Tag: #JohnDenver

Something to Eat, Drink, and Listen To #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

May 8, 2023

How do you get ready for a long writing session?

I thought this would be an easy question to answer until I stopped to think about it, and how long it’s been since I had a really long writing session. I’ve lost my focus. All the changes I’ve gone through in the last year have messed with my internal equilibrium. Even writing these blog posts takes me forever as I start, get distracted, and have to come back to them.

My current distractions? Too many to list, but they include identifying the flowers and birds in my yard. Spotted what I think was an Eastern meadowlark today, but it flew away before I got a good look at it. And my yard is filled with pinkish-white flowers that I think are cuckoo flowers. I can’t find much information about them in my locale, so I’m not sure. The plant identifier sites barely mention the possibility of them in my area.



I’m also getting ready for the release of The Rise of Jake Hennessey and having fun creating memes, spending time on free photo sites and manipulating them in Canva. Have you seen one of them on social media? Here’s the latest.

 

Okay, back to business. After I check my email. All three of them.  And check the view out my window as the daylight fades. Where were we?

Oh yeah, how do I settle in for a long writing session? First, I have to refill my water bottle. Water is my choice of beverage, although it gets boring. Then, I need to choose a snack. Reese’s Pieces are a good option, but I have to limit my intake. Cheese cubes are a healthy alternative. Next, I put on my headphones and pick an artist or playlist. John Denver remains a top choice, along with classic rock. Something I’ve heard enough that I don’t have to concentrate on the words but can only half-listen to without feeling like I’m missing anything. It  helps block the urge to hop on the internet and browse. Although I’ve been listening to 80’s music as a background for my WIP and getting distracted because I’m discovering artists I didn’t pay attention to back when the music was popular.

Where was I? How about the other authors on this loop? How do they get ready for a long writing session? Find out by following the links below. 

Until next time, please stay safe.

May 8, 2023

How do you get ready for a long writing session?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Writing to the Rhythm #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Jan 4, 2021

How you keep focused during long writing sessions?

My immediate reaction to this week’s prompt? Not very well.

I have a hard time staying focused, and it’s gotten worse as I’ve got older. Even writing this short post, my mind is going in scattered directions, thinking of the things I need to get done. Finish taking down the Christmas decorations. Cook supper. Or maybe splurge and get takeout instead. I’ve had a hankering for Chinese. Balance the bank account. Finish editing the last chapter of The Ranger’s Dogtags and get it ready for my editor. Don’t forget to redo Chapter One. Check my email. Worry about the big project at work in the morning. It’s Sunday, so I need to water my flowers.

I do hold on to a precious hour at the end of the evening to focus on writing. But one hour is not a long session, according to my definition.

Photo by Rodolfo Quirós from Pexels

Take me to a cabin somewhere in the mountains, where I can sit on the porch and watch for wildlife. Play some John Denver or classic rock. Give me a pad of paper and several pens. Let me sit and tune in to Mother Nature and find my voice.

That’s a lot to ask for, especially as we aren’t going anywhere these days. Those days will come again.

In the meantime, I’ll enjoy my late-night hour. I’ve been exploring Celtic folksongs as my background music. (If anyone has a recommendation for an artist to check out, please put it in the comments. I’d love your suggestions.) I’ll put on headphones, open my current writing project, and shut out the rest of the world. Balancing the checkbook can wait until tomorrow.

What can’t wait is checking out the other posts in this blog hop. You can, too, by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Jan 4, 2021

How you keep focused during long writing sessions?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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I See Dead People #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

May 25, 2020

What are the ethics of writing about historical figures?

This is a tough question for me, because I work to make my fiction non-specific in its time frame. Sure, I mention modern technology, but it could be five years ago or it could be five years in the future. And I don’t use real people in my stories, either living or dead.

But there’s one exception. In my Harmony Duprie Mysteries, there’s a certain recurring reference to a historical figure.  Just one or two mentions per book, and unless the reader is looking for it, they probably don’t even realize what I’ve done.

I’ll tell you who it is later. Some of you may not even recognize the name when you see it.

But back to the question at hand. What are the ethics behind using historical figures? In my opinion, it depends.

If I’m writing a fictional story based on actual events and real people, I need to honor the event and the people. I can’t make Abraham Lincoln blond and heavyset if I’m setting a story based on his Gettysburg Address. On the other hand, If I’m imaging him as a vampire hunter, (anyone remember that movie?) I have a lot more freedom. But he still shouldn’t be short and blond-haired.

Of course, someone less well-known gives the author more latitude in working with the character. Writing about Betsy Ross is going to be more challenging that creating a story with Molly Pitcher. And the further back in history the person is from, the harder it becomes to be accurate. How much of Helen of Troy’s story is history and how much is legend?

Back to Harmony Duprie and the one historical figure I mention. And he’s only historical because he’s dead. It’s not a stretch of the imagination to believe that, under different circumstances, he’d still be performing.

I’m talking about John Denver. He’s not an actual character in the stories, but his music is mentioned in the books. Harmony’s mother was a big fan, and Harmony has inherited her mother’s collection of his albums and her love of the music. ( I may know someone who resembles that.)

We have several authors on this hop who do write historical novels, and I’m interested in seeing what they have to say on the subject. That’s where I’m heading now.

Until you stop by again, stay safe out there. 

May 25, 2020

What are the ethics of writing about historical figures?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Rituals for Writing #IWSG

  By IWSG

May 6 question – Do you have any rituals that you use when you need help getting into the ZONE? Care to share?

Just give me that rock and roll music… (and a good headset) 

Although lately, I’ve been branching out into other types of music to help me get in the zone, depending upon my mood. Tradition Celtic melodies. Modern Native American songs. I keep thinking I should look for Gregorian chants but haven’t yet. I’ve got a nice collection of CDs and LPs, but I like finding new musicians and singers.

Basically, I look for music I don’t really listen to, but serves to shut out the distractions around me. It allows my mind to concentrate on writing.

But back to rock and roll…classic rock, of course. The era of singer-songwriters. Lots of female singers. Buffy St. Marie. Joni Mitchell. Janis Joplin. Linda Ronstadt

And here’s a nod to my favorite. He doesn’t fit any of the categories above, but he’s always my fallback. John Denver.

And that’s as much of a ritual as I’ll own up to! 

 

Be safe out there, please.