Yesterday my son turned nine; today, my daughter becomes six.
Double blessings on the cusp of the half-year.
Time seems to fly so fast these days. I remember the ultrasound that showed my son at eleven weeks, a white bipoled bean. A miracle; the reproductive specialist had deemed him a blighted ovum and told me I would miscarry. He was wrong, thank goddess.
My children are becoming the beautiful little people I'd always dreamed, with facile minds and lithe bodies. I so admire them, am so proud of the courageous way they tackle their daily challenges...
Another blessing came in the mail over the weekend. A FRIEND took the time and trouble to send me a special book, one with a unique history and a special autograph. Thank you.
Other blessings... the four nests in our backyard yielded twittering chicks (catbirds, robins, wrens); the currants and blueberries require daily picking; the Asian pears and white peaches are ripening; a bounty of fantabulous writing and non-writing friends; my summer gift to myself. Which is - read. Two weeks of four amazing books:
>>The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Buy it. Read it. Laugh, cry, then read it again. It will be the best book you'll read all summer, perhaps all year.
>>Tweak by Nic Sheffe and Beautiful Boy by his father David Sheffe. Together, these two books tell the heart-rending father and son accounts of addiction. If you've ever abused drugs or known anyone who has, you must read these books. If you are a parent, you must read these books. Powerful stuff, and blog forthcoming. BUT, first I must recover...
>>Bless the Beasts and Children, which I blogged about HERE over at Moonrat's digs.
The writing... I wrote 1200 words on PURE this weekend. It felt good to just... write. This second story has been coming out kicking and screaming, in large part because my evil friend, the self-doubting editor, has lurked over my shoulder. Brighter than Bright was written in innocence, with complete naivete; I did not know what the hell I was doing. Now, though, I know too much: showing versus telling, the perils of first person, passive voice, story arc, tension building, and the near impossibility of getting an agent and (sigh) getting published. So I am trying to place less emphasis on the writer part of the equation, and focus instead on the words and the joy of stringing them together.
The marketing... ugh. Need I say more?
Just remember: "That which you manifest is before you."
Peace, Linda
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Ah, life sounds so sweet there! Your children are both Cancerians, and your whole family is very astrologically well-matched. Which is always good : )
ReplyDeleteWay to go on starting PURE. I'm super excited for that book. I think it's going to be great.
I want to say that though you mention the perils of first person, as a reader, I almost always prefer it. Most of my favorite books are in first person. I guess it depends on what a person reads for. I read for lots of reasons, but I think maybe the main one for me is to journey with a compelling character, accompany them in their inner world. So I likey.
Hey Chrys - Yes, it feels super to be working on a new project. marketing of the first be damned! And, heh-heh-heh... don't tell anyone BUT I've been reworking the first 4000 words of PURE in first. Just to see how it feels. And it feels good. Better, actually... so we'll see.
ReplyDeleteMy family well-matched?! Sometimes it feels like we're a melting pot of vair different species ;^)
Peace, Linda
and where the eyes go, so you go.
ReplyDeletekeep looking to success. you'll get there.
I love reading posts like this. Doubly so at the end of a work day.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as one, I can say with some authority that your friends feel blessed as well.
Rock on.
what a lovely post. the bubs do grow up so fast. sweet pea will start kindy this september, i can't believe it!
ReplyDeletedo not scare yourself from writing due to the craft. nor scare yourself by the statistics of getting an agent and selling the novel.
just write the novel first.
i learned so much writing spirit bound, but really, i still don't know anything at all. trust your intuition. i was a no "ly" adverb junkie for a while, after taking a craft class, and also a pov policewoman. then i thought, this is silly.
do what feels right for you and worry about getting it pretty on the revisions. congrats on the word count! i'm envious. i'm itching to write again, but still percolating. =)
Your writing is poetic, Linda. And congratulations on the 1200 words.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I love this time of year with all of the baby birds. I've gone through about 20 lbs of seed trying to feed them all.
Twiz, we'll all get there.
ReplyDeleteMags, as I've said to your before, the journey of writing is as great as the act. In my two-plus years, I've been blessed to meet so may powerful and creative and compasionate artists. Blessed.
Cindy, yes, the bubs do grow up fast. We should have a playdate - my mucnhkin just finished kndergarten 9though my son would likely terrorize both girls - ha!). Thank you also for your encouragement - it came on a day of one novel partial rejection, two poetry rejections, and an otherwise tough day. Synchronicity...
MJ, so happy to see you blogging again! Our seed budget is low this year because our garden (which is amazing, my husband is so gifted) has finally reached this equilibrium where everything that birds - and squirrels and mice and groundhogs and rabbits - require for thriving has been reached. We're bug free - yahoo!
Peace, Linda