Tag: writer

Writing: Live to Write

Are you like me? I struggle with two inner voices. Well, I have more than two. But, this post is about the battle I fight for creative writing time.

One voice urges me to sit; take some time in my writer’s chair. Write a blog post, rework a scene from that 50k I wrote a couple of years back during NaNoWriMo, or read. It tells me, I won’t write unless I make the time. True.

A second — often louder — voice says other tasks have priority. There is much to do; and the clock only gives me 24 hours. Parenting, family, professional pursuits, volunteer commitments, errands, socializing, exercise, household responsibilities and style hunting all pull rank. Something has to change.

I try to quiet the two voices. Compromise is necessary. Balance is in order. I must live in order to have content. Life calls. Experiences give writing authenticity and encourage connections with readers. Therefore, I must not feel too badly when my writer’s chair remains empty for stretches of time. The voice that compels me to create will be victorious… eventually.

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7 at 12:25: Things to Know About Me and New Kreativ Blogs I Love

As promised, I am sitting in my writer’s chair thinking about those two 7-at-11-ish lists I need to publish. One needs to contain 7 things I remember about myself that are appropriate for public consumption. The second requires selecting a meager seven blogs — from my just-updated blogroll — to bestow this great honor upon.

7 Things…

Thing 1: I am nearly out of ice cream, which is my favorite summertime treat. This means a grocery-store run is in the cards for tomorrow.

Thing 2: My daughter thinks my favorite store is Meijer’s, which is my local has-everything store. While it’s convenient, I despise going there. Here’s why: I am there almost every day. My 40-year-old brain just doesn’t remember all the items that must make it into my cart; even when I have a list. That means repeat trips for one item, which then, of course, turns into more.

Thing 3: Favorite retail locations include DSW, Parisian, Lord & Taylor, Ann Taylor, Old Navy, Gap, Rochester, Mich., Village of Rochester Hills, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Partridge Creek, Ann Arbor, NYC, San Francisco, and New Hope, Penn. Shopping for fun stuff such as clothing, shoes, handbags and bling gives me a high like nothing else.

Thing 4: The rootbeer-flavored vodka in the fridge from Hard Luck Candy Vodka is giving me flashbacks to that Faygo Boat Song/TV ad; and riding the Boblo Boat for my dad’s company picnics back in the ’70s.

Photo credit: The Detroit Fly Blog, WordPress.com

Thing 5: My dad is a sailor. Before marriage and children, he purchased Veliero, a 32-foot Galaxy. He raced and cruised Veliero from Bayview Yacht Club until 2009 when he sold it at age 80. His love for spending breezy, sunny afternoons sailing the waters of the Great Lakes took hold of me before I learned to walk and talk. I was only 10 months old when he secured me to stern in my baby walker for a sailing trip to the Georgian Bay.

Thing 6: My maternal grandmother is a fourth cousin to Charlie Gehringer,  one of the greatest second basemen of all time and Detroit Tiger from 1924-1942.

Charlie Gehringer, Detroit Tigers
Photo credit: Wikipedia

Thing 7: Guilty pleasures include watching ABC’s Once Upon a Time and Bravo’s Real Housewives of OC, NYC, and New Jersey; reading Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum/Wicked series; and playing Angry Bird.

Kreativ Blog Nominees

I must say I feel a bit like a player on Donald Trump‘s The Apprentice. Here I sit at his boardroom table. Friends and foes are on both teams.

Then the question from Mr. Trump himself:

Kate, who are your seven nominees and why?

All eyes are waiting for this list to post. If it’s bad and exclusive; I could be seeing ugly blog stats in the morning (and who wants that on a Friday?) and an exodus of followers. So, like The Apprentice players who stay in the game a while, I’m going dance around this question; and then waffle a little.

My list of nominees is…

to the right. See the section called, Blogroll. I nominate each and every blog listed for the Kreativ Blogger Award. So, I’m going to list new blogs I love that haven’t been added to the right, yet. Don’t worry. My blogroll will include them all — and probably more — for easy clicking soon enough.

The Detroit Fly

The IdentitySpecialist

Pearl’s twirl

Coeva, the novel

Sillyfrog’s Blog

ChocolatesandRaspberries

Crazy Cool Comics

orangespicedrop

memyselfandkids

Gin & Lemonade

All Write

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Why I Blog: Seven Reasons

There are a gazillion reasons why I blog. Here are seven.

1. Therapy. Like exercise, writing is an outlet for stress, negative energy and toxic thoughts. The act of writing enables me to think more objectively about parenting, marital conflict, peer relationships and other domestic issues; and often opens my mind to considering viewpoints beyond my own. This encourages a positive spin to my posts and sometimes allows me to solve problems fueling me with  stress, negativity and toxins.

2. Practice. Just like anything else, writing successfully requires replication. It takes a certain practiced finesse to string words together in a fashion that makes sense and that encourages readers to feel, think, comment, or share. This finesse just doesn’t happen magically; at least not for me.

3. Develop my craft. I suppose this is similar to practicing. But, I see it as a separate purpose. One reason is development of my craft requires more than just writing. It also requires reading fiction, non-fiction, short stories, essays, magazine/journal features, news articles, blogs, poetry, etc., etc. The more I expose myself to writers who have already achieved success as authors, journalists, screenwriters, bloggers, etc., the more inspiration I have for making my own writing better. There are so many willing to share tips on how they achieved their success. Why not tap into that expertise?

4. Build an audience. When I began my blog, I knew finding readers would require studying successful blogs and traditional media that have achieved a significant number of followers. The techniques used to building an audience is similar those used to find new business opportunities for my previous employers. I still have yet to leverage all of these tools to their fullest potential.

5. Building my brand. Since there are so many fabulous writers out there as well as other forms of media begging for attention 24/7, establishing an identity that connects with readers is a key objective. Since I have not published anything with a byline since college, I figured a blog would put me on the right path in meeting this goal.

6. Good company. I am a social creature. Sitting quietly in my chair all day at my desktop or laptop is not what gets me off. The network of writers I circulate with through my blog and other social media platforms is a motivator to write as often as possible. Some are accomplished, published writers while others have other professions and interests they love to share. This gives me a broader view of who I share this planet with. I love chatting with people, learning about others’ interests, and reading what others have to write about their life experiences. My blog enables me to connect with people I wouldn’t have a way of getting to know otherwise.

7. My children. While both of my children are in the early elementary phase of their academic journey, there is considerable emphasis on literacy and language development. If the two witness my commitment to reading and writing daily, I am hopeful they will  follow my lead. My daughter loves books and does apply a great imagination to creative writing tasks at school.

So, why do you blog? I would love to read about your reasons.

Related posts at my blog …

Schedule It

So Much to Write

Words Are Mighty

Also, here are some fave blogs with recent posts about writing …

Linda Cassidy Lewis

Sarah Smiles Awhile

Limebird Writers

The Tattered Thread

 

 

Versatile Monday Morning Buzz

It began like any other weekday morning. Monday arrived with an alarming blare. The coffee buzz I sought had yet to kick in. But, as I  scanned my unread e-mails, I noticed a message from a new, WordPress, blogging buddy, Leonie Lucas.

Leonie, honored me with my second Versatile Blogger Award. The buzz from receiving such an honor turned my ho-hum morning into one I’ll remember forever. So, I truly thank Leonie for reading and recognizing my blog. Her blog — Writing, One Page at A Time — touched me the other day because while enjoying time with her six-month-old, Leonie began submitting her work for publication and to writing contests. Those are both goals of mine as well.

Upon accepting the Versatile Blogger Award, there are three rules.

Rule 1: Reveal seven things you probably don’t know about me

  1. The New York Giants are my favorite for Superbowl Sunday.
  2. I need to eat tacos at least once a week. Crunchy shells rule.
  3. When I get pissed off I clean my house.
  4. Nutella should be promoted as the next super food. Just kidding.
  5. When I can’t sleep I read online tabloid comments.
  6. Cheech and Chong movies still make me laugh so hard I cry.
  7. I read Lucky Magazine every month and go sticker crazy.

Rule 2: Select and award 15 bloggers with the Versatile Blogger Award. The following list links you with blogs I have not plugged in previous award posts.

1. Kelly at Dances With Chaos. She is the writer I want to be when I grow up. Her posts are always superb and touch so many at various levels on such a broad stroke of topics. Always a great read.

2. The next six are blogs that push and inspire me to become a better, more consistent, dedicated writer.

Limebird Writers

Victoria-writes

Talinorfali

Kate Policani

My Name is Not Bob

Six Sentences

3. There are blogs I am becoming better acquainted with that make me pause and stay awhile. They all weave the right combination of words and/or pictures to make each visit memorable.

Indulge — Travel, Adventure, & New Experiences

Thypolar’s Life Uncensored

Cosy Travels of the Viking and his Kitten

The Better Man Project

Aspire.Motivate.Succeed

VeehCirra

MoonLightened Way

AJ Poetry, Poetry with purpose

Rule 3: Notify honorees.

Thoughts About Jobs and Parenting

Last night, my husband and I helped my daughter prepare a show-and-tell presentation for her first grade class. The presentation was about the jobs we have, how these jobs help our community, and the tools we most often use to perform our job functions.

About The Jobs. First, we are parents. Secondly, my husband is also an electrical manufacturing engineer for GM and I am a writer. As parents, we love, teach, nurture, comfort, cook, clean, organize, play, discipline, and help our children explore their world. As a dad, my husband teaches our children how to build model cars and how to launch rockets. He also wakes on Saturdays at 7:00 am to make pancakes and watch movies with them. As a mom, I comfort our children when they’re puking pizza or having nightmares. Also, I host play dates and go on magic quests. At GM, my husband researches and develops advanced technology, parts and processes for passenger cars and trucks. I have written hundreds of new business development proposals as well as copy for marketing materials, which helped small and large business owners gain new clients.

Helping Our Community. As parents, we help our children participate as positive, active, and informed members of our local, state, national and global communities. We do this by encouraging interests, fostering strengths, and practicing what is learned in school. My husband’s contributions at GM help the automaker develop affordable, energy-efficient vehicles to reduce oil dependence and to save the planet. Writing enables me to inform, to advocate, and to share with the goal of helping others.

The Tools. As parents, our tool is a TLC-kit, which is at the ready at ALL times. It contains a phone, calendar, tasty health food, good books, music, toys, a computer, camera, pen, money, car keys, and adventure plans. The tools my husband uses at GM are innovation, a solid work ethic, a love for technology, intelligence, adaptability, eagerness for learning, and top-notch social skills. My writer tools mirror many of those in the TLC-kit; and a brain that does not have an off-switch.