Well, what do you know? (Or as they say, Who woulda thunk it?) Here I am posting on my blog for the second day in a row. Go figure! I got quite motivated today at lunch when my best friend said to me, "Deb, I visited your blog site the other day and you hadn't made a new post since February." Ahem. I quickly informed her that she was quite mistaken. That I'd just posted a new entry just last night and that perhaps she should check again. She laughed. I think that was an indication she didn't believe me. I'm not sure. Either way, it was motivation. By golly, if someone is going to stop by every so often, then I want to reward them with new material. So, DeVona, this post is for you! :)
Speaking of friends, this past weekend my husband and I hosted the party for our friends and the Ladies Night Sleepover (mentioned in a previous post further down on the blog). We had a great time! There was more food than we could possibly consume (though we tried), strawberry daiquiris to die for, a hilarious version of the Newlywed game, and a postponed holiday re-gift exchange. A very fun evening with close friends. Then the fellas headed out, and we ladies donned our pajamas, dragged the mattress out into the living room floor, gathered pillows, blankets, comforters, and snuggled in to watch our movies. Well, we watched the movies after we finally stopped talking! Then, given that neither of us has the stamina of young chicks any more, we were asleep by 3:00 a.m!!
Wild women we were. Yesiree. Hey, I said it was a "sleepover" not a "stay-up-all-nighter!" We know our limits!
:)
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Treading water...
I do realize that I need to be more disciplined about blogging. It often seems that at the end of the day, though, when all else is said and done, I can't think of a single creative thing to "say." Imagine that! A writer with not one bit of interesting prose or muse to share. Well, that's not exactly true. I have lots of interesting and creative thoughts swirling around in my head, keeping me awake at night, but just not enough energy to formulate them into a blog entry.
A colleague has resigned to move on to a new job in another state. I am thrilled for her--it was a wonderful opportunity--and will miss her. But in the meantime, someone must take over for her until we hire a replacement. Yes, you guessed it. That someone is me. I'm not complaining. Much. :) It's a chance to learn more about the responsibilities of that position and to broaden my professional horizons. (Did that sound convincing?) There has been one big benefit, though. Juggling the two, very busy positions has forced me to be more organized and structured. And for me, that's a good thing!
I suppose what I'm trying to say is....that's my excuse for sporadic blogging and, by golly, I'm sticking to it. I do have a couple of writing accomplishments to brag about, though. I learned today that a poem I submitted to a publication called fragments was accepted and will appear in the spring edition. And.... I've submitted three fiction stories to two separate contests. I submitted a short story entry for this month's Writer's Digest "Your Story" contest and this past weekend, I submitted two stories to the Dayton Daily News's Short Story contest.
So I feel fairly proud of myself. I'm writing. I'm submiting. And I'm getting accepted. Yes, I do realize that the acceptances may likely be few and far between, and the rejections letters will come all too fast and furious. So please allow me to gloat now while I can. I'll whine and pout later.
Have a wonderful remainder of March. Here in SW Ohio, it still feels like winter outside. Brrrrrrrrr! Here's hoping for spring....soon!
A colleague has resigned to move on to a new job in another state. I am thrilled for her--it was a wonderful opportunity--and will miss her. But in the meantime, someone must take over for her until we hire a replacement. Yes, you guessed it. That someone is me. I'm not complaining. Much. :) It's a chance to learn more about the responsibilities of that position and to broaden my professional horizons. (Did that sound convincing?) There has been one big benefit, though. Juggling the two, very busy positions has forced me to be more organized and structured. And for me, that's a good thing!
I suppose what I'm trying to say is....that's my excuse for sporadic blogging and, by golly, I'm sticking to it. I do have a couple of writing accomplishments to brag about, though. I learned today that a poem I submitted to a publication called fragments was accepted and will appear in the spring edition. And.... I've submitted three fiction stories to two separate contests. I submitted a short story entry for this month's Writer's Digest "Your Story" contest and this past weekend, I submitted two stories to the Dayton Daily News's Short Story contest.
So I feel fairly proud of myself. I'm writing. I'm submiting. And I'm getting accepted. Yes, I do realize that the acceptances may likely be few and far between, and the rejections letters will come all too fast and furious. So please allow me to gloat now while I can. I'll whine and pout later.
Have a wonderful remainder of March. Here in SW Ohio, it still feels like winter outside. Brrrrrrrrr! Here's hoping for spring....soon!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Back among the living...
Whew! I'm back. Finally. After spending the better part of the past 10 days either sick with that bad flu that's going around, or trying to recover from it, I've not been online much. I'm just now poking around and trying to catch up. I was off work a few days during this time, but attempting to read blogs or websites, or trying to actually do some writing myself was literally impossible. On the rare occasion that I did have the energy to come to the computer, the words quickly blurred on the screen and headaches soon followed. The only energy I could muster was just enough to get me through my work day. By the time I got home, the computer was the last thing I wanted to see. Yikes! This was a tough bout of something, folks!
But I'm back among the living and feeling more like myself today. And it's about time! I feel like so much time was wasted when I could have been writing, or reading about writing, or writing about writing in this here blog. :) Sheesh. But I did come up with several interesting ideas floating around in my head (and written down on paper!) for new stories, poems, and writing projects. Most of them may not come to fruition, but at least I don't feel that it was a completely unproductive, doing-nothing-but-feeling-sorry-for-myself week. I managed to have a couple of bright ideas and that's better than nothing.
I hope all of you can avoid that nasty virus, and that the remainder of the winter season finds you happy, productive, and germ free! Hang in there, spring is just around the corner.
But I'm back among the living and feeling more like myself today. And it's about time! I feel like so much time was wasted when I could have been writing, or reading about writing, or writing about writing in this here blog. :) Sheesh. But I did come up with several interesting ideas floating around in my head (and written down on paper!) for new stories, poems, and writing projects. Most of them may not come to fruition, but at least I don't feel that it was a completely unproductive, doing-nothing-but-feeling-sorry-for-myself week. I managed to have a couple of bright ideas and that's better than nothing.
I hope all of you can avoid that nasty virus, and that the remainder of the winter season finds you happy, productive, and germ free! Hang in there, spring is just around the corner.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Not enough time in the day....
Ok, I'm ready to admit it. Providing my writing the time it needs and deserves is going to be challenging. With a full-time job (and then some), taking a Formal Logic and Reasoning course (did I mention I haven't had any math or reasoning since high school?), keeping up the house (the laundry does not do itself!), and spending time with my family (yes, they also want a piece of me every once in a while), it's difficult to put together the blocks of quality time I need to write, to research, and to read. I'm not whining. I'm simply stating what has now become clear to me and in so doing, hoping it will not dampen my enthusiasm for and excitement about writing but instead will urge me to have patience and persistence instead.
Now that I have that off my chest, though, I would like to tell you what I have accomplished during the past couple of weeks. Writing may not be happening at the speed of light around here, but it is happening. I've submitted a poem to a university literary journal and will be submitting a short story to them this week as well. I've polished a short story written for my fall creative writing class to submit to a short story contest sponsored by our local big-city newspaper. I've revised two flash fiction pieces and will be researching some online literary journals for submission of those, and I've written another poem.
So, I am making headway albeit slowly. More importantly, I'm having fun and learning an awful lot about writing and writers. In the meantime, my job is secure, I received an "A" on my first exam in the logic course, my laundry is caught up, and my hubby still wants a piece of me. :) I'd say....so far, so good.
Now that I have that off my chest, though, I would like to tell you what I have accomplished during the past couple of weeks. Writing may not be happening at the speed of light around here, but it is happening. I've submitted a poem to a university literary journal and will be submitting a short story to them this week as well. I've polished a short story written for my fall creative writing class to submit to a short story contest sponsored by our local big-city newspaper. I've revised two flash fiction pieces and will be researching some online literary journals for submission of those, and I've written another poem.
So, I am making headway albeit slowly. More importantly, I'm having fun and learning an awful lot about writing and writers. In the meantime, my job is secure, I received an "A" on my first exam in the logic course, my laundry is caught up, and my hubby still wants a piece of me. :) I'd say....so far, so good.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
From time to time...
Every once in a while we all need to just get away. To spend a couple of days doing only the things you truly want to do or that make you feel good, and to spend a bit of that time doing absolutely nothing at all. My hubby and I got away to do (and not do) just that this weekend. The occasion was our 4th anniversary, but after the typical stress of the holidays, getting back into the hectic swing of another semester at work and in my classes, and a sudden onslaught of frigid weather, it was the perfect time for a little breather.
We didn't go far. We didn't need to. Just being away with no agenda, no time constraints, and nobody expecting any work to be done, was far enough. We laughed, we lounged, we talked, we snuggled, we ate, we read, we slept, we shopped. Then we woke up and did it all over again. It was a wonderous weekend and it was just what I needed.
Tomorrow, I'll return to work and my class refreshed and tranquil. And I'm turning my attention again to my writing. I have a piece I'm thinking about writing to submit to a small literary publication put together annually by the university's women's center. I have a poem ready to submit, but would like to submit an opinion essay as well. I worked out a mental outline for the piece this weekend, made some notes in my journal, and am now anxious to get started on it.
So, I hope this entry motivates you to take that day or two to get away, to relax and rejuvenate yourself. Like me, you probably need it and you, too, deserve it.
We didn't go far. We didn't need to. Just being away with no agenda, no time constraints, and nobody expecting any work to be done, was far enough. We laughed, we lounged, we talked, we snuggled, we ate, we read, we slept, we shopped. Then we woke up and did it all over again. It was a wonderous weekend and it was just what I needed.
Tomorrow, I'll return to work and my class refreshed and tranquil. And I'm turning my attention again to my writing. I have a piece I'm thinking about writing to submit to a small literary publication put together annually by the university's women's center. I have a poem ready to submit, but would like to submit an opinion essay as well. I worked out a mental outline for the piece this weekend, made some notes in my journal, and am now anxious to get started on it.
So, I hope this entry motivates you to take that day or two to get away, to relax and rejuvenate yourself. Like me, you probably need it and you, too, deserve it.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Right off the bat, I want to say how lucky I am when it comes to friends. I'm married to a man I consider my very best friend. I'd rather spend time with him then with any other person on the planet. But, when he's busy or I need girl time, I have a group of 4 friends who provide all the quality girl time and support any person could hope for. Four friends I can count on to be there for me, no matter what. My closest friend, DeVona is that female friend that everyone needs. Just by being my friend, she makes me a better person. She's much nicer than I am and she's content sometimes never getting a word in when I'm on a roll or tirade about something and I forget to let her talk during our conversations. A saint, she is. And then there are the other three -- Suzanne, Amy, and Melanie -- who provide me with literally hours even days of entertainment and general all-around female camaraderie. The five of us "get" each other. We recognize each other's faults, we understand our quirks, we realize that we are very different people, but we love each other regardless. And thankfully, because we all live and work very close to each other (in fact we met at the university where we work), we are able to spend lots of time together. We regularly "do" happy hour on Friday evenings to end the work week, we go shopping or out to dinner, we get together for a massage-and-pamper-us day, and we even boldly go to the local adult entertainment store (and that is a blog entry all its own!). With our spouses and families, we have picnics, Christmas, 4th of July/Canada Day, and birthday parties, and we often get together for no reason at all other than it's been a couple of weeks since we've done so. We even enjoy listening to each other karaoke. And none of us can sing.
And one night a year, we have a sleepover. A slumber party. A girls-only night of p.j.'s margaritas, chick flicks, girl talk, gossiping, and, well, female bonding. On those nights, we've compared breast sizes (I lost), complained about men, danced, and tried to sing the "You put the lime in the coconut" song in Chinese. Every year it's something new and fun, but every year I am also comforted to recognize the familiar friends I know. Mel continues to try to teach me how to use my remote control, Suzanne is the first to fall asleep, Amy brings the shrimp ring, DeVona spoils my pets, and I just enjoy the heck out of having all of them at my house.
After coffee (with Baileys), breakfast, and laughingly going over the events of the night before, my friends head home the next morning. And each time they leave, I am reminded of just how blessed I am. Folks in the know say that we are lucky to have one great friend in our lifetimes. I have four. Thank you, ladies. You're the best.
And one night a year, we have a sleepover. A slumber party. A girls-only night of p.j.'s margaritas, chick flicks, girl talk, gossiping, and, well, female bonding. On those nights, we've compared breast sizes (I lost), complained about men, danced, and tried to sing the "You put the lime in the coconut" song in Chinese. Every year it's something new and fun, but every year I am also comforted to recognize the familiar friends I know. Mel continues to try to teach me how to use my remote control, Suzanne is the first to fall asleep, Amy brings the shrimp ring, DeVona spoils my pets, and I just enjoy the heck out of having all of them at my house.
After coffee (with Baileys), breakfast, and laughingly going over the events of the night before, my friends head home the next morning. And each time they leave, I am reminded of just how blessed I am. Folks in the know say that we are lucky to have one great friend in our lifetimes. I have four. Thank you, ladies. You're the best.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The overwhelming world of online writing sites
Per my resolution to read and learn about writing in 2008, I've been wandering around the internet google-searching writing topics and reading sites here and there. During my creative writing class, a recurring weekly assignment was to find, read, and write reviews on various online or print literary journals. This quickly became a favorite assignment as I stumbled upon many interesting and entertaining sites. On many online journals, the quality of the writing is astounding. Provocative, edgy, captivating. There are journals for every genre, style, and ability. These sites are usually a joy to read through. Of course I have a few favorites and still more are bookmarked. I continue to investigate sites not only for my own reading and learning pleasure (via duotrope.com or newpages.com), but to narrow down sites to which I may one day submit my own writing. The possibilities there so far seem endless.
Also, I've found several general websites dedicated just to writers and writing. The WritersDigest.com and Poets and Writers site (pw.org) are a couple of my favorites. The articles on the sites range from interesting (tips, advice, informative) to entertaining (interviews with successful writers, personal anecdotes from writers). A particularly useful part of both sites to me has been the forums--where other writers share the ups and downs, ins and outs, and the many ordeals and successes of the world of writing. Both forums are chockfull of writers in all stages of careers who ask questions, offer encouragement, provide advice and just generally support one another. It feels good just to be a member of each of those forums. I feel like a writer when I'm there even though I haven't contributed much to either except an introductory post in the "New Member" sections. But I'll be a force to be reckoned with on those forums before you know it. Well perhaps not a force. More like a nudge. There are many other good websites and forums for writers out there...again the numbers seem limitless....but I'm sticking with these two for now and browsing others when I have time.
And then there are blogs. Oh my Gosh! Blogs and blogs and more blogs. You can find blogs with subjects ranging from anything to everything.... and blogs about nothing at all, or the equivalent of nothing. I'm concentrating on writers' blogs, though, and am just now scratching the surface. A quirky blogger habit seems to be listing the blog sites of other like-minded or interesting bloggers on your blog's homepage. So when I find an interesting blog, generally on the right side (although some are on the left) is a rather long list of several other blogs. You literally can blog jump for hours on end. The problem I've found that I want to warn you about is that a couple of times I have moved from blog to blog then forgotten to bookmark a particularly good one along the way only to lose it in the string of blogs visited. A couple of those that I really seemed to relate to I've managed to find again. A couple more are still lost out there. I'll continue looking for those though. Once I narrow down a few blogs that I believe stand out significantly from the others, at least for me, I will begin my own right-side list of favorite blog sites. I know--you can hardly wait, huh? Just please take heed of my warning above.
So, that's where I am so far. This is a long post, so I'll provide more info (and my opinions) about some of the writing sites, forums, and blogs I've found in future posts. Until then, keep warm (they are predicting zero temps in SW Ohio for this weekend) and have fun.
Also, I've found several general websites dedicated just to writers and writing. The WritersDigest.com and Poets and Writers site (pw.org) are a couple of my favorites. The articles on the sites range from interesting (tips, advice, informative) to entertaining (interviews with successful writers, personal anecdotes from writers). A particularly useful part of both sites to me has been the forums--where other writers share the ups and downs, ins and outs, and the many ordeals and successes of the world of writing. Both forums are chockfull of writers in all stages of careers who ask questions, offer encouragement, provide advice and just generally support one another. It feels good just to be a member of each of those forums. I feel like a writer when I'm there even though I haven't contributed much to either except an introductory post in the "New Member" sections. But I'll be a force to be reckoned with on those forums before you know it. Well perhaps not a force. More like a nudge. There are many other good websites and forums for writers out there...again the numbers seem limitless....but I'm sticking with these two for now and browsing others when I have time.
And then there are blogs. Oh my Gosh! Blogs and blogs and more blogs. You can find blogs with subjects ranging from anything to everything.... and blogs about nothing at all, or the equivalent of nothing. I'm concentrating on writers' blogs, though, and am just now scratching the surface. A quirky blogger habit seems to be listing the blog sites of other like-minded or interesting bloggers on your blog's homepage. So when I find an interesting blog, generally on the right side (although some are on the left) is a rather long list of several other blogs. You literally can blog jump for hours on end. The problem I've found that I want to warn you about is that a couple of times I have moved from blog to blog then forgotten to bookmark a particularly good one along the way only to lose it in the string of blogs visited. A couple of those that I really seemed to relate to I've managed to find again. A couple more are still lost out there. I'll continue looking for those though. Once I narrow down a few blogs that I believe stand out significantly from the others, at least for me, I will begin my own right-side list of favorite blog sites. I know--you can hardly wait, huh? Just please take heed of my warning above.
So, that's where I am so far. This is a long post, so I'll provide more info (and my opinions) about some of the writing sites, forums, and blogs I've found in future posts. Until then, keep warm (they are predicting zero temps in SW Ohio for this weekend) and have fun.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
About me...
A couple of years ago, I decided to go back to school and earn a degree in anticipation of retiring from my regular job in 4-5 years. I have a great job and love the university where I work but I have wondered what would I actually like to do if I could pick anything….much like “what do I want to be when I grow up?” I enjoy writing and I do various forms of it in my current position (proposals, speech writing, business writing, etc), so being a writer was my first thought. I doubted, though, that it could be a serious career option.
This past semester , I gave in to my inner voice and took a creative writing class. Simply put…wow! I now know (and can admit) what I want to be when I group up. To say I was overwhelmed but excited is an understatement. I can now actually envision myself with a writing career. So, while a large part of me now seems in a big hurry to learn as much about writing as fast as I can, the rest of me knows that I have plenty of time….and a full time job and part-time education to concentrate on too. The writing course last semester created the habit of writing regularly and simply writing for fun (a very new phenomenon to me!) I’ve started keeping a writing journal and (per a requirement for the course) submitted two pieces of work to a literary magazine…one of which was accepted! So soon I can actually proclaim to be a published writer.
I'm very new at writing poetry--and not very good at it yet. The poem below was part of an assignment for the creative writing class. Obviously it's personal in nature, butI thought very appropriate for my first creative piece posted to the new blog. Enjoy....or at least offer only thoughtful, gentle criticism. I'm still working on my writer's thick skin. :)
(Sorry - I removed the poem I had placed here. I've tweaked it a little and hope to submit it to a literary magazine. Amy - thank you for your feedback!)
This past semester , I gave in to my inner voice and took a creative writing class. Simply put…wow! I now know (and can admit) what I want to be when I group up. To say I was overwhelmed but excited is an understatement. I can now actually envision myself with a writing career. So, while a large part of me now seems in a big hurry to learn as much about writing as fast as I can, the rest of me knows that I have plenty of time….and a full time job and part-time education to concentrate on too. The writing course last semester created the habit of writing regularly and simply writing for fun (a very new phenomenon to me!) I’ve started keeping a writing journal and (per a requirement for the course) submitted two pieces of work to a literary magazine…one of which was accepted! So soon I can actually proclaim to be a published writer.
I'm very new at writing poetry--and not very good at it yet. The poem below was part of an assignment for the creative writing class. Obviously it's personal in nature, butI thought very appropriate for my first creative piece posted to the new blog. Enjoy....or at least offer only thoughtful, gentle criticism. I'm still working on my writer's thick skin. :)
(Sorry - I removed the poem I had placed here. I've tweaked it a little and hope to submit it to a literary magazine. Amy - thank you for your feedback!)
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