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Beth Ann Post Writes

~ This Writer's Life: Taming the Voices in My Head

Beth Ann Post Writes

Category Archives: Writing Tips

A to Z Challenge Day 16: S is for

22 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by bethannpostwrites in A to Z Blog Challenge, Writing Tips

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A to Z 2013, Romance, Seduction, Writing

s

is for…

Seduction.

Hey, I write romance.

Someone (yes, a guy) once asked me what the difference between seducing someone and romancing someone was. It made me a little sad.

For me, it’s really quite simple:

When you seduce someone, you want their body.

When you romance someone, you want their heart, their soul, their everything.

While Romance (if the feelings are mutual) will inevitably include seduction, Seduction doesn’t always lead to romance. Think Coyote Ugly.

seductionSeduction is hormones, prolonged glances raking down your body, licking lips begging to be kissed, pooling blood in tingly places, tangled sweaty bodies with no thought to what comes next. It’s a tango, a dance, a dare to surrender. Only now matters.

Romance knows the little things that mean a lot to me; what’s important to me is important to you; showing me that you care what I think and want; making me happy makes you happy. It makes me feel safe while jumping off the edge. It’s cuddling on the couch, touching me when you pass without even thinking, kissing me for no reason, with no warning. It’s breathless, sleepless, comforting, tingly. It’s reciprocal. It’s whole. It’s everything. Including seduction, but with a promise for tomorrow.

What’s the difference between seduction and romance to you?

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A to Z Challenge Day 7: G is for…

08 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by bethannpostwrites in A to Z Blog Challenge, Writing Tips

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A to Z 2013, Goals, Writing

G is for…

Goals.  Write down your goals, for your writing and your life, and post them somewhere you can see them every day. I post them on my mirror so they’re the first thing I see when I get up, by my chair in the living room, and by my desk. I want to always have them in front of me so I know where I want to be, not where I am. Give yourself incentives or treats, be it gold stars on the calendar, special coffee in the café or a glass of wine at the end of it all. I work better with bribes or incentives.  I’ve even started paying myself, putting money in a jar based on how much I write.  Then I’ll spend it on a writerly prize: a conference next year.

Goal

 

How do you manage your goals? What are your short-term incentives?

A to Z Challenge Day 6:

08 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by bethannpostwrites in A to Z Blog Challenge, Writing Tips

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A to Z 2013, Finish, Writing

F is for…

Finish.

For me, this used to be the most difficult part of a writing project, to write through to “the end.” Right about the midpoint, a new story’s characters would start creeping out of the shadowed nooks and crannies of my mind. They would whisper at first and I could get away with writing down a phrase or page to quiet them and get back to the task at hand. Soon, they would be dancing and partying and having so much fun, that I would leave the WIP and stray, just for a while, to the new project.

And this would happen again and again until I had a drawer full of half finished, partially baked stories, withering and shriveling away. Sure, I had stories. Lots of them. But not one made it to the finish line before I got distracted by another idea, promising flowers and wine and good times until…

I found the best way for me to finish is to write fast and furiously (I’m sure you’ve heard of NaNoWriMo).  It’s too fast and chaotic to get distracted. There’s no time for tangents.  And for me, it got an entire project down on paper. Sure, it needs editing, tightening up some places and filling out others. But you can’t edit a blank page.

Finish your chapter. Finish your book. Finish your project. Just finish…

Finish

How do you get yourself to the finish line?

The Busy Parent’s (or Couch Potato’s) Tricks for Maximizing Writing Time

13 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by bethannpostwrites in ROW80, Writing Tips

≈ 1 Comment

There are days when I just get totally unmotivated to do anything. I get sucked in to whatever is on TV, sink into my chair with my blanket and my dog, and don’t move. It’s so easy to succumb to a “veg” day, which can turn in to a “veg” weekend, or spiral into a “veg” week, and so on.

To paraphrase Newton, a butt on the couch will stay on the couch unless compelled or bribed by something more enjoyable to do. Or a full bladder.

To counteract the siren’s call of these totally wasted days, this is what works for me:

In the mornings, after I knock the alarm clock off the nightstand and drag myself out of bed to the insistent whining of my dog, I get dressed. If it’s going to be an “at home” day, this is workout gear, including my tennis shoes. It’s really hard to get motivated to do anything wearing slippers, flip-flops, or going barefoot. And, if I look like I’m ready to go to the gym, I just might actually do some exercises at some point during the day.

Next, after starting the coffee maker, I do my hair and make-up. For me, I don’t feel like myself without my hair done and my make-up on. It’s my psychological symbol that the opportunity for a productive day is there, if I want it. And I’m more likely to get out of the house if I feel like I’m ready to meet other human beings.

On the days I get sucked in to TV programming, I force myself to do “Commercial Clean Up.” This is something I used to do with my kids during weekend cartoons. During the commercials, we’d all have to jump up and work on some chore: cleaning, laundry, picking up toys, you get the picture.

You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish in that short snippet of time, and how much it all adds up by the end of the day. And technically, you can still sort of be a couch potato, if that’s a badge you wear proudly.

In the space of a commercial break, you can:

  • Empty the dishwasher
  • Start a load of laundry
  • Bring a basket of clothes from the dryer to be folded during the program
  • Clean the toilet
  • Clean the bathroom mirrors and counter
  • Clean the bathroom sink
  • Clean the kitchen counters
  • Clean the kitchen sink
  • Prep veggies for meals
  • Plan the day’s/week’s meals
  • Sweep the kitchen or bathroom floor
  • Mop the kitchen or bathroom floor
  • Do some jumping jacks
  • Lift some weights
  • Hold a yoga pose
  • Brainstorm ideas
  • Line edit several pages

You get the idea. You can break up the chores you don’t like into small increments, and reward yourself by enjoying your favorite programs. Call it multitasking for the unmotivated. You don’t have to waste your “free” time doing these things, and you’ll have more time for your writing.

And when you get your kids involved, it becomes a race, a fun little competition. Small bits of chores are much more tolerable than 30-60 minutes (or an entire day’s worth) of doing the stuff no one want to do, but we all have to. And if you can make it a game, even just with yourself, it’s not as bad.

Now, for my (late again) mid-week update:

  • Blog post: done!
  • Reading fiction: Working
  • Editing: 20 pages done
  • Query: thinking hard J
  • Exercise: bust L we’ll see what happens tomorrow.
  • Everything else: still in progress.

Keep Writing! I’ll do the same!

Beth Ann

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