My Favorite: Quote

 

If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut.” ~ Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

I've read many quotes about being a writer. The above is one I can heartily agree with. Some writers say they don't have time to read. Granted, writers with full-time jobs, families, a life are limited on time. But, if you don't read, how do you grow? How do you recognize the common tropes in your genre? The language?

I read for pleasure before I go to sleep. Many different genres, even some I won't ever write (like military thrillers). During the day, I read for business--social media, how-to articles, the business of being a writer. In between, I read for my book group. That's where my reading interest is really stretched. We read biographies, historical pieces, poetry, a lot of nonfiction.

The second part of King's quote seems simple. If you're a writer, you write. I write blog posts, responses to Facebook posts, promotional tweets. Those are easy. Writing on my current work-in-progress is not.

I hit a wall. I know I have to get past it. Or write around it. Or delete the scenes and start over. 

Aarrggh! 

(That was me, tearing out what little hair I have.)

I know that once I get going I'll be on a roll. What's keeping me from doing just that? Good question. Fear? Procrastination? Laziness? A little of all three.

So, it's back to more advice: BICHOK (butt in chair, hands on keyboard)

My Favorite: Winter Sport

As I write this post, I'm watching the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. I love the winter games, much more than the ones in summer. The athletes bring so much excitement, talent, and enthusiasm to the audience.

I enjoy watching most of the events. My favorite is figure skating. When I was a kid, my mom would flood a low spot in our backyard (sometimes in the front) so my sister and I could ice skate. We lived on acreage so we had a big yard. It didn't take long for the ice to form since the low spot wasn't very deep. 

My sister was always better at it than I was. Like my heroine in the Alex O'Hara mysteries, I'm a klutz. When God was handing out coordination, He skipped me. 😀 Definitely a lack of balance. Still, I had fun skating around our makeshift rink. My sister would skate on one foot and do spins. While I spent a lot of time on my rear.

As I watch figure skating on television, I admire their poise as the athletes fly into the air and land so easily on one foot. The dancers bring an extra dimension to the ice. A fluidity. The pairs skating shows the tremendous strength of the men as they throw their partner in the air, and the trust the women have that he will catch her.

I'll watch the games over the next couple of weeks and remember the fun my sister and I had.

My Favorites: Coffee Cake

 

My mother didn't learn to cook until after she was married. Her mother didn't teach her more than stir the pot or heat up whatever. Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook became her bible. She followed recipes to the letter, never deviating, never experimenting. She made sure her daughters learn to cook, when we were young. I sat on the red stepstool next to the stove and stirred pudding--no instant pudding back then. Or I learned to make a white sauce (aka béchamel, according to my chef son), again stirring so as not to have lumps.

Mom was always cutting recipes out of the newspaper, a habit I followed for years. She found one for coffee cake that has become a staple in our home, as well as our daughter's and daughter-in-law's, on Christmas Day.

"Secret" recipes is not in my vocabulary. Others have shared their recipes with me and I do the same. So, here's a favorite recipe from my home to yours.

Streusel Coffee Cake

1 package yellow cake mix

1/4 cup firm butter

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

3 eggs

1  1/2 cups (12 oz) sour cream

Heat oven to 350°. Spray a 13x9x2 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray (or grease and flour the pan). Measure 2/3 cup dry cake mix into small bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Mix in brown sugar and walnuts. This will be the topping. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs lightly with fork; stir in sour cream. Blend in remaining dry cake mix, scraping bowl often. (Batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.) Pour half of the batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle half the topping over the batter. Spoon and gently spread remaining batter in pan, top with remaining topping mix. Bake 40-45 minutes at 350°.

 

One time, My daughter-in-law added blueberries. Let me know if you make a variation. I'd love to try it.

Enjoy.

 

My Favorites: Scene From a Favorite Movie

 credit: IMDB

I could never name my favorite movie. Too many are favorites. The closest I can come to that is a favorite scene from a favorite movie.

The other day my husband was watching a World War II flick with James Cagney. He played Admiral Halsey. I’m not into war movies, but that got me thinking about my favorite Cagney movie. Yankee Doodle Dandy, the story of George M. Cohan. Released in 1942, it was a patriotic movie. 

My favorite scene comes near the end of the movie. Cohan is getting on in years, gray-haired and slower in his walk. He’s been invited to the Oval Office, where he’s given the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Franklin Roosevelt. The President expounds on all Cohan has done for the country, the inspiring songs—"Over There” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy” to name just two. Although Cohan has done his duty for his country, Roosevelt asks for his help again. That so inspires Cohan, and invigorates him, as he leaves he dances down the curving staircase to the tune of “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”

Side note: After writing this post, I checked IMDB to make sure I had facts right. The top review lists this same scene as her/his favorite, even goes on about Cagney’s dancing talent. Glad I read that after writing this or you’d think I copied. 😊

James Cagney as George M. Cohan  (credit: IMDB)

James Cagney was known for gangster movies. Most people didn’t realize that he grew up in vaudeville, like George M. Cohan. And like Cohan, he was a song-and-dance man. Could that man dance! He won his only Oscar for Yankee Doodle Dandy, the first actor to win the Best Actor Award in a musical.

I’m going to start searching all the channels to find Yankee Doodle Dandy. Can’t wait to watch it again.

 

 

My Favorites: Quote

 

credit: Goodreads

If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut.” ~ Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

On Monday, I wrote that I was resurrecting my blog. If you’re a follower, you’ve already seen that. I’m going to dedicate Fridays to my favorites—books, movies, quotes, food, whatever.

Today, I’m sharing a favorite quote. My son and son-in-law are huge fans of Stephen King. I don’t do horror or anything scary, but I admire Mr. King’s career. His book On Writing is excellent. Of all the advice he shares, the above quote is right on target.

I’ve heard people say “I don’t have time to read.” When those people are writers, I wonder how can you not read? Reading is filling the creative well. When we read in the genre we write, we learn the expectations readers have. We learn the language.

Just as writers say they can’t not write, I say I can’t not read. Every year, Goodreads offers a reading challenge. You indicate how many books you’ll read for the year and GR keeps track. I first signed up for the challenge because I wondered how many books I read each year. In the past two years, I’ve read over 100 books each year. To Goodreads it doesn’t matter if the book is 400 pages or 28. Either way it counts as 1 book.

I can’t say I’m surprised that I read so many. The past two years have been difficult, and reading helped me escape. I immerse myself in a story and forget (for a little while) the challenge Life throws my way. I read mostly fiction. My local book group makes sure I stretch my reading interest, so I’ve read poetry, historical true stories, biographies, as well as literature. Lately, I’ve been reading thrillers. You know, those edge-of-your-seat, stay-up-all-night-reading stories. I love a good cozy mystery and give me a science fiction romance to carry me out to the stars.

One of the reasons I read so many books over the past two years is that I haven’t been writing. My creative energies pretty much disappeared. I’m back now, trying to write each day. You could say I follow half of Stephen King’s advice. Now, I need to follow the rest.