Angela Scott
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The Hawaiian Alphabet has only 13 letters--and "J" isn't one of them.

4/12/2011

18 Comments

 
Yep folks, I'm back *insert Jack Nicholson's voice from The Shining here*.

Hawaii was AMAZING! The beauty, the views, the ocean waves, the pineapple, the music, the food, the sand, the snorkeling, the fish, AND the WHALES! Yes, I saw real life, in their natural environment, whales! Humpback whales spouting water through their blow holes, tossing their tails above the waves while diving and resurfacing, frolicking as they swam just yards from our boat while I watched with glistening eyes full of awe.
How freaking awesome is that? (Just a taste for you. It takes a minute to load, but you'll like it)

How could I not come back refreshed, super stoked, and ready to attack my zombie western romance with full gusto, right? I'm gonna finish that sucker, I am. And I mean it this time.

Setting my laptop aside for 11 days, I think, was just what I needed. I'm ready to write, which is something I've not been able to say for quite awhile. Writer's block is a nasty disease, but I'm starting to think Hawaii is the cure (try that out on your spouse the next time you struggle to write, "Honey, I'm blocked. I think I need to go to Hawaii. If you love me, and want to see me progress as a writer, then you should let me go." Just tell them that Angela Scott recommends it--because I do. I really, really do).

AND boy was I surprised to open my blog and see the flurry of activity that has been taking place here since I've been away--holy cow! I have had more hits than I've ever had, more retweets on twitter, and additional followers on my blog and twitter accounts too. Wow. I need to go away more often, I guess. You guys like me better when I'm not here :) I'm not sure how to take that.

Now I'm back and I need to get busy. I need to go check out all the new blogs that added their names to my BEST DARN BLOGS EVER! file. There are like 60+ of you and I know I've only visited about 40.  (Yeah, that got a little crazy, but I'm excited to meet you all and I promise, I will do my best to be a pretty good follower and pal. If I haven't visited your site yet, just know I'm on my way).

I need to participate in the A-Z challenge too but (a great big "BUT" here) I just got my writing mojo back and I need to get back to writing--really writing on my WIP, so I may have to take that one a bit slowly. I hope you  A-Z greats will understand. I signed up for that challenge at a time I thought I could do it all. I'm quickly coming to realize that I can't. Besides, there's like over a thousand of you, where the heck do I even begin? Is it even possible to get to you all? If I do, I'll never write again. That's a certainty.

I heard a quote from a fellow writer and author of Elliot and the Goblin Wars, Jennifer A.Nielsen, in which she said (paraphrasing here) "that writers need to keep their eye on the summit of the mountain they're climbing. Every writer's summit is different. Mine is different from yours. But, we need to make sure that everything we're doing is heading us in the direction of that summit. If it's not, then we'll  find out,  a little too late, that we've been climbing the wrong mountain all along and our goal will never be achieved."

I think that's what happened to me. I took my eye off the summit and I ended up on a different mountain. It was a good mountain--beautiful and wonderful--but it was the wrong mountain for me. Writer's block set in, took over, and crippled my ability to write, and my WIP suffered.

But I'm back on the foothills of my mountain--the right mountain this time--and my eye is on the summit. I know what I need to do. Write. Really write. So that's what I'm going to do. Finishing the first draft of my WIP is my primary goal, my first little summit which will lead me to to bigger summits. Everything else is secondary. Blogging, twittering (though fun and addicting) has to come second or I'll end up on the wrong mountain again.

The key is balance. I suck at balance. But I sure am going to give it an awful good try.

Wish me luck.

How do you keep everything in perspective--family, writing, blogging, platform building? I'd appreciate your advice, because like I said, I suck at striking balance. My scales are always tipped in the wrong direction.





18 Comments
Joy link
4/12/2011 04:11:20 am

Angela,

Good to have you back and to know you had fun. Boy, do I know what you mean about focus. I don't have any!

'Course it's impossible to visit the 1200+ blogs, but I'm visiting a few each day.

My writing has taken a beating, but last night I made myself sit down and revise the first couple of chapters of my novel. Other than sitting down and just doing it, I tend to get sidetracked by too many other stuff. I need to watch that.

Reply
Juliana link
4/12/2011 07:38:11 am

Balance...ick. Just kidding, I've set myself a lofty goal of writing 2k a day in my WIP to get myself to finish it.

I have found, that the key to balance is having someone around who helps to nudge you in the right direction when you start to stray (friend/significant other/blogger friends!).

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Ashley link
4/12/2011 12:53:04 pm

Welcome back!

Balance, ugh. I'm still trying to find some of that myself. The Internet has brought us writers together in such awesome ways, but it's also distracted us!

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Alison link
4/12/2011 07:44:53 pm

Glad you're back on the right mountain! And glad Hawaii was wonderful - I went there a couple of years ago, just after Christmas and loved it, particularly the wildlife.

Balance, balance, balance. Don't ask me. At the moment I'm commenting on your blog, when I should be writing an essay, and I must must must get the essay out of the way before I get my head back into WIP. So I'm now distracted from the thing I have to do before I can write - at least you're only distracted from writing so, that's one whole step closer! Right?

Reply
Shellie Sakai link
4/12/2011 10:12:45 pm

Angela,

I am so glad you liked Hawaii. I haven't made it there yet, but I will. I saw humpback whales in Alaska, marvellous sight.

Yes, balance is an issue. Especially when other priorites become well, a priority.

I am taking this week off from my wip and my blog because of the dreaded day job (and yes if you owe a tax and you don't pay or file by the 18th there is penalties and interest but if you have a refund you are golden and don't need to file by the due date).

And my baby girl's prom (hair, nails and the dress, oh my!)and graduation stuff.

Balance is hard when its so much fun being on twitter and reading blogs. I am still trying to find mine and it ain't looking pretty right now! LOL!

Thank you
Shellie

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Crystal link
4/12/2011 10:47:30 pm

Eeek! Just saw the floating fish on the side of the screen and thought they were bugs. Do I live in Florida or what?

Welcome back Angela!

Good luck with the balancing game. Just as soon as I've found my center I start leaning one direction, but I suppose that's the truth about balance--it's a constant effort to identify, focus, and re-balance what matters most. (And there are always different phases where our focus has to be a little imbalanced for a season.) I love the quote about everyone's path being different. No matter how much we want to "normalize", there's no such thing. Each person is individually destined.

Best of luck with your WIP!

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Elisa link
4/12/2011 10:51:38 pm

I'm so glad you're back ;)

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Brianna Renshaw link
4/13/2011 03:56:19 am

Welcome back!

I'm glad that the time away rejuvenated your creativity! Take advantage of that! I am only just realizing how blogging can actually keep me from my writing, which is sad since I started blogging to stimulate my writing.

Reply
Lydia K link
4/13/2011 10:33:45 am

Good luck on finding that balance. I'm always trying to find it too.

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Becka (stickynotestory) link
4/14/2011 02:27:33 am

Glad you made it back safe and had a wonderful time! Enjoy the writing!

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Julia link
4/14/2011 05:19:20 am

Glad you're back (sounds lovely!), and thanks so much for stalking my blog :)

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Shelley Batt link
4/14/2011 10:01:02 am

Good luck on your current WIP. I too have struggled with this A-Z challenge. There is so much to do and not a enough time and all I really want to do is write. I love the quote about being on the wrong mountain. I do feel that right now. I know I should quit the challenge but I've compromised instead. I'm doing short posts without a lot of research put into them. It's the only way.

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Susan Oloier link
4/14/2011 01:51:44 pm

I am glad you had a wonderful Hawaiian experience and returned refreshed and ready to write.
I need to go to Hawaii for inspiration. Don't think the hubby will buy the reasoning, though.

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Catherine Trizzino link
4/14/2011 10:57:40 pm

Wish I had some advice but I think I'm teetering on the same side of the "suckage" meter as you. Balance is so hard. It's easier to get distracted by fun blogs like yours (so I blame you!) and twitter chats. I just try to take my summit trip one day at a time. If each day I make a step towards my goal in some way or another I consider it a successful writing day. :) Okay, back to my WIP!
Welcome back and agree, watching those amazing creatures in their natural habitat is unmatched.

Reply
Catherine Trizzino link
4/14/2011 10:58:00 pm

Wish I had some advice but I think I'm teetering on the same side of the "suckage" meter as you. Balance is so hard. It's easier to get distracted by fun blogs like yours (so I blame you!) and twitter chats. I just try to take my summit trip one day at a time. If each day I make a step towards my goal in some way or another I consider it a successful writing day. :) Okay, back to my WIP!
Welcome back and agree, watching those amazing creatures in their natural habitat is unmatched.

Reply
Catherine Trizzino link
4/14/2011 11:01:19 pm

Wish I had some advice but I think I'm teetering on the same side of the "suckage" meter as you. Balance is so hard. It's easier to get distracted by fun blogs like yours (so I blame you!) and twitter chats. I just try to take my summit trip one day at a time. If each day I make a step towards my goal in some way or another I consider it a successful writing day. :) Okay, back to my WIP!
Welcome back and agree, watching those amazing creatures in their natural habitat is unmatched.

Reply
Rachel Giesel link
4/15/2011 04:11:04 am

Glad you're back Angela! Missed you! So happy that you had fun in Hawaii, and I'm still quite jealous. I'm trying to plan a trip to Mexico for the summer, so hopefully that will come through and be awesome and successful like your trip to Hawaii was!

And I'm glad you feel refreshed and ready to get writing again. You go finish that manuscript and be proud! I'm starting a new one, and I'm excited!

And those wales, ah I'm so so jealous. That's amazing.

Have a great day! (:

-Rachel

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Brooke R. Busse link
5/1/2011 07:15:58 am

-headdesk headdesk headdesk-

I just realized I haven't been following your posts because I had the wrong link hooked up to my Dashboard. I've missed all of your April posts.

-headdesk headdesk headdesk-

Now after I get over this dizziness I'm going to go catch up. Good thing I enjoy your posts so much. ^^

Reply



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