Chicago Trip: Scrapin' the Sky!

You know it's tall when...you stand across a wide street and still can't get the whole thing in your camera viewer. So, you walk a city block away and it still won't fit! The skyscrapers in Chicago were just crazy. Amazing! But what was even more amazing was the little (and historic, we later discovered) blues club below those skyscrapers. Around every corner was a little more history. I love that! Next trip, I will make a concerted effort to learn more, do more, experience more. But until then...I've got some great photos...and memories!

Happy Birthday Sis'!

My (fill in blank; ie:big? older? I give up!) sister turns (fill in blank) today!Since she's beating me to this age by a few years, I'm not sure what's appropriate. Should I lie about her age? Hmmm...maybe I will. Anyway - Both of my sisters have been incredibly supportive as I tried to put the pieces of our childhood together for the book. HIn fact, Kathleen and I celebrated by eating at P.F. Changs (love it!) together when I sent the first big edit to my publishers at Sourcebooks. That's us in the photos. What fun! Looks like another celebration is in order.

Photo Friday: Breakfast with Elvis

Dad and I started having breakfast together almost ten years ago. Hard to believe it's been that long. Once a week, every Wednesday, we meet at Mr. Ed's. It's a local diner with delicious diner-type food. It's a popular hang-out for locals. The wine crowd that come to Walla Walla for the 100+ wineries in our area don't seem to find Mr. Ed's (they don't serve wine - maybe that's why).

At some point, we had the waitress take our photo with Elvis. He was a permanent fixture there. I say "was" because there was a fire there a few years ago, and Elvis did not survive. He was severely smoke-damaged. And we are told, he is now black-Elvis. Sad, but true.

My advice: Carry your camera with you every now and then and have someone snap a picture of what seems routine to you. You never know when Elvis will be gone! And while you're at it, flip that photo over and write a little about it.

Write Now - Because it's Later than you Think!

Photo Friday: Sickness in the Black Hole

photo: writing in healthier days.

I called my editor a few weeks ago. I just wanted to do something, anything. Although I was keeping myself busy writing a new book and doing lots of marketing and publicity research, I was anxious to work on the book itself. My wonderful editor recognized something familiar. Apparently, I'm not the only or first-ever author to feel like I'd been sucked into a dark, silent, black hole. He encouraged me by saying that unfortunately, this is the time that there just isn't much for an author to do. But he assured me that soon, I would have edits to work on.

Last Tuesday, I got the first set of edits he wanted me to do. It was the day before I was leaving on a trip to Seattle. But no worries, I could work in Seattle just as easily as Walla Walla. But then it happened!

On the flight to Seattle, my ear plugged and wouldn't "pop." At the same time, I was suddenly very, very tired. In fact, as I sat in the back seat of my sister's car en route to her house, I lay my head on the suitcase and tried very hard to stay awake. I was sick!

Within a few hours, my nose was ridiculously stuffed up, my throat was raw and sore, and I had a terrible headache. And I felt like I'd been hit by a truck...several times. Every morning I assessed my health and repeated the chorus from the day before, "I can't believe I'm still sick! I never get sick like this." I'm sure my sister and mom got sick of hearing it (haha).

So, long story short, I was sick the entire time I was in Seattle. I returned a week later still sick and remain so now. Whatever this bug is, it apparently likes me a lot.

My mom and sister knew just how sick I was when I couldn't work on the book. I barely opened my computer - just enough to check my email for any new communication from my editor. I've lived and breathed writing and my book since signing the contract in September. But it all came to a stand-still.

I'm still not at 100% but I plan to open those edits and get to work tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. I figure that a few focused hours is a good goal for tomorrow. Hopefully by this time next week, I'll be able to report how great the editing is going. In the meantime, Good Earth tea is my best friend!

Photo Friday: Where it all began

When my dad and I had that first Wednesday meal together almost 10-years ago, I would never have dreamed where it would lead. Dad was experiencing symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), more than 50 years after WWII. I wanted to help him, if I could. Soon, having breakfast at Mr. Eds was a regular part of our weekly routine. Over time, he would begin telling me his story, sporadically giving me pieces of his past; photos, letters he'd written to his folks, and other memorabelia. But the whole story, took years to unfold.

Photo Walk

Walking for health has been an important part of my life since I had back surgery six years ago. Going through that difficult time pre and post-surgery was made easier when we purchased a puppy, who we named Togo. She continues to be my buddy on walks. And during the rewrite/editing process, walks have become a part of my writing.

A few years ago, I saw something on the internet about photo-walks. The site was a hub for the people in the photo-walking group. They met with their sneakers and cameras at a public place, then walked together, stopping to take photos. I liked the idea and did it a few times. I think it's a great way to get exercise and if you're creative at all, or maybe just like to take pictures, it's a great way to motivate yourself to get out of the house.

Today, I went on a photo-walk around a neighborhood in Walla Walla, Washington.

Photo Friday: A Veiw From Where I Write

I write in a few different places. I have a writing room at home, thanks to college-age children who moved out. But I have found that often, it just doesn't work for me to write there. Being at home, I am always tempted to clean or cook or just plain waste time. 4:00pm will roll around and I'll wonder where in the heck the day went. But if I go somewhere, just like everyone else out there - employed outside the home, I get far more done. So, I write at coffee shops, libraries, and diners. And for me, it works.

Most recently, I wrote at a fun delicatesen. See photos.

No matter where you write or what lengths you must go to to do it, please don't put it off another day. Instead of thinking of all the reasons you can't do it, come up with a plan to make it work. And remember - Write Now, because it's later than you think!

Coffee Perk

This is where I spend a lot of my writing time. A few days a week, I pack up my office-in-a-backpack and head down to Coffee Perk. It's a great change of scenery from the four walls of my writing room. Coffee Perk is literally right around the corner from Starbucks, in downtown Walla Walla, Washington. I started going there when I began hearing that only the national chains would survive our economy. And what I found, was a really wonderful place. Next week---photos of the inside.

Setting Short Term Goals

It's pretty easy to come up with long term goals. It's simple really. I want to be a published author. If I let myself dream, I want an agent who can't wait to see what I'm working on. I want a deadline to work towards. I want to write like crazy until my most recent WIP (work in progress) is off to the publisher for the last time and then take a month to relax on the beach. In short, I want a writer's life, and all that it entails; even the hard work.

But what are the short term goals that will get me there? On writers forums, you hear about people setting a goal of a certain number of words to write each day, or a number of writing hours a day. You hear them talk about making writing a priority and fitting it inbetween chauffering the kids to Little League and making dinner. But what if you've tried those. What if you need something more, something to really light a fire under you?

Here's what I came up with;

*Get 100 rejections (or a contract) by my birthday, September 20, 2010.
*Read 25 books before my birthday and write a few sentences about what I learned about writing from each.
*Take the writing course, The Two Year Novel (2YN) from Lazette Gifford at Forward Motion http://www.fmwriters.com.

My most recent very short term goal lasts only one week, possibly two. It is designed to just get me writing and submitting, and living the writer's life. Here is what it looks like;

Day One- Write for three hours
Day Two - Write for four hours
Day Three - Write for five hours
Day Four - Write for six hours
Day Five - Write for seven hours
Day Six - Write for eight hours
Day Seven - Write for nine hours

As you can see, I am increasing by one hour each day. Adding this all up, I end up with a 42 hour writing week. I am on day three right now. And I'm sure day seven will be grueling. But I'm writing and that's the point. And I can do anything for just seven days, right? I told my daughter my plan and she encouraged me to do a second week where the hours of writing decend. Right now, I am concentrating on this current week. I'll decide on a second week when I get there, but it sounds like a great idea.

So what are your short term goals? How did you come up with them?

Write Now - Because it's later than you think. ~Karen

Ch-ch-ch-ch changes

We hear a lot about the "empty nest syndrome." I wonder what the stats are on an empty nest that takes like 12 years to empty? It is easier on Mama and Papa bird? Or does it just drag out the inevitable? When my last son was born, my older son was 4 and his sister was 14, so yeah...our nest is slowly dribbling out the bottom. Or maybe they're jumping out of the nest. Anyway---I'm belaboring this. Suffice to say, my oldest son moved out last weekend. Boohoo! He pretty much kept to himself and his own life for the last few years, so I was sure I wouldn't miss him that much (I barely saw him afterall). Wrong! I miss him like a crazy Mama Bird! But it is fun and good to see him come into himself, even if it is in a tiny little basement apartment less than a half mile away.

But here's the good part. My tiny little writing room that is nestled at the end of the upstairs with no door and heat that doesn't seem to want to join me at the writing desk, will soon be empty. As my youngest son moves into his big brothers room, that will empty one very nice room with windows across an entire side of it. It took me a week to realize a new room would be empty. Yahoo! I'm so excited. But there is a lot of work to be done.

I haven't been terribly productive, so it's time to get back to it.

My Town (Home) Monday - Togo Learns to Wait

OK, so this post is a bit close to home for a "My Town Monday" post. Well, really close to home. Honestly, I wanted to learn how to put a video on my blog. I'd really like to put some video of my father talking about his WWII experiences, but could not figure it out. When all else fails, ask your teenager...that's all I've got to say. I don't yet have video of my dad, so my dog will have to do for now. ~Karen



"My Town Monday" is the brainchild of Travis Erwin at http://traviserwin.blogspot.com

Happy Birthday Marines

The Marine Corp was formed on November 10, 1775. Why would someone like me know something like that? Why would I even care? Well, history is far more interesting when you know someone who lived it. My father was a Navy man. He served time during WWII on ships and submarines. But his work in Naval Intelligence, was spent "attached" to the 5th Marines.

So when he invited me to the Marine birthday party, which is essentially a Marine reunion, I agreed to go. My husband is a former Marine and I even convinced my two sons to go. Sitting at a table with my family, were two strangers; women whose husbands were marines, and I realized that it's not just the Marines themselves who feel that comradaree, but the families too. Soon we were talking with each other like long-lost friends.

As we finished up our meal of Swiss steak, potatoes, rolls, brocolli and salad, the program portion of the celebration began. Each Marine was handed a small microphone; they told about their time during the service. I noticed something interesting. The older the veteran, the longer they talked. Why might this be, I wondered. Could it be that the older the veteran, the less likely they have someone who wants to listen to their war stories of long ago? Might this be their only opportunity to remind others of their adventures in the service; their joys, their sorrows, and even a few funny stories? I hope that's not true, but I'm afraid it just may be.

So this Veteran's Day, find a veteran and give them the time to tell their story. Do as they were trained to do; don't avert your eyes; don't look at your watch. Listen---really listen. You just may be giving them one last opportunity to tell their story. It is a gift you give to each other.

photo by Karen L. Alaniz

NaNoWriMo- Hanging out with a squirrel is looking pretty darned good

Why is this little guy so bewildered? Do you see what the poor squirrel is sitting on? Yeah, he's sitting on a stump of a tree. The day before, he was running up and down it's branches, enjoying life and then he heard the blare of a chainsaw. As I walked by, I think I heard him say, "What the heck?"

And you know what? I totally understand. NaNoWriMo is the chainsaw I heard. Only in my case, it didn't cut down a tree, but something just as life-changing. It cut off my internal editor. You know the one; it's that little somehow unheard voice that says, "You misspelled that word...go back and chaynge it. Or maybe it says, "Your plot makes no sense at all."

The rules of nanowrimo state that you write as fast as you can, not worrying about such pesky things as spelling or grammar or even character development. In fact, the guidebook is called, "No Plot-No Problem." Sounds great, doesn't it. I mean, you can finally write with wild abandon.

Easier said than done. I am actually having a terrible time with it. I've started my novel three different ways. I just can't help it, it seems. There really is something to turning off the internal editor. It's just that it doesn't seem to stay turned off. The only good news is that I know from experience, that it does get easier. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. But for now, if you're looking for me, I'll be up in the tree commiserating with my new friend. ~Karen

Halleluia -NaNoWriMo Begins

November 1st is an historic day for nanowriters across the world (yes it's true...the world). National Novel Writing Month http://www.nanowrimo.org takes place during the month of November. I've been planning, outlining and spending all of my spare time thinking about my novel. I was like a racehorse, or a greyhound, or something; just waiting for someone to shoot the gun and say, "Go!"

Time to write a novel! To all my fellow nano's or wrimo's, whichever the case may be, let's make this the best year ever. And to my very small group of local Walla Walla Wrimo's, "Go Team!" ~Karen

My Town Monday - Klickers Berry Farm (and more)

Though outsiders may associate Walla Walla with our world famous, Walla Walla Sweet Onions, those of us who live here, know there's another crop worthy of praise. Klicker strawberries are a late spring/early summer delicacy. No matter who you talk to, virtually everyone has a story about their first year picking strawberries at Klickers. It is a right of passage that hometown youth share and I am no exception. We were paid by the flat-I can't remember how much, but I'm sure it was a ridiculously small piece of change that felt like a million dollars to me. But as those 11 and 12-year olds get a few years older, they graduate to working on the line, or even to driving truck. Unfortunately, my strawberry picking days were cut short when it was discovered that I was severely allergic to the hay put on the ground around the plants. So without a career in berries, I had to pick a different one; a teacher. Ah well...

Let me click away at some Klicker history. The Klickers have been raising strawberries since 1918. It began when brothers Del and Jake Klicker picked too many strawberries at their mother's Klicker Springs Hotel. Needing to get rid of the extras, the brothers hitched their wagon to their horses and traveled 15 miles to downtown Walla Walla and immediately sold out. The industrious boys quickly learned that they could earn more money selling Mom's garden strawberries than the family could earn housing hotel guests and a business was born. Now, 90 years later, the farm includes such seasonal crops as pumpkins and Christmas trees, and inside a nearby building, you'll find an antique store. It is one of those home town places that the locals like to keep a secret. So if you visit Walla Walla, stop on by...but don't tell them I sent you.

It's not all about strawberries at Klickers. In the fall, children love to visit the farm to pick out pumpkins.

Wagons make transporting the pumpkins loads of fun (hahaha).

So many choices, so little time for this little guy.

My Town Monday -

Travis Erwin http://traviserwin.blogspot.com/ challenges readers to post about their town every Monday. I've promised to do so and finally, here it is. Tada! If you're curious about other cities, regions, states and what-not, visit his blog. Very interesting! ~K

Whitman College campus is a short dogs-walk from my home. The campus is absolutely gorgeous. Whether you're a student, or a resident of Walla Walla, Washington, it is a place to reflect and be energized by the spirit of learning. I often go for walks to and about the campus. There are long circling trails, outdoor artwork, and the architecture of the buildings to behold. For a mere resident of the town like me, I have two favorite times to go. During the summer months "townies" take over, walking their dogs, riding bikes, playing frisbee, and just generally roaming around. It's quiet...nice. During the fall new students begin arriving in droves. There is an energy about the campus, an excitement and anticipation that you can only feel in a place of learning. I love that feeling. But enough about me. Here's a bit of the history of Whitman College;

In 1836 marcus and Narcissa Whitman established a medical mission and a school to serve the Cayuse Indians and immigrants on the Oregon trail. But horrible misunderstandings between the white missionaries and the people they tried to help and in 1847 the Whitman's were masacred. Reverand Cushing Eells resolved to establish a school in their honor. On November 28, 1883, the modern day Whitman College was established.

I'm Baaaaack!

(Togo rests her broken tail)

Hi everyone (or the few of you who are left)~ When I worked in a nursing home, we always said that death came in threes. Sounds morbid, I know, but you could go months and months with nobody dying then suddenly several of our dear friends would pass within a short time. Well, life works that way sometimes too. Have you ever had one of those periods of time when every single thing goes wonky? That's what happened to me. I won't go into all the particulars, but suffice to say, *it* all went wrong in a short amount of time. Heck, even my dog got sick, and then a week later she fractured her tail. Life was starting to feel like a country western song.

Good news is that I'm making a comeback as of right now. I figure that first I needed to post here and then on my other places like Twitter and Plurk. Then I'll check in with my favorite forums like Absolute Write. And I'll go visit some of my favorite blogs too. It's good to be back.

Never underestimate the beauty of a typical day. Lesson learned! ~Karen

My Town Monday-Cannon

I was out at a local park the other day and realized something was missing. Our town used to have two cannons, one at Fort Walla Walla State Park and one at Pioneer Park. But a visit to FWW proved disappointing; one of our beloved cannons was gone. I vaguely remember some controversy about whether it should be moved or not. And in the end it was moved. That got me to thinking.

It's important to realize that things don't stay, neither do they stay the same. Taking photos and writing about those things which are common to you is a way of documenting today, so that when changes occur, it is not lost forever.

The photos above are of the other cannon in Walla Walla. It is located in the historic Pioneer Park. The inscription is self-explanatory. It is a piece of history. Usually, things that mean something to us aren't just moved out of state. Often it is other circumstances beyond our control; a fire, a natural disaster, or simply remodeling that takes away places that our memories live. Take a moment the next time you're out to take a picture of a place that has meaning to you.

This cannon, incidentally is not just a historic piece, it also holds childhood memories for me. My best friend and I lived just a block away from the park. We often took a sack lunch to the park and ate on top of the cannon. When we were done eating, we'd toss our crusts inside the cannon, so the squirrels could hide out and have a snack later.

Take a moment to take a photo of the places that mean something to you. Tomorrow that special place may not be there. So take that photograph and then WRITE NOW-BECAUSE IT'S LATER THAN YOU THINK. ~Karen

My Town Monday-starting tomorrow

While perusing the web for interesting blogs, I found Travis Erwin's at http://traviserwin.blogspot.com/. He has an interesting challenge. He asks readers to write about their town every Monday. He calls it, "My Town Monday." I read several of his Monday posts, then visited some of his "followers." It is fascinating to read about towns around the U.S. and abroad, one Monday at a time, one blog at a time.

I plan to join in on the fun. So tomorrow, look for my very first, "My Town Monday" post. If you want to participate, check out Mr. Erwin's blog. It's a great way to record your own history today, for the generations of tomorrow. ~Karen