Tag: Michelle D. Argyle

Author, Writing

Kudos to these top commenters!

Linda Cassidy Lewis

In the golden age of personal blogging, each of my posts elicited numerous comments. Now, I’m happy to see three or four. I’ve fallen into that blog comment laziness myself, so I can’t complain. Today, because I appreciate their efforts immensely, I’m highlighting the three women who currently hold the top three comment totals on this blog.

Michelle D. Argyle#1 Michelle D. Argyle – Michelle is multi-talented. She’s the author of eight novels and one collection of short stories. Also, as Melissa Williams she’s a book cover artist and designed the beautiful cover for my novel The Brevity of Roses.

I appreciate Michelle for her support on this blog and privately, especially since often it seems we’re on the same wavelength and I know she really understands where I’m coming from.

Here’s Michelle’s author bio:

Michelle lives and writes in Utah, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. She adores cheese, chocolate, sushi, and lots of ethnic food, and loves to read and write books in the time she grabs between her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter. She believes a simple life is the best life. Michelle writes contemporary Young Adult and New Adult fiction (and other genres when she feels up to it).

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Darlene Foster#2 Darlene Foster – I’m privileged to vicariously travel via Darlene’s photos of her adventures on Facebook and her blog. So I suppose it’s no surprise that her three children’s novels feature world-traveler Amanda. She has a fourth Amanda adventure due out soon, which is set in her own part of the world.

In addition to her comments on this blog, I appreciate Darlene for sharing her well described and photographed travels so I can feel as if I’ve left this valley once in a while and for her lovely smiles that add cheer to my Facebook feed.

Here’s Darlene’s author bio:

Darlene Foster is a writer, an employment counsellor, an ESL tutor for children, a wife, mother and grandmother. She loves travel, shoes, cooking, reading, sewing, chocolate, music, the beach and making new friends. Her 13 year old grandson called her “super-mega-as-woman-supreme”. She was brought up on a ranch near Medicine Hat, Alberta, where she dreamt of traveling the world and meeting interesting people. She currently lives on the west coast of Canada with her husband Paul and their black cat, Monkey.

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Christa Polkinhorn#3 Christa Polkinhorn – Christa frequently encourages me when I need it. Recently she reminded me that when she wrote her (wonderful) review of my first novel it was not out of friendship because she had no idea who I was then.

Beyond her comments here, I appreciate Christa for sharing her knowledge of self-publishing with me and for trusting me to beta-read her manuscripts. As you can tell from her bio, Christa also travels, so I appreciate her sharing her photos and narratives, too.

Here’s Christa’s author bio:

Born and raised in Switzerland, Christa Polkinhorn has always had a desire to explore the world outside of her beautiful but tiny country. As a young woman, she traveled through Europe, came to the United States on an exchange program, and ended up staying. Her travels led her to China and Japan as well as South America. She studied literature and linguistics in Zurich and California. Now, she lives and works as writer and translator in southern California and divides her time between the United States and her native Switzerland. The tension and excitement this “double life” creates informs her literary work. Most of her novels take place in several countries. Aside from writing and traveling, Christa is an avid reader, a lover of the arts and dark chocolate.

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And, of course, thank you to all who take the time to read this blog and comment. 🙂

 

Linda

Imagination, Reflections, Writing

Sanctioned Daydreaming

Linda Cassidy Lewis

Whether you’re reading fiction or writing it, what you’re actually doing is daydreaming. I’ve always been a daydreamer. Fortunately, I was smart in school and very competitive, so I got my work done fast before letting my mind wander. I also had artistic talent, so I was allowed extra time to create. And though neither of my parents was a reader, they usually allowed me plenty of time for that–except at the dinner table.

girl_daydrmThen, from the ages of twelve to fourteen, I was sick and spent loads and loads of time alone—ideal daydream time. In fact, I suspect that isolation changed my personality from medium to deep introversion.

I’ve begun reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain. It’s a book that Michelle D. Argyle brought to my attention in a blog post. I’m only a couple of chapters into the book, so I haven’t discovered what “power” I have, but I’m hoping to learn ways to make my introversion work for me.

Actually, I do know one advantage: the ability to go quiet, to go deep inside and create story.

I love being quiet. And to keep my energy level up, I require a lot of time alone. Alone and quiet is good for writing, but only if you don’t care to share your work with more than a few people. Like family and friends. If you have them. And if they happen to like reading the stuff you write. After all, no stranger is going to knock on my door and ask to read what I’ve written.

So I know a bit about the disadvantages of being an introvert in the writing and publishing world.

Yet, I’m obsessed with putting my daydreams down on paper. Maybe I’m doing it for myself. For when I lose my short-term memory and can pick up one of my own books and find it’s a brand new story to me. Or if dementia robs me of the ability to daydream, hopefully I will retain my ability to read the daydreams preserved in writing by myself and others.

May we daydream forever, one way or the other.

 

Linda

Family, Power, Reflections, Writing

Chow Mein for Breakfast

Linda Cassidy Lewis

I’m alone—in a quiet house—today, so I ate leftover chow mein for breakfast. That’s the sort of wild and crazy thing I do when left to my own devices. My youngest son, Daniel, is visiting from Nebraska and took some of the family to the Cincinnati Reds game in Oakland today. I stayed home to care for the dogs.

connect_heartNo next novel in production, yet, but I may get my brain in gear to revise a short story today. Otherwise, I’ll probably read the afternoon away. I’ve surprised myself by reading seven novels since I wrapped up An Illusion of Trust. For me, since I started writing seriously, that qualifies as binge-reading.

Maybe soon I’ll be able to shut the doors, insert the earplugs, and binge-write. I’ve been a little nervous that one of my novel ideas hasn’t taken me captive. But now I’m trying not to listen when the dark side whispers, “Does that mean none of your story ideas is worthy?” I’m trying hard not to take my Muse’s silence as a sign that I shouldn’t write at all. I’m trying to keep my distance from that perfection trap.

I wish I could remember where I saw the link to Brené Brown’s TED talk, which I’ve linked to below, but I thank, thank, thank whoever posted that so I could find it—and watch it over and over. I’m learning to have the courage to be vulnerable. I’m learning the difference between shame and guilt. I’m learning to accept my short-comings and still feel worthy. I’m doing this because I want to connect to life wholeheartedly.

More than anything, I seek connection through my writing. But as an author, just as in my real life, I allow my fears to restrain me. I write from my heart, but I don’t write wholeheartedly. I let my perfectionism steal that from me. Maybe when I learn these lessons, I’ll be free to write another novel.

Also read: Knowing that my friend, author Michelle D. Argyle, struggles with some of the same issues, I shared the link with her. Brené’s talk inspired her to blog about The Price of Perfection.

How are you living wholeheartedly?

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