The Crock Pot of Life

When it comes to cooking I’m not into following an exact recipe. I like to play it pretty loose in the kitchen. That’s why I love crock pots. The whole concept of throwing whatever you happen to have on hand into the pot in the morning and finding a surprise at dinner time is wonderful. Today I dumped chicken and broth, brussel sprouts, onion, red pepper, carrots and a bunch of spices into the pot. I’m planning on adding rice later. Yum.

Dinner is one thing, but I’m pretty structured when it comes to my life. I'm not comfortable mixing things randomly together and hoping for the best. I’m constantly prioritizing, wondering, “What’s the most important thing I should do right now?”

My family and our household have always been a major focus. Financial responsibility ranks high, too. Of course, I always make time for God. And now I’m launching a career as a writer. I take this all pretty seriously. I get upset when I don’t finish important things on my list. I think, “Oh no! Time is ticking away, I need to hurry.” My shoulder muscles tighten up, I get nervous.

But today I started thinking about the crock pot. I never put anything in there I don’t like. I only add good ingredients and it always seems to turn out. Maybe if I could just relax with life, and keep adding the good stuff: God, love, family, reading, writing, fun, the outdoors, etc. Maybe then everything will work out great. Worrying about the details--how much time should be spent on what and when--probably isn’t that important in the broader scheme of things. I really need to just live and enjoy. Sometimes the most obvious things are the hardest to see.

It’s sixty nine degrees in Denver today, it may be winter, but it feels like spring. I’m going to take advantage of the day and go for a walk. When I get back I’ll munch on that crock pot in the kitchen. It’s already starting to smell good.

“See where your own energy wants to go, not where you think it should go. Do something because it feels right, not because it makes sense.” Mary Hayes-Grieco

Middle-aged Moms can Tweet, too.

My daughter has been nagging me to set up a Twitter account for months. (I had no idea role reversal would start so young. She’s in her early twenties and she’s already bossing me around.) Anyway, a friend of mine has irrational fears about electronic conveniences from computers to cell phones. It’s like she thinks it’s going to blow up if she pushes the wrong button. (That couldn’t happen. Could it?) Honestly, I find technology daunting, too, but I don’t want the world to pass me by so I force myself to keep trying new things.

I have to admit, my daughter was right. I think I’m going to love Twitter. I’m following people I find interesting: publishers, agents, writers, gold and silver investors, successful entrepreneurs, and comedians. Several gold investors and literary agents have tweeted articles I read and liked. I would have missed those columns if not for Twitter. Ellen DeGeneres has had me in stitches several times. When someone tweets about an article or a YouTube video I just click on it and it appears. It’s so easy.

What I did find confusing at first was when one person is replying to another, but I’m starting to get the hang of that, too. So far I’ve re-tweeted three tweets I found helpful and thought others might like. I think I will stand back and watch for a few days before I start initiating tweets. I also want my daughter to teach me how to tweet with my phone and not just my computer.

I adapted to cell phones and computers, I’m on facebook, I’ve got this blog, I don’t think there is any reason why I won’t be a successful tweeter, too.

“Those who say it can’t be done shouldn’t interfere with those who are doing it.” Billy Eberhart

Confessions of a Fledgling Writer

~I cried when I wrote the flood scene in my book.

~I back up my work infrequently.

~I. Hate. Punctuation,

~Somedays I don’t write at all.

~I steal dialogue out of my kids’ mouths.

~During my critique group meetings, I learn as much from hearing the evaluations of other members' manuscripts as I do from the appraisals of my own work.

Whew! I’m glad I got that off my chest. I guess the important thing is I keep at it and don’t give up.

“That which we persist in doing becomes easier - not that the nature of the task has changed, but our ability to do has increased.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Plodding wins the race.” Aesop

Cleaning out the Fridge and Weeding out Extra Words

I cleaned out my refrigerator the other day. Yuck. There were numerous re-sealable plastic containers of leftovers from the holidays. As I dumped each bowl into the sink nothing seemed even remotely appetizing. I remember everything being so yummy on Christmas, a week and a half later -- not so much.

Writing is like that. When I’m composing that first draft, I’m totally on a roll. Fabulous ideas are popping into my head. The characters are speaking to me. It’s so good! Then I come back a month later to revise and think, “What? This dialogue is unnatural. Where’s the description? etc.”

It’s annoying, but it’s part of the process. The point is, when I clean out my refrigerator I typically find delicious leftovers from two nights ago that are still perfectly good. No one was eating them because they were hidden behind the milk. Heck, they were right next to the baking soda and are as fresh as can be. It’s the same when I’m editing. There are usually scrumptious paragraphs of emotion and great conflict tucked among the pages. I relish discovering them.

I enjoy cutting out the garbage just as much. I can be verbose on one page and have minimal description on the next. It’s not unlike noticing it’s time to restock the refrigerator after you purge all the yucky stuff.

There is one last thing cleaning the refrigerator and writing have in common. They’re both satisfying!

No matter how hard I looked today I couldn’t find a relevant quote. So, I’m writing my own. Here goes.

The difference between food and writing is good writing comes with time and good food goes bad with time.