A Novel Creation www.WatersWords.com

So You Want To Be An Author         Christmas is over. You are thinking about what is ahead in 2024. I know you. You have a story to tell. You’ve often thought, “I should write that down.” It may be something you experienced. It may be a story you would like to preserve for your family.           Or…maybe it’s a story you can see becoming a movie. Don’t laugh. It happens.           Me? I always wanted to write books. Novels. I love to read. Found fhe Formula for Novels Here           However, being a devourer of books does not necessarily make you a publishable author. So I did my research. I actually have a book out about what I learned called   Writing to Publish: A Roadmap to Success .  (And yes, that is a live link to the book’s Amazon page.)              I’m looking at this post as a “guide” for you...

  Negotiating Christmas   I married Tom Waters a week before Christmas. I was eighteen years old. We each brought to our marriage a few Christmas expectations. My family always opened gifts on Christmas Eve. His family opened gifts on Christmas morning.    That’s fine, but the unstated expectation from each of our families to be present at their respective houses for gift opening left us trying to figure out what gifts we opened in our own home…if any. With a little negotiation on our part, everything eventually worked out.   When my daughters married, they faced the same dilemma.  It was hard to see everyone. Especially since our second daughter’s in-laws lived in Michigan.  Thank you, Kendall for the Photo We worked it out by celebrating every other Christmas at our house and on the off Christmases we hosted the Thanksgiving meal and weekend, which turned into what my family renamed “ThanksChristmas”.    Mike and I are celebrating our ...

  Filling The Christmas Cookie Jar   Okay, True confession. I don’t actually have a Christmas Cookie Jar.    The cookie jar Mike and I have is clear glass and used for any occasion. It is usually filled with store bought lemon cookies or  gingersnaps.  But…   *          My grandmother baked dozens of cookies                  in preparation for the holidays.  *          My oldest daughter and her husband’s family have long engaged in a cookie bake this time of year.  *          When I was a teacher, I baked cookies with my students…or rather made some of those “no-bake” creations.  *          My mom always made fudge which is technically not a cookie, but I’m willing to “settle” for creamy cho...

The Christmas List:  A Post of  Possibilities If you have children or you are like me with a gaggle of grands, this time of year can be a challenge. What do you possibly buy for the under thirteen crowd?  I know a lot of people give money. That's okay, but if you are looking for a gift to wrap, I offer this post of possibilities. And you can use it for this year or next. When my three daughters were young, we lived on a tight budget. That can be tough at Christmas. It is one reason I started shopping all year round. Every year I bought each of them  ·       some sort of art or craft,  ·       something musical,  ·       a book,  ·       something to challenge their thinking skills,  ·       something collectible.      This is how it worked: If I was out and about in January and came upon a sale of a craft...