Dancing Day

Some days are just made for dancing and that was today.

Knowing these are the final months with my little hero-in-training make them even more fun.  Every moment is precious.

Grammy days will wind down the next few months.  He’ll be joining his brothers and new adventures elsewhere.

I’ll be looking for the next challenge to choose.  The adventurous business woman within is stirring and ready to spread her own wings again.  That’s why dancing was what we did today.
Celebrate!

“Dear Lucky Agent” Contest

Writers share information and so I’m sharing this Guide to Literary Agents Editor’s Blog to all my writer friends.   It’s also a permanent link here under “Writer Business” because I was delighted at the diversity of topics and opportunities presented for all types of writers.

A friend sent me the link to the “Dear Lucky Agent” Contest:  Memoir and Narrative Nonfiction and I noticed they run different types of contests, for all types of writing and styles.  I wonder why I haven’t found this blog before now, or maybe I did but the topic of the day didn’t catch my eye, or it was before I subscribed to my fav blogs through Google Reader.

In honor of today’s date I’m going to 1-2-3-go and enter this contest. 

writing is work

I met my storyboarding goal today and felt almost as much thrill writing The End on those 7 pages as at the end of 300 pages.   I chose a book off my pile, How I Met my Countess, as my celebration of conquering PLOT.  Within the first pages I realized the next journey (and why I love Elizabeth’s books) STYLE.    Story is conflict & drama, characters and transformation – that’s PLOT and can be really flat and boring without STYLE.

Last night I read Lauren’s post on Copyright Does Not Mean “Right to Copy”.   This made me contemplate the whole business of written words.  Truly!  Would we have movies and news, recipes and songs, jokes and menus, contracts and laws, if they weren’t written then revised?   Then – when the words are presented to readers – it is intellectual property that is being shared and should be treated with the respect of any property owned or created by someone, or any intellectual achievement, especially in the digital world where including a link is so easy.

I personally have major issues with that schizophrenic intellectual called Anonymous.  As a writer, I have no desire to be invisible or anonymous though by virtue of the career choice, I spend many days silent and alone with nothing but written words that can’t carry a tune with a harmonica.

Part 2 of Why you really don’t want to be published was posted today by The Intern.  The comments truly grant greater insight into the mindset of an author.  I have attended many conferences which have a workshop called “The Elevator Pitch” but The Intern has revealed it is a magic elevator and implodes on exit.

Even all this advice on how much work it takes to be a writer, or how disastrous life is after publication, many still dream about writing that book.  For them, this is great advice, Is your “But” to big? by  John Gibbs.

Now, even though I’m a writer, I’m also a science and technology nut and had to check TED tonight and was rewarded with this inspiring presentation of maps and stamps and the universe by  Charles Fleischer insists:  All things are Moleeds.  Now that’s the beauty of intellectual property!

avatar and a wizard

Avatar is an awesome movie, even in 2-d.  I’m thrilled there was no twist or surprise at the end.   The premise is simple, greed vs. green.  The story is classic and can be related to historical events around the globe throughout the history of humanity.   The visuals are extraordinary and I’m thrilled at the technology behind the scenes of Pandora.

A few hours before seeing this movie, I attended a reading of A Boy and His Wizard by M.A. Smith.  This is a read-aloud book and the illustrations are charming.  It reminded me of the flavor of Dr. Seuss.

These two events have uplifted my emotions.   Death, disaster, and doggie details can overwhelm the psyche of a wacky writer.  Laughter with friends, a splash of magic, a trip into fantasy, and I am renewed to tackle the important task of boosting sexual tension between my romantic antagonists.  A writer must be in a good emotional place to do so, or hero and heroine will descend into snarky idiocy and the world of romance will implode.  It feels good that I can save this world. 

news

Want to help the people of Haiti?  These are two organizations that have been personally recommended to me as – all funds sent will arrive for the purpose intended. 
http://www.foodforthepoor.org/
and
https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org
/

In other news, our 10 year old Lab, Rainier survived his eye surgery with flying colors and all bodily functions are operating in the desired locations, mainly – outside and off my rugs.   We’ve been challenged for months with health issues for our pet, that we learned were directly related to a vet recommended brand of food that has become poison, maybe because the original pet food company was bought by another.

My laptop is now  humming along with all software functioning as intended.  The boys at the shop had it a day longer than hoped and are in awe that I have practiced the art of being unplugged with peace.

This link from gypsywoman shows recent earthquake activity.  I love maps and the visuals granted by technology.  It brings the whole globe into perspective for me.

Last week, a friend told me how her 10 year-old-nephew developed personality issues this past year, and his latest incident was treated with an approved medication, and the boy was dead within hours.   My sister also posted about dealing with the grief of the death of a student.

Through my brother’s emails I consider politics and philosophy.  Through my romance writers groups I work towards stories that end with a happily ever after.  My brother spent a year traveling and working with Doctors without Borders, and I know many romance novelists and groups that donate to, and work with, shelters and literacy organizations.

Sometimes I feel very small, and unable to do all I would like to do.  Then I got an email from a woman I’ve met a few times, and have been sharing my insight and limited experience in the world of publishing on a query she’s developing,

“You are such a treasure.  Some people would have ignored me.  Blessings,”

I’ve been called many things in my life, like “the meanest mom.”  But I have never ignored anyone.  I’ll say, no thanks, not my interest, or outline how to get a clue.  But I don’t IGNORE anything.  Everything matters.  I personally can’t do squat about it, but that doesn’t mean I IGNORE the reality.

Ignoring news is a choice to be ignorant.  Ignoring people is a choice to be an ash-hat.

Sometimes we have to research the right dog food, and send that same amount of money to the right organization, to make a difference on a global scale.  No one benefits if we ignore the ingredients on the dog food bag or the needs of our fellow humans, no matter where they are… We are all one, but we are only one, and our purpose is to live in joy.

For this moment, focus on Haiti, send all the souls there – joy.   Do it.  Give it a minute of your time.

Send joy.

OK.

Now back to work.

The new dog food…

new methods

I’m evolving from a pantster to a plotter – or maybe not – but I am learning to plot which is cool.  I stated (as a goal) that I wanted to write books, when I was 12 years old.  Now I see the difference that could have been – if only I had stated my goal as – wanting to publish stories.  There’s a big difference between writing books and publishing stories.  Two main differences are plot and conflict, which are essential for story and barely there in books I’ve written.

I now see I was a pantster writer, which means I had a general idea of my characters and a specific event and not much else to wind my way through a story.   It’s an exciting and creative way to attack a story.   The story is free to evolve, the characters can take control and the author may have a lot of work in the future to tame this beast.

The challenge of a plotter writer is, the plotter may be unable to unleash the beast and actually write the story.  Hmm…

In October, I won a raffle basket that was donated by Amy Rench.   Within that basket was Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass.  This week, I sketched out a workable plot for my WIP  then began working through the exercises in this workbook.   Oh!  The joy of story! The depth of possibilities!  Using the same characters I created, the settings, the wacky situations, the struggles, I can see the greater darkness they will now endure.  I’ll twist, trip, and tie up those too nice characters.

On Saturday, our workshop was The Art of Being a God – Building Worlds from Microbes to Suns.  Minnette and Delilah are awesome writers and presenters, and I adore their books.  Neither of these writers have issues with forcing their characters into trials beyond repair – and yet – redemption does arrive through conflict and drama and the mastery of a powerful plot.

Maybe I will live up to the potential of what I have learned.

At the age of 12, I had no idea I was stating a goal that was really a journey.

a project begins

My new project is a romance novel I wrote a few years ago.  This story has been rewritten/edited/revised – at least three times.  A review of the file dates show a concentration for a few months on each version, then a year or more untouched.   I remember each reason why this story was put on the shelf.

The creative process does benefit from a resting stage, so the author can return with fresh eyes and perspective and catch a bunch of words that are just wrong.

To begin my new project, I have reread what was printed out two years ago.  I’m still excited about the characters, the story, the potential.  However, it was agonizingly SLOW to read those 400 pages.  I had to slap my own hand many times to prevent editing.  I silently screamed at the writer I was:  BACKSTORY!  PASSIVE VOICE!  MOTIVATION! POV!

But I was also impressed at dynamic scenes, vibrant settings, snappy dialogue, and layers of plot and characterization that I had forgotten.  Too cool!  It is time to begin plot-storming a whole new storyboard.  Wee Hee!

Do you have a project on a shelf or tucked under a bed?  Maybe it’s time to take a fresh look at what was and imagine what could be created.

make a snow angel

Please check out my sister’s blog Snow Angel.

Yes, I can totally see Rose doing this, making a snow angel in tribute to the young girl.  I do not have snow here, but have paused to remember the bliss, and honor the joy of plopping down in the snow and spreading my wings.

the shift: 2009-2010

I like numerology and the simple messages from numbers.  There’s a universal and artistic quality to numbers, like music.  Words can be changed in translations but holding up two fingers and pointing to an apple means the same thing in every country.

The year number 2010 has a fun and positive flavor to begin a new decade.  But today I want to review the recent energies of our year numbers.

When I look at  2, I see both a ? and a , with an _ for emphasis.  So the first message I get when I see a 2 is:  question, pause, think.  At a quantum level, the 2nd dimension is a flat piece of paper with straight lines.  If the lines are parallel they never meet but if perpendicular, they intersect.  This is why I think the number 2 is interpreted to mean both partnership and duality.

The duality aspect is a balanced opposition like positive and negative.  Or black and white; black as the absence of all color and white the blending of all color.  So I like considering the duality of 2 because of the space between.  The space between black and white is the presence of all colors in their individual vibration.  In a magnetic parallel, the space between is energy.  Everything is energy, even the molecules that make up a flat piece of paper.

When I look at  9, I see a full circle and the end of a parenthesis.  o)  This gives the flavor of completion, goals achieved, projects finished.   The end.  In 2009, I wrote “The End” on both a romance novel and a memoir project.  It’s significant to me that I made choices about these two projects in 2006.

Let’s consider 6 as – (o – the beginning parenthesis and a full circle.  In my numerology interpretations; 6=love, 7=spirituality, 8=transformation, 9=completion.  These same numbers with their planetary energies are; 6-Venus, 7-Neptune,  8-Saturn, 9-Mars.

Now 6 follows 5.  5 is a confusing graphic, with all sorts of pictorial possibilities.  5 is associated with change, conflict and choices.  5 vibrates to Mercury – the planet known as the trickster.  So for the purpose of this article, 5 is a cataclysmic event on a personal level that creates a choice.   If the choice is to step into love, we enter into the parentheses of  ( 6, 7, 8, 9 ).

6=love but at the beginning of the journey it’s really more a strong “like”.  A Venus flavor to savor a favorite food, like chocolate, a fun activity, or that passionate thrill of a new romance.   6 is a feminine energy current that flows nicely into the spiritual energy of 7.

Now 7 makes us feel like we are standing under a protective umbrella while not realizing our feet are sliding out from beneath us.  This is the watery Neptune illusion and delusion duality.  My favorite example of this is the science vs. religion debates through the centuries.  Mystery and sympathy play equal roles as we wade through dreams to understand the role spirit plays in the miracle of our life.  It’s easy to get lost in this realm but with love and luck, we’ll find two round and dry islands for our feet to stand on and enter the portal of 8.

8 represents infinity, the serpent eating its tail.  It is the mirror of above and below.  We can stand in the full sun or in the moon light of transformation.  8 vibrates to Saturn, which represents responsibility and lessons through experience.  Saturn slows things down and throws up caution signs.  Saturn has many rings and each one could spiral us back to relearn something about 7, or 6, or 5, before we can step onto the next ring of lesson about discipline and self-control.

One question to ask Teacher Saturn is – can I make this life journey more fun?  The rings of Saturn include wisdom about love, joy and happiness.  Those caution flags are often to release drama, worry and fear.

To get off the Saturn spiral of lessons, we need the Mars energy of 9.  Completing the full circle of 9 (which mirrors the initial full circle of 6) requires courage, originality and personal power.  Mars masculine warrior energy is the first step and can complete the wisdom and responsibility circle of 9  – humility and joy will create the final arc.

We stepped through the initial arc of compassion and challenge when we chose the circle of 6 love energy.  The full journey is framed in an embrace of both feminine and masculine energy.   ( 6, 7, 8, 9 )   With this example 9 is also a higher circle of love energy that now holds wisdom and responsibility.  With wisdom comes joy and humility is part of being a truly responsible human.

Now as this year 2010 begins, consider 1 represents initiating energy.  It vibrates to the Sun and encourages original action and individuality.  1 is firmly planted, straight and tall.  1 is creative and benevolent energy.

So my message is, as we step into the vibration of 2010, take the time to consider the duality and partnership of the space between represented by the 2 which vibrates to the moon.  Honor the completion energy of 2009, and the journey of the years before, and choose joy for 2010.

Celebrate!