Tag: writing

Previously Published: Saturday, January 16, 2016

I have taken on the dutiful honor of crowning myself as ‘The Silliest Writer Ever!’ Thankfully, this official position of silliness is only a momentary one and the crown shall pass on to the next silly writer, within moments of the writer realizing what everyone else has recognized for quite a while, as obliviously silly and the writer admitting under their breath slowly, “Oh, I get it now”.

Even now, as I contemplate my reign over the ‘Kingdom of Silliness’ and all the silly things ever concocted by a writer, I have two people in mind I have yet to intrigue with my silly antidotes. The irony is that, as I sit here with my millennium list of things yet not accomplished, I am actually excited about the newly found wealth of information that I want to share with them. Yes, these two have served more than 20 unforgiving years honing their specialty to become moguls of their craft. Their blood has laced timelines and their tear-soaked, cheeks have kept, the struggles and the disappointments of life from drying out their dreams and hopes of fulfilling their passion. Their passions have turned into a career that family, friends, and yes-jealous enemies seek out their wisdom and guidance for. Why? Well, because unlike myself, they don’t start their dreams in January, whine that it’s too hard in February, and quit by March. Only to start yet, another diversional grand scheme towards riches for the next three months and continue a madly insane cycle of starting and stopping to nothingness, year after year.

I find myself regularly encouraging everybody else, to write their life story. I always think that what they have to share is so intriguing and certainly the world can’t live another day without their carbon fingerprint carved eternally in the edges of the horizon. My journalistic brain starts envisioning inscribed pages, pages, which turn into articles, articles that turn into best-selling books! I yell out to them “You should write! This is a fabulous story! It will be amazing!” They turn inelegantly towards me with utter bedazzlement, all the while looking quizzically into my eyes searching for any type of life form.

As I reflect upon this newly found silly revelation, it has taken me too long to realize that I have been trying to encourage the wrong people to write. In fact, they despise even the thought of writing, It’s as if I had handed them a red velvet cupcake, with cream cheese frosting, with a live medallion cockroach anchored on it, singing the “Star Spangled Banner”, while I’m eagerly awaiting their approval of this fine delicacy of a thought.
I have come to the obvious conclusion that while am I encouraging everybody else to write a book or a blog about their passion, it is I. Yes, none other than ‘Your Highness of Silliness’ should be writing, myself. Not just in January or February and stop for several months, but I should be writing daily, weekly consistently.

Yes, I, Janice the writer, the motivational speaker, the artist, the mom of five, lover of Jesus, beaches, jazz, and cycling. I take a humble bow before my court as I exit stage left to woo my beloved Mr. Disciplined Consistency. For I have allowed him to allude me for far too long. It’s time I demanded my engagement ring and confirmed our wedding date.

Thankfully, the season has come for me to embrace the realization of what has been an insurmountable task. To develop a consistent lifestyle of writing I must rely on someone much greater than myself as I humbly admit that the inconsistency of my dreams has been my weakness. Therein through my weakness, God shall be my strength.

I have before me a moment-by-moment challenge to remind myself that “I can do all things through Christ” Philippians 4:13 NKJV

as Jon Bloom shares in his The Insanity of Leaning on Our Own Understanding.

I shall not “…lean upon my own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 NIV as I continue writing.

Previously Published: Saturday, October 24, 2015

It is with much delight and passion that I look forward to writing early in the morning. I have decided that I wanted to develop my writing skills and abilities and to do that I need to set aside a specific time to write consistently each morning. I entered the ‘My 500 Words” in 31 Days challenge by Jeff Goins. I look forward to this time like many people look forward to a night of rest. God forgive me for taking so long, for leaning upon my own understanding. For years I have struggled with staying focused to write consistently. I would allow all types of seeming reasonable excuses to distract me from staying on track throughout the days, which turned into months and those months, eventually turned into years. Years of regret, years of wishing I had stayed focus on my writing career. I would always start, oh yes I could get started in a heart beat, although to finish on my own, well that’s the reason I have struggled all these years on my own.

I began writing in diaries that my mother gave me as a child. I don’t know if it was more of the “ right thing to do” or if she recognized something in me, because she continued to give me diaries and ensured that books were always readily available. As a child I used to find each of the fairy tales and other stories, which were embedded deep in “The Book of Knowledge” encyclopedia twenty-piece set we had at home. I can remember the day that the ” Grolier Dandelion Library Book Set ” was delivered to our home. A Raggedy Ann doll was included and she had a zipper located on her back, allowing for the storage of books, pajamas or what item may have intrigued a little girl at that age. My love for writing was further fueled when I begged my parents for a typewriter for Christmas and they told me that they couldn’t afford it and to my dismay on Christmas morning, there was no typewriter under the tree. My parents guided me to the dining room table where sat my first blue IBM typewriter! I screamed for joy as I ran over to the typewriter reassuring myself that it was really real as I press the buttons and turned the knobs, surely I was the happiest person in the world that day.

As a freshmen, in high school, I remembered entering a writing contest. I was proud of my first story called ‘The Bus‘ it was like a ‘Twilight Zone’ story, I knew that they would select my story as a winner. I don’t know what became of it, since I didn’t win. I allowed that to discourage me from continuing to write publicly. My English teachers would allow the classmates to correct each other’s homework. Many times the comments on my paper were that I didn’t follow directions. I never understood how I didn’t follow the teachers instructions which only further added to my confusion and lack of confidence in my writing. When I attended my first college English class, I asked the instructor a question, his respond was “You should have learned that in High School!” I was too embarrassed to ask any more questions. Again, I allowed all of these negative events to continue fuel my lack of confidence in my writing ability. I hid my desire for writing instead of using the passion and fire inside of me to guide me to more appealing circumstances and people. As the years past and I started a family, the computer replaced my typewriter and I was able to write my thoughts down quicker and with less stress on my hand. I would find myself writing short stories here and there. I would take all of the creative writing classes available while attending in college.

A few years ago I started blogging. “Communicating Joy” is my main blog about the relationships between God and people. I have one called the Five Joys, which I wanted to be about my life with raising my five children. I did do another blog, which I deleted because the information was too controversial. I have also started blogging about my cycling, although I think I need to create a separate blog for cycling, because my adventures in cycling are not the same as the relationships with God and raising my children is a completely different theme than the other two. So, I do have something to write about, my goal is to remain consistent, to become well known and sought after as a writer or even and editor. I want to live the life of a writer, to be free to write after a nice morning ride. To be mentally invigorated with the challenge to complete writing assignments with themes, research and deadlines. That is the life that I truly want to live. And it’s up to me to create it. Although, one thing I have not incorporated in my writing passion, is consistent prayer. I’ve tried to do this on my own. The difference is now I’m praying and asking God to help me to complete these goals, which are burning in my heart to come out. No more will I attempt to do this on my own. Constantly relying one of my favorite scriptures “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 KJV Prayer, prayer, prayer, and more prayer makes the difference.

So today, I am here, today I have written more than any other day.

Today I am truly enjoying my writing. At the end of the 31 days, I must find another project to challenge me to continue writing, for it is truly one of my heartfelt passions that had never died.