I've Been Published...

Wow, two times in one year. I am so happy that two things I've written have been published. One I was pretty sure about but it was taking so long that I had forgotten about it. It is a book of short stories about people who have influenced us in our faith. It was published in a book called Balcony Women. You can find it in the Covenant Bookstore. It's a nice read for a relaxing day when you just want to be encouraged.

My second one was something we were required to do for work. I was pretty new to this job but the challenge of writing something just overtook me. It was about something very personal, but I enjoyed writing it and when I read it at work, wow did the tears flow. Not just from me but from all the other people in my group who heard me read it. I'm not sure how I felt, but I was encouraged to send it in to This I Believe. I held on to it for several months and then I finally sent it in. Honestly, I didn't expect to hear back so quickly but it only took a couple of weeks before I was notified that it would be published on their website. Next time I get on here I'll post a link so you can go and check it out.

Other wise my writing is slow again. I want to write a short story for Writer's Digest contest that ends November 1st. I have a strong idea, I just haven't decided how to frame it just yet. Hopefully I will get it done within the next two weeks so I can have some time to just meditate and pray over it before I send it in. I'll be sure and write about how that goes.

Also, the National Novel Writing Month is coming up again. Last year I started something but didn't finish. I'm gonna try again this year. Not sure yet if I'm going with the same idea or something new. You'll hear about it in December.

Well, I should go and write something tonight before I go to bed!

Talk to you again soon.

Saturday May 29th, 2010

Wow, what a blessing today was. I spent almost five hours in our first meeting of the ECBF Women's writing group, for lack of a better title. It was was invigorating and has encouraged me to have something to say today. It's time for all God's people to get serious about the gifts that God has given and begin to use them for his honor and glory. I am a writer and have let my fears hold me back for too many years. It's time to get busy sharing what thus saith the Lord through me. He has given me so much and I plan to use it to tell the world all about it. So look out world, Alta is gonna be getting it all down on paper for the rest of the world to see. This is the day of new beginnings, this is the year of Jubilee...because Christ came to die for me I can have Jubilee every day and I'm glad about it.

Let me hear you say Yeah!

What I'm Reading...

I'm trying to get back on the reading wagon. I read Nicolas Sparks the Last Song about 2 months ago and haven't really picked up anything since. But today I started reading book 4 in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Series. The Kalahari Typing School for Men. I'll let you know what I think. As far as the Last Song goes, I am so glad to hear it has been made into a movie, but I am even more overjoyed to hear that Dear John by Nicolas Sparks has also been made into a movie. Two great books and I'm still waiting for Mr. Sparks to write Savannah's response to Dear John. If you've read it you'll know why I say that, or after you see the movie. Hopefully the movie stays true to the book. I might have to write Savannah's reply myself if Mr. Sparks doesn't hurry.

This is the day of new beginnings...

Well, I've gone and done it. I accepted a new job working with my son. Tomorrow I turn in my resignation at my current job. I was looking but not really looking and this just sort of fell into my lap. I praise God for it and look forward to doing something different. I am also taking this as a sign to get some writing done. In addition, I signed up for the November Novel Writing session. It's not a contest. Just a challenge to write a complete novel in 30 days. There are page and word count limits and as long as you meet them at the end, you get a certificate I think. Anyway you will also have a complete novel to then, rewrite, send out or do something with. I hope to finish the challenge. I also hope that this job change will help me to have a new perspective on my life. Being a caregiving and working full time is not fun. I'm also reading a couple of writing books and 2 novels. One by Terri Blackstock and one by Nicholas Sparks. I always seem to want to read more when I should be writing. So today I'm trying to get in gear for Sunday November 1st. I have an idea of the story I want to write and I just keep turning ideas around in my head so that I will have what it takes to just get it all down on paper. So I'm marking this day Wednesday, October 28th as a milestone. We'll see where I am on Saturday November 28th, a month from now.

Still Struggling To Get Started

Today is May 2, 2009 and I am still struggling to get to where I want to be with my writing. My hubby is still sick and all I do is work, and care give. Writing is important to me and I really need to make it a priority. I get lots of good ideas and I have most of them written down. I am also reading a lot of Karen Kingsbury, Terri Blackstock, Nicholas Sparks, and James Patterson. They all publish regularly and when I grow up I want to be just like one of them. Even as I write this I am so tired my eyeballs hurt, but I have to be up to be available for my husband. I am tied to a life that is not edifying to my life. That's terrible to say but it's how I really fee.

What's On My Mind!

Today is Saturday, February 21, 2009. When I started this blog two years ago, I did so because I felt in my heart that I had a lot to say about a lot of things and now I find that my life won't allow me to do the one thing I thought I was meant to do, write.

One of the things that is occupying my time is surfing the internet. My routine is check my emails, and then I usually go off on a tangent from one of the emails and there goes my time.

Another thing is that I have too many email addresses and sites that I've signed onto to get newsletters and updates sent to me on a regular basis. I should realize by now that since I never follow up on much of that stuff, that I really don't need it. Now I just have to convince myself to delete something. I have an msn, 2 gmail, 2 yahoo and my work emails accounts to track, not counting being on Tagged, Facebook, and something else I know I'm forgetting right now.

On a daily basis I have over 300 emails to check. This does not include the spam which I also check just to be sure that something I really want to see doesn't get into the trash by mistake.

I guess my biggest problem right now is that I am so totally frustated with what I am going through personally that I have allowed myself to get into a funk. Mentally and emotionally. Nothing motivates me, nothing excites me and and nothing really brings me much pleasure except singing. (Writing should be here but it's not)

I won't bore you with my personal problems except to say that it's been going on for almost two years and I see no end in sight. God has to step in and do something miraculous. I believe he can but I don't even have the motivation to pray that he will.

I don't however feel like I'm depressed. I just feel like I can't change my life and I'm not happy where I am. I still get up and go to work every day. Interact with people and try to put on a show of being a decent human being. In the process I have to be up and available for my children and husband. I don't know that I always do a good job of that, but I know I'm not as bad as I could be and my family doesn't seem to be "any worse for the wear". What a stupid saying.

I'm am trying to find little pieces of happiness in the small things that happen in my life. Like this morning my brother called me and while we were talking he made some comments that I basically balked about in jest. He said "A hit dog will holla". I thought that was hilarious and I got quite a bit of joy from laughing about it. My brother on the otherhand wasn't laughing and frankly didn't seem to see the humor in it. Nevertheless, it lifted my spirits.

So here I sit on another Saturday waiting to waite on my family. That's what I seem to do the most. I don't think I spelled that right, but what I mean is to always be doing for them. I don't feel like I get much time to myself. Even right now after I started writing this I received a text message to let me know that I needed to come and pick someone up. So there goes my free time. I'll pick them up and then they'll want some attention and my time is no longer my own.

As I'm writing this I am beginning to feel a little energy and I know that I want to write more so I need to find the motivation within and get it done.

Thanks for listening...

Alta

Another year of hardly anything to say...

Today is Nov 22, 2008. It's been over a year since I last updated this blog. I keep asking myself why I even set it up. At the time I felt like I had a lot to say and was happy for the outlet. Unfortunately, life has been kicking my butt and I am running out of words to say.

Today I am unusually sad and I feel like I could run away. Nothing new has happened, but things haven't changed much either. I won't spend my writing time telling you about my situation because frankly, that won't change it. Just know that I am far from where I expected to be at this point in my life and I am very unhappy about it.

They way my life is going now, I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to write my book or make the cards i want to make or sew the clothes I want to sew or if I will just continue in this fog of life.

It's a fog because I can't see where I'm going and I can't see what's coming at me. As I write that statement I am beginning to get in touch with my real feelings. I can't see what's coming and I can't prepare or plan for it so it always, yes I use that word, always knocks me off my horse. Maybe by now i would learn to stay off the horse!

I am actually feeling pretty sorry for myself at this point but I think if I continue to write, I just might be able to pulled myself up out of this.

I have wants and needs that go unfulfilled every day and I can't do anything about it. Or at least I don't have the energy to fight for what I want. So where do I get the energy? That will be my question for the week. I will look and listen to hear the answer from the universe! When I get the answer i will post it.

WHERE DO I GET THE ENERGY?

Sunday October 7th, 2007

I've had this blogspot for a while and not had much to say. My 51st birthday was on 10/4/07 and I am now looking at my life and asking God what should I be doing now. I am realizing that life is short and if you spend all your time running from your destiny you may just run right out of time. Since tomorrow is not promised to any of us, we need to make the most of today. I'm trying to hear from God and move in the direction he tells me to.

What about you?