Sonja Danielson – Page 3

Have You Met Guinness?

Guinness the Therapy Dog is 95 pounds of love. He has a heart as big as outer space and wants to give everyone as much love as possible.

Also, he doesn’t know where his feet land.

Which is why he steps on my feet a lot.

A lot.

Have you ever had 95 pounds land on your toes? It’s not pleasant. But aren’t a dog’s feet soft? Parts of them are. Sure. But those toenails click on the floor for a reason. They’re hard…and pointy.

Bernese Mountain Dogs have rounded feet–great for snow but lousy traction on wood floors. Especially laminate wood floors. This means he needs to find purchase on something when he flies out the door to chase a lizard. That’s usually my foot.

But I love that weirdo.

He gives back so much more that it’s hard to be mad at him. Like now, when he lays quietly on the floor at my feet while I type this. There’s all that love I mentioned before.

Do you have a pet that gives you unconditional love? Sonja

Overcoming –

What do you do when you’re facing an obstacle that seems insurmountable?

Overcome!

It may seem impossible, but tenacity is your best friend in these situations.

Tenacity!

When I was trying to break into broadcasting or, more recently, physical therapy, it took a lot of perseverence (another word for it) to do it.

What is tenacity?

Determination

Persistence

Doggedness

Great character traits when you want something – like a job, a contract, a grade. It’s not such a great thing when you want a friend. Some people may find you creepy. So, you need to be aware of your actions and use good judgment.

Be tenacious! Sonja

Have You Seen This Site?

When writing, sometimes there’s a word you can’t think of, or a word that may not fit in with the time period. Or you think of a word and know you need it’s antonym.

I use several sites to help.

The first is an etymology dictionary. This is the link (a click on the word ‘link’ should get you to the site. I set it to open in a new tab, so you don’t lose your place while reading my riveting prose!

The second site is an online thesaurus. This is the link to that site. Again, I made it so it should open on a new page.

So I don’t lose my plot thread, I put ‘???’ where I want to search for a different word, the word, or the antonym. Then, when my creative well has been wrung dry, I go back and search for the word I want.

I’ve tried stopping and searching for the word when I need it, but I’ve found that I lose my thread, the dialogue, or my intention for the plot. It was frustrating.

I’m a linear thinker, organized, and constantly thinking of characters and plots. It’s sometimes difficult because when I’m out and about (remember that?!) I see others and make up stories about their lives. It’s fun, but I tend to lose myself to my imagination.

My husband and sons are used to it, but others are confused by it. I think it’s difficult for someone who doesn’t have an imagination that constantly makes up stories to be around someone who does. Kind of like being an Oscar when someone else is a Felix (you need to know The Odd Couple to know what I mean).

Just be yourself. That’s all that should be expected. Sonja

Instagram

Hey! Are you on Insta?

Have you seen the popular account by real_guinness_the_therapy_dog?

He has thousands of followers and posts (well, he doesn’t have opposable thumbs, so I post for him) pictures every day.

If you like cute, giant, furry dogs then Guinness’s account is for you.

I also follow several other Insta accounts.

For instance, @august_musings. She is an inspirational poet and posts some amazing work.

I’ve posted about her before. When you read her verses, I dare you not to feel better and, better yet, smile and say ‘yup’.

Also, @april.reads.and.proofreads is an exceptional proofreader. She looks over every manuscript written by my evil twin. Her comments are always exactly what’s needed, and she finds all those typos and punctuation errors that creep into the book.

Last but certainly not least, I need to mention my favorite military account @tigerstripedmisfits. This non-profit donates all its profits to military foundations (like the Green Beret Foundation). All monies are made with the sales from its website: tigerstripedmisfits.com.

Mine Insta for those valuable accounts. Sonja

How Many Drafts Does it Take?

How many drafts does it take to finish a book?

The answer is different for everyone.

I know of a bestselling author who sends her first draft to her editor, who then helps her craft it into another bestseller.

But that’s not real life – at least not for me.

Nope.

It takes many, many drafts for my happiness meter to go up. My first draft is a thin, uninspired plot. Then I add the muscles, tendons, and ligaments to that skeleton. With each draft, I fall more in love with my hero and want to befriend my heroine.

The magic comes after I’m happy with the plot and get sick of my characters. That’s when I can look at the dialogue and the plot with clear eyes. Once I rip those ‘rose-colored glasses’ off, I can see everything without bias.

I’m there in my current book. That’s when I need to force myself to go through the book again. It takes a lot of energy to make it through, but, to me, this is the most valuable draft, since I can find plot holes, stilted dialogue, and general weirdness that I may have overlooked during my love affair.

I urge you to write your horrible first draft and then add to that bony skeleton during the subsequent draft(s).

Perfection is not the goal when you write the first draft. Sonja

Lizards, Beware!

There are quite a number of lizards that hang out in my backyard. There must have been a large hatching in the easeway because they pull themselves over the top of our wall and saunter across the yard.

I think the sauntering is on purpose because Guinness the Therapy Dog and Lucy the Wonder Dog.

They go crazy when ever one of the lizards just strolls by the French doors with their devil-may-care attitude. I think I even saw one do a swishy thing with its tail to taunt them.

The dogs bark and bark, and stare at the lizards. The lizards slow down a little. The barking increases in volume and pitch. The lizards slow even more, knowing they have the dogs’ attentions.

It’s a funny game.

I enjoy it.

Guinness the Therapy Dog also talks to them. I imagine he says something like, “Hey! Hey! Hey! What are you doing?”

He’s a very curious guy.

Is there anything that you want to do, or someone you want to meet? Sonja

Put Your Feet Up-

Find your peace–your zen–your center. It’s National Relaxation Day.

Calm your mind-and your spirit-, decrease your heart rate, and breathe.

I find my calm in the mountains. Surrounded by trees, I am at my most peaceful. These days, I can’t go into the mountains because of the heat, the recent wildfire, and the crowds (maybe I can go on a weekday!).

Always remember that you are perfect, you are unique, and you are the only you on this earth.

As one of my favorite performers says,

“You are enough. You are so enough.”

This year has been difficult.

Know how ‘enough’ you are for those around you. Sonja