Articles

Mar 06 2024

New Store, New Perspective

Author: Jamie DeBree

In case you were wondering, setting up an online store from scratch is a pretty intensive and time-consuming process. I suppose if one uses Shopify or one of the big pre-packaged store builder services, it would be somewhat less so, but I did that when I first started selling books (in 2011), and ended up not making enough money to pay the rent, so to speak.

So this time, I decided to be smart, use my web developer skills, and set up a store (check it out on my BSB site here) that wouldn’t cost me more than it will possibly make back. If I eventually start making enough money on a regular basis, I’ll move to a “prettier” solution, but for now, it’s free WooCommerce and a few choice plugins. Plus PayPal as the sole processor, because they’re the only remotely affordable processor willing to process transactions for the more adult ebooks my Trinity alter-ego writes (if you’ve noticed her site was down, yes, I know – it was my mistake, and I’m working on it. It’s back online, but still needs some backend fixing.).

Yes, I know lots of people just ignore the Terms of Service, do what they want and hope for the best. I’m risk-averse, so I’d rather have permission before anything bad happens, thanks.

Anyways, that’s where all my blogging energy has gone lately. Setting up the store has required a lot of futzing and learning new things from taxes to shipping to order fulfillment and just managing to create and list products. Plus securing the store forms, and testing, testing, testing everything. And now that most of that (not all, but most) is out of the way, there’s the tedium of simply creating and listing all the books – and testing the delivery for each ebook to make sure it works. I’m trying to list at least two books per day (I have about an hour each night to work on this). Once I get all the ebooks up, then I’ll work on print.

In the meantime, I’m still writing, and I have several micro-fiction stories that I really want to make into bookmarks and story cards. I also have several little bits that need to be slotted into larger works-in-progress, and still more that will make very nice short stories and novellas as they’re expanded.

The new perspective I’m really trying to cultivate with all of these projects is one of not having to do everything “right now“. Being able to be okay with working on things in small chunks that don’t require a lot of focused brainpower for long periods of time. It’s very much a workflow and mental shift for me – all my life I’ve preferred to start and finish a project in as few “large chunks” of time as possible, and as quickly as possible, so this doling things out in a trickle is new and somewhat uncomfortable for me.

But that’s how we grow, isn’t it? By doing uncomfortable things, and allowing ourselves to change and flex depending on where we are in our lives at the moment.

I’m mostly just happy to be making the time to be creative. Even if it’s not as much time as I’d like, and it’s still somewhat frustrating to work in such small chunks, it’s better than being frustrated at not doing anything creative at all.

I’m also happy to be working on the business side of things again – something I haven’t done in a long time just because it was just too daunting, and often overwhelming to even try. If I wait until I “have time” to sit down and do the whole thing at once (whatever that “thing” happens to be at the moment), it won’t happen.

So I’m working on tiny pieces at a time, and accepting the fact that it’s not work that will ever actually be “finished”. It will just go on until I decide it’s time to stop.

Hopefully that won’t be anytime soon. Oh! I almost forgot. Smashwords is having their “Read a Book” week sale, and some of my books are on sale over there until Saturday. If you like cheap ebooks, check it out! You’re sure to find something interesting and entertaining!

Also, my apologies for having to add Captcha to the comments. The amount of spam written in Cyrillic was just seriously getting to be way, way too much to keep up with. And since most readers comment more on social media than here anyways…I figured it would affect a minority. Please do let me know if it gives you problems, and I’ll see what else I can figure out.

That’s it for this week! If you have a favorite thing to share, or want to recommend a book, TV show, video or podcast, comment below, email me at jamie@jamiedebree.com, or catch up with me on Facebook or Instagram.

Jan 12 2024

New Year, New Goals!

Author: Jamie DeBree

Don’t you just love the fresh feel of a new year? I’ve been a bit busy, hence the lateness of this post, but better late than never. And I have been making progress on my goals already, which is the important part.

January is probably my favorite month. It’s my birth month, which may have something to do with it, but it’s also a new start, and often cold and snowy, which means plenty of time to hole up inside with hot drinks and warm blankets.

I’ve had some rough starts in recent years, but this year feels different. Better. Like it actually *wants* to be a good year, rather than just another obstacle course of challenges (or at least a somewhat easier obstacle course, anyways).

Regardless, I’ve decided to take it easy on the goals this year, and while some are fairly lofty, they should all be attainable even if I fall off track here and there. Nothing too rigid, nothing too demanding, just things that will eventually get done if I’m even 75 percent solid with my routines.

If you’ve been here for a few years, you know that I make a decent sized list of goals, and then pick three to dub actual “Resolutions”. Resolutions are the top priority – they get the first pick on the daily/weekly/monthly schedules, and they get more of the focus than anything else.

All the other goals are just “goals”, and I work on them after I’ve gotten the Resolutions taken care of for the day/week/whatever.

This year, my big three are:

1. Improve my handwriting through daily practice
This one stems from my increasing inability to read my *own* handwriting, which has just gotten worse over the years as I’ve moved most of my documentation and communication online. I decided I should do something about it, and I have to say, I’ve actually been enjoying the daily practice sessions so far (and yes, my handwriting is improving, slowly).

2. Pay off as much debt as possible.
I am a spender, not a saver. My family was poor when I was young, but unlike a lot of people in that situation who tend to be very apprehensive about spending money later in life, I enjoy spending now that I have money, and I have a too-cavalier attitude about not having enough (mainly because I know I can deal with not having enough if need be, not that I particularly enjoy it). However, I also realize the value of living within one’s means, and of saving and investing as well. And while I make a good living now, I’ve overspent far past my own comfortable limit lately, plus I’m paying off medical bills, and I need a new pair of glasses (not cheap, even with my insurance). It’s time to be responsible and pay down my debt/build up some savings. *sigh* Boring, but necessary.

To that end, I’ve found a new budgeting/finance software – Moneydance – that is somewhat more sophisticated than what I’ve been using (but not too much), and will allow me to do my weekly balancing a bit easier, but also to get a good snapshot of all my debt and our investments in the same spot. While I’d rather not see all my debt in one spot (depressing!), I need to. Knowing it’s there and having to look at those balances every week is motivating to me to get it paid down. So, much like doing a weekly balance/budget was motivating to me as far as getting a handle on my finances, this is the next step.

3. Write a minimum of 50 fiction words per day.
Fifty words is only a good paragraph or two, but it’s the daily practice and repetition I’m going for here. For the past several years, I’ve had a hard time with longer fiction, because I often don’t have the mental capacity for it after working all day (the hazards of a job that requires a lot of troubleshooting and puzzle-solving). So I decided that this year, I’m going to focus on short form fiction. Fiction of a length that can fit on bookmarks and inside cards. And if I happen to get some work done on my longer drafts too, that will be great, but short is my focus for the year.

So far, I’ve written at least 50 words every weekday (though not the weekends yet – I’m still working on scheduling that), and most days, over a hundred words once I get going. I’ve got three micro-stories written and waiting to be put in cards, and another good start that may well end up as an actual story with a bit of editing.

This writing resolution goes with one of my lesser “goals” this year, which is to create cards and bookmarks for sending/selling. I’m still waiting on a bit of equipment to come in for that, but I’m excited, because I’ve wanted to get back into paper crafting for awhile now, and using it as a publication outlet for my micro-fiction is the perfect way to do that. Limited edition cards and stories – it feels like a nice artisan way to continue writing and publishing. I hope to have the first cards done by the end of the month.

So those are my big three resolutions for the year. If I can accomplish these, and hopefully some of my lesser goals as well, it really will be a year of creativity, art, and growth. I can’t really think of anything that would be better!

Do you have any specific goals to work toward this year? Or are you just going to wait and see what happens?

Either way, I hope your year is off to as good a start as mine, and that it will be a year of health, growth, and prosperity for us all!

Recommendation
I came across this video on YouTube last weekend, and while I’ve been doing artistic things for as long as I can remember, I found this interesting and relevant to this year’s creative goals. Check it out if you have some time, and let me know what you think:

Nov 22 2023

All the Things…Except NaNo

Author: Jamie DeBree

Creativity Calling
It’s that time of year again, when the big Thanksgiving family gathering is just a few short days away (one, by the time this posts), and the gift-giving-est time of year looms larger. Needless to say, I have been doing everything *but* writing lately, and I’m actually okay with that. If I were focusing hard on writing 1600 words a day, I wouldn’t have gotten my dad’s birthday gift done on time (I nearly didn’t anyways), and I wouldn’t be anywhere near ready to put my advent calendars together (which I’ll have done by the time you read this) so they can be distributed and to their rightful recipients before December 1st.

I wanted to make things to include in the calendars this year (instead of buying all of it), and that takes time. So I spent the time, and enjoyed it a lot, and I’m really not sorry I prioritized that. I honestly think that being creative in these other ways is helping me want to get back to the writing. And making things always makes me feel a connection with generations past, which is the mindset I need to be in to write the story I’m currently writing.

There’s a lot going on in general, but also a lot shifting in my head at the moment, and I think it’s a good shift (at the tail end of several not good shifts). I’m not sure where everything will end up, but considering I’m not dealing with constant pain and anxiety any longer, it seems like it’s flowing into a more productive and creative state of mind.

Writing News
I’ve actually written less this month than I did last month, and now I’ve completely lost the nightly writing habit, too. Needless to say, I’m not going to win…or even finish NaNo this year, and I’m fairly certain this will be the last year I attempt it. I love the idea and the philosophy, it was a great help to me for several years, and I think it’s a fantastic way to get that first novel finished. But, it’s not for me anymore

Even though I’m bowing out of NaNo, I’m not abandoning the story I started. It comes first in the series I’m already working on, and I think writing it first is still how I want to tackle the whole thing. Madeline is the family matriarch, and her story is at the heart of all those that will come after. So I’m going to keep working on her story a little at a time, and move into the rest of the series from there.

But first…it’s almost time to send out Christmas cards, and I always send out a flash story with my cards. I have this year’s story written, but I need to edit and polish it up a bit, so that’s what I’ll be working on for the next week or two.

Recommendation(s)
Whether you’re in the US celebrating Thanksgiving or somewhere else just celebrating a normal Thursday, I found this recipe while looking for traditional sweet potato casserole recipes, and I’m going to try it, with the small change of using both strudel and marshmallows on top, in stripes (my MIL will really want the marshmallows). I’ll let you know how it turns out, but I suspect it’s going to be incredibly good!

The recipe is by Jenn Segal. Check it out here: https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/sweet-potato-casserole.html

Oct 03 2023

Filling the Creative Well

Author: Jamie DeBree

Creativity Begets Creativity
Have you ever felt like you have to justify a purchase, even just to yourself?

If you’ve ever wondered if Facebook ads are effective, I can tell you right now – they certainly can be. Not because I run FB ads (at the moment), but because I can’t even count how many times I’ve bought something based on a good FB ad. Books, clothes, tools, plants, and most recently, craft items. I didn’t need *any* of this, but there’s very little I regret.

I will say though…the crafting items I bought recently? I really, really didn’t need them, don’t have a place to store them, and don’t currently have time to do anything at all with them. I just really, really love pretty papers and stickers and all manner of scrapbooking/journaling items (even though it’s been ages since I made a scrapbook, wrote in a journal, or even printed out a picture).

While my husband is kind enough not to say anything when these things are delivered, I still felt the need to justify my completely frivolous purchase to myself, because I really could/should have used that money for more pragmatic and responsible things. So, I decided I would have to *make* time to use at least some of the items, and preferably a fairly large chunk of it. I thought about what might be the best use of my time, since it will have to be a day off work, and I just started looking for papercraft ideas online.

That’s when I came across art and junk journaling (you know, when I was looking up card-making ideas). A lot of the layouts are far, far too busy for my taste, but I still looked through pages and pages (and pages) of them, noting techniques, cool new tools that weren’t available the last time I made cards, and pretty soon my brain was just swirling with ideas. I even found myself wanting to journal again, and trying to come up with ways I can work that into my schedule along with creating journals and things for other people.

And that’s the interesting part. For awhile now, I’ve been thinking that I needed to rest my mind because I use it a lot for problem solving at work, and I often feel completely drained mentally when I get home. I thought the “cure” for that was to rest and just “take in” entertainment, where my mind wasn’t having to work so hard.

But looking up all those ideas for crafts, and then deciding what I wanted to try, what might work for me, what I might be able to do with limited time, and just thinking about all the creative possibilities…that actually energized me, and made me feel more like crafting and being creative overall!

Apparently the cure for “day job brain” isn’t “resting”, but rather gleaning ideas for creative endeavors. Who knew?

In any case, I now have plans (and a plan for making time as well) for plenty of fun gift crafts that will use up a pretty big chunk of the supplies I bought, and keep me creating into the future as well. I was so inspired that I got out the needle felting stuff while watching TV last week, and started making small items for the advent calendars I do every year. I’ve now scheduled set nights for needle felting and crochet projects, and I have several days set aside for paper crafting in the near future.

his has helped my writing too, because when I’m focused on creating things at night (or even just finding ways to be inspired), when I get to my writing desk, my mind is in “creative mode” and it’s easy to just start writing.

I feel like this is kind of a game-changer, honestly. I love making things, and I’ve wanted to do more crafting, but felt trapped by the fact that my job is often very demanding mentally. It never occurred to me that I just needed to switch gears to something oriented more toward being creative than constant problem-solving to get a second wind. I like it. It’s working for now, at least. Hopefully it keeps working long enough for me to get some gifts finished!

Writing News

I wrote a story last week. A whole flash piece, start to finish, that will go with my Christmas cards this year (I always send a story with my cards). It needs editing and some revision, but overall, I’m happy with it, and even happier that I actually started and finished a writing project – something I haven’t done in what feels like *ages*.

Even better, my new writing setup is working perfectly – I go back to my office, I don’t even open my laptop, I just open the Freewrite and off I go. My writing output has increased in five days from 150 words per night up to nearly 300 words in the same time frame. Things are going really well, and I feel good about that.

This week, it’s back to working on a short story for my alter-ego. I’m holding off on MS for a bit, since I’m trying to work out something with the plot, and also, I’m going to be doing NaNoWriMo this year with a backstory story to MS that will undoubtedly help with the main plot. So…short story. Maybe I can even finish it in time for Halloween, which would be great fun!

Recommendation

I really enjoyed watching this Easy Envelope Journal Tutorial on YouTube. What a great idea, and a great way to repurpose old envelopes too (she uses new, but considering they’re all covered up, I bet used would work just fine)!

Mar 14 2023

The Ides of March & Corned Beef

Author: Jamie DeBree

I got to thinking about Shakespeare’s quote in Julius Caesar this month: “Beware the Ides of March….” I was wondering about the origins and background, so I looked it up, and found this interesting article from The History Channel. Check it out, if you’re curious too. Not terribly ominous, though crazy things do tend to happen on a full moon.

It’s been a busy month, and despite my best efforts, I find myself struggling to get done what I want to get done. Moreso than normal, I mean.

The storage unit clean-out is nearly done, and it looks like this weekend should be nice weather for another load or two. I think we’re down to the last three…one for the dump/electronics recycling, and two more to the house. I’ve not been going through boxes like I’d hoped to, so they’re all stacked down in the basement, but at least they’re easy to get to now.

I will be very happy to be done with the weekly moving trips. My back will be much, much happier too. Of course there’s the sorting and disseminating stuff that needs to be done after, but I plan to designate Saturday nights for that going forward. One box a week should get it done…well, by the end of the year, at least.

Last week I had a HIDA scan to check my gallbladder function, and…turns out, I have none (as in, the results said “no significant function”). So, I’ll be getting my gallbladder removed at some point this spring or summer, which will set me back a bit in terms of the 6-8 week recovery period, but it will be worth it once everything is healed.

But to prepare for that, once I know the date, I’ll need to work on stocking up on dog food and figuring out ways of getting things done that don’t involve lifting over eight pounds (roughly a gallon of water) for a few weeks. Yet another annoying challenge, but, eyes on the prize, right? I’ll be home for a week or so, probably, which will give me time to write and work on writing-related things, which could be very good if I take advantage of it.

As far as writing goes…I’m not. I want to, and there’s no real reason I can’t, I’m just…not. I have a whole bunch of excuses, and none of them are good or even really valid, because the honest truth is, if I was motivated enough or wanted to badly enough, I would get it done.

I’m working on it. It’s a mental thing, and I think one of my biggest issues is having so much going on between my health and the storage unit thing and daily life and incredibly busy weekends where I have pretty much zero downtime…I don’t really have the mental capacity for being creative at the moment. Whenever I get a free moment or three, I’m so tired or just tapped out mentally that I can’t seem to find that flow.

This is temporary, or that’s what I keep telling myself. I want to write, I do. I want to get back into my Magpie stories and find out what happens next. I just…can’t right now. I need a break, a reset, a few days (or even just hours) when I’m not trying to solve problems *and* I don’t have to interact with people. I’m going to try to take a couple days off this weekend. One of those has to be for taxes, but the other is going to be for relaxing and trying to regain my bearings, so to speak.

In any case, I did find a way to lesson the amount of hands-on time I spend making dog food on the weekends, so there’s that. Small victories, right?

And corned beef day is coming! I may only be a tiny bit Irish, but I do love some good St. Patrick’s Day food. Corned beef for dinner Friday, beer cheese and sausage soup tonight for dinner, and a Reuben casserole will be on the menu at some point as well, not to mention Reuben sandwiches with the leftovers this weekend. Yum!

I was curious about the origins of corned beef as well, and found this article in The Smithsonian that is interesting, sad, and enlightening. Needless to say, I approve of the Irish love of pork and bacon for their main meats. Mmm…bacon.

Are you a fan of Irish-American food? What’s your favorite treat for St. Patrick’s Day?

Oct 05 2022

Rest and Recalibration

Author: Jamie DeBree

I’ve been thinking (again). But I’ve also been not-thinking, which is something I haven’t allowed myself to do much of in…well, quite awhile. Somewhere I fell into the whole “productivity-is-life” mindset, and when I did that, I prioritized Getting Things Done over everything else in life, because it was more important to be moving forward than to let myself rest.

But last week, I had an epiphany. I had to refrain from physical activity for awhile due to a twisted ankle/foot (still not fully healed, but getting there), and while I was sitting on the couch one night, it occurred to me that I never actually just sit and watch TV anymore. I always have something going at the same time, whether it’s scrolling FB or playing a game or making something…I rarely just sit and consume.

The problem with that is, my brain really never gets a break. I’m always solving a puzzle or problem, or being creative in some way, which means I’m always making my mind work, but never letting it recharge. I wondered if that might be why I have trouble getting that last bit of revising done late in the evenings, so I decided to experiment. For the next few nights, I forced myself to put down my phone, not grab my switch, leave my laptop in the office, and just *watch TV* for the one hour a night that I normally get to sit.

I’m sure you can guess how that went. It was harder than I thought it would be, and it felt incredibly weird not “doing” anything while I was sitting there. But I paid better attention to the show we were watching, and I also found that when I sat down later to edit, I had more energy and brainpower to work with, so I worked faster and better than when I’m constantly trying to be productive all evening.

I also forced myself to stop working by 12:15am every night, so I could read a chapter or two of fiction before bed. Consuming, rather than expending, and then getting to bed in time for 5.5 to 6 hours of sleep.

I found I’m at least half again more productive when I give myself some time to just consume during the evenings rather than trying to fill every waking moment with a “productive” activity. Which gave me a new mantra that I am repeating to myself every time I get that panicky “I’m-not-getting-anything-done” feeling:

I am not a robot.

I’m not a machine that can just keep going and going and going with the occasional reboot or update. As much as I’d love to be, I’m only just a human, which means if I push and push and push to get things done all day, everyday, I will eventually burn out, and probably age faster than I need to while I’m at it.

I need sleep, and time to just veg out without trying to solve a mystery or puzzle or problem. I need time to consume for a little bit each day, or I’ll cease being able to efficiently write,

So that’s my takeaway from last week, and part of the reason this post is so late. I’m forcing myself to go to bed on time (okay! Earlier! Sheesh!), to not look at my phone while I’m watching TV, and to give myself a couple of quick breaks during the day where my mind can just rest and not try to solve problems.

I’ll eventually get into a rhythm, and getting these posts done along with everything else will fit in somehow. But for now. I’m declaring this one done so I can get to bed.

What do you do to give yourself (and your mind, specifically) a break from all the “be-productive-ness” in life?

Oct 05 2021

Variety News – 10/5/2021

Author: Jamie DeBree

On My Mind
To anyone who may be curious – my covid test was negative, and I’m still fine, thanks. The hubby is doing his best to recover, though it’s very much an up and down process, which is rather frustrating for him, unfortunately.

The other thing on my mind is my attitude, and this blog. I’ve been musing (read: whining) a bit too much about my shortcomings, methinks. It’s boring me, and probably anyone else reading too, so…enough with that.

The thing about creativity is…enjoying the creativity of others tends to inspire creativity (for me, anyways). I haven’t been focusing enough on that, so…time to do that! And I’m going to share with you what I’m currently enjoying and how it’s inspired/inspiring me, so that maybe you’ll be inspired too (or you can just sit back and enjoy – no obligations whatsoever).

Nail Art
I know most people probably don’t get inspired by Facebook ads much (yes, I just heard all that booing and hissing), but I actually do. I actually work hard to “curate” the ads I see by clicking on the ones I may find interesting, even if I don’t plan to buy anything, and then just going “back” right away so that the algorithms know that’s what I prefer to see more of. So I get a lot of ads for nail and hair things, which enables FB to keep the servers running and me to not be so irritated by ads breaking up my feed.

Recently, there have been a spate of nail art ads – all sorts of different products, but one stood out especially – Maniology. I tried nail art stamping eons ago when Konad was all the rage, but I only had marginal luck with it, and haven’t even looked at my stamping plates or stamper in years because it was too much trouble for little reward.

But when I saw the new clear stampers (so you can see your nail and exactly where the design will go), and poked through all the cool new stamping designs on their site, I had to try it again with the “latest” technology. So I ordered a starter kit, got it a couple weeks ago, and it’s such a different, more fun experience that I’ve stamped designs on my nails for two weeks straight just “playing”.

I’ve also ordered more stamping plates and subscribed to their monthly box, but we don’t need to talk about the money aspect of it…can you really put a price on creativity?

My favorite nails this week are my index fingers, which turned out well like so (yes, I know the circuits aren’t centered – perfection is not the point here):

I also just started a new play through of Stardew Valley (because I was an idiot and forgot to transfer my save file from my other phone). Both the nails and the gameplay inspired this teeny-tiny story, which is what I’ll leave you with this week. Enjoy!

“Come have coffee with me.”

Janet raised her eyebrows at the beard-clad, long-haired blond hipster who’d taken the empty seat next to her at the bar. It was empty because her more social roommate had dragged her here for company, knocked back a couple of shots and left for the dance floor an hour ago. Every once in awhile Janet caught a glimpse of Robin’s short purple sequin skirt and black thigh-high boots gyrating in and out to the cool sounds of…well, a plethora of musical artists Janet had never heard of and was happy enough in her ignorance.

Her would-be barista was still waiting, green eyes hopeful and surprisingly clear for someone in their current environment.

“Why?” She wasn’t actually being naive or difficult, but she knew her messy bun, oversized tee and yoga pants didn’t exactly scream ‘come hither’. She’d only come out under duress, and only stayed because it gave her an excuse to start a long-overdue play through of Stardew Valley and drink an endless amount of Coke without too many people bothering her.

He leaned in with a toothy grin, and pointed to her screen. “Because I can tell you how to read the scrolls in the Community Center.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Can you also tell me how to find Robin’s Axe? I’ve been looking for it for three days now.”

He nodded and winked. “Come with me, young valley-girl. I’ll show you whatever secrets your heart desires. I’m Aaron, by the way. And my shop is two doors down on the right, if you want to tell someone where you’re going.”

Janet looked at the jumble of bodies on the dance floor and shook her head.

“Janet. Nice to meet you. And nah – she doesn’t care. I’m all yours.”

He took her hand with a smile and led her to the door, ushering her out past the security guard and into the night.

Jul 30 2019

Music, Books, & Creativity

Author: Jamie DeBree

It’s Monday as I write this, and it’s been…oh goodness, has it been three weeks? Wow. Things have been a bit crazy/busy around here, and my mind has obviously been elsewhere. I think we’re finally due for a settling-down period though, which is nice. I’m on the last day of a five-day vacation (okay, two last week and one this week) that has helped a lot with the whole mental recovery/reset thing.

We just did two concerts in three days…I tell you what – I may be getting a bit old for that. Interestingly, even though all four bands were headliner status, the first bands on each night were just mediocre (Marilyn Manson & Pop Evil), while the second bands were incredible (Rob Zombie & Disturbed). Which is too bad, because I’ve seen Pop Evil before, and they were really, really good…but they fell flat last night. In their case, I think it was because they were trying to be creative with their arrangements, and changed up a lot of their old songs. It just didn’t work. Manson just phoned it in – it felt like he wasn’t even trying, honestly.

In any case, all that made me think about entertaining and creativity and performing and writing. And how readers are often disappointed when a writer decides to change direction when they’ve been doing one thing well. On the flip side of that coin, ongoing creativity requires change and growth and…something different. Doing what you’ve always done just because you do it well is…boring. But there are ways to use that to your advantage without losing your fan base, as evidenced by Zombie and Disturbed – both of whom have grown and changed over the years (musically and otherwise), but they’ve retained enough of what makes them who they are at the base layer that their fans are happy to come along for the ride.

If I ever get to the point of cultivating an actual “fan base”, I want to remember that. That, it would seem, is the secret to making success last. That, and not getting worse as you get older. Thank goodness writing doesn’t depend on the quality of my physical voice!

I have been thinking a lot about my writing lately, especially given that our local bookstore will be featuring my romance books sometime next month. I’m a little torn by that, honestly. I haven’t published a romance novel (okay, any novels, but let’s focus) in several years, and while I am working on one at the moment, it’s somewhat different than what I was writing earlier. Much like erotica, I’ve sort of lost a lot of my desire to write them. I feel more drawn to the thriller and “alternate reality” genres at this point in my life – that’s what I’m excited about and currently working on. I think my future probably lies more in those realms than in the romance arena, honestly. And that’s okay, I think…but it does make for an odd feeling when my romance books suddenly start getting a little attention.

As I said, I do have another romance in the works, and it’s holding my interest well enough so far. But one of my thriller ideas currently has me by the throat, so to speak, and I’m anxious to keep working on it while the desire is there.

We’ll see, but I suspect my “own name” novels will be taking a back-seat to Alex’s thriller novels for the foreseeable future.

Aside from that, I’ve cut down on games again – only playing Wizards Unite on rare occasions to help a friend with battles, and uninstalled Jurassic World Alive (I was enjoying it, but…just don’t need that many games going at once). So now just Pokemon Go, Pokemon Let’s Go, and Animal Crossing. Occasionally Batman: Arkham Asylum on the PlayStation. Much like…well, anything, games can take up too much head-space too. I need to remember to leave myself space to just think, dream, and ultimately, write.

Fifty words per day. That’s my new minimum for fiction.

Now if I could just remember to change my sheets. Think I’ll set myself a reminder before I go to bed. It’s the little things.

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Apr 16 2019

On Reading, Time, & Creativity

Author: Jamie DeBree

It’s been a long, very busy couple of weeks, and things are just starting to get back to normal (though I hesitate to say that, because you know what happens next…). Hence the no blogging thing. I don’t really know how to describe it, and I haven’t really been in a “funk”, so to speak, just…treading water and trying to get my routines back to where they should be. Only every time I think it’s gonna happen, something else happens, and I get waylaid, and then my routines get all screwy and I don’t get anything done at all.

It’s annoying.

The other thing that’s annoying is picking up a box of books free from a former co-worker who was cleaning out her shelves, and staring at the box in my living room wondering when I’ll ever have time to read them all.

I used to be a voracious reader. A typical paperback would take me two, maybe three nights to finish…maybe four if it was incredibly thick. Now the same size books take me weeks to finish, and it’s generally because I short-change my very limited reading time with writing or just getting ready for bed (after staying up too late writing or whatever). Fifteen minutes a night is okay for short stories and such, but it really stretches a novel out to turn-around times bordering on the ridiculous.

Needless to say, I’ve been having trouble sitting down and writing, too. There are some writers out there who insist they just don’t have time to read, but I firmly believe that reading is important for writing – they go hand in hand. You have to fill the well, so to speak. Creativity in, creativity out. And I’ve definitely been neglecting my “well”.

What to do, what to do? The obvious answer is to read more. But when?

Well, I’m not sure. I have a few ideas, but need to see if they’ll work with existing routines, which is not always as easy as it sounds. But I have a feeling that if I get back to reading more, writing more will come naturally as well. Or I hope it will, anyways.

Books I have currently in progress are: a short story/poem collection by Neil Gaiman, and “About that Kiss” by Jill Shalvis.

What are you reading? And if you’re a writer, do you think how much (or little) you read affects how much or little you write?

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