Fitzgerald on Artists

“An artist is someone who can hold two opposing viewpoints and still remain fully functional.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

A writer is many things. But in order to write a story with depth, you have to understand all your characters in some way. Part of that means you must learn to understand the differing points of view. Some people can do this naturally; for others, it may take a few writer’s blocks to get through. The novel is the best place to learn about your characters and to better understand those around you.

What’s Next?

For me, the writing process is the same as the reading process. I want to know what happens next. -Neal Asher

Oh, I can relate. I’m laughing because I’ve rewritten book three so many times that I know what I want to happen, but I really just have no idea at this point. Writing is such an adventure. I think my brain makes it even more magical.

How’s your writing projects going? Do you know what’s going happen next?

School is Back in Session

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” -John Dewey

My day started out great!! But let me tell you, it wore off and when it did, it was rough. It was something about neither ebook for school working and other technology issues that really took it out of me. My anxiety went through the roof. What’s frustrating about my anxiety is that I know it can all be fixed. I know I just need to take a deep breath and maybe step away from it for a second and return when I’m in a better mental state. But anxiety also tells me it needs to get done NOW! Don’t walk away! So I closed some tabs (literally and metaphorically) and limited the amount of multitasking I was doing so I could focus on fixing one thing at a time. Technology can be stressful, but it’s a part of our lives today, so it’s best to learn how to thrive alongside it.

R&R for Me

“My relationship with my body has changed. I used to consider it as a servant who should obey, function, give pleasure. In sickness, you realise that you are not the boss. It is the other way around.” -Federico Fellini

Today I’ve been fighting a cold. Lots of rest and soup for me. I’m hoping tomorrow I’ll be feeling back at it.

Lend Your Energy to What is Good

 “Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences.” — Sylvia Plath

I will be moving through life in a way that supports my entire well-being. My health, my spirit, my mind, and my family will be valued. I have been working on living like this for a long time. I may fail at times, but I’m not looking for perfection here; I’m looking for consistency and commitment. I deeply believe that this will add to humanity in the most positive way.

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear” Martin Luther King Jr

Snowy Sunday

“Snow isn’t just pretty. It also cleanses our world and our senses, not just of the soot and grime of a Fife mining town but also of a kind of weary familiarity, a taken-for-granted quality to which our eyes are all too susceptible.” -John Burnside

We got a little snow after all. My girls have been fighting a cold for the week and they are both starting to feel a lot better. Thank goodness. I hate to see my babies not feeling well. The snow is a great Sunday evening event. I’m grateful that we are all home, warm, and safe.

Flow State

“Is there something in my life that makes me forget time while I’m doing it?”

Editing lately has been interesting. I have some writing sessions that when I look at the clock, I’m shocked it’s only been 10 minutes. Then there’s other times when I’m just chugging along and I look, two hours have gone by! Creative states are so weird but I like weird so it works for me.

Upside Down

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” -Henry David Thoreau

Perception is everything. The great thing about life is that everything is always changing. We get to expand our perspectives and grow with the world around us. This is what makes reading and learning so much fun. I get to see the world in a million different ways.

Tried a New Food

Ok, so I tried a new food. I’ve been seeing people add these to healthy recipes all over the internet. I finally found them! I tried pitted dates. They are way better than I assumed. I don’t know why, but I thought they were going to be a cross between a raisin and a prune. I don’t think I’ve ever had a prune, so then I automatically connect it to an apricot. Hahaha, don’t ask why, my brain connects things in a weird way. So, anyway, dates, in my opinion, taste nothing like any of those. I think they remind me more of Fig Newtons.

Anyways have you tried any new foods lately? Have you tried dates? What did you think?