New Beginnings - Write Me Happy is on the move!

I'm all about change. I'm always striving to move forward and expand myself in ways I never thought possible. One such area that has been nagging at me for a change is this blog.

Though Blogger has been like a dear friend to me, I've decided to pack up Write Me Happy and move it to WordPress.

My new home will give me the freedom to express my creativity more. It will include more of my writing and art while still maintaining that Write Me Happy feel.

I really hope each and every one of you continues to follow me in my new location. If you are not signed up with WordPress that's okay. You can follow me by email.

http://angierichmond.wordpress.com/

Feedback is welcomed and encouraged. See you there!

Guess Where I am Today?

On the lovely Lillie McFerrin's blog! No I didn't hijack it, I promise. I'm there totally legitimately.

The Lovely Lillie

Lillie - the sweetest lady EVER - asked if she could interview me. Naturally I accepted because it is such an honour to be asked, and well it's for Lillie (see comment above about how awesome she is!)

So if you'd like to know a bit more about me, check out her blog. She asked the most fabulous questions!

Awakening the Creative Soul Within

Like so many people at this time of year, I feel a bit stretched thin. I'd like to say it's an isolated occurrence, but truth be told, this time of year always seems to pull me down. The never ending juggling act that is my life, means I've been trying to accomplish everything without sacrificing quality. Bit of a struggle...to say the least.

But, I'm not here too complain. I don't want to drum up a pity party for one. Instead I'm here to update you on my new game plan.

Recently I rediscovered a passion that I've long pushed aside - art. I have, in part, Leah Piken Kolidas to thank for this. Her Creative Every Day challenge inspired me to peel back some layers and explore.

I've always enjoyed drawing, painting, scrapbooking...basically doing anything that involves using my hands and getting dirty.Somewhere over the years I shelved these passions for later; too busy to enjoy the freedom I felt when creating art. I focused my attention on writing and that...was that. I was a writer. I attached the label and went on my merry way, forgetting all the other creative things I used to do. End of story.

Or so I thought....

If you follow my blog, you'll know that recently I lost a loved one. He was taken from us unexpectedly. Way too soon. This experience forced me turn inward, and take a good hard look at myself. What makes me happy? What am I avoiding? What am I yearning for? The labels I long ago stuck on myself, seem restrictive now. Like rediscovering my forgotten passions, I'm also rediscovering how I see myself.

So that's what I'm doing. I'm shedding those confining labels to incorporate all aspects of creativity. I've gone from being a writer, to being a creative person. This doesn't mean I'm not a writer, I am. I will always be. However now I can see that being a writer is only one aspect of me. I can no longer ignore the voice that says:

Write, Paint, Draw, Photograph, Create, Learn.....


So Angie, what ARE you working on?


Glad you asked!

I'm exploring the world of mixed media and creating lovely pieces of art. I will continue to post these as part of the Creative Every Day Challenge.

Next week I'm attending a course on editing, which I'm looking forward to. I will continue to edit my novel, and chug along with my WIP. Blog updates will be provided.

I'm also in the final stages of launching the first Write Me Happy challenge called,   22 Things. I'm keeping tight lipped about it right now, but I will say this - it comes with a fancy badge for your blog! Awesome, right? I'm working with a close friend - who is an incredibly talented artist - to design the badge. Can't wait!

When the inspiration takes me - which I hope is often - I will continue to participate in Five Sentence Fiction. A fantastic word prompt challenge that Lillie McFerrin hosts. Check it out!

And that, my friends, is the Write Me Happy update. I hope you will continue to stop by and leave comments. I LOVE hearing from all of you!

What are YOU working on?!

It's Christmas & I'm Thankful for YOU!

Photo Credit

It's Christmas Eve day, I'm sitting at my writing desk, hunched over my computer reading wonderful blogs and tweets from other amazing writers and thinking how lucky I am.

I know it's usually Thanksgiving that we state what we are thankful for, but given that Christmas has become a mega holiday filled with presents, greeting cards, food and oh so delightful eggnog, I wanted to strip back all the glitter and glamor and get to the real sense of Christmas for me.

I am not a religious person. In my younger years I took a strong stance against religion in attempt to rebel against those who were. It was wrong of me, but only age has shown me this. However, I do consider myself spiritual, though I still despise the label. This spirituality has lead me on a journey to discover who I am, at my core. It's here I discovered and embraced my writing, my own uniqueness and my comfort with those around me. I embraced tolerance, understanding, empathy and all those other really fantastic traits that I lacked as a young adult.

So with that little piece of insight on how the cogs turn inside my head, I move back to my original thought, thankfulness.

I am thankful for a wonderful husband who gets me like no other has. He sees my faults and accepts me anyway. He challenges me when I need it and never lets me storm off angry, which I have a tendency to do. His support is unquestionable and I love him with all my heart. Even though that sounds kind of cornball, it's the truth. Thank you!

I am thankful for my family and friends that have been incredibly supportive over the last few years. Those who have comforted me, celebrated with me and given me the nudge I needed. That laughed, cried and scolded me, sometimes all within the same conversation. Without all of you, life would be dull. Thank you!

I am thankful for the writing community I have tapped into via Twitter and Blogging. Without you, I would never have been able to complete an entire novel in November! Hell, I wouldn't even know about NaNoWriMo. All your #wordmongering #wordwars #wordsprinits #fivesentencechallenge helped me through my writing block and continue to motivate me to write, write, write. Thank you!

There are so many other people I could thank individually, but this short post would end up giving The Never Ending Story a run for it's money.

So in closing, this Christmas, I am blessed and thankful!

Circus, Here I Come!

You may have noticed that my blogging has been sporadic, at best. It's not that I don't enjoying coming here and putting my two cents out there. In fact, I enjoy blogging, a lot. But lately I've been feeling like I should join the circus. Or at the very least some street side show. I have become a Juggler.

I have quite a few juggling balls on the go right now: Writing, Working, Reading, Blogging.

I prefer to think of my roles (and the long list of tasks that come with them) as hats I wear while juggling. Wife, Friend, Daughter, Aunt, Sister, Employee, Homeowner. I change my hat while trying to keep all the balls in the air. For the most part it's all about timing. Balls go up, hat gets changed, balls come done. Repeat.

Photo Credit

I like to think I do a pretty decent job, but add Christmas into the equation and things go from hectic to insane.

Some balls drop while others seem to get stuck in the air, hanging motionlessly above my head, just beyond my reach. I try to pull them back down, to rotate in something else, but I fail.

And which ball is stuck up in the air? Writing.

While Blogging has dropped and Reading seems to make an occasional appearance, Writing is a constant (so is Working, but that's not by choice). I'm not complaining. Not even whining a little bit. The fact that my Muse is here and playing nice, thrills me. But I know that in order to keep you folks interested, I need to pick up that Blogging ball and start giving it a toss.

So this is my promise to you. I solemnly swear I am up to no - wait a second, wrong oath. I solemnly swear to post, at the very least, two posts a week until the end of 2011. In 2012, I promise to increase this.

My word has been given. If you see me slacking, please feel free to give me a kick in the ass. I'm sure I'll deserve it.

Buyer's Remorse

After posting my first entry on my brand spanking new blog, I was giddy with excitement that I had finally taken the plunge into blogger world. Sure I was new to this whole thing, but I'd catch on quickly (hopefully) and this was a chance for me to freely express my experiences as an
out-of-the-closet writer.

It wasn't until the next day that I began to realize that perhaps I may be in over my head.

Between working full-time, writing my novel, reading and various other social media sites that keep me glued to my computer screen, how would I have time to blog? Not to mention my family and friends that would surely want to spend time with me at some point.

Umm--what was I thinking?!

Panic set in that blogging would take precious time away from writing, which I was already struggling to do. After a long and fairly stern talk with myself (yes, I do talk to myself on occasion.) I decided to lighten up. This wasn't supposed to be a chore, but a fun way to interact with other writers across this big blue and green marble we call Earth.

So doubts aside, I'm jumping in!