Sinus Allergies

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SINUS ALLERGIES
by Kelly F. Barr

Kerchoo!  Kerchoo!  Kerchoo!
Oh, what am I to do?
Sniffle, sneeze, cough, cough, cough!
This is nothing at which to scoff.

Oh, the pressure in my ears and head!
Cannot sleep — coughing in my bed.
Cough relief ideas — I’ve tried them all;
Nothing causes this cough to stall.

Neti pot, cough drops, Echinacea tea.
From this cough, please set me free.
A tablespoon of honey, Vick’s VapoRub upon my feet.
This cough will not admit defeat.

Sinus allergies are the worst!
Why, with these allergies, must I be cursed?
It’s been a week; I’m not much better.
How much longer must I bear this fetter?

Top Ten Tuesday

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Today’s Top Ten Tuesday suggestion, as per The Broke and Bookish, is “Ten Reasons I Love X” and you can place whatever you like in the spot of “X”.  Therefore, I am going to do “Ten Reasons I Love Janette Oke”.

  1.  When I first gave my heart to the Lord and became a Christian, the first Christian fiction books I read were books written by Janette Oke.
  2. I love every book that I have ever read by Janette Oke, although, unfortunately, I have not read them all. Her characters capture my heart.
  3. I love that many of Janette’s stories are Christian historical romantic fiction.  Maybe that’s why I decided that clean historical romantic fiction is what I want to write.
  4. Although I have only read five of the twelve books in Janette’s “Women of the West” series, A Gown of Spanish Lace and Drums of Change are two of my favorite Janette Oke stories. Drums of Change is a special favorite because it is about an Indian girl, and I have always had a fondness and fascination for the Indians.  My great-great-grandmother was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian woman.  Unfortunately, I never had the privilege of meeting her.
  5. One of my favorite series of all time is one written by Janette Oke, and that is the Love Comes Softly series.  In that series, Janette created two characters that all of her readers fell in love with, Marty and Clark Davis.
  6. Janette Oke cares about her readers and their opinions.  She originally wrote Love Comes Softly as a single book, but many of her readers wanted more, and so with the encouragement of an editor at Bethany House publishing, she wrote a second book, and the series eventually turned into an eight novel series. When readers still wanted more, Janette wrote four more novels, The Prairie Legacy series, where the series of Clark and Marty Davis and their family finally ended because at the end of twelve novels, Clark and Marty had reached their final years together and Janette nor her readers wanted to mourn their deaths.  So finally, the readers were satisfied, and Janette had cared enough about her readers to change one novel into a series of twelve novels, and that remains, maybe, the best loved series Janette has written.
  7.  Some of Janette Oke’s stories have been made into movies.  The Love Comes Softly series was made into movies, and I LOVE them!  (Well, the ones I have seen) I have the complete book and movie series of Love Comes Softly, including the Prairie Legacy series, although I have not read the Prairie Legacy series.  I plan to read all of these twelve novels very soon, and then sit down and watch the movies!
  8. I recently found a book at a bargain book store that is a book about Janette Oke written by her daughter, Laurel Oke Logan, and I can’t wait to read it and learn more about one of my favorite authors!
  9. Janette Oke also wrote another of my favorite book series and that is her Seasons of the Heart series.  It is a four book series.
  10. The biggest reason I love Janette Oke is because not only does she care about her readers, she also cares about future writers and those who write letters to her.  I wrote a letter to her back in 1996, when I was hoping to soon become a published author.  I sent her a letter expressing my love for her writing and I sent her a short story of my own and asked for feedback and advice on becoming a published author.  Now, you and I both know that successful writers don’t usually answer their own fan mail.  They don’t have time, and they don’t read stories fans send them asking for writing advice.  Well, I want you to know that Janette Oke did just that.  She read my letter and the story I sent and she sent me a two page letter responding with answers to some of my questions about publishing at the time!  She offered me some tips on my writing and encouraged me to keep writing!  This busy, successful writer took the time to personally respond to my letter!  What a sweet, caring woman Janette Oke is!  I am so glad that I was bold in writing to her.  I still have the letter she sent me in the original envelope it was sent in, and it still means a lot to me today!I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Janette Oke in person or having any other contact or correspondence with her, but she will always remain special to me for taking the time to encourage me in my writing, even if it did take me considerably longer to really get serious about my writing.

What I’ve Learned About Critique Groups

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There are different types of critique groups and it’s important to try several different types until you find the one you think fits you best and is most helpful to you in your writing.

I have been involved in two different critique groups and will begin my journey with another critique group this week.  The two that I have been a part of seem to have the same basic rules:  start by saying something positive, offer your thoughts on what works and doesn’t work in the writing or where things tend to drag, and end with something positive.  Also, be specific!  Saying something like, “This is nice.  I like it,” is not really helpful at all to the writer.

Of the two critique groups I’ve been involved with so far, I do prefer one over the other because one group has difficulty critiquing the piece you bring to share.  Because you may be working on a novel and you have brought early chapters in the past and now you’ve brought middle or later chapters, and this group may or may not consist of people who read the earlier chapters, it seems to be quite difficult for them to simply critique what is before them.

I understand that it can be difficult as far as knowing how things began and why what’s happening is happening now, but I don’t find it difficult to be able to focus on the words before me and give advice on what is happening on these pages.  Whatever I am reading to critique, I simply, ask myself several questions as I read:  1) Does the story flow? 2) Does the dialogue move the story forward and is the dialogue relevant to the story? 3) Are the goals of the main character clear from the action, the decisions and choices the character makes? 4) Are there any places that cause the story to lose momentum, slow down and seem to drag? 5) Are there any places that confuse the reader?  6) Are the writer’s word choices fitting for the time the story is set in or are there word choices that are too modern or too outdated? 7) Does the story capture and hold my attention and make me want to keep reading? 8) Do I care about the main character? 9) Does the plot line keep my interest and does it keep the story moving? 10) Is the story unique compared to other stories in the same genre?

There may be more questions that pop into my head as I read that I look for answers too as well, but the ten I listed in the previous paragraph are some of the most important, so if you can keep those questions in your head while reading someone’s work, it shouldn’t matter whether you are reading a piece of writing from the beginning, middle or end of the story, in order to give the writer good quality, helpful feedback.

* * * * *

Now, just a bit about the critique group I will be getting involved with this week.  It is the online critique group offered through the ACFW website for ACFW members.  I am really excited about this because it sounds like it may be the most helpful critique group yet.  In order to become involved in the critique group, I have to take a three day orientation, where I will receive three email assignments each day of those three days to complete, in order to learn the rules and how their critique group works.  It’s a very large group and it has smaller branch groups as well, from what I understand.  I am really looking forward to it!  I’ll let you know what I think, once I am able to receive and offer some critiquing.

What about you?  Are you part of a critique group?  How do you benefit from your critique group?

Scurrying Squirrels Poem

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Scurrying Squirrels
by Kelly F. Barr

Watch the squirrels running around,
Digging holes in the ground.
In Fall, to hide treasured nutmeats;
In Spring, to find these precious treats.

They chase each other round and round;
Up one tree, jump to another and down.
They balance with their bushy tails.
Their antics bring us laughter in gales.

When they have babies in their nests
Keeping your distance would be best.
If you get too close, they will loudly scold.
These little critters can be quite bold.

Top Ten Tuesday

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This week on Top Ten Tuesday, as per The Broke and the Bookish, we are to post 10 Beach Reads, books we plan to read on the beach.  Not being a beach person, myself, I will post 10 Mountain Reads.  I would much rather spend a week or weekend in the mountains than at the beach, and mountains are as good a place to read as the beach.

So here are my top ten choices to take to the mountains:

  1.  

This mystery/suspense is just the kind of book to keep me turning pages as I sit outside a cabin enjoying the sounds of nature.

2. 

3. 

4. 

Yes, I am a huge Dee Henderson fan.  I totally loved her O’Malley series.  I can’t wait to dig into this one and all of her other books that I haven’t read yet.

5. 

I have never been a big fan of fantasy, but I find a growing interest in that genre, and Magonia sounds like a good read.

6. 

Another fantasy novel that has captured my interest.  I haven’t gotten my hands on it yet, though.

7. 

We gave T.V. up a long time ago, but my parents still watch a lot of T.V. and sometimes when I visit, I catch a show or two.  Interestingly enough, many of the shows are based on books, which makes me quite happy because I’d rather read a book than watch a T.V. show anyway.  So, after seeing an episode or two of “Castle” with my mom, I looked up the books.

8. 

Yes, this too, is a book that a T.V. show is based on.

9. 

This book was suggested by a speaker at a writers’ conference I attended in November 2015.  It sounded intriguing and so it’s on my TBR list, and since the title is “The Poisonwood Bible”, it sounds like a good mountain read.

10. 

Thought the cover copy made this book sound fascinating.

So, do you prefer to read your books on the beach or in the mountains?

A Monday Movie Review

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I don’t usually post about movies here, and this is my review of a movie that’s been out for some time.  You see, we saw this movie yesterday at some friends’ house, and I was disturbed by the movie and feel the need to share.

I have heard many people rave about this movie.  It’s supposed to be a kids’ movie, but it’s rated PG.  It’s the first Pixar film I didn’t really care for.  It’s “Big Hero Six”.

If you haven’t seen the movie yet and are thinking about seeing it, you might not want to read any farther, as there will be spoilers in the rest of this post.

What did I find so disturbing?  Hero is the main character.  He and his brother live with their aunt because their parents died some time ago.  Then Hero’s brother dies in an explosion and Hero is right there to witness it.  I found this very disturbing as an adult, let alone for a child.

Hero finds that his brother’s robot was in their home and he makes a new program for the robot because he wants it to help him find and catch the guy who is responsible for the explosion that killed his brother.  Four of his brother’s friends also get involved.

Long story short, Hero enters into a time warp type thing to rescue the daughter, of the bad guy, who is got stuck in there and the robot sensed that she was in there.  The robot goes in with him and then the robot has to be left behind in order for Hero and the girl to get out in time.  So, yet another loss for Hero.  Yet, the bad guy gets his daughter back, even though he’s going to jail.

In the end, Hero finds that in the robot’s hand, (the only thing that he has left of the robot), is the original program his brother designed for the robot, so he is able to recreate another robot.  That’s supposed to be the happy ending.

Why do I find this movie so disturbing?  Because I have three adopted children who suffered neglect, rejection and abandonment in their pasts.  A child like that watching a movie like “Big Hero Six” may suffer those feelings anew watching the loss that Hero went through.  If I had known what the movie was like, I wouldn’t have allowed our youngest to watch it.  He’s a very sensitive child as so as it is.  However, because we did watch it, I did speak with him about it, and he seems to be fine.

On the other hand, there was also another child present who has suffered a lot of loss in his/her life and is going through struggles with grieving some of those losses right now, and I can’t help but wonder if it was wise for that child to see it, although the parents said that the child had seen it before.

So, I know that most people would think nothing of watching this movie with their children, but being the mom of children with hurtful pasts makes me much more aware and sensitive to things that could be a problem for them.  We’ve experienced upsets with two of our three children, in the past, over movies we sat down to watch with them that we thought would be okay, so we can’t always even be sure of what may or may not upset them, but it certainly makes me more careful.

My older two sons had no problem with the movie and thought that I was over reacting because Hero still was able to have the robot and he had his brother’s friends, to which I said, “Yeah, but they weren’t family.”  I don’t think I’m over reacting because  I don’t believe we can be too careful with the tender, sensitive hearts and spirits of our children.

One of my favorite movies to watch with my children is “Lilo and Stitch”.  It has a wonderful message for children with hurtful backgrounds and/or behavioral issues.

Have you ever seen a movie you found disturbing that everyone thought was a great movie for kids?   Do you know of any movies that have a good message for children who have had hurtful pasts?

Flash Fiction Friday: A Welcoming Smile

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He watched as she sat on a park bench writing in a notebook.  Her clothes told of her unique artistic tastes with the form fitting black pants, bright multicolored blouse, and green scarf.  She was also wearing ankle high canvas chucks, one red and one blue denim and she had streaks of pink in her golden blonde hair.

He’d always been fascinated by the uniqueness of artists.  They seemed to be more open minded than other people, and they had a vast array of interests.  He always wondered what it would be like to love an artist.

She paused from her writing, looking up.  Their eyes met.  She smiled and returned to her writing.

He crossed the grass and sat down next to her.

“Hi, my name is David.”

A Thursday Tribute

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I have never done this before, but I really feel like I need to do this.  I want to pay tribute to two people who mean a lot to me because of their support and/or contributions to my writing life.

First of all, my husband.  I just have to say how much I appreciate the way that he shows his support for my writing.  How does he do this?

He never complains about my attending all of the monthly LCW (Lancaster Christian Writers) meetings that I want to attend, which is all of them, (smile).  In reality, I usually end up having to miss one or two because of family things that come up that take priority.  He also never complains when I find a free or inexpensive one-day writing event that I want to attend, and he doesn’t mind when I leave two, sometimes three evenings a week for two or three hours to get together with other writers for critique group or to write, brainstorm and encourage each other along our writing paths.  He doesn’t complain that I spend so much time writing and participating in writing related things and yet am still not adding to the family income.  He understands that it is a long process.  I am blessed to have a husband who quietly supports me and I greatly appreciate him.

The second person I want to pay tribute to is a fellow writer who has become a very dear friend and is moving to the other side of the country, Laura Zimmerman.  I met her at LCW but our bond of friendship began when she and I both attended a one day writing workshop in the private home of a complete stranger.  We were surrounded by strangers, and I think, because we recognized each other’s faces and knew we were both part of LCW, we both felt more comfortable and we sat together for the workshop and had some time to talk a bit and start to really get to know each other.

Then when I started the weekly writing group for those of us homeschool moms who often struggle with finding time to write without interruptions in our own homes, Laura soon became a regular part of that writing group, Scribes Oasis.  She has rarely missed a night of Scribes.  Laura also encouraged me in my ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) membership, as I was debating renewing my membership.  You see, ACFW is a national organization, and though we have a local chapter, most of the best resources of ACFW happen online, and for the first entire year, I didn’t really get involved in that online community.  Again, lack of time, as family takes priority.  Laura encouraged me because she was involved in a couple of the things that the online ACFW community offered.  So, I renewed my membership and have jumped into getting involved with both feet, and I’m loving it!

Through all of these wonderful writing groups, Laura has also encouraged me in my writing.  She has offered me great advice on my writing.  She has gotten excited about stories I have written or am writing.  She has helped me talk through some issues that came up in my writing that I wasn’t sure how to improve or write well.  Laura is a little bit ahead of me in the writing world, as this year, she obtained an agent and she has submitted three story proposals to this agent already.  He has already gone over the first one and told her what she needed to do to edit the story and improve it, and she literally pulled her story apart and put it back together again, and she believes it is better than the original.  It broke my heart to see her go through that, but her positive attitude through the whole thing and the happiness she shared about the finished edited product was quite an inspiration to me.  Also, the fact that she is a homeschool mom who still homeschools three children and still finds time to crank out stories, and now, devotionals and articles, amazes and inspires me and makes me believe that I can obtain those things too.  I just need to keep working.

So, when Laura leaves after Memorial Day weekend, I will miss her so much, but I am so thankful for today’s technology which will help us to be able to remain close friends who will still be able to encourage and help each other in our writing.  Thanks Laura for your friendship and your encouragement and support in my writing.  I know God has good things in store for you and your family wherever He leads you.

How about you?  Who is a big support and encouragement to you in your writing journey?