Bathroom Wall Wisdom

On the cinderblock wall of the teachers' restroom, opposite the toilet and precisely at eye level, is a long, thin poster. Flourescent lights have faded its colors to tan and tired blue. A slightly groovy font hints that it's been serving time as bathroom reading material for at least a couple of decades.

The title of the poster is I've Learned That . . .

You should know, I normally resist this sort of well-meaning but highly annoying propoganda. I mean, can't a teacher get two and a half minutes of peace? But in spite of my determination to remain impervious, a few of the phrases seeped into my mind and lingered there. For whatever reason, they resonated with me. As a writer, a teacher, and a person.

They're simple and true, and I'll share them with you.

• I've learned that insults don't have the power to hurt us, unless we persist in remembering them.


• I've learned that optimists live longer than pessimists. That's why I'm an optimist.


• I've learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision.


• I've learned that if you smile at someone, they'll almost always smile back.

Have any of these types of cheesy posters ever gotten to you? If so, please share!

Snippets from San Francisco - Part 1

I just got home from the RWA National Conference last night and am still trying to process everything, but it was amazing. By now, you already know I didn't win the Golden Heart, but I can honestly say it didn't diminish the fun or excitement of the conference.

Rather than give you a play-by-play of events, I'm going to list little snippets. Keep in mind, these are my own, honest reflections and they're not representative of conference attendees as a whole. This first installment is called...

..."The Best Things:"

• The Pixie Pitch Practice Session - About twenty GH finalists squeezed into one hotel room to do a test run of our pitches prior to having formal appointments. For many of us, it was our first time meeting each other in person, and though we didn't polish our pitches as much as planned, we laughed a lot. When author Jill Barnett popped in (it was her room too) someone asked her what she wished she had known as an unpublished writer. Her advice was to appreciate the innocence and sheer joy of writing that you have before publication, and try to hang on to it. Hmmm.
• Keynote Luncheon Speaker, Author Victoria Alexander - She was a hoot. Her speech meandered through a variety of topics relevant to writing and otherwise. Embedded throughout were "chicken nuggets" of wisdom. If you have a chance to listen to or watch a recording of her performance, it's worth it just to hear about how she's managed to kill off her husband in each of her books.
• The Imparting of Author Secrets - During the workshops, authors were extremely generous. They candidly shared their techniques and tips for researching and writing. During one workshop, Regency author Stephanie Laurens revealed that though mens' shirts generally didn't button down the front till the 1830's, all her Regency heros had a "forward-thinking tailor" who designed their shirts with buttons, much to her heroines' delight. :)
• RITA Reactions - On Awards Night, it was wonderful to see the thrilled reactions of published authors receiving their awards. There were screams, tears, trembling hands, and the whole bit. I guess it's nice to know the thrill never really wears off. Also, the author/editor relationships were obviously very strong and positive.
• Motivation & Inspiration - Maybe the best thing about the conference was it made me want to be a better writer AND gave me some ideas about how to accomplish that.

I have more pictures to post, but first I want to make sure other people in group pictures don't mind.

Tune in tomorrow, when I'll post snippets of... "Surprising Things."

Music to Write By

The desk where I do all my writing is in the corner of my room, and right beside it sits my treadmill. Sometimes, when writer's block strikes, I give myself an ultimatum: either produce a paragraph in the next fifteen minutes, or hop on the treadmill for thirty. It's a good incentive, right? But it doesn't always work. So, I put on my sneakers and headphones and go for a walk.

I need to have music when I walk. It takes my mind off the fact that I'm staring at a wall AND expending a lot of energy without actually going anywhere. More than that, it gets my blood pumping and puts a little strut in my step. It can change my mood.

I've identified at least five different writing moods. Each has its own soundtrack. Maybe you can identify with these:

Mood #1: Inspiration/Starting a New Story
Prescribed Songs: Wind it Up by Gwen Stefani ; Who are You by The Who (for developing character profiles); Stir it Up by Bob Marley; Galileo by the Indigo Girls ("Look what I had to overcome from my last life/I think I'll write a book")

Mood #2: Cranking it Out/Making Daily Word Counts
Prescribed Songs: Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen; I Don't Wanna Be In Love by Good Charlotte; The Hard Way by Mary Chapin Carpenter ("Show a little inspiration/Show a little spark")

Mood #3: Waiting (Contest Results, Responses to Agent & Editor Queries)
Prescribed Songs: Hanging by a Moment by Lifehouse; The Waiting by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Mood #4: Rejection
Prescribed Songs: Poor, Poor Pitiful Me by Terri Clark; Don't Let Me Get Me by Pink ("Never win first place/I don't support the team/I can't take direction/My socks are never clean"); The First Cut is the Deepest by Sheryl Crow

Mood #5: Celebration
What else? Party Like a Rock Star by Shop Boyz

Got a song you can recommend for any of these moods? I'd love to hear your suggestions because some of the above are pretty close to being played out. I'm not going to say which category. :)