And the Heat Goes On

Except for the mountains in the background, the image on the left could be of where I live and many other cities and states across the U.S., where we're experiencing a severe drought.  To say it's hot and dry would be a huge understatement.  For the past two days, our high temp has been 111--and we aren't even close to a desert.  We're setting record highs, both during the day and for our nighttime lows.  Yes, our lows have set record highs.  How's that for confusing?

Hot weather can provide a few perks.  It's too hot for my morning walk, so I get an extra hour of sleep.  (I love to sleep!)  Shopping has come to a standstill, since it's too hot to drive anywhere.  There hasn't been much of that for the past few days anyway, because my car has taken a dislike to the heat, too, and doesn't want to run.  All of this means that I'm spending more time inside...and getting more writing done.

Cornfield north of Wichita, Kansas

Who knew that stinky weather would become a prime motivator?

Writing isn't the only indoor activity.  I signed up for Pinterest and added my covers.  Okay, that's all I've managed to get done there, but it's a start.  One of the reasons I hadn't joined was that I wasn't sure where to find photos, and if I did find some, would there be a problem with copyright?  Two days after I uploaded my covers, I discovered that someone had received a legal request to remove a copyrighted photo and may have to pay royalties for the time it was used.  Yikes!  If you're a Pinterest user, you might want to read what happened.

I may have missed RWA 2012 in Anaheim last week, but I'm not the only one.  Author friend Penny Rader has a new blog post on Bits & Bytes titled Do-It-Yourself...Writing Retreat, That Is.  It not only includes several inspiring suggestions, but links to more.  If you need a kick in the pants, check it out!

Motivation is everywhere.  The hard part can sometimes be recognizing it.  If you have or have experienced something that's helpful, feel free to share here or wherever it might help others.

Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity. ~ Bo Bennett