A Novel Creation www.WatersWords.com

In the beginning, I was sure isolation would take its toll on my well-being. I like people. I was a bit anxious how I would connect with my friends and family, but like most people I know I am reaping unexpected benefits from having to think outside the box. Family During the first or second week of the shelter at home order in the state of Ohio, one of my daughters initiated a game of Farkle. We each rounded up our own dice.  (Don’t tell, but I had to rob a couple of board games to make it work.) We played, talked, and laughed via Face Time. I kept score as we played. Danielle, the middle of my three girls opted to not play, but was “present” for the fun. And, yes, it was fun. Time well spent. People living in five different houses playing together, yet it felt as if we were all in the same room. So much so that later that evening my mother started to check to make sure she locked the front door after her company left. It was that real.  Now, since my oldest...

When this period of isolation started, I decided to sew some masks for members of my family. I pulled out my sewing machine and reacquainted myself with it. I haven’t sewn anything in a long time. I found some remnants of cotton in my sewing bin. All of the elastic I had in my stash was too wide to fit around someone’s ear. I knew I could make it fit around the head, but threw out the idea as only a last resort. In the end, I found stretchy elastic string-type headbands. They worked great, even if some of them were pink with sparkles. All was going well until I ran out of cotton fabric. The recommendation is for 100% pure cotton. Hmmm…. in another world….another time, I would have hopped in my car and picked some fabric up at the craft store. Ordering online would delay my sewing by days. During the Great Depression of the 1930’s people had a similar situation. Things they needed weren’t always available when they needed them. I’ve heard my grandmother recite this poem: ...

I realize the title of this post sounds a bit risqué for a Christian author. It is, however, to the point. As writers we think of ourselves as isolated word wizards, hammering away, trying to capture the stories we see playing out in our heads. We envision handing our precious manuscripts over to a wise and caring publisher who reads every word we have written. Our dream is that our words paint such a memorable and vivid picture, the creative juices of our publishing team will pour everything they have into fashioning our great work into a book and marketing it with pizazz. Get real. Today’s author needs to think about more than writing. Part of the author’s job is to market the book. For many, marketing means advertising, maintaining a presence on social media, arranging book signings, and speaking engagements. Todays post looks at the book itself and what you as an author can do  before the book is published to garner the attention of your audience.  As in any r...

The pandemic we know as the coronavirus, COVID-19, is a worldwide health concern. The effects are far reaching. My prayers are with those who have contracted the virus as well as their families.  It is a difficult time. For all of us. Most of us are practicing “social distancing.” For those who live alone it is a time of forced isolation. Isolation, quarantine, or social distancing comes with potential pitfalls and maybe, just maybe, a few benefits. Stay with me here. This is not my typical post. Let’s start with a little deliberate self-care. A friend of mine complained to me on the phone that she was fatigued. She couldn’t understand why. “I know I’m getting enough sleep,” she said. “In fact, I’ve been sleeping in now that I don’t have to be anywhere.” It turns out she’s been staying in her pajamas the whole day and napping in the afternoon. (Okay, I’ll admit as a teenager I used to dream of days like that.) This brings us to the point of deliberate sel...

Connecting I have done my best to stay in contact with people during this time of isolation. I’ve called friends to check in on them, I’ve kept in touch with my family daily and connected with others on Face Book. My Bible study group is meeting online. I may not see many people face-to-face, well, at least no closer than six feet apart, but I don’t feel alone. Embracing I’m also trying to embrace this time of isolation doing all those things on the “to do” list. We all have that list somewhere, even if we carry it around in our heads. So far, I’ve cleaned out cabinets and my office has never looked better. I’m painting a picture and of course writing. But one task I set out to do this week afforded me a wonderful, unexpected experience. Discovering 1971 When I moved into my current home, I boxed a number of items, labeled them, and never opened them again. I knew some of what was in each box but decided it was time to take a second look. One box had a collection of ...