Curl Up and Write » Uncategorized

A Little Here, A Little There…

Trina — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:13:29 +0000

With the Hubby and my daughter home I’ve been enjoying the family time. So I won’t be blogging until next week, but I promise to be back with great interviews, updates on my book, and of course hair! I’ll also be doing a few tweaks on the ‘ole blog, and updates on my FAQ page.

So until next year folks!

How Many Hobbies Can a Girl Have?

Trina — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:50:45 +0000

I’ve been working a lot on an embroidery project for my nephew. I love cross-stitching and embroidery, it relaxes me and I love to see a picture come alive from thousands and thousands of tiny stitches. My mother recently got a new sewing machine, and she’s been gathering materials together to go on a sewing frenzy—dresses and headbands for my daughter, a cape for me (yes I’m rocking several this winter…), and blouses for herself.

As I watch her get prepared, it really makes me want to learn how to sew. When she knits blankets and scarves for my daughter, then I want to learn how to knit. Or at least crochet. And did I mention I want to take a few classes for cake decorating? (Too many episodes of the Cake Boss…) But here’s the thing—I don’t have time for all those hobbies. I like to write in the morning, then read in the afternoon or early evening. Then later at night I’ll pick up my cross-stitching. Where could I find the time to add yet another hobby?

Hobbies are great, they relax you, and help remove some of the stress you might have encountered through the day. But having too many hobbies? It can backfire on you, making you stress out about which hobby you’re going to tackle that day.

So for now I’m sticking with cross-stitching. I want to sew, and one day soon I’ll learn how to do it. But right now, my plate is full.

Tell me, what’s your hobby? Are you juggling more than one?

Letting Go

Trina — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:15:00 +0000

School is right around the corner. For me, that brings tears—some of joy, but mostly from fear. My only daughter is going to kindergarten. Most stay-at-home moms understand my fear. When you’re at home with your child all day, you create a bubble for them. Their knowledge of the outside world is created by you, and what you feel they are ready to be exposed to. You know they will have to leave this bubble and join the ranks of school, as millions of children do, but you’re afraid. While you have them singing their ABC’s and watching Yo Gabba Gabba, you’re afraid that when they leave you they’ll be singing “Single Ladies” and learning the art of pushing children off the swings.

I know, I know, I’m probably over-reacting, but still…I worry. She will be out of my sight all day. And while yes this does have its privileges—uninterrupted writing time, (score!) and the ability to run errands without stopping for potty breaks, (double score!), it seems all I can think about is the fact that someone else will be responsible for my daughter for eight hours. That as much as I would like to, I won’t be able to know her every move, won’t be able to tell if she’s cold and give her a sweater, won’t be able to sit next to her at lunch and tell her to eat her veggies first.

The Hubby thinks I’m crazy, and after admitting that I’ll be a soggy mess of tears, that I will see the brighter side of her independence everyday.

“Give yourself a few weeks. Trust me, you’re going to love having the free time.”

I know I will. But right now, I can’t stop thinking, “Who told my little girl to grow up?”

Keeping the Brain Fuzzies at Bay

Trina — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:00:00 +0000

So on yesterday’s post I talked about how writing *every day* has made it hard for me to remember things.(*Yes yesterday I talked about the usage of the word everyday. Reason for my confusion—besides my obvious amnesia—is that when you intend to use either of the words—every day or everyday—as an adjective or a noun meaning "ordinary occasions," as in “everyday life” or “part of the everyday”, the one-word version is correct. Adverb uses, as in, “We should eat fruit every day”, and the noun use meaning "each day," as in “Every day is different”, call for the two-word version. So everyday means "ordinary in all respects," whereas every day means "daily and completely." Not too brain dead to do a little research huh?*) But I have been adding a few things to my routine and its helped tremendously to keep the brain fuzzies at bay.

Read

Okay, this is not something I’ve added to my routine. I read every day—the Bible, blogs, magazines, and books. But reading other people’s work besides my own has helped me to clear my head a bit and relax, which for me helps me remember. And as I always preach, reading improves your writing, so another bonus to pick up your favorite novel.

Play a Game

Now, I’m not talking hopscotch or leapfrog, I’m talking about games or activities that work your mind. I have a game on my phone that I love to play, (Smiley Pops) and I do Sudoku and Word Search puzzles. I hate Soduku, but I do it anyway to get my head thinking in a different way. (Hate is a strong word. Let’s just say I hate it when I’m not doing it right.) My Mama loves Mah-jong and she has me hooked on it too. I also play (a lot) of Operation with my daughter. And Connect Four. (At first I used to lose on purpose to soothe her ego, but now I’m quickly having to play for real. The girl is a fast learner!) The point is, when I relax it gives me time to regroup, to get my brain focused so when I’m done, I can actually have an intelligent conversation with the Hubby.

Get Moving

You ever notice when you take a long walk, perhaps around your neighborhood, your mind goes on all sorts of different subjects? When I walk, I work out problems—either in real life or in my writing life—and come to solutions I would never reach laying out in front of the TV. And don’t walk with distractions—no phone, no MP3—just you and your thoughts. Getting exercise gets the blood moving, and for me jumpstarts my brain and gets me thinking clearly. I know we’re experiencing a heat wave, but don’t let that stop you from exercising. Take it indoors if need be, but get moving, not only for your physical health but for your mental health as well.

Make a To-Do List

Okay, this is pretty obvious, but writing down everything you need to get done in the day helps you to…wait for it…get things done. Genius right? But seriously, it does help to write tasks down, with the biggest priorities first. For me, after breakfast, it’s a light clean-up, time with daughter, and then writing. Of course, other things are on there, but in their proper order. I may have to pick up a prescription, and for me it’s more important to do that first, then fold clothes. Nobody dies from clothes that need to be folded. (Okay Martha Stewart maybe…)

I’m aware that being able to write every day (hah!) is a blessing. And it’s something I cherish. But writing is hard work, and if you do it you are expending lots of mental energy, which is just plain draining. But using your brain in this capacity is good for you. The brain fuzzies are passing, and I find myself being a bit sharper, (I said sharper, not smarter) and I’m able to focus on my family and the conversations they are having. I know that when I open the refrigerator door I want a yogurt, and I remember to take the dog out. I’m dreaming of when I get to type THE END on this novel, but it won’t be the end. Because I’m already thinking about my next project. Writers write. And sometimes, believe it or not, every day.

A Case of the Forget-Me-Nots

Trina — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:14:36 +0000

Word Count: 27,679 Now before you frown up at that low amount, I haven’t started my writing today, so I’m hoping to hit 30,000+ by late this evening. So there. But am I on schedule? Will I hit my deadline? So far life is throwing me a few curve-balls to prevent writing as much as I would like, but I’m not using that as an excuse. As writers, we all have to contend with something, and we still have to get those pages done. So here’s hoping I hit my word goal today…

With all the writing I’ve been doing, I feel like my brain is slowly turning to mush. I can’t complete sentences, I open the refrigerator door and just stare inside, not sure why I opened it in the first place.

I’ve always wanted to be one of those writers that write everyday, for years I haven’t been. Now that I am writing everyday my brain is just getting slower and slower the more I write. (Like just now, is everyday together or should it be every day? Total brain loss…)

I love the effect the writing has been having on my novel though, because writing everyday (??????) has me much more in touch with my characters. I love that I can open my Word document and just begin writing. But when I’m done I feel like I have no mental energy and find it hard to follow through on other tasks.

So to counteract my forgetfulness, I’ve been doing a few brain exercises. I’m no doctor of course, but I know what works for me and what’s given my brain a boost. Stay tuned tomorrow and I’ll discuss how to keep the brain fuzzies at bay. (Again, fuzzies? Is that even a word?)

Sick!

Trina — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:11:02 +0000

I know, I know, I haven’t posted anything all week. You guys know that I suffer from sickle-cell anemia. I’ve been sick for over a week now, and I just don’t have the strength to blog. But no worries, I’m on the road to recovery so I’ll be back with great book reviews, author interviews, and will give you guys an update on how I’m doing on my book. (I think you’re going to be surprised…)

I hope to be back to my old self next week. Until then, enjoy your summer with a great book. (Ahem, Unbeweaveable makes a great beach read…I’m just saying…)

Happy reading!!!

It’s That Time Again…

Trina — Mon, 16 May 2011 12:00:00 +0000

It’s time for me to update my author photo. I’ve been having this pic for quite awhile and now I need to update it. And I’m dreading it. It’s not that I hate taking photos, I think I’m pretty photogenic, but the dread comes because I just don’t know how to do it.

I’ve been looking at many author websites, trolling through their author photos to see if I like the style of their pictures.

Should I smile?

Should I not smile?

Weave or au-natural? (Don’t know why I asked this question…I’m Unbeweaveable all the way!)

Color or black and white?

Where should I take the photo, outside or indoors?

Should I be funny, you know, holding my dog and laughing or borrow my Mama’s reading glasses and sit at my desk all serious-like and in a writer’s stance?

You get the picture, (no pun intended) there are a ton of decisions to be made about your author photo. The one thing I have learned thus far, is that no matter what, I’m going to be myself. I want to look like me, so I’ll be doing my own make-up and hair, and wearing clothes that I would feel comfortable to wear outside the house. I normally do wear chunky jewelry, but I’ve decided to tone that down. I want people to look at me, and not my chunky Flintstone beads.

So, I’m a bit nervous. Any authors out there with a few tips to share?

Better Than Me

Trina — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 12:00:00 +0000

I came across this question when I wanted to contact a certain author to interview on the ‘ole blog. I wrote a nice email, but my hand quivered just before I clicked the send button. I just couldn’t do it. This author won’t respond, I thought. She’s not on my level. She’s better than me.

This author has an MFA, her debut novel received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly and Library Journal. Even Kirkus gave it a brilliant review. (You heard me, Kirkus.) I just couldn’t shake the feeling that she was too above me to accept an interview. Even on her website when she describes herself, her prose is lyrical—somehow describing where she went to college sounds like a poem.

I’m sure we’ve all heard our parents tell us that we will always find someone prettier than us, smarter than us—whatever our talent, there is someone out there that can do it better. It can be a hard pill to swallow to accept that there are better writers out there. That no matter what I write, someone out there can write it better.

But the thing I love about us humans is that we are all created different. We all don’t share the same memories or life experiences. So even if someone has more degrees or speaks fluent French and Mandarin Chinese it does not mean that they could write the novel that I could write.

So as I finish this post I know I will be finishing that email and contacting that author. Sure, she has a few writing skills that I haven’t mastered. Yet. But can she explain how ammonia thioglycolate changes the hair cuticle? Or how my daughter laughs when she gets tickled? I bet not.

Not Having It All

Trina — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 12:00:00 +0000

So Wendy Williams is off the Dancing With the Stars. No, I’m not shocked. Her dancing was…less than inspiring. But it was the comment she said on her show after she got booted that got me to thinking. She mentioned that she thinks women can have it all.

Things that make you go hmmm, right?

I don’t think so. I know that several women think they can work, have kids, be a great wife, a great friend—everything. Hmmm, don’t think so. I’m all for balance and I know that balance can keep all the balls juggling. But I think if we were a little honest, we would know that on any given day, that we can’t give everything a 100%. That some things fall off the plate. We may not want to admit it, but if we are giving our boss our everything and put our career first then something at home is probably slipping. If we are spending all of our time with our kids and make them our first priority, then are we giving our husband enough of our time and attention?

You guys get where I’m going…I think you can do many things well. But as imperfect human beings it’s a novelty to think we can have everything. And when you get downright to it, it’s greedy. I mean, just because you can have everything doesn’t mean you should have everything.

I don’t know that’s just me. What do you guys think?

How You Dancin’?

Trina — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Yesterday, I pushed myself through a writing scene that was difficult to get down. In the middle of writing, I got so discouraged I almost wanted to delete the whole thing and start over. Writer friends, have you ever felt that way? I know I’m not the only one who feels that way at times, to read all the great news other writers are having on Facebook and Twitter and to just think, ‘Geez will my book ever be finished?’ Yeah, yesterday was one of those days. But today I find myself back at it again, plodding through this book determined to not chunk it in the trash, to write it all down word by word.

I’m a big fan of Dancing With the Stars. I don’t know why that is considering I don’t know how to dance. But I love the show. I always find that the celebrities that you think dance well, normally are the ones with two left feet. When they announced this year’s line-up during The Bachelor I was on pin and needles. Needless to say I wasn’t thrilled with their choices (and their lack of celebrity) until I heard my girl, Mrs. Wendy Williams!

I’m really excited to see how she does on the dance floor. Other than her, I’m not too excited about the cast but I know Wendy will definitely bring a certain spark to the show.

But I do have one confession to make—I’ve never voted for anyone on Dancing With the Stars. (Sorry, Brandy. You were great though!) But I like Wendy enough that I might go ahead and vote for her. (Notice I used the word might. I make no promises, Wendy!)

Anywhoo, you guys make sure to watch Dancing With the Stars on March 21st. Watch Wendy below talk about how she feels about joining the cast. And to see more videos, click here.