Nine ways the holidays can sabotage life, and writing.
While thinking about my plans for the week, I couldn’t help but reflect over the ways the holidays change the flow of life. I generated a list of my top nine challenges, and my plan of action in each one.
1. Shopping for last minute gifts in every spare moment. I don’t shop much in stores. But when I absolutely have to make a dash somewhere because there are always last minute items to tie up, I sing in my car to one of my favorite songs, right before I swim with the fish. I do this to build up my mood so I can smile. I remember to smile at everyone I see and then I bank all my mix of feelings and frustrations from the crowds, into a new villainous character. :0)
2. The weather. My kids were supposed to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s this past Saturday night, but an ice storm hit and my plans for wrapping and finishing up a few things didn’t get done. Then what? I roll with the moment. We did lots of indoor activities and I realized, when Mother Nature intervenes, I just might have to stay up a bit later than I wanted armed with my secret weapon the next day—coffee. Thank goodness I love it so.
3. Excitement and Naptime. Sunday, while trying to get past the 50K hump on my story and tying up loose ends, the wee one refused to take a nap. Mommy, I have to go potty. Just one more hug. Just one more kiss. How could I ever turn down such requests? I finally got her in her room for about an hour, then my son woke up. She barreled out of the bedroom pretty quick right behind him. We ran off to do some cookie ingredient shopping when she melted down in the store. I realized then she’d snuckered (I may have made up this fun word) me out of naptime all together. The best solution? Early bedtime. I’d just have to stay up late to write AND get up extra early the next morning to do a bit more.
4. Overeating. Food during the holidays tends to sabotage my brain with many chemicals I never remembered having until an hour or so after I’ve eaten dinner. What I do? Give in. Give up. Having fun and eating is part of the deal. I decided my plan would be to write the next day.
5. Sugar consumption. This one piggybacks off of the one above, because I try to stay away from too much sugar on a normal day. However, Christmas and the holidays mean cooking, and lots of baked goods sitting around with the sweet sugary frosting on top. I am the frosting type of girl, and this past Sunday while baking gingerbread cookies, the smell of it tempted me beyond standable. I couldn’t help myself teased with the sweet fluffy smell and the sight of all that deliciousness. Yum. The best thoughts I have on this, use the energy while you can, and do it before you crash. I did. I wrote up a flurry of ideas.
6. Commotion all over the place. Now this one makes it really tough to do anything productive. You can’t read. You can’t think. Your nerves might be a bit on edge. Sometimes I need to step outside, feel the cold air on my face so I’m ready for more. The good news? I might also be struck with a really brilliant idea while I’m breathing outside.
7. Lack of Sleep. I’ve been the one squeezed sandwich style between my spouse and my two kids who refuse to sleep on the air mattress. More coffee. Have I mentioned how much I love drinking it? The smell does wonders for my head, too.
8. Space. Maybe there’s no place to set the laptop out or you can’t get internet access. I’ve battled this one so many times my best bet these days, is to resort to pen and paper. I love to free hand. My ideas tend to flow more smoothly with a pen than a keyboard anyway.
9. Anxiety. Sometimes I just can’t find a quiet spot anywhere. The best thing I know to do, is to take a walk wherever I am, unless the weather is so bad I might get lost in the snow. Walks help. The wind, the air, I feel better pretty fast. I’m already feeling better just thinking about it.
So that’s my list. If you have one you’d like to add, I’d love to hear it. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! And don’t forget to check out the list of events this week.
List of Events This Week.
Monday, December 23
Bookworm Lisa
Tuesday, December 24
Emi Gayle
Friday, December 27
And Over It, Spotlight
Monday, December 30
Lauren Scharhag, A Review of One More Day
Where You Can Buy It?
You can also contact Parkside Books if you’d like a signed copy by me. :0)
To heck with fear. I have bigger and better things to do.
This past week has been wildly busy. Blog writing, presenting character development workshops to teens, book signings, writing contests, you name it, it has been going on.
It’s been exciting too, not just for me, but for the sixty honors eighth grade students I worked with, and I realized something very important, I love working with teens.
I walked them through all of my favorite things, studying the Hunger Games and focused in on best friend relationships. We turned our attention on ourselves, summarizing our own traits, the traits of our best friends, and created characters based on these traits. Lastly, we wrote a first page in a story. A scenario I generated with location, details, and helped students see where to drop in their newly imagined characters to continue on where I had left off, a story telling technique I often used while babysitting as a teen myself. The workshop was a success. The book signing last night was also a success. Sure I was nervous, feeling my hands tremble and my heart flutter, but I said to myself, “To hell with fear. Move over. It’s time to do what you love to do.”
Speaking of what we love, fear, and great characters who overcome huge obstacles to do the right and just thing, I’m shifting gears to guest Author Marissa Halvorson this morning. She’s here with me today, reflecting on her all time favorite character in a book. Since she’s been here before, no introductions are necessary …
…ah-hem…and here she is :0)
Marissa Halvorson
Question I asked: In all your readings in your life, which Main Character will you always remember and why?
That’s a little tough. I’ve read a lot of books and fell in love with a lot of main characters. There are plenty of characters that I could tell you I will always remember. Harry Potter for example, although that isn’t so much because of the character as because of the book. I could also tell you that I really like Tris from Divergent or Zoey from the House of Night series, or even Hyla from Eye of the Soul, but I wouldn’t really have a reason other than that they are really great, well-developed characters with awesome personalities.
No, I think if I had to make a choice with a real reason behind it, I’d say my favorite main character would actually be Hermione (from Harry Potter, of course). I feel like I identify with her in many ways, and not only do I feel sympathy for many of the situations she is in, but I can actually understand it. I empathize with her, sympathize with her, and I totally understand. She is one of the few characters that I’ve read that is really like me, and the fact that she is makes me like her all the more. I mean, I don’t have her courage, but other than that, it is scary how alike we are. And because of that, I would say she’s one of my favorite main characters. And I know she isn’t technically a “main character,” but she is pretty close. That counts, right?
Isn’t she lovely?
You can find out more about Marissa by visiting her blog or tweeting out to her.
You can find out more about the authors in One More Day by visiting my first post this month.
And lastly, remember, if you have something you really love and want to do, go for it. Fear will move over if you really really mean and want to move forward and go for it.
Hugs! Happy Friday all.
Where You Can Buy It?
You can also contact Parkside Books if you’d like a signed copy by me. :0)
Last week, Friday the 13th Snuck Up On Me.
Me And My Dad.
Cleaning up the dishes after dinner Thursday night on the 12th, my husband walks in the door late from work. His face is long and laced with worry. He sighs and says something along the lines of, “my flight takes off tomorrow. Friday the 13th, and did you see how much the ticket cost?”
I rinse the pan and turn around. “600 something, right?”
“Not just 600 something, but 600 and 66 dollars. That’s three sixes in a row.”
I can hear the worry in his words. We talk for another few moments about it. I understand where he is coming from. A strange series of panicked thoughts fly through my own head, but in the moment I realize, none of them will help. I sigh and hide the worries, letting my gut kick in.
I say, “It’s going to be ok. They are just numbers. Your flight will be fine. You will be fine and you’ll be back here Sunday, like you’re scheduled to.”
Years ago, and I mean like all the way back to 1992, I remember my first Friday the 13th that absolutely without a doubt didn’t go well. A freshman in High School, my favorite necklace broke, the stone slid right off the chain, probably lost somewhere outside in the grass around the building, and I’d been oblivious. Later on that day, I bombed a math quiz, and after school had ended, I found my locker wide open. It shouldn’t have been open like that and I had to make my first and last trip to the principal’s office to report the locker incident. I felt terrible that day. My mind was a negative cycle of thoughts for a good couple of hours. But something changed, and I don’t remember what. It might have been the sunshine on my face as I walked out of school. It might have been a change in the environment, arriving home, shutting myself in my room and writing, or flipping through magazines dreaming up characters in my stories. In any case, the day did get better. I went to sleep. I woke up the next day and it was a new day.
I’m writing about the power of our thoughts today because these certain images and predictions we have heard about will always fascinate us. We remember them. We’re terrified of them, and yet, some days, we survive them.
This week, I encourage us all to think the best, through the adversity, through all the odds no matter how high they seem stacked up against us. I believe, we never know how the end will turn out, not for sure. We may feel panic. We may be terrified, but at the same time, we can hold our hands over our hearts and believe. Better yet, we can pass a little of it to someone else, who might need it.
My dad told me once to always remember to think good things and do good things. He followed up with, Good things will eventually find their way back to us. I can’t promise when, and it may be a long long road, but I do believe in his words.
Hugs. Happy Monday, and don’t forget to check out the list of events below. I’ve got some exciting stuff going on this week. :0)
Monday, December 16
Aimee Lane, featuring Marissa Halvorsen
Tuesday, December 17
The Machenwood Chronicles and Other Tales
Wednesday, December 18
Tinasbookreviews
Thursday, December 19
Book Signing at Prosperos Parkside Books in Blue Springs. Check out the link to reserve your signed copy. :0)
Friday, December 20
Mywithershins, featuring J. Keller Ford
Marissa Halvorson will be here! And I just might say a few words about the short story writing contest I’ve been holding. Yeah! Fun things ahead. :0)
The True Meaning of Sacrifice
J. Taylor Publishing
Back in October, I held a contest for a chance to win a free preview of One More Day, an ARC Review. Today, I’m posting a sweet reflection I received from an 8th Grade Honors English student who won the ARC review in a classroom raffle. I asked her to reflect on the following question: which story can you relate to and is most real to you? I chose not to reveal her name, but her writing and her words stand on their own.
So here she is …
Dear Ms. Beebe,
I really enjoyed reading all of the short stories. I felt very privileged that I got a chance to see them before anyone else. They were all so well written, especially yours! I liked how your story took the typical school story with the new girl taking over the spotlight from the mean popular girl and added twists like letting the mean girl get the spot in the play while Hannah got the guy instead.
I thought that the most realistic story was Dark Rose by Marissa Halvorson because it involved a girl taking a test who started to day dream. Her day dream led to an alternate universe that ended up helping her with her essay. I can relate to this because sometimes when I have an important essay in a class and I can’t think, I day dream. My daydreams end up helping me just like in the story. I also liked the concept of her daydream where she had to fight herself and learned the true meaning of sacrifice.
How to find Marissa?
Her blog is called The Musings of a Fantasy Writer’s Life.
How to buy the book?
Amazon (Paperback) / Amazon (Kindle) / Barnes & Noble (epub) / Kobo (e-book)
Next week, I’ll be visiting this eighth grade student’s classroom and teaching my first ever character development workshop for teens. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Happy Friday all, and reflecting on Sacrifice, I found this lovely quote.
Erika
Cloud Nine Girl 