Kid's Shoes...

Ah, the innocence of children. Yet, they are so wise in their own way. Because of the almost perfect weather yesterday, all the neighbors were out in the street. A couple of the little children caught my attention as they raced each other from driveway to driveway on their bikes. One of the little boys won every single time, and I could see the frustration on the other boy's face. He kept pedaling faster, but to no avail. Finally, the slow boy stopped the fast boy and asked, "Dude, how do you go so fast?" "I dunno. I just do," the fast boy answered. "Can't really explain it." The slow boy thought long and hard and then pulled his bike in front of the fast boy. "Hey, how about this time, the slowest person wins?" "Okay," the fast boy said. "Last one across the street wins." They both took off at a snail's pace, but the fast boy apparently couldn't stand it and eventually went flying. Fast boy lost, and slow boy finally won. Slow boy knew what it took to win and had the patience to do it. Fast boy didn't. Funny how redefining the goal can make a difference, huh? We all want to get published, and we want it now, right? But what's the harm in getting there slowly? It might even be better. The longer we spend on our craft, the better we will write, and the better our novels will be. So take your time, know what it takes, get there slowly, and you just might win the race. How's that for a little Monday Miscellanea? Anything random you'd like to share?

I've Got Nothing ...

...well, except for this empty shoe box. I've spent this past week discussing things I do to keep myself motivated during the revision process. I had a great topic for today, at least I think I did, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it was. So, I'm letting it go and admitting that I've got nothing. Now, I'm going to count on you to take up the slack for this nothing post. You tell me--what do you do to stay upbeat during revisions or any other stage of the writing process? I can't wait to hear what you all have to say. Have a great weekend!

Keep On Moving

As most of you probably know, I've been talking about staying upbeat during the revision process. Yesterday, I talked about taking a break from your WIP and patting yourself on the back for coming as far as you have. Today, I'd like to talk about moving forward after that break. Breaks are good, but at some point, it's time to get back to work. Sometimes, this isn't an issue for me. I'm so ready to get back into my writing that it would be impossible to keep me away from it. Other times, though, I'm distracted and tend to procrastinate. Some of it has to do with things that are out of my control, like my kids being out of school for four days more than they were supposed to be for the holidays because of snow. But other distractions are within my control, like a new-found addiction to SHOWTIME on demand. In my defense, I can watch a movie with my kids home, and one of my goals for this year is to keep my writing from interfering with family. But enough with the excuses. It's time to get back to work. My point is, after we take a much needed break, we have to press forward. One of the biggest motivators for me during the revision process is to make it through a difficult spot. It gives me a new energy, a new passion, and a new desire to keep going. When you overcome a hurdle, doesn't it feel good?

Put Your Feet Up

This week, I'm talking about things I do to keep myself motivated and enthusiastic during revisions. Based on your comments from yesterday's post, I think some of you are expecting a run down of my actual revision process. I apologize in advance, though. For now, I'm just going to discuss ways to keep focused, but in the near future, I will discuss the particulars. Okay, so that being said, the first thing I do when I get frustrated is to put my feet up and take a break. During this break, I remind myself that I have completed a novel. There are millions of people out there who want to write a novel, yet they never even attempt it. I can be proud of myself that I've already accomplished as much as I have. That in itself is a huge motivator to keep trudging along. The second thing I do during this break is to read some of my earliest writing. It is then that I can see how much I have improved. This always makes me smile and encourages me to keep pressing forward. So, what about you? Does reading your older writing motivate you? And for all of you who have actually started writing, give yourself a pat on the back. You've done more than many others can say they've done.

Where Do You Write?

Okay, so I know this is going to sound crazy, and it probably is, but I do my best work in the garage with pen and paper. I have a home office with a built-in desk and a relatively new computer, and yet I choose the garage with a notepad. Hm...strange perhaps, but it works for me. First of all, it's a place to escape from the noise and chaos that typically abounds inside my house. I've tried the bedroom, the basement, even the bathroom, and it seems there is nowhere inside to get away from the noise, whether it be the television, the phone, the radio, or even fighting children. The garage offers the privacy and solitude I need to let my words flow. Second, writing things out on paper before actually typing it on the computer allows for a quick edit. Here's how it works: I write a scene in my notebook, kick my kids off the computer, and then type the scene. More often than not, what winds up in the word doc is different than what is written in my notebook. Wa La...first edit already done! Now, you may think writing the scene twice is a waste of time, but if it works for me, who cares? The problem is, though, it hasn't been working out so well lately. There was just too much junk in the garage, at least until last night. I took advantage of my kids' boredom and made them help me clean it out. Today, I wrote several pages (they haven't made it to the computer yet, but at least they're written), and I even had time to blog. My system seems to be working again! So, what about you? Do you have a strange location where you like to write? Or perhaps you have an odd idiosyncrasy that helps you work? Maybe an unconventional method? Please share, I'd love to hear about it!

Being Dormant

I mentioned in an earlier post how much I enjoy planting flowers, but I failed to point out that the same does not hold true for house plants. I've never had any luck with the indoor variety and have watched more than one shrivel up and scream, "All you had to do was water me!" Nevertheless, I've had one house plant for going on six years now. In fact, it's one of the only things we brought with us when we moved into our new home four years ago. When my husband gave it to me on Valentine's Day more than half a decade ago, its leaves were shiny, and it had stalks that bloomed glorious, white flowers. In recent years, the leaves faded, and I can't remember the last time it actually bloomed. That is until today. Suddenly, it's growing new wax-like leaves, and several new stalks have emerged with the white flowers that made me fall in love with the plant in the first place. This past Mother's Day, my husband bought me a new plant just like the old one, except this one was thriving. Call it coincidence if you must, but the arrival of the new plant seems to have triggered new growth in the old one. Maybe it was competition or perhaps inspiration. Either way, the old plant is active again. Okay, here's the part where I relate it to my writing: I've been in a dormant phase much like my plant was. Maybe I need a little inspiration to start blooming again.

Writing and Music

I took a little break from blogging, mostly because I've been short on time. Anyway, I mentioned in my last blog that I'd have more on the topic of whatever works. Well, here it is. Like my son, I also find myself motivated by music. I love music and will pretty much listen to just about anything (except classical and elevator music--I need lyrics!). Lately, I find myself listening to a lot of Top 40. Not because this is my favorite, but because my children listen to it. And if I'm in my car, my kids most likely are, too. As I remember back to writing my first novel, I recall thinking of certain songs while writing certain scenes. And every time one of those songs comes on, I think of that part of my book. For example: The female protagonist has this eerie dream. Disturbia by Rihanna always comes to mind. When I wrote the scene where the villain arrives in a black Mustang, I was thinking of Let it Rock by Kevin Rudolf. One of my favorite scenes in the book is when the male and female protagonists are sitting in a row boat and have their first kiss. It's interesting--one of my favorite songs, I'm Yours by Jason Mraz, was playing in my head as I wrote it. I don't want to give away the ending in case my book does end up on bookstore shelves, so I won't describe any more scenes, but here are a few more songs that were inspiration for me while I was writing. No Air by Jordan Sparks Don't Tell Me if I'm Dying by Thriving Ivy Try to Leave a Light on while I'm Gone by David Cook I Don't Care by Fall Out Boy How do I live without you by Leann Rimes There's many more, but I can't think of all of them right now. I think I'll go listen to my I-Pod. (Maybe I'll write a scene or two for my next novel, too!)

Whatever Works!

I'm super tired and don't have much to say tonight. But I do want to mention, kid you not, that I had another answer to my question about giving up. Today was nothing but baseball. Both boys were playing in tournaments on opposite ends of town, which meant way too much time in the car. My daughter had her I-Pod hooked up to the car stereo, and the kids randomly fought over which songs to skip over and which ones to turn up louder. When Mylie Cyrus's song, "The Climb," came on, my thirteen-year-old son speaks up and says, "Don't change this." This wouldn't have been a big deal except for the fact that he hates Mylie Cyrus. The rest of us turned and looked at him in shock, and he says, "What? It's the song that was going through my head when I got that last hit." Whatever motivates each and every one of us is worth listening to, isn't it? More on this tomorrow. For now, it's off to bed before another day of baseball!