Writing About the Eight Pound Lemon From Heaven

What do you do when God gives you an eight pound lemon?  Do you cry?  Do you try to ignore it and pretend it's not there?  Or do you figure out a way to make lemonade?  I know people all over the world who are searching for answers.  This is my eight pound lemonade story...

At the beginning of last month, my daughter sent me a distressful text from the airport.  The ticket agent at the counter scolded her for exceeding the weight limit by eight pounds.  Her debit card only had enough money to pay the sixty dollar fee for two suitcases.  The airline hit her with a one hundred dollar penalty and she was overdrawn.  Since this was her first time traveling alone and she was going on limited sleep, she didn't know what to do.  The agent rushed her through check in and did not offer any alternatives, such as moving the eight pounds of excess weight into the second suitcase, or just removing eight pounds of stuff and discarding it.  Instead, he put her into crisis mode.

The following day I reached out to the airlines.  They didn't budge and told me I was stuck with the penalty charge for the eight pound lemon.  My daughter's bank was more understanding.  Unfortunately, their closest branch to make a deposit was one hundred miles away from our new Iowa home.  The next morning I drove to Moline, Illinois and deposited enough money to cover the shortage.  On the way back, I stopped by to inquire about a marketing position at the newest employer moving in to Coralville in the the Iowa City area.  I met Alicia, an enthusiastic employee who shared how excited she was to be part of opening a new store.  She encouraged me to apply immediately.

The next morning, I got a phone call.  Suddenly, the eight pound lemon was becoming the best lemonade  I've ever tasted.  I'm part of the launch team now, thanks to meeting Alicia on my way home from my two hundred mile round trip to my daughter's bank to resolve the lemon in my life.  In the last thirty days, I've met the mayor of Coralville, the fire chief, and a few hundred business owners and employees who are excited about my new employer.  This lemonade is the best lemonade I've ever tasted.  I will be drinking this lemonade for the rest of my life, thanking God everyday for the eight pound lemon he gave me less than thirty days ago.  That's my lemonade story.  What's yours?  Please share your story below.

Wilson and Ramona Team Up For Guest Post Friday

Wilson and Ramona reconnected again after a period of separation.

Please welcome Wilson and Ramona to guest post Friday.  My inanimate friends are appearing today to share how they coped with being separated from each other during my family's relocation to Iowa.  The pain of separation from a loved one can be a great way to develop your characters when you are writing.

Hi folks.  We are Mike's buddies and he asked us to share some ideas about how emotions play a role in creative writing.  You may be wondering, how can we be qualified to talk about this subject when we aren't even living beings?

Please don't be deceived by our appearances.  We may be lifeless, however, we do go through the same experiences our human counterparts deal with.  We were apart for awhile and my girl, Ramona, suffered some broken strings.  She always relied on me to protect her and I failed to keep her covered.  I went on two road trips with Mike and never spoke a word.  Ramona was the same way.  Without me in her life, she felt so alone.

We wanted to offer some advice to all the writers out there.  When you are experiencing separation anxiety or you are suffering from the loss of a loved one, dig deep and tap into those feelings.  Keep your feelings in mind when you are creating characters for your novels.  Your own pain can become a source of inspiration.  Your readers will find a connection to your characters when you write about how they feel.  Look how many songs have been written as a result of a breakup.  Turn your feelings into stories other people want to read.  Make your characters real people, even if they only look like lifeless objects on the outside.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Mike asked us to invite you to write a guest post for cyber-guest Friday.  He is busy working in the marketing department at his new job and has limited availability to connect with his readers.  Please email him if you would like to offer some writing pointers in a future guest post.  Would you like to add your thoughts to today's story?  Maybe you could share how you tap into your emotions when you are developing characters for your books. 

Rainy Day Writing

There isn't any sunshine today.  This is the kind of weather that inspires me.  There's something about storms that tickle my senses.  It makes me want to make a hot chocolate and top it off with marshmallows.  It would be so easy to write all day long.  Too bad I can't stay here at the mall parking lot all day and crank out a few chapters of my novel.  Instead, I will focus on finding members for my new employer.

Do you like writing on rainy days?  Does the weather have anything to do with the quality of your writing.  Please share your thoughts below.  Time to get to work.  I need to leave early to get through the wet roads and I don't want to miss my hot chocolate.  Have a great day.

Writing On A Full Schedule

I can’t stop writing.  My full schedule is not a reason to abandon my daily writing.  Instead, I must get more efficient with the limited writing time I have.  All writers deal with this.  The difference between success and failure comes down to the little things.  It starts with the morning alarm clock.  The birds in my neighborhood serve as my wake up time, singing their morning melodies on cue with the sunrise at 5:00 AM.  The little things I do in the first 15 minutes of my day play an important role in my writing.  Here is a checklist I follow to fit writing into my busy life:

1. Wake up on time.  When the birds begin singing, it’s time to get out of bed.
2. Stand up to the excuses.  They are strongest at wake-up time.   Every day I must battle them.  If I get out of bed on time, I win.  If I snooze, they win.  It’s my choice.
3. Pray for assistance.  You are not alone.  Ask God to help you with your day.  He will guide you through the ups and downs.
4. Get to your writing zone on time every day and begin writing.  I’m typing this message while parked outside the library in my hometown.  There are no distractions here.  This place allows me to pen my thoughts in an efficient manner.  The key is to follow this routine every day.

Once you complete your writing for the day, move on to all the other activities you planned.  Make note of how you spend your time and cut out anything that is a time waster.  It’s important to complete your top priorities before it gets too late and you fail to get a full night of rest.  Lack of sleep will hurt your creativity with your writing.

Care to comment about how you fit your writing time into your schedule?  Please add your ideas below.

Everybody Has a Story

It was a little bit uncomfortable at first, parking my car in front of the library at odd hours to write my stories or sitting on a bench at the outlet center with my laptop while strangers walked by.  Then I discovered the joy of connecting with curious people who ask what I'm doing.  "Are you on Facebook?" one employee asked.

"No, I'm a writer and I'm working on a couple of blog stories."

"Well, if you like us on Facebook, I'll give you this frisbee and the mall will give you a packet of coupons."

It turns out that the marketing rep for the mall is one of my wife's high school classmates.  I pointed him to the Chico's store and told him to stop in and say hello.  Several more people walked up to me and started sharing their stories.  The man driving the tram couldn't resist asking me what I was up to.  His face lit up when I told him I was working on a story about the Memorial Day party at the square and volunteered his story about serving in the military.

Everybody has a story.  I'm planning on following up with the amazing veterans I met yesterday for some in-depth interviews.  These people are so inspiring.  How do you discover the stories inside of the people all around you?  Please share your comments below.

Interviews with World War II Survivors on Memorial Day

***Breaking News***

Interviews with World War II Survivors about to be published today on my personal blog, Socalmulligan808.blogspot.com.  Check back soon for amazing pictures and stories.  Happy Memorial Day.

Out of the Ashes

The Phoenix bird rising out of the ashes.

Good writers never die.  They may get punched around a few times and they get more than their fair share of rejection, however, like the Phoenix bird, they find a way to climb out of the ashes.  I'm still recovering from the sting of rejection from my writing job.  If there are any writers out there who suffered a writing setback, I would love to hear how you dealt with it.  Please leave your comments below.  Thanks.