M.S. Ebbs

Baby Soft

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:43:00 +0000

Backs of hands
Even palms
Baby soft
Pads of feet, plus toes
Fatty legs and arms
Baby Smooth
Pudgy cheeks
Squeezable and kissable
Those tiny fingers
All so baby soft
So touchable
Loveable
My Baby Soft

Motivation

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:55:00 +0000

The other night as I was drifting off to sleep, I had brilliant words to share about motivation. They were poignant and profound, as I usually am inside my own head before the words make the journey from my brain into my fingers. Somehow, something is often lost in translation.

None the less, I want to speak about motivation. What motivates you to write? Do you have to have the sunrise on a clear morning? Do you require isolation and silence? Do the stars have to align just so, inspiring you with need and the right storyline?

Motivation needs to be found in every aspect of daily life, as well as with the perfect scenerios to suit us. I am motivated by the rain falling on my rooftop (one of my perfect scenerios), by a touching commercial, a character on a television show, by looking into my newborn son's sleeping face.

As writers, we need to find the depth, the emotion, the significance of even the mundane. Even as I'm a new mother, striving to find the time to shower and do the laundry, how does that relate to the characters I've created or those I've yet to create? Perhaps my character is unwed, but wants that child, that mundacity. (Is that a word?) Maybe instead, a single father is trying to cope with these boring and exhausting chores when he longs to be wild and free.

My characters thoughts and emotions, just as my own, motivate me to write. To share something that might change one person's mind about one little thing in life. This is why we write. To change us, to change others, to change the world. If that's not motivating, I don't know what is.

There is always room in the heart for more.

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:50:00 +0000

Okay, so how do you really get rid of a blog? I have my website... yah! but still I must blog. At least I don't have to worry about keeping it up every week, though. So here I am in transition trying to figure out what I should blog about. Right now, that fact that I'm here and writing at all is fortunate, as there is a baby lying on my chest fast asleep. Wow, my life has changed since my first child arrived. But still I am as much about my writing and inspiring others as I have ever been, perhaps more so. Love. There is always room in the heart for more.

Check out my new website!

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:19:00 +0000

www.msebbs.com Please stop by my website! I think you'll love it! The blog is in the reconstruction phase. Come back later.

Website Coming Soon!

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:18:00 +0000

Alas, I do not have the heart of a blogger. My original intention for the blog was for the web presence more than anything. As you may have noticed I don't keep up like I should. Unless monthly postings are the norm... In any case, I have a great website coming soon. I will announce the web address, but right now it is still in the finishing stages. All I can say is that it's great and I love it. Now I just have to finish it! Thanks for staying tuned!

Focus!

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:01:00 +0000

Your on-line presence needs focus. My on-line presence needs focus. We had a great Salem Chapter meeting last night with Christina Katz talking about how to get known before the book deal. She said something last night right along the lines of my thoughts. I've been thinking my blog needs... something. It turns out it needs purpose.

That's what it has been lacking. So I draw the line in the sand here. The purpose of this blog is to encourage. Writers specifically, as that's what I am, but we all need encouragement. Hopefully, this blog will serve as a encouragement to in some way.

Stay tuned...

Writing for Publication!

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:28:00 +0000

This is of course what all writers dream of. Some truly do not understand, however, that it isn't just naturally the next step. It's not like walking up the staircase of life, oh, this stair says I should write something, okay. Ooh, this one says I should get it published, okay. Once you have a completed work (this is very important), next comes your resume'. Then, as you've sent your resume' to half the county, you wait for the call... to get an interview. Perhaps, you get a few, but even an interview doesn't guarantee you the job.

Ever hear the expression, "If it's so easy, why doesn't everyone do it?" Everyone thinks writing is so easy. Everyone does it. But getting published were that easy, wouldn't everyone be published? Not everyone is. There is art to publishing, as there is to writing. If you're a writer and want to be a writer, then you need to learn the art of writing. After that, you need to understand publishing, as the two are synonymous.

This is where I'm at. Learning about the publishing world. And an interesting world it is. I think there are two beliefs as to what an editor's job is. One, he is an easy-going, easily entertained guy, waiting for your novel to come along. Perhaps his day, his life doesn't really begin until your novel has reached his hands. Or, there's the belief she is a cold-hearted bitch sitting in judgement over your novel, abusing the power for which she has cut throats to obtain, and when she sees your novel, the ax falls again, just because she can.

The first, is absolutely a figment of your imagination, which is pretty good, maybe you should be a writer. The second is a more imaginative example, but come on you're a better writer than that. People are people wherever they are, whatever their job. Editors, agents are no different than the rest of us. Visualize them naked if that's what helps, but face it, they have a job to do, just like you and I. And your novel, mine, is their job. They can wake in the morning and spill coffee on their shirt first thing, like you and me (although, I don't drink coffee...) they have kids, they have mortgages, they have car payments. Novels of terrific writers pays their bills. And when your novel and mine comes across their desk, what guarantee do they have that this novel will make next months payment? Unless your published, unless you already have that name, unless some other editor already took that chance, then the answer is zero. But it's his job to find the one that will be tomorrow's name. Will it be you? Me?

If you're gambling that the planets have reached their perfect alignment for you, the gemini, then a gamble is all you've taken. Our goal as writers it to impress that editor, that agent we've never met. Not with long, fancy words describing how brilliant we are, come on we're writers, of course we can make ourselves sound good. Impress them with the words in your manuscript, with the story that leaves them turning pages. Yeah, you need the great, brief query, but only so it leaves them wanting, needing to read the first page of your manuscript. That's it, the query entices them to read that first page, that's all you want, all you need. Your first page? This leaves wanting to read the second, the second the third, until before you know it they've come to the satisfying end and they're actually sending you an e-mail or giving you a call.

This is our goal as writers. And if we're not getting that e-mail, that call? Is it the editor's fault? Sure, perhaps this was the day of his big meeting and he had coffee on his only clean tie and now he's trying to make it a fashion statement. Maybe she broke a heel on her way to work and she wants to throw it into the skull of the salesman who promised her it couldn't happen. And your work comes across her desk, about a dedicated shoe salesman with a heart of gold, and thereby she stabs your salesman through the middle of the page. Agent's and editors have pet peeves, they have bad days, they miss it sometimes. They may miss your great novel concept. But just as easily, we can have that bad, and say chapter two is close enough, or have a pet peeve and refuse to listen to advice that says page one needs to pull your reader in. We can miss the boat, too. And maybe, just maybe, we can pull any reader in, especially the one having a bad day, especially one needing that escape. Especially your editor, my agent. We can do it.

We can write for publication. And that is our goal.

Willamette Writers Conference 2009!

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:27:00 +0000

The 2009 Willamette Writers Conference will be August 7-9 at the Portland Airport Sheraton Hotel! Naturally as the Salem Chapter Representatives, Heather and I will be in attendance. I'm sure if you've read or heard anything about the writing industry and breaking into publication, you've heard that conferences are the way to go! I was slow to understand this myself, but it's really true. The opportunities that abound from attending a conference are substantial. To learn more about the 2009 Willamette Writers Conference go to http://www.willamettewriters.com/ and click on the 2009 Conference.

FEARS

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:18:00 +0000

Fears
We all have them

Our own fears we know and understand—
We accept them as who we are
Someone else’s fears we struggle to comprehend—
We see them as thread tying one down

Fears
They are so psychological—
Only within our minds
They are so real—
Before our very eyes

If only I could take your fears and you could take mine—
Then we would never know that God is the One who will help us face our fears—
Until that day when they fear us

"to my characters be true"

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:53:00 +0000

I got a new job. Hopefully, one I will be able to enjoy, certainly one more mentally challenging and less physically so. I'm very excited to be done where I'm at, but nervous about going somewhere new. Change is always transitional, but I'm always excited to learn new things.

Still, my true love, my dream job is writing. I just recently heard the old quote, "To thine own self be true." Ahh, if it were only that simple for writers, such as myself. Not only do I have to be true to "mine-self" but also I have to be true to my characters. These other people living inside my head and my heart. They're like friends with more exciting lives than your own, and so you tell them, "Wow, you need to share that." "Others can learn from your mistakes." Except at this point, you're talking to yourself. "I need to share that."

I wonder if the non-creative soul can truly understand what it's like to be living with so many inside yourself. There are moments when I am going about my day, dealing with my life, when suddenly one of them, maybe all of them will give me that reminder that "Hey, I'm still here, when do I get to tell my story?" They're like kids in that way. How do you tell your children, "I have to work, I have bills to pay, I'll make time for you later." What parent can bear to say it, how many have had to? Despite the money that pays for all those little things you want and need, you can't neglect your children. You have to make time for them, I have to make time for my characters, no less.

When I write, I write for me, for them. When I edit, it's for you, the reader, as well as the reader inside me.

I have many characters living inside of me, some with stories still to share, others their story already told, some yet to be discovered. Sometimes I wonder... Have I breathed life into them? Or perhaps they breathe life into me.

Choose Carefully...

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:34:00 +0000

Doesn't once a week go by so quickly? Have you ever gone shopping and see all these things you want, but you just don't have the money to buy it all? Then, when you do have some extra money to spend on you, just you, whatever you want, suddenly there are either fewer "wantable" items in the store or you're simply much more particular now that it's "your" money, rather than just money. It's kind of like that with a blog. I grew up in a family with many strong-willed, opinionated Irish women, so I'm never without something to say about something. Yet suddenly, I have a platform, a place I can speak my mind openly, freely, and I don't have to listen to any comment back. I do enjoy reading comments, but then they're so much easier to ignore if I don't like what they have to say...

So here I am. I can say whatever's on my mind and what do I have to say, what do I do with all this freedom of speech? I'm nearly at a loss. Suddenly, my words seem more important now and I must choose them carefully. But my thoughts have also become more important and I must choose my topic more carefully. So what do I write of? The importance of what it is I write of.

WORDS ON A PAGE

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:38:00 +0000

Peace overwhelming.
Joy consuming.
Love unending.

Words on a page.
How can I make them real to you?

God is so much more than our eyes can see—
What our hands can touch.
Why is the tangible so important?
When tangible things—even our own mortal bodies can become nothing in the blink of an eye?

The body struggles to survive, to make it through one more day, but in the end—the fight is in vain.
The body’s fate has been sealed—it is decaying, rotting with every passing second.

The spirit has no end.
Tomorrow will always be.
It longs to thrive vibrantly on life—
Buried beneath a tiny, dying shell.

Words on a page.
Can they paint the picture that is inside me?

A gentle breeze on a calm sea of peace and tranquility.
Brilliant colors of joy bursting within.
Raging river of love.
These are merely words lying dormant on a page beneath the eyes.
How can I make them alive to you like a volcano re-born?
I can feel the explosion within my spirit trying to consume the futility of my body.
I welcome the cleansing fire of renewal.

Words on a page.
I can’t make them real to you—hard as I may try.
There is only One who can.

Do I "Do" Poetry Now?

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:27:00 +0000

Someone left a comment, asking, "you do poetry now?" I find that a funny question. What writer doesn't dabble with a poem every now and again? Does it make it poetry? You be the judge. I have a list of "prose" titles, some may like to call poetry. True poets have a gift for conveying distinct images and emotion with brief, concise words. I am a writer, a novelist, who must also choose words carefully, but I also have several hundred pages to convey a message, sway the reader. Every writer could take notes from a poet, I believe.

I'm a wonderful, fulfilled, loving, giving, successful person!

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:09:00 +0000

I need to get on here more regularly. I want to keep my faithful readers returning! Once a week! I can do that! I had the pleasure of being involved in an awesome "Secret" party last evening and I'm energized! If you don't know "The Secret" yet, go to http://www.thesecret.tv/! I'm a wonderful, fulfilled, loving, giving, successful person!

Get Involved!

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:06:00 +0000

I went to a wonderful one day conference this weekend where they had none other than a big time New York editor! And she was terrific! She was approachable and I enjoyed speaking with her. She did some first page critiques and I thought she had some wonderful comments to offer. Her critique on my work was helpful and enlightening.

I was impressed before she got to her presentation. Afterward, I was down right inspired. She was informative, encouraging and a joy to have met and listened to. I learned a lot. It was an honor and a pleasure.

If you want to be a writer, get involved. Go to workshops, conferences, meet other writers, network. Don't just dream the dream. Live it to get it, then you'll be living it for the rest of your life!

Walking Lighter, Smiling Brighter, & Ready to be a Writer

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:49:00 +0000

February meeting went fabulous! Boy am I having fun. And meeting local area writers is such a pleasure! For those who weren't able to make it, please visit http://www.salemchapter.com/ as we made some special announcements including a Poetry contest we're having.

I really appreciate the encouragement and positive feedback I get at every meeting and many e-mails. Please, don't just say it to my face (although that's terrific) leave a comment either on my blog or at http://www.salemchapter.com/!

I would just like to state for the record, what a blessing and great help that I have in my Co-Anchor Heather Cuthbertson. She makes me look good, she really does, and I hope I'm doing the same for her. If you haven't had the chance to meet her yet, check us out at the Salem Chapter website (aforementioned) or visit her website http://www.heathercuthbertson.com/. When it comes to Willamette Writers and the Salem Chapter she and I are of one mind, and sometimes it's tough to recall which ideas were hers or mine, as we always work together to improve on them.

Honestly, Heather is as much the reason I worked to get the Salem Chapter started as any. Talking "shop" with her--we could go on for hours, if someone didn't stop us. And that's what we writers need. The encouragement, the ideas, the flow, the energy from each other. Heather and I had the great pleasure of meeting such a person at the last meeting. You know the type I mean, so full of positive eneregy they're like a force-field pulling you in! And before you have a chance to realize it, you're walking lighter, smiling brighter, and ready to be a writer! This is what Salem Chapter's about.

The Northwest is lush with evergreens and beautiful forests, as well as talented and motivated writers. Everyone knows it. It's "common" knowledge. We just don't want anyone to forget it, and we want to remind them that Salem is here, that we're as much a part of the Northwest as Seattle or Portland and we have some terrific writers!

Write!

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:42:00 +0000

Have you every been guilty of not taking your own advice? I have. I write of the importance of writing, and not getting bogged down by the events of life, but guess what... I was busy dealing with this, that, and the other and not getting enough writing done.

I love writing. It's not just a career, it's not a hobby, it's a passion. I don't do it because I have to. I do it because I HAVE to!!! It keeps me sane. When I'm not writing, I'm out of sorts, and all I'm doing is thinking about getting back to it.

Talking with my WW Salem Chapter Co-Rep, Heather Cuthbertson, always an inspiration, she said it was time to get a critique group going here in Salem. We've been talking of it for some time. Before I got the Salem Chapter started actually. I have been in a critique group in Lake Oswego and enjoying myself, but not getting the work done I need to be. Meeting in Salem, and every two weeks will certainly get me motivated, as after one meeting, it already has. (For more information visit www.SalemChapter.com or e-mail SalemChapter@aol.com.)

So, I'm giving myself some of the same old advice. Write! Write! Write! I must write, I must edit, I must sell. These are my goals to further my career, my passion, my life.

I hope in motivating myself, I motivate others, it is quickly becoming a new passion!

MADRONE

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:58:00 +0000

Bodies glistening in the sun after a recent rain
So many curves
Arms reaching for the sky
All are motionless, but each differs from the next
Thin ones everywhere--
Fat ones here and there
Some are dark and peeling--ugly
Others are red and smooth
The beauty of these nude forms catches the eye
They are unashamed--
Even proud

sorry it's been so long...

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:34:00 +0000

For those of you on pins and needles for what I'll have to say next, I apologize for taking so long to make a new post. So, I'm giving you two for the price of one. The next post, Madrone will directly follow this one, or as the eye reads, directly precede. I thought I'd give an explanation for the piece. I'm from So. Oregon where there are plenty of Madrone trees my mother assures me are a Laurel. I never really gave them much notice growing up, but after being away for several years, I was in the area visiting after a recent rain. Coming back from the coast, I watched the trees go by and they fascinated me, so I wrote. That's it. I still see them in my mind as I described them and they are a beautiful, ugly tree.

Attitude Adjustment

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:06:00 +0000

Every now and again we all need an attitude adjustment. I had to work yesterday. Yes, it's a holiday and I usually have the holidays off, unlike my husband, but MLK Day I have to go to my company's yearly All Staff. I did not want to go. They have always proven to be complete and total mind-numbing boredom. I prayed for snow, so I wouldn't have to go; or even sickness, if it's gonna head my way this year, yesterday was the day for it. No such luck on both counts. I could have called in and flat out lied, but I hate lying, I try never to do it.

So, I was forced to go. It started off as I expected: Boring! I brought my book and it was engaging and I got a few chapters in, when it was time for lunch. The morning had gone by quickly, but that was only half the day. To my surprise, the second half of the day was not what I had expected. The company had gotten their manditory requirements and to-do's out of the way and had hired a motivational speaker.

At first, it was okay, yeah, whatever, but she was very engaging, very informative, and I had a hard time getting any reading done! I couldn't concentrate on the words in the book and I kept catching tidbits the speaker would say and I was curious about it. So, I put down the book and listened and got a much needed attitude adjustment.

I definately believe in the power of words. You speak life and death in the tongue. (That's biblical, although, I don't remember an exact verse.) She spoke of, "What you talk about, you bring about," as well as the importance of breathing properly and the results of your brain's reaction to the stresses your body says its under, and how to re-inform your brain, so it will send along the relaxing information to your body.

Overall, it wasn't a complete waste of my day, as past All Staff's have been. I feel refreshed, and ready to face the day with a better attitude and that's what is going to keep me sane. I need to change some activities, "The circulation of blood=the circulation of joy." All important information, with some stuff that was, "duh," but plenty that was quite enlightening.

ROBBED

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:05:00 +0000

Robbed—
Of my home
My belongings
The cars, the clothes
The job

Robbed—
Of my family
My children
Of their childhood
And maybe some of my own

Robbed—
Of joy and hope and
Peace and love

Robbed—
Of everything I called mine

Who is this thief who has no remorse or shame?
Who is this one who takes everything—and comes back for more?
And why did I choose to be an accomplice?

Great day

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:49:00 +0000

Well, I'm not out of a job. You would think that was good news. It is; the paycheck portion, as I mentioned previously. However, it was a source of great stress for me yesterday. Not to mention going to work when I really wanted to be somewhere else and on top of it I had all the things I needed to get done for the first meeting of Willamette Writers Salem Chapter on my mind.

I'm a worrier. I've heard that most things that we worry about never come to pass. I've found that it really is true. Does this help me to worry less? Sure, sometimes, not often enough.

Last night, the Salem Chapter meeting left all the stresses of the day behind. I would love to tell you everything went off without a hitch, however, I'm not prone to lying. We ran out of copies and the copy machine took the day off, but I'll be sending out copies of Bernadette and Gretchen's notes to everyone on the Salem Chapter e-mail list. But despite that glitch and some timing issues, everything was terrific! We had a great turn out and lots of encouraging words.

Bernadette and Gretchen of Baker's Mark Literary Agency were terrific first speakers to have. I think all were impressed with their knowledge, experience, and information. If you need an agent, check them out at http://www.bakersmark.com/.

I'm still here, I'm still employed, but I was so inspired last night, I'm definately ready to broaden my horizons. All in all, today's been a great day.

life...

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:03:00 +0000

Well, I have a lot going on in my life right now. I'm excited about the first Salem Chapter meeting. We've had a great response and now have an e-mail list of well over one hundred. I've been preparing last minute details for the Willamette Writers meeting and I believe our members/potential members will be pleasantly impressed. WW is a large organization and a great resource to be a part of. They are professional and the meetings will be conducted in that fashion.

All of that is keeping me busy. Personally, I'm freaking out just a little. By the date of the first Salem Chapter meeting, January 10, I will most likely be out of a job. Not really sad to see it go, mind you, however, it was a paycheck twice a month. And until the writing starts to pay, I do need something else to do it. I'm hoping to find something a little closer to the writing industry in some way, or at the very least more rewarding or challenging.

Ah well, such is life. We don't seem to care for it when we have no idea what tomorrow will bring. Sad truth is, though, we can never know what tomorrow will bring, until it is yesterday. But we do so love living the illusion that we think we know.

Religion

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 09:15:00 +0000

Opiate of the masses
Anything to believe in
Ritualistic behaviors
Following without understanding

Religion
Negative connotation
Diluted down
Lost

True Religion
Giving, loving
Believing in something
Following with understanding

Christianity is not my religion
Jesus, You Are

by M.S. Ebbs
©1/2008

One Year Ago

SmilingEeyore@aol.com (M.S. Ebbs) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 14:22:00 +0000

Today the country celebrates.

For you this day has a very different meaning--

for it is forever scarred by tragedy.

While others laugh and go on with their day like all is well--

you will remember the good times and try to forget the bad.

You may reflect on all you've done right and all you've done wrong, searching for the truth behind the unanswered questions.

In this quest, if you find doubt, don't let it overcome you,

for God has been there at every turn and today he holds you in His arms--

comforting you with His love.

Then, as you move on about your day--

keep in your heart the knowledge that you are loved and missed--

and we remember, too,