Wherever you are in your life, as long as you allow your emotions to get in the way of the truth, you will always miss the deeper message.
Tag: #LinkYourLife
Dear Chandelier,
Some of us are just too close to the ground to see what the sky looks like and yet you, in your own way, have become the hanging crystal of inspiration. You stand unaffected among grand halls and ballrooms; of corporate offices and living rooms. I watch at the coming and going of guests. Some of them important, some not. They wrap themselves in fruitless conversation and rest their bottoms in chairs that hug the table beneath you. They shout with laughter and hold their noses in the air and yet they live on the ground. They have to look up to you and gasp in awe. So modest and rooted is this simple fixture in a room. I watch as your radiance pulls their mouths to the floor. Watch your occasional swing shift their eyes; watch your gracefulness stop their breaths. Softly and delicately, your crystals spark reflection like the conviction of a mirror, in which we are all forced to see ourselves. We try to move to a less luminous part of the room, but we are powerless to scorch your light. Voices rise to distract from your daintiness. The people scream and yell, come and go, but they are incapable of stealing your glory, let alone catch its shadow bouncing off the walls and chipping at the faces of guests. It is you oh Chandelier. You who remains steadfast and immovable, yet moving. Silent, and yet you sing. Fragile, and yet strong. Beautiful, and yet delicate. Modest, and yet shinning.
The Snowflake Method For Designing A Novel
I don’t usually use an outline when writing my books but I found this really neat method I’d like to try. While I can’t say I’ll stick to it like glue, it looks like something that will help me to organize my thoughts without the confusion. For my next project I’ll be using The Snowflake Method. Click Here to check it out. After your reading, research, and daydreaming is done (when you have an idea of what the story is about), here is Step #1 from the article:
Step 1) Take an hour and write a one-sentence summary of your novel. Something like this: “A rogue physicist travels back in time to kill the apostle Paul.” (This is the summary for my first novel, Transgression.) The sentence will serve you forever as a ten-second selling tool. This is the big picture, the analog of that big starting triangle in the snowflake picture.
When you later write your book proposal, this sentence should appear very early in the proposal. It’s the hook that will sell your book to your editor, to your committee, to the sales force, to bookstore owners, and ultimately to readers. So make the best one you can!
Some hints on what makes a good sentence:
- Shorter is better. Try for fewer than 15 words.
- No character names, please! Better to say “a handicapped trapeze artist” than “Jane Doe”.
- Tie together the big picture and the personal picture. Which character has the most to lose in this story? Now tell me what he or she wants to win.
- Read the one-line blurbs on the New York Times Bestseller list to learn how to do this. Writing a one-sentence description is an art form.
Another important point: It doesn’t have to be perfect. The purpose of each step in the design process is to advance you to the next step. Keep your forward momentum! You can always come back later and fix it when you understand the story better. You will do this too, unless you’re a lot smarter than I am.
*******
Sounds exciting! There is also a book which you can find here. Are you writing a book? Share the method to your madness! How do you stay organized?
Love Poem
Wanted to jump into memory
and photograph pieces
of your smile
the only cracks worth seeing
on someone’s face
Didn’t know dimples ran deeper than wells
but every time you chuckled
my nerves melted underneath my skin
Is this
Is it real?
Could the pull of the wind
be the yearning for your laughter?
That always fell like diamonds at the base of my feet
Could someone tell me how a poor woman
becomes rich again?
For I knelt before history
and shackled your existence to my future
and when you laughed
The moon was missing that night
cuz I held it in your gaze
And the sun dripped hot from the gaps in my fingers
Cupped your chin gently against my palms
And when we kissed
Heaven cracked open its skies
and thunder praised our union
You Are Where You Are
You get what you deserve in life. As much as we complain and whine about why we don’t have and why we should, we never stop to understand that we are all where we’re supposed to be. If you have something great it is because you’ve earned it. And if for whatever reason you are not where you want to be, it is because that place is not ready for your presence or you do not deserve to be there at this time.
A five year old is not mentally or physically capable of handling a dangerous weapon. You will not give a gun or a sharp knife into his hands because he will think that it’s a toy. But here’s the thing: this does not mean he does not deserve to have it. He is not to be given this now because he is not mentally capable of handling it. Only when this five year old is an adult and is ready to be trained in how to properly handle dangerous weapons and obtain the proper certifications, should he be allowed to embark on what is his. Perhaps his destiny is to be an officer, trainer, or a merchant of ammunition. Nevertheless, right now he is where he is supposed to be. That is learning the importance of safety and the value of life. As a five year old, the only thing he has to look forward to now is increasing his understanding of the world around him and when he’s ready, he will be where he’s supposed to be. You are where you are for whatever reason. Perhaps things are not falling apart, perhaps they are just falling into place. This is not your destruction. This is your birth.
Bitter Sweet
Its cold, obviously, in Chicago. The irony is that this week has been like Chicago’s cold bitter wind and the warmth of the sun on my cheeks at the same time. Similar to how the sun is just strong enough to warm the ground but not the wind. Like the sharpness of a very dark chocolate. While the book release and trip to Atlanta has been sweet, the call that my mother has fallen ill has left my mouth with the bitter taste of a strong coffee with no cream and no sugar.
Truth is I just want to go somewhere and hide. The new book is exciting and the signing and presentation went very well. In addition, the play following was amazing. This thick, syrupy goodness I will hold on my tongue always.
Immediately following the play, I jumped on a plane to Chicago and have not been home since then. Instead, I’ve been back and forth to the hospital everyday while simultaneously promoting my new book and balancing other priorities. In addition, my husband is having surgery on his knees soon which means I’ll be leaving the Chi soon.
But you know me. The grind must go on. I hope to be fully engaged in this blog soon with my regular obsessive postings! Lol
Y’all be great.
– EC
In Paperback and Amazon Kindle
Good morning Lovelies,
The Road to Freedom – Joseph’s Story is now available in Paperback and eBook on Amazon Kindle. This also means that the Stella Trilogy is complete and all three books are now available on the site, both individually as well as a bundle pack.
In the meantime, don’t forget…. I’m in Atlanta babies!!
Meet me in person at The Metropolitan Branch Library at 1332 Metropolitan Parkway from 12noon – 4pm for a signed copy of this book as well as the others in the series.
The PBS Blog 