White Noise and My Writing Process

I have this 'thing'... called Tinnitus

Tinnitus (TIN-ih-tus) is the perception of noise or ringing in the ears. A common problem, tinnitus affects about 1 in 5 people. Tinnitus isn't a condition itself — it's a symptom of an underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss, ear injury or a circulatory system disorder.

It started when I had Bells' Palsy about two years ago. The right side of my face went numb the day after Thanksgiving and for weeks I had to deal with a mumbling and taping my eye shut at night and all kinds of other fun things, but it left me with an inner ear injury that affects my balance and gives me this high frequency humming in my ears.

So in my house writing time is anything but quiet. I can't have it silence because that 'sound' in my ears makes me a little crazy, like a cricket who won't stop 'cricking,' or a dog down the street that won't stop barking.

So when I write, I need background noise. I all it White Noise, although I'm likely misusing the term.

How do I work with it? It's a bit of a balancing act. I need enough noise to stop the irritation, but not 'too much' that I can't think. Or something that won't draw my attention from my writing. It doesn't always work. It's a process in process.

When I'm writing a new story or drafting some kind of idea for a story, I like to have on the 'oldies.' This means either movies or television shows that I know, really well. So well that I'm likely to know what's about to happen before it happens. That (for the most part) keeps my focus on the writing.

Sometimes, I can't help myself. I have to look for 'that scene' or stop to recite 'that line.'  And it's not that the show has to match the Romance Sub Genre that I'm writing in. It probably helps when it isn't, so I'm not using the mood of the show.

I used to try to listen to music like a sound track, but for some reason it doesn't work for me anymore.  Go figure, right?
But I guess you can see the images that I'm posting and know that those are a few of my favorites to write to (have it on a separate screen connected to my computer).

Then, when the first draft is done and the comments from my beta readers added in, it's time to edit.
And then the fun really starts.
I've always said I'm a bit of a masochist. I mean, what dancer isn't. Bleeding blisters and aching muscles aren't for the weak of heart, right? So it shouldn't be surprising that my editing self is a bit like the monks from 'Search for the Holy Grail' who whack themselves on the head with boards.
I know, it's a little extreme, but it's me to a T.
So what show is my go to background noise for editing?
Well, I'm so glad you asked!

That's right. Hell's Kitchen. Nothing evens out my editing anxiety more than Gordon Ramsey losing his sh... temper. Bland food? No! Unsanitary Walk-in? You don't say! Raw food? Well, it's RAAAAAAW!

Hearing the dulcet tones of Gordon Ramsey reaming one of his contestants or a wayward restaurant owner... well, maybe it feels like I'm not alone in the trenches.

And don't forget Kitchen Nightmares! Some have commented on the 'curse' of the show that a number of the restaurants that he tries to save go under anyway. I think I know why... because editing can HURT. It doesn't have to, but that's kind of up to the writer. If I turn a blind eye to the issues, let them ramble on or wallow in themselves, then it makes it so much harder to get a finished project that I get excited to share with others.
The best thing to do is 'listen.'

Listen to your betas, your review partners, etc. You don't have to accept everything, but you have to listen. Sticking my fingers in my ears and saying blah-blah-blah, I can't hear you... isn't going to help me, or the story.
So I guess I'm looking for some fellow 'sufferers' to share the pain with... so I visit Hell and Nightmares for those moments of editing.

Crazy? Odd?
"Why yes, thank you!"

So, tell me... what kinds of 'white noise' do you use when you're creating?

Survival Month ..Whew! By Carolyn Hector

I'm a Survivor!

Here are the things I survived this month.
1-NaNoWriMo
2-Thanksgiving
3- Gray Thursday
4- Black Friday
5- 3 Birthdays
6- Car ride to Atlanta/Atlanta Traffic
7- Completed a manuscript
8- Edits




Let's start with the NaNoWriMo. I didn't write EVERY DAY... but I did manage to make my goal by 4 in the afternoon on November 30th when the contest ended. So.. yay.. beep beep!

Let's say why I didn't write every single day....
              #1 rule in the house.. no rough-housing. ... how do they get around this? They go off and decide to play the slapsy-game. I have no idea what it is but in my mind I'm imagining it goes a lot like this


So one comes home Thanksgiving Eve and is sore.. but doesn't say HOW he got hurt. So here I am babying him... and come to find out it's because they were playing he slap game....

This brings me to .. How I Survived Gray Thursday. You know how they say never shop when hungry.... never go Christmas present shopping when you're pissed off with your kids. We were back so quickly. Usually we're home the next day.... Not this time. Oh.. and while were out the boys managed to devour a whole pan of mac-n-cheese.


Another reason it has been hard meeting my NaNoWriMo because I swear I am constantly getting up to wash clothes. . I would let them wash their own clothes but that is also my "stockade" for snacks and they would just raid it.

Either way... I completed my NaNoWriMo.. and a short time later ...Baby #32 was born.





Now in between finishing NaNoWriMo I got my edits back for my June 2018 book.
 ain't she gorgeous!?!

So got the edits back.. and had to take a road trip....to ATLANTA y'all! My beautiful niece's son celebrated his 1st birthday .. I just call him my nephew because great-nephew makes me feel like I'm old...and I promise you I'm 30 ...okay-okay okay so I'm not THAT young lol We drove to Atlanta.. and by WE I mean my daughter drove and I acted like the folks on a Slingshot Ride



When I returned..I really had to buckle down and work on my edits which were due on the 5th.


I promise.. I'm not going to make the same mistake. My next deadline is the 15th. I am going to look it over before submitting it... Carly--if you're reading this... I promise I've stopped writing TOWARDS. 


I can now concentrate on Stranger Things and all the Christmas movies on my DVR. 
And read this...


I have been waiting a very long time for this book by Maureen Smith. I suggest you get it too... but start with



So what does one eat to survive this
  


While the boys made their own sandwiches. Hey! I made them have a salad with them!




My favorite scents have been.....



And my playlist has been made up with

 and







So now... I am going to take a nap... 

Get refreshed and start all over 

'cause this mama has deadlines!







XOXO
Carolyn

MR. AND MRS. ROSSI - Wild Rose Press, March 2015

THE MAGIC OF MISTLETOE - Harlequin Kimani Romance, November 2015

THE BACHELOR AND THE BEAUTY QUEEN- Harlequin Kimani Romance, March 2016

HIS SOUTHERN SWEETHEART - Harlequin Kimani Romance, October 2016

THE BEAUTY AND THE CEO - Harlequin Kimani, June 2017

A TIARA UNDER THE TREE - Harlequin Kimani, November 2017

TEMPTING THE BEAUTY QUEEN - Harlequin Kimani, June 2018

Writing During the Holidays #amwriting @JacquieRogers

Writing During the Holidays:
An Adventure
by Jacquie Rogers

I made it through Halloween, a month-long trip to Texas, and Thanksgiving.   Can't say that many words made it onto the page, though.  I'm writing Hearts of Owyhee #6: Much Ado About Mail-Order Brides.  I'm at 20,000 words.  Only 60,000 to go and I'm done.  Piece of cake, right?

More like pie, cheesecake, and sweet potato custard (yum).  And maybe about ten pounds on my backside.  Yeah, right, that's all I needed.  We actually had two Thanksgivings--one at my brother's house on the actual T-Day, and one at my house the following Sunday.  All in all, I made over a dozen pies, four loaves of persimmon bread, and I can't even tell you how many cookies.

Pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bars, white chocolate chip,
and under all that, a few dozen chocolate chip peanut butter cookies.
Sugar coma!

Of course, Thanksgiving is all about appreciating our blessings and one of my most precious blessings is having such a wonderful family and awesome friends.  I'm a very lucky gal.

My son, me, and my nephew.
I'm trying to get my nephew photographed for The Muleskinners series.

Also, I have a new release out--one book of four in a boxed set, Mail-Order Brides for Sale: The Remington Sisters.  It's a series of four sisters who're forced through circumstances to flee their home and the most convenient way to do that was to become mail-order brides.  I'm excited about my story, Belle, but love all the stories in this set and I hope you do, too.  It's only 99¢ for the four-book series And it's also on Kindle Unlimited, so if you're a subscriber, you can read it for FREE.  Want a taste?  Read the free prologue!

So... um... not much time for writing.  And anyway, the last scene just didn't work.  Seemed good, and I may use it later, but I finally copied the whole scene into my scrap folder and started over.  No, I'm not one to revise.  If something doesn't work, I toss it and start over.  For me, revision always throws off the rhythm of the story.  I know some authors rewrite, revise, rewrite, but I don't.  What you get in a published book is my first draft that has been edited and proofread.  Not revised.

Meantime, I'm buying Christmas presents (mostly done) and my brain is buzzing with the possibilities for Honey Beaulieu - Man Hunter #4: Crack Shot in Whiskey Gap (tentative title).  So onward and forward.

If you're on Snapchat, friend me!  My handle is jacquierogers.  You can get videos of Sassy's latest updates there.  And goofy pictures of her scribe.

Keep up with Jacquie Rogers' latest news at the

Pickle Barrel Gazette!
Honey Beaulieu - Man Hunter series

Hearts of Owyhee series

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Pickle Barrel Gazette

Romancing The West | Pickle Barrel Bar and Books

CHRISTMAS CAPTURES MY HEART!

What a wonderful season! Christmas is my favorite time of year. Not the day, but the anticipation leading up to Christmas Day. I love choosing then giving gifts to people I love.

Keeping up with friends and family who still exchange Christmas cards is pleasant. The number of those who send cards declines each year as we become more and more dependent on the internet. I’m mailing cards anyway.

This year, I’m hosting a “Christmas Past and Christmas Presents” event on my personal blog at http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com, where twenty-two authors (including most of the authors from this blog) will post one day between December 1 and 23. Each author will have an interview, a peek at a release, most will share a favorite recipe, and many offer a giveaway. I started the event by posting on December 1. On December 24, I’ll award a 16G Kindle Fire 7 to one person who’s commented during that time.

Plus, I have a new release. CAPTURE HER HEART is Loving a Rancher book 6 for the Montana Skies Series of Kindle World. All Kindle World books are now in Kindle Unlimited as well as available to those not enrolled in KU. 

Here’s a bit about my sweet western historical, CAPTURE HER HEART.

Vanessa Worthington didn’t know her late husband had lost their home until the notice came to vacate within six hours. Desperate for a place for her and her children, she travels from Atlanta to Montana Territory as a mail-order bride. She hopes to find a protective and kind man to help parent her children. One thing she’s certain—she will never again trust a man.

Travis Boyd has overcome horrific difficulties and carved out a ranch for himself. His two cowboy hands are like family, but he’s lonely. He longs for a loving wife and children to make his house a home. He’s eager for his bride to arrive and is looking forward to home-cooked meals and a tidy house.

When Travis learns Vanessa has always had servants and doesn’t know how to cook, do laundry, or any household chores, he is disappointed but decides to make the best of the situation. He meant his marriage vows. Vanessa can’t believe he won’t soon lose patience with her and change from kind to domineering like the other men in her life had been.

The other five ranch houses in the Loving A Rancher Series are spacious, but this one is not. What a shock for a woman used to servants. She’s an industrious person, but never learned cooking, cleaning, or laundry.

Here’s an excerpt: (Billy is the cowboy teaching Vanessa to cook, but he's no expert)

Snow increased during the afternoon. After opening one of the shutters, she peered through the center of the window pane—the only part not frosted. Vanessa thought surely all robbers would be holed up somewhere warm. Why had this escaped villain headed their way?

She and Billy got preparations for supper underway but she couldn’t conquer the sense of dread shrouding her. Before Sam’s arrival, she had been confident she’d made the right choice when she came west and married Travis. Knowing her husband would do his best to protect her and the children didn’t put her at ease.

Jack shadowed her. “Mother, who is this man who might be coming?”

“I’m not sure who he is, but I guess he used to live here. Is that right, Billy?”

“Right as rain. Them robbers lived on this part of the ranch until the law caught up with ’em and sent ever last one to prison.”

Jack’s face shone with excitement. “Do you suppose they buried their treasure here?”

“No one knows. Most outlaws spend their money on liquor and—”

Vanessa nudged him, hard.

Billy cleared his throat. “On liquor and high livin’ and gamblin’.  Like as not that bunch did the same.”

Jack dropped onto a kitchen chair. “That’s good, so maybe this mean man won’t come here after all.”

Vanessa smiled at her son, hoping her effort didn’t come off as a grimace. “That’s right, son, so stop worrying.”

“Papa won’t let us get hurt. He’ll protect us.”

What a hero her son had already made of Travis. She knew her husband would try, but she was too wise to put all her hopes on any man—even one as nice as Travis appeared to be.

“He will do his best to insure nothing bad ever happens to you. Now, please go check on your sister and see if she’s finished her nap.”

Satisfied his future was safe, Jack skipped toward the bedroom.

Billy shut the oven door. “Remember what you told Jack. Travis nor Paco nor me will let anythin’ happen to you or the children. You can take that to the bank.”

“Thank you, Billy, but I’m conscious of that fact. I don’t want any of us put in jeopardy. I’m well aware how chivalrous the three of you are. I’m also fond of each of you and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

“Aint’ nothin’ goin’ to happen to nobody if we have anythin’ to say about it.”

She swept the kitchen more for something to do than because the floor was dirty. Keeping her hands busy with a simple task gave her a chance to think. She wondered if the cellar would be a safe place for the children if there were gunfire.

Billy’s voice interrupted her reverie. “You sweep any harder, won’t be anythin’ left of the broom or the floor.”

The buy link at Amazon is: http://a.co/886XHi0

Here’s an easy and tasty recipe we make at Christmas. We also have requests that we bring it to covered dish church dinners.

One year I doubled the recipe for a church dinner. There was a little remaining in the dish that I brought home along with decorations, etc. I left the trunk lid up while I carried in decorations. When I returned, our smiling yellow lab/shepherd mix had eaten the casserole's remainder. ☺

Sweet Potato Casserole

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

2 cups sweet potatoes, cooked (we use a large can)

1 ¼ cup sugar

1 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

¼ stick butter or margarine

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cinnamon (I don’t like nutmeg, so I omit it and double the cinnamon)

Mix all together and pour into buttered casserole and bake in a 400 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with the topping:

TOPPING

¾ cups crushed corn flakes

½ cups chopped nuts

½ cup brown sugar

¾ stick butter or margarine, melted

Combine the topping ingredients and spread over sweet potatoes. Return to oven for ten minutes.

 

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season. Stop by my blog each day until Christmas to meet twenty-two of my friends and comment to be in the running for the Kindle Fire 7. 

I’ll be back in the New Year.