What's In a Rhyme?

Here’s a little poem I wrote for my memoir I’m working on…

Waiting, waiting, waiting

I’ve been sitting here so long.

Mama says she’s coming

But the day is nearly gone!

Tired, tired, tired

Of staring at the door.

I’m sure it’s been forever

I’ve been sitting on the floor.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Mimi’s here at last!

“Are you all set to go?”

Does she even have to ask?

Sweet Moments

As a first-time mom, I have to be honest and say there are moments when I miss being solo. Mainly when it comes to writing. Before West, I would spend all day at Starbucks writing to my heart’s content. That will never be an option again…at least not until my children are grown, which will see me in my 70s and probably burned out on writing. (hope not)

But then there are some moments that are so much better because of my little boy. I’m enjoying a family Shaw vacation in the beautiful Lake Tahoe and today we went to spend a few hours at the lake….which was so much more fun with little Westly. He sat in the water and shoveled sand into his bucket and was content and having fun for at least 2 hours. And it’s simple joys like this that make life so much sweeter.

Starbucks will keep.

A New Project

I’ve started a new writing project: a memoir about growing up at my grandma Mimi’s house. I don’t have the idea entirely solidified, but I’m thinking it will be a collection of poetry and essays about key moments of my growing up that involved my dear grandma and being at her house. I have so many fond memories with her. And I may also tell a bit about her life as a young woman and mother in the 50s, etc. I’ve only been jotting down ideas and notes…until today.

See, I’m one of the featured writers for our Writer’s Group this month, which means I have to submit something to the other members for review. I’m really trying hard to be a better group member and not be like a slacker college student (see previous blog). Today while Westly napped (a particularly long nap, which was nice), I managed to crank out 4 pages of a rough draft of my memoir for the Writer’s Group.

And I’m feeling good about it.

My Weakness

Every writer has a weakness. For most writers, they’ll tell you middles are their snag. I’m not talking about belly blubber. I’m talking about the middle of a story. The middle of a story is where the tempo slows, the author delves deeper into detail, and things are getting into place for the ending.

I don’t really have a problem with middles. I’ve learned how to keep things going. My issue has always been…

The climax. That moment of suspense when the stakes are raised, and the reader can’t put down the book because they have no idea how the hero will get outta this one. It’s the moment of change, the moment of story peaking.

I can write an okay climax that can get by. But even that takes a lot of time and effort on my part. Right now I’ve decided to re-write my climax for Book 4…again.

I’ve decided to pull out all the stops this time. And I think it might pay off.

Well, you can be the judge of that later when you read it J

Red Ink

I’m in deep-editing mode on the fourth book in my Sherlock Academy series. I do a lot of edits on my laptop. But then there comes a point where I have to go to the next level and print out my story and do hard-copy edits. For whatever reason, I see new things and catch more mistakes when I edit on paper.

And it’s more kid-friendly. Westly is obsessed with all things electronic, and all things Mama’s. So whenever I bust out my laptop, he’s right there wanting to tap it and grab it and get in the way…no matter how many times I tell him NO.

But when I bust out a stack of typed paper with red pen marks all over it, he doesn’t glance twice. And I’m able to catch a few misspelled words and rewrite a few sentences while he stacks his blocks on the floor.

The American Dream

We all have big dreams for our kids. We all want our kids to pursue their passions, use their talents, and contribute to society. And we all say we’ll support our kids in whatever endeavors they pursue.

Except if they played a vacuum like a sax. Or a baseball bat like an oboe.

I’m writing this with America’s Got Talent on in the background. And some guy just had the courage to display his talent for the world. A talent for playing unusual objects like instruments.

And deep down I really hope Westly has bigger aspirations in life than vacuum-playing on TV.

Although right now he’s obsessed with our vacuum. But I trust this is just a phase.

A Few Good Reasons

Why do I write?

Lots of reasons: it’s my creative outlet, it’s my return to childhood, it’s my escape, it’s my joy, it’s my challenge…

And when I look at my little boy, I get excited for the day when I can read him my stories and say “Mama wrote that.” I hope it will inspire him to pursue his dreams and passions someday.