A Tale of Two Options #TipfulTuesday

A tale of two options. #TipfulTuesday

After writing half of my goal words today, I hit the blank screen. It happens. We've all heard fabulous ways to tackle this problem. Like a diet, any of the ideas CAN work, but for some crazy reason, not all do for you or me. Right? We have to find the one that is best for us. 

Oddly enough I found an idea to share in two Easter photos I took.

Hubby and I went to Israel last year. We learned there are two places celebrated as the site for the tomb where Jesus was buried and rose. 

One is a beautiful spacious garden where individuals can walk through winding paths, smell fragrant flowers and end their journey at the tomb. There are three gathering places, spaced from each other, designed for groups to assemble, sing (ooo the international praises still play in my memory), share, and have communion. The photo is on the left.

The other is a beautiful, ornate structure built inside a large church called the Holy Sepulcher. Swarms of people press together in a spaced roped off, funneling visitors into a single line through this celebrated space where the tomb is said to be. Tall columns, Majestic. Scarlet. Ten individuals are permitted at a time into this silent area, where no photos are permitted, and allowed to ponder with absolutely no speaking for about two minutes before ushered out.

There are many benefits to both places. The intent for both is to remember and focus on the great gift Christ gave.

Two vastly different places. One purpose.

Back to the ideas for writing and blank screen problem. There are times when I need to walk in the field out back and chew through what my characters are doing. I take my phone and turn on the audio recorder, dictating my thoughts for when I get back to my writing desk.

On the other hand, there are times when I need to drive to a coffee shop, spread my laptop and coffee on a table, and let the pieces of conversation, the piped-in music, and the activity in the room help me create story.

So, when you are stuck, find your idea maker location, and go there. By the way, where is your idea maker location?

~Mary Vee

#WritersAlley #amwriting

Unusual Things to be Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving Holidays to you!

We here at the Alley are so blessed by your readership. Although many of you are shy to comment or maybe you've enjoyed a post but didn't have time to share or have a specific thought to comment with, we see you here. God's richest blessings on you.

Today, I thought we could talk about the unusual things to be thankful for. 

Sure it's easy to thank God for our children, the weather, our food, etc. But what about the unusual things. 

Let's see, what can we put on this list.

Crits with lots of red writing. Sigh. I get those more than the raving positive comments at the end of the doc. I am, however, thankful for the color on my paper because I learn, I see the issue in my work, I change, I write better . . . until the critters find a new issue GACK! Breathe. I can be thankful again, learn yet another concept, see my error, change, and write better again.

Contest responses in the first round. No. no. Please. I really didn't want an email from the contest category administrator yet, at least wait another two months. Actually, I was hoping for the golden call about that time. 

The email was sweetly written, sorry....blah blah blah. I usually open the email later that evening, with a cup of hot chocolate, hoping my entry was really good but my score just missed the cut. Two days later, when I have matured, I read the judges comments.

Now comes the thankful part. I really am glad to have the score sheets. Specific areas of writing earn their own points. I can find out if I scored high on the hook, but bombed style or setting. Sometimes a judge will include a critted version. Sure, because of the subjectivity of the business three judges can score completely different. I can compare the three and learn what needs to be perfected. And if I keep learning and trying and submitting, someday, I might get the call like I did this year for the Phoenix Rattler Writing Contest :)

NaNoWriMo in November. In the season of crazy, NaNo gives you the opportunity to go insane. I am thankful because I had this fabulous idea for a story swirling in my head, consuming my thought time, but I had editing, requests, and obligations which required my full attention. The new idea had to wait until January, maybe February before I would have time to devote to it. Seriously, this is was not the time. 

But . . . this year, I signed up. NaNo has become my vent. An opportunity to get that first draft out of my head with no obligations to edit at this time. It moved those ideas that pop into my head when I was in the middle of something onto a page and cleared my mind to focus on the other tasks I needed to do. Insane ended up working for me.

Frantically busy days. No way will you get any writing done on a day where the to do list outweighs the available time. This is a day to keep one of those mini spiral writing pads and a pen with you. This is the time when new, fresh ideas will form, soaked with sight, sounds, feelings, tastes, and new learning. Don't waste these added blessings, whip that spiral out of your back pocket, take notes, and later add them to the perfect character/setting in your book. It will make you feel better, I promise:)

Suggested frantic day observations worth taking notes:

*the cheerleader or grannie type cashier leaving the register to run after the customer who forgot a bag, 

*the fresh scent of a traffic jam, and musical blarings of horns, engines, and screeching fan belts bleeding over your favorite song on the radio. 

*the missing ingredient in dinner flavor 

*the unexpected guest's lovely appearance, and yours when you answered the door with curlers, no make-up, and fuzzy slippers

*the voice of the marketer who called-yet again, this time when the oatmeal boiled over 

*the vibrant colors of your child's drawing on the surface of the living room wall which you noticed right before your mother-in-law arrived. 

*the new things you found while searching for your missing keys during the last twenty minutes 

*the force needed to scrape frost off the car when you're ten minutes late for the special appointment. 

This list could go on for pages!

Oh the blessings we have in disguised packages. 

Have some fun. Giggle. 
Add an unusual thing to be thankful for.

(Including prepositions at the end of a sentence:) )

This short post has been brought to you by the sponsors of 

You Better Hurry And . . .

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This blog post is by Mary Vee

Mary lives in Montana with her husband and loves to hear from her three college kids. She writes contemporary Christian fiction with a focus on the homeless population and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids.

Visit Mary at her website www.maryvee.com

Step into Someone Else's World

Ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids http://www.mimaryvee.blogspot.com