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

You Can Bounce and Not Break

 You Can Bounce and Not Break

It’s such a simple thought, isn’t it? It almost doesn’t need to be written on, and yet we need to remember this great concept.

Rejection teaches us 

that we can bounce 

and not break!

I love that idea.
I know this to be true. And you do too.

Everybody gets rejected.
Everybody loses out at some point. 

Everybody gets defeated sometimes.

Ever been divorced?
Ever been in bankruptcy? 

Ever had open-heart surgery?

Ever had an amputation?
Ever lost in love?
Ever had a foreclosure or a repossession?

Here’s the thing.

All the bad stuff I mentioned above, and there is a lot more that could be added to this list, all of that stuff is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it could, perhaps, be the beginning for a different take on life or on any of those circumstances listed.

WE CAN BOUNCE AND NOT BREAK!!!

We should take out an ad in every newspaper in the world, yes – the world, and proclaim this from every mountaintop.

This I’ve said in many blogs, and yet it needs saying again and again.

Failure Is Not Final!

~We walk away from failure, (or hardship or sickness or defeat.) ~We overcome failure, (or hardship or sickness or defeat.)
~We bounce back from failure, (or hardship or sickness or defeat.) 

~We learn from failure, (or hardship or sickness or defeat.)

Failure is not the end. Oh no. It is a teacher. It is a hard lesson in life that we take to heart.

Yes, we must grieve our failures. We must take time to process, and reflect, and wonder and ponder and do all that other stuff a smart person does after a failure.

And then we move on. WE MOVE ON!

Is your mindset that of an overcomer? Do you want to bounce, or do you want to break into thousands of tiny pieces?

I say – Let’s Bounce.

Rebuild.
Reinvent yourself, your dream, your one thing that is always on your mind.

Do you remember what Muhammad Ali once said? 

You don’t lose if you get knocked down.

You lose if you stay down.

P Michael Biggs 

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Where Does Your Worst Enemy Live

Where Does Your Worst Enemy Live? 

Our worst enemy is nearer than we might think, for it is closer than your breath.

Make Sure Your Worst

Enemy Doesn't Live

Between Your Two Ears.

Laird Hamilton

You know those negative thoughts, those imaginary battles we all face. You and I know all about those conversations that we have with ourselves about the never-gonna-happen events and circumstances in life, and yet, we persist in continuing these conversations.

We fight a constant battle in this arena, and we constantly have to be on our guard. Sometimes, these arguments and scenarios feel good, and we feel self-righteous and victorious with the arguments we create in our minds. And we probably win a lot of these made-up battles that no-one ever sees.

And the enemy still exists.

I’m reminded of a Bible verse I learned a long time ago. 

“Take Every Thought Captive.”

To me, it means:

~Stop the fight. Be aware of what is happening and bow out of that fight. 

~Redirect and place your thoughts onto truth, what is or what should be. 

~If the issue is real and needs addressing, take the appropriate measures and have the hard conversations.

These are such easy words to write, and yet I fight this same enemy from time to time.

I’m in this battle with you.

P Michael Biggs 

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Tom Sawyer Still Teaches

Tom Sawyer Still Teaches

There is a story in Mark Twain’s classic book, Tom Sawyer that I think can teach us lesson today.  Here it is:

~ ~ ~

Tom is headed to Sunday School, against his will of course.  And so he goes anyway.

As he and Aunt Polly, Sid and Mary approach, Tom begins to lag behind a bit and he addressed a Sunday-dressed comrade.

“Say, Billy, got a yaller ticket?”

“What’ll you take for her?”

“Piece of likrish and a fish hook.”

“Less see ‘em.”

Tom exhibited.  They were satisfactory, and the property changed hands.  Then Tom traded a couple of white alleys (marbles) for three red tickets, and some small trifle or other for a couple of blue ones.  He waylaid other boys as they came, and went on buying tickets of various colors ten or fifteen minutes longer. 

The tickets were usually earned in Sunday School by successfully reciting passages of Scripture. 

Blue for two verses

Ten blues = one red ticket

Ten red = one yellow

Ten yellow = well that was the jackpot – the possessor of ten yellow tickets was awarded a very plainly bound Bible, worth forty cents in those easy times).

Tom’s sister, Mary, had acquired two Bibles in this way.  It took her two years, and yet she had earned two Bibles.

Well, they gathered all the children into the church building for they had a ceremony planned.  And it was some fine ceremony, let me tell you.  They even brought in a special guest.  

“The middle-aged man turned out to be a prodigious personage – not less a one than the county judge – altogether the most august creation these children had ever looked upon.  He was from Constantinople, twelve miles away – so he had travelled and seen the world.  And he had looked upon the county courthouse – which was said to have a tin roof. 

Mr. Walters, he was the Sunday School Superintendent, he was

flittering around, acting busy, acting important and all and probably trying to impress the Judge – Judge Thatcher. 

There was only one thing wanting to make Mr. Walter’s ecstasy complete, and that was a chance to deliver a Bible-prize and exhibit a prodigy.  Several pupils had a few yellow tickets, but none had enough – he had been around among the star pupils inquiring. 

And now, when all hope was dead, Tom Sawyer came forward with nine yellow tickets, nine red tickets, and ten blue ones, and demanded a Bible.  This was a thunderbolt out of a clear sky.  Mr. Walters was not expecting an application from this source for the next ten years.  But there was no getting around it – here were the certified checks, and they were good for their face.

The prize was delivered to Tom with as much effusion as the superintendent could pump up under the circumstances; but it lacked somewhat of the true gush, for the poor fellow ‘s instinct taught him that there was a mystery here that could not well bear the light.

Tom was introduced to the Judge.  The Judge put his hand on Tom’s head and called him a fine little man, and asked him what his name was.  The boy stammered, gasped, and got it out.

“Tom.”

“Oh, no, not Tom – it is –“

“Thomas.”

“Ah, that’s it.  I thought there was more to it, maybe.  But you’ve another one I daresay, and you’ll tell it to me, won’t you?”

“Tell the gentleman your other name, Thomas.”  Said Walters, “and say sir.  You mustn’t forget your manners.”

“Thomas Sawyer – sir.”

“That’s it!  That’s a good boy.  Fine boy.  Fine, manly little fellow.  Two thousand verses is a great many – very, very great many.  And you never can be sorry for the trouble you took to learn them; for knowledge is worth more than anything there is in the world; it’s what makes great men and good men; you’ll be a great man and a good man yourself, some day,

Thomas, and then you’ll look back and say, “It’s all owing to the precious Sunday-school privileges of my boyhood – it’s all owing to my dear teachers that taught me to learn – it’s all owing to the good superintendent who encouraged me, and watched over me, and gave me a beautiful Bible – a splendid elegant Bible – to keep and have it all for my own, always – it’s all owing to right bringing up!  That is what you will say, Thomas – and you wouldn’t take any money for those two thousand verses – no indeed you wouldn’t.

 And now would you mind telling all of us some of the things you’ve learned -  no, I know you wouldn’t – for we are proud of little boys that learn.  Now, no doubt you know the names of all the twelve disciples.  Won’t you tell us the names of the first two that were appointed?”

Tom was tugging at a button-hole and looking sheepish.  He blushed, and his eyes fell.  Mr. Walter’s heart sank within him.  He said to himself, it is not possible that the boy can answer the simplest question – why did the Judge ask him?  He felt obliged to speak up and say:

“Answer the gentleman, Thomas – don’t be afraid.”

Tom still hung fire. 

“Now I know you’ll tell us.  The names of the first two disciples were …”

“David and Goliah!”

Let us draw the curtain of charity over the rest of the scene.

~ ~ ~

The point of this story …

Sometimes we accumulate prizes, gadgets, titles, banners and diplomas, yet did real learning and effort go into the gathering of those “awards”?

I could go out and buy a degree on line, or so I’m told, but for what end?  

I could be promoted to a high position, or I could run for an elected office and win the challenge, and then what?  Oh my, there are honors and accolades in such an accomplishment, but is there an increase in knowledge to go with this sudden windfall? 

This is a funny story from Mr. Twain.  Now, what is your take-a-way?

That is for each of us to consider.

This is my

morning reflection.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Faith

-->

Faith

How does faith play into your personal agenda?  When I write “faith”, I’m speaking of your own personal faith in yourself. 

To phrase it another way, what kind of confidence do you have in you?  Are you dedicated to whatever your dreams, goals, integrity dictates?  Are you loyal to your own belief system? 

Faith in one’s self is one of the most essential elements in

life.  Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

Faith

Belief

Self-esteem

They are all part and parcel of the same philosophy on life.

This is my

morning reflection.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs

Words of Hope

Encouragement

Inspiration