All of the Social Admissions (Omissions) I Didn’t Give To You

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So I need to get it out of the way. I get writer’s block when blogging, or tweeting or facebooking about my personal life & what to share. The advice out there is that I should write about my everyday life as part of my author’s platform. You know, I should tell you about my day–if I think the clouds look pretty, what I’m eating for dinner, where I drink coffee and what kind, if I have worn a hole in my favorite pair of socks (my laundry–I’m told to describe it to you, the norm, and comment on your laundry, if your dog chewed the remote control.) I should also provide you with the small dramas of my life–if I scored delicious vegetables at the farmer’s market, if I stood in the warrior pose for over 10 full breaths, if I crashed the car into the neighbor’s tree for leaving it in neutral and failing to put on the parking break, if I didn’t plant a garden & got so angry at its absence that I refused to do one moment of yard work until I had to push mow tall grass this summer, if my oldest daughter currently has a sass mouth only with me & I’m tired of doling out consequences and discussing right choices today. at. this. moment. sometimes., if she also earns As in school, if strep throat has been my nemesis already this season, if the library and a beer at the pub are my idea of a good time in my normal life, if Amsterdam is my idea of a good time when I take a break, if I’m running and failing to reach my target mileage since I gave birth & I also need to give myself a break b/c I broke my toe and kept on running with a purple appendage b/c I just need to run on some days<–yes, all of those are true. [I'm also advised to end this paragraph with phrases like, "So there you go!" in order to feel liberated from social networking writer's block.]

You see why I would rather create characters, take a walk, live live live. But, all of those social networking strategies are touted as essential to any artist's platform. I plunge in, thumbs ready. I enjoy reading & writing, don't get me wrong, but I'm weighed down by the time and demand of social media, of interacting on and personalizing a huge message board. I go back and forth about whether or not this transparency is a good thing, an essential component to human culture, or if it would be better to stick with my basic bohemian lust for the bare necessities. I write this all on my notepad on my phone right now. I see the irony, but there's still a shiver up my spine about that, about how complicated it is to do what you love & try to make a living at it while discussing the personal or what I think about all of the "hot" topics out there. Soup, anyone?

Sometimes, You might simply want to say, Look at this, read this–Here's an article, an interview, about a group doing important work, something informative. But in reality, many people just want to read about your dinner, your sassing, breaking your toe, and the like so they can like it. I think this transparency is a product of our economic trends and its a way to support that system = I'm not supposed to get too deep, too cerebral, so I'll stop there.
…
And, I'm here… in my office above the garage in my house, and I have recently read a friend's status update that notifies me that her daughter also has a sass mouth. I might as well tell you that I'm currently starving and have been interrupted five times by the phone ringing. I drink too much coffee & haven't had enough this morning. My dog wags his tail. He needs a haircut and so do I. So do I. We'll leave it at that for now. Not so nicely wrapped up so that it still has the feeling of a cross between an admission between friends and my laundry list.
Ah, yes. Maybe the spell has broken and I'll do this again sometime.

Podcast, Interview and Book Giveaway

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I’ve been working on the collaborative project, Her Circle Ezine, for about five years. Before my novel, Multiple Exposure, was published, our podcast producer and host, Claire Hart, asked me to participate in the One World Café Virtual Reading Series. I was thrilled to be considered for the podcast series, a section that Claire maintains on the website.

Since I gave birth earlier this year, I haven’t been able to get out to a lot of reading events. First, I’m trying to be a good Mom, and second, a novelist promoting her work. Most days, I’m trying to negotiate the time to send an email, tweet, or post to facebook (and write?!) between naps and feedings. So, Claire’s podcast offer was one I could manage. Claire recorded us from her apartment in Germany, while I Skyped in from my home in Tennessee. But, have no doubt, it was not seamless–the baby was awake and baby talking, baby happy shrieks, so I had to ask my husband to hurry home and watch the baby while Claire and I recorded the podcast.

That’s one of the topics Claire and I discuss in the interview–how to juggle family and professional responsibilities.
So that I don’t tell you all about it, you can listen to it here.
There’s also a chance to win a free copy of the book…click on the link to find out how.

Playing pretend with children & creating characters

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Cindy’s stuff

Anyone with an imagination can help with character creation. My 6 year-old daughter recently began playing pretend, though she calls each one a “game” and creates a new character to play. Today, she has been Cindy from Texas, who was a veterinarian, but “it became too much, too boring”, so a year ago, she moved to Tennessee, where she is a kindergarten teacher. She has four pets who moved with her from Texas, a dog that fits in a purse, a baby bear cub, and two white rabbits. She wears red boots and drinks chai spice tea with vanilla soy milk. I’ve noticed that her habits include saying, “You shouldn’t have,” when she’s offered something to drink or eat.

I’m keeping a record of these characters that she creates…that we all create.
 Many days, she asks Terry and me, “who are you today in the game?” And, we make up characters too. 
This is a great family interactive game and a way to invigorate your writing.  
Is there any way that you include your family in the writing process?