The Power of Motherhood

As you can see from my profile picture- I am a new(ish) mother. Just recently, my daughter has started to say "Mommy" with some regularity (though I still claim it as her first word). Yes, whenever the tears start falling and the world as a 15 month old knows has ended she cries Mommy. It's the most potent when she wants her bedtime bottle. She'll look up, reach out both hands and say it over and over while I rush to get the milk warmed.

It's sad, even pathetic, and yet I love hearing those words from her mouth.

Sure, she says Daddy when she's happy. Or silly. Or bored. But when she needs something - she says Mommy.

And I wouldn't change that for anything.

Becoming a mother has made me apppreciate my own so much more. I do my own version of the "look up, reach out, and cry Mommy" and she still makes me feel better. That's the power of motherhood. I don't think it ever goes away.


What do you find most rewarding about being a mother? Or what do you appreciate most about your own mother?

Illusions Mini Excerpt

Tina shook her head. “Give it a week- she’ll be back to princess status.”

"At least demi-god status, or I’ll be quite disappointed in her."

Good To Know You

I've copied my Good To Know You post from Give a Girl a Pen. Please join in the discussion there. Thanks!

When I go out to dinner at a restaurant I immediately turn my fork sideways and squint to see if it has straight tines. I mortified my husband when we started dating because I asked the waiter for a new fork. Twice. Now my husband readily trades me forks whenever I ask.

Why am I so obsessed fastidious about my fork?

Growing up, I spent eight years with metal in my mouth. Braces, permanent retainers, jaw enlarging devices. So I refused to eat with a fork that would scrape against these contraptions. The aversion kept with me, even after achieving (nearly) perfect teeth.

What would your character do in a restaurant? And what does that hint about her backstory?

Forget Writer's Block- I've Got Writer's Guilt

I hadn't planned to blog about this, but apparently I needed to get it off my chest. So, read on at your own peril.

My first day at work was today. The alarm went off at an eye-blearing 3:35 AM. I hit snooze a few times and managed to roll out of bed by 4:00. I tossed on the clothes I'd picked up and dashed on a bit of makeup in the relative dark. Luckily, I did not look like a clown when my eyes fully opened. I scrounged in the spare bathroom for some band-aids (in case I got blisters from my newly purchased work shoes) and popped in to glance at my little cutie sprawled in her crib.

I grabbed my fabulous new handbag (it sounds so much nicer than clearance-priced purse) and rushed out the door, only ten minutes later than I wanted to. I walked to my car (note to self- clean out garage) hoping not to get mugged during that 7 step walk. It's never happened, but leaving at 4:27 in the morning does not instill confidence.

A wonderfully rush-hour-free commute and a detour to avoid a house fire (a house fire at 4:45 in the morning is so freaky!!!) brought me to work on time.

Introductions, help-desk calls, and training followed by a quick call to my mom to see how the sweet pea is doing, then back to work. No lunch, because I'd have to take it at 9:00, and who eats lunch at nine? (Maybe I'll pack breakfast for lunch tomorrow)

Then a quick commute home to see my daughter who prefers climbing into grandma's lap. I don't blame her, grandma's only here for two more days and then I'll get replaced in the affection category by my nieces who love to play with her.

So now I'm trying to get in a moment's blog writing, blog reading, and oh yeah- novel writing without feeling too guilty about not seeing the little one for hours today.

I'm one day in and I'm already feeling the mother's guilt I knew I'd have, added with the writing guilt I have for taking fifteen minutes to write this and read a couple blogs. I promised myself I'd read and write after she goes to bed. But then I have to workout, shower, prep for the next 3:30 wake-up call and go to bed within an hour and a half.

I'd appreciate your advice - how do you do it? How do you manage a family, work, and writing without feeling guilty. How do you give each part your all without being torn to do more for another part?

I plan to write on the novel during lunch at work (once the train the newbie phase is over), and hopefully that will ease the guilt a bit. Hopefully.


picture by ecpica

Give A Girl A Pen Contest

Want to know if your chapter ending leaves a reader hanging by their fingernails? Is that last sentence enough to keep them turning the page? Or will they set it down, turn off the lights, and fall asleep?

Picture by Kathy Montgomery

Enter your chapter ending into the Cliffhanger Contest at Give a Girl a Pen. Submissions close on May 10th.

I Heart Romance

I'm on a big Nora Roberts kick right now. A year ago, I would've scoffed at reading her books. She was a *gasp* romance writer. And I was a sci-fi/fantasy reader who threw in the occasional thriller.

Then my mother gave me a book she'd bought for a plane ride.That's right, a Nora Robert's book. Since I cannot exist without my nose in a book and I'd just finished reading Ender's Game for the third time last year, I decided to give it a skeptical try. Then fell in love with the plotting, the characters, the emotions. And well, I'm now reading my way through her entire work.

picture by NYC niconian007

Now I'm writing/editing a paranormal romance. Something that fits both of my reading passions- fantasy and romance. I'm certain my novel would be drastically different if I hadn't agreed to read that first Nora Roberts book.

What books or authors have affected your writing? How do you hope your writing will affect others once you're published?

Writing Groups

I spent time last night with one of my writing critique groups.

Walking in, I felt confident about my chapter (we worked on first chapters). I had edited it several times before and didn't think there was too much more that could be improved on. How very arrogant of me.

We each read our chapters out loud- something I highly recommend doing. That alone helped me catch a lot of crazy stuff that didn't jump off the screen when I'd been editing.

I wrote my character's name three times in three sentences? Did she somehow forget her own name?

I used our instead of their...I instead of she (I originally wrote my ms in first person). How did I miss that?

One of the reasons I love meeting with these women is how they shine a spotlight on my blindspots. Beautifully written (well, in my own opinion) paragraphs needed to be cut because they slowed down the story. Dialogue needed to be inserted instead of narration. A crucial scene of the chapter needed to be expanded with more interaction.

My one year old daughter decided to add her feedback to this page.

But the biggest reason I enjoy my writing critique group is I walk away (often- like last night- much later than planned) excited to get back to writing and editing. To creating and destroying my manuscript.

And that is really the best thing a writing group can do for you.

What has participating in critique groups done for you? Any best practices you'd be willing to share?