The Coffee-Stained Writer

Seeing characters everywhere

2012-01-30T17:24:00.002-05:00

I love to watch people. It's something I've enjoyed for most of my life.

I was very shy as a child, so I often found myself in the enviable position of being overlooked when others were having private conversations. I heard things others didn't. I saw things others didn't. I enjoyed getting to see these private sides of people, so as I got older, I continued to keep my mouth shut, and my eyes and ears open.

Now that I'm older, being this kind of observer has been beneficial to my writing. I still see these private sides of people, and when I do, they are somehow transformed into characters begging to be included in stories. I know it's a writer thing to see characters and stories everywhere, and I'm thankful for that. After all, it's because of my observation I have the coffee house book characters that I do. Most of them are inspired by people I have seen, talked to, or known in my adult life.

Like visual artists, writers see things others don't, and in ways that others don't. And just because you don't write realism doesn't mean you can't use the people and relationships you see every day as inspiration for your stories. Even invented worlds need an element of truth in order to for readers to relate to them, so even non-realism stories can draw on that quirky cashier you chatted with last week, or the always-on-his-phone guy that drops by your neighbor's house sometimes.

If you want your characters to seem real, using real people as an inspiration is a good start!

Of course, you'll want to change the character enough that he or she is unrecognizable, and hat he or she fits into the world of your story. Usually it involves changing more than just a name. But you have to do what's true to your story. Look at the character sketches you've created from your observations and flesh them out. Lots of writers have great advice on how to create characters. Robert Atkinson also has an amazing life story interview in his book The Gift of Stories that I frequently use as a character biography interview.

Regardless of how you create your characters, it all starts with someone you see, or some character trait or quirk that caught your eye (or ear) and just screams, "Put me in your story!" So just keep your eyes and ears open, and your story world will be populated before you know it!

An update on the coffee house book

2012-01-23T15:16:00.002-05:00

Sura Nualpradid / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I promise I'm still working on the coffee house book! I expect to have the rest of my background information collected and organized in the next few weeks, and then I'll finally be ready to write the first draft of the story.

I know it seems like I've been procrastinating or simply not working on the coffee house book, but that isn't the case. The reason it's been taking so long to get all the background work done is because it has to be so extensive. After all, the coffee house book is one aspect of a larger collection of works, all of which are closely interrelated. When I began, I knew I would have to do background work for more than just the coffee house book before I could write it, and that's what I've been doing.

Character biographies and relationships, outlining the coffee house book (and the other books in the collection), and, yes, world-building*. As all this background stuff is being wrapped up, I'm looking ahead to the actual writing.

It's been a long time coming, and the book has seen many different versions of itself before ever being written, but I'm finally, finally coming up to the next stage in the process. The stage that is the most fun, the most harrowing, and the biggest. The writing.

I think I'm going to need a drink.

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*The collection is set in the real world, but I still have to create a community to fill the stories. I still have to build the world of the stories for the collection.

In the midst of chaos, there is still writing.

2012-01-17T12:41:00.003-05:00

For those who took yesterday off, welcome back from a long weekend! I did take yesterday off. In the afternoon, my kids, niece, and I loaded up in the car and drove about two hours north to pick up my brother, who had spent the weekend with our dad. It was a nice little trip, and I was glad to get to spend some time with my dad and his family.

It meant I didn't work yesterday, but with everything that's been going on in my personal life over the last few weeks, it was a much needed break. The kids slept the entire trip north, so I had that time to myself. Funny enough, with the chance to let my mind wander and work through some "stuff" that's been going on, my mind turned to the coffee house book.

It's funny how that works for me. When I'm facing challenges in my personal life, my mind turns to writing. It's a comfort to me to be able to write regardless of what's happening in the real world. It's a way for me to escape for a little while and focus on something else, or even work through problems by putting my characters in the situation.

Regardless of what's going on in my life, my story is the same as it was before the problem(s) started. My characters are not affected by what happens in my life. When my life is being turned upside down, my stories are a constant. Writing is a constant.

I expect I'll be getting a great deal of work done on the coffee house book in the coming weeks and months. Because in the midst of chaos, there will still be writing to do.

Clearing your desk for the weekend

2012-01-13T14:08:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday! Yes, it is Friday the 13th, but my day has started out nicely, and I'm hopeful the trend will continue through the rest of the day. After all, my kids are healthy and happy, the snow outside is beautiful, I have a delicious cup of coffee next to me in one of my favorite mugs, and I'm making progress on the coffee house book. What else could I need?

I'm looking forward to a fun weekend with the kids, but that means I have to make sure to get my work done today.

I have some methods for staying on top of my projects throughout the week so I can try and have a clear desk by Friday afternoon/evening. It doesn't always work, but it's certainly better than if I did nothing.

Weekly task lists. At the beginning of every week (usually Sunday evenings) I make a list of what I need to do that week. It includes deadlines, active projects, any meetings or appointments I have, and emails I need to send. It's an overview of my week, and a sort of master list for my life that week.

Daily task lists. Once I have my master weekly list, I use it to make my daily task lists. Every evening (sometimes every morning) I make a list of what needs to be done the next day. I try to divide the tasks somewhat evenly, taking into consideration when my deadlines and meetings are. Anything that doesn't get done gets pushed to the next day's list.

When I make my lists, I don't indicate priorities on the lists, but I know in my mind what the priorities are. So when I work on the lists, I don't simply go from top to bottom, task by task. That way, I can be sure that the items that are most important get done first, and anything that doesn't get done is lower on the priority list.

If I finish my list for today, I'll be able to relax this weekend and spend my days playing with Bean and Bunny. If not, I'll likely have to work tomorrow. We'll have to see how my list goes this today. How do you stay on top of your projects throughout the week?

Making time to read for pleasure

2012-01-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm still on the first book of my reading challenge. I'm starting with Sula by Toni Morrison. My sister read it for a class last semester and passed it along to me to read when she was finished with it. So it's on the dresser, waiting to be enjoyed.

I knew that it was going to be a challenge to make time to read this year, particularly with some major changes I'm facing, but I thought I'd have a little more time than I've had so far this month. Still, I'm determined to try.

Like anything else, this reading challenge is teaching me that I have to (and can) make time to do the things I want to do. During November, I can make time to write 50,000+ words, and in 2012, I can make time to read 100+ books.

It's important to me to have time to read for pleasure. As with reading, I get cranky if I haven't gotten the chance to escape into literature in a while. It's important to me not only for the escape, but to give me the opportunity to step away from the chaos of every day life and take some time for myself. It lets me recharge myself. So it makes sense that if I don't get to do that, I feel overly drained.

Do you make time to read for pleasure? How often? If you don't have time to read, does it affect you? How?

The importance of a journal to a writer

2012-01-09T16:12:00.000-05:00

I've written about journals before. I've written about personal journals and writing journals, why (and how) I journal, and how it's therapeutic. Journaling is not a new topic in the writing world. But I wanted to take a moment to talk about journaling from a writer's perspective targeting non-writers. Because it is something that can be difficult for non-writers to understand.

I recently had someone close to me read my journal. This person, who I'll call D, is someone I always trusted, and D says the journal fell open, and D read it because of something that caught D's eye. Regardless of whether or not I believe that, the fact remains that D read my personal journal. For me, this was the biggest violation of trust that could ever happen.

My journal is a place that I can write anything I want. I talk about what's going on in my life, vent, seek clarity, write prayers, brainstorm, and just ramble. In my journal, I'm not a reliable narrator. But, as a writer, I need this place. It's sort of like a pinboard, but with words. It doesn't make sense to anyone else except me.

Every writer needs something like this. For me, it's a journal. Other writers use pinboards, notecards, whatever else that works for them. But to have that place to write, brainstorm, scribble nonsense is integral to my writing life (and my life in general). I can't even think of an accurate comparison of my journal to something else in someone else's life. It's just my journal.

Even if I made everything else in my life public, no one else would see my journal. In fact, I plan to write in my will that any journals found in my home when I die should be burned, unread. No one else can really understand the writings in them. It's all scattered thoughts, fragmented brainstorming, and the ramblings of a crazy writer jittery on coffee. And one of the most important things in my life.

Do you journal?

Goals for 2012

2012-01-02T07:48:00.000-05:00

The past few years I've chosen not to make resolutions for the new year. Instead, I've set goals. It may seem an insignificant difference (especially when the end result is that I make positive changes in my life), but it's a big difference to me. To me, resolutions are ironclad promises you make to yourself of things that have changed or things you will or will not do. They are... resolute. Goals, on the other hand, are things you'd like to do or stop doing, but you're realistic in that it will take time and effort.

If I make a resolution and break it or don't achieve it, I feel bad. If I make a goal and don't meet it, I keep trying.

Big difference.

So I'd like to share with you a few of the goals I've set for myself for 2012.

I would like to read 100+ books in 2012. I know it's a lot. I used to read voraciously. Motherhood sort of changed my priorities so I don't read as much. This year I'm taking a reading challenge, and even if I don't hit that magical number, I'll still have read a lot more than I would have otherwise!

I would like to finish the coffee house book in 2012. By "finish," I mean I'd like to write, edit, and polish the manuscript and have it ready to send out on queries. I've been working on this story for a long, long time, and it's time to tell it in its entirety.

I would like to reduce/eliminate negativity in my life in 2012. I know it's just about impossible to completely eliminate negativity in my life. And that's fine. But there was too much of it in my life in 2011, so I would like to work on distancing myself from overly negative people, as well as working on being more positive myself.

I would like to get healthy in 2012. I have a specific goal weight I would like to achieve, as well as some other health-related goals, but for the sake of this blog, I'll just say I'm going to "get healthy." On the short-term end of that goal, my mom and I intend to run our first 5K race this spring, so I have a lot of "get healthy"ing to do between now and then.

There are other goals, as well. There are things I'd like to do or see or change about my life. I've told many people already that, for me, 2012 is the year of change. But those are the big ones.

It's going to be a good year. I just know it.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T14:40:00.002-05:00

Photo source

Can't talk...writing.

2011-12-23T00:41:00.000-05:00

I haven't been posting as often as I'd like, but I have good reasons. They are:

Bean likes fruit snacks

And:

Not even one, and already a couch potato....

And:

My goofballs!

And, really, what could be better?

That said, I am writing. Quite a lot, actually. And after Christmas, I'll have updates on the coffee house book. Enjoy your holidays, and may you be surrounded by friends and family.

Guest Post: Protect Yourself: Tax Guidelines for Freelancers

2011-12-16T08:22:00.000-05:00

When you’re a freelancer in theUnited States, it is extremely important to keep good records of yourincome and expenses. It is also important that you know exactly whatto do when it comes to your taxes. You don’t want to make a costlymistake that creates a problem between you and the IRS, so make sureyou are well aware of everything you need to do on your taxes. Itwould be nearly impossible for me to include everything you need toknow about your taxes, so you will need to do a lot of research ifyou want to take on this task yourself. Instead, I will write a fewguidelines you need to follow. Hopefully, they will help you startyour search for other tax rules you will need to follow as afreelancer.

You Should Be Paying Taxes onEverything You’re Making

If you’ve had a job in the US before,you probably already know that you have to pay taxes on any incomethat you earn. This means that you’ll have to report all the moneyyou get through PayPal or any other type of account. It is entirelyyour responsibility to keep records pay taxes on all of this income.Otherwise, you are at risk of getting into legal trouble with theIRS.

Not only will you need to report yourincome to pay federal and possibly state taxes on that income, youwill also have to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes. This couldall add up to be anywhere between 40% and 50% of your total income,so you will need to be prepared when it comes time to pay your taxes.Make a plan that you follow throughout the year to make sure you willhave enough money to pay all of these taxes when they come due.

Don’t Try to Hide Anything

Some freelancers have been known to tryto hide some of their income from the IRS. DO NOT DO THIS! EvenPayPal has started to report income to the IRS, so don’t think youcan avoid paying taxes by using this service. The company could evenbe subpoenaed should you get audited to give up records of youraccount. The IRS has the ability to track most forms of income, andif you try to hide it, you could be charged with tax evasion, whichis punishable by fines or even jail time. It’s always best toassume that the IRS can see everything you’ve been doing throughoutthe year, so you should own up to all of it before you get intotrouble.

Tax Deductions You Can Use

The good news is that there are lots ofdeductions you can use as a freelancer that many other businesspeople won’t be able to use. The following are just a few of thedeductions you might be able to use if they apply to your business.

Health Insurance Expenses – When you are self-employed and pay for your own health insurance, could be able to take the cost of your health insurance premiums and put them down as a personal deduction on your Form 1040.
Equipment – If you use your computer, software, furniture, or other equipment for your business, you should keep track of the expenses for these assets and when they were purchased.
Home Office – There are ways to deduct expenses for your home office when you are self-employed.
Books and periodicals used for research
Further education classes
Memberships to professional clubs
Internet access fees
SEO services and fees
Office supplies
Business equipment rental
Data storage fees
Tax preparation fees

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Elise Brown is an author who writesguest posts on the topics of business, marketing, credit cards, andpersonal finance. Additionally, she works for a website that focuseson educating readers about paydayloans.

My Reading Challenge for 2012

2011-12-15T15:25:00.000-05:00

Reading is important.

As a writer, I turn to other authors for inspiration and advice. Reading about the worlds others have created leads to me creating my own fictional worlds. Seeing how an author handles a certain type of relationship or villain or format can help me tackle it in my own writing. I have found that the more I read, the more motivated I am to write. And as an added benefit, reading is fun. It's nice to be able to escape from my own world for a little while and occupy someone else's.

Unfortunately, though, I haven't been reading nearly as much as I'd like to. I could give the standard excuses--kids, work, life--but it doesn't change the fact that I just haven't made time to sit down and read. So my goal for 2012 is to get back to reading for pleasure. And the way for me to do that is to take a challenge laid down by Book Chick City:

100+ Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012

That's right: 100 or more books in 12 months. It equates to almost nine books each month. It's a lot, but I think I can do it. And even if I don't, I'll have read a lot more than I did this year, and that's what I want.

Here are the challenge details laid out in the sign-up post of Book Chick City's blog:

The timeline is from January 1, 2012 until December 31, 2012.
The challenge is to read 100 or more books in any genre during the timeline.
Books don't need to be selected ahead of time. If they are, you can change your list as you go. Your list can also overlap with other challenges you may be doing.
You can join in anytime. All the books you read in 2012 count toward the challenge, even if you didn't start it in January.
Audiobooks and non-fiction don't count toward the challenge.
To officially join the challenge, go here and add your blog. (Link directly to the challenge post, not a link to your blog's main page.) If you don't have a blog, there's a form you can fill out to join instead.

I already have an idea of some of the books I'm going to read for the challenge, and I hope I'll discover some new and exciting authors along the way. If you're interested in joining in, check out Book Chick City's post on the challenge (linked above). There's still plenty of time to decide if you want to do it or not!

Happy reading!

How to prepare to write a series

2011-12-13T13:12:00.000-05:00

The coffee house book is not part of a series. It's the first book in a collection of stories, but each book can be read and appreciated independently.

I am, however, also working on a different story line that will be a series. (I know, I know. I promise I'm not brainstorming this other story to avoid the coffee house book.) So I'm preparing to write this series in a similar way to preparing for the coffee house book collection.

The first steps for the series is an outline. I have an overreaching story line in mind, which I'll be breaking into smaller outlines for the individual books. I know some of you start foaming at the mouth at the mere mention of outlines, but in order to maintain continuity, I have to be able to look through notes and make sure I'm in line with where I need to be.

Once I have the outlines, I'll write the character biographies, and then I'll be ready to start writing. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?

For me, the key is making sure I'm consistent throughout the series. I have to make sure that, as I write the individual stories, I keep the overall series story line in mind. For that purpose, I'll be using story cards. I'll write the major series plot points on index cards and stick them on a board in order. Then I'll take the plot points and separate them for the individual books. I'll then use the sets of story cards to develop the individual outlines for the books.

I'm looking forward to working on the series. Of course, the coffee house book has priority, but when I'm ready to start working on the series, I'll have my plan.

Have you ever written a series? If so, how did you prepare for it?

Wrapping up the office for 2011

2011-12-05T09:08:00.000-05:00

Photo source:
nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If there's anything I love it's paperwork. (end sarcasm)

Unfortunately, paperwork is necessary even in a paperless office. Of course, by paperwork, I mean all those little administrative things that need to be done like invoicing and updating records and organizing (digital) files. And the next few weeks I'll have to spend some extra time going through all that paperwork-y stuff. It's getting to the end of the year, and I have to close out the office for 2011 and get it ready for 2012. There's not too much more I have to do, but since I'm spreading it out to give myself time to, yanno, do freelance writing, it will take the next few weeks to get done.

This year, I'm also taking the time to write a business plan for 2012. In the past I only had small business plans (more like a list of goals) because while I was technically a full time writer, I was only spending about half my work day doing freelance work. The rest of my time was divided between mommyhood and fiction. This year, though, I hope to grow my freelance career, and the best way to make sure I do that the right way is to have a specific, written business plan that I can turn to as the year goes.

Even if you're not incorporated or doing freelance writing once in a while for extra cash, a business plan is a good idea. It will help keep you accountable to yourself and give you a direction for your career. Having a business plan will help remind me that what I do is, in fact, business, and will help keep me on track for my earning goals throughout the year so I can make sure my son has all the "fruit snackehs" he can eat.

Do you have a business plan? Why or why not? How did you develop it?

NaNoWriMo: the aftermath

2011-12-02T11:42:00.001-05:00

Well, the whirlwind that was November is over. The deadline has come and gone, and you've had a day to lay comatose with ice on your wrists. You've managed to crawl out of bed long enough to check your blogs, so I have a very important question for you: how did it go?

Here's the thing about NaNoWriMo. It gives you a goal and a deadline. But the only reason it does that is to get you at your desk and writing. The month is not about the magic number, it's about the writing. It's about proving to yourself and your characters and your family that you can make time to tell stories. And you showed that.

The most important thing is that you wrote. Whether you ended with 50,000+ words or 25,000 words or even 2,000 words, you ended the month with more words than you started with. As long as you wrote something, you won!

You may want to keep working on your NaNo novel, or you may not. If you do, take some time to let it sit first. Give yourself some time to recover from the craziness of the month. And, when you're ready, get the manuscript out again, read through it, and start tweaking.

If it stays in a folder on your computer forever, that's fine, too. Sometimes a NaNo novel is just something you wrote one month. (You can always use it for parts!) It still showed you that you can do it.

Just because it's December doesn't mean you have to stop writing. Keep the motivation and excitement from NaNo through the rest of the year. Use it to fuel other projects, edit your WIP, start something new.

Just keep writing.

And congratulations on all you accomplished in November!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T18:11:00.001-05:00

Do what you love vs. love what you do

2011-11-17T08:53:00.000-05:00

In 2008 I had the unique pleasure of declaring myself a full-time freelance writer. And I haven't looked back. I love what I do.

Even so, there are difficult days doing what I love. There are difficult projects, snarky (potential) clients, and long days of figuring things out. Not to mention no paid time off, getting health insurance on my own, and sometimes patching income together to make it all work. And there are days when I take on a project or a client I'm not wild about because it has good potential or provides steady work.

And still, when I'm slogging through a less-than-exciting project, I remind myself that even on the difficult days, I'm doing what I love. That's what it's about, isn't it? Perspective?

Yes, it's wonderful to be able to do what you love, particularly as a career. However, it's just as important to love what you do, wherever you are in your life and career.

There are likely to be jobs you don't like, both in and out of your field of study. And when you're faced with a less-than-pleasant job, you have to make the most of your position. If you don't do what you love, find a way to love what you do. Do what you can to make every moment of the job your own and enjoy it the best you can.

And you may just find that, after a while, you'll love what you do, and if you aren't already, you'll be doing what you love!

NaNoWriMo Pep Talk: the last half of the month

2011-11-16T13:57:00.001-05:00

Today is the 16th of November, which means we're officially in the last half of NaNoWriMo, ladies and gentlemen.

I can hardly believe how quickly it's gone by. I hope you've all been able to get big word counts every day and that you've nearly reached your 50,000-word count goal for the month! If not, that's okay. Just keep writing! There's still lots of time to finish. And even if you don't hit 50,000 words by the end of the day on the 30th, you've got lots more writing now than you did on October 31st, so be happy!

I'm not going to lie--the last half of the month has always been the most difficult for me. Your motivation is likely waning, your story may not be as robust as you initially anticipated, and as Thanksgiving approaches, you may be finding less and less time to work on your NaNo novel.

There are things you can do to keep your story moving forward, unusual as they may be.

If you've written yourself into a corner, well...change the architecture. Make it a dream or something. I know, it may be a cheap escape, but that's what revision is for. November is about getting words on the page.

If you've run out of plot, add a character. Or a conflict. Or transport your entire cast to a new location. Crazy, I know. But crazy adventures call for crazy action.

Whatever else you do, just keep at it. Even if you only get a paragraph down in a day, it's a paragraph more than you had yesterday. And it's a paragraph closer to 50,000 words by the end of the month.

You can do this. I know you can. So close this browser window, open you NaNo novel, and keep writing.

Happy scribbling!

NaNoWriMo Pep Talk: pushing through the mid-month slump

2011-11-10T16:32:00.002-05:00

NaNoWriMo is fast-approaching the mid-month mark. Can you believe you've been scribbling for almost two weeks already? Are you at 25,000 words yet?

If you're not, that's okay. The word count goal for November 10th is a little over 16,000 words. And if you're below that, it's okay. Because even if you only have 1,000 words written (or even less!), it's more than you had on October 31st! How is your writing going?

A lot of people start to slow down as it gets closer to the middle of the month. The initial excitement and adrenaline of NaNoWriMo is past, lengthy descriptions of characters and setting are likely already written, and you're getting to the meat of the story. So it gets a little harder to write it.

Keep writing. Keep pushing through, page by page, word by word. If you have to, add more description. Add long, convoluted explanations by your characters. Just keep writing.

It will get better. Because even though the middle of the month can be a nightmare, the end of the month is so sweet! You'll start on the downward slope of your NaNoWriMo mountain. You'll see your word count inching closer and closer to 50,000 and your adrenaline will start pumping again. You can do it. I know you can. All you have to do is keep putting words together today, tomorrow, and the next day. Keep writing.

And then the month will be over. And you'll have written a novel in 30 days.

Sometimes inspiration strikes inconveniently

2011-11-08T14:28:00.000-05:00

Writers across the globe are scribbling furiously this month as they participate in NaNoWriMo. It's a fun adventure, and shows writers that regardless of your schedule or situation, you can make time to write about 2,000 words a day, and focus on a novel to get it done.

I'm not officially participating in NaNo this year, but I am working on the coffee house book. Focusing on one story is good. It lets me get into the characters and story. But, as can happen with writers, focusing on one story leads to a new, shiny idea begging to be written. It's happening to me right now, in fact. I have an idea for a story I think would be fun to write--much more fun than slogging through character biographies and background information for the coffee house book.

What do you do when this happens to you? Do you take a little time to jot ideas down? Do you use the shiny, new idea as a way to break from the WIP when you feel stuck? Do you ignore the new idea until you're ready to write it?

NaNoWriMo Pep Talk: the first weekend

2011-11-04T15:32:00.002-04:00

Today is the first Friday of November, and many of you may be planning ahead as to how to spend your weekend in regards to NaNoWriMo. Have you set goals yet?

Regardless of your word count at this moment, this weekend is a good one to get ahead in writing. It's still early in the month, so energy and creativity are still high. Use them to fuel your word count so you can start this next full week with a positive outlook. If you can break 10,000 words by the end of the day on Sunday, you'll be right on track for the rest of the month.

This is still the exciting stage of NaNo. The honeymoon phase, really. You've been waiting a year to get to this point. Maybe you've even had a story rattling around in your head that whole year, just waiting for November 1st to appear on your calendar so you can scribble away at it. Use that excitement to fuel your word count.

The minimum word count for NaNo is 1667 words each day. That will allow you to end on November 30th with a word count of 50,010 words. But it's just the minimum. If your excitement and energy and creativity is flowing freely right now, and you find yourself writing 2,000 or 3,000 or even 4,000 words in a day, keep at it! And don't use those large word count days to give yourself a day off later. Sure, you can use it that way, but if you stick with the minimum every day, and ignore any extra you do, you won't fall behind. And if you don't fall behind, you'll find it easier to stay motivated.

Keep writing. Set high goals for this weekend, next week, and the rest of the month. Now is your time to write a novel, and I know you can do it!

Happy scribbling!

A new chapter

2011-11-01T14:43:00.000-04:00

I'm venturing away from the writing world momentarily to update you on my personal life. (This will also offer an explanation about the lack of posting over the past few weeks.)

Maggie Smith / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I am now a resident of Illinois. After a lot of discussion about some things that have been happening in our lives, my husband and I decided moving to Illinois (near my family) was the best decision for our family. I got back to Illinois on Sunday after my dad and I packed and moved our Florida household ourselves. It was quite a task, but we got it done!

We are currently bunking at my mom's house until we find a rental property in the area.

This is a good move for us. It's going to be better in a lot of ways, and I'll have much more time for blog posting (I know how important that is to all of you!). I will still be working full time as a freelance writer for the foreseeable future. I have a few good clients, and a few potential clients I'm working to bring on board.

I'm hoping this change will give me some extra free time I can use for fiction-writing. NaNoWriMo is upon us, and while I won't be officially participating, I will be using the month to work on the coffee house book. I will have the coffee house book query-ready by the end of next summer.

I'm optimistic about this big change in our family's life. It's a big change (especially at the end of fall/beginning of winter), but it's going to be a good one. And I know there will be some good writing that will come from it!

Now that I'm back to Illinois and we're getting settled, I'm going to be starting a new routine. And, at least this month, that routine involves about 2,000 words a day devoted to the coffee house book. How is your November starting out?

NaNoWriMo prep: developing your story

2011-10-10T08:25:00.000-04:00

Before November 1st rolls around, it's really a good idea to know the basics of your NaNoWriMo* story. You don't necessarily need to know every detail of every step in the story arc, but knowing you have a story arc (and what it is) will certainly help you as you scribble about 2,000 words each day. You're less likely to write yourself into a corner or be at a loss for what comes next if you already have a destination (or resolution) point in your mind before you start.

Here are a few things to think about as you develop your story:

Beginning

Where does your story start? Do you have an established world or situation that changes at the beginning of the story, or has the change already occurred? What characters are important to setting the scene for getting the action of your story going? How do you want to introduce your readers to what's going on?

Middle

What is the climax of the story? How do you get there? What happens immediately after? How do the characters react to what's going on?

End

How does your story resolve? Does it resolve? What happens to your characters when the story ends? What do you want readers to take away with them from the story? Is there a "moral"? How do you reveal it to your readers without actually stating it?

November is just around the corner. Yes, it may still only be the beginning of October, but time goes quickly, and NaNoWriMo will be here before you know it. What do you know about your story? Is it enough to start writing it? Are you ready for this scary, fun adventure?

*NOTE: NaNoWriMo's website will be relaunching for 2011 on Monday, October 10. This means that it's likely to be a bit laggy as people poke around the site and order their shirts for this year. If you log on, be patient. You can also follow NaNoWriMo on Twitter for updated info about the site and goings-on.

NaNoWriMo 2011: let the fun begin!

2011-10-03T06:14:00.000-04:00

Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of year again.

We're less than 30 days from starting the writing adventure known as National Novel Writing Month. I wasn't originally going to participate in NaNoWriMo this year, but my schedule is going to be changing to give me more time to work on fiction, so I decided I can at least use the NaNo time to work on the coffee house book. (All the work I've been doing on it has been background, so I suppose writing it "counts," doesn't it? Either way, I plan to write 50,000+ words on the coffee house book during the month of November.)

If you haven't already, it's time to start planning and organizing and working on all those background notes you're going to need in order to write 50,000 words in 30 short days. Yes, you can just jump into a story on November 1st without anything other than an idea, but being a somewhat organization-obsessed person, I'm all about the preparation. Wouldn't it go so much more smoothly if you had character biographies and an outline and background notes and a setting map?

Over the next few weeks I'm going to walk you through some of the steps you can use to help prepare yourself for NaNoWriMo 2011. And, before you know it, we'll be smack dab in the middle of a big, crazy, scary, fun adventure. Who needs sleep, anyway?

An update from the road

2011-09-28T04:16:00.001-04:00

I'm still happily working from vacation. It's been harder than I thought to stay on top of things while away from home. It's so tempting to leave work until later when you're spending time with family you haven't seen in more than six months!

I'll be working from the road for another week or so, and then I'll be back to my normal office with a brand new schedule (more on that when it's established).

How's your September winding down?

Vacation-ready office

2011-09-13T05:24:00.000-04:00

[ETA: I'll be leaving tomorrow (Wednesday) morning instead. A family member is in the hospital, so I need to move my vacation up a few days.]

On Saturday morning (very early), Bean, Bunny and I will load up in the car and drive about 20 hours to visit my family in Illinois.

This week, in addition to getting my house ready to be a quasi-bachelor pad for a few weeks (Hubby is staying home) and packing, I'm getting ready to work from the road.

Since my office is paperless, and all my work is online articles/posts right now, it's pretty easy to pack up my office for vacation. In fact, all I'll have to do is put my laptop, calendar, notebook and a couple of books in my bag and it'll be ready.

I have to make sure I won't have any deadlines on my driving days this weekend, but other than that, the work itself is ready.

I will be letting my clients know I'm working from the road, though. I'll still be working while I'm on vacation, but I want them to know I'll technically be out of my office, and unreachable during the days I'll be driving.

I wish I could leave my work behind for the few weeks I'll be gone, but I'm just thankful I get to go at all, so I'll gladly make it a working vacation.

What do you do in the office to get ready for vacation?

What I will tell my children

2011-09-11T06:35:00.000-04:00

On September 11, 2001, I was a freshman at Eastern Illinois University. That morning I had an Intro to Theatre class. I went, learned about some concepts about drama and stage performance, and went back to my dorm room with the intention of doing my English 101 homework before class in the afternoon.

Sometime after ten--I don't know what time it was--my roommate came in our room and changed the channel. I'd been watching some rerun of something on TNT. She switched to a network channel. "Don't you know what's going on?" she asked. I told her no. Another girl, who lived on our floor, was with her and glared at me. "This is why people leave their dorm rooms open," she snapped.

I thought something had happened on campus. I thought it was something local. But the news coverage told a different story.

By the time the news was turned on in our dorm room, the first tower had fallen. It didn't seem real. I didn't understand what was happening. It had to be some kind of accident, right? But one word burned into my ears and on my heart as I watched chaotic news coverage of what no one fully understood: attack.

It didn't register at first. Attack? What did that mean? As in, someone did it on purpose? Who would do that? Why would someone do that?

I'd grown up in a world in which mass attacks like this simply didn't happen. Violence was one person against another person, sometimes a small group of people. Events like Columbine were a rarity, but a special circumstance. When Timothy McVeigh attacked the federal building in Oklahoma City, it was 1995. I was only 12. That kind of violence was beyond my comprehension. And, again, it seemed a special circumstance. But the attacks on September 11th were different. These were the kinds of things that happened in war-torn nations on the other side of the world.

I watched the news all day. I didn't go English that afternoon. I went to lunch with my roommate, and we ate in silence, our swollen, teary eyes watching CNN in the dining hall.

I went to bed that night feeling like a different person.

That was my experience ten years ago. And when my children are old enough, I'll tell them where I was on that day, how I felt, what I did. And maybe they'll write an essay for school about it. But I hope, instead, they'll use what their father tells them for school assignments.

My husband was still in high school on September 11, 2001. He was in school.

After the first plane hit, the teachers turned on the TV in the cafeteria. The first thing Gamer Dad saw was smoke billowing from the first tower; he thought it was a fire. Then he watched as the second plane hit.

He and the students went to their classes, but spent them watching the news and talking about what they saw. Being so close to Washington, D.C., there was worry about invasions, and the city being a target. And then the Pentagon was hit.

My husband's father is a retired Air Force colonel. Ten years ago, he was working at the Pentagon. Gamer Dad said that when he heard about the Pentagon, he froze. The only thing he could think about was that his dad had gone to work that morning, and Gamer Dad didn't tell him he loved him before he left because he was tired.

Students tried to make phone calls from their cell phones, but no one could get through to anyone. Gamer Dad went to the office to use the phone, and one of the counselors let him use hers; she knew his dad worked at the Pentagon. He called his mom, and he said it was one of the scariest phone calls he'd ever made because he didn't know if she knew what was happening. She did, but hadn't heard from his dad.

Gamer Dad knew people who had family members who should have been working in one of the towers, but weren't there that day. And both the parents of one girl worked at the World Trade Center. He never found out if her parents were all right.

A couple of hours later, a note came to Gamer Dad from the office. It said "Dad is ok." He still has that note in his wallet.

Gamer Dad didn't get to see his dad until two or three in the morning. He was busy helping transport people here and there, and was part of the emergency command team that stepped in to run things after the attacks. But Gamer Dad stayed up until his dad got home.

When I asked Gamer Dad to tell me his story for this post, he told me that as he was riding the bus home from school, he realized it was the first time that he felt like he was part of a country because everyone was sharing some level of pain in this tragedy together. Everyone knew someone who was affected by the attacks. It was unifying, and he felt that.

Ten years later, I am encouraged that the focus of our memorials is those who tragically lost their lives on that day. We tell stories of heroes--in and out of uniform--who sacrificed their own safety (and, in some cases, lives) so others could live. We pray for the survivors, the families of the victims, each other, as we still try to make sense of what happened.

2753 empty chairs sit in Bryant Park to honor
the memories of those lost on September 11, 2001.

Most importantly, we remember.

We don't let what happened become just another tragedy. We acknowledge that this was different from other violence we have known in our lives and in our society.

Across the nation today, there are memorial services. Flags are at half mast. People are going about their lives, yes, but when they write the date on a check or see the calendar on the kitchen wall, they stop for just a moment and remember.

They think about where they were ten years ago. They think about those they know who were there, the families of those who didn't come home.

Ten years from now my son will be 12. My daughter will be 10. They'll be in school and, very likely, this day will be the focus of a social studies lesson. They might come home and ask me, "Mom, do you remember where you were on September 11, 2001?" And I will say yes. I remember vividly.

And I will never forget.

Fiction Friday: getting into your characters' heads

2011-09-09T11:02:00.002-04:00

I write a lot about characters and characterization. It's probably because the characters are such an important part of the coffee house book (and the other books in the collection). In fact, the characters tell the stories. The characters are the stories.

When characters are that important to a story, you have to understand them. You have to know everything about your characters, even the stuff that never makes it into the story. You have to be in your characters' heads in a way only a writer can be. But it's more than simply knowing your characters because you created them. You kind of have to stalk them. And there are writerly ways to do it.

Extensive character biographies

I've written on the topic of character biographies in the past. (Here, here, and here, for just a few.) I think they're useful tools for writers in developing your story. Finding a good biography template and using it for your major characters (and sometimes your minor ones*) can help you understand your characters. You can use it to develop and know your characters before you start writing, and you can refer back to the biographies to refresh your memory as you write. (Is Vivi's favorite color teal or orange? Is Colin allergic to macadamia nuts or peanuts?)

When you have a character-driven story, the biographies are even more important. I've mentioned before that I use the life story interview in Atkinson's The Gift of Stories, and I'm very happy with it. Sure, there are aspects of it I skip for different characters (for example, Vivi isn't married, so I skipped the section about marriage), but it gives you a really good foundation for your characters. And, life story interview aside, it's a great resource for story-crafting. (In fact, I'll be ordering myself a new copy soon since mine is just about worn out.)

Put your characters in real situations

Of course, this can apply to your stories, but I'm thinking more in the "writers think about their stories/characters all.the.time" realm. You know what I'm talking about. You have a strange encounter with a cashier or find yourself lost on one-way streets downtown, and you wonder, "What would [CHARACTER NAME] do in this situation?" Answering those types of questions can help you get to know your characters. And the more you answer, the better you know your characters.

After all, your stories aren't going to simply be talking-head stories (I hope), so you're going to need to know how to incorporate your characters into real situations, and have the unfolding conversation/situation read as realistic. Even with willing suspension of disbelief, there have to be facts. Just ask Dana. Because even in the most fantastical story, there are elements of realism. There are people and situations and conflicts that are recognizable to readers. So think about those people and situations and conflicts. Put your characters in them.

Yes, it's a lot of work to get in your characters' heads. But in character-driven stories, it's necessary. Just as you know your plot inside out in a plot-driven story, you have to know your characters inside out in a character-driven story. The better you know them, the stronger your story will be.

How do you get in your characters' heads?

-----
*I have a character I thought was minor who was to be in all the books in the collection in some capacity. After writing his biography, he's turned into a major character. But still doesn't speak for himself.

Federal holidays and working from home

2011-09-05T05:21:00.000-04:00

nixxphotography / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Today is Labor Day. My husband is home from work today, glad to be sleeping in and lounging around in his "dad shorts." Across the nation people are going to parades, having barbecues with friends and family, and taking advantage of furniture sales.

In the days leading up to today, I debated how I'd spend my Labor Day. On one hand, it's a federal holiday, and it would be nice to have the day off to spend with the family. On the other hand, having Hubby home to watch the kids would mean I could get a lot accomplished in the office.

It's a common dilemma for the work-at-home mom. Having your husband home an extra day makes it very tempting to get caught up (or ahead) in work. But you don't want to be one of those moms who's always working. After all, isn't one of the reasons you work at home to spend more time with the family?

Of course, depending on your industry it may be easier to take federal holidays off. If you work from home because you telecommute for a company and that company is closed for the day, chances are you aren't going to work. On the other hand, if you work in, say, phone sales, working on federal holidays might be a good idea.

Only you know if working on federal holidays is a good option for you or not. However, it's important to remember that if you do, you should make time here and there to not work. Everyone needs time off to recharge and get away from the office, even if it's only briefly. Don't let yourself get burnt out because you're trying to maximize your time.

Ultimately, I decided to split the difference and work in the morning, then spend the afternoon and evening with the family. (I know. Everything in moderation, eh?)

Are you working today? Why or why not?

Fiction Friday: trust your writing gut

2011-09-02T10:05:00.002-04:00

I very recently asked my heart sister for writing advice about the collection of books I'm working on. Basically, I have a list of books I've been thinking of including in this collection with the coffee house book, but I know it's likely that not all of them will work. So I was seeking her advice about which ones she thought sounded compelling.

She gave me her opinion based on the poorly-written synopses I gave her, and said,

All of these are ideas you can do something wonderful with, mind - it's just the ones I've highlighted, I see the most potential in. I could be wrong. You could take the concept on the list I think is the most dull (no, I'm not telling you which it is!) and turn it into the most extraordinary one of all.

She's right.

She always is.

As much advice as I ask, as much feedback as I get, only I know what these stories have to offer and what I can do with them. Only I know what the best course is for this collection.

I have to trust myself as I write these stories. I have feelings about which stories will work and which should probably be included only in my journal. And I have those feelings for a reason. My writer's gut is telling me which direction to go. I just have to trust it.

As writers, it's sometimes easy to trust other people's opinions more than our own. After all, writers are seeking approval of fellow writers, agents and publishers and, ultimately, readers. We want to know that what we're doing is going to be read and enjoyed by people.

But only you know the best way to do your characters justice. Only you know how to write your stories. You have to trust yourself.

It may not be easy, and I know writers who have self-confidence...issues (like myself) may think it's impossible, but it's what you have to do. After all, if you're going to trust everyone else's opinions about your story, why not just save time and let them write the story from beginning to end?

It can be good to get opinions and feedback, but don't take others' opinions as the only answer about your writing. Your opinion is the most important when you're writing.

Trust yourself! And happy scribbling!

Preparation Procrastination

2011-09-01T04:55:00.000-04:00

I've been doing a lot of background work for the coffee house. Outlines, character biographies, charts, and pages and pages of random background information. It's been necessary, but I've felt I have to do this background stuff before I can actually start writing, since everything is so interrelated in this collection of books.

But I know I have a tendency to use preparation and organization as a procrastination tool. I decide everything has to be organized and laid out before I can start writing, so I get caught up in all the background "stuff" instead of actually writing a story.

Have you ever done that? You spend hours making beautiful outlines (and tweaking them), you organize your pages so every page has the page number and your last name at the top, and after a day of "writing," you haven't actually written anything....

It's an understandable response for writers. Many of us (and I do say us because I include myself in this) believe we're not great writers. Maybe we're not any good at all. So the thought of actually writing the words for these stories we talk about is a little intimidating. So we use background work as an excuse to not write.

Let me tell you something. It's okay to actually write!

You don't have to focus on the background stuff. You don't have to be intimidated. If you write something and don't like it, no one else has to read it. You can stick it away between the pages of a journal or in some password-protected hidden file on your hard drive and chalk it up to a writing exercise. If you decide it's not done, then take time to finish it before others see it.

Because here's the thing: you're not going to improve as a writer unless you (hello!) write. I know. It's shocking, isn't it? But it's true.

Every time you write a story or scribble a character sketch or journal about that weird guy who looks like an android that's always at Walgreen's when you pick up diapers late at night (true story--character sketch coming soon), you learn and grow as a writer. You improve. You change.

And it's true that you may not ever be totally confident in your writing. That's okay. But the more you write, the more you'll be a writer, and the more you'll feel like a writer. And eventually, you'll get an idea, and you'll just....sit down and write it.

Outline if you must. Write character bios if you have to. But remember that outlines and character bios are not stories (unless you're experimenting with a new style, which could be cool.... hmmm......). So for all your outlining and background work, make sure you also take time to write.

Happy scribbling!

Working vacation vs. vacation

2011-08-30T11:44:00.000-04:00

In mid-September, I'm planning to take Bean and Bunny up to Illinois to visit my family. Not only do I feel like I could really use the vacation, but it'll be my mom's birthday, and most of my family hasn't met Bunny yet. So I'll be braving the 18-hour drive with a potty-training two-year-old and a four-month-old.

photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

And as if that wasn't complicated enough, I'm still trying to decide whether this will be a working vacation or a normal vacation. Do I want to set aside time, even if it's less than normal, to work, or should I put work on hold for the couple of weeks I'm up north and play catch-up when I get back?

If I decide to put work on hold during that time, I can work ahead with my two main clients between now and then. If I decide to work while I'm on vacation, I can reduce my work load a little so I can still enjoy the time I have.

There will be at least four days during my vacation I won't be working. Since I'll be the only driver on this trip, I won't be able to work during the travel days. But since the kids are little, they're going to nap, and I could use that time every day to do a little writing.

I would love to simply close my office and take two weeks off, which I could do if I work ahead a little, but I don't want to feel overwhelmed coming back from vacation and having two weeks of work to catch up on in the office, on top of having to get back into the routine with the kids.

What say you, readers? Should I work "part-time" while on vacation, or close the office completely? What would you do?

Why I don't use my iPhone as a personal organizer

2011-08-29T06:26:00.000-04:00

My husband is a bit of a techie. He loves gadgets and seeing how games and technology develops. He listens to gadget/tech podcasts and loves his iPhone and iPad. When I tell him about an upcoming appointment or event, he tells me to email or text him with the details, and he puts it in his phone's calendar or on Google Calendar. We don't have a family calendar on the wall at home because there's no point.

Hubby has often urged me to use an electronic calendar on my phone or online to keep track of everything. He argues that I could figure out my schedule, add article and project deadlines, and update it quickly and easily as things change. I could even keep my daily task lists on my phone!

Yes, that's true. But I will always and forever use a paper day planner for my scheduling and bound notebooks for my task lists. I will always and forever scribble appointments and article deadlines in the squares of my paper day planners. I will always and forever cross off tasks as I complete them, a black line through the middle of the writing.

And here's why.

If I don't write things down, I have a hard time remembering them. Appointments, tasks that need to be done, anything. I have to write them down. So by having physical day planners and task list notebooks, I can physically write things down, and I can be sure they'll get done.

On top of that, what do I do if the network goes down? Or my phone battery dies? With paper and pen, I always have access to what I need to do, even if the technological gods are against me.

I can see how using Google Calendar or your phone's organizer is helpful, especially if you're on the go a lot. But I'll stick with my Luddite organization techniques, thank you. And when the Internet goes down, I'll still be waiting at the coffee shop for our lunch date.

Fiction Friday: introducing my children to literature

2011-08-26T09:26:00.000-04:00

My two-year-old son loves stories. Whether I'm reading his story about Chip & Dale (which he calls "Dale book") for the ten thousandth time or telling him my version of Caps for Sale while we work on potty-training, he adores stories. It makes my heart happy to know that he loves stories as much as I do.

And now that he's getting old enough to sit through short stories, I've started thinking about things I want to read to Bean and Bunny. What stories were favorites of mine that I want to pass on? What books from "the canon" do I want them to be familiar with? So I'm starting to compile a list, which includes short books for now and longer books for later. Things like Amelia Bedelia, lots of Dr. Seuss, the Berenstein Bears, and The Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day are on the short book list. Things like Black Beauty, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler are on the longer list. And, of course, The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde. (No child's library is complete without it!)

What books do you think are important to childhood memories?

The Land of Misfit Words

2011-08-24T06:07:00.002-04:00

Photo source

Sometimes I find myself scribbling scenes and character sketches and ideas that don't fit with anything I'm writing. These bits of fiction might be inspired by seeing someone walking down the street, a dream, or even a spin-off of something else I'm writing.

I always try to jot them down in my journal, but once I do, I'm never really sure what to do with them. I try to find ways to incorporate them into what I'm writing, which doesn't usually work. So they sit in my journal until I stumble on them again and still don't know what to do with them.

I've sort of given up on trying to find homes for these scraps of misfit words. Instead, I continue to collect them as writing exercises, pretending that the people I see on the street are writing prompts, or that the ideas are simply meant to get my brain going.

Since making that change, I've found the scraps come more frequently, and I don't feel as bad about leaving them to linger in a journal until eternity. Maybe someday I'll have a story that would be perfect for the man playing the violin as he walks his son home from school (true story), but until then, he's content.

And so am I.

The world is your classroom

2011-08-23T10:59:00.040-04:00

Photo source

All across the nation, school is back in session (or will be soon).

Kids are dragging themselves from bed at a decent hour to stand on corners and wait for buses, parents are singing their personal "back to school" songs in joy, pencils are being sharpened, and I'm dancing with glee through the school supply aisles of stores, excited at all the amahzing sales for the things I love so much.

I was one of those nerds who liked school. I liked organizing all my school supplies and loading up my backpack, I liked getting a new assignment notebook. But most of all, I liked learning new things. It was rewarding and encouraging, and as a writer, I always found ways to apply what I was learning to my writing life.

Maybe that's why I always liked school so much: I'm a writer. And writers never stop learning. At least, they shouldn't. Regardless of genre, writers draw from the world around them for inspiration. The people, places, and situations they encounter all contribute to the words they put on the page. So by continuing their education, formally or informally, writers expand the world from which they draw inspiration. The more they learn, the better their foundation for creating stories.

This doesn't mean that, as a writer, you need to enroll in college classes every year. If you can, great! If you take workshops and seminars, that's awesome! Attend lectures and Q&A sessions, go to concerts, ask questions of experts. But learning on your own is just as valuable. Just as you can attend a lecture series at a local college, you can find books by reputable authors and study on your own. You can dive into topics like geology with all the passion you have. And when you come up on the other side, your writing will be richer for it.

Never stop learning and you'll never stop writing.

Why I watch TV

2011-08-18T06:28:00.031-04:00

I have to admit something to you.

I watch too much TV.

My office space is currently in our living/dining room area*, and I can see the TV from my desk. So when I'm working, I usually have something on for background noise. Law & Order reruns on TNT, Storage Wars on A&E, or whatever horrible B movie happens to be on the Lifetime Movie Network. (I know. Don't judge.) Most of time I'm not paying attention to what's on, but sometimes I get drawn in to a show or movie, and find myself writing a bit slower than I should in favor of seeing Six from Blossom as a college student rushing a sorority.

Photo source

But I've learned to use my too-much-TV-watching to my advantage. If I'm drawn in to a show, obviously there's something good about the dialogue and story, right? So when I find myself watching more TV than writing, I try to listen to the dialogue and dissect it. What is it about these lines that's made me want to watch? What does the dialogue tell me about the characters? About the story?

When I was in college, my husband (then boyfriend) and friend would try to get me to play video games with them instead of writing. Once my friend said that I should play video games because it was "for my craft." It was research...or something. After a while, we jokingly justified anything by declaring it "for the craft."

One of the good things about being a writer is that you get inspiration from anywhere, and since you draw from life for stories, all things in life can be source material. Anything can be "for the craft." Sure, the college coffee-stained writer used it as an excuse to play video games and go for a coffee run instead of writing, but there's a lot in life that can be used to help strengthen your writing.

Including TV.

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*This fall my office space will be moving to the closet in the master bedroom. It will give me a door I can close, shelves for my files, and privacy when I need it for a deadline (or call with a client). I'm super excited to have an official office, even if I have to share it with my clothes and shoes!

Weekly Writing Prompts

2011-08-16T06:50:00.000-04:00

Every Tuesday, there will be a new writing prompt on the sidebar to the right. Every Monday, I will write my response to the writing prompt and post it on the blog.

If you use the prompt and post it on your blog, let me know and I'll happily link to your blog. If you don't have a blog or don't post it but use the prompt, email me and I'll happily post it on my own blog (with a brief bio).

Happy scribbling!

Fall Reading List

2011-08-16T06:43:00.001-04:00

If I ever find time to read, this is what I'm going to work my way through this fall.

Possession by A. S. Byatt (rereading)
The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
The Jeeves Omnibus by P. G. Wodehouse
The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

What are you reading? What's next on your list?

What it means to be a WAHM

2011-08-15T06:12:00.035-04:00

My bosses

I am a full time freelance writer. I am also a work-at-home mom (WAHM).

In many ways, my life as a writer and my life as a mom blend together seamlessly. In other ways, I find myself wondering if my children are sacrificing for my career, or if my career is sacrificing for my children.

I think sometimes people think WAHMs have it "easy." After all, they get to work from home, they get to play with their kid(s) all day, and they get to do it all in their pajamas with Days of Our Lives playing during nap time. Right?

Well, not so much.

In order for me to be successful as a WAHM (which means success as a writer and as a mom), I've had to approach my day very differently than a SAHM (stay-at-home mom) or a WOHM (work-outside-the-home mom) does. The biggest difference is in my daily schedule.

I have a very detailed daily schedule. In fact, according to my schedule I have very little down time. In practice, there's more down time than it appears, but I've padded the tasks I have to do each day to allow for distractions or side-tracking caused by "my bosses" (see photo above). If I don't have a very structured schedule, it's too easy for me to not get things done because I figure I can do them later. As it is, I can look at my schedule and simply do what it says to do during a certain time slot and know that, by the end of the day, I'll have gotten through the things I needed to do.

I also get up earlier than the rest of my family. My husband gets up around 7:15 every morning to get ready for work during the week. Bean is up between 9:30 and 10:00 every morning. (Bunny kind of does her own thing.) I get up at 5:00 a.m. every morning (including weekends) and get ready for the day, then spend time working until everyone else gets up. Having that extra time is what I need to get my day going on my terms so I can have a good day once the kids are up.

Though this is one thing I'm still working on, being highly organized is also key to being a successful WAHM. Not only do I have to stay organized to stay on top of deadlines and in contact with clients, but I have to stay organized to stay on top of my home responsibilities. I have lists and a calendar and I write everything down so I don't forget anything.

The biggest thing, which I know I've mentioned many times, is balance. When you work from home, you can't work all the time, and you can't let yourself get distracted so that you don't get anything done.

It's not easy, but I have to tell you that making it work is definitely worth it to get to spend so much time with my kids, and to get paid to do what I love so much.

A shiny new idea

2011-08-14T06:37:00.017-04:00

I wasn't going to participate in NaNoWriMo this year. I didn't last year because we moved to a new place in November and my son had minor surgery. I missed scribbling furiously every day in November last year, but didn't think I'd participate this year, either.

Well, that changed this past week when I was struck with a shiny new idea for a story.

I'm not going to go into detail about the idea right now. It's really only the kernel of an idea at the moment and I need to take some time to develop it a bit more before I commit it to the permanence of the Interwebz. However, I will tell you that it deals with the intersection of religion and some aspects of the paranormal.

Are you scribbling for NaNoWriMo this year? What are you doing?

Good reading or Gag-inducing?

2011-08-12T06:11:00.032-04:00

I've been thinking about what makes a piece of writing "good" lately. Maybe it's because I've been working on the coffee house book, and maybe it's because I've been working on a reading list for the fall. (I've been terrible about reading lately, but my schedule is a lot better now!) My reading time has been pretty limited lately, so I don't want to spend time on something I don't like.

But fiction is so subjective that to declare something "good" is hard to do. And if you do decide something is good fiction, that doesn't mean others will agree with you. That said, I think there are qualities a piece of writing can have (within subjectivity) that make it "good."

Engaging. A story has to draw you in. If you read a story and are very aware you're reading a story (unless that aspect is intentional, of course), it's hard to enjoy it.

Suspension of disbelief. Whether the story is realism, speculative fiction, or bizarro literature, good fiction is written in a way that lets you believe that what's happening in the story, however unlikely (or impossible), could actually happen.

Rewards rereading. I've read lots of stories that I've enjoyed, but when I read them again, problems are exposed. On the other hand, I've read stories that I could read every year and take something new from it every time. Good stories can be read more than once.

Emotional. Good fiction evokes emotion, positive and negative. Authors who write good stories are the ones who get you to love the characters they want you to love and hate the characters they want you to hate. Whether you like what's going on in the story or not, you react to it.

What else makes a good story?

What makes a bad story?

The Work-at-Home Dress Code

2011-08-10T06:49:00.026-04:00

When people talk about working from home, one of the perks that inevitably arises is the ability to work in pajamas all day. And some people do. I have. It's easy to do that when you have two little ones to chase and your work is all online so you don't have to meet clients face-to-face.

However, lots of people who work from home say you shouldn't work in your pajamas. They say getting up in the morning and dressing for the day as if you're dressing for work puts you in the mindset of work. You may even be motivated to get extra work done if you're dressed for work.

I can see that side of it. In fact, that's what I've been trying to do in my own work day lately: get up in the morning and get dressed (including shoes), and work before the kids get up for the day.

For me, it is about putting myself in "work mode," but it's also that I feel better when I get dressed in the morning. I'm more awake and motivated. I feel ready to tackle my day. I've found it's also less tempting to curl up for a quick nap on the couch if I'm dressed with shoes on than if I'm wearing pajamas.

I'm not saying I wear business professional (or even business casual) clothes every day. But I get dressed in something comfortable, something I like, and something I would be happy to meet a client in, if the need arose. I'm happy in jeans and a t-shirt or a casual skirt and top.

What do you wear to work at home?

My Daily Schedule

2011-08-08T07:45:00.019-04:00

When you work from home, no matter the industry or field, finding a balance between your work and home life is imperative. It can be easy to let your work self get distracted by things at home (TV, Internet, laundry, etc.) or let your home self get distracted by work (emails, phone calls, articles, etc.). Many people find they either procrastinate terribly, or they never close their office. Neither is healthy.

Finding balance is something I've been working on for a long time, and I'm finally feeling comfortable in where I am. The key for me has been building a schedule that includes home and work tasks throughout the day. This enables me to get everything done I need to for work, but gives me the breaks I need to get home tasks done, as well. Since that's the way I have my schedule set up, I can be comfortable walking away from work when it's time to clean, and I can be comfortable walking away from house work when it's time to work.

You can see my detailed daily schedule here.

How do you balance your home and work life? Do you find yourself drawn more to one or the other?

Story cards

2011-08-05T08:16:00.000-04:00

The coffee house book is one in which chronology matters, but the story is not necessarily chronological. Because of that, I'm considering using story cards to help me keep the story line and story-telling organized.

The idea is that I'll write a summary of each chapter/scene on an individual index card. I'll number them chronologically in one color, then arrange them for the story arc and number them in another color. That way, I can see which events come in which order chronologically, as well as which events come in which order within the fabric of the story.

Has anyone used this method for organizing story events? If so, how did it work for you?

What I've been doing lately....

2011-08-03T06:47:00.000-04:00

My sister, brother, and niece visited at the end of July for my daughter's baptism. I'll be back soon (today or tomorrow) with a "real" post.

Resource Books

2011-07-08T08:04:00.002-04:00

When I'm doing freelance writing, I have two books handy. One is the The AP Stylebook. The other is Strunk & White's The Elements of Style. With the work I do for DMS, these books are valuable; I refer to them frequently.

Of course, that's my freelance life. I use different resources in my fiction life. Before starting the character biographies and outlines for the coffee house book, I (re)read The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien and As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. Both had elements I wanted to be more familiar with for the purposes of my storytelling. As I'm completing the character biographies, I have a copy of The Gift of Stories: Practical and Spiritual Applications of Autobiography, Life Stories, and Personal Mythmaking by Robert Atkinson. I'm also perusing shelves here and there to find some good resources about gourmet coffee.

When I started writing fiction seriously, I didn't realize how much I would lean on nonfiction resources. I naively thought I would sit at a computer and make up a story off the top of my head and that would be that. Now I do a lot of research and writing (character biographies, outlines, backstory) before I even start telling a story.

The right resources can really push a story in the right direction. They can create a depth you didn't know could be there, a plot twist no one saw coming, or even clarification on something you thought you knew well enough to write without fact-checking. Regardless of the reason, finding good resources is an important part of writing fiction (and nonfiction). And every writer has books they keep handy when they sit down to write.

What are your writing resources? How did you come to use them?

Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-04T07:57:00.000-04:00

Photo source

Working Weekends

2011-06-19T09:52:00.001-04:00

For freelance writers, not writing means not making money. It's like the dentists' adage "if you ain't drillin', you ain't billin'." If I don't sit down and actually put words on my computer screen, I'm not going to get paid.

There is an upside, though. The more I write, the more I get paid. The more time I devote to my clients and to finding new clients, the higher the financial reward.

However, that can be a dangerous thing. As a freelancer, it can be tempting to work all the time to be able to boost income, especially during times when clients and projects are plentiful. So why not work over a weekend to get a few extra articles done? Why not put in a full day on the weekends to boost your income?

Everyone needs time off every so often. You need time to recharge your mind (and spirit), spend time with family and friends, maybe even take a shower once in a while. But if you need to work weekends, perhaps for your budget, there are ways you can make them a little more restful.

Take frequent breaks. You should do this anyway, but if you're working on a day you normally have off, or you've been working a lot lately, taking frequent breaks will help. Get up and walk around (refill your water glass!), stretch your muscles, whatever you need to do.

Do different work. Instead of writing, take your weekends to do research or interviews. Catch up on your emails. Make phone calls. Do administrative work like billing or filing. This gives you a break from actual writing, but you're still getting work done.

Work shorter hours. If you can, try working a half day (or less). That way you can still get some time off over the weekend.

Work different hours. If you normally work early in the morning, take the weekend to sleep in a bit and start later in the day. This will make the day seem different which can be restful in itself.

Everyone should take at least one day off a week. Give yourself a break! But if you have to work weekends, do what you can to make the days restful so you don't burn yourself out. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go put my feet up for a bit.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

A door that closes....

2011-06-16T15:17:00.011-04:00

Since we moved this past November, I've been sort of floating around in different work spaces. I have a desk and bookcase in the master bedroom that I don't really use (except the books), I have a desk in the dining room I use most frequently, and sometimes I sit in the recliner with my feet up. This "system" has seemed to work, but with the changes to my freelancing career, I think I would benefit from having a dedicated office.

Since we can't move into a bigger place I can't really have a bedroom as an office, and renting an office somewhere would defeat the purpose of working from home with two small kids. So I'm making do with what we have, and I'm going to create an office in our master bedroom closet.

When I first suggested it, Hubby wasn't sure about it. I think it seemed weird to him. But it's a good solution. We've been using our closet as storage (and not for clothing), so once I move all the boxes out, I'll have a good little room with a door that closes to use as a dedicated work space.

My desk will fit nicely in one corner, leaving me plenty of room for my bookcases and files. I can hang my white board and a bulletin board from the shelves pretty easily. I'll even have a bit of wall space for decorations and shelves for extra storage. It'll be perfect, I think.

I don't know how soon I'll be able to get the office up and running. (There are a lot of boxes to go through in that closet.) But I'm excited about having the space, which will motivate me to make it happen. After all, it'll be nice to not have to worry about peanut butter smears on my files or not being able to find my calculator when I need it because someone has been playing with numbers.

What does your office space look like? (Send me a picture and I'll gladly post it!)

The nature of the freelancing beast

2011-06-13T08:51:00.018-04:00

Photo source

I recently started writing for a content site that I like very much. It has a wide variety of articles available, good rates for what I do and what's expected, no expectations of minimum articles each pay period, and a great forum community among the staff. I haven't been there very long at all, but I already really enjoy the work.

I'm also excited about what it can bring to my career in terms of both my portfolio and my finances. My income is only limited by the time I devote to actually writing the articles. The more BIC* time I get, the better the job is for me. It's steady work and, for many of my colleagues, a main source of income. Even a full-time job. I think that's great, and I would love to be in that position, as well. After all, it's reliable writing with a lot of variety, so it's very attractive to full-time freelancers.

The problem is that when freelancers find good gigs like this, they forget that it's not like working for a traditional company in a 9-to-5 job. It's still freelance work, and you're not bound by a contract that dictates a set income on certain days.

That's not to say you won't be paid, but sometimes there are complications, especially with content companies like this. Sometimes organizing all that pay for all those writers doesn't go as smoothly as planned, and there are hiccups. Sometimes pay is delayed. It happens, especially to freelance writers.

And it's a good reason to diversify.

Freelance writers hear it all the time: have multiple clients. They're urged to keep looking for new clients and work, even if things are good. They're urged to keep working ahead and putting money into savings, just in case a client suddenly doesn't have work for you anymore.

As the cliche goes, don't keep all your eggs in one basket. After all, what if your basket breaks? Take a little time regularly (even 30 minutes once a week) to look for new clients or reconnect with old clients. But don't rely on one client or income source if you're a freelance writer. You never know what could happen.

Patterned story structure meets the coffee house book

2011-06-10T15:54:00.000-04:00

Photo source

Upon the recommendation of Nathan Bransford, I read this post by Jennifer Crusie at Argh Ink about linear vs. patterned story structure, comparing a patterned structure to a quilt that's been pieced together.

This post comes to me at a perfect time in the creation of the coffee house book since a lot of the background "stuff" I'm doing right now deals with structure and how everything fits together with this book, as well as with the other books I have planned in this collection.

In fact, I was just explaining to Hubby last night that I can't really start writing the coffee house book until I have a rough idea of the story lines in the other books in the collection so I know what character is where, who is important when, and what story needs to be told how.

Crusie says:

So in a patterned novel or film (damn hard to pull off), you need to construct pieces that are complete in and of themselves, scene sequences that form complete stories, and then juxtapose them with other pieces to make a pattern so that at the end, the pattern is the meaning of the story. Think of the scene sequences as quilt blocks, beautiful on their own, and the story as the finished quilt in which the blocks disappear when it's finished to form a patterned whole. The blocks are beautiful, but it's the quilt as a whole that's the finished design.

That is what I want to accomplish with the coffee house book, as well as with the whole of the collection. Yes, each book in the collection has its story, and each character in each book has his or her story, but it's how those stories fit together that's the important thing.

The books I'm working on are about relationships and perceptions. They're about how people work and live together in a community, how different community members interact with each other, and what, overall, makes up a community.

I could tell the community's story in a linear structure. I could go through the characters and explain the town and talk about how people interact with each other. But it would be a boring book, that's for sure! At that point, the collection (or the novel, since that's what it would be) would focus on some story arc that links the community rather than what really links a community: the people and their relationships with each other.

As Crusie says, some stories call for a linear structure. (When I first started writing the coffee house book, I thought it needed to be a linear structure.) Those stories don't hold up in a patterned structure. And some stories call for a patterned structure. And those stories don't hold up in a linear structure.

A patterned structure is not easy. You have to know the story really well, be conscious about how the quilt is pieced together (it can't be random), and know how it all fits together. It takes a lot of background work, takes patience during writing, and takes careful editing. But in the end, it's worth it.

After all, quilts sure look beautiful when they're finished, don't they?

The coffee house book is calling!

2011-06-09T11:44:00.000-04:00

Now that my beautiful Bunny has arrived, and I'm settling into a new routine with two kids and an increased freelance workload, I'm trying to make time to get back to the coffee house book.

Photo source

It's been bugging me quite a bit that I haven't had the time to work on it. Ideas have been rattling around in my brain, developments have been revealing themselves, and characters have been begging to be written. So in between scribbling about nursing education and wiping snooger noses, I'll be writing about (and drinking) coffee.

I will not be posting excerpts here, but I'll be keeping you updated on the writing process, how the story is developing, and anything else related to writing I can think of. (After all, this is a writing blog. And I've missed updating this blog just as much as I've missed working on the coffee house book.) However, to keep me accountable for the coffee house book, I will be updating with my writing task list often. I'd like to update daily, but I will post my task list at least weekly. And at least once a week, I'll "check in" with progress on my writing life.

Here's my first coffee house book task list:

Work on character biographies
Outline chapters for finished character biographies
Create a detailed description of the coffee house
Start creating a detailed outline for overall book story line
Write up the recipes for the chapters

Here we go!

I've been cheating on you with another blog

2011-05-14T00:32:00.000-04:00

I realize I haven't updated this blog in a while. I've been writing much more frequently on love. ink. coffee., and I encourage you to hop over there to see what I've been up to.

I will be continuing to do writing posts there, and will post here as I can.

Stage or screen awaits your story!

2011-03-21T08:04:00.004-04:00

Back in November, writers all over the world sat down at their computers and took on the adventure of writing 50,000 words in 30 days. Next month, writers all over the world will once again get creative and undertake a new challenge: ScriptFrenzy.

ScriptFrenzy is the sister event to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). As its name suggests, ScriptFrenzy is a script-writing event. The goal is to write 100 pages of script in 30 days. Just as NaNoWriMo is more inclusive than exclusive about what constitutes a novel, ScriptFrenzy is welcoming toward different kinds of scripts. According to their website, "Screenplays, stage plays, TV shows, short films, and graphic novels are all welcome."

Like NaNoWriMo, the prize for "winning" ScriptFrenzy is the sense of accomplishment that comes from having written 100 pages in 30 days.

For those who have never written a script, it's a good opportunity to try it. The resources available on ScriptFrenzy's website give information on laying out scripts and advice for writing. The homepage even has a "plot machine" to help get your writing ideas started. For example, "On a snowy day in Hawaii, a typewriter-shop owner befriends a young runaway with a secret." For those who have always wanted to try script-writing but never had the time, this is the chance to make the time and write that script you've always wanted to, with the support of writers from all over the world.

There's still plenty of time to get ready for ScriptFrenzy! Register on the website, think about what you're going to write, and then when April 1 gets here, start writing!

Happy scribbling!

Spring by Gerard Manley Hopkins

2011-03-20T13:46:00.001-04:00

Nothing is so beautiful as spring--
   When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;
   Thrush's eggs look little low heavens, and thrush
Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring
The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing;
   The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush
   The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush
With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.
What is all this juice and all this joy?
   A strain of the earth's sweet being in the beginning
In Eden garden.--Have, get, before it cloy,
   Before it cloud, Christ, lord, and sour with sinning,
Innocent mind and Mayday in girl and boy,
   Most, O maid's child, thy choice and worthy the winning.

Hi, there.

2011-03-18T23:06:00.000-04:00

Has it really been more than a month since I've updated this blog?

I apologize.

I could spend time giving explanations and excuses, promise to be better and even offer some new posts this weekend as a show of good faith. But all I can say is that life got in the way. I am a writer, but I'm a mom first, and that's been coming first lately.

I'll try to be better, especially with ScriptFrenzy and National Poetry Month less than two weeks away. But how can I say no to this face?

Bean on St. Patrick's Day, 2011

And then she was back.

2011-02-15T14:29:00.000-05:00

Due to a lot going on in my personal life (which you can read about here, if you want), I haven't been posting here. Normally, I would apologize, but I make no excuses for the fact that my family comes first in my life.

The good news is that I do have several posts in the works that I was working on/planning to write last week and the week before. So for the next few weeks, this blog will not be lacking in content!

In the meantime, here's a picture of me with two people I love:

The Coffee-Stained Family
December 2010

Personal Libraries: what do your bookshelves say about you?

2011-01-30T01:00:00.000-05:00

One of my personal goals over the next few months is to get more organized, particularly in my home office area. We have a baby coming this spring, and I want to get as much done before she arrives as I can.

Image: Paul / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As part of my office re-organization, I'm taking a critical look at the books I have, and deciding what I can donate or pass on to someone else. ::coughcough::RogerHall::coughcough:: I have lots of books I love and refer back to often, but do I really need to keep that book that I hated so much I could barely finish? Probably not.

So as I was looking at the titles lined up behind my desk (alphabetically by author's last name, of course), I realized that what I have tells you something about me: my reading tastes. (All the more reason to get rid of books I don't like, I suppose.)

As the book world moves more into the digital age and libraries are concealed on screens, I think it's even more important to be aware of the physical books you have. After all, people may or may not make judgments about you based on what they see on your shelves. Think about it a moment. If you look at a bookshelf lined with Norton Anthologies and texts on literary theory, your thoughts of that person will likely be different from someone who has every title by James Patterson and Janet Evanovich.*

Like it or not, people have opinions about books, and when they see you with a particular book, they're likely to attach that opinion to you, as well. If you see someone with a book by an author you admire, how would you interact with that person? Especially in comparison to seeing a book by an author you consider a hack?

Now, as I say this, I know there are people in this world who have books simply because they want to create a particular image of themselves. (Yes, I'm talking to someone who has a copy of Anna Karenina and Moby Dick but hasn't read them and never plans to. You know who you are and what I think of you.) I'm not of the mind that you should only own books you've read (what would be the point?), but I also think you should be honest in your purchasing.

Writers are artists, and by buying their books, you're telling people you support their work. Whose work do you want to support? Whose art do you want displayed in your home?

Since Hubby and I are still getting our new apartment sorted and arranged (and lots of my books are still at my mother's house), most of my titles are about writing (freelancing, creative writing, AP stylebook, etc.), as well as A. S. Byatt and Jasper Fforde. I don't know what, exactly, that says about me.

What are your prominent titles? What books will you never part with? What books would you be glad to be rid of? What do your bookshelves say about you?

----
*no judgment here

Some Grammar Hilarity on a Saturday Afternoon

2011-01-22T16:42:00.003-05:00

When my Inner Writer is stomping her foot in protest....

2011-01-19T12:06:00.000-05:00

I love writing. I really do. Editing, not so much. Background info....meh. But I love writing.

And yet, there are days when I sit at my computer and open my WIP*, and all I can think is, "Okay....now what?" Yes, as much as I love writing, there are days I don't really feel like writing.

There are generally two camps in writing that address motivation: write every day and write when you're inspired.

Write every day

The first camp is one that says you should write every day, no matter what. Even if you don't feel like it or don't have anything to say, or know as you're writing that you're going to have to delete everything the next day. The point is to get words on the page.

Those who have participated in NaNoWriMo often see the value in this camp. Those who have read Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way may also see the benefits from this approach.

Of course, this camp says that even if you don't feel like writing, do it. If it's on your schedule, do it. You can fix it later.

Write when you're inspired

The other camp is more forgiving when it comes to motivation. If you're not inspired to write, if you don't know what to say, no worries. You can write later when you're motivated to write.

This camp doesn't necessarily write every day, but when you are inspired to write, you keep going as long as you can. So your schedule may say to write for an hour, but if you're on a roll, you keep going for two or three or more hours because you're inspired to write.

Both sides have their advantages and disadvantages.

The write every day camp is good because you, yanno, write every day. But if you know you're writing something that flat-out won't work, is it worth it to take the time to put down on paper?

The write when you're inspired camp is good because, when you do write, you're writing something that you're inspired to write, that's more likely to be kept through editing. But if you only write when you're inspired, how long will you go between writing session?

I bring this up because I haven't been entirely motivated to write lately. After Bean being sick, I've had a little trouble getting back into the swing of things, especially since I'm still doing a lot of background writing (that can get a little tedious, to be honest). I think I've managed to come up with a good compromise that puts one foot in each writing camp, and that works for me.

I do try to write during my scheduled writing times, but if I know I'm forcing it, I use that time to be productive in other ways. I might work on some background/outlining, I may do some administrative stuff (filing invoices, catching up on emails, etc.), or I may take the time to read something beneficial instead. That way, I'm still using my writing time to further my writing, but not necessarily by actually writing.

Maybe you find that you really do need to write every day, no matter what. Or you may find that you really do need to let your story be unless you're inspired to work on it. Or some combination of both. Or neither. As always, you have to figure out what works best for you.

How do you handle motivation--or lack thereof--in your writing life?

--
*WIP=Work In Progress

I see you in the shadows...!

2011-01-14T09:14:00.000-05:00

h/t to Loralee for that image

Today is National Delurking Day, a fun event that happens on the blogosphere, and encourages readers who rarely or never comment to make themselves known.

So I encourage you to take this opportunity to let me know you've been following my ramblings about writing and life as a writer. Drop me a comment and tell me what you're reading and/or writing these days.

I'll start. I'm reading The Jeeves Omnibus by P. G. Wodehouse, and I'm writing the coffee house book. (See how easy that is?)

Then, you're more than welcome to go back to the shadows!

"Mom" beats "writer" this week

2011-01-12T21:37:00.000-05:00

My poor darling Bean has been sick this week. I think he's on the downward slope of it (thankfully), but for the past few days my time has been spent wiping a snooger nose, distributing doses of Tylenol, wiping a fever-hot body with a cool washcloth, and spending lots of time snuggled in the recliner to "bock-a-bye."

Sick Bean on Tuesday

While I haven't taken Bean in to his pediatrician or the ER (again: thankfully), I've been concerned for the past few days. Bean's temperature is normally about 97.5, and at it's highest it was about 101. It was not a happy afternoon for me.

Because of Bean's cold, I haven't spent much time at my computer this week. My email inbox is overflowing with unread and unresponded-to messages. My poor coffee house characters have been sitting on the sidelines patiently twiddling their as-yet undescribed thumbs.

Now that Bean is starting to (finally) feel better, I'll be spending more time writing again, and getting caught up from the past few days' lack of work.

I am a writer, and I always will be. But I'm a mom first, and this week, I've been a mom.

Is there anything that keeps you from writing sometimes? If so, what is it?

Continuity in my collection

2011-01-06T14:31:00.000-05:00

As I've been doing background information for the coffee house book, I've realized that I want something to further unify the collection of books. It's not a series, but I want there to be some thread (aside from the books all being set in the same small town) that connects the books so that readers who read multiple books from the collection will see that they are, in fact, a collection.

My initial idea was to use a character. One character who appears in every book. That wouldn't mean that that character would have his or her own story in every book, but he or she would appear in every book in some capacity. In one book, the character might have a story to tell, while in another, the character might be an observer in someone else's story. Or someone on the street. Or barely noticed at all.

And while I'll still most likely incorporate one character into all the books (somehow), I'm also thinking of adding another dimension to this thread that will run through all the books: an event of some kind.

All the books in the collection take place in the same small town. That's why it makes sense for the characters to overlap. They know each other. Many of them grew up together. They see each other at the post office, on the street, in the coffee house. And, to that same end, they hear about what goes on in the town.

Now, this isn't such a small town that Ginny knows about Harold's late night out with the guys last weekend when his wife made him sleep on the porch. But the significant things that happen in the town are talked about. So, yes, everyone knows about the barn that burned down because those kids were smoking in it. Or whatever. And that's what I'd like to do with the other part of this unifying thread.

I'm going to incorporate some event or something that happened in the town that nearly everyone knows about. Like the unifying character, this event will have different weight depending on who's mentioning it, and what story it's in. In the funeral book, for example, you might only hear it mentioned in passing, or as a time frame reference. While in the coffee house book, someone may explain their reaction to the event, which will reveal more of it for the reader.

I don't want this event to create a story arc through the collection. But I do want it to be present, and to give another depth to what's going on in each of these books, and in each of these characters' lives.

I think, as well as helping show that these stand-alone books do go together, the character and event will be a little "aha" moment for the readers who pick up on them.

What do you think?

---
Note: Did you notice my delightful label alliteration today? ::grin::

On 2011

2011-01-04T20:42:00.000-05:00

We're done with the first weekend of 2011 already.

As is often the case, I've been thinking a lot in the past week or so about what this year will bring, what I'd like to accomplish, and where my life is headed.

I didn't make resolutions for this year. I have in the past, but haven't always been so great at keeping them. So what I'm doing this year is setting goals instead. Maybe it's just the terminology that's different, but "goals" are a lot less intimidating to me than "resolutions." Goals I work towards. Resolutions have to be kept.

The biggest writing goal I have in 2011 is to write the coffee house book. 2011 will be the year of the coffee house book.

2011 will be the year of the coffee house book.

I'm much better prepared to write it now, my story, characters, and outline are far more developed, and I'm ready. This story is ready to be told. I'm more excited about the story than I have been in a very long time.

I think it's going to be a good year.

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 29: Defining Moment (late)

2010-12-30T21:10:00.000-05:00

Describe a defining moment or series of events that have affected your life this year.
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Everything you do affects your life in some way. So I don't think I look back on the year and select a defining moment or series of events to write about. A lot has happened this year, after all. I much prefer to look at the year as a whole and be hopeful that the decisions I've made and the things that have happened will make 2011 a good year.

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 19: Healing (late)

2010-12-27T21:06:00.000-05:00

What healed you this year? Was it sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011?
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I don't think I am (fully) healed. There are things still affecting me in a very real and negative way, and I'm still working on them.

I think some of the things I'm dealing with I'll still be dealing with for a long time, while others I hope to get past in 2011. And some of the things I'm dealing with will depend on what happens in 2011 as to whether or not I can move past them quite yet.

I know that's sort of vague, but the things I can talk about I've already written about this month, and the other things are staying private. Sorry.

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 20: Beyond avoidance (late)

2010-12-27T20:57:00.000-05:00

What should you have done this year but didn't because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?)
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I've been avoiding this prompt.

And in an effort to show that I truly am letting go of "should" in my life (I should do this, I should be that), I'm not going to do this prompt.

Ha ha!

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 27: Ordinary Joy

2010-12-27T18:56:00.000-05:00

Our most profound joy is often experienced during ordinary moments. What was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year?
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"Do you want to 'bock-a-bye'?"

A sleepy Bean nodded, rubbed his eyes, and toddled over to the recliner, patting it to show me where I should sit. I climbed into the chair and pulled my son onto my lap. He snuggled down against me, twisting so he could watch TV while we rocked.

I knew it would only take a few minutes for him to drop off to sleep for his afternoon nap, and I was already thinking about the things I needed to do while he was sleeping. Laundry needed to be folded and put away, the lunch dishes needed to be washed, and I needed to send an email to a client.

In the midst of my mental to-do list, Bean twisted back around and pushed against me with his legs to nearly standing. Just as I was about to remind him that we don't stand on chairs, he wrapped both arms tightly around my neck, rested his head on my shoulder, and gave me a big hug.

"I love you, too, buddy."

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 23: New name (late)

2010-12-27T12:24:00.000-05:00

Let's meet again, for the first time. If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why?
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I don't know that I would change my name, given the opportunity. I've become sort of attached to the one I have.

I can't help but think of writers when I look at this prompt. How long do we writers spend perusing names and their meanings, looking at character personalities and biographies, trying to come up with the perfect name for a character in a story?

For writers, names seem to bring life to words on a page. With a name, a character is no longer an abstract, but a person. Writers no longer refer to this being as "my antagonist" or "my M.C.," but as "Vivi" or "Tristan." A character name changes things, doesn't it?

But naming isn't as easy as searching a baby name book until something strikes your fancy. Names are a complicated beast. There's a contradiction people encounter when discussing the idea of a name. After all, Shakespeare said, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet" (Romeo and Juliet, II.ii.1-2). Names don't make the man or woman, but everything else does. After all, with a different name, wouldn't I be the same person?

And yet, names do hold power. In Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, handmaids are given the names of the men for whom they work. The lead character's name is "Ofglen," or "of Glen." She and the other handmaids have no individual identity, but are known only by the men they serve. Taking their names was one way power was taken from them.

So where do we stand, then? Who are we with different names? With no names?

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 22: Travel (late)

2010-12-27T11:23:00.001-05:00

How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year?
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By land

Bean with Uncle Trev, April 2010

In April, Hubby, Bean, and I drove from central Florida to central Illinois to visit my family for Easter. It was a long drive, but worth it for my extended family to get to meet Bean for the first time, and we got to spend a holiday with my mom and the family there.

I don't get to spend a lot of time with my family simply because of the logistics involved in traveling to see them. (I'm terrified of flying, which leaves driving. That isn't always easy with a little one, as I'm sure many of you know.)

By sea

Bean's first cruise, October 2010

In October, we took Bean on his very first cruise! Hubby's parents surprised us with a three-day family cruise, and the little weekend getaway was just what we needed! Bean had a lot of fun going to the beach for the first time (after getting over his initial fear of the sand), and of course the food was delicious!

We also just got back from Hubby's family's family reunion Christmas cruise, which was a week long. This was a great time, as well, and reminded me of why I enjoy cruising for vacations.

In 2011

I hope to be able to spend more time visiting my family in 2011. Any traveling we do will have to be in the latter half of the year (since Bunny is due the first week of May), but we're hoping to spend Christmas in snowy Illinois next year.

Bean has never seen snow, and it would be wonderful to have a white Christmas (and then come back down to 70-degree weather afterward, of course!). I don't know whether or not that will happen, but it's what I'm hoping for.

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 21: Future self (late)

2010-12-26T23:31:00.000-05:00

Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead? (Bonus: Write a note to yourself 10 years ago. What would you tell your younger self?)
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Dear Future (but really present) Coffee-Stained Writer,

As I stand at the edge of 2015, waiting for 2016 to rush up and meet me, I have a few words of advice for you. I urge you to heed them, since anything I recommend to you really affects me, you know.

First, remember that haircut you're thinking of getting when Bunny is born in the spring? Don't. It didn't look that great when you did it in 2008, and it annoyed the crap out of you when you were trying to grow it out because you realized you missed your long hair. As much as you think you want it again, trust me: you don't. It won't look that great, and it'll annoy the crap out of you when you try to grow it out because you'll realize you miss your long hair. Please, please keep your hair the way it is. You like it this way.

Next, don't get too frustrated with how the coffee house's first draft goes in 2011. It's going to get written, and you're going to have to edit it, so relax about it. It doesn't have to be perfect the first time. It won't be perfect the firs time. Just remember why you want to write it and you'll be fine. Save the obsessing for the later drafts. It'll go a lot smoother that way. After all, it started as a NaNo novel and you did everything you could to boost word count. Remember that draft? ::shudder::

I also want to tell you that things will get better. I can't tell you too much because of that whole crazy space-time continuum thing, but things will get better. Hang in there. You'll come out of things a better and stronger person, and then you get to be me, which is pretty cool.

Finally, keep trusting yourself. It works for you. You'll be healthier and happier that way. You won't worry so much. And you'll definitely have a lot more fun. So don't let other stuff get to you too much, and remember that you know what's best for you.

Have a great year in 2011, have fun, and be safe. You have to get to where I am, after all.

Happy scribbling from the future,

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 24: Everything's OK (late)

2010-12-26T22:45:00.000-05:00

What was the best moment that could serve as proof that everything is going to be alright? And how will you incorporate that discovery into the year ahead?
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Hubby and I, as a family, have had some difficult moments in 2010. Of course I won't get into them here, but we've had our share of struggles.*

And yet, everything always has a strange way of falling into place so that everything is okay in the end. It's not always easy, and it's not always in the way we expected, but things have a way of working out for us. I'm thankful for that.

There has been one particular instance that stands out to me as proof that everything really will be all right, particularly in 2011.

On December 17th, I received bad news from one of my clients who would no longer be needing my services after December 31st of this year. I won't get into the details for the protection of this client, but I will say that this came as quite a shock to me, and I'm still dealing with how I feel about how it all played out.†

Despite this, we're looking at 2011 with as much optimism as we can. I have received some good news from a couple of other clients, and am hoping to hear more after New Year's.

Once again, facing what could be a devastating struggle, things seem to be working out for us. It's not working out the way I would have expected, but everything's going to be okay. Again.

Funny how things work out, isn't it?

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*We've had our share of successes and joys, too, though!
†Anyone who wants details can email me, and I may be able to give you a bit more insight.

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 25: Photo (late)

2010-12-26T21:47:00.001-05:00

Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you.
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Photo by Hubby at our (former) Orlando home, May 2010

Top: Treehugger Organic Cotton Women's Tee

Skirt: Veggie Patch Skirt (similar here)

Shoes: Lynette Scarf Flip Flops in Khaki

Accessories: clay bead wrap bracelet

and recycled magazine bead necklace

from Soul Flower (no longer available)

This picture reveals who I want to be. Some of the changes I'm making in my life in 2011 include living a more natural lifestyle, and my clothing choices is one way I'm doing that. I feel better wearing more natural fabrics, and I feel better knowing my clothing choices have less of a negative impact on my world.

Flawed Characters

2010-12-25T05:26:00.000-05:00

Neil Gaiman wrote about his gloriously cranky cat a few weeks ago, and concluded,

When Zoe died, it was really easy to explain to people how much you could miss a sweet, gentle cat who was nothing but a ball of utter love. I'm going to have a much harder time one day, months or even years from now, explaining why I miss the meanest, grumpiest and most dangerous cat I've ever encountered.

If you look in his boat, you'll see me there paddling right beside him. I've got the kind of cat who makes people think thrice before coming over. She once sent a friend, white-faced and wide-eyed, fleeing from my bedroom (appropriately enough, I'd sent said friend in there to retrieve Neil Gaiman's Sandman, which she'd sadly not yet read). When I inquired why she'd emerged on the porch sans book and in a wretched state, she informed me it was because my feline had given her the hairy eyeball and growled a growl that said, "If you're still in this room two seconds from now, I shall be ripping your limbs off." And she'd have done it, too. She once chased my mom out of the apartment for the simple offense of trying to clean the house. I've had to wrap her in blankets, towels and once a cloak to prevent grievous bodily harm; ended up with severe bruising and quarter-inch deep fang marks when I stepped between her and the husky she was trying to eviscerate, and she's even terrified a vet into a corner.

She is on Santa's NAUGHTY list. All caps. She's not just got issues, but subscriptions and a full set of back issues. And yet, I love her more than any other cat I've been owned by, and I'll miss her fiercely when she's gone, and I won't be able to explain why. People will probably assume I'm suffering from Battered Cat Servant Syndrome.

That's not the case. It's just that she's a Flawed Character. So was my pony, who was known for beer-begging and his 1001 Clever Tricks for Unseating Unsuspecting (or Suspecting) Riders. I still miss that little bastard. My most cherished pets put me in mind of what John Clare said:

And e'en the dearest--that I love the best--
Are strange--nay, rather stranger than the rest.

And that brings me to writing, because there, too, I'm a sucker for Flawed Characters. Neil Gaiman's Dream, for instance, wasn't some majestic, perfect being - for all his power to shape our dreams, for all his mystique and morality and incredible powers, he was still something of a stuffy jerk who failed horribly at relationships: with women, with family, with just about anyone. I mean, seriously, when his son Orpheus lost Eurydice, he couldn't even give him a reassuring pat and a sympathetic shoulder to cry on. No, he just gave him a lecture:

"You are mortal: it is the mortal way. You attend the funeral, you bid farewell. You grieve. Then you continue with your life. And at times, the fact of her absence will hit you like a blow to the chest, and you will weep. But this will happen less and less as time goes on. She is dead. You are alive. So live. "

It's great advice, fantastic advice, and I've followed it more than once. But diplomatic and empathetic it ain't. And that's Dream: wise, but clueless when it comes to interpersonal interactions. Which is one of the many reasons I loved him so.

There's R.D. Wingfield's Jack Frost, a first-class screw-up who's constantly in trouble with the brass and only solves cases through improbable strings of coincidences and fortuitous mistakes. There's Terry Pratchett's Rincewind, a dyed-in-the-wool coward who only lusts after potatoes and boredom. Elaine Cunningham's Danilo Thann, a pretty rich boy who's so full of himself that if he were a sofa, he'd be so overstuffed you couldn't even sit on him. They've been my friends all these long years, not despite their flaws, but because of them.

They're Flawed Characters, y'see. And Flawed Characters can be incredibly endearing.

Why do we love them so? They're memorable. They're interesting. They're unpredictable (or predictable, but whose flaws put them into unpredictable situations). Their flaws provide a nice contrast, making their good qualities shine all the more. They're imperfect, like us. We can relate.

Awesome! you think. I'll just slap my characters with a really severe character flaw or two!

Not so fast, there, you. Consider carefully before you go tacking flaws onto a perfectly good character willy-nilly.

First, remember that the really great Flawed Characters are a mix: they're not all flaw. You'll have a rough go of it if you've got all Flaw with no Character.

Watch out for ye olde hackneyed cliches, like the prostitute with the heart of gold.

Flawed Characters haven't usually got a single flaw, but a few, with one standing out above all. And their good qualities endear us to them despite it all.

And, most importantly: be careful with character flaws. Don't just throw one in so you can say, "Look, Ma, my character's flawed, too!" If you're choosing from a list of potential flaws, you're doing it wrong. Flaws should arise from who that person is and what they've experienced in life. Otherwise, all you've got is a bad version of deus ex machina, and that's not a good thing.

Just don't force it, is what I'm saying. We're not rolling characters for a D&D campaign where every Merit has to be balanced by a Flaw. These are story people, and some will naturally be more flawed than others, and some may not even seem flawed at all. And you know what? Despite what people say, that's not all bad. I mean, Neil Gaiman's Death was about as flawless as it gets, and yet she still shines. She's fun, she's fascinating, she's a great favorite - not because she's flawed, but because she's unexpected. I mean, Death as a cute and perky Goth chick? But she works. She totally works.

If you've got a character who's interesting without obvious flaws, don't go foisting flaws upon them just because you think that's the Done Thing. Let your Wise Readers tell you whether that character works or not before you go fiddling with flaws.

But if a Flawed Character comes into your life, allow yourself a little unconditional love and run with it. Don't minimize their flaws, flaunt them!

Linking stories through characters

2010-12-24T08:10:00.074-05:00

The coffee house book is just the first in a collection of books I'm writing. The next book will be the funeral book, and the book after that will be the wedding book. (There are others planned, as well.) The books are not a series, but they do go to together.

Since the coffee house book is the first book I'm writing in this collection, I'll use that as the "foundation" for talking about the rest of the books. However, please know that each book is a stand-alone book. I could just as easily have started with the funeral book, the wedding book, or one of the others.

The books in this collection are all set in the same small(ish) town, with the different books presenting a different aspect of the town. And since it is a small(ish) town, some of the same people will be involved in those different aspects. For example, one of the coffee house characters is also a mourner at the funeral. In the same way you run into your friends and neighbors at the grocery store, you'll see some of the same characters appearing in different books.

The connection between the stories in these books, other than the overall setting, is the people in them. It's the people that make up the town, after all, and this collection is about the town.

So I've been faced with the prospect of connecting these books through the characters, while still allowing the individual books to stand on their own stories. I've discovered that the only way to do that is for each character to have an equal voice in the book(s) he or she is in.

For example, Shawn is a character in the coffee house book. He's a musician who uses the coffee house to escape a difficult situation at home. He's also in the band at the wedding reception. These two separate books reveal different aspects of his story, but just because he's already in the coffee house book doesn't mean his section in the wedding book will be any less significant. It's a different (sub)story about the same character.

This is another reason my character biographies are so detailed and so important. Different aspects of characters will appear in different books, so those aspects all have to be in the character biographies. By creating the same detailed biographies for all the characters, I'll be able to draw any character for any book for any other book.

What's interesting is that as I'm working on character biographies, I'm finding more connections among my characters that I didn't think of before, and these connections will work well as I build the world of this collection.

It's going to take a lot of work throughout the whole process, but I know it will be worth it when readers can connect with the characters I've created.

How do you create well-rounded characters for your stories?

Guest Blogger Kelly Ward: The Villain

2010-12-23T08:56:00.054-05:00

While attempting to finish my extensive rewrites, I've noticed that there are more issues at hand than my plot killer problem. I have a big problem with the villain. It's catastrophic in nature and needs to be addressed.

When you have an inept villain, you have no story. Unless you plan on having no villain and if that's your story, then what I'm about to tell you will do you no good. For me, the villain of my series is like Darth Vader. He needs to convey fear simply by his presence. Not such an easy task to complete when you have no visuals to help you.

This villain is complicated. He's not a simple psychopathic killer bent on the destruction of humanity. If that were the villain I was working with, I wouldn't have this problem. Psychopathic villains are wonderful and easy (for the most part) and equally terrifying for the reader if done correctly.

The villain I have created is duplicitous and slippery. He'll just as easily smile to your face while he plots to stab you in the back. He won't be found in the middle of the action like a warlord or evil king. Instead, he's holding the puppet strings, masterminding every single action of the pawns laid out before him. He's difficult to pin down and even harder to write without adding an edge of insanity or a vengeful streak.

If you have a villain in your story, you need to remember that you will either kill your story now or make it great with this one character. While a plot killer will simply kill the stories he or she is involved in, the rest of the series will survive. With a horribly written villain, your series is dead in the water.

If you need an evil genius, create an evil genius. Plot out every aspect of his or her personality and when writing a situation the villain will be involved in, think through it as if you actually ARE that character. Sure, it's good to do that with every single character you have, but it's vital with your villain. I actually have more notes on my villains than I do on my heroes. If only my notes made sense...

One last thing to remember about a villain: names matter here. You need a name that has an actual meaning. I named my first villain Varick because the name sounds evil and it means conqueror (at least it did on the website I was using). What better name for the Bringer of all evil? With my newest villain, I chose the name Nathail because it sounds oily and black and it means snake. It fits him. You can't call a bad guy Mark can you? Well you could, but would he be scary?

Take your time with a villain. They can be the greatest thing in the world or the biggest pain in the neck you'll ever have.

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Kelly Ward has had a passion for writing since she was thirteen, and has since blended her passion for writing with her love of vampires into a writing career. Kelly is the author of Prophecy, Forbidden, and Awakening, which are available on her website. You can read more about Kelly's writing and life on her blog, The Fang Marked Writer. She is happily married to the love of her life, Nathan, and is expecting their first child in March.

My series bible

2010-12-22T07:53:00.012-05:00

Before I begin this post, let me make sure we're clear on something: I'm not writing a series. The books I'm working on are a collection of books that go together. They're all set in the same town, and many of the characters' are revealed more fully in the other books.

That said, I am creating what I'm calling a "series bible." Because the books are interwoven in many ways, I thought it would be helpful in keeping things straight, as well as planning ahead as I'm working on the coffee house book.

Right now, my series bible is in a five-subject notebook I had around the house. Here's what's in it so far:

Synopses

The first page is a list of the books I'm planning, along with a brief description of each one. These serve as a quick reminder as I'm putting all the information together. It's got everything from the coffee house book to the waiting book (What? Did I just give away another of the books I'm thinking about? Whoops.) in it. That page is done unless I decide to write additional books, but what I have will keep me quite busy for quite some time.

Coffee House Book Notes

As I was thinking about the coffee house book, I jotted down some things I wanted to remember as I was planning and writing. A few notes are about some of the characters, some things about the coffee house itself, and reminders to myself for while I'm writing.

Cast of Characters

Since I only have the outline for the coffee house book so far, I only have the cast of characters for it. But each book will have its own page of characters, with notes about characters who are also in other books. The list also contains a quick note about who the character is. (ex. Vivi (Vivienne) is the coffee house manager, drinks espresso macchiato, is planning the anniversary party, and her story is about how she came to work at the coffee house.)

Story Line

Again, since I've only outlined the coffee house book, I only have a rough story line sheet for that book. It's not as detailed as my big outline, but is just a reminder of what the story is about, should I need it.

Coffee House "Chapters"

This is my "biography" of the coffee house. It goes through each year of the coffee house from it's opening/first year through its fifth year. Each chapter gives information about what was going on in the coffee house at the time, who was important, how business was doing, etc.

That's all I have so far, but it's a start. Since my character biographies are so extensive, they won't be in the series bible, but will be in a separate folder (or folders) nearby so I have easy access to them.

As the coffee house book develops, I know I'll add to the notebook, and as I'm writing the next book, I'll be able to use the information from the coffee house book to develop the characters and the world I'm creating.

Just as with the biographies, there's going to be a lot of information in this notebook that will never be in the coffee house book.

Oh, the things writers do for their stories.

The coffee house as a character

2010-12-20T08:51:00.031-05:00

As I'm writing all these character biographies, I realize there is another biography I have to write before I can start writing the actual story of the coffee house book.

Image: Catherine Hadler / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I have to know "who" the coffee house itself is.

The coffee house is more than simply the setting of the book. It's the thing that drives the story. The characters are reflecting on their experiences in the coffee house, how they feel about it, and where they see it going in the future. Without it, there is no story at all. So it follows that I should know the coffee house as well as I know every other character in the book.

I won't be filling out the same life story interview for the coffee house that I've been using for the other characters. But I will be using a tool from Atkinson's Gift of Stories to track the "life" of the coffee house.

In the book, Atkinson provides a chart for the "chapters of your life." It gives you a place to provide information from different time periods in your life, from events and people to how you felt about what happened. Since the coffee house is preparing to celebrate it's fifth anniversary, there will be five "chapters" for me to fill out for it.

Just as the detailed character biographies will help me tell the characters' stories within the framework of the coffee house book, doing this worksheet for the coffee house itself will help me create the framework for the book.

This will be the last piece of the background writing I need to do before I start actually writing the coffee house book. I still have quite a bit of work to do before I get there, but I know that once that worksheet is filled out, I'll be ready to write the coffee house book.

Now the question is whether or not I'll get it done before New Year's Eve....

Away on Vacation

2010-12-19T08:36:00.001-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen, my family and I are off enjoying a family reunion Christmas cruise this week. See how excited Bean and I are?

Bean and the Coffee-Stained Writer on Bean's first cruise
October 2010

I do have a couple of posts scheduled for this week while I'm gone, and my tequila-stained heart sister may stop in to write something.

Happy Holidays, and please stay safe!

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 18: Try (late)

2010-12-19T01:00:00.001-05:00

What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did/didn't go for it?
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Image: Sujin Jetkasettakorn
FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I want to be more conscious about how I take care of myself and my family, as well as how I take care of the earth. I try to be conscious about what I put into my body (food, medicines), and I try to be conscious about being somewhat "green," but I'm not as eco-friendly as I'd like to be.

Next year, I want to make a conscious effort to get to a more natural lifestyle, and not just by buying organic foods.

Food

I am going to try and incorporate a more earth-friendly menu for my family. We're going to start eating less processed foods, and organic when we can. We're going to eat seasonally and, when possible, locally.

I'm blessed to be in an area that has lots of farmers' markets, and I want to take advantage of them.

In addition, I'm trying to gravitate toward a vegetarian lifestyle. I don't eat much meat to begin with, so it wouldn't be a big shock to my system to move to a meat-free diet. But I do feel it's a positive step for me. My sister-in-law is an environmentalist (she'd make a great activist/advocate), and has pointed me in the right direction for a lot of information I've been seeking. As a result, I just don't like eating meat.

Of course, I can't force that lifestyle on my whole family, but Hubby has agreed to one meatless day a week (to start), which I'll take as a positive step.

Household Products

I also want to start using natural cleaning products at home. When I think about all the chemicals I expose myself and my family to every day by keeping our home clean, it worries me (especially being pregnant!). By using natural cleaning products, we'll all be exposed to far less chemicals, and be healthier.

Clothing

Believe it or not, there are chemicals in clothing, too! In dyes and in the materials that make synthetic fabrics. So as I start acquiring my post-pregnancy wardrobe (because, let's face it, I need new clothes), I'm going to buy natural fabrics dyed with natural dyes. (For example, I already have a skirt that uses vegetable dyes on all-natural fabric.)

Environment

I also plan to try and spend more time in nature. I always feel better when I take time to breath fresh air, to feel the sunshine, and to get to see the trees and animals in my area. So 2011 will be a year of much more time outdoors.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I'm a bit of a hippie. Big whoop. Wanna fight about it?

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 15: 5 Minutes (late)

2010-12-19T00:07:00.001-05:00

Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.
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I want to remember how it felt to have a fresh year to start with, knowing it would be a good year.
I want to remember taking Bean to our family in Illinois for the first time, meeting my dad's family, spending Easter with my mom and family.
I want to remember my first Mother's Day.
I want to remember getting my full-time freelancing gig, and the excited anticipation with which I faced my first project.
I want to remember celebrating three wonderful years with my husband.
I want to remember Bean's first Independence Day, and how well he did with the fireworks.
I want to remember my son's first birthday party.
I want to remember my son's baptism.
I want to remember finding out that I was pregnant with our second child, knowing our family would grow in love, and that Bean would be a big brother.
I want to remember Bean's first cruise.
I want to remember watching Bean play in sand at the beach for the first time, and after being afraid of it, digging into it and crying when it was time to go back to the cruise ship.
I want to remember facing NaNoWriMo, and learning more about my writing than I expected in the process.
I want to remember finding out the gender of our second child.
I want to remember the feeling of facing 2011 with both wonderful blessings and struggles, knowing that it, too, will be a good year.

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 17: Lesson learned (late)

2010-12-18T22:57:00.000-05:00

What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?
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I learned to trust myself this year.

I've spent much of my time trying to make other people happy, and worrying about how what I decide will affect others. As a result, I often make decisions that probably aren't the best for me. By learning to trust myself, I'm worrying less about what others think and doing what I know is best for me.

I know it's a process, and I may stumble, but it's something I'm working on little by little.

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 16: Friendship (late)

2010-12-18T13:44:00.011-05:00

How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?
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I think this is the kind of answer that writers will understand, but others may not. And that's okay since most of my readers are, in fact, writers.

I have had a few friends who have changed me (and my perspective) this year, but not in the way you'd think.

Of course friends have been important to me this year. My best friend, Kell, has been invaluable in listening to me complain, offering writerly and personal support, and just generally being there for me. My heart sister, Dana, is always there to listen, remind me of why I'm a writer, and keep me laughing. I had some rough moments in 2010, and my friends--especially Kell and Dana--have been the people who have gotten me through those spots.

But as for change, the friends who have had the biggest impact on me....aren't real.

I've done a lot of thinking and reworking of the characters in the coffee house book this year, and in the process have learned a lot about them, the coffee house story, and myself.

It's funny how characters will do that to you. As you're thinking about them, creating every facet of their personalities, you end up thinking about yourself, as well. They become sort of real to you, and as you think about the situations in their lives, their struggles and successes, whether or not they've made the right decisions, you also start to think about who you are in comparison. (Well, I do, at least.) And, believe it or not, the characters I'm creating are helping me make positive changes in my own life, and work to become the woman I want to be.

Funny how much writing can affect your life, isn't it?

Twelve Coffee-Stained Months (2010)

2010-12-16T19:59:00.004-05:00

My dear heart sister Dana posted this over at the cantina, so I thought I'd join in, as well. Her blog explains

The rules for this meme are simple, as explained by DrugMonkey: Post the link and first sentence from the first blog entry for each month of the past year.

So I present The Coffee Stained Writer in 2010:

January: One of my goals this year (I would say resolutions, but that sounds so...intimidating) is to read more. (from "Coffee-Stained Pages: an Introduction")

February: I'm adjusting to my schedule. (from "This Week's Task List")

March: Continue working on the coffee house book. (from "This Week's Task List")

April: Voting on the contest begins today (I know it was supposed to start tomorrow, but this is my contest and I say it starts today. Big whoop. Wanna fight about it?), and is open to all readers. (from "CONTEST VOTING")

May: Yesterday, you learned some things to keep in mind when selecting a beta reader for your work. (from "Beta readers, part two")

June: Traditional publishing is the process most writers go through in order to publish their books. (from "What is traditional publishing?")

July: Have you ever heard the term "BIC" in regards to writing? (from "BIC and me")

August: I know some of us don't really want to think about it yet, but I can't help but notice that November is a few short months away. (from "November approaches....")

September: Has it really been so long since I've updated? (from "All work and no play....")

October: The weather is getting cooler here. (from "Fall weather, family news, and a little sadness")

November: Congratulations! (from "NaNoWriMo Pep Talk #1: [insert clever, inspiring title here]")

December: Well, now that November is officially over, I'm curious about how the experience was for you. (from "NaNoWriMo Aftermath: How was it?")

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 14: Appreciate

2010-12-14T20:20:00.018-05:00

What's the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?
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As cheesy as it may sound, the thing I've come to appreciate most in the past year has been the fact that I'm a full-time writer (from home).

I knew in college I wanted to be a writer. I decided to take a bit of a risk and earn a degree in English (creative writing) without education or journalism or anything like that. My degree is just in creative writing. Even then, I stepped out on the edge of practical in order to follow a passion.

After graduation, I took a job at my alma mater that involved writing. After that I took a job as a high school English teacher (for me: yech!). After that, I became a full-time freelance writer.

Since then my writing has developed, my career has developed, and I have full-time work from home as a freelance writer. And I couldn't be happier.

Not only do I get to stay home and play with my son all day long, but I get to have my dream job while I do it. Realistically, how many English graduates do you know that actually get to be full-time writers? I even have time to write fiction once in a while! How cool is that?

Of course, I've had my ups and downs, and there have been lean months. But every month, it's getting better. I'm building my client list, and was even told recently that in addition to more work from a previous client, I'll be getting referrals for additional work from a previous client. (Yay for a busy 2011!) I feel like I'm really making my way as a freelance writer, and all the work I put in a few years ago is paying off.

For those who are struggling, for those who are contemplating it, for those who think it's too good to be true.... it can be done. It's not easy, and it can take a long time, but it can be done!

And if you keep working, you'll put yourself in a position to be able to say you really do love what you do!

I'm livin' the dream, baby!

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 13: Action

2010-12-13T14:26:00.000-05:00

When it comes to aspirations, it's not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen. What's your next step?
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This is the kind of prompt I've been waiting for. One of the things that drew me to #reverb10 was thinking about next year in terms of my fiction-writing. What do I want to put out there in 2011? How do I want to change the way things are to head the direction I want them to go?

Well, here we go!

For the coffee house, I'm working on the character biographies right now. It's technically under the category of background information for the coffee house, but since I can't write the coffee house book without them, it's also action. But for the sake of this post, let's look ahead a little bit.

Once the character biographies are finished, it'll be time to write the first draft of the coffee house book. My plan is to start writing it in January 2011, and be done with it before Bunny is born. (Since Bunny is due May 4th, I'd like to have the first draft written by April 10th, just in case.) Then I'll take May off from writing as maternity leave, and when I get back to fiction-writing in June or July, I'll be ready to start editing.

I feel good knowing I'm on my way to having this book written (finally), and that I'm taking action to make things happen.

It's all well and good to say I'm writing the coffee house book, but until I actually do it, it's not really true, is it?

Character Biographies

2010-12-12T23:02:00.000-05:00

Ugh. These character biographies are going to be the death of me. Let me 'splain.

No. Too much to 'splain. Let me sum up.

The coffee house book has a large cast of characters. And because of the way I'm writing it, each character kind of has to be treated like the main character. That means each character has a detailed character biography.

For my detailed biographies, I use the Life Story Interview found in Robert Atkinson's The Gift of Stories. (It's meant to write someone's life story, and covers just about everything you could think of for a life story interview. It's great for character biographies, not to mention the rest of the book is great for the craft of writing.) Some time ago, I typed the questions into a template in Google Docs, and when I need to do a character biography, I save a copy and go through and answer the questions. Easy-peasy, right? Well, yes, except that the unanswered biography is 9 typed pages.

Yep.

I have one completed biography for the coffee house book, and it's 16 typed pages. And I have lots more of these to do. It's taking a bit longer to do than I expected originally, but I know it'll be worth it when I start writing.

I know some people who swear by character biographies, and others who create the characters as they write their first drafts. Whatever works for you is fine with me. I'm not here to persuade anyone into using character biographies anymore than I'm here to tell you that you "should" use outlines or scene summaries prior to writing (I use both). But I do want you to know why I do character biographies, and why these particular biographies are so important to the coffee house book, as well as some future books I'm planning.

Let me start by saying that I'm not writing a series, really. The stories I'm working on don't follow a bigger story in the way a series does. However, the stories I'm working on are connected. They all take place in the same town, and there are characters that overlap between the books, and personal characters' stories that are developed across the books. (I'm considering them a collection of books rather than a series.)

Because of the way I'm writing the coffee house book (and the future books I'm working on), every character is just as important as every other. It's up to the reader to decide who's "the" main character. That's why I'm using Atkinson's interview for all of them. They all have stories to share within the framework of the bigger story, and I have to do justice to all of them.

I have a lot of work to do if I want to finish these biographies by the end of the month. The good news is that when I finish the character biographies for this book, I'll also have some of the character biographies done for both the funeral book and the wedding book, as well as the other books I'm planning/working on.

On a side note, this collection will have tons of bonus material for anyone who would want to know more!

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 12: Body Integration

2010-12-12T19:05:00.000-05:00

This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn't mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?
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As has happened with many other prompts, this is something I've been thinking about lately. I've been fortunate enough to be able to peruse other participants' posts already, and this post has created a bit of mixed feelings about #reverb10, I think.

There are some who are saying this prompt is a bit too "new-age" for them, and implies that we should all feel something is "wrong" with us. I can see why they say that. And I can also see why others, who do strive for a deeper connection between mind and body, appreciate the prompt.

What follows is my take on it, allowing readers to realize, of course, that this is my personal view and I'm entitled to it, so pppbbbbbbttt!

I do try to have an integration between my mind and body beyond the normal my-mind-controls-my-body connection. But instead of seeing it as an integration or connection, I see it as an awareness.

There is a connection between mind and body in things like yoga, in which you focus your mind on your body, connecting your thoughts and breath to the movements of yoga. There's also a connection between mind and body when you're aware of how you take care of yourself, and what you do to ensure your body (and mind) is at its best.

In my post about things yesterday, I said one of the things I want to get rid of in 2011 is unhealthy habits. This includes junk food and lack of exercise, but also being aware of how my environment affects my body. I'm moving toward using more natural cleaners in my home, and am converting my wardrobe to natural fabrics. After all, if I'm trying to be more mindful of what I put into my body (pesticides in foods, processed foods, etc.), wouldn't it follow that I'm trying to be more mindful of what I put on my body (processed fabrics, chemical dyes, etc.)?

In this process of getting rid of unhealthy habits, I do feel more of an "integration" between mind and body. I feel healthier and better about myself, and I'm already seeing some of the long-term affects of the changes (more energy, less stress, etc.).

And I know it will only get better as I work to be a healthier me.

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 11: Things

2010-12-11T22:56:00.000-05:00

What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things will change your life?
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I've been thinking a lot about eliminating things in my life lately. Since moving, I've been trying to de-clutter and streamline my life. It will certainly make for a less stressful lifestyle.

Household clutter. This includes things like clothes we don't wear anymore, knick-knacks that were gifts that we don't like, paperwork that has been taking up space in boxes and folders, etc. Since I work from home, clutter around the house is clutter in my work space, and is just one more distraction I don't really need to keep me from writing.

I'm going to start sorting as I clean. When I do laundry, I won't automatically put everything away. If it's worn out, it gets thrown out. Things that have been sitting for a while and haven't been worn are getting donated. Only the items that we wear will be kept. As for knick-knacks...if I don't have them out and am not attached to them, I'll be donating them. If they're broken, I'll be tossing them. It may sound a bit ruthless, but it's what's going to happen.

Television. I'm not necessarily saying I'm going to quit watching TV in 2011, but I feel like I watch too much TV, and that's something I'd like to work on. It's so easy to sit down on the couch and watch something mindless, and that's time I could be using to work on the coffee house book (or funeral book), or doing other things around the house that need to be done. I'm sure I'll still have shows I enjoy watching, but I'm not going to find something to watch just for the sake of watching television anymore.

Negativity. Sometimes I can be a bit negative. I don't like to be, and I try not to be, but it does creep in sometimes. And if others are being negative, it's worse. I let their negativity affect me, and I become negative, as well. I hate it, and it's something I've been working on getting rid of for some time. 2011 is the year I'll do it.

If I catch myself being negative, I'll make an effort to turn my thoughts to positive aspects of whatever's going on. I do this in my journal sometimes. For every negative thought I have, I have to come up with at least one positive one. It really does help, and I think by trying to be more conscious of it, I'll be able to get rid of a lot of negativity in my life.

Of course, there are also negative people in my life. Some of them I've already distanced myself from, which has helped, but others are in my life for life. When these people are negative, I'm going to have to either ignore it, or let them know (politely) that I don't really want to hear that kind of negativity because of the way it affects me. If they can't understand that, then I'll have to spend less time with them.

Procrastination. I can be a terrible procrastinator. Even when I'm excited about something, I can find reasons to not do it or to work on something else first. As a result, I'm not nearly as far in my coffee house book character biographies as I should be in order to start writing in January, and there are lots of boxes in our storage closet that haven't been unpacked.

I'm already trying to work on this by making task lists for myself for each week, and then dividing them into daily lists. By knowing what I have to do, and knowing how much I've gotten done, I'm better able to stay on top of things.

I also like to reward myself. "As soon as you finish this project for work, you can catch up on your blog reading." It gives me incentives to keep working and moving forward, as well as giving me periodic breaks which, for a pregnant woman, are much-needed.

Unhealthy habits. I'm terrible about the foods I eat and not exercising. Lately, I've been using the excuse of pregnancy to allow it, but I know I need to take better care of myself. So I'm working on creating healthier habits for myself and my family. I know that by exercising regularly (after this baby is born, I'm on the C25K bandwagon), eating healthier, and being aware of what's in my environment (chemical cleaners, non-natural fabrics), I'll be healthier, happier, and more productive in my daily life. Hubby thinks I'm turning into a bit of a hippie, but I just want to be healthy.

Letting everyone else decide what's best for me. This is a terrible habit of mine. I talk to people about what's going on in my life, and when they give advice, or tell me what I "should" do, I end up feeling guilty if I do something different, even if I know in my heart it's what's best for me.

That word--should--is a dangerous word when wielded by people who are about you. Of course, they mean well, but as much as you tell them about a situation, only you know what's best. I have to remember that and do what's best for me, no matter what everyone else says I "should" do.

This is a mindset thing, so I'm not exactly sure how to go about changing it, but it's something that will change in 2011.

Grudges. When I say grudges, I don't really mean that when I'm mad at someone I stay mad at them forever. What I really mean is that when something happens, even after it's been resolved, I think about it for a long time afterward. I think about what I could have done differently, what should have happened, etc. This is especially true when someone hurts me, whether they realize it or not.

I need to learn to let go of things. Most of the time, after something happens, the other person forgets about it and moves on. I'm the only one who obsesses about it for a long time afterward. And all it does is cause me to feel anxiety and to be stressed. So I need to stop. When something is over, I have to learn to move on from it, too.

Facebook. I'm not going to delete my Facebook account or stop updating or anything like that. I have family all over, and Facebook is a good way to keep in touch with people I don't get to see very often (or at all). But I also know I spend time on Facebook when I feel like I have nothing else to do (as in, don't want to do what I should be doing), and it's kind of a time-sink. So I'm going to work on updating a few times throughout the day (or even only once a day), and that's it. I have other things to do.

Self-doubt. As I said in the explanation of letting others decide what's best for me, I need to trust that I know what's best for me. I need to work on not doubting my decisions, and trust myself. I need to stick by what I believe is the right course of action.

I don't know how to do this one, though. It's something I've been trying to work on for most of my adult life. (Suggestions are welcome!)

The need for validation. This goes along with self-doubt. When I do make a decision, I often turn to others (usually Hubby) for validation, to feel like it was the right one.

Again, I need to trust myself.

Guilt. Yeah, these last few could probably be consolidated into one thing to eliminate, but I do see them as different things. They have to be worked on in different ways. So with the guilt thing, I need to let go of things once they're done, trust myself, and keep moving forward. Once I make a decision, it's made, after all. I can't go back and change anything, but just move on from where I am as a result of that decision.

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 10: Wisdom

2010-12-10T20:41:00.030-05:00

What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?
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The wisest decision I made in 2010 has to do with the coffee house book. I decided that the story needed to be told in first-person point of view.

It was a decision that wasn't easy to make, but once I did, I felt like the whole story came together in a great way. The pieces that weren't quite fitting fell together, and it made more sense to me. Using first-person point of view is going to make the writing process more difficult, but the end result will be much better.

It's funny how that happens sometimes. The best decisions aren't always the easiest, but worth it.

I'm still waiting to see how the whole process plays out for the coffee house book, but I will say I'm definitely more excited about the coffee house book than I ever have been.

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 9: Party

2010-12-09T18:32:00.000-05:00

What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drinks, clothes, shenanigans.
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I'm not a party person, really. I'd much rather have a quiet evening at home with my family than to go out drinking with friends (especially because of the whole pregnancy thing I've got going on right now). So I can't really think of a party that knocked my socks off.

I know, it's kind of a cop-out to say that, but it's true. Other than birthday celebrations for family, I can't think of any party I even went to this year. And really, that's fine with me. Being a bit hermit-y, I don't have much fun at parties, anyway.

Things may be picking up

2010-12-09T15:28:00.001-05:00

I've been working from home since before Bean was born. I've been working full-time from home (with a particular company) since mid-May. It's a good job in a good field, and I enjoy it.

Well, I found out recently that I'm technically still in the running to be a guide for About.com. I applied for the position way back in March, and when I hadn't heard anything after a while, I just figured it had been filled. Well, when I was perusing their available Guide positions recently, I found out it was still open, and they still have my application. If I get the position, it will definitely add to my workload.

There's also a similar position I just put my application in for, and am hoping to get some news on it soon.

In addition, I heard from a previous client (I did an editing project for her) who will have work for me soon, and will also have some referrals for me. (Squee with me, won't you?) I don't know how soon this work will be, but it'll be in the "near future."

So it looks like I'm going to be a busy writer. I'm glad for the work, of course, but it may mean I need to adjust my daily schedule to accommodate the additional workload(s).

Right now, I like my work/writing schedule. It allows me to spend a great deal of time with Bean, stay on top of the housework (I can't think if my kitchen is a mess!), and keep up with my writing. I work throughout the day, for no more than three hours at a time.

On a good day I get about nine hours of writing in a day, and on a bad day, it's still at least four. But I don't know if "four on a bad day" would be enough if I get an About.com position and the work from the previous client and referrals. Especially considering the fact that I have a baby coming in the spring!

However, I still intend to work throughout the day with no more than a three- or four-hour writing block at a time. Not only do I start to get a little burned out after three or four hours and need a break, but that's about all Bean can handle, too.

So the question becomes whether I add time to the beginning of the day before Bean gets up, at the end of the day after he goes to bed, or on the weekend when Hubby is home? What say you, freelancers?

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 8: Beautifully Different

2010-12-08T21:23:00.037-05:00

Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all things that make you different - you'll find they're what make you beautiful.
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This is going to be a hard one for me, I think. I have this thing where I don't really think I'm beautiful, and that it's easier for me to believe the bad things about myself than the good things, etc. So I definitely see myself as different, but it's the beautiful aspect of it that's a little harder.

But the prompt says that what makes me different is what makes me beautiful, so I'm trying to trust in that for the purposes of this post.

So I present to you my differences (in no particular order):

I've had chicken pox twice.
I lived in Germany for three years.
I broke my arm when I fell off a clothesline pole.
I curl my toes under my feet when I sit with my feet on the floor.
My body doesn't like dairy products very much.
I often avoid Dr. Pepper because it's a little like a drug to me. When I get it, I drink a lot of it.
I absolutely can't sleep with socks on.
I talk to my characters when I'm working on stories. (Writers will get this, but to everyone else, it'll make me "different.")
When I write, I tilt my head to the right.

And, because I'm different, I'm going to resist the urge to give you ten things that make me different. Ten is a nice, round number. You get nine things. Ha!

People are made up of every thing about them. Their personalities, their quirks, their differences. These are the things that make us who we are: individuals.

It's easy to say that these things make me beautiful, but it's much harder to put into practice. Because they are identified as differences. They're things that make me not like other people. And growing up, that's what I wanted was to be like everyone else. I didn't want to be different or weird or whatever else. And it's hard to break that mindset now that I'm being told that different is what makes me beautiful.

I suppose I'll figure it out someday.

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 7: Community

2010-12-07T23:15:00.000-05:00

Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?
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I don't usually feel a sense of community anywhere. Being a hermit-y work-at-home mom type, I'm usually content to be left to my own devices and gain my human interactions from my husband, or from online groups. So a lot of my sense of community comes from online groups--Facebook, forums, etc.--and a few of those have been strengthened this year.

But as much as I enjoy the friendships I've developed in my online communities, there is still a part of me that feels "outside." These connections I have are based online, and as much as I divulge to the people I talk to, they don't really know me, do they? They know the online me.

I know people say it's important to feel connected, and often when they say that, they're referring to a community of some sort. But when I think about needing to feel connected, I'm much more comfortable with the idea of being connected to something bigger than a group of people with common interests. I see it as much more important to be connected to the world around me on a deeper level.

That's why, I think, when I need a sense of community with something, I find myself wanting to be outside in nature. I want to feel the air and sun and smell the trees. I want to look at the clouds and the moon and the stars.

I can get human interaction when I need it. I can talk to adults when I want to. But community is about togetherness, about connection. For me, community is in nature.

And if I can keep that going in 2011, it will be a successful year.

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 6: Make

2010-12-06T15:37:00.001-05:00

What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?
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I think the last thing I made was adding to a scrap book I'd started about a year earlier. It's a scrapbook I love very much, and is quite important to me.

To make it, I used the scrapbook album I'd started before, and added pages to it. The only materials I needed for this were embellishment papers I bought from Target, and acid-free ink pens. Everything in it is handwritten, and decorated with the embellishment papers (and stickers that came with the pack). The time I took to work on this was much-needed time for myself, and I was glad to get it. I used it to sort of re-center and slow down.

I would love to make a quilt, but I definitely need time for that, since I've never done it before. Some day, I hope to be able to sew proficiently enough to make clothes and quilts. In the meantime, I'll have to live vicariously through those I know who do sew.

My New Office Space

2010-12-06T09:17:00.028-05:00

As you probably know, we've moved. We now live very near to Hubby's office (we can see it from our balcony, actually, and Hubby walks to work) in a cute little two-bedroom apartment.

My office space is actually in the dining room at our table for now. We have a friend staying with us for a couple of months, and when he gets his own place, I'll be moving to the desk he's using now. When that happens, I'll have a bit more room to spread out (and keep things out during and after supper), but for now, this is where I am, and I'm happy with it. I'm in a good location in the house, I can have eyes on Bean as I work, and I have room on the table for what I need to do.

The only thing there's no room for at the moment is my printer, but since I do minimal printing, that's fine for now.

I'm still getting my space set up the way I want it, so I don't have pictures yet. But I have an office space, and I'm excited to be working in my new space!

Where do you write? (If you send pictures, I'll post them!)

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 5: Let Go

2010-12-05T21:48:00.000-05:00

What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?
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In many ways, this has been a great year for me. In other ways, it's been a difficult year. I've learned a lot of lessons this year, and one of them has led me to let go of something that has been causing nothing but problems in my life.

I've always been the type of person who holds on to things long after they've happened, particularly when I've been hurt by whatever has happened. It's not that I hold grudges against other people, but when someone hurts me, I think about what I could have done differently, what led up to the event, etc. Some might say I obsess over it. Because of this mindset, I often make decisions in my life based on what I think other people's reactions will be, or what they'll think of the decision.

This year, I realized that living my life that way has been hurting me, and I was tired of it. I can't keep worrying so much about other people that I don't take care of myself and my family.

So I've been working on letting go of all the "shoulds" in my life. You know what I mean: I should do this to keep so-and-so happy. I should avoid this because of that person.

Instead, I'm trying to live my life based on what I know is best for me, for my son, and for my husband. I've been remembering that the advice people give doesn't have to be taken.

And I'm letting go of should.

Puzzle pieces are falling together

2010-12-04T23:06:00.000-05:00

I haven't worked on the coffee house book in a long time.

Image: nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Part of that is because I was struggling with how to pull it together in order to fit my vision of what it is, and part of that is because, quite simply, life got in the way. In fact, until NaNoWriMo rolled around this year, I wasn't writing any fiction at all for quite some time.

I learned a lot from NaNoWriMo this year. And what I learned prepared me for December 2010, in which I'm reorganizing everything I have for the coffee house book (as well as the funeral book and the wedding book--more info about those to come later), and preparing to start writing in January 2011. This means character biographies, a detailed description of the coffee house (perhaps even sketches, not that I'm really a visual artist), and pages and pages of notes in my notebook.

Thanks to my best friend and fellow writer, Kell, I have a better idea of the bigger picture of my writing, and am much better prepared for it.

Thanks to Hubby, who listens to me prattle on and on about random characters, I have a better idea of how the coffee house book fits together in terms of the funeral and wedding books.

And thanks to my heart sister, Dana, who has been a wonderful encouragement to me, even when I wasn't sure I could write the coffee house book, it's getting done.

Watch out, January. You're going to be coffee-stained.

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 4: Wonder

2010-12-04T20:43:00.001-05:00

How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?
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My son has always provided a sense of wonder in my life. In 2009, it was a wonder just to be near him and see him. This year, as he's growing and changing, my sense of wonder comes from the sense of wonder he experiences in the world every day.

Every moment is new to him, everything is interesting and needs to be "figured" out, and there's a new adventure around every corner. My life is wonderful because of him.

#reverb10 Prompt, Day 3: Moment

2010-12-03T22:46:00.000-05:00

Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).
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It was a Wednesday morning in November. It wasn't particularly early, but I had a little time to myself.

The apartment looked a lot smaller than the day before. Carefully labelled boxes were stacked in the dining room, making it temporarily unusable, dishes and kitchen appliances were on the kitchen counters waiting to be washed and put away in the cabinets, and the living room smelled very slightly like a storage unit and needed to be vacuumed. It was our first morning in the new apartment.

My husband was at work already, and my son wasn't up yet, so I sat on the worn couch, covered in a floral bed sheet until we could get a proper slipcover, with my laptop warming my pajamaed legs. Our TV and Internet wouldn't be hooked up until that afternoon, so I had a morning with no work and no mindless television to keep me occupied. But neither did I quite have the energy to unpack yet.

It was as good a time as any to work on the NaNo novel I knew I wouldn't finish. I didn't know why I'd decided to undertake the annual adventure knowing that we were moving in the same week my son had a surgical procedure, and only a week before Thanksgiving. As impossible as the task of 50,000 words seemed in 30 days ordinarily, this year seemed particularly insurmountable.

Still, it was a good reminder of why I called myself a writer. I missed fiction. I missed creating characters, conflicts, and watching something come from a blank white screen on my computer. NaNoWriMo got me writing fiction again, and that was important.

When I set out to write the novel I called Pondered in Her Heart in November 2010, I was excited about the idea. I could see it working, and I saw long-term possibilities to expand it, as well. It would be good for what it accomplished. But it was that morning, in those moment before the baby monitor signaled that it was time for a fresh diaper and a bowl of Cream of Wheat, that I realized exactly what NaNoWriMo 2010 meant for me.

Yes, it was about writing, and it was about sharing this story that had been knocking around in the back of my head for a while. But it was also about fiction. Just plain fiction. It had been so long since I'd really written fiction that I didn't need it the way I once had. I didn't think about my characters when I was doing other things, I didn't see a swirl of dish soap in my kitchen sink and jot a note to change a description in the fourth chapter.

Pondered in Her Heart didn't matter anymore. Oh, I was sure I'd keep working on it in November. And maybe I'd even finish it. Someday. But Pondered in Her Heart was simply a method to remind me of my real passion, my real project. It was just a writing exercise to warm me up to working on the coffee house again. I was, after all, the coffee-stained writer.

In the last half hour I had on the couch before my son called for me from his four-in-one crib, I did do some writing on my NaNo novel. But I spent most of it looking over what was saved here and there for my coffee house book.

And I made plans for December.