The Dock (book inspiration)

This is a photo of Highport Marina. It is the inspiration for the slip where Kate's mother's houseboat is docked. I tried to find an image of the houseboat that I see in my mind, but that always leads to looking at all gorgeous possibilities for houseboat living and from there I move on to dockominiums and I completely forget that I'm searching for a smallish less-than-elaborate boat that Kate's mom has. Happy summer 2013!

What's in My Summer Beach Bag?! Summer 2013

It's summer! It's beach time for my kids and me. I love this Target beach bag, and I have stuffed it with....

Band-Aids.

Apparently that is how we will measure summer success. How many Band-Aids did we use in a day? I have a 10-year-old and a five-year-old. Also, the five-year-old gets these ouchies that the human eye cannot detect but a Band-Aid cures them. Stops any crying of whining cold. I can get on board with that. So far, our record has been six Band-Aids between the two kids.

In addition to Band-Aids, the beach bag includes these things.

1. Beach towels! I love this hibiscus towel from Target. I take one beach towel per person, plus one to stand on or use as a back-up.

2. Sunscreen. Last year, I discovered that I love Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock. It doesn't leave my hands feeling greasy after I apply it. This year, I also found that I like Banana Boat Sport Performance Coolzone Sunscreen. This is only 30 SPF, so we use Neutrogena first, and then use the Banana Boat for re-application. It's a spray and nice and cool, so it's great for the beach when it's hot. I use Coppertone WaterBabies Sunscreen on everyone's face.

3. Goggles. My kids love wearing goggles when swimming, so I keep several sets in the bag.

4. Dive toys. When beach boredom sets in (I know...who can get bored at the pool or beach other than my kids?) I pull out dive toys.

5. I love Bubba drinking bottles this summer. This is the only brand I've found that truly does not leak. 

6. Sunglasses. I buy sunglasses at Target because I lose, break, misplace them. I also like options. If I wear sunglasses, I can afford lots of options.
  
7. And the secret stash. I wrote more about it last year, but I always have some work in my bag for when my kids aren't paying attention.

What's in your beach bag?

How to Beat Writer's Block - My Version

Creative Commons licensed image by flickr.com user Beck Tench

Today, I'm suffering writer's block. I write for fun. I write for work. I read others' writing for work. I cannot escape writing, so trying to find another job to do in the meantime just doesn't work.

Do you have days like this?

When this happens, I go into WRAP mode. A WRAP plan is a Wellness Recovery Action Plan for people who experience mental health changes. Mary Ellen Copeland, who came up with this idea, probably doesn't list writer's block as a mental health change, but I am here to tell you that writer's block affects my mental health.

How about yours?

Here's the deal. WRAP is for people who have real crises, and I don't want to underplay the importance of Copeland's work. I believe this plan really helps people, and my version of it does not do justice to the thought and research behind Copeland's work. Plans can be simple or complex, depending on each person's needs.

I believe Copeland's ideas can help writers, too, though, because being creative is a brain function, and when the words don't flow, it's a problem. At least for me. I started life as a gymnast, and in that mode, when something feels stuck or doesn't work, you get up and try again. That effort is hard to replicate when writing. Try what again? Sitting at the keyboard? Staring down an electronic stack of PDFs that need reading?

So, WRAP is the plan that triggers action when I've hit a block. My plan is fairly simple.

Check for pain. Something is always hurting from my former athletic life, so sometimes, that pain can be annoying me more than I realize. So checking to see if I can't concentrate because I'm sending all my energy to a knee that's annoyed, then I get some heat on it, or stretch, or take something, or all of it. Twinges are part of my life, and most of the time, they're minor and not that noticeable. Other days, they are big and bold and a distraction.

Straighten my desk. It's physical. I like a straight desk. And it gets me started.


Make a list. Let's face it, the list is just a procrastination technique, but it gets me to sit down and focus on something.

Work on an inbox. I have a physical inbox and an email inbox. I pick one and spend about an hour on it.

And then, magically, I can write. If I can't, I start over and straighten my desk again.

What do you do to stop writer's block?

Reviews of my young adult mystery & the next installment

Two reviews of One Crappie Summer (a young adult mystery) are available online.

Amazon.com & GoodReads review:

I really enjoyed this fun mystery, set in Texas. When Kate Carlton misses out on a big time journalism fellowship and has to settle for returning to her small home town where the biggest thing going is the summer crappie fishing tournament, she never thought she'd soon be embroiled in a [read more...]

Bookstackreviews.com

A warm and entertaining novel dedicated to ‘every twenty something trying to build a career and a life. There are some nice moments with Kate negotiating her self-centered mother, and her own frustrations. The pages are littered with ‘J-speak’ and all conversations among friends and potential lovers are either on or off the record, while being chased by heavies torn between their need to follow orders and their desire to go fishing certainly promises the laughs. [read more...]

*****
I'm getting excited because next installment is almost finished! More on it soon.