Tornado Week
Boy. Has it been quiet around here or what?
Well, the blog, at least. Here at the Finkbeiner Hacienda we’ve had a bit of excitement. Quiet isn’t exactly the word for the week we’ve had.
The thing about a tornado that pops up all-the-sudden is that there isn’t time to be scared. Not really. The terrified shaky feeling comes afterward.
All I had time for was to pray that the roof wouldn’t fly off and the windows wouldn’t get smashed in. I forgot to pray that the trees wouldn’t crush the house. But they didn’t crush it much.
We need a new roof, though. We needed a new one anyway.
It’s the afterward that is the hardest. I stepped outside, the neighborhood smelling of a taxi cab airfreshener, red and blue lights flashing, all the neighbors checking in.
You okay? Everybody okay? What was that? That wasn’t just high winds, right?
Sleep comes difficultly on nights like that. Not for the kids. They fell asleep quickly. But for adults who play the what-if-game it’s near impossible to get the brain to calm down.
This has been a week of neighbors wielding chainsaws and machetes (I have a neighbor from Haiti). A week of TV vans parked along the street and police checkpoints. Men with clipboards, assessing the damage and giving it a monetary value. Men with business cards looking for a job or a family to rip off. Strangers drive down the street, filming the damage on their iPhones or pointing at the disaster like it’s a show. A show they can leave.
I’m tired of the disaster show.
One of my kids said, “Mom, remember when life was normal?”
That’s kind of how it feels.
Now, there are many blessings here. We’re okay. I was in need of a good trip to get groceries, so we had little to toss. We were able to borrow a generator that kept us electrified. No one in our neighborhood had a serious injury due to the tornado. Our neighborhood has really come together.
My neighbor is letting me borrow his WiFi so I can write this post.
Disasters bring out the best in some and the worst in others. That’s just the way of it.
I’m writing a novel about the worst and longest running environmental disaster in our country’s history. You got it. I’m writing a Dust Bowl novel.
If you’ve known me since my Steinbeck obsession, you knew this would happen eventually.
One of the struggles while writing was that I didn’t know how the characters felt during the storms. I knew what they did. Just not how they felt. And I wasn’t sure how disaster felt as their “normal”.
Now I have a bit of a better handle on it. It’s a small handle, but it’s something.
I’m not arrogant enough to believe God would cause a tornado to touch down less than a quarter mile from my house so that I could better understand my characters.
But I will take what I’ve learned this week and hold it close. I’ll remember and use it.
Because this is what writers do when a tornado comes.
Thank you for your patience while we get our normal lives back in place. Part of that involves waiting for the internet folks to re-connect us. And thank you to those who have prayed for us. We are doing just fine! We have electricity and coffee-making capabilities and a new roof in our future. Oh. And a new swing set, too.
Born on the 5th of July
My sister was nearly a firecracker. Born on the 5th of July. As a little girl, I believed that we held sparklers and watched those weird smoky snake things wiggle in honor of the birth of Betsy Lee Riggs. Watermelon and popsicles and fireworks shows just for her.
I will always believe that she deserves nothing less in celebration of her.
Betsy is our family’s token blond. She’s a peacemaker. She loves Jesus. She is the mom of triplets (!!!). She’s the wife of a musician.
She is a believer in the best of people.
Betsy is a good listener, a good advice giver, a soothing encourager. She’s a balm to those with life-raw hearts.
I could write a collection of stories about her. Tell you about the crazy scrapes we got into. About how she talked me (an asthmatic) into running track with her for 2 years. I could tell you about her strength, physical and emotional. About the times when she talked me out of giving up (see asthmatic running track).
But those are stories best told with her sitting next to me, a couple cups of coffee on the table, and a room full of loud laughter. I’m sure she’d love to have you in on the story sharing. She’s quick to make friends.
What I will tell you is this, God didn’t make a whole lot of souls like hers. And I can’t believe I get her for a sister.
Now, this isn’t a plug. But it’s a tribute. She’ll understand.
There’s a scene in Paint Chips that I wrote with her in mind. A family is walking home from church in the rain. The one sister (Cora) is grumbling, complaining, frustrated. Then a car passes, splashing the already soaked family with a puddle. Cora is angry. The other sister (Marlowe) yells out, “We forgive you!”.
If I’m Cora, Betsy’s Marlowe.
Betsy is beautiful straight through. And, if you know her, you are already aware of that.
She’s not perfect. She’s late. All. The. Time.
But I can handle that.
She’s worth waiting for.
Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Betsy Carter. I love you so much.
The Book I Want To Read
I’m near the end of my edits for A CUP OF DUST (my novel in progress). Thus far I have bled 7 purple pens dry and used 3 yellow legal pads full of paper. I can’t even come close to guessing how many cups of coffee I’ve poured down my gullet (is it a thing to say that a lady has a gullet? For some reason, I only think of Falstaff when I read that word).
Can I tell you something? I really love this novel. Yeah. I go between thinking it’s garbage one minute and a beautiful story the next…but…for the most part, I’m having a really good time with the writing. And editing. And rewriting.
I really am.
Why? Because I’m writing a novel I would like to read.
Many authors have been attributed as saying, “Write what you want to read…if there’s a story you want to read, write it…etc”. So many, in fact, that it’s difficult to know which one said it first.
Regardless. It’s true.
When I wrote Paint Chips I wanted to read a Christian market book with a big old bite in it. I wanted to read something that challenged and moved me. I wanted to read about redemption from really dark places. It was the book I wanted to read.
In writing My Mother’s Chamomile I wanted a book to help me mourn the loss of loved ones. I wanted something that would help me justify the hopelessness we sometimes feel when someone we love is dying. It was the book I wanted to read.
And now, I’m writing a novel about a time in history that has always held my fascination. And I’m writing the story of a girl who is loosely based on someone I love. Jeff keeps saying, “You have been amping up to write this novel for years”.
He’s right.
I’m not saying it will be a best seller (but a girl can hope). And I’m not saying I’m Steinbeck (I don’t think he was a very happy man anyway). But what I’m saying is this…
This is the best thing I’ve ever written. And it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever written.
I’m loving every single minute of it.
P.S. Just because you’re my faithful blog readers I’ll let you in on a little backstage secret. A CUP OF DUST is just the first in a series of (I hope) three novels about the same protagonist. I have a lot planned for her…and all of her stories will be ones I’d love to read.
Is there a story you’d love to read? Why not trying and write it? I know. It’s scary. Trust me. I know. But it’s worth it! This also goes for the song you want to hear or the painting you want to see.
Beating Up Inspiration
Friends, today I am completely uninspired by the idea of blogging. Completely. I’ve written and deleted no less than 6 rambling attempts at a blog. Each one had some potential, I guess. Still, they all stunk.
So. I deleted them.
I thought about heading over to the couch to sit and wait for inspiration to come along. But, really, on these sinus pills I would have only found the inspiration to snooze. I thought about peeking in the freezer for inspiration. But all that’s in there are frozen peas and ice cream. I doubt I’d find anything there but a strange combination for a snack.
I remembered this quote from good old Jack London (a real cheery fellow). So, I grabbed my metaphorical club and started writing this post.
I found inspirations, knocked it over the head, and dragged it back to my writing cave.
Problem? The inspiration wasn’t for this blog. It was for the novel I’m working on.
So. Excuse me. I’ve got to get an ice pack on inspiration’s head and then milk it for all it’s worth.
See ya!
Just for fun…what do you think of this quote? Where do you go hunting for inspiration? When you find it, what do you do?
On Dark Clouds, Hydroplaning, and This Writing Life
Monday I drove through one of the worst stormy-rainy-dark-terrifying half hours of my life. The rain came down so hard that it made a pool of the highway.
The highway where semi trucks were racing down. The highway that had a mile-marker telling me I was thirty-some miles from home.
Now, my van needs new tires. This became evident when I lost control a few times, hydroplaning across the water. I prayed. I cussed (whoops). I prayed…and repented of my cussing…and then turned right back around and cussed again. Ugh. (NOTE: my kids weren’t in the car…my worse cusses around them are “shoot!” and “doggone!”)
I hate driving in storms.
As soon as I could, I pulled off an exit, pulled into a gas station parking lot, and let my shaky hands leave the steering wheel.
The last thing I wanted to do was get back on the highway. But the thing I wanted most was to get home. I had to do the thing that scared me in order to get where I wanted to be.
It’s a lot like life. Right?
And, for me, it’s a lot like the writing life.
I don’t want to put myself “out there”…I don’t want to be the object of reviews and rejections. I don’t want to try and convince people to buy and read and recommend my books (both Paint Chips and My Mother’s Chamomile are less than $4 for an ebook download…wink). I don’t want to be in limbo with which publisher I’ll work with on A Cup of Dust and my future novels.
I really, really don’t even want to think about what will happen if no publisher will have me again. It happens, friends. It happens to really great authors. And it’s terrifying.
But…
I really, really want to be a writer. I want to do this job for the rest of my life. I want people to read my novels.
I have to keep doing what scares me in order to get where I want to be.
So, I’m going to keep writing. I’m going to be open to what my agent says (she’s fabulous). I’m going to pray about it some more and hopefully I won’t cuss too much about it all.
The things that scare us sometimes end up making us a whole lot stronger.
5 Ways to Keep Kids Reading Over the Summer
Did you know that, over the summer months, kids have a learning loss of between 5-15%? They actually slide backwards, putting our teachers in the position of having to re-teach during the first few weeks of school rather than charging ahead on new/fresh/EXCITING education.
The remedy?
Reading
When my boys’ pre-k teacher (who, by the way, is an award winning educator….so she totally knows what she’s doing) told me that reading is the weapon of choice to combat summer learning loss, I was excited.
Reading our way through the summer is totally do-able! It just takes a little planning and a lot of enthusiasm. Well, and piles and piles of books!
Here are 5 ways that I keep my kids reading. I’ll share my ideas and then, in the comments, you can share your ideas! And, remember, what works for one kid might not work for another…but the only way you’ll know is by trying. Oh! And remember this can be fun…summer reading shouldn’t be a stress point for you or the kids in your life.
1. Visit your library! One of the main reasons that kids don’t read in the summer is a lack of fresh, new-to-them books. As much as I would love to buy every book they want, I can’t. But this is where our tax dollars can work for us. My kids love roaming the shelves, picking out books from all different genres. Without guiding them, we usually walk out with a stack of half nonfiction and half fiction.
What’s that you say? Your kids think the library is lame? Well…I doubt they’ll think that if they go to a program about bats or reptiles or a magic show. Check out your library website for a schedule of weekly events.
2. Sign up for a reading program! My kids are involved in 3 different reading programs. One at their school that asks how many pages the kids read. One at the library that encourages kids to read at least 15 minutes a day for 30 days. One at Baker Book House which offers store gift cards for hours read! If your kid has a sense of competition, this is a great motivation…even if he/she is competing against him/herself. This is also a great way to celebrate how much your kids read!
3. Planning a trip? Read books about where you’re going/activities you’ll do! Summer is a great time to travel. Why not read up about the history of the town you’ll visit (most cities have histories on their own websites)? Going to the zoo? Read up about different animals and talk about which critters your excited about seeing. Camping? Read about survival skills and edible plants. I promise, they’ll feel SUPER smart when you all arrive at your destination…and you will, too!
4. Read to them! I’ve heard it said many times that readers are born on the laps of their parents in front of a picture book. It’s repeated so often because it is true. Some of my favorite memories from my childhood are of being read to. And I truly hope that’s true for my kids. This summer our goal is to read through the 14 books from the Oz series. Who knows if we’ll make it…but it’s a fun goal for us. Add some goofy voices for the characters for bonus fun. Also, ask them to discuss what you’ve read…how would you feel about that? What do you think will happen next?…for extra learning. I think you’ll find that it’s a great experience for you, too. Even 15 minutes a day. You can do it!
5. Get caught reading! Kids who catch their parents reading will learn that it’s a valuable use of time! Here’s permission to put off mopping that floor or dusting the piano. Take 30 minutes to sit with a book. I know…I know…you feel guilty. Don’t! Your kids need to see that you value reading. So, when you’re at the library, pick out a book for yourself! Or (if you’re like me) find a book you bought years ago, but haven’t gotten to. Dig in. It’s good for your kids!
Now it’s your turn! What are some of your strategies for getting kids to read? Don’t have kids? Then how do you motivate yourself to crack open a book? Don’t read? Well…why not? I love to hear from you!
Editing, Geodes, and Shiny Stuff — And Ask Susie Post
I’m in the middle of editing my novel in progress. It’s called A CUP OF DUST. And I have to write the title in all caps because that’s how we roll in the writing biz.
I happen to love editing my own work (not so much other people’s work…it’s different). I mean love with little pink hearts and unicorn manes. Oh, and puppy snuggles. And chocolate. And…and…
Suffice to say, it’s one of my very favorite parts of my job.
The other day my buddy Nathan left this comment here on the blog.
I pondered this for a bit, trying to figure out how to explain my love. Then, after agonizing over it, I remembered….
Geodes.
Last week I took my kiddos to the library for a presentation on geodes (NOTE: if you have kids at home this summer, make sure you check out the programs at your local library…they are free and fabulous and a great way to keep kids learning throughout the summer).
The guy explained all about how geodes form and what they are made of (they are NOT rocks. He made sure we understood that). He’s a geologist and a self proclaimed geode hunter. He takes his heavy-duty backpack to dried up river beds and finds all the geodes he can carry. Why? Because he knows there’s something cool inside. He takes them home and then, in his words, “whomps them open” to find the quartz inside. Sometimes it’s just normal, other times he finds amethysts. He never knows until he “whomps” them.
He gave each of us a geode and whomped them for us.
The whomping geologist loves picking through geodes because he knows there will be something good inside. After each geode he whomped for a kid he said, “Oh, that’s a nice one”. Every. Single. Time.
Because he loves geodes.
It’s a lot like editing.
My first drafts are always what Anne Lamott would call…ahem…”poopy” (it’s a family show, so I’ll refrain from using her word). They are drab and full of ugly.
But I know that something good is under the surface. So I whomp my words and phrasing and plot. I whomp my characters, too. Instead of a big hammer, I use my purple pens.
I whomp and whomp and whomp until I find out what’s inside. Sometimes I get something that’s just a rock. Other times I find something that needs a good deal of polishing.
But then there are the moments when I find something truly spectacular. Something that gives my writing that sparkle.
Every time I crack open my editing I get excited. I know that it’s a hunt, a search. For treasure. Even when the work gets tedious (which it often does when I’m whomping punctuation), I’m looking for hidden treasure.
When I find that treasure, I say, “Oh, that’s a nice one”.
Every. Single. Time.
So, back to Nathan.
How did I learn to enjoy it? I decided to see it as an opportunity to find treasures in my work. There are days when I have to fake it. That’s okay.
On those days, I just keep whomping. Sooner or later, I find something that takes my breath away.
How about you? Do you enjoy editing? Or are you the kind of person who really loves cleaning…because that’s something I don’t understand. How do you press on to do a task you don’t enjoy?
Getting Away
The past few weeks have been full. End-of-the-school-year, hustle-and-bustle-of-summer, answer emails, market books, clean-clean-clean.
I’m not going to lie. The writing suffered. And when the writing suffers, the inner voice screams. And when the inner voice screams…well…I feel like I’m faking this whole I’m-a-writer thing.
So, I got away. Grabbed my yellow legal pads and purple pens and first draft and took off to a cottage on Lake Michigan.
And. I. Wrote.
A lot of the time I scribbled away on my manuscript to the sounds of a ticking clock, coffee pot brewing, and the waves of the Big Lake.
The writing thrived. I figured out connections between plot points (basically, a game of connect the dots between important events in the story). I worked out some characterization issues (who are these pretend people???). I tightened prose (fixed up the words). And I grew a deeper love for this story.
I remembered that I love this job. I love this story. And I really do love my characters (yes, even the bad guy).
It’s amazing what a little sun and waves will do for a girl.
What would you do if you could get away for the weekend? Who would you take? Where would you go? Have you ever had an amazing get-away? I love to hear from you!
I Think I Want To Be A Writer…Now What? And Other Writerly Questions.
I get a lot of questions these days about writing. It’s not because I’m the absolute authority in the writing life or because I’m awesome. More than anything it’s because I’m the only author many of my friends know. So, it makes sense to come to me.
Problem is, I get so many questions it’s hard to keep up with them all. Currently, I’m writing a novel and that takes a lot of time and attention. I’ve been busy writing novels for the last 5 years and hope to keep going for the next 40. I feel badly when I have to say “no” to mentoring new authors or “reading over” things. I just don’t have the time to give my best to those kinds of projects.
But I can blog some answers. So…here are some FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) about the writing life. I’ll do these every once in awhile. I hope my answers are helpful!
1. I want to be a writer…I think…I just don’t know where to start. Where do I start?
Where do you start? By writing. Anything you want. Just get your booty in a chair/exercise ball/coffee shop and get those fingers moving. If you want to be a writer then you need to write. A lot. Even if it’s icky writing at first. Just do it. Worry about editing and grammar and structure later. Write like the wind.
And read. Read a ton too. (Why? Read this)
2. Then what?
Edit. Have someone you trust (someone who will tell you the truth) read it. Also, that person should be a reader. They tend to be the best at offering critiques. You might even consider hiring an editor. Yep. You might have to pay somebody. But it is worth it. Try Dina Sleiman. Her rates are reasonable. And she’s really good.
3. Then what?
You need to research the market. I know. You want me to tell you where to submit and how long it will take and what the best publisher is. Sorry. No such luck. You’ve got to do your own leg work. Why? The same reason your mom made you look things up in the Dictionary. If she didn’t make you, she should have. It’s a good education. Anyway, Google Writer’s Market Guide. There is a book that lists agents and editors and magazines. See that? I didn’t even give you the link. I’m making you do that yourself. Trust me. Doing your own work makes you better. I had to do it. Uncle Stevie King had to do it. You can do it, too. I make you do it because I love you.
4. So, how much do you get paid?
Yeah. Really. I get this question all the time. I hate this question. Here’s why. I have never asked a teacher at my kids’s school how much she makes. Never asked the check out clerk at the grocery store how much he makes. Never even entertained the idea of asking a doctor that question. Frankly, good dear friends, it’s a rude question to ask. And I know you aren’t rude. So, pretty please, don’t ask authors.
But I will answer with this…and only this…it’s not a lot. I’d make more working at a gas station sweeping the parking lot. I’m. Not. Kidding. So, if you’re thinking about writing for the fortune in royalties…sorry, I’m giggling here…move along to a career in just about anything else.
5. I still have so many questions!
I know! So do I! The writing life is full of uncertainty and massive change (just think e-books…imagine how those thingamajigs shook things up). If you have lots of questions or want to learn more, might I recommend a few things to you?
A. Think about going to a writers conference. Google them in your area. Some libraries host workshops…check with your local branch. Or, if you’re willing to come to the glory of West Michigan, you should consider the Breathe Christian Writers Conference. You will learn from professionals, meet other writers, and be encouraged. I’d love to see you there.
B. Read books about writing. Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird is one. So is On Writing by Stephen King. Also the Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell. Oh. And read books…any books…and a lot of them. Read all the time. Always have a book with you. Always.
C. If you write fiction, check out Novel Matters. It’s a blog by writers for writers. I love the ladies who write for that blog. I believe you will too. Dig through their archives. They’ve got great content.
Have other questions? I’d love to answer them here on the blog. Know someone who wants to be a writer? Feel free to share this post with them. Thanks for being such great friends and supporters of me. I truly appreciate it!
A Story For Sisters — A Guest Post With Wendy Paine Miller
The Flower Girls by Wendy Paine Miller (A Story for Sisters)
I have three older sisters and now I’m immersed in day-to-day adventures parenting three girls. There must be something tying me to the number three.
I explore the intricate relationship of twins in my latest release, The Flower Girls. Recently I was asked if I spoke with a lot of twins to help me create more authentic characters. My answer…no. The sister closest to me in age, less than two years between us, felt like a twin on and off through the years. We experienced much of life together, enduring hardships and victories.
I wrote every word of The Flower Girls with the emotional and influential sibling dynamic in mind. Who we grow up with alters who we will become.
Do you have sisters? How has your sibling relationship helped to shape who you are today?
A little about The Flower Girls
Imagine staring into the face of a loved one with no recollection of who they are. Every person a stranger. Daisy O’Reilly’s inability to recognize faces, a cognitive disorder resulting from a childhood accident, causes her to rely heavily upon her twin sister, Poppy. Perhaps too much so.
Overwhelmed by Daisy’s needs, Poppy anticipates the freedom her upcoming wedding will bring—a chance to relinquish her obsessive worries about Daisy and escape the clutches of guilt from one hazy day when the girls were seven. When they were still invincible.
With a thriving floral photography career but a floundering love life, Daisy questions how strong she will be on her own. And who she might become without Poppy living down the hall or offering a deluge of reminders during each social interaction.
But for the O’Reilly sisters to properly let go, they must first understand what they’re holding on
Praise for THE FLOWER GIRLS
“Wendy Paine Miller writes with gentle wisdom about the complexities of family relationships burdened with blame, secrets and loss. A poignant, emotional story about guilt, love, family, and the indestructible ties of sisterhood. Fans of Kristin Hannah will love THE FLOWER GIRLS!”
-Lisa Verge Higgins, author of RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
*
“Alternating between identical twin narrators with tragic secrets between them, Wendy Paine Miller’s THE FLOWER GIRLS examines what it means to recognize — or not recognize — ourselves in others. It’s a moving contemporary tale of blame, jealousy, longing, and how old scars can finally mend.”
-Susan Schoenberger, award-winning author of A WATERSHED YEAR
Goodreads Friends, Wendy has The Flower Girls listed as a give-away! While you’re entering to win one of two copies, go ahead and mark the book as “to-read”.
susiefinkbeiner.com 