My Road to Freedom

Organize Your Space and Mind

Life, Organization, Prioritizing Your Time 8 Responses »

Nov 072011

Are you one of those people that can’t create unless your mind is clear and relaxed? What a coincidence – me too! This is why I spend a lot of time organizing my work space and my home. I want to be as productive as possible. Here are some organizational tips that have worked for me and may work for you.

1. You know that pile of paper you have sitting on your desk? Go through it and dump what you don’t need right now. Do it! If you don’t, you’ll have a bigger pile waiting for you next week. Think paperless.

2. Check off all of the unread messages in your e-mail account at once and delete them all. Each morning, read and respond to the messages that matter and delete the ones that don’t. Unsubscribe from e-mail lists you care nothing about. This will keep your e-mail inbox under control. At one point I had over 1600 unread e-mail messages. I tried this and now I get about 50 messages a day, which I look through and delete first thing in the morning, which makes me feel as though I’ve accomplished something huge!

3. Do you know what you spend your time on? For a single day log how you’re spending your time hour by hour. Create a pie chart to identify your time wasters. Now eliminate them.

4. Every week spend time filing all of your bills and important papers in your file cabinet.

5. Go through your magazines. What you can’t or don’t have time to read, toss. Pull out clippings of the stuff you think is important. Scan them, create pdf’s and organize them by subject in folders on your computer. Throw out all clippings once scanned.

6. Back up your computer every week. Trust me, if you work on your computer, you should back up your ish every week. This is especially important for writers. Backing up is a way of life for us. If you don’t have an external HD, look for an online place to back up your files or e-mail your files to yourself just in case. You never know. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

7. If you’re anything like me, then you keep a lot of stuff, even product guides. They are the bane of my existence, but I refer to them often so I can’t toss them. I thought about scanning, but it was too much, so mine lived in a drawer for a very long time. Big mistake! Here’s what I did to organize that mess:

Step 1: Tossed all guides in other languages.
Step 2: Organized the guides I kept by subject.
Step 3: Utilized large plastic zip-locking bags.
Step 4: Slapped a label on each bag and stuffed them with the appropriate product guides.
Step 5: Got a bin and put the zip-locking bags inside.
Step 6: Labeled the bin “Product Guides” for easy reference.
Step 7: Stashed them in my closet and out of my way.

8. Designate blocks of time in the day to get things done. Try not to spend more than a few hours at a time on anything. You could burn yourself out and not want to do anything else and that would suck.

9. Everything has a place. If you take something out, put it back in the same place by the end of the day.

10. Take time to take care of yourself and your family: exercise, laugh, sleep. Do things that are good for you and you’ll be your best and most productive self.

I recently finished reading, The Productive Writer by Sage Cohen. It’s excellent and tackles a lot of the issues us writer’s face while trying to organize our “writing life.” There are several detailed and clear-cut examples to follow. Cohen’s advice is practical and makes sense. I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to other writers.

If you’re drowning in clutter, then check this video out and follow the one-minute rule:

I am so going to read The Happiness Project soon.

Have a happy and productive writing week y’all. 🙂

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The Wii: An Endangered Species

Electronics, Fun, Humor, Life, Parenting, Prioritizing Your Time 6 Responses »

Oct 262011

This is the true tale of one Wii’s survival against all odds.

Call me Wii. I was developed by Nintendo back in 2006. Wii’s come in many colors; I am white, classic, original. Over my lifetime, I have been touched, poked, and pushed by many hands, but most dangerously, a few weeks ago by a three-year-old. He found a jar of pennies and decided that I was a piggybank. He stuffed the coins inside and his parents did not notice. So there it sat; the copper coin destroying my insides like a cancer. For some reason my agonizing pain wasn’t apparent. A few days later, they caught their son red-handed, stuffing pennies inside of me again! They picked me up and shook. The newly inserted coins fell out. Woo-hoo! It felt good until they stuck it in – a disk! I felt it grind against my bones. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! You should’ve seen the looks on their faces when I made that sound. They were frightened, scared of the repair fees. They ejected the disk and contemplated what it could be: a scratched eye, a twisted piece of metal? And then it hit them, what if there were more coins stuck inside?! Bingo. They shook me again. I rattled and they knew.

Let’s fast forward to two weeks later when a package of tri-screw drivers arrived in the mail.

Yes, I was saved! With the mom’s laptop on hand showing her how to open and repair a Wii, she went to work on me like a surgeon removing a tumor. To view the youtube video she used, please click here.

For two hours, I watched her every move: a screw here, a screw there, a pad lifted, my insides opened.

Under the metal, in the drive was a lone penny trapped inside. She maneuvered it out and I was saved. She put me back together again and turned me on. I worked!

It was worth the painful two-hour surgery just to be able to work again.

Parents: protect us Wii’s. We are a fragile bunch. Put us somewhere high where three-year-olds can’t reach. Thank you.

This cautionary tale was brought to you by electronics everywhere. Please protect them, even from your own children, especially from your children.

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Third Campaign Challenge – Hannah’s Tomatoes

Campaign, Writing 31 Responses »

Oct 182011

It’s time for R. Harrie’s third campaign challenge and here are the rules:

Write a blog post in 300 words or less, excluding the title. The post can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc. The blog post should show:

that it’s morning,

that a man or a woman (or both) is at the beach

that the MC (main character) is bored

that something stinks behind where he/she is sitting

that something surprising happens.

My piece is just under 300 words. YES! Check it out:

Hannah’s Tomatoes

Hannah sits on a bench; knees bent, feet firm on the seat. Sweat drips down the small of her back as tiny wet beads form on her upper lip. She brushes them away and breathes in the sticky air. There is a smell; familiar, but pungent. A dead rat maybe? Ah, the joys of North Avenue Beach. She coughs and unscrews the cap from her bottle. The water rushes down her throat, a short relief from the heat. Sweat drips from her hands. She presses them against her head and slicks down the loose strands of hair. She picks at a piece of skin hanging from her fingernail as a slight breeze presses against her body. He is walking towards her, the blur of a boy folded into the distance of the hazy sun. The closer he gets, the harder her heart beats. When he is near, she stands up. He paces towards her disturbing the morning dust with each step.

They walk off the concrete walkway into the sandbank. Her toes sink in. The gritty grains brush against the pads of her feet. Dirty, orange-colored mountains form along the sides of her heels.

They set their towels down and run towards the edge of the pier. She crashes into the water. Bing. The clasp of her bikini top flies open for all the world to see. Her face reddens like a tomato. Now two tomatoes are hanging out. She pulls her top shut trying to push one side of the clasp into the other, but it’s pointless. The thing is busted. With a hand across her chest, she runs from the water, leaps down, snatches the towel from the sand, and wraps it around her body. She shouldn’t have done that cannonball after all.

Thanks for reading!

I am #46 on the linky list if you feel so inclined to vote for me. You can place your vote for any of the entries at Rachael Harrie’s Third Campaigner Challenge blog post.

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Nathaniel Hawthorne – A Writer’s Writer

A Writer's Writer, Favorite Authors, Inspiration 9 Responses »

Oct 112011

We’re having unseasonably warm weather in Chicago right now, which makes me think of this past summer and my time in Boston.

While in Boston my family and I took a day trip to Salem. Why Salem? Well, because of Nathaniel Hawthorne of course. It’s where The House of the Seven Gables is located and I just had to go. Turns out, it was pretty amazing!

Here’s what I remember from the tour:

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s father died when he was just five years old. After his death, Hawthorne’s mother struggled to make ends meet and turned to her family for help.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a shy child often keeping to himself, and as he grew, so did his desire for writing. He always had a writer’s spirit.

He stayed holed-up in his room in this house and wrote. His mother and two sisters kept his writing secret as they knew how important it was to him. His mother believed in him so much that she would bring dinner up to his room so that he could continue to write without interruption. Even though he had some support around him, he never thought any of the work he produced was any good. Sound familiar?

Hawthorne’s uncle pressured him to go to college and he did go, but he hid his desire to be a writer. Choosing to be a writer wasn’t necessarily received with open arms back then either.

But he continued on and wrote two very famous books in classic American literature – The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables among other things.

And that’s what I think it means to have a writer’s spirit. He always had the desire to write despite the odds against him. He could’ve quit at any time. Many people probably would’ve, but for whatever reason, he didn’t and I think that’s kind of remarkable. To me, he is a true writer’s writer.

If you’re ever in Salem and you’re interested in Hawthorne, I say visit The House of the Seven Gables and Hawthorne’s childhood home. You will not be disappointed.

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Frankly my dear, I’m going a little crazy

Life, Writing 10 Responses »

Oct 042011

I’ve recently re-written my chapter synopsis and changed the storyline for my middle grade novel. This means I am in the middle of a major overhaul. I am cutting, pasting, re-writing, and adding in new bits of information. Trust me when I say, it’s for the best.

My MG novel is in pieces and it’s making me anxious. I’m second guessing and editing when I should be writing. I feel like I’m walking the line between sanity and insanity, between being normal one minute and then sputtering some bizarre thought out loud, when such thoughts should remain unsaid, between wanting to sleep and worrying.

Who knew that such an undertaking could lead to madness? Okay, maybe I knew. I was warned. I knew the signs, but the descent into madness is a slow one, easily missed if you aren’t paying attention and I wasn’t paying attention. So here I am.

I’ve completed my chapter synopsis, character analysis, and my two-sentence pitch. I started writing my proposal. I’m gathering lit agent information. I write and read every day.

I’m not worried about getting it all done. I know myself. I know I’ll get it done. I always do. I just need to relax.

Now, how do I do that?

I normally…

1. Sit in silence.
2. Breathe deep.
3. Drink a hot cup of coffee.
4. Eat candy, cheese, or nuts.
5. Read.
6. Shop.
7. Vent.
8. Go to the movies.
9. Sing songs to my son.

And if all else fails,

10. I make myself a drink.

Share with me how you did it. What are some ways you all relaxed through the novel writing process?

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The Supportive Boomerang

Connecting, Motivation, Supportive 9 Responses »

Sep 292011

Good supporters will lift you up; have your back, stand up for you, and root for you to succeed. They will be on the sidelines pushing you to race faster and harder until you win. They’ll encourage you to dig deeper and do better. They will be upset and disappointed if you fail. They’ll encourage you to dust yourself off, pick yourself, and fight until you reach the finish line. They’ll remind you of where you came from and who you are. They believe in you that much. Now that’s good support.

It’s wonderful to have supporters. It makes you feel alive and relevant, important even. Sometimes these supporters will be family members, friends, or strangers. Whoever they are in your life, don’t ever let them go. They will be with you for the long haul.

Do you have this kind of support? If not, ask yourself, do you give this kind of support to others? Now ask yourself how you do that.

Do you ask your supporters how they’re doing and are genuinely interested in the answer? Do you follow them on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and whatever the hottest social networking site is at the moment? Do you ask them how their WIP is going? Do you read and comment on their blogs? Do you buy your supporters books, artwork, literary journals, and magazines? Do you believe they do good work? Do you spread the word about them on your blog? If you do, bravo! You are a great supporter. If not, well, you may have some work to do. I know I do.

In the meantime, be supportive to others, build them up, and teach them what you know because the truth is you get what you give. Things in life tend to have a boomerang effect.

Doesn’t matter who you are, everybody needs and wants support. There is room for everybody to be successful.

I owe my supporters a huge thank you, so THANK YOU! You know who you are and you are all golden.

My new motto is to be as supportive as I can to others.

When was the last time you thanked somebody for their support?

I want to give special thanks to Tegan Pratt for supplying these awesome images for my blog. As always, these images do not belong to me, so please do not use them without her permission. To view more of her work, please visit: http://trpratt.com.

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Second Campaigner Challenge

Campaign, Connecting, Fun, Writing 41 Responses »

Sep 222011

It’s time for the second campaigner challenge via Rachael Harrie’s blog.

Here are the rules:

Write a blog post in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, but the blog post should include the word “imago” in the title and also include the following words: miasma, lacuna, oscitate, and synchronicity. For an added challenge (to be included in the word count) make reference to a mirror. For a greater challenge, make your post exactly 200 words.

Here is mine:

Her Imago

A gasp of air, a beating heart, and a flushed face; these are the signs of a broken girl.

She crashed onto the floor. There was a buzzing in her head followed by silence.

They met when she was a child. She’d known him her whole life. The lacuna between them was immense and uncomfortable. Most days she would dream about the father she wanted, but today all she could focus on was the floor needing a good scrub; a hands and knees job.

She tried to ignore the past, but the miasma was too much now. It was time to go.

There were rules she had in order to keep herself sane: a sharp focus on logarithms, the latest Hollywood gossip, and exercise. They always calmed her down.

Her bedroom was a prison. She looked in the mirror and oscitated. The phone rang. It was her mother asking her to move back in. The synchronicity of events amazed her.

Tomorrow she would leave. In a few years, she would be out of her house too and under her own rule.

She crawled into bed and fell asleep counting down the days towards freedom.

Thanks for reading!

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When Books Trump Magazines: One Woman’s Quest to Read Everything & Other Stuff

Uncategorized 8 Responses »

Sep 162011

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I used to be one of those writers that never found the time to read books. No, it’s true. I would write, revise, write, revise, and wonder why my stories weren’t turning out quite how I wanted them to. I soon realized that it was because I never read books! Books do more than entertain, they teach.

Not to worry though, I’m reading again and making up for lost time. My goal this year is to read at least forty books and I’m more than halfway through. Next year, my goal will be eighty. As I’m trying to reach my novel reading goal, I’ve noticed that I’ve been neglecting one of my favorite pastimes – reading magazines. That used to be my thing. I used to be all about magazines. I still am, but my time has recently been occupied by reading novels, articles, and blogs. This is in addition to re-writing and revising my short stories and novel while spending time with my family.

What’s a writer to do? I’m not so sure. I was thinking that I could dedicate one big block of time once a week to reading magazines, but I’ll have to test that out.

What’s on the roster?

1. The New Yorker
2. National Geographic Traveler
3. Prevention Magazine
4. Writer’s Digest
5. Chicago Magazine
6. Good Housekeeping
7. Entertainment Weekly

And I’m thinking of subscribing to The Technology Review. That’s a lot for me to read considering that some of these magazines come in weekly. When do you fit in time to read your glossies?

In other news, I got two awards. One was the Liebster award from Marie of First Draft Café. Thanks Marie!

“The basic idea of the Liebster Blog Award is to showcase bloggers with less than 200 followers.” When you get the award, you keep the love going by giving it to 5 3 other bloggers (I’ve changed this to three) who have less than 200 followers.”

Here are the bloggers I’m passing the award along to:

1. Brittany of http://www.hillsandcorkscrews.com/ @Brittany1159
2. Roger Eschbacher of http://thenovelproject.blogspot.com/ @RogerEschbacher
3. Dawn M. Hamsher of http://thewritesoil.blogspot.com/ @DawnMHamsher

The other award was the Versatile Blogger award (which I’ve gotten before) from Elizabeth Varadan of Elizabeth Varadan’s Fourth Wish. Thank you!

The rules for award recipients of the Versatile Blogger award are as follows:

1. Thank the person who gave it to you and link back to them.
2. Tell seven things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 1 (I’ve changed this to one) recently discovered blogs and let the blogger know.

I was recently tagged to reveal 10 random facts about myself, so I’m going to skip telling seven new things about myself. If you’re into learning 10 random things about me (and I know you are :p) you can read all about me here.

If you’ve read this far, you’ve probably noticed that I changed the number of bloggers to give these awards to. Why? Because even though I appreciate getting blog awards, I just don’t have the time to seek out twenty plus bloggers that don’t already have these awards. Also, I need to spend more time on my current WIP’s.

I pass this award onto the following blog owner:

1. Ashley Davis of http://www.voyagewriter.com/category/on-writing/ @ashleywrite

I wanted to leave you all with this awesome video I saw today:

Now back to my regularly scheduled novel. 🙂

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Ten Random Facts

Campaign, Chicago, Connecting, Fun, Life 17 Responses »

Sep 132011

I got tagged by Allie Wilde to provide ten random facts about myself. Thank you Allie! So without further ado, here they are:

1. I am Polish and Puerto Rican, but I don’t speak Polish or Spanish fluently.

2. My first real rock show (without my parents) was as @ The Metro in Chicago when I was fifteen. I saw Face to Face and I’ve been addicted to music and shows ever since.

3. I lived in Krakow, Poland for a small period of time in my twenties. I miss hot wine in barrels and random conversations around the square.

4. I got married at The Society for Arts, a Polish gallery on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago to one of the coolest, most interesting people I have ever met.

5. I believe that Puerto Rico is paradise on earth.

6. I want to live out the rest of my days with my husband and son in Barcelona, Spain.

7. I sometimes have violent, end of the world dreams. When I wake up, I have to look out the window just to make sure everything is as it was the day before.

8. I am a serious coffee person. I like to drink it hot or cold at all hours of the day.

9. I haven’t eaten a hamburger in over fourteen years.

10. I can’t write unless my house is in order. It’s a focus thing.

That’s me in a nutshell. Thanks for reading. 🙂

I want to thank Allie for tagging me, and now I’m going tag a few fellow writers of my own.

Tag, it’s your turn to give some random facts about yourself: Kathleen Isaac aka Grillyfish, Beth Kemp, Katharina Gerlach, and T.B.McKenzie.

*Please note that with the exception of the Barcelona pic which I took, none of the other images belong to me. I have linked the images back to their original owners.

Have a great day everybody. 🙂

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First Campaign Challenge Submission

Campaign, Writing 51 Responses »

Sep 062011

It’s Rachael Harrie’s first campaign challenge. Here are the rules: Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “The door swung open” These four words will be included in the word count. If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), use the same beginning words and end with the words: “the door swung shut.” Also included in the word count. For those who want an even greater challenge, make your story 200 words EXACTLY!

Here is my entry, which is exactly 200 words btw. Check it out below:

The door swung open. She was surrounded by the most beautiful things. Rows upon rows of books with classic spines lined up against each other, standing on dark wooden bookcases affixed to the walls behind them. There were four tables in the middle which formed a perfect square and in the center, the marble bust of an unknown man. A bulbous pencil sharpener sat in the corner and on each table was an orange colored lantern, which brightened up the space on the dullest of evenings. It was the most wondrous library she had ever seen. It was the room in his house she wished she owned, but felt blessed to be invited to.

His world consisted of this newly inherited house from his mother who recently passed, of leather bound books with golden pages, of luck. She let her hand pass against the hardbacks, smooth, then lumpy until she found a thin one with a red, leather spine; The Velveteen Rabbit.

She flipped through it. The scent of old passed through her nostrils, of experience, of regret. Oh yes, she was in heaven.

“Lunch?” he called out.

As she made her way towards the exit, the door swung shut.

–

Thanks for reading!

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