by Sarah | Sep 15, 2010 | All About Me, Writing
Day 05 – Something You Hope to Do in Your Life
Picking just one thing isn’t as easy as it sounds. I have many things I hope to do. I hope to go on a cruise, to see all the sights this country has to offer, to watch my children graduate high school, college, get married…have my grandchildren.
Those are ‘normal’ hopes and goals. Ones most people think of, hope for. For something that is what I hope to do – it’s to see my name in print.
To be published. Paid to do something I love – write.
It has nothing to do with fame or fortune – but seeing one of my goals accomplished. A dream realized. I’ve been lucky enough to perform on stage, play a vocal lead (community theater or not, it’s still wonderful) – and that is one dream that’s been realized. A dream I loved and still love and hope to one day go back to…
But now.
Now is the time I am focused on my writing. I’ve been writing since high school. From drivel to serious works, poetry to prose. I enjoy it. I will keep doing it.
But my hope is to be published. It would mean so much to me. To have my characters brought to life for more than just my (wonderful) circle of friends (and readers, I love you ladies). To think I might inspire someone else to write as many of the books I’ve lost myself in over the years inspired me.
So that is what I hope to do in my life. Even if it takes me more years than it already has (that’s almost 4 years and counting of seriously trying to get published).
by Sarah | Sep 14, 2010 | Changing Tracks, Contests, Writing
It’s a sort of butterfly effect.
You change one detail and the whole story changes. It can be a good thing, it can be a bad thing.
With Mercury’s retrograde cycle finally ending on Sunday I found myself with an unusual flurry of activity. See, the last query I sent out to an agent was way back in July. July 6th, to be exact. At that point I pretty much stopped. I did send out the query to the smaller publisher, but otherwise I did nothing.
I waited on results from contests, I wrote a (very) little, I got my response back from the publisher, and I collapsed.
Not because the editor was cruel or the tips were unmanageable, or that I couldn’t handle the c/c. It just was not time for me to work on it.
I admit for one night I wallowed. Cried into my keyboard and my facebook page.
Then I left it. I left the notes, I left the story, I worked on my personal blog, and I worked on some of the 100 words projects. I even posted a couple of times here.
About a week ago I picked up those notes and fiddled with the ms, but not with much enthusiasm.
Then Sunday out of the blue I got a request for a partial. One of the last agents I had queried requested more material. A bit of hope sparked again, but something in me made me hold off.
Then yesterday I got the results/feedback from the one contest I entered. I didn’t final, but I got moderately helpful notes from one of my two judges. Plus, both confirmed my suspicion that my synopsis pretty well sucked (though not so bad, I did get a request for a partial off of it).
Now to the point of my post (finally)…
Today, energy and excitement returned. Based on the notes I got, I rewrote the synopsis. It’s FAR less detailed than my last one. I left out a lot of secondary characters I mentioned in the original. I actually left out part of the mystery to focus on the romance. I cleaned it and tightened it.
Then I looked at my ms again. I looked at the notes I’d received. The first two chapters were fine, but an idea tickled me on the third based on those notes (part of what was requested). I realized that with one small change I could alter those opening chapters. In one moment the manuscript could make more sense, run smoother, and cleaner.
Now I’m going to have to go through and make some minor adjustments in the next few chapters along with the basic cleanup recommended by the editor…but with one change I feel confident again.
So I was right. I didn’t have anything to lose. I had everything to gain.
by Sarah | Sep 14, 2010 | Crap
Of course, on the week that I do not have my posts pre-written we have a full house of sick. I’ve been sick for almost 3 weeks, now both girls and Archie all have it. So far Brandon has been spared, but we’ll see if that continues!!
I’m starting to feel a little better and I have a few posts in my head, so hopefully I’ll be able to find a few minutes at least to pre-write a post or two until I’m feeling more up to getting more set in line!!
Be back soon as I can!
by Sarah | Sep 12, 2010 | All About Family, Photography, Weekly Winners
All taken w/ Canon Rebel XTi.
For week 9/06-9/11/10
Title of this weeks Weekly Winners in honor of the first three pictures. They prove that one moment in time can be all it takes to capture beauty & perfection. And it doesn’t need editing. These first three pictures are also SOOC – only editing for size (and a minor crop on the second picture)
I See You
I Wonder Where She Goes –
And if she’ll ever be able to tell us
Classically Handsome
(Once again my nephew “Poochee”. He was just too handsome in this picture)
That’s it for the ‘one moment’ pictures…just two other winners this week. I had so many other pictures that I liked – but this week I’m just posting those that I LOVED for one reason or another…otherwise this page would get way too slow loading!
On the Line
Excitement in a Test Tube
(Post on these coming later this week)
That’s it for this week! I was dangerously close to putting about 15-20 pictures up. So I forced myself to narrow it down. This is about ‘winners’ after all…I can’t be putting up every picture I have 😉
For more great photos, head on over to Lotus‘ place. She is the brainchild of this activity, after all. You’ll find no shortage of brilliance on her site, or in her linky. (Wait, that sounded kinda dirty).
by Sarah | Sep 11, 2010 | All About Family, All About Me
I posted this last year at this time. I’m re-posting it. I am adding a little to it, but it will mostly remain the same.
I know what today is. I know what it means to our country. I remember every detail of 2001 in vivid detail…but since before 2001, this date has been difficult for me, for my family…in 1996 my family’s core was lost, the heart of us…my grandfather…so my post on 9/11 is for him. Oh, and at surface glance I hate this picture of me, but then I see the pure joy on my face dancing with my grandfather and aesthetics be damned, it’s my favorite picture.
It was his birthday. I was young and such a very short kid…and he was TALL. I remember watching him put our coats in the closet and staring up, up, up at him and asking, “How tall are you?” With his sparkling eyes and laugh he informed me that he was over 6′. My eyes grew wide, and all I could say was, “But you’re so close to the ceiling! If you have ANY more birthdays you’ll go right through!”
His chair sat by the front door and the minute he sat the race was on – who would get the privilege of sitting on his lap, carrying on as deep a conversation as a child was capable of. Who would get to play with his round pot belly, and listen to his laughter.
He worked for GM and he was proud of it, and so were we.
When I close my eyes I can still smell his pipe and see the pipe carousel on his dresser. I can smell the cigarettes that he and grandma smoked.
I remember that after he retired he would watch soap operas during lunch.
And I remember the weddings – when my cousin and I would trade off and share him for the dance. “Grampa” by the Judds.
I remember his smile.
I remember his belly.
I remember the strength that he always carried in his soul and body.
I remember the pain that shot through my heart at the word…”cancer”. Once it was uttered it was less than a year. 10 months.
I remember the first time I saw him in the hospital-and how I had to run from the room because it made me physically ill to see my big strong grandfather lying in a bed weak and hooked up to tubes.
I remember his fight.
I remember when it was acknowledged in our hearts that the time to fight was over.
I remember how he held on – hours past when we thought we would lose him – because he would not let go until he’d gotten to hear the good-bye of all of his grandchildren, and my brother had been in surgery for his shattered wrist. Half an hour after the final phone call, he was gone.
I remember the sound of the tennis balls scattering across the hallway when my professor’s assistant walked up asking if she knew where I was…and all I could do was run to my car to get home as soon as I could.
From there it’s a blur…a long car ride from NC to NY. The arrangements. The funeral home. The droves of people I didn’t know, but who all knew him, overflowing the room.
The pain has lessened, resorted to a memory. For the most part I remember the love, the good things, the joy. But on this day every year the pain comes back to the forefront.
This year the pain seems so much stronger – now that Grandma has gone to join him. Refreshed and renewed. Now they are together forever, but they will always be here in our hearts.
We love you still, and will always love you, Grampa.
Day 05 – Something You Hope to Do in Your Life
