Bouncing ideas off of someone can be essential to creating a good story. The simple act of explaining to someone what is in your head, what you are trying to get down on paper, can help you to clarify what your intent is with the story.

Voicing the thoughts in your head during a creative process can help you understand the paths your subconscious takes when you are creating.
Your collaborator can also let you know when you’re headed off track, and can help pull you back to what you really want your story to be about.

It also helps to talk to someone when you hit a wall with your writing. A different view of the project can help you come up with new ideas or a different direction.

TILT: Critique Partners or Friends who understand writing can make great sounding boards for your work.

Cinematic Royalty
Charles Witmore is used to celebrities. As owner of the grand Winmont Hotel in Los Angeles, he has seen them come and go more times than he can count. But the experience is altogether different when silver screen starlet Bridget Phillips walks into his life and crashes into his heart. He’s absolutely starstruck. Her beauty is exactly as majestic as has been rumored, but he wonders about the many claims laid against the woman, who seems to be so shrouded in mystery.

Initially claimed by prejudice, he sees nothing more than the ice princess she presents, beautiful and stone cold. But, the more time she spends at his hotel, the more he begins to see there is more to her facade than meets the eye. Soon, she becomes the object of his affection, and in an amusing ploy, his two best friends, Betty and Eleanor, and his cute assistant Tessa, set up the matchmaking scheme of a lifetime.

But will Bridget’s dark secret keep Charles from his happily ever after?

Dark Hollywood Nights
Alexis Grant’s only job is to keep the prestigious Winmont Hotel running smoothly while her cousin, Charles Witmore, enjoys his honeymoon. The only problem: things begin to fall apart the moment he leaves. The pompous Chase Branton, who’s determined to get access to one of her off limits celebrity clients, doesn’t help.

Can she keep it together long enough to earn a managerial position of her own, or will a high profile death cause all of her dreams to shatter?

Available Now at: Freya’s Bower
http://www.freyasbower.com/

It can also be ordered into your local bookstore or from Amazon.com!

Today I’m sitting here typing this post with an child’s easter hat on my head. I actually had forgotten that I had it on.  I’ve been wearing it all morning.  My daughter gave it to me earlier and without question I simply put it on to apease her.

This small act symbolizes the challenges we face as Stay at Home Moms who attempt to work in their spare time.  It’s like trying to wear multiple hats at the same time.

You try everyday to be the best mom you know how to be and somehow squeeze in a few hours or minutes of personal time which is spent writing.  Those extra minutes aren’t spent on exercise, or relaxation or reading a book.  If I get those extra minutes, I try to further my career.

I think it’s the sense of accomplishment, of finishing something.  As a mom your job is continual.  it is a  never ending series of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, cleaning, fixing, playing, teaching.   There is no real project with a deadline, unless you consider potty training before the age of 18 as a deadline.

Maybe it’s the sense of contributing to society.  As mothers we contribute a great deal to the betterment of society by raising our children into upstanding adults.  But really when they leave me what do I have?  Children are never really “yours”.  You call them ‘mine’ but in reality they are their own person.  Your children have their own dreams, their own lives to lead.  We don’t own them.  And we inevitably let them go at some point in our lives.

Writing for me is like putting a piece of ME out there.  Saying this is from me, it’s mine and always will be.  It gives me a sense of accomplishment when a project is completed that is all mine, not shared with my children or my husband.  And it makes me proud for myself.   That I was able to do something significant on my own.

I think that’s why I am working on a stable career in writing, because it will be MY career.

I’m not sure this post is as eloquent as I would have wanted.  Sometimes it can be difficult to put thoughts and feelings into words.  But that’s what being a writer is all about, trying your best to get those thoughts down on paper.

Happy Writing everyone!  (and kiss the kids and then put them in their room to ‘nap’ while you write)

So today is my first day back to writing my short story.  It’s been 5 days, I think?  I got some decent sleep last night and the kids are either sleeping or in their rooms.  So I have a moment to myself.  To write, finally!

But I’m not in the mood.  Yep, those days happen too.  You just don’t feel like it. You finally have the time, the energy but you just don’t wanna do it.

I’ve learned to suck it up and just write anyway.  Sometimes you just muddle through until you have something else to attend to (such as the aforementioned kids).  Or, and this happens more often than I like to admit, the writing actually goes well.  Yep, even on days when you feel like you’re just not in the mood, the writing can still flow.  But the biggest hurdle is forcing yourself to sit down in the chair, put the  fingers to the keyboard and take that moment to clear your mind.

I’d say about 90% of the effort is that first 5-10 minutes.  After that you’re back to writing again.

TILT: Don’t put limits on yourself.  So what if you don’t ‘feel’  like writing today.  Do it anyway.

Whenever you are able, you should write.  You’ll have enough days where you simply cannot get to the keyboard.

Okay, off I go to continue writing my story!

Writing is a creative endeavor.  Your mind should be sharp, or for us mom’s, at least not completely dull.   I apologize for not blogging yesterday.   I really had planned to keep up the blog but it’s been a rough week with the kids being sick.  I’m already seeing the ramifications from my lack of sleep.

It’s important to know when to push through adversity and when to take a break.  For me it’s like a mental health day.  I’ll be a better person for it.  I know I’ll be a better person once I get enough sleep (should happen with the kids are out of the house, right?)

I know of some writers who will write when they’re ill, and I’m fine with that unless staying awake to write is keeping you from being healthy.

TILT: Sometimes its okay to step back, collect your thoughts or your wits and start again.

Tomorrow will be a better day.