Domestic Mobility

2011-11-22T17:28:00.001-05:00

Thoughts lifted from a Journal

I am grateful for a warm home, a supportive family, jobs for my husband, my children and myself, plenty to eat, vehicles to get us from A to B, friends, a faith family and The Bible.

I am thankful for the life I've been given, my education and my experiences. I appreciate the sacrifice and love of my mentors as well as the patience and wisdom they have shared.

I am thankful for my job. It is challenging and enjoyable with a little to much stress sprinkled on as seasoning. But then, I like spicy food. I am grateful for my coworkers that daily give me encouragement for the journey. I am happy we have readers that are willing to discuss the stories we print and tell us what they like most about the paper we put out. I appreciate those who come to us with story ideas. We have a nice long list that will keep us busy for months to come - and keep us on our toes.

I could fill a newspaper full (all 20 pages, 8 point bookman condensed) of my thoughts from my Gratefulness Journal, but I won't. Instead I will offer a tiny piece of unsolicited advice: Grab a notebook, find a quiet place and start your own list of what you are thankful for. Once you start it will be hard to stop.

Happy Thanksgiving.

2011-11-19T09:23:00.001-05:00

Here we are at McDonalds

2011-11-10T11:32:00.002-05:00

Here we are at McDonalds planning our blogging workshop ... I'm changing the look of this blog so it's cooler and more awesome.

2011-01-26T17:47:00.001-05:00

Come to the Galion Public Library writing workshops
Presented by Rachel Mendell
All workshops are FREE
Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 6:30 p.m. - Creating Raw Material -
Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. - Writing by the Senses
Saturday, March 5 at 1 p.m. - Creating the Character Driven Novel
Wednesday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m. - The New and Improved Poetry Project

Workshops are free.

Creating Raw Material Writing Workshop
Join Rachel Mendell in the 1st of 4 writing workshops that will be held at the Galion Public Library. This workshop will focus on how to create your raw material by unchaining your creator self from your editor self. This will be done through several 5-10 minute writing exercises. Create short fiction, resurrect forgotten memories, start a new project and allow your mind to surprise you. Please call 419-468-3203 to register. Wed, Feb 2nd, 6:30-8pm.

Writing by the Senses Workshop
Join writer Rachel Mendell in the 2nd of 4 workshops that will be held at the Galion Public Library. Her 2nd workshop will focus on creating raw material for poems, stories, and memoirs. Infuse new life into a lagging project by using all the senses. Use sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, the sixth sense of the muse and the seventh sense of randomness to open up new areas in the locked up closets of your mind. Please call 419-468-3203 to register. Wed, Feb 16th, 6:30-8pm.

Creating the Character Driven Novel Workshop
Join Rachel Mendell in the 3rd of 4 writing workshops that will be held at the Galion Public Library. Her 3rd workshop will focus on creating your own character. Writers will create their own character and work with other writers to create a plot within the confines of a predetermined setting, time frame and genre. As the creating process progresses, setting/time/genre alter to allow for the quirks of the characters and character interplay. Please call 419-468-3203 to register. Sat, Mar 5th, 1-3pm.

Your New & Improved Poetry Project
Join local writer Rachel Mendell in her 4th writing workshop held at the Galion Public Library. Her final workshop will focus on poetry. Writers will try their hand at many different types of poems and poetic forms using a variety of activities. This workshop will prepare those attending for the Annual Poetry Contest held at the Galion Public Library. The Poetry Contest will be held in April. Please all 419-468-3203 to register for the workshop. Wed, Mar 16th, 6:30-8pm.

Good Bye

2010-08-06T14:21:00.002-04:00

By RACHEL MENDELL

This week the Morrow County Sentinel says good-bye to its editor, Alex Vance. He has been editor for a short two years, but has brought his own style to the paper, making it better.

I had the advantage of only knowing Alex for the past few years. I did not know him when he was growing up in the area because I wasn’t here yet. I didn’t know him during his college years and I didn’t know him during his internship at the Galion Inquirer because I was busy raising babies at the time.

The reason I say advantage is because I had no way to strip him down to his boyhood as some have done. I only know him by the evidence of what he has become, how he treated people and how he treated me. After working with teens, twenty-somethings andforty-somethings, I can say that he has the work and respect ethic of a man twice his age.

Editors, especially editors of newspapers, have a rough time of it. That’s just the nature of the job. When folks complain about what is or isn’t in the paper, anything can be used as evidence against the editor including inadequacy, politics, shortsightedness, conspiracy, threats or stupidity. In Alex’s case, the reason for his “mistakes” was youth. I heard comments about him ranging from “he’s out of his league” to “He’s young, he’ll learn.” I believe these comments were only spoken out of frustration for his strength of character. Once he made a decision, he did not back down.

As a writer, Alex was easy to work for. He remembered his own needs as a reporter and made sure those needs were filled for me, the biggest of which was leeway and freedom to pursue the stories I wanted to write. He did not manage my time or my stories. He trusted me to do that. Only on one or two occasions did he remind me of a story that needed to be done.

That’s not to say we agreed on everything. There were stories he severely edited or didn’t run at all. A writer gets used to that and I was at peace with that. Every writer needs and editor. But after a few months of learning his editorial priorities, I knew if one of my stories had merit in his eyes or not.

His basic requests to me (he never demanded or micro-managed) were to write five to six stories per week, get the facts, quote accurately, dig a little deeper, ask the hard questions and always treat everyone with respect. This last rule is the one that garnered him the respect of others in return, and mended broken ties between the newspaper and certain portions of the community.

Some folks told me he was shy. I disagree. I can say with all certainty he is not shy – not after hearing him deal with people on the phone and at the office. Rather, he is reserved. He never raises his voice. He keeps a level head in all situations, even in emergencies, and doesn’t speak until he is ready with an answer. This skill served him well as an editor.

There were a number of times I observed members of the public coming in to see him after speaking with him on the phone and being surprised at his youth. I have also overheard compliments and encouragements to him to continue on with the quality of the paper.

Alex knew what he was doing. He had a vision for the paper, although much of it was not realized due to corporate and budget constraints. He passed a lot of that knowledge along to me.

I am grateful for the education I have received under his editorship. He is the first editor I have worked for that holds a journalism degree. When he saw some basic skill lacking in my writing, he apprised me of it. When there were holes of facts in my stories he would ask me to qualify, make calls, go after another source, or get another quote. I came to the Sentinel with experience in covering city and school district government. He expanded my knowledge to county government and the legal system. I came to the Sentinel with experience in constructing pages. He showed me small details in page design that made my work easier and faster.

We had discussions on the Sunshine Law and what is and isn’t public record. We shared sources, the good and the dubious and swapped an occasional horror story.

But the focus was always on quality. If I didn’t get six stories submitted by deadline, Alex didn’t complain or take me to task. He was more concerned that my stories were constructed properly and read through coherently. He has cut my stories apart and put them back together, creating a much better story. He made me look good.

In this writer’s opinion, Alex is leaving too soon, but that is selfish because I have more to learn. He will be sorely missed.

Thank You ESOP

2010-08-06T14:21:00.001-04:00

Thank You ESOP

ESOP stands for Empowering & Strengthening Ohio’s People and that is just what the group has done for our family.

One of the steps we took in fighting to end our foreclosure was to turn to ESOP. We were still communicating with the mortgage company via the courts with filings and answers within the foreclosure parameters. It looked as if we were going to need to hire a lawyer. How were we going to hire a lawyer when we had been struggling with finances that had caused the foreclosure in the first place?

I called the ESOP office and left a message. They got back with me the same day. I explained a little of our situation. They asked for the name of our servicer. I told them. They replied that they had worked with that company before with good results.

Two days later I received the three-page letter with a list of the documentation I needed to gather. I had been gathering documentation for a year and now had a reorganized filing system that helped me find everything. What had first taken me six hours to gather when filing for the HAMP program now only took me a little less than two hours. I made two copies of everything – one for them, one for me – and kept the originals. I put the appointment on my calendar.

The meeting was brief. Three other families were there to make sure their paperwork was complete. Some left to gather more documents. My packet was complete. The ESOP crew called after they submitted the forms to my mortgage company. They asked me not to call them unless I received a loan modification in the mail or if our house went up for sheriff sale. They estimated 8 –10 weeks for results.

Six weeks later we received our loan modification. I called the mortgage company to tell them it had arrived. I called ESOP to let them know. “Wow,” she said. “That was fast. Can you afford the payment?” I told her that I could. We spoke for a while and she said to call back if there were any problems, otherwise our case was closed.

ESOP was a huge relief for me. We had been working with our mortgage company to try and get out of foreclosure for months with no results. They filed with the courts. We would answer. They would file again. We would answer again. I just seemed to be going nowhere. But ESOP gave me the confidence and hope I needed when I was feeling like I had run out of options.

The best part is – we are staying in our house.

If you are having any trouble with your mortgage company, call ESOP. They can help. They were quick and easy to work with. All my questions were answered. They told me they work with mortgage companies even if the homeowner is not in foreclosure.

ESOP is located in the United Way and Red Cross Building in the square downtown Mansfield back in the Catholic charities office. For more information, or to set up an interview with ESOP call 419-989-6349 or 1-877-731-ESOP (3767), fax 419-524-2055, write 35 N Park St, Suite 132, Mansfield, Ohio 44902 or go to HYPERLINK "http://www.esop-cleveland.org" www.esop-cleveland.org.

ESOP provides assistance to homeowners who are facing foreclosure, or struggling to make their monthly mortgage payments due to a predatory lending or hardship situation. Homeowners must currently reside in the home for which they are seeking assistance in order to be eligible for ESOP’s services.
ESOP has fair lending agreements with over a dozen lending and servicing companies; however, assistance is available to homeowners with any mortgage company whether ESOP has a standing relationship or not. While ESOP’s focus began in Northeast Ohio, our services are available to all homeowners, regardless of their geographic location.

Death of a Writers Group

2010-06-28T12:53:00.000-04:00

It happens slowly, over time, imperceptible to the untrained heart. Writing groups do not last. It is in their nature to change then stabilize, grow then shrink, call attention to itself then go underground as needed by the members of the group.

Writers groups are skittish things. Writers, being the independent loaners that they are created to be, can't survive within a group for long and still remain independent writers. Writing is a personal, independent activity. Successful writers share only the bare minimum facts about their ongoing projects to a selected few and trusted friends. Every writer knows, when the project leaks out, it loses its power.

To belong to a group, one must take on at least part of the group's personality, philosophy and motivation for existing. Sometimes a person must swear allegiance or make a promise of keeping private information shared within the group - "What is said here, stays here." Some writing groups make you sign a contract and pay dues. Once an individual is in a group, the individual must change in some way to fit into the group.

To belong to a writing group there must be an exchange of trust. I read my poem and trust that no one is recording it or writing it down or going to use a snippet of it for their blog - "Gee, that poem sounds a lot like the poem I read at writers group."

Trust is a delicate thing and easily broken. I send things to you to read and comment on and I then never hear from you. What did you do with my work? Now I’m worried that I will see my book on the shelves at Barnes and Noble with a bright shiny cover and a new title.

In a writing group it is difficult to know what to say without ruffling feathers. Someone reads the first few pages of their novel out loud and asks for comments. What do I say? I ask. Be totally honest, they say, which is a lie, or perhaps a statement in ignorance. I tell them it sounds like great background, but there is no hint of a plot yet. What is Barbara's problem? Why does it matter to me? Try starting with a hook, I say, an action that draws me in, you know, like "Barbara sat on the beach crying. She held a small sandal in her hand."

Now the writer who is being critiqued is quiet. Next month she doesn't show up. I feel horrible.

This happens in writing groups on a regular basis.

Writers come and go in a group. Not every writer feels the need to belong to a writing group, but they need to visit a few times to learn that for themselves.

Writing groups should not be forced. If a writing group is losing members, it doesn't mean the group has been unsuccessful. It simply means the group has begun to die or change. Death and change is natural.

Like caterpillars, writing groups go through a stage of crawling and eating, sucking up all sorts information and growing fat. Some caterpillars are eaten by birds and some die off from disease. Some writers, once they hear criticism from a group, leave to have their unedited Magnum Opus self-published. Some, once they find out how much hard work writing really, quit.

Like caterpillars, writers cocoon. They have eaten all the information they can hold and now they want to create something with it. Some writers go to meetings during this process. Most don't. Some writers die inside the cocoon, some are still alive but never emerge.

Once a writer breaks out of the cocoon and stretches it's wings, all they can think about is flying. When a writer flies, it is to explore the new writer world and create other writers. Most flying writers never return to the writing group. They get published. They get a writing job that takes all their energy. Now they no longer have much in common with the other members of the group or are looked at as an outsider because they have gone to the next level. What do caterpillars have to do with butterflies?

That's OK. Every writer is different.

I have read of successful writing groups that have existed for years and I am envious. I read once about a group of four writers that committed to helping each other publish a novel. They knew the pain of hurt feelings, but they urged each other on and encouraged each other to keep attending, keep working. All four are now published authors. They still meet.

This group is rare.

Other groups exist only for “professional development.” They have speakers every meeting and share their own writing on a rare occasion. These groups don’t hold each other accountable to produce. Knowledgeable writers populate this group. They know their stuff. They own dozens of books on writing and go to lots of conferences. Some are not published, but most members talk about their “one day” often. Dues are paid. Authors sell their books here and sign them.

Just because the writing group has died doesn't mean writing is no longer taking place. My writing groups have all died. Two have been reborn to nourish more writers.

That all said, the best part about going to a writing group is the chance to meet writers that agree with your way of doing things, that share the same hopes and dreams and – on rare occasions – are willing to read your novel and give you feed back. I still have writing buddies from all four of my writing groups. We swap stories, ask each other for critiques, and cheer each other on when a goal is accomplished.

To all my writer friends, past, present and future: Keep writing. Remember who you are. Remember why you started the crazy, impossible project to begin with. Write about you. Write about your life. Write about things that make you angry, happy, excited, or inspired. Write badly. Write well. If you can write humor, please, by all means – write. The world needs humor.

But don’t quit your day job. Rawlings was working as a waitress when she hatched Harry Potter. Grisham had stories running in his head while practicing law. The day job is what gives us fuel for our characters and their problems. Keeping the day job creates a yearning inside that most of us need as motivation to get up early and get the 500 words in before trotting off to the factory.

You don’t need a writing group to write. I have found that, for me anyway, a writing group, while fun some of the time, hinders my personal projects. I’m so worried about producing whatever it is I must bring to the writing group that the other fun stuff gets left on the shelf or in the file on my desktop. Instead, seek out an occasional writing conference, class or workshop. Find a writer to talk to. Maybe you’ll be blessed with a few that will create something with you.

In closing, allow me to share a quote about writing by Robert Harris, author of The Ghost – one of the best I’ve ever read:

“Of all human activities, writing is the one for which it is easiest to find excuses not to begin – the desk’s too big, the desk’s too small, there’s too much noise, there’s too much quiet, it’s too hot, too cold, too early, too late. I had learned over the years to ignore them all and simply to start. I plugged in my laptop, switched on the lamp, and contemplated the blank screen and its pulsing cursor.

“A book unwritten is a delightful universe of infinite possibilities. Set down one word, however, and immediately it becomes earthbound. Set down one sentence and it’s halfway to being just like every other bloody book that’s ever been written. But the best must never be allowed to drive out the good. In the absence of genius there is always craftsmanship. One can at least try to write something that will arrest the readers’ attention that will encourage them, after reading the first paragraph, to take a look at the second, and then the third.”

City Chick, Country Hen

2010-06-23T11:19:00.000-04:00

By RACHEL MENDELL

The Domestic WarHorse

City Chick, Country Hen

I was born in Waupaca, Wis. and lived for two months in Chicago. Then my folks decided to raise their children in small town America - Kimberly, Wis. (remember the Kimberly Clark Paper Company?). In 1969 my parents moved us to Phoenix, Ariz. I was only nine when we moved. I grew up in the city.

Any city slicker knows that it’s not easy living out in the country, but we don’t admit to it. Not while we’re still city slickers, anyway. We don’t have much yard to take care of so we go places on the weekends and spend money on things we don’t need: concerts, activities in the parks, conservatories, art galleries, zoos, museums, libraries, lectures, clubs, Shakespeare festivals, Tupperware parties, ball games, weekly culture festivals, the new store that opened, the old store that’s going out of business. If we want a taste of the country we go apple picking, take an October hay ride or cut down a Christmas tree. Life in the country seemsleisurely, quiet and easy to the city slicker.

After humbling myself to the fact that the country was fun when I was young, but difficult now that I’m raising my children in it, I started learning some tough lessons. Here’s a few:

• Don’t hang the laundry out when there’s a stiff wind. It won’t get drier faster and bedding will end up three acres away. On the other hand, chasing laundry is a great way to get to know your neighbors.

• Ticks are not poisonous. Deer ticks are extremely rare (we have only found one in 13 years). Alcohol and Antibiotic gel work wonders. Do a tick check daily, in the evening, during The Simpsons or Wheel of Fortune. Put the dislocated ticks on the burner and turn it on. Ticks explode. This bestows empowerment to the child who did battle with the tick.

• Expect to get dirty - every day.

• Weeds always win. The gardener may seem victorious for a week, but two days after the next wind and rain, the battle begins again. In August many local gardens are covered with weeds. That’s OK. We’re not ignoring our gardens or being lazy. We’re just tired.

• Gravel driveways are never finished and getting re-gravelled costs money. If you look long enough at your purchased rocks you’ll find one shaped like a heart. After getting the driveway re-graveled, you’ll have just enough money left to paint the rock red and give it away as a Christmas gift.

• Everybody has a gun. We just don’t talk about it much. Wild or dangerous dogs can legally be shot on private property. We allow hunters to track deer on our property, but not shoot. Now that homes and barns are 5-10 acres apart - we’re feeling a little cramped.

• Just because we’re out in the country doesn’t mean there is no one to help in an emergency. When our neighbor was having chest pains, the 911 crew got there faster than their Columbus counterparts. We call each other when there’s a storm coming and go to each other’s get-togethers.

• When I lived in the city I thought the country was quiet - it’s not. The tree frogs sing all night. You can hear a jake brake three miles away. You can hear which field the rancher down the road moved his herd to. Crickets can drive you crazy on a still, muggy night. Coyotes can get the local dogs going for 30 minutes or more. If your window is open you might not be able to get to sleep. However, the sounds of guns being shot are not criminals, they are farmers shooting raccoons. That, to me, is comforting.

Maybe we originally moved to the country to reclaim childhood memories of leisurely spent days, but the country has toughened our spirit and our body. In my experience country hens are stronger than city chicks.

Sharing

2010-05-07T07:33:00.001-04:00

Share your talent

For over 20 years I have shared my love of writing with others. I've started adult writing clubs and given workshops. But my favorite group of people to share with are young people.

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in Write On 2 at the Bucyrus Public Library. Workshop offerings included how to write inspirational, devotions, writing for the radio, writing for magazines, writing fiction and my assignment - writing non-fiction. High schools invited to the event were Wynford, Bucyrus and Colonel Crawford.

I hate lecturing, so I complied a few notes to cover the basics of non-fiction and created a few writing activities.

I only had 30 minutes with each class, so we did one three-minute and a few five minute writing activities. Between the writing times I gave a two-minute lecture on what non-fiction is. Non fiction has become a wide genre including level 1 - reporting and journalism, level 2 - how-to and religion, level 3 - creative non-fiction and history and level 4 - memoir and autobiography.

After workshops and lunch I met with a few of the students who wanted to talk to me a bout my book and bout writing for the newspaper. They shared their writing with me and I was blown away by their creativity and willingness to share. Their words and phrases were fresh, clear and meaningful. Some of my favorites were "souls crossing," "more hugs in heaven," "wisps of vapor," "I've been suffocating on my own for years," and "an intelligent politically-aware man."

Participants also enjoyed free pizza, pop, donuts, cookies and a goodie bag on which was printed Mona Lisa reading a dark blue book and the encouragement to "Master the Art of Reading."

Before we left for the day Renee Caserta shared her encouragement to write saying, "Nearly everyone has a chance at immortality." she asked interested students to sign up the the soon to be formed creative writing club at BPL. The club will be a mirror of the active writing group at Wynford High School.

I got to meet teachers and share thoughts about favorite authors and writing projects. Students told me I encouraged them, but they encouraged me more. I went home and got to work on what Caserta called The Next Great American Novel.

I highly recommend sharing what you have with young people. I have never been disappointed and you won't either. You have experienced life and you have a lot to share, even if it is only horror stories about raising toddlers.

Call your local school and ask how you can share yourself with students. Then show up and have fun. I guarantee you will receive much more than you give.

Tax Time

2010-04-29T14:39:00.000-04:00

Tax Time

Well, they're done. After a week of research on the net, a weekend of crunching numbers and a few more days of data input, our tax returns are finished and in the USPS mailbox.

Once upon a time there was a yearly 1040EZ. Then came marriage and kids and the house and the attempt to itemize, the attempt to figure out the additional child tax credit and the earned income credit.

Every year it’s the same. I hate tax time. I know we could do them in February, but we tend to put off nasty little things at my house until the very last second: cleaning the toilet, weeding the garden, getting that new tire, fixing the leaky gutters, dusting, bills, root canals …

One year a friend was so convinced that we should itemize, he came to our house and went through the entire process with us. Two pots of coffee later, he threw up his hands in despair. We were $200 short of getting extra credit for itemizing. So that the evening was not a waste, we broke out the beer and watched Monty Python. Since then, we do our tax returns all by ourselves.

Each new "tax break" makes my husband wary. He'll call his brother in Wisconsin or a friend in Bucyrus and get as much information as he can. He asks me to ask around and cruise the net looking for answers. What if we file wrong? What if we get audited? Hours and hours are spent obsessing over forms and instructions and warnings. Numbers are crunched over and over.

The last few years have been tougher. The rules keep changing, but so does life: Unemployment, 401K cash-ins, new types of health insurance, HMOs, "17 and under" or "under 17," mutual funds ...

When time expires and we're out of our procrastinating comfort zone, my hubby gets out his “Don’t let the turkeys get you down” coffee mug (sporting meek gray elephants being mercilessly trampled on by a flock of turkeys) and I keep the mug filled with strong black coffee.

Tax time is a three-plus day event. There are numerous trips to the library to download files, forms and instructions and frequent frustration breaks. By the third day there is ice cream in the freezer and cookies on the counter. Once finished and sent we celebrate with burgers and beer (Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper for the kids).

We have never had our taxes professionally done. Why pay someone to do something every red-blooded American can do for themselves? You know, like tying shoes, riding a bike, writing a research paper, driving, taking the ACT, enrolling in college, getting married, buying a house, getting the title changed on a car, signing up for health insurance, applying for a job, retiring …

We drag our feet with so many things, but I don’t think the waiting habit is always bad. Maybe we're not really procrastinating. Maybe we are just taking our time in considering our options. There are lots of choices to consider.

After all, there are at least three different ways to tie your shoes.

Home

2010-04-14T10:22:00.001-04:00

I'm from Morrow County.

Last week we had the opportunity to meet the parents of our daughter's friend. They live in Westerville and are tired of the noise, the fights at the middle school, the gangs. There are stores they don't go to because they don't feel safe there anymore.

Because of this they have been working on getting their home on the market. Then they can move here to Morrow.

We were at that place once too. Our evening conversation brought back a flood of memories.

We have lived in a variety of places in the Columbus area. In German Village I watched out the laundry room window as the South Side Wrecking Crew, the top gang in the area, walked slowly through the alley next to our rental. On Rand Square I watched out my back kitchen door as the cops made yet another drug bust on our neighbors. On Bruck Street gun shots were heard a few times a week, the tenants upstairs tried to throw a TV out the window and the cops came with guns drawn - more than once. This was not the place I wanted to raise my young children.

When we finally moved "out to the county," to a trailer court on National Road in Pataskala, I thought things would be better. The neighbors were nice, but marijuana was prevalent (we could get high from the second hand smoke floating in our open window), the couple down the street fought like cats and dogs at 2 a.m., and the children who came to play in our yard were cussaholics (I had to enforce my no-swear, no-foul rule).

We saved a little money and started shopping around for property. After a few disappointments we found some property in Morrow County. We bought it and used the five-plus acres as a camping/picnic area while we saved the money to build.

There were a lot of sacrifices after we settled here. My husband had to make that drive to Columbus five days a week, we were far way from our friends and the weekends weren't long enough. But it was worth it. The highway noises were muted and quiet compared to the constant hum of city traffic. The occasion train was greeted with running and yelling by the children - a special event in our day. Our neighbors were respectful of our privacy, but there willing to help if we needed it. The folks that showed up unannounced were neighbors wanting to get introduce themselves, not moochers or scam artists.

Some of our city friends come to visit regularly. But some of our city friends only made the trek once. They loved the country and expressed their envy. But our wild, unmanicured lawn ("When are you installing the turf?), the sounds of distant target practice in preparation for hunting season ("Are you sure it's safe? Won't they hit the house?), the poison ivy ("Jimmy, you better stay here by the house"), the long gravel driveway ("How much do you have to lay out for new suspension every year?"), and the ticks ("Jimmy, maybe you better play inside"), were more than enough excuses for them not to come back.

After we moved life slowed down. We were outside most of the time, not holed-up inside for safety. We went on daily walks to discover plants and animals without having to drive 30 minutes to a park. The children seemed healthier, ate more and slept better.

Children here smile and say hi to me instead of making a face or throwing a rock. Folks ask after my health and my family instead of stalking me. Cashiers ask if there is anything else I need instead of making no eye-contact while checking out the person behind me as I'm still trying to shove my receipt in my purse and grabbing my bags.

My neighbors know all our names, know if we are having trouble, stop by with things to share, invite us to cook-outs, and remember us at Christmas. We call each other when the power goes out, when there are stray dogs about, when there's an accident near by or a tornado warning, or if that small herd of deer walk through the area.

Folks call my name out of their car windows and wave or stop by to shoot the breeze, instead of cussing about my driving methods and questioning my parentage backed up by obscene rap music at 130 decibels.

People around here think for themselves, do what they think is best, and don't worry about what others think about their decisions. They allow us to do the same. The common respect among residents is invigorating. I have also noted a western flavor in the town decor and dress which reminds me of my upbringing in Arizona and makes me feel right at home.

I know we need more business here and probably more residents, but I hope that won't change Morrow County too much. I like it the way it is.

A few more tips ...

2010-04-01T13:15:00.001-04:00

The print newspaper is still one of the easiest ways to get your name in print and most papers now have websites that will run your writing in tandem (or instead of) the print version. Most papers have expanded their product line with tabs (special print editions in addition to the regular paper) for weddings, city activities (street fairs, county fairs, art festivals), holidays (Christmas, Easter), seasons (Summer Day Trips, Spring Garden Shows), graduations (small town papers sometimes run the pictures of every graduate, including their future plans, in their June “Grad Tab”) and special events (City Center Opens, Arnold Fitness and Sports, etc.). Tabs take more work and much of that work can go to a stringer.

If an editor likes your work he may sign you on as a “stringer” which is simply a part time reporter. Be willing to take stories on short notice. If a stringer continually puts up barriers (”I can’t because I have to do this or that.”) the editor will stop calling.

The newspaper has been great training for me as a writer. It has taught me to write fast, write to deadline, write clearly, write organized and rewrite constantly. After the first six months at the paper I discovered I was writing 1,500 words a day (not counting edits). But the best part of all – I saw my name on the front page and collected lots of clips and tear sheets for my other projects.

Getting seen – the hard truth

Getting the paper’s attention isn’t hard. Email them. Call them. Go visit their office. Set up an appointment. Buy a paper.

Do be polite. Do smile a lot. Go out of your way to be nice to everyone there. Start a relationship. Buy a paper.

Newspaper folks are grumpy. We don’t have much chance of getting a raise or better benefits and most of us are lucky to still have a job. If you want the paper to review your book, call and ask if they would consider it. Then send your complimentary copy plus a wonderful thank you card. Email as a follow up. Call a week later. Don’t forget to buy a paper.

Don’t pester the paper or they will ignore you – forever. There was a guy that wrote column after column for our paper (he called them letters to the editor) and the count was always too long and he always got mad when we edited it for length and clarity. Do they run his stuff anymore? Nope. Flooding the email boxes of the entire staff and calling incessantly is just plain annoying.

Don’t lie. There’s a lady that sends her letters to the editor to five different county papers claiming to live in those counties. I found out where she really lives. Only one paper prints her stuff now – her real county – and she’s lucky. Remember, the paper is in the business of exposing liars.

Newspaper staff can smell a scam from miles away. They can also tell within one sentence that they are being used. If the newspaper says you have to buy an ad, don’t get all huffy and hang up. Buy an ad. And be nice about it. And compliment the staff for a job well done after the paper comes out and you buy a copy to see your ad. THEN ask if they will review your book.

Don’t call and ask that a reporter get sent out to your event today. Please. We don’t have the staff to do that any more. Call at least a week ahead. If they still say they don’t have anyone to send, offer to send pictures and a short write up of your event. Be polite. If they still say no, don’t send it anyway. Yikes. Talk about pushy!

Every editor decides what goes into each paper. He is limited by ads. He is limited by space. Here at our weekly we get ten times the amount of copy that we have room for. Advertising determines the number of pages. If you look at your local paper – the one you want to pay attention to you – and you see a page that doesn’t have an ad on it, they are losing money. Be really, really nice to the ads department. They pay my salary.

Start local. If some guy from Upper Sandusky comes in and wants us to cover his event we will immediately say no. Not many people in Upper read our Morrow County paper, so who of our readers would be interested? The decisions of the editor of your local paper may not make sense to you, but he is part of the community and knows what his community wants to read. If the community is happy with its paper, the ads department can sell ads. If the ads department sells ads the paper can grow. If the paper grows I might just get a raise.

Once you get your foot in the door things begin to grow. When my book came out someone from the local paper came to talk to me at the book signing. The next day a camera man came out to interview me for the local television station. The day after that the paper from the next town over called and asked for an interview. It was a nice run and I sold a lot of books.

Are you still interested in writing for the paper? Here are a few websites to explore:

Ohio Newspaper Association

National Newspaper Association

The Poynter Institute

American Journalism Review

Freedom Forum

You might want to check out the Associated Press Handbook (AP Style Book) for form and style. If you have any questions at all you can email me at reporter@newscolorpress.com. My email is up all the time and I have it set to bringing in email every five minutes. Good Luck!

Rachel Mendell writes for the Morrow County Sentinel, a weekly paper that covers county government and community events in Morrow County, Ohio. She has also written for the Galion Inquirer (daily) and the Crestline Advocate (weekly). Copies of her book, Ghostly Galion, are available by emailing thedomesticwarhorse@yahoo.com. Samples of her writing are available at domesticmobility.blogspot.com. For more information about writing for the newspaper contact Rachel at reporter@newscolorpress.com or call 419-946-3010. Be polite. You may need to leave a message.

Don’t miss a single posting! Subscribe here to receive these postings by e-mail. Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at writingcareercoach.com.

Stories

2010-04-01T13:13:00.001-04:00

Most newspaper stories (They are called stories, not articles. Articles are written for magazines.) come in three forms: The Stand Alone, the story and the investigation.

The stand alone is a great place to start. It includes one to three paragraphs about an event (cutline) along with a picture. When strapped for time, the reporter grabs a picture and a few names and can create a stand alone in a few minutes. If you cruise news websites, most of what you find on the opening pages are stand alones (along with the teaser to get you to click on "read more").

Example

Photo - cute lady donned in a hat and garden gloves

Cutline - Betty Boop creates an American flag using red, white and blue pansies during the Arbor Day event at Spring Hill State Park.

Ask the editor what type of photos he accepts. Here at the Sentinel we take photos via email, mail or drop off. Regular printed photos can be scanned into the system and processed for publication. Every paper uses a different system (Quark, InDesign, etc.). Find out what they need for photos before you send anything.
Stories can run with or without a photo. I was trained to take a photo at every event I went to. I still try to do that, but the Sentinel doesn't run as many photos so many of my photos don't make it to print. Some stories don't lend themselves to photos. Stories run from 10 to 20 inches (about 500-1,000 words). It is difficult to say what that translates as word count since every newspaper has different sized columns and pages. Again, just ask the editor.

Your story will be edited for clarity and length. You will not be able to read the edited version before it goes to print. There just isn't time. Be prepared for it to sound and feel different when it is published. If you have questions about the final version of your story speak with the editor. Do not complain to all your friends about how "my story was cut up." If you want to write for the paper you have to learn how to work with the editor. Be prepared to disagree with the editor. Be prepared to write according to what the editor wants, not what you want.
Investigation stories are best left to those who have written for the newspaper for a while. But if you feel the urge, talk to the editor about the investigation that you want to delve into. He may be willing to work with you to create a good investigative piece. There is more back and forth with an investigative piece. The editor knows who should be questioned about any certain issue.

Before presenting a story idea to the editor have an outline prepared. Have three sources (at least one professional source) and please make sure to get both sides of the story. Some stories can be one sided, like covering a board of education meeting. Other stories, like the closing of a business, may need more digging. For example, if Joe's Boots closes down, how many people will be unemployed? Talk to a few employees. Talk to the owner. Talk to someone in management. Talk to the mayor or a council member as to how this will effect the city. Talk to the president of the chamber of commerce. Then talk to customers - where will they buy their boots now?

Rachel Mendell writes for the Morrow County Sentinel, a weekly paper that covers county government and community events in Morrow County, Ohio. She has also written for the Galion Inquirer (daily) and the Crestline Advocate (weekly). Copies of her book, Ghostly Galion, are available by emailing thedomesticwarhorse@yahoo.com. Samples of her writing are available at domesticmobility.blogspot.com. For more information about writing for the newspaper contact Rachel at reporter@newscolorpress.com or call 419-946-3010. Be polite. You may need to leave a message.

Opinion

2010-04-01T13:12:00.000-04:00

The first place most writers start their newspaper career is with a letter to the editor. Check with the guidelines as to word count and frequency. If you don’t understand what is expected call the paper and ask. The Sentinel runs local letters to the editor on the opinions page with a limit of 300 words. If you have contributed recently check to find out when you can send in a letter again. Every newspaper is different.

Columns are also a nice place to start. Again, contact the paper to find out if guest columns are accepted. Read the columns the newspaper runs on a regular basis. Is your local newspaper liberal or conservative? Many columns come from other sources besides local folks. Ask the editor who his favorite columnists are and research those writers. Make sure your column follows all guidelines exactly.
In the Sentinel columns sometimes run on other pages besides the opinion page. My column runs on a different page each week. The local superintendent’s column runs on the schools page. Just a suggestion: Humor is hot right now. Do not expect to get paid for columns, at least not right away.

Read more of Rachel Mendell’s tips on writing for the newspaper by following the links below.

Writing for the newspaper is still an opportunity.

Writing for the newspaper: events

Writing for the newspaper: Stories

Rachel Mendell writes for the Morrow County Sentinel, a weekly paper that covers county government and community events in Morrow County, Ohio. She has also written for the Galion Inquirer (daily) and the Crestline Advocate (weekly). Copies of her book, Ghostly Galion, are available by emailing thedomesticwarhorse@yahoo.com. Samples of her writing are available at domesticmobility.blogspot.com. For more information about writing for the newspaper contact Rachel at reporter@newscolorpress.com or call 419-946-3010. Be polite. You may need to leave a message.

Don’t miss a single posting! Subscribe here to receive these postings by e-mail. Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at writingcareercoach.com.

Event writing

2010-04-01T13:09:00.001-04:00

Today we have guest blogger Rachel Mendell, who will be with us for the next few posts! The focus of these posts will be on writing for the newspaper.

Newspapers have websites complete with pages in which you can post a community event. If you are having a book signing, workshop or get-together, this is the place to put that information first. If not call or email the paper and ask what is the best way to get your event in.

A public notice is like a community event, but usually has to do with a governmental entity. Some newspapers charge local governments and agencies to run their meeting notifications.

An event promo sometimes includes a picture. Say the community theatre is ready to announce their new season of events. They will run a short info piece with who, what, where, when and sometimes why, with a picture from a production of the previous season. If you are writing one of these for a community entity, club or church, keep the info short and sweet. Long promos get cut and sometimes tossed.

A press release is the same type of announcement, but can be from the board of health, the city, a school, a sports league, or other group wanting the public to know what's going on. The press release is the most basic form of writing for the paper and the paper gets hundreds of them every week. As a reporter, I use press releases to prepare for press conferences and other meetings. To write a press release, make sure you include who, when, where, what and contact information. Never send a press release to the newspaper without a phone number.

Examples:
The Sunny Community Church will hold its annual craft festival Sunday, March 28 beginning at 2 p.m. All proceeds will benefit the local food bank. Entertainment includes Sunny Hill High School choir and band. Food will be available for purchase. For more information call Charlie at 444-444-4444.

The City Library is offering a two-hour class on filling out federal tax forms Friday, March 27 from 2-4 p.m. in the library community room. Space is limited. Call 555.555.5555 to reserve a spot.

If the editor agrees, more information can be added including quotes and details about things that are being sold and what food will be on sale. Read the newspaper to which you are submitting carefully to see how they write their briefs. Sometimes briefs are run along the rail on the front page, or at the bottom of page 2A or on the community calendar page.

Make sure and get the release to the paper a few weeks ahead of time.
I have rewritten hundreds of press releases in the few years I have written for the paper. Basic problems I find are too much information (usually wordy quotes about how wonderful the event is), leaving important information out (usually a contact phone number) and getting the press release to us too late (usually only a day or two). Call the paper to make certain of the deadline.

Do not expect to be paid for press releases, event promos or community calendar events, unless the entity you are writing for is paying you to write for them. Some newspapers may charge a fee for publishing these pieces. I suggest doing these types of writing for free. Get your feet wet. Show the editor you can do the job without complaining and according to that particular newspaper's guidelines. Show the editor you are willing to learn.

Read more of Rachel Mendell's tips on writing for the newspaper by following the link below.

Writing for the newspaper is still an opportunity.

Rachel Mendell writes for the Morrow County Sentinel, a weekly paper that covers county government and community events in Morrow County, Ohio. She has also written for the Galion Inquirer (daily) and the Crestline Advocate (weekly). Copies of her book, Ghostly Galion, are available by emailing thedomesticwarhorse@yahoo.com. Samples of her writing are available at domesticmobility.blogspot.com. For more information about writing for the newspaper contact Rachel at reporter@newscolorpress.com or call 419-946-3010. Be polite. You may need to leave a message.

Opportunities

2010-04-01T13:07:00.000-04:00

Today we have guest blogger Rachel Mendell, who will be with us over the next few posts! The focus of these posts will be on writing for the newspaper.
There are lots of ways you can write for the newspaper. In this series I cover event promos, opinion pieces and stories. I have also added a few dos and don’ts for getting the newspaper’s attention.

Yes, it’s true, the newspaper industry has taken a big hit. But you can still write for the paper and now is a great time to check it out. The newspaper is quick to publish compared to other print products and even though you may not get paid, it sure is nice to have those clips in your portfolio.

Start a relationship with your local newspaper. Email, write, or visit with the editor. Have patience. Editors have always been busy, but with short-staffed offices, the pace has reached a new level of insanity. You may have to make an appointment. Ask him what his needs are and express your desire to help. Be successful in working for your local newspaper first and it will be easier to move out to a larger audience with that experience.

Read more of Rachel Mendell’s tips on writing for the newspaper by following the link below.

Writing for the newspaper: events

Rachel Mendell writes for the Morrow County Sentinel, a weekly paper that covers county government and community events in Morrow County, Ohio. She has also written for the Galion Inquirer (daily) and the Crestline Advocate (weekly). Copies of her book, Ghostly Galion, are available by emailing thedomesticwarhorse@yahoo.com. Samples of her writing are available at domesticmobility.blogspot.com. For more information about writing for the newspaper contact Rachel at reporter@newscolorpress.com or call 419-946-3010. Be polite. You may need to leave a message.

Don’t miss a single posting! Subscribe here to receive these postings by e-mail. Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at writingcareercoach.com.

Keeping my house

2010-03-04T14:16:00.001-05:00

By RACHEL MENDELL

The Domestic WarHorse keeps her house

While gathering court documents for our public records page I noticed an average of six foreclosures being filed each week in the Morrow County court of common pleas. In January I became number 11 on the 2010 docket.

Through a series of unfortunate events we found ourselves sued by our mortgage company. The unfortunate events included a layoff, a cut in hours, more cuts in hours, another lay off, the sale of our mortgage to a debt collector, payments not applied to our account, payment numbers changing monthly, phone calls every other day, certified letters, hand delivered letters with “confidential” scrawled on the envelope, frequently put on hold, frequently passed around, speaking with a new representative each week and no understandable answers to our growing list of questions.

They say that foreclosure used to be socially unacceptable, but we were desperate, and when you are looking at getting kicked out of your house all self respect is out the window. We didn’t care who knew we were in foreclosure. We scrambled for what to do, asking everyone, even strangers on the street.

I did a ton of gathering paperwork, organizing, calling, searching the net and praying - mostly praying. Lots of folks helped out with prayers, information and suggestions. We wrote and filed our own reply for the law suit (pro se) - very basic - using advice from a friend and three websites dealing with foreclosure issues.

The best move we made, by far, was choosing to go with county mediation. Trying to fix things with the mortgage company hadn’t worked for the past year. Kathy Nicolosi, Morrow County mediator, was awesome. She got back to me right away after I left a message that first day and got everything put on hold. On hold meant that I could breathe, the phone calls stopped and I had a little more time to get my act together.

We set up a time for the mediation and I gathered all the paperwork I had. Our mortgage company is in Texas, so their representatives spoke on the phone (via speaker phone): a lawyer and a member of the mortgage’s mediation workout group.

Nicolosi acted only as a mediator. She did not advise and she did not take sides. However, she helped us ask the right questions and explore all possible options. The end result after a one-hour conference between the five of us was a good faith commitment, a chance to get a loan modification and the relief of not having to find another place to live.

I cannot give too many of the details. All proceedings are confidential. I won’t share with you how much our payments are, who I would love to meet in a dark alley with tire iron in hand, or who our mortgage company is. The reason I am writing this column is to encourage you, urge you to contact Nicolosi and let her know what you are going through.

The meeting was tough. Those folks really want their money. There were moments during that one hour I was sure we were out on our butts.

I’m not saying it will be smooth sailing from here on out, we don’t know what the modified mortgage will look like, but I know that I have an advocate who can answer my questions and who wants me to stay in my house just as much as I do.

Are you having problems with your mortgage company and can’t get answers to the most basic questions about how much you owe? Do you get harassed all the time, talk to people from the mortgage company who can’t understand you or can’t give you the answers you need? Are you put on hold for 5 minutes or more? Do you talk to a different person each time? Are you getting behind on payments and can’t work out a solution with your bank?

The numbers don’t look good in Morrow County - 119 foreclosures in 2009 and six or more being added weekly. If you are one of those growing number of frustrated, stressed or terrified folks like us, give the county mediator a call.

Kathy Nicolosi can be reached at 419-947-9535. Leave a message, she’ll get right back to you.

Originally published in the Morrow County Sentinel.

Chimney Cat by Noel

2010-03-04T14:14:00.000-05:00

It was a dark and stormy night
there was a faint meow sounding
where from, nobody could tell
perhaps a stray outside the window
perhaps a pet locked in the basement
the dog ran around and around
worrying
the people looked high and low
crawl space, furnace vent pipes
plumbing hidey holes, inside the furnace
nothing
three days passed
the meow continued
so did the search
nothing
then finally, a noise was heard
and located in the water heater vent pipe
connection to the chimney
leather gloves, screwdriver, flashlight and a cat carrier
FREEDOM
20 pound Tom Cat
off like a shot from the carrier on the porch
across the street and into the snowy night.
a happy ending
at last
quiet
By Noel Lizotte

conspiracy

2010-02-18T09:59:00.001-05:00

The Domestic WarHorse explores popular conspiracy theories.

So, we hear on the weather that there's a huge snow storm on the way. What happens? Folks take the next day or two (depending the forecast) to grocery shop like they're crazy and then cocoon until the storm passes. But, the storm isn't quite as bad as the TV forecasted, or worse, never comes. Maybe it goes north or south. Maybe it "isn't as bad a predicted." Sometimes, I think it's a conspiracy. The major grocery stores stock up and then call the major media outlets ... you get the idea. More groceries bought. More TV watched.

Since I write for the paper, I seem to be a magnet for various local and national conspiracy theories. I try to keep up on local gossip through the chat rooms. Some theories are funny. Some are bizarre. But the chilling reality is all of them are born from a nugget of truth.

Do you get thirsty while shopping at WalMart? Do the stores keep the air extra dry to boost soft drink sales at the check out counters?

The phone company raises its rates. Then you get static on your line and it costs to have the repair tech come out. Then the rates go up because the tech crew has so many lines to fix. And do you think the taxes that are billed on your phone bill are kept by the phone company and not given back to the tax authority? The tax authority is running out of money, so they are raising taxes.

The tire companies have a deal with the pavement companies - potholes equals tire replacements.

A friend's dad never did accept the fact that man walked on the moon. He said it was a trick to get money. The actual walking on the moon had to be in Hollywood in a studio.

Snow plow salt trucks and automobile paint companies are in cahoots. And what's up with that one calorie soda? How do they know there's only one calorie in there? Maybe in a case of 24 there's a can with 23 calories while the rest have zero.

Another friend lived in Colorado for a time and was positive there was a conspiracy between the state highway patrol and the tow truck companies. If a car ran off the road and had to be left there until the road reopened, the car was towed all the way to Colorado Springs, not to the nearest exit. Needless to say, towing bills were hefty.

The sample ladies are becoming a thing of the past. Sam's Club laid off a lot of sample lady staff a few weeks ago. My children are sure they live somewhere in the dark recesses of Sam's back room and only come out when they sense hunger in shoppers.

And I'm pretty sure there is something in that sauce at our local restaurant. Our family is always laughing and joking at stupid annoying things as we leave the restaurant. Could be something in the air handling system or maybe Pepsi and pepperoni mixed together in the blood stream create a type of laughing gas.

Back in the 70s ads for drinks and snacks were inserted into movie frames as "subliminal advertising." What's to say it's not still going on? And what about the extra salty popcorn?

There are little towns in Florida that make driving a guessing game. For a 50 mile stretch from one family home of my friend to another the speed limit jumps from 55 to 45 to 35 to 25 and back and forth until you arrive. If you are unaware of this little anomaly you can get caught speeding or loitering while searching for a gas station or McDonald's.

The government is keeping the 200 miles per gallon cars under wraps to keep the big oil companies happy.

Other folks we shouldn't trust include the Federal Reserve, all executives of large banks, The Council on Foreign Relations, The Bilderberg Group, The Trilateral Commission, the Masons and the Vatican.

Did you know the Republicans and the Democrats are really just one party? Are bad cops paid for protection and do they hook up with drug dealers? Does organized crime exist? Are insurance companies holding hands with drug companies, or, for that matter, are drug companies supporting ABC, NBC and CBS? Does it really cost $400 to make the pill that costs $400? And the newest question to come down the pike, if the government is running out of money, how come it's still running?

We'll always have conspiracy theories and I guess that's because we will never have the whole truth about anything, no matter how far we dig. The best we can do is laugh it off and pray it isn't true.

There is one big conspiracy theory that has me stumped right now - global warming. I know there are plenty of ways to read the data, but my personal data seems to be pointing to "not happening." But that might be because I'm standing in knee-deep snow.

The Domestic WarHorse is a column on reporting, momhood and life in reality. Comments are welcome at thedomesticwarhorse@yahoo.com.

Originally published in the Morrow County Sentinel 2/17/10.

Mom Ears

2010-01-27T18:14:00.000-05:00

Mom Ears

I am blessed with Mom Ears. I received my Mom Ears the day I gave birth to my first child. Mom Ears empowered me to recognize my daughter crying in the hall outside of my hospital room as the nurses brought her to me to be fed. Mom Ears awoke me when my baby shared a tiny musical note in her crib or moved as she slept.

Mom Ears have seemed to my children a superhuman power. I can hear the opening of a stolen candy wrapper through a closed bedroom door and a whispered argument from the other side of the house.

Mom Ears have saved the house from total destruction. The happy suppressed laughter of two small boys sounded the alarm when an experiment behind closed doors turned messy. That particular sunny winter day we all discovered that if you mix Elmer's Glue and model glue together you get pretty crystals that drape down from shelves and stay stuck there forever.

Mom Ears have pulled me out of a dead slumber with a single small phrase spoken weakly beside my bed: "Mommy, I don't feel good."

Mom Ears have ended all-night video parties, conversations, book reading (I can hear the pages turning) and hackie-sac games. Mom Ears have grabbed the over-boiling pot started by a novice cook and shut off the toy set aside for adventure in the great outdoors.

Mom Ears have gotten me quickly to the scene of the crime (stealing money, eating forbidden candy, drawing on the wall) and the scene of an accident (broken glass, choking on a penny, sibling fight). Mom Ears have brought relief to my children as well as frustration and shame.

Mom Ears have been a frustration and an advantage in my work life as well. I have heard things shared in secret and regretted the gift of Mom Ears. But I have overheard news that prepared me for the worst and cushioned me for the blow. Unfortunately, I've also been tipped off to plans for my birthday and the occasional honest assessment of my character.

Overall, Mom Ears are a blessing, although I have been tempted to use this superpower for evil (blackmail, entrapment, surveillance, moral profiling, etc.).

So, now you know why you got in trouble all those years ago for talking on the phone too long, playing basketball in your room and whittling wood in the bathroom.

Beware, Mom Ears are everywhere.

The Domestic WarHorse is a column on momhood, reporting and life in reality. Comments are welcome at thedomesticwarhorse@yahoo.com.

Candles

2010-01-22T07:14:00.000-05:00

Candles

In a way, candles were her only comfort
The heavy scents reminded her
Of the dreams she had once had for herself
Of riches and fame
Helping others in a really big way

The aromas of spices and musks, vanillas and fruits,
Blinded her sences to the dirty diapers
Dirty dishes, smelly garbage,
Piles of laundry, cobwebs, dust and smudges.

She could close her eyes and dream
Those dreams again
Ignoring the facts that progressed heavily upon her
Wrinkles
Age
Aches and pains
Extra weight
Too many responsibilities
Little time alone
But tiny snatches
With her candles.

Randomness 4

2010-01-22T07:12:00.000-05:00

Revenge

Revenge is sweet when only witnessed without involvement.

She would get her revenge. They treated her like she had an IQ of 60 just because she had 4 kids.

But she would get her revenge. She would read and study and write. She would get more intelligence than all of them put together. She would have 5 kids.

She would get her revenge. They called her stupid because she moved out to the country and tried to live on nothing. She would work. She would save. She would get her revenge. She would have 6 kids.

She would get her revenge. They thought her too smart to be real. She would get into life and experience as much as she could. She would get a job and raise the family. She would get her revenge. She would have 7 kids.

She got her revenge. She works like a dog and experiences every kind of pain. And no one likes her.
-

Hope

She sat on the dry hillside watching the tree die. Her favorite tree in the whole thousand acres of Africa.

They had come during the rainy season and the tree was so thick with leaves it completely blocked the sun.

In Africa a thousand acres is nothing.

Not so in Ohio. In Ohio, a thousand acres meant you were rich.

Endurance

She sat there the whole day counting the dead leaves as they fell. The sunburn would be painful, but it was a small sacrifice for her tree.

Claiming the tree was her way of accepting her fate of living somewhere she didn’t want to. They had taken her away from her whole life, her pets, her fractional part of a family, her few friends, her home.

She had to endure more loneliness than a kitten taken from its litter, more heat than the bread in the oven, more travel than a salesman, and more silence from those around her than a deaf person.

Trick

As she counted the horrible days since her family’s death she grew quieter and sadder.

At first she had tried to smile and laugh at jokes. Then, when the out of state family wouldn’t take her, she stayed with neighbors. Finally, by the time she was adopted she didn’t speak much and listened even less.

By the time they had taken her to Africa she neither spoke nor listened and the adults thought she might have to be tested. She couldn’t bear the testing. She couldn’t bear the thought of talking and admitting her defeat.

So she went to the tree.

Randomness 3

2010-01-21T13:37:00.001-05:00

Randomness 3

I remember …
I remember being afraid. I woke up terrified to deal with a 2 year old and a 6 month old all day. What if something should happen when Dave was gone?
I remember thinking Dave had had an accident when Bekah was one. I sat on the living room couch most of the day waiting for the call that never came.
I remember the cold fear of the first morning I would have to take 4 children to the grocery by myself (ages 6, 4, 2, and 4 months) because we were out of milk, peanut butter and bread. Dave was working 12 hour days and I had no choice. I remember looks from people at the store, the familiar “Are they all yours?” from the cashier, and wonderful smile from the grandmother in the produce section. When I got home I was too exhausted to put groceries away, but did it anyway.
I remember the fear of not enough money for the bills. I was afraid of the children getting hurt outside. I was afraid of phone calls.
But as I look back I can see that I was continually working to combat those fears. I always was able to take ALL the children on errands. I took jobs, first choir directing, then graveyard cashier, then teaching kindergarten and finally band director, all while raising my small children.
Fear has always been a fight for me, but when I turned 35 things got easier fast. It just happened. In the space of a week I wasn’t afraid anymore. It was a precious gift from God (not a drop in hormones).
Now, later, I am combating some of those old fears again. They are baby fears – irrational. The battle is on again, but this time it’s easier. I already did it once. In a year or two I will have conquered again.
-

And there I am … shaking HIS hand, my mouth going dry, hoping to say the right thing …
“Excellent book,” he says.
“Thank you,” I say.
“It has done well with sales I hear,” he says.
“Yes,” I say. “I’m surprised.”
“I’m not. May I ask you where you got the idea for the book?”
“Out of my head,” I smile.
He smiles back, “What was your inspiration?”
“I was hoping you could tell me,” I say, trying to hang on to the conversation as long as possible.
“Well, I have an idea.”
“Go ahead,” I say, smiling wider.
“You may not like it,” he said, a warning in jest.
“I’m sure I will like whatever you say,” I say, because I like whatever he says.
“Hamlet.”
I laugh and praise God silently to the ceiling of the little bookstore in London because that is just where the inspiration came from and only he could have figured it out.
-

In the bathroom sweet relief after waiting so long to take a pee. Everything getting in the way, just as I turn to go – “Hey, Mom, do this” and I forget. The urge passes. Then it comes again. The dryer buzzer – must hang the shirts before they wrinkle. The urge, moving toward emergency status, turning to go. Accident with glue, or a plate or a glass or a toe. The urge is present and persistant now. Then – “Mom?” and I finally say, “No.” and run. Then comes sweet relief – almost too late. The door is closed. All is quiet.

No wonder Moms are always saying “You can wait …”

Randomness 2

2010-01-20T12:53:00.002-05:00

Randomness 2

It is interesting to think how lost I was at 20, how I argued in my 30s and how, in my 40s people began to take me seriously.
-

Take Away from On Writing Well:
There are lots of ways to write. Writing is mostly rewriting.
Simplicity in usage
Use brackets for clutter [clutter] and cut ruthlessly
“Writing is an act of ego. You might as well admit it. Use it’s energy to keep yourself going.”
The audience – You are writing for Yourself.
Words – curiosity about their shades of meaning
Writing is learned by imitation
There is poetry in prose
Write the whole thing Out Loud … writing is talking
-

On Buckley
I had a large and varied vocabulary for my area and schoolmates. I found it necessary to eliminate words and rephrase to make myself understood. Now, I find, I must relearn all that I lost.
Now fortunate that WFB could retain all his words, use them and still carry on a normal life.
-

Even as I laughed when my brother was taking cats by the tail and swinging them into mud puddles I secretly loved cats.
-

“See to my chattels and my movables, let your rule be pitch and pay”
“I thee command”
These words I said
As I left the family for the day.
-

“Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin
As self-neglecting.”
King Henry V, Act II, scene 4

Self-love is sometimes mistaken for vanity. Self-neglecting is sometimes mistaken for self-sacrifice. This phrase was spoken by the Dauphin to his father the king of France. Henry V was coming with his army to take France with the blessing of the church and of God. The king froze when he remembered Edward, the Black Prince, and all the destruction of that war. He didn’t want to go through that again.
His war-eager son, with these words, convinced him that not fighting would be a greater sin than a possible bloodbath.

There is a time in everyone’s life when they look at themselves and realize they could be better, but it would take a tremendous amount of effort. That is the precious time of decision. Many choose not to go to the trouble and take up the mantra “Those people who work out, eat right, watch their body’s are self-focused narcissists.” When, in fact, they have given up on themselves and their potential.
-

“I shall ne’er be ware of mine own wit
till I break my shins against it.”
As You like It, Act II, scene 4

AND

“Thus the whilgig of time brings in his revenges.”
- Twelfth Night, Act V, scene 1

Ah … menopause …
-

God has spent time, the beginning of time and the fall of man, to the present bringing us back to Him, so that His plan of salvation is complete and the devil loses for all eternity.
-

“Get what you need,” said Dave as I headed to the grocery.

What does that mean? Get what I need? The phrase feels like, “We’ll never have enough money, so who cares how much you spend.”
I admit I got us in this mess. I charged too much Shaklee, too many books, sometimes groceries we didn’t really need, but I don’t remember anyone stopping me, or suggesting we cut back.

We have to do something about it.

I can’t sell my novel. I need to get a better paying job. You need a raise, a bonus, more work …

We got into this mess because we have some bad habits:
Using credit cards
Having as many kids as we want
Not saving money
Taking or buying what we shouldn’t have
Not willing to work harder for our dreams, but paying against our future

I realized this too late. Now I’ll be paying for the rest of my life.
-

… the need to be brief.
-

As a writer, who am I:
The Procrastinator
The Victim
The Talker (writing is a private act)
The Critic
The Judge (writer’s guilt)
The Author (every bit of writing leads to publication)
The Capricious Guest (wait for inspiration … otherwise don’t write)
taken from a book I can’t remember the name of
-

You must do what beckons to you.

Randomness1

2010-01-18T12:11:00.004-05:00

A lot has happened since my last post. I quit the paper to work at a photo studio for more pay. Then they laid me off just in time for Christmas. Now I am back at the paper and in foreclosure on our home.

So, I write.

Here are random things:

Randomness1

Esther’s right hand of doom
-
Speaking of dumping …
-
Deliciousousness
-
“God is sovereign. God is good and he has a plan for each one.”
-
God’s judgments are always true and righteous.
-
“I am a servant of God just like you. You need to worship God.”
-
Lenin – “Religion is the opiate of the people …”
-
Reservations are being taken now. Where do you want to be, The Marriage Supper of the Lamb or the Feast of the Birds?
-
Jesus is God. You cannot separate them.
-
Amen! Alleliua! = So be it! Praise the LORD!
-

All we can do is do what we do the best we can. It's not about money. It's about survival. Bless you!

New Blog

2009-10-30T11:18:00.001-04:00

Starting a new blog today. Daughter Esther is writing and writing and writing and needs readers ... and fans!!

coming soon ---

r

Today

2009-08-04T12:06:00.000-04:00

Today the newspaper is moving to its new room, blue and cozy, to save money. Come see us next week. We should be settled by then.

free speech

2009-06-30T12:42:00.001-04:00

I remember my fourth grade teacher very well. She was the first teacher to spank me (for too much talking). She was the first teacher to scare me (there wasn't anything I could do to make her like me). She was the first teacher to tell us horror stories about life in the USSR.

She told us that children in the USSR were encouraged to tell their teachers if they said anything bad against the government. Children then watched as police came to take their parents away. Those children became wards of the state and the parents had no say in the matter whatsoever.

This was a scary story for us and, although I now doubt that my fourth grade teacher ever set foot in the USSR. We were happy to be American and knew how to be grateful for our freedoms. At the time America was in the middle of the Cold War and our folks were afraid of Russia dropping the bomb on the US for no reason.

We said the pledge every morning after prayers (not just on Monday) and we struggled through The Star Spangled Banner. (I am guilty of helping my classmates on the playground create the classic "oh say can you see any bed bugs on me" for which I hereby publicly apologize.)

These memories have come back to me over and over throughout my short career as a reporter. Sometimes I remember them when I am saying the pledge at a public meeting (my personal record is 11 recitations in one week). Sometimes they come to me as I speak with someone on the phone who will not give their name because of the fear of retaliation from some unnamed force.

Recently the memories came back as the question of whether or not a public body should pray before a meeting. I have seen it done both ways. Some boards of education pray before the pledge, some don't. Some village councils pray before the pledge, some don't. Some meetings begin with a moment of silence.

I think this is an important LOCAL issue as well and one that local voters should voice their opinion. Are your elected officials mirroring your community's personality?

The only way you are really going to know is to go to your local school board meeting and to attend your local village council meeting. If you have never gone to one, I strongly encourage you to take the leap. They aren't as boring you might think. In fact, the discussions they have and the decisions they make affect you directly. All meetings give visitors plenty of time to ask questions and make comments on what is going on in the meeting. Hope to see you there!

What NOT to do

2009-06-30T12:37:00.002-04:00

blog063009

What NOT to do

At a recent workshop given by a published author (not to be named) I took notes on what NOT to do and say while giving a workshop.

Since I also give workshops on various subjects I usually take two sets of notes: 1. notes on the topic at hand and 2. notes on the delivery of the workshop, the attitude of the workshop leader, the helpfulness and patience of the workshop leader and the response of those in attendance.

Here are my list of dos and don'ts for workshop leaders (take it or leave it):

1. Don't use cuss words (This leader used 8-10 "bad words." Among those present were "church ladies.")
2. Make sure you've done your homework. We can tell if you're flying by the seat of your pants.
3. I'm all for confidence in speaking but not the attitude of "I'm all that."
4. ibid - "Aren't I cute? Aren't I smart?"
5. Don't assume that you know what your audience knows. Don't assume that I've never met the person you are quoting. Don't assume that I have never been to the place you are talking about. Don't assume I have never experienced what you are complaining about. Now I'm insulted.
6. Don't ever say to a person who is packing up "Are you leaving? Shame on you!"
7. Don't say, "I know most of you haven't read such-and-such ..." I did.
8. Don't continually talk about your book. If you are siting examples, please use some of the industry's masters.
9. Don't point to your published book and say "THAT is my first draft."
10. Don't insult other genres or forms of writing. I happen to write poetry and literary fiction. Why should I pay to listen to you now?
11. Don't name all the people you know and party with. That doesn't make you smarter. The information you give me is what I need and what I will respect you for.
12. Don't tell us your birthday. I will not be remembering it or sending you a card. Although, at this point in the lecture I have other things I'm thinking about sending.

Other things not to say:
• "You probably never noticed, but ..."
• "You've never -"
• "You hate to ___" How do you know what I hate?
• "You wouldn't know that, but I do ..."
• "No one else knows this, but I am going to share this with you ..." It just so happens that I learned that at the workshop last year.

And please, PLEASE, pullllleeeese, don't keep repeating yourself! Please!

Other than that, I enjoyed your workshop. I did learn a few things and for that I am grateful. I'm sorry, but I can't afford to buy your book. It's not the genre I usually read.

Why Not Sing

2009-06-09T12:19:00.000-04:00

Why not sing?

While attending the Highland High School graduation I was reminded of a tiny pet-peeve I have developed over the last few years.

Why doesn't anyone sing the national anthem?

The high school band did a wonderful job of playing. I heard one or two visitors humming, but I could not hear anyone singing the words.

In grade school I learned the Star Spangled Banner. We could sing it by heart by the end of each school year.

In high school I joined the marching band and learned piccolo. I proudly played the Star Spangled Banner as the flag was raised for football games and presented at basketball games. I knew my part by heart and I heard many in the stands singing with gusto.

At events where I wasn't holding an instrument I sang. If I was with my family I ran competition with my brother who was given a much stronger voice than mine. We all sang.

Ten years ago, I remember attending my first Morrow County Fair. The recorded anthem gave me the chance to sing one of my favorite songs with my children. I was happy to get the chance to sing the Star Spangled Banner again. I was happy I didn't have to listen to someone with a better voice sing it. I was happy there were others in the crowd singing too. It made me feel like part of a group again.

Just like when I was a little girl watching parades sitting by the side of the road. When the color guard came by we would stand and hold our right hand over our heart. My dad, an army vet, would salute. I felt like I belonged to something bigger - a huge family that loved America.

This year at the fair, or other public event, go ahead and sing. Sing along with the one who is performing. Belt out "and the rockets red glare" with me. My voice will be cracking too. Nobody cares. We are singing out patriotism. The Star Spangled Banner, my song, your song, America's song. Why not sing?

Love, Mom

2009-05-14T13:45:00.001-04:00

a poem by my mom
(guest blog)

A Sigh of the Times

Her bread was great and baked just so...
Because she knew how to knead the dough

With house and garden and babies in tow
She still found time to knead the dough

When the nest grows empty, baking grows slow
Yet, she still feels her job is to knead the dough

So off to WalMart....where else would she go
To smile and to welcome........'cause.......she needs the dough

MOM

2009-05-14T13:42:00.003-04:00

I create transparancy
I show you life
I make people clap their hands with joy
I am invisible
I am hated
I am the uninvited guest
I am your conscience
I am unwelcome in the home of liars
I am the voice of the silent
I am the translator of complicated issues
I am loved
I am the keeper of secrets
I open closed doors
I am the proclaimer of things locked
I make people cry
I strive for truth and accuracy
I unveil the uncomfortable myths

who am I?

2009-05-14T13:42:00.001-04:00

everyone was very well behaved

the lotto

2009-05-14T13:41:00.000-04:00

while cleaning out my desk drawer at work I came across some lottery numbers.
anyone want to play them?

19, 6, 43, 38, 27, 44

this desk has been used by at least five people besides myself.

someone might have had good luck ...

Confessions

2009-05-11T14:05:00.003-04:00

Well, I did it. I read an entire book in one day. I stayed up until 3:15 a.m. and finished Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella.

What an awesome book! I never scanned. I never skipped, I just found excuses to sit and read it ( I can do the laundry tomorrow).

At first I was pushing myself because Bekah had lent it to me and I wanted to read something she really liked and she was only on page 291.

"Bekah, but you're not done."

"That's OK," she said. "I saw the movie. I know how it ends."

But, I have to say, it was tough for the first 40 pages.

Something made me crazy, worried, sick. How can she be spending all that money? I almost put it down for good a couple of times, but then I remembered Bekah and she would say, "Hey, how did you like the book?" and I couldn't say, "It made me crazy. I couldn't finish." could I?

I hid my other book, Good Debt, Bad Debt, and pushed forward.

Then I found out Rebecca is a journalist (I'm a journalist) and I was hooked to the very end.

By page 150 I'm thinking of things I should really write into my novel and wondering if I should go shopping tomorrow for a new pair of shoes.

Being a writer I tried to look at the book from that angle. How can Kinsella slip in all those $10 (L5) words and I'm bearly noticing? And it was all present tense - and not that horrible painful present tense that drags on forever. This was a breezy, fun present tense, the in-the-moment present tense, kind of like Steve Martin's Shop Girl. And Rebecca saw all the same people at all the boring meetings, just like me. And she was friends with a journalist from the competition, just like me.

Then suddenly, I wasn't a writer anymore, I was a reader, completely involved and emotionally bonded.

This is what I want my readers to feel when they read my book. No starting and stopping and wishing they'd rented a movie instead of picking up my book. Just, wow, close the book, sigh, and when's the next one coming out?

And I know there's hope for me - a simple, home-town weekly reporter - to finish my book.

Great job, Kinsella. I'll be reading the whole series this summer!

If you haven't read Confessions, you just have to meet Rebecca, she's awesome.

desert memories

2009-05-11T14:04:00.000-04:00

So she sends me a picture of the Superstition Mountains and I am transported back to the 12-year-old me and camping (Dad called it wilderness camping) and exploring the desert with my brother and finding a large metal sealed cylinder that leaked water. It was probably there for cattle. And the green algae that grew along the leak. We explored that small unique ecosystem, marveling at the strange bus and identifying animal prints in the dust.

We hiked up the mountain until we came to a fresh spring and a little pond. So quiet. The cicadas called to each other occasionally and the grasshoppers performed their rattle snake impression. Blended with the rustle of the cat claw bush was the tiny gurgle of running water. We checked for fish. No fish. No frogs.

We hiked higher and found an old cave - an abandoned mine - along the steep incline was rubble and among the scattered stone were pieces of iron ore worked through the rock and sky blue turquoise. We stuffed our pockets with the blue stuff and promised to return with bags.

In the evening we sat by the fire Dad had built with wood from Prescott, started with the tops off the brittle bush.
Sh, said Mom.

We waited. I could hear an animal moving in toward the fire. It sounded like a squirrel. When it appeared we were surprised to see a large tarantula. He moved in fits. Then he crouched.

We watched and whispered to each other. One of us must have made a move because suddenly he just wasn't there. None of us had seen or heard him leave. He just disappeared.

short poems

2009-05-11T14:03:00.002-04:00

It's raining and I think of you
But not as much as I used to
If I can give up sugar in my coffee
I can give up you

-
Last Poem of April
rain comes down on car
patter splat loud quiet loud
trees drink and praise sky

-

Ben
I can't write Haiku
Only if I'm supposed to
then maybe I can

thoughts

2009-05-11T14:02:00.001-04:00

Nervous glances
watching what they say
I just sit here
and take notes as I may
BOE is jumpy
weeks of high-end stress
one thing I must give them -
they know how to dress

--

Pretend control
It's the state's money but the local community gets some say. It seems weird - how the state comes in, offers millions of dollars to build new schools, say the projectshould be as individual as the community itself, with local input and local design, then as I pass all these OSFC projects, they all look the same.

Alan St. Jean

2009-05-11T14:00:00.002-04:00

I had the privilage of doing a story and interview with author Alan St. Jean. Here's some highlights (Morrow County Sentinel).

"All authors have rainbows in their backyards and when it rains, Skittles come down from heaven." - Alan St. Jean, 2009

7 points of writing a story
1. Concept
2. Beginning
3. Character
4. Plot
5. Conflict
6. Resolution (repeat 5 and 6 as necessary)
7. Ending

John Updike

2009-05-11T13:58:00.001-04:00

A true writer writs to the end until he can no longer pick up the pen or click the keys.

John Updike sat in his hospital bed and wrote poetry - about life and death and after life and friends and his wife and characters from his books and Valium and the Virginia Creeper.

Read them and peek into his brain and mourn the loss of a unique and gifted and honest voice.
And write some more.

And swear on your stack of blank notebooks to write until the end, until you can no longer hold a pen.

Fluff

2009-04-09T09:32:00.002-04:00

Reporters write hard stories (investigative, government, anything about money) and they also write soft stories.

Soft stories we sometimes call Fluff. I love fluff. It's personal, interesting, and can be emotional.

I love all kinds of stories, even the difficult ones (the young man coming back from Iraq, the teacher losing her job after 10 years).

I love other kinds of fluff, too. You know, ice cream, cake, candy. But I like the hard stuff too. You know, pretzels, Doritos, peanuts

ice cream

candy bars

nerds

pringles

twizzlers

cherry pie with whipped cream

Marshmallows

Nachos

Cool whip

Snickers

smores

Kool Aid

Chocolate syrup

MMs

oreos

sun tea

frozen yogurt

a vanilla and raspberry twist ice cream cone from Darlene's

windmill cookies

peanut M&Ms

Film Noir

Romance novels

Bubblegum Pop Music (think old Brittany Spears)

Eye candy

Cowboy hats

Boots with spurs

Wranglers

Pearl snap shirts

Cacti

Ansel Adams

Sunset

Zane Grey

Kids in the office

New babies

Puppies

Easter baskets

Norman Rockwell

new calendars

watching Vincent Price on the THIS channel

playing LIFE with Katy

Thanks to Gaye Lizzote for helping me with this blog!!!

Crazy Old Men

2009-04-09T09:22:00.000-04:00

(originally published in the Galion Inquirer, many years ago)

Crazy old men are NOT crazy

I know a lot of crazy old men. Some of them freely admit to being crazy, odd, nuts, obsessive, moody, unbalanced, bonkers, wacko.

Crazy old men tell the truth. On top of that, they don’t really care what other people think about the fact that they are telling the truth.

Crazy old men have told me how to paint my van, how to start a fire without matches, how to survive the blizzard of ‘78, how to discipline children and get results, how to bake bread, how to mix a drink, what are the best things to eat if you want to live to 100, how to treat my husband, how to respect everybody, how to get along with irritating co-workers, how to respect a boss, how to load a musket and shoot it, how to tell the difference between railroad engines and cars, who to hook up a computer, how to understand school and city finances, how to ask the hard questions, how to be persistent, how to write a good old fashioned newspaper story, how to survive life without complaining, how to plant a tree, dig a hole, change the oil on my car and how to respect history.

Crazy old men teach history of all kinds: History of what to eat, what to drive (or not drive), the best things to say (or not to say), the history of this town, this county and our country.

Crazy old men have taught me to see things differently, how to look at a situation from a different point of view, how to make relationships last and how to live life more fully.

Crazy old men have given me information leading to wonderful stories, scary stories, and investigative stories that have made certain people angry.

Crazy old men aren’t happy with the status quo. They know how to do better. They will work for change, but know instinctively when those around them don’t wish to change.

In recent years I have noticed my husband having crazy old man leanings. It started with the two story tower-like addition he put on the house. It’s almost done and will probably be almost done when I’m dead. Because of the area in which we live, a few neighbors have mentioned their visiting friends think we live in “that compound with the gun tower.” But I knew for a fact that he had crazy old man tendencies when he started work on “the garage.”

It started with those free poles from the electric company, the ones they have replaced with new ones, but still have lots of life left. These poles are the basic foundation of our new garage. The structure looks like Stonehenge.

We need crazy old men. They tell us the truth about things that most of us don’t want to know. Crazy old men change the world — for the better.

I will not name the crazy old men that I talk to, because I value their anonymity, and in many cases, they value it too. They bring me the bits and pieces of their knowledge that I need to find the paperwork to back up the stories I write. Sometimes they even bring me the paperwork.

Galion has a lot of crazy old men. Get to know them. Respect them. Listen to their wisdom. Honor their history.

You can trust a crazy old man. He will save your life if given the opportunity — and he will always be honest with you.

But, if you are in the habit of lying (or stretching the truth, or ignoring the truth, or twisting the truth), fear the crazy old man. He has your number and might just come to your house. Either way, the newspapers will probably hear about it.

Thank God for crazy old men.

22

2009-03-12T14:39:00.000-04:00

22
2.22, and my son is 22 years old.
God has blessed us.
He is in good health.
He has just signed up for the Marines after a long life search.
Then I took a walk out into the icy cold wind to check our propane supply.
We are at 22 percent.
And today, during church, a man handed me a check for two house payments
Saying “We don’t want you guys to loose your house.”
And I just finished The Love Dare –
2 of us together to stick it out forever
with God’s help

tired

2009-03-10T16:38:00.000-04:00

tired means
no caps
headache
craving sleep
craving fried chicken
craving chocolate
cranky

hold on
smile
get home and eat and sleep
smile

13 RanDoM things

2009-02-10T18:51:00.000-05:00

1. mice look bigger at night
2. mystery sounds the car makes are louder when the radio is off
3. sweet and salty taste good together, except for ice cream and anchovies
4. the school of life is the most efficient
5. pink is weak, black is strong
6. cats heal themselves
7. kids can do housework when they are 2 years old
8. birds fight more than people do
9. winter is the buzzards' freezer section
10. honey still collects more flies than vinegar
11. the sun never sets on the American Soldier
12. Calendars are such control freaks
13. headaches make you appreciate the sunset

2009-02-05T06:14:00.002-05:00

Central Ohio Fiction Writers Conference (www.COFW.org)
Worthington Ohio
Holiday Inn
January 31, 2009

I had the wonderful opportunity to hang out with over 100 writers Saturday at the Central Ohio Fiction Writers conference in Worthington, Ohio. Each year this great group of gals (and a few guys) put on a feast of learning and eating. I went last year and had “education overload” by the end of the day. This year was no different.

The subject was Power Pacing, by Mary Buckham, and we learned ways to hook the reader at the beginnings and endings of chapters, as well as the first page, individual scenes, and the very end. Yes, there should be a hook at the end of a book – something to let the reader salivate until the next book comes out!

As writers, said Mary, we want to create a book that readers can’t put down. Her favorite comment from her fans is, “I hate you. I stayed up all night to finish that book.”

Without giving too much away (you can sign up for Mary’s workshops online) we did deep discussions on how to pace conflict, how to keep the plot moving and how to use subplots. Mary stressed that romance novels will have slower pacing than suspense novels.

Basically, pacing (slow or fast) is created by the length of scenes, the length of chapters, how many hooks you create, and the details of the plot structure.

Mary gave us templates, questions to use in figuring out the pacing of our book. These questions were very helpful to me. During the short work sessions I realized that my main character did not have motivation for keeping her job. In fact, she had no motivation for anything that she did. That’s going to take some work to make her believable. I think I know what her motivation is (she is my character, after all), but it’s got to be believable to my readers.

I also realized that my main character doesn’t have enough to lose, she doesn’t change much during the course of the book and there are very few climaxes in my plot.

I have lots of work to do.

There were lots and lots of side discussions during lunch and break (and sometimes while the speaker was speaking – you know how writers are.) My favorite subjects discussed and quotes of the day:
“James has flies.”
The writer’s reputation
POV
The reading habits of America
Back-story
Recognizing voice in texting (cell phones)
“I’m going to teach you how to be a hooker.”

Some of the final thoughts Mary left us with were:
As a writer, “You never stop learning. You never stop practicing your craft.”
Watch editing during the first draft (don’t do it)
Train you Pacing Fairy
Use music while you write
Ignore chapter breaks during your first draft. Break chapters after the first draft is finished.
When writing, don’t stop your daily quota at the end of a chapter. Stop in the middle of a scene – a scene that you know where it’s going. That way you have a great place to start and it will project you into the book right away. [I heard of a writer that would stop his daily quota in the middle of a sentence.]

Websites you may want to check out:
www.BreakIntoFiction.com
www.AuthorDiannaLove.com
www.MaryBuckham.com - This site has the lecture packet for this workshop.
www.cofw.org - If you are able to make it to Columbus, Ohio, the next conference is Sept. 18-19 and will feature Roxanne St. Clair as keynote speaker, editors from Silhouette and Wild Rose Press who will meet with you for 10 minutes (first come first served), raffle baskets, critiques, and a multi-author book signing.

Searching for Mentors

2009-02-05T06:03:00.004-05:00

Searching for Mentors

A writer's life is sometimes a lonely one. Sometimes you can find people to help you in your journey, but after a few years of writing, I realized I would really have to search.

I found some writers that met once a month. That worked ok. Then I started looking for mentors who had already been published - these mentors would show me how to write a successful book, but we would never meet.

Robert Harris is an excellent writer, but I would have never found that out if it wasn’t for my decision to cruise the library shelves.

My method is pretty random – walk along the shelves, grab whatever catches my attention, and stop when I can’t carry anymore.
Too much stress, too many stories to write for the newspaper, not enough thanks, too much politics; I had to unwind somehow during the summer so I decided to try and read a book every two weeks. [I'm a slow reader.]

The one on the Civil War was good, but I needed fiction. The Danielle Steel was fat and fluffy and probably jumped around a lot, but I got used to her style and after 40 pages I couldn’t put it down. She knows how to tell a story.

I scanned a few more books, took some back.

I was trying to stomp out the habit in my brain that says, “Gee, I should have done that” or “I could have done better” so I didn’t read the ones that annoyed me.

Through this process I realized a writer can easily become an arrogant reader – I found huge amounts of arrogance in my own heart – wow. So, I gave each book a little more time. I humbled myself with the fact that these books are on a list that librarians and readers choose from. These authors are published. These authors made money. These books are selling at Borders and Barnes and Noble. An editor liked the idea, or the outline, or the manuscript and bought the rights.

After starting “The Ghost” I am now the newest fan of Robert Harris. He has spent time working journalism and you can see the reporter-reality in his pages – the net searches, details of downloading, realities of the computer.

I copied this quote about writing. It is the last line the ghost writer puts in his book about Adam Lang. “There. Eat that and try not to cry,” he says.

The whole time no one knows who he is – wow – yup – that’s a reporter – invisible.

Cursed

2009-01-26T19:47:00.000-05:00

Cursed

I smile
And you smile back
We talk; we get to know one another.

Then the spark,
The zap, the bing, the slam, the zing,
The twing, the flutter, the connection.

Barriers fall one by one
And we meet.
You ask for a hug
I give you a kiss.
You ask for a kiss
I spend the night.

You shower me off
But I am still there
I possess you; I wrap you in false light.

You enjoy my company. You crave my attention.
You can think of nothing else.
You lose your focus and your desire for past loves.

Forgetting your family you plan endlessly for ways to be with me.
I am a curse to you as the rest of your life drops away soul by soul.
You forget wife, children, home, cars, job, friends, hobbies,
You forget dreams past and present,

I have replaced all.
It is just you and I.

I am power, love and influence.
I am real estate, control and money.
I am political affluence, dictatorship and supremacy.

I am all you have.
I am the prostitute.
You are cursed.

Quoting

2009-01-26T08:46:00.000-05:00

The following is a new years wish sent to me via email.

May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts.

May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.

May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips.

May your clothes smell of success.

May happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be those of joy.

May the problems you had forget your home address.

(anonymous)

Happy New Year.

write

2009-01-13T08:40:00.000-05:00

When I started writing down silently instead of talking out loud, my life changed dramatically.