Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

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Are Writers Ever Bored Enough?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                  (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Two interesting quotes jumped on me in the past few days. One in the January “Vogue” magazine from an interview with Cate Blanchett and the other an opinion piece by a doctor in our local newspaper.

This blog idea came to me when sorting my yarn stash. Fun fur rocks!
This blog idea came to me when sorting my yarn stash. Fun fur rocks!

Blanchett talked about the creative process, “there’s a kind of unrest that I think happens in any creative endeavor. You are endlessly disappointed. I mean, no artist worth their salt is ever pleased.” She went on to quote legendary dancer Martha Graham then wrapped it up with, “And that is actually what keeps you moving forward and makes you stay creatively alive.”

It was a nugget of inspiration I needed after trying to figure out what I want to do when my writing grows up, if ever. It’s also testament to reading everything, because you never know where pearls of advice might be hidden. I’d started reading the article in the middle since I wanted to see what Blanchett said about the new movie she’s in, “The Monuments Men.” I’ve owned the book for years! Now it’s a movie and seriously, who doesn’t want to watch George Clooney?

The opinion piece in the paper centered on the need for children to unplug and venture outside, to actually play with something besides a screen. He talked about the need for children to not be so scheduled, they need boredom time. The line that hit me hard? “Boredom is the furnace of creativity.”

What a great and true sentence. Then I immediately applied everything from both articles to adults and writers. When was the last time you were creatively perfect or truly bored? Can’t remember? Of course not! Between the screens, schedules and sleep, who has time to be perfect or bored?

And that is the issue. Writers and all creatives need time to sit, stare out the window and be restless and bored. When I can’t solve a writing problem, I treat it the same way as a glitchy computer; back away, go outside and reboot. House cleaning and mundane tasks give my right brain a vacation, then while my left brain is carefully supervising sock folding; voila, a solution appears in my right brain. Amazing stuff.

Not perfect? Are you bored today? Excellent!

Read the play article here: http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/01/why_children_should_play_more.html

Can You Move Like A Rabbit?

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by Kimberly A. Cook       (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

While many of us are still digesting/munching on our leftover New Year’s Day snacks, these highly trained athletes show us what it’s like to be in shape. I don’t know why I love these agility courses, but I do. Especially the rabbits who cheat!

So whether you can get up out of your chair or off the couch at all, look to these bona fide competitors to show us how to work off our holiday weight gain. Happy Quirky Friday!

Welcome to 2014 – Do you Know Where Your Goals Are?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Back to the blog. Unlike many folks this year, I’ve decided not to make any New Year’s resolutions I won’t work on after February. Can’t spare the mental energy, so I’ll quit before I add to my list. I’m still working on last year’s goals, so those will roll-forward into this year. When you pick big goals, they can take more than twelve months or last your entire life when you’re a writer.

When "purging" got too much for me in the art studio, I headed for this batch of milk chocolate chip oatmeal Christmas cookies downstairs. Luckily I gave some away as presents so my jeans still fit. Kinda.
When “purging” got too much for me in the art studio, I headed for this batch of milk chocolate chip oatmeal Christmas cookies downstairs. Luckily I gave some away as presents so my jeans still fit. Kinda.

Part of the writing challenge these days is deciding to combine my office and craft projects in the same room to make an “art studio.” This decision has morphed into a mess of gargantuan proportions. If you don’t have the staff of hundreds they use on those organizing tv shows, the whole “shove two rooms together spill out in the hall mess” is daunting.

There have been some up sides; my crafty creative mind keeps straying over into the writing side of the “art studio” and vice a versa. When glue dots, beads and stickers hunker next to yarn, writing manuscripts and photos, interesting things begin to happen. Our environments are very important to us creatives. Of course, the whole finishing thing issue now crops up in all areas of the room. Squirrel!

But when life gets crazy and holidays and people need tending, the mess waits. So my goal is to get the “art studio” in shape by the end of this year. If I give myself tons of time, it feels like a fun goal and not a business plan. More fun, less work this year is my main goal. Along with simplifying. Now, if I can just get Spec Ops Cat to dust.

Taking A Holiday Blog Break

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by Kimberly A. Cook                          (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Due to technical difficulties beyond my control, I am taking a blog break for the rest of this month. Happy Holidays and take some time to enjoy the season, family, friends and find some writing time.

Check out a few of my former posts in the meantime that you may have missed:

https://kimberlyacook.com/2011/11/01/which-dessert-would-you-choose/

https://kimberlyacook.com/2011/12/06/pearl-harbor-remembrance-70-years-later/

https://kimberlyacook.com/2011/12/27/what-would-hayley-mills-do/

https://kimberlyacook.com/2011/12/02/prep-and-landing-elves-to-score-again/

See you in 2014!

How About A Thanksgiving Writing Retreat?

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by Kimberly A. Cook       (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Here comes turkey day and then the slippery slope to holiday festivities. In amongst all the carting, preparing, eating and clean-up, perhaps we can all steal some time to write. At some point we may try to lock ourselves in the coat closet anyway, given too much people time, but just in case make a back-up plan to steal some sacred writing time away from the chaos of the season.

The classic Libby's recipe pumpkin pies from my very own kitchen. Can you smell the joy?
The classic Libby’s recipe pumpkin pies from my very own kitchen. Can you smell the joy?

To get us started in the right direction, read these Thoughts on Writing from Elizabeth Gilbert at http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/thoughts-on-writing/  Yes, we know I am a huge fan of hers, but with good reason. She seems so sane. And funny!

An article about her in the Nov/Dec 2013 “Poets & Writers” magazine said she didn’t write for three years while she researched her newly released fiction book. Three years! Fabulous. Here I was worried about sticking my non-fiction book in a box for a couple of months. (http://www.pw.org/content/novemberdecember_2013)

Every one of us has to find our own writer’s path. It’s like cleaning the cat’s litter box – we have to do it because the cat sure isn’t about to scoop poop, he’s got staff. Writers are our own staff and everything else – logistics! (And no, UPS will not write our books. Deliver them? Yes.)

With the changes I am making with knitting, combining my craft and writing spaces, plus focusing on what makes me happy and ignoring the rest, my muse is waking up from slumber. The creative power is eeking back into my veins and I might actually be a tad more pleasant to be around these days, Frustrated creatives are cranky people to be sure, I know this because my family has told me so.

So whether you are participating in the holidays at a DefCon 5 level or ignoring them completely, both are allowed, give yourself the gift of writing time. Plus pumpkin pie of course!

P.S. Turkey Bonus: For the three of you on the planet who don’t know about www.blackfriday.com, you can do shopping recon of the after turkey day ads right now. Happy Thanksgiving!

Are You Ready For Some Gobble Games?

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by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

This video clip makes me laugh every time. Have no clue what the turkeys outside the car are saying, but the one inside the car is too funny to watch. With Thanksgiving fast approaching, what better activity than cross-species communication!

Have a great weekend and make sure to get all the fixin’s for a good Turkey Day holiday with friends or family or both. When my buddy visiting from Australia experienced Thanksgiving for the first time she declared it her new favorite holiday! Happy Quirky Friday!