Archive for the ‘writing’ Category
“Why do you write?”
Cool site for writers: 750 Words
I am on an 18 day streak of writing at least 750 words per day at… 750words.com. As of today, that means I have churned out over 14,000 words. (!) The more days in a row I rack up, the more obsessed I become about not sabotaging it. Now, I’m not going to profess that these 14,000 words are anything more than junk most days. That’s rather the point – to just let the words flow in a completely private setting. The online aspect offers silly little rewards, like badges for your various accomplishments that are being tracked, that are surprisingly motivating, but the entries are not publishable; they are completely private (though you can export them to your harddrive a month at a time – nice).
The wonderful thing about this daily exercise, however, is I can feel myself loosening up, ideas flowing, maybe the end of an artistic block that I have been suffering for a few years now. I vent, whine, pour out all the anxieties I have piled up in my neurotic little heart onto the empty page. 750 words is a lot of daily detoxing!
I have also started compiling all my favorite writing resources as I find them. You’ll find them on my creative writing resources page.
Why writing scares the hell out of me
Not all of the entries are an agony purge. A couple days I have played with poetry. I’ve played with fiction prompts and character freewriting. Nothing that wants to become anything special at this point, but it’s all good for practice. I do have faith in the process, so long as I persist in it.
I’m also trying some of the exercises in the book, Writing Creative Nonfiction, which I picked up this past weekend at ASU’s Desert Nights, Rising Stars writers conference (an incredibly motivating/inspiring experience for me). Chapter 1 of the book is an essay about “Why I write.” The exercise at the end of the chapter is the rather obvious directive to explain why I write.
For most of my career, I have written to make a living! Since the odds of actually making a living writing fiction and poetry are pretty low, that answer doesn’t apply to me at the moment. I’m not saying I don’t want to make a living writing fiction, but I’m realistic, too. I have a lot of work to do (and no little luck to fall into) before that is a reasonable expectation.
And, even so, money and fame are not the motivation for this dream. Not at this particular time. I write because I love storytelling. I love reading stories, hearing stories and sharing stories of my own. But I have a love/hate relationship with writing. I found this in the first paragraph of the third chapter of Writing Creative Nonfiction, and WOW can I relate:
Writing has always — and always will, I’m sure — scared the hell out of me. I’ll do just about anything to get out of it, and have been known to spend whole afternoons circling my desk like a dog, wary, unwilling to commit to writing a single word. What is so frightening about it? I still don’t know. Perhaps it’s the horrible knowledge that no matter how well you write, the resultant product will never correlate exactly to the truth, will never arrive with quite the melodious voice you hear in the acoustic cavity of your mind.
Why I write anyway
This past weekend I was chatting with one of the other writers in my Master Class workshopping session and we were talking about insecurities. One of mine is that I know I talk too much. It is one of my failings. I’ve been hearing it since my earliest report cards: “Betsy talks too much in class.” I bubble over with enthusiasm and excitement to share. To share, well, what I like, what I don’t like, what I know, what I wonder about, what I watch on TV, books I like, favorite things on the Web and so on and on and on. I seem to have not ever grown out of this excitable quality – it’s a key part of my nature, I daresay. I always swear I will do better – and sometimes I hope I do – but I often, in hindsight, have that sinking pit-of-my-stomach sensation that I failed to zip it up nearly enough.
So during this conversation about insecurities, I mentioned to this fellow conference participant that I am always anxious after practically any social gathering that I talked too much. “Well,” she said wryly, “You do have a lot to say.” (!!)
Aaaaiiiiiiiii. That did not help my neurosis. At ALL!
But, it did give me the most fundamental answer to the question. Why do I write? Because I have a lot to say. (Dammit.)
It really is just that simple. And precisely that not noble. It’s exactly the reason why I talk, too, but perhaps I can present myself as slightly less obnoxious in my writing than I can in person. Or not – and I almost don’t care if some or many people find me obnoxious. I’m gradually learning to not be paralyzed by insecurity if not everyone likes me and/or approves of me. My lovely (and brashly outspoken) husband has taught me a lot about that. 
If you’re a writer, why do you write?
Uneven: A poem about being 4
Uneven
by Betsy Bailey
Step down once – be careful! – from the shady porch to
The sun deck.
It’s a small step, but you’ll hurt yourself, they told him, if you’re not expecting it so
Mind the edge.
He doesn’t mind the edge at all! He’s a compact bundle of bright energy; the way we are when
We are four,
Our brains and bodies busy full-stop, clever scientists, as is appropriate but still makes
Moms nervous.
His current research project straddles the step, two wobbly legs on the porch and two on the patio. He
Makes a slope
With the cheap plastic chair, then scrambles onto its slippery seat and tips forward.
Feel the rush!
Mom kills joy. No joy; she fears a blooming purple kiss (which would actually feel like a whack in the head).
“Stop!” she shouts.
He startles but lands on his feet with a hop. He’s just fine after this flirt with physics
And concrete,
So she tries to eat dinner and politely converse and keep an eye on him all at
The same time.
Then the chair clatters, upended. The boy frowns, stubborn. Mom didn’t see but knows he pushed it over
On purpose.
He runs and he shrieks in abandoned delight. He roars so happy like a lion but probably like a
Dinosaur.
Dad says, “Seems like this is a stage.” He says it capital-S-stage; something that is a big deal and it is
Exhausting.
The boy has pincers plucking his sisters like he’s a crab but probably like
A T-Rex.
Sisters squeal and fuss. They are annoyed and anyway that
Was the point.
Dad says, “This stage might last until he’s five. Or so.”
And mom huffs
Out a small laugh that is more weariness and some amusement. ”Or so….” she fades. The sun slants
As it sets.
Teens titter and the little boy shrieks some more and then he
Wants a hug.
@LovingYou: How do you take care of yourself?
Loving You? Yes, literally.
We wondered: When you have the time to actually take care of YOU, what do you do to show yourself some love? Thousands of you responded, indicating an overwhelming need for more peace and quiet (and maybe sleep, too!). What else do you need to recharge your batteries? Read on for the full results.
You need peace and quiet
When you have a few moments of down time, 33% of those polled preferred a book or a magazine (or perhaps some social networking time) with a side of peace and quiet. Ohio mom Kelly Nasdeo explains that she is an introvert: “I really need that alone time… several times a day actually, especially if it’s a really active day. It doesn’t have to be long – 10-15 minutes if we have guests, but I get sensory overload if I don’t get it. Mostly I read, but sometimes I’ll play a puzzle game.”
And Manitoba resident Hadass Eviatar takes her peace with a quiet dose of socialization. “Lately I’ve been sleeping in instead of getting up and running. But when I have some time to myself, I do take time to go online and connect with dear friends.” The mom of three wonders: “Does that count?” (We think it does!)
Here are some other diverse quiet-time ideas…
>> Read more: How do you take care of yourself?
@SheKnows: How to teach kids to cook (using a video game)
Teaching kids to cook
My girls are 14, 13 and 10 — a great set of ages to get them really cooking. Over the years, they’ve learned some basics. My 14-year-old, Bailey, can make scrambled eggs and pancakes, grilled cheese, cornbread and brownies, among other things. But when it comes to putting the kids completely in charge of meals, I’ve been remiss. My 10-year-old hasn’t spent much time in the kitchen at all, and she is interested.
They are busy teen/tweens, and I’m a busy, multitasking mom who maybe has a few control-freak tendencies. Usually, I just make dinner because (a) I’m good at it, and (b) I’m fast at it.
The thing is, my kids aren’t learning as much about cooking as they could be. I have a feeling a lot of mamas can relate. Intellectually, we know it’s a sound investment. The trick is finding the time, the patience and the tolerance for chaos and a gigantic mess.
Fun for kids, big help for moms
When a publicist contacted me about a new game for the Nintendo DS called American’s Test Kitchen: Let’s Get Cooking and asked if I’d like to try it out, I was curious. She sent me a DSi XL, the game and even the ingredients for four of the game’s recipes.
Even better, my children (well, two of them anyway!) were curious. A cooking video game? What a fun idea! They couldn’t wait to get started. Once everything arrived, for two days in a row they prepared very, very nice large family meals (there are six of us for dinner most nights) with minimal adult assistance.
As I type this, my 10-year-old, Mira, is browsing the game for recipes she can make this week. She is considering Pasta Caprese and Strawberry Shortcake. Um? Yum!
Yeah… I like this game.
@SheKnows: 3 Reasons to check out Twitter
Twitter: 3 reasons to check it out!.
Just put a new article about Twitter up on SheKnows…
Check it out!
What is Twitter?
Twitter describes itself as a microblogging service where you simply answer the question, “What are you doing?” in 140 characters or less. But of course, Twitter is so much more. Major news outlets and trendy magazine sites (follow @sheknows and @pregnancybaby!) feed their headlines via Twitter accounts….
@ChefMom: Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Onions and Feta
This flavorful sweet potato salad makes a unique side dish. It also made a light and delicious vegetarian supper the next day!
This week our CSA bounty included four tender new sweet potatoes. My husband typically (irrationally!) hates sweet potatoes, but our friendly CSA farmer girl enclosed a recipe for this unique salad that I just HAD to try. With so many layers of strong flavors, I thought maybe he could enjoy sweet potatoes prepared this way. At least, I decided, that if he didn’t like sweet potatoes with FETA, then I would be sadly convinced that he’s never going to like sweet potatoes.
So, we had this for dinner Friday night with steak and butterflake rolls. The verdict? My husband said, “You could almost fool me into thinking these are NOT sweet potatoes!” He liked it! He ate it!
>> Read more and get the recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Onions and Feta
@ChefMom: Penne alla Vodka
I don’t know who conceived of this marriage between vodka and marinara, but it is a heavenly one.
For a busy mama faced with a last minute dinner decision, it is a dream come true: Delicious, easy-yet-sophisticated, requires only a few ingredients and fairly quick to assemble.
As an added bonus: It’s vegetarian.
And, at least in my house, the kids LOVE it.
You don’t have to break out the Gray Goose for a quick weeknight meal, but for a truly fabulous dining experience, you should probably use the best ingredients you can find – especially the vodka and the Parmesan.
>> Click for Whole Wheat Penne with Vodka Cream Sauce recipe
@ChefMom: Vegetarian adventure… Fun with falafel
Update on our vegetarian adventure…
Well, we’re not even remotely vegetarian and likely never will be, but I HAVE managed to reduce red meat meals to only one per week, plus we have incorporated 1-3 vegetarian dinners into the meal plan each week. This represents a significant improvement in the healthfulness of our diets!
Also improved is the variety in our meals. My husband is really enjoying this. He loves trying new things – the more exotic the better (franky, more exotic than he’s ever likely to get from me; I’ll never make food with tentacles, let alone eat it!). I’m a midwestern-raised girl, so my food tastes and experiences have long been quite midwesternly conventional (cow, pig, chicken). I don’t think I even tasted my first gyro until I was in college – and I never even considered ordering something as strange as falafel!
So my husband was a little surprised when he saw falafel appear on the menu plan for this week. He was also a little uncertain. He was pretty sure he wasn’t in love with falafel when he tried it in the past. But my research indicated that it is a mainstay for vegetarians and reading various recipes, considering the ingredients and how they blended – I was pretty sure I would like it.
I wasn’t so sure about the kids, though. However, they LOVE hummus, so I presented this as something “kind of like hummus, but cooked differently.” It didn’t hurt that it smelled wonderful as I was preparing it. Garlic and cilantro, cumin and coriander. Cucumber, yogurt and dill. Yum. It was so fresh and delicious – a real pleasure to prepare!
Anyway, we ALL loved it so much (hubby included) that the only problem was I didn’t make enough! I would absolutely double the recipe next time, so everyone got enough for dinner and there would be some leftovers for me and my boy the next day.
@ChefMom: Dinner tonight… Cream Taco Casserole
Deep in the back of my cookbook cupboard, I unearthed a long-forgotten gem: Best of the Best from Arizona Cookbook. I’m not even sure where this came from, but I browsed through it the other night and my mouth was watering. We are huge Mexican, Tex-Mex, southwestern fusion, etc. food addicts here.
Last week we tried a new enchilada recipe that was a hit! This week we had a enchilada variation that I found in the Arizona cookbook. The recipe may call itself tacos, but this is more like an open face enchilada or enchilada casserole – or even an enchilada pie. Personally, I prefer to make enchiladas this way – so much easier than the hassle of rolling flaky corn tortillas (a task I just hate).
Unlike the previous enchilada recipe, this, um, is not particularly… healthy. It is, however, nutritious and creamy and comforting and OH-so-delicious. Another rave-worthy hit in our household! The kids, the husband – they were all nuts for it.
Kids in the kitchen: It was a gorgeous day yesterday and the kids were outside on their bikes and scooters playing in the park with friends. I was perfectly happy for it to be that way. Had there been a child around, cheese shredding would have been a useful occupation.
Tip: That does remind me, though. I used to always keep packaged shredded cheddar on hand for the convenience factor, but the kids LOVE to shred cheese and it’s such a useful way for them to be involved with me in the kitchen (without being underfoot or otherwise a nuisance) that I’ve taken to buying blocks of cheese just so they can help out. It’s cheaper anyway, and personally I prefer the texture and flavor of freshly grated cheese.
Side dish: I kept it simple… steamed asparagus and some orange sections. I also served this with fresh, chopped jalepeño on the side, because my honey likes it that way. 
He sprinkled them on top of his portion for the additional flavor – and some heat.
Planning ahead: I’m so organized! (For once!) As I was planning my menus this week, I decided I would work smart. Last night we had the cream taco casserole. I grilled and chopped twice as much chicken as I needed and stored half in the fridge for dinner tonight (which is Jen’s BBQ chicken rollups). Hoo-ha! Thanks, Jen!
@ChefMom: Dinner tonight… Grilled Chicken Enchiladas
We had this for dinner last night. You should have it for dinner tonight!
My 12 year old watched me prepare this meal and asked, “Mom, are enchiladas hard to make?” In fact, they are not difficult, but they have quite a few steps and dirty a lot of dishes/pans. Plan on needing about an hour from start to dinner plate.
Kids in the kitchen: My 10 year old shredded cheese. My 12 year old opened the cans of enchilada sauce and green chiles, plus she set the table and moved all the lunch/snack dishes from the counter to the dishwasher. Next time I’ll probably also have her chop the chicken and assemble a few of the enchiladas, but with time a-wastin’, that’s requires a more leisurely day, like a weekend meal.
Husband in the kitchen: My wonderful husband washed up the bowls and pans as I moved on to the next steps, which helped keep the overall mess at a minimum. <smooch>
Family review: It was a hit! The sauce was a little bit spicy – perhaps a bit spicier than the kids preferred. We had this with steamed corn and tortilla chips and sliced strawberries on the side. The kids used the chips to “dip” into the enchiladas and that helped them deal with the heat. These were super yummy. I loved the chicken rub and the hint of cilantro. My husband was so happy. He loves Mexican and spicy foods and he was SO happy to have something that wasn’t vegetarian or pasta or beans for a change and that actually had MEAT in it. He said “dinner was so good tonight!” at least five times throughout the evening, including right at bedtime. Would I make this again? You bet!
Mom to 4 kids and 2 stepkids, I am a writer writing in the heart of chaos. I am the co-founder and former editor of 
