A Reminder...

Pull on those Big Girl Panties and just write.

Now That's a Good Book!

Isn't that a grand picture? Now, that's a good book. The kind of book every hopeful writer would like to pen.

This is my dream. That someday, women (and men) everywhere, will be propped up in their beds, like the graphic lady above, enthralled by a book I've written.

Mmmm...Now turn out the light and turn off the alarm. I want five more minutes with this dream. Thanks.

The "I DonWanna Blues", Part 2...

Some times pictures are good for getting the creative juices flowing when you're at a loss to write. What sorts of thoughts, feelings, ideas do these images invoke for you? I've written mine by each picture, where does your imagination take you?

Ooo, wouldn't a community barn dance be fun here? He's had his eye on her for a good long time, ever since her family arrived in town during their junior year in high school, ten years ago. After high school, she'd gone to some fancy eastern college, he'd gone to the state university on a football scholarship, now he's home between football seasons (he's gone pro), and she's back to open a badly needed medical clinic. She's not been able to get him out of her mind since high school, either, but she's too shy to approach a handsome, popular man like him. So they circle each other warily during the festive dance, until a common friend decides to take matters into his/her own hands and put on his/her matchmaker hat...


If she had to listen to one more word about how she was wasting her life by remaining unashamedly single, while all her mother's friends' daughters were marrying and reproducing like rabbits, she'd kill something. She had standards. She wasn't going to fall for the first guy who came around the bend who told her how pretty she was. No sirree, she wasn't that naive any longer. A good jog would take her mind of her mother, clear the cobwebs, maybe even work out other kinks she didn't wish to contemplate any more than she had to in her current frame of mind. Didn't help that her body agreed with her mother about needing a man. A deserted road, resplendently decorated by Mother Nature herself suit her just fine, all right. So who was that jogging down the road towards her, infringing upon her space, time and peace of mind? And why did he look familiar?

This place didn't look like it could possibly have been the site of the bloodiest one day battles of the Civil War. Some one hundred and fifty years later, there were some telltale signs, but the peacefulness belied the tragic history. He didn't stop to think about the horror the men who survived and died here witnessed, all that was on his mind was the girl he'd left at home, waiting for him to come home to her. She sure could bake an apple pie fit to make a man think he'd died and gone to heaven. What he'd give for the stingiest of slices of her pie right now. Just remembering the last time he'd had a piece made his mouth water. Oh, boy. Where had the mist come from? Who was this apple pie baker extraordinaire? What caused the gut wrenching regret that tugged on his heart and soul... And awe-some! He hadn't known there was a re-enactment scheduled for today! Something hot caught him in the middle, bringing tears to his eyes as he dropped to his knees. He clapped his hands over his stomach, shocked to encounter a warm, sticky liquid there. The cinnamon-y aroma of freshly baked apple pie overwhelmed him, and when he opened his eyes...

Ack. Now I think I've started three stories I could actually have fun writing. See how well that works? LOLOLOLOLOL.

This concludes our test of the "do a writing prompt" to counter the IDBs. Had this been an actual writing prompt session, I'd've actually named the characters. We now return you to your regularly scheduled IDBs.

The "I DonWanna" Blues...

Ah, the I DonWanna Blues.

Unfortunately, Sherry and I are WAY too familiar with them. Often happens when the Real World and your Writing World collide. Dealing with the I DonWanna Blues can sap the creativity right out of your brain. The causes that contribute to the IDB's include---but are not limited to stress from your day job; family upheaval; sickness (yours or a family members); life in general intruding on your writing time, because let's face it, if you have kids at home, you have built-in writing time intruders right there!

Sure, Sherry and I joke around about being Museless in the context of "I'm ready, willing and able to write, but the feckless Muse has taken a powder for the Bahamas", but there's another, darker side of being Museless.

To avoid a long list, let's simply attribute the IDB's to Stress In General (day job stress, life stress, extraordinary life events) and Life in General (the "What do you mean you've started to recycle your underwear and you think it's time I did the laundry?" or the "You want to eat again? Didn't we just have dinner LAST night?" type things). We all have responsibilities we have to deal with that we have no option about---day in day out Life in General can take it's toll on the Muse, even though we try very hard not to let it. Sometimes, you can't avoid the flu or cold that knocks you off your feet for a week. Can't avoid computer woes...

But what we can avoid is being dragged down by them.

Easier said than done---BTDT, bought the t-shirt. With the IDB's having dogged my steps off and on since the start of the New Year, I decided to brainstorm ideas to help myself get over the IDB's. Here's the list, and if you have anything to add, don't be shy, leave us a comment! Every little bit helps.

Gaining Perspective on the IDB's

1. Make sure you're eating right. This means ditch the crap food and opt for the healthy choices. The occasional chocolate is fine, it just shouldn't be the main course for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

2. Get some exercise. Even if all you're doing is jogging up and down your stairs, or around your house. Take the dog for a walk. Park further from the grocery store doors.

3. Make time to write. Sit down at the computer every day, or whatever your schedule is, and open a WIP. Read it, take notes, research, whatever. Start outlining a new idea. Find a writing prompt and play with that. Blog. Don't count the words, don't watch the clock, just try to write during your usual writing time.

4. If you're sick, then take care of yourself. Get yourself healthy and don't fret about your deadlines. It would be nice if the flu (or whatever) would pay attention to the calendar, but so far, I haven't found that there's really any convenient time to get sick.

5. Open the curtains/blinds/shutters and let some light in. If it's gloomy outside, turn on a light. Bright seems to help elevate the mood.

6. Light a fragranced candle. Pick a nice scent you love, put the candle in the best place in the house for it to send it's delicious aroma throughout all your rooms, and enjoy.

7. Turn on some music. Pick something with a good beat. Nothing "dirge-ish." Don't cater to the IDB's, you're trying to chase them away, not help them root.

8. Watch your favorite romantic movie. You never know where you'll find inspiration.

9. Re-read your favorite book (that's not of the same genre you're writing! This seems to be important when I do this, because it's hard to compare apples and oranges.)

10. Decide to give into the IDB's, but give yourself a time limit. No more than a few days. Cater to your mental, physical and emotional health---the well-being there of, not the wallowing in the IDB's.

11. Ask yourself, do you wanna run your life (and your writing) or do you want to be driven by the I Donwanna Blues? They happen, inevitably, but envision them as the mole in the Whack-a-Mole game, and beat the tarnation out of them with a club.

12. Stay in touch with your friends, writing buddies and CPs---yanno, the special people in your life.