Houseclean Your Brain

WRITING TIP

A while back -- quite a while back -- I showed you this picture of my office cleaning in progress. It hasn't taken me all this time to accomplish it. I finished it a few days after the last post, but I did take my time and thoroughly enjoyed the process. A cup of tea, dusty books -- what's not to love?

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The second picture is of the completed project. I know what you're thinking. Wow! It still looks like a mess. I'll have you know that six grocery bags of books were removed and donated to the library. At least another three bags were sent to recycling and maybe five more sent out to the trash. Yes, the shelves were packed upright, sideways, and on top of each other.

Now I have the old books I really could not part with. And I can see them. They are at my fingertips, ready for me to revisit.

Even though it doesn't look like it, the top shelf and walls were purged too. My favorite things remain. Vintage hats, a page of Betsy McCall paper dolls, an empty Valentine's candy box (even bad chocolate is good when eaten from a heart-shaped box), and, yes, that is a calendar from 2010 -- it has pictures and quotes about chocolate on it.

Now when I enter my office, my brain feels refreshed and ready to go. If I'm feeling a little down, I look at the mementos from friends and good times, and my energy returns.

It's like housecleaning for your brain. Cobwebs swept away creating space for new ideas.

LAUNCHING PAD

The Advanced Life Story Writing Group met this week. I gave them their Launching Pad for February so I'll just share that with you -- since we're talking about Valentine chocolates. Here it is: What is your favorite Valentine candy? Or, what words or sentiments would you write on those little candy hearts that appear at Valentine's? Some clever writer in the group e-mailed to ask if swear words were okay. (Yes, that was Donna.) Well, sure. Tell that current or ex-Valentine sweetheart what you really think.

Chocolate Inkwell

Chocolate Covered Strawberries - These look beautifully Valentine-y. You probably already know how to make chocolate covered strawberries, but read on. This recipe from www.allrecipes.com gives you a little trick for creating really pretty strawberries.

• 
• Chocolate Strawberries

 

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)

16 ounces milk chocolate chips

2 tablespoons shortening

1 pound fresh strawberries with leaves

Directions

1. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and shortening, stirring occasionally until smooth. Holding them by the toothpicks, dip the strawberries into the chocolate mixture.
2. Insert toothpicks into the tops of the strawberries.
3. Turn the strawberries upside down and insert the toothpick into styrofoam for the chocolate to cool.joyed the process

Do you love to teach? Wish you had a life story writing group? There are writing groups in cities surrounding Kansas City, Missouri and in other states which have been started by someone who loved to teach, gathered a group looking for fun and affirmation of life, and using the Write Your Life Story Workbook - Second Edition. Discounts apply to orders of eight or more books. E-mail me, carol@angelinyourinkwell.com, for more information. Go to www.angelinyourinkwkell.com and click on Buy for information about the workbook.

All rights reserved 2013 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

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.


All rights reserved 2011 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Come With Me

Come With Me





Writing Tip


Does the building in this grainy photo look familiar? It's a bit fuzzy because I copied it from Wickipedia. Back when I was in junior high school in Lawton, Oklahoma, this was the junior high school building.


Now why would the building where I attended junior high look familiar to you? Because, while it may have some unique qualities, it also has some universal qualities that all school buildings of the period had.


Recently I was back in Lawton for a few days so I have been thinking about growing up there. Thinking about place.
In our life story writing group, Millie is writing a wonderful story of place -- Yellowstone National Park where she worked as a young woman. Millie was shaped by her time in Yellowstone, just as I was shaped by my time in Lawton, and you were shaped by any number of the places where you have been.

Looking for what other bloggers have to say about writing about place in memoir or life story, I turned to www.womensmemoirs.com where I found the following article from June 9, 2012:
Journaling for Memoir: Writing About Place — Memoir Writing Blog. And, more recently, in her June 25, 2012 post, Matilda Butler writes about growing up in Oklahoma City and how she was shaped by place.

When you are writing your story, remember that it happened in a place. Tell the reader, "Come with me," and then take us along so we can experience your story with you.

Launching Pad

Here is an idea from the Journaling for Memoir post at www.womensmemoirs.com. Complete the following prompt ten times: "It was the kind of place where . . ."  This prompt seems to me to be a quick way to get to the essence of place. I'm going to give it a try.

1. Lawton was the kind of place where square dances were held on the city parks' tennis courts on hot summer nights.
2. Lawton was the kind of place where everyone went to The Old South cafeteria for lunch after church on Sunday.
3. Lawton was the kind of place where the librairians at the Carnegie Public Library would let an unaccompanied child wander in the adult stacks and even check out books from there.

Chocolate Inkwell

 

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Eclair Cake

There is good news and bad news about today's recipe.

This is a great recipe for summer from www.allrecipes.com because no baking is involved, No oven-heating required; however, it does have to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours before serving.   In a comment she wrote at www.allrecipes.com, Cathy Gordon says,  

"This is a very quick and simple no bake dessert cake. It uses graham crackers and a pudding mixture. It tastes just like an eclair, but there is enough for a crowd!! It is a great recipe for children who are learning to cook, there is no baking involved or any power kitchen tools. Just a bowl and a spoon!"

Ingredients

• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 3 cups milk
• 1 (16 ounce) package graham cracker squares
• 1 (16 ounce) package prepared chocolate frosting

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, thoroughly blend the pudding mix, whipped topping, and milk.
2. Arrange a single layer of graham cracker squares in the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking pan. Evenly spread half of the pudding mixture over the crackers. Top with another layer of crackers and the remaining pudding mixture. Top with a final layer of graham crackers.
3. Spread the frosting over the whole cake up to the edges of the pan. The frosting will be easier to spread if the cake is covered and chilled for about 30 minutes before spreading.
4. Cover, and chill at least 4 hours before serving. 

              

For more writing tips, launching pads, or your very own workbook to help you write your life story, go to, www.angelinyourinkwell.com.

All rights reserved 2011 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

A Cliche You Should Use

WRITING TIP

A few weeks ago Gentleman Friend and I were in San Diego. We had not visited the city's famous zoo in years so off we went. I had forgotten how huge it is. We hopped on a bus to get an overview of the exhibits.

Later, when we were on foot, we stopped to admire an animal we had never seen, a red panda.

How are you liking the visit so far? Not very interesting is it? And why is that? Because you cannot really see anything. Remember the first rule writers learn: Show don't tell. I have told you we rode a bus and I have told you we saw a red panda, even presented a sign that tells about the red panda. Sheesh! What else do you want?  Oooooh, you want to see the real deal?

Alrighty then. Take a look at this.

And take a look at this. Better?


Yes, we are still using words in our writing, but we must use those words to paint a picture for the reader. Show us the fluffy tri-colored animal relaxing in a tree, four limbs dangling on either side of the tree branch. Show us that red open-air, double-decker bus. Let us hear the gentleman across the aisle, obviously a frequent visitor who knew the name of and esoteric information about every animal and exhibit.

Why is this so hard for writers, myself included? It is because we know the information so well, see it so vividly in our mind, that we forget our reader can't read our mind. Here's a little trick. I'm not sure how good it is for your mental health, but it will work for your writing. I think of it as splitting my mind apart. I stand apart and look inside. Then I write what I see there. Okay, this is sounding weird. Time to wind it up. Just remember to ask yourself: Are the details on the paper or just in my mind?

WRITING PROMPT

I felt like a caged animal . . .  What makes you feel trapped, closed in, unable to move? What makes you want to escape? How do you make your break?

CHOCOLATE INKWELL - Does this look like it will make up for last month's trick when you got puppies instead of cookies? This recipe is from www.bakingjunkie.com and has all my favorite stuff: Marcha White muffin mix (yes, muffin mix), Eagle Brand condensed milk, buttah, pecans, and chocolate -- not necessarily in order of preference. That's what's so great about this recipe. You can have it all at once.


Turtle Fudge Chocolate Chip Cookies
5 oz unsweetened chocolate
¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 packages Martha White chocolate chip muffin mix
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup chopped pecans
48 chocolate-covered caramel candies (Werther’s or Rolo’s)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a glass bowl microwave chocolate and butter until melted. Stir together until smooth. Stir in condensed milk, then add muffin mix. Mixture will be thick. Roll into small balls and dip one side into chopped nuts. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet with nut side up. Bake for approximately 8 minutes, or until edges start to look crinkled. Immediately press a candy into the center of each cookie and press down slightly. Once all cookies have a candy on top, go back and press each candy further into the cookie, allowing the chocolate to melt more. Cool completely before removing from cookie sheet.

Writing your life story is fun and life affirming. Get a group and get started. Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook, Second Edition can help. Order it at www.angelinyourinkwell.com/buy.html


All rights reserved 2012 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Don't Let the Sun Set On Bad Writing

WRITING TIP


These three photos taken a few days ago near San Diego remind me of an essay I wrote last November and re-wrote in February. In my November versions, the tone was unclear and the point was unclear. The opening was too heavy, the second paragraph was too light, and the middle was a muddle. Just like this photo.

The left area of the photo is too light, the couple is too dark, and it isn't clear whether they are facing snow and mountains or ocean and clouds. Besides that, they are looking out of the picture. What's out there? Why isn't it in the picture?

In this second shot, the light parts are still too light, but we can tell it is probably ocean. However, I moved in closer so it looks as if they may have their feet in the water. He is still looking out there at something we can't see. She, meanwhile, has become an unrecognizable lump.




This next picture is both better and worse. The waves are again looking like snow to me, and just as I pressed the shutter button, she looked out of the picture again, and a tiny halo has appeared over her head. Also, they seem to have an odd number of legs. I want them to be "a couple" enjoying the sunset at the ocean. Not gonna happen. I can't move them. I can't move the ocean, the beach, or the sun. In fact, the sun has set.

Lucky for us as writers, we have control over our writing. I think my February version of my essay is considerably better since I gained better control of it.  I figured out I was writing about family and not just making some joke-y play on words that nobody but me even got. I quit expecting the reader to intuit what I intended. I came right out and said what I meant. I shortened that long, heavy opening. Added details so we know whether we're "at the ocean or in the snow." I was able to direct my reader, unlike my couple in the photo, where to look and what to see.

Have you clearly shown your reader the setting? The characters? Their relationship? Have you been clear about what you point you are trying to make?

Don't let the sun set until you have accomplished all those things.

Okay, well, honestly, sometimes it is many sunsets before we are able to accomplish all that. Keep working at it. It's worth it.

WRITING PROMPT

As the sun set . . . . It's a cliche but that's our task as writers -- to make something fresh and new from the same old truths. Give it a try. Write for ten minutes or more. Later, revise and rewrite. When you rewrite, you may find you eliminate the original phrase. Doesn't matter.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL

In case you are still trying to recover from holiday and Valentine's Day excesses, today's Chocolate Inkwell is guaranteed low-cal but with enough chocolate to bring a smile. This is from a calendar for sale at Amazon.com.

Just Chocolate Lab Puppies 2012 Wall Calendar - Amazon.com

All other photos by Carol Newman -
There's An Angel In Your Inkwell ®

This is the year to write your life story. Make it more fun with Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook, Second Edition, available at www.angelinyourinkwell.com/buy.html.

Find more Writing Tips and Writing Prompts at www.angelinyourinkwell.com.

All rights reserved 2012 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®