For Those Who Want to Write

 For Those Who Want to Write

I'm writing a novel. The idea has been in my mind for nineteen years.  I've attempted to write this novel three other times and never got beyond four or five thousand words each time.

This time is different - better.

Here's what I've learned on this writing journey this time around. Oh, by the way. I'm not finished writing it. But wanted to rush these thoughts out for now.

~I started on January 1, 2024 in earnest to write my novel again. I hooked onto an idea that was a good 'hook' this time that had escaped me before. My title stayed the same. My main character stayed the same. My location stayed the same for the most part.

~What changed? My mindset. One night, late, I was writing and it hit me. I am god (little g) of these pages. I can write anything, do anything to my characters I want. Even death. Once I realized that, it was like a lightbulb turned on and the lid was taken off.

~I also realized that persistence in writing is critical. I work a 40-hour week, and write two blogs each week plus produce at least one podcast and a video podcast every week. And I still find time to write almost every night. I say 'almost' because I give myself permission to take a night off when needed. Yes, permission. I listen to my body, and when the body says 'rest', that's what it gets.

~Since we writers are gods of our writing, we control the destiny of all we create. I killed off a minor character in my book this week. She had outlived her usefulness and I needed to keep the action in my chosen location.

~I took a writing retreat break recently: Thursday - Sunday. What a marvelous retreat that was. My goodness. To have a huge block of hours of concentrated writing time was a real gift to myself. 

It was just me, my laptop and a few groceries at a friend's condo at the Peake of the Snoqualmie Mountains just out of Seattle. There was no one else along. I set no agenda. I wrote and took standing breaks as needed, I napped as needed, and then wrote some more. For two of those mornings I was up by 6:30 and writing shortly after that. And two of those nights I wrote until 11PM or later.

~I had a goal to accomplish for this four-day retreat. I was well into my second story in this book and felt it was time to bring it home. My goal was to finish this particular story. And I met it Sunday morning around 10:30. That felt great.

~I'm the kind of writer who has the idea of where the story is going to go and then I let it come out. I don't outline and stick to that script. I was amazed and surprised more than once in the twists and turns my story took, and in some of the characters that came forth. Toward the end I introduced a 10-yr-old street kid named Ze that I'm going to bring back in another story. He's a keeper. He was also a surprise.

Here's what I proved to myself.

~I have good ideas.

~I have the discipline to attempt a retreat like this and stick to my agenda of writing, writing, writing.

~My characters became real in some unusual ways. They took on traits, personalities, speech mannerisms and behaviors that were unique to each one. I love that. I told my wife before I went on this retreat that these characters were becoming friends.

~~ Thanks for reading this article. It's not for everyone, and if any writers or wanna-be-writers read it, my wish is that it will help unlock and inspire you to keep writing.

Success to all you word-smiths out there.

P Michael Biggs 

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

It's Never Too Late

It’s Never Too Late

If you think life is passing you by or the parade is over and you’ve missed it, think again.

This post is for those of us who are in the second act of life. You know, in some ways we are just now getting a good start, and we’re perhaps over sixty years of age. How about that!

This quote speaks to me on a lot of levels.

It’s never too late 

to be who you might have been.

I’ve written and talked of wanting to be a writer for over forty years. Oh, I wrote a lot of stuff earlier in life:

   Checks
   To-Do lists

   Grocery lists 

   Christmas wish lists 

   Assignments for work

I even wrote a few serious pieces – like my first published article at age 29. I was paid $22 for that epic work. Later, I had a series of articles published in a now-defunct magazine called “Bookstore Journal”. I wrote video scripts, marketing copy, commercials and a whole passel of other writing projects but never felt qualified about calling myself a writer until after publishing my first book – The Letters.

That book was published when I was sixty-three. At last, I could call myself a writer. And the writing continues.

My friend Paulette Woods is in her eighties, and she just published a new book – I See You There. It’s good and insightful, and I’m going to borrow a few ideas in the days ahead for my own blogs, and she knows this.

In Texas I knew a man in my Toastmaster’s Club who was seventy-six and he was learning to play the flute. A lady in that club was eighty-two and was taking sky-diving lessons. Heavens to Betsy – what was she thinking?

I’ll tell you what she was thinking. She didn’t want her life to pass her by without attempting some of the dreams she had held onto for a very long time. She realized that the parade was not out of sight, and she could still catch up and play her part.

The one regret of people in nursing homes that is repeated time and again is this.

I Wish I Would

Have Taken More Chances

Our opening quote bears repeating.

"It’s never too late 

to be who you might have been."

I once was a broad-jumper in track-and-field events. I can’t do that anymore.
I once ran the 50-yard-dash.
I loved biking all over Albuquerque. I can’t anymore without the help of an e-Bike.

But look at what I can still do. And look at what you are still able to do.

In these days, LA Fitness has become one of my places to go to for exercise. I’m not the most muscle-bound participant there. On some days, I turn in a disappointing session. I fatigue quickly. My muscles just won’t make another turn of the bike pedals, and yet I go. I go because I see subtle differences in the little bit that I do. My strength is returning, I’m feeling better, sleeping better, breathing better. I had the privilege of telling two of my doctors recently that I felt better than I’ve felt in seven or eight years.

They were amazed.

The meds are still a part of my daily routine. Protein is still a vital element in my diet.

I’m not a spring chicken anymore, but I am a wiser and more mature and healthier version of myself because I have a goal and dream of who I want to be and I’m moving at my own pace in the direction of those goals and dreams.

Here’s a funny incident. Just yesterday Carolyn and I were in our favorite bookstore in Fairhaven, Washington. I was doing my usual browsing when a seven-year-old boy come up to me and said, “Do you want to arm-wrestle.”

What boldness. 

What brashness. 

What spunk. 

What guts.

What an unusual young man.

I politely declined. Frankly I didn’t want to be embarrassed because he just might have won that arm-wrestling match. He went on to say, “I just beat my friend Charlie in arm- wrestling.” I mumbled politeness and we went our own way.

A huge part of this philosophy of “It’s Never Too Late” is the ability to know our limits, for there are limits in what we can do.

I don’t subscribe to the philosophy of “You can do anything you believe you can.” I will never be a ballet dancer. I don’t want to be one. I don’t desire to be one, and even if someone convinced me I could become one, it ain’t gonna happen.

But look at what I can do.

Here’s the thing.
It’s never too late to be who you might have been.

P Michael Biggs

Hope Encouragement Inspiration

Who Are You Becomming?

 Who Are You Becoming?

See this picture quote?

I know for sure what we 

dwell on is who we become

I happen to believe this. I’m living proof – past and present.

I talked of being a writer for over thirty years. And that is pretty much all it was – talk. Oh, I published my first article at age 28 and got paid $22 for it. But I didn’t buy into me being a writer.

Later, in other jobs, I wrote a lot of stuff – video scripts, marketing brochures, you know the drill, and yet never adopted the label ‘writer’.

Ah, but in 2009 I started taking my writing urge seriously and began my first blog. Even then, the fear of not having enough content to sustain a weekly blog plagued me. Mystery of mysteries, I kept finding subjects that needed my touch, my perspective. And now, fourteen years later I own six blog sites.

And ... I have published five books. After publishing my first book, I finally found the courage to call myself a ‘writer’.

In my earlier adult life, I attracted images of myself that were less than esteeming. As time wore on, I’m afraid I dwelt on those negative, harsh words and phrases that others had attached to me, and I began believing some of them.

The worst of all was this ... “You’re an accident looking for a place to happen.”

I’m glad many of you didn’t know me in those days. Even though those words were spoken to me almost fifty years ago, I believed a bit of that idea, and thus it affected my self-esteem, self-worth, self-confidence, and my ability to perform on a consistent basis in life.

You see, the principle of “Whatever a man thinks in his heart (mind, soul and inner being), so is he” was at play, only I was tuned into the negative images and words. Wise sages, ancient philosophers, and men and women of learning have taught us for years about the importance of good and wholesome thoughts and how we should direct our attention to those ideals and lay off the negative, put-down language that tends to run free-will though our minds in constant stream mode.

This is a hard lesson to grasp. And those negative thoughts and ideas that we allow to live rent-free in our minds are hard to corral sometimes.

But corral them we must! We must take charge of our minds when in neutral, or when discouraged, or disappointed, or after a major loss of some kind.

It is a conditioning of the mind of which I speak. WE are the masters of our own minds. Others may say those awful words of hurt, however, we are the door keeper of our own minds. WE decide if we will allow them to run free or do we arrest them sooner than soon?

There are many excellent words and phrases that disciplined people find useful. Here are some of them.

I can.
I will.
I like myself.
I approve of myself.
I am capable.
I am better than that.
I may be down but I’m not out.
If I fall seven times, I’ll stand up eight.

What are you listening to in your mind?
Can you see the importance of changing those loop-to-loop soundtracks to different, more positive words and phrases?

I so strongly believe in the power of words that my company name is Up-Words. I say – I will speak Up-Words to every person I meet. I will look for the good in others and compliment those good traits on every occasion in which I am able.

I remember a story Dale Carnegie wrote in his book "How to Win Friends and Influence People."
One day he walked by a man standing outside his office building. The gentleman was holding a sign begging for a handout of any kind.

Rather than give the man money, Mr. Carnegie looked him over and finally commented, “My goodness. You surely have tied your shoelaces nice and neat."

Mr. Carnegie thought no more of that incident.

The next morning Mr. Carnegie's secretary announced that a gentleman was there to see him. Dale showed the gentleman into his office, who was dressed in his Sunday best, wearing a fresh shirt and tie and shined shoes. And his hair was neatly combed and his face cleanly shaved.

The man began. "Perhaps you don't remember me but yesterday I was standing outside your office building begging for money. You walked by, looked me over, and then commented on how nicely my shoelaces were tied. You wouldn't have known this, but I had already decided that I was going to go and throw myself into the river unless I got some kind of sign that somebody somewhere might still care about me."

He continued.

"Your words gave me hope. I reasoned that if I could do that one thing of tying my shoelaces neatly then perhaps, I could still find other things I could do with success. I decided then and there that I would clean up and make something useful of myself. You gave me hope in those few words, Mr. Carnegie. Thank you."

My favorite quote on the power of words.

“Never underestimate the power

of the right words spoken at the right time.”

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement

Inspiration

One Word at a Time!

How Far Have You Come?

 How Far Have You Come?

We’re all on the road again, aren’t we? Some of us occasionally have flat tires, we lose our transmissions, our motors give out, we run out of gas, we get dented, bruised, and need a paint job. It’s all a part of the journey we are all on.

And if you think I’m writing about an actual road trip, then keep reading.

Here’s the basis for today’s thoughts.

You Didn't Come This 

Far to Only Come

This Far!

I latched onto the parable of the servants in the Bible story who were given differing amounts of talent.

You know this, perhaps.

One was given 5 talents. He turned those into 10 talents.
One was given 2 talents. He turned those into 4 talent.
One was given 1 talent. He buried his in the ground and it was lost. No growth, no production, no future possibilities.

The moral of the story is to take what you have been dealt and make the best use of it and multiply its value.

Expand your enterprise. Grow.
Become more.
Do more with what you have.

Of course, setbacks will happen. We will get knocked off the horse a time or two. Surgeries will pop up. Illnesses will happen. And twenty or thirty other hurdles will pop up on our path.

And we keep going anyway.

We keep moving. We keep taking our pills. We keep going to the gym. We keep eating better. We keep listening to great information. We keep reading superb books.

WE GET BETTER.

The quote above challenges me.

"I didn’t come this far to come this far!"

Heck no!

There are times when issues arise, medical circumstances happen, job losses slap us down, and perhaps we think “Well, I’ve come a long way. Maybe this is where I get off.”

I don’t think so.

If you have a measure of talent, if you care, if you dream, if you have a goal and a mission in life, then you go a bit further. You reach back for a bit more strength, a bit more creativity, and a bit more will to do something more.

~Oh, we may move slower than before the attack happened.
~We may not be able to do the broad jump anymore.
~We may not sing a high C again.
~We may get our sticks tangled up and drop one or both occasionally, but we play and sing and move at whatever pace we can NOW move and play and sing.

If you can no longer speak, write.
If you can no longer sing, hum, or teach, or enjoy the music.

We find ways to continue using our talents and gifts.

I still want to write the blog heard around the world.
I still want to write more books, and especially finish my novel, for I feel it has redemptive power. (This probably makes no sense to you unless we’ve engaged in conversation about my book. It is still my little secret, and yet someday I will present it to the world.)

I don’t bother counting my talents these days. I just find ways to use them. That is the great joy in life at this age and time.

So, I’ll repeat our premise.

We didn’t come this far to only come this far!

Can you go a little farther?

P MiCHAEL BIGGS

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Discovering Silence

 Discovering Silence

I am a drummer. Drums are loud, not silent except perhaps in the opening few bars Ravel’s Bolero. That is almost silence.

Music has been my life all my life. There are splashes of silence throughout most musical compositions in the form of rests, but they are fleeting seconds at best.

So, what is the meaning of discovering “silence”?

In moments of trauma, of distress, of my world being upset and knocked off balance – these are times when I’ve discovered silence. There is peace and comfort in silence, if one can truly embrace that soundless oasis. And it is not for the faint of heart.

In moments of personal crisis and in peaceful seasons of calm and bliss, I’ve found myself longing for silence, desperately needing silence. Isn’t that odd of a drummer? Sound and noise are what drumming is all about.

Ah, but those moments of silence.

As I age, I find my need for silence growing with intensity. The peace and calm of silence is what I seek.  No noise, no sounds, not even Dvorak’s New World Symphony.  I simply need silence.

Silence allows us to hear the unheard, the silent voices, the whispers from a bigger, wiser source to seep through to our souls and minds. Some call this meditation, and that’s good. Some call it tuning into a higher power, and that’s good. Some call it the calm in the middle of the storm, and if that metaphor works for you then that’s good.

The world is a noisy place. Multitudes of musical tastes can be had from numerous sources if one chooses. Traffic is thick and loud in our larger cities. Jets zoom overhead, car horns blare, babies cry, dogs bark, balloons pop, doors slam, people interrupt, dishes get banged, our electronic gadgets put out an abundance of sound. Carolyn and I fall asleep to the sound of a machine that produces “white noises’, and it's all good. This “white noise” is supposed to mask my snoring, and any other sounds that seep in through our windows and walls in the night.

I suppose that is a form of discovering silence through steady sound. How ironic is that!

Ah, but the healing power of silence is magical. When we reach those moments of peaceful bliss in silent retreat, well, that is a slice of Heaven.

These silent and still moments don’t come easy, AND we make them happen. It is an on-purpose kind of experience that is sought, not bought.

We decide to have a moment in time of silence, a break from noise, and intrusions into our bombarded senses.

My friend Mitch often seeks his silent moments in nature. On Facebook, I often travel with him to some amazing, gorgeous landscapes and mountain vistas that our Pacific Northwest has to offer.

I’ve often driven to Sunset Avenue here in Edmonds just to sit and watch and listen. The Puget Sound has its own rhythm of the tides coming and going, and the Seagulls gliding and riding the currents in majestic quietness. All of this is a great source of peace and beauty.

The radio stays off. The windows are rolled up. The walkers and runners and bikers pass by with not a sound that interrupts my moment of bliss. I’ve even known moments of sleep or dozing in the middle of all this beauty. How about that? Isn’t that a perfect picture of discovering silence?

And what do I hear in the middle of these moments of silence? Oh, there is nothing audible that I come away with. But what it does for my soul and my psyche is immeasurable. Sometimes I have viewed my Sunset Avenue times as being in a ‘Sorting Hat’ machine. The ‘Sorting Hat’ comes from the Harry Potter movies and is used to place new students into one of four houses in which to live. I have been able to sort thoughts, problems, health issues and ways to allow my body to heal. I listen for the gentle nudging’s of what I call “God” in my moments of silence. And I’ve retreated into silence when writing so that I can touch a deeper part of my soul and instincts that bring to light an occasional idea in need of expansion.

Silence works for me. I often come away from these moments with a renewed energy, some new thoughts, and new and improved desires with which to serve Carolyn, my family and mankind.

I love my moments of discovering silence.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs 

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

What Will I Accomplish Today?

 What Will I Accomplish Today?

Mary Oliver once said,

“I wonder what it is I will accomplish today?

I am 73 years old. Some might say I am in the sunset years of my life. I suppose death could overtake me at any moment. I hope not.

You see, I still dream dreams, I still have blogs to write, podcasts to produce, new friendships to court, and old friends whose lives I’ve not yet completely explored.

I can do things, I can think thoughts, I can speak and meditate on the good in this world, and I can still love. I’m not through loving Carolyn yet. I still enjoy holding her hand, having light and fluffy conversations, and when we have those heart moments when we go a bit deeper – well, it’s simply the best. We talk about each other, and about our kids and grandkids, our siblings, and all others close and dear to us.

I want to live and keep living. Life is good, despite what we’ve faced these past five years ago.

Heart surgery was no fun, but we’ve gone way beyond that.
Three amputation surgeries were horrible to endure, and thankfully we’ve moving beyond those as well.

I’m seventy-three. I can still see some distant horizons that excite me. There are places I want to go. There are skills and experiences yet to be brought to the light of day.

Can I accomplish anything with my life at seventy-three? Oh my, you better believe I can. And so can you.

A friend of mine posted the following on Facebook recently. I shared it on my page and have received an unusual number of likes and hits.

"A study in the U.S.A found that the most productive age in human life is between 60-70 years of age.
~The 2nd. most productive stage of the human being is from 70 to 80 years of age.

~The 3rd. most productive stage is from 50 to 60 years of age.
~The average age of NOBEL PRIZE winners is 62 years old.
~The average age of the presidents of prominent companies in the world is 63 years.
~The average age of the pastors of the 100 largest churches in the U.S.A. is 71.
~The average age of the Popes is 76 years.

This tells us that the best years of our lives are between 60 and 80 years. A book review published in NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE found that at age 60, you reach the TOP of your potential, and this continues into your 80s."

For those of us above the age of 60, we are in the greatest and most productive time of our lives.

How about that!

Let’s go accomplish something today.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

This is my morning reflection.

Imagination

Imagination 

I found a quote that needs expanding. Here goes.

Imagine everything you can imagine, 

then keep on going.

That is the seed of creativity if there ever was one.

What if the industry of flight had stopped with the Wright brothers first successful 12-second flight at Kitty Hawk? Thankfully mankind didn’t stop there, and we now have a space station, and probes to Mars and beyond.

Think of the medical advances we now experience, and imagine life if those ‘steps beyond’ had never happened. Some of us wouldn’t be alive today but for medical advances beyond even thirty years ago.

Charles Dickens didn’t write A Christmas Carol as his first book. Oh, no. We are richer for his persistence and for the fact that he kept on going.

And think of Alexander Graham Bell’s invention, and compare that to that mini-computer in your pocket called a ‘Smart Phone’.

My friend Ken is one of the finest musicians I know, and yet he is not limiting his creativity to just music. He is one of the most highly regarded music editors in the business and now he has turned to authoring a book. Ken is living up to this thought and he is continuing to keep going.

What is your imagination begging from you? What fresh thoughts continually stream in your conscious mind? Perhaps you have an idea that just needs a bit of imagining. Perhaps you need to keep on going.

Go a bit further. Dig a bit deeper. Tinker a bit more.
The end is not in sight yet. All the good ideas are not taken. There’s room for your imagination.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

This is my morning reflection.

Are You Thirsty Yet?

Are You Thirsty Yet?

Behold thirst!  It demands to be quenched.  Experts say we can only survive 3-4 days without water.  Some days, it seems I can’t last even a few hours.

For what do you thirst?  You do know we are not just talking about taking a drink here, right?

I had a thirst for thirty or more years to be a writer.  I took sips of writing from time to time but never took a serious drink till in my sixties.  And now, this fount of words still flows very steadily. 

~Bill Gates and Paul Allen had a thirst.  We call it Microsoft.

~The Wright brothers had a thirst … flight.  Look where that lead them, and us.

Thirst is a good thing.  It takes us in search of cures, books that have never been written, corporations than needed starting, new restaurants with tasty new entrees, and small businesses that fit the right niche for the right clientele. 

Are you thirsty yet?

Perhaps it is time to quench that thirst of yours.  You’ve dreamed of it for a long time.  You’ve got visions of your dream, of what, where, when, and how much it will take. 

Now, it’s ‘toe in the water’ time.  As I learned a long time ago…

Plan your work and work your plan.

Go ahead.  Take a long drink.  You may become addicted to your drink of choice.

This is my

morning reflection.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

What Are You Made to Do?

What Are You Made to Do?

Every year at this time, thousands upon thousands of students are graduating and facing their future.  They have their tidy degrees in hand and a head full of knowledge and can now say “I am a graduate.”

The big question they now need to answer is this:

What are you Made to Do?

I can DO lots of things, and I have.  I’ve been highly fulfilled in some of my pursuits and also highly frustrated.  Today, I know what I am made to do.  I am made to encourage mankind.  I do it through writing, speaking and podcasting.

This picture captures my message today.

 There are lots of ventures in life that I could pursue, and I would be highly frustrated in pursuing them.  Ah, but I have found my place in this world, and I think I’m doing lots of it.  And, the world needs what I do. 

People need validation, encouragement, a huge dose of hope.

I can do that.  I want to do that.

I CHOOSE to do that.

What do you choose?

This is my

morning reflection.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Scratch an Itch or Embrace an Itch

Scratch an Itch or Embrace an Itch

I have a good and sturdy back-scratcher in my drawer, and I use it almost every night before going to bed.  I have learned to manipulate it to hit the itchy spots on my back.  An itch demands to be dealt with.

I’ve had other itches.  I wanted to drum like Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, so I practiced, studied and listened to their drum licks.

I had the itch to write for over thirty years, yet all I did for much of that time was scratch the itch a few times.  Finally, I decided to embrace that itch.  Now, four books and a whole passel of blogs later, I suppose one could say I am a writer. 

See the point?  We ‘artist types’ ultimately have to embrace the itch, an idea, a proclivity.  We have to recognize the knock of a potential call and open the door to whatever that itch has to offer.

Oh, we may not be very good, at first, but with a bit of effort, and practice who knows what might happen? 

Got an itch?  Perhaps it’s time to embrace it.

(This blog is based on a quote from Seth Godin’s book – What to Do when It’s Your Turn.)

This is my

morning reflection.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Your Inner Voice Speaks

Your Inner Voice Speaks

Before he became Randy Travis, Randy was rejected by every major record label in Nashville twice.  Can you imagine that?  He heard more “no’s” than he ever thought a person should hear.

So, what happened in the meantime to turn little-known Randy into Randy Travis, winner of seven Grammy awards, eight Dove awards, and a whole string of other awards and accolades.

Randy believed more in himself than he believed in the naysayers of the music world.  He knew he had the stuff within to become a super star, and he persisted, he honed his craft, he practiced, and practiced some more, until his break came.  He became a super star because he believed in himself.

He didn’t let the “no thanks” and the “we don’t need your type” slow him down. 

He listened to his inner voice that kept saying, “you can do this”, “you have something unique that the world needs to hear”. 

What is your inner voice saying to you about you? 

That is a critical piece of the equation in our search for the top.

This is my

morning reflection.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

You'll Get There ... Maybe Today

You’ll Get There … Maybe Today

Oh my … the possibilities found in this one simple phrase.  It is full of “what ifs” and “great hopes” and “optimistic outlooks”!

This title speaks of hopes and dreams, of wanna-be goals and good thoughts about our future. 

Are you a dreamer?  Then, perhaps, you’ll arrive, someday, maybe today, on the doorstep of your great ambition. 

Could it be today?

It could be.  Yes indeed. 

I hope you keep dreaming of “Someday I’ll”!

This is my

morning reflection.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration