Ugh. Nasty chest cold that is keeping me from beginning my P90X program. I guess it might be a good thing that I get sick now instead of when I'm part way through and then have to stop. I'm already following the nutrition plan, which is good because for the most part, follows what I'd eat anyway being insulin resistant.
Lazy Sunday otherwise. Going to try and get some writing done and maybe some packing up of some of Ben's clothes that don't fit him anymore, and just hang out with my boys :)
Maybe I can get some reading in there. That would be cool.
Justine Musk posted a cool article on her Facebook page about the top 5 qualities of productive creatives. Check it out!
Twitter Updates
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Conversation With My Soon-To-Be Three Year Old
So we're driving along and Ben sees this guy walking along the side of the road. This is the conversation we had:
Ben: "Mama, why is that guy walking when it's cold? It's too cold."
Me: "Well, maybe he doesn't have a car, honey."
Ben: "Why doesn't he have a car?"
Me: "Maybe he can't afford one. Cars are very expensive. Not everyone can afford to buy one, love."
Ben: "Why can't he afford one? He has no money? Why doesn't he get money and then he can buy one?"
Me: "Maybe he can't get to a job without a car, so he can't make money, and he can't get a car without the job to make money." (by now I'm getting a bit of a headache.)
Ben: (Pause and a sigh. Throws his little arms in the air) "Well, where's Santa Claus?"
He can make me laugh no matter what. I love my little bean.
Ben: "Mama, why is that guy walking when it's cold? It's too cold."
Me: "Well, maybe he doesn't have a car, honey."
Ben: "Why doesn't he have a car?"
Me: "Maybe he can't afford one. Cars are very expensive. Not everyone can afford to buy one, love."
Ben: "Why can't he afford one? He has no money? Why doesn't he get money and then he can buy one?"
Me: "Maybe he can't get to a job without a car, so he can't make money, and he can't get a car without the job to make money." (by now I'm getting a bit of a headache.)
Ben: (Pause and a sigh. Throws his little arms in the air) "Well, where's Santa Claus?"
He can make me laugh no matter what. I love my little bean.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Ouch! *Whine*
I ordered P90X! As a writer, my job is pretty sedentary. Same with my day job. Doesn't involve a lot of movement, really, except for my hands. I do the elliptical 3 times a week but I think I need something more. Something exciting. Something challenging.
So I'm on a mission. I bought a pull up bar because you need one for this program. It's been years since I've been on my Bowflex, which my ex got custody of, so my upper body muscles are no where near what they were before. Picking up a 30 lb child several times a day just isn't enough.
So the last couple of days, my attempts are doing pull ups have involved me jumping up in the air, grabbing the bar, and being thrilled to hang there for a few seconds. This is great fun for my son, who giggles his little butt off at me. He thinks it's a laugh riot. "Jump again, Mama! You can do it!" He's my little cheering squad of one. God bless him.
This morning I thought I was going to cry. My back and arm muscles were screaming. I felt like a 90 year old. So this will indeed be a challenge. The program hasn't arrived yet, so I'm enjoying my last few days of being able to sleep in until 6 a.m.
That's it for now. Over and out.
So I'm on a mission. I bought a pull up bar because you need one for this program. It's been years since I've been on my Bowflex, which my ex got custody of, so my upper body muscles are no where near what they were before. Picking up a 30 lb child several times a day just isn't enough.
So the last couple of days, my attempts are doing pull ups have involved me jumping up in the air, grabbing the bar, and being thrilled to hang there for a few seconds. This is great fun for my son, who giggles his little butt off at me. He thinks it's a laugh riot. "Jump again, Mama! You can do it!" He's my little cheering squad of one. God bless him.
This morning I thought I was going to cry. My back and arm muscles were screaming. I felt like a 90 year old. So this will indeed be a challenge. The program hasn't arrived yet, so I'm enjoying my last few days of being able to sleep in until 6 a.m.
That's it for now. Over and out.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Rogue Oracle
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Searching for Truth
I am and always will be a sucker for someone who is sincere. If you're a writer, tell me something true in your story and you've hooked me.
Sincerity, I believe, is becoming a rare things these days. We are all trying so damned hard to be what we think others want us to be. It's hard to tell what is true and what is affectation.
If you're a writer, even if you're writing fiction, you need to tell the truth. If you give your audience insincerity, they will know it and they will abandon you.
Give them the truth, even if you feel exposed. It has to come from the heart, or else it won't mean a thing. It'll just be one more insincerity. One more affectation in a world full of pretense, deception and disingenuity.
I'm interested in real people. Not the person you think is impressive. I want to know who you are in your soul. What hits you where you live. That is what draws me in and interests me.
I don't trust the rest of it.
Sincerity, I believe, is becoming a rare things these days. We are all trying so damned hard to be what we think others want us to be. It's hard to tell what is true and what is affectation.
If you're a writer, even if you're writing fiction, you need to tell the truth. If you give your audience insincerity, they will know it and they will abandon you.
Give them the truth, even if you feel exposed. It has to come from the heart, or else it won't mean a thing. It'll just be one more insincerity. One more affectation in a world full of pretense, deception and disingenuity.
I'm interested in real people. Not the person you think is impressive. I want to know who you are in your soul. What hits you where you live. That is what draws me in and interests me.
I don't trust the rest of it.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Fly-By
Accomplishments so far this weekend:
- Washed floors
- Cleaned bathroom
- Baked an apple pie
- One scene written
Still want to write another couple of scenes. Plan to get on my elliptical at some point today as well.
Colder than hell out there. I'm about done with winter. Ready for warmer weather.
That's it for now. Over and out.
Update:
- Did 45 minute work-out on elliptical. Chose a harder program so that my muscles get an optimum work-out.
Update:
Wrote another scene, which invovled the use of a flamethrower. Very cool.
- Washed floors
- Cleaned bathroom
- Baked an apple pie
- One scene written
Still want to write another couple of scenes. Plan to get on my elliptical at some point today as well.
Colder than hell out there. I'm about done with winter. Ready for warmer weather.
That's it for now. Over and out.
Update:
- Did 45 minute work-out on elliptical. Chose a harder program so that my muscles get an optimum work-out.
Update:
Wrote another scene, which invovled the use of a flamethrower. Very cool.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Procrastination and Writer's Block Justified! *Ahem*
First off, hey all! I know I've been very scarce lately. I'm recovering from the holiday chaos. It was crazy for over a month, and I needed down time. That doesn't mean I haven't been working on the writing. I have. Mostly plotting Dead for Good, which is the new working title for The Collectors.
I like this story. I like it a lot. I think that the year long break I took from it whilst writing Dirty Business was just what I needed. I'm seeing it through fresh eyes.
Okay, so in my Internet and blog travels of late, I stumbled across this article, which talks about the contrasting roles of the limbic system and the cortex. This is pretty interesting stuff. It also makes a lot of sense.
So, there's this thing called the Reticular Activating System, or RAS for short, which switches the brain back and forth between the cortex and the limbic System. The cortex is where we get creative, the limbic system is responsible for triggering the Fight or Flight response in us when we're feeling threatened.
When the limbic system gets switched on, the cortex is effectively shut down. This means, of course, creativity is shut down. So if a writer is feeling threatened or stressed enough for the Fight or Flight response to kick in, creativity is out the window. Hello, writer's block and procrastination.
The are other reasons for writer's block and procrastination. I think that both are part of the creative process, in moderation. Sometimes you need to take a step back and do something else to let your ideas percolate. Also, there are tricks to help a writer jump-start their process again. Sometimes that trick is just sitting your butt down in the chair and typing. Eventually creativity will come back to you, if you're persistent enough.
Unless, of course, a major crisis is involved. There isn't much you can do about that. The limbic system will be busy trying to figure out how to keep you safe for you to be creative. Though I've spoken with writers who are able to use crisis in the creative process and use creativity to escape anxiety and stress.
I haven't really mastered that trick as yet, but I'm working on it.
So there you go. Be firm with yourself but don't beat yourself up too much if you've got a case of writer's block, or you are procrastinating. Just try to examine why.
Maybe you just need a little break.
Or chocolate.
Or a break and chocolate.
Anyway, chocolate should be in there somewhere.
I like this story. I like it a lot. I think that the year long break I took from it whilst writing Dirty Business was just what I needed. I'm seeing it through fresh eyes.
Okay, so in my Internet and blog travels of late, I stumbled across this article, which talks about the contrasting roles of the limbic system and the cortex. This is pretty interesting stuff. It also makes a lot of sense.
So, there's this thing called the Reticular Activating System, or RAS for short, which switches the brain back and forth between the cortex and the limbic System. The cortex is where we get creative, the limbic system is responsible for triggering the Fight or Flight response in us when we're feeling threatened.
When the limbic system gets switched on, the cortex is effectively shut down. This means, of course, creativity is shut down. So if a writer is feeling threatened or stressed enough for the Fight or Flight response to kick in, creativity is out the window. Hello, writer's block and procrastination.
The are other reasons for writer's block and procrastination. I think that both are part of the creative process, in moderation. Sometimes you need to take a step back and do something else to let your ideas percolate. Also, there are tricks to help a writer jump-start their process again. Sometimes that trick is just sitting your butt down in the chair and typing. Eventually creativity will come back to you, if you're persistent enough.
Unless, of course, a major crisis is involved. There isn't much you can do about that. The limbic system will be busy trying to figure out how to keep you safe for you to be creative. Though I've spoken with writers who are able to use crisis in the creative process and use creativity to escape anxiety and stress.
I haven't really mastered that trick as yet, but I'm working on it.
So there you go. Be firm with yourself but don't beat yourself up too much if you've got a case of writer's block, or you are procrastinating. Just try to examine why.
Maybe you just need a little break.
Or chocolate.
Or a break and chocolate.
Anyway, chocolate should be in there somewhere.
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)