Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

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Is A Lazy Weekend Good For Your Creative Muse?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Interesting weather weekend. Heat, humidity, thunderstorms, rain, lightning, wind, clouds. Sometimes all at the same time. Sunday morning I realized I had the heating pad on for a sore muscle, the air conditioning going and it was raining outside. Welcome to wacky weather.

Before planting, all but four of these guys got in the ground. Yes, I'm a yard art slut and that is Gnomeo and Juliet.
Before planting, all but four of these guys got in the ground. Yes, I’m a yard art slut and that is Gnomeo and Juliet.

Part of what did not happen this past weekend was me cleaning up more of my office. Seems I wanted to play and working on de-cluttering didn’t feel like fun.

The tune “Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer,” kept running through my mind.

By Sunday I had the lazy part down pat while I watched men run around at the World Cup with a lot more energy than I had.

Sometimes we need to park ourselves and sit. Just sit. Take time to think and dream and imagine. Daydreaming is an official requirement for writers, especially fiction writers. It also gives me time to scan the stack of magazines I buy and then barely have time to read.

Perfect Sunday. Weird weather means staying home is not only allowed, but recommended. Spec Ops Cat also requires a certain amount of lap time and he felt his quota was abysmal this past week. He got caught up.

There were two petunia and two fuchsia plants leftover from my garden planting weekend to go into the ground. I knew I should get them in the dirt but the rain and lightning convinced me they were on their own for another couple of days.

Sometimes the best thing to do on a summer Sunday is to putter, rest and snuggle with magazines and a cat. The office is not going to clean itself,  the clean up elves have a better union and don’t work on Sundays. It will all wait. September sounds good.

Taking time to refresh ourselves is important. Because even our creative muse mind needs a lazy summer day. Plus you don’t want to deal with a cranky pet, spouse, kids or friends. Enjoy some lazy summer days!

 

Do All Facts Belong In Fiction?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                     (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Not necessarily. Especially the “but it really happened that way” kind of facts. Fact is no guarantee it works in fiction writing. Case in point. Saturday I had lunch at my favorite café and antique store with my Mom. She spied a car that had driven up and parked. (Okay, people were driving it.) The car appeared to have a leak under the engine.

New fav mug from my sister. The yellow behind Bugs Bunny reminded me about the yellow shirt/tan shorts guys and had to tell her the tale.
New fav mug from my sister. The yellow behind Bugs Bunny reminded me about the yellow shirt/tan shorts guys and had to tell her the tale.

Last month I went back out to my garage after getting home and found my Subaru smoking. Engine off. In my non-smoking garage! Towed to the dealer the next day, found out a rock had pierced my oil filter and oil was everywhere. If I had driven it, very possibly rolling Subaru flambé.

So, with safety in mind, Mom told me the driver was a male wearing a yellow shirt and tan shorts. Off I went on a seek and alert mission. Down aisle one I spied a man just inside the front door with yellow shirt and tan shorts. Score! He denied having driven up in a red car. Okay.

Down aisle two and imagine my surprise; another man with yellow shirt and tan shorts. What are the odds? Asked if he had driven up in a red car and he said no. Think his wife thought I was trying to pick him up. I couldn’t figure out why these men were not fessing up.

Back at the café I found Mom talking to some folks from the café, which overlooks the large store. I could not see the people, but her “Are you from Montana?” got her chatting with them. Turns out they were the folks, the air conditioning overflow was the culprit and it had driven them nuts when they first got the car too.

By this time, I am back eating lunch and quite puzzled. Then, who do I see, but a woman and a different man in a yellow shirt and tan shorts come into the café. The Montana folks with the peeing car. Verified by Mom, this was the third guy in the store in a yellow shirt and tan shorts. Who sent out the yellow shirt, tan shorts memo?

Did it happen in real life? Yes. Would most readers believe it? Maybe. By the third time there would need to be a twist in the story to hold the reader’s attention. Real life stories are not necessarily the right stories for fiction. Truth can be stranger than fiction, but fiction needs to be believable.

How’s that for a head scratcher!

What Would A Writer’s Perfect Summer Be?

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by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

When the lazy days of summer roll around, bellying up to the keyboard in my home office seems like a drag. I want to sleep on the lawn swing and doze in the sun spots like Spec Ops Cat.

Sitting and smelling the roses and watching wildlife can refill our energy and provide us with some creative calm in this crazy world. It also opens us up to watching for surprises, unexpected gifts.

On my way into the building at my day job yesterday, I wondered if the resident ducks would be camped out in the storm water swale, not ten feet from the front of the building. Hadn’t seen Mom and Dad Duck for a bit, so hoped to get a peek of them paddling around in the water.

Mom Duck with babies hiding in plain sight. Have you passed by baby ducks?
Mom Duck with babies hiding in plain sight. Have you passed by baby ducks?

Spied Mom Duck and then baby ducks! What an unexpected joy to see the little feather balls gliding around keeping close to Mom. Dropped my bags and grabbed the camera to get a few pictures. Also means we have to watch out in the parking lot since they take off across it at any given time of the day.

While you are day dreaming of summer days and upcoming holidays with extra writing time, slow down and enjoy the everyday part of your writer life. Ponder what the perfect writer’s summer would be for you and then make one of those things happen.

Dream big and stay open to creative ideas and everyday happenings. You might find ducklings!

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize

they were the big things.” – Robert Brault

 

Received A Snail Mail Card Recently?

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by Kimberly A/ Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

The sun is out and it’s going to be a nice weekend here in Oregon. Yeah! Ate my first ripe strawberry out of my garden this week, so life is good. I also have a new favorite tv show to watch; “Signed, Sealed and Delivered,” on the Hallmark Channel.

It’s about Fictional Postal Detectives in the Dead Letter Office who reunite letters, packages and people with the important things they mail. The characters are quirky, so of course I love it! Take a look at the promo for the series to give you an idea.

Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!

Life Gives Us Unexpected Pleasures When We Slow Down

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by Kimberly A. Cook                 (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Spent the past week on an unexpected stay-cation at home and it was wonderful. Seems we run around so fast we never get time to just be. While visiting my favorite antique mall and café, I spied a marked down jar of jewels. Score!

Marked down from $25! Happy Dance!
Marked down from $25! Happy Dance!

I snapped it up and kept it until I had time to enjoy the sorting process. Got my favorite bead storage container, I keep a stash, and spent a pleasant hour discovering new treasures. It feels like bead therapy to me, bringing order out of chaos and finding surprises.

The process was interrupted by Spec Ops Cat wanting to help out. Whether it is checkbooks, knitting, composing on the computer or trying to read anything, he thinks a RECON is in order.

There were more pins and buttons than I expected in the jar, but it made me wonder about who wore the pins and why I had four from one convention. The little mysteries of life. I’ve read research which says women can start to lose their passions at age 10, so figure out what you did then and try it now. Reading, writing and jewelry making were big for me at 10 and still are among my favorite things to do.

Spec Ops Cat helping out. Kinda.
Spec Ops Cat helping out. Kinda.

Of course, in those days, I’d get these same jars filled with broken jewelry parts at Goodwill for a few dollars and have a field day sorting my finds. This $15 jar was a big bargain since everyone has caught on to recycling and making “steam punk” jewelry these days.

But I spent a wonderful time playing with my new jewels and dreaming up new creations I want to make.

When we’re not thinking about creating characters, building plots and editing, a childhood pleasure can give us a quick vacation without even leaving home. When did you last take a break and just play?

Fini!
Fini!

Great Course Run Guys!

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by Kimberly A. Cook                      (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

It’s been a wild week here at Quirky central and now it’s time to sit back and relax for the weekend. While I contemplate which of the 3,000 things I may not do on my get it done list, here are two brave foragers out for their morning nuts. Love the play by play calls!

When all else fails, the animals entertain. Happy Quirky Friday!