Cat Michaels, Writer
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Cat's Corner

Blogging About Books, Writing, Travel, Film & More

How I use bridges in my beachy rom com to bring my characters to life

7/28/2022

16 Comments

 
I never know how I’ll find inspiration for my beachy rom com. Cue visits to the near-to-me North Carolina coast. Its gazillion bridges set off creative light bulbs.

Read on to see how bridges helped me highlight my fictional Gull Island setting  AND play up differences between my two main characters, City Gal Kate and Island Guy Luke. 
​
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Photo by Cat Michaels: Bridge to Roanoke Island and the Outer Banks

Bridges and Main Guy, Islander Luke


Imagine a balmy, sub-tropical May morning
on my fictional Gull Island, North Carolina.

​Now ride along with my rom com's Main Guy Luke
as he crosses the Intracoastal Waterway on his way to work.
​
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Bridge-spiration Photo

Check out the photo below I snapped last summer. It's a real bridge
we often travel over North Carolina's Intracoastal Waterway.

You might say it's my bridge-spiration -:D.


​
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Inspiration photo by Cat Michaels: Bridge over ICW to Ocean Isle Beach


Bridges and Main Gal, City Gal Kate

​
Island newcomer Kate is up next.
She just arrived from her Connecticut home town
for a summer contract gig on Gull Island.

She's crossing the same bridge Luke
and having her own bridge experience.


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Want more beach-y, bridge-y love?

Meet me at my YouTube channel
 for more coastal inspirations
that are bringing my rom com to life.
 


Ready to dive deeper into a writerly life
with more content like this?


Join me Inside the Pages.

My Insider team is first to know what’s up with my writing,
and they receive exclusive content.

Hey, new Insiders!  
Download a free short romance that’s beyond dear to me when you sign on
to become an Insider. Details at the end of this post
​or on my websiteHERE

Your Turn

Writerly inspiration comes from anywhere....even bridges! I hope you enjoyed this peek into my rom com, and it has you wanting more.

* What summertime vibes did you pick up in these excerpts?
* What did you discover about Luke? Kate?
* 
Are you on team Kate or team Luke when it comes to bridges? Love ‘em or hate ‘em?  I’m ok with small bridges but long, tall ones? Not a fan. 
* Luke blasts Jimmy Buffet to get in a summertime mood. What's YOUR favorite summertime/beachy tune?


Please share your thoughts in the comments.

​

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16 Comments

How I learned to rebound from burnout

7/10/2022

8 Comments

 
Everything about this past April felt stormy and difficult. 
 
Sure, my life was good compared to many, but something wasn’t right. Finally swallowing my pride, I admitted I was burned out and decided to do something about it.

​Read on to see how I learned to rebound from burn out.


How I learned to rebound from burnout ~ catmichaelswriter.com
Storm clouds over the hood


​Stuff happens
​
On top of a pandemic and the world’s general craziness, there was a lot going on for me this spring.

Writing-wise …
  • My beachy rom com in progress stalled after its first 20K words
  • Creative ideas were drying up, and nothing I wrote felt good 
  • The newly installed WIFI network to fix connectivity problems in my home office was plagued with issues requiring hours of brain-numbing calls to tech support
​
Personally …
  • Missed my Connecticut family I hadn't seen in five years (beyond tired of you, Covid!)
  • Couldn’t drop the 15 pounds gained during lockdown, which caused my health score numbers to tumble 
  • Developed gallstones and a bladder infection 
  • Attacked by fire ants hiding in a flowerpot in my garden 
  • Needed a dental crown (painful physically and fiscally)​​
How I learned to rebound from burnout ~ catmichaelswriter.com

Rebounding from Burn Out

With Hub’s encouragement, I signed off from authoring and socials to re-energize.
 
At first, I felt guilty.

How could I leave the work I labored for nine years to establish? But I had been running on empty too long. Stepping away was the best thing I could’ve done.

I didn't accomplish anything earth-shattering with my two months away, Instead, I filled my soul with little moments that added up to happy ...
​
  • Tackled a two-week, 1.2K-mile drive to Connecticut and Pennsylvania for joyous family reunions 
  • Hosted my 91-yo aunt in a 100-yo renovated barn we rented for a week on a wooded Connecticut acre
  • Met in person for the first time four great-nieces and -nephews born during quarantine
  • Celebrated Mother’s Day with Hub’s sweet mama, who lives 400 miles away, for the first time in a decade
  • Took photography workshops
  • Designed a pergola for our back yard
  • Marked our 28th wedding anniversary
  • Added early-morning walks and lap swims to my online workout routine
  • Prepped our North Carolina screened porch and garden for summer (cue the fire ants)
  • Made lots of trips to Target!

​See more of how I learned to rebound from burn out
by connecting with people, creativity and nature
​in my 60-second video diary below.


​Back to it

​After 8 weeks, I'm slowly returning to writing refreshed and enthusiastic. I'm moving at a steady pace. No more toiling 7 days a week, posting all over socials.
How I learned to rebound from burnout ~ catmichaelswriter.comCat is back -:D


​I even dropped 6 of those
miserable pandemic pounds
and cannot wait to lose 6 more!


Life feels lighter.

Easier.
​
And I aim to keep it that way
by remembering
how to care for myself
and avoid burn out.


Your Turn

Feeling overwhelmed and exhausted is the pits. What tips can you offer to avoid burn out?  I’d love to hear your ideas (I may need them some day!). Please share in the comments below.

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    Cat Michaels

    Blogging about books, writing, family life,  travel and  more good stuff.


    Meet Cat
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  • Welcome!
  • Cat's Books
    • Sweet T and the Turtle Team >
      • Just Between Sam and Me
    • Finding Fuzzy: A You-Decide Tale of a Lost Friend
    • Sweet T and the North Wind
    • The Magical Aquarium
  • Cat's Corner: Blogging About Books, Writing, and More
  • Meet Cat
  • FREE STUFF in the Kids' Zone
  • Contact Cat