Month: August 2020
Hey! Are you on Insta?
Have you seen the popular account by real_guinness_the_therapy_dog?
He has thousands of followers and posts (well, he doesn’t have opposable thumbs, so I post for him) pictures every day.
If you like cute, giant, furry dogs then Guinness’s account is for you.
I also follow several other Insta accounts.
For instance, @august_musings. She is an inspirational poet and posts some amazing work.
I’ve posted about her before. When you read her verses, I dare you not to feel better and, better yet, smile and say ‘yup’.
Also, @april.reads.and.proofreads is an exceptional proofreader. She looks over every manuscript written by my evil twin. Her comments are always exactly what’s needed, and she finds all those typos and punctuation errors that creep into the book.
Last but certainly not least, I need to mention my favorite military account @tigerstripedmisfits. This non-profit donates all its profits to military foundations (like the Green Beret Foundation). All monies are made with the sales from its website: tigerstripedmisfits.com.
Mine Insta for those valuable accounts. Sonja
How Many Drafts Does it Take?
How many drafts does it take to finish a book?
The answer is different for everyone.
I know of a bestselling author who sends her first draft to her editor, who then helps her craft it into another bestseller.
But that’s not real life – at least not for me.
Nope.
It takes many, many drafts for my happiness meter to go up. My first draft is a thin, uninspired plot. Then I add the muscles, tendons, and ligaments to that skeleton. With each draft, I fall more in love with my hero and want to befriend my heroine.
The magic comes after I’m happy with the plot and get sick of my characters. That’s when I can look at the dialogue and the plot with clear eyes. Once I rip those ‘rose-colored glasses’ off, I can see everything without bias.
I’m there in my current book. That’s when I need to force myself to go through the book again. It takes a lot of energy to make it through, but, to me, this is the most valuable draft, since I can find plot holes, stilted dialogue, and general weirdness that I may have overlooked during my love affair.
I urge you to write your horrible first draft and then add to that bony skeleton during the subsequent draft(s).
Perfection is not the goal when you write the first draft. Sonja
Lizards, Beware!
There are quite a number of lizards that hang out in my backyard. There must have been a large hatching in the easeway because they pull themselves over the top of our wall and saunter across the yard.
I think the sauntering is on purpose because Guinness the Therapy Dog and Lucy the Wonder Dog.
They go crazy when ever one of the lizards just strolls by the French doors with their devil-may-care attitude. I think I even saw one do a swishy thing with its tail to taunt them.
The dogs bark and bark, and stare at the lizards. The lizards slow down a little. The barking increases in volume and pitch. The lizards slow even more, knowing they have the dogs’ attentions.
It’s a funny game.
I enjoy it.
Guinness the Therapy Dog also talks to them. I imagine he says something like, “Hey! Hey! Hey! What are you doing?”
He’s a very curious guy.
Is there anything that you want to do, or someone you want to meet? Sonja
Put Your Feet Up-
Find your peace–your zen–your center. It’s National Relaxation Day.
Calm your mind-and your spirit-, decrease your heart rate, and breathe.
I find my calm in the mountains. Surrounded by trees, I am at my most peaceful. These days, I can’t go into the mountains because of the heat, the recent wildfire, and the crowds (maybe I can go on a weekday!).
Always remember that you are perfect, you are unique, and you are the only you on this earth.
As one of my favorite performers says,
“You are enough. You are so enough.”
This year has been difficult.
Know how ‘enough’ you are for those around you. Sonja
If You’re a Leftie, and You Know It, Clap Your Hands!!
It’s time to celebrate your leftiness!
Today is International Lefthanders Day, so all you folks who don’t quite fit into the righthanded world can celebrate your oddity. (I am one of you!)
I was born left-handed and then trained to be right-handed. Subsequently, I am ambidextrous, which is very fun. I do things with my right hand (handwriting) and some things with my left hand (reaching). When I’m playing sports that require handedness, I start with my right and then go left when I get tired.
Are you a leftie or a rightie?
I’m glad I write with my right hand, which made for an easier schoolday experience. (I say easier because school was always a socially difficult place for me-scholastically, I did well.) I remember seeing lefties trying to use those desks with the half-table attached to the chair, and how difficult it was for them. Or they had to go sit at the weird left-handed desk, which marked them as ‘not normal’ (which is worse than being ignored).
Yes, I am glad I was made to write with my right hand.
Lefties of the world unite! Sonja
