Friday Update and Why You Need a Good Night of Sleep

Hey friends! According to WebMD, lack of sleep can cause an increase in appetite. Not only that, it affects the hormones that make your body feel satisfied after you eat.

I've been working hard lately to keep a good sleep routine that's not only consistent but at least seven hours long, which is what most of us need (if not more), and I can honestly say my weight has also been more consistent. Coincidence? Not sure yet, but this isn't the first study I've read about the links between sleep and weight loss/gain.

Do you try to get a certain amount of sleep each night?

And for those of you who can't curb your curiosity, here's what's going on in my neck of the woods:

* A sick baby :( Yeah, high fever and general irritable disposition. We're hoping the weekend brings better health for her!

Photo by EEPaul

* I'm amazed at how supportive everyone on all forms of social media are, with all the prayers for Colorado and the wild fires. We are safe here miles and miles north of the fire, and the friends and family I do know from Colorado Springs are either evacuated and safe, or a safe distance from the flames. I'm still praying for everyone there!

* No ice cream truck visits to our neighborhood! Can you believe it? My kiddos have never bought ice cream from an ice cream truck, so I told them we'd save up some cash so they could do that this summer. But so far...no ice cream truck. I might have to take them to another neighborhood and pretend I live there so we can get find a truck and get some ice cream! (Don't you love how I talk about weight loss at the beginning of the post and then have a picture of a yummy ice cream cone?)

* If you're headed to conference in Dallas this fall and you want to start preparing early, check out my post at the Writer's Alley for tips on what to start doing now!

How are things in your neck of the woods?

Are You What You Watch?

I recently had a conversation with a friend about television. I told her my hubby had seen a news report about how the more you watch a show, the more you become like people on the show (I don't know who does these studies, but apparently there's someone out there who does).

photo by jerekeys

So I joked with my friend that I was destined to end up the next Real Housewife of wherever in Colorado they'd actually film that show. Probably wouldn't happen, but now you know my secret. Yes, I watch reality television (not much of a secret), and I watch some pretty goofy shows (a bit more of a secret).

I also joked with her that it was good I didn't watch zombie shows. I'm a pretty non-social person by nature, and it would be HARD to be a zombie! Having to get out there in the public, wandering around...confronting people.

So I shared my secret, what's yours? If you were going to become like a character or a real life person in a show you watched, who would it be?


***I had to laugh about the photo, too. It’s supposed to be a zombie mob, and they’re all wandering around outside Victoria's Secret (it’s small but you can read the sign in the background). Zombies shopping for intimate apparel, that's new to me!

Writers - Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!

Hey there all you writers. As I've been working on my new blog and trying to pay attention to Facebook more, and doing some work on my new WIP, I've realized how much there is for us writers to do. There's always something, right? Social networking, writing, editing, sending queries, going to conferences.

Because of this, I've been trying to make sure I put my focus in the right place. This also translates to not sweating the small stuff.

Writing the Perfect First Draft

First of all, this is impossible. I still try to do it. Great opening lines for each scene, superior plot, relatable characters. I even go so far as to try to not write repetitive words. And you know what? That first draft is still never perfect. And in the meantime, I'm often stilting my creative flow because I'm tying to make everything just right.

Writing the perfect first draft? It's not going to happen, so don't sweat it. Enjoy yourself!

Becoming the Social Media Queen or King

You might be able to keep up with Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, blogging, Pinterest, emails, and everything else out there, but I know I can't! Especially not when I'm supposed to be writing a book at the same time. As writers, we should be spending a majority of our time on writing. Pick one or two places, keep connected and updated on those, and enjoy!

Becoming social media royalty? Too much stress, so don't sweat it!


Didn't Final in That Contest?

I know it stings. And it feels personal. But contests are also learning tools to help you grow as a writer. Also, there are plenty of writers out there that never finaled in a contest. Some of them never even entered contests in the first place. Just do your best, continue to grow, and you're doing awesome!

So you didn't final, no sweat!

There are so many things we can worry about as writers, but many of them won't make us better writers or help us balance our time better. If you can, try not to sweat the small stuff.

How about all you writers out there? What small things do you advise not to sweat about?

Friday Update and Hot Summer Question

This week we had the first day of summer, and let me tell you, it certainly feels like summer here in Colorado! It's been hot - a lot hotter than normal for June in Colorado.

photo by elidelaney

Not so hot compared to the highest recorded temperature in history, though. Can you guess what it is?
(I will post the answer at the bottom of the post for those of you who are curious.)

So what went on this week?

I got a sunburn :(

Yeah, other things happened but I'm too hot to talk about them.

Also, I wanted to give a shout-out to blogging friend and writer Tamera Heiner. Altercation, her sequel to Perilous, was released earlier this month. You can stop by her blog if you want to show your support.

How about you? What went on this week? And if you care to share your guess of hottest recorded temperature, please do! Have a great weekend!



***According to Wikipedia, the highest temperature in recorded history happened in Aziziya, Libya in 1922 when it got up to 136 degrees. Ouch!

Let Facebook Teach You a Lesson!

It's fun to "like" things on Facebook. I think if I liked that much in real life, I would be elated all day long.

photo by .reid

Cindy R. Wilson likes doing laundry

Cindy R. Wilson likes spoiled milk.

Cindy R. Wilson likes going to the dentist.

Cindy R. Wilson likes commercials.

All right, maybe that's going overboard. But this recently reminded me to appreciate what I do have and what I do like and love. Family, friends, a loving, faithful God. My hubby's steady income to support the family. The chance to write.

I could go on and on. I often make a concerted effort each week to spend quality time with my kids and give them my undivided attention. But, sad to say, I don't often do this for other things that I should.

So this week, I'm going to make extra effort to enjoy time with my hubby. To be in the moment and let him know how much I appreciate him.

What about you? What do you "like" this week? Care to join in my challenge and pick one thing you want to give extra special attention to?

Is Plotting Too Technical?

I heard somewhere awhile back that when you really know your characters, that's when you're ready to begin plotting your story.

And then I forgot about it.

And then I heard it again recently and thought, Uh oh, that kind of messes up my whole plan.

Not to say there is one right way and one wrong way of writing and preparing to write a story, but for certain people, a certain process is an excellent way to go.

I'm a big-time plotter. I know beginning, middle, and end of a story before I write. I know major and minor plot points. I often plot it all out chapter by chapter, scene by scene.

And yet there are times when I still don't really get to know my character.

However...this wasn't the case before I switched to super-duper-plotter mode. In fact, before, when I was a pantser, my characters were my best friends. I'd hang out with them in the grocery store, and while I was driving, and at night when I was supposed to be sleeping.

For some--for me!--plotting has been amazing. But it's also changed how I relate to my story and characters. The process has become more technical.

I will still plot. I will still enjoy it. But I also see the up-side to writing by the seat of your pants--and that's spending more time in your head thinking about story and characters. Which, in my opinion, often results in a better understanding of who your character is.

What do you think? Does plotting sometimes take away the opportunity to go more in-depth with your characters? Do you have a specific way you make sure you know your characters before you begin to write?

Friday Update

I'm very happy it's Friday. I get to visit with some friends this weekend and celebrate my littlest daughter's first birthday!

So what went on this week?

I got my new head shots so I can official have something current up on the gigantic screen at the ACFW awards gala. Scary and fun!

Me and hubby finished fixing up the back deck, replaced boards, painted, etc. Not quite as exciting as the pictures, but important nevertheless.

I updated my blog and hopefully have a new schedule going with blogging and our favorite friend, Social Media.

Now, I need to get busy on my WIP.

How about you? What did your week look like?

***Oh, and if you want some encouragement about how writers are expected to do it all, visit my post on superheroes over at The Writer’sAlley today.

Extreme Sports - Is This How YOU Get Your Exercise?

Hey friends! I know some of you have noticed I've been changing the look of my blog. It's still in progress, bear with me, but I hope in the long run it's more visually appealing and more fun.

Moving on...

Paddle boarding.

Have you heard of it? One of those new low-impact sports people are doing to get exercise in a fresh and, apparently, wet way. It's just what the pic shows on the right. You stand on a board in the ocean, or a lake, even a river. And then you paddle. You don't even have to have a destination, you can just go in circles.

I saw this in a magazine several months back and said, "I want to try that!" Why? I don't know, maybe I need more adventure in my life. The lady in the article picture, standing on the board, looked like one of those women I always wanted to be. Adventurous, carefree, healthy, someone whose hair was relatively unaffected by humidity.

Anyway, it looked fun.

I'd love to get exercise in a new, fun way. But (sorry, here come the excuses) there's a time and money issue, and the hair issue obviously. And...maybe I'm just not all that adventurous. I'll stick to the treadmill for now, but I'll keep you posted.

So how about you? Have you tried any extreme or even not so extreme sports for exercise? If you had the finances, or the time, or the movie star hair, would there be any sports you'd try?


***photo by free4lance2

What is Christian Fiction? Part 2

I really appreciate those of you who chimed in last week on what they believe needs to be present in a work of Christian fiction.

A few said there needs to be a stronger spiritual theme and others believe that the Christian theme can be more subtle. You can read all the comments here if you'd like.

I think the overall consensus was that there needs to be some sort of evidence of God's presence in a character's life. Whether that means characters are converting or they simply already believe in God and are working through daily issues with God's help, it still counts as Christian fiction.

I also think it depends on what readers want to see. I tend toward lighter romances. I'm fine if there are Christian characters going about life as usual until a new conflict hits them. It's great if they learn something, it's great if they lean on God to get through it, and well...I write romance, so for me, it's great if they find love.

It write Christian fiction because I want to believe in what I write and be proud of it.


I write Christian fiction because I want to entertain readers with realistic situations and/or realistic characters they can relate to.


I write Christian fiction because I want to write romances that show some spark but also show good judgment.


I write Christian fiction because...every time I doubt what I'm writing, God shows me I'm right where He wants me to be and there's no way I can give up this passion.

So why do YOU write what you write?


***photo by BaronBrian

What is Christian Fiction?

Before I became a Christian, I wrote a lot. Just as much as I write now. But the genre, and its requirements, were so different. Not only are you appealing to a different group of people, you're writing with a different purpose.

Wikipedia defines Christian literature as "writing that deals with Christian themes and incorporates the Christian world view. This constitutes a huge body of extremely varied writing."

So what does that mean? Certain morals and values must be incorporated? Your characters must be Christian already or become a Christian during the story?

I ask because my writing tends to be on the lighter side. My characters are Christian or become Christians but there are times when a spiritual arc isn't the biggest part of the story. After all, you've already got internal and external conflict, additional romance genre requirements, and so on.

But I'd love to hear your take, even if it varies from mine or others'. What do you think Christian fiction really is or what does it require to be considered Christian fiction? What MUST a story include to fit in this market?