Wandering Thoughts of a Writer: #stories

Showing posts with label #stories. Show all posts

I know it’s been over six months since I wrote on this blog, but it’s been a challenging year. Honestly, this year has sucked ass.

Seriously.

2021 for us has been full of loss, struggles, anxiety, instability, blah, blah, blah.

BUT on the positive side, it’s been filled with extreme growth, self-discovery, and starting a new book series (The Last O’Clery Witch), but more on that in a minute.

I haven’t felt like writing or doing anything creative because of the hurdles and setbacks we’ve been going through. Hopefully, they’re over with now.

I do believe in the power of manifestation, and we get what we focus on the most.

If you’re mostly focusing on negative shit, then you’ll bring it into your experience, so I’ve been focusing on what I want instead of what I don’t want.

The trick though is to learn how to monitor your thoughts because the mind loves to tell stories.

It loves drama.

It loves to make up shit to worry about.

Meditation is the best way to learn how to take control of your thoughts. I’m not a pro at it yet, but I plan to be.

There are things in our life that we don’t have control over like just recently our 14-year-old cat fur friend (Church) died, and we had to watch the whole thing because the vets wouldn’t see him because of Covid.

They wouldn’t answer their phone.

They wouldn’t answer their doors.

And they weren’t taking new patients.

It was fucking heartbreaking! 😭

We didn’t realize how much our decisions in life included Church until he left us.

We miss him so much.

The morning we drove up the forested mountain to bury him among the redwood trees was unbelievably magickal. ✨

I took this picture on the way up the mountain. The photo doesn’t do it justice, but the ray of sunshine was like letting us know that Church made it across the rainbow bridge.

He’s no longer in pain.

He’s no longer sick.

He’s happy now.

He’s having fun.

He wanted us to know that.

Also, the magnificent redwood tree we buried him under will look out for him and is honored to do so.

Putting Church to rest was an amazing experience that we’ll never forget.

It was as if we stepped into a different realm and were given a glimpse into it.

So yeah, there are things in life we don’t have control over. I didn’t manifest Church’s demise or my father-in-law’s death, or my friend’s death, or my ex-coworker/physician’s suicide, or my dad’s mini-stroke he just had last week.

Told ya it’s been a rough year, and that’s not all of it . . .

. . . But we won’t go into that.

I don’t like to get negative. I just wanted to give you a general idea of what’s been going on in my world this year.

Btw, we’re still on the southern coast of Oregon, and we love it here!

We have no regrets about moving here, even with all the hardships and coming close to living out of our car. 😬

But when it comes to being true to yourself and dreams, ya gotta be all in and trust the process . . .

On the book front, Legends of Deceit #2 has been written for a couple of years now and still needs to be professionally edited and go through the whole publishing process, which costs a lot of money.

I haven’t had the resources to do that, but I believe in the future I will.

When?

I don’t know.

If you want to help out you can buy one of my books and tell your friends about them.

The Last O’Clery Witch.

I’m working on getting an agent for The Last O’Clery Witch (book #1 in my Grimbrook series), but it takes time, and honestly, with all the upheavals in my life, I haven’t put much energy into querying agents as I should. Once we’re stable, I’ll get back at it. For sure. 😉

I do want to create a bitchin’ website for my books, photos, and videos. That is a future goal of mine.

Well, my friends, there you have it.

We’re almost through 2021.

I do believe I’m a winner, and I can be, do, and have whatever I want.

I’m not giving up.

I will continue to be true to myself.

Cheers! 🥂

#2021, #anxiety, #beyondtheeyes, #books, #cat, #challenges, #covid, #death, #manifestation, #oregon, #publishing, #stories, #struggles, #suicide, #thoughts, #writing, 2 Comments

Since we're in the month of October and Halloween is just around the corner, let's get into the spirit (no pun intended) of things and talk about the Ouija board.

If you don't know what a Ouija board is, then you've been living under a rock.

Everyone knows what a Ouija board is . . . at least, I think everyone does. But if you don't, I'll tell ya . . .

-Well, I'll have Wikipedia tell ya: The Ouija sometimes also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", "hello" (occasionally), and "goodbye", along with various symbols and graphics. It uses a planchette (small heart-shaped piece of wood or plastic) as a movable indicator to indicate a spirit's message by spelling it out on the board during a séance . Participants place their fingers on the planchette, and it is moved about the board to spell out words.

Here's what it looks like:

SHORT HISTORY:

Spiritualism had reached America in 1848 when the Fox sisters in New York, claimed to be mediums and could receive messages from spirits who would tap on the walls when asked a question. The sisters would then translate the knocks into letters of the alphabet. At the time, spiritualism was growing and the Fox sisters helped popularize it.

The living could contact the spirits of the dead.

You could communicate with your husband, brother, fiancee, or son, who had died in the Civil War.

How easily to be enchanted by a promise like that during a time when countless hearts were crushed due to the war. Hell, even now the hope and possibility to chat with your deceased loved one is too tempting to ignore.

Ya gotta at least try, right? Even if it's bogus, the weeping heart, the gut wrenching feeling of missing someone you lost, sometimes is too much to bear.

I'm not ashamed to admit that if I ever had the opportunity to communicate with a deceased loved one, I'd try. However, I'd need absolute proof it was real in order to believe the encounter.

. . . And I wouldn't use the Ouija board.

Why?

Because I'm not sold on the idea that I can communicate with a loved one through a talking board.

I'd need to do a private reading with say . . . John Edwards instead, to see if he could deliver messages from across the rainbow bridge.

-Moving along:

In 1886, an article came out about a "talking board" that came out of the spiritualist movement in Ohio.

In 1890, a business man named, Charles Kennard, created the Kennard Novelty Co.

Guess what for?

To make and market talking boards.

Do you know how the founders of this spirit board got the name Ouija?

They asked the board what it wanted to be called, and it spelled out O-U-I-J-A. Then they asked the board what that meant, and the board spelled out G-O-O-D-L-U-C-K.

Trippy, eh.

. . . Anyway, there were people who would warn others about using the Ouija board, but it really wasn't considered evil until the movie the Exorcist came out in 1973.

After that, religious groups banded together in a collective mindset, telling their followers and others that the Ouija board was a tool to invite Satan and his demons into you and your household. They bred fear into the hearts of the innocent and would continue to by telling elaborate and fantastical, haunting tales about it.

I grew up with those stories, and the movie the Exorcist, scared me.

It freaked me the fuck out.

My mom used to watch that movie at night while I was trying to go to sleep. She'd turn the sound way up, and of course I could hear it.

I swear she did it on purpose.

I had to sleep with my light on and had nightmares for years because of that damn movie.

Thanks, Mom.

-Anyway, when I was a teenager, I played with a Ouija board several times and nothing extraordinary happened. So I don't know.

I'd heard stories from friends and my own sister about what happened to them when they played with one.

Honestly, though, I'm at a toss up on what to believe.

What about you?

Have you ever played with a Ouija board before?

If so, did anything happen?

#dead, #history, #living, #ouija board, #religious #Exorcist, #spirit, #spiritualism, #stories, 0 Comments

I can’t speak for all writers, but this is what my internal world is like as an author.

I have a loud mind.

Stephen King once said quiet people have loud minds. I don’t know. I mean, I’m quiet when I have nothing to say, and I don’t ever have the need to hijack someone’s conversation . . . so yeah, now that I think about it, I do have a loud mind.

My thoughts constantly scatter.

I can have a conversation with my husband and think of other things at the same time. Where I get into trouble is when he’s telling me something I’m not in the least bit interested in. I’ll focus on my thoughts instead and not hear a word he’s saying.

My mind always turns an unexplained noise or situation into a story.

This is so true, and nine times out of ten I’ll tell the person with me about it. And yes, that person looks at me like I grew another head—unless it’s another author I’m telling it to.

I'll compare real life situations to fictional ones.

I’ll compare a situation someone is in or was in or something that happened that’s relevant to one of my characters, and I’ll talk about it.

Self-induced stress.

Sometimes I become anxious and irritable when I have so many things to do like edits, rewrites, posting, marketing, etc. and not enough time to do them. Basically, I get overwhelmed, and my thoughts won’t stop whirling.

I have stories racing through my mind.

I have so many stories I want to write but not enough time to do so.

I’m never bored.

It's very rare that I'm bored. I have too many things to do to get bored.

Crankiness.

If I’m not working on a story, I get grumpy and depressed.

Anxious.

I get nervous and scared when other people reads my story.

I'm a serf to my imaginary friends.

My character’s talk to me, and they can get demanding to where I have to appease them. I am their slave.

Happiness.

I get excited and giddy when I’m creating a story.

My characters crack me up and make me weep.

I laugh when one of my characters does something funny. I also cry when something bad happens to them.

So do I like being an author?

No.

I frickin’ love it.

Why?

Because despite the anguish as an author I go through to churn out a novel and market it, I created something out of nothing. I have the ability to transfer what’s inside of me, onto paper, and into other people’s minds. I can share with them worlds and characters they never knew about. I can teach them lessons or at least get them to think on topics they never thought about before. I can make them laugh, cry, smile, and get frustrated. I can entertain them. I’m giving something to this world that more than likely will last well after I’m gone, which rocks.

Yes, I’m overwhelmed.

But . . .

Being an author makes me happy and want to do a silly dance.

Enough said.

#amwriting, #author, #authorlife, #characters, #creating, #creativity, #life, #stephenking, #stories, #writer, 0 Comments

I’ve seen this question asked many times in the literary world. Is there an inherent gene one receives from a relative that gives her the ability to write and create stories?

Are you born a writer?

A writer knows without a doubt that’s what she wants to do.

Period.

It’s her passion.

End of story. No pun intended.

She will write for ten hours straight without even thinking about it. She will give up her social life and get up an hour early before work so she can continue creating her stories. She has an unstoppable drive to pursue this dream of hers to churn out books for a living.

It’s sweet madness with some S&M thrown in for good measure—the joy of writing a good sentence, paragraph, scene and the pain of being stuck on one of those three things. Sometimes the tale you’re writing likes to teeter-totter from sheer elation to utter frustration and hair pulling.

You get the point.

My great-aunt writes for a living.

So did I inherent this obsessive need and passion to create fantastical tales and toss them into this world so people will read and hopefully enjoy them? Or, did I just decide one day I wanted to become an author?

Perhaps it’s a little bit of both. I suspect the interest of books and writing one is a genetic trait. I’ve been writing and reading stories most of my life. However, my sister has no interest in either one. She is a wonderful photographer and can draw. I on the other hand suck at those two things. I also have zero passion for them. So I inherited the literary gene, but that doesn’t mean I was a born writer. It just means I have a great interest in it, which gives me the drive to educate myself about the literary world and do everything I need to do to become a fabulous writer and achieve my goal to create stories for a living.

So are we born writers?

Yes and no.

It might be in your DNA giving you that boost to gravitate toward books and the art of writing, but it’s up to YOU to do all the work. It’s up to YOU to mold yourself into this extraordinary author, freelance writer, poet, etc. You just have to really want it and nothing will stop you to achieve your dream.

Cheers!

#amwriting, #author, #creator, #stories, #writing, 0 Comments

I don’t know if you know this about me, but when my parents were married, my dad used to hunt for Bigfoot. One time when he came back from one of his trips, he brought back a plastered impression of a huge footprint. I was five at the time and took it to school for show and tell. LOL. My classmates were in total awe. My teacher, on the other hand, rolled her eyes, but hey, I was a rockstar that day. :)

I don’t know if I believe in Bigfoot but that and the paranormal world was a huge part of my upbringing. I think that’s why I love writing paranormal stories. Not to mention, my knowledge and experience aid me in creating those tales.

Anyway, last month, there was a Bigfoot sighting in a town not too far from me. I thought it was interesting.

Bigfoot in rural North Dakota?

Anyway, here’s the article if you want to check it out. http://kfgo.com/news/articles/2017/jan/10/one-the-trail-of-bigfoot-in-north-dakota/

Do you believe in Bigfoot?

What are your thoughts on it?

#Bigfoot, #hunting, #paranormal, #stories, 0 Comments

CAST NO SHADOWS

An Anthology of Ghost Stories

This anthology includes short stories intended to chill and make you wonder if ghosts really do exist.

Enjoy the works of Jordan Elizabeth, Lorna MacDonald Czarnota, Grace M. DeLeesie, Joan Scharf, Lisa Oaks, Heather Talty, Kae P. Quinn, C.K. Raggio, Derek McFadden, Grant Eagar, Nicole Green, Clare Weze, Ashley Pasco, Amy L. Gale, A. Elizabeth Zumchak, Al Dorantes, K. J. Winters, Tracina Cozza, James McNally, A. F. Plant, W. K. Pomeroy, Jeremy Mortis, Christine Baker, Misha Murphy, Gloria Slade, and Rachel Pond.

This haunting cover was created by Eugene Teplitsky.

CAST NO SHADOWS releases on October 10th, but in the meantime, check it out on GoodReads.

Help us celebrate the cover reveal with the chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

#anthology, #ghosts, #giveaway, #stories, 1 Comments

The first page in a book is supposed to hook the reader. I know a lot of people, including myself, will read the first page and decide from there whether to buy the book or not. Sometimes I’ll even read beyond the first page and then make my decision. So in all honesty, not only does the first page need to kickass but the whole first chapter does as well. However, it’s imperative that the first page captures the reader’s interest.

But what about the first line?

Oh, God, yeah. That. The first line is most definitely the crucial part to the first page.

There are many examples of a best first line of a novel. Here are a few:

They shot the white girl first–Paradise by Toni Morrison

The cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring fogs revealed an army stretched out on the hills, resting–The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Cran

It was the day my grandmother exploded–The Crow Road by Iain M. Banks

So how are you going to write that fabulous first line to where a hand jumps out of the page, grabs the reader by the face, and yanks her into the story? What helps me is to read other author's opening pages. You can go on Amazon and read the first few pages of a book.

But then what?

Well, here are some tips for you that I go by . . .

* You need to write something interesting with a hook that sets the tone for the rest of the story. It doesn’t necessarily have to start out with action or conflict (it can though), but it has to be something important and relevant to the rest of the story.

* The main character is introduced.

* The story’s setting is revealed, but you shouldn’t reveal too much, just enough detail to tantalize some of the reader’s senses: sight, smell, hearing, and taste.

* You should end each chapter with a hook to engage the reader and set up the next chapter.

*Your pacing should be good and not bogged down by too much description.

* The first chapter needs to be the foundation for your story.

* You don’t need to reveal every character in your first chapter or every physical attribute or trait your main character has. Those things need to been woven in throughout the story.

* The first chapter does need to introduce the core conflict of the story, but the reader doesn’t need to know the details, just enough to pique her curiosity.

There you have. My first book (Beyond the Eyes) in my trilogy had won an award for the best first line in a book which was cool.

I hope my tips help you.

HAPPY FRIDAY!
　
　
　