I remember reading A Wrinkle in Time way back in the 6th grade.  At the time, the book rather confused me and I didn’t like it at all.  I think that was before my reading comprehension had fully developed, but anyway…

Over the last few years I learned more about the author of A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle.  She was an amazing writer, thinker and woman of faith.  With that newfound knowledge I started to rethink my young dislike of A Wrinkle in Time and the subsequent books in the series (known as the Time Quartet).  Since then, the books have been on my mental “To Read” list.  And I got my own copy of the series about a month ago.

I finally sat down and cracked the book open today.  Let’s just say that I read a few chapters, took it to the gym to read a couple more chapters while biking, and then completed the rest of the book in one sitting.  This isn’t proof of my skill or speed as a reader, it’s a simple and quick read.

However, it is proof of the excellence of the characters, plot and writing found in A Wrinkle in Time.  The book blew me away and the themes of love and uniqueness (individuality) happily surprised me.  All of the (good) characters were so well described and lovable.  It was an added bonus that one of the characters, Mrs. Who, is a constant wealth of quotes, it is her way of communicating.  (Quote junkies rejoice!)  Also, philosophical concepts were spattered all over the story, just look at the example below.

Meg: “Do you think things always have an explanation?”
Meg’s Mother:  ”Yes.  I believe that they do.  But I think that with our human limitations we’re not always able to understand the explanations.  But you see, Meg, just because we don’t understand doesn’t mean that the explanation doesn’t exist.”
~A Wrinkle in Time, Chapter Three

All of the above being said, I heartily recommend the book, A Wrinkle in Time.  It has been a great writing inspiration and a truly enjoyable read.  I am now extremely excited to continue in the series to the next book, A Wind in the Door!

*Picture of book cover found at Amazon.com

Most beginning writers – and I was the same – are like chefs trying to cook great dishes that they’ve never tasted themselves. How can you make a great – or even an adequate – bouillabaisse if you’ve never had any? If you don’t really understand why people read mysteries – or romances or literary novels or thrillers or whatever – then there’s no way in the world you’re going to write one that anyone wants to publish. This is the meaning of the well-known expression “Write what you know.”
~Daniel Quinn (1935- )

I have always heard “Write what you know.”  I’m currently trying to follow that advice.  And this quote gives excellent background as to the meaning of that phrase.

Thoughts and emotions are natural, but cannot be allowed to grow into seemingly unconquerable obstacles on the way to the goal of writing.  An example would be confusion over which story idea to follow next.  That is a feeling that has been eating at me recently.  I have been questioning how other writers would pick and choose among a long list of ideas which one is most worthy of time.  That’s just silly, why would I need to be concerned about what others do?  I should simply push through mentally and come up with an attack plan of my own.

I suppose it’s like running.  I like to run for exercise and my goals tend to be either to get a faster time or to increase my overall speed (and sometimes my goal is to just run in the first place!).  I don’t really watch other people around me and how they run, I just focus on my own feet, legs and breathing.  Focusing on the goal is what helps me get past the pain, sweat and other obstacles I might face.

Accomplishing your goals is about focus and persistance, be it writing or running.  Just worry about how you handle it and you’ll be amazed at what you push through and ultimately achieve!

All writers approach things differently, so there are no easy or ultimate answers for most questions on how to best approach writing.  It is very style-based, it seems.  Very cool, but also very frustrating to a beginner.

One person must write in silence while another needs the constant company of the radio or television.  He is able to whip out a chapter in a few hours by focusing on that one thing while she can multitask and get the same amount of writing accomplished.  Lisa likes to write very rough drafts, sentences flowing from her mind with very little or no intervention on her part.  On the other hand, George painstakingly researches and corrects as he writes, he would go crazy otherwise.

The only wrong approach here is NOT writing.

That is what I must learn.  Truly and deeply learn.  Rather than analyzing every last choice I am making (I tend to do this with all things in life, not just writing) I must focus on simply writing.  It doesn’t matter whether I type on the computer, punch it out on my typewriters or scrawl it out in my journal.  As long as I am writing I am accomplishing something.

Hmm, “as long as I am writing I am accomplishing something” might need to become a mantra of mine.  I have big dreams which require insane amounts of work to become realities.  My idealist side loves to focus on the shiny, pretty dreams while the realist side prefers to think about all of the extremely difficult work that is involved.  Must find a balance there.  One that motivates me rather than stops me in my tracks.  So very much to learn…

Sidenote:  I just realized that the title of this post sounds like it talks about yoga.  Unintended, but funny nonetheless.

We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled.  The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.
-Ray Bradbury (1920 – )

So many ideas and thoughts.
So many stories and plots.
But unless they are shared with others, it’s all for naught.
(Somewhat weak rhyme, but it’s all I’ve got.)

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that the bookstore I frequent downtown had a poster up that children’s author Mary Amato was going to do a book signing there.  A book signing, how exciting!  I had never been to one before.

Being unfamiliar with her books, I tried to check one out of our library to study up before the signing.  No such luck, they were all checked out.  It was no matter, I went to the book signing anyway, only armed with knowledge of her website, blog and a few questions about children’s book writing.

I saw a fair amount of kids come to the signing with their parents.  All of them were somewhat shy but mostly excited to talk to Mary.  It was truly endearing.

In between kids, I tried to talk with Mary about which of her books I should purchase, some questions, and just any general advice she might have.  Her tips were great!  She talked with me about the importance of humor in children’s literature and introduced me to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators with great enthusiasm.  Encouraging and kind, she signed the two books I purchased and told me to e-mail her with any other questions I might have.

What a great first experience at a book signing.  I am definitely going to keep my eyes peeled for more in the future!

I started reading The Word Eater last night and it is a very fun read!  Also finding lots of inspiration about style and humor in the writing.

The blog has been undergoing some changes recently.  Good changes.

Today the name was changed from The Sky’s the Limit to Sky Writings.  This name modification is a reflection of how the purpose of the blog has somewhat shifted.

Deep thoughts, book and movie reviews used to be the substance of this space.  Now ideas and inspiration about writing are going to be the focus.

I’ve been in love with children’s literature for a long time (I guess since I was a kiddo) and I am beginning to take steps towards hopefully becoming a children’s author myself at some point.  It all starts with inspirational ideas and actually sitting down and writing.  That is where I am currently in this long journey.

Hope you enjoy the journey along with me as I explore the sources of my passion for children’s books and learn much more about that world.

Dear Friends:

How genuine is a love that never shows the beloved those invisible emotions through action?  How honestly is an ideal held when it is only expressed through talk, message board comments, and scholarly essays?  Can one really say they “preach” the Gospel when all they do is fill a room or a listener with words?

Faith, opinions, belief systems, convictions, things that are essential to life are quite meaningless unless acted upon.  James, the brother of Jesus, wrote:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?  Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?  So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”  (James 2:14-17 ESV, emphasis added.)

Action is what gives abstract concepts life.  When we act otherwise we fool ourselves (and definitely do not fool those around us).  We should not hold ideas and beliefs simply for profile-fillers, conversation starters or even debate-continuers.  If we think we truly believe in something…we must do it.  Not only will those around us begin to listen, respect also often follows.

Authenticity is what binds all humanity together.  We can be nothing besides what we are and what we strive to become.  God has a plan, but we are the ones to make our ideas living, real.  We are measured by our outward actions, not our inward thought processes.

We can change our hair, clothes, weight, and attitude yet still be shells of people who grasp at empty beliefs and opinions.  We are shadows until we translate our thoughts into action.

Now let us throw off what holds us back and act on what we believe.  This may be the most difficult thing in our lives to accomplish, and it may take whole lifetimes, yet without doing this we will not truly live.

Let us never choose to be shadows.

Peace and Love,

~Sky

It’s been over a year since the last post was published on this site, and for a long while I considered that the final post.  Ah, but life and thoughts change.  And change, as I have learned, is usually a good thing, as long as you go with it.

Thus, in the interest of welcoming more writing back into my life I have decided to revive this blog.  Things will likely start to look a bit different around here.  New interests have been formed, new books read, new places visited, new experiences faced, and ultimately a busy life lived.

Which brings me to the overarching, newfound theme/thought which I would like to bring to the blog: Living Life.  Living: authenticity, passion, faith, intentionality, peace, abandon, simplicity, action, and love.  That’s right, giving life to deeply rooted, perhaps even archetypal concepts.  Sounds insanely difficult, does it not?  Well what would life be if not a challenge?

Now that the course is plotted (once again) let’s get this journey started, shall we?

***EDIT:  I have since started a different blog, The Muse and Murse, at www.eandkmcg.wordpress.com where I have been doing all of my writing.  I may someday return back to this blog, but for now it is just for memories and reference purposes.***

The following is the condensed story of how my husband and I met, fell in love and ended up where we are today.

A few months back I got a silly idea to go cruising around one of those online Christian dating sites just to see what it was about.  So I made a profile and started surfing.  Most of the guys I met were odd and not the swiftest of men, but then I had a conversation with this one specific guy and he was a complete gentleman.  This guy’s name was Eric.  We could quickly tell how alike we were and we talked endlessly, first just online and then on the phone for hours.  After a couple of weeks we decided that we wanted to meet in person, so that’s just what we did.  The day of my last intramural soccer game he came and watched me.  Actually, he showed up right as my game was starting so we really didn’t get to even say “Hello” until half-time.  After the game we ate, hung out, talked, and officially started dating.

During this time I graduated from college and any free time Eric and I had we tried to spend it together.  We both knew we were meant to be.  The plan was that I was going to go work at a camp until mid-July and after that at some point we would get engaged and married.  Well, a few days before I was to leave for camp he popped the question and I happily accepted.  We both were aware that I was going to go to camp and tried to face that fact bravely.  The day before I was going to leave him to pack and leave until July we both just broke down.  The choice was left to me to leave the one I loved dearly and put my future life on hold or simply decide to stay.  After many tears, much thought and conversation I decided that rather than break both Eric’s heart and mine for weeks on end that I would call up camp, apologize and cancel.

After that decision, Eric and I started planning our very simple wedding.  We got married at a lake in his hometown, not too far from where we live now.  It was a small, short ceremony which only immediate family, the pastor, the pastor’s wife, and the photographer and her family attended.  It was a perfect day.  After taking a few pictures we went to a nice Italian restaurant in town, ate, and had cake.

There are many astounding things about our story, but the main one I want to share is that God brought Eric and I together.  Not only that, but He did so rather quickly in many people’s minds.  Between the time we met and got married it was less than two months, yet we both have never been more sure of anything and have never been happier.

So now I’m a happily married woman with a new Irish last name that works well with my red hair and pale skin.  My husband is my hero, my best friend, my leader, my love, and more.  Our relationship and marriage is a marvelous gift from God and we want to use it to bring Him glory.

“All because two people fell in love…”