Beautiful Day to Mention Crazy

Imagine three people who are connected by the paramour that divided a marriage.  The third party is one who observes them with the curiosity of a cat and the protection of a .....mother. She works covertly behind the scenes scoping out the whereabouts of the husband and wife.  It isn't long before she finds a cheating husband and a downtrodden wife.  The paramour is more wily than the sneakiest coyote and easily slips into the mix.

All are surprised when their worlds collide and fall apart. Why?  They saw it coming....they felt awareness yet ignored their instincts.  But maybe....just maybe it was their deepest instinct that called them to one another.  A man ignored by his sick wife, desperately in need of attention....a woman raising her four children alone and carrying a sickness from hell....and a stranger with such low esteem...she sacrifices all that she holds dear: marriage, family...children and most of all integrity.

Yes...it's a lovely day to mention crazy especially if it feels like home to them.

Full Circle

.....After the dust settles.....and people talk about your skills as being in the past, (for example a retired actor) there is probable reflection . "What could I have done better? Was my integrity intact as I followed my dream?"   In fact it should be on both sides, but when there is not...then the interesting facts start to emerge. Conversely what if a created character thought....he/she came between me and that job/dream/desire etc.? What if they NEVER had integrity? It happens.

Jealousy is so interesting to write about.   Many times it leads to vindictive actions and creates such a crazy character when you realize the lengths someone with go to interrupt someone's "good luck." Sometimes it's fun to add the spiritual component like a sprinkling of  red hot pepper to spice things up a bit. Either way, life isn't always sunny and wonderful..... sometimes happy endings are elusive.  The real key to happiness lies within ourselves and our reactions to that precarious thing we call life.

Instant Karma

I remember my mother and father telling me that whenever anyone is talking about you, good or bad....it means you are relevant.  Being relevant doesn't equate to famous, or important, just interesting enough to be  in conversation. When they stop talking.....the applause is gone and it's time to pass the baton....and then... sit down. This must be one heck of an exciting life if it's riddled with applause and baton passing! In this writer's opinion, keeping negative comments and criticisms in check will help keep negativity out of your life. Saying unkind things about other people, attracts negativity to them....but ultimately Karmic consequences to the person saying the negative things.  It can be instant and observable and create fascinating character flaws to keep my protagonist in complex yet interesting circles, for hours.

It's the stuff novels are made of!

Hard Work

From this...

To this!

It's never easy to make something from nothing.  The morning glories to the left were grown from seeds. I never expected them to be so fruitful and beautiful from care and attention that they got....but alas...they were.

If they did not grow, or if I over watered them, or under watered them, it didn't matter because I was TRYING.  FAILURE is not from LACK OF SUCCESS, IT'S FROM LACK OF TRYING.

Happiness is Contagious...

....and misery loves company.  When a person has time to direct criticism, judgment and antagonism toward others, you have to wonder what is missing in their lives.  We have all had people cross our paths that feel "less than" about everyone and everything in their lives, and cope by spewing negativity from the green-eyed monster that hangs on their back.  There is always going to be a richer, more handsome, more successful person in our circle.  Jealousy is a wasted emotion but provides a plethora of interesting character flaws.

Characters like this are so much fun to create.  They give you a wealth of things to explore and keep the adrenaline pumping. They provide excitement and drama that is interesting to read about as we search the filing cabinets of our brains and remember those dynamic but draining people.  Energy vampires are people that look as if they mean well...but passive aggressively stab you in the back with a smile on their faces.  They drain your energy as the vampire drains blood.  At first it is difficult to realize the manipulation because they usually come in the name of friendship, but then fascination and wonder takes over. Watching them with the excitement of a writer you must remove them from your  inner circle. The observation can continue from afar because they are intriguing and great fodder for a novel. In real life and in a novel....it is self preservation to save one's energy and expel the vampires.

Back to Work at the Ocean Club in Beautiful Cape May

With the smell of salt air and a sweet breeze blowing, I am happy to be at work.  I feel so blessed to look around and see all the beautiful orange umbrellas that signify that I have arrived. There are so many boats in the ocean that I cannot count them.  It's 4th of July weekend and the summer has begun.

All my clothes are put away.  The pups have begun to get in sync with my crazy work schedule, which is simply whenever the inspiration hits me.  They know when they see me load up my bicycle back packs that I am leaving and they get a little sad. I will be back to feed and walk them and love them....but first the words need to get onto paper....2,000 a day when I am writing.

Time to get productive!