Category Archives: Inspire

Goodbye 2010!

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Yes, it is that time of year when everyone says their goodbyes to the year and welcomes in a new year with resolutions. I for one, will not be making resolutions. Why? They don’t keep. Not in my world. Besides, how motivational is it to start every year with the same resolutions? I for one, am tired of looking back at the year and focusing on the things I didn’t accomplish. As I  visit my friends around the blogging universe, I see that I am not the only one. Do I want to be thinner? Of course. Do I believe the resolution will get me there? Not on your life. After so many years of un-kept resolutions, I think it is high time this girl tosses her resolution habit. How does that New Year’s saying go? Oh yes, out with the old and in with the new.

So to usher in 2011, I am here by making a vow to look at this year with a new fervor. This year will yield great things. I can feel it. Whether those things will happen to me or those close to me, who’s to say. All I know is that they will happen. This is the year of positive thinking people. Careful because I think it’s contagious. Don’t worry. It’s not something that will send you into hiding. You want to catch this bug. I promise it will do us all a bit of good.

To my family, friends, acquaintances, fellow writers, and anyone else who happens to peruse this post, I wish you nothing but the best this year. May your dreams come to fruition, the evil green stuff multiply in your banks, and may you find whatever it is that your heart seeks. For now, I am going to seek the coffee pot. Then I am going to start cleaning up my writing space and sit down to make some real progress. Maybe put away the Christmas tree too while I’m at it. Let’s round this post out with a little music shall we? This is currently a favorite of mine. You have to love a sassy southern girl. Happy New Year!

9/11~

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On that day, the strength of a nation was tested and it is still tested to this day. On that day and the many that followed, you could not drive or walk down a street without viewing a sea of red white and blue. The sea of flags has receded, but the memory and images will always remain. I have no words to share that would lessen the pain brought on by this day. I will not get into a political debate or tarnish the memory of those whose lives were lost on that tragic day in our nations history along with those who still are putting their lives on the line today. All I ask is that we remember the impact this event had on our country, the solidarity we felt as an American people after the towers fell, and that we continue to live with that strength and remembrance at our very core.

Humpday Hottie~

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Ok, yes I am hopping on the hot men bandwagon. I tried to resist… but the pull was too great. (Blame it on Sophia Parkwood and her Monday Motivation posts) So… to kick off my renewed interest in being a frequent blogger, I figured Wednesdays needed another reason to be loved. ;)

We will go with my love all things (nearly all) Scottish and celebrate Humpday Hottie kickoff with none other than the scrumptious Gerard Butler. Drool if you must ladies, but remember that computers are delicate things and licking the screen is only a momentary reprieve from reality.

The Challenge

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The gauntlet was thrown. Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen, it was. You all know I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for my fellow author Teresa D’Amario. HUGE. Well I had mentioned that I needed to find my motivation. Being the wonderful person she is, she found it for me. She challenged me to a duel. A fight to the death. The woman with the most words wins (and not this blog post does not count). She threw off the gloves and let me tell you, it was not a pretty battle. There was hair pulling, bitch slapping….

This was me about two hours in—–>stressed woman

Okay so it wasn’t all THAT, but it was fairly intense. The challenge she gave me was that we would both write. Whoever had the most words written at the end of the night prevails. Becomes Queen of all that is Writing (sparkling crown not included) and will rule for all of five minutes. Well actually, the winner would get fifty pages of their work critiqued by the other. Pretty sweet deal right? Inspiring and motivational? Most definitely.

How did I make out? I have to start by telling you it was a nail biting experience. I had lots of distractions. My loverly sister was visiting and staying the night, there were midnight margaritas, Practical Magic, and did I happen to mention a video of a grown man replicating the baby dancing to Beyonce’s All the Single Ladies (which had me in tears)?

Who won, right? That’s all you want to really know, isn’t it? Don’t know yet. My word count started at 62,096 and it finished at…. well I will update you on that later. I am an author still hard at work, just taking a mental pause and writing this. Check back and update the number before I turn in for the night.

Update – Ending word count for the night 64,101. Not too shabby.

Watch Out!

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rosesAs we all know, I can be easily distracted. Daydreaming is perpetually something I do and is who I am. Head in the clouds…

Have no fear though, because I now have a plan of attack! Who would have guessed it? :) Actually, the  plan was contrived only moments ago and in an attempt to make myself accountable, I am laying it out here. Oh don’t you worry your pretty little heads, I have several slave drivers.. ahem, I mean cheerleaders… who will also hold me accountable. Sometimes it helps. Especially when you come from a traditional work background. I can hear you saying, “So lay it on me already. What is the freaking plan?!”

Here it is:

1. I hereby forbid myself to work on any other story (outside of plotting) other than my paranormal WIP ~ Chosen.

2. All current 117 pages of said story have been printed out. I realize this is working ass backwards, but I will use that to help fill in my plot structure and story arc. While doing so, I will not open up the original document and all notations will be made in either a notebook or in the side margins of the printed version.

3. The nights when the kids are with their dad…. I will limit my online time (i.e. the devil Facebook) outside of a brief check in or status update. The kid-free time will be utilized for writing and research.

4. I will gag my internal editor as much as possible during this process so that I may actually have a finished draft before all is said and done.

5. Once a week, I will blog about my progress.

Timeline for this from start to finish, completed first draft and all (including a possible crit and beta read), is Christmas. Seriously wishful thinking there, but wishes and dreams is how I got a story pubbed in the first place. My focus train has been de-railed for some time now and I am desperately struggling to get back on track. Splitting my attention between multiple stories, the lack of plotting, working a full time job, focusing on my children (which is not negotiable nor should it be) and other little blips that come along in life, have all contributed to this state of affairs. Good news is, that there is no such thing as too late to change. Check back with me and see how I do. Everyone could use a few extra cheerleaders in their section and I am no exception to the rule. ;)

Perception~

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My mother sent me an email today with the following story attached. I found it so poignant, that I thought I would share for those of you who may not have seen or heard the story. The link to the original story reported in The Washington Post follows.

~*~*~

..something to think about…

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was
repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:
The musician played continuously.  Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin valued at $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the price of seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. The questions raised: in a common
place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:  If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…. what else are we missing?

~*~*~

If you would like to see the story please visit The Washington Post. Whatever else you may take away from this story, please take at least this… live in the moment, do not rush through it.

What Inspires You?

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This was a question that I thought I would throw out there after deriving some inspiration for a story I have in the back of my mind. Often times, as a writer, I find myself trying to work my way through the mind field of story ideas, pick the elements that will make a story unique and once in a while, I actually manage to share something with my best friend that makes her really excited. Why is this important? Because her excitement is what inspires me. It drives me forward when I feel like I am in a rut, helps me examine other possibilities when an idea may seem far too similar or overdone. 

We all derive inspiration from different areas of our lives. Whether we are talking music, art, movies, stories, friends, family, or just life in general…the important thing is to seize that inspiration and run with it. Who knows where it will lead. 

Where do you garner your inspiration? Great books can also inspire regardless of their genre, so if you are a reader, what is it about your favorite author that inspires you?

My First Book Trailer

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After many long and tedious hours, I have wrestled my book trailer into submission. Now the only question is… did I nail it? Well, I find fault in everything and will likely do so here as well, but for now, I am going to revel in the fact that I actually completed the task I set before myself for this weekend. Success! It is a wonderful feeling.

 

Update: There is a new and hopefully improved version of my trailer under the link for Trailers on the side menu.