Blogging from A to Z Challenge: Day 23 - Letter W

The fabulous W is up in today's Blogging from A to Z Challenge - and my topic:

Writer's Block

No, not sun block. Writer's block. And oh, how I wish I could say I had no idea what that was. 

Unfortunately, I know it all to well - and according to Wikipedia (don't judge my sources. :)), I have a condition:

Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task at hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked" writers have been unable to work for years on end, and some have even abandoned their careers.

Wow. After reading that, I think I'd be inclined to seek medical attention. Or therapy. Or shock treatment. Or all of the above.

But I digress.

Oddly enough, my best time of the year to write, is between April and June - probably because that's when high school prom and graduation are taking place, and that feeling in the air gives me all kinds of inspiration. But my worst time of the year is definitely between September and October (ha! Go figure, it's when the kids go back to school!) - and it never fails every September, that I find myself sitting and staring with wide, blank eyes, at my computer. 

So what do I do when this happens?

Well, last August I wrote a post for Road Trip Wednesday, on this exact topic - which I though I'd repost, since it was so fitting:

From August 24th, 2011, my post on writer's block, and how I beat it:

Similar to Friday Fives, Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ hosted by the fabulous ladies over at YA Highway. Each Wednesday, they post a weekly writing - or reading - related question, and I get to answer it here! And this week's topic is something near and dear *insert glaring sideways and growling here* to my heart:

How do you beat writer's block?

Around this time last year, I'd been well under way on a new manuscript (which I'd started last July). However, around 6 weeks into writing it, I started to sputter out. 

Don't get me wrong, I had plenty of ideas of where I wanted the story to go - and being as though I'm more of a pantser style writer, I knew I had options. It's just that I couldn't, for the life of me, bridge the gap from where I was, to where I wanted to take the story. So I put it aside and did other things. And every time I thought about it (which was more often than not, as I was really excited about this one), I'd try to write...but nothing happened. In fact, I used the backspace key more than any other key on my keyboard. It was horrible.

I went from writing 15,000 words a weekend (which when I'm on a roll, roughly equates to my average for 2 days of writing) to nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nadda. Nope. None. Boo.

So what did I do? 

1. Exercise. I joined a CrossFit box with my husband and started diving into exercise. I knew I needed to get my rear in gear anyhow, and well, since I couldn't seem to get on with my writing, this was a VERY good outlet for me. And while CrossFit is super intense, everybody can do it, as it's completely scalable. I swear. If you don't know what Crossfit is you can read more about it here - or here's a great video:

2. Eating. Boy do I love good food. But thanks to my lovely muse taking a 'round the world vacation, this time I decided to try eating right. Hubby and I started cutting out Gluten from our diets and introducing more Paleo type recipes. For those of you unaware of Paleo, you can read more about it here and here - it can be pretty hard core, but it doesn't have to be - and you can adjust it to your lifestyle. It's all around just better for you. This is still a huge challenge for me, but something I'm really trying to commit to.

3. Reading. I read lots and lots and LOTS of books. Over 65 books between July and November of last year, to be exact. Not only does it help kick your writing into gear, but it's so great to help hone your own craft. 

4. Hanging Out. I had some time off last year and was able to do things like hang out at the mall. On a Tuesday. At 11am (really, I've always envied anyone who can do this...*le sigh*). Which, during the summer, is the perfect place to spy observe my target audience: teenagers.

5. NaNoWriMo. Ultimately, this was EXACTLY what I needed to kick my muse into gear. A deadline. A challenge. Competition. Who knew? Thanks to NaNo, I wrote over 60,000 words in the month of November and finished my manuscript. It. Was. Awesome. I was on fire and couldn't stop writing. On more than one occasion, I heard my alarm going off to wake me up for work - and I so didn't want to go to the office. I wanted to write! A big thanks to NaNo, for giving me that push to get my manuscript finished. 

______________________________

Eight months later, I still find all of the above helpful in combating writer's block - especially working out or running. But I'm always looking for new ways to tame the beast. So with that, I leave you with:

Writer's block - What helps pull you through? 

Blogging from A to Z Challenge: Day 22 - Letter V

We've got V on the table in today's Blogging from A to Z Challenge - and my topic:

V is for V.A.C.A.T.I.O.N

The month of April has been a doozy - what with work, trying to get back into running, my rewrites (which, by the way, I blasted through almost half my manuscript this past weekend!), blogging from A to Z, Rock the Drop, and trying to whittle down my TBR pile, to make room for more...phew! I don't know about you all, but I could really use a va-cation!

Good thing I'm headed out of town next Monday. As in 5 days. I'm outta here. Blowing this pop stand. Arrivederci! Sayonara! I bid you adieu! 

And I can't wait.

But where am I going? Well, my husband and I are meeting my sister, her husband, and my niece, in a place I haven't been to, since I was 8 years old. And with next Tuesday being my b'day - it will officially have been *gasp* twenty-eight years since I've been. Yikes. That's bad, huh?

I'll give you a hint:

Yep! Disneyland - and I have to admit, I'm beyond excited!

I'll also be hanging out in LA, shopping, and going to dinner at some fabulous restaurants:

Monday Night: Osteria Mozza - a little gem associated with the wonderful MARIO BATALI - I've heard it's a-mazing...I'm definitely looking forward to it!

And for my b'day on Tuesday - one of my all time favs in Hollywood: Yamashiro's - I cannot wait to eat sushi here...it's simply divine.

There are several other great restaurants we have on the list, but it will all depend on how long the niece keeps us riding the coasters! Plus, to keep the husband truly happy, we'll be heading up to Six Flags on one of those days. And believe you me, I almost feel bad for anyone - be it a kid or an adult - that gets in his way. He may seriously hip-check a few peeps, as he runs from getting off the ride, to get back in line for the same ride. Oy.

Good thing I have my prescription for the Transderm patch filled and ready to go, because I, do not do well being flipped upside down at 90 miles an hour. And I vaguely remember being head-over-heels in a garbage can at Seuss Land / Universal Studios the last time we hit up a theme park...which was NOT pleasant (and although it's been a few years, The Cat in the Hat kinda creeps me out!).

Anywho - I do plan on doing a few writerly things while on my vacation. For instance, I will be driving to a bookstore first thing Tuesday morning, and buying INSURGENT. Because, well, I SIMPLY CANNOT WAIT A WHOLE WEEK UNTIL I GET HOME TO READ IT!!! I'll also be bringing my laptop / iPad down with me, and hope to write / revise some, while out at the pool. 

But in the end, I mostly plan on spending the majority of the time relaxing and recharging the batteries. Because when I get back, I will be finishing those revisions!

Vacations - anyone have a fun vacation coming up? And how do you plan on filling the time?

Blogging from A to Z Challenge: Day 21 - Letter U

We're down to the home stretch in letters, and today, U is up in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge - and my topic:

Unread

Okay, maybe this one's a strectch, but I'll admit I was having a tough time with the letter U! However, after reading the lovely Jaime Morrow's post from yesterday (T = TBR), that gave me the idea!

And while I won't post a picture of my Unread stack like Jaime did (eh em, mine's a little embarrassing, since all my books are stacked up on top of my dresser...and have since, spilled over to my hamper, as well!), I will go ahead and list several of the books I have in my Unread pile.

In no particular order:

1. GRACELING, FIRE, and BITTERBLUE by Kristin Cashore
2. JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta
3. SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson
4. PANDEMONIUM and BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver
5. NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL by Justina Chen Headley
6. A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL by Suzanne Young
7. BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by Ruta Sepetys
8. ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis
9. DITCHED by Robin Mellom
10. YOU AGAINST ME by Jenny Downham
11. MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN by Ransom Riggs
12. GOING BOVINE and BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray

And no joke, around 45 more! 

I will admit, I have a slight problem with buying more books, before I've read those in my stacks - but it cannot be helped! Besides, I'd like to think I'm doing my part to keep printed books, in business. :)

So what's on your Unread list? Anything good I may have missed above? Oh do please share - there's always room on my husband's side of the dresser!

Blogging from A to Z Challenge: Day 20 - Letter T

It's time to T it up on today's Blogging from A to Z Challenge - and my topic:

Travel

As I mentioned in my "I" post for inspiration, I love to travel. My parents instilled this in me, from a very young age - especially since my father was a pilot for Alaska Airlines, and my mother was an apparel buyer that traversed the world for her job (a career I ended up sharing, as I realized not only did I get to travel, but I got to shop for a living!).

I've been very fortunate throughout the years, to have had the luxury of traveling to many amazing places: from Okinawa, Japan, and Machu Picchu, Peru, to the Cinque Terre region of Italy.

Of course, there are still many places I've never been, but someday I will:

Geneva, Switzerland

Chamonix, France

The Maldives

The Great Wall of China
Thailand
Australia
New Zealand
Egypt
Easter Island 

The list goes on and on...

And since I haven't made it to some of these locations just yet, I find that including them in my writing, almost makes being there, a reality. My current manuscript primarly takes place here in the Northwest, where I live - but part of the journey takes my characters to the shores of Lake Geneva, Switzerland.

One of these days I'll make it there, myself. But until then, I get to live vicariously through my characters - after all, that's one of the great perks about being a writer - you get to write whatever you want!

Travel: where do your characters take you? Places you've been before? Or places you've always dreamed? 

 
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Blogging from A to Z Challenge: Day 19 - Letter S

S is up in today's Blogging from A to Z Challenge - and my topic:

Stephen King - ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT

"If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write."

In 1999, Stephen King began to write about his craft--and his life. By midyear, a widely reported accident jeopardized the survival of both. And in his months of recovery, the link between writing and living became more crucial than ever.

Rarely has a book on writing been so clear, so useful, and so revealing. On Writing begins with a mesmerizing account of King's childhood and his uncannily early focus on writing to tell a story. A series of vivid memories from adolescence, college, and the struggling years that led up to his first novel, Carrie, will afford readers a fresh and often very funny perspective on the formation of a writer. King next turns to the basic tools of his trade--how to sharpen and multiply them through use, and how the writer must always have them close at hand. He takes the reader through crucial aspects of the writer's art and life, offering practical and inspiring advice on everything from plot and character development to work habits and rejection.

Serialized in the New Yorker to vivid acclaim, On Writing culminates with a profoundly moving account of how King's overwhelming need to write spurred him toward recovery, and brought him back to his life.

Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower--and entertain--everyone who reads it.

My personal take?

If you're at all interested in writing, even just a tad bit, you MUST read this book. Packed with useful and often times critical information, this will be one that you keep within arms reach of your computer.

There are a ton of great books on the craft of writing - but this one is my favorite. Maybe it's because I'm a fan of Stephen King first and foremost. But I also think it's because of how brutally honest he is about what writing meant to him, and why he kept pushing forward...and ultimately, if you want to write, how that can translate to your own career.

Is Stephen King's ON WRITING on your list of favorite writing tools? What other books on the craft of writing would you recommend?

The polls are still open until April 23rd to vote for your favorite book blog via Goodreads! If you'd like to support my blog and all the book reviews I post (and thank you very much!), please click on the voting button over there to your left (just above my Twitter and Linky sections). Thanks again!! 

Blogging from A to Z Challenge: Day 18 - Letter R

Today is R's turn in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge - and my topic:

Review: THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

My Review:

I prolonged reading this one. I knew it was going to be good - not only because of the rave reviews I'd been hearing, but also because the subject matter was a tough one to tackle. And yet, I let it sit in my TBR pile for three months, while I stalled and read other books.

cancer touches many lives, and everyone deals with it differently. cancer touched my life in June of 2006, when my mom was diagnosed with late-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (cancer of the liver). It was predicted she'd have anywhere between four to six months, and that was with all the surgeries, chemo, and whatever else they could throw her way. Proving the doctors wrong and opting out of all Western medicines and treatments, she gave us four wonderful years.

In exactly two weeks from today, it will have been two years since my mom passed away. And maybe it's the timing, that caused me to finally pick up THE FAULT IN OUR STARS and start reading the first page of a book, I secretly think I'd been dreading to read all-together.

But what I found amongst those pages, was an exceptional story - and while beautifully written, it was tremendously bittersweet. Anyone who has had even a glimpse into this devastating disease, can completely relate to how raw and heartbreaking this journey truly was.

The relationship between Hazel and Augustus from start to finish, was nothing short of believable - full of emotion, yet flavored throughout with well-timed humor, as the two made their way through such unfortunate circumstances. Neither of them gave credit to their cancer - it simply was what it was, and they both dealt with the hand they were given, in the best way they knew how.

You may have noticed (or not?) that I didn't capitalize the c in the word cancer, anywhere above - and that's because I don't believe it deserves that kind of credit or attention. One day we'll figure out how this horrible disease takes over the human body, metastasizes throughout, and ultimately, takes the ones we love. And we'll stop it. Until then, it's exceptional books like THE FAULT IN OUR STARS that makes you realize, it doesn't matter who you are or what your age is, in the end, cancer affects us all.

John Green is a master at story-telling; a true artist in the way he delivered a journey that could have gone in a non-favorable direction, all too easily. A FAULT IN OUR STARS was an excellent read and a favorite YA contemporary for me - this is one I highly recommend to everyone.

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