The photo is of the U.S. National Korean War Memorial.
Today is the day we honor the men and women who fought in that war.
The Korean War was a fight against Communism-the first battle in the Cold War. Sometimes called the Forgotten War, the Korean War began in June 1950 and killed 36,000 Americans.
For three years America and its allies fought the North Korean forces.
Peace was attained by President Eisenhower’s government and on July 27, 1953 an armistice was signed. All fighting ended.
When I tell someone I’m a writer, there are two questions that I’m always asked: 1. where do you get your ideas, 2. when did you start writing.
I’ll answer these questions in order.
My ideas usually come to me as I’m falling asleep. I tell myself stories as I drop off. When I’m in the middle of a first draft, I think about upcoming scenes and imagine dialogue and the interaction between the characters. Sometimes I come up with an idea during the day, file it away-either written down or in my memory-and then imagine the scene that night.
I started writing in middle school. My best friend at the time was an amazing writer and we talked about the process. It piqued my interest and I began a story. The other influencer was one of my middle school/high school English teachers. She promoted the idea of writing and even brought in a guest lecturer. He discussed creative writing and had us write ideas and chapters.
I think these two people built the foundation for my writing career. So, thank you to you both.
I miss my friend and am thankful that I am Internet friends with the teacher.
I hope you have someone, or several somebodies, who inspire you. Sonja
I’m writing this way ahead of time, just so you know. Today is the day we lay my mother-in-law to rest. She died in April and today is the soonest we were able to schedule the graveside service to inter her cremains.
My MIL was a strong and opinionated woman who provided gentle guidance when I first married her youngest son. My husband is her baby, the youngest of six kids. She had an iron fist while also encouraging her kids to be themselves.
She lived her entire life in Tucson, loving the desert. She planted drought- and heat-tolerant plants in her garden while battling the drying winds and temps. She loved rocks and geodes. Her garden and the fireplace hearth was filled with the sparkling crystals. We have some of them now and it’s nice to see them sparkling in the sun and reminding us of the good times.
One of the things I notice when reading unpublished and newly-published authors is what is affectionately called TSTL (too stupid to live).
It’s when a character does something so crushingly bad that it’s suprising that they can navigate around trees. Like leading the bad guys to their home, or doing something that will attract attention while they are supposed to be quiet and hidden.
Usually, these incidents are purely to move the plot forward and indicate the author’s poor planning, laziness, or lack of creativity. I know. That’s harsh. I mean for it to be. I am particularly passionate about writing. We are responsible for the reader’s enjoyment as they journey through the fictional world we have crafted. They put their faith in our skills to transport them into our story, and to care about our characters. We cannot fail them.
I hope you will let me know if my stories are successful for you. Sonja
It’s the weekend and for many of us that means time off from work. Yay! What do you have planned?
BC19 (Before COVID-19) the weekend was a time for gatherings and socializing, which is off the books for now. Today may be the time for a solitary bike ride through interesting landscape-whether that is the desert’s unique formations or under a canopy of trees.
I’m not trying to get political here, so no comments about the pandemic, social distancing, or mask-wearing, please!
I’m encouraging you to enjoy the beautiful summer day! Sonja
When a story doesn’t unfold in my brain, it’s a struggle to get it down on paper–or, rather, in ones and zeros. I’m having this issue with Lady Zepherine’s story. She is reluctant to tell her story, and I am having a difficult time writing it. Difficult is putting it mildly. It’s like hammering dull nails into an oak board with a sponge. Yes, that’s impossible.
The hard thing is not writing her story. But I feel like it’s a tortured mess. That’s what editing is for, right?
It’s also tough because parts of her story are so personal to me. Diving into my memories, and interacting with the mean girls and bullies who live there, makes me sad. I wish I had the knowledge that I have now, back then, so I could stand up to them and defend myself instead of ‘taking it’ like I did.
Even now, I try to take the high road and not get pulled down into what I consider trite arguments. The unfortunate side of that is the number of people (who I though were friends) believing the liar and rumor-spreader.
Aren’t you glad that it exposed your false friends? Yes, but it makes for loneliness, too. I wish they had taken the time to find the truth rather than believing the person who had no issues dragging my name through the mud. I hope I haven’t made the same mistake.
This afternoon I get to indulge in one of my favorite things-chatting with another author. Today, it’s thriller writer J.A. Jance.
I get to be involved because of the Author Chat series sponsored by Tucson Festival of Books.
Sometimes, these chats are good, sometime they aren’t, but I think it’s fun to listen to the advice and encouragement of successful NYT Bestsellers. It’s a dream of mine to make that list.
I write every day, less so now since I’m recovering from surgery and typing send tiny shards of pain up my wrist. On the thumb side. Where the bone graft came from. Sigh.
My body also likes to put my nerves on high alert after surgery, so I’m working to desensitize those suckers. It’s uncomfortable, but worth the pain. As is the stretching to get more movement in my wrist.
What can also be uncomfortable is writing. (Nice segue, huh?)
The most difficult part of writing for me is the first draft-I much prefer editing and fleshing out the story. But it’s all fun, no matter how difficult it is to get the words down.
I hope you are able to indulge in something you love. Sonja
Today is a day in the United States for reflection and gratitude. To reflect on our nation’s history and be thankful for the sacrifices made by those men and women all those years ago.
I have a patriot who fought in the Revolutionary War for independence from Great Britain– as well as the subsequent membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).
I have an ancestor who came from England to Plymouth Colony on the Mayflower.
And, I have a Scottish ancestor who was captured by the British in 1650, endured the horror that was Durham Cathedral, and started over again in the New World after a sea voyage aboard the ship Unity. He returned to his homeland, but his children emigrated to the eastern seaboard of the colonies.
Today, I thank these brave men, the courageous women who accompanied them, and the children who came before me. I have a rich past that is similar to, or lesser than, many others. It doesn’t matter if you come from someone ‘notable’, or descend from humbler stock. Your ancestors made you the person you are today.
Perhaps you wish that private was actually a Major-General… But you would be a completely different person, or maybe not even here. Be thankful for your ancestors and for whatever role they played in your personal history, as well as the world’s history.
To celebrate the birth of the United States and my ancestor’s roles in its formation, I arranged for the ebook of The Voyage to be offered for FREE on amazon.com. You can search for the book using my name in the Amazon search bar, or use the quick links on the left side of this website. The book is an easy-reader and illustrated by the same artist who does the Guinness the Therapy Dog series. The ebook will be available for FREE TODAY AND TOMORROW ONLY!
The big challenge of writing is balancing all the other things that go along with being self-employed. There’s the marketing, the financial side, the writing itself, networking. So many things to take up time.
And, time is valuable. Time is precious.
These posts take up some of that time, but I like writing them. They help me feel connected to you, the reader. I hope you find them fun and worthy of your time as you read them.
It’s especially hard to do thing as I enter my third week in an arm cast. It’s difficult to type at a keyboard when my wrist is immobilized, but this will end soon and I will be back to typing at full strength!
The cast is necessary. A necessary evil? Definitely. I am naturally clumsy and this trait has increased over the years. If not for the cast, I would have slammed my wrist into doors, walls, and the backs of chairs too many times to count.
If you have any good ways to manage your time, I would love to hear it! Post here or send me an email at sonjadanielson@gmail.com.
I always have a cup of tea beside my laptop. Even as it’s tortuously hot outside, I have some cooled tea in my cup.
I also have dogs at my feet! Guinness the Therapy Dog is usually under the table where I work and rests on top of my feet. Lucy the Wonder Dog likes to stretch out beside my chair-within quick access to her crate where she hides.
