How to Beat Writer's Block

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I've been writing for as long as I can remember. Literally before I could write in a straight line or sign my own name in cursive, I was writing far-fetched fantasies on printer paper that I stapled together into "books."



If you're a writer for a long time, no matter how creative you are and how much you love writing, you will eventually run into writer's block. It can be incredibly frustrating, both for hobby and professional writers, and for professional writers there's the added stress of fretting about whether you'll beat the block before your pages are due.

Whether it's your first block or your hundredth, hopefully my ways of handling writer's block will be helpful to you!

How to Get Creatively Unblocked

1. Step back.

Sometimes the answer to a writer's block is just to give in and take a break. If you're on a tight deadline, you may not have this option, but if you do have more time and/or you've been working really steadily, sometimes a little break to unwind and do something else can be just the right answer! 

2. Write garbage.

We can't write brilliant, well-crafted work all the time. I'm not saying you should be satisfied with garbage as your finished work, but you should give yourself permission to write garbage when you're blocked. Some of it may make it into the final work, after heavy editing, or it might just help you work through your block, so you can come back and write something better.

Sometimes you just have to let yourself write things that don't make sense. But go back and edit before you publish! I'm looking at you, Disney.*

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Ask and you will receive [answers]

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Hi, guys!

I'm always curious about what you guys want to know about me. And I bet you want to know something (as egoistic as that sounds) because otherwise you wouldn't read my blog...right?

So ask away!

What do you want to know? What do you want to ask me?

If I get enough questions, I'll put together a Q&A post full of them. If not, I'll just email you the answers. :)

It's been a while since the last one, so I'm currently having a lot of fun writing a middle grade novel (WIP title 'The Princess Games') in the Wintergarten and savoring a delightful Ulimana Goji Cherry Truffle.

I'm not usually a fan of the chocolate-fruit combination (it used to literally make me gag when I was younger), but I'm actually loving this! The fudgy consistency is, as always, swoon-worthy:

And somehow the super-intense chocolatiness is well complimented by the dried Goji Berries and cherries. Tasty way to get those antioxidants in, much? Especially with a glass of ice-cold soy milk.

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More YouBar Yummies!

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I did a few YouBar product reviews earlier this week, and it's time for two more! Here are some new eats from yesterday (after my symposium presentation this morning, I'll be on my way to Boston!).

First off, 'Mix Up Your Day' YouTrailMix, a handy-dandy snack that I grabbed (mid-morning) before settling down to spend some lovely (sarcasm, yes) quality time with my research report : GAH! It's due at midnight!

But this gave my brain some good fuel to work with:

Poured it out into a bowl for some nibble-age:

Ingredients = Sesame Sticks, Organic Coconut, Organic Goji Berries, Pineapples, Cashews, Almonds

I wasn't really digging the organic coconut or dried pineapples, but that's probably because *ahem* I only like fresh pineapple and Idon'tlikecoconut (I know, I feel like such a weirdo for saying it - it seems like everyone does!). The sesame sticks provided a nice crunch and made the whole thing taste like a yummier, healthier, more-filling version of Chex Mex. Basically, grown up chex mix! The goji berries, in particular, where very chewy and a real delight. I ended up nibbling around the coconut and pineapple...some of that got left in the bowl.

But it's okay, because my housemates *devoured* the few remains (to rave review, I might add).

I worked on my report...meh...had lunch...worked on my report...and was visited by den kleinen Hunger a while later. What to do? Take a break of course!

With one of these bad boys:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough was definitely useful in preventing my hair from being pulled out over my icky-micky report revisions. But it wasn't a bad boy at all, because check out what's in it!
Ingredients = Organic Dates, Cashew Butter, Cashews, Organic Clover Honey, Organic Semisweet Chocolate Chips, Vanilla Extract

Simple, but it was *delicious* - I thought the Breakfast Bar was good, but this is a new fave!

Lots of bars/yogurts/chewing gums promise to taste like desserts...but don't. This one actually *did* taste like chocolate chip cookie dough!

Teehee, as you can see, I couldn't resist taking a bite out of it as soon as I unwrapped it!

It tasted buttery and sweet, with a nice chewy texture and miraculously melty chocolate chips (miraculous, as it wasn't even that warm today???). The texture was nice and chewy, with a little stick-to-your teeth gooeyness, but not enough to mandate tooth-brushing. YUMYUMYUM, I think this bar just became a #1! I have a couple, as I'm so indecisive :P

If (or rather, when) I order some more, I think I'll try adding some kind of grain, though...I think this could taste even more amazing with some granola or something thrown in. If you're looking for a straight-up chewy bar (or don't feel like grains) this is, as is, a great bet!

Again, if you want to head over to YouBar and order yourself some healthy, tasty goodies, don't forget to type in LiveLearnEat as your discount code! They were nice enough to offer a 10% discount for all Living, Learning, Eating, Readers!

Do you like coconut?

Do you prefer your chocolate melty or solid?

How do you like to write your papers/reports - over weeks, or under a tight deadline?

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Letters to Juniper by Peggy Tibbetts (Middle Grade book Review)

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A few days ago, I told you guys that I got this in the mail:



Peggy Tibbetts's middle grade novel 'Letters to Juniper.' Avid reader that I am, I immediately started reading it.

The start was a little slow, but by the time I got to page seven, I found myself getting more and more wrapped up in the story. Sarah, our oh-so-lovable protagonist, is a sweet 12 year old girl in a very unfortunate familial situation, who finds her family on the front of what she likens to "a war." Tibbetts' strong narrative voice brought Sarah to life, such that I couldn't even put the book down during dinner (er...tomato sauce spots add character?)

The story is told in a chillingly true style and really draws readers in - not only was I reading through mealtimes, but also on my walk to and from work! The ending, at least for me, came out of nowhere! I thoroughly enjoyed 'Letters to Juniper' and think it's good enough to pull the little (er, middle?) ones away from their gameboys. ;)

Though Tibbetts markets it as a middle grade novel, I think the story definitely has young adult cross-over potential. I'd recommend 'Letters to Juniper' for 10 to 16 year old readers! You can get a copy here. Check it out! :)

How do you decide what book to read next?
Do you give books as presents?

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Jammin' It Up

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I'm definitely taking a page out of Kath's book with this:

She plops jam on her oatmeal all the time, and though I've always thought it was a bit odd, I thought it might just work. So here it is - yogurt & cereal, not oatmeal, but whatever:

It was actually quite tasty! The sweetness of the jam against the tartness of the Chobani worked quite well :)

Then I had a banana with chunky peanut butter & lots of granola, and a thick slice of bread with chunky peanut butter & honey. Still hungry (my stomach wants to make up for lost time, what with the icky way it felt earlier this week), I ripped open a mini-Clif bar sample

Chocolate Brownie - hey, sounds good, right?

Er, that scared me a little...And syrup is the first ingredient? And I think it's what made the texture weird. Think hardened syrup with oats in it. I don't know about you, but that doesn't do it for me.

*NOTE: Brown rice syrup ISN'T the same thing as corn syrup or pancake syrup - it's much more natural and much healthier. Also, the composition of the bar is such that it holds up during a long hike or grueling bike ride - so there are pluses to the bar's texture. It's really all about your needs!*

But as far as I go, I prefer to have a grain, nut, or fruit as the first ingredient in my 'healthy' snacks.

I took a bite: it tasted like sugar, but not like a brownie. Not really like chocolate, either??? Questionable...

I plopped it on a slice of 15 grain bread (not that I know what the bulk of those 15 grains are - what is it with all this 'more ingredients = better' business?)

I can't say it looks too great. Not to be a potty-head (thank my little sister for that expression) but it reminds of something else a *lot* more than it reminds me of a brownie...

I sandwiched the bread over it, so that I wouldn't have to look at it :P

It was okay. After a few bites, it did grow on me. Especially with the bread closed over it so I didn't have to look at it (and the wrapper in the bin, where I didn't have to look at its unimpressive ingredients list). Even the texture got to be okay. And it was filling (or was that everything else that I ate with it? Hmm....all I know is, I'm stuffed).

Verdict? I'd probably eat it again, or at least try another flavor, if it were being handed out for free somewhere. But would I pay a buck for a bar? Most likely not, unless I was starving and it was the only vegetarian thing around. I'm confident that there are better energy bars out there. Lara bars, for one, are tastier and more natural (fewer, higher quality ingredients). The problem with Lara bars is that you're out of luck if you aren't looking for a very sweet date bar. But I'm sure there's got to be some delicious and nutritious bar out there, just waiting for me to discover it. I'll be on the look-out; this is going to become an active mission for me!

ON A DIFFERENT NOTE: Online shopping is sooo bad. :P Way too addictive! I just ordered a new digital camera, because I'm not happy with the quality of the pics from my current cam. So, as of mid- to late-next week, the pictures should get sharper/better! YAY! Ouch for my wallet, though :P

And, on a STILL different note: Look what I just got in the mail!

It's a middle grade novel that my fellow fiction-writer, Peggy Tibbetts, sent me to review! I've already cracked it open (I'm on page 47 and will be getting back to it ASAP), so a review should be coming up soon!

And excuse the ink on my hand. I ran out of paper.

Do you write on yourself?

What's your favorite energy bar? I swear I won't judge if it's a Clif bar - everyone has different tastes and needs! :)

What's the weirdest thing you put jam on?

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A Sugar Rush, Some Almond Butter, and 2 Product Reviews (!)

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That title just gave me  a serious case of nostalgia and I had to pull up my I-Tunes library before I could start writing. When I was younger (as if I don't any more? Who am I kidding?) I was a huge A-Teens fan. And, if you haven't heard Sugar Rush by the A-Teens, I suggest you YouTube it (yes, that's a verb) now. It's one of those syrup-y sweet group songs that just scream 90s/early 20s (??). Love it <3

And it's very appropriate considering the team of this post. Sweet stuff!

It started with my mid-morning snack, following a little online shopping for the Victoria's Secret Angel Wish perfume (Victoria's Secret hasn't made it to Germany yet, so my cousin wants to me to bring her a bottle of the stuff - it's her favorite scent). It seems that they have discontinued it? GAH! Anyway, mid-morning snack followed:

The only kind of cakes that I like are the really decadent, rich ones.

This muffin? Was rich chocolatey perfection, all the way :) The chocolate chips were melty and the cake was moist and sweet.

I read a bit (Happiness Key by Emilie Richards - not usually my kind of book, but it's sucking me in) and stared at a blank Microsoft Word document for a bit more. I'm trying to get started on a new project, but I just can't seem to think of anything that really gets me excited enough to commit to 2 months and ~60,000 words :/

So, rather than starting yet another two chapter thing to toss out (I have 23 story beginnings going, most/all of which will never be continued), I headed back down to the kitchen to prepare some lunch. I had some carrots and dip, a thick peanut butter and honey sandwich made with both butts of a loaf of bread (I'm a butt kind of a girl, haha), and a bowl of this:

Before you ask, this is not the same bowl I posted last time or the time before. See this?

YUMMARUMMY-IN-MY-TUMMY ALMOND BUTTER!

I bought it (six bucks) at Hannaford's yesterday, when I bought my ice cream :) I've had the Blue Diamond 'Easy to Mix' one before, but I wanted to try the homestyle. The difference is that this one is just almonds and salt, no palm oil. So when you first get it, the oil separates. A bit inconvenient to mix (take my advice - don't wear a white shirt while doing it. In fact, if you'r a klutz like me, wear an apron. I hope almond butter comes out of white tanks...) but afterwards it looks like this:

And I'm not sure if this is just my head, but I think it actually tastes almond-ier. I love it and I'm probably not going back to easy-to-spread!

You might have noticed that it's smooth, not chunky. WHAT? I know, I know, I'm normally a 100% chunky fan, but I actually like almond butter just as much smooth. It has a bit of a grainer texture than peanut butter anyway, so the smooth isn't too smooth. One thing? I'd refrigerate it - it definitely tastes better chilled :)

I'm an almond butter fan, but I'll still eat my daily (tons of) peanut butter. Almond butter has a really strong flavor and is good at times, but not something you'd want spread thick on a sandwich more than once a day. It's better in smaller amounts.

Anyway, after that I went into town to do comparative pre-gift shopping. Am I the only one that does that? You know, walks around with a notebook and a pen, jotting down products from different shops and their prices, so that I'm sure I'm getting the best deal when I buy? I have a ton of people to get gifts for, though, and all that maple syrup and wild blueberry pancake mix can add up!

After all that shopping, this was waiting for me:

I opened it yesterday:

So there was already a generous portion missing :P Anyway, I scooped out a bowlful:

And proceeded to devour it. For research's sake, of course. Doesn't that look like research to you?

It's certainly a lot prettier than the tumors I work with in my real research!

And, though I've never actually tried eating the tumors in my research, I'm sure it was much tastier :P

The ice cream was perfectly creamy and rich, with a smooth vanilla taste and none of that icky ice-crystallizing business. I hate when ice cream does that! Or when it tastes 'light'? Ick, not worth it. Then again, I also am not that big a fan of the super-heavy Ben & Jerry's stuff on a really hot day (that's better for winter, late fall, or early spring), and this was just the right intermediate.

The caramel swirls and praline crunchies were also very present - good for me, as I'm a big fan of mix-ins! All in all, this is definitely one of my top five packaged ice creams :) At home, Edy's costs $6.50 per tub. Here it only costs $3.50!! WTF? All other groceries are so much more expensive up here (it's a tourist trap, so that's to be expected). What gives?

Maybe it's because every other business up here is an ice cream shop and otherwise they'd never sell any packaged ice cream?
But seriously, that's less for the whole carton than a single scoop at CJ' Big Dipper, Ben & Bill's Chocolate Emporium, or Mount Desert Ice Cream! I'm definitely sticking mainly to this, as that means more spending money for Europe :)

And you know I can't resist TopShop. Who can?

What do you think of the more casual product review style above?
I prefer this type of review, do you mind it?

What's your favorite  type of packaged ice cream?

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The Ice Cream Sandwich Review that Almost Was...

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I just had an okay ice cream sandwich and was pretty tempted to write a review. I mean, it was just a standard Hood bar (think two cakey chocolate cookies with a generous layer of so-so vanilla ice cream in between) and it really wasn’t even that tasty. The ice cream was not creamy, but it was still a bit too heavy. The cookies tasted super artificial and left my mouth covered in a thick film of sugar.

But it was my lunchtime dessert and sometimes you just want some low-quality stuff, you know? It’s like when people eat spray cheese – it’s probably not because they think it’s great cheese, but just because they’re in the mood for a little fun nostalgia.

Anyway, the point is that I didn’t write the review. Nor did I write a review of the killer roasted pepper hummus I had with my lunch (and I’m not a hummus fan, so it’s saying something that I liked it). Why? Because it just felt too awkward to whip out a camera and start snapping away at my food!

Do you photograph food in public? How do people react? Is it as awkward as it seems? Sound off in the comments, below – I’m looking forward to hearing your opinions!

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