Irish's Version of a Blogging Cannonball
I had a very schizophrenic reaction to being asked to blog with the pirates today. Terri responded to one of my comments hinting that she may ask me to guest blog someday and then Hellion chimed in saying “Yeah, Irish should guest blog”. I read their posts and thought… Yea, this is cool. The cool kids want me to come out and play with them. This is so awesome. Sure I can blog. This’ll be fun! So I posted that sure I’d love to come be a guest blogger.
The day wound down, I scrolled back over the posts for the day and thought… Holy #$%&, what the hell did I agree to?! I don’t blog. That’s not who I am. I have nothing interesting to say. I read. I comment. Every once in a while I say something semi-noteworthy. I’m not a blogger. I’m a poster. Actually, I’m a weenie lurker most of the time. When I get my courage up I post (and let’s face it - how much courage do you really need to anonymously state your opinion while sitting comfortably at your desk in your home, who knows where, wearing bunny slippers and drinking tea?).
Then a thought hit me… I can be a blogger. Why not?! There was a time I didn’t think I could ever leave home, but I did. I moved 2,000 miles away and lived in a different city, living with people I’d never met before, doing a job I knew nothing about and survived a riot and an earthquake. There was a time I didn’t think I could be in a healthy relationship and I’m a happily married woman now. There was a time I didn’t think I had what it took to be a mother and I’m a mother of two happy, fairly healthy, semi-intelligent children seemingly headed for college and not the State Penn.
There was a time I didn’t think I could write anything beyond a grocery list and … you guessed it… I’m writing. Nothing monumental, but the snippets I have are coherent and make sense. My 43 year old self is capable of so much more than my 18 year old self because I’ve changed. I’m not the same person I was then, but every now and then, the insecurities and doubts surface. So much of who we are and what we think we can accomplish is formed in our childhood and stays with us in some form for most of our life.
I grew up the sixth child of seven in an Irish Catholic middle class family. My therapist could tell you with very impressive words and lots of examples why I am the way I am, or to be more accurate, why I was the way I was. But basically the upshot is that I have baggage. Most of us have baggage and most of it we accumulated between birth and 18 years of age. Good or bad, the people and experiences in our lives form us. We all grow up with a perception of who we are.
We’re all familiar with the typical stereotypes – jock, cheerleader, druggie, geek, the quiet one, the outgoing one, the nerd, the brain (and just so you all know I’m not completely out of the loop, we now have the goth girl and the skateboarders). In families it can be the caretaker, the screw-up, the controller, the baby, the negotiator, the black sheep, and my personal favorite – the enabler. That last one actually sounds like a super hero, doesn’t it? Anyway, you get the idea. Whether it’s an image given to us or one earned, it defines us until we decide to be more than the labels put upon us.
I know I could pull a couple of the descriptions from above and slap them right on my forehead. The funny thing is that some of them applied to me once and no longer do and vice versa. I could have stayed the way I was and let my baggage define me, but chose instead to travel a different path. Even with that being said, so many times when asked if I’m capable of a certain task I don’t look at my confident 43-year-old-woman self, I look at my insecure 18-year-old-girl self, and respond accordingly. A more accurate description would be I’m a little bit of both and depending on the day one is stronger than the other. Today I’m the happy, well adjusted wife, mother, writing, BLOGGING woman. There was a time none of that description seemed possible.
My husband once told me a story about a classmate of his that has always stuck with me. This guy was from a pretty messed up family and acted out a lot. He ditched school, vandalized things, but his favorite thing to do was set things on fire. When he was 17 his family moved out west. He came back to his 10 year high school reunion a changed man. He, basically, grew up. He'd identified the problems in his life and fixed them. Wore a suit, had a steady lucrative job and couldn’t wait to come back and catch up with all his old friends.
Except no one saw the grown up man, all they saw was the kid who liked to set things on fire. By the end of the evening he was pretty weary of everyone’s attempt to put that old label back on him. He hasn’t been back since and I’m guessing he won’t be. I went to my grammar school reunion about ten years ago and I had the strangest reaction to the greeting “Wow, you haven’t changed a bit!” I felt like giving a PowerPoint presentation on how much and in which ways I’ve changed since they saw me last.
It’s corny and simplistic in a sense, but I truly and with all my heart believe one of life’s greatest gifts is our ability to change. Our past does not have to define who we are or where we’re going. And nothing touches or moves me more than a novel that drives that point home. One of the things I love most about the romances I read (apart from the obligatory HEA) is that the redemption or growth of the hero or heroine plays such a huge part in so many of my favorites. It does something wonderful to the human spirit to read about someone just like yourself, who isn’t perfect, or is as far from perfect as you can get, that learns and grows and ends up with their own HEA.
So, tell me how you’ve morphed into the person you are today. Are you the same person you were in your teens, twenties, thirties? Do you like where you are in life more than where you’ve been? Do we have any head cheerleader/valedictorians who dated the football quarterback out there? What book contains your favorite redemption/metamorphosis storyline or character? What type of character do you think is harder to write - a flawed character or a perfect, larger than life character?
Books by the Crew
42 comments:
Lovely and thought-provoking debut, Irish! There are times when I'm still the same chubby smarty-pants I was in elementary school. If two people had keeled over, I would have been my college's May Queen (and believe me, I thought about doing something to get them out of my way and my false eyelashes).I was the earnest faux hippie-chick teacher in a batik dress in the barrio. I still turn in the grocery store when a toddler calls for mom, and I have 2 granddaughters now. Every step along the way meant something, even if I didn't understand it when it happened. I wouldn't want to exchange this time for any other, although I could do without the arthritis in my knees, LOL. This is finally MY time.
My last two WIPs deal with redemption and flawed characters. I love to read them and write them. I thought I was just into fluffy funny stuff, but apparently not. It's odd what those fingetips type.
Awesome blog Irish, thank you for taking over at the wheel today!
I have lots of baggage from the past, and part of that baggage I'm working out through the pages of my WIP. I'm definately not the door mat I was back in the day. My career brought me out of my shell. Dealing with administration in a hospital setting demands you stand up for yourself. I share my opinion, and I believe strongly in placing my faith in a power far greater than me.
I actually was football homecoming queen and my husband escorted me across the football field. I'm a far different person now, and sometimes I wish I could be less abrasive, and more like the homecoming queen. I do like the place I am in my life. I never pictured myself with an 8 year old at the age of 42, or being a writer. For once in my life I have something for me. Writing has opened a whole new world for me, and I appreciate the journey so far.
The latest book I've read that inspired me with the storyline is Lisa Kleypas' Sugar Daddy. Liberty Jones is the epitome of a self made woman. She struggled to raise her sister, and in the process found a new family, and a new man to love. I love a strong heroine, and Lisa Kleypas knocked it out of the park with Liberty.
I think a larger than life character is harder to write, because sometimes they border on too perfect, it's a fine line.
Great debut, Irish. I'm nothing like I was ten years ago. I've grown as a person, and I like to put the past precisely where it belongs. In the past. I don't know if I would call it baggage--but just the past.
Not sure about storylines that cover this--a lot--but none can pull off the top of my groggy allergy ridden head!
Great blog, Irish! I am definitely not the same person I used to be. But the biggest change has been my attitude. I've always been independent, out-spoken and opinionated. That's nothing new. *g*
The major change is that I'm happy. Don't get me wrong, I can be moody and rant a bit, but all in all, I'm happy for the first time in many years. And this has all happened since turning 30. Beginning with the liberation of a divorce, meeting a man who helped me find the woman inside, and taking charge of my life and career, the journey gets better every day.
I still carry my baggage with me, but it doesn't hold me back. If anything, it makes me appreciate all the good stuff!
Oh, Irish, what an honest, provocative first blog!You made me smile, you made me tear up, and you made me think. That's a lot to do this early in the day.
I ran into a former student the other day who reminisced about his student days and ended his comments with a sigh and a sentence that struck me as profoundly sad: "Those were the golden days; life has never been so good again." I am glad I don't look back and think my teen-age years were the best life held for me.
I confess that there are days when the lines on the face in the mirror or the aches in a body that lacks the recuperative powers it once possessed make me wish I could be a younger self. But most of the time I know that I would not give up the wisdom and the humility I have gained in exchange for smoother skin and flexible joints.
There is a Meadeleine L'Engle quote from Penguins and Golden Calves that I love, one I reread often. "I believe that we all have this dark underestimation of ourselves. Sometimes it is masked as arrogance, overestimation, superiority, but underneath the brashness the problem is insecurity and only unqualified, unmerited, unconditional love can assuage it." Most of my favorite romances are redemption stories because I believe that genuine love does heal our wounds.
This is a beautiful blog Irish. You're definitely mother, wife, writer, blogger...and anything else you want to be!
I think Terri said it best. The biggest change for me is that I'm happy. And it's something that comes with maturing, with realizing that my happiness is not dependent upon anything but my own efforts. As a teen and even up into my twenties, I was soooo busy trying to please everyone. I don't do that anymore. I live for myself, and for my family and that's all that matters.
Great blog, Irish! We're so glad to have you! Though, I did sort of chuckle when you called us the cool kids.
I dated the "football hero" in HS, but he was a bookworm, smart, and eventually went to West Point. Though dating him should have given me a lot of confidence, I ended up relying on him too much, so that when he went away, I had no idea what I should do with myself.
In college, I was a sorority girl. But, that invokes stereotypes that don't quite fit either. My BF (the West Pointer) was far away and very busy. My sorority became my family away from home and they were the biggest support when I decided to break up with West Point BF after dating him for 7 years.
After college, I went into the mortgage industry at the time when the industry was exploding and everyone was making a lot of money. I was in my early 20s, making more money than any early 20ish should make. I should have been ecstatic, but I wasn't. I worked LONG hours, I hated the work. I lost a lot of weight, my hair was falling out, and I couldn't sleep. It wasn't pretty.
Now, I'm a stay at home mom and a writer, a teacher on hiatus to raise my family. It's not a high profile job and my significant other doesn't show up on the society pages. But, I'm really happy.
I think that our experiences are the fertilizers to help us grow into ourselves.
Though, that means experiences are like cow poop. Hmmm....
Okay, first you made me cry; and THEN you made me green with envy that you wrote this thought-provoking, timely, and bittersweet blog in no time flat! You...you...BLOGGER.
Okay, now that my jealous fit is over: I am not the same person I was in my teens. 1) I'm wittier; 2) I don't take myself nearly so seriously; 3) I'm a little braver (or maybe a bit more apathetic: I don't care what they think); 4) I'm a little nicer. (Yes, Terri, this is me NON-Cynical. Stop laughing.)
I think things can happen if you work at them long enough--and don't die in the meantime. (I.e. I still have hope--because I still want to be published--and I ain't dead yet. Despite the fact I thought 30 was the new 90 when I was 15.)
I do *think* when I was a teen, I thought I'd be married by now. That once I was away from my small town, I'd find someone who didn't know me from BEFORE, fall madly in love with me, and we'd have some kids. (*waits as whole crew shudders at thought of Hellion's kids*) But I forgot to add the amendment: "Who I am madly in love with" because I thought that'd be the easy part. It's not. I can probably count on both hands the number of guys I've met over the years I've truly liked as men, as people--and most of them are married.
I do find that if I run into anyone from my hometown (with the exception of Sin) I revert back to my former 15 year old self in 10 seconds flat. Now granted I'm never really without my 15 year old self (supremely paranoid, horribly cynical, sarcastic, insecure, and low self-esteem) but usually I can keep her in a box and duct-taped. Not when there is a former schoolmate standing nearby. Suddenly I'm all those awful Pandora things and I can't tamp the lid back down--and I hear at the end: "You haven't changed a bit."
I'm with you, Irish, I want to pull out a PowerPoint Presentation and show them how I have.
Janga - I agree about being glad that I don't look back at my teens thinking it was the best time of my life. How depressing. LOL!!
*LOL* I have to agree with Janga. That is sad. I would *never* say my teenage years were the best years of my life. I might pick ages 27, 29, 30...so far...but I'd never, ever pick anything in the teen range. Well, 17 was a good year. Of the lot anyway.
I would say that probably 17 was a good one too. I thought my junior year was ok. None of them were fabulous though.
Wow, Hi, Everyone! *waving from the deck*
Thank you all for your lovely comments and awesome welcome. Steering the pirate ship. Not bad for someone whose picture was the damsel in distress on the docks wearing white and screaming for help!
Maggie – I can picture you as the smarty-pants, hippie chick and mother of four! What a well to pull from at this point, huh?! And I bet you could’ve taken those other two for May Queen. Sounds like maybe you still could!
Lisa – I think I work through all my baggage through my writing too. It is so therapeutic. And isn’t Sugar Daddy the best. I love Lisa Kleypas and own all her books, but her contemporaries knocked me out, maybe because my expectations weren’t that great. I just loved her historicals so much! Haven from Blue-Eyed Devil is my inspiration. I love women who have the courage and strength to make difficult changes. From the looks of these responses I think we have some right here!
Tiff – Great attitude. It’s one that took me years to adopt. But it really is true the past belongs in the past. Sorry about the allergies. I can sympathize. That’s one of the not so great things happening to me as I get older – allergies! Ugh!
Terri – Thanks for getting me going today and encouraging me! (I love the picture! The red suit is tres sexy!!!! I can’t tell but if she’s wearing the rubber swimming cap they used to make you wear in HS it’s exactly perfect!) You are an inspiration. The being happy is the best part, isn’t it? Rotten stuff still happens. The world hasn’t changed that much but my attitude has. Seems so simple doesn’t it?! If we could bottle it, we’d make millions!
Janga – What a sweetie! You, my dear, make me want to widen my horizons and feed my brain. Thank you for your support! It’s funny because I used to envy people who wanted to go back to their teen years thinking that something was lacking in me that mine were so horrible. Now, I just feel sad for them. You’re right, if that was the best, what do you do with the rest of your life! And I think your quote pretty much sums up my very wordy blog! LOL (Funny that I started on my road at just about the same time that unconditional love walked into my life!)
J.K. – Thanks! The ability to mature and take responsibility for our own happiness is awesome, isn’t it? I had that people-pleaser gene too! As soon as you realize that the only one you have control over is yourself it makes life so much easier!
I love redemption stories; my favorite redemption series is the Dark-Hunter series. Zarek's story was very good.
I'm pretty sure I don't write perfect characters. My heroines are always neurotic, insecure; and my heroes thus far have been: married (okay, that's not really a FLAW...but he was married when he was trying to date the heroine); the Devil (I mean, can you get less perfect than being the Devil? I don't think so)... I have Adam, the unapologetic guy's guy, who takes his wife for granted; the All-Star Ball Player who nows runs a gas station--and who the hometown still treats like a king; the heroine who doesn't forgive those who hurt her...
Oh, I married one of those guys that peaked in HS. He was the all around jock, very popular, big man on campus. They even retired his football jersey. I never wanted to be that person but since my HS years weren't a bed of roses, I was totally safe. LOL!
And Hellion - I'm not the one that thinks you're not nice, that would be you. LOL! I know you're really a teddy bear under all that Pirate gear.
And I can't wait to spoil your little Hellions and send them right back to you, all sugared up and with new curse words for their little vocabularies. LOL!
You think you could teach my Hellions new curse words? You seriously don't think Sin wouldn't have taught them first?
Marnee – What a journey! You’ve made some pretty hard choices, huh? Sounds like all for the better. You’re joining our strong women club!!
Marnee said: "I think that our experiences are the fertilizers to help us grow into ourselves.” I’m gonna have that made as a bumper sticker when I get mine from last week made! I love it. Although “Experience is cow poop” could work too and it’s a little catchier – probably a lot less expensive to print!
Sin will teach them to shoot and use sharp objects. She has to leave me something!
And who wants to read about perfect characters? Not me. Though I admit, when I first starting writing, I tended to make them all nice with no real issues. But the issues are what cause the conflict so you pretty much have to have them.
Janga & Maggie - I do have to agree with the point that I might like to have my 14 year old knees back. And the fact I've reached the age where I can hurt myself simply by *sleeping wrong* gets annoying. LOL! But other than that, I'm good.
Hellion – you are another inspiration! (Kinda scary isn’t it?!) Thank you so much for your encouragement, but basically thanks for showing by example. You are witty and brave and nice and it’s just gonna keep getting better and easier.
Looks like we’ve got a bumper sticker contest going – “I think things can happen if you work at them long enough and don’t die in the meantime!” Profound, I say, profound!
Stop making me cry!
I gotta head out for a couple hours but I'll check back later today.
Before I sign off I'll leave you with my favorite redemption story - "Ain't She Sweet" by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
I do agree, Terri, issues are what cause the conflict. I have a real hard time creating characters I think people won't like, but they have to have flaws to be interesting. And there is no one more interesting than Sugar Beth Carey and I definitely didn't like her too much at the beginning of A$$ (OMG I didn't realize that would be the acronym! Too funny!). I grew to love her by the end of the book - The talent of an awesome author!
Oh, that's a Mark Twain saying actually. I just bastardized it for my own purposes. Let me see if I can find it.
AH, here is it:
All good things arrive unto them that wait - and don't die in the meantime.
But I take the principle that God helps those who helps themselves...so, so long as you work hard and don't die in the meantime...
Okay, and I found these too, while I was looking for the Mark Twain quote. I thought you might enjoy these too....
Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.
All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
There are several good protections against temptation, but the surest is cowardice.
Man was made at the end of the week's work when God was tired.
Don't go around saying the world owes you a living; the world owes you nothing; it was here first
What have we learned here today, class? Don't die. Good lesson.
Sugar Beth was almost impossible to like at the beginning of that book. Especially if you were one of the *geek* crowd in HS that was always the butt of the popular kids' jokes. Sugar Beth was the epitome of the spoiled, pretty, popular girl who lashed out at the weak.
Man, I'm still amazed SEP managed to turn her around into one of my favorite heroines.
*passes tissues to the Captain*
*waving* Irish! You wonderful little blogger! That was so great to read, very thought provoking and bittersweet! There are too many comments for me to read yet, but I've noticed there are quite a few. LOL. Congrats on your blogging debut and may there be many more blogs to come!
I'm nothing like I was as a teenager. Or a kid. I look very much the same though and when people see me from school years, I get told "You haven't changed a bit, have you!"
This is why I put my head down and mumble a reply and walk away. People see what they want to see, and most people live in the past. Change isn't something a lot of people invite into their lives willingly; but sometimes you just have to go for it. And sometimes it requires more than just moving on, it means a complete overhaul of your life and those are the hardest changes to make.
I feel sorry for the guy who came back to his reunion and changed man and still couldn't make them see. They obviously weren't worth his time, all living in the past. Makes me want to hug him. Irish, that would make a great story. It inspires me a little to get back to writing.
Obviously, since we didn't have football in my town (a cryin' shame but we aren't big enough), I was homecoming and spring fling queen. I was very much that girl in high school, very much the complete opposite on the inside. It's easy to lead a double life in high school, especially when you feel like you don't belong at all.
Books that have inspired me lately- Blue Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas. Haven's self redemption is like watching a butterfly come back to life.
I agree that what SEP did with Sugar Beth is truly amazing, and I love the book. But my favorite redemption story is Lord of Scoundrels. Dain doesn't know how to love himself or anyone else until Jessica teaches him what love is. Of course. she has to shoot him first. LOL! One of the wonders of LOS for me is that while it shows love's tenderness, it also shows that sometimes loving means being pretty damn tough.
What a great debut blog, Irish! You definitely should write more. I never belonged to the crowd and didn't fit in and I confess I still have Ugly Duck moments and feelings. But I think my experiences both good and bad have made me into the woman and writer I am today. I like to write stories where people are loved for just who they are and find acceptance. /
Great blog, Irish! You make it look so easy. :-)
I had to rub tears out of my eyes while reading the story of the man who couldn't make others see he'd changed. Since most of the people we went to HS with live in memories, it's incredibly hard not to think of them as anything else but as they were then. I don't think we label people to be cruel. I think we do it to help our aging memories. LOL. But there will always be people, the cheerleader, Football Captain and such that stick out in our minds.
I didn't like HS and I don't want to revisit it. But, after raising 4 kids I'd really like to get to know the 20 yr old girl I once was and try to achieve the dreams my young self sacrificed for family.
Favorite redemption story is North & South and Ory Main's struggle to overcome his handicap, maintain his friendship with George, his enemy, and win a woman's love, while keeping his family alive and together.
Hey Irish! Excellent blog! I knew from all your astute comments that you'd be a natural. I ran into my high-school English teacher the other day, and she told me I look exactly the same. I suppose I am and I'm not. After catching up with her, I got to thinking about some of the formative experiences in being who I am now - going away to college, studying abroad, moving home, pursuing a graduate degree, and so on. I'm very cool with who I am, so I guess it's all turned out pretty well. :)
Kathy - I supposed those images from HS are hard to let go when you don't see them at all in the 10 years between reunions. My 10th was as if not a day had passes since graduation. Though there was one guy I never would have recognized. He seemed to have a good time going up to talk to everyone and stumping us. But by the end of the night I figured out his appearance was all that had changed. For he was the drunk taking off his clothes on the dance floor when it was time to go.
Lindsey, I think I'd rather look the same and be different in other ways. LOL! No one ever says I look the same. They usually don't say anything which is probably because what they are thinking is, "Man, she looks oooooolllllddddd."
I’m back… what a day!!!
Sin – Thanks for stepping aside for me! ITA with the people don’t welcome change easily and the split personality thingy in HS. I don’t know too many who feel as if they belong in HS, even the one’s who seem to have the world by the tale. Don’t you just love Haven’s journey?!!! What a beautiful analogy – like a butterfly coming back to life.
Ely – I think we all have Ugly Duckling moments. It’s funny when you get together with such a diverse group like this and realize that we’re more alike than we are different.
Janga – I read LOS a long time ago, but I think it’s time for a re-read. Maybe I’ll look it up right after I finish LC’s Mr. Impossible.
Kathy – Thanks! I think you’re right about the memory thing. I’m already struggling with names let along personality types. Anything that’s already in this brain of mine I have to grasp with both hands. Re-arranging all the facts is asking a lot some days. I loved N&S! Watched all the episodes and taped it when it was re-run.
Lindsey – You are very kind. I was just going to say I wouldn’t mind someone saying I LOOKED the same, but the more I think about it, I looked kinda funny too! I think I look better now! LOL I’m glad you’re happy with the results. You’re English teacher should be very proud!
Terri - that's hilarious about the drunk guy dancing sans clothes by evening's end. We had one of them too! All evening everyone kept saying - "Wow, hasn't so and so changed since grammar school!" Then by the end of the night we realized - No he's still the same goofball drinking too much and making passes at anything in a skirt!
Hellion - the DH liked your quotes. He gave me a couple more...
A man's character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation.
A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read.
The second one is my favorite!
Outstanding debut blog, Irish! You had my emotions swinging as I followed your journey to become the awesome woman you are today. I hope we'll be seeing more writing from you!
While my basic values from childhood have remained steadfast, other aspects of my character have changed throughout the years. Though shy, I was always popular and had a great childhood and high school experience. My independent travels at ages 14 and 16 engendered a love of exploration and taught me to respect other cultures. At 18 I liked myself as a person and thought I was a finished product. Only now, in retrospect, am I able to see that I was naught but a grain of sand and that it would take the waves of time to polish me into the multi-layered, and much preferred, piece of glass I have become. I have survived the fires of life - a near fatal injury and the deaths of my husband and parents - and emerged a stronger, more capable woman. I am no longer afraid to take risks and I have rediscovered my love of global exploration. I'm willing to test my limits. No longer content to drift through a comfortable life, I've learned to live each day as if it was my last. As others have mentioned, I sure wouldn't mind having my 20 year old knees back but, other than the aches and pains, I'm delighted to be an independent, happy, energetic, inquisitive, risk-taking, lifetime learning, giving and confident 56 year old woman.
PJ - Thank you so much for the praise.
You bring up a very good point. Angst, pain and suffering aren't necessarily needed for the change that day to day life and experiences will bring about no matter what. I, and I'm sure most of this blogging community, am happy you didn't decide to sit back and become complacent.
PJ just had to be that one well-adjusted teenager who had a positive HS experience. Show off. LOL!
Irish-
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your debut blog!!!
I read it this morning and had to let it percolate and sink in.
I love the woman I am today, and would not go back. I am incredibly blessed to be married to my best friend, who has believed in me even when I didn't.
I am mom to a 10 yr. old boy, and an 8 yr. old girl who are smart, funny, loving people who bless my life everyday.
I am a sister, friend, daughter, aunt...to my family.
But for me, I am a writer. And I have finally learned that it is okay to make the time for something that I love. I may never get published, and it'll be alright, because I am having fun, learning alot, and stretching my boundaries.
Some of my favorite characters with baggage are Eve and Roarke from the In Death series-two people with huge loads of luggage, who help each other heal.
And I loved the growth of Whitney Stone in Judith McNaught's Whitney, My Love.
Di
Di - Thank you so much! I never thought I'd have someone pondering my words for a whole day.
Our paths sound very similar. I feel the exact same way about my writing... I may never get published, but it's okay cause I'm having the time of my life, stretching (as you put it) and meeting such awesome people in the process!
My sister has been trying to get me into Eve and Roarke forever! I finally told her to get me the audio (I thought hearing Roarke would help me connect!). She knows me pretty well and says if I can just get into the first 2-3 books I'll be hooked. Characters with baggage that help each other heal sounds right up my alley!
I just want to say a big Pirate THANK YOU to Irish for bringing us this great blog today. Her wit and wisdom classed the place up, and she's so sweet, she actually managed to make everyone put down the rum!
Seriously, not one mention of rum today. That's got to be a record. LOL!
Thank you everyone who came out and made Irish's big debut a smashing success. We appreciate all of you who come aboard and play our Pirate games with us.
We were supposed to put down the rum? Nobody told me we were supposed to put down the rum!!! You're getting back at me for that positive HS experience, aren't you Terri? (g)
That's right, PJ. My bitter 18-yr-old self typed that one. LOL!
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