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Show Up for Yourself

Does word count matter? 

If you are a creative writer of any kind, this can often be a very, very important question to ask yourself. It's December (almost Christmas!! Yayy!!!) and many of you participated in November's national Novel Writing Month. During writing challenges such as these, word count can often become a significant stressor.

I was chatting with my sister Abbie (who also participated in this year's NaNo) recently about word count and whether or not we should be setting emphasis on it as writers. We had a great discussion - one that sparked the idea for the video you'll find just below.


Remember, we write to communicate a good story, not simply to get as many words down on paper as possible. Sometimes we don't need as many words as we think we do to achieve this, while other times we may need more...there is no right or wrong.

Let word count be a prompt when it comes to challenges such as NaNoWriMo, or perhaps goals you set for yourself - but let the true GOAL be to simply...show up. Show up for your book and show up for yourself. If you do that? Your project is already a success.


3 MINDFUL TAKEAWAYS:

• showing up > the amount of words you write
• writing a story that MATTERS and that will make a positive impact is way more important than how long it is.
• Your readers don't care about how many words are in your book. They care about engaging with a wholesome and compelling story that will linger in their minds and hearts long after they've closed the covers.


Now it's YOUR turn! Do you keep track of word count? What's the #1 most important goal you've set for yourself with your writing? How do you maintain a healthy relationship with word count? Let's chat below in the comments!


Merry Christmas, creative souls!
kate


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A bit about the new book...



...Yep. I wrote a prequel. I think we all knew this was coming, I mean? Could I really stop talking to these characters? Could they really stop talking to me?

Unlikely. 

I just posted a new video on my YouTube channel revealing the title, cover, what it's about - the whole nine yards, you can find that below. And the best part: it JUST went live on NetGalley. and you are formally invited to be on my launch team! Here's how:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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1. Watch the video below for all the details⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2. Grab your FREE copy on NetGalley (again, link in bio)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
3. Leave a quick, kind, & honest review on NetGalley and Goodreads when you're finished.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀


Join the launch team & grab your copy here!


For a bit about the book itself...


14-year-old Ion Jacobs just wants to belong to a family and feel normal. But his past is a mystery, his future is a question, and his whole life is about to change.
Tossed from one foster home to another and shadowed by his mysterious past, Ion fears he’ll never fit in — until one day, when he drops a pencil and instead of falling to the floor…it floats.
Shocked and bewildered, Ion searches deeper and discovers an undeniable truth about himself: he possesses extraordinary powers beyond his control. Healing injuries, levitating objects, and superhuman strength come as easy to him as breathing. Now Ion only has one goal: make sure no one finds out what he’s capable of.
Struggling to keep his newfound abilities a secret, Ion finds himself more isolated than ever — until he meets a mysterious stranger in the woods who seems to understand Ion better than anyone else. As tensions rise at home with his new foster family, Ion finds it harder and harder to control his powers. And when he accidentally sparks a fire that nearly destroys their home, Ion is forced to face the reality of his situation: not only is he capable of healing — he’s also capable of fatal destruction.


I'm not going to say anymore, I'm going to let the book speak for itself. Needless to say, I am extremely stoked, none of this would be possible without your support, and I hope you can join the launch team for Anomaly because I would absolutely LOVE for you be part of this journey!

The novel is out 4.7.2020! As always, stay updated by following Here To Create, or my Facebook.



Can't wait to share this story with you!

stay stoked,
kate

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3 warm winter teas for writers


The weather has turned cold and snowy (yes!) here in Vermont already, and my days are currently being spent squirreled away in my office, bundled in cozy sweaters, peering out the rain/snow spattered windows as I type myself ever closer toward the end of my current novel. The wind howls and tugs the last of the brown oak leaves from the places where they struggle to cling, and the wild geese crash their wings against the cold water and white caps cresting the surface of the lake.

This, my friends, is tea weather at its most ideal.

And it's inspired me to not only share with you three of my favorite tea recipes (the warm, sweet nectars I guzzle on the daily, and which spawn many afternoons of inspiration) for the chilly season ahead of us, but to make a video about it! (With pretty b-roll and all...even if I do say so myself...)

I can ardently vouch for the fact that these three lovely hot drinks make rather sweet writing companions. So below you'll find a video in which I whip up all three, and even farther below you'll find recipes for all three drinks so that you can whip them up yourself.

Enjoy!


GOLDEN FOG

Ingredients:
1 cup of plant based milk
1 cup of water (or two cups of plant milk if you would like your tea to be especially creamy) 
1 cinnamon stick broken in half
1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric
1 tablespoon of maple syrup, 
1 teaspoon of vanilla and 
3 earl gray tea bags 
¼ cup steamed/foamed plant based milk
Pinch of ground cinnamon (garnish)

Directions:
Add ingredients to a small sauce pan on medium heat. Keep stirring to prevent scalding the milk, and remove it from the heat when it begins to boil. Strain into your favorite mug and enjoy it as is, or top it off with steamed plant based milk and sprinkle with cinnamon.


GINGER HONEY

Ingredients:
2 cups of water (or to taste, depending on how strong you like your tea)
1 ginger root
½ - 1 teaspoon of honey
2 drops of organic liquid stevia (optional)
¼ cup of steamed/foamed plant based milk
Ground ginger (garnish)

Directions:
Peel and chop a generous handful of ginger and add it to two cups of boiling water. Let it boil for at least an hour, then remove from the heat and strain it into a mug. Add about half a teaspoon to a full teaspoon of honey, and a couple drops of organic liquid stevia. Stir and add foamed almond milk and sprinkle with ground ginger.


YOGI TEA


Ingredients: 
1 gallon of water
20 black peppercorns (to taste)
About 17 cardamom pods 
20 whole cloves
3-4 cinnamon sticks
6-7 organic black teabags
1 teaspoon of maple syrup 
¼ cup of steamed/foamed plant based milk
Pinch of ground cinnamon and nutmeg (garnish)

Directions:
Bring about a gallon of water to a boil. Add about twenty black peppercorns, a handful of cardamom pods after popping them open, about twenty whole cloves, one large chopped ginger root, and three to four sticks of cinnamon. Let all of these ingredients boil together, uncovered, then reduce to a simmer and add about six or seven organic black tea bags, and let steep on low heat for at least an hour. Later, remove the tea bags and fresh ingredients and strain into a mug, mixing in a teaspoon of maple syrup and topping with foamed plant based milk. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and nutmeg.



 What's your go-to warm writing drink on a cold autumn (or early winter, like we have here in Vermont) day? What are your favorite mix-ins for a good cup of tea? Comment below, I would love to hear!

stay stoked! (and warm)
kate
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7 SELF CARE habits for NaNoWriMo


There's so much more to writing a novel than simply getting stoked up to write, or fleshing out the themes and plots of our books.

What actually makes us creative? What gives us the inspiration and drive to write a book?

That, my friend, would be how we look after ourselves mentally, physically, and spiritually.  What we do in every area of our lives matters - and effects our ability to create.

I've wanted to make a video about mindful self care for creative writers for a while now, and I thought what better time to share it than "preptober"?

I know a ton of you are getting ready to head into a month of fevered writing, but don't forget to prep more than just your novel. It's so incredibly important to also show yourself some TLC. And I hope this video will provide you with a bit of inspiration to do just that!



What is YOUR favorite SELF CARE practice? Tell me below, I would love to hear it! 


stay stoked!
kate
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