Day: November 6, 2016

Being An Introvert

I am an introvert. What that means is that being around a lot of people in the midst of a lot of noise with a lot of things happening complete depletes me. Even after my local RWA Chapter meeting–when I’m with my tribe–I usually spend the next day trying to recover.

Here are some facts about introverts:

  • We’re not shy. We just don’t like hanging out for the sake of hanging out.
  • While we may not have a lot of friends, we have a few close friends, and that’s enough.
  • We need quiet/down time in order to be healthy.
  • We’re individuals, not part of a group. Some employers think we’re not team players. Maybe society puts too much emphasis on teams and not enough about nurturing the individual.
  • We’re observers. We notice the little things.
  • Many of us thrive online. It’s not intrusive, like the telephone or unexpected company. We get to think about what we want to say.

Summer is Upon Us–Guest Author Linda Bradley

Today’s guest author, Linda Bradley, talks about summer.

Maggie Abernathy and I have a few things in common so our feelings about the summer months are quite similar. Maggie Abernathy is a school teacher and so am I. We both love summer days! It’s the time to rejuvenate, hide-away, and spend the days enjoying the summer sun. Summer is her favorite season. It’s my favorite season, too.

Maggie Abernathy lives in the suburb of Grosse Pointe in Michigan. It’s a charming place with a quaint village where one can shop, visit the library, or get a bite to eat. Maggie is lucky enough to live near the lake. It’s a place I know well, as it was my home for many years.

GP Park Landscape

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For Maggie, she spends quite some time tending her garden. She loves peonies, lilacs, and her tomatoes.

Peonies

She becomes quite fond of the pooch that her mother left on her doorstep. Bones can be a rascal, but he’s lovable.

BonesGus

Maggie’s pastime is taking photographs. After she develops them, she paints them, something that she dreams about publishing someday. She loves cows.

White Cattle

Maggie Abernathy is a cancer survivor and so am I. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, I put my blinders on, went through two surgeries, and radiation. It prodded me to write Maggie’s story.  I’ve been cancer-free for three years and I suspect Maggie will not have another bout of this trying disease. Several readers wanted to know if my debut novel, Maggie’s Way was autobiographical. Not really. Although we shared the experience of cancer and the same occupation, everything else is fictional. So I imagine, if I were to meet Maggie on a summer day at the beach, our conversation might sound something like this:

Me: May I pet your dog?

Maggie: (Smiles.) Absolutely, but I wouldn’t ask him to tend your garden.

Me: (With a chuckle.) Why is that?

Maggie: Let’s just say he likes tomatoes.

Me: I love his floppy jowls.

Maggie: He is kind of cute. My mom gave him to me. I suspect as a lesson. (Peers out over the lake and watches a young girl splash at the shore. The girl’s feet are covered with sand and her hair is damp.) Guess she didn’t want me to go through cancer alone.

Me: I’m sorry to here that. Been there done that and it sucked. I hate my tattoos.

Maggie: (With a grin) Sure does, but I’ll be okay. (Young girl runs over to where we stand and peers up at us.) Hi Chloe.

Chloe: Hi Maggie. I see Bones is behaving today. Good dog! (She pats his head and nuzzles her face close to his.)

Maggie: Yes, it’s a good day.

Me: It’s a great day with the sun. Summer is my favorite season.

Maggie: It’s my favorite season, too. My name is Maggie Abernathy.

Me: I’m Linda Bradley. Nice to meet you.

Chloe: I’m Chloe. Maggie’s not my mother, but I wish she was. She lives next door to me. I’m kind of like that kid that’s always around.

Maggie: (Smiles at Chloe.)

Me: You too must be good friends.

Chloe: (Shades her eyes and squints into the sun as she stares at Maggie.) I think we are. Are we good friends Maggie?

Maggie: Yes, we’re good friends.

Chloe: When do you think that happened cause I thought maybe you thought I was too much of a pest.

Maggie: Not sure, kiddo. Friendships are like magic. Sometimes they just happen.

Me: Kind of like a midnight wish on the wings of a summer fairy sprinkling her fairy dust over the people that love summer the most.

Maggie: (Smile grows bigger.)

Me: You do believe in fairies, don’t you?

Maggie and Chloe: (In unison) I do. (They share a quiet giggle and Chloe reaches up to hold her hand.)

Me: It was nice meeting you two. Enjoy the day. (I bend down and pat Bones’ knobby head.)

Maggie: (Nods) You, too.

Me: See you around. (I wave and walk away.)

Chloe: (Her voice trails into the breeze) She was nice. Remind me to make a wish on the summer moon tonight.

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Linda’s inspiration comes from her favorite authors and life itself. Her women’s fiction highlights characters that peel away outer layers of life to discover the heart of their dreams with some unexpected twists and turns along the way. Her writing integrates humor found in everyday situations, as well as touching moments, thus creating avenues for readers to connect with her characters.

Linda has an Associates Degree in Interior Design and a Master’s Degree in Reading and Language Arts with undergraduate work in Elementary Education and Fine Arts. She wrote and illustrated a children’s book titled, The Hunter for her Master’s Degree. Linda is a member of RWA, as well as the Greater Detroit Chapter of RWA.

Linda has two grown sons, lives with her husband, and rescue dog in Royal Oak, Michigan.

Follow Linda on social media:

 

Walking as a Writing Tool

It’s National Walking Day.

Henry David Thoreau wrote: “Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.”

My critique partners walk nearly every day.

Julia Cameron, in her wonderful The Artists Way, recommends a daily jaunt as a way to unblock creativity.

Psychology Today has this to say.

I have a walking machine my husband used as a clothes rack until quite recently. I need to get back on a schedule and start using it for walking.

Finding the time is tough. It’s so much easier to find excuses.

Do you walk?

Silly Things

I used to do some really silly things as a child/teenager. One of the silliest things was trying to close the gap between my front teeth myself—by wearing rubber bands. No, it didn’t work, but then I didn’t do it regularly.

Rubber Band Ball courtesy X-Chromo

Rubber Band Ball courtesy X-Chromo

What silly thing did you do when you were younger?

Writing Props: Color, Light, and Janet Fish

Color and light are very important to me. They always have been. I write better when I’m happy, and color and light delight me.

Many years ago, my husband and I attended an exhibit of modern art at the local art museum. That’s where I ran into Spring Party and an artist named Janet Fish. The way the artist depicted light through colored pressed glass captivated me. Awed me.

A couple of years later, leafing through a catalog from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, I discovered a poster of Spring Party was for sale. My budget didn’t allow me to purchase it at the time. But I did cut out the photo from the catalog.  And from the next issue, too. I still have one of those makeshift bookmarks. I keep it on my desk at Day Job.

Ten years later, while my Day Job office was being redecorated, I was told I could pick out any artwork I wanted. I called the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to see if they had any Spring Party posters left. I was ten years too late.

My husband purchased a coffee table book of Fish’s paintings for me. I keep it handy in my home office. There is a pullout of Spring Party that I will stare at for hours.

What Janet Fish does with color and light is what I want to accomplish with my words.