A Private Writer’s Tips to Writing

 

Hello there fantastic blog readers, it Kristen and today I’ve got a confession to make.

I write, a lot. When the world turns dark I get that itch in my fingers to write or type. When the sky is black I get the almost instantaneous inspiration to start a new story, or continue one I’ve already started, and trust me there are plenty.

Since I’m such an obvious expert, enter snort/laugh here, I figured I’d give you a few tips on how I write, and my current ways to stave off and/ or beat down writer’s block.

I’m currently typing this in my “professor” voice, so please read it with an accent that is somewhat similar to that. Also, please be aware that these are simply in the order that I do them, but do whatever you need to do to write your best work.

 

Tip 1: Find whatever makes you most comfortable, whatever makes you feel inspired.

In order for me to be in the right mindset to write I have to be clean and ready for the day. So the first thing I do is shower. Another strange thing? I like my hair to still be wet when I start writing, so the rest of the things I do have to get ready have to be done quickly.

Once I’m showered and clean I like to put a little makeup on, it makes me feel more awake, if you will.

I also tend to sit upright either at a desk, table, on the couch or in bed. I can’t write if I’m laying down.

Tip 2: Layers

And, no I don’t just mean in the literary sense. I mean literally wearing layers. Why, you may ask? There is nothing worse for me than being in the zone and being too cold, or too hot and having to change clothes. So I usually grab a comfy pair of shorts or pants (lately my running leggings have been a favorite for me) and a comfy sweater. Sounds normal right? But I usually have a sweater, t-shirt, and a tank top on, and a blanket next to me, just in case. Sounds like a lot? It is, but it saves me more time than I can think of.

 

Tip 3: Libations

I usually have a large glass or bottle of water, my current drink of choice (Ginger Ale, Dr. Pepper, tea, water or juice), gum or anther small snack pretzels or fruit are a huge favorite. I love hot tea, and hot chocolate made with almond milk, etc. too, depending on what time of year it is.

I am the type of person who needs to be multi-tasking at all times to be fully functional, so snacking and drinking works best for me.

 

Tip 4: Fighting writers block

There are tons of ways to at least try and fight writers block, in my opinion. First off, I keep reference materials to keep myself on the current task. Currently the book next to me is The Everything Creative Writing Book 2nd Ed. 

I also always make sure to keep books near me that usually lead to inspiration. Since I’m predominantly a fantasy writer I tend to keep authors like Laurell K. Hamilton, Kalayna Price, Karen Chance, Rachel Vincent, Patricia Briggs (huge inspiration right now), Kim Harrison.

If I’m in a serious funk, I’ll get up and move. I’ll pace, I’ll clean (with loud music) or go for a quick run, walk, even stretching helps.I pace, make phone calls, or even do some quick sketches. Cooking, baking, making jewelry, doing dishes, all help me climb out of the funky hole I fall into occasionally.

 

Tip 5: Be flexible

And I don’t mean in the body, though that helps too, when you sit for hours writing. I mean with your writing. Writing every day is good, and it helps, that I can’t deny, but especially with me, I can’t write the same project every day. However, with flexibility comes the inevitable. Multiple stories. I currently have tons of ideas floating around on my computer, but am only actively working on three. Having multiple stories started and available allows me to mentally work out certain grey areas of one story, while completing easier parts in another. Another form of mental multi-tasking.

And the final top for today is….

Tip 6: Back everything up

Whether or not you physically write, type, or speak your words I suggest (multiple times over) that you back them up. Zip drives or external hard drives for your computer. Physical scans for written pages. You name it. They’re your words so protect them.

Now I’m off to my world of vampires, werewolves, faeries, and who knows what else.

Kristen

Near, Far, Wherever You Are

For two days I’ve been uncontrollably, unreasonably, restless. Literally pacing my house trying to figure out what was wrong, why I’ve felt so strange. Granted, this happens every full moon (as Stephanie puts it I’m a wolf), but this time felt different, more visceral, rooted in my core.

When I woke up this morning my whole body was filled with that need to move again, that hummingbird mentality, always flitting around. Yet as I was at work I felt this strange feeling lay over me, something accustomed to dread, today would not be a good day, and surely it wasn’t my best. As I thought about the possible reason to be dreadful I realized more layers of what I was feeling: anxiety,sadness, pain. What was happening to me? Surely, I’m not depressed I love my life.

Still puzzling me was one layer of the unshakeable feeling that I couldn’t name. I sat and just felt for a while, just for a minute, and just like that I knew. Sorrow. Grief.

Yesterday was March 8th, 2012. On March 8th, 2007, a mere 5 years ago I lost my grandfather, Robert William Shafer Sr. My Pap was 66 years old, and had been fighting for a long time when he passed, but I’m tired of crying. I want to laugh again. I want to think of the old man whose whiskers tickled my face when he hugged me and smile.

My Pap was a great man. He was a mechanic when he was younger and helped my dad and uncle race cars for a while, so to me he always smelled like a grease monkey. He always wore the same thing: white t shirt, blue jeans and loafers, and he only wore a coat if coerced or threatened by Nana, or blackmailed by me. I distinctly remember saying one snowy winter night "If you don’t wear your coat I won’t wear mine.” and staring at him until he relented.

He was a tough man, protective and loyal. It’s from him that I gain those two essential parts of my personality, and it’s to him I give the credit. Yet he was always laughing, he could always make me smile.He teased and taunted, but when the going got rough he was right there to scoop you up in his arms and make you feel better.

He loved his family more than anything and he and my Nana made great work of spoiling us kids rotten. They bought us a trampoline and a pool so we could be outside being productive. They took us to the park, and the movies and bought us our favorite candy up the street at Mountaingate. They let us swim in the creek and catch crawdads, and anything else we wanted.

Nana, Pap, Brad and I always got to deliver newspapers together, since Ash and Deverule usually had school or were at my Aunt Jen’s place, narrowing the playing field down to two grandchildren. We would sit in the van and drink Cokes and help wrap papers for my grandma to throw out, Pap teaching us to slice the bands right so we didn’t hit ourselves (which I, of course, did) and during the holidays me blaring and belting the Chipmunks Christmas CD to annoy the hell out of Brad.

When he loved you, he loved you to his very core, no matter how difficult it was to show. My fondest memories were of days and nights we all spent together. Family reunions, carnivals, holidays, and Saturday nights at the bowling alley, me singing karaoke.

To say I miss him is an understatement…


As I type this blog I realize…

Today is March 9th, 2012 and on this day my Uncle Ricky would be 47, and I’m completely honest I didn’t really get the opportunity to know him all that well. We lived 3000 miles from each other, and saw and spoke to each other rarely, but I always knew he loved me. He would save my Christmas presents if I couldn't come out that year, once holding on to one for almost 2 years. It just stayed in his closet, waiting.
My fondest memory of him is one I often cherish, with family members that no longer speak, are no longer family.

We went clamming. The whole family: aunts, uncles, grandmas, cousins and siblings packed into trucks and drove to the beach. It’s been so long, but I can still remember what I imagined as we drove over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (I believe that was where we went). Holy crap I’m going to die. A giant Jaws sized shark is going to jump over this bridge and eat me. I’m too young to die.

The rest of the day just goes in fragments, trying my first bay oyster and loving it, clamming for the first time. I remember scuttling around in the water with Bradley and being scared half to death when a crab scuttled right back over my hand. I thought it was going to tear my fingers off. But most of all I remember waking up on the car ride home to him smiling in the rearview mirror at us kids, Shannon and I, baby Dalton strapped in his seat between us. I remember feeling so at peace with the warm summer wind, and my family surrounding me.

I may not have known a lot about him, but I know he had the trademark Caudill red hair, a mouth like a sailor even though he was a soldier, a protective instinct you couldn’t imagine, and I know he He loved his family, us, so much. I know he loved his children the most, more than anything.



I’m not telling you all this for pity, or to vent about the tragedy of losing someone we all loved. As I sit here, holding my favorite amethyst and smiling at the memories of these two people I love so much I have but one thing to say.

Love never dies. It never leaves us. It knows no measure of time or length of distance. It’s something that follows us, never letting up. It burrows into our hearts and our souls and pours out in affection and adoration, loyalty, honesty and trust. It comes to us from whatever afterlife we’re expecting and keeps us sane and whole.

I miss the two of them so much, and sometimes I wish I could go back in time and tell them not to do certain things, to keep them with us longer. But life doesn't work in reverse, it pushes us forward, and our sadness works into a purpose, to live life the way they would've liked us to. To live honorably, with integrity and dignity and to stand tall and make our family names shine. To never give up or shut up and to be the best we can be, even if it's hard to do. I live my life to make the people who've passed before me, who I love proud of me.

When I was little we always went to the bowling alley to just be together and, for me, to sing. One song was always a crowd pleaser, and has always been silently dedicated to my family.

Every night in my dreams
I see you, I feel you
That is how I know you go on
Far across the distance
And spaces between us
You have come to show you go on
Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on
Love can touch us one time
And last for a lifetime
And never let go till we're gone
Love was when I loved you
One true time I hold to
In my life we'll always go on
Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on
You're here, there's nothing I fear
And I know that my heart will go on
We'll stay forever this way
You are safe in my heart
And my heart will go on and on

Life is short, but love lasts a lifetime and beyond.
I miss you two. -Kink

Good Morning!

Happy 3 am everyone!

It’s currently my day off from the good old Starbucks and I a so used to being up that my body is fully awake right now… at 3 am.

I am a broken 19 year old.

But anyways! I wanted to let you all know that pretty soon that blog will be changing. It’s possible that it’s just background, but it may also be location, so please stick with me while I try to get through my inner negotiations with that.

Again, I know I’ve been neglecting you all something fierce, but I’m hoping that love and pretty words shall prevail and win you back…

Think of these words being said with a high class or British accent, if you please.

Becoming

Effervescent

Alluring

Demure

Dulcet

Gossamer

Lithe

Is it working yet?

Opulent

Surreptitious

Woebegone

Are you still here? Oh thank the Gods! A treat for you then! My favorite pretty word.

Crestfallen…

So haunting, and moving, sometimes I just can’t stand it. 

 

 

Now how about more pictures? You know how much I love them.

Warning: delicious food pictures coming your way!

 

 

Now for some “food porn”:

Stephanie made these for me one morning after work so we could watch Glee and catch up. They had whipped cream, peaches and strawberries in them and were absolutely phenomenal.

Veggie bars that my mother made for the closing staff at the Bucks :)

Ever since Christmas when I got that amazing Wok from my parents I’ve been obsessed with cooking Asian food. Now, I cook dinner once a week for my family. This was my first time making bulgogi (and getting it everywhere, but it was amazing!

Last set! JR recently went to Alaska for a work trip, and while he was there mom and I set our sights high.We ended up watching some chick flicks and eating lots of healthy bright colored things. See veggie bar picture above.

This was our first awesome meal just us girls… and Moose.

Mom made mozzarella and broccoli stuffed and baked chicken with rice. I’m not even going to lie. I ate that whole damn thing without a lick of guilt on my conscience.

It was GOOD.

We also watched the Help that night too and man that was good too.

A must see, in my opinion.

 

Here, be like the Simpsons and have a doughnut, or is it donut? Is spelling it donut the lazy way? Hmm…

 

-Kristen