Writing - the ups and downs

This week I’ve been writing madly on my WIP wanting to enter the first two chapters in the West Virginia writers contest with postmark deadline today, March 31. It was a lofty goal as the story idea was only two weeks old, in its earliest stages of life when I decided to enter it. I had pulled out old stories and just didn’t have the enthusiasm to do heart surgery on any one of them at this time. This story with the working title, KILL ME OR DRIVE ME TO FLORIDA, is told from eight year old Daisy Dunn’s point of view. She, her mother, and her brother are driving old Frank Stutler to Florida in his battered station wagon. Right now the story is so new that details change almost daily. However, yesterday, fearing that I would not have those last few pages finished for today’s mailing, I started second guessing every word, every sentence, even the very idea until I had myself convinced that I should trash the whole manuscript and be done with it. I have a demon editor that lives inside me ...

Carved on a stone in one of the gardens at Lake Chautauqua are these words in honor of the beautiful hyacinth: "If thou of fortune be bereft, and in thy stores but two loaves left, sell one...and with the dole, buy hyacinths to feed the soul." The hyacinth is by far my favorite spring flower. It does indeed feed the soul. I love it not just for its beauty but for its heavenly scent. It reminds me that good things are to follow its blooming. Sunshine, summer breezes, picnics under the tree out back, more iced tea with lemon, the laughter of the grandchildren playing ball in the backyard, the house doors flung open to let in the smells and sounds of it all. The poem about the hyacinth reminds me of charming Lake Chautauqua with it's sail boats on the water and the Victorian gingerbread houses lining the streets above the lake. Being invited there as a guest to attend the Highlights Writing Workshop was the high point of several summers for me. Kent Brown always made us feel...

I was wondering the other day when I was driving somewhere drinking sweet tea, if iced tea is sweet tea. A lot of my friends serve iced tea. It never has sugar in it. What's that about? How can you drink iced tea without sugar and a lemon slice on the rim. When my mother served iced tea it was ALWAYS sweet. I was born and raised in Putnam and Kanawha Counties, West Virginia. We drank sweet iced tea either in glasses with a border of Dutch boys and girls or a border of yellow and red tulips. Of course, there was the summer when plastic glasses hit town and we had them in all colors, yellow, green, pink and we used those. My good friend, Sherry, was born and raised around Delaware, Ohio and her mother always made iced tea without sugar - ever. So Sher drinks unsweetened tea. My dear friend, Diana, makes iced tea and has simple syrup on the side for those who like sweet tea. Diana doesn't use much sugar in her food so I try to remember that when Sherry and Diana visit to make a p...

It's been a crazy kind of day. Rainy and foggy. I've been hard at work on my Florida story - I'm having trouble getting the scenes down and the dialog right. I realize all over again how very hard writing really is. I forget when I've been away from it for awhile. It only takes an hour of writing to remind me. Then it only takes one sentence to come together perfectly to remind me why I write. There's nothing like the feeling that embraces a writer when he gets it just right. When I was having trouble pulling together a scene, I brought out my certificates and awards for contests I'd finaled in and spread them out across my desk. That's a confidence builder, believe me. I added the gold sparkley snail ornament my writing buddy Sherry gave me. It's to remind me that while the snail - me - is slow he always arrives at his destination. Looking back on my accomplishments helps me to have the confidence to move forward on a project. To remind me that I can ...

It's been a busy few days. Yesterday I made rhubarb sauce from rhubarb I had frozen. I got it last summer from Mrs. Beachy, the Amish woman who lives down the road. We get all our produce there in the summer and it's the best. Anyway, I took her a jar of the sauce. One of her daughter's answered the door. Her mom had gone to visit family in Michigan. Then I puttered - I can putter an entire day away and never accomplish anything. Can you? Or am I the only person that putters anymore? I did some writing of my own and read more of Sherry's manuscript, ISLAND PASSAGE. I'm getting caught up in the story and not doing as much editing as I should. Today I pulled together two stories to enter in the West Virginia Writers contest, deadline March 31. That's with a late fee! I'm always a last minute entrant. I'm going to submit KILL ME OR DRIVE ME TO FLORIDA - I had to write a one page synopsis. Try to fit a novel into a one page summary. Nearly impossible. But I ...

The Detroit Free Press used my article on health care today. I googled Detroit Free Press and my name. IT came up. They interviewed me over the phone and added some additional information that wasn't in the earlier version that was printed by the Plain Dealer in Cleveland. Hope you read it and respond if you have any health care worries. Thanks! The sun is shining and I have lots to do today. Everyone have a beautiful bright sunshiny day. Blessings!

Today I wrote a new scene for my story - titled so far- KILL ME OR DRIVE ME TO FLORIDA. A scene that lets the reader know why these people are all on the road together. I hope it's as interesting as I think it is. AND I hope others like it as much as I do. That isn't always the case when we write something close to our hearts. WE think others will see our characters as we do - feel their breath and hear their hearts beating. Not always so. The scene today just flowed. I've been reading - again - BECOMING A WRITER by Dorothea Brande. An old book that's been revived. Her advice is so very good you must read this if you write. She says to do something mindless before writing. No reading of other books. No talking. Sit somewhere quietly. Go to a symphony - no words. Then your own words will flow within your head, your heart. Sometimes I talk my stories out and then have no enthusiasm for writing them. Don't make that same mistake. Hold your stories close to your heart ...