New Beginnings

I have been contemplating my New Year's Resolutions. I have a lot of them. They are mostly about becoming better at this or that. A better mother, a better wife, a better writer, ...christian, friend, blogger, person in general. More of an organizer, less of a procrastinator. Blah, blah, blah. *Insert Charlie Brown's teacher's voice here* And of course the obligatory...get in shape and eat right.




Now you might say, why can't you just be happy with yourself? Are any of us? I think most of it is fear of failure or is it fear of success? I can't be sure. So this year, 2012, I am not going to get down on myself because I'm not where 'I think' I should be. I am just going to do the best I can in all of these areas and pray that it makes a difference for myself and the others in my life. Maybe we can learn to trust that we are enough with all our imperfections. May this year bring you all the goodness that you can handle!

I read this blog post 25 things writers should stop doing thanks to newport2newport and loved it! I think he hits home with a lot of my doubts and shortcomings in my writing. Happy New Beginnings.

Oregon Coast

I am very excited that I will be going to a Children's Book Workshop in Oregon in July. I will be flying in a little early to do some sightseeing along the coast. Does anyone have any suggestions of what is a must-see? Any tips are appreciated. :)

Separating Confidence from Self-Doubt

I love this post on author Nathan Bransford's blog. So true! Write on.

From Books to Movies

With the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows coming out this weekend, and my family watching Avatar: The Last Airbender on DVD last night, I wondered what your favorite movie made from a book was.

Here's the ones I can think of in random order.

-Harry Potter
-The Last Airbender
-Lord of the Rings
-Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
-Pride and Prejudice
-Because of Winn Dixie
-The Princess Bride
-The Lovely Bones
-Memoirs of a Geisha
-The Notebook
-Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
-The Polar Express
-The Jungle Book

I'm sure there are many more that I can't remember right now. What ones do you like?

Thankfulness

With Thanksgiving right around the corner I have been thinking of all the things I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful everyday that I have God in my life.
I'm thankful I am healthy when I see many who aren't.
I'm thankful that I have a beautiful family that loves me (even when I'm grouchy).
I'm thankful for my job which a lot of people don't have.
I'm thankful that I can write words on a page and feel a calmness come over me.
I'm thankful for wonderful, supportive friends.
I'm thankful for great books and good movies.
I'm thankful for the soldiers who have and do protect me and my family (especially my dad and brother-in-law).
I'm thankful for my hardships because they make me stronger.
I'm so thankful for my life...
It gets better and better with every passing year.

How about you?
Happy early Thanksgiving!

7 Quirky things about me


1. I cannot tell jokes! I screw up the punch line every time.

2. When I was in 1st grade, I had to see a counselor because I was sooooo shy I hardly talked. (For those of you who know me, the counseling obviously worked.)

3. If I go to bed with my hair wet I will wake up with an afro in the morning.

4. I love romantic movies and if I really like it I'll watch the same scenes over and over with obsession.


5. I have an extra hole inside my ear from where a cyst burst when I was a baby (yes, I have a hole in my head)


6. When I get excited my voice goes up higher and higher in octave.


7. Gross scientific stuff like watching brain surgery fascinates me. (I'm in the medical field) It doesn't bother me to talk about it while I'm eating either. :)


***If you have any to add, go ahead. Just don't make it too embarrassing. Please?

Writing what you want to know

I've been neglecting my blog terribly. I have lots of excuses, most of them good, as I'm sure most of us do. So I'll try to do better.

The other morning I was thinking in the shower (What? Isn't that where you get your best ideas?) I've been to many, many conferences and the one thing I hear over and over is... write what you know. You hear this from editors. You hear this from agents. You hear this from authors. But what I want to say is--how boring is that? Yes, you do need to add some things in there that you have learned along the way, but wouldn't you like to pursue new things, too? There will always be a bit of yourself in your work. Your morals, emotions, things that have happened to you. It's scary to think about learning something different and beyond your comfort level, but I think it makes your connection even stronger when you've had to do research, interview people, get to know personally what it may have been like for another person even if this certain thing has happened to you.

So instead of writing what you know----Write what you've been curious about, write what you want to know about, write what doesn't come naturally but what comes honestly from the heart. You'll be glad you did and so will your readers.