Change your picture or Change your life

Everyone has an idea of what makes them happy.

Lose 10, okay 15, pounds
Perfect job
Dream home
Devoted husband/wife
Perfect children
Respect of your peers
Write the best book ever

But last week I had an a-ha moment. I was watching the show "Hart of Dixie", which is about a doctor who moves to a small town to practice medicine. When someone from her school comes to do a story on her, she doesn't want to admit that she's this normal GP, so she tries to show him that she's doing amazing things (like stopping a leprosy outbreak).

And this is the respond Wade, her love interest gives her. You can watch the whole thing, because he's really cute, but it's really just the first two minutes.

Basically what he's saying is that sometimes your life doesn't match up with the picture you have in your head. So he says either: Change your picture or Change your life. So that's been my motto lately.

Yes there are things that I would like to change about my life, but for now I'm going to change my picture and still try to change parts of my life. Basically I just want to be more content.

On that note:
Things that made me happy last week: Watching my kids play sports, finishing a rough draft of a chapter this week, going to my critique group, laughing with my kids, being with my parents, listening to a very funny radio program, which I might share later or on Facebook.

So how about you? What made you happy last week?

Getting my ducks in a row

So I've been waxing poetic these last couple of weeks about my life, okay that might be an exaggeration. Actually I've been wondering how to get my life organized so that I have time to do everything. Basically I'm trying to work on my time management skills.

So far I've learned one thing. I have a tendency to procrastinate everything unless I have a deadline and even then ...

This week I'm determined to get my ducks in a row.

Meaning:

1)  I need to exercise everyday even if it's just a little bit and I definitely need to do my physic so I can get back to soccer.

2) I need to write everyday even if it's just a little bit.

3) I need to clean everyday even if it's just a little bit

I'm sensing a theme.

4) I need to go through all of my receipts and file them, even if I just do a little bit every day.

5) I need to cook more even if it's just supper.

Maybe I need something to make me accountable.

Okay, so here is my day:

Work - home by 5:30pm. Sneak in some blogging during my breaks at work. Make dinner, clean up. Exercise (30 minutes on treadmill & physio). Write for at least 30 minutes. Finish cleaning the bathrooms and vacuum. Read a chapter of the book I'm reading. Do a load of laundry. Spend time with my family. Okay, wait, this list is getting too long. I think I'll have to cut out cleaning the bathroom, dishes, and laundry.

Actually what this proves to me is that you can't do it all in one day even if it's just for a little bit. Back to the drawing board. Hopefully I'll be back on Wednesday with a schedule that will work for me, allow me to get things done, and not feel guilty about the things I don't.

How about you? What are you going to do today?

I know too much

Shortly after we told my oldest son about the birds and the bees, he said to me, "I wish you'd never told me."

Sometimes I feel that way about the writing industry. It was kind of nice living in that cocoon, writing my book, completely unawares of the perils that awaited me. When I wrote my first book, it was all about just loving the story and not worrying about anything else and for some reason I just can't get back to that type of writing. Every time I write a sentence everything I've learned and read runs through my mind. Is this advancing the plot? Am I showing enough emotion? Are my characters developing?

It would be nice just to write because I'm excited about the story and not worry about all those things. I miss those days when I was so naive and dreamed big. I think now my dreams are a bit more realistic, which is sad in a way. 

My brother used to say, expect the worst that way if something good happens you'll be pleasantly surprised.

So how about you? Do you wish you could go back to the cocoon naivetity even if it's just for a little while? 

Friday Favorites

It's been a hard week, but my kids never cease to amaze me by the videos they find on youtube.

So this series "How it should have ended" is one of my favorite things this week, because they make me laugh.

Schedule

How about you? What's been your favorite thing this week?

Perspective

Last week I'm feeling pretty down. My writing hasn't been going good. I just found out my knee is not so good which means no soccer for me right now. Things haven't been going that great for my kids. I was definitely in the throes of crybabyitis, but then something happened.

We got a call at six in the morning - my brother in law had unexpectedly passed away.

Suddenly all of my whining and complaining about my life felt inconsequential. Is that the right word?

I don't tell you this to make you feel bad. I tell you this so that you don't drown yourself in self pity when things don't seem to be going well, which is what I was doing. I tell you this so that you don't take those you love for granted. I tell you this so that you treasure each day - good or bad.

I tell you this to give you perspective.

So go tell your spouse or friend or mom or dad that you love them, because really that's what matters.

Query First

I had a really hard time writing the query for my first book. In fact, I'm still tweaking it, so I decided to try something different. While I'm writing the book or even before I write the book, I write the query.

Crazy you say.

I actually find this really helps. It allows me to identify any problems, whether that be conflict, plot, character, or voice. Plus by the time I've finished the book, I won't have to spend a lot of time writing the query.

What do you think? Do you ever write the query first?

PS: In the What's Happening on the sidebar, Laural Garver's book is being released tomorrow. Stop by her blog and congratulate her.

Grasping at Eternity

Back in the summer, I had the privilege of being able to read Karen Hooper's next book Grasping at Eternity.

I've been following Karen's blog since I started blogging many moons ago. Her descriptions of her Kindrily series had me hoping it would one day be published, so I could read it. So I was super excited to finally read it a couple of months ago. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I waited until now to blog about it, so more people would be back from summer vacation.

Here's a description:

Leave it to Maryah Woodsen to break the one rule that will screw up eternity: Never erase your memories. 

Before entering this life, Maryah did the unthinkable—she erased. Now, at seventeen years old, she’s clueless that her new adoptive family has known her for centuries, that they are perpetually reincarnated souls, and that they have supernatural abilities. Oh, and she's supposed to love (not despise) Nathan, the green-eyed daredevil who saved her life.

Honestly, love, a family with supernatural abilities, and reincarnation, I couldn't put the book down.

In fact, it was the first book I read completely on my kindle. 

Karen creates such wonderful worlds where her characters have to fight to find the love of their lives. 

I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it.

How about you? Have you read any good books lately?