Pablo Picasso once said: I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else.

As I was working on some changes and edits for my novel A Plan Worth Changing, the irony of changing my original plan for the story struck me as funny.

I think that in the end, the edits I made [on the story] worked out well, and the original story I had in mind drastically changed for the better; change is part of my process and always happens when I write. In fact, I often only get to know or even meet my characters as the story unfolds.

I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else…

I was thinking about this and how it’s sometimes hard to make changes in our work or in our lives. In writing, and after spending hours on an idea, ditching pages and pages of a story really hurts; it feels like so much time and effort is wasted!

But change is hard not only because of the time and planning that went into whatever project we are doing, but also because it means publicly acknowledging that we were wrong, if that’s the case, or having to re-think and going to the extra effort of making the change.

So here is my two cents worth on the subject of change:

1. Don’t ever be too stubborn to miss out on something really good just because you put a lot of thought or work into it, or just can’t let it go.
2. It’s okay to change your mind and change plans; a plan, after all, is just a step by step proposal, a concept, or an idea that you create and doesn’t even have to happen.
3. Priorities change, so it’s expected that a change of plans should follow.
4. Making to-do lists may seem like a waste of time when things change, but they help us stay on track and move forward.
5. Always expect things to change so you aren’t caught off guard.
6. Be prepared to re-write even your top priorities.
7. Some things are beyond our control; mowing the lawn doesn’t make sense when it’s raining, and going to the grocery store has to be postponed if your kid is home from school because he’s sick.
8. Ditching a plan, changing it, or improving on it, will often yield an even better and unexpected outcome.
9. Don’t ever be too stubborn and miss out on something really good just to stick to a stupid plan.

and,

10. I know that I will always make lists; I will always have a plan. I usually decide what I need to do tomorrow when I should be sleeping today, and often times, I’m not even sure why I bother, because I know without a doubt that something will change; life is all about change, expecting it and moving forward with it.

Seasons change, and the world is more beautiful for it.

Thanks for reading,

According to W. Somerset Maugham:

“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

(but even so, there are writers everywhere penning aimlessly, while competing to get their words out and read!)

I’m not sure about the above quote, and I know there are a whole ton of rules on writing books, and even more books on the rules of writing, but I have my own little set of rules that have nothing to do with grammar, style, or organization; they’re less “rules” of the trade, and more like rules to live by.

Here are my 3 “rules” when writing:

1. Use my voice and write from my heart.
2. Write about what I know and love (family mostly).

And,

3. Never lose myself or surrender my beliefs, ethics, or morals just for the sake of shock, sales, or higher ratings.

There’s a little bit of me in every book and in the end, I want my readers to respect not only my characters, but the person who penned them.

Thanks for reading,

So let’s talk about my bedroom but without any of the juicy details (I just lost half of my readers, LOL).

The title, My Bedroom, has to do with a question I was asked earlier today, by one of my readers. She asked, “Where do you do your work?”

The quick answer is my home. I don’t have an office, and I don’t work from my boat (because sadly, I don’t have one). In any case, I work from home, and more specifically, I do most of my writing in my bedroom.

Often authors will talk about their sanctum and that special place where they meditate, think about their writing, or write. My writing sanctum is not so quiet, not so comfy, and never without a gazillion interruptions a gazillion times per day, but I choose it anyway and despite all that.

In my bedroom, I either write with my laptop on the bed, or at my desk. Occasionally I will work from the kitchen, but no matter what or where, I am always surrounded by my pets. Pets who are appropriately referred to these days as companion animals.

Not all of my pets make it to my not so quiet and not so comfy writing sanctum (the fish and crabs stay in their tanks). Mostly it’s my dogs and cats, the occasional bird, but my dogs definitely are always present, and the cats just come and go as they please, as cats often do.

I love being with my animals. And I guess you could say my mutts are my muses because they’re always and ever present whenever I write, and their love and loyalty often give me the inspiration I need.

Right now, I’m writing with three dogs and a cat, on my bed, and by my side.

The four are all stretched out as far as they can go, and occupying a huge chunk of my king size bed.  It’s past 11pm in New York, and they’re taking advantage of the extra space and stretching big before my husband comes in to join me, and before it’s time for us to turn off the lights.

When my husband comes to bed, the dogs and the cat [or cats] will not jump off from the bed. Instead, they’ll bunch up on my side and make me even less comfy than before, but they’ll also make me feel a lot more loved than I could ever be without them.

Just sharing,