Top 10 Guilty Indulgences For Writers–or The Catch 22 of Writing!
Hello all! I’m on the Ndulgent Bloggers Blog Hop this week and this is going to be fun. Read on and in the end, leave a comment and you will automatically be entered into my giveaway for a free e-copy each of Heartbeats and Freefall. But don’t stop there! Ndulgent Bloggers are hosting a GRAND PRIZE of $100 Gift Card from the WINNER’S CHOICE of Barnes & Noble or Amazon, so click the button after the post to enter the Grand Prize giveaway and continue on with the Hop for some more great giveaway opportunities!
Now let’s get on with it. What are my Top 10 Guilty Indulgences?
Right now, as I work toward the deadline of my new romantic suspense novel, ICE Blue, everything I do feels like an indulgence! Writers write because some masochistic thing inside us tells us we just love to create characters and stories, then sit for untold hours at a computer (thank God for computers, it makes it easier to do all those rewrites!) and hash out the words. Sometimes the words come easy, sometimes it’s like pulling a stubborn elephant out of a pool of quicksand…not that I’ve ever done that…but I can imagine…the thick, oozing, sucking sand…the gray, wrinkled elephant bleating in protest…oops, sorry, going astray. Ah, yes, that is one of the indulgences, letting the mind stray from the task at hand. So what are my top ten ways to indulge myself as trudge toward that deadline?
#10. This is the easy one. Ice Cream. I try not to have it every night!
#9. Chocolate. It’s a great reward after I complete a scene. Not only does it taste good, but the combination of sugar and caffeine gives the mind a boost to help it create that next scene, especially when it’s a love scene!
#8. Did I say love scene? Okay, writing love scenes isn’t exactly an indulgence, because they are an integral part of the novel, but one can get caught up in them! It is necessary to know when to stop trying to make the scene perfect, to enjoy it for what it is, and get on with the rest of the book! (Something that can be said for many things in life.)
#7. Sitting by the pool on a hot summer day. This has been a tough one to fight this summer. Lots of hot days.
#6. Sitting by the pool on a hot summer day and reading someone else’s awesome romance or suspense or romantic suspense novel. (Can I just say, inspiration?)
#5. Hitting the golf course for a quick round of 9, or even better, 18 holes. Yes, I am a golfer, I admit it. But it’s breathing fresh air, learning to meet the challenge of getting the ball into those silly holes in as few strokes as possible, and increasing my stamina–especially when it’s 97 degrees out. It will help me write better, honest! (You can see a pattern here by now, I’m sure—rationalization.)
#4. Oh yes, the mental wandering—thinking about a character, a scene, an idea that would be perfect in another book. Watching a person walk across the street and wondering what their story is, who is in their life, why are they here–why are they crossing this particular street at this particular time? It’s easy to let your mind wander to new material when you have to get the current WIP done.
#3. Facebook. EWWW. Total Indulgence! But I love catching up on family and friends and seeing all those pictures of the people I know and love doing very cool and sometimes not so cool things, especially the grandkids! Oops, did I say grandkids? Yup, I’ve got ‘em. But I’m not that old, really. (Would you believe I had kids when I was ten? Okay, maybe not!)
#2. And speaking of grandkids, this one fights with my #1 indulgence, and should probably be there, but my super big indulgence is spending time with my family, my husband, children, and grandkids. Teaching the one-and-a-half year old to hold and rock a baby doll and sing it to sleep, watching another sing in a choir, helping another learn to swim or ride a bike. And knowing when I do all these things, that I really don’t have time to load all those pictures up on Facebook to share. I have to write the book!
1#. Which brings us to: The Number One Guilty Indulgence For Writers, or The Catch 22 of Writing—The Writing Itself! When I am writing, getting the story down, working toward the deadline, sometimes as a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, etc., the top indulgence feels like the writing itself. I am pouring so much time and effort into it, especially when I’m working toward a deadline, that I don’t have time for all those other things. But when the book is done, and it’s good, and those great reviews start coming in, it’s awesome!
Now what are your guilty indulgences? Leave a comment to enter my giveaway for a free e-copy of Heartbeats and Freefall! Then click the button below to enter the Ndulgent Bloggers GRAND PRIZE of $100 Gift Card Giveway and continue on with the HOP!
Susan Rae, Romantic Suspense Author 
Distinction Amongst Snoring And Sleep Apnea
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Please let me know if you’re looking for a article writer for your weblog. You have some really great posts and I feel I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d absolutely love to write some articles for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please shoot me an e-mail if interested. Thanks!
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Thanks to all of you who visited my blog and left a comment. It sounds like the top indulgence here is chocolate, followed by a good book!
Congratulations to Yvette for winning a free download of Freefall and Heartbeats. If you didn’t win, you can still check out my books on my MY BOOKS page. You can also find the buy links there. Both ebooks are available at Amazon, Barnes and Nobles Nook, and all major ebook outlets.
Happy Reading!
Susan
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sup I’m laura I’m such a blonde but I still really loved your writing
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I like chocolate.
bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
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My indulgences are books , chocolate, pepsi , watching True Blood, and one I forgot facebook games(they are so addicting).
vampiremistress2010(at)gmail(dot)com
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Books are my indulgence! I cant resist them. I see them and want them. When i read them, i want even more! lol And chocolate is high up there too! 😀 Thanks for the awesome hop and giveaway! 🙂
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com
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I didnt look for this, but I love this, found it entertaining! Keep up the awesome work!
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My number one indulgence is lots of yummy yummy books.
smurfettev AT gmail DOT com
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My indulgences are books, chocolate and horror movies!!
susanmplatt AT hotmail DOT com
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I love to indulge in romance novels and dark chocolate.
Thank you for great blog and giveaway.
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I like to indulge in a good Merlot or a hot cup of Irish coffee. Chocolate goes well with either of them. lol Thank you for the giveaway.
kaylyndavis1986@yahoo.com
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My indulgence is reading romance novels and playing RPG video games.
bituin76 AT hotmail DOT com
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My quilty indulgences are sitting up late night watching tv or playing on my computer and stuffing myself! Ice cream of chocolate are usually involved! Great giveway!
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I love books and coffee.
Yvette
yratpatrol@aol.com
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I love to indulge in books & cheesecake 🙂
Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
cassandrahicks1989@yahoo.com
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I love Chocolate, Books, Shoes and Purses…LOL..
ronnkelly3@aol.com
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Ice cream number one? Great minds, as they say, think ALIKE. without my Chunky Monkey or Cherry Garcia, I’d be lost. Others? Hmmm…reading of course. I’ve been on a Stephen hunter kick lately. Browsing at Pottery Barn or Williams Sonoma (which we finally got here, after years of waiting!), enjoying summer in Canada (it’s so short, you have to!), and a visit to Italian Centre for yummy imported noms.
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Yeah, I have to agree with the chocolate theme. I keep some Hershey’s Kisses in my desk drawer for a reward when I’m done with a chapter…or some other milestone I set for myself. Social media. Although not much of an indulgence, it does seem to distract from the writing process. frmonette@yahoo.com
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I can see a theme here, lots of chocalate and great books! Thanks for stopping by my blog! Now I need some more chocolate so I can keep writing.
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Indulgences are books and David Gandy! Thanks for the hop and the chance to win!
ehaney578 at aol dot com
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My brother suggested I might like this blog. He was entirely right. This post truly made my day. You cann’t imagine simply how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!
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My indulgence is a hot bubble bath, dark chocolate, a good, dry white wine and a good book (ideally,all at the same time) followed by a massage!
Thanks for the giveaway!
elizabeth @ bookattict . com
Facebook: Elizabeth Kotkiewicz Hyatt
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Dark chocolate, scotch, romances of all flavors, singing while driving, daydreaming, Sudoku. Thanks for allowing me to confess. :>)
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What a great hop!
My indulgence: CHOCOLATE & Erotic PNR BOOKS! And not feeling guilty about it at all. LOL
Thanks for being part of the hop and for the chance to win.
reneebennett35(at)yahoo(dot)com
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I love to induce in a great book, hot chocolate and afternoon naps. Carin
mawmom at gmail dot
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my guilty indulgences are LOTS of reading and the tv series Spartacus blood and sand
parisfan_ca@yahoo.com
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