Characterization and How I Create.

The fresh air is blowing softly through my hair and a dog barks in the distance, my own dogs ears perk up in interest looking around as if they don't want to miss out on what is happening beyond the fenced yard. My cat is rubbing his face against my leg and looking up at me as if he is planning on jumping to my shoulders. I scratch his ears and pet him giving him attention and tell him no as he begins to crouch low as he gets ready to leap. I gently pet him as I pick him up for a few minutes then put him down, he runs off satisfied as a bee flies by capturing his attention.

I'm drinking my coffee and enjoying the morning and thinking back to a time when I first began writing. I read books constantly as a means to escape my reality in a home that was not a very happy place. I remember finding solace when I tried my hand at poetry and found that this was a good way to release feelings that were pent up inside that had no other way of coming out. I began writing little stories that I made up, it was fun, I found joy in a world I created, to escape the realities of life. I found my fiction world.

Of course not every memory I have is bad. I was able to hold on to moments that made me happy, I was able to see the good even when things weren't. I took bits and pieces of people with me, and I actually began to create characters that I used in my stories.

I still do that. My characters are of everyone I meet, bits and pieces I want to capture, a certain smile, a quirk of someones, a personality trait, a beard, the color of eyes, how they dress, if they limp, bite their nails, if they are mean, contradictory, or gentle. When I see a physical scar I wonder why they have it, I think of the scars we don't see. I'm always asking, why do people do what they do?

There is so much in those around all of us. We don't need to keep looking if we take the time to see what is right next to us.

I can pick up traits of people and find out what kind of character they have in the way they treat people in general, their partners, their kids and how they treat their animals.

Seeing someone angry is a learning experience that gives me insight in the reasons why they get angry, and how they handle it. I do the same when I see tender moments between people, sadness, loss, and great happiness. The subtle joy people have is really something you have to be attuned too, because those are the moments most people miss. Those are the moments that really mean something.

There are so many other things to look out for and observe. Like food and culture. I guess the list can go on to infinity if one takes the time to observe.

Through all of this, I have found myself. I have lived and experienced life as a participant, not a bystander. By experiencing most things I have observed in others gives me another dimension that I can use in my characters. I can make them feel, they become real and this makes them something others can relate too. I know when I read a book, I want to be able to delve right in and be apart of certain characters. I want to feel what they feel etc.

I often wonder how others create their characters. I'd love to hear about it if you should care to post.

Have a wonderful Mother's Day everyone.

Good Morning

What a blessing it is to wake up to a clear day. I thank God for the opportunities I get and the lessons I learn each day.

I sip my coffee while enjoying the quiet morning. It isn't really quiet, the birds are chirping and flying around, and the wind is softly blowing through the leaves of the trees and I hear a few dogs barking in the neighborhood. In the pasture not too far from my house I see a couple of horses running playfully around chasing each other and kicking up their back legs getting their morning exercise. I hear them whiny as they get each others attention. It is an awesome sight to catch a glimpse of this before they settle down.

It is a little chilly right now, but it will warm up a little today and I may even be able to wear shorts without getting too cold.

At this moment everything is good, the peace I feel inside is inspiring in itself and has set my imagination at work where I can't wait to sit down and work on my current writing project. I hope to get it done soon. What started as a short story has turned into a novel. How cool is that? Some day I hope to be able to get it published, so I can share it with everyone who wants to read it.

My prayer for you is that you are showered with blessings and that you are able to recognize them no matter how big or small they are.

Have a good day and God Bless you.

A True Woman With a Heart of Gold

I just found out that a friend, Peggy, is very ill.

I can't even imagine how she is feeling and what her family is going through. My mind keeps flashing back to the memories of this woman who had a huge impact in my life before I moved to Utah. She was a great boss who to this day has a huge heart for everyone she has worked with, especially the kids' lives she impacted.

During the eight years on Dorm A that I worked under her tutelage I learned so much about what a true mentor really is and I have always tried to model after her and live up to her standard. Believe me she has a very high standard. :)

I never truly realized how much Peggy has influenced me until I moved out of state, and as in most things, I found that hindsight is golden. I can't even begin to tell you how much crossing paths with this wonderful woman has meant to me.

I feel blessed to have known, and to have seen first hand what a caring loving person Peggy is and how she has contributed to the success of hundreds of kids that were fortunate enough to have drifted her way and have cared enough to have taken part of her with them as they moved on. To witness the way she was able to listen to each individual person and make them feel heard and validated leaves me thinking how lucky all of have been to have Peggy in our lives.

My prayers are going out to Peggy and her family as they go through this very difficult time.

Anyone who reads this, please include Peggy and her family in your prayers.

I love you Peggy.

Vickie Treadway

A Day at Home

I can only say that today has been a blessing. My daughter moved back home until she goes onto her next college which will be in about a year and a half if things goes right for her. It is Saturday and we are sitting outside enjoying the 80 degree weather. I'm in the shade and my daughter is in the sun trying to get a little color to her fair skin. Russ is trying to get the sprinklers to work now that winter is behind us.

So far the wind has not been blowing too bad and we have clear skies. My dogs are running back and fourth between all of us making sure everything is aas it should be. Once in a while a prairie dog will catch their eye across the street and they'll watch it until it goes back under ground. My cat hunter is across the street keeping his eyes on the rodent population and I'm sure he'll do his best to bring the numbers down.

I have images in my head and words floating around in my mind just waiting to be put down on paper. At least for a couple of hours I can have the peace I've been looking for this whole last week. Life is good at the moment and I am not going to take that for granted, because things can change in a in an instant.

I hope everyone has a good day and are enjoying the blessings that have come your way.

My Latest WIP

Looking outside as it is snowing, is helping me to get motivated to do some writing. I've been working on this particular story for about six months and I still really enjoy working on it. For about three months I have not been able to even really look at it, because of going to school and doing the homework that was involved.

The story is written, but now I'm fine tuning it and trying to make it flow better. I love my characters and really like how the story itself fell into place.

This is what the story is about in a short teaser.

The Christmas Miracle, Never forgotten

Jacey McMillan finds love when she accepts a temporary job that takes her to Europe over the holidays. While there, a single phone call changes her life forever when she learns the truth about who she really is and that she had been kidnapped from her family who never gave up hope in finding her.

Happy Easter

This year is going by so fast. I can't believe it is Good Friday already.

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter or passover.

The celebration of Spring as new life emerges is always something to behold.

What ever you are planning to do, may it be at church to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, with family, friends, having barbeques, or even by yourself. I pray each of you have a great Easter weekend.

27 Years of Marriage

Celebrating 27 years of marriage. My husband made reservations at a nice restaurant for us to go to tonight even though yesterday was the actual day. Our lives are very busy and we hardly get any time to be together, but that won't always be the case. Once I finish my class, things will calm down and I will be able to get back to a normal routine and we will start doing things together on a regular basis again.

I just had a birthday this week too, and that makes me another year older as well. I keep asking myself where the time has gone and what the future holds.

Someone asked me recently; What is the magic behind the success of your marriage?

There are so many variables to this question, it is difficult to narrow it down, because as we all know love sometimes is just not enough to keep people together.

What I will say is that you have to want to be together through the rough and the smooth patches in life, because you just never know what life will throw out at you. Each time you overcome an obstacle you grow from the experience and hopefully it makes you stronger. There needs to be a mutual respect for one another and you should want to build each other up and not tear them down. Each should fulfill the dreams they have with the love and support of the other, after all we are all different and dream of different things. This should be an opportunity for growth.

Tonight as we ate dinner at the restaurant we celebrated our anniversary at, I observed a young couple come in. They were seated at a table for two not far from where we were sitting. They smiled, laughed and looked into each others eyes as young couples do when they first fall in love.

My breath caught when I saw the young man pull out a ring case and put it in front of the young woman. She looked at him in surprise. I didn't want to be caught staring, but I couldn't keep from watching this romantic scene playing out in front of me.

The young woman took the ring out of the case and looked at it. She looked up at her date with a smile and nodded. I couldn't hear what they were saying to each other, but the universal language of love was at play right in front of me. She slipped the ring on her finger with excitement and just glowed. She couldn't stop looking at the ring as she spread her fingers out and smiled. The young man grinned and nodded in full satisfaction and then they kissed. It was all so very romantic. I didn't even know them and tears came to my eyes.

Russ and I have lived a life time together and have had our good years and our not so good years, but we prevail and keep going with a deeper love and understanding than what we had when we were first married.

I wish the best for that young couple as their journey begins.

For Russ and I we are looking forward to many more years.

Life is good.