2015 by J Vincent

2014. How's it Going So Far?

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

That's the quote I discovered and put on my Facebook banner.  I thought it said a lot about what we've blogged about this month.  At the beginning of a new year, we make resolutions, goals, promises to ourselves, our families, our friends.  Those things are sometimes easy to make, but oh so hard to keep.  At least for me it is.  And it takes work.  Hard work.

It's been quite a month for many of us. 

Pat, once again, has graciously accepted to wear the crown of WARA president for another year.  Bless you, Pat. ;)  As always, she keeps us going and reminds us--or at least me--that time goes on, whether we're paying attention or not.  Yeah, a lot of "not" days for me.  It seems the days go by faster and faster, leaving me to wonder why it was January 1st yesterday, and now it's almost the end of the month.

Theresa has decided to take on a new "identity" as Theresa Jaye, but she'll always be the same sweet, caring and giving person she's always been.  No matter who "she" is, she'll  always tickle our funny bones with her blog posts and her positive outlook on just about everything.

Joan continues on her journey of conquering health issues, while living in limbo during an extended move from one house to a new one.  Not an easy feat!  No doubt she'll conquer the boxes and everything else, before the year is half gone.

Nina taught us how not to make a pocket calendar and that she's filled with determination to win her battle with technology.  Aren't we all?  Thanks to Nina for sharing so many organization tricks!  I can use all the help I can get.

Penny reminded us all of how important she is to all of us and that we're a lot like a family---we're here for each other.  That may be one of the best things anyone can ever learn.  Thank you, Penny. :)

Melissa wants to be the odd duck. ;)  She's looking forward to her "new year" in late August, when all of her offspring will be attending full days of school.  No more half-days for her bunch!  Or her!!!  I remember those days well and seem to be repeating them again with my g-kids.  I guess I didn't learn the lesson the first time around!

Becky found good things about breaking her arm.  Now that's an accomplishment I need to learn.  No, no, not the broken arm, but finding good things in what we perceive to be not so good at all.  Becky, really? Titanium?  Wow!  Is that like Superman or something?  Thanks for showing us the best way to handle the rough spots.

Me?  I mentioned setting goals and a lot of other useless things.  I'm still on the road with them, but I'll admit that some days I just want to sit down and let the day go by.  Can't do that, though, so I'm up and chasing my dreams.  C'est la vie.

Thank you to all of our bloggers for making this little spot one of my favorite places to stop and not only catch up, but learn more about each of you.  And thank you to our visitors for stopping by!

Today is the best day of the year!

New Year? Not Quite for Me (Melissa Robbins)

Many people see January as a fresh start, a clean slate.  Honestly, to me, it’s not.  You see I have three kids in school and in my head, the “new year” starts at the end of August.  The kids are a grade older.  They have new teachers.  Ah, the smell of fresh pencils and paper.  The calendar that holds all of our family activities goes from July to July instead of starting in January. 

Last fall, my youngest started half day kindergarten.  It was that new found time where I adjusted my goals.  I went from having three hours three times a week to four hours five days a week without kids. Still doesn’t seem to be enough time to write though.  Is there ever?  Like my kids are half way through school in January, I’m halfway through my writing goals, which makes me feel happy that I didn’t “accomplish” my 2013 goals.  When August 2014 comes around, that’s when I’ll make new goals.  All of my kids will be in school all day. 

So do we have any others out there that start their new years in August instead of January or am I the odd ball?  

Navigating the Hills and Valleys of Holidays

I will not whine.

Let's face it, life has its ups, downs, and sharp curves, and we all experience them.  Looking back on this year, my first impulse is to say that it started out fairly well, then took a downward turn.  Not a steep hill, but slowly going down.  So there have been times, especially during these holidays when crawling into a hole or at least bed with covers over the head sounds divine and the only way to survive.  Adopting Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" as my theme song and heaving heavy, morose sighs are my usual response, but I've had some new thoughts on this.

It's easy to let the holiday rush and fuss, and the super highs we experience during these last few weeks of the year leave us tired and worn out. Emotional highs are good, but, like sugar highs, the crash when they're over are sometimes too hard to bear.  Those times when we crawl into a fetal position come too fast and too often.  My highs haven't been all that high, but then a couple of things happened.

The night after the day after Christmas happened.  I've been diligently working on revisions from hell and had gotten to the point where I didn't know where to go with the scene, so I decided to leave it for the morning and go to bed.  We all tend to get a little maudlin when we're tired.  Being worn out, especially mentally, makes it so much easier to see the negative things that have happened or are happening.  That was me.  And suddenly I realized that all wasn't as bad as I kept thinking.  Good things had happened recently.  Okay, not so good ones, too, and those were what I'd been focusing on.  How easy it is to miss the good things, especially the small ones, when we're down in the dumps.  As soon as I had that stunning thought that there had been good that I'd not embraced as I should, I felt a smidgen better.  So I thought a little harder.  I found two, specific things that made me take notice.

A month ago, I vanquished dark clouds that had hung over me for something that had happened way back in high school.  It took the simple act of stuffing my bad feelings aside and saying hello to the person who I hadn't seen or spoken to for 35 years.  In fact I've tried not to even think of it.  What surprised me that day was that, afterward, I felt proud of myself.  I felt good.  About me.  A little over a week later, that person called me, and we talked on the phone for nearly an hour.  (Let me say that I nearly didn't answer the phone when I saw the caller ID.)  But it was okay.  It didn't hurt at all, and because of it, I've put those bad times behind, where they belong.  Now I can smile.

Christmas Eve, there was a knock on our door, and outside stood a man holding a plastic sack.  The neighbor introduced himself, and handed me the bag.  "It's a ham," he said.  "Can you use it?"  Well, color me shocked.  Apparently he's gotten to know my grandsons and thinks they're great.  (Obviously he doesn't know them as well as I do. ;) )  It wasn't until I went into the house, after talking with him for a good ten minutes, that I realized who he was.  To be honest, I wouldn't have picked him as someone who would bring me a ham or even have a conversation with, civil or not.  And it was okay.  It didn't hurt at all.


How do I say this?  It isn't the things that happen that make us angry or sad, it's our thoughts about them.  Granted, life has its disappointments and sadness.  But it also has surprises and happiness.  If we focus more on the good, instead of wallowing in the bad by thinking and worrying about them, we find that it's a pretty decent turnover.  It's those little things, like a hello or a ham that can make a big difference.

With the end of this year coming to a close, it's a time of reflection for many.  A time to look back and decide what changes we want to make.  I'm not one for making New Year's Resolutions.  I know ahead of time that they'll be broken within days.  But if I want to make the most of the rest of my life, I will have to make one.  Not a resolution for the new year, but one to be carried out each day.  An Each Day Resolution?  Each night when I go to bed, I'll find one good thing--one thing that made me smile or laugh--that happened during the day, and then focus on it.  And it won't hurt at all.  In fact, it will probably make me smile.

Anyone want to vanquish the blues?  Would you like to join me on the Each Day Resolution and see if this experiment works?  Life, itself is an experiment, so let's make it a great one.

And I did not whine.  Well, just a little in the beginning. ;)

If you're looking for help on how to get through the holidays, check out 'Tis the Season of Madness, over at my blog, Diary of a Mad Romance Author.  You'll find links galore!  It isn't too late to start.

Getting Down to Business

Pat, Theresa, and Joan have given me a lot to think about.  December was a busy month and now that the holidays and all they involve are over, I can't seem to get in gear.  I know I should.  I keep telling myself I need to at least put forth the effort to start.  But I kind of feel like that picture on the left.  It's after the party and the excitement is gone, and we're left with the empty champagne bottle and the streamers.  I feel like one of those noisemakers that unfurls when blown into, but I quit furling back again and am slowly drooping.

Pat's questions keep going through my mind.  I can answer one. I know my weaknesses.  One of them is staying on track.  I'm truly a Gemini, going from one thing to another, without mastering anything.  Another is lack of confidence.  It isn't new.  I've dealt with it all my life.  For now---if I can make myself stay with it---I'm working on it.  I'm the only one who can.

Value?  Well, yeah, I guess I have value.  I believe everybody does, just as I believe everyone is gifted in some way.  Strengths?  Well, I can be stubborn enough not to give up.  Strangely, I never believed I would be a published author, but I refused to quit writing.  It kept me out of trouble.  It still does. ☺

I love Theresa's list!  I also see myself in many of her points.  However, I can let things go.  It's a major weakness.  She may be a stuff shuffler, but I'm a piler.  It's obviously been passed down in our family, because we all are.  In fact, if our heads were flat, we'd pile things on them, too.

Joan teaches me that we don't give up.  Health issues are one of the worst things that can happen to us and cause us to see ourselves as weak...which is not true.  Joan proves that each day.  I'm in awe.

All of this reminds me that we're eight days into the new year, and I'm dragging my feet.  Why?  Gee, I wish I knew.  It's not that there isn't plenty waiting for me to do.  So I'll make a list, get a calendar, and create a schedule.  There's a whole new year---minus eight days---to get things done.  Wish me luck!

Spelling it out by Reese Mobley

With the changing of the calender comes renewed hope.  This is my version of writing resolutions.

R is for reading.  As in I want to read more.  And have my manuscript read more.  By critiquers.  And editors.  And agents.  Oh my.

E is for electronic publishing.  I want to learn more about the process and, back to square one, I want to read more on my e-reader.  Easy Peesy--so far.

S is for synopsis.  Gotta do em' so I may as well learn to do em' right.  (ignore the snarl on my face)

O is for octopus.  I wish I were an 8-armed creature.  Imagine all the work I could get done.  Typing my manuscript, baking cookies and folding their tighty-whiteys all at the same time.  OMG! 

L is for writing love stories that touch a readers heart so profoundly they remember the characters long after they reach the end.

U is for understanding.  Understanding the business.  Understanding my characters enough to tell their stories.  Understanding that everyone has their own writing process and what works for them doesn't mean it's the same path I'll take. 

T is for thick skin.  You'd think a profession I could do in my pajamas, if I wanted to, wouldn't have a need for this one.  But there is.  Rejections are hard to take.  Doesn't mean the big shots don't like us, they just don't like our manuscript enough to publish it.  Note to self: rejections are easier to get over with a pint of Chunky Monkey.  Of course that makes for a different kind of thickness, but I won't go there.   

I is for Imagination.  And then some.  Think you've got a fabulous idea but want to save it? Don't.  Unless it's about a whole other set of characters, put the wonderful idea in your manuscript.  I promise another good idea will come around in time for the next book.

O is for organization.  My friends think I've got it all together, but they couldn't be more wrong about me.  My brain get cluttered with email that needs a response.  My desk gets covered with snail mail to read, sort, shred or file.  And recipes I want to try.  And old bills to file.  And new ones to pay.  Versions of manuscripts that need to be edited.  I have a tendency to shuffle stuff from one pile to the other.  Clearly, I am a stuff shuffler in need a twelve step program.     

N is for not feeling bad.  Who really cares if the towels don't get folded because I wanted to finish chapter nine while the words were flowing.  Or I use a box cake mix instead of one from scratch for the birthday party.  Or if the dust is thick enough to write in.  No one but me.  

Well, there you have it.  My 2013 list.  What's on yours?

Hugs,
Reese