I saw this on Facebook and had to share it with all of you…
The Irony of it all….
The Writing Life…
Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’ve had a busy week of work and writing. My neck is feeling much better and I’m thinking about getting back into my exercise routine, but I won’t be running on the treadmill. There won’t be another treadmill season in the Orchard house. In my opinion, I need to run on harder surfaces if I’m going to run. So, I’m going to have to find another form of exercise during the winter months.
But enough about that. Today, I’d like to talk about the writing life. I haven’t spoken about this in a while, so I felt that I should address it today.
Writing is a solitary endeavor. We writers create by ourselves and work with editors and beta readers to produce a viable product. It’s time consuming and takes us away from our families and friends.
Sometimes, it can be discouraging. The waiting for an acceptance or rejection of a manuscript can take a long time. It can get downright lonely.
So, it’s important to have a creative community who supports you. They don’t all have to be writers. They can be artists, or sculptors, or photographers. These people will understand your struggle. They will support you in ways your family can’t because they don’t understand. I have an artist friend who I get together maybe once or twice a month and paint with her. I’m no artist, but it’s always good to take a break and do something different. I support her art, and she supports my writing.
Another way to combat the anxiety of waiting is to start another project. Work on something else. If you do get an acceptance, you’ll be a step ahead of the game because you have another project to offer.
Still another way, is to take a break from writing all together. Spend time with your family. Go on a trip and enjoy some down time. Maybe even read. 😉
Exercise is another great way to deal with the stress of writing. Get out of the chair and move your body. Get those endorphins moving, it’ll help with the creative process. Trust me.
So, there you have it. Some ways to combat the loneliness and stress of writing. How about you, how do you deal with it? Leave a comment! I love to hear from you!
Gone Too Soon
Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’ve been working on my WIP and working at the day job this week. I’m just plugging along and hoping I hear some good news soon. 😊
My neck and back are so much better. The pain is gone although I can still feel it when I move just right. Since the pain’s gone, my attitude is better, and I may even begin to workout again. Slowly but surely. I don’t want to go through that again. It’s been two months, and it has been a long two months.
I had another post planned for today, but I found out about Taylor Hawkins passing away from the band The Foo Fighters. I became acquainted with him when I watched a documentary about one of my favorite bands, Rush. He oozed positive energy when he talked about the members of Rush, and I liked the relationship he had with the band. You could tell they were great friends.
I was sad to hear of his passing because he was so young and full of energy and talent. Maybe because he’s younger than me, it made me think of my own mortality. I feel like I have so much more I want to do with my life and when a younger person passes away, it reminds me that the clock is ticking.
I recently just learned he had a variety of drugs in his system when he passed. We don’t know yet if that contributed to his death, but I have a feeling it did. He just did too many. What a senseless loss.
It feels like we’re losing too many people to drugs and suicide, and I’m in no way saying Taylor’s death was a suicide. However, one of the drugs in his system was an anti-depressant. I’m not sure why he was taking it, but it does make me wonder what if he was depressed. It’s hard to believe, he was a successful musician, and loved by many, but then I think about Anthony Bourdain and Robin Williams. Depression can be organic, meaning a chemical imbalance in the brain. We are losing too many amazing people to this disease.
But I wonder if drugs are the answer to this mental health issue. In my humble opinion, shouldn’t we make sure we’re getting a balanced diet, enough sleep, and enough exercise before we resort to drugs? (This is not a criticism of Taylor in any way shape or form by the way.)
If we did that though, we’d have less time to devote to our passions. Exercising takes up a lot of time. But if our passions aren’t healthy, are they really our passions?
These are the questions I ask myself when something like this happens. I want to be there for my family. It’s the most important thing to me and I know that many people feel that way. To do that, we must take care of our bodies.
I know Rock and Roll is a demanding career, and you probably don’t need to exercise on the days you’re doing a show, but in my humble opinion, you can have a healthy diet and get enough sleep while you’re touring. You just have to set up your schedule that way. After all, you’re a precious commodity. As fans, we should allow our idols down time to regroup and take care of themselves. Just some random thoughts while feeling sad over the loss of Taylor. RIP Taylor Hawkins. You will be missed.
What are some of the ways our entertainers can take care of themselves while on tour? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!
What I’ve been Reading
Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’ve had a busy week of work and writing. My pinched nerve is slowly but surely getting better. But enough about that. Today, I want to share what I’ve been reading because I’ve been reading more because of my injury to my neck.
The last book I read was Laine Moriarty’s “Apple’s Never Fall.”
The blurb and cover are below.
From Liane Moriarty, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers, comes Apples Never Fall, a novel that looks at marriage, siblings, and how the people we love the most can hurt us the deepest.
The Delaney family love one another dearly—it’s just that sometimes they want to murder each other . . .
If your mother was missing, would you tell the police? Even if the most obvious suspect was your father?
This is the dilemma facing the four grown Delaney siblings.
The Delaneys are fixtures in their community. The parents, Stan and Joy, are the envy of all of their friends. They’re killers on the tennis court, and off it their chemistry is palpable. But after fifty years of marriage, they’ve finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. So why are Stan and Joy so miserable?
The four Delaney children—Amy, Logan, Troy, and Brooke—were tennis stars in their own right, yet as their father will tell you, none of them had what it took to go all the way. But that’s okay, now that they’re all successful grown-ups and there is the wonderful possibility of grandchildren on the horizon.
One night a stranger named Savannah knocks on Stan and Joy’s door, bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. The Delaneys are more than happy to give her the small kindness she sorely needs. If only that was all she wanted.
Later, when Joy goes missing, and Savannah is nowhere to be found, the police question the one person who remains: Stan. But for someone who claims to be innocent, he, like many spouses, seems to have a lot to hide. Two of the Delaney children think their father is innocent, two are not so sure—but as the two sides square off against each other in perhaps their biggest match ever, all of the Delaneys will start to reexamine their shared family history in a very new light.
My Thoughts:
This was a great story about a family, and the sacrifices and the mistakes parents make with their children. It wove a tale of a family-owned tennis school run by the Delaneys. They are now in their twilight years and have sold the school. They’re struggling with the transition into retirement and dealing with their kids. Then one evening a young girl named Savannah knocks on the door and turns their world upside down.
When Joy disappears and Savannah is nowhere to be found all eyes turn to Stan. This is a great story that weaves a tale of supposition and coincidences that make Stan look guilty. I’ll let you read the story to find out what happens, but in true Laine Moriarty form this is a page turner that has you guessing until the very end.
It’s Time to Take Care of Mother Earth
Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. Today is the first day of daylight savings time where we turn the clocks ahead one hour and lose an hour. I don’t know about you, but I hate daylight savings time. It messes me up for a whole week. I don’t sleep well and that makes me cranky.
On a more positive note, my pinched nerve is so much better. I’m going to try to make it through the day without any muscle relaxers or anti-inflammatory meds. My index finger on my left hand is still numb, but at least I can still type.
But enough about that. Today, I’d like to talk about taking care of our planet. We humans sure have made a mess of things. From depleting our rain forests to the great garbage pile in the ocean, we should be ashamed of ourselves.
Why don’t we get smart and create a global organization whose primary purpose is to clean up the mess we’ve created? That way every nation would have to be involved. I wonder if that would help get rid of the wars? I mean if we’re all working toward the same goal, wouldn’t we have to get along?
Just like the trees in the forest cooperate with the fungi in the soil, we could cooperate with other countries and clean up our planet. Wouldn’t that be something?
I know, I’m being idealistic, but sometimes the answer really is that simple. If we don’t do something soon, future generations are going to be in trouble. It all starts with the forests and the oceans. They are the things keeping our earth alive. Along with our pollinators, let’s not forget the bees.
The bees keep our forests and flowerbeds growing. Isn’t it interesting that the health of the planet depends on such a tiny insect? Let’s do our part this spring and plant flowers so the bees have plenty of sources to collect their pollen. That’s one small thing we can do right now for our planet.
How about you do you have any ideas on how to keep our earth healthy? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!
What do you do when the Burnout Bug Bites?
Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. We were lucky yesterday and had a sixty-degree day where I was able to get out and go for a walk. My pinched nerve is still bothering me, so I was only able to go a couple of miles. Even so, it was nice to get some fresh air.
But enough about that, today I thought I’d talk about burnout. Burnout for writers or anyone really happens when you don’t pace yourself. Like a runner who sprints to early in the race, you can run out of gas. The joy you used to feel while creating your work just isn’t there, and the ideas are stagnant.
You’ve hit the wall and the only thing you can do is stop and take a break. When this happens, I have a few go-to activities that help ease the stress of burnout, because not producing something can be just as stressful as producing something, right?
I go for a run and get those endorphins going. Nothing beats a run for handling the stress of burnout.
I go for a hike. A hike through the woods is good for you mentally and physically. Forest bathing is really a thing and there’s nothing like a walk through the woods to calm the static in your head. FYI walking along the beach is just as good for you.
Reading is another way to beat burnout. Just reading for fifteen minutes reduces stress by sixty percent, and you get the added bonus of opening up your mind to new ideas. Most authors are voracious readers. It’s one way to improve your craft and beat stress all at the same time.
Get together with your creative community. I get together with mine and they’re so good at building up my confidence. We go hiking or paint. Sometimes we just go out for a bite to eat.
Shopping. Sometimes a little retail therapy is all you need to get those creative juices flowing again.
So, there you have it. Five things you can do when the burnout bug hits. How about you? What are some of the activities you do when you get bitten by the bug?
Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!
The Real Role Models responsible for our Daughters’ Self Image
Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’ve been busy this week with kids, a pinched nerve, and work. My neck is getting better, but it’s a slow process that leaves me exhausted at the end of the day. I haven’t been writing much because I’m focusing on getting my shoulder and neck back to normal. I may have to give up running. I hope not, but I might have to find another way to work off those calories. But enough about that, that’s not what I wanted to talk about today.
Today, I’d like to talk about girls who have poor body image. Experts blame magazines and Barbie Dolls. They state that these “role models” give girls an unrealistic image of what a female body should look like, and I know it doesn’t help, but we need to dig deeper. I say we need to have our mothers show love and acceptance for their own bodies.
Young girls’ role models are their mothers. So, if we have healthier mothers, we will have healthier daughters. Mom’s need to accept their bodies with grace and instead of focusing on what their body looks like, they need to focus on how healthy their body is.
We also need experts and role models to focus on HEALTH and not on image. If you have your health, you truly have wealth. It doesn’t matter how much you have in your bank account. So, mothers stop beating yourself up because you can’t lose that last five pounds. Instead focus on how strong your body is and how good you feel because you exercised. Illustrate those attributes for your daughters and they will be unstoppable.
If we do this, they won’t need to look outside the family for guidance from a role model who’s trying to sell them something. I know I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. Parents need to be involved with their kids. Mothers with their daughters and Fathers with their sons. Especially in the teen years, when they’re trying to find out who they are.
So, make your health one of your life’s goals, and you can’t go wrong. I know teens tell us they know everything, but they’re watching us and emulating our behavior when they don’t think we’re looking.
What are your thoughts? Do you think I’m on the right track? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!
Self Care: It’s a Choice
Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. Because of the pinched nerve in my neck, I’ve been doing more editing and reading this week while I wait for my neck to heal. It’s getting much better thanks to my chiropractor, but I believe my treadmill days are over. There will no longer be treadmill season at the Orchard’s.
I’m not upset about that. I’ve always disliked running on a treadmill. But enough about that. Today, I’d like to talk about self-care. I know I’ve talked about this before, but I feel it’s important. Sometimes we get stretched too thin, and we need to take a moment and regroup.
There’s nothing wrong with that. We can’t be going full tilt all the time. I can always tell when I hit the wall. I get tired and cranky, and I don’t enjoy the things I usually enjoy.
Here are my go-to self-care activities.
- Reading. I grab a good book and curl up on the couch. I do this during the winter more because it’s too cold to go outside. Did you know reading for just fifteen minutes reduces your stress level by 60%?
- Exercise. Exercise is a great stress reliever, and it gets those endorphins going. Even a walk is good for you. Especially if you’re a writer and you sit at a desk all day.
- Hiking. Hiking is also good for you. I love hiking in the woods, and if you hike in the woods, you get the added benefit of receiving phytoncides from the trees. In Japan, this is called forest-bathing and it’s a real thing.
- Painting. I’m learning to paint, and it’s a great way to take a break. I’m still creating something, but it’s just for me, so I don’t have to worry about what anyone else thinks about it.
- Yoga. Yoga is another great way to create calmness within yourself. You stretch your muscles, and you relax while becoming more aware. It’s a great feeling.
So, there you have it. Five things I do when I’m in need of some self-care. I know there are more. What do you do for self-care? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!
Is a Virtual Writing Conference worth it?
Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. Last weekend I attended a writing conference and pitched my story to some agents. I’m proud of the story I pitched, and I’m hoping to find representation soon. Cross your fingers for me.
In other news, I ran on my treadmill and ended up pinching a nerve in my neck. I’ve been going to the chiropractor, and it’s getting better, but I may never run on the treadmill again. I’ve heard running one can mess up your back, and I’m living proof that it can. According to one of my running friends, because the treadmill is soft, not a hard surface like a road, it’s bad for your back and joints. So, I may have to find another way to exercise during the winter months. I might be getting an exercise bike. We’ll see.
But I’m not here to talk about that. I want to get back to the writing conference I attended. I enjoyed it. Agents led the sessions, so the information was pure gold. It was held virtually, so you communicated via chats. If you had a question, you’d type it in the chat and the organizer would read your question to the agent. It worked well, and it was the best we could do during a pandemic.
I was also able to pitch my story to agents via zoom. It worked wonderfully. I was impressed by the whole thing. However, I did miss chatting with the other authors in between sessions. I missed the camaraderie. That’s the only negative I can say about the conference. I feel like I accomplished my goal, I pitched my novel and got my name out there. I also received great advice on my story. So, all in all, if you get an opportunity to go to a virtual Writing Conference, I’d say it’s worth it.
Here’s the link to find one in your area. http://brianklems.com/
Brian Klems is the organizer and he did a great job.
How about you? Have you been to a Virtual Writing Conference? How do you feel it went? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!
Tuesday Chuckle
Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I know I didn’t write a post this week and I apologize. I attended a writing conference last weekend and I have a pinched nerve in my neck at the moment, so sitting at the computer is painful. However, it’s getting better and I should have a post up for next week. So, instead of a post, I’m offering you a chuckle. 😉 I hope you’re all having a great week!
