All Aboard!

Enjoy the Cheer Up Picture <3

Disappointment. The problem everyone struggles with. Disappointment is, well, disappointing. It's depressing when you were really looking forward to something, and then you realize that no matter what you do, it's probably not going to happen. I can say I'm planning on being an astronaut. I can go through all the training and get all the qualifications, spend years hoping and wishing and waiting and planning, but when it's all said and done, most likely I'm not gonna be spending any time outside of planet Earth. In sarcasm, for those of you who don't speak it, disappointment is called "a healthy dose of reality." In my book it feels more like a splash of cold water in the face on a freezing January morning. That chilly feeling you just can't shake. It hurts to be disappointed, especially when it happens because of someone else. When you were really counting on Becky to drive you down to B&N for that new book you've been waiting all year for! And then she calls an hour later because she over slept. Or when your mom absolutely promised you'd go to the midnight premier that movie you've been wanting to see, and then she gets stuck in bed with a cold. You can't do anything about these things. You can't prevent or change them. They happen. Life happens. But when someone else is involved we tend to blame the other person. Wrong! It's not their fault. They have lives too and the world does not revolve around you, no matter how many times you forget that you aren't the sun. The important thing is learning how to pick up and move on. This happens to be something I struggle with. Yes, it's easy to be hurt and to heap blame on people. It's easy to wallow in self-pity because things didn't go your way. It's hard to be mature and grown up and say "Hey, I didn't really need to go to the beach this weekend. It'll be there next week." So my challenge, to myself and to anyone else who's reading this, is to remember that when you're disappointed by someone, it's not always their fault. And even if it is, blaming them only hurts you. So be the mature one. Pick up. And move on. Life happens. We can't sit waiting for it to happen our way. If we did, we'd be waiting a very long time! So stop waiting, hop up on life's train, and take off!

Catch ya later!

New Wrapping! Is Christmas coming early?

Have you ever had the feeling something is missed? Like there is a piece to the puzzle of life you just can't find. When you're sitting at work or flipping through channels or cooking dinner and you just stop and think to yourself "I need... something... But what?" It seems I've been having those moments more often then not these days when I sit down to write. I have the idea running through my head, I know what I want to say, but after writing - and rewriting - the same three pages over and over... All that's left to do at the end of the day is sit back and admit that it needs...something. But what? I truly wish I could figure out what that something was. Passion? Emotion? Some other "shun"? Perhaps my characters are too boring, I found myself wondering today. Too flat. Perhaps if you write for too long without seeking new inspiration, your writing becomes as familiarly repetitive as a singer who writers too many songs all at once. It all starts to sound the same. This week I've trashed three stories. Three. I never thought in a million years that would happen! It's been hard to part with them, and yet...I keep finding these stories in other stories. "Nothing new under the sun" is a rather depressing concept when you're trying to think of something new and interesting for people to want to read. But then... and I'm just thinking out loud here... maybe people don't want to read something new. Maybe they just want new wrapping on it. Gail Carson Levine has made her career retelling popular and well known fairy tales and elaborating on the ones that tell us too little to begin with. She had some of her own, but Ella Enchanted is really just Cinderella with an amazingly brilliant and clever array of twists and turns and flip-flops. And there are plenty of other examples. Some of them not so well disguised. Beastly is obviously Beauty and the Beast. And with or without a name, who hasn't heard the human/vampire love story a million and three times? So maybe, as a writer, I shouldn't be so focused on trying to write what is new and exciting. But more focused on my story and telling it the way I want it to be told. Perhaps it is better to explore the characters more. To get to know and understand them the way I should before trying to force them into situations impossible for them to climb out of. This is my challenge to myself for the rest of this week. To focus on the story the way it ought to be told. I'll do my best to keep you posted.

So Until Next Time!

And check out these amazing women!

Alex Flinn and Gail Carson Levine. 

They deserve much Praise!!

Sunny Days and Busses

Some days, you wake up, and it's like the sun smiled at you. Everything is going your way. Life couldn't be better! Other days, you wake up, and that's about the only good thing that happens. Day to day stress piles up like a shaken soda can and explodes in your face while laughing at your sticky fizz-filled pain. You can either feel like the world's on your side, or feel like life just hit you with a bus. It's a total toss up that'd keep you awake at night if you allowed yourself to worry about which coin fate's flipping for you this time. Today I got hit by life's bus. Yay me. I felt like the world was against me, which sucks since I was kinda hopin' the world might like me just a little? But today was a wake up call for me too. Today that bus knocked a little sense into me. Or maybe the road did when I fell... Either way, something knocked something into me! Or maybe something got knocked out... Or maybe I was just knocked out...!

But I digress.

Today I was hit with the realization -No, not the bus. There was no bus. It was a poorly planned out metaphor for realization and has absolutely nothing to do with an actual bus! Forget the bus!! - that life isn't about getting from day to day like it's some kind of chore. It's about living in each day, making the most of every moment we have. Yes, we should have goals and plans for the future. It's good to have things to work towards. But that shouldn't be our only focus. If all we're thinking about is the future we miss the present, and time isn't something you can get back.

Sometimes, life throws things at you that feel pretty impossible. Sometimes we can feel pretty low. Not getting the job, not acing the test, not being liked back by the guy (or girl) you've been crushing on for forever. Buses can really knock you down and make you feel like you've hit the assault-y rock bottom. Remember this. No matter how many times you get knocked down, you can always get back up!!

 So. Live in the moment. Get back up. Avoid the bus. Okay, guys!! Good talk!!

 See you peeps next time! Bye-bye!

Table Talk

My sister and I went to Applebee's the other day for lunch. While sitting there, enjoying our own meals, I couldn't help but over hear the conversation between two women sitting behind at the table my sister.

"What?" the younger lady gasped in utter shock. "It's a fruit? Since when??" 

The older woman, appearing to be the mother of the younger girl, shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know."

"Wow..." the daughter shook her head, still bewildered. "Stupid tomato."

Oh! The things some people say!! My sister and I certainly shared a good laugh. =) 

Until next time. Au revoir!

No More Terrible Tuesdays!

Oh my Gosh! Already April... I can't believe it. Easter is just around the corner and with everybody buzzing about our church choir program, concentrating on writing has been a little harder. On the plus side, though... WE GOT INTERNET BACK!!!! I am sooooooo glad it is back. You can not EVEN imagine! Having to do all my research on a cell phone screen is hard on the eyes. Can anyone say Major Headache! I am glad to have it back, though. It's been good to be able to actually work again without having to go down to my dad's office after hours to steal Cable. Haha!

Though to me it seems I haven't done much of anything new, in reality there is a lot I have done. I've just been unable to write about it. So here it is. A catch up on everything I've done in the last couple months.

First, I started a new story. inspiration hit me one evening after everyone else had gone to bed and I was up half the night writing it all down on paper. (Well, actually typing it on Word Processor. I write WAY to slow to keep up with my brain!) The story follows a young women who, after a near death experience as a little girl, is able to see the shadows of lost souls who died the same way she would have had they not saved her for a special purpose. The souls want free, but she can't do it alone. She tried to tell her parents, her teachers, her friends, and anyone else who would listen. Because of this openness about her gift her family thought her mentally unstable and placed her in an institution for examination, diagnosis, and hopefully, rehabilitation. The young woman will not rest, though. Or rather, the shadows will not let her rest. She begins to tell her stories to the other patients in the mental hospital, and one by one, each join her cause. Even at the risk of being caught by the nurses and staff that watch over them nearly every second.

Well, it seemed like an interesting story to me. As excited as I am to write it, I hope others will be as equally excited to read it. It's my first horror mystery novel so I'm really hoping it turns out well!

In other news, I've been working steadily on my co-written projects, but the Conflict story is starting to suffer from a lack of inspiration. I fear that in waiting so long to start writing it again I lost focus of what the story was about. The excitement and the thrill of one's first year of college turning into an adventure he'd never expected... I've lost the inspiration to be thrilling and excited for this story... I need to find it again somehow!!!

Tuesday used to be the best day in the world! But this Tuesday is turning out to be just like any other regular day. Nothing special. So I'm to fix that. First, I'm going to be trying to write something really great for tomorrow, Wednesday, which is anti-procrastination day! So...Go Me! Haha. But in a more public way, I think today I will spend the rest of the day speaking in a British accent!! We'll see how many people I can fool, huh?

Starting......NOW!

-in a British accent- Well, I know I've done more than all that, but there's the gist of the big stuff. And I'll be better about writing every day now I promise! Don't tell me it's easy because it's not! There are so many distractions, like my novels and music and the telly! I've just discovered the BBC show Merlin and am positively Hooked!!

Sooo....we'll see about those updates.

Until next time then. Cheerio!

Fifteen Minute February!

FlyLady has taught me so much. In the few weeks that I've been following her program she's not only showed me my own ability to keep a tidy home but the potential of even the smallest things. Writing a book, just like any big project, can seem daunting at first, and as the progress slows the confidence the author has in himself may begin to decline. Negative thoughts can start popping up. Will I ever finish this? Will anyone even read this? Is spending so much time on this project really worth it? It can get overwhelming, fast.

Thank God for Flylady and her rule of fifteen minutes. One of her famous quotes is: "You can do anything in 15 minutes." It's true. Not only does it help with keeping your sanity while cleaning and organizing, I've also started applying it to my writing. Just sit down, set my timer, and for fifteen minutes do nothing but focus on my books. It's been so helpful! I've finally started seeing some progress!

So Thank you, Flylady! For once I'm not stressing over this project. It feels great!

I recommend everyone go visit her right now! Give her fifteen minutes of your time. She's an amazing woman and a great help to anyone who's a little scatter brained when it comes to keeping things organized, whether it's your house or your car or your desk or even yourself! She's amazing. Check her out here!

Until next time!

Candy!

GOODBYE, JANUARY!

Don't get me wrong, I like January and all, but February is just so much better!!! Alright, so I guess you could say my opinion is slightly a little bit biased. (My birthday is in February. Haha.) But it's still one of my favorite months, regardless. I love PINK! And February is all about pink and red and purple. Valentine's Day and all, you know.

No, sadly yet again this year I will be celebrating "Singles Day" rather than Valentine's Day. But that's alright with me. My sister and brother and I will have fun anyway!

Today I did my first bit of decorating for February. I went to Target to look around at the seasonal stuff. Especially the things in their little $1 aisle. I LOVE that section!!!! I actually found some pretty cute cards and a grocery list (both are things I had been planning on buying anyway, so getting them for a dollar was a total stroke of luck!). I also found some really pretty plates shaped like hearts I loved them so much, so decided to pass on the place mats I'd been looking for and get the plates instead. Once I get home, I gathered up all the leftover candy canes from Christmas. Most of them were peppermint, so obviously, red and pink and white! Then I found my white table cloth. Put them all together and PRESTO! a beautiful, cheap February table setting. =)

[Forgive the wrinkles. I didn't have time to iron this morning. =) ]

So that's what I've done today. Not much for writing. Just about a sentence, which really isn't anything to tell about. But I thought I might as well share this. Since this is what I've been doing too!

My romance has hit a bit of a snag. I just can't make the two characters click the way they are supposed to. So I'm really hoping that the SEASON OF LOVE this February will help to re-spark my inspirations so I can put that fire back into my couple!

Wave goodbye to January and I'll see you Next Month!!!