Still going...

My past two weeks have been spent editing and doing a bit of a re-write of Date with a Dead Guy. Not that I didn't like the story or anything, but I had an epiphany after a rough day at work and decided to change the point of view. I took my third-person narrative and turned it into first-person. So far, I'm about half way there. I've edited the original, but need to flesh the resulting story out to polish it. How do I feel about altering my baby that way? I love it. I always had problems with the original and find the new version much stronger.

The other novel I'm working on is The Bookstore Lady. The story's been through many changes, but it is getting stronger. Before long, both novels will be making the rounds of agents and publishers one more time.

I had lunch with a few friends the other day. One of them asked how many books I've written. I was actually at a loss. More than two, less than twenty. Some I'm working on now to polish and submit for publication. Not an easy feat with three kids, a job, housework, volunteer responsibilities and laundry.
There's always laundry. 

Writing the novels is the easy part. I love putting new story lines and characters onto paper and falling in love with them all. I love the sounds of pen scratching paper, keys clicking while I type and the voices in my head.
Creating new worlds and putting the things I know or think on paper...priceless.

Passages of Time

As tends to happen in spring, things grow. Along with the flowers and weeds, my family responsibilities are taking me away from both writing and the group for a while - at least until late summer or fall. One of the remarkable things dragging me off this spring is watching my oldest son compete in several regattas with the Island Lake Rowing Club. He is a second-year (junior) rower and today I had the pleasure of watching (from VERY close up in a coach boat) his strength and determination while he and his teammates, who are juniors, race a boat load of seniors. True, the younger team had a 20 second head start, but they gritted their teeth and actually tied the older team. A first for them this season.

What amazed me the most about being on the lake was that time stood still. The swallows still swooped, the boats still moved and the water still jostled us, but it seemed like we were out there for hours when it was only one hour. It seemed like we had circumnavigated the globe at top speed, yet it was only a few kilometres. How deceiving.

Writing is a lot like that. How many days have I written dozens of pages only to discover it's only been an hour since I sat down? There are times when things go smoothly and the words flow like honey from our fingers. Of course, there are many other days when we push so hard that we hit the wall. I saw an example of that today as well. One of the rowers pushed himself so hard that he literally collapsed. Those are the days that we need to, as the rower did, sit back, take a deep breath and wait for our second wind.

As I watch my children grow, I am amazed by their differences, their similarities and their passions. I am blessed to join them on part of their journey and, in turn, learn a lot more about the world. I help them learn what they need to learn, refine their skills and make sure they get to practice on time. I find that the less I push, the easier it is to get through to them and help guide them.

With my stories, I write, I research, edit and polish. Each one is different from the last. Each one causes its own grief and pleasure. When I stop pushing is when the words and energy flows. I find that in order to write a good story, I need to relax the hunched shoulders and focus on nothing - which is usually easier said than done.

So, fellow writers, the way I see it is our mission is not to push until we drop from exhaustion. It is to release the stories and ideas from our minds, not coaxing or coercing them into life, but letting them live. Like children.


To all of the Moms out there.
Happy Mother's Day!
Hang in there and keep writing.

Surprise!

I've been working on The Bookstore Lady, getting edits done so I can submit it again. I've had some wonderful friends giving me some input and they all made some great suggestions. Today, in itself, was draining. I was at home with 2 sick kids, mourning the loss of an uncle and dealing with some issues in my writing group. Submitting a novel was the lowest item on my list, until...

Until I received an email from an agent I'd queried in March 2010. For some reason, a lot of queries she'd been sent were dumped into her junk mail box. She recently found mine and promised to read it over. Since I'd made so many changes in the past year, I replied to her and sent the changes, hoping that I was not out of line. I guess I'll find out in a few weeks when she gets back to me.

I have to admit, that made me feel a bit better and gave me hope when the whole day was full of thunderstorms and frustration. Some days all it takes to get our creativity and energy flowing again is a bolt from the blue.

Or an email you never thought you'd receive.

A Day in the Life of my Cleanse

Okay, I won't bore you by regaling an entire day. Between work and other things going on in my life, you'd be asleep in thirty seconds or less! One thing I have noticed is that each Chakra seems to take centre stage on the days related to the cleanse. For example, the other day was a Navel Chakra day which relates to finding your place and asserting yourself in a group. Exactly what I had to do.

Looking at the calendar, I had to make the decision to step away from my writing group for the next few months due to my schedule and the fact that I get overwhelmed when I don't get time to write or paint. Add to this some on-going aggravation and wanting to move ahead with my own work.

Today is Good Friday. Good for me because it's a day off work, but a day to write. I've spent some time editing The Bookstore Lady. Yeah! I haven't been able to get to it for a couple of weeks because of work and other things. It's nice to be able to sit and play. I also have to get my edits done for Murder on Manitou. Before you know it, they'll be due at the publisher's office and going to print! How cool is that?

Have a wonderful Easter filled with family, food and - of course - chocolate!

Feelings of Inadequacy

There are days - and I'm sure every writer has them - where I feel like I should just have one big bon fire and forget the whole notion of being a writer. That generally lasts about ten minutes, an hour tops. It used to last a lot longer, but I've found there has been a shift in my whole manner of thinking and being since learning Reiki. I am learning not to carry the negative thoughts and make them my truth.

Having a Reiki attunement opens your mind and your heart to possibilities. It makes it easier to understand and accept the ebbs and flows of creative energy and how to break free from "writer's block." Personally, I've never had a problem with being blocked creatively. My biggest problem is time.

Days, for me, are usually filled with work, the kids and their activities, as well as looking after the house and all meals. I'm notorious for writing in a notebook while cooking spaghetti or brushing my teeth. I intentionally come home during my lunch hours so I can write or edit - or just relax and read a good book.

This week, my goal is to do an edit on The Bookstore Lady, a book that I've often thought of burning, but recently got some great advice about. I'm giving it a chance to live. The funny thing, is a lot of the things my friend suggested, were things I'd had gut feelings about, but never changed. Lack of time, lack of energy, lack of courage...pick an excuse, any excuse.

I'm done with excuses.
I'm giving myself two weeks to get it up to where it should be and submit it.
So what am I doing on my blog? My novel awaits...

And now for something a little different....

This weekend I tried something new - aside from riding bikes with the kids, which I haven't done in nearly 20 years! Today I attended a Reiki workshop and obtained my Reiki I certification. I came home feeling tired, yet energized. It was a cloudy, stormy day, yet three of us made it for the class and were treated to Attunements, clearings and a wonderful pot of soup our Reiki Master had made.

What an amazing feeling to awaken your own energy and healing power that I'd always thought I had. With all of the stuff we learned, I'm a little overwhelmed. The fun part was that before we left, Helena asked us to choose an angel card. Mine was "Study," which was interesting since I've been studying not only my writing, but books on Reiki as well. It told me not to be impatient and study before I dive in. Kind of applicable to both of my interests lately.

With the end of our workshop, so began our 21 Days of Cleansing where the energy cycles through all seven chakras three times. We are now able to use our healing powers on others and - after three months - will be able to go for our Reiki II course.

I can hardly wait!

Orangeville Article: Life lessons and stories a wonderful part of the fundraiser for Japan

This is the latest item I've published in the Orangeville Banner. Hope you enjoy it!

Orangeville Article: Life lessons and stories a wonderful part of the fundraiser for Japan