Go stomp up a hissy fit and then Get Back to Work!

Do you ever become bored with your manuscript? I'm here to tell you that sometimes you will feel bored with it. Sometimes you will feel as if you want to ditch it and go work on something else, or to sit upon your couch and drink vodka tonics and eat chocolate and forget that you ever called yourself a writer in the first danged place . . . yeah!


If you are writing your novel/story and lose interest, or are not motivated to keep writing, then take a break. Work on something else, then go back to it with fresh perspective. If you are still bored and unmotivated, maybe it's time to consider why. If you become bored by reading your work, and are not excited about working on it, your readers may feel that boredom as well. We should be the first champions, the first lovers of, the first excited readers of our work. We should be excited and motivated and happy as little happy clams--except for those times when we are going "ARGHHHH!"


I’m working on the continuing story of Virginia Kate, Secret Graces. This time, I have a deadline. There is not a lot of time to put away my manuscript and work on something else, or else I miss that deadline. With what would become Tender Graces, I had “all the time in the world,” for I had no one waiting on me to deliver—I only had my own motivations, and my love of Virginia Kate and the other characters, the setting, the landscape, the language and words. Still, I had my days. Too many of "those days" spent doubting and angsting--what a waste, or maybe instead of "waste" I was feeling my way around, learning, processing. Yeah, that's it!

But, no matter how I feel or do not feel with Secret Graces, I had a point to start, and I have a definite point to get the manuscript to Bellebooks. Period. For every day I step away from the work and whine or gripe or piddle de doo means extra time I need to find to catch up. Writing for deadline is a different feel than writing for the sake of writing (as you Nanowrimo-ers may be feeling!).

After setting down all the words comes the “edits and re-writes.” This is where many writers get the "YAWWNNNs." This means reading your ms over and over and over and over. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read the entire manuscript of SG. Do I wish it to be Done and in the hands of my publishers? Yes. For I want to move on. I have more to write. I have the Sweetie novel I want to start re-writes/edits on. I have short stories I’d like to take a look at again. But, with each reading of SG, of Virginia Kate’s story, I find a way to fall in love with her again. And even when I don't, doesn't matter -- the work must be done and I must do the work.

It’s okay to be bored with your work at times. It’s okay to feel frustrated. It’s okay to put it away in frustration. It’s okay to hate being a writer sometimes. It’s okay to stomp your feet and raise a fist to the sky and ask, “WHY DO I DO THIS? WHY WHY WHY DO I TORTURE MYSELF IN THIS WAY? I SUCK; MY WORK SUCKS; BEING A WRITER SUCKS! NO ONE LOVES ME!” Yes, it’s perfectly normal and fine to rant, as long as you get back to work. Scream and stomp and angst and feel depressed and feel defeated and feel horrid and yucky and icky and poodly doo doo and sob and rant. . . And Then Get Back To Work.

Now, go stomp up a hissy fit and then take a deep breath and fall in love with your characters and their stories all over again.

google image from:
http://www.medicaldc.0catch.com/images/funny.jpg





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I have tried all but one of the Community Coffee gift set coffees --the Bread Pudding. Since Thanksgiving is next Thursday, I thought that flavor of coffee would be perfect to serve to our Theater guests coming for Thanksgiving--the theater friends we call The Regulars--and to get their reactions. I will write about these coffees - and as I said, I will have a contest so you can win coffee and a travel mug.

This is the gift set I have...thank you Community Coffee! *smiling*

Forehead Butt Society: Robert De Niro . . .

Today's Inductoroonee into the Forehead Butt Society was suggested by Susan at A Walk in My Shoes. Thank you, Susan!

Down with Botox! Let's love the face we're in. You gonna ask De Niro to get rid of his Forehead Butt? Go head, try it . . .

Yes, the ever-intense, ever-talented Robert De Niro has a Forehead Butt. Which means he can be a member of the most wonderful on high, The List of creative, intelligent, gifted, talented Forehead Butters, of which of course, I am President and all Powerful Appointeererer.

You lookin' at him? You lookin' at Him? You lookin' at HIM? Well, yes, we are lookin' at him--but don't stare too long, lest you go blind in his intensity. Look at those eyes - behind them lies a man to be reckoned with! A man with thoughts and ideas and characters and emotions and memories and experiences stomping and running and jumping and playing and flying all about that wonderful brain of his.

Now, have a wonderful Sunday. I'll be posting soon about my Community Coffee experience, and as well, will post about the contest to win some coffee and a travel mug.

I leave you with sweet Norah Kathryn. . .

The Mystery of the Apple Tree . . .

I am a woman who loves science, but I see science in ways both concrete, logical, and mysterious. There are simply things that cannot be explained here on Earth and in the Beyond. Science tries to explain the why’s and where’s and what’s and who’s and when’s—but sometimes Science acknowledges there is no answer, even if they'll continue to search for it. And that is the area, the black hole area, the distant galaxy unfound area, the far and away unknown area, the infinity that can’t be imagined area—those things—are what grab our attention and allow us to dream and imagine.

Last summer when my old girl Kayla (Fat Dog) died, I grieved mightily. It was unexpected, even though she was getting old, she'd been so healthy. Still, the cancer inside her hid from us, and by time it was detected, it was too late. She went down fast. But, don’t want to talk about that, what I want to talk about is the strange thing that happened that GMR and I can’t figure out the why’s.

Kayla was an apple-loving fool! She adored her apples. I could not pick up an apple without her running up to me, ooooooing out a “Mine! All MINE! GIVE THAT APPLE TO ME –MINE!” If I wanted to eat an apple, I best have one for her or there was doggy sadness abounding and lots of huffing and "dog harumphing." Jake, (Not Quite Fat Dog) learned to love apples, too. So, each night, for their treat, they’d get apple. Also note that Kayla had a favorite “first stopping place” when we’d take her and Jake for their mountain cove walk—it was at the end of the driveway, in a certain spot, where she’d sniff and pee and general dog doodly doo.

After Kayla died, Jake would not touch another apple and still won’t. It was immediate. He refuses. I suppose he links apples with his good friend Kayla, who he grieved over mightily as his owners did.

Now, here is the strange we can’t figure this thing. After the apple-loving Kayla died, maybe a few weeks or so, we took Jake down the driveway, and there, in that spot where Kayla loved to stop first, were bunches of apples. Apples everywhere, all over the ground, and when we looked up, there was a tree full of apples. So what? You may say, WNC has apples.

Yes. True. But the thing is, we’ve lived here for five years and never ever never saw not one apple—in fact, didn’t even know there was an apple tree up there. Kayla died one year ago this July, and we’ve also not seen an apple since. None. Nada. That apple tree that we didn’t know existed only produced one batch of apples in near-five years—and that was right after our apple-loving good old girl Kayla, Fat Dog, died.

Now. Why do you suppose that is? Is it tree that only shows its fruit once in a blue moon? Complete coincidence? What?

All I know is I was filled with wonder, and with a sad joy to see those apples. And also, with a feeling of the mysteries of our Universe.

Have a wonderful weekend. I’m off to Asheville to have lunch with author Joan Medlicott – we’ve been talking about this for months and have finally made time to meet.

Do you have any mysteries to tell?


Find your mysteries.



google image from: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://appleandorange.files.wordpress.com/

Norah Kathryn after her bath *smiling*

Book Clubs & Deadlines & Audio book thankyous & All kinda gratitudes . . .

I have a book club today I'll be visiting, here in our little mountain town, and I'm excited to meet with them. It's always a pleasure to be able to meet with book clubs in person; however finding creative ways to 'meet' with book clubs - any suggestions? Skype? phone? webcam? Teleportation?


Going to get to work this morning on the Secret Graces manuscript - have to get that off to the publishers soon. Thanks for asking that Tender Graces be placed on the list for audio books at audacity.com (link below if you are going Huh?); I appreciate it and you. I have a couple of "traveling friends" who asked for it; my mom wrote and said she has had some of her quilting/sewing group ask her if Tender Graces was available on audio - there is the large-print out there, but some of them like audio, as well, so, I'm hoping it happens!


I appreciate all your support--your emails and thoughts and comments. I know I don't get by your places as much as I used to, but please know it's just the deadline for the next Virginia Kate novel, and my Rose & Thorn responsibilities. You all are the best! *muwah!*

I think I'll do the Community Coffee tasting starting Sunday (that's below too!)

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[PS ....Is my blog loading slow for you? If so, could you let me know in the comments? GMR says my page loads slowly for him, but he has an old Dell desktop that needs more memory. Just want to be sure - I may have too many widgety things.]
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A cup of Louisiana Community Coffee Anyone? A Taste Test...

Ah, my friends, look at what I received in the mail! A holiday gift set of Louisiana Community Coffee - straight from Community Coffee in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Now, all of you know how I always talk about my Smoky Mountain Roasters Deep Creek Blend. Deep Creek Blend has made it into at least one short story, one novel (the Sweetie novel that I hope to have published in the future), and et cetera.

However, I rarely write about Louisiana, particularly South Louisiana, without saying something about the Community Coffee--I mean, that's the state coffee far as most Louisianians are concerned! How could I not have some of my characters sipping the State Brew? Just like the po-boys, etoufee, gumbo, crawfish, and french bread, Community Coffee is a Louisiana staple in most homes.

My Louisiana friends say, "You ain't drinking Community Coffee up dere in dem mountains? Harumph . . ." and I answer, "No, I'm drinking mountain coffee, huhn." They say, "Didn't you fixin to used to drink Real Coffee when you lived down here dem years ago? AIYEEEEE!" And I answer, "I don't recall, so there." And then they get all huffity and stamp their white rubber boots in the swamp and tell a Boudreaux and Thibodeaux joke about yankees even though I'm not a yankee, they think anyone who lives northeast of them is a yankee and they of course say that CC is unforgettable and I am forgetting the good stuff and that's why my taste buds are all wonkified and . . . and on and on they go. We have a war of words about which coffee is the better, although they're pretty danged arrogant about their coffee, let me tell you!

So it's time to put it to the test!

I am going to have a taste test of these holiday coffees, and I'm going to post what I think about them. I thought I may even have some people over who have never had CC and see what they think, or take the coffees down to Osondu's Booksellers and see if she wants to brew some up and then we can get customers to taste it and tell us what they think! (I guess I should ask Osondu's that before I make those plans *laugh*).

Also, I want to have a coffee give away - but I haven't decided yet what I'll do. I'll figure that out soon.

I think the first thing I'll do is brew up a small batch of each one and let GMR pour them into little cups and see if I can guess what they are just by tasting them, and include the DCB, too boot. At any rate, I plan to have fun with my experiment - and I'll let y'all know what I think about the coffees.

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Also, for any of you out there who like to listen to audio books: I'd love to see Tender Graces published as an audio book (love to hear how they'd do the WVA voices and the Louisiana voices; how VK would sound, or Aunt Ruby! Momma, Micah, etc) . . . a friend of mine who travels a lot and listens to books went in and requested TG be added to the audio books line up at audible.com-- that may be what it takes, so, if you listen to audio books, and would like to listen to Tender Graces, please go by and request they add TG to the line up. It takes just a couple of seconds - all you do is type the following in the boxes:

Title: Tender Graces
Author: Kathyrn Magendie
ISBN: 978-1602855823

you can click on audio.com/request to find the page to do so. Thank you! Maybe we'll be able to listen to the TG characters one day!

It's Monday: What are you Reading?

From J. Kaye's Book Blog: If you decide to participate in It's Monday! What are you reading?, be sure to post a link to [J. Kaye's blog] on your blog. That way others can find their way [t]here and join in the fun.

So, What am I reading? I just completed "Long Story Short,"
Flash Fiction by Sixty-five of North Carolina’s Finest Writers. This was a wonderful collection of short shorts that I read in just a few gulps and thoroughly enjoyed -and it felt great supporting my North Carolina writers! The book was edited By Marianne Gingher . . .

. . . And now I am reading Blogger Patience Coale Renzulli's fun book "Mama Pajama Tells a Story ." I ordered this from her link provided from our "shop and support our Blogging Community" links that I'll be putting up again soon (or you can visit by clicking the above link). I want to do more shopping, but my first purchase had to be a book.

About "Mama Pajama . . . " How about a book FULL of short stories all about how much we love our dogs. Funny stories and a few that may bring a tear. SIGNED and PERSONALIZED! OH what a PERFECT GIFT!!!






Now, it's Monday . . . WHAT ARE YOU READING? . . .

Forehead Butt Society: Harper Lee & Gregory Peck (and a bit of Norah Kathryn)

Yes, it is that time again for another inductorereener into the Forehead Butt Society!

It is my wonderful and honored pleasure to inductoredee Harper Lee - she of the double forehead butt, even thought I am the Single Forehead Butter. Yes, our beautiful Harper Lee has "The Sign" of all things creative and wonderful and beautiful! And, to have a two-fer forehead butter day, from the wonderful and lovely author (look at her face, that is a face I'd like to know the person behind, to have tea with and some crisp thin cookies and talk about just any old thing while rocking on the porch) -of To Kill A Mockingbird - Scout's daddy - Gregory Peck - also has a forehead butt! A single like me. This is a fine day for us Forehead Butters, those of us with The Sign of creative everything!

So, down with Botox! Let's tell the stories of our lives through our expressive faces, let's keep the signs of love and anger and grief and wonder and beauty and past and present and up and down and all around. . .Folks, if you don't think Harper Lee is beautiful and that her face tells stories of her life and of other's lives witnessed, then go ahead and get your danged botox, as for me, I hope I one day have a Harper Lee face. Here's to language, and books, and good good stories, and beautiful faces . . .

and also, below, a couple more braggy photos of the cute Norah Kathryn - Little Boop, who in the yawning photo seems to have a little teeny sort of kind of forehead butt ' laughing: