Category: dogs

Wow! It’s cold outside right now, and apparently it is about to get colder. With temps dropping and snow inbound here in the Northwest, with many of us holed up in our homes, either binge watching our favorite shows, stressing about not getting work done… or both!

Fortunately, I’m blessed with having all my work flowing back and forth, somewhere between my head and my fingers, most of the time. Lately, I have been keeping myself busy with my novel, discovering that it is not nearly as easy as they make it look on Google! 

First of all, I learned how to turn Google off! If I am to fully engage in the telling of this story, I cannot be distracted by rules, instructions and everyone else’s opinion of how I should write this book! If I don’t have a book written, searching around on the internet for help in how to sell said book, is pretty much mute! Too much help has actually been interfering with the telling of the Tale… and that just won’t work for this girl!

The second discovery I’ve made? Writing takes a lot of work… more so than I ever realized! You know that old adage, Rome was not built in a day? If I’d not understood the depth of that phrase’s meaning before, I’ve surely begun to feel the weight of its truth now! In my naivety, I had developed some very unrealistic ideas of how books were written. For some reason, I had it in my head that real writers could just sit down in some fugue state of enlightenment, that then gave way to the spewing out of an entire story… in only a brief amount of time. Maybe some can truly write that way… just not me! 

Not only did I discover that I write differently than other writers, which is as it should be, but I learned that I like to build my own literary road blocks, or excuses, so I don’t have to push myself into writing freely. Leaving this way of thinking, is the best way to grow as a writer, in my opinion. That should explain why you’ve all seen my posts about writing more off the cuff, as they say. I’ve changed up my entire daily schedule, in order to structure a more realistic writing environment for myself… earlier rising… quiet time first…daily writings and correspondence here on WordPress… and then I work on my dream! 

I am a tortoise, remember, and not the hare when it comes to walking forward in this pursuit. If I rush forward in what I try to get down on the page, it fills me with the worst pressure within my spirit. Therefore, I must pull each thread out of my dreams, very methodically and then carefully sew it into the literary fabric of its creation. I’ve no desire or intention of running over my own typing fingers with the needle of my Brain Machine! While I may end up being the worlds slowest Story Seamstress, Story Seamstress I shall be, none the less!

Every day I challenge myself to pull my chair up to this literary sewing table, whether it be to cut in story patterns, pin sections to one another, or cut away loose threads. 

Regardless of what I do at this table, the project goes forward… and yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is coming closer to being complete. I’m going to take my time, learning the process and improving my skill with writing. Timing is everything, as I’ve learned over and over through the years… and I fully agree with whomever first said it. In fact, I believe so strongly in that phrase that I’m willing to take it to the bank… you know… That bank… Eternal Investments and Loans. If you’re looking for a better banking establishment, BTW, this bank only came with one question on the application and they apparently already had access to my background report… and I got an account anyways… crazy right?!

At the end of the day, or at least the end of this article, I still have no idea what I’m doing, nor can I see into the future to where I’ll end up… but I can say that I see growth, I feel peace, and I am finding so much Joy in this journey. If I can say this while living the way I do, through all the waiting, all the hardship of both grief and sorrow, with no clear answer for the end… my prayer and belief is that you can too, in whatever place of your journey that you are on. There is Joy to be found if we push on… whether we need to take baby steps, or at times even crawl! 

Beginnings

Sunshine

Moisture

Darkness

Cracking

Tearing

Pressure

Awakening

Reaching

Grasping

Growing

Bursting

Stretching

Covering

Shading

Sheltering

Giving

I wonder what we could all learn from the life of a tree…

As many of you, who follow this column, may already know… My name is Wiwohka. I am a writer…a teller of tales, both real and imaginary. I settled here at WTL news some time ago… ages it seems, but in reality I’ve only been here just under a year.

Apparently, my writing style and general attitude were exactly what the Paper had been looking to hire! As my columns title, The Tuesday Tattler suggests, I have been employed to gather information and put it into a literary form for you, my readers. I have been blessed with writing, for the most part, from right here in the office. Fortunately, I have been assigned an invaluable counterpart, who was actually the one who recruited me to join the staff, here at WTL News! 

We’d met some years ago, but it wasn’t until earlier this year that He asked me to consider working with Him. It was a good thing that He waited, as it has taken a considerable effort to develop my literary skills to a level that could be useful for His purposes!

There are a great number on staff here, so my column is only one of many… and they are all overseen by none other than the one who recruited me, as well! My recruiter, by the way, is also the papers Lead Reporter, Human Resource Supervisor, and our Legal Departments Fact Checker. Here at WTL News it is of utmost importance to our Benefactor that we keep our columns free of any lies and judgements, focusing on bettering the literary world that we serve. JC, as I like to affectionately call Him, is always diligently at work, ensuring that we speak the truth in love and keep things real at the same time, if that makes any sense.

Just the other day, as we were having lunch together, JC encouraged me to accept an assignment from our Benefactor, which would require some extensive travel down a very old literary path. All my expenses will be paid and a map with directions will be included with my travel papers. Without hesitation I accepted the job right there on the spot! If the One, who built WTL News from the ground up, asks that I do a thing… I’m willing to go on a little faith and start packing… immediately!

So far, all I know is that I’m to head out first thing in the morning, traveling down an ancient pathway to meet a man named Job. I’ve never met the man personally, but JC has, and he is in complete agreement with the Big Guy on the value of this assignment. JC assured me that my interview of the man is of great importance, whether I understand what that is, or not! WTL News has confidence in me, or I would not have been considered for this job. With that in mind, there is no need to concern myself with the outcome of this endeavor… I fully trust the One who sends me forth!

I am aware of a great many rumors surrounding this man, so my curiosity is definitely peaked, in regards to the truth of things. While traveling to meet with this man, I’ll go back over everything I know about him and review all the evidence that was previously gathered, in regards to his life. Aside from these preparations, I decided to wait on building a list of questions for the interview, until after we meet and get to know one another a little. I want to see how things are from his perspective… his reality. 

Tune in for the next episode of Tuesday Tattler, where I’ll be telling you about everything I discovered during my time with this unusual man, Job. Perhaps he was just a nobody… or… just maybe he is something more… sometimes less is more, as they say.

Maybe I should change the title here, to Mondays To Do list, as I am pretty much making a list of things I’ve set for myself to get accomplished this week.

I could… but, like most to do lists, we write things down and then never look at the list again! Oh well… good intentions and all that!

My heart was filled with good intentions when I started doing the theme for Monday Messages, as I was trying to elicit more interactions from friends and readers. While there was some response from some, I doubt most people actually read the messages… let’s face it, if you don’t want to read your own to do lists, why on earth would you want to read what someone else plans on getting done for the week!

I get it! But it doesn’t mean that I’ve any intention of stopping… I’m going with the old adage, Fake it til you make it! I’m a Chatty Cathy, remember, so I can talk for anyone in the room… it’s what I do! 

This week in my neck of the woods, we have a storm system headed our way, so it’s gonna get wet, then really cold and dry and then possibly snow before next week… who knows. That’s the thing about weather… it can change on a dime, without caring who said what. But it does add to my adventurous mood, with the rain and wind being all blustery. My goal this week is to steadily begin moving forward with Brutus. 

Is it just me, or is it super hard to get back into the routine of things after a major holiday season. Don’t laugh, but I was really concerned that I would lose the thread of my dragon and his story, while taking a leave of absence for my eye surgeries, and then the Holiday that directly followed. I’d anticipated having time to relax and rest, which I did to a point, but my brain kept itching… a lot… hence, the creation of Tilly!

Well, I do like to multi task, so I suppose it doesn’t hurt to add a line of children’s books to my list of passions. Never fear my friends, as I have also discovered that Brutus is still alive and well in my mind! 

This week will be the first week that I actually practice my new writing style of what I’m calling Free Writing… in the moment, off the cuff and winging it! I will edit later is my new mantra.

I’ll admit that it is easier to do with my big projects, as you all don’t get to see my typos and fragmented statements, or possibly the run-ons that will happen in those stories before being edited. For all of the writing you get to experience here, on my site, it won’t be so easy. 

Never fear, as cookies will always be near, to cover my misspells fragments and things that are just weird! Did you see how I made that rhyme… did ya??? 

With the darkened months of winter upon us, I’ve had to get up earlier and read out in the main part of the RV, for better lighting and less chance of dozing off. This weather makes me sleepy, with the rain steadily tapping on the roof, along with the wind rustling through the trees overhead. When you are curled up in your bed, amidst a pile of fluffy blankets and pillows, with a warm cup of tea in hand, it is way to easy to just steal a little nap. 

While I don’t buy into the whole resolution thing, I do believe that it is healthy for one to do seasonal self checks, as I like to refer to them. Change is good for us, even though it isn’t always easy or fun. As a writer, being stagnant or complacent can be a real hinderance to literary growth and expansion. Probably the only thing I can fully grasp onto, as something that needs improvement for the coming year, is my creative spontaneity… I spend more time than I should on my own editing and rewriting before publishing… this isn’t rocket science! 

The challenge set for this year is to loosen my brain muscles, allowing myself to write more easily, off the cuff, as one might say. Last year my challenge had been to write every day, to answer each Daily Prompt without being negative or flippant, and to stretch my little grey cells by writing outside the box… or outside the norm! Looking back over this last year has left me feeling pretty darn positive about the changes and growth that I see. There is still much to be done, however, requiring more change and growth on my part, if I’m to hone my God given abilities.

You may or may not have noticed anything different in the way I write, but I’ve enacted a new style of writing for myself… off the cuff… on the fly… Live moment by moment! What I’ve done in the past has been to write things several days ahead of posting so that I can be organized, but I want to learn to stretch myself to writing with no 48 hour safety net. You may see some typing errors, here or there, possibly even a bit fragmented sometimes… but practice makes perfect and I intend to practice! Where better to practice than with the people I love and trust for encouragement?!

The new schedule that I’ve employed, allows me to go into the draft board each week and put in, what I call framework, but are basically themed titles, along with a picture that acts like a thought bubble. Other than that, nothing else really gets to be created in the post until the morning it’s to be written. I need to learn to trust myself in what I’m writing, as well as to get the whole idea out first and then go back to do the editing. In the past I’ve tended to edit as I write, which makes it very difficult to let thoughts flow, and that has to change. 

I’m nearly halfway through writing Brutus and I think I’ve hindered myself by trying to build a novel from the ground up at the same time as telling the story that is pounding in my brain to get out! I keep hearing the thought, “Just tell his story and worry about the rules later”… you figure out who is the author of that thought or voice, I say it’s God, but everybody already knew I would.

Live Wire Sundays will continue, as I absolutely love sharing what I’m learning in the word, and you guys have all kind of become my Study Buddies. Beginning next week, we will begin journeying through the mountains the Israelites faced and learning about ourselves at the same time, hopefully. My prayer is that when you visit the Lobby on Live Wire Sundays, you feel like we are sitting together side to side learning, as I’ve no intention of preaching at anyone and am nowhere near educated enough to attempt explaining theology… that is for Universities and Seminaries! 

My wish is not to lecture people, nor do I want you thinking I GOT THIS… because, ladies and gents, I DON’T! What I desire is your fellowship… your time and your love… that’s it! 

If we are the Church, then it should stand to reason that we find a place to fellowship with other parts of the Church, making us all fit together like a puzzle… so that’s what I try to do in the Lobby. I wish to have an atmosphere of love, acceptance and understanding towards every soul that walks through the entryway, as there is no doorway installed. 

The verses below sort of sum up where my heart is and what I believe I’m being called to do…

“Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another” Romans 14:19

 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians” 4:8

Have a beautiful day my sweet family… let’s make 2024 a year of love, joy and laughter… sprinkled with a bit of hope, a dash of understanding for others, and a big cup of grace for a world in need of all of the above. I’ve been watching you all and I have faith in you because I see your hearts… you are just like me… children of the Almighty!