If you are meant to be a writer, it'll work itself out. You just keep feeding it your energy and giving it that crucial chance.
- R. McKinley
Monday, November 16, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Sugar Cookies
I was so in the mood for cookies last night but didn't have ingredients for chocolate chip or oatmeal. So I found a basic sugar cookie recipe and altered it to what I was in the mood for. They came out picture perfect and taste fantastic. I think the combination of nutmeg and orange is just so wintery. And they were great to snack on while I was writing...
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp orange zest
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg; cut in 1 cup of softened butter until the mixture is crumbly.
2. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, vanilla and orange zest until light and fluffy. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Cover bowl and chill for 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). For simple round cookies: roll into small balls and press gently onto ungreased cookie sheet. For cookie cutter shapes: on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges begin to brown. Decorate as desired.
Let me know how they turn out!
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp orange zest
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg; cut in 1 cup of softened butter until the mixture is crumbly.
2. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, vanilla and orange zest until light and fluffy. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Cover bowl and chill for 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). For simple round cookies: roll into small balls and press gently onto ungreased cookie sheet. For cookie cutter shapes: on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges begin to brown. Decorate as desired.
Let me know how they turn out!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Link Line-up
So here are some new links for ya'll. Considering it's still November I tried to give you NaNoWriMo related type things. Let me know what you think and enjoy!
Motivation
Jeffrey Tang has a guest post up over at Zen Habits of 12 ways to Defeat Burnout and Stay Motivated. Some of these are really helpful for me while I'm trying to stay on track with NanoWrimo.
Inspiration
Waiting around for inspiration to strike? Seth Baker tells you to get out there and start working in The Secret to Creative Inspiration. For those of you working diligently on your Nano projects, there is a reason the inspiration is flowing so fast...
Tips & Advice
I usually consider myself a rather fast writer. Some scenes are faster than others and sometimes it's hard to get going. Dean Rieck gives us 5 Ways to Double Your Writing Productivity and increase your S.P.E.E.D.
Hone Your Skills
I've noticed while I'm furiously scribbling words down for my novel that I am lacking in the dialogue department. How do you give your characters voice? How do you create interesting and dynamic conversation? Fortunately, Laura Cross over at About A Screenplay says that "creating effective dialogue is challenging for many writers. But crafting good dialogue is a skill that can be mastered by anyone." Then she gives us 12 characteristics of great dialogue.
The Cherry on Top
Some of these photos submitted for the National Geographic International Photography Contest 2009 are absolutely amazing - they get me thinking of stories almost immediately.
Now, it's back to writing!
Motivation
Jeffrey Tang has a guest post up over at Zen Habits of 12 ways to Defeat Burnout and Stay Motivated. Some of these are really helpful for me while I'm trying to stay on track with NanoWrimo.
Inspiration
Waiting around for inspiration to strike? Seth Baker tells you to get out there and start working in The Secret to Creative Inspiration. For those of you working diligently on your Nano projects, there is a reason the inspiration is flowing so fast...
Tips & Advice
I usually consider myself a rather fast writer. Some scenes are faster than others and sometimes it's hard to get going. Dean Rieck gives us 5 Ways to Double Your Writing Productivity and increase your S.P.E.E.D.
Hone Your Skills
I've noticed while I'm furiously scribbling words down for my novel that I am lacking in the dialogue department. How do you give your characters voice? How do you create interesting and dynamic conversation? Fortunately, Laura Cross over at About A Screenplay says that "creating effective dialogue is challenging for many writers. But crafting good dialogue is a skill that can be mastered by anyone." Then she gives us 12 characteristics of great dialogue.
The Cherry on Top
Some of these photos submitted for the National Geographic International Photography Contest 2009 are absolutely amazing - they get me thinking of stories almost immediately.
Now, it's back to writing!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Monday Quote
Originality is nothing by judicious imitation. The most original writers borrowed one from another.
- Voltaire
Sunday, November 8, 2009
NanoWrimo Status Report
Week 1 is over and it has been a roller coaster ride.
Day 1 was great - I woke up early and immediately started thinking about my opening scene and how to introduce my characters. I couldn't go back to sleep so I grabbed a pen and my notebook and just got started. I got down a couple of scenes before I felt I needed a break and reached the 1,667 word goal before I knew it. I felt awesome and so excited.
By day 3 I was still on track but my writing session that evening was hard work. The words weren't flowing and it was difficult to reach the word count goal. The next day was a little better since I had an action scene coming up that I was excited to get to.
I spent a half an hour on day 5 jotting down some thoughts about where I wanted to go next. This isn't something I normally do - usually I don't stop to outline or think ahead, I just keep writing. But it turned out taking this pause was very helpful. It gave me a little direction and boosted my motivation. I got home that night and busted out the action scene.
Friday I lost my momentum. After a long week and figured I deserved some veg time. Problem is, once you stop it's so hard to get going again! I didn't write Saturday and I haven't gotten a word down today (Sunday) yet either. The day is not over yet, however. There is still time to get back on track. Plus, I have Wednesday off from work for Veteran's Day and I'll have the house all to myself - it will be a major catch up day.
Lessons Learned
- Sometimes it helps to pause and think about where you're going next. Don't be afraid to take a break to outline for a bit.
- Keep up the momentum once you get going.
- Don't get down on yourself if you fall behind. If you start feeling like it's hopeless you'll never get back on track. Stay hopeful, stay focused.
Goals for Week 2
- Write everyday.
- Stay on track with the 1,667 words a day schedule.
- Don't be afraid to talk about what you're doing with friends and coworkers.
How are you doing? What have you learning in the first week that will help you the rest of the month?
Day 1 was great - I woke up early and immediately started thinking about my opening scene and how to introduce my characters. I couldn't go back to sleep so I grabbed a pen and my notebook and just got started. I got down a couple of scenes before I felt I needed a break and reached the 1,667 word goal before I knew it. I felt awesome and so excited.
By day 3 I was still on track but my writing session that evening was hard work. The words weren't flowing and it was difficult to reach the word count goal. The next day was a little better since I had an action scene coming up that I was excited to get to.
I spent a half an hour on day 5 jotting down some thoughts about where I wanted to go next. This isn't something I normally do - usually I don't stop to outline or think ahead, I just keep writing. But it turned out taking this pause was very helpful. It gave me a little direction and boosted my motivation. I got home that night and busted out the action scene.
Friday I lost my momentum. After a long week and figured I deserved some veg time. Problem is, once you stop it's so hard to get going again! I didn't write Saturday and I haven't gotten a word down today (Sunday) yet either. The day is not over yet, however. There is still time to get back on track. Plus, I have Wednesday off from work for Veteran's Day and I'll have the house all to myself - it will be a major catch up day.
Lessons Learned
- Sometimes it helps to pause and think about where you're going next. Don't be afraid to take a break to outline for a bit.
- Keep up the momentum once you get going.
- Don't get down on yourself if you fall behind. If you start feeling like it's hopeless you'll never get back on track. Stay hopeful, stay focused.
Goals for Week 2
- Write everyday.
- Stay on track with the 1,667 words a day schedule.
- Don't be afraid to talk about what you're doing with friends and coworkers.
How are you doing? What have you learning in the first week that will help you the rest of the month?
Monday, November 2, 2009
Quote of the Week
Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Thursday, October 29, 2009
You Are So Creative!
What does creativity really mean? What defines a creative idea or what makes a person creative? Are we all creative or are there certain people who are inherently more creative than others? And why do we all strive to be creative?
With NanoWrimo only a few days away I've been thinking about planning and writing a lot. And the start of any creation is an idea. And before the idea is creativity.
Writing that sentence just now I see that the root word 'create' says quite a bit about what creativity is and what makes someone or some idea creative. I believe we, as humans, all have a desire to create. We all need some way of expressing ourselves by building and creating something from our mind using our hands. And that goes a long way to answer my last question above - we want to be creative because it means that we are building, contributing, and creating something new.
My sister is the most creative person I know. She has many interests but she's also very opinionated about the things she likes and hates. Her musical talents have been her main medium of creation and although she hasn't 'hit it big,' she still finds the time and joy in writing and singing her music. Although she's stuck with a boring secretarial temp job right now she is already planning her next adventure. I'd always hoped she would get a job where she could write ad jingles or slogans because she'd be so great at it. And because I have such a high opinion of her creative view I was flattered to tears when she praised a story I wrote a few years ago (my first NanoWrimo attempt, actually).
We admire creative people and strive to find creativity in ourselves. We all want to be unique. We all want to have a great idea we can be proud of.
So how can we cultivate creativity in ourselves and others? While you're thinking about that, let's give you more to ponder:
Mark McGuinness asks "Is Everyone Creative?" and includes Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk as well as quotes from Gordon Torr. Do you think we're all born creative or are there special creative people out there?
If you've decided that we can learn to be more creative, read on. Mary Jaksch of Write to Done gives us a fantastic overview of the Directed Creativity process developed by Paul E. Pisek. It outlines four phases: preparation, imagination, development, and action. This is how I'm going to start being more creative.
Want more things to work on to become more creative? Request approved. Dean Rieck illustrates 11 Traits of Highly Creative People at CopyBlogger. At first glance it makes sense that creative people have these traits. But at second glance, when you decide you want to develop some of these traits, it seems overwhelming. So, let's take it slow and start at the first one: "Have the courage to try new things and risk failure." I think NanoWrimo is the perfect vehicle to improve on this... Maybe we can move on to the second one in December.
Or maybe we should start with a simpler list. Leo Babauta gives us exactly that in his post "The Little But Really Useful Guide to Creativity" on his blog Zen Habits (which is a great one, by the way). The list is helpful, simple, and, most importantly, motivating. Let's go be creative!
And, since I usually do things in fives, my last creative creativity link. In your quest for fantastic and amazing ideas, think about where they come from. Dustin Wax of Stepcase Lifehack writes: "What separates the creative from the not-so-creative isn’t so much the ability to come up with ideas but the ability to trust them, or to trust ourselves to realize them." The rest of his post offers answers to the question "Where Do Ideas Come From?" and I must say they are rather good answers.
So what do you think? What do you do to increase your creativity? Where do your ideas come from? What are you having for dinner tonight? Just leave a comment, any comment.
With NanoWrimo only a few days away I've been thinking about planning and writing a lot. And the start of any creation is an idea. And before the idea is creativity.
Writing that sentence just now I see that the root word 'create' says quite a bit about what creativity is and what makes someone or some idea creative. I believe we, as humans, all have a desire to create. We all need some way of expressing ourselves by building and creating something from our mind using our hands. And that goes a long way to answer my last question above - we want to be creative because it means that we are building, contributing, and creating something new.
My sister is the most creative person I know. She has many interests but she's also very opinionated about the things she likes and hates. Her musical talents have been her main medium of creation and although she hasn't 'hit it big,' she still finds the time and joy in writing and singing her music. Although she's stuck with a boring secretarial temp job right now she is already planning her next adventure. I'd always hoped she would get a job where she could write ad jingles or slogans because she'd be so great at it. And because I have such a high opinion of her creative view I was flattered to tears when she praised a story I wrote a few years ago (my first NanoWrimo attempt, actually).
We admire creative people and strive to find creativity in ourselves. We all want to be unique. We all want to have a great idea we can be proud of.
So how can we cultivate creativity in ourselves and others? While you're thinking about that, let's give you more to ponder:
Mark McGuinness asks "Is Everyone Creative?" and includes Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk as well as quotes from Gordon Torr. Do you think we're all born creative or are there special creative people out there?
If you've decided that we can learn to be more creative, read on. Mary Jaksch of Write to Done gives us a fantastic overview of the Directed Creativity process developed by Paul E. Pisek. It outlines four phases: preparation, imagination, development, and action. This is how I'm going to start being more creative.
Want more things to work on to become more creative? Request approved. Dean Rieck illustrates 11 Traits of Highly Creative People at CopyBlogger. At first glance it makes sense that creative people have these traits. But at second glance, when you decide you want to develop some of these traits, it seems overwhelming. So, let's take it slow and start at the first one: "Have the courage to try new things and risk failure." I think NanoWrimo is the perfect vehicle to improve on this... Maybe we can move on to the second one in December.
Or maybe we should start with a simpler list. Leo Babauta gives us exactly that in his post "The Little But Really Useful Guide to Creativity" on his blog Zen Habits (which is a great one, by the way). The list is helpful, simple, and, most importantly, motivating. Let's go be creative!
And, since I usually do things in fives, my last creative creativity link. In your quest for fantastic and amazing ideas, think about where they come from. Dustin Wax of Stepcase Lifehack writes: "What separates the creative from the not-so-creative isn’t so much the ability to come up with ideas but the ability to trust them, or to trust ourselves to realize them." The rest of his post offers answers to the question "Where Do Ideas Come From?" and I must say they are rather good answers.
So what do you think? What do you do to increase your creativity? Where do your ideas come from? What are you having for dinner tonight? Just leave a comment, any comment.
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