Fresh-Brewed Writer . . . living a fresh-brewed life.: Writing and Writers

Showing posts with label Writing and Writers. Show all posts

Saturday, February 06, 2016

Where did January go?

No, really.

Where did it go?

I am sitting here on a Saturday morning, typing between coughing fits (Yes, I went to the doctor. Yes, I have bronchitis, so yes, meds and I am drinking lots of water.), incredulous that I haven't written much at all since November.

I have been journaling a bit more, which is good for me personally. But even that has gone by the wayside in favor of more time with my family and more time reading. I still have the burning in my heart to write a book, and I have been jotting down ideas and thoughts toward that topic and those things to explore.

I have also been working. Ten months ago when we learned we were moving to Georgia, I started the process of applying for a teaching license and filing applications with both the high school where my daughter attends and the colleges in the area. Now I am working as a substitute teacher in her school, and twice now I've had long-term assignments. This has taken all of my previous online writing time and channeled those energies into the classroom. It's funny to me that several people have asked me if I want to teach. It's more that I feel I have to. It's not perfect, peaceful, or always fun, but it's where I feel most purposeful.

One thing I must address is this: My work with Wives of Faith (www.wivesoffaith.org) is complete. The ministry closed its doors last week, and so ends my seven years of online ministry with that wonderful group of ladies. You can follow Sara Horn for more info about her ministry, which I hope to continue to support with my friendship and my love for her and her books.

As for a "one word 2016" - I never got one, so I'm not too worried anymore about whether or not I'll get one. Maybe it's "teach" or "work" or even "don't stress out so much, for the love!"

I have several books to review in coming weeks that I haven't gotten to yet (major apologies to the authors! I have been talking them up on social media and in my friendship circles, I promise!), so I will be posting book reviews.

So...what's new with you? How's 2016 for you? Are you sick of political stuff yet? :)

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Weeks with nothing new, then suddenly...

...two posts in one day?

I have had a huge writing slump going on in the midst of my busy life. We have had some great news (staying in Alaska another year since my husband was picked up for promotion and pinned on just over a month later) and some not-so-great news (every job I've applied for, teaching, office, and writing, I've gotten a "thank you for applying but we've gone in another direction/chosen someone else/you suck" email--well, maybe not the last one, but that's what it feels like).

Overall, though, life is good. We have stability and no waiting until nine months from now, when we'll be biting our nails to the quick waiting on orders for the next assignment.

I'm finally reading Jen Hatmaker's book 7 at long last, with a group (thank you, accountability), and it's motivating me to do the pre-PCS purge a year early (I'm not working, so what's my excuse, right?). But I'm trying to listen to the rest of the story. The rest of what God's telling me. It's not just our excessive stuff. It's the hold that stuff has on me. Emotional ties to the little things that may not take up much drawer space, but somehow they are heavy all by themselves.

I miss my family. I miss my far-flung friends. Some days living here is fine, but other days it's still hard because of the distance in time and miles and money.

I'm hoping the discipline of writing every day, if I can keep it up, will help me get back into the swing of things. Because if I'm not using this ability, this gift, I might lose it.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Three-Word Wednesday: Keep Moving Forward

I got to know Beth in an (in)courager group for military wives, and it's been a joy to see her journey as a writer take off.

In my own quest as a writer (instead of just teaching it one night a week), I am participating in Beth’s Three-Word Wednesday link-up.

I am borrowing today’s phrase from the movie Meet the Robinsons, which I just watched in German last week while subbing for the high school German teacher (and yes, it was in German—the animators had changed all the signs and writing in the movie to the German language. Pretty neat.).

KEEP MOVING FORWARD

When I am under a lot of stress and situations are tenuous, I am not at my best. I get snappish with my husband and crabby toward my girls. I try to remember to stay focused on God and His Word and stay positive, but more often than not I allow my circumstances to dictate my mood and my demeanor.

I am not proud of this.

The past five-plus months have been increasingly stressful as we have waited and waited (and waited some more) to hear news that would determine not only the course of our next year, but our next several years.

It’s often said that the unofficial military motto is “Hurry up and wait!” My military spouse motto has been “Semper Gumby: Always Flexible.” But to be honest, I didn’t want to be flexible. I hate waiting this long for something that someone somewhere knew the answer, but no one would tell us.

In three other words, I hate waiting.

I was a very crabby Pattie indeed.

Enter Meet the Robinsons, the idea that mistakes are okay because we learn from them, and the phrase that continues to stick with me:

Keep moving forward.

The closing line of the film shows that it’s a part of something Walt Disney said about creativity:

Photo credit: www.livingstoncoc.wordpress.com

Of course, like many things, it’s about life too. We have to keep moving forward (or as Uma Thurman quipped, we’ll move backward and smack into something hard). Priscilla Shirer said once that she told her sons that she had to look out the front window to drive safely, not the rearview mirror at whatever they were doing. We have to look forward to move forward. Not that looking back is a bad thing—on the contrary, sometimes personal reflection is needed for growth. Much like studying history, we can give credence to our past experiences and how far we’ve come, learn from our mistakes, and strive to do better next time.

This week we were inundated with a lot of happy, happy news. We know the course of our next year, and we have at least as much job security as anyone in the military is allowed to have at any given time. Also, my daughters were both honored at school for several different things, and that makes my mama heart very happy.

So while today crabby Pattie is a not-so-distant memory, I will continue to be conscious of my reactions to things, work on keeping my outlook positive, be on the lookout for opportunities to serve, and always, always keep moving forward.

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Where ya been?

This probably seems like a crazy title for someone who purports to be somewhat of an expert in American English language usage. Indeed.

But sometimes, friends, we gotta tell it like it IS.

I've been offline a lot the past couple of weeks (well, I've been on Facebook playing games and stalking friends' holiday photos, but who hasn't?). I have not, as you might wonder, been writing a novel for National Novel Writing Month. I started, but then, well, I got bored. I'm not sure why.

So I quit.

Then I had surgery. Again. On my right ear. Again. It's the third ear surgery I have had in the past 24 months.

This time around, I gave myself permission to take time off, to recover. Thankfully my husband was okay with me taking the winter term off from teaching, so other than possibly substituting after my next check-up with the ear surgeon, I am off till January.

I'm also taking a break from most of my volunteering with Wives of Faith. I love the ministry, but it was time for me to step back and take more than a one- or two-week break for moving or surgery. I think having the holidays off will be good for me.

I have been reading and watching movies, spending more purposeful time with my family, and resting. Not just sleeping more, but really trying to rest. (Then again, the other day doing laundry and taking a shower nearly did me in--so that's the extent of my energy levels these days!)

I think this break will rejuvenate the writing part of my brain, hopefully rejuvenate my teaching brain, and certainly give me some time to evaluate what I want to do with my time and energy.