Welcome to another wonderful episode of the 52 week blog hop challenge by MFRW! This week's theme is Music to Write By.
For me, I write by nothing. The quieter, the better. I've tried writing by music. And television. And kids. And crowds. I just cannot do it. In fact, I've recently been going "away" to write. Most of the time I'll "check out" a little conference room at one the libraries nearby and write to my heart's content. Sure, there are windows and if I'm stuck I can see people walk by, but there is little to no sound to invade my space. Another place I've recently plopped down to write is Waffle House. Yes, believe it or not, the good ol' WH. There are probably a dozen I can easily get to, and it took a little bit of hunt-and-find, but there's a couple that, come 2 or 3 in the afternoon, hit a dead zone. Just 1 waitress and the cook. I settle in a corner booth, order something simple, and spend a couple or few hours typing away in relative quiet.
So while other authors may thrive with their personal playlist going on in the background (and awesome for them!), I sway the opposite direction. Give me silence, and I'll turn out an awesome tale for you!
Thanks for dropping by, and don't forget to hop over to these great blogs below to see what other authors write by.
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| photo from fotolia.com |
Hi and welcome to Week 3 of MFRW 52 Week Blog Hop. This week's topic is about TV and what I like to binge watch.
Well...I don't, really. My time to watch television is next to nill and my desire to watch anything for the most part ranks about the same. My kids and DH are the television watchers in our house. That's not to say I haven't binged here and there, just not often at all.
Before this past Christmas, when my reading went down and my writing was still stagnant, I swiped through Netflix and binged on all the romance movies I could find (that seemed decent, but no dramas). I think they were mostly Hallmark kind of movies: you know, the really feel-good ones. After that, I binged on the Arrow and Flash. Truly, I hadn't seen either of those before. In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, I never quite finished. I think I'm in season 2 of Flash and Season 3 (or 4?) of Arrow. Eventually I'll get back to it. I hope. I enjoyed them.
Finally, I don't know if you'd call this a binge because I only watch it when it comes on the actual television, but I am fanatic about Dancing with the Stars. I only started watching a couple years ago and now I can't wait until a new season begins (the next one begins March 20). I always tape them (because Monday nights are Scout nights and I'm never home), then DH and I will sit down later that night and watch. I wish there were a way to access past seasons!
Binge watching certain shows. Heh. It's strange (in a way) we can do that kind of thing now. Cool, but strange.
If you want to see what other authors binge watch, check them out below.
Hmm...What an interesting title for this post. I simply typed what came to mind as I sat down to address this week's blog challenge: 'How my family survives my writing,' and the above is what tripped off my fingers. Verses. One against the other. But, it's true.
First, I need to identify my family. It consists of three parts: Immediate (spouse and kids), my side (parents, siblings and their families), and my husband's side (parents, siblings and their families).
I'll go ahead and state that no one on my husband's side knows of my published status. They may know that I like to write, but that's as far as it goes. The reason for this is what I write. Erotic Romance. While a couple individuals may give me nods and a high five if they knew, most wouldn't.
My side of the family knows I write and knows what I write. A couple have even read some of my books because hey, I wrote them. At first I received the congratulations, but now it's old hat. No one on my side is a huge fan of erotic romance, so it's a subject that's simply understood, but never discussed.
My immediate family is about the same way as "my side." The kids all know I write, and as they're boys and hitting teen-age years, I simply tell them I write romance and love stories. It keeps them away. They know my pen name and I've threatened them to keep it mum. As for my husband, he's a silent supporter, even though he wishes I'd write in a different genre because he doesn't read erotic romance either. He's never even read one of my books! lol I don't know if it's because he can't handle the heat or can't handle that his wife is writing the heat or what the issue is--he refuses to confess his reasons.
Aside from who knows and who doesn't, when I actually write, my family can be understanding. They know if I'm writing I need total silence and absolutely no distractions. My kids will keep themselves quieter at bedtime and DH will hie off to the den for his TV fix. When I can swing several hours with no obligations (not as often as I'd like), I "disappear" somewhere away from everyone to write. It may be into the cottage on the property (even though it's so not set up to be writer-friendly), it may be to the library or coffee shop. But they know it's mom's writing time and no phone calls, no distractions.
The crunch time--and where the family vs. writing comes into play--occurs when I'm meeting a deadline and when I have a new release. Then it's harder to get understanding because my writing time will interfere with the wacky order of the day. It's no longer a night-time or get-away-time thing for me, it's an I-don't-have-a-choice-time issue in which I get bombarded with "check this test," and "you should have finished that already," to "remember I have an appointment today," to "you don't have to do promo." Ugh!
Despite the seemingly negative odds that face me sometimes, I find comfort and solace in that I'm doing something I want. For me. And the fact that I can share this with others is a huge bonus and keeps me doing what I'm doing. The family, I love them all. Yes, they don't truly "get" the whole writing thing, but that's okay. They don't have to. Would it be easier for me if they did? Absolutely! But I'll take what I can get. And if it's a few hours here and there to lose myself in my story, I'll grab it with both hands and hold on tight!
Thanks for hopping by and don't forget to swing by these other blogs to discover their survival points.
Welcome to the MFRW Blog Hop! This week's theme is A Few of my Favorite Things. My Favorites are below the picture below.
A Few of my Favorite Things
I *love* this prompt. Just the name brings to mind the classic song, 'My Favorite Things,' from The Sound of Music. Da-da-da-da-da-da... Now you're singing it too, right? It's been playing in my head ever since I read the theme. Hard to concentrate on MY favs, though. But I did. After brainstorming and musing and listing, I came up with the following 5 things that I consider...My Favorites!
1. Sunsets. But not just any sunset. I live in the sunny south and out of the entire year, nothing can compare to the sunsets in September and October. During that last thirty or so minutes before the sun disappears completely, the surrounding sky is an explosion of color: reds, oranges, yellows, and even shades of violet. It's also how these colors streak and bunch and blend across the sky. Every evening brings something unique and different.
2. A Good Book. What constitutes a Good Book for me? Probably the same things that are for most of you: great characters, engaging plot, something that will draw me in and KEEP me in. A story that will make me physically react with something like an out loud laugh, tears, a surprised gasp, or even an exclamation (as I did in a recent book I read) like, "he did NOT just do that!" Any genre can be Good Book. It's not exclusive to Romance (even though romance is my favorite genre 😉).
3. A Yummy Snack. Or, should I say, an indulgent snack. This is something that my taste buds love, my mouth waters as I make, but that I don't often have on hand. As a bonus, a Yummy Snack is usually something my kids will turn their noses up to, which makes it even more, mine-all-mine. I usually enjoy said snack in the evening, after the kids are in bed, when I can lounge and have those few rarefied "me" moments. A couple examples would be a freshly made, hot apple tart, a cup of flavored hot tea with honey, or a nice plate of cheese and crackers paired with a delicious red wine.
4. My Kindle. I know nearly everyone in the world has one by now, and I only picked mine up about a year ago, but I love my Kindle. I can write with it, I can read (of course), and I even have a few ridiculous games to play. I can surf the net, watch movies, I mean--you know what I mean. I carry mine with me everywhere, and every person in my household knows my Kindle is mine, and it means: hands off!
5. PJ's. Especially with long sleeves. And fuzzy ones, too. Despite my geographical location, where temperatures range in the 90's over half the year, I. Freeze. All the time. Maybe I'm part reptile? No telling. But I never go anywhere, at any time of the year, without a jacket of some kind. And when I'm at home, I want to be comfortable and cozy, so I dive right into my pj's as soon and as often as possible. Right now, my fav's are a pair of fuzzy purple-plaid bottoms paired with a loose, long sleeve top. Another best part of cozy pj's? No bra required. 😀
I've had fun coming up with favorite things to share with you. What is one of yours? Want some ideas? Remember to visit the other authors in his hop to see some of their favorite things.
Enjoy the hop, and thanks for stopping by!
~Ayla
