Disaster, Discipline and Defrosting

Hurricane (then turned into Tropical Storm) Sandy did a good number on my local area. Which seemed surreal for me. My house was barely affected by the storm. Some blown transformers in the area and occasionally surges, but nothing disastrous.

But when I was told on Monday that Staples was closed, and then again yesterday, I was a little surprised at the widespread devastation around the local area. Then I drove up to Quakertown.

Downed trees, street lights off for miles, store signs blown to smithereens, telephone poles ripped to the ground from uprooted trees, whole shopping centers in the black.

Sometimes, I get a "home bubble" when I get stuck inside. Even though I read the reports and Facebook updates of friends, it still feels miles away from me. Not a block up and around the corner (where a tree was practically thrown across the front lawn of a nearby house). We have yet to find out the situation with our shore house down in Ocean City, NJ. My dad is fully prepared to lose everything on the first floor.

And with this storm came cold, biting weather. The kind that forces people to finally turn on their heaters and huddle around them. The kind of cold that freezes your toes and no amount of shuffling them under your covers will warm them again. Normally, I love this weather. But this was brought about with damp and dreary wetness, which only accentuates the cold in the air.

Now I have to remind myself that I need to be ready to leave for work five minutes earlier, just to defrost my car.

In other news, at midnight tonight, NaNoWriMo starts in earnest. I have a few writing buddies to join me on the journey and hopefully I'll stick to my schedule. I know as of late, my discipline has been lacking. So, to keep myself in check, I wrote up a calendar and forced myself to schedule time for writing. It sounds so childish to me, but I need to do it.

As of tomorrow, every day at 10pm, I will retreat to my room, plug in my headphones, and write until I can't write anymore. I have a pretty insane goal this time around: rewrite Unity. That should be easy, right?

Well, for those that weren't around last time, Unity is over 102,000 words on its own. That's close to 15,000 more words than Genesis. And in this rewrite, I know many, many words will be added on. My goal during November is to rewrite Unity in its entirety.

Wish me luck, fellow Wrimos, and I hope to see you on the battlefield of writing.

Happy adventuring!

Currently Reading: Hood by Stephen Lawhead
Currently Listening to: "Hope Will Lead Us On" by Barlowgirl

P.S. - Barlowgirl is one of my favorite bands. For 10 years, they've inspired me, encouraged me, and helped me through the darkest times and given me voice in the joyful times. Their concert was one of the most love-filled events I've ever been to, and I'm sad to see them go. I do, however, look forward to where God takes them next. If you've never listened to their music, I highly encourage you to look into them. You'll be glad you did.

The End of the World!

Or so many in the northeast seem to think.

I live in eastern Pennsylvania (in case you don't know), so that means that Hurricane Sandy is moving right on through where I call home. Every state office is closed, the government has declared a state of emergency, and even the mall closed. I, however, don't know if I'm working tomorrow yet or not. Even though I seriously doubt I'm gonna have someone coming in "needing" to get some copies made in the middle of a hurricane.

Although, if it comes down to me braving the elements and one of my coworkers, I'm gonna volunteer. I was saying to my parents as we watched the weather report, "I know this might sound reckless and stupid, but I'd much rather that I risk my life just to watch the store than one of my coworkers."

Yeah, there will probably be power outages. Yeah, there's gonna be flooding and I'm sure a good bit of devastation  My brother's already on call for catastrophe claims work and my dad's getting himself ready for a boatload of claims to hit his computer sometime next week when this all blows over. Yes, I'm sure there will be casualties and there will be problems that arise in many, many people's lives.

However, I don't view this as the end of the world. Even if I'm without power and the water shuts off and we have to move by candlelight and my cell phone dies, it won't be the world caving in on itself. Yes, it'll be uncomfortable and might even drive me slightly bonkers. But I will still be converting oxygen into carbon dioxide.

Honestly, I just hope people use their brains. Don't go driving around to run errands. Stay inside, stay safe. Use your head and keep yourself informed. Prepare, but don't freak out. When an evacuation is ordered, leave. Keep yourself alive. Things can be replaced - people can't.

And that's why tonight I said to my parents, "I know where I'm going when I die. And I know where many of my coworkers are going if they were to die tomorrow. So I'd much rather be the one that bites the bullet if I know it'll buy them a few more years to see the light and hear the News."

Hey, if the power goes out, it gives everyone an excuse to finally work on that story they've always wanted to write. Or better yet, plan it out so they can join me in NaNoWriMo :)

Stay safe everyone. And happy adventuring.

Currently [re]Writing: Unity
Currently Reading: Hood by Stephen Lawhead
Currently Listening to: "Promise" by Thomas Bergersen

The Rough Days

Today I wanted to take a sledgehammer to every copier in existence.

It was one of those nights where everyone and their mother must have thought, "Let's go to Staples and bog up the Copy Center." There was literally one moment where I had eight customers all waiting for me to help them. That wouldn't be too bad, if they wouldn't all just stare at me. Or worse, rock back and forth with this listless, bored and slightly agitated expression on their face.

So when eight pm rolled around and suddenly both copiers were eating the paper they were supposed to be copying, I gave up. Right then and there, I hung my head, fought the urge to scream, and began to pray a stream of prayers for God to take over. And all I could think of was, "God's not my GPS, He's my driver. Move over to the passenger seat idiot."

That helped boatloads. Not only did God grant my plea for things to slow down, but the rest of the evening went by quickly. Thankfully a day like this happened before I had my day off. So I was able to leave work in the dust and know that I wouldn't have to return until Saturday afternoon. Sometimes that's a nice relief - knowing that I can basically take the next day and a half and use it for my own goals.

I can't say that I get it right. After all, it took me seven of my nine hours of work to finally give up trying to control the night's workload before I nearly got on my knees and prayed. But I can say that in that one moment, once I let the chaos go from my grasp, I felt better. So I encourage you, in your chaos, remember that sometimes it's best to just stop trying to hold the reigns and instead, hand them off to someone with far more experience.

In other news, I'm excited. I have off today, which means that after some morning archery practice, I'm going for a quick shopping trip, and then the rest of the day I'm writing. At least until the evening. Then I'll be preoccupied with some serious Killer Bunnies gameplay.

Happy writing everyone! Remember, NaNoWriMo is right around the corner. I expect to see some new faces.

Currently [re]Writing: Unity
Currently Reading: Hood by Stephen Lawhead
Currently Listening to: "What Makes you Beautiful" by One Direction

P.S. - This is Killer Bunnies by the way.

It's That Time

Dust off your keyboards. Renew your interest in a dried out story. Shake out your writing pads & notebooks. Track down your favorite pen or pencil.

NaNoWriMo is back!

In several short days, November will be here. Crazy to imagine that we're already nearing that threshold of a new challenge. For those new to the party, NaNoWriMo is the opportunity for writers (of all ages, genres, levels of expertise, etc.), to band together and attempt a goal that might be insane. In the course of the month of November, hit 50,000 words on a novel of your choosing.

What will I be doing? Well, the rewrite of Unity. Unless if this new story idea hijacks my attention. Or possibly Zero Point. Or I might finish Arthur. This is the first time in a long time that I've left projects hanging. Literally, ZP & Arthur are just chilling until I work up the courage to drag them back into the sunlight.

If you happen to be interested in my goal timeline, this is it. November: rewrite Unity. December: Actually finish Unity (and go to Disney and see one of my favorite couples get married). January: Finish Arthur. February: Knock out a few more stories of Zero Point.

And that's as far as I'm planning ahead. God knows I hate making any plans, let alone ones that have the possibility of cementing into some sort of foundation.

The event today went well. I got the chance to talk with a number of people, both about Genesis and about future events. I've made a lot of connections and contacts now, so that should help open something up for later in the coming months.

So, to tie this back to my original reason for writing: join me! Sign up for NaNoWriMo and give a crack at something insane, but mighty fun. There's a great community of writers out there to help encourage you as you trudge along. Trust me, we understand the pressure of that goal. I'm really going to be fighting to be diligent about it. Crazy - I have to actually find time to write? Ugh, please, can I have my final semester of college back?

Happy adventuring everyone :)

Currently Writing: kinda rummaging through the possibility of this new story. Nothing major yet, just...mishmash plot stuff.
Currently Reading: Hood by Stephen Lawhead
Currently Listening to: "Thankful for You" by TobyMac

P.S. - The TobyMac kick, there is a reason. I just bought his new album and it's kinda been on repeat.

Take 2

I need to be up in five hours. (Aside: I hate that I'm one of those people that counts how much sleep I'll get). Tomorrow/Today, I'm appearing at another event to try to get some more PR out for Genesis. It promises to be a fun day, filled with all sorts of adventuring. This offers a different experience and atmosphere from the first show I did. Not only is this indoors, but all I've got is an eight foot table.

Quite a drastic change from the ten by ten area I had outside in September.

In other news, my rewriting has been stagnant for about three weeks. Whether that's due to my own laziness of late (fighting against lethargy in a myriad of ways), or because I'm actually starting to get a new idea completely unrelated to End Game, I don't know. The other story, by the way, may or may not see the light of day. It might not even be written. But every now and then it pops into my head and I mull it over. I honestly don't think I'll venture far down it simply because there's still so much for me to unwrap with the Tilion world.

Since I really should get to bed, I'll say goodnight/good morning. Have a beautiful day, whomever you are, and if it crosses your mind, wish me luck.

Happy adventuring!

Currently Rewriting: Unity
Currently Reading: Hood by Stephen Lawhead
Currently Listening to: "Eye on It" by TobyMac

P.S. - Anyone good with websites care to explain why my domain won't use my index.html file to automatically connect to the enter page of my site and instead will only display a directory? 'Cause I really am frustrated by the stupid thing. Is it simply 'cause I capitalized the word 'index'? If it is, I'm gonna throw a fit with myself for it being such a simple answer.

P.P.S - Anyone good with websites care to tell me how to link keywords to the site?

Civil War

Hi. Susan Markloff here.

I'm a Christian. What does that mean? I love God. I follow His holy Word known as the Bible. I listen to Christian music (which doesn't always say God's name or Jesus'), and I pray whether audibly or just as a mantra in my head. I try to not criticize others or judge their hearts. Judgment is God's job at the end of all things. I'm not perfect, nor do I think anyone other than Jesus was or is or ever will be. I don't have all the answers and I still ask myself many a question. But I have faith - which is where the heart of my "religion" comes from.

What's this post got to do with anything?

We're a sick, twisted and horrid race. Humans, I mean. And not just 'cause we're sinners. It's more that we are so ready to jump onto someone else, judge someone else, blame someone else, that we're in a state of civil war. It doesn't seem like war because we haven't resorted to physical violence. Yet. Political parties are literally at one another's throats verbally. Christians attack other Christians for so many different reasons, it's staggering and mind-boggling. Saying "I'm a Christian" has gone from being a good thing to being offensive.

Everything is awesome, and no one is happy.

The blind scream atrocities at the arrogant and the arrogant call the blind dumb. The lost cry out for more 'stuff' when at the heart of their cry is a yearning for their brokenness to be healed by the only thing that can heal it. Those that are meant to be lighthouses are becoming battery-dead flashlights that flicker in a moment or two of a good whacking. Those who follow idols (sins of any sort), are marching across this world as leaders and those attempting to follow righteousness hide in small corners, saying they shouldn't be loud.

Up is down and down is up. Wrong is right and right is wrong. The ones drowning kill the lifeguards as inexperienced swimmers with floaties try to rescue those wandering off at sea. Those with megaphones scream falsehoods and paint backwards pictures of truth while the would-be disciples take the brunt of the hit.

All of these metaphors are my frustrations at the moment. I apologize for those that have no interest in reading this. But I have to say something now or I'll bust. We're so busy accusing someone else of their sin that we can't even begin to recognize our own. No wonder people stick their fingers in their ears and go "LA LA LA" whenever the word "Christian" is uttered. We've become mirrors of those we're meant to be leading to Christ. And that's another thing - we've forgotten that Christ is the one it's all about. We're so busy thinking that we've done all this stuff ("Saving someone", "doing mission work", "knowing scripture"), that we've lost sight of the reason for our being here. We're meant to help lead other sheep to the shepherd,  not try to take the shepherd's staff and lead the sheep on our own. All you get are a bunch of wandering sheep with the shepherd still trying to get them on track.

*Deep breath*

Alright. I'm done. None of this made sense to anyone else but me.

Currently reading: Hood by Stephen Lawhead

Currently listening to: "Me Without You" by TobyMac

Colds

I think God is testing me. Because not 24 hours after I told a coworker that I tend to not get sick often, I come down with some nasty head/nose/throat thing that has stuck to me like glue for the past six days. Normally that'd be no biggie. I'd just sleep and it would go away. I so wish I could just do that and it would this time. Because not only am I working nothing but closing shifts this week, but it's inhibiting my ability to write.

My head just feels inflated and breaking off any creativity I might have. It's even kind of difficult to write this blog right now. But I'm trying. And I think that's something everyone should do.

Sometimes we hit road blocks that make us stumble on what we're doing or trying to accomplish. Especially, I think as creators (artists, crafters, writers, etc.), we have to make time for our fun job. And sometimes we get sick or family emergencies crop up or we're just basically told "No, you can't do that" by the world. Because there's not time for something fun or creative in this world. Right? That's what we're told, right?

Well, it's wrong. I love being creative and I love having the opportunity to delve into a world unknown to others except the readers that follow with me. That, I think, is a gift not enough people encourage in others. So I encourage you, whoever you are, to be the best creative person you can be. Strive for something extraordinary despite what gets in the way. And above all, have hope & faith. God's got this.

In a closing note, I have no clue if any of this made sense. Foggy brain...

Happy writing!

Currently (re)Writing: Unity
Currently Reading: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Currently Listening to: THIS.