I want you to imagine something for me. Imagine your perfect morning. Not like, waking up in a fancy hotel on your way to Universal Studio kind of morning. A get the kids to school and adults to work and things went really well morning.

Have you thought of yours? Good, here’s my perfect morning.

I wake up when my alarm goes off and spend fifteen minutes playing with my time management games. Then I get up, and dress in the outfit I picked out the night before. I can walk right into the bathroom and do my makeup, because my makeup bag is in the bathroom where it belongs. Then I go downstairs and turn on my coffee pot that’s already loaded with coffee. The house isn’t immaculate, but it’s picked up. My lunch is in my bag, I know where my keys are. I remember to take my vitamins because I’ve remembered to put them right next to my travel mug, which is clean and ready to go.

All of these things set me up for a good day. I feel more energized, I get to the day job with time to spare and I feel more confident. Since I feel so good, I’m more likely to do things that I need to. I’ll get things done, I’ll do laundry. Most importantly, I’ll do the things that I need to do to make the next morning another good one.

This is the domino effect that a good day can have, if we follow through with it.

Now, picture a shitty morning. You know the mornings I mean, we all have them.

I just can’t wake up, so I don’t have time to play my games. I have to scrounge through the bin full of clothes I didn’t have the energy to put away and maybe find some wrinkled shirt. At worse, I might be stuck with some less than fresh underthings. I’ve got to take time to make my coffee and scrounge something for lunch. If I have the time left after all that, I’ll toss on some BB cream and mascara. I’ll rush to the day job, arrive just in time to clock in and hit the ground running. I hate that. Oh, and of course I’ve forgotten to take my vitamins, if I even knew where they were. By the end of the day, while I know it will only lead to another bad morning, I’m more inclined to crash on the couch and watch cartoons than I am to do the things I need to do. I’m also frustrated because, when I make my to do list for tomorrow, I’m just rewriting the exact same list again. I’ve made little to no progress, and that makes me feel like crap.

This is the domino effect that a bad day can have, if we let it.

This is not a sponsored post. There are no affiliate links and I was not asked to write this. I will get no money, whether you buy any of these things or not.

Are you doing your holiday shopping yet? I am, and I hate it. Every other year I’ve known just what my kids want. This year they have no idea, so I have no idea. It’s not a fun place to be.

Since I can’t help myself, I’ll try to help you. If you have a writer on your shopping list, at least.

Now, I did this same thing last year. Here’s a link. So I’m going to stretch out a bit and give you ideas for the readers in your life as well. Because, let’s be honest, no one’s a writer who isn’t also a reader. I will, again, be giving you two guides. One that will cost you money dollars, and one that will cost you only time. Here we go.

Gifts for readers that cost no money, only time.

• Promise them, right now, that you will give them free reign to gush about their favorite book for a pre agreed to amount of time. Even better, read their favorite book.
• This one might be big, because there are some big book movies coming out. Allow one ‘this movie sucks, the book was so much better’ rant.
• If there are little ones in the house, promise some time without the little ones to read in peace.
• Be a shoulder to cry on when their favorite character dies. Notice I don’t say if.
• Find them a bookish wallpaper from one of the hundreds of free wallpaper sites. It costs no money at all, but it does save the reader time.

Gift for writers that cost no money.

• Double a recipe and freeze half, then take it to your favorite writer.
• Make a promise that you won’t use the phrase ‘real job’ even once in 2017. In fact, go ahead and promise never to use that phrase again.
• Install Open Office for them. It takes some time, but it’s shareware, so it’s no money. It’s compatible with everything, and it’s the writing software that I use.
• Take down their decorations for them, or do some other chore for them that they despise.
• If you’re artistically inclined, draw a picture of one of their characters.

Gifts for readers that cost money dollars.

• The Magical Art of Tiding Up. I recommend this book because, if you follow it, you only have to clean your house one more time, ever. Think of all the reading time you’ll have!
• This cute little snail tea bag holder. I despise losing the little paper tag in my tea cup.
• If you really love your reader, get them an E-reader or tablet. I love mine; it enables me to carry a whole bookshelf around in my purse. What reader doesn’t dream of that?
• Get them a copy of your favorite book. This is a special, intimate gift that I think everyone should give people they love at least once. More times if you’ve known them longer and your favorite changed. Since I can’t buy a hundred copies of a book, I’ll tell you all that my favorite book is The Giver. If you haven’t read it, you should.

Gifts for writers that cost money dollars.

• Elements of Style, by White and Strunk.
• On Writing, by Stephen King.
• Your Best Year, 2017. Because writing is a business and this is the best guidebook to a meaningful business I’ve ever seen.
• A premium subscription to Grammarly.
• Bossypants, by Tina Fey.
• Yes, Please, by Amy Poehler.

I hope this helps you in your gift giving pursuits. I can tell you that I have everything on that last list, and I appreciate them all.

Did I miss any great gifts? Let me know in the comments below!

I’ve been going to yoga once a week for the last few months. I’ve always done yoga, since I was thirteen, actually. I enjoy it, it’s peaceful and it keeps my chronic back issues in check. But for the first time in my life, I have a class that I can go to. I’ve really loved it.

My yoga instructor is a great woman named Mickey. She likes to tell us little inspirational things while we’re in savasana. This is supposed to be the hardest pose for the Western Yogi. I understand this entirely. When I’ve got every reason to be running, lying still is really freaking hard. It’s also rather strange for me in a personal way. I’m going to class at the YMCA, in the same building I went to day care at when I was a kid. I took naps there, on mats that I swear weren’t much thicker than my yoga mat. It’s weird, as a thirty year old woman, to find myself in the same place, doing the same thing, just this time on purpose.

I’m getting off topic, though.

Mickey said something to us in my last class that hit home. It was just the thing I needed to hear. “Yoga is a practice. Every time you come to your mat it’s the first time you’ve come to your mat.”

I didn’t actually need to be told that. I’ve been doing yoga since I was thirteen and I still have all the balance of a two second old giraffe. But I kind of needed to be told that about my writing.

This year I’ve published three books. I have a fourth book being traditionally published, and a fifth book coming out early next year. This is awesome!

But it’s also terrifying. Because now, when I come to the blank page, I feel those books. I feel as though, because I’ve written five books, I should be really good at that. I should be a great writer and everything that I write should be, must be, better than what I’ve written before. It’s got to live up to its brothers, right out of the gate.

This is fucking stupid, and as a grown woman I should know better. But sometimes, we need to be told by someone wiser. I’m not wiser than you, I’m sure. But Mickey might be, so I’ll pass along her words to you.

Come to the blank page as a practice, as if for the first time. No matter how many stories you write, no matter how many books are behind you. The blank page is a practice.

Full disclosure, I haven’t seen the new Ghostbusters movie yet. I’m not going to judge it based on other people’s opinions, but I’ve been hearing some pretty disturbing things. Not about the movie, but about people’s reactions to the movie.

It seems like anyone who has anything bad to say about it is being labeled sexist.

Here’s my problem with this. It ties into an overlaying opinion that geek culture in general is sexist. I’ve been a geek my whole life. I came by it honestly, watching Star Trek Next Generation and X-Files with my grandma and reading copious amounts of comic books my uncle’s left in her house when they left. Early on I fell in love with X-men, watching the cartoon right along with Magic School Bus after school. I played Commander Keen, and actually had AOL. I write speculative fiction and I’m tech support at my day job. I am a geek, and I’m the mother of two geek girls. I’m not going to tell you that I haven’t had the occasional sexist moment in my life. I’ve been harassed, mansplained to, and treated as less of a geek than my male peers. Sadly, every woman has.

But it isn’t geek culture that did that to me. In fact, I’m far more likely to have a man who’s not a geek talk down to me. I’m more likely to school a man who was condescending to me about computers than one who approached me as an equal. I think it’s because they jeer to cover up their own inadequacies.

The truth of it is, it’s a great time to be a geek, but it’s always been great to be a geek girl. I’m honestly insulted by the insinuation that the geek community is sexist. Here’s why.

Fan service abounds and there is eye candy to be had by all.

I really don’t love to see a woman running around in dental floss, being a straight woman and all. But I do, sorry to tell you, like to see a guy running around without his shirt on. And there’s a lot of that in geek movies. Damn, there’s a lot, and it makes me happy. So who am I to grudge a man the sight of the girl in the dental floss?

Geeks were all about equality long before anyone else.

It’s always been either the geeks or the comedians that broke ground. The X-Men were talking about equality long before anyone else cared. Archie Comics showed the first gay wedding, with X-Men soon after. Wonder Woman was talking about gender equality since the beginning. So don’t tell us about equality. Chances are we told you already.

Let’s go way back.

For instance, let’s look at the original Star Trek and Liutenent Uhura. She was strong, smart and not mention was ever made of her gender. Except when she went all gooey over the tribbles. In fairness, they were damn cute.

We’ll also look at the first appearance og Jean Grey, in the very first X-men cartoon. The boys, Cyclops, Iceman and Beast, made fools of themselves over her. She was so ready to toss them across the room when they started getting too frisky.

Now, I do want to talk for a minute about the first two Ghostbuster movies. In particular, let’s talk about Janine Malnitz, the secretary. You know, the sassy, no nonsense lady who had a huge crush on Egon? The one who was totally ready when ghosts started appearing in the station? The one who was just as badass as the guys? You remember her? Let’s take a look at her character in the remake.

His name is Kevin Beckman, played by the amazingly hot Chris Hemsworth. Here’s the thing, Janine wasn’t hot. She certainly wasn’t brainless, ditzy or eye candy. Which is exactly how Kevin is portrayed.

Representation matters.

When I was little, raised by a mother who didn’t believe in sexual equality, I took comfort in characters like Agent Scully, Lieutenant Uhura, Jean Grey and all the rest. I wasn’t weak, I wasn’t less than a man. I was just as capable as anyone else.

I would hate to think that some little boy would watch the new Ghostbusters movie, and think that he couldn’t be as smart or a strong as a girl.

I guess it’s really no surprise to any of you that I’m kind of obsessed with Hockey recently. Oh well, it could be worse. I could be a drug addict.

One thing I haven’t seen yet is a hat trick. I just love the thought, one player getting three scores in the same game. Then, everyone throws hats at the rink. I mean, how cool is that? I’m waiting, with baited breath, for a hat trick.

And, because I’m kind of weird, I had to find a way to make this new obsession work for me. Now, I have to share this will all of you, because that’s the sort of person that I am.

My to do lists are blowing up every day. And, for reasons even I don’t understand, I keep adding new projects! But I find, as I’m sure you do, that there are some things on my list that are more important than the rest. So, I mark three things, the most important three things of the day, as my hat trick goals.

So, for instance, today my list looks like this.

• Write PBW posts *
• Post PBW posts *
• Make plans for charity event
• Write up two character pages
• Write a new short story
• Make plans for cyber Monday/ Seeming launch.
• Clean the house *
• Work on Starting Chains for 25 minutes
• Social media time

Yeah, I don’t overextend myself at all. Actually, that’s kind of why I have my hat trick rules. You see the three things that have the stars next to them? Those are my first priority. So if I get those things done, then get distracted roasting chestnuts with the kids or watching Futurama, that’s okay. I got the important stuff done.

It’s a little thing, and honestly it’s nothing dissimilar to advice I’ve read on other sites. But It makes me feel better to have this sport comparison in my everyday life. So if that sort of thing helps you, like it helps me, give it a try.

I’m wrist deep in NanoEdmo right now, so I didn’t have time to write a short story this week. I have a great idea, a really creepy tale, but I want to do it right. Right means not rushed. So instead of a story this week, I want to say something to all of you that I think needs said right now.

I’m not going to give you a Nano pep talk. There are blogs upon blogs that will do that for you. If you want the truth, I need one myself right now. I’m getting up early, going to bed late and missing out on other projects that are calling to me. It’s one month out of the year, I tell myself, that I focus all of my efforts on editing. I can do it. I did it last year. I reached my Nanoedmo goals for three years in a row before that. But I’ll tell you that right now I’m sick to death of adulting. So when I’m done writing this I’m going to go work through two hours of edits, then go read some of those Nano pep talks.

But if you’re doing Nano, you don’t need a pep talk nearly as much as some other writers. That’s who I’m going to talk to today.

To the writer who isn’t sure where to start. yes, you’re still a writer, my friend. You’re just at the very first stage. The stage that every writer was once at. Maybe you didn’t do Nano this year, maybe you just weren’t sure that you could pull it off. Start writing today! Go, right now, buy a notebook and a pen. Start writing every day, no matter what it is! Write stupid shit, write down that thing your friend said that really hit you. Write anything and everything, for some amount of time today. Maybe there’s a book there, maybe there isn’t. Just write something! It’s a step, one small step. And I know you’re wondering what the point of starting is when you don’t think you’ll ever be published. I can’t promise you that you’ll end up published. I can sure as hell promise you that you’ll never be published if you don’t start!

To the writer who can’t seem to get that first project done. I feel you, I was you. I started more books that were never finished than I really care to count. But none of that writing was wasted. I learned from all of it, even if what I learned was that those ideas didn’t work. I’ll tell you a secret, the worst kept secret in the industry. Every writer has at least one novel that will never see the light of day because it was shitty and they tossed it. Books on the shelves are usually second or third books. So spend time on your work in progress today. Either make progress or cut it loose so that you can work on a new, better project. But I do want to caution you against taking that second path. A shitty project can be fixed in rewrites. What I’m saying is just get something done. It’s good for you.

To the writer who’s struggling to sell their work. Oh, that’s right. Now the creative wonderful part is over, and you’re reminded that this is a business. Yeah, that blows. But it is what it is. We are in the entertainment industry, and the sooner you realize that it is an industry the better your going to feel. Keep collecting those rejection letters, my friends. Read articles about query letters, polish your work until it shines. Send it to agents and publishers until someone bites. It’s frustrating and heartbreaking but you won’t get there any other way. However, can I also suggest that you do something else? Write another book! While I was waiting for someone to bite on Broken Patterns I finished Starting Chains and wrote the rough draft of Missing Stitches. There’s two great old sayings in the writing business about this. The first one is from Michael Connelly. “You know what I did after I wrote my first novel? I shut up and wrote twenty-three more.” Another good thing to remember, and I don’t know who said it first, is that nothing sells the first book like the second. So chin up, and keep writing!

Here’s the thing. We need stories. If you live in America like me, you know that we are so divided. You all know that I’ve got no problem getting loud about important subjects, but we’ve got people physically hurting others over this mess. We have people who are scared to leave their homes, and I don’t have words of comfort for them. I’m afraid for friends and family members. I don’t have any political power, but what I have is a voice. What I have is my voice. You have yours too. But even if you don’t want to talk about what’s going on, your writing can still help. Write something funny, something spooky, something irreverent that will make someone smile. Even if it’s just you.

Being the big nerd that I am, I’m already seeking out lists of movies that are coming out in 2017. And there are a lot of movies coming out in 2017 that I can’t wait to see.

But I’ve noticed something that I guess should trouble me, but it really doesn’t. Looking through the movies scheduled to come out next year, I see a ton of remakes, sequels and adaptations of books or comic books. I guess this is nothing new. This bothers a lot of people, and it kind of should. Remakes, sequels and movie versions of novels all lack the originality of the source material.

Actually, it doesn’t necessarily. While I can say, with no hesitation, that some remakes and sequels would have done better to remain unwritten, there are a lot that do great things for the story. So, sorry not sorry, I’m going to defend them today.

Sequels continue a story.

As a fantasy fan, I can’t think of a single book I love that isn’t part of a series. Harry Potter, Song of The Lioness, Hunger Games, Divergent, Dragonriders of Pern, Chronicles of Narnia. Literally I could fill a page with examples, but you get my point. So, why do people get so bent out of shape when a movie has a sequel?

I do want to stress that there is a world of difference between a sequel and a ‘cheapquel’. Allow me to demonstrate.

Paranormal Activities was a great movie. I loved the first one, but it left a lot of questions. Honestly, I’ve seen all of the Paranormal Activity movies, including The Marked Ones, and I still have questions. That’s the fun of the series, though. The whole story fits together like wonderful, bloody puzzle pieces.

Now, let’s compare that to another classic in the genre, Saw. I’ve seen them all, and I don’t feel that any of them added any deeper understanding to the situation. Really, I feel like we could have stopped after three. This isn’t to say that the first Saw wasn’t great. It really was. That twist at the end blew my mind! We didn’t need a second movie. We only got one because the first movie did so well.

Remakes help a new generation of fans fall in love.

Every now and then I actually watch something wholesome with my kids. Not often, but sometimes. One example is Annie. My kids loved the original with Carol Burnette as Ms. Hannigan. We loved the new one just as much. The new one was, in fact, incredible. It paid homage to the original while still standing on its own two feet. The remake of Rocky Horror Picture show was also great.

I love watching remakes with my kids because, frankly, some things don’t age well. It’s a lot easier getting the kids to give something a try if I’m not trying to explain 80s and 90 fashions. They can experience the story for what it is.

I can actually think of at least one case where a remake was way better than the original. That example is Poltergeist. There was no sex scene, the special effects were boss and the ending was way happier. I was always lukewarm on the original series, but the new one was really good.

Movie versions can be magical.

We have a rule in our house. If you didn’t read the book, you don’t get to watch the movie. (With the exception of Forrest Gump. Don’t read that book, don’t do that to yourself.) This rule works really well for us. The monsters and I read then watched Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Chronicles of Narnia, Spiderwick Chronicles and Percy Jackson. Sometimes the movies are great, like Harry Potter. Sometimes I want to wrap my hands around the director’s neck and squeeze until there’s no breath left in him, like Memoirs of a Geisha. Sometimes it’s just fun as hell to watch a movie version of characters I already love, like all of the Avengers movies, First Class and Days of Future Past. (Batman Vs. Superman was terrible. Sorry, Ben Affleck, it’s not your fault.) Sometimes loving the movies inspire people to read the books. I have a lot of friends who watched Game of Thrones and had to read the books after. I also have a lot of friends who didn’t read the books before watching the show and didn’t know the Red Wedding was coming, hehehe.

Finally, let me give you what I think is the best example of a screen adaptation. It’s kind of unique, and I’m sure you’ve heard of it.

The Walking Dead. Now, I read this comic book religiously for a while. It’s interesting. Most zombie movies revolve around the first wave of terror. It’s kind of fun seeing people just try to live their lives alongside zombies. The tv version is quite different from the comics. Some characters, like your precious Daryl, don’t even exist in the comics. Some things are the same, but other things vary wildly. This comes from the fact that a different writing team is creating the show. Neither are, in my opinion, better or worse than the other. It’s just a great example of something I wish more writers would realize. You know, the writers who will probably give up eventually because ‘it’s all been done already’.

Everything has already been done. That’s true. You can never ever come up with an original story. What is original is your telling of it, your voice. That’s why we keep making remakes. We keep telling the same stories in new mediums. Because while the stories may be as old as time, the writer’s voice isn’t.