Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nothingshineslikedirt
Website: https://www.nothingshineslikedirt.com/podcast-guests-1/denisecruz-castino
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Nothing Shines Like Dirt - My guest spot on a podcast
So a couple weeks back I recorded a podcast for Nothing Shines Like Dirt. The two gals that interviewed me were Elise Sievert and Lesley Shannon, both do everything in the biz it seems: Actresses, producers, directors, you name it! They're as adorable in person as they are in their photos and made me feel comfortable right away. I was a tad nervous before we started speaking even though this is the 2nd podcast I've done so far. Luckily, each one seems to get easier to do. What I will say about speaking with Elise and Lesley is they were easy to chat with and so sweet that I felt like I'd known them for ages. And what I loved about how they did the podcast is they set me up in front of the microphone and we started talking about normal things and before I knew it we were actually in the middle of the interview/podcast. Eventually, I thought, hey, I think we've started! It's an awesome way to do a podcast, if I do say so myself. They interviewed me about my upcoming movie, 5 Weddings, that opens worldwide October 26, plus a whole other bunch of things about my writing path and writing advice. So without further ado, here is a selfie we took after the podcast and the podcast itself. Hope you enjoy!
Sunday, September 16, 2018
Energizer...writer?
Friends always tell me I have more energy than anyone they know because I do so much and that includes always writing. It doesn't feel like I have a lot of energy. I'm always tired. Writer friends tell me I'm the most prolific. I wish I had even more time to write! But I think what they're noticing is that I have this underneath energy that propels me to write no matter what is going on in my life. See, when you focus on what you haven't accomplished in your writing career, that's draining and that will pull you down, causing you to not have enough energy to write after a long day of work. But if you focus on how much you love writing, you'll be energized by the fact you get to do what you love. Plus, if you focus on just always sitting down to write, it doesn't matter if you have the energy or not.
I also don't worry how much time I have to write. Like I've said before, sometimes it's just squeezing in an hour, 30 minutes, whatever time I have. If I'm in the car driving long distances and my husband is driving, I bring my computer and write in the car. There are so many ways to squeeze in writing. Sure there were days when I used to have 4 hours, 5, or 6 hours. Those don't seem to be the norm right now.
Are there days when I'm just too tired to write? Sure, but that's not my usual. I write almost every single day. So even an hour here and there, by the end of the year can add up to several scripts!
Do some friends have more time to write than I do? Sure. A writer friend just told me she has to get 30 pages written in a couple days. Would I have the time to do that this week? Hell no. Am I jealous? Hell yes! But so what. We all have our own writing path. So don't compare yourself to any other writers. Just write! Find the time. Even if you're tired. I promise you'll never regret it.
I also don't worry how much time I have to write. Like I've said before, sometimes it's just squeezing in an hour, 30 minutes, whatever time I have. If I'm in the car driving long distances and my husband is driving, I bring my computer and write in the car. There are so many ways to squeeze in writing. Sure there were days when I used to have 4 hours, 5, or 6 hours. Those don't seem to be the norm right now.
Are there days when I'm just too tired to write? Sure, but that's not my usual. I write almost every single day. So even an hour here and there, by the end of the year can add up to several scripts!
Do some friends have more time to write than I do? Sure. A writer friend just told me she has to get 30 pages written in a couple days. Would I have the time to do that this week? Hell no. Am I jealous? Hell yes! But so what. We all have our own writing path. So don't compare yourself to any other writers. Just write! Find the time. Even if you're tired. I promise you'll never regret it.
Friday, September 7, 2018
Writing while mom
So recently I met a new writer. She's also a mom. We chatted about how we fit in writing and life and being a mom, being a wife. It's hard to juggle it all. There were times where she was a full-time producer and then had little time for writing let alone enough time to do things with her kids she wanted. So she's decided to put off on the producer jobs. But I can relate, because I have a lot of freelance advertising work right now, but then squeezing in my screenwriting isn't easy. Which is why I rarely find time to write my blog. There's only so many hours in the day. So what's a writing mom to do?
I'm hardly saying dads who work don't feel the same way. So if you're a writing working dad, please don't feel dissed. And I'd love to hear your challenges too. But for some reason, it seems like even the extra mom stuff falls on us. Or maybe it's just that we moms let it fall our way and we don't release it to the dad. Stuff like filling out the school papers, doing the back-to-school nights, parent-teacher conferences. As the years go on, I have tried to release some of that to my husband. The more I send his way, the more he seems fine with doing it. Maybe sometimes all it takes is asking them to do it.
Since I rarely have time to read, I'm listening to an awesome audible book right now, Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. I'm enjoying it so much that I will surely mention her in other posts. But she was a busy working mom and an author. And she says how women guilt other women by judging what kind of mom they are. Of course when I hear her say that, in my mind I think, how awful, who does that? But then she goes on to say, "And if you miss your child's school play, it doesn't make you less of a good mom." But inside I'm thinking, yes it does! How awful is that? I went straight to, "No way would I ever do that." Okay, I'm not judging another mom, but I am judging myself harshly. And maybe driving myself crazy trying to meet impossible mom goals!
So what's a working writing mom to do? Of course, we have to make our writing a priority or we'd never get any done. But with so many priorities how do we choose which one comes first? Grocery shopping? Feeding the kids? Taking them to school? Writing? Like I said, I've given some important chores over to my husband. But even then, there still is very little time to find for writing.
I definitely have learned not to get upset if the house isn't perfectly clean, mostly clean has become more the norm. Clean laundry? Okay, so it's on the couch and not put away a few days before it gets put away. Home-cooked meals that don't have much variety from week-to-week? Okay, but at least we're eating together and it's home-cooked. I'm not sure what your level of doing the best you can is, but I really think as a working writing mom or dad, we're all doing the best we can. And before we know it, our kids will be out of the house. But our writing will always be our passion and if we're lucky, a full-time career.
So maybe all we can do is find the time when we have it. Squeeze in an hour a day, 15 minutes on other days, three hours on a weekend if the kids are at a friend's if we're lucky. And before we know it, it all adds up. But making ourselves feel guilty over what we're not doing as parents? Who really has time for that? I'm definitely trying to learn to forgive myself when I can't do it all. I mean, is anyone really doing it all? I bet not.
I'm hardly saying dads who work don't feel the same way. So if you're a writing working dad, please don't feel dissed. And I'd love to hear your challenges too. But for some reason, it seems like even the extra mom stuff falls on us. Or maybe it's just that we moms let it fall our way and we don't release it to the dad. Stuff like filling out the school papers, doing the back-to-school nights, parent-teacher conferences. As the years go on, I have tried to release some of that to my husband. The more I send his way, the more he seems fine with doing it. Maybe sometimes all it takes is asking them to do it.
Since I rarely have time to read, I'm listening to an awesome audible book right now, Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. I'm enjoying it so much that I will surely mention her in other posts. But she was a busy working mom and an author. And she says how women guilt other women by judging what kind of mom they are. Of course when I hear her say that, in my mind I think, how awful, who does that? But then she goes on to say, "And if you miss your child's school play, it doesn't make you less of a good mom." But inside I'm thinking, yes it does! How awful is that? I went straight to, "No way would I ever do that." Okay, I'm not judging another mom, but I am judging myself harshly. And maybe driving myself crazy trying to meet impossible mom goals!
So what's a working writing mom to do? Of course, we have to make our writing a priority or we'd never get any done. But with so many priorities how do we choose which one comes first? Grocery shopping? Feeding the kids? Taking them to school? Writing? Like I said, I've given some important chores over to my husband. But even then, there still is very little time to find for writing.
I definitely have learned not to get upset if the house isn't perfectly clean, mostly clean has become more the norm. Clean laundry? Okay, so it's on the couch and not put away a few days before it gets put away. Home-cooked meals that don't have much variety from week-to-week? Okay, but at least we're eating together and it's home-cooked. I'm not sure what your level of doing the best you can is, but I really think as a working writing mom or dad, we're all doing the best we can. And before we know it, our kids will be out of the house. But our writing will always be our passion and if we're lucky, a full-time career.
So maybe all we can do is find the time when we have it. Squeeze in an hour a day, 15 minutes on other days, three hours on a weekend if the kids are at a friend's if we're lucky. And before we know it, it all adds up. But making ourselves feel guilty over what we're not doing as parents? Who really has time for that? I'm definitely trying to learn to forgive myself when I can't do it all. I mean, is anyone really doing it all? I bet not.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)