How often do you take rest breaks? True rest breaks?
I’ll admit, many times I push myself to the limit, then collapse for days (okay, sometimes its weeks of doing the bare minimum before I recover). That’s, um, not good!
I’m reading a book called 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done by Peter Bregman. He proposes that breaks should be more of a “ritual of self-imposed brief and strategic interruptions.” This is a concept that I almost can’t wrap my head around!
He calls them regular rest stops. I understand in theory, but I’m not sure how “I” would do it. How do I not push from one project to the next while I still have momentum? Or do I run out of momentum because I push myself too hard?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!
I’m honestly baffled about how to get some momentum with Secrets of Thornbury Woods Book 2. I love the idea and characters, but I’m having trouble finding my rhythm (wink) with the edits.
Never fear. My author friends are encouraging me with sprints and ideas—and hopefully I’ll step into the flow soon.
We’ve even started brainstorming Book 3!! I’m very excited about that.
Let me know how your summer is going. How are you creating breaks in the summer heat?
This month in my newsletter I am featuring Michael Korvello, guitarist of Solar Uprising, and the hero of FINDING HER RHYTHM. You can subscribe to my newsletters for these character interviews at the link below.
Remember: FINDING HER RHYTHM is free on ALL retailers. And for the month of AUGUST book 2, SETTLING THE SCORE, is on sale for $1.99.
Find out what happens between Daniel and Becca, the only woman he's truly wanted. Download it today!
Amazon
BNN
Kobo
iBooks
Add it to your TBR shelf on Goodreads
I’m reading a book called 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done by Peter Bregman. He proposes that breaks should be more of a “ritual of self-imposed brief and strategic interruptions.” This is a concept that I almost can’t wrap my head around!
He calls them regular rest stops. I understand in theory, but I’m not sure how “I” would do it. How do I not push from one project to the next while I still have momentum? Or do I run out of momentum because I push myself too hard?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!
I’m honestly baffled about how to get some momentum with Secrets of Thornbury Woods Book 2. I love the idea and characters, but I’m having trouble finding my rhythm (wink) with the edits.
Never fear. My author friends are encouraging me with sprints and ideas—and hopefully I’ll step into the flow soon.
We’ve even started brainstorming Book 3!! I’m very excited about that.
Let me know how your summer is going. How are you creating breaks in the summer heat?
Sale Starts Today!
This month in my newsletter I am featuring Michael Korvello, guitarist of Solar Uprising, and the hero of FINDING HER RHYTHM. You can subscribe to my newsletters for these character interviews at the link below.
Remember: FINDING HER RHYTHM is free on ALL retailers. And for the month of AUGUST book 2, SETTLING THE SCORE, is on sale for $1.99.
Find out what happens between Daniel and Becca, the only woman he's truly wanted. Download it today!
Amazon
BNN
Kobo
iBooks
Add it to your TBR shelf on Goodreads Wading Through Life...
As the song says, life can be hard sometimes. Doing things is hard sometimes. Believe it or not, even words are hard sometimes. Many of us start out the new year wanting (sometimes desperately) to make changes in our lives. Myself included! But change is hard. This past November, I found a key that helped me accomplish a goal. It still wasn’t easy, but it was easier. I went from not writing at all to getting in several writing sprints per day. The key? Accountability. I asked a few fellow authors who were participating in the same monthly challenge as me if they wanted to start a small accountability group. Just post your goals and chick in daily. That’s all. We would hold each other accountable to work towards our goals, offer encouragement, celebrate our wins, and help find solutions to struggles.
Guess what? It worked! And so did I!!
After all, I’d be horribly embarrassed if I failed completely. That got me through the first few days. Then I was encouraged by the response and progress of my fellow authors. The writing got easier (most days), and I found myself looking forward to posting my progress each day.
I mean, I wasn’t perfect. I didn’t write every single day, because…life. Right? But in just 30 days, I got a hell of a lot more done than in the previous 6 months.
December came. The challenge ended. I stopped posting and—bam! No more words.
Suddenly all the other stuff on my plate became more important, more urgent, more—well—noticeable if it wasn’t done. More noticeable than the writing.
But I have a book I want to finish. Editing to accomplish. I have a series I want to publish this year.
I could struggle alone, or ask for some accountability!
So a small group of authors are joining me this year to Get Some Shit Done!
I believe this is part of creating good goals that can actually come to fruition. Most people have this idea that they have to do it all themselves. I don’t know why we feel this way. All work is easier if you have a helping hand.
Look at the obstacles and put a system in place that will help you take the steps. It will be so much easier! Whether its an exercise partner, or an in-person class to learn the thing you’ve been trying alone for the longest time, or a weekly meeting to give your family a time and place to decide on meals for the week.
What are your goals for this year? Do you have a plan to accomplish them?
I'd love to hear from you!
Dani
It Caught My Eye...
I've had stairs on my mind lately. A stairwell plays a prominent place in my current work-in-progress (WIP) as the location of a very tragic event, an event that the heroine is reminded of every time she has to pass or use this staircase in the house. It makes the home a very emotional place for her. What should be a beautiful centerpiece as you enter a home is transformed into a reminder of grief and tragedy.
Author Joanna Penn talks about the different types of energy authors use – “starting energy”, “pushing through energy”, and “finishing energy”.** This final one is the push to get a project completed, to see that story through to the very end. Usually it is fueled by the momentum that has built up during your project and the rush to see your story wrap up.
I’m full tilt in finishing energy right now, and its both satisfying and exhausting. Normally I find it exciting to push to the end of a story, but my current energy is also muddled by everything else going on in my life. Finishing up at my old job... That meant (for me) wrapping up any outstanding tasks, trying to proactively cover anything that might come up while there’s no one there to do my job, leave instructions behind, and clean out my office (on top of the emotional energy of closing out this chapter of my life).
And now learning my new job. Yes, my expectations of myself are a little high…
But I’m trying to focus o the joy of setting all of that chaos aside for a few hours so I can explore this adventure with my characters. Not easy, but oh so fun!
What story are you enjoying to escape your work load today?
Take Care,
Dani
** More on different energies in the book writing process from Joanna here: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/starting-but-not-finishing-writing-projects/
She’d watched him from afar for years…now he’s up close and personal.
Shy librarian Cara spent her life overshadowed by her three older brothers, while secretly crushing on their best friend. After a family tragedy, he cut himself out of their lives, but she still watches his house on the hill from the darkness of her bedroom every night.
Then she gets a second chance to reveal the man behind the mask. A night of revelry leads to passion and high hopes, until her tortured hero’s troubled past rises from the shadows.
Will he retreat into the darkness once more or let obsession lead him to her love
Novellas in Secrets of Covington Corner series in order:
Shadow Manor
Haunted Heritage
Dark Destiny
Holiday Storm
Amazon
B&N
Apple Books
Kobo
Add to your TBR Shelf in Goodreads
Only Have Time for a Short Read?
Check out my novella series set in Covington Corner...starting with Book One for FREE.
She’d watched him from afar for years…now he’s up close and personal.
Shy librarian Cara spent her life overshadowed by her three older brothers, while secretly crushing on their best friend. After a family tragedy, he cut himself out of their lives, but she still watches his house on the hill from the darkness of her bedroom every night.
Then she gets a second chance to reveal the man behind the mask. A night of revelry leads to passion and high hopes, until her tortured hero’s troubled past rises from the shadows.
Will he retreat into the darkness once more or let obsession lead him to her love
Novellas in Secrets of Covington Corner series in order:
Shadow Manor
Haunted Heritage
Dark Destiny
Holiday Storm
Amazon
B&N
Apple Books
Kobo
Add to your TBR Shelf in Goodreads
It Caught My Eye…
My daughter and I are headed to Salem, MA in a few weeks and I'm knee deep in deciding what we will see while we're there. Yay!!
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’m a Planner Girl! I have a 3-drawer set of planner supplies and put together weekly spreads pretty regularly. It helps me stay on track and, frankly, clears out the cobwebs.
Many years ago, I learned to do what I call a brain dump. If I pour everything out onto a To Do list (appointments, chores, projects, etc), then I no longer have to use a lot of brain power to keep track of those things. I’ve fine-tuned this to a monthly and weekly calendar setup so my To Dos don’t outdistance my time (mostly…).
And now I’ve become addicted to planning every week, usually on Sunday afternoons. Which means…an excuse to use stickers! 😊 Just kidding. Not!
For my fellow planner girls or those who want to get started, here’s a list of some of my favorite tools, along with some of my daughter’s also (because I managed to pass this one gene along!).
BENEATH THE SURFACE, Small Town Secrets Book 1
Welcome to Cadence, TN–where secrets can be deadly.
Too many secrets…
Hidden in a quiet town along the Tennessee border, a secret society exists where the privileged fulfill their darkest desires. One of their members initiates a desperate act designed to bring home his lifelong obsession: Emma Hartwell.
A past not forgotten…
Drawn back to her hometown by the psychic connection with her twin, Emma must fight the stubborn silence of those around her in her quest to find her missing sister. Colin McIntyre hopes to make up for his past mistakes with Emma by helping her, but his own ties to the Gathering might be exposed along the way.
Time is running out…
Exposure could be dangerous for his family, along with himself and Emma. Can they fight the secrets and lies to rescue Emma’s sister… and their own chance at life-long love?
Other books in the Small Town Secrets series (can be read in any order):
BEHIND THE SCARS
SNOW BOUND
Amazon
B&N
Apple Books
Kobo
For my fellow planner girls or those who want to get started, here’s a list of some of my favorite tools, along with some of my daughter’s also (because I managed to pass this one gene along!).
- Passion Planner is the actual planner I use (monthly and weekly spreads-I prefer undated-with monthly and yearly reflection questions), but there are a lot of different ones out there. Passion Planner also posts content on Instagram and YouTube. I enjoy watching their ideas for different ways to use their planners.
- Archer & Olive is really good for those who like to do bullet journals. This is my daughter’s preferred option (and you can see some of her spreads on her blog here-alittlebithappierblog.com). These journals have high quality bindings and paper that doesn’t bleed, which can be a big deal when you are creating your own spreads.
- The HB90 planner by Sarah Cannon is available on Etsy and is wonderful for all the authors out there! I bought the download and use some of the ideas to incorporate into my own planner. I also print word count charts and some decision-making tools she has to help me keep my planner useful for author needs. She has an awesome HB90 class and you can also watch planner videos on her Heart Breathings YouTube channel.
- My sister, author Ella Sheridan, and I are working through the Heal the Way You Work class (based on the Do Less book by Kate Northrup). This teaches you how to plan your schedule based on your energies of that day/week/month. A very different approach, but I’m finding it very interesting. Fingers crossed I can figure this out, but her checklists of questions for creating annual/quarterly/weekly schedules is super helpful for clarifying goals and focuses.
- Stickers!!! I love and use a lot of Happy Planner sticker books. I especially like all the quotes and encouraging sayings in them. I was gifted some gothic ones for Christmas from HoundsflyteDesigns on Etsy that I’m loving! My daughter and I immediately went to her store and bought more of them.
- Pens, pens, and more pens… I have a lot of these but not as many as some planners. I’m very picky about mine… My favorite black pens are uni-ball signo, whether I’m writing or planning. I also have a set of Pentel EnerGel colored pens that work well. My daughter likes Muji gel pens in 0.58 and Tombow duel brush pens.
- But planning is always a good excuse for a STAPLES TRIP! I collect all kinds of Post It notes, page tabs, and washi tape. Writers love all kinds of office supplies, but I mean, who wouldn’t?!?!
Experience Cadence, TN, with BENEATH THE SURFACE
BENEATH THE SURFACE, Small Town Secrets Book 1
Welcome to Cadence, TN–where secrets can be deadly.
Too many secrets…
Hidden in a quiet town along the Tennessee border, a secret society exists where the privileged fulfill their darkest desires. One of their members initiates a desperate act designed to bring home his lifelong obsession: Emma Hartwell.
A past not forgotten…
Drawn back to her hometown by the psychic connection with her twin, Emma must fight the stubborn silence of those around her in her quest to find her missing sister. Colin McIntyre hopes to make up for his past mistakes with Emma by helping her, but his own ties to the Gathering might be exposed along the way.
Time is running out…
Exposure could be dangerous for his family, along with himself and Emma. Can they fight the secrets and lies to rescue Emma’s sister… and their own chance at life-long love?
Other books in the Small Town Secrets series (can be read in any order):
BEHIND THE SCARS
SNOW BOUND
Amazon
B&N
Apple Books
Kobo
The best laid plans…often go awry… Robert Burns
I’m definitely a planner. I’ve talked about this often. I do a lot of scheduling, lists, goals, etc., for both my every day life and my creative life too.
But many times I don’t take into account how outside forces/life happenings/family needs/many other things can affect or halt those plans. I’ll admit, I’m not good at “going with the flow”, so these types of things often derail me.
My goal for the early part of this year was to get my new series started, specifically write the first of my contemporary gothic books. I knew my day job was going to ramp up, because my colleague retired and I would take on her job until we hired a replacement, but in true Dani-fashion, I reasoned I could do it all somehow.
But the strain of the pandemic on our family and doing a job I had to learn and do took its toll. Every evening, my brain was so tired it simply could not create (or do much of anything else).
So I spent a few weeks beating myself up for my lack of productivity (outside of the day job) before coming to my senses. Here’s what I started to tell myself INSTEAD:
But the strain of the pandemic on our family and doing a job I had to learn and do took its toll. Every evening, my brain was so tired it simply could not create (or do much of anything else).
So I spent a few weeks beating myself up for my lack of productivity (outside of the day job) before coming to my senses. Here’s what I started to tell myself INSTEAD:
- Sometimes, you can’t do it all.
- Sometimes, forcing yourself to do something doesn’t produce your best work.
- Sometimes, you have to set goals aside for a season and come back to them when you can.
- Sometimes, the “dig deep” button is not worth resurrecting. (Brene Brown)
I am addicted to productivity.
There. I admitted it. I’m either making a list of things I need to accomplish. Actually doing things I need to accomplish. Checking off things I’ve accomplished…or feeling guilty over not doing the very things I should accomplish. 😊
My therapist told me I needed to work on letting go of all this. Anyone else there with me?
So when I planned my writing retreat for this month, I though it would be just like all the other writing retreats I’ve been on. The goal has always been to get as many words as humanly possible during the period of time while I’m gone. After all, how else can I justify spending that time away from my family and using my precious PTO from the day job?
But that’s not how it actually worked out this time. I did get writing done…but this time I actually spent time doing, well, nothing. And I’m not a nothing kind of girl!!! But my brain simply wouldn’t focus on the story. Or at least, not the writing of it. I did some planning. I did some plotting. But none of it was measured by productivity.
And that was a little weird, to be honest. Usually my brain is going 90 to nothing. So I found this disconcerting but possibly a step in the right direction. A chance to let my brain work out whatever it needed to. And it helped me come home with a better perspective on some things. A determination to enjoy the small things (which isn’t easy for me, but I’m trying). I guess all of that quiet, thinking time just reinforced some of the things I’ve been trying to come to grips with over the last few months.
I’ve been pretty open about my struggles with mental health this year, hoping that others will realize they aren’t alone and we can all help each other. How do you help quiet your mind? What’s your favorite fun thing that gets your brain off the hamster wheel?
Take care,
Dani
Don't forget to check out my Secrets of Covington Corner series! HAUNTED HERITAGE is out this month!
Amazon
B&N
Kobo
Apple books
Goodreads--Add To Your TBR List!
But that’s not how it actually worked out this time. I did get writing done…but this time I actually spent time doing, well, nothing. And I’m not a nothing kind of girl!!! But my brain simply wouldn’t focus on the story. Or at least, not the writing of it. I did some planning. I did some plotting. But none of it was measured by productivity.
And that was a little weird, to be honest. Usually my brain is going 90 to nothing. So I found this disconcerting but possibly a step in the right direction. A chance to let my brain work out whatever it needed to. And it helped me come home with a better perspective on some things. A determination to enjoy the small things (which isn’t easy for me, but I’m trying). I guess all of that quiet, thinking time just reinforced some of the things I’ve been trying to come to grips with over the last few months.
I’ve been pretty open about my struggles with mental health this year, hoping that others will realize they aren’t alone and we can all help each other. How do you help quiet your mind? What’s your favorite fun thing that gets your brain off the hamster wheel?
Take care,
Dani
Don't forget to check out my Secrets of Covington Corner series! HAUNTED HERITAGE is out this month!
Amazon
B&N
Kobo
Apple books
Goodreads--Add To Your TBR List! 
Yep, I'm in the final stages of my personal edits for Luke and Avery's book (Mill Town Millionaires Book 3). It's taken a bit longer than expected. When I went to turn it in, I realized I was about 5000 words over word count. O.O Per Awesome Editor's instructions, I'm working to cut several thousand out now, then we will cut more during Editor Revisions.
What are Personal Edits, you ask. Well, my drafts are never very clean, so I edit them once before they go to Awesome Editor in the first place. Then I go through it again when he sends me his notes (I call this Editor Revisions). Then there are Line Edits. And then--once more after the copy editor is finished.
Oh my! It gets tedious, but I do my best work in revisions (and both my editors are awesome when giving directions!), so I endure so the story turns out the best it possibly can.
So there's where I am this week. :) Pray for me--I may need it!
Dani
That's right! The proposal for the next Mill Town Millionaires is in the hands of Awesome Editor and I'm taking a break from it to get an editing round in for Nate and Sara's story before it goes out to Beta Readers. So Excited!!! Book 4 in the Backstage Pass series has finally been titled: GOIN' OUT SOLO. I'll be sharing snippets on FB and Twitter, so don't forget to tune in! (Hopefully some cover love going on soon, too!)
I'm excited to be over at The Writer Zen Garden today with A. Catherine Noon to hopefully offer some encouragement to my fellow writers who have to juggle their dream with a day job. Join us with your own ideas or just to be encouraged today!
Photo used courtesy of イーアン正 モール from Dearborn, United States on WikiCommons
Photo used courtesy of イーアン正 モール from Dearborn, United States on WikiCommons
I have a slight calendar obsession. Okay, maybe not so slight...I love them more than any other office supply, because I use them every day. Wall calendars, desk calendars, planners—I’d have multiples if I had the money.
Alas, I don’t have the pocketbook nor the wall space, so I must choose wisely. Here are a few criteria I use:
1. Colorful/Eye Catching
If I’m going to look at it all year, I want something pretty, cute, or smile-worthy.
2. Meaningful
On a related note, I (or my family) must care about the content. Yes, we have had Phineas and Ferb, frogs, Marvel Superheros, and Haunted Places calendars.
Last year my little bathroom calendar was chosen for its words (on top of pretty pictures). I’m obsessed with words (is that obvious?) and this one gave me a single one to contemplate with every glimpse.
So there’s just one of my quirky little obsessions explained. :) Tell us, are you a calendar girl?
Dani
Alas, I don’t have the pocketbook nor the wall space, so I must choose wisely. Here are a few criteria I use:
1. Colorful/Eye Catching
If I’m going to look at it all year, I want something pretty, cute, or smile-worthy.
2. Meaningful
On a related note, I (or my family) must care about the content. Yes, we have had Phineas and Ferb, frogs, Marvel Superheros, and Haunted Places calendars.
Last year my little bathroom calendar was chosen for its words (on top of pretty pictures). I’m obsessed with words (is that obvious?) and this one gave me a single one to contemplate with every glimpse.
So there’s just one of my quirky little obsessions explained. :) Tell us, are you a calendar girl?
Dani