Identity: A Fresh Start

Shared from MY NEW BLOG: A LIFE CREATED

Identity: A Fresh Start

There are a lot of struggles when you go through a divorce, but a major blow is to your identity. You are no longer a spouse, and if you are female, there is a high chance that you will have to decide what to do about your name.

At first, I planned to keep mine--the married one. I, mean, my identity was very much wrapped up in it. I was a mom, a writer, and an employee. I had grown under that name. I blossomed. Most of my adult life existed under that label. But, after much consideration and about six months after the divorce, I decided to go back to my maiden name. I needed to embrace the truth that everything was different and therefore I was different.

It was so bizarre the first time someone called me Ms. Rhodes. I clearly remember thinking that familiar line, "Ms. Rhodes is my mom." But with this new name came a clean slate. A fresh start.
When you start fresh, you get to decide what your identity will become, because our identities are fluid. They are based on who we are now, and who we are aspiring to be. They are influenced by our past, but they are not our past. We do not have to remain the same individuals that previously existed. What we have lived through teaches us, and we have the opportunity to take those experiences and convert them into something fresh. Or, meh, we can remain the same. But, it up to us, because we are the ones to decide when to take action.

Everyone of us has the opportunity to start fresh in any given moment. We can stop the thing we are addicted to, we can start doing the thing we put off, we can learn about the thing we want to know, and we can decide to make a difference in the lives of others. It starts with deciding to do it. Then, with a little planning, much soul-searching, , and a ton of stick-to-it-ness, we can do the thing.
That is what I decided to do with my blog. I decided to start fresh. I posted for years (2008-2013) as AJ Frey. I did quite well. Not famous level, but I was part of a community. There were people who were very intrigued by my book, Iron Thirst.  After a while though, I found it too hard to keep showing up. I sat it down, and I put my focus and determination towards other things. (Capoeira, actually.) We can do this. Sometimes we realize there is another area of our lives that needs our focus, and our priorities shift. This happens for both positive and negative reasons. Maybe, we just need a fresh start.

When I decided to embark on this adventure, I felt that this journey needed its own blog under a new name since this whole thing is about building my new identity. (However, as you can tell, I'll share a few posts from the old blog from time to time.)

Next post, I will talk about my top 10 areas that need a bit of improvement. In the meantime, keep the conversation going below.

What are you missing in your life? What do you want to do better?
What bad habit are you ready to replace with a better one?
Who do you want to be?

****Be sure to follow my new blog. MY NEW BLOG: A LIFE CREATED ***

Hello, Stranger!

I have recently started up a new blog. Please swing by and follow me there!

www.ajrhodesblog.wordpress.com

I figured I would stop by over here and share the first post.

Hi, my name is AJ Rhodes

Allow me to introduce myself.  I'm a barely domesticated mom of two, holding down a full-time job, and a life that is a bit disjointed at the moment. I'm an addict of self-help books and am full of great ideas on how to improve other people's lives, but struggle with my own.

Now, I haven't always been a total mess. At various times in my life, I have had my shit together: checkbook balanced, dedicated exercise routine, time for friends and passions, a rockstar at work, a healthy eater, clean house, well-adjusted kids - all of it. I wrote blogs and books. I showed up to writing conferences. I practiced capoeria. I was the queen of How Does She Do It.

Then, about two years ago, my husband and I split up. We split up the belongings, the bills, the time with the kids -- everything. Damn near 50/50. It was the right decision, but often times, right doesn't mean easy. It is a unique experience to go from doing half the stuff 100% of the time to doing 100% of the stuff 100% of the time. There were things that I had to learn, and things I am STILL learning. Despite not being properly prepared to deal with it, things would pop  up and scream, "Um, well you have to deal with it--- so suck it up!"

It was like learning how to juggle all over again. I quickly realized that I had to put a few things down and just start with the basics. Kids, Work, and Home - those were the three things I needed to focus on. I had to put down writing, capoeira, exercise breaks, time with friends, etc. I was in survival mode.

Once I had my arms wrapped around that a bit more, then I needed to work on healing. I did this is a very private space. Alone.

I am now ready to move to the next chapter. To create a life that I love. One that includes the things that are important to me. I would love for you to join me. Maybe it will help you get to that next level, too. My goal is to share my struggles, my accomplishments, my writing, and my soul in the hopes of touching others who struggle with similar issues. In future posts, I plan to share books, music, articles, recipes, life hacks, inspiration, humorous stories, and most importantly, my truth.

Welcome to  A LIFE CREATED...

Level Up Blogfest

Thank you to Mithrel Wisdom and Geek Banter for hosting the Level Up Blogfest. This is a great idea for blogfest. I didn't know what I wanted to write at first, but I knew I wanted to play.

I decided to take a look at what the phrase means to a writer, and I found a fun analogy. Hope you enjoy.

 ***

When you first start writing, you are not sure how to play the game. You've picked up the controller (the pen) and know that something is pulling you towards it. You want to explore it, see how you do. You press forward and as you come to obstacles, you have to learn how to leap. Oh, you get snagged by that first one, but you stand up, dust off, and try again.

As you navigate through the game, you gain experience. You get points for writing daily, points for editing, points for reading. Those things that once seemed so hard before, now are just tiny obstacles. It starts to become more difficult. Now you aren't just going through simple motions, you are attacking missions-- first draft, query letter, second draft, synopsis, third draft, agent, forth draft, publisher, fifth draft, readers. Each level a new mission.

Somewhere along the way, you realize that you can't beat it alone. You begin to search for other people on the same journey. A band of souls trying to survive each of those levels--just like you. You have to go into the vast web and find them, building a team. Next mission, blogging.

http://shirtoid.com/14324/coins-2/

 

Once again, experience becomes a virtue. You start with just trying to first find that one reader, and soon you are excited about your next milestone. The first 10, the first 50, the first 100! You keep playing, gaining more knowledge, more skills, better gear. Tricking out your blog with gadgets and banners. Proud of all your accomplishments. All those points are adding up, and your momentum feels unstoppable after you step into your first blogfest, which feels like a room full of treasure. 

You were unstoppable, but something shifts. You hit sluggish parts of the writing. You feel you have been stuck on one part for far too long. You consider giving up the game. Walking away from all of your work, away from all of your hours of dedication, away from what you once couldn't imagine being away from.

Should you put down the pen?

No. You don't. You keep trying. You may fall down into the same pit, over and over again. But you keep pressing, "play again." You push and push and you break through. You level up.
   
Image from anarchycamp.tumblr.com

Recycled: Inspiration in the Strangest Places

Writers are often asked where they get their inspiration. What led you to write that scene that changed my life forever? That moment when all the planets aligned and the readers saw that you had planned it from the very beginning. Was it divine intervention? Was it your love of research? A pivotal moment in your life?

Who knows? I am often surprised by what causes my best stuff to appear. It is normally a moment that is so inconsequential to every one around me, but yet, sends my poor little brain on a tailspin. A trivial little glance that balloons into an entire chapter. A scent that makes my typing fingers ache under the need to get it down before it leaks through my pores.

http://craniumbolts.blogspot.com/2009/09/tiny-iridescent-green-fly.html

One night, I was laying on the bed and working on a scene that was severely lacking. It needed something to give it depth. Something to show a sense of symbolism for how different this particular character sees the world. I gave up and moved on, knowing that I would come back to it later. I knew that if I try to force it, well – it will seem forced. And we don’t want that, now do we?

So as I moved on, I heard this buzzing--the very distinctive hum of a fly. I watched the annoying critter in his confusion of trying to locate the best place to sit. Have you ever really watched a fly? I swear it is like the perfect illustration of ADD. "I think I will sit here, oh wait, blinds." 

I slid from the bed and went to the kitchen to retrieve the flyswatter. I came back to find that he has disappeared. Now, I have played this game before. So instead of wasting my time – I sit down on the bed knowing that as soon as I begin concentrating the insect will begin his annoying song once more. He does not disappoint.

I ease from the bed and watch him as he dances from one surface to another, teasing me as he hovers over a surface and then takes flight once more. I track him like an avid hunter. He rests on the door frame. I lift the flyswatter mere inches from his little body, trying my damnedest not to disturb the air, and in a swift movement I flick my wrist and watch his lifeless body fall to the floor.

I do my victory dance and look up to see my husband staring at me like I have lost my mind. My only response is not to admit that I am crazy, and instead, sing a song about murdering this poor critter.

After I have celebrated my kill, I use the flyswatter to scoop up the stiff remains. When the fly is at eye level, I catch a glimpse of the insect in the light. I take a closer look to see how beautifully painted this insignificant little bug is. When you see a fly, they appear black and you never notice their iridescent wings, the green covering with  gold flecks, and the details of the gigantic eyes (better to see you with, my dear). And in this moment, I have found my answer. The death of a fly gave the depth to the character for which I was so desperately searching.

And if you ever read Iron Thirst, I hope when you reach that chapter you are not too distracted by the image of me chasing down a fly--ninja style.

WSW: Getting to Know Your Characters

 

I'm starting a new story. The characters and I are still in that honeymoon phase, where we still love each other, enjoy spending time together, and are really just getting to know one another. I sat down on Saturday and interviewed the love interest. He has been very reserved. Most of my male characters are not as open about their feelings. We started simple, such as what type of music do you like? After learning his style, it opened the door to the why, the bigger backstories that make him who he is and will help me write from his point of view.

The female was much easier. It was her personality that even brought me to the story. Sure, there are details that I need to flesh out, but I can clearly see her motives, logic, and patterns of speech.

So for today's Whatcha Say Wednesday, I'd love to know how you get to know your characters. Do you wait for them to speak to you or do you break out interrogation tactics? Is it a quick flash, possibly that even made you want to write the story?

Do you have a set method of quizzing your characters or is each one unique in how you meet?  Do you wait for inspiration, or do you put them in their costumes and settings, guiding them through the path?

Better yet, is this something that comes natural for you, or is this an area where you struggle?

Whatcha Say Wednesdays are for you. It's a chance to voice your opinion, share your knowledge, and interact with one another. Answer what speaks to you, and ignore the rest. But do tell—I’m quite curious. 

Meditation and the Writing

http://peacefulprosperity.com/

Life’s frustrations and issues are the biggest creativeblocks for me. I normally only write in the evening during the week, and by thetime I get home from the office—my brain is filled with blockage. The angryclient, the bizarre phone call, the search for the perfect babysitter are justexamples of the things that lodge themselves within the tunnel that allows theideas to flow to my keyboard. 

Many famous writers such as James Joyce, Edgar Allen Poe,and Ernest Hemingway are known for self-medicating with alcohol or othersubstances to help lubricate that flow of ideas. For many it is a way to shutoff the mundane chatter that goes on inside the head to allow the characters tobe heard.

“Do you drink?"
"Of course, I just said I was a writer.”
― Stephen King

“Write drunk; edit sober.”

-Ernest Hemingway

Though I am notaverse to drinking a glass of wine or two to shush out the day, I find that thebest way is to sit in a quiet place for ten minutes or so and just meditate.Meditation allows us to find those thoughts that are hiding beneath the pile ofproblems, excuses, and random brain chatter. Meditation can be much better thanalcohol for writing and for life in general due to the fact that meditation haszero calories, no side-effects, lack of a hangover, and it’s free. In fact,meditation is actually very good for your health and your spirituality.

Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet.

It’s a way of entering into the quiet that’salready there –

buried under the 50,000 thoughts 

the average personthinks every day.

– Deepak Chopra

If you arehaving trouble accessing your creativity, give yourself a ten minute break inthe silence or with soothing music, focus on your breath, dismissing all theother thoughts that are stifling your prose. Let your body relax, soothe yournerves, and calm your thoughts. When you find yourself alone with your breath,then just listen. The characters are there waiting to tell their story. Yourjob is just to write it down.

Whatcha Say Wednesday: Blank pages

Blinking cursors can be curses. They sit there, mocking you, staring you down. They tick and they tock, like the passing of the clock, relentlessly awaiting your brain to pull words from the air. How long do you stare at the flashing line before cracking open a browser and running off to find cute kitty pictures or articles on organizing pocket lint?

It has happened to all of us at some point. What do you do when you want to write and the words do not come?  Do you continue to stare? Do you have a time limit? Do you shut your computer and come back later? Do you chain yourself to the desk until you've made your word count quota for the day?

Whatcha Say Wednesdays are for you. It's a chance to voice your opinion, share your knowledge, and interact with one another. Answer what speaks to you, and ignore the rest. But do tell—I’m quite curious.

Three Beginnings: Writing, Iron Thirst, and Blogging

Below you will find my contribution to the Beginnings Blogfest, courtesy of L.G. Keltner over at Writing Off the Edge.

  ***

http://banoosh.com/2012/08/10/life-is-about-creating-yourself/

I didn’t grow up with visions ofbest seller lists dancing in my head. I had a wild imagination, but never madethe connections to becoming a writer. So it was quite the surprise to me when Ifinished the first three chapters of Iron Thirst (which was once IronObsession).

When I turned thirty, I startedtrying to “find” myself. Asking questions like – what is my purpose? Maybe itwas a third-life crisis (as opposed to mid-life, hope to make it past 60!),maybe it was the question of legacy – I don’t know. All I knew was that Ineeded answers.

I turned to God, and asked him.“Lord, I’ve been thinking. Trying to figure out the gifts that you gave me, andwhat you want me to use them for. Not to be rude, but I’m coming up short. I’mnot questioning you – ok, maybe a little. You seemed to be in a silly mood theday you picked my skills, because you put together some very odd choices andsome that I’m not sure that I could ever use in the real world.”

Here’s what I knew. I am an avidpeople-watcher. I enjoy watching how people relate to one another.  I canbe rather silly. I love to look at the world in new and unique ways, and pointthose out to others. I am empathetic to the point of ridiculousness. Seriously,why do I cry at cotton commercials? And with that comes the ability to putmyself in other people’s shoes. My imagination is a tad bit out of control (nomeds please). What “job” in this world could use these skills?? (If you knowthe answer, shh, don’t tell. She ain’t figured it out yet. That’s coming.)

So, off I went on my journey to“find” myself. Who would have thought that a kick-ass store in Decatur wouldhave the answer hanging on a wall? (Heliotrope, for the locals.) I walked inbrowsing, just killing time. Up on the wall was a print with the words thatwould slap me in the forehead. “Life is not about finding yourself. Life isabout CREATING yourself.”  “Hmmm,” was all I could say. I wanted thosewords. I wanted them tattooed on my backside, but knowing that I would want theworld to know them too – I decided against that. Running around mooning peopleis not my style.

One morning, I sat up in the bed andlooked at my doting husband and said, "Wouldn't it be cool if someonewrote a story about DragonCon? You know, playing on the idea that some of thefantasy exists there was actually real?" And instead of saying -"Woman, you're nuts!” he said, "That is a pretty cool idea."

I continued getting dressed and let the idea dance around a little more insidemy head. By the time I arrived at the office, I had pretty much laid out theoutline for the first chapter minus character names. When I arrived home thatafternoon, I read him chapter one. And so the journey began.

While working full time, going to school full time, and still being a prettydecent mother (who am I kidding, I rock!), I wrote the bulk of the novel inabout 4 months. The idea became much more than a book about DragonCon and morea love story that was plagued with obstacles while maintaining a humorous tone.My logic - laugh or the world will kill you. And in this story, oh does it try.

I had taken the message to heart. Notonly was I creating myself – I was creating other wonderful people and a worldfor them to live in. Their lives existed from my typing. The battles they facedrequired me to save them. They needed me, and I needed them. All that goofystuff, those unusable skills were suddenly so clear as to why I possessed them.And I’ve never felt closer to God than when I am writing.

I was very hush, hush about mywriting in the beginning. My husband knew what was going on. He watched mewrite, but beyond him, I didn’t tell a soul. I hid behind my keyboard at night– my dirty little secret.  I was terrified that if I said it out loud itwould stop. Or worse, people would think I flipped my skull. I mean – it wasjust a phase, right? Like marathon running, painting, or interpretive dance (ok– never did the last one, just making sure that you are paying attention.)

But it didn’t stop. I continued towrite, keeping my new passion hidden from the world. When I realized that thiswas more than just a fun past time – that it was a dream – I knew I would haveto go public. Come out of the writing closet. The book was nearly finished. Iwas halfway through act three. I made the leap and mentioned it to a friend atwork, and waited for the look. You know- THAT look, one eyebrow up, smirk,switch to dead-pan, “Oh, that’s nice.”

But it didn’t come. She was proud,excited, curious. Ok. Let’s try again.  New person. This one haddreams of being a writer and never made the leap. He had tons of questions ofhow to get started.  And as I continuedto share, I found more and more people who wanted to write, but didn’t knowwhere to start. So the blog was born.

So, three beginnings in one –how Ilearned I loved to write, how Iron Thirst came to fruition, and why the blogwas born.

So,tell me. How about you? Did you always want to be a writer? If you blog, whatmade you start? Did a character appear in the night, or did you mold them outof clay-slow and steady?

New Year Resolutions: Balança

Last year I failed to make resolutions. I was in an extremely happy place. Planning parties, hanging with friends, and, as mentioned previously, playing tons of capoeira. 

(Unfamiliar with capoeira? Click here)

I didn't feel the need to make any hefty goals to keep myself on track. For the first time, I felt, whole-heartedly, on track. I was playing capoeira on a regular basis, and weight was shifting automatically because of that. I was five months away from graduating college, and I felt very confident about the upcoming semester. I had become part of a community and was enjoying time with others, which in turn meant I was taking time for myself. All of my normal goals where in check. Everything was chugging along and taking care of itself. No need for resolutions.

That was last year.

In August, I moved with my family to Baltimore. To a place where I knew no one. To a place where going to capoeira was quite the trek, not a simple stroll. To a place where I was starting all over. A place where many things that once consumed my day, guided me on my happy little track, and moved me forward--they were no longer around. A place where, although I still had my family, I felt alone.

This year, I need the goals. I need motivation. I need to get my butt in gear. After the last six months of first trying to do it all, failing miserably, and then sulking because I am not Superwoman, I have got to come to peace with my new situation and get busy making the most of it.


In the beginning, I drove three times a week the 45 minute drive to DC to try to get to capoeira. I felt this was important since it had been a huge part of my life in Atlanta for the previous year. However this turned an 1.5 hour activity into a 3.5 hour adventure. So, I had to trim. And even at once per week, it is not enough to keep my activity level where it needs to be for consistent weight loss and the long drive makes becoming a part of the community so much harder.

This, strangely, is good for me. (Pollyanna strikes again) A chance to start fresh. I have a nasty little habit of going "all in", and abandoning other aspects of my life. READ HERE I had let self-doubt replace my writing, photography replace self-doubt, uncertainty to replace photography, capoeira to replace uncertainty, and now I'm in a place where I am starting fresh and struggling to find my footing.

Photo from http://tribesports.com/challenges

My New Years Resolution is simply this -- Balance.   

I want my life to be filled with family, friends, writing, capoeira, photography, yoga, spirituality, art, music, travel, and laughter. I want to learn new things and get better at what I've already explored. I want to make tons of new friends and visit my current ones. At the end of the upcoming year, when I am preparing for 2014, I want to feel that I have enjoyed the year the best I could have. I want to have a beautiful collection of memories.  That is what I want most in 2013.

There will be goals. I want to find a local group of writers, become more involved in the local capoeira group(s), continue to make my body healthier, learn Portuguese, finish a second novel, get Iron Thirst published, master my headstand, actually pull off a macaco, travel more, and many other things that I plan to jot down to hold myself accountable. But at the very top of that list, the most important thing of all, I want balance. I have learned stacking my entire existance on top of one activity leaves me in a vulnerable place. I have to share my skills and my time with all the things that I enjoy and love so that things don't slip away, but if they do--I have other things to fall back on.

Now to start making that long lists of wishes for the next year. I know going in that not all will be checked off. Some will sit on a list and be replaced with real life and new paths. And I am ok with that. What's the line? Shoot for the moon and land in the stars. Seems a decent enough anthem for 2013. So good luck to me. And good luck to you. And have a Happy New Year!

Do you feel your life has balance or do you struggle? Do you try to do it all or bury yourself in one interest? Have you written your New Years resolutions or are you winging it?

No Thanks, but I'll Tell Ya Why

I set off on the mission of querying a couple of months ago. I felt great about the condition of my manuscript, I had two versions of query letters, and was off to find agents that represent my genre. I sent off one or two at a time, spacing them out. I decided to query slowly.

I received a few no’s, but also received a few requests for partials. Let me tell you—that is an exciting yet terrifying experience. Sometimes I don’t know which I was more concerned with – the yes or the no. Am I ready for this?

But one of the most spectacular things happened. I received the mystical helpful rejection. The agent said he would pass, but he was very honest about exactly why. He offered advice to improve the manuscript. In the writing world, this is the next best thing to a yes. Wow!

Now, I will be honest. I read it just like I’ve read all of my initial critiques. The first time with my heart broken, the second time in denial, and then when I was ready – with my mind open.

I began planning the new direction for the book, taking his advice to heart. In my particular case, it involved trimming down the beginning and streamlining the initial plot. I chopped nearly seventeen pages out of the first fifty, adding more strategically placed cliffhangers to help pull the reader forward.

There were some really fun scenes that had to be pulled. It hurt to do so, but I believe it truly helped the story. And with this new beginning, the book reads more like a supernatural romance than the original urban fantasy that I had been trying to sell it as. A slight switch, but the reader can get a feel for what they are getting themselves into much quicker.

So, my fine penned friends, it pays to query slowly. Had I sent out a large chunk of letters, I would have burnt bridges with a version of a book that wasn’t where it needed to be. And like I said – I needed the advice of a professional to get it closer to perfection. Not to mention, I took it as a huge compliment that the agent took his time to give me advice.

If you are querying – query slowly. Give agents the time to review your work. Make changes, keep growing, and above all – don’t give up!

How’s your writing or querying going?

Cycles of a Busy Writer

I honestly believe that once you accept the ebbs and flows of the writing world, the happier you’ll be. When I first started writing it was all I did. It was an all consuming absorption that pulled me away from other things such as fresh air and laundry. (Not minding the laundry so much.) But then it felt like my well was empty. I was terrified that it was writer’s block, or that the 60K words would never be completed into a complete book.

I went on with my life, feeling guilty for every moment that I wasn’t writing. After about a month, I got the bug again and cracked open the manuscript. Within another two months, it was finished. I immediately dove into another WIP, and about a month after that my mom came to visit for an entire week. Once again, I felt guilty for not touching the book, but knew I’d feel even worse to ignore her to spend time with imaginary people. She left, and once again the well was dry.

A month later, edits. I dove back into original WIP and ripped it apart. Once that was done, I started a third WIP. Two months in, school became so overwhelming that I didn’t have time to write anything but the papers that were required of me, leaving me in another period of ignoring my writing to take care of life.

That’s how it happens. We only have so much time in the day, and we can’t do it all. Well, we can do a little of all of it, a lot of some of it, or be submerged in one thing. When I am submerged in writing, my house looks like it has been ransacked by villains, mail piles up into leaning towers, hanging laundry equals piling it on top of the chest in my room, and dust bunnies learn to hop and help themselves to the carrots in the fridge.

Then something happens—life. I’m normally pretty good at balancing family, school, work, and writing. But sometimes unforeseen circumstances (and heck, sometimes planned events) throw my schedule completely off kilter. This time it was a combination of finals, a car wreck, and the removal of a wisdom tooth. No one was hurt in the car wreck, but it did total my car, leading me to car shopping and negotiating with insurance companies. However, the wisdom tooth was a great deal more pain than I had expected, and the meds were not the best for concentrating on writing. Just sayin. Any of these alone, and I probably would have continued plugging away at the newest WIP and the pile of revisions for Iron Thirst, but combined forget it. I lost.

In the past, I would let the guilt eat at me. But I have been doing this long enough that I have learned to trust that I will come back. I will write again. Stopping in order to catch up on life doesn’t mean that I have flaked, it means that other things require my attention more. Then once all is taken care of (including my own sanity), I can continue.

If you are the type of writer that has a full time job and other responsibilities, give yourself permission to stop and take breaks to make sure the rest of your life is not falling down. Writing can become an obsession, and you have to know when to stop long enough to make sure that you are nourishing your relationships, paying your bills, and cleaning--I don’t know--something. (Preferably before you stop showering, the electricity gets cut off, and your dog packs up and leaves.)

You have to be confident in your writing and the ebbs and flows of a writer’s cycle. They are different for each of us. Trust your instincts, and don’t be so hard on yourself if you need a week or two off. But do come back to it. That is key. The book will forgive you when you come back with an invigorated breath and a fresh vision, but it will not forgive if it’s left to collect dust, because you feel that it’s just too hard.

As for me, I wrapped up the line edits for Iron Thirst, and now I’m going to continue my little hiatus in order to put myself back in a good place. After my house and home life is back in order and I find that fresh vision (normally tucked at the bottom of either a great book or warm cup of coffee), then I will embark on the next writing journey. I think next on my list is to pick up either Craving Copper or The Fate Thieves, which have been in time out for a while. They are ready for some TLC. My most recent WIP, The Hunting Moon, is ready to take a little nap so it can work some things out. Two characters are fighting for the role of co-star. Iron Thirst has been fully revised, and is ready to be queried once I am mentally ready to embrace the no’s.

I pray that one day I can give my life to my writing. But until that day comes, I have to share my time with the many hats that I wear. And I’m ok with that. Because I would rather write a little – than not be able to write at all.

So, how do you juggle all that life throws at you and maintain your writing schedule? Do you allow yourself to take mental breaks? How do you motivate yourself to go back to your writing when the break is done?

Randomly Delicious & Blogfest: First Pages

Tomorrow is the last day for the The Keep It Going Contest. Post a comment tallying your entries. Add to the story if you have time. There are multiple ways to win. Don't miss out. Act now. Supplies are limited. Wait,what were we talking about? Oh, yea - sorry, I was momentarily possessed by an infomercial. I'm better now.

BLOGFEST!! Yay!!  Kelly over at Kelly's Compositions has come up with a wonderful idea for a blogfest. As she says, in most blogfests we post excerpts from the middle of our novels. This is a great opportunity to start in the beginning.

This is perfect timing, because I've been thinking about beginnings. This week I started a new WIP, a YA paranormal. And as I tweeted last night (FOLLOW ME), I've had to remind myself not to stress about the beginning in the beginning, because I write a better beginning in the end. That's the only nugget of wisdom that I can share today. Beginning a new WIP, always leaves me feeling quite humbled and terrified. It's like a first date. Is this the one? Do I want to spend all my free time with these characters, this plotline? Is there a better one out there for me? Is this the best for me now? But the answer is quite simply, you'll never know unless you try. Tell the voice of doubt to shut the hell up, and write your heart out.

Back to blogfest. I'm pulling this from my finished WIP, Iron Thirst. The novel has two beginnings: prologue and chapter 1. This excerpt is from chapter 1 where we meet Felicity Johnson. Hope you enjoy.

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Who knew two tiny fangs could be so hard to find? I bought the pair nearly five months ago, and I specifically remember thinking to put them somewhere that I could find them. My room is a complete and utter disaster. I have been through every drawer, emptying the contents onto my bed in search for the last thing needed to complete my costume. I can’t be a vampire without fangs.

            I plop down on the bed, and close my eyes. Where did I put them?

            “Bathroom, second drawer, along with the red contacts,” I say aloud to the ceiling.

             I leap from the bed. Christian will be here any minute, and I want him to see the complete look. I slide open the drawer, and there they sit. I can’t believe I forgot the contacts too. They set me back nearly a hundred bucks.

            I insert the teeth, and begin trying to attach the colored plastic to my eyeballs. I should’ve waited on the eye makeup. I run back to my closet to grab shoes.

Zipping up the knee-high leather boots, I stop by the mirror for one last look. The struggle was well worth it. My eyes glow a bright crimson with black around the edges, as if the fire inside has burnt the curved periphery. I bounce my palm off the spikes of my black pixie wig. The menacing grin is complete with two sharp fangs over my scarlet red lips that look poised to wreak havoc amongst the unsuspecting city of Atlanta.

            Well, the town won’t be that unsuspecting, considering the rest of the people at DragonCon will also be dressed in costumes ranging from Star Trek to Night of the Living Dead.

As I darken the shadows under my eyes to give myself the true undead look, the doorbell rings. I slide down the banister to get to the door--safer than taking the stairs in these boots.

I fling the door open, and there he stands. We both let out a scream and begin cackling at each other. Christian is a yicky-ucky zombie, complete with a tattered, stained, once-white shirt, suspenders, and pants that look as if they had been buried. His normally perfect hair is dirty and a total mess. His skin is painted a weird grayish green, and his mouth is bloodstained. No one would recognize this scary critter as my clean-cut best buddy.

 “Felicity Johnson, you look a-freakin-mazing. I would have never thought that you, of all people, could pull this off.”

I should be offended, but he is quite right. Everyday “me” is not sexy, not scary, and definitely not a vampire.