blogging

Blooming artist

Today I want to share my daughter’s website, Slowbloom. I’m excited to see her take her art to a new level, sharing and selling. If you see something, better snatch it up!

Already, she’s experiencing success and she only just began. This is one of my faves: My interpretation is besties. Here’s a recent photo of her. She’s a beauty! One in a million girl ❤

So, I saw a little symbol on my blog that indicated that I’ve been active on WordPress for 6 years! Really?! It was hard to believe! I want to be proud of that, but with my lack of writing activity lately, I feel a bit undeserving of the trophy icon. Regardless, I want to thank any supporters (likes and followers) that I’ve had on this and my other site Enjoy in those 6 years.

Although it’s very hard to connect with each and every follower and liker, I wanted to mention that before I like and follow sites, I do go out and take a peek at what the site is about and if I jibe with it, then I reciprocate the like.

On another note, recently, I’ve followed quite a few fashion/beauty websites that I admire and I don’t necessarily have anything in common with, but I believe in what they’re doing and how they’re sharing their fashion/ beauty knowledge (of which I have none) and how they positively present their face and body.

Now, as for me and my writing goals, well, let’s just say I’ve not given up, and that I’ve been mostly busy, but keeping the “head-journal” going as I go about with the other things I do. I read somewhere that some people actually “write” a novel in their head long before typing out the words on the keyboard. I think I’m experiencing that kind of data collecting lately. It’s fun and freeing.

It’s late, so thanks again for stopping in. Have a good rest of your week.

~Peace.

End of summer

Today, I’m trying to embrace the fact that I woke up and got up at a painful 6 a.m and took some time to just be. I needed it and I needed to write or at least feel like I’m writing. 😉

I don’t often wish this happened more often because I enjoy sleep, but the quiet I seem to need lately happens at these awful times. The early morning sounds, the smell of the plants wafting into the windows, the faraway sound of the highway (really?), and the birds chirping (minus loud crows).

It’s what my soul craves.

This morning, I’m also thinking about how much I enjoy having grown kids. It’s exciting to watch them become young adults and make their way in the world. There’s no school supply shopping, no thoughts of making lunches nor jumping quickly into vehicles and joining the procession of hurrying vehicles.

Thinking about those days makes me tired, but I admit, there are parts of that season I miss also.

So, if you run into me and wonder what I’ve been doing lately, I’m just focusing time and energy into my marriage, my grown kids and working. Though I have creativity in my being, participating in it fluctuates, but it’s okay, I’ve learned by now, creativity comes in waves and I don’t need to stress that I’ve lost who I am or that I’ve betrayed my soul.

~peace.

Wednesday

Was it last Friday I posted? Wow, these days are literally just flying off the calendar at record speed. The back to school stuff is only the beginning and I’m bracing myself for the deluge of what follows.

Today, I want to write something that I enjoy about writing. I enjoy creating make believe worlds. It makes sense why I loved (as a kid) Felix the Cat and his magic bag of tricks. He could make anything! Well, I don’t have a magic bag of tricks, but I have the knack for imagination. All I have to do is think of things outside of their norm among other things. Later, I use my fingers (my magic wands 😉 and wala! It’s a sort of grown up make-believe game.

And here’s an interesting happening: I recently got a part-time job and though it requires quite a bit of concentration, there are brief periods of stagnant time in which I play mind-make-believe. This kind of game usually happens while I do chores, cook, laundry and such, but now also at this job.

A writer’s everyday experience is not wasted time. Basically, it’s hands-on research.

That’s it for now.

~ciao

Friday’s “reviews”

I’ve read quite a few books now and learning so much. The main thing I’ve learned from good pieces of literature is not just having a story to tell, but how the story was told. For example, in All The Light We Cannot See, multiple character’s stories are told in the forward and backward traveling through time kind of fashion. It was a challenge to follow, as a reader, but in my opinion, gave the story some mystery as well as anticipation.

I can’t imagine the challenge for the writer, but then again, this is Pulitzer Award winning level. Yeah. I also have enjoyed the learning in reading good books. I enjoy smelling and looking at flowers, but I’ve never studied them. In The Language of Flowers, I was able to enjoy an inspiring story while also learning about flowers. Even if the story was about the character overcoming a difficult past, the reader is encouraged to open their eyes to the gifts people possess no matter their background.

In the The Martian, even though I’m not a technical geek ( I wish I was!) I could still enjoy how the author used humor to lighten the undeniably terrifying aspect of being left alone on the Planet of Mars. Had it not been for the comedic relief, I might not have been able to read this book. So, humor, sarcasm and well placed cuss words granted realness to a gifted main character.

Now, after reading quite a few books, I might be falling forever into the rabbit hole of literature, never to be found again. Thank you writers for keeping your dreams of telling us great stories. You’re appreciated!

Lately

With the recent tragic events of late, I find myself with very few words to share these days. I would like to be the voice of encouragement, but I do that better with pictures. I feel the need for a National Day or weeks of mourning.

But, just as we begin to put our hands together to pray, another awful thing happens. I don’t know any of the people that have been tragically killed, but I still feel for and think about them and the families they’ve left behind and the time. May God have mercy on them and us all.

Friday’s reflection

Lately, I feel as if a cat not only has my tongue, but the neurons attached to it that lead to the part of the brain where words are formulated! It sucks, too, since I call myself a writer. But, I refuse to call it writer’s block, that sounds so, well, easy or typical. I don’t think that’s true for me. I have plenty of words, opinions and ideas, but, I don’t always sit at my laptop and spew them all out.

I think I’ll just invent a new term. I think what I experience is a sort of writer’s hibernation phase.

What is W.H.P? (Writer’s Hibernation Phase) Well, it’s when you reach a certain age and the neurons in your brain have to realign themselves due to so much data exposure.

In other words, not all things slow down with age, actually, I believe things neurologically speaking, speed up. But, on the surface, it may appear to slow. But in reality, the older brain is sifting through data at rapid rates trying to sort through the many ideas, concepts, principles, etc. to let go of and which new input to adopt.

How’s that for a theory? 😉

Enjoy the weekend amigos!

~Peace.

What the ?

This will not be pretty, but I’m getting angry. Seriously, I’ve been sitting in front of my keyboard and draft after draft comes without me publishing. Lack of time is not the problem, even though this is true.

I mean, this is freakin’ ridiculous. Enough! But, I’ve dealt with this before, so I know the other is something deeper.

It’s not just in writing that this voice of doubt persists. It’s in other areas of my work that I hear this and enough is enough. I’m reaching out to higher powers for some help. I’ve had it.

That is all.

~Peace in your struggles.

Right

When I write, it’s because I lose faith in the ability for me to communicate, especially to those I love the most.

When I write, it’s because I have time to formulate and compose.

When I write, it’s because I have failed in some way, I write it’s because I’m trying to redeem myself.

When I write, it’s because I’ve exposed myself with words and I’m trying to cover the truth or trying (in hope) to expose a greater truth.

I write because it reveals truth and it is the truth that will set us free.

I write to be free.

~peace.

So, yeah, our story

So, what I should mention about our story, Extraordinary Girl, which I began promoting (finally) is that you can read it for free for a about a week or so. And more importantly, if anyone reads it, we’d really appreciate some constructive criticism. It is a first novel, so we’re prepared for this, so no worries if you have some hard things to say. We can take it! (I think?)

Anyway, in the meantime, I’m reading (attempting to) All the Light We Can Not See by Anthony Dooer and thinking, okay, well now and being humbled as I read. I’m probably going to have to read it again for pleasure because right now, I’m kinda reading it as a writer and as far as style, tone and such, I like what I’m reading and I’m learning.

As a teacher, I say, there’s no better way to learn than to dig in to the meat of what you’re trying to learn. Speaking of, my “day job” of tutoring is calling my name and I need to work on that.

~Peace readers!