Flexibility--A Must for Writing and for Life

One thing I always tried to teach my son and my nieces and nephews is to be flexible. If an outing that was planned well in advance turned out to be cancelled by circumstances beyond my control (such as thunderstorms or someone getting sick), we went to Plan B and didn't have a meltdown over the ruined Plan A. This actually worked well in real life, but since we're talking about small children, it didn't always go smoothly. However, as they have grown, the lesson did sink in eventually,

Life doesn't always flow as smoothly as we would like. Things come up and plans, even long-laid plans, need to change to adapt to new circumstances. Sometimes it's short-term and the original plans can be picked up at a later time. Other times, however, it's a matter of getting used to the "new normal".

When I start to write a story, I have an idea of what's going to happen. I can picture scenes, details, even dialogue. But when I get down to putting the idea on paper, things sometimes change. A great scene I had planned out suddenly makes the outcome of the story different. Do I ditch the scene, or rethink the ending? That great line of dialogue suddenly sounds better coming from someone other than the character I had originally planned to have deliver it. Maybe I can leave it without affecting the rest of the story or maybe I have to tweak the story to make it work with that character speaking the line. Or I can eliminate that bit of dialogue and write something else. The point is that having the flexibility to allow changes to the original enables one to move forward rather than getting mired down in what was originally planned.

In real life, adjustments aren't always that easy. For now, my 90-year-old mother has joined our household. It may be an extended visit or it may be longer term. Either way, adjustments must be made. The day-to-day routine has to be altered to accommodate another person with different needs than the rest of the household members. In a way, it's not so different from having a new baby in the house.

In life, things happen. We hope for good things, but sometimes it's bad things, like a friend whose life was altered when her daughter was in a car wreck and lost mobility in her legs. Her daughter could very rightly spend her days in a funk--and who could blame her?--but she has taken this as a challenge and, no matter the outcome, that spirit of optimism, of making the best of her situation, which is so different from her own personal Plan A, will surely make her life and recovery so much happier.

It's a good way to go through life and I hope I always remember to face Plan B--whether in life or in my work, writing or otherwise--with as much enthusiasm that I had for Plan A.

Always keep looking up!

Winter Blahs

It seems that winter is dragging this year. Perhaps that's my own perception because it seemed that winter took forever to get here in the first place... and maybe it's not really here yet.

Winter has always been characterized as being synonymous with Christmas and festivities of all sorts and, therefore, a happy time of year. Snowy days, sledding and snowman building, drinking cocoa by a roaring fire have a "Christmas card" kind of coziness that bare trees, bare ground, and 30 mile an hour winds, coupled with 30 degree temperatures, seem to lack.

Having been born and raised in El Paso, Texas, I'm pretty much a desert rat. I like warm, sunny days (in El Paso, that's about 90 degrees) and cold weather puts me in a grump. You can complain about blazing hot midday sunshine, but nothing compares to the warm evenings on the back deck (or porch) with a cold glass of iced tea or your beverage of choice. In the winter time, evenings just get colder and darker and the deck or porch is less hospitable! Coming home from work in the afternoon during summer means a few good hours of sunshine left to enjoy. Coming home from work in the afternoon during winter means having to turn on the lights when you walk into the house and feeling like bedtime is just around the corner and dinner isn't even cooked yet.

It's not even the end of January and I'm already anxious for the start of summer. Not spring; spring in this part of the country means wind gusts of up to 50 miles an hour with blowing dust. Summer, with its early sunrises, longer days, evenings around a campfire, flipflops, and green grass and trees.

Right now that mountain in the background is covered with snow

Now I'm going to go put another log on the fire....

What's Cookin'?

If there's anything I enjoy more than writing, it's cooking.

I love to read cookbooks and I love perusing recipes online. I used to subscribe to three different cooking magazines until I realized that I didn't have time to read them all, much less make all the recipes (plus, how many recipes for lasagna does one need??)

I like to be adventurous in the kitchen, which is why I'll read a recipe and sometimes begin to imagine it with different ingredients. I like to put my own spin on things by substituting favorites. Shrimp instead of scallops, spinach instead of kale, maybe a squeeze of lemon, green chile makes everything better... and it can be hit or miss. Either my husband and son will demand it be made again and again or it will be retired on the grounds that sometimes even unconditional love has some limits.

In a way, that pretty much describes my writing habits. I feed my writing and story-creating by reading a lot of books. This explains why my house has hundreds of books in it, many which have been read over and over. And this is why the flavor of what I love to read permeates my own writing. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. My beta-readers definitely let me know if it's not tasting good. And thankfully my readers have been telling me that they like what they're getting!

It's good to have a creative outlet that feeds the body and the soul. Cooking and writing do both for me. Both are a labor of love. And once the cleanup is done--dishes and editing--it's always fun to start again!

Migas and beans... comfort food at it's best! You'll find my recipe and many others in the Oak Tree Press authors cookbook:

https://www.amazon.com/Recipes-Book-Tree-Authors-Cook/dp/1610092554/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1484523073&sr=1-1&keywords=recipes+by+the+book+oak+tree+authors+cook

An Afternoon at a Book Talk

Yesterday, I had the privilege of speaking at the Capitan Public Library in Capitan, New Mexico. The audience consisted of the library book club and writers' group. It was one of the largest groups I've ever addressed and one of the most fun!

It makes a difference when one is addressing a group of writers. For one thing, I didn't have to worry about sounding crazy or foolish when I talked about the problems a writer encounters--writer's block, editing woes, insecurity about showing our work. It was refreshing to be able to mention, say, the panic that ensues when one is in the shower or at work (work that doesn't require a desk and writing utensils) and a fabulous bit of dialogue pops into your mind or that tricky plot twist suddenly becomes untangled and you need a pen and piece of paper to get it down immediately... and everyone smiles and nods. They know. They've experienced it.

It always intimidates me a little when I do speak to a group of writers. As a published author, they expect me to know all the ins and outs of writing and publishing. It's humbling to admit that I don't have all the answers. The only true answer I can give when they ask, "How did you get a publishing contract?" is, "I got lucky."

That's not to dismiss or downplay the amount of hard work I put into learning to master the craft of writing, coming up with the ideas, writing and re-writing the books, and the number of rejections I received. If being able to get published by a traditional publisher were a sure thing simply because one put in the hours and the work, self-publishing would not have gained such a huge acceptance. Sometimes the answer lies in simple luck. There are probably hundreds of writers out there with more talent and better ideas and even stronger work ethics than I have. Why I am published and they are not is a great mystery to me.

But then, to me, it's always about the writing. I would write even without a contract--indeed, that's what I did for over twenty years. Being a published author, seeing my stories in print, was always a huge dream, but the reality of being able to put words down and make my characters come alive was something I could accomplish without a publisher. I certainly didn't (and don't) do it for the money; there's a reason I have a full-time job decorating cakes. Success, for me, is measured by the satisfaction of doing what I love and finding a readership, however small, is a greater success for me than making the New York Times bestseller list.

Being published is the icing on the cake, but I'm glad I learned to like cake without icing.

Hello, 2017!

Okay, okay, I admit it... I've been lazy the last few weeks. 2016 did not exactly boost my enthusiasm (at least, the last three months didn't) for anything, but I have resolved (yes, there's that word) to approach the next twelve months with a renewed sense of purpose and enthusiasm and even, dare I say, joy!

Everyone experiences loss in every year. Some are huge, like the loss of a friend or family member. Other losses, while perhaps not as devastating are, nevertheless, energy-draining. Having a long-term goal seem to get, not easier with the passage of time but harder, can sink one into a funk that is equable to being mired in quicksand.

My career as an author (quick note: one does not have to become a millionaire, nor even make any money, to consider work a career) has slowed down. In fact, it seems to be stalling, but even if I have to get out and push, I resolve to make it go forward. My fifth book did not come out as planned in 2016, for reasons beyond anyone's control, and I firmly believe that there was a reason for that. Though I finished out the year less than bubbling over with enthusiasm, I look forward to having the book ("A Summer to Remember") out in the next couple of months and to making a sizable dent in the manuscript for the next book. And whatever happens, I will continue to write.

I am already starting out the new year with an event--a book talk at the Capitan Public Library on Sunday, January 8 at 3:00 p.m. I look forward to meeting new readers and perhaps some new writers as well.

And those of you who have stuck with me through the last year, take heart! You're what keeps me going when it seems like my words are forever being lost on my laptop screen. I may give my characters life, but you give them a purpose.

So onward we go! Happy New Year!