Write That Thing (and some announcements)

November 12, 2012 By 25 Comments

It doesn’t take much to make me cry. Happy tears, sad tears, scared tears, mad tears, moved tears, worried tears – it doesn’t matter the mood or the occasion. I am a crier.

As a result, I am rarely surprised to find myself crying and, honestly, I’m not even really embarrassed by it much anymore. It’s just who I am. Crying is my spiritual gift, people.

But a few weeks ago at Allume, I realized that something other than my normal neuroses might be at play when I found myself unable to stop the tears running down my face during a session about writing. My friend Annie talked to us about writing where you are, writing about what you’re going through right now – but doing it in a healthy, safe, appropriate way.

If you know Annie Downs, you know that she is hilarious – and her presentation was no exception. But while I laughed at every single one of her jokes, I also cried, nonstop, through the entire hour.

Early on in the session, Annie shared with us that when she began writing, she informed God that she would write anything for Him, but she would not write about her weight or about being single. Of course, God eventually compelled her to write about both of those things – like He does.

After telling us a bit about her journey, Annie finished her presentation by saying, “Write that thing. Talk about that thing.” As I wrote her words in my notebook, I swallowed a sob and wondered, What on earth is wrong with me?!?

I can’t tell you what my “thing” is. Not because I’m hiding it or because I’m too scared to talk about it. I really don’t know what it is! I don’t know WHY I was such a tear-soaked mess in Annie’s session. I don’t know what chord she was striking or why I can’t process it enough today to figure out what thing is messing me up.

What I suspect, though, is that my thing is not a topic that I don’t want to dig into or a personal experience I don’t want to share or a weakness I don’t want to reveal. I think my thing is actually a book.

See, I want to write a book. I do. I’ve even been brave enough to tell a few close friends that I am going to write a book . . . soon. But when I sat down with my friends at Squee this spring and actually set goals and dates to make that book happen? Something inside me froze.

I want to write a book. But I am terrified. That – I’m pretty sure that is my thing.

But Annie told me to talk about it, that thing. So I’m talking about it. (Okay, Annie? Sheesh. Quit telling me what to do.) I’m telling you. I want to write a book, and right now, this month, I’m trying to write a book.

Well, not a whole book. But I have officially begun writing a book proposal. (Okay, Holley? Stop yelling at me!)

BREATHE . . .

Now that it’s out, I’m going to ask you to help me. Keep me accountable. Ask me how it’s going. Don’t let me chicken out. Pray for me. Remind me that this really is a good idea. Please? Thank you, friends.

But, wait! There’s more! [I can’t help it. I cannot resist an opportunity to use my infomercial voice.]

I’ve got two announcements for you, and I think you’re going to like them.

Announcement #1: Starting tomorrow (Tuesday, November 13), I’m going to host a weekly chat on my Facebook page. Nothing deep, just a way for us to get to know each other better and have a little fun. Every Tuesday night at 8:00 pm CST, I’ll be on Facebook to talk with you all for about an hour. I’ll have questions prepared for us to discuss, but I’m open to your questions or topics as well. What would you like to talk about tomorrow night?

I hope you’ll join us. It’s going to be fun!

Announcement #2: In one month (Monday, December 17), I’m releasing a new ebook about the many surprises I found when I became a stay-at-home mom. Based on posts I’ve published here on the blog, it will be a funny and hopefully encouraging read for moms of all kinds. Whether you stay home, work from home, work full-time outside the home or something in between, you’ll find something you identify with (and, probably, can laugh at) in this book.

But the big news about the ebook is that it will be FREE to my subscribers! So if you’re here for the first time or maybe you just visit occasionally, today is the day you should hit that subscribe button up there. Let’s just make it official, eh? You click subscribe and poof! I’ll send you my ebook next month (plus, hello? every other post I publish at this place!).

Well, certainly that is enough excitement for one day. But I’d love to hear your thoughts on all of this! Or, really, your thoughts on anything. What’s on your mind today?

That gorgeous print up above is for sale at my friend Dawn’s website. If my name is on on your Christmas list, please go check it out!

Filed Under: Writing

Confession Time

September 17, 2008 By 8 Comments

Hi. My name is Photoqueen, and I read a lot of blogs. So many, in fact, that I’ve had to start using Google Reader (thanks to my friend, Amber, for mentioning this great service!).

I know this does not really come as a surprise, considering how many of my posts revolve around other people’s blogs. But I’ll tell you, I do have some good reasons for reading blogs. First of all, it’s fun. Oh, good reasons. Right. Okay, well, it’s often research. Occasionally for work and often for my quest to become an editor. Researching the publishing industry has led me to some great sites. As has my journey to becoming a better home-maker, complete with clean floors and home-cooked meals.

And that brings me to my point (after only two paragraphs, eh?). One of my very favorite sites is called Confessions of a Pioneer Woman. It’s written by a mom/wife/cook/photographer/blogger who lives on a ranch in Oklahoma. She has a huge blog following, and it’s no wonder. I was originally drawn in by her yummy recipes and stayed for her amazing photography (and tips).

But as I’ve continued to read about her and her life, I’ve been impressed by her love for her family. She just puts it right out there, unashamed, for everyone to see. And in the comments of one of her recent posts, one reader mentioned that this is the very reason why she loves reading this blog. She said it’s refreshing to hear a woman speak lovingly about her husband and lift him up, instead of tear him down. That was really encouraging and a little convicting to me, all at the same time.

So, today I’m wondering:

  • What do you hope readers gain from your blog?
  • Is there a blog or site you visit that is particularly inspiring or encouraging?

Filed Under: Blogging & Social Media, Writing

Take care that you never spell a word wrong…It produces great praise to a lady to spell well.

April 10, 2008 By 20 Comments

Thomas Jefferson reportedly said that to his daughter, Martha. I like it. Mainly because I’m such a geek. And because I just recently learned some great news. Are you ready for this? There’s an organization in my city that puts on a corporate spelling bee every year as a fundraiser for a literacy program.

So, just to make sure you get the whole picture. This is a spelling bee for grown-ups! And it’s for charity! Does it get any better than this? It’s already happened for this year, but you better believe I’ll be signing up next year!

If I were a real nerd, I would note here that this gives me 11 months to practice. But I’m not saying that. (Although I will admit to being totally blown away by the way they studied in Akeelah and the Bee. Who knew there was a way to study spelling that’s so much better than rote memorization?!) Yeah, I love this movie. But I won’t actually be studying for next year’s spelling bee. Well, you know, not for several months at least…

Now, for those of you who aren’t spelling-obsessed like I am, you’ll be satisfied to find that you’re not alone. In an effort to find support for my belief that spelling is of utmost importance in this world (I know – who needs more support when you’ve got Thomas Jefferson on your side?), I found a few people who don’t think spelling is, well, the bee’s knees. (I couldn’t help it!)

First we have another president, Andrew Jackson, who said, “It’s a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word!” (This reminds me of my friend, Kimi, who, when caught singing the wrong lyrics along to the radio, said, “I can’t believe they [the actual band] don’t know the words to this song!”)

Also opposed to spelling rules is Mark Twain, who said, among other colorful things, “I never had any large respect for good spelling.” (That might explain the tricky-to-read dialect of Huck Finn!)

And then I went to another Martha, someone who appreciates the finer arts of grammar and spelling, someone I was certain would back me up on my belief that correct spelling is crucial. I went to Martha Brockenbrough. She’s a columnist for MSN Encarta, she’s had a blog about her daughters on the Cranium website, she created the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar (SPOGG), and she wrote an article called, Tips from a Former Spelling Champion. Surely Martha B (also self-proclaimed “Grumpy Martha” when it comes to grammar issues) would back me up on this one.

But that was not the case. Though her article implies, by its very existence, that spelling is important, she also has some pointed comments that say otherwise. She admits that our society tends to assume people who can’t spell aren’t intelligent (okay…guilty…), but she apparently doesn’t agree. Her argument is that English is just a darned tricky language to learn properly! She even calls the language “promiscuous,” because it continues to adopt words from other languages…and rappers. (Exhibit 1: bling. Exhibit 2: jiggy.) Finally, Martha says that the English language is a nightmare. Encarta even includes a sidebar to guide us to a whole organization dedicated to revising our spelling system to using more phonetic (fu-nett-ick?) system.

She does go on to then share some spelling tips. And even Grumpy Martha can’t resist telling her readers that she dominated her school’s spelling bees and almost made it to the national spelling bee. So maybe I’ll join Martha and admit that maybe (MAYBE) spelling isn’t the most important thing in the world and may not be the only or best way to determine a person’s intelligence.

But can I also tell you about the time I won the county spelling bee in sixth grade?

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: , , , , ,

I’m Just Sayin’…

April 5, 2008 By 15 Comments

I found this quote online today: “Whenever I found out anything remarkable, I have thought it my duty to put down my discovery on paper, so that all ingenious people might be informed thereof.”

When I read that, I thought, “Yep, that’s it. That’s why I need a blog.”

Now, I should admit at this point that for the last several months, about 47 different things have made me stop and say, “And that’s why I need a blog.”

But this quote (from a Dutch biologist named Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, for those of you who care about that sort of thing) reminded me of the greater purpose for writing. See, I almost always have something to say, but it’s not always – or even often – deep or thought-provoking or significant. Every once in a while, though, something remarkable happens. And as van Leeuwenhoek said, in those cases, ingenious people (hey – that’s you!) need to be informed.

So, here I am. Blogging. Sharing my thoughts. Telling it like it is. And, okay, since the remarkable doesn’t happen all that often, I’m sure I’ll be talking about whatever comes to mind, whether it’s a quote from a biologist (yeah, like that will happen twice) or the meaning behind my obsession with So You Think You Can Dance (I can admit it. I love it. So what?).

Let the blogging begin.

Filed Under: Blogging & Social Media, Writing

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