Tell Your Story

 Do You Have a Story to Tell? Tell It!

 

Someone asked me how I keep writing. “Aren’t there times when you just don’t feel like writing?” Sure. That’s when having a plan helps.

 

I was trying to think of a good metaphor to explain my writing schedule. I could compare it to exercise. You just do it on a regular basis, inspired or not. 

Exercise Your Writing Muscle

In fact, when I’m not particularly “inspired” to write, I engage in a writing exercise. There are story starters online or even books with suggestions to exercise your writing muscle. 

 

I’m sure those are helpful, but for me, I will often turn to topics Chicken Soup for the Soul plans to publish and write stories for the next two or three titles. If I like what I wrote, I edit the story, read it out loud to make sure it says what I want it to say and submit it to the publishers. They are not all accepted, but I have had several stories published under various titles in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Not a bad exercise. It pays a few dollars and builds my writing resume. I’ll take that.

 

Maybe, for me, a better comparison for those times I “don’t feel like writing” is cooking dinner. Every day I plan and cook dinner. Take that back. Every day I feel responsible to plan and cook dinner. I love to cook but going out to eat is okay, too. And fortunately, Mike cooks burgers every Friday.

 

But most days, I like figuring out healthy and delicious meals for my husband. Some recipes are great. Mike will eat and say, “You should make that again!” Other times, we will try something new and after dinner decide to trash the idea for future meals.

 

I am not always inspired to cook, but we are always inspired to eat. And the more I cook, the better I cook. My writing is like that.

 

I write. I sit down, turn the computer on and write. When I was working on my master’s thesis, one of my professors told me to write five pages every day. She said even if I read it later and trashed every bit of it, I would be better off than if I waited for the perfect words to come. She was right. 

 

Now I write almost every day. Just engaging in the process gets my creative juices flowing. I know I will make cuts, but I also know I will be able to salvage bits and pieces even on those days I feel totally uninspired to write. 

 

For example, when I first started to write, author Jack Cavanaugh read the first ten pages of my book and told me to ditch the first chapter in my book, Breathing on Her Own. He said it was all “backstory” and suggested I weave the backstory into the rest of the book.  He was right. I wound up “trashing” the first two chapters.

 

I can hear you now. You can’t throw away all those words you put on paper. I understand. I don’t literally trash them either. I cut and paste them into a separate file called "discarded text." I still have all the information. I may need it in the future. Or not. But what I know is this: If I want to be a professional writer, I cannot think of every sentence I forge as sacred. 

 

So, my advice to you if you think you have a story to tell? Well, it sounds a bit like the Nike commercial: Just Do It!

 

And let me know how it goes!

 

The Train Ride

 The Train Ride

We had a ticket to ride!

If you read my post a couple of weeks ago called “Yay for May!” you already know my oldest grandson graduated from the University of Cincinnati in the field of cyber-technology. You may recall from that post I said Joshua has other interests, too. If you missed that post, I’ll put a link to it at the bottom of this one.

The station had it's own Thomas the Tank

Ever since he was a young child, Joshua has had a fascination

with trains. He was a huge fan of Thomas the Tank Engine. He loved the train under the Christmas tree. He collected all sorts of track and trains through the years. 

Of course the big draw for us to travel to Ohio was to celebrate Joshua’s college graduation, a week or so before accepting that diploma, Josh graduated from “train school.” Seriously. He graduated as a Junior Brakeman. The first step in the train school in Connersville, Indiana. 

So, while we were in the area, Joshua took us to Connersville to catch a train to the historic town of Metamora. Metamora was established in 1838 and once best reached by the Whitewater Canal. Or on horseback. 

The Whitewater Canal 
(View from the train.)

Now Metamora attracts tourists seeking a touch of history or scouring the shops for antiques, unique gifts, or homemade fudge. Though it can be reached by automobile, most folks enjoy the scenic train ride to the unique community with the population of a little over two-hundred folks.

Yes, the post is short, but the pictures tell the real story. Enjoy!

And click HERE for the post, “Yay for May!”

First Class was "heated" in winter.

JT and his great grandmother. British map

JT talking with the conductor

Mike and I had a great time roaming the town.

True Confession: 

 “I am a paperphile.”

There. I said it. I love paper. I’m addicted. They say the first step to recovery is confession. 

So here it is: I am a paperphile. I don’t think I’ve ever met a blank piece of paper or a notebook or even a paper placemat at a restaurant that didn’t draw me in to retrieve a pen or pencil and start writing. Or drawing.

My mom would send me to my room to clean it only to find me sitting in the middle of the floor an hour later, surrounded by paper, books, or half used notebooks, reading or writing. My paternal grandmother understood. She sent notebooks and calendars my way. 

Even as I am typing this, I am surrounded by five notepads and two pads of post-it notes and four pens.  That is in addition to the legal pad on the other side of the computer where I’m working! This is not a set-up. This is my life!

Poor Mike. I have a desk in our house that I regularly clean out. Actually I mostly stack the paper in neat piles and try to keep the clutter at a minimum. Fortunately, the desk closes up, so if someone should come to the door, I can hide my stash quickly. 

It would be okay if I were organized. You know…one notebook for one purpose kind of thing. But no. I can open a notebook and find the beginning of a story idea, a recipe, a grocery list, a quote I like, names I’ve collected, ideas for future blog posts, and the opening lines to a new book…or two. 

While visiting the Ohio house, I opened the door to my office. What is the first thing you expect to see in an office? A desk, right? 

I have a great desk. I really do. The problem is, you can’t see it. It is stacked with…you guessed it…paper. And notebooks, files, books on writing. Pens, highlighters, and a printer full of paper. The office is better organized. At least, it is useable space. 

I am determined to get better. Someday. It’s hard. I’m thinking I could start a group for people like me.

I’ll call it Paper-holics Anonymous. Wow! What a great idea!

A time to meet. A group logo. Invitations. 

Now to make a list…Yep, I need a sheet of paper…

Yay for May!

 Yay for May!

Yes, my birthday is in May. But this isn’t about my birthday.

Yes, Mother’s Day is in May. But this isn’t about Mother’s Day either. (If you want to read a wonderful Mother’s Day post, click HERE. I’m pretty sure last year’s Mother’s Day was the best yet for these five mothers in the story.)

Nope, this first weekend in May we are celebrating the boy turned man named Joshua. Joshua Thomas or JT was born in May, too. But the real celebration is that this May, Joshua is graduating from the University of Cincinnati. He is the oldest and first of the grandkids to graduate from college. 

My heart is full.

Joshua’s degree is in “Information Technology-Cybersecurity,” but he is so much more than a techie. 

Joshua’s interest in cars offered an immediate connection to Mike when they met roughly four years ago. In fact, when Mike took Joshua to the Don Garlits Museum in 2023, I thought they’d never come back! And JT loves the fact that Mike and my late husband, Tom, were friends when they were young.

But JT is more than a car buff, too. Joshua has loved trains all of his life. From playing with Thomas the Tank Engine in his living room to learning how to drive a real train this past year. 

The man is also a Star Wars guru. Here’s a picture of him when I was in Ohio briefly and he took me to the latest Star Wars movie of the time.

May the Force be with you!

Joshua is the one who named me “Doll.”  Seriously. 

I was holding the toddler JT at the time. My daughter told me he called me “Doll.” Allison pointed to people in the room and he named them. When she got to me, she asked, “Who is that holding you?”

Joshua looked at me, put his little hand to my face and patted my cheek. “Doll!” he called out. “My Doll Baby!” It stuck. Now, many people  call me “Doll”.

They may call me Doll, but all of my grands are “my doll babies.” It’s true. No matter how old they get. But to watch this first one graduate from college fills my heart with so much joy! The first of eight. 

I’m ready. Sort of. I think with each grandchild as with each of my daughters, I take joy in their successes while also harboring a longing for those little arms reaching for me…those appreciative chocolate ice cream coated smiles and laughing eyes. I celebrated the first steps, first words, and the first day of school for each of my grandchildren. Yet I know there will be even more “firsts” ahead. 

Still... I refuse to wish my life away. I embrace this first. I treasure the moment when that hand that once patted my cheek and named me Doll, shakes the hand of the Dean of his college at the University of Cincinnati and takes his first steps…into the wonderous life God has in store for him. 

Buried Treasure from the Bottom of the Ocean

Newsflash! While in the Florida Keys, Mike and I found buried treasure. Okay, I collected most of it, but Mike humored me by not laughing, helping some, and most of all, allowing me to haul my treasure home. 

While in the Keys, we did more than gather information for a book I intend to work on this next winter, we visited the sandbar. The sandbar is a gathering place for boaters in the Atlantic and not too far from where we stayed.

Lots of Boats: You can see 
Manny's Food Barge...

We enjoy the sandbar. I was first introduced to it on our honeymoon three years ago. It was then I met Manny, a Cuban man who runs a food barge catering to visitors on the sandbar. We wade through the clear blue water to get our fresh grilled hamburgers then head back to our boat to eat. It’s fun. 

I love watching fish swim by as we sit on the boat and eat lunch. What a view!  The last day of our visit this time, a large tarpon lazily made his way across the sandbar a few feet from our boat. We’ve seen a variety of fish there. 

On this trip we took three days of our trip to enjoy the sun and water on the sandbar. On the second day, I found a few pieces of broken, bleached out coral. With my feet. Yep, I’d be walking along and feel the hard stones in the soft sand. 

I started digging. With my feet. I didn’t have a diving mask or goggles so the foot trick seemed the best option. 

My treasure! Yes, the treasure 
chest resembles a 
sandwich box from Manny's...

I’d move my feet around and when I found something that felt hard and rough, I used my toes to grab bits and pieces of coral. I came home with a treasure of coral pieces as well as new information and ideas for my novel. 

Imagine! Buried treasure from the ocean. 

Of course, the real treasure is spending time with someone you love, playing in the water, soaking in the sun, and eating hamburgers grilled by Manny on his food barge. 

 Of Sun and Sand; Of Water and Wonder

If you follow my blog, you can probably guess where Mike and I are right now celebrating our anniversary.

Although I had visited the Keys on a couple of occasions prior to marrying Mike, he introduced me to the calm, beautiful Key called Islamorada. We stay at a resort known as Kon-Tiki. And yes, that’s where our cat, Tiki, got her name.

Kon-Tiki isn’t fancy but it is beautiful. The water, the tropical flora and fauna of the islands, the sand bar where we can see fish swim by, listen to music of our era, and eat sandwiches we buy from Manny, a local entrepreneur who drives a “food boat” instead of “food truck.”

Yep that's me in the boat
on the sandbar! 

The restaurants on the isle are excellent. Hey, the competition is tough. You either offer your best or go under. And each visit we discover new restaurants to enjoy. We still have a few favorites and each time we add a few new favorites. 

Of course there are tourist attractions. We’ve checked a couple of them out. Like the museum of diving and the 1935 Hurricane Monument. On our first visit together, we went to an attraction called “The Theater of the Sea.” It was sort of a miniature Sea World.

Mike took a picture of me 
with a HEAVY diving 
helmet!

There are tourist shops and such, but the real draw for us is the peace of the water and the quiet of the sunsets.  We revel in the renewing energy of the sandbar and the ocean life sharing the space with us.

Mike brought me here for our honeymoon and as long as we can make it happen, we plan to celebrate every anniversary here. 

Do you have that “special to you” place in your life? I’d love to hear about it.

 

 Kiddos From “Up the Country”

I have three daughters. Danielle, the middle of the three lives in Wisconsin. This past week she arrived in Florida with her husband and four children. Mike and I knew they were coming. We looked forward to their visit. 

We readied the house and stocked the refrigerator. Mike made sure the boats had gas and the fishing equipment was in order.  

Yes, they did a few tourist things like visiting Homosassa Springs and a “dolphin experience” in Clearwater. That was fun.

They also went to visit the University of Florida, since the oldest of these four grands is preparing for college. 

They found a drive-in movie in Ocala and played a bit of golf. They went swimming in the pool at my mom’s. Several times.

And they spent some time with us. That was a treat. Especially when Mike taught Matthias not only how to fish, but how to use a trolling motor. AND…the teen caught the biggest bass we’ve pulled out of these waters to date.

We enjoyed meals together, including Mike’s grilled hamburgers. That is a special treat when you leave the cold temperatures of Wisconsin for the  warm Florida sunshine.

“So, what was the best part of your vacation?” I asked.

 “Golfing and the dolphins,” the seventeen-year-old told me.

His fifteen-year-old brother? “I liked the trip to Homosassa Springs and the beach and I liked catching that fish!”

 “Swimming!” was the choice my twelve-year-old granddaughter readily chose as her favorite.

And the nine-year-old? “The dolphins!” 

What do you think would have been

your favorite Florida experience?