How I Woke Up From a Coma I Didn’t Even Know I Was In (my story of technology addiction)

by Kasey Tross

I so wish that this could be one of those lighthearted posts about an addiction to chocolate, or adverbs, or something else equally innocuous. Unfortunately, it's not. Because this month things got real for me.

This month I have had to face the fact that I have an addiction.

Just like last January, this month our bishop asked us to participate in a Fast From the World. I am pleased to say that this was a much easier proposition for our family this time around. We knew what to expect and we knew we could do it. In fact, it's been almost mundane.

Well, until about a week ago.

That's when I started having computer problems.

At first it was just the screen- being in a house with four crazy kids running around had really put my laptop through the ringer and it had gotten to the point where I had to only have it open to a very precise angle or the screen would go dark. It wasn't so bad, though- I just fiddled with it until it worked and then tried not to breathe too hard so I wouldn't frighten it away.

Then the charging cord went bad. Again, it was much like the screen at first- just took a little finessing and shallow breathing and it was fine.

Until it wasn't.

One night it just died. Completely.

I was fasting from the world, so what was I going to do? No TV, no novels, no movies. I was suddenly left screenless. I was disconnected. And not just disconnected, but disconnected.

The only tool left in my arsenal was a car charger that gave my laptop 15-30% charge, depending on whether I was running a lot of errands or just a few. And then my kids got sick, so I hardly went anywhere. I found that anything I needed to do on my computer- sending & receiving e-mails, writing- it all had to be done in that short window of time (did I mention my battery is on its last legs too? Loses about 1% charge every minute). When I had two articles due for a magazine, I knew that the moment I opened that computer I was on the clock, and I didn't have one second to waste on anything that wasn't necessary to accomplishing my task. I have never written in such a focused and efficient way before.

Now, I am not one of those people who walks around with a smartphone glued to my hand. I have a very basic prepaid phone that I use only to contact my husband and my mom, and the only other people who have the number are my kids' schools and family members who might need to reach me in an emergency. So I'm good on that front. But my laptop is like my brain. When I'm at home, It's like a pet, always sitting next to me- only I'm the one on the leash. I can't get too far from it without feeling that pull toward it again. Every mundane task that takes me away from it feels annoying and I get more and more irritated until I can get my fix.

It wasn't until it was out of the picture that I really realized how addicted I was. Because once it wasn't an option, at first I went through withdrawals.

My kids are being needy- ugh, let me just go check my e- oh, right. I can’t. The laundry is piling up- but I've had such a long day, I should take a break and write down some of those blog ideas I had- oh, I can’t. Ugh, the playroom is a mess AGAIN. Well...I wanted to go check Pinterest to get that new recipe for dinner so...oh. Right.

Before the Fast From the World it was Facebook, blogs, Pinterest, and web surfing that lured me back in every time.

Do you see where I'm going with this? I was exactly like an alcoholic or drug addict- anytime my life put something in front of me that I didn't want to deal with, I reached for my self-medication: my computer. I wanted to just relax, to escape. Just like any addict does.

I think I really began to realize how bad it had gotten once the withdrawals wore off. It was so strange, I got this feeling I had forgotten even existed: boredom. I was bored. I had no screen. All I had was my house around me and my kids. So I began to pay attention to them, because I had nothing else to do.

Again, don't get me wrong. I'm not a terrible mother- I always did the things I was supposed to do: I made dinner every night; we always ate together (screen free) as a family; I read with my kids and helped them with homework; and for the most part I kept up with dishes, laundry, and basic cleaning. But I spent a lot of my time feeling short-fused and irritated. I felt like I never had any time. I always wanted to be doing something else.

Well, the truth was that I did have time, I was just using it to indulge my addiction. Once I cut the leash and began to really wake up I actually saw my life. I saw my home, I saw my kids, and I began to invest in them because they were all I had. After dinner I went ahead and did the dishes because they were there and I had nothing else to do. The hampers in my house are empty because I realized that laundry is actually pretty easy. I'm trying to figure out why I thought it was so burdensome before. It's not super fun, but when your choices are sitting around twiddling your thumbs or making sure your children have clean clothes, it's not that difficult a decision to make. I go to bed early now because...well, because when the dishes are done, the laundry is folded and put away, there's not much else to do. Which means I wake up feeling refreshed and I have much more energy and focus.

I've spent more time helping my worrywart daughter study for school than ever before, and I've seen her confidence level shoot up. I've discovered that all that annoying prattle that was going on in the background while I was trying to check my e-mail was actually my four-year-old daughter thinking some really deep and amazing thoughts and trying to share them with me. She has very vivid dreams, and now because of one of them she absolutely has her heart set on being a mermaid. When my son was home sick I discovered that he absorbs more information than I ever realized and that I might do well to just keep him home from school and let him watch the Science Channel all day- he'd probably be an astrophysicist by the time he's 14. And I now look forward to spending time with all of them because...well, because they're great kids. And there's no leash pulling me away.

This post is getting long, I know, so let me just sum this up: My life has changed.

I don't say that lightly. I mean, it almost feels like I've been asleep- or in some kind of a fog, maybe- for the last several years. I've been living with this constant frustration that I'm not good enough, not organized enough, not fill-in-the-blank enough for so long, that when that feeling just kind of dissipated, the whole world seemed to change. There is this clarity that has emerged for me, something that is so hard to explain other than to say that by turning off the screens, that person that I always wanted to be just kind of showed up. And I realized that now I am enough.

And all it took was a broken cord to make me realize it.

I kneel down and thank God every morning for breaking that cord for me. And I tell Him that I'm scared, because I know I can't turn off the world forever. I do have deadlines to meet, and I do miss making connections on facebook with many dear friends who live far away. I'm an addict who must leave the safety of rehab and reenter real life. I know I will have to find a balance, but I'm so afraid that I will fail. That I will slip back into the clutches of my stupid, stupid addiction that has robbed so much of Life from me. At this point, all I can do is pray and ask God to help me. Because I know I can’t do it alone.

I will end this post like any good recovering addict might: If you think you may be suffering from this addiction- and I assure you, it is very real- I encourage you to get help. Have someone hide your screens or chargers from you for awhile. Detox. See the world through different eyes. You might be surprised to realize it’s even brighter than a screen.

Keep Moving...



It's funny, as I was thinking about what to write about this week I thought of the movie Saving Mr. Banks. And then I noticed that Nikki wrote about it on Friday. I kept trying to think of other ideas and I thought of writing about a few other things, but all of the ideas I had really related to the movie. If you haven't seen the movie it was great. I laughed a lot, cried a lot and was really inspired.

Walt Disney really inspires me. I feel that he is one of those people that just never gave up. Not just on making the movie Mary Poppins, but in all that he did. He believed in himself, he had failed businesses and kept on going.



Writing can be hard, I feel like giving up. Some might even think I have a bad idea or I can't finish. There will always be twists and turns. I often think of Walt Disney who said, "We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we're curious, and curiosity keep leading us down new paths."



It is so true what he said. You have to keep moving. There are going to be hard times, and bad ideas, but if I just give up what does that do for me? I may have to put that idea in the back of my mind for awhile, but I can't just rip it up and throw it away. It took Walt Disney 20 years to get Ms. Travers to even consider the idea of Mary Poppins the movie.

Don't take advantage of the process, enjoy the ride.I am getting nervous to finish my story, I have spent several years working on it and I just don't want it to end.

 "It's kind of fun to do the Impossible." ~Walt Disney

 

 

Saving Ourselves

If you haven't watched the movie, "Saving Mr. Banks" I highly recommend it. It's based on the true story of Walt Disney trying to get the rights to make the movie "Mary Poppins" from the author. The author had a hard time with this because the story was so dear to her. In the movie we find out that the story was so important to her because there were some parallels between the book she wrote and her traumatic childhood. I don't know how much of what was in the movie was true or not, but I do know that often my real life issues or problems find their way into my stories. Usually not in an obvious manner but in a way that allows me to face them at a safe distant.


I came across this quote from Lloyd Alexander the other day and I think it describes why writers do this:
"Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It's a way of understanding it."
This quote is so true. When we use stories to bring problems to life we are just trying to understand those problems from so many different angles. Most people can get that from watching movies or reading books. But writers get it from manipulating the problem and having power over it. It allows us to change the outcome or to relive the outcome. Either way, we are learning from every word we write.

I wasn't going to mention this, but on my drive home California this Christmas break, I stopped at a busy gas station along the highway. I'm in my mini van with my kids and my brother and I just want to get gas and leave (I may have been PMSing a little too if I'm to be completely honest.) There are no empty pumps so the only choice is to get in line behind a vehicle already at the pump. I pulled up behind a truck. The driver wasn't there but I figured he went in to pay or something, no big deal. I waited and waited, and waited. It was 10 minutes before the came back out with his coffee and Snickers bar. I wasn't happy at that point, I mean, there are parking spaces for that, right? But when he set down his coffee and snickers bar to start pumping the gas I instantly saw red. It was downright rude. I honked at him and told him to move but he just pretended he didn't see me. I saw another spot open up and I went to that one instead. But my blood was boiling. I'm not even sure why I got so angry. It didn't really make sense, but the only thing that calmed me down on the way home was to outline a new scene in my head for my book in which my character encounters the same situation but makes a point to the rude driver. Yes, the scene will serve a purpose in furthering my character development, but it serves another purpose as well, to give me closure.

Last week, I was feeling like my lungs were heavy. Like something was on my chest and it took just a little more effort to breath. Not a lot, but I thought of calling the doctor and making an appointment. Later that day, I went home and wrote for two hours (burning dinner in the process) but while I was writing something happened. That heaviness in my chest lifted. (even though the house was full of smoke from the burnt dinner.) Stress melted off of me and I felt lighter and could breath easier. That's when I realized that writing is actually imperative to my health and well being.

This is what writing does for us. It gives us an outlet and control over our lives. So while I started out writing to save the world one book at a time, the truth is, I'm saving myself  with each and every word I write and I thank my Father in Heaven for this gift of writing everyday.

First Novels and When to Move On

by Katy White

In 2007, I started my first novel.  The idea jumped into my head, took root, and within four or five months, I'd written about 120,000 words.  I loved it.  I thought it was awesome.  I sent it to a couple of friends who gave me feedback and I realized that it wasn't one book, it was three!  So I started from scratch again and wrote the first and second books, now around 90,000 words each.  I wrote an uber rough draft of the third that was around 60,000 words.  I loved this series so, so much.  There aren't enough o's in "so" to tell you how much I loved it.  

I made some connections after these new rough drafts and realized that the first book actually needed a major overhaul to incorporate all of my epiphanies (the sexy villain was actually the mentor's son?  WHAT?!), which I did.  Then I took a break of, honestly, about three years.  I didn't touch it, but I probably thought about it every day.  I came back to the story in 2011 and rewrote the first draft again, and rewrote the second book, too.  I sent it out to friends, and, after getting more feedback, I realized I started in the wrong place.  I decided to tell all my backstory through "Lost" style flashbacks (a nod to Gina for her post about the benefits of TV watching.).  I made those changes, and the feedback now from my readers was awesome.  Everyone loved it.  

It was time to see what agents thought.  I started querying.  My first batch of five queries led to a request for a partial with one of my dream agents.  HOLY COW!!  A week later when I was rejected, I reminded myself it was a number's game.  I kept submitting in batches of five every week, getting two more partial requests over the following month.  I was encouraged by the requests, discouraged by the rejections, and confused about what it meant that, after around thirty queries, I hadn't received a request for a full.

So I entered a couple of contests for my first five pages--and I even won one of them!--but after getting half my manuscript, even that agent rejected me.  Fortunately, though, she gave me very detailed, very helpful feedback.  My entry had some problems, but just as big a problem was the fact that my genre wasn't selling right now.   At a major writer's conference only a few months earlier, a panel of editors and agents explained that they wouldn't take on a book in my genre, period.  It was dead.  Over.

So was, oh, five, six years worth of my work.  At least, that was my initial thought. 

Since letting this book--this series--go in early 2013, I've written two new books.  Meanwhile, I spent a single year querying, revising, entering contests, re-querying, rinse, repeat.  But I honestly don't feel like I wasted a single second of my time with that first attempt.  Because I needed this time to research, to learn how to plot and how to avoid tropes, to learn the ropes of the publishing world.  Most importantly, I needed this experience to teach me that it's okay to move on.  It's okay to love your book and want to live in that world, and to still let it go.  If you love something, set it free, and all that jazz.  Right?

One of my favorite authors, Malcolm Gladwell, explains in his book "Outliers" the rule of 10,000 hours.  He says to achieve mastery in a particular field, one must spend 10,000 hours essentially "practicing" that craft.  Now, even if I wrote two hours a day consistently, every day, for the seven years it's been since I wrote my first word of my first book, that's still only 5110 hours.  A far cry from the 10,000 I need for mastery.  But every one of those words gets me closer. 

A poll of 150 published authors several years ago asked the authors how many novels they wrote before selling their first.  The breakdown is below:

32% wrote one novel
13% wrote two
11% wrote 3
8% wrote 4
9% wrote 5
3% wrote 6
13% wrote 7 or more novels
6% wrote some short fiction first
5% wrote a ton of short fiction first

Over half of these authors had written three or more novels before publishing their first! Some of them indicated that, after they were published, they were able to understand the flaws in their first novel and revise them sufficiently to get them published.  But I hope these numbers are as encouraging to you as they are to me.  Because these tell me that it's okay to let go of your novel.  It's okay to move on--heck, it's probably essential to our success.  

We've all said it a million times:  writers write.  And sometimes, that means shelving the old to make room for something new.

Please, sound off below with your thoughts, tips, and experiences with moving on from your first novel! 

Our Responsibility as Writers

by Anna Jones Buttimore

Sherlock Holmes - not a fan of Mormons

My husband served his mission in Russia. On more than one occasion he came across someone who said that they knew something about Mormons and didn't like them. When he asked what they had heard, they referenced the Sherlock Holmes murder mystery, "A Study in Scarlet", in which Mormons are depicted unfavourably.

So let's just clarify that. Here are people living in immediate-post-communist Russia who get their expertise on Mormons from a nineteenth-century English author who had, at the time he read the book, never actually met a Mormon.

As writers, I think we should remember that people believe what they read. Words are very powerful; after all, they are how we learn. Even when you're writing fiction, it's important to check details about your location, history, and anything which is based on reality to make certain that it is honest and accurate.

I'm currently writing a book set in Wales which talks a lot about the landscape, language and traditions. It's possible that there will be readers who know nothing at all about Wales, apart from what they read in my book. So it's my responsibility to make sure I don't say that the weather is always warm, or that there are five times more sheep in Wales than people. (There are actually just three times more sheep than people in Wales.)

Remember, if you write a book about something, then for some reader out there you may be the authority on that subject. After all, you wrote the book on it.

11 Reasons You Should Watch More TV

I'm absolutely standing behind this statement: You should watch more television. 

Okay, well, I don't know how much you watch, but I'm here to tell you that if you want to be an excellent storyteller, a weaver of words, you can gain a lot from watching television. 

Yes, OF COURSE, you need to read. You need to read in your genre, your genre-adjacent, your category, and whatever is selling like gangbusters. You need to read broadly and deeply and critically. None of that is new information, and I bet we could get into an internet-flame-war about how much reading one needs to do in order to be well-read (a topic for another time). 

But television can also hone your storytelling and writing skills. Here's how: 

1. It's fast. I can read critically and pick a book apart, examining it for structure and themes and arcs. If it's an adult epic fantasy (my poison of choice), it takes me usually around three weeks to finish. If it's a YA urban fantasy, it takes a day or two. I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in a little over fourteen hours, straight through. Guess how long it takes me to watch the movies? A little less than five hours. 

With television series available on Netflix and other streaming options, I can watch ten episodes in a single afternoon (not that I've actually done that or anything...*cough, cough*). 

You see a story arc that would have been spread out over months condensed into one sitting. It's easier to catch themes and see character and story arcs when the story is so compressed. 

BONUS: For those with ADD/ADHD or reading disabilities, watching television can help them learn the art of storytelling in a way that's more accessible. 

2. It's appealing. Lots of people watch television. Not very many people are buying books (in comparison). You wanna know what's gonna sell? Take a look at what people are paying attention to. Now, obviously, you can't (and won't) write a tv-series-in-a-book, but you can be influenced by trends. Melanie Jacobson wrote an adorable romantic comedy inspired by The Bachelor (Second Chances, if you're interested) and Buffy kicked off an entire generation of girly-girls-juxtaposed-with-violent-themes. 

By understanding what's popular, you can decide whether the manuscript you're working on is something that will sell at a traditional publishing house, through self-publishing, or if it needs to be trunked for a couple years. 

3. It's hyperbolic. In order to convey characters in sometimes as little as two or three minutes, writers resort to extremes. In the opening scenes of the Gilmore Girls, we see Lane skanking to Rancid and discussing her religious mother and her Korean heritage. We see Lorelai make a joke about being *ahem* promiscuous, and we see Lorelai and Rory bond in a not-normal-mother-daughter way. The chances of that all happening on the same morning? Hmmmm. Slim. Very slim. But it carves out who these characters are right away. 

When writing, you can do this, too. This is the infamous show-don't-tell at work. Don't tell us Lane is being raised by strict Korean parents who disapprove of her rock star ambitions: Show her avoiding those parents and gravitating toward the rock n roll. 

4. It's a veritable what-not-to-do. There's a lot of bad TV out there. A LOT. And by watching just some of it, and watching critically, you can see what not to do. You can find flimsy plots, poor character development, tropes, cliches, and just plain bad storytelling all over the place. 

The trick is to identify why it's bad and then comb your own writing for those errors and eliminate them. 

5. It's a more interesting version of school. True story: I know an author that needed to learn how societies fall and flourish for her fantasy world-building. She watched the Guns, Germs, and Steel documentary. It took her three hours. I read the book. It took me five weeks. 

Another friend said she learned a lot of terminology from a crime show (she then researched that terminology to make sure she used it right, but she wouldn't have even known where to begin if not for CSI reruns). 

Documentaries or shows dealing with real-life situations can help you get a feel for a subject you're unfamiliar with. Of course, you'll need to do more research if the show you're watching is dramatized, but television can give you a foundation and a passion for something you might otherwise not have known about. 

6. It's full of real people talking. If you've ever had a beta reader or CP say your dialog sounds unrealistic (and based on my experiences as a CP and beta reader, I'm going to guess that 90% of you have), you need to watch more people talk. Television is really good for this. 

It's even better than real people. 

Yes. It is. And here's why: real people have to think about what they're saying as they say it (ideally, they think about what they're saying before they say it, but let's not get carried away). TV people have the perfect thing already ready. There are no verbal pauses, there are no words being used incorrectly. It's perfect dialog. 

7. It's full of real people moving around and expressing themselves. You need help writing gestures people make while they talk? Or the way a fight moves around a room? Or how people's hands move on each others faces and bodies while they kiss?

TV will give you all of that. Pause. Rewind. Watch again. And again. (try getting the people at the mall to do that for you - it won't go well) 

8. It's visual inspiration. As my good friend Suz said, "One zombie scene is worth thousands of words." 

For those of you who pin visual pinspiration, or who scour modeling sites to find the right face to inspire your love interest or main character, try surfing the television. It's easier to get a feel for how these scenes and people can inspire you when you see them moving and living and being. 

9. It's easier to see what's happening. Television shows can successfully juggle dozens of viewpoints and storylines without losing the viewer (hello, soap operas!). Books often struggle with this (with the exception of the ineffable George RR Martin, of course). Watching an ultra-complex storyline full of dozens of intricate players can help you weave a more complex tale yourself. 

Even if operatic stories aren't your thing, seeing these complex stories woven together can help you understand literary devices like foreshadowing and red herrings and metaphors. Seeing them come to life is often easier than reading them. 

True story: while watching Monsters University, my seven-year-old noticed a very poignant piece of symbolism regarding Mike Wazowski stepping across lines. That would not be possible in a book: But he now has a grasp on metaphors and symbolic gestures in a way he could not have done otherwise. 

10. It's full of  hooks and cliff-hangers (and curb-hangers). A television show has approximately four minutes to catch and hold your attention before the first commercial break. And then they have to lure you back after a two-and-a-half minute break. Considering most sitcoms are only twenty-one or twenty-two minutes of actual showtime, that's a big deal. You're gone for one-tenth of their storytelling time. 

And yet they get you to come back. 

How? 

Curb-hangers. Smaller than cliff-hangers, but they leave a question in the back of your mind, something that makes you want to return to see how it is resolved. Then these same shows go away for a minimum of a week, but often as long as four or five months, expecting you to return. 

How?

Cliff-hangers. Television has perfected the cliffhanger. Indeed it was a silent-film serial that gave us the term, and we see it used so often that people expect them. So much so that I've seen a non-cliffhanger-season finale and thought, "WHAT? That's IT? We don't get a big cliff-hanger???" 

If you need help figuring out how to build to a climax and leave it unresolved, watch television. It will teach you. 

11. It's a mental palette-cleanser.  This might be the most important reason of all. Television tells a story in a very brief amount of time - usually a complete conflict and resolution in just over twenty minutes. Some picture books take longer to read than that. You can watch something quickly, or watch a lot of somethings in a row, and get a much-needed break from your writing. 

My favorite shows to watch for storytelling elements are How I Met Your Mother, Gilmore Girls, and The Office. Others have recommended: LOST, Walking Dead, The Vampire Diaries, and Buffy.

What shows do you watch to learn about storytelling? What shows do you just like to watch? What storytelling tips and tricks have you gained from television? 

Improve writing skills... quickly?

One of my favorite things to do when I find a good article is analyzing their perspective.  I think it’s fascinating to see how perspectives differ from person to person, even when talking about the same subject.  The important thing is, as Baz Luhrman states; “Be careful who’s advice you take, but be patient with those that supply it.”  I like to take it all in, and then decide what I like, what works for me and how I can apply it.  The particular article that I chose to address is from ragan.com, 10 Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills-Quickly by Amandah Tayler Blackwell.  Now, I have seen a lot of lists on how to improve this or the other thing, but the part that snagged my attention is the “quickly” part.  I want to address a few of the ways she lists, and then come back to the “quickly”. 

    The first one made me think of Kasey’s post last week when she was sick.  I love how she makes is sound like she’s having all these great experiences, and then you realize that she is reading a story!  She cracks me up.  But I know that reading all these different stories and writing in your journal is a great way to come up with new ideas for writing.  Another great way, at least for me, is dreams.  I swear my dreams are so vivid, that I could get almost a new idea every night!  The ones that really throw me are the dreams that have a beginning, a plot and end!  I feel like I’m watching and participating a movie!  It’s kind of fun.

    The one that would be a challenge to me is her idea of rewriting your blog posts.  I definitely see the purpose in doing this, because it can help you to see ways that you can improve your writing.  I would have a difficult time sticking to this idea, unless I had to redo the post for something else.  I like the feeling that I am “finished” with something.  But I know that especially in writing, you can’t get caught in this thinking because writing is a process that requires a lot of rewriting. 

    I wanted to also mention one that I think we (especially us MMW bloggers) should pay attention to, and that is “commenting on your favorite blog posts”.  I get in the habit of reading something and then thinking to myself, “Wow, I really liked that.” and then moving on.  My goal is to stop and give some feedback when I read a post.  I love to see others comment on my posts. It lets me know where I can improve, it opens my mind up to other ideas and it also gives me motivation to keep writing because I feel like maybe I’m making a difference!  So when you read something you like (or even dislike) take a few moments and put down some constructive feedback! 

    Another favorite is “read beyond what you normally read”, but I’m not going to go too much into it, because I would like to see you guys read her article.  She has some great ideas!  The one thing that confused me a little, is that she didn’t go into how her list would help you get there “quickly”.  All of her suggestions were really good ideas, but  I am not sure I understand how it gets us there faster.  Any thoughts?  Check out the whole list!

Question to Ponder:
If you were asked to add five things to her list, what would you add?

The Master Potter

For Christmas one of my daughters received a children's pottery wheel from her grandparents. Both of my girls were very excited to use it and make a little pot. It took some time, but soon enough my girls had learned how to press on the clay and shape it as is spun one the wheel. As I helped them and watched their little hands shaping the clay I couldn't help but think of the analogy taught in the church of the Potter and the Clay. 

There were some instructions that came with this little pottery wheel.  They were pretty basic and easy to follow.  The first step was to squeeze and squish the clay a bit in our hands to soften it up.  Amazingly, this is where the analogy begins.  Before anything can be made of us we must soften our hearts and be willing to be molded and shaped by The Lord, the Master Potter.  If we harden our hearts and become stubborn or proud the Lord will not be able to work with us and mold us into something better. 

The second step was really simple too, however the instructions emphasized that it was crucial this step was taken or we wouldn't be able to progress.  The instructions stated that the softened clay MUST be placed in the CENTER of the wheel.  If it wasn't centered the clay would be unbalanced and the force of the wheel spinning would either break the clay, or it would be flung off the wheel.  So it is in our own lives.  It is not enough just to soften our hearts; if we do not have a Christ-centered life we will break and be placing ourselves outside the “safety zone” of Christ’s blessings and protection.  If we have a Christ centered life and allow ourselves to be sculpted by the trials given to us by the Master Potter we will be strong and become a beautiful vessel that can benefit mankind and bring joy to our maker. 

The next step was where things became a little more difficult.  This was when we needed to start applying pressure to the clay.  This seems easy enough, but as we learned, there has to be the right amount of pressure.  We needed to have a steady hand and be gentle so we didn't break our fragile pot, but if we didn't use enough pressure the clay would not move or change.  How lucky we are to have a Master Potter that knows exactly what we require in order to take shape and grow. 

In our instructions it told us that there were many different shaped pots we could create depending on how we molded the clay and which tools we used to shape it.  So are we, as God’s children, capable of being many different things.  And just as certain types of pots or vessels have a particular purpose, so do each of us.  Heavenly Father knows from the beginning what it is we are meant to be, what we are capable of.  And it is our Loving Maker that knows just what tools to use to change us and help shape us into who we need to be in order to fulfill our calling and purpose in this life.

There were other things that were necessary for us to make our little pots.  The instructions informed us that we would need to keep the clay wet during the whole process so that our hands could slide across it.  If the clay became too dry it would “snag” on our fingers and hands, which resulted in a misshapen pot.  At one point this even caused my daughter’s pot to crack and break.  Like the clay we also need things that will make this sculpting process easier, things that will help lessen the friction and pain of difficult times.  Things like prayer and scripture study will not only help keep us centered on Christ, but will allow the Holy Ghost to dwell with us and soothe our “snags” or rough spots. 

The final step in sculpting a clay pot is to put it in the oven or furnace and bake it so that it becomes solid and firm.  Sometimes our worst trials are the things that make us the strongest, so long as we trust in Heavenly Father, the Master Potter.

But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand” (Isaiah 64:8)

The Power of Committment

By Lacey Gunter

Today I am delighted to attend the joining together of two lovely people, my dear niece and her wonderful fiancé. They are young and sweet and thoroughly in love.

Marriage is such a powerful institution. It compels us to be better than we were and to look outside ourselves. Committing to love and be with someone even when things get worse, much worse, is difficult and takes a lot of courage, strength and patience. Modern society doesn't seem to place as high of a regard for people keeping their commitments as it used to.

 In the Book of Mormon^a when the Nephites^b were in a particularly grievous battle with the Lamanites^c and the Nephites had gained a clear upper hand, Moroni, their leader said they were willing to stop the battle and bloodshed if the Lamanites were willing to promise not to come against the Nephites again in battle. While the Lamanites were eager to get out of the loosing battle they were in, they were not willing to make this commitment because they had no intention of keeping it. So they decided to continue to fight. 

I am always amazed by this story. At this point in time the Lamanites were not a very good people. There were not a lot of very pleasant words used to describe them. But they certainly had one thing going for them, they must have been men of their words. They must have believed strongly in keeping their commitments. Otherwise they would have just committed to the Nephites to get out of the bad position they were in and then broken their promise later when they came back to fight again. They apparently believed so strongly in keeping their commitments that they were willing to die over it. If nothing else, that impresses me.

How easily people in this modern day break their commitments when things get a little difficult or inconvenient.  But keeping your commitments can be such a powerful force for good. I am grateful for this opportunity today to be reminded of my commitments to my husband, family and my God. I pray for the strength, courage and patience to be at least as good as the Lamanites and honor my word and my commitments. 

It may seem small, but consider the example of Abraham and Sarah of the Old Testament. Entire nations can be born of that one small commitment. And studying a little genealogy can teach you how much of who you are came from who your ancestors were. Our faithfulness to that one small commitment can ripple down through the generations of our posterity and have the power to effect the course of entire nations. That is powerful.


^a The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. It is the record of the people who lived on the American continents before, during and a little after Christ's birth, ministry and resurrection
 ^bThe Nephites were a people living in the Americas thousands of years ago before and during Christ's time. At the time of this reference they were faithfully living God's laws
^cThe Lamanites were also living in the Americas at the same time but they were usually not living God's laws and often went to war against the Nephites

A Deadline Come and Gone

by Mare Ball  Adventures in the Ballpark

Wow.  I haven't done any work on my WIP for almost three weeks.  This is the longest amount of time I've not looked at it in a year.   Here are my excuses:

Christmas celebrations ate a good week.
I got a cold/sinus/flu-type bug that knocked me flat for another week  (I'm STILL hacking.)
I went to see Frozen and Catching  Fire.
I ate too many Christmas cookies.
I lost my motivation.

I beat myself up about it for a couple days....and then, today, I sat down at the computer and opened my book proposal file.  That led me to check some other files, which led me to my blog, and then this blog.  I read in a former post that my goal was to finish my book by November 30.

That bummed me out.  My book is 75% done, not 100% done.  How did I end up at January 10 with a still incomplete book? 

I paused a long time before I wrote this sentence.  Because, I don't have an answer.  I don't know what happened.  Life happened.  Stuff that was not writing stuff.  Good things, and frustrating things, and time-consuming things.  I don't know.

However - I do know this: every day, before I'm out of bed, I talk to Jesus in my head and thank him for my cozy bed and the rest I just gained.  I reflect on the day before me, running through what I need to do - and I ask for His guidance and His blessings.  I invite Him into my day.  I relish that quiet time to connect with my Creator and just be still and be grateful.  I don't get up until I feel closure on that time.

Then I groan my way out from under the covers and face the day, whatever it's going to be.  I always have somewhat of a plan, but God likes to throw a wrench in that often, so I've learned to be flexible.

And here's what I've concluded:  In God's view of my life, whatever my day entails, He is pleased if I'm honoring Him.  If I'm doing my best to be patient and sacrificial and grateful, if I'm using my gifts to help others....He's smiling.  Whether I'm writing, or not.  Sometimes I'm writing, sometimes I'm cleaning toilets.  Sometimes I'm taking Dad to the doctor, or trying to make leftover hamburger and goat cheese into something suitable for dinner. In God's eyes, what I'm doing is secondary to how I'm doing it.

I might be bummed about not meeting a writing deadline - a personal goal of mine - but God looks at everything I do.  And to Him, the writing tasks and the non-writing tasks are equal.  So whatever else I spent time on that kept me from meeting my November deadline....it was important too.  Time with family, movies with my girl, even sleeping for a week to knock out a nasty virus.  They were not insignificant events.  They were just not writing events.

I want to keep my writing in perspective.   I want to do my best, of course, to complete my book and get it published.  I pray for God's blessing on that.  But, I don't want to feel guilty or beat myself up if I fail to meet to a self-imposed deadline.  I simply want to do the best I can every day, at whatever I'm doing.  Writing is important, but it's not more important than everything else.

Now....my next deadline to complete my book is February 28.  We'll see how that plays out.

How do you feel about failing to meet a deadline?