For the Writers :0)

This YouTube video is being shared by permission of Holly Lisle (like "Lyle"). This woman is an awesome teacher of how to effectively write publishable books. She's constantly doing video clips, and sample lessons on ways to improve and how to write well consistently . I really like her down-to-earth methodology and how she explains to you the concept of show not tell with your characters, how give your characters life and personality and how to create real experiences and worlds for the reader. I hope you enjoy this video and that you are able to glean a lot from it. I will try to post more vids as I find them.

It Ain't Easy Being Me

I think I'm in spiritual limbo right now. I'm not trying to cross over to the 'dark side' (I don't care how good the cookies are); I just think that I'm in a state of semi-consciousness. My spiritual routine is gone. I can't think to pray in the morning and I beg God at night to wake me up the next morning so that I can give it another go. My day is like fireworks from the moment my eyes open and I'm hopping. I feel so pressed and pulled at the same time. I just want to feel peaceful. Don't you feel peaceful with the peace of God? I mean, you know, if I have the peace of God I should feel peaceful, right? My little baby wants me to play with him all day and when I can't he finds all of MY stuff and throws it around the house as if he's trying to say, "I'll fix you, heifer!" And after the aftermath of Hurricane Jeremy, my husband wants dinner when he gets home but my older two boys want attention and snacks(and lunch, and dinner, and another snack and a pre-bedtime nightcap--yes, another snack) and NOT to do homework or change out of their school clothes. And you know, it's not the fact that they want these things, it's the battles that ensue when I say and/or show them "no". I have a head of braids that are fuzzing up and I never even finished the back of my head. My house is in a state of discombobulation. I don't even have time for the projects I'm supposed to work on with all of their deadlines and timelines to follow and where do I get the audacity to think that I can get this all done in Jesus' name? I don't know ya'll (pardon my Southern-ness), I call shenanigans. It's a conspiracy: A C-O-N-spiracy! Listen, I may or may not take your advice, but feel free to either sympathize, post your own complaints or tell me something good.

Blogosphere Throwback #4

To My Friend The Atheist

Monday, June 19, 2006

I'm a Christian. No bells, no whistles, no spinning doves or covert hymns on my blog. Just me. Whatever is on my mind and heart. I've really had to re-evaluate my stand as a follower of Jesus Christ of Nazareth (That is who Christians are supposed to be following by the way). My journey of rediscovery has caused me to wobble like Weeble (though I didn't fall down) and boy did I shake when the reality of who and what I am and am supposed to be came into view. I'm not saying that all of the sudden I found myself a grand hypocrite (a great actor in a play pretending to be someone I am not). It is actually quite the contrary. At this point in my life I have found myself to be more real. Real about the reality in which I live. Real about people and their individual souls. Real about what being a Christian is all about and how that lifestyle should be lived. Real about not trying to "fake it until I make it". Real about really standing with Jesus and on his principles. With the way this world is going there really isn't much time for facades. No one has the monopoly on longevity (except God himself) and there is no guarantee of today and much less of tomorrow. Ask any soldier anywhere in the unstable world. Ask any cancer patient going into and coming out of remission. Ask anyone dying of AIDS. Ask the most recent surviving heart attack victim who just made it out of high school. So if life is but a brief encounter, why not live the way I want and throw caution to the wind? Shouldn't I do what I want if this is all there is? No one wants to think I wish. . . Oh, if only. . . If I had to do it over. . . Well,remember that discussion on truth? No matter what the "evidence" states there is something so elemental in each and everyone of us that cannot hide from the truth. I believe there is One Truth that was realized in the beginning of this world and has always been. . . God himself. I am not out to prove that there is a God. If there is anyone who chooses not to acknowledge God I do not argue with you or try to convince. I just believe. Honestly, I believe that fact has been established with more proof than anyone can shake a stick at. Look at a tree, heck, a leaf. Perfectly simple, yet remarkably complex. Neither you nor I can make one, but Someone did. The probability that it happened spontaneously is so astoundingly low that statistics cannot be used as proof. We can replicate Amino Acids but we can't make a person or even a single-celled amoeba from scratch. The odds are pretty near impossible. Those thoughts aside, what would trying prove anything prove anyway? Does proving that there is no God suddenly mean your life is worth living because you are right? Does it suddenly bring happiness? Does it really give you a newfound sense of purpose? And on the contrary, does proving that there is a God all of the sudden make Him Sovereign in your life? Does it now mean that you will believe in Him? There is no point in having the knowledge of Someone superior to yourself unless you are willing to acknowledge and accept it. It would be better not to believe or have even known in the first place. I just believe and let the chips fall where they may. In every country in the known world (I'm certain in the unknown world as well) there is some concept of deity and someone or something to be worshiped. I believe the need to worship is in and of it self primal and intentionally placed by God because this life is not all there is to life and it should be lived with a sense of purpose. Without purpose there is no real reason to live and suicide (by method fast or slow) seems the most fitting alternative. To be continued. . . .
Posted by CeCe Wilson at 6/19/2006 12:30:00 PM 0 comments

School's In!

Okay for some reason either my link button is broken or I'm not doing it right. I try to post links to articles that I figure people would need as a frame of reference to my blog posts, but it hasn't been happening. No matter! How is everyone this week? I hope this post finds everyone well and full of joy. And even if not well, at least full and full of joy. I know, I know. It's September already and I didn't really post much for August. I'll do better. Maybe. I am really struggling with this writing thing! There seems to be so much going on in my life now that the kids are in school that I don't have as much time as I did when they were home. It's not that I don't have anything to write about. I have tons of stuff in my head. It's just how do I now sit down and get it all on paper in a cohesive and orderly fashion? It could be that I had motivation this summer because I was "fighting" for the DREAM! Or it could be that now I am here alone and there is no one sitting behind me telling me to "git her dun fer Jesus!" The point is, I suppose, that there are no shortcuts for getting to anyplace worth going. I saw that on a poster, you know. I was hoping that I could just sit down and the inspiration to write would come to me. Obviously, that is not it. So now, I am making it my point to force myself to write a little bit every day even if it seems insignificant or just an idea or a little more of a previously started idea. I guess the most significant thing for me to do too is trust that as I write that God will let me know which way He wants me to go and how He wants me to go about it. So, with that said, "Happy Writing!"