A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal!

26 Days of Gratitude

Since this is my very first A to Z Challenge, I wanted to do something that encompasses who I am and helps you get to know me a little bit better. 

There are so many things I'm grateful for and I'm excited to take you on a journey through some of the things that have been meaningful in my life, whether they be people, places, or events of my past. 

There will be a few serious posts, but the main thing is that we will have fun! 

You might even come away looking at aspects of your life a little differently. Can't appreciate the overflowing basket of laundry? Well, I can't make any promises, but maybe even THAT won't seem like such a chore!

Hope you'll stop by April 1st - April 30th to check out my posts. You won't be disappointed!

**For those of you new to the A to Z Challenge, this is a commitment to post every day in April (with the exception of Sundays), each day beginning with a letter of the alphabet going in ABC order. I hear people get awfully creative with their themes, so make sure you check out others in this awesome challenge. You can find the linky list HERE.

Also, it's not too late to sign up if you want to get in on all the fun! Go HERE to sign up. But hurry, you don't want to miss out!

Did you sign up to do A to Z this year? Did you choose a theme? 

A New Project & Inspiring Stories Contest

Remember how I mentioned I haven't written anything since before Christmas (other than my blog, which I guess is a pretty big feat in and of itself)?

Well, over the weekend, I pulled out an OLD manuscript, my very first attempt at writing a novel. I never finished it, but knew someday I would return to it.

As I read through it, fixing my most common mistakes, I realized how far I've come since I first sat down to start that novel over five years ago. I also realized how far I still need to go to improve my craft. But, that comes with time and experience, right?

So, I'm super excited to start a "new" project. To get back into the writing mode. And the best part? I'm not starting from scratch. This manuscript has potential, but it needs to be molded into something better. I can't wait to see how it turns out!!

Now, onto an IMPORTANT reminder!!

Don't forget about Unicorn Bell's Inspiring Stories Contest! In case you haven't heard about it yet, I'll repost all the details. Hope to hear YOUR story soon! :)

Send your Inspiring Story to unicornbellsubmissions@gmail.com before March 24th.

Enter the contest for a chance to have YOUR story chosen to be the featured story on the Real Imprints website! Also, the winner of the contest will receive a $10 Amazon gift card!!


Things to know:

*Please submit real life stories, an experience that happened to you or someone you know.

*Stories should inspire, uplift, or encourage, and can be as simple as an act of kindness or as life-changing as an unexpected tragedy or triumph.

*All stories will be posted on the UB website with your name unless otherwise specified.

*Stories should be as concise as possible while still giving enough background information and detail. I'd rather not post a word limit, but I would think 1,000 words (give or take) would be sufficient.

*The Real Imprints team will comment and choose a story to be featured on their website with a link to your blog (if you have one). The writer of the chosen story will receive a $10 Amazon gift card.

*After the contest ALL stories will be submitted to Real Imprints with the possibility of being posted on their website in the future.

*Please spread the word via blogs, Facebook, Twitter, email, homemade megaphones...(Sorry, got a little carried away!) Anyhoo, you get my drift.

Any questions?

If not, then you better get writing! Can't wait to hear YOUR story!!

So, tell me, do you have a new project you're working on? Are you going to enter a story for the Inspiring Stories Contest? You know you want to...

The Naked Truth

It's hard to get an agent.

And if you're gonna try, you need to have thick skin. No, I'm talking about super tough, rhinoceros hide type skin.

You'll get lots of rejections. You may even begin to wonder if your work is any good. You may lose self-confidence. You may even shed a few tears.

But, not to worry. There is hope.

At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

A year ago when I sat down to "finish" my manuscript, I had no idea what was in store. As I wrote that last line of my novel and triumph surged through my veins, I had visions of success running through my head. When I wrote my query (let me back up, first I had to figure out what a query WAS), I was giddy and nervous with excitement. My book was awesome. Who wouldn't want to read it?

Then reality set in. Apparently my book wasn't as unique as I first thought. Apparently, not EVERY agent is dying to get their hands on it. No, I might not be the female version of Nicholas Sparks (that one is still debatable).

As the rejections keep coming from agents, I take a small moment to be disappointed, but then I feel a glimmer of hope. I WILL get this book published. I want it so bad I can taste it. This novel is a creation of my heart and soul, with pieces of myself poured into the pages. I want to share it with others. I feel almost an urgency to get it out there. I ask myself, "what's the rush?" I don't know. But I do feel anxious as I play the waiting game.

There are other options, right? I don't HAVE to get an agent to have this novel published. But, it would be a dream. To have someone recognize my work as worthy of representation. As worthy of their time and skills. To have someone take a chance on me.

Courtesy of Spiritofpurpose.com

And then I wonder, should I set this manuscript aside, polish the third one, and start querying with that one? Maybe the smart, sassy character is the one who will have more success at getting an agent's attention.

Or I could go the small pub route, or even self-pub.

Choices, choices. Too many choices. 

What about you? Have you had to make some HARD choices? What did you decide?

Good, Better, and Best

In keeping with my IWSG post from last week about finding balance, I realized something about myself. I sometimes beat myself up about the kind of mother I am versus the type of mother I want to be. Especially in the last few months with the recent shift in my focus. What was once 24 hour access to mom has become mom needs time to write as well as be a mom.

The house isn't perfect.

The laundry isn't always done.

I don't take my kids to the park like I used to.

I don't play games with them as much as I'd like.

I could easily list all the things I'm NOT doing, but then I realized something. No matter what I may be doing WRONG, there is one thing I'm doing RIGHT.

I am always here.

When they get home from school, I am here.

When they need a snack, I am here.

When they need help with their homework, I am here.

When they have a meltdown because life is too overwhelming, I am here.

When they need help with a new piano piece, I am here.

If they need encouragement, a hug, a talk, a reminder, a boo-boo kisser, or even a time-out, I am here.

In the end, isn't that all that REALLY matters?

IWSG--Finding Balance

Since this is my first post as a new member of IWSG, I thought I should share with you something that has been plaguing my mind lately.

Balance.

How to find balance with this recent shift in my focus. It used to be that I was a mom 24/7. I'm still a mom, but I also have to fit in time for writing, reading, blogging, critiquing, etc. Oh, and did I mention revising, querying, and keeping up with social media? Are there enough hours in the day to fit all this in? I feel as though I'm on overdrive.

My head barely hits the pillow each night before I'm shooting out of bed to make breakfast, fix lunches, and usher kids out the door to school the next morning. By the time I get all the kids to their various destinations, I have a couple hours with an active two-year-old at home before I start the pick-up/carpool process. My car could auto-pilot its way to my children's schools because we travel there so much. In fact, many times I drive the entire way to pick them up from school in a trance-like state and am surprised to find myself pulling up into the carpool line. How did I get here?

But sorry, I digress.

There simply aren't enough hours in the day. I haven't written anything since before Christmas and I feel as though my creativity well is drying up. I need to write. No, seriously. I NEED to write.

So I ask myself. Is there anything I can remove from my day? The amount of time I exercise? Nope, already nonexistent. Food? Do we have to eat everyday? If we didn't, I could shave off several hours in preparing, feeding, and cleaning up meals. And think of the dishes... no dirty dishes! Not practical? But it would be so nice...

I think blogging has put me over the edge. I see the need to connect with other writers and it has been AMAZING these past couple months as I've "met" so many other inspiring writers and authors. BUT, I feel as though any extra time I have is spent blogging instead of writing.

Anyways, I'm in need of finding the right balance.

Do you have any suggestions on how I can do this? All you mothers/writers/bloggers out there, how do you balance it all?

Be sure to check out the others in IWSG here.

Gratitude Blog Hop

I'm so glad Sheri Larsen decided to do this Gratitude Blog Hop. After watching the video on her blog, I realized that for the most part, I'm a fairly happy and thankful person. The only part I struggle with is the exercise part--that comes in waves of commitment, but I do agree wholeheartedly that exercise is good for a happy soul.

Photo courtesy of Tristarkarate.com

I recently heard a story about a woman who decided to count the number of negative thoughts she had in a day. She'd heard a statistic that the average person thinks 1,000 negative thoughts a day and she was convinced that couldn't possibly be true. She bought herself a clicker and put this statistic to the test. In that first day, she clicked so many times that she became depressed and in a serious funk. Every time one of her kids spilled their drink, made a mess, or cried over a toy, she had a negative thought/reaction. Over the next couple of days she decided she needed to make a change. She began to click all the positive things she noticed and the positive thoughts she had. Amazingly enough, this change in her thought process caused a change in her attitude, in her reactions to her children, and the general mood in her home. Positive, happy thoughts do lead to a happier, more positive person!

So, in keeping with the Gratitude spirit, I feel I must share with you those things I am most grateful for.

I am grateful for my family. Even though they leave me piles of laundry and sinks full of dirty dishes, I can't imagine my life without them. I'm even thankful for all the chaos that comes with having five extremely loud and incredibly active boys, because without the chaos, all I'd have is a quiet, lonely house.

I'm grateful for my husband's job. Even though he works long hours at times, I'm thankful he is able to support our family so I can stay home, raise our children, and pursue my own dreams and aspirations.

I'm grateful for imagination, inspiration, creativity, art, and books.

I'm grateful for humor, smiles, and kind hearted people.

I'm grateful for beautiful sunsets that cause the world to stand still for a small moment.

I'm grateful for the sound of the ocean, the calming influence of the ebb and flow of the tide.

I'm grateful for music. I think the world would be a very dull place without it.

I'm grateful for knowledge and truth, and my own journey to find knowledge and truth (in a religious sense).

Lastly, I'm thankful for the stories that fill my mind. That beg to be told. For the characters who rattle around in my brain and fill me with thoughts and emotions. But most of all, I'm thankful to be a WRITER.

You can find all the others in this awesome Blog Hop HERE.

So, tell me, are you a positive person? How happy are you on a daily basis? What are you grateful for?                                                                                                                

Music For the Soul

I love music.

I love that when I listen to a song it can take me back twenty years to when I was a geeky, braces-wearing, freckle-faced teenage girl. I can envision myself laying on my blue and white coverlet listening to my boom box or reading a book on a hot summer day while the world sweats outside.

Then I hear another song and it reminds me of my first boyfriend, or my first dance, or sometimes my first kiss. There are some songs with memories attached that I don't want to be reminded of, then there are others that I want to put on repeat and play for hours.

It's interesting though. As much as I love music and music is a part of my life, I came to a surprising realization as I sat down to write this post. My husband and I don't have "a song." Sure, we have a song we danced to at our wedding, but it was never "our song". It was just a song I picked because I liked the words and thought they were appropriate for how I was feeling towards my soon-to-be husband. But alas, there is no such thing as "our song". Kind of makes me sad, especially since I have "a song" for every other boy I've ever dated. I think I'll have to remedy that!

One thing I've found as a writer is the incredible impact music has on the scene I'm writing. Therefore, I choose songs to listen to that will mirror my characters thoughts and feelings. As I wrote my first novel Letting Go, I had a playlist I listened to repeatedly. There was one song in particular that seemed to mirror Giselle's pain at the loss of her husband. Even now when I hear this song, it has the power to give me chills and bring tears to my eyes. Any of you who have been one of my beta readers will know why.

About a year ago, my love for music reached new heights when I discovered that I had a knack for composing songs. I've always played the piano, and in the past I'd written lyrics to songs that were more like poems to me. In my mind, that's all a song really is, poetry set to music. But one day, I took one of these "songs" I had written and I sat down at the piano, curious to see what would happen if I tried to put it to music. I was shocked to find my fingers fly over the ivory keys, and they were actually making music! Some parts came easier than others, and afraid I'd forget, I began recording what I would play on the Voice Memo part of my phone. Somehow that seemed to work for me. I wrote that first song in a day and have since written several others. Unfortunately, right now they are all in my head (or on my Voice Memos) but I hope someday to put them on paper.

There is nothing more fulfilling than to sit at the piano and play a piece you've written. The music resonates long after the last note has been played. But then again, that is the way with music, your soul still hears it and recalls the memories associated with it no matter the passage of time.

Do you love music as much as I do? What is your favorite song? If you're a writer, do you write to music, and if so, what's your playlist like?