Back from the End of the Universe

After a rather prolonged absence from the blogosphere, I've decided to make a New Year's Resolution (it's not to late to do so, is it?) and try to write *something* in my blog every day. Why?

1) After attending (well, hosting actually: cf. Writers LIVE! 2011) a very inspiring talk by author Michael Koryta, I decided one of his writing tips would be very helpful in keeping me motivated to write. My fellow librarian, Mimi Curtis, who is an aspiring Young Adult author, also attended his talk and agreed that his writing tip would be useful. What was his tip: "Write 1500 words a day." Don't set time limits, he said, but try to write a designated number of words as your daily goal. Okay. So maybe 1500 words for a blog post might be a stretch, but at least I can try for a bit more than my few 140-character-Tweets that I've been tweeting.

2) I came across some interesting and unique blogs recently in my quest to expand my online community and share ideas with fellow Sci-Fi fans. Ones that are not affiliated with a major website like syfy.com or bbcamerica.com, and the like.

These are cool:

The Last Wordslinger

Allyn Gibson

And while I'm at it, I should mention my fave amateur sci-fi blogger: GameCouch (Full disclosure: GameCouch is a buddy and fellow co-worker, but I know good writing when I see it)

I'm counting on my followers (all three of you!) to help me stick to this resolution. (Tweet me @literarylattes).

Thanks!

Namaste.

Walking in Circles

Some days all I feel like I have been doing is walking in circles: in tackling my daily chores at home, my assignments at work, my plans for the future, my path in life. I even walk in circles when it comes to writing. My blog is an obvious example, having not written an entry in months. Same goes for my print journal. Yet, it's not that I haven't written at all: I've tweeted (Follow me on Twitter @literarylattes), I've updated my status on Facebook, I've met my deadlines for my Library Journal book reviews, and I'm writing publicity for the events we are planning at my library. I've even achieved a major writing goal: I'm getting a chapter published in a forthcoming book (one with "real" editors and a reputable publisher, too). Stay "tuned" for more exciting details!

For the past few months, though, one area of my life in which I am trying to not walk in circles is my quest for the elusive "Ideal Body Weight." (See "Healthy Weight Chart"). One of the tools I'm using on my journey is, in fact, writing. I'm keeping a Food Journal to track my thoughts, feelings, what I eat and drink each day, and how much physical activity I do. It's hard work, this journal. It's time-consuming, it's emotional, it's eye-opening, but ultimately, it's a writing-related activity that is very much worth my time, my facing my emotions, my achieving awareness of how I treat and care for my body.

We are starting a 12-week health challenge at work, so I've joined up for extra motivation. I am growing my circle of support among my friends and co-workers, one of whom has started her own weight-loss blog (See Yvette Morales' inspirational Seriously Seeking Skinny).

I'm even finding snippets of humor to help me "get over myself" and just enjoy my journey:

"Of course, this is what writers do when they're not writing, they walk in circles around food an decide whether or not to eat, as if taking a bite will somehow make a bit of dialogue work or help create a missing scene (it never does). This is why the Weight Watchers meetings at Fourteenth Street and Ninth Avenue are packed with women writers, including Kit, who has reached her goal weight twice in the last year. Eating and writing are the husband and wife of creativity." --from the delightful novel Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani.

The best advice I can share from all this is to just stop walking in circles. You never know what you may achieve if you don't.

Namaste.