Fighting hibernation again

November 6, 2014November 6, 2014beccakinla art, creativity, seasons, writing Tags: artists, autumn, creativity, daylight, energy, fall, hibernation, productivity, sad, seasonal, seasons, winter, work, writer 2 Comments

I think that despite outward appearances, I am a bear.

You may have heard me complain about this before. For some reason, for the last several autumns, my body has decided all I really should be doing at this time of year is lying slanty across a bed or a couch, dozing. My brain does not want to turn on.

Usually, I hold out until December, but this year, it kicked in as soon as sunset arrived before 5 pm local time.

The problem is, I have work to do. And I want to do it. I’ve got plans to write faster the next few weeks in order to finish my serial as quickly as possible. But all I want to do is sleep…

A morning nap helped on Tuesday. Today, I finally perked up after a little rest, a bite to eat, and taking ibuprofen (because the sleepiness is often accompanied by headache). Most of the time, exercise early in the day helps, but today, I was too miserable for even that.

My best friend told me over the phone yesterday that she’s sure all will be well, because at least I know what’s happening so I can take care of myself and know it’s just a temporary thing.

After a few weeks, the hibernation instinct seems to slowly disappear. I’m usually pretty normal by January. And the flip side is that in the spring, I sometimes go a bit manic. Not really, clinically manic, but optimistic and bouncy, energetic and creative. Totally overflowing with ideas and able to write and write and write. Which is pretty useful (not only for writing, but for Passover cleaning).

The good news is that by being patient with myself, I actually got a bunch of writing done today, not as much as I would have liked, but enough to not feel the day was just a total waste. I suppose I just have to be okay with decreased productivity.

And now, I’m returning to my den.

Can we just get this over with?

October 30, 2014beccakinla frustration, Jewish, kvetch, magazine, rant, serial, writer, writing Tags: author, Binah Bunch, binah magazine, frustration, glixman in a fix, magazine, patience, serial, writer, writing 7 Comments

I am sick of writing my serial.

There, I’ve said it.

This week, I’ve resolved to crank this puppy out as fast as humanly possible, because I fear it has taken over my writing life. I haven’t written a piece of fiction in months other than episodes of Glixman in a Fix.

Can I just kill off Mendel’s Aunt Rina?

If I didn’t have readers come over to me every couple weeks and tell me how much they look forward to each episode, I think I would have thrown in the towel already.

I have a bad, baaaaaad feeling that some editor will Continue reading →

Writing exercise for building empathy, Part 2

October 6, 2014beccakinla advice, writer, writing, writing process Tags: anger, emotion, empathy, essay, exercise, fiction, grudge, personal, real life, reflection, release, relief, resentment, story, therapeutic, therapy, writer, writing, writing exercise 3 Comments

A month or so ago, I published a post about how writers — and everyone else — could benefit from building empathy. I’d like to share another strategy about which I’ve gotten a positive feedback about. This exercise in particular will build you as a writer, and as a person.

For this exercise you can do one of two things: Continue reading →

Interview with Suri Rosen, author of Playing with Matches

September 28, 2014September 30, 2014beccakinla authors, Jewish, Jewish writing, writer, writing, writing groups, writing process Tags: author, chick lit, clean, critique, fiction, group, high school, interview, jewish, kosher, matchmaking, novel, playing with matches, reading, recommended, suri rosen, teen, tween, writer, writing, writing group, writing process, ya 4 Comments

Today, I have the pleasure of sharing with my readers an interview with Suri Rosen, the author of a new YA novel, Playing with Matches. (You can find my review of the highly-entertaining Playing with Matches here.)

Suri piqued my interest in part because she has published her first book — a book with universal themes but with distinctively Orthodox characters and setting — with a mainstream, secular publisher. Most books with Orthodox themes tend to be published by Jewish publishers. I conducted this interview last week via email.

RK: This is your first novel, but as many of the reviewers have noted, you write with real skill. In particular, you handle Rain’s voice with humor and confidence. Have you published other genres before, taken classes, or to what else do you attribute your success?

SR: I’ve always been writing. (I cover this in detail on this website,’Dear Teen Me.’)

I read numerous books and blogs about writing and spent countless hours discussing technique with other novelists. But the most important aspect of becoming a publishable author – to me – is getting feedback. Giving a critique also sharpens your craft but getting a critique to me is the single most important factor in developing yourself as a writer.

And it can be brutal! Continue reading →

Making a plan for 5775

September 21, 2014beccakinla writer, writing, writing process Tags: cheshbon, craft, improve, improvement, lessons, new year, resolutions, rosh hashana, writer, writing Leave a comment

Since, in last week’s post, I identified five areas in which I can improve my writing career in the next year, I thought I should also consider the steps to take in order to accomplish those goals.

1) Stop wasting time.

I really do need to stay connected on social media for professional reasons: for networking, to publicize my work when it goes live, and so on. However, I don’t need to check it periodically all day long, and then stare fascinated at the screen when I should be writing.

Two steps I’m going to take: allow myself one half-hour of Twitter and FB at noon, and one half-hour after the kids go to bed. The only exception is on those days I actually expect to have a story published online and know I’ll need to publicize it.

Additionally, Continue reading →

As the Year Turns… Looking back at 5774

September 17, 2014September 17, 2014beccakinla ahead, back, challeng, cheshbon, evaluation, freelance, gratitude, improvement, Jewish, look, new year, prayer, professional, writer, writing Tags: accounting, advice, challenge, improvement, jewish, look back, new year, rosh hashanah, writer, writing, year 4 Comments

It’s a week until Rosh Hashanah, which for Jews means this is the last week of the year.

What a year.

The world has suffered through a lot this year. Looking ahead, I see so much to pray for in the coming year: peace for the world, individual nations, and in our personal lives; rescue for captives; and what in Hebrew we call “Menuchas HaNefesh,” the ability to remain tranquil even when in stormy seas. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

But looking back professionally, I’m profoundly grateful for a very productive year.

Top 5 Things I’m Grateful For This Past Year As a Writer:

1) I’ve published more in the last year than in the prior 38 years of my life combined. Continue reading →

Rebecca Klempner

Author page of Rebecca Klempner

writing

Fighting hibernation again

Can we just get this over with?

Writing exercise for building empathy, Part 2

Making a plan for 5775

As the Year Turns… Looking back at 5774

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