Ramblings-n-Writings

Archive for October, 2008

So, how many words did I write last night? Um… Well, I had good intentions of cracking the whip and hashing out some details. But…

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been stumped about part of my story. I couldn’t write another word until I solved the problem. You see, I was missing the dilemma, what the character battles throughout the story.

My story goal is to write about immigration and detail a journey through Ellis Island, but other than a threat of deportation or sickness, I just couldn’t think of anything.

I needed something that would essentially turn my character’s world upside down. But I didn’t know what.

Discouragement set in because without my dilemma I didn’t have a story and I was failing. I truly believe that God called me to write this story. The best thing I can compare it to is a burden – my story is my burden. I have to carry it and see it through to the end. If not, well…I don’t want to think of that.

Just when I was ready to give up, the Lord proved Himself faithful.

I still smile 24 hours later when I think of how things fell in place. (And I also hit myself upside the head for being so daft and not figuring this out sooner.)

Last November I started a story with no preparation, no forethought. (I heard of NaNoWriMo about 2 days before it started, so I really didn’t have time pre-plan.) I worked on the story sporadically after November, but at that point, I didn’t have peace about writing.

Now, almost a full year later, God’s given me permission to use that story. With a little adaptation, it weaves perfectly with Oceans of Hope. *sigh* God is good. =)

I’ve been caught up in doing “things” the past couple of days. I really want to clear my desk of as much as possible before November. NaNoWriMo starts then, remember?

I think I’m making good progress. Except that I haven’t stepped foot in my office today. Is that a bad thing?

Actually, I did venture into the office while searching for one MIA kitten. The little female races out of the mud room as soon as the door opens. She’s a sweetie. I would love to keep her, but DH says I have to find homes for the two outside farm cats first. Sigh.

We brought the kittens inside last weekend since our nighttime temperatures took a dramatic plunge to 25-27 degrees. The days warm up nicely to the low 60s, but I think 20s is a little too cold for young kittens.

So, they come in during the early evening, learn all about the litter pan, and go outside in the late morning. They seem to like the routine. All three get an A+ for litter training too! Yay!

With the 25-27 degree temps, we wake up to a hard frost every morning. Needless to say, my flower garden is history. Thankfully, I planted all of the perennials my mom brought me just in time.

But I digress from my purpose. I’ve been working so hard to get “things” in order that I’ve neglected my writing. About an hour ago, I decided to take a break from everything tonight – no working (real job), no dinner, no cleanup, no nothing. Just me and my creativity.

We’re ordering a pizza, and I’m sitting down with my writing to write the next bestseller. *grin* I’m excited! I’ll let you know about the progress tomorrow.

“You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.” ~ Charles Bixton

Yep, we have kittens again. These guys were a little over four weeks old when I took their pictures. Aren’t they cute? Want one? I love kittens and love watching them learn to play and explore (that’s the stage we’re at now).

This is our third batch of kittens since early May. I really wish spaying was cheaper. So many people complain about the overpopulation of cats and dogs. Well, why don’t the vets make it cheaper and more affordable? Seriously, around here it costs $86 to have a cat spayed, $96 for a dog. Ridiculous, isn’t it?

Lest you think we don’t take care of our animals, the mother cat of the 2nd batch of kittens was spayed as soon as her milk dried up. I think the vet jumps up and down with glee when he hears that we called for an appointment. We’ve had two dogs and a cat spayed in the last three months – one each month.

However, the mother of this litter is a different story. She adopted us in the middle of winter, and as best as we can figure, she went into heat when she was about 6-8 months old. The vet we were using at the time doesn’t even spay a cat until she’s 6 months old! (We’ve switched to a different vet now.)

Plus she went into heat when we were in Florida, so it wasn’t until a couple of weeks later when she started showing that we realized she was pregnant. Sigh.

She had the 1st litter of kittens, and when they were old enough, we found homes for 3 out of the 4 kittens. One kitten stayed with us about a week longer than the others. During that week, the mother went back into heat. Argh.

The vet told us that when her milk dried up completely, she could be spayed. Well, guess what? It never dried up completely. So here we are with litter #3.

Want one?

In the Saturday Christian Fiction Carnival, Amy asked: Why do you read and review Christian fiction? Do you exclusively read Christian fiction or do you also read general market books?

I fell in love with Christian fiction when I was in high school. My mom and I read the Thoene’s Zion series, Phillips’ Secret of the Rose series, and George MacDonald’s Stonewycke series. I was hooked. I liked reading books that I didn’t have to worry about the content of and books that I could learn from. Besides, learning about WWI and WWII was much more interesting in fiction form than in history class! (Sorry, Mr. Harris.)

I do read general market books, but not nearly as much as I used to. If I do pick up a fiction general market book, it has to be highly acclaimed. I prefer reading the classics – that probably has something to do with being an English minor in college and teaching high school English for 4 years. A couple of “newer” general market books for middle school / high school readers have caught my eye recently so I’m hoping to read some of those.

I review Christian fiction because I like the genre. I’ve read hundreds, probably thousands, of Christian fiction books over the last 18 years, but just recently started reviewing. When I look for a new book to read, I want to know what makes a person like or dislike the book, not just “it was great!” Tell me a little about the book and what made it resonate with you. I’m hoping that my reviews do that and give someone a little more than “it was great!”