SLOW DOWN...LIVE THE LIFE YOU ARE MEANT TO LEAD.... AN IWSG POST

Hi All!

This year is flying by and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. What a crazy rollercoaster ride of a year. At least it has been for me.  Starting a new life is always difficult, but when you do so in later years, it means so much more. When you are young, you "go with the flow" and let life happen to you. But as you mature into middle age, you think of only planning each and every step very carefully. As we all know, LIFE has a tendency to leave hurdles in our way. You find that you are traveling on much bumpier roads than imagined. But, through it all, one has to persevere. Which leads me to my point...


Like with LIFE, one has to persevere with their writing. I am proof of that! I have been writing for the past decade, and I have yet to be traditionally published. Yes, I have had blurbs, book covers, and essays published, but not any of my novels. That will hopefully change in the forthcoming year. Now that I am on my way to my next level of life, it is time to finish up the manuscript I have been working on for two years. MOMMY KAY will be finished. It is time. We all work at our own pace and putting UNNECESSARY pressure on ourselves to "pump" out a new book every year is just too much. Writing is supposed to be a joyous thing. It is not meant to create stress for ourselves. So if you are in the middle of a manuscript and are frustrated that you have not finished it yet, DON'T. ENJOY the journey... Life is too short and we need to live it. I have lost of few friends this year. They "moved on" way before they should have. Enjoy each day. Slow down and take in your surroundings. Our writing will always be there waiting for us. With each new life experience, your writing will take on a new facet...remember the brilliance of a diamond comes from the many facets that are cut into it.  Just like with amazing and brilliant writing, our life experiences will flow into the facets of each story we write.

My journey has been a very slow one, but I am okay with that. When the time comes for my story to be published it will and when it does, my readers will live my story through my words. That is what wonderful writing is all about!

So take heart, live life, and enjoy the wonders that will unfold before you.

Another holiday season is upon us. Slow down, enjoy the time with your family and friends. When the new year evolves, then start it off fresh with a new spark of life.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! May you all be truly blessed and thankful.

I know I am thankful for the IWSG and for the many people who give their time and talent to continue its success. When Alex first started this group, I was one of the first to join. If you have not already, drop by his blog and sign up...Thank you all in the IWSG, WE love you!

IWSG... IN MIDDLE OF MOVING.

Hi ALL,

Sorry, I don't have time to do a full post since I am in the process of moving. I hope you all have a wonderful October...see you next month!

PRAYERS FOR THE VICTIMS OF DORIAN...

Hi all,

Welcome to another post of the IWSG. Today I am very concerned about all the victims in the Bahamas from the horrific Dorian. Please send out prayers to all those poor people who have been devasted by Dorian. Sadly, this is still not over, but at least Dorian is weakening and with God's help it will disperse and not do too much damage to the US. 

Natural disasters, like Dorian, plague us all, but these devasting storms show us how precious our lives are and we need to step back and reflect. With all the civil unrest in the US and around the world, it is times like these that make me think we ALL need to get along, stick together, and be kinder to one another.

This month I have no anxieties with my writing because I am concentrating on packing up my condo in Chicago. Yes, I am finally moving out of Chicago. It's time. Today I am traveling to the charming town of Galena, IL to look for a country house. Just three hours west of Chicago and on the Mississippi is Galena. A storybook village which I hope will motivate to finish up my writing projects once I settle in. As we ALL know, our surrounding influence our writing. If a writer is not comfortable in his/her writing space, they will be tons of anxieties about writing. So, for this month's post, I want to suggest to all fo you that you make your writing spaces cozy and comfortable. We spend SO MUCH time in our writing spaces, they NEED to be comfortable.

May everyone be safe on the east coast of the US. Alex, I hope you and your family will take extra care and stay safe through this storm. I know the Carolinas will be hit by the storm, so our prayers go out to you all.

Thank you, to the whole IWSG team to give us ALL the opportunity to learn from each other and to vent our insecurities. If you would like to join our group, please drop by Alex's site to sign up...

Take care, everyone!

SUMMER READS CAN HELP... A IWSG POST.

Hi All.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! 

As we all know it's the first Wednesday of the month and it's time for another IWSG post. Thanks to all the endeavors of the founder Alex Cavanaugh and his staff, we all have one day a month to express our anxieties over writing. With the support of this community we are priveldged to receive emotional support and advice. What a wonderful way to spend our Wednesdays! If you would like to join, please sign up at Alex's blog here. 

This month wasn't the best for writing. I am still having difficulties pludging into the remainder of my present WIP. I did manage a few pages, but that isn't nearly enough. However, I decided to read some new books instead. It has helped tremedously. This was advice given to me from my last post, and it has stirred my craving for writing again. Hopefully this will get me out of my slump. 

One of my favorite reads was Tara Tyler's third book in her BEAST series: Windy Hollow. For all of you fantasy lovers out there, this is a series you will quite enjoy! Windy Hollow is a wonderful story on its own, but if you have the chance to read the first two book along with this one, you will be hooked on this series as I am. I can't wait until book four! Here is the amazon link for you convenience. Link. 

So, if you are experiencing a slump in your writing, try reading a few books to get your juices flowing. 

Well, that is all for now.  Have a wonderful month and I'll see in you September!

PULLING OUT OF A WRITER"S SLUMP...

Hi All,

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

                                                                  

Time has flown by faster than afternoon thunderstorms in Florida! Sorry I missed last month, I remembered the day after posting day and decided to just wait until this month. 

Thankfully Alex let's us skip a month every now and then. Thank you, Alex. And thanks to all the AMAZING people who contribute their valuable time to the IWSG! Give yourselves a great big hand! "Applause!" For those of you who wish to join our membership, please drop over to Alex's site to sign up! 

As we ALL know, life always seems to get in the way. I have been putting off writing the remaining chapters of MOMMY KAY for over a month now. I often wonder why the procrastination. Yes, life has certainly reared its ugly head at me. But FINALLY the repair work was complete on my condo TODAY...YAY! What a long drama it was from hiring lawyers, spending tons of money, and the final outcome was I had to go through my own insurance company to have the repairs done, EVEN AFTER they entered my unit illegally (without my permission). For all of you condo owners out there, look at your DOCS... they get away with EVERYTHING. Even if the work was ordered by them and their people damage the inside of your unit, YOU are responsible. Bogus, but sadly true. I learned the hard way.

Now back to writing. I know I've discussed this before, but how do we get back into writing with such a time lapse? I know the usual answers, re-read the manuscript, jump right in with both feet, don't think about it, just write... easier said than done. What do you do, when you really lost interest in the ms? I ADORNED every moment writing about MK, but now that I have to continue the story, which limits MK's involvement, now focusing on the daughter's life, I find it mundane and not very fun. MK's life was a whirlwind, and the daughter's focuses more on her drama's dealing with failed marriages and raising her handicapped daughter as a single mother. Yes, this is important writing as well, but it's not fun. How does a writer get over this kind of slump? 

I know I will get into it once I begin again, but taking that first step is sooooo difficult. I wish there was an easy solution. Someone, please have one! LOL. We ALL want to know....

So that's where I'm at this month. Hopefully I'll have more exciting news for you next month, but this one is my insecure month...

WISHING all of you a FUN and SAFE "FOURTH WEEKEND!"

IWSG- WATCH OUT FOR THAT STRESS...

Hi All,


Sorry for the late post, but it's been one of those LONG days. I'm sure you can relate. 

Last month I had posted about some health issues. Thank you, all for your prayers and positive vibes. They certainly worked; I am very HAPPY to report that it's nothing too serious. However, it was quite the scare. 

I have had high blood pressure for a while now because of my weight gain triggered by the prednisone I was taking for my chronic arthritis...this is a very toxic drug that blows you up like a balloon. I had put on over 70 pounds in two months, which of course, triggered the HBP. 

Between this and LIFE's pressures, stress sent my BP through the roof. It created horrible chest pains, which felt like heart attack symptoms. Being a middleaged man, this was a great concern. Men and women of our age are prone to heart disease and it's a number one killer of people in our age group. 

For the past month, I have changed my lifestyle dramatically; I'm now monitoring my stress levels, eating right, and exercising. As many of you remember I was in peak health only a few short years ago. It doesn't take long for stress to take over our health. SO, I am speaking to all of my wonderful friends who are stressing... Stress comes from everywhere. We, as creative people, are passionate, so everything affects our lives. Even writing stresses many of us. Not having time to write, not figuring out our plots, character developments, fight scenes, beginnings, endings, middle slumps, etc. You get the picture. Take some time to reflect. Take time for YOU... step away, take a leisurely walk, meditate, start a workout program. Find ways to relieve this deadly stress. When you think of that quote, "Stress can kill you..." Realize that it CAN.

I took some time off even from my rewrites of MOMMY KAY. I needed to step away from everything. It was so good for my recovery. My BP is almost normal. I dropped close to 40 pounds of the 70 I had gained last year from the prednisone, and my mind is fresh and ready to jump back into the rewrites. Be kind to yourself. I have said this many times before, but we all have a tendency to forget this when we are spreading ourselves too thin. Spring is a time for rebirth... it's the perfect time to slow things down and concentrate on treating yourself to some much needed personal time.

Thank you, Alex, and the wonderful IWSG team for keeping all of us in check as well as having the opportunity to vent our anxieties as well as to connect with our fellow writers once a month. If you haven't signed up yet, don't hesitate to join our group and become part of this wonderful family. Pop over to Alex's site right now.

Sending out a HUGE hug to you all!

Have a wonderful month!

IWSG- PLEASE FORGIVE ME... HAVE HEALTH ISSUES THIS MONTH

Hi ALL,

Just a quick note to let all the IWSG members know that this month I have a few health issues so I won't be posting this month... Nothing serious yet, but I need further testing to see if there may be a serious problem. Good vibes and prayers would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you, ALL for your kindness and support.

WHAT COULD HAPPEN IN TWENTY EIGHT DAYS? FIND OUT!

Hi All,

Today I am posting a new work from a close friend who had the time to create a short essay for the WEP challenge. I know It's posted a day late, but I'm sure my friend Denise won't mind, since the link is still up.

I had hoped to write something wonderful, but since I am in the throws of a MAJOR revision for Mommy Kay, I really didn't have the spare time.

Thanks to Denise and the wonderful ladies at the WEP for hosting this challenge, as well as a special thanks to IWSG...

Since he doesn't have a blogger or Google account, I will be commenting for him on the other entries...



I hope you enjoy Ulises's essay... 

                                         



                     A Wish for Twenty-eight days of Magic 

It is not easy to see the difference between one day or the next at any given time. That is unless an event has strongly impacted our lives…that it has actually changed our way of thinking or living.

I, like many others, try to keep abreast of all that goes on in this world. Even though I do not have the power, the means, nor any idea of how to stop or change world events, I certainly wish I could. 

In my mind, I fantasize a genie has granted me the power to go back twenty-eight days from now and change the most recent events affecting our way of living.

I would stop Venezuela and other countries from collapsing over despair of poverty and hunger because of the greed of politicians…

I would change the minds of those who think construction is more important than protecting the planet…

I would stop the dissolution of treaties that have been put in place to protect our world…

I would stop and reverse global warming…

I would stop all types of discrimination…

I would wish for equality and freedom to lessen the burden on ours and other’s society…

These and many other events that have developed: to correct as many as I can accomplish in twenty-eight days.

It is believed that God created the world in six days, but it has taken centuries for humans to destroy it. 

So, my wish for twenty-eight days of magic may not be enough to reconstruct the damage that has occurred, but wouldn’t it be nice to have the opportunity to try?

Have a wonderful Weekend everyone!

   

AKKK.... I JUST REMEMBERED! IWSG TODAY>>> JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT!!

Hi All,

Sooooo sorry I forgot this was the first Wednesday of the month!!! I know you'll all forgive me for spacing it ... I have an EXCELLENT reason...

But before I do, I just want to thank Alex and the wonderful IWSG team for all their hard work and support. If you are not yet a member, PLEASE drop by Alex's site to sign up.

Now for the news! As many of you know, I have been writing a new WIP called MOMMY KAY. It took me exactly NINE months to write the first draft which I had completed on Jan. 17. Talk about giving birth. LOL.

You may also remember I had to finish quickly to send off the ms to a very well renowned editor in NY. I did manage to get it to her just before the first of February...

Needless-to-say, I have been on pins and needles waiting for her review. After much anticipation, I received an email from her. When I had sent it, I expressed my hope for her enjoying the read.
Her first line in the email to me was "I did enjoy the read; how could I not?"

Then I opened the review, all twelve pages of it. I was taken aback by the size. But after the first paragraph, I could breathe again.

"Many thanks for sending me Mommy Kay. It was delightful to read; Mommy Kay is most certainly—and literally—larger than life. It’s certainly cinematic; I found myself watching scenes spring to life and even wondering whom you’d cast—so much fun to contemplate! I’ll focus this editorial letter on ways to bring out the fuller potential of this story."

I can't begin to tell you how pleased I was/am. For the most part, I still have a lot of work to make this piece really pop, but the overall review was very enlightening and she praised my dialogue and description to the point of her asking for more, more, more. 

Alrighty then...

Most of the work consists of ADDING much more. Thankfully I don't need to subtract anything. She suggested delving deeper in the emotion more than just the fanfare.

So of course, I spent most of the day reading all twelve pages over and over to absorb the work that needs to be done.

If I implement her suggestions in the right way, this could be a best seller... EEK! After so many years of trying. Yes, I am excited for sure, but I am also freaking a bit because now the pressure is really on to fulfill the potential of this memoir.

I appreciated so much all your kind words and comments when I had posted snippets of MOMMY KAY here. But adding all her positive comments sent me to the moon. LOL. Now that I am earthbound again, I need to get cracking. Kim is also delighted, but since we have to delve deeper, it puts more pressure on her to reveal more of her emotions. But thankfully, she's all for it so we can move onto the next step.

For the next month or more, I'll be extremely busy, but I will try to pop over to your blogs to say hi!

Sending all of you a great big HUG!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

AN UPDATE ON MOMMY KAY!

Hi All!

Thank you all for your kind wishes and support. Although I wasn't able to accomplish my goal of 50 pages in a week, I DID FINISH THE MEMOIR... YAY~


It took me two weeks and I wrote 70 more pages. Now it's complete at 64k words and 258 pages. To think I was sweating to make 225... Lol, but the last chapters filled up the word/page count beautifully. I'll be sending it off to my editor TOMORROW. EEK! She won't be able to get to it until Feb 1... then the waiting begins. I'll be a wreck for sure.

I'd also like to take this time to thank my good friend and amazing author, Carol Riggs, for her help cleaning up the grammatical errors, missed words and quotes. LOL. She has the patience of a saint. You would think after writing for SO MANY years, my grammar and punctuation would be spot on by now. It is better, but I still have a long way to go. And more thanks to Denise, Renee, and Donna for their input as well.

I can't begin to tell you how fantastic I feel that I wrote another book! It has been many years since my second novel and then I just fell out of the loop. But I'm back, and I hope the momentum keeps up!

Kim and I are actually collaborating on another book. This time a fitness and health book for women over fifty. Kim, being a phys ed teacher and in amazing shape herself, I convinced her to share her secrets with other women. Since I was heavily involved in fitness for decades, this is also my chance to start over and become the healthy man I was three years ago. Men and woman over fifty need to keep fit, we have LONG LIVES to LIVE and we shouldn't have to live them in pain or with illness. Eating right and exercising can ward off so many afflictions. So stay tuned for our next book...

While I'm waiting for the editor, I have already worked out a rough for my query... I actually had fun writing this one. It is over 500 words though, so I need to trim it down, but I really don't want to... I think it's great, but the standard is around 300 words. Ugh. That's a LOT of cutting. I'll also be spending time researching for the right agent for this memoir. Thankfully, I've already narrowed it down to five top New York agents. Since this memoir heavily features the NYC, I feel a NY agent would be best for it...

I hope all my northern friends are staying warm. This winter is "biting" for sure. Even here in Orlando, our temps are CHILLY. But I love it like this. It's like early spring here and the flowers are budding and the ornamental trees are showing off their colors proudly.

Take care, everyone! I'll be dropping by to say hello to you very soon... today's my blogging day!

A NEW YEAR.... FULL STEAM AHEAD- NO TIME FOR INSECURITIES!

Happy New Year!

Can you believe it's already 2019? Where did 2018 go? It seems like a big blur to me now. One day melted into another and before I knew it, it was a new year.

I'm sure many of us feel that way. Then the regrets start pouring in. We didn't meet our goals...STOP right there! I never understood why so many people "beat themselves up" at the end of a year...THEN... they pile on another ridiculous amount of goals for the new year, only to find out they haven't me them either.

DON'T do this to yourself. Focus on the positive. We ALL had accomplishments this year. Maybe not that HUGE publishing contract, but maybe you finished your new manuscript. That is a HUGE achievement and you should be so proud of yourself for doing that! What about how much you learned last year? Every new piece of information only gets us further to our goals. That is what's important, not what you didn't accomplish.

For me last year opened up a new opportunity. After years of querying my stories, nothing happened. I came close so many times with multiple requests for fulls by top agents, yet not one picked my book up. Then I started my third novel. A memoir. Nothing like I had ever written before. SO much activity in this person's life. It has taken me almost all of 2018 to put it together, and yet, I still haven't finished it yet. I had hoped to finish by the end of last year, but I would rather have take the time to cultivate an amazing story then RUSH IT...

Like so many of us, I had times where I had left it for weeks at a time. I didn't know why. My other two novels first drafts were written in less than three months. What was my problem with this one?
I couldn't figure out why. Then, like a light bulb turning on, the answer came to me yesterday. The first day of the new year. How appropriate. It was because this story is NOT MY STORY. It is someone else's memory. So simple. I have no control over the plot what so ever. Now that is enlightening for a CONROL FREAK like me. LOL. So I want to say this to all of you, if you take on a memoir project that is not your own, remember this. You will be breaking out into a whole new dimension.

For example: I NEVER outline. After not writing for a few weeks and my deadline coming gravely close, I decided to outline the last four-five chapters...Yes.. that is all I have left. Only fifty or so pages.UGH. You would think I could just spit them out. No chance. This part of Kim's life is highly complex with SO MUCH going on in a five year period. So by outlining, it greatly help me put the timeline and story into balance. Now I just need to write the pages. I am not overwhelmed anymore. IF you are at a place such as this in your present MS, try outlining. I worked for me. Imagine the shock and surprise to a pantser like me!

So now I have about a week to finish my story in about a week. I honestly believe I can do it. All I need to do is write a chapter a day. If all those NaNo writers can write 50k in a month, I should be able to write 50 pages in a week...right?

I feel good this new year. I am blessed. Insecurities can rack our being, so we must keep them under control. Always remember we have our AMAZING community for support and LOVE.... Thanks to the IWSG and its creator, Alex J. Cavanaugh and all the WONDERFUL writers who give their time to keep this movement going, I feel I can accomplish anything.

Please pop over to Alex's blog and sign up if you haven't already. And READ all other IWSG posts for inspiration and advice...

I wish all of you a HAPPY, HEALTHY, and PROSPEROUS 2019! May we all find our way along life's pothole-ridden path!

An update follows this post!