Too Much of a Good Thing?

It is true that you can have too much of a good thing. Too much fruit can increase your sugar levels and make you sick. Too much of your favorite foods can have you not wanthing them for a while. You can get too much of a good thing. Even writing.

I’ve been writing up to 2000 words a day for the last month and a half. Finished one story and picked up another that was halfway done. Then I felt sick to write even one line. I had done too much of it without a break. That was too much of a good thing.

Over the years, I’ve discovered that I need to step away from projects for a spell. I will put all my energy into a project and then can’t do more. I have to step away for a few days or weeks before the interest returns. Maybe my brain just needs recharging. Maybe too many thoughts are rummaging around up there.

Currently, I have been away from my writing for nearly a week. The urge is upon me again. I’ve spent these days off reading and watching shows. Inspiration has struck in several areas. Suddenly, I felt rejuvenated. Now I finished a short story and am working on the next chapter in the novel that is my current WIP.

This is exciting. I feel new energy. Now I have to make sure I don’t burn out quickly again. In order to avoid that, I’m going to force myself to have time away to just read and take walks. I think I can. I think I can. I sure hope I can.

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The Realization I’ve Been Doing It All Wrong

I’ve been writing online for over a decade. I’ve been writing fiction for just under that. During that time, I read and listened to so much advise on writing and publishing. I’ve discovered I’ve been doing it all wrong!

The amount of advice for writers online is astronomical. I was pretty religious in reading all that advice. Each piece I implemented, and each time I fell flat on my face. They were telling me what to do, but they weren’t telling if I should.

I was recently listening to a podcast called “So You Want to Be a Writer”. I’ve just started so I am now binge listening from the beginning. That means I’m listening to multiple episodes at a time and filling notebooks of ideas and such that I glean from them. A common idea is that you need to be yourself. Surprise! That is easy, but that is not what I have been told. Well, I should know better than to do everything I’m told. My brother did tell me once to go play in the street.

I set up a website. I found it stifling and boring. I took it down. I put up another website and found the same restrictive feeling. You see, I thought I was doing everything all the wise writers were telling me too. I only wrote about writing and my books. UGH! No one got to really see the real me who is not near that boring. Or at least I don’t think I am.

The advice on this podcast was to be myself. Talk about my day. Talk about the meal I just cooked. Don’t always talk about writing and my books. Umph, that seems contradictory, but guess what? I would prefer to read those blogs that talk about everyday things in a humorous light. Maybe I should be myself afterall!

This was something to ponder. And I did. Pondered while I worked my day job. Pondered while I drove home. Pondered replying to emails. Pondered and pondered away. Then I felt like the village idiot.

So this begins my journey on being me. You’ll find a warped sense of humor at times. You’ll find a chaotic life. But I hope you find some entertainment. Yes, I might share some news of my writing here and there, but I swear it will not be blog posts of “Buy my book!” or other such mundane rubbish.

Now I’m off to think of the next post which might be about my lazy dog or my lazy husband or both. Toodles!

Release of Writing Prompt Book

It’s here!

You can now get Volume 1 of Picture Writing Prompts on Amazon. This is a great way to help inspire your writing. Want to write a short story? Need help with a writing assignment for school? You’ve come to the right place.

Within the pages, you’ll find ordinary pictures. Under each picture are ideas sorted by genre for stories. All ideas can be used by any age and for any purpose. Feel free to use the directly or as a launching pad for your own creative spirit.

If you have Kindle Unlimited, it is included in the program. Otherwise it is only $2.99. Get this wonderful writing resource.

New Release Coming – Picture Writing Prompts

After my start over, I am releasing the first book under A Book Lover’s Library Publications. Here is the cover:

Are you a writer? Are you a student who needs an idea for a creative writing assignment? If you are in need of an idea for a short story or a full novel, this is a great resource for you.

Publishing on April 23 in Ebook format, Picture Writing Prompts: Volume 1 will give you ideas for any story you might need to write. There are 101 pictures for your inspiration. Under each picture, sorted by genre, are ideas for stories. You can use them directly or let them be a launch pad for a different idea. They are for you to use.

Check it out on April 23.

Publications in the Works

I’m in the process of getting some of my previous works published once again. Some just needed new covers. Some were re-edited. Over all, I’m starting over.

Non-fiction books will be published under my real name. The fiction books will be under pen names based on the different genres. The paranormal stories will be published under Shadow Steele. The first book under the Steele name will be coming out in April/May of this year. It will be a republishing of my Connections series.

The romances will be published under Tatiana Wynter. The first one will be a novella published with a group of other female authors. Then a stand alone larger novella will be released. That should be around mid-summer.

Mysteries will be the name of R.G. Stonewall. These are the least developed of my genre which means I’ll be working on getting some rough drafts done soon.

Drama and Chick Lit will be published under Juliette Marcoux. One of these for sure will be sent to an agent. Hoping that will get a new level of attention. Two others under this name will come out this summer.

Fantasy/Science Fiction style stories will be published under the name Kestrel Portall. The first of these will be published sometime in the fall.

Stay tuned as more news comes and new books are published.

A Fresh New Start

Sometimes you just have to scrap it all and start over.

I have been writing stories for over ten years. During that time, I have worked with many people. Throughout my life, I have felt that everyone deserves a chance no matter what my gut says. Payment was dear for that mistake. They turned out to the be ones hindering my path. Now I have removed them from my life and started over.

In doing that, I removed all my work from online, removed myself from social media, and took time to recover. I was able to finish my Masters in English and Creative Writing and spend quality time with my family. We had a family medical emergency that took up most of my time for several months. During that time, I also crocheted and made notes on my stories. I also had a friend do some content editing on stories in order to prepare them for line editing.

I discovered that I needed to spend more time preparing myself for writing. More needed to be done before I submitted my work to publishers. Here, I will create a portfolio of my work as well as posting articles on writing and my journey to be a Renaissance Woman.

I hope you enjoy your visit here and share with others what you have discovered.