My Son, shouts out, “It’s Christmas! ” as he sees that the Christmas trees are being brought out of storage into the house. He is three this year, and this is the first year he has been extremely excited.
I have to tell him to “Calm down” because “It’s not quite Christmas yet.”
“Let’s Help Mommy Decorate the tree.”
“Oh LOOK Mommy at ALL the DECORATIONS,” His little voice squeals with excitement.
I do have to say, my Son has a good eye and his placement of the Christmas Décor was quite exceptional.
Later after all the decorations have been hung with care my Son asks,
“Mommy were did all the presents go?”
“Santa has to bring them.”
“Where did Santa go Mommy?”
“To the North Pole to get your presents ready. Do you know why we celebrate Christmas?”
“Toys?”
“No.”
“Santa.”
“No. It’s Jesus’s Birthday!”
“So we get to eat cake then Mommy?”
“If you would like too.”
“Christmas is Jesus Birthday!” My Son then goes over to his play stove to cook Jesus a Birthday Cake, and then he pretends his baby doll is Jesus and feeds it to her. From the mouths of Children.
My son was so excited he fell asleep on the couch, and every morning he wakes up he says with joy, “Its Christmas!” I think every day of the year should be celebrated like this with joy and excitement of the good news. Sometimes it takes a child to put things in perspective for you.
So the halls are filled with holiday cheer on this Christmas year, and plenty of cake to celebrate Jesus’s Birthday.
I am currently working on a series of Novelettes, that I would like to publish and offer separately, and also offer them in a collection, when they are published.
I feel that the Novelette is often overlooked, as short stories, Novellas and Novels are typically published
Novelettes are typically between 7,501 to 17,500words. They are a little longer than short stories, but can be easily read in one sitting. I feel they will become important again, and here are the reasons why:
People here in the U.S.A. often work two full time Jobs, just so they can support their families. Many young people do not have the time, and are unable to dedicate the time to reading a full length novel.
I think with now with e-books becoming so readily accessible, the short story and Novelette is becoming more popular, and will eventually be the chosen over the full length novel in the future generations of young adult.
It is my overall goal in the next few years to redefine the novelette, and bring it up to date for the 21 century.
My immediate goal is to finish my first volume of Novelettes for 2017 and make them available on Create Space and Amazon Kindle.
I would also like to create my own publishing imprint.
So as NaNoWrMo is coming to a close, I thought I would share with you the things that I have learned from it. The good, the bad and the Ugly.
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THE NANOWRIMO EXPERIENCE
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THE GOOD
It has encouraged me to continue to write, even when I do not particularly feel inspired.
I have learned that planning and outlining is beneficial to me, especially since it is hard for me to focus on one topic, since I have Attention Deficit disorder.
I have learned I must set aside time daily for myself to write, even if it is only fifteen minutes.
THE BAD
You cannot put a word count on your ideas. Sometimes a book may be written in less that 50,000. I think that when you place emphasis on word count, instead of creating a plot and concept, you sacrifice quality for quantity.
It is hard to reach a goal of completing a entire novel of 50,000 words or more in only a month but it is sure fun to try. (That could either be good or bad.)
It is hard to get past the roadblock of thinking that you cannot do this. Remember, If you don’t meet your goal at least you tried and you still wrote something!
THE UGLY
I got done with the first rough draft. That is always an Ugly mess, until you go through it several times with a fine tooth comb, and then have others go through it for you.
I did not, and will not meet the goal of 50,000 words, because my project does not fit,what is considered a typical novel. (That could be Good, bad or Ugly, depending on the way you look at it.)
Most importantly I learned how to set goals for myself, my novel did not turn out at all how I expected, but I finally found a place that I could put all my ideas into, and I will be outlining it for you in subsequent posts.
Sorry I have been busy lately with life. I find it hard sometimes to devote time to writing, so I am participating in nanowrimo, and am looking forward to finishing my novel. It is a great way to keep track of your progress and word count. I will be away for a while as I am working on my novel, but I am looking forward to sharing the finished product with all of you. Now I am gonna get some sleep so I can get back to writing later!
Ashes to ashes, and Dust to dust
Never again will these hands hold a child,
Never again will these lips kiss,
Never again will I be able to speak.
Never again will I be able to love.
So hold your loved ones close,
And make sure to always let your feelings be known,
And to speak more candidly,
Because what if Someday never comes?
Sorry I have been away for a while, I have been busy deciding what to do about my Sons education. He was born later so he is unable to go to go to preschool this year, however I feel he is ready.
So I decided to do some research and realized I had two options.
1. Do nothing and wait another year
2. Begin homeschooling him.
I decided option two was a better choice and so did my husband. We are also considering doing this throught elementary school as well, because I had many negative experiences while in the public school system. Most of my recesses were taken away, because I asked too many questions, and did not pay attention. I clearly remember looking out the window when I was in first grade, trying not to cry because I wanted to be playing outside, or wanted to be with my Mom.
I don’t want my son to grow through the same thing, and have traditional learning kill his curiosity, or his creativity, as well as a strong desire to learn. It is the children that really want to learn that get left behind in the end.
As I have been a stay at home Mom, thanks to my Hardworking husband, my Son has taught me many things.
1. Children are naturally curious and ask many questions, because they want to learn about the world around them. It is in this way, by answering the questions they ask and showing them how to interact with the world around them, they learn about life.
2. When you fail, keep on going. My Son keeps trying, even if he fails. Children are extremely motivated. Somewhere along the path we lose that motivation. I can remeber when I lost my motivation, when I was in first grade. Sitting inside for my recess wishing I was outside, playing in leaves and counting them, instead of counting stupid yellow blocks.
3. The most important things I learned were from my parents, not teachers. Until you have a child, you never relize how much your parents did for you. I remember my parents reading to me. I remember when my Dad read The Hobbit to me, as I sat in his recliner with him and fell asleep. It is still one of my favorite books, and my sons too! I love reading to him and talking about books. The gift my parents gave me was the ability to read, and that got me through all the recesses I got taken away from me in elementary school, and then the many detentions I had in Jr. High and High school. I could never repay my parents for all the times they took the time to read to me and instill a love of reading and then later naturally I begin to want to create stories of my own. It is in writing I found my passion and voice.
I have learned other things from my Son, and parents. It is because of this I want to take a different approach to learning, and allow my son to pursue the things that he loves at an early age, as well as trust my son to learn, and trust myself as a parent to teach.
So to give you an Idea, these are the things we have been doing…
Buckshot Playing at the Street Fair
Cookie counting game
Frosty the Snowman (The oreos were for another activity my son loved, I will post the link later.)Learning about Watersheds (And the impact we have on our environment.)A beautiful sunset to end our busy day!
Learning should not be done in a room, the real learning is to be done by living life outside, not inside a classroom with four walls, and a broken system school system that leaves children behind.
The real world is waiting. Go ahead and let your children live, be happy, learn, and love…
…But the most importaint thing is just to let kids be kids, in a world that is cruel, we could use some wild spirited free thinkers.
Look for updates the next two days… this post will be updated with links for parents interested in homeschooling preschoolers!
Sometimes I get ideas for my books from life and current events. I want to write about the uncomfortable things that no one talks about, but things that they themselves experience or are witnesses to. My goal in writing the book I am currently working on, is to encourage people to have the difficult conversations that we choose not to have.
Conversations I have going on inside my brain at night:
Where is the world headed? How did we get to the point we are at? What happens when a tyrannical corporation rules the planet?
Talking about our feelings, are we sad, hurt or angry and why?
Thr person that suffers from depression. What causes them to feel hopeless?
The alcoholic that became sober. What caused them to drink, and how did they overcome their addiction?
The girl down the street that had an abortion. Why did she do it? And was she ok with that decision? How did that experience have an impact on her life?
What kind of man beats on a woman? Why do they choose to stay or leave?
Circumcision. Why do we still practice it in the U.S? Isn’t it Genital mutilation regardless of the sex of the child? What about the child’s rights? Why cut off the most sensitive part of the body? Could this be why sex crimes and violence are so prevalent in society?
Breast-feeding. Why do people sexualize breasts? Aren’t they meant for feeding babies?
The guy that climbed the Trump Tower today, why in the world did he want a personal meeting with him? What was he thinking? Is he a psychopath or autistic? If any of you saw that video, he seemed devoid of emotion when he was talking. Just odd.
The Clinton Foundation. Why do they accept money from foreign government? You think this would be a conflict of interest. How far down the rabbit hole does this go?
To be alive. What does that mean?
What is my purpose?
Why can’t I sleep?
Perhaps because I ask to may questions and stay up all night thinking what if?
And there you have it. That is how an idea, a book, a story is born. Out of the difficult questions we ask ourselves, because everyone else is too polite to ask them.
Note: This is not the final copy of my cover. There are some mistakes I have to correct, but this is just an example of the direction I would like to go. I will update this as soon as I make the necessary corrections.
CreateSpace offers a cover creator for free, but the free covers, and pictures you can use are all generic and I felt left alot to be desired. I really was not happy with any of the free covers that I created and I really do not want to pay oodles of money for someone to design my cover.
I just recently found a service you can use Canva.com, and I think this is a great option. You can create your own covers for a small price. To use them, you must purchase a license.
One time use, is one dollar. I do not suggest this, because if more than one copy is sold, you must purchase the right to use it again!
Multiple use, is ten dollars. That gives you the right to use your designs in marketing materials, as well as 250,000 copies. I think this by far is the better option.
I think a good cover design is a must for any writer However they say never judge a book buy it’s cover. Unfortunately most of us do.
Now that I am in the think of my story, I am finding I am having to do research. I think all fiction requires some research to be authentic, especially when you need better understanding of a topic you are writing about.
If you could see my browser history, you might have some questions. Then again, you might have some questions if you see what books I am reading! I will not give away what I’m researching because that will give away my book.
All I can say is it has been a wild ride writing it so far because it is a psychological thriller, and there are so many different directions I could take this book. Even I think I will be shocked when I finally finish it!
I just got a sample pack a couple of days ago from moo.com. I liked the quality of the card stock so much, that I decided to order some.
I decided to get the mini buisness cards, because I do get people that ask me about my blog when I’m out and about, at family functions, or hanging out with friends. It would be great to have something tangible, like a buisness Card, because chances are they will not remember my site address when they get home.
Do any of you use business cards, and what company do you have print them for you if you do?
Snapshots of a Life 