tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33310621432356639092024-03-12T19:28:16.848-04:00Glenda's MusingsRandom and not so random thoughts I have on a day by day or maybe week by week basis.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-85997596391386568422013-09-29T13:29:00.000-04:002013-09-29T13:29:51.023-04:00October ChallengeI've seen on Facebook where people are posting 30-day challenges for the month of October. Over the course of the past month, I've been thinking about how it's time I broke some old habits and worked on forming some new ones. What better time than now?<br />
<br />
I have found, since my diagnosis of severe osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and a slew of other problems, that I've become sedentary and I'm doing a lot of comfort eating and because of that, I've put on some weight I really can't afford to carry. I've also found I complain a lot and haven't been very encouraging or uplifting to Lisa, my friends, or my family.<br />
<br />
My new doctor wants me to get out and walk every day for thirty minutes, as fast as I can walk. I laughed when he said that because I used to be a speed walker; I used to walk eighteen miles every Saturday because I could; I entered 5 and 10K races and beat more than a few runners and I never ran a step - I walked. But now, walking more than a few feet at a time is painful and exhausting for me. I depend on a cane and at times a walker. But, I've gone out and walked every day for the past five days. I only walk about ten to fifteen minutes and I walk less than a half-mile, but I'm walking.<br />
<br />
I've also found that, because of the fibromyalgia, I have a hard time concentrating on things for any length of time. I'm a professional editor. I can't afford not to concentrate on things - I don't get my work done when I don't make that effort.<br />
<br />
So, here's what I'm going to work on during October:<br />
<br />
1) Every day that the weather is cooperative (as in not raining), I will get out and walk. I'm not going to push the thirty minutes and I'm not going to push the fast, but I am going to walk. I'm not sure yet what I'll do on the days it's raining since I have no way to get to a mall or a gym, but I'll figure something out.<br />
<br />
2) I'm going to cut back on my snacking. With Lisa gone during the day, I find it's easier to snack than have a decent lunch. I'm going to work on changing that. Nothing fancy - but fewer chips, fewer sweets, more fruit and crunchy vegetables.<br />
<br />
3) Along the same lines, I'm going to limit my Dr. Pepper to no more than one a day and I'm going to try to make that every other day. I'm also going to try to drink more juice and water than tea.<br />
<br />
4) I'm going to do my best to edit no less than three hours a day, five days a week. That may not sound like much, but with my lack of concentration, that's all I'm going to ask of myself. If I can do more, I will.<br />
<br />
5) I'm going to work on complaining less (hard to do when the pain is on the high end of the scale) and I'm going to work on being positive and counting my blessings more.<br />
<br />
Anyone else up to the October 30-day challenge? I'd love to hear what you have planned. Good luck to us all!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-52741543107619445632012-12-29T22:47:00.000-05:002012-12-29T23:11:14.578-05:00Good Night, 2012<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Enbzj4h4p6DrTyuODScLgH1yt-QsyoBNDhJti7CHAuCLUU0rGlzjXH395mf-zv9KPPsaul4aD4QJ7HOaLog625m1bX3vmRaaZQDRD0fCcMFa8LmuU2nAPvx3IiK3dof-9bUp4wWiqTw/s1600/IMG_6907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Enbzj4h4p6DrTyuODScLgH1yt-QsyoBNDhJti7CHAuCLUU0rGlzjXH395mf-zv9KPPsaul4aD4QJ7HOaLog625m1bX3vmRaaZQDRD0fCcMFa8LmuU2nAPvx3IiK3dof-9bUp4wWiqTw/s320/IMG_6907.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Lisa with Bugs Bunny at the ballpark</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It’s
the end of another year. It seems like 2012 both flew and crawled by. There
have been days I wished would end sooner than later and others I wished would
never end. But end they all did, inexorably bringing us to this day, the day
before the last day of the year.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Overall,
this has been a wonderfully stressful year. A year of transitions, a year of
learning, a year of slowing down. It’s been a year I’ve been able to pull off
surprises, something that’s hard for me, a mouthy type-A personality, to do.
And through it all I’ve survived, some days with great joy, others with great
pain.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Transitions
have always been a bit of a problem for me. Change has never been my best
friend. After being married to a career Air Force man and moving more often
than not before we got settled in, it would seem as though change wouldn’t throw
me for such a loop. But it does. And for some reason, I don’t foresee that ever
changing.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The major transition was the
closing of the Forensic ID department at LabCorp. I was their customer service
representative/administrative assistant/go-fer and I loved every minute of it.
My supervisor decided every case file of every case the department had done –
all the way back to ’96 – needed to be scanned and saved as a PDF. Guess who
that task fell to? Little ol’ me. We all miscalculated the amount of time
needed to do this monstrous task and I’m still at it. I started with the most
recent files and am working backwards. I just finished 2005. Once this is done,
I’ll be working for the Research & Development department as their administrative
assistant/go-fer. I’m blessed to have such a great job and even more blessed to
have the wonderful supervisors and co-workers I have. They have made this
transition as easy as possible for all concerned.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPJDybfBA2P2oFxobWLdlYRpVkLNJCKPK3skbdYk-42ZC4c9VWgltk3LLJGbVJvT8U1HW-PHJN9KtLe3NaTOl84zeLsTDB6ZBQ3fFrMhCYTzcmbB_As2vxRjYDBGXJr7ghmaCzorssDE/s1600/IMG_6705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPJDybfBA2P2oFxobWLdlYRpVkLNJCKPK3skbdYk-42ZC4c9VWgltk3LLJGbVJvT8U1HW-PHJN9KtLe3NaTOl84zeLsTDB6ZBQ3fFrMhCYTzcmbB_As2vxRjYDBGXJr7ghmaCzorssDE/s320/IMG_6705.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My daughter and her husband on her 30th birthday</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Another transition was actually one
my daughter experienced. She turned thirty in April. It’s hard to believe that
pretty little baby is the beautiful young woman married for twelve and one half
years to the love of her life. I was able to pull off one of my rare surprises,
along with the help of my daughter’s husband, by flying home to spend her
birthday with her. I had a wonderful time and I was impressed once again by
what a thoughtful, generous, loving person she is to all she encounters.</div>
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<br /></div>
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One of my largest blessings was a
reconnection I made with a friend I thought was lost forever. We’d had some
misunderstandings and bad timings back in 2000 and hadn’t spoken to one another
since. I always prayed that one day we’d be able to put the past in the past
and move forward once again as friends. That prayer was answered when she
contacted me in July. It was bittersweet in a way though. While our friendship
has been renewed and we both feel so blessed to be back in one another’s lives,
one of the reasons she contacted me was to let me know her daddy was dying. I
was surprised to find they lived about eight hours north of me so I made
arrangements to go see them. In August I was able to kiss the man I considered
my foster father and tell him how much I loved him. I also got to visit with
his wife and my friend. Unfortunately, my foster daddy lost his battle with
leukemia shortly before Thanksgiving.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It’s been a year of loss. Not only
did my foster father pass over but a dear friend was murdered by her ex-husband
who subsequently also took his own life. His selfishness left three beautiful
children without parents. They’re blessed to have a grandmother who loves them
and is giving them a home.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYs6KHZTU_jjkSZL4FKyXJzzil_iy1LAExcv-aaAxc_tGkw-BtX258QaiWHsynqeVpnu9tSmJsj3Gx6ZGjG-4tGMBIfOBhzwKIUJyFjdiuZ7lSZp9Wt-bzsZk-wgc49FTmEJt66XY5cmI/s1600/IMG_7463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYs6KHZTU_jjkSZL4FKyXJzzil_iy1LAExcv-aaAxc_tGkw-BtX258QaiWHsynqeVpnu9tSmJsj3Gx6ZGjG-4tGMBIfOBhzwKIUJyFjdiuZ7lSZp9Wt-bzsZk-wgc49FTmEJt66XY5cmI/s320/IMG_7463.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When <i>Out of the Past</i> arrived from L-Book.</td></tr>
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I lost my publisher, Roxanne Jones,
just a few days after my novel <i>Out of the
Past </i>was released. Shortly after that, the company closed and my book was
no longer available. Now neither of my
two novels are available and I was faced with a tough decision – just let them
disappear from everywhere but my heart and computer, shop them around to
another publisher, or self-publish.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I thought about those choices long
and hard. I discussed them ad infinitum with my partner and my kids and anyone
who would listen. I asked for, and received, advice from other authors who are
self-published and took their advice to heart. I read blog after blog after
blog and more than one book. And finally I took the plunge.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Because of a more than rocky
personal financial situation, I decided to ask for investors to help me get
started. If I was going to do this, I wanted (want) to do it right and not take
any short cuts. I’m notorious for taking short cuts in things I do and then
getting frustrated because those things don’t turn out right and then I quit. I’m
bound and determined that’s not going to happen. I was blessed to have three people
step up, tell me they believe in me, and invest money in order to help me get
my first book out.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Rainbow Tales Publishing released
its first book, <i>Out of the Past</i>,<i> </i>on December 20 and as of this writing
has sold quite well. The print version will be available in mid-January and I’m
confident it will also sell well. With the royalties from <i>Out of the Past</i> and possibly another investor or two, I will
release <i>Welcome Home</i> in mid-spring of
the new year. And I hope to have a third novel ready to go by mid-autumn, using
only the proceeds from my novels to put it out.</div>
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<br /></div>
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My long-term goal for Rainbow Tales
Publishing is for it to clear enough money that I’m able to quit my “day” job
and concentrate on writing and publishing the best quality books possible. Will
I open the company to other writers? That remains to be seen.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This long-winded blog just
scratches the surface of my 2012. My biggest blessing is I’ve shared all of
this and so much more with my loving, patience of a saint partner, Lisa. Her
encouragement and her support are a godsend and I love her with all of my
being. As soon as same-sex marriage is federally recognized, we’ll be tying the
knot and all of you are invited!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_g3nglTx0tb27Z49jucp6iOnPDAa-mfdoYVp8-KxiNpFZiKXJw4rmIUr9EyEvNIx3UNGMlrykzV3-3PMStbD9YyRcag_b8mkOq5RA6etwHmt40NwUF2Q3RZ5kNBsUZbYMshf_h0rT88/s1600/IMG_7149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_g3nglTx0tb27Z49jucp6iOnPDAa-mfdoYVp8-KxiNpFZiKXJw4rmIUr9EyEvNIx3UNGMlrykzV3-3PMStbD9YyRcag_b8mkOq5RA6etwHmt40NwUF2Q3RZ5kNBsUZbYMshf_h0rT88/s320/IMG_7149.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the gourds I Zentangled this year</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Qhvxn8kmjwi22MgOVopr9PBHYUHNmGG_7CA5LpPvYgQIeVoiwEpCf8TGmB_u1nEzN0Yqxz5YnbI5UYqpNDAlWwb2BB1AbMAcpn2gcyJbiY7sQfsEhDSsGTJe_O5A-_FsexIPrNzqe3A/s1600/IMG_6983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Qhvxn8kmjwi22MgOVopr9PBHYUHNmGG_7CA5LpPvYgQIeVoiwEpCf8TGmB_u1nEzN0Yqxz5YnbI5UYqpNDAlWwb2BB1AbMAcpn2gcyJbiY7sQfsEhDSsGTJe_O5A-_FsexIPrNzqe3A/s320/IMG_6983.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atlantic Beach, NC, at sunrise in early fall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFQgwcA-ymAkmIdUpBGXFHPmdNYFlz7gf1bVP4C46IOLNs1IRRlbNUJLnmkrJJ5e4VHoESuv150U3qOTqAYH1uOioW6ReNXwekzU1VO8OH3QGz28RLRqqQzBCNceaQh3LzhyphenhyphenqjwbgPm0/s1600/IMG_7443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFQgwcA-ymAkmIdUpBGXFHPmdNYFlz7gf1bVP4C46IOLNs1IRRlbNUJLnmkrJJ5e4VHoESuv150U3qOTqAYH1uOioW6ReNXwekzU1VO8OH3QGz28RLRqqQzBCNceaQh3LzhyphenhyphenqjwbgPm0/s320/IMG_7443.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My old kitty, Geri.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
I wish you all a happy and
prosperous New Year.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-10477920945901255092012-11-17T16:51:00.000-05:002012-11-17T16:51:40.419-05:00Your Help is Needed!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplwgRFYEb_9tj_MsStXRXFgjzCp6zdpdwTwOzAQKg7D1tf8teLPIgovfzMcpjR3GofONqxKwxjYbWZp29l5GRwtx-miho40ILLSTEovLZNgDUhfdVs6vu2fXl45SRzyYSUuS9HBOzMRs/s1600/mermaid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplwgRFYEb_9tj_MsStXRXFgjzCp6zdpdwTwOzAQKg7D1tf8teLPIgovfzMcpjR3GofONqxKwxjYbWZp29l5GRwtx-miho40ILLSTEovLZNgDUhfdVs6vu2fXl45SRzyYSUuS9HBOzMRs/s1600/mermaid.jpg" /></a>I started writing almost as soon as
I could hold a crayon. Mom would tell me to draw a picture and I would draw a
story instead. I always loved the English assignments that called for an essay
or a research paper to be written. I was in my element. In High School,
Creative Writing was by far my favorite course. I dreamed of being a
journalist, and an author with books in my bookcase with my name on the spine.
But real life intervened.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I was prevented from going to
college because of family dynamics and I was expected to get married and bear
children – after all that's what respectable girls did, even in the mid-1970s
after the feminist revolution that supposedly changed that. I did get married
and I had two wonderful children. But during the years they were small and I
was a stay at home mom, my writing was solely in my journals.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
In the mid-'90s, when my kids were
well ensconced in school, I started writing a novel. Even though I'd never been
there, the novel was about Charleston, SC. Through some serendipitous events I
was able to visit the city – on my own, no children or husband to slow me down –
and I knew for sure my novel had to take place there. But when I returned home
I discovered my fledgling manuscript had "accidentally" been thrown
away. I was so discouraged I threw away my dream of writing too. I went back to
my journals and gave up the idea of ever writing anything anyone would ever
want to see.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Fast forward to 2006. I was ten
years into being single again, had come out as a lesbian, and my children were
grown. The love of my life, Lisa. blessed me with her presence early that year
and one of the things she kept asking me was what were my dreams. For ages I
insisted I didn't have any. But I finally relented and told her I wanted to be
a writer.</div>
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With her encouragement I wrote my
first novel, <i>Welcome Home</i>, and
submitted it for publication. Imagine my surprise when it was accepted. My
dream was coming true! The book was released in 2009 and got good reviews and I
felt awesome.</div>
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I was introduced to the concept of
National Novel Writing Month in 2008. I decided to tackle it with the idea of
the novel I had started in the nineties brewing in my heart and mind. <i>Out of the Past</i> was born. After a lot of
hard work I submitted it to a different publisher and was thrilled when it was
accepted and released in September, 2012.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Then the bottom fell out. First,
due to issues with the first publisher and some downsizing they were doing, my
contract for <i>Welcome Home</i> reverted
back to me. Okay, I thought. I'll fix this baby up, do some rewriting and
re-editing, get a new cover and re-release it myself. I was working on that
endeavor when <i>Out of the Past</i> was
released on September 12 and then the owner of the publishing company passed
away on September 26. The company shut its doors in early November and now
neither of my books is on the market.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
From that adversity another dream
I'd been toying with for years began to take shape. I would start my own
publishing imprint, Rainbow Tales Publishing. I'd talked about it for years and
a dear friend had designed me an awesome mermaid logo. So, I started doing some
research. I discovered self-publishing is easy if you want to take shortcuts,
but not quite so easy if you want to do it right. And not so inexpensive.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I began asking people to invest in
my idea and so far, to date, two wonderful people have been quite generous. But
I still fall short, very short, of the amount I need to put these two books on
the market plus one more next year. Hopefully, the royalties from the sales of
those three books will finance further books. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
But before that can happen I need
to raise some money. After doing some math, adding up the costs of what my team
will charge for book cover design, editing and formatting and multiplying that
by three and throwing in a little extra for padding, I decided I need to raise
approximately $3000. To that end I started a campaign on a website called
Indiegogo, which helps people raise money for various reasons.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I'm not asking for money with
nothing in return to the generous people who donate. There are perks involved –
the more you give, the more you get. You can find my campaign at <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/rainbowtalespub">http://www.indiegogo.com/rainbowtalespub</a>.
If you would like to see my business plan before donating, please feel free to
email me at <a href="mailto:rainbowtales@outlook.com">rainbowtales@outlook.com</a>
and I'll get one to you ASAP. And if you want to experience some of my writing,
as well as see my photography and art, visit my website at <a href="http://www.glendapoulter.com/">www.GlendaPoulter.com</a>.</div>
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money and that it's unseemly. Yes, I am begging. But I feel it's for a good
reason and there will be great returns for the money once my books are back on
the market. I'm proud of my writing, of my talent, of the gift I've been given.
I want to share that with others, but I won't be able to without the help from
you.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-50169813253270895912012-09-24T16:41:00.003-04:002012-09-24T16:43:28.944-04:00Putting the Slut Monkeys to Bed or How I Defeated My Internal Editors<br />
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<a href="http://www.picgifs.com/clip-art/farm/monkeys/clip-art-monkeys-002868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="http://www.picgifs.com/clip-art/farm/monkeys/clip-art-monkeys-002868.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I used to
call my internal editor "Mom" but I realized recently that I have
more than one internal editor and they sure aren't Mom! So now I was facing
internal editors that were telling me I'm no good, no one wants to read what I
write and why bother, as well as editors saying "That word? Why in the
world are you using <i>that</i> word?"
and "Shouldn't you use a semi-colon there and hey, you're not supposed to
use any exclamation marks." And the worst one wasthe one that kept telling
me I can get to it later.</div>
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There were
so many of these bothersome things I knew I couldn't name them all and keep
them straight in my head. And I knew if I called one of them by the wrong name,
it would get all huffy and give me an even harder time. In desperation one day,
I screamed "Would all of you slut monkeys please go find another
corner?" It shut them up for a few minutes but then they were back in
force. But now I had a name for those pesky internal editors – Slut Monkeys.</div>
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But I still
had no idea how to shut them up until I truly needed them, when it was time to
edit my first drafts, and second, and third. I tried to appease them by telling
them they are welcome to hang around but aren't to bother me until I invited
them. They just laughed and turned up the volume.</div>
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I resorted
to listening to the monkey that advocated procrastination. The TV had something
interesting on and I'd write later. I really did need to see if Amazon had
posted any more free Kindle books I wanted to download. My ideas could wait
until after… You name it, the monkey found some reason to talk me into NOT writing.
The monkey was winning and it knew it. </div>
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Then one
day, on a whim, I pulled out the writing prayer beads my partner, Lisa, bought
me for Christmas a few years ago. I carry them with me everywhere I go and pull
them out and lay them across the top of the keyboard when I write. But on this
day, I held them in my hand and did a guided meditation, moving my hand from
bead to bead as I named my intentions for the day – none of which had anything
to do with writing. </div>
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When I
finished I realized I had gone deeper than I had for a long time and wondered
if the beads had anything to do with it. I mentioned the phenomenon to a friend
who also meditates and she admitted she uses prayer beads all the time –
different ones for different types of meditation and prayer. She asked me why
none of my intentions were about writing and I was at a loss. After
considerable thought I realized it was the slut monkeys' fault. They had
intimidated me into believing I wasn't truly a writer.</div>
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"Nonsense,"
my friend said. "Meditate with the intention of writing as soon as you're
done and let me know what happens."</div>
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The next day
I followed my friend's advice and low and behold the monkeys left me alone. I
could almost hear them snoring in the background. In calming my mind, I also
calmed them and they were able to rest up to bother me later about something
that had nothing to do with writing.</div>
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Now
meditation with the intention of writing is a part of my writing preparation.
When I take a shortcut and don't meditate, the monkeys rejoice and are they
ever loud in their partying. </div>
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Will
meditation put your slut monkeys to rest, at least temporarily? I don’t know.
You'll have to try it for yourself. But it works for me and not just for
writing. I try to find time to quiet my mind before tackling any kind of task
that uses a lot of brain cells. I'm able to concentrate and be much more productive
without the monkeys' constant yammering that I'm doing it wrong and shouldn't
even be trying in the first place.</div>
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So what do
you do to prepare to write? Any routines, superstitions, must dos for you?</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-82101480813934470692011-04-14T13:31:00.002-04:002011-04-14T13:44:25.581-04:00PoetryI am in poetry writing mode. In fact, I've written three in three days - some kind of record for me I'm sure. It started when <a href="http://www.creative-writing-now.com/">http://www.creative-writing-now.com</a> sent me a free gift of a Sestina Poetry tool. I'd never heard of Sestina Poetry. Here's a definition from <a href="http://poetry.about.com/od/poeticforms/g/sestina.htm">http://poetry.about.com/od/poeticforms/g/sestina.htm</a>: <span style="color:#3333ff;">The sestina is a challenging form in which, rather than simply rhyming, the actual line-ending words are repeated in successive stanzas in a designated rotating order. A sestina consists of six 6-line stanzas, concluding with a 3-line “envoi” which incorporates all the line-ending words, some hidden inside the lines. The prescribed pattern for using the 6 line-ending words is: 1st stanza 1 2 3 4 5 6</span> <span style="color:#3333ff;">2nd stanza 6 1 5 2 4 3</span> <span style="color:#3333ff;">3rd stanza 3 6 4 1 2 5</span> <span style="color:#3333ff;">4th stanza 5 3 2 6 1 4</span> <span style="color:#3333ff;">5th stanza 4 5 1 3 6 2</span> <span style="color:#3333ff;">6th stanza 2 4 6 5 3 1</span> <span style="color:#3333ff;">envoi 2--5 4--3 6--1</span> <span style="color:#3333ff;"></span><span style="color:#000000;">My curiosity was peaked and off I went. Follows are the three poems - each quite long, but I feel well worth the read. </span><br /><div align="center">Beach Comfort The world of the waves sweeps over the wide smooth sand along which I stroll, barefoot, bucket in hand, fingers picking up sea shells, heart and soul seeking comfort as the waves roll back and then in again, refreshed. I find my thoughts roll around, far from refreshed moving through my emotions, waves and waves of emotion, refusing comfort. I look at the endless expanse of sand Stretching in front of me, shells Scattered through the footprints left by barefoot children and adults. They walk barefoot along the beach, hoping to be refreshed as they collect the shells that roll in at the mercy of the waves. My heart shifts like the sand blown before the wind. Why is comfort so elusive? I need to find comfort here where the barefoot children run in the sand and their parents are refreshed as they play together in the waves. Is the comfort I seek found in the shells? Does the comfort live in the shells? Or am I responsible for finding my own comfort, not allowing others to steal it and throw it in the waves to wash out to sea, leaving me barefoot and alone? I am suddenly refreshed by that thought. I dig my toes in the sand and laugh, laugh, laugh as the sand buries my feet, tiny sea shells tumbling and tumbling. Refreshed I turn to leave, knowing I find comfort in my own heart, in my own soul. Barefoot I wade back through the waves. I kick the loose hot sand as I walk home, comfort warming my heart, sea shells rattling in my bucket. Barefoot I realize I am refreshed, like the never ending waves. written 4/11/2011</div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">What Do We Remember? When we were young we had no idea what old was. But that was yesterday, and now it’s today and old is no longer tomorrow. Young is in our memories. What are our memories? In the bright light of the young, it seems memories are only for tomorrow. The light in the eyes of the old shine brightly today as they remember the events of yesterday. It was just yesterday that so many memories were formed to be remembered today. What did we do when we were young that we’re proud of now that we’re old? We’ll know when tomorrow comes. We wait for tomorrow with bated breath, ruing yesterday when we thought we’d never be old. But now our memories from when we were young haunt us today. What will happen today that we’ll hold onto for tomorrow? When we were young we forgot about yesterday, trusting we would have the memories to sustain us when we are old. Now we are old and what happens today will be precious memories that we’ll share tomorrow and wish we remembered yesterday, the yesterday when we were young. What is it to be old and know that tomorrow will soon be today, and then will be yesterday, and that our memories are only of when we were young? written 4/12/2011</div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">The Ritual of Tea The sun rises, ready for its cup of tea. The morning ritual begins with the rich aroma of the tea brewing, quiet in the warm teapot, meditation of tea leaves melding with water, sensual coupling like the sensual dance of sun and moon. Tea poured, eyes closed in meditation, heart and soul ready for the ritual of the refreshing quiet, steam rising full of the heady aroma. The morning fills with the aroma of bodies moving in a sensual dance of partnership. They quiet and return to their tea, and return to their ritual, and return to their meditation. The bliss of joy reaches through meditation even as the aroma of the tea follows its ritual and calls forth the sensual awakenings. Hot tea sipped slowly, helps quiet the soul. Once quiet the soul can once again approach meditation. The heart finds joy in the tea, leaping in anticipation as the aroma rises, swirls and twirls, sensual and serene. The ritual of the tea prepares for the ritual of the day, a day no longer quiet, a day when the sensual is lost and no amount of meditation can bring it back. The aroma is of busyness and stress, not of tea. The evening ritual begins with meditation, finding the quiet even as the aroma, the loving sensual aroma rises from the cup of tea. written 4/13/2011</div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="left">I'd love to hear what y'all think. Feel free to comment here or leave a comment on my website or on Facebook. Thanks for reading! </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-86549778620981710852011-03-02T09:21:00.002-05:002011-03-02T09:35:31.668-05:001000That's a large number in some instances and a small one in others. In this instance it almost seems overwhelming.<br /><br />I've been challenged to list 1000 things that make me smile or laugh, that make me shiver with happiness and/or excited anticipation, that make me thankful.<br /><br />The list should cover the minute parts of my being, from breathing to shoes on my feet. And it should cover the daily things like food on my table and the softness of my cat's furr. And, of course, the big things - Lisa in my life, my kids, my health, my job, etc etc etc.<br /><br />I've tried keeping a gratitude journal in the past and failed. I didn't fail because I didn't have anything to be thankful for but because I went about it in a way that didn't work for me. Each time before I bought a seperate journal for the gratitude list, seperate from the one I carry with me 24/7 and write in whenever the urge comes upon me. Having a second book to carry was a pain. And I kept forgetting to write in it.<br /><br />So this time I'm combining my list of things I'm grateful for, things that make me laugh and smile, in my 'normal' journal. I number my list so I can see how far along I am on this challenge (81 right now), but I do it in the body of the journal. No special pages; I'm not changing colors of ink; I'm just throwing it in there.<br /><br />And this time I think I'll be successful.<br /><br />Back to that number - 1000. How many of us look around and truly realize how much we have to be thankful for? How many things make us laugh and smile and anticipate something good or exciting to happen? Why do we remember to say thank you to someone who does something nice for us but we forget to thank ourselves or the Universe (God, Goddess, angels, whoever your higher power is) for the so-called mundane things? I'm learning to appreciate the fact we have paved roads to drive on, the remote control to the TV, flushing toilets, the things we usually take for granted.<br /><br />I challenge you to join me on this journey. Start now. Write down one thing, just one, that you are grateful for. Then, later, add another and another. You'll be amazed at how listing the things you are grateful for and that make you happy can almost instantly change a bad mood to a good one.<br /><br />Thank you, dear readers, for reading this rambling post.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-53572676260758985242010-06-28T12:26:00.001-04:002010-06-28T12:30:32.278-04:00Rest In PeaceMy ex-father-in-law passed away Saturday. This is written in memoriam:<br /><br /><div align="center">Rest in Peace<br />Virgil Leroy Poulter<br />March 27, 1927 – June 26, 2010<br /><br />Virgil, you were one of the most intelligent, caring, giving funny people I have ever known. Your quick wit brought many smiles, as did your wonderful limericks. You were always loving and accepting. Your love for Joana, your kids and kids-in-law and especially for your grandchildren shone bright. Our memories will keep that light alive in our hearts. Thank you for all you did and all you gave. You are already greatly missed.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-11982703316726067182010-04-13T09:55:00.002-04:002010-04-13T10:04:13.590-04:00Spring/Summer Contest<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJufEkJKjGnR1bZ6AqFrs69LHb2vQpvQcpnEp2d6AuP9hSIq0Wnjuk0HwwJqOIa6Zetr-KD0kLfQgrTzOCk-WSo7Gc5BuJb-Y0LuKhXsz2ZGVuYj12tr68OpN21QJPEvaNt16b4-gkmvM/s1600/IMG_6026.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459622523106947538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJufEkJKjGnR1bZ6AqFrs69LHb2vQpvQcpnEp2d6AuP9hSIq0Wnjuk0HwwJqOIa6Zetr-KD0kLfQgrTzOCk-WSo7Gc5BuJb-Y0LuKhXsz2ZGVuYj12tr68OpN21QJPEvaNt16b4-gkmvM/s200/IMG_6026.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">In my perfect world, a day would not pass that I didn’t feel warm sand between my toes, hear the ocean’s timeless call, feel the sea breeze on my face, taste the salt in the air and find the most wonderful seashells. I would watch the waves for dolphins feeding and playing and wonder what it would be like to be a mermaid, swimming at their side.<br /><br />I love to walk the beach as the tide recedes, leaving behind the sea’s most wondrous gifts. Scallops and whelks and auger, angel wings and moon snail’s and olive shells all wait to be discovered and added to my ever-growing collection. It’s especially nice to find conch shells or helmets, but those are few and far between.<br /><br />To celebrate spring and summer and beach time, I’m giving away an autographed copy of my book, Welcome Home, and a bag to carry it and your suntan lotion in. Just find the seashells scattered through my website (some on almost every page), count them, and send me a guestbook entry or use the form on the front page with the number of shells you found and your favorite page you found some on. Be sure to include your email address. On my birthday, June 15, I’ll ask my handsome son-in-law to draw a name to win the bag and the book. The entries with the closest number of seashells actually on my website will be entered in a second drawing for a surprise gift.<br /><br />While you’re looking for seashells, stop long enough to enjoy the photographs, artwork, short stories and poetry found on their respective pages. Feel free to leave comments, suggestions, critiques along with your contest entry.<br /><br />Good luck and have fun seashell seeking!<br /></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-32557305137127669642010-03-14T08:56:00.003-04:002010-03-14T09:00:03.263-04:00Our Favorite Bookstores contestwww.GlendaPoulter.com is proud to announce the "Our Favorite Bookstores" contest. Tell us about your favorite brick and mortar independent bookstore. Each store will be featured on the "Our Favorite Bookstores" page and will receive a poster proclaiming to the world they are one of "Our Favorite Bookstores." Each entrant will be entered to win a <span style="font-style:italic;">Welcome Home</span> tote bag and an autographed copy of <span style="font-style:italic;">Welcome Home.</span> If you already own the book I have another goody for you.<br /><br />Let's support our local independent businesses, especially the bookstores.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-32386777885949160222010-03-11T18:33:00.002-05:002010-03-11T18:34:32.862-05:00ContestIt's that time again! I'll be sponsoring a new contest at my website - www.GlendaPoulter.com - starting Sunday, March 14. Check for details of how to win a book bag and an autographed copy of Welcome Home.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-77238374077281537052010-01-17T10:53:00.001-05:002010-01-17T10:54:07.602-05:00My proposed amendment to the marriage lawsThis has nothing to do with my writing, but everything to do with equality.<br /><br />Since pundits of the movement against same-sex marriage uses procreation as a main reason for denying same-sex couples the right to marry, I propose an amendment to the “marriage” laws as they stand today.<br /><br />When a couple marries, regardless of age or knowledge of fertility, each member of the couple must sign a contract with the government that they agree they will produce a minimum of one biological child within twenty-four months of their union. If a couple knows beforehand they are unable (due to proven infertility or age) or are unwilling to have children in the proscribed period of time, that couple is only able to have a civil union and/or domestic partnership. They will be denied the same rights as legally married couples who can and will have children (taxes, health care, etc). Partners will not be allowed to include each other on health insurance benefits at work unless that benefit is taxed, as it is now for same-sex couples. They will be denied the right to be with their loved one during health care crises unless the appropriate powers of attorney are on hand. They will be in danger of losing their home should their partner die unless they are specifically mentioned as inheriting it in their partner’s will.<br /><br />If, after two years, a couple who has signed the childbirth contract has not had the promised child(ren), their union will be null and void. They will be required to pay back taxes on any benefits they have received as a result of their union, including any taxes paid as a married couple when they should have been filing as individuals. Any children born after the union is deemed over (by law, since the children were not born in the twenty-four month time frame), will be considered born out of wedlock. The non-childbearing member will not be allowed to have his name on the birth certificate and will not be allowed to adopt the child unless in a state where same-sex couples are given the right to have both parents’ names on the birth certificate and/or is allowed to adopt the child.<br /><br />The only exceptions to the above are if couples who cannot or chooses not to have children are married in a state that recognizes same-sex marriage. However, the couple will not be allowed to claim federal benefits since they cannot or will not have children.<br /><br />Once ALL marriages are recognized by the federal government and ALL marriages receive the same benefits, whether opposite sex couples or same-sex couples, the above amendments will become null and void.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-36547897456734379292010-01-07T10:57:00.000-05:002010-01-07T10:58:38.756-05:00another reviewI got this review from a reader and, with her permission, I'm sharing it with you all. I laughed until I was almost in tears.<br /><br /> <span style="color:#6666cc;">There are books you read and there are books you devour. I wasn't sure what to expect from Glenda Poulter, but only a few pages into her work I had my answer. She's above and beyond. The best compliment I can pay a writer is that they're a bathroom reader. After all, once you're in there, you're stuck so whatever you take in with you had better be good. She's one that you not only take in with you, you wind up stretching out your time because you don't want to stop reading long enough to get up and exit the room. So overall, I'd have to rate what I've read of her book so far worthy of the deep red ring on my lily white tush. - Pali</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-70167695095088654782010-01-03T09:59:00.002-05:002010-01-03T10:05:27.578-05:00My first OFFICIAL review!Good morning (and Happy New Year!) friends. I know I should write here more often, but I find I get tongue-tied (finger-twisted?) whenever I come to my blog. So bear with me and I'll try my best to get here more often.<br /><br />In the meantime, I got my first OFFICIAL review of <em>Welcome Home</em> today from Rainbow Reviews. I haven't stopped grinning yet. Check this out!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rainbow-reviews.com/?p=4019">http://www.rainbow-reviews.com/?p=4019</a><br /><br />I'm so excited!<br /><br />I guess this should motivate me to finish the other five novels I'm working on. LOL<br />Actually, my second novel is almost ready to be submitted. Watch here for more details.<br /><br />Thanks for reading!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-64625524091413309922009-11-28T07:59:00.000-05:002009-11-28T08:00:01.004-05:00Welcome Home available for purchase!Even though my webpage at PD Publishing doesn't yet reflect it (still says "ISBN: not assigned yet") I found out in the most awesome way that my book is available. I got fan mail last night! YEA!!! Gosh, that feels good. Anyway, this particular reader was able to order her copy from Amazon. Another friend of mine also sent me an email telling me she was able to order the book from one of our local bookstores.<br /><br /> Soooooo, check out <a href="http://glendapoulter.com/bookstores.html">http://glendapoulter.com/bookstores.html</a> for my "Bookstores For Us" page at my website to find a local indie bookstore in your area where you should be able to order Welcome Home. If a store isn't listed close to you, keep checking back as my daughter is working hard to keep the list updated as I hear from more stores. (Also if you know of a store in your area that is not listed, please drop me a line with the bookstore name. I'm emailing all I can find email addresses for.) <br /><br />If for some reason you would rather not shop a brick and mortar store, here's the Amazon page for my book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Home-Glenda-Poulter/dp/1933720697/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259405538&sr=1-12">http://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Home-Glenda-Poulter/dp/1933720697/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259405538&sr=1-12</a> . Most of y'all know how I feel about Amazon, but until Welcome Home is available at SCP Books (<a href="http://www.scpbooks.com/">http://www.scpbooks.com/</a>) (hopefully soon), this is the only place I know of the book can be ordered online.<br /><br />I'm so excited! Getting fan mail is awesome!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-64809853284908458392009-10-12T06:26:00.002-04:002009-10-12T06:35:41.861-04:00A Holler out for helpHey, everyone. I know it's been a long time since I've written anything here and I'm not going to promise that will change anytime soon. I have LOADS on my plate right now.<br /><br />I'm still waiting for <u>Welcome Home</u> to be released. My hope is that it will be out and available by the end of October. I will definitely update everyone on that as soon as I know anything.<br /><br />I'm working diligently on self-editing my second book, <u>Out of the Past</u>, to get it ready for beta readers. I have one lined up, but I need two or three more sets of eyes to look it over. If any of you are a beta reader, or if you are willing to read this book with a VERY critical set of eyes, looking for grammatical errors, sentence structure problems, punctuation errors, holes in plot, weak story line, etc, etc, etc, and aren't afraid of hurting my feelings, PLEASE email me privately (imtogfer AT gmail DOT com).<br /><br />Next month is NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month. The gauntlet is thrown down to write a minimum 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I have my novel outline and am making notes for it everytime something about it pops into my head. I won last year with <u>Out of the Past</u> and I hope to win again this year. Right in the middle of that, I'll be flying (yes, <strong>I'LL</strong> be flying - yuck) back to Texas to visit friends and family. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone.<br /><br />Now, for the REAL reason behind this post.<br /><br />A new writers' guild - Lesfic Writers' Guild - is being formed by a group of writers, readers, publishers and promoters of lesbian fiction. My job is to compile a list of stores - both GLBT stores and independent bookstores that carry GLBT literature - from around the country for the group. If you know of a store in your area, or even somewhere out of the area, I would highly appreciate it if you would send me the name of the store and any other information you might have about it. You can send that info to the email address I set up specifically for this endeavor (bookstoresforus AT gmail DOT com). Please put "store info" in the subject line. Thanks in advance for any help you can give.<br /><br />Well, it's off to slave for the corporate world another day. Y'all have a great week!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-40424178174915083702009-07-20T18:42:00.000-04:002009-07-20T18:44:04.639-04:00Defensive Pessimism + Positive ThinkingThis is going to seem like a strange message in light of my very strong belief in the power of positive thinking and changing negative thoughts to positive ones. However, I do believe there are time "defensive pessimism" definitely has its place.<br /><br />Defensive pessimism basically has three steps:<br />1) Lower your expectations of a particular outcome. For instance, my book is coming out soon (I still don't know exactly when). While I would love for it to sell thousands of copies and win any number of awards, I've decided to just be happy to see it in print when I finally hold the final copy.<br /><br />2) When you find yourself playing the "what if?" game, give it your all. Go ahead and imagine the absolute worse that could happen. Back to my example: My biggest "what if?" is "What if no one buys my book?" and "What if the people who DO buy it hate it?". So, I've written down the worse possible scenarios and that's where #3 comes in.<br /><br />3) Using your list of the worse that could happen, plan on a course of action to be sure you some strategies in place to A) prevent the worse case scenarios from becoming reality, or B) if they do become a reality, you're prepared with some ways to combat it. So, I'm A) working on promoting my book and setting up readings once the book is out and B) I have my cave dug to hide in (just kidding! LOL).<br /><br />I've read that people who are natural pessimists (and we are out here) actually do better using defenisve pessimism (especially for the big things in life) than when we force ourselves to "think positive" about everything. And believe me, I do believe in positive thinking and I use it on a daily basis. But right now, I'm faced with some personal issues with my son that are really challenging my positive thinking skills. So, I sat down this morning before I meditated and made out a list of all the absolute worse things that could happen in this situation. Then I made up my strategy list and meditated on it, asking my Higher Power, my Goddess, for guidance in finding a positive way through it all. I guess you could say I'm learning to combine positive thinking and defensive pessimism to my advantage.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-39418612607456588822008-11-28T08:43:00.003-05:002008-11-28T08:47:50.993-05:00T-day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfwb_0p8fEIaq23vV81Q0ESqKs-UBFuD_cAF0xwJqRynYY4-fhqLC6gDmj2OoN7qzKgBmbja85ZDdguQ6BnpfNVoMZk7qvHfLJmSUlOf_fsBOYYOtxegrN1Q8NmazMHl_Ifs1wUEaL8E/s1600-h/IMG_2524.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273704477378960626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfwb_0p8fEIaq23vV81Q0ESqKs-UBFuD_cAF0xwJqRynYY4-fhqLC6gDmj2OoN7qzKgBmbja85ZDdguQ6BnpfNVoMZk7qvHfLJmSUlOf_fsBOYYOtxegrN1Q8NmazMHl_Ifs1wUEaL8E/s200/IMG_2524.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving day. Lisa and I drove down to Bladen Lakes State Forest and did a short hike at Jones Lake State Park. We got there kind of late in the afternoon, so we didn't go far and I didn't take a huge amount of pictures. But I got a few I like.</div><br />The lake was almost completely placid, so the reflections were close to perfect.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-31098067658567357942008-11-25T08:05:00.002-05:002008-11-25T08:10:02.477-05:00I WON!!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPJme-eF1UZUbBLxybd-mMRbFil5Ybo1kzTp9jA0gqmI8oegtUY1OTPcCCczWSeajUmownOJXZIuYwz1lAZPHJnMRfTE8PVv4WDGKpw-pkQgiJJrqW8kkcbQTcc9vicJE0CtHcMZI-v8/s1600-h/nano_08_winner_large.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272581687991779090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 101px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPJme-eF1UZUbBLxybd-mMRbFil5Ybo1kzTp9jA0gqmI8oegtUY1OTPcCCczWSeajUmownOJXZIuYwz1lAZPHJnMRfTE8PVv4WDGKpw-pkQgiJJrqW8kkcbQTcc9vicJE0CtHcMZI-v8/s200/nano_08_winner_large.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div>My NaNoWriMo novel is over 57,000 words and I'm not finished with it yet. But today I can officially say I've won the challenge (along with about 18,000 other people, I hope!). I like having a deadline like this. It makes me work harder and think faster and just get the words out. I'll clean them up and make them really make sense later, after I've written "The End" on this rough first draft. I'm considering posting one chapter at a time on my website as I get them edited. I'll let y'all know more about that once I've made a definite decision.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I hope everyone has a marvelous Thanksgiving. Lisa and I are planning a quiet one. I'm going to bake a couple of Cornish game hens and steam some broccoli and that's about it for our feast. I hope the weather is good so we can go spend some time outdoors. Otherwise, we'll just watch TV, surf the net, and spend the day together.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-51521626069499157692008-11-20T09:20:00.003-05:002008-11-20T09:31:07.436-05:00Rejuvenation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvajUnAmNiAM-5iXD0igg1-XcHzbMQeBcITlbnMeo8Gtt06Y6FafKgEWG2YKI857nY3I7A46zYs7S7NXUkehiG7_Xaxq0nXXUZIjP2K3SWF56aZ5YiRfsmbzMse2gnGd-nRYun34CqHNk/s1600-h/IMG_2279.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270745207553066786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvajUnAmNiAM-5iXD0igg1-XcHzbMQeBcITlbnMeo8Gtt06Y6FafKgEWG2YKI857nY3I7A46zYs7S7NXUkehiG7_Xaxq0nXXUZIjP2K3SWF56aZ5YiRfsmbzMse2gnGd-nRYun34CqHNk/s200/IMG_2279.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>A couple of weekends ago I ran away from home. I didn't know where I was going until I got there. "There" ended up being Kure Beach, just south of Wilmington. I arrived at the peak of high tide on a windy day. This picture was taken below the Kure Beach Fishing Pier. </div><div> </div><div>It amazes me how much the ocean rejuvenates me, even when it is too rough or too cold to get in. The sound of the waves, the smell and taste of the salt air, the texture of the sand between my toes, the sight of the pelicans skimming the water - all of these things bring joy to my soul and relaxation to my heart and mind. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-36331567345846938922008-11-19T06:45:00.004-05:002008-11-19T07:01:52.611-05:00NaNoWriMoNaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, which just happens to be November. It is a challenge to write a novel of 50,000 words or more during the 30 days of the month. This is the first time I've attempted the challenge and so far I'm pretty happy with how it is going. I'm almost at 45,000 words and still have a ways to go before the story reaches its logical conclusion. AND I like my story!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The key to being able to write, on average, 1667 words a day is to retire your "internal editor" for the month. Some people drew what they felt like their editor looked like and then burned it, or wadded it up and gave it to their cat to bat around, or banished it in some other way. I locked mine in a cat carrier and told her I would let her out to play on December 1 or whenever I actually finished the novel. She has moaned and groaned, but so far has behaved herself and stayed locked away.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The title of my book is <em>Out of the Past . . .</em> (yes, including the ellipses). Imagine what it would be like to visit a city you have never been before and recognize landmarks, feel a sense of familiarity, and "know" the people the tour guides tell you about. Imagine standing on a porch and feeling a sense of first belonging, and then, suddenly, a sense of overwhelming terror and the need to escape that porch. This is basically what happens to my protaganist and the story is how she comes to understand these feelings and learn what to do with them. I hope, once the book is finished, to publish a chapter at a time on my website (<a href="http://www.glendapoulter.com/">http://www.glendapoulter.com/</a>) and I also hope to submit it for publication. Here is the cover I designed for the book. And, yes, I did take this picture.<br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi776qMAoEEo_uuXpbK7N82BoW2AlbNM8O8gZv94C0gSNIrq-ZrfU5v_cxWfdO4L56yeazjXZ_VLRtDjIHDQIQL3BquC93eNlffaxrknmfZo1T3InhwUMUnKoEJiJSbRNG-sNuG8XfxqPI/s1600-h/Out+of+the+Past+cover.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270337305419091202" style="WIDTH: 142px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi776qMAoEEo_uuXpbK7N82BoW2AlbNM8O8gZv94C0gSNIrq-ZrfU5v_cxWfdO4L56yeazjXZ_VLRtDjIHDQIQL3BquC93eNlffaxrknmfZo1T3InhwUMUnKoEJiJSbRNG-sNuG8XfxqPI/s200/Out+of+the+Past+cover.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Speaking of my website, my webmistress will be working on simplifying it over the next few days. So, if you go to visit and pages aren't working properly, please be patient and try again later.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-92130764415031998372008-11-17T06:49:00.001-05:002008-11-17T06:51:26.880-05:00Welcome Home cover<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIi4craRL1Tl5chNmIIFxSjxfgPXuTCYGJuQwM7Dfk1VAGcjNKFd1SEu3a-kIOWeNlYjmRcO2kudKWWmOQAfIRnyAjpllxZuXP4V2Zsbi3QNTCZPtVouWOpunUtOtkTCDD_ge0XQV06E/s1600-h/welcomehomelarge.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269592478892379698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 132px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIi4craRL1Tl5chNmIIFxSjxfgPXuTCYGJuQwM7Dfk1VAGcjNKFd1SEu3a-kIOWeNlYjmRcO2kudKWWmOQAfIRnyAjpllxZuXP4V2Zsbi3QNTCZPtVouWOpunUtOtkTCDD_ge0XQV06E/s200/welcomehomelarge.jpg" border="0" /></a> PD Publishing finalized the cover to <em>Welcome Home</em> this weekend. I'd love to hear what y'all think. Personally I love it! It's extra exciting since they chose to use one of my own photographs!<br /><div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-20884812754510784652008-10-24T08:11:00.002-04:002008-10-24T08:16:58.669-04:00Meet Mouse<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvxN7lUhGczosTvyKsFL-lBqBZ5fdOqdOJqXR9MQ7LgKV9v7uXhP4hQLK8dsCZMeuRM7mGrNaZ0SilLuIC5i5W3pBLGKaMO_z6tr1F2yzAsmCCTJjpTLkxc56y2kzX0bsIvVuMxM0LKE/s1600-h/IMG_0560.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260692325342626450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvxN7lUhGczosTvyKsFL-lBqBZ5fdOqdOJqXR9MQ7LgKV9v7uXhP4hQLK8dsCZMeuRM7mGrNaZ0SilLuIC5i5W3pBLGKaMO_z6tr1F2yzAsmCCTJjpTLkxc56y2kzX0bsIvVuMxM0LKE/s200/IMG_0560.JPG" border="0" /></a> This is my Russian Blue/Tabby mix kitty. I adopted him from a shelter that was closing its doors and planned on putting any remaining animals to sleep. I got there five minutes after they locked the doors and pounded until they let me in. Mouse was twelve weeks old and the sweetest little thing you could ever see. He rode draped across my shoulders the 100+ miles back to my house just purring his head off. But he seldom meows - he's very quiet. And that's why I named him Mouse. He is absolutely one of the most lovable kitties you'll ever meet. The look on his face is his "Why are you taking ANOTHER picture of me?" face.<br /><div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-81012945070819510202008-10-23T07:04:00.000-04:002008-10-23T07:08:46.049-04:00Bull frog<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZxzwEsJmsiPxd2ubmHJJkz88rtxdvbE9GyB_FmFiUq2nr54T4bwpXCcRoSrse-ELHEqfyBn9c7jJI83igBK4JkYWUPUHOxsBPAq2ouml2lmP0xEAWfPLsjRhIHwJ4k9nhCxrp6-eiis/s1600-h/112.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260304516123790290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZxzwEsJmsiPxd2ubmHJJkz88rtxdvbE9GyB_FmFiUq2nr54T4bwpXCcRoSrse-ELHEqfyBn9c7jJI83igBK4JkYWUPUHOxsBPAq2ouml2lmP0xEAWfPLsjRhIHwJ4k9nhCxrp6-eiis/s200/112.JPG" border="0" /></a> Taken sometime last year at UNC Botanic Gardens, Chapel Hill, NC><br /><div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-71939335190048269852008-10-21T08:05:00.001-04:002008-10-21T08:09:03.620-04:00Tranquil bench<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruCbce7NtB9PjFYpg2_goBa7D_NjWmaCoWSh-w93n06qdHncmkteEKDt9b96zct_jgzOW4iv_58VCq6vOwni8OewiyNjexPYpAZSP0hX4htIO_ZzRpa8LxOaKJ5Qey9hPFB9xccJSSXQ/s1600-h/File0052.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259577494551971586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruCbce7NtB9PjFYpg2_goBa7D_NjWmaCoWSh-w93n06qdHncmkteEKDt9b96zct_jgzOW4iv_58VCq6vOwni8OewiyNjexPYpAZSP0hX4htIO_ZzRpa8LxOaKJ5Qey9hPFB9xccJSSXQ/s200/File0052.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I have a thing for benches and have a whole collection of photographs of them. This one is in the Japanese Arboretum at Duke Gardens in Durham, NC. It looks over a small, babbling brook that has a series of small waterfalls. To sit and listen to the water running down the creek and to the birds that fuss at me for invading their territory is one of the most relaxing activities I know of.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331062143235663909.post-46062044125059828992008-10-19T09:03:00.001-04:002008-10-19T09:06:24.764-04:00Boardwalk at Hunting Island, SC<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpd36l1yIJ34dGXtYdZF1wJvSLVwXv1EMnAliSJyeD7SPgrRojdHtXBzRm9sxQJ3G1FysApZo0aB9Upufdi0WCbEx3UYWLqEUHim8RLCwAHWQA_absHJ-XQ8zEz9y_zDFanZl9FTNqIfA/s1600-h/scan0002+(3).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258850265527675746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpd36l1yIJ34dGXtYdZF1wJvSLVwXv1EMnAliSJyeD7SPgrRojdHtXBzRm9sxQJ3G1FysApZo0aB9Upufdi0WCbEx3UYWLqEUHim8RLCwAHWQA_absHJ-XQ8zEz9y_zDFanZl9FTNqIfA/s200/scan0002+(3).jpg" border="0" /></a> This is a golden oldie. It is a scanned photo (so forgive me if the quality isn't the best) of the boardwalk out over the salt marshes at Hunting Island, SC. It was taken about '96 or '97. This is where I want my ashes spread when God takes me home. It is beautiful there and I miss it!<br /><div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05027429170728547221noreply@blogger.com0