The Writer's Devotional

12/31/2014 Week 1
Wednesday/ Writing Class
Assignment: Write a biography about your best friend

I hate this prompt.  Are best friends universal?  Because I don't have a best friend. And when I'm asked to write about one it causes me to feel lonely.  But I'm really not lonely. I have a happy, fulfilled life. What is a best friend & how do you get them?  A few times in my life I have claimed a "best friend" only to find out they didn't claim me back.  Ouch.  So I don't say I have a best friend anymore.  I have good friends that have journeyed in life with me.  At different points.  & then I am walking alone again.   I could be described as a loner, I guess.  I don't run in packs.  Somehow my life has always been so normal, yet complicated.  I hide the complications & that makes me too guarded to have really close friends.  If I was forced to say I have a best friend right now- I'd say it was my daughter.   Avria, who changed her name to Victoria, knows me in ways that few people do.  Our relationship was stormy from day one- I did not want a girl.  I was raised by my father & girlie I was not.  I was afraid of girls.  I didn't know how to be one.  My daughter tore the cover off of me.  Exposing my weaknesses and inadequacies, and I hated her.  She demanded things of me that I swore weren't there.  But deep down inside they were there.  Our relationship became the sandpaper God used to uncover the varnished and polished, fake version of me.  Little by little, through fights & accusations, through confessions & repentances I faced the demons of my past.  I emerged as the mother she needed, as the person I really was.  Now we talk & shop & share life's joy's & disappointments in real time.  Sometimes daily, sometimes not.    She knows me & still she loves me.  I think that's what's meant by a "best" friend.

The Writer's Devotional

12/30/2014 Week 1
 Tuesday/Motivation

"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want."-Ben Stein

I restarted this Writer's Devotional yesterday, because I didn't do any of the exercises last week. It is the problem I have had all along.  My writing has never actually materialized.  As crazy as that sounds the most I've done is journal and not even consistently.  So, no more of that.   Goals. That's the topic in TWD.
Here's what stuck out to me:
 "Begin by deciding what you want to achieve as a writer".   I thought I did that, but after reading this again, I realize I have been thinking too small. Not admitting the real goals I have.
 
1) I want to be a great fiction writer, an amazing fiction writer- the kind of writer whose stories you miss when they are over. Stories that are so real they make you weep, or laugh & change.  Change in a way that you are better.

2) I want to write non-fiction articles/ books that give you that "ah ha" moment- an epiphany- a light in the dark tunnel you were seeking to find a way out of.  Mainly I think on the topics: of educating black boys,

3) I want to write about the people like myself, the people in the upper lower or the lower middle- people that are always on their way to making it.

 " By defining what you want, you're creating a type of road map to follow, helping you steer clear of distracting detours." Above I wrote the kinds of things I want to do, but I need to make SMART goals.

1) I will write a fictional series- that will start in the mid 80's in Bham. This will be borne out of my time in Hoover apartments- (12 years in 2 different ones).  I have a few key characters in mind.

a) Finish the Series course by March 1, 2015.
b) Write out a general synopsis & character sketches by Feb 1, 2015
c) Remake goals after completed but no later than March, 15, 2015

2)  I will write an article/ true story?  about 'schooling' our sons in times like this.
a) Finish "Writing for Story. Using knowledge gained write an article by Feb. 1, 2015
b) Look for a contest to submit to - 1/15/15
c) Look for a market to submit to -1/15/15 

Monday, Monday

12/29/2014
Finding the time to read and write is proving to be challenging.  I knew it would be.  Creating a  writing space & organizing everything in my life - a smooth existence- is my goal this week.  I am off until 1/4/2015.  On that day I convert to 12 hour shifts, so I want to find a rhythm.   A way of life that is who I am.  I want to walk & be in a good place, a creative place.  For years I have expended huge amounts of energy trying to keep everything from tumbling out of control- it turned me into a mean, hard person.  And I'm really not that hard & "Comrade Hilda" as I've appeared.  It is a shock to my kids. They've  only known me as the stern one, as the serious one.  I have always been the rule maker in our family.  But I was never really like that. I was always the rebel in my family, the wild one. I wasn't wild- I was carefree, a hippie really.  And I would have stayed that way, but I couldn't.  I couldn't because I married a man that was truly & without a doubt- a wild man.  I made taming him, domesticating him my full time job.  In the end the only thing broken was me.  A good broken- a broken that got me back to me.  So here I am- I am a writer.

I am currently reading two books and listening to a third on my phone.  I love all of them.  The best is one that did not make the list of books on the craft of writing "non-fiction". Writing for Story -by Jon Franklin is exactly what I needed.  He gives you two true short stories he won the Pulitzer Prize for.  They have all the elements of great short stories but are even better.  I was immediately drawn in & loved both stories.  They are used throughout the remaining book to illustrate the craft of 'story".   It is a page-turner & definitely will go on my list.  The second book is Monday,  Monday by Elizabeth Crook, a historical fiction writer from Texas.  It is set in Austin, Texas in 1966 at UT Austin, where a student turned sniper & killed 16 students & wounded 32 others.  It ends up as a romance & deals with the aftermath of random violence on the surviving victims.  So far it is really a great read.  I am listening to a book called Big, Little Lies by Liane Moriatry.  It is about bullying,  I think lol.  I am not actually writing anything though:(. 

The Writer's Devotional

12/29/2014 Week 1
Monday/ Writers on Writing
"The role of the writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say"-Anais Nin

12/26/2014
I had an awesome Christmas day-with James, Nick, Oliver, Livi & Otis:). 
James set my desk up & helped me rearrange my bedroom.  Our 3rd bedroom was my office/scrapbook room, but wasn't suitable for writing- no real desk.  Also Nick does school in there & it tends to stay messy.  I plan to convert it into a guest room of sorts, so I wanted my bed room to have a writing space. I have a lot more to do - pictures, bookcase, lamp, etc.  I love it though & feel peaceful in it.

I love quotes.  From Dare to Dream Day 25-

"Only those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly"- John F. Kennedy, 35th President

I found a great little book in B & N about a week ago- The Writer's Devotional by Ann Peters.  Everyday a different part of the Writer's life is highlighted.  It's starts with a quote & then goes on to the lesson at hand.  I'm behind already:).  I just seem to somehow lose days when I'm working.  Also when it's a holiday week- I'm already in love with this & I'm making it a priority.   Here are the topics of each day:

Monday: Writers on Writing
Tuesday: Motivation
Wednesday: Writing Class
Thursday: Editing
Friday: Biography
Saturdays: Books writers should read
Sundays: Writing prompt

So I am now officially behind- should I forge on or play catch-p & forge on?

12/24/2014- There is a lot of unrest in the U.S. today.  There has been an undercurrent I suppose for years.  The unresolved issue.  But really what is the issue-? And why are the most undesirable & undeserving on either side the views we are bombarded with?  I am Black.  That is my race.  So I guess I'm supposed to be on the "black side" of this issue.   But I don't support lawlessness.  Only no one can hear me because the loudmouths in the media are blocking the way.  We ended up staying home, so  I served at Kid's Check-In for our Christmas Eve service.  There are normally six  people who do the checking in & a couple of police men too.  I hate to say it,  but I can feel a tension now, a not knowing what to say or do between us.  Between any police & my race.  I wanted to go up to them & say " I love policemen.  I am glad you serve & protect.  Don't allow the acts of  a small group of people  color your view of the rest of us.  And I won't let a small group of people color my view of you. " The service was great & funny.  I came at 4 to work the 5 pm a& 7 pm services.  When it slowed down, I grabbed a cup of warm coffee and slipped into the sanctuary.  As usual it was magnificent!   And while I was aware of my color & the issues that have drawn a line in the racial sand- I put that out of my mind.  Listening & singing the Christmas favorites brought tears to my eyes.  Deep within I  prayed for  "peace on earth,", peace in the U.S.  & I know if it is to come now- it will be up to the church.  Starting with myself - I hugged all my team members- ignoring the temptation to curl up within. On the way out to my car I held my head high & met eyes to show kindness, not to defend.  A small token toward a big problem.

Out of all my Researching I made some Quarterly Goals.

January 2015 - March 2015

Goal #1 - To take steps toward my dreams and live the life I imagine as a writer, by first learning the craft.

Steps:

1. Compile a list of books to study on the craft of writing Fiction and Non-fiction.
2. Compile a list of articles to read.
3. Go to Writer's Boot Camp on 3/14 @ Beeson ($149/by 3/7)
4. Compile a list of books to read by writers who are successful in writing. (PW)

Goal #2- To write daily- No excuses!

Steps:

1. Continue daily reading of " Dare to Dream" devotional until finished.
2. Use "365 days of writing prompts" to warm-up daily.
3. Use" The Writer's Devotional" daily to get creative juices going.
4. Write 1 short story ( no matter how bad)
5. Write 1 personal essay (same)  
6. Write on my "Write Now" blog 3-4 times a week.

Ok there it is my quarterly goals.  I also have Monthly goals.  I found some great resources from this site- http://www.marcieatkins.com/  Look under the Writers tab- for how to organize your Writing Life.  Gloria

12/23/2014  0200

Finding a plan for learning how to write Fiction proved quite challenging.  There is a great deal written about writing fiction.  I figured this list was as good as any other.  This was taken from http://writersedgeinfo.blogspot.com/



10) Writing Down the Bones by Natalie GoldbergI had trouble picking a tenth book, because there are so many others that deserve to be on this list and aren’t (I considered Burroway’s Writing Fiction, Forster's Aspects of the Novel, Olen Butler's From Where You Dream, DeMarco-Barrett's Pen on Fire, etc.). But this one made the list because it has remained on my shelf for over a decade and its short and simple chapters, aimed mostly at beginning writers, speak truth. From "Beginner’s Mind" to "Rereading and Rewriting," each pithy and instructive section reminds us what we already know. We read Natalie Goldberg and, no matter where we are on our respective writing journeys, we learn.

9) 20 Master Plots and How to Build Them by Ronald B. Tobias
I have returned to this book countless times to remind myself a) that writers have been telling stories for centuries and b) that the best stories have form. The form of a novel can be as simple as a beginning, middle, and end, or it can follow the patterns of quest, revenge, pursuit, maturation, sacrifice, and discovery. Tobias reminds us that though there are hundreds of plot variations out there, a few of those structures have become classics, loved by readers everywhere. It is to those that we aspire.

8) The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them) by Jack M. Bickham
I loved this book from the moment I opened its cover. There’s nothing fancy in Bickham’s style - he grabs us by the neck and instructs us in each direct and wonderful chapter on what we should and shouldn’t do when writing. The chapter "Don’t Warm Up Your Engines" provides one of the best explanations I've read on where a story should start. When Bickham speaks, it behooves us to listen.

7) Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
I heard Ray Bradbury speak one year at the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference, and I’ll never forget the amazing zeal and spunkiness of this fiction-writing legend. Bradbury brings the same energy and outspokenness to Zen in the Art of Writing as he does to his own classic tales. He describes his early years trying to eke out a living as a young writer with a family and then urges writers to stick to it and to do it with love. "Let the world burn through you," he says. In the Zen world of fiction-writing, Bradbury is a warrior-king.

6) Writing Begins with the Breath: Embodying Your Authentic Voice by Laraine Herring
This is one of my most recent acquisitions, but it quickly found a home on my shelf of favorites. I took it with me on a writing residency and only allowed myself to read one chapter a day, doling them out one-by-one so I could immerse myself in each section’s quiet relevance. The book is divided into three parts: "Focusing the Mind," "The Deep Writing Process," and "Embracing What and Where You Are." Writing Begins with the Breath both illuminates and gently instructs, and the imaginative exercises called "Touchstones" at the end of each chapter make us pause, reflect, and return to this book again and again.

5) Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on the Writing Life by Anne LamottWhat hasn't been said about this book? It's a classic, and Anne Lamott has become a well-deserved fixture on the writing circuit and in composition classrooms all over the world because of this gifted text. As she says in the opening, good writing is about telling the truth and she has done that, taking us from "shitty first drafts" to publication and deftly addressing everything in-between. Honest, inspirational, and very real, Anne Lamott illuminates the writing process in a way that is both accessible and revealing, telling the truth about writing so vividly that reading her words is like coming home.

4) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Who would have thought that a memoir by one of the world's bestselling authors could so expertly define the practical facets of the writing process? In On Writing, Stephen King not only openly and, in some cases with heart-wrenching candor, describes his own experiences as a professional writer struggling with personal demons, but he also shares his passion and knowledge about what makes writing good. My favorite section has to do with revision; in it, King tells the story about a piece of fiction he wrote in high school and submitted to a magazine editor. The editor wrote back: "Not bad, but PUFFY. You need to revise for length. Formula: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft – 10%. Good luck." King says that this piece of advice changed the way he rewrote his fiction "once and forever." Thanks to Stephen King, it has changed ours, too.

3) How to Write a Damn Good Novel by James N. FreyI lent this book to a member of my writing group, and one of his dogs got to it and chewed through half of the front cover. I have to laugh every time I lift it off the shelf (it gives a whole new meaning to the term "dog-eared"!). But I love this book for its intensity and no-nonsense focus on what makes a novel good. Frey gives the best advice I know on how to create unforgettable characters, infuse a plot with conflict, and write dialogue that sings. I come back to this book often for the solid, sensible advice that fills its pages.

2) The Joy of Writing Sex: A Guide for Fiction Writers by Elizabeth Benedict
(R/MA) * let your convictions be your guide here

1) Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maas
My husband bought me this book for Christmas the first year I started writing fiction and it has become my all-time favorite writing guide. I've turned to it so often that the pages are covered with sticky notes, highlighted passages, fingerprints, and coffee stains. The book is designed for mid-list authors looking for a way to move ahead in the industry, but the advice packed within its pages is useful for beginners, as well. For a book to be a breakout success, Maas says, it must have the following: an original premise, high stakes, a strong sense of time and place, and larger-than-life characters. And Maas, a literary agent and author of seventeen novels, knows whereof he speaks. I was fortunate enough to attend one of his seminars, where we used some of the draft exercises that became part of his Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook. Both the original book and the workbook are essential instruments in any writer’s toolkit, but if I was going to be sent to a desert island and could only take one book on writing with me, Writing the Breakout Novel is the one I would pack in my suitcase.
______________
Paula Margulies is a book publicity and promotions expert in San Diego, California. You can reach her at paula@paulamargulies.com, or visit her website at http://www.paulamargulies.com

12/23/2014  0130



This is my "syllabus" for learning how to write Non-Fiction

 6 Great Books for Non-Fiction Authors

1) "Writing Non-Fiction" by Gordon Wells
2) " How to write for Kindle" by Nancy Hendrickson
3) "Write your Book" by David J. Sluka
4) " You can't make this stuff up" by Lee Gutkind
5)  "On writing Well" by William Zinsser
6) "The Synonym Finder " by J.I. Rodale

I don't remember the blog I got this list from:(- it was from Heather Hart.) And sounds like a great way to start learning the craft.  They can all be bought through Amazon.

This is an awesome site that lists tons of  books on the craft of narrative nonfiction.
http://www.writersandeditors.com/index.htm   it's easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of information out there, so tread lightly.

My Plan

12/ 23/2014

I think I have a plan now.  I have been on-line for the past week "googling" up a storm.  When I want to do something new I tend to saturate myself in knowledge about whatever it is.  This might entail looking at a bunch of websites, buying books,etc.  My bookshelves tell the story of my interests over the years- I have sections (4-10 books) on photography, scrapbooking, homeschooling, weight lifting, survivalist training, dog training, writing children's books, memoirs, and dealing with anger:).   I've boxed the books on raising kids and marriage.  I know what I know about them.  So of course my planning started with researching the subject of writing.  I started with a few downloadable books that gave me the boast of confidence to really start pursuing my writing life.  I found this website, www.mybooktherapy.com - it is by a Christian author whose book I had just listened to.   I don't normally read Christian fiction- I just thought I wouldn't like it.  But I happen to listen to "The Wedding Dress"  and it was so good I wanted to know more about the author.  And that brought me to MBT.  I ordered a devotional book - Dare to Dream- A writer's journey by Reba J. Hoffman PhD.
It was just what I needed it.   Very encouraging & helped me put feet on a path.

So- my plan: It involves learning the craft and practicing the craft!  I spent quite a bit of time on-line just trying to grasp what it is I was needing to learn.  

After the devotional I ordered a course from MBT called: From the Inside-Out: Discover, Create and Publish the Novel in you -The Foundational writing worktext to teach novelists how to plot, write and publish a novel by Susan Warren and Rachel Hauck.   This was great & I started on it right away, however after meeting with my friend Brenda V.  I began to think about Non-Fiction writing. That lead me to pull a book from my own shelves about how to write Non-fiction books.  At this point I decided I need a real plan!

This is what I came up with:

1) I want to write Fiction & Non-fiction.
 I will start with Short Stories & Personal Essays.
 I want to ultimately write a fiction series (or series(s) )
 I want to write historical fiction based on my mom's life & times in Texas
 I want to write a book and articles about educating black boys
 I want to write about & from my own life as a military brat, as a middle class black, L&D nurse, Homeschooler, marriage, Christianity, parenting, etc.

2) I need to learn everything I can about writing Fiction & Non-fiction.
I will do this by:

a)  Reading Books-I have a list(s) of great books to read for Fiction & Non-Fiction writers.  I found it on-line- I will start with the list. 

b) Reading Articles- I have made notebooks of articles to read- one each for Fiction and Non-Fiction from some really great websites.

c) Taking Courses: I have 2 courses that are downloadable- From the Inside-Out & Series
 I have stopped them for now, until I get a grip on the basics first.

d) Workshops-  I will go to relevant ones 2-3 times a year.  The 1st one is March 2015 @ Beeson.

e) Writer Groups- I would like to join one on-line or in person.

f) Conferences-1 a year??

That's what I have to start- Gloria

A Master's degree of my own making!

In September I started my 3rd attempt at getting a MSN degree at UAB.  One of the perks of working there is the educational benefits- 18 hours/yr at UAB.  That is a lot of money saved & credibility obtained, but I just can't seem to finish a Master's in Nursing.  Convinced it must be the track I had chosen I switched from Family Practionner to Nursing Education & now to Nursing Informatics.  Finally I have had to be honest with myself.  I am not interested in being an Advanced Nurse in any capacity.  I am an RN & I love it.   It has proven a steady & wonderful career, but has never actually been my passion.  I didn't grow up wanting to be a nurse- I wanted to be a writer.  Every time I think this I am overwhelmed with fear and doubt.  And hear the voice of my youth -" get your head out of your butt & your feet on the ground & stop being such a dreamer".  My practical father didn't encourage anything mildly artsy.  That was for loafers or the highly talented. Stuffing my love for books far away I attempted to do what I was supposed to.

But lately for 5-6 years I have begun to panic- I am a writer who's never written.  as soon as I say I will start I jump into a Master's program- something that is within my reach.  Something I can accomplish.   This time though, this semester I knew I couldn't do this to myself again.  I hated both classes I took & know I would never want to pursue it.  So I decided to go all in.  I was praying about it yesterday & I know I most pursue my writing with the fervor of getting an advanced degree. I'm in my 50's now & I can't wait, I won't wait.  So I am going about designing my Master's in Writing- I won't go to a college to get it.  I am self educating.  And I will write & I will publish.  What I'm not too sure of - but 1st I need a plan:).