Cara Achterberg

SHOW YOUR WORK: Sometimes you have to get over yourself.

This morning I filmed an interview with a talented videographer (who happens to live in my house, at least temporarily).

He set up his studio on our screened-in porch, being careful to arrange my chair so the beam wasn’t coming out of my head in the shot. Then he propped up the microphone just out of the set on a box, pillow, and two books.

We waited out the neighbor’s chainsaw and then the garbage truck, and commenced filming. Normal Cara, who is ridiculously self-conscious, would probably have Continue reading “SHOW YOUR WORK: Sometimes you have to get over yourself.”

SHOW YOUR WORK: It is Who You Know

This month leading up to the book release is all about promoting, so it is a good thing that promoting is so fun.

Not.

In fact, I find a million distractions to keep me off task.

Today I took a walk with my friend Gina, had a strenuous discussion regarding the current news with my daughter, and tonight I’m knocking off early to go start training my dog, Fanny Wiggles, to dock dive.

Really.

We’re going to her best friend’s house who is a lab and has a pool. I’m hoping that Fanny will follow Edith into the water, if not this training could prove more challenging than I thought. Fanny already has the obsessive leap-after-the-ball/toy skill necessary for the sport. Now she just has to do it into water. (I say that like it’s no big thing.)

Continue reading “SHOW YOUR WORK: It is Who You Know”

Show Your Work

I’m reading a book called Show Your Work by Austin Kleon.

Show Your Work

The clever little book is written for writers or artists of any kind—those of us who are trying to make a living off our creativity and hard work (and momentary flashes of brilliance). The guy who wrote it is a rich writer. His book Steal Like an Artist made him a ton of money, as I imagine this book will too.

Probably sensing my impending cynical response, he Continue reading “Show Your Work”

HELP WANTED: From a Distance

So much can change in a week, right? Our world turns upside down. Everything is different.

And yet it is still the same.

For me, there are still dogs to rescue, family to feed, books and blogs to write, and with spring, a garden to tend.

I am so hyper-aware (and incredibly grateful—to what? God? Fate? Timing?) that we are lucky. Continue reading “HELP WANTED: From a Distance”

Focus, People, The Time to Write is Now

It’s very hard to write when you’re distracted.

For me, pieces flow out in one long deluge, so when other thoughts interrupt, it makes for disjointed writing. It also makes writing feel like a chore instead of an outlet.

I sat down to write this post multiple times over the last week or so. Each time, I had some wonderful gem ready to shine, but once I began typing, my thoughts were hijacked by worries about the cancelation of pretty much everything, especially events that were important to my high school senior.

I start to write and then find my mind wandering to my foster dog beside me or hear the one in the kitchen howling and I wonder what else I could be doing to rescue dogs, especially now that rescues are canceling transports (not ours!), shelters are closing to adoptions and dogs continue to wash up at their doors.

Even now, you probably still have no idea what I’m writing about because I keep interrupting myself.

My original intent, Continue reading “Focus, People, The Time to Write is Now”

Anybody Can Write

As a writer, I hear from would-be writers all the time. They used to write, hope to write someday, had a teacher who told them they should be a writer, and a few who have been working on a novel for years.

The thing about writing is that anybody can do it.

I’m not just saying that. It’s true.

Anybody can write.

What they write, the quality of it, the success of it, well, that’s another story, but that’s not the point.

I believe Continue reading “Anybody Can Write”

It Must Be Magic

I don’t understand the internet. Or my computer. Or my phone for that matter.

I’m pretty much convinced that it’s all magic. Mostly a good magic, but magic still.

My son is a professional ‘coder’ but I don’t really understand what that is beyond Continue reading “It Must Be Magic”

I’m Just a Distractible Girl

“The more willing we are willing to separate from distraction and step into the open arms of boredom, the more writing we will get on the page.” -Ann Patchett

#truth: Writing is boring.

My assistants waiting for me to write something

It’s very easy to find a suitable distraction to Continue reading “I’m Just a Distractible Girl”

Careful What You Wish For

This was the first year in five years that I didn’t have a new book released.

(And yes, it does feel kind of surreal to say something like that and yes, I am one lucky writer and no, I am certainly not complaining. My cup and saucer runneth over.)

2019 was a year of growth and pain and frustration for me in terms of writing, and maybe in terms of life, but that’s for another post.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t writing. Oh, I was writing. Working like a little devil. I had a book contract for 100 Dogs & Counting and the manuscript was due December 1 and will be published July 2020, so the work has only just begun.

I’ve kept mum about this year’s other big writing project because Continue reading “Careful What You Wish For”

Writing Dangerously

The thing about writing is that you are always taking a risk. If you aren’t taking that risk, then you’re probably not writing anything that matters.

If there is no danger involved, you are likely regurgitating a five-paragraph essay for your high school English teacher.

Doing what’s expected, what won’t raise any alarms or get anyone fired up enough to challenge you, is flimsy writing. It won’t hold up; it won’t motivate anyone to change their lives or fire off a rebuttal, let alone turn the page.

The well-worn sentiment that you can’t please everyone all the time, should be tattoed on your forehead as you write. Do not write to Continue reading “Writing Dangerously”