Day One: A Year Long Challenge

The other day, I drove to Target for a couple of items.  Looking for a notebook for a coming workshop, I saw a journal with the title 300 Writing Prompts.  I thought of my friend, David, posting a daily music video everyday for a year.  When he started, I thought the idea was marvelous.  I envied and admired his daring to do such a challenge.  With that in mind, I spontaneously bought the book. 

My internet mentor, Dean Wesley Smith, talks about challenges and streaks in writing all the time.  I have done a number of challenges.  Every November, I do the 50,000 word challenge.  Last fall, I did Dean's challenge of writing three novels in three months.  Now granted, I worked on one novel, but I used the same word count of at least 90,000 words in that amount of time.  Each challenge has been a learning experience.  Sitting here, writing all of this, I realize that I need to do a challenge for a year.  Will I succeed?  Maybe not, but hey, I won't learn anything if I don't try. 

Of course, here I sit, anxiously waiting to go to Las Vegas in two days.  I am not able to focus on book 5 because I know I will be so busy.  I am attending a workshop that Dean and a number of other professionals are doing.  That is why I grabbed the journal from my bag.  I thought this might be an easy enough topic to do some sort of writing play this afternoon.  But is this really the time to start a challenge?  I will be traveling and in class for seven days.  Can I do blog posts while on the run?  I really need to start trying.  I know days off are a good thing.  But challenging oneself is also good.  I am going to go for it.  Besides, if I know that the week will be chaos, I can always do a couple of blogs ahead of time and post them in five minutes.  Yep, I am going to try.  Stay tuned.  Today is day one.

Saint Paul the Evangelist Catholic Church

Friday evening, I took a drive down Highway 69 that connects Boulder, Montana to Whitehall, Montana.  The road travels alongside the Boulder River.  I have taken the road a couple of times.  The drive is beautiful anytime of year, but I especially love to drive it in the fall with all the beautiful colors.  This year was a bit late in the season but still gorgeous. 

I love old churches.  On this trip, I was early to meet my sister at the football field, so as I saw the church down the road, I realized I had plenty of time to stop.  Two cars had stopped ahead of me.  I am always nervous traveling by myself and stopping in remote areas.  I debated on driving by as I slowed down when I saw a woman with a camera.  I pulled in feeling safer, but the two vehicles blocked the road to the church.  They were taking their pictures from a distance.  I wanted to get close.  I waited as both occupants climbed into their vehicles to continue their trip.  They had Iowa license plates and were enjoying my state.

After driving down to the church, I enjoyed snapping pictures.  This has been my first artist date in months.  I need to do this more often, but I get so busy with the day to day tasks.  I breathed in the crisp autumn air and prayed as I wandered the area.

Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church was built in the Boulder Valley from 1880 to 1881 by Irish settlers.  The church remains one of the oldest churches in Montana where the original structure remains standing.  The church has been well kept.  I wonder if there are still services from time to time.  I think it would be fun to attend one. 

As I walked around a little, I realized a specialized rock had been laid down on the ground.  I took a picture.  I couldn't resist picking up a rock.  They are beautiful.  I would love to take one home, but something felt wrong about doing this.  Instead, I said a prayer for my cousin who will be leaving us soon.  I placed the rock at the feet of Mary and the baby Jesus, so they could watch over her.

The valley asked to be photographed.  The sky was especially cooperative.  Once I finished, I traveled the last fifteen or so miles to Whitehall.  The game was a success with a Columbus win.  Soon the snow will be falling and staying for the winter.  I am glad I got out at least once to enjoy the spectacular colors of fall under the Big Sky.

Trier

As I travel more, I have found there are places that speak to the soul.  People can connect with different buildings, towns, cities, and nature.  I have been fortunate to have places speak to me.  The unfortunate part of this is that the heart longs to go back.  However, wanderlust equally has me longing to see new things.  One such place that spoke to me on my last trip was Trier, Germany.  At least once a week, I think about how I can finagle to return.  In my next series, Trier will be a part of at least one of the books.  So, I do think I will go back one day sooner rather then later.

As cities go, Trier is not that big.  The population is around 109,000 people.  Billings, Montana is just a titch bit bigger.  I felt very much at home in Trier.  The amazing aspect of the city is the history and it was the reason my husband was so excited to visit.  Back in the day, this was the seat for Rome in the region.  We toured what was left of the Roman bath.  Oh, how I would love to have seen it so many years ago.  The underground tunnel system that has been excavated was impressive.

 

This is what the bath looked like back in the day.

Bath Tunnel

Working on the bath.

I loved the brick work.

Kaiser Augustus

My favorite part of the city was the Porta Nigra, the black gate.  Construction started in 170 AD.  I climbed up into it.  Imagine 2,188 years old.  I touched it.  I looked all around and could imagine being a soldier watching for the barbarians.  I thanked the lord for the priest who took up residence and placed a chapel in one of the big rooms to protect the gate from being torn down like the other gates into the city and the wall.  And speaking of the walls….  The city walls are long gone.  However, they were extensive before torn down to probably build new buildings.  I believe I read that they were four miles long on each side and I haven’t found how long in the other direction.  I am fascinated by the Romans.  These people knew how to build things that lasted.

 

The Black Gate of 2,00+ years ago and modern buildings.

What a beauty.

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This is Trier during the Roman days with the wall.  The bath is depicted.  The area was huge!!!

The last Roman structure we visited was the Amphitheater.  I would love to see a production here.  We walked around a bit and went down into the tunnels.  I was exhausted at this point and it was getting late.  I could imagine the people coming in to watch a display of the chariots, a comedy, or of course some sort of torture like at the Coliseum in Rome.  I wonder if they brought lions to Trier from the south.

Our other big tourist stop was the Dom Trier.  Wow!!!  This is the High Cathedral of Saint Peter.  Beautiful.  I struggle taking pictures in churches sometimes.  I was also a bit dazed at this point.  People were everywhere.  And I must say, that I was a bit frustrated with everything being written in German.  I couldn’t read the history or what all the items were.  I felt a little out of my element and longed for more time.  One of the amazing items at the church is they have inside the cathedral a baroque chapel for the relic of the Seamless robe of Jesus.  We didn’t get to see the robe.  It is inside a box in the chapel.  We saw the box, but the area was very crowded.  I prayed, but I was overwhelmed. 

 

I loved the colors.

Mary and Elisabeth, the Cousins.  This reminds me of my dear cousin, Holly and I.

I love the reality of the Grim Reaper.  Stunning.

Walking through the historical district, we saw so many things.  Both of us agreed, we want to go back and spend about three to five nights, so we can drink in the area.  I would like to walk where the walls used to be around the city.  Looking down from the hills would give me some perspective of the enemy trying to find a way inside the gates.  I would like to walk along the Moselle river.  And of course, I would love to see the museums.  I definitely need to find an app for German before I go.

This is now a museum.  I wish we had time to go inside.

This made me think of the Disney movie, The Hunchback of Notre Dome.

The last item of note…the best door ever is in Trier.  Odin’s door.

I would buy this door of Odin in a heartbeat.  I love the ravens!!!

Reaction to Failure

"Reaction to failure makes your success."  Dean Wesley Smith has been talking about this quote from Adam Levine on The Voice a couple of times in the last month.  A girl failed last season with no judges turning around.  They invited her back.  She went home and worked like crazy.  This season she returned and turned two chairs.  Most of the contestants are invited back.  Most don't take the opportunity.  Instead, they quit.  I don't get why, but then Dean hit me with a statement.

"Sometimes they (authors) write and publish a dozen indie books and get almost no sales and quit."

I have five short stories and three books up on Amazon Kindle.  The novels in paperback can also be bought on Amazon.  I have had no sales since about January.  None!  Notta!!!  In eight more years, I hope to have twelve for sale.  How am I going to feel if I am still not selling?  Will I quit?  I honestly don't know.  The thought is definitely disheartening. 

I spend a lot of time on this "career" of mine that is more of a hobby at this point.  Last year, I threw a little money at classes.  This fall I am throwing a bunch of money at a big class that I am traveling to.  Next year, I probably need to throw a lot of money towards marketing.  But when is the time and money being wasted?  I have no idea.

What do I know?  Writing is fulfilling.  Every morning I have a list of tasks that keep my mind busy.  I delight in the work.  Lately, I have been reading my series to help with the last book to make sure all the loose strings are tied together for my readers.  I have loved my books as a reader.  What fun to see my words create a unique country and rich characters. 

I have three more fantasy series percolating in my head, a historical saga, and four standalone novels crying to be set free.  I think I can safely say that is a total of eighteen more novels, maybe more.  And I know I could generate even more stories if I let the muse have fun.  If I continue at my current speed, that will take me eighteen more years, though I hope to take that down to ten. 

Yes, I want to make money.  At some point, I may have to write less to earn money for marketing or life in general.  Anything is possible.  However, I will never stop writing.  And if I am still writing, why wouldn't I just publish.  Of course, my health could end up being a factor, but I won't consider that a failure.  That will be a life event that is out of my control.

My reaction to failure?  I will just keep writing.

Difficult but Good

Bad news struck in July.  I received a call that my dear older cousin was dying.  Due to her medical condition, she was making the decision to stop treatment.  The doctor gives her until October.  Now this cousin has been one of my main cheerleaders all of my life.  She took care of me when I was little when we all lived in Libby.  Since I started writing, she has been my editor.  She also has helped me through the loss of my dad.  She is the old wise woman every family should be blessed to have to turn to during the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The day I heard the news, I was numb.  The second day, I racked my brain to figure out how I was going to finish up my last novel for this series she has been helping me with since book two.  About a week later, I realized I needed to let go.  I have been so blessed to have her in my life.  She will continue to be, I believe.  So, I decided not to stress but to pray for strength for her.  And when I begin working on book five again, I expect her to be watching over my shoulder.

August brought a new challenge to my life.  I woke up one day in so much pain that I could barely walk.  Being stubborn, I stretched and rested.  I didn’t go see the doctor.  Finally, about three weeks ago, I almost fell from the pain in my hip.  Now I am working at getting a fix to the condition.  For the last month, I haven’t been able to accomplish anything in the house or the yard.  I am a bit frustrated.  I could wallow in the negative.

Occasionally, I do wake up depressed from these events because my philosophy is to conquer the day.  When I sit and watch television half the day and the other half read a book, I am not conquering the day.  I want to spend a good hour out in the yard and an hour cleaning house.  I want to be at the computer writing blog posts, editing book four, and learning something more about the writing process.  I want to have an artist date.  I haven’t been on a true artist date in forever. 

This summer I wanted to do so many things.  I wanted to make progress in the memorial garden, steampunk garden, and vegetable garden.  I wanted to paint a lot of the house.  I wanted to do some fun projects for the yard, Grandpa Hedahl style.  I wanted to visit new places in Montana.  My energy depleted just by waking up.  Drives me crazy.  I could easily stay depressed for days because life isn’t what I want it to be day in and day out.

Instead, I consistently remind myself of all the things I am thankful for in my life.  Sure, I have family and friends, but with no energy, I can feel cut off from them.  I must look deeper.  What do I have in my life other then people to make life joyful.  Well, I have music, books, and television.  I thank God that I can be entertained during my low days of not being able to accomplish my daily tasks.  If I feel the walls caving in around me, I go outside and pull a weed or two.  I make my bed and thank God for this small thing that makes me feel happy when I walk in the room.  Silly?  Maybe, but I take joy in the small stuff.

I also remind myself of some of the stuff I did accomplish.  I stained the front porch.  I painted the garage doors and around the front door to spruce the area up a little.  I think I finally fixed my driveway garden and the front garden to look good, though I still have some fall weeding that I hope to accomplish.  I went to West Virginia and saw my first greyhound race.  I finally made it to Butte to tour the Copper King Mansion.  Thank you, Kim!!!  Oh, and I hiked up a section of the Stillwater River.  Again, thank you, sister.

Tonight, I am going to join the said sister.  We are going to watch a football game in Three Forks.  I will probably have sore joints due to the cold, but it will be well worth it to see Dylan and the boys play.  I love watching the game and getting out of town for a couple of hours will be great.  Life is good!!!

Burg Lichtenberg

Six months has passed since I spent time in Germany.  I miss my time there.  I long to go back.  When my thoughts take me back to my travels in Germany and England, I wonder about my emotional attachment.  With England, I know my ancestors come from the island.  I have a connection with the history and literature from all my studies in college and continuing on in my current life.  But why the love of Germany?  Why didn't Paris have the same effect? 

The last question is easy to answer.  I am not a city girl.  If I had spent a day touring in the French countryside, I am sure I would miss France.  The landscape was beautiful as we sped through it on the train.  I didn't get to be a part of it though, so the desire to go back doesn't compete with England and Germany.  I believe that is why I loved Germany so much.  I enjoyed the little village we stayed in.  I took walks.  We drove through the countryside.  It was stunning.

I have also wondered why I have taken so long to write about the last few days of our travels in Germany.  Sure, I kept busy since then working on the end of my fantasy series and gardening, but I have felt a reluctance that I haven't been able to ignore.  I believe it is because I am not planning another European trip for a good three to four years.  This breaks my heart.  I keep thinking I should go again in a year, but I am still raising a child.  I need to be patient and wait.  Inside, I am stomping my foot and throwing a fit.  I want to go back.  Whether I finagle another trip or not, I need to finish blogging about the trip. 

Our second to last touring day, we went to Burg Lichtenberg first thing in the morning.  Lichtenberg Castle is a spur type castle.  The ruin is the largest in Germany.  It was built in 1200 for the Count of Veldenz.  Yep, we stood in a structure that is 800 years old.  Pretty cool!!!  Of course, there is a lot of history.  Today they still use parts of the castle.  A restaurant and hostile welcome visitors.  A church still has services.  Due to it being Easter weekend, the restaurant was closed.

If they have tours, we were too early or the holiday had everyone at home.  We did have free entrance to wander the grounds and go up into the main tower.  Only one other person showed up to look around, so we basically had the castle to ourselves.  The morning was very enjoyable.