writer’s studio

Following an Impulse Can Be Messy

Posted by Barbara Techel
Following an Impulse Can Be Messy
My writing cottage in transition

Two or three times I year I get an impulse that I just have to change my writing cottage around.

With six windows in a 10 x 12 room it can be a bit challenging – and it can only be arranged in so many different ways.

But when the impulse hits, I try to honor it. Like it did this morning as I ate my breakfast.

I had something else totally planned for the day. But knew I best honor this feeling that I needed to freshen up my creative space…or it would continue to hang around in my mind until I did. Now that can get messy! Ha!

It’s a whirlwind trying to move around all the furniture I have in such a compact space, but I love how the new energy feels once I’m done.

Now I sit here relishing in the new flow and have no doubt new creativity will follow soon, too.

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Winter Finally Arrives at My “She Shed.”

Posted by Barbara Techel

Winter Has Finally Arrived at My "She Shed."

I meant to share this photo of my writing cottage earlier in the week, but the week has sort of gotten away from me. It’s been a half work, have play week — and when I’ve been working, I’ve really been hunkering down trying to tie up loose ends.

We got about 11 inches of snow Monday afternoon into Tuesday morning– our official first big snowstorm of the season and we really had no snow before this, which was so unusual for us.

So though we didn’t have a white Christmas, we are having a white New Year’s Eve with temps dipping into the teens tonight.

My writing cottage, “she shed,” is snug as a bug with a petite gas stove that keeps me and little Gidget warm while I write and work on putting touches on two workshops I’ll be offering early in 2016. Gidget meanwhile is snoring up a storm again.

But soon I shall head back inside to my house, put my dachshund jammies on, pop a bottle of champagne, play a couple rounds of Yahtzee with John, snuggle with the dogs, and boil some crab legs for dinner.

And yup, will be in bed way before midnight rolls around.

Looking so forward to the New Year and continuing my writing in my sweet little cottage and working on new projects.

Happy New Year!

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My Experience of Doing a LIVE International TV Interview. Whew.

Posted by Barbara Techel

My Experience of Doing a LIVE International TV Interview. Whew.

When you are a one woman operation some days can seem a bit hectic. Today is such a day – but it is fun and I’m not complaining.

Last Friday evening I went to Milwaukee and MPTV station to do a live interview with Australia’s #1 breakfast show, Weekend Sunrise (like our Today show).  The producers of Weekend Sunrise saw my article, How My ‘She Shed’ Improved my Marriage that Today.com picked up a few days before that.

You can watch the replay of my interview by clicking on the photo below (not sure how long the link will be up, so be sure to watch soon):

she shed interview photo

It was a new experience for me. While I’d been on The Morning Blend and Fox 11 News a few years ago with Frankie that was live on the set. This was different as it was done via satellite and MPTV as the affiliate station that connected me to Australia.

John, the camera person, clipped a microphone on me and placed an ear piece in my right ear. When it was time for my interview John instructed me to look right into the camera to answer the questions the hosts were asking me.

If felt very odd to look into a camera and see no one there. It was sort of like talking on the phone, yet it was a bit more challenging staring into a small, square lens and not being able to see who I was actually talking to.

Afterwards as I drove home my inner critic was very loud and I thought for sure I’d not done well at all with the interview. I tossed and turned all night long, feeling very vulnerable thinking I may have made a fool of myself.

But alas, my fears were for naught as I watched the replay the next morning and I was happy with how the interview turned out. And it was a lesson in not letting that nasty, obnoxious critic get the best of me!

At the end of the interview I had no idea until I listened to the replay, but I didn’t know what host Andrew O’Keefe was referring to when he said “kiddie bin.” I thought he said, “kitty bin” and I couldn’t understand what that had to do with the interview. But I sure had a good laugh over it once I understood.

Today I’m working on submitting a press release to my local media outlets. But I also wanted to check in with all of you, my lovely readers, and say, all is well– just been a bit busy is all.

But Gidget keeps me centered and looking forward to snuggling with her a little later tonight.