Tips to Stay BICHOK: Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard

There are days that I don't want to write. I never know when they're going to happen or why. But they do happen and I have to force myself to sit down and write instead of acting on my impulse to run away to the hills and play with my friends. Here are some ways I stay BICHOK which might help you as you struggle with writing on the dark days or the sunny days or the "gee I really don't feel like writing" days.

1. Set a timer. Oh, what a love-hate relationship I have with my microwave timer. Still, it works. Like a charm. I set my timer for one hour. I am not allowed to leave the chair during that time unless a tornado siren blares. Even if all I write is one sentence, I have written it. It works. My daily goal is 3-4 hours of writing/revising/staring at the blank screen and bashing my head against the keyboard. It works. Sometimes it feels like forever until the timer beeps. But sometimes I find the timer's beeping a huge intrusion. Either way, I get words written and the story moves forward.

2. 100x100. This is a great way to generate words on a daily basis if you have a lot of other life factors interfering with your writing. Write 100 words for 100 days. That's a lot of words. That's like almost a story! Right? Write! Try it.

3. A very wise soul once told me that just touching the manuscript counts. In other words, don't walk away for days and expect to come back full throttle with new words. Your head has to be in the game or your characters fade. The story fades. And your enthusiasm fades. We all get stuck. The trick is figuring out how to get unstuck. On bad writing days, I tell myself, just look at the work in progress. Read over it. Revise one piece. Play with a new sentence structure. Brainstorm a scene. Anything to get those creative juices flowing. It's what I have always told the College Kid: think with your pencil in your hand. It makes a difference. Really. Try it!

4. Reward yourself. Anyone who knows me has heard about my typing for quarters which I totally took from Kelly Stone's workshop and embellished. She's awesomeness in the motivation of writing business. I love everything she has taught to me about staying in the chair. Here's the biggest thing: a writer paid herself a quarter per page so she'd meet her writing goals. Me? I take it a step more. Well, honestly, I have run the distance with this one. I pay myself a quarter for every hour I spend in the chair, for working out because a healthy writer is a strong writer, for every goal I check off my writing to-do list be it writing a blog, sending a query letter, pumping up my social media presence (more about that later). Those quarters add up!! I made a pretty tin, got a roll of quarters (I have added to the quarters over time), and every time I make a goal I drop a quarter into the tin. When the quarters are gone, I buy them back with $20 and $10 bills which go into a box in my office (be warned would be thieves-I have an Attack Cat and a security system). I pay for my conference fees and contests and other such writerly stuff with my accrued funds. It works for me! Might work for you. (Just don't tell the Physicist that I raided his change basket once because I thought he owed me a few quarters--make of it what you will).

5. Plan for a break. Tell yourself that you can take one day off a week to rejuvenate your mind and soul. Play. Have fun. Talk about real life stuff and not the people in your head. Meet new people. Go to a movie. Read a great book. Call a friend. Just give yourself permission to relax.

These tips work for me. Maybe they might work for you. Do you have any other ways to add to my "Bichok" advice? Leave a comment and share!

Retro Blog: The Outside World Presses In-First Aired April 22, 2013

I signed my first publishing contract with Entangled Publishing's INDULGENCE line a little over a month after I wrote this blog. The only thing that has changed since I went from being an unpublished writer to an author with a contract is that I have real deadlines. The demons are still here. The questions and doubts still surface. The job is still very solitary which, for an extrovert such as myself, can be difficult. How can we overcome these realities? Read on:

Writing is a solitary profession. Period. Yes, we can meet with our writing colleagues at meetings and gather at conferences, but for the most part we act alone. No one can write our books for us. No one can revise our first drafts for us. And no one can force us to query or submit even when we are filled with doubts about achieving our goals.

Published or unpublished, we all fight demons. For the published authors there are real deadlines. That's great. Puts a fire under one's bottom and presses that author to work.

But me? No one is waiting for me to meet any deadlines right now. So I have to set my own deadlines which, to be honest, have been shifting daily due to outside world pressure and different expectations of myself as a writer.

I'm working hard, but real life has pressed in and I've had to fight for my writing time. Occasionally, I have to surrender to the outside pressure because it's immediate and important and intrinsic to the well-being of my family. And every interruption to my schedule impacts my ability to get back in the chair and diligently pursue a publication career.

And then there are my own demons. Personal ones that every writer, published and unpublished, struggle with all the time. Am I good enough? Have I really got what it takes to write well and write much? Did I say no to an opportunity only to lose the one chance I might have had to be published? Did I start too late? Is the story I'm working on right now good enough? Am I wasting my time? Am I wasting my family's time? Will I ever get paid for sitting here at this computer for hours on end to generate stories and ideas and more?

Do I care about the answers to these questions? Of course I care. However, I live in a delusional, imaginary world so I propose my own answers to these questions all the time. I need to otherwise I might quit. And if I quit, I reject myself.

Here are my answers: I become a stronger writer every time I sit down to write. I am a self-motivated and self-disciplined person who has the drive to work hard and work smart. There's more than one way to get published, and I'm not shy about looking down every avenue. I have a wealth of experience to draw from whenever I sit down to write a story. My current story will become better as I continue to revise it and mold it into shape. If I am happy doing what I am doing, the time I put into it doesn't matter. My family is proud of my endeavors and they support me just as I am proud of their endeavors and support them. I will get paid for generating these stories because I have a plan of action which I am actively pursuing every day.

How do you beat back the world pressing in? How do you fight the demons of doubt and despair?

Today, in 2014, the questions have changed a little, but my worries are about the the first book I've sold. I don't even care about the money part of this book selling. I care about reaching an audience of readers and my story resonating with them. I hope that I will touch a person's life in a positive way. I care about the characters in THE MAVERICK'S RED HOT REUNION. I love their struggle to find each other and discover home. And if their struggle to deserve each others' love and their ultimate happily-ever-after creates a deep connection with readers, then that is a measure of the heart of the story.

On this day I still answer my questions and fears and doubts much the same way. 

I become a stronger writer every time I sit down to write. I am a self-motivated and self-disciplined person who has the drive to work hard and work smart. I have a wealth of experience to draw from whenever I sit down to write a story. My current story will become better as I continue to revise it and mold it into shape. If I am happy doing what I am doing, the time I put into it doesn't matter. My family is proud of my endeavors and they support me just as I am proud of their endeavors and support them. I will get paid for generating these stories because I have a plan of action which I am actively pursuing every day.

And because I am willing to open my heart and share an emotional journey with my readers,  my stories will resonate in their hearts, too.

How do you answer the questions you have today as a writer?

College Kid's in the House: Time to Have Fun

Hey Y'all, it's Spring Break!!! I'm so excited because the CK is home for the week and we are having a blast. We're shopping, going over my website design, and generally making mischief. She's a great girl and I cherish every minute I have with her.

And she's a big part of why I have the courage to write my stories. The CK is a brave, wonderfully talented, take it on the chin and get up again kind of girl. I guess you could say she's a Spunky Kid with a big heart. The girl is on fire and I love her energy, enthusiasm for life and the world around her.

Remember that no matter how important we think our work is that cherishing our families and our friends is far more important. At the end of my days, I hope that this is the lesson that my girl carries forward.

Who do you cherish? What crazy, fun things do you do together? If there was one person you could talk to again from your world, a family member or dear friend, who would that person be? For me it would be my Oma. I miss her. She was a Spunky Kid, too!

From My Pinterest Recipe Board: Tried It & Liked It

The Physicist and I are on a "life transformation" plan. This means we're trying a lot of new recipes, eating less red meat, and exercising more. I wish I could say the pounds are sliding off, but they aren't. However, I feel so much better and part of the reason is the great new recipes I've found and tried on Pinterest.

Here's recipe I pinned on my recipe board that was wonderfully created by the Shugary Sweets blog.

Santa Fe Peppers

Ingredients

3/4 lb ground turkey breast (I used a pound and it came from the 4 pack at COSTCO--love it!)

1 1/2 Tbsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt (optional)

I can (28 oz) Crushed Peppers

1 can (15.25 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15.5 oz) sweet corn, rinsed and drained

3 cups Jasmine Rice cooked (I made 2 cups brown rice and only used 1 cup)

8 fresh Sweet Red Peppers (I had the 6 pepper multi-colored red/yellow/orange pack from COSTCO and they were awesome--had leftover stuffing)

1 cup reduced fat Colby Jack cheese (I used reduced fat Mexican blend cheese shredded)

2 green onions, sliced

Instructions/Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Wash peppers and slice the tops of each pepper, remove the seeds. Stand each pepper up next to each other in a large baking dish (13x9 if you have 8--slightly smaller if you have 6)

2. In a large skillet brown ground turkey until fully cooked, drain and return to skillet. Add cumin, salt, tomatoes, black beans and corn. Simmer about 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile cook rice (I cooked mine first--it would also be a great way to use leftover rice).

4. Add cooked rice to skillet (start with a half cup and go from there--this recipe makes loads of filling) and combine completely. Remove from heat and fill each pepper with the mixture. Cover dish with foil and bake for about 40-45 minutes. Remove foil and top with cheese. Bake an additional five minutes until melted. Remove from oven and sprinkle with green onion pieces. Serve and enjoy.

Man, y'all this stuffed pepper recipe was A HUGE HIT and I absolutely will make it again. I think it is good for when company's coming and it's easy on the wallet. Give it a try and let me know what you think about it. And check out the Shugary Sweets blog for more recipes. This gal can cook!!

Oh, and after you're finished eating this yummy meal, come see me on Pinterest and check out my favorite heroes and heroines over here.