Like most things, writing has its ups and downs, its yin and yang, as it were. Many times, these ups and downs are two sides of the same coin.

Example: Writing is a solitary job. True, there is the common visual of a newspaper reporter, hammering away on her/his keyboard in a room filled with smoke and other reporters, the shout of "Ten minutes 'til deadline!" bouncing off the walls. But for a freelance writer, it tends to be solitary, which lends to the mystery of it all. Most writers I know work out of their house. Sometimes there's no one else in the house during our writing time, and other times (like now, for me, anyway), everyone else is home and/or drifting in and out. Very distracting. And yet, I am the writer. When no one else is in the room, I still have to come up with the words. At these times, I sit and ponder; is the sky I'm describing pale milky blue, robin's egg blue, or, later in the day, cobalt, liquidly turning to purplish black? Is the green shirt my character is wearing a bright Kelly green, moss green, or chartreuse? Is he screaming at his wife, or simply yelling to be heard over the roar of the river? I can peacefully describe what I'm dreaming, while listening to background music, which can be anything I want to listen to, ranging from the Black-Eyed Peas or Mountain to Gershwin, Bach, etc. Soothing. Envigorating. But then, at the end of the day, I find the solitude just a little much. I have to talk to someone I don't see every day. I've got the phone bills to prove it.

Example: I make my own hours. Yup. Good side to that is that I can start at six a.m. if something hits me that needs to be put on paper and go as long as I have little or no distractions. Or I can write in the middle of the night. The down side, natch, is that, with no time card to punch, there are days where I tend to let things slide. I'll sit in front of the computer/word processer/paper and if the words don't materialize within seconds, decide, "You know, maybe I should fix a nice omelet."

Usually, though, I'm pretty good about my writing. Get through the solitude and/or noise, focus on writing...

And then, there's the perks.

First, there's the money when my writing sells. Haven't hit the big-time yet. I don't command the money that, say, Stephen King, Tom Clancey or Danielle Steele get. Yet.

Secondly, people have started asking, "How's the writing going?" This comes not only from other writers but from friends, relatives and acquaintences.

Then...and here's the yummy part...are folks who want me to sample stuff and write a little something about it. A lot of the stuff I pass on, thinking, "He/she put a lot of time into making/doing that; I can't hurt their feelings and let everyone know it's crap." Other stuff is so-so.

But I have discovered something I like a lot. Boca Java. I was first turned on to this coffee company through an email. Bought some of their coffee...OMG!!! Good stuff. Friend Hubby and I got a box today from them. "Would you review this?" I was asked with this box. "Why, of course," I thought. I checked the coffees they sent and picked one titled "Blogger's Beach Blast". The bag describes it as a "luscious flavored coffee...featuring a tantalizing combination of chocolate kiss and caramel."

"This is what we're starting with," I told Friend Hubby.

The pot was still in the filling stage when one of my sons (not a coffee drinker) came home. "What smells so good?" he asked. We told him.

How does it taste? We don't need to put any sugar in it. (We both tend to use sugar if the coffee is a little too strong/bitter/whatever.) But the Blogger's Beach Blast is fantastic: it's smooth taste has a touch of sweetness (with a hint of caramel) and a chocolatey richness without being overwhelming. Just enough to leave me thinking, "Ahhh...good stuff!" I do believe I could even try this blend without milk, it's that smooth. No bitterness...

Would I recommend B.B.B.? Heck, come December, there's a good chance everyone on my holiday gift list will get some. It's that good!!!

And it's helping me get over a 3-day writing block. And to think this stuff is legal!