There’s a reason for the saying, “When it rains, it pours.” The past two weeks, it has poured. My life has been a blur of friends, family, work, writing and beyond. It’s been hectic, emotional and trying time, but I wouldn’t trade a moment of it. I have had some of the most meaningful conversation and also the most mindless tasks. What a week. I work as an events coordinator during the day and my most recent event has been an exercise of persistence and resilience. I’ve been criticized, blamed, accosted and usually it was because people didn’t read prior instructions. I’ve reached the point where my skin is so...
Writing Tips: Idea Book
As a writer, I can say the single greatest tool we have is pen and paper. The next best thing? A whole notebook full of random ideas, plot sketches, character notes and general observations of the world. Your “idea book” is a resource beyond a how-to book you can find at a library. Without ideas, inspirations and characters, what good is your story? Okay, okay, I admit many writers are probably able to store all that information in their heads and never forget a detail. I don’t function that way. I find that if I don’t write something down right away, I may lose it forever. I was looking through...
Why I’ve been absent…
The end of September and beginning of October turn into an event marathon at my day job, as events coordinator for the OSU College of Pharmacy. That means nights worked, constant errands and little time outside of work to unwind. In effort to keep myself sane, I prioritized and decided to put the blogging on hold. This allowed me to continue critting with my critique partners and work on my writing. Aside from working, writing and managing my household, we painted our house in a weekend and are still finishing up little bits here and there of cleaning and touch ups. The house looks great and I praise God for...
Beyond the hairspray…
This week, the 141st Clark County Fair takes over the small town of Ridgefield, Wash., and erupts into a 10-day flurry of wild rides, cotton candy, elephant ears, dozens of vendors, animals of all shapes and sizes, demolition derby and monster trucks. All the good, traditional fair activities aside, the Clark County Fair lands near to my heart. Apart from having shown horses at the fairgrounds for most of my life, I represented the fair across the Pacific Northwest in 2004. I was a Clark County Fair Court Princess. Yes, I know what you are thinking. Oh. One of those girls. Well, I was. However, the world of rodeo queens...
The start of a dream…and countless hours at the computer
Every author knows the exact moment they decided to be a writer – whether it was a dawning realization or a slow, steady development throughout the years. I was 12. Aside from the normal life hurdles presented in the sixth grade, I got my first horse and started showing in local 4-H shows. I spent all my spare time with my horse, a chestnut Arabian mare with an attitude. But I didn’t care – she was all mine. Meanwhile, my sixth grade teacher spent her time and energy in sharing her love for the written word. She encouraged us to read and read some more. So I did. That’s when...