Research Borne of Necessity

This is a copy of the back of a check I should have received, but didn't. This is a copy of the back of a check made out to me, but intercepted and deposited into a stranger's account without being endorsed. This is a copy of the back of a check that this person's bank simply credited, even though the name on the check differed from the name of the account holder.

This has been my research project for much of this week. I wish I could say it has been for a book in progress. Unfortunately, it's just life. (to see the check and read the rest of my tale of financial woe, head to the Once in a Blue Muse Blog. . . )

Motivation Station

To be a working writer means finding a way to motivate yourself to keep working. A complete novel can require you to string together 60,000 to 80,000 words, organized into cohesive storylines that are comprised of chapters. The chapters are built from scenes, which in turn rely on paragraphs which are put together one sentence at a time.

It's an incredible amount of work and more than a little daunting to consider. (continue on Once in a Blue Muse. . . )

Community Ties

This morning, I completed a whole novel critique for one of the members of a small writing/support group I belong to on Facebook (shoutout to the lovely ladies of the #SFWG!) and it occurred to me what a wonderful opportunity the internet has given me.

I'm currently part of several writing communities, some virtual, some physical, and all important to my development as a writer. (Read more on Once in a Blue Muse)

My Favorite Characters

For the record, I loathe questions about favorites. They feel like too much pressure. If I commit to a favorite (ice cream flavor, musician, book, vacation spot) will I be stuck with that answer for all time? My answers might change depending on the day the question is asked, or what is happening in my life. Then again, there are certain favorites that have remained since childhood. (Chocolate chip, with Moose Tracks a close second.)

(Continue reading on Once in a Blue Muse. . . )

What's the Happy Haps?

I don't know why, but I love the expression "happy haps". It's fun to say and it has a nice little rhythm to it. It's something I heard my teenagers say and have stolen, much to their chagrin. If Mom uses it, it can no longer be cool/hip/boss or whatever the current slang is for something interesting.

So what's going on in my writing life right now?

Actually, not a lot.

I finished the revision of DERELICT and sent it off to my agent 2 weeks ago. (Continue reading about the Happy Haps on my blog, Once in a Blue Muse.)

Same old, same old. . .

I'm not a person who likes change very much. My mother used to tell a family story about my routines and habits centered around my lunches: She would make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day during my elementary school years. One night at dinner, my father commented that maybe she should make me more varied food and for the next week, she made something different (that I generally enjoyed and would eat) for me to take. (read more about routines, PB&J, and writing at the Once in a Blue Muse Blog)

Writer's Block: You Shall Not Pass

Every couple of months, I see a blog post or a conversation on FB or G+ on writer's block and what to do about it.

To be honest, I'm not sure I believe in it as an individual entity. To believe in writer's block is to believe that we are akin to factories, with a scheduled amount of creativity and that if we don't produce to that standard, we must be blocked. (Continue reading. . . )

First Stories

. . .

But when I think of first stories, what I think about is not what I have written, but the stories we tell ourselves even before we think of putting pen to paper.

The stories we convince ourselves are true about us--the deepest part of us. The stories we choose to believe, that shape the face we show the outside world. The stories that limit the full expression of who we can be.

Continue reading "First Stories" at the Once in a Blue Muse Blog

Finding Balance: the 2013 Edition

I spent a bit of time thinking about goals for the year in this post at the end of December, but it was more in comparison with what I had and hadn't accomplished for 2012.

As the year starts, I've been giving more an more thought to what I want to accomplish and what is realistic to work toward. One of my personal goals--and it impacts my writing goals--is to sit less and be more physically active. What this means in real terms is I need to spend less time noodling around the net. There is an endless stream of content flowing past all our social media sites: twitter, FB, G+, Tumblr. There is an abundance of interesting people saying interesting things.

(Read more at Once in a Blue Muse Blog)

The State of the Art

So, this month's Merry-Go-Round blog tour subject is on the state of the publishing industry. When I started to think about what one struggling writer could possibly contribute to this conversation, given how many industry blogs and articles are out there in the world, I started to think about one of my favorite musicals: Sunday in the Park with George.

There's a song in the second act where George, the great-grandson of George Seurat (the pointillist) is trying to sell his newest artistic production and he sings a song called "Putting it Together." Some of the lyrics include:

Art isn't easy.
Every minor detail
Is a major decision,
Have to keep things in scale,
Have to hold to your vision-
Every time I start to feel defensive,
I remember lasers are expensive.
What's a little cocktail conversation 
If it gets the funds for your foundation,
Leading to a prominent commission,
And an exhibition in addition?

(Continue reading "The State of the Art" on Once in a Blue Muse)

Professional Is as Professional Does

 The topic of being professional is one that I return to again and again. Not because I'm some great sage able to impart my wisdom to writers far and wide, but because in writing about it, I continue to refine my own thoughts about what it means to be professional.

In my prior life as a Physical Therapist, being professional meant holding to ethical practice, advocating for patients and their goals, contributing as a member of a health care team, and seeking out opportunities for assessment and continued learning.

For over 20 years, I practiced as a professional PT, learning and growing as a clinician, performing my job to the best of my abilities.

When I made my career shift from clinician to writer, many aspects of my life changed. Certainly, my commute got easier, if you don't count the traffic jam of two dogs trying to trip me up on my walk across the living room. Particularly hazardous when holding coffee! I can go to work these days in sweats or even PJ's. Hooray for writers working at home without dress codes! Everyday is casual Friday!
(Continue reading on Once in a Blue Muse) 

The post I would have written

This month's Merry-Go-Round prompt is writing strengths.

I offer my apologies, but I wasn't able to put together a formal blogpost for it, due to a death in the family. What I would have talked about as my greatest writing strength is that I strive for emotional honesty in all my writing.

I am in mourning now, for my mother's passing.

I am not ready to tackle the enormity of what her loss means to my life and until I can, the words must wait.

The Daunting Challenge of Books Not Yet Read

It was bad enough when my book shelves got filled to capacity and I started having to pile them horizontally in the small spaces between the top of the books and the bottom of the shelf above. It was bad enough when my nightstand could be classified as a hazard, with a teetering stack of books crowding out the telephone and clock. It was bad enough when the boys started to exercise their own taste in books and brought home towering piles of their own from the library and our local bookstore.   (Read more at Once in a Blue Muse. . . )

Why I do this crazy thing.

 "Why couldn't I have wanted to do something easy, like brain surgery or theoretical physics? No, I had to be a writer. Sigh."

That was something I posted on twitter earlier this summer. I don't even remember what, if anything specific, triggered my frustration. Maybe it happened after staring at a blinking curser and a blank page for some time. Maybe I wrote it, taking a break from a difficult scene or edit. Regardless, I can tell you that writing has been both the hardest job I've ever done and the one I'm most passionate about.

(read the rest on the Once in a Blue Muse Blog)

Balancing Act

Photo by Thomas Hawk, used with attribution, cc license

Balance is something I think we all struggle with, whether we write or not.  The very fact that our time in this world is limited means we must make choices and prioritize.

When my children were younger and I had a busy physical therapy practice, and stories bouncing around my head, life felt less like I was juggling and more like I was spinning plates. (An analogy I first heard from one of my work supervisors.)  If you haven't seen plate spinning, it's a pretty amazing feat.  (Read more here. . . )

Deadlines, To Do Lists, and Expectations, Oh My

I'm a compulsive list maker and setter-up of organizational systems to keep track of them that I ultimately don't or can't use.

I fact, I'm probably the most organized disorganized person you'll ever meet.

(read more about my chaos here. . . )

Magpie Scribblings

According to Wikipedia, the Magpie is an "opportunistic omnivore".  That's how I see myself as a writer and a reader.  I'm a collector of interesting facts, information, and stories.  Like the Magpie, if it's 'shiny', then I want it.
Read more. . . 

There's No Place Like Home

When my kids were rug-rats, this narrow, little room off our living room was their playroom. It was a hodgepodge of books, toys, games, and art supplies for about 12 years of our life in this house we've lived in for the past 19 years. When the kids got old enough that their 'toys' became gaming systems instead of matchbox cars, they took over the finished side of the basement.  I refer to it as 'the man pit.'  I claimed the room they no longer used as my office.
(Read more on the Once in a Blue Muse Blog)

Procrastination=Avoidance

Every month, on the 10th day, I take part on the Forward Motion for Writers Blog Tour. Every month, I get to the 10th and realize in utter panic, that I haven't thought of what to write for the monthly topic. Ironically, this month, the month when the topic is procrastination, I'm actually writing this post ahead of time.
(Read more. . . )

LJ Cohen's Ideal Reader

This month's topic for the FM Writers Merry-Go-Round blog tour is to explore your ideal reader.  It pretty much a perfect topic with perfect timing for me this month.  I've been participating in a lot of guest blog Q&A posts and 'who is your perfect reader?' is a question that has come up more than once.

I have struggled to answer it in a pithy, snappy way and I think the question does deserve serious consideration.
(read more. . . )