Once, a wise woman told me that I should not bemoan my dislike of winter when it came around because that’s when we could relax from our summer chores and do some things we’d put off for a while. That’s when I began to welcome the colder days when no canning or weeding or mowing called. As I grow older and it takes longer to complete such duties, I realize how right she was.
I no longer mow or weed, but I have been faced with canning this year because our dear son-in-law decided to put in a huge garden since he’d been laid off from the building trade when the boom fizzled. Weekly he will bring me produce to do with as I please. Having come from a prudent parentage, I can’t let it go to waste. So out came the old pressure cooker. To town we went to have the gauge tested and buy a new seal and I was ready. So far it’s the early sweet garden peas which are so delicious fresh from the garden. But coming along fast behind are green beans, cucumbers, cabbage and corn.
With blue skies and warm winds calling, and since I have to make time to write too, it’s a challenge to get the schedule set up to do everything. But so far I’m managing. Never having been one of those writers who put that last and let everything else interfere, I’ve determined to can only on mornings when no writing duties interfere. I always write in the afternoon, but goodness, when the days are sunny and hot, the pool in the backyard calls out to me.
Therefore, this Monday morning it was can garden peas, fix dinner, go swimming for an hour or more, and now I’m at the computer. Monday is the day I write blogs, post on Facebook and Twitter and Ning, anyplace else that needs attention so people don’t forget who I am and what I do.
If you’re interested in what we did Saturday, hop on over to my journal blog and read about a day visiting a gold mine and a lost city. Sounds a bit like Indiana Jones, doesn’t it? This excursion was made for my book, The Boston Mountains: Lost In The Ozarks. We writers have an adventurous life, that’s for sure. Especially when we’re researching for our books.
Luckily I’m working on two books about the Boston Mountains of the Arkansas Ozarks, with totally different content. When I’m not searching for chaff for one I’m looking for stuff for the other. The cookbook is almost ready for its final drafting. It’s been a lot of fun. Putting together the stories for the meals and memories subject matter was the easiest part, since I’m always writing historical stories from this area. The recipes which I thought might be difficult have turned out to be easily found in my mother’s recipe collections which date back to her grandmother’s day. I found many more than we needed. Copying them was the most difficult, but that’s done and they’ve been proof-read by my dear editor, Becky McCall, who loves to read my drafts. Heaven only knows why.
Thursday night we had our regular critique group meeting. These have been going on for nigh-on to 25 years now, with Dusty Richards and me at the helm. We have quite a dedicated crew of writers who bring their work in for perusal and suggestions. Some come and go, others come every week, new ones joins every once in a while. We have a membership of 33 people right now, but thankfully not all of them ever show up on the same night. Several are getting published as a result of joining our group and hanging in there to learn their craft.
Many writers are amazed to find that they can’t sit down, write a book, fix it once and sell it. We always tell them, “Does a brain surgeon carve up someone’s brain after reading a few books and practicing once or twice?” Learn your craft, then hone your craft, then hone it some more. Write, write, write. Never mind that you have other things in your life. Learn to do them as well and still write every day. That is, if you’re really serious about becoming a writer. If you’re just doing it for fun, then have fun when you feel like it, but don’t expect one day to find publishers knocking on your door.
Of course, you can always publish it yourself. That happens all the time. Ask most people who do that how many books they sell after their family all owns one. Whatever you want to do as a writer, know that it will take daily concentration, practice and perserverance to reach your goals. So, even though the skies are blue and the warm winds beckon, write at least an hour or two a day, whenever it’s good for you. Make that a part of your daily schedule and enjoy.
Velda Brotherton 