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Internet Blues

By Linda O Johnston

As you can see from my signature info below, I also blog elsewhere–weekly, on KillerHobbies. I posted something about research on the Internet yesterday and got some interesting responses.

I’m fascinated with the Internet–and also frustrated by it. I think it consumes too much of my writing time, since I constantly check e-mails, and instantly check stuff I need to research, rather than waiting till later. I also use it for letting people know about my books, and that, though fun, also uses up time.

I can remember doing research before the Internet was so integral to our daily lives. I read more books, dug more phone numbers from telephone books, and called and talked to more people. Well, heck, that was time consuming, too.

I had problems with my Internet server earlier this week and immediately went into panic mode. Fortunately, it was worked out soon… this time. I certainly sighed in relief when I once again was able to get into my e-mail.

I admit I’m not especially technologically savvy, but I’ve learned to use what I need to. And one thing thatÂ¢s now essential in my life, writing and otherwise, is… the Internet!

Linda O. Johnston is the author of 15 romance novels and several novellas, including a current Nocturne Bites, with 2 more Nocturnes upcoming. She also writes the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime.
Linda O. Johnston
http://www.lindaojohnston.com/
www.KillerHobbies.blogspot.com

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Notes from Val’s Desk

February 3, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Motivational, Notes From Val's Desk

Motivation? Where art thou?

Last month (along with 50+ other writers) I attended OCCâ€™s first special event of 2009–the very successful Diane Pershing â€œPlottingâ€ Workshop. Right up to that sunny Saturday morning, I wasnâ€™t sure if listening to Diane would help my plot problems. Actually, I only had one problem. I didnâ€™t have a plot.

But I wentâ€”optimistic and eager and ready to absorb everything Diane planned to share with us. I was attentive and listened to every word. Not only was Diane helpful but she made sense. So much sense that I came away with a much clearer understanding of traditional and innovative plot methods used by writers of all genres. I was brimming over with new ideas for my own story and eager to get them on the page. I was charged up. I was raring to go. I was m-o-t-i-v-a-t-e-d!!

The next day or so after the workshop, while my new story ideas percolated around in my head, I re-organized my office, my writing space and my working files. I reorganized my schedule so I would have regular, uninterrupted time. I re-organized my notes and then my old, stale plot. This flurry of pre-writing activity worked because I wrote every day for a week. I got to my chair on time. I ignored the email. I steadied myself and said â€œno thanksâ€ the lure of the Internet siren. I was so good.

Then, as usual, things started to happen. My perfect new writing schedule was sabotaged by unexpected â€œemergencies.â€ I ran out of cat food. I had to work late. I had to go into work early. Everyone else wanted a chunk of my time. And when I was finished distributing pieces of myself and my precious time to everyone else and everyone elseâ€™s needs, there was nothing left of me for me. I lost my motivation. Donâ€™t know where it went, it just vanished. Iâ€™ve been looking for it for two weeks now.

As of today there are 22 posts on A Slice of Orange with â€œmotivationâ€ as the theme. Iâ€™m going to read them, one by one, and pray that even one piece of advice will work for me.

Iâ€™ll let you know what I learn because I really had fun writingâ€¦..for a while.

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The Artist’s Way

January 29, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category The Artist Way by Gillian Doyle tagged as Artist's Way, Gillian Doyle

“Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so that they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first BE who your really are, then DO what you need to do, in order HAVE what you want.“
– Margaret Young (quoted in THE ARTIST’S WAY)

We’re 29 days into 2009. How’s it going so far? Are you meeting your goal to write more pages? More hours? No? Life still getting in the way? I certainly understand. Jobs, family, friends, pets, laundry… the list of obligations seems endless. Some of us find time to write no matter what. Some even find writing as an escape from the stress of it all. Others say that they can’t NOT write any more than they can’t NOT breathe.

Then there’s the rest of us. We want to write. We talk about it. We have good intentions. But it drops down the to-do list as the day wears on and we wear out.

I don’t believe that there is any one single reason why we stumble in our efforts to write. As Creatives, we have highly active imaginations that are a blessing –great story ideas!– and a curse — filling our mind with self-doubt and What Ifs . . .What if I don’t have any talent? What if I spend all these months on this novel and no one buys it?

Julia Cameron is probably one of the most well-known authors offering a number of books to help artists and writers break through the various blocks that we encounter. Through the years, I have read and/or met so many wonderful and generous like-minded authors who understand our own fickleness and offer advice on their own websites, publications and seminars.

Susan Meier is one such author. She has been an instructor for OCC’s online class and is also our afternoon speaker at our February OCC/RWA meeting. Check out TheMotivatedWriter.com where she is a contributor, and her own blog called “Life Coach” at http://www.susanmeier.com/blog.html.

Doyou know websites or books that you have found helpful? If so, feel free to post them. We all know that writing is ultimately a solitary pursuit. But many of us can use a little nudge of encouragement now and then, a little tidbit of advice to get us back into that abandoned page.

If you live in the Los Angeles area, a new Artist’s Way workshop is starting on February 9th at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in West Hollywood. For details, go to CreativeLife.com.

– Gillian Doyle
http://www.gilliandoyle.blogspot.com/
http://www.gilliandoyle.com/

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A Fantasy Life

January 27, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives

This is the Tax Collector from my short story, Weaving A Dream, part of Whiskey Shots, Vol. 17. Myna must face down the tax collector and not allow him to cheat her out of her money and her home.

The new year has started, and with it, new ideas. I have been judging the Ritaâ€™s and I always seem to come up with a new story idea while I am reading. It is a â€œOh, I have never done this type of story. What could I do?â€ The Enchanted Hawk was one of those books. I read a shape-shifter book and decided I wanted to write one. However, I didnâ€™t want to write werewolves or any other type of were animals. So, Brylyn of the Hawk Clan came into being. Of course, when you have shape-shifters, there is always the clothing problem. When they shift, they are no longer dressed as humans, so when they shift back, theyâ€™re naked. I read one book where the werewolves carried backpacks with a change of clothes in them so they didnâ€™t have to run around naked. I decide I didnâ€™t want my shape-shifter naked, running through the castle with evil men after her. So, I decided the clothes turned into her feathers or fur. I can do that. It is my world.

Sometime last year I came up with an idea for a short contemporary dark fantasy involving a Chimera. My plot group told me it was too good of an idea with too much to it for a short. I thought about it and decided maybe they were correct, but then I had to come up with a new idea for the short. I havenâ€™t done that, but, while I was reading the books I was judging, I decided maybe the characters were too good for just one book. I could make a serious out of this. The hero and heroine could chase more monsters after they kill the Chimera.

That leaves me with more work. For a short, the world doesnâ€™t have to be as developed as it will for a series. Also, I have to come up with new monsters. I donâ€™t want to be using the same monsters as others. I donâ€™t do were-creatures or vampires. I guess while I finish my sequel with Sam â€“ heâ€™s still in bed with Jubilee â€“ and write a sequel to my mystery, Iâ€™ll be doing world building. Lots of world building.

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New Year Review

January 25, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Musings At Midnight

By Lori Pyne

Being a solution seeker, problem solver, planner, maker of goals and an optismist, I love my New Year Review. I look back at what worked, what did not, what I want to keep or continue to do, what I want to change or stop, think about what I want to achieve, and then I make my plan and set my goals. I start each year with my new diet plan, new exercise plan, new writing goals, and new budget goals.

Sadly, sometimes I don’t even make it through the whole month of Janurary with my plan still in place and working, much less to June.

This year I’m trying something new. (I am still the optismist so years of failure only convinces me that I just need a better plan!!) I am spending January clearing out the old, cleaning and organizing my home office (oh and the rest of the house and garage – but that’s because I just can’t help myself!!), cooking up a bunch of healthy items (some for immediate consumption and some for future meals), catching up on sleep, and finishing training my replacement for my former second boss (still have my original boss – but now I’m back to just working for that one person – yippie!!).

From this place of order and sanity (a girl can dream), I am implementing my achieveable plan on February 1st. Yes achieveable, interesting idea, no? I will write at least one word per day, five days a week. I will exercise at least three days a week for thirty minutes. I will only eat if I am hungry. I will cook and eat at least one vegetarian meal a week (to work towards my eat more veggies goal). I will continue my nightly ritual of reading to my son. (The only goal from 2008 that I achieved. I am sure that anyone who knows me is not surprise to find that my one success is connected to my son.)

That’s it: clear the decks, clean and organize my work space and set reachable goals.

I have faith that when I see you next I’ll still be on track.

Does anyone else do a New Year review? Has anyone found a game plan that works for them? If so, please share!

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