Tag Archives: Writing

Essays, Writing

Discouragement

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I had what felt like a setback last week.  I can’t really go into detail, but was required to remove my books from a library, change aspects of said book, and accept feedback I did not want to hear from people I did not want to hear it from.  Sigh…

I have allowed this incident to discourage me to the point that I have not written since then.  I sat down with a cup of tea and tried to write a poem this morning and couldn’t get through it.   Now it is almost bedtime and this post will have to do as my attempt at putting myself back into writer mode.  A blog at least counts as something.

I know many writers have faced discouragement, rejection, rewrites, and edits that destroy the soul of the work.    They have to pull themselves out of funks and get back to the craft.  And I will.  I am temporarily in mourning.  This depression will not get the best of me.  It is simply a detour on my journey.  I will find my way back.  This post is a start.

Fiction, Writing

Descent Book Review

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I read the novel Descent on a whim at the recommendation of a coworker and a student in one of my summer classes.  It was a page-turner to rival the likes of James Patterson.  What I wasn’t expecting was the surprisingly intricate prose.  I was reminded of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The subject matter was dark, but written gorgeously. While on vacation in the mountains, a teenage girl goes on a run with her younger brother following on a bike for protection.  Disastrously, the brother is injured and the girl is kidnapped.  This is not too much of a spoiler since it occurs in the first few pages of the novel.  The rest of the book is varying accounts told from the perspectives of each family member (and others) spanning several years of searching for the girl, dealing with life without her, and hoping she’s still alive.

The characters are well-developed and each of their motivations, fears, and doubts is picked apart like clues at a crime scene.  Several themes that stood out for me were the ways in which we cope with tragedy, the power of survival instinct, and the lengths we go to for those we love.

Some of the scenes were too intense, gruesome, and mature for children.  One brutal rape scene in particular is much too graphic to be allowed in my psych facility school library.    But that intensity is part of what made the book hard to put down.

This DESCENT into depravity is paired with breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains, deep ravines, and forests.  Whether by escape, rescue, or death, the reader needs resolution of some kind, any kind, which makes the book impossible to put down.

 

Poetry, Writing

Whose Orchid?

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An orchid appeared

on my counter last week.

It’s stick-straight stems

point proudly skyward

upholding regal blooms

of white with

painted purple lips.

Waxy long leaves

splay around the base

as though palms upturned

in adoration.

Imagine my pleasure

upon discovering that

the beautiful blossoms

in question were left

for me by my daughter.

Symbolic of elegance

and fertility,

love and respect.

Printed directions

attached to a stick

explain care and feeding,

so my granddaughter

places three ice cubes

reverently just above the roots

and waits to see

what happens next.

Fiction, Writing

My First Book Sale

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This morning I had tea with my mother Cyndee and sister Robyn.  My mother made breakfast to order – a lovely omelet for me and a waffle for my sister.  We had a nice visit and I showed off my new book that arrived in the mail.  It feels good to hold the physical manifestation of so much hard work in my hands.

And that is where I sold my first ever novel…to my mom.  🙂

I am not proud of every part of the story I wrote.  I am not pleased with every piece of dialogue.  There are plot holes.  I couldn’t decide on the ending.  A few of my characters are not well-developed.  I could have gone so much deeper with the idea behind the title.  The list could go on.

I am very proud of finishing.  I am proud of editing, formatting, setting up an account with Amazon kindle, and a bank account to deposit all of my cents into.  I am proud of all the hours I put in, all the energy, creativity, emotion, and focus it took to make it happen.  And I am beyond proud to have met a goal I set for myself many years ago of publishing.

Today was a good day.  And I really don’t care if I ever sell another one of these books.  I am a published author.  I write books.

Fiction, Writing

Summer Break

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I began a story today and even though it was just a snippet, it felt good to be creative, let myself off the hook for editing, website maintenance, formatting, plot planning, outlining, and whatnot.  It has been so long since I wrote simply for fun.  Now I am on a roll and don’t want to go to bed, even though it is way past my bedtime and I have early obligations.  Here are the first few lines:

The girl sat staring out the mud smeared living room window and mused that this must have been what it was like for people pre-television or cell phones.  She relaxed her eyes trying to see both her mopey reflection and the barbecue pit on the front porch at the same time.  She could almost make it happen, then one would gain prominence.  She was too bored to be frustrated, too numb to really care, so she kept trying until there was a knock at the door.

Fiction, Writing

Writer’s Group at Cuppa Austin

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I am experiencing my first Writer’s Group that Lori invited me to. at Cuppa Austin on Parmer close to Mopac. It is a nice little coffee shop. I got a breakfast taco, hot tea, and iced tea. They have a selection of loose teas to choose from and the baristas were cheerful. My kind of place.

We have a row of tables and 7 people have shown up so far. This is already more successful than any Writer’s Groups I’ve ever hosted. No one talks. They just work. It seems like a productive group. I have gotten four chapters edited. I am now halfway finished editing my BlackIce novel. Making progress!

And yesterday, my best friend Erica helped me get my website “landing” page set up so when people go to marshallpress.net they will see something (instead of a fake page.)

Essays, Writing

I Started a Publishing Business!

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Marshall Press

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Today was exhausting!  I am about to fall in bed, but must share the victories of my day.

  • Set up my address for Marshall Press at the post office.
  • Got my dba (doing business as) paperwork filed with the county for Marshall Press (which is good for the next 10 years.)
  • Opened a bank account for Marshall Press with a company VISA and everything!
  • Set up my account with my new banking information for publishing with Kindle Create / Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.
  • Purchased marshallpress.net domain name for the next 10 years from NameCheap.
  • Created an account on Bluehost for my marshallpress website to be hosted for the next year.
  • Created an account with FreeImages to be able to use lovely images on my sites.

There is still more to do, but that is all for one day.  I am going to relax in my comfy quarters for the last night of my retreat and enjoy one more glorious morning of tea and writing when I awake.

Health, Writing

Writer’s Retreat

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I rented a cabin on a river to do a 4-day Writer’s Retreat. I am on day 2 and have finally gotten into an actual honest-to-goodness project that resembles both productivity and creativity.

I took a break and looked back at some old posts on this blog. I found one from 4 years ago dreaming of doing a cabin in Colorado someday for the entire summer. That is still on my to-do list, but I don’t know if I would want to be without my sweet husband for 3 whole months. He has kind of grown on me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lighting was too bright, so I created my own stained glass window.  Intermittent rain on a metal roof has been music to my ears. 

I have a little air conditioner and two fans creating the necessary chill factor to keep me comfortable and my favorite snacks and beverages to keep me fueled.  Of course hot tea is at the ready.

Nature has invaded my domicile twice now.  I’m hoping that is as bad as it gets.  Otherwise, the accommodations are quite satisfactory. 

BlackIce mock cover                                                                                    

This is the novel I have decided to focus on as my project.  It is an old one I wrote in 2008.  A colleague made the cover.  

I am on the editing and revising stage – about 1/4 of the way through.  Once done, I have to put together the front and back matter (dedication, copyright, about the author, etc.)  Then I plan to upload my first ever book for publishing.  It is actually coming together.

I’m thinking of different names for different genres – too confusing?

R. Marshall – YA

Mrs. Marshall – Children’s Books

Juanece – Romance

  • My thinking is that kids who love a chapter book about 3rd graders won’t accidentally stumble upon a wild adult romance novel.
  • Teens looking for age-appropriate adventure won’t get tricked into baby stuff.
  • It could possibly keep my different writing age groups separate and safe.  
  • Just something I’ve been mulling over for a while now.

Poetry, Writing

Goodbye, my dear friend

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-For Mary by Rebekah J. Marshall 1/20/19

Goodbye, my dear friend.

“The earth has arranged her skirts

and taken you back so tenderly.”

I know you have “vanished

into something better-”

“the dark hug of time.”

What is it like “after the last day?”

“Did you float into the sky?”

I know “you never intended

to be in this world,”

yet you still got on with

“building the universe.”

“Everything dies at last and too soon,’

so I will bathe in the

“moon’s bone-white eye”

while whispering

“prayers made of grass”

until “all the locks click open.”

No matter how “humble the effort,”

I will “move my grains on a hillside”

one by one if need be

for “neither power nor powerlessness

will have me entirely”

and “I am willing to be dazzled.”

Yes, “my spirit carries within it the thorn,”

but I “keep on trudging.”

And every so often

“green leaves emerge from the tips of my fingers.”

A “fox on his feet of silk” found

“a bride married to amazement.”

I “have changed my life,”

“announced my place in the family of things,”

and “invented the dance with the wind,” for

“death is a little way away from everywhere.”

This is the very reason that

“every morning the world is created.”

Thank you for living

“your one wild and precious life.”

I will “remember your beloved name”

until I am “washed out of my bones”

because “death isn’t darkness after all,

but so much light wrapping itself around us.”     

Health, Poetry, Writing

Medication Experiment

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I am taking medication

to relieve pain.

It is an experiment.

Does it help?

Am I better?

All I know is that

my mind is free to

feel joy:

for my best friend’s

IRS windfall,

my husband

on his way home,

our dog

not escaped,

the tea pot

boiling,

another episode of House

cued up,

my bed

waiting for me.

These are not new,

but my ability to

appreciate them is.

My pleasure is sincere.

The pain is still there.

I am not cured.

No marathons are in my future.

But there is a tiny space,

a slight cushion of awareness,

a sliver of hope that wasn’t

present before.

Like the absence of

intensity has given breathing room,

possibility of expansion,

a moment of focus on something

other than merely coping.

The pain is not gone,

but neither is my mind.

 

RJMarshall 6/2/16