5 Tips for Tackling Writer's Block

by Celeste Cox

Here's the thing: writer's block is a thing. It happens. One second the story is flowing like delicious golden liquid onto the page, and the next you feel like you might as well be staring at a three year old's drawing. In crayon. And even that would be more inspired than the gibberish you've just written.

But here's another thing: blocks can be moved. It's not called Writer's Great Impenetrable Wall. It's just a block. It doesn't have to mean the end. Just make like a lego master and move the dang thing. I know, I know. Easier said than done. So here are 5 tips for tackling that mean old writer's block:

1. Take a SHORT Break.

This is definitely the favorite amongst all writers. *Raising my hand slowly* Mine too. It's the well deserved break! We are writers. And it's our passion. But it's hard. Especially when our minds just aren't cooperating. Especially when writer's block shows up! That break is more than well deserved. It is necessary. But here's the problem with "break time". It either lasts way longer than it should. Or there are way too many of them. But I had to go and get another drink, you say. And then I had to use the bathroom. And then I needed a snack! Hey, I get it. But don't let these breaks be a lazy way out. Keep them short. You know how long you really need.

2. Get Inspired.

What inspires you? What makes your insides spark up like the Fourth of July? If it's nature, go for a walk, look out the window, or watch the Discovery channel. If it's a certain song, listen to it. Maybe it's a smell. A book, a movie, a color. Whatever it is, let it inspire you. Make it happen.

3. Write Anyways.

Yes, you have written garbage. And yes, you will write garbage again. And YES, it's okay. That's the wonderful thing about writing. You can write the worst thing you've ever written and still be happy about it. Because you're writing. You're doing what you love. What you crave. And then there's the bonus: there's always something within the garbage. A small piece of treasure. And you never would've written it had you not allowed yourself to stink up the page.

4. Work on Something Else.

You want to finish what you're working on. You need to finish it already! I know. But sometimes you just need to take a step back. Instead of completely taking a break from writing, work on something else. Preferably something fun and easy. Then go back to your work in progress and you'll find that you CAN get past whatever it was that was causing you to go a little more crazy than usual.

5. Get Help.

Read articles (like this one!). Read a book on writing. Or find yourself some writing prompts. Whenever I have really icky bad writer's block I love doing this exercise I learned in one of my creative writing classes. Here's how it works. Find a picture. Any picture that sort of speaks to you. Don't take forever finding a picture though, or now you're just dooming yourself. Here are some random ones for you. A)

B)

C)

D)

E)

F)

G)

H)

Now set the timer! I like to change it up sometimes but let's do 5 minutes. So for 5 minutes write whatever comes to mind about the image you chose. It can be a poem, short story, random facts, random sentences that don't even go together, whatever! Just write. 

AND THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO EDITING ALLOWED. 

This is just you letting it all out. No holding back. Whatever comes to mind.

Once the 5 minutes are up, read it. Admire it. Yeah, yeah, it's probably a mess, but isn't it a beautiful mess? And look! You wrote something! You thought writer's block had defeated you, that you were incapable of writing even one more word. But you did it.

Multiple Personality Dis... Our Constantly Changing Perspective

By Lacey Gunter

Hey MMWs, if you're anything like me, you have a complicated relationship with your manuscripts. Sometimes when I read one of my manuscripts I think it is awesome. I am sure it will make a great childrens book and I am really excited about trying to get it published.

A couple of months later I will read that same manuscript and think, "Uugh, what did I think was so great about this manuscript? It needs a lot of work" I will be disgusted with it and brain storm about how to fix it, or worse, not want to even to look at it or think about it.

Time will pass and someone will ask me about the same manuscript. I will pull it out to try and fix it and think "Hey, this manuscript is pretty good. Why did I think it was so bad? It was really funny." Then I will get excited about it all over again.

Whether the manuscript is truly good or not is difficult to say. It is also not the topic I want to write about. What interests me is how our perception of our writing and our stories is affected by our current emotional status, our outlook and the experiences were are having at the moment.

When we are grouchy or unhappy with ourselves or our current situation, that affects how we react to and interpret the things that happen to us.  It will also affect how we view our writing or our stories. Likewise when we are happy, excited, worried, whatever.

I am sure that this information comes as no surprise to any of you. But how often do we take this into consideration when we are getting feedback on our work from critique partners and reviewers? No matter how good our story or writing is, we should expect that some of that feedback we get will be negative; if for no other reason that the fact that the people who are looking at our work are human and will have good days and bad days that color the way they see and interpret the world.

So think about that the next time your get a critique or review that totally rips apart everything you have done. Stop, take a breath, calm down, go to sleep, and wake up and look at it from a new perspective. It is constantly changing.

Marriage...The Ultimate W.I.P.

By Nikki Wilson

This is a writing blog, so why would I post about marriage? Mostly because I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. My husband and I recently celebrated our 20 year anniversary and I would love to say it’s been a perfect 20 years but that would be like saying the first draft of my books are perfect. Anyone who’s ever seen even a glimpse of one of my first draft knows that is far from the truth. 

Often times movies and books portray marriage as the ultimate happy ending. Especially romance books where the whole plot is to get two people together despite all the obstacles in their way and hopefully lead them to the alter where their happiness is now assured because they have found their soul mate. But marriage is more than that. Yes, you can find some of your greatest joy in a marriage, but you can also find some of your greatest pain. 

Recently, my husband and I had a disagreement. It was over something stupid like our arguments usually are. But I was suddenly thinking of all the things that had annoyed me about him over the past 20 years and I realized he is never going to change and this is what I will get to deal with forever and suddenly eternity felt like a very long time. I voiced this thought and suddenly all the fight went out of him and he asked very sincerely, “What am I doing wrong?”

This question actually excited me. This was my chance to tell him about all the little annoying things and then maybe he could finally change. After all, he can’t read my mind so if I tell him everything that bothers me and he tells me everything that bothers him, maybe we can make our marriage stronger and it will be better. I opened my mouth to speak when a very strong thought caused me to close it. The thought was this: Stop! He isn’t your critique partner!

I realized I’d been going about this all wrong. I thought back to all the times that we have nit picked at each other and realized that it had never made our marriage stronger. This wasn’t a book I was writing where I need to see all the flaws so I can fix them. I wasn’t dealing with letters on a page that can be rearranged and changed by the touch of a key.

I opened my mouth to speak again but these words came out, “We have done enough of telling each other what we’ve done wrong. We need to tell each other what we are doing right.” I think he was surprised by that but he didn’t even hesitate before he began listing my positive attributes. As I began to do the same I wondered why I found it harder to speak about the positive than the negatives. Not that there wasn’t enough positive things to point out, but talking about them brought out emotions so much stronger than the emotions of anger and frustration brought on when we were focusing on the negative. 

I realized that for the past 20 years I’d been wearing rose colored glasses when it came to my husband but I’d suddenly out grown the prescription and I didn’t like what I saw. I knew as we talked to each other about what we love about the other that I wanted a new pair of rose colored glasses. But this time the prescription would have to be stronger to last the next 20 years. 

I recently watched Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version of course) with my daughters. As we were watching the part where Elizabeth Bennett started to soften towards Darcy, my 15 year old daughter made the observation that he had always been that person that she was falling in love with, she just wouldn’t allow herself to see it at first. 

This struck me very personally. Because I could see that my husband is still the man that I fell in love with all those years ago, but for some reason I wasn’t allowing myself to see it anymore. I had to change what I was focused on. My perspective needed rearranging. 

It would have been easy for me to say that my feelings had changed towards my husband and that we should part our separate ways. After all, the world says you can’t help it if you fall out of love with someone (not that I ever fell out of love by any means). But there’s a voice inside that tells me I can help it. There’s a voice that sounds a lot like Pres. Uchtdorf saying, “Doubt your doubts first.”

I'm happy to report that those feelings of doubt were fleeting and I am able to focus on the positive parts of our marriage again. And because we have been focusing on each other's positive attributes, our marriage continues to grow stronger. But it's something we will continue to work on because it's important to us.

So marriage may be a lot of work, but fortunately there are no deadlines, we actually have eternity to work on it! And as any good writer knows, the joy is in the creating of the story and not the perfecting but both work together to make something to be proud of!

The Window Seat

By Patricia Cates

Sunset over the Atlantic

Although I am probably still a bit jet lagged, I will tell you a story. A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to spend 14 days in Italy with my best friend. I call her Cathy, better known as my 83 year old mother. She actually took me to Europe in order to fulfill a promise made over three decades ago. Her tales and photos of trips she had made overseas throughout the years, always came with the hype that we would someday experience it together. In the face of fleeting youth we got our passports in order and went. It was my first trip across the pond, and I can say without a doubt that it was absolutely the trip of a lifetime.

The most interesting aspect of this trip was that even though she generously footed the bill, she bestowed upon me something far more valuable. My dear mother gave me the coveted window seat.

This scenario got me to thinking that on a large plane, like those that fly across the Atlantic, not everyone can sit by a window. Only on small aircraft is there just one row of seats. In order for that giant bird in the sky to be balanced and get there safely, there must be a middle row. But who wants those seats? I know there are people who prefer the aisle due to its convenience. I am well into my middle years now and still desire the view out the window. Which poses the question:  When does one actually stop caring about having the window seat? How many times does a person have to have already flown to that same locale to no longer desire that rare view from the 30,000 feet? 

Although my mother has been on several European tours, she hadn’t been back in 15 years. With this being her "last trip" why didn’t both of us just book window seats?

Mont Blanc peaking in the distance

That’s when I realized that she gave me the window seat because she had wanted to see Europe from the sky one last time through my eyes. With me there she could experience seeing it again for the first time. I then understood that this vantage point was far more valuable to her than any reserved rate could ever be. I'm pretty sure the look on my face while flying over the Swiss Alps and seeing Mont Blanc for the first time was a key reason we went. 

It also dawned on me that perhaps the look on her daughter’s face while viewing the artwork inside the Vatican and the frescoes of Michael Angelo in the Sistine Chapel were equally as priceless. She had talked for years about the tears that filled her eyes when she looked up at centuries old frescoes, statues and depictions of the Savior. There were no words to describe such talent and magnificence. My mother wanted the opportunity to witness her daughter's face as she stood in awe.

Harbour in France

I do find clouds enchanting, however there was much more to be seen from those vast expanses of sky. We flew in by way of Frankfurt, on into Florence. On the way back to the U.S. we went via Rome. So in total we were able to view Great Britain and the Rhone River winding through the vast hills of Germany. On the way home we could actually see yachts anchored in the harbor of the French Riviera. I believe we also caught sight of some of Spain in the distance, although I am not sure where it ended or began. Our plane flew low along the deep azure of the Mediterranean coast and the view was spectacular.

My mother’s selfless example has inspired me to want to do the same for my children. In the future, if I am ever in the position to take a loved one on a trip that involves flying, I will undoubtedly make certain that they get the window seat. Even though I will be glued to that clear panel of glass , there's no doubt that it will be more rewarding to catch a glimpse it from behind their tresses. I look forward to someday watching their eyes marvel at the Lord's creations.
So for those who prefer the aisle, I think from now on I will presume you are all seasoned frequent flyers, and enjoy hearing the “oohs” and “aahs” of newbie travelers gasping at the enormity of it all. It is my wish that none of us ever tire of the view from above.

Crafting Realistic Characters

By Kathy Lipscomb

       I read like a writer. I hate that I do that, but I can’t help myself. The one thing that can pull me out of my critiquing way of reading and just place me in the book like I used to as a kid, is amazing characters. Characters that feel realistic, with real emotions, motivations, and high stakes. Lovable characters will make me skip over other writing flaws like they don’t matter. They make me turn each page (just one more!), because I need to know what will happen to these people who’ve become my friends. Not just a want. A need.  

       Crafting lovable characters is important to any story, and in order to do so, there are certain things each character needs.

1)      Characters need to be realistic. This applies to their age and their gender, according to their personality. I’ve started novels, even published well-known novels—popular and loved—where the character acts 22 rather than 14. It’s a huge pet peeve of mine. Now, there are instances where one character acts and speaks like an older person—it’s part of their personality. But the rest of those 14 year olds need to act like 14 year olds. And just because the one character who seems to have an “old soul” acts like an adult, doesn’t mean they can pass for one. Keep your characters true to their age.

       When I write from a male’s perspective, I have my husband read it. I ask him if it sounds like a dude and if there are any actions my character does that sounds too girly. Not all males (or females) are the same, but you don’t want your readers to question the gender and personality of that character. Again, there are exceptions when going for certain personality types, so if you want a more feminine male, then just make sure it’s consistent throughout the whole novel. Consistency is key to a personality.

2)      Voice is crucial. It doesn’t have to be loud and obnoxious. There’s no need for “look at me!” types of voice. But it has to be strong in its own sense. It has to be interesting. If the character is quiet, then make sure his or her thoughts and actions really give us an insight into who they are. Thoughts are still part of a character’s voice. If you’ve ever read the Percy Jackson series, Percy has a distinct voice, and though I enjoy reading from most of the character’s perspectives, it’s Percy who I love the most. His voice is unique, it’s fun, and filled with humor. It’s memorable.

3)      Along with voice are the thoughts and actions of a character, which can be far more interesting than the dialogue. What we say, is often put through a filter, but our minds have no filter. Our minds and our actions really tell who we are. When done well, the pairing of someone’s thoughts and actions with their dialogue can really bring a character to life. Pay attention to what your character thinks and does. It can be more powerful than anything they say in the novel.

4)      This is the one I see people struggle with the most: Motivation and Conflict. People in real life have goals and things that motivate them. Every single person does. It could be writing a novel (oh hey, that sounds familiar) or it could be to be the laziest person in the world. Both are goals. Both give motivation. Whether they are “good” or “bad” goals can drive the plot, but whatever it is, each character must have them. This is not a Sims game where they wander aimlessly until the player tells them what to do. If we want our characters to be real, we need to make them so.

       As authors, we don’t like being mean to our characters. It hurts us to see them hurt. But high conflict where the character has everything to lose makes us, as readers, root for them even more. Readers don’t like it when the characters are too powerful and have nothing to lose. There’s nothing interesting about that. There’s nothing to make a reader turn the page if the characters are fine—there’s no story. An author once told me to think of the worst thing that could happen to that character, and make it happen. Your character will learn and grow, and that’s what we want to see. We want to see them overcome the most horrible thing they could face. As authors, we are kind of evil. We are meant to put the characters that we love in the greatest danger possible and then throw rocks at them.

5)      Villains are your characters too. Don’t let them be flat. Give them life. Give them motivation and complexity. Even better, make me feel sorry for them. Make me wish I could help them to be better, to be good. Give them solid reasons for being a bad guy. My favorite novels and movies are those where the villain is complex and you feel for them. 
       Look at Loki from Avengers. How many people are out there rooting for him when he is the main villain in the first Avengers movie? He’s the antagonist, and he has plenty of reasons to be that way. Voldemort is probably the most evil antagonist I’ve read about, but even he has a horrible back story that made him who he is. He’s not killing just to kill. He believes in his cause with his whole being. Sloan from Alias struggles to be good, going back and forth so much, trying so hard, having goals to save his wife…ugh…it breaks my heart to think about it and I haven’t seen that show for years. Give your readers great villains. Real people.

       When editing your work, read through it and pay attention to just the characters and how they act. Forget the setting, the plot, the tricks and twists (for now, because those things are also important), and just look at your characters. Really try to get into each one’s mindset and see what it is they want, what they need. How does the motivation of one character interact or work against another character? Sometimes great plot points come simply because of the characters themselves.             Great characters drive a story for me. I’ll pass over flaws in a book if the characters are realistic with motivation and goals. They become my friends (and my crushes…) and I want to know what happens to them—even to the point of putting off sleep. And I LOVE my sleep. No seriously. I have a toddler and a newborn, so I do everything I can to get every single hour of sleep that I can. And then an author like Jenn Johansson or Brandon Sanderson comes along with their amazing ability to make me love their characters, and I’m back to being a sleep-deprived mama.

            But a happy one. 

Forked Ton

By Beckie Carlson

My son has a gift. When he was small….around five, we found a mouse on our back porch. It was a tiny thing with a long tail. He was not afraid of it at all. He picked it up and swung it around by its tail. They became the best of friends. He played with it for a long time. When it was time to set it free (and wash our hands) we dropped it out in the ferns in our back yard. The little guy looked up at my son with longing in his beady little eyes. It was almost as if it was saying, “Can’t I stay with you?” sniff sniff….it was magical. And a little weird.
I’ve finally had a chance to get into the pool I spent my entire life savings on this week. It’s been hot as….Phoenix, and it is an easy way to keep the grandson happy and not making messes inside. My son decided to grace us with his presence this week as well. We were splashing along when I spied a tiny, TINY, lizard holding on for dear life under the lip of the pool.
I am not afraid of lizards, how could I have been after living in Florida, but I called my son over to get the little guy. I was holding the grandson and didn’t think I could wrangle two wild beasts at once. My son came over and got the lizard to climb into his hand. He was perfectly happy in his hand. In fact, he staying with my son for quite a while. He rode in  his hand, climbed up his arm, walked across his chest, and finally built an impromptu next in his hair. I can handle the body walking, but when something other than a hot guys hands get in my hair…there is a problem. My son had no problem with it. He walked around with this tiny lizard for over an hour.
I told my son he must be a lizard whisperer. He said no, he just understood living things. I have to agree with him on this. My son may have trouble expressing himself, getting along with other, and saying things that are appropriate at times, but he can get along with any animal.
When we got our last dog, she would stand over him like she was protecting him. Our cats will sit on the back of a couch or chair and groom his hair. He literally has an animal magnetism.
I think most people with autism have a special awareness that gives them insight into the animal world. Maybe they don’t have any preconceived notions about the difference between man and beast. Maybe they really can communicate on a higher level. Maybe they smell better. I don’t know. All I know is that if I get lost in a forest, I want my son with me to ‘talk’ to the beasts so they don’t eat me. Cause I said so.

Photo credit: http://www.oddpad.com

Happy Independence Day!! Thoughts on Patriotism

Happy Independence Day, everyone!

Today is the day we officially celebrate the Declaration of Independence. A little-known fact is that the date is not when the document was written, or signed, or voted on, or presented to King George.  It's quite simply the date that was written on the draft that was approved by the Continental Congress, after all the edits they had debated over and agreed upon had been made. That doesn't make it any less important to celebrate any more than the history of why we use December 25 to celebrate Christ's birthday makes THAT celebration any less important.

Teensy bit more trivia: did you know that both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4, 1826? James Monroe died on a 4th of July as well, and Calvin Coolidge was born on the Glorious Fourth. Just cool stuff. No bearing on anything, really.

The reason I was tooling around on the net to find these little tidbits, was because I was looking for someplace non-partisan to find a copy of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. I've been thinking for a long time that I need to study these documents more. I need to teach them to my children.

What does it mean to be a patriot? Does it mean that we wave the flag and jump to defend the honor of everything the United States does? Do we give a black eye to anyone who dares imply that the country may have done wrong in any epoch of its history (including modern day)? Are critics un-patriotic?

Well, in a word, no. None of those things are actual patriotism.

Patriotism, American Patriotism at least is a dedication to the ideals upon which our nation was founded. Some of those ideals are actually revolutionary to this day. The thought that we can completely and utterly disagree with our government, established by the Founding Fathers, and still call ourselves lovers of the country they created, seems absolutely revolutionary. But here it is, from the Declaration of Independence:


“Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” –Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence

So, the love of our country and our fellow citizen serves as the impetus for change. Our love for free-thinking, for individual freedom, means that we debate--hotly--our own positions and beliefs about what the government should be doing, controlling, overseeing, or not. To debate IS patriotic, if the purpose is to better the country and the status of its citizens.

But in order to intelligently debate, decide, vote, and act, we must know the principles to which we are dedicated. I learned all about the Constitution when I was in high school. At Brigham Young University, we had to take an American Heritage class--a combination of civics and history that was pretty intensive--it even had a LAB. But, it's been (REDACTED) years since then and most of what I've learned has faded from my mind. So, I am dedicating myself to getting reacquainted with the Constitution. I want to be able to contribute meaningfully to not just the national debate, but to affecting change in my community, my state, my country.

There are MANY sites that offer downloads or even books of the Constitution in different formats. There are online classes that can be taken. Like I said, I don't want to be partisan in this post, so I was looking for something without political leanings one way or the other in order to provide a resource for you if YOU would like to take a gander/refresher on our Constitution. I found the following website and read a lot of "we will not take sides" from different pages, as well as many different documents and offerings for educational opportunities. Here's the site: http://billofrightsinstitute.org/founding-documents/

No matter what side of any debate you're on, whatever your political leanings, there's no denying that our country is in trouble. It's being ruined by (insert politically opposite point-of-view-holder here) and it's up to each of us to halt its rapid decline.

Part of patriotism is being educated as to what ideals you are being loyal to.

One last quote:

Let's show our patriotism by giving ourselves the tools to do the job at hand.

God Bless America.  (I really mean that, I'm not just being patriotic)

What does PATRIOTISM mean to you?

What's So Great About the End of the World?

This year will be my first year teaching 9^th grade English. So this summer, in addition to reading the massive amounts of first-year-teacher advice books, I’ve also been catching up on my young adult (YA) novels. I’ve always prided myself on being a hub for great book recommendations. Not to brag, but I have multiple friends and a few strangers (who have become good acquaintances) come to me for advice on their next book. It’s amazing and wonderful to have that kind of influence and trust. Choosing books is very personal, and I am honored to have people willing to listen to my advice. I hope to be able to earn that same trust with my students. In order to do that, I have to read!

That said, back to the YA books. Since I’ve been reading so many young adult books back to back, I’ve started to see a trend. A vast majority of the more popular books are dystopian fiction. After reading my fifth novel having to do with the end of the world and a bunch of kids fending for themselves, I started to ask myself, why? Why are these books flying off the shelves?

I could be jaded by now (which is sad) but a lot of these books follow the same plot points:

-          An oppressive government hiding behind a utopian facade

-          Vaguely described post-apocalyptic world

-          A persecuted or suffering protagonists who will become the brave hero or heroine of the story

-          Division within the society: rich-against-poor, elite-against-workers, government-against-citizens

As I started on my sixth novel that was more or less the same theme as the other five, I decided to look at it from a different point of view. I tried reading it as a young adult would, all the while asking myself questions about why this would appeal to my “teenage” self. Here are a few of my thoughts:

1.       The Lack of Adults

-          I think the lack of adults is the number one reason teenagers like to read dystopian fiction. Young adult literature is a break from authority figures telling them what to do, what to watch, and what to read. It makes sense that teenagers would relish the idea that adults were either missing or incapable of helping to change their circumstances. The burden of being a hero falls onto the shoulders of children, with whom the readers identify.

2.       The End of the World

-          The end of the world is a fascinating prospect. Will we be overrun by zombies? Will the surface of the world be pocked with craters from a massive meteor shower? Will there be massive floods that makes the remaining humans build treehouses and live among the leaves? The possibilities are endless and the small glimpse in how humanity handles The End is interesting.   

3.       Young Hero Rising from Nothing

-          Seeing someone rise from humble beginnings to become the hero of the world is inspiring and motivating. We all have a touch of ordinariness, but we hope and wish that one day we will be able to prove ourselves extraordinary. Of course it would most likely be because we were the first person in our family to graduate from college, or we were able to get a book published against the odds *wink!*, but who knows. Maybe we will be overrun by werewolves and one of us will have to take down the pack leader in order to restore peace…it’s a possibility!

4.       The Action and Suspense

-          Action and suspense catches the eye of readers. Guys, especially teenage guys, don’t care about love triangles or sparkly vampires. But if there are fights to the death for survival, then they become very interested.  Readers get to place themselves in the shoes of the protagonist and feel the danger, but without placing themselves in jeopardy. Look at the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I can tell you right now, if I were part of the Hunger Games, I would not last long. Not that I wouldn’t try my best to survive, but I really don’t think I could kill another human, much less a kid. But that’s the beauty of dystopian novels. We delve into our minds and ask ourselves, “What would I do?”

5.       Righting Injustice

-          This world is full of wrongs that we wish we could change. In dystopian novels, the heroes have that chance to change what they see. They start a covert revolution, or join one that is already gaining strength. They fight back. I’m sure there are times where we wish we could fight back against the injustices that we see unfolding in our reality.

I’m sure there are more reasons why people enjoy reading dystopian fiction, but these are my top five that I see consistently. Do I wish there was a little more variety in the dystopian novels that are out there now? Sure, but I think each book has something to teach us. Whether we are running with the protagonist as they are being chased by Grievers or fighting side by side against a pack of flesh eating unicorns, we come away feeling flush with adventure and weary of societies that seem too good to be true. If you want to learn more about what dystopian novels are teaching our students/kids, here is a link to an interesting article: (YA dystopias teach children to submit to the free market, not fight authority)

Now, what do you think attracts people, not just teenagers, to dystopian literature? Can you add to my list of common reasons for the attraction of it? Why do you think, especially in recent years, that this subgenre has taken over the YA sections in libraries and bookstores?  I’d love to know what you think!

The Gratitude Challenge

by Katy White

In seminary, I remember being challenged to occasionally say a prayer where I didn't ask for anything but simply thanked the Lord for my blessings. Over the years, I've made a point of doing this once every few months. But recently, I found myself in a rut of anxiety where I seemed to be pleading for the same things on loop (in addition to almost obsessive concerns over my children's and husband's safety, things like "please let my newborn sleep tonight," "please, please help me to calm my mind and sleep tonight," "please, please, please help me to have patience to handle today on so little sleep," were common refrains).

I tend toward sleep anxiety, if you couldn't tell.

In the midst of this, I realized I felt more anxious after my prayers than I did before them, almost as if my desperation-filled prayers were fueling my fears instead of allaying them. I knew it was time for a change, and I knew what that change had to be. I needed to focus on gratitude.

The night I made this decision, I laid it all out for Heavenly Father. I told Him that I couldn't stop stressing about my kids, my husband, my loved ones going through trials, and I mentioned how worried I was about staying sane and patient with so little sleep. I told Him that I knew He knew all of this, and that during this time where I wouldn't ask for anything, I was going to trust that He wouldn't forget about those things for me. During that portion of my prayer, I was wracked with sobs. Having faith and letting go in this way was hard, and I wasn't ready for it to be freeing yet. But I was committed to my gratitude challenge. My goal was set.

Cue the conflict.

The following day while my daughter was playing with friends, there was an accident. She fell from several feet up and smacked her head on concrete. She was shaking, crying, and really upset, but her pupils looked fine and I couldn't feel a bump on her head, so I thought (hoped) she was okay. She calmed down after a little while, and she even started playing with her friends again. The moment she stopped running, though, she started throwing up. A lot.

My friend and I got her cleaned up, packed into the car, and I instantly headed for the hospital, knowing she had a concussion. As I drove, I began to pray. "Please--"

I stopped. I'd just promised myself and the Lord the night before that I wouldn't ask for anything for two weeks. My chest burned. I had to keep that promise. But how?

I paused to reflect on what I knew was true, and I decided to express thankfulness for every one of those things: I was thankful I had good health care. I was thankful an emergency room was close with good doctors. I was thankful to know that the Lord was aware of me and my daughter. I was thankful that I could receive revelation for her. I was thankful that the Lord's hand was in my life.

My fears weren't completely erased, but focusing on the good comforted me in a way that no amount of begging for help could have. After staying in the hospital for a few hours with her under observation, the doctor said he thought she was doing all right. He gave me a choice to do further tests (including one that would expose her to radiation) or to go home and come back if any other symptoms manifested. When I prayed about that decision, I told the Lord how grateful I was to have the perspective of the doctor and nurse. I told the Lord what I felt was the right thing to do and expressed gratitude again for the knowledge that I could receive revelation and that He would stop me if I made the wrong decision. This time, putting my faith in Him felt liberating. I had some minor doubts about my decision (because I hadn't progressed so much in 16 hours that I could let things go completely), but I didn't dwell on them like I would have if I were saying my usual prayers.

And that felt good.

Over the next 13 days, I learned about a good friend's financial troubles and a relative's serious health issues, among other things. When I prayed, I said how thankful I was that the Lord was aware of them and loved them. As I thought about their situations, instead of asking the Lord to help them or to help me know how to help them, I expressed gratitude for the things I knew I could do to help. I found myself thanking the Lord more for the ways he'd blessed me that would allow me to bless them. The Spirit filled me in these prayers so strongly that I wept with love and gratitude. Not only was I learning how to take more responsibility for the trials in my life, but I was learning that those trials were laden with blessings. My relationship with my Heavenly Father was stronger than it had been in...I don't know how long. Those two weeks were as filled with the Spirit as any I can remember.

It has been just over two weeks since I finished the challenge. I'm not sticking to the no-asking rule, but I find that I'm still so busy enumerating my blessings that when I reach the "please" portion, it's brief and general, and when I say "let thy will be done," I feel a kind of sincerity and earnestness that I can honestly say I've never felt before.

The Lord has blessed me--all of us--beyond comprehension. And I, for one, am unspeakably grateful for that.

What's Your Story?

- a post by Jeanna Mason Stay

Today at MMW finds me trying to kill two birds with one stone. I am part of a homeschool co-op that meets for two eight-week sessions during the regular school year. This coming year, I’ll be teaching (theoretically) a writing class directed toward kids ages 8–12, and I’ve been working on the class description.

The last description I wrote for this class was crazy boring, which is a shame because I think the class itself is actually going to be tremendously fun. Card games, story dice, ad-libbed stories, art projects like dioramas of settings and portraits of characters. Plus watching movie clips, listening to music, a multimedia extravaganza! So I have tried to jazz it up.

The class is for our co-op, and most of the classes there are fun, not strictly academic. This class will certainly involve a fair amount of writing, but it isn’t supposed to be a heavy-hitting language arts class. It’s supposed to provide a fun exploration of what goes into a story and how to write one—along with a lot of practice.

Now I need your help! Does the class description below sound fun? Does it make sense? Should I add anything from my description above? If you were a kid, would you want to take this class? It’s critique time! (And thanks in advance for any critique you’d like to offer. Unless your critique is, “That’s a terrible idea, Jeanna. Start over and teach something else.” Then you can just keep your opinion to yourself. :) )

What’s Your Story?

Stories are everywhere! Books and movies, of course, but also music, video games, even commercials! Come learn what makes an awesome story, and practice different ways to tell tales of your own. We’ll play games, watch and listen to short movie and music clips, invent new and interesting people and places, and, of course, write stories. Create superheroes and supervillains, then imagine how they would fight to the death . . . for the last slice of pizza! Practice inventing unsolvable problems and force your characters to solve them! Imagine explanations for mysterious drawings and photos! Build on each week’s projects and tasks to create a final polished short story as well as a bunch of exciting ideas along the way. Mystery? Fantasy? Action adventure? What will be your story?

Materials: Half-inch, 3-ring binder with pockets; lined paper in binder; several pencils and pens; materials for drawing (markers, colored pencils, crayons—whatever your child prefers); if your child struggles with the physical writing, you may also consider a voice recorder so he/she can dictate and you can type any at-home assignments

Class fee: $7 (there may also be an additional optional fee of about $7 at the end of class for a bound collection of class projects)