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Using an image and video for my post today…

Thought I would try some different post formats. I used the mindmapping software Inspiration today. Below is an image file of what I wanted to communicate to you.

Below the image is a video demonstrating a few of Inspiration‘s features. [Reminder: I’m not trying to sell anything–just sharing what I like to experiment with.]

 

inspirations-for-writing-2

 

The video is seven minutes long, so feel free to fast-forward at your convenience! Will work on my paring-down skills, I promise.

Genius, pure as the driven snow…

So, I tell my wife that snow is in the forecast for the next day.

“That means one thing–brownies.”

Okay, as open-minded as I am to baked decadence, I didn’t see the connection.

But who was I to question the logic?

Brownies in our immediate future…

Next step: Channel my wife’s genius and may the desserts roll in.

Rain in the forecast? Cafe Beaujolais coffee cake.

A scorcher upcoming? Key lime pie.

Tsunami? Biscuits. Find the quickest recipe on this list. While they’re baking, don your Happy Hippo life preserver, fire up your jet boat, and set your GPS for easterly locations. And if–your preserver now a deadly weapon–you haven’t concussed the dog, bounced off counters, or scattered unsuspecting kitchen appliances, more power to you. Head for the hills, cradling your biscuits and a jar of honey. Spouses can fend for themselves. [Don’t worry about the kids. You’ve already sent them ahead. More biscuits for you.]

But back to where it all started…Alice Medrich brownies. I confess to smirking at the prescribed [and already ample] chocolate portions and letting my inner artist take over. These babies turn out candy bar-like. I first heard the term chocopocalypse term from my Bluebird Baker friend. It certainly applies here.

Dishes undone, part II

My wife and I exchanged gifts last night. [Christmas is, let’s just say, loosely interpreted at our house.]

She gave me a certificate good for seven nights where she takes over meal prep and cleanup to free me up for writing. Turns out I had given her coupons in a previous year [not yet redeemed] that nudged me into the kitchen while she worked on art projects.

It’s inevitable. We’re both going to flash our coupons on the same night.

So either Boo suddenly assumes the bipedal position and reaches for the Dawn or that’s going to be one cluttered sink in the morning. [See previous post– 2017: The Year of…]

“You can’t wait for inspiration…”

“you have to go after it with a club.” –Jack London.

Seems lately I’ve been using a feather, at best.

I came across this list from WritetoDone.

Item #26–freewriting–reminded me to revisit The Accidental Genius by Mark Levy. If I had to narrow down my library to ten books, this would be one of them. [Reminder: This is a no-shilling-for-compensation blog. If I like something for my own purposes, I’ll mention it and hope it helps readers.]

My own additions to the list of inspiration sources:

  • A work in your field of interest/genre that you think you could substantially improve.
  • A previously successful work of your own.
  • An addendum to item #8 [Music]: Some writers loop one selection to help them achieve flow. This article might help explain what’s going on.

Okay, so I’m now inspired. Time to find my version of a Jack London club.

There is nothing like…

a morning shower to prep me for a good solid morning of procrastination.

I’m refreshed and much more alert to my messy desk, my dog Boo’s need for a morning walk, and the burned-out light bulb in the kitchen.

And don’t get me started on my workstation’s recent quirkiness.

But there’s hope: I remind myself that as long as I’m doing this work not just for me, but for my wife [and yes, the dog has to be fed and sheltered], I can usually overcome resistance.

And by god, if I didn’t just buckle down and work a couple of hours on a manuscript…so bravo.

Here are some other worthwhile anti-procrastination strategies from getbuttonedup.com . 

Now, back to that messy desk. And a meaningless football game on TV. And the dog walk…