The Writing Life

I confess: I’m a groupie. Most often, writing is an isolated career. We tend to work within our own minds, in our homes. So if there’s a writing group that’s related to my passion, I’m there.

It wasn’t always this way. When I worked full time writing and editing for newspapers and magazines, as deadlines approached, we’d hunker down and – jointly – tackle the projects. Some of the best memories consist of staying up late, ordering in take-out and basically ignoring the rest of the world.

Now, in order to get the “me” writing time, I’m alone. And, it gets lonely.

Joining groups makes me feel like I’m not the only one out there. I’m connected with other like-minded individuals around the States, and the world.

That’s the good part. The bad part? These groups take time!

When I started thinking about this blog, I added up the various groups I’ve joined – all in pursuit of following my craft and meeting others with a common goal.

The list includes:

• SavvyAuthors – Enough said ;-)
  
• RWA – Since I’m writing in romance, it’s a given
  
• Chick-Lit Writers – an Online specialty chapter of RWA
  
• OCC RWA – The local Orange County RWA chapter
  
• Passionate Ink – Online chapter for erotic romance writers
  
• PopFiction – Took a correspondence class through Writer’s Market YEARS ago, and this is a group of fellow students.
  
• Creativity Cauldron – Discussion

...

Tags: marie loggia-kee, rwa, writing groups, writing life

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It’s not them, it’s me.

Usually, even when busy, I can pour through a couple of books per week. On a long weekend, I can read a book a day. On a flight from Los Angeles to New York, I can easily polish off a novel. Lately, though, I just don’t feel like it. I don’t want to read.

Well, let me rephrase that: I want the desire to read once again.

It’s not that I haven’t been perusing the pages. It’s a habit. Over the past month, I’ve finished:

• Stephenie Meyer’s “The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner”
• Tessa Dare’s “Twice Tempted by a Rogue”
• Charlene Sand’s “Million-Dollar Marriage Merger”

I’ve also started Wendy Toliver’s YA “Lifted” and the classic steampunk novel “Soulless” by Gail Carriger.

Like that cliché break-up line: Seriously, it’s not them, it’s me. I’ve read Toliver’s first two novels, “The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren” and “Miss Match,” and she’s absolutely clever and engaging. Dare spins a historical romance that’s steamy and borderline addicting (the third book in the series, “Three Nights with a Scoundrel” comes out July 27).

And just because I haven’t felt like reading, doesn’t mean that I’m not writing. The opposite is true. Time late at night that might be spent reading is spent typing away. But, the mind needs some downtime, right?

I keep thinking that just one book will bump me over the edge and back into the reading game. The task though is giving ...

Tags: good books, reading, recommendations, writing life

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How many writers create based upon personal inspiration? When times of immense stress hit one’s life, work through it by tapping into those creative senses … and writing about it. This weekend my family received an unexpected loss that shocked every member to the core: My younger cousin Bryan Loggia died.

On Friday, he dived into the pool at a friend’s house, and he never surfaced on his own. Supposedly, he didn’t hit his head, but suffered bleeding of the brain. Although an autopsy is planned, the thought is that at that particular moment he suffered a brain aneurysm.

After a few days in a coma, and on life support, the doctors declared him officially brain dead. That time period of not knowing seemed to somehow stop time. On Friday night, I woke every two hours to check my cell phone for messages.

On Saturday, I sat through an almost four-hour graduation ceremony for one of the colleges I teach at: half listening to guest speaker Neil Bush, son of George H. Bush and brother to George W., and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice present the keynote. Afraid to even have my phone on vibrate, every 20 minutes or so I would pull my purse out from under my ceremony robe and check for messages. Once I caught a videographer recording the faculty for “background” footage. I quickly ditched the iPhone under the robes.

Then the news came on Sunday – While his body remained, the vibrant energy we knew as Bryan had left. At ...

Tags: death, inspiration, loss, writing

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The last child sleeps blissfully in bed. Quiet settles around the house, and I release a deep sigh. The day’s just about over, but right now is the sweet spot, when creativity meets opportunity. After pouring a glass of wine, I settle into my favorite corner of my red couch, pull up the laptop and get lost in my world of words.

Out of the corner of my vision, my husband passes by. In the zone, I don’t stop to look up. The next thing I know, a shadow looms over me blocking the ambient light, and impossible to ignore: “Are you made at me?” he asks.

“No,” I say, continuing to write.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

Hands off the keyboard, I meet his gaze: “I’m writing.”

The same scenario repeats on a regular basis, over our 10 years of marriage. They say that when there’s a will, there’s a way. When it comes to writing, my “way” is often late at night, when the house goes to sleep. Yet, he still takes this unconscious slight personally.

More than a few years ago, I bought him the book Living with a Writer by Dale Salwak, hoping that reading about other people’s relationships with writers would help him understand my habits and behavior. I’ve read, laughing, more of the book than he has.

As I write this blog, my 3-year-old leans against my left arm and every so often, I have to ask her to scoot over and give me a bit more room. The situation reminds me, sadly, of the scene in the animated film ...

Tags: creativity, finding time, marriage, relationships, writing life

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There’s something about the solo activity of writing that inspires a desire to snack. At times, it’s simply an element of multi-tasking: I have too much to do so I’ll eat a slice of pizza – lunch – while one-handed typing on the laptop. I’ll have to admit, though, more often than not, it’s unfocused munching.

Pomegranate jelly beans. Salty pumpkin seeds. Chips. Anything that’s bite-size and readily available, is up for game. I’ve even tried items such as hot cinnamon bears. I can only eat a few at a time before my mouth heats up.

And, I know that I’m not alone in my snacking-madness. Another member of the June Boot Camp’s The Preternaturals team admitted to being on a new diet that restricted certain foods. She was looking for some non-dairy alternatives. I’ve seen Facebook posts of fellow author admitting to a propensity toward a chilled bowl of M&Ms, and Bazooka gum.

So, fess up, fellow writers and snackers: What gets your munchies on? And, why do you think we like to eat while we write?