Writing Books And Running Marathons

By Marcia Mickelson

Today, I've been in a cyber-discussion about whether or not moms should write books and run marathons. The person I was having the cyber-discussion wondered what women who do these things are trying to prove. I don't think we are trying to prove anything. I don't run marathons, but I'm truly impressed by those who do.

I do write books, but I'm not trying to prove anything. I love to write and I love being a mother. For me, one doesn't take away from the other. I find joy in writing; it makes me happy. Being a happy mom is important for my kids. It's important to make time in our lives for things that make us happy.

In this discussion, it was suggested that writing books should wait for a time when my kids are grown up. Now is not the time to write books, it was contended. There will be time for that later.

I know so many mothers who are writers. That kind of thinking--that we shouldn't write because our kids are small and we should put it off for later--is wrong. We all have been given talents. If we hide our talents or put them off for another time, then we're not showing our gratitude for those talents. Using our talents shows gratitude to Heavenly Father for giving us those talents.

I'll be honest. I don't have a lot of talents. I sing horribly. I can't play the piano. (I've tried, and I suck.) I'm really bad at cooking & baking. I'm not artistic. I'm not crafty. I'm not athletic. My two talents are being a mom and writing. And, I see no reason why I can't demonstrate those two talents simultaneously.

We all have talents. I know people who sing beautifully and I love hearing them.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf Happiness, Your Heritage Oct 2008

The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.
Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.
Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty—and I am not talking about the process of cleaning the rooms of your teenage children.
You might say, “I’m not the creative type. When I sing, I’m always half a tone above or below the note. I cannot draw a line without a ruler. And the only practical use for my homemade bread is as a paperweight or as a doorstop.”
If that is how you feel, think again, and remember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn’t it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God? Think about it—your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination.
But to what end were we created? We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy. 4 Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness. One of the ways we find this is by creating things.

Researching

By Marcia Mickelson

I don't like doing research. I just like to start writing even though I don't have all the information. That's probably why I could never historical novels. They require too much research.

Even with contemporary books, there is still research to be done. Thankfully, we have the Internet which makes research a lot easier. Even there, you can't find all the answers.

With my latest manuscript, I've had to research several aspects of the story. The Internet has played a large role, but I've also had to talk to people who have specific knowledge. Thanks to Facebook for helping me reconnect with a friend from high school who is now a doctor. He has been so kind to answer many medical questions I have. He has taken time to respond, very quickly, I might add to my questions.

There is a man in my church who is a police officer and he recently took the time to answer a few questions I e-mailed him. A friend of a friend of a friend took time to respond to an e-mail I sent her about Scotch. A sister-in-law of a friend answered some questions I had about Child Protective Services. The list goes on.

All of those e-mails, facebook messages, phone calls to people with extensive knowledge about certain subjects count as research. I'm thankful all of these kind people have taken the time to answer these questions. Doing the research is part of writing, no matter how undesirable the task is. Making sure you get it right as you write will make the story believable and stronger. So, research on.

Easter At My House

You know how some girls get a new Easter dress ever year? Those pretty, pastel, frilly dresses that overwhelm department stores every year? Well, I never got one of those special Easter dresses. I've always wanted one and still look longingly at the racks of pretty dresses each season.

My mom just didn't do Easter. I never got an Easter basket either, except for one year when my aunt gave us one. Don't get me wrong; my mom is great--really great. She's just not very traditional and doesn't give importance to customs she considers trivial. She does do Christmas every year just because my dad loves it so much, but if it was up to her, she wouldn't do Christmas either.

I think it all has to do with how these two holidays, based on the Savior, have been over-marketed to the point that they don't even resemble what they are supposed to symbolize. I understand that; but I still love holidays.

I don't go overboard though because I like my kids to not focus on Easter baskets and candy, but to remember why we celebrate Easter in the first place. So, they have an Easter basket that I reuse every year and put a few things in there for them. Simple things like candy, Matchbox cars, toothbrushes, pez dispensers, snacks. Nothing huge. They don't expect much and don't dwell on it. In fact, it's now 3:00 and they haven't even asked about them. I'll probably give out the baskets right before dinner or something.
Once, I celebrated Easter with some extended family and it was crazy. It felt like Christmas. Each adult gives each child an Easter basket so they end up with like 5 or 6 baskets filled with crazy stuff like clothes, electronics, purses for the girls, toys. I didn't like it. It's too much; way too much. I don't like my kids to have too much, just enough. Those kids tore through the baskets like it was Christmas (don't even get me started on Christmas with these folks), leaving behind baskets and trash in their wake. That was the last year we spent Easter with them. We like simple. So, we do a small Easter egg hung, small baskets, and some kind of lesson about the Resurrection.

People kept asking me what we're doing for Easter this year. Are we going to visit my parents who only live 2.5 hours away? I kept thinking, no we're just going to stay here--keep it simple. My mom just doesn't do Easter. As for Easter dresses? Well, I have 3 boys so I don't know if I'll ever get to buy one of those cute pastel-colored dresses after all. And me? Well, maybe my longing for a special Easter dress is perhaps long gone. I just wore a black dress today.

What is Her Goal?

By Marcia Mickelson

Recently, I had someone evaluate my manuscript and at about page 34, she said what is the main character's goal?

That question really made me think. Sure, my character has goals in life and there are things she wants to accomplish, but my evaluator was right. I hadn't clearly defined what the main character's goal was--what she was in pursuit of.

So, now I'm revising and trying to make it clear what her goal is what she is in active pursuit of during the book.

Each main character should have a goal they're trying to reach and that should be clearly defined early in the book. Even if they don't obtain that goal, which a lot of times they won't, it still needs to be clear to the reader what that goal is. Why are we even interested in this book? If we understand their goal and want them to reach it, then that will make us care about the character. As writers, of course we want readers to care about the characters.

March Madness Contest

By Marcia Mickelson

I'm hosting a March Madness contest on my blog. Go to www.marciamickelson.blogspot.com for details.

What I've Been Up To

By Marcia Mickelson

Well, I haven't blogged in a while and I haven't been present on Facebook much lately. What have I been doing, you ask?

1-Reading like a maniac. I'm trying to read about 8 more books before April 4th so I can vote for the Whitney Awards. I have never read so much in so little time in my life. I think I'm getting a little tired of reading. I'm ready for a break come April.

2- Not writing. I have been neglecting writing due to all the reading. It was a good time to have a break in writing, but I'm missing it. I've been waking up feeling a little aimless because I have no story running through my head right now. I need to get that story going soon.

3- Sleeping on the couch. My husband was out of town last week for training with his company. I get so scared at night that I don't like to sleep in my bed. So, I keep the lights and TV on and bring my blanket and pillow on the couch. It's the only way I can fall asleep when he's not here.

4-Trying to keep a 3 and a half year old busy. My Ruben is so different than my older boys. He doesn't like to sit still to play a game or do a puzzle or color. So, he goes from one activity to another. His favorite game is 'Get Me' in which I have to run around the house to grab him and kiss or tickle him. We play 'Get Me' at least once a day. He also loves to play Ruben Sandwich which is when I put him between 2 pillows to make a sandwich and nibble his ear. I just wish we could sit down and play a game of Memory or do a puzzle without him throwing everything in the air. Or, play some Legos without him demolishing what I build. He keeps me going with very little down time.

5-Trying to keep on top of my other 2 boys. My oldest has had so much homework lately as he's been preparing for a standardized test. With all their homework and appointments 3 days of the week, we've just been going, going. It will be nice to have Spring Break in 1 week. They need some down time.

Well, that's what I've been up to.

Reading Binge

By Marcia Mickelson

I'm on a reading binge. I've been reading so much this last month. I'm not a fast reader, but I'm really trying to read the Whitney Awards Finalists so I can vote next month.

I actually read an entire book in one day this week. I've never done that before. It always takes me at least 2 days to read a book. I've read three books this week and just started a new one tonight.

I have 10 books left to read before I vote. I'm not sure I can do it. That's a lot of reading, and I think my kids are tired of seeing my nose stuck behind a book. Here I go. Five weeks, ten books. Sounds doable, right?

When You DVR something...

By Marcia Mickelson

We now have Direct TV with DVR and I love it. I love being able to record something easily and run through the commercials. Last night, I recorded the Oscars and watched it in half the time, fast-forwarding through the commercials and the boring parts.

Know what I forgot? I forgot that the Oscars always go over and into the news hour. Well, I only recorded the program for the duration of the Oscars, so I missed the last 3 awards. They went past the time and into the news hour. The three biggest awards of the evening, and I missed them. I checked on-line afterwards to see who won, but I guess I'll check Youtube to see the actual acceptance speeches. I love to watch the acceptance speeches.

So, nex time you DVR something, don't forget to record the show after your show if there's a chance it will go over.

Trying not to Fall Asleep

By Marcia Mickelson

So, I've finished my current manuscript, and it's all printed out. Now, I'm reading through it to proofread, revise, and edit. It's already gone through a good edit and some revisions. I'm just reading through to make sure I'm consistent. I've already caught several mistakes--things I forgot to take out during editing that makes no sense now.

I'm about 2/3 done with it, but for some reason every time I sit down to read it, I get really sleepy. I hope this isn't saying anything about how boring it might be. I don't think it's boring, I'm just really sleepy these days.

I had the opportunity to have a whole half day to myself without kids. So, I went to the library with manuscript in hand hoping to read for two hours. I think it's best to read through it quickly because it helps me check for continuity errors. If there's too much time left between reading, I might not catch something.

So, here I was in a beautiful, brand new library with no kids in tow. I didn't even have to step foot in the kids' section. And, what happened? I started to fall asleep. It was the middle of the day, about 1:00 PM and I could not stay awake. I lay my head down on the table for a few minutes and finally gave up after an hour. Again, I don't think my book is boring, but gosh I couldn't stop nodding off. It felt like my old days at BYU where I'd look for a secluded corner or couch to take a nap.

So, I gave up and just went home. The other night, I sat at the kitchen table to read over the manuscript again and a half hour later, there I was again falling asleep. I want to finish reading this thing, but I just keep falling asleep. I think I just need to get more sleep. It's 11:42 PM. I really better go to bed. I'll try again tomorrow and hope that I don't fall asleep reading my book. I might start to lose confidence in my manuscript.

Author Interview- Suzanne Reese

I would like to welcome Suzanne Reese to the blog. Today, I will be interviewing Suzanne who is here to tell us about her newly-released book, Where Hearts Prosper.

Marcia: Tell us a little about yourself.

Suzanne: I am lucky to be a stay-at-home mom living in Draper, Utah. I have five children, though three of them have crossed the threshold into adulthood. The other two are 16 and 9. The youngest is a born performer, and keeps me busy with musicals, singing engagements, and band performances. (I even got roped into being a Pick-A-Little Lady last year in Music Man because he was too young to be in the play without a parent.) I also have a wonderful husband, a son-in-law, a spoiled dog, and a soon-to-be-even-more-spoiled grandson. I have a Bachelors degree in journalism from Utah State University.

Marcia: When did you first start writing?

Suzanne: I've been a story teller and writer as long as I can remember. When I was a young mother--probably 30 or so, I decided to try my hand at writing a novel. But I did it in the wrong order. I knew how to put together an excellent sentence, phrase, and paragraph or essay. But as it turned out I didn't know the last thing about writing an actual novel. The result was a story with many wonderful scenes strung awkwardly and incoherently together. I rewrote the book dozens of times while learning about scenes, pacing, plotting and so on. The manuscript still sits on a shelf in my house, and occasionally a friend or family member who read it and remembers one of those touching scenes asks me about it. But I tell them it served its purpose in teaching me the art of novel writing.


Marcia: Tell us about the book's journey to publication.

Suzanne: Where Hearts Prosper began soon after the disaster that serves as the inspiration and backdrop for the story - the flooding of the Virgin River in 2005. It took about a year to complete. The first publisher I sent it to declined, but had very nice things to say. Bonneville Books was the second.So it was a pretty painless process. The difficult part has been the editing--which felt very rushed--and the marketing. I'm not anything close to a salesperson, especially when I'm selling myself.

Marcia: What are some of your favorite books?

Suzanne: I don't have one specific genre that is my favorite (which helps explain why my current work is in an entirely different genre from Where Hearts Prosper.) My favorite authors are Jodi Picoult and Lisa Wingate.

Marcia: What else do you have in the works?

Suzanne: I'm very close to finishing a young adult science fiction novel with a working title of 'Perfectly Normal'. It is about a teenage girl from another planet who gets the chance to visit earth as a student ambassador. There's a lot of romance (and cute boys of course) and just a little science--which I know annoys true science fiction fans. But the teen girls in my life love it, and hopefully others will too.

Marcia: Thanks, Suzanne, for coming by to do this interview. I wish you great luck with your marketing and future books. For more information about Suzanne, go to her website http://www.suzannevreese.com/

Kids' Vacation=No Writing

By Marcia Mickelson

So, tomorrow my kids go back to school. That means that tonight, they went to bed at a decent hour. That means that I was finally able to write tonight. I'm doing Tristi Pinkston's BIAM this month and I haven't been able to start so far. Today was my first day of the month to write.

I just can't write when my kids are home from school. During the day, it's impossible. At night, I let them stay up late and so then I'm unable to write. By the time they go to bed, I'm exhausted. I did no writing during the holidays or the two weeks they had off from school. I'm so glad to be back on a regular schedule.

Baby is trying to give up his naps. Okay, he's three, so he's not still a baby. My other two gave up their naps at two, so I really can't complain. With no naps, I don't foresee any writing during the day. That means, most of my writing will come at night. Tonight was pretty good. 1,924 words. It felt good. My goal is to finish writing the book this month.

New Year's Resolutions

By Marcia Mickelson

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions because I don't follow through on them. They're great ideas when you think about them in December, but by the time February comes along, it's too hard to follow through on them. So, I save myself the trouble and inevitable disappointment by not making any.

I do, however, have a goal. I am close to finishing the novel I started in March. I have 3-4 thousand more words to write, some editing to do, and about 5 MORE's. Then, I will be finished and it will be ready for a final edit and final read-through. I'm giving myself a self-imposed deadline of January 20th. It's really just a random date, but very doable if I apply myself. I've been a bit lazy the last month and have indulged in a little extra TV, but I need to get back on track. Once the kids are back in school and on a good bedtime schedule, then I can resume a good routine. I will finish by the 20th. I will finish by the 20th. I will finish by the 20th.

Christmas Lights

By Marcia Mickelson

On Saturday night, we took our kids to a neighborhood here in Corpus Christi that really puts up Christmas lights. The entire street decorates and puts on huge displays. Families were standing outside, many of them handing out cookies, candy, hot chocolate, or other treats as the sidewalks were filled with people walking by to see the lights.

There was a band playing Christmas songs in their driveway and groups of carolers standing outside homes down the streets. One home was displaying a huge projection screen on their garage of the Dallas Cowboys football game. Police was directing traffic and the streets were jammed with cars looking for a parking spot.

The weather was in the high 60s. It was a perfect night to stroll down the sidewalk looking at the lights and collecting treats. I was amazed at how excited these families were to decorate their homes and share their festivities with people that came from all around town to see what is called Candy Cane Lane.

My husband and I feel quite relieved that we don't live on this street. We would feel too pressured to go all out in decorating the outside of our home. The neighbors would hate us. We are lucky if we get a few strings of lights out. We didn't this year, by the way. It's much better to take a nice drive to see other people's lights than to go through all that trouble ourselves.

Pay It Forward: A Giveaway

Come by my blog for a Pay It Forward Giveaway. If you want a chance to win a copy of my book and are willing to give something away on your blog, then come on over.

Getting Back on the Bike

By Marcia Mickelson

When I was twelve we lived in Victoria, TX, oddly just an hour or so from where I live now. When we lived there, I used to prowl the neighborhood on my bike with my sister and cousins. We moved from Victoria to New Jersey and left the bikes behind. We'd outgrown them. That was the last time I owned a bike. I never did get another bike in New Jersey. I think I lost interest or something.

I didn't get on a bike for several years. I rode my college roommate's bike once and screamed the whole time. I'd forgotten how to ride a bike. Okay, not really. I know you never forget how, but I just couldn't do it anymore. I haven't ridden a bike since, but I finally decided to give it another try. My parents bought this bike for $5 at a garage sale and I've slowly been riding it, trying to get accustomed to it again. I've gone for bike rides with my 8 year old. I love going with him. I let him lead and just follow. He hasn't taken it easy on me, though. I think he enjoys that he's so much better at something than I am. I'm looking into buying a trailer so I can pull my little one behind me and go on bike rides with him. I think he's getting tired of the jogging stroller anyway.

On Saturday, we took the bikes to the beach. I'm really enjoying my husband having a pick-up truck now even though I used to make fun of pick-ups a long time ago. Riding on the beach is so cool. I loved it. When my 6 year old finds something that he loves, he says, "I want to do that every day." That's when I said after our ride on the beach. "I want to do that every day!"

One of these days, I'll have the whole bike thing figured out. At least I haven't fallen yet, but I've come close.

Thanksgiving

By Marcia Mickelson

This year, we're having a nice, quiet Thanksgiving and I'm doing all the cooking. That's very different for me. I've never made a turkey before. This is my first attempt. Luckily, it will be just for my immediate family.Thanksgiving in my life has been a transitional event. Keep in mind that both of my parents were born in Guatemala and didn't celebrate Thanksgiving until they moved to the U.S. in their twenties. It was a brand new event for them and through the years, it has evolved for my family as we try to get it "just right."I remember when I was in fourth grade, a friend from school asked me what we had for Thanksgiving dinner and I told her we had turkey, rice, and salad. She was like, that's all? That's what you had. I said sure; I didn't know what "you were supposed to have." What is stuffing? Cranberries? What the heck is pumpkin pie?

As the years passed, we began adopting more traditional food into our Thanksgiving dinners. I now love stuffing; it's my favorite Thanksgiving food. Little by little, our family has picked up on all those important facets of the holiday. (Minus the year when our huge, extended family rented out a hall to have a huge Thanksgiving dinner. Sure, we had all the traditional food, but also some tamales and rice. And, then there was the huge sound system they set up for dancing. It was a regular dance party with all kind of Latin music. That year was a little weird, especially for my husband and his friend who joined us that year.)

So, we'll see how it goes this year. Any good suggestions for my first turkey?

And, don't forget Elodia's contest. See the previous post for a chance to win a $20 BN gift card.

Know Your Stuff

By Marcia Mickelson

A month ago, I was toying with the idea of going back to work. I did job searches, sent my resume around, and did a few interviews. I received a call from a children's hospital in town. It was the perfect job for me. It was part-time with great hours; I would be off in time to pick my kids up from school. The job was in the Interpretation Department. I would be translating for Spanish-speaking patients and their parents. I grew up speaking Spanish and am fluent. I've also had several jobs in the past that have included translating.

I thought about brushing up on my Spanish in preparation for testing I had to do, but I felt fairly confident. I've basically been translating all my life. It would be easy. Boy, was I wrong. The first part of the testing was written. If I did well, I would come back for oral testing, followed up by an interview. The written test was hard! What was I thinking? There were 40 medical terms written in English, and I had to translate them into Spanish. There were words like congestive heart failure, jaundice, and other medical terms that I have no idea how to say in Spanish, much less spell. There were also 2 paragraphs to translate. One from Spanish to English, which was easy and the other one from English to Spanish which was very hard, especially because it kept repeating the word pulmonary and I had no idea how to say it in Spanish.

I was overly confident prior to the test; thought I knew enough to not study the night before or at least brush up by looking through a dictionary and testing myself. Yes, Spanish is easy for me, but medical terms in Spanish not so much. I learned a very important lesson. Confidence will only get you so far; you have to know your stuff if you want to succeed. So, I never did get the call back about the oral exam. Guess I didn't do so well. I've decided not to go back to work. I'm just going to stay home and continue writing.

Things to Look Forward To...

By Marcia Mickelson

It's November, and there's a lot for me to look forward to this month. Let me share:

Election Day. I just love staying up into the night watching election results come in. And, we have DirecTV this year, so there will be about 100 channels covering the election.

David Cook. David Cook (from American Idol) is releasing his first album this month. I watched him on Saturday Night Live and am so excited for his album.

Twilight. I've read all four books in the series and am excited about the movie coming out this month. If you're interested in taking a quiz to see which Twilight character you are, go to my blog.

The Lexington. On Wednesday, my 3rd grader is taking a field trip to the USS Lexington, a WWII Aircraft carrier that has been turned into a museum.

Pull Ups. By the end of this month, we will be all out of pull-ups (training diapers) and that means my 3 year old is officially potty trained. I won't have to buy diapers for a long time, at least not til the next baby. No, that's not an announcement.

Thanksgiving. It will be fun for my kids to have a whole week off and just relax.

I Can't Kill Him

By Marcia Mickelson

I haven't written in over a week. My BIAM goal is not going well. I have to kill one of my characters, and I just don't think I can do it. I've researched several times the symptoms of his death. I know exactly how he's going to die and why he has to, but as I sit down to write that scene, I can't kill him.

I'm so close to finishing this book; less than 10,000 words to go. All I have to do is kill him. I don't think I've killed any of my characters before. In Reasonable Doubt, one of the characters is already dead as the book opens, so I don't think that counts.

This is the first time I've had to kill someone, and I think that's the reason I'm having some writer's block. I really want to finish this book, and my goal was to have it done by the end of the month. I don't think it's going to happen. He still needs to die and I will do it, but I just don't know when. Maybe I need a few more days off and then I'll try again.

You Stay Here

By Marcia Mickelson

Here's my three year old hugging his cousin. It's funny how the exact same phrase can mean different things in different circumstances. When he doesn't want me to leave the house, he'll say, "Mom, you stay here."

A few weeks ago, my parents were visiting and they wanted to take him to Burger King while the other two were at school. I was helping him into his car seat and he said to me, "Mom, you stay here." He didn't want me to go with them; he wanted special time with Grandma and Grandpa. That was fine by me. I had somewhere to go anyway.

It just makes me laugh that the exact same phrase meant two different things.