Taking Care Of Your Writer Self - The Creative Process

TAKING CARE OF YOUR WRITER SELF

As someone who's been writing for longer than she wasn't, I've become very good at knowing when I need to take a step back and work on looking after myself. I've always been a big advocate for taking breaks, and how necessary they are, but when it comes to taking care of you as a writer, it can be hard sometimes to know where to start. Self-care is all very well and good, but if you don't actually know what works for you, then how do you know what to do, and how to go about it?

I thought I would give you some places to start. I've been lucky to land on things that work for me, and are things I can do even on bad health days. Of course some may be better than others, and you may find that some don't work for you and that's fine, but taking care of yourself is a very important part of being a writer, of being any kind of creative. We all have to refill that well somehow and it's a good idea to have multiple ways of doing so within your arsenal.

#1 READING IN WHATEVER WAY WORKS
I've never been someone who finds it easy to listen to audiobooks. I think it's because of my inability to concentrate, and also just that I've always done better with reading text than listening to it. My brain just works that way. So when I talk about reading, I usually mean Kindle or ebook format, but I will be clear that audiobooks count as reading, no matter what anyone says.

So if you find that you need some downtime, maybe find a book that isn't heavy on the thinking, and just lose yourself in someone else's world for a time. It can be a great idea to switch off the creator side of your brain, and just relax and get a chance to recharge using someone else's words. Whether that's with an audiobook, or a paperback, or an ebook. It all counts.

#2 GAMING IS VALID
I've never really been someone who does much gaming in the true sense of the word. I don't have a set up on my computer, and while my best friend is a big player of The Sims 2, I've never gotten as much out of it as she does. I get bored of it, and it just doesn't help me relax. Mobile games though? I have a ton of those, and will happily spend an hour or more just lost in levels and enjoying myself. For me it's more about getting to switch off the planning and writer side of my thoughts and instead focus on just having fun.

However you go about doing this, just like with reading, it's valid. I wouldn't call myself a gamer, but I do enjoy the art of it all. I'm not about to spend hours on a gaming console, but I can very much see the attraction and it's a great way to unwind.

#3 THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Now those who've been following me for a while know that I'm a wheelchair user, they might also know that in 2023 I started doing wheelchair walks. As in, going to our local part, and doing laps pushing myself around in my chair. Before this I couldn't really wheel all that much because I wasn't conditioned, and my lungs hate me, but since I started with just that one lap, I've built it up so that we go three days a week and I do a whole bunch of laps. Right now it's been a massive help with pain, and mental health issues, but it's also a good thing to just get moving.

You don't have to be going out there and doing marathons, even if it's just a fifteen minute walk, that's okay. Even if you're super slow, and you don't get heart-rate up, also good. It's all about just getting yourself moving, however that may be. If you are looking to start a routine, and I am by no means an expert, then start small and slowly, and I mean that, slowly build up. You might find it helps to refresh your thoughts and your mind and body as well.

So there we go, three ways that you can take care of your writer self. Burnout is not something anyone wants, and it sucks, and I hate it, as do most creatives, but the best way to avoid that is by taking time to recharge and allow yourself to unwind and breathe, however that may be.

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!

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Review of All Out Of Love by Gracie Graham

 

My senior year was supposed to be easy. After all, I'm Graham Scott, son to a football legend and guaranteed a scholarship.

But now, I'm so far off the beaten path I barely recognize myself anymore.

My father is a cheat.

My best friend broke my heart.

And I owe ten thousand dollars in gambling debt.

The only thing I seem to find solace in anymore is the bottom of a booze bottle.

But my problems are catching up with me, and soon, I find myself making a deal with the devil, only to meet an angel in return.

Skylar Davenport.

She might be the one thing to break through the darkness, but even if I can get past her hate for me, I have one too many secrets.

And it’s only a matter of time before they start coming back to haunt me.

Amazon

My Review:  5 STARS

I read the first two books in this series and had complicated feelings about reading Graham’s story. That said, when I dived in, I started to realise it wasn’t going to go the way I worried about. Instead of being self-absorbed, we got to watch the character grow and change, become the person he was all along, and find love as well. I adored Skylar, and I loved the many twists and turns this book took. There were parts of it that had me sure they wouldn’t work out, parts where I was on the edge of my seat trying to guess how things would go, and that ending, the way it all came together, chef’s kiss, it was amazing and beautiful and I adored it! Very much recommended!

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Life Of Joey & Bi-Monthly Goals - September 2024 [CC]

Letting you know what I got up to last month, and reviewing and setting goals! #Authortube

 

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#TeaserTuesday

Jessie is desperate to be able to turn down the pain...

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[ID: An orange background with the title CRAMPING CHRONICLES: THE THIRD ACHE at the top and coming October 15th 2024 just below the title The except reads:

I didn't think I'd done anything to begin with. But as I let out another long, slow breath, my hand on the doll started to burn a little. Not painful, just feeling hot and a light buzz in the tips of my fingers. I gasped as I felt it there just out of reach, and just as quickly as it appeared, it slipped away. I tried to keep hold of it, but either Meera's headache was too low on the radar, or I needed to work on grasping hold of the buzz and pain.

At the bottom is Joey Paul and just below that the website www.joeypaulonline.com, and in the bottom right corner is the logo for Bug Books. END ID]

 

 

Creative Characters: Writing Jessie & Tyra

CREATIVE CHARACTERS: WRITING JESSIE & TYRA

It always sneaks up me, the releases I mean. I've been having a reduced schedule the past few years so I've not yet gotten back into the groove of releasing books. Hopefully that will change next year, but my point is such that I didn't realise how close we were to release, and since I always planned to talk about the third Cramping Chronicles book around this time, it was a bit of a surprise when I came to writing my blog posts this morning and found it was already time!

So for those new to my blog, I generally, around the time of release, go into a bit more depth about what it was like writing the main characters of the story. For those who know nothing about the CRAMPING CHRONICLES series, lemme give you a little insight. It's a YA urban fantasy series that deals with Jessie, who's 15, and disabled with M.E and Fibromyalgia. She's also an empath. She has the ability to feel certain people's emotional and physical pain, and in the first two books, she was trying to get a handle on it, in book three, she's finally found a tutor in all things empath and is hoping to learn how to control her ability.

Only there's a problem, while learning, Jessie also has to deal with another new trigger, Tyra, and Tyra happens to be the school bully. While Jessie wouldn't want to leave anyone in pain if she could help it, the fact that Tyra has taken an instant dislike to Jessie doesn't help matters. So while dealing with Tyra's pain, Jessie also has to juggle some other issues, like whether or not she should tell her parents about her ability, and learning more and more about the empath life, and what it holds for her. This third book also launches us into finding out the background and lore of what being an empath means, and you're gonna be in for a ride!

So what was it like writing Jessie, a character I've grown close to, opposite the school bully who has her own secrets to hide? Lemme jump into it!

WRITING JESSIE

Jessie has been through a lot in the first two books, she found Meera, her girlfriend, but she also found a whole lot of pain to go along with it. While she knows a little about being an empath, it was really only dealing with Marcus' pain in book two that pushed her into getting a tutor, and bringing Lucas into the picture. Jessie has always been sure that she wants to deal with things on her own. She doesn't want to tell her parents about her ability, and now isn't any different. The problem is, that after what happened with Meera, and then again with Marcus, she knows she doesn't always have the tools to deal with problems that arise and even though she wants to be an adult about it, there are some things she's gonna need parental help with.

Bringing Lucas into the picture helped, but once things started to become clear that there was a whole lot more about Jessie, and her ability, that he wasn't going to be able to help her with, she's kinda stuck between making a choice that might backfire, or going it alone and hoping for the best. Enter Tyra, a bully who seems to think Jessie, and the world, owe her a favour and it's no wonder that Jessie is hesitant to help. Of course she wants to minimise Tyra's pain, but not at the expense of herself.

Jessie is always a delight to write. I love her wit, her way of dealing with things, and I really do feel like had I been at school with her, she'd have been a fast friend. Of course, there are complications, and Jessie is learning things about herself, her distant relatives, and her ability fast, and there doesn't seem to be any one around to lend a hand. She's in the deep end now, and she's gonna have to learn how to swim.

WRITING TYRA

Tyra was a character that I knew would show up eventually. Most schools have bullies and even if you're popular, you're bound to come across one in some form. Tyra Meadows is the kind of bully I grew up with. The one that seems to think everyone owes them something, and because they've not gotten it handed to them, they'll happily take it by force. Her story is a sad one though, and without giving spoilers, I will say that Tyra has her reasons for acting the way she does, though of course it doesn't excuse it.

Tyra was never going to be someone Jessie instantly got on with, and because of that, they were always going to be at cross-purposes, but the story behind her, the reason for her pain, was one that needed to be told. I did like getting to write Tyra, to bring the kind of person she was to life on the page, and I'm really happy with how she turned out.

Like I said, this book is the start of something huge in the CRAMPING CHRONICLES universe, and because of that there is little I can share about that stuff, but if you're wanting to dive into the series, and pre-order the third book, you can do so here!

I hope you enjoy them!

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!

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Review of Happy Singles Awareness Day by Kimberly King

 

Getting dumped right before Valentine’s Day is bad enough, but things only get worse for cheerleader Carlee McAdams when an incriminating picture of her lands in the school paper. In the middle of her public, very complicated break-up, someone is desperate to see her fall, and they’ll stop at nothing until she hits rock bottom.

Just when life can’t get any more messy, ex-model Alex Coleman enters the picture: cute, interested, and totally off-limits. He’s everything she doesn’t want in a guy, so staying away should be easy. But that proves harder than it looks. The more she gets to know him, the more she starts to question if he’s really the guy she thought he was. Can she put her prejudices aside and give him a chance? But before she can decide, the one person she thought she could trust ends up being the one who’s about to bring everything down.

Amazon

My Review: 5 STARS

I read the first book in this series and fell in love with King’s way of setting the scene and telling stories. I adored Carlee and Alex, and loved the way the twists and turns both pushed them apart and pulled them together. The story was beautifully written, engaging and kept me turning the page so much so that I finished it in one sitting. I loved that ending, and the big reveal was amazing, kept me guessing the whole way through. It was a delightful story and so glad I have the next in the series so I can dive right into that! Recommended for all those who love a sweet romance with a bit of a mystery woven through.

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44 Facts About My Writing Life [CC]

Delving into 44 facts about my writing life! #Authortube

 

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#TeaserTuesday

Controlling the twitch for the first time isn't as easy as she'd hoped...

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[ID: An orange background with the title CRAMPING CHRONICLES: THE THIRD ACHE at the top and coming October 15th 2024 just below the title The except reads:

“So how does it work?” Meera asked, her voice soft.
Her green eyes were filled with pain, they’d have clued me in even if I hadn't been able to pick up on it myself.
“I don't know the science behind it,” I said. “If there even is any science behind it. Lucas didn't exactly go into a lot of detail. But I did some research on the forum, and they said physical is harder than emotional.” I swallowed down the lump in my throat as my eyes began to water from the intensity of her migraine. “So, I have to keep the doll in my hands, have to keep the sand on my body, and I have to focus on what is my pain and what is yours,” I said, trying to sound like I knew what I was doing.

At the bottom is Joey Paul and just below that the website www.joeypaulonline.com, and in the bottom right corner is the logo for Bug Books. END ID]

 

Approaching Rewrites - The After Process

APPROACHING REWRITES

I have spent the past two months not drafting. I finished my last two drafting projects for a while at the end of June. I then dove into revision and rewriting two older projects that I knew needed a lot of work. I wanted to be able to spend some time with them without the editor deadline hanging over me. I especially didn't want to get to that point and find that I needed to cut and rewrite the whole project with little time to get it done. So, I decided to do this instead, and I have to say that it's been a real eye opener for me.

One of the projects, a YA urban fantasy/romance, was one that I really thought would be in somewhat okay shape. I knew that when I wrote it, I was pretty on the ball with the idea and what came after it. I knew how I wanted things to play out and I was less worried about the word count being too high because a lot of the story involved fantasy elements that needed a little more explanation. I was also pretty sure that the pacing was about right, with a few tweaks it should hold up.

The other project, a YA thriller, was the one I was extremely worried about. I felt like it was way too long, that I spent chapters here and there going around in circles. I was worried that it would need stripping down to the bone and starting all over again. The word count would almost be cut by a third and the whole thing would just need to be rewritten and restarted, but with a bit more of an outline and idea with how the story would go.

Both of these projects surprised me. The first was in much better shape than I remembered, though there were some things that I'd like to lean into more, and feel like the pacing needs a little bit more work to get things to hit the right way. There are some plot holes, which I've managed to find an answer for, and others that I need to think about a little more before I really call them solved. I adore the characters and think that their romance works really well. The ending was a little lacklustre, but at the same time, I can work with that.

The second project was pretty tight already pacing wise. Those chapters I worried about that would need to be cut were not in as dire shape as I thought. My biggest issue right now is how to cut a third of the word count without rushing through the whole thing and knocking the pacing out. I spotted a couple of plot holes, but overall, it's actually not too bad. I still think it's way too long, and I knew that as an overwriter, I was going to have to work out what I could cut. I assumed I'd be able to lose a few chapters at the start and in the middle, but found that I jumped right to the action so there were none of those to worry about. It's making me wonder just how I'm going to cut it down.

I tell you all this not just because it's interesting to me, but because approaching rewrites can be daunting. If you're anything like me, it's been a while since you read the book, and you can remember bits and pieces, but that doesn't mean you can remember both the good and the bad. I always remember the bad. I did it with THIRD ACHE in revisions too, thinking that there was this whole plot thread that would need to be bulked up. It was already done, I just didn't remember all of that.

Rewrites can be scary, they can be daunting, because you're taking this thing you wrote, and poured all your energy into and basically saying that some, or all, of it is not good enough to remain. It can be disheartening and while I plan to stay doing rewrites and revision for this year and next, it's also hard to focus on the end goal rather than just seeing the mess of the first draft.

That said, I know I can craft these into better stories. I got this, and so do you. We're gonna make them amazing!

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!

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