TGIF at Frankly, My Dear... old book with orange binding, and a feather quill in an ink bottle.

TGIF

I apologize. This week has zoomed by with such tornado force that I neglected to blog for an entire seven days. Seven days! That’s like… a year at Catford Manor, yah? Maybe not… but it certainly felt like it. I don’t know if you missed reading, but I certainly missed writing.

I’m happy to say the reasons for my Blogosphere Silence are good reasons. Strong reasons. And beautifully foundational reasons. And I (95%) don’t feel guilty about this time otherwise well spent. The other 5% is that control-freak-oh-my-gosh-I’m-gonna-die-if-I-don’t-write-this-out attitude that infiltrates every fiber of my being, every hour of every day.

I know the photos in this post are ones previously viewed on Frankly, My Dear… rest assured this isn’t a rerun. Rather more of an affirmation.

The first is the Theme for this year.

Boundaries. Green word art.

Expand Your Horizons

Boundaries. Some are meant to keep us in. Others are meant to be broadened. Whenever I think of Boundaries, I think of Louis L’Amour and the Wild West. If you’ve been around the Blog for any length of time you’ll understand my grand affinity for Louis and his writings. I even named last year’s nutcracker after him!

Cowboy rocking nutcracker and Louis L'Amour book.

Louis & Louis

This is appropriate this week as I have once again picked up the book and have been reading. You would think, as a writer, I would read just as prolifically. While I desire to, I just haven’t made the time. Until recently. And it excites me. Living in some of the areas that he wrote about, still seeing the lavender painted mountains at sunset and still breathing the thousand year old dust in the wind, these things bring to me a sense of belonging and hope and determination. I feel an inner affinity with the Cowboy and his Tales.

I’ve expanded boundaries the last few weeks with New Inklings Press. I’ve determined even more to grow my writing and company and baby step by baby step, it’s coming along. I’ve changed banks to one that’s more friendly to the Little People, while offering Big Business perks. It’s a win-win situation and has been a breath of fresh air.

Monday I was abundantly blessed to spend time with a dear friend I haven’t seen in two years. One of my closest friends, my confidante. The one I can call and cry without words to. Or send a smiley face text to. We have the kind of friendship that time can’t whither, and I’m exceptionally thankful. We needed to see each other again. To look each other in the eye and know we were being honest. To hear what each one had to say. And through our wonderful albeit too short discourse, we reminded each other of the intimate power of prayer. What an absolute treasure to hear him tell me I’m doing things right. That he’s proud of my writings, proud to call me friend. Just as I’m proud to have his trust and friendship.

He gave me a new nudge with my writing. A step out of the shadows. And those boundaries were opened as I took a flying leap into the air, not sure where (or how) I’d land, and I placed The Unemployment Cookbook on sale at Amazon. [It’s on sale for only $12 through Saturday!] Which reminds me: would y’all mind doing me a favor? I need reviews to boost my standing at Amazon. Could you take three minutes out of your time and click here to offer your word gems for such purpose? That’s a fancy way of saying, could ya help with some free word-of-mouth advertising and tell others what you think of the Cookbook? Huge thanks for Janice and Jaye for already jumping on board this fast moving train!

The Unemployment Cookbook, Second Edition

The Unemployment Cookbook, Second Edition

I came to a revelation of why the more I get into a project, the slower it goes. I’m constantly editing! I read, add, edit, then read again. And the more I add, the more there is to read and edit and read again. My newly adopted habit now is to just write. Write at least 1,500 creative words each day, with at least half that for my New Orleans -based story. If I can keep writing, I will. If I need a break, that’s when I can review. Lightly edit. And when I find myself picking a paragraph to its death, it’s time to stop. Once the story is complete and a rough draft is printed, then I (and a few trusted friends) will review. And re-edit. But for now I need to be all about the writing.

As a reminder, I still keep this as my wallpaper on both my iPhone and laptop:

A photo collage of online resources to inspire me while writing my story set in New Orleans, Louisiana.

NOLA Inspiration

Yeah. I’m all about the N’Awlins these days. After weeks of calling it “The Untitled Molly Jo NOLA Project” or just “my NOLA story” for short, I’ve realized it’s already named itself. NOLA. It’s absolutely perfect. Here’s a thought from the protagonist:

“I often wondered if my parents knew the hardships they were thrusting upon me when they named me Penny. How much better life may have turned out if they’d instead named me something like “Ruby” or “Goldie”?”

 

My Darling Dot finally jumped on the YouTube bandwagon. She and her friends have been having fun making videos. She then edits them on her laptop in a manner that makes me jealous. She definitely has an eye for behind-the-lens action. She thinks she wants to be a nurse. I think she should be a photographer. Check out her newest video, making cupcakes for my jewelry party with one of her best friends, Hayley:

I would love to start making videos but I get in my own way. What could I possibly video that y’all would want to watch? Certainly two teenaged girls baking cupcakes is far better than if it were me…

And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!

You may also enjoy reading:
TGIF: One
Five Things Friday: Safety in Numbers
My Housing Project: A New Leaf
Word of the Year: 2013
Louis and Max and Me
Why I Write. Every Day.

Almost an Empty Nester
FIVE THINGS FRIDAY: SAFETY IN NUMBERS
Sweeten my tea and share: