FREEFALL WRITING - C. L. Schenk

Silent Sinners

     The tree was a silent sinner, stretching up to the sky as though pleading to God for forgiveness. The harshness of it's barren arms and grey colouring making it all that much more forlorn.

     I watched as my father and older brother approached the gnarled old trunk. I imagined I could hear its cries, begging to be given a stay of execution, which I knew would not be granted.

     By tonight my majestic old friend would be nothing more than firewood, unceremoniously piled in the wood shed. I berated myself once again for having been careless enough to have climbed into it's aged and weakened arms, and fallen. Now, sporting a cast on my leg and a splint on my wrist, I watched as the conviction stood and the execution began.

When You Don't Know, LEARN

by Matryosha (Flickr) 

I have been lax on this blog for a long time. This is not due to laziness, however, but my continuous quest to become a better writer. Well, maybe a wee bit of laziness.

After attending a writers' conference last summer I realized I had a lot more work to do before tackling a novel. Since that time I have taken a couple of other workshops and I have joined a bi-weekly writers group. Most recently I did an online webinar entitled 'How to Write a Novel' with Joanna Penn from The Creative Penn and Roz Morris from Nail Your Novel, which helped tremendously getting me going on my own novel again.

I've also written several short stories and a couple of humour columns during the past year, and I've had help from my critique group with improving the writing I am doing. Further, as a test of commitment and bravery for myself, I have submitted some work to various short story contests. No success yet, but I am just a beginner so give me time.

I enjoy social media, and the information I've garnered online has been invaluable, but I also found that I was losing too much time to this medium and I've had to limit myself and work at what was and is truly important - WRITING.

Therefore, since April of this year I've spent my time researching and outlining my current work in progress. Though I'm not ready to talk about it too much yet, I will tell you it involves wilderness, wolves and one woman's dream of a better life.

I do hope to pass on bits of information, triumphs and tribulations, as I continue on my way as a writer and hope to hear from all of you as well.

Happy writing.

Cheryl Schenk - self-published children's author - Little Synni's Moonlight Mischief (A Stibil Forest Adventure)

Criticism: Not Agreeable, But Necessary

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” Winston Churchill


Photo by Horia Varlen - via flickr

The long shadow loomed over her shoulder. She ran, gaining distance, diving under the first available cover she could find. If she stayed still, and oh so quiet, perhaps she would go unnoticed thus avoiding what would undoubtedly be a painful confrontation.

That is how I sometimes feel, though I seldom run for cover now and I try very hard to remain open to criticism of my writing. I am an amateur after all. One cannot learn without taking lessons and advice from others. Having said that, I always try to take what I read and hear with a rather large grain of salt and sometimes, when required, a healthy shot of tequila.

Criticism is prejudice made plausible. H.L. Mencke

Not all critics are unemotional about that which they are critiquing. Some are simply standing on a soapbox airing not only their opinions, but their prejudices and biases as well.

As a writer I am always looking for guidance and expertise, but it angers me when knowledgeable and notable authors offer their assistance with a total lack of empathy and a large dose of arrogance. Their time is spent slamming and demeaning the efforts of others. This, to me, is much like a politician expounding on everything his opponent is doing wrong, yet he offers nothing about how the situation could be improved or what his advice on a project might be.

Writers are caught between the proverbial rock and hard place; needing to show their work in order to receive advice and criticism, but often being made to feel foolish and incompetent for their efforts. This then begets the spiral into self-doubt as confidence and enthusiasm takes another hit. Even if not destined to become a bestselling author, writers deserve the chance to improve their knowledge and skills.

Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots. Frank Howard Clark

As warm and fuzzy as all that feedback received from friends and family is, we need to rely on the advice of professionals in order to advance our skills. Thanks to the age of Internet, everything we could ever need is at our fingertips. We have to avail ourselves of the advice and criticism and, yes, the prejudices forced upon us.

I have always preferred the hands on approach. I simply learn better from doing than from watching and studying. Don’t get me wrong, studying is still a necessary evil and, as I have learned, nothing bad can come from a worthy creative writing class. However, I learn best from show and tell. I’ll show you what I have done and you tell me where my weaknesses and strengths are, preferably in a constructive, un-condescending manner.

Eventually writers must show their work to somebody and open themselves up to criticism. Just be prepared to take the nourishment offered and pluck the noxious weeds. This will allow your root systems to spread and strengthen so that each day you can stand tall and proud as you grow.


Cheryl is the author of Little Synni’s Moonlight Mischief, the first book in The Stibil Forest Adventures, illustrations by sculptress - Chris Jammer.

Twitter - Time Well Spent, to a point:

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. Buddha

It has now been almost six months since my first hesitant steps into the world of Twitter. That initial encounter had me wondering what kind of insanity I had stumbled upon. I had barely wrapped my ripening brain around the concept of Facebook and yet I found myself facing the challenge of making a statement to the masses in 140 characters or less. That of course assuming I could find someone to follow my tweets and I was lucky to have outside help in that department.

Since that first day I have broadened my acceptance of social networking and become somewhat addicted to the phenomena of Twitter. I have acquired some followers, but better still I have began following several pals that have given me much needed support and insight into the world of writing and publishing.

Every morning and each evening, I look forward to signing in and seeing what tidbits have been offered up for my enlightenment and enjoyment. A variety of articles, podcasts and internet connections have given me a wealth of information as well as incentive, tempting me to challenge myself even further. Though I have many favourites, there are some T-pals that, to me, go above and beyond. The information I have gained from their investment of time and energy has been invaluable.

With her array of information and enjoyable interviews, as well as glimpses into her own life as a writer, is Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn. I find her not only personable, but appreciate the fact that she shares her experiences and continually paves the way into the writing world, making life easier for beginners such as I.

Also at the top of my Imperative for Improvement list is Mignon Fogarty, The Grammar Girl. I always strive to improve my writing skills but have never doubted that I can use all the help available, especially with grammar and punctuation, and I imagine that is apparent for anyone reading my blogs. I would never consider publishing a book without professional editing and proof-reading, but I challenge myself to accomplish these tasks on my own when creating my blog pieces, therefore keeping me on my toes and forcing me to be aware of my content. However, I keep a copy of Fogarty’s Grammar Devotional close at hand and try to see the writing as her more experienced eyes might, before pressing the publish button, sending an article out into cyberspace.

I find that by following various publishers, magazines, authors and others, I am kept up to date on new bestsellers, podcasts, E-readers, and book trailers that may be of interest to me.

Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it. Buddha

I learned early on in my Twitter experience that if I wanted to make the most of all I was discovering yet still continue to write, I needed to limit my time on Twitter or I would literally spend all my waking hours perusing the input of my T-pals, rendering my own accomplishments to the wind. As that would have been self-defeating, I put the brakes on and have allotted time in my schedule for Twitter, which in turn helps keep me on task with the other commitments in my life.

Now, about that novel I am supposed to be working on. For those of you who read my earlier blog on procrastination I have to admit I have not yet conquered that wall, but I’m working at it.


Cheryl is the author of Little Synni’s Moonlight Mischief, the first book in The Stibil Forest Adventures, illustrations by Chris Jammer.

Ah Yes, I Remember It Well

Do you remember the first story, poem, or greeting card that you wrote? Can you recall the space, sounds, smells, and feelings as you first put pen to paper? My memory of that day is vivid.

I was eleven and I was visiting at a friend’s house. Having recently divorced, her parents were still at the indulgent stage; bent on convincing everyone their new regime would be wonderful and exciting. In their efforts they had fit my friends room with a built in plywood desk, spread from wall to wall, with an array of shelves mounted above. The shelves were filled with pens, pencils, papers, tape, glue, etc. I remember being extremely envious, wishing I could move right in. The pungent smell of fresh paint and sharpened pencil shavings filled the air. Often, when I find myself drooling in the aisles of a stationery store, I have flashbacks to the dreams and desires entertained by two little girls as we sat side-by-side and began writing our stories.

The story itself is a blur, though I do remember that Cassandra was the name of my main character. For me it was the beginning of an itch, which I have continued to scratch at ever since. Much of what I wrote in the early days was poetry, and I am sure I could tickle a funny bone or two had I saved those volumes.

I still enjoy writing poetry on occasion, which most often stems from an overwhelming or emotional experience in my own life, or the life of someone close to me. I have included one of my more recent poems here. This one is especially close to my heart as the inspiration came from my babies meeting their great-grandmother. She was a tall, slender woman of Norwegian descent who had made her way to Canada along with her new husband. Her beautiful lilting accent remained strong all her life. She was 89 when my first child was born and lived to be 97 years of age.

I hope you enjoy this poem.

GENERATIONS by Cheryl Schenk
A piercing cry
announces the pillar of strength
as it waves a fist, like a fiery torch it draws her in
She savours this strength
born of hunger, a need to survive
Strength to sustain body and soul
Life yet to be touched by love, by pain
A heart yet to burst with joy, falter with grief
Lessons of a lifetime yet to ignite

Eyes, faded and weak, caress the child
A hand, aged and frail, touches fine curls
A shivery sloth in silk
Her strength is barren
Yet the bounty of a life touched by love,
lived in faith, fills her heart
She proudly embraces her knowledge
A lifetime enhances her soul

Generations have loved, laughed, lived
between herself and this child
Each breath, every shared intimacy
introduces this moment
Pudgy fingers grasp her gnarled hand
Precious days are few, but she smiles
knowing she lives on in this child
Generations will follow and,
at another moment in time,
they will touch


Cheryl is the author of Little Synni’s Moonlight Mischief, the first book in The Stibil Forest Adventures, illustrations by Chris Jammer.

PROCRASTINATION - The Wall I Hide Behind

Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday. ~Author Unknown

For almost twenty years my husband ran his own business. During that time I ran his office, raised two children, and held a part-time job myself. It was imperative that I kept a routine, and though not rigid, it was a steady routine.

Today I am self-employed; my main focus is the promotion of Bittleberry Books and marketing our first independently published children’s book, as well as to continue working on the novel I have started. We are empty nesters now and my time commitments are only as complicated as I want them to be. So I have to ask myself, “Why, for the past two months, has the first draft of my novel been stuck at 162 pages?”

The answer, as I am only too aware, is that I have built a wall, plastering it with layer upon layer of procrastination. I have to pay the bills, get groceries, go to the bank, do laundry and dishes, change the bedding and, oh yeah, my toenails need painting. The excuses are never ending.

There is a Spanish proverb that goes “Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.” I have allowed that to become the truth of my writing life. Tomorrow I will do the rewriting of the second children’s book; tomorrow I will write a new blog; tomorrow I will work on the novel. Problem is, tomorrow is just that day that never seems to arrive.

I heard somewhere, possibly during one of those afternoons that I had to watch Oprah, it takes at least 21 days to become comfortable with a new habit. So, for that reason, I have decided that today I will make a schedule and for the next month I will live by it. If at the end of a month I find that the schedule needs tweaking, for any reason, I will make the necessary changes and again, I will live by the revised schedule for another month before any further tweaking may be done.

I have discovered that being my own boss is, by far, a more difficult task than dealing with an external employer. When I was employed outside the home the only free time I had was evenings and weekends. I had no trouble, at that time, coming home and working for six hours on the Synni book. Several times I became so immersed in the project I had to force myself to quit and go to bed so I would be able to drag my sorry butt out of bed next morning for my day job. Yet now I find myself with a whole week stretched out ahead of me and I am struggling to put in a productive day.

Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. ~William James

I am tired of disappointing myself; tired of letting the days slip by without accomplishing something that is so very important to me. I love to write. I can loose myself for hours once I get started. So the question is, “How do I make that happen?” First of all, I need to quit reinforcing the wall and in fact, begin tearing it down. I will schedule in the chores of my life that need to be completed and I will schedule in the hours of my employment, when I will sit at my keyboard and I will write. Once I find myself on the other side of that restrictive wall I am hoping to discover not only that I can be the toughest boss I have ever encountered, but also that my fearless future lies in front of me.


Cheryl is the author of Little Synni’s Moonlight Mischief, the first book in The Stibil Forest Adventures, illustrations by Chris Jammer.

Self-Published – How did that happen?

January 2008 I was working at a bank, bored to death, and looking for an out. My sister-in-law, Chris Jammer, was kicking her love of sculpting into high gear and selling weekly on Ebay. Chris always prepared a short write up to accompany each item placed for auction, but that January afternoon she emailed me a picture of a child immersed in bubbles in a small wooden tub. She asked if I would write up a little something to introduce this sculpt to her followers. That was the day Synni’s story came to life.

My muse was with me and The Stibil Forest was crying for attention. I sent the draft copy off to Chris, who responded immediately, suggesting maybe we could create a children’s book. I laughed and shrugged off the idea, however, Chris was persistent. Eventually I succumbed and over the next while went to work filling, revising and editing the story. Chris went to work with her clay, creating the characters and sets she would need to complete the illustrations.

In the weeks following I started searching the web for various publishers and informational sites. What I found was not encouraging. Many companies were not accepting unsolicited manuscripts and even if there was an opportunity to submit, the infamous slush pile loomed before us. Everywhere I looked it was advised, strongly, that an author not submit with an illustrator or vice-versa, which meant our stay in the slush pile might very well be permanent. That was when we decided to research other options available to us, as it was unthinkable that we would not continue on together.

Over the next few months I read a plethora of articles on self-publishing and print on demand. I also began researching copyright info, ISBN numbers and printing companies. I spoke with other writers, getting their input and viewpoints regarding alternative methods of publishing a book. Finally the decision was made; we would brave the world of self-publishing.

The next steps involved finding a reputable printer for our book, an editor to send the text to for proof-reading and copy-editing, and creating the layout for the book. In my naivety I had thought that once we had the illustrations and text ready we would plot our layout and the printers would put it together for us as specified. NOT! I found myself sitting at my computer facing a design program, which several people had told me would be no problem at all, yet realizing I was once again drowning in ignorance. The next several months were spent acquiring the necessary tutoring and learning that program.

Our journey took two years to complete and I cannot begin to explain the pride we felt, and continue to feel, as we cleared each hurdle leading toward our prize. We have acquired a wealth of knowledge in pursuit of this dream and yet we realize we have only touched the surface of this industry. Our goal in stepping into this arena was not only to self-publish, but to create a story that when read, would have children eagerly awaiting each turn of the page, as well as a book that could proudly be displayed on any bookshelf. In that, I believe we have succeeded.

And now the next frontier, MARKETING. Hmmm! Maybe we’ll ponder that over a glass of fine wine.

Cheryl is the author of Little Synni’s Moonlight Mischief, the first book in The Stibil Forest Adventures, illustrations by Chris Jammer.