Poetry

I was impressed at how many people came up with such wonderful word choices at our last LCRW meeting where my mother was the guest speaker.

Even though I'm already awed by the talent in our group, I was amazed at how quickly pen flew to paper and images came flooding out. (And Kat, if you're reading this, you really need to send that poem out somewhere!)

In fact, I urge all of you who feel you've made great headway with fitting words into poetic structure to continue working on what you've begun, and perhaps find a place for it. Many literary magazines take poetry. There are poetry anthologies to break into.

Sometimes working on something new and different helps us become stronger writers in our tried and true. We begin to think out of the box more. And it's a nice diversion when we're stuck on our manuscripts and need to set them down for awhile.

Steve Walked Today

My son, Steve, had surgery on both his legs this past Tuesday. He's been getting up into a wheelchair since Weds. Today he was fitted with a walker. What that boy has been putting up with, I don't know where he finds the strength.

The morning session with the walker was a wash because it took too long to fit it properly. It should have been done before his feet hit the floor. He struggled through a lot of pain better than most people in his position would. Needless to say, he took a long nap after that.

This afternoon, he said his goal was to walk to the bathroom. He did it! It took forever, with me crying inside at his grunts and groans. Yet, when Steve is determined, he gets it done. I'm so proud of him and envy his conviction to see this through with as little complaint as possible since it was his decision to do the procedure.

He is an inspiration to his nursing staff, physical therapy staff and family of another patient having the same surgery. Thank you God for blessing me with a great kid.

Testing...

Hello LCRW,
I am testing the system to see how a new member gets going in all this schtuff.
:)

Almost Time to Edit

For nearly a year, I’ve been pouring my heart and soul into my WIP. As a writer, I’m supposed to have control, but the characters I created had other plans. They threw in their own plot twists, seemed like I was continuously updating my outline. I had to save my heroine from a hit and run and an attack by a madman. When my characters got so discouraged with life, I had to give them a kick in the butt.
In the past year, these characters have invaded my thoughts, consumed my time, and touched my heart. All that’s left is putting the final chapter down on paper. I’m going to miss them.
Oh wait, I still have to edit.

My Son's Surgery

Just wanted to update everyone on my son, Steve's, progress on his surgery. As I write this, the doctors are putting a frame on his second leg. The first leg surgery went well and was completed before noon. We were given a timeframe of approx. 6 hrs. So far, so good.

He was excited to get this done. I think he was surprised at the effectiveness of the "happy juice" they gave him to relax him before the anesthesia. He was sooo funny! I can only pray he keeps his sense of humor when the surgery is over.

Thanks for all your support.

Turning into a Hallmark Commercial...

Lately I've been plowing through boxes of Kleenex. Some of the tears I expected. A song on the radio that reminds me of my recently deceased mother sends a river pouring from my eyes. These moments I embrace. It's a constant reminder of how important she was and still is to me.

Other moments catch me off guard. A little over a week ago my oldest celebrated the sacrament of First Holy Communion. In the middle of the Mass, as I watched him on the altar doing a reading, I started to cry. Everyone around me was smiling, while I pressed the heel of my hand under my eyes to stem the flow of tears.

It's to the point now where my two sons no longer react beyond grabbing a box of tissues. That made this weekend all the more amusing. Friday night my left eye was red and visibly swollen. A flow of steady tears fell through the weekend. This time my boys took notice. Everywhere we went - flag football, lunch, a birthday party, Church - my eye weeped. They were clearly embarrassed (In my defense I did wear sunglasses wherever I could get away with it). I finally explained I was under the seige of allergies. Now my eyes are so red and uncomfortable that I can't cry. Boo hoo!!! I miss my Hallmark moments!

Invisible Fences by Kathy Shay

As many of you know, I have a Yorkshire terrier named Hattie. She’s the sweetest little thing, except when she gets out of the yard. Then she runs, faster, harder and more exuberantly than I believed possible. (This is a canine who sits on our laps when we watch TV and has to be touching one of us as she sleeps on our bed.) So I was surprised, and a bit hurt, that she’d take off so easily away from me.

After a close call on a busy street blocks away from our house, we finally put in an invisible fence. This entails a barrier around the perimeter of our very large yard, as well as an electric collar around her neck. She bounced out of the house as soon as the fence guy had it installed, ready to play with him. However, she got zapped as she went for the road and yelped loud and long. The second time she tried to escape, she started to shiver. The third and final time she was jolted that day, she tried to crawl up my legs. For the next two days she wouldn’t go into the yard without being forced. She’d whimper and yank at the leash I was supposed to keep her on. It was awful. Finally, my kids took her off the leash and played ball with her outside. Alas, she was a whole new dog, running as fast as she wanted, but staying well within the flags placed around the yard. We had a whole new life together and I’ve played with her for the past three weeks like this.


Then today, she went after a ball that passed through the barrier—and she did, too. Of course she ran. I managed to chase her down at the house next door. But she bolted away, back into our yard, back through the barrier and raced into the house. I was devastated. The fence was working but it didn't keep her safe, after all. No more days outside for us. When I calmed down, I decided we had to up the barrier voltage and maybe put some of the flags back in around the yard. I’ll call the fence company tomorrow.


I was originally going to put up a post and use invisible fences as an allegory, along the lines of “What invisible fences do we put up for ourselves, or do others erect for us?” I was going to relate it to writing, and propose that writers limit their creativity by fencing themselves in to a certain type of story. I was even going to brag, maybe, that I’d broken my own invisible fences in writing THE PERFECT FAMILY.

After today, I’m not so sure invisible fences aren’t a good for us. I’m wondering if, like Hattie, we ruin things when we do away with parameters we've set for ourselves. Given my liberal leanings, this idea doesn’t set well, but as my doggy sleeps next to me while I write this, (her body touching my leg, of course), it’s a new thought I’m pondering.

What do you think?

Kathy

Never Thought I'd Be Doing This

In 4 short days, I'll be on my way to Philadelphia with my 17 yr old son, Steve. My husband, Joe, will be coming along later in his own vehicle. Steve is scheduled for surgery Tuesday in Wilmington, DE which is only 45 minutes from Philly.

The past two weeks have been crammed with getting people lined up for an emergency call list (I'm leaving my 23 yr old son, his 22 yr old girlfriend [and only driver] with my 17 yr old daughter). The kids will be on their own, but will feel more relaxed if they know there are responsible, older adults available if needed.

Next, it's been a mad week of laundry, cleaning and major scrubbing of bathrooms. The house will look like it hasn't for over a decade. Wow, I can't believe it took my husband and I to leave for 6 weeks to get the house in order. I even got the over fixed, it's been broken for a year. Now Mike and Leann will be able to cook with a full working range.

Normally, if something this monumental was going to take place, I'd be a crazy wreck. I'd be stuffing my face with chocolate and bags of chips. Thank God I don't do that anymore. Now, my head is clear and I can calmly plan and execute actions that will be successful. I can plan what I need to bring for an extended stay in a Ronald McDonald House (never been to one before) and pack accordingly.

Steve and I have gotten much of the cleaning and straightening up done. Now we have the basics left to do - vacuum and dust and washing bed linens. Hopefully we'll get some help from Sandy. It would help her to feel useful in this tense time.

Luckily, times are so advanced I'll have all my tools with me to continue writing, as well as bringing things to read when I can't be at the laptop. I'm confident I'll be able to be productive when there's downtime available.

Lastly, I want to thank all my friends for all their support and encouragement. I'm counting on you to answer my phone calls and send emails. You all are important to me and I value your friendship. I love you all.

I'm signed up to blog again next Thursday. Don't worry, I'll do it, with good news I hope. Until then, good night.

Write What You Love

Steve Yates posted on his personal blog about the saying "write what you know," and how we know more than we think we do.

I'd like to add here that we also need to write what we love.

I think sometimes people get into writing to make a name for themselves or for the money (hey, some types of writing pay well after all). Some people write novels they think will sell well because they're the subject du jour (think YA vampire novels or MG wizard novels). Some write to please others (memoirs to leave for their children) and some people write to get their frustrations out (angst poetry).

There is no terrible reason for people choosing to write. Expressing thoughts and ideas through artistic media deserves accolade. Especially when it is done so well we don't even notice the message being delivered, its subtlety like dew on a rose.

But I think, too, it's important to write we what enjoy writing, even if it will never be seen by anyone's eyes but our own. Even if the subject matter is "overdone" or "badly done." Like watching television or reading a book, it's an enjoyable escape. A privilege, really. Because when we have a moment of time to ourselves, why should we waste it on just anything? Why not write what we love and see where it takes us?

My turn to blog

And I don't know what to write about.

Seems to be a pattern in my life. I have tons of great ideas for novels, I have a strong desire to write them. I'm excited about them. So why don't I?

This is going to be a short blog because I'm pretty brain dead right now.

What is your biggest stumbling block as a writer?

I think mine is - with everything else I have to do, I don't have the stick-to-it-tiveness to sit on my butt and write.

I get tired, and distracted.

So...tell me your blocks and how you surpass them...

And on my next blog day...I'll do better. :)