Perfection--Is It Worth the Effort?

Strawberry shortcake, Nadia Comaneci (1976), Randy Johnson (05/18/04), a 300 score in bowling... All signify perfection. Yes, strawberry shortcake is perfection. Ask my taste buds.

In church on Sunday, the speaker shared a story (and I tried to find it, but couldn't) about an experiment the military did. The test group first measured the strength of their individual grips. Under hypnosis, they were told they were weak and sick. Their grip strength was then measured, the results, predictably, were less than the initial measurement. Hypnotized again, they were told how strong they were. I'm sure you see where this is going: the results were considerably higher than the baseline measurement.

Do we choose to listen to the negative side of striving for perfection (it's not possible, so why try?), or do we continue to work hard to reach it and in doing so bypass our expectations and perceived abilities?

Which path will you choose? Learn all you can, strive to be perfect (even if it's just one area like grammar or time committed each day to perfecting your craft), and as always, Write On my friends!

Obstacles. What are yours?

Atsushi at the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is, no doubt, a masterpiece. Over millions of years, a river carved out this deep and colorful chasm. We do not have millions of years to build our masterpieces, but we do have obstacles in our winding path of creation.

Things that hold us back may range from poor use of our time to lacking self confidence to difficult seasons in our lives. But what is it you really want to do? What is one thing you can give up to do it?

A while ago, I read a fabulous book, Faithful, Fit, and Fabulous, by Connie Sokol. It changed how I saw my time and that I could make tiny changes that would have a significant impact. I had wanted to read to my children, but the time never seemed consistent or right. The bedtime routine went something like this: brush teeth, get in bed, mom hangs out playing on her phone while kids go to sleep. I decided that I would give up playing on my phone and read to them while they fell asleep. It wasn't that I suddenly had more time or a better time, it was that I gave up something I'd been doing for something that I really wanted. I found that it worked far better than I thought it would.

This week's challenge it to make one tiny change. What is it you really want? One tiny change--what will it be? 

#AmReading

I finished reading several books over the summer.

How about you? Did you get to escape on an amazing adventure within the cover of a book? I would love to know what your favorites were.

My favorites (and thus being, the ones I can highly recommend) were:

Kingdom of Ruses, by Kate Stradling

Tournament of Ruses, by Kate Stradling

Attractive Nuisance, by Jennifer Griffith

The Boardwalk Antiques Shop, (novellas) by Heather B. Moore, Julie Wright, and Melanie Jacobsen

and

Rising, by Holly Kelly

They're all clean with varying levels of romance. And not only clean, but I didn't want to put them down.

#AmReading: I'm currently reading All Hallow's Eve (novellas), by Heather B. Moore, Annette Lyon, Sarah M. Eden, Lisa Magnum, Elana Johnson, and Jordan McCollum. Loved the first story and can't wait to get into the rest...

Happy reading and as always, Write On, my friends (or maybe for this post I should say "Read On, my friends, Read On!").

Luck

In the temple of the giant Buddha in Nara, Japan, stands a large post with a tiny square hole cut in the bottom of it. If you are able to squeeze through, it is said to bring good luck.

In our stories, our characters sometimes get themselves into tight places. Like real people, our characters can't grow without some challenges. And like people, it isn't believable to have a character without a trial they have to face.

What's the worst thing that could happen in the scene you're writing? Write it. How do your characters respond? This will show what they're made of. Of course, we can't have pages and pages of difficult things without a break, without a shimmer of silver lining, without a little bit of luck. Weave both challenging situations and a bit of good fortune into your story and as always, Write On my friends.

Becoming Stronger

just emerged butterfly

The process of becoming a butterfly is one that has fascinated many of us since our youth. A tiny caterpillar grows to become a larger caterpillar and then encapsulates itself for a short period of time while undergoing miraculous changes. But the challenge of becoming a butterfly is in the work that comes after emerging from the chrysalis. Stretching wet wings, flexing and moving them until they are dry and can lift the tiny creature. If the butterfly is unable to stretch and move and dry its wings, it will die. 

As writers, we must stretch--learning new skills, honing old ones--and work, work, work, until our writing takes flight on strong beautiful wings. It isn't easy, and unlike the butterfly, our work never ends. Each new project is like the precious butterfly, requiring us to repeat the process before something incredible emerges. Keep flapping your wings and Write On my friends.

Inspiration

As youth, we put up posters and quotes and pictures that inspired us. From music stars to sports teams, from mythical animals to movie sensations and sayings that we connected with. Our favorite things fighting for a space to breathe on our walls.

Red Gate at Miyajima Japan

As adults, do we surround ourselves with things that uplift and inspire? I love the concept of vision boards. It's the bedroom wall of our youth squashed into a much smaller space. Your board could be on a sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" card stock or a 12" x 12" magnetic board, or even a 3' x 4' poster. What would be on it?

Each of us is unique and has our own set of challenges and abilities. But know this, you, YOU are amazing in your own way. Believe in yourself. I believe in you, I believe you can overcome and achieve great things. Sometimes we need help and sometimes we need to extend help.

I hope through my writing that I might lift and inspire. May you also. Write On my friends.

Summer!

Yes, it's summer and my normal routine has been hi-jacked. Late mornings, family vacations, extreme heat warnings, engagements, diet soda, swim team, out-of-towners, BFFs, reflections, and milestones have all been part of it. I like summer for its lack of routine, for having my kids around, and for opportunities to get together with family and friends. However, I do need to have some semblance of a routine (like blogging on Mondays) and writing every day.

One of my Accountability Partners suggested we send our word count for the day, even if it's zero, when we submit our lists. This is how our Accountability Partnership works: there are three of us. We send our list of to-dos each night. During the following day we check in with each other marking off the things we have accomplished, encouraging the others with the things they have to do and repeat. So add to that list our word count. Even thinking about a few days of WC 0 had me itching to write something just so I didn't have to report a 0. (No, not competitive at all ... really.) The great part is, though, that I made myself write. It isn't that I don't have time, I just don't make myself sit down and do it.

A word count 0 day is OK (especially in summer when kids are home), just not every day. Write on, my friends, write on!

Fatherhood

Yesterday was Father's Day. I certainly am not Daughter or Wife of the Year and many Father's Days go by with not much to show from me. Is it because the wonderful Fathers in my life are undeserving? Absolutely not. I just get swept up in the whirlwind of summer and life and all the unimportant things. So on that note, I decided to post about things my dad taught me.

My dad and daughter playing Barbies together.

Ten things my dad taught me:

How to work hard.

How to laugh at myself.

Reading is important.

Good grammar is essential.

God is perfect. We are not.

Serving others dissolves selfishness.

How to ride a bike.

It's better to do things the right way even if it's easier to take a short cut.

Family is forever, friends come and go.

Muscle cars are really cool, especially if your 8-track of Queen is blowing your speakers.

Thanks Dad. I love you!


What's one thing your dad taught you?


If you want more reading on the psychological side of the importance of fathers, check out PsychologyToday's blog or LDS.org.

In our writing, we add depth to our characters by showing their relationships to those around them, including their fathers. How does a character change and grow by overcoming the challenges of secondary characters? That's what character driven plots are all about: the growth of the character. Challenge your characters, make them grow, frustrate them, push them to their limits, encourage them and show them what they're made of. How? Their dad, of course. (Still love you, Dad!)

Write On, my friends.

The Journey of a Thousand Days

On our trip to Japan, we flew Hawaiian Airlines. (We love HA). The in-flight magazine, Hana-Hou, had an article titled Runner of a Thousand Days by Dave Choo.

It's an amazing tale of a Buddhist priest, Ryojun Shionuma, who lives in the mountains above Nara, Japan.

We meet him as a runner of the Honolulu Marathon. Although he has never run a marathon, he has completed the two most difficult tests of the Shugendo sect of Buddhism to which he belongs (Shugendo literally means, 'the path of training and testing'). The first--considered the hardest--is the Omine Sennichi Kaihogyo. It means, 'One Thousand Days trekking on Mount Omine.' It isn't a thousand continuous days as the trail is only open from May 3 to September 22. But it is continuous in that it is every single one of those days for the roughly nine years it takes to complete the thousand days. Completing this daily, thirty mile hike for this test of strength and endurance is equivalent to circling the earth one and a quarter times and only one other person has ever completed it. Wow. I was excited about the day we walked thirteen miles; I can't imagine going thirty. Daily.

Shionuma also completed another feat which I won't go into but will just say people have died trying to complete it. You can check out the complete article if you want to read about it. But for today, I just want to focus on the daily trek.

Writing is hard. Doing it daily for a thousand days. Harder. (For some of us it seems impossible). But we can accomplish difficult things. He didn't give up when he got to the middle and nothing made any sense anymore. He didn't give up when the scene didn't quite work out the way he wanted. He persevered and put one foot in front of the other until the journey was done.

Don't give up, keep writing, keep putting one word after the other--even if it seems like drivel. Keep at it, write good words, inspire greatness, and like Shionuma, there is an end to your journey (but it's just the beginning of the next one).

Write On my friends!


*I neglected to take the magazine which was the April/May issue of Hana Hou and the return flight was in June. You can check it out, but the article about Ryojun Shionuma didn't have a link at this posting (the link above is to another blog where the complete article is posted).

* Image from: http://shionuma-ryojun.jp/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/15.jpg

Drowning, the #2 Cause of Accidental Death

Mid-Week post (because it's such an important topic)

Having children, and a pool, this especially applies in my case; however, I felt the information was so significant that I shared on FB and Twitter and I'm now sharing the post link on my blog. The signs of drowning may not be what you think. Read a great post on Modern Mom and learn more about this tragic and preventable death. Please. It will only take a few minutes, but can make all the difference.

Drowning, the #2Cause of Accidental Death

I'm Back!

So I took a little hiatus (two weeks is little, right?!). What did I do with that time? I traveled to Japan with my husband and oldest three children.

It. Was. Amazing.

Knowing we would be doing a lot of walking, we took backpacks rather than suitcases. It worked out really well because we did do a lot of walking (an average seven miles/day, our highest mileage was 13). We crammed as much as we possibly could into those two weeks traveling from Osaka south as far as Fukuoka, then to Tokyo and as far north as Lake Akan and back to Sapporo for our flight home.

We got to reconnect with friends from a few months ago, from twenty-five years ago, and with my cousin and her husband. We saw lots of shrines, ate lots of katsu curry and noodles (seafood is not our thing) and in the Hiroshima train station there's a place called Hearth Brown that has killer bread (a dash of almonds and powdered sugar on top and vanilla custard inside--to die for!)

Japan is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I am very blessed to have been able to go back to some of the places I lived so long ago.

Part of a temple in Miyajima.

 

A statue in Yokohama.

One of the world's top three night views: Hakodate, Hokkaido.

The beautiful countryside of eastern Hokkaido.

Cross Post

I'm on a tight schedule so for my post today, head on over to Five Pages of Something where I blogged about the exciting topic of...drum roll please...punctuation. You don't think that merits any enthusiasm? Read it and see.

Happy Post-Mother's Day Post

Yesterday was Mother's Day. A lovely celebration of the women who have cared for us, steered us in the right direction, loved us. Notice I didn't say 'birthed' us, although for me, the amazing woman who gave me life is a treasure and I love her dearly.

I think of all the women who have influenced and guided me. To them I say, thank you for believing in me, thank you for caring, thank you for being an example. Happy Mother's Day.

To the women who read this, wherever you are, please don't underestimate your power to be a force for good. Our children need you, our world needs you. You can and do make a difference. I am grateful for the good women in my life, my mother, my late mother-in-law, wife to my father-in-law, sisters, friends, accountability partners, neighbors, the woman at the bank who always remembers my name, teachers, and the list goes on. So in the essence of 'do what is right', or 'choose the right', I say: Right On my friends, Right On...

A Favorite Quote

One of my favorite quotes goes like this:

"If you do not pay the price needed for success, you will pay the price of failure."
          --James E. Faust

How important is your goal to you? Are you paying the price needed to succeed? I currently am at the pennies-in-a-jar stage of trying to reach my writing goal. This quote reminds me that I cannot slack off, I cannot give up, I cannot leave it to someone else to write my stories. They are mine, even if the ideas are old and worn, the stories are uniquely my own. It's a beautiful thing. Pay up my friends and, as always, Write On. The world needs good books.

I Hate Being Wrong!

I am not sure why I get so bothered by bad grammar and mis-spelled words, but I do. Love my dad, but his grammar needs some work. I'm not perfect at it (as was brought to my attention), but I do make an effort to be correct. Over the years I've worried about the mote of poor grammar on the home front, but recently, I discover that I've been carrying around a poor grammar beam! Yes, a beam.

Here it is: 'til is NOT a word, it is "considered a spelling error". The words, interchangeably used, are till or until. 

This is what Miriam Webster has to say: 

till (til) 1. up to the time of; until: to fight till death 2. before (used in negative constructions): They didn't come till today. 3. before, to: My watch says ten till four. ... Usage. TILL and UNTIL are both very old in the language and are interchangeable as both prepositions and conjunctions. ... TILL is not a shortened form of UNTIL and is not spelled 'TILL. 'TIL is usually considered a spelling error, though commonly used in business and advertising: Open 'til ten.

My deepest and most sincere apologies to anyone who has been victim to my ignorance!

Write on my friends, but do not write "'til".

"Pick a Fight with the Toughest Guy on the Team"

My husband likes to listen to sports/talk radio when he is in the car. Generally, I don't pay too much attention to it, but one day we were driving and the announcer, Ron Wolfley, said something that stuck with me. I apologize I don't remember the story, because I'm sure it was a good one (something about fighting). His brother told him to "pick a fight with the toughest guy on the team."

At first glance, one might question the wisdom in that, but I believe it's true. These are just a couple of things I learned from this:

First, if the guy we're picking a fight with is the toughest, we may reconsider our decision. It requires us to think about our choices. Perhaps gives us a chance to do something smarter.

Second, if we're going into a fight with the toughest guy, we dang well better be prepared. We should know our opponent and we should be training harder and working smarter every day.

Third, a fight doesn't necessarily mean face to face combat. It could mean the promotion we want, it could mean that book we want to write, it could mean being the best mom and wife, it could mean olympic medals, or it could simply mean we face each day, each challenge with a smile, determined to beat the toughest 'guy' on the team.

Write on my friends and may your challenges be a little lighter!

Forgetting

My special needs daughter turned 14 yesterday. She'd been talking about her upcoming birthday for months. Sunday night I told her we were going to skip Monday and go straight to Tuesday. Her expression was priceless, almost as if she were trying to decide whether that was possible and was adamant that we not bypass her birthday.

In that conversation, my brain flew right over Monday and went straight to Tuesday, hence my forgetting to post here. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

How does that apply to writing? I knew you would ask... I'm a pantser (which means I don't generally outline), I let the story take shape as I go while having a general idea of where it will end up. The problem with not having an outline is that sometimes I forget where I was going with my story (and that comes from not writing every day, too). But thank goodness for creativity. My brain just comes up with something (and since I forgot, who knows, maybe it was what I intended in the first place). But seriously, I have found that even if I don't have a detailed outline, if I just have a page of what I imagine, it's very helpful.

The cool thing about that page or sometimes two is that it's a quick write, just the skeletal details flowing as fast as you can get them out. No need to worry about how things will happen or sensory things.

Are you a pantser or an outliner? Share a quick tip in the comments for how you outline (or don't).

It's Monday

I think it's safe to say that most people aren't fans of Monday. We lounge around, we play, and we are generally more carefree over the weekend, so it makes sense that getting back to our weekday routine isn't appealing.

Maybe it's that Easter was yesterday and Springtime is here that had me looking forward to a 'clean slate' this morning. What's on your routine that you can't live without? How about one thing you would change? One thing I like is the morning routine with my family, it's sometimes stressful, but it's a nice way to start the day. Another thing that I really appreciate is my 'list' and my 'Accountability Partners' who cheer me on.

On Mondays, we also post over on Five Pages, I posted about using verbs as nouns and how our writing is cleaner by using the verbs the way they were intended. If you haven't checked out Stephen Wilbers's book Mastering the Craft of Writing, I highly recommend it. Write on my friends!

My Top 10 Favorite Books

Everyone has their favorites, right? After you check out my list, please leave a comment with a couple of yours (because I'm always looking for good stuff to add to my To Read list).

Here goes (and you know it's subject to change, right?!):

1. The Book of Mormon/The Holy Bible* (I know these are two books, but they are both equally important to me.)

2. Jane Eyre* by Charlotte Bronte

3. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emma Orckzy

4. Edenbrooke* by Julianne Donaldson

5. Spirit of Rebellion* by Debbie Peterson

6. A Wrinkle in Time* by Madeleine L'Engle

7. Pride and Prejudice* by Jane Austen

8. The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

9. The Hobbit/Lord  of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien

10. Drawing Out the Dragons series by James A. Owen


*these are the ones I have read at least twice

K, so...

Affectionately referred to as cheese (queso) by my sister and her family.

It's also used to preface a lot of the dialogue that goes on around me. Last week and this week over on Five Pages of Something, we have been talking about ways to eliminate unnecessary words. I think sometimes we are so used to hearing wordy phrases that we incorporate them in our writing.

This is A-OK, so... It really is only OK in your drafts. Today's readers want the heart of the matter, not a lot of fluff leading up to your point.

Here are a few examples from grammar expert Richard Nordquist's post 200 Common Redunancies:

free gift

add an additional

artificial prosthesis

armed gunman

Write cautiously and precisely, but Write On my friends.

Overcoming Obstacles

I'm writing this post for myself. Kind of a little pep-talk. I'm in a slump. A hole I can't seem to dig myself out of. I'm filling my jar with pebbles rather than rocks. It's dragging me down.

What do you do to get out of a slump?

Here's my A-list, my rocks if you will (in order of importance to me):

Husband and Kids
Spiritual Growth
Church responsibilities
ANWA responsibilities
Business responsibilities

My B-list, or pebbles (in no particular order):
Dinner
Cleaning the house
Reading
Laundry
Down Time
Grocery Shopping
Mail
E-Mail
Blogging (hah!)
Lunch
Exercise
Bills

Unfortunately, things like grocery shopping and laundry aren't easily put off, they demand my time. And in their defense, I let them. I have talked about putting A-list things first or designating them with an "A" when I send my list to my Accountability Partners. But, I haven't done that yet. It mentally exhausts me to think about it. I told you I was in a bad spot. The only person that can get me out of it is me and God. Perhaps if I trust more in His grace and think less of my own frailty and neediness, maybe I can pull it together. Maybe. (My faith is lacking).

Here is what I want you to know: God knows you and loves you. Whatever the challenges we face, He is there to help us through. I see His hand daily in my life and in the lives of my family. Rely on Him, get through your challenges, your slumps, your dark night of the soul, and like a bright light, Write On my friends. We can do this!

Post-Conference Blues

I love writing conferences. I have been closely involved with the ANWA Time Out for Writers Conference for the past several years. This year's conference was many things from educational to inspiring, from fun to serious, from agents to editors and best-selling authors. I cannot say enough good things or thank-yous to the people who put it together.

There wasn't one class block that didn't offer a class I wanted to attend. (I think that's a first for me.) The two keynote speakers were Brandon Mull and Regina Sirois. W-O-W! Both inspired and touched me.

The bookstore: I spent more money than I planned. What a great group of authors were represented there. Super excited to read them (as soon as I'm done with the four I have committed to read over the next week--how does time go so quickly? Yikes! I guess I should read a little today).

Thank you Conference Co-Chairs, Janette Rallison and Rebecca Lamoreaux, and your fabulous Conference Committee! Well done.

Write on my friends (and start stashing $15/month so you can attend next year).

Over on Five Pages of Something, a blog where I contribute, we are giving away a copy of Stephen Wilbers' Mastering the Craft of Writing. All you have to do is follow via email (enter your email address on the right hand side...easy peasy). Promotion ends soon, so sign up today.

Conference

As you can see to the left, my countdown widget is almost at zero. Hooray. I love writing conferences and the ANWA Time Out for Writers Conference is always fun and educational. I am able to network with peers and editors and agents as well as learn new things about the craft of writing. Speaking of the craft of writing, if you head over to Five Pages of Something and follow by email, you will be entered to win a copy of Steven Wilbers' Mastering the Craft of Writing--one of my favorite books on improving your craft. Join me at Conference this weekend or over on FPS and let's share this writing journey. Write on my friends.

Helping Hands

"Many hands make light work." They same is true for easing burdens of others. One of the members of our writing community, Lu Ann Staheli underwent surgery last year and it was discovered she had cancer. Her family now has substantial medical bills. Any help you can give will make a difference. You can read more about her story and donate here: http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/help-luann-staheli-cover-the-costs-of-fighting-cancer/303130.

Thank you Heather B. Moore for making us aware of Lu Ann's situation and thank you J. Scott Savage for organizing the fund raising campaign. What an amazing group!

Author's note: Lu Ann Staheli passed away shortly after this post. You can still contribute to help her family cover the costs of her medical bills.

Finding Balance

This is something I have struggled with for many years now. I used to feel like, aside from housework, the things that needed doing got done. Somehow it all unraveled. My accountability partners can attest to this. But this isn't a Debbie Downer Pity Party. It's a How to Get Back on Track party.

What do you do to keep the balance in your life?

In one of the classes in my unfinished Master's program, our teacher talked about the many hats we wear and responsibilities for each. I sometime categorize my life like that. I wear many hats: Wife, Mom, Sister, Daughter, Friend, Primary Secretary at church, Author, HR/Payroll Administrator, Business Owner, ANWA Past-Executive President, not to mention, Cook, Laundress, Vacuumer, Lawn Mower, Closet Organizer, and the list goes on. Obviously some of those "hats" overlap. Most of them are listed them in the order of their importance to me.

One thing that has helped keep some semblance of balance is my Accountability Partners. And maybe by balance I really mean productivity. My APs are my cheering squad and knowing they care about the mundane as well as the exciting is what keeps me going on the rough days.

Something I need to change, though, is the priorities on the list. I'm great at getting to the unimportant things like loading the dishwasher, but not so great at going to the store and buying a birthday present for my husband (I hate shopping, but really, he's the most important person in my life, I should be putting everything aside and putting that at the top of my list. Birthday over, maybe next year).

So, from now on, I'm going to indicate priority on my list with a $. Show me the money baby=I'm making progress in the right direction.

What does this long ramble have to do with writing? My writing time now gets a "$". Write On with me my friends!

Ask For What You Want

Recently I read James A. Owen's trilogy Drawing out the Dragons (also available at Amazon and BN). I had heard the author speak and one of the things that stood out was to have the courage to ask, because we just might get what we ask for. Thank you, Mr. Owen for the wisdom behind that and for inspiring courage because recently something really good happened to me and my writing/critique partners.

It actually started about a year ago. I discovered a craft book, Mastering the Craft of Writing, by Stephen Wilbers. It's a wonderful book divided up into 52 lessons on writing. I asked my writing friends, who are also critique partners, if they wanted to do a 52 week challenge. We started and sputtered and then summer came and it went by the wayside.

We decided late in the year to try again, but to blog about what we did each week as a motivation to keep going. We set out the parameters and blog schedule. But we were concerned about copyright and what we could include on our blog. We decided to ask permission to use excerpts from the book on the blog. Not long after we asked, Mr. Wilbers very kindly granted us permission. I cannot describe how I felt. I think it was a cross between awe in the honor he gave us and sheer joy that he'd said yes. We have started the blog and you can check it out at Five Pages of Something.

It's Almost Here

What's almost here? ANWA's annual Time Out for Writers Conference in sunny Mesa, Arizona. I have participated in this conference several times and always come away with new and usable information.

Conferences are expensive, so choosing one is something to be done with care. No matter where you are in your writing journey, I think you will find something that applies to you. Class descriptions can be found on ANWA's website.

I hope you'll join us, it's going to be another great Conference. If you aren't able to make it, keep learning and Write On my friends!