Television Musings - Rants and Raves from a Romance Writer

New Stuff
By Kathy Carpenter


Just back from the National Romance Writers of America conference a week ago. Talk about motivation. If you write fiction of any kind and need help try checking into joining a local RWA chapter. The will lend you support, teach you to write, show you the market, and be ther for you in general.

New shows - Let’s see we have The Listener kind of a toss up of Medium and Ghost Whisperer both of which I watch and love. However, The Listener, although I can go with him seeing events and not telling anyone. I could not get into his profession. The stories involved too much medical stuff for my taste,

The Great American Roadtrip - I could get into another reality show. This one had several families competing against each other as they travel across country, Although I feel the experience they have traveling together and bonding together with other families from across America, it’s a little more touching with the kids involved to compete and lose and to know they are going home. Heartwarming.

Dating in the Dark - Interesting. Three guys and three gals live on different sides of a house, The meet in the middle in a special dark room for dates. The first time they meet all together, Then they chose someone they connected with. The third date is who they have been matched up with. Then they have a final date. After that they each see each other and can either chose to meet up with the person or walk away. Two of the three met up. One guy wanted to meet but the gal walked away. The show also had a couple other ways of allowing them to getting to know the other people without seeing each other. Interesting.

One more note - you may notice my new picture - this was taken at the conference to be my book jacket picture - What do you think does this picture work for a book cover? Read more!

Monday Morning Motivators to Slay Your Writing Dragons

The ABC’s of Writing from CJ:

People will often ask me if I’m a seat of the pants writer or if I outline or plot ahead of time. They want to know everything about how I write–do I have a schedule, a certain daily page count, do I write everyday…..

It’s always interesting to hear how someone else accomplishes their goals–and after all, we have the same goal, finishing a book, just different paths. But I worry that others will take what works for me (which varies from day to day as much as the weather) and think that’s the Only way or even worse, the Right Way.

There’s only one way I know to accomplish your writing goals. I call it the ABC method of writing. Want in on the secret?

Apply Butt to Chair and write the damn book.

Just that simple and just that hard.

When I’m struggling, procrastinating (trying to tell myself that watching TV is really research–yeah, right!), or avoiding, I remember the ABC’s of writing. I sit back down and write.

Maybe only fifty words, maybe only ten–maybe more but it’s total crap. Doesn’t matter, in the long run it all adds up to a finished book, one baby step at a time. But funny thing. When I’m honest with myself in facing that for some reason I’m avoiding writing, when I do Apply my Butt to the Chair and just write the damn book, an amazing thing often happens.

That damn book gets written.

So there you go, my one and only writing secret revealed! Try it!

Thanks for reading,
CJ
As a pediatric ER doctor, CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge suspense novels. Her debut, LIFELINES (Berkley, March 2008), became a national bestseller and Publishers Weekly proclaimed it a "breathtakingly fast-paced medical thriller." The second in the series, WARNING SIGNS, is due out January, 2009. Contact her at http://www.cjlyons.net

Margie Lawson -- presenter, psychotherapist, writer -- lives at the top of a Colorado mountain west of Denver. Margie merged her two worlds, psychology and writing, to develop psychologically anchored editing systems and techniques that teach writers how to write page turners. A former college professor, Margie works as a psychotherapist, writes fiction and nonfiction, and presents full day master classes for writers internationally. Go to http://www.margielawson.com for more information. Read more!

Wild Woman of Queens: Notes on Urban Creativity from across the East River.

At the beach @Sandra Lee Schubert

Is This Summer?

You spend all day writing. The writing can be all consuming. A day turns into a week and then you pick up your head and realize the summer is gone. About now you may be wondering if all this work is worth it. I don't know. The creative life offers no guarantee of success, fame or fortune. You can't be sure you will enjoy the process. A pot of gold may not exist at the end of the rainbow. Who knows if anyone will read your work or if there will be any money to be made.

Even though you can hear the kids playing outside on a fabulous gorgeous day you are still inside reworking the dialogue to your story. Life cannot be enjoyed until that line is perfect. Your family knows it. Your friends know the distracted look in your eyes. They are drinking beer and you are mulling over what the protagonist said in the last scene.

Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, keeps to a rigorous schedule. He is fully engaged. Then he is done. That is not to say he doesn't think about his work after the fact. He knows when to work and when to play. That is the big difference.

Each of us decides the value placed on our lives. You must decide what is important and how to achieve the life you want. The trick is that you must live this life with no assurances it will turn out the way you planned. There is no magic mirror to let you know.

Keep writing. Take time to play. Give it the best you got.

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Sandra's e-course leads people to be their creative best through telling their stories and talking to interesting people on her online radio show- Wild Woman Network: Radio for Creative Vagabonds, Thinkers and Innovators.. She is a creative vagabond, a poet, and a writer who co-facilitates the Wild Angels Poets and Writers Group at the historic Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own. Visit her blog: Email her sandraleeschubert(at)gmail.com or @writing4life via twitter.

Read more!

Sculpting a Life:
Susan Gallacher-Turner’s turn in the Pacific Northwest.

Sometimes, art is about making an impression. Even if the piece comes deeply from your heart, your art still has to get out there and be seen. Getting it out there, takes determination, perseverance and patience as well as having a grasp on good marketing skills. I’ve been lucky to have a background in communications and that’s helped me tremendously to put together my resume, artist statement, as well as a portfolio of professional photographs.

Not all artists and soul-centered business people have those skills but luckily there are people out there who can help. This last week, I interviewed Erin Donley about her business, Marketing Your Truth. Her passion is helping others make their messages clear, effective and tailored to their specific clients.

Her marketing approach comes from her heart just as my new blog and website, Voices of Living Creatively comes from mine. My quest is to find and tell the stories of people who are bravely living sustainable and creative lives everyday. I want to pass on the stories of people like Erin Donley, so we can all be inspired to live the life we want by hearing these voices of living creatively.

You can listen to Erin Donley’s podcast interview at Voices of Living Creatively website and read an article on her on my new blog Voices of Living Creatively.

And you can read more about my sculpture at Susan’s Art & Words and my website Susan Gallacher-Turner Sculpture. Read more!

Don't Quit Your Day Job

Creating and the Quiet Weekend

So here I am, it’s Sunday and I’m plugging away. My husband is away on business and the kids are on summer break, so there’s not much action at my house right now. I want to take advantage and get a lot of writing done. I’m doing okay. I can never do as much as I want to. Why are my expectations always so unrealistic? If I was to get done as much writing as I plan, I would have to skip sleeping! Sundays are always difficult for me. By Sunday, I feel like I’m finally in a groove. Then SMACK, it’s back to the office grind. As much as I hate to admit it, if I didn’t have my office gig anymore, would I really get more writing done? I like to use my job as a crutch and working forty hours a week does consume quite a bit of time. However, I’ve noticed when I have a day off; the hours seem to fly by. Before I know it, it’s early evening and I have only begun to scratch the surface of my intentions.

I guess I really need to keep working on writing within the current confines of life and situation. Writing has definitely come to the forefront for me over the last few years. I do write more than I talk about writing, that’s a step in the right direction.

Still, I can’t stop dreaming of days when I can write full-time. We all know there’s so much more than just writing. Often, I can’t write as much as I like because I’m researching or I’m trying to learn some technical aspect of posting on the internet. I have to read up on promoting my blog. Then of course I have to read, watch TV and movies in order to have material to review on my blog. If I’m lucky enough to complete an essay, I have to decide where to send it and write inquiries and follow-ups. Don’t even get me started on the amount of hours I’d have to spend if I ever did finish my book. Proposals, platforms, it makes me dizzy thinking about it! Sometimes, it seems impossible that there’s hours left to actually write!

There’s not much I can do to change my circumstances. I can’t waste a quiet weekend like this one. Once this posts is finished, I can cross it off my weekend ‘to do” list. After that all I can do is keep chipping at the boulder. I will try to spend a moment to reflect on what I did accomplish instead of what’s still waiting in the wings. It’s tough to pat yourself on the back when there’s so much more to do. Deep breath. It’s a process, I know.

Read more!

Wild Woman of Queens: Notes on Urban Creativity from across the East River.

Sun. By Sandra Lee Schubert @2009


Independence

This is a short post. I have been thinking about independence. Creative independence. Artistic freedom. Operating off the grid of the traditional and paving your own way. I what ways are you independent? What do you need to do to free yourself from artistic bondage?

Take a look at your creative life. Explore what works, what has become stale and how can you break out of your box and do something new.

Over the summer try some new things. View new art. Write new books. Take a dance class. Stir it up a bit. See what you can come up with that is different, fun and adventurous in your creative life.

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Sandra's e-course leads people to be their creative best through telling their stories and talking to interesting people on her online radio show-
Wild Woman Network: Radio for Creative Vagabonds, Thinkers and Innovators..

She is a creative vagabond, a poet, and a writer who co-facilitates the Wild Angels Poets and Writers Group at the historic Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own. Visit her blog: Email her sandraleeschubert(at)gmail.com or @writing4life via twitter.

Read more!