Just Like Riding A Bike

QUOTE OF THE DAY: There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning. ~Louis L'Amour


Ever have one of those days when you finally woke up on the RIGHT side of the bed and the coffee is already made and you got an unexpected check in the mail for some unknown reason? What does that mean? That all the stars are aligned correctly and in your favor? Maybe you should go out and buy a lottery ticket?

I didn't have one of those days today, but I did have a revelation this week. My flow came back.

I have been blocked at a certain point in my WIP that I couldn't get past. So I gladly did the dishes, vacuumed the house, cleaned the bathroom and did ten loads of laundry because that all NEEDED to get done NOW, or so my non-creative brain told my creative brain. (because I have two you know)

I knew what was going to happen in the story, I just didn't know how to say it. And that fear stopped me. I didn't give up, necessarily, but I procrastinated. Like you do when you have to pay the bills and you don't want to. Its painful, heartbreaking and you have no idea how much good stuff you'll have in the end.

But guess what? I forced myself to sit and plunge through that scene, (which came out beautifully I must say) and what has flowed since then has knocked me off my feet. I can't stop now. I am itching at every possible second to sit down and continue my story. I feel like I've been given new life. Hee hee! Reborn!

I know. It sounds silly. But it has been so uplifting for me. And I knew it all along. The point is to Just. Do. It. Even when you don't think you have anything to say, just sit down and write.

Guess what else helped me to get through it?

I've written the last 3000 words by hand. In a special notebook I bought just to write in. So I can write ANYWHERE. ANYTIME. I always have my story with me to write 20 words or 2000. Its almost freeing. Like when you learned to ride a bike.

That's my good news story of the day. I hope you have a good news story today too!

BRRRRR....!

QUOTE OF THE DAY: The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.

Its Valentine's Day. And I love celebrating love, but the holiday seems so over rated. I helped my kiddos get their valentines ready for their classmates and their teachers, and although I know that will not last forever, it does remind me of those days oh so long ago.

But I like to celebrate love every day. My love for my SO, my love for my children and my family. So, yes, we will celebrate today, along with the rest of the world, but in our own special way, just like always. And that's just my two cents. For whatever its worth. (Never expected that from a romance writer, huh?)

And on that note, I would like to put up an AWESOME IDEA to the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers blog, Chiseled In Rock, for the awesome post today. And I'm going to follow suit. Give me your best 25 or so words to describe the picture below. How creative can you be?

Help Save Your Own Life

QUOTE OF THE DAY: If you have the choice between being loved or being right, choose to be loved.

I took a week off from the blogging world to help some friends. Two years ago, my friend Cindy's step-sister died of carbon monoxide poisoning. This is her story:

Lauren Johnson was a flame from which every person could light their own candle. She had a spark inside her and she shared it with the world. Lauren had dedicated her life at an early age to standing up for those that could not stand up for themselves and she believed passionately in fighting for justice. Caring, compassionate and ready to take on the world, Lauren had found her calling. At twenty four years old, she was working on a masters program in international human rights at the prestigious Joseph Korbel School of International Studies in Denver, Colorado. Lauren was a natural leader and was preparing to travel to Israel to lead a delegation of students at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. However, five days before she was to leave, on January 5, 2009, Lauren lost her life to carbon monoxide poisoning because a damaged furnace vent on the roof of her apartment building leaked the odorless, colorless, tasteless toxin through the wall and into her home. A carbon monoxide detector (COD) had not been installed in her apartment and she was unaware that she was breathing the lethal gas. When she developed a headache and felt drowsy, she laid down in her bed and never woke up. Lauren's flame had been extinguished and the world was worse off because of it.

Lauren's friends formed The LAUREN Project which has two separate focuses. To support international volunteer mission trips among young people (ages 21-35) and to raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The LAUREN Project applied for a federal grant through FEMA's Fire Protection and Services Grant Program and I assisted them in preparing it. Given they just learned of the grant the middle of January, and the grant deadline was yesterday, February 4, 2011, we had only two weeks to put it together.

Please check out The LAUREN Project and pass it on. And please install a CO detector in your home if you don't have one already. After researching this issue the past two weeks, I am amazed at how many people still don't have the $25 device installed in their home that can save their life.

Now for the wait and see period. And on to the next project.

Have a fantastic week everyone!