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Random ramblings when a short story or conversation just won't do. |
| Please join me in my first attempt at blogging on WDC. We'll see where the road takes us. |
| Being sick over the last few days, I thought, one great side effect would be that I can write and write! Turns out when I start feeling really bad (think fever, chills) the creative juices do not flow. The story is however playing out in my head, and in strange dreams. I am assuming the Nyquil kicks off the dreams and my subconscious need to finish my novel creates the characters, albeit not always on a familiar path. Dreams are strange how they twirl with day to day, imagination and whatever strangeness the mind may spin. Obsession is nine tenths of the law, right? I wish there was a fast way to get it all down, tied together and complete. When I think of finishing it, I'm sad, because it will be like saying goodbye to old friends. The circle of life...complicated and simple all at once. Does your novel play out in your head like a movie? Mine does, and I can see the next section clearly but can't get it down on paper like I want it. I'll get there, just needed to vent for a second. Could be the cold medicine whining...let's blame that. Switching gears for a second, I keep thinking about being sick as a child. My mother opened a can of chicken noodle soup. Occasionally, she'd make a grilled cheese, but never with the soup that I remember. Friday, when my throat started tickling, and my head stopped up, I went to the grocery store to stock up. Instead of the red and white can of easy soup, I bought a whole chicken. Yep, I cooked it and have made 2 different meals from it. I ate on chicken and rice soup, as well as a homemade Southern chicken pie (no veggies). I like to break the cycle...another obsession. I try to do the opposite of everything that occurred in my childhood..okay not EVERYTHING...but a lot of it. I wonder if most writer's childhoods are full of sunflowers and ice cream, with smiling mothers in aprons cooking healthy, but delicious meals. Did they come home from school and get undivided attention, with questions about their day? Support on their homework? OR... Did they get canned soup when sick, fried foods (I'm not saying they weren't tasty but I'm still battling that obsession) or sweets to be quiet? Did they get yelled at coming in the door to go do their homework? Be quiet, I'm watching my "story"! (You'll show your age, if you know that one.) If you asked for help on your homework, did you get the question, "What are they teaching you there, if you can't do your own work?". I don't know why that came out in this blog today, but again, I shall blame the cold medicine. It doesn't seem to mind that I am using it as a crutch and an excuse for my rambling rant. Good night, sweethearts! I'll see you the next time an overwhelming desire to ramble about absolutely nothing takes over. |
| Some days my mind is so wrapped around the world that I am weaving in my novel, I can't focus on my day job. I'll be in a meeting and realize that I am mapping out the next steps the characters will take or what the setting should be. These characters live in my head. I think like Jody (my main character) or she thinks like me, okay not exactly since I can make her do things I only dreamed about. My fascination is how the characters are taking the story to a different place than originally intended. How do these inanimate objects of our imagination, take on a life of its own? I'll start writing a chapter and it will end somewhere that I didn't expect. I am still driving down the path to the same conclusion but the route to get there is addictive. I wish I could re-write my life and make different decisions at certain times. I wonder if I had made a different choice though, could it have improved or ruined events? I'll never know but I ponder it. How about Déjà vu? This happens to me upon occasion and it freaks me out. Once when I was in my teens, I remember riding with my mother, we passed a school that seem so familiar to me. I asked if we had been there before, but we hadn't. I knew that school, I could remember what the class room looked like and I knew that I had been on that playground at recess. She told me it was probably a dream, but riddle me this Batman...how did I dream that exact location? Life is full of 'stranger than fiction' surprises. I embrace them now, and put pen to paper to capture the unusual and absurd. Like Forrest said his Momma said, "Life was like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get..." Truer words were never spoken, I say. Whether it is the yucky licorice center that I spit out or the creamy smooth ganache that melts in your mouth..not in your hand...I'll take it. Live long and prosper my fellow writers and strange bedfellows... (Jeez, I just read this back before I post. Talk about your random ramblings...my apologies to anyone who braves this whole blog post, and lives to tell about it!! You are stronger than the average bear, my friend.) |
| What a crazy week! I have not been able to write as much as I wanted. I do want to write down how my week ended. I had been asked to do a presentation on a project at my company for a conference. I thought it would be about 40 people, turned into about 100. While I don't get the shakes before a crowd, as I did that first time in speech class a million years ago, I'm not a big public speaker. I worked on the presentation, talked a couple of my co-workers into speaking a little on their areas, we rehearsed and then it was time. Friday dawned with me awake at 4:30 AM, thinking through what I would say, wondering if anyone would laugh at a couple of amusing things I inserted into the slides. Upon arrival, I find that I know a few of the people in attendance, from prior jobs, projects or conferences. I get a text from someone who I haven't seen in a while, wishing me luck. I started to get a little nervous, but as the two people, who I asked to speak a little, were really nervous that somehow calmed me. The time came, and I stood looking out at the crowd, nerves jittery, deep breath and let the intros begin. I don't know how to describe the feeling as we talked and the crowd was clearly engaged. They laughed when I hoped they would, they nodded in agreement, and they did not fidget, look at their phones, or get up and go to bathroom. At the end, they asked questions for ten minutes over our allotted time. Why am I blogging about this? Because it was the most intensive rush, that I have experienced. Afterwards, people wanted my card, expressed what a great speaker I was, and they truly got something out of the information that I was sharing. It was like being a rock star for a few minutes. I could never share this with people who I know the best. Weird, isn't it? If I thought I could do that well, and get that rush each time, I'd change my career immediately! I laugh to think how my hands shook, and my voice cracked, all those years ago, when I gave my first speech on how to paint a t-shirt! Take that, speech class! I have overcome...30 years later... Good night sweethearts.... |
| Do you ever wonder why certain foods provide comfort? I was in a funk today, and decided to have breakfast for dinner. My mood changed a little, and it took me a bit to realize it. I started thinking about when as a kid, my mother would cook breakfast at dinner time. We thought that was the biggest treat. Bacon and eggs at night? Crazy talk. This connection between eating and moods fascinates me. If only I could figure out how that trigger works. I can overcome it for only so long. It is a constant battle with food and my compulsions. I'll keep working on it, because I refuse to let something intangible beat me. It is all in my head. I make the choices. I feel the emotions. I reach for the unhealthy bites of short lived heaven. Tomorrow's another day, Scarlett. Good night sweethearts... |
| Today is my sixth month anniversary on WDC. By WDC rules of engagement, I am no longer considered a 'newbie'. Strangely, I feel like an old newbie. I find new things to do or read every day, but I feel like an old soul when I read posts from my fellow writers who are just starting out. I remember how intimidating certain things were in my first few days/weeks. WritingML and Cnotes and Bitems...Oh My! What the heck is a 'bitem'? Does it leave a mark? Can I get rabies from a 'bitem'? Aundria, my angelic mentor, patiently walked me through each trial and tribulation. I learned a little more each day. I found reviewing. I found new friends via this wonderful outlet of assisting other writers by providing feedback and learning so much during the process. I received great feedback. The first objective reviews that I had gotten on my writing. Was it all peaches and cream? Nope, it wasn't even Peaches and Herb. It was sometimes glowing, but sometimes brutally honest and constructive. After working through the initial sting, an amazing thing happened. My heart grew two sizes...oh wait that was another time...nope, I found my writing improving. In the outside world, it is hard to open up and share with those around us. I'm not sure why this virtual world of writers has welcomed me with open arms. I do know that I am surely glad they did. I owe a lot to the StoryMaster and StoryMistress! It is time to work on another chapter in my book. My goal when joining WDC was a simple one. Write a novel. I have always wanted to complete a work from page one to a nail biting ending! WDC is helping me reach that goal. I have never gotten this far with a book before, and I know that I will finish this one. It may not ever make it to a publisher, but I will feel that great feeling of accomplishment. I can't wait for that moment. I'd like to thank WDC, my mentor, Aundria and countless others (you know who you are) for all the encouragement and assistance. Write on, my WDC peeps...write on! Lisa |
| Here's a random rambling for you. Anybody else out there riding the weight roller coaster? You're up, then you're down. Not only your weight but your mood too. I find them closely related, married actually. It is a love hate relationship, the problem is you can't divorce it. I found a good balance of exercise and healthy eating which worked for a few years. I started a new job, got out of my exercise routine and cheated on my healthy self with sinfully delicious fast food. It is always the fast ones who get you. What is it about the fast and furious? Why do we love the bad boy? I am determined to get back on track, my intentions are pure. I tell myself, it won't happen again, you know what you should do, so do it! Do the right thing! I don't listen. I've tracked backwards to this unhealthy relationship, it all starts when you're a child, building those important basic skills of how to be faithful and good. Blame the mother? Sure. The father? Of course. Too easy? Yes, it is. You've no one to blame but yourself. You're the one sitting on the couch instead of walking on the treadmill. No one is forcing that fried chicken into your mouth. That juicy, crispy piece of heaven, literally finger licking good...wait, what was I talking about? I will get back into a healthier lifestyle. I am tired of cheating on my better half. Wow, not sure where this little rant came from, but glad that I put it out there. Let's see if it will help me get back to a better place. I will survive...there see how I brought it back around to an earlier blog? Goodnight sweethearts...it's time to go... LOT |
| Whew!! I made it out of the house. Snow White disappeared into a puddle and I made my escape. I am flying west for a long warmer weekend. I planned ahead and got to the airport 4 hours early. Breezed through traffic and security, so here I sit...waiting. Airports are an endless supply of characters, descriptions, and observations of the most bizarre things some times. People are crazy. What I am observing is that we all have quirks, habits and idiosyncrasies. The interactions of well seasoned travelers and "newbies" can be disastrous. Business travelers definitely like to kick the newbies out of the way. All of this is very boring. I believe I am going to make up a story for later. I have setting, (Airport) characters abound & I can eavesdrop until I find a perfect plot. Hmmm, I may have just created a new writing game while in an airport. I am going to plot now. Later gators. LOT Happy V Day ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| What is that bright light that attacks my windows? Sunshine! I am so very happy to see it. I am usually more of a dark personality type, preferring to keep the light out on days when my writing is on a roll. Working from home seems like such a joy too, but after 3 days of trying to keep up via email, instant message, text and conference call, my sanctuary has turned into the same tumultuous environment as my office. I forbid this to happen. It is forbidden, I tell you! As promised, this is more of a ramble. My words will follow wherever my thoughts take me. Right now, I'm wondering how people who live in a frozen tundra (is that an oxymoron?) make it through the winters? Do those families have more babies? I mean, you gotta keep warm somehow, right? Enough about the cold, let me ramble over to my next thought. Do you ever wonder about your life in a parallel universe? I wonder about it a lot (pun totally intended). I wonder if this week, Southern Chick, LOT, is hanging out on a tropical beach, shooting tequila, and winking at the tanned surfer dudes. I wonder if she lives her life to the fullest each day in real life, as I do in my imagination or writing. Do our inspirations come from some random brain synapse or is it much more intentional? I wonder if there is a master plan connecting us all or more than likely, we are born, we evolve, and then we die. If you're lucky, you just make the most of that evolution period. I've learned a lot (oops, I did it again.) in my many years on this Earth and the parallel world named "Imagination" in this realm. I love it when someone asks me if I would go back to being a teenager or some other time in my past. We all want to say, sure as long as I can know what I know now. Well, we only know what we know now, so make the best of now, my friends. Embrace it, because if you don't, it might just pass you by and hug the next person until they pursue their passions and dreams. Speaking of passions, I am behind on the reviewing that I wanted to do this week. Inspiration hit on my novel, and I did some revamping. The characters have taken me on a little bit different ride, than I intended. Now, come on....how freaking cool is that? Goodnight sweethearts...until next time. LOT, just a Southern Chick trying to pursue her dreams. (snow & ice not included)   |
| My first blog attempt, let the ramblings begin. Today, was another snow and ice day here in the South. Now, us Southern Belles, are not used to such things. We like to sip our Mint Juleps by the Oak trees, with our pretty parasols blocking the sun's rays from our delicate pale complexions. Us Southern Chicks like the heat of the day, and cool of the night, not the freeze of the day with the sub-freeze of the night. Southern girls rock it out, though and we survive. Oh my...I feel a song coming on..... At first I was afraid I was petrified Kept thinking I could never live with all this ice outside But then I spent so many nights Thinking how it should be gone And I grew strong And I learned how to get along And now it's back from outer space I just walked out to find it here with frozen ice all over the place I should have changed my stupid address I should have moved down to the Keys If I'd have known for just one second you'd be back to bother me Go on now, go, melt off outdoors Just thaw out now 'Cause you're not welcome anymore Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with frostbite Do you think I'd crumble Did you think I'd lay down and die? Oh no, not I. I will survive Oh as long as I know how to heat I know I'll stay alive I've got all my life to live I've got all my warmth to give and I'll survive I will survive, I will survive! |
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