Chasing Inspiration

Friday, May 28, 2010

Soundtrack Friday

I made a turning point in my story and in some decisions I've been hesitating to make in my writing life. I took a course this last winter by Bob Mayer called Warrior Writer. I didn't follow through on the course. I sort of stalled out. I find that for online courses I need to be extra diligent about getting the lectures and doing the work. Especially if the course is free because I won a scholarship. Anyway, I'm taking it again because the course is about pushing forward, taking chances and building a plan for success. I need this. You have no idea how much! It's like deep coaching for my writer soul.

With the story, Mallory's story to be exact, I made a turning point in determining who Mallory is. I've been living with this character for about 4 years, writing off and on. More off than on until this year. I always knew there was something different about her, something that edged her story into the world of paranormal fiction. And in the last two months I've discovered just what that is. I'm not sharing too much about it here because the story is still being written and as far as I know there's nothing quite like it out there. I need to be very private with the story right now so I can work it out in my head and on the page.

As I've discovered more about Mallory, I've had a song in my head that fits Mallory at a certain point in the story. There's no video for the song that I've been able to find, sorry! It's Seen Enough by Dryer. I don't know much about this group and this is the only song of their's I have heard, or so I believe. There's something wonderfully aching about this song and it really fits. Oh, I wish I could share the scene that meshes with this song. When (knock on wood) this story is finished and published I certainly will!

Without further ado, on this long weekend Soundtrack Friday, I give you Dryer and Seen Enough. Enjoy!



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Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Provocative Thought Wednesday

Simplify!     ~ Henry David Thoreau, philosopher

  1. What can you stop doing right now? 
  2. What can you get rid of right now? 
Simplification should be, well, simple. And yet we make the process complicated. Take my Office Downsize Project for example. Before I asked my friend to lend me her objectivity and support, I created a complex plan to simplify and declutter. A plan I had a hard time executing because it was so complicated. 

If I instead had asked myself the above questions I may have had a cleaner, more organized office a whole lot sooner. 

So, what about you? 



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Saturday, May 22, 2010

Books Read in April

I'm quite late with April's books post. It was not an oversight, it was Blogger having a hissy fit. Fit is now over and I finally bring you the books I read in April. 


Daring to Dream and Holding the Dream by Nora Roberts - I am the proud new owner of a Nook, which is Barnes & Noble's eReader. Since I have the Nook I decided to buy some of my favorite books and NR's Dream Trilogy is one of my favorite trilogies. Sadly, B&N doesn't have the third book as part of their ebook collection so I'm still waiting to complete my collection. 


Moonshine by Rob Thurman -- book two in Rob's Cal Leandros urban fantasy series. I thought the book was richer then the first in the series. I'm looking forward to the third book to see how things turn out for Cal and Niko.

Latte Trouble by Cleo Coyle -- I seem to be reading a lot of series lately. Cleo Coyle writes the Coffeehouse mystery series set in NYC. Marjorie Liu recommended this author and series on her blog this past winter. It's an entertaining series with some solid character development. Thank goodness there are still quite a few books for me to read!

BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker -- Ted Dekker used to write this amazing Christian fiction. He's now writing darker mainstream books. I picked up BoneMan's Daughters on a whim at the grocery store and I'm so glad I did. the story was dark, rich and emotionally moving. The twist at the end was nothing short of inspired. Ted has not lost his touch as an author. I'll be seeking out his more recent backlist this summer.

Slow Heat by Jill Shalvis -- Book two in Jill's baseball series. I have no idea if there are going to be more books in the series or not, but the first two had me laughing and sighing alternately. Jill knows how to write a great contemporary romance.

The Taking by Erin McCarthy -- Erin is known for her light and funny paranormal and contemporary romances. She has a darker side with her Seven Deadly Sins series. The Taking is the third book in this series and it focuses on demons and voodoo and lost love and second chances. I love the theme of redemption that sweeps through the entire series.

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Friday, May 21, 2010

Soundtrack Friday

It's May. Which means in some countries it's considered summer. And given how hot the weather is getting, I think summer is no longer a hope in the far distant future.

Jason, the main male character in my current WIP, aka Mallory's story, is looking forward to summer as well. To Jason summer means the world is alive with second chances. True, the summer in Mallory's story is fraught with trauma, but Jason is a man who sees the possibilities and urges others to see the same. He's going to be pushing Mallory out of her comfort zone in ways that will shake that girl to the core, I just feel it! Oh, I'm itching to write more...but I need to focus on the day job right now. Must earn that paycheck. :)

This week's Soundtrack Friday is a song that I think of when I think of Jason and his optimism so today I bring you an oldie from Wilson Phillips. Enjoy Hold On and let the scenery in the video remind you that summer truly is just around the corner.




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Thursday, May 06, 2010

Soundtrack Friday

TGIF!

It's been a long week and we've earned some fun, some relaxation. What is more fun than this blast from the past? A girl singing about the ulitmate girl power. A tune that even had my dad's conservative toes tapping. A video that made my brother smile with Captain Lou Albano showing up in a cameo role.

Without further ado, I give you Cyndi Lauper and her hit video, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun! Enjoy your weekend. Have a little fun on me.



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Wednesday, May 05, 2010

I Don't Wanna Be A Pirate

I have once again experienced life getting in the way of plans. It irks me when this happens because I should be able to set priorities and set a schedule and stick to it. I know all the tricks. I apply them all the time. So why was maintaining my blog such a chore for me in April? The answer, my day job. But in a good way.

I'm currently managing at team of 16 plus 2 additional people. It's an interim thing that I've been doing since January. We have a new manager for the team of 16 who will be back to take up the mantel on the 10th. In the meantime, I'm stretched. Way beyond stretched some days. And I use all my energy at work motivating the team and helping them with their questions and student situations. Don't get me wrong, it's been fun and challenging, but I don't want to be a supervisor of 16 people. Not for my first foray into supervision. I found myself saying to my husband after particularly challenging days, "I don't wanna be a pirate!"

For those of you not in the know, this is from an episode of Seinfeld where Jerry somehow agreed to wear a puffy pirate shirt on TV. Jerry didn't want to wear the shirt and be seen as a pirate.

I want to coach at work. But I don't want to have 16 direct reports. It's an experiment that needed to be done and I'm glad for it. I know I have it in me to supervise and some day maybe that's what I'll be. But right now I want to focus on other things and it's good to know that about myself. Fear had kept me from this type of role in the past and I can honestly say fear is no longer a factor. :)

What's your pirate shirt? Have you tried it on for size before discarding the idea all together? If yes, what did you learn? If not, what's holding you back?



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