Magicday…Individuality

Tags

celebrate, individuality, inspiration, magic, make Monday magic, positivity, spread a smile, thoughts

I have been struggling with what to blog about lately. It happens to us all.

What to write? What to post? What do I want to talk about? Well…

In a world drowning in politics, of so many opinions clashing and exploding…a world fighting for equality, people screaming and punching their ways out of confining boxes made of definitions…a world where too much violence occurs…

The world needs magic.

So the search begins, for magic, in whatever form we can find it.

What a perfect thing to post on Mondays, the least favorite day of the week. Poor Mondays.

With a wave of my wand…Monday transforms into MAGICDAY!

POOF!

The bit of magic I want to celebrate today is INDIVIDUALITY!

So many people on one planet. And not one is the same as any other. Sure, we can find people who have similar opinions, like the same things, or live the same way we do, but NO ONE an exact match.

MAGIC.

Yes, it can cause fighting, but it can also allow the beauty of the world to shine. What a gorgeous world we have when every flower is different, when we can turn to the person next to us and learn something new!

This should unite us. And coming together as the Human race won’t erase all the things that make each person, each culture, unique, but give each person the chance to add their voice to the chorus.

So instead of shaming your neighbors for their opinions, instead of trying to silence them…rejoice in the fact of our individuality. The great power of the universe (whatever you may call it, or not) has granted us the ability of thought, of forming our own opinions, and we should use this magic to the best of our ability.

We won’t change the world by telling everyone else they’re wrong, but by being ourselves and allowing every one else that same magic.

The person next to you who is spouting ideals that clash with yours? It’s going to happen.

There is no right and wrong, only a whole lotta people with a whole lotta beliefs. The beauty of individuality.

Happy Magicday, everyone!

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My Lobster

Tags

a salute to my friend, friendship, like minds, positivity, thoughts, writing, writing buddy

Writers write. Mostly we write alone, in offices, on couches, in a dark closet to escape our families…

Or not.

But writing alone can be hard. All the voices in your head can get very loud with nothing to counteract their screaming. And they can scream.

The words aren’t working.

This scene hasn’t been thought through.

That you have no idea where the manuscript is going.

That you suck.

Writing becomes not fun. It becomes a struggle. It becomes frustrating.

And the writing stops.

At least for me.

Until I found my Lobster (yes, Lobster. There’s a story behind that nickname, and you’ll have to trust me, it’s EPIC!). My writing buddy, my dearest Sarah. We found each other on Twitter. We moved into each other’s lives without a big bang or grand ceremony, we came together in quiet beauty.

And we swapped manuscripts. I didn’t have a ton of experience with literary writing and she didn’t have a lot of history reading fantasy. But, hey, new things are good! I LOVED (and still LOVE) her manuscript. And she was pleasantly surprised with how much she liked mine.

A CP match was born.

We send each other stuff all the time. She lives far away, but we chat on Messenger almost every day. When the words are stuck, I tell her or she tells me. We share when we’re tired and just can’t word. We rant when things go wrong, but the most important thing we do is cheer each other on.

See, we have the same writing problems. We’re both pantsers. We can’t deal with word count goals or schedules. We both over think. We both doubt our talent. We’re both forever-revisors. We both get caught up in how we’re not perfect. 

We know just what to say to help fight those demons. We know exactly what’s going on in the other’s head. I’ve never actually heard her voice, but it’s in my mind, weaving through my thoughts. Always. Her words get me going, reminding me to just write.

Let me share the Lobster wisdom…

All words are good words. ALL OF THEM!

No thinkies. Just enjoysies.

Stop overthinking and write.

Let the story flow.

Write and we’ll figure it out.

So many times, I’ve been at the brink of writer insanity, and she has pulled me from the edge. How many words have I written that I attribute to her being there, maybe not physically next to me, but her words and gifs on my phone screen.

Always when we part for the day, there’s a glowing “Good job!” smiling at me from my phone.

We live in the land of positivity, where stress isn’t welcome. We write like…

Because stress is evil, trying to poison the writing.

To my Lobster, I salute you. I get excited to write because of you. I am proud of myself, because you remind me to be. The fact that you are always around makes me smile. I feel like I follow you around sometimes, like a lost puppy, but you never shoo me away, though I think you should. Warning…stage five clinger…

As many times as you’ve listened to me whine…you deserve cake. As many times as you’ve gotten me to open up…you deserve cookies.

It’s so important to have friends who understand you, all of your strangeness, all of your insecurities, the all of how you work best, and that celebrate you.

Sarah…

and

Thank you.

 

Be the Change

Tags

acceptance, be the change, Mahatma Gandhi, positivity, smile, The Blind Side, thoughts

The Blind Side is one of my favorite movies. I don’t know all the lines, but I do know the feels. It gives me hope for the world.

And the world needs hope. It’s getting frightfully hazardous out there. Every time I turn on the TV or my computer, a tiny bit of panic creeps into my brain. What terrible thing will I see? What angry words will fill my screen? More and more hate covers our lives.

Those words. They inspire other angry words. They don’t change anything.

Ranting about what’s wrong with the world, won’t change it. See a problem? Act.

Put aside judgement. Stop yelling. Stop pointing fingers and throwing out meaningless words like right and wrong. Everyone gets to have their opinion. We should know by now that words will not change those. It’s not about changing opinions, not about screaming louder, but about acceptance.

I tell kids all the time. I’ll let you have your opinion, but you have to let me have mine.

However, actions- quiet actions can make the world better.

Don’t try to change anyone, just follow your heart.

Making the world a better place starts in our own little worlds, in our homes and towns. The smiles we plant will spread.

 

Positive Expectations Only Please

Tags

challenges, fear, journeys, new manuscript, positivity, thoughts, writing

I DID IT!

I started a new manuscript. The sequel to DOORS is happening.

It has been a LOOOOOOONG time since I wrote a full length ms. A looooooooong time. So when I approached this one I had to sneak up on it…

Two days ago, I just started it. Just wrote words without worrying about anything. Then BAM! The dreaded first words are finished. The anxiety I experience when beginning something new vanished in a puff of HA! TAKE THAT!

But I have a long way to go. I can barely see the path stretching out in front of me, let alone see the end. I have notes of scenes, dialogue, character arc, new worlds, new characters, and blah, blah, blah. The final picture wavers in my mind and as I embark on the journey, I have made myself a few promises.

I WILL…

MOVE FORWARD EVERYDAY.

LOVE the characters and the journey.

LOOK to my friends for encouragement when self-doubt creeps in. (Because a very fabulous Twitter friend reminded me that I am not alone and have a cheering section… the best one ever!)

FORGIVE myself when the writing doesn’t happen.

NOT WORRY about word counts.

NOT JUDGE every word.

ACKNOWLEDGE that it’s a first draft.

EMBRACE the mistakes.

GET the story out.

LOOK FORWARD to the time when I get to revise.

LAUGH at the awkward transitions.

PUSH away the stress.

HAVE A FABULOUS TIME.

Well, maybe not quite like THAT… but close.

We all face challenges, things that make us want to curl up in a ball in a corner.

But if we find the joy, WE CAN DO ANYTHING!

I write because I love it. And though I can’t completely promise that there will be no tears, I will find my way back from the edge of madness and fear. We all creep up to the line of giving up and let the light pull us back. In the end, it’s the good in life that keeps us going.

Positivity is easier to carry than fear.