I (Don't) Love Big Butts

In order to write writers need to "sit butt in chair and write!" It's a universal axiom and it works.

The initial draft may not be publishable but it's a lot easier to edit black words on a screen than an empty screen.

Of course that's not the only writing axiom writers need to follow.

Unfortunately, although gluing your butt to a chair and writing for hours is an excellent way to get a lot of writing done, it's also a good way to get a big butt. That's what happened to me anyway.

There has to be a happy medium between working and exercising. What good is it to become multi-published even if you become as rich as Rockefeller if you die young from obesity or other health problems caused by inactivity?

I realized that several years ago when I was putting out a lot of books but couldn't walk up stairs without huffing and puffing and when I was also embarrassed to post my author photo online.

I worked hard and got fit. In the process I became thin. I was happy about how I felt and looked. I was proud of how hard I'd worked to get there. I wasn't happy, however, with my book output. I'd put all my energy into getting fit.

The writing bug bit me again. I had to get my writing career back on track. I was furious at myself. And I thought I would be able to write more and maintain my weight and my health.

But I didn't. Perhaps if I didn't have a full-time day job and children's sports activities several times a week I'd be able to juggle just writing and just exercise. Perhaps other people can successfully manage many different things much better than me.

I'm going to try again to regain my health, lose weight, spend less money on food and still write a lot. Of course I say that now when my daughter's second softball team just ended and Fall Ball softball tournaments are finished. Last week at this time I was at Fall Ball all day Saturday. This weekend, we've been cooking diet meals to freeze for the week.

Time to exercise or not, time to cook ahead or not, I can eat less and eat better: fruits, veggies, nuts, water...

I cooked all morning today and this will be my lunches for this week: Cabbage Soup.

The dinners we cooked ahead also include meat loaf, shrimp fried rice and taco soup. For dessert we made Rice Krispies Treats and chocolate dipped frozen bananas.

Recent posts you might like to read:

Nanowrimo Thoughts 

To Nano Or Not To Nano - That Is The Question

Why You Should Consider Library Booksignings

Make Sure Pretentious Words Don't Turn Off Your Readers

Are You Writing Me Into Your Book?

Dont Give Up Too Early

Must Write Must Write Must Write!!!


You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Thursday Thirteen: Edition 19 - Top 13 signs you're a lousy cook

Top 13 signs you're a lousy cook (I found the top 10 signs so I'm adding 3 to make it fit today's T13. Additionally, I'm counting down to 1 this week to be different.) 13. If the EPA requires that all your garbage cans be marked with large bright red "biohazard" symbols. 12. Your homemade bread loaf can be used as a door stop. 11. Your dog turns up his nose at your food when your kids try to sneak it to him under the table. 10. Your family heads for the dinner table when they hear the smoke detector. 9. Your kids know what "peas porridge in a pot nine days old" tastes like! 8. When your toddler goes outside to make mud pies, the rest of the family grabs forks and follows. 7. Your kids' favorite drinks are Alka-Seltzer and Pepto Bismal! 6. Your family is perpetually jealous of the delicious-looking food in Fido's bowl. 5. Your kids got even with the neighborhood bully by inviting him for dinner. 4. Your kids got suspended from school for smuggling toxic waste into the cafeteria. 3. Your husband refers to that smoke detector as the 'dinner bell'. 2. No matter what you do to it, the gravy still turns blue! And the SUREST SIGN you are a lousy cook... 1. You cause kitchen fires when making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Also, I was just tagged by Sandra Cox so here goes:

Tag rules: 1) Link to the person that tagged you. 2) Post the rules on your blog. 3) List six unspectacular quirks you have. 4) Tag six bloggers by linking them. 5) Leave a comment on each person's blog to let them know they've been tagged. My unspectacular quirks are: 1) I'm a list maker. I keep a million steno pads with lists of things to do, baby names (for my characters), story ideas, etc. 2) I want to try new restaurants but when we do, I'm afraid to try a new dish as I don't know if I'll like it and thus waste $. (courtesy of my hubby) 3) Instead of drinking coffee to get me going in the morning, I have to have a big Diet Coke (or Pepsi). EVERY DAY. 4) I hate crowds and I get very annoyed. 5) I only like very soggy french fries. (And I steal them from my kids and hubby.) 6) My bachelor's degree is in Accounting but I work as a customer service manager by day, and by night I'm an erotic romance writer.

You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Cooking

Cooking. Did you know that "cook" is a four-letter word? Yep. It's definitely one of those four-letter words. What happened to me? I used to love to cook and to bake. Baking went the way of the dodos when I decided to lose weight. I can't bake and not eat the goodies.That's like living and having to breathe. Cooking should be different. We have to cook to eat even if we're watching what we eat. When I'm rested, I enjoy cooking. It can be very creative or like mixing chemicals for a science experiment. When I'm beat or stressed, like I am most days after a long day at the day job, the last thing I want to do is slave over a stove and wash dishes. Lately, I've been working 11 hour days at the day job, so I'm even more exhausted than usual. Yet, I still love to collect recipes and fully intend to cook again - maybe when I retire, or at least when the day job isn't so stressful. Or when the daughters are also working. As long as they are home full time and I'm working two jobs, one outside the home 40+ hours weekly, I think they should do the cooking. For now, when I'm tired, as far as I'm concerned, "cook" is a four-letter word.