WORD PLAY PODCAST - WEEKLY TOP TEN - 04/12 - 04/18

These are the most listened-to episodes of the week. Did your favorite make the list?

1)   Dee Stewart 
2)   Lynda J. Cox 
3)   MJ Preston
4)   Ilene Goff Kaufmann
5)   Jan Moran
6)   CJ Baty
7)   Humphrey Hawksley
8)   Sandra Brown
9)   JC Wing
10) Jeffrey A. Carver

*stats compiled from Podcast.co - these do not include numbers from ArtistFirst Radio Network

Defining “Normal” in the Abnormal ~ by Lynda J. Cox

I’m sitting at my desk, looking out my windows. It’s a beautiful, early April spring day. The sun is shining. It’s a little cooler today after the storms rolled through last night. It’s one of those days that should have me happy and questioning whether to start the day’s writing or start brushing one of the shedding collies. Should is the operative word in that previous sentence because writing anything has been an elusive pursuit.




Instead, I feel as if I’m trapped in some twisted, warped version of Groundhog Day. It’s the 304658 day of March. It’s resenting how deeply I have come to fear other people and the questions I have if they might be carrying this virus that has totally ground our nation—heck most of the civilized world—to a screeching halt. It’s deeply resenting a regime on the other side of the globe. It’s realizing there won’t be “normal” again, or at least not as we knew it.

For the last month, Dear Hubby, myself, and our two best friends who live less than 80 feet from us and who we share meals with every day (we haven’t decided exactly whose house we all live in, so the social distancing isn’t an issue) have been self-isolating in our little homestead in Tennessee. We all watch the news and wonder if the next time one of us has to make a trip into town for those necessities of life if that will be the time we bring this killer back to our safe spot. I wondered often if I needed to don a tinfoil hat.

A week ago, recognizing the downward spiral I was in led to only one place, I made the very conscious decision to limit my time on social media, limit the time I spend watching the non-stop coverage of this pandemic, and decided I was going to look for the things every day that I am thankful and grateful for. I made the decision that if the words were hard to find, I would seek them out. I would force myself to write. Before this, a good day of writing usually resulted in 1500 – 2000 words. Now, I count it a good day if I can drag 250 words out onto the page. However, it’s also another thing to be grateful for—it’s 250 words more than I was producing.

I know this too shall pass. I know, sooner or later, we will return to something resembling normal. I know I will never again tolerate anyone belittling those people who have stood in the breach for us—the truck drivers, the store clerks, the people who stock the shelves, the warehouse workers. I will attempt to never again fail to appreciate the ability to go where I want, when I want to go. I will hug those people I love and care for, because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. And, I know that the words will come again.


Listen to Lynda J. Cox's podcast episode here.

Episode 156 - Guest Lynda J. Cox

Lynda J. Cox – author of the Redemption Bluff series, the Brokken Road series, and A Long Way from Yesterday.

Website

Episode 155 - Guest Dee Stewart

 

Dee Stewart – author of the Choices series and the Waiting Game series

Amazon page

WORD PLAY PODCAST - WEEKLY TOP TEN - 04/05 - 04/11

These are the most listened-to episodes of the week. Did your favorite make the list?

1)   Jan Moran 
2)   Humphrey Hawksley
3)   Tom Combs
4)   MJ Preston
5)   Kristina Rienzi
6)   CJ Baty
7)   Ilene Goff Kaufmann
8)   Katie Ashley
9)   Marianne Rice
10) Julie Lence

*stats compiled from Podcast.co - these do not include numbers from ArtistFirst Radio Network

Coronavirus vs. Creativity: Writing Through Crisis ~ by Siera London

Hi, Word Play. Thank you, Kristine, for welcoming me in the Word Play universe, first with my March 4th podcast interview and now with the written word.






Honestly, I struggled with what to write for this blog post, and that’s when it hit me that I have been struggling to find my writing rhythm since this coronavirus pandemic gripped the country. Prior to releasing my debut novel, “Chasing Ava” in 2015, I was a pediatric nurse practitioner in the United States Navy. When the US media started reporting on the coronavirus outbreak in a Washington nursing home, I mentally pulled my fingers from the computer keys and slipped on my stethoscope and lab coat.

As the pandemic has spread across the country, I’ve felt an increasing need to receive a continuous intravenous drip of COVID-19 statistics, epidemiological updates, and national news briefings. This need has wreaked havoc on my completing my latest release, “Mocha Latte”. Oh, did I mention my significant other is working from home too? My standard breakfast of plain yogurt, with granola, and fruit may be the breakfast of romance writing champions, but not couples. The question of the day has morphed into, “Babe, are we having pancakes and sausage or eggs and grits this morning?” So, I had to develop a new routine. Self-isolation and/or quarantine is not a vacation. Acknowledge that even though you are at home, this is not a business as usual vacation…the world is stressed and this crisis is disrupting every aspect of daily living.




Here’s what works for me, and I’m hopeful my daily productivity plan will give you some ideas.

1. Establish a new daily schedule. Decide how many hours you plan to work per day, and then insert planned breaks. Generally, I write in 15 minutes spurts for 45 minutes, and then I increase to 30 minutes with 10-minute breaks until the end of my work day. I use an old-fashioned timer with a dial to keep me honest to 30-minute sprints.

2. The process of getting words onto the page can be cathartic for writers. Make a brief outline of the scene/s you want to write for the day. Nothing fancy, just a line or two about the beginning, middle, and end of the scene. Don’t censor yourself, just let the words come and edit them later. If you feel like writing about COVID-19, do it. But, if you want to create a piece where COVID-19 never existed, do that too.

3. Turn off the WiFi, television, and radio during your writing day. Again, it’s about your daily productivity plan. Decide when and for how long you are going to watch, listen, or read the news updates (morning, afternoon, or night). Listen to the news cycle once, and then unplug and get to work.

4. Limit your social media consumption. All the online feeds have been hyperactive since the news of coronavirus began to take hold. If you start reading your newsfeed you may lose precious writing time when you could be adding to your creative well and typing THE END on your WIP.

5. Do your part to stay physically and emotionally healthy and whole. First, be safe. Wash your hands for 20 seconds, actually count to 20 while you gently interweave your fingers, wash both palms, and the back side of each hand before rinsing, and then PAT your hands dry. Schedule some time for routine cleaning of the house as well as the emotional debris of the day. Daily quiet time and a good’s night sleep are equally important. Make time for both.

Second, if you are physically able, don your personal mask and take a gentle walk outside of your home or pull up a YouTube fitness video. Exercise is a stress reliever which can fuel your creativity and stave off the cabin fever feeling.

Third, reach out and talk when you need to. Social connection is important. Our world may be a scary place right now, but as writers, we have the power to bring respite and hope to our readers. Write On!



Author Biography:

Siera London is the USA Today Bestselling & Award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance, romantic suspense, and crime fiction. She crafts stories of diverse characters navigating the challenges and triumphs to find lasting love. Intelligence, wit, emotion, drama, and romance are between the covers of every Siera London novel. Siera lives in Virginia with her husband, and a color patch tabby named Frie.

If you like communicating via text message, Text EZSIERA to 474747.

If you want to see my travels, grandbabies, as well as Siera London book updates, sign up for my VIP Reader Mailing List for exclusive first looks at my upcoming books.

Website 

Facebook Author Page

Amazon Author page

Goodreads

Bookbub

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest



Listen to Siera London's podcast episode here.

Episode 154 - Guest Jan Moran

Jan Moran – author of Love, California series, the Summer Beach series, and The Chocolatier.

Website

Episode 153 - Guest Humphrey Hawksley

 

Humphrey Hawksley – author of the Dragon Strike, Man on Ice, and Man on Edge.

Website