How to List Right

Boise Community Education presents  my class Creating Creativity, a one hour class Tuesday October 17th at Timberline High School. Come and learn 5 easy, fast, and fun ways to kickstart your creativity. Sign up here: Creating Creativity.

Strange title, eh? No, I'm not talking about participating in some sort of strange walk competition. I'm talking about how creative people can use to-do lists as a useful tool to get creating.

Much of the time we creative folks fall into a few traps when making lists. This turns a tool for clearing your mind so it can focus on creating into a whip. A whip us creative types use for flogging ourselves, destroying our energy and creativity.

What are some things you can do to turn the whip of a list into a gentle prod, a discouraging thing into an encouraging one? How can you list right?

One: Make your lists before you start creating. This clears your mind.
Two: Set a time limit on your list. For a day to day list, don't include a month's worth of stuff. Or a year's worth of stuff. Or a lifetime. At most, have a couple of weeks.
Three: Recognize that everything takes longer than any of us would like. Remember that sometimes you have to sleep and eat and goof off . Work to expand the time it'll take to do the things on your list. For me, a rule of three times as long is often correct.
Four: Leave off your goals for your creative work. Listing how many pages you want to write, or how much you want to practice your musical instrument, or...you get the idea, turns the creative work into a job.

NOTE: If all of the above makes you crazed, about to scream at your computer, wanting to write me a nasty review/comment/letter/FB post, then...ignore it all. Maybe you're not one of those people who can not make, much less use, a list. Or: try just writing list-type stuff down to get it away from nibbling on your focus. Write in a notebook or keep it even less formal: scraps of paper. In a pinch, on your hand.

Remember: a list is only a tool, don't use it to beat yourself up! Use it to increase your creativity!

How to Fail Perfectly and FREE EBOOK!

Perfectionism is a sneaky, underhanded destroyer of creativity. A powerful energy suck.

Now, I can hear all you creative people out in Creative Land shouting: "I know all about the pitfalls of perfectionism! I've read the articles! I don't do that anymore. I'm perfect at not doing that anymore!"

Re-read my last exclamation. That's why I called perfectionism sneaky and underhanded. Even if we recognize how attempting to be perfect in any endeavor leads to frustration and failure, still we struggle. An example? I just rewrote the last sentence five times. In a first draft.

If you're an artist, do you find yourself starting a project over again before you finish? As a dancer do you find yourself practicing a step even after you know you're doing it "well enough" to move on? For a musician, do you get stuck on a piece?

And of course, for myself as an author, I rewrite and rewrite before I finish the draft.

Why? Why does this happen?

The simple answer: perfectionism sneaking in, that little monster.

For one simple reason: creative people want to be the best ever with their creations.

That's a good and powerful thing. That is to be commended. Celebrated. We work at our craft. We know we must try and try again to improve our craft.

Except. Except. Perfectionism rears its ugly, ugly head--as in, look, a cliche! In writers, it crawls in under the guise of the all-powerful editor.  "That's an awkward sentence..," the editor whispers.

So, what to do?

One trick: recognize and gently, gently escort the critic out of your mind. Recognize that the impulse to perfectionism is only the impulse to improve--gone a little wild. Accept the gift of the impulse without giving in to it.

When you catch yourself in perfectionism mode, work to not beat yourself up about it. Instead see the steps above and exercises below.

Exercises:

1. Keep a list of what sets you off into perfectionism. Jot down when it happens. Are you tired? Are you trying to force the work? Is it a new work? An old one you haven't been able to finish? Don't try to change/fix/judge the list as in "I'll finish the old work or die trying!" Just observe.

2. When perfectionism is whispering or even shouting, answer it, gently, with reasons. "Yes, that is an awkward sentence. They happen. I'm not perfect." And then move on.

3. OR: shout at it, argue with it, be totally ridiculous with it. "I love my awkward sentences! They're perfect!"

3. If the perfectionism blocks you completely, it's okay to let it win, for that moment. Switch projects. Go play on another project. Take a total break and walk away.

Now for some FREEBIE fun! Through Thursday, June 22, 2017, Mild West Mysteries: 13 Idaho Tales of Murder and Mayhem is FREE! Enjoy!

FREE now in eBook! Go here: Mild West Mysteries. 

Create More, Succeed, Make Money Being Creative with NO Blame!

FOR GAIN, NO BLAME

This post is about a problem that has been bugging me for, well, forever. In this world of social media, it appears to be growing every day, a monstrous cancer destroying creativity.

Okay, maybe not that bad. Except...when we blame ourselves, it destroys our creativity. 

I'm not talking about refusing to take responsibility for our own personal stumbles as in "I drank too much today to create." Also, there are tons of helpful advice available  I'm talking about the insidious, continual "blame game" that some "experts" use to sell their books, podcasts, seminars, classes online and off, even life coaching.

The blame game goes like this (for writing, I'm sure it's similar for other types of creativity):

Your published writing isn't selling? Then you must be blamed because:

Your cover isn't good enough. (Buy this and we'll show you how to have a great cover!)

Your content isn't good enough. (Let us show you how, buy this!)

Your social media marketing isn't good enough. (buy...) 

To be more specific:

You don't have a good enough website. (On sale now! How to have a great website!)

You don't have a good enough email list. (Buy now! Learn how to have a great email list!)

You don't have a platform. (Pay here!)

You don't have a brand.

You're not tweeting enough.

You're not posting enough on Facebook.

You're not doing enough ads on social-media-site.

You're not posting enough and/or posting correctly on your website.

And one more example: You're not posting on your blog enough!

Or even the dreaded shoulds:

You should be only traditionally published.

You should be only self-published.

You should be a hybrid author.

Then there's the more insidious blaming:

You have to do the newest online-whatever right now to sell, whatever it is.

You have to spend a certain amount of time every day selling.

You have to not spend too much time selling. Instead spend your time creating more and more, as quickly as possible. Make sure your creations are fabulous. 

You have to be exactly like the successful people that are used as examples. 

Can you feel your will to create evaporating? Depression setting in? Blaming sucks the life energy out of our creativity. 

Add to all of this one DIRTY ENORMOUS SECRET:

Most creative people are not successful at selling their creations. 

Most books don't sell. Most actors don't have a big career. Most artists never sell their paintings/sculptures/art. Most bands never make it big. It doesn't matter if you're a jewelry designer or a singer or a clay-embedded-fingernails potter, chances are you won't "make it big and make tons of money." 

Does this mean never take a class or read a book about selling your work? No, of course not! Many books, videos, podcasts, classes, etc. are very useful for tips and ways to sell. Ideas that may save you time and money. My only caveat: avoid blame! Realize and remember that you are doing the work. If you're not...give yourself a break. You're only human. 

Make your creative life a no-blame zone and discover energy, time and inspiration!

FREE Workshop Writing Conflict and a writing tip!

Yup, you heard right, FREE workshop on Writing Conflict: Hows and Whys. And a FREE workshop one time only. At the Victory Branch Library,10664 W Victory Road, Boise, ID 83709 on Wednesday July 20th from 6:30-7:30 pm.

Why a workshop on writing conflict? In teaching my Write Short to Succeed workshop, I noticed a major struggle among newer writers. What was the difference between an anecdote, vignette and a short story or article or memoir? How to create a work that readers want to read? The answer is simple: conflict. Conflict creates the scene, the characters, the story arc, why a reader should read an article, and more. Without conflict, the writing fails.

Why a free workshop? Because Writing Conflict will be the second in my Hows and Whys series, the first being Write Short to Succeed. So the authors who attend will "pay" for the workshop by giving me honest feedback.

Write Short to Succeed out now!

Here's a tip about conflict:

In any writing, whether it be fiction or nonfiction, short or long, ask yourself: What is the problem? Where is the problem? Is the problem obvious? Can you state, "The problem is...." or not? If you can't answer at least a couple of these questions you don't have conflict. And you have a problem.

How to have conflict in every word, sentence and paragraph of your writing will be covered in the workshop. Hope to see you there!

And authors out there in blog land: how do you see conflict? How do you use it? Abuse it?

Carrot Cake Muffin Recipe, A Free Cookbook, and a Link to Bottlecap Jewelry Making! Summer Fun!

Hopefully this kinda unappetizing photo of a Carrot Cake Muffin will give you a smile, for this Smile Power Day! Recipe follows.

It's time for summer fun, so let's start out with what to take on a picnic. These muffins are gluten, soy, egg and dairy free and delicious, I promise! They also travel and freeze well.

Gluten Free, Egg Free, Soy Free, Dairy Free Carrot Cake Muffins

Crusty outside, moist inside

Makes 6 good sized muffins

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups gluten free flour mix (consistency will differ a little depending on mix)

¼ cup dark brown sugar or molasses (muffins will not be very sweet, can add more sugar if you prefer, molasses will make a bit sticky)

2 teas bicarbonate of soda

2 teas baking powder

2-3 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¾  to 1 cup food processed until fine carrots

½ cup sultana raisins (may be omitted, I always omit these because I don’t like raisins in food)

1 cup nuts, walnuts or pecans (may be omitted)

¼ cup vegetable oil (coconut oil works best)

 2 teas apple cider vinegar or white vinegar

1 cup applesauce plus ¼ cup coconut, almond, cashew or rice milk

2-3 teas vanilla

Directions:

Add the ingredients into a mixing bowl in the same order as listed.

Mix well. Mixture will not be terribly thin, if it is add flour

Place muffin papers in a large muffin pan.

Scoop mixture into papers until well filled. Gently tap down until you have a imperfect “muffin top.”

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

More easy, cheap and "regular" dessert recipes can be found in The Mall Fairies Sweet Tooth Recipes, along with short stories of the fairies from my Mall Fairies  series FREE today only here.

Bottle Cap Jewelry are fast, cheap and easy to make gifts, here are a few ideas for Christmas ones.

Visit my post on Lois Winston's blog Killer Crafts and Crafty Killers for how to make cheap, easy bottle cap jewelry, great for summer fun for kids and adults alike! Lois is the editor of Bake, Love, Write: 105 Authors Share Dessert Recipes and Advice on Love and Writing. On page 99, you'll find my recipe for Soda Cracker Pie, another easy recipe and cool and delicious for those long hot summer nights!

Enjoy! Celebrate! And what's your favorite thing about summer?
.

   

Sherlock Holmes at the Alamo, a blog post by Kathleen Kaska

Join me in celebrating the upcoming release of Kathleen Kaska's fourth Sydney Lockhart mystery, Murder at the Driskill (Austin, Texas). Today she's kicking off her blog tour, “Travels to Austin: A Trip Back in Time, on Conda’s Creative Center. She's writing about famous, infamous, and legendary locales in Texas’ state capital. If you’ve ever been to Austin, tell Kathleen what you liked best about the city whose promo campaign is “Keep Austin Weird.” At the end of the tour, she’ll give away a signed copy of the book. To be eligible, leave a comment on each blog. 

Most of the businesses I write about in my Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series are based on real places from the 1950s (time in which the stories take place), many of which are still in operation today. Writing Murder at the Driskill was like taking a stroll down memory lane, since Austin was my home for twenty-five years; it’s where I went to college, launched my teaching and writing careers, and met my husband. It was only natural that I made Austin Sydney’s home as well. However, this is the first book where Sydney solves a murder in her very city.

            When I settled in Austin in 1977, a certain entertainment venue became my favorite. Esther’s Follies, a live variety show named after film star and Olympic swimmer Esther Williams, had just opened and has been going strong ever since. A few of my friends wrote comedy scripts for the show and I was often in the audience showing my support. The Next to Nothing Live Theatre, although not necessarily a variety show venue, in Murder at the Driskill, is loosely modeled after Esther’s zany productions. One of my characters in the story, twelve-year-old, Lydia LaBeau, is forced to run the theatre when, Serge LaBeau, her murder-suspect father goes on the lam after he discovers the police are after him. At the time of his flight, he was in the middle of rehearsing a production called Hamlet at the Alamo. Lydia, being a Sherlock Holmes fan and a control freak, rewrote the script in her father’s absence, giving herself the lead role, and entitling it Sherlock Holmes at the Alamo. Enjoy the excerpt.

            The curtain rose and “Sherlock Holmes at the Alamo” began. Since the battle at the Alamo took place more than fifty years before Arthur Conan Doyle created the world’s greatest detective, Holmes’ presence was the result of time travel through a tunnel under Crockett Street behind the mission. The opening scene had Lydia, as Sherlock, crawling from a manhole as an enormous Mexican army, depicted by a famous painting made to shimmer behind a thin fabric, gathered in the distance. Following her was Howie as Dr. Watson.

            “‘What object is served by this circle of misery and violence and fear?’” Holmes said, looking over the future battle site. “‘It must tend to some end, or else our universe is ruled by—”    

            “Santa Anna, by the looks of it,” Dr. Watson said in a Texas drawl that got a hardy chuckle out of the audience.

            Holmes glared at her sidekick. Howie clearly stole the lead’s first scene. The production continued in the same vein with Lydia and Howie trying to upstage one another. The audience probably thought it was part of the script, but I’d hate to be in Howie’s shoes when the curtain fell.

            When it was clear that Holmes would not be able to save the Texans, he offered to transport them into the future via the time-travel tunnel. Colonel Travis, Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, and all the settlers who took refuge inside the mission, declined. They decided to stay and fight. When Holmes’ final plea to the Colonel to change the course of history fell on deaf ears, Holmes and Dr. Watson chose to join them in battle. In the final scene, as the great detective lay dying in a pool of blood, Dr. Watson (also with a bullet hole in his chest) chastised his friend and partner for getting them into a fatally impossible situation. Seeing another line-steal coming, Holmes pulled his revolver and shot the good doctor. The audience gasped; curtain fell.

            “I don’t get it,” Ruth whispered.

            “Just start clapping.” I shouted “bravo” a few times. Everyone joined me probably assuming they’d missed something too.

            Tomorrow writer Lois Winston is hosting me at http://anastasiapollack.blogspot.com/

I will be reminiscing about one of Austin’s institutions, Matt’s El Rancho.

Now here’s a taste of Murder at the Driskill.

            You’d think that newspaper reporter Sydney Lockhart, comfortable at home in Austin, Texas, could stay away from hotels and murders therein. But when she and her detective boyfriend, Ralph Dixon, hang out a shingle for their new detective agency, they immediately land a high-profile case, which sends them to the swanky Driskill Hotel. Businessman Stringer Maynard has invited them to a party to meet his partner/brother-in-law, Leland Tatum, who’s about to announce his candidacy for governor. Maynard needs their help because Tatum is hanging out with the wrong crowd and jeopardizing his chances for winning the election. Before Sydney can finish her first martini, a gunshot sounds and Leland Tatum is found murdered in a suite down the hall. 

Kathleen Kaska writes the award-winning Sydney Lockhart mysteries. Her first two books Murderat the Arlington and Murder at the Luther, were selected as bonus-books for the Pulpwood Queens Book Group, the largest book group in the country. Kaska also writes the Classic Triviography Mystery Series. Her Alfred Hitchcock and the Sherlock Holmes trivia books were finalists for the 2013 EPIC award in nonfiction. Her nonfiction book, The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story (University Press of Florida) was published in 2012.

Webpage: Kathleen Kaska...cozy on up...

Blog: Kathleen Kaska on Birds and Books

 

NEWBIES WRITERS' GUIDE TO THE WRITING BIZ

I often get asked one of the Sisters In Crime bloghop questions, "If you were to mentor a new writer, what would you tell her about the writing business?"

There is one important concept that seems simple but is difficult to understand and accept: If you are serious about being an author, then writing is a business. This is separate from the creative work of writing. They are two very different things. The more a writer is able to keep the two distinct, the more successful she'll be in both.

Whether you are a well-established name or pre-published, you are having a writing career. The business aspects of the career are your job in which you are the boss, CEO, CFO, and employee. What does that mean, really? It means that you must work to be your best advocate in your business decisions. It means that you must work to keep yourself apprised of this new publishing world. It means that you must work to promote yourself as best as you can. What it mostly means is the writing comes first and foremost always. In business terms, you can't sell what you don't have. You need product. (With rejections, it's helpful to think of your finished manuscript in terms of being product. After all, no one sells all their product all the time.)

The writing business can be frustrating, annoying and even heart-rending. Remembering that the writing biz isn't writing often helps reduce the pain. And the rewards far outweigh the struggle. May all you new authors succeed!

This blog post was inspired and created for the Sisters In Crime bloghop. You can find out more here, www.sistersincrime.org/bloghop.

Last, but perhaps most important: my great friend and great author, Kathy McIntosh, is also participating in this bloghop. She's the author of the comic crime novel in which there is “plenty of laughs in this page turner and plenty of insights that keep the story fresh and memorable.” So hop on over to her post about what she says to someone who says "Nothing against women writers, but all of my favorite crime fiction authors happen to be men," on her website here.

And dear readers, what do you think? Are you successful in separating the two aspects of being a successful author? Any tips on how to do so?

Succeeding Writing, Plus a Happiness Recipe and My Favorite Recipe!

My Favorite Recipe: My Grandma's easy sugar cookies! Go to my interview on The Happiness Recipe for the recipe.

Today, I'm featured on the radio interview show, The Happiness Recipe, with lots of fun stories, my recipe for happiness and some writerly advice. Here's a taste: the main ingredient of my happiness recipe is to "follow my bliss." What I tell new writers when they ask how do I become a writer? Read, read, read, write, write, write, edit, edit, edit, submit, submit, submit, repeat, repeat, repeat. There's lots more, but you'll have to listen to the half hour show!

For the easy sugar cookie recipe, go to my post on The Happiness Recipe website and enjoy! Or, pick up a copy of my cookbook, The Mall Fairies Sweet Tooth Cookbook, which has this recipe and many other easy, delicious recipes, plus tales of my Mall Fairies.

And have a happy day!

How to Make Bottle Cap Pin Jewelry. Easy, cheap, and fun!

(I hope to see you all at my FREE bottle cap workshop this Monday, July 14, at the Ada Victory Library at 4:30 pm to make bottle caps! Everyone takes a bottle cap pin home!)

 A selection of Christmas bottle cap pins, some with just the image, others with Christmas items. The trees, holly, gingerbread men, stars and snowflakes are in the scrapbook section of any craft store and inexpensive. The images are free downloads. Take a bottle cap with you to store for size. Next year, different images and inserts!

Bottle cap items can be wonderful as gifts for all sorts of occasions. A baby shower? Give a bottle cap pin with the photo of the new mom as a baby! Maybe pins for all the attendees! How about making a bunch of Christmas bottle cap ornaments? Give out a bottle cap magnet for a Halloween treat! A project for your child's class? The limit is your imagination.

It's possible to do bottle caps the old fashioned way, cut out the image with a pair of scissors, recycle used bottle caps if not bent, glue and then use clear varnish on the top, but most of these supplies are inexpensive and if you're like me you'll keep coming up with new uses.

Materials (check Beadaholique or Amazon, links are to Amazon, the punch and Glue Dots are available in office and craft stores too):

50Mixed Color Bottle Caps (or collect your own throughout the year and it's FREE)

CraftScrapbook Jewelry 1" Circle Epoxy Stickers For Bottle Cap Pendants 

EK Success Papers Shapers Nesting Punch 1" (or any brand, as long as 1")

Glue Dots Super Strength Multi-Use 1/2" dots (or use super glue, but you have to wait longer, however, sometimes the glue dots "let go" after a couple of years)

Images: use photos, images from magazines and greeting cards, draw your own, stencil, use stamps, stickers, glue small objects that fit within the 1" circle, there are inexpensive bottle cap images for sale, or use your imagination!

How to:

Take your 1" paper circle image and press it against a Glue Dot. Press the circle into the bottle cap. Place a 1" Circle Epoxy Sticker on top. DONE Then attach whatever to the back, whether it be a pin back, or hanger for pendants, or magnet. DONE.

Here's how to attach a pin back (so that the pin is on correctly): Take a piece of paper and line up your bottle caps on the paper with arrows pointing which way the image is up, like this:

Then flip over the bottle caps and glue the pins to the back--easy!

Do you have an idea for bottle caps to share?