Sunday Musings from Under the Steps: Poison Control

Self doubt is failures poison of choice. Don't drink!

WIP Wednesday: A Rehash on Luck

I do believe luck exists, but more and more I see it as something that needs our assistance. Do we make our luck? Maybe we simply entice it.

Example. I sit, do nothing with my WIP and it all slows down. I wish for some luck to come my way while I get a little more depressed about all my projects in general and therefore I become unattractive to Luck. Luck does have its standards after all.

So I wait and nothing really happens while I wait for Luck—correction, life happens and it feels like filler. No substance. Nothing I can hold onto later and show for my time on Earth.

Now, I do something. Maybe not a big something, but a few well placed something’s and I do them with regularity. I work hard at these little things that slowly grow in size and reach. I may feel frustrated at times, when nothing seems to have bloomed, but I take comfort in the growth of my projects just the same. I feel inspired by the time I have spent on my projects, the large accumulation of things I have done to feed my work a slow and stead diet. My work is healthy with my care as am I by the process and Luck likes healthy things best.

Luck likes healthy things best, but it will also visit what shows promise—what shows a spark of ambition or hope. Luck rewards those who wish to work for its attention. Hard work is a Luck attractor, so apply as much as you can if you want visited by it.

Good things can happen by simple luck, but extraordinary things happen with hard work.

Sunday Musings From Under the Steps: Human 101

1. If you learn what a man loves and know what he fears, you will understand what he hates and why.

WIP Wednesday: What I Want it to Be

While sorting out the plot of my long suffering WIP Ghost Mountain, I’ve found my mind drifting towards the stories intended Mood and Tone.

I know how—I’ve done it before and to varied degree’s. It just feels so vital for me to think on it now. Setting the right Mood and Tone for my novel is like starting the heart beat of a living thing to me. I want this beasts heart beat to be strong and I want it to be right.

I think my concern may be due to the multiple genre’s mixed together in this story. Paranormal Romance with a side of Mystery, Suspense, Action, Drama and a fair amount of Humor. I’ve dabbled in mixing genre before, but not this many. I feel it is doable and even feel confident in my intended mix. I just—I just…

I want you, the reader to go through my story and feel the heart and wonderment of a Steven Spielberg film. To feel good that you’ve met my characters and believe in their story. I want you to care so much about their journey, you’ll believe anything I put them through. I want you to pay attention to the details, the way JJ Abrams made me for six years and counting. And then I want you to feel gotten in a good way when you get to the end, like M. Night Shyamalan (the earlier works).

I want the suspense, the twists, turns and thrills of Deaver, Koontz, Grisham, Crichton, and Patterson. I want the foreboding foreshadowing and fear of King, along with the dance he does with good and evil, human frailty and human strength, the everyday and the paranormal. I want dialogue like Elmore Leonard—plain, simple but colors the readers mind and lets my character breathe like real ‘folk’. The real complexity is in simplicity kids. My characters will show you what there made of, not tell ya about it.

I want to give you a world where you find yourself on your back in the bed of a pickup truck, watching stars and fireflies on a cool clear night with a lost love. And then in the same chapter, have you chasing ghosts through burning buildings right after being shot at by a gun toting granny. I want heat to radiate off the stares my would-be lovers will throw and laughter when they make fools of themselves in the pursuit of love and forgiveness.

I want all this and more and maybe something will fall short or drift away in the editing. Maybe not. But whats in my writers mind and heart right now are all the above things and more. But most of all I just want to finish…

Wyatt tilted his head back and let out a deep huff of breath into the chilled autumn air.

It was nights like these he found himself talking to the stars. Not like they would talk back or give answer to all life’s mysteries. He just liked to say his peace to something bigger and grander than himself, hoping to find perspective in the process. And sometime—sometimes, he could hear a old voice…

“Now boy, let me tell you about that mountain.”

~~~Chapter 1: Just Howling at the Moon. Ghost Mountain.

Sunday Musings From Under the Steps: The Darker Side of Goose

"For every evil under the sun, there is a remedy, or there is none. If there be one, seek till you find it; If there be none, never mind it.
~~~M. Goose


A lovely fairytale survival lesson that translates so well to the real world.

WIP Wednesday: NaNoWriMo to the Rescue!!!!

Come one, come all WIP's! As mentioned last week, I will be untangling my present WIP with the help of NaNoWriMo this November. 30 days and nights of wild writing abandon, how can I resist. And what can I say, my WIP needs the extra attention after the physical neglect I have given it.

Now I didnt say emotional neglect. Maybe I havent been stroking my fingers up and down the keys in a age old dance--writer and filling a blank screen/page. But my story and its characters are always on my mind. I have a steno pad and a computer full of bookmarked info and images to prove it.

I just need to write!!!!!!!!!!

So if ya have a neglected WIP or would like to take the NaNoWriMo challenge, 50,000 words of original story in 3o days, JOIN ME!!!!!!

Sunday Musings From Under the Steps: To Be A Individual

Individuality is what opens the coral, frees you from the rest of the herd and gives you the opportunity to find greener pastures.

Individuality is never apologizing for being different from the flock.

Being a individual is loving yourself enough to not only march to a different drummer, but do so while wearing a cowboy hat and a tutu.

And sometimes, being an individual wasn't a choice. But accepting and making it work for you was.

Homeless local. Kailua Kona, Big Island of Hawaii.

Be brave, my individuals. Be you.

WIP Wednesday: What WIP's Do When They Are Sick

First, thank you all for your well wishes. I am feeling better. Thank you and I shall be catching up in the blog world this week. I will not bore you with the details of having a cold or sinus issues, but I will say I started feeling sick about a couple weekends ago.

The Sunday before, I attended my first International Woman's Writing Guild meeting of the season. It was great to be back with the gals. Pot luck treats and writing prompts abound for our season starter.

Unfortunately, I felt the 'walking dead' feeling on and off through that day and by Monday I so knew I was sick. This did not bode well for the rest of my week. Aside from my other obligations, I was in the final stages on getting ready for a area craft show, my first.

So what do WIP's do when they are sick? They improvise and soldier on.

Welcome to my tent at the 34th annual Boardman Rotary Oktoberfest! Sad to say, the day was cold and rained part of it. Not good for getting over being sick. Happy to say I did enjoy the experience, the people and made my space for the day with a little extra. All of this let me ignore the whole wet and cold thing.

The tent is Jim and I camping pavilion when we go to the astronomy field. The pretty little table up front is my great grandfathers. The photos of my wares and said wares are of my creation of course. It was Jim's idea for me to place some of my pics out to advertise (good hubby) and the displays are of my creation. And if you ever wanted another use for a old type drawer, try it as a craft and jewelry display. Just $5 at my local junk store.



And some of my crafty neighbors and patrons milling about old Boardman Park.

Now, be sure to take a card before you go. All not sold at the show will be up on etsy soon enough.

Now, as for my sick WIP Ghost Mountain, I have found some good medicine. A lovely writing pal of mine, Eliza, reminded me that National Novel Writing Month is upon us and NaNoWriMo may be the perfect chance to untangle my WIP while pushing a steady word count towards completion.

I say it sounds like just what the doctor ordered.