by Angela Smith | Sep 3, 2013 | Introspective
I don’t believe we can (or should) ever stop learning.
I’ll never forget a key personnel seminar (from work) that I attended almost fifteen years ago. The teacher’s words stuck with me, and I can’t say who quoted them. She said, “You can either be green and growing, or ripe and rotting.”
I since Googled this quote and found one attributed to Ray Kroc.
There are so many things I want to learn, and I’m not too scared to learn mostly anything (unless it involves jumping out of an airplane). As an author, I love learning new things and relearning old things. I feel that every time I finish a book, I have to relearn to write. A group of people once thought I was crazy for saying that, but I don’t care how good of an author you are, you should never stop learning the writing process.
Sadly, I have put off learning several things, like the guitar. I’ll stop and start several times, and yet the guitar is something I haven’t stuck with for the long haul, even when it is one of the biggest things I want to learn. Although I have every intention of picking it back up again, and when I do, I’ll remember some of the chords I’ve learned.
I’ve probably forgotten more things than I’ve learned.
That’s one thing I love about writing. There is always room to learn. I had to learn to snow ski. I learned about ammonites and ammolites and helicopters and different gems and procedures and oh so many things! I have never stuck by the belief that you should write what you know, because then we are limiting ourselves. We should write what we are able to learn. And we are all capable of learning just about anything we put our mind to!
So what do you want to learn to do? And what are you waiting for?
by Angela Smith | Aug 24, 2013 | Introspective
I’ve always heard that creativity increases at night. Something about the circadian rhythm and the frontal cortex of your brain.
I believe it. I’ve experienced it. Some of my best writing has been at night or the early mornings. Come to think of it, maybe all of my good writing has.
I’ve taken days off where I had nothing better to do and planned on doing nothing but write. Unfortunately, I’d spend hours pacing the floors, trying to write, attempting to find something constructive to do because I had no plans that day but to stay home, maybe even in my PJs and write. (Today was one of those days). I wait for that special muse to hit me but only once the sun goes down do I find it there, in all its glory. And boy is it worth waiting for.
The best description I’ve found for this phenomenon is here:
http://www.creativesomething.net/post/54997033332/why-youre-more-creative-at-night-and-how-to-reproduce
It basically says once night rolls around, after your body has spent all its energy on new information and if there’s anything left that isn’t tired, your mind is free to think. That makes sense. Unfortunately, during the work day, the rest of my body is just as tired as my mind and I’m ready to get to bed. I’m more creative on the weekends or days (nights) I’ve taken off.
It also says the same effect can be had with alcohol, as long as it’s not too much. A little alcohol makes us relax, after all. So maybe it isn’t a bad thing I like a glass of wine or two while writing, huh?
What about you? When is your best writing? What do you think of our circadian rhythm?
by Angela Smith | Jun 22, 2013 | Introspective
I was doing a search on Pinterest for healthy juices. I love to juice, but have grown a bit tired of juicing. It’s Summertime, so easier to reach for a bottle of beer, a glass of tea, or a margarita! And oh there’s so many choices these days! But I want a good, refreshing, healthy drink, and my diabetes demands it.
On my search on Pinterest for healthy drinks, I came across this info on cherry juice.
I had recently discovered the health benefits of cherry juice, but hadn’t really experimented with different ways of juicing this wonderful fruit. Wow, the recipes I have found during this search were amazing!
I love cherries, and the early summer months provide an ample supply of them (though not always cheap). Of course it’s healthy to eat them, but according to Livestrong.com you’d have to eat an entire stack of them to gain the health benefits of juicing. As a juicer myself, I love to learn new juicing recipes.
And if you aren’t a juicer, you can still receive the benefits of cherry juice with tart cherry juice concentrate. There are actually several different manufactures out there. Cheribundi is one. Just make sure what you find isn’t full of processing.
In case you didn’t know, cherry juice helps in your recovery after exercise, lowers cholesterol, and offers powerful antioxidants to help aid in fighting cancer and other diseases. They’re a good source of melatonin and help dissolve uric acid crystals, which is great news for those gout sufferers! Maybe next time you have gout, you should pick up a bottle of tart cherry juice concentrate, or try juicing your own cherries. As a Type I diabetic, I love knowing that cherries actually help in lowering blood sugar!
The anthocyanins in cherries helps to relieve pain and the melatonin will help in your mood and sleep cycle. So maybe the next time you’re having trouble sleeping, you could try eating or juicing some cherries?
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a glass of cherry juice. And because I’m so excited about my new discover of cherries (I love to learn new things about health), I wanted to mention Cheribundi and all the different types of juices they have to offer. I, for one, can’t wait to try it!
Please note, this is not an advertising for Cheribundi, or any other type of cherry juice. It’s just a brand I like, and I like to share the things I like. Especially when it’s good for us! What’s funny is that I thought I’d try to plant a cherry tree by taking my cherry seeds and trying a replant. Hubby even helped research how to do it. Then I found this blog hop about winning a cherry tree. Wouldn’t that be awesome?
by Angela Smith | Jun 20, 2013 | Introspective
Today is my husband’s 38th birthday. Five days later, on June 25, we will be celebrating 19 years of marriage! Yes, 19 years!
So, while I celebrate my husband’s birth with him, I want to celebrate with you. Because his birthday, our anniversary, and my release date is so close together, I want to celebrate!!! For anyone who likes my Facebook page between now and July 15 (my release date), and then sends me a personal message or writes on my wall that they would like to be entered into my contest, you will be entered to win a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate. If you don’t have Facebook, find me on Twitter. And if you prefer not to use any of those, just send me a personal message here on my contact page, and you will be entered to win.
In addition, if you share my Facebook page on your wall, or mention my website on your site, or mention me on any other of my social media sites, I will enter you twice and double the gift. That is a $20 Amazon Gift Certificate (or card if you prefer a non-digital version) and double the chance to win.
Sadly, the comments on my blog have been acting up. My team is trying to figure out what is going on and why readers cannot leave a comment. I hope to have that fixed very soon!
by Angela Smith | Jun 18, 2013 | Introspective
With less than a month to go before Burn on the Western Slope , is released, I have to ask myself if I’m doing enough to get noticed. It takes more than writing a great novel these days. I came across a sentence the other day that was awesome to read and so very true, I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it myself. Basically, there is always room for art because there will always be a need for it. Artists don’t have to compete with each other.
Still, it’s hard to get noticed in such a large ocean. You have to do the right things, and sometimes that means just being there at the right time. A full time job makes it harder, but I’m not going to make excuses. Even people who have the luxury of staying home have activities, oftentimes unplanned, that take them away from their writing. And it’s not only about writing, but marketing, too.
What have I learned thus far? I will have hard days at work, but I have to write. Whether I get up early in the morning even if I didn’t sleep well the night before, or I write in the evening after all the other chores are done, writing is a part of a writer’s life, and you make time for what you love.
Admit it, we can all make excuses for not working towards out goal. Oh, we’re just too tired or we had a bad day. Yep, that’s happened to me more times than I’d like to count. But when that happens, I have to remember Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote: The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Without dreams, we have nothing. Whether your dream is to publish a book, have a child, or learn how to dance, dreams make us who we are. I am a huge supporter of following whatever moves you, because I believe whatever moves you is moving you for a reason. Doesn’t matter how young or old you are.
Following your dream is a tremendous experience. And succeeding at your dreams? Well, I believe success is if you had the guts and the stamina and the whatever-else-it-takes-for-you-to-keep-moving-on. Even if I had never published, I would be successful for just trying. Then again, I don’t think I’ll ever truly accomplish my dream to write because it doesn’t matter how successful I could be, I will always write. It’s not a dream I can complete, and then move on. I wrote this book, and will always dream to write the next one and the next one!
My writing breeds success and that is enough of an accomplishment for me, but it will never die. My dream will continue on, so it isn’t a dream I can complete. Does that make sense? LOL. I guess what I’m trying to say is if you feel like you’ve reached your dream and have no where else to go, think again. There are always dreams to dream.
