Leah R. Cutter's Blog, page 17
July 30, 2014
Refining the New Normal
Do I write 10,000 words a day? Oh hell no. Possibly, maybe, I could build up to that kind of production rate. But it would take time and lots of deliberate muscle building exercises.
I quickly discovered that what Rachel said about the three points that she adjusted for writing more quickly have always been true for me. (Remember, this is not writing advice, telling you that you should be writing more quickly, more slowly, differently, with your pants on or off. YMMV. This is just me and my writing process.)
I've been, well, refining all three to work better for me and my process.
1. Knowledge. This is still paramount for me. I used to sit down with pen and paper before I started writing, plotting out the scene in front of me. Now, I merely open up a new Word doc. Sometimes I save those efforts. A lot of times I don't bother, because I'll only get a few sentences typed and BOOM I need to flip back to the main document to start writing again.
When I find myself stuck, it's often because I'm looking too far out. I need to just pay attention to the next scene, the next paragraph, the next line. Opening up a document and typing out, "Okay, what happens next?" generally refocuses me down into the road directly before my feet. Fingers. You get the idea.
2. Enthusiasm. I absolutely, 100%, must be excited about what I'm writing. Apathy is the #1 killer for my writing. I must care. I must be excited. I must be giggling. Now, even when the subject matter is more somber, I still must be giggling, either about a turn of phrase, or a delicious twist of plot.
Without this enthusiasm, I don't write. Period. It isn't that I'm lazy or bad. I just can't fake it. And only occasionally, can I build it. I need to feel it.
3. Time. This is the part that I'm still trying to figure out. It's confusing, in some ways, because I've conditioned myself to write first thing in the mornings, as well as later in the afternoons and evenings. I had to use that type of schedule for writing because of the day job.
Now that there's no day job, I've been trying to shift the writing into the time that was once taken up by the day job. I've had varying levels of success with that.
For the new novel that I started on Monday (A Sword's Poem, historic fantasy set in Japan during the early Heian era, around 970 AD) I'm trying this new/old rhythm.
Get up earlish in the morning, walk, then write.
Make breakfast, answer email, read blogs, do house things, run errands, etc. Possibly until 2 PM.
Start writing again, and go until 7-8 PM.
So far, this has been much more successful than trying to just start writing at 10 AM and go until 6 PM with breaks.
Every novel has its own rhythm. I've had to change my writing process more than once to adopt to the demands of the newest project. I just hope that this writing time refinement kind of "sticks" as it were.
July 28, 2014
Writing mentors and editors…
One of the wonderful things about Book View Cafe is that I’ve been so privileged to work with people whose work influenced mine, who I still look up to (and yeah, okay, kind of idolize.)
One of those people is Judith Tarr who is currently having a sale on her editing/mentoring list.
Judy is one of the kindest, most giving people I’ve ever met.
She’s also a fantastic editor. I adore her, and my work is so much better because of her.
All the details are here. Go. Sign up if you need help with a particular manuscript, or just with your writing in general.
Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.
July 27, 2014
And counting
One year ago today, I met the love of my life.
365 days ago. More lifetimes than I can count, as we’ve both Become, transforming into different people, and into the undeniable Us.
I can’t tell you how thankful I am to have met him. To be with him. To have him in my life and heart and body and soul.
I look forward to the coming days and years and decades with him. And again, more lifetimes than I can count.
Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.
July 25, 2014
Too good to last…
Have managed to come down with a summer cold. Am all sniffly and congested. Feeling better today. Last night was feeling as though I’d been run over by a truck or something.
*le sigh*
HOWEVER.
This is only the second time that I’ve been sick this year.
There’s a good chance that this will be the last time I get sick this year.
From the mid-80s until 2009, I got sick a lot. Generally, once every four to six weeks. Would have 3-4 sinus infections every year.
Didn’t realize I was allergic to grain. Once I figured that out, and stopped eating things I was allergic to, my health improved dramatically. I’ve had one sinus infection since then–and that involved flying while I had a cold.
So while I’m bummed that I’m sick (I have Too Much To Do. Period.) I’m also so incredibly thankful that I figured this out. That I now get sick infrequently. That I can afford to eat good, healthy food. That I know how to fix and cook food, was taught how as a child. (I think a lot about food availability issues and food deserts and like that. But that’s a different blog post.)
But because I can’t really do anything today — maybe I’ll just have to spend the day reading. Darn?
Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.
July 22, 2014
Maker-Teacher-Monster Now Available!
Woo AND hoo! The sequel to The Clockwork Fairy Kingdom is available today!
The blurb:
Five years have passed. The worlds above and below have recovered and changed.
The fairies from the Clockwork Kingdom return every year, asking for Dale’s help in vain. This year, Cornelius, the head of the fairies, brings dread news: Kostya has returned.
The Maker has taught herself what she could about magic, but no teacher has ever arrived. Finally, a herald manages to break through the spells surrounding the town to warn Nora that something, perhaps a monster, has been keeping them at bay. And it is stalking her for her power, and her life.
Can Nora get away before the monster enthralls her? What price will Dale pay to keep his sister free? And who is the monster?
Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.
July 16, 2014
Learning the writing life
My last day for the day job was in early April. By that count, it’s only been a few months that I’ve been doing the full-time writer thang.
But before I quit, I had a three month sabbatical. So by that count, it’s been about six months that I’ve been writing full time.
As of this month, I’ve noticed that I’m finally feeling more calm. I have a much better sense of the flow of my days. It wasn’t that I was panicked, exactly. But I hadn’t settled into the “new normal” as it were.
It’s funny how sometimes I feel as though I have a lot more time to do things, and sometimes I feel as though I have less time than ever.
Am I being as productive as I’d originally planned on? No. However, I’d also heard from more than one source, and seen it in action, of writers who went full time and their productivity took a nose dive. I’m producing more than I was when I was employed, and so I count that as a win.
(Possibly my expectations had been unreasonably high. Or maybe I still need more time to grow into my goals. Just saying.)
Am I still worried about money? Absolutely. Not making what I need to, yet.
However, now, after several months of data, I know that my estimates of what I thought it would cost for me to live like this were mostly accurate. I was under a bit, but not much. Not a life-changing amount. So that is also good.
I continue to have to change my language to reflect what’s now important. I continue to write down my priorities, so my brain will recognize that yes, I’m doing the right thing.
Because the writing used to be after the day job, and now I have all the time in the world to do it, I don’t protect the writing time as fiercely as I should sometimes. Mostly I’m pretty good about it. Driven. But I have let life get in the way more than I’d like.
All in all, I love this life. I never, ever want to go back to a day job. I love what I’m doing too much.
I just have to remember to stay focused, keep producing, keep butt in chair and fingers on keyboard.
And to have fun. Giggling required.
Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.
July 14, 2014
Trench Warfare
My sweetie has property out in the boonies that he’s in the process of building a house on. Helping him out on this is where a lot of my summer is going.
The existing electrical line from the well to the pump house didn’t pass inspection.
Possibly because it was merely an insulated wire buried 29” down.
No conduit. No pipe around it. Bare wire.
Bare wire next to water pipe
Yeah—I don’t know either.
So for the last two weekends, my sweetie and I have been digging a trench out on his property, from the pump house to the well. 70’ long and between 18-22” deep.
The first weekend of Trench Warfare involved using a trenching machine. It looked a lot like this:
One of the lovely things about his property, and I do mean that in the most sarcastic tone possible, is all the rocks.
My sweetie would dig a short bit with the machine, then I’d use a 7’ long digging pole to wrestle out the boulders so the machine could keep going.
Typical size of boulders pulled out of the ground
There are parts of the area that I swear are just rocks with a small bit of dirt wedged between them.
When I came back up to the area after taking a break, I swear it looked like we’d been doing battle with the rocks.
The battlefiel
This past weekend we dug. Two days. The first day, just got the full trench completed. The second day, dug down, so it was deep enough.
Trench from well to pumphouse
From pump house to well
And again, we both used the digging bar a lot. Only way to get some of those rocks loose.
Then there was the huge boulder that we just left. I’m not strong enough to help my sweetie get it out. He needs to get a couple of hefty guys to help him.
Trying to give some perspective. It came up to my mid-calf. Roughly 2′ per side.
Today I’m a bit sore. I’ve got some blisters and some bruises. But I keep looking at those pictures and repeating the words of my sweetie:
I won.
Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.
July 9, 2014
Doing Without
As y’all may or may not know, I follow The Primal Blueprint diet/lifestyle.
In practical terms, this means I eat only dead critter, veggies, fruit & berries, and dairy. I have a high fat, medium protein, low carb diet. This means I’m a fat-burner, not a sugar-burner, in terms of how my body gets its energy.
No grain. No wheat, rice, corn, or oats.
Turns out, I was allergic to all of that. Didn’t know it. Discovered it back in 2009. Now, if I have grain, you can set a timer by me. Twenty minutes later, I’ll be congested, sneezing, and swollen. My eyes will start watering. I’ll feel crummy. Etc.
I’m also allergic to soy. But that allergy is nastier. I end up with migraines from soy.
This means I eat very little processed food. Corn and soy is in everything. I also generally take antihistamines before I go out to eat.
But this is not a post about living without grains.
One of the things that’s frequently brought up on Mark’s Daily Appie is intermittent fasting.
There isn’t a single way to fast. I’ve been experimenting with a 24-hour fast once a week, for the last four weeks.
How I’ve been doing it: Getting up Tuesday morning, making breakfast, having my coffee, then not eating again until Wednesday morning.
The results have been fascinating. Each week has been different.
The first week, I ended up dealing with a bunch of emotional issues around food. For example, I hadn’t remembered that my mother had sent me to bed without dinner as a kid until I nearing bedtime that first fasting day and had overwhelming feelings that I’d been bad. Had to do a lot of nurturing. Also realized that to some extent, I was treating myself with food, using it as a reward for working hard all day. So lots of emotional processing that first time.
While I was hungry, it wasn’t too bad. I was less hungry the following day than I expected.
The second week, I had a migraine. I can’t take medication on an empty stomach. So I did a reduced calorie day instead of a true fast. Around 2 PM I had a small cup of full-fat Greek yogurt with half a teaspoon of honey, about 200 calories. The fast went fine. I was hungry right around dinner time, but was able to get through it.
The third week, I again had a migraine. Again did the reduced calorie day with yogurt mid-way through.
One of the things I’ve read about intermittent fasting is how much energy people gain toward the end of a fast. That hadn’t happened to me the first two times I tried it.
The third time? Wow. What a rush. I had to get out of the house and take a long walk. I couldn’t sit still.
I felt great. I felt great the next day as well.
This fourth week, I did a full-on fast, not reduced calories. I was hungrier going into the fast, and I didn’t have as much of an energy boost at the end of the day–still had some. And today, the day after the fast, I feel great again.
So I think I’m going to do a reduced calorie day once a week, not a full on fast. I really liked how I felt.
It also helps me be so mindful of food, of what I’m eating, of appreciating everything I have, of how blessed I am.
Do I recommend fasting for other people? I’ll fall back on Mark’s warning:
If you haven’t satisfied the usual Intermittent Fasting (IF) “pre-reqs,” like being fat-adapted, getting good and sufficient sleep, minimizing or mitigating stress, and exercising well (not too much and not too little), you should not fast. The pre-reqs are absolutely crucial and non-negotiable, in my opinion, especially the fat-adaptation. In fact, I suspect that if an IF study was performed on sugar-burning women versus fat-adapted women, you’d see that the fat-burning beasts would perform better and suffer fewer (if any) maladaptations.
Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.
July 1, 2014
Dancing with Tong Yi Now Available!
This is actually much more than just the announcement of a short story being available. This is the announcement of the Uncollected Anthology Series!
uncollected: not collected or gathered together
oxymoron: a combination of words that have opposite or very different meanings
The Uncollected Anthology series is indeed an oxymoron. Sprung from the minds of seven fabulous authors who love fantasy, short stories, and each other’s writing, the series’ main goal is to bring you quality urban fantasy fiction.
Every three months, the authors pick a theme and write a short story for that theme. But instead of bundling the stories together, they each sell their own stories. No muss, no fuss—you can buy one story, or you can buy them all. (We’ll be honest: we hope you buy them all!)
Uncollected Anthology: When you can’t get enough of the stories you love.
———————
The incredibly fabulous authors—go check out their stories!
Annie Reed
Dayle Dermatis
Leslie Walker
Michele Lang
Phaedra Weldon
Stephanie Writt
———————
Upcoming Themes
Winter Witches—September 2014
Heartspells—December 2014
Portals and Passageways—March 2015
———————
My Story
Dancing with Tong Yi
Tong Yi works for Huli Transport, a company that specializes in rides and transportation for those who aren’t quite human.
When the newest job comes up—delivering a message to Zhang Guo Lao, one of the Eight Immortals—Tong Yi assumes the job will be tricky because the immortal likes to play games.
He has no idea that Zhang Guo Lao isn’t the only one interested in “dancing” with him.
Available $2.99 as an ebook.
Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.
June 24, 2014
The Clockwork Fairy Kingdom now available!
Woo AND hoo! I’m re-releasing one of my favorite books through Book View Cafe.
This gave me a chance to go through it with a fine toothed comb, find those few errors that still existed in the text, as well as to rebrand the entire series with new covers.
The blurb:
Adele—a beautiful fairy queen with wings of clockwork—despairs when her husband, the Master Tinker, dies before he finishes the machinery that will drive the humans away and restart the human-fairy war. Then she meets Dale, a human boy with natural talent who can finish the machine. She enslaves Dale and binds his will with fairy magic.
However, Adele fails to capture Dale’s twin sister Nora, who has only recently discovered that she is a Maker and has power of her own.
Can Nora accept the magic that makes her different and save both her brother and herself before the fairy kingdom clockwork can be turned on, killing millions of innocent people?
The sequel to The Clockwork Fairy Kingdom will be out July 22nd. It’s called, The Maker, The Teacher, and the Monster.
Here’s a quick preview of its cover:
Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.
