00 a.m. one warm Idaho night. What happens after that I won't reveal. You'll have to read the book for yourself.
One of the best parts of Violet Dawn is the characterization of the antagonist as a snake, a black mamba. The evil Black Mamba is creepy, eerie, and I'm truly thankful that he/she is only a figment of Ms. Collins's imagination.Thrown into the mix of quirky characters that venture into the town of Kanner Lake's popular gathering place, the Java Joint, is S-Man. Now he is a little weird and most definitely "spaced-out", but this character made for some chuckles to lighten the mood from time-to-time throughout Violet Dawn. But is S-Man's manner for real or affected to hide something more sinister?
Getting to know the local population of Kanner Lake in the first book of this series is like moving to a new town or to a new job. Bits and pieces are revealed about several of the locals and lead me to want to know more about them. What will happen to Bailey Truitt's husband as his health condition progresses? Why is Wilbur so irascible? Will Frank West fall in love with the new girl in town? Brandilyn, when is the next book of the series, Coral Moon, due out? I mustn't miss that one.
Teachers of writing instruct their students to open their works of fiction with something, anything that will "grab" the readers and propel them deeper into the chapters ahead of them. Too many times a slow start will discourage a reader and one of two things happens: 1. the potential reader flips to the first page of a book, reads it, decides it starts too slowly and never buys it/checks it out of the library, or 2. the reader reads a few pages finds it moving to slowly, puts the book down, and never returns to it. Brandilyn Collins doesn't appear to have a problem with compelling readers to continue with one of her works. That is if the books don't give the reader nightmares.
My recommendation - if you're easily frightened then read Violet Dawn in the bright sunlight after the break of dawn, not during the black of night, if you wish to get a good night's sleep.
kmp
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Book Review - The Long Quiet Highway by Natalie Goldberg
When I spied Natalie Goldberg's newest, The Long Quiet Highway, on the library's shelf, I knew it was a must-read. Her first book about writing, Writing Down The Bones, has been hailed as a classic and is recommended reading for any serious writer. Even as a recent re-read, Bones's message remains as clear and honest as the first time I absorbed its pages's words many years ago. I was not disappointed. In this new work, Natalie's refreshing open style is very evident.
In The Long Quiet Highway, Ms. Goldberg weaves together the personalities, the places and events of her personal life so that the reader comes to realize her personal life and her writing life are so intertwined, it would be impossible to separate them. She describes in her own honest way all that has contributed to making her the outstanding writer she is. As she shares events that were epiphanies, places that spoke to her soul, and people who helped her discover the important things of life, we also come to realize that the miracle of being alive every moment, every breath we take is the most important asset a writer can possess.
If your goal as a writer is to become rich and famous, this may not seem like an important book for you to read. But if you are seeking the purpose for this inner compulsion to record your life, this need to write it out in hopes it will help you make sense of it, than The Long Quiet Highway may just be the key to unlock the hidden treasures.
Natalie Goldberg doesn't linger over professional achievements or dwell on the recognition the world has awarded her. She remains a writers' writer, the quintessential teacher, a leader who encourages her students by her own example to continually push aside the falseness and seek to uncover the truth, no matter how painful. Reading her own self-revelations in The Long Quiet Highway gives the reader hope and the encouragement to open themselves wide to the wonders of experiencing life. She helps you to know that as a writer we have an obligation to share with the world the view of truth as we see it.
Gay Ingram -- www.freewebs.com/gayingram/
In The Long Quiet Highway, Ms. Goldberg weaves together the personalities, the places and events of her personal life so that the reader comes to realize her personal life and her writing life are so intertwined, it would be impossible to separate them. She describes in her own honest way all that has contributed to making her the outstanding writer she is. As she shares events that were epiphanies, places that spoke to her soul, and people who helped her discover the important things of life, we also come to realize that the miracle of being alive every moment, every breath we take is the most important asset a writer can possess.
If your goal as a writer is to become rich and famous, this may not seem like an important book for you to read. But if you are seeking the purpose for this inner compulsion to record your life, this need to write it out in hopes it will help you make sense of it, than The Long Quiet Highway may just be the key to unlock the hidden treasures.
Natalie Goldberg doesn't linger over professional achievements or dwell on the recognition the world has awarded her. She remains a writers' writer, the quintessential teacher, a leader who encourages her students by her own example to continually push aside the falseness and seek to uncover the truth, no matter how painful. Reading her own self-revelations in The Long Quiet Highway gives the reader hope and the encouragement to open themselves wide to the wonders of experiencing life. She helps you to know that as a writer we have an obligation to share with the world the view of truth as we see it.
Gay Ingram -- www.freewebs.com/gayingram/
Friday, September 01, 2006
Another Month Gone - Already?
How can it be? It's September, 2006 already! Time flying by at a more rapid pace as one grows older must have something to do with Einstein's Theory of Relativity.
I propose that we inhabit some sort of personal space ship, and that as we grow older those space ships accelerate faster and faster toward the speed of light. At mid-century status we feel as though time has sped up, while the youngsters around us feel time drags by.
Remember how it was when you were ten? Christmas couldn't come around quickly enough. Now, as a person having reached double nickels, it feels as though there is never enough time to do everything. We moan and groan at the thought of having to wade through all those shoppers getting ready for Christmas and make elaborate plans to complete all our shopping prior to Thanksgiving. But we won't make it; we never do.
Crafters out there better get busy. You do realize that as of today you have three months and three weeks, that's 116 days for you who are counting days already, left until Christmas. You'd better get into high gear in order to finish all those projects you'll need to have done by December 25.
Well, Wal-Mart hasn't put out the Christmas displays yet. At least they hadn't as of two days ago. But look out - they should appear any moment now.
kmp
I propose that we inhabit some sort of personal space ship, and that as we grow older those space ships accelerate faster and faster toward the speed of light. At mid-century status we feel as though time has sped up, while the youngsters around us feel time drags by.
Remember how it was when you were ten? Christmas couldn't come around quickly enough. Now, as a person having reached double nickels, it feels as though there is never enough time to do everything. We moan and groan at the thought of having to wade through all those shoppers getting ready for Christmas and make elaborate plans to complete all our shopping prior to Thanksgiving. But we won't make it; we never do.
Crafters out there better get busy. You do realize that as of today you have three months and three weeks, that's 116 days for you who are counting days already, left until Christmas. You'd better get into high gear in order to finish all those projects you'll need to have done by December 25.
Well, Wal-Mart hasn't put out the Christmas displays yet. At least they hadn't as of two days ago. But look out - they should appear any moment now.
kmp
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