Peace & Calm

I just got back from a beautiful hike in the Hollywood Hills with my trusty companion, Rocky. I usually take a spinning/pilates class on Sunday mornings, but today I felt the tug to be outside. And I'm glad I listened. It's a perfect clear, blue, Fall day, with temps cool enough for the Big Sweets to make it even further up than we normally go.


Here's Rocky, taking a forced break so I could snap this pic.
Back on the go, cresting the first view.
Taking a break, to take in the view...

Anticipating drops from my bottle...

Ah, the sweet taste of water after a long climb.Preparing for the descent...
Now that we're back in the comfort of our home, Rocky is recuperating in the sun on his favorite spot. It's a tough life...
I hope everyone else's Sunday is as good as his.

x J

Just Do It

Greetings, friends:
you know those days when the hours just blend together and fly by so fast that you forget to eat? Well, I had one of those yesterday. I had a marathon meeting on one of my projects that was so much fun I didn't notice that five hours had passed...I love it when that happens. It probably had something to do with the fact that I wasn't alone in my office all day like I normally am, plus the fact that I didn't have a chance to go online at all.

After that I dashed to the complete other side of town to get to the Echo Park Library for my Teen Read Week event with fellow YA authors Anna Hays and Michael Reisman. Thanks to the fabulous Wendy McPherson, YA librarian extraordinaire, we had 75 people attend the speaking portion of the event, and 18 of them stayed for the workshop that followed.

I love these kinds of events. I love the enthusiasm of the attendees, and it's always a great way to give back, to let others know, no matter their age, that they can do this, too. They can write. They have something to say. The key is to stick with it and to form a habit. And the way to form a habit is to be consistent, even if it's in 20 minute increments. Chances are, you'll get more done in 20 minutes than you think you can. It's like training for a marathon. You don't start with 26 miles. You start with 1. And when you're ready, you take it up to 2. Maybe a few days later you'll even be able to do 3 miles. The point is, this is how you form a habit and eventually you will make it to 26 miles. Or a finished mansucript.

On another note, I came home to poor Rocky still grappling with his foot rash. And you know what that means? It's back to the socks for the Big Sweets.
He's now a walking reminder to, that's right, JUST DO IT!
And with that, I'm off to do just that, which means see you later, interweb!
x J

your daily rocky

hello folks.
I'm back, it's Monday, and I think this picture says it all:
But it's only 2:14pm, which means there's still practically an entire day to get back to revisions, take the sleepy guy for a hike, grocery shop and then cook a fabulous meal for hubby.right? RIGHT.

Or I can always convince Beef to cuddle for the rest of the afternoon...
p.s. for future reference, Rocky, pictured above, is also known as: Beef, Big Beef, The Big Sweets, Steiners-Beef, Rockstein and many more nicknames that will likely surface on this blog...so stay tuned!

happy monday, friends and dog lovers alike.
x j

it's twitter time

hello friends,
I have some news! It finally happened! Yes, that's right. I joined twitter. I'm hoping this will make up for my lack of blogging of late, or that perhaps those 140 characters will inspire some more frequent posting...who knows?
BUT, in the meantime, you can see all the fascinating things I'm up to (you know, like taking "Big Beef," aka Rocky, aka my dog, around the block, what I'm about to concoct in the kitchen, which TV show I'm OBSESSED with), so please don't be shy and come be a follower (their word, not mine!).

you can find me here! (http://twitter.com/Jfraiberg).

In other news, since I *am* so obsessed with my dog, I'm thinking of giving you all a chance to see the adorableness right HERE by posting some of the greatest pictorial hits of this beast we love so much. He is my muse after all, and gets photographed almost daily, but I figured the best place to start is with a pic from my wedding, where Rocky was the ring bearer, way back in 2008.
So, without further ado, here he is, in all his floral glory!And with that, I'm off to take this big, beefy guy to the park before hitting the road for Santa Barbara for a lovely, afternoon wedding.
See you soon, friends.
x j

Feel good post

ok, peeps. I just saw this video that's been sitting in my inbox for weeks and I had to share.
there's something so beautiful and inspiring about its simplicity. Not to mention, I do love this song...


but wait, I just realized I don't actually *know how* to post a video, so for the curious, here's a link instead.

enjoy!

So close...

I can taste it! To be less cryptic, I'm almost done with a major overhaul of my second book. It has taken some time, but it has been my loyal companion during a particular nutty few months. But now that I'm coming out the other side, I can pretty safely say that while life does and will always "get in the way," it is in fact these very distractions, forced breaks and sometimes obstacles that are the very stuff of writing. The stuff that we store in our DNA. While it might not be obvious at the time, these experiences can and ultimately do find their way onto the page. Sometimes it's clear when it happens, other times ideas will only slightly resemble their origins and will come out of the filter of time and perspective anew.

When you're in the thick of life, the thick of upsetting news or seemingly endless roadblocks, when you feel like the writing's not coming, like you're drawing water from a stone, when stringing a simple sentence together feels like a herculean effort, like you're learning a new language, just remember: it will pass. Maybe not in a day. Or a week. Or even a month.
But once it passes, you know it's gone.
And you know you're back.
And the next time it happens, hopefully you'll remember you made it through before. For the better.

So welcome back, me!

eureka (I hope)

For the past few hours, I've been having a frustrating time trying to wrangle what should be a few simple paragraphs at the end of a chapter.
I have the ideal writing environment. No distractions. I haven't been procrastinating, for once. But let's just say it hasn't been flowing. So, after an internet search to find comforting tales of other writers in my position, I found this quote, and bingo, it nails my problem:
"I've often said that there's no such thing as writer's block; the problem is idea block. When I find myself frozen--whether I'm working on a brief passage in a novel or brainstorming about an entire book--it's usually because I'm trying to shoehorn an idea into the passage or story where it has no place."
(Jeffery Deaver)

Hooray. So with that nugget, I'm going to call it a night.
p.s. have you ever heard people say that they have solved story problems in their sleep, by writing out or articulating the issue before going to bed? Well, I'm trying it tonight so wish me luck.