Be Very Careful

I am a Facebook fan.  I really enjoy keeping in touch with friends and family via this media.  I have re-connected with so many friends through this medium and on the whole it has been a most rewarding experience. I have learned, however, to be very very careful of not only what I post, but the verbiage I use in expressing myself.  I have learned that what I post can easily be misinterpreted and can lead to a barrage of negative comments.  I have also learned that there are different "kinds " of friends.

When I befriend someone on Facebook, I am allowing them access to my posted actions and thoughts. They are entitled to make what they want of those posts and I am left at their mercy - whether positive or negative.  Sadly, most of the time the negativity takes the lead and I am left open to ridicule or worse pity.  A handful of friends will make supportive comments and offer prayers up on my behalf in the proper Christian manner.

Not long ago, I received a message from someone I know of, but do not "know" accusing me of unkind comments.  I have no association with this person, but have friends that are close friends of theirs and I was confused as to what she was referring to.  Our mutual friends had made some unsavory comments referencing this person to me and my response was "I know the type."  Big mistake, it was carried back that I had made the comments, which was totally untrue.  This was confusion over the spoken word, imagine the impact if this had been written.

I have learned to keep my comments short, positive and hopefully expressive of my Christian faith.  To those that I have poked fun at through any comments, I apologize profusely and will keep those comments off my posts henceforth. 

Written words have the ability to make or break a person.  There is no intonation available to indicate any emotion, there is no facial expressions to judge any emotion, there is just the words written down to be interpreted by the reader in any manner they see fit without the benefit of the emotion of the writer.  So, be very careful of what you write and how you write.  It may not be read by a supportive Christian with love in their hearts.  Until next time . . .

Happy reading!
Belle

My Writings

As many of you know I have been writing children's stories for over a year now. No, they are not published!  I keep editing and rewriting and then editing some more.  The once upon a time stand alone stories are now a chapter book.  My sister, my daughter, my daughter-in-law, and my friends have read and re-read the stories and always come back with something that needs fixing.  I am so glad!  I hate to look like a dummy to those to who I submit my stories and I sure don't want any more rejection letters.  I have found three or four agents that handle stories focusing on the "down home on the farm" stories that promote good moral decisions.

I may be pumping myself up, but the rejections I have received so far on the stand alone stories advise me it is not their type of story or genre.  I have yet to be told I can't write or my story line is horrible, so picking myself up, I go back to the blank sheet and write some more.  The most difficult thing I have found is to keep the verbiage on the grade level for which I am writing.  It is easier to accomplish if I stay on the story than when I take a break and then come back.  The story line doesn't change, I just have to re-acclimate my mind to writing at the proper level.

My problem is there are still a bunch of stories floating around in my mind following the same line as the eight or ten I have already written and I don't know how to cut off what is finished.  Do I need to start a new book or let it go with what I have?  It seems kind of ridiculous to start a new book when I don't have the other one published, but I have been told to keep on writing.  Edit the old and start something new.  So, there you have it - I am following the professional advice of these successful people and I just keep on keeping on!

Regardless of the outcome of this writing project of mine, it has been most rewarding and lot's of fun.  There are some excerpts of my Belles Farm stories on my website (click on the link at the top of my blog) and some stories that I really need to go back and expound upon and edit.  Some days I just start writing without thought to where I am going, so there are a few stories that need some polish. 

A busy day ahead so I must run, but thanks for dropping by.  Until next time . . .

Happy reading!
Belle

I have had a most enjoyable few days with my oldest grandchildren.  My grandchildren never cease to amaze me with the way their wonderful minds work.  None of the four are alike, but all seem to play well together and other than vying for the attention of either their PawPaw or myself, entertain each other well.  I believe my grandson will probably be a writer (he has the most vivid imagination) or any attorney.  He informed me this weekend that he was descended from Al Capone through my grandparents - he explained it all to me as we all had a great laugh over his tale, but alas, there is no way.  He and my youngest granddaughter can take a little bit of information and build a huge story out of it - the facts get a little scrambled, but the story is there.

I could sit and listen to them for hours.   It is so amazing at the things that draw their attention and how they process, interpret and relay information.  I am so pleased at their level of maturity and ability to ask intelligent questions and comprehend information.  Yeah, I know I am prejudice, but that is the perogative of a grandmother.

As I had business at the Clerk of Court's Office this week they accompanied me.  They had a great time meeting friends at the Courthouse, touring the building, and getting a quick explanation of what each office was responsible for and how the court system worked .  Then we made a trip to the Old Jail Museum and was given a great tour courtesy of the curator.  The curator is the most knowledgeable person around for the history of our area and she is not even a native of our county. 

The following day, they toured the local cemetaries, located an old tobacco drying barn and last but definitely not least visited the new Super Wal Mart in Forsyth.  It was a full afternoon, but an enjoyable one.  My grandson enjoyed meeting family almost everywhere we went and was even invited to a cousin's house to ride a goat.  I am sure that goat will still be waiting when he makes his next trip south and the invitation will still be open.

It is a secure and comforting feeling to know that so many people know you or are related to you in an area.  It gives you a connection that provides stability and security.  It is something that is so often taken for granted, but is so precious. 

Thanks to the ever expanding flock of chickens, there is work to do tomorrow, so I will close for now.  Until next time,

Happy reading!
Belle