Great Songs to Evoke Emotion

Signs You Have Not Published/Written a Novel

Photo Cred: Tambako the Jaguar :CC

No one needs to tell you that the world of writing is fraught with unknowns, filled to the ethers with wannabe authors ready to scrape down the fibers of their soul in order to get published or recognized in some way. 

We grasp and tug desperately for any gold-plated tidbit of advice successful authors might share with us. Furthermore, we shame those who dare advise us without reaching an invisible benchmark of fame and notoriety. That title being devised of some abstract number of publications - which of course vary greatly between individuals.

I am here to tell you that you should heed my advice.

I would like to introduce myself to you... I am Lori Johnstone, wife, mother, daughter, sister, unpublished author, writer. One who writes. I write words down. 

I'm not published. So I know exactly what to do/what not to do in order not to be published. Check out my CV...

Here it is. Look really closely. Yep, that's it. That blank speck here to the right. The part with nothing written on it. 

Seriously, I am the foremost authority on "not" getting published. 

Read on... for these are the signs you should heed, telling evidence of spinning your wheels in the writing sphere;

You might not be published if:

1) Nothing but organic food graces your children's lips and you spend an excessive amount of time assessing their sugar intake.  

2) It has never been necessary for anyone in your house to resort to wearing their underwear inside out. EVER. 

3) You are well read and may belong to more than one book club. It is even possible that you have set an outrageously high reading goal on Goodreads.com, of which you fully intend to blow out of the water.

4) All of your pets are meticulously groomed and are full of love garnered from your unwavering attentiveness.

5) You have painstakingly vowed to understand one of the most controversial and mysterious principles in the world of physics to apply to your novel. 

6) Your entire community of family and friends are still speaking to you. 

7) Your social life abounds and you feel rewarded and blessed with friendships. 

8) One or more of your children are achieving at high levels in school and you volunteer on a regular basis.

9) Your clothes are pressed, you are beautific at all times in case you are challenged to a walk-off.

Gif Cred- James Fitzhenry; GIPHY

10) You are up to date on which country hates us the most and is ready to annihilate us at a second's notice. 

11) You are in wonderful physical shape and your one tummy roll hasn't taken to replicating like an unruly Gremlin. 

12) You have consulted with a guru and have been transforming your mental fitness to near Ghandi-like levels.

And the number one foolproof way to know if you have no published works to your name...

13) Your blog is up to date and successful.

No one can achieve perfect balance and adoration. Take a few of these and muss them up a bit. You can balance that. For instance, by not focusing on the laundry, maybe force your family to wear their underwear inside out for ONE day a week. 

It's all about making sacrifices. 

May the writing Gods be with you.

Chasing a Hungry Bird and Chasing My Dream Eerily Similar

 Photo credit: Tony Hesgett , CC
(I chose this image, as the bird somehow seems empathic to the human condition)

I spent the morning chasing a bird, more specifically a red-tailed hawk. Our neighborhood backs onto a very nice open space which happens to be home to some beautiful creatures, including this magnificent one, which as it turns out, is very hard to keep up with.

I pulled in and my eyes were immediately drawn to it, magnanimously perched on a tiny tree close to the road. The scale of bird to tree was ridiculous - the bird might have found a more worthy sized tree. It was in the throws of hunting- so tiny tree be damned- it was going to find it's meal.

I shouldn't have felt a prayer, but I raced home to grab my camera. When I got back, the giant bird was still on it's perch. It stared at me as I clumsily fiddled with my camera in an attempt to get the long distance lens on-I am decidedly not the best at using my hands. I'm sure the hawk sensed this, as well as having probably given up on me as a source of food, despite it's audacity to sit on such a squat tree.

                                                                                     

Down it flew to the brush below to wreak havoc on the smaller creatures, it's buteo shape (long-rounded wings) gracefully lending it's body to the ground.

It kind of mocked me for a bit...


Flying around so low, easily floating about without touching the ground, possibly only pretending to seek it's smaller prey. 

 

It did pause to check me out every now and again, though, so who knows? 

I like to be prepared for all unknowns. 

The plan was to hunch over and hide under my wool jacket protected fully from its razor sharp talons. 

In the end, I had nothing to worry about - except that I wouldn't be getting the picture I desired. Sick of my wool coat protected stalking, it flew to the other end of the open space and perched on a larger tree. 

Even though I was outsmarted, I still wouldn't give up. I hopped in my van and raced to the other end of the neighborhood. I parked and despite fears of a massive beak pecking out my eyes, set out for the North entrance of the open space ON FOOT!

The hawk had had enough of me, or found prey to swoop down upon. Either way I was left to gaze upon the bare bones of the trees around me. I took a picture only to feel like I was doing something.

Truth be told, it wasn't the day for photography. There was an inversion that cast an eery glow on the surrounding sky, resulting in low image quality.

Still, the lesson wasn't lost on me as I walked slowly back to my car.

I learned something besides the fact that I should keep the camera in the car at all times-special lens on.

I thought of how the feeling of the chase was all too familiar. I didn't feel like I failed. I saw the potential for something real. Something that I wanted. It's the same as chasing my dream.

Every step of the way, though not every move will be successful, it leads you toward your goal. Whether you are traveling at a snails pace, or the speed of hyper space - you will eventually get where you want to go.

Having a dream causes you to go outside yourself, and run after something majestic. On the way, you'll find exhilaration, like the thought of capturing something beautiful, sometimes lending itself to disappointment, but never boredom.

No matter what, it's worth it.