Get Your Writing In Order

WRITING TIP

 

Here is what I should be doing.

 

 

 

But I also needed to do something about this.

 

 

Books always trump laundry so here is what I have been doing: sorting, discarding, and arranging some of the books in my office.

It's been great. I sit at the long folding table with a cup of tea, bring down a small stack of books, and flip through them. It's like revisiting old friends. The hard part is trying not to stop and read. I thought I solved that by making a stack of books to re-read. As you can guess, that didn't work. I edited that stack and gave a few books a MLB (most loved books) section of shelf all their own.

I have a big birthday approaching (Noooo, it is not 30.) so along with reviewing the books, I have been reviewing my life. I have to admit, there were a few days I didn't feel so good about the whole thing. But, eventually, after giving some hard thought, and some honest thought, to what I had really wanted from life, I settled into a place where I now feel pretty good.

When we get past the basics of food and shelter, or maybe even before those, what we all crave is love -- love to give, love to receive. The big things, of course: family, friends, good health. But the small things too: good books, a cup of tea, and a bit of order in our lives.

Is that a writing tip? I think so. Write with love. Write about what you love. And put the date on every little note you scribble to yourself. You will love yourself for it later.

Next time I'll have the orderly bookshelves to show.

WRITING PROMPT

Disorderly conduct. In what ways has your conduct ever been disorderly? Ever have a tantrum in public? Leave your clean sheets in the laundry basket until time to change the sheets again? Fast food wrappers on your car floor? Little scraps of notes of your life story scattered among various notebooks? I once received a warrant in the mail for my arrest. Is Albuquerque the only city that mailed warrants for too many traffic tickets. A court appearance improved my driving habits immediately. What about you? Where is or was the disorder in your life?

CHOCOLATE INKWELL

Wonderful hostess and dear friend, Brenda, invited a group of us to her house for a yummy lunch this week. She had prepared two favorites of every person on the planet: homemade chicken noodle soup and chocolate cake. Here's how great a hostess she is -- when I began doing a little dance in anticipation of chocolate cake, she offered to let me eat cake before soup. I might have taken her up on it except that I also love soup.

Here is Brenda's recipe. I think I may have shared this recipe before when my friend, Judy, told me about it. Brenda's cake was baked in a bundt pan and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. For some reason I had thought this cake could not be made in a bundt pan, but it worked fine and was very pretty.

Cherry Chocolate Cake

1 chocolate cake mix
1 can cherry pie filling
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Mix ingredients and pour into greased and floured bund cake pan. Bake about 45-50 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Note: Use your creativity in choosing any flavor cake mix, pie filling, or a teaspoon of flavoring such as almond or vanilla.

Want to be a part of preventing hunger among senior citizens? For every set of my photo greeting cards purchased, $2.00 is donated to Meals on Wheels. See the cards at www.angelinyourinkwell.com/buy.html. Share the love.


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