When It All Comes Together

It's amazing to me how the creative mind works. For days, I have been struggling to come up with a major plot point in my work-in-progress. I even ended up lost in a brainstorm all the way home from work one day, which, in retrospect, probably wasn't the smartest thing to do considering I had to jar myself out of my reverie to pay attention to traffic!

But when that plot point finally revealed itself to me and I sat down to flesh out the rest of the novel, oh boy...it all just came together so perfectly. And the feeling that accompanied it? Sheer joy.

Before this happened, I was lamenting about how hard this book was to plot, about how I probably shouldn't have tried to tackle something so difficult, that I should give up and do something easier. Now I'm glad I stayed the course. Just because you face a hard task doesn't mean you should quit.

I think we'd all like it if the plot for our novels came to us completely formed. Sometimes, a miracle occurs and they do. But for me, at least, I have to wade through the murky water to find the gold. And that only makes the end result that much sweeter.

Because I'm a Wuss in Real Life

I've always loved to read books full of adventure. Usually, the heroine is facing imminent danger and the hero comes to rescue her - maybe on a gallant steed, maybe in a really cool Camaro, but come he does and the day is saved.

I also like reading books where the female characters can really kick some tush - they aren't afraid of getting their hands dirty, trekking through muddy fields or climbing rugged mountains, and then firing a few rounds from their semi-automatic and shooting the bad guys, if need be.

I always wanted to be a gal like that. I always wanted to take a trip to some far off destination where I get mixed up in some international intrigue and this sexy spy guy and I work together to catch the bad guys. And of course, I would be one of those gals who wouldn't complain that all the running has given her blisters, that she is tired from staying up for 24 hours straight, or that she doesn't know the first thing about how to shoot a gun. Nope, not me. I would be the kick-butt chick.

In some ways, I think reading all these books throughout my life has given me a rather irrational view of what "adventure" is really like. More likely than not, if I landed in a situation like I described above, I'd be hunkering beneath some bed, terrified for my life, or running to the nearest police station. And more likely than not, the "sexy spy guy" would probably turn out to be an aging Cold War relic whose reflexes aren't what they used to be.

Sometimes, I get bored with my mundane existence and I start to think, "I want to have those adventures." But then I realize that I am a wuss in real life. I am not the kick-butt heroine. I have only shot a gun a handful of times and was not very good at it. I also complain a lot about blisters if I get them, and I also hate getting dirty. If I go for more than 24 hours without sleep, you will see a bear the likes of which no grizzly has ever come close to personifying. I like to sleep on a bed at night, I like my water from a tap, and I definitely like indoor toilet facilities. Globe-trotting or spending the night in an abandoned farmhouse or hiding in a dark, cold cave would not be my thing. At. All.

I am happiest in my home, reading my books, writing my novels, taking naps, playing Nintendo and Monopoly with my daughter, feeding the ducks, attending the symphony, eating my chocolate, surfing the Internet, and generally being comfortable.

I think I shall stop wishing for those particular adventures to befall me and instead start writing those particular adventures. And in those books, the heroine will be sassy and plucky and be able to survive on crusts of bread and sleep on a bed of rocks...while I stay in my pajama pants, dark chocolate by my side, fire in the fireplace, cat sleeping on my leg, and type out my heroine's dastardly deeds from the comfort of my couch.

Which One Will You Feed?

A little something to think about...

A Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson about how he felt about a tragedy. He said, "I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the vengeful, angry, violent one. The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one."

The grandson asked him, "Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?"

The grandfather answered, "The one I feed."

How Do You Stay Focused?

I'm in need of a few pointers today. My attention likes to wander a lot lately and I find myself getting distracted where my writing is concerned.

So here's a simple question for today:

How do you stay focused on your writing?

The Writer's Rap

This is really cute. Thought I'd share.

When You Least Expect It

I subscribe to Reminisce magazine. If you've never heard of it and love nostalgia, I urge you to pick up a copy at your bookstore and thumb through it. It's reader-written and is full of stories from the past - specifically from the 1920s through the 1950s (and some 1960s). I love to look at all the great pictures and hear how people lived in America during this time. And since I'm also a World War II historian, it helps me understand this generation.

When I settled down on the couch to read the latest issue Friday night, I was pleasantly surprised to find an article from a woman who had worked in Washington D.C. during World War II. Why? Because my current novel is set in D.C. during the war. As I began reading, I saw that the woman originally came from Nebraska. Wow, I thought. That's pretty neat. I kept reading her account of how she worked for the FBI and of how life was in our nation's capital during that tumultous time.

When I finished, I read the author's name and where she was currently living. My eyes nearly popped out of my head. Not only did she still live in Nebraska, but she lived only 80 miles from me!

A quick check on the Internet gave me her phone number. I wondered if I would be too forward in calling her. But then, what did I have to lose? So, taking a deep breath, I dialed her number. To my utter delight, she was absolutely thrilled to hear from me and we are going to have lunch sometime in the near future. I can't wait to hear her stories not only because it will help with my novel's research, but because it will be a true honor to listen to someone who took the plunge to leave her small town of Nebraska and travel to Washington D.C. to help the war effort.

And to think, it's all because I read an article in a magazine...

It's Friday

It's Friday. I have no news to impart (except that it snowed again) and nothing pressing scurrying around my brain that demands to be recorded. So here's a few links to some interesting stuff from around the Web.

I've posted a book review of famed journalist David Brinkley's book, Washington Goes to War over at my World War II blog.

Found a new blog for writing parents called, aptly enough, The Writing Parent. Good stuff here.

Because Susan Boyle should be an inspiration for anyone seeking to fulfill their dreams, here's a song from her that epitomizes that journey.

A short film starting Tate Donovan (best known, I suppose, from Love Potion Number 9 and for being Jen Aniston's ex-boyfriend, though I will always remember him from Memphis Belle) from Liberty Mutual on responsibility. Every parent whose child has lost something or left it behind can relate to this! It's called Tony. Well worth your time.

And, a new photo of me. Is that vain of me or what? Actually, I rarely post photos of myself because I simply don't like them. But I do like this candid shot.

Enjoy your weekend!

Finding Time for the Right Things

Finding time to write has become an ageless concept in the writing world. All of us want to discover the magic formula for making hours instantly appear on the clock, or days added to the end of a month, or even just ten more minutes before the morning commute.

There is no magic formula.

Last night, I was determined to get some words down, to immerse myself in my story. But then I got distracted. My stomach was growling and I can't write when I'm hungry. This wasn't an excuse - it was a need. So I went and grabbed a bowl of cereal (I'm a sucker for cereal as an evening snack). Then my daughter showed me her book that she'd checked out of the library and asked me if I wanted to look through it. Since she snuggled up next to me, how on earth could I say no?

After we finished, I put in my Susan Boyle CD (she is SUCH an inspiration!) and my daughter started asking me about her since she absolutely loved the talented Ms. Boyle's voice. When I told her about the original video on Britain's Got Talent and how this woman had inspired so many people to live their dreams, my daughter wanted to watch the video. So off to the computer we trotted (I write on a laptop that is not hooked up to the internet - this keeps me from mindlessly surfing when I should be writing!). Naturally, I had to watch the video with her and got inspired all over again.

By this time, that precious hour I had for my writing had disappeared. It was time to get my daughter and myself ready for bed. After we were both settled in for the night, I grabbed my laptop and managed to write a few hundred words. Not much, but by then, my eyes barely wanted to stay open.

The moral of this story? Live your life. Allow a few interruptions. In my case, I was able to share an important lesson with my daughter - that it is never too late to chase your dreams, and you cannot judge a person by how they look. Would I have accomplished this had I chased her off and said, "Shh, I'm writing, can't talk to you right now." Absolutely not.

Sometimes, the writing is not the most important thing. I've read too many articles where people advocate putting your writing above everything else. I don't agree. There is a time and a place for it, and if that time and place doesn't quite work out, you simply accept it and move on. Don't allow guilt to rear its ugly head. If I had focused on my writing instead of my daughter, we wouldn't have shared so much and learned so much together. And to me, that's more precious than writing any novel in the world.

At Last

I moved into my apartment in November of 2008. Since that time, I've been searching for the perfect picture to put on my wall. Apparently, this search took me more than a year to do, but I finally, finally found what I wanted:



This print, along with the frame (which I got at a discount), fits my decor perfectly. The words underneath read, "Home is where your story begins." I received these "wall words" as a Christmas present some time ago and was saving it for the right place. Guess I found it!

As a writer and a book lover, (not to mention a homebody), I think this all fits quite well.

Do you showcase who you are in your home?

Writer Health Alert

Are you sitting too much at your desk, tapping away, refusing to take breaks because the muse is moving you? Stop. Get up. Get moving. Go get yourself that cup of coffee, touch your toes, mull over what you're writing, stretch, and then get back to the page. Do this every 45 minutes. Why?

Because sitting for long periods of time isn't healthy. We probably know this. But did you know that promising to exercise after you're done sitting that long isn't going to solve your problem?

Jurgen Wolff in his excellent blog Time to Write found an intriguing article from a British newspaper on why sitting so long is bad for you.

"Office workers beware: long periods of sitting at your desk may be a killer. Scientists have identified a new threat from our sedentary lifestyles that they call "muscular inactivity."

Sitting still for long periods of time leads to the build up of substances in the blood that are harmful to health. And exercise alone won’t shift them.

Dr Ekblom-Bak said: “Everyone knows about the health benefits of regular exercise. But what we have not been alerted to before is that long periods sitting down carries an extra risk that cannot be dealt with by taking exercise. There are a growing number of studies that show this.”

Read the whole article here. And get moving!

American Artists

I love this painting by Norman Rockwell. Love it. As in, I want to buy a print of it and hang it on my wall love it.

I've always been drawn to Rockwell's paintings, and I've decided that he is my favorite American artist. This probably isn't surprising considering my love for the time period he usually sets his paintings in. I am by no means a Rockwell expert, but his paintings always explicitly show some type of emotion - whether it be humor, pride, thankfulness, joy, or surprise.

They also reveal the average, normal American. I think I like that most of all.

Do you have a favorite American artist?