1 | Cathy C. Hall Writes

I’ve got a surfeit of S’s to share today, so let’s get to ’em…

I love, love, love the idea behind World Read Aloud Day (March 7th), that the right to read and write belongs to all people, and that words have power. Amen to that! And thanks to the technology of Skype, authors are bringing their words to life all over the world. That makes Skype pretty powerful, too. And I love, love, love that author Kate Messner is bringing together a whole bunch of authors, available to Skype wherever you are in the world. If you have a class of eager kids who’d love to be read aloud to from a famous author, check out Kate’s post and list and sign up. And if you’re an author and would love to read aloud, you still have time to offer your lovely voice and words. Who knew changing the world could be just a click away?

And now on to our submission opportunity over at Big Pulp. Technically, they’re closed now, but they’ll be open for submissions on March 1st, and this time around, they’re doing something a little different. They want stories on a theme. And not just any theme, my friends. They’re going ape over there. So might I suggest that you get to work right now on your science fiction, fantasy, horror, adventure or romance story with a little chimpanzee (or gorilla, ape, capuchin, or orangutan) thrown in? P.S. They like humor. And I’ve got a monkey on my back just dying to get in a story.

Now on to that sensational contest I promised! My writing buddy, Chynna Laird, has a sweet little girl who’s sponsoring a writing contest. That’s right. Jaimie guest posts at her mother’s blog and she’s been itching to have a contest of her own. So here’s your chance to make Jaimie’s day and get a little writing practice in. She wants 250 words or less about your best experience ever. The winner will receive a signed copy of Not Just Spirited: A Mom’s Sensational Journey with SPD! Jaimie didn’t say a word about age, so I’m thinking the contest is open to kids as well as adults. So if you know a young writer, maybe you could pass this contest along. I know Jaimie will be thrilled to get lots of entries (by February 29th).

Okay, people. You have plenty to do– and time’s a’wasting. (Good luck!)

Remember back in January when we talked about dream boards and Oprah? (Though honestly, y’all fixated more on the fact that I’d never seen an Oprah show than on the splendiferous dream board.)

Today, I remembered something else. To wit, that I’d share a little insight on various parts of the writing dream. So now it’s on to Part I, which I like to call “Patience is a Virtue.” (Though honestly, sometimes I call that part of the process “I Don’t Care What Anybody Says, I Want It Now.”)

So you can probably take a look at the Tibetan Buddhist monks, working on that mandala, and figure out that patience is hugely necessary to achieve results. Lots and lots of patience (and a lack of any allergies). And not just the patience to painstakingly create a masterpiece, but the patience to learn the craft involved. I don’t know all the facts about mandala-making, but I don’t suppose you can take a three hour mandala-making webinar and expect to produce something as intricate as what I saw come together that day.

And what I noticed, as the monks hunched down, carefully picking up a tool, thoughtfully choosing a color, is that there was not one moment–not a single moment–that was rushed. It was so very, very deliberate and purposeful. Nothing else seemed to matter except that little spot, and the proper placement of those colored grains of sand. There was a quality of the sacred in it, and I watched in respectful silence.

So my dream board reminds me to be patient; good things (like a masterpiece of words) come to those who wait. But it also reminds me to work purposefully, and not rush my dream. It will all come together in its own time.

(Though honestly, I really, really want it now.)