Where to Write

Photo credit: Luis Llerena via unsplash.com

More than twenty years ago, I left a full-time job as a school counselor in one district to take a part-time job as a school counselor in a neighboring district. A foreshadowing of decision that I'd make nearly twenty years later, it was the first step in pursuing my dream of writing for publication.

Actually, it was my sister who suggested that I use my newfound day off to write. Aside from her family and her own writing, it was one of the best ideas she ever had.

At first, I wrote at the dining room table in our apartment. To call it a "dining room" is generous; our scarred table and chairs took up most of the space in the eating area off the kitchen, but there was enough room for me and my word processor. I wrote articles for magazines, submitting them (unsolicited) to editors and receiving many rejection letters, but the occasional acceptances I found in the daily (snail) mail were enough to sustain my enthusiasm.

We bought a house a few years later, and I turned the downstairs bedroom into an office. The decor was a throwback to the 1970s, but I had an entire room to myself. Our first computer, complete with dial-up Internet access, soon graced the desk, rendering my word processor obsolete.

Then came motherhood. Initially, my office became a dumping ground for all things deemed off-limits to a baby, but then, a few years later, we turned the room into a playroom. The desk was relegated to the basement, my books replaced by my daughter's books, my photos put aside as her artwork graced the walls. Finding writing time was hard, and while that bothered me a little, my writing time quickly became less important than my mommy time.

Eventually, we enclosed a side porch off the living room, a decision my daughter has still not completely forgiven me for. In so doing, we created a new office, one we all shared at first. Over time, the room became my writing space, although I probably wrote just as frequently in other places -- sometimes at Starbucks, but most often in the car, while waiting for my daughter to finish an activity. Those were the years that taught me how to write in small snippets of time.

The office has continued to evolve, and it's truly my space now, but being home alone on weekdays has made me more nomadic. Some days I write in the office, but I'm also likely to work in the living room, the playroom (now a man cave) or at my trusty standby, the dining room table. Other days, I go to Starbucks where I can get away from all the distractions of home, and I can work on only what I've packed in my bag.

The places have changed. The tools have changed. Even the genres have changed.

But the writing has remained constant.

From Tommorow onwards we will post questions for MPPSC preliminary examination. As only a month left. let's start some stuffs on daily basis. On the basis of previous year papers the cutoff is going high every year so we need to revise things and practice questions.
We will provide questions in morning and in evening we will post answers. Focus is mainly on MP data.
Hope You all done with syllabus now its time to revise and practice questions.
Thank you!!!

In Search of my Outdoor Workspace

I'd like this one, please.
(Image from Pixabay)

Spring has sprung. The grass is riz. I wonder where my patio is.

One of last winter's casualties was the gazebo that we put up over our back patio. The heavy snow proved too much for the roof and the whole structure just gave in. Literally.

There are few spaces I enjoy more in temperate weather than a screened-in patio. Growing up, we had a screened-in porch off the back of our "rec room" and I remember sitting out there on a padded chaise lounge, reading. Shaded and cool, the patio afforded all of the advantages of being outdoors with none of the disadvantages (except temperature, of course -- even "cool" was a relative term).

We moved when I was in seventh grade, and while I never really missed the patio, I rediscovered my love of such spaces when we rented a condo at the beach, complete with screened-in patio. Memories came flooding back, and the patio quickly became my favorite spot in the condo -- so much so, that I looked for ways to recreate not just the space, but also that feeling it inspired.

When we found the gazebo on sale a few years ago, I was thrilled. From April until at least October, it functioned as an addition to the house. I often took my laptop outside and worked at the table, or stretched out (sort of) on the settee with a book. My husband, who much prefers the outdoors to the indoors, spent most evenings out there, and my daughter also loved using the space to do homework, read, or simply listen to the rain.

Photo credit: Pixabay

A few weeks ago, before winter insisted on an encore, I was all set to go to my outdoor office to work on a blog.

Only there was no outdoor office.

So, while on the one hand, I'm completely unhappy with winter's reprise, on the other hand, if I can't go to my outdoor office, it might as well be cold outside. My indoor office is quite nice and if I need a change of scenery, I can always go to Starbucks.

At least until we replace that outdoor office, which had better be soon.

After all, winter can't last forever.

Friday Feature: Realistic Ways to be More Productive

geralt via Pixabay

I hate it when I get to the end of a day and wonder what I've done all day. That said, there are many days where I get a lot accomplished, yet it still doesn't feel like enough.

What's your definition of productivity? I keep revising mine. Nevertheless, I loved this article sharing 15 habits to improve your productivity in part because it doesn't just tell you to do more. In fact, it includes some things that seem counterintuitive, but when you read why they're included, it makes perfect sense.

Have a productive weekend :-)

Choosing Not to Muzzle the Muse...Or Her Associates

Sometimes, my characters won't keep quiet.

After I finished Chasing a Second Chance, I was determined to revise another novel. One with different characters. One that had been sitting patiently on my hard drive as I continued to wrestle with Marita, Angel, Charli and all their friends.

At first, I stuck to my guns, as my mother would say. I was making progress, too: tightening prose, clearing hurdles, bringing revised pages to my critique group....

Until the characters from Casting the First Stone/Chasing a Second Chance started chiming in.

They didn't want to be in the book I was working on (fortunately). Oh, no. They wanted one of their own.

Another one.

They actually started clamoring for more attention as I was finalizing the revisions on Chasing a Second Chance, giving me all sorts of ideas for what should happen next.

Next? They were supposed to be finished after Casting the First Stone.

But, I'm no fool. When the muse visits, you drop what you're doing and offer her a cup of tea. I jotted down all the ideas, even typed up a scene or two to humor them and organized everything by character so that when I finished my revisions, I could return to my notes and figure out what I (they) had been thinking.

Photo: langll via Pixabay

Were they satisfied? Of course not. Jealous of the new characters (perhaps), they continued to tempt me with story ideas. And, like the author who dreamed them up in the first place, they're no fools. They knew exactly how to do more than tempt me -- how to suck me in so that just keeping notes   (no matter how beautifully organized) and writing partial scenes wasn't enough.

I had to write.

So, here I am, writing the third book in a one book series, while simultaneously revising the novel I'm determined to breathe life into. Not surprisingly, I can be as stubborn as they are.

But when the characters visit, I drop what I'm doing and offer them a cup of tea.

I might even take them to Starbucks.

10 Fun Facts

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We are traveling today, so I decided to do something different from my usual Monday morning musing. Here, in no particular order, are 10 fun facts about me.

Gilmore Girls cast photo
(Source: Wikipedia)

1. I'm a huge, if belated, fan of Gilmore Girls --so much so that I even bought a sweatshirt that says "See you at Luke's Diner." 
2. I review a lot of apps for Tech Talk at CatholicMom.com, but end up using only a few. Among those that remain on my devices are Grid Diary and Jigsaw Collection HD. Others, like Parkmobile and the TKTS app aren't used as often, but are great to have when I need them. 
3. I love teaching because it keeps me on my toes by requiring me to keep learning. Coincidentally, that's also what makes it exhausting. 
4. I struggled with the decision to eliminate my Saturday blog posts, but now that I have, I've rediscovered the fun aspects of blogging. Thank you to all of you who've stuck with me.
5. If I could get away with it, I'd live in pajama bottoms and a tee shirt or sweatshirt, depending on the season. 
6. I love working from home. 
7. When I listen to my body, without judgment (mine or otherwise), I have a productive day. 
8. I'm much more routine-focused than I think I am. 
9. My favorite movie is When Harry Met Sally, not because of the diner scene, but because of Harry's speech at the New Year's Eve party and the way Sally orders her sandwiches. In that order.
10. For the past three decades, I've aimed to live my life in a way that would leave me with no regrets. Mostly, I've been successful.  

Anything you want to know? Leave your questions in the comments below.

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Happy April Fool's Day!

freepik.com

Chasing a Second Chance
is on sale from
April 1 - April 8. 

I saw a poll on Twitter this morning that asked whether or not you participate in April Fool's Day. When I clicked "no," I have to admit that I was a little surprised to find that I was in the majority.

While I'm not a big fan of practical jokes, I am a big fan of celebrations. So, I've decided to celebrate this first week in April by putting the Kindle version of Chasing a Second Chance on sale. After all, putting a book set at Christmas on sale in April does seem to capture the spirit of April Fool's Day.

Happy Reading!