June 25, 2012, Author: jmgreenleaf, Leave a comment

Excerpt…

Categories: Excerpts

“I can see, hear, and talk to ghosts.” I finally look up to meet her eyes, and just as I feared, she’s looking at me like I’m crazy. I may be misinterpreting what I’m seeing, but I’m sure she thinks I’m a lunatic.

The color immediately drained from her face, and I swore she’d never blink again. The stone-cold silence wrenched my stomach, making me immediately wish I could suck the words back into my mouth and swallow them back into secrecy. I could feel a full-blown panic attack coming on as I waited for her to say something.

“Are these dreams? These are dreams, right? You think you’re doing this, but you’re just remembering dreams or nightmares. Right?” Her hands start waving in a dismissive fashion, almost like she’s trying to wave the words out of the air and into the mist.

“No.” I shake my head back and forth as I answer. The urge to cry is there again. I want her to accept me for who I am no matter what, but I know this isn’t always possible. I mean, really, how would I react if she came to me with something that sounded so unbelievable? Would I accept her?

“So, let me get this straight,” she leans forward a bit more, like she needs to be closer in case she misses something I might say or do, “you’re seeing and hearing ghosts. Okay, that’s one thing. What does that have to do with your writing?” I didn’t expect her to jump right on to the subject of writing so quickly. I thought for sure she’d want to ponder my madness a bit more first.

June 24, 2012, Author: jmgreenleaf, Leave a comment

Excerpt….

Categories: Excerpts

“You do realize you can turn some ghosts away.  You’re not required to help every ghost you encounter,” he reminds me.

“Can I turn you away?” I turn to smile at him.

“Stop it; you know what I’m talking about.  I’m trying to help you understand and cultivate your gifts.  Stop fearing the pen, and embrace what it can do for you and your life.  The work you’re doing holds so much more meaning than any other writer you’ll ever encounter in your life,” he says.

“I still don’t understand why it’s me.  Why couldn’t it be my sister, my mother, my grandmother, or one of my dozens of cousins?”  I drop my planner on to my desk, turn toward him, and wait for an answer.

“There’s a reason for everything, but that reason isn’t always clear during our waking moments,” he says while doing what can only be described as daydreaming out my window.  Do ghosts do that?

June 20, 2012, Author: jmgreenleaf, Leave a comment

No More Neglected Novel!

Categories: Progress notes

I’m bothered by how much time has passed since my last update, so here I am! My novel is, sadly, just as neglected as this small corner of my website. I’m changing that, though, and getting back to work on all the things that matter most to me – including this manuscript. Since my last update, I’ve had to:

  • Replace my laptop
  • Replace my printer
  • Replace my smartphone

 

As you can see, technology hasn’t been on my side! I still haven’t transferred my manuscript over to this new computer yet, but it’s on my to-do list for today. Also on my to-do list is getting my word count higher, and organizing my notes – they’re scattered and completely out of order. I need to get this information clear in order to proceed (it’s mainly ideas, dialog, and character sketches in note form at this point).

Soon, you’ll find small excerpts on here. I’ve been hesitant to do so because I’m my own worst critic. I can’t help doubting my ability to cross over from non-fiction back to fiction after so many years. I started out as a fiction writer, and transitioned over to non-fiction after my mentor told me hardly anyone ever earns a living from fiction writing. I regret listening to this person because I enjoyed those writing efforts a LOT. I enjoy writing non-fiction, too, but it’s different.

Until next time, thank you for stopping by!

May 28, 2012, Author: jmgreenleaf, Leave a comment

Thank you . . .

Categories: Uncategorized

May 23, 2012, Author: jmgreenleaf, Leave a comment

Getting back to work!

Categories: Progress notes

I’ve scheduled some time to work on this tomorrow. I can’t wait to get back into the plot – the characters speak to me frequently.

May 23, 2012, Author: jmgreenleaf, 4 Comments

Breathing some life into creative efforts

Categories: Time management

Following a conversation via social media with a dear friend of mine only moments ago, it’s time to breath new life into creative efforts. She discusses her need to remove herself from social media, such as Facebook, in order to place stronger concentration on her creative pursuits. The wheels in my mind, of course, begin turning as we continue our conversation . . .

. . . if I spent half as much time on my novel(s) as I do communicating through social media and email, ‘The Ghost Writer: Fear of the Pen’ would likely be finished by now, as well as two or three others. Here’s my exact response:

You know, I do that also…and it never really occurred to me until now. If I wrote as many words in my creative efforts as I do on here or in (email, pm, direct) messages . . . my novel would be finished, and I’d likely be on the third or fourth by now. *ponders* I love connection, though, because I don’t have any human contact for many-many hours throughout the day. So, I guess I depend on social networking a bit too much to fill that void.

A shift in focus must occur if I intend to get anywhere with any of this. I have so many goals, and I’m stopping myself short through constant engagement. This is important during promotional periods, but there has to be a lapse in that in order for the writing to occur. I’m not talking about halting all social media communication, mind you, but rather pull back on the reigns a bit so I can work on things that are meaningful and creative. I love my writing career, and I love that I’m able to explore so many different projects . . . I need to finish them, though!