OOPS! Wednesday Writers Club!

I forgot to post writing news. Check back on the weekend! The Critique Group is coming to my home on Friday!

Heaven

Yesterday my composer husband had a recording session with several vocalists, including songwriter, director, and producer. The film in process is a romantic comedy—a nation-wide motion picture. The song took most of the morning and afternoon to record. The style was GOSPEL. I write that BIG because WOW the vocalists were SPIRITED. One gentlemen stayed late to record the lead over the top. At dinner Tom told us about his day. He enjoyed working with the gentleman doing the lead. "I wish we could have just let him rip...but the songwriter kept saying, "No--the song goes THIS WAY." Tom said the vocalist had such spirit, it just about moved him to tears. "I felt like I was in heaven!"

So while this was going on, I was up on the roof. In the late afternoon the clouds were so AMAZING that I felt compelled to grab a ladder and my camera and climb up.I wondered what the clients would think about Tom's wife sitting on the roof. Well there was no time to worry about it, because the sky was changing so fast. I climbed up, and carefully crawled up to a comfortable spot near the peak, and watched the show. The beautiful cloud show put on by God himself.


I don't often sit on the roof, but I think I will return soon. It's a great place to gain some perspective...and it feels like a small vacation. Sort of like putting one's head into heaven for a little while.

Daffodils at Night

They always catch my attention at night. All flowers do. Their stems and leaves seem to stretch toward the night sky, and their faces turn slightly upwards as if drinking in the cool moist air. Even the weeds look happy! Go out and look tonight! And don't forget to look at the stars, too!

Dylan's Party

Here is the cake I made for Dylan's 16th birthday. Yes...part of the frosting is missing. My excuses are: (1) The lights under the cupboards are burned out. (2) I didn't wear my glasses. But they did seem to like the cake. And one of the boys had a piece for breakfast.






Three boys light the cake.






Dylan invited five friends to help him celebrate his 16th birthday. All of them are good friends from his elementary school days. Since they were invited to spend the night, I thought they'd arrive with sleeping bags. Instead they stepped across the threshhold laden with rectangular plastic cases of various shapes and sizes. An hour later my living room buzzed with power books, and rock music. Assorted blue fire wire cords zig zagged over the furniture. DVDs (or were they CD's?) were scattered across the floor along with game controllers and assorted shoes.

A little while later, one of the larger plastic cases flew open and Viola! Guns! Air soft guns that shoot tiny plastic bee-bees. Some of the boys doned masks—Darth Vader style and ran outside. (At least they wouldn't be sitting in front of the computers all night.) It was about 10:00 p.m. I quickly called my 85-year-old neighbor Jean.

"If you see anyone running along the wall with a gun, it's okay!" Jean thought the party sounded facinating.

"It's been awhile since I've been around kids."

"You want to come over?" I offered.

"No. That's okay."

We barbecued Carne Asada and wrapped it in tortillas stuffed with lettuce, tomatoe, and onions. At about 10:30 p.m. the boys settled down to watch a movie. It was so quiet, Tom and I climbed into bed, and almost fell asleep.

Until the movie ended. Actually they finally calmed down around 2:00 a.m.

Dylan holds the cake.

Happy Birthday Dylan!

Where Do Writer's Go? Part II

All writers need a retreat once in awhile!

I need to warn you that Writers Conferences have so many interesting classes and workshops, that a writer can get weary. It's okay to skip a class or two, and enjoy some time alone!

The first question to ask yourself when planning to attend a writers conference, is: What do I want to get out of this conference? Do I want to take classes to improve my writing skills? Do I want to have my work critiqued? Do I want to meet other writers? Do I want to connect with editors?

Writing is a lonely past time, and sometimes we need to pry ourselves off the computer and get out and meet other writers. If this is your goal, choose a one day conference. It’s a lot of fun to meet new friends and talk about, subjects like…”How do you carve out time to write?” and to actually have someone understand what your talking about when you complain, “I’m having trouble with my transitions”. My favorite conference for this mood, is “Spring Writers Day” put on by Orange County Christian Writers Fellowship OCCWF They have some great workshops and they always invite an editor or two.

Note: My conference experience has mainly been Christian Writer’s conferences.

If you want a longer and more intense conference experience, try Mount Hermon (California) or Glorieta in Santa Fe (New Mexico) or SandyCove (Maryland) These larger conferences last several days. If you liked going to camp as a kid you’ll love the experience! You get to bunk with other writers, eat, drink, laugh, cry, and even sing. Yes, we sing in the evenings at Mt. Hermon.

These larger conferences can be quite intense, as you usually sign up for a specific group of classes in the morning (fiction writing, writing for children, etc.) Then in the afternoon you choose from an array of electives. In the late afternoon you meet in small groups with different publishers, and are allowed to ask them about what their needs are. You are also able to submit your work to editors for their feedback.

Yes, there are many great opportunities out there. Sharon Elliott, who is in my critique group, hosts a seminar on how to write, and actually complete that book you’ve always dreamed about. How do you organize and get this book done? Check out Authorize Me

And a good writer always welcomes adventure. One never fails to have at least one or two exciting things happen at these gatherings. Like the night I decided to play hooky from the evening session, and hiked back to the cabin for some rest and relaxation. Later, I stepped outside for a moment to look at the stars and locked myself out. I’ll never forget hiking back to the conference area, in my P.J.’s, to ask for help.

Happy Writing!

Motorcycles in Mammoth

Here we are in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Mammoth. We pulled the bikes to the side of the dirt road for a quick picture. Actually, it took a few minutes to line up the bikes!

This picture was taken a couple of years ago, but it is one of my favorites. Cody is the son on the left and Dylan is on the right.

More motorcycle pictures will be coming!

I'm Back

I’m wondering if this will be a post that I will delete tomorrow.
I have disorganized brain syndrome today.

I traveled about 50 miles toward the coast.
And 50 miles back.
At top speed (husband driving)
Three round trips.

Was it a marriage seminar?
No.
But we might need one of those soon.
—just a joke.

It was on the topic of finance/investment.
A great seminar.

The Condition of the House:

Desk is cluttered with handouts from seminar.
Need to call neglected friends.
Dylan needs Head and Shoulders Shampoo
Tom needs Diet Coke
Cody needs a lot of things.
I need some exercise.
After 16 hours of sitting.

On My Mind:

Get food in the house
Gear up for work tomorrow
Deal with finances
AND BRACE MYSELF FOR NEXT WEEKEND.
It’s Dylan’s 16th birthday party!

I’m sure that will give me something to write about!