Wednesday's Word: Time

I feel bad. I haven't had time to hop to everyone's site participating in the Awesome August blog hop and it ends today. But I would like to thank everyone who took the time to visit mine. TIME!!! Out of everything on this earth, that is the thing that I covet more than anything. I see my aging mother-in-law who wastes away in front of the TV or her picture puzzles with too much time on her hands. I wish I could borrow some from her. (So much so, that it has inspired my next novel, which unfortunately is at least a year away before I can start, because--you guessed it--I don't have time for it right now). I feel like I am making efficient use of my time--I rarely, rarely watch TV and I always bring a book with me anywhere or time I have to wait in line or something like that--but I still want more. Perhaps it's because I want to accomplish too many things. Is that bad?  Should a person cut back on their dreams simply because there is apparently not enough time to acheive them?

TIME
is a treasured thing;
there is never enough
to accomplish my dream,
and do all my stuff.
to fix and to find
and share with another.
But it's part of the grind
of being a mother.

Awesome August Bloghop

Thanks for hoping over to my blog. With the end of summer and onset of autumn just around the corner, I'm hoping this bloghop will jumpstart my sleepy blog and wake it up for the exciting fall that lies ahead. As part of this bloghop, I'm giving away a  . . . you guessed it. Big surprise--a set of puppets. A girl and boy Petite Performer puppet with a set of public helper props. They are great for mini performances by little hands, or just for hours of creative play.

All you have to do to win is to become a follower of my blog (if you aren't already), and leave a comment on my blog. If your e-mail isn't available through your profile, I'll need you to leave that, too - I can't tell you if you've won if I can't contact you!

Happy bloghopping

Wednesday's Word: Health

With my husband's new job came a new health care company.  My husband told me that if I were to lose 10 pounds it would be worth $600 (savings on our insurance for good health, including an acceptable BMI). So the past few weeks I've been working hard and shed the pounds. But more important than the $600 I gained, is the way I feel. I feel great. I can't wait to go walking in the morning, rather than having to drag myself out there.

I basically know how to eat and exercise, etc., to maintain my health. I think we all do. But it is  so easy to slip off track, succumb to the dark side (refined foods and sedentary lifestyle). My weakness is potato chips. What's yours?

Good health is more valuable than rubies and gold,
yet it can not be be purchased,
nor can it be sold.
It must be created all by one's self,
and once its obtained
it can't be placed on a shelf.
It must be worked at until one's dying day.
And if one's vigilant
that milestone may be pushed far, far away.

Wednesday Word: School

With my youngest daughter starting high school next week, it brings back memories of my high school days. I loved high school, but I know many of my classmates hated it. I think it boils down to the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. Novel concept, huh.
One of my favorite memories of high school was being on the newspaper staff. My senior year I had my own column: Carolyn's Corner. It gave me a chance to rant about things I found unfair and insipid, etc. I rememer it was fun to write. What was your favorite memory from high school?

                                                  (my school: Payson High)

School
as a rule
could be kind of cruel,
especially to those
who chose
to play the class fool.
But to those who worked hard,
went the extra yard
with assignment on time
and work that was fine,
they found school was fun,
and was sad when they were done.

Author Event you don't want to miss

Hey, all, one of my good writing friends is hosting an awesome event to celebrate the release of her new book, Dearly Departed, a fun murder mystery. If you live in Utah and can manage to make it to Orem tomorrow, you should be in for a great time. Here are the details:
When: Saturday, August 13th, 12 – 4 pm

Where: Pioneer Book, 858 S. State, Orem

Prizes, games, Dutch oven cobbler (first come, first served)

Authors Tristi Pinkston, Nichole Giles, Heather Justesen,

Cindy Hogan, and J. Lloyd Morgan

Wednesday's Word: Writing

I have a hard time reading poorly written books. Years ago they didn't seem to bother me. Before I learned to write I didn't recognize mistakes the authors made in their writing. If the story was good, I kept reading. But some books almost sang to me. I gobbled them up and after I finished them I kept thinking about them. But I could never put my finger on the reason why I liked those particular books more than some other ho-hum book that I had read. Now I realize the reason why some books stood out while others were just okay. It was the quality of the writing and a proper use of story structure. My opinion on following rules as a new writer is that it is important, just like following a recipe in cooking. True, in cooking I take a lot of creative liberties, but I know there are certain basics that must be followed to make a cake rise, or the combination of complementary seasonings to make savory dish delicious. And if I break basic rules, only the odd palate here and there may be able to enjoy my dish, but the majority of eaters won't enjoy it. So it is with writing.

Writing is

no more the filling of paper with ink

than art is

the painting of a canvas with pink.

A true artist can transport you into a scene,

not by mere use of a blue or a green.

but by incorporation of things unseen.

Up close, each stroke of the brush

appears untamed,

spreading its colors

by rules unnamed.

But take a step back

and partake of a feast

prepared by a multitude of strokes,

none mattering more or less than the least.

But creating order

out of chaos

upon that canvas of white,

took attention

to rules

to create such a sight.

So it is with putting words on a page.

It’s more than reciting

the wisdom

of a learned old sage,

or placing a comma or an adverb in the right place,

or separating a point of view with a quadruple space.

It’s learning all the rules,

so a vision you’ll see

of what your written art

has the potential to be.

And then as the words flow from your pen
You’ll create a piece that will please all men. (and women)

Wednesday's Word: Choice

As I look back on the four novels I have written thus far, everyone of them had a common thread that ran through them; that of choice. My fifth book too contains that thread. I didn't do this intentionally, but the fact that my passion to be able to choose for myself has obviously worked its way into my writing. In my current work in progress, Bonded, the M.C is a slave girl who makes her own choices, despite the oppression she is subject to. In a sense, she is more free than the society that enslaves her. They have made poor choices for the last hundred years. Those choices have led their society into dysfunctional state where they are enslaved to their gluttony, gambling, and laziness.
Bonded is a dystopic YA novel, but many elements are not that far removed from today's society. The ability to make good choices, and allow all men the same privilege, is essential to a healthy society. As our government grows bigger and bigger, and makes more  and more choices for its citizens rather than letting individuals make their own choices, the closer I feel we come to having our own dystopic society--right here, right now, in the daily news rather than in a science fiction novel. It's scary.

Only you
can choose
who or what you'll be.
Others
may try
to rule and remove
elements that make you free.
But it's you
who'll decide
to fight,
or let things slide,
to do good
and to love,
or to hate
or to shove.
Your choices define you.
So make them well
and to them be true.