Man, I love going to church.
In addition to the obvious, for the feeding of my soul, I love that bad church coffee. I don't necessarily go to enjoy the flavor of the black liquid. No, it's the coffee hour that caffeinates my being.
Those old folks at church coffee know where it's at, I'm telling you right now. I have been more entertained at church coffee hour than at any movieplex in the nation. The retired officers' wives at the army post taught me everything I ever needed to remember, in case they ever matched me with bachelor brass, and these days, the hometown heroes entertain me with anecdotes that are on the edge of unbelievable.
This precious 83-year-old lady (and she was a lady, let me tell you) looked me square across the table tonight, at the last Wednesday supper before Lent, after making me laugh out loud in the Great Hall, and said, "you may use THAT in one of your stories."
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Monday, January 6, 2014
Dotted Lines
The wind is howling, the ground is a treacherous ice rink, and the windchill below the donut would freeze eyeballs in only a few breaths, so it's only natural to be dreaming of summer vacation.
When I was a kid, we would load up the Oldsmobile and cruise out to the mountains or Lake Superior for two weeks every bloomin' summer. That meant two solid weeks of my brother reaching across the backseat and pounding charley horses into my thigh. The reward was typically an ice cream cone. We're not talkin' soft serve in a drive-thru. Our destinations were always these really cool mountain tourist towns, that smelled of leather and horses, and there would be REAL ICE CREAM there. I vowed that when I grew up, I wanted to live in a tourist town like that. Horse neck is one of my favorite smells. Take a whiff. You'll sense what I mean.
Maybe, while I'm huddled up under three blankets and trying to finish the next book, I just really, irrationally, want ice cream. Perhaps I want to move to some Wild West town that smells of leather. I'm not too worried about the ice. After all, it always gets warmer. Eventually.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
#onit
"Get to work!" were my friend's words.
And I obliged. I opened the file, scrolled down, got caught up in my own story for a bit, then... THUD.
Concrete wall. Now what? Well, I shimmied into the kitchen to warm up my coffee, swung by the office to restart the Yanni CD, and threw a napkin in the garbage. Put my hair in a ponytail, applied some balm to my lips, since the air has been so dry, and while I was at it, some lotion to my hands and neck.
Writer's block.
I wondered what was happening in another of my tales? I opened up Book #6? Whoop, sure enough. That heroine needed some attitude, and I had HAD IT. After about 500 words or so, I was ready to return to Book #2, which is still pretty sweet, but has some spark.
There are people who read several things at once, and keep them all straight and separate. I write that way. You'll see. Besides, when one main character needs strength, I like to think she can get it from another, as if they are all friends. I can call up my friends and tell them when I need strength, or coffee, or a prayer, and they will most likely show up at my house with any of these things, and some extra thrown in.
I have the best people on earth within my reach and whisper, it's only fitting some of them make it onto the page.
And I obliged. I opened the file, scrolled down, got caught up in my own story for a bit, then... THUD.
Concrete wall. Now what? Well, I shimmied into the kitchen to warm up my coffee, swung by the office to restart the Yanni CD, and threw a napkin in the garbage. Put my hair in a ponytail, applied some balm to my lips, since the air has been so dry, and while I was at it, some lotion to my hands and neck.
Writer's block.
I wondered what was happening in another of my tales? I opened up Book #6? Whoop, sure enough. That heroine needed some attitude, and I had HAD IT. After about 500 words or so, I was ready to return to Book #2, which is still pretty sweet, but has some spark.
There are people who read several things at once, and keep them all straight and separate. I write that way. You'll see. Besides, when one main character needs strength, I like to think she can get it from another, as if they are all friends. I can call up my friends and tell them when I need strength, or coffee, or a prayer, and they will most likely show up at my house with any of these things, and some extra thrown in.
I have the best people on earth within my reach and whisper, it's only fitting some of them make it onto the page.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Out in the Cold.
Today is one of those days I am inspired.
Weather is coming in, so I was inspired to leap out of bed and start the oven early, and mix up something, ANYTHING, to warm up my kitchen. While pineapple cookies were baking (tropical AND my first grade teacher's recipe), I whipped up some Greek Quinoa hotdish. Yummo.
Now that I'm thinking about the islands, my main character's island stay isn't so hard to imagine. Even if the wind is howling and the snow is swirling outside my windows.
She needs to be inspiring. Even if she has to hold onto a tree in a hurricane.
#nowhereandeverywhere
Weather is coming in, so I was inspired to leap out of bed and start the oven early, and mix up something, ANYTHING, to warm up my kitchen. While pineapple cookies were baking (tropical AND my first grade teacher's recipe), I whipped up some Greek Quinoa hotdish. Yummo.
Now that I'm thinking about the islands, my main character's island stay isn't so hard to imagine. Even if the wind is howling and the snow is swirling outside my windows.
She needs to be inspiring. Even if she has to hold onto a tree in a hurricane.
#nowhereandeverywhere
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Friday, December 20, 2013
To branch a family tree.
From a long-distant friend tonight, I received the most evoking feedback on Something About Sophia:
"I really travelled back in time. It was as if I could smell the prairie and the bread baking in the old stove. A hard life, but a simpler life. Wow. Maybe you could write a book on the life and adventures of Gustav..."
Who knows what may happen. I do know that Gustav had quite a life. Stay tuned.
"I really travelled back in time. It was as if I could smell the prairie and the bread baking in the old stove. A hard life, but a simpler life. Wow. Maybe you could write a book on the life and adventures of Gustav..."
Who knows what may happen. I do know that Gustav had quite a life. Stay tuned.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
The C Mark.
I hit 100,000 miles once. It was so cold outside, and we were on the interstate. Someone very important was beside me, and I found that to be symbolic.
"Look," I told him. "I just hit a hundred thousand."
His response was some gutteral sound, that told me he wasn't as impressed as I was. I had picked up green tea for both of us, before getting him from his parents' place. He didn't drink coffee.
We were headed to gather my remaining belongings from my old apartment and relocate them to my new apartment.
The short, sweet moral is this: when you hit milestones, make sure you've got someone next to you who likes coffee.
"Look," I told him. "I just hit a hundred thousand."
His response was some gutteral sound, that told me he wasn't as impressed as I was. I had picked up green tea for both of us, before getting him from his parents' place. He didn't drink coffee.
We were headed to gather my remaining belongings from my old apartment and relocate them to my new apartment.
The short, sweet moral is this: when you hit milestones, make sure you've got someone next to you who likes coffee.
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