All the Small Things

Yesterday, I was chomping at the bit to have some piece and quiet. I wanted to go out and do something with the hubby. I wanted…well I honestly didn’t know what I wanted. But what I was getting, wasn’t it.

So, in a fit of desperation, I hauled out the slip ‘n slide, hooked up the hose, and then shoved my kids into swimsuits and out the door.

I brought a book and a chair and sat outside to make sure they weren’t hurt, but I was still determined I was getting something for myself.

It didn’t take me long to be lured in by their incessant laughing and splashing. Before long I was not only smiling at them, but egging them on.

The smiles on their faces were addictive and I couldn’t get enough of it. Before I knew it, I was not only pushing them to keep going, I was an active participant.

They started egging me on to do stupider and stupider things and I felt myself regressing. I wasn’t a 29-year-old mother of two. I was now 12 and playing with my friends.

Then reality hit when I did something really stupid and tore something in my knees, but in those 20 or so minutes, I was having fun. A lot of fun.

And I realized that I wasn’t craving alone time away from them. I was craving time WITH them.

And it helped. Not just my mood, but with my writing. My kids are an endless fount of inspiration. From the things they do, to the things they say or don’t say.

So if you have kids, relax and spend time with them. They may just be what the doctor ordered.

Writer's Wednesday: A Juggler's Life

We developed Oasis for YA with the idea that it would be a sanctuary for YA writers. Lord knows we need it. Most of us are spouses, parents and maybe some other career first, authors second. We lead busy lives and what little time we can eek out of each day we spend pursuing our love of the written word. The problem is, if we've got too many balls in the air, something's bound to drop. So this week, we wanted to pass on some stress-relieving tips for juggling your life and your WIP(s).

1.  Use Your Senses.  Your five senses can be powerful tools.  Ever catch a whiff of something and you're transported back to a years-old memory?  The same thing happens with music too. You hear a song and all of a sudden you're back in high school, driving around on the wrong side of the tracks while your crazy friends hang out of the sunroof.  (Maybe that one's just me.)  Use these powerful memory-jogging tools to get you back into your writing groove as you switch between WIPs, or just writing and life. Create a book-specific playlist. Choose a signature scent and light candles in that fragrance to put you in the right mindset. You'll transition more smoothly into your writing and probably ease a little tension along the way too.

2.  Set Goals and Be Accountable.  Don't go all crazy and set yourself up for failure, but set some goals. And make yourself accountable to someone else for getting your goals accomplished. Nikki and I decided a few months back that we'd hold each other accountable for 50 pages of revisions each week. Knowing that I had to explain myself to someone else if I didn't get through those pages lit a flame under me. Perhaps as importantly, by getting the pages edited, I was able to shed the guilt I'd been carrying about not finishing. And shedding guilt can be a huge stress reliever too. That being said...

3.  Allow Yourself a Day Off.  The wonderful thing about being authors is that our manuscripts will always be there tomorrow. Hopefully we'll all have some agent or editor-imposed deadlines to meet, but for the most part, we work at our own pace. If you need to go get a manicure (or for guys, catch a quick 9 holes) instead of writing one day, give yourself permission. Take an hour to catch up on your favorite TV show, or really talk to your significant other or kids. Sometimes our brains cry out for a break -- so they can recharge with more creativity and energy -- and instead of heeding the call, we press on. Unless you have to, don't. The burn out is just not worth it. As Donna Tartt said: "But it's for every writer to decide his own pace, and the pace varies with the writer and the work."

How do you juggle writing and life? We'd like to know your tips for getting it done while staying stress-free.

Images borrowed from:  

http://kleighjar.com/?p=422 and www.oknation.net/blog/learnlivelove

Monday's Sanctuary: Embrace change

**artwork snitched from ElenaDudina's DevianArt Gallery**

I really had to debate on this one.

Often I wonder why I have fallen short of the glory of sanctuary, why the peace I yearn for has abandoned me to the jaws of chaos. The teeth pinch, the hinges close and I feel swallowed whole. The fall is long, the constriction suffocating.

Then, there are days I battle free of chaos' maw, running to the bedroom or the porch. Once settled with a tall iced tea, I embrace the change of location, and deepen the affect by pulling up a mellow playlist with instrumental movie tunes like the lullabys from Pan's Labyrinth and The Chronicles of Narnia, the dance from Mr. And Mrs. Smith. Then, I set my mind loose wandering through my favorite timesucker website DeviantArt.

The change of location, and change of stimuli relax me, and open my mind to more productive paths. Slowly, the tightness winding from behind my breastbone throughout my body loosens. The air I didn't know I lacked rushes in. I drift on the music, settle into the chair instead of sitting on it.

With the tensions gone, the creativity can flow through the paths once choked with stress. The music may lead to a new plot path, the artwork may birth new characters, new romances.

So, if you're feeling tightly wound, and want to relax and refocus, may I suggest embracing change?

Change your location.
Change what you hear.
Change what you see.
Go with the flow...