Sure, I’ve enjoyed interviewing creative moms.  And I’ve loved sharing their work with you.

But I need to focus inward now and spend my energy on my own projects.

I will not stop blogging, however, Maternal Spark is going to change. The url maternalspark.com will stay active for a long time so you can still use it to make your way here. I will also be using a new url starting soon and that will be HometoHeather.com.

I don’t know how often I’ll post here – likely several times a week but I’m not going to sweat it anymore if I go two weeks without posting. I’ll only write when I really have something to say.

No more giveaways.

No more chasing people for their interview answers.

No more hustling for others.

It’s me time.

If you’re a writer with work published here and you have concerns please email me and we’ll work it out.

If you’re a current subscriber (I love you, that kissy face up there is coming your way! ) you don’t need to do anything. You’ll start to receive new content as soon as I start producing it.

Stay tuned. The graphical makeover will be happening soon.

The video speaks for itself – have a listen and watch her get jiggy!

About the Artist -

Jill Jayne, MS, RD, is the country’s only Rockstar Nutritionist. She is the leading expert in creating and delivering interactive media about health to kids and families. Jill is the creator and lead performer of Jump with Jill, as well as the Executive Producer of the show’s accompanying audio CD, Get Me Goin’
‘.

Virgo

By Rick Levine

You can tap a deep well of creativity today, but you must find a sensible method to integrate it into your day or you won’t have much to show for your efforts. Instead of trying to capture a sudden burst of brilliance, concentrate on finding a groove that’s comfortable enough to sustain. Being productive is more important than being clever.

Image credit to

Plus, Lands’ End is donating yarn with every purchase of a Feel Good sweater to Warming Families so do some shopping and spread the warmth too!

Upcoming FeelGood Twitter Party

The party will feature more than 20 fun giveaways ranging from the FeelGood sweater and Vickie Howell’s books to Lands’ End gift cards and FeelGood yarn.

Lands’ End FeelGood Twitter Party
Date:     Wednesday, September 16th
Time:     7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. CST
Location:     #landsend

For more info on how to get involved or if you wish to write about this on your own blog check out MomDot

As luck would have it I find out about Pebble.com after I make my purchase.

On a side note, at the first store we went to (not the one I bought from) the sales guy, who was about 60,  told me I should buy the blue one because it matched my eyes.  I closed my pretty blue eyes and imagined punching him in the nutsack.  Then hubby grabbed my arm and hauled me outta there we left.  Before I actually punched him.  Any sales people reading this….don’t patronize your customers.  Ok?

Ahem.

Back to laptop shopping…

Here’s a  blurb from the website:

Pebble.com makes online shopping fun again by offering everything you need in one place to make the best online buying decisions without the hassle of other comparative shopping websites. We provide a place where users can ask questions about specific products and get answers that will help inform their buying decisions.

And here’s a screen shot:

screen shot

When you enter a search term it brings up a nice variety of retailers, brands etc so you can easily browse your options.  I also LOVE how it shows pricing.  This way, you can instantly rule out things that are out of your budget or include things that are. And the best part is you can ask questions to the staff and other shoppers of the site.  How cool is that?  Oh, and by the way, electronics aren’t the only items on the site.  I even found potty chairs listed.

I’m all for shopping online and avoiding interactions with less than stellar sales staff whenever possible.  If I can shop in my jammies, pay a good price and get all the info I need I’m one happy shopper!

Any of you have rotten sales staff stories to share?  Let me know in comments so I know I’m not the only one who fantasizes about knocking some sense into them!

And now for the technical stuff….

Journal Writing

Way back, before little H was born, I was writing quite a bit.  Sometimes I would sit down and blast out a couple thousand words.  I’d finish my session and leave my desk believing that I was on a roll and my next session would be just as productive.  Not so.  I’d go back the next day and re-read what I’d written the day before trying to pick up that momentum again.  Inevitably, I’d get caught up tweaking this thing or that and I’d never get back on my original train of thought.  I’d leave that session feeling frustrated, confused and wondering if I’d ever make any progress.

Here’s how I fixed it. I began using a writing  journal.

What is a writing journal?

Basically, it was a standard notebook that would sit beside my computer as I worked.  I used it to jot down notes about thoughts I had for the story that weren’t necessarily in the scene I was currently writing.  Most importantly, I would write in it immediately after I finished a writing session.

The key to increasing productivity

For me, the key to being able to pick up where I left off was in those end of session notes.  At the moment I hit ‘save’ on my computer, I’d also pick up a pen and write about what was to come next.  It would allow me to capture my thoughts right as they were occurring and as they were in the moment.  I would write something like :

Next: Main character realizes he has to confront sub character but he’s hesitant to do so.  The feeling is anxious and flighty.  The sub character is smart and knows what he’s up to and is working to manipulate what he says to fit her agenda.

I would also include any details that I might have other forgotten like – time of day, weather, setting details, maybe there was a dog doing something in the background.  The point of these notes was to refresh me, to bring be right back to the frame of mind I had in my last session and to provide me with information I might not want to forget.

Picking up the ball

The next day, I’d brew my pot of tea and sit down at my desk.  As my computer started up I’d grab my notebook and go over my notes from the last session.  Reading the notes would eliminate the need to re-read my last days work.  Which eliminated the desire to re-write and edit.  Which eliminated the likelihood that I would get lost or frustrated or waste my session in not moving forward.

The notes put me in a position to easily move forward instead of focusing on what I’d already done.

Not just for writers

This technique works well for many creative processes.  Knitting?  Jot down which stitch to do next in the pattern so you don’t lose your place.  Scrapbooking?  Note which photo you want to tackle next.  You get the idea!

Have you ever used a journal?  Did it help you?

Notes from the Underwire

I was excited when I received an email from Author and Mom,  Quinn Cummings – author of Notes from the Underwire: Adventures from My Awkward and Lovely Life.

She asked if I’d like to host her for her book tour and, well, you’re reading this so you can figure out for yourself what my answer was.  I sent her a few questions and her answers…oh, just read.  You’ll be glad you did!

H: Quinn, my readers are crafty, creative and smart women. Yet many of us (myself included) have a hard time letting go of the guilt we feel if we aren’t spending 100% of our time with our kids and family. Did you feel that guilt too? What did you do about it and how did it play in the writing of your book “Notes from the Underwire?”

Q: It always exists; I’m feeling raging guilt right now because I’m doing book blog business and letting my daughter watch “Sponge Bob.” I’m acutely aware that for my daughter the computer has become the unwanted and needy younger child. The only thing I can think is that it matters that my child–no, my GIRL child– see her mother doing something creative and saying in firm and loving tones, “I’m going into the office now, you need to find something to do which isn’t in the office.” Of course, she’s in the office within minutes, wanting to discuss that day’s game of dodge-ball, but I hope that somewhere in her subconscious it registers that women can love their family dearly and still rightfully demand a little room to think.

Q: I wish I did. Candidly, were I not a former child actor, I’m pretty certain I wouldn’t have gotten a deal. It’s not fair, but there it is. There are quite a few really talented bloggers I follow who should have gotten deals before me. Having said all that, I do think passion draws the eye. I’ll happily read about beekeeping, or manpris, or the history of salt, if you think that topic is worthy of time and attention. Your love of something draws my eye. I can’t help but think it would draw the eye of an editor and an agent as well.

Thanks so much for coming by Quinn!  It was a pleasure getting to know you

Do your Ideas Fizzle?

I know I’ve been there, have you?  I’ll get what I think is  a fantastic idea and I’ll set about working and working and then…

Nothing.  I’m stuck.  I lose steam.  My passion fizzles.

Why does this happen?

It’s easy to pass it off as being busy – motherhood calls (and it does) but if an idea is a good one it will nag me until I explore it.  So does this mean that ideas which fizzle out were not good ideas?

I don’t think so and here’s why:

I’ll be the first to admit that not all ideas are created equally.  Some of them stink from the very beginning.  I’ve been there and done that.  But most ideas have potential.  When I have one that gets dropped, it’s not necessarily because the idea turned out to be a bad one, but more that I didn’t turn that idea into a goal.

When you have a flash of an idea, sit down and ask yourself -

• What do I need to express?
• Where am I trying to take it?
• What exactly do I want to communicate?
• What am I expecting as the end result?

If you find you can’t answer these questions,  jot the idea down so you don’t forget it and spend some time thinking about what got you excited in the first place.

Write your Roadmap

Once you know where you want to go, you can figure out how to get there.

It might be as simple as jotting down a few notes or making a ‘to do’ list of key points you need to hit.  Maybe you need a shopping list for materials so you aren’t left in the lurch.  Maybe you just need to set it straight in your head.  Be aware that while planning is a great tool, planning too much can suck the joy out of creating.  Allow yourself leeway to stray from your plan if you find yourself taking another path.  Just make sure that path leads to your goal.

When should you just let it go?

Some of the ideas that fizzled out on me were because of things I should have been aware of from the beginning.  In these instances I decide to just let them die because, they weren’t my passion to begin with and I had unrealistic goals from the get go.  In these instances it’s smart to step back and evaluate the idea.  Think about what it will take to move forward.  Here are some reasons things didn’t work for me:

• Lack of technical knowledge on the craft at hand (not saying you shouldn’t learn something new, just be aware of the work and investment involved before you take it on.)
• An excitement to work with a certain material – only no idea of what to make with it.
• A mis-judgement on time commitment
• A mis-judgement on my likes vs dislikes (but sometimes, you can’t know unless you try it right?)
• A feeling that the outcome wouldn’t be worth the investment (both time and money)

The next time you get an idea, or notice your lack of enthusiasm for one.  Take a step back and think about turning that idea into a goal.  And if you need to, think about why your idea might fizzle out.  It might save you some time and increase your focus.

Image credit – from gwineman’s photostream