JB Lynn

Hijinks, Hilarity and Heart

nature

The pleasure of unexpected detours

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I LOVE Fall.

While there’s lots to like about living in Sarasota, FL, I really dislike that no leaves change color in autumn. (And it’s still HOT, with temps in the mid to high 80s.)

So last month I went to the mountains of North Carolina to get away from the heat and enjoy nature’s art show.

On the way, I made a totally impulsive stop at a state park in Georgia. It was a beautiful day, I saw the sign, and I decided to make the last-minute detour. (This is the beauty of a solo road trip…I can stop wherever, whenever, and for however long I want to.)  I had no plan. I knew nothing about it and took me thirty minutes out of my way, but I felt compelled to visit.

It was a truly wonderful way to start a vacation. I got to see my first changing leaves, tromp through some fallen ones, and hike a beautiful trail.

I even found a picnic table with a great view to have lunch at!

 

Plus the unexpected stop gave both myself and my traveling companion a much-needed break from the long ride.

 

 

 

Writing as a passion AND a job

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The other day I took a midmorning break and met a friend at a park (Red Bug Slough if you’ve read One Woman’s Junk) so that we could walk our dogs together.

Toward the end of our visit she asked, “What will you do for the rest of the day?”

And I answered, “I should finish the first draft of Hitwoman 22.” (for the record, I came close, but didn’t finish it until the following morning)

“How do you know?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” I asked, totally confused.

“How do you know you’ll finish it? How do you know when it will end?”

“Because I’m scheduled to do the last few chapters,” I explained.

“You know how it will end?” Her disbelief was evident.

“I don’t start a book until I know how it ends,” I told her. “And I’m scheduled to finish it today.”

I then had to launch into a whole explanation about how writing is my passion, but it’s also my job and I treat MOST of my projects as such. (That said, I’ll freely admit that I’m usually working on one or two “passion” projects that I don’t really expect to ever sell. They’re my “fun” stuff. My reward for doing the work.)

So in case you’re wondering, as of today, I’m currently working on the story edits for the 21st  Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman book, the second Psychic Consignment Mystery and a couple of passion projects. Make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter to keep up-to-date on my new releases.

And check out this great pic my friend took at the park of my tree-climbing dog  🙂

 

 

When you work from home

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Tell people you work from home and they inevitably have one of two reactions.

  1. Aren’t you lucky?!?!
  2. I could never do that. I don’t have that kind of discipline.

They’re both pretty accurate assessments.

Yes, I AM lucky.  I pretty much get to set my own work schedule. (Except for those pesky deadline times when I’ve inevitably estimated incorrectly how long something is going to take me OR I’ve come up with a new, “brilliant” idea that I must incorporate into a work that was all but finished.) I’ve got no commute. Not only can I light as many candles as I want, I can  refill my coffee as much as I desire without being judged. Not to mention, it’s perfectly acceptable, and way more comfortable, to not have to wear a bra or pants. 😉

If you follow my instagram, you know that I’m big on getting outside in the middle of the day (in the morning and evening too, lol) and my work set-up allows me to do that AND get to the beach to watch the sunset.  So yes, I am really, really lucky.

But what you won’t see is that I offset my daily distractions and diversions by working strange hours. If I go to watch the sunset, I’ll most likely come home and work until ten or eleven at night. Or like today, I had a friend over for brunch and am just sitting down to work at three on a Sunday afternoon because I’m trying to finish a project before Wednesday.  That takes some discipline. Some people can do it. Some people can’t.

It’s perfectly okay to know what you are capable of…and not.

Working from home is not for everyone. Neither is working for yourself, but that’s a whole other topic for another day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6 things people said to me today

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This is a random post, but all of these comments amused or touched me today.

Little girl studying my purple hair: “Red and blue make purple. Does that mean you’re mad and sad?”

Friend 1: “I’m nominating you for the Pain in the Ass of the Day Award.”

Hours later from Friend 2: “You are worth waiting and fighting for.”

Neighbor 1: “Your best kept secret is that you’re actually a really nice person.”

Hours later from Neighbor 2: “I heard you’re the enforcer.”

My amazing VA: “You’re such an outdoorsy person.”

Did anyone say anything interesting to YOU today?

What makes a good day?

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There’s a lot to like about living in Florida, but the brutal summer heat isn’t one of them.

The heat index was over 100 degrees multiple days this first official week of summer, so basically if you hear someone calling weakly, “I’m melting” there’s a good chance it’s me.

But it rained last night for hours and knocked the temperature down, which meant that this morning’s walk was comfortable and it’s still cool enough that I’m able to sit outside while I do some work.

Considering that spending time outside is a high priority for me, this makes today a good day.
It doesn’t take much to make a day a “good” day for me.

Yesterday was a good day too because I had a sense of accomplishment after spending a significant part of the day and most of the night (until bedtime) working on story edits for ONE WOMAN’S JUNK.  The edits aren’t anywhere near done, but I felt like I made significant progress and I’m no longer in the “I’ll never be able to fix this” mindset that I had been battling.
(It probably helped that I wore ridiculous pants….one can’t take oneself too seriously if you’re wearing something like this.)

I’ve earned a day off from the edits, so today my creative focus will just be on writing. I’m excited to dive back into the 21st Hitwoman book, which I’ve been working on pretty steadily (more progress!).

I’ll also spend some time on the screenplay which is my “pure fun” writing project.
So those are three things that make a day “good” for me: time spent outdoors, progress, and creative work.

What sort of things make a good day for YOU?

Ideas are like wildflowers…or weeds

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If something blooms, chances are I love it.  Doesn’t matter if it’s a bush, a tree, a flower, or a weed.
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While on my writing retreat in North Carolina, I got to see a lot of wildflowers (or weeds…who cares?!?) as I hiked.
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I didn’t know when they’d show up on my trail, but I delighted in every time they did.
 
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I didn’t make any effort to identify them, I just enjoyed their beauty and cheeriness.
 
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Little bursts of color reminded me of ideas and the little bursts of inspiration they provide.
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You never know what’s going to show up next!
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Solo trips…Pros and Cons

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I’ve given up on having someone to travel with,  so this writing retreat was my second solo trip…though this one wasn’t technically solo, since I brought my dog.
A lot of women have told me they’d never be “brave enough” to travel alone. I tell them to connect with their inner badass and give it a try!
The big plus to traveling solo is that I get to do exactly what I want, when I want. My schedule, my interests, all the time.
So for example, I loved this view and spent a good ten minutes just standing and staring at it. It’s not exciting and isn’t on any “must see” list. I just liked it.
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The big minuses to traveling solo are safety concerns.
Taking a road trip alone with a dog provides some logistical hurdles…like I had to leave her alone in the car while I ran into places to use the restroom.
Then there are just the safety issues of being a woman traveling alone.
But by far, the most frustrating problem I faced was on the hiking trails.  I like to go off the beaten path, but that’s not the smartest idea for ANYONE hiking alone.
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If you sprain an ankle or take a tumble when you’re alone, it’s a lot easier to get back to your car if you have the help of a hiking partner.
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Plus, if something did happen, no one would miss me for days. (Especially when you consider a lot of the time I didn’t have a cell signal.)
I didn’t let this stop me, but I did move slower and more deliberately.  (And I’ll be honest, things were more complicated with the dog. More than once I ended up in a stream because I lost my balance as she tugged on the leash.)
I avoided some spots altogether if I determined the footing looked too unsafe.
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Obviously I survived, and you can too!!

Ingredients for a Creative Refill

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As a writer, I find inspiration in many things, but being out in helps to refill my creative well in a way nothing else does.
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I spent a lot of time on my writing retreat hiking trails in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
I didn’t spend much time writing outside. I was too busy soaking up the beauty.
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The air was clean, the sky was clear, the water was cool.
(I know about the water because I MAY have slipped into a stream on more than occasion, lol.)
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