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Category Archives: Reset Sundays

Reset Sunday- Pick Up A Darn Book Please….


ws_Read_a_book_1024x768It’s been a while since I have written a Reset Sunday…my apologies; I’m back at it now. For today’s Reset column I wanted to mention a thing or two about how Sundays are the perfect “reading day”. You aren’t, after all supposed to do any writing…you are “resetting” right? But you can still read which is what I plan to do for a good part of today.

Yesterday I started keeping track of the food I eat and the activities I do for the purpose of weight loss. (stay with me…I have a point) I am discovering quite a few really disturbing things about my own habits. For instance, I snack (or graze as they call it which makes me feel sort of like a cow) a lot. I have to stop that. I don’t drink enough water…I have to fix that. And, perhaps the most disturbing of them all, I watch way too much television. I didn’t think I did, I mean I write all day long and knock off at 5 or 6 in the evening but then I have dinner and sit down in front of the idiot tube telling myself that I am “spending time with the family”. On Saturdays I knock off work at 3. So yesterday I sat down in front of the television to watch some movies with the family and I didn’t go to bed until 11 p.m. Can anyone tell me how long that is in front of the television…please raise your hands…you, there in the back with the funny hat on…what’s that? Yep, you are correct, that’s 8 HOURS!

I was shocked. 8 hours of mindless TV. I could have been doing anything else at all but there I was, snack in hand, sitting like a lump in my easy chair contributing to my early demise. It was quite the wake-up call. I hadn’t always watched television like that. I use to read more, get out of the house more, play more but at some point, over the last 10 years I had migrated into that easy chair.

So I said all of that to say this….don’t watch television today….read, then get up and do something, then read some more, then get up and do something. We as writers sit all the time anyways so more sitting time in front of the television can’t be good. And once we give up our souls to television replacing reading we are giving up our imagination, our will to create story in our minds and our sense of self replacing it with the lives of actors. So today….pick up a book and turn off the television; this is your Reset Sunday mission. Who knows maybe you will once again discover the joys of books and find that it is much easier to put down that remote control.

 

© The Writer’s Advice, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

 
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Posted by on April 7, 2023 in Reset Sundays

 

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Reset Sunday – A “Super” Excuse to have Fun


Unless you have been on another planet, in another universe, under a rock, inside of a steamer trunk, in a hole, buried beneath a mountain…you know that it’s Super Bowl Sunday. Yep to some this is the day their team suits up and wins one for fans everywhere who are too overweight to get off the couch let alone throw a football. For others this is the day that they get some quiet time because the spouse is in the living room screaming at the television set and too busy to notice that they have lifted their wallet and are headed out the door to hit the sales. And then there are those of us who watch because, yes, we like football, but more importantly, this is the day of the cool commercials. I am in the latter group today because my football team, the Denver Broncos, seems to have issues with finishing what they have started…but I digress…

My point is, no matter what group you are in, this is a super day to have fun. Put down those iPads, push away from that computer screen and park your behind in front of the television for some fun. In our house, my daughter and I watch the game and my spouse spends the afternoon making all kinds of crazy snacky things for us to try out. It’s fun and, although I am sure I gain a few pounds, the time to just not think about work and just yell at the television and pretend that I am a better coach is great. And then there is my daughter who is 12 and who has been a part of this tradition since she was 4. She yells too and it’s a blast to watch.

So today, in case you’ve missed it, is Super Bowl Sunday and it is your excuse to have a little fun. The work and the writing, which for most of us is one in the same, will be there tomorrow. But today…let’s yell, eat and root for the underdog because we can. Let’s laugh with our kids, our buddies, our spouses and let’s have some fun. It’s Reset Sunday after all and that’s all about taking a moment out to reset ourselves…and what better way to do that then to yell a little…..

 

© The Writer’s Advice, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

 
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Posted by on February 3, 2023 in Reset Sundays

 

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Reset Sunday – Take in a Game…No Not that Kind of Game…


AZ-Brain-GamesYes, it’s Sunday. Yes, folks expect you to watch football. But here’s a thought…instead of veg’ing out in front of the television…how about a brain game? A what? A brain game, something to work on keeping that noggin of yours clear and bright.

A lot of folks have discovered Sudoku and I’m all for that if you are not math challenged as I am. I prefer brain games that make me think and are fun. If you have an iPad there are games galore. I have about 20 on mine that are all “zen” oriented, meaning you can go at your own pace and they are designed to relax your brain in a way that isn’t hurried or stressful. But there are also games that test your brains response time too. Nintendo DS has the “Brainage” games which were actually designed by doctors to hone your skills. These are fun too.

But if you don’t have all the electronics you can still relax on a Reset Sunday and work on your brain through crossword puzzles, word searches and even a puzzle. The whole point is to challenge your brain while relaxing and having some fun as well. So take a Reset Sunday or even weekday evenings and instead of the television, work that noggin…trust me, when you are older, you’ll be glad you did.

 

© The Writer’s Advice, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

 
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Posted by on January 14, 2023 in Reset Sundays

 

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Reset Sunday – New Year, Take Time to Reset


So here we are on our very first Sunday of 2013 and I think it is appropriate to say that we all should begin anew. One of the things I would love to see all of you commit to is Reset Sundays. The purpose of Reset Sundays is to…well…reset. We work day after day throughout the week (even on Saturdays…I know you do) and we almost never take time to do what we want to do.

So your Reset Sunday challenge today is to take some time and reflect on what last year offered and then put it away and focus on this year. Some advice I got recently was perhaps the best advice I have gotten in a long time…it was, “Don’t concern yourself with the year, concern yourself only with the day and the rest will take care of itself”. I am guilty of that, I confess, I am usually weeks or even months out because of jobs and deadlines…I need to stop that, and so do you.

Today, think about the day…watch football…read…take a walk…but get away from the desk and the deadlines and reset….you owe it to yourself.

 

© The Writer’s Advice, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

 
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Posted by on January 6, 2023 in Reset Sundays

 

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Reset Sunday – A Day to Reflect


I have kids….four of them…three boys and a girl. My kids are 30, 24, 19 and 12…this week I hugged each of them a little tighter. Today I would normally task you to sit back and take it easy doing something that caters to you and today is no different except that I want you to take care of your heart specifically.

It has been a long and painful week. Those of us who are parents have been hit in the face with the possibility that our children could be shot at school…again. Frankly, I didn’t need reminding but…a young man with obvious problems felt otherwise…and in case he is somewhere in the hereafter wondering…mission accomplished.

Today, I want each and every one of you to do whatever it is that you do to decompress. There is always a great temptation after witnessing a human tragedy such as this to allow it into your writing. If it is appropriate, by all means, use the emotion you have felt but don’t let it take over a story where it doesn’t belong. Journal…but leave it there if your normal project is not the place to unleash the pain and confusion you may be feeling in your heart.

We are writers so, by nature, we are guided by our experiences as well as the experiences of others. BUT…if we are “good” writers…we know when to follow the guidance and when to just observe and save what we see for later. Choose which the case is for you of course but reflect on whether or not you are making the right decision before you leap over that fence…it matters…trust me.

So today, on this Reset Sunday, we have, admittedly, a lot more to “reset” and although we cannot personally reset the world around us…we can reset our own corner of it. Hug each other, hug your kids and then let it go and go back to work….but do, by all means….reset.

 

 

© The Writer’s Advice, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

 
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Posted by on December 16, 2022 in Reset Sundays

 

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Reset Sunday – The Power of a Well Placed Nap


Writer’s Note: Caught up…YEAH!!!!!

It’s Sunday and you know what that means….football?  Yard work?  Catching up on housework? Spending time with the family?  Bathing the dogs? Nope…it’s nap time!

There is a lot to be said for a well-timed nap now-a-days. I didn’t use to be a napper…in fact, I was one of those people who scowled at others who curled up on the couch and napped their Sunday’s away. But then…something …happened….I…got….older….

I just recently began giving into Sunday naps and I have to tell you…it’s great.  It gives me a chance to refuel, relax and make my spouse crazy because the yard is going to have to wait until next Saturday. (I’m hoping it’s raining or snowing by then)

I spend all my time during the week at my desk in the company of my keyboard and the lives of my many characters…the way I see it I deserve a day to relax and quiet all of their voices. So your Reset Sunday challenge is this…take a nap…trust me…you won’t regret it and hey, you might even start a tradition! So if you’ll excuse me, I think the couch is screaming my name….

 

© The Writer’s Advice, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

 
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Posted by on December 2, 2022 in Reset Sundays, Writing

 

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Reset Sunday- Shop, Shop, Shop…No Really it’s Research


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It’s that time of the year when people go crazy and shop until they are broke. Now I don’t advocate shopping until you are broke but I do however, advocate shopping in general. A Reset Sunday is a great time to put your keyboard aside and take advantage of the sales going on.

I use this time of the year to buy all of my writing supplies. Everything is on sale, like paper, pens, notebooks, software…anything a writer might need for the next year. Today I visited a Office Depo and got a great office chair for cheap. (Yeah commercialism…) I also picked up a case of paper and priced some new printers. If I don’t get all of the stuff on my Christmas list, you can bet I will be taking advantage of those after holiday sales.

There is one more thing that holiday shopping offers the writer….research. It’s is the one time of the year when every type of human possible is at the local mall…what a great opportunity! People watching is never better than this time of the year. I grab a note book and head for the nearest mall bench and take notes until the book is full. As a writer you can pick up on phrases, emotions and even the holiday argument…

So today or even next Reset Sunday, head to the nearest mall. First buy those supplies at cut rate prices and then spend some research time getting great character ideas. Hummm…..did I just give you a great reason to shop? (You can thank me later)

© The Writer’s Advice, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

 
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Posted by on November 26, 2022 in Reset Sundays

 

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Reset Sunday - Planning For December 22, 2012…..Beer Anyone?


When I was in Guam (military) in 1984 I was young. When I say young, I mean late teens to early 20’s. When you are that young, you are also fully in control of your “stupid”. What’s your “stupid”, you may be asking? It’s that set of genes, brain cells or what have you that have full control over your common sense. These little guys make (maybe I should say allow) you do really stupid stuff. Case in point, the Typhoon Party…

We would get word that a huge storm was coming. Sometimes we would have two maybe three days’ notice of these storms. The base commander would tell us to go home, batten down the hatches, store up food, fill the bathtub and sinks with water and stay safe until it was announced that the storm had passed. So what did we do??? We went to the nearest Class 6 store (liquor store to you non-military folks) bought eight cases of beer and every bottle of Captain Morgan’s Rum they had, filled the bathtub and sinks up with ice and had a “Typhoon Party”. Ah youth…..

So what will you be doing when the foreboding Dec. 21st rolls around? Me? I’m gonna have a Mayan themed party that celebrates the ridiculous notion that the world will end because a calendar did. I will celebrate the hoped change in human consciousness that is rumored instead. And I will start a new book about what happens next…you know…after everyone feels stupid yet again for being worried that the world will end. Oh…and I will fill the bathtub up with ice for old times’ sake…..

Your Reset Sunday task is to grab a glass and toast humanity…they give us sooooooo many things to write about.

Disclaimer – To any of you out there who believe in the whole Mayans-ended-the-calendar-and thus-goes-the-world thing…my apologies for poo pooing the concept.

 

© The Writer’s Advice, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

 

 

 

 

 

 
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Posted by on November 13, 2022 in Reset Sundays

 

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Reset Sunday – BE QUIET…But in a Good Way


I am always suggesting ways to enjoy your Reset Sunday. I have suggested that you travel, get out of the house, watch football and play games. This week I am suggesting that you do the total opposite of all that and just plain be quiet.

We live in a world filled with radio, television, internet….loads of noise making apparatus. Because we live in such a noise filled work, we never just sit in the quiet. We never just listen to our heartbeat and reconnect with ourselves and to be healthy…we all need to do this once in a while.

So on this Reset Sunday my challenge to you is to be quiet. Find a corner or go out on the porch and just allow last week’s crap to fade into the distance and welcome the new week ahead. I’m not advocating a religious experience but instead a personal one. Take a little time to listen to your heartbeat….

 

© The Writer’s Advice, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

 

 
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Posted by on November 5, 2022 in Reset Sundays

 

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Reset Sunday – Prepare for the Holidays OR How to Ensure a Quiet One Next Year


I know, it’s not even November yet but if the television, the department stores and the neighbors across the street can push the holiday season ahead of schedule then I have a duty to point out a few obvious holiday preparations that all writers must undertake.

There are some accepted ideas about the holidays that seem to say one thing but to us writers mean something entirely different. I’m going to take this week’s Reset Sunday column to examine some of those “accepted ideas”, define what they really mean and suggest a solution….here we go….

  • Holidays are for family – What this really means is that we are about to be invaded, and because the invaders are “family members” we have to accept it. My writer’s suggestion…start a large writing project this Monday, that way you will be knee deep in it right about the time everyone arrives….repeat after me…”but honey, I’m on deadline”….
  • Holidays are all about the food – What this really means is that you have to feed everyone who comes through the door. My writer’s suggestion…now’s the time to try out being a vegetarian. (for just a month or so) Nothing sends people screaming from your home faster than offering them tofu.
  • Holidays are all about the kids – What this really means is that you have to deal with your siblings screaming little monsters. My writer’s suggestion…the first night they are there tell them an incredibly scary story about how Santa is really a serial killer who just can’t decide which kid to kill off so he leaves toys for the ones he’s looked over to remind himself who to come back for. Guarantee the next morning they will be begging their parents to take them home.

These are just a few of the “accepted ideas” for the holidays and the solutions that will ensure that next Christmas everyone heads for your sister’s house in Topeka. The holidays are great as long as the television works and there is no one standing between the fridge, your beer and the leftovers WHILE the football game is on, so get those scary stories ready…..

 

© The Writer’s Advice, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

 

 

 
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Posted by on October 28, 2022 in Reset Sundays

 

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