Saturday, March 3, 2018

Using the Senses God Gave You #SOL18

Since I've started this writing adventure, I have been learning through the wisdom of others, as well as through a lot of trial and error.  One of the things I've had to relearn is how to use all of my senses.  I'm in the editing stages of story, and I've found that I get so intent on relaying a scene through dialog and action that my characters have no grounding in the world around them. As readers, we want to see, hear, touch, taste, smell, and experience through the characters we come to love.

I've had to learn to make my characters stop and smell the roses, to feel the texture of the stone front on a hundred-year-old building, to hear the tremble in another person's voice. Do you know what that's made me do? You guessed it. I've had to slow down and take in the world around me.  I think we can get so busy in today's society, we miss opportunities to enjoy God's beauty around us and chances to allow God to bless others through us.

While I plan to spend some time grounding my characters today, I also plan to slow down and take in what's happening around me. I want to enjoy the journey, rather than trying to race to the finish line.


I challenge you to use all of your senses today! Stop for a minute and take it in. Enjoy the day. I'd love to hear about it, and you might just help me with my editing, too!


For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
Colossians 1:16-17

Thursday, March 1, 2018

It's All in How You Look at It ~ #SOL18

Here it is March and time for a daily Slice of my Life. Hmm, let's see, pretty normal day, I guess. Well, except maybe for the fact that everyone and everything in my surroundings has the potential of becoming a character, setting, or plot twist in amongst the ever-cranking gears in my head. Take, for instance, today. My coworker and I visited on the way in this morning, and she shared a slice of her life with me. It seems a client of her husband's recently passed away during a series of odd events. I listened, said a few words, said I was sorry to hear about the loss of the client, and then I ran to my cubby to secretly make notes about these strange circumstances surrounding the person's death. Before you run away screaming, let me finish.

I'll go ahead and throw this out there, too. The person died of natural causes. In my mind, though, there were so many possibilities surrounding the story, I just had to get it on paper. I guess I'm more predictable than I like to think because my friend leaned back in her chair and said across the way, "There's some fodder for one of your stories." Busted.

That's the way of it.  Since the mystery bug has bitten me, everything I see or hear is fair game. Even snippets of conversation can plant a seed, which leaves me to wonder if I'm the only one who watches people and makes up their backstories while waiting in line at Wal-Mart.

And the photos. So many photos. All possibilities. Just a simple tree in the park where I have lunch much of the year, can take on new life...



with the addition of a filter or two.


  

Just so I don't leave you worrying about my well-being :). I'll go ahead and tell you how all of my stories end... the good gal always wins!

God bless.

What's spinning on your story wheels right now?