When You Break Your Streak

You've been writing for 23 days in a row. Day 24 comes...and you don't write. Day 25 and you don't write. Day 26 comes. You write two sentences but don't write the rest of the day because you totally skipped the last two. Day 27 you feel just so fed up with the last three days. You're frustrated with yourself, disappointed, and you think "Why bother?"And instead of writing, you watch Netflix. Then you don't write for five weeks. Day after day, it just seems like too much since you broke your streak.

One of the biggest pieces of writing advice is "Write every day." Some writers have to do this to keep things up, to keep up the momentum, and that works for them. That's terrific but it's different for many of us. I call bulls*&t. I don't write every day. I want to try to get some drafting work in every day. I do often do some sort of "story work" most weekdays. Probably four days a week. So I do writing/story work approximately four days a week. Fridays is for creative recharging, or personal development, or just entirely me time. This is what works for me. If you give up when you break your streak, you'll get nowhere because you'll constantly be giving up. You know why? Because there are very few people who can actually keep up with writing every single day. You honestly expect to write every single day no matter what for the rest of your life? Talk about pressure.

I think it's terrific to try to keep up a streak of writing or even story work. It keeps you in your story's world, you learn each time you write a new scene, sentence, etc. If you break that streak though, you get up and you go for it again the next day. Yes, you'll have a day in there where you didn't write, but it's better to have one than one hundred straight with nothing because you got frustrated you weren't perfect and gave up. (This applies to so many other things: yoga, working out, meditation, journaling...)

Another tip more specific to writing: don't set the goal for the day insanely high. When I'm drafting, for example, I know that I can realistically get 1,000 words per day. That is doable for me now. It wasn't four years ago, three years ago. I would probably shoot for 500 then. If you can realistically get 500 words in a day, shoot for that. If 300 is more your thing, shoot for that. 2,000? That's amazing! Go for it! If it pushed you TOO much, lower it a little bit. Same with editing, plotting, etc.

Please don't give up just because you miss a day...or three or seven. Get back up and start again. I know you can do it. Begin again. ;)

Release Announcement || Begin Again: a novella by ME!!

RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT!! ~~ PRE-ORDER LIVE!! 

Begin Again: a novella 

by Amanda Leigh

Release Day: 10.14.19

Cover Reveal: 9.26.19

Genres: Women’s Fiction, Standalone

Pre-Order: https://amzn.to/2lL69ou 

Blogger Signups: http://bit.ly/2lJ0AXs 

Blurb: 

When Tori's house burns down with her abusive husband inside, she flees with her six year old daughter to start anew. They leave town and stay in a motel. 

It doesn’t take long for Tori’s small savings to run dry, and they find themselves struggling once more. One day, they meet a kind stranger who pays for their meal. The purse this stranger leaves behind could change everything...but not how Tori imagines.

GoodReads: https://bit.ly/2m7UmRd 

When Things Fall to the Wayside

Hello again!!

I wanted to do a quick blog post about this topic. When things fall to the wayside. It happens to all of us. I know that I should post on social media and my blog, but it's something that definitely falls to the wayside. Why? It's not that it isn't important to me. The reason that it is important to me is that it allows me to connect with readers. Honestly, I am not a huge social media person. And the main priority for me is the books. That's my passion, my purpose, and what I want to use to connect to/with my readers.

Right now, I am trying to get my Women's Fiction novella, Begin Again, ready for publication in October. So it's my main focus. Other things are falling off. As much as I still struggle to talk about this, with the many medical conditions I have...well, to be blunt, I get f*&%ing tired and lethargic. I have to keep my priorities in mind. (Ron Weasley: "She needs to sort out her priorities." 😆)  And honestly, the social media is on the lower end of those. I try to stick to some semblance of a schedule, and I'm happy that I've gotten back to blogging, but sometimes something just has to give. Especially when I am deep in the writing, editing, or publishing trenches. When I'm there, I put a good amount of my energy there because well, that's one of my top priorities!! I also just have to take time to recharge. Creatively, as well. That's a different blog post. 😉

SO, when you don't see me about a lot, this is probably why. I'm deep in the trenches working on bringing you another book. I know we all want to strive for balance, but let's be honest, sometimes things just have to fall to the wayside. Sometimes (often...) we're not as "balanced" as we want to be or think we are. When you're focusing hard on a project (or even if you're not: if you need a recharge, or just in general) what is the first thing to fall to the wayside for you? Do you believe we can ever be perfectly balanced? Let me know in the comments! I want to hear your thoughts! ↡

Recipe from Burned (a Beauty of the Dark novel, book two) | | Zucchini Bread

I decided I wanted to share recipes more often on my blog. My mom and I were making Zucchini Bread the other day and I said, "Oh, Aunt Abby made Zucchini Bread!" (Aunt Abby is Kiara's aunt from my Beauty of the Dark trilogy.) Kiara walks into the kitchen to find Aunt Abby making batter for Zucchini Bread. I thought it'd be fun to share a couple of recipes here. :) Recipes are an amalgamation and combination of other recipes my mom and I have used.

Basic:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
2 cups grated zucchini 

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). 
2. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl. 
3. Beat eggs, oil, and sugar in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans. 
4. Bake 40-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan  for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and let cool completely before serving.   

With Greek Yogurt:

1 cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
6 oz. Greek Yogurt (plain or vanilla)
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups grated Zucchini

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" bread pans with baking spray.
2. Cream oil, Greek Yogurt, and sugar in a large bowl. When combined, add in the eggs one at a time, beating well each time.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir well.
4. Add dry ingredients into wet (in batches seems to work best) and mix until combined. Add in zucchini and stir well but gently. Divide the mixed batter between the two bread pans. 
5. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
6. Cool for about 10-20 minutes before removing from the pan. Then place on a rack to let cool before serving.

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Interview with Jessica VanderWerff | Author of Like A Child: A Collection of Original Poetry

Amanda: Give us a quick introduction to you. Published books, what you write, etc.
Jessica: I’ve been writing poetry and short stories since elementary school! But I was inspired to write my first collection when I was a sophomore at Pace University. I took a poetry class and decided to keep adding to the collection of poems I had submitted for my final project. That eventually became my first collection: Like A Child. This book was followed by With Hopeful Eyes, and my newest poetry and short story collection: Beneath the Willow.

Amanda: Favorite book you’ve published so far?
Jessica: My favorite book I’ve published so far is definitely my first one: Like A Child. I think I like this one the best because it’s very sentimental. (Not just because it’s my first published work.) It was largely inspired by childhood memories of people and places that are the most important to me.



Amanda: You’ve included some short stories in your collections. Do you have a favorite one? Most fun character to write? Favorite character to write? (Because they can definitely be different. ;) ) Hardest to write?
Jessica: I have two favorites. The first one is from my first collection. In Like A Child, there is a story-poem called Maestro’s Circus. In this story, a girl helps a group of animal circus performers escape from their evil captor. These are my favorite characters. I love their strength and the bond they form together.
My second favorite is from my current collection. In Beneath the Willow, the story The Midwife’s Son is about a woman who adopts a boy that no one else believed in. The mother and son relationship was the most fun as well as the most difficult to write. I loved writing about how they worked together and helped others, but it was difficult to write a story that quickly took many emotional turns.


Amanda: Now, this is a very difficult question, but do you have any favorite poems of yours? Any that stand out most for any reason at all? I’d love to hear about it if you’d like to tell us.
Jessica: My favorite poems change a lot. My current favorites are from Beneath the Willow. Her Laughter was inspired by my stepdaughter and it’s the one that means the most to me. She’s too young to understand it now, but it’s my gift to her. I also love I Am A Willow. This is a poem about self-perception and self-appreciation. It’s about recognizing my unique strengths and learning to be grateful for them.
Amanda: I tried to think about this question myself, too. And my goodness is it difficult! I also quite enjoyed I Am A Willow and Her Laughter is a beautiful poem.



Amanda: Did you like to read as a child? Favorite book? Do you still have that book or reread it now?
Jessica: I loved to read as a child! My dad would read to me a lot and I think that’s how it started. He would read the Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer. As I got older, we would read books together. My favorite was A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Then, as a teen, I started reading the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. I still reread those books, and I’m currently looking forward to Colfer’s spin off series: The Fowl Twins. The characters in Colfer’s books are just so much fun!
Amanda: I still haven't read the Artemis Fowl series!!

Amanda: Have you always been a writer/storyteller? How did you start?
Jessica: See #1! In addition I think my dad also helped inspire me. He’s a storyteller too! In addition to him reading to me as a kid, he also told me stories he made up. By elementary school I was writing my own stories and poems.
Amanda: Awww, I didn't know your dad did that. That's so sweet!!

Amanda: Do you write to music? If so, what kind? I love to hear about new music!
Jessica: I like to write to complete silence, but I do often listen to music both before and after I write. Regina Spektor’s song The Call reminds me a lot of Ethan from my story The Midwife’s Son. Also the song Safe As Houses by aKing also reminds me of the characters in that story.
Amanda: Some more music for me to add to my list!!


Amanda: I know for me, there have been some funny stories since I’ve been deep in the trenches of writing. Like a realization about a work in progress or characters (the funniest has to do with the song Mirrors by JT.) Do you have any funny stories that you’d like to share?
Jessica: I get very involved in my writing. As in, once I start, I get lost in the writing and I don’t pay that much attention to the things happening around me. Recently I was writing and a few hours had gone by and I thought it had only been about half an hour! That tends to happen to me a lot.
Amanda: Oh my goodness, I know exactly what you're talking about. I get that way, too. It's usually the culprit behind me forgetting to eat, when I do.


Amanda: Do you have a typical process or any writing rituals? Anything you have to have with you while writing? (Besides computer, paper, typewriter, whichever…)
Jessica: I write the best in the afternoon. I like to make sure I have a snack and some tea before I start writing. It’s like my fuel! That’s pretty much it.
Amanda: Tea is a must for me!!


Amanda: Who is a character that has influenced you (not from your books)?
Jessica: A character (not from my books) who has influenced me is Eowyn from Lord of the Rings. At first, she is afraid and lets those around her have control of her life. As the story progresses, she grows and finds her courage, helps save her uncle and becomes a hero, both in her own life, as well as in the larger aspects of the whole story.



Amanda: Which of your characters would you least want to go on a road trip with? Why? Most want to?
Jessica: A character of mine that I’d least want to go on a road trip with is the entire crew from my story “Keeva’s Dance.” It’s about a fairy trying to reconcile with her sister. I love that story and I love the characters but there’s just too much family drama going on there for me to handle! But I’d love to go on a road trip with the lady from The Cloak Made of Stars. She travels around in a floating ship and replaces the nightmares of children with good dreams. I’d love to go flying and plant some good dreams. Sounds like a pretty awesome trip!
Amanda: Oh yeah, I agree!! That would be an awesome road trip!!


Amanda: Top three favorite books and authors right now.
Jessica: First, I’ve been on a Neil Gaiman kick recently. My favorite book of his is Neverwhere. It’s just different and bizarre in the best way, and transported me so quickly into the story. I also recently finished For One More Day by Mitch Albom. The characters were relatable and beautiful. The story carried powerful lessons in a short read. Finally, Lancelot by Giles Kristian. It’s a different perspective on the King Arthur stories as Lancelot’s life story and perspective are the focus here.
Amanda: Big Neil Gaiman fan!! I loved Neverwhere!! Lancelot sounds very interesting. 



Amanda: What about poets? Do you have any favorite poets or poems?
Jessica: My favorite poet has always been Poe. The Raven is my all-time favorite. I love the eeriness of it and I’d like to memorize it at some point. If only I didn’t keep putting it off!
Amanda: I love Poe!! My favorite by him is Annabel Lee. I'd also like to memorize that but I also keep putting it off...lol

Amanda: Poets who have influenced your work? Or authors who have?
Jessica: Some authors who have influenced me are YA authors: Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl series, Michael Scott, author of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series and Maggie Stiefvater, author of The Wolves of Mercy Falls. These authors have the ability to transport the reader into entirely fictional worlds, while making them seem very real. It’s also super easy to get attached to the characters!
Amanda: Maggie Stiefvater is one of my absolute favorites!! Did you introduce her to me or did we just happen to be reading her around the same time?...

Amanda: Favorite writing craft book?
Jessica: My favorite writing craft book is The Practicing Poet: Writing Beyond the Basics by Diane Lockward. It helped me tremendously!
Amanda: Do I know that one? Hmmm...


This or that:
Strawberry vs. Chocolate
Poetry vs. Fiction Tough one: I prefer writing poetry but reading fiction.
First draft vs. Editing
T. V. Show vs. Movie
Book vs. Movie
Hero vs. Villain
Villain vs. Anti-Hero
Witch vs. Vampire
E-book vs. Physical Book
Tea vs. Coffee


Amanda: Can you tell us anything about what you’re working on now?
Jessica: I’ve recently finished Beneath the Willow so I’ve already started working on my next poetry and prose collection! I only have one story written so far but I’m happy with how it turned out. It’s about a young woman who is facing struggles with her family so she turns to the animals in a nearby lake for guidance. I love the characters so much!
Amanda: No way! That's terrific! So excited!!

Amanda: Any last comments to share? Advice to aspiring authors/poets? :)
Jessica: Some advice to aspiring authors and poets: don’t be too hard on yourself! Don’t expect to get everything right the first time. That’s why there’s editing. Just keep going with it. Even if your work is very polished, there will still be negative reviews and that’s totally ok. Focus on the positive.
Thanks for having me!

Amanda: Thank you SO MUCH for being on the blog!! Excellent advice. There's that quote about how you can edit a bad page but not a blank page. It's so true. And yes, not everyone will like your book and that is completely okay. We need reminding of that sometimes. I'm so proud of you, so excited for this collection!! Doubly so since I designed the cover and formatted it (oh my gosh!!!!). It's so exciting and I can't wait to share it all over!! I'm so grateful to know you!!

About Jessica VanderWerff

Having always had a love of literature, Jessica VanderWerff earned a BA in English and Writing at Pace University in New York. During this time, she was president of the English Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta, and an editorial assistant at the University's own: Vox Arts and Literary Magazine.
Her debut poetry collection Like a Child is an assortment of 77 poems, dedicated to early childhood memories, nature and dreams. It is a collection that effortlessly lifts the spirits and transports the reader back in time.
When she isn't writing, Jessica enjoys reading, hiking, and swimming.

GoodReads

Amazon

My Top Ten Favorite Shows

I was going to title this My Top Ten Favorite Television shows but that isn't exactly how things are anymore, is it? There are NetFlix, Amazon, Hulu shows...which aren't technically television. Anyway, moving on. I want to start discussing other art forms and forms of storytelling on here because while books are my favorite art/storytelling medium, I love just about all of them. Which is something I want to bring into this blog and start discussing more. I love shows (television shows...?), movies, music, art, etc. I just LOVE storytelling. Okay, so today's post is My Top Ten Favorite Shows. This was much more difficult than I thought it would be.

 

1. Lost

Drama, Adventure, Fantasy, SciFi

TV-14 

2. The X-Files

Drama, Mystery, SciFi

TV-14

3. The Originals 

Drama, Fantasy, Horror

TV-14

4. The 4400

SciFi, Drama, Mystery

TV-14

5. Doctor Who  

Adventure, Drama, Family, SciFi

TV-PG

6. Torchwood

Action, Drama, SciFi

TV-MA 

7. Good Omens

Dark Comedy, Fantasy

TV-MA 

8. Saving Hope

Medical Drama, Fantasy

TV-14

9. Flashforward

Drama, Mystery, SciFi

TV-14

10. 666 Park Avenue

Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Horror

TV-14

Honorable Mentions:

1. Gilmore Girls

Comedy, Drama

TV-PG

2. Criminal Minds

Crime, Drama, Mystery

TV-14

3. NCIS

Action, Crime, Drama

TV-14

4. The Vampire Diaries

Drama, Fantasy, Horror

TV-14

5. Charmed

Drama, Fantasy, Mystery

TV-14

Takeaways: 

Most of these are TV-14 which is unsurprising. I have more SciFi on my top ten list than I thought. Six out of ten of my favorites have elements of SciFi, which is a bit surprising. It wasn't that long ago I said/thought I wasn't that into SciFi. I suppose I was very wrong. Tell me, what are your favorite shows? Do you share any of my favorites? Let me know in the comments!!

Journal July Challenge Wrap Up

Hello again everyone!! I'm trying to get better at regularly blogging and I'm going to be honest with you all, it is taking some getting used to. Today, I'm going to do a brief post about how the Journal July Challenge went.

For Me: 

For me, it went awesome!! lol I journaled every day in July. And for a couple of days into August. With my Journal June (where I journaled every day in June) I made it to I think 70 days straight of journaling. That is absolutely amazing!! And the most days I've ever journaled in a row. I missed the last couple of days but I'm not discouraged about this. It was more to form the habit and to see what benefits I could get from it. I'm going to pick my journal right back up tonight or tomorrow and get back to it. And that's part of the point here. It's okay not to journal every single day. The point of this was to try to get in the habit. But if you miss a day just pick it back up and put pen to paper the next. Just like if you miss one workout, you pick it up the next time. You don't give up. You also don't need to write these prolific journal entries. Don't make it scary. You can write three sentences. It is still journaling. Don't be scared of the process. Or be scared and do it anyway, this is for you. No one else.

The Actual Challenge: 

This did not go as well. I think I've said before that social media and blogging and all of that is not my strong suit. It's natural for me to just want to hole up and write my books. But I do want to connect with people who love books and writing. It's something I'm working on. At least I made the decision to put this together. One person even did some of the prompts. I count this as a small win. You have to add those wins up. I'll do it again next year and try to do it even better. Maybe share prompts on social media. Maybe I'll offer a new journal for those who post most about it. I don't know. I am new to this.

I want to hear your suggestions below. What would you like to see in this Journal July Challenge? I really want to know your thoughts and ideas so I can make next year's better. Please, let me know below!! And if you want 23 journal prompts, here is the original post.