Starting my story....

Wow! The last month has been a whirlwind and now it's almost Thanksgiving, which will also be a whirlwind, but in a good family-whirlwind kind of way. Okay, I've overused the word "whirlwind", probably a English 101 no no. I'm claiming the exception-- usage for emphasis. But I digress....

What have I been so busy doing? Well, on top of the usual entree of work, chores, errands, appointments, and time with my hubby and stepdaughter, I managed to fit in my first ever Writer's Conference (through the group I joined recently), went to a 31 party hosted by my friend/"sister-in-law", attended weekly yoga classes, and took a re-imagining painting class (see earlier blog entry about re-imagining). Oh, and I started my novel/short story/whatever it turns into.

I've been brainstorming, outlining, plotting, character sketching, researching for a couple of months, and then avoided writing by doing a lot of reading. I rationalized it by telling myself I wasn't JUST reading. I was analyzing the books to see what flows, what makes characters appealing, what bores me, and read a range of genres-- and all of that is true and very helpful! But-- I kept ignoring the nagging voice that told me to simply sit down and write my story. I even read a book about how to use fear and anxiety to better your writing (The Courage to Write), but I couldn't fool myself for long. There is something terrifying about sitting down and staring at that blank page with a poised pen realizing, "I'm supposed to write." No more analyzing writing, discussing techniques at conferences, emailing fellow writers. This is it. My American Idol Performance.

I finally gave myself permission to write two pages of garbage. It's not very good, and I spent a week beating myself up about how horrid it was and that I'm not a real writer. Then this past weekend, I arranged my "reading nook" to be very cozy with good lighting (somehow relieved my anxiety to have that part perfect). I wrote two more pages, and this might sound odd, but I'm intrigued by my own characters and eager to see what happens to them. And a new character popped up out of nowhere! So I had a total of four hand written two sided pages, and I shouted in excitement to my husband, "I've started my novel!" It's only a skeleton, but it's on the page, instead of wandering around in my mind. Now my problem is that I have two other stories taking up that space in my mind and I"m not sure whether to put them on hold or start them....we'll see.

Princess Diaries- 10/28/11

My step-daughter is 8-years-old, and even though she sticks with the trends (iCarly!), she's still a traditional girl at heart. She loves castles and princesses, and plans on living in a huge castle when she grows up. My hubby, J, and I asked her if we could live with her. Never too early to start planning retirement.

We have silly and inspiring conversations with her, and I love the profound ideas and quirky comments she comes up with. So I'm sharing my first blog entry of the "Princess Diaries".

Last Saturday when she came over, we were eating breakfast, and she was playing with a rubbery spider finger puppet (see above).
She was twirling him by one of his legs and I warned her,
"He might get dizzy!"
"And puke in your milk,"added my husband. Thanks for that image, honey!
It was dangerously close to the milk, and honestly I was more concerned that the milk would soon make contact with the floor.
She giggled, covering her mouth.
She stopped the spider merry-go-round,
"I saw a spider web at my Grandma's!" (I Love the things that kids get excited over)
"Oh yeah?" I said.
"It was beautiful!" she gushed.
She traced the web pattern in the air,
"Line, line. Spider. Line." (Yup, I could almost see it)
"So there was a spider in it?!"
"Yeah he's my friend."
"Does he have a name?" (I have a tendency to name everything, including plants)
"Yup, Webby!" she announced proudly.
"That's cute!"

An 8-year-old girl who's not scared of a spider, but befriends him? I was impressed.
"That was nice of you to leave his web. A lot of people would have ruined it."
Her shoulders sagged and hands went to her side,
"Xavier ruined it!" ( cousin Xavier the Destroyer-- how evil!)
"Oh no! I'm sorry."
Before The Destroyer came along though, she had been looking out for little Webby. She explained how she had caught flies, coaxed them to the web, released them near the web, and well, did her best so Webby wouldn't go hungry. Apparently, Webby had never heard the "Location location location" motto.

"So where do you think Webby went?" I asked.
"Florida because it's warmer and he can get a tan!" She was quite matter-of-fact about it.
Of course! November--the time of year to head South. Why would I think any differently?

We have a winner!

Congrats to Jennifer Armintrout for winning my first Giveaway!! Thanks to everyone who participated. :)

Soon I'll be starting my recurring feature "Princess Diaries", and you can be on the lookout for more Giveaways! I also posted a poem under the "My Art" tab of my blog, for those of you who have been asking to see my work-- it's a sneak peak of sorts.

Namaste~

Lynn

Official Blog Kick-Off and Giveaway!!

I'm committed. I tested this blog thing out, and I like it. Never really pictured myself as a blogger. When blogs first came out, I thought it seemed kinda conceited. But if I use Facebook, I'd be a hypocrite to think blogging was a vain hobby. And I like to write, so it's a good match. :)

It's a Friday, Pay Day, and I'm in a good mood. So lets get this started! Comment on ANY of my blogs OR subscribe to my blog (you'll have to email or FB me to let me know because I don't think it notifies me), and you'll be entered to win a $20 Amazon Giftcard. I'll do the drawing sometime early next week, and post the winner!

Also, let me know if you're interested in being a guest writer for my blog, or if you'd like to promote your book (or anything else) in one of my future giveaways. :)

Re-Imagined!! And my ADHD

I love everything creative and sometimes get frustrated that I only have time for well, one or two, creative hobbies--at least while I'm working full time. I find something new and think, "I would love to try that!" For example, I was window shopping, in Plainwell, and found a cute little sewing shop that offers classes. I immediately snatched up their info. But--time for it? On top of my other "priority hobbies"? Well, no. Sewing might suit (seriously --no pun intended!) me better when I'm 65, retired, and have a country grandma-like chair. Which brings me to the picture.... I found a local business (Allendale) run by a woman named Michelle who [re] imagines old furniture into something very shabby chic and vintage-y. So awesome! I subscribed to her blog immediately and started daydreaming about starting my own business. This is Wholesome Art. That's my term. I'm hoping to maybe have one of my own shoddy hand-me-down furniture pieces [re] imagined by her. I love this chair and desk, and others must too. She often sells her pieces even before she has time to sell them. From reading her blog, it looks like she's swamped with business, which I think is pretty awesome in today's economy. And it's recycling at its best!

So what might you [re]imagine? Something glossed in cobwebs in your basement? Something from her blog? Maybe something that's not even furniture. Use your imagination!

I'm going to [re]imagine an old piece of furniture and post it at a later date.

What are your long-forgotten-message-in-a-bottle dreams? Maybe you can dapple in one like me, even if it doesn't turn into a life long pursuit. I thought I had creative ADHD, but maybe a little dabbling is okay. :)

Here's her blog, if you're interested: http://reimaginedjustforyou.wordpress.com/
http://reimaginedjustforyou.wordpress.com/