Cruising Without My Luggage by Vonnie Davis

Vonnie Davis

Fourteen years ago, a friend and I went on a seven-day Caribbean cruise together. Theresa was partially handicapped and used either a walker or two canes. Neither one of us had ever cruised before and since we were both single, we'd sacrificed and pinched a lot of pennies to pay the fares for our flights and cruise.

My baby boy

My youngest son drove us to BWI and hefted our luggage into the airport. "Mom, promise me you'll be careful. You can't be friendly to everyone you meet. You've got to be more aware of your surroundings." Now, who gave this kid parental rights over me? But to keep him from getting all spastic, I patted his check and assured him I would.

Neither Mike nor I ever mentioned the safety of my luggage. Somewhere between BWI and Ft. Lauderdale, my luggage took a detour. No, it didn't fall overboard, it just disappeared. Yes, I had a carry on, but having never traveled like this before, dummy here, packed it with pajamas, jewelry, make-up and a camera....oh, and two pair of high heels for formal nights on the ship.

Theresa's luggage was delivered to our room, but not mine. I waited and waited. Finally, I went to the concierge desk and asked. By then, we had sailed. She gave me a new suitcase and a stipend to buy some clothes in the ship's store. Too bad the ship's store only believed in women in small sizes. There wasn't one item of clothing that would fit me.

On one of our trips ashore, I bought t-shirts and some shorts. Meanwhile, I was hand washing my one pair of undies in the sink every night. Formal nights came and went without me. I was not allowed in without proper attire.

So, to add insult to injury, on the flight home, my new luggage got lost too. Yup, you're listening to the only woman who has lost her luggage coming and going on a cruise. My original suitcase went to Costa Rica, where it probably had more fun than I did. It took three weeks to reach me and it wasn't talking about what kind of partying it had done. The new suitcase went to Texas, realized it couldn't ride a horse and got to me two days after I got home.

Thank goodness Paisley and her pink-haired grandmother didn't lose their luggage on the way to a relative's funeral in Scotland. Gram got them in enough trouble as it was...

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Mistakes Can Make Us Smarter by Vonnie Davis

We learn by our failures--if we're smart.

If we're not so smart, we're close to the other end of the mental spectrum. Or so Einstein claimed when he said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Granted, he was probably speaking on a scientific level. But the same concept could be applied to life in general. 

If I keep planting the same flowers the deer, that daily meander through our yard love to eat, then I'm not using my brain cells to their fullest capacity.

If I go on a diet, except for Oreos and potato chips and pizza, and still can't lose the weight, well, I'm not the smartest dieter, am I?

And if I keep buying the same size shoes that pinch my feet, then by golly I deserve a good foot pinching. Why? Because I'm not learning from my mistakes.

The same applies to our writing. My first book was written in omniscient point of view. As an English major, I'd studied the masters who often wrote using that method. But that was back in the day before editors' and readers' tastes changed. I had to learn from my mistakes and change too.

Over the past four years, different editors have pointed out weaknesses in my writing--God bless them all. My failure to deliver a better quality manuscript became a learning experience at the hand, or pen, or tract changes of teaching editors. By being open-minded, I learned and grew.

I'm always saddened to hear other writers refuse to work with editors to improve a story. Some tend to feel they've written a masterpiece that should not be touched or changed. Yes, there does come a time when an author has to protect her characters, her plot arc and her voice. But, more often than not, if you communicate with your editor, a workable compromise can be made. That teachable moment can still exist. And failures, or weaknesses within the manuscript, can lead to success.

I've done a bit of remodeling at my website to announce my future releases with Loveswept/Random House and Harper Impulse. I hope you'll stop by www.vonniedavis.com and check it out.