And All That Jazz...!

There's nothing like a good movie to remind you of past dreams - ok, current dreams - however, dreams that probably will never materialize. I say probably with emphasis here because, and I quote myself, if I really want something, have the passion for it, I can make anything happen.

That is, anything within reason.

So what's my dream, you ask? To dance on Broadway. Oh, yeah. No small ticket here. I started dancing when I was 5 and haven't stopped yet. You should ask my kids. They endure mom stepping it up and singing at the top of her lungs every chance she gets. Why? I love to sing and dance. LOVE IT. I don't use that word often when it comes to "things" (other than good food, but that's questionable whether food is a "thing"...it's more like a necessity, and therefore...oh, never mind).

So back to Broadway. I did get close. Oh, yeah, I did. I had my one chance that my simple teenage mind could scheme up and I went for it. Trouble is, the New York Rockets have a height requirement: You must be 5'6". I'm 5'3"...5'4" on a good day. So needless to say, I fell short on that score.

I went on to dance in the All County Dance Ensemble and in college, both big and small...however, the more life and all it's charm entered into the picture, the more and more dancing took a backseat.

However, I've never given up on the dream. I choreograph constantly when I hear music, feel a big number comin' on, and periodically chance to dream again. Will I ever get another opportunity to audition? To dance and sing in the spot light? Maybe. There are plenty of local community based spots around here and one of these days I'll get my chance.

Until then, I'll just keep my tap routines to the kitchen, the big dances to the living room, and my critics safely tucked into bed. Nighty, night. Sweet dreams.

Reaching that goal: the first 100 pages

I have to brag here and I think it's very healthy for writers, especially closet writers, to brag. I've written my first 100 pages!

I've never gotten this far before. Life has ALWAYS gotten in the way...it's just the way it goes. Life is life, and it will not slow down ever, even if you want to write a novel. It's relentless. However, if you want to write a novel, you have to write in spite of life.

So, when you finally do get that idea that won't leave you alone, those characters who keep asking you, "when are we going to get together?", and the subsequent other ideas that are starting to back up behind the novel idea that you've been putting on hold...and you actually SIT DOWN and begin to WRITE, that first one hundred page hurdle seems so far away. Write and write as you may, it's totally nerve raking and seems unattainable.

However, once you get there, once you have your first 100 pages written, it's like taking in the view after climbing a mountain. 100 pages!?!? I wrote 100 page!??!? You email all your writing buddies to tell them about it. You just can't hold in your own astonishment and joy. You tell your hubby who, understandably, is equally astonished as well. "So you are writting down there. I thought you were just surfing the web."

So few people actually do what they set out to do because of that pesky life, however we can all reach our dreams. I think what holds most of us back is that first step. That first goal: those first 100 pages. How brilliant would it be if you were among those few to acutally preserver and go beyond your comfort zone and just do what needs to be done?

There are a multitude of books out there that contain thousands of pages helping us would be novelists reach our goals. However, after reading many, many, I've found that there is no real check list or magical concoction out there that will do the trick. You really have to do the work all on your own.

The best 'how to' book on novel writting that I've come across is Walter Mosley's This Year You Write Your Novel. It's the shortest book that I've ever read on the topic, yet the most powerfully helpful. It's how I got to my own first 100 pages!

So, if you're having trouble getting there, get the book! Check it out at the library, order it online, whatever. You can read it in an afternoon and actually, while reading it, you'll even wonder at times, "Is this really all that helpful?" It's just so short and sweet and with really big font, that it seems silly in comparison. But then, towards the end, you just get it! And it's an amazing feeling, like magic. You get that confidence that you need to push yourself to find the time, sit down, and write.

So, taking a lead from Mr. Mosley, here are 4 quick easy writing rules to help you conquer that first 100 page hurdle:

1. All 1st drafts suck!
   Point blank and simple. No one else is going to read it but you, so just write it already!
   
   
2. Don't look back!
   When you sit down to write, very breifly read over a tiny bit of what you last wrote and then MOVE ON. Keep going! Don't reread everything everytime you sit down. That will only cause you to start editing, and editing, and editing. You can edit until you die! So don't do it! Just keep going. How else are you going to get to the end? By keep going over the beginning?
   
   
3. Always Remember Rule #1
   When you sit back and think over what you have written, just remember rule #1. Your first draft WILL suck! Yes...it sucks! We all know it sucks. Fight every possible urge to go back over it and edit it to death. You will get plenty of opportunities to edit once you have finished.
   
   
4. Write
   Duh! But no, really. Write! If you don't write, you'll never get that first 100 pages done. Write whenever you can. And do it everyday, if you can. The closer to everyday that you can get, the better. Don't just do this on the weekends, or worse, once a month, once a year...once a day is the only way (ooh, I was a poet and didn't know it). Now, don't get upset with me here. Writing, everyday = thinking, writing, day dreaming, and/OR editing. You don't actually have to write to write. KWIM? If you spend time everyday even just thinking about your plot, the characters, what you want to write next time you have a chance...guess what? You are writing! Isn't that way of thinking just so freeing!
   

So, there you have it! I wish you the BEST of luck in your writing. And know, that once you move past that first 100 page hurdle, the next 100 pages just all of a sudden happens! It did for me. I'm at 276 pages right now and seeing how simple it was once I past that first huge hurdle, I can't wait to write to the end. I hope to have my crappy first draft done in time to bring in the new year! Then, the all encompassing event of editing.

Have FUN writing,
Lia

Drink some Magic Tea!

Magic Tea - Slowly sip this Magic Tea and feel it's healing powers! :)

At the slightest provocation of a cold, sore throat, ear ache, or sinus problems of anyone that crosses my threshold, I jump to the kitchen and brew up some magic. It doesn't matter how young or old you are, Magic Tea will either cure what ails you or, at the very least, help sooth the symptoms. It's easy, cheap, and you can't have too much (won't turn on you like medications if you 'over dose').

Ingredients:

• Hot water
• tea bag - your favorite
• a tiny sliver of a smooshed clove garlic (the braver the patient, the bigger the clove!)
• honey (as much as you like)
• apple cider vinegar (1 teaspoon)
• 1-2 ice cubes
  
  

Directions:

• brew your favorite tea and add honey
  (however much honey you want, but you'll need some and it's great for sore throats)
• add apple cider vinegar
• before adding garlic, add ice cubes to bring down the temp.
  (If you cook the garlic, you'll loose all the magic!)
• once tea is cool enough BUT still warm, add the smashed garlic
• stir, and sip slowly

Drink this 1-3 times a day as soon as you feel the symptoms of a cold/flu/ear ache/sinus trouble. It's magic!

The magic is the combination of vinegar, garlic, honey, and warmth

• Apple Cider Vinegar: helps 'open' you up and is high in Vitamin C
  
  
• Garlic: when you smash it (to the point it's almost liquid) you release allicin, Garlic's antibiotic mother load! however, if you cook it, you kill all the power (aka, all the good guys that will destroy the bacteria)
  
  
• Honey: Nature's elixer, very good to sooth a sore throat, and is anti-bacterial
  
  
• Warmth: the hot water opens your sinuses and helps all the magic above seep into the right spots ;)
  

Tip: If you need more honey to 'mask' the garlic, go for it. You can't have too much (so long as your not allergic)

Hope everyone has good luck this upcoming cold season. Take it easy, take care of yourself, and DO NOT hang out with any sickos!!! It's just not worth it. You can always see them in the Spring ;)