The Write Pursuit

I've Moved!

2010-08-02T08:01:00.001-04:00

Yep, I've packed up and moved to Wordpress Land, and all these posts have come with me.

Join me in my new home.

And be sure to update your links.

Sandra Heska King

Squirrel Thoughts - Sweating

2010-07-29T10:09:00.004-04:00

SQUIRREL!!

On my pillow this morning. First thing. And it's all because of these.

Who puts shoe forms in flip-flops anyway?

These are Reeboks. What my husband wears around the house.

Flip flop. Flip flop. Flip flop.

So irritating! And I think he could mass produce them and sell them in the clock department. As alarms. They wake me up every morning as he moves around the bedroom. And the forms?

His words. "I've got to put them somewhere."

Speaking of produce. What am I going to do with all these cucumbers?

I battled my way through a jungle yesterday to find these. I think there are more hiding in there. But after finding, picking, and carrying, I was exhausted. And sweating!

Which reminds me. Duane hurt my feelings because he didn't like my idea of Sweating With Duane as a title for a fitness blog.

He said, "Sandra . . . it sounds so . . . dirty. *shudder.*"

Sniff. I thought it had a certain ring to it.

And it reminded me of sweating with someone else in Boston. No Reno. I think. Whatever. Wherever. I've always loved Richard. Really. He's very funny. And kind. And I told him about a current stressor at the time, and he encouraged me not to eat my way through it.

Goodness. That's a Heart Truth T-shirt. It makes me look fat. Which reminds me. My chest hurt yesterday while mowing the lawn. I need to sweat more. Join me.

This is part of Duane Scott's Pleasantly Disturbed Blog Carnival. Check other links over at his place.

Comfort in Discomfort

2010-07-26T16:07:00.002-04:00

I am a nurse.

Trained to dispense comfort. Sooth fears. Lessen pain. Ease anxiety. Provide hope. Give strength.

But that's not always comfortable. For patient or nurse.

For the nurse it might mean to insist on discomfort.

For the patient it might mean:

to breathe deep and cough when it feels like an incision will explode.
to walk when it feels like one more step is impossible.
to take medicine that causes the yucks.
to accept a dreaded needle.
to avoid comfort food and learn to eat healthy.
to give up control and allow exposure.

However, an order might read, "comfort measures only."

This usually means the patient is past the point of restored health and that death will occur before long.

Eat what you want. Do what you want. Refuse what you don't want. Rest in comfort and peace. And then die.

I don't want to die as a writer. I mean I don't want to live as a dead writer.

I don't want to live with comfort measures only.

So I may need to:

self-inflict discomfort and allow others to do so, too.
expose myself. Write naked. And let others read it.
let go of some things I love--good things--to make room for the best.
perhaps cause discomfort for others when I withdraw from some activities or say no to others.
come to terms with the fact that that's okay in order to respond to this God-given passion.
walk when I'm discouraged.
swallow the medicine of critique, even though it stings or tastes yucky.
try new exercises that stretch me even if they're painful.
sometimes go back to the beginning and learn to walk again.
be teachable.

It means I'm not dead or dying.

There's comfort in that discomfort.

Where do you find comfort in discomfort?

Note: Today I write as part of a blog chain of writers from christianwriters.com. Topic: The Discomfort Zone. Check out some of these other posts.

July 1: Power of the Pen by Ruth Rockafield
July 4: Front Notes by Nina Rose
July 6: Sowing the Seeds by Edward Lewis
July 7: Expression Express by Tracy Krauss
July 8: Kat's Musings by Kat Connolly
July 9: 777 Peppermint Place by Linda Yezak
July 10: Heading Home by Lynn Mosher
July 11: Word Obsession by Nona King
July 14: The Book Lightwalker Files by Victor Travison
July 15: Wayslinger by Janalyn Voight
July 16: Clearing Skies by Sheila Hollinghead
July 17: The Collings Zone by Adam Collings
July 19: Word Wanderings by Liberty Speidel
July 20: Tracings by Traci Bonney
July 25: The Beulah Land Blog by Chris DePew
July 26: The Write Pursuit by Sandra Heska King
July 27: Creative Adventuring by Chris Solaas
July 28: Suzanne Hartmann

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Summer Seating

2010-07-23T00:13:00.001-04:00

I have a writing room of my own. I offered a tour here.

But I've gravitated to the living room. To the soft leather chair with the soft leather footstool. With the laptop on my lap. Or half on the footstool and half on my knees. Front row center for Tiger baseball games. And because Gracee, when she's here, prefers me to be on her level rather than sequestered in the penthouse.

My studio (I like to call it a studio--it sounds so artsy, so writerly) is neat.

My summer seating is not.

a cat licks lemonade swirl ice cream
from the chocolate-coated spoon and bowl
(katdish's fault--she made me do it)
that sit atop a notebook on the floor to my left
next to a dirty white slipper
(where IS the other one?)
a fan of bills that aren't due until next payday
and 101 Sneaky Weight Loss Secrets
with Stone Crossings open to forest star
and plastic wicker book bag leans
against black computer bag that leans
against the chair
and to the right a Woman's World
Walk off 120 lbs the easy way
a Barnes and Noble receipt
Wordpress for Dummies
several explanation of benefit payments
(this is not a bill)
a credit union statement
and on the footstool my camera
a couple pencils and a red pen
still more bills and a
40th anniversary discounted subscription form
for Poets & Writers
on the antique table topped with a chicken lamp
Cinderella III (Gracee's) and the DVD remote
four backup CDs, a book of check carbons,
a pile of paid receipts and a cell phone
two bookcases that beckon
harp and hammered dulcimer mock untouched
and a rerun of this afternoon's Tigers' game plays
as I sit on the very edge of the cushion
while the cat purrs behind me
I write in place
and stay because I will trip on the cords
if I move from my summer seating.

Written for L.L. Barkat's prompt to write in place On, In and Around Mondays at Seedlings in Stone. Yes, I know it's Friday. Consider it around Monday--the next Monday. And go check out the other links.

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Squirrel Thoughts - Crybaby

2010-07-22T11:50:00.000-04:00

Monday: Melancholy day. Like every day after coming home from a visit with my sissy.

Tuesday. Bad day. Crybaby day. Foot-in-mouth disease day. We all have them. This video helped me. I posted it on Facebook. But for those of you who didn't see it, here it is again.

It made me laugh.

So I'm over it.

I'm also over piddle on public toilet seats.

And prebagged grapes. I always feel guilty taking half out. That whole bag would rot before we could eat it.

Same with bananas.

A produce man once yelled at me for breaking off three bananas from a bunch of ten, or maybe twenty.

I cried.

I thought I heard Gracee crying while I was in the shower yesterday. Sounded like the produce man had beaten her with a bunch of bananas. Turns out she is now a deluxe Webkinz member. She was screaming with excitement.

"How do you become a deluxe member?" I asked.

"You have to take good care of your animals."

I dunno. I looked it up. Looks like it costs money to me. I hope she didn't do a little online shopping. Like she did when she downloaded a couple game subscriptions to my phone.

Oh, and I'm over stray shopping carts. Can't people corral their own? I feel obligated to run around the parking lot to park them. So they don't do damage to my car. Or someone else's. Or one of the Amish buggies that might be parked there.

Speaking of which, did you hear about Levi Detweiler who led police on a chase and ultimately crashed his buggy?

I'll bet he got an earful from his parents.

Which reminds me. I also hate earwigs. AKA pincher bugs. Nasty little creatures. They make me cry.

I'll bet you didn't know there were male and female differences.

SQUIRREL!

Is this a male or a female?

Wednesday: Kind of a squirrely day.

Thursday: Definitely disturbed. As are others today.

Check them out over at Duane's Pleasantly Disturbed Thursday Blog Carnival.

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Squirrel Thoughts - Old

2010-07-15T10:55:00.000-04:00

Dennis and I are silent as we drive along until . . . SQUIRREL!

Me: "Stop the car! Now!"
SQUEEEEAL!
Him: "What? What's wrong?"
Me: "Cloud mountains. Must. Take. Picture."

Later at Hartwick Pines, I snap pictures of every sign and every display. A little research for my WIP. I linger in the bunkhouse and imagine my great-great-grandfather's decor over and on his bunk that undoubtedly included his hammered dulcimer wrapped in burlap at the foot. I stop to write down things like Sweet Dark Burly Tobacco, Woman's Heart Tobacco, Dr. Sages Catarrah Remedy, and Bradley-Metcalf (Makers of Good Shoes Since 1843.) I snap more pictures.

Me: "Does my taking so many pictures bug you?"
Him: "No. Not really. Well, sometimes, it gets old."

Old? Did he just call me OLD?

We walk the Old-Growth Trail, taking us back to a time when "White Pine Was King" and note the "last remnants of Michigan's virgin white pine forest" and gaze upon the "Monarch's" remains. The Monarch is the "most famous tree" in the park.

"Unfortunately, the Monarch lost its live crown in a wind storm in 1992 and died four years later. Before the storm, the Monarch stood 155 feet tall with a circumference of 12 feet. It was about 325 years old when it died. We don't know when the rest of the Monarch will come tumbling down. It could be today, next week or years from now."

We contemplate the fallen crown on the ground and raise our eyes to the remaining trunk.

The Monarch is/was old. And none of us know when we will come tumbling down, either. Even if we're not "old."

Later we stop in front of the house I grew up in. The one my dad built on to the front of our six-room motel. The "little house" is still there, too--four rooms and a screened porch--that housed five of us until my parents decided that I, as the oldest, needed my own personal space and moved me into one of the motel rooms.

We don't ask to walk down to "our" lakefront, but we drive around to the other side of the horseshoe (Horseshoe Lake), and I remember memories from long ago. And there, still, are the lily pads I loved, topped with the yellow blooms that always held bugs. I used to pick bouquets from the boat.

I hung out on the lake and in the woods alone when I was a kid. I made "fern forts," by stomping some ferns down flat leaving leafy walls, had little picnics. I take pictures of some of "my" ferns. They seemed a lot taller back then.

When I was young.

Younger.

We're "up north" this week to visit family and hang out at Alpenfest--the 46th year. I was the third queen in 1967. And yes, the family teases me about being an "old queen." I prefer the term, "past queen." My mom likes to say I'm the "queen who became a King." When I meet people in town, I love being told I don't look "that old."

Speaking of old, those high-speed hand dryers scare me. I envision them stealing my skin's elasticity leaving my hands looking like overstretched crepe paper that never returns to its original shape.

Sigh.

I leave you with a video of Dennis and me on longer trips. We may be old. But we can still have fun.

And be sure to check out all today's other pleasantly disturbed posts over at
Duane Scott's Pleasantly Disturbed Blog Carnival

Do They Sweat in Duke City? / Fiction as Research by Stephen Bly

2010-07-13T00:00:00.011-04:00

Today I welcome a guest poster, Stephen Bly.

Steve has authored over 100 books and hundreds of articles. His book, The Long Trail Home, won the 2002 Christy Award for excellence in Christian fiction in the category western novel. Three other books, Picture Rock, The Outlaw's Twin Sister, and Last of the Texas Camp were Christy Award finalists. Steve is a speaker, pastor, past mayor, dad, and wife to Janet--who is also a writer. He's a third-generation westerner who spent his early years working family ranches and farms in central California. He now lives in the mountains of north-central Idaho and in his spare time collects antique Winchesters.. He also works on the construction of Broken Arrow Crossing, a false front western village near his home. And he's seldom seen without cowboy boots, hat, and jeans.

Read more about him at his website here.

And stay tuned for a One-Word/One-Line interview with a giveaway of an autographed copy of Cowboy for a Rainy Afternoon.

Thanks, Steve, for visiting The Write Pursuit today and sharing a little about western novel research, especially as relates to your newest book.

Do They Sweat in Duke City? / Fiction as Research by Stephen Bly

New Mexico heat blanketed Albuquerque that July like too many covers in a stuffy cabin . . . the kind of day that you sweat from the inside out and feel sticky dirt in places that you don't ponder too much except in the shower.

From Cowboy for a Rainy Afternoon
Released June 2010

Every novel's got a place and time. That often means plenty of research. My next release, Cowboy for a Rainy Afternoon, is set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1954. So I needed to know some things about a specific city, a state, and what the world was like that year.

Research Thru Travel

It's tough, dirty work . . . but I love any time I can go to New Mexico. The only other site I've been that boasts similar layers of culture stacked one upon another: Rome. Yet, New Mexico's still a cowboy state. From the Pecos River in the east to the Plains of San Agustin in the west, from the Sangre de Christo range in the north, to the "bootheel" in the south, it's full of great ranching country. A perfect setting for a cowboy story.

My wife, Janet, and I drove up and down Historic Route 66 that runs through Albuquerque. It was known as the "Main Street of America" or the "Mother Road." It was the primary route for those leaving the dust bowl of Oklahoma and moving to California during the Great Depression. Albuquerque was selected as a stop on the first transcontinental air route in the 1920s, and Route 66 brought the first transcontinental motorists through the city.

Research Thru Study

Duke City is a nickname for Albuquerque because it was named after the Viceroy Francisco Fernandez de la Cueva, the Duke of Alburquerque. Later the spelling was changed because some influential person couldn't pronounce the "R" in Alburquerque.

The cowboys in my story retire in Albuquerque, not Santa Fe, because even in 1954 the latter was becoming the artsy, celebrity spot it is today. These guys needed a cheap hotel and city amenities. So Albuquerque suited them fine. Before there were retirement communities and senior citizen housing, some elderly lived in old downtown hotels. Well past their prime in attracting overnight guests, they catered to senior citizens who scraped by on something fairly new in the fifties: Social Security.

One of my favorite governors hails from New Mexico. Governor Lew Wallace authored the novel Ben-Hur (a movie made in 1959, starring Charleton Heston), and he also tried to negotiate with the notorious Billy the Kid. What an eclectic group of folks tramped the Old West.

A piece of historical tidbit . . . a hard thing for some readers to realize: in 1954 no one considered cigars or cigarettes or their second-hand smoke in any way harmful. That's why you see so many actors and actresses lighting up in the movies of that period. Cowboys often carried peppermints, which were tasty, portable, and covered up the smell of such vices, at least so they thought.

Research Thru Learning the Language

The main challenge of fiction: the rhythm of dialogue. I had to sit very still and listen to each character speak in order to get the timing right, along with the vocabulary.

Every era boasts its own unique language. Every region develops a dialect. For the writer, both can be learned through research and careful study. But tone, timing, and cadence can't easily be taught. It's better to be in your bones. A writer's challenge is to develop instinct for tune as well as lyrics of speech. There has to be a natural flow.

To know the right lingo steps up a novel's authenticity. In Cowboy for a Rainy Afternoon I got to use a lot of the classic cowboy terms that got lost over the years. I tried to stick an interior explanation to explain a few that might confuse.

For instance, a McGee is cowboy slang for a 4-strand rope made of a maguey (century) plant.

A phrase often used on a cattle drive or roundup was "man at the pot." That meant someone was at the coffee pot for a refill and that shout-out indicated the guy was to fill everyone's cup.

To old cowboys, "nobby" signified fine, expensive boots.

Pop/Grandpa would "do to ride the river with." That's the ultimate compliment for a cowboy. Crossing wild rivers with great herds of cattle exposed dangers for man and beast. Not a time to trust your safety to some rookie just learning the ropes.

"You never know the luck of a lousy calf" . . . one of my favorite cowboy sayings. Big, healthy, sturdy calves seem to fall off cliffs or get attacked by wolves. It's the scrawny, worthless ones that live forever.

I've often wondered why we stopped using colorful words like "footpad." So called because of guys who pulled off their boots and snuck around in stocking feet so no one would hear them.

Research Thru Memories

In 1954 an old man's vision of feminine loveliness would be Bow, Grable, Monroe, or Kelly. Grace Kelly in High Noon stole my own ten-year-old heart. However, I figured she wasn't too smart because she couldn't understand why Will Cane had to turn back. But I did. Shoot, that's in a cowboy's bones. But, my oh my, she surely was purdy.

My bedroom was stacked with White Owl cigar boxes, my granddad's favorite cigar. He didn't smoke them much; mainly he chewed them. And because I lived across the road from him, I got many of his boxes. Lots of childhood treasures can be stored in a cigar box.

I listened to Sergeant Preston on the radio. What memories. How I wanted to be a mountie and own a dog like King.

TV was a brand new technology in 1954. We hadn't learned to sit comatose in front of one . . . yet.

One of the advantages of modern autos . . . they run so smooth there's seldom a backfire. But those random air-shattering blasts from the old rigs added adventure to an otherwise ordinary, routine day. Me and my young pals surmised the sound as a gun blast from a bank robber making his get-away, even though my hometown had no bank. That fact didn't darken my vivid ten-year-old imagination.

The summer of 1954, in Albuquerque, a ten-year-old boy becomes a Cowboy for a Rainy Afternoon.

Maybe I wasn't born 100 years too late.

Copyright©2010 by Stephen Bly

Find Steve at his website.

Enjoy his new blog.

Follow him on Twitter.

Cowboy for a Rainy Afternoon is available on Amazon or from his website's bookstore.

Squirrel Thoughts - 3 (and The Right to Write)

2010-07-08T17:48:00.001-04:00

I've begun to work my way through The Right to Write by Julia Cameron.

" . . . most of us try to write too carefully. We try to do it 'right.' We try to sound smart. We try, period. Writing goes much better when we don't work at it so much. When we give ourselves permission to just hang out on the page."

So I was sitting here, not working, not trying, just hanging out on the page, when Scruffy, who was curled up on the back of my chair, suddenly stiffened, and her pupils widened, and her tail twitched.

I looked out the window, and . . . SQUIRREL!

I mean. . . TURKEY!

Sidetracked, but just minutes before she (he?) strolled down the center of the road. Just hanging out. Taking in the sights, the sounds, the smells.

Probably a turkey writer.

Heading toward "a wavery magical spot" shimmering ahead.

I wonder what kinds of words a turkey writer uses. What does a turkey call a human? How would a turkey describe me as he peers from behind that tree? What stories does he tell his turkey friends? Does he talk turkey, get serious, pull out the white board and try to solve the problem of humans in their habitat?

Or does he just go with the flow? Forget himself while his feathers quiver with the wonder of "rich treasures, beautiful souls, and interesting" humans. Does he just put his little claw in the dirt and write what he hears?

"We can either 'think a plot up' or we can 'jot a plot down.' We can either 'think of something to write about' or we can write about what we happen to be thinking about."

"How much control are we willing to surrender for the sake of allowing creativity to move through us rather than our trying to flog it forward for agendas of our own?"

"Most of us are really willing only to write well, and this is why the act of writing strains us. We are asking it to do two jobs at once: to communicate to people and to simultaneously impress them. Is it any wonder that our prose buckles under the strain of doing this double task?"

Wait.

I've forgotten I'm supposed to be disturbed today. Maybe I am since I'm writing like this about turkeys.

Which brings up the question.

Did you know that three consecutive strikes in bowling is called a "turkey?"

Nobody really knows the origin of that, but here's a possible answer.

"There used to be sweepstake tournaments during the holidays, Christmas and Thanksgiving. If a person bowled three strikes against the heavier pins (usually four pounds), the crowd would scream 'turkey," and the bowler would receive a live turkey for his or her performance." (from Life's Imponderables by David Feldman.)

And now you know.

So go write something.

Just

start where you are.

And be sure to check out all today's other pleasantly disturbed posts over at

Duane Scott's Pleasantly Disturbed Blog Carnival.

What do you think of when you think of a turkey?
What are you thinking of right now?

Word Gardener

2010-07-06T13:56:00.000-04:00

I tried to hand pull some weeds today. And then I hacked with the hoe. But it was so hot. And there were so many.

I couldn't find the mounds around which I had dutifully poked some cantaloupe seeds.

Back in the height of my May planting fever.

I accidentally yanked out a sugar pea plant. I couldn't really afford to do that as it left a total of six plants, five of which are kissing each other, so I may have to separate them.

I thought beans were supposed to be easy to grow. I sowed a whole row. I have maybe three plants.

A cucumber tendril wrapped itself around a weed (or was it a bean--who knows for sure?) and would not let go. So I ripped it off in the uprooting.

The tomatoes thrive. So do the squash. And the peppers, though I thought I planted three plants instead of two. And I do have a whole row of nasturtiums. I suppose they'll flower sometime.

But everything drooped a little, and the ground was cracked. And so I watered the good plants and the bad plants alike. And I considered how we had delayed placing mulch (straw) and how I really need to layer it on now to simply cover up the mess.

So far I've found half a dozen zinnias in the space of where I scattered most of a box of seed.

Gracee and her little friend squashed some flowers with the hose.

So here's the truth.

I like the idea of a garden.

I love watching the flowers blossom and turn into baby fruit and then mature--turning from fruit to more fruit to much fruit.

I love sinking my teeth into a fresh warm tomato as the juice dribbles down my chin.

I love adding fresh basil to my spaghetti sauce and mint leaves to my iced tea.

I love the parade of colors and the fragrance of flowers.

I love to watch the butterflies and the hummingbirds.

I love everything about a garden.

Except creating it.

Except nurturing it.

Except worrying about it.

Except chasing kids and critters out of it.

It's not my passion.

Because I'm a word gardener.

I love to create new plots.

I loved to collect the seeds of stories.

I love to sift syllables and dig in paragraphs.

Prune. Weed. Uproot. Replant.

Before sunrise. In the heat of the day. After sunset. In the chill of the night.

In all seasons. In all weather.

That's my passion.

I'll probably plant another garden next year. If only to have something to write about.

But I'll probably be found inside with my computer. Or under a tree with paper and pen.

While the garden languishes.

Again.

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Playing With Poetry

2010-07-03T10:40:00.000-04:00

I've been playing with poetry and have dared to post some poems over on my other blog. I think it's helping me to be more creative in fewer words.

Here are a couple of my recent attempts.

Friday Night Baseball

Another Friday night wrapped
in soft cool leather arms
that hold me as I scream
at a box safe and secure
with New York Life
get a life
and the moon peeks
through the branches
as fingers of a soft breeze
reach through the screen
to tousle my hair
while the fireflies applaud
another hit, another run
and the Tigers win
seven to one.

Note: The above poem is in response to a Random Acts of Poetry prompt, A Tablespoon of Summer, by L.L. Barkat at High Calling Blogs.

Decluttering

Clutter berry days
suck sweet juices from my spirit
leave me dry and fruitless
steal my soul blood
and I am not any more
the kind of woman
who will sit back and take it.
I grab a garbage bag.

Note: This poem was inspired by L.L. Barkat's post, Julia Found Words for Me, and challenge to find words "around every corner, inside every ice cream cone." I "stole" some lines from LL.

How about you?
Can you find words in the everyday mundane?
Pen a poem about a simple object nearby?
Something about the photo above?
Incorporate one of my lines?
Try it and post it in the comments.
I dare you.

Squirrel Thoughts - 2

2010-07-01T00:57:00.000-04:00

It's Thursday again. Time for Duane Scott's Pleasantly Disturbed Blog Carnival. He says it's a regular feature until October 23, 2013. I don't know how he chose that date, but . . . SQUIRREL!

"I am a bad wife. I handed my husband a stack of TV dinners and said, "Choose one." That's what I posted on Facebook and Twitter pages yesterday. I love some of the responses.

Jody: Hey! I like the TV dinner idea! You were very thoughtful to provide . . . well, something!
Susan: At least you didn't hand him a bunch of women and say, "Choose one."
Duane: That's so wrong. I have only eaten one TV dinner in my life.
Stephanie: Hey, if you're the one who put it in the microwave, it counts as cooking.
Amy: You're my hero!
Keiki: No worse than the rest of us, my friend.
Chad: The fact that you did not throw them at his head makes you at least a semi-decent wife.

For the record, he choose a Lean Cuisine of "wild salmon, whole wheat orzo pasta, spinach &carrots in a basil sauce." And I did throw a bowl of raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries at him. Can you picture that?

I had butternut squash ravioli. One of my favorites.

Then he (DH--Lainie, is DH okay?) went out and got me some DQ. He loves me.

How is it possible that Duane in all his almost 21 years has only eaten ONE TV dinner?

Speaking of Duane, I'm reminded of his beloved dog, Pokito, who has his own Facebook fan page but hasn't posted since the end of April when he tried to eat the gerbil. Or did the gerbil eat him?

And that makes me wonder how many robbers carry Bark Off?

I love birch trees. I remember how we used to peel the bark off to fashion and sew little canoes.

I love canoeing. I went white water rafting once down the Chattooga River, section 3 and part of section 4, with Wildwater Ltd in North Carolina. But that was in a raft, not a canoe. And I lived to tell about it. Barely.

We never owned a gerbil. But we had rabbits. Lots of rabbits. On purpose. Show rabbits. Pets. 4H.

Speaking of rabbits, here's a brave one.

Oh for that kind of courage! To tackle a writing project. To tackle life.

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Lessons from Basketball Camp

2010-06-30T09:32:00.000-04:00

Gracee's kind of a wimp.

Well, she used to be anyway. The littlest scratch required a magnifying glass and a box of tissues to absorb all the tears.

Drama queen.

So we were all thrilled, as well as more than a little apprehensive, when she agreed to play soccer last fall. And then she actually asked to go to basketball camp last week.

Run over to katdish.net to hear the story.

When you're done reading, take a look around the site. And take your tissues because you'll find posts that will make you cry and make you laugh until you cry. Kathy Richards, who writes some pretty good stuff herself, is the writer's encouragement queen. I've started to call her "barnkat," in honor of the biblical Barnabas, "the son of encouragment."

I'm excited to be able to guest post for her.

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Book Review--Chronological Guide to the Bible

2010-06-28T16:37:00.002-04:00

The Chronological Guide to the Bible is a handy little reference tool that attempts to provide an historical arrangement to the Biblical text. It's designed to help one "follow the flow of events in the Scriptures and see where sacred history and secular history converge into one story of salvation." To do that, the authors have simply rearranged the canonical order "according to nine epochs of time and providing a chronological Bible reading list within each of those epochs."

One does not need a chronological Bible to find this book useful. It's filled with colorful maps and timelines and reading guides and boxes that provide clarification on historical culture and customs no matter what version you use.

For instance, have you ever wondered how tall Goliath really was? Or what the deal was with concubines? Or how the prophets overlapped each other? Or who was in power where and when? Or why the Ephesians were especially upset with Paul for preaching against the goddess Artemis (Diana)?

I was reminded that clothing was handmade, and so tearing it as an expression of grief reinforced a depth of sorrow, especially if the item was a special possession, a robe of many colors. I also appreciated references to how clothing was symbolic of one's inner being and the symbolism of Jonathan's transfer of his robe to David.

The authors note that they tried to present a balanced view of debatable issues. I can't say I agree with everything, but I do find this book helpful as I explore the Bible in context.

This book can help provide some answers and give some food for thought. It's a bit pricey at a suggested price of $24.99 for 217 pages, but I do expect to turn to it again and again, and if I not received it to review, I would definitely have considered adding it to my reference shelf.

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

NOTE: Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Write Honestly

2010-06-26T10:32:00.000-04:00

Pull the curtain back

Reveal the real

Release the light

From soul holes

Where grace flows

From wounded places.

Honestly.

(Paraphrased from Honestly by VOTA)

Squirrel Thoughts--1

2010-06-24T13:52:00.000-04:00

I decided to participate today in Duane Scott's Pleasantly Disturbed Blog Carnival today with some random thoughts of my own. Not that I ever experience randomness. I'm the queen of . . . SQUIRREL!

Now where was I? Oh, one thing about Duane. He does have a habit about sticking his foot in his mouth when it comes to old things. Like I don't remember exactly what he last said, but it had something to do with being old. I do remember calling him on it.

Which reminds me of the lady in our church who was asked what the best thing was about turning 107. She answered, "The total lack of peer pressure."

She was also once asked if she needed a ride to her 100th birthday party. She responded, "No, my son's taking me. But he IS 80, and he doesn't get around like he used to."

I read that women "my age" should use an eyelash curler. S'posed to open up our eyes. Should men "my age" use them, too? Would that let them doze off with their eyes open, and we gals would think they were really paying attention?

Startled by an elephant getting a bath as I drove past the fairgrounds. I guess there's a circus. What if the animals revolted and ran the show?

My dentist's torture assistant told me about her daughter who works for a soft serve ice cream place. She said she's only received one complaint--that the ice cream melted. Duh!

True confession: When I was a kid, I used to day dream about going to a Tigers baseball game. Bases loaded. Two outs. Down by 3 runs. Nobody available to bat. (I don't know why. Maybe they were all sick or injured.) The manager looked over the crowd, and his eyes locked with mine. I stepped up to the plate, hefted the bat, and whacked that ball out of the park.

Why are silos round? Because a rectangular silo develops air pockets that encourage spoilage. A cylindrical silo is also more likely to withstand a high wind. By the way, Franklin Hiram King developed the first one more than 100 years ago. No relation.

Speaking of kings . . .

I know how the grandfather clock got its name. Do you?

My Head Hurts

2010-06-22T14:03:00.000-04:00

My head hurts.

I. Mean. Seriously.

Thought pellets.

My brain must look like cheap siding after a hailstorm. And I can't get half the ideas out my fingertips or mouth before they melt.

They pound at all times of day and night. Wherever I am. Whatever I'm doing. Or not doing.

I quit my job. To eliminate distractions. To seek tranquility. To declutter. To simplify. To focus.

It helped.

Sort of.

Not so much.

I cleared some overgrowth. Tumbled some walls.

I'm a lone tree. A target for thought strikes.

Holy Discontent. Half Time. Popeye person. Passion. One thing. A good finish. Success to significance. My truest purpose. Eternal perspective.

The "stuff that stirs my heart's holiest chambers." (Bob Buford)

Dizzy.

I contemplated past dreams and activities. Missionary nurse. Parish nurse. Nun. Airline attendant.

But . . .

Words. Words. Words. The Word. Words in. Words out. Turn a word. Twist a phrase.

Makes my heart quiver. Throb.

Set apart. For words. Words that heal, encourage, and inspire. Words that elicit laughter and tears. Words that share the Word.

My head hurts.

Make. It. Stop.

Don't stop.

"If I don't write to empty my mind, I go mad." ~Lord Byron

What does your brain look like?

(Tweaked and reposted from Beholding God.)

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

An Artist's Blessing

2010-06-21T14:49:00.002-04:00

Kathy Richards posted this blessing on her blog last week, and it continues to haunt me. I do so want to faithfully reflect the face of my Father and Creator--in my writing and in my life.

Source: Hubblesite.org

Blessing

As faithful image bearers (artists, but saints first),

may you reflect not only the creation

but its beautiful and good Creator.

May you embrace your true calling

to humbly serve the glorious One who promises you glory.

May you accept and acknowledge

the wound your faithful friend has inflicted,

and may you in friendship and loyalty inflict it on others.

May your art be worship.

May your worship be art.

May you afflict the comfortable with jolts of inconsolable joy.

May you call forth the good, the beautiful, the eternal hope of

your true city.

And when people step back from your painting,

put down your novel,

or leave the theater,

may they leave having been fatally stabbed,

inconsolably wrecked with a longing for home.

And may you reflect faithfully the face of your Father

who strides through the galaxies with a brush in His hand.

(An except from The God Who Smokes: Scandalous Meditations on Faith by Timothy J. Stoner)

If you haven't visited katdish, you're missing a treat. Kathy makes me laugh. She makes me cry. She makes me think. And sometimes she just makes me say, "Huh?" And sometimes all at the same time.

Going to the Dentist

2010-06-17T19:36:00.001-04:00

I had to go to the dentist today. I'm so glad my dentist's name is Jim and not Tim and that he managed to numb me up without any drama.

For some Friday fun, here's that famous clip from the Carol Burnett Show featuring Tim Conway and Harvey Korman.

And here is a scene from the movie, They Went That-A-Way and That-A-Way, written by Tim Conway. In this movie, Tim played an undercover cop in a prison, stranded there because the only person who knows that he's not really a criminal suddenly dies.

A Special Touch

2010-06-16T10:14:00.000-04:00

I drove Abby to the doctor for an incision check yesterday. She had a C-section a couple of weeks ago, and she's not supposed to drive, of course. But she did. Among other things she shouldn't have been doing. Because she's impatient and needs to be in control. Because she feels like she has to entertain visitors. Because she forgets she just had major surgery.

Thus the reason for the doctor visit. And my driving.

Anyway. There on the checkout counter sat a box. Wrapped in pink paper. Covered with silk pink dogwoods. With a label on the front.

Complaints, Compliments, Suggestions.

Not your normal comment or suggestion box. A box with a special touch.

I scrambled in my purse for my camera.

Must. Take. Picture.

But my battery was dead. I had extras, but I didn't load them in the camera. Because the receptionist had a this-woman-is-crazy look. And Abby had a get-my-mother-out-of-here-now-(!) look.

She had already been making fun of me as I soaked up every special-touch detail in the waiting room. And how I imagined all the straight-backed chairs lining the walls filled with protruding-belly women while all the deep-seated upholstered sofas and chairs enveloped all the just-here-for-my-annual-tuneup ladies. And how I ooh'd and aah'd over the "special touches" in the exam room.

If she'd had the strength, she would have literally dragged me to the car. Especially when I stopped to exclaim over the beauty of the--what are those flowers--pink asters?

"I need to take a picture of these."

"C'mon, Mom!"

"You don't get it, do you?" I whined. "I am a writer. I have to capture everything. I don't want to lose anything."

She just rolled her eyes and half laughed and half complained when I missed a turn and found myself going the wrong way and she reminded me what a terrible driver I am and what a terrible sense of direction I have and to quit looking at everything and to keep my eyes on the road because she'd just had a C-section and she didn't want to get hurt.

And today I'm still wondering.

Why did "complaints" come first in the order of things?

Did the office get more complaints than compliments?

Did they expect more complaints?

Did they think if they acknowledged you might have a complaint you would be satisfied with that and move directly to a compliment?

What a great idea to soften the sting of a complaint with a special touch.

Maybe a writer could design a box with a special touch labeled:

"Rejections, _______, _______.

Fill in the blanks.

And always be sure your camera is loaded with fresh batteries.

By the way, we had a great afternoon together!

A day with a special touch.

How can you soften the stings of the writing life? How would you fill in the above blanks? When did you last experience a special touch?

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

A One-Word/One-Line Interview With A 7-Year-Old Author

2010-06-11T10:55:00.004-04:00

Gracee never has enough paper. I find remnants of stories and song lyrics all over my house. She loves pens and colored pencils and markers and notebooks. She likes to give me writing advice. She's very creative. And, yes, I'm prejudiced. She's my granddaughter!

We conducted this interview over a meal of Big Boy spaghetti. Thank you, Gracee, for taking the time to answer these questions.

Gracee in One Word

1. What is your favorite sport?

Soccer.

2. Strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries?

Strawberries.

3. Who is your favorite author?

Polacco (Patricia.)

4. What is your favorite animal?

Wolf.

5. Flip-flops, slippers, tennies, or bare?

Flip-flops.

6. What is your favorite Dairy Queen treat?

Slushie (blue raspberry.)

7. What is your favorite subject in school (not gym)?

Writing.

8. If you had to evacuate (leave) your house and had time to grab only one thing, what would it be?

Sister. (Note: Baby Lillee is now one week and two days old.)

9. What instrument would you like to play?

Guitar.

10. Would you rather read about animals or people?

Do nonfiction books count? Animals. (But I like real people, too, like Rosa Parks.)

Gracee in One Line

1. Do you prefer to write with pen, pencil, or computer?

Write in pencil, correct with pen, then type on computer.

2. What is your favorite kind of music?

Country and rock, but I also like classic, like Fur Elise, and harp because it helps calm me down.

3. What is your favorite book and why?

Thunder Cake because it teaches not to be afraid of a storm.

4. What rule does your mom think is most important?

Don't talk back.

5. What do you like to write about?

My family and where we go and what we do.

6. What are some of your nicknames and which do you like best?

Gray, Gray-Gray, Mogli, Grace Face, Gracee Facee, Sis, Nerbie, Amazing Grace; I like Amazing Grace.

7. What is the most important thing to remember when writing a story?

Write with expression.

8. How did you learn to say onomatopoeia?

My teacher, Mrs. Entenman, made us say it over and over; it's easy.

9. What do you like best about walking in the cemetery?

Flowers, stones, walking up the steps and hills, getting ideas--can you get me a notebook like yours?

10. What is your favorite vacation?

Gaylord Alpenfest because I get to see Roscoe the Clown.

11. What do you like best about your grandma?

That's kinda hard because you do lots of nice things for me, but you make me laugh--like when you say, "no laughing allowed."

Gracee on One Thing

What one thing would you like to say to your readers or future readers?

Thank you for reading. I appreciate it. It really feels good. I hope you like my stories.

What one thing would you like to say to fellow writers or aspiring writers?

Calm down. Relax. Don't make it hard on yourself. Follow your heart. Feel what the story tells you.

Thank you, for sharing with us today, Gracee. You are an inspiration. And I love you.

Read more about Gracee's writing and tips:

7 Writing Tips from a 7-Year-Old
4 Tips From a 7-Year-Old to Keep Bum in Chair
Gracee--Gold Star Young Author

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Gracee--Gold Star Young Author

2010-06-09T11:10:00.001-04:00

Some months back, I shared some of my granddaughter's writing tips. She revised her work at school. I thought you might like to see the final product--in her own words with phonetic spelling.

Coming up: A one-word/one-line interview with this young author.

P.S. Gracee's mom did have an infection in an ear, and her ear did "swallow" an earring back, but her ear lobe is still intact! And her birthday is in October. She just liked turquoise better!

Note: The Christine Wonch Creative Writing Award program was formed to honor a young girl who was killed in a car-pedestrian accident. The program is in its 20th year and provides an opportunity for area students to have their best work evaluated. They begin working on their stories in the fall.

Common Errors in English Usage

2010-05-31T23:58:00.000-04:00

Which is correct? Quick!

Awhile or a while?

Lay or lie?

Peel out or peal out?

When would you use the phrase, "Money is no option?"

Or the phrase, "Little to none?"

How do you pronounce, "mauve?"

Find the answers at Paul Brians' Common Errors in English. I've always just called the site "Brians' Errors."

Quick. Fast. Easy. Sometimes funny.

Another one of my favorites. I go there daily.

The above link hooks up directly with the list of errors. However, Professor Brians asks that you also that you check into the index page where he addresses a number of issues.

Another helpful site--and one where you might need a timer if you start to explore.

Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite grammar or English usage site?

One Site/One Thousand Dictionaries

2010-05-28T23:19:00.001-04:00

My favorite dictionary search site is OneLook®. In fact, it's the only place I go. For lots of reasons.

As of this moment they've indexed 18,373,069 words in 1052 dictionaries.

That's a lot of words. That's a lot of dictionaries. The number might include other references, too.

I think those numbers must change frequently. Like increase.

At the home page, you can type a word (or phrase) you want defined in the search box. For instance, I typed in cream.

The search takes me to a quick definition list plus a list of all the indexed dictionaries where the word is found--33 general dictionaries, 5 art dictionaries, 2 business dictionaries, 1 computing dictionary, 6 miscellaneous dictionaries, 2 slang dictionaries, 1 sports dictionary (although that takes me to a list of cat terms), and 2 tech dictionaries.

I can find a bazillion phrases that include the word cream (like astronaut ice cream, barrier cream, cream-banded swallowtail, you're the cream in my coffee) that also have links.

I can also find a list of words similar to cream (like churn, whop, whip, lambaste), each with a quick definition and matching dictionary links.

That's the basic stuff. But you can get fancy and go on all kinds of advanced searches using wild cards, reverse dictionaries, translations, and stuff I haven't figured out yet.

Some say it's a great way to cheat at crossword puzzles.

I've found it to be a great writing prompt site.

I go there several times a day.

Go explore. Set a timer or you'll hang out there way too long.

Enjoy!

What's your favorite dictionary site?

Need to Build a Plot?

2010-05-26T13:33:00.003-04:00

"There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before." ~Willa Cather

I can't tell you how to build a plot, but these authors can and do.

I've got so much to learn!

Seems like everyone knows about Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell and Writing the Breakout Novel (and corresponding workbook) by Donald Maas.

I heart them.

But I also found 20 Master Plots (And How to Build Them) by Ronald B. Tobias buried on my shelf. And it makes more sense to me now than it did when I bought it over 20 years ago.

He states, "The best place to start a discussion about plots is to trace their bloodlines to the beginning . . . the two basic plots from which all other plots flow (that) are still the foundation of all literature. If you understand the essence of your plot, you will understand better how to go about writing it."

He goes on, "In Dante's Inferno there are only two basic sins in all the levels of hell. One is called forza, crimes of violence and force. The other basic sin is called forda, which is Italian for fraud."

Force or fraud

"Dante understood human character. These two sins come from two basic functions of human beings. Force is power, strength, physicality. Fraud comes from wit, cleverness, mentality. The Body and The Mind"

Body or mind.

When we have a story idea, we need to decide if it can be told more in terms of action or more in terms of the inner workings of character and human nature.

Doing or being.

The action plot is a puzzle plot where some kind of mystery needs to be solved. The mind plot is an idea plot where the characters almost always search for some kind of meaning.

Mystery or meaning.

If the story is plot driven, the mechanism is more important than the specific characters. The characters make the plot happen.

If the story is character driven, the mechanism is less important than the specific characters. The plot helps the characters find meaning.

Character driven or plot driven.

You decide the focus. Then you find some balance.

Tobias describes 20 basic plots (you can see them in the Amazon book preview.) He provides checklists at the end of each chapter.

He also provides a final checklist at the end of the book, questions you can ask yourself as you develop your plot.

"If you can answer all of them, you have a grasp of what your story is about. But if you can't answer any of them, you still don't know what your story is and what you want to do with it."

I'm so glad for good teachers.

I'm heading out to my porch now with a big glass of iced herb tea to rock and read.

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

A Reason to Read--in One Word

2010-05-22T15:53:00.000-04:00

I asked the other day about summing up your message in one word as a writer.

So that got me thinking about why we pick up a book to read. What do we look for? What do we want in the end? What message do we want to come away with?

Is it the same with each book?

What makes us feel like we spent our time well?

Can we put it in one word?

Escape? Knowledge? Information? Hope? Refreshment? Encouragement?

I choose inspiration.

In fiction and nonfiction.

I want to feel inspired to reach higher and deeper.

Inspired to grow.

Inspired to learn more.

About something.

About people.

About a person.

About a place.

About a time in history.

About God.

Inspired to read another book.

Inspired to go from words to the Word.

Inspired to write words of my own.

What's your one word as a reader?

Your Message in One Word

2010-05-20T14:18:00.000-04:00

What's your message?

What's the one thing you want to convey through your writing? Or at least the major thing.

To focus on.

Could you put it in just one word?

I've been thinking a lot about this.

I thought I wanted to get people excited about the Word. See things they'd never seen before. Make them hungry and thirsty. In my writing and my teaching.

I still want that.

But it's not one word.

Hunger? Thirst?

Those are one words.

Nah.

I want my readers to laugh sometimes. Laughter is healing.

Laughter. Humor. Healing.

Hmmm. Those are pretty good one words for a nurse turned writer.

But none are my one word.

The single most important concept for me in my faith walk has been that of the sovereignty of God. Knowing that He's in control. That He doesn't let go. No matter what. That He weaves everything into His perfect plan.

But "sovereignty of God" is still not one word.

"Sovereignty" is.

I like it.

But that's still not "it."

I think I've figured it out, though.

My. One. Word.

Rest.

Physical. Emotional. Spiritual.

Yep. I think that's it.

My one message.

My one word.

Rest.

What's yours?

Jennifer Hudson Taylor: One-Word/One-Line Interview

2010-05-14T12:02:00.002-04:00

Jennifer Hudson Taylor writes historical and contemporary Christian fiction set in Europe and the Carolinas. Her debut novel, Highland Blessings, released this month, and the music on her video trailer (below) really gets to me.

You can order a copy from Amazon and even a signed copy direct from the author here!

How can you not love someone who has an ink bottle, quill pen, cardinal, and a dogwood blossom on her website and blog?

Jennifer lives in North Carolina, and in addition to writing, she speaks on several topics related to faith, writing, and parenting special-needs children. She's also a genealogy buff. I can't wait to get to know her better.

I accidentally asked her a couple questions (okay, three) that couldn't be answered with just one word. My bad. But I still like the questions and the answers, so they stay.

And, wow! So many followup questions I want to ask!

Welcome, Jennifer!

Jennifer Hudson Taylor in One (almost) Word

1. What was your favorite childhood toy?

Fitzerina.

2. What was your least favorite subject in school?

Math.

3. What was your first job?

Collating.

4. What did you eat for breakfast this morning?

Waffle.

5. What was the last movie you saw?

The Scarlett Pimpernel.

6. What was the last movie that made you cry?

The Blind Side.

7. What is the tallest building you've ever been in?

Toronto Tower.

8. Would you prefer a picnic or a restaurant meal?

Picnic.

9. What would Akira say is your greatest weakness?

Impatience.

10. You just won a week's vacation of your choice. Where will you go?

Scotland.

Jennifer Hudson Taylor in One Line

1. Describe your most embarrassing moment.

     In college during the '92 elections, I fainted holding a Bush sign while Hillary Clinton demanded her guys pull me out of the crowd so I wouldn't get trampled, and she told them to give me a bottle of water.

2. What is the best thing about being the parent of a special-needs child?

     You can't afford to take your child for granted, and you feel so very thankful and blessed for each milestone they accomplish.

3. Share your favorite time management tip.

     Avoid email, Facebook, and Twitter.

4. Who is one person you'd like to visit and why?

Joyce Meyer, because she is so full of godly wisdom.

5. What is your very first memory?

My uncle giving me a balloon before he drowned.

6. What is your favorite thing about Bryce MacPhearson?

He means well, but still manages to get into trouble regardless of what he does.

7. What wisdom from your mother still sticks with you?

Don't worry about what everyone else thinks; concentrate on what God thinks.

8. What Bible character do you identify most with and why?

I admire Queen Esther for her courage, but I've been compared to Deborah, the prophetess of Israel.

9. Describe the favorite room in your house.

My bedroom is roomy, comfortable, and private--like a sanctuary.

10. What was the most surprising thing you discovered while researching your family history?

That my Morgan ancestor from Glamorgan, Wales hosted King Charles II and was bestowed the governorship of Jamaica.

Jennifer Hudson Taylor on One Thing

What one thing would you like to say to your readers or future readers?

Out of all the wonderful books out there and all the things to distract your attention and strangle your time, thank you for choosing my book and taking the time to read it. I hope you will enjoy it and hope you'll give my other books set in different time periods a try.

What one thing would you like to say to fellow writers or aspiring writers?

If you are unpublished, never give up on your dream of publication. God's timing will come. To all writers, don't get so caught up in the "writing rules" and judging and critiquing that you forget how to read for pleasure.

Highland warrior Bryce MacPhearson kidnaps Akira MacKenzie on her wedding day to honor a promise he made to his dying father. When he forces Akira to wed him, hoping to end a half-century feud between their clans, she struggles to overcome her anger and resentment. Yet her strength in the Lord becomes a witness to Bryce. But there is a traitor in their midst . . . and murder is the ultimate weapon.

Jennifer's Website
Jennifer's Writing Blog
Jennifer on Facebook
Jennifer on Twitter

Thanks so much, Jenn for taking the time to help us get to know you better!

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Candace Calvert: One-Word/One-Line Interview

2010-05-07T11:51:00.001-04:00

It's National Nurses Week (May 6-12), and so I've invited one of my favorite nurses, who shares a first name with my favorite--and only--sister, to visit The Write Pursuit.

Candace Calvert writes medical fiction where she offers healthy doses of drama, romance, humor, and hope.

She's lived it. She shares it.

And if you're a nurse, be sure to visit her blog this week. Tell her how long you've been a nurse and what type of nursing you do (or did), and you'll have a chance to win an autographed copy of either Critical Care or Disaster Status.

And now--here's Candace!

Candace Calvert in One Word

1. Who was/is your favorite TV doctor?

     Bailey.

2. Look to your left. What's the first thing you see?

     McKenna.

3. When you drive without cruise control, is your foot usually lead, light, or exact?

     Lead. (Your secret's safe with us.)

4. You and Erin Quinn (from Disaster Status) are spending a girl's night out. Where do you go?

     Linedancing.

5. What is your favorite board game?

     Scrabble.

6. If you turned up missing, where is the last place your friends and family would look for you?

     Casino.

7. As a child, what food did you refuse to eat?

     Peas.

8. When cleaning your house, are you a gentle breeze or a tornado?

     Tornado.

9. You're feeling very creative. Where are you?

     Kitchen.

10. What are you usually doing at 9:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning?

     Caffeine.

Candace Calvert in One Line

1. What would Leigh (from Disaster Status) say she liked best about working with you?

     That we share a love for horses and that I understand the heartbreak of betrayal.

2. What was the most memorable gift you ever received?

     From God: my children; from a person: a braided bracelet fashioned by my daughter out of strands of hair from my beloved mare, Winter Winds.

3. What do you miss most about the ER?

     The bonds among the ER team and the satisfaction that comes with "being there" for someone in a time of great need.

4. What is the strangest thing you've eaten when you didn't have time to cook?

     (Confession and recipe): Put a big blob of peanut butter in coffee cup, mix in a huge clump of brown sugar and hefty sprinkling of chocolate chips, add spoon--instant Reese's!

5. What is the difference between a strong woman and a woman of strength?

     A strong woman struggles to stay "tough and in control," relying only on herself; a woman of strength finds peace and joy through faith in God.

6. What is your most treasure souvenir and why?

     Christmas ornaments collected on world travel with my wonderful husband--keepsakes of adventures--romantic, funny, exotic, and unforgettable.

7. Who was your favorite teacher and why?

     Gloria Kempton, author and online instructor, showed me that I could actually touch people through my writing--I made her cry.

8. What is on the top of your to-do list when preparing for company?

     Lists and . . . lists of lists, sometimes in colored ink.

9. How do you capture writing ideas?

     I am a sponge for things around me--soak it up, squeeze it out through the keyboard.

10. Who do people say you look like and why?

     A woman recently told me that I look (in profile) "just like Vivian Leigh in 'Gone with the Wind'"--frankly, my dear, I don't see it.

Candace Calvert on One Thing

What one thing would you like to say to your readers or future readers?

From my heart: thank you. Your response to my stories of hope has encouraged me beyond my frail dreams. When I (finally!) stopped saying, "Who . . . me? You've got to be kidding!" to God's insistent call to write Christian fiction, it was both exhilarating and completely scary. But like my heroine, Claire Avery in Critical Care, I'm reminded that God has a plan. Getting to know my readers is such a lovely part of that.

What one thing would you like to say to your fellow writers or aspiring writers?

Network with writers and other industry professionals--if you're writing Christian fiction join ACFW. Don't write in a vacuum; writers need honest, constructive input, a sense of direction, concrete goals, cheerleaders and (sometimes) a shoulder to cry on. The relationships you build with other writers: Priceless.

Thanks so much for visiting, Candace! You are an inspiration to me as a person and as a writer!

I appreciate your hosting me here, Sandy--and the challenge. The hardest thing for a writer to do is give a one-word answer! I've enjoyed the opportunity to connect with your readers--thanks much.

~Candace

Charge nurse Erin Quinn escaped personal turmoil to work on the peaceful California coast. But when a hazardous material spill places Pacific Mercy Hospital on disaster status and stresses staff, she's put to the test. And thrown into conflict with the fire department's handsome incident commander who thinks her strategy is out of line.

Fire Captain Scott McKenna has felt the toxic effects of tragedy; he's learned to go strictly by the book to advance his career, heal his family, and protect his wounded heart. When he's forced to team with the passionately determined ER charge nurse, sparks fly. As they work to save lives, can they handle the attraction kindled between them . . . without getting burned?

Watch for Code Triage--coming September 2010!

Candace Calvert's website

Candace Calvert's blog

Candace Calvert on Facebook

Candace Calvert on Twitter

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

This Writing Thing - A Ramble

2010-05-05T21:55:00.003-04:00

"Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple, learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen." ~John Steinbeck

I can see Gracee and the neighbor girl outside. Gracee writes something with her finger in the wet sand while Jackie sits in the "castle" with dolls. Lost in an imaginary world. Nothing hanging over them.

No bills to pay. No laundry to do. No dinner to plan. Not worried about doing too much or not enough.

Just being. Whatever they feel like at the moment.

I feel more like a writer every day.

But I still feel cluttered. Duties distract, and I resent the time taken from writing. When I write, I fight guilt. This afternoon I emptied the dishwasher and cleaned up from Monday night's dinner. Such as it was.

Yes, I know this is Wednesday.

But I devote Monday to study, and then I teach on Tuesday. And after class yesterday, I met Abby for lunch and shopping. And then I came home and wrote some more. And this morning I wrote. And then got a pedicure with Abby.

I lived some life.

And the kitchen finally screamed for attention.

I just dewrinkled the same load of clothes for the third time. I need to comb through photos and mementos and organize them for posterity. I stare at partially stripped wallpaper and walls that need fresh paint. I peer through dirty windows. The carpet demands a visit from the cleaning professionals. The weeds may soon crawl under the doors.

That basement bathroom looks pretty gross. So does the upstairs one for that matter.

And my year-old harp weeps for a loving hand.

Always torn.

Never free. Of duties that need doing. Of ideas that keep breeding.

I need more time to be.

I need to shed even more stuff. Simplify yet some more.

Because I want to live a simpler life.

Because I want to lose myself in an imaginary world.

Because I want to play in the castle with words.

Because this writing thing chases me, yowls and paws at me like a love-hungry cat.

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Book Review: Plan B by Pete Wilson

2010-05-03T12:47:00.001-04:00

Been there. Done that. Plenty of Plan B's in my life. Some as light as dandelion fluff. Some as heavy as a bloated hippo.

Plans fizzled. Dreams shattered. Expectations failed. People let me down. Life smacked me upside the head. Life slammed me to the ground.

You've been there, too, in some form. And will again.

Enter this book written by Pete Wilson, lead pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, Tennessee.

He asks, "What do you do when God doesn't show up for you in the way you thought God was going to show up?"

Pete's weathered his own Plan B's. And held others through theirs--a family whose pregnant teen delivered a stillborn, a marriage battered by pornography and an affair, a missionary couple who turned to Plan B and Plan C with an unexpected pregnancy and ensuing complications.

Pete made me laugh and cry. He writes with an engaging style and makes scripture stories sparkle. I saw things I didn't before.

I lingered over this statement, "The greatest of all illusions is the illusion of control."

In fact, I lingered over many statements.

Pete talks about the importance of community when traveling through the dark and the importance of authenticity. "We'll never know what might have happened if people had been able to open their lives up enough to hear--and to say--'me too.'" So many of us huddle in shame or fear of judgment instead of sharing hurts to receive healing.

Been there. Done that.

We can be transformed through tragedy.

Pete doesn't have all the answers, but he offers an anchor.

Have you lived a Plan B? Are you living a Plan B? If not, a Plan B looms.

Someone you know struggling with a Plan B? If not, you will.

You need this book.

PlanB Promo from Cross Point Church on Vimeo.

Plan B Website
Amazon

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

NOTE: Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Gathered Together - Word Fun With Animals

2010-04-29T22:25:00.000-04:00

Some fun names for animal groups.

A congregation of alligators.
A shrewdness/troop of apes.
A troop/flange/congress/rumpus of baboons.
A cete of badgers.
A sloth/sleuth of bears (general.)
A litter of cubs (bears.)
A colony/family of beavers.
A sute of bloodhounds.
A herd/troop/gang/obstinancy of buffalo.
A clutter/clowder/pounce/dout/nuisance/glorying/glare of cats (general.)
A kindle/litter/intrigue of kittens.
A destruction of cats (wild.)
A coalition of cheetahs.
A kine of cows.
A flink of cows (12+.)
A band of coyotes.
A bask/float of crocodiles.
A herd/leash/gang of deer (general.)
A brace/clash of bucks (deer.)
A kennel of dogs (general.)
A cowardice of curs (dogs.)
A cry/mute/pack of hounds (dogs.)
A drove/pace/herd of donkeys.
A herd/memory/parade of elephants.
A gang/herd of elk.
A business/cast/fesnying of ferrets.
A leash/skulk/earth/lead/troop of foxes.
A tower of giraffes.
An implausibility of gnus.
A tribe/trip/drove/herd/flock of goats.
A band/troop of gorillas.
An array of hedgehogs.
A bloat/thunder of hippos.
A rag/rake of colts (horses.)
A string of ponies (horses.)
A cackle of hyenas.
A troop/mob of kangaroos.
A leap of leopards.
A pride/sault/troop of lions.
A mischief of mice.
A labor/company/movement of moles.
A troop/barrel/carload/cartload/tribe of monkeys.
A pack/span/barren/rake of mules.
A romp of otters.
A pomp of pekingese.
A colony/rookery/huddle of penguins (general.)
A creche of penguins (nursery.)
A drift/drove of pigs (general.)
A singular/sounder of boars (pigs.)
A team/passel/drift/parcel of hogs (pigs.)
A litter/farrow of piglets.
A prickle of porcupines.
A coterie of prairie dogs.
A colony/warren/bury/trace/trip of rabbits (general.)
A herd of rabbits (domestic.)
A down/husk of hares (rabbits.)
A gaze/mask of raccoons.
A colony/pack/plague/swarm of rats.
A crash/stubbornness of rhinoceroses.
A pod/bob/harem/herd/rookery of seals.
A dray/scurry of squirrels.
A stench of skunks.
A streak/ambush/swift of tigers.
A pack/route of wolves.
A crossing/zeal/cohorts/herd of zebras.

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

So Long. Good-bye. Farewell

2010-04-22T13:11:00.000-04:00

Last week Bonnie Gray invited me in a blog comment on Beholding God (Messy Monday) to take a "What If" challenge.

Brainstorm five "what if" questions, she said. Fast. Choose one. And then let's jam about it.

Like today. A week later.

Say what?

I took the challenge and posted my response over there, although it fits here, too. Maybe better.

Anyway, follow me and check it out.

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Gathered Together - Word Fun with Birds

2010-04-19T14:00:00.001-04:00

I wrote about some turkeys the other day on Beholding God. And I wondered, "What do you call a bunch of turkeys anyway?"

And then I stumbled on some way cool words to describe them. And other birds.

For instance, here are some of my favorites. In no particular order.

A rafter/posse/gang of turkeys.
A pandemonium/prattle of parrots.
A pitying of turtledoves.
A flock of ducks (flight).
A badling/brace of ducks (ground).
A raft/team/paddlling of ducks (water).
An ostentation/muster/pride of peacocks.
A lamentation/ballet of swans.
A host of sparrows.
An ascension/exaltation of larks.
A clutter/murmuration of starlings.
A conspiracy of ravens.
A descent/gatling of woodpeckers.
A dissimulation/flock of ground birds.
A volary/brace/plump/knob of game birds.
A wreck of sea birds.
A chattering/clutch of chickens.
A mustering of storks.
A mutation/hermitage of thrushes.
A party/scold of jays.
A dole of doves.
A dropping of pigeons!
A gaggle of geese.
A sedge of cranes.
A squabble of seagulls.
A stand/flamboyance of flamingoes.
A wake of buzzards.
A watch of nightingales.
A wisdom/parliament of owls.
A colony/cloud of bats
A convocation/aerie of eagles.
A cast of hawks (general).
A kettle of hawks (flying).
A boil of hawks (spiraling).
A tiding/gulp/murder/charm of magpies.
A pod of pelicans.
A bouquet of pheasants (takeoff).
A congregation of plovers.
A venue of vultures.

There are some colorful animal groups, too. Next time.

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

K.M. Weiland: One-Word/One-Line Interview

2010-04-14T22:41:00.000-04:00

I’ve been stalking K.M. Weiland for some time. Hanging out at her website. Dogging her around the blogs. Soaking in life advice and writing wisdom. Admiring her gifts of detail and discipline. Immersing myself in the middle ages in her new book, Behold the Dawn. And she has such a sweet spirit. I want to be like her when I grow up.

So since I wanted to get to know her even better, I asked if she could stop by my blog and answer a few brief questions. And she agreed!

Since Katie's novel is set in the set in the 12th century, I decided to ask her 12 questions in 2 categories.

K.M. Weiland in One Word

1. Where would you go on the ideal vacation?

Hawaii.

2. What was your first paid job?

Secretary.

3. Would you prefer to swim or ice skate?

Swim.

4. What is your greatest weakness?

Impatience.

5. When it comes to "stuff," are you a keeper or a tosser?

Tosser.

6. What musical instrument are you?

Drum.

7. What would Marcus Annan say is your greatest strength?

Battles!

8. At a theme park, do you head for the roller coasters or the shows?

Coaster.

9. Who was your childhood hero/heroine?

Cowboy.

10. Where do you behold God?

Details.

11. Would you prefer to eat (peasant) bread or (elderflower) cheesecake?

Cheesecake!

12. What one-word message did you take away for yourself from Behold the Dawn?

Perseverance.

K.M. Weiland in One Line

1. What is one of your favorite quotes from Behold the Dawn?

"In the corner, flint struck against steel, sparks danced airborne for a moment, and then the expected flame burnt a golden hole in the darkness."

2. Would you prefer to travel by car or plane and why?

I much prefer car travel; airports are exhausting.

3. What do you battle?

Myself; impatience and tactlessness are two of my banes.

4. When you are feeling down, what lifts you up?

A bouncy song, a good movie, sunshine, chocolate, and above all, the knowledge that God is in control of the little things and the big things alike.

5. When you've been away, what do you like best about coming home?

My own bed!

6. If you were to die today, what song would you like sung at your funeral and why?

Nicole Nordeman's "Legacy" comes to mind: "I want to leave a legacy / How will they remember me? / Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough / To make a mark on things?"

7. If you could live in any period of history, when would it be and why?

Probably the 1940s, though I may be a bit prejudiced right now, since I'm working with a new story idea set in that period.

8. What was a good word of advice someone gave to you?

What people think of you isn't as important as what God thinks of you.

9. How would Lady Mairead complete this sentence for you? I wish . . .

. . . she wasn't so mean to her characters!

10. When did you know you were a writer?

It was a gradual awakening, I guess, since I've always told stories; probably the "official" realization was when I was about twelve.

11. What has your past taught you?

To look outside the box, keep an open mind, and never settle for an easy answer.

12. What is your favorite writing outfit and why?

Jeans, sweatshirt, and fuzzy blue slippers--because I gotta be warm to write!

K.M. WEILAND ON ONE THING

What one thing would you like to say to your readers or future readers?

Thanks for being there! In the cutthroat world of publishing and marketing it can sometimes be easy to lose sight of why I'm doing this. But whenever someone tells me they loved one of my books or that they were encouraged by a blog post--that makes my day. That's what it's all about. Being able to touch the life of someone else, even if for only a moment, means I've accomplished something worthwhile.

What one thing would you like to say to your fellow writers or aspiring writers?

Don't give up, and don't sell yourself short. Writing, first and foremost, is a mode of self-expression, of reaching out and connecting with the world around us. Being published, being read, making the NYT best-seller list, that stuff is just icing on the cake. You're a writer even if you never accomplish that. But, at the same time, don't allow yourself to settle for less than the best. Discipline yourself, drive yourself to become a little bit better every time you sit down at the keyboard. Success only visits the dedicated.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Synopsis: Marcus Annan, a tourneyer famed for his prowess on the battlefield, thought he could keep the secrets of his past buried forever. But when a mysterious crippled monk demands Annan help him find justice for the transgressions of sixteen years ago, Annan is forced to leave the tourneys and join the Third Crusade.

Wounded in battle and hunted by enemies on every side, he rescues an English noblewoman from an infidel prison camp and flees to Constantinople. But, try as he might, he cannot elude the past. Amidst the pain and grief of a war he doesn’t even believe in, he is forced at last to face long-hidden secrets and sins and to bare his soul to the mercy of a God he thought he had abandoned years ago.

The sins of a bishop.

The vengeance of a monk.

The secrets of a knight.

About the Author: K.M. Weiland writes historical and speculative fiction from her home in the sandhills of western Nebraska. She is the author of the historical western A Man Called Outlaw and the recently released medieval epic Behold the Dawn. She blogs at Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors and AuthorCulture.

Reposted from Beholding God--11/18/09

Copyright © 2009 by Sandra Heska King

Writers in the Spirit

2010-04-10T11:58:00.000-04:00

Writers in the Spirit: Inspiration for Christian Writers
by Carol J. Rottman, Ph.D.
FaithWalk Publishing 2004

I brought this book home from the local library. But my left arm had to hold my right arm down to keep from writing in it.

So I bought my own copy.

Eleven chapters burst with inspiration in the form of essays, meditations, scripture references, quotes, tips, writing challenges and prayers. Designed to provide motivation and encouragement.

Some quotes from Carol:

"'Incarnate' is a better word for what artists do than 'create.' They make something out of other somethings; they are the great recyclers of this world."

"Two things help me get unstuck when the writing stalls: Taking a power nap (putting my head on my folded arms at the desk until they tingle) or taking a walk . . . Two things don't help: eating and fretting."

Note: That's the only way I can nap. Else I'm done for. And I guess I need to take the M&M's off the desk.

"More of us are writing, but most are not writing very well."

"Dear God, I praise you for putting desire in my heart to try what seems impossible. When I am weary and faint--inspire me again. Amen."

"The task of a writer is to soak up dibs and dabs of this and that, swish them around in the mind, and slowly release words or marks in a thin stream across a page."

"The breakthrough came when I finally moved aside and asked God to break into every part of my life and work."

"There are days when I seriously wonder if I should be a writer."

"I will starve if reading, writing, and prayer are not everyday meals."

"Really, Lindsey Jo, I'm sixty years old and have just begun to express myself through writing."

"Throw yourself into writing about something you love, or fear, or loathe--and feel the fervor."

"As with blood delivered right into the vein, words can fix a system gone awry. Words beget thoughts like plasma generates new blood cells."

"Merely thinking about writing will not produce a single word. Endless speculation may actually block writing instead of promoting."

"Perhaps a great, great grandchild will, someday, find my words and know me."

"Recently I was reminded that St. Paul would never have written the letters to the churches if he had not bee incarcerated and unable to preach."

" . . . circle all words that pad or puff up your writing and delete them."

"A writer must work out of what is--not from ideal circumstances."

Some quotes from others:

" . . . I suspect that maybe God speaks to us most clearly through his silence, his absence, so that we know him best through our missing him." ~Frederick Buechner

"You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads." ~Ray Bradbury

"This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words." 1 Corinthians 2:13

Yep. Some good stuff in here.

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Four Pitfalls of Christian Writing

2010-04-07T23:16:00.000-04:00

I dig Philip Yancey. Anything he writes. I even got to meet him in person once. He's not afraid to tackle hard stuff, and his writing inspires me to pursue excellence.

And so I often pull his books off my shelf. Like Open Windows, a book he wrote over 20 years ago in which he addressed the importance of writing with art and excellence. I think it's still relevant today.

He says that Christian writers must strive for high literary standards in order to be taken seriously.

I believe that. We should stretch high and higher in our art because we represent The Highest Master of art and creativity and excellence.

Yancy describes four pitfalls of Christian writing.

1. Thought Without Art.

He urges us to not write stuff that sounds like a sermon. Writers "must take readers on an emotional journey to hold their attention." He reminds speakers they can't necessarily captivate an audience with the written word like they can in person. As authors, they have to get more creative.

Examples to study: Frederick Buechner, C.S. Lewis, Dorothy Sayers, George MacDonald, G.K. Chesterton.

2. Supernature Without Nature.

Yancy says we should explore the magnificence of God's natural creation, affirm it and "plumb its meaning" before leading people on to a supernatural world. He believes readers hunger for this and says we need "a more supernatural awareness of the natural world and a deeper natural sensitivity to the supernatural world. In our art the two must come together, and fuse."

Examples to study: Annie Dillard, Tolstoy, Lewis Thomas, Pablo Neruda.

3. Action Without Tension.

He says that sometimes when he reads Christian books, especially fiction and biography, he feels like the characters are "strangely lobotomized." Read Jeremiah and Hosea and see how graphically the prophets described Israel as a harlot. Old Testament Jews felt words like atonement and forgiveness because they watched a priest swipe a knife "across the spurting artery of a fear-stiffened lamb." We have to infuse emotion and word pictures in our writing.

Examples to study: James Dickey, John Updike, William Faulkner, Frederick Buechner (Leo Bebb).

4. Light Without Darkness.

We can't forget that many readers are traveling in the dark, so we can't turn on the floodlights without blinding them. We have to bring them gradually through the tunnel. "We have to allow the reader to understand lack of faith as well as faith . . . Insanity must sound like insanity. Doubt must sound like true doubt."

Examples to study: William Faulker (The Sound and the Fury), Ken Kelsey (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), Dostoyevsky (Brothers Karamazov).

Yancey reminds us that the Bible is filled with "rollicking" love stories, drama, history, poetry, and parables.

And he ends the chapter by stating that C.S. Lewis once likened his role as a Christian writer to an adjective humbly striving to point others to the Noun of truth.

"For people to believe that Noun," Yancy says, "we Christian writers must improve our adjectives."

Excuse me.

I have some reading to do and some adjectives to work on.

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Why Write?

2010-04-05T10:29:00.001-04:00

Write
To discover One Life
To find one's own life
To enter other lives
To change many lives.
The end.
The beginning . . .

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Habits: Breaking Old, Making New - Part 2

2010-04-01T16:39:00.000-04:00

I have to adjust the plan.

Because a timer is not going to work for these morning pages.

And no, I did not eat those M&M's early in the morning. I just sat them on the notebook for your enjoyment. I ate them later. After breakfast.

Anyway, when the timer went off, I did not want to stop. I kept going. Even though my hand and arm periodically cramped. And I felt like I could scribble more drivel, but I had to get to the next thing on my list.

Jesus.

I felt guilty putting the writing before Him.

Except I never really sensed a separation.

It was like dusting the corners, sweeping under the bed, shaking the rugs, dumping the garbage, cleaning the cup, opening the drapes. Making room for fresh words from the Word. Feeling the Spirit's breath. Turning on the creative faucet. Like filling an empty grocery cart with all manner of new gourmet foods. Organizing them and planning the next meal to share with company.

It. Was. Yummy.

An early morning habit to cultivate in solitude and silence. Jesus AND my journal. No timer. At least three pages filled. Time for the Word. Time to sit and listen.

Away from the computer. Away from the television.

Quiet time.

I can't wait until morning.

Habits: Breaking Old, Making New--Part 1

2010-03-30T18:00:00.000-04:00

I bought these today.

Well, I bought the Moleskines. I meant to buy a timer, but I forgot. This is my kitchen timer. Vintage Cracker Barrel. It actually crows. It will do until I buy one that better fits my writing room decor.

Anyway, I've been thinking over last week's post and comments, and I've started to formulate a plan.

Key word: Started.

Currently, my morning routine looks something like this.

Cell phone alarm goes off. I open phone slightly and smack it closed.

Cell phone alarm goes off. I open phone slightly and smack it closed.

Cell phone alarm goes off. I open phone slightly and smack it closed.

Cell phone alarm would not stop yesterday. Because the alarm was really the ringer. Jeremy trying to call to tell me his truck broke down on the way to work. I kept hanging up on him.

I should probably change the ring tones.

Anyway.

Once somewhat awake, I say good morning to God and tumble out of bed. I quickly make the bed (if Dennis is up), which amounts to throwing the comforter up and fluffing the pillows. It helps to have gone all white.

Then I stumble across the hall and turn on the computer. Next I head downstairs to go you know where and do you know what and brush my teeth. While still brushing, I go back upstairs to hit "enter" so the computer can wake up. Then back downstairs to spit.

Then to the kitchen to flip on TV news, drink some water, and make coffee. Then back upstairs with my cup (see how much exercise I've already gotten?) to settle in and check Facebook and Twitter and do a blog run.

Yup, before devotional time.

Or writing.

Sad.

Bad.

Priorities.

So here's my new plan. Just a morning jumpstart. I can only handle so many new habits at once.

I will start my day in silence. If Gracee is here, I will have to get up earlier. When my feet hit the floor, I will force myself directly downstairs. I will not turn on the computer.

Repeat. I will NOT turn on the computer.

Before I leave the you know where, I will shower and pray and let ideas flow.

Then to the kitchen. I will not turn on the news.

Repeat. I will NOT turn on the news.

But I will start the coffee.

And I will open one of my new journals and begin to write. A prayer. Dream memories. Freeflow thoughts. Whatever comes to mind. For 15 minutes. By the timer.

Then Jesus and me time.

Finally, I will get dressed, slap on some simple makeup, and catch the headlines while I break my fast.

No more bathrobe garb. I am a perfeshunal.

Then and only then will I turn on my computer.

So if you see me online at 6 a.m., you know I've been up at least since 5. Or even 4:30.

That's as far as I'm going for now. Obviously I need to work in some exercise and decide on my best study times and writing times.

Stay tuned.

What do you do during the first hour of your day?

One Has My Name - She Speaks

2010-03-26T10:57:00.000-04:00

She Speaks Conference

All I have to do is get myself there.

Can you say, "Road trip?"

Proverbs 31 Ministries sponsors an annual "She Speaks" Conference with tracks in speaking, writing, and women's ministries.

I've been brooding over it. Praying over it. For months.

The timing's perfect. After Alpenfest. After the new grandbaby and great niece arrive and settle in.

And now Lysa TerKeurst has three Cecil Murphy scholarships in hand that include conference registration, two nights at the conference hotel, conference materials, and meals! In North Carolina.

One of those scholarships has my name on it.

Some of my favorite people will speak like Lysa and Cec and Mary DeMuth and Renee Swope and . . . well, go here and see.

And they developed several topics with me in mind like Pursuing Excellence as a Speaker, The Power of a Story, How to Write a Book, So You Wanna Write a Novel, and . . . well, go here and see.

And some things I'll learn include how to develop a theme audiences can't wait to hear, how to tell stories that keep my audience engaged, how to create a "grab-'em-by-the-throat-and-won't-let-go" book proposal, spiritual warfare, what makes writing great, how to schedule writing time and keep a balanced life, how to discover my unique voice, and . . . well, go here and see.

I love that this conference can help equip me to be more effective in both writing and speaking. Because chances are I don't have too many more years left to reach my dreams and make a mark for eternity. Not that I'm "old" or anything, but the time is now. And whatever I do, I want to do with excellence.

And so I am entering this contest just as the last bit of sand falls from the hourglass.

You can enter to win one of the scholarships, too. Just go here.

But hurry. Today is the deadline.

And remember, only two remain.

Because one has my name on it.

No, I'm not excited.

"And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion?" Esther 4:14 (Amplified)

I Need a Plan

2010-03-24T19:00:00.002-04:00

It's been brought to my attention (by me) that I am not using my time wisely.

In fact, I am even (gasp) wasting time.

Don't even mention Bejeweled Blitz.

I need a plan. A system. A schedule.

I used to be a good multitasker, but now--not so much.

I'm not even a very good start-and stop kind of person. I mean, if I start writing in the morning, I don't want to stop. I may not eat. I may not feed anybody else. I may not get dressed until 5 p.m. If at all. And if I start household chores first, well forget the writing.

Operation Declutter helped some--a lot--but I'm not there yet.

There's no point in dividing tasks into writing and nonwriting, because as we all know, a writer is writing when not writing.

So I need a plan for:

Blog writing.
Blog reading.
Blog commenting.
WIP research.
WIP writing.
Article writing (for money.)
Writing craft study.
Book reading (nonfiction and fiction, contemporary and classic)
Devotional and worship time.
Inductive Bible study.
Preparing lessons.
Social networking.
Household and yard chores (cleaning, laundry, cooking, groceries, weeding.)
Financial planning/organization and bill paying
Exercise and diet (other than rolling my chair from desk to bookcase and back while munching M&Ms.)
Sleep.
Family fun time.
Do-nothing dream time.
Time to plan a plan.

That's too much to devote a day to each. So I've got to break up my day and learn to breakaway.

That's my mission--should I decide to accept it.

And I do.

Have I forgotten anything? Do you have a plan? How do you break up your day?

Four Baton Lessons

2010-03-20T13:47:00.000-04:00

I transferred from a small school (50 students K-12) to a big school (about 83 graduates) in my sophomore year. Gaylord had a band.

I loved football Fridays. I loved the half-time shows--the drums, the horns, the cymbals, the marching,

I wanted to join that band!

Bad. Really bad.

But I couldn't play an instrument. None. Zilch.

Dead dream.

But . . .

What if I learned to twirl?

But how?

My mom knew a little about twirling. She showed me with a broom. And then bought me a real baton.

I spent the whole summer learning to twirl in front of me, pass behind my back, pass under my leg, spin with one hand, throw and catch.

Practiced. Practiced. Practiced.

Alone.

I showed up for tryouts in my junior year. I thought I would throw up.

But I made the cut! Although now I can't really remember if they cut anyone. But at least I didn't stink enough for them to say, "Strut on out of here."

Miss Majorette. Band member.

That's me with the glasses.

Lesson 1: If you want something bad enough, you can find a way.

I reached for a star and caught its tail. We majorettes practiced alone and then practiced with the band. I loved "strutting" on the field. I loved dodging horns and drums to take positions through the ranks. I loved freezing football nights when my baton turned to ice and strangers loaned me blankets. I loved throwing (and catching) my baton. I loved feeling like I had done my best, put on a good show.

I remember the band instructor had a saying that went something like this.

"Michigan State walks on the field. U of M marches. We march!"

Obvious what school he favored. But a call to excellence.

Lesson 2: Learning doesn't stop once you realize a dream. Strive for excellence.

My senior year. Head majorette. I don't remember how, and I think my only job was to schedule practices. But I got to wear a big furry hat! And I had to learn how to balance it while still dashing through the horns--who thought it was fun to try and run us over.

The majorettes led the band in parades. I loved marching to the drum cadence and then breaking into our routine when the band struck up the music. One day my hat crashed to the pavement. I hesitated in momentary horror. Then I did what any professional would do. I stepped over it and kept on going. I don't know who rescued it and returned it to me unscathed at the end of the parade.

Lesson 3: Sometimes you just have to step over obstacles and keep going.

The summer after graduation, I ran for Alpine Queen (now Alpenfest Queen.) I chose to perform a routine with my baton, probably to a Sousa march or something. I don't remember. Anyway, I threw the baton up. And missed the catch. The baton hit the stage and bounced on the large rubber end--right back into my hand! And I kept on going.

Some thought I recovered well. Some thought I intentionally incorporated that into my routine.

I knew I messed up.

But I WON the talent competition.

Lesson 4: We might experience failure, but winners always bounce back.

I still have that baton. I think I'll dig it out and hang it here in my writing room.

How have you claimed a dream? What obstacles have you had to step over? Have you had to bounce back from "failure?"

NOTE: Thanks to Jody Hedlund whose posts on dreams this past week inspired these memories. If you haven't checked out her blog, Author, Jody Hedlund, you should!

The Tragedy of the Unopened (or Underused) Gift

2010-03-16T18:26:00.001-04:00

Last night I sat here for three hours and couldn't think of a thing to write. And to think that followed my post on head pain!

Oh, I had lots of ideas. But nothing I thought anyone would really care about reading. I flipped through page after page of writing books looking for inspiration.

Nothing.

Why in the world did I start a writing blog anyway? What do I have to say that others who know more can't say better? I mean I haven't even worked on my WIP for--I don't know--weeks? I researched some while I was sick, but then I had classes to teach and income taxes to do and now I have a cold. Oh, and the time change. Yeah. That.

Anyway, after I dozed off and bonked my head on the table and wiped the drool off the keyboard, I went to bed. Awake now, I picked up the book--If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat by John Ortberg.

Chapter two. Boat Potatoes.

And I couldn't help but put the whole chapter in the context of writing.

John wrote about the tragedy of the unopened gift. He told about the most beautiful china his grandmother had collected over the years--and stored in the attic. "So my grandmother went to the grave with the greatest gift of her life unopened."

When we went through my mother-in-law's things, we found many that were never used--some beautiful placemats that she never took out of the box and some embroidered towels with a note pinned to them. "Please give these to Lucille. She made them for me."

Lucille would not enjoy them, either. She had already died.

And that reminds me of all Mom King's pretty china I inherited--still stored in the bottom of the buffet. Waiting to be passed down to a child who likely won't use it. Because it has no meaning.

Anyway, John says when we receive a gift, we can choose to respond in two ways.

1. This gift is so valuable it can't be risked.

2. This gift is so valuable it must be risked.

John uses the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) to illustrate that God is Lord of the gift and that we have a responsibility to use that hand-chosen, specially-designed gift. God will hold us accountable for how we use or don't use what He gives us. And He won't let us blame external circumstances or play the "when-then game."

Comparison is not an adequate excuse for the tragedy of an unopened (or underused) gift.

As writers, we can't compare our talent with others, whether writers of best-selling books or writers of encouraging notes--though we can strive to increase our gift like the first servant.

Fear is not an adequate excuse for an unopened (or underused) gift.

The last servant was afraid to risk, so he buried his talent and did nothing. Maybe he spent a lot of time reading books on how to invest or networking in the marketplace.

Sloth is not an adequate excuse for an unopened (or underused) gift.

We writers are all good at finding something to do instead of what needs to be done when it comes to writing. Procrastinating. Or clutching comfort instead of challenge.

So how about you? Have you opened your gift? Do you compare yourself to others in ways other than to grow? Are you afraid to risk rejection or bleed on the page? Are you just plain lazy? Are you using your gift to its full potential so others can enjoy and benefit from it?

How to Capture Shower Ideas

2010-03-10T09:31:00.003-05:00

They pelt my head like little needles. Batter my brain. Tease me.

Sometimes I see them dancing on shampoo bubbles. They dart in the shallows like little minnows and nibble at my toes. Then they swirl away. Gone. Down the drain.

Sometimes they laugh at me and leap over the edge. I jump out after them. Naked. Water drips everywhere. I try to lasso them with toilet paper, stick them to the windowsill with toothpaste, or seal them in the mirror steam. I chase them through the house, grab a pen/pencil/crayon/knife, and write/carve on whatever is closest--a napkin, a newspaper, a bill, a table, a wall.

Yes. It's the Secret of the Shower. That place where words and ideas gather in the pipes to plan the next attack on an unprepared writer.

But no more! Shock and awe soon to commence. I will win the Battle of the Brain Drain with new high-tech weaponry!

At first I considered a permanent marker to write directly on my body.

Then I considered bathtub markers.

Supposedly they wash off easily. But I have better things to do that clean my tub/shower/walls/ceiling. Like write. Anyway, some reviewers claim they can still stain. Scratch that idea.

And then a friend suggested something that her forester husband uses. She wrote:

"I was right. There are notebooks out there for your shower reveries.

"Rite in the Rain" brand notepads with a coating on the paper making possible to write clear, readable notes even during a rainstorm. Pocket-sized, spiral bound notebooks are $4 to $5, depending on the exact dimensions you would prefer. They also have traditional paper sizes, and even computer printer paper for printing charts that won't run or ruin.

The source: Ben Meadows catalog. 800-241-6401. OR benmeadows.com.

Order number: JBO 32311 or JBO 32310, depending on if you want to put it into a big pocket or a small one.

(Side note: I don't have pockets in the shower. Is that TMI?)

Now, as I was relating my unusual request to my husband, my grown kids were hanging on every word and making conversation impossible with:

Oh, I know! She could just put a tape recorder in her bathroom and as she got ideas, she could just sing them into it, sorta like singing in the shower, or even singing in the rain!!!!!!! Sighs. Guess you had to be there. I could hardly speak for laughing.

So there you go--everything my whole family knows, delivered to your door with a smile."

They even have special pens! So a writer can capture every sense of a rainstorm--in the middle of the storm!

Thanks, Katharine!

And then I found this product.

Maybe a little more pricey, but with suction cups for pad and pen!

So there you go. No more ideas down the drain!

Both products on order. I'll let you know what works best. So glad my husband bought me a new hot water heater for my 60th birthday.

Now does anyone manufacture a waterproof computer?

How do you capture shower ideas?

Wordless Recreation for Writers

2010-03-08T10:03:00.004-05:00

"Too much reading is very bad indeed."

Yep, you read that right.

That's what Dorothea Brande said in her classic book, Becoming a Writer.

Say what?

She says writers tend to take too many "busmen's holidays." In other words, they tend to spend their "off time" doing writing-related activities (such as reading or talking shop), like a bus driver who takes a bus tour for a vacation.

And how many of us tether ourselves to computers and cell phones on "vacations," unable to totally relax?

How many of us are addicted to multitasking?

We all seem to have a little trouble in the relaxation department or chilling in a ring of silence.

"A certain amount of shop talk is valuable; too much of it is a drain. And too much reading is very bad indeed."

Too much reading? How can that be?

Ms. Brande says all of us, writers or not, are so used to words we can't escape them.

And she wrote this book in 1934!

If we starve ourselves long enough in a wordless void, we'll eventually start talking to ourselves. We'll start feeding ourselves words.

We can test it by spending some time alone. Resist books, papers, magazines, and the telephone. Turn off the TV. Shut down the computer.

When one is "sentenced to silence," words and ideas clamor for attention.

If you want to stimulate yourself into writing, Ms. Brande says, amuse yourself in wordless ways.

And don't be in a hurry to reengage.

Before long you'll find that "words have rushed in to fill the wordless vaccum."

She talked of one friend who used to lie out in the back garden and stare at the sky--until some family member came to join him for a chat.

"Sooner or later, he himself would begin to talk about the work he had in mind, and, to his astonishment, he discovered that the urgent desire to write the story disappeared as soon as he had got it thoroughly talked out."

So then he disappeared to a park bench every day and stared at pigeons for two hours.

Taking two full hours every day might be too stressful for most of us, but for a least a little while every day we could pursue wordlessness.

Listen to a symphony orchestra or sound tracks or "spa" music.
Take a long walk.
Ride a horse or a bike.
Play some solitaire (or Bejeweled Blitz!)
Do some kind of needlework or craft.
Whittle.
Fish.
Watch clouds.
Noodle on a harp (!) or other instrument.
Sort some pictures.
Take a long bath or shower.
Swim.
Sit on a beach or a dock.
Color a picture.
Paddle a boat.
Rock in a chair or seek out a swing.
Throw pebbles in a lake.
Plant some flowers, weed, mow the grass.
Wash windows, fold clothes, scrub floors, or paint walls. (Come do mine. I'll be quiet.)

Rhythmic activity. Monotonous activity.

Alone. Wordless.

She says books, theaters, and "talking pictures" (I suppose that means movies and TV today) should be very rarely indulged in when you have any piece of writing to finish.

" . . . it is to be noticed that successful writers, when talking about themselves as writers, say little about curling up in a corner with a good book. Much as they may love reading (and all authors would rather read than eat), they had all learned from long experience that it is the wordless occupation which sets their own minds busily at work."

To put it another way, we need to spend more time pursuing wordlessness so words can pursue us!

"Too much reading is very bad indeed."

How are you at spending "quiet time.?"

What wordless recreation stimulates words and ideas for you?

How Do You Track Article Submissions?

2010-03-05T09:46:00.001-05:00

Tracking submissions the old-fashioned way

I excavated some memories from deep within the burial grounds of an old filing cabinet. Here's an example of how I used to track article submissions. This little devotional (saved on white carbon tissue) had some adventures and ultimately found a home at Living With Hope for a grand payment of $9.00. At 20 cents to mail and 20 cents for a SASE, I would have made a grand total of $7.00 for about 300 words.

I say "would have" because the magazine went out of business before publishing the article, and I never heard from them again.

Rejected and Accepted

Anyway, this is how I tracked those early submissions. And I used different colored stickers on the files--yellow for still brewing, green for traveling, red for crash and burn, and blue for an acceptance. A blue letter day! And a gold star when the piece published and I got paid.

So now that I'm gearing up again in the high tech age, I need a new system--although to be honest, I still kind of like this old way. But since I'm planning to write a lot of little ditties in addition to working on my books, and since I'm all about decluttering and the simple life, I need a little help from my friends.

P.S. My blogs are a little out of control, too. I started by creating Word documents and pasting into Blogger. But now, I create right in Blogger and don't always remember to save. I'm gonna get burned soon if I don't straighten up and fly right, as my mom used to tell me.

So how do you track your article submissions?

Classic Medical Bloopers

2010-03-03T15:00:00.000-05:00

The church bulletin bloopers posted over at Author Culture last week inspired me to collect some from the medical world. Luckily we know the true meanings. Or do we?

1. Apparently the next day she developed this rash on her hands, and the feet had gone away.

2. The patient left the hospital feeling much better except for her original complaint.

3. She slipped on the ice and apparently her legs went in separate directions in early December.

4. The patient has been depressed ever since she began seeing me in 1983.

5. On the second day the knee was better and on the third day it had completely gone away.

6. The patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.

7. Patient was alert and unresponsive.

8. Past medical history significant for a basal cell carcinoma on her head which was removed recently.

9. She fell and hit her left forearm against a rock which remains painful and swollen today.

10. The patient fell while rollerblading on his left hand.

11. The patient had a similar episode in the past when she was exposed to cats with severe wheezing.

12. She lost her cool this week and apparently blew up her husband and her daughter.

13. She sometimes has difficulty initiating her legs to start a walk.

14. She is ambulatory with her father at discharge, who happily sucks a popsicle.

15. The patient lives at home with his mother, father, and pet turtle, who is presently enrolled in day care three times a week.

16. By the time he was admitted, his rapid heart had stopped, and he was feeling much better.

17. The patient refused an autopsy.

18. When she fainted, her eyes rolled around the room.

19. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.

20. Patient was alert and unresponsive.

The Green Card

2010-03-01T07:19:00.000-05:00

Note: This is a repost from my Beholding God blog.

In the bottom drawer of a file cabinet, I just discovered a thick folder filled with "poems and inspiration." I thumbed through it as I searched for examples to use in my message for ladies Bible study. Out fell this green card.

It's signed "Beverly." My brain strains toward a faint recollection of a women's speaker who visited our little church in Tampa. I cannot remember the article she speaks of.

The card sports a push pin hole, so it must have once resided on a bulletin board for inspiration and encouragement. I think it deserves a frame now.

I heart this card, and I breathe a prayer of thanksgiving for Beverly, for BBA, who took the time to send it and affirms me once again--25 years in the future.

"Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." ~1 Thessalonians 5:11

"And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone." ~1Thessalonians 5:14

How have you been encouraged in your writing? How have you encouraged another? Who will you encourage today?

4 Tips From a 7-Year-Old to Keep Bum in Chair

2010-02-26T13:12:00.000-05:00

Gracee has a problem with focus and staying in her second-grade seat.

I say she's observant and creative.

She also talks a lot.

I say she's social.

The psychologist says she has clinical ADD. Attention time for something not particularly interesting?

Five minutes.

Tops.

I help out in her class on Thursday mornings, reading with the kids or taking them to a quiet place to work on unfinished papers. Gracee usually runs to greet me. Yesterday she barely glanced up and went back to work.

She was "on the clock."

What changed to keep her bum in chair?

1. She now wears a wrist coil. She can twist and pull on it when she feels the need to get up or just needs to think.

2. She has a stress ball to squeeze when she needs to sit still and listen.

3. She has a "special" seat facing the wall to help decrease classroom distractions when she needs to stay on task.

4. She uses a timer to help her complete her work in a timely manner.

I thought the timer would add more stress. Tick. Tick. Tick. But she loves it!

The teacher uses a behavior card system that runs from green to blue to yellow to orange to red to black. Increasing consequences are attached as the colors progress, from owing recess minutes to missing out on special activities to calling home. Gracee has hit black before--mostly for talking.

Yesterday, Thursday, I noticed her card was still green!

I'm thinking these techniques might help me keep my own writing bum in chair. Maybe I can even use my own card system during writing time.

Up to rummage for food? Blue.

Up to go out and check snail mail? Yellow.

Up to check out the latest cable news? Orange.

Up to replenish the chocolate dish? Red.

Short on the day's word count? Black!

Maybe I need to set a timer, put a coil on my wrist, close the shade, and fill the candy dish with a stress ball.

How do you keep your bum in your chair when you are supposed to be writing?

Book Review - Crave by Chris Tomlinson

2010-02-24T17:30:00.001-05:00

I know a little about craving.

Chocolate. Chips. Chocolate chips. Chocolate-covered chips.

But Crave is about another kind of craving. More satisfying. A craving that consumes.

Chris writes, "This longing, this deep-seated craving for more and more of God, is slowly consuming my life."

Chris is funny, deep, and writes with unsettling honesty. He says what some of us think but don't dare allow ourselves to believe we think let alone say out loud.

He writes about flossing teeth and picking up trash and not liking people much. He writes about Twin Draft Guards and rulers with no rules. He writes about smiling shoeless kids and talks about trading the "God of the universe for a god of green sticky notes." He reminds us that none of us are empty, that we all fill our cups with something, and that sometimes might be food, like chocolate, because we believe that "a bad day melts away with a bit of chocolate." Ouch. He talks about the Israelites craving the meat of comfort as opposed to following the God who delivered them.

The story of Brother Yun continues to haunt me, and I wonder if my fasting spirit sometimes looks like his shriveled body after a 70-day physical fast.

This is an easy read and a hard read. Chris prods, and he pokes. He's intensified my craving for the bread of life instead of those things that don't last.

I'll pick this book up again and again.

You can catch up with Chris here:
Crave Something More
Twitter
Facebook

Crave: Wanting So Much More of God (First 3 Chapters)

NOTE: Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Harvest House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Research Resource--Ancestry.com

2010-02-20T11:34:00.002-05:00

Illness tackled me for the last couple weeks. In my better moments, I amused myself by doing a little research for my Putty Grampa books.

I have a 16-stanza poem that my great-great grandfather wrote about his life as a shanty boy.

I have a piece of wallpaper from a family farmhouse.

I have my father's fleeting memory of a red leather chair in that farmhouse and of his mother describing a forest fire while aboard a train.

I have my father's memories of attending square dances with Henry Ford where his grandfather played the hammered dulcimer.

We still have that dulcimer, and another that was played in logging camps.

We have a handful of old pictures.

My dad's memory going very far back is wispy.

So I turned to ancestry.com. And found some very cool stuff, such as my great-grandfather's draft card, a picture of my great-great-great grandfather and his wife. I found occupations and moves and discovered that my family often took in boarders. I found that I could coordinate my grandmother's memory with one of the great fires that devastated Michigan. I even found out why my great-great grandfather was called "the putty grampa." My dad didn't know.

I signed up for a free trial membership, but I'm having so much fun that I've gone ahead to pay month by month.

The latest census records available are from 1930. But it seems to me if you needed some prompts for an historical novel, you might pick up some ideas from this site. Choose a name, any name, and see where it leads you. Then change names and build a character.

P.S. To my mother and sister who may read this. Mum's the word. Dad's birthday is coming up.

What do you do to jog your creative juices?

Forensics & Faith: Five Reasons Why the Unpublished Can Stop Writing

2010-02-16T18:15:00.002-05:00

"Has life and disappointment caused you to shove your writing aside? Enjoy your time off. It's all part of your journey."

"The real writers always return to writing."

Having set my writing aside for so many years, I dig this post by Brandilyn Collins!

Forensics & Faith: Five Reasons Why the Unpublished Can Stop Writing

Mary DeMuth: One Word/One Line Interview

2010-02-11T16:20:00.000-05:00

Mary's in the kitchen cooking up spaghetti sauce today in the midst of a hectic schedule. While she attends to her writing and various family needs, bloggers battle for interviews. Thin Places officially released this week to rave reviews, one of which can be found here.

At any rate, I elbowed my way through the crowd and begged for just five minutes to do a quick, light-hearted (almost) interview. And just a taste from the crockpot. Yum.

Mary DeMuth in One Word (sometimes two)

1. When you are hanging around the house, what is most likely to be on your feet?

   Fuzzy socks.

2. Your pastor friend says you have an "overactive conscience." What would he say is underactive?

   My positivity.

3. What is your favorite kitchen item?

     KitchenAide.

4. When you are at the beach, do you prefer to splash, walk, or bake?

      Bake.

5. Would you prefer a country, folk, or hip-hop tune.

      None.

6. Are you usually early, late, or on time?

     On time.

7. Who is your favorite comedian (living or dead)?

     Brian Regan.

8. Would you rather play first string on a losing team or second string on a winning team?

      Second.

9. Would you prefer a sporty convertible, an SUV, or a pick-up truck?

      Convertible!

10. What one-word message do you want people to take away from Thin Places?

      Hope.

Mary DeMuth in One Line

1. If you were not a writer, what would you be and why?

I'd own a bakery because I love to bake and make people feel at home.

2. What is the best advice you ever received?

      Find gifts in others.

3. What kind of horse did you have, and what was its name?

      Thoroughbred-Morgan; her name was Epic.

4. Which historical person would you like to meet and why?

      Jesus, just to touch Him.

5. What is the hardest part about writing a memoir?

      Being afraid of what people will think.

6. Besides the lack of advertising, what was your favorite thing about France?

      The food and lifestyle.

7. What is your favorite quote?

      "Suffering keeps swelling our feet so earth's shoes don't fit." ~Joni Earekson Tada

8. Which of your five senses would be worst to lose and why?

     Sight, because I'm already clumsy.

9. What is your favorite children's book and why?

      The Little Engine That Could because it typifies my life; I keep going.

10. What is something you like to do to treat yourself?

      Lunch with a friend.

Mary DeMuth on One Thing

What one thing would you like to say to your readers or future readers?

That Jesus is capable and willing to heal you from the darkest secrets.

What one thing would you like to say to your fellow writers or aspiring writers?

Tenacity is what differentiates between the published and unpublished.

Here are some places where you can catch up with Mary

Mary's Website

Mary's Writing Blog

Mary's Cooking Blog

You can also follow her on Twitter and on Facebook.

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Book Review - Thin Places by Mary DeMuth

2010-02-06T18:29:00.003-05:00

I wanted to scoop up the 5-year-old Mary and cradle her in my arms, along with every other young innocent. I wanted to throttle those who stole her innocence. I clutched the book to my heart.

I wept.

And yet redemption and grace and beauty shine through the pain. And forgiveness in spite of the pain.

From Amazing Grave to Amazing Life, Mary courageously bares her life and her heart as she recounts the thin places in her life. Snatches of time where she caught gossamer glimpses of God at work in every circumstance. Even though she wasn't able to see Him at the time.

Perhaps God chose Mary for such a time as this. To come alongside the way-too many who struggle with the aftereffects of childhood sexual abuse. To come alongside those who feel rejected and neglected, shamed and blamed. Those who live in fear and frustration.Who feel they take up too much room. Who strive to fill their fatherless holes or stretch for perfection or search for approval in all the wrong places and in all the wrong ways. Who need to have control. Who need to find rest.

Mary does not offer easy answers. But she offers hope. She realizes that painful memories can be thin places and that comfort can come from El Roi, the God who sees. She is a "wrestling pilgrim, following painstakingly after Jesus, one who has experienced the "kiss of the King." She wants you to know that Jesus is near even in the most horrific circumstances and that He can bring beauty out of ashes.

I read this book twice in a week. And I found myself pondering my own thin places. And praying that because of my own failings, my children and other loved ones will also catch a glimpse of the holy.

Caution: Do not start this book if you only have time to read for thirty minutes. You will not be able to put it down.

Attention writers: This is a spiritual memoir published by Zondervan. Watch how Mary pulls her story together. Consider her use of tense and verbs. Revel in the music of her prose.

Copyright © 2009 by Sandra Heska King

NOTE: Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review - The Search for God and Guinness by Stephen Mansfield

2010-02-03T10:08:00.001-05:00

I didn't know. Seriously. I bought a sweatshirt at a harp festival. It was oversized and warm and had harps on it. I tried to find out what a Guinness harp was. No luck.

I wore the shirt everywhere. My daughter asked me why I was advertising beer.

And then I heard of this book--The Search for God and Guinness by Stephen Mansfield.

God and beer? And harps? Of course, I had to read it, even though I don't much care for beer.

In the mid-1700s Arthur Guinness "walked the streets of Dublin pleading with God to do something about the drunkenness on the streets of Ireland."

He believed he heard God speak, "Make a drink that men will drink that will be good for them."

This is a deeply researched book and far from a fast read, but I learned much--such as the history of beer in general and Guinness stout in particular. I learned about health aspects of beer and that "beer, well respected and rightly consumed, can be a gift of God." The book transported me back into Irish history, including into the middle of the potato famine devastation.

I learned how a company reached out to the working poor, the sick, the helpless, and the hopeless. Employee benefits during the 1920s were unparalleled. Companies of today should take note.

I also discovered a family of deep faith and strong bonds, a family who came together in good times and in bad. I learned that Luther, Calvin, Edwards, and the Wesleys had what some might consider surprising attitudes toward alcohol. And I learned that Henry Grattan Guinness, Arthur's grandson, has been called the Billy Graham of the nineteenth century. And that Hudson Taylor was also a "part of the Guinness story."

If you love beer, Ireland, history, the poor, the sick, you'll love this book. If you love God, you'll love this book. And if you don't, you might after you read it.

And now I'm content that when I wear my sweatshirt, I'm not just advertising beer. I'm also advertising God.

Copyright © 2009 by Sandra Heska King

NOTE: Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Afeared of Writing

2010-01-29T14:49:00.001-05:00

Yep, I'm a little afeared of writing.

A little.

Afeared of being rejected. But then. Not really.

I sold life insurance once. I'm tough. Of course, that gig didn't last long.

But I do get enough feedback to think I don't totally stink.

Afeared of being accepted and how that would affect the simpler life I long for.

Afeared I won't make enough money to keep me from going back to "work," even though I do have a supportive "sugar daddy."

Afeared that I will lose interest with anything longer than a blog post.

Afeared that I will start what I don't finish.

The woman of fizzling interests.

Afeared that I will spend too much time writing and ignore other important things. It's already happening.

Afeared that I will run out of time to sing all my songs now that I've entered my "golden years."

Afeared that I will share too much of my WIP, and it will lose its magic or (GASP!) get stolen.

Right!

Afeared that I won't share enough of my WIP.

Cuz I need help! Big time!

I'm not afraid of nonfiction. Devotionals. It's easy for me to behold God in the mundane. It's easy for me to tie spiritual meanings to earthly things. I can weave thought rags into colorful word rugs.

At least I think so.

Someone else may disagree.

I'm not afraid to "write naked." In fact, my family probably wishes I wasn't so "bare."

But I'm afraid if I become too well known (HAHAHAHAHA!), skeletons shoved in the closet depths will tumble out before their bones are dry.

It's why I would never let hubby run for public office.

Yep, I'm cool when it comes to nonfiction.

I think when it comes to fiction, though, I'm afraid to let my imagination loose. Afraid of loosing control. Afraid of where it might carry me. I've frisked those thoughts so many times, tied them up in the corral, took away their grain, let them languish in the shadows.

I might be a little afraid that others will talk amongst themselves. What DOES go on in her mind? Where does she come UP with this stuff?

Although I s'pose that can be a good thing.

So I'm cracking the stall door. Praying that the Creator of creative thoughts will guide my thoughts within His creative boundaries. That my story and character arcs will reach for Him, bow toward Him, and find hope and redemption in Him. That the pot of gold at the end of every story will reflect Him.

Nope. I ain't afeared.

What are you afraid of?

The Arkeology of Writing

2010-01-27T14:52:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about Noah's ark and writing.

A handful of characters shut into a setting and set asea. A few conflicts tossed in to stir up noise and smell up the place. A window for the reader to observe the action. And finally, the story comes to rest. The author opens the door and lets the characters out, maybe to eventually be shut up in another setting.

Noah built the ark in three levels. As I study this fiction thing, I see that authors often build in threes.

Setup, Confrontation, Resolution.
Theme, Plot, Growth.
Development, Plot, Pace.
Beginning, Middle, End.
Rising Action, Reversals, Recognition.
Complication, Conflict, Climax.
Characters, Plot, Dialogue.
Story, Substance, Structure.
Three-Dimensional Characters.

I've also been thinking about character arc--how a character grows during a story, either changes or realizes affirmation. Kind of reminds me of a rainbow. Like Noah, minding his own business, doing whatever Noah did until he got "the call." Challenge and conflict set in motion. A life storm. Rising tension. And then the bright colors of resolution and promise at the end of the storm.

And in my study, I found this article and inspiring video on Steadfast Main Characters.

Can you think of any analogies between writing and Noah's ark?

Book Review - Faces in the Fire by T.L. Hines

2010-01-23T13:12:00.001-05:00

(Originally posted on Beholding God on 08/17/09)

Faces in the Fire (published by Thomas Nelson) was my introduction to the work of T.L. Hines. The book pulled me in immediately, but it took me a few chapters to realize that they, the chapters, were all mixed up, disjointed, and set within stanzas that served to separate the stories within the story. I also noticed the shadows of handwritten titles and chapter numbers behind the printed ones. That in itself was intriguing, and although this is a fiction suspense thriller, described as “noir bizarre,” I found myself underlining character quotes, phrases, symbols, names, and other bits of information—trying to put pieces of the puzzle together. I finished the book a few days ago, but it continues to haunt me.

“Sometimes as humans, we need to move backwards before we can move forward.”

Faces in the Fire revolves around 4 characters. Kurt is the truck driver/sculptor who can’t remember his past but is haunted by ghosts. Corinne is the e-mail spammer diagnosed with lymphoma who embraces the basement of her past. Grace is the tattoo artist/heroin addict running from her past, and Stan is the hit man who is a prisoner of his past.

In a sense, the book reminded me a little of the concept of 6 degrees of separation. The lives of major and even minor characters are “coincidentally” intertwined through their attempts to find some sense of identity and significance. Threads of numbers, catfish, ghosts, shoes, locked doors, fire, human and supernatural touch and voices run throughout.

This is an easy read and will appeal to anyone who wants to sit on the edge of their seat, continually turn just one more page, and be surprised in the end. It’s a great, yet weird, story with loose ends attached--much like our own lives, often disjointed and frayed at the edges, with shadows of the past that we can choose to embrace or overcome in time.

I saw hope, redemption, and freedom for those facing the fires of life, those who have been burned, and even “bottom feeders” when grace knocks on the door and is invited in. We can find our true face, and old things can indeed become new.

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Arc? What's an Arc?

2010-01-21T22:12:00.006-05:00

Snady was in her office, typing away, creating a few posts for her blog there. She was a good devotional writer.

Clickity-clack. Clickity-clack. Clickity-clack.

DING!

Snady!

Somebody call?

Clickity-clack. Clickity-clack. Clickity-clack.

DING!

Snady!

Who is that?

It's the Lord--Snady.

Right. Where are ya? Whaddya want? I been good. Sorta.

I want you. to build. an arc.

A boat? You want me to build a boat? But that's already been done.

No. I want you to build an a-r-c.

Right. What's an a-r-c?

Look it up.

Flip, flip, flip.

The dictionary says an "arc" is a curve forming part of a circle, like a bow.

Umm . . .You want me to build a bow?

Been there. Done that. (Genesis 9:13-16)

Look a little further.

Google. Google. Google.

Here's something called a "character arc" and a drawing that looks like the St. Louis Arch and . . .

Uh oh. Wait a minute. Lord, this is starting to sound like fiction. You don't want me to write (gulp) fiction. Umm . . . do you?

Bingo! I want you to build a story, some stories. It won't be easy, but you're too comfortable where you are. It'll be an uphill climb, a wild ride, and you'll struggle. A lot. But you will grow in the process. And one day you'll be comfortable again.

Trust me. Still.

GULP! Again.

Study, study, study.

Hmm. This character arc stuff seems kind of important. Next time I'll share some things I discovered.

In the meantime, enjoy this Bill Cosby video.

Question: Are you too comfortable where you are right now?

7 Writing Tips From a 7-Year-Old

2010-01-18T22:55:00.001-05:00

Reposting this from my other blog because--well, because it belongs here. And I needed the refresher.

Sometimes--no, often--Gracee amazes me with insightful words. Lately she has dispensed writing advice with wisdom beyond second grade. Who needs to attend a writers' conference when you have a live-in mentor?

Here are 7 of her tips.

1. Think of your story as a gift. Put lots of excitement in the box. Make it fun to read.

2. Have a central idea. Put it on the back cover because that's what authors do.

3. Add description (detail words).

No: I got my ears pierced.

Yes: My mom took me to a little store called Claire's in the mall to get my ears pierced for my seventh birthday.

4. Use dialogue (talking words).

No: I was nervous.

Yes: "Mom," I said. "Hold my hand because I'm kind of nervous."

5. Use lots of action (energy words)

No: I sat in the chair.

Yes: I climbed up on a tall stool, kicked my legs back and forth and bit my lower lip.

6. Use expression (feeling words).

No: It was over.

Yes: I felt proud when it was over and smiled big when I saw my earrings in the mirror, even though one giant tear floated in my right eye.

7. Use onomatopoeia (noise words). Yes, she said this!

No: The gun was loud.

Yes: Bang! Bang! The gun shot an earring into each ear, and I did not jump.

A Writing Room of My Own--A Tour

2010-01-16T20:11:00.004-05:00

It's not exactly a palace.

But it's a step up from the pit. With a penthouse view. Where I can look down on the fields.

I used to work in the dungeon. The furnace room. In the basement. Where I could look up at some face staring at me. A possum. A woodchuck. A raccoon. A skunk. Or a cat. Some critter that sought refuge under our porch. Nose pressed to window. Only one made it inside, though. King Kobe.

Now I work two floors up. In the room where my son slept for 20-plus years. In the room where my husband slept for 20-plus years. At the top of the house. On the north side of this 150-plus-year-old farmhouse. Where it gets cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Where the floor slopes just so, so that I often have to hook my leg around the desk leg when I work to keep from rolling out the door and down the stairs.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

But it's mine. All mine! A real writing studio. I'm on top of the world.

And I don't need to worry about looking up to see a face out the window. I only have to worry about jumping out the window if my heater or fan or 'puter or another of my many electrical devices catches fire. Or if someone sneaks up behind me while I'm engrossed in my writing world.

There's a bit more clutter here than you'd expect given the dump truck mentality I've described in my other blog. But almost everything has some meaning and provides inspiration.

Let me take you on a brief tour. Or not so brief.

Welcome. This is what you would see as you enter.

I spend hours in this chair. Notice the paraffin bath under the desk? Great way to pamper and work at the same time! By the way, I hate cords!

My reading place, also known as the pansy corner. "Pansy" was my father-in-law's pet name for his wife.

This is actually a porch rocker from Cracker Barrel--oh so comfy!

This picture hangs above my rocker. A family friend painted it in 1997. She took painting classes after her husband died, and I think she must have been in her 70s when she did this. I've noted many of her paintings in stores around my hometown, and this reminds me that you are never too old to pursue your dreams.

My dad created this relief carving and the pansy letter opener. (He carves canes, too.) It reminds me that God has placed a gene of creativity within me, actually from both parents since my mom has penned some fun poems.

I had to hang this with the rest of the pansies. It reminds me of the wonderful gifts God has given us in our children--in His time and in His way.

What I see as I sit at my desk. I might catch a glimpse of deer or a fox. Once we even saw a coyote chasing deer. And I can watch Gracee as she plays.

Binoculars stand ready for a wildlife closeup!

My son made the clay project in Sunday School. The lamb was a gift to him from our adult Sunday School class when he was baptized. A reminder to let the Good Shepherd guide me in all I write. Well, actually in everything!

A little prayer corner.

Another Sunday School project. This time my husband's--probably over 50 years ago.

The view from the prayer corner, facing east.

I love to chair fly to the bookcase. Not all my books are here. There are two identical cases downstairs as well as on a wall in another room and in cabinets in the garage. Most books escaped the declutter brigade. I'm thinking the white boxes on the top right shelf will be perfect for storing manuscripts. (Will they each hold 90,000 words?) The three white magazine boxes on the left hold research material for my works in progress. The fourth one on the right and the white notebook hold current Bible study materials. The books on that shelf are ones I'm planning to review. I've already written reviews for those on the bottom. The white box on the second shelf, right bookcase, holds material related to the Bible study I'm currently teaching.

Closeup of a picture done by a local artist, Jesus and children. The caption reads, "A merry heart doeth good medicine." It reminds me to be childlike in my faith.

I cross-stitched this back in 1983.

Moving now to my desk . . .

The Lord is my shepherd! Hangs above my computer.

Chocolate for energy! I use the colored Twistables for marking my Bible. The dogwood reminds me of Georgia (we lived there three times) and of Jesus because of the legend that is attached to the dogwood.

My sister gave me "A Quiet Moment" (Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus) that sits on top of this antique spool cabinet that houses supplies. I seldom watch the TV, but the Worship Network shows some awesome nature videos combined with scripture and music.

Moleskine planner and notebook. I keep another notebook in my purse. Great for capturing notes, last forever, and make me feel like a real writer. Purchased at Barnes & Noble.

And, of course, my bookworm pen.

Compassion International! Releasing children from poverty, in Jesus' name.

A sheep bank to remind me I can actually make money doing something I love. And an aromatherapy candle. Serenity!

Another drawing by local artist, Barbara Bosworth. Amazing Grace! "And you shall call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:20.

"The draped ribbon joining these images symbolizes our common need of God's Saving Grace forming the name of the one who alone can offer such . . . Jesus."

Can you see His name?

She also incorporated lambs in the composition to represent the parable of the Good Shepherd.

"Fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine." Isaiah 43:1

Given to me by my Precept class more than 25 years ago. This verse has carried me through many trials and doubts.

From my daughter.

From my son. Turn it on for light, shimmering water, and the sounds of birds.

This is a Homedics sound machine that plays sounds of a rainforest, ocean, thunder, a summer night, a waterfall, and rain. Currently I have a CD playing "soothing sounds of the Native American flute." I also play "spa sounds" of Celtic harp and hammered dulcimer. At some point I'll try some soundtracks. I'm just getting used to having music while I work. One of the white boxes holds music CD's and the other holds photo and backup CDs.

Last, but not least, this floor register provides heat. The animals like to lie over it.

I supplement with an electric heater on my feet, so the paraffin bath is a necessity!

And that concludes today's tour.

I'm glad you stayed until the end, and I wish we could sit down and have a cup of tea--or coffee--together and share a bit of chocolate. Maybe next time.

My writing "studio" is a work in progress. My writing is a work in progress. I am a work in progress!

Where do you write?

In Pursuit,

Sandy

In Pursuit---An Introduction

2010-01-13T19:20:00.001-05:00

I missed out on a late-night conversation during the holidays. My sister apparently told my daughter and niece that I am a woman of many interests. That I throw myself into something and then abandon it when something else grabs my attention.

That might just have been a nice way of describing me as fickle. But then she told them that I always came back to writing.

She's got that straight. Sisters are smart like that. Especially younger and wiser ones. She reads me.

Lots of pursuits entailing lots of supplies entailing lots of money. Sometimes even making money.

Lots of hobbies. Soapmaking, quilting, antiquing, decorating, organic and vegetarian cooking. For starters.

Lots of jobs. Nursing, transcribing, editing, selling. For starters.

But it always comes back to writing. And reading, too. The pursuit of words. Tasting and tumbling sounds and syllables. Delighting in the perfect phrase. Making music with the alphabet. A passionate pursuit in the midst of pursuits.

I can't remember not writing in some form.

I loved Bambi so much that I brought the book home from the school library and attempted to copy it with a pencil.

I wrote long letters to my aunt who was a cloistered nun. Some were in journal form inspired by Jo from the Little Women.

Once I wrote a Nancy Drew type story where I was the heroine and captured bad guys down by the lake. I sent it to a local newspaper, just like Jo. It came back with a written rejection, and I burned both.

My parents took me to a Tigers game when I graduated from eighth grade. I wrote a poem about the game (the Tigers beat the Yankees) and sent it to George Kell and Ernie Harwell along with an autograph book. I don't know what they did with the poem. They didn't return it. But they did return the autograph book, and every player had signed it, including Al Kaline. A couple years later, I decided that was childish. And I burned it.

Sigh.

In the 80's I took a writing course through the Christian Writer's Institute with Esther Vogt as my instructor. I went to a CWI conference and started to submit articles. Some were actually accepted, and I made a little money. I wrote and edited a church newsletter.

During this time, I also dug deep in the Word, inductively, and led Precept classes. I taught. I spoke. I overcommitted to good stuff.

And then came pain. Infertility. Pregnancy loss. Children adopted in our mid and late thirties. More joy and more pain. A granddaughter born to a single mom. Challenges. Dark nights of the soul. Wilderness times. Mountaintop moments. Emotional and spiritual growth.

And then near total burnout. Overwhelmed. Living life in frantic fragments with a blurred focus. I was tempermental and moody.

And restless with a deep desire to have my time, my work, my life, stamped with eternity.

I quit my job to regain my balance. I began to dig out of the rubble.

Dorothea Brande in her book, Becoming a Writer, says of a writer that "the moods and tempers, when they actually exist, are symptoms of the artist's personality gone wrong--running off into waste effort and emotional exhaustion."

So maybe my moods, my crankiness, my overwhelmed state were really a result of being overwhelmed with the wrong things? I'm certainly as busy or busier now as then and am much more overwhelmed with joy.

Ms. Brande also talks about arranging "affairs and relations so that they help you instead of hinder you on your way toward the goal you have chosen."

Or that was chosen for me?

At any rate, once I started the decluttering of heart, home, and head, I began to hear more clearly. A whisper. A faint rumble. A call. The call. Passion reawakened.

The right pursuit. The write pursuit. Placed in my heart by the One whom I pursue. With Whom I want to be right.

So today I spin this blog off Beholding God, which I started late last summer. That one simmered with an eclectic flavor. But now it will be mostly devotional and personal.

I hope The Write Pursuit will appeal to readers and writers, those also in pursuit of words. I'll focus on my writing journey, book reviews, author interviews, maybe some guest blogs, and writing tips as I learn them.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you'll come back, and I hope you'll find some encouragement for your own journey.

P.S. The pen above is a bookworm pen, a Christmas gift from my sister. The perfect gift for a reader/writer. You can find it and others here.

In pursuit,
Sandy

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King