Guest Post: Katie Sise + Giveaway
The Boyfriend AppPublished: April 30.13
Pages: 320
In The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise, super-smart, somewhat geeky Audrey McCarthy can’t wait to get out of high school. Her father’s death and the transformation of her one-time BFF, Blake Dawkins, into her worst nightmare have her longing for the new start college will bring.Now, are you ready for her awesome thoughts? I am! Here we gooooo!
But college takes money. So Audrey decides she has to win the competition for the best app designed by a high schooler—and the $200,000 that comes with it. She develops something she calls the Boyfriend App, and suddenly she’s the talk of the school and getting kissed by the hottest boys around. But can the Boyfriend App bring Audrey true love?
I know a lot of blog readers are writers, too, and I thought I could talk about what I’ve learned about creative work and how to keep motivated. These are tips for busting through writer’s block (or any kind of creative block) that I wrote about in my first nonfiction book, CREATIVE GIRL: TheUltimate Guide for Turning Talent and Creativity into a Real Career. I applied them while writing THE BOYFRIEND APP!
1) Take it Piece By Piece
When you break down large creative tasks into teeny tiny manageable ones, your work won’t seem as daunting. (Even when faced with the task of writing an entire novel!) There’s a great E.L. Doctorow quote about writing that’s applicable to all sorts of creative work. “Writing a book is like driving at night with the headlights. You can only see what’s directly in front of you, but you can make the whole trip that way.”
2) The Ten-Minute Rule
The next time you find yourself procrastinating, tell yourself you’ll work on the task you’ve been avoiding for just ten minutes. This little trick works for two reasons: First, almost anyone can do almost anything for ten minutes. You’ll often find that once you get started, the task isn’t so bad after all, and you’ll find yourself continuing your work past the allotted time. The second reason is the more significant of the two; starting a task is almost always the hardest part, so by continually doing this, you’re training yourself to get good at simply starting. Within a few weeks, it will become routine.
3) Enlist a Fellow Creative Type
If your creative work becomes too solitary, grab a workmate. Having a partner in crime to collaborate with and answer to will automatically make you more accountable. Anyone you know who is also responsible for scheduling her own creative time may want to partner up at a table in your local coffee shop on weekday afternoons. The moral support will keep you buoyed when you’re tempted to ditch your creative work and watch soap operas.
4) Get Out of the House
If the home office is driving you batty, change your scenery. This can be as simple as a midday break for the gym. Sometimes, just going to grab coffee first thing in the morning—which involves getting out of your pajamas, usually—can set you in the right frame of mind for work. There are creative, social work environments found at www.workatjelly.com.
5) Keep to a Schedule and Protect Your Work Hours
Pay attention to when you feel the most energetic during the day and schedule your toughest work for those hours. Become protective of those hours. Turn off the internet—it’s a black hole for productivity. Don’t answer the phone calls you don’t urgently need to take. If your writing time is during a certain time each day, you can even ask the people you love (and are tempted to talk to) not to call for those few hours each day. Catch up later!
Pay attention to when you feel the most energetic during the day and schedule your toughest work for those hours. Become protective of those hours. Turn off the internet—it’s a black hole for productivity. Don’t answer the phone calls you don’t urgently need to take. If your writing time is during a certain time each day, you can even ask the people you love (and are tempted to talk to) not to call for those few hours each day. Catch up later!
6) Volunteer: Get Out of Your Head and Put Your Creative Plight in Perspective
It’s pretty hard to lose sight of what’s important in life when you make what’s important in life part of your life. There’s a creative side effect, too. Every time you switch up your surroundings, you creativity is stimulated. So leave your ego at the door and get out there and volunteer. There’s no better way in the world to remind yourself that it’s only a book, only a show, only a job, than to help people in need.
Bonus points if you can use your creativity while volunteering. Mentoring someone who benefits from your gifts reminds you of the innate goodness of your artistic pursuit.
The drive to volunteer inspired main character’s Aidan and Nigit’s app: PhilanthrApp in THE BOYFRIEND APP. Check out www.volunteermatch.org to find service work in your area.
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Katie Sise is the author of the YA debut chick flick, The Boyfriend App. Besides dipping her toes in writing, she is a professional jewelry designer, who's designs have been worn by plenty of celebs. She's also done work on TV and appeared on shows like HSN and Discovery Channel. She is also the author of the non-fiction book, CREATIVE GIRL. To learn more about her, visit her WEBSITE!And now we've got an awesome giveaway for you! Katie has been so generous to donate a copy of her book, along with some jewelry that corresponds with the book! You don't want to miss out on this! Giveaway ends. May 11th. Book prize open to INT and US. Jewelry will only be shipped to US winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway So that's it for today! Have an awesome Monday! And don't forget to check out Katie's awesome book! My review will be coming later this week! XOXO,
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