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A phoenix rises from the ashes! My WDC blog is BACK for random chattering! |
| I rise from a broken reality to create a new one in the mascarade ball that we call life. |
| The portfolio here looks skimpy, but looks are deceiving. I've actually been writing a lot since I returned from our early April vacation. The creativity is flowing, and I've been rolling along in that space, happy as I can be. I've made outstanding progress these past few weeks. Unfortunately for here, that meant I had to clean out my portfolio. Some markets are funny about posting stories online and consider it "prior publication," so I had to review my personal que and take out anything here that I'm shopping around for publication. I don't agree that posting to a site like this for feedback is "publication," but I guess others use it as a handy filter to slog through endless submissions. They have to prune somehow, and rules help with that. I will agree that one thing I've learned in 25 years both at my day job and in writing is that success is measured by how well you can read and follow the rules. You'd be amazed at how many people gloss over them and do whatever, and then don't understand why they run up against rejections and problems. So don't be deceived by the sad portfolio. I'm actually writing a lot these days, and doing well. I've just had to do a bit of cleanup and organization in the process. That's all today. Take care, and have a great week! Sherri F. Moorer https://www.amazon.com/Sherri-Fulmer-Moorer/e/B005G5DW9U http://www.sherrithewriter.com/ |
| Sometimes, you need extra space that you can’t get inside of your everyday life. Rick and I took a relaxing vacation to Bryson City, NC, last week, and I had a breakthrough that I hope will finally lead me in right directions. I was sitting in that hot tub staring at the stars one night, and realized that I’ve accomplished a lot over the past year. Facing my anxiety and getting proper treatment hasn’t been easy, but it’s been impactful. That mental struggle led me to not only clean up my brain, but to look for the “yes” in my life and embrace it. Now I see that sometimes, you also have to be bold enough to ask questions to find that “yes.” If people can ask me where I get my ideas from, I can ask how to improve as a writer and reach more readers. I think one problem is that I spent too much time fighting and resenting the “no” in my life. Honestly, I think most of us do that. The world has it’s definitions of success, and the truth is that the Lord works in mysterious ways, and often “success” is a new and different thing that we only know in our heart. Letting go of the “no” and finding the “yes” not only alleviates anxiety, but clears your vision as well. I’m learning that those spikes of anxiety are coming from incorrect focus: trying to do too much, or focusing on the wrong things, or simply not taking care of myself. I also realized that what I’m doing with my writing isn’t working, and Singularity is a great opportunity to revamp my process to write better and reach more readers. Lo and behold, I already had what I needed on my laptop all along: Reedsy. I’ve entered their weekly short story contests many times and actually won once, but I never checked out their other resources. I’ve corrected that problem this week and sent out requests for help with editing and marketing. I have to invest better to reap better. Perspective is a thing that often comes from challenges, and we’ve certainly had enough of that in the past month (or heck, years). I think it’s high time to stand, take a deep breath, study that compass, and strike out in a right direction. As Stephen King says in On Writing: Life doesn’t depend on art, it’s the other way around. My crazy journey in remaking my reality is inspiring my writing. Buckle up. There’s better stuff coming. That’s all today. Take care, and have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend. Sherri F. Moorer https://www.amazon.com/Sherri-Fulmer-Moorer/e/B005G5DW9U http://www.sherrithewriter.com/ |
| A lot of people have told me to get rest and take care of myself during Rick’s recent illness. This, of course, let me to wonder what that actually means. So often, we assume that the two are the same, when in fact self care may be different than you realize. For example, taking care of myself while Rick was in the hospital sometimes meant I got a salad for lunch, instead of whatever the hospital was serving on the grill. Or fighting the urge to overload on caffeine and drink water instead. It meant careful time management, even when he came home to continue his recuperation, and setting realistic priorities. Yes, I did need to make sure I got enough sleep and rest, but I also felt better knowing that life was still flowing to the best of my ability. But that’s not all. Self care also means doing what you need to establish consonance in your life. It meant continuing rewrites on Singularity my other writing work. It means returning to my workouts. It means taking time with Rick and the birds, talking to family and friends, and yes even settling in the recliner under the fleece blanket to read a book or watch TV. Self care isn’t always about rest. Often, it’s about intentional decisions and carefully managed activity to keep the flow going. It's not easy when life has been derailed, but that’s reality. The key is to have the grace to accept ourself as the protagonist of our life and our story in this world. That’s all today. Have a Happy Friday, a wonderful weekend, and a Happy Resurrection Day. Bye! Sherri F. Moorer https://www.amazon.com/Sherri-Fulmer-Moorer/e/B005G5DW9U http://www.sherrithewriter.com/ |
| I’ve been sidetracked for the past couple of weeks. Rick was in the hospital for five days with a kidney infection and sepsis. After the horrors of eight hours in the Emergency Room and five days in the hospital that also spiraled into fluid on his lungs for over-hydration and MRSA, he was finally released to continue recovery at home last week. He just returned to work today. I was getting dressed for work this morning when the power of “normal” hit me. You don’t realize or appreciate how much your routines mean until it’s shaken up. Suffice it to say that I felt the friction of my desire for stability in a universe that trends towards chaos these past two weeks. Sometimes you can embrace the chaos, and other times you just make your way through, and look for all of that blessing and meaning that people talk about on the other side. This is an “other side” kind of chaos. We appreciate health, healing, and routine. Time will bring any other lessons around. Needless to say, plans have been sidetracked. He’s regaining his energy, and I’m forcing myself to plug in slowly while I process all of this. I returned to my workouts last night and resumed rewrites on Singularity today. Those two things alone have made me feel better than I have in weeks. I feel like me again, and that is a blessed relief. I guess I found that distance from my writing too. I do feel that desire to write again, and am batting around ideas for a “side project” long story or novella. We’ll see what happens. For now, I’m coming back to Singularity, and see what inspiration follows as I plug back into life with eyes open to new perspective and gratitude. That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week. Sherri F. Moorer https://www.amazon.com/Sherri-Fulmer-Moorer/e/B005G5DW9U http://www.sherrithewriter.com/ |
| Apparently there’s a writing prompt today to describe your perfect day. A nice exercise, but I think it’s asking the wrong question for ultimate happiness. This is about what you want, but a better question would be what do you need? They often aren’t the same thing. I’d love to have been a bestselling author for the past 20 years, but the fact is that I might have let go of the security of my day job, and not prepared adequately for retirement if I hit that goal in my 20’s or 30’s. At this point, I’m determined to get a return on my investment, and I believe that shift in perspective has purified my intentions. I’m not writing to get away from a normal life. I’m writing to enhance it for myself and my readers now. And hopefully, I’ve grown as a writer over the past couple of decades on this journey. I still claim being a bestselling, well-respected, award-winning writer, but I claim it as another part of who I already am, not a hostage to my happiness. It’s not a requirement for perfection. The growth is encouraging, and gives me joy. These steps are not only moving it forward, but creating valuable connections and relationships with others who love books as much as I do. And isn’t the journey as valuable (if not more valuable) than the destination? Perfection is nice to ponder, but it isn’t reality. Let’s move forward considering what we need to create the best reality possible. That’s all today. Have a happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend! Sherri F. Moorer https://www.amazon.com/Sherri-Fulmer-Moorer/e/B005G5DW9U http://www.sherrithewriter.com/ |
| I was recently surprised to find myself envious when somebody announced an accomplishment. Envy isn't like me, so it caused me to question myself and my motivations. Why was I suddenly so green? I didn't really want what they had! I decided to pause and consider what I really want, and the answer came to me: I'd like to see the fruits of my labors. I'm not striving for a fancy vacation, or a higher title. I'd just like to conquer my anxiety, and to see my writing finally have a breakthrough and grow to reach more readers. That's it. Not even fame and fortune. Well, fortune would be nice. Retirement is on the horizon, after all. I felt ashamed of this realization, because I believe it's about having a authentic journey of discovery, which I am. It has been a lot of work, and there has been progress, slow and steady. I guess my envy came from finally wanting to see that "big" moment of cheers and raining confetti saying "yay, you did it!" And yet, shedding my old "role self" and finally embracing my full "authentic self" is in itself exciting and fascinating. To me, anyway. Nobody else cares about my existential crisis. That's ok. It's a personal discovery, anyway, and the impacts on others will be all good. That's my intention, anyway. Maybe that "yay" moment will come. Maybe it will be the evolution of life through steady progress. That's more likely, and I'm good with that. I don't think confronting myself is bad, though, because as my husband said this morning "you're human, and you need to let yourself be human." True. These thoughts will come, and it's ok to feel them. They need space to be heard. The important thing is to confront yourself to find truth, and to take it with you on the journey. That's all today. Bye, Sherri F. Moorer https://www.amazon.com/Sherri-Fulmer-Moorer/e/B005G5DW9U http://www.sherrithewriter.com/ |
| I finally completed rewrites on Singularity, my novel-in-progress, after nearly 3 weeks of intensive effort. The beta reads I received before Christmas were helpful, and it feels good to have what my "magnum opus" (to date) coming alive. It's definitely better than it was. I felt invincible as I hit the "Save" button and thought "I'm killing it! Now time to move back to short stories." Then I looked at my fiction journal, and came back down to Earth. In the past year, I've written three viable stories, and two of those are questionable. Crap! It still confounds me that I can write novels naturally, but I struggle with short stories. Then again, this seems to be a theme in my life. I can cook a mean macaroni and cheese casserole, but my green bean casserole is marginal. I have two happy, healthy parrots, and two withering houseplants. The retirement accounts are growing impressively, the daily checking account not so much. In school, I excelled at math and science and stunk at history, which is nothing but rote memorization. Go figure. I guess I drift toward complexity. Or at least, I work harder at it. I do focus on novels (and my parrots, and that mac & cheese casserole) more. Maybe my short stories would improve if I gave them the same attention as I give the novels. I thought I did, but apparently I don't. I'm not giving up. That is, after all, why I'm here: to grow and improve at the shorter forms. But those houseplants might be doomed. Parrots literally call for attention. Plants do not. Happy Friday! Sherri F. Moorer https://www.amazon.com/Sherri-Fulmer-Moorer/e/B005G5DW9U http://www.sherrithewriter.com/ |
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