Don't Fence Me In

Gratitude

Today is another hot humid day, but I’m not complaining too much. My friends on the east coast have had such a miserably hot summer. Since we are all stuck in the heat, I thought it was a great time to spread the love around with awards.

I’m very grateful for the awards that my dear friends have sent to me this summer. The awards are such sweet surprises that uplift my spirits. And, I love to send them along to very deserving friends, amazing writers and great bloggers to keep the love in circulation.

The “Creative Writer” Blogger Award

(Creepy version via Mari Juniper, inspired by Jodi MacArthur)

I want to thank my dear friend, Mari Juniper at Mari’s Randomities for the “Creative Writer” Blogger Award . I have received this award before, but, as good fiction writers will do, Mari added new rules, giving us a chance to exercise our fiction writing muscles (or tell the truth about our weird past), thus creating the Creepy Version.

“Creative Writer” Blogger Award Rules:

1. Thank the person who gave this to you.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the person who nominated you.

4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth – or – switch it around and tell six outrageous truths and one outrageous lie.

5. Nominate seven “Creative Writers” who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies.

6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

Added Rules for the Creepy Version (via Mari Juniper, inspired by Jodi MacArthur)

Now to the fun part. I’d like to propose a challenge of the sorts, hereby changing said rules just a bit.

I dare the following bloggers to spread the chill. Make your lies and truths as scary, ugly and grotesque as you can. Of course you don’t have to, but I do dare you.

Okay, here are my creepy lies and truths. Can you tell which one is the only truth, or the only lie?

1. I listened to a young girl relate the details of watching her dad kill her mother.
2. I have started to eat a caterpillar while it was still alive.
3. I watched others eat fudge that was dipped in the toilet with out saying a word.
4. I slipped and fell in vomit when walking through my favorite coffee shop.
5. I helped perform medical procedures on a dog.
6. I lived in a house I thought was haunted, and moved after infestations of bees, bugs, snakes and a flood.

I send the creepy version of the “Creative Writer” Blogger Award to these great creative writers:

Sam Adamson @FutureNostalgic at Future Nostalgic

Lily Mulholland @lilymulholand at Ten Seconds a Day

P.J. Kaiser @doublelattemama at Inspired By Real Life

Olivia Tejeda @SimplyOlivia at Away with Words

Estrella Azul @EstrellaAzul at Life’s a stage – WebBlog

Tomara Armstrong @2maraA at This, That… The Other Thing

Deanna Schrayer @deannaschrayer at The Other Side of Deanna

Catherine Russel @ganymeder at Ganymeder: Writing Blog of Catherine Russell

One Lovely Blog Award

I want to thank the talented and lovely Monica Marier at Attack of the Muses!! and the brilliant and ever interesting Carrie Bailey at the Peevish Penman for the One Lovely Blog Award. These girls really have it together.

One Lovely Blog Award Rules:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.

3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

The Versatile Blogger

Thanks goes to the amazing blogger and Twitter maiden, Nicole Humphrey at It’s All About Writing for giving me The Versatile Blogger Award. Thanks Nicole, I really appreciate it!

My good friend, Deanna Schrayer at The Other Side of Deanna also gave me this award. Deanna has such a big, giving heart and is always there for me. Thanks Deanna, you are a true blue friend!

The Rules:

1) Thank and link back to the person that gave you the award.

2) Share seven things about yourself.

3) Pass the award to fifteen bloggers that you think deserve it.

4) Lastly, contact all of the bloggers that you’ve picked for the award.

To make up for the grotesque and scary things I wrote above, I will share seven things  that are more pleasant this time:

1. I was convinced I would never have children due to a lifelong hormone condition, but had twins, unassisted by fertility drugs at age 35 (after being married for 15 yrs.) Happy Day!
2. I have been physically with my two children (boy/girl twins – 9 yr olds) about 99.5% of the time during their first 8.5 years of life – attachment parenting & homeschool are exhausting, but worth it.
3. I dream of moving to France to live for an extended period of time and traveling around Europe. Of course I will be writing the entire time and taking photos.
4. I lived in a small town in Iowa (1,200 people)  during my childhood & youth – girl scouts, church choir, worked in the fields in the summer (bean-walking, detassling, corn research – birth control for corn) met my husband at a bible study in college, served in military part-time (Air National Guard) – but my mind & heart never conformed – luckily my husband’s didn’t either.
5. Most of you already know, but I am a family therapist recently getting back to work. I got a part-time job as a clinical supervisor at an agency that serves children & families. I take my responsibility for their treatment very seriously even though  I supervise & train with humor and questions.
6. I am compelled to think about and contemplate the deeper meanings in everything I do, keenly observe what is going on around me and to speak bluntly about what I think. It took me a long time to realize that not everyone does that – and many wish I didn’t.
7. I have a freakishly sensitive sense of smell. It is so sensitive, in fact, that if I told others what I could actually smell, I would be exiled to the funny farm. Now, if I could just get one of those jobs as a taster & tester – an ice cream factory would be great.

There are so many blogs that I love and I have enjoyed meeting & chatting with these bloggers. Here are 15 blogs that I have newly discovered and/or  I think deserve BOTH the Versatile Blogger and the One Lovely Blog Award:

Annie Q Syed @so_you_Know at Trial of Words: Writings and Fragments

Nishi @Cafe_Nirvana at Breathing Butterflies

Emma Newman @EmApocalyptic at Post Apocalyptic Publishing

Lisa Rivero @lisa_rivero at Lisa Rivero: the Wild Thyme Unseen

Jemi Fraser @jemifraser at Just Jemi

Josie Lyon @safetycomfort at Around the Kitchen Table

Linda Wasy @drwasy at LEFTBRAINWRITE

Judy Clement Wall @jdistraction at Zebra Sounds

Cecilia Dominic @RandomOenophile at Cecilia’s Random Writings

Alison Wells @alisonwells at Head above Water

Mari Juniper @marirandomities at Mari’s Randomities

Karen Schindler @karenfrommentor at Miscellaneous Yammering

Laura Eno @lauraeno at A Shift in Dimensions

Marisa Birns @marisabirns at Out of Order Alice

Jodi MacArthur @JodiMacArthur at Fiction Writer: Jodi MacArthur

Carrie Clevenger @shadowsinstone at Mindspeak

A Blog With Substance Award

My good friend, Linda Wastila at LeftBrainWrite honored me with The Blog With Substance Award. I was flabbergasted and humbled because I see her as the perfect person for this award. Linda has one sharp mind, a very kind heart, and the most amazing fiction and poetry on her blog.  Thank you, Linda, your confidence in me is appreciated more than you know.

A Blog With Substance Award Rules:

1) describe my blogging philosophy in 5 words; and

2) pass along to another deserving blogger.

My Five Words:

INSPIRE.

CONNECT.

INFORM. (Hopefully with wisdom & compassion)

EVOLVE.

WildVirtualFun. (I’m the writer, and I say it IS one word)

Here is a blog I think deserves the Blog With Substance Award:

A. Victoria Mixon is an author and editor who has a blog that is endlessly informative and entertaining.  She has great advice for writing, interviews and the keenest observations of the writer’s life I have seen. I appreciate her perspective on everything about writing and writers. She creates amazing lists that alway go right into the heart of the matter, whatever it is. She is a true professional and a really sharp writer! Here latest lists hit the target of the bullseye, as always – Five things that should set off your bullshit alarm at writers conferences - Victoria, thanks for providing an excellent website full of your insights & advice.

Honorable Mention

I would like to thank Marc Nash for his kind words about The Writer’s Life and Coffee Klatch posts. I am deeply touched and very glad my posts have been meaningful and helpful to this community.

Thanks again!

Stay cool, everyone!

\

The wonderful and gracious hostesses with the mostesses at The Penny Dreadful were kind enough to feature me in a Twitter chat today. Angie Capozello (@techtigger) the creator of The Penny Dreadful (@TPDonline) and her side-kick Nishi (@Cafe_Nirvana) of Breathing Butterflies asked me to talk about #Writers_Life and @Writers_Life. I am very grateful for the opportunity. Thanks to everyone who joined in!

Here is the Transcript from my chat about #Writers_Life and @Writers_Life

coffee klatch noun
–an occasion when people meet socially to talk and drink coffee (Cambridge Dictionary)

Welcome to the Coffee Klatch. Join us each week for conversation and news in the Writer’s Life community and connect on Twitter (@Writers_Life) at #Writers_Life.

Today I am serving Croissants and Melon to cool us down after the heat wave in July. And, we always serve a full menu of drinks. Help yourself to iced coffee, iced tea or chai.

Writer’s Life Happenings

Thanks for your patience during my busy times the last couple weeks. I started a new job this week as a clinical supervisor in an agency that serves children and families. I only work two days a week right now, but that is a lot for me. I am hoping that I can adjust to the new environment with my chemical sensitivity condition. I have experienced a lot of fibromyalgia pain this week and am trying everything I can to manage it. I really like the people I work with – they are so kind, motivated, positive and professional. I already feel at home even though I have a lot to absorb.  I miss my time to chat online and my writing time, but I am trying to take it slow and not get overwhelmed.

Last week was my Writer’s Life post – Dealing With Mind Monkeys – which was part of the Peevish Penman blog tour about advice for beginning writers.

INTERVIEW. The Penny Dreadful (@TPDonline) will host an interview chat with me about #Writers_Life and @Writers_Life on Friday, July 23rd from 12:00 – 1:00 EST. Please join us and ask questions at #thepennydreadful.

Coffee Klatch News

#ZombieLuv. Congrats to all the winners of the #ZombieLuv contest that participated in Mari Juniper’s contest. Here are all the lucky winners:

Sam Adamson (@FutureNostalgic), honorable mention for – For the Love of Mike

Angel Zapata (@AngelZapata), second place for – Dead Flames

Nishida C. (@Cafe_Nirvana) was the grand prize winner for – The Tell-tale Beat. (BTW, Nishida just launched her website and this was her debut post!)

Congrats to all the participants in this contest, there were 37 wonderful entries!! Head over to Mari’s Randomities and read the zombie stories if you haven’t already.

Emma Newman. Congrats! How exciting. Check out the release of the front cover of Emma’s upcoming novel 20 Years Later (dystopian YA) and the Facebook page.

Currently, Miraculous Deception, Book Two of my Future Imperfect series is available now here,  as well as Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, Sony ebook store and Itunes/Apple.

I also have a novella included in a science fiction anthology to be released in October, 2010 also through Desert Breeze Publishing.

I will have a cozy mystery entitled: Button Hollow Chronicles #1: The Leaf Peeper Murders, which I co-authored with my sister, Loni Emmert which will be released August 1, 2010 through Mainly Murder Press and we will host the official book launch party August 2 at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, CA.

My sister will also have another mystery, “Lights! Camera! Murder!” through Hilliard and Harris publishing, date of release TBA.

And last but not least we will be attending the RWA convention at the end of this month in Orlando as well as signing books on September 26 at the West Hollywood Book Festival!

*** I have been offline a lot lately, so if you have some big news to announce, then I most likely missed it. Feel free to post it in the comments below!

Resources for Writers

I highly recommend that you follow and read the blog of one of my favorite non-fiction authors who is now writing fiction – Lisa Rivero (@lisa_rivero). Lisa has a great series in July about intensity at The Wild Thyme Unseen.

Emma Newman is trying out LibraryThing.com? She says, “I’ve just joined – it looks really interesting (and like it has high addictive potential)…”

Have you seen this? The New Yorker has The Fiction Podcast:

A monthly reading and conversation with The New Yorker’s fiction editor, Deborah Treisman. This month, Salvatore Scibona reads Denis Johnson’s “Two Men.” Listen using the player, or browse below to listen or download.

Serial Fiction

I am beginning to list serial fiction stories each week to provide you with quality summer reading. It seems most everyone is giving serial fiction a try this year. Read these stories and check in each week for more serial fiction announcements (also keep sending announcements of your serial or those you read – see info below).

The Penny Dreadful. The Penny Dreadful is where you can find several serial fiction stories. The site was created by Angie Capozello (@techtigger) author of the Nox and Grimm series and features stories by:

Anne Tyler Lord (that’s me) (@AnneTylerLord & @Writers_Life) Frostbite: A Mafia Family Christmas and Twisted Family Bonds (Yeah, I know, I need to get going on this series, I left the mob bosses hanging & they may come after me soon.)

Cecilia Dominic (@RandomOenophile) Always a Bridesmaid

Donna Carrick (@Donna_Carrick) Two Good Hands

Emma Newman (@EmApocalyptic) Tales From The Split Worlds

Jack Roth (@jack_roth) THE PAGES

Jason Arnett (@ajasont) Soul Stripper and Reader

Jim Bronyaur (@jimbronyaur) Guns n’ Graves

Laura Eno (@lauraeno) The Immortals

Lily Mulholland (@LilyMulholland) The Taming of the Shrew and Betrayal, a Jo Carter Serial

Monica Marier (@lil_monmon) Skeleton Crew

Morbus Iff (@morbusiff) The Guardian of Aloons

Sam Adamson (@FutureNostalgic) UCF Stories

Tom Bruno (@oodja) Varonian Nights

Valerie Valdes (@valerievaldes) Broommates

Emma Newman (provided more info here) (@Emapocalyptic) at Post-Apocalyptic Publishing, Tales From the Split Worlds. Index page of all tales so far.

Tales From The Split Worlds: Where tea and good manners meet spiteful fairies and the political machinations of powerful dynastic families. Quirky urban fantasy from Emma Newman.

Sam Adamson (@FutureNostalgic) has written a series called The UCF Stories. You can find the first episode here and links to all the episodes here. Synopsis:

Swazzle and Pogmorton are undercover operators for the Pixie Defence Force’s Special Operations Directorate.  Join them, along with Botchett the Gnome and Aveena the witch, for a rip-roaring romp through the Other World and the Mortal Realm as they battle to thwart the plans of Twinkle and the rest of the Urban Combat Fairies.  Mayhem is guaranteed to ensue.

Lyn Thorne-Alder (@LynThorneAlder) has written a serial called, Addergoole & at my livejournal.

My main serial is Addergoole, a contemporary fantasy story with erotic and dark-fantasy elements, a modern-day fairy tale of sorts, following three students as they fall down the hole into another world, slipping beneath the surface of the normal world. We enter the story as they enter a strange, new school and discover just how much they don’t know about themselves, their parents, or their world.

Gracie Motley (@gracecrone) has a fantasy serial called Fire and Water.

1st episode is The Old One and there is also an index page

Nancy Brauer and Vanessa Brooks (@tenaciousN) wrote a series called Strange Little Band.

Strange Little Band is the ongoing story of Addison and Shane, two
self-centered psychics who work for the cut-throat Triptych Corporation. Their insular, comfortable lives are disrupted when, due to Triptych’s machinations, they become unlikely parents. How can they raise a child when they can’t trust each other?

Nancy Brauer and MCM (@tenaciousN and @1889ca) have written Tori’s Row.

Tori McNulty has problems. As she’s putting her life back together,
she’s attacked in Boston’s South End. She doesn’t remember much: mostly blood-drenched pavement and the crumpled body of her assailant. The good news is that she’s uninjured and not a murder suspect. The bad news is the obnoxious young man in 18th century dress shadowing her and confusing, violent flashbacks. Tori must figure out what happened that night before her stalker gets to her or she goes completely mad.

Monica Marier (@lil_monmon) is featuring Madame Bluestocking’s Pennyhorrid

Part One: Any Landing You Can Walk Away From … A Hope/Crosby style buddy-comedy in a Steampunk/Fantasy World. Follow the hijinks of Wingaurd & Kelly in a mysterious underwater city.

Check out the interlocking work by Shirley Meier and Karen Wehrstein – their characters interact – how cool is that?:

Shirley Meier (@Vryka) is one of the Fifth Millennium writers. Her current project is Eclipse Court, you can find Chapter one here.

Karen Wehrstein (@Chevenga) is writing, The Philosopher In Arms, you can find chapter one here.

Claudia Hall Christian (@ClaudiaC) is writing a serial called, The Denver Cereal. Here is where you can find the first chapter. You can download the free ebook Denver Cereal, the beginning:

Denver Cereal is a serial romantic urban fiction set in Uptown Denver, Colorado.  Denver Cereal begins when Jillian Roper shows up to her ex-husband’s engagement party wearing thigh high leather boots.  Crunchy, sweet and always addicting, you deserve a little Denver Cereal in your life.

Clare K.R. Miller (@clarekrmiller) has a serial called, Chatoyant College.

Corrie, Edie, and Dawn are new students at the only institution in the United States that teaches magic: Chatoyant College. They’re looking forward to learning how to cast spells, curse their enemies, write essays, and learn foreign languages. But not everything is what it seems, and even less is what they expected. Dawn has memories no one else shares. Corrie finds things she thought she understood spiraling out of her grasp. Edie doesn’t even believe in magic when they arrive, but the line between fantasy and reality quickly blurs. They find themselves turning to fiction to answer the questions their professors won’t. Creatures out of folklore and legend lurk behind friendly facades as well as within forbidden places. The girls have a lot to learn. College leads you farther from home than geography can account for, and there’s no turning back now…

Mari Juniper. (@marirandomities). She has a new series –  The troll serial, episode one is called, The P Word.

Jodi MacArthur (@JodiMacArthur) is writing a series called, Wicked Woman’s Booty. This series was recommended by one of her readers.

Avast me hearties! Wicked Woman be a’sailin 0′ Pulp Metal Magazine. It be a pirate serial with adventures, treasure maps, the cave of ali baba, frog wenches, and Cap’n Viper.

Here are some of the hashtags mentioned to find more serial fiction (what do you use the most? Add in comments):

#thepennydreadful
#tuesdayserial
#FridayFlash
#weblit
#webfic
#serial
#webserial
#webfiction
#sff (what does this stand for? provided by Monica Marier)

genre-specific tags (#fantasy, #romance, #scifi)

Submissions to Coffee Klatch News

Request for fiction serials. Send me your info if you write serial fiction. I plan to start listing serials that are published online by the many wonderful writers who follow Writer’s Life. I am expecting many serials, so I will list them over a few weeks in the order I receive them. This includes sites that feature many fiction series.

I have one more request, please send me as many hashtags as you can that people use on Twitter for fictional series, such as #webfic, etc.

If you write a serial or want to recommend a serial that you read, send me the following information (this will help so I can list them easily and quickly) to Coffee@AnneTylerLord.com:

Your Name, Twitter name (with link), website (with link), title of your serial (with link to the first installment in the series), and brief description (one sentence to one paragraph long).

As always, if you have (or know of) a contest, challenge or publication (print, ebook or online) or interviews you would like to share with our writer’s life community, send them in? Have you discovered a great resource for writers online? If you have news or announcements for the weekly Coffee Klatch (posted each Thursday) send a DM on Twitter (@Writers_Life) or email to Coffee@AnneTylerLord.com.

Don’t worry kitty,  we can get you out of this dilemma (who put their rind on the cat?). What creative things can you do with melon or the rinds?

Last week I was busy with kid sports tournaments, town festivals, my birthday and time off. But life is still not slowing down this week, it is speeding up and making me dizzy.

So, sorry for giving you “the crazy cat” again this week, but my life is in a big transition. The good news is I got a new job, bad news is I start on Monday (actually that is good, too, but that means I am really busy). I have meetings and paperwork to do quickly since everything happened so fast. I will be working two days a week as a Clinical Supervisor at a non-profit human service agency. This is my first job since staying home with my kids – nine years at home &  homeschooling – so thank goodness I am beginning with just two days a week. I might stay at that level to give me time to write and be home on days when there is no school as much as possible.

I have been looking for the right work situation for a long time and have gone through many decisions and changes of mind. But this feels right and I am looking forward to starting this job. I have many things to arrange before I begin (and after). And, my husband is going through interview stuff right now too (fingers crossed).

Please continue to send submissions for the Coffee Klatch. I will start listing the serial fiction as soon as possible (I hope next week). But, next week will be a new routine challenge for my entire family. Please bear with me as I attempt to manage my new schedule, new responsibilities and my health ( I really have to watch it during transitions). I will get back into my writing & Twittering groove very soon, I hope.

Thanks for all the comments on my post yesterday about the Mind Monkeys. I will make every attempt to get in some time to read other blogs. I really appreciate my online friends and will keep in touch best I can during the transition.

Submissions to Coffee Klatch News

Request for info about your fiction serials. Send me your info if you write serial fiction. I plan to start listing serials that are published online by the many wonderful writers who follow Writer’s Life. I am expecting many serials, so I will list them over a few weeks in the order I receive them. This includes sites that feature many fiction series.

I have one more request, please send me as many hashtags as you can that people use on Twitter for fictional series, such as #webfic, etc.

If you write a serial, send me the following information (this will help me so I can list them easily and quickly) send the info in this format to Coffee @ AnneTylerLord.com:

Your Name, Twitter name (with link), website (with link), title of your serial (with link to the first installment in the series), and brief description (one sentence to one paragraph long).

Do you have a contest, challenge or publication (print, ebook or online) or interviews you would like to share with our writer’s life community? Have you discovered a great resource for writers online? If you have news or announcements for the weekly Coffee Klatch (posted each Thursday) send a DM on Twitter (@Writers_Life) or email to Coffee @ AnneTylerLord.com.

I am continuing my series about Negative Thoughts (this is where it all started), and I’m discussing anxiety in the writer’s life today.

My post is part of the…

My Best Advice to New Writers Blogfest held at the Peevish Penman

This tour takes place on Thursday, July 15th. Check out all the great blogs on this tour.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You have finally committed your life to writing and it is time to get serious.

The first task? Get a regular writing time and make it a routine.

Okay, that should be easy enough.

Just write…

But then, the wild jumping Mind Monkeys start climbing and swinging across your mind, interrupting your thoughts with many distractions…

I need to do the laundry first…maybe I’ll write after a cup of coffee…I need to check in on Twitter first…I feel a little tired today, maybe I’ll be more rested tomorrow…I don’t know where to go next with this novel…Why am I doing this, anyway, it probably won’t get published…I’ll spend years of my life on this…who am I to think I can write?…Geez, you’re so stupid.

Before you know it, the Mind Monkeys not only distract you from your writing, but they continue to screech and chatter until your motivation, confidence and self-esteem are at risk. Sometimes you explain your distractions with rational explanations, other times you beat yourself up for not being disciplined. But each similar event brings more anxiety.

You may feel low energy, sadness, doubt, nervousness, indecision, anger or self-deprecation taking over and sending you into full-fledged anxiety, depression or both.* You may also not realize that anxiety is at the root of your logical, rational explanations as to why you aren’t writing.

Why does this always happen to me? I am so messed up, I will never create anything…

And, in this state you don’t, not today, tomorrow, maybe not for a year (decade) or more.

What happened to the commitment, the joy and inspiration to write?

Why does this cycle happen to so many writers? (What? It does?)

Eric Maisel, in a chapter about anxiety in The Van Gogh Blues states:

This painful cycle - threatening thought, anxious reaction, and a full retreat – is a fundamental cycle in the lives of creative people. Most creators are not aware of the existence of this cycle or that anxiety is a mighty brake preventing them from creating and from making meaning.

What causes all of our anxiety?

There can be many reasons why writers have anxiety – biological or psychological genetic factors, being a highly sensitive person, diet, or lack of exercise. And, these factors may contribute.  But, there is also another cause of regular bouts of anxiety in creative people. Eric Maisel describes the meaning crisis:

Creative people are anxious not because they are neurotic but because the meaning crises they experience precipitate anxiety.

Primary existential anxiety wells up in us when we try to make meaning, when we are thwarted in our efforts to make meaning, and when we are confronted by meaning drains, meaning losses, and other meaning problems.

What are we to do? Are we doomed to a life of anxiety?

Well, yes and no. We are always trying to create meaning with our writing and often that is hard, frustrating work.

I am guessing that most writers believe they are alone in their experience of anxiety. They may feel defective or guilty that they have these feelings.  Many writers may not realize that anxiety is causing their writing blocks. As writers, we will probably have anxiety arise throughout our entire lives. But, we can become more aware of it and more skillful at managing anxiety.  Eric Maisel, in The Van Gogh Blues, says we must become anxiety experts:

An anxiety expert asks himself, “What am I really feeling?” and “What am I really thinking?” Honesty and truth-telling are the watch-words. There is no magic anxiety cure any more than there is a magic depression cure. Antianxiety medication may serve you, just as antidepressants may serve you, but the best service is the one you provide by diving beneath the radar of your defenses and confronting the reality underneath.

Just becoming more aware of the profound role that anxiety plays in your life can make all the difference in the world.

You may believe that if you are doing your best work, or publish your novel, then you will be rewarded with a peaceful, calm mind. But most authors and creativity experts will tell you that is not necessarily the case. And often, it is the opposite.

We may never cage our Mind Monkeys for long, but we can learn their ways and maybe train them to do a few good tricks for us.

As writers we must respect our need to create a meaningful life, which requires us to courageously show up each day to write and learn to become anxiety experts.

Eric Maisel concludes:

You need to brave anxiety, not do everything in your power to avoid it.

The facts of existence make us anxious. Our own thoughts make us anxious. Creating makes us anxious. A cloud passing across the sun makes us anxious. We are built to experience anxiety… Know this, and be brave.

Be brave, peace and creativity can be yours. Well, maybe not all the time. (Remember, you are a writer!) But isn't the monkey cute?

“He who strives will never enjoy this life peacefully.”  – Paul Klee

I will continue with more ideas on dealing with Negative Thoughts next week with the topics of anxiety and depression in the writer’s life.

Another great resource from Eric Maisel to help identify the negative thoughts that may be causing anxiety and depression in the writing life is, Write Mind: 299 Things Writers Should Never Say to Themselves (What They Should Say Instead)

*Special Note: This article, and all articles on my site are not meant to be medical advice. If you are suffering from severe depression, anxiety or symptoms that are affecting your daily functioning for an extended period of time, please seek professional help from a therapist.

I’m on a break this week, but please continue to send me info for the next Coffee Klatch for Thursday, July 16th.

Well, okay, just a few drops of coffee! Here are a couple of time sensitive bits of news

Jim Bronyaur announced the release of his #oilspill album, IN THE THICK OF IT ALL, he says:

So, it’s no secret how bad the oil spill is. And I’m not here to tell you what’s right and wrong and who should take blame for the situation. I am here to tell you that you could do something to help…

I decided to record an album and for every album and/or song sold, I will make a donation to the oil spill. To check out my announcement for this project – and hear my little rant about my generation -read it here.

Now, there are four options for the album and each comes with a donation… read more here

Submissions to Coffee Klatch News

Request for info about your fiction serials. Send me your info if you write serial fiction. I plan to start listing serials that are published online by the many wonderful writers who follow Writer’s Life. I am expecting many serials, so I will list them over a few weeks in the order I receive them. This includes sites that feature many fiction series.

I have one more request, please send me as many hashtags as you can that people use on Twitter for fictional series, such as #webfic, etc.

If you write a serial, send me the following information (this will help me so I can list them easily and quickly) send the info in this format to the email address below:

Your Name, Twitter name (with link), website (with link), title of your serial (with link to the first installment in the series), and brief description (one sentence to one paragraph long).

Do you have a contest, challenge or publication (print, ebook or online) or interviews you would like to share with our writer’s life community? Have you discovered a great resource for writers online? If you have news or announcements for the weekly Coffee Klatch (posted each Thursday) send a DM on Twitter (@Writers_Life) or email to Coffee @ AnneTylerLord.com.

Two weeks ago, I began writing a series about Negative Thoughts and how to deal with them in the writing life. We all have times when we are overwhelmed with worry, fear, anxiety, anger, jealousy, rage, apathy or depression. In this series, I am sharing advice from the research I am doing for a non-fiction writing project.

I’m on a break this week from regular blog posts, but I thought I would share a few affirmations I came up with for myself after posting the article last week, Get in Your Right Mind.

Even though I have spent years of my life believing I couldn’t write well, I will now devote time each day to write, be patient with myself and keep trying to move my writing life forward.

When pain slows me down, I will remember that it is cyclical, and I will be able to write more when I feel better. Spending time taking care of my body is important. My pain has contributed to my decision to be a writer, and I am thankful.

When I am stuck in my writing projects, I don’t have to panic or believe that my blocks are terminal. It is okay to let storylines percolate while I refill my creative gas tank.

It is good to take breaks from writing, do art, go outside, play with the kids and live my life without feeling guilty when I am not writing. Life comes first, and it will enhance my life & creativity to spend more time in those activities.

Do you have any affirmations you would like to share?

Note Added: Go to the end of the comments for the final party bash on July 7th

- Thanks everyone!

Get your motor runnin’

Head out on the highway

Lookin’ for adventure

And whatever comes our way…

Born to be wiiiiiiiiiiiiiild!

Born To Be Wild and Easy Rider (Slipshotfilms)

Writers, get your nose out of your books, put the pen down, close down the windows on your computer with your WIP and recapture your spirit of adventure, rebellion and feel free and wild! We are getting out on the road and riding our choppers for this party.

“What’s wrong with freedom? That’s what it’s all about.” Watch this clip and get in the mood for the wildest party yet!

I’m celebrating my birthday (July 7th I turn 45 – ouch!), my blog’s birthday (1 year old) and the Fourth of July weekend (US birthday) during the weekend known for the best of summer fun! For my birthdays, I would LOVE more Google Friends. If you follow my blog, come a little closer so I can see you! And don’t hesitate to join in the comments.

If you are new to my parties (and to my site) be warned, unusual things can happen, and not everyone is part of *physical* reality. This all takes place in virtual space and there are fictional characters everywhere, they show up at my parties, help with the festivities and even comment on my posts. However, the fiction writers tend to be just as wild as their characters at my party, so you never know what will happen. We create a short story every party with wild twists and turns!

This party will be a big one. Visit often between Friday, July 2nd and Wednesday, July 7th (I’m taking a break next week from regular blog posts). Check out the craziness at my last wild party. Can you believe it has been about 7 months worth of parties so far? Seems like only yesterday when I threw my Once in a Blue Moon New Year’s Eve Party that started it all. But I am getting nostalgic, so I will just say, thanks, and “let’s get on the road…”

Now get on your chopper and have a great time!

Gettin’ Ready

The Jacket

Riding our choppers, it is all about looking good. Of course the first requirement is having a great leather jacket. Swazzle and Pogmorton (Sam’s (@FutureNostalgic) pixies from the UCF) have made special Born to Be Wild jackets especially for this trip. Head on over to their place and pick one up, but watch out for the Wyrm, they haven’t caught it yet.

Tattoos

The Boys are making another special appearance at this party to help with the Tatoos. As members of the Russian Mafia, they know all about tatoos and are amazing artists with the needle. For this Born to Be Wild trip, we will all be branded with the Dragon tattoo. This will be a permanent reminder to live your spirit of adventure. Where do you want your tattoo?

Pick Your Route

It is time to choose the route for your ride. We will be split into three groups, or if you choose, be totally rebellious and find your own road anywhere in the world. Tour leaders are Xan Marcelle, Mr. Fluffy and Jezebel.

Easy Rider Tour

In the spirit of the theme, Xan Marcelle (aka @CrookedFang) – Carrie Clevenger’s interesting character- the cool bassist vampire who is literally coming alive more each day-will be your tour guide on the classic route taken by Wyatt (Peter Fonda), Billy (Dennis Hopper) and George (Jack Nicholson) in Easy Rider. I suggest you wear scarves around your neck if you are on this tour. And, the riding time in this group will only take place at night, for obvious reasons.

On this route you will travel from Los Angeles to New Orleans.

Mr. Fluffy's sidekick

On the Road Tour

For the Beat lit fans, Mr. Fluffy (Laura Eno’s (@LauraEno) mysterious muse – a skull head with glowing red eyes and powers to control your mind) will be your guide for the Jack Kerouac On the Road Tour. I recommend wearing sunglasses, and don’t look into Mr. Fluffy’s eyes.

This is the longest trip. You will take the route Jack followed in 1947-48 from New York to Los Angeles and back to New York. Check out the map for all the exciting stops along the way.

Route 66 – The Mother Road Tour

For some classic nostalgia take the tour on Route 666 (oops, I mean Route 66) with Jezebel (Laura Eno’s many tentacled creature who loves to creep in for parties) as your tour guide.

Have a wonderful time full of unexpected pleasures with Jezebel as you travel from Chicago to Los Angeles. And please, don’t take your cat on this tour.

Wild and Free

The rebellious lone wolves in the group are free to choose any route around the world. Let us know where you are going and tell us about your trip.

Diners

What is a party without food? Even though we are on the road, and different roads, we can enjoy every diner and roadside cafe on the route! Diner food for everyone!

Can you feel your sense of adventure rising up inside of you?

Join the party and tell us what’s going on where you are riding. Who’s with you, what are you doing, what did you see?

Did anything unusual happen? At my parties? Never. Ha!