Celebrating Fridays

Happy Friday! Today I am celebrating exactly that ~ happy Fridays.  Fridays are when I return to my regular shift at work.  This means I get to see friends who I don't see when working overtime.  This is a huge plus! I also get paid on Fridays, which means I get to see the fruits of all my overtime work.  Woo hoo for that! Today I am also thankful for caffeine, particularly coffee.  I was talking to a friend about what it would take to give up coffee.  Let me tell you, I couldn't do it.  Maybe, just maybe, if my life depended on it.  Otherwise, forget it.  I'm totally addicted and don't mind saying so.

I'm also thankful for the women at my church.  We've begun a women's ministry, and I look forward to being a part of this.  Christian women getting to know each other, to encourage each other, to reach out to others...can't beat that.

No writing celebrations to share.  I've currently been working six nights a week, and with all my household chores that need completing my writing has fallen behind schedule.  I need to correct that.

So all my blogging buddies, what are you thankful for today? Feel free to share below!

Liebster Award Acceptance Speech

Okay, this really isn't a speech, but it is rather long.  I hope you don't mind! I had intended today's post for last Friday's Celebrate the Small Things Blog Hop, but my internet was not cooperating.  Therefore, I missed all the fun from last week's round of celebrations.  Anyway, I'm excited to announce I've been nominated for the Liebster Award by the wonderful J. A. Ward.  Please check out her blog; it's amazing!

The rules for this award are as follows:
1. Thank the blogger who presented this award and link back to that person's blog.
2. Answer eleven questions posted by the presenter, ask your nominees eleven questions, and list eleven random facts about yourself.
3. Nominate eleven bloggers who you feel deserve this award and have less than 200 followers.
4. Post the award on your blog.

So let's get to it!

Eleven random facts:
1. I don't like my belly button being touched (not sure why that pops into my head first).
2. My need for coffee is strong enough that my husband will insist I drink it.
3. I love my fictional characters almost as much as my friends.
4. I have a list of favorite names that I browse through when creating new characters.
5. I've always wanted to learn to play piano.  I began teaching myself long ago and hope to get back to it.
6. When I first read Gone With the Wind, I cried for days.
7. I believe there's no such thing as too many books.
8. I keep my writing space clean; clutter makes me anxious and is too distracting.
9. I hate roses.  My husband was instructed many years ago not to buy them for me.  Purple or blue flowers I will accept, though.
10. My husband and I are in the process of adopting and hope to have a baby by the end of this year.
11. I love purple.  Even people who hardly know me catch on to this.

Now to answer some questions:
1. Who is your favorite author and why? Wait, I can only pick one? So not fair! :)  I'll say C. S. Lewis.  I love the Chronicles of Narnia.  The characters are great, and the stories are so fun.  Plus, I enjoy the Christian elements added to the books.  Lewis also writes great non-fiction.
2. If you could hang out with a character from a book or from TV for one day, who would it be and why? Marty McFly from the Back To the Future movies.  I like his character, and traveling through time would be exciting, especially going back to the old west.  I love that era!
3. Edward or Jacob? Or neither? Or both? Jacob all the way! Edward is too controlling and cold.  I hate being cold.  Jacob could keep me warm all day long.  Plus, he's a loyal and honest friend.
4. What was your favorite book series you've ever read that wasn't Harry Potter? Since I already mentioned Narnia, my answer for this question will be the North and South trilogy by John Jakes.  The stories revolve around the Civil War, which has always been a fascination of mine.  There are so many characters I love and love to hate.  Additionally, the books tug at all my emotions.  I laugh, cry, fall in love, have my heart broken, mourn.  Great books!
5. Do you have any pets? If so, what do you have? I have a beagle/shepard (I think) mix named Chip.  He was found at a park and was going to be shot.  We took him in with the intent of finding him a good home.  He's still here.  We fell in love with the little, rambunctious guy!
6. What aspect of writing do you find the hardest? Showing more and telling less.
7. If you could live anywhere for a year - all expenses paid- where would you live and why? Scotland.  It's a beautiful country, I'd love to get wrapped up in its history, and I have family that came from there in the early 1900's.
8. Who is your favorite band/singer? One of my all time favorites is Reba.  The first album I ever owned was For My Broken Heart.  It was on tape and given to me as a birthday present when I was in grade school.
9. Name a celebrity crush.  Easton Corbin.  I'm a big Country fan.  I love his music and he's dang good lookin'!
10. If you could go back and change your name at birth, would you do it? Nope.  I love my name and its rarity.  Charity isn't one heard often, although I know there are many others out there.
11. Favorite vice or addiction? Coffee! Lots and lots of coffee!

That was fun.  Here are my nominees:
Nancy LaRonda Johnson
Sandie Docker
Paige Lollie
Randi Lee
Christina Jean Michaels
SuzanneFurness
Diane Carlisle

In case you're wondering, I can count despite the fact that it's after 4am.  The late (or should I say early?) hour is why I am breaking the rules and nominating seven rather than eleven bloggers.  My internet connection has been slow, I've been sitting here for hours, and my eyes are burning.  But it's all good.  :)

Here are the questions for my nominees:

1. What's your favorite day of the week and why?
2. What inspired you to become a writer?
3. Where is your favorite place? Why is it your favorite?
4. If you could have only one story published, what would it be about?
5. Do you listen to music while writing? If so, what?
6. What item can you not live without and why?
7. What is your biggest pet peeve and why?
8. What color describes you most and why?
9. What is your favorite number and why?
10. If you could choose one genre to define your life, what would it be?
11. If you could change one event from your past, what would it be? Why?

Ready...set...go!

Thank you, honest critique partners.

Mondays have become my catch-up days.  Mostly I catch up on sleep, but I try to be productive with other things too.  I began a new job last month, and I'm currently working weekend nights, 12 hour shifts.  This means I'm about worthless on weekends! But I accomplish so much during the week, the new job is worth it.

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you all a response I received from a good writing friend of mine.  He read SHARDS OF GLASS and gave me some good and not so good news.  Isn't that the way it goes sometimes? Hey, truth hurts, but we need to hear it.  And I'm glad he gave me an honest critique. 

So here's the good news.  The emotional element is strong.  Evoking a reader's emotions can be difficult, but that connection is what bonds the reader with the character.  Mission accomplished!

Here's the bad news.  My ending doesn't work. 

Now here's the thing.  Critiques should be reviewed and thoughtfully considered.  However, the writer is the one to make the final decision.  Therefore, I could totally ignore the critique because I love my ending.  I absolutely love it; it makes my romantic heart melt.  But since I respect my writing friend, and since I recently had another critique say the same thing, I've given it a lot of thought.  And I'm afraid they are right.  The ending is almost too good to be true.

Thankfully, there is a silver lining that makes this more bearable.  I can revise the ending to make it more realistic, and the final outcome (for the characters) will eventually be the same.  That outcome just won't be shown in SHARDS. 

So that's my news for today.  Now please excuse me while I catch up on other things....

Musical Inspiration

Writers being inspired by music is nothing new.  I have music playing more often than not when I'm writing.  It's a useful tool for setting the mood.  So for today's post, I'd like to share with you a few of the songs that inspired me while I was writing SHARDS OF GLASS.  Music is to me what scents are to others.  In other words, my memories aren't really associated with any scents.  However, there are plenty of songs that take me back to a certain time or place.  You'll see what I mean while reviewing some of the songs on this list.

So here we go:

1. Down the Road, by Kenny Chesney 
This is the song that inspired me the most.  The boy and girl living on the same street forming an immediate relationship.  This is Emily and Nicky.

2. Hit 'Em High, by B Real, Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J, and Method Man
Every time I hear this song, I'm taken back to high school basketball games.  This song was used by our team to warm up before games, so every time I hear it I find myself sitting in the high school gym, waiting for a game to start.  I used this song for what is now the opening scene of SHARDS OF GLASS.  The first draft had the song itself, but I have since edited it out.  It still plays in my head, though.

3. I'm Still Holding On, by Clint Black & Martina McBride
This is the song that inspired me to write the important prom scene where Emily and Nicky have their first kiss.  During the scene, which takes place during Nicky's senior year, Emily is aware of her time with Nicky running out since he'll be leaving for college. 

4. Here Comes Goodbye, by Rascal Flatts
The first draft originally had three parts.  In part three, Emily began dating a guy named Jason.  This particular song helped me write their break up scene.  All of part three has since been removed from the story along with part one.  Jason may get his own story some day, though.  I really enjoyed his character.

5. It Matters to Me, by Faith Hill; Wrong Again, by Martina McBride; You Were Mine, by Dixie Chicks; Have You Ever, by Brandy
These songs get lumped together because they were used for the same thing.  All of these songs were ones that I listened to in high school while crushing on particular boys.  I used these songs to put me back in that "high school girl giddy excitement over a boy" mentality.  They're not exactly happy songs, though.  Not sure what that says about my high school years. :)

I could list more, but these are the main ones.  If you have any particular songs that you used for your inspiration, feel free to share them in the comments. 

I'll end with part of Down the Road, which if one of my characters were singing, it would be Nicky singing about Emily. 

"When I was a boy

Four houses down from me, was a family with an only child
She was the only girl, in this whole world who could make me smile
Down the road"

Blog Hop Fun

I'm excited to announce a new blog hop I will be joining, and it's not too late for you to join in the fun! Fellow writer/blogger VikLit is the creator of the Celebrate Blog Hop.  You can click on her link for details.  Every Friday, you will see the following badge here on my blog as I partake in the celebration. 

The purpose of this blog hop is for writers to celebrate small achievements.  Why? Because too often the small achievements are overlooked.  Getting a few hundred words down, getting a scene just right, breaking a bad writing habit.  Those are all things worth celebrating, but we forget that sometimes.  Our focus is usually on the bigger goals such as signing with an agent and getting published.  But there are several steps to be taken before those goals can be achieved, and we need to focus on them too.

So check out this new blog hop and join the celebration!

What MY Writing Has Taught Me

Today I thought I'd share a fun little post about what I have learned from my writing this year.  Take a peek at the list below.  Then share your own learning experiences if you'd like.  Here goes:

1. The writing method I use today will be different a year from now.  It may even be different tomorrow.

2. It's okay if my story becomes something other than what I planned.

3. I need a cheat sheet at my desk for using lay vs lie.

4. Cutting words can lower the word count but can also make room for the right words to be added.

5. Revision is not a shameful word.

6. Character emotions are better shown with a balance of physical actions and internal sensations.

7. Every character has a part to play or shouldn't have a part at all.

8. Spending eight hours editing thirty pages is okay if that's what it takes to get it right.

9. Writing few words in many hours is also okay if that's what it takes to get it right.

10. My knowledge will grow beyond this list, as it should.

Hope you enjoyed.  Please share your own learning experiences below. :)

Assessing Your Manuscript Takes Courage

We know we need writers need courage, right? We pour our blood, sweat, and tears into a manuscript.  And when we think we have something great, we need courage to share it with others.  We as writers know this.  But you know what else takes courage? Recognizing that something we thought was great might not be so great after all.

None of us like to be in that place, that place that shows us where we messed up.  But you know what? It's a good place to be, and we shouldn't be afraid of it. 

I'm in that place now.  Rather than running away, I am embracing it.  I could cry and scream about the hours I've already put into this project.  I could stomp my stubborn foot and refuse to make corrections.  Or I could allow myself to become discouraged and trunk the manuscript.  But I believe in it.  And I love it.  I want to see it succeed.

So I will look at those errors as if they are quicksand, pulling my novel-to-be into non-existence.  I will build a stronger foundation for my story to stand on so it can't sink.  And I will do this however many times is necessary.  And that, my writing friends, takes courage.

NoMoReMo, AW November Blog Chain

This month's Absolute Write Blog Chain brings you NaMoReMo (National Mock Review Month).

In the spirit of NaNoWriMo, write a mock review of a writing project that you have done or would like to do. Make sure to either give a brief, one-sentence description of what the project is or work it into the review somehow. You can review anything (poetry, prose, collected blog posts) and in any way you like (funny, serious, Dadaist).


Be sure to check out my fellow AWer's reviews.  They are posted below.  Enjoy!


Follow the Trail by C. F. Pence is the ambitious romantic tale of Adria Hall, a Bostontonian elite who flees the only home she knows after finding her fiance in an indecent position with a former friend.  Heartbroken and humiliated, Adria takes shelter in the West with long time family friends who own and run a general store.  Adria is immediately hired to help, and it is her duties at the store that bring her face to face with Drew Scott, a local cattle rancher who looks down on the inexperienced city girl who doesn't belong.  As Adria attempts to embrace a life she knows nothing about, she bonds with a girl who turns out to be Drew's sister.  In predictable fashion, Adria and Drew develop a mutual attraction as they continually stumble into each other.

Although Pence started with much potential for a good love story, the focus is lost among her attempt to bring mystery and tragedy into the mix.  Drew leaves to "follow the trail" of ruthless cattle thieves who committed a despicable murder while Adria is left behind to comfort a sudden widow.  And the trail is long.  Indeed, it is so long that it becomes hard to tell if Pence is writing a romance or a western.  Quite frankly, Follow the Trail just isn't good enough to be both. 

The writing blunders are frequent and jarring, but perhaps with more practice and a sharp pair of shearers Pence can shape this story into something worthwhile.  For now there is too much chaos, and the road to the tidy bow at the end takes too long to travel. 


Now please check out these:
orion_mk3
Ralph Pines
bmadsen
dolores haze
writingismypassion (you are here)
meowzbark
randi.lee
SRHowen
pyrosama
Angyl78

Changes Are Coming

*Listening to the crickets and sweeping out the cobwebs*

It's been quiet here on my blog lately.  With everything going on, I needed to take a step back to re-focus.  Besides working full time and trying to write, I have been trying to help my husband with his lawn care business.  Plus we are in the process of adopting, we're getting ready to apply to become foster parents, and we buried our furry baby, Tucker, a couple weeks ago.  That was a heartbreaking experience, and we are still grieving his loss.  If you have pets, you understand.  It's been a roller coaster few months to say the least.  My head is still spinning.

Anyway, I'm not typically a fan of change.  I know, I know, this is coming from someone who is preparing for a lot of change! But sometimes change is necessary, and not all change is bad.  When I started this blog, I didn't want to set a schedule for what I would post and when.  It was easier for me to have the freedom to write about anything, whether it was writing related or about life or whatever.  However, at this point in time, having something to focus on would be better.  So I am in the process of creating a schedule for myself.  I'd like to start participating in my blog chains, also.  Currently, the only one I take part in is the one at Absolute Write.  I love it, but I'm skipping this month's.

So it's going to be quiet for a little while longer while I switch gears even though I could probably come up with plenty of things to write about.  I spent yesterday evening on a mower with large mosquito looking bugs constantly flying into my face.  They love that tall grass.  Wow...maybe I should have participated in AW's blog chain this month.  That could be the basis of a good horror story. :)

But sometimes I just need a break.  I hope my fellow bloggers don't mind.  When I return, I should be refreshed.

Hope all is well!

REKINDLE Changes

Well August has arrived, and I'm sorry to say I haven't had much time to work on REKINDLE.  There have been too many other things fighting for my attention.  However, I am excited about a recent development in the storyline.  From the beginning, I planned on sharing the story through two POVs ~ Kallie's and Joey's.  I thought (ha ha, that's what I get for thinking) that Kallie would get more time than Joey.  But I don't think that will be the case.

Here's a very brief description of the story:

Kallie returns to town because she has finally sold her old house and needs to pack up all her stuff so she can move on with her future.  When Kallie had left town several years before, she left Joey behind to cope with a broken heart.  They run into each other early on and the story goes from there.

The development I'm excited about is this: Joey's life has been turned upside down.  The love of his life skipped town, and then he was forced to deal with another loss and his family is still trying to pick up the pieces.  I'm sensing a lot of conflict and tension yet to be written.  And that's more interesting than Kallie and her packing abilities.  Actually, she does more than pack boxes, but Joey's going to be the popular one.  So it's a shift, a big one in my opinion.  Kallie and her dilemmas are not going to be the focus of the story after all. 

Ahhh...writing.  Got to love the journey it takes us on!

2-4 Page Autobiography ~ Eek!

I hate writing about myself.  I'm much more interested in writing about fictional characters with all their crazy life adventures than I am in my own.  But alas, I must write a 2-4 page autobiography.  It's a requirement for the adoption profile my husband and I are putting together.  This is the current writing project at the forefront of my mind, yet when I sit down to work on it I just stare at the blank screen.  All words elude me.  Why is writing about oneself so dang difficult?

For starters, there's thirty years of life to pick and choose from.  What do I put in? What do I leave out? How do I make it interesting so a potential birth mother doesn't pass it over? Humor is not a talent of mine, so how do I be serious without being boring? Yeah, I have no answer to that.

Perhaps I'll begin in third person; maybe that will help me view myself as a fictional character.  Except I'll have plenty of material to draw from and no need to create anything.  I can see the choices now:

I was born on such and such day in 1982 at such and such P.M. 

or:

Carey and his sister Dawn were preparing to celebrate their shared birthday when Carey's little girl decided she wanted to take part in the festivities.  Charity came out into the world just in time to be the third member of the family with the same birthday.

Okay.  Now I'm just amusing myself and procrastinating.  But it would be much more fun to write in third person.  Just saying. :)

Got a favorite writing resource?

To answer the question, I don't. Not currently anyway. I have only a few things I keep handy when writing, and I don't use them as often as I probably should. But when I do pull them off the shelf, they're not very helpful. My grammar book is a college textbook that doesn't explain anything very well. My thesaurus and dictionary don't always have the words I'm looking for. (What's up with that?)

I think it's time for some updating, hence the question. If you have a favorite, I'd like to know. I've been trying to find a good grammar book and there's so many to choose from. Perhaps it doesn't matter as long as I have one. But if you have one you swear by, post it below please.

I wish I had something to offer in return, but I don't. Instead, this is just me asking for help from all you wonderful writers. :)

Writing Weakness

As writers, I think we all have strengths and weaknesses.  My strength is dialogue.  The easiest part of writing for me is writing dialogue.  However, I have a heck of a time getting the scene right.  I can picture it in my head well enough, but translating that to the page is quite a task.  Part of my problem is my tendency to type too fast.  I get excited and in a hurry, and I don't spend as much time on each scene as I should.  I know I can always fix it during editing, but it would be much easier if I allowed myself to slow down a bit.  A lot of writers set goals for themselves to write a certain amount of words each time they write; I think I might need to start limiting myself. 

Another problem I have is finding a balance.  Personally, I don't like an abundance of description in books.  I prefer just enough details to adequately picture the scene.  So that being said, I think I tend to put too little in.

So I'm curious.  What's your writing weakness? Please share below.

Busy much?

I sure am! Holy freak, it's been a crazy month! Next month isn't looking much better, and I regret that my writing has been impacted.  I'm hoping to find some time to get back to working on REKINDLE soon.  I was so excited to get started, was on my way, then life interfered.  But that happens, as we all know.  And my freedom series has been interrupted unfortunately.  I'm hoping to get that back on schedule too.  On top of all that, I need to get another batch of queries sent out on SHARDS OF GLASS.  Must find time...

In the meantime, I'd like to share some exciting news.  My husband and I have decided to adopt.  And that is partially why I've been so busy.  We are very early in the process, but the process has been started.  Prayers for this journey we are taking would be much appreciated.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the summer.  The weather has been less than pleasant here in Illinois (hotter than blazes!), and we are badly in need of rain.  Dead grass.  Dying crops.  Not good at all for my husband's mowing business or the farmers. 

But we still feel blessed, and I hope you do too!

Accepting Constructive Criticism

My writing philosophy is this: anyone can write.  However, not everyone can write well and tell a good story while doing it.  Writing takes a lot of work.  And one of the things a writer must be is objective.  Let's be honest.  We love our stories and our characters.  However, we can't let our feelings overpower our objectivity.  This is especially true when it comes to critiques.

I recently blogged about the novel I am working on titled REKINDLE.  As I began writing, I felt the need to get the story set up properly.  Thinking I was off to a great start, I continued with the story.  But something felt off.  I couldn't put my finger on it, but I was not connecting with Kallie at all.  Joey's scenes were going great, though.  So each time I sat down to write, I would edit and add some more.  I'd do the same thing the next night.  And the next night.  With just over 8,000 words (four chapters), I stopped.  I couldn't go on.  I am not one of those writers who can "get the story down and edit later."  Yes, I edit when I've got my first draft done, but I can't keep writing when I know something is so terribly wrong.

So what did I do? I posted my first chapter at Absolute Write.  After receiving some awesome advice, I deleted the first couple pages.  I didn't even try to edit; I just took them out completely.  I did revise the new opening scene, and guess what? The story reads better.  It's not burdened by an unnecessary opening.  I can connect with Kallie much better.  And now I can continue.  With a few minor revisions to the remaining pages, I'll be on my way.

I could have reacted differently.  I could have insisted that the opening was necessary (I loved the first paragraph!) and tried to edit.  I could have pleaded my case and tried to figure out something else.  But I didn't.  Instead, I looked at the story objectively and acted accordingly.  And that is necessary for all writers to do.

A No Writing Weekend

Instead of writing more for REKINDLE, I spent the weekend helping my husband mow.  Sitting on a mower in ninety degree weather with the sun beating down is not how I originally planned to spend the two days.  But I was able to help him get caught up, and in the process, I had plenty of time to daydream.  This morning I scribbled in my notebook as fast as I could, afraid I'd forget about a scene or idea I had thought of over the weekend.  So now I have tons of notes.

I had a few days last week to work on the story, and the word count is just over 5,000, which isn't a bad start.  It's not as far along as I'd like to be, but hey...at least I have a WIP again.  And it's like I'm in exploration mode.  I'm learning a lot about the characters, which is pretty cool.  Plus the web is being weaved (i.e. the conflict is being interwoven), and that's awesome to see, also.

Anyway...short post today.  Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend.

New Novel Beginning

Last night I finally had the opportunity to sit down and start my next novel.  I only got 859 words down, but it's a start.  And I'm so excited about it! This story has been an idea for more than eight years.  To finally see words on paper (okay, words on the computer screen) makes me giddy.  When this story idea first came to me, I never imagined so many years would go by before I had the chance to start it.  But other projects and ideas fought for my attention, and it was just a small idea.  One simple scene actually.  And it went like this:

"Joey."
"Joe.  It's just Joe now."
"Yeah, nobody calls me Kallie anymore either."

Eight years ago, that was all I had.  Yet it says so much about the two characters.  Anyway, I left that idea on the back burner (i.e. I jotted it down with my other story ideas) and let it sit.  Knowing I would get to it some day, I never thought much about it.  But now the time is right.  This is the story that's ready to be written.  And from that one little scene, a story is growing.  I've been jotting down notes for a few weeks as details and scenes have come to me.  I have a good idea of the ending, but I don't know the how or why.  And I think for me, one of the most exciting parts of writing is watching everything develop as I write.  I love it! It's a lot like reading.  When I'm reading a good book and have to put it down, I can't wait to get back to it to see what happens next.  It's the same with writing.  I can't write 24/7, so when I have to take a break, I can't wait to get back to it to see what happens next.

For the first time, I've chosen a title beforehand.  Usually I wait, but I wanted to be able to refer to it easily.  And what title did I come up with? REKINDLE.  It's really just a working title.  It sort of fits, and I'm sure I'll change it by the end.

Okay, that's enough for now.  Time to slip into Kallie and Joey's world... :)

We Write

My opinion is that writers have mainly one thing in common ~ we write.  That's it.  We all write, but what we write and how we write is different from writer to writer.  I see a lot of discussions about writing styles.  And I've seen many questions asked about what style is best.  And is it best to plan it all out before writing, or should we just write it and see what happens? I wonder how many "newbie" writers (forgive me! if you are a newbie, that doesn't make you any less of a writer!) get frustrated when they're told to do what works for them.  It's probably annoying to hear such an unclear answer when someone is looking for a solid answer so his/her writing can be the best.  But the truth is, there is no one specific answer.  Each writer has to discover for himself what works best.

For instance, I'm pretty comfortable with how I write.  That being said, I am not afraid to try something different, especially since I have yet to get anything published.  So I recently tried to plan out my next novel.  I already have an idea of what the story is about.  I know all the background, where the story will start.  I know the characters.  And I recently blogged about how the story typically comes to me, and then I just have to fit it all together.  So there I was, sitting down and ready to fit it all together chapter by chapter.  And my mind went completely blank.  I couldn't do it.  Therefore, I learned that my writing style does not involve planning everything out ahead of time.  And that's okay.  I have notes and ideas but no complete, organized plan.

There is no right or wrong way to write.  I know what works for me, and that's all that matters.  The sooner other writers learn what works best for them, the better their writing will be.

Writing and the Imagination

I woke up this morning not fully myself; part of me was still participating in the dream I woke up from.  The dream lingered in my mind for quite some time, which isn't at all unusual.  I have always been a vivid dreamer with the ability to recall the slightest details.  In fact, I've always wanted to keep a dream journal.  But I think that's a lost cause for me.  They just take too long to write due to the amount of detail.  As I was considering the dream this morning, I began thinking about the imagination and writing.  I rarely dream about things that are going on in my life or about people I know.  And although I am aware of all the dream studies that have been done and how much information there is that suggests our dreams reflect our sub-conscious mind, for the most part I think my dreams are a figment of my imagination, except on the rare occasion when I can connect the dots and see why I dreamed about a particular thing/person/etc.  And this makes me wonder about the writing abilities of people with highly active imaginations. 

For me, I believe creating a story has a lot to do with my imagination.  What usually happens is I get an idea for a story, and the majority of it just takes shape.  I don't have to think about what the characters to look like.  I see them in my mind first and then write them down.  I don't wonder too much what the characters are going to do; their "lives" play out in my mind without much thought from me.  Now making all the pieces fit isn't necessarily easy just as figuring out how to word it all isn't.  In other words, the writing part isn't a piece of cake, but the story itself comes to life on its own.  I've never had a problem "picturing" a scene, that's for sure.  All this makes me wonder about the correlation between writing and the imagination. 

Now all that being said, I do not think a person has to have a great imagination to produce a great story.  My opinion is that some people have no trouble at all with the creative or technical aspect of writing; some people struggle with all of it.  And more than likely, the majority falls somewhere in between the spectrum.  I'm curious what everyone else thinks.  Feel free to leave a comment, and thanks in advance.

Poetry Update

I added a few older poems to my poetry page.  Click the link to the right if you'd like to check them out.  I'm always interested in feedback.  Robert Frost I am not, but the poems I write always come from the heart.  Wow, that sounds so cheesy...

I'd like to add a few poems I wrote from the perspective of Emily (my MC in Shards of Glass).  Shards is the only thing that's ever inspired me to write a poem from a character's perspective.  I think they turned out fairly well.  Part of me keeps hoping my agent (when I finally get one) will agree the poems should be included in the book...so I'm hesitant in posting them.  Maybe I should let that idea simmer a little more.

On a completely different note: HAPPY EASTER! I hope everyone enjoys the weekend.