Barbara Forte Abate's Blog: Doodling Outside the Lines, page 5

NOOK or BOOK?

I tried hard to resist. Maybe it was loyalty, or nostalgia. Possibly childish stubbornness, or fondness for the weight of a book in my hand. Maybe it was a combination of all these things. Whatever the reasoning, when I received my Kindle as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago, I didn't take it out of the box for over a year. (True as it is pitiful, and wholly unexplainable. I have no defense , Your Honor.)

Well, I've definitely gotten over myself, and I have real honest and faithful love of the ability to download a book on a whim, oftentimes for free, special promo prices, in the dark, on a beach, riding a bike (not recommended, but doable), waiting in line at the P.O…  It's a book lovers dream; an unending highway of books at once accessible with the minor exertion of a fingertip pressed to a magic key.

And yet, always in my heart lives an affection for what can only be found in a pulp and paper creation. Sure, I'm loving all the bells and whistles offered up by the New Kid on the Block, but even then, I could never forsake what will always be a lifetime commitment between me and the Book.  All ready lost touch with the magic of paper pages?  Click here and rember just how special it is:  Book…

MOVING UPTOWN...

I've moved a few times in my life (alas, hasn't everyone?!) and each time it has been something of a bittersweet experience.  When it comes to the actual packing, I have no qualms about doing the work of ten men especially if it means keeping ten men from touching my stuff .  And even as I'm tucking my treasures into boxes, I'm mentally arranging where all will go when I arrive on the other end and take it all out again.
Fond MemoriesAnd yet, once all the boxes are loaded up and hauled away, and I take one last walk through of the empty rooms, there's a definite sadness in leaving. I suddenly notice niceties I overlooked before, colors and comforts I didn't always recognize.
On The Road AgainNevertheless, my blog is indeed moving--a nice roomy place across town at http:www.barbaraforteabate.wordpress.com
And To You, My Faithful SubscribersMy new place is very attractive and comes with some really nice amenities. I sincerely hope you'll come on over. I stocked the fridge and fluffed the pillows on the comfy sofa. Because, honestly, it really wouldn't be the same without you there 

Reality TV, Is it Really?

Seriously, but this IS NOT a rant about what and why we watch what we do on TV.  Certainly there are plenty of offerings that inspire brain growth — Science, History, Travel, LIFETIME MOVIES!– and that's all good for filling up the Einstein quadrant in our brains, but honestly, (and rest assured, no one can see your hand go up in agreement) doesn't it also feel sinfully delicious when we're craving just a little taste of junk-food, to succumb to an episode of Jersey Shore, Gypsy Weddings, any assortment of Housewives, or the especially disturbing Tots in Tiaras (please oh please, but tell me that people don't ACTUALLY behave like this!)?   If only because it can be so exhausting being a real person living a real life. And isn't it strangely true that the more heinous the train wreck, the more likely we are to keep our eyeballs chained to the screen?

That's Entertainment

Hey, it's exhausting being a real person living a real life. Really, I get it.  It can be a truly welcome diversion after a day of being out in the world Fighting the Good Fight, to drop into the nearest comfy chair and tune into the angst of a bachelorette working her way through a dozen dishy men in order to find Mr. Old Spice on a White Horse, or another Bride driven to crazed meltdown at the bakery because the Fondant on her wedding cake is a hair-shade to dark to properly compliment the cascading butter-creme sweetheart roses.

It's sort've like eating a Twinkie, so dreadful, and yet we nevertheless feel compelled to eat one now and again, (though preferably when no one is looking). And isn't it strangely true (strange as in, the part of human nature we all recognize but are loathe to admit) that the more heinous the train wreck, the more likely we are to keep our eyeballs chained to the screen?

And Then There's Real Life 

But, herein lies the problem, it's when viewers get confused and start to believe that what they're seeing out there in Crazy Land, is actually the reality of our day-to-day interactions. Case in point, recently I read a blog post by Patricia Caviglia titled Be A Good Guest, which perfectly nails what I'm getting at, which is that REAL people don't sure as hell shouldn't behave like the reality stars on the telly. In REAL LIFE good manners are still required, disagreements are preferably settled away from public places (although welcome and expected on TV, where table-flipping and unnatural hair extension removal are encouraged and rewarded with frequent replays), good parenting does not involve berating small children into fulfilling all of miserable parent's lost dreams, sessions with ones therapist are still a private endeavor and not necessary dinner party conversation, and certainly our Multi Million Dollar weddings hold on even after our People Magazine covers have gone out to the recycling bin.

So, what's the scoop? Are you finding more and more Reality Personalities creeping  into your own real space?

Moving In Day

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

And so here I am, standing in this empty, echoing , room of my new place, wondering  just were to start as I mentally rearrange the furniture, unpack the knick knacks, and re-position the welcome mat.

Okay, so yeah, it's a little intimidating, this whole relocation thing, but still, definitely exciting. And it's not that I didn't have a grand time batting around words at my previous address [my blog "Cover to Cover, tucked in on my website, http://barbaraforteabate.com]  but, it was starting to feel a little too crowded over there.  What's more, I'm really liking the view from here, and it's nice that I've already met some of the neighbors.

Well then, I'm off to tidy-up and start putting some stuff in order, but first a word of appreciation to Rebekah. Not only for recommending this fine spot of Real Estate, but also for so generously offering to drive me on over if I found I needed a ride

 

LAURIE'S THOUGHTS AND REVIEWS

Though we have now arrived at what is generally referred to as THE DEAD OF WINTER, nary a snowflake has fallen in my little corner of the world.  I can only say that if cold temperatures were measured in inches, we'd be buried in drifts that went on for miles. 
Nevertheless, although it is a very chill 15 degrees here this morning, I am out and about visiting over at  LAURIE'S THOUGHTS AND REVIEWS, for a chat with Laurie, who most graciously invited me to stop by for an interview.  
Hope you have time to grab another cup and stop by yourself

One Hundred Pieces of Me

Potentially New and Improved 
I love a challenge, particularly one that involves pitting my messy old self against my proposed tidy new self. It's far too easy to stay as we are, especially on the chance we're particularly comfortable wherever it is we happen to be -- not that there's anything wrong with that. I just know that when it comes to myself, I feel a whole lot better about my evolution of self when I take the initiative to give myself a strategically placed kick to the posterior now and again. Because without a bit of tough love I seriously question how motivated or likely I'd be to step-up my game, rattle my brain, or improve my personal package. 
In particular, it's the yearly calendar change from December into January that finds me pawing the dust ready to charge the red cape--anxious and exited to get started on whatever it is I've lined-up for myself. Both grateful and appreciative for another grand opportunity to line-up some shiny new resolutions, tweak old plans, and try new things. I'm inspired to be inspired!
Lessons to Learn 101 So here we, newly arrived into 2012 and first on my roster is a two month long online class being given by the very fabulous Kristen Lamb. (You can find her blog at: http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com It's my favorite, favorite blog to follow.) From the start it's been quite an experience throwing myself into structured lessons with REAL assignments when something in my psyche has been insisting whining from day one of classes that this stage of my life entitles me to a writing schedule that is a little less structured. (At which point I again remind myself that I, me, myself VOLUNTARILY paid money and signed up for this course.) Nevertheless, because Kristen is not your english teacher from jr. high, but rather, a funny, wonderfully wise, always interesting instructor, this course has been anything but drudge work.  I face, I actually feel compelled to drop the F word here, as in FUN, but I'm concerned that to do so makes the class sound a lot less serious then it is.
Onto Your Assignment
And so without further ado long winded build up, I'm feeling inspired to share one of my first and favorite assignments thus far, and hope you will take up your pen (or trusty keyboard) and give it a try:
"Write at least 100 individual words that describe you. If you were a jar of pasta sauce, these would be the ingredients. Memories, favorite bands, favorite movies, favorite songs, foods, etc."
Simple, right? Not too brain-straining. So, give it a try.  How well do you know yourself? If you have the same experience as moi, you'll find yourself a tad bit surprised by some of the words that land on your list of "ingredients."
Here's a little push to get you rolling, this is me:Barbara Forte Abate: writer, mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, Godmother, word dreamer, mockingbird, books, cowboys, Indians, mountains, rollerblades, Jesus, Holy Communion, faith, teaching, sewing, painting, creative, dreaming, full moon, stars, thunder, lightening, rain, snow storms, reading, fashion, quirky, blackberries, buffalo, trees, blue jeans, white shirts, vintage clothing, jewelry, croquet, bocce ball, walking, quiet, prayer, solitude, peace, canoeing, This Property is Condemned, Barefoot in the Park, volunteer, history, architecture, old houses, ghost stories, To Kill a Mockingbird, Ave Maria, Vespers, opera, dance, piano, fitness, Italian family, country living, NYC, Cape Cod, winter, The Way We Were, The Rolling Stones, John Lennon, Imagine, Drops of Jupiter, Christian Pop, bible study, quilting, designing, yard sales, road trips, travel, 1956 Thunderbird, typewriters, dial telephones, potato chips, peanut butter cups, penguins, Batman, monopoly, Christmas Eve, cats, chipmunks, gardening, owls, falcons, old stuff, stones, leather, bicycles, Heaven, music, fire, perseverance, truth, dedication, tidy house, sculpture, coffee, pinball, learning, talking, optimism, healthy living, Project Runway, The Office, Moonstruck, corny, laughing, Saint Paul, weight training...
WARNING!!!Once you begin and push past the three second interval when you don't think you can possibly come up with 100 personal ingredients of yourself on demand, it immediately becomes very very hard impossible to stop...archery, bridges, fireworks, nuts, bears, campfires, wood-smoke, cheese, lightening bugs, BIG salads, Michael Jackson, Rabbits...No,I mean really REALLY hard to stop.
So, what's your One Hundred? Jump in and share! Even if it's just a handful, a bakers dozen, or half a hundred...

THE PROMISE OF JANUARY

I don't know many people anyone who love January as much as I do. It is a time of year so sharp and clear, laid bare and lovely, and yet so under-appreciated.
For me, January symbolizes the beginning of things--wide open with promise, gentle and quiet. Life slips into an immediate and dramatic pause from the high activity of the Christmas season and general over-indulgences of New Years Day. Hubby returns to full-day work weeks, children are back to school, and my thoughts are anxious and ready to settle into the challenge of serious brain work.
Even from the first appearances of autumn, when the future things of winter have commenced to accumulate -- pockets of fallen leaves missed by the rake, scattered pine cones, nippy temps oh so stealthily creeping -- hubby begins singing whining his yearly lament, the lines of which never vary from "I hate the winter, I despise the cold," grumble, grumble, bitch, moan. 
For several years I made great effort to extol argue the joys of winter, when the frenetic activity inherent of warmer months is eased into a restful lull, bringing a settling sense of peace to a world forever reluctant to slowdown and simply breathe now and again. 
Nevertheless, despite my extravagant winter cheerleading sessions, I have never actually succeeded in adjusting his opinion, so I leave him to grumble, while I pile-on extra layers to ward off the perpetual chill iceberg forming cold in our 133 year old, un-insulated house. Settling in before my keyboard with a heating pad tucked up underneath my eskimo uniform, (and thank you, Cathy, for this excellent tip!) a perpetually warming cup of caffeinated brew, blessedly free of the nagging duties and pressing urgency that define the warmer months (lawn mowing, weed pulling, exterior house maintenance...)
The days lay wide open and glorious with clear white space. They fill quietly--these blissfully gentle afternoons that darken early and yawn empty. With any luck we'll even have snow...

WIN A COPY OF THE SECRET OF LIES!

‎*Win an autographed copy of The Secret of Lies!*
I am most happy to announce my guest author visit today at "CMash Loves to Read," and enthusiastically invite you to stop by and enter to win a copy of The Secret of Lies.  Contest begins today, November 1, and runs through November 15th when a winner will be selected. (Fingers crossed that it's YOU!)
Guest Author post: http://cmashlovestoread.blogspot.com/2011/11/guest-author-barbara-forte-abate.html Giveaway entry page: http://cmashlovestoread.blogspot.com/2011/11/international-giveaway-secret-of-lies.html

A VISIT TO: THE NEW YORK SCREENWRITING LIFE

I couldn't be any more over-the-moon-thrilled to introduce my dearest, longest cherished, friend (35 years and counting!) Janet Lawler and at the same time share my excitement at being a guest over at her fantastic blog "THE NEW YORK SCREENWRITING LIFE.  http://thescreenwritinglife.blogspot.com/2011/10/q-and-with-debut-novelist-barbara-forte.html
Janet has been a true-to-the-roots-sister-friend and inspiration since she first came swaggering into my life in 7th grade; New York City Cool, funny, confident, driven.  She was not only filled to the eyeballs with dreams and aspirations to be a writer, but had the ambition to carry the entire load to fruition. She is a genuine original and it was a supreme joy to sit with her [keyboard to keyboard, across the miles of cyberspace!] and chat about my debut novel "The Secret of Lies."
Hoping you have a moment to stop over and listen in. Your thoughts and comments are always appreciated. And my enormous love and appreciation to Janet. I love you like crazy, my buddy.

WRITER IN TRAINING

I don't doubt for a second the importance or necessity of continuing to learn over a lifetime. As a writer that means never thinking for a moment that I've got it all figured out after all these years of endless scribbling.  I know this is one of those professions (and aren't they all) where it's essential to continually strive to improve and perfect my craft. Back in the day, that meant perusing piles of books and writer magazines, but now it's more about spending a fair amount of online browsing time reading clever blog posts, visiting websites, and cruising my favorite writer networks (Writer Unboxed!!!).  All because I know and respect that feeding the engine cranking inside my head is essential for keeping those cranky old cogs and gears well-greased and rust free.

But really that's only part of the deal. There's the rest of the package to think about.  Because being an effective writer in training involves a fair amount of time allowed for Going for the Burn, Sweating to the Oldies, building up Buns of Steel. It's all about the mind-body connection and the fact that if I don't take time every morning to pump some iron, break a sweat, and rack up some mileage on my sneakers, I can actually feel my mind all, too, easily [and quickly] turning soft and lazy.

What this means is that everyday is a work out. Toning the body means toning my mind. Being fit isn't just about what I'm eating or how far I'm biking, but it is a part of keeping in fighting form. It's why I regularly read about health and nutrition as much as I do about plotting, character, and grammar.

Long ago I discovered that the only way to accomplish my lofty goals, whether those writerly or otherwise, is through discipline. That's not to say it's always so easy-- absolutely it can be a daily kick-in-the-pants challenge to stay on course. I'll even admit to wallowing--shameful moments of the poor-pitiful-me variety. But more times than not I hold to my personal grindstone.  Because it works. And if it works, and it feels good at the end of the day when my head finally hits the pillow, then it's worth it.

Care to share? What do you do to keep yourself in tip-top training mode?