I had to laugh. Not too long ago I was talking to a friend on the phone and telling her about my story. She said, “Well, I’m glad I’m not in that family.” I had to agree. My main character is goes through a tragedy that so few will ever go through, and thank goodness most people never will. However, I hope it will still resonate because everyone in life at some points has some type of tragedy that befalls them. Whether it’s as simple as being laid off or as tragic as losing a child, we all go … [Read more...]
Day 124: Breaking Glass: Metaphor and Symbols #acfw
In life, it seems so many of us try to compare our grief and pain to someone else’s. Our tragedy to theirs. The thing is that even if the tragedies sound similar in nature, no two are the same. I remember going to a wake a few months after my daughter had passed. This may be long but here it goes: My husband’s sister’s husband’s (David’s) grandfather had passed away. Both David’s grandmother and grandfather had come to Mari’s wake. Basically his whole family came by to pay their respects. I … [Read more...]
Day 104: Writing Your Own Front Yard #acfw
Think about this for a moment. When we write or talk about things do we use our past experiences during those times or do we just guess and hope what we say makes sense to others. Personally, I think our best writing comes from the things we have personally experienced. I'm not saying that those who haven't experience something they've written about is good. What I do mean is when we write from things that have happened in our past, we're able to put part of ourselves into what we write. There … [Read more...]
Y is for Young #AtoZchallenge #acfw
When people hear that I've had a child who passed away when she was 8 1/2 years old, they almost always say something like, "She was so young." And she was, but I'm always amazed at just how much someone so young has touched so many people's lives. This morning I called Todd Hochberg to ask for permission to put some of the photographs from my daughter's last day in the memoir I've written about what happened and he said yes. When he gave me the photographs he asked if he could have permission … [Read more...]
X is for eXceptional #AtoZchallenge
When I think of exceptional I think of Mari, and I could talk about everything I think that is exceptional about Mari but I think I've done that already this month. However, as many of you know I've been writing a memoir about what happened with our daughter and how we lost her. In the story I'm including some very special pictures that were taken by a very special man who has a big heart. His name is Todd Hochberg. He is a professional photographer who gives of his time to those parents who … [Read more...]
F is for “Finding Nemo”
Oh, my, yes! Finding Nemo, one of Mari's very favorite movies. If we'd allow her to she'd watch it all day along with Cars, and Jonah: A Veggies Tales Movie. Her little arms would flap in excitement as she watched one of them play our before her. What I noticed about Mari is she never liked movies that had people in them, or if they did it was very small parts, like all the Disney Princess movies. She just had no interest whatsoever. However, is a movie or a TV program had animals, that was her … [Read more...]
C is for Character Sketch
When I began to write the fiction novel I'm working on I had no clue how to really do it. There was so much I needed to learn. My true growth started after I became a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and joined the large critique group they have. Over that first month in that group it was amazing how much I had learned. Yet, I had so much more to learn and am still doing so now. I came to realize that I'm a plotter. One day I had an idea to write a quick and concise outline … [Read more...]
Day 96: The Things We Keep
In life, as each day goes by, we create memories. For the most part, most of those memories aren't that important so we forget about them. But the important ones sometimes feel like they embed themselves into our brains. When my daughter died I knew I couldn't go back and live in the house where all I had surrounding me were memories of her. Pictures on the wall. Her sippy cups. Her food. Her bedroom. I was a stay at home mom of a child with severe autism whose life completely revolved around … [Read more...]
Day 89: Worries of Writing Memoir
I want, no, I need to share this excerpt from the book I'm using. Even as I sit here writing this, I feel my eyes moistening. I hope you will see why this has touched my heart and maybe why God lead me to the very book to use in my 365 day journey. "Robin Romm worried whether to publish the memoir she had written about the last three weeks of her mother’s life. She wrote thirty pages of notes during those weeks, then ninety pages in the ten days after her mother died. Romm felt there were … [Read more...]
Day 84: How to Be a Writer
There's an age-old saying that says "patience is a virtue." However, God skipped the boat with me on that front. Sometimes I can feel the frustration boiling up to where my lid could blow a hole through the roof. I know my voice can suddenly shoot up to screaming in a second. This has been a flaw of mine since I can remember. Through all of this, God decided in His infinite wisdom that I could handle a blond hair, Caribbean blue-eyed beautiful little girl who happened to have severe classic … [Read more...]
