How often do you actually write something down on paper? In our fast-paced world of emails, texts and gadgets, do you ever stop to think about the ramifications of recording so much of our lives only in the electronic realm? As the online world continues to evolve at a rapid pace, will essential bits of history be lost forever? Are things becoming too generic?
 
The benefits of electronic communication are many. Speed, convenience and efficiency are all improved. Less of the world's forests are lost to the production of paper. The list of benefits is long.
 
But there are almost always pros and cons to everything.
 
There is something to be said about the ability to hold something tangible in your hands. Something that won't be lost among the massive amount of online information. Photographs, books and personal correspondence are all things we can now enjoy in electronic form, but I think we need to keep a balance.
 
How information is passed on from one generation to another has been evolving since the beginning of mankind, but the leap from physical to electronic formats is a giant one.
 
When we write something down on paper, it bears our own unique handwriting. When we dash off a note in an email, that small piece of personal flair is lost.

​Handwriting itself is an evolving art form. Personally, I love old documents bearing beautiful penmanship. Imagine for a minute the amount of practice that had to go into learning to create such intricate, stylistic writing. When I was a child, we were required to learn cursive. I’m thankful for this. Many kids aren't even taught to write in cursive anymore. Taken a step further, when they don't learn how to write in cursive, they can't read it either.  I found this gorgeous workbook at an auction. The pages are full of someone's practiced letters.
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For years, I've been tossing various greeting cards we've received into a box. There is a box for each of us, and at this point, they are overflowing. During my more practical moments, I consider tossing all of it. After all, the boxes take up space. We seldom go back to look at what is in them. But if I take a step back from the urge to purge, I think the best answer is to weed through them and keep the special ones.
 
A card or note from a loved one suddenly becomes more precious when the sender is no longer with us. Gazing upon a quick greeting they dashed off in their own unique style links me back to the person they were, and I'd hate to lose that, no matter how much space I'm giving up to house the memories.
 
My mom's sloppy handwriting was legendary. Now when I read things she wrote to me over the years, and I still struggle to make out the words, I can't help but smile. Those cards provide me with a tangible link back to her. I'll never again be able to pick up the phone and talk to her, but I can feel her presence in those notes.
 
My dad, on the other hand, is an artist. His handwriting is unique, bold, and I'd recognize it anywhere. Similar to so many things he's created through the years, it's all him.
 
Have you ever written in journals? Maybe you kept a diary when you were a kid. If you did, and you're lucky enough to still have it, stashed somewhere among your old mementos from earlier days, pull it out and take a look. Revisit yourself, back when it felt like you had your whole life ahead of you. What was important to you back then? Did those things evolve into your core values or were they fleeting thoughts of a child?
 
Or maybe you have journals from five, ten, or twenty years ago. Take a few minutes to glance through them to remind yourself of what your life looked like back then. What's changed? If those journals were a way for you to record your hopes and dreams, has the reality of the years measured up? 

Similar to the reminder we get when we attend a funeral, that life passes much too quickly, reading our personal thoughts from fifteen years ago can serve as a wake-up call to make the most of our time. Maybe it can even serve as the impetus to get going on that one thing you always dreamed of doing.
 
Can we get the same kick from something we recorded in an electronic document ten years ago? Could you even find anything you put in an electronic format ten years ago? I doubt it.
 
Today's blog isn't meant to bash the convenience and efficiency of online communication. Both my day job and my writing career revolve around it. But it is intended to serve as a reminder that putting things down on paper still has merit. And if you can record it in beautiful, practiced handwriting, even better!
 
I touch upon this issue in my fiction series. Each book is about how family members expand on the legacy left by their great aunt, Celia. She is dead now, and the only form of direct communication they still have from her is in the form of letters and journals. If not for those written documents, it might be as if she never even existed.
 
Maybe today's finally the day you should sit down and dash off a handwritten letter to a loved one. Or what if you take a few minutes to record your thoughts on how important your family is to you in a journal they'll find when you are gone? Think about how priceless that could be. There's no time like the present!   Kim
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Today's blog is going to take a slightly different twist. Back in late 2017, I started writing a weekly post here, using chapter titles taken from my first novel Whispering Pines, and later from the second book in my series, Tangled Beginnings.
 
When writing my books, I created chapter titles based on the main events of each chapter. I believe we encounter many gifts in life as we go about our everyday existence. Sometimes it's the seemingly inconsequential things that turn out to be true blessings or gifts—a chance meeting, a wrong turn, or even picking up a surprising idea gleaned from something we watch on television. Other times, it's those difficult experiences that lead us down an unexpected path where we would never have gone if not forced to do so. Occasionally we find gold at the end of those paths. Good or bad, life is full of gifts.
 
Those chapter titles have proven to be fun writing prompts for my blog. But, to be honest, I sometimes wrestle with what to write each week. I struggle to find the time to write another post. My goal is to publish two more books in 2019, and I wonder if I'm making the best use of my time writing in here instead of sketching out another chapter in a book.
 
The reality is, I like the freedom of creating short posts in here, so I'll continue doing so. If there is a week when I can't get a new post written, I'll try not to stress about it. At this point, I have over sixty previous posts. I'll repost one I found particularly fun to write, or people seemed to enjoy and focus on my novel writing. Don't give up on me if I don't post brand new content every single week. I'll keep showing up as long as people seem to enjoy my posts. Maybe just not every single week. My goal is to enjoy my writing and not crack under the pressure like my poor crock did this winter!   
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I decided today was the day to finally focus on getting those questions written. I am so appreciative when groups select one of my books for their book club discussions, and I want to help make the process as easy as possible for them. I've been lucky enough to be invited to attend a number of these book clubs in person and I’ve enjoyed every single one.
 
I scoured the internet for guidance on how to write book club questions. Then I went back and reviewed my chapter summaries for my books. It was a great reminder of the many themes I tried to convey through my storylines. It also made me curious how often readers picked up on these. Did I go deep enough? What more do I want to say on these topics? What life lessons have I experienced that I can pass on, beyond what I was able to incorporate in my books or might have already talked about in my blog posts?
 
It was like a light bulb turned on. I don't always have to look externally for new things to talk about in my blog. When I'm searching for a topic, another option is to pull one out my books, or even use the reading guides I've now pulled together, and further expand on those topics.
 
For me, there are five central themes integral to my first novel, Whispering Pines. Fair warning: don't check out my actual Reading Guides I'll be posting on my website until after you've finished each book. They are full of spoilers, meant to spur meaningful discussions. But I did think it would be fun to share the high-level themes with you here (no spoilers). If you've read Whispering Pines, let me know if you think I missed anything. If you haven't yet picked up the book, or if you have it sitting on either your physical or eBook bookshelf, but you haven't gotten around to reading it yet, maybe these will intrigue you enough to want to dive in.

1. Each of us has the ability to design our own lives. Are we doing that, or are we living in reactionary mode? Wouldn't it be exciting to take the reins and start living more on our own terms? There is beauty in second chances. Don't be afraid to take them. How would you react if you found yourself at an unexpected crossroad? Would you take the safe route, or dare to try something new? Life is all about choices, and those choices will shape not only your life but the lives of others. Choose carefully, but never fail to choose. Live life on purpose.
2. Family can be your safe haven, and you can choose who you want to count as your family. Dynamics within a family unit can be messy, rewarding, and an endless source of entertainment, both in real life and the world of fiction. Not every family is dysfunctional, despite the many portrayals to the contrary. Kids are quick to either thank or blame their parents for the way their lives turn out. But what about the parents? How does raising a child impact their own hopes and dreams?
3. Romantic Love – So much of what we see in movies, books, and the media focus on what I'll term the front-end of relationships, when things are new and exciting. The characters are often young. I enjoy exploring how people learn to keep longer-term relationships alive and exciting or how more mature adults find love later in life. After they've suffered heartbreak, how do they dare move on and try again?
4. Importance of Place – How does where we live, work and visit impact the quality of our lives? I also love exploring the fundamental question for those that do roam: can we ever honestly go home again?
5. Each of us will leave a legacy behind when we die. What will that legacy look like? The question goes beyond our material goods to encompass everything from the examples we set by the way we live our own lives to whether or not we leave the world a better place for having lived.

 
Sound interesting? I throw in some mystery, too.
 
These are big questions. Big things to ponder that go well beyond the boundaries of what can be touched upon in one book, or even one series. I'll try to dig deeper into these topics in future posts.
 
If you'd like to check out my new Reading Guide for Whispering Pines, click the button below. Please don't think the guide is only useful for book clubs. If you enjoyed Whispering Pines and you're not quite ready to move on to Tangled Beginnings, check out my new guide and ponder the questions I pose.
 
My most heartfelt desire is that my books will provide you with inspiring entertainment. I don't write for shock value, but I also don't mind throwing in a few swear words here and there and some intimacy. I like to write about real life, and for me, that doesn't mean whitewashing everything to avoid offending someone. If I can make you think, maybe cause you to tweak something in your own life that will give you a bit more joy, I've accomplished what I set out to do.
 
And I always like to add that if I keep you reading past your bedtime, that's even better.
 
Next week I'll share what I see as some of the main themes in my second book, Tangled Beginnings and share the link to that Reading Guide. And in the not too distant future, I'll share more about book 3! Thank you for joining me on this journey!   Kim