Colorado Dreaming!

My brother and his wife, Frank and Kay, left on Sunday for five wonderful weeks on the road with their fifth wheeler. They both recently retired from their jobs, so they are celebrating their freedom. They're wandering through Colorado Springs, Estes Park (my home away from home), Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Salt Lake City, back down to the Grand Canyon, and home to Texas. What fun! I'm not jealous or anything, of course, are you?

I love Colorado! When God created the world, I truly believe he must have spent some extra time on those mountains. It's such a glorious place. I'll just bet that somewhere on the base of one of those majestic peaks God signed his name as the Artist.

My friend Charlotte (see photo right) and I try to get to Estes Park for a week or two every couple of years. We just love having picnics by Fall River, shopping in all the curiosity shops in downtown Estes, watching the elk munching grass in front of the downtown library, going to outdoor concerts, eating at the Dunraven Inn (great Italian food, and there are dollar bills lining the walls and ceilings--fascinating!), having tea at the grand old Stanley Hotel (where the movie The Shining was filmed), and just breathing in the marvelous mountain air. Ahhhhhhh.

Sadly, this is not our year to go. Guess I'll just have to look at the pictures. Last week I took a hiatus from our series of writing myths in order to commemorate Memorial Day. So now, back to it!

Writing Myth #5: There's Nothing New Under the Sun

Perhaps, in some ways, this statement is true. There may be nothing new under the sun, but there are fresh, exciting ways to view the same old things and give them new life. What is new is your personal perspective on what's under the sun. No one else who has ever lived is exactly like you or has your same experiences. Those experiences change the lens through which you see the world. So the key to being a great writer is to be yourself. Don't try to be a copy of someone else. God took the time to make you unique, so use that uniqueness to glorify him in your own special way in your writing. Be creative like the Great Creator! Look for a new view. Stick your head through the hole in the fence and see what it looks like from the other side. Then you can debunk the myth! Have a wonderful week, friends. Blessings, Mary

Next time? Writing Myth #6: Vocabulary Is Everything CreativeEnterprisesLtd.com

I'll Try To Never Split My Infinitives!

Friends, Bloggers, and Countrymen, lend me your ear! Welcome to Books, Bach and Beyond. I'm so glad you're here.

I love creative people! I'm a writer, editor, and singer myself. In fact I've been in the publishing business for about twenty-five years, and after all the crazy deadlines, rejected manuscripts, publishing faux pas, and occasional hits, I still love the writing life. It has to be the best gig in the world. I get to work at home in my fuzzy slippers and sweats, and my commute is fifteen seconds. Love it!

Since writing and publishing are two of my primary passions, these posts will most often focus on that love. I hope you will find some helpful and interesting information here. I hope you will interact with me about writing and publishing, music, drama . . . and beyond. And I hope with all my heart that I don't split my infinitives in front of you pros out there. (That would be truly embarrassing.)

But enough about me! Let's talk about you. Folks often come to me for advice about writing and publishing, and it's my delight to try and help them. Those questions and requests over time have fallen into some repetitive themes and areas, so I thought it might be fun and helpful to share with you in these posts some of the concerns I hear and the responses I give. This will be the unvarnished truth according to Mary; so feel free to take it or leave it.

As we go along I will also try to provide some valuable resources and references I've discovered that you might find useful too. So please bookmark this page and come on back every chance you get to see what's new. And when you have a question about writing and publishing, please let me know. I can use your help in knowing what topics you'd like to discuss. Perhaps you have a friend who is creative, too; if so, please share this gathering place with your friend.

Stay tuned! Next time? "Writer's Block Is a Crock!" CreativeEnterprisesLtd.com