My pros and cons of a plant-based diet

Almost 6 months into the plant-based diet, I have put together a little list of my pros and cons. I had some questions going in, like would it be more expensive? Would I have trouble adjusting? Can I still eat out? So, here’s what I found out, good and bad.

(credit:Cuisinicity)

The Good Stuff:

• It feels super healthy and good to eat this way. Every time I take a bite, I’m putting good stuff in my body and it feels like a pat on the back. Just goodness for my body over and over.

(credit:She Said Beauty)

• I feel better. My body feels better and I know my stomach and insides feel better too. That’s a huge bonus because I used to feel slightly sick or super-full after meals. I don’t anymore.

(credit:Care2)

• My taste buds have changed. It’s true. A silly green apple tastes like an incredible treat. I have no idea why or how but I love eating things that before were consumed only because they were good for me.

(credit:Tip Top Lifestyle)

The Bad Stuff:

• I can’t eat out. My hubby has been hounding me trying to get me to go out to restaurants but the truth is the only things that are vegan there are salads that contain two sad little ingredients. That’s not a meal and helping him by peeling large amounts of crab legs at a buffet is not my idea of a good time. We have managed to find ethnic restaurants that do cater more towards vegans but it’s still tough.

(credit:The Family Dinner)

• It’s more work. I used to eat whatever there was around the house not really giving what I put in my body any thought. Now, on Sunday I strategize the meals for the week and research what we’re going to eat in everything from breakfast to snacks. It’s work.

• I do miss some things, like cheese and butter. It’s hard to have toast without butter and nothing vegan is close to melted cheese. Those things are tough to replace.

(credit:Bountiful Blessings Market – LocallyGrown.net)

Overall:

I haven’t found it more expensive to eat this way. I thought it would be, but I forgot just how expensive meat and fish can be. So, financially, this hasn’t been a struggle.

(credit:herbs and spice and other things nice)

As much as I love furry creatures, I didn’t do this for them. I did it because I thought it’d be better for my health. As it turns out, you can be a good, healthy vegan or an unhealthy one (fries and chips can be vegan friendly), so that’s not a great reason to continue.

(credit:Nichole Bernier)

So, will I continue? I go to have some blood work done this week and that will pretty much determine if I continue or not. If I find I’m deficient in some vitamins or supplements, I will change for my own health. But, right now, I’m still sticking with it.

(credit:My Raised Bed Florida Vegetable Garden)

 

To prologue or not to prologue

Prologues have a pretty bad rep. Most editors will tell you to cut them out. If they’re giving the reader crucial information, slide that into the book. If they’re hooking the reader, make it a chapter. Either way, chop that prologue away.

The issue with prologues is that they’re asking the reader to get into the book, not once, but twice. It takes effort. Some readers don’t make that effort. I have to admit, there are times when I’ve skipped the prologue. It’s a chancy business.

If you’re an indie author, you can do whatever makes you happy and go with your gut. They say prologues are out? You put in three. Who cares what they think? After all, you’re your own boss.

However, if you’re interested in what others are saying (here come the links!), I have some posts to share with you.

This one is by Marg McAllister in Foremost Press and breaks down when to use a prologue and when not to. It also explains the uses of a prologue and has examples when it works well.

This one is by Kristen Lamb and has the cons and pros of a prologue with a delicious title: The Seven Deadly Sins of Prologues.

This one is by Nathan Bransford and this one by Kristin Nelson where they explain all the reasons against prologues.

Finally, this one by Kas Thomas in his Author Zone in which he candidly explains pros and cons.

I should add that in my first book, I put in a prologue (about 5 lines long) and now, my second, I’m considering doing without.

What about you? Do prologues work for you? Do you skip them (gasp!) when you’re reading or faithfully read every word?

Publishing in a brave new world

So you have a manuscript and you want to publish it. Today, you may have more choices than ever before. You can publish it by the traditional route of getting an agent and getting a publishing contract or you can go the independent route. Like all really tough decisions, there are pros and cons to both venues. Since I’m so new to the entire process, I have a few posts that discuss them for us written by the pros.

* Claire Cook wrote this one on Jane Friedman’s blog. She used to be a traditionally published author…until bad things happened. She has a candid view on what can go wrong and what to look out for. I was stunned.

* The Passive Voice is a great site because it deals with the legal aspect of publishing for both indie and traditional authors. Check out this post on the pros and cons of both, Two Different Worlds or this one on indie authors making a living self-publishing.

* In this one, Nathan Bransford argues that there is no right way, there’s only your way and discusses pros and cons of each.

* In this one from CJ LYONS, two authors discuss the pros and cons of each path to publishing bliss.

One final note, there are some traditionally published authors who are suddenly self-publishing their books. Something else to keep in mind when making that decision.

Maya Banks is self-publishing her Tangled Hearts trilogy.

Nalini Singh is coming out with a surprise ebook: Rock Addiction that’s a contemporary romance (completely new genre for her) in September.

The publishing industry is changing rapidly and so are the pros and cons of publishing. This brings us back to you. What do you think? Which way is better for you?

Note: Apparently, that was the printing press back in the day!

The Liebster Award…

So I received the Liebster Award. I got a message in my blog and, at first, I was thrilled. Then, when I read the ‘steps’ I had to follow, I became slightly suspicious.

The only requirement for the Liebster Award is that you have less than 1000 followers. That’s it. You don’t have to have any merit, any outstanding contributions, any great posts. That raised my doubt and I did some looking around. It seems no one polices this award. As far as I could tell, there are even different variations for the award and different rules that different people follow. That didn’t sound very regulated or official to me.

Then I had to do a lot of work to simply post the logo of the award on my blog. There are steps to follow. But, the worst part, was that I had to give this award to 11 other blogs and basically dump on them the job of following those steps. I would give them work. It seemed a lot like an annoying email chain letter.  And I could understand if they didn’t appreciate that one bit.

At the same time, there are arguments for the Award. It highlights new blogs (like mine) and helps create a closer community. It also increases awareness of these new blogs and brings traffic.

Any thoughts? Do you think this is just a chain letter and too annoying for words? Or perhaps you’d like to receive this award? If there are 11 of you interested in getting it out there, I’ll certainly pass it on :-).