Day Whatever #2

Tuesday, June 28, 2011. . .
THE WRITING. . .Last night I visited the Christian Writers Group in Aledo, and had a wonderful time meeting more writers, learning about their lives and writing endeavors and exploring the world of fiction.
           Several lifetimes ago I taught at the middle school in this town tucked away in the middle of farmland; a former student actually attended the meeting. =) Too fun.
THE DETAILS. . .Red Letter Day in Moline, Illinois!  My Daughter and President Obama arrive!  =)

Moooo. . .

Day Whatever

Monday, June 27, 2011
THE WRITING. . .My lovely wise editor has emailed the manuscript back to me with suggestions and corrections.  :)  For me this is the final leg of the journey. On one hand I am itching to get at it, on the other I know it's not possible to fit it in just yet. Those DETAILS of life crowd the day and energy.
THE DETAILS. . .Writing from Moline, Illinois. . .it's green, humid, overcast, fragrant, and green.  Very, very green. =) Those birds I've been missing in California sing me awake here, their summer home. A noisy cardinal joins in later in the day.
My eyes feast on and I drink in the scent of The Sycamore Tree in my childhood backyard. It's huge now, absolutely enormous, probably as old as I am. It was already a good size when we moved in 52 years ago. Mom still rakes the giant leaves and picks up the sticks the rainstorm winds knock from it.

Yesterday's highlight...

Aren't these ladies beautiful?  =)  And yes, I was this close to them.  Snort, snort.

In between times

THE WRITING. . .My editor works on Heart Echoes and will email it soon for my input to her input, which will be my FINAL tweaking. It's comforting to know the work is in good hands, that it is not mine alone, that wonderful women have my back.  =)
I write this from Davenport, Iowa, where I am sharing with others in a workshop how I go about writing a novel.  I'm smushing these past 240+ days into three sessions, trying to make sense for them of an insensible process that I've been following, more or less, since 1996.
I adore connecting with other fiction writers.

THE DETAILS. . .Kids in town. . .Belated birthday celebration with us all together, brunch at home and an unbelievable gift from them and My Guy -- a book of photos from throughout the years and essays by each one, even the little girls, tributes that still have me speechless  . . .Packing. . .Traveling. . .

San Diego Old Town, with youngest Grand, Son, Daughter, and My Guy.

Days 264 - 267

Saturday – Tuesday, June 4 – 7, 2011. . .

            THE WRITING. . .Online writer friend posted an interview she did with me and her review of Desert Gift (very nice, very well-done) on her website. Thanks, DP! 

Check things out at:  http://www.deborahmpiccurelli.com/whatsnew.php

            Totally absorbed in the workshop plans. Used up all writing-related energy; blog has gone by the wayside.  =)  Tied everything together on Tuesday. Yay.

            THE DETAILS. . .Yay because it’s summertime and the kiddos are coming soon, all six of them! Not all at the same time, but they’ll intersect at some point. Much to do, like shovel out my office (didn’t I just do this after turning in Heart Echoes??) and revert it to a guest room.

My Guy and I caught a terrifically fun movie, Midnight in Paris. It was so creative, so imaginative, I can’t begin to describe it. Of course I adored the topics of writers and Paris. 

Day 263

Friday, June 3, 2011. . .

            THE WRITING. . .And another “yesterday continued.” It’s a trip, reading through notes and resource books – some I’ve used for ten years – and the wealth of information accumulated while writing eighteen novels plus the first two that were not published. So much to share that was shared with me by authors. Much gratitude for my experience. . .

            THE DETAILS. . .Ended the day reading with My Guy at the beach; clouds rolled in but sweatshirt, two jackets, hood, and gloves kept me comfy enough to stay in a very interesting novel about a Special Forces guy, his Catholic-Islamic mother (now there’s a fresh character), a kidnapping, and life in Pakistan and war in Afghanistan. Whew. Talk about a whole lot going on.

            Happy Birthday to my Iowa Brother!  =)

Day 262

Day 262

Thursday, June 2, 2011. . .

            THE WRITING. . .Yesterday continued.  =)

            THE DETAILS. . .Eye exam, new glasses, soooo nice to see clearly again. Farmers market, bike ride, Home Group. 

Day 261

Wednesday, June 1, 2011. . .

            THE WRITING. . .Fun e-book news from the publisher: Amazon.com chose Ransomed Dreams to be part of their summer promotion. From now until June 15^th, the Kindle edition is available for 99 cents!! Wow!

            Lost myself in my trove of writing notes. Such bliss!  =)  And hard work. I haven’t taught a workshop in a while; putting things in order was a necessity. Read, printed, and moved files from the Backup place into the easier-to-get-at place in Mac.

            Interesting that I still basically follow the same process that I did ten years ago. I’ve had great teachers, some in person, some in books.

            THE DETAILS. . .Three separate thoughts about life’s daily-ness have coalesced. Together they make for a lovely rhythm to the day:

            1. From a card with a sparkly pig wearing funny headgear ~ “Do something silly every day.”

            2. From a customer behind me in Starbucks as I hurriedly put my wallet back in my purse and picked up my bag of beans ~ “Slow down, honey. Nothing is that important.” And yes, she spoke with an engaging Southern lilt that perfectly fit her admonition.

            3. From the monk Thomas Merton (A Book of Hours, page 136, Psalm Prayer) ~

“There should be at least a room, or some corner where no one will find you and disturb you or notice you. You should be able to untether yourself from the world and set yourself free, loosing all the fine strings and strands of tension that bind you, by sight, by sound, by thought, to the presence of other men.

“‘But thou, when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to they Father in secret…’

“Once you have found such a place, be content with it, and do not be disturbed if a good reason takes you out of it. Love it, and return to it as soon as you can, and do not be quick to change it for another.”

Amen. Do something silly. Slow down. Sit with the Holy One.

Day 260

Tuesday, May 31, 2011. . .

            THE WRITING. . .I received a letter from a reader in Canada via the old-fashioned way: handwritten on paper and delivered to my mailbox out front. (She sent it to a publisher who sent it to my agency who sent it to me, so it took a month to arrive…) She also included a word search puzzle that she created from words used in A Time to Gather. How creative is that!

            I cleared my desk, not in an orderly fashion but as in I picked up the piles (mainly notes to myself, mail, books, files) and put them on the floor. I’ll deal with them later. Gotta have a clear space now to put together lesson plans.

The thing I love most after writing is talking about writing, so this is an enjoyable project. =) A reason I first began the blog was to watch myself write a book. Looking back, I realize it’s no different than it’s ever been, not really. But some nuances have come out, things to incorporate into what I’ve shared before about the novel writing process.

            THE DETAILS. . .Haircut. Bike ride.