One Writer's Life--Renaissance Festival in Arizona

Mar 10, 2013


One Writer's Life--Renaissance Festival in Arizona

It was a long drive to the festival site (about 1 and 1/2 hours) but well worth it even with a grey sky.


Parking was nice and easy which made me happy not to have a long stroll before reaching all those wonderfuls shops and streets full of people in so many costumes.
It was a long drive to the festival site (about 1 and 1/2 hours) but well worth it even with a grey sky.

View from parking lot overlooking the Superstitions Mountains.

A French man who greeted me with a kiss on the back of my hand.

A wonderful carving with many details. I suggest you click on picture to enlarge it.

Uh, what did he do?

A real live tree fellow who loved to talk to all the young children.

Aw, so still in perfect statue form.

Look again. The statue was a mime and moved when viewers least expected it!

An offerring from a gracious fairy.

If you find a fairy like this may all your wishes come true.

May there always be a silver lining for you.

One Writer's Life--Desert Rain

Desert Rain

So rare, so precious
Puddles form and spread outward
Beads of water linger on leaves

Birds hide in trees and shrubs
Feather fluff out
Keeping them warm

Sunlight plays peek-a-boo
Through the dark low-hanging clouds
That ever shift and change forms

People rush from place to place
Staying out of the mositure
But once inside window viewing
Comes at every opportunity

Desert rain becomes
As precious as hoarded gold.

Will this happen tonight?

One Writer's Life--The story Behind The story

The story Behind The story

Writing my first children's picture book all came from Be Careful What You Wish For. I visualized a young boy in my mind and keep asking what boys might wish for. I know many boys want to be good in sports but I want more that that. Eventually I settled on a pet, a swimming pool, and an allowance as the most common things a child might like to have.

Next, I needed to understand who would grant wishes other than a genie in a bottle. I went to sleep with that question on my mind and woke with an answer--a fairy. Not just any fairy but one with an attitude.

Many revisions came and went before I finally settled on a complete story which is now available on Amazon.com under the title: The Stubborn Fairy or under my name: Cherie Lee.

All authors find their own path to writing a picture book, a short story, or a novel. So if writing is something you wish to do plunge right into the task. Everything can and will be rewritten once finished until an author is satisfied the story works.https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/profile

Time

Time

It flies
It slows
It goes
In disappearance.

Tasks pile
Tasks diminish
As time
Dictates.

Goals create
Lists
Long and
Short.

Focus on
One at
A time
To see
A goal
Line appear.

Stories start
Sputter
But creep
Along as
Time permits.

Reading fills
The well
Of inspiration
Or educates
To make
Time
Well spent.

Wishing all readers a joyous time with their individaul time usage. My work-in-progress (WIP) is yelling come and play before your time disappears.

One Writer's Life

Keeping Up

Writing requires a commitment for time to write and a passion to keep going when the going gets tough. Time seems to be the biggest problem for me. I sit down at my computer and read my e-mails, check out MySpace site and Facebook. Soon, hours have passed and no writing or editing has been done.
Today, I realized how wasteful I have been with time. I'm using blog readings and emails as an excuse to avoid getting down to work. This pattern must be broken.
I started my day a bit differently by doing the watering outside first while I thought about my work in-progress. Back inside as soon as the computer came on, I broke my resolution to change my ways!
Blogging and emails came first! This felt like the New Year's Eve promises I make and never seem able to keep, but lucky for me, my wireless keyboard went dead. That meant i had to wait for the batteries to recharge before continuing my poor time management.
I made some notes for my work-in-progress, took a shower, washed my hair so I'd be ready for tonight's romance writer's meeting, put the now charged batteries in place and came back on the Internet.
I know to change my ways totally, I must take small steps. I allowed myself fifteen minutes on the Internet for this session before I sign off and go to work for real. Tomorrow, I will have to earn my Internet minutes by writing first. I'm not sure what time or word count I'll use, but the writing now must come first.
How do you resolve your time commitments for your family, your writing, your day job if you have one, and playing on the Internet?

One Writer's Life

Time Management

I looked at the date of the last blog posting and was aghast at how time slipped away from me. I regularly post on myspace at www.myspace.com/cherannlee, but have neglected this one much to my sorrow.

To try and improve my daily goals I have started making daily lists like this one:
water flowers
skim pool
give treats to cats
let dog outside
take out trash and recycle stuff
call friend and make a luncheon date (friend just lost her father in death)
hem a graduation gown for a young friend who graduates today
mail a birthday card to Texas
check emails, all 80 of them
update blogs
edit chapters 4 & 5
write chapter 6 again
remember to eat before a headache occurs
e-mail pics to granddaughter
eat before a headache begins

Now the list was done and some of the items were actually finished in the order of need: the watering, the treats, the dog let out, the e-mails, the blogging, the hemming of gown and next to come my writing.

If anyone knows a tip or two for better time management, I'd love to hear. My problem I know stems from saying yes to many things, so now it's a scramble to get even the basic daily living thing done. Maybe in the future I will remember there is one rarely used word in my vocabulary--NO. I plan to take it out, dust it off and even try to use it, too.

One Writer's Life

When I was a child, Uncle Freddy's visits always started wonderful playtime. Once, he arrived unannounced as I was making mud pies. I ran and gave him a muddy squealing hug and kiss.
When Mom protested at the mud trail I left all over him, he said, "Don't worry, Sis. It'll wash."
Mom frowned.
Unruffled, Uncle Freddy swung me onto his brand new black patent leather shoes, hummed a waltz, and danced me around the pine floor of the living-room.
But I always knew when it was his last day to visit. Uncle Freddy would get his German beer-stein and sit in the family room, caressing the silver-domed lid before pressing it for a sip that he's swish in his mouth before swallowing. Lost in thoughts as his fingers traced the beer-stein letters, he would not hear me calling him.
After finishing the beer, he's turn the stein to face the sunlight shininh through the window. This made the silver-domed lid gleam like Mom's furniture on polishing day.
Uncle Freddy would give a final tap to his beer-stein, smile broadly, and call "Goodbye" as he left.