Committed to Writing? (Don't Do What I Do...)

The jaunty jingle of my cell phone alarm pleasantly drew me from my sleep, and I awoke, refreshed, my heart full of gratitude. Our two cats lifted sleepy heads, blinked slowly, and fell right back to sleep. With ease, I slipped from my bed and changed from night clothes into running gear before hopping onto the treadmill.

A mere forty-five minutes later, I had exercised, showered, read my Bible and accompanying devotional, and was changing into my work clothes. Then, bottle of water and a handful of carrot sticks in hand, I quietly tiptoed into the office and began writing in the quiet hush of pre-dawn. Keys clicking away beneath my deft fingers, I write three brilliant short stories sure to wow my potential agent and--

I am Edmund.

We all know the story. There were four children named Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy who were sent to live in the country in a large manor. The youngest, Lucy, stumbles upon a magic wardrobe that opens into a strange land blanketed with snow that is called Narnia. She returns, tells her siblings, and none of them believe her.

Photo from Tampa Bay Times' archives.
 Image property of Disney, 2005.

Later, Edmund manages to follow her through the wardrobe and discovers the place for himself. Only, instead of meeting the hospitable faun Mr. Tumnus, Edmund encounters the White Witch. She gives him enchanted Turkish delight and a hot drink and uses false promises to lure him into a plot of betrayal: to bring his siblings to her the next time he comes to Narnia.

Eliza Doolittle Day

By William Bruce Ellis Ranken (1881-1941)
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

"What am I fit for? What have you left me fit for? Where am I to go? What am I to do? What's to become of me?" 
(Pygmalion Act 4, Line 51)

Eliza Doolittle's words echo regularly in my mind. This is my refrain in young adulthood. No longer a child, still establishing myself as the mythical Adult, I wonder what is to become of me.

Like Eliza facing her triumph at the ball, I look at my own list of accomplishments and wonder what comes next. I am a member of Sigma Tau Delta. I have a BA. I'm earning an MA. I recently joined the NCWA. I'm married. I have two jobs. I have a car in my name. I have student loans. I have a cell phone bill. I pay for insurance. I'm a pet owner. I have houseplants that are still alive.

Northwest Christian Writers Renewal 2013 - a personal recap

Have you ever noticed how easily we tune ourselves out? I know that in some cases, it's incredibly beneficial to silence our inner critic, but sometimes, we end up shutting down our deepest desires at the same time because we think, "Such and such isn't practical."

So we take those activities that we enjoy and shove them into a hobbies box, running the risk of forgetting all about them. If writing (or painting, or playing the cello, or tap dancing, or gardening, or--you fill in the blank) is merely a hobby, it is easy to prioritize something else on top of that or to equate it with other hobbies like watching Netflix or surfing the internet for cat .gifs. (Guilty...)

I will post more tomorrow, but...

...here is a photo from the lobby at Overlake Christian Church to hold you over until I can better wrap my head around this weekend.

Spoiler: the weekend was WONDERFUL!

NW Christian Writers Renewal 2013

I have no idea what I have gotten myself into. Tomorrow and Saturday, I'll be attending this conference in hopes that it will help me be a better writer. I would be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little bit nervous. (I'm actually fairly nervous right now.)

Being a rather shy introvert, I am trying to figure out how I will process the crowds that will be there. I did some calculations based on the amount of editors/agents available for group critique appointments, how much time is allotted to these appointments, and how many people are supposed to be in each group, so there ought to be ~400 attendees at the conference. I'm not sure if my calculations are correct, so that's just a ballpark figure.

I am really tired and feeling overwhelmed by everything I need to do to finish my preparations. Since this is my first time attending this sort of thing, I've been searching for resources for awhile, trying to determine what I need to bring with me. I'll probably end up being over prepared in some areas and under prepared in other areas, but I have to start somewhere!

Until my next update,
Ellayne

There is Always a Beginning

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who grew up between cultures. (That's me!) Although she learned how to adapt, she still feels a bit like a fish out of water. The dreams she held onto as a young girl went away for awhile, replaced by sensible plans that work in "the real world."

Cynicism kills dreams, folks.

Now, ten years out of high school, my life is finding the balance between vision and pragmatism. I have my BA in English/TESL (that was my sensible plan), and now I am working on an MA in English/Creative Writing/Fiction (which is more of my dream!). I have two jobs (one full-time, one part-time) and am in grad school (part-time). This, however, is not very interesting to the casual observer, so let's move on!

I get to live with my BFFWB (best friend forever with benefits, a.k.a. my husband) and two feline hellions in a teeny tiny basement apartment in Seattle. We drink too much coffee and collect too many books, neither of which is a terrible problem as far as life choices go. I should clarify that the cats don't drink coffee, but they do love sleeping on the stacks of books that won't fit in the shelves.

Beyond all of that, I write. I am working to improve my craft and am an eager student. I have lots of ideas for stories and a trilogy of YA sci fi books that is half written and *mostly* planned out, but there are still a few wily characters that I need to settle down. (They keep doing what they want to do instead of listening to me!)

See you in cyberspace!
Ellayne