Too long...

Wow, it certainly has been a wild ride since the last time I posted.  I started in-service for new teachers this past week and there haven't been enough hours in the day to write.  It's upsetting to know that I've put one of passions on the back burner.  I've replaced brainstorming for bulliten boards, characters for course guides, and dialogue for desks.  School is in full swing, but I can't let certain things fall to the side. It was refreshing to open up my laptop and not make a flipchart for my Promethean Board. I need to start challening myself to work on my book a little each night.  It surely can be a way to relax and forget about the stress of the day.  I've actually missed Sawyer, Bentley, and Poppy. There are about two more chapters to write and I can't wait to see what lies in store.  You might think I know what's going happen because I have a notebook full of ideas.   However, each time I write there's a surprise of something that pops into my head that isn't already written on paper.  As a colleague of mine once said, " to do great things, you must get your big rocks in order first."

Are your rocks in order?

The Importance of Titles

Whether you claim it or not, everyone has a title.  Even the "I don't like to put a label on something" people have a title.  They're the "I don't like to use a label" people. One of my titles is that I'm a writer.  Most people only consider you a writer if you have something published.  Do you want to know what I would tell those idiots, I mean misinformed individuals?  Stick and stones can break my bones, but I write better words than you do!

Titles of books are just as important as the title you give yourself.  A title should have meaning and substance. Simply Flourful has a lot of background!  The obvious is that Sawyer is a baker, hence the flour.  Throughout the book, the bakery guests call Sawyer's pastries "magical," so instead Flourful is a play on the word magical.  However, Sawyer soon realizes that the only "magical" ingredient is simply having faith in God.

A title or label isn't always a negative thing in my opinion.  Christian, Daughter, Wife, Teacher, Writer, and Singer... these are my titles.  Do you have a label?

"We're all in this together..."

No, I didn't just watch High School Musical.  Although, would I lose "cool points" if I told you I knew every song?  The things you need to keep together are your characters.  Everyone in your book needs to tie up their loose ends.  The only objection to this rule is if you want to end on a cliffhanger or if you plan on writing another book that begins where you left off. 

P.S  I hate strongly dislike books that don't have a solid ending.
I began chapter 19 tonight and I'm currently in the process of making sure Sawyer ties up what she can in the book.  My readers are probably going to be upset with where I leave Vikki and James, but they'll have to read my next one to see how it continues.

 It's funny how we're taught to tie things up at such a young age (shoes, bows, string, neckties, trashbags), but yet when it comes to our personal lives we struggle with the thing we learned to do so early in life.

Why are we so afraid of things coming to an end?

Tonight as I finally found time to work on my book, a horrifying thought overwhelmed my body.
 "My book is almost finished!"  To the non-writer you might think this is a fabulous thing because all of your hard work will come to an end. HA!  The hard part has yet to come.  The next step in writing a book is the most daunting task.  You must send your time, sweat, tears, and soul to a publisher in hopes they won't laugh in your face.  After the second or third, "You're just not what we're looking for," you would think the sting would be less painful, but alas it is not!  It's getting picked last in dodgeball all over again.Perhaps this is why I seem to be taking my sweet, precious time to finish. 

Does anyone like to be rejected?  Rejections are like wedgies.  Everyone has to go through some eventually in their life, but the thing you have to remember is to just dig deep within to pick yourself back up again.

Blessings in Disguise

Before I begin this post I would just like to point out that the word "disguise" is the most awkward looking word.  It always looks incorrect to me.  It's not, I checked Mr. Webster.  He's the one man who is ALWAYS right but I digress...I finished chapter 18 this evening.  This was an extremely difficult chapter for me to write.  Why was it hard to write, Amanda?  Well, I'm glad you asked.  I had to incorporate romance, family, conflict/resolution, and the beginning of a tragedy  into chapter 18.

I actually found myself getting teary eyed while writing about the family expressing their blessings they had that year. This tradition was started by Granny Day after Sawyer's mother passed away.  Granny Day's blessing that first year was that she got to see her daughter grow into a strong Christian woman who never lost faith even after the chemo stopped working.

Man, that part really got to me.  It made me start thinking about my blessings.  The only conclusion that I could come up with was, "my cup runneth over."  What are you blessed for this year?

Stop while you're ahead...

Sometimes in life you'll come across things that you can't stop doing but should...

1.  Eating a third second roll at Roadhouse
2.  Saying "yes" to one more mile on the elliptical when your legs are already on fire
3.  Becoming a sucker customer at the car wash when they want you to upgrade to the next level
4.  Singing your favorite Disney song as loud as you can only to realize the car window is rolled down
5.  Watching your trashy beloved teen drama show (Make It or Break It, Vampire Diaries, Secret Life)

You're probably asking yourself..."What's the point of this post?"

Sometimes in your writing you'll find that the words come naturally and everything is going splendid.  However, all of the sudden you have no idea where you want to go in the story.  IT'S OKAY!  Stop while you're ahead.  You never want to end your writing time on a frustrated note. Rejoice in the fact that you were able to get material down.  In the words of a famous ginger, "The sun will come out...tomorrow."

Do we still laugh at the small things in life?

Writing lately has been extremely difficult for me.  No, I'm not having "the block" again.  My time has become sparse.  Studying for the ELA 4-8 exam, reading 8th grade material, and taking care of two spoiled well-loved dogs has consumed my summer.  However, I did manage to squeeze in some writing tonight as my two puppies snuggled next to me.

The bakery that Sawyer owns is getting ready for their annual Christmas Eve party, and everyone will be in attendance.  Sawyer begins reminisce about what Christmas Eve used to be before everything happened and finds herself longing for tradition.  The important thing that you have to remember about writing is to make sure you would enjoy reading your book.  "You are your worse critic."  That phrase comes to life when you decide to finally put your ideas down on paper.  As I was writing tonight, I found myself laughing out loud.  I'm sure Chase thought I was crazy beautiful.  One of my minor characters is an old man named Peter Fields.  He owns the bookstore across from the bakery and is Poppy's "BFF."  Peter enjoys playing the saxophone at Christmas Eve and last year he thought it would be funny to learn Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer and play it for Poppy.  I'm sure Granny Day was giving him a snide remark from heaven.

Laughing at your own material is good for the soul.  Have you laughed lately?