Yes I Disappeared...

Confessions From An Invisible Writer.

Okay, so I didn't literally disappear. No magic rings or invisibility capes for me. Sorry about the fakey attempt to intrique my readers...which I'm 99.999% certain didn't work anyway.

But I have certainly been absent from this blog for months.

Sorry about that too.

But lets be honest. It wasn't much of a loss. This blog has devolved into a dull "Hey look I published a short story you should buy it and by the way this is what I did yesterday" accounting of things. Who wants to read that?

Well. Alright, so I'm always interested when writers that I love do that on their blogs. So I won't bash myself.

But still we need something more interesting here.

And this summer has been one with some amount of soul searching for me. At least as far as writing and art and creativety and What Shall I Do With My Talents And Life In General goes.

I've been doing a course from Kevin Kaiser that is helping me "revise" my online presence...for lack of a better description of what I'm trying to do. It's a course for online creative entrepreneurs anyway ("Did you here that?" My Muse just said wonderingly. "Creative Entrepreneurs. That's what we are!").  Its very simple and straightforward and starts with the basics. So I've just been focusing on that (especially as I've been rather sickly this month and didn't feel like doing much else with my brain...). And I finally think I know where I want to go with this blog and everything.

SOOOO.

A Few Promises From Me:

• I, Leslie Marie Dawson, hereby promise to write something funny and interesting here at least once a week (I've been reading essays and short stories by A.A. Milne lately. That could account for my desire to write dry-witted nonfiction pieces...)


• I also promise to send out a weekly email full of links to interesting things I've collected from the internet that week.


• And I promise to write at least fifteen minutes a day on stories I would like to share with you. The idea is to get used to the fifteen minutes and increase it as I go along...


• I also promise to create and share more art here on the blog (any art actually. As I haven't shared any so far...). I know, to follow through on this I should make a deadline of some kind. But I'm trying to focus on writing for now. So we shall say one piece of art a month...and see if I manage to stick to it.

And that's about it for now.

So, now to brainstorm what that first witty blog post shall be about. Hmm...

See you next week!

May Goals and Updates

It seems I have neglected the blog for a month but I haven't been idle. I've set some writing goals. And I realize I need to make some changes--to this website, to the stories I'm publishing etc. Try new things and all that.

My main goal this month is rewriting the Snarktales. Yes, even the two I've published. Everything gets a new look. I'm excited about this and hopefully I'll finish by the end of the month.

I've also been participating in Story a Day May. The name is self explanatory. You don't technically have to write a new story each day, but can set whatever goal you choose. I decided to try a new story every day though. What I've discovered is that, unless I plan microfiction--a Twitter fiction series, a drabble, or anything under a page or two--I generally can't finish the story. But at least I'm writing super short fiction, finding new plots, and having fun. And I haven't missed writing something daily all month!

I have one other project going. I asked three friends to proofread the Cinderella Snarktale back in February. As a thank you, I'm creating a piece of artwork for each of them--characters from their own fiction. This is a ton of fun. Have been scouring Deviant Art for free stock and reference photos, and creating inspirational Pinterest boards (which said friends can pin too, of course). Right now, I've just got some quick pencil sketches down.

And that's about it! The changes to the published stories and this blog will, hopefully, take place next month. :)

Writer's Block

What I Do To Write When I Don't Feel Like It.

I've spent this whole day trying to come up with something to share with the internet world. I haven't really managed to do anything worthwhile in the matter of writing since I hit publish on the Beauty snarktale.

The plain fact is I'm caught up in writer's block.

So this is me, taking my problem (writer's block) and turning it to some good. I'm going to write a post about ways to conquer writer's block. There won't be anything terribly new here. I'm just hoping that making a list will give me an idea to get writing again!

Therefore, here's some things I try when I can't write:

• Identify what's really causing it (for me, I think its the whole obscurity issue of being a new indie author and blogger...)


• Journal or freewrite. What I've been doing all morning (this has the added advantage of at least getting words out of you--even if its not the words you happen to want at the moment)


• Ask yourself lots of questions--starting with who, what, when, where, how, why. Avoid yes or no questions. They're generally of little help.


• Get away from the desk. Go outside, get some exercise and fresh air!


• Listen to music! I've been doing that all day too and I think its helped.


• Reading. Duh.


• Some people really like aromatherapy--scented candles, incense, spraying a perfume. Whatever. I've noticed that cinnamon is a great smell for clearing your thoughts.


• Try something else creative that you enjoy. I like to draw.


• Or do some boring chore that doesn't require a lot of thought. Wash dishes or fold the laundry. You'll be surprised how your subconscious will work on the creative problem while the rest of you is ridiculously bored. ;)

There. I have a blog post now. I'm so proud of me!

So, what do you do when you have writer's block or any other kind of creative block? I need some new ideas!

April Goals and Camp NaNo

I had some grandiose plans for this month. I was going to do Camp NaNoWriMo and finish a Cinderella retelling...and hit a 50,000 word goal. After all, I hit 70,000 words last NaNo. Piece of cake, right? Despite the fact that I've never started in on a Camp NaNo session yet and finished. Most of them I didn't do more than a 1000 words.

One reason I never finish Camp NaNo is that there's a lot of building anticipation while waiting for November. Plus I have at least one friend who always Nano's with me. And the dreary fall weather probably helps too. Yeah. April's too nice. I want to be outside. With the daffodils and the redbud trees, watching the trees leaf out, and enjoying the warm weather and the lovely breezes.

I should finish this and then get outside!

Anyway. I have scaled back on my writing goals. At least for Camp NaNo and Cinderella. Just 15,000 words (500 a day. Thats doable). And I will focus on other writing work I need to get done.

For one, posting to this blog regularly. And doing a weekly email (though I've only a handful of people so far....mostly loyal friends. Or family). And getting snarktales revised and published (I'm finally back to work on Beauty and the Beast. Hopefully will have it published in a week or two...).

I'm trying to read and learn about marketing my books. Jeff Walker's book about Product Launches (Its called, quite simply "Launch!") is very helpful. I'm planning to experiment and see what I can come up with, based on the advice in this book. Should be fun!

Pirates and The Hulk

I didn't write yesterday because I was volunteering at a preschool. Which was fun. But then when I came home, I got lazy and ended up wasting what was left of my day with Netflix and Youtube (Gilmore Girls and From Mansfield With Love).

Anyway, I have to share some fun kid snippets. I can't help myself. And they really are good. See:

Kid Snippet #1:

"Guess what, Miss Leslie? I'm pretending I'm on a pirate ship. And I'm shooting all these skeletons and invisible people and..." *continues to detail the intricacies of killing people who are already dead*

I know, as a good preschool teacher, I should probably remind him that "we don't shoot people at school" (as if it were somehow ok to shoot people out of school). But then I'd probably have been told that skeletons aren't really people anymore. And to be honest, I found the subject as intriquing as he did. Seriously, how do you kill a skeleton? Or invinsible people for that matter? How do you know the invisible person IS dead? Hmm?

Also am I wrong, or has this kid been watching Pirates of the Caribbean? :D

Kid Snippet #2:

"You know what? I'm the Hulk! And the Hulk doesn't take baths. I don't like baths. So, I'm not taking anymore baths 'cause I'm the Hulk!"

I'm pretty sure he made that one up to suit himself. But as it wasn't my job to see this kid bathes regularly, I just laughed about it. And admired his amazing Hulk-like strength, of course.

So...does the Hulk take a bath or doesn't he?

Overwhelmed Writer Checking In...

I've been neglecting the blog, but behind the scenes I've been busy. There's so many things too juggle. And I'm not even making money at this yet! Seriously how do professional people--who have followers actually watching their every move--DO it all?

Oh well. Maybe they have money and can pay others to do some of the jobs. That must help.

But for now, just finding a system for working on various projects leads to Serious Overwhelm by the end of the week and I end up not getting a fourth of what I want done, done. Seriously. There's blog posts. Then emails. Then the whole social-media-gotta-make-friends-and-find-followers thing. Then the fiction itself. Not just the actual ebooks (there's like a dozen different jobs involved there, besides the actual writing). Oh yes. And art. I'd like to be sharing more of that.

So there you are. Why I've been so silent. If there was a theme word for my life, I'm sure Overwhelm would cover it. At least this part of it.

But maybe this week I'll figure it out!

My Future Is More Than a Man

So lately I've been seeing what a slave to my own desires and ideas I am.

Namely the idea that I need a man for my life to be complete. Whether that's just “a man” in general or a specific not-just-anyone-will-do man. I've suddenly seen that, for most of my life I, like most single women in this country, have been going around thinking “If a man doesn't find me attractive, if a man doesn't ask me out, if I’m not married—whatever—then I am not special or important or…anything.”

Its a horrible lie. Because I use this ridiculous thought process to handicap my own life. As if I’m thinking that my life cannot begin until it has a man in it! Which is ridiculous because I have so many talents and passions and projects and ideas I could be focusing on and having an awesome time with…but instead I get obsessed with the Don’t-Be-Single-Find-A-Man Quest and fritter my life away!

Great pep talk Leslie! Good job! Go you—now get to work on that awesome life and let God bring the right man at the right time.

Well. Well, well. I just had another realization. I don't even know how to begin imagining and creating my own future without a man in it. I just noticed that my first reaction when thinking of the future, is to imagine what the right kind of man for me would look like, or if I know anyone who is remotely close to the kind of man I could respect and follow, and then what I might need to do to meet such a guy and…

Honestly, its like I feel I must find someone to place my affections on! As if this were some sort of job opening that had to be filled instead of…well, whatever. I’m pretty sure that isn't how its supposed to work…

Well enough of that. I challenge myself (especially since I find I’m rather repulsed by me acting like this). I'm going to stop fretting about the future (me and my imagination both. Hey. I can’t help it. I’m a writer. My imagination and I are VERY good friends). I will trust God and let him do what is best with me and my life!


Because really, my life is so much more than whether or not I ever marry. I'm sure God has more in mind for me and He doesn't want me wasting my life like this (neither do I. I have ambition. I just sometimes have trouble finding it). If He has romance in the works for me, He'll bring it about at the right time, in the right way. I don't have to go on the search for Mr. Right. If he's out there God knows where he's at, right? And if that is not what God has for me, ever, can I be happy?

Truth be known, yes.

I have goals, dreams, ambitions and desires that have nothing to do with romance or marriage (I feel like I mentioned this before…). And honestly, the right person would need to fit into those goals—and I into his—or it would not work well. That should be pretty obvious, but I think its the first thing we tend to forget…

So I will do what God wants me to do. I will live happily in the place God has placed me in. I will strive for the dreams that live in my heart. I will work and play, write and draw, sing and create, enjoy life and live for my Lord—

And when and if God ever brings the right man for me into my life, I won't have to worry and fret about making things turn out right…because everything will fall into place and he will just fit perfectly into my life as if he'd always been there.

After all, if that's Gods plan--I guess he already does.