Off I write...

Okay! Every now and then I get a fun one! Two bank tellers competing to kiss a live pig. I very much enjoyed the interviews. The money is for such a great cause--The American Cancer Society. I had just as much fun writing it as I did doing the interviews. The crowds will gather this Saturday to see who will actually have to pucker up and do some swine smooching. I will be on hand to take some pictures. Then I go to a concert on Domestic Violence. Christine Allison is one woman who had a dream and a passion. She took her love for music and put a choir together. They sang for the Susan B. Komen Foundation, the Heart Association, Juvenile Diabetes, and now Domestic Violence. All proceeds go toward the cause. They have a choir of 70 and I am so looking forward to attending.
I love being able to attend events. I spend so much of my time behind a computer. I spent the entire day yesterday editing my 90,000 word book for Writer's Relief to review. Today, I am working on the synopsis of the book. That is actually harder to write than the book itself. Many times editors only look at the synopsis. If the first few words/paragraphs do not grab them, they never look at the book. Every word is important.
I am excited and nervous at the same time. Well, off I write...

Writing about a child who is going to pass away

This is the second time I wrote an article about a dying child and the child passed away before it hit the newsstands. I find it an honor to write about a child who is dying, but there is something different about it when you know it really was their last days. I did not get to meet Megan Kasmar personally. I remember her as a young child at church and at school, but I did not get to talk with her or get to know her at all. I was able to sit down with friends less than a week before she passed away though. She was quite some kid. Quite a lesson to us all. She was worried about everyone else even when she was dying. She just wanted to be a normal teen. She wanted to hang with her friends and have fun and hear about their drama. She was able to have a date in the hospital. She had liked a boy for a very long time. He wrote her a song and he came in and sang it to her. Her friends brought in a dress and fixed her up. They put make up on her and put pink blankets around the bed and let her have that date before she passed away. What amazing friends! What an amazing girl. My favorite quote she always said to her friends was that she would love them even after forever. that is pretty clever! Who hasnt participated in the I love you more game. I think that one would win every time. Well this is for Megan! It was nice to write about you days before you passed away. It was nice to get to you know your friends in the present tense. We had to change it to the past, but it was nice to hear it in the present!

Writing--what a glorious thing

Telling the story is the thrill of being a writer. I would rather sit down and write than do anything else, I think. I learned very young that writing was a great way of communicating. It is a way to be heard without interruption. It is a way to think before you say. It is a way to really say what you mean without sticking your foot in your mouth. It is a way to get the right meaning across to the listener/reader. There is nothing like picking up a book or a newspaper and reading what someone has written. I subscribe to many blogs to read with other writers write about. I love to see what they are thinking and feeling about the industry. In some ways, it is scary. Are hard copies going to be a thing of the past. I don't know? So many more people are buying e-readers. My kids, who are only in their teens, love feeling a book in their hands. They love the smell of the book. Most adults are getting away from that. We are so used to that fast paced computer age. It is easier to just flip a switch to read a book. Dont even have to turn a page. We can carry many books with us in less than a few pounds. Borders closed many stores. They filed bankruptcy. CD's are a thing of the past. People would rather download on their ipods. Well, whether it is an ereader or a in the hand book, there is nothing like reading what someone else wrote. One of the things I love about writing is becoming someone else. I recently read the book, Room: The Novel. Wow! It was from a five-year-old's voice. This kid told the story of being held hostage in a room with his mom. He had never known outside of that room. He was born in that room. His entire world revolved around four walls, the furniture, his mom, and a man who would bring them food and have sex with his mom at night. What an amazing experience to get in the head of a five-year-old and write from that perspective. I recently wrote a 90,000 word novel from a 14-year-old's voice. I am looking forward to its publication. What I loved the most was being able to tap into that teenager in me. I could feel her and sense her within me. Writing can take you into any character. Whether you are the reader or the writer, it can take you into a world that is not your own. You can experience a life you have never known. You can also relate with those who have experienced similar experiences and know that you are not alone. Writing is a gift. Whenever my editor calls me and says I have a story for you. I get excited on the inside. I know that I am going to be able to meet someone new. I am going to be able to listen to their journey and write about it. There is nothing more glorious than that.

An Amazing couple days as a writer

One of the privileges of being a journalist is that I get to meet amazing people every day. They allow me to come into their lives for short periods of time. Sometimes we meet because of a tragic reason. Sometimes it is because of an event that is going to occur or has occurred. Sometimes it is a mission or a message that needs to be told. Regardless of the reason, I have been allowed to be on the front lines of many stories for six amazing years. The last couple days was no exception. Yesterday, I was able to sit down with people who have Multiple Sclerosis. The Oak Clinic, located in Green, Ohio invited me to meet the doctors and the President of the Ohio Buckeye Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Association. The Oak Clinic was being awarded a plaque from the National MS Association because of their charitable work and dedication to the disease. It was a breath of fresh air to be actually sit down with doctors who still believe that medicine is supposed to be hands on and provided for people who do not have the money. People are seen regardless of cash and the same amount of time is given regardless of monetary worth. Most MS clinics see about 40 patients a day. The Oak Clinic sees about 8-10 because they give each patient about 2.5 hours with the doctor. Patients were sitting around the table after the plaque ceremony calling their doctors heroes. One patient who is also a nurse at the clinic said she used to be wheelchair bound, but is now walking because of their constant care. It was a blessing to experience this hands-on, approach that I have not seen in a very long time.
Today, I was able to sit down with a woman who turned 101 today! What wisdom she had and she was sharp! She wants things to go back to the way they used to. She thinks our society just moves too fast and we miss out on real relationships. She emphasized several times that she does not like how fast fall into bed with men these days. She thinks they should date and shake hands at the door. She was very cute. She cooked until she was 100. The only reason she is in a nursing home is because she broke her hip. She misses her independence and being able to cook meals for her family. She loves to stay busy and keeps her mind going all the time. She said these are reasons for her long life. "All the days just happened and now here I am," she laughed. She said she does not feel 101. She doesn't look it either!