It’s been a busy week for me, but not with my usual busyness at the art center. This week I have been working on the rewrite of Evelyn Evolving, the book I’m writing based on my mother’s life. I received some excellent feedback from Kathryn Craft, a writer and developmental editor, and I am making some of the changes she suggested.
This was my first time to work with an editor at this stage of a project. I’m more accustomed to hiring one for copy editing before I self-publish a book, or working with a publisher’s editor for the same thing. However, I wasn’t even sure what I was doing with this story, so I contacted Kathryn. I’m so glad I did. I have a direction for the book now, which is what I was sorely lacking.
Since I’m still writing the story and it is a long way away from publication, there is no cover image, but I wanted something visual to focus on to remind myself of the theme, so I made this with a photograph I took recently of one of my roses.
My other busyness this week has been finally getting flowers planted. It has been so wet for so long here in Texas that gardening was next to impossible. It has felt good to spend an hour or so each morning this week digging in dirt. There is something so good about getting dirt under your fingernails. (smile)
Another good thing is that all of this activity has kept me from paying attention to the news, so I have nothing to rant about. Aren’t you relieved? (smile)
Friday’s Funnies:
There was a preacher who fell in the ocean and he couldn’t swim. When a boat came by, the captain yelled, “Do you need help, sir?” The preacher calmly said “No, God will save me.”
A little later, another boat came by and a fisherman asked, “Hey, do you need help?” The preacher replied again, “No God will save me.”
Eventually the preacher drowned & went to heaven. The preacher asked God, “Why didn’t you save me?”
God replied, “Fool, I sent you two boats!”
A man is talking to God. “God, how long is a million years?” God answers, “To me, it’s about a minute.”
“God, how much is a million dollars?” “To me, it’s a penny.”
“God, may I have a penny?”
“Wait a minute.”
A blonde, a redhead, and a brunette were all lost in the desert. They found a lamp and rubbed it. A genie popped out and granted them each one wish.
The redhead wished to be back home. Poof! She was back home.
The brunette wished to be at home with her family. Poof! She was back home with her family.
The blonde said, “Awwww, I wish my friends were here.”
Writing Wisdom:
This is from John Vorhaus at Writer Unboxed. In a recent post he blogged about the importance of exploring new ideas and new things.
Writer’s block, I have discovered, takes place at the intersection of too much fear and not enough information. Whenever I find myself in that dark neighborhood, I never try to write. Instead, I go gather new information. Once I’ve tipped the balance back in information’s favor, I find that my fear goes to sleep and I can go back to work.
This information gathering is not just helpful for getting past writer’s block, but is helpful in so many other ways. Too often we stay stuck where we are because it is so scary to make a change, but change can take us in new and exciting directions.
Almost twenty years ago I was dragged from Texas to Nebraska. Not literally, but I was reluctant to make a change, even though the change was important, and I joked that there were heel marks in the dirt from Dallas to Omaha. I am not good friends with change. I don’t even rearrange my furniture, but that experience of going to Omaha opened new realms of possibility for me, and I am so glad I was forced to go.
Now I just need to learn to embrace the idea of change and do it willingly. LOL
What about you? Do you embrace change?
Do you have plans for the weekend? A number of the young people who have been in my troupe of Young Players for several years are graduating from High School tonight, and I will go to let them know how proud I am of them. The ceremony is held outdoors, so I do hope it doesn’t rain on our celebration.