Feeling stuck? Need inspiration for your writing? Try one of these as a prompt.

If you’re a writer, you already know where I’m going with this…

• No sleep. You wonder if you ever fully sleep what with all those moments of popping out of to write down an idea. Or how about the nights where you sit down for an hour and then look up at the clock to see you’ve written for four? Maybe you’re a daytime writer — you rare breed — and you keep sleeping in small, weird nap times instead.

• Your skin is…pale white and ice cold. Yes, that is a Twilight vamp quote. Wrong creature, huh? But the same rule applies. You’re a writer, lucky to spend time in the sun because you sit for hours in a dim room by the sickly light of a computer screen. Think of Tom Hanks in Joe Versus the Volcano. The lack of movement makes your extremities quite chilly. Your fingers might even get numb.

• Things seem to be falling apart. But instead of your body parts falling off in diseased ways, it’s your house that suffers. Your laundry is tall enough to dance with you and you just had to use a wine glass to drink juice in the morning. (No, never happened to me. Why do you ask?? )

• You’ll eat almost anything when you manage to eat at all. There are times where you’re so busy that you forget to eat. Then there are other times where you have to consume whatever you find. And it’s usually something raw or that takes little cook time because dammit you have to get back to your WIP and nothing should stop you! *You then grab all snack foods and hoard them at your desk, god forbid you get hungry again.*

• Drive and determination. Just like zombies have an unquenchable hunger for brains and flesh, writers have a similar obsessive mindset. Instead of thinking BRAINSBRAINSBRAINS, writers fixate on their book. We think about our story and characters ALL THE TIME until we get it out on paper. In the shower or at the movies? Our minds are stuck on one thing.
• Disheveled look. It only makes sense that a lack of sleep, activity and housework will cause a writer to look quite slovenly at times. A wrinkled shirt here and a missing sock there, it’s a good think you always know where your laptop cord happens to be…
• Paranoia. I don’t know if zombies are truly paranoid, but they sure do act like it! They’re jumpy, rigid, and they’ll attack whatever they encounter. Writers are paranoid of many things. What do you mean my story idea has already been done? Did that agent just say that the industry is no longer looking for books about rabid bunnies with an overbite and social anxiety? Crap! Now what do I write? (Can you tell I’m tired? It’s late, moving on.)

• Loners. Do you ever see zombies just chillin’? Having a beer while chatting about the old days as humans? Noooo…because zombies are loners and so are writers. The life of a writer is a pretty solitary one, mixed in with friends and writing partners reading your stuff, but even then it’s mostly done via the internet. Who needs friends when you have so many people in your stories trying to talk to you??

What other ways are writers like zombies? I ask this as it approaches 1:30 am and my eyes are gluing themselves to my contacts. I think my zombie night is taking full effect. Time for sleep. If I can.

Song of the day: You knew it was coming…The Cranberries – Zombie

I have a deep heart that always gets me in trouble and makes me careful as to who I let invade it. It makes me either a very loyal or very bad friend, depending.  I am raw and sensitive from my roller coaster ride. Maybe even a little nauseous. So I need characters that have these elements. Passionate…and yet kind of sea sick from life.

Song of the day: The Decemberists – Down By The Water

I haven’t done a post in a while because I haven’t had much to say.

No, I take that back. I have a crap load of things to say. My head is churning with so many thoughts that I can’t get them straight. I’m just not ready to put them on paper yet. And I mean, yet.

Instead, I picked through quotes and saved the ones that struck a chord with me. I’m pasting them below. Take that SOPA. And thanks for reading my random post.

“A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.”

― Steve Martin

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

― Albert Einstein

“You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.”

― C.S. Lewis

“It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

“Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn’t it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up.”

― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

― Maya Angelou

“Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me… Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”

― Shel Silverstein

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. “Pooh?” he whispered.

“Yes, Piglet?”

“Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s hand. “I just wanted to be sure of you.”

― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”

― Friedrich Nietzsche

“You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.”

― Madeleine L’Engle

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

― Confucius

“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.”

― Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

“The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”

― Gloria Steinem

“Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don’t always like.”

― Lemony Snicket

“It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.”

― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent”

― Victor Hugo

“Life is pain, highness. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something.”

― William Goldman, The Princess Bride

“I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then. ”

― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

What do you want this Christmas or new year?

Sometimes that’s a simple question. Maybe it’s a certain item like a book or a movie. Maybe it’s only about being happy in general. Who doesn’t just want to be reminded that they’re loved at the holidays?

But for wishes and dreams, the new year is especially important to me because it shows how far I have or haven’t gone in the past 365 days. And it tells me where I’d like to end up next year.

In 2011, I made some major life changes. Big ones. Huge. And it made me tired. There were times when I shut down to people and life except for what was necessary to get done.

BUT…

I still completed the edits on my first book after many sleepless weekends and I sent out 25-30 queries before shutting down again. I started to find peace while figuring out exactly what I wanted for myself.

In 2012, I hope I find more peace. I want to be someone that inspires others, makes those around me proud or excited to know me. I want to write three times as much and stop giving up on myself. And I want to stop feeling like I’m not worth much and start expecting more, as a writer and a person in general.

I want to be more. Period.

So where do I start?

Good question. I have until January 1st to figure that out, right?

What are your wishes and dreams, writing or otherwise?

I may not be writing much at the moment — I’m in a down slope to my own creativity — but there are still things that instantly inspire and excite me. Examples? I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to seeing The Hunger Games movie. Suzanne Collins was a writer just like me, but not only did she manage to finish book…she successfully wrote a good young adult series that is being turned into movies. What could be better for a writer than to see their work brought to life? Susan Dennard is a real life friend whose wonderful book comes out in July 2012. I can’t tell you how inspiring it is to personally known someone so talented and who has achieved so much in a short period of time. Plus, I’ve read her book. It’s TOTALLY going to be a huge seller. So when I saw her cover had been released? *EXCITED* And inspired.

Then there is my amazing writing partner Cole Alpaugh, who has not only made me crazy proud as usual with his latest book deals, but he also made a promo poster for his next book.

So remind me…what excites and inspires you?

My muse. I hope.
Crisp nights covered up in warm fleece blankets.
A space heater while writing…which ends up leaving my toes hot, but fingers like ice.
Cold walks with the dog late at night.
More cups of tea, filled with milk and sugar.
More writing than the last few months. I hope.

The Winter Solstice is December 22nd. I’m not sure that I’m ready for winter. Why? Well, I hate the cold and the holidays give me the hives, but besides all that…the year has gone by too fast.

I haven’t accomplished all I’d wanted to this year. Not even close. I ended up jumping a few hurdles I didn’t expect, so I guess I had to shift priorities and adjust, but that’s no excuse for how little I’ve accomplished in my writing lately.

Regular old mundane life has often sucked away my creativity. I have felt unmotivated and discouraged, like I wanted to give up on it all. So I’m forcing myself to write. It’s ok. We all go through this and it will pass. But I hope it passes before the end of winter.

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a song. It’s the one that’s been on my mind the most the past couple of days.

WHO IS DOING NANO? WHY AM I SHOUTING? BECAUSE I’M EXCITED! NANONANONANONANONANONANONANONANONANONANONANONANONANONANO!!!

Ok, I’ll stop. But really…get excited, people.

(Funny — I looked like THIS last Halloween.)

(This post really has no other point than for me to update you. And I’ve been boring. )

Pour yourself some tea, light a pumpkin candle and wrap up in a throw blanket. Autumn weather has kicked in full swing and I’m loving it. This is the time of year where I’m most inspired to write. The air even smells different.

So I’m working on Hayes again. I had stopped to begin a new book, but after talking with my writing partner and reading back over my notes? I decided Hayes needs to be finished. For those of you who don’t know Hayes, it’s the second book I wrote. It started as an adult novel, but now it’s being edited into a young adult series. So…lots of work. But man, I love the characters in this book. I don’t mind spending extra time with them.

I miss going to concerts. I haven’t been to that many this year and I’m planning to correct that. *opens online music guide for my city and smiles at a few names heading this way*

I have barely queried recently. I am beyond slow, fearful and timid. I have to fix it. ASAP. But someone new did read The Courtship of Mallory Richards.

“OMG, just finished Mallory. Seriously?! That end is killing me :-S I was feeling all warm fuzzies and then, WHAM, lumpy in the chest.”

(I seem to make most of my betas cry and then they tell me to change my ending. People? If I make you cry, I want to KEEP the ending. )

**And now I’m rambling. It’s been a while since I blogged. I feel rusty. I’ll return sooner next time. **

Cole Alpaugh? Yeah, he’s kind of awesome. I’m pretty lucky to have him as a writing partner. I mean, just LOOK at what he’s done now!! I couldn’t be more proud. Join me in a huge CONGRATS!

NEPA Author Pens Two Book Deal (via this link at BriefingWire.com)

9/26/2011 – SEATTLE, WA — Lake Ariel’s Cole Alpaugh, author of the acclaimed novel The Bear in a Muddy Tutu (Camel Press/2011), has signed a two book deal with Seattle based publisher Coffeetown Press.

The first book, The Turtle-Girl from East Pukapuka, is an adult literary novel about a girl who survives a devastating tsunami by clinging to an old sea turtle’s shell, but is adrift and alone in the open waters of the South Pacific. The child is plucked from the currents by a salvage captain named Jesus, who hums Verdi’s Rigoletto while swilling cheap local hooch, and would rather swap the girl for spark plugs than help her find home. Its release date has been set for June 1, 2012.

Hitting the stores on November 1, 2012, will be Alpaugh’s third novel titled The Spy’s Little Zonbi, the story of a young man recruited by a division of the CIA to pose as a journalist in hotspots around the globe while on intelligence missions.

“Zonbi is about as autobiographic as anything I’ve ever written,” said Alpaugh. “I spent years as a war correspondent and used a few of the places I worked as backdrops. Of course I never did any spying or killed anyone in real life, but it was great fun having my main character wreak some havoc.”

Alpaugh’s debut novel is now in nearly 700 libraries in four countries. You can find him online at ColeAlpaugh.com, or on the soccer field where he coaches his daughter.

Stand back, Chuck. He’s got this. And his last book was just as amazing.

***I’ll leave you with a few Chuck Norris quotes. ***

“I heard the quickest way to a man’s heart is Chuck Norris’ fist.”

“Chuck Norris’ tears cure every disease known to man. Too bad Chuck Norris never cries.”

“Chuck Norris doesn’t call the wrong number. You answer the wrong phone.”

“Chuck Norris doesnt wear a watch. He decides what time it is.”

“Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding.”

“If Superman and The Flash were to race to the edge of space you know who would win? Chuck Norris.”

“A roundhouse kick by Chuck Norris is the preferred method of execution in 16 states.”

“Chuck Norris does not need to use spell check. If he happens to misspell a word, Oxford changes its actual spelling.”