RSS Feed

‘Writing’ Category

  1. Artwork and Poetry

    April 24, 2012 by leslee

    I tried something new yesterday. I combined my writing and art in the piece pictured here. The poem is an old one I wrote for Waiting For the Click.

    Grounding 2-26-10

    The earth beneath me

    living

    breathing

    thriving

    reaching for me

    asking me

    to lie upon it

    put down roots there

    plant myself

    so I may grow

    as an extension of

    this earth

    the energy

    and life force

    which sustains all

    that is nature

    also sustains me

    in the roots

    I feel the energy

    it holds me

    protects me

    and from that place

    I may extend my being

    to Heaven and back

    and all the places

    my soul dares to go

    Category Writing | Tags: , | 4 Comments

  2. Breakthrough

    March 26, 2012 by leslee

    I hesitate to write about this because I might jinx it, but on the other hand I’m so excited I can’t keep quiet.

    I’ve had a breakthrough and I’m actually writing book 2 in my trilogy again. I’ve gone all in this time and I won’t cash out until I’ve birthed a book!

    Back in October I signed with my agent and decided I needed to work on book 2. My motivations were simple. If she was shopping book 1 in the series, it might help if she could tell them book 2 was in the works. I’d heard those stories of authors finishing their books, signing with an agent and landing a book deal all seemingly over night. Surely it would happen that way for me. I needed to hurry up and write. Of course you hear those stories because they are exciting, there’s nothing interesting about long periods of waiting.

    I signed up for NanoWrimo and started writing the book on November 1. I didn’t plan to actually finish in a month but figured I’d come close. But the motivating factor-writing to please my hoped for editor-led me directly down the path to writer’s block Hell. Somewhere at about page 15, the system shut down completely.

    For four months, I’ve doubted my ability to get this book out. I’ve questioned my desire to write, though the desire has never waned. I’ve compared writing to torture. I’ve wondered if I’d ever feel the magic again. The torturous nature of it was overshadowing the pure joy that comes when words you didn’t know were in you spill out on the page.

    During this time, I’ve asked for guidance A LOT. Over and over the same message came up: create for the sake of creating. I needed to stop worrying about the finished product, the possible book deals, whether or not people would like my story, or whether I’d ever arrive at the doorstep of my dream career: AUTHOR. None of that matters in the scheme of things. You write because you have to get the story in your head out. You write because inspiration is a gift from Source and to turn your back on it is blasphemous. You write because when you break through that block, that cinder block wall, you become a vessel through which magic flows. And when you get to that space it feels so good and is worth far more than the book deals and critical acclaim you long for in the dark hours.

    For the past few nights I’ve felt the joy again. I’ve been awed as the story flows out of me. I’m taking the inner and outer advice I’ve been given and opening myself up to be a creative channel. I’m thwarting my ego’s attempt at distracting me. I will write everyday until the inspiration tells me we’re done.

    Category Spiritual, Writing | Tags: | No Comments

  3. Lessons in Children’s Literature

    January 25, 2012 by leslee

    Today I was the guest reader in my daughter’s second grade classroom. I read the book A BAD CASE OF THE STRIPES and loved the message in it. When you meet Camilla you learn that she loves lima beans but pretends not to because all the other kids hate them. She’s basically obsessed with what the other kids at school think. In the midst of a meltdown about what to wear on the first day of school she develops stripes. The stripes don’t improve and since she has no other symptoms she is forced to go to school looking like a rainbow. Over the next few days she learns that every time someone suggests something to her she morphs into that color or shape until eventually during a guided meditation where she’s told to become one with her room, she actually does become her bedroom. At this point an old lady comes over and brings her lima beans to cure the stripes. At first Camilla says no remembering how uncool it is to like lima beans, but then she changes her mind and agrees to eat the lima beans. After eating them, she immediately turns back into her normal self. She is cured because she stopped thinking about what would please others and she followed her own heart. Now I can’t say that I liked the delivery of the story (there are so many other more interesting ways to be different, but the whole lima bean thing is totally non-offensive so I get it), but I loved the message. As Camilla listened to everyone else, she became less and less of who she really was. Finally when she owned her truth she was the real Camilla again and was at peace in her own skin again.

    Another lesson I recently got from a children’s book was from the book ZIGGY PIGGY AND THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. In this story the pigs have a fourth brother named Ziggy. As the three pigs are busy building their houses, Ziggy decides to go for a swim. He stops along the way and invites each of his brothers. They all turn down his invitation stressing their concern over the wolf’s arrival in town and how they must build their houses and stay inside until the threat has passed. The wolf does turn up and one by one blows down each of the houses, sending the pigs running for safety. Even the brick house topples in the story and the three pigs are left running toward the beach to find Ziggy. There Ziggy is floating on a raft peacefully. He invites his panicky brothers to climb aboard the raft and they do so realizing this is their final option. When the wolf arrives on the beach he huffs and puffs. As he does, Ziggy raises the sail on the raft and the wolf ends up blowing them further out to sea where they are safe from his threatening jaws. I loved this story because it was a great illustration of following your intuition and not letting fear direct your life. You can be careful, but you can never be completely assured of your safety. Anything can happen, so make your life worth living by well… living it.

    Category Books I've Read, Writing | Tags: | No Comments

  4. Mixing in the Bad with the Good

    January 23, 2012 by leslee

    OK, this is officially my first post on writing. Frankly, I’m still not sure I’m qualified to give writing advice but here it goes anyway.

    Lately we’ve been watching Heroes and I realize the writers of this show do the one thing that I admire and love with their characters. The heroes and villains aren’t always good and bad, they’re a mix of both.

    I remember taking a chapter of my second novel to writing group and listening to the group’s reaction after I read. I think it was one member’s first time meeting “Emily” and she hated her. It was hard for me to finish writing Emily’s story after that because all I could think was that the character wasn’t likable and why would anyone want to read about someone they didn’t like. Also I must admit, Emily shared a lot of my qualities, so the reaction was a bit of a personal blow as well. I went on to finish the story anyway and the few people who’ve read it all the way through, did, in fact, like Emily. In my opinion, I made Emily human. She was a good person who struggled with bouts of low self-esteem (don’t we all?). At times it resulted in people she loved getting hurt. At times it resulted in her getting hurt.

    So back to Heroes, in that show I think I found my all-time favorite character-Sylar the serial killer. They managed to write this guy so good that even when he was still a villain, I loved him. Instead of just showing him killing willy nilly, they showed his struggle. His ability was also a curse. He understood how everything and everyone worked, but along with that was a hunger to kill that he just couldn’t control. At one point he learned how to control the hunger and even fell in love. That part of his story completely shifted his character and left you rooting for him to find it within himself to do the things that would empower him in a loving way. In the end he does, he takes the high road and becomes a good guy. It was a lot of work for him to get there, which made it so real and so true and will stick with me for a long time.

    I was hanging out with a friend last night and we were discussing the Disney Movies and how the bad guys are just so bad. They have no redeeming qualities and we’re never encouraged to sympathize with them. But that’s not reality and it doesn’t depict humanity. I’d venture to say that every evil act can be traced back to a moment of fear, when the need for security and/or love wasn’t met. You don’t have to create a bad guy like Sylar who helps save the day in the end, but allowing us a peak at the pain that caused the badness definitely makes a story more honest. And the same can be said for the good guys. The best humans on the planet have their dark moments (even if they only take place in fantasies) and I’d say those moments are worth seeing.

    I’ll use TV shows as an example b/c I do really love well written TV shows. The Wire, Lost, Battlestar Gallactica, and Heroes have been the most powerful shows I’ve seen in a while because the characters are real, they are wonderful shades of both good and bad-just like real life humans. If you’re currently in the process of writing a good hero verses villain story, see if you can’t mix the dark with the light and visa versa so we can empathize with the characters a little more.

    Category Uncategorized, Writing | Tags: ,,,,,,,,, | No Comments

  5. Summer of Stars Excerpt

    January 13, 2012 by leslee

    I suddenly feel compelled to do something I’ve never done-publicly post an excerpt from my novel SUMMER OF STARS. My agent is currently shopping this book. A few rejections have come in, but I remain hopeful it will find a home and make it to publication. The following is the scene that follows one of Lola’s last flashbacks to her past life in the Holocaust. It’s one of my favorite moments between her and Ian.

    Ian sat in front of me his hand gently resting on my knee. I wasn’t shaking but my face was wet with tears.
    “Are you okay?” He whispered.
    I wiped the tears from my eyes and nodded.
    “Do you want to talk about it?”
    “We all died there. Mom was killed right after me. Dad, he endured months of suffering, until he just withered away.”
    Ian moved closer and put his arm around me. “I’m so sorry.”
    “What am I supposed to do with this information? What does it mean?”
    “Only you can know that.” Ian answered.
    “How will I know?”
    “Ask for guidance?”
    “Who am I supposed to ask?” I looked into his eyes.
    Ian pulled his arm back and his eyes shifted from mine. “Well, truth be told, sometimes when I’m alone I like to confer with the Captain.”
    “The Captain?”
    “Yeah, you know, the Captain.” He pointed toward the sky.
    “Are you telling me that my non-conformist friend, Ian White, believes in God?” I leaned against the wall, pondering the idea. “I mean, I thought at the very least you were agnostic.”
    He laughed. “I mean I suppose we don’t know anything for sure, but I do like to believe that the Captain is, in fact, real.” He paused for a moment with a peaceful smile on his face. “When I ask for help with something I usually get it.”
    “Give me an example.”
    He looked at me puzzled.
    “I’m a skeptic, I want proof.” I smiled.
    Ian laughed. “Alright, let’s see.” He thought for a minute. “Well, when Wayne moved us into the new house, I asked the Captain to make it bearable.”
    “And?”
    “You walked up and introduced yourself a minute later.”
    “Hmmm.” I thought about the night I’d met Ian. “So basically, you’re telling me to pray for the answer.”
    “Pray? God no! Prayer is for desperate people. I’m telling you to ask to be given understanding of the situation. What do you need to learn about this life from that one?” Ian got up and began to fold up Mom’s table. “It doesn’t matter what or who you believe in, you just have to have faith the answers you need will come.”
    “And they will?”
    “I think so.” He pushed in the last leg of the table and lifted it up. “Now you want to get that door for me.”

    Category Writing | Tags: ,,,,, | 3 Comments

  6. Bring Your Umbrella

    December 5, 2011 by leslee

    Thoughts are things
    You reap what you sow
    What you put out into the world comes back to you
    Ask and ye shall receive

    These are all sayings that basically define the Law of Attraction. I learned about this four years ago and have analyzed it ever since. At times I’ve been an adamant believer, at other times a total skeptic. I can see how I’ve created my life with my thoughts and beliefs. I am living the life I desired and believed in most as a child. But the skepticism comes in when I see “bad” stuff, whether in my own life or someone else’s. How would someone bring terrible things into their lives? Doesn’t the Law of Attraction in essence blame the victim?

    Lately I’ve revisited the Law in reading and the thing is the bad stuff comes through our unconscious attracting. Most of us, despite the sayings, have never truly put two and two together. When we immerse ourselves in fearful thoughts, we’re going to see more scary things. When we believe that people are mean, greedy, stupid etc, we are going to see those traits in the people that cross our paths. Then of course the more we see it the more we believe we are on to something.

    So the reality is our thoughts create our experiences and our experiences create our beliefs and our beliefs become life as we know it. If Sally wants more girlfriends but has had experiences that led her to believe women are backstabbers than any friends she makes will eventually treat her the way she expects. If she wants a raise at work but has long ago accepted that women only earn 65% of what men do than she will never make as much money as the guys in her office. Finally if Sally wants to lose 20 pounds but is convinced that she’s got heredity and age working against her, she will work her ass off but never lose that weight or if she does she’ll quickly gain it back. Sally doesn’t do any of this on purpose, but she holds these beliefs so strongly that her desires can’t compete. If Sally really wants to change she’s got to address her beliefs.

    I’m in a pickle myself right now when it comes to what I’m attracting. There’s a tug of war going on in my head and I’m trying to use my power to pull to the right side. It seems pretty common these days that when I tell people that I have a literary agent shopping my Young Adult novel I get one of two responses. The first response is: You’re gonna be the next J.K. Rowling! The second response is: The publishing industry is in serious trouble right now, it’s impossible to get a book deal and if you do don’t expect much. I have a lot of really awesome cheerleaders in my life, so luckily I get the first one more than the second, but still that second one is pretty damn powerful. So I’m spending my time trying to expect the best. There was a day a few years ago when I was working on my first novel and I walked into Border’s. I stopped in front of the end display of Twilight novels and thought that is going to be me someday. That moment happened before I talked to anyone else about my writing. It was before I met any other authors and watched their struggles. It was before I knew the publishing world was changing. It was before I let the outside affect the inside. It was a moment of pure desire and pure faith and I’m trying to remember it so I can harness that feeling and that power.

    I recently read a book that had a little story about having faith like a child. It went like this. A large group of people gathered to pray for rain but only one little girl brought an umbrella. When the rain started, she and the minister stayed dry under the umbrella. It was her belief that was strong enough to bring the rain for the whole group. I’m not really sure this story is true, but it definitely illustrates the point. If you want something, you’ve got to expect it, believe it’s already yours.

    So…

    When you’re praying for rain, bring your umbrella!

    Category My Viewpoint, Spiritual, Writing | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,,, | 1 Comment

  7. Hannah

    November 30, 2011 by leslee

    So if you’ve just stumbled here, I’m writing a Young Adult series. You can learn a little about it on the “projects” page of this website. In my attempts to exercise my writerly muscles I had a little chat with one of my characters today. (I got the idea from Pat MacEnulty’s blog. I love Pat by the way…you all must read Wait Until Tomorrow.) Anyway, the character is Hannah and she’s Lola’s best friend BI (before Ian). The people who’ve read the book so far don’t really care for Hannah. I get a bit annoyed with her myself, but I know deep down she’s hurting. And she is fifteen. Fifteen-year-olds who are hurting can’t help but be jerks sometimes…right?

    So I took Pat’s advice and I invited Hannah to talk to me. Here’s what she said (which will hopefully soften your heart to Hannah and peak your interest in the books):

    I’m not a bitch you know. I can’t help how I look and the fact that my mother put me in all those pageants. It’s ingrained in me now. I’ve been indoctrinated. I’d rather be plain – like Lola. She’s a simple kind of pretty. I can’t even get her to wear mascara. My mom wouldn’t let me hear the end of it if I went out without mine. Been wearing it since I was ten. Crazy right? She’s the real bitch. My mom. God, if she’d have just left me alone all the girls wouldn’t hate me. So I hang out with the guys. And Lola. Lola’s my only real friend cause you know guys – there’s always the element of sex. I get their attention even when I don’t try. Maybe one day I’ll find a nice gay boy to hang out with. Maybe they’ll come out of the closet now that we’re sophomores. I’m certainly going to need a replacement best friend if Lola keeps this shit up with Ian. I know she likes him. In fact, I’m pretty certain she loves him. I’m milking the freak thing for all I can. I mean yeah he wears skinny jeans and looked like a girl in middle school but I don’t think he’s that bad. Lola usually caves in to me though. I can’t give up now. If she starts dating him she’ll disappear. That’s what happens you know. A girl gets a boyfriend and poof. I’m hanging out with Andy now but who knows how much longer that’ll last. I wasn’t born yesterday. I know his reputation. He’s a player and if I’m not careful I’ll get played. So I need Lola. I need my spot at the table. The girls on the cheer squad will like Lola. She’s too sweet not to like – a little anal – but sweet. I just don’t want to be alone. If she dates Ian she’ll leave the group. It’s a choice you know. He’s a loner and none of those guys have forgotten the bathroom incident in seventh grade when a substitute teacher tried to make him use the girls restroom. The story made the rounds and the rest is history. Even after puberty no on e can get that picture out of their head. Except Lola who has no memory of the event. She’s never been much for gossip. That’s good for me. Means my secrets go into that special Lola vault. Anyway, whatever happens, I don’t want to lose her. That’s why I give her hell about Ian.

    Category Writing | Tags: ,,,,,,, | 2 Comments

  8. What Am I Afraid Of?

    November 28, 2011 by leslee

    I’ve been reading The Joy Diet by Martha Beck. One of the “menu items” is to do something you fear every day. My immediate thought was how that might be impossible for me. The only thing I’m really afraid of is heights and I tackle that one a few times a year by jumping off the high dock at Wakulla Springs. I skipped to the next chapter.

    As I read more of the book I began to think a lot about what I really want to accomplish. I want to write. I want to be a solid writer. I don’t want to be someone who got lucky by cranking out a book and having the stars align to get the thing published and sold. I want to be prolific. I want to write many books and reach the point where my next releases are anticipated.

    In order to accomplish that goal, to be that writer, I’m going to need to write. And that is when it hit me. I’m afraid to write. I’m afraid I won’t be good enough. I’m worried I can’t top what I’ve already done, that I can’t keep getting better. I used to write everyday. I used to never miss a day of morning pages and blog posts. Now I just write everything “in my head.” I signed up for NanoWrimo and got off to an incredible start on the next novel in my series. Then I stopped. I stopped because I thought it was bad. It was only after I shared it at writing group that I realized it wasn’t.

    It’s time to buckle down and stretch myself. It’s time to not only write book 2 in the Ian and Lola series, but to write about all sorts of things. If I take time each day to write a few new things (journal entries, blog posts, short story pages, poems, or pages in the novel) than I will be tackling and beating the heck out of my fear.

    Category Books I've Read, Journey to Publication, Writing | Tags: ,,,,,,,,, | 5 Comments

  9. Passion VS Safety

    October 28, 2011 by leslee

    I’m working as an academic advisor these days so I see first hand when people are facing the choice between the path they are passionate about and the path they feel is safe. Sometimes the safe path is where their passion lies, but mostly not. They’ll come in and say “What kind of jobs can I get with this major?” Many of them double major which I suspect is to provide the possibilities of more job opportunities. One kid came in the other day and said he had signed up for the major but just wasn’t sure if it was right for him. I asked him what he was passionate about. He didn’t hesitate to share his passion. He knew exactly what he wanted to do and he’s in the right major to do it. He went on to say, in a deflated tone, that he hadn’t been able to find anyone to talk to about his plan and he was considering just switching over to business. When he said this my inner voice screamed NOOOOOOOOO! Business isn’t even close to what he wants to do (I won’t share that for anonymity) but he’s desperate for someone to safely assure him that he can reach his career goals. He wants to meet someone whose gone before him so there is proof it can be done.

    I can relate to him completely! When I went to college, I knew I wanted to write. I was good at writing. It brought me joy, made me feel complete, and was without a doubt my passion. I never put serious thought into making a living as a writer though. It wasn’t a safe choice. I ended up going with the safe choice and majoring in Elementary Education. For five years I was a teacher and one of the most freeing, joyful moments of my life was when I left teaching to stay home with my first daughter. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE kids! I savor my time volunteering at my daughters’ school and in my church. I’ve made it my mission to be one of those adults that all the kids love, but I don’t want to be “teacher” to any of them.

    Now I’m finally walking down the passion path and going for a career as a writer. I’ve gotten far enough along to know it is possible. My agent (gosh how I love the sound of that) will begin pitching my book to editors in the next few days. Last night I dreamed I stepped into an elevator and right as I did the power went off and it began to plunge. I was a little frightened but miraculously the elevator landed gently and I was unscathed. I interpreted the dream as a message about my career adventure. Following my passion isn’t going to be a breeze. When all is said and done I’ll probably have my fair share of grey hairs, but at least I will be at peace with myself-knowing I didn’t let fear or the desire for safety hold me back.

    What about you? Are you on the safe path or the passion path?

    Category Gratitude and Love, Journey to Publication, Writing | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,,, | 4 Comments