Whoseywhatsit Thursday with a twist of lime.

I suppose you can use lemon if you'd prefer, but I'm a lime kind-of-gal.

Life is full of obstacles, hurdles, twists and turns. I've spoken many times about the importance of setting goals, having a finish line. But each finish line should bring about new and bolder goals. The purpose of setting goals is to grow.

Keeping this in mind, lets play a little campfire game. I'll start a story and each of you add to it in the comments and we'll see how much we grow.

As the road twists and winds before me, I stop for a moment to take a breath. Lavender and cedar whirl around my head, soaking my pores in the memories I must leave behind.

'K, now your turn. 

Have fun with this. There are no right or wrong paths this story can take. It's all up to our growth.

Writerly Wednesday ~ Exercise

CJ, the youngest of my four children, made his First Communion and Confirmation last weekend. Yes, my family is Catholic, but this is not a post about religion or belief in God. It's about persistence, exercise, and constant exposure.

The Bishop of our State resided over the ceremony and used the theme of sports to help the children understand the concept of faith in action, i.e., living a good life. In order to do this and grow as a person, he emphasized that one needs to exercise faith often and offered suggestions to accomplish this such as helping others, making the right choices even if they're not popular, etc...

The same theory that applies to honing skills as an athlete, a person in society, an actor, a singer, and many other arenas also applies to writing. I've spoken to many writers who love participating in flash fiction or writing exercises floating amid the blogosphere. You can find some great ones in craft books on the art of writing, too. These challenge our way of thinking and even our individual approach to writing.

Some instructors will encourage one method, while another teacher presents a different way. Some writers post visual imagery to conjure our writing gene and push us to think, try a new way or hone the way we currently come up with ideas and formulate them in ink.

I love writing shorties - fiction under 500 words or so. This method challenges me to brainstorm an idea, formulate and map it out, develop arcs for a character(s)--emotional, theme, story, subplots--and create an intriguing, plausible storyworld in a very limit space. Slowly, the more I write these, using similar methods over and over and over, the more natural it all feels. In the case of the writing game, repetition is a good thing.

For these same reasons, I began writing picture books about a year and a half ago. Most PBs are expressed between 300 to 600 words, some are a bit longer. But most do not exceed 1,000 words. Once again, within these constraints, the writer must include character development, progression of inner/outer/story arcs, and build an interesting world to capture the reader's attention. That is a small about of space in which to accomplish a true story. But it's done everyday.


What do you think about writing exercises? How do you hone your writing skills?

The SKY'S Your Only Limit

DREAM ~ believing in something imagined, probable or totally fantasy.

THINK ~ taking that dream and turning it into something tangible, where the heart and mind can touch it.

INSPIRE ~ stirring the emotions of another where they relate and see themselves or a loved one--inner/outer motivations.

CREATE ~ a dream that has moved from a thought to inspiring action which in turn makes a difference for someone else.

These four elements are among many in my Writer's Creed. They are posted in plain sight meant to motivate and encourage me--especially during those times when the ugly doubt monster is lurking around every corner.  


Self-doubt is the road to despair, loneliness, and dark shadows infecting our hearts, souls, and minds. It clogs our ability to dream, think, inspire, and create. It's a disease like no other. But we have power over it...if we choose to.


Accept everything about yourself - I mean everything. You are you and that is the beginning and the end -- no apologies, no regrets. - Henry Kissinger


Reach for every star you see and even those hidden from you. Hard work, due diligence, and perseverance are the elements of success. 


Own them.


What I came up with after writing those four small words, defining them, and then finding that deliciously clever quote from Henry Kissinger, is that WE are our worst enemies. Our lack of trust in our own work, in our own gut is a road every writer travels but should not. 


Is it natural? 


Absolutely.


Heck, when you work in an industry as subjective as ours, it's easy to get caught up in the fray of who's liking your work and who's not. Personally, I find myself asking, "Did that reader not like my work because the style or subject matter is not what they are fond of, or is that I totally and completely stink?"


Been there? Of course you have. Like I said. It's natural, but also controllable.


We must find merit in ourselves if we expect others to jump on our bandwagon and believe, too. 


For writing, The longer you write and mingle among peers similar to you, the more secure you will become. 


Let that flow. 


Own it. 


There is a calm, a sanctuary, in believing in yourself--a peace like no other--and it will shrink the monster of doubt. It comes from that first dream you had when you said, "Yeah, that's a great idea. I want to write that."


In the end, we need to find sanctuary in our abilities and in our weakness. They are what make us who we are to challenge our limitless sky.


Where do you see your sky taking you? And can you add any other words to my ladder of writing?