My Mind Espresso Enhanced in Five Easy Steps

I'm overwhelmed. I want to give up. My head is tired. My body is weary.

There is all this... gunk... cluttering my brain. Focus runs away at every opportunity. Inspiration laughs at me. How can I get back to my creative landscape? If I'm not careful, the gunk takes over and obligations get the spotlight.

I need my mind espresso enhanced. Now, you might be thinking: Oh, yeah baby. Me loves the espresso. The real stuff is awesome, but the liquid variety is a temporary fix to my problem. In cases of emergency, this is the elixir of life, but I have to stop treating every day like it's an emergency.  

How do I get my mind espresso enhanced without becoming a Starbucks addict? 

1. Make a decision.

The cluttering of my mind results from either a) not committing or b) over committing. This shouldn't be rocket science, but if I don't have a daily reminder to decide and move on the OVERWHELM takes place. The only way to get my buzz of purpose is to commit. A decision creates focus which beats away all the other obligations.

2. Get The Blank Out of Bed 

UG! I hate this one. I've convinced myself for years I'm not a morning person. It's why I rely on the emergency liquid espresso. I examined that belief. It doesn't mean getting up at 3am or 5am to work on a project with blurry eyes. It means I am my most clear, focused and ready to get down and dirty in the morning hours. This also can mean the figurative bed, like when all I want to do is sleep at 8pm after a long day. I find my "cup of coffee" and make a habit of working at my peak productive hours and the hours I am given uninterrupted time.  

3. I Ding Myself for Tardiness

I learned to make a realistic schedule and stick to it. I have two days a week where I have huge chunks of creative time. Initially, the high of freedom grabbed me and other obligations would take precedence. Now, I am not late for these days. I can't complain about not having time if I'm not seizing the moments that are offered. This includes small chucks of time all the other days of the week, too.

4. Marathon a Favorite Artist 

Sometimes (gasp) I forget where the joy comes from. A little reminder is necessary. I read a book, watch a movie, go to an art fair or gallery, or listen to music. I find someone else's creations and stare or listen in awe of what they have accomplished. It inspires me and gives me focus.

5. Zen Myself Into The Ultimate Power of Gunk Destruction

This statement seems contradictory, zen vs. destruction. The truth is, in order to find mental espresso and for it to work properly, the gunk has to go. All of it - doesn't matter what - is hogging all my brain space and eventually nothing else is going to fit. Also, what's already in there is packed to the gills and it's difficult to make original thoughts. I make an effort to zen out frequently. I know I haven't in a while when the OVERWHELM is hovering.

After following my own advice, not necessarily in the order written, I've found that mental espresso is awesome at getting a creative project accomplished. I do indulge in the occasional espresso and usually require my morning cup of coffee, but I like having alternatives. How do I know this mental espresso works? I was two seconds away from trashing this post. I think I'm going to keep these steps close for the next time I'm feeling the urge to quit.

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May 5 2015 Romance Weekly

#LoveChatWrite

Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn't you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all..... About our writing of course! Every week we'll answer questions and after you've enjoyed the blog on this site we'll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride! Tell your friends and feel free to ask us questions in the comment box.

Welcome back. Hope you have enjoyed the hop so far and had a chance to check out Dani Jace's top 5 villains. 

Today's topic is: List 5 of your favorite villains and with one sentence tell us why said villain is a favorite. 

I came up with the topic for this week's blog hop because villains can be very difficult to write. I wondered why and started to examine the villains that I loved or loved to hate. I'm going to go with a TV/movie motif. 

#1 Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

While he eventually became an anti-hero in the show, he was such a bastard and a smart ass I couldn't wait to find out what he was going to be up to next. 

#2 Tyler Durden from Fight Club 

He did it all right under character Edward Norton's (The Narrator) nose and while watching the first time I'm like OMG.

#3 Bill from Kill Bill Volume 1 & Kill Bill Volume 2

He is a well rounded character and you see the jealous side him, the evil side, and also the loving side before the movies are over. 

#4 Col. Hans Landa from Inglorious Bastards 

Surrounding all his acts of cruelty and immorality he is just so nice and polite! 

#5 Walter White from Breaking Bad 

As the show progressed, it was very evident that Walter was going down the wrong path for his own power and glory but there was no way I was going to miss any of it.

There's my list. Why do they stick out in my mind and I call them favorites? All of these characters did horrible things but what made them good characters was that there weren't always evil. They did good deeds, too. Sometimes the villain became an anti-hero and I switched sides. Sometimes they remained on the opposing side but I knew they had vulnerabilities just as we do, they had pain and suffering. It's thinking... Yes, villains can be put into horrible situations and that's what makes them bad but are they redeemable? Can they be saved? What would happen if I were in the same circumstances? Would I make the same choice? I think a villain that is pure evil and everything he does is wrong and obviously not the right thing to do is boring and not one I would remember. Great villains love and hate, are tender and cruel, and can be happy or sad. Maybe you disagree? Would you prefer you villain to be clear cut evil?

Hop over to Jo Richardson's blog post to find out her top 5 favorite villains.

Creative Thinking

I think a lot. Some say too much. I believe it's a blessing and also the curse of a creative person. 

If there's very little thinking, there's very little originality for me. Nothing new happens. So, what's the down side of all this thinking? 

If you ride or have ridden a bicycle, imagine the wipe out of the century (at least in your eyes). When I come out of the daze the following illustrates how my thinking is a curse.

"This is not right," I say as I look at my masterpiece. "Why can't I remember the plot point I was trying to make six months ago? Ugg!" 

"No one is going to like my creative side. They'll think I'm weird." (At times I am. Don't hate.) 

"I'm keeping this one to myself. The world shouldn't be subjected to it." 

"Everything I've written so far is utter crap!" 

"If I only had time or talent or a trust fund - yeah, that would do it - I'd be able to write something really good." 

Creative thinking? Yes. Technically, it is creative thinking but of the sort that isn't going to get me anywhere but depressed and on the road to giving up. 

Where's the blessing in my thoughts? The curse is taking over and I've forgotten how to use creativity to give me support when I'm down. Can I think in a different way? Will that make a difference? 

Once I learned how to ride a bike I've not forgotten how. It's a marvel how the mind and body remembers. There are times when after a long hiatus I'm rusty in my attempts and not as confident in all the tricks I used to be able to do as a kid. (Calm down. There weren't many.) As I gain confidence on my bike by riding it more frequently, I remember how fun it is to ride. I do the same by thinking of wild ideas in order to exercise my creative side. Eventually, my confidence comes back and a new thinking does occurs. 

"Hey, this is pretty good." 

"Look at how much I've learned from the last project I worked on." 

"There is someone like myself who will enjoy what I've created."

"Those complements I received were a welcome smile after such hard work." 

I remind myself frequently of the following, thinking needs balance. I can go off the deep end with how bad my creative efforts are but then realize how silly I am by telling tall tales to myself.

I will use my creative thinking for good not evil. (Well, unless I need to write a villain then I have to use it for evil but in a good way.) Have fun with your creative thinking! 

Photo provided by depositphotos.com