Tag: writing

Remembering Rhonda

Published on by J. Kelland Perry50 Comments

I started following Rhonda Elkins’ blog around this time last year, and was profoundly moved by her tragic story. It had only been months since she, a registered nurse, lost her 23-year-old daughter Kaitlyn to suicide, and writing about it in her blog, My Bright Shining Star, was her way of dealing with the devastation she was experiencing.

As tough as it must have been for her, Rhonda’s heart-wrenching posts turned into a new project: a book about her daughter to help raise awareness of the rampant depression and high number of medical students who take their own lives. Like her blog, it also proved to be a source of comfort for others who were going through the pain and anguish of losing a child to suicide.

With her permission, I reblogged this post back in February to help get her message out there, that even those closest to us often keep their depression hidden.

Earlier this week, I was shocked and saddened to learn Rhonda had followed Kaitlyn last Friday, leaving her husband and older daughter to pick up the shattered pieces of what remained of their family.

Rhonda had blogged recently about the good reviews her book was getting, as well as her decision to return to her nursing profession part-time (she hadn’t worked since Kaitlyn died in April of 2013).

I, like many others, had believed she had gotten through the worst of it, and was ready to go on with her life.

We were so wrong.

Your life had a purpose, Rhonda. You shared your heart and soul with your readers, painfully, yet with great eloquence. I’m so sorry you were suffering and unable to get past your grief and depression. I’m sorry we couldn’t help you more. And I pray you have finally found peace, and are reunited with your beautiful daughter Kaitlyn.

I will never forget either of you.

Links for Rhonda:

http://hosting-9605.tributes.com/obituary/show/Rhonda-Elkins-101642909

https://www.facebook.com/inmemoryofrhondasellerselkins

https://www.facebook.com/events/771748509514127/

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Friday Bouquet #4

Published on by J. Kelland Perry

I have been following Simon Kindt for quite a while now, consistently inspired by his talent for creating poems full of imagery and emotion. In his own words:

I suppose I’m another one of those poorly ironed white collars that got halfway up the career ladder and realised it had left something behind. For me, that ‘left behind’ was writing which I returned to at the end of 2012 after a long time focused on other things.

The difficult thing about highlighting his blog is trying to single out one poem as an example of his work. I love them all!

This one resonated with me this morning:

 Up, up, up by Simon Kindt

If you love poetry like I do, you will want to follow his work. Please let him know Jennifer sent you. Have a pleasant weekend, everyone!

Comments are closed in the hope you will comment on his blog.

Life Stories

Published on by J. Kelland Perry31 Comments

“There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an impossibility. Inside the dullest exterior there is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy.”  ~  Mark Twain

Mark Twain
Mark Twain (Wikipedia)

As a writer, I believe in these words from the great Mark Twain with all my heart. Each of us has an interesting and unique story to tell, with a new angle, and a fresh take on our individual life experiences.

As a fitting example, my mother-in-law shared the following with me this afternoon when we visited her.

“My father first set his eyes on my mother, Amelia, or Millie as she was called, when he was twenty and she was only twelve. Even at that tender age, she must have stolen his heart, because he told her, “Millie, I have to go away to work at sea, but when I come back, I will marry you.” Upon his return eight years later, he was true to his word. He took her as his wife, and nine months after the wedding, I was born. My father loved the name Mona, so he was the one that named me.”

wiki.jpg
wiki.jpg

The way she shared the story of how she came into the world resonated with me.

As life often goes, however, what started out as a romantic tale eventually encompassed great personal tragedy, hardship, and sacrifice.

My mother-in-law’s story of her family could easily fill the pages of an epic novel. It is a story I would consider worthy of recording and retelling one day.

Have you been moved by someone’s words in a conversation recently? As a writer or blogger, are you listening for new story opportunities in every-day life?

How about your own experiences? Have you ever considered writing a memoir?

It’s All About the Characters

Published on by J. Kelland Perry19 Comments
james-gandolfini-e13717040336062
James Gandolfini

In this age of PVR’s, boxed sets and better technology, my husband and I do most of our television viewing on demand and series by series. For instance, right now we escape into fantasy land by watching alternating episodes of Mad Men and Dexter, and are awaiting the return of Breaking Bad in August. Throw in Weeds for comic relief, and we were all set.

As coincidence would have it, we have the first two seasons of the Sopranos waiting for us when we finish Mad Men for the year. I know, I know, you are probably asking what rock were we living under to have not seen Tony Soprano and his show yet! My best answer would be that when it first came on TV back in the day, Husband and I were a little tired of the gangster genre from movies and decided not to partake. Recently, though, I saw the list of the top three TV shows voted for best writing, and they were the Twilight Zone, Seinfeld, and the Sopranos.

Trusting this list because we loved the first two, I suggested we should give the Sopranos a look-see. In addition, many of our friends had highly praised the show ad nauseum.

Then we hear the tragic news of James Gandolfini‘s massive fatal heart attack yesterday,  the demise of a great actor who just so happens to be my age (I always thought he was older). The outpouring of grief in the media, including social media, cannot be ignored.

This actor created a character that obviously resonated with many. The story line may be compelling as well, but isn’t it the characters that draw you back to watch a show again and again? Simply put, without the intricacies and nuances of a character to keep your attention, would a story be even half as interesting?

Don Draper of Mad Men works on Madison Avenue
Don Draper of Mad Men – IMBd

I wouldn’t care much about Mad Men if I wasn’t trying to figure out what made Don Draper tick. The same goes for Dexter Morgan and Walter White. Without these unique opportunities for character study, these shows wouldn’t hold our attention beyond the first few scene changes.

Dexter Morgan
Dexter Morgan – wikipedia

Fiction novels are exactly the same. If I can’t in some way identify or be fascinated by the main character at least, the book is not worth reading to me. What would I do in this particular individual’s situation? Even if I can’t see myself behaving that way or saying those words, does the protagonist at least show me a way of understanding his or her actions?

tv_breaking_bad01As I write my own novel, I keep this uppermost in my mind. It is all about the characters. They are who the readers, and the viewers, fall in love with.

Rest in Peace, James. As you prematurely leave this world, I am about to delve into another one, the world you created as Tony Soprano. For another opportunity to study an enduring and memorable character, I am forever grateful.

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James Gandolfini – IMBd

My First Anniversary…and Ten Things I Didn’t Know When I Started

Published on by J. Kelland Perry16 Comments

 

One year ago today, on New Year’s Eve, 2011, I started this blog, Jennifer’s Journal. And as I mentioned in the very first post, Follow the Yellow Brick Road, I had no idea where my blog would take us. So here is what I found out.

1. I didn’t know I would have the resolve to faithfully post to my blog a little more than once a week on average. WordPress, being the best blogging site – in my opinion – had a lot to do with my enthusiasm.

2. I didn’t know I would be taking my visitors and followers on a pictorial journey of our 2011 trip to Italy and France. Nor did I know that one of these installments,
“Scenes From Italy – Part Three: Siena and Florence, Tuscany” would consistently be my most visited post, from all around the world!

3. I hadn’t made plans yet to take a Spring vacation in Florida, with my husband and my daughter and her family. My photo album from that trip,
“For the Young, & the Young at Heart: Disney’s Magic Kingdom“, would garner a record of 449 views on May 8th, the most views I had in one day.

4. I wasn’t fully aware of how beautiful it actually is where I live, here in Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland, until I read your lovely comments on my local photographic efforts. 🙂  “Autumn Walk on the East Coast” was a particular favourite.

5. I came to learn how the poems, musings, and photographs of my grandchildren would be a popular subject for many!

6. That goes for the posts of my little cats, Maisie and Vivian, as well. One of them even guest-posted in “Vivian’s View From Here“.

7. I was overwhelmed with the outpouring of support my blog received, as I was losing my mother. I cannot fully express what a source of comfort those caring comments were, and still are.

8. I didn’t know I was going to publish sixteen of my poems, and that I would be proud of them. 🙂

9. I wasn’t sure (but I am pleased I did) that I would keep my resolution to start writing a novel, and am now starting Chapter Six of the first draft. My post about it, Then You Must Write It, would be one my most popular blog posts, generating many of your comments.

10. Novel writing or not, I love my blog as the vehicle of self-expression it has turned out to be, and I will continue to update it in 2013. Connecting with many of you and making new friends is one of the best advantages of blogging.

So, let me say to all of my followers and visitors from sixty-six countries, a GIANT THANK YOU! And a Happy New Year to you all. 🙂

“…Then You Must Write It”

Published on by J. Kelland Perry27 Comments

 

“If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” ~ Toni Morrison

I have recently begun a new adventure, dear readers and fellow bloggers.

No longer can I ignore the voice inside me that is clamouring to be heard, so I have started to write a novel.  I am a little nervous, but mostly I am excited to be on this new journey I have destined for myself.

When I told a friend a little while ago about my plan to write a book, she said, “Gee, I’m the one with the English degree.  I should write a book!”  Well, I don’t have a degree, but I’ve always had a passion for stories, fictional or otherwise, and a desire to tell some stories of my own.

Heck, I wrote a teen novel when I was still in school, at the grand old age of fifteen.  So diplomas and degrees or lack thereof won’t hinder me now either.

It has been a rewarding experience keeping this blog that I started back in December.  The original purpose of Jennifer’s Journal had been to get into the habit of creating and writing something on a regular basis, in order to better prepare me for the demands of writing a novel.  But now that I have taken on this ambitious new project, I will have less of that precious commodity of time to devote to blogging.

But abandoning my blog seems unthinkable to me..  Have you ever nurtured a child?  Cared for a pet?  Or even tended a garden?  And then, stopped?  No, I will keep my blog, adding thoughts, inspirations, and a photograph or two, as often and as regularly as I can.  I would also like to keep you updated on my novel’s progress.

Life is going to get busier, that’s all.

I leave you with another favourite quote of mine:

“Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don’t feel I should be doing something else.”  ~ Gloria Steinem

How about you?  Have you ever written a book, or do you see yourself writing one someday?  Do you have advice for someone taking on a creative project?