Wednesday, September 25, 2013

FREE: A Dark-Adapted Eye and Unchanged

UPDATE: Because of price-matching, Unchanged is also free on Amazon. Yay!

Hey, guess what? I've made A Dark-Adapted Eye and Unchanged free on Smashwords! For how long, you ask? Well, as long as I feel like it. Both books are available in a variety of electronic formats, so whatever your preference, you'll be covered.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Body Image

Like many women (and men, I'm sure), I often find myself dealing with body image issues. I'm not sure how much progress I've made over the years toward completely accepting myself, but I tend to feel more confident these days than I ever did. Whether that's to do with age or experience or just not giving a crap, I don't know. However, my issues are not completely under control, and therefore I worry how I'll manage to raise my daughters with healthy body images.

I found these "10 Better Body Affirmations" by chance, and I felt really positive after reading them. I do think they're good advice, and I'll do well to remember them as my daughters get older, and for myself.

1. Your body is in flux for the rest of your life. Think of your body as fluid instead of static — it’s always going to change. So get comfortable with those changes.
2. No one will love you or not love you because of your body. You are lovable because you’re you, not because your body looks a certain way.
3. The most intensely personal relationship you’ll ever have is with your body. It’s a lifelong relationship that’s well worth investing in and nurturing the same way you would with loved ones.
4. You don’t owe your body to anyone. Not sexually, not aesthetically. Your body is yours. Period.
5. What someone else says about your body says more about them than it does about you. Look past the actual snark to the person who’s saying it, because it’s only a reflection of what they think of themselves. That’s when you’ll see how little power their words have.
6. Your body is not a reflection of your character. It’s a physical home for the complex and wondrous and unique being that is you.
7. Take up as much space as you want. You don’t have to be small, or quiet, or docile, regardless of your physical size.
8. Everything you need to accept your body is already inside you. There’s no book, or diet, or workout routine or external affirmation that you need to feel good about your body right now.
9. Your body is a priority. It’s always trying to tell you things. Taking the time to listen to is of the utmost importance.
10. Wear whatever you want. Your body shape does not dictate your personal style, and fashion rules that say otherwise are wrong. Dress yourself in a way that makes you feel happy and confident and beautiful, because guess what? You are.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Slow and [Un]steady

It's easy to forget how much mental energy writing requires, especially when I go into a new or unfinished project with fancy, fresh ideas. Sometimes those ideas will drain from me so fast that every word is a struggle to write. I'll feel so triumphant at those few words, or so frustrated, and I'll take frequent Spider Solitaire breaks as a reward. (Or I'll come here and write dismal posts like this and this.) I'll feel so empty and stunted, unable to concentrate on my story yet unwilling to divert my attention into anything else either. I'll go through phases where I think my story is so ridiculous and and phases where it's the most brilliant thing ever written. But when I leave MS Word alone and come back days later, and manage to churn out a sentence here and there, I feel like maybe I really will finish this thing. Even if it takes a very long while. I've already written two books, and they were both hard work. So what's a third?