Inspirational Quote of the Week

“You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.” 

~Stephen King~

Mom has started a list. It’s for a challenge that she does every January. The StoryStorm challenge is to write down 30 story ideas in 31 days. Then use those ideas to make stories all year.

Today is the 18th day of the month. Mom is on idea #24. We have a good feeling about finishing. Finishing the challenge is a good start to writing stories. See what I did there? Finishing. Starting. Yeah. That.

I am a great finisher. I always finish the kibbles, and treats in my IQ toys. The Tornado

 

and the Hide ‘n Slide.

I always finish the squishy snacks on my Licki-Mat.

I am finished trying to learn Fetch. What is that stupid game about, anyway?

I fetched it. Now it’s mine. What?

I am finished eating my toys. Mom said if she has to throw one more toy in the trash, she’s throwing me in there with it. #rude

So I’m pretty sure Mom can finish one simple list. Then she will start choosing, changing, mixing, nixing, writing, and revising stuff from the list to make stories. I will help by licking her shoes, staring at her,

begging for food,

PB&J? Yes, please. Please?

napping,

and…. did I say staring at her…? Yeah. That.

Inspirational Quote of the Week

Mom and I are connected. Wherever she is, that’s where I am. Our connection is strong. Sometimes she leaves me behind and goes out without me. In that case, I am just sad and waiting for her to come back to me. …But I still feel connected.

Mom has been working with some of her new story ideas. She is trying to get some of them to connect to each other. Putting a random character into a random setting is always fun, so Mom does that a lot. Walking them into a problem and then getting them to struggle their way to a creative solution is also fun, but more difficult.

I have been stuck in some situations now and then, myself. Sometimes, I can get myself out, but sometimes, I straight-up need help.

Strange doggie staring at me. Stay strong.

Opening the treat drawer – Wait for Mom to help.

Hat falling off…

Run!

Stuck under the bed…

Settle in for the long haul.

Lost a shoe – cross your paws that it’s never found…

FYI – It’s ALWAYS found…

Caught in the soccer net – “MOM!”

Walking

Walking is a good way for Mom to tidy up her head and make room for ideas.

There are always interesting things to investigate on a walk. We walk at lots of different parks,

and also the reservoir,

the 9/11 memorial,

and the playing field.

Other times we walk right in our neighborhood. Either way, walking is fun.

Mom likes it for the pretty flowers,

crazy leaves, fresh air,

The fresh air is blowing my ear upside down!

and exercise.

Sort of….

The change of scenery helps Mom hear what her characters are trying to tell her, see where her story is going, and figure out what might happen when she asks herself, “What if….”

I like it for the leftovers that somebody forgot in the parking lot,

It’s called a doggie bag for a reason.

the acorns,

Unless I’m a pig or a donkey, acorns are apparently “not food.”

the candy papers,

the lost glove,

the mud puddle,

Stepping in the mud leads directly to the bathtub.

and the delicious poison that the lawn guys left for me.

The poison leads directly to the vet…

Here’s hoping our walks lead directly to Book #2. Or indirectly to Book #2. Or to eBook #2. Or to McDonald’s for an ice cream cone.

 

Weirdness

Sometimes things can get weird. If you’re a writer, like Mom – weird is a good thing.

If a story takes a weird turn, has a weird character, or a weird ending – all the better. Predictable stories are bad.

Something got weird on my walk last week. Mom and I saw a freaky, alien, mutant mushroom growing like crazy under a tree.

Tasting it was not an option, apparently, but I gave it a good look and a really good sniff.

FYI – It was gross.

Weird things are happening to the trees in my neighborhood. The green leaves have started turning colors…

…and falling all over the place. I don’t like the sound they make when I walk on them. Too crunchy! Sometimes, Mom says the word, “Sit” and I won’t lie. I hate it.

Make it stop!

From now on, I hope Mom keeps all the weirdness in her computer and in her stories. I do not like weirdness….

As anyone can see, I am just a normal, regular doggie…

Unexpected

Stories should always include the unexpected – unexpected events, unexpected characters or characters traits, unexpected plot twists, and of course unexpected endings. Mom is working on endings to three stories right now, and she’s revising two more stories at the same time. That’s a LOT of surprises, but predictably, she’s plugging along and trying not to be predictable.

Things in my life are always unexpected. Mom says it’s because my brain is so tiny, it can’t store things from the past. So every day, I act like I was just born. Personally, I think that’s a GREAT way to live!

Hullo….

When I smell bacon, I can’t always remember how to find the source of it. Where can it be? In the car? Across the street? Bacon mystery…. Hmmm….

Mom bought me a new blanket-bed. It seemed easy enough to figure out the first day.

Then I forgot how it worked.

My positions are unexpected, but any way I twist it – it works. Confusing blanket-bed…. This seems right….

This past weekend, I was surprised to discover that I was going along on an unexpected road trip to Mom’s BFF’s yard sale.

No wonder my travel crate was in the living room for a couple of days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got to play outside in the yard for a long time, and then I rested in the shade on the porch.

Can you see me keeping cool?

And VERY predictably, I napped all the way home. Surprise road trip… Yay…

Lots of times, Mom drives through McDonald’s and gets me an ice cream cone.

Actually, she gets it for herself, but she shares it with me.

Some days at the drive thru, things get unpredictable and we drive out with a salad! Or coffee!! Or a cup of oatmeal!!!

Wait. What?

Usually, unpredictability is good. Sometimes it’s bad. Very, very bad.

Hey! Mister! Where’s my ice cream?

Hidden

Sometimes, when Mom writes a story, it’s not the story she meant to write. When stories jump from her head to her hands to her computer, bad things can happen.

The stories can go on and on and on. And on. The plot can go off track. The focus can go away…

… and then come back again.

And then go away again.

Characters can refuse to do what she wants them to do. BAD things can happen.

Remember this…?

The story from Mom’s brain might be in there somewhere, but it’s hidden. When Mom gets to the end, she says, “It’s twice as long as it should be.” and “This sounded better in my head.” and “Where’s your other boot?”

It snowed last weekend in my neighborhood. EVERYTHING was hidden under 28 inches of that cold, white stuff. I was hidden under the hood of my pink parka.

Who turned out the lights?

My beautiful paws were hidden in boots to protect them from cold. And rock salt.

A sofa near the dumpster was hidden under a snow drift.

After a couple of days, I found some grass that was hidden near a disconnected snowplow that was hidden behind a building.

A long time ago, I found a soggy potato chip bag hidden under the snow. So far, try as I might, I haven’t found any buried food.

Maybe when Mom is finished searching for the elusive, amazing story from her head, we’ll take a walk and see if there’s an elusive, amazing McDonald’s wrapper hidden under the snow. Or maybe I’ll just rest for a little while…