19 Interesting (but Useless) Tid-Bits

Statue of George Washington.

I have a very stressful day ahead of me today. 

And the best way I know to deal with it is to completely distract myself. Which of course can only be achieved by funny, useless information. :) 

So here it goes. 19 (somewhat) useless tid-bits:

- If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on your right side. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on your left side.

- Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.

- Your tongue is germ free only if it is pink. If it is white there is a thin film of bacteria on it.

- The pupil of the eye expands as much as 45 percent when a person looks at something pleasing.

- Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.

- The reason honey is so easy to digest is that it’s already been digested by a bee.

- Every time you sneeze some of your brain cells die.

- The verb “cleave” is the only English word with two synonyms which are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate.

- When you blush, the lining of your stomach also turns red.

- When hippos are upset, their sweat turns red.

- It cost 7 million dollars to build the Titanic and 200 million to make a film about it.

- The attachment of the human skin to muscles is what causes dimples.

- The sound you hear when you crack your knuckles is actually the sound of nitrogen gas bubbles bursting.

- Human hair and fingernails continue to grow after death.

- Colgate faced big obstacles marketing toothpaste in Spanish speaking countries. Colgate translates into the command “go hang yourself.”

- Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

- Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

- German Shepherds bite humans more than any other breed of dog.

- If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural cause.

So, did ya learn anything new?? :) 

(Random facts courtesy of hemmy.net)

Think About It

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook a few days ago and I have not been able to stop thinking about it.

It is so true for just about anything! 

Think about it!

If you took all that energy you put towards talking about writing into actually writing, you would be amazed with the results. (Preaching to myself on this one!)

If you took all that energy you put towards hating the laundry into actually doing it, you would have no laundry to do. (For a day or so at least.) ;)

If you took all that energy you put towards wishing you were closer to God into consistent study and prayer, you would be amazed with the results.

I love it! I can plug in just about anything and it applies and motivates!

Share with me. What can you plug in?

Craft Question

Writing is so much more than the perfect idea and the perfect words. 

Any writer will tell you there is a formula. There are rules. There are strategies for writing a winning book. 

I'll be honest, I'm not currently a fan of GMC's (goals, motivations and conflicts). Although I understand the importance of them, it's frustrating to always need a reason for why something is happening, why someone feels a certain way, why a specific decision is made, why a thought was...thought. :)  

Share with me. What writing component was the hardest for you to learn or pick up on? What area of your writing do you still struggle with?

Someone Worth Dying For

Grace.

Worthiness.

Two concepts that I just can't wrap my mind around.

I look at the things I've done - the things I do - and I know I'm not worthy of His grace.

So it touches a deep place inside of me when I hear this song from Mikeschair.




And I think,


"Am I really something beautiful?"

"Am I really someone worth dying for?"

The lyrics of this beautiful song answer those questions perfectly.

You're worth it, you can't earn it
Yeah, the cross has proven
That you're sacred and blameless
Your life has purpose

You are more than flesh and bone
Can't you see you're something beautiful
Yeah, you gotta believe, you gotta believe
He wants you to see, He wants you to see that
You're not just some wandering soul
That can't be seen and can't be known
Yeah, you gotta believe, you gotta believe that
You are someone worth dying for
You're someone worth dying for
You're someone worth dying for


And that place inside of me that wants to earn my way, to prove that I can do better, is brought face to face with the reality that it's not about me. It's all about His sacrifice. 

Share with me! Do you ever struggle with the idea of Grace and Worthiness? Are you like me in that it somehow feels wrong to accept a gift that you don't deserve? Do you have a favorite song that speaks straight to a hurting place inside of you?


(In other news - the beautiful and funny Kelley Gerschke has generously bestowed upon me two blog awards, which will be posted soon! Yet another kindness I don't deserve! Thank you, thank you, thank you!) :)

Critique Time

Critiques.

Love them or hate them. But they are necessary in the life of a writer.

Necessary to receive and necessary to give.

I feel like we're gearing up for critique season. Maybe that's because the ACFW Genesis contest and the Carol awards are on the horizon.

And since I personally have a lot of room for improvement in my critiquing skills, I'm curious how you go about giving critiques. Maybe we can all learn something new today. :)

So please share with me. How did you learn to critique? What do you notice right away when reading someones work? Do you enjoy giving a critique to another writer? Do you enjoy submitting your own work to be critiqued? Are you entering any of your work in either the Genesis or the Carol Awards?

Dream With Me

 I have been craving a writing get-a-way! Some time away from my regular daily responsibilities to be completely selfish and do nothing but write!

I'm drooling just thinking about it!

But I can't make up my mind. Would I prefer a quiet cozy cabin in the mountains or do I want the waves lapping against the sandy shore to be my background music?

Heck, at this point, I'll reserve a room at the Motel 6 near the freeway just to have some uninterrupted writing time.

What about you? If you could go anywhere and money wasn't an issue...where would you want to go to write your heart out?

I'm Back!

Well, blogging world it’s been a while since I visited. Two months actually!

I know, I know. Shame on me for disappearing without any explanation but I had a few kinks or mental hiccups to work through with myself before I could show my “face” again.

(As I write this my son is singing “This is the song that never ends”. Good grief! Part of those “kinks” I mentioned - young, LOUD kids.)

The truth is I’ve been thinking about quitting. (Cause lets face it. Attempting to be a writer is hard work. Add in the shot in the dark of publication and my oh my! Seems downright impossible!) So I've been praying for guidance and timing and about where God wants me to place my focus, aside from my family.

Every time I’m convinced I don’t have time to be a writer, a blogger, a presence on any social media site, I feel God whisper to my soul, “do the work.”

Actually, that came from my sister who has been “kindly” nagging me to get my act together. (Gotta love big sisters!) But after that, I didn’t hear “do the work” from my sister. I heard it from deep within.

And the thing is...I don't feel free to quit. I LOVE STORIES! I always will, even if publication never comes my way.

So blogging world, just know...I’m here.