Unplugging

By Londa Hayden

I love rainy days. They allow time for me to think. Life seems to stop for a moment and a hush comes over the world, reminding me to slow down and take a breath. Good days for writing too, especially if the internet goes down. I can still type. Yes! No temptation to interrupt my flow of thought. Unplugging is a good thing. Life can get so busy with all the things in life that pull at us. Family, kids, dogs, cats, neighbors, friends, and all the obligations that come along with it make us feel we should stay plugged in or we might miss something.

I recall the days we didn’t have cell phones. How did we survive without them? I can honestly say, just fine. Okay, I don’t think I’m that old. It wasn’t all that long ago when we lived in a world without all this technology to distract us. In fact, when my husband and I moved to West Virginia, it took the telephone company over two weeks to install our phone line. I had a toddler to care for while my husband worked 12 hour shifts during a strike. How did I survive? They had these things called payphones—quarters—lots of quarters.

I have a friend who ditches everything and hides out in an old shack when she has a deadline to meet. She leaves her family and the world behind for a few days. There is electricity to power her computer, a fan, or window air conditioner if it’s hot or space heater when cold. The phone is turned off except for a designated time to reassure family she’s alright or for emergencies: rats, a bear, or other infestations. Interesting set up. Kind of like in the movie “War Room” when the main character cleans out a closet and sets it up as a prayer room. Completely clear except for a place to sit, a Bible, journal and pen. Photos of loved ones and friends are taped to the wall with handwritten prayers beside them. That room is designated for one thing only for a specific time.

My favorite place to write is at the beach. Breathing fresh sea air and listening to the ocean waves outside take me to another place and time in my mind. I’m able to concentrate and focus. Another favorite place is in the forest surrounded by trees and birds with a nearby river or creek. The sounds of nature inspire me. Some may find busy places like Starbucks, or other public spaces have more to offer. The noise doesn’t bother them. They write best in the middle of crowded malls or bus stations. Not allowing other distractions to interrupt you is the key and can be an issue for many of us. I can’t go to a Starbucks without checking my phone, Facebook, and Twitter. Not to mention those Pinterest photo pop-ups with great recipes. Oh, good dinner idea. Before I realize it, instead of writing my story, I’m writing a grocery list and suddenly my precious time gone.

Going off-grid for a while is a good way to reset your focus. So, find a treehouse, borrow a friend’s trailer and set it up in your backyard with a do not disturb sign on the door, or rent a cabin at a state park. If you can, go on a private beach getaway. When you need a break, take a hike or a walk to clear your head and then get back to work. The peace and quiet may drive you crazy at first, but just start writing. Play your favorite music on your iPod or not. Do what works for you. Resist the urge to edit your work. Just write the story. Bring your notebook with photos related to your project, or open the photo file on your computer along with your list of characters and descriptions for quick reference. No Wi-Fi. Do not use internet, not even for research. Simply flag that spot and return to it later. This is your chance to get a first draft written, and rewrite a second or third one. Editing can wait. Just get the story written. And in the meantime, relax and enjoy the simplicity of an unplugged world.

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Londa Hayden is a native Texan now living in beautiful Alabama with her husband and three sons. She studied music at East Texas Baptist University. Where Two Rivers Meet is the first historical romance in the Washington's Woods series. The idea for this novel was conceived while Hayden lived in West Virginia and began researching her personal genealogy. She discovered ancestral involvement with George Washington and his tobacco plantation during the Revolutionary War Era near Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Thus, the title Where Two Rivers Meet came about while overlooking the confluence of the Kanawha River and the Ohio River. Two more books are expected to follow. Her experience in the medical field gave her the opportunity to volunteer during the Katrina crisis, which inspired Candy Moon, the first in a children's book series. Candy Moon Choo Choo is the sequel and offers a touching tribute to veterans. Londa is the founding president for Bartlett Christian Writers and a staff writer for Southern Writers Magazine. Her memoir, Date Pray Wait offers Christian dating advice. Londa is happily married to Steve, her first and only husband, for almost three decades now. She enjoys spending time with her family. Other interests include volunteering for non-prophet organizations to help the homeless and teach Christian values to youth, theater, movies, music, crafts, the arts, exploring the outdoors and other cultures.

The Life and Times of a Writer

By Nick Nixon

I owned a graphic design firm for 35 years. I had a staff of seven people, four of whom were artists. I was primarily an artist too, but I also did any writing that was needed. All I ever wrote was advertising copy, which would not have passed my college English 101 class.

When I retired in 2010, I decided I would be a cartoonist, then a friend asked me to write a column to go along with one of my cartoons for his magazine. That is when I found out I had a talent for humorous writing.

After one of my more serious articles was featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul a couple of years ago, I was interviewed on local television and radio. I was asked if there was anything I had not done so far that I would like to do. I told her that every writer probably wants to write a novel. That is when I decided I would write The Maltese Chicken.

When I announced this to a writers group I belong to, one of the members gave me a book on how to write a serious private eye novel. I had never thought about writing anything that was not humorous, but one night, as I was trying to go sleep, the plot for The Frame popped into my head. The next day I started writing a novel about a cop who had been unjustly accused of wrong doing and lost his job, and his quest to find out who framed him and get even.

I did not have an outline. I just started writing. I never knew what was going to happen on the next page until it did. Three months later I had written well over 86,000 words. Since it was set in the 1940s, I had to do some research on cars, guns and history. I never named the city it took place in, but during one of the many edits and rewrites, my publisher suggested I set it in Memphis, TN. I grew up here, but I was amazed at how much I did not know about Memphis during the 1940s. I was definitely not a dedicated history student in high school or college, but I actually enjoyed the research and what I learned.

The reason I set the novel in the 1940s is because I have always been a big fan of the black and white film noir movies about private eyes and gangsters of that period. I still like to watch them on television.

I thought I had written a pretty good novel, but the constructive criticism, editing and advice I received from my publisher, my editor and fellow writers has made The Frame a much better novel and, hopefully, made me a better writer. I guess I’ll find this out when The Frame comes out sometime this fall.

Do I have any advice for anyone who wants to be a writer? Yeah, write what you know about, what you have a passion for, and listen to the advice you get from other, more experienced people in this business. Oh yeah, one more thing. Don’t be too defensive about what you have written when these people offer their opinions.

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After retiring from a career in advertising, Nick Nixon began writing crime fiction novels, inspired by his love for old black-and-white film noir movies of the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s. THE FRAME, his first book in a series of Peter English, PI mysteries, will release late October 2016. Nick also writes and illustrates children’s books, as well as recording them. He enjoys spending time with his family, good music, good books and classic cars. Three Fun Facts about Nick Nixon: 1…He has five children and fourteen grandchildren. 2…He writes humor columns and does cartoons for various publications. 3…He draws caricatures. Nick’s social media links are:  Blog nick.blogspot.com Website: nicknixonauthor.com   Twitter nick_nickwits  and on Linkedin  His books include his today release,  THE FRAME, Candy Moon, Candy Moon Choo Choo and Looking Through the Rearview Mirror: Drawing From the past to inspire the future (Anthology) (Volume 1)