Chrys Fey's Blog, page 11

R - Repeat After Me + BONUS

 

Daily affirmations are a way to train yourself in thinking positive thoughts, not negative thoughts. When you have depression, it is as easy as breathing to think cruel things about yourself, your life, those around you, your job, and the future. Beginning the day with healthy, positive affirmations can tip the scales in your favor. You’re starting off on a positive note, increasing the odds you will have a good day. If your day takes a turn, saying these affirmations can help your mind stay in a safe place. It can also calm you and remind you of what you need to know.

If depression is a daily battle for you, using affirmations each morning would be a good idea. If you go through periods of normalcy and periods of depression, as I do, using the affirmations every day during the time you are in danger of sinking into depression (or are depressed) could be a better approach for you.

While depressed and burned out and going through anxiety over my job, I used affirmations. You see, editors have a thankless job. I went through a period where editing caused me great anxiety, so I started to repeat to myself, “I am a great editor.” Over and over again. The first time I did this, I was sobbing.

I also have affirmations for the things I want in life with every fiber of my being. When depression creeps onto my back, it whispers in my ear about all my dreams that haven’t come true yet, and it tells me they won’t. Ever. Believing my deepest desires won’t come to fruition makes my depression stronger, invincible, as big as King-effing-Kong. Saying my affirmations again and again, using “I will” wording, strengthens those dreams and goals.

You can create affirmations for whatever in your life you need to improve on or need reminders for. Write them down in a journal. If you need pages of affirmations, create pages. If you need different categories (work, health, family, home life), then write the category as a header on one page of your journal and follow it with a list of positive “I am/I will” affirmations.

Affirmations to Consider:

- It is safe for my dreams to come trues.

- It is safe for me to experience success.

- It is safe for me to receive money.

- I am healthy.

- I am smart.

- I am strong.

- I am creative.

- I am beautiful.

- I am kind.

- I am a good wife/husband/mother/father/friend, etc.

- I am worthy of love.

- I am loved.

Alter these affirmations to suit you and put them in your own words. Every morning, say your affirmations (or the affirmations in the areas of your life that need attention). Definitely say them on your bad days.

BONUS A TO Z

THEME: AVRIANNA HEAVENBORN

R - Richard Sterling & Sterling Tower

 

Universal Killer Excerpt #1 Sterling Tower:

Still smirking, she passed through the Veil to see New Vida slowly becoming conscious with soft greys and lavender streaks in the sky. Hands on her hips, she studied the surrounding buildings’ rooftops. A skyscraper—Sterling Tower—with tinted windows stood erect directly across from the Veil. Tipping her head back, she eyed the roof with a perfect vantage point for a sniper to execute a kill shot in the dead of night unseen. But how did the sniper get up there? As far as she knew, no break-in had been reported. Unless, of course, the perp had access to the building by means of a key or an accomplice on the inside, such as the night guard or a janitor. And since the sniper would’ve needed to be on the property, security cameras would’ve caught her. 

Universal Killer Excerpt #2 Richard Sterling: 

The investigators collected photographic evidence, prints, and measurements. They were finishing up when the CEO of Sterling Tower, a man named Richard Sterling, arrived. Even in the dim lighting, his fake tan glowed an unnatural color. Wisps of black hair clung to a large, smooth, shiny head. He wore a gunmetal-grey suit and a black tie. The bottoms of his Italian shoes clicked and scraped against the asphalt. By the way his eyes narrowed on her made it clear he felt horribly inconvenienced. 

One guess who inspired Richard Sterling and Sterling Tower.

To read Universal Killer, Cocky Killer, and all future Avrianna Heavenborn novellas on Patreon, become a patron for just $5.00 a month. You get access to special perks, too, and you pay-it-forward to a good cause because 10% of all earnings go to StandUp for Kids, a charity that helps homeless American youth.
Become a patron now.




A - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be an Adult + BONUSB - Break Down Your Goals + BONUSC - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Coach + BONUSD - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need a Degree + BONUSE - HappEEEE (Happiness Jar & 100 Happy Days) + BONUSF - Feng Shui + BONUSG - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be a Good Speller + BONUSH - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Home + BONUSI - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Interesting Life + BONUSJ - Journals (Gratitude Journal, Discovery Journal, Art Journal) + BONUSK - OK, So What Are Natural Stress Relievers? + BONUSL - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Laptop + BONUSM - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...Money + BONUSN - Nature to Beat Depression + BONUSO - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Office or a Desk + BONUSP - Plot It Out (Writer's Block) + BONUSQ - Quiet Social Media + BONUSR - Repeat After Me + BONUS

Q - Quiet Social Media + BONUS

 

At a certain point, I found myself lying in bed each night, with the light off, scrolling through my Facebook feed, watching cute and funny videos of cats and dogs and other cuddly animals for an hour or more past my bedtime. Or I’d be exploring on Instagram, reading the trolling comments on celebrities’ posts. I’d get sucked in and hypnotized by the comments, reading each one that looked as if it was negative, and reading every reply to them as well.

Then in the morning, I’d tap in the code to my phone and check my email. While lying in bed. Never check your email first thing in the morning while lying in bed. This is not the way you should start the day, especially if there’s a chance you could have work emails waiting for you. There’s been times when I read an email that caused me stress or anxiety right off the bat, before I had even gotten out of bed. I’d start my day on the wrong foot. This is not how you want to begin.

During the day, I’d continue to check my phone constantly to see what notifications may be waiting for me, mostly emails. Every time I passed my phone on the counter, I’d pause to tap the Home button. Always. I couldn’t walk past it to my intended destination. If I attempted to, I’d pause, backtrack, and tap. If I restrained myself, when I passed by my phone again a moment later, I’d cave in then. Pause. Tap.

I started to notice these nasty habits and longed for the days of the flip phone that didn’t have social media apps.

Confession: I now have an old-fashioned flip phone.

But my iPad is a constant distraction. To prevent those distractions, I turned off notifications for my social media and deleted the app for my main email account so I’d have to log in on my computer once a day to check it. After I did that, I shifted all social media apps to the next screen over. That way I don’t see those icons right away.

And it has helped!

Does any of this sound like you?

Social media may not cause writer’s block, but it doesn’t help when you are blocked. It’s just another way for you to procrastinate, not put in the effort, and lower your motivation levels for writing even more.

Evaluate your time spent on social media. Perhaps you log in to Facebook or Twitter while working on your computer, when you should be writing. Sound familiar? If it does, try hiding your web browser in a desktop folder.

In the past, I’ve given the tip to temporarily delete your web browser. With this technique, you must remember not to empty your waste bin and recover it when you need it.

Another option is to create two different user accounts on your computer. One would be for writing. I suggest using the administrator account for writing. The other account would be for your Internet usage. This keeps you from popping in to check on your social media when you should be writing, because you’d have to switch over and log in to another account. The bit of extra work to get there may stop you from spending time on social media.

A bonus to this method is that if a virus or malware affects that account, you can delete it and not lose any of your writing. This happened to me once, where I couldn’t even log in to the account I used for the Internet. I was glad I could delete it without any worry and run scans from my administrator account.

Social media can be great for many reasons, but not for productivity. And occasionally not for our sanity and health, either.

BONUS A TO Z

THEME: AVRIANNA HEAVENBORN

Q - Quiet, Please

I make playlists for all the books I write, including each Avrianna Heavenborn novella. Right now, the playlists for these Patreon-exclusive novellas are, well, exclusive to patrons, so I can't share it here, but I can add the YouTube video for the first song, a song that embodies the relationship between Avrianna and the people of her world who want to see her fail in every way possible.



To read Universal Killer, Cocky Killer, and all future Avrianna Heavenborn novellas on Patreon, become a patron for just $5.00 a month. You get access to special perks, too, and you pay-it-forward to a good cause because 10% of all earnings go to StandUp for Kids, a charity that helps homeless American youth.
Become a patron now.




A - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be an Adult + BONUSB - Break Down Your Goals + BONUSC - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Coach + BONUSD - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need a Degree + BONUSE - HappEEEE (Happiness Jar & 100 Happy Days) + BONUSF - Feng Shui + BONUSG - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be a Good Speller + BONUSH - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Home + BONUSI - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Interesting Life + BONUSJ - Journals (Gratitude Journal, Discovery Journal, Art Journal) + BONUSK - OK, So What Are Natural Stress Relievers? + BONUSL - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Laptop + BONUSM - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...Money + BONUSN - Nature to Beat Depression + BONUSO - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Office or a Desk + BONUSP - Plot It Out (Writer's Block) + BONUSQ - Quiet Social Media + BONUS

P - Plot It Out (Writer's Block) + BONUS

 

Pantsing, sorry to say, can slow your progress if you don’t know what to write next, and it can surely be a reason for writer’s block. You have to know what you need to write next in order to continue your project. If you don’t have an idea, you’ll be stuck. You won’t write. You’ll struggle with figuring out where you need to go in the story. If that happens, you won’t be able to make any progress whatsoever.

I recommend attempting to plot out your book. Or be a plantser, a hybrid of the two. You could try planning out a few chapters ahead of where you are at the time. When you start to write the third chapter you had previously plotted out, begin plotting the next three. This way, you have the freedom of pantsing but with a plan, and you can still change things as you go.

At the very least, at the end of a writing session, plot out where you will start the next day, what will happen immediately after where you left off, and know a little bit of where you’ll be going in order to write a decent amount of words. This will help you get back in to your story faster and provide a clear map of where you need to go.

I used to be big on plotting out every single moment in my books. Well, close to it. I’d have chapter outlines, and I’d even add in reminders for conversations and things my characters would say so I wouldn’t forget. Now, I’ve adopted a mixed technique for works-in-progress where I pants for as much as I can, and then I plot out a little. But, I should add, I always know how a story will end before I begin writing it. I think that’s what helps me to plot out an entire story as well as do my 50-50 technique as a plantser.

If you want to make plotting fun, especially if sitting down and plotting out a story on paper or in a Word document isn’t your thing, you can try one or both of these techniques:

Index Cards – Get a pack of index cards and tack them up on a bulletin board or tape them to an empty wall. You can use an index card to specify a chapter and then add index cards beneath it in a column for everything that needs to happen in that chapter. What’s neat about this option is that you can easily remove an index card or rearrange them.

Trello.com – This is a web-based application a dedicated writer friend recommended to me at the local writers’ group I attend. It’s a neat tool that provides writers a way to organize their stories without paper and index cards and sticky notes. (Yay for saving trees!) You can create different boards (storyboards) on Trello for every work-in-progress. With the boards, you store all of your ideas, research, and to-do lists. First, you’ll want to create lists for your board, such as characters, plot, setting, and anything else you want to keep track of. Then you can add “cards.” For the plot list, you can create a card for each chapter and detail what will happen during that chapter. For the characters’ list, you can set up cards for each of your characters with descriptions of their appearances, personalities, and other important information. You can even upload inspirational photos. You can do so much with this digital storyboarding application.

There are many websites and apps out there, free and for-purchase, that you can test out to see what you are comfortable with. Use whatever works for your process and how you create.

BONUS A TO Z

THEME: AVRIANNA HEAVENBORN

P - Partner

Charles (Chuck) Davis is Avrianna's homicide detective partner.

Universal Killer Excerpt:
“They tried to bar you from the police academy and from joining the Aurora Police Department, didn’t they?”
Avrianna forced a smile that would look like a death threat on a rabid dog. “They did,” she said through her snarl. “And they failed. Both times.”
Lucky for her, Chuck had stepped up when it was time for her to get a partner, when no one else wanted to do it. She never knew why he did, but ever since, he’d been like a father figure to her, always looking out for her.

Chuck is important to Avrianna. You can read about their partnership and witness all the times he has her back in Avrianna's novellas.

To read Universal Killer, Cocky Killer, and all future Avrianna Heavenborn novellas on Patreon, become a patron for just $5.00 a month. You get access to special perks, too, and you pay-it-forward to a good cause because 10% of all earnings go to StandUp for Kids, a charity that helps homeless American youth.
Become a patron now.




A - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be an Adult + BONUSB - Break Down Your Goals + BONUSC - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Coach + BONUSD - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need a Degree + BONUSE - HappEEEE (Happiness Jar & 100 Happy Days) + BONUSF - Feng Shui + BONUSG - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be a Good Speller + BONUSH - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Home + BONUSI - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Interesting Life + BONUSJ - Journals (Gratitude Journal, Discovery Journal, Art Journal) + BONUSK - OK, So What Are Natural Stress Relievers? + BONUSL - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Laptop + BONUSM - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...Money + BONUSN - Nature to Beat Depression + BONUSO - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Office or a Desk + BONUSP - Plot It Out (Writer's Block) + BONUS

O - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Office or a Desk + BONUS

 

Sure, having an office and/or desk can make you feel like a writer, but you don’t need one to be a writer or to write. In my old apartment, my desk, which I bought for a few bucks at a garage sale, sat wedged in a corner of my living room beside my couch. I used that desk for a long time. Although it’s not my current desk, I still have it. Sort of. I gave it to my mom to use for her desk. The desk I have now I bought from a thrift store. It’s glass and metal with three tiers off to the side where I can set books, notebooks, and decorations. This desk occupied my bedroom for a couple of years in a section I playfully considered “my office.”

I envy those writers who have an entire room they can transform into an office or those who rent an office space, but I can’t do that. Not all of us can.

Embracing the space we have is important. We can write anywhere—on the couch, in bed, at the kitchen table/counter, in the bathtub, in the car. We can even go out to write (library, bookstore, the beach, the park). My mom would write on the bus during her commute to and from work. She still says that period was her most productive writing time since she didn’t have anything better to do on the bus.

We can make a space for ourselves even when there is no space. We can use a TV tray or a coffee table while we write on the couch. A serving tray can be used for limited table/counter space to store our writerly tools (like pens, flash drives, decorations, etc.), and they can be set aside easily, too.

Half the time, I am using my laptop and working from my couch or my kitchen table. Once, I set up my mom’s small, antique vanity behind the couch in my living room as an extra writing space, where I could be in the middle of the house, working, and not feel as though I was being lazy, as I do when I sit on the couch with a pillow on my lap to prop up my laptop.

Get creative with what you have.

The world is your office.

The world is your desk.

Write!

BONUS A TO Z

THEME: AVRIANNA HEAVENBORN

O - Operation Ticking

This will be a short one. What is Operation Ticking? The first title I had for Book One of my "Secret Book Baby Series," after I rewrote it. Operation Ticking was the name of Avrianna's mission at the end of the story.
The title of Book One is different now, and still a secret for the time being.

To read Universal Killer, Cocky Killer, and all future Avrianna Heavenborn novellas on Patreon, become a patron for just $5.00 a month. You get access to special perks, too, and you pay-it-forward to a good cause because 10% of all earnings go to StandUp for Kids, a charity that helps homeless American youth.
Become a patron now.




A - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be an Adult + BONUSB - Break Down Your Goals + BONUSC - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Coach + BONUSD - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need a Degree + BONUSE - HappEEEE (Happiness Jar & 100 Happy Days) + BONUSF - Feng Shui + BONUSG - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be a Good Speller + BONUSH - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Home + BONUSI - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Interesting Life + BONUSJ - Journals (Gratitude Journal, Discovery Journal, Art Journal) + BONUSK - OK, So What Are Natural Stress Relievers? + BONUSL - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Laptop + BONUSM - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...Money + BONUSN - Nature to Beat Depression + BONUSO - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Office or a Desk + BONUS

N - Nature to Beat Depression + BONUS

 

Mothers nurture. The biggest nurturer of them all is Mother Nature.

Nature is healing.

Sunlight is good for vitamin D. Fresh air is cleansing. Plants, flowers, and trees are not only beautiful but essential to living healthy lives—from providing necessary oxygen to giving us nutrients when we consume them, which keep us from becoming sick and weak.

When someone is dealing with depression, they often don’t want to leave the house and don’t consider the benefits of being around nature, but I found nature to be one of the best remedies to my depression.

During my worst depression, springtime came quickly. I’ve always enjoyed gardening, even just weeding and adding fresh mulch to my flower beds. Pulling weeds is actually quite symbolic. While I removed unwanted plants, I equated them as the things in my life that I did not want, that were not supposed to be there—the drama, the pain, the suffering, the depression. When we remove weeds from soil, we make that soil better, richer, giving flowers room to grow. Upon expunging the things in our lives we wish to be done with, we, in turn, become better, richer, and allow ourselves room to grow.

Being outside, with the sun warming my skin, I’d pull weed after weed, and each one I put in a pile rejuvenated me. I enjoyed seeing the dark soil becoming more and more visible without the weeds hiding it. I’d often pause, tip my head back to look around at the trees, at the sky, and breathe deeply. Wow. Nothing felt more amazing, made me feel more connected to the earth—when my depression had me feeling removed and lonely—than in those moments.

I’d often buy new, cheap plants for the small area in front of my house. Putting my hands in the soil, smelling the earthy scent, loosening the roots of the plants (much like loosening the knots within myself), and settling that plant in a fresh hole to take root and grow was also a symbolic act. At the same time, I was doing everything I could to prune, nurture, and plant beautiful and healthy thoughts in my mind—by reading, meditating, spending time with my nephews, enjoying nature, etc.

If you are suffering from depression, I encourage you to go out among nature.

- Pull weeds

- Lay out fresh mulch

- Dig your hands into soil

- Plant a tree, plants, and/or flowers

- Mow your lawn

- Visit a botanical garden

- Go to a park

- Take a hike or walk through the woods

- Sit on a shore and watch the waves roll in and out

- Play with golden sand, dig your feet into it

- Sit on a park bench to watch and listen to birds

- Pull out a chair, set it in your front yard, sidewalk, or driveway to enjoy the evening weather

- Take pictures of the sunset

- Lay out in your backyard to catch a few rays

- Read a book or write a journal entry on your porch/patio

- Take a walk around your neighborhood, a park, a pond, along the shore

Do anything that immerses you in nature. In return, you will get so much back. Try to do something that engages you in nature at least once a week. Treat it as an essential part of your schedule and recovery.

BONUS A TO Z

THEME: AVRIANNA HEAVENBORN

N - New Vida

New Vida is the setting of each Avrianna Heavenborn novella and is Avrianna's world. New Vida is lightyears away from Earth, but the two worlds are connected. A portal with one end located in the Grand Canyon on Earth and the other end in the center of the island of Aurora on New Vida is how these two planets from opposite sides of the universe are now known as Sister Planets.
There are seven islands on New Vida.
New Vida Islands:
Aurora
Houston
Avalon
Nation
Tamara
Medallion
Zakuska
Aurora is the island where Avrianna lives and works. It is the largest island, with the biggest population, and is the most-corrupt out of the others, which is precisely why Avrianna works there as a homicide detective; to do what she can for the innocent.
You can travel to New Vida by becoming a patron and reading Avrianna's stories.

New Vida—a world connected to Earth by fate and a mysterious portal in the Grand Canyon.


A world on the brink of destruction thanks to Earth’s ugly influence.

To read Universal Killer, Cocky Killer, and all future Avrianna Heavenborn novellas on Patreon, become a patron for just $5.00 a month. You get access to special perks, too, and you pay-it-forward to a good cause because 10% of all earnings go to StandUp for Kids, a charity that helps homeless American youth.
Become a patron now.




A - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be an Adult + BONUSB - Break Down Your Goals + BONUSC - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Coach + BONUSD - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need a Degree + BONUSE - HappEEEE (Happiness Jar & 100 Happy Days) + BONUSF - Feng Shui + BONUSG - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be a Good Speller + BONUSH - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Home + BONUSI - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Interesting Life + BONUSJ - Journals (Gratitude Journal, Discovery Journal, Art Journal) + BONUSK - OK, So What Are Natural Stress Relievers? + BONUSL - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Laptop + BONUSM - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...Money + BONUSN - Nature to Beat Depression + BONUS

M - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...Money + BONUS

 

There have been many writers who were poor or struggling financially due to job loss, disability, or being a single parent who went on to finish writing their books. They also published their books and made a name for themselves.

How much money you have in your bank account doesn’t reflect how good or bad of a writer you are. Make your writing valuable.

I’ve had just a few dollars in my bank account and didn’t know where more money would be coming from. I’ve worried over how I’d feed myself and those I supported. I didn’t even have food for my cats at times. (Don’t worry—I gave them what little healthy food they could eat from my own provisions. They never went hungry.) I’ve feared not being able to pay rent and wondered where I’d be living in a matter of weeks. During those hard times, I continued to write.

Even while deep in stress and depression and fear, I wrote. I had to. It was the only thing that let me escape my troubles, made me happy. Sure, having money would’ve taken away my worries. Sure, having money would’ve been grand; no one wants to be poor. I don’t care how much movies and fiction romanticize being poor, it’s hard. The stories of famous individuals who came from nothing and made it big only romanticize it more, but believe me, it takes a lot. Those people got to be where they are now through hard work, determination, courage, talent, timing, and maybe even a smidge of luck. What it doesn’t take is money.

Other times in my life, I went without Internet, phone, and cable for a year or more because I didn’t have money for those luxuries. Looking back, that was probably the most productive time in my life. I didn’t have the distractions of social media (which at that time consisted of only Myspace) or long phone conversations. I wrote to fill my time, and I had a blast doing it. I woke up wanting to write and stayed up to 3:00 AM writing. At the same time, I didn’t have money to buy sugar, so I learned to drink my coffee black. I loved my sugar and creamer, but I had long since stopped buying creamer in favor of being able to buy bread or another necessity.

Years before that, my family and I went without electricity for days or weeks at a time. And yet, I still wrote. I remember coming home from high school with only a few hours left of sunlight and knowing my valuable daylight slipped away with every passing minute, thanks to an overdue electric bill. I would curl up on a dark green recliner and read Charmed books by candlelight. It made me think about how people lived before the invention of the lightbulb and made me feel connected to those people, to my ancestors. Those times were tough, but writing by candlelight, surrounded by darkness and flickering shadows, was actually fun to me. Now, as an adult, I would not think it as much fun, but I would make the most of it.

So, no, you don’t need money to write. You don’t need electricity. You don’t need a car. You may be counting pennies. You may be living on handouts and government assistance, as I had to, but that doesn’t have to stop you from writing. At the very least you need pen and paper or a library with public computers. If you’re struggling like this, I feel you. I was you. (I still scrape by and live paycheck to paycheck.)

Don’t stop writing. People can take your money (rent, bills, essential grocery purchases), but they can’t take writing away from you. Make your writing valuable, more valuable than money, and do whatever possible to keep yourself safe in this money-hungry world.

BONUS A TO Z

THEME: AVRIANNA HEAVENBORN

M - Miller  Matriarch

The Miller Matriarch is Grandy, Avrianna's grandmother through adoption. Grandy has not shown up, yet, once again, but...once again...she will soon enough. She is known as Grandy by everyone because she is a grandmother.
When I was first rewriting Book One, I didn't like "Grandma" or "Nana" or other name alternatives. Grandy, a spunky, tough, sometimes foul-mouthed matriarch, needed a title befitting her personality.
I am a huge fan of Charmed. In that show, their grandmother is known as Grams. Not even Grams suited the Miller Matriarch, though, and I didn't want to steal that name, either.
While pondering this dilemma, "Grandy" finally came to me. It is cute, short and sweet, and perfect because she is a grand woman, a grand lady.
So Grandy it was.
Grandy she is.
You can meet this grand matriarch soon!
To read Universal Killer, Cocky Killer, and all future Avrianna Heavenborn novellas on Patreon, become a patron for just $5.00 a month. You get access to special perks, too, and you pay-it-forward to a good cause because 10% of all earnings go to StandUp for Kids, a charity that helps homeless American youth.
Become a patron now.




A - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be an Adult + BONUSB - Break Down Your Goals + BONUSC - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Coach + BONUSD - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need a Degree + BONUSE - HappEEEE (Happiness Jar & 100 Happy Days) + BONUSF - Feng Shui + BONUSG - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be a Good Speller + BONUSH - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Home + BONUSI - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Interesting Life + BONUSJ - Journals (Gratitude Journal, Discovery Journal, Art Journal) + BONUSK - OK, So What Are Natural Stress Relievers? + BONUSL - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Laptop + BONUSM - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...Money + BONUS

L - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Laptop + BONUS

 

Usually when we imagine writers at work, we see them plucking away at a laptop in a coffee shop or in a dusty room or at their kitchen table, deep in their story. But owning or using a laptop doesn’t make you a writer. Writing with any writing utensil/device makes you a writer.

When I started writing seriously, I wrote by hand, filling up dozens of notebooks with three books in a series. After I would finish one book, I’d have a blast typing that story up, day after day, using my family’s only computer, which we had because my mom (fortunately) inherited money and bought it. Gosh, that was so much fun. I would rock out to music while reliving the story I wrote over the course of a year or more. That was one of the times when I truly felt like a writer.

I didn’t even own my first laptop until 2015. Yes, really.

Before then I’d been using that very same computer my mom had bought. I used it for over a decade. I completed several full-length books on that computer, most of them going over 100,000 words. I wrote four eBooks and one print book on that computer, which were all published by The Wild Rose Press. 

Although I have since replaced that PC (it ran XP, and I had to upgrade it after learning many programs would no longer support XP), I didn’t get rid of it. My mom uses it to write her stories because it still works. It just no longer has Internet. I have an incredibly soft spot for that old computer and feel so fondly toward it whenever I log on to assist my mom with a Microsoft question. Actually, when I log on to that computer, I find it easier to use and easier on the eyes. If XP hadn’t gotten the boot, there’s a good chance I’d still be using that old computer today.

But you don’t even need a desktop computer to write. Many writers use tablets. Typewriters are trendy and less distracting. Danielle Steel still uses her typewriter to write, and it works for her. My mom crafted her original children’s stories on a typewriter, and I wish we had kept it, but we eventually got rid of it when we moved from here to there, because it was clunky and outdated.

Someone on Instagram told me she doesn’t have any sort of computer and has written whole books using a writing app on her iPhone. You don’t even need to have an active phone service to use your iPhone, just WiFi access. Your iPhone could even be an older version, too—no need to upgrade it to more expensive versions. Using an app on your phone would be easier than a typewriter, too, since you could email the work to yourself and retrieve that email from any computer in order to format it and get it ready for beta readers and/or submission for publication.

At the very least you need paper and pen/pencil to write. Then later, if you need to type it up, you can use the public computers at your local library or borrow a computer from someone. Once, I went to my sister’s house in order to type up my work.

Don’t think having a laptop will make writing easier for you or will make your words flow. It’s just not true. It may make you look like a writer and feel more like a writer, at least for a period after buying your first laptop, but laptops do not define writers. Nor do they make writers.

If you don’t have the money to afford a laptop and don’t own a desktop computer, that’s okay. You’re not alone. Many writers are in the same boat, but they all find a way to write anyway. Whatever you have to do to write, you’ll do it. Whatever you have at hand (no matter how little), you will make it work. You are a writer. You will find ways to write. It’s what you do.

BONUS A TO Z

THEME: AVRIANNA HEAVENBORN

L - Lexie Daily

Lexie Daily has not shown up yet in the Patreon-exclusive Avrianna Heavenborn novellas, but she will eventually because she is Avrianna's best friend. They met in foster care, where they were both teenagers in the system. Lexie was the only person in that facility who was kind to Avrianna. Other kids there bullied and ostracized her, the people in charge ignored her, and security there harmed her for fun. Lexie protected her the best she could as a teen herself, a human, and a ward of New Vida.

Up until recently, Lexie Daily was known as Summer Daily, but then I realized I had a lot of characters with S names, so I changed it.

In the original series, when she was known as Summer, she was fashioned after someone in my life. When I rewrote the series, I played surgeon and divided that character into two people--Lexie and Veena. (Stay tuned for V - Veena Miller).

If you become a patron, you'll be able to get to know Lexie and all the rest of Avrianna's found family.

You can read Universal Killer, Cocky Killer, and all future Avrianna Heavenborn novellas on Patreon for just $5.00 a month. You get access to special perks, too, and you pay-it-forward to a good cause because 10% of all earnings go to StandUp for Kids, a charity that helps homeless American youth.
Become a patron now.



A - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be an Adult + BONUSB - Break Down Your Goals + BONUSC - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Coach + BONUSD - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need a Degree + BONUSE - HappEEEE (Happiness Jar & 100 Happy Days) + BONUSF - Feng Shui + BONUSG - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be a Good Speller + BONUSH - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Home + BONUSI - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Interesting Life + BONUSJ - Journals (Gratitude Journal, Discovery Journal, Art Journal) + BONUSK - OK, So What Are Natural Stress Relievers? + BONUSL - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Laptop + BONUS

K - OK, So What Are Natural Stress Relievers? + BONUS

 

I fully believe in natural remedies and techniques to treat colds, simple illnesses, and stress relief (in combination with modern medicine and therapy).

For stress, there is so much you can do to find relief, as well as to prevent that stress from causing writer’s block and burnout.

Lavender

The smell of lavender is known to be calming and ease anxiety. A diffuser is a wonderful and safe way to use essential oils and benefit from their healing properties. You can purchase a diffuser, big or small, add the appropriate amount of essential oil drops (according to your diffuser’s instructions) to the water, turn it on, and let the smell of lavender seep through your room/house. You can also put the essential oils in an oil burner with a votive or tea candle to heat it. Make sure to keep an eye on these burners and not to fill the bowl to the rim. Safety first!

You can use lavender sprigs as well. Put real lavender in a small satchel and place it under your pillow to promote a restful and relaxing sleep. You can make a satchel out of a simple piece of square cotton by bringing the corners together into a bundle and tying it off with a ribbon or a bit of yarn. Lavender teas can also do the same. I drink a lovely lemon and lavender tea that reminds me a little of the fruity cereal I used to eat as a child.

Sprinkle a few drops of lavender essential oils into your bath, too. If you have sensitive skin, you can dilute it with a carrier oil like coconut oil or even olive oil. I tend to have sensitive skin but have never had a reaction from lavender essential oils in my bath. The only oil that did cause a reaction was cinnamon. Let me just say…that sure stung and made my skin look as though it was burned. Ouch! But everyone’s skin is different, so it’s best to be cautious.

Chamomile

Chamomile is good for the digestive system, aids in sleep, and may relieve anxiety and depression (when using chamomile essential oils). You can use chamomile in the same way as lavender. As a matter of fact, the essential oil plug-in air fresheners (into wall outlets) that I use are a blend of lavender and chamomile. They smell so pretty. I often brew a cup of chamomile tea when I want to relax or if I have an upset stomach. I even use chamomile tea to help relieve headaches. You can add chamomile buds to satchels with lavender sprigs and mix the two oils into your bath water.

Chamomile contains apigenin, an antioxidant that reduces anxiety and can cause sedation. If you deal with insomnia, wake up a lot during the night, and/or have difficulty falling asleep quickly, a cup of chamomile tea or two may help your body and your mind to relax. There are even chamomile extract supplements that are used as a natural stomach soother and to promote relaxation. As with any supplement, consult your medical doctor first and follow the instructions.

Read more »

J - Journals (Gratitude Journal, Discovery Journal, Art Journal) + BONUS

Gratitude Journal:

August 2013, in the middle of a bout of depression, I posted three gratitudes a day on my Facebook profile. I did this every day for three weeks. This challenge helped me to look for blessings during a time when I didn’t feel very blessed. In fact, I felt forgotten by everyone, including the Higher Powers. Most days, it was tough. I had to wrack my brain for something, anything, but reflecting on gratitudes that aren’t material objects (because I didn’t have many) helped me to look deep within and evaluate my life and myself in ways I usually wouldn’t

August 6, 2013:

Someone I know has been posting about 3 things she is grateful for every day, and when she challenged her friends to give it a try for three weeks, I thought I’d do it, because I’d rather spend my day thinking of 3 things I’m grateful for than being depressed about the things I can’t do/don’t have. So here it goes!

1. A healthy computer (...almost had to bring it in to get fixed!)

2. My crazy, funny, and adorable nephews, Mello and Carmello

3. My creativity

Some people keep a gratitude journal going year-round and write in it every day. I did this once in 2020. That may seem daunting at first, but like anything, if you keep up with it long enough, it’ll become a habit, and discovering what you’re thankful for at the end of each day can lift your mood significantly.
Challenge: Document three gratitudes a day, in any way that you want (you can journal them, tweet them, post them on Facebook, or do daily blog posts) for at least three weeks. See how you feel while coming up with these gratitudes each day. Does it get you to look at your life with clearer eyes? When you finish the three weeks, evaluate your experience. What did you come up with on those especially tough days? Realize that even in your darkest moments you can find the light…three tiny beams of light.

Discovery Journal
Throughout this book, I offer several different journaling techniques (morning/night pages, dream journal, gratitude journal, 100 Happy Days), but this one is different from those, because this journal is illustrated. I found out about the discovery journey by reading Simple Abundance: A Day Book of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach. I picked up this book around 2012 or 2013 and read each day’s passage in the morning after having breakfast. It became part of my morning ritual, which did bring me joy. Her tone is so friendly that you can’t help but feel comforted.
The idea of the discovery journal is to treat it like an “explorer’s log” and to let it nurture your creativity. Fill a blank journal with any sort of image that speaks to you. When I started mine, I got a stack of free National Geographic magazines from my local library. Flipping through my discovery journal, I can tell you that I have images of the Statue of Liberty, pandas, penguins, whales, a ballerina in red ballet flats, and landscapes, most of which are of Arizona and the Grand Canyon. I love the rock formations and all that orange dirt.
When I was a teen, I would tear out fashion and jewelry from Vogue magazines, and I kept them with my notebook where I drew my own designs. Recently, I added them to my discovery journal.
You can do this, too. Whatever you enjoy, get magazines for it. Check your local library for free magazines. Also, try thrift stores where you could probably get a stack for a dollar.

Art Journal
My friend, Lisa Thomson, an author and blogger, has an art journal where, instead of writing, she sketches or paints what she’s feeling or going through. She is a fabulous artist. Her work speaks volumes and makes me feel.
I started my own art journal while healing from surgery, and I used that journal to document what I went through. If you flipped through my art journal, you’d see a drawing of my incisions, a watercolor of the bruise on my arm from the IV needles, and a pencil sketch of a tree from my backyard, which was my view while I stretched out on the couch, healing.
Lisa also has “junk journals,” which she makes completely from “junk” around her house. The covers are cardboard, and they are held together with wired ribbon. The insides contain postcards and free downloads she painted. I love the look of them. They are so artsy.
If you have an artist’s hand, you can do an art journal, too. Better yet, combine all techniques (discovery journal, art journal, junk journal) into one book. Paint and sketch on the days you want to create art. On the other days, create collages of images you found from magazines or on free download sites. In my art journal, I taped in my hospital armbands, because I had four, the most I’d ever had for any surgery.
What to Add to Your Discovery/Art Journal:- Old post cards (you can find them at antique stores)- Greeting/birthday cards- Your own sketches/photography- Quotes (make your own using cut-out words from magazines)- Poems- Encouraging words- Stickers
Don’t restrict yourself or second-guess yourself. Don’t leave out an image because you think it’s silly or not important. If you tore it out, if you saved it, if it called out to you at some point, add it. Don’t remove anything from your discovery/art journal, either. Keep it there. You needed it when you added it, so that means it’s significant. Even if it doesn’t mean much to you a year later, it may again in the future.
Discover yourself.
One image at a time.

BONUS A TO Z

THEME: AVRIANNA HEAVENBORN

J - Justices

Excerpt from Universal Killer:
The Justices, seven neutral individuals appointed decades ago to make fair decisions regarding issues that could impact New Vida. If you wanted to do anything in New Vida—start corporations or open certain facilities, cut down trees or clear land—you needed their approval. Even law enforcement had to go through them to receive access beyond their departments.

You will meet the seven powerful Justices in a later Avrianna Heavenborn novella for a crucial event that changes Avrianna's life and New Vida, Avrianna's world.

You can read Universal Killer, Cocky Killer, and all future Avrianna Heavenborn novellas on Patreon for just $5.00 a month. You get access to special perks, too, and you pay-it-forward to a good cause because 10% of all earnings go to StandUp for Kids, a charity that helps homeless American youth.
Become a patron now.



A - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be an Adult + BONUSB - Break Down Your Goals + BONUSC - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Coach + BONUSD - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need a Degree + BONUSE - HappEEEE (Happiness Jar & 100 Happy Days) + BONUSF - Feng Shui + BONUSG - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be a Good Speller + BONUSH - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Home + BONUSI - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Interesting Life + BONUSJ - Journals (Gratitude Journal, Discovery Journal, Art Journal) + BONUS

I - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Interesting Life + BONUS

 

I’m sure you have heard about best-selling authors and authors of classics who had difficult childhoods of abuse and poverty and about every sadness imaginable. You’ve probably also noticed how (in movies, books, real life) the damaged children and teens write and want to be writers when they grow up. When I posted the quote “You don’t need a degree in English Literature to be a writer” on Instagram, I received a comment from someone saying, “U just need a heartbreak.”

No, you don’t.

You don’t need to experience heartbreak to be a writer, or to have gone through something devastating. That could give you material to write about. Writing through that could be a form of therapy and healing, but you absolutely do not need heartbreak, or pain, or depression, or addictions, or anything negative to be a writer.

Before I started writing, I had experienced childhood fights that frightened me, but it wasn’t until some years later when I went through the hardest years of my life, from the age of 14 to 18, when I felt greater fear. Those four years felt like an eternity. But those hardships did not make me a writer. Instead, writing was my escape.

I think it’s dangerous to say you need heartbreak to write, for fear that young, aspiring writers will go out looking for heartbreak. Please don’t. You can write with your heart intact. You can write in happiness. That is actually the most fruitful time to write, because when you are deep in pain (even physical pain) or depression, writing can be damn near impossible.

While many writers have bad childhoods in common, a horrible childhood doesn’t make a writer. Well, maybe it can. As I said, writing can be an escape. When we need to escape our lives temporarily, things like writing, reading, drawing, and creating and listening to music can do that. However, it is not a requirement. It’s not a credit you need, as in school. It’s not a badge you need to earn, as in Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts. Many writers have had happy or perfectly normal childhoods.

The most important thing you need to write is a rich imagination. With an imagination you can lead a positively boring life but write a nail-biting thriller, an edge-of-your-seat suspense, a fast-paced action story, a chilling horror, a fun adventure, or a steamy romance.

If you do have an interesting life, though, use it as inspiration for your stories. If you’ve had many hardships, give them to your characters, help them reach the other side, and give them a better ending than you were given. I use my experiences all the time. But, I repeat, you don’t need those things to be a writer, to write a good book, or to create memorable characters. Through your imagination and writing you can go to places you’ve always dreamed of visiting. You can even create new worlds. You can do things you would never dare to do or are incapable of doing. You can be a pirate, a warrior, a goddess, anything you desire. Make your stories interesting and live vicariously through them. I do.

BONUS A TO Z

THEME: AVRIANNA HEAVENBORN

I - Infinity Grocery

New Vida is a planet on the other side of the universe that is mysteriously connected to Earth by a portal in the Grand Canyon. Because it's a different planet, and because Earth, specifically the United States, colonizes New Vida, I decided to give many stores and businesses names inspired by the universe.
Previously I highlighted The Galaxy's Tease, a strip club.
Now I'm highlighting Infinity Grocery. Well, there's really not much to say about it. It's a normal corner grocery story that you can find in any town/city. And it's another crime scene location.
Space Station Gas is another crime scene location.
Galaxy Bar is featured in Ghost of Death.
Businesses aren't the only things with space-themed names, even the strippers at The Galaxy's Tease have space-themed names. You'll have to read Cocky Killer to discover those.

Cocky Killer Excerpt:

It was bad enough that there was a bar named Galaxy Bar that concocted drinks like Wormhole. Apparently, business owners in the Unknown World thought they were being clever using the galactic phenomena that made it possible for them to even have a business on another planet, located lightyears from Earth, with a simple step through a portal and only seconds of time lost. Drinks and women. What was next? Cars? Would one of the big auto companies on Earth create a line of vehicles called the Titania? Titania Atlas, an SUV. Titania Hunter, a truck. Titania Solar, a solar car. Avrianna pursed her lips. Well, she actually wouldn’t mind that so much, but she drew the line at strippers. 

 

You can read Universal Killer, Cocky Killer, and all future Avrianna Heavenborn novellas on Patreon for just $5.00 a month. You get access to special perks, too, and you pay-it-forward to a good cause because 10% of all earnings go to StandUp for Kids, a charity that helps homeless American youth.
Become a patron now.




A - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be an Adult + BONUSB - Break Down Your Goals + BONUSC - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Coach + BONUSD - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need a Degree + BONUSE - HappEEEE (Happiness Jar & 100 Happy Days) + BONUSF - Feng Shui + BONUSG - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be a Good Speller + BONUSH - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Home + BONUSI - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Interesting Life + BONUS