Category: Writing and Poetry
Christmas Thoughts
I have been so caught in Holiday planning and life that it has been a while since I sent in a submission. I did that today and I will begin to look with vigor again after the 1st of the year.
I want to share my thoughts of Christmas. It is such a special time of year and yet it seems the beauty of the real Christmas gets lost in the shuffle of buying and getting and we lose so much. The reality is so beautiful.
A child was born all those years ago to save all of us. We are given free choice by our living God and we so often choose badly. God knows our shortcomings and as long as we can admit that, He is willing to forgive.
Christ takes on all of our sins. Dies, to give us eternal life. It sounds like a fairy-tale and yet all these years have passed and the promise is still real. We have this beautiful promise. In a short 30, some years Christ did more for mankind than anyone can ever, ever do again. The ultimate gift.
My hope for this year is that more of us will embrace the true reason for the season and not let the hoopla interfere. I want to see more than lights and gifts and decorations that are all superficial. I want my family and each person who reads this blog to be Blessed by this season. To feel a real connection to Christ and his purpose. We may not know the exact date that Christ was born but this celebration is for the purpose of reminding us what Our Father did to allow us, weak and selfish as we are, to have the opportunity for eternal life. I hope you take time to really meditate on the story of Jesus’s birth and life. I hope the true reason for Christmas will manifest itself in your heart for the entire year and continue to uplift you and bring you Joy!
Snow
White
soft
quiet
A blank canvas waiting for life to…
change it
paint it
imprint the motion of creatures and man.
Snow…
silent
glistening
bright
A squirrel dances gingerly under the
tutu of an oak with a barren top.
The cat shakes her paw
wonders at the feel of…
Snow…
cold
wet
intricate
A single flake, a unique design
no other can duplicate.
Like a fingerprint
not one the same.
Snow…
amazing
beautiful
gracefully falling…
created by God
Snow
Rejection, Again
Yes, that’s right. Another rejection letter, this time from one that I had great hopes for.
Sooo where to from here? Actually my actual count is somewhere between 12 and 15 queries and so far 7 or 8 rejections. Some are time related. More often than not authors send out many more queries than I have so far and I have many more to select from. I just wish that I would get more than, “It’s just not what we are looking for at this time.”
I have been taking a creative writing class and after learning so much about moving the action and creating tension etc. I am going to revisit my story and see if some changes are in order.
My actual real tension doesn’t take place until about the 3rd and 4th chapters so maybe I need to start with that event and look back on the earlier chapters. I also need to think about the actual title.
I have also not heard from my age level Beta readers. That may be a bad omen. I am sure I have something and I will keep working to make it a book young people will want to read.
I am rather attached to my characters and I will not abandon them. I may have to create a deeper plot and stronger voice but I will eventually get it right.
I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season and beautiful Christmas. I will post another of my lovely poems before then.
Here’s to plots and characters!
Veterans
A poem for Veterans. God Bless you for serving our country.
Many of our Veterans live with trauma, mental and physical and we need to be aware of their sacrifice.
Hero’s Reward
A warrior wears his battle scars
with pride upon his face.
Across his breast a row of stars,
he brings us no disgrace.
He’s welcomed with a big parade,
“Hero,” they proclaim;
but in his heart the whole charade
pounds within his brain.
The memories haunt his every dream
no sleep is ere content.
Faces; women and children scream
the weapon’s round is spent.
Each life is counted on this earth.
All children are held dear.
Somewhere she who gave him birth,
shall never hold him near.
The terrors implode, consume his life.
He can’t live with this heavy yoke.
He has no friends, no job, nor wife.
He’s hungry, lonely and broke.
“It’s a syndrome,” some big name,
“Send him to a shrink. ”
There has to be something to blame,
but it’s not what one would think.
He is not weak or just depressed.
His demon’s drive him mad!
Another “Hero” is sent to test,
we say, “It’s just too bad.”
Keeping On
I have been working on specific requirements for select agents. I have no idea how anyone can do simultaneous submissions. The last two were very specific in how they wanted the submissions. The good thing is that I am learning so much about the process. I have a new admiration for published authors. It is work.
I am moving forward with the second book in the series and continue to discover who my characters really are. They reveal themselves as I write. I love discovering where their young lives are leading them. I am still working in my salon and taking a writing course at Emporia State University. So I also have a new respect for the students, especially those with jobs and family commitments. I spend quite a bit of time just working on the assignments for one class so I can’t imagine the challenge of carrying a full load.
The turbulence in our nation and world have been a distraction, but like everyone one we come to a place where we make a decision to move forward. We have our personal agendas but we have a common goal. Every American wants our country to be strong. We all want a strong economy and equal rights. We are still a christian nation. Regardless who holds the highest office in our nation, we are ONE NATION UNDER GOD. One person can not make change without the consent of many. We all have to stand for what we believe in and keep on, keeping on.
Serious querys
It is not that my first query letters were not serious but… I am sure that I need to concentrate on the Christian market. I sent my query to several different agents but have only a few rejections for my effort. That is okay, but I think my concentration may need to be more focused. The last query was sent by snail mail and I am promised a reply. I have three copies of my book in the hands of beta readers and I am anxious to get their feedback. I am going to print my synopsis here and any ideas or improvements would be appreciated. I am also thinking of changing the title. Some agents are cringing right now with any titles that suggest vampires, demons or angels. The synopsis is pretty much a play by play so it might be a bit of a spoiler.
Sela has been best friends with Emily and Zach as long as she can remember. Losing her dog is the most traumatic thing Sela has ever dealt with and her first real test of faith. Then Emily’s mother dies.
Emily does not want to hear anything about God. She has decided that God does not love her and she no longer needs Him. Sela tries to understand, promising Zach and their youth pastor that she will be patient but, it is a real trial for her to go to church camp and spend summer without Emily. She hopes that the beginning of school will help Emily move forward and that their friendship will return to normal.
Emily decides to be the exact opposite of what everyone loves her for. She starts using heavy makeup and wearing all black and decorates her room in Goth icons. She continually wears a headset with music blaring so she doesn’t have to acknowledge anyone speaking to her. Sela attempts to pull her out but she resists the temptation, telling herself that it would be wrong to be happy or to acknowledge God because it is His fault that her mother is dead.
In a moment of frustration Sela petitions her Guardian Angel to help her by intervening on Emily’s behalf. The petition is heard and God grants a redirection. He sends Victorious and Glorious to Roosevelt Middle School and gives them permission to interact with no one’s knowledge that they are angels. Victor and Gloria Way, the new twins, weave their way into the lives and activities of the students. They provide subtle and not so subtle fun and enlightenment. They make it clear to Mara, Sela’s former friend turned bully, and her group that they will make their own choices in friends. They encourage the students to embrace their differences and learn to work out the small things.
Sela and Zach’s youth group have a hayride and barbecue and Zach makes Sela see that she is pushing Emily away. Emily accepts Zach’s invitation after he promises that no one will pressure her. Victor survives his first, date, and successfully directs Mara’s attention to another boy. Emily let’s down her guard and Zach holds Sela to her promise not to push. At school the next week, Mara asks the group to be nice to her new friend and not tell him that she had bullied them. In a moment of daring Sela invites Mara and Emily to spend the night. Sela sees Gloria in the hall and insists that she join the girls as well and Victor playfully pushes her to go and be, one of the girls. Gloria accepts and is able to report to the Guardian Angels later that a good deal of healing took place and the girls are well on their
way to restoring their friendships. Gloria was inspired to suggest that they all try out for the school play and after some cajoling, the entire group agrees. Emily opts to do the lights which she had already promised the drama teacher.
The Angels, Joyous, Sela’s guardian, Anjou, Emily’s guardian and the two visiting angels,
Victorious and Glorious have regular meetings and Joyous reports that she is sure that Sela is beginning to see her. The other angels agree that sometimes God allows a person to have such a special blessing and soon Sela will probably be aware of all of them. The entire group is soon revealed to Sela.
Emily and her father meet with Max, the youth minister, and Pastor Rick. Pastor Rick helps them to understand that being angry with God is natural when dealing with the death of a loved one. He shares his experience in dealing with the loss of his brother. He points out that all of the people of great
faith in scripture suffered loss and struggle. He tells them that turning to scripture and the support of the Holy Spirit saved him during his healing journey. He tells them that the way to heaven is not the easy path. Even the apostle Peter failed to stay faithful. He encourages them to find one scripture every
day to share with one another. They leave encouraged and hopeful that their family is moving toward healing.
Surprisingly, Mara gets the lead in the play and has to deal with some bullying from another group in the school. She discovers how it feels to be put down by her peers and the group agrees to work together to find a solution to include, Heidi, the girl who is used to always getting the lead and is behind the attacks on Mara. They each share what they know about Heidi and Mara remembers that Heidi prides herself on her ability to redesign clothing. She loves to brag about buying something for nothing and fixing it up to be cool. Sela gets excited and decides that Heidi would be a perfect designer for the play.
The more they think about it the more excited they become. Sela is elected to talk to Heidi and she promises to catch her before the evening cheer practice. Sela runs into a couple of the other cheerleaders before she finds Heidi and they give her a hard time. She handles it well and is allowed to talk to Heidi. Sela tells Heidi that she needs a designer for the play and assures her that she will be acknowledged. Heidi is interested and agrees to talk to Mrs. Carson. Heidi has a purpose and a title and the incidents at school stop.
Sela and Emily begin to become close again and realize that they have each grown from the experiences of the past months. Emily apologizes for her actions and Sela realizes that she was angry at God as well and actually thought she could do a better job of comforting Emily. Emily knows she has a way to go and isn’t sure she is ready to put her trust in God completely but is willing to try. In a quiet moment backstage, Heidi and Sela discuss the characters they are sewing for.
They have developed a rapport and tentative respect for each other. Sela tells Heidi that she respects Mrs. Potts because she represents a strong woman holding the servants together while juggling being a
single mother. She asks Heidi who her favorite character is and is rebuffed. Heidi answers that she probably thinks she would say Lumiere and Cogsworth because they represent a gay couple. Sela is genuinely taken aback and Heidi realizes that she jumped to the conclusion that Sela would be judgmental because of her personal situation. Heidi explains that she has two moms. She loves her family but feels she constantly has to defend them. Sela tells her that she never intended to judge anyone and didn’t even know of Heidi’s circumstances. They agree that they can be friends even though they are in different “groups” and have different beliefs.
God reveals to the Angels that their current mission is finished but to expect more to come. He allows the Way twins to finish the play before returning for a sabbatical. Gloria and Victor are fulfilled in God’s presence but can’t help but feel a little nostalgic about their human friendships. They are thrilled to be able to complete the play and watch as it brings the students and community together. Each character in the play speaks to some issue; diversity, compassion, acceptance, pride, entitlement, and genuine love. Sela is overwhelmed with emotion and so happy to see so much accomplished by
everyone working together. She has discovered that although she loved having the, twins, there to help, most of the changes have come about by taking responsibility for her own judgments and actions, and being proactive in following what she knew to be the urging of the Holy Spirit.
Query Re-Write
I have sent a few query letters and decided that the query needs a tweak or two. I have my manuscript in the hands of a few middle grade students and hope to get their feed-back soon.
I am learning so much in this process and my admiration for published Authors has increased by epic proportions!
There are invaluable sites out there to learn from and the authors and agents that sponsor and share this information are great. I have decided that the really good query letter and synopsis are works of art. I have a ways to go to get mine there.
I am also enjoying the experience that I am gaining by taking a class at the University in creative writing. I enjoy the process and the students. Their feed-back is wonderful and I feel validated by the instructor as well. We are working on poetic form and elements and I had no idea that there was so much to learn. I will post my latest poem here as a example!
Change
Morning air crisp and cool
with the crunch, crunch
of leaves curling beneath our feet
coloring our world in shades
red, brown, yellow
down, down they float
spiraling, swirling, blowing
Change
Barren skeletons
against dusky skies
the giants soon will sleep
the air pungent, sharp and sweet
the vee of geese flying south
honk, honking they call to us
as they follow the leader
Change
We bundle up for brisk walks
wind chafing our cheeks
donning our coats and gloves
trading flip flops for socks and boots
storing swim suits and shorts
watching the squirrels hustle
cheeks full of acorns
Change
Like the seasons
we must change
nothing ever stays the same.
Life Moments 