The Pen of a Ready Writer

I hereby issue you a challenge: Take a moment and write down where you see your life in 5 years. What do you think you will accomplish in the next 5 years? What major life events do you think will happen in the next 5 years? Will you still be living where you are? Will you still be working on the same things? There's no pressure to be right. Usually when I do this, I seal my imaginations in an envelope and open it in 5 years. And it rarely matches reality. At first, that embarrassed me.  I thought either I should be embarrassed for guessing wrong, or I should be embarrassed for not achieving my intended purpose. But now I realize that it is just fun. It's fun to see how your ideas change and how life changes in unexpected ways. It's fun to see what was important to you 5 years ago. It is such a neat little self-study, and it's totally worth it. So, go ahead. Write a real life imagination of where you think you will be in five years...

Map of Pelestia and surrounding countries I started a three-ring binder for this. I have tabs and dividers. I am building a world. I've built little worlds before for stories, but none of them needed very much building.  This one is bigger and the world plays into my story in a vital way.  So I am drawing maps and naming rulers and playing around with economies and politics and religious views and weaponry and technology and many other facets. And I would like your advice:     How do you build a world?     Do you have any checklists that you use?

     When I look back over the changes of the past 3 years, I am impressed that I am still standing.        In 2015, I was finishing up a midwifery apprenticeship that ended up being a little rocky at the end.  I became a Certified Professional Midwife after about 8 years of study (5 part time and 3 very full time) and a Licensed Midwife in the state of Virginia.  I met Garrett.      In 2016, I started working as a midwife at the Birth Centre of Charlottesville.  And I got engaged.  And I got married. And I moved to "The Valley" (as everybody up here calls it).      In 2017, Garrett and I moved into our beautiful little trailer.  And had countless adventures.      And this year, the changes have continued at an alarming rate.  Now I am getting ready for another change -- a job shift.      I am backing down from full-time work at The Birth Centre of ...

Life. It's been good. There's been a lot of it. But not much time for creative writing. I'm still keeping a journal.  It will come in handy someday...someday when I have time to turn my reality into stories that the world can relate to. This year has been so full.  I know I'm not alone in feeling this.  You each have your own fullness.  Someday...like I said...I will regale you with my adventures.  But not today. Today, I am sad. And tired. I touch this blog like a girl caressing the cover of a beloved book that she has missed.  I have missed you guys.  Missed you so much.  And yet...still not sure when I can return.  Which sharpens the little pang I feel. I will return.  That is one thing I do believe. It's like a compost pile...are any of you familiar with this precious recipe of the gardening trade?  You throw your rotting vegetation into this pile -- leftover salad, old banana peels, the random apple core -- and wait...

     The night was cold -- the kind of cold that turned the trees to gold overnight.   Detlef lowered himself from his window, scaling the wall in silence until he reached the ground.   The warmth of the sun had faded away as soon as the moon took charge of the sky.   Drying grass crunched under Detlef’s feet as he darted through the shadows toward the stables.   It reminded him of the day that Emil had sent him on a wild goose chase to find his servant –who had not been looking for him after all.   The thought still rankled in his heart.      Horses nickered as he slipped into the stable.   Detlef hushed them as he found his way into Timothy’s stall.      But, instead of greeting Detlef, Timothy’s eyes were fixed on the opposite stall.   Detlef strained his eyes in that direction until, to his surprise, he discovered the tense figure of a man in the gloom.    ...

     Ilona sat by herself, thinking over the revelations of the morning.   She pulled every memory of Emil to the forefront of her mind, examining each one.   What if he had only fooled her into thinking that he cared about her?   Reluctantly she had to admit the likelihood that he had, and the thought gave rise to a much more painful one.   What if her Detlef had done the same?       “If you look so deep within, you will miss the beauty around you.”   Verana knelt next to her, rolling out a mat and sitting on it.   In her hand, she held a basket of nuts, which she proceeded to shell.      Ilona lifted her eyes and glanced around the village.   The courtyard basked in the late afternoon sun.   Women bustled about their supper preparations, cooking in large pots over open fires.   Babies played happily at their feet.   The men gathered under the pavilion to mend the...

Hello again! I have just returned from a trip to Israel. I have a ton of new data for worldbuilding.  I found that Israel is similar in landscape to one of my WIPs, so now I have a flesh-and-blood reality to enhance my storyworld, which is cool. Lots to say, but I've got some unpacking and laundry and job-catchup to do first.  Hope to be back soon to tell you guys about the trip!!!