Catching Up With Daylight

 

What is Catching up with Daylight?

I’m eager to share the answer with you, but first, I will share a quick thought about Time.

 Time is dependable and consistent. Our watches and clocks persistently tick tock in forward motion, even when we aren’t looking at them.  I have a great battle with time each and every day. There’s never enough of it in a day to get done what I want. But, like a clock, I’m just as persistent with moving forward with goals and projects.  Sometimes though, my goals and projects must be put on hold because life forces a detour. I’ve obviously detoured away from posting on my blog for awhile, but hope to get back into sharing some of my thoughts on various topics of interest and I hope you will respond with your own thoughts.

 

 So………What is Catching up with Daylight all about?

A New Novel by Gail Kittleson

 

Gail is a wonderful friend, author, speaker and teacher who motivated and inspired me to write my memoir, Meet Me In The Mountains.

 

If you are a lover of memoirs and stories that encourage self-reflection, learning and inspiration,

Catching Up With Daylight will not disappoint.

Below is an interview that Gail graciously gave me. I hope you will find it interesting and purchase her book which you can find at the bottom of this page.

 

So, what motivated you to write Catching Up With Daylight, Gail?

A few chapters were in response to an assignment at the Oregon Writers Summer Institute. I was teaching at Eastern Oregon University, and was privileged to participate in their wonderful summer writing course.

We wrote about a view of our childhood home, a very powerful process.

Those assignments eventually became chapters in the book. Then, when we moved back to Iowa after my husband’s return from his first deployment in Iraq, renovating one of the first houses in our little town motivated me to write more.

And, I knew from middle school on that I ought to be a writer, but lacked the self-confidence to plunge in. I’d had a few poems and articles published in magazines, but deep down, I knew writing should be a priority, and it wasn’t.

 

How did writing this book affect you, and how do you want it to affect the reader?

Oh, that’s a biggie! For one thing, it took years and way more editing than I ever imagined, so my writing skills increased greatly. The first draft embarrasses me. But that’s the ballpark writers play in, and we may as well accept it.

Completing a project and having a publisher deems it worthy of publication brings satisfaction. But possibly the best part of the undertaking is readers who say, “We grew up in the same home as you,” or “You’ve written what I couldn’t put into words,” or “This book motivated me to practice lectio divina and it’s revolutionized my devotional times.”

Also, I’ve learned that owning what’s in our hearts—our histories—takes time and tenderness. Vinita Hampton Wright, in her wonderful book, The Art of Spiritual Writing/Loyola Press, taught me much about listening to and being faithful to our calling to write. It’s a rather peculiar call, fraught with all sorts of pitfalls and deeply tied to our sense of worth. So, of course, it’s not easy.

 

What would you share with others embarking on this journey?

I’d say let go of your expectations and agenda and just write. The book develops a life of its own and becomes your teacher, but that requires humility. Over the past decade, Catching Up With Daylight has taught me lessons, including some I wouldn’t have chosen.

In memoir writing, you write for the reader, yes, but also for yourself. All these years, you’ve journaled, but now you synthesize experiences in a new way, through the life view you’ve developed. And as with all of life, that can produce both growth and pain.

 

But you would still encourage others to write?

Absolutely. Follow your heart, use your gifts, see where it leads, and above all, find a good editor—enjoy!

And thanks for having me visit, Candy.

 

 

Gails book is available in both Kindle and Paperback.  Purchase it today at: http://www.amazon.com/Catching-Up-Daylight-Journey-Wholeness-ebook/dp/B00EJPZHPK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405862468&sr=8-1&keywords=catching up with daylight

 

About the Author

A late bloomer, Gail believes our stories are our best gifts, and writes to empower women. She has instructed ESL and college expository writing, facilitated women’s retreats and workshops, and survived thirty-four years as a pastor/Army Chaplains wife (smile). She presently writes, edits, and teaches memoir writing classes. Grandchildren and gardening color her life. She and her husband enjoy both Iowa and the Arizona mountains.

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