Lesson 467: Voice

Happy Friday, Everyone,

and Happy Birthday to me!

It's Eloise's 46th birthday!

Forty-six is a cool number.

I prefer odd number to even overwhelmingly, though.

I like it when things don't match up perfectly,

are lopsided,

asymmetrical,

and slightly off center.

Goes with my personality, I suppose.

Even Steven 46 still has its lovable qualities though.

According to wikipedia,

it's the atomic number of palladium,

the number of human chromosomes,

and the number of peaks in the Adirondack Mountain Range.

Psalm 46 is well known and touches me personally.

Birthdays are special because one cannot help but look 

back and reflect upon what led you to be the person you are today.

(Eloise is on the left)

At the same time, 

one cannot escape the anticipatory feeling about

the year that lies ahead.

I can't wait to get to know my new squirrel, Acorn,

and think about all the fun photos I will snap of him.

I passed out a birthday treat to Acorn, too!

He loves peanuts.

I've decided that Year 46 will be 

The Year of Finishing Unfinished Projects.

Last count,

I have 50 million of them.

I've got art stuff

and organization stuff

and family history stuff

and I'm also learning how to weld.

It's going to open so many doors for me!

And, 

probably for the Lamp Post Readers enjoyment,

I have lots of finished manuscripts saved on a jump drive,

waiting for eyes to read them.

I am going to publish another book on this blog during my 46th year.

Most likely the book will be determined by Reader Choice.

I plan on creating a Survey Monkey in the near future

to see what you are interested in reading.

Don't get too excited.

Nothing too juicy or revealing.

Children are my intended audience.

Here is a sneak peek at some of the titles that will be offered:

Holding Onto Hope

I wrote this one while I had shingles on my trigeminal nerve

I was in a great deal of pain,

and the book wound up being about a child abduction

and a scary character of local legend--

Stanley, the hobo who lived on Belle Road.

It is my least favorite of all of the choices,

and one I've tried time and time again to rewrite

and have gotten nowhere with.

Misunderstood/Miss Understood--

my first book

A book about autism

Snapshot

A story about Sam and friends

Omelet--The Story of a Slightly Cracked Egg

Children's Fun Fiction

I teach writing at school and we always are working on Voice.

Voice is a hard thing to teach.

Some kids just naturally grasp it and do it well.

Others need to be shown and it's a struggle for them.

Voice and speaking naturally go together.

Voice and writing do, also.

But voice comes from many other places as well.

Voice is your song.

Perhaps it is because we are raising two children who don't use

words or conversational language to communicate,

but I hear voice all around me in many ways.

Your voices--

YOU--

the Lamp Post readers--

can be heard through your

photos

and posts

and tweets

and stories

and bumper stickers

and t-shirts

and smiles

and handshakes

and hugs.

I'm headed out now to see The Shack on the big screen.

I can only hope the movie is half as good as the book was.

I'll end tonight,

the night I begin the journey of my 46th year,

with a song about voice--

The Sound of Your Voice by Third Day,

one of my favorite bands.

Nature sings to me and the video honors

the beauty I've encountered in the last year.

Always,

ELOISE

Y