The Resurrection of Mention Monday

I'm back...yay!

So, I've been trying to get my crap together (as you all pretty much know) and I figured I should get my blog back up and running properly to help aid my recovery.

My new schedule is made up (click here if you'd like to read my bloggy plans.) There are some changes and some things the same. Mondays are the same and I've got the perfect way to bring back my Mention Mondays.

As most of my followers are Insecure Writer's Support Group members, this isn't news, but I have to mention the IWSG website and Facebook for my first step back into blogging (more often). If it weren't for Alex and all the other wonderful writers from the IWSG, I probably would've let my blog go. If I let my blog go completely, it'd be gone. Without my blog, my motivation would be lost. And without any sort of motivation, I'd be lost.

I know it's odd that I can say that since I go so long without really posting anything, but it's true. My blogging keeps me tied into my online friends. Tweets get lost in the several other tweets of the more frequent tweeters. FB posts end up getting mingled with the more typical inspirational, funny, or even serious pictures/quotes/articles. The real interaction keeps going best when you've got a blog, posts, and followers who come and talk to you in the comments. (For me at least.)

I'm going to be better at showing how much I truly appreciate you all who come by to see me. Because I honestly do appreciate every comment.

Wait, I'm getting a little off subject here...

Today's mention is for the IWSG because the group is full of awesome people and it's hosted by doubly awesome people. Alex Cavanaugh and all the others who help w/ the new site and FB page are truly wonderful and it's because of them that I haven't totally become- 'I wonder whatever happened to that Kela person...'

So, if you don't know anything about it check the links below. It's worth your time, promise.

Insecure Writer's Support Group Website

IWSG Facebook page

Alex J Cavanaugh: IWSG Founder

IWSG Admins:

J.L. Campbell

Michelle Wallace

Joylene Nowell Butler

Susan Gourly/Kelley

L. Diane Wolfe

Lynda R. Young

So make sure you check out all these links. Even if you're not a writer, at least check out the awesome people because they are, well, awesome. :)

Hope you all have a fantastic Monday. :D

I Think It's Time...

For me to stop being messed up/bipolar/unorganized/unmotivated/behind on everything/crazy. Okay, not that last one, because, seriously...that's just not going to happen. But it is time for me to get it freaking together already.

This is my Insecure Writer's Support Group post for the month. If you don't know what the IWSG is all about, just click here. And thank you Alex for continuing this wonderful group. If you don't know Alex, click here. Also, this month's co-hosts are Julie Luek, Rachna Chabria, Beverly Fox, and Ilima Todd.

I am waiting to find out from my doctor about a few things going on with me lately and my spacey, sleepy all the time, just in general all over the place moods and immune system. Fingers crossed that she lives up to her usual awesomeness and fixes me.

That aside, I'm working up some plans. I've got to get some sort of system in place so I can get things together to make it easier for my currently spacey mind. I'm hoping if it works then I'll be able to get focused on things a little easier no matter what happens at my doctor apt next week.

And with the organizing will come a few things. For one, I'll be able to get caught up on critting better. Also, I should be able to get back to blogging and reading blogs more often. Finally, writing and editing/revising will come easier as well. With my mind being all over the place, so are my ideas. I go to write some on a WIP and another idea hits that I have to go write down and then I'm officially distracted from the WIP I had intentions of working on. But I'm also then distracted from any writing and end up going off to do something else.

If I can get my plan work, I will be able to jump all over the place like my mind wants, but it'll also allow me the focus I need to make myself focus on one WIP and actually write something. It'll be like a give a little, get a little. My mind wants to go crazy, so I will let it go crazy on everything except writing. Writing is the one thing I can't make work if I'm all over the place, so that will be my wild mind's compromise.

That's why I'm working on a good organizing system for myself. Because if I'm going to let my mind go crazy, I need to be better organized so everything doesn't wind up in a jumbled mess all over the place. And I'm really hopeful that it will work.

So, I hope to post more soon and see you all more often on your blogs as well. Funny thing about my wandering mind though, I've been catching up a lot on reading. Idk why I'm able to focus so fully on that when everything else is a jumbled mess of unproductiveness...

Oh well, that's my odd IWSG post for the month. I will see you all later and I hope you have an awesome day/week/month (depending on when I post again). Surely next time I post, I'll be a little more focused...maybe. And don't forget to check out Alex! Have a great day! :)

Call Me Crazy...

I never know exactly what I'll think of for the Insecure Writer's Support Group post until I open up my blogger and just start typing. Sometimes it surprises me and other times, it makes perfect sense before I type the first word.

(Before I get into my post though, let's start this off with a Happy Two Year Anniversary to this wonderful group!)

This month I've been thinking of how up, down, all around my writerly productiveness and whatnot has been. And it makes me smile because only a writer (or artistic type of any sort) could really get how normal that actually is. That's why so many people end up thinking artistic people are crazy. We're not crazy, just moody and all over the place because our minds just go go go. Honestly, the ones with the busiest brains tend to be the ones that we all revere with great respect.

I love Stephen King in the early years, then the longer he went on and the more he published, the crazier he seemed to be. (Not that Stephen King was ever sane by 'normal' standards). But he's brilliant. And no matter how many people read his stories and end up wondering wth, they still read his stories. He's popular, people love him, even though so many people are constantly talking about how insane he is.

But if we weren't a little 'insane', where would we get ideas to write? A clear, 'sane' mind could write a good story, but who wants to be good? No true writer aspires to tell a good story, we want to tell a great one. We want to pull people into our insane minds so they can realize how sane we really are. They need to understand that if it weren't for what they call madness, we wouldn't have Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, Ernest Hemingway(and so many more 'crazy' writers)...Those crazy writers gave us amazing things because it takes madness to come up with unique ideas that scream for attention.

Have you been to a psychiatric facility? If so, have you ever noticed how many of those 'crazy' people are talented? Painting, crafting, writing...Maybe no one is truly crazy, they just haven't found a way or been allowed to express themselves properly. Who knows? Maybe I'm all over the place lately because I'm just going crazy... :P

Well, that's my IWSG post for this month. If you learn nothing else from it, at least you all know I'm losing/have lost my mind. ;D

Go on over to Alex J Cavanaugh and check him out, he's pretty awesome if you don't already know. And CONGRATS to Alex for receiving the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for your book CassaFire!

Also, the co-hosts for September are:

Chemist Ken http://hogwartssabbatical.blogspot.com/

SL Hennessey http://pensuasion.blogspot.com/

Michelle Wallace http://www.writer-in-transit.co.za/

Joylene Nowell Butler http://cluculzwriter.blogspot.com/

 

That's it. Hope you all have an awesome Wednesday and I'll see you soon. :)

Late IWSG and Some other stuff...

Lol, I know, bad title, but I was blank..

(Long post, sorry. :/ )

So, I've been so busy trying to squeeze as much time in with the kids before school started back up that I forgot yesterday was the first Wednesday of this month. It's been crazy here and I'm on the fence torn between so glad that school is back in and so sad that school is back in and my girls aren't home.

(Side Note: Here they are this morning before I took them to school-

 But don't be fooled, they're all sugar on the outside and pure pixie madness on the inside. :P  )

Okay, onto the IWSG...

That's Insecure Writer's Support Group for anyone who doesn't know about the group...and if you don't, you should. Alex J Cavanaugh is behind the awesomeness of this group because he's full of awesomeness so go check him out.

I tend to not like reflecting on certain aspects of myself. Speculations and conclusions that aren't real or even genuine ideas that I truly believe just for the fact that I don't want to really think of why I can't do anything. However, I started a new diet and exercise plan, not just to lose weight, but because I want to get healthy. Plus, my oldest and I both have sensitive stomachs so we decided to try out a gluten-free diet. It's worked so wonderfully that now we rarely have stomach aches at all, unless we cheat and eat gluten. Then we're in pain wishing we hadn't been so weak, giving into something we know we're better off without. Although I've got this new diet and exercise plan going, on top of the fact that I quit smoking (something I've wanted to do for a long time and now it's been months since I smoked at all), my aunt keeps saying hateful things about me. (My aunt always has strong opinions about everyone in the family and how we live our lives)

Problem is, I always let her get to me when I was growing up. I always found myself wanting to do things to please her, but I couldn't ever please her. The older I got, the more I realized I would never be able to please her. But I was ruined (for the time being, not permentantly though).  I spent so much of my life trying to please her, that I started trying to please everyone. Part of that was everyone started talking about me the same way my aunt did. Telling me I was too fat, too quiet, too loud/outspoken, too sensitive, too lazy, too too too...

I still find myself worrying about my not being productive enough in my writerly things. I start hearing my aunt telling me I'm being too lazy and I start worrying that's what's happening. But when I think that, I get too deep into my head. I start trying too hard, trying to force productivity out of myself in a way that's not for me, it's for everyone else. It's for my mom who believes in me too much, not that it's bad for her to have faith in me as a writer, but it's too much pressure. Or I try it to prove my aunt wrong, that I am who I am and look, I can do good things as the person you criticize. I even try to do it for you guys, my blogger buddies, writer buddies, tweeps, AQCers...For all of my online friends, who in reality, know what it's like. The pressure, the wants, needs, productivity woes, and everything else...All you guys who don't judge me by my lack of productivity, y'all who listen and only give helpful advice, friendly words, laughs, and everything positive (even if it's a positive kick in the ass ;P ). The people who I don't have to prove anything to...

And that's when I realized I need to stop obsessing. I am who I am, I love who I am, and some days/weeks/months/years will be good, and some will be bad. But as long as I know who I am and I have people who support me, that's all that matters. And if I can't focus on those good things, I will be stuck trying to force something to happen that won't ever happen right that way.

I know all that matters is if I'm happy with myself and I am. I'm also happy that I have you to make me smile when I need it, or to kick me into gear when I need it. I know you won't let me be lazy...well, most of you won't. :P

Sorry again for the long post, it actually took me by surprise myself, but I did stop trying to force conclusions and reasons. So, yeah, there it is, hope it makes sense because I'm in a hurry(time to pick the girls up from school) and not reading before I hit publish

Lol. Hope you're all having a wonderful Thursday. I'm hoping to be back to a schedule soon. Since I probably won't blog again this week though, have an awesome weekend too. :)

Busy Busy

Time to be an insecure (or secure) writer for the month. I'm not sure if I'm either really. I'm not feeling that insecure, but I'm not feeling that secure either...

Head over to Alex J Cavanaugh's blog to check him out and read about the IWSG while you're there.

Last month I said I was hoping to be writing again, working my way to 1k a day...It hasn't happened yet, not even the 1k a week. But I am writing more than I was for a while. I've fallen a little behind on my critiques for my group, but I'll catch up.

I've been really busy this summer. It's strange because I feel busier this year than I was last year. Last summer I was constantly going. Writing and blogging, critiquing and reading, plus trying to keep my kids entertained all while running on little to no sleep. This year, I'm ready for bed before my kids are and that makes it hard to find time for writerly things. I mean, I spend all day doing things with the girls which makes me too busy for writer things, then bedtime rolls around and I just want to crash. Honestly though, I'd rather be having fun with my kids instead of throwing them to the TV or something so that I can do something for myself.

Eventually I'll get it balanced out so that I can do it all, but until then, I'm going to write, read, and blog when I can and try not to stress about it.

I have been getting caught up on reading. I used to read a book a day, maybe one every couple of days. I'm not quite there yet, but I am reading and that's what counts.

Anyway, I hope you're all doing well, I really need to catch up on my blog lists. I'm so out of the loop and I'm sure so many of you have great things going on. Add that to my list. Write, read, critique, blog, read blogs...

And there it is, hope you're all having an awesome week. :)