What motivates you the most?

Writers are notorious for having "off again, on again" motivation. And I'm no exception. Often, I have to struggle to put a sentence together, but when it's for a client, it must be done. Period.

So I have to find motivation to put my fingers on the keyboard. Unfortunately, depending upon the hour of the day, what motivates me varies tremendously.

Currently, my top ten writing motivators are:

1. The challenge of completing a project.
2. Getting to meet new people and hear their stories.
3. Working with clients from around the world.
4. Deadlines. Always deadlines.
5. Treats. Gummie bears work nicely.
6. More treats. Salty snacks. Mmmm...
7. Getting a new clip for Ye Olde Portfolio.
8. The feeling of moving forward; stagnancy worries me.
9. The joy of doing something I greatly enjoy.
10. Financial gains. (Yep, I'm a capitalist. Hey, bills have to be paid.)

What are your motivators? Be honest now...!

Please help with a title

I think I need a title for my past week. Here are the top three things that happened:

1. Work
2. Sleep Deprivation
3. Vertigo

Have at it! I'm too exhausted to come up with anything witty or clever.

It still makes more sense than anything politicians say

(FYI -- We habitually practice this kind of "nonsense" talk. If you want to get your creative juices flowing, I highly recommend it!)

How I do so love southern "charm"

Ladies from the south have such a beautiful drawl that even when they insult you, it comes out sounding sweet. Then later, you realize, "Holy crap. That was really nasty!"

Today, I was at a community pool and a southern-born and -bred woman of a mature age (who has known me in passing for a number of years) mentioned that she couldn't get in the water because her recently highlighted hair might turn green.

As a modeling/acting instructor, I often give my students beauty tips on how to remedy such disasters. So I told her that if it ever happened, she should crush 4-6 aspirins in warm water and let the concoction sit on her hair for about 10-15 minutes. Supposedly, it gets out most (if not all) of the green.

She smiled widely and said, "Well, thank you, Angelique! If anybody should know about hair dye, it's you."

Southern charm, indeed.

Still, you have to give her credit. She pulled it off and I didn't bite. Now, I just have to think of a way to throw it back the next time I see her. In a sugary-sweet way, of course.

(For the record, I do color my hair and it does vary from a medium shade of blonde to a light shade of brown depending upon the season. I try to keep it close to my natural tint, though, and except for one shade of red I tried two years ago, I'm very conservative about the choice.)

You write the caption

This is a pic of my little dude taken with one of his "gal pals".

I love the expression and although it almost "says it all", I invite you to write your own caption.

I hate TV

I do. I hate it. It's official.

It hit me today that not only do I find TV boring and uninspiring, I resent it for taking away so many hours out of my life.

When I was younger, I watched TV incessantly. In my 20s I did, too. Today, I probably watch an hour or less a week, and I loathe myself for doing that rather than working on my writing, reading a book, playing with my son, going to the gym or just sleeping.

I don't deny that TV can be entertaining, but it's just gotten to the point where I'd like to say to ABC, Fox, NBC, et cetera, "Give me back all those hours!" Can you imagine how exciting that would be? Getting hundreds of hours BACK to do anything you wanted?!?

Sure, you'd be unable to recite lines from "The Simpsons" or "Seinfeld", but you'd have time to travel, learn, enjoy life! Wow!

Incidentally, my family doesn't fully embrace my stance.

My mother loves TV.
My husband loves sports (on TV).
And my son has become a fan of ice hockey and NASCAR (on TV).

*sigh*

I've threatened to call the cable company and stop our subscription, but I think I'd be drawn and quartered. So for now I seethe in semi-silence, casting angry glances at the flickering screen.

Retro Post from 7/4/2007

(Originally posted a year ago, but I still like the topic...)

Happy Fourth of July!

In celebration of Americans' love of picnicking and barbequing each fourth of July, I have a very important question to ask my fellow writers:

• If you were a condiment, what would it be?

For me, I'd have to say tangy mustard. It's deceptively "normal looking" and then packs an unexpected wallop.

How about you?