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Rough Week
I’ll be perfectly honest with you. The words aren’t popping onto the screen this morning. This is my first day back to blogging in a week due to issues with my website hosts. In fact, I still don’t have a front page. Hopefully that will be back soon.
But it’s not the downed site or the lack of blogging that’s holding up my thoughts.
We’ve had a rough week here. The really rough with deep hurts kind of week. That kind that makes you feel like your can’t possibly take another step, and you’re begging God just to hold you up.
I can’t seem to concentrate on my story or focus my mind long enough to put together a scene. Tomorrow is the first day of Nanowrimo. Never before have I doubted my ability to reach that 50,000 word goal. I don’t know. This year may be a real challenge.
In so many ways, I’ve been paralyzed. I thought back to the ACFW conference and remembered that class I thought would be interesting but didn’t take. “Writing Through Adversity”seemed optional at the time. Oh how I wish I’d have taken that. I think I’ll look into purchasing the audio.
The truth is, we’re all going to face hard times. There’s no avoiding that reality, but what do we do in the midst of our troubles? I think the answer to that question defines us more the trials we face.
Thanks for listening. In a small way, I feel better for having typed the words onto the screen. One of my favorite movie quotes comes from Gone with the Wind. Scarlett O’hara, in her wispy way, looks out into the future and says, “Tomorrow I’ll think of some way . . . after all, tomorrow is another day.”
And maybe tomorrow will bring joys that I can’t imagine right now.
I pray that you recognize a special blessing today!
Christina
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Monday
Most weeks I float into Monday without too much resistance but this week is something else. I’m coming off a very nice three day weekend.
Do you ever have one of those weeks you just can’t get excited to face?
What is that they say about success? Hm, I can’t remember the quote, but I do remember that it’s about persistence more than anything. I’ve read many articles about writers who submitted their work to lists of agents and editors before someone finally believed in them. Of course those authors became best sellers or their stories wouldn’t have been written.
And then there are the writers who spend ten years perfecting their manuscripts. Wow! I can’t imagine how they kept working on one story for that long without writing in a final scene where all the characters explode.
I wonder if these writers ever woke up on a Monday and wanted to crawl back under the cozy sheets? I think they did, they just didn’t!
Thanks for listening to me ramble. I don’t know if you feel more motivated, but I’m getting there. I’m off to finish a proposal. What do you have for this week?
Added note: After writing this blog post, I went outside to see my boys off to school. When I came back into the kitchen, the cat was drinking my coffee. YUCK! Not a good start to the morning!
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Plot and Life
This year I’m teaching two writing classes full of mostly kiddos that haven’t taken a class from me before. I’ve been pondering this week’s lesson about plot. Last week we discussed what makes a character interesting. Now we’ll apply that to what makes a plot interesting, and see how we can weave the two together.
One of the first things the students will do is define their character’s obvious and hidden needs. Hm. Could we actually apply that to ourselves and those around us?
I spend a lot of time noodling over my characters. What do they want? What do they need? Why? All this so I can understand them and, hopefully, write a story that is enjoyable while sending a message through their story. But the people in our real world have the need to be understood too. Maybe these flesh and blood type even have a stronger need to be heard than my characters. Okay, so if you’re not a writer, that last line may seem a little nuts, but trust me, those characters in my head are real!
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
James 1:19
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The Weekend
We’ve had another busy weekend. The big excitement around here is the installation of a ductless heating system. Yep, I think that last statement confirms that I’m getting older. My husband and our super-amazing electrician friend did the installation themselves. All we have to wait for now is the professional to make the final adjustments and we’ll be warm.
Our farmhouse is 112 years old and we’ve lived here for the last fourteen years. Even with many of the windows now replaced, it can get chilly. I won’t bore you with all the details about ducting and racoons, but the two don’t go well together.
Another blessing from the weekend was the weather. Wow. It was so warm and sunny yesterday. I think I’ll be able to live another week on that vitamin D boost.
The pears have all fallen and the bees are having their annual Thanksgiving feast under the tree. I’ve been doing a lot of research on bees lately. They’re helping with the theme of my latest manuscript. If you have any knowledge about beekeeping in the 1930s, please let me know.
The sun also brought the kiddos out to play. For the first time ever, Emma has poison oak. And in Emma fashion, she has it everywhere. Poor kid! We were suppose to have our portrait taken tonight. Well…that’s been rescheduled.
My husband and I have started working with the high school group at our church. What a blessing it is to spend time with these kids.
So that’s my weekend. What did you do?
