A Peek into the Life of Pam Hillman - or - How to DO It All By Being Too Dogged-Determined NOT To!

Pam here. Let's jump right in. I'm going to share what my life looks like this coming week. This is typical. I share this because ... Well,  to tell you the truth, I'm pretty swamped, and I could have thrown up my hands and said ...

"I can't blog today...."

"I can't write that book...."

"I can't go to that book signing...."

"I can't ___________..." (fill in the blank)

But I'm here to tell you that I can. I will.

And You can.

We can. We must. Our integrity demands that we step up and DO. Regardless of how many curve balls life throws at us, we just keep doing, organizing, putting out fires no matter what. It's what a professional does. If you're a writer (or want to be one), then you are a professional. You honor your obligations. But the beauty of being a writer is that we aren't limited to a measly old eight hours from 9-5 M-F. Oh, no!!!

We, as self-employed writers have an AMAZING edge over the 9-5 worker. We have 168 hours a week to choose from. Whoo-eee!!! I'm excited just thinking about it! Yes!!

But, what? You already have a "9-5" job, you say? I will admit that I no longer have a 9-5 job. I did for 28 years and it was exhausting, mind-numbing work that wore me completely out. But I do have many, many jobs and responsibilities now that add up to way more than 40 hours a week. I put in 16 hours on Mondays alone.

So, let's look at this week, and then see if I'm ready to throw in the towel and say "I can't".

Monday, May 23rd

My alarm will go off at 6:20 am (And I'm still up at midnight, preparing a blog because I love you guys THAT much!) I'll get up, manage a quick toilet that includes brushing hair and teeth, put on my housecoat and drive to my oldest son's house 1/2 mile away. I'll arrive at 6:30 and pick up THIS sweet doll. I'm usually back home by 6:40.

The Sweetest Baby in the World

My day will include fixing bottles, doing a lot of rocking, hugging and kissing, and diaper changes. In between all that, I'll check email, do promotion on social media, and prepare a healthy breakfast and lunch for myself, My Cowboy, and our youngest son who just graduated from college and is moving back home temporarily for the summer. I'll also make dinner for all of us and my son and daughter-in-law since Mondays are long, LONG days for the entire family. They don't get home until 7:30-8:00 pm on Mondays, and they have to come pick up the baby, so it makes sense for me to cook dinner for all of us. Crockpot dinners, baked chicken, hamburgers, chili, and soups are my go-to meals for Mondays.

Writing: Mondays are always iffy, but I can always squeeze in a few minutes of editing or writing in the lulls. Our baby is such a sweet girl and working on writing is not only doable, it's necessary to meet my deadlines.

ACFW: I'm continually checking email and handling accounting related tasks for ACFW. The good news about this job and my writing job, is that I can do this day or night, and yes, sometimes it gets done at night. Remember, 168 hours. :)

And this Monday, I'll be dropping by talking to YOU guys as well.

Tuesday, May 24th

No baby today. She goes to her aunt's daycare on Tuesday. Tuesday is earmarked for a writing marathon. I plan to guard my time on Tuesday to work on Terms of Indenturement (Working title. Tentative release date Summer 2017) which is due in a few months. I love digging into Connor and Isabella's lives, but it's easy to let life intervene. Look at Monday. TUESDAY belongs to my characters and my publisher.

Tuesday evening is when I visit my friend Karen in the nursing home and have for over 10 years. The only time I don't go is is I'm sick or have a conflicting event or am out of town. So, five hours at the nursing home sharing a meal with Karen, laughing and talking, watching TV, and a lot of times writing or editing. I've plotted many a book there. As an aside, one night while putting together a proposal for a collection, Karen and I were watching The Voice and I needed a name for the hero and heroine. The hero became Blake (after Blake Shelton) and the heroine became Cassidy after that season's winner Cassadee Pope. That proposal became  Shanghaied by the Bride (The Oregon Trail Romance Collection), Barbour Publishing, April 2015.

Wednesday, May 25th

We have a wedding to plan, and I'm going with my future daughter-in-law, her mother, and one of her bridesmaids to look at wedding dresses. I'm honored to get to go along. What fun! The day is earmarked for fun, food, and fellowship. Can't wait!

Sweet "T" and the Big "D"

Wednesday night is prayer meeting. There will be food for dinner sandwiched between the shopping trip and church. Somehow. After church, I'll check email again, putting out any fires that have occurred during the day on the writing and/or ACFW front. I also have my email coming to my phone, so any time I'm away from home I can at least keep an eye on things.

www.acfw.com

An aside: My husband's grandmother was recently in the hospital for about two months. All of us rallied and stayed with her 24/7 until she was rehabilitated enough to go to a temporary nursing facility in hopes of returning back home. I was able to do a lot of my work from her hospital room with my laptop, my phone and the hospital's free wi-fi. I was reading galleys for Love Is a Puzzle (The Gold Rush Romance Collection, Barbour, August 2016) at the time, so that was an easier task than say ... writing the first, or even, second draft. But still, that was draining for all of us, but we did it. We all worked, we took care of the babies, we rotated hospital stays, and we worked when and where we could.


Thursday, May 26th

My sweet baby returns to stay with me again on Thursday. The day is a repeat of Monday, but isn't as long. Again, I can get a lot of work done with the baby here. As long as I plan ahead for meals, I'm good. Naps are good for writing, editing and catching up on email. As far as I know, I'm FREE Thursday evening. Whew. :) And, contrary to what some would advise, sometimes it's better to take a short afternoon nap when the baby naps. That way, I'm fresh enough to tackle lots of tasks later in the evening. Being too exhausted to think straight doesn't bode well for a good writing session.

Friday, May 27th

Clear the decks again for another writing marathon. Connor and Isabella have been waiting patiently. I plan to dive back in and work all day on their story. I think I'm free Friday evening as well. Fingers crossed.

Part of the Sunken Trace, aka The Natchez Trace, aka The Devil's Backbone
North of Natchez, MS. My characters travel this road in the 1790s. I walked this path in 2010.

Saturday, May 28th

Saturday is just another work day for me. I'll get in some writing/editing time, and I'll need to go shopping at some point (either Friday or Saturday) for fresh fruit, milk, salad fixings, etc. I can probably go another week before I need to go for the 5-6 hour shopping marathon that includes meat. I just stocked up last week, so I'm good to go for a few days.

Saturday night is earmarked for youth service and/or prayer meeting at church. Saturday night after I get home might include more writing, editing, checking email, or working on blog posts. Pretty much whatever rises to the top and needs doing gets done.

Sunday, May 30th

Check email. Yes, even on Sunday morning while drinking m coffee before getting ready for church, I check email. I can't afford to let it mushroom out of control. Speaking of the business side of things. I use a MacBook Pro. I use Mac Mail for my personal business email. Emails that I don't want to miss: from my editors, my agent, the Seekers, bills that are due, etc.

Our church at dusk with the Crepe Myrtles in full bloom

I use Safari for my personal browsing, Facebook, Twitter, gmail (this email does NOT come to my laptop, but I check it online.)

I use the Firefox browser for ACFW mail and all things ACFW related. I check all of these accounts continuously, and even have both of them synced to my phone. Like I said, this is business. I can't afford not to be on top of these emails all the time.

After church, there's Sunday dinner (which might include going out, but sometimes is soup and salad at home), rest, and Sunday night church.

I feel like I skipped a lot. I know I did. There's so much more to my week. My car needs to go to the shop. I need to pick up some items to ship out to readers. I really need to find out where the tax preparer is on our extension. Oh, and then there's housework and laundry, right? Rats! Names and addresses to give to Sweet T for the wedding invitations, plus planning and .... hmmm.... there's a Google Doc somewhere. My future DIL is like a Mini-Me when it comes to spreadsheets. She's an accountant well on her way to becoming a CPA. My son doesn't have a chance!

Oh, speaking of the wedding. It's in August, TWO DAYS before I fly out for the ACFW Conference, TEN DAYS before Terms of Indenturement is due. I'm sure there's at least 10 other important things happening in August.

But life is sweet. Life is crazy. Life is so busy I hardly know which end is up, but it's also amazing. I don't know the meaning, "I can't." or "I give up."

I am Yoda. Hear me Roar.

*Oh, btw, every day starts with a cup of Vanilla Caramel coffee from the Keurig, sweetened with a donk of English Toffee stevia, creamer, coconut oil, a dash of salt, stirred with a handheld frothier (Thanks for the heads up, Tina!) and a dollop of heavy cream.)

So, how do YOU do it all? Tell us in the comments for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card or your choice of any Seeker book, print or ebook.

CBA Bestselling author PAM HILLMAN was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn't afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove an Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn't mind raking. Raking hay doesn't take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that's the kind of life every girl should dream of. www.pamhillman.com

The Work from Home Landscape

What would be better than pursuing your dream of writing and supplementing it with a part time job that allows you to set your own hours or utilize your own personal skill set? Let's welcome B. K. (Brenda) Jackson as she opens the discussion on juggling your dream of writing with the very real obligation of paying the bills.

Take it away, B. K. (Brenda) Jackson...

I once spoke with a writer at a Western Writers of America conference who told me he wrote his first draft manuscripts in three weeks! He did not indicate how long the revision process took afterward, but I would suspect that like me, most authors need considerably longer to write a manuscript draft. One of the reasons it takes longer is because of our “day job”.

I work at a hospital in the Phoenix metro area as an Administrative Assistant/Scheduler. My 8 hour a day job typically costs me 13-14 hours a day, plus I’m in school at night, so during the week days, being up 19-20 hours a day is typical (and those hours don’t include time for writing).

This scenario is not ideal for many reasons. Desperate for alternatives, I wondered about work from home jobs—not only to save several hours’ time out of my day and to improve my health, but because I have office space in my apartment that is to die for, and I’d like to be able to use it.

Don’t you just love all the natural light that fills this office?  I do!

I have found the whole work-from-home scenario to be absolutely mystifying. In day to day life, I come across people who work from home. When I watch HGTV reno shows, almost every couple who is going through a house reno has one or both adults working from home.

Where do all these mystical, magical work from home opportunities come from? I posed this question to a writer’s loop back in October to get feedback. I gained several good insights into the work from home market as well as emails from many others who were as frustrated as I about nailing down legitimate opportunities for work from home jobs.

Responses to my inquiry boiled down to two main categories of work from home:

First, people who moved into work from home positions at companies for whom they’d worked for a number of years and the opportunity became available. The typical types of jobs in this category included people who worked in:

·       Direct sales

·       IT

·       HR

·       Medical Billing

·       Government field rep

·       Test grading

·       Banking related jobs/analysis

The second category of work from home jobs comes from those who are freelance/entrepreneurs:

·       Photography

·       Freelance writing/copywriting/editing/reviewing

·       IT (ad sales, web design, etc.)

·       Consultants of various types

·       Teaching music

·       Corporate trainer

·       Virtual assistant

The first category would seem to be the most dependable financially, especially for people like myself who are our own sole source of income. Unfortunately, not all industries lend themselves to the forward thinking concept of work from home.  In healthcare, the closest you will get are experienced coders, but transcription opportunities are dwindling as technological changes occur. And while the work I do as an Administrative Assistant and Scheduler could easily be done from home, healthcare will never be able to make that leap.

The wonderful, tranquil view from my apartment—you should see those desert sunsets!

Freelance work seems to be on the rise and has great rewards—if you can manage the financial ebb and flow endemic to that career path.

Also as I have learned in my own searches, you have to be very careful when searching online for work from home jobs because the majority of them are scams. Someone recommended checking Monster or Indeed. I also checked into another website someone had forwarded to me but reading about them on the Better Business Bureau website left me with mixed feelings. Even those who use websites to search for any type of work get scammed—instead of legitimate opportunities, they get emails pressuring them to enroll in various colleges and rack up consumer debt.

A couple of the respondents to my query thoughtfully summarized that they felt the best opportunities to work from home probably fell among these instances:

* Web related work - coding and design

* Accounting

* Artistic work - painting, Photoshop, Etsy, Fiverr, 99designs, etc.

* High paid short burst work that takes lots of unpaid prep time - e.g. training

* EBay trading - buy low, sell high

* Daycare

The two most interesting responses I got were from one person who worked as a doula (I had to look that one up) and one who did some agricultural related work (goat cheese, handmade soap etc.)  How cool is that?

While it is not work from home, I also know someone who garners a nice side income as a house-sitter and she has really developed her business. 

For what it’s worth, here’s a link to a news video with work-from-home opportunities and websites (I cannot vouch for their validity): Legitimate Work from Home Jobs that Really Pay

For me, it boils down to changing the industry within which I work, or going freelance and taking the associated financial risks. I still have no definitive answers.

What about you? Have you dipped your toes into the work from home life to make more time for writing and other things? I’d love to hear your insights.

If being self-employed or working from home is just a glimmer in your eye, check out these 50 Self-Employed Business Ideas, then come back to Seekerville and let us know which one is the perfect shoe-in for you and your unique skills.

And, to get your creative juices flowing, Seekerville is giving away FIVE copies of the ebook 130 Work From Home Career Ideas. Mention in the comments that you'd like a copy of the ebook.

B.K. Jackson is an author of Arizona-based historical fiction as well as devotionals and screenplays. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Her co-authored screenplay, Esperanza, was a 2004 quarter-finalist in the national Fade In Awards. In 2008, her devotional work appeared in the compilation book Devotions For Writers.  In 2010, Principle Engagement won the Historical Fiction category in ACFW’s Genesis Contest.

Seekerville Guest Blogger Janet Lee Barton: Learning to be Flexible

Myra here. Please welcome my friend and former Oklahoma compatriot, Janet Lee Barton! I was blessed to have the chance to get to know Janet through cross-visits of our Oklahoma ACFW chapters. She’s a prolific author, a wise mentor, and an all-around lovely lady.

Today Janet brings her expertise to bear on one absolutely essential trait of a successful writer: learning to be flexible. Janet, take it away!

~~~~~~~~~~~   

Janet Lee Barton

Oh, you may be finished with the manuscript—as it is right now.  You may have gone over it multiple times—had critique partners, family and/or friends read through it several times, too. Then you send it out. But it still doesn't mean you're finished.

You may have an agent or publisher interested in it, and even get an offer of representation or better yet, a contract!  But you still aren't finished.  In fact, you've only just begun.  And now is the time to learn to be flexible. In this instance and according to my dictionary, it means to be "ready and able to change so as to adapt to different circumstances or conditions."

For instance, you may be asked to change the title of your book. I can hear several gasps from here.  I've actually heard writers say they'll never change their title. But really, one should never to get too attached to a title—and especially not so much that you'd refuse to change it.  If you are in this for the long haul the chances of you needing to change a title are quite high.  But it is not worth putting your career on the line for, nor is it worth giving your editor the idea that you might be hard to work with. 

So make that change and get ready for the next one--because there will be more. Believe me—I know. You might be asked to change a scene, take out that favorite paragraph—the one you worked days to get just right. Or maybe you're asked to take out a plot line—or add a new one—what can possibly be better than the one you've been asked to take out? Or you might be asked to take out a secondary character you love, or all of the above. Yes, I can see that isn't what you want to hear.  None of us do. But it can and does happen.

Yes, sometimes you can ask to keep something in just as it is. But most times you need to think about it first. If the requested change is something you know your character would not do, or something you truly feel strongly about, you can say so—nicely of course. Then you and your editor might need to talk things through to get to a mutually satisfying decision. It can be done.

Learn what to stand firm on and what to give way on.  The most important thing to remember is that your editor wants to help you make your story the best it can be.  Sometimes your ideas on how to go about that differ, but you should always be flexible enough to listen to what your editor is saying, then think about it—really think about it—and see if the editor's idea might make for a better book.  I've found that most times they do, if we are flexible enough to take their ideas to heart and work with them. 

Janet Lee Barton was born in New Mexico and has lived all over the South. She and her husband now call Oklahoma home. She writes both Historical and Contemporary romance, and loves writing about faith, families, friends and, of course, falling in love. Visit her at www.janetleebarton.com

Janet’s current releases:

Making Memories

When Amanda Forrester moves to Oklahoma City to escape her matchmaking family, she has no intention of falling in love. But when neighbor Josh Randall befriends her, she finds not falling love is easier said than done. But what if a romance ruined friendship?

When Amanda’s family insists she come home for Christmas, Josh offers to go along to keep them from setting her up with every single man they know. He isn’t about to let Amanda fall prey to some back-home Romeo. Should he tell her how he feels?

Will this Christmas be their first for making memories?

This e-book is a WhiteRose Publishing reprint/re-edit of a Christmas novella and is currently available at all the online bookstores, just in time for Christmas! Order for your Kindle here, or for your Nook here. Also available at CBD.com here.



I'd Sooner Have Love

Unable to give her husband children, Faith Anderson watched his love change to disappointment before he died in a riding accident. She's determined never to marry again, and instead plans to build a new life in Guthrie, Oklahoma, with thousands of other settlers who have rushed to the area.

But that was before she met Gabe Logan...

If the past were different, Gabe and Faith would sooner have love. But now they must decide: will they let fear of disappointment and rejection keep them from accepting the love God has placed in their paths?

Leave a comment on today’s post to be entered in a drawing for a copy of I’d Sooner Have Love.

Seeker Writing Spaces: A Virtual Tour

Good morning, Seekerville! Myra here. Having just moved into (and I use that phrase loosely!) a new house (new to us, anyway) AND attempting to get my home office organized enough to be usable, I’m too brain-dead to think very deeply about composing a writerly Seekerville blog post.

Here I am, in makeup and earrings, no less, to show you  my new office!

So today, instead of witty words of writing wisdom, I offer up a sampling of Seeker writing spaces. Some may inspire you.  Some may leave you with a renewed sense of pride in your own working arrangements.

Others may make you wonder how a particular Seeker gets any writing done with all the cleaning and preening she must be doing 14 hours a day to keep her office (and herself!) looking so good!

Let’s begin with Missy’s writing space. Here’s how she describes it:

“I have taken over a bookshelf and some storage space in my college son's bedroom. But I actually do my writing on my laptop in the family room. My family tries to be patient as I spread out over the course of writing a book! It becomes a battle of the couch cushions. :)”

Missy and her MacBook on the sofa

Hmmm, doesn’t look like much of a battle to me. Missy looks like queen of the family room with her nifty little MacBook. And she’s dressed and wearing makeup! Who writes with makeup???

Next up we have Sandra. Oh, my, if this doesn’t make you envious, nothing will! Sandra has this to say about her workspace:

“I write best while traveling in my motorhome. Too many chores at home. I put my computer on the dash and hubby points the window toward the best view.  ‘Here is your lakeside office.’ or ‘Here is your beach office.’ or ‘Here is your mountain top office.’ Am I blessed or what?”

Sandra enjoys the view from her motorhome office.

Let’s just hope hubby doesn’t put the motorhome in gear and then go racing around any sharp curves while Sandra is in creative mode!

Next we have two views of Janet’s office. For the first photo, obviously Janet straightened things up so her office would show well in the picture. At least I hope so, because if this is how it usually looks when she’s hard at work, the rest of us are WAY outclassed!

Janet in designer office and designer zebra top!

Now be honest, folks. Don’t you like the next photo best? It shows a much more normal-looking workspace with papers strewn haphazardly across the desk. However, Janet looks too gorgeous and put together for an average writing day!

Janet looking sharp as usual but with a much messier desk!

Oops, here’s another super-neat office. Cara welcomes you into this epitome of organization. What a clever storage unit, and we can’t help but admire those gorgeous Ladies of Summerhill book covers on display! I don’t see any signs of a computer, however, so Cara must be out working in her sunroom.

Cara's home office--too neat for words!

Julie provided pix of two work areas--her “real” office and her “nature” office.  Typical of a Julie Lessman novel, she was somewhat more verbose when providing her descriptions:

“I share an office with the love of my life, who sits about two to three feet behind me in a tiny 11'x12' room, so it gets REAL cozy ... especially whenever I put lip gloss on because I always share with a kiss!! Keith is an artist who needs music, and I am a writer who needs quiet, so he's kind enough to wear headphones, but the finger drumming about sends me through the roof. Consequently, I've taken to writing in the lounger in the hearth room in front of a fire during the winter and outside on the lower deck in the spring/summer/autumn.”

Julie at her "real" desk, obviously waiting for a kiss from hubby!

“In my official office, you will notice the essentials: pictures of Rhett and Scarlett, pictures of my hubby, Kleenex (a MUST!!) and a candle. This office picture was taken in the evening, so no hazelnut coffee, but come morning, my feet are up on an ottoman outside on the lower deck, and I have hazelnut coffee, Kleenex, lip gloss, a mirror (to capture those facial expressions, don't you know!) and the phone. Keith and I visit throughout the day, when he comes down or I go up for more coffee, and it's not unusual for me to be working in the dark on the deck with fireflies and the sound of locusts. All in all, a WONDERFUL writing environment!!”

Now this is the life! Lookin' good, Julie!

Okay, Julie, you had me at “fireflies and locusts.” Our new home has a lovely screened porch overlooking a forested backyard. I may be doing a LOT more writing “out of office” in the coming months!

Except . . . here we go with the makeup thing again. What’s with writing and makeup, gals???

Okay, okay, I get it! For the picture, riiiiiight? But another MacBook girl--you and Missy are women after my own heart!

Next let’s visit Tina’s office. Now THIS is a woman I can relate to! Let’s call it “creative organization.” Everything within easy reach, and I’m guessing Tina knows how to instantly put her hands on whatever she needs. Tina chose to let the photograph speak for itself, and so shall I.

Tina's office, a place for everything, and everything . . . somewhere!

Next stop on the tour is Debby’s office. She almost chickened out of sending me her photo because she feared her office would be the most cluttered of them all. I assured her it definitely is NOT! Like Tina, she can probably lay her hands on anything she needs with minimal shuffling. We’re creative right-brainers, right? Normal people could not begin to understand our organizational systems!

(Notice Debby’s “Writer’s Prayer” is right there on top.)

Debby's office. Creative genius at work!

And now, without further ado, we step through the hallowed doors of my own home office. It’s still a work-in-progress, but at least I have the essentials in place. Books galore, including another bookshelf across the room that’s even taller (and, right now, MUCH messier). Notice several shelves are dedicated to my dear Seeker sisters (which could someday require an entire room, at the rate things are going). 

Myra's bookcases. (At least the ones you can see.)

And here’s my computer desk. Mouse pad with homemade ergonomic wrist rest.  Coffee mug warmer. Reference books within easy reach. Supplies close at hand. Character photos next to the computer. Plus an enticing treetop view of our forested backyard.

Myra's desk with backyard view.

Then there’s the treadmill and treadmill desk just waiting for me to leap from my padded chair into calorie-burning mode (could be a looooong wait). Oh, and lest I forget, my two faithful writing companions, Gracie and Shadow, always underfoot. Literally.

Gracie and Shadow, Myra's live-in muses.

Comments, anyone? Care to describe your own writing space? Include a link to a photo if you dare!

One lucky commenter on today’s post will receive a copy of Organizing for the Creative Person: Right-Brain Styles for Conquering Clutter, Mastering Time, and Reaching Your Goals, by Dorothy Lehmkuhl and Dolores Cotter Lamping. (Winner’s choice of paperback or Kindle edition.)

The Fudge vs. Broccoli Choice

The Fudge vs Broccoli Choice

By Missy Tippens

My husband handed me a folded newspaper section the other day and said it was a good article I might like to read. And I admit, I mentally rolled my eyes and wondered what hint he was dropping this time—would it be about eating right, losing weight, sleeping enough, exercising or drinking gallons of water?

So being the stubborn person that I am (and knowing I wasn’t in the mood to be convicted about living a healthier lifestyle), I set it aside. Several days later, he asked if I had read it yet. In a bit of a snit, I yanked it up and read it. And was actually very intrigued! (I’m a science geek, what can I say?)

The article was from the January 4^th Athens Banner-Herald, titled Brain Might Sabotage Success of Resolutions, by Lauran Neergaard (AP). And all I could think about as I read it (besides the fact that I need to quit eating in front of the TV!) was that this info would make a great blog post. So I’m going to try to boil it down so maybe we can figure out why writers sometimes struggle to sit in a chair and write, even when they love writing.

The article talks about how hard it is to keep New Year’s resolutions and says the problem is that bad habits get wired into our brains. But the good news in the article is that they know some tricks that can help replace the bad habits with good ones.

The key: we’re fighting against the power of an immediate reward. I got my title from the author of the article saying, “It’s the fudge vs. broccoli choice: Chocolate’s yum factor tends to beat out the knowledge that sticking with veggies brings an eventual reward of lost pounds.”

So take, for example, the fact I like to eat my breakfast and have my coffee in front of the TV with Good Morning America every morning. The creamy cheese of my omelet, the rich, sweet creamer in my nice strong Double Black Diamond coffee and the camaraderie of my favorite morning show hosts cause a release of a pleasure-sensing chemical in my brain called dopamine. It conditions me to want that experience again and again. And each time I do get the reward (every day!), it strengthens that bond. A dopamine-rich part of my brain then memorizes the rituals and routines so that eventually, the environment itself triggers my brain to pretty much make certain behaviors automatic.

So now, I sit down to watch Castle at night, and I want to eat something rich or sweet or to make coffee.

Scary, huh?

Okay, time to look at writing habits. I can tell you one that I have that I’ve been working on breaking. It goes like this:

Open laptop.

Click on Safari (Internet browser).

Yep. It’s automatic, like some kind of reflex wired into my fingers. And it’s BAD, BAD, BAD!! My new goal: retrain the brain to click first on Word.

Here are some other bad writing habits I’ve either experienced of witnessed with friends…

--Plan to get up early for writing time but hit the snooze. I need to sleep today. I’ll get up early tomorrow.

--Plan to write at night after the day job. Oh, man. Today was awful. I don’t have a brain cell left. I should wait until tomorrow when I’m fresher so I don’t write garbage.

--Have a deadline and need to work through feeling stuck in the story.  But gosh, I’ve got four more months. Maybe I should stop for a while and see if inspiration strikes.

--The next scene is going to be really difficult to write. I don’t have the energy/time/experience/research to tackle it just yet.

--Have a request for a manuscript from a conference. What was I thinking when I made that appointment? I can’t send out this book. It’ll never sell.

--General negative self talk.

I’m such a fake at trying to act professional in the writing world.

What made me ever think I’m qualified to write inspirational fiction?

I’ll never sell a book.

I’ll never sell another book.

My editor doesn’t believe I can do this/won’t like this book/must hate me.

That agent/editor will laugh her butt off when she reads this.

I’ll never be able to do this job.

--Decent contest scores and even contest wins on a manuscript—from fourteen contests over three years. I think I’ll make some more changes on this fifth version of the mss and see if maybe Editor so-and-so will like it better this time.

--Need to write x-number of words a day to finish a story in time for contest or deadline. I only have thirty minutes now and maybe twenty minutes later, so I might as well not get started. I can’t write anything in short bursts like that. I think I’ll have a few hours this coming weekend.

--Have just a few chapters to go to reach the end of a manuscript. Oh my gosh, I just got the best idea for a new story! It won’t leave me alone, so I think I’m going to go ahead and start it.

Do you recognize yourself anywhere in there? Or can you pinpoint your own bad writing habits? Never fear. The article says there are ways to re-train our brains.

1.     Repeat the new behavior over and over. And they say to do it at the same time each day to form a new routine. I know this can be difficult with our crazy schedules. But find the time that works best to write for the most days each week, and do it as often as you can. The brain will eventually recognize the new habit. Then you’ll feel bad when don’t do it.

2.     Reward yourself with something you really desire. Again, this helps re-wire the brain. Did you write all you planned to write this week? Reward yourself. I don’t suggest food! But aren’t we all a little weird in that we get our jollies by things non-writers would never think of-- like office supplies? Reward yourself with a trip to Staples for a new pen. Or maybe with a book you’ve been wanting (like maybe pre-ordering A Family for Faith by Missy Tippens!). A month of the new good habit? How about a pair of conference shoes or a new tote bag/computer bag. Or a movie with friends.

3.    Exercise actually raises dopamine levels. So if you’re feeling needy and old habits try to creep back in, get out and take a walk. Then come back ready to be positive and jump in with all the good you’ve been working toward.

4.    Be extra aware during times of stress. The author of the article says, “Stress can reactivate the bad-habit circuitry.” In such a case, I’d suggest the exercise to help release the stress. Lots of other things to do for stress, but that’s another post. :)

5.     Here’s one last tip. And it’s a biggie. Cut out the rituals that go along with the bad habits. Is the last week before a deadline linked with eating bag after bag of potato chips? Break that link. Does the sound of the alarm clock make you dread turning on your computer or make you hate your story? Break the link. Does the thought of typing the last five chapters of a book send you to brainstorming a new one every single time? Break the link.

This may take some work to figure all this out. But try to figure out your triggers. Investigate your environment and create a new, positive connection. I can do it. You can do. And we’ll be more productive for it.

I hope you’ll share your triggers and what you’re going to be doing about it so we can all learn. Also, say ENTER ME in the comment to be entered in a drawing for some chocolate. Unless, of course, you’d prefer broccoli in your new environment. :) In that case, let me know. I’ll see what I can figure out. ;)

Oh, and in case you missed the moment of shameless self-promotion above, I just last week found my upcoming book from Love Inspired, A Family for Faith,  is available for pre-order! 

Missy

When Faith Hagin sees widower cop Gabe Reynolds every day in her coffee shop, she can’t help but feel for the struggling single dad. She’s raised a teenager of her own—and sadly, knows what not to do. But thanks to his matchmaking preteen daughter, Chelsea, the whole town’s praying for Gabe to find a wife!

Even though Faith thinks she’s content being just friends, spending time with him and Chelsea starts to feel like a fresh start at having a family. And their love may be the answer to everyone’s prayers.