9 10, 2013

CREATIVITY – One Word Wednesday

By judythemorgan|2017-04-08T18:36:39-05:00October 9th, 2013|one word Wednesday|3 Comments

What is creativity?

Being creative or artistic doesn’t necessarily mean you know how to draw or play an instrument.

Creativity is a way of thinking, a way of viewing the world.

Creativity requires constant shifting, blender pulses of both divergent thinking and convergent thinking, to combine new information with old and forgotten ideas and produce something original.

Dan Draper of the AMC television series Mad Men portrays a creative.

Writers exist in a world of creativity.

Consider Steven Jobs-highly creative. He changed our world.

David B. Goldstein, co-author of “Creative You: Using Your Personality Type to Thrive,” maintains every person is creative.

“Contrary to popular belief, no one is born without a creative bone in his or her body, and not all creative types are starving artists. In other words, we’ve all got it, but our personalities play a role in the kind of creative we are, and how we best feed into it.”

Creativity is a function of how your brain works. Creative types use the RIGHT side of their brains more than the LEFT.

Click HERE for fun tests to find out if your brain is wired for creativity. (Special thanks to Jack Milgram for the tip on this great infographic.)

One caution though, according to Barbara O’Neal, being a creative person is not easy. From her blog, The Creative Personality:

“The mental and personality traits that make it possible to be creative can also be annoying and irritating to the rest of society. Aside from the crime of introversion, creative people are often non-conforming, haughty, brilliant, intense, restless, prickly, with a sense of destiny (see the whole list here).”

If your test results show you do operate in the creative right brain…

or you exhibit any of The Traits of Highly Creative Adults, this quote from artist Henri Matisse is for you:

Creativity takes courage.

Now go be courageous and CREATE.

7 10, 2013

Breast Cancer Awareness Month – Debunking Some MYTHS

By judythemorgan|2013-10-07T05:53:27-05:00October 7th, 2013|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

If you’re like me, you have one or more friends or family members who have been affected by breast cancer.

Every October a nationwide campaign increases awareness of the disease, but myths persist.

Below are seven such myths and the facts to debunk.

MYTH: Finding a lump in your breast = breast cancer.

The Facts: Only a small percentage of breast lumps turn out to be cancer. However, if you discover a persistent lump in your breast or notice any changes in breast tissue, do NOT ignore. See a physician. He can assess the risk through breast imaging tests.

MYTH: Men cannot get breast cancer.

The Facts: Each year approximately 2,190 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 410 will die. Men carry a higher mortality than women do, primarily because awareness among men is less, which causes a delay in seeking treatment.

MYTH: A mammogram can cause breast cancer to spread.

The Facts: A mammogram is the current gold standard for the early detection of breast cancer. Breast compression during a mammogram cannot cause cancer to spread. According to the National Cancer Institute, “Mammograms require very small doses of radiation. The risk of harm from this radiation exposure is extremely low.”

MYTH: A family history of breast cancer means you are likely to develop breast cancer.

The Facts: A family history of breast cancer places you in a higher risk group, but ten percent of individuals diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history.

The Risk Factor Correlations:

If you have a mother, daughter, or sister who developed breast cancer below the age of 50, you should consider some form of regular diagnostic breast imaging starting 10 years before the age of your relative’s diagnosis.
If you have had a grandmother or aunt who was diagnosed with breast cancer, your risk increases slightly, but it is not in the same risk category as those who have a first degree relative with breast cancer.
If you have multiple generations diagnosed with breast cancer on the same side of the family, or if there are several individuals who are first degree relatives to one another, or several family members diagnosed under age 50, the probability increases that there is a breast cancer gene contributing to the cause of this familial history.

MYTH: Breast cancer is contagious.

The Facts: Breast cancer is the result of uncontrolled cell growth of mutated cells that begin to spread into other tissues within the breast.

MYTH: The gene mutation BRCA1 or BRCA2 detected in your DNA means you will definitely develop breast cancer.

The Facts: According to the National Cancer Institute, “not every woman who has a harmful BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation will develop breast and/or ovarian cancer. But, a woman who has inherited a harmful mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 is about five times more likely to develop breast cancer than a woman who does not have such a mutation.”

MYTH: Antiperspirants and deodorants cause breast cancer.

The Facts: Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are not aware of any conclusive evidence linking the use of underarm antiperspirants or deodorants and the subsequent development of breast cancer.

Material in this blog from the National Cancer Institute and the National Breast Cancer Organization.

YOUR TURN:

Take charge of your health. Perform routine breast self-exams, get an annual clinical breast exam, and schedule your routine screening mammograms.
Go Pink to show your support: Now through October 31, 2013, CafePress is donating 10% from the final purchase price of their breast cancer awareness products.
Give to Breast Cancer Research: Click this link to donate to the National Breast Cancer Foundation

4 10, 2013

What’s In a Name? – Miller Farm Friday

By judythemorgan|2013-10-04T06:06:52-05:00October 4th, 2013|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A guest blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Ice cream was on sale at the store last week. I walked by the freezer without even slowing down.

I was so proud. Then I passed a second display – not fair.

The featured ice cream was “Texans Tackle Crackle.” The carton resembled a football and, although I am not a huge football fan, the name intrigued me.

I bought ice cream – and ice cream cones. It is very good ice cream. Vanilla with chocolate swirls and something crunchy – I’m guessing it is the “crackle.”

This got me thinking about names.

Not all of our chickens have names – which is good since we have thirty or so chickens. Only the ones with distinguishing characteristics have names. For example, Frizz.

She is a frizzle chicken who has quite an attitude. She needs to have a name – she has earned it by her tenacity among the bigger birds.

Then we have Crooked Neck so named for obvious reasons.

We had one named Hurt Foot for equally obvious reasons but she died. We don’t believe the death was at all related to the hurt foot.

Samson is our rooster with very long feathers.

In case you aren’t familiar with the story, Samson was an Old Testament judge who never cut his hair as part of a vow to God. He was known for his strength among other less desirable traits.

Names can describe something as is the case with our chickens.

Names can also create a sense of curiosity like the Texans Tackle Crackle Ice Cream.

So what’s in a name? A lot more than you might think.

2 10, 2013

One Word Wednesday – Idioms

By judythemorgan|2013-10-02T06:17:56-05:00October 2nd, 2013|one word Wednesday|2 Comments

Recently I came across this fabulous chart of colorful idioms on Grammar.net Great site, btw, if you’re grammatically challenged like me.

Technically, an idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally. Languages are loaded with idioms.

The expressions are global and the same idiom can have a very different meaning in a different country. In Finnish, “with long teeth” means you are doing something that you really don’t want to do. Same phrase in French, “to have long teeth” means you are ambitious.

Groups of people with shared/common interests have their own idioms. Think about these examples from music and drama:

“It’s not over ‘till the fat lady sings.”
“Break a leg”
“It takes two to tango”

When I taught English as a Second Language, idioms challenged my students. Common idioms, like the examples below, were easy to teach.

A chip on your shoulder
High as a kite
Sick as a dog
Rub someone the wrong way
Jump the gun
Pay the piper

When the students conversed with their fellow native speaking friends, other not so common expressions managed to stump them.

Signing idioms when I was interpreting for the deaf was a tough call, too. I had to know what the speaker meant. Sometimes I didn’t!

Usually it’s easy to pick up the meaning from the context of the conversation or non-verbal gestures. Sometimes it’s best to ask exactly what the speaker means.

If you’re not sure what the idiom examples I’ve used mean, here’s a site that defines common idioms: http://www.idiomsite.com/

Idioms can complicate speaking and writing. I advise using them sparingly…unless your meaning is clear!

30 09, 2013

3 C’s to Increase your Writing Productivity

By judythemorgan|2022-09-11T15:22:48-05:00September 30th, 2013|Make Me Think Monday|4 Comments

We moved to Colorado to escape the rush, rush of living in a large urban metropolis. We wanted quiet so I could write more. My husband wanted to be able work on his master’s degree.

We found that quiet in our little town of 377.

So why hasn’t my productivity increased?

Because urban living wasn’t what was eating my writing time.

In this fascinating article “A Call to Disarm Technology & Hype (And Boost Your Writing Productivity)”, the blog writer, L.L. Barkat, suggests the internet and other technology keep us on an “insanely high alert” that ultimately kills our productivity.

Barkat believes “when you let yourself get carried away by the high-alert cycle and give in to its constant interruptions, you lose 10 IQ points in each interruption moment (“the equivalent of not sleeping for thirty-six hours—or double the impact of smoking marijuana”), and it takes you about twenty-five minutes to fully return to your original project.”

All I can say is he’s describing me.

Every notice of new posts from FB, Goodreads, or Twitter and computer alert to new email draws my attention. I end up attending to everything and accomplish nothing. I can’t seem to stop the innate sense that I must know what’s going on!

I’ve come up with three ways to “commit to stopping the hype” as Barkat suggests:

Create Quiet

When I start to write, I turn off my cell phone, no email, no social media, no internet cruising. Cold turkey! Just my desktop that has no internet hook up and me alone in my office.

Peace and quiet and the words flow.

Curtail Social Media

I’m not saying I abandon social media. I’m saying I control social media. Social media is not controlling me.

Following Frances Caballo’s advice on how to eliminate the unintentional hours of wasted time on social media. I’ve set a timer, limiting my social media time. I now use Tweetdeck and HootSuite to schedule tweets and updates. I plan for specific times to socialize via social media like waiting at doctor’s offices, and I routinely analyze how effective social media is for my platform building.

What’s not working, I eliminate. Take that social media!

Clock writing time

I’ve developed a spreadsheet to keep track of my writing hours. Now, just like a server at McDonald’s, I clock in and out.

The first week was a real shocker. Too many days with no clock-ins. If I worked at Mickey D’s, I’d be fired.

Now it’s BICW…Butt In Chair Writing. Every day. No matter what. I clock a minimum of three hours per day.

Amazing how my productivity has improved.

You may or may not agree with Barkat’s premise, but I believe using my three C’s can increase your writing productivity.

YOUR TURN: Has technology adversely affected your writing productivity?

25 09, 2013

HARVEST MOON – One Word Wednesday

By judythemorgan|2013-09-25T06:21:37-05:00September 25th, 2013|one word Wednesday|0 Comments

SOURCE: http://www.space.com/22882-harvest-moon-photos-september-full-moon-2013.html

Anthony Lynch snapped this photo of the 2013 Harvest Moon at Phoenix Park in Dublin, Ireland. Lovely isn’t it?

This year’s Harvest Moon arrived on my birthday September 18. The lunar orb lit the night and continued to be awesome for days, which led to some research on the moon.

Here’s what I learned:

The moon rises on average 50 minutes later everyday as the year moves on. The Harvest Moon rises only 30 minutes later. The earlier rise offers more light.
The full moon that rises closest to the autumnal equinox — this year’s official start of autumn was September 22 — is called the Harvest Moon.
The name Harvest probably sprang from the lips of farmers because, in the days before tractor lights, the lamp of the Harvest Moon helped farmers to gather their crops, despite the diminishing daylight hours. As the sun’s light faded in the west, the moon would soon rise in the east to illuminate the fields throughout the night.
Nora Bayes’ and Jack Norworth’s 1903 song titled Shine On Harvest Moon popularized the name. Here’s a great clip of Laurel and Hardy singing and dancing to the tune from their 1939 movie “Flying Deuces.”

A Harvest Moon is not truly bigger, brighter, or more pumpkin-colored than other full moons. It just appears to be.

NASA’s Dr. Tony Phillips explains why: “For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, a low-hanging Moon appears much wider than it really is. A Harvest Moon inflated by the moon illusion is simply gorgeous. The view improves as the night wears on.”

I captured the Harvest Moon with my camera.

Not so great, but you can see some fabulous pictures here.

All these pictures make me think a Harvest Moon would be great setting for a romance scene.

What do you think?

23 09, 2013

Are you a Pogo Writer?

By judythemorgan|2022-09-11T16:14:26-05:00September 23rd, 2013|Make Me Think Monday, Monday Motivations|0 Comments

A writing career is different from other occupations. A writer has to make up their route to success. There’s no policy and procedure manual, no checklist for success. What to do and how to do it is solely up to the individual author.

Each day brings unchartered waters especially in the current, ever-changing face of publishing. There are good days and bad. Success and rejections. The emotional wave is like a roller coaster ride. Up one day. Downhill fast the next.

More than any other job, at least as far as jobs I’ve ever had go, writers control their destiny. At the same time writers can become their own worst enemy.

By that, I mean we tend to sabotage our success.

Or, in the immortal words of POGO, “We meet the enemy and it is us!”

Not familiar with Pogo Possum?

He’s the anthropomorphic comic strip animal created by Walt Kelly in 1948

The poster pictured on the left was created by Mr. Kelly for the first Earth Day in 1971. To read more about POGO and Walt Kelly, click here.

Why do I believe POGO writers can be their own worst enemies? I see signs, and I’ve seen writers who exhibit these characteristics and fail.

You’re a POGO writer if…

1. You spend too much time and energy focused on mimicking the writing and style of some other author.

We’re spinning our wheels and wasting our words when we do this. The publishing world already has Janet Evanovich, J.K. Rowling, Steven King, and Nora Roberts. Their success is their success. You can’t copy and get there! Every writer has his own path to carve.

2. You obsess with following THE RULES.

Don’t get me wrong. THE RULES are important.

Once you understand the basics—things like POV, dialogue, setting, character, plot, theme, etc., you have to trust your instincts and what works for your story.

Rules are very important guidelines. Writing, on the other hand, is an art form that entails experimentation, innovation, and expansion. Don’t be so hung up on THE RULES you lose your own sense of story.

3. You buy into every new way to write or plot that a writing expert suggests.

Learning the craft, and studying with writing experts is important. I’m not arguing it’s not necessary to study writing craft.

Heaven knows I’ve spent a fortune learning from some of the top teachers in writing craft, and I improved my writing skills by leaps and bounds.

I’ve also learned that all the classes and workshops in the world are wasted if I’m not producing.

More importantly, I realize that writing experts don’t always know what’s right for me or my writing process.

Once you find the process that works best with your personality and lifestyle, you need to stick with it.

Btw, if you’re interested, I’d be delighted to share the names of those experts I highly recommend, just email me.

4. You’re unable to take criticism or the flip side-believe everything anyone says about your story.

Either of these positions can be fatal. Critiques and reviews are an essential part of every writer’s life.

No denying bad critiques or reviews hurt. Surviving a brutal criticism or review of your work definitely isn’t for the fainthearted.

You have to develop an elephant hide and learn to weigh the opinions expressed for exactly what they’re worth then make up your own mind.

It is YOUR story, after all.

Strong writers survive…and often produce better stories from hard critiques or bad reviews.

5. You’re not writing.

This sign is the most telling of all.

Who doesn’t struggle with the procrastination parasite from time to time?

But a successful writing career requires disciple and focus. Whether moved by the muse or not, a professional goes to the keyboard or grabs a pencil every day.

I know what you’re thinking. Authors have to promote and develop reader relationships, which cuts into writing time.

Very true, but I would argue that the key to gaining recognition and readership (aka success) is writing the next story.

Do you recognize POGO writer signs in yourself? If so, now that you know, you can defeat the enemy.

Close this browse and get back to writing!

20 09, 2013

Miller Farm Friday: Bella – 1, Chicken Wrangler Sara – 0

By judythemorgan|2013-09-20T06:15:51-05:00September 20th, 2013|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A guest blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Monday was a little hectic on Miller Farm. I didn’t have time to get the chickens food and water before I had to be at school to play for Chapel so I just let them out.

When I got home an hour later, I went out to fill water jugs and check on the food status. Of course, all the dachshunds went out with me.

Tucker brings his ball out for me to throw as I carry water. Sadie looks for lizards and Coco just follows me around. Bella, on the other hand, finds other ways to occupy herself.

I caught her “playing” with one of our Dr. Seuss birds, but alas, I was too late to rescue it.

As I disposed of the body, I couldn’t really fuss at Bella. The chickens have been warned not to come over the fence.

I went in to start laundry. I guess Bella felt a little guilty. She decided to “help” me.

How could I be mad at that face!

I sent the picture to Rachel and told her about the reduction in the chicken flock. Her response was “Well it shouldn’t have flown over the fence. Plus this means I can hatch more!”

I told her we still had a billion. She reminded me of chicken math – where for every chicken you lose you have to have at least four more to replace it in case one or more dies or turns out to be a rooster.

I texted her “I’m not listening nananana.” Fortunately, she is off at college and can’t really hatch chickens right now anyway.

Our flock will remain as is unless, of course, some other chicken who didn’t witness the demise of the gray Dr. Seuss bird and decides to fly over the fence.

13 09, 2013

Hardest Question of the Day – Miller Farm Friday

By judythemorgan|2013-09-13T06:09:17-05:00September 13th, 2013|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

The Miller Farm reached a milestone this summer – we now have 5 drivers and 5 cars which would be fine if we actually lived on a farm with lots of room. We actually live on a busy street in the middle of town. There were many mornings this summer when everyone was home that we played “musical cars.”

Fortunately for the neighbors, unfortunately for the parents, the whole family is seldom at home simultaneously.

Our oldest daughter’s car, named Pepe, started having problems. We sent her back to school with a more reliable car and planned to get hers fixed.

I didn’t mind driving Pepe, even if it meant coaxing Pepe into starting at times. It did make trips to the grocery store a little challenging. I usually park in the same spot each Monday when I shop.

One week, however, someone was in my spot. Apparently they didn’t get the memo.

Anyway, I was in Pepe and in a different spot, which meant I had to remember where I parked the car. That’s pretty much the hardest question of every day for me.

I texted my husband and told him if I wasn’t home in two hours to send out a search party.

Pepe finally reached a point where he needed mechanical attention. We took him to our friend to do the work and our friend loaned us a car to use. This family has small children and seeing the doll shoe in the back seat and the waffle fry on the floor reminds me of days long gone.

I took this borrowed car to the feed store today to get quail food. The procedure at the feed store is to go inside to the counter and place your order. The order is sent to the warehouse and then brought to your car.

The clerk at the counter always asks “What are you driving today?” Another hard question for me to answer some days. I was very proud of myself for being able to answer that question correctly the first time.

I’ve seen advertisements for computer programs that are basically brain puzzles. They are supposed to exercise your brain and improve your memory. I ‘ve decided my brain gets enough exercise just living day to day on Miller Farm.

11 09, 2013