What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work In Progress):  As I mentioned in the last What's Up Wednesday, I had to work extra hours at the day job last week and make a card for my niece's baby shower in any free time I had so I didn't get any writing done. (I also had to finish crocheting the baby blanket I was making to give with the rest of my gifts.) Now that the card and blanket are made and given and I'm back to working my regular hours this week, I hope to get some serious work done on Spellbound.

Quote of the Week:  “There’s nothing false about hope. It may not change things immediately, but it will change you immediately, and that will change things eventually. Hold onto hope, white-knuckled if necessary.” ~ Unknown

What I'm Reading: I'm still reading The Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels & Other Gentlemen by Victoria Alexander. I'm enjoying the book, just haven't had a lot of free time to read.

Random Thoughts: I can't believe it will be September in a few days. The summer months have flown by. If only the winter months would go by so quickly.

Random Photo of the Week:

                            Mrs. Green helping me crochet the baby blanket I gave my niece.
 

Writing a Series

I'm working on my first series. I have the first two books written and part of the third. I hope to have at least six books in the series. While doing research on how to write a series and maintain continuity, I ran across an article on StandOutBooks.com. The article is a bit dated, first posted on November 6, 2013, but it has good advice that is still relevant.

If you're interested in writing a series or are curious how an author writes a series, here's the link: How to Write a Book Series

This I know for sure...

While my day job is now much, much, much less stressful, I still consider the time I spend doing crafts to be a form of stress relief. I like to do a variety of different crafts.

I like to crochet, but usually only do it during the colder months. It can sometimes be too hot to have a blanket covering you as you're working on it in the summer. As I mentioned in previous posts, I make cards for various card giving occasions. I really enjoy doing this and am always on the look out for ways to make the cards unique and different. I dabble in scrapbooking, but don't do it enough to really make it worthwhile. I like to make Christmas ornaments to give with gifts. I also like to do cross stitch though I haven't done it in the last couple of years.

What do you like to do for stress relief? Do you have a favorite type of crafting that you enjoy?

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My current WIP (work in progress): I didn't get much accomplished last week. I ended up having to work extra hours at the day job. I'll be working extra hours this week too. I also need to make a card for my niece's baby shower this weekend.

Quote of the Week: "The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate." ~ Oprah Winfrey

What I'm reading:  The Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels & Other Gentlemen by Victoria Alexander. I've been looking forward to reading this book.

Random Thoughts:  I try to make the cards I give for birthdays, the December holidays, baby/wedding showers, and such. While it can be time consuming (each card takes an average of 4 hours to make), I find it relaxing and I love seeing people's reactions to the cards.

Random Photo of the Week:

 Christmas ribbon on sale at a local craft store. While I understand why it's in the store so early - so crafters have time to get their holiday projects completed before Christmas actually arrives, I'm still not ready to see Christmas stuff in stores in August.

Driving to Distraction?

With the change in my day job, I now have a longer commute. Not that much longer than the old commute, only about 10 minutes more unless the traffic is backed up due to inclement weather or an accident or in my area, the ever-present ongoing road construction for three seasons throughout the year.

I like the longer commute in a way. It gives me a bit of decompression time to leave the stresses of the work day behind before I get home. It also gives me a little time to work on story lines in my head. I talk through any problems I'm having with a scene or character. Talking out loud while I'm alone in the car seems to help me sort out what needs to change to make the scene work or the character or dialogue believable.

Another nice thing about my new commute is that it's not so long that I forget those lines of dialogue or how I solved a plot, scene, or character problem. I do have a voice activated recorder app on my phone that I try to turn on when I get in the car, but I don't always remember. If I am stuck in traffic where I'm sitting still, then I will sometimes jot down a brief note or two to remind myself of whatever it is I want to make sure I don't forget.

At the same time I can't help wondering if doing any of the above is safe. What if I get so wrapped up in a scene or working out a problem, or working on dialogue that I start not paying close attention to what is happening on the road? Is it any different that people who sing along to the radio or talk back to it when they listen to talk radio stations? How about people who eat and drive? Drink coffee or soda and drive?

Anything can happen in the blink of an eye even if you're distracted for only a second. I know of someone who lost a loved one when a driver looked down to pick up his/her beverage and hit the loved one who was legally crossing the street. The driver was distracted for just those few seconds to pick up the drink and drove through a stop sign and into the crosswalk.

Do you find yourself thinking about things when you have a commute longer than fifteen minutes or so? What are you thoughts on spending the drive time working on story lines in your head?

This I know for sure...

Some days I don't think I know anything for sure...especially in today's world. 😢

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

 My current WIP (work in progress): I completed 25 pages of revisions last week on Spellbound. My goal is to get double that amount done this week.

 

Quote of the Week:  "You put your mind to it, you work hard, you do the best you can and good things will come out of it." ~ Beth Mandyck

 

What I'm reading:  Until You Loved Me by Brenda Novak. This is part of the Silver Springs series. Brenda Novak is one of my must read authors.

 

Random Thoughts: I feel like I've finally found my writing groove after three years of it being missing in action. I lost it after we suffered a sudden loss of a young family member. I wish I was one of those writers who write more or better during their grief. I was the exact opposite. I struggled to get even a few words on paper much less write pages and pages of new material.

 

Random Photo of the Week:

Mrs. Green trying to sleep despite our noisy neighbors.

Orange Cranberry Muffins

I'm a big fan of muffins for Sunday morning breakfasts. Or really any morning that I can sit and linger over coffee and a muffin while reading the newspaper. Since I work a day job during the week and try to get out of the house early on Saturdays to run errands, that usually is only leaves Sundays for a leisurely breakfast.

I tend to like fruit based muffins - lemon blueberry, lemon raspberry, triple berry, and the like. One of my favorites is orange cranberry. Our local grocery store has an in-store bakery that makes an amazing orange cranberry muffin. I only have one recipe that I like, but wanted to try other variations. I came across a recipe posted on Sally's Baking Addiction that uses fresh or frozen cranberries. I'd only used dried cranberries in the past so this was something unique for me.

If you're a muffin lover, or love the flavor combination of orange and cranberry, this is a must try recipe. Link:  Sally's Baking Addiction - Orange Cranberry Muffin 

Let me know if you give them a try.

This I know for sure...

I was speaking with my nephew the other day and we happened to get on the topic of favorite foods. He stated he could eat pizza every day and not get tired of it. While I love freshly baked bread, I don't think I'd want to eat it every day.

The conversation did start me thinking though. Was there a food that I liked so much I'd want to eat it every day? I decided there was. Eggs. Eggs are so versatile that you could make them a number of different ways and never get tired of them. It also helps that breakfast is my favorite meal type of the day. I often eat breakfast foods for dinner.

How about you? Do you have a favorite food that you could eat every day and not get tired of?

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My current WIP (work in progress): Last week was a disaster in terms of getting anything done. I'm determined that this week will be better.

Quote of the Week: “Opportunities are gifts. To seize the opportunity and run with it is a living, breathing thank you note.” ~Unknown

What I'm reading: The Hunter by Kerrigan Byrne. This is the second book in the Victorian Rebels series. I love Ms. Byrne's books. If you haven't read any of her work, I highly recommend them.

Random Thoughts: I think I need to either take a time management course or cut back on some of the things I try to fit into a day.

Random Photo of the Week:

  
                                                         Somebody acting crazy. :o) 

Daydream Believer

When I was a kid, I was always told I had my head in the clouds or that I spent too much time daydreaming. Mind you, my mother never said these things to me. It was always a teacher or school counselor even though I was in accelerated classes and never had a grade lower than a B. (Except for Algebra, but that's a story for another day.)

I would ask what was wrong with daydreaming, with wondering what would happen if...  I was told people in life that were considered successful were those that worked hard and didn't spend time spinning tales in their head. What if you did both, I'd ask only to be told it wasn't possible. Either you worked hard in life and became a success or you would end up a drain on society. In less than polite words, you'd be a loser, a good-for-nothing that amounted to nothing and a shame to your family and, if you were lucky to still have any, your friends.

Now that I'm years out of high school, I wished I had the bravery and knowledge to ask what those teachers and counselors thought of writers. Most writers I know, published and unpublished, well known, best-selling, or just starting out with a small following of readers, are among the hardest working people I've ever met. And yes, they spend a lot of time daydreaming.

How else are they able to come up with plots, characters, dialogue, plot twists the reader doesn't see coming and more? If a writer works at a day job for 8 or more hours a day, loses time commuting to said job, then comes home and makes dinner or takes care of the yard, or does any other household chores that need to be done nearly every day, if not every day and takes care of their children, or elderly parents, or both and yet still manages to find time to write on a regular basis, how is he or she not hard working even though they are daydreamers?

So for all those naysayers out there who say you can't be both, I say yes, you can. You just need to believe in your daydreams and in yourself.

This I know for sure...

It's been unbearably hot this week - highs in the upper 80's and humidity at nearly 90% every day.  I don't know it it's the heat or the fact that I haven't slept well all week, but I've had zero motivation to do anything after arriving home from the day job.

Dinners have consisted of sandwiches or a quick thrown together salad. I have so much to do but can't seem to muster up the motivation to get anything accomplished. I've felt distinctly sloth like all week, spending too much time on the sofa reading or crocheting instead doing what I should be doing. (I do have a good excuse for crocheting though - I'm making a baby blanket as a gift for a baby shower I'm going to at the end of the month so I do need to get it finished.)

The weather is supposed to cool down considerably (into the the low to mid 70's) and the humidity is supposed to dissipate over the weekend and into next week. Here's hoping I find my missing motivation once the heat and humidity break.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My current WIP (work in progress): I was able to revise 25 more pages last week. This week I'm going to work on adding needed transitional paragraphs. 

Quote of the Week:  “The value of persistence cannot be underestimated today. Every time you are knocked down, get up and try and do and do and try. This is the only way to break through.” ~ Unknown

 What I'm reading: I started The Visitor by Amanda Stevens. This is the 4th book in the Graveyard Queen series. While it took me a bit to get into the story, I'm loving it and hate when I have to put it down. You definitely need to read this series in order. The 3rd book in the story came out 5 years ago and the 4th book came out in 2016. Because I read the 3rd book 5 years ago, it took me a bit to get back into the story line in the 4th book because of the time lag between the publishing of the books. The 4th book refers to things that happened in the 3rd book, but because it had been so long since I read the 3rd book, it was hard to remember what exactly happened in the instances the author refers to.

Random Thoughts:  Feeling really grateful for how great my day job work life is now. 

Random Photo of the Week:

                                                Mrs. Green likes to sleep on laps.