Miss Hannigan and finding the opposite in characters

Hello, blog readers. I am back.
First, let's open up the meeting by going over the last minutes from the previous meeting. (Sorry. I have been in so many FFA, FCCLA, and student council meetings in school that it just comes out of nowhere.)
Anyway, when last we met, I was drained and exhausted. I said I was taking a vacation from writing and I did for about a week or so. The truth is, I was jumpy by day three and looked into some writing jobs, but didn't apply.
I am not entirely sure if the rest did any good, but it was nice to not think over the holidays.
In further developments of my life, the holidays were great. It wasn't much of a big deal, but it was just nice to be with family.
In the writing area, I am working on sending my first novel to its third publisher. I received my check from Brio and am still working on finding ways to make more money.
In spiritual matters, I have taken on a Bible in a year plan. This one I am reading is from Tricia Goyer and I will have the link up by the end of the day for anyone who wants to read it.
I love it so far. I started on it a little late, but so far I like it.
I am also trying to lead a Bible study with two other girls from my church. I don't know how well I'm doing, but so far, we are all still here.
Now that we have all of that cleared up and out of the way, let's get on to new business.
Last year, I learned that every villain has at least one good trait about them and the hero should have at least one bad character flaw about them. I saw an example of that today while watching the 1982 version of Annie.
Who remembers Miss Hannigan? That lovable alcoholic thief that was in charge of the orphans' home where Annie grew up.
Well, does anyone remember her one good trait?
Well, if I could jog your memory, it happened in the end. I won't give away the scene, but she had a hand in rescuing the orphan she hated so much.
I went on Youtube to view the scene again and the video's comments and I almost felt sorry for her--almost.
The 1930's Great Depression was no joke, no matter what state you lived in. I couldn't imagine what it must have been like in New York, but if the prices filled people with fear like they still do today, Miss Hannigan had a lot to cope with.
What was her way of doing that? Homemade liquor, of course.
This was during the Prohibition era, so you had to make it from whatever you had.
Now in no way do I endorse this behavior whatsoever, but we have to see it from her side. There is this sad middle-aged woman, unmarried, and judging by her lifestyle, probably from a poor background and unstable and unloving family. She knew taking in kids from off the street brought in ready money from the Board of Orphans and charity handouts, and in the Great Depression, you do whatever you have to do to make a dime.
So, when one of your orphans is up for adoption by one of the richest men in New York, you do whatever you have to do to make a dime, even if it is kidnapping.
This was what was going through her brain throughout the second part of the film, but her saving grace came when Annie was in trouble and she felt moved to save her.
Are villains all evil? Well, not necessarily from the outset. They have to keep going lower and lower into the gutter to reach that point of feeling heartless.
Are heroes all good? God forbid if they are. Even Orphan Annie lied to a cop, even if it was to keep a dog.
So, if there are any writers out there, remember to keep your villains bad, but let the reader see their side of things. Also, make your heroes flawed; they're more relatable that way.
Believe me. No one wants to read 200 pages worth of a hero who is so pristine and sweet that she belongs on the back of a box of Ivory soap. It's boring.
Anyway, that is my two cents for the day, people. Let's bring this meeting to a close.

Learning to Live With Joy

I apologize for not posting on a more frequent basis. Also, instead of promising that I will be more consistent, I will just leave it at the apology and just try doing it.

Well, readers, I must be honest with all of you and why I have chosen to write this post. This is going to be very hard to write and is very uncomfortable to broadcast to the public, or rather whoever decides to read this. I have been battling depression for the past few weeks.

For those who really know me, this is unfortunately nothing new. I have struggled with it for years and always manage to pull myself out of it and got back to my usual self. These cycles can be very annoying.

So something needs to be done.

A friend from church gave me something interesting to think about--the word joy. It was actually an acronym.

Joy means living for Jesus, others, and yourself.

It is a great way to prioritize life.

So, this is what I hope to be doing in future...

1. Living for Jesus. My Christian walk has gone through ups and downs a lot and I know at the moment I am feeling very far away from God. I must make this my no. 1 thing in life.

2. Living for others. I am painfully shy and am used to being by myself and preferring it, but that is not healthy all of the time. We as people, and especially as Christians, need to reach out and concern ourselves with others. The Gospel needs to be spread, helping hands should be extended, and other hearts need to be touched by our own. This is a struggle for me and I know I will need God's help doing so, but since I know it is His will, I know it will be done.

3. Living for myself. I would like to clarify two things:

a. I know from the outset that this last thing should not be taken as a right to be self-obsessed. God forbid! as the apostle Paul would say. However,

b. It should also not be demoted to the last and also the least thing.

I have not been taking care of myself lately, I must admit. This last step, which is certainly not the least, needs to be balanced.

One cannot leave off taking care of one's self, because it leads to not being focused on God and not having energy to focus on others. I hope that makes sense.

So, I need to live in a balanced state and, hopefully, this will decrease my cycles until they no longer exist.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know in the comments if this post has touched something deep within you and you wish to share. I would love to hear.

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Getting Back to Beauty Basics

This post will be kind of short. It will link to a guest post I did on www.catrinawelch.com
She is a Christian beauty consultant and author. She teaches there are many styles created by God for His glory. I may plan to go in more on my beauty thoughts, but am still unsure. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.
To my male readers, you may skip this post if you wish.
http://catrinawelch.com/self-image-through-they-eyes-of-a-blind-woman/

the battle between business and being a grace-filled writer

Well, dear readers,

The girl is back again. At least I am doing my best to stay consistent. I had promised a dear friend that I would have a post up by, if not Friday, then yesterday. I haven't kept my word on that, unfortunately, so I am making good on it today.

Well, before we get into the topic of my chosen title, let's get the updates out of the way.

I am now the published author of two stories. Before this blog was even thought about last winter, I had a small story published in Keys for Kids, a devotional booklet for children. Now, I've just had word that Brio magazine, a Christian magazine for teen girls, is going to publish another story of mine.

I can't link to the Keys for Kids story, I'm sorry to say, but when Brio publishes my story (most likely late next year), someone remind me to link that one up here.

Onto the next item of the agenda. I have another novel in the works. I can't let on what it is just yet. That's confidential information which needs to be kept under wraps between myself and my writing mentor for the moment.

Now we have had enough of the old business. Now onto the topic.

I have been in a battle with myself for quite a while now. I am pretty sure that whoever reads this post will agree once I say it, especially if you are a writer.

I have discovered since making my decision to write full time which I will save for another post, I must turn it into a business. A small one, but a business nonetheless.

I have researched and tried to gather as much info as I can. What I struggle with the most is having a regular routine and trying to begin a production schedule.

The pressure of it all has skyrocketed inside me and I find myself in a desperate struggle to either catch up to or race past whichever writer I currently admire, even my own dear writing mentor. I am tempted to toss aside my beliefs and compromise my own writing to try and please the market.

Yet, the faith-filled, Christian, and sensible side of me will have her say as well. She tells me to take my time, start out small, and remember to always be an example of Jesus Christ in whatever I do.

Now, for every Christian reading this, you know for a fact what this is. It is constant warfare between my spirit and my flesh. It is the constant battle between my own lust for glory and approval and fame against being a light shining for God and glorifying Him.

So what have I decided to do? I must admit, I don't know yet. I suppose listen to the sensible side and build up. Write for a half hour or twenty minutes or even ten until I can build myself back up to how I was when I wrote my first novel.

Stop trying to compare myself with others, although I've struggled with that for years.

Also, to try and be satisfied with the fact that I have been blessed to be given the massive amount of time I have to build up this business and the fact that, even though my paychecks are kind of small now, I am getting accepted. Any creative person in the arts whether artist, musician, or writer will tell you, rejection is cruel but real.

I suppose I am done ranting for the day. Don't worry. Something tells me when I make my goals for my new business, entertaining and informing you guys will be up there on the list and on a more consistent basis.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers, readers. Only the Lord knows how much I need it.

I Am Back!

Hello, everyone. Yes, I know. This post has been a long time coming.
I bet you all are wondering what I've been up to lately. Well, let's get the biggest moment out of the way first.
I wrote a novel! I know; I can't believe it either, but I did.
With much help from my writing mentor and outlining, I just did it. Granted, anyone who really knows me will tell you that I am not the most disciplined girl in the world. Yet somehow, with the grace that only God could give and the accountability of my mentor, I spun out a chapter a day and wrote up the draft in about 1.5 months. (That number was said to me by a lady in my online writers' group.)
Then the editing came. I am not sure if that was my favorite or not, but there were days I loved it and days I didn't. Once the editing was finished and the full proposal was prepared, it was off to my first publisher. That happened last month on June 14th at about 9:00 at night.
And now... we wait.
I have submitted a magazine story and want to increase my productivity as a writer, but must admit that I have gotten lazy. I had gotten into a groove with my book and since it is finished, I am kind of flopping around like a fish on land.
So, trying to work on scheduling work hours and actually turning freelance writing into a job is my next goal. Also, my family are in the process of losing weight.
My goal is a bit high--twenty pounds minimum, thirty max, but I am trying to be patient.
We have been vacationing a lot over the summer, which is always fun.
I am also trying to be consistent with my devotional time.
This year of 2018 is becoming my renewal year. So much has happened in my life and a lot of emotional ups and downs have occurred. This year, a new Kayla needs to be born, so I am doing my best to get back to basics and take care of my physical, mental, and spiritual health.
Well, guys, that's all I have to report on for now. I hope to drop back in with more news later on. Thanks for reading.

A Note from Me

Hello, everyone,

I know I am a few weeks late with my next post and for that, I do apologize. I am just now getting back to work that's been overdue.

How is everyone today?

We've got snow here in Illinois. Can you believe it?

It is early April, people.

Oh, well.

I went on vacation last week and we had some snow then. The news predicted it to be a blizzard, but only a slight fall had occurred. Nothing too serious.

I have begun a daily devotional called Jesus Calling. I was surprised to know how many people had heard about and read this book and the following sequels.

As I try to do better with maintaining a consistent blogging schedule, I will update everyone on how I am doing with this book. Comment below if you've read it and what you think of it.

Another interesting tidbit I learned today. The King James Version of the Bible is put at a fifth grade reading level.

I never thought of it in that way, but I do remember hearing somewhere that William Tyndale had wanted the Bible to be so simple that a plough boy could read it. How wonderful it is that God makes His words so accessible that both young and old understand them.

Until later on,

Kayla

Welcome to My Life

Hello, everyone out there in the blogosphere.

My name is Kayla James. I am an aspiring freelance writer, whose goal is to inspire and uplift her readers. Allow me to introduce myself.

Like I said before, my name is Kayla James. I am totally blind and have been since I was a baby.

I am taking a break from college and am pursuing a lifelong dream to become a writer. I have wanted to become a writer since the age of seven.

This blog will go into great detail about that, but as this title states, it is a kaleidoscope of my life.

An author friend suggested this title to me, but I had to look up what the word "kaleidoscope" meant.

In basic terms, it is a tube-like thing with many pieces of colored glass in it that reflect off one another. At least, that's what I got from it.

I am interested in many other things.

I have developed many interests over the past few years that I would love to write about on this blog.

1. Natural beauty

I am not the first to become slave to the drugstore cleansers and moisturizers in the department store isles. Does anyone want to comment on the stuff that is actually in the bottle? I do.

2. Healthy living

I am trying to lose weight and will probably be posting about how I am doing with that and what I am learning.

3. My Christian faith

My relationship with God is very important in my life. I want to share with others what I am learning on my spiritual journey and maybe teach others about Jesus Christ. I have a lot of growing to do, so bare with me.

There are so many other things I would like to talk about, but it will all have to wait until next time.