add some mystery to life

I've started writing on something that is not a book or a short story.  I've found I really enjoy writing mystery dinners for larger groups. I've done this a few times, and I'm working on one right now.  It actually takes a lot of my creative juices to come up with new characters, new scenarios, and unique ways to kill off the victim.  How do you top lopping off someone's head with a painting?  

I'm planning of doing this most recent game with my female students, and I'm sure they'll have a blast...well, I will at any rate.  The one bummer for me is that I don't actually get to participate in the night as a suspect.  I usually oversee the production and guide the participants. 

I just need to find a way to market this!  

sloshing through the mud

I've decided that sometimes writing is more like trudging through a pit of mud.  Imagine being knee deep in the thick, porous, brown gunk.  You're covered in the messy stuff from head to toe (there's even a little bit in your ear).  It doesn't matter how you got here, but here you are and you need to get to the island you see.  The island looks like an oasis, and it's ready to welcome you with open arms.  Unfortunately, you have to get through this mud first. 

At first, the going isn't too bad.  It's just a matter of lifting your leg up high enough to be free of the mud.  Sometimes you're successful and sometimes your shoe gets sucked off in the process. You think to yourself, "I can do this.  I can defeat the mud and be victorious!"  But give it a couple of feet and then you will feel the mud start to glue you down.  It's as though your being sucked into the vortex of mud.  You get tired and can barely nudge your foot, much less get your whole leg out of the stuff. All you can do is rest.  But, the longer you rest, the harder it is to get moving again.

Sometimes that's how my writing feels.  I get momentum going, and I do really well, and then suddenly I find myself stuck in place staring at the oasis.  And that oasis?  That beautiful place of respite and rest?  It seems nothing more than an illusion where if you're lucky you'll find a place to sit.  Who knows if it will give you all that it promised at the beginning of the journey?  

abrupt endings

I really hate when I'm enjoying a book and it ends abruptly.  I just finished reading Margaret Brownley's novel, A Lady Like Sarah, and while I enjoyed it, I thought it ended quickly. The story is about Sarah, the youngest in a family of outlaws, on her way to Rocky Creek to be hanged for a crime she didn't commit and Justin, a reverend from Boston who lost his post because a female parishioner didn't like being rebuffed.

 Truth be told, I wasn't that into the story for the first few chapters.  I felt that the relationship between the two leads seemed forced and was more based on sexual attraction rather than a deep understanding of the other.  They went quickly from the awkward beginning stage to loving one another.  I wanted to know Sarah and Justin deeper than I did.  As the story progressed however, I really enjoyed the conflicts Ms. Brownley forced her characters into (although there were more random incidents than I normally find in books) and the tension towards the end was well done.  

However, I was mildly annoyed that the only way Justin could think of saving Sarah from the gallows involved lying and encouraging her to escape justice.  What was even more annoying was that he never had to come clean about the lies; it was all brushed under the carpet under the guise of "for the greater good" of a baby.  I wanted him to rescue Sarah using his wits or his trust in God or the faith that a miracle could happen.  Sarah, on the other hand, was more than willing to trust her fate to God's hands.  

Overall, the story was enjoyable, however the ending seemed to pat.  The brothers decided to go straight (I'm sure they'll pop up in the sequels) and never faced any consequences for robbing numerous stages.  It seemed a little contrived as though the author realized she was running out of space and figured she could get to it in the next book.  

I enjoyed "A Lady Like Sarah" enough to read a sequel, and I hope that some of those loose ends would be addressed. 

autobiography finished

Well...I finished something!  I finished my 4 page autobiography.  Maybe now I can focus on some fiction.  Hmm...

cracking open a good book

I just realized that I haven't read a new book in forever!  I was at FCS today, just wandering the isles with my 35% off coupon when I came upon a new author (I think).  The book seems up my alley, Christian historical.  I have to admit that I LOVE historical novels set in the old west.  It's just so much fun!  I'm not sure that I would ever try writing one, but for an aimless Sunday, it seemed like a good read.  I'll let you know how it rates when I finish. 

I also found a devotional that seems perfect for me.  It's called "Paws for Reflection".  It's a devotions for dog lovers.  How could I resist?  If that wasn't enough, the first page I turned to just about sent shivers up my back.  Let me quote a line or two. "The true mark of a parent isn't giving birth to or owning a "child".  The essence of motherhood is loving, protecting, and caring for the youngster in question." That really spoke to my heart right now as I'm filling out endless paperwork and preparing my self emotionally to adopt the sweetest little boy.  I just know that regardless of what happens, God is totally in charge.

a writer's complaint...nothing to take too seriously

I find that I have a really hard time keeping myself on task with concerns to my writing.  Life just gets in the way.  Time? When do I have time or energy to write?  Actually, I probably do have the time; I just have a hard time motivating myself to write.

This is where a writers group or some like-minded writers would come in handy.  I could really use someone or several someones who would read what I've written and encourage me.  It would also give me a chance to do the same for someone else.  Why do I have such a hard time finding someone?

I've asked numerous people in my life, and while they are wonderful and I love them...well...they just don't seem to care about helping me to improve my writing.  There's always an excuse not to read what I just sent or they just aren't into it or they see lots to criticize but their comments aren't very constructive.  How do I believe in my own writing when the people, family and friends alike, by their behavior implicitly tell me that my writing is not worthy of their time or my efforts?  

Anyway...enough of my rant.  I suppose I should ignore the negative and get on with writing.