When we think of the word improv, we typically think of actors and actresses in an acting class. All they may be given is a word or a phrase. From there the true magic behind acting comes forth. They get to play out whatever comes into their heads. Sometimes its funny. Sometimes sad. Sometimes it just makes you think. The bottom line is they have fun doing what they love to do most and that is to act. This should be the same for us as writers. To be able to tap into our own creative muses and … [Read more...]
The Journey with Mary Hamilton
Please welcome this weeks guest Mary Hamilton for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? Early in my writing journey, the church I attended put on an annual dinner theater as an outreach to women. I’d only written a few articles for take home papers and magazines when they asked me to write the next play. The idea was scary (what if I failed?), but enticing (what if I succeeded!). With lots of prayer, I agreed to try. My hour-long play was … [Read more...]
First Friends
Do you remember back to when you were a kid and your first friend? I don't know if the person I'm thinking of was actually my first friend. I just know that I knew her clear back to when I was in Kindergarten. Her name was Julie Buffington. She was the main friend I had when I was little. She was a couple of years older than me if I'm remembering her correctly. Here's a picture from many, many moons ago. It's not the greatest quality but you can see me on the right, I'm about 6 or 7 years old. … [Read more...]
FALLing on my face ⎯ literally
Have you ever fallen hard when walking, especially on ice. The year my husband turned 30 I decided to throw him a surprise big 30th birthday party. We invited around 40 people to our friend Missy's house. She had a nice big house at the time that fit everyone comfortably. I purchased a sheet cake from Sam's Club. I got him a special t-shirt that actually said something nice, and not snarky, for his birthday. The day of the party, if you can believe it, Keith ends up getting sick. He was … [Read more...]
Wordless Wednesday: Autumn in Images
Photo credit: click from morguefile.com Photo credit: earl53 from morguefile.com Photo credit: Jusben from morguefile.com Photo credit: macieklew from morguefile.com Photo credit: macieklew from morguefile.com Photo credit: slowfoot from morguefile.com Photo credit: doctor_bob from morguefile.com Photo credit: taliesin from morguefile.com Photo credit: sparkette28 from morguefile.com Photo credit: gracey from morguefile.com … [Read more...]
Day 50: The Narrative of Your Life
We all have a narrative we live by. Our morales. Our ethics. Our beliefs. Our likes and dislikes. Plus many others. All the things make us who we are. And through writing, we can find ourselves through the words we write. I know I do in my characters. They come alive in my head and I try transferring that to the best of my ability to paper. The narrative of my life has been anything but easy. The positive through all of this is I can use those experiences in my fiction. Maybe somehow, someway, … [Read more...]
Day 26: The Trampoline as a Metaphor
Life sometimes can totally surprise us in the most unexpected ways. For instance, a big trampoline. How in the world is a trampoline possibly related to writing? Before I read today's except on the phrase above, I was stumped. Then I started to read how scared to death the woman was by "what looked like a big lake of black water." She said, "I’m here to tell you that it is impossible to be calm and dignified on a trampoline. It is also impossible to feel safe on one. I crawled onto [it] and … [Read more...]
Day 3: The Holy Calling
Its amazing sometimes how God works. Many say His ways are mysterious. The bottom line, no matter how much we want to control every thing, we simply do not know His plan for all of our lives. His plan is greater than any of us can fathom. For me this hit me head on like a Mac truck (I know clique but it's true) when God decided to answer our prayers about healing my precious baby girl by telling us all no, that it was time to bring her home to heaven where she will be free from autism. God … [Read more...]
Joy
Joy can mean so much to so many different people. For me I felt pure joy last night. I spent the day determined to write write write in the fictional book I am writing. I actually wrote 8,472 words and finished the first draft of my novel. Talk about exciting. I think back to how I began writing. It was to keep my friends and family abreast of what was happening to my little baby girl. I started a Care Page. Those first fifteen days of writing were while she was a live and the last day, the … [Read more...]
The Waiting Game
I sit here at work on my lunch thinking about my upcoming afternoon. I am anxious because of what I must do. I have an appointment at 3pm with a security investigator to get my security clearance. I have to get this for the tentative job I was offered as a government service worker on Fort Knox as a GS-5. I am excited about the new job because I will get to be an administrative assistant again and I will get to quit Wal-Mart. I have been a department manager at Wal-Mart for the past 6 … [Read more...]
