tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77280733170033267812024-03-19T07:12:23.915-05:00Amanda FangerWriting about my journey in this writer's life and sharing a few tips that I've picked up along the way.Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-8988826026843569242017-03-17T15:30:00.000-05:002017-04-01T13:58:40.687-05:00Why Public Notices Matter | National award recognition<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>The following article appeared in the March 6, 2017 issue of the Reporter & Farmer, the newspaper where I work. It was written by my colleague Emre K. Erku. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Another story about this award appeared in a neighboring daily newspaper which you can read <a href="http://www.thepublicopinion.com/news/local_news/hard-work-pays-off-for-webster-reporter/article_b612a528-0350-11e7-8954-d31dd9e26610.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Local public notice article leads to writer’s national recognition</b><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><i style="font-weight: normal;">Amanda Fanger wins 2017 Public Notice Journalism Award</i></span></span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">R</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">eporter & Farmer staff writer Amanda Fanger is now a nationally acclaimed journalist.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For her efforts in uncovering embezzlement allegations within the government body of Grenville last spring, Fanger was named winner of the 2017 Public Notice Journalism Award by the Public Notice Resource Center Feb. 27.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Alongside national recognition, she’ll be honored at the National Press Club during a free trip to Washington, D.C. March 16.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“It’s almost too much to take in,” said Fanger of her selection. “It makes me stop and realize how much I’ve put into my work. There’s so many moving components to a newspaper; I don’t know if people assume we’re just handed these stories.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">According to the PNRC, Fanger’s selection was based on her ability to scratch “below the surface of a public notice.” This included spending months investigating a tip concerning a local financial officer allegedly carrying out “employee dishonesty,” which was noted in the official monthly Grenville town proceedings printed in the public notice section of the Reporter & Farmer on March 21 last year.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This dishonesty stemmed from an investigation conducted by the South Dakota Department of Legislative Audit, which Fanger later used to trace the finance officer to $72,000 worth of pocketed funds allegedly, as well as the use of a stolen credit card.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“It is great to see a young reporter like Amanda searching through the public notices in search of a story,” said John and LeAnn Suhr, co-publishers of the Reporter & Farmer. “Reporters like her know the importance public notices play in the role of informing the taxpayers of what their elected officials are doing. While some may have overlooked the dishonesty, Amanda dove in to tell the investigative story. She is well deserving of the honor to be selected for this national award.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The selection process required a highly prestigious judge’s circle to determine a winner. This included David Jackson, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter of the Chicago Tribune; Marc Karlinsky, editor of the Chicago Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer; and Charles Whitaker, associate dean and journalism professor of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“I’m awestruck,” Fanger admitted. “Thinking somebody of that caliber would read my work, and now they’re judging it? In this career, I still get these days where I feel I don’t have any idea of what I’m doing... This validates it.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What judges don’t know is that it was less than a year prior to the Grenville case that Fanger proposed to publisher John Suhr that the Day County newspaper cover more than just Webster City Council proceedings in person.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Before, the Reporter & Farmer strictly published town proceedings in the minutes, as well as in a short, inside- the-covers overview segment called “Town Round Up.”</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Once given the green light, not only was the small town of Grenville thrown into the loop, it helped personalize Fanger’s efforts.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“It put faces to the names of the people I was dealing with,” said Fanger. “It’s important for the public to know what’s going on. I have this really deep conviction that the newspaper, they play a very important role in society. They are the watchdog.” </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fanger also said the Grenville case was an instance where the neighborly trust you might find in rural America was exploited and that in her small part of the world her drive is to “keep that from happening.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“Even in a small town, you can’t cut corners,” she said. “I don’t think that every town board is out to get their neighbor, but it’s good to keep their feet to the fire.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And Fanger is no stranger to small town dwellings.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fanger first entered the newspaper industry via the Onida Watchman, the newspaper of her hometown of 681 people. It took little more than a year for her to receive the award for Outstanding Young Journalist by the South Dakota Newspaper Association in 2009. She’s also a winner of many various SDNA awards throughout her nearly 10-year career.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As for the Reporter & Farmer, Fanger’s national recognition adds another notch to its accolades.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“The newspaper now has two prestigious national awards under its belt,” the Suhrs noted. “The first was for Outstanding Achievement in Economic Development for the coverage and promotion of the Webster medical complex in 1996 and now the award Amanda will be bringing home.”</span></span>Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-25956001192435532332017-03-06T18:00:00.000-06:002017-04-01T14:00:02.591-05:00I Promised News | A national journalism award<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here's the news I promised. The following is a press release that originally appeared <a href="http://www.pnrc.net/2017/02/28/south-dakota-reporter-wins-2017-public-notice-journalism-contest/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">South Dakota reporter wins </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.2;">2017 national </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.2;">Public Notice Journalism Award</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Amanda Fanger, a reporter for Reporter & Farmer, a weekly newspaper in rural Day County, South Dakota, today was named winner of the 2017 Public Notice Journalism Award. Fanger won for a story that scratched below the surface of a public notice (<a href="http://www.pnrc.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ReporterFarmer_Embezzlement.pdf" target="_blank">see PDF of story here</a>) to reveal a potential embezzlement scheme in one of the small towns within her paper’s coverage area.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fanger will receive a $500 award and a free trip to Washington, D.C., where she will be honored at a March 16 dinner at the National Press Club.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Jim Lockwood of The Scranton (Penn.) Times-Tribune and Victor Parkins of The Milan (Tenn.) Mirror-Exchange were named winners of second- and third-place, respectively. </span><a href="http://www.pnrc.net/2015/03/02/pnrc-names-pennsylvania-reporter-national-public-notice-journalism-award-winner/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="border-color: initial; border-style: initial; cursor: pointer;">Lockwood won the Public Notice Journalism Award in 2015</span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“There were many worthy entries submitted in this year’s contest, so the winners should be especially proud of their great work,” said PNRC President Bradley L. Thompson II, chairman and CEO of the Detroit Legal News Co., which sponsored the prize. “Reporting on public notices is another way newspapers serve their readers and inform their communities.”</span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fanger followed up on an obscure reference to “employee dishonesty” in the minutes of a town board meeting that were published in March 2016 as a public notice in Reporter & Farmer. She discovered that a recent legislative audit of the finances of Grenville, South Dakota (population: 60) had concluded that the town’s former financial officer might have embezzled as much as $72,000. Digging a little deeper, Fanger learned the same person was being prosecuted for using a stolen credit card.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“In the space of the three pages containing her entry, Fanger had five bylines and a photo credit, making her enterprise in delving below the surface of the official notice even more impressive,” said the judges who made the selection. They also noted that the citizens of Day County might never have learned about the embezzlement allegations if Fanger hadn’t read the notice in her paper and taken the extra step to get the real story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“No newspaper, no matter how big, can make it to every public meeting in its coverage area,” said Reporter & Farmer Co-Publisher John Suhr in an </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">editorial published in the same issue (</span><a href="http://www.pnrc.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/4-ReporterFarmer_Embezzlement_Editorial.pdf" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">see that PDF here</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">)</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">as Fanger’s story. “It is because of public notices, however, that we are able to see their actions and follow up to help explain to the taxpayers what their board is doing.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">J</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">im Lockwood’s entry included more than a dozen articles published in the Times-Tribune in 2015, in which he used public notices as sources for his reporting, including stories about infrastructure financing, specialty taxes, home foreclosure blight, rental-unit registries, tax sales, grant requests, cell-antenna disputes and fair-housing requirements.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Lockwood is “the quintessential example of a journalist who scours public notices to report stories that would otherwise remain hidden,” said the judges. “Through a combination of reportorial tenacity and generous applications of elbow grease, he uses the notices published in his paper to report stories that help Scranton residents understand a myriad of issues important to the development of their city. It is no overstatement to suggest that Lockwood is a public notice wizard whose work provides a veritable lesson in how a city is managed.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In addition to being a previous winner of the national Public Notice Journalism Award, Lockwood has won the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association’s public notice reporting contest for the last three years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Victor Parkins’ story was based on a public notice placed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announcing that a local nursing home was out of compliance with its requirements. Within a month of the publication of his story, the health care provider had been fined over $2 million by federal and state officials and was making plans to transfer residents to other facilities. “Parkin made the connection between the original notice and the ultimate fate of the nursing home to produce well-reported and well-sourced coverage of this important story,” said the judges.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Serving as the judges this year were David Jackson, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter of the Chicago Tribune; Marc Karlinsky, editor of the Chicago Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer; and Charles Whitaker, associate dean and journalism professor of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Public Notice Journalism Award was established in 2013 by the Public Notice Resource Center, a consortium of newspaper organizations supporting public notice. The award is intended to encourage journalists to incorporate public notices into their reporting.</span></div>
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Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-34726318960558814462017-02-27T17:30:00.000-06:002017-02-27T17:30:24.883-06:00Oh Yeah, I Still Have A Blog | On how dreams don't always look like we thought they would<span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh wow, would you look at that? I still have a blog. Never mind that it's been just about forever since I've posted anything. Hi to anyone who is still reading after such a long respite. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It wasn't intentional to let this blog sit listless for so long. </span>Over the course of the last couple of years, my life has taken a series of different turns which has caused this blog to take a backseat.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I don't want this post to stir hope for a faithful return to blogging anytime in the immediate future, but I do have some exciting writing-related news I want to share with the world soon, so stick around. </span><br />
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Even with all the changes in my life, while I haven't been writing for this blog, one thing is certain: My life is consumed, more now than ever, with words. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm generating more content now than ever before in my life.<br />
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This morning I caught myself reflecting, looking back on my younger self who had first discovered the art of putting thoughts into written word. That younger me had just realized her dream of using this medium to make a living for herself.<br />
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Now, that dream is a reality.<br />
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That dream may not have taken the shape I initially thought it would, but my words today are sustaining me through life nonetheless. My first love, fiction, is not the vehicle I thought it would be. Instead, I'm coming up on my 10-year anniversary of the date I began the foray into the field of newspaper journalism. There are multiple awards which bear evidence to my level of success in that, even though I sometimes still wonder if I really know what I'm doing here.<br />
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But the other day, a reader of the publication which employs me came up to me and said they appreciated a recent column I had written. It was something I considered one of my more random ramblings to ever be published. Yet, he said he related to those maundering thoughts. He said it made him feel more normal.<br />
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Hopefully, that means I'm doing my job.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">God really has been good to me. I'm so blessed to be where I am, doing what I'm doing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I give Him all the glory. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">~af~</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you're interested in keeping up with my weekly column in my professional capacity, check out http://www.reporterandfarmer.com</span></i></b>Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-14313902416425489002015-11-21T14:22:00.002-06:002019-05-01T23:15:46.444-05:00Middle of the Month Story Switch | Why It Matters<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So I started out this month intending to write one story.
Then, part way through, I made a switch to writing another story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Does this happen to other NaNo’ers too? I’m hoping so. But
if I’m an odd ball, it wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What I began writing in November was actually a continuation
of last year’s NaNo novel… which I never finished. I still have every intention
of finishing that story – someday – but a little over a week ago, I was
inspired to begin a brand new story, the likes of which I had never tackled
before.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The idea sprang up when I was trying to convince my
boyfriend (a non writer) that if he wanted to write a book, he indeed had the
creativity to do so, despite his thinking that he had not a creative bone in
his body.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After some prompting about what a potential character would
be named, he finally said, “Jim.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“And what’s Jim like?” I asked.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“I guess he’s sort of tall,” he replied.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“And what does Jim do in the story?”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“It doesn’t matter because he dies.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I laughed and ignore this fact. I ask, “How does Jim die?”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“In an elevator.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“What was Jim doing on the elevator?” I ask, digging deeper.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“He was going to get a snack.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“What kind of snack?”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“A pretzel. But it doesn’t matter, because he dies,” he said
finally with a chuckle. I giggle too, but something was already beginning to
take root. From this point on, each time I ask another question about Jim, my
boyfriend’s response is, “Yeah, but it doesn’t matter because Jim dies.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A few days later, I announced the news. “I’m going to write
Jim’s story.” That thing that had begun to take root in my mind was now budding
and veining out, growing all over my imagination.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At first, my boyfriend tried to convince me that the
character he had created on the spot was not worthy of having his own tale, but
I was relentless. The idea had already taken form and I was determined to
abandon my current novel idea in order to pursue Jim’s story, although it
doesn’t matter because he still dies. Spoiler alert.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Only now, I’m on a mission to discover why Jim’s story does
matter.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’m obsessed with telling this story now. I've always believed it important to tell the story that demands to be told, when it is demanding and not putting it off or waiting to tell it when you feel like telling said story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And it’s true what they say about writers looking and finding
inspiration in any place they look. Sorry that we writers always seem to be looking in such weird places. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Be careful if you befriend a writer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now, when I’m stuck about what to write, I find myself
turning to my boyfriend to ask about the character he unintentionally
created, to learn about a particular piece of history or personality trait that
may get the creative juices flowing once more. The other night, he said to me, “Oh,
so in a first draft, you just sort of put everything in you can think of and
then later you take out what you don’t need?”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He gets it. He gets me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And that’s an amazing thing for my writing. </span>Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-21857609806900929712015-11-12T17:55:00.000-06:002015-11-17T18:16:06.968-06:00He’s A Keeper<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Storytelling is often the waging of a war within a writer's head and it's a battle not too many others get. Allow me to share a quick story with you from the writing trenches that my fellow writers out there will hopefully get a laugh from. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the first November that I’ve ever had a significant
other. I know, I know; I can hear the cries of the characters from WeTangent's <a href="https://youtu.be/A3G5PTVgjqs?t=7m54s" target="_blank"><i>No Dating During NaNo</i> [NaNoMusical E3/6]</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, before meeting me, my boyfriend claims he had never heard of NaNoWriMo.
And while he has been really supportive of his crazy girlfriend in my quest for
50,000 words, something he said the other night made me question how truthful
he’s been with me about the traditions of November.<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He said something along the lines of, “I was thinking, if you needed to boost your word
count, couldn’t you just introduce a new character, describe him in great
detail and then kill him off on the next page?”<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And he swears he’s never heard of National Novel Writing Month
before.<br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Yes, I’m in love.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4px;">What does your NaNoWriMo support system look like?</b>Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-13036918899989812272015-11-03T21:05:00.002-06:002019-05-01T23:16:02.607-05:00It Pulled Me Back In | NaNoWriMo 2015<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Okay, I'm in. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />I wasn't going to do it because, you know, life. But I couldn't resist the lure of it anyway. NaNoWriMo 2015 got it's hooks in me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So, my dear writer friends and readers, National Novel Writing Month began this year with me hardly having any clue as to what I would write. Luckily, I always seemingly have some sort of plot just laying around that needs finished.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So onward I go.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Viking and adventures and dreams and words.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Lots of them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fifty thousand of them to be exact.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Because, you know, words and stuff.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I am, after all, a writer at heart.</span>Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-19225481497092636042014-12-02T22:17:00.000-06:002019-05-01T23:16:17.015-05:00Another Win on the Books | Now to Finish Said Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio407FeoYFMvuE06W22_uA48fkk4wurmQ5INcy6sPHCK4laTH0oBRctT-ejLmrnftrzbcyxSgnkvRArX2OMe_dmsp7Kxs6St8-y4QGCGZb1ptE96-1HtiwQeRUoFLCjqA8Wzp4sAsljPg/s1600/blog_Winner-2014-Web-Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio407FeoYFMvuE06W22_uA48fkk4wurmQ5INcy6sPHCK4laTH0oBRctT-ejLmrnftrzbcyxSgnkvRArX2OMe_dmsp7Kxs6St8-y4QGCGZb1ptE96-1HtiwQeRUoFLCjqA8Wzp4sAsljPg/s1600/blog_Winner-2014-Web-Banner.jpg" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I did it. I won.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Oh my aching fingers!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ever since the calendar flipped to December 1, I’ve felt
like breaking out in song: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At
least, that's what I imagine it feels like for many writers across the globe
right now.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">November is over and it feels like I can finally get my
life back! This monster known as NaNoWriMo has taken over my life for the past
30 days. But for the second time I crossed into the National Novel Writing
Month winner’s circle by successfully penning 50,000 words worth of a novel in
just one month’s time.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That oh-so-wonderful 50,000<sup>th</sup> word was
written November 30<sup>th</sup> at approximately 8:53 p.m. Upon realization
that I had crossed the magical word count threshold, I promptly jumped up from
my computer desk, grabbed my cat and danced with her around the house for a
solid three and a half minutes (or until the song on the radio was done, at
which point my cat decided she didn’t really like her dancing partner and I
decided I should get back to the task of finishing the novel).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But upon sitting back down to my desk to continue the
not-yet-finished-story, a rush of emotions overcame me that anyone would expect
upon coming out the other side of such an audacious task as a winner.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The most prevalent of these feelings, of course, was the
sheer joy of obtaining a personal goal, that feeling of “I can do anything now!”
It’s the type of feeling that leaves you looking for the next big exploit. How
about traveling the globe in 80 days? Let me get my shoes. Climb to the top of
Mount Everest? I’ll get my coat!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fifty thousand words in a month? I own that.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Of course, after all the cart wheeling and skipping around
the house – scaring your cat all the while, mind you – has subsided and you’ve
had about an hour to let the celebration wear off, you realize there is another
feeling too. This one is a sort of hallow kind of thing, a “what now?” kind of
feeling.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As I said before, I’m not quite done with the story of <i>The Light Within the Darkness</i>. I’m
guessing I’ll need another 15,000-20,000 words to accomplish that feat. And
even then, it’ll only be a first draft. There are plenty of plot holes that
need filled and after that, there’ll be editing and a second draft to write. Almost
definitely a third, and quite possibly a fourth. Or fifth and sixth even. I’ll
admit this story is in pretty rough shape. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(Although, let’s be honest. If
anyone’s NaNo novel ever came out as anything other than crap, they were doing it
wrong. Or maybe that’s just a lie I keep telling myself.)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So I’ll still be working on my novel, just not in such a
fevered way as I had all of last month. I’ll let my friends actually see me
now. I won’t be afraid to step out into the sunlight for a bit (although if you’ve
ever experienced South Dakota in the winter time, you know I won’t be spending
too much extra time in the sub-zero temperatures either). </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I can get caught up on house chores, do dishes and laundry. Play with my cat a bit, although I'll have to ease into that one probably. She didn't like the dancing session. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I can actually afford time to
call my family and say, “hey, yeah I’m still alive; I survived... What? Are you crazy? No, you can't read it yet!”</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>If you did
NaNoWriMo this year, what’s the one thing you’re looking most forward to
reclaiming in your life? </b></span>Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-68494472789229176082014-11-29T20:10:00.001-06:002019-05-01T23:16:28.276-05:00On Deadline | A NaNoWriMo Update<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hey there internet and happy
Saturday! I know what you must be thinking:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">“Whoa! What’s this, an update from Amanda in November? But isn’t there,
like, that thing going on?”</span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><br /></span></i></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtVuZfaSx4ZWZKksIa1GR3Fe7AMN2wBu3ROrsDkD1rvB8HYKtnNJ44sNsIZfQgVaXGmxyJs-ZwHu-PVabqHRhooiAKPV4OHpVzuXBDs3YEj-Mv953-qtJxTkqRxbI40eLRbRTdOHru3sU/s1600/blog_nanowrimo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtVuZfaSx4ZWZKksIa1GR3Fe7AMN2wBu3ROrsDkD1rvB8HYKtnNJ44sNsIZfQgVaXGmxyJs-ZwHu-PVabqHRhooiAKPV4OHpVzuXBDs3YEj-Mv953-qtJxTkqRxbI40eLRbRTdOHru3sU/s1600/blog_nanowrimo.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">This blog post is brought to you by Procrastination! Keeping you from getting stuff done!</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Well, yes, there is in fact
that one thing going on. That thing called National Novel Writing Month, that
which has consumed my very being since 29 days ago. Almost every spare second
of my time has been dedicated towards writing my novel <i>The Light Within the Darkness.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I know it’s the day before
the deadline and while I haven’t validated my novel yet, a little bit ago I
crossed the threshold of 45,000 words on my project. That means I have just under
30 hours to come up with 5,000 words in order to win this year.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So why am I over here on my
blog writing an update to you my lovely reader?</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I just wanted to take a
moment to share some insightful wisdom about the wonders of NaNoWriMo. That is
to say, yes. I’m stuck in my plot.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But really, I have been
having a blast this year. I’ve been amazed at the story that has unfolded on
the page before me over the course of the past month. This story was first
conceived about seven or eight years ago and has been barely a blip in my
imagination since that time. I’d never put much thought into it, having always
been working on something else. This month I’ve been thrilled to see the
characters come to life and take charge of the story in their own right. (One
turned out to have slight alcoholic tendencies that totally blew me out of the
water because I never pictured this character doing that. But don’t worry. We
talked about it and she realizes she has a problem. I’ll be taking her to AA
meetings next week. After NaNo.)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It’s a tribute to this whole
NaNoWriMo and writing process that has me very thankful to be a writer.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As I’ve hoped on and off
social media over the course of the last month, checking in with other WriMos,
it’s a common theme. For the newbies and the veterans both. To all, the
amazement at how their stories unfold and characters come to life on the page
is an unbridled joy to behold.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Although I’ve come to a
crossroads in my novel where some key decisions need to be made in the plot
(and I can see it going in several directions and am just not quite sure which
way I should head with it), I’m determined I’ll win this year. I’m so close I
can taste that validation certificate now!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Besides, I believe it was Douglas
Adams who said it best: “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make
as they go by.”</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now if you’ll please excuse
me, one of my characters is reaching for a bottle of Jack again…<br /><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><br /></span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">For the record, I don’t actually put the winner’s certificate in my
mouth. I may kiss it a time or two, but that’s all. I swear. It probably just
tastes like paper or something anyway. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>If you’re doing NaNo this year and are like me (not quite to the finish
line yet) I’m cheering you on. Go us! We can do this! Don't give up! Even if you don't reach 50k, just think of all the wonderful words you have now that you didn't 29 days ago. That's something to be proud of. </b></span>Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-19136531276722932802014-11-10T13:18:00.000-06:002019-05-01T23:16:46.117-05:00"What's Your Story About?" | A NaNoWriMo Update<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-abd3f39a-9b1d-a032-3512-08357962cd63" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Almost two years ago, I moved from my childhood home to my current residence in a town called Webster. I’ve always liked my new home’s name. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I mean, really. I’m a writer who lives in a town called Webster. Isn’t that awesome? (I’m currently trying to petition the need to change our motto to something like “find your definition” or “define yourself.”) What’s more, a neighboring town that I visit often has the tagline, “write your story.” It would seem I live in a writer’s paradise.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That’s what I’m attempting to do this month, during National Novel Writing Month. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I write a weekly column in the local newspaper where I am employed as a journalist and last week I wrote about and explained to my readers what NaNoWriMo is. On the few occasions I have been out of my house since then, people have stopped me to ask how my noveling is going – something that is very encouraging to me. </span></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But then comes the question that causes me to cringe inwardly.</span></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">“What is your story about?”</span></span></div>
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</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My reply: “Uhhhh...words, and stuff?”</span></span></div>
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</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You see, because NaNo snuck up on me this year and I didn’t have much time to do my normal thing – outline – instead, I’m doing what WriMos call “pansting,” which is making up the story as you go along. While it’s true that the idea for this particular story has been roving around in my brain for several years, it involves a complex concept and storyline that I haven’t quite figured out yet. </span></span></div>
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</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Besides that, since my work is a tale of fiction – something my newspaper readers may not readily associate me with – I also usually don’t know how to reply or even begin telling them what my NaNo novel is about. I’m classifying it as a Young Adult Modern Fantasy Fiction. It’s not quite High Fantasy, but there are just enough elements of magic to distance itself from the realm of normal fiction. </span></span></div>
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</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Upon a brief and hurried attempt at an explanation to a well-meaning church lady who asked that question after services Sunday, she finally said, “Oh, so kind of a ‘Lord of the Rings’ kind of thing?”</span></span></div>
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</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Close enough, I thought.</span></span></div>
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</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’m still working on that description for you guys. I’ll share it when I’m ready, but for now, I’m concentrating on word count alone. </span></span></div>
Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-91606457310745935672014-11-01T15:12:00.000-05:002014-12-02T22:19:10.269-06:00So It Begins!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's here, the first day of NaNoWriMo 2014 - welcome to the madness! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If you're here at my blog, I'm going to assume that you already know what National Novel Writing Month is and that I need not explain it further to you. If you have never heard of this craziness that is writing a book - 50,000 words - in a single month, bless you. You probably got a full night's sleep last night and will sleep just fine tomorrow and the night after. At the very least, you will not find yourself at a single point this month sleep deprived due to worrying over the lack of words you have put to a page in the pursuit of telling a story on a deadline. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEp0wkxqUO6cPgcym1vBc6pkiyHmub-ZyJtCAOKtOGJWpUdlBWu_oNdiDYC5QyUBo1nxE1XNrl5qNMxnxdgdihOXNP3CEC8Dek6HIXmMDR-cn6QUa-AB_tSKb_raOH6k7LUjtHrNL_BEc/s1600/NaNoWriMo+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEp0wkxqUO6cPgcym1vBc6pkiyHmub-ZyJtCAOKtOGJWpUdlBWu_oNdiDYC5QyUBo1nxE1XNrl5qNMxnxdgdihOXNP3CEC8Dek6HIXmMDR-cn6QUa-AB_tSKb_raOH6k7LUjtHrNL_BEc/s1600/NaNoWriMo+banner.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This year will be my third attempt at completing NaNoWriMo. My first year, in 2012, I won. My second year, last year, I was unable to complete the task. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The first year, I knew what story I had planned to write as far back as two months before the start. I spent that time before the first of November plotting, outlining and writing character sketches and background stories. I made plans and told family and friends that I was undertaking the task of writing a book in a month and did my best to catch up on my sleep before the strike of midnight on All Hallows Eve. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The second year, I did none of that. I barely knew what story I wanted to write and intended to make things up as I went along. I failed to make sacred my writing time and allowed other things to take precedence over the telling of tales and before I was half way through the month, I had basically given up. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I hated myself for that. I swore I'd never do that again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I debated about not even attempting NaNo this year. But the lure of being a WriMo and connecting with the world-wide community was too much and I finally decided near the beginning of 30 days ago that I would do it this year. So I set out with an itinerary of items that HAD to be completed before I began. Each day, I checked those things off so I would find myself in a position of preparedness for the noveling marathon of the year. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">October 30th I realized I had a problem though; I still didn't know what story I was going to write.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But that was then, and this is today! I discovered my story idea yesterday afternoon. It's a fictional tale of the struggle between good and evil that I've been mulling over for several years. The entire plot hasn't been figured out yet, but I'm excited to have lit upon this idea as this year's project. I haven't written the synopsis of the story yet, but as soon as I do, I'll post it under my "Works In Progress" page (which, yes, I realize severely needs updated right now - it's on my to-do list). All I know is I'm doing way more research for the first day of November than I should, but looking up Latin phrases is kind of fun...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So yeah. That's where November 1st finds me right now.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Also, on a side note, this is my 100th blog post. That's kind of cool. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Leave me a comment and connect with me on NaNoWriMo.org if you too are doing NaNo this year. You'll find me under my name. </strong></span>Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-41244190654975139452014-02-20T23:38:00.000-06:002014-02-20T23:38:34.260-06:00Chat Pack Challenge 20 – Happy Birthday To Me<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Today’s question: <em>What is the one
thing you are most fearful of doing?</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy birthday to me! I’m a quarter of a century old today and had an
amazingly blessed day. There are two flower shops in the small town I live in
and I think I alone have kept them in business a bit longer today. I had three bouquets
of flowers sent to me at the office – one from my parents, one from my aunt and
uncle and one from a lady who just felt like giving me flowers because she
thought I’d written a nice story about her in the paper. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPitdl9DrKzV7aQIF1JPS8yaQhSiTcOj4j410YmMEpP52pYR-NqWMxRKAt70lxXMXmJHSrLo3_br29JYVabi51z3jHzJ2M8t3eEXW9-zUxOpcyNfY9aVd1FLPJ9JfGj-mp-VBwL6Fu6-o/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPitdl9DrKzV7aQIF1JPS8yaQhSiTcOj4j410YmMEpP52pYR-NqWMxRKAt70lxXMXmJHSrLo3_br29JYVabi51z3jHzJ2M8t3eEXW9-zUxOpcyNfY9aVd1FLPJ9JfGj-mp-VBwL6Fu6-o/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+20.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>All my birthday flowers (plus the just-because flowers). Oh, and chocolates. Someone got me chocolates too. </em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, I know I am spoiled. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In response to today’s question, the one thing I’m most fearful of
doing is not giving my best effort one hundred percent of the time. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While I’m really scared of spiders and creepy bugs, I can always find a
shoe or some other object to squish them with and then carry on with my life. But
failing at something because you didn’t try hard enough? That’s something that
haunts you for the rest of your life, knowing you could have done better. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>So what about you? What are you
most fearful of? (Note: your birthday present to me could be answering today’s
question in the comment section!)</strong></span></div>
Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-89740704697335245332014-02-19T23:51:00.000-06:002014-02-19T23:51:03.539-06:00Chat Pack Challenge 19 – The Young Journalist<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Today’s question:<em> What is the
highest award you’ve ever won or highest honor you’ve ever had conferred upon
you?</em> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><u>The Young Journalist<o:p></o:p></u></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The highest award I’ve ever received was back in 2009 at the South
Dakota Newspaper Association’s annual convention when I was named the
Outstanding Young Journalist for all weekly newspapers in the state. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This remains one of my proudest moments. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Outstanding Young Journalist award is only awarded to two
individuals each year, one for weekly newspaper journalists and another for
daily papers. The recipient must be under the age of 30 and can only receive
the award once in their lifetime. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was 19 when nominated and had just turned 20 when they announced my
name during the formal banquet to which it was my first time attending. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My mind was whirling a million miles a second as I looked around the
room in complete shock. People were beginning to stand and applauded. A
gentleman to my left heartily slapped my shoulder and a lady across the table leaned
forward to say her congratulations. My editor was on my right, beaming,
laughing with a huge smile on her face. When I continued to just sit there, she
kind of pointed towards the stage and mouthed something like, “go!”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I walked forward – it felt more like I was floating – random people reached
out to shake my hand and those who I then barely knew were greeting me with
smiles. I could barely get my brain wrapped around it all. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How had a homeschooled and farm-raised girl like me made it here? How
could it be that I was thus blessed? I was the girl who, not that long before
this moment, had hardly ever been away from the farm in the country for any
other reason than to make a mechanical parts run or to pick up feed for the
livestock. How was it possible that I was living my dream already? I was making
my living by my written words. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I got on the stage and was dumbfounded by what to say when they
motioned me up to the microphone. I looked out at the sea of newspaper editors
and publishers, all looking back at me, expecting me to say something. I
silently prayed whatever I managed to get out was at least intelligible. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But then I saw my editor there, and remembered. It was due in large part
to this lady that I had made it here. She was the one who had been willing to
take me under her wing and teach me so much about the newspaper industry –
practically everything I knew about it at that time. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I thank God He gave me such a great mentor, such a great friend. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, I barely remember what I said in my acceptance speech but do
recall a line something along the lines of this: “When I started in this
industry, it was on a six-week trial basis, to see if I could deal with the
deadlines and to see if I could handle the stress of it all. Well, I’m here to
tell you all that I’ve fallen in love with this industry and had those six weeks
not worked out where I started, I would have been banging on each and every one
of your newspaper’s doors begging for a job.” </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To which I was rewarded with a hearty laugh from the crowd.</span></div>
Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-5460511671082674162014-02-18T22:13:00.000-06:002014-02-18T22:13:13.496-06:00Chat Pack Challenge 18 – What is Dull?<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Today’s question: <em>What do you
think is the dullest topic to discuss?<o:p></o:p></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIaW_J4D5l9cWaNnwNLQy2MYfbggbfB-5ndcctqbjsk1zBLVMcOp5EwOu3WLQDWpTTw13d7kVV_289XsbOb-By6gEfDNgFABdhir92vyLIEUXH2Xkrxf43jtE2GzLDyYns3e0uv_pN5A/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIaW_J4D5l9cWaNnwNLQy2MYfbggbfB-5ndcctqbjsk1zBLVMcOp5EwOu3WLQDWpTTw13d7kVV_289XsbOb-By6gEfDNgFABdhir92vyLIEUXH2Xkrxf43jtE2GzLDyYns3e0uv_pN5A/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+18.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>What is dull to you?</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’m breaking it down today, going honest Abe on you all. That means no
short story in this post and just straight up truth speaking from my lips—er, finger
tips. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The answer of today’s question of the day is from the real me. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And the answer to what I think is the dullest topic to discuss is...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Actually, I
don’t have a real answer for this one. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I literally spent two hours just thinking on this question and trying
to decide what I truly think is the dullest thing in the world to discuss and
after that time I could think of nothing I detested discussing. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">See, I’m somewhat of an eclectic spirit and talking in extension on
various subjects is something I enjoy. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maybe I just enjoy talking. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Religion, politics, weather, economics, education, music, movies,
literature, fashion, whatever and I’m typically game. If there’s anything I don’t
like to discuss, it’s typically not so much that I don’t like talking about it
as the fact that I’m not very well educated in the subject area that I feel I
have nothing to add. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of those areas is sports. I’m not a huge sports fan, but I try to
follow local high school sports and support the hometown.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maybe all this stems from the fact that my real life job as a
journalist requires me to be open to talking about such a wide assortment of
topics. Could also do with the fact that I was homeschooled and when I was growing up I always thought I was missing out on something by not going to public school. So I was always very open to hearing about new topics and discussing things, dissecting subjects so no one could say my parents made a wrong choice in keeping me out of the public school system. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But ultimately, whatever the topic is, I don’t mind just as long as the person I’m
talking to is willing to have an open mind and willingness to listen to my
opinions too. It’s no fun when a conversation suddenly turns into a chest-thumping
contest where the other person is just out to prove you wrong.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>So how about you? What is the
dullest topic that you hate to discuss?</strong></span></div>
Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-4601054879416867462014-02-17T23:49:00.001-06:002014-02-17T23:49:46.392-06:00Chat Pack Challenge 17 – The Wedding Gift<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79fliA3Pb8wpjsKxzFTzNj6Pcfn9KuQNkxpmfgZjINVcT33dIJDHNK59Tf6n-2e4gisAHauBPlzNWkYm3C1riBoj-Vbqoa76uYSdjJ4D1y2qIoZnUprlhHnp1PohylaSDKC0imYoisbI/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79fliA3Pb8wpjsKxzFTzNj6Pcfn9KuQNkxpmfgZjINVcT33dIJDHNK59Tf6n-2e4gisAHauBPlzNWkYm3C1riBoj-Vbqoa76uYSdjJ4D1y2qIoZnUprlhHnp1PohylaSDKC0imYoisbI/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+17.jpg" /></a></div>
This story was inspired by a true life tale. Maybe because Valentine's Day was just last week is why this one came to mind. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today’s question: <em>What is the
most heartwarming/uplifting human-interest story you’ve ever heard?</em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><u>The Wedding Gift<o:p></o:p></u></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were almost ready, hair and makeup done, the gals all had their
dresses, and all that was left was to slip me into the white gown. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was a knock at the door and a voice from the other side jokingly
called out, “Are you ladies decent?”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We all giggled and one of my bride’s maids ran to the door to check who
it was. Then she stepped aside and let my fiancé’s brother into the room. He
was wearing his black suit and silver tie, more dressed up than I’d ever seen
him before. In his hands was a package in red wrapping with a write ribbon and
bow. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tears began to well up in my eyes and I didn’t even know what was
inside my future husband’s gift yet. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My friends and soon-to-be brother-in-law all started laughing and
giggling at me. My face was burning because my smile couldn’t grow any wider.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Don’t you cry now, you’ll ruin your makeup!” one of my sisters was
teasing. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then I was holding the package, carefully removing the paper. Inside was
a little wooden box. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I opened the lid. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was a stack of envelopes, all sealed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On each envelope was written a date. The same date was on all, but the year
was different on every one of them. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The top one was dated today and said "open now." </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My hands shook as I picked it up and broke the seal. Inside was a letter
in my fiancé’s handwriting. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Dear Anna, <o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>
</em></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>You are my rock, my love, my best
friend. I want you to know you can always count on me to be by your side.
Inside this box you will find a note for each year that we are together. I
promise to you complete love and unwavering trust for a lifetime together. I
love you, now and forever. <o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>
</em></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Love, Scott</em></span></div>
Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-47084350585692422202014-02-16T22:36:00.000-06:002014-02-16T22:36:08.356-06:00Chat Pack Challenge 16 – The Big Oops<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmjiLV2JrlD3z5V3bYW7Y436ec9xUKiXDp4DFWpfQ-mSW3AQkfVmOcgWKgBiFC7AhlPyuzHAjIcQ0XXXW5tobVItd-Ry3G2sBxm5rjAKQiiHF9p0_qsVWACNyuzCMxkpssHp2mzr96xk/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmjiLV2JrlD3z5V3bYW7Y436ec9xUKiXDp4DFWpfQ-mSW3AQkfVmOcgWKgBiFC7AhlPyuzHAjIcQ0XXXW5tobVItd-Ry3G2sBxm5rjAKQiiHF9p0_qsVWACNyuzCMxkpssHp2mzr96xk/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+16.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hey everyone, wow, isn’t it amazing how quickly life can take you in a
different direction than you had intended to go? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My month long self challenge to write a short story or post in January
came to a screeching halt when I became overwhelmed with a large work schedule,
family health issues and other obligations I had pre-committed myself to prior
to beginning this challenge. I moved in the middle of all of this and had to
make a couple of unexpected trips half way across the state for various
reasons. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And now I’m absolutely convinced that when life sees you trying to
succeed with a goal it will throw anything it can to knock you down. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you get knocked down, that’s okay. No matter how strong you are or
you think you are, you will get knocked down at some point. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The important thing is to get back up. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks to Twitter pal @alexalvar7 for prompting me to continue my
#ChatPackChallenge by tweeting, “Who cares about deadlines? Just keep writing.”
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, without further ado, here is today’s question with my short story
(fiction) answer: <em>What is the costliest
mistake you’ve ever made?</em></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmjiLV2JrlD3z5V3bYW7Y436ec9xUKiXDp4DFWpfQ-mSW3AQkfVmOcgWKgBiFC7AhlPyuzHAjIcQ0XXXW5tobVItd-Ry3G2sBxm5rjAKQiiHF9p0_qsVWACNyuzCMxkpssHp2mzr96xk/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a> </div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><u>The Big Oops<o:p></o:p></u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The light had been green. I swore the light had been green. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yet the onslaught of traffic that battered my car around like I’d been
in a bumper car and not a real car was proof enough that the stop light had
been a different color when I tried to go through the intersection. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It happened so quickly that I didn’t know in what order the cars were
bashed into each other. I think I’d clipped the bumper of one car first and
another spun me around from behind, which then went off and collided nose-first
with another vehicle. From there I was really lost. Now that the wheels had
stopped squealing and metal had stopped crunching and car horns had stopped
blaring I could count that five cars total – one of them a police cruiser – had
been involved in the accident. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At least a police officer didn’t have to travel far to the scene of the
accident, I thought. He had yet to come talk to me to get my side of the story.
The little old lady he was talking too now kept glancing over at me, her lips
drawn in a straight line across her otherwise wrinkled face and grey hair was
poking haphazardly out from under her head scarf. The other drivers were
looking over the damages to their cars. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thankfully no one had been injured. My pocketbook, on the other hand
was going to be limping for a long time after this I could tell. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>What is the most expensive
mistake you’ve ever made? </strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong></strong></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em>Please drive safely! <o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-8jRzMUKQ9Us%2FUwGQrU_0HBI%2FAAAAAAAAAd0%2FnrUAQrPiHBI%2Fs1600%2F2014%2BBlog%2B-%2BChatPackChallenge%2B16.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmjiLV2JrlD3z5V3bYW7Y436ec9xUKiXDp4DFWpfQ-mSW3AQkfVmOcgWKgBiFC7AhlPyuzHAjIcQ0XXXW5tobVItd-Ry3G2sBxm5rjAKQiiHF9p0_qsVWACNyuzCMxkpssHp2mzr96xk/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+16.jpg" -->Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-83025487557983395572014-01-16T22:04:00.002-06:002014-01-16T22:05:40.826-06:00Chat Pack Challenge 15 – You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream For Ice Cream!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Today’s question: <em>What do you think is the best flavor of ice
cream ever created? </em></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNi7x14saCEE5qnnkciOrRFuM51EEVtFF58WfqTUWrsgb0Oej6EQRLXpX7w6tea2bUsaPD8JiShUbxs69vf11l3_dK_vJz8WAz9XDjZbJHvMRP3DS2wr3OM451prGQLWrkAGjA22eZ28/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNi7x14saCEE5qnnkciOrRFuM51EEVtFF58WfqTUWrsgb0Oej6EQRLXpX7w6tea2bUsaPD8JiShUbxs69vf11l3_dK_vJz8WAz9XDjZbJHvMRP3DS2wr3OM451prGQLWrkAGjA22eZ28/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge15.jpg" height="640" width="244" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><u>You Scream, I Scream, We All
Scream For Ice Cream!<o:p></o:p></u></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vanilla. With chocolate and caramel syrup. Or strawberry syrup. Or put
some hot fudge on that baby, and I’m yours. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cookies and cream, chocolate chip – cookie dough, yum! A twist cone, caramel
swirl or strawberry. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Can we count orange sherbet as a kind of ice cream? I think I’m going
to list it here anyway. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm not a big fan of rocky road, but there's this thing the ice cream shop near where I grew up makes called an avalanche. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's pretty much heaven in an ice cream shape.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I’m always on the hunt for the perfect chocolate malt. I have a recipe
that includes peanut butter. Someday I'll maybe share the recipe here.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Quick, wipe that drool before it gets on your keyboard! Now, go out and
get yourself some ice cream! </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>What’s <em>your </em>favorite kind of ice
cream? Leave a comment below!</strong></span></div>
Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-73614761856519835552014-01-14T23:42:00.004-06:002014-01-14T23:51:06.345-06:00Chat Pack Challenge 14 – Go The Distance<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Today’s question: <em>What is the longest distance you’ve ever walked in a
single day?</em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><em>
</em></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You know I couldn’t resist getting a good zombie apocalypse story in
here sometime during the month. :)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Go The Distance<o:p></o:p></span></u></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mid-afternoon, the sun bearing down and I was about out of water.
Nothing but desolation lay ahead of me, as far as the eye could see. I’d already
walked far, so far… and I had a long ways yet to go. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>“Chase back the demons!”</em> I
shook my head to chase back the words, but just as we’d failed in driving away
the demons, so the words bore down upon me. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Don’t let them in!”<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The battle of Northberg had been twenty-four hours ago. Had it really
been only that long? It felt more like a lifetime. A day ago the monsters
encircled our walls, the last fortified city this side of the divide. </span><span style="font-size: small;">When they mounted
the attack against the concrete and brick that had kept us safe for so long, we
thought we were safe. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">How wrong we’d been. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Now my captain’s words kept echoing over in my head, <em>“Don’t let them in! Keep back the demons! We’ll
be all lost if they do get in! Kill them all!”</em> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">But they had broken through. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And all hell broke loose when they did.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Because, how did you kill something that was already dead?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Twenty-four hours ago, t</span><span style="font-size: small;">hat was a question we lost the </span><span style="font-size: small;">battle trying to
answer. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The monsters had overtaken our city a day ago and I had been walking
ever since. I was the lone survivor of the attack. At least, I hadn’t seen another
living being – I wasn’t counting the vultures circling overhead – since my
escape. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I was making an assumption, of course, however grim an assumption it
was.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All that was left now was to walk on. I had to go the distance and find another city of survivors soon. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The lack of water wasn't the thing that would end up killing me out here.</span></div>
Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-60233540084475403492014-01-13T22:30:00.000-06:002014-01-14T23:49:23.629-06:00Chat Pack Challenge 13 – The Most Comfortable Shirt in the World<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Today’s question: <em>What is the most comfortable article of clothing
you’ve ever owned? The most meaningful?</em> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><u>The Most Comfortable Shirt in
the World<o:p></o:p></u></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay, so this is going to sound really crazy, but I once had a shirt
when I was a kid that I loved so much, when it got too wore out to wear it any
more, I actually had my mom turn it into a pillow case. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please don’t laugh, I’m serious. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have no idea what kind of material it is and that makes me sad
because someday it will be too wore out to be even a pillow case and then I won’t
be able to replace it. The fabric is really, really soft and stays cool all the
time – which is a major thing for me and pillows. They have to be cool to the
touch or it’s a no-go-to-sleep. That’s a rule. For me anyhow. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, when it was no longer appropriate to wear the shirt any more, my
mom took it, squared up the neck and shoulders, cut off the sleeves and sewed
them on the inside. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you were to look at it for the first time, you would never know that
it had once been the most comfortable item of clothing in my wardrobe. </span></div>
Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-70075744618350854702014-01-12T21:57:00.000-06:002014-01-12T21:57:45.645-06:00Chat Pack Challenge 12 – Sister<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today’s Question: <em>What is the
longest-lasting friendship you’ve ever had?</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><u>Sister<o:p></o:p></u></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The longest lasting friendship I have is with my sister, Alexis. She’s
just sixteen months younger than me so she is literally the best friend I’ve
had for the longest time. </span></div>
Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-74383361404956422012014-01-11T23:30:00.000-06:002014-01-11T23:37:56.468-06:00Chat Pack Challenge 11 – I Just Wanted Some Ice Cream<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Today’s question: <em>What is the
worst customer service you’ve ever experienced?<o:p></o:p></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I started this challenge, I did say it didn’t matter how much I
wrote, as long as it was at least something each day. So, here you go. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><u>I Just Wanted Some Ice Cream<o:p></o:p></u></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BfekoD1PGgnEEYdi3gKFvTCqNWShtv76WJlsTOgFViJ06ypAyfFwxLHsBcDanepUEc5YRz97gNLZGeWXaa6VDkcHIJ5jjZcuwMO8CM7bEybUvAADKEoa1uTpdOxM3Ngdzrn-VbIbAMQ/s1600/2014+blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BfekoD1PGgnEEYdi3gKFvTCqNWShtv76WJlsTOgFViJ06ypAyfFwxLHsBcDanepUEc5YRz97gNLZGeWXaa6VDkcHIJ5jjZcuwMO8CM7bEybUvAADKEoa1uTpdOxM3Ngdzrn-VbIbAMQ/s1600/2014+blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+12.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was ignored. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No, like really. They had a special – advertised in the newspaper and
everything – that if you stopped out and donated money to their selected cause
they’d give you a free ice cream cone. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was stopping out for supper at the fast food joint and thought an ice
cream cone would make a delicious desert. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“So I hear you guys are giving out free ice cream today?” I said
lightly to the high school kid behind the counter. He looked like he could care
less if he were working or not.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Yeah,” he replied as he watched me drop some cash into their little
donation box on the counter. A few minutes later he plopped the food – ordered to
go – down on the counter in front of me and sarcastically said, “have a good
evening,” then walked away. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was no ice cream cone in sight. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Some of you have to have a better bad customer service story than me. Tell what your worst customer service experience ever was in the comments below! </span></strong></div>
Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-36629353294112545872014-01-11T22:30:00.000-06:002014-01-11T23:08:20.268-06:00Chat Pack Challenge 10 –Answered Prayers<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Today’s question: <em>What is the
clearest answer to prayer that you’ve ever received? </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><u>Answered Prayers<o:p></o:p></u></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before storming out of the room to throw myself on my bed for a good
cry, I tossed my hands in the air in defeat and shouted at my mom, “Just sign
me up for veterinary school!” </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My frustration was in no way directed at my mother nor was it her fault.
It was simply the result of an ongoing conversation about what I would do with
the rest of my life when I had not a clue. I was a senior and high school and
still hadn’t decided if or for what I would go to college. I knew I was
overwhelmingly ignorant about the outside world – having been raised on a farm
and homeschooled, hardly ever going in to town or having relatively few friends
– and the statement I’d just shouted was proof of that. As far as I knew,
college – a degree in something, anything – was my only ticket on to bigger
things. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkb2avRoGJfmkcCQv5ybKxfM9__jXxl2Z5cLLRwtDXOKocWH8N15JVqC07wpdc0Wj4-KtzOaCfYjy6k-I_0ShK8dr7dh9I-G9CdQ8ftq_mcnDRXHIRvjYoGngpr5P8y-6CsEqLmwpTDk/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkb2avRoGJfmkcCQv5ybKxfM9__jXxl2Z5cLLRwtDXOKocWH8N15JVqC07wpdc0Wj4-KtzOaCfYjy6k-I_0ShK8dr7dh9I-G9CdQ8ftq_mcnDRXHIRvjYoGngpr5P8y-6CsEqLmwpTDk/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+11.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a name='more'></a>While I really didn’t know what exactly I wanted to do for a living, I
knew living with my parents and working as a farm hand was not favorable. Please
note that I think farming is a very noble profession and I’m proud of my
farming roots, but at the time I didn’t feel it was something I wanted to do
for the rest of my life. I wanted to go out and change the world, to have an
influence somewhere, yet do something that allowed me to use my creative
talents. Why that day I thought veterinary school would do the trick, I have no
idea. But I loved animals, so maybe that was it. Still do, in fact. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a while my mom came into my room where I was sobbing into my
pillow. We talked softly for a while and while I don’t remember all of what was
said, I do remember her advice about praying and turning the situation over to
God, asking Him for guidance and direction in my life. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I did. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I prayed and asked God to point me in the right direct and to give me
peace. The later he did almost immediately. The former he waited a few days. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In my hometown, our newspaper does a feature section on each of the
graduating seniors each year. In that profile, they ask everyone what their
favorite subject is. Mine, of course, was English. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I didn't know was, about the time or just before my frustrated
outbreak, I found out later, that the newspaper’s lone reporter quit, leaving
the editor in somewhat of a bind for help. She remembered seeing that I enjoyed
English and decided to call. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That’s when she asked me to apply for a job. And that’s when I fell in
love with journalism. Now seven years later and still in the reporting
business, I am just as in love with the path God sent me down as ever. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since then, there have been many other numerous examples of this being
God’s answer to my prayer, but that day I remember throwing myself down on my
bed, much like I had earlier in frustration, but this time completely and
totally overwhelmed with thankfulness. That phone call had been an answer to
my prayer.</span></div>
Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-72331870284360037682014-01-10T23:30:00.000-06:002014-01-11T00:19:31.351-06:00Chat Pack Challenge 9 – Game Night Monopoly <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Today’s question: <em>What is your
all-time favorite board game?</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><u>Game Night Monopoly<o:p></o:p></u></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Miller family was all gathering around the kitchen table. Dad was
bringing the box of games from out of the front closet. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“What game do we want to play tonight?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>he asked. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Little Billy burst out, “Monopoly!”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sally, his older sister by exactly three years and two months, rolled
her eye and crossed her arms. “Nu-uh! Let’s play Clue!”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Little Billy shouted back through clenched teeth, “No! We’re playing
Monopoly because that’s my favorite game of all time.” </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“You can’t even count yet. You always have to have someone help you,”
Sally retorted. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I was thinking of Yahtzee,” their mom began to say. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“No!” the siblings shouted in unison. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dad sighed. “Here we go again.”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Well, tell him we should play Clue!”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Tell her we are gonna play
Monopoly!”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“There’s always Battleship,” Mom suggested. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“No!” the siblings shouted together then went back to arguing with each other. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dad propped his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand. "We should have just had a movie night instead," he mumbled to Mom. She nodded her agreement. </span></div>
Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-90276293419695588662014-01-09T22:54:00.000-06:002014-01-09T22:54:11.228-06:00Chat Pack Challenge 8 – $1,000,000<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Today’s question: <em>Besides a new
house or a new vehicle, what is the single most expensive purchase you would
make if you won a million dollars tomorrow?<o:p></o:p></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay, I couldn’t resist doing this with this story. Enjoy! </span></div>
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</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/LHacDYj8KZM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Play the video as you read the story)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<strong><u>$1,000,000</u></strong></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“If I had a million dollars, if I
had a million dollars! If I had a million dollars… I’d be rich.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The song faded and left Christian to his thoughts for a moment. He sat
in a dusty arm chair in his cramped living room.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 98-year-old man didn’t think winning a million dollars in the
lottery had changed him. In some ways he was still the same guy who’d scratched
down some random numbers on a lottery ticket once. He still lived in his two
bedroom home at the end of the block and still had that new car, a 1994
Oldsmobile Royal. Two decades old now and he couldn’t really drive any more on
account of his fading eye sight. That and the kids having taken his keys away
from him…</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Someone cleared their throat and Christian jerked. He’d begun to fade
off to sleep, but the sound brought him back. He looked up. The guys in the band
stood looking at him. It was a bit of a tight space, here in his house, but the
band had managed to get all their equipment in here. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Christian just smiled at the <em>Barenaked Ladies</em> and said in a raspy,
aged voice, “Again.” </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the music picked up and the lead singer stepped up to the mic, Christian
laughed at the very thought. He had the band on a million dollar contract to
play whenever he wanted them to until his dying breath. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The joke was on them though. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His doctor told him he was healthy as a horse. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“If I had a million dollars, if I
had a million dollars, well I’d buy you a house…”</span></div>
Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-67030710505880590602014-01-08T23:30:00.000-06:002014-01-09T00:33:10.174-06:00Chat Pack Challenge 7 – Something Interesting<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Today’s question: <em>What is the
coolest item you’ve ever discovered at a yard sale (or similar type of venue)?</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana;">If you're just tuning in, then welcome to the seventh challenge of my month long Chat Pack Challenge. This is a personal challenge to get me writing every day of the new year. Feel free to join in by leaving your answer to today's question in the comment section or write a reply on your own blog, but if that's how you do it, let me know by leaving the link so I can check out your answer! </span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I like the way this short story came out today. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The plot had a couple
of surprise twists for me while writing it, but everything came together in the end.
I had intended to write this tale from the point of view of the older sister, but for
some reason the little sister sort of took over the story. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And I’m okay with that
now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Enjoy the story below!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA0hSjdjwc-ZHEw5mEhaoo6ert88hjO9mEGner4Qna-r31u6elIdRTuUFnuKJ3tIztSW6usHGS78R6_r6iDAxeoGFwVvbkoJA08FJDiBnrCNNwgKqMcYhY7khmVLftmXRbk7gaPfEpOrE/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA0hSjdjwc-ZHEw5mEhaoo6ert88hjO9mEGner4Qna-r31u6elIdRTuUFnuKJ3tIztSW6usHGS78R6_r6iDAxeoGFwVvbkoJA08FJDiBnrCNNwgKqMcYhY7khmVLftmXRbk7gaPfEpOrE/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+7.jpg" /></a></div>
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><u></u></strong></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><u></u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><u><a name='more'></a>Something Interesting<o:p></o:p></u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The girl was systematically sifting through the boxes. She was trying
to be quick, but these sorts of things took time. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Come on Vicki, let’s go!” the girl with her whined. “Mom’s going to
have lunch ready soon.” </span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Just a sec, Mel,” she mumbled while her head was stuck deep inside a
box of what appeared to be random scraps of material and scarves. “Haven’t
found anything yet.”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Ugh!” She stomped her foot and looked away. There was no arguing with her
big sister when she got like this. She was always like this at rummage sales. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There were a handful of people mingling around the yard. Most were old.
Like, grandma and grandpa old. They, too, were looking through the seemingly
endless rows of tables and sorting through the boxes stacked on top. None other
with quite the vigor of her sister, however. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Crossing her arms, Mel turned back to Vicki and asked, “What are you
looking for anyway?”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vicki pulled her head out of the box and looked at her friend very sternly.
She managed to convey her seriousness despite the random bits of material
draped over her shoulders and head. “Treasure,” was her one word reply and she
went back to her search. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mel dropped her arms and her head flopped back as she groaned to the
sky. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“You could help me look and we’d get done twice as fast,” Vicki
offered. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Fine,” Mel said. “Where do I start?”</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vicki had moved on to another box now. This one seemed to contain a
varied assortment of wires and plugs. Without looking up, Vicki pointed to her
left and said, “Over there. Start over there.” </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mel rolled her eyes but moved in the direction her sister had pointed. Vicki
had directed her to a table filled with ancient looking hardcover texts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the manuscripts were falling apart, the
cloth of the covers ripped and torn. The titles were nearly impossible to read on
all but a few because the letters were so badly faded. A musty smell wafted up
to her nose as she began to move the books around and a puff of dust flew up,
causing her to sneeze. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“How am I supposed to know what to look for?” she complained out loud. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Just look for something interesting,” was the reply. </span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Like I’m going to know wha– ” </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mel’s voice drifted off as something on the table caught her eye. It
was bigger to than the others to begin with and the cover was made of leather,
not cloth. But the biggest difference was, while Mel wouldn’t describe it as
new, she could tell this book had been taken much better care of than all the
rest put together. Brightly painted fairies danced across the cover and the
title was written in a language Mel couldn’t make out. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“You mean like this?” she said breathlessly as she reached out to touch
it. </span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vicki was by her side in an instant.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mel carefully lifted the book from among the others and neither girl
noticed the other holding her breath. As gently as she could, Mel opened it up.
A sudden rush of wind blew their hair behind them and pages flipped wildly.
Then just as quickly as the wind had picked up, it was calm again. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">During the breeze, something like a bookmark had fallen from among the
pages. Vicki bent to pick it off the ground. When she stood back up she held a
leaf that had been fashioned into a miniature shirt. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Now that,” Vicki whispered, “is something interesting.”</span></div>
Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7728073317003326781.post-57803806208299570932014-01-07T23:30:00.000-06:002014-01-08T00:43:16.636-06:00Chat Pack Challenge 6 – The Greatest of These<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Today’s question: <em>What do you think is the most valuable
attribute for any person to have?</em> <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ooh, this is a good one
today. This question drives at a very personal subject for me t. I hope this isn’t
confusing the way it's written. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GSkGU2CCK1c5vU-2hgC8_zEK9s_W_KoVguSOacITv37svERBBHmZz_Nws30OgN5MoNrIppMCYpBzmzrwPFTFJNnb4PYxFKN0UspzWgYb85R8qWImcEdIBqc6sqOFgK_Cu7uzZufD0vU/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GSkGU2CCK1c5vU-2hgC8_zEK9s_W_KoVguSOacITv37svERBBHmZz_Nws30OgN5MoNrIppMCYpBzmzrwPFTFJNnb4PYxFKN0UspzWgYb85R8qWImcEdIBqc6sqOFgK_Cu7uzZufD0vU/s1600/2014+Blog+-+ChatPackChallenge+6.jpg" /></a></div>
</span><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><u>The Greatest of These<o:p></o:p></u></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>…The
greatest of these is love…<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He closed the book and
closed his eyes. The passage had etched a picture on the inside of his eyelids.
It was a picture of a lonely hill, an angry mob standing at the top while angry
dark clouds hovered overhead. From the distance he was in his mind-picture, he
could just make out the shape of three crosses. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He knew that each bore
a man ‘til their death. One man bore an extra weight besides his own body. It
was the weight of the world. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>…If
I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a
resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can
fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and
give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not love, I gain nothing…<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That man’s name was
Love. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>…Love
is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with
the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves…<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For it was love that
drove him to bear the cross upon that hill that day. It was love that kept him
nailed there. It was love that kept him locked within his frail human flesh. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>…Love
never fails...<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a love for the
world – past and future. For you. For me. For those who spat at him, teasing,
jeering at his feet, watching him die, naked and humiliated, on that cross. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>…
But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they
will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in
part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part
disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood
behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see
face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known…<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But Love did it because
he knew. He knew the price and he paid it willingly. In the act of the greatest
sacrifice, Love gave all. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>…And
now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.</em></span></span></div>
Amanda Fangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11029312338811781606noreply@blogger.com0