I Own It!

Something exciting happened this month. I'm going to share all about it. Zoom back to 2008. The hand-me-down car I'd been driving kicked the untimely can. Enter car shopping hunt. My parents joined me on the adventure. I distinctly remember my father telling me this:

 

"We need to shop around. You won't buy the first car you look at."

 

Umm... I purchased the first car I looked at and drove her home that evening. Oddly enough, I loved the make and model when it was first released, even down the color and sporty version.

 

My little 2006 Toyota Corolla S has gone through a lot of good times with me. I love her--my little Razlyn (yes, I named her).

 

Speed forward to now. The last payment was made this month and the title arrived in the mail. I officially own something bigger than a twin-sized bed or a desk lamp. I'm proud of myself for completely paying for her, doing this all on my own. And my confidence in myself is heightened.

I am no longer in car-debt-land. Wahoo!

 

It's sort of like how I feel when I complete a book. I stuck through until the bitter sweet, happy end. I conquered the words and made something great, becoming a scrumptious jewel.

 

Any who, thanks for reading my rambles. Any thoughts?

 

Hugs

 

Writing Jewels

Famous Last Words

Blast tired eyes and comfy, warm blankets. Drat to breath slowing and clouding out reality. Tisk tisk to not writing down a great idea.

I blame myself. Yet, blaming it all on an inanimate object would make me feel better.

What I'm eluding to is this: Last night as I was tucked tight in my bed, I had a killer idea for a blog post. Of course, I had that angering thought pass through my head that goes like this:

"I'll remember it in the morning. Just go to bed."

To any writer, those are your famous last words... I'll remember it in the morning.

Did I remember the fantastic idea in the morning?

Nope.

I tried to grasp hold of it throughout the day with no luck.

Suck. Super Suck. Super Duper Suck!

So, write down a brilliant writing idea. You'll thank yourself later, or when you wake up thinking you'd remember it.

Has this happened to you? Or were you smart and wrote it down?

Silly me.

Hugs

Writing Jewels

Costume Preparation and Stress Level Down

There's a particular thing I want to be for Halloween, but I wasn't exactly sure how to go about being this "thing". As you can tell I'm not going to peep a word as to what it is. All I'm gonna say is it's cool, supercool you might say. ;)

 

I Googled about it and found some easy ways to make it and then bam, I knew I had to be it. Yes, it.

 

Ross: Dress for Less has become my best friend because the shop had a dress that will work perfectly for the said costume. Yes, there will be a few alterations that will need to be made but, by golly, it's on it's way. I'm so excited.

 

I sort of wish I could wear it to work on Halloween. Now that would be a blast; however, I'm pretty sure costume wearing is a no, no at my job. Drat! It would be so cool too.

 

But do not fear, friends. I will most definitely post photos of it later on this month.

 

I love it when things like this get me excited. Woot!

 

And what I love more is my work has calmed down a wee bit over the past few days. I'm loving it beyond words. Since I shared that particular aspect of my life, I hope that I haven't jinxed myself. Now that would be terrible. I could use a break from work related stress, that's for sure.

 

How is your Halloween costume preparations going? Will you share what you are going to be, even though I'm being secretive? How's your work-related stress level? I sure hope yours is low like mine right now.

 

Hugs

 

Writing Jewels

Hope: The Love/Hate Relationship

Hope... I'm not sure if I like you so much right now.

Are you there to uplift? Or to dash dreams to bits?

I'm struggling with hope, folks. But I know hope keeps me (us) going? If it wasn't in my (our) lives, why the devil would I (we) get out of bed in the morning?

When I hope it seems that my heart gets broken. Perhaps I need to lower my expectations, but when I really want something, I WANT it and my heart gets attached so quickly, to my ultimate downfall.

 

Over a month ago, I mentioned I went on a date that I thought wouldn't go any farther than the driveway. Well, low and behold, I was asked on a second date by the guy I really liked. This date went AMAZING! But now the man of my dreams (ok, that's taking it too far) is all distant, even after expressing he likes me. I'm pretty sure (this time) the date will go no farther than the front door. Blast!

 

So, I guess this is why I'm dealing with a love/hate relationship with hope.

 

Where is the line that hope is healthy? I don't know. Do you?

 

However, I have a set of my scriptures lying on the end table by my bed. It just so happens to be open to a quote I wrote on the back of the front cover. It says:

 

"Hope in the evidence of faith."

 

That quote has never hit me so hard as it did now. My faith in a lot of things has been waning. A lot. But mostly in myself. Anything that may go wrong in my life comes back to the I'm not good enough blah blah blah. Low confidence much? Yup.

 

But this quote clicked with me more than it has ever done. Because I hope for good things in my life (ie: a boyfriend turn husband, children, a traditional publisher, travel to every continent, etc.), it means I have faith. I have faith in myself because I hope for many things. I have faith in good outcomes, whenever they may arrive in my life.

 

I have hope and that is a good thing!

 

What are your thoughts about hope?

 

Hugs

 

Writing Jewels 

Insecure Writers' Support Group: Wisdom from Gandalf

Another lovely Insecure Writers' Support Group Wednesday is here. For more information about this great forum, click HERE.

As I gathered with some friends to watch The Hobbit, a particular exchange between Gandalf and Bilbo stood out to me.

Biblo: Can you promise that I will come back?

Gandalf: No. And if you do... you will not be the same. 

 

What does Bilbo do? He goes to bed. 

 

Yes, he heads to catch some winks with expectations to go on with his life as normal in the morning. He most likely begged the Hobbit gods to make the houseful of impolite dwarves swarming his kitchen to disappear by the time he awoke.

 

Baggins cowers away, tempted more by the comforts of his established and quiet life.  When he wakes and finds himself alone, the itching Took inside him drives him out if his quaint home to join the dwarves and Gandalf on their dangerous adventure. The hobbit didn't know what was ahead of him but he went regardless of possible incineration or countless other gruesome deaths.

 

We as writers take on a similar journey. Although, hopefully minus sleeping on the ground and fighting trolls and dragons (at least not in our minds). 

 

Journeying on an adventure with words does not have any guarantees. There isn't a contract at the beginning saying it is going to work exactly how you want it to.

 

There are ups and downs and depression that hits when you least expect it. 

 

But through the words that often times cramp our fingers from typing, we are not the same as when we began. We are better, far better for it because we tried regardless of the end result. 

 

So keep on writing.

 

What are your thoughts on this subject?

 

Hugs

 

Writing Jewels