#amwriting

Birds of Prey

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 16 Comments


PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

Rochelle Wisoff Fields Friday Fictioneers

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

 

“Mommy, I’m scared. Where’s Kyle?” Her pouty lips trembled.

Her mother squeezed her daughter’s hand. “I don’t know.”

Kyle’s little sister sniffled. “I tried to find him, honest.”

“I know you did, sweetheart.”

“He’s better at hide-n-seek than I am.” Tears rolled down the child’s cheeks. “I want to go home.”

“Me too.” The woman knelt beside her daughter and pointed. “See all the birds?”

“Uh-huh.”

“They can see for miles.” Her breath caught – a bird of prey circled nearby.

The child’s eyes widened. “Are they looking for Kyle too?”

Kyle’s mother uttered a silent prayer for her son. “Maybe.”

 

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, and Contently.

Relaxing on the Beach

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 6 Comments

DAILY PROMPT:  Beach

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Myrtle Beach 

Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt.

There’s nothing quite like getting up early in the morning and enjoying a cup of coffee overlooking the massive expanse of the ocean.Listening to the waves rush toward shore is one of God’s most beautiful lullabies.

The beach – one of the most beautiful places on earth to chill out, reconnect, shut out the world and all its craziness, and just be present.

 I don’t go as often as I like but the beach holds precious memories for me. The times I took my girls, trips with my husband, my best friend, and watching the joy of my Bichon Frise discover the ocean for the first time. Those are the memories that will last a lifetime.

Take a trip to the beach this year, breathe in the salt air, and listen to God’s lullaby. Just one word of caution, unless you’re a lot younger than I – make sure you don’t find yourself on the third floor of a cottage without an elevator.

It’s gonna take us at least another week to recuperate from all those steps and my poor pup – her tongue is still hanging out.

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Piper


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God’s Lullaby @ Myrtle Beach

Do you have a vacation to the beach planned this year? Share your trip with us.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, and Contently.

 

 

 

 

 

Raison D’être

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 17 Comments

546760_320224311386850_165535573522392_784888_800024718_nThe Daily Post:  Why do you create? Publish a post about your artistic raison d’être.

I’ve written about this before, but when this challenge came up, I thought my words were worth sharing again.

After years of writing by a stream in a cow pasture, hiding my words from the world, between the pages of a worn-down journal, I have found my voice, and so I write.

Writing is like purging my soul. Sometimes, the words I spew onto the paper are words I’m unable or unwilling to say aloud. Other times, I have a story to tell.

Whether it’s laughter or the dark side of life, the human spirit inspires me. I write in pursuit of lost memories, gathering them to me like a squirrel gathering nuts before the winter cold.

I’m inspired to leave a legacy of words and stories for my family. Stories to touch their hearts, comfort them, and memories they don’t have to spend a lifetime seeking.

I write not that, in the end, my singular voice matters more than others do, or will move mountains, but perhaps, it will become one of many and create a chorus of positive change.

 

Why do you create? Write? 

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, and Contently.

 

Reflections From My First A to Z Challenge

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 26 Comments

 I did it! I survived my first A to Z Challenge for April 2016. I’ll admit I had second thoughts.

April is, traditionally, a very busy time of year for me. My youngest daughter’s birthday is the third week of April. Each year I travel to Washington DC to celebrate with her. Other life issues came up this April, as well, but I bit the bullet and said, “You can do it.”

I learned a lot of things and met some great people, but a few things stood out for me. Here are my reflections.

My Top 10 Reflections on the Challenge:

  1. Preparation is the key to success. The minute I committed to the challenge, I began planning my topics.
  2. Themes varied widely among participants, but everyone I was able to visit taught me something.
  3. Reciprocity leads to new friends, resources, and opportunities.
  4. Reading the blogs of some many people helps you hone in on the types of blogs that support your interest (whatever that may be).
  5. There are as many styles of writing as they are voices and new ideas abound – if you’re willing to explore.
  6. Expectations and deadlines are the perfect incentives to write.
  7. Writing on a daily basis improves your organization, planning, and skill.
  8. You can’t form a habit overnight but writing for 26 days straight will take you to the half way mark of establishing a solid writing habit. Read more about creating new habits here.

According to Phillippa Lally, a health psychology researcher at University College London, it takes, on average, 2 months for a new behavior to become a habit – 66 days to be exact. Tweet This.

 9. Blogging, reading, visiting, responding, and sharing is time-consuming and may limit the time you have available for other works in progress (WIP).
10. Balance is the key. Setting priorities, making a schedule and sticking to it, is a must.

The 2016 A to Z Challenge has been an extraordinary experience for me. Thank you to Arlee Bird for creating this adventure, the hosts, co-hosts and teams who made this journey so enjoyable and successful. Thank you.

I’d love to hear about your experiences. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, and Contently