How I approach creative writing.

Generally I will have an idea floating around in my head for a few weeks before I finally write something down. I take the time to imagine the scene, to picture it vividly in my mind. From here I can finally begin to write something down. 

I start with putting the basics to work: The setting, the characters and the plot. After all of these things have been established it is time to start bringing them to life. 

If you think about all the books you have ever read, what was the style that stood out to you most?  Was it the books that had very little description of scenery and characters and focused more on plot and conversation?  Or, was it the books that bring the scenery to life, explaining every detail of the surroundings so that you could literally picture yourself amongst the characters in the book. And if, and when those books were turned into a movie, everything was exactly as you had imagined because the book was so good at describing it.  Or do you prefer something in between these two extremes?

I am an in between the two extremes person. I like to focus on the plot and characters and season them with descriptions where I feel it is necessary to bring the reader into the scene. (Like when a character is having a memory or a really intense moment in the plot.)  I have read books that went a bit overboard describing every single detail through out the entire book, and personally I found them hard to read. It was too easy to lose track of what was going on because of the descriptions.  I like to leave my reader a little room to imagine on their own.

For example, I wrote a short narrative about the description of my name.  Brook.  While telling the audience about the scenery beside the brook I said that there were flowers.

“Imagine if you will a spring bubbling up from the ground. Because of this source of water the surrounding hills and valleys are green and teaming with lush vegetation. There are many flowers near by. Butterflies float in the breeze flitting from flower to flower, vine to vine searching for the perfect spot to lay their eggs.”

I did not describe how many, what kind or color.  Here the reader is allowed to use their own imagination.  When it comes to an important part of the story, I will describe them in a little more detail.

“Large shade trees spread their branches out like they are opening their arms to the sky and soaking in the rays of the sun. Their roots hungrily soak up the waters that my source, the spring, offers them. Birds and chipmunks chirp and sing in the branches of the many trees that line the banks.”   

Next I type and type until all that is in my head is out. I don’t worry about grammar, spelling, incomplete thoughts or sentences. That is part of the editing process to be done later. Once it is all out I begin the editing process.  I am the first to admit I am a horrible speller! I think that I may be dyslexic. So I really appreciate the grammar and spell checker. After fixing all one million spelling errors I then re read what I have written.  This is the perfect time to check for flow and coherent thought.  Does the story flow smoothly or are there some rough patches that need to be “ironed” out?  Are there places that could use a little more or less description?

Once you have finished the writing and editing process, if you have a friend willing to read, and be that second set of eyes for you (A writing buddy) let them take a look at your work and catch any mistakes you may have missed.  I always miss something. And if you are brave enough, ask them to show you areas that could use a little more clarification or refinement.  If you don’t have a writing buddy, close your document and give yourself a couple of days away from it. After the story is no longer in your head go back to it and re read it as something that you are reading for enjoyment. You can pretend like someone else wrote it.  Does what you wrote make you laugh or smile? Does it bring you to tears?  Are there things that you missed before? This period of separation from my work has been an invaluable process for me.

I have been working on a novel for 13 years. Every time I sit down to work on it I re read the entire story. I find things that don’t fit or are irrelevant to the story line and edit or delete them.  I find myself laughing out loud at things that I have written so many years ago, or crying along with the main character. 

Let your writing move you. In the end, it is for you. And, if someone else happens to enjoy what you have shared with them that is one of the happy side effects of having the mind of a writer.

I hope this helps you find your creativity. Happy writing!

 

 

What is your cooking style?

Do you consider cooking an experiment? An art form? A necessary evil?

 

Do you carefully measure your ingredients and follow recipes exactly? Are you one of the few to change up a recipe and make it your own?  Or, are you one of the even fewer that does not use a recipe at all?

 

I was raised reading recipes and can follow pretty much any instructions given. What I don’t know can be easily Googled or watched on YouTube.  However over the years of watching all the lovely women in my life I have learned that it is much more fun to change up the recipe, or even create something compleatly new on your own.

 

Some of my “creations” are an experiment because I am using whatever we have in the house. Fortunately my children love being my little taste testers. Sometimes cooking is an art form that take hours to complete and tastes oh so delicious to the palate.

It is these times when my little ones refuse to eat the deliciousness that is set before them. They do not yet have the delicate and mature palate required to eat a meal that takes longer than an hour to prepare.

 

I can no longer follow a recipe. I absolutely have to change it. Even those pre-made box dinners, or pancake mix has to get an overhaul. Over the years I have come up with so many of my own recipes, but I never ever write them down.  I am a firm believer in the dump method of cooking.  I do not measure, unless I am baking a cake. And I always add extra flavors to those cakes.

 

There in lies my problem.  When someone likes one of my dishes, or “creations” and asks for a recipe, I can not give them one unless, they too are of the dump method of cooking.  I can give you the ingredients, but would totally be guessing about the measurements of each one. So, would that recipe turn out the same as mine? Probably not.  I am a huge fan of flavor and 99% of the time I cook by smell. If it smells good, it’s more than likely going to taste good.

 

Are any of you like me? Or is this a unique trait as well? If you are like me, how do you share your delicious treats with others? Do you give in and finally measure everything so that you can have a recipe to share with others?

Summer time!

I am looking forward to summer in San Antonio!  The heat makes me so happy. I can imagine myself with a notebook pool side writing away every day. 

I suppose I think of summer as being filled with lazy days and long fun filled nights.  This is my favorite time of year for a few reasons.

 

1. The heat

2. People seem to be much happier

3. Longer days  

4. More outdoor flexibility and activities are possible.

5. Swimming

6. Camping and fishing  

7. Vacation Bible School

8. More time with friends

9. Family vacations

10. Most importantly precious time with the family.

 

    My life isn’t going to slow down over the summer because I home school all four of my girls. With home schooling it doesn’t matter if you are actively learning from a book, everything you do ends up becoming a teaching experience or opportunity. That doesn’t just stop because it is June 1^st.  We will keep up with the book learning over the summer as well.  As a military family it is important that my girls be prepared for whatever school has to offer them where ever we move. I don’t want them to be behind in any way so we make daily schooling a part of our summer activities.

  We are also in the home stretch for painting for Vacation Bible School (VBS)!  This year I am in charge of painting all the backdrops and decorations and decorating our church for the week of VBS.  While I love to paint and have been told that I am pretty good at it, I don’t see myself as a leader. So this has been a new and helpful experience for me. I am painting an average of 7 hours a week.

 

This is a 10’ x 18’ section of the main mural of the town square.

I have a wonderful group of volunteers helping me.

(This is how I spent my morning.Done painting time to outline)

 

 

The badges I painted a few months ago for Sun West VBS

 

A Cowgirl to be used for the girl’s bathroom

(With #3 for size perspective. {If you don’t know what #3 refers to, read post entitled:The number system located here:

http://sillyeclectic.blogspot.com/2012/05/number-system.html})

  

As a family we have started enjoying summer already.  We were out camping on Memorial Day weekend when San Antonio had flooding rains of 8-14 inches depending on where you were.  We had quite a bit of rain in our tent that weekend!  We braved through the storms and had a long relaxing weekend at the lake.  We have also started enjoying the use of our neighborhood swimming pool.  #1 and #2 are pretty decent at swimming and #’s 3 &4 really need a lot of help. But they do okay with just the floaties.  So, what is my goal this summer? Teach all four of them to swim without help. And if I can’t do that, I at least want to teach them all how to float.

 

Another goal this summer is to really catch the writing bug. I am going to work on my novel and blog, and may even start a new project.  I will still update about health stuff as it comes up of course, but I don’t want my blog to be all about that, because I am the silly eclectic. And blogging about MS every post is neither silly nor eclectic. J

 

So for today that is enough. I hope you will stop by and check out all the silliness that is me over the coming months.

 

Gotta go, the ants are biting me!

Health update

Well, it has been a year since I drove myself to the emergency room with a headache that felt like a stroke. I’ve had about 5 headache free days since then. Although they don’t hurt as bad as they used to, I’m still having them every day. Either they are getting better, or I’m getting used to them.

 

Unfortunately my other symptoms have been getting slowly worse. In January I finished up my 100 days of running before a trip to the frigid north of Alaska for a couple weeks. Upon returning I tried to pick back up with the running and found myself having a very difficult time walking the next day.  Since then my hubby and I have been taking walks pretty much nightly to help keep me mobile.  This last week I have been having trouble on the walks and feeling exhausted all the time.

 

Most people that look at me can’t tell there is anything wrong.  I don’t limp all the time. But, if I go grocery shopping by the time I get to the checkout lane I am leaning heavily on the shopping cart and praying that I can drive home safely. My left side is always in some kind of pain, either with numbness and tingling, stabbing pains or a feeling of swelling that is about to pop, or weakness and heaviness in the limbs.

 

My vision is still great, I can still use my arms and legs and I haven’t wet myself. So, physically speaking I am doing great. I am just inconvenienced by a limp and the constant need to pee. I am trying to stay mentally strong through this.  Without an official diagnosis it is easy to be in denial about the state of my condition. But the steady decline in my physical abilities is becoming harder to ignore.

 

I am at a toss up here. I want to have an answer in hand officially as to why I feel this way. I don’t like the preliminary diagnosis phase. According to the Neurologist my magic number is 9 lesions. I was at 3 in 6 months so who knows how long it will take for a diagnosis. It could be another several years before we know anything for sure. I also just want it all to go away and be healed.  But for now, 1 year down. And looking back at it, it hasn’t been all that bad.

 

I don’t want to write to complain or ask for sympathy. This is more of a way to share what is going on with me.  When I say I’m ok, it means I hurt but I am managing to be ok. When I say I am great that means I am pain free for the moment. So that’s my code. I won’t be going to the doctor again until probably July and might be undergoing another MRI at my 1 year from last MRI point. I don’t know yet.  It is still uncertain but I am learning to be ok with that.

 

Through this I am learning to be more patient and sensitive. I don’t want to be silent about this and hide it like I am ashamed. But I do want to give hope to other people that are “suffering in silence.”  We can be a blessing to others through the things that are hurting us.  We can show God’s love and sufficiency through hard times.  God is getting me through this. When I am hurting I start praying all the more.

 

I am quiet through this because I don’t want to burden people with what I am going through. I am a normal person just like any one else and do not need any special treatment or consideration.  Just know that if I am sitting quietly it is not because I am depressed or feeling down. I’m just taking a breather so that I can face the rest of the day. I am going to need to take more breaks and sit down when I am tired. Its part of the weakness I am feeling. (The pain in my left leg and arm feels a lot like growing pains, that deep cold stabbing ache) Sitting down and messaging my limbs helps to alleviate some of that pain.  I am not asking for attention or for others to stop what they are doing by sitting down, I am just taking a rest before I tire myself out so much that I won’t be able to walk the next day.

 

So that is what I am going through right now.  I am still positive. I am still leaning on the Father, knowing that His strength is all that gets me through each day. I am still teaching my children, keeping my house clean and being the best Child of God, Wife, mother and friend that I know how to be.  I still need people in my life, so those of you that are afraid to talk to me because of my “condition” please don’t be. I’m still me, and I’m not going to talk to you about what is going on unless you ask me because I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or sorry for me.

 

God has richly blessed me and my family for many years. This is just one of those trials in life that I am meant to face.  Prayerfully I do it with grace, showing that my God is sufficient through All things.

 

It has taken me over a week to write this because I don’t want to complain, I don’t want to keep talking about MS.  But lately it seems every conversation I have revolves around MS.  But that is not me; I am not my “disease.”  I am still the person that will go out of my way to help those in need. I am still that great listener, and quiet spirit that Loves her God, Family and Country. 

 

So let’s all just go back to being us again.  I will keep everyone updated here on the blog. I will be happy to answer your questions you have about how I’m feeling for real if you really want to know. But truly I am ok.

 

Love you all

Brook