IWSG: Getting my Writing Time Back

This week marks the end of our B&B season. I've waved good bye to our last clients, locked the doors, and let out a big sigh. I'm always a bit sad when the season ends, no more meeting and chatting with interesting people. No more getting up at 6:30am to bring them breakfast, no more washing tons of towels and bed sheets. No more ironing duvet covers, pillow covers, and fitted sheets.... or waiting tirelessly for clients to arrive who are almost always late and never call ahead ....

Yeah, did I say sad?

My bad.

I meant....

and maybe a bit of.....

But what this really means is that I'll be doing a lot more of this >>>>

WRITING and PLOTTING and BLOGGING, OH MY!

I hope you all manage to find the time to write, sometimes it comes in waves, for me that means high tide every 6 months. The trick is, making the best of the time you do get for writing. 

Happy writing everyone and see you all soon on the blogosphere!

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Thank you to everyone in the IWSG. I'm posting away from home and have limited internet connection, but I'll be visiting everyone when I get back tomorrow! 

Finished Not Perfect

I posted this on facebook a few days ago but I thought it'd be perfect for today's IWSG post. It's a short video focused more on art and drawing, but the underlying message can be applied to writing, heck to just about anything in life worth doing. If you want to succeed, you have to stick it out to the end, cross the finish line, complete your project. 

And here's the kicker... it doesn't have to be perfect. 

Let's repeat that again.... It doesn't have to be perfect. That part comes later. 

So, for those of you like me who stress over the imperfections to the point we never really get anywhere, here's a wet slap in the face. 

Finished, not Perfect. 

Enjoy and happy IWSG day!

IWSG: Sometimes All You Need Is BIC HOK and a Cat

Developed by author and blogger Alex Cavanaugh, IWSG is a bloghop for writers by writers. To find out more about the IWSG monthly bloghop or the IWSG website, click the links. And many thanks to Alex and the courageous, torch sword wielding ninja co-hosts this month!

 

 

Oh, I just can't stand it anymore! I've been trying nap here for almost an hour, but all I can hear is you, mumbling, growling, and barking at your computer. Apparently, you're not satisfied with whatever it is you're typing. Shall I take a look at it? I don't mind. Especially if it can help you write without interrupting my beauty cat nap. 

Oh. Wow. This does need a bit of work. Excuse me while I cough up a fur ball. This is positively horrendous. Go put on another pot of coffee, this may will take a while. Trust me. 

There. I fixed it. Your character now has motive, is well rounded, and doesn't sound like a drooling pooch. My fee is payable in fancy butt-flavored cat food. You can pay me immediately. All that editing has made me hungry. 

Le meow.

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I had a breakthrough yesterday and all I needed was some good old fashioned BIC HOK (butt-in-chair, hands-on-keyboard) time. It feels like I've written over a hundred different variations of this book, but today, I finally have a reasonable outline of the story. It's the best feeling when you've been working on a problem for a while, and all of a sudden, it comes together. I know I still have a super long way to go, but the end feels much more attainable. I can't tell you how excited I am about getting the scenes written down. Hope none of you are stuck on a problem, but if you are, remember sometimes all it takes is some BIC HOK and a smart alec cat (cat optional). 

Now, let fun part begin!!!!! 

:D 

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IWSG

Developed by author and blogger Alex Cavanaugh, IWSG is a bloghop for writers by writers. To find out more about the IWSG monthly bloghop or the IWSG website, click the links.

Thank you Alex and the co-hosts this month you all are awesome!

Last night my mother and I went to a Jazz show. On stage was a 6 piece band and a vocalist who transported us back 80 years….. to a cocktail lounge bar with wooden bar stools and worn velvet lounge chairs. Smoke hangs low in the air and people are drinking, and smoking, and dancing. Men are dressed in suits and hats, and women in fur, it’s the 1930s and the band is playing Duke Ellington. 

Music really does move people, physically and emotionally and during the entire performance I could not help but dance a little in my seat. My feet tapped, my head bobbed, and my hands clapped. I smiled the entire time. After each song, there was a roaring applause. It was an outstanding performance. And yet, something was strange…almost everyone around me managed to sit still the entire time, as if they were watching a tragedy. I kept wondering how in the world anyone could listen to such great music and not move, even a little, to the beat. Sure Jazz isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but you wouldn’t buy tickets to a Jazz performance if it wasn’t. I started thinking it must be a cultural thing. The French tend to be quiet and reserved in public, and now I’m thinking I must have been so annoying to the people seated to the back of me, lol! 

Anyway, just like with music, people will respond differently to your writing. They’re going to love it or hate it for different reasons, and that’s ok. What’s important is you keep writing, keep typing away to that tune in your head, get your words onto the stage and into the spotlight because that’s how we improve, that’s how we move forward. And, when it comes down to it, that’s what we need, to share our stories with the crowd.  

Go on, I dare you to listen and not at least, tap your feet. ;)

IWSG: POV and Tense

Developed by author and blogger Alex Cavanaugh, IWSG is a bloghop for writers by writers. To find out more about the IWSG monthly bloghop or the IWSG website, click the links. 

Thank you Alex and the co-hosts this month for another great hop!

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After 6 months running a B&B, our season is finally closed until next year. Let me tell you how F-ing happy I was to see the last of our clients leave at the end of September. Not to complain, too much… but running a B&B was so much work that by the end, I was physically and mentally exhausted. Spent. There were however,  a few interestings aspects about the B&B that I’d love to talk to you about, but this is IWSG and now that I’m back, I’ve hit the ground running and writing--the only way to hit the ground in my opinion. So let’s get on with it!

My insecurities this month are two fold. The first, stems from being out of touch with all you guys and the writing blogosphere. In short, I have no clue what's going on anymore. If you came out with a book or book cover this summer, I missed it. If there were bloghops, I missed them. If you had any kind of awesome sauce news to share, I’m so sorry, but yeah, I missed that too. That’s what sucks when you’re gone for a few months. But, I’m hoping to elbow my way back into the asylum if there’s still room. Is my bunk bed still available? ;)

The other thing that’s been making me bite my fingers is an anthology. Recently, I was asked to contribute to an anthology that’s due to come out sometime in the beginning of next year. The theme is turning points. I’m not going to talk much about the details because I’m not sure it’s time, but that’s not the problem. Here’s what’s giving me a hard time. 

POV and tense. 

From the beginning, I’ve been struggling on what POV to use and for some reason, I started writing in third person present tense which isn’t common in fiction writing. Plus, I rarely write presence tense, it’s not easy to pull off, and I suck at it. I’m much more mainstream with my narrative and usually write in first person or third person past tense. Anyway, I’m worried that I’m heading out into deep waters, writing in a tense I don’t have much experience in, and of course worried I’m going to muck it all up. The thing is, the more I read my story, the more I like it. Usually, when I start a new project I’m all super excited about it and love it to death, that is until I get to the editing and rewriting phase, to which I start doubting myself and then I end up hating everything I’ve written. Sound familiar? Well with this project, I started with a slow burn, a glimmer of an idea and slowly started writing. I’m still uncertain where to take it, but the more I keep going, the more I like it. I’m having a hard time remembering when I’ve ever felt like this over a writing project. So as you can see, my first week back and I already have a bunch of stuff to figure out.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a fun and productive summer. Enjoy the bloghop, I know I sure will and I can’t wait to see what you all are writing about. And, if you all have any suggestions, I’d love to hear from you! 

IWSG

Developed by author and blogger Alex Cavanaugh,  IWSG is a bloghop for writers by writers. To find out more about the IWSG monthly bloghop or the IWSG website, click the links. Thank you Alex and the co-hosts this month for another great hop!

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So the other day I came across this video by science communicator/philosopher, Jason Silva. In this particular clip, he talks about the creative process and mentions something I hit on in my last IWSG post, which is getting out of our way to move forward, or as Silva calls it, entering "no mind." I wish I could tap into these flow states whenever I wanted to write without my inner critic getting in the way. But, I can't right now. I'm still swamped with work until end of September and with the kids on vacation....well my 'flow state' is a 'no show state.' However, I did get in a few hours of writing today, so there's that. 

Anyway, I know everyone is busy so I'll make this short and just leave you with the video (I hope it works) for you to watch if you like. It's short. Like me. :P

So until next time, have a good one and just go with the flow...  :)

Art As An Escape
THIS is the only thing getting in your way.
Posted by Jason Silva on Thursday, July 16, 2015

IWSG: Just Get Out The Way

The first Wednesday of every month is the Insecure Writer’s Support Group bloghop. It's a day where writers/bloggers reach out and post their fears and doubts about their writing, but also share their triumphs, no matter how big or small.

So some of you may already know I started a B&B a few months ago. Lately, I've been drawing parallels between running a B&B and writing. Here's what I've gotten so far:

1. No matter how hard I try to be perfect or make everything look perfect, there will always be that one negitive person who will never be happy and who cannot help but critisize.

In other words, you can never please everyone, no matter how hard you try. However, you can reach a point where you can please the majority, and that's good enough. 

2. Sometimes it only takes one positive comment to change your crappy day into a good day. I remember one day in particular, I was feeling extra crappy and had to force a smile across my face when the new guests arrived. They turned out to be the nicest people, and speaking with them for just a few minutes was all it took to turn my mood around. But the best, was when a guest left a hand written thank you note in the room after they left. That was awesome, kinda like getting fan mail. :)

In other words, never underestimate the power of a positive comment or a kind word. You never know how much those words mean to someone or how badly they need to hear it. 

3. Recommendations / Reviews are so important. Authors know how important reviews are to book sales, well this is the same thing. Several of our guests have been nice enough to leave positive reviews on a B&B website about our room. The reviews are only a few sentences long, and yet they carry a lot of weight in the eyes of potential clients looking to book a room. As a result, we're booked for most of the summer. 

As I think about this list, it's easy to see that many of the insecurities I have about my writing creep up in my work with the B&B, which begs the question....what if... what if it's not my writing that's the problem.... what if the problem is me? 

Well, duh! 

Of course I'm my biggest obstacle with my bemoaning insecurities. I really need to get out of my own way sometimes. :) 

Well, that's it for me today. If you haven't already noticed, my blogging schedule has slowed to a crawl since I started the B&B. Sorry! But I'll be back on a more regular schedule in September when we close our activity for the fall/winter season. Thanks for stopping in, I wish you the very best in your writing endeavors and for crying out loud, get out of your own damn way and just write! :)  

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Thank you, Alex Cavanaugh for another great bloghop. And a big thank you to all the awesome co-hosts this month! 

To find out more about the IWSG monthly bloghop or the IWSG website, click the links.

IWSG: What's My Name?

The first Wednesday of every month is the Insecure Writer’s Support Group bloghop. It's a day where writers/bloggers reach out and post their fears and doubts about their writing, but also share their triumphs, no matter how big or small.

The biggest issue I have this month is one I've struggled with for as long as I can remember, and that's time. I know most of us struggle with the time issue. We try squeezing seconds out of our busy lives to write a chapter or two, or heck just a few sentences would be great. But I don't want to talk about the time issue today because it so often comes down to prioritizing and re-evaluating personal goals. What I do want to talk about is something that's been bugging me lately, and that's the name game. I'm usually pretty good at naming characters. However, ever since I started writing this sci-fi  story, I can't, for the life of me, seem to come up with a good name for my main character. It's gotten to the point where it's become a mental block. I'm having a hard time writing freely without her name. 

Why? *shrugs* 

I know many of you refer to certain characters as "The Bad Guy" or "Sexy" in your writing until you find a real name. But I can't even do that. I have a few pages where I refer to my main character as XX, but that just hurts my eyes and distracts my train of thought every time I see it. 

So how do you guys settle on names? Do you have a technique, or does it just come to you somewhere between morning coffee and the evening sherry? ;)

Other than that, hope everyone is happy, healthy and writing. :) 

Have a great weekend all.

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Thank you, Alex Cavanaugh for another great bloghop. And a big thank you to all the awesome co-hosts this month! 

To find out more about the IWSG monthly bloghop or the IWSG website, click the links.

I Spy: A

**(IWSG post below)

Welcome to the I Spy...from A-Z game!

A big part of this I Spy game is to have fun but to also go beyond the obvious. To do that, I'm not limiting this game to just the names of things. Which means, if I post an image that evokes a feeling, or mood that leads you to something else, that reminds you of yet another word, and that word happens to start with the letter for that day, then let me know in the comments. Also, if you speak another language and find a word that fits for that day, you can use it too! Just make sure to add the translation for the rest of us. (Thanks for the idea Jo. :) )

So now, without further ado.....

I spy with my little eye things that begin with the letter... 

A

Ok, so I may have started this off a little strong...

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I can't wait to see what you all come up with and thank you all for playing along. 

Happy A - Zing! :)

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And now for IWSG! 

My biggest insecurity right now is one I have trouble with all the time...... TIME! I'm going through a HUGE TIME crunch. Today is crazy, tomorrow will be crazy, heck the whole month of April is going to be CRAZY and I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR CRAZY!  So yeah, I'm feeling frazzled and it's only April first, the first day of A-Z AND I still haven't gotten all my posts put together......And, is also April's Fish Day in France! So if some crazy French person sticks a picture of a fish on your back, try not to punch them in the face (sorry for the tangent).

So that's it for today, I am on the negative time scale right now and it looks like I'm stuck here until September. I know this is something a lot of people have trouble with (we should make a t-shirt) and I'm struggling to find quality time to write....the key word being 'quality.' 

Ok, hope you all are forging ahead, I'll just sit in the corner and cry some more..... wait, I don't have TIME TO CRY!   :P   

IWSG: I Tip My NaNo Cap To You

IWSG and National Novel Writing Month

Final Word Count: 25,650

Words Remaining: Ha, ahaha, ahahah!

Annnnd here's my recap.
(get it?! :P)

Well, I didn't win the challenge but I did get off to a decent start. Though I am a bit bummed I fell short of the 30k mark. Balancing writing time and my nutty personal life truned out to be a bigger challenge in November. 

"Tis what it is," I guess.

So what did I learn this month?

1: Getting off to a good start is paramount! 

I had been told to write as much as I could the first couple of days to surpass the daily requirement. I didn't really heed this warning, big mistake. There were days when I could have used the extra word count to compensate for unexpected setbacks. 

2: Have a good outline and stick to it. 

My outline was too general and I ended up spending too much time trying to figure out in what direction I wanted to take my story. The other thing that messed with me was by day 5 I had taken my story completely off its tracks in a different direction (into a wall) and basically gave my outline the middle finger. 

That was bad. 

Bad Elise, bad!

3: Avoid traveling during the challenge. You'll never get as much writing done as you think you will.

I told my self I'd get tons of writing done in the car. And I did... on the way down. But on the way back, it was all zzzzzzzzzzz. :P

4: No matter how prepared you think you are...BAM! Life comes along and kicks you in the ankles and sabotages your writing time. 

During the challenge I had to deal with some family crap and I lost two days of writing. Ugggg. 

Sometimes your real life gets in the way, but that's ok. Deal with it and move on. 

So I had a few setbacks. It happens. And though I didn't reach my goal, I am happy for giving it a shot and sticking through until the very last day. I also want to thank the NaNo team for all their work to make this challenge possible, and I tip my hat(s) to you and everyone who won NaNo or at least gave it a shot. And I also want to thank everyone for stopping by with your encouragements. You guys were great and made this challenge totally worth while. I wish I had had the time to reply to each and every one of you. However, I do plan on spending most of December trying to catch up with you all and see what's going on in the bloggosphere. 

Thanks again for all your support and to Alex and the IWSG for another great bloghop this month. You all rock! 

Now, back to work. :)

IWSG: Shelving Your Manuscript In Order To Grow

Writing is a solitary and arduous journey that is misunderstood by many. It takes time and is often isolating, requiring the writer to retreat deep into their mind to remove themselves from the exterior world. Writing also demands sacrifice, perseverance, and a good dollop of insanity if you're in it for the long term. And with so many opportunities to give up along the way, being equipped with a lifeline can be the difference between a successful writer and a failed writer. For many, that line is tethered to the online writing community. 

The writing community is a global body of countless supportive and encouraging writers that radiate positive thinking to help struggling writers. So when a fellow writer suffers from writer's block or bouts of insecurity, the community is there to remind them that they are not alone, help is sometimes only a click away. But most important, we understand because we've all been there at some point or another, when self-doubt becomes the Mount Everest of our insecurities and all we really need is a bit of encouragement to keep going, to keep writing, and whatever we do--We. Never. Ever. Give. Up.

Never give up. That's good advice. But here's the twist: sometimes, giving up is exactly what you need to do in order to move forward. Let me explain. 

When I started writing my first novel, it was like teenagers falling in love for the first time. It was a storm cloud of writing ecstasy, it was passionate, an intense exhilaration that borderlined on the obsessive, the crazy, and the extreme. My story and my characters dominated my thoughts day and night. But as time moved on, I slowly surrendered that passion with each round of edits. And with each rewrite, I found myself deconstructing my love for the story. Things changed. I changed. My story changed and not for the better. Then I started to dread having to open my file document to write. Instead of stealing writing time whenever and wherever I could, I was procrastinating in favor of menial tasks. And the longer I put off writing, the greater the feeling of guilt grew inside me. Soon afterward it became painfully clear, that this was no longer the italicised story I wanted to write. And when my mind started dreaming of other stories, other possibilities--I knew. I just knew. Looking deep within, I decided that I could not continue lying to myself. I could not continue to force these words onto the page, so much as I could quell the excitement I felt when I allowed a few moments to imagine a world, in which I was writing something else. 

This story was not THE one, and it was time to give up writing my manuscript, and shelve the book.

Sounds like a heartbreaking loves story doesn't it? Well in a way it is. At some point along the path to good writing, a writer will come to the realization that their current project may no longer be writeable. Admitting that is one of the hardest parts about being a writer, and shelving your manuscript, the one that you've agonized and struggled over for months or years even, is the second. And though things may not have worked out the way you originally planned, they can and do get better, if you let them. Because the process of writing a failed manuscript teaches valuable lessons about the craft if, you are open to the idea that the failed attempt will make your next project that much better. For example, my first book taught me 487 pages of what not to write in a novel. In other words, I learned a great deal about voice, plot, and character, and I'm convinced my next book will be better. I may have given up on one manuscript, but I haven't given up on writing. 

So I'm here to say, it's OKAY. It's okay to shelve your manuscript. And it is by no means an indicator that you suck or have failed as a writer. It's just the opposite, it's a sign that you're maturing as a writer and know when it's time to pull the plug to move on to bigger and better writing. Shelving your work breaks down the brick walls of guilt and frees your mind to develop new ideas on a healthier and more positive foundation. And guess what? Shelving your work doesn't have to be permanent, but it can be empowering. 

So in short, knowing when to let go is sometimes the only way to truly move forward in life and in your writing. And if you want to fly, don't be afraid to let go of the things that anchor you to the ground. 

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It's been three years since the start of the Insecure Writer's Support Group bloghop, created by writer and author, Alex Cavanaugh, and today marks the one year anniversary of the IWSG website and facebook page. I'd like to extend a huge congratulations to Alex and everyone who has helped (or is helping) make IWSG such a big success. I'd also like to thank the team of co-hosts this month for all the time and hard work they put into making this such a wonderful bloghop. To find out more about the IWSG monthly bloghop, or the IWSG website, feel free to click the highlited links or the button on my sidebar.

IWSG: Making the Most of a Difficult Situation

There's this saying in English: 

- If it ain't broke, don't fix it.   

It's a good saying.

After living for over 10 years in France, I've noticed they have a similar saying except it goes something like this: 

- If it ain't broke, break it, make it obscenely complicated, non user-friendly, and then make the people pay for it through higher taxes. 

The French government recently reformed the primary school timetable, forcing it to go from a workable system to a complete after school mess, leaving kids, teachers, daycare, and staff unable to cope, and struggling for financial resources that they don't have. *deep breath* 

I'll spare you all the details because I don't have the energy to write all the expletives that would accompany my rant. And really, AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT, MERDE! 

But the gist of it is I'm now having to wait 2 hours in my car  after lunch (because of our tight budget and limited options) to pick up my kids when school lets out. And, I'm paying higher costs for a school bus system that my kids can only use half the time. FAIS CHIER! 

Now, a lot of the problems we're having with the timetable is because while the public school system had no choice but to comply with the reform, the private schools didn't, they basically gave the government reform a giant middle finger (and I don't blame them) but the trouble is they use the same bus system as the public schools....but they're on a different timetable.. and there are limited buses....see how this can, and has, turned into a mega cluster failure? PUTAIN!

Anyway, these dumbass, brainless changes have also impacted my time as a writer. Which is to say, I now have less and less time to write during the day. So, seeing how I'll be spending lots of time just waiting in my car, I've decided to make the most of a shitty situation. I'm going to pack my laptop and use that time to write. When it's hot, I'll bring some water and I'll keep writing in the car. And when the cold comes in, I'll bring an extra blanket, a thermos, and I'll keep writing. And when it rains and pours, I'll just keep writing. 

Who knows, this may be the best thing that has happened to my writing schedule in a long time. No house work, no garden, no grocery shopping, no distractions, just me and my laptop. Could it be, I'm actually looking forward to this? O_O  It'll be interesting to see if this works out, even if only a little. I'll let you know next month. Wish me luck and I hope you all are faring better than I am!  

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Many thanks to Alex Cavanaugh our IWSG super-host and his awesome team of co-hosts this month. To find out more about the IWSG monthly bloghop, or the IWSG website, feel free to click the highlited links or the button on my sidebar.

Fatherly Advice and Fuzzy Alarm Clocks: An IWSG Post

These past few months have been nothing short of crazy served with a tall, straightjacket flavored cocktail topped with a little broken umbrella. The good news is, I'm getting a lot of stuff done in my personal life, the bad news is, I haven't had much time for writing or blogging and I feel really guilty about that. Plus, I miss you guys! How I wish I could do both. 

Nevertheless, I do have a plan to get back into writing and all things blogging, I just have to wait until September when the kiddos go back to school and I have a 2 hour wait in my car before picking them up after school (long story that I blame the French Ministry of Education for F*cking things up royaly and then making the little people, like me, pay for it.....ugggg, don't get me started*angry face*). 

So anyway, until I can get back to a regular schedule, I'd like to share a piece of fatherly advice my Dad gave to me as we chatted over skype the other day. I'd been complaining how buys things had been over on my side of the world and he said: 

"At some point you just have to quit saying 'you gotta do this or you gotta do that' and just go out there, and do it." 

Well, you're absolutely right. 

I love you, Dad!

I hope you all are doing well and getting things done, if not, then just go out there and do it!

And as a little bonus for you guys, I added a short clip of how I wake up in the mornings, via little, fuzzy, attack kitty-bums. Enjoy! :D 

And now, back to my regularly scheduled crazy life. Oh and did I mention I have 11 people coming over for dinner tonight? *starts hyperventilating*

IWSG: A Reminder To Be Grateful

Something happened a couple weeks ago and while I had planned to post funny, profanity-filled pictures for today, I’ve had a change of heart. While I still plan to post my original pics (most likely Sunday so you extra sensitive folks beware), today I want to talk about gratitude. I apologize for the length and understand if you need to skim this, but I need to get this off my chest.

A couple weeks ago, we took a family member into our homes that needed a place to stay. She had no job, no money and was having a hard time figuring out this thing called life. We took her in with open arms, happy to help in anyway we could, and we did. We never asked her for a dime, she had access to our entire house, had her own room, I fed her, etc, etc. Anyway, this person had no particular job skills and told us she didn’t want a desk job because she had trouble sitting for long periods of time. Fine. My husband suggested he pull some strings at work to see if he could get her an entry level assembly job. It wouldn’t be glorious work, but the pay and hours were good, and it could be temporary until she found something more suitable. She agreed.     

After one day at work, she burst through the front door, LITERALLY stomped her feet, said a few choice words about how awful the job was, and slammed the door to her room. My mouth dropped, my kids were there and I struggled to figure out what happened. She sulked in her room all night and I decided to let her cool off  so we could talk about it the next day. Now, a mature adult would have simply said, something along the lines of ‘Thank you, I tried but it didn’t work out, I need to find something else.’ No big deal and at least she tried. Well guess what, the following morning she was gone. Yep, gone. She packed her stuff up during the night, never left a note, or phone call, did nothing to explain what the hell was going on. Frantic, we made a few phone calls and found out she had gone back to her parent’s house. We were floored. I tried to figure out what we did wrong, but you know what? Screw her. She used us for over a month, never once expressed thanks for anything we did for her, and when it came down to actually doing a real job, she bolted. Her actions had some serious consequences. Guess who had to explain why she didn’t show up for work the next day? And guess whose reputation got tarnished after recommending her for this job? Not her reputation that’s for sure. We later found out via her parents that she didn’t want to work there because of the dust particles in the air that irritated her contact lenses and that she didn’t feel well working on the line. Sounds like a spoiled teenager, right? Except she’s not a teenager, she’s an ungrateful 35 years old, who has now secured a spot in my next book and it ain’t gonna be pretty.

Folks, you cannot imagine how upset and disappointed I am over this incident and I truly wish it could have ended differently, because make no mistake, this relationship has ended. Twice she’s come to us for help and twice she’s treated us like fools. There will not be a third time. On the bright side, I’ve had ample material to talk to my kids about gratitude, about working hard for the things we want in life. Nothing in life is owed to you and at some point along the line, you are going to need help. A word of advice: Do not shit in the hands that are trying to help you. In today’s writing world, authors can’t write successful books without the help of others, be it editors, beta readers, writing groups, tech specialists, or even as simple as moral support from friends and family. We all need a little help and there’s nothing wrong with that, so be grateful, be kind, and be willing to pay it forward. So in light of this incident, I want to give thanks to the writing community, to all my writing buddies near and far, the commenters who stumble across this little blog of mine and to IWSG for giving us a platform to express our insecurities and encourage others to keep writing. I want you all to know how grateful I am that our paths have crossed, virtual or not. <3  

IWSG: Motivating My Troops

Motivation.

That is what's been bothering me lately. And, I'm not talking about my own motivation, though it has waxed and waned these past few months. The motivation I'm referring to is that of my characters.

I'm a blackbelt panster. But for the first time, I outlined a story from start to finish. It's a basic outline using index cards for chapter headings and I managed to plan out the general plot. What would have taken a plotter one afternoon to finish, took me over a week, nevertheless finishing the outline is pretty exciting for me.

Though painful as it was, outlining allowed me to answer the questions one must ask while drafting a story:

The Who (identify and name my main and secondary characters through basic character profiling) 

The What (what each of my characters do and their importance within the story)

The When (the present)

The Where (Earth)

The How (how my characters accomplish the things they need to do)

The only question I haven't been able to completely nail down is The Why. Why are my characters doing all this awesome and scary stuff?

 

What motivates my characters? What drives their actions? It's the most important question to answer and it must be believable to the reader. The answer to this will be the driving force throughout the entire book and it will dictate how characters respond to, well, everything in the story. 

I've been able to answer The little why, in the immediate sense, their day-to-day motives,  but The BIG Why, which is anchored in backstory, is still unclear at best. Without The Why, then everything else in my story unravels at the seams. If I can't convince the reader what motivates my characters, then what's the point of reading on?  

Gosh Batman, this writing stuff is hard.

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Many thanks to Alex Cavanaugh our IWSG super-host and his awesome team of co-hosts this month. To find out more about the IWSG monthly bloghop, or the IWSG website, feel free to click the highlited links or the button on my sidebar.

IWSG: A Month in the Life of a Non-Writing Writer

Last month I decided to take a break from blogging to concentrate on my writing. I missed you all but I have to say, the results of my hiatus are pretty astounding. I got A LOT done--all except for one thing--writing. But you know what? I'm ok with the non-writing thing because I feel great. For a whole month I lived life instead of trying to write about it. And I slept, at least 8 hours each night! I love sleep. I didn't feel the benefits right away, but after 2 weeks of sleeping properly and spending more time outside, I can honestly say I feel great both mind and body.

So, what did this non-writing writer actually do during my hiatus?
Well, here's a quick run down:


First, I took pictures of my dog.

Photography? Ha! -- nailed it.   :P

Then, I did some gardening. I had seen the following example of vertical planting on the internet and thought it looked great. Naturally, I figured I'd give it a try. 
Can't be that hard, right?
Anyway, this is what I was going for:

Aaaaannnd.... this is what I got:






Gardening? Ha! -- nailed it.

Okay, so experimental gardening may not be my thing so, I talked to my neighbors to get some pointers. 

Socializing? Ha!-- nailed it.






So, with all this extra time on my hands I decided I should do some shopping. This was an exploit for me because I hate shopping. With a passion. And rightfully so:

Me thinks I need to pay better attention to what kind of t-shirts I buy the kids....

Shopping? Ha! --nailed it.







Okay, so after a few difficult attempts at being normal, Easter rolled around and I was able to distract myself by eating all the chocolate eggs hiding the Easter eggs for the kids.
*insert evil laugh*

Camouflage tactics? Ha! --nailed it.


And speaking of my kiddos, they're on vacation. That means I've got to keep them occupied. Not a simple task. Luckily for me, I discovered watercolor pencils!

Mikey picture? Cowabunga!--nailed it.

But one of the highlights was when the kids and I got to see one of the most renowned bird shows in the world.  At the end of the show, hundreds of raptors, (over 80 different species including falcons, hawks, eagles, vultures, etc.) flew only a few inches over the spectator’s heads. You would have loved it Golden Eagle. It was an amazing show right up until one of the birds dropped their "treats" thrown up to them by the falconers. The treat landed right in front of me and my kids with a thud--a dead chick.

Magic broken? --- Uggg, nailed it.

But despite it raining dead baby birds, it was still a fantastic show.


Video not suitable for those who suffer from ornithophobia.
Seriously, birds all over the place in this video. :D

April was also exciting because I got to help build a treehouse in the backyard. It's still a work in process but damn, I can't help but think what a fantastic/ideal place this is going to be for my writing when it's done!!!!! And yes, that does warrant 5 exclamation points!

But one of the most therapeutic moments for me was taking long walks to clear my head and fill my lungs with allergenic pollen. It was rejuvenating. 

*aachoo, cough, cough*

And everywhere I went, my camera followed. I took pictures of flowers...

and of my futures...

Future grapes.

Future strawberries.

Future pesto!

 Future housing development for smurfs.

Overall, April was a month of rest and getting back to the simple things that are important to me: family time and the outdoors. And I now realize to what extent I needed this time off. It's difficult and sometimes impossible to juggle writing and life. So, I put my writing aside and for the first time in years, I just took care of myself and my family. And I'm not ashamed to say, it was one of the best decisions I've made in a long time. But the best part is, I feel refreshed and have a mind filled with new and shiny plot ideas itching to come out. Now, I can't wait to get back to writing, and blogging, and that my friend, is a great feeling.

I hope those of you who participated in A-Z had a great time and don't feel too exhausted. I can't wait to catch up with everyone!  

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Many thanks to Alex Cavanaugh our IWSG super-host and his awesome co-hosts this month. If you'd like to know more about the IWSG monthly bloghop, feel free to click the IWSG button on my side bar.