Yeah, I live here. Be jealous.

I'm back with a Healthy Writers Club post! And I must say, I'm pretty proud of my healthiness lately. This week, I went on a gorgeous 4 mile hike and did a short run. The hike kinda killed me-- I'm not used to that many miles at that altitude at that grade. So my legs are pleasantly sore.

I talk a lot about exercise in HWC, because it's very important. But just as important is FOOD. Food--especially yummy, comforting food-- is a staple of every writer's day. Bacon and chocolate covered raisins and diet Coke and chocolate covered cinnamon bears and who knows what else; these are the things that fuel our creative fire.

Or do they?

I recently made some major diet changes at the recommendation of my doctor. Notice I didn't say I "went on a diet." These are permanent, healthy changes. Essentially, I ditched all dairy and processed foods, pulled back on my meat intake, and am eating tons of fruits and veggies. And OH MY GOSH, you guys.

First of all, I lost 9 pounds in two weeks. Yeah. Nine. And the tiredness and fatigue I'd been dealing with for who knows how long? GONE. Like, within 72 hours. All of a sudden I felt like a teenager again, bouncing with energy. Added to that, the mental fog I didn't even realize I'd been struggling to see through cleared up.

I'm not kidding, you all. It has been a night and day difference for me. Other people around me have even commented on how energetic I am and how good I look. It has made a huge difference for my writing. Instead of forcing through tiredness and fog to slap out some ideas and get words on the page, my mind is sharp. My creativity has increased. Ideas flow faster and more easily. I recently figured out a major story problem in less than 10 minutes while putting my daughter to bed.

FOOD, my friends. Food can be your enemy, or it can change your life. Am I saying you can't have your chocolate and bacon? No. Food can be used to comfort and make us happy. But think about your diet. Don't think about cutting, if you don't want. Think about adding, instead-- fruits, veggies, whole grains. Start simple, maybe with a fruit shake or green smoothie for breakfast. I promise, it will change your life. And your writing.

So, my friends, will you take the challenge and add more healthy things to your diet? Or are you way ahead of me and eating healthy already? And just curious, what's your favorite comfort food? (Mine's the chocolate raisins. Yum!)

Last week was the LDStormakers conference right here in my home town! I'll be posting about some of the great things I learned over the next few weeks. I've been to this conference four years running, and it's always amazing. This year was no exception, and it had the added bonus that I got to meet my fabulous agent, Hannah Bowman.

We had dinner on Thursday night, during which I determined that she is basically my agent-y soulmate. Which I'd already kinda known, but it was made clear to me when we agreed on everything from Martin Freeman being more attractive than Benedict Cumberbatch (I know, so sue us-- but watch Sherlock, and tell me Martin isn't adorable), to the fall of the once-great Doctor Who.

But the kicker came on Saturday. We just so happen to have GORGEOUS mountains in Utah, and Hannah asked if I'd take her and Harlequin editor Victoria Curran up Provo Canyon. We had a lovely drive up to Sundance Ski Resort, enjoying the canyon. On the way back, I drove them to see a few sights around town. Then we had to turn around and head back to the conference.

I was on a side street. It was empty. I SWEAR there was no one behind me when I checked my mirrors. So I pulled a u-turn.

Brakes shrieked and a car swerved around me. It screeched to a stop in front of me and two teenage boys stared at me, wide-eyed, from the back seat.

AND THEN. The driver gets out of the car. He marches toward us. Hands are waving in the air as he shouts, "What the h*ll?!" My first thought: I almost killed my agent, an editor, and three people in the other car. Second thought: Drive away from scary man. Third thought: Someone would like to talk to you. Roll down the window and talk to nice, scary man.

I rolled down the window. (I KNOW.) And what did nice, scary man say to me? He leaned down and said, "I'm sorry for swearing at you."

I stared.

"I was just really upset," he continued.

"I'm sorry I almost hit you with my car," I choked out.

He got back in his car and drove away.

Hannah was incredulous. "Is that road rage in Utah? I was ready to go all New York on him, and you just APOLOGIZED to each other! All he said was 'h*ll!' I say worse things than that all the time!"

And I was very glad we could laugh about it, instead of having to call cops/an ambulance/etc. And I was very mortified that my bad driving was put on such public display.

So, my friends, take heart. When you're querying, or tweeting an agent, or pitching to an agent in person, know that whatever mistakes you make, it will never be as bad as the time I almost caused the untimely death of my agent.

I'm off to the LDStorymakers Conference this weekend! Not only is it a fab conference, but I get to meet my fab agent! Woot.

So in the meantime, I give you something to giggle about. I got a haircut today (because I can't leave my hair untouched for more than a few months). I always love getting a new look.

And then I began to daydream, and this daydream featured some of my favorite authors. What would it be like if I could be like one of them?

What if I could create complex worlds and gripping plots like Brandon Sanderson? Maybe I'd look more like this.

Or maybe I could craft rich, real, tortured characters like Dan Wells. I might resemble this picture.
What about beautiful themes? If I were like Brodi Ashton, maybe I could weave those in more deeply.

James Dashner is amazing at thrilling, page-turning adventures. I'd love to be a bit more like him.

I think it's safe to say we could all happily try to emulate our favorite authors' writerly strengths...but maybe not their writerly faces. We all have our own beautiful faces, and our own writing strengths, too. It's great to incorporate those traits we admire, but don't forget, we are all individuals. And we make better books that way. Be you in your writing, and be proud of it.

So, my friends, what author have you always admired and wished to be a bit more like?

Due to some changes in life, my health goals have also shifted a bit. Basically, I've had to cut back on the type and intensity of my exercise, at least for now. I'm still doing occasional Zumba, but shorter and less intense workouts. Running has been sidelined for now. Instead, I stepped a little outside my comfort zone and am trying something new. Yoga.

I've done a bit of yoga before, but didn't really get into it. However, I'm trying a new yoga video, and am kind of shocked by how much I enjoy it. It makes me feel strong and flexible (even though I'm not much of either), and gives me a good workout without wearing me out. It's a perfect fit for my life right now, and I never would have found it if I hadn't decided to give something another try that was just a bit out of my comfort zone.

Something similar happened in my writing recently. I had been working on a story that just wasn't feeling right. I love the story, but it wasn't fitting my life at the moment. So I spent a few days daydreaming, and came up with a new idea. And it was nothing I'd ever done before-- fantasy set in a completely different world. I was a little hesitant at first. But I've read tons of high fantasy and second-world fantasy, and my awesome crit group has written some so they can tell me if I go astray. I've been reading new books, studying up on fantasy writing itself, and planning out this new story that's a bit out of my comfort zone.

I bought this necklace the other day because these labyrinths are part of my magic system. Fun!

And I LOVE it. It fits my life right now. It hits some real personal and emotional buttons for me. I'm so glad I stepped outside my comfort zone to give this one a try!

So, my friends, what have you done lately that's outside your comfort zone?

So. Hi there. It's been a while. Some personal stuff meant I took a sort of impromptu blog break, but no worries-- all is well! And the time off gave me a chance to muse on further blog topics, so here goes!

I've been thinking a lot about writing, publishing, and how it all "works." For me, personally, I've been writing for years. And I'm going to be honest: it took a while for me to write anything that could be considered a good story. But here's the thing. That doesn't mean I was a "bad" writer when I started out. I was a BEGINNING writer.

Nobody listens to an eight-year-old slaughter Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the piano and says they're a bad pianist. They're learning. They're figuring out which notes are which keys, and which fingers go where, and how to play them smoothly, and quickly, and correctly. And that's wonderful.

Writing takes time. We start off slaughtering a semi-decent idea. And that's wonderful. Sure, it's no masterpiece. It's our first, or third, or seventeenth attempt, and we managed some words on paper that resemble a story. We learn about character development, and which plot points go where, and how to pace things and add emotion. When I look back on my early writing, I smile at myself-- not because I'm laughing, but because I'm proud of my beginning-writer-self.

Because being a beginner is HARD. It takes more work. It involves more frustration. And yet we slapped those stories together and made something real, even if it was just a rendition of Twinkle Twinkle.

One reason I've brought this up is because of the instant gratification of self-publishing. Now, don't misunderstand-- I think self-publishing can be a fabulous and legitimate way to publish your work. I've read some incredible works that have been self-published. BUT. I think it's a path that's, if possible, even more fraught with obstacles than traditional publishing.

One thing I've noticed is a lot of people who query like crazy, don't get signed, and decide to self-publish instead. Again-- this is NOT necessarily a bad thing. There are a myriad of reasons a book may not get picked up. But it's important to remember that one of the big reasons is that the book is just still a little too close to the beginner end of the scale. And there is NOTHING wrong with that. With self-publishing, the cautionary tale is taking that beginner-end novel and shopping it to the masses. In a way, it's selling yourself short. Instead of moving on to the next book and getting further along the writing path, it can hold you back by keeping you focused on a story that's just not quite there yet.

I may get some flak for this, though I hope not. Self-publishing, just like traditional publishing, is a completely personal decision, and often depends on the individual book. It can be a valid, and sometimes better, way to get your particular story into the hands of readers. It involves a heck of a lot of hard work, and I have serious respect for those who do it.

But it's not something to rush into. Yes, moving from a beginning writer to a competent writer to a great writer takes time. We're all still hiking somewhere along that path. It's okay for it to take time. It should take time. So let it. Enjoy it. Don't let the world of the internet tell you that publishing is something you must achieve by this time next year.

You are not a bad writer, no matter where you are along the path, as long as you're moving forward.

So, my friends, what are your thoughts?

Hey, Healthy Writers! I'm afraid my report today is dismal. Earlier in the week, I strained a muscle, which pinched a nerve. I'm writing this with numb, tingly fingers and a sore bicep. That, coupled with the fact that our bedroom and storage room flooded and our bed is currently in the living room, means I did practically no exercise this week. Here's to a better next week!

In other news, I'm lucky to live in a place with LOTS of author events. Last week, me and my crit partner Chersti got to attend the Dark Days tour! Dan Wells, Kiersten White, Brodi Ashton, Debra Driza, Claudia Gray, and Lauren Oliver, all in one place. The Q&A was hilarious, the authors friendly, and the company entertaining.
I even got to chat a bit with Natalie Whipple and Jenn Johansson, who are awesome and local, so I get to see them at a lot of local events. Natalie was a bit surprised I wanted a pic with her, but I'm just prepping for when she's even more famous. ;) And sadly, I couldn't find Jenn again for a picture.

I got Fragments signed by Dan Wells (which is tough, since he lives in Germany now), and stayed after to chat with him. Seriously, folks, if you haven't read Partials, check it out! It's brilliant. I'm a huge Dan Wells fan ever since he was my instructor at a "boot camp" several years ago. And especially since reading his mind-twisting books.

So, my friends, have you done any fun writerly/readerly things lately? Who are some of your favorite authors you'd love to meet?

First things first, folks: the winners of the Mustaches for Maddie Giveway!

Winner of a free copy of The Inventor's Secret by Chad Morris: JESSIE OLIVEROS!
Winner of a 30 page and query critique from me: MARLA!
Winner of a query critique from Hannah Bowman: MELANIE FOWLER!

I'll be contacting the winners today. Thank you all so much for participating and not only spreading the word about Chad's book, but for making Maddie smile. She's smiling a lot, I hear, and recovering well.

source

It's so amazing to me how incredibly supportive the writing community is. Not only did I see mustache pics that made me giggle, and read literally hundreds of people's support for Chad, but the internet was full of loving people this past week. I've seen people spread the word to help promote Poison by Bridget Zinn, who passed away before she could see her book on the shelves (it releases tomorrow, can't wait!). I've heard about the Overcoming Adversity anthology, to support a young man with cerebral palsy getting to a good university. Everywhere, I've seen good people helping other good people.

When I very first talked to my agent on the phone about representation, one of the questions I asked is what she expected of me as a client. It basically boiled down to this: write good books, and be a good person. And really, that's the basics of a successful writing career. Of course you have to write good books-- that's just a given. Being a good person-- being kind, loving, supportive, honest, helpful, encouraging, trustworthy, dependable, etc.-- is the other half. It shows in your writing, and it shows when you interact with people.

And let's be honest. Being a good person is important not just for writing, but for life in general. And I've seen soooo much evidence lately that we're all pretty good people inside.

So, my friends, thank you. Thank you for being good. Thank you for being kind. Thank you for being you. I have a ridiculous amount of warm, fuzzy feelings I'm directing to all of you!