2019 was the year of downsizing.  We moved from a 3000 sq.ft. house sitting on a wooded acre in the country to a 1500 sq.ft. on a standard suburban lot.  Downsizing has required a complete change in thought and perspective.  The next goal is that when the 2012 Insight is ready to go to Rawhide we will have only one car.  This change will require careful and detailed calendar management for me and my wife.  We’ve agreed to give it a six month trial run before we make the final decision.
 
My perspective on many aspects of life is changing.  Last week I went to post my blog for 1-8-20, slipped the jump drive into its slot and all my blog files were gone.  I have been using jump drives for document storage for years.  I thought they lasted forever.  They don’t.  I researched how to recover files and nothing worked.  I learned that sometimes they faiall l – it happens.  A few days later I was working on my radio program and went to retrieve the files from another jump drive.  Guess what – gone -  all gone.  I threw it away.  I panicked, how was I going to store documents and other files?  My friend relies exclusively on the cloud.  With a little research I learned that Amazon offers prime members 5g cloud storage free and unlimited storage for about $12 a year.

Before making the move to the cloud my downsizing view of life kicked in.  I asked myself, why did I save all those blogs and why did I save those radio programs.  Once published or on the air I never looked at them.  I decided downsizing was needed I would stop saving blog posts and radio shows immediately.  I could store current files on my laptop and remove them once a month.
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I will delay using the cloud, at least for now.  Let me know if you use the cloud and what you store.
 

I am an avid fan of the news/documentary TV program 60 Minutes.  I still miss Mike Wallace’s combative interviews and Andy Rooney’s quirky humor.
In December they aired a program about Italian pianist and arranger Francesco Lotoro.  Lotoro has made it his life’s work to search for, publish and perform music created by Jewish composers and musicians during the Holocaust.  To date he has collected more than 4000 pieces.  The music includes symphonies, songs, sonatas, opera, lullabies and jazz.
These Jewish prisoners wrote music while in concentration camps, death camps, labor camps and POW camps.  One composer, Rudolf Karel, wrote music on toilet pager.
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As an author and a person who strives to live a creative life I learned three lessons from this story.  First, creativity cannot be shackled by even the most inhuman conditions imaginable.  Second, creativity often takes courage.  Third, there is no excuse to not write.  

In late November, before taking our winter vacation to Spain, I wrote about being “stuck” in my writing – not writer’s block mind you – just stuck.
Changing your environment allows a person to also change their perspective and gives space and time for the subconscious to do it’s work.
Spain afforded me that opportunity.  Cruising over the Atlantic ocean at 35,000 feet, the hum of the engines and the subtle vibration of the plane allow the mind to drift off.  I asked myself – what has changed?  I have never been “stuck” when drafting any of my three novels.

In that semi-conscious state one word rose to the surface of my conscious – editing.  Because I signed up for the Weekender with Laurel Yourke I concentrated my writing energy to polishing the first four pages of my manuscript.  More importantly I allowed myself to be critiqued to five people who have never published a single word.

Their edits to those four pages were scathing and cruel.  One member of the group commented:  “I hate the whole paragraph on page four”.  She broke a cardinal rule of critique groups – make only constructive, helpful comments and do not be mean.
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Never before have I done any self-editing or allowed anyone to beta read or edit until the entire manuscript is complete.  I didn’t follow my own path.
The result – I was stuck and I did it to myself.  The solution turns out to be simple, ignore all the comments from the Weekender, stop editing and just get on with the story.  I have the arc of the entire story deep in my conscious – I merely need time.

Life balance has become more important to me and being retired I feel that I have more choices in life.  I came late to writing, I published my first novel, Murphy’s Troubles in 2013 when I was 62 years old.
 
While working I promised myself that with retirement I would change focus to living a creative life with the goal of publishing fiction.  I was raised a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) – a description no longer in use – so I had responsibilities to family and should not and could not afford to pursue a creative life.
 
Over the years I have unburdened myself of the WASP shackles and follow a path that I create myself.  Writing is important to me and gives me the freedom to unleash my imagination.  Some devote themselves to writing alone.  I can’t do that, I would be out of balance if I did.
 
We all have many roles and I enjoy quite a few, I love being a grandparent and am fortunate to have strong bond with my four grandchildren.  It is important to me to volunteer in my community.  By volunteering I want to contribute to building and maintaining the fabric of my community.  I host a local radio show – My World and Welcome to It twice a month on 103.5 FM The Sun Radio.  I lead discussions for the Library’s Afternoon Book Club.  I am a member of both the Friends of the Sun Prairie Public Library and the Friends of the Sun Prairie Media Center.  I am the President of the Board of Trustees for the Dane County Library Service and the Sun Prairie Public Library.  Each of these is another expression of me.

I weave my creative writing life into these various activities by in two ways.  First, I give myself an overall goal – currently my goal is to publish my fourth novel in April 2021 because it is national public library month.  Second, I give myself a weekly writing goal of 1595 words a week. That would result in an 83,000 word draft manuscript in 12 months, which I believe is respectable.   Many writers pump out that many words in a day.  I can’t.  
This is balance for me.  I believe everyone should take the time to figure out what balance is like in their lives.
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Let me know – how do you find balance in your life? 

 
Ok, I’ll admit it.  I’m stuck.  I just can’t sit down and devote a block of time to drafting my fourth novel.  Through March I cranked out about 16,000 words of a work I expect to be about 70,000 words – almost a quarter of my goal.  Mind you I don’t have writers block.  I have the entire story arc worked out in my mind and the list of characters developed.

I intentionally took a break from writing in April when we sold our country home, signed a contract to build a new home and moved to an apartment while our home was being built.

I had the joy of moving into our new home on Sept. 3rd.  We moved in two stages first from the apartment to home and then two weeks later stuff in storage to home.  I’ve learned stuff in storage is an albatross that hangs around your neck.  The stuff is now in the basement.  It took me two weeks to organize the stuff and donate a portion of it to St. Vincent’s.

I told myself I had all this work to complete before I could write again.  I was scheduled to have a “weekender” intense writing class with my former teacher and mentor, Laurel Yourke with five other writers.  That didn’t go well.  I was the only person in the room who was published.  This group has met for years and no one is even close to publishing.  I felt out of place.

When it came time to critique my four pages one person said:  “I hated the whole second paragraph on page two.”  That was a major critique group violation and I shut down.  I didn’t return for the second day of the weekend session.

I decided I needed a plan with a goal – that’s how I work best.  My plan is to spend the month of November editing and continue with the story in December.  I have edited four chapters and it is grueling the draft is horrific.
Trying to kick start writing by editing has been a huge mistake.  In late November we will be leaving for a trip to Spain so I’ve decided to begin again in December, refreshed from basking near the Mediterranean.  My plan is to read the 16,000 words I have without editing then use that to catapult me back into the story.
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Does anyone have  another suggestion?     

A few weeks ago I interviewed well known Wisconsin author, Jerry Apps, on my show – My World and Welcome To It broadcast on 103.5 FM The Sun Radio. 

Over the years 85 year old Apps has done enough media interviews to make him the perfect guest.  He is relaxed, a natural storyteller, and brutally honest.  He recently completed a non-fiction book on the history of the Civilian Conservation Corp in Wisconsin.  He admitted on air that he didn’t enjoy writing the book, didn’t find the topic particularly interesting but had been convinced by his publisher (University of Wisconsin Press) that the book needed to be written.
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During our conversation I asked Jerry what one thread linked all his writing in various genres.  Jerry writes fiction, non-fiction, children’s literature, memoir, memoir and articles for two agricultural magazines and posts a blog on his website every week.  Without hesitation he explained that all of his writing focus in some manner on rural issues and how rural life has changed.  I was surprised and asked him to give examples from his children books and fiction.  Again, without hesitation, he shared several examples.
 
I reflected on his answer and decided the core of his success as an author was that he had an anchor – rural America.  I thought my writing would have more depth and meaning if I too had an anchor.  While my first three novels all take place in Ireland, Ireland is not the anchor.  I thought back to when I developed my web page eleven years ago and wrote a brief statement on why I write.  

​Home Building Blues
 
When we signed a contract in March to build our downsized, dream home we selected the only lot on the block.  We chose a lot in the middle of the block on the south side of the street.  The front of the house faces north while the back faces south and the sun graces our large backyard in its’ daily journey.
 
When signing the construction contract, I never thought about asking how quickly other homes would be built on our block.  As it turns out that was a big mistake.  There are now 18 homes on our block.  Now, I’m fine with having neighbors, it’s the lifestyle we wanted.
As I write this there are homes being built on both sides of us.  Home construction is one of the nosiest activities on the face of the earth.  The cu the equipment use makes noise and some of it even makes our home shake. 
 
Construction workers don’t talk – they shout.  At the end of the day they must be exhaust=ed.  I have unwillingly overheard many conversations – short sentences with a preference for “blue” words.
The noise from home construction is both distracting and annoying.  I’ve tried taking a couple of melatonin to catch an afternoon nap  - doesn’t work.
 
All I want for Christmas is for the homes on both sides of us to be done and I’ll help the neighbors move in.

One way for a writer to gain recognition is to enter writer contests. My view is that the more notable contests charge a fee which is how they fund the prizes.  In my experience fees range from $25-$200.  There are free contests and you can get guidebooks on the variety of free contests.  I question whether the time needed to enter a slew of free contests is worth it.

I decided that 2019 would be my year to enter writing contests.  To date, I have entered six and will add one more.  I submitted my third novel – Dead Reckoning  to:  Eric Hoffer Award, American Book Fest, Wisco Council, National Book Award, Chicago Writers Association, Reader‘s Favorite and my publisher will submit to the Midwest Independent Publishers Award when it opens.

I have never won an award.  It may be a numbers game, maybe I need to submit to 50 contests.  So far I’ve spent $XX for zero return.  I feel like my money is sucked into a literary blackhole never to be seen again.
The Readers Favorite did send me comments from three judges and a graphic artist who reviewed the book cover.  All three judges gave me 8 or 9 out of ten for the writing.  However, each judge had some other problem.  I submitted the book in the historical fiction category and one judge would not accept that.  The judge thought political fiction would be a better genre.  A second judge thought the book cover lead to expect a nautical theme.  The judge did not understand how I used “dead reckon- ing” as a theme.  The judge didn’t know the definition of dead reckoning.  I guess that judge doesn’t have Google.  On page 256 I write:

1. “Yes, dead reckoning, was an old nautical term that navigators used to describe how to calculate their correct position by knowing where they had been.  But for me, it was much more.  This evening I watched my past unfold in front of me, and I understood how I came to this point in my life and where I needed to go.  The stage play was my dead reckoning and my compass home.”

Could I have been more clear?  I’m convinced the judge making such a comment did not read until “The End”.  The comment is simply ignorant.
The third judge noticed a misspelling in the back of the book blurb.  An unfortunate error but it happens. 
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Of course, had I achieved some success in one of these contests my view would be radically different – I’m only human after all. 
 

I have written previously that my inspiration for writing a novel on Pack Horse Librarians in Eastern Kentucky during the Depression came from a story I heard on NPR.  The story to overcome the harshness of the Depression and isolation in Eastern Kentucky is compelling and tugs at the heart.

A writer and dear friend dear friend let me know months ago that Joyo Moyes would publish a book on the pack horse librarian project to be released this October.  Her book- The Giver of Stars - is out and it has brought instant scandal and a potential fight for copyright.  Kim Michele Richardson published The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek in May 2019.

A review of the plot for each book finds that they are distinct.  The problem is that there a several passages in the Moyes book that are similar in words, scene and sentence structure from Richardson’s book.

My concern isn’t one of copyright.  My concern is – does the world want or need a third book (mine) about a pack horse librarian in Eastern Kentucky in 1934?  I consulted with several author friends and my two long time mentors.  I sketched my plot for them and they found mine distinct from both Moyes and Richardson.

When I had my eureka moment following the NPR story I was certain that the topic and setting would be unique.  That bubble is shattered.
So – should I trudge on with my manuscript on the story of Rowan Daly or abandon it because I’ve been beaten to the punch?

Everyone I have asked for advice and direction have encouraged me to carry-on.  My story is one of human struggle during the  Depression and being a single woman in a male dominated world.  It is a story of how, through education, a person can overcome any obstacle society can throw in front of them.  It is a story of leaving a legacy from a life of dedication and purpose to a single vision.  
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I need to get back to my manuscript . . .
 

What’s in a Name?
 
To be authentic in writing I believe it is important that character names reflect the location of the novel.  For the Irish Trouble Series I researched names for various areas of Ireland.  For example, Murphy is the most common Irish surname and the are located in south east Ireland, around Cork.  This was the reason my protagonist, Ian Murphy, grew up in Cork and lived there as  an adult.

My fourth novel takes place in Pike County, Kentucky, the most eastern county in the state.  Through Google I found a listing of surnames in Eastern Kentucky.  I was surprised to discover many Irish surnames.  I then studied the history of Pike County and learned that many Irish initially immigrated to the east coast of the United States – New York and Boston and then moved again to eastern Kentucky to work in the coal mines.  The population was not large enough to supply workers when the mines were busy so they advertised for workers.
I wanted the protagonist to have a strong name and it took me a long time to decide to write about another Irish character.  My first choice for a name was not at all Irish – I chose ‘Dawson’ but didn’t have a good reason because it was not on the list of Pike County names.  It took me about two months to decide to give the protagonist an Irish name.  I wanted it to be a common name but not too Irish like Doherty or O’Connel.  I chose Daly. 
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Selecting a first name was even more work.  I’ll spare you the details of my process but I chose Rowan – Rowan Daly is the 19 year old protagonist in my novel with the current title of -  The Mostly True Story of Rowan Daly – Pike County Pack Horse Librarian.