Beth K. Vogt's Blog, page 90

In Others’ Words: Focus

Oh, the days I’ve wished away.

If I had the chance to count up all the hours … the minutes … the seconds … they’d probably spill over the edges of my cupped hands like the sands inside an hourglass.

Gone.

But I’ve enjoyed my days too. Savored the sweetness of times woven through with laughter and yes, even tears wiped away by the gentle touch of a loved one.

Was it one of those “Where on earth did the days go?” kind of weeks for you?

Did you spend Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday just waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting for today?

What did you miss?

Or were you able to be in each minute … And how do you manage that?

In Your Words: Look back over your shoulder: What did you enjoy the most about this week? I’d love to hear about it. Join the conversation! While we’re talking today, I’m enjoying my time up in Estes Park, CO, which is one of my favorite places to be. I’m with my husband and youngest daughter (and our 2 dogs, of course). And I’ve got my camera and a workbook to sketch out the plot of my next novel. I’ll return next week with some new photos and a better idea of where this story is going!

In Others’ Words: Ideas

 

Writing wreaks havoc with my sleep.

There are some nights that, just as I snuggle underneath the blankets … just as I hear the first whisper of sleep welcoming me … an idea pounces.

And I’m awake.

Oh, sure. I try to ignore the idea.

I tell the you-can’t-ignore-me idea to wait until morning.

I might even sit up and scribble the barest outline on the notepad beside my bed, as if to say, “See, I won’t forget you! Now let me get some sleep, okay?”

But sleeps eludes me. Instead, my brain is filled to overflowing with what ifs and snippets of conversation and questions that demand answers now — not in the morning after a refreshing night’s sleep.

Alarm clock? What’s that? Who needs an alarm clock when you’re up all night chasing a story idea or meeting a new character or unraveling a complicated plot twist?

In Your Words: Writers: When was the last time your story — your characters — kept you up past your bedtime? Or the last time an idea pulled you from sleep long before the alarm clock blared? Readers: What’s the last book that kept you up until the “wee small” hours of the night?

 

In Others’ Words: Start

 

Monday is a great day for beginning, isn’t it?

Sure, I may drag some things to do over from last week — but I play a little mental mind game with myself as I look at a brand new To Do list. I’m not confronting last week’s leftovers. Nope. I’m taking on a brand new list.

But if I’m honest with myself — and with all of you — there are items on my list that have been there for weeks. From Monday to Friday (and repeat, repeat, repeat), I’m determined to get whatever it is done.

And then I don’t.

Does that undone thing disappear? Does someone come along and do it for me? Hardly. And here’s the hard truth: The longer I put it off, the less likely it is that I’m ever going to do it.

It’s Monday. And today, I’m going to tackle one “never started” task. Just one. I’ll even tell you what it is: I am going to take on one of my “hotspots” — one of the places where the papers pile up to a teeter-tottering mass of what’s-in-there-anyway? (I have several to choose from.)

In Your Words: Happy Monday — a day of beginnings! What never-started-longest-to-finish task will you conquer today?

I’m visiting over at K. Dawn Byrd’s blog today, talking about the beginnings of Wish You Were Here and what’s next — Catch a Falling Star, which releases next spring.

In Others’ Words: Worth the Dreaming

 

Photo by Beth K. Vogt

 

“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” Earl Nightingale (1921-1989), American motivational speaker and author

I hang around writers. We’re dreaming all the time. Dreaming up imaginary characters — and how to mess up their imaginary lives so that we can create an imaginary happily ever after for them.

And all the while we’re playing make believe, we’re dreaming dreams for ourselves too. We’re dreaming of agents. And — oh, yeah! — a publishing contract. And seeing our book on bookshelves — both the ones in actual bookstores and virtual ones and the bookshelves in our families’ and friends’ homes.

I know writers aren’t the only ones with dreams — and that dreams come in all sizes and shapes. So today I’m wondering: What are you dreaming about?

In Your Words: While you’re reading this blog, I’m on my way to Monterey, CA for a writers retreat. (More on that when I get back.) While I’m gone, I’m taking a blogging break. So I’ll see you next Monday. But I am curious to hear about your dreams. And if you’re interested in quotes, don’t forget that I always post a Trust quote on my Facebook page (“Trust” is my word for 2012). And I post a daily Romance quote on my Author Facebook page too.

 

In Others’ Words: Pretty is …

 

 

Photo by Lisa Anne Photography

“Happy girls are the prettiest.” (1929-1993), Audrey Hepburn, actress

Aren’t the girls in that photo pretty?

Yes, I’m incredibly biased. You’re looking at a photo of my youngest daughter, my two oldest daughters (one’s the bride), and my daughter-in-love. They are each beautiful, inside and out.

But look closer at that photo. Their beauty is accentuated because they are so, so happy. Why? Well, my daughter, Amy, got married the day that photo was taken. (I suppose the wedding dress gave it away, huh?) And her sisters were celebrating with her. The happiness surrounding them all was almost tangible.

Beauty, as the saying goes, is only skin deep. But our emotions transcend our physical features. Sometimes our emotional well-being — or lack thereof – transforms our faces. I’m not suggesting we wear smiley-face masks. There was a time in my life when God insisted I remove the mask I wore. At first I the vulnerability was uncomfortable. Stark. But, for all that, I was being real. Audrey Hepburn was considered a beautiful woman — she still is. Based on today’s quote, I also think she was quite wise.

In Your Words: How would you finish this sentence: ____________ girls are the prettiest. Why?

 

Photo by Lisa Anne Photography

In Others’ Words: Tug of War (Guest post)

 

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” ~ Mark Twain (1835-1910), American writer & humorist

There are times I struggle with discouragement. Desiring to write a story that will speak to peoples’ hearts, I pressure myself to excel in this endeavor. Instead of achieving, however, I battle dismay. Analyzing why I am where I am, I realized something. Fear and courage both strive to be the dominant voice in my thoughts. Which one am I validating?

Fear tells me if I complete my story it won’t be one that touches peoples’ hearts.

Courage enables me to keep writing, knowing the story will need work after the first draft is completed.

Fear says, “You’ll never be good enough.”

Courage says, “With God you’re the right person to achieve these plans.”

Fear directs my eyes toward others’ accomplishments and then compares them to my weaknesses.

Courage focuses my eyes on others to encourage them, and to learn from them.

I can’t erase the lies fear whispers into my thoughts and heart. But I don’t have to listen to them.

I can move forward, thinking on the truths I know. For me, those include that God is for me. When He calls me to do something, He equips me to complete it, and walks alongside me. With Him I can step out in courage rather than fear.

In Your Words: Writers and Readers: In what situations have you chosen to listen to courage rather than fear? How have you made the choice?

My writing friend and critique partner, Jeanne Takenaka, is today’s guest blogger. Jeanne lives near the Colorado mountains with her husband and two exuberant boys. Her heart is to create stories that draw women closer to God and to those around them. Follow Jeanne on Twitter: JeanneTakenaka.

In Others’ Words: Fear

 

Photo by Wia-Tirol/stockxchng.com

 

“If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.” ~ Seth Godin (1960-), American author & public speaker

The more times I read this quote, the more I like it.

I kept much-too-close company with fear for too many years. Wasted a lot of time letting fear decide what I did — or didn’t — do.

And then I started shoving back when fear tried to push me into a corner. And I discovered that fear backed down.

Imagine that.

Some of my fears toppled more easily than others. Heights? I’ll probably never love ‘em, but I’ll still tackle water slides when I’m at a water park with my kiddos. For a lot of years, I didn’t like flying. Now? Well, I still pray that there’s no turbulence — and then I get on the plane and go. Too many places to visit, too many people to see to waste time sitting at home being afraid.

I have no desire to bungee jump — yep, I’ll admit to being afraid — but I also think I’m smart too. Skydiving? Check back with me on that one.

Here’s what I love about Seth Godin’s quote: He challenges me — you too — to turn an “I can’t” into an “I can’t believe I did it!” He doesn’t double-dog-dare-you. He suggests giving that thing you fear a try. So, no guilt if you think about it and decide not to.

But before you decide to pass on the opportunity to push past fear, ask yourself this: What are all the different kinds of good that would happen if I did this?

In Your Words: When you read today’s quote, what scary “I can’t do that!” thing came to mind?  What would it take for you to do it? Or if you’d like to share a time when you did that “can’t do it” thing, I’d love to hear about it — and everyone else would too!

 

 

 

In Others’ Word: Choosing Fun

My daughter, Katie Beth, nails her husband, Nate, during a recent family water battle!

“When you stop doing things for fun, you might as well be dead.”
Earnest Hemingway (1899-1961), American author & journalist

Sometimes I forget to have fun.

Does that ever happen to you?

I get so caught up in the business — also known as “busyness” — of life, that I can’t be bothered with something as silly as fun.

I’ll be all focused on accomplishing this, that, and the other thing … and then I’ll look up from my hot pursuit of the “To Do” list and think, “When was the last time I relaxed and had a good old fashioned belly laugh?”

Here’s the thing I’ve learned: Sometimes fun is spontaneous. And sometimes you have to plan fun into your life — do things for fun. Intentionally.

Fun for me looks like:

sitting on the couch and watching black and white episodes of “The Dick Van Dyke” show with my 11-year-old daughter
game nights with family — and friends too! Favorites: Settlers of Catan, Quelf, Scotland Yard (And I usually don’t win.)
backyard water gun battles — oh, yeah!
learning to make sushi, thanks to my precious daughter-in-love, Jenelle, who didn’t mind my somewhat squashed rolls
date nights with my husband

My daughter, Amy, enjoys the backyard water battle.

In Your Words: Check your pulse for me, will you? Are you alive? What’s the last thing you did just for fun? What’s one of your favorite fun things to do?

In Others’ Words: Storytellers

 

Photo by lhumble/stockxchng.com

“If a nation loses its storytellers, it loses its childhood.”

—Peter Handke (1942), Australian novelist

My childhood was full of books.

I whiled away many an hour, turning pages, lost in an imaginary world. And, yes, I was one of those kids who walked and read at the same time. And who didn’t hear a word anyone was saying if my nose was stuck in a book — which was quite often.

As a mom, I wanted my children to love reading too. So my husband and I surrounded them with books. And read to them. Old favorites and new favorites. Anytime was reading time. And I always managed to find money in the budget for books.

Now I’m an author.  And while I don’t write children’s books, I do consider myself a storyteller — and my journey along the writing road was inspired by those authors I read as a child. And I just came back from the ACFW conference — where I was surrounded by writers and authors who were all about story. Their stories. Others’ stories. It was a huge celebration of the wonder (and the work!) of story.

In Others’ Words: Writers, were you a voracious reader growing up? One and all: What are some of your favorite childhood books?

 

In Others’ Words: Procrastination

“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.” ~Don Marquis (1878-1937), humorist, journalist & author

 

We all procrastinate. Some of us are just better than others at putting things off until tomorrow, or the next day … or next month. The result? A pile of stuff waiting to be done — and it’s all got to be done now.

It would help to uncover the root of procrastination … but there is more than one root to this problem. Sometimes I procrastinate because:

I’m lazy. Yep — there are days I ignore the To Do list because I just don’t want to do anything.
I’m overwhelmed. I don’t know where to start on the project because it’s h-u-g-e … and it’s easier to not begin at all.
I’m afraid. Afraid of what, you ask? Failure.
I’m too busy watching what someone else is accomplishing. Wrong, wrong focus.
I’m trying to do the wrong thing. Sometimes I think I’m supposed to do a project — but I’m doing it out of guilt or because I think it will get me something or somewhere (how selfish is that?). Or maybe I said yes when I should have said no.

The next time I’m procrastinating, instead of beating myself up over what I should be doing, maybe I should calm down and ask myself, “What’s stopping you from doing this?”

In Your Words: What are you procrastinating about? Why are you not doing it?

 

I’m back home after being in Houston and Dallas for a week! No, I’m not unpacked yet — but here’s a glimpse of some of the fun I had at the ACFW conference!