Creative Writing Crash Course part 1

I'm a little behind! I am going to be real and tell you the real reason!

I needed to see what everyone else was doing first!!

Some things come easy to me, but not writing, and to be honest I am not terribly creative. I am just an average, ordinary, not really unique in anything, every day girl. Now.

I grew up in the school of hard knocks, and have really only become the woman I am now through alot of prayer, hard work, fighting through it, and allowing myself to be mentored by others, usually by quietly observing. One day I hope to be able to share my whole story, uninhibited, but right now I am still learning to become a "productive member of society." Writing helps me with that.

I have come to a point in my life where I want to know who Stephanie is, not just as a mom and wife, but as a woman of God. I havent always been so great at the latter of these either, at the most, I'm just mediocre. But I'm a work in progress!! In my opinion anyway.

So, I think I have gotten part of this backwards, but I will just use this as one of my "posts." I am excited to see what this course brings out of me. Thanks Amy, for your time and talent.

1. Who is your audience and what is your purpose?

Ask This:Who reads your blog? Who do you want to read your blog? What past posts have gotten the most traffic? What kind of posts on other blogs do you enjoy reading?

I do not know that I really have an 'audience.' My closest friends and family read my blog. I am still rather new to blogging and I took a year off before really getting back into it. Some women have private diaries, I have a blog.

My posts that share my personal testimony are the ones that get the most traffic. I suppose that is my purpose. I really have a heart for women who are hurting, who dont know Jesus, who have low self esteem and need someone to believe in them.

I enjoy reading light hearted posts as well as those on room makeovers, and organizing, I'm really getting "in" to the ones on photography! Matter of fact I just bought myself a new camera so I could pursue that interest.

Know This:

Everything written has an audience (even your diary!). You don't need to change who you are and write things just for your audience, but it does help to know who is reading. If you are writing mainly to young ladies, then your tone will be different than if you are writing to seasoned mothers. You will use different analogies and assume they have a different knowledge base.It's best to concentrate on the audience you already have. They are there for a reason and ignoring them while you seek after new readers just isn't nice.



2. What do you know? Ask This:What does my day consist of? How is my life unique? What things do I know that could help others? Have I seen another blog post about something I do, but in a different way?



My day consists of work, hubby and children, and finding ways to share God's love, mercy, and salvation. The blogs I follow are very good and uplifting, and encouraging, and informative, but I have yet to come across something that screams "THATS ME, THATS MY LIFE!!!" I guess that makes me unique!


Do This:Brainstorm your life and come up with a list of 5 topics that are part of your life (hopefully, some of them coincide with the list you made in #1).

1.Taekwon do....martial arts. I have a real passion for this. Some day I would love to teach a womens self defense class.

2.Writing...sharing my story to encourage other women and find healing for myself through it.

3Music/Worship....my very first passion and oh how I would love to combine it with my own writing

4.Giving testimony...I am not a great up front speaker, but with practice I think I could do it!

5. My husband....God did not give me this life to walk alone, I will do it beside my man, who also has a testimony to share.

4. What do you want your readers to feel and know after reading what you've written?

I want my readers to know truth and feel that I am genuine and authentic. I want them to see my heart and my peace and desire a piece of that for themselves. In some cases I want them to see my struggles and mistakes and hopefully learn from them and not have to walk through some of the muck and mire I have.

Ask This:Do I want my reader to DO something with this information or do I want them to FEEL something? Am I able to take this topic and clearly convey a message?

Both.

Know This:Not every topic is easy to work with, but just about any topic can be transformed into a good post depending on the viewpoint you choose. The spots on my carpet and the fact that I have no idea how to get them cleaned up is only going to hold my reader's interest for a short time. However, if I can take that topic and parallel it with something much deeper (like how we are unable to remove the spots in our lives on our own and thus need the saving power of Jesus), THEN I have an awesome blog post in the making. More on this in #5

I think I am done for now. Well not done, but ready to move on to part 2!! I have decided that this writing course is WORK!!!

Jack O' Lantern Time!

I got a new video/digital camera! I can not tell you how very happy that makes me! :)

There are so many things I want to take pics of right now!! Here in Branson/Hollister, Missouri fall is coming with a vengeance! I have never seen such rich red, gold, and orange. We are known for our fall beauty along with the many other attractions this tourist town has to offer. In living here almost 4 years now we have become "locals" as we refer to ourselves, but the same things that bring the tourists out are the same reasons why we chose to relocate here. I am hoping to get some really great pics of the area to share here soon! Today we went to our first ever block party in our own neighborhood and had a little fun!

Those really are 3 happy kids despite the looks on their faces!

Tomorrow we will get tea lights and have them light up the night! What a great family time!

Oh My...Bear with me!

Wow! Lots of work goin on here! I'm not done, so no judging yet please! I just got called to make fried ice cream so guess the odd colors are staying awhile! Be back soon!

I've gotten myself lost in blogland! I have followed my sister in laws blog for years, I finally decided I wanted one too! It took me a long time to actually get it done, because oh my gosh, what if someone actually read it!!!
Writing was always a private part of my life, and I never thought about sharing it. However, blogging is so much fun and so relaxing to me, it was easy to get addicted! Now I don't necessarily fall into the same category as alot of the blogs that I read. I don't homeschool, I am not quiverful, and I have an average size family. What draws me more to these certain blogs is the content, and the fact that they are Christian women sharing what they do in everyday life! They laugh, they cry, they cook, they decorate, they serve, they mentor, they help other women. And they are so much fun!!!
Right now there is a blog party going on! If you want to join, click on the Harvest of Friends button and get started! I am looking forward to blog hopping and meeting new people! So to introduce myself, I will be answering a few questions that Lynette, our hostess, has prepared! Ok, here I go!

1. What is your favorite thing to snack on while you're blogging?
I am not much of a snacker, but I would take a cup of coffee with Vanilla Caramel coffee creamer.
2. What is one thing you wouldn't want to live without?
My Jesus! My Lord and Savior. I have lived without Him, but it wasn't really living.
3. Beach, Mountains or Farm? Where would you live if you had a choice?
This is a tough one! How's this...Where I live right now is a combo of all 3! We are surrounded by 3 lakes, in the beautiful ozark mountains, and I can see deer and raccoons out my back deck. How do I choose one when I can have it all!
4. What's your least favorite chore/household duty?
Ugh..laundry.
5. Who do people say you remind them of?
Usually someone they know back home!
6. Prefer parties and socializing or staying at home with the fam?
I am kind of a home body, but I like blog parties!
7. What's your all time favorite movie?
Not big on movies and TV, so I really don't have one.
8. Do you sleep in your make up or remove it like a good girl every night?
guilty.....
9. Do you have a hidden talent or a deep desire to learn something that you've never had a chance to learn? What is it?
Yes..that's why I joined the creative writing course! I would also love love love to learn how to play piano.
10. What's one strange thing you're really good at?
Understanding how men tick! At least mine anyway!
11. What first attracted you to your spouse?
His truck! There's something women like about a pickup man!
12. What is something you love to smell?
Freshly mowed grass, all smells at Christmas.
13. Tell something about you that you know irritates people.
Hmmm....maybe someone needs to tell me so I will stop! I am not sure!
14. When you have extra money (HA!) what's the first thing you think to do with it?
Thrift store shopping! I also like to buy new things for decorating my home! This is something i have really gotten into lately also!~
15. Are you a silent laugher or a loud laugher? What makes you laugh the hardest?
Loud! I usually laugh alot around friends and family!
16. Where is your favorite place to shop?
Thrift Stores! Oh, and Kohls! I like Deb shops too. Did I mention JC Penney?
17. What's one thing you'd do more often if you had more time?
Church Ministry
18. Are you a big spender or frugal?
Depends on my mood and how much my hubby has spent!
19. Who is your favorite character of all time (from a movie or book)? (Can't be real)
Too many to choose from!
20. Would you want to be famous?
Yes! I wouldn't like the invasion of privacy, but when you are famous you have more of an opportunity to change the world!

Why is our anniversary clock like our living room?

Hee Hee! For any one reading this, yes, this is what I am writing about tonite!! One of the exercises in the creative writing course is to pick the first object I see when I look up from my computer and then pick a room. I am going to attempt to explain how they are alike!
The first thing I see is my husbands anniversary clock that we have had forever! I picked the living room because, well, I don't really know why! So lets see how this goes!

I do have to say that my first thoughts are that they are both small and brown. Looking at the clock makes me think maybe it should actually be IN that room! It matches the decor. Oh, and I complain ALOT about both! I never have enough time, and I don't have enough room in this particular space! I am most focused on the fact that time holds so many memories. "Like the time that" and Remember the time when." My living room also holds alot of memories. From the deer head hanging on the wall, to the picture and frame of the waterfall, right down to the spots on the carpet! Also the memories of holidays past, (time!) friends and family gathered to fellowship, and family movie nights where we spent good quality TIME together.

I am sure there are many more things I could say about this subject, but I think I did a pretty good job with the association! Don't really want to over think it! I think that was a great exercise to get my juices flowing!

Till next TIME................
Stephanie : )

Caution!!! Blog Under Construction!!

I am doing something EXTREMELY fun! My sister in law who happens to be a fabulous writer and has her own blog has graciously decided to teach a crash course in Creative Writing!!
I am still new to the world of blogging and my knowledge of how things work around here is not very great! So you may see very odd things on my blog in the near future!!! Maybe read some very odd posts also! I have prayed for quite awhile for the Lord to help me in my writing, and like any good thing, you have to have practice! I have been to alot of football practices with my boy lately, and I have seen fumbles, footballs falling short of where they should go, kids running to the wrong end zone, and even silly things that you never think will happen on a football field! So I just ask that you will bear with me for awhile, laugh if you must, groan if it's really bad, and try to oversee the mistakes in my layouts!! So far that has proved to be the hardest part!!! I still have no clue what happened to some of the links I thought were supposed to be here!! Also, feel free to leave your feedback! Thats what this is all about! Whether it is really great, or really awful, hopefully this will help me me to grow and learn to be a seasoned writer. I look forward to seeing my results!
Also for those of you who receive my posts through email, come on over and look at my website. There are so many interesting writers in blogland, with a variety and flavor all their own! It is a great place to learn, get recipes, be mentored to, and too many others to mention! So...lets go on a journey!!!

It's All About Me

That's right, its all about me. Me Me Me. Sound like anybody you know? Quite the popular phrase and mindset of today's culture.

In my quest to find true happiness, this is one of the first things God has opened my heart to receive. To find healing, I must grasp it. Embrace it. Allow it to permeate every ounce of my being.

Huh? Is that Biblical? So glad you asked!

Not if you look at it from a worldly perspective. In the world it is a form of instant gratification, selfishness, the idea that life owes you something, and worse yet, that you even deserve it. I get caught up in this too, ALOT, and it makes for a miserable existence. I must change my mindset.



My favorite thing to say when Jeff and I have a falling out is that he can make me mad faster than anybody I know. His favorite thing to say, to add coals to a fire already out of control, is that NOBODY can make me mad. ITS MY CHOICE! At that point I usually start grasping at anything and everything, sounding like a blubbering idiot, not even making a point that makes sense to myself. Ugh!

My flesh hates having to admit that he is right, but guess what? It's all about me.



"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.Romans 12:1-3 "



Wow! Did you read that??



I have been praying for a very long time that God would work on me in certain areas. My attitude is one of them. I want to be able to be content in all things, like Paul was, even when he was chained and hungry in jail. I don't want to be angry anymore. Anger is usually a cover up for several different emotions that we don't take time to work through, are too stubborn to work through, etc.. I refuse to be held captive any longer. I want to take the responsibility for the renewing of my mind, with Christ's help, and His truth. I want the negative out, the positive in. I want the glass to be half full, instead of half empty. I want to feel that it hurts, right down to the last tear, instead of stuffing it away like it doesn't really matter. I want to fight the good fight, not blaming and pointing the finger. In 100 years does it really matter who was right and who was wrong anyway? No, and there is only ONE true judge anyway.



I am working on building a bridge to forgiveness, peace, and happiness. I am learning to say, "God change me" instead of "God, please make him or her change."I will never be all that He has made me to be if I do not. And it's all about me. It's all about the attitude I take, it's all about taking the narrow road, it's all about turning the other cheek.

I am convinced that this one little phrase could change the world, one person at a time. It could, but it must be transformed into a life that does not conform with worldly ways.

Reflecting

Its been an eventful year since my last post! Some really great, some really awful. All of it life changing, all of it real. I dont think I will take the time to recap everything in one post, as their is stuff that I need to sort through yet, process, and put in proper perspective. Some of it will never have a "proper perspective" because that is just how life is. It is what it is.

I am feeling a little bittersweet right now. My life has taken on a new dimension today, as my husband has finally been realeased from the hospital after being gone for 106 days and nights. It has been a very long journey, and is not over yet. Getting from the night of the accident, through the 12 hour surgery and the 3 months of immobility is only part of the battle. The exhaustion that comes with putting one foot in front of the other on a day to day basis has come to a head with me. Tonight as my hubby is resting as comfortably as he can, at home, I have decided to start feeling it. All of it. To heal from it, to grow from it, to share it. I wish I could say that I have dealt with some of it already, but there has just been so much that has happened, I wasnt sure where to start. I'm still not, but I know WHO to start with. I begin it by saying that I count all of my trials pure joy, and I am thankful that God trusts me with the tasks He has given me. May I honor Him in all that I do, from this day forward, and may He reward me with the healing of my heart and my family. I am on a quest for true happiness, something I have not been for a very long time. Learning to be content with all circumstances, and learning to love with everything I have in me. Until next time, God Bless.

Back Where I Belong

I have thought many times about deleting this blog, since the last time I posted was well over a year ago. I just couldnt find it in me to let it go. It's not that I didnt want to blog anymore, I just wanted to make a new place for me to be able to share any and all things, and not have to fall into a category of something in particular. When I first started this blog I wanted it to be a place where I shared my daily walk with Christ, but I think at times I got frustrated and didnt post because I couldnt find the right verse to fit with my life for the day, or I over analyzed and got overwhelmed. So I am hoping to change some things around here, and give my blog a facelift! I have decided that I do not have to have deep and meaningful things to say every time I blog. I want to enjoy it, and post about my daily walk, good, boring, or in between. I have felt so lonesome with out it, and I am happy that it was waiting for me right where I left off. Thats how our God is also, he waits for us and meets us where we are, usually right where we left off. So I hope you will join me again. Lets go on a journey.