J.K. Rowling's advice...

"Be ruthless about protecting writing days, i.e., do not cave in to endless requests to have 'essential' and 'long overdue' meetings on those days. The funny thing is that, although writing has been my actual job for several years now, I still seem to have to fight for time in which to do it. Some people do not seem to grasp that I still have to sit down in peace and write the books, apparently believing that they pop up like mushrooms without my connivance. I must therefore guard the time allotted to writing as a Hungarian Horntail guards its firstborn egg." --J.K. ROWLING

A much needed laugh

This totally cracked me up.

And the note said...

So I was at the YMCA on Saturday when I sat on a bike and found a folded piece of paper tucked in the monitor in front of me. Of course my imagination ran wild as it usually does, trying to guess what the note said. Could it be a suicide note? A treasure map? A grocery list or love poem? Was it left there on purpose for someone to find or just forgotten? Maybe it was a prayer. Or a dream. Or a child’s drawing. The possibilities are endless. What is it about writers that we see the world as a timeless tale, an endless journey of discovery, rich with textures and vibrant colors and infused with energy? I guess it’s just the way we’re wired.
So let’s have some fun with this. Here’s your creative challenge for today. Finish this:
I picked up the note and opened it. It said

Adventures with Foursquare

So I went to Weis to pick up a few items. I get to checkout and tell the cashier that I don't need to pay for my cup of coffee because I'm the mayor. He looks at me like I'm some kind of weirdo. So I show him my Droid, which clearly states I'm the mayor via Foursquare and that as mayor I get coffee 24/7. Sweet. He had no idea what I was even talking about. Free stuff. That's why I love my mayorships.
When I get home, I tells hubs about the Weis mayorship deal because he thinks I'm crazy always checking in everywhere I go. But now that it's starting to pay off, he doesn't think I'm so crazy. Anyone else get any great perks from their mayorships?

Quote of the day

"What we call procrastination might well be incubation, and the importance of prewriting -- sorting things through, assimilating, making connections ..." --Henriette Anne Klauser

I definitely let things incubate. I think ideas through and work problems out so when I sit down to write it just pours out. How about you?

Thanksgiving prayers

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
-John Fitzgerald Kennedy

I would love to read your Thanksgiving prayers. I'm hoping you'll share them in comments.

Quote of the day

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." --Harold Whitman

What makes you come alive?

Writing challenge

Here's a fun writing challenge. Write a story, no more than 100 words, using these words:
Kakita
Meatball
Snacks
Lucy
Bart
Peanut Butter

Extra points if you can tell me where these words came from.  

What's your journey?

"It is clearly not the journey for everyone. People succeed in as many ways as there are people. Some can be completely fulfilled with destinations that are much closer to home and more comfortable. But if you long to keep going, then I hope you are able to follow my lead to the places I have gone. To within a whisper of your own personal perfection. To places that are sweeter because you worked so hard to arrive there. To places at the very edge of your dreams." -- Michael Johnson

Writing, like basketball, is not a journey for everyone. But like Johnson says, if you decide the journey that you're on is the one for you, stay the course. When you get to your destination -- whether it's completing your book, getting an agent, landing a publishing contract or seeing someone enjoy your book -- the victory will be so much sweeter because you worked so hard to achieve it. I hope you have a great weekend and that it brings you closer to your literary dreams.

Potter and pals are back!

In honor of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 1, here is an earlier blog post about  my visit to Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: From A to Z

I'm planning on seeing the movie on Thanksgiving with my sons. It's become a tradition that we go to the movies on that day. When are you planning to see it?

Writing is...

"Writing is a job, a talent, but it's also the place to go in your head. It is the imaginary friend you drink your tea with in the afternoon." --Ann Patchett

Finish this sentence. Writing is:

Quote of the day

"Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character." --T. Alan Armstrong

I think of this quote often because I can relate it to so many areas of life, including writing. Whether it's writing or learning to play a musical instrument or a sport or excelling in school, it takes commitment, hours and hours of practicing and studying and learning. Sometimes, we forget that a champion becomes a champion through hard work and sacrifice. It's not easy and we give up a lot to pursue our dream. But when you cross that finish line, end that musical piece, receive your diploma or see the book you've written on the store shelves you know that it's because of your hard work. It wasn't handed to you. You and only you could make it happen through sheer determination and perseverance. A champion lives in each of you. Have the courage to embrace the challenge and the tenacity to stick with it at its most difficult times.