Glory Be to The Father . . .

I love this painting, don’t you? It hung in my mother’s dining room for many, many years and is a precious memory. The painting went to my sister when Mom passed away. Then, about three years ago, I found a print online–don’t remember where, now–and I bought it for my breakfast nook, where it now hangs. It says so much!

Remember, in the Book of Matthew, Chapter 6, the disciples asked Jesus how they should pray? Of course His response is known the world over.

Matthew 6:9-13, King James Version (KJV)

⁹ “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

¹⁰ Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.

¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

♥ ♥ ♥

When reading my morning devotions, I often like to compare verses in different translations, so earlier today, I checked The Message for this verse.

Matthew 6:9-13, The Message (MSG)

^7-13 “The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.”

Hanging Up My Keys

This post is personal. Read it, or not. I just needed to get this out of my system and let the issue go, finally, to rest in peace.

My car keys, that is . . . my last link to independence.

Sigh.

Surrendering that independence is hard. Very hard. But my eyes are letting me down, little by little.

When I left Nevada in November 2012, I still had a valid driver’s license, but it was due for renewal in January.

So, after settling down back in Wisconsin, I applied for a WI driver’s license . . . and failed the vision test. Of course, it would have happened in Vegas, as well.

My home is situated outside the city limits, on a dirt road. There’s a supermarket about seven blocks away which is accessible from a back road without having to go out on the highway, so I’ve been taking myself shopping . . . unlicensed and uninsured . . . until just recently.

Over these past three years, my eyesight has been getting progressively worse. Even when riding as a passenger, I can no longer read highway and street signs until I’m right up on them.

I can no longer gauge the speed of an oncoming car, nor can I tell how far away they are.

At a stop sign or street light, cars crossing in front of me appear truncated, as if they’ve been cut in half.

My depth perception is totally shot. I am no longer sure where the front of the car is, nor its width when I try to park.

I have autoimmune issues, and my eyes are paying the price. So it’s time to hang up my keys. It irks me, even angers me, to have to depend on someone else to take me where I need to go. But I will not put myself—or anyone else—at risk.

Will I be able to keep writing? For now, yes, thanks to a 23” desktop computer—which is now over four years old—and God’s plan’s for me as a writer from this point forward.

If you’ve stuck with me through this, thanks for your kind attention. Understand…this is not a ‘pity party.’  It’s just facing reality. It is what it is, and God is in control.

Billy Graham Quotes

[caption id="attachment_2488" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Rev, Dr. Billy Graham[/caption]

His face and his name is known, recognized, and revered the world around.

The Billy Graham Crusades have reached untold millions around the globe, and drawn uncounted thousands to knowledge of the Lord and led them to Salvation.

I tried to catch every televised crusade from as long as I can remember, and have been blessed each time by the featured music, but most of all his message.

I thought I'd take advantage of this blog, and the opportuinity it affords, to post some of Billy's quotes on LIFE:

~~~

 "Every journey has a starting point  . . . and it has an end. God meant for  [life] to be filled with hoy and purpose. He invites us to  . . . make the rest of the journey with Him."

~~~

"There comes a moment when we all must realize that life is short, and in the end the only thing that really matters is not how others see us, but how God sees us."

~~~

"A century ago man's chief concern was his spiritual life; today his chief concern is with his physical and temporal affairs."

~~~

"The one who made the Ford knew how to make it run. God made you and me, and He alone knows how to run your life and mine. We could make a complete wreck of our lives without Christ."

~~~

The legacy we leave is not just in our possesions, but in the qulaity of our lives.

~~~

♦Your comments are coveted. Please take some tome to think about these and share your thoughts in the comments section below. Thanks.♦

Up To My Old Tricks Again

Notice anything different?

One of the crosses I bear, if you want to call it that, is that I’m a perfectionist. That fact wreaks havoc with my writing, for one thing. It  is nearly impossible for me to sit at my computer facing a blank page . . .

Wait, let me back up. I’m what’s called a seat-of-the-pants writer. I have an idea for a story, a setting–sometimes–and usually my main character. Maybe a vague idea of a plot of some sort, and that’s about it. So when I set out to write, every word, every twist, every new character that enters the scene, is a surprise to me. It’s kind of fun, but not necessarily a good thing.The perfectionist thing comes into play when I have to stop and search for the right word, the right description, am I telling or showing, and all that inhibits my forward progress.

I’ll settle for the okay word or phrase, and try to move on, but . . .

I’m the same way with almost everything I do. Rearranging furniture. Rearranging my files. Rearranging my cupboards. I’m sure you get the picture.

Which brings me to this blog site and design. The blog title itself dictates the theme overall design. Over the past several years I’ve played around with numerous different headers, all with a purple image of some sort. I like them at first, then grow tired of them or decide they’re not quite right, and go on a search for something better.

That’s what happened yesterday. Hence, the header image that now greets you. The WordPress Theme I’m using calls for a header of 940x198 pixels. When I’d find an image I liked, I usually had to either crop it or resize it–or both–resulting in something less than satisfactory. But I settled. I felt guilty spending so much time on such a superfluous thing. Or so I told myself.

But this time, somehow, was different. Determined to find what, to me, was the perfect image, I spend several hours browsing the Internet in the WordPress images world until . . . I saw what you see above. The candles and purple-centered daisies whispered peace to me. My shoulders relaxed, and my heart said . . . Home.

For a refresher, below are the last few headers I’ve used. I hope, when you compare them to this new one, you’ll agree with me.

   

(Click on the images for a larger view.)

Think about it. Blog title: Whispers in Purple. Tag line: Keep listening for that still small voice if you are weary on life’s road; The Lord will make your heart rejoice if you will let him take your load.

Share your thoughts with me.

Thank you.

No Title Necessary

♥

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Join the conversation…

What’s in a Name? Part I

“That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.”

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Romeo and Juliet (II.ii.43-44)

In the seemingly never-ending process of cleaning out old files, I came across and old article, with the same title, I wrote for Northwest Christian Author, a publication of the Northwestern Christian Writers Association which appeared in their 2001 November/December issue.

Of course, there my cleaning-out venture came to a halt as I read through it again, after almost 14 years.

I’ve updated the article a great deal and, with your indulgence, I’m sharing it here. Of course I had to find a purple rose!

Shakespeare had it right. But, suppose you’d never seen or heard of a rose, or smelled its heady fragrance, and someone pointed to it a said it was Skunk Cabbage, or Stinkweed. Would you be willing to bury your nose into its petals and discover that intoxicating scent?

Names are important, not only in naming babies , but giving our story characters the right name is extremely important. We have to get the right one to make them believable. And the name must match our characters' basic makeup, behaviors, personalities characteristics, and so forth.

Character naming is a craft by itself. For example, you want to portray an honest person? Frank or Mary Candhor. Clever? Wiley. Courageous? Daniel Lyons. Insightful? Hawkeye Pierce. <Grin>

Choose a name with the right sound. Say it aloud. Many times the way a name strikes the ear will be a better choice than its meaning. Take Bond and Scaramanga. Any doubt as to who’s the bad guy? Next, make sure the name is easy to pronounce out loud. Some readers will just skim over a name like Pryzloskivitch, but others–like me–want to know how to say it. Yes, I’m aware there a many differing opinions on this. That’s just my opinion. And there are exceptions. Ethnic names, for example. You have to be true to your story and setting. In that case, you might want to find a way, perhaps through dialog, to let the reader ‘see’ how it’s pronounced. Then again, if you’re writing War and Peace, or Dr. Zhivago, unpronounceable names come with the character of the story. I’ve read both and I had to take the time to study the gender nomenclature.

As a writer, the task of naming the ‘child’ you have created is far more laborious than it would be for the ‘normal’ parent.

I’ve devoted a lot of time in studying names, their meanings, and am almost obsessive in naming my characters.

Come back next week, Wednesday, for more on this naming game.

Now, I have a question for you–IF you’re a writer . . . how do YOU go about naming YOUR characters? C’mon, join the conversation!

TWEETABLES: [bctt tweet="As a #writer, how do you choose the names of your characters? Join the #conversation, click the link. Looking forward to your answers."]

Afterthoughts

Have you ever had a head-thwack moment…or two…or three?

According to the Briggs-Myers test, I am 80% Introvert. (True) That means I do not think well on my feet. Definitely not quick-on-the draw. By that I mean—well, let me explain.

Last night I was guest on a blogtalk radio show, totally extemporaneous. No idea what to expect, and I was a little nervous. No, make that a LOT. This was new territory for me.

Anyway, it turned out to be an interview. I should have expected that. Anticipated that’s what it would be. The host (one of my publishers) asked me about my writing, we talked about my books and the like. Then he asked about a blog post I’d written for their blog. I shared part of it on my own blog: Where do Writers Get Their Ideas? with a link to the complete blog post. If you read it you may be able to understand what happened next.

The whole blog post centered on my people-watching experiences while I lived in Las Vegas where I lived for 33 years. In the interview, I failed to explain how I ended up in Vegas.

Head-thwack #1: I didn’t mention that it was due to a divorce and a longing for warmer, dryer climes.

Head-thwack #2: I failed to mention that at the time of the divorce my three kids were young adults and stayed in Wisconsin.

In my blog article, I mentioned a funny incident one day that involved a red Jaguar with vanity plates that read WAS*HIS that made me laugh out loud, and the fun I had pondering the story behind it.

Head-thwack #3: But did I mention that I used that red Jag in my first indie book? Of course not.

Okay, so we talked a bit more and then he asked me if I watched football. I said yes, that my husband was a fanatical Dallas Cowboys fan,

#4: but I failed to explain that my husband was from Texas. I said that I’d turned ‘traitor’ now that I’m back in Wisconsin after 33 years in Vegas, and am now a Green Bay Packers Cheese-head.

#5: I didn’t say that my husband had passed away and that was why I was back in Wisconsin after those 33 years away and that I was finally living near my kids, grand’s and great-grand’s.

And #6: I closed with a colossal, stupid comment that 33 years is a long time to be away from family. Thinking about all those things I HAD NOT mentioned, when the call ended, the poor man’s head had to have been whirling.

The moral of my sad tale? BE PREPARED…for anything! Or, if you’re an 80% introvert, stay away from telephone interviews!

November 28, 1997

This picture was taken on one of his many business trips. Some of you will recognize the setting. Click to enlarge and you’ll see the date and time. And all that time we thought he was working!

Early in 1997 I was working on building a website in tribute to my parents, trying to collect stories and anecdotes from them. I asked Dad if he would be willing to send me an abbreviated–mostly because of space limitations at the time—autobiography for me to use.

Before I go any further, I want you to know that I loved my daddy. More than that, I adored him. He was my ultimate hero right up to the day he left these earthly bonds. We had a very close father/daughter relationship down through the years, and I am a lot like him in many ways.

 

Okay, back to Daddy’s autobiography. Below is what he emailed me on the date above:

Dear Peggy,

Preparing an abbreviated autobiography is pretty difficult! I tried to put together some highlights in a condensed form. Since my memory and dates are fallible, I asked Mom to look at my draft and she wants to expand it!

So my purpose is to give you a background from which to extract whatever you want to condense further. The dates are as accurate as Mom can supply.

We were married while I was in Graduate School at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, after going together for several while in college at Oneonta, NY. A year and a half without Alta was long enough, so we became one in Corning, NY just two days after Christmas in 1937.

On January 18, 1939, Peggy was born at Northville, NY…the same home and place where I was born on July 6, 1914.

[With a Master’s Degree in Chemistry] My first job was with American Cyanamid Chemical Company in Stamford, CT, where we built our first home at 145 Ridge Park Avenue.

In Stamford we were active in the Swedish Evangelical Congregational Covenant Church, where we made many wonderful friends. It was in Stamford that Martha was born on April 16, 1941, and Bobby on March 17, 1943.

While living in Stamford, my work evolved into developing a sugar refining process, and working in Meridian, MS; Baton Rouge, LA; Alvarado, CA’ Clewiston, FL; Manatee Cuba, and Chicago, IL Then I accepted a position as Plant Superintendent at Inland Sugar Company, and moved to Milwaukee, Wi, in 1949. There we bought our second home.

In Milwaukee we helped start the first Pilgrim Holiness Church in the state of Wisconsin. One of our favorite pastors there was Dr. O. D. Emery. After the merger with the Wesleyan Methodist Church, or pastor was Rev. Lowell Davis, who is with us here today. [at the time of this writing.]

When the Inland Sugar was sold, I was employed at Allis Chalmers Mfg. Co. for 12 years in Process Engineering. The first project to which I was assigned was the the starting of of a Soybean Plant sold to Spillers Ltd in Cardiff, Wales, during part of 1952/53. Upon returning to the States, I entered the Pyro Processing Division working with Rotary Kiln processing of paper Mill Lime sludge., Florida Phosphate Rock, Limestone and Cement. I had a special experience in the selling of and the starting up of a new limestone process for Dow Chemical Company in Ludington, MI, which involved many tripe on the car ferry across Lake Michigan from Milwaukee and back.

In 1956, responding to an urgent call for help, we moved to Wilson, AR for a period, to serve as Superintendent at a soybean mill at Wilson Soya where the company built us a new house for us to occupy. While there we found a Pilgrim Holiness Church to attend Sunday mornings–60 miles away in Jonesboro, AR. There, at that church, daughter Martha met her husband-to-be, Jerry Payton, one of the Payton twins. Peggy, for the last part of our year there was at Owasso Bible College in Michigan.

At South Shore, KY, Charles Taylor & Sons purchases a special Traveling Gate-Kiln Plant to process making high temperature furnace rock. The success of this process evolved into the sale of a similar plant erected in the Negev in Israel, where Alta and I spent several months there, living in Beersheva and Mitzpe Ramon.

After returning from Israel in 1966, radical change was taking place within Allis Chalmers and I decided to retire, and for several years worked with a friend (Rev, Don R. Good) as house builder and Real Estate Broker in Manitowoc, WI. Back in Milwaukee (1972) my next position was with Globe Union Mfg. as an Environmental Engineer for lead battery plants in 14 different states. After 6 years at Globe Union–now The Johnson Control Co.–I retired and spent some time as Vice President at Ackerlow Industries in Grafton, WI. Following that I worked for a friend for a time in Brandon, MS, before moving to Brooksville, FL in 1980.

We became active in the Brooksville Wesleyan Church where Dr. Jack Adams had become pastor. When a group gathered tor starting a new church in Spring Hill [Florida] we moved there to be part of building it. Our Founding Pastor was Rev. Jim Den, and then Dr. Jack Adams [again] after Jim retired. Soon after that Rev. Wesley Wright was called to be pastor there.

We left Florida to be with our daughter  Martha in Missouri for a few years, but just had to return to Mom’s beloved Florida in June 1995.

Peg here. As I retyped this from the email Dad sent me that day, my mind flashed back through all the years and my heart swells with pride. Daddy was a remarkable man, earning the love and respect of all with whom he connected. Through many of those years and his travels, we frequently traveled with him–except Cuba and his overseas trips—even during school months, some of my most treasured memories. I think Mom was the pioneer homeschooler, taking our lessons with us as we traveled around the country.

For more information about my dad—if you’re interested–visit my two previous posts at:

http://wp.me/p5BLdw-B0 and http://wp.me/p5BLdw-BC

Thank you all so much for letting me talk about my dad, whom I loved so much…and still do… and whom I miss so terribly much.

Happy Birthday, Daddy

Today, were he still living, my daddy would be celebrating his 101st birthday. I’ve been going through some old email correspondence between Daddy and me over the years, and came across a copy of his personal testimony. Please allow me to share.

“It was July 6, 1930, my birthday. I was sixteen years ole. My dad, pastor in the church where I was born (we lived upstairs over the church auditorium,) a building in the center of town. The US Post Office was across the street. You might say I was born IN the church.

Every year since I can remember, we went to a camp-meeting called the Victory Grove Camp, held over the 4th of July, so I was always there for my birthday. The camp was located on the main highway connecting Schenectady and Albany, New York. It was a delightful, rustic setting in the woods with several small cottages with just enough room for several beds and a few chairs. The main attraction was the Tabernacle with benches of pine made rom the trees on the property. Camp lasted for ten days, and the best preachers in the country were booked for the speakers and Bible study services. Sawdust and straw covered the ground inside. The other structures were a dining hall and a bookstore.

Since I was brought up in Church and Sunday School (I had a wonderful teacher; he owned a glove factory in our town,) I not only knew the Bible from my mother and father, but my Sunday School as well. And the Plan of Salvation was completely familiar to me. Actually, I was teased and sort of persecuted at school because I was a PK…a Preacher’s kid.

But there came a time when I deliberately chose to go all the way and make a firm commitment to follow the Lord Jesus. And it was on that specific date: July 6, 1930! In the straw and sawdust at the rough wooden altar, with my brother-in-law, Theodore K. Knapp, at my side that it happened…a lifetime decision…and it is still good today, July 6, 1997.

An old song we sang back then tells the story. I use it today to explain that event in my life.

I HAVE SETTLED THE QUESTION

I remember when the Lord spoke to my soul,

I would feel the heavy burden from me roll.

When He spoke the gracious words, “wilt thou be whole?”

Then I settled the question forever.

~

I no longer walk the ways of sinfulness,

But I daily tread the paths of righteousness.

Since the day the Lord has come my life to bless

I have settled the question forever.

~

I will choose the holy joys that always last,

And reject sin’s pleasures that will soon be past.

To the treasures of true worth I’m holding fast,

I have settled the question forever.

~

Others my deny the Lord and live in sin,

But the race that I have entered I must win,

Through the pearly gates I mean to enter in,

I have settled the question forever.

~

Refrain:

I have settled the question, hallelujah!

I will never turn back from the narrow way.

I am going through with Jesus, hallelujah!

Till I reach the gates of glory some sweet day.

Peg here:

And Daddy gained those Gates of Glory on Sunday, April 7, 2002.

If you will forgive a daughter’s pride, indulge me one more time and come back tomorrow as I share Daddy’s autobiography. To say I loved my dad is a massive understatement.

If you’d like, you can read a previous post I shared that reveals what a true Bible scholar Daddy was. Just go to: http://wp.me/p5BLdw-B0 

 

“ONE”

One song can spark a moment,

One flower can wake the dream.

One tree can start a forest,

One bird can herald spring.

~

One smile begins a friendship,

One hand clasp lifts the soul.

One star can guide a ship at sea,

One word can frame the goal.

~

One vote can change a nation,

One sunbeam lights a room.

One candle wipes out darkness,

One laugh will conquer gloom.

                                                                                                                                     Author Unknown.  “One”

A Message from my Father

William (Bill) Blann, July 6, 1914 / April 7, 2002

In honor of Father’s Day, the below is a copy of an email I received from Daddy dated January 30, 2002, just four months before he entered the Gates of Heaven.

On March 24 of this year I posted a blog titled Found Treasure about memories and treasured things from the past.

This post is one of my favorite treasures. In my dad’s words.

 

 

• Each time I pick up one of my Bibles, the section I need opens up an additional concept that had not occurred to me previously. That’s an amazing experience!
• My Bibles are the best reference library, dictionary, glossary, encyclopedia and concordance–to support what might have escaped from memory.
• The Bible is the record of who God is, what God has done and to whom, and what God is doing now and will be doing soon.

“Behold, I shew you a mystery…”

MYSTERY!

What is the meaning of this word…in the Bible?

“I have always been interested in this word and what it means as used in the Bible. My brother, John, a retired missionary, sent me this biblical definition:

It denotes, not the mysterious (as with the English word), but that which, being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by Divine revelation, and is known in a manner and at a time appointed by God, and to those who are illumined by His Spirit. In the ordinary sense, a mystery implies knowledge withheld; its Scriptural significance is–truth revealed. [by E.W. Vine]

So, my own interest in this word sent me to the Internet and a site called The Bible Gateway, which is the Internet Bible used in the Verse of Today, which comes to me each day via Email. My search for the word mystery, using the New American Standard Version [NASB] found 28 references where it is used.

The first is found in the Book of Daniel and the disturbing dream that King Nebuchadnezzar had one night. It was troubling to him because he couldn’t remember it to tell his officials. That was indeed a mystery, but he didn’t use that word.

Even the Chaldean wise men knew that only gods knew the answers to man’s dreams. They answered the king and said:

There is not a man on earth who could declare the matter for the king, inasmuch as no great king or ruler has ever asked anything like this of any magician, conjurer of Chaldean. Moreover, the thing which the king demands is difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it to the king except gods, whose dwelling place is not with mortal flesh. [Daniel 2:10-11.]

I can imagine Daniel and his friends spending a considerable length of time praying to God to give them the answer to the actual dream that the king had dreamed, as well as the interpretation! What a challenge to have to interpret someone else’s dream. I wonder how long that prayer session was? For the answer was given to Daniel in another dream, together with its answer!

Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; Daniel said, ‘Let the name of God be blesses forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes Kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding. It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him. To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for You have given me wisdom and power; even now You have made known to me what we requested of You, for You have made known to us the king’s matter.’ [Daniel 2:10-23] 

Notice how Daniel takes no credit for himself when he is received by King Nebuchadnezzar:

The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, ‘Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?” Daniel answered before the king and said. ‘As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days.’ [Daniel 2:26-28]

It is now plain that the basic meaning of the word MYSTERY in the Bible is—TRUTH REVEALED!

Peg here:

I hope you have enjoyed this study from my Dad. He was a true Bible scholar. I have one of his Bibles which is the NEW SCHOFIELD REFERENCE EDITION from Oxford University Press, 1967. The spine is taped together at the bottom, some pages are also taped, but the biggest blessings are the notes and highlights throughout. Truly another Found Treasure.

Now you see it–now you don’t

The clouds are playing peek-a-boo with the sun.

Did you ever lay outside, flat on your back, and watch the clouds roll by, picking out cloud formations?

Oh, look, a rabbit!

That’s a horse!

That one looks like a Halloween Jack-o-Lantern!

Lot’s of laughter and giggles, sometime disagreements. Where I might see the Jack-o-lantern, my little brother saw a bowling ball.

It doesn’t take much to entertain children…at least back in those days.

Today, while out on my deck, the passing clouds completely blocked out the sun for a good fifteen minutes. Because there was no blue sky visible, it was hard to pick out any cloud formations at all.

In those childhood days, my young brother worried that the sun was gone! My mother patiently explained that the sun hadn’t gone anywhere, that it was still there, we just couldn’t see it.

Isn’t that like our walk with The Son? Life and ‘stuff’ get in the way sometimes and we lose sight of Him. But He’s always there, waiting for us to see Him again.

We can’t let life’s worries and distractions block our spiritual view of Him. Just knowing The Son is always there makes the next step we take easier, even during the cloudiest of days.

An Invisible Army

Writing, by it’s very nature, is a solitary occupation, especially for a novelist.

The picture at the left is a good example of my writing time lately. I’m a hard-copy freak and will print out pages I’ve written, make correction, additions, deletions on the paper, then make the changes on the document on my computer.

Yes, writing can be lonely. But the truth is, we’re never alone!

Every writer has a small, invisible army behind her. Editors, friends, beta-readers, critique partners, the Internet—for research—how-to books on the craft of writing, fellow author blogs, not to mention all the social media we use for marketing what we write.

But in the end, WE’RE the ones charged with the actual writing.

I find it hard to turn off my infernal, internal editor. Banishment, chains and lock don’t work. Not for me, anyway. She’s constantly on my shoulder, watching, criticizing, spell-checking, and will halt my forward motion by stopping dead to find just the right word or phrase, before allowing me to continue. You see, she’s a pain-in-the-neck perfectionist.

Sigh

On the other hand, while we try to isolate ourselves during our writing time, outside distractions can bring our progress to a screeching halt. Life happens. WE get sick. Someone in the family needs our immediate attention. Oh, yeah, there’s that book I need to finish reading because I promised to post a review. A blog to write. Bills to pay. Laundry. Preparing meals. Grocery shopping. Ugh.

(I really miss Von’s—a west coast grocery chain—and their home-delivery I had in Las Vegas. Go online, place my order, and have it delivered the next day within a specified two-hour window.)

Can I sigh again?