Rest In Peace by BL Hamilton

It’s January again, and the second anniversary of Tom’s death was only a few days ago. I’m also back to having trouble concentrating and spending more time watching Gilligan’s Island than doing anything else.

Of course, it doesn’t help that we lost Bob Denver this last week.

Actually, this last week, with all the high profile deaths, most of those from cancer, hasn’t exactly made the week a fun time for me. Cancer took my beloved Tom. It’s hard to think about all those other people suffering and dying that way.

And of course, I’ll miss them.

In fact, I think, after I’ve finished watching all three seasons of Gilligan’s Island, I might just watch Harry Potter. And if I had any Eagles CD’s (really wish I did) I’d listen to all my favorite songs by them. I do have some Crosby, Stills, and Nash CD’s, so I could listen to them. We lost one of their members this week too. I also wish I had the old TV series Grizzly Adams on DVD. And that isn’t even half who we lost this past week.

But death is part of life, and how we deal with it is part of who we are.

Personally, ever since Tom’s death I keep finding myself preferring to watch to Gilligan’s Island around this time of year. They say laughter is the best medicine. Personally, I think it has helped me cope and keep going. Sometimes it does help to forget our problems and just laugh. It’s not as if you’re forgetting they exist, or trying to bury the memory. As I said, finding something to laugh about helps you cope. For me that’s Gilligan’s Island.

A good belly laugh never hurt anyone.

But all this has gotten me thinking about my stories. I’ve never been any good at humor, and I find all my characters are rather serious. Very rarely do they laugh. Let’s face it, I haven’t got much humor in any of my writings, and it’s certainly something I can work on. I need to at least try to give my characters something to laugh about at least sometimes, because everyone should laugh sometimes.

So how about it? Do your characters laugh sometimes?

Or do you have some tips to help me fix that problem in my writings?

Happy writing everyone. J

The Twin Thing by Konnie Enos

Over the last several months Bonnie and I have had several opportunities to be in each other’s company, which has given us a few more occasions to experience being twins. We experienced things like the spacy cashier who didn’t recognize there was two of us standing there, to the people I see on a regular basis who did double takes and numerous other reactions.

When we first met up it was with my husband, oldest daughter and a friend of said daughter and we were at a restaurant. While I was reading the menu, and not paying much attention, Bonnie said something about “Yes, we’re twins.” And I looked up to see a staff member at the table. I assume they did a double take.

Later Bonnie and I went to dinner without those three and the cashier didn’t seem to notice that there was two of us standing there. Bonnie paid for her food and moved away then the cashier moved to helped the next customer and saw who she thought was Bonnie standing in front of her still. At least her statement indicated she assumed I was the customer she’d just helped.

I pointed to Bonnie. “That was my twin sister.”

Only then did she do a double take, which baffled both Bonnie and I. I’d been standing right next to Bonnie while she paid for her own food and we weren’t dressed alike, not even the same colors plus her hair was down, around her face, while my hair was clearly pulled back. Perhaps if mine had been down it would have been clearer since mine is obviously longer than Bonnie’s right now. Anyway, we couldn’t figure out how the young woman hadn’t noticed there was two of us until I pointed it out.

Of course we did have another experience with a cashier, a far more intelligent one.

Bonnie again went through the line first and paid for her purchases with me right there since I was the next customer in line. When Bonnie moved to the side and I moved to where things couldn’t block me from his view he did an immediate double take.

“You’re twins aren’t you?”

“Of course.”

He said he had identical twin sons and the three of us talked about twins while he rang up my purchases.

Though the funniest was a lady I see regularly. I walked past her with Bonnie right behind me and she said something to me then noticed Bonnie and gasped. “Two Konnie’s.”

Well of course I stopped and turned around. While statements similar to that are familiar to us, I’d only heard ‘two Konnie’s’ one other time. Usually it was ‘two Bonnie’s’. Though I told her we were familiar with such comments.

Then the last time I saw this particular lady she looked at me and asked, “Are you you or are you your twin?”

I told her where my sister was at that moment.

Being a twin can have it moments.

Being a mom has its moments too. I could go on but my daughter needs me to be dressed and running out the door, now.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

Computer Problems by Konnie Enos

Today is Bonnie's turn to post but not only is her computer not working, it's in the shop so she is completely unable to get online and do anything about it. I have, in the past stepped in and did a post for her, but being the busy mom that I am, I simply don't have to time to deal with it this morning.

So while I deal with bills, chores and doctor’s appointments this morning, I’ll be praying her computer gets fixed soon and working on my post for next week.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

Past, Present and Future by Konnie Enos

Time.

Last week about this time my youngest son was complaining about how slow the week was going.

Isn’t that how it always is? When you’re anticipating something time seems to drag by, but when you’re furiously trying to prepare for something it flies by so fast you simply don’t have enough hours in the day, week, month or even year to get everything done.

Here it is, the next to the last day of 2015. The whole year has gone by, in little more than a blink of an eye.

When I look back on this past year I can see some of the changes in my life.

With some effort I’ve lost between 50 to 60 pounds.

I decided I did not need my job but rather my family needed me home more than I needed the stress of trying to work and I’ve found I’m running just as much being a stay at home mom as I was trying to maintain my very part-time job.

I finally, with a great deal of prodding from Bonnie, and encouragement from friends at The Writer’s Chatroom, I finished writing my opus. All 150 chapters of it, and clearly the story can go on. Now the editing begins.

Considering the time of year that it is. My goals for this next year are to lose another 50 or 60 pounds, work on editing my opus and a romance I have finished, plus finish and edit my fantasy.  I hope by 2017 I’ll be ready to start looking for an agent for any and all of the above. Of course, I’ll still be writing more stories while doing all of this. I’d also like to make my saving account grow, hopefully better than I did this last year so I don’t end the year with empty bank accounts.

And, per advice from my Writer’s Chatroom friend Audrey, I’ve already broken my savings goals down into monthly goals (I only get money monthly so that works for me.) Now I have to do that with my writing and editing goals.

Then I have to work on my weight loss goals. Which I’m sure would entail actually adding exercise to my routine since I’ve almost got the diet thing down pat.

Anyway, that’s where I’m at on this bright morning, two days before the start of a brand new year. Now back to being a busy mother.

Where are you?

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

Tis the Season by B. L. Hamilton

This is the time of year for spending time with family and friends, for wrapping last minute presents, baking, and maybe gathering around the table to play a game or two. If you’re getting any writing done, your family is either real understanding, or you’re living alone.

But with Christmas just two days away, all I’m saying today is Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

And, happy writing everyone, if you can manage to get any done. J

Tis the Season by Konnie Enos

‘Tis the season for annoying commercials and the extreme commercialism that has become this holiday season. Everywhere you look there is another ad for something else you simply have to buy. One recent ad on the air here touted, repeatedly, that this was the season of getting. The entire ad never once said the word give, or at least not that I heard.

What’s the worst part of it is many people blame this get, get, get, give me, give me, give me mentality on The Spirit of Santa Clause. It’s no more The Spirit of Santa Clause than it is The Spirit of Christmas. Santa Clause is about giving, not getting.

   The Spirit of Santa Clause is about giving time and talent to make or find that exactly right gift, that special something for someone you love. It’s about family and time.

In the hustle and bustle of this world too many of us forget why we celebrate Christmas. They focus so completely on what they’d like to receive they barely even think about what they are giving. The Spirit of Santa Clause isn’t just about giving, it’s about giving the right gift.

Stop focusing on how much you’re spending, other than keeping it within your budget, and don’t worry about how many gifts there are. Think about what will really please the person you are getting those gifts for.

One year, with a really tight budget, as usual. I could only get one gift for each of my children. I skimped and saved. I planned. I tried to figure out what each of my kids would love to get, that I could afford. It wasn’t easy because I knew that one of my kids wanted a camera. But with a great deal of effort, I managed to find just the right gift for all of them, including that camera, the most expensive gift I bought that year, and probably ever.

But the right gift doesn’t have to bought, it can be made. In fact, the very best presents are from the heart, handmade especially for the recipient.

Can you draw? Then make a picture.

Do any sort of handcraft? Utilize them.

Do you have a sewing machine and know how to use it? Same thing.

Can you cook? Bake? Know anyone who is away from home this time of year? A box of homemade goodies always pleases.

My daughter does paint by number pictures and frames them for gifts, or counted cross stitch pictures. She’s also knitted baby hats and made necklaces and earrings.

I can crochet, knit, do cross stitch and other handcrafts. I can cook and I write. It’s a simple thing to plan what handcrafts you’ll use to make that one gift for that one person on your list. As a writer, there is nothing wrong with composing a story for your family as a gift. Perhaps you’ll manage to pen the next great best seller. Richard Paul Evans did and The Christmas Box was born.

I’ve made gifts for my children over the years and they still talk about them. I can think of at least twice, if not three times that I’ve written something as a gift.

Personally, I think it’d be a wonderful tradition to make at least some of your gifts each year. But I’d challenge all of you to really think about your giving and who those gifts are for. The best gift for someone who collects Nativities is one they don’t have yet. It’s not that book, movie, game or anything else you can think of that you absolutely adore but they don’t.

So in the true Spirit of Santa Clause and the true spirit of the season, the Christmas season, give from the heart.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

What’s Your Character’s Sign?

Lately, I’ve noticed a lot of different posts on Facebook about various personality traits and the Zodiac sign they were supposed to show under, and I recalled talking to several friends about creating characters and some of them mentioned using the signs of the Zodiac as part of it.

Personally, I’ve only ever read those deals for a good laugh, because I have never found one that described my personality to a T. Every single one I’ve ever read either sort of but not quite described Konnie, or sort of but not quite described me, or was just plain so ambiguous it sort of but not quite described both of us. And our mother was a Cancer too. Add her into the equation and those things never jibed with reality.

And as far as creating characters go, I don’t often even come up with a birthday for any character in my stories except when that birthday plays a vital role in the character’s personality and or the story. In fact, there’s only once when I took the time to devise exact birthday’s for more than one character in a story and that was because the story covered most of a year, and thereby had to have some birthdays during that time. Additionally, if there were, those birthdays would have some impact on the events in the story.

Then of course, there’s the fact that the story in question has since morphed into a series, and yes I have lots of character birthdays, because those birthdays could impact any future story line.

Off the top of my head, I can only think of one other time when I mention a character’s birthday, and I started that story the day before said character’s birthday, so the event played a vital role in the story line.

However, when it isn’t vital to the story, I don’t make one up. Why bother? I don’t need it and it doesn’t impact the character or the story line.

Now the other day I found an article somewhere on the internet, and I forget where, about what personality traits congregate to what states. When I saw the headline, my first thought was, “Really?”

They took the time figure this out? Why?

Then I realized the information might be a fun fact to add to a story sometime, so I read it, and I should have taken more notes, but I kind of lost it when I got to the paragraph on introverts and extroverts.

You see, the article said introverts congregate in states that include Idaho (where I live) and extroverts congregate in states that include Nevada (where Konnie lives)!

Yeah, I laughed out loud. Found it very funny. Seems Konnie and I are living in the wrong states, if you were to believe that article. But I guess, if I’d bothered to save the article; I could have probably used it as a topic of conversation in some story.

What do you think?

Happy writing everyone! J