Monday Motivation - What story are you building?

“It's like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story.”

--Patrick Rothfuss, author

What story are you building right now?

Monday Motivation - Storytelling as a Connection

Before you get too far, please note, I have a post up at the Insecure Writer's Support Group site today on Peering at the Mud of Muddy Middles.

As a writer and a creator, I make the most connections within the realm of storytelling. It's just part of who I am. As I'm working on building up my creative confidence (confident creativity) this year, I've been finding strength in affirming my love of storytelling.

Since I've been blogging very little and I've struggled to make time to really do it well, I'm going to "fill in" my non-IWSG weeks with some Monday Motivation based on storytelling quotes and creativity quotes.

Some of my quotes will come from familiar sources that I know well and some are going to come from random places. 

“We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.”

- Jimmy Neil Smith, Director of the International Storytelling Center

What do you think?

Are stories the strongest connection we can make?

Is there a way to bond without storytelling?

Although I love storytelling as a form of communication, I hesitate to call them the strongest connection. I loved my children before I told them stories. I sang to them and held them in the first hours of their lives and I don't think I had any stories in me at the time, just love.

But, what do you think? How powerful are stories in your life?

If you have time, please visit my Muddy Middles post at the Insecure Writer's Support Group website! I'm attempting to find some gems, clues, or wisdom in the muddle middle of writing.

February 2020 #TheIWSG A Photo Inspiration

GO HERE TO JOIN IN THE FUN!

Many thanks to our founder Alex J. Cavanaugh, we are welcome to release our writing fears into the world and share our encouragement with one another.

The co-hosts today are:  co-hosts today are Lee Lowery, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Jennifer Hawes, Cathrina Constantine, and me.

Optional Question: Has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did you finish it?

I started my first ever novel (unpublished) based on a newspaper photo that I clipped out - it's the image of a young girl/young woman holding an assault rifle in a crowd of people. Her eyes looked more sad and haunted than angry. I wanted to write about her, but not in the real world.
I had student-taught and subbed in a school district that had agreed to 15 minutes of advertising during the school day each day to have tech installed in every classroom and that seriously irked me - it felt like the schools had sold out to the corporations. The image and that idea just kept swirling in my head.

So, I started a novel about a young woman who is adopted by and indentured to a security corporation which provides security for the leadership of the United Traders, a futuristic group that holds the reins of power in the Milky Way. She is indentured to serve in the military-like group because her mother is indebted to her previous employer - who sued her after her lab experiment back-fired - the same experiment that killed the protagonist's father and brother. I heaped a lot of trouble on this girl and then wondered, what if she has another agenda than the one she's been hired to do? What if, in the midst of all of her pain, she's resisted all the brainwashing they've attempted and she is planning on turning the tables on them, but isn't sure she has the power to do so? What is she going to do with her high-powered assault rifle when an angry mob disagrees with the government and she's ordered to fire upon them? What pain haunts her eyes? What will she do with it?

Anyway, it's sort of finished, but it's a mess. I have tried to re-work it several times, but the story hasn't come out the way I wanted to yet. Maybe someday or maybe this is my trunk book. I don't know.

What I am working on now: The Graphic Novel and Prose Mash-up Revision Edition of Anomalies. I like this version best, but it bothers me that I've been working on this story soooo long.

IWSG NEWS AND UPDATES:

IWSG IS ON INSTAGRAM HERE

IWSG GOODREADS BOOK CLUB HAS CHOSEN THE FEB/MARCH SELECTIONS:

Chill Factor by Sandra Brown or The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

MY NEWS:
I had a flash fiction publication at Every Day Fiction at the end of January. Every Day Fiction is a token paying market and one I would recommend to my fellow short story authors.
To find my story, click here: Flight by Tyrean Martinson

January 2020 #TheIWSG

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Started by Alex J. Cavanaugh, Ninja Captain!

Co-hosted this month by: 

T. Powell Coltrin, Victoria Marie Lees, Stephen Tremp, Renee Scattergood, and J.H. Moncrieff!

Go HERE to sign up!

IWSG AND MY WRITING JOURNEY

OPTIONAL QUESTION:  What started you on your writing journey? Was it a particular book, movie, story, or series? Was it a teacher/coach/spouse/friend/parent? Did you just "know" suddenly you wanted to write?

When I was really small, my grandmother told me stories from her childhood, and mixed in some fairy tales. My parents read to me and told me stories. I wanted to tell stories, but struggled with getting the words out in the right order.

My first short story I remember feeling good about included a top hat that sang and danced (3rd grade).

In sixth grade, a teacher asked me if I wanted to be an author during a creative writing unit. She encouraged me to keep writing and working at my skill. In seventh, eight, ninth, and tenth grades, I had teachers who encouraged me to write and grow into my potential as a would-be author. The trend continued in college. And yet, I still doubted. All the time. (More on that in a moment.)

The earliest story worlds which amazed me as a child included: Peter Pan's Neverland, Star Wars, fairy tales and folk tales, the Bible,  Middle Earth, and Narnia. I wanted to write stories like those. I still do.

I love to write. It's bone deep, built into my soul, my memories, my DNA - a combination of nature and nurture.

But, so much of my life I have wasted with self-doubt. When we doubt the passion, purpose, and work God has given us, we lose sight of who we really are.

I am super thankful for the people in my life who have encouraged and supported me - that includes all of my IWSG buddies! Thank you!!!

So, my main goal this year is: Creative Confidence (in Christ).
My secondary goal is the same as last year's primary goal: Small Steps.

All other goals fit under those - even my fantasy/speculative writer mission statement.

 I came up with a statement for why I write fantasy because I have been asked why I write fantasy as a Christian. Here it is:

I write fantasy for the children who walk into the school library at lunch recess and the teens who go there during lunch, after they've been pushed on the playground or had tobacco chew spit on their locker. I write to remind them that evil can be defeated with a bucket of water, a lion's roar, an arrow to the heart of a dragon, or a bar of chocolate.

I believe in Jesus as the ultimate hero, but I know fantasy is a great way to show evil overcome by Good. I know because even though I knew the truth of God's love, I was the kid who was pushed and the teen who found tobacco chew spit on my locker. I went to the school library for an escape and needed the reminder that dragons can be defeated by Good. 

(This is not meant as a tiny violin whine "my life was so bad" but as the reason I know fantasy can be meaningful.)

THE NEWS FOR IWSG THIS MONTH IS FULL OF AWESOME!

The IWSG made the Write Life List!!!

Check it out here!

Voyagers: The Third Ghost is coming on May 5, 2020!

Congrats to all of the authors who made it into the anthology!

For more info, click here! 

The IWSG Twitter Pitch is next week!!!

Are you ready?

Tip: Ask other authors for help refining your pitch and query!

To learn more about the hashtags and rules of the IWSG Twitter Pitch, go HERE!

The IWSG Goodreads Book Club is reading On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft this month!

To join in the discussion, go here!

THE IWSG Instagram plan for January is already going! 

Join in Here!

My Writing News:

As you may have heard, I had two poems published in Z Publishing's Washington's Best Emerging Poets of 2019 book! 

End of the Decade

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I hadn't thought about it much until this last month of the year, but it's the end of a decade. 

Beware, I am about to wax maudlin for quite some time. 

Abandon all hope of a quick read, all who enter here:

As decades go, it's been a wild ride.

There have been ups. There have been downs. There have been some loops where my world was turned upside down, and some terrifying drops during which I wasn't sure if I was going to hit the ground with a hard splat, or get lifted up into another up-rolling corkscrew before coasting to the end of the decade.

On the UP side in life:
1. Both of my daughters finished homeschooling, finished course work at a community college, and matriculated to state universities where they are each studying types of engineering: Chemical (with a side of bio) and Civil.

2. My husband and I celebrated our 23rd Anniversary and our 52nd and 48th birthdays, respectively. We know that we can disagree (sometimes extremely stubbornly) and still love each other fiercely and faithfully.

3. My daughters both competed at the National and International levels for Flatwater Sprint Canoe and Kayak. Because of their accomplishments, my husband and I drove trailers full of boats from one end of the country to the other (literally - Washington to Georgia, then Florida and back). When my daughters both competed in Hungary in 2016, I went to cheer them down the course due to the gracious help of friends who helped me navigate (and financially afford) an international trip that year. When my youngest competed in the Czech Republic aka Czechia in 2017 and Poland in 2018, I went to cheer her there, too, and loved visiting those amazing places with the parent-cheer squad.

3.5 (I kind of forgot this one) - I got to see my daughters both dance and perform on stage, as well as having lines in an Indie film. We went to NY for the International Modeling and Talent Association Competition. My oldest had an "extra" part in Gray's Anatomy. My youngest had an interview for an training camp for kayaking that took place in OKC and did a good job of speaking about her sport.

4. We traveled a lot of amazing places as a family - it amazes me as I look back. We skied in Whistler, B.C. several times courtesy of my in-laws. We celebrated the 4th of July, 2010 with friends who hosted us for a trip to Washington DC. We went snorkeling with sharks, turtles, and manta rays in Hawaii in 2011. We visited the Grand Canyon in 2012 and went to Disneyland for one day. We went to NYC and NY state in 2013. We visited places with our daughters' sport - Georgia, Florida (second time for us), San Diego, and Oklahoma. We saw some cools sights along the way, including the Badlands, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and more. Too much to actually recount here. But it was good and we learned what we do well and don't do well on car trips.

5. My husband reached his 20th year work-anniversary at Tacoma City Light as an Professional Engineer (now supervisor) and it's been a really good work environment so it's a double blessing.

6. I taught classes for nine years at Harbor Christian Homeschool Cooperative and loved my students. I taught classes on Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, British Literature, Creative Writing for 9-12 year-old children, and Creative Writing for 14+. I taught classes in Dynamic Language Arts and Dynamic Writing, and created my own curriculum since I had previously come up with about a hundred pages in handouts to supplement a different writing curriculum. I tutored some amazing students, too. All of these students encouraged me to become closer to God and to grow my teaching skills.

7. I helped found One Hope Church, back when we didn't even have a name for ourselves. For a short time, I served as the Worship Coordinator by finding musicians, guest pastors and speakers, prayer leaders, and communion leaders. I helped write the founding documents of the church with a team of leaders and prayed for hours over every decision I made and our team of leaders made. When I stepped back, I was exhausted and may have stepped too far back, but I am glad to have seen the Church Elders take the foundation and build it into something even better than I could have imagined at the beginning, when we met first at an outdoor camp and then in a high school library - we moved a lot of chairs in those days.

8. I co-taught a lot of Sunday School. Teaching young people, whether they are 3 or 17, has taught me how much wisdom can come from people who have fresh eyes and a deep faith. Wisdom does not necessarily come from experience, but it can come from a direct application of God's Word in our lives. And that's ageless.

9. I wrote a lot. Hundreds of thousands of words. I don't really know how many between journals, short stories, poems, non-fiction articles, handouts for classes, social media posts, novels, and non-fiction books. I have written several novels that haven't seen the light of day (publication) and some that have.

10. I took a chance on self-publishing. I am proud of the work I have done, even if I can see many, many places that I could do better. I have self-published three novels, three writing curriculum books, three chapbooks of short stories and/or poetry, an experimental hint fiction series (which may become a graphic novel someday), writing prompt books, and a series of stand-alone short story e-books.

11. I started my blog in 2009, but I really didn't get going until 2010 or later when I joined the IWSG and really started to do more. Thank you, online writers!!!

12. I joined a really cool Write-In group a few years ago. We are still going strong on most Tuesday nights. A critique group has spun-off and is going well. I went to an open mic night a month ago. I joined the SCBWI. Basically, I started to find my writing tribe in the RL (finally).

On the Down Side of Life:
 I'm going to sum the rotten stuff together into three items:
1. Health from 2010-2019: It's gone from okay to I-thought-I-might-die kind of bad. I'm beginning to improve in a baby step kind of fashion. Some of this has been my fault - obesity really can't be blamed on anyone else and I'm pretty sure that's why I have reflux and GERD. Some has not been my fault - several surgeries (not related to my weight) and a few autoimmune diseases (Menieres and Hashimoto's Hypothyroidism).
I have a neurological para-thesis, which doesn't have an current explained origin, but which is not so bad that I need medical care for it. I just track my symptoms and try to pay attention to what seems to help and what doesn't. It could be or could not be a pre-cursor to CMT (an inherited genetic neurological disorder my dad has). I don't know yet and may never know.

2. Deaths in our extended family and among friends. This is just hard. As my Pastor says, "we weren't mean to die, death is the consequence from when humanity chose sin. So, it makes sense that death just feels so wrong. It is wrong. It wasn't a part of the original plan. We are meant for eternity." (Note: I am quoting from memory so I may not have his exact words right.)

3.  We don't have world peace yet. Human trafficking still exists. Suffering still happens daily, 24/7. We've lost the ability to have civil discourse. I blame the sin disease - not one person or one group, but a constant desire we each have for selfishness. I have it. Everyone I know has it.

Looking UP for the Next Decade:
1. I look forward to seeing where and what my daughters do next. I'm glad they still like talking to me most of the time (except when I ask about grades, study habits, etc).

2. I look forward for many more years of wonderful hugs, sassy humor, and adventures with my husband.

3. I look forward to traveling even more.

4. I look forward to taking my baby steps into greater strides towards good health.

5. I look forward to singing many more years on One Hope Church's Praise Team and going to more great Bible studies. Maybe even teaching a little more Sunday School.

6. I look forward to writing a million+ more words.

7. I look forward to getting published traditionally, as well as continuing to self-publish.

8. I look forward to gaining more skills in writing, publishing, marketing, and more.

9. I look forward to finding more edges of God's greatness and beauty in this world, to seeing the blessings, and hearing the stories of God's goodness and grace in people's lives.

10. I look forward to more community connections in writing - both online and in the real world.

11. I look forward to teaching more writing and spoken word classes, to encourage others to speak life and hope into the world around us.

12. I look forward to volunteering and working in a way that suits God's purposes and my passions.


What are you looking forward to in 2020 and the next decade?

My next post will be on January 8th, 2020. Until then, I hope you all enjoy these last few weeks of the decade! Be merry, be kind, love and laugh!