Cloud Nine Girl

I visited the Newport Aquarium a few years back and updated me in the center. :0)

Yesterday, my sweet lovely dragon lady friend J. Keller Ford let me take over her blog for a day. So if you missed it with her, here it is. And don’t forget to check out the guest post today with Author Terri Rochenski at Scribbler’s Sojourn. 

***

The mind of a writer is a funny thing. I can invent the most twisted story, shake it off to make dinner, at least mostly, and then I catch my husband leaning over a printed copy of my latest and greatest chapter as the words escape his lips, “Wow, who are you, really?”

Growing up, I didn’t like creepy. I remember being eight-years-old and watching A Nightmare on Elm Street at a slumber party … further back at five when I’d caught Jaws on the television and was unable to walk across the basement floor without dreading the image of a great white beast living a hidden existence under the couch. I’d leap from furniture to furniture in the basement until I made it to the stairs. Now here I am. I write YA creepy. :o)

And then I dream how to tame it.

So how do we go to sleep at night with all of these creepy plots and words floating through our thoughts?

Writing is a profession. When you love it, you know when to turn it on, and sometimes, when you absolutely need to turn it off. Sure, I’ll have ideas slip into my head in the middle of the night, or while I’m going about my day, but that’s why I always carry a notebook. I can scratch down a really great thought, tuck it back in my purse and finish wherever I am in the moment. But just like a counselor, or an architect, or a doctor, you know you could work all the time, every minute of your life if you let it consume you. So you learn how to stop, make a few notes if they absolutely won’t let you move on, and you go back to what you were doing in the present moment.

How do we write about fictional characters and plots we don’t actually live?

Research. For me as a writer, solving a character is much like solving an algebra equation or creating a chemical reaction in a laboratory. I read everything. I look at pictures and study people. I document facts and details with pictures and words, journaling down what I feel and think in a moment. Recently I wrote a chapter where my two main characters were boogie boarding in the ocean. I’ve been to the ocean many times, but the past doesn’t always help an immediate physical moment. Especially if I need to feel, taste or sense a particular detail in a scene. So what did I do? Today, writers are lucky. We have YouTube, Google Maps, and the ability to type in and search for anything. I can watch a how-to video and be in someone’s moment on the beach. I can’t always smell what I need to smell, but that’s where memory helps. If I’m setting my book in a particular physical location, I go to that location.  I need to see the community, feel the ground, and smell the air. Last point to make, lots of what I’ve lived slips into my words. If you know a writer, there’s never a guarantee you won’t be somewhere in a plot or a character. My ideas come from my life. My creativity takes them in new and strange directions.

So who I am?

Am I the girl you see when you meet me? Am I character in my book? Am I a mother, a wife, a career woman, a yoga instructor? My answer is yes. Life is a complicated mess, and no matter what profession we choose, parts of us come out in everything we do.

Have a wonderful rest of your day :0)

Everywhere I go right now, Christmas sneaks in through the cracks. Flawless singing, bells ringing, and a possible stolen glance from a jolly person in a bright red suit(white beard may or may not be real).

Santa makes me happy. The few weeks of hope, the focus on being good and thoughtful, and definitely, the whole giving and receiving part.  I’m also thinking about that historical list—the naughty and nice list—a timeless tool of reflections, assessments, and questions asked to make you wonder if you really do deserve everything you want.

Yesterday, we took the kiddos to see Santa. My daughter beamed excitement, eager to get dressed up in her glittery dress, sparkly boots and silver tights to match. She couldn’t wait for me to help her, staring at me as I was getting ready with big eyes and an even bigger smile to match. Contagious, I couldn’t help but reflect her wonder remembering myself what it felt like to believe in magic. The part that really touched me was when she and my son adamantly said, “Mom, we want to give Santa something too. Doesn’t Santa want a toy?”

I loved it.

So back to the naughty and nice list. I think it’s good to reflect over the year. I think it’s good to think about all the lessons learned. I also think it’s even better to hold on to the magic of Christmas, the dreams, wishes, and the swell of the heart full of caring and giving. The bad stuff will always be there, but it’s what you do with it that matters. I do believe we all want something, and I think we deserve our heart’s desires—our deepest wishes no matter the hurts that have happened.

This week, no matter if you believe in Santa or not, may you still feel a bit of that glittery magic of hope, believing in dreams, and sharing it with others. May your week sparkle with the eyes of a child. May all your dreams shine so bright you can’t help but believe.

And speaking of dreams, because it’s true, I need to mention what’s going on with my biggest one unfolding before my eyes. Here’s the list of events this week, for One More Day. Be sure to check out. I’ll be visiting myself on Tuesday, December 10,  with all the other lovely authors. My favorite kind of guest post.

Monday, December 9
katherineSkye

Tuesday, December 10
Scribbler’s Sojourn, featuring brief thoughts from all of us lovely ladies :0)

Wednesday, December 11
Happy Tails and Tales, featuring Danielle Shipley

Thursday, December 12
Brooke Blogs

Friday, December 13
Never Wordless

And here! Right here on December 13, I’ll be having a sweet eighth grade visitor, the winner of my free ARC giveaway, reflecting over the story in One More Day, most real to her.

Happy Monday!

Life can be a challenge. There’s good and bad, and what happens when you’ve just had enough?

After defining my character and plot in Stage Fright, I hit the gym armed with just this one song. It  built my emotion in all things visually, internally, and I still can’t get enough.

So here is my Inspire Me Friday share. Catch My Breath by Kelly Clarkson.

Do you have a song you play to inspire you? I’d love to hear it as I’m always looking for new music.

Have a lovely Friday!
Erika