Wow, it's hard to believe that the last time I wrote on here was on April 18 of this year. I think most of you know that when it comes to writing on Mari's dedication site I've always only posted things when I felt led to it. I don't want to be untrue to what I created this site for, although it's continue to evolve from when I first created it. I no longer need to write on it on an almost daily basis, sometimes more than once in a day. This site helped with the healing process of … [Read more...]
Day 160: One-Hair Brushes
It means to let yourself go. To be free to what you want to possibly get a better result than you could have expected. I love this quote, "Technique alone is never enough. You have to have passion. Technique alone is just an embroidered potholder." - Raymond Chandler I think writing is that for me. throughout the last five years I've done different things with my writing which has allowed me to become more and more open with it. I'm able to share more about me and who I am as a person. I try … [Read more...]
Day 80: The Strip Club
I like to think of this as more of the strip club of our life. When we write we are opening ourselves to others. We tend to put a part of ourselves, no matter how big or small, into our writing. In order to be good we have to be willing to strip down some of those internal layers so we can write what needs to be written and not just what we want to write. Think about that for a moment. In order to do that we have to leave ourselves partially vulnerable as we write. Not everyone can do this. … [Read more...]
Day 69: Your Naked Prose
When we write it's intensely personal. You get giddy over the story ideas because they will cause more conflict you know your reader will love that they keep reading your story. I know this is how I've been the last month. Between writing what I'm doing now on my year-long journey, my first ever attempt at fiction, and most importantly Mari's book. These are what bring me pure joy to do. But the bottom line to all of this is you leave yourself exposed as you have put part of yourself into … [Read more...]
Timing…
Time. It's a strange thing. Sometimes it seems as though time goes on forever and in others it feels like there is never enough. For me recently, it seems like time is just slipping away. We now have less than three months until our official move to Alaska starts. The Army will come to pack up our home (tentatively) April 15. Keith's final day of clearing will be on April 19. And then we start on our long adventure as we drive across the United States, stopping along the way to either visit … [Read more...]
Hitting “The Mark”
I went and visited a website of someone I knew in our grief group back in Chicago today. The reason I visited it was because on the old blogger site I had started this one on (which is technically still up and running, don’t ask me why, it does redirect people to here however :) ) I have this woman’s website listed under Blogs of Importance. Under the listing, it shows a title of the most recent blog post. This one was labeled, “Letting go.” I thought that meant she was letting go of her … [Read more...]
Changes in life…
First let me start off by saying long time no talk. I am sorry I have been gone for a while. A lot has happened in my life since the last time I posted anything on Mari’s website. I look back at the date of June 23 and it seems like a lifetime ago. On July 15 Keith and I headed to Chicago to be with Mari (so to speak) on her 3 year mark of being gone. July 16 was officially 3 years and we spent some time at her grave. It is hard to believe that 3 years have already come and gone but they … [Read more...]
Updated chapters 1 & 2
Hello everyone, I have just updated and posted new previews for the first two chapters of the book based upon some of the comments I have received. I have kept the old preview as well if you want to compare the two. The revised chapters: Click Here for Chapter 1 Click Here for Chapter 2 The older version: Click here for previous version of Chapters 1 and 2 For anyone who is interested in pre-buying this book, please go the upper right hand side of this page for details. Here is … [Read more...]
A Special Sneak Peak
Hello everyone. I have uploaded a special sneak peak for Mari's book. It is the first two chapter's of the book. I am looking for honest feedback from those who are willing to read it. I hope you enjoy it. https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1082508 Here is a preview of the finally chapter as well as possibly making it into a children's book with illustrations. Please tell me what you think: https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1082512 … [Read more...]
I’m still amazed…
I am still amazed sometimes when someone tells me they think I am a good writer. I have never thought of myself in this light. To be honest, the only time I have written anything before in the past were for 2 reasons and 2 reasons only: an assignment/paper for school/college or writing in my diary. That was it. I never wrote stories or anything. Then Mari gets sick and I write out for all of our friends and family updates on her progress. Then she dies. I purchase a special journal to … [Read more...]
