Been Writing and So Much More!

If you've followed me on social media, I mentioned that I finished the draft of my story, "Anne Riddle and the Sheriff of Hell Bent."

I've been editing it and finding holes in the story everywhere. Oh, Boy! I hate editing! But, it's a lot easier to work with something than nothing. So, I'm proud of myself for finishing the draft.

I realized that Anne isn't "big enough" in the story, so I've been developing her character a bit. She's too quiet and meek. Yes, she's injured, but she can still talk and think, and she needs to do that.

Otherwise, I've been both teaching and learning.

For teaching, I've been offering classes in various Microsoft Office components at the local community center in the seniors' program. It keeps me busy and keeps my teaching chops sharp.

I got approved to teach two high school classes this summer, too. One on writing a college admissions essay, and the other on budgeting for college freshmen.

Then, I have a friend at the local Public Works office, and she is sending "her guys" to take classes on Excel from me, so my summer is jam-packed.

For learning, I signed up for some free classes on Canvas dot net.  I took a class called "Fantastic Fiction and Where to Find It" from a university in Scandinavia. It was in English, too! I've also participated in other classes, but that was the first one I finished.

The reason I signed up was TCM is offering a class on musicals starting next week. At least that's how I got involved with the Canvas site.

Every time I turn around another free class is being offered that I want to take. If you haven't checked out online learning opportunities, I urge you to do that. Besides Canvas, there are Corsera and Allison that I've been in contact with. There are other networks too, but these are the ones I've signed up with before. All of these sites offer free classes, many are run by universities around the world.

There are classes in psychology, sociology, education, computing, mathematics, physics, literature, business, and so much more. It's amazing what is out there! I found some syllabi to writing classes online, and I'll be reading the materials on their lists, even if I can't take the classes.

There is a class called "10,000 Women" that I would LOVE to take, but it conflicts with the TCM class, and I know my time is limited. So, I'm passing on it and sending the link to other women entrepreneurs. That class is only offered at certain times of the year, so it's tough to be already in the musicals class and having so much other stuff going on.

Healthwise, things haven't changed too much. I'll be going to Vanderbilt the end of this month to see if maybe they can figure out what's going on. The dizziness seems to be getting worse, as is my balance. And the "migraine blindness" episodes are becoming more frequent.

There may be nothing we can do, but I want an answer to why it keeps happening and what's going on anyway.

And Kitty, my little cat, is doing very well. She got another grooming at the end of March, and her fur is growing in nicely. She found a box she likes to sit in and watch the world go by, and she still flirts with the firemen when they come by. She's very loving. She likes to sit with me. She's still not much on smurfs to the face and she doesn't like to be held, but she's company. She greets me at the door and sits on me in the evenings and watches TV with me. She's discovered treats, and she loves to play. She's a hoot!

If nothing else, I'm staying young mentally. Doing all this stuff keeps me busy, keeps my mind working and my thinker thinking. None of it may mean anything in the end, but it is interesting anyway. And if a little permaculture or ecology class makes me more aware of my lifestyle and impact on the planet, I'm all for it.

Partial Diagnosis and Going Forward

I received a partial diagnosis of my long-term malady on January 4th. The doctor said my adrenal glands were depleted and in the "Adrenal Steal" stage of depletion. This is why my insulin response is off, and why I put on weight so easily.

I was told about depleted adrenal glands back in 1986-7 somewhere. I took supplements for about a year and thought I was better. Apparently, that was a temporary fix.

Last week, I changed my diet completely. I'm gluten-free and dairy-free. I've spent the time since by giving away a lot of food and restocking my pantry.

The doctor said that dairy foods were aggravating my "inflammation response" which is what caused adrenal depletion to begin with.

Removing gluten from my diet will support my microbiome, which is also compromised and showing signs of "leaky gut syndrome" without going all the way to leaky gut. I have an overgrowth of H-Pylori, and removing gluten will help to reverse that.

***NOTE: 
Our microbiome is in our digestive tract (stomach and intestines, including the colon), and is a delicate balance of bacteria and yeasts (fungi). It helps to digest foods we consume and extract the nutrients.

We all have some H-Pylori in our microbiome. Yes, it can be "killed" by a special antibiotic regime. That doesn't really help us. We need this bacteria in our microbiome, as it serves a purpose. 

An overgrowth of H-Pylori can lead to GERD and Reflux. If H-Pylori is allowed to take over the stomach, upsetting the balance of yeast/bacteria - or taking over as the only bacteria, it can lead to ulcers and bleeding in the digestive tract.
***

I gave 7 pages of medical history to the doctor. I skipped about 10-12 years of stuff that I thought was over and done, but HE told ME - those years and what I went through!

Apparently, it started when I was 16 and sprained my ankle. My ankle never quite healed properly because I couldn't stay off it. That was the beginning. Add all the other stuff (not sharing it online), and I've basically had inflammation going since....

WOW!!!

I have another test this upcoming week, to see if my inner ear is what's causing my dizziness and inability to walk a straight line. I sit quietly, and the room starts spinning, so I hope something shows up. I'm tired of falling over, walking into walls and open doors.

Other than that, I'm waiting for the referral to Vanderbilt in Nashville for further testing.

On to other things....

I haven't been writing much since December. I guess I'm burned out. At least temporarily.

I got a lot of resources at the first of the year about writing contests. If I hadn't posted my stories to Facebook, I could enter them into the contests. Live and learn....

I've been learning to cook a whole new way, with the diet changes. It's hard to remember to eat from all three macronutrient categories for each meal. I often forget one. So far, protein is the biggest loser.

My website is languishing. Coding up the recipes for the website is really involved. I end up typing the recipe up three times to make it work. This is my process:

• First, I type it into the recipe analyzing program. 
• Next, I code it up for uploading to the website, adding a photograph. 
• Finally, I put it in a pdf file that can be downloaded and printed.

I decided to offer my services for weddings. I'm an ordained minister, and I have a spiritual sensibility that makes me perfect for alternative couples and alternative faiths. So, why not offer my services and do something for people who need it? I set up a special mailbox and put an ad on Craigslist.

I also signed up to teach an Excel class at the local Senior's Center. Only three classes, to see how it goes. That's next month. As long as I can talk and present the information, I can still teach a little.

So, lots going on. Meanwhile....

I've been meditating and thinking about my lifestyle and my isolation. I'm an intentional, intense introvert, so being around people has to be planned and I have to allow myself to recover from every interaction. 

I want to connect with people, but it's tough. It takes a lot to open up to people beyond the surface stuff - and to listen to others. Sometimes, it feels like I'm living in a sheeple-filled vacuum. So few people think for themselves or stand on their own two feet emotionally.

Everyone is tied up in the latest political guffaw - like I was for a while. I got worn out, and re-focused my attention to my immediate world because that's what affects me the most. Then, I refocused again, to my little section of that immediate world.

We KNOW this president is incapable of running the country and is a mysoginist, racist pig. So what?

Yes, it reflects badly on the country and our people. Yes, many of our citizens are in fear and feeling insecure.

There is nothing I can do for them in the greater world, but in my little world, I can be inclusive, safe, and supportive. I can be intelligent, spiritual and compassionate, even though I'm an introvert.

Those are my thoughts and feelings right now.

NaNoWriMo and New Site Pages

Well, I only got 6180 words for Nano... BUT

I put up maybe 15 pages on the new website  No Type 2 Life . Some of the pages took coding, and since they are recipes, I had to enter the information twice. Once to track calories and macronutrients, and once for the website page. That first time wasn't checked because it went into MyFitnessPal.

Plus all the other pages. And the re-work of the breadcrumb links (linking between pages). And getting the exercise pages started. And got a newsletter issue out. OH, and the background was too distracting, so I faded it out. That took several hours of tinkering in Photoshop.

So, maybe I only got roughly 6100 words for Nano - But I wrote a massive amount. Not so bad, taken in context. AND there were three completed short stories in the Nano writing!

Grammarly checked my pages, and that showed over 31,000 words checked. That doesn't include FB.

And meanwhile Facebook has been fighting me. And the political situation has made it difficult for me to work. The Net has slowed to a crawl. And now this horrible tax bill that makes it difficult if not impossible for start-up businesses to grow.

I see where this thing can go on this. I see license distribution. I see B&M clinics across the country selling the supplements, counseling folks and teaching the exercises. I see a real change in the pre-diabetic world and the threat of obesity.

But that takes an immense investment of time and money. I don't know if I can do it. I don't know where to get the money. I have time, but not enough. I need experts brought on board.

So, over all, I've been pretty productive.

94 Questions

I found a list of questions to ask when developing a character for writing fiction on another website (Writers Write) and thought it would be good to ask those questions of ourselves. A good introspective tool....

I will not list the questions here, since I hope you will visit Amanda Patterson's page. However, I hope you will print out the questions and try to answer them for yourself. Take your answers to your counselor or mentor or spiritual advisor afterwords and talk it over.

Questioning who we are, what we were like at different stages of our lives, what we believe, and honoring those we loved best at different times is a good way to see how far we've come (or not) in our development as spiritual beings on the planet.

A good memory certainly helps this process. And if you have parents, ask them the questions, too. You will learn a lot about your history that you probably didn't know. And the phrasing of the questions helps to flush out the family history and put things in perspective.  

Some of the questions are pretty simple...

Who do I love most? For myself, my cats are my closest companions, while I have a few people I call friends whom I've known over 30 years. Some I've known over 40 years, I consider more family than friends. Then, there are the new friends whom I've known less than 10 years. They are like a breath of air from another part of the world. But close loves? That's private, and yes, the answer has changed over time.

The foods I like to eat have also changed somewhat. I still love Italian cuisine, although I change up my sauce every so often, depending on what's in the cupboard. I also like to experiment in the kitchen. Have I always been like that? No. Although I used to bake a lot more than I do today. And my love of hot, spicy foods has tamed a bit. Although I'm still up for a good, hot salsa! The curries are less, and the chiles are more. Go figure....

Have my hobbies changed over the years? Somewhat. I am less physical than I used to be, and I miss it. I particularly miss camping and hiking. My body betrays me when I get too physical, and I end up unable to move for several days. As much as I love the great outdoors, I have to be careful anymore. And horseback riding is out, although boating and swimming are still good choices. I still sew and crochet. My hands aren't as eager for the precision work of Clones Lace, but I try.

Have I traveled? Have I lost something dear? Has fate played with me? These are questions that need answers for each of us. The lessons learned are also questioned in the list. HOW was I affected? WHY is this significant for me?  By answering that, we learn more.

There is a section on the spiritual aspect of life, too. Answer those as best you can. 

Really, this exercise, while designed for fiction writers, has been invaluable for me!

Writing Progress and Life

I'm in the editing phase of my new book. I ordered three proof copies and sent two out to my "first readers" for comments and suggestions. I've done my own copy and updated the file. The cover was messed up so I had to re-do that, as well. Not surprising. A new essay was also included.

I'm working on the next in the series. I figured out what I wanted to say and how to organize it, which has been an issue for this project. It looks like four books in a series I call "The Patriarchy Series" which begins with questioning everything I've been taught as a woman. The second book is in the first draft phase, and will be about "Deconstructing Patriarchy" - looking at the laws and components that make up patriarchy. I'll be referring to the first work, or I may move one of the essays from there to the second book. Not sure on all of it yet. I need to finish the draft of all four volumes to be concrete with how things lay out and where things are included.

At least I'm writing again. Once I put the components on paper, writing became much easier. I had direction and a framework. All my "essay generator" lists started to fall into place and form.

I'm thinking about a glossary, too. There are terms that would be helpful to the reader.

Eventually, I'd like to publish this all in one volume. At that point it would be the wonderful reader for Women's Studies programs and law schools around the country. Perhaps even around the world. It depends on how much I can put into it and where things fit.

--------------------------------------

Kitty and I are still learning each other, and she's begun to trust me a little more. We've established a routine. She comes sometimes when I call her over for cuddles. She chooses my lap for a perch at least once each day. She still doesn't like having her belly rubbed, but her bites are more warning than hurtful. She also kitty-bites with kisses.... Nice when that happens. She purrs a lot more than she did when she came home with me. Her claws are just now grown out from being trimmed so far back in December. I bet that hurt. She even lets me brush her a bit. She still eats more wet food than is good for her and has to be pushed to eat her dry food. And she is highly motivated by meals. If this continues much longer, her weight will drive me to consult the vet about her hunger. It's almost like she has worms, but there is no bloating. She IS putting on weight, which is to be expected. I've taken several photos and posted them on Facebook.

My health issues are getting defined so that I will be able to get the help I need to do what I want to do with my twilight years - write a lot more.... It turns out that when I hit the windshield when I was 9 years old, it was a lot more severe than anyone knew. With no medical care at the time, (I was told nothing and given analgesics), so that when the damage started showing up a few years later, nobody knew or understood what was going on - least of all myself. Well, now I know, and I'm seeking diagnosis and assistance - over 50 years later. Hey! Don't judge! Seatbelts were a luxury item on only some cars, and mom was in the middle of her divorce. I don't blame her for not realizing how serious the injury was - so why should you? There was no blood....

And I'm finally losing some weight. Not because of the mental issues and emotional eating disorder control, but because of some physical issues. I had another colonoscopy because of my back pain when I'm constipated. Turns out they can help me with a nasty and grainy drink that  fixes a lot of the issues I've been having. So, because of strict eating schedules to accommodate the new meds, my weight is reducing. I'm still grabbing the salty snacks, but not as often. And my cholesterol is going down as a side effect. So far, there's no decision on the back pain, though.

Alanon is a blessing. A strange blessing, to be sure, but a blessing. Who knew all the damage that living with an alcoholic could do? The changes in behaviors and character in those who live (or have lived) with an alcoholic are immense. Much more than I ever suspected. Growth in this area is freeing, if difficult to do in the moment.

Politics? I'm on three committees with the TNDP and I will be doing their website - eventually - when the new logo is available. Meanwhile, I look forward to working on a float for the parades around here, participating in picnics and fund raising activities, and tracking issues in the local government bodies. That last one is boring, but really helpful, since I want to see the states (all 50 of 'em) pass laws about political donations and retirement benefits of past elected officials. I think if the states pass laws to fix some of the things that the federal government is refusing to address, we can effect change from the bottom-up.  I will NOT be running for office. It turns out that my insides won't go there. Panic attacks and such. However, I regularly contact all my elected officials and write letters to the editor of our local paper (none published so far).

Housework, Preserving and Canning....

Well, it's that time of year. No matter what writing tasks I set myself, the seasons come upon me and I need to "deal with it."

This year, I've re-discovered the local farmers' market. It's about 4 blocks from my home, but I hadn't been there before. They were extremely generous when it came to the peppers. I needed 2 jalapeno peppers. I ended up with a lot of peppers - more than I knew what to do with.

The produce was amazing! I got grapes, a cantaloupe, some tomatoes, blueberries, peppers in profusion, cucumbers, and white peaches. The peaches turned in less than 3 days and I had to toss them. The only loss....

I've been using the blueberries in protein smoothies and eating the cantaloupe. The grapes are concords and have seeds. The skins are a little tough, but they are very sweet. Almost too sweet. I haven't eaten the cucumbers yet, but that's because no opportunity has presented itself. I keep wanting a salad and then cooking something instead. I'm baking off chickens today so I can eat caesar salad for supper tonight.

Here is the canned produce so far.
The jalapenos (2 small jars in the back) are just pureed with sugar. Don't ask me why - I don't know. I just know that's how it turned out. I removed the seeds before I processed them. The pickled peppers in the front small jar are red chiles and yellow banana peppers. The floating globs in the large jar on the right are 2 chiles in a slightly salty pickle and the tall red on the left is 8 peeled tomatoes, plain.

Peppers are a real pain to peel when you only have an electric stove! I used the broiler setting, but it wasn't very effective. And removing the seeds after - BOY! The capsaicin cleared out my lungs and I coughed a bit.  Even under running water.

I had to get some jars, of course. And by the time I got them, the quarts were gone. Only pint and half jars left. Oh well. I didn't have that size. I wanted some jelly jars, too, but decided against them. Glad I did that.

Housework - well, quarterly cleaning, of course!
Had to do the floors and stove, tub and bathroom, and pick up all the flying cat hair. The mess of cat hair is enough to make even the most hardened cat lover (me) have allergic sinuses. I went through 2 emptyings of the vacuum. I have only the living room rug (5x8) and a small rug (3x4) in the bedroom. But when they sleep on the rugs, cat hair just naturally sticks to the rugs....

As for writing, I finished the book I was reading and I have all the information filed and ready to use.  So, I turned the book in at the library. I guess I'm ready to write and write and write.

I've found other ways to avoid writing - like some crochet projects and an online multiple-player game. Like I need that distraction!

Oh well! The book will get finished when it's ready, I guess. As long as I write a little every day, I'm getting closer to the goal of finished.

Venues- Looking for an Agent, Reading and Writing

There are more venues to submit work than ever these days. I found something called "authors.me" and submitted my project. I had to build a profile, then input the project. Then, I set it for "discovery" by agents.

I asked a friend and she said it was a giant slush pile for authors to submit to in hopes of finding an agent or publisher. I'm not sure how good those are. The agents and publishers have to take the active step of looking for projects, instead of sending a project targeted to the agent based on their genre and submission guidelines.

Then there's "agentquery.com," which helps to find an agent in your genre. I've been through that database a few times.  It's a good place to look and it's free. There's an option for a paid membership, but I use the free one.

And the next option is "querytracker.com" which is really helpful. After going through the agent query site, you find the agent on query tracker when you submit to them and you set a reminder for how long to wait till you move on. It's really helpful to keep me from submitting the same project to the same agent over and over again.

However, I DO have one agent I submit to every time I have a project. She's working in the same genres that I am. Actually, I found another one recently, so there are now two people who get a submission each time I have a project nearing completion.

That's the trick, don't submit an unfinished project.

I also found two of the three reviewers I need for this project. I still need another reviewer. I'm looking for a doctor in endocrinology or internal medicine who is willing to read it - and then make a comment for the book jacket. He or she must be respected in the field. Alternative medicine is OK. So, if you know of someone, send them here - I'll check for comments.

The next idea is to break out some of the content from the book and make it into articles for magazines and websites and publish them. Getting a publishing credential in the field is always a good thing when looking for an agent.

On the writing front itself, I've renamed the book. I may rename it again. I branched out into another section - I keep doing that....

I decided to check for articles on how alcoholism affects blood sugar and insulin resistance. Of course, there are only a few studies, but enough that I know I'm on the right track. The book may trigger some new studies being done, which would be a good thing.

We know that alcohol is metabolized as sugar. We also know that too much sugar builds into insulin resistance, which triggers the beginnings of pre-diabetes. So, I'm making a leap into that territory. I'm not sure how much of this I'll include, yet, but there will be a section on it.

On the reading front - I've found a new author I can't get enough of - Margaret Coel. She writes the way I wish I could. She built her world, found two unforgettable, very real characters, and they face challenges and interpersonal growth in each book. I love it!

Been Busy - Here's a list:

Wow! Been over a year since my last post. Sorry folks. School just takes a lot out of me, I guess....

What's been happening besides school?

• A good friend moved away to SC. 
• I moved twice, finally in a house I can stand. 
• Got a washer & dryer
• I'm thinking of moving again but if I do, I'll buy the place. 
• That means selling the house in Knoxville.
• Finally tackling the weight issue (again) 
• This time from the emotional angle instead of the food angle
• WRITING!!!  
• Put in over 21,000 words on the female agent vs gun runner story
• hit a wall
• Writing other stuff 
• grad school application essay
• blog posts
• updated e-portfolio for 2 semesters
• Taking summer classes
• grammar
• 4th semester French
• Working - BGCOP
• Health issues 
• Been healthy, but it takes work
• Cats are good
• Car needs work again
• what's new?
• SEO for one client
• Website for one, one still due
• Mentoring women in business
• monitoring cat posts on FB 
• lawncare at house
• yard cleanup @ Knoxville house
• career planning
• trust event occured in June (US Bank & Oakland County MI Probate Courts)
• Met many of my cousins!
• Let's not forget the "NO on Amendment 1" campaign run by some friends in E TN. 
• And political commentary never stops. 
• I really DO try to restrain myself. 

Whew!

Yeah, I've been busy. Still found time to enjoy music, a few movies and read about 15 novels....

If I ever figure out how to "be still" it will be God's doing.

Reading About Writing

The more I read about writing, the more my brain kicks in with these little flashes of stuff to write. Exercises, if you will. I get flashes of characters I want to draw in words, or places, or situations, or experiences.  It always happens when I have no paper in hand or way to catch it. So frustrating!

Politics, Schoolwork and Writing

OK, it's official. I'm over politics. I don't care whether it's for an elected official in the USA or the local dogcatcher. I don't care if it's for school, the coffeemaker at work, or any other office. I am SICK AND TIRED of it all. When it takes 12 people almost 30 minutes to agree on something, I just don't have time for it. I'm too busy and I'm too much of a control freak. There were five or more of us in the room with time in "service" and we each think we know how things should work. With all the other stuff on my plate, I'm stepping out.

It's not worth the aggravation, sitting in an uncomfortable chair, when all kinds of resentments can develop. I really do like the people, but I can't handle the control issues.
I prefer my life plain and simple, calm and quiet, and leave all the controversy, voting and arguing to those who can handle it. I'm done.  My serenity and sanity are too important to me.

Schoolwork is back in full force after my trip to ETSU. I have been reading and taking quizzes, posting in the discussion topics and otherwise just paying attention. I have a paper to write on Viet Nam, and I've got to get my head around that. I've also found a couple of areas to research/check/explore with my ETSU advisor. I've emailed her and she's now gone out of town, but it's all good.
 
School also presents opportunities for Undergrad Research. That is the women's history book. I have the title, the concept and some of the data, but I need lots more data. I need submissions. If you are a woman reading this, are willing to write your own and your mother's stories, I would love to hear from you. This is the data I need. It can be purely your own writing, but I have standards I need met for the book.  Otherwise, I can't use your story. It isn't that tough, but certain questions need answers and I need a signature giving me rights to use the stories in the book.

On to the next step of stuff... Writing.
I need more $$ coming in, so I'm going to finish one of my books-in-progress. I'll just dictate it into Dragon, edit the heck out of it (since Dragon & I are still working things out) and get the book out. This one is on the cat stuff I do. I haven't released more than the 12-page pdf report so far, but now I want to go into training methods and the personality traits of cats. This book will be for sale, so it will be listed at Amazon, too. I'll let you know when that's done.

Story is Completed!

YEA! I got the story done. I'm not completely satisfied with it, but it's done.

My deadlines are April 24, for the story version; and the screenplay version is due on May 3rd. Both are done. I finished it all last night, including figuring out "whodunit" and getting the article back to the original.

My characters could be stronger, there could be more plot complications, the character arcs could be better, but for a first time attempt, it's not bad at all. And it's certainly more than I ever could do before these classes.

I still have to do the "beat sheet" for the screenwriting class, but I re-did the logline/premise, since the original story was so reworked it no longer fit the old logline. And I'm not all that sure about the title.

But who cares! It's done!

I couldn't have done it without the classes, professors, and the most supportive writing environment I've ever known. This is not to say that all writing environments are hostile, but in my experience, editors can be notoriously critical. Are these efforts worthy of publication? In a small way, yes, but in the true sense of the word, I would never inflict this on a reading public. There are holes and incongruities all through it. One character is so weak and wimpy I'd sooner kick her butt than admit I wrote her that way. Things happen and she doesn't speak up or react at all. What a wimp! My villain is not evil enough, and my antagonist is supposed to be more evil but is only kind of evil. The whole thing has holes, like I said.

But to be able to write over 30 pages of fiction - ME! What a concept! What an accomplishment!

Perhaps, one day, I'll go back into this story and work it through. Maybe I'll take the characters and put them through their paces and make them "real" in my head. Maybe I'll fix the holes in the plot. And I have two other stories I wrote in my 20s that I'd like to put through this same process.

But for now, I'm walking away, glad to have made it this far. The sense of accomplishment is enough. The knowledge that I gave it all I had to give at the time is enough.

For now, I need to step away from school and clean the house, do laundry, and really scrub this place down. I have to clear out cat hair, cat puke, dust and body powder. I need to de-flea and deodorize the place. I need to open the windows and let light and air into the house. I need to work on my yard before the city does the lawn.

Yep, my life needs some attention, and I have a few weeks before summer school starts. I need the time.

And for now, I'm going to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment. I've done the work my teachers wanted me to do. I've completed the assignments. Both my classes were more of a "complete the projects" than getting test-as-you-go grades. Just turn in the work at the end of the semester for grades. So, I'm pretty much guaranteed a decent grade in these classes, which will help with GPA.

And I learned quite a bit. I'll be forever grateful to my professors. Edward Francisco has quite a few credits to his name, including publications and teaching. The other, Rob Lloyd, has a different list of credits to his name, in television news and gameshows, and scripts. Both are experts in the worlds they inhabit. To find these men at the junior college level is amazing!

Oxford and Gannett, both represented at Pellissippi. We are truly blessed.

Future Dreaming

I've always wanted to write Science Fiction. Maybe that sounds a little strange, but it's true. I guess the first time I read "Stranger From a Strange Land" I got hooked on sci-fi.

I was told early on, that if I wrote sci-fi, I would never be taken seriously as a writer - as a way to deter me from genre fiction. I guess that person thought the "Great American Novel" was the way to go. But you know, people who write the GAN never make a penny. I want the cash and the fans.

Later, I tried my hand at writing a fictional story, but the lead character took off with the story and wouldn't give it back. Only other writers will know what I mean. I need to learn character development a little better, I guess.

There are only so many plots to fiction. Something in the 200-area, I'm not sure how many exactly. There are colorations, minor plots, major plots, under plots, plots that turn back on themselves, and many manipulations of these plots... But there are only so many original plots, so many Universal Stories.

I picked a couple of these as a fan, until I got tired of them. You know, you read the same story over and over again, and you need something new. I read Robert Ludlum's books until I could just about tell the story for him. Robert Jordan and David Eddings use the same universal plot.

So, I know a little about writing, because I read a lot. And now, life has changed for me once again. The God of my limited understanding has moved me to a new place and time, and given me the opportunity to write stories of my own.

I'm in school. To keep the grants and not have to pay them back, I need to finish the semester, and get at least a "C" in all my classes. So, I plan to do that. Come next semester, I plan on taking my first serious writing class.

Hang the degrees I've been pursuing! I have a new plan. English major? I'm not planning on it. More like the "Interdepartmental Studies" degree that lets you pick the courses and concentration. I need anthropology, biology, chemistry, more sociology, and LOTS of writing classes. I need classes in character development (psychology for writers?), some cultural understanding and maybe more history. I've got some plot structure books coming from Amazon, so that I can actually get started.

Back in 1993, I got this hairbrained idea about Goddess Archetypes, and used them in some work I submitted for school. Then, I did some historical and archeological research (in papers, not the actual dirt) and got some facts laid out about early civilizations. Then, I took some words used in everyday speech and looked into their origin. I studied Latin, Greek, and Sumarian - all on my own. I studied global mythology using Joseph Campbell's works, since all myths and legends have some grains of truth in them. The Bible is another great source for myths and legends!

So, this is a labor of love, and has taken me many years. I have all the results of my research on a disk, one that my current computers can read. I plan to take all this research and use bits and pieces in several stories. Maybe even a multi-generational epic. We'll see what comes out.

So, if I don't post about writing again, it's because I'm busy doing it.

Been wanting to write, but can't seem to get there

I even had the screen up for about 3 hours while I ran around the other day. I just didn't have the time/energy/desire to actually sit down and write.

I talked with my friend who's husband passed. I shared, but not all of it. She isn't the problem, and doesn't need to bear all of this right now.

She suggested OA on Saturday, which is a really good idea for me. I need to get my diet back on track. I know what works, but I just can't seem to stick with it for an entire day. I get off kilter and eat whatever I see. I have all the right stuff in the house...

My housewarming went well. It was less well-attended than I'd hoped, but not bad. I had a chair or two available, and it was a nice visit with friends. That was the main thing, anyway. I really wanted friends to come visit.

In the apartment, nobody came over after the first time. The place was so bad - cramped, it felt like the place was closing in on you. It didn't smell, but the cat hair was pretty bad - I'd given up trying to keep it under control - I couldn't turn around or reach anything without moving something else.

I love the space here. I don't want any more furniture. I just want what I have to be organized. Yes, I need bookshelves. I need a baking station in the kitchen. So, yeah, I guess I still need some stuff, but it can't be that stuff comes in and nothing goes out. I have to "REPLACE" things - short book cases with tall ones - not just integrate tall ones and keep the short ones too. Although, more shelving is always a good idea for me...

I got my 4-drawer file cabinet, and I haven't even begun putting stuff in it. I guess I can start that project. The sewing room is still a mess, and until it's organized, I can't sew. I guess some shelving for there is a good idea, too. (sigh)

Maybe I'll just have to keep adding bookshelves and storage until it's all put away and looks clean.