Travel Through the Pages ~ Lexa Fisher

 

 

Photo by Jake Blucker on Unsplash

 

While I no longer feel comfortable traveling, I can still visit the places I'd love to see by reading books set in those locations. 

I love books that allow me to walk down the streets, feel the weather on my skin, smell the roses, bougainvillea, or orange blossoms.

No longer having a daily commute, I  have nearly two more hours a day to indulge in exploring new genres and finding new authors to follow.

In addition to traveling to new places through books, I can also travel to times I'd love to visit. My current work in progress has backstory in the late 19th century and my research involves reading not only fictional stories set in this time, but also reading historical accounts of how people lived back then.

Online newspapers going back to the early 19th century have been extremely helpful. Products that were advertised, recipes, and small town news stories paint a detailed picture of daily life and help me create a more immersive story.

 

 

 

 

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

 

Another route I've traveled is down memory lane.This trip helps me add greater detail to my work in progress. What were my grandmothers' kitchens like, their gardens, their basements? The latter were always terrifying to this young child with their low ceilings, dim lighting, and cobwebs everywhere, heavy with dust.

Everywhere I've traveled through the books I've read this past year has been from the comfort of my own home, no reservations needed. I only need time to make a warm drink and settle in with my wonderful travel companion--Miss Bridgett. She's quite happy to sit beside me in a rocking chair as I journey through the pages.

 

Word Choice Makes All The Difference

Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado
on Unsplash

Words. We have a choice. There are over 470,000 English words to choose from according to Webster's Third New International Dictionary. Most English speakers rely on 20,000 - 30,000 to communicate verbally. Writer's may expand their word usage a bit more with the help of a thesaurus.  

Whether speaking or writing, thinking about word choice and the message we want to convey is important. 

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Word choice matters when giving directions. Have you ever been lost and stopped to ask directions and felt more confused after the person explains? Even worse, you ask directions and two or three people try to help you at the same time. 

Words are powerful and once uttered cannot be retrieved. Word choice can enhance or destroy a relationship. Have you ever thought, I didn't mean what I said?

In the words of Yehuda Berg, "Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate, and to humble."

We all start out not knowing any words. As infants, we vocalize sounds. Eventually, those sounds become words. Later, those words can be strung into phrases and sentences that humans utilize for communication.  

Photo by Jan Canty on Unsplash

When we communicate in writing, we have the option of revising before we publish. I consider this an extraordinary opportunity to look at my word choice. Do I really mean he was a nice guy or can I describe my hero more vividly?   

I've taught writing for more than twenty-five years to a broad range of learners--from children as young as eight to grown-ups in their seventies. One of the areas I always emphasize, once that first draft is done, is to look at word choice. Is it a small dog or a ten pound poodle? Would she walk or saunter or march out of a room?

I'm reminded of an episode of Friends when Joey wants to support Chandler and Monica by writing a letter to the adoption agency. Joey struggles with the writing until Ross shows him how to access the online thesaurus. Naturally, the resulting letter is hilarious because Joey used the thesaurus to replace almost all of his original nouns and verbs. He had no idea about nuance. 

In writing, word choice can make the difference in a book that is well received and a book that flops.

"My task, which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel--it is, before all, to make you see." Joseph Conrad

Interested in learning more about word choice? Join us for an online writing class on Saturday, March 27. Strategies to Jump Start Your Writing 

https://volcanoartcenter.org  

Slow Down ~ by Author Marj Ivancic

Slow down.
Pay attention.

I can’t tell you how many times I heard those two phrases in my life. They were usually preceded by some knuckleheaded move on my part. You know the kind. Moving too fast, brain elsewhere. Adding bleach to the dark laundry; scuffing the wall paint with the chair leg; knocking a glass from the counter.

But this month, I had cause to think upon those words more deeply as I wrote my father’s eulogy.

My dad was a man of thought before action, which meant he wasn’t one to suffer mistakes gladly. Yet, what I think he was really saying when he levied those parental admonishments was, “have care” or “proceed with care.”

What is it to care for something or someone?

To protect. To take responsibility for. To look after.

Weighty stuff, eh? So, why apply it to “things” like possessions?

For my dad, it wasn’t about materialism. In his mind, to care for

something required having appreciation for it. And if you appreciate something, then gratitude surely follows. And a life of gratitude is a content one.

Slow down.

Pay attention.

If you learn to be grateful for the small things, like possessions, just imagine how grateful you will be for the really important stuff—your body, your mind, your loved ones, this planet, your fellow man.

Slow down.

Pay attention.

Be in the moment. They pass too quickly, these precious moments of our lives, big and small. Appreciate those breaths, those chances we are given which show themselves in the minutes and hours of time spent with our loved ones.

Slow down.

Pay attention.

What a wonderful life philosophy. What a wonderful lesson. What a wonderful man. I am forever indebted.

It's Never to Late to Follow Your Dreams ~ by Author Darlene Kuncytes

 

photo: Deposit Photos

On Valentine’s Day this year, I celebrated eight years since publishing my first book. 

Eight years!!! 

It still blows me away. 

I have always loved books and reading and writing. For as long as I can remember, I loved weaving tales. 

In my younger days, it was sitting under the street light in the summer telling ghost stories. Oh, how I loved that! I would make up monsters and stories and loved when I would actually scare my friends. (yes, I have an evil streak! Lol)

When I hit my teens, I would sit quietly in study hall – not studying of course, but writing stories. It was my true love.

My dream.

photo: Google photos

I never wanted to be a princess or a ballerina when I was a kid. Although, I did take dance classes that I enjoyed, but it just wasn’t my goal in life. Nope. This girl wanted to be the next Stephen King or John Saul! 

Then as I got even older, I began to write romance. 

I still love horror, but I am a sucker for that happy ending! (Thank you, LaVryle Spencer!)

I have written my entire life. There are tidbits of stories all over my house, but it wasn’t until I was in my forties that I was brave enough to actually take that step and make my dreams come true. 

I bit the bullet and published my very first novel. 

And it was like nothing I had ever experienced! I can’t even begin to tell you how exciting it was!

I published my first book knowing nothing, but I was lucky enough to find a core group of amazing people who helped me along my journey. And believe me, I needed it. I was scared spitless! Lol

I was terrified, and I told myself that my family and friends would most likely be the only ones who would be kind enough to actually pay for my book, but at least I was making my dream come true. I was a published author! 

I was forty-something and FINALLY doing what I'd wanted to do forever. And do you know what? I do not regret a thing! 

Well, that’s not entirely true. I do regret not taking the plunge sooner. 

And now, it’s eight years and fourteen books later, and the dream continues! 

You see…dreams are funny things. They start to flicker in us as children and linger in our hearts forever. Some of us follow them straight away, while others, for whatever reasons, won’t take that plunge. 

What I have discovered and want to stress is that is it NEVER too late. Don’t ever let fear or the bumps in the road keep you from what turns that flicker into a full-blown flame!

photo: Google photos

Because you know what? The only thing we will ever truly regret in life are the chances we didn’t take.

LIVE that dream. 

One of my best friends decided she wanted to follow her dreams of becoming a nurse and started school well into her thirties. She would always laugh and tell me that she felt like everyone’s mother! lol

Now she is working at a lab researching a cure for Leukemia.

So, no matter what excuses you find for not taking that chance, there are a million reasons why you should. 

Dreams can be tucked away for however long and still be there waiting for you to make them come true. They don’t have an expiration date! Don’t ever short-change yourself by saying that it’s to late. 

It isn’t! 

Follow them. Make them come true and find your passion. Your inner self with thank you for it! 

Stay safe! 

Darlene 

Saranac Lake Winter Carnival ~ by Author Jennifer Daniels

The Winter Carnival has been a long running tradition for Saranac Lake, NY.  Many people have come to witness this amazing 10 day spectacle for years.

The opening ceremony begins with the coronation of the King and Queen. This is followed by the lighting of the castle and an amazing firework display that is spectacular. Over the 10-days they have parades, different performances, and all different kinds of outdoor activities. There is something new to do every day. On the last night it ends with another amazing firework display.

All of the hard work that goes into this weekend is done by the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Committee. The townspeople volunteer their time to build the castle from huge blocks of ice cut from the lake. This event a wonderful way for families to get outside and have some winter fun.

This year the Castle’s theme was “Masquerade” which is very fitting for the time we are currently in. The castle is opened to have your pictures taken in front of and of course you can walk through the different passages. Every year it is constructed differently.

But like all things this year, the carnival was vastly different. You could not approach the castle and you had to watch the fireworks from afar. This year’s event had minimal activities and the closing ceremony was cancelled.

My husband, son, and I donned our masks and went to the opening ceremony, and even though we could not get close to the castle, it was nice to be in the fresh air and watch the fireworks from afar. 

We had the perfect viewing spot. But, for my family, the drive itself was gorgeous. It had snowed all day long so the trees were dusted with the newly fallen flakes, everything sparkled. It was
a fun family outing.