Procrastination or Inspiration?

As a writer the easiest thing in the universe to do is procrastinate.  

You can find any reason to not write.
Too tired, laundry is piling up, the bathroom needs to be cleaned, you need to go to the store, weeds need to be pulled, the fly buzzing around the room is too distracting, kids need me, too loud, too quiet, no inspiration. I have used them all.

Fortunately, I've broken out of the sticky web of procrastination. Not saying that I don’t fall back every now and again. However I have realized that my procrastination will actually stall my creative flow. I am in essence putting my muse on mute. I have learned that if you keep it silent for too long, when you do turn the volume back up you will find nothing but silence.

I love people that tell you they are ‘working up to’ something. I have learned it is code for ‘I have no freaking idea what I am going to do’. But that’s okay. We've all been there, when the ideas and the flow seem just out of reach, so why waste time staring a blank screen? Why spend precious hours writing useless prattle? If the inspiration isn’t there, it just isn’t there…right?

See, here’s the thing…staring at the blank screen, believe it or not, is not a waste of time. Writing gibberish does more than give you sore shoulders. These seemingly useless exercises can in fact amount to brilliance. How? Because you are doing it! You are focused on your task. You are allowing your mind to wander to all of those wonderful places where the kernels of inspiration collect. Given enough time and patience they will pop and you were soar!

I have said it a million times and I cannot stress it enough. The reason I do is because I don’t want anyone to miss out on the chance of brilliance! If you are going to write, than write! If you are going to write a song, write it! If you are going to conquer the world, get to work!

Someone once said that ‘Procrastination is the ruin of the brilliant man’. And while I'm not going to go to that degree, I will say it is a slippery slope. So mind your balance and open the door for brilliance, it's waiting!

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Shockwave Character Blog - Kate Weiss

I have a problem with no solution. I think I'm in love with a man I can never be with. Just thinking about him makes me weak. No one has ever had this effect on me and I have to say it is really pissing me off. This is not the way it is supposed to work. I don’t want or need a relationship. I don’t have the time or energy. But…oh the way I feel when I am with him. His control over me is palpable, scorching and addictive. I lose myself in the warmth of his touch, his demanding embrace and his liquid gaze. 

The memories of our night together are still fresh in my mind. While I struggle to push them away they always return. We can never be together, we come from two different worlds and I know how that works. I can’t do it again. So if my brain knows this, why won’t my heart listen? Why does it continue to call his name in the dark of night? 

I left for a reason, he rejected me. He thinks I lied to him, that I was keeping the truth hidden from view. The betrayal shining in his eyes still stabs at me. How could I ever ask for his forgiveness when any relationship we could build is doomed to failure?

Taking a deep breath, he moved across the parking lot and to her door. He was about to knock when he heard his name.

“Jack?” He turned to see her walking toward him, her male companion at her side.

“Hey…Kate,” he managed with a smile while she stared at him in confusion.

“What are you doing here?”

“I needed to see you,” his eyes locking with hers.

“You two obviously need to be alone,” Kate’s friend said giving Jack a look of warning. “I’m going to head inside.”

Kate simply nodded, not breaking Jack’s gaze. The man disappeared into her house. She stood staring at him and Jack realized she was waiting for him to say something.

“I wanted to apologize for the way I left things in Vegas.” She looked away from him.

“Thanks, but it’s over. I’m --”

“I know I messed up. I didn’t mean to push you away and I--”

“Jack--”

“I don’t know what this is. All I know is that since you left 

everything…stopped.””

“You don’t know what you’re saying.” Her eyes filled with emotion and he saw a ray of hope.

 “Listen to me,” moving closer, looking down into her eyes. “I know that this isn’t what was supposed to happen, but it did and I want to start over.”

“I’m not good for you, Jack,” hugging herself as if a chill had fallen between them.

“That’s not true,” shortening the space between them. The ocean air swept through her hair, her scent filling him. “I have never been more alive than I am with you.”

“It’s a fantasy. It isn’t real.”

“Yes it is,” seeing the denial in her eyes. “I’ve tried to forget, Kate! I’ve told myself that it wasn’t real--”

“No, Jack…”

“But I was wrong! It is real and I can’t let it go,” refusing to let her push him away, keeping her eyes locked within his. “And I don’t think you can either.”

He watched her struggle and wanted desperately to wrap his arms around her.  He forced himself to stay where he was. She gulped something back and took a deep breath.

“I have nothing to give you.”

“I’m not asking for anything,” searching her eyes for some sign of hope.

“Yes you are.”

“Kate…”

 “You are…you are looking for Texas Kate. Problem is that laid back, nice, Texas Kate doesn’t exist! My life is complicated, dangerous and all consuming! At the end of the day there is nothing left.” she purposely stepped back, out of his reach. “You think you know me, Jack, but you don’t.”

“You’re right I don’t, not all of you. But I do know the Kate I rode the stratosphere with, the woman who prefers an orange soda over a beer, who didn’t hesitate to tell me when I was being a selfish ass. The exquisite creature I held before the world exploded.”

“Please…stop.” the words sent her spiraling away from him her hand running through her hair as she refused to meet his eyes.

“I’m useless without you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for!”

“Yes there is. I was trying to run away from who I am and you got caught up in it.  None of it was real. The Kate you are talking about doesn’t exist, she never did. I’m sorry that I misled you—“

“Don’t do this. Don’t stand there and tell me it was a lie when you know it wasn’t! I know you felt it too. I saw it in your eyes when you looked at me. It was overwhelming and I can’t forget. I don’t want to forget--”

“It’s a fairy tale,” breaking away from any connection he had made with her. 

“It’s not real. She’s not real! I created a character to cope, to hide and you fell for her, but she doesn’t exist. She never did! Let it go.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

“Believe it, I’m not as understanding as your Kate. I don’t have the time or the patience. It’s unproductive and does me no good.”

“Fine,” blocking her eye line, forcing her to face him. “Look at me and tell me that you don’t want me here. Tell me that I am crazy. Tell me there is nothing but air between us and I’ll go.”

They seemed frozen in time. Jack saw a flicker of light in her eyes but it disappeared, as if she had consciously decided to extinguish their last ray of hope, and his heart ached.

“I’m sorry, Jack.” He watched her turn and walk away from him. He wanted to stop her, tell her that she was being stupid. They could make it work, but he didn’t. He let her go.

He let her walk away.

~

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The Genius Brain of M LeMont – How To Gain 100,000 Twitter Followers

I discovered M Lemont via Twitter (shocker, right?). Someone re-tweeted a promo tweet for his book, Write Like You’re Already Famous! The cover of the book and the title intrigued so I went on to Kindle Unlimited and downloaded it. Took me only a few days to start reading and within the first chapter I was already taking notes! I honestly haven’t finished the book because I immediately downloaded How To Gain 100,000 Twitter Followers: Twitter Secrets Revealed by An Expert (HTG100K Dare 2B GR8 Series) and dove in.

I have read a lot of marketing / social media how-to books and I usually don’t complete the books (even if they are short). I rarely review these kind of books because I hesitate to endorse or condemn anything that is subjective. All of that being said, I am not only going to rave about this book I am also going to admit my professional worship and  intellectual crush on M LeMont.

M LeMont (@mistersalesman) while an open book, is a bit of a mystery and personally, I kinda dig it. He’s like the alpha male of social media—confident, cool, educated, a love of the finer things and I know he has a gadget or two he is keeping to himself. 

So he is cool, big deal? Why, why is this on different, Amy? Why are you willing to go out on limb for this guy, this book, this system? 

Well as LeMont would say, the proof is in the results! I’ve been using only part of the system he lines out in the book and I have already gained 134 followers since the beginning of December 2016.  I know, my word is not enough, well peeps, let me lay it out.

HTG100KTF is simple, logical, and encouraging. . Lemont’s tone is not condescending or arrogant. His narrative voice makes you feel like he is talking directly to you, an old friend, over a glass of wine. In his book, M LeMont encourages you to engage him directly and it is not just a ploy. He is also completely engaged on Twitter! I have engaged him directly several times and enjoyed the conversation. Not auto-tweets, not canned answers, real conversation with candid commentary. 

How To Gain 100,000 Twitter Followers: Twitter Secrets Revealed by An Expert (HTG100K Dare 2B GR8 Series) is not a promise, it is not a guarantee, because the results depend entirely on you. HTG100KTF is a comprehensive, logical, no nonsense, no double-talk, plan of action for you to, for whatever reason, increase your influence on Twitter. 

As an author trying to find an audience, I whole heartedly recommend this book. Read it, follow it, memorize it and get it done. 

Here is a clip from the Amazon listing of HTG100KTF

 

“I'm not only the Author of a bestseller Twitter book, but I'm also a CLIENT. I USE the strategies every day to gain 200,000+ followers. I gain over 12,000 Followers a month and so do a lot of other people who read the book and implemented the strategies.”

The Book Offers:

• The Secret tool how to find people who follow back

• Six Powerful Factors that work fast!

• How to use the Secret formula to gain 300-400 followers a day

• Strategies for an unfair advantage

• Time-saving shortcuts

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@AmyJRomine

Character Blog Post - The Hysteria of Tchaikovsky

Author Amy Romine writing as the STALKER in the Trust Me Series.

 

Hello my dearest Aurora,

I have watched you for hours, I know your face by heart, your twinkling eyes, subtle smile and your enchanting laugh. You and all of your wicked charms excite me, entice me and make me…want…

They all pretend to be you now, starving for my attention they mock your regalia and are easily destroyed in your defense. Their tears become the water of life for you to drink at your leisure.

Ah the yearning of a place of warmth within your embrace. Within the solace of your eyes. He looks at you now. The other looks upon you fondly, behind the text of muted words and stolen thoughts. He wants you as I do, we are brothers in that regard, linked by a shared rising of hope. Will-less to your whims we sway within your breath, within the curve of your supple body begging for the smallest brush of fate to push us together.

The fates, I have learned are cruel innuendos for retribution, revenge and jealousy. You were marked by them long before my soul reached for you and now I am forced to endure their demands. They have suffered and therefore you must suffer.

You must scream, weep, beg and collapse motionless into oblivion before they will be satisfied and even then the hatred will only hibernate for so long. The demands of the damned are never ending as is the self imposed nightmare they endure.

You see your suffering gives them hope, lifting them out of she blackened pit they have thrown themselves in. Only you can save them, Rebecca. Only your spilt blood can lift them out of he blackness completely.

In this is my drive, my plight and I know if you knew the truth you would offer yourself up willingly, cut through your own skin to lessen the tortured of another. Alas it is not to be an easy cause and thus you are made to suffer as the damned.

I stand here now, once again covered in the sacrifice of the wicked. Anticipating your gasping horror like a erected cock being stroked by a glove of sand. It is torturous and yet highly delightful in its ability to confuse the senses and turn the pain into pleasure. Building until expulsion and lustful gratification.

I am a shadow in the light of your sun Aurora and I will bask in the glory of your glowing seraphic body until the end of days.

Your worshiping minion.

~

Serenity Lost Blurb:  Their brief heated meeting one fateful night had singed itself into their minds. Not knowing of the other's identity, but unable to forget, had sealed their fate. The fire smoldered quietly in each of them as they tried to move on with their lives.
Eric Stiles was in the middle of chaos, searching for a killer.
Hunted by an obsessed psychopath, Rebecca Gailen was trying to be strong.
The world stopped for a moment as they looked up and saw the other standing just feet away.
His heart lurched, her armor shattered and the world started again as Eric's brother, Charlie, appeared to take her hand.
Family loyalty isn't a choice. When Rebecca's stalker rages out of control, Eric's decision haunts him and he struggles to stay away. Can he remain loyal to his brother, even if it means abandoning Rebecca when she may need him the most?

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