Do over!

Life is full of things that need "done over."

Karm and Coke stand patiently waiting to go out and do a little work.  Last year, Karm, Coke and I worked hard tilling up a weedy section of pasture and sowing grass seed in it.  After somewhat of a drought and then an incredibly hard winter, our hard work must be done over.  And it looked so promising last spring when fresh new grass was growing.  Have you ever poured hard work into something, only to have to re-do it?

You can see from the pictures above and below, that all we have to show for our last years efforts are a few dandelions.  In my novel, Under the Heavens, main-character Lenny plants a row of soybeans and wants do it over.  He realizes that some jobs just can't be done over.  Once you plant seeds in the ground, they will grow where they are planted, straight row or not.

Recently, Under the Heavens, has been reviewed a number of times.  My reviewers have been kind, but they have also pointed out to me some of my own "crooked rows" and exposed my area's of weakness.

When I read those more critical reviews, it's easy to get bummed out and loose my confidence as a writer.
 Instead, I need to take their views and learn from them; unfortunately, I cannot re-do my novel.  A part of me would love to try and "do over" what I have learned could have been improved on, it's too late for that.  My plan is to take what I learned and move forward.  I need to put those lessons to use in writing my second novel ( un-named sequel to Under the Heavens), remembering to continue what people like about my writing and change what is needing improved upon.  Furthermore, I need to remind myself that writing is a creative work, not everyone will relate with or enjoy what I am trying to communicate.  The hard part is separating "constructive criticism" from "differences of opinion" I'm working on that.

Karm and Coke, enjoying a sunset with me as we finish our evening work.

Here are links to a review in the Cedar Rapids Gazette and on Amazon.

http://thegazette.com/subject/life/books/patience-rewarded-for-series-opener-20140511#media-well-container

http://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/1936746794/ref=acr_offerlistingpage_text?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Please Come back Soon!

I- Robyn Rasmussen, am just getting started with helping my dad- Thomas Nye, start a web presence for his book that he has just written titled: "Under the Heavens". I myself have loved writing for quite some time now and have several blogs that I have manage including Tips from the Heart and Ruby Ellen Photography. I have a diploma in Retail marketing, combined with an AA in Interior Design, a photography business as well as 13 years of retail experience that have led up to me becoming my dad's "marketing" manager. Which leads me to the real topic at hand, my Dad! :)

As long as I can remember my dad has been a talker and a great story teller. As a little girl I remember having long conversations about things he remembers from being a young boy to when he met my mom and when he got his first horse. I must have gone over those stories dozens of times but listening to my daddy tell stories with so much detail and enthusiasm, I never got tired of them.

About this time last year I was blessed to have the rare opportunity to go with my parents and my brother on a trip to their timeshare. As an adult, with children of my own, it rarely happens that I am without children, and my other sisters, with time to just talk to my dad and mom. While on this trip my dad brought up the fact that he was writing a book!?! I thought maybe it was just a short story, as he had done many times before. But this was different. As he read the first chapter to me aloud I began to get tears in my eyes and chills up my spine- the good kind. That's when I knew this was something special, something different than before, something big.

Fast forward one year.

Throughout the year I remained diligent in asking him if his book was finished yet and so excited to see where it would take him. I will never forget the first night when I got my hands on that beautiful single spaced, inch thick, neatly-typed copy. As I sat down to delve into the book for the first time I had no idea the amount of pride that would flow from my heart as I finished reading it.

I knew that I was to be reading it with an editing eye but as I read and started making minor corrections I almost felt guilty, like I was changing something sacred? I took my time reading it, turning each page to the back of the stack as I reached for the next. Pen in one hand, thick stack of paper in the other I spent mornings curled up with my coffee mug and evenings curled up with a bowl of ice-cream. Carefully sipping and lapping each word in.

As I began to read about a young man, confused about where he really fit in, I began to connect with Lenny as I knew him. A clear picture of his surroundings, in beautiful Iowa Amish countryside, was ingrained in my head, the words painting the perfect picture. The climax of the story drew me in and tears flowed from my cheeks and I had that huge lump in my throat, as I could feel the pain of Lenny's heartache, the character that I felt so connected to. Yet, even through the pain, the story has a silver lining that brought a gentle smile to my face as I read the last paragraph and already started planning the sequel in my head.

Maybe I am partial, maybe I am trained to love horses, maybe I already wish I was Amish at times, or maybe this book is just plain amazing! I'm thinking the later of the choices is the truth. The copy I read, although not grammatically perfect, was the perfect marriage of truth, opinion, history and story.  What a little editing can do is no match to what it can't do, and that is-  make a beautiful story to read.  I am told by my Dad that after submitting to some publishers the critiques have led to an even better story line that I have yet to read. At any rate I am excited to see where this book is headed.

I am a strong believer in what is meant to be will be and I am just feeling like this is the time that my father is meant to get his voice out there in a big way.

Congrats to my daddy and please join us as we embark on the big and sometimes scary-overwhelming task of publishing a first book. I love you to pieces daddy! -Your oldest daughter, Robyn