Standing desks
June 4, 2016 • No Comments
So, like everyone these days, I could use more exercise. Unless I build activity into my routine, it doesn’t happen and then sometimes it gets sidelined because of the constant stream of choices–work priorities, writing deadlines, grocery shopping–I know anyone reading this will understand. Our well-being tends to 
come last.
The argument for standing desks is, of course, all about how (without really changing how we spend our time) we can be healthier simply by standing up to work instead of sitting down. As long as the ergonomics are in place, what’s the down side? In my case, price and space. I don’t have room for a proper standing desk at home, and my workplace is not in the habit of supplying new furniture just because I ask. Then I heard about the Oristand, which can be bought very reasonably (about $25 USD). So I got one. My desk came promptly, and is made of a sturdy cardboard that flattens down like a banker’s box. The pictures here are linked from their website, where you can see the desk in action: Oristand There is a video worth watching.
I tried the desk at home, but I’m too short for it when it stood on my kitchen table. I’m 5’7″, and the 
Oristand is clearly made for someone to use it on a standard height desk. So I took it to work, where I could use it on the intended surface. There, the height is perfect. Laptop goes on the top, keyboard on the “step”. For those with a larger monitor, it can go on top or in my case I made a tower of filing boxes next to the Oristand. Not stylish, but it works.
So does standing make a difference? Absolutely. I didn’t get as tired as I feared because I have to sit down in meetings anyway, so my days are broken up between sitting and standing. It seems to be helping my posture and general energy levels. I’m more clear-headed in the evenings and able to write for longer periods. I think it’s all about circulation. I wear a fitbit and seem to get more steps in during the day – maybe I move around more because I’m already out of my chair. For whatever reason, standing does improve my level of productivity. The one other thing I had to do was invest in a rubber mat to stand on, but there are plenty out there at a range of price points. Overall, this has been a positive and easy change for very little investment.
Now, though, I don’t like sitting for long periods because I notice how stiff I get. It’s funny how what we think of as “normal” is just a habit. Change things up for a while, and you notice that normal isn’t necessarily the best option. If you work at a desk all day, try standing for a couple of days–even just for a few hours–and see what your body tells you. It might be surprising.
PS I have only tried this one brand of product. I don’t have any affiliation with the company. If you know of others who make a similar desk, please leave the info in a comment.
A little more writerly advice
May 3, 2016 • No Comments
Here are a few truths I’ve learned the hard way:
- Books will complicate themselves. They don’t need help.
- The stronger a characters’ motivations are, the less artfully constructed patches are needed to save the plot. (I was only fooling myself!)
- If an action doesn’t make emotional sense in the real world, it doesn’t make emotional sense in the book world.
- Ask myself if real people talk like that.
- Being mysterious doesn’t equal good storytelling. One can’t advance a plot just by withholding information from the reader.
- The better the actual story, the less special effects (dragons, sex scenes, gruesome murders, dancing hamsters, etcetera) are needed to keep it moving.
- If I have to stop the action and explain what’s going on, I need to check my work.
Keeping it simple
May 2, 2016 • No Comments
You know that feeling when you first start a book? It’s like my mind is a kitten surrounded by tempting balls of yarn. It wants to pounce on EVERYTHING at once and succeeds mostly in falling over a lot. Adorable, but not that effective.
Ideas, characters, settings, sub plots – I love them ALL and I want them ALL in the first paragraph because I’m so excited (!!!) by the fabulous world I’ve created. Unfortunately, that means I have written quite a few openings that sucked. Fortunately, I have discovered my best friend the delete key, which means my finished books aren’t quite the unruly beasts promised by my first few drafts.
It’s all too easy to load up our openings—and often our entire novels—with an embarrassment of riches. It’s true that certain genres, like epic fantasy, usually have lots of subplots and characters, but the best examples always firmly establish the world and conflict before branching off into weaving threads of events. Many other genres, including romance, prefer only a few main story threads. Either way, good craftsmanship guarantees the reader can always follow the action without drowning in clutter. No one likes a story that requires a spreadsheet and a geomancer to make sense of it.
So, my lesson learned? I don’t need to add one idea more than what’s absolutely necessary—my stories will magically gather complications all on their own. I have to start with the bare bones if I want to end with a coherent book. Restraint and simplicity are perhaps the last lessons one masters, and for me they have been the hardest. I have a hard drive full of mangled first drafts to prove it.
Long ago, I received an excellent piece of advice. “A woman of style will always remove one piece of jewelry before leaving her dressing table and another before leaving her front door.” While I will be the first to admit that sounds a bit patronizing, there’s wisdom in it when it refers to book structure. Sometimes simplicity is a good friend.
2016 RITA Nominee!
March 31, 2016 • No Comments
POSSESSED BY A WOLF has been nominated for a RITA Award in the paranormal category! So it’s off to San Diego this July for the Romance Writers of America conference. I’ll be part of the big Literacy Signing, so if you’re in the area please do stop and say hello.
So how did I hear the news? I was off work for the day and in my bathrobe because it was still early here on the West Coast. When the phone rang I thought it was a telemarketer or some such, so you can imagine my surprise when a very nice person began telling me Wolf had been selected. Yes, I’ve won a RITA before but finding out you’re a finalist doesn’t get old. Trust me on that one! I had to get her to repeat everything while my brain caught up.
An award like this is not a guarantee of fame and fortune, but it is important to authors because it’s validation of one’s art. The RITA is judged by peers. There’s no “campaigning” or politics involved. It’s just whether the judges who got your book in the box liked it or not and as far as I’m concerned that’s how it should be.
I have a real fondness for Faran, my werewolf hero. Let’s wish him luck! Maybe it’s appropriate that I imagined he was a Californian.
Goodreads Giveaway for Enchanted Warrior!
January 24, 2016 • No Comments
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Enchanted Warrior
by Sharon Ashwood
Giveaway ends January 30, 2016.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Ten no-fail procrastination technique, personally tested
January 17, 2016 • No Comments
Ten no-fail procrastination techniques, personally tested to ensure no writing happens
10 Obscure recipe ingredient. Must have it.
9 Coupons are expiring!
8 Distant relations haven’t heard from me since the 90s.
7 My car is overdue for servicing
6 Financial planning! Right now!
5 Flyers! Must. Read. Every. One.
4 My sinks are dirty. Someone might see them. Like my mother.
3 Computer gags. Software update.
2 Must Google for new reviews. Then the aftermath.
1 Can’t possibly write without the perfect tea.
We need to have a chat about the kibble
January 14, 2016 • 2 Comments
The Demon Lord of Kitty Badness in conversational mode.
Today’s obsession – headphones
January 13, 2016 • No Comments
This has nothing to do with anything to do with writing or books, but it’s my blog and I can blither if I want to.
So I grew up with audio geeks and my mother, who is a musician, still claims that vinyl sounds better than anything else. Playing a record is a ceremony requiring the exact positioning of furniture, cleaning of the needle with special elixirs and sitting with uninterrupted focus to listen. I’m not quite that picky, but I finally coughed up money for a decent set of Sennheiser headphones and realized just how good digital CAN be if the proper equipment is available. My iTunes playlist suddenly has new life and–wait a moment–instruments I hadn’t even noticed! Lyrics I can understand! A sense of space and distance between sounds! Seriously, the average earbuds just don’t do justice to good music.
I’m not sure why it’s taken me this long to get some good headphones, but I think it has something to do with a beloved white pussycat of yore who used to chew through the wires of anything he could find. I loved him dearly, but one month he went through 3 sets of headphones. The sight of him with spaghetti wire dangling from his mouth discouraged any serious investment . . . I’d have him back in a heartbeat though.
Camelot Reborn
January 12, 2016 • No Comments
I’ve talked about the fact that I’m starting a new Nocturne series and the first book is coming out in February (just in time for Valentine’s!). I’m sure how well I’ve explained it– it’s a contemporary-set paranormal based on Arthurian legend, complete with fae, witches, demons and plenty of magic. There is a respectful nod to medieval fantasy, but I do not stray into true historical territory.
The germ of the idea for this series came to me when I was very young and on my first journey to England. I was deeply impressed by the stone effigies of knights an
d ladies sleeping on their tombs. At the time, I thought them serene and beautiful and sad and wondered what would happen if I had the power to wake them up. On a much more recent trip through Exeter cathedral, that idea returned with a romantic twist and here we are.
The first book is Enchanted Warrior and its hero is Sir Gawain, the son of King Lot of Orkney and the Isles. He’s stranded in modern times and on a mission to find King Arthur. When he encounters Tamsin Greene, a medieval historian, he believes he’s found someone who can help him. Unfortunately, she’s a witch and he doesn’t trust anyone with magical powers. Mind you, Gawain has a few surprising talents of his own!
The second book is Enchanted Guardian (Lancelot), which will be out in the summer. He’s one of those figures that we think we know, but when I started digging into his legend there were a lot of surprises that I was able to take advantage of.
I’m very pleased with this series – I’ve really had a lot of fun exploring this world.