To all my current and future #DCSPeeps (DECIDE, COMMIT, SUCCEED), welcome to my new series in my continuing effort to inspire, amuse, and entertain you! Each Monday I will select a new word to analyze how it might apply to our writing lives and also give you a peek into my childhood growing up in the swamps of southern Louisiana, so kick back, put your feet up, and check out my story about TODAY'S WORD:
FALL
I'm pretty sure my sister didn't realize just how much I admired her when we were growing up. I thought Janet had it all...a witty personality, a bevy of friends, and the coolest wedge sandals I had ever seen.
I've been 5'10" since I was eleven years old. Tall enough to tower over most of the other students in my class which didn't win me any popularity contests, but the thought of adding another 5 inches to my height was too tempting to resist. Besides, to a gangly pre teen, those shoes represented about the sexiest thing I had ever seen.
My sister let me borrow those shoes one day and I strutted around the playground like I was the Homecoming Queen. That is, until I tried to turn the corner of a building and ended up FALLING off those shoes.
Hitting the concrete face first.
In front of a group of kids.
Who started to laugh and point at the goofball on the ground trying to gather her dignity and her high heel wedges before slinking off to hide in the girl's bathroom for the rest of recess.
I never wore those wedge shoes again, but for one moment in an otherwise mediocre elementary school career, I was on top of my world!
Writers FALL in love with their stories. They are passionate about those writerly relationships, sometimes extending the "honeymoon" phase of loving their main characters long past what is best for the overall storyline. That's where a good critique group or critique partner comes in.
An outside pair of eyes will catch weaknesses in those manuscripts, preventing those main characters from FALLING into the dark hole of the slush pile.
For writers looking for a critique partner or critique group, here are a few links to check out...
http://thewritersmatch.com/
https://www.ladieswhocritique.com/
https://thewritelife.com/find-a-critique-partner/
http://lisapoisso.com/2016/07/26/find-critique-partners-groups/
Children's book author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a 'ninja' writer of children’s picture books, chapter books and young adult novels by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books. She is also a book reviewer for Harper Collins, and a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators. Donna is a lover of dark chocolate, time at the beach, and good stories.
I was in the opposite direction--way too short,the shortest kid in my class. I spent my grade schools years trying to stay unnoticed. I'm sure I had many awkward moments also like when my blouse split on the side when I was playing basketball, boys and girls. I did my share of falling too, so I empathize with you. Hey, I had a great idea--why not write about my grade school days! or middle school! Thanks for getting me thinking this late at night.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has a story or two to tell...it's all a matter of simply sitting down to write them. I'm glad I gave you some food for thought...;~)
DeleteThanks for stopping by and come back any time!
I wish I was as fabulous as you seem to remember. I wore those big shoes and fell off them, too. Lucky neither of us broke bones.
ReplyDeleteBut I DID break a major vein outside my right ankle that puffed up for about the next 20 years...;~)
DeleteThanks for stopping by and come back any time!