And I only wrote 2 posts!
At least I wrote... ha ha. So, I'll fill you in on how I spent the little free time I had in January outside my new job...
I revamped and wrote a bunch more of Cradle Rock. I actually have fans clamoring to get the sequel of BBF. AND my plea on FB bumped my reviews for BBF to 20! Yay! I also drew some ROUGH sketches for my anti-princess story, JOLISSA. I crack myself up, hopefully you too! Here's a taste:
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| Jolissa & Ziggy her faithful dog |
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| the princess entourage |
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| A low point for Jolissa |
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| Jolissa & Humphrey meet a talking goat |
Look out Disney! (hahahaha)Anyway, on to my IWSG post! As always, thanks to Alex & his hosts this month - the IWSG is now an institution! I'm so glad to be a part of it!
Time is today's issue. I don't have time for insecurities lately, so I will keep posting to encourage anyone who has time to stop by! What I need is a way to make time slow down. I feel like a whiny three-year-old, pulling on her mom's coat tails, trying to get her to listen. "But TIME! I need you to stop so I can write more!" She never slows down, she just says, "Come along, dear. We have to keep moving." So I just pout and carry on. Hmph!
Here are 5 Great Ways to Slow Time, but they're not very productive, just some comic relief. Take time to laugh at least once a day - you'll live longer, hence adding time to write!
- Stare at your inbox - whether waiting for a query response or edits, time will stand still as you lose your mind.
- Forget to preheat the oven - the food is ready to go in, but the oven is cold - argh!
- Ask your husband to change a light bulb - he will wait until a few more go out and save time by doing them all at once and you'll go blind.
- Choose the shortest checkout line - there may be only one person in front of you but inevitably she has the most items in her basket, there was a reason no one got behind her (sometimes it's me)... oh, and the register just ran out of paper...
- Mark a special day on your calendar - a cover reveal - it's so pretty, you want to share it now! or a book release - it's so far away! (Simulation in September!) It's like birthdays and Christmas to a kid, or a Mom's due date - the best days take forever to arrive!
Lastly, here are a few quick announcements before you go...
| artwork by http://www.matusic.com/ |
- Signups have begun for the annual A to Z blogging challenge - yes, I succumbed. And this year I'm working for C. Lee McKenzie as a MUFFIN COMMANDO!!
- I'm also very excited to have Broken Branch Falls posted on BookBub this weekend (2/6 & 2/7)!
- More excited that one of my students spotted BBF in Barnes and Noble!!
- And super duper excited to offer you all this giveaway for February! (No live events scheduled, so online it is!!)
So exciting that you saw your book in B&N! That's awesome! :)
ReplyDeleteLove the point about staring at your inbox. It definitely makes time pass slower! :P
I'm going to try the 5 techniques!
ReplyDeleteEntered to win and have just started Chronology. Congrats on all that's happening for you and so glad you are a Muffin.
Yeah for the cool stuff you have going on. One of my favorites to lose time is watch videos on YouTube, lol.
ReplyDeleteJuneta at Writer's Gambit
I love the comedy regarding slowing time! Thanks for the well needed laugh this morning, Tara!! PS--hi! Long time no blog! :)
ReplyDeleteI also posted about time today, but yours is much funnier! I am definitely one of those men who put off changing lightbulbs. Lol.
ReplyDeleteHa! The checkout line bait-and-switch always gets me.
ReplyDeleteYay for placing your book! Rock on.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could slow time, even if I wanted to. I thought late pregnancy would do the trick, but nope. What day is it? It's Wednesday already? Feels like Monday. Yikes! I just lost half a week.
Just finished Chronology. Man! That was a long anthology. No one warned me...but I loved your entry. Fun, fun piece. (Review coming soon!)
Laughing is so important and such a wonderful stress reliever. Good luck being a Muffin Commando - see, now that phrase made me laugh. :)
ReplyDeleteBooks on the shelf are so wonderful, congratulations!
ReplyDeleteTime, what is time? I don't have any, is it expensive?
Have a wonderful February!
Lots of exciting things going on! And oh man, #4. Every. Time. I can never get in the right line.
ReplyDeleteFebruary IWSG Co-host
Hi Tara!! I can't remember the last time I saw you on here - you don't show up on my dash anymore so I manually went to your blog today :) I really thought you had stopped blogging! Love the sketches :)
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas to slow time. I'm waiting for an email now.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the B&N. Every writer's dream.
That shortest checkout line gets me every time! I gave up trying to guess which one will be fastest.
ReplyDeleteIt is so true that time flies fast and we have to make the best of it. I constantly wish I had more of it to work with, and energy too, lol :)
ReplyDeleteBBF for life!!!!! And your time is driving me nutz!! Kidding ;)
ReplyDeleteLove those sketches! *LOL* And with a talking goat, you can't lose! If I ask my husband to do anything, that slows time. I took off the tiles in our small half bathroom in July. He wants to put in the new ones... which still hasn't happened yet!
ReplyDeleteYou know I love your sketches - especially the goat!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on seeing BBF in B&N! Awesome!
Congrats on everything - your hard work, the book at B & N, and all the awesomesauce stuff you do! Way to go, Tara.
ReplyDeleteLove your humorous post on time. It's even worse when you accidentally put food into a cold oven, wait for three hours until dinner time and then . . . well, the microwave is suddenly the most important tool in the kitchen.
Spotted BBF in B&N? Awesome.
ReplyDelete(You think time moves quickly now? Wait till you're my age.)
Funny post. #4 is me. Always pick the wrong lane.
ReplyDeleteHere's to finding more time...
ReplyDeleteha! isn't that always the case about the check out line?! love it, here's hoping we all find more time :)
ReplyDeleteHAHAHA. I stare at my inbox a lot. Definitely slows down time. :)
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, for me it's the inbox and the shortest line at the grocery store. Now if I could only turn those times into productive working on my story time.
ReplyDeleteFun sketches! I can't help but be curious about that talking goat, LOL. And I know what you mean about time. I'm always wishing it'd slow down, too!
ReplyDeleteYour tips for slowing down time remind me of the saying, "A watched pot never boils."
ReplyDeleteI tried making a cup of tea the other day, and forgot to turn the burner on. That slowed things down. Best of luck to you and finding more time.
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