Developing an emergency backup plan

NOTE: This is not to be used as instruction for zombie apocalypse survival. Though, that would definitely put a damper on your daily writing goals.

It can be hard to juggle motherhood, writing/working and real life. I am an advocate on the importance of goal setting, as are many writing related articles I read. However, sometimes life happens and we see the importance of exercising flexibility in addition to stringent goal planning.

This week Oscar has had an increase in his seizures, I have been suffering from migraines left and right—Baby has been fine but that only means she is as active as ever. I still have freelance deadlines and sometimes, like earlier this week, I can’t meet my daily fiction writing goal. Yes, that is hard for me to type, but I’ve learned that sometimes we need flexibility. I’m not saying to give into excuses but not many people can meet their goals everyday. With that being said, I suggest an emergency backup plan.

To make my emergency backup plan, I take my original daily writing goal of 3,000 words and chop it down to 500. So, I don’t make my goal but at least I did something with my WIP.

Even though we have some days where our goals become impossible, we also have some really great days where we feel like super heroes. You know that feeling. The kids are doing great, you’ve made all deadlines or gotten things done early with your “real job,” you finished your writing goal and feel like you could save the world from anything! I may be exaggerating a bit, but my point is, everyone has great days. Use those great days to your advantage. It is great when you can write more than your daily writing goal and that extra work will balance out days when you don’t feel so super.

Announcements:

This week, I loved this post by author Amy Romaine, Writing- Exercise for the Brain?

Are you starting a blog? Wanting to know what that magic number is, meaning how often should you blog. Read, ‘What’s the Magic Number? How often should Writers Blog?’ by Kristen Lamb

I will be presenting ‘Caring for Your Special Needs Dog,’ a webinar for the Farm Dogs USA on September 26 6:30-8:00 PDT. This is open and available to the public. I will be posting the link to sign up soon.

You can read my book ‘Caring for your Special Needs Dog,’ that inspired the lecture. I cannot take full credit though, all of this was inspired by my dog, Oscar * Oscar wags his tail while sitting on my foot. *

A dare for something different

Do you hate it when you watch a horror film and you can guess who will die next? I do. I hate it when movies and books are predictable. Just like you should write what you know and what you love, you should also not do the things you hate. That can be easier said then done. I sometimes notice myself falling into the world of predictable scenes. A great way to prevent this is to do something different and unique.

When I’m stuck on a scene, I write out the options available for my character. Don’t go with the obvious. Of course it is important to be consistent with your character’s arc but I don’t think everything has to be obvious. It is the same way in life. I hate flying. I have no reason to, I just never have liked it. So, did it surprise my family when I chose to go up on a floatplane ride this past week at the lake house? Oh, yes it did!

And better yet…I’m alive to tell you about the thrilling experience. As you come in to land on water in floatplane it all seems to cut it a little close, but the landing was smooth. Sometimes the best thing for our plot is a little unpredictability. It also is good for us out in the real world away from pages of the make believe.

Announcements:

If you have been following me on Twitter, then you know my growing excitement for Shark Week. Yes, it is an addiction. As a lead up, Discovery Channel has a live web cam in the World’s largest shark tank. You watch sharks 24/7 and it is a great writing break. Enjoy it, if you dare!

If you’ve read my book ‘Caring for Your Special Needs Dog,’ then you know that I love to include a lot of different dog owner’s experiences in my books. I am gearing up for research for my next dog non-fiction. The topic will focus on intergrading your dog with a young child and how to make the relationship work for both of them. If you feel that you might have something to add to my research, then I’d love to speak with you. Email me at NatalieCMarkey@gmail.com

Using Twitter for networking and education with hastags

First of all, I'm sorry to the late post. If you follow me, then you know that I always post on Wednesdays and Fridays. I was out of town with no Internet access and had scheduled this post to come out on Friday. However, Blogger apparently didn't like me last week so with out further delay....

As a mom, author and CEO of my household, I’m always looking for ways to maximize and safe time. For me, a groundbreaking discover was Twitter. Of all the professions, I believe that writers have managed to really tap into the power of this networking tool. Writing community hastags are plenty and if you can take a few times a days to follow the Tweet Deck streams of these groups, then you can learn a lot while networking in an easy, fun environment. The wealth of knowledge on Twitter is vast so it is a useful place for continued education and industry discussion.

I love to follow #MyWANA, #WeWrite and #ScriptChat. #MyWANA came about from Kristen Lamb’s ‘We Are Not Alone: The Writers Guide to Social Media’ Her groundbreaking social media book has connected writers through Twitter at the frequently visited hashtag, #MyWANA. This is a group for writers that help writers promote. Whether it is to connect with writers or to look for an article to read and retweet, #MyWANA may be the place for you.

#WeWrite is a great place to learn about the writing process and how writers approach their work. #WeWrite was created by authors Anna DeStefano and Jennifer Talty. Sometimes specific topics are discussed and sometimes people just love to throw questions out there.

Recently, I have found #ScriptChat. It all started when I spent the wise price of $10 to take a pre-conference class on screen writing at the RWA National Conference several weeks ago in NYC. I have studied many forms of writing from journalism to creative structure but I’ve never done anything with screen writing. This seemed like a fun challenge and a learning experience. Bill Pace taught the course and was great. After the class, #ScriptChat founders Jeanne V. Bowerman and Kim Garland ran a panel discussion on social media. I loved hearing their approaches to Twitter and Facebook. They spoke about #ScriptChat and since I loved the screen writing class I made a point to attend the next chat session, which occurs every Sunday evening. It was very informative. Most of the time, I’m guilty of lurking with this group but I highly recommend them.

By targeting specific hashtag groups on Twitter, you can easily accomplish some continuing education and valued networking. Twitter can become an addiction. I recommend scheduling times to check Twitter and use it for brief breaks. You are the only one who can discover what works for you.

Announcements:

If you know me, then you probably know that next to dogs my favorite animal is a shark. I love diving with them and studying them, therefore one of my favorite weeks of the year is Shark Week on Discovery Channel. It starts July 31 this year. As a lead up to the festivities, the largest shark tank in the world at the Atlanta, GA Aquarium has set up a live streaming video from inside the tank. They have Whale Sharks in there guys and this is my new addiction. Enjoy it on this Monday.

Thanks for all the well wishes for Oscar, my dog who has been in and out of the hospital. He is going to be fine. It turns out that Oscar is just stressed and may have to go on a tranquilizer. We are not surprised. He feels the need to run everything and puts so much responsibility on himself. He is the best dog and I am feeling so much better knowing that he is fine. You can read my book that he inspired, ‘CARING FOR YOUR SPECIAL NEEDS DOG.’

Business cards, memory tricks and how the working mother can benefit from them

After a conference (any conference) you are met at home with seemingly endless loads of, and not just yours, I speak of the baby’s laundry that your husband failed to do. You also find all those welcoming emails that you fear will take over your computer, a revised to do list based off of your new improved conference knowledge and then there is are those groceries that need to be bought. Welcome to the life of the working mother.

Now, in such a scenario it would be easy to avoid and forget all the business cards that you traded. Trust me, I understand. I recently, returned from my old home of New York City to my current home of Arkansas and let me tell you, I now appreciate the phrase, “culture shock.” It was fun to see old colleagues, memorable landmarks and shop for my daughter at FAO Swartz. But once I returned home my old days of living the single dream in the Big Apple, quickly were replaced by burp rags and dirty diapers. I love my life as a full-time working from home mother/author but if you are a mother, then you will understand the importance of priorities.

Speaking of priorities, what happened to that stack of business cards you collected at various conferences? Are you ignoring them? One of those business cards could be what is keeping you from your dream or even better what is keeping that dream from finding you.

Never neglect a good business card. Someone paid good money for that piece of paper! Take the business cards and take a few minutes each day to send an email out to those contacts. Let them grow. You never know who knows whom.

The goal is to never let those stack of business cards get too high. Chip away at them and build your network. I loved some advice that I read in Bob Mayer and Jennifer Talty’s ‘Writer Conference Guide.’ They recommended separating business cards out in envelops and label each envelop with the name of the conference of convention. This is a great way to keep all that information straight. You should also take a second or two and write down something about that person on the back of your card when receiving it.

There is so much to keep straight. Do what you can to make things easy. As a working mother, you’re going to need whether you are a writer or whatever business you are in.

What memory tricks have you learned and used over the years? Share you wisdom in a comment below.

Announcements:

Oscar, the inspiration for my book, ‘Caring for Your Special Needs Dog’ is in the pet hospital. He is dealing with a sudden increase in his seizures. Please keep him in your thoughts and don’t forget to check out the book he inspired. He is a very special dog. I love you my Muffin, even though you are 75 pounds and not a lap dog in any stretch of the term.

Re-sparking that writer conference energy

I attended the RWA Writers Conference this year and I know authors that attended the Thriller Writers Conference. Such conferences can be overwhelming and exhausting. Hopefully you read Bob Mayer’s and Jennifer Talty’s ‘The Writer’s Conference Guide.’ The truth is, whatever conference you attended, you are EXHAUSTED! Especially, if you are a mom. I know after being away from my house for a week I was met with so many things to do including planning and running my one-year-old's birthday party.

So, how do you keep the momentum and the spark from the conferences and apply them to your writing life? I recommend that you look over your notes and get back into your writing as quickly as possible. It is so easy to get tired and caught up with real life and feel like you must devote more time to it because you were at a conference for a week.

Remember why you went to that conference. What were your goals? I'm sure you had some. Look at those goals. Did you achieve them? How can you move forward and capitalize on what you learned to achieve your goals?

Maintaining the high from a conference is especially hard for mother’s that have been away from their babies. I know, I am there right now. Be sure to discuss your goals with your family. Get them on board, set a schedule and start working.

These are some suggestions to start with. How are you maintaining your high from a writer’s conference? What advice do you have? Please share below in a comment.

Announcements:

My non-fiction, ‘Caring for Your Special Needs Dog,’ is out. Vets will always be your first resource in pet care, but as owners, we have a lot of power in giving our dog the best possible life. It is currently selling for $2.99 with a percentage going to The Texas A&M Foundation to the benefit of the Neurology Section, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinarian Medicine.

Don’t miss out on the whole writer special-- three titles for $8.99, save $4 http://t.co/xy7e0Q9 THIS IS A GREAT DEAL!

I also have a new author website, www.NatalieCMarkey.com

The privileges of being a working-from-home-mom

I work from home as a full-time freelance writer, author and speaker. I am fortunate to have a skill in which I can have the luxury of working from home. This gives me the opportunity to also care for my daughter, who is a one-year-old today.

I’m convinced that this is one of the hardest jobs. I’ve worked in NYC PR and ran creative services for one of the fastest growing CBS affiliates. I was the youngest business development director for a national advertising firm. So, I’ve had high-stress, fast-paced jobs and being a work-from-home- mom takes the cake. If you also have the privilege that I do, then I’m sure that you will agree. I am using the word “privilege” because I’m ashamed to be guilty of complaining about the some day’s seemingly impossible task of juggling both being a mom and a professional.

Currently a friend of mine from college is losing her baby boy to brain cancer. Hearing their story has been a wake up for me. I know I mentioned this last week in a blog post and I don’t mean to be repetitious, but I feel that this point cannot be stressed enough to moms that work at home. Last time I spoke about this, there was hope for this precious little boy. Now, the family has been given the devastating news and is being forced to decide where they want to be when this battle reaches an end.

Working-from-home-moms have the privilege of being winners in both aspects of their lives. We can have our career and hang on to something of ourselves that doesn’t involve Gerber hanging from our shirts. But the most wonderful thing is that we can be there for every milestone, every smile and laugh and answer to the wonderful call of “Mama.”

When you are your own boss, you don’t have someone hovering over you and setting your schedule. You can set your schedule for what is best for you and your family. I typically get the most of my work done from 5-7 AM and then 8 PM on. This blog is a little late today because I had the wonderful opportunity to spend my morning with a smiling birthday girl when she chose to wake up earlier and start her special day.

As your own boss, you do not have paid vacation, personal or sick days. Therefore, it is easy to get caught up in the always-growing to-do-list and take every moment that you can to work. The publishing industry is not for the faint at heart. It takes more than great ideas to make it as an author. It takes dedication, sweat and sometimes—tears. The work will get done. It is important for anyone that works from home to sit back and recognize special days that deserve a lighter load.

Today, my priority is my daughter. I will get some work done. I even have a scheduled phone interview at 8 PM tonight, after my daughter is in bed. Today is our day to celebrate her. I’m currently reading ‘Eat That Frog!’ by Brian Tracey, which Kristen Lamb recommended in her recent book, ‘Are You There Blog? It’s Me, Writer’ (a must read if you haven’t.) Tracey’s book talks about doing the hardest and most important things on your to-do list first and focusing on them. This is the best way to get ahead of game and accomplish your goals. I also think that it is easy for professionals that work from home to either get overly focuses on the career or the home. For me it is the career. Really, you don’t want to see the neglected housework at times. But I urge professionals that work from home, especially moms, to make every moment and smile count with your child. To be able to work from home is a gift not just for your benefit, but for your child’s as well. Don’t lose sight of it. My friend would give anything to not be going through what her family is facing. I am lucky to have a healthy, beautiful daughter and I’m not going to lose sight of it for a moment, especially today on her birthday. So, I’ll be seeing y’all later tonight on Twitter but for now, I’m taking some personal time and being a mom.

Announcements:

My friend that I mentioned, Kara Sikes and her family need all the prayers and thoughts that they can get today. Her son, James’ story is heart-breaking but serves as a critical reminder for us all to make every moments count and to treasure our children and loved ones. Her blog has been getting page views from all over the world. If you can spare a moment, please think of this family in their time of need. I pray that I never have to know what they are going through.

Dog’s are not immune to unwanted medical conditions. My recent book, ‘Caring for Your Special Needs Dog’, helps owners learn common sense tips that can improve their dog’s quality of life and save some money. A percentage of the profits go to The Texas A&M Foundation to the benefit of the Neurology Section, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinarian Medicine.

Interview with YA author L. Carroll

I typically post on Wednesday’s and Friday’s but today is a special occasion. As a part of the 400 Hundred Hours to ‘Four Hundred Hours,’ the release of the latest YA book by author L. Carroll I am happy to host the author today in a special interview. Enjoy the interview below.

1. When did you know that you wanted to be an author?

I never, in a million years, thought I would be an author when I grew up! But about eight years ago I had this super cool, vivid-as-real-life dream that I thought would make a cool scene in a book. As I was thinking about my dream, the question popped into my head, "I wonder if I could actually write a whole book."

I've always enjoyed writing and telling stories, so I decided to give it a whirl. After about the…um…first chapter, I was hooked!

2. How long have you been writing?

Like I said, it's been about eight years now.

3. How long did it take you to write 'Four Hundred Days?'

"Four Hundred Days" took about fourteen months to write. That is a definite improvement over the first book in the Lor Mandela Series. That book, "Destruction from Twins" took almost six years!

4. Explain your writing process?

Warning: The following may be disturbing to some readers, and I completely understand!

One of my favorite things about being a fantasy author is that, when I write, I can do things that may not be socially acceptable. If you were to come into my office, ("The Author's Lair" as my children call it), there's a good chance that you'd find me acting like a crazy person! I always read the last chapter I wrote, and then, jump up from my desk and proceed to act out the next scene, (and I am NOT a good actress). I've found that this helps my writing flow more smoothly and be more believable, despite my lack of thespian abilities.

Another strange quirk is that I can't write when I'm in a bad mood. So, when I'm grouchy, I have these horrible plastic, white, pointy-rimmed glasses that I force myself to put on. All I have to do is look at myself in a mirror, (or wait for someone in my family to walk by). Luckily, I can't help but laugh at how stupid I look! It works every time!

5. Was book two any more difficult to write then book one?

Looking back, I think that "Four Hundred Days" was EASIER to write than "Destruction from Twins". There was a lot more research on 400, but I was far more conscientious about how the writing process worked, and how I worked. Of course, there were parts of both books that seemed to just fall into place, as well as parts that were challenging.

6. Obviously this tour shows how much you value social media. How do you see social media affecting the writing community in the future?

Social media is an extremely powerful tool, especially for indie authors who don't have a marketing team devoted to promoting their work. I've been able to meet hundreds, if not thousands, of people who would have never come into my social circle had it not been for sites like Twitter and Facebook. The potential for exponential growth that exists on these sites is amazing! If I find ten people who absolutely love my book and they each tweet about it to their followers, some of whom also love it and tweet it on… You see how this can grow a lot faster than traditional word of mouth advertising.

Another desirable aspect of social media is the ability to contact people who enjoy reading and even specific genres of books easily. It's just a simple search.

There's always the possibility that something new and wonderful will come along and render social media obsolete, but as it stands, I fully anticipate that social media is only going to become an even more integral part of book promotion going forward.

7. Will there be a book three?

Why yes…yes there will. In fact, it's in the works as we speak.

8. Do you have plans for any more YA series or books in a different genre?

I have started working on a paranormal romance/thriller called "The Sleeper's Secret" which may end up being a two book series. I also have an outline drawn up for another YA Fantasy about an ancient water fairy who wakes from what should have been a single season of hibernation, into the chaotic world of modern day Los Angeles.

9. What do you wish you knew before becoming an author?

I guess I wish I would have known how much work goes into book promotion. Had I been aware of the hours involved, I would have saved my pennies and hired a publicist!

10. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

There are a TON of obstacles when you write and publish a book, but if becoming a published author is your dream, don't let those obstacles take you down! In the words of one of the most successful dreamers of all time, “All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

Social Media Contest:

I’m participating, as an author in The 400 Hundred Hours to Four Hundred Days blog tour. The purpose of this is to celebrate the upcoming release of L Carroll’s second book, ‘Four Hundred Days.’ A component of this tour is a social media contest. If you are interested in winning a free book read the rules below.

The goal behind this contest is to spread the word about Four Hundred Days as far as possible to as many people as possible.

Four Hundred Days is the second book in the Lor Mandela series by L Carroll. It’s a captivating trilogy.

Win Nice Girls Does Noir by Julia Crane

To Enter:

· Tweet “Join us on the 400 Hour to @FourHundredDays blog tour (participants add your link to this contest here)

· Leave a comment with the links.

Extra entries

· Facebook about the contest. (+1 entry)

· Change your Facebook Image to the 400 Hours to Four Hundred Days blog tour button for the duration of this tour. (+3 entries)

· Change your Twitter avatar to the 400 Hours to Four Hundred Days blog tour button for the duration of this tour. (+3 entries)

· Blog about this tour. (+5 entries)

· Grab the 400 hours to Four Hundred Days button and place it your blogs sidebar. (+3 entries)

· Youtube about the 400 hours to Four Hundred Days tour. (+10 entries)

As You can find more info and the 400 Hours to Four Hundred Days blog tour button at Woven Strands

My RWA National Recap

This was my first Romance Writers of America National Conference and I must say I left even more energized and excited to be a writer. Yes it was overwhelming but I leaned from some amazing professionals such as Madeline Hunter, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Meg Cabot, Steve Berry, Diana Gabaldon and Tess Gerritsen. And these were just some of the group speakers.

I learned a lot from Carolyn Grayson and Lois Winston on what my author website should have. This was very important to me because I just launched my author webpage, which you can visit here.

The Young Adult market was widely represented with Rosemary Clement-Moore, Caridad Ferrer, Kristen Nelson and Aubrey Poole talking about the market. The bottom line is that no one knows what the next been thing is, or they’d be writing it! Simone Elkeles and David Levithan spoke about writing the YA bestseller. Was very interested in seeing the creative process that Simone went into in making a book trailer that stood out.

A workshop that I really feel that I grew from was Candace Havens’ Fast Draft: How to Write Your First Draft in Two Weeks. I know it sounds crazy but so far I’m working well with her information. There even is a popular #FastDraft hastag on Twitter were writers can work together and keep each other accountable to their goals.

It was also wonderful to meet Twitter pals such as Anna DeStefano, who spoke on After the show: Key Things to Do After a Writing Conference. Honestly, if it weren’t for her, I probably would have taken a few days off once I got home. But she spoke about the importance of jumping right back into writing after the conference. I did and now I’m great progress on my current project.

Another YA topic was writing YA that sizzles, which was hosted by authors Tera Lynn Childs, Kimberly Derting and Sophie Jordan. A popular topic was what can and cannot be in YA. I think by the end, everyone agreed that whatever was written in a YA novel had to honestly serve the development of the plot and character arcs.

It was fun to meet up with my West Houston RWA chapter members prior to the Awards Banquet. Our chapter had much to celebrate. Three of our members, Kay Hudson, Sarah Andre, and Jo Anne Banker were nominated for a Golden Heart., Jo Anne won the award. Deeanne Gist was also nominated for a Rita.

I met with many agents at the conference and was excited to hear interest about my YA, which is now out on submission. I met so many wonderful writers that I’m all ready tweeting and communicating with.

Overall, the conference was productive, exhausting and inspiring. Though I returned to my little forest in Arkansas exhausted, I found myself more energized then ever and thrilled to be an author. I highly recommend that everyone attends a large writing conference throughout their writing careers. It may be overwhelming but the benefits are endless.

Announcements:

I have launched my official writing website. You can visit it at www.NatalieCMarkey.com Thanks to my fabulous brother for doing such a great job. Now I'm sure I'll have some new ideas after this conference :-)

Speaking of websites, Who Dares Wins Publishing has a new one. Check it out.

My non-fiction, ‘Caring for Your Special Needs Dog,’ is out. Vets will always be your first resource in pet care, but as owners, we have a lot of power in giving our dog the best possible life. It is currently selling for $2.99 with a percentage going to The Texas A&M Foundation to the benefit of the Neurology Section, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinarian Medicine.

I’m participating, as an author in The 400 Hundred Hours to Four Hundred Days blog tour. The purpose of this is to celebrate the upcoming release of L Carroll’s second book, ‘Four Hundred Days.’ A component of this tour is a social media contest. If you are interested in winning a free book read the rules below.

The goal behind this contest is to spread the word about Four Hundred Days as far as possible to as many people as possible.

Four Hundred Days is the second book in the Lor Mandela series by L Carroll. It’s a captivating trilogy.

Win Nice Girls Does Noir by Julia Crane

To Enter:

· Tweet “Join us on the 400 Hour to @FourHundredDays blog tour (participants add your link to this contest here)

· Leave a comment with the links.

Extra entries

· Facebook about the contest. (+1 entry)

· Change your Facebook Image to the 400 Hours to Four Hundred Days blog tour button for the duration of this tour. (+3 entries)

· Change your Twitter avatar to the 400 Hours to Four Hundred Days blog tour button for the duration of this tour. (+3 entries)

· Blog about this tour. (+5 entries)

· Grab the 400 hours to Four Hundred Days button and place it your blogs sidebar. (+3 entries)

· Youtube about the 400 hours to Four Hundred Days tour. (+10 entries)

As You can find more info and the 400 Hours to Four Hundred Days blog tour button at Woven Strands

How being thankful makes us better writers

Lately I’ve been on work overload. I’m sure many of you know the feeling. I had a deadline while getting ready for a conference and promoting my recent release. Throughout all of this, I still had to be a mom and a wife even though I’m sure there have been moments where I haven’t been the best at any of it.

I had a wake up call. A friend of mine from college has a child just a few months younger than my daughter. We were pregnant the same time and I remember discussing baby products with her over the phone. Her child has been diagnosed with brain cancer. The baby has all ready had multiple brain surgeries and will have a combination of chemo and radiation for an entire year.

I learned this horrible news just before I left town for the RWA National Conference in New York City. It was great to see my Twitter friends, meet new people and discuss and grow with my writing. However, I couldn’t stop thinking about my friend’s baby and everything that her family is going through. It made me regret all the moments when I have looked up from my desk to see my daughter smiling at me and I didn’t say anything. Don't you think the families who lost someone on September 11th would love to have another moment with whom they lost?

The truth is that we should always be thankful for what we have before we stress out about the things that would quickly fall to the side if tragedy occurred.

As soon as I returned from NYC, I was exhausted and energized to dive into my new manuscript. I know everyone says that you must get back into the routine. You must write your normal daily writing goal beginning the day you return. That was my plan. I did something different. I did write about three pages and reviewed the outline for my new project but I put playing with my daughter first. Even though I was exhausted, seeing her smile and show me her different toys gave me a surge of energy. I was thankful for my child and the fact that have the gift to work from home so I can be with her.

Now that I’ve been writing full time from home now for over a year I have developed a flow that works for me. Some days, I even manage to go over my daily writing goal while still meeting freelance demands. But I’m doing something different and I have found that it clears my mind to be more creative because I’m happy, I’m not stressed. I play with my daughter for writing breaks. I use to use my writing breaks for bottle times, meal times and let her play on the floor of my office with her toys. I love how she can entertain herself, but now I’m much more involved in playtime. I am so lucky and when I’m stressed I am going to hang onto that feeling and know that I can accomplish anything.

Using the happy energy that I get from playing with her positively affects my writing. What do you do for writing breaks? How do you harvest your energy in order to apply it to the page?

Announcements:

I want to thank ‘Writer Wellness’ author Joy E. Held for her guest post last week. Joy is a much calmer writer than I am and I always love to learn from her. Follow her blog and learn more about Joy and her book, ‘Writer Wellness.”

I have launched my official writing website. You can visit it at www.NatalieCMarkey.com Thanks to my fabulous brother for doing such a great job. Now I'm sure I'll have some new ideas after this conference :-)

Speaking of websites, Who Dares Wins Publishing has a new one. Check is out.

My non-fiction, ‘Caring for Your Special Needs Dog,’ is out. Vets will always be your first resource in pet care, but as owners, we have a lot of power in giving our dog the best possible life. It is currently selling for $2.99 with a percentage going to The Texas A&M Foundation to the benefit of the Neurology Section, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinarian Medicine.

I’m participating, as an author in The 400 Hundred Hours to Four Hundred Days blog tour. The purpose of this is to celebrate the upcoming release of L Carroll’s second book, ‘Four Hundred Days.’ A component of this tour is a social media contest. If you are interested in winning a free book read the rules below.

The goal behind this contest is to spread the word about Four Hundred Days as far as possible to as many people as possible.

Four Hundred Days is the second book in the Lor Mandela series by L Carroll. It’s a captivating trilogy.

Win Nice Girls Does Noir by Julia Crane

To Enter:

· Tweet “Join us on the 400 Hour to @FourHundredDays blog tour (participants add your link to this contest here)

· Leave a comment with the links.

Extra entries

· Facebook about the contest. (+1 entry)

· Change your Facebook Image to the 400 Hours to Four Hundred Days blog tour button for the duration of this tour. (+3 entries)

· Change your Twitter avatar to the 400 Hours to Four Hundred Days blog tour button for the duration of this tour. (+3 entries)

· Blog about this tour. (+5 entries)

· Grab the 400 hours to Four Hundred Days button and place it your blogs sidebar. (+3 entries)

· Youtube about the 400 hours to Four Hundred Days tour. (+10 entries)

As You can find more info and the 400 Hours to Four Hundred Days blog tour button at Woven Strands

Understanding the writing mommy-mind with guest author Joy E. Held

A few months ago I read 'Writer Wellness' by author Joy E. Held. I agreed with all her advice and was thrilled to see that I was doing it all except for one thing--meditation. So, lately I've been trying to have a more peaceful mind. But it's hard to fit in meditation when I'm working to meet deadlines and I'm caring for my one-year-old daughter.

Enough of my whining, I invite you all to listen to the 'Writer Wellness' expert. Joy E. Held understands the pressure and stress of being a writing mommy because she is one. Take it away Joy with some interesting info on how the mommy-mind and monkey-mind aren't that different.

Meditation takes work. It’s the kind of work that leads to long term benefits. It looks deceivingly simplistic, but all good things are complicated at some point which makes them worth the effort. What is meditation and how can it benefit a busy parent? The simple answer is that a steady meditation practice teaches our minds to focus, and who doesn’t need more mental clarity? I have kids. They are wonderful grown women now who sucked my brains out as children with their energy, activities, desires, and education. I don’t regret a minute of mothering, but I couldn’t have survived it without a basic meditation practice.

“How is meditation difficult?” you ask. “All you do is sit there with your eyes closed. I do that every night once the wine kicks in.” Meditation is not sleeping. Snoring is a sign that our brain is bored and has fallen asleep. This is not meditation. Meditation is CONSCIOUS RELAXATION where thoughts are guided, not controlled or followed, but guided. Huh? We all have this state of thinking that is fondly referred to in meditation circles as “monkey mind.” It’s not that different from “mommy mind” where our minds are racing from responsibility to responsibility. Meditation is taming your monkey mind to keep it from jumping from thought to thought, image to image, and idea to idea. Taming monkey mind is not as easy as cracking a whip or stabbing at the air with a wooden stool (or spoon.) This may cause hungry lions to back down, but it does not scare monkey mind. Monkey mind responds better to kindness and compassion. Monkey mind ceases to chatter and screech and finds a still place to rest if it is fed a steady diet of calmness, reassurance, and love.

What helps tame monkey mind is a mantra which is a simple set of words repeated over and over in the mind to calm your brain, breath, and body. Mantra literally means “mind tool” in the ancient Sanskrit language which is the mother tongue of meditation and yoga. It is always a very simple phrase like “Breath in. Breath out,” that is repeated rhythmically with the movement of the breath and sometimes the body. A mantra is not quite a chant because chanting is a call to order, a statement of purpose, or a dedication. Mantras are always really, really simplistic and tend to feel musical as they are repeated over and over. They aim to produce a hypnotic state of stillness and peace by repeating the chosen phrase over and over until it doesn’t want to be repeated any longer. Yes, I said until the mantra decides it has been said enough. This is one point where the difficulty arises.

It reads like a simple exercise to mentally repeat a phrase until your mind is at rest, but the actual practice is challenging because monkey mind is typically very immature and difficult to appease. With time and practice, just like any normal toddler, monkey mind will learn to quiet down sooner and sooner when it hears the mantra, but it requires practice, practice, practice. One thing toddlers and monkey mind do NOT respond well to is punishment. No spanking, yelling, or time-outs in the corner for monkey mind. It will only mature and become quiet with patience, practice, and love which are exactly the same things we give our children.

So here’s the plan. Sit comfortably with your spine supported and your eyes closed. Yes, you can recline slightly as long as you PROMISE not to fall asleep. Better to sit upright. Begin by allowing monkey mind to chatter away about everything it can possibly think of. When you think the time is right, begin repeating the mantra you have chosen. (See list below.) Anytime monkey mind interrupts your mantra, kindly and gently IGNORE it and return to repeating the mantra. Set a timer so you don’t get frustrated. Start with three minutes once a day and gradually add a minute as you notice the time seems to “fly by.” That’s a signal you’re ready to increase your meditation time.

Simple? Let me know. Be kind to monkey mind and it will be kind to you.

Mantra suggestions:

Breath in…breath out

I breathe in…I breathe out

Peace in…negative out

I…am

Okay, I know we didn’t get into how to fit this into the world of being an all consumed parent. That’s for part two. Be sure to sign up and follow Natalie’s blog so you will get a notice about the next installment.

Be well, write well.

Joy E. Held is a wife, mother, teacher, and author. Her book Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity is available from Who Dares Wins Publishing http://whodareswinspublishing.com

Visit her blog for more details on journaling, fitness, relaxation, nutrition, and creativity.

http://writerwellness.wordpress.com

Announcements:

Thank you Joy for this great post!

To any of my followers on Twitter and Facebook, I'm sorry I've been MIA this week. I'm currently in NYC for the Romance Writers of America National Conference.

I have launched my official writing website. You can visit it at www.NatalieCMarkey.com Thanks to my fabulous brother for doing such a great job. Now I'm sure I'll have some new ideas after this conference :-)

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