Plotting, Post-it Notes and Persistence

When I find something I like...It's usually pretty obvious.

Yes, these post-it notes are a good sampling of what you'll find on my desk, in my drawers and stashed away in the office supply cabinet of my house. (Don't judge me, I can't help myself. It's a sickness. I wonder if there's a 12-step program to cure an addiction to post-it notes?)

Now imagine a whole workshop devoted to plotting (usually my biggest roadblock and cause for hours of time spent staring into space) and that workshop requires POST-IT notes!

Okay, so give me a minute while I jump for joy.

Over the years I've been perfecting (haha) the craft of writing romance fiction, I have been persistent in my attempts to plot before I sit down to write.

I've got a huge white board of destiny with squares that I often stick my sticky notes to where I plot the major events and follow characters through conflicts and resolutions. But no matter how hard I try my method just seems to be lacking something.

This weekend I have a feeling I'm going to find out exactly what I'm doing wrong and how to fix it.

The Long Island Romance Writers are hosting a plotting, layering and texturing workshop with the wonderfully talented New York Times Bestseller, Cherry Adair.

As every writer will tell you, there are a hundred ways to plot (and some of us don't plot at all.) And I am always fascinated to hear the process of another author. But at the end of the day, the thing to remember is that we are all different and our ways of achieving a working and believable plot CAN be as different as the stories we write. Taking all the ideas of others who successful plot time and time again and making it work for you and your style, is what this game is all about.

This weekend I get to play with sticky notes, spend hours plotting my next book and enjoy the company of 50 authors!

Do you get excited about plotting? Do you love post-it notes?

Welcome to the judgement free zone!

52 Ways to Joy - The Deliberate Detour

"Never follow somebody else's path; it doesn't work the same way twice for anyone...the path follows you and rolls up behind you as you walk, forcing the next person to find their own way." ~ J. Michael Straczynski

I have never been a creature of habit and I've never been any good at directions. I can just as easily get lost driving around the block as I could driving hundreds of miles toward a destination with my GPS guiding the way. (Just because the GPS spouts directions, doesn't mean I follow them!)

My kids have grown up with me making wrong turns.

Of course, while they're in the back seat complaining mom's going to get them lost again...more than often than not, those wrong turns haven't been by accident.

Our days are filled with responsibilities, obligations and jam-packed schedules. Every minute of our day planned out and accounted for. We take the same path to work, to our favorite stores, to our friend's house. We run program...every day.

What are we missing along the way? What joy is around the corner that we don't know about because that would take us five extra minutes out of our way?

Sure, I've discovered new restaurants, new stores and landscaping ideas for the house. But I've also seen neighbors out and about that I rarely see - maybe we wave, maybe we stop and chat. I've made "wrong" turns that landed me at an unknown park or a beach I've yet to discover.

Sometimes life isn't about taken the known path...who really knows what's down the road left untraveled? Why not find out?

A few minutes out of our way once a week, once a month...and you never know what moment of joy will be found along that path. Maybe it's just a few extra minutes connecting with your kids or your spouse (while they think you're crazy!) Maybe it's a few extra minutes listening to your favorite song or that last chapter on your audiobook.

The point is, sometimes you just have to take a detour with a smile on your face.

I wish you joy on the the road you travel, and I hope just once this week, you blaze a new trail!

 *52 Ways to Joy is a weekly post to celebrate the simple ways to bring joy into your life and those around you. It's about the small moments that makes memories and give us all a sense of contentment in the crazy world we live in. If you're joining me here for the first time, by clicking on the label  "52WTJ" you can read the previous posts!

** Because I love my readers and am grateful you choose to spend some time with me each week, all comments from Feb. 1 to Feb 28 are automatically entered into my monthly drawing for a 3 pack of mini travel-sized handmade soaps. Details and the scents for the month can be found on the "contest rules" page.

Sunday in the Kitchen - Potato Crusted Vegetable Pizza

Yes...it's been one of those weeks around our house, but I guess when you have three kids, 2 cats, 1 puppy, 2 birds, a lizard and a hamster...there's bound to be a crazy week in the mix every now and then!

So, today's post is going to short and sweet...

This week's very short Hot Link List:

+  A few tips on Pumping Up Your Immune System - great ideas to keep you healthy during the winter months.

+  Looking to write smarter and faster? I needed a good kick this week and one of my critique partners, Clarissa Yip, pointed me in the direction Rachel Aaron and her 2k to 10k a day blog post. Awesome reading!

+  Confused when to use "Who" or "Whom?" This great blog post offers up a great way to get it right every time!

Who or Whom? Easy trick to getting it right! http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/46243.aspx#

And now it's time for some pizza:

Potato Crusted Vegetable Pizza

Crust

1 Package (14 oz) frozed, shredded hash browns patties, thawed and broken apart

1 Egg, lightly beaten

3/4 tsp salt

Toppings

1 small zucchini, thinly sliced

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 medium red bell pepper, sliced

1 cup of broccoli, chopped

8 ounces (2 cups) swiss cheese, shredded, divided

1 tsp dried oregano leaves

Preheat the over to 400.  Combine potatoes, egg and salt in a bowl, mix well. Spread potato mixture into a circle on a baking stone or a cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes and remove from oven.

Layer sliced vegetables and cheese - ending with cheese and sprinkle with oregano.

Bake an additional 12 minutes. Serve warm.

(we've used shredding cheddar at it was good, too!)

Enjoy!

** Because I love my readers and am grateful you choose to spend some time with me each week, all comments from Feb. 1 to Feb 28 are automatically entered into my monthly drawing for a 3 pack of mini travel-sized handmade soaps. Details and the scents for the month can be found on the "contest rules" page.

Word Confusion

Who's ready for some word fun?

Today I'm having fun with Homonyms!

You know those words that sound the same but have very different meanings?

Yes...I'm talking about word confusion. We all know and nitpick the most obvious ones, like they're, their, and there, but never fear...this is the English language and there are plenty more confusing words where those came from!

Remember being in elementary school and making lists of these fun word pairs? Sail/sale, plane/plain, main/mane, etc.

Well, as I'm typing along in my manuscripts every day...these pesky words have a way of showing up! 

Here are a few examples:

Are you fazed (to be disconcerted) when you hit the editing phase (a distinct stage) of preparing your manuscript?

I often daydream as I walk down the aisle (walkway) of the grocery store wishing I was on a desert isle (island.)

Her voice was hoarse (rough voice) from calling the horse (equine.)

He carried the load (cargo) of dynamite to the entrance of the mine in hopes he'd find the mother lode (mineral vein).

Her mother-in-law should get a medal (award) for her ability to meddle (to interfere.)

And there are so many more, I could go on and on...

But, I won't.

Instead I'm going to point you in the direction of Alan Cooper's Homonym List, so your head can spin like mine did when I found it...who knew there so many ways to trip us up?

I'll confess that effect and affect are usually the ones that get me, I always have to stop and think about which one I really want to use.

And now, I think I will take care of my poor head and go pour myself a drink!

Confession time!

What homonyms do you catch yourself confusing?

52 Ways to Joy - Be Forgiving

Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.  ~Paul Boese

No matter how old or young we are, no matter how many people have come and gone in our life - there are always those we feel have wronged us in some way.

Words said or not said.

Actions taken or feelings ignored.

The friendships ended, the family relationships strained, all while we withhold forgiveness. And the whole time we keep those feelings of resentment buried and festering inside, it's a poison to our soul. And where there's poison, there's less room for joy.

This week as I sit to write this post I've been forced to look within. To examine the past and people I've hurt or remember people that have hurt me. Events and words that seemed unforgivable at the time, may deserve to be looked at differently now.

Do I hope to be forgiven? Doesn't everyone?

Can I forgive the wrongs against me?

YES. To bring joy in my life and keep it flowing - there is no other choice.

Since life is about learning from mistakes, and no one is perfect - I think we all hope to be forgiven at some point in our lives, for something we've done wrong...denying it only causes bitterness and sadness.

The saying goes, "to err is human, to forgive is divine," and I think it is. To forgive is to lift a weight off your shoulders. It doesn't mean to forget, it doesn't mean to allow the wrong to continue. It means to free yourself of the poison of letting it fester inside you.

To forgive may mean a second chance at a friendship. It may mean opening a window when you'd already nailed a door shut.

To forgive is a way to joy. It's the moment you realize you have to let something go. For me, it's time to get back the joy in my life and forgive the wrongs I can. How about you? Is it time to make room for a little more joy and little less resentment?

Let's choose joy this week!

Do you forgive easily or tend to hold a grudge?  Click to tweet this quote!

I wish you joy on the road you travel this week!

 *52 Ways to Joy is a weekly post to celebrate the simple ways to bring joy into your life and those around you. It's about the small moments that makes memories and give us all a sense of contentment in the crazy world we live in. If you're joining me here for the first time, by clicking on the label  "52WTJ" you can read the previous posts!

** Because I love my readers and am grateful you choose to spend some time with me each week, all comments from Feb. 1 to Feb 28 are automatically entered into my monthly drawing for a 3 pack of mini travel-sized handmade soaps. Details and the scents for the month can be found on the "contest rules" page.

Sunday in the Kitchen - Cake Mix Cookies and What's Hot

And the snow keeps coming here in my corner of the world...

It may be cold outside, but that doesn't stop me from skipping around the internet!

Here's a few of the things I found interesting in my web-hopping this week:

Jennifer Shirk posted this link on Twitter this week for Bug Out Bags for Writers.

If your target publisher is Entangled, they unveiled a new streamlined submission process. Read about here on their blog.

I found this blog post by Margo Berendsen on "21 ways to make your plot more."

This week I'm reading: Yours at Midnight by Robin Bielman

Looking for a little graphic writing inspiration? Visit Rebecca T Dickson. This week's graphic? Use what you have!

And that's what's hot for this week...and now it's time to get in the kitchen and make some cookies.

Cake Mix Cookies

Who doesn't love to eat cookies? Who wouldn't love to make them more often? Here's a great and easy solution. Open up your cabinet and grab a box of your favorite cake mix. Put it in a bowl with 1/3 cup of vegetable oil and 2 eggs. Mix it all up and shape into one inch balls. Place 2 inches apart of an ungreased cookie sheet for 6-8 minutes at 375 degrees.

Optional: roll your balls (I know how this sounds, but honestly, we're making cookies here!) in some sugar before putting them on the cookie sheet.

Enjoy!

Quote me!
Here's a few interesting things found on the web this week and a cake mix cookie recipe! Click here to tweet!

Wishing you happy and safe travels wherever your road leads today!

* Because I love my readers and am grateful you choose to spend some time with me each week, all comments from Feb. 1 to Feb 28 are automatically entered into my monthly drawing for a 3 mini travel-sized handmade soaps. Details and the scents for the month can be found on the "contest rules" page.

Writing With Doubts

Over the last week, the lovely ladies in Passionate Critters Critique Group have had more than our share of tales of writing with doubt.

If you're a writer, you've probably been there too.

"Am I good enough."

"Does my story suck"

"Sometimes I feel like I should give up."

Sound familiar?

Don't we all fight off the doubts on a daily basis?

I know I do. Which is why I surround myself with positive thoughts, inspirational messages and people that believe in the power of dreams.

We have to believe in ourselves, and believe that the words we have inside us are worthwhile. Not so easy, I know.

I truly believe if writing is your calling, is in your soul, then you need to get those words out of your head and release them in to the wild (Or you might go crazy!)

So then, to accomplish that goal, we have to sit at the keyboard or with a pen and paper - every day. Even when the words aren't flowing, even when the devil on your shoulder tells you to give up.

Don't give up.

Rejections, bad reviews, plots that you just can't seem to make work...so many reasons for us to doubt we have what it takes to make it in this crazy business called publishing.

Is there a surefire way to deal with the self-doubt monster living in your head? Gosh, I wish I knew (and if you figure it out...please share it with me!) But I do think he feeds on insecurity and fear. And if that's the case, it's going to be hard for me to keep the beast from growing pretty darn fat, because insecurity and fear are alive in well inside my head whenever I sit down to write.

But, since the only way to be a writer is to WRITE - then we have to ignore the doubt that pokes at our defenses and simply write. We have to show up everyday and keep pressing forward with the dream of creating beautiful stories. Kick that doubt-monster to the curb (even if he finds his way back home every damn morning as you open that WIP!)

I wish it got easier, but with each new book I start, the same doubts pop into my head. I agonize over my characters and the plot - so worried they'll be unlikable or my plot will be seem lame or even worse, predictable and boring. I would love to be so confident that from my magic fingers drip golden words...but I know better. I struggle with those words every day.

So, tell me, how do you get rid of the self-doubt monster living in your head?

52 Ways to Joy - Share Your Love

"Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead." ~ Oscar Wilde

While Valentine's Day is the day we set aside to celebrate love, it shouldn't be the only day we show affection for our loved ones.

One of the purest forms of joy anyone can experience is that feeling of being loved and giving love in return.

From parent to child. From friend to friend. From lover to lover. Nothing warms the heart and soul more than knowing love lives.

Too often, we take those feelings for granted - never showing how we feel or saying it out loud.

I love you.

Powerful words. They have the ability to take your breath away, to fill you with warmth and peace, and give you the confidence to move mountains.

Don't let the moment pass you by! Don't let a loved one leave without knowing how you feel about them. Corny? Silly? Think they know?

Think saying the words doesn't matter?

You're wrong. On all accounts. Love IS what makes the world go round, it makes everything worthwhile - all the struggles and all the triumphs. And it feels oh so good to share it!

This week (and I hope all year!) I hope we all remember to say the words and go out of our way to show those we love how we feel. (A heart shaped note in their lunch bag might be fun too!)

This week and always, I wish you love along the road you travel!

Quote me:
Everyday should be a celebration of love. Share love today and spread the joy! Click here to tweet!

 *52 Ways to Joy is a weekly post to celebrate the simple ways to bring joy into your life and those around you. It's about the small moments that makes memories and give us all a sense of contentment in the crazy world we live in. If you're joining me here for the first time, by clicking on the label  "52WTJ" you can read the previous posts! 

** Because I love my readers and am grateful you choose to spend some time with me each week, all comments from Feb. 1 to Feb 28 are automatically entered into my monthly drawing for a 3 mini travel-sized handmade soaps. Details and the scents for the month can be found on the "contest rules" page.