Monday, January 24, 2011

Writing Before Sundown



January sundown, La Jolla, California
 
WRITING TIP



Gentleman Friend and I had just spent a much-too-short week in La Jolla, just north of San Diego. The weather was so sunny and warm there, even the locals were giddy.


Thank goodness for the message from Sarah asking if this blog had become a victim of the cold weather. Between my holiday and California afterglow, I had not realized how many weeks had passed without a posting from me.


Donna sent a message that she feels like hibernating.


If you are feeling a little too comfortable with snuggling somewhere warm, beach or sofa with bankie, join me in vowing not to let the (sorry, I apologize for what's coming) sun go down on another week without producing some writing.


Here's the thing:  Gentleman Friend and I timed the sunsets. From the time the bottom rim of the sun touched the horizon until the sun totally disappeared was barely more than five minutes. Time's a movin', folks. We better make use of it.


In the next few weeks I will be updating the Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook. Also, Becky asked when there would be a Second Edition of  The Prayerful Writer: A Daily Devotional That You Create so I will be working on that too. Because I have the attention span of a gnat, I have created several pages of yellow legal pad lists breaking these two projects into small tasks. The lists are scribbled and go in all directions, but the steps are listed and prioritized. If you have ever been in one of my classes, you know I believe in thinking as little as possible. Thinking only gets you bogged down.

Oh relax, you know I'm partly joking about not thinking. I do plenty of thinking, just as you do, just as all writers do. When I make those lists, I am thinking so hard I have to fortify frequently with chocolate. But when the day starts, I don't think; I check my list. It might say Make list, but at least I have an immediate plan of action.

You can use my method if it appeals to you; if it doesn't, let me know what method works for you in attacking a large project.


WRITING PROMPT


I bask in . . .  What do you bask in? Of course, the first thing we think of is sunshine, but there could be many other things. I think I would bask in having the kitchen counter free of stacks of mail. It's never happened so I can't be sure. Right now chocolate comes to mind so look below for a chocolate recipe. And before the sun sets at the end of this week, write about what you bask in (or in what you bask).


CHOCOLATE INKWELL


Let's think ahead to Valentine's Day. Wouldn't it be nice to have a millionaire in your life on Valentine's Day? Voila! Done. Here is a recipe for Millionaires. It's from my favorite cookbook, Southern Living, Our Best Recipes, Vol. Three, 1987.


Millionaires


1 (14-ounce) package caramels
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
2 cups pecan pieces
butter or margarine
1/4 (4-ounce) bar paraffin
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels


Melt caramels in milk over low heat; add pecans. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto buttered waxed paper. Chill. Melt paraffin and chocolate morsels in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Dip candy into chocolate, and return to waxed paper. Chill. Yield: 3 1/2 dozen.

Find more writing tips, prompts, resources, questions and answers at http://www.angelinyourinkwell.com/.

Sometimes I am even on Facebook.

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