My kid's a typical third grader: know-it-all, selfish, into lip gloss (for a tomboy, that's down right scary!) and she's discovered the phone. Right now, she's into Littlest Petshop online. She'll call her friend G, or G will call her and they play on the computer with the phone on speaker. . . for at least an hour or longer. Yeah, we had to teach her all about call waiting.
Anyway, she surprised me the other day when she came home from school. It wasn't a big surprise, but touching nonetheless. When we walked to school that morning, we were talking about the book her teacher was reading to the class. The book was called Hank Zipzer and the kidlet kept telling me how funny the book was and that I needed to read it.
Well, she checked it out of the school library for me. I was touched. . . until the next day she asked whether or not I had finished reading it. Uh, I'm a fast reader, but no, sweetie, I haven't even started it!
The kidlet has been supportive of my writing. She and the hubster helped me brainstorm all my Peter the fly easy readers, nine of them--I couldn't even generate the tiniest bit of interest with those queries. She read and loved my FAERIE story--a long picture book or beginning chapter book. I never queried this one. Oh, I think it has potential, but I need to rework it again. And finally, my gnome story. She's upset that I can't get anyone in the biz to show any interest in this story. Oh, I had a couple of agents request it, but overall they didn't like the character--trust me, I asked. Heck, I'm upset, too! But knowing that she and my hubster are behind me with my writing makes it easier to swallow those rejections.
So what's a writer to do?
Well, write, of course. But I'll wait until after the holidays and the house is quiet again before I tackle #2 middle grade story.
Until then, I'll be reading;
Soul Magic by Jen Lyon
Hank Zipzer--The Tale of Two Tails by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Timeline by Michael Crichton (again, because he's a damn good writer!)
Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg by Gail Carson Levine (a Tinkerbelle story)
Fasten Your Seatbelt by Brian Skotko and Susan P Levine (research about Down Syndrome sibs for FF my #2 MG story)
and two historical Christmas romance anthologies
Oh, and I know someone who is getting A LOT of books for Christmas and I just might read them, too!
So, for now, I'll sign off with. . .
Read On! :-)
12/16/09
Yearly Wrap-Up (Part 6) Daily goals
True confessions: I suck at daily goals.
There it's out there and now you all know it! Recently, I've started writing daily sticky notes to make certain I finished what I need to finish--okay, I just started it yesterday. After I write this blog, my three line items will be down to only one. Whew!
The one thing I can't stress enough is for you to use your calendar and write down what you DID do on a given day. Why? Because in a month you'll be looking at your blank calendar and wonder what happened. BUT if you jotted notes down every day, you can find out what you did do with your time. I even put notes on the days when my kidlet is out of school, I'm running errands, have doctor's appointments, or when my kidlet comes home sick. I do this just so I know WHAT I did and how that derailed my writing goals.
If you spent two weeks researching, either on the Internet or the library--write it down.
If you were refilling your well by reading, watching all eight episodes of a sitcom, cleaning your house or working in your yard--write it down.
If you spent too much time visiting sites on the Internet, then this list of time-wasters probably needs to be documented especially if you spend more time in this mindless activity than actually writing--write it down.
Blog hopping--though very educational and a great way of networking and getting free books, it really doesn't help your writing goals
Facebook--again, good networking device--doesn't count
Games on Facebook or other venues--yeah, I'm addicted to Farmville, Cafe World, etc, but I've started limiting my time on these sites.
Setting daily goals are similar to setting weekly goals. Take a look at your day. If you are going to be working 10-hour days at the other day job, then go gentle with your goals. If you want to write 5000-words for the week, then break it down into doable increments. 5-1000-word days. Or even 5 days with 500-words in the AM and 500-words in the PM. Do what works for you and your lifestyle.
If you are having problems getting started, here are a few ideas.
One of my favorite tricks to jump start your goals is to set a 100-word goal. 100 words. That's it. One paragraph or one very long sentence. 1/3 of TNR typed page or 1/2 page of Courier.
Another trick is to set a timer. Start off easy, say 15 minutes. Surely you can spare 15 minutes before you go to bed? Or when you are drinking your morning cup of coffee?
Or simply walk--ALONE--to formulate your ideas, work out problems, or simply think out the next scene you plan on writing.
Here are a few examples from my calendar last year:
2/2/09
Ran errands/drs appts.
Submitted LC to ABNA
Subbed 2 agents online &
6 packets ready to mail
2/26/09
Read book
Wrote Fri blog
Wii’ed--worked out on the Wii Fit
3/12/09
Felt yucky
Crocheted and watched movies (this afghan went to Brenda Novak's auction)
4/28/09
Wii’d and walked
Laundry/ironing
568 words on Faerie—Finished it!!
5/28/09
MOGG—wrote 3960
Started reading Smoke in Mirrors- JAKrentz
Walked
During the last two weeks in May 2009, I wrote close to 4000 words a day. I had a deadline of the Delacorte Yearling contest that I wanted to meet. I needed to finish the rough draft of MOGG by the end of May to let the story rest before I started my edits mid-June. I submitted the entry on the last possible day of the contest--June 30, 2009.
You can do it. You just need a reason to finish that story. And the satisfaction of knowing you created something is wonderful.
And if any of my commenters have any additional ideas, please leave a note.
But for now--
Write On!
There it's out there and now you all know it! Recently, I've started writing daily sticky notes to make certain I finished what I need to finish--okay, I just started it yesterday. After I write this blog, my three line items will be down to only one. Whew!
The one thing I can't stress enough is for you to use your calendar and write down what you DID do on a given day. Why? Because in a month you'll be looking at your blank calendar and wonder what happened. BUT if you jotted notes down every day, you can find out what you did do with your time. I even put notes on the days when my kidlet is out of school, I'm running errands, have doctor's appointments, or when my kidlet comes home sick. I do this just so I know WHAT I did and how that derailed my writing goals.
If you spent two weeks researching, either on the Internet or the library--write it down.
If you were refilling your well by reading, watching all eight episodes of a sitcom, cleaning your house or working in your yard--write it down.
If you spent too much time visiting sites on the Internet, then this list of time-wasters probably needs to be documented especially if you spend more time in this mindless activity than actually writing--write it down.
Blog hopping--though very educational and a great way of networking and getting free books, it really doesn't help your writing goals
Facebook--again, good networking device--doesn't count
Games on Facebook or other venues--yeah, I'm addicted to Farmville, Cafe World, etc, but I've started limiting my time on these sites.
Setting daily goals are similar to setting weekly goals. Take a look at your day. If you are going to be working 10-hour days at the other day job, then go gentle with your goals. If you want to write 5000-words for the week, then break it down into doable increments. 5-1000-word days. Or even 5 days with 500-words in the AM and 500-words in the PM. Do what works for you and your lifestyle.
If you are having problems getting started, here are a few ideas.
One of my favorite tricks to jump start your goals is to set a 100-word goal. 100 words. That's it. One paragraph or one very long sentence. 1/3 of TNR typed page or 1/2 page of Courier.
Another trick is to set a timer. Start off easy, say 15 minutes. Surely you can spare 15 minutes before you go to bed? Or when you are drinking your morning cup of coffee?
Or simply walk--ALONE--to formulate your ideas, work out problems, or simply think out the next scene you plan on writing.
Here are a few examples from my calendar last year:
2/2/09
Ran errands/drs appts.
Submitted LC to ABNA
Subbed 2 agents online &
6 packets ready to mail
2/26/09
Read book
Wrote Fri blog
Wii’ed--worked out on the Wii Fit
3/12/09
Felt yucky
Crocheted and watched movies (this afghan went to Brenda Novak's auction)
4/28/09
Wii’d and walked
Laundry/ironing
568 words on Faerie—Finished it!!
5/28/09
MOGG—wrote 3960
Started reading Smoke in Mirrors- JAKrentz
Walked
During the last two weeks in May 2009, I wrote close to 4000 words a day. I had a deadline of the Delacorte Yearling contest that I wanted to meet. I needed to finish the rough draft of MOGG by the end of May to let the story rest before I started my edits mid-June. I submitted the entry on the last possible day of the contest--June 30, 2009.
You can do it. You just need a reason to finish that story. And the satisfaction of knowing you created something is wonderful.
And if any of my commenters have any additional ideas, please leave a note.
But for now--
Write On!
12/15/09
New Writing Group--GoPRO!
I'm very excited to announce the formation of a new writing group! This group is open to all writers intent upon completing their first manuscript in 2010.
As an original member of Amy Atwell's GIAM goals group, now expanded to 4 groups, I am proud to be a moderator for this new group. This group is not affiliated with any national organization, but we want all writers who are serious about completing their first full-length novels.
WritingGIAM, a community of Yahoo loops that bring together writers who are willing to set and track their progress toward stated writing goals, is pleased to announce the opening of their newest Goals Loop:
WritingGIAM_GoPRO
Conceived as a way to bring together writers working toward the completion of their first full-length novel, this loop offers support to those who want to reach their goal during the calendar year of 2010. That's right, everyone who joins the loop shares the same major writing goal: to complete their first novel during 2010. Within RWA, this is the first step to achieving "PRO" status. Hence, the loop's name.
This loop is open to ALL writers of any genre. Writers do not have to be members of RWA, however, if they aren't RWA members, they should have a recommendation from a current GIAMer.
How does it work? Members post their annual goals to the loop. These are archived. Every week, members are reminded to post their ongoing progress and accomplishments. The loop provides a forum for discussing the challenges writers face as they try to finish a manuscript. Moderators on the loop are all writers with one or more finished manuscripts, and periodically, other guests will join the loop to answer questions and offer support.
Think of it--what might you accomplish if you knew other people were waiting to hear how much you'd written in the past week?
For more information, check out the WritingGIAM webpage on founder Amy Atwell's website:
http://www.amyatwell.com/index.php?pr=WritingGIAM_Loops
If you're interested in joining, email Amy at WritingGIAM@amyatwell.com
Best wishes to all writers in achieving their goals during 2010!
Amy Atwell
listowner, WritingGIAM communities
"where writers with goals make friends"
www.amyatwell.com
Please consider joining this group if you have been struggling with completing your first novel. Along with hugs and encouragement, we can provide a swift kick in the tookus if needed! Throughout the year, we will have guests who will give their insight into the writing process.
Write on!
As an original member of Amy Atwell's GIAM goals group, now expanded to 4 groups, I am proud to be a moderator for this new group. This group is not affiliated with any national organization, but we want all writers who are serious about completing their first full-length novels.
WritingGIAM, a community of Yahoo loops that bring together writers who are willing to set and track their progress toward stated writing goals, is pleased to announce the opening of their newest Goals Loop:
WritingGIAM_GoPRO
Conceived as a way to bring together writers working toward the completion of their first full-length novel, this loop offers support to those who want to reach their goal during the calendar year of 2010. That's right, everyone who joins the loop shares the same major writing goal: to complete their first novel during 2010. Within RWA, this is the first step to achieving "PRO" status. Hence, the loop's name.
This loop is open to ALL writers of any genre. Writers do not have to be members of RWA, however, if they aren't RWA members, they should have a recommendation from a current GIAMer.
How does it work? Members post their annual goals to the loop. These are archived. Every week, members are reminded to post their ongoing progress and accomplishments. The loop provides a forum for discussing the challenges writers face as they try to finish a manuscript. Moderators on the loop are all writers with one or more finished manuscripts, and periodically, other guests will join the loop to answer questions and offer support.
Think of it--what might you accomplish if you knew other people were waiting to hear how much you'd written in the past week?
For more information, check out the WritingGIAM webpage on founder Amy Atwell's website:
http://www.amyatwell.com/index.php?pr=WritingGIAM_Loops
If you're interested in joining, email Amy at WritingGIAM@amyatwell.com
Best wishes to all writers in achieving their goals during 2010!
Amy Atwell
listowner, WritingGIAM communities
"where writers with goals make friends"
www.amyatwell.com
Please consider joining this group if you have been struggling with completing your first novel. Along with hugs and encouragement, we can provide a swift kick in the tookus if needed! Throughout the year, we will have guests who will give their insight into the writing process.
Write on!
12/14/09
Yearly Wrap-Up (Part 5) Weekly goals
And I'm moving down the increments of goals. We have now reached setting weekly goals.
I confess that in January 2005 I joined a online group that Amy Atwell was forming called GIAM: Goal setting, Inspiration, Amity, and Motivation. This group originated with RWA members who had achieved their PRO status of finishing a manuscript and attempting to publish it. This original group capped out at 55 members, about half of which are still active within the group. Sinch then, GIAM now expanded into four online goal-oriented loops, with a new one forming called GoPRO for writers struggling to finish their first manuscript. And I don't know where I'd be without this wonderful group of women--there are guys in the groups, just not in this particular group. This group has offered {{HUGS}} , ***CRAAAACK*** the whip, and a heavy encouragement of BICHOK {Butt In Chair Hands On Keyboard}, and WARM FUZZIES when needed.
Setting goals or belonging to a goals group will not help you get published, but it will help you set goals and deadlines to prepare for the day when you do have solid deadlines to meet. It trains you to work from home, or elsewhere, ignoring distractions to finish your obligations to yourself. Goals can change, but the only way to challenge yourself is to set goals that are slightly out of your reach. You must learn to push yourself to the next level, because no one else is going to do it.
So, for weekly goals, I am obligated to myself and my goals group to share my intentions for the week and recap my previous weeks goals, whether or not I achieved my goals. I think this is the biggest part of stating goals, you have to be responsible for whatever happens. So you didn't make your 5,000 word goal, BUT maybe you wrote 3,000 words. That's still 3K more than you could have done, and if you write in Times New Roman, that's about 10 pages. Not bad! So even if you didn't succeed 100% in your goals for that week, it doesn't mean you didn't succeed.
When I set my weekly goals I take into account what is going on that week.
--what's going on with the family? Health issues?
--am I working at my day job? How many hours?
--is the kid home from school? Do I have to chauffeur her to XX number of activities?
--do I have to get the house ready for company? Is the dust so deep you can make dust bunny poop piles?
--do I have a ton of errands and chores to accomplish? Getting my hair trimmed and colored takes 2-3 hours minimum--not because it's that grey, but it just does.
--did I forget that I volunteered to judge a RWA contest and just got a packet of five submissions, consisting of forty manuscript pages and a ten page synopsis with a detailed five page scoresheet? Been there!
--do you write on the weekends only? Or are your weekends reserved for family?
--is your day so busy you come home so exhausted that you are too tired to even sit at the computer? Or you don't want to even look at the computer because you are inputting information for the day job?
--when are you the most creative? Morning? Night? After everyone goes to bed? Or before anyone gets up in the morning?
-- do you want to keep track of what you write by time? XX minutes/day? by word count? or page count?
These are all the things you need to think about when you set your weekly goals. You might be so new to the writing game that you don't know when you are most creative, or you can only allow yourself 15 minutes a day to write--uh, that would actually be a good goal. :-) Take a look at your Outlook calendar or wall calendar. How full or empty is your week? Once you have that info you can set a weekly goal.
I don't write on the weekends. They are reserved for family. I don't write past three in the afternoon as I go collect my kidlet at 3:20 and the rest of the day and evening is for family. I actually have 9-3 blocked out on my Outlook calendar, but I also have my other appointments alongside my writing. For me, my weekly goal is not to allow my other obligations to take the place of writing--yes, spider solitaire did that for awhile, now I've switched to Farmville and Cafe World. *sigh* if it's not one thing, it's another.
So what does a typical Margaret week look like?
Here's this last week's goals:
--Jog/walk or Wii Fit 4X this week--nope, bunged up knee--Aleve helps
--read--yep, Soul Magic by Jen Lyon
--work on baby afghan for goddaughter--Yep on the weekend
--Christmas candy--YES!! I made over 11 pounds of fudge (4 varieties), 3 lbs. peanut brittle, 3 lbs turtles, 2 lbs English toffee, and over 25 lbs of filled candies (16 different fillings) It took me over 4 10-hour days to make all this! Whew!
--Christmas cards--done, hubster did most of the work. :-)
--Christmas shopping
My goals are in black and what I did is in red. True, there are no writing goals, but if I showed you my monthly goal you would see:
--NO WRITING RELATED GOALS
I knew I wouldn't get any writing accomplished, so I'm not even attempting it. From about mid-November until the family goes back to work and school, I don't plan to write. I have critiqued for a friend, judged contests, and edited previously written material, but no new stuff as I have too much on my mind and can't concentrate.
Documenting weekly goals. Since I have my goals group to help me, I send my bullet pointed (notice the bullet point pattern?? It's the way I function best, but you need to figure out what works for you.) recap and goals to my group, then I cut and paste this week's goals in a new email document and save it under drafts. I know it's there as it taunts me every time I open my email program.
On Wednesday, I'll discuss daily writing goals . . . uh, it might be a VERY short list since I stink at daily goals. Sorry, but it is what it is.
Write on!
I confess that in January 2005 I joined a online group that Amy Atwell was forming called GIAM: Goal setting, Inspiration, Amity, and Motivation. This group originated with RWA members who had achieved their PRO status of finishing a manuscript and attempting to publish it. This original group capped out at 55 members, about half of which are still active within the group. Sinch then, GIAM now expanded into four online goal-oriented loops, with a new one forming called GoPRO for writers struggling to finish their first manuscript. And I don't know where I'd be without this wonderful group of women--there are guys in the groups, just not in this particular group. This group has offered {{HUGS}} , ***CRAAAACK*** the whip, and a heavy encouragement of BICHOK {Butt In Chair Hands On Keyboard}, and WARM FUZZIES when needed.
Setting goals or belonging to a goals group will not help you get published, but it will help you set goals and deadlines to prepare for the day when you do have solid deadlines to meet. It trains you to work from home, or elsewhere, ignoring distractions to finish your obligations to yourself. Goals can change, but the only way to challenge yourself is to set goals that are slightly out of your reach. You must learn to push yourself to the next level, because no one else is going to do it.
So, for weekly goals, I am obligated to myself and my goals group to share my intentions for the week and recap my previous weeks goals, whether or not I achieved my goals. I think this is the biggest part of stating goals, you have to be responsible for whatever happens. So you didn't make your 5,000 word goal, BUT maybe you wrote 3,000 words. That's still 3K more than you could have done, and if you write in Times New Roman, that's about 10 pages. Not bad! So even if you didn't succeed 100% in your goals for that week, it doesn't mean you didn't succeed.
When I set my weekly goals I take into account what is going on that week.
--what's going on with the family? Health issues?
--am I working at my day job? How many hours?
--is the kid home from school? Do I have to chauffeur her to XX number of activities?
--do I have to get the house ready for company? Is the dust so deep you can make dust bunny poop piles?
--do I have a ton of errands and chores to accomplish? Getting my hair trimmed and colored takes 2-3 hours minimum--not because it's that grey, but it just does.
--did I forget that I volunteered to judge a RWA contest and just got a packet of five submissions, consisting of forty manuscript pages and a ten page synopsis with a detailed five page scoresheet? Been there!
--do you write on the weekends only? Or are your weekends reserved for family?
--is your day so busy you come home so exhausted that you are too tired to even sit at the computer? Or you don't want to even look at the computer because you are inputting information for the day job?
--when are you the most creative? Morning? Night? After everyone goes to bed? Or before anyone gets up in the morning?
-- do you want to keep track of what you write by time? XX minutes/day? by word count? or page count?
These are all the things you need to think about when you set your weekly goals. You might be so new to the writing game that you don't know when you are most creative, or you can only allow yourself 15 minutes a day to write--uh, that would actually be a good goal. :-) Take a look at your Outlook calendar or wall calendar. How full or empty is your week? Once you have that info you can set a weekly goal.
I don't write on the weekends. They are reserved for family. I don't write past three in the afternoon as I go collect my kidlet at 3:20 and the rest of the day and evening is for family. I actually have 9-3 blocked out on my Outlook calendar, but I also have my other appointments alongside my writing. For me, my weekly goal is not to allow my other obligations to take the place of writing--yes, spider solitaire did that for awhile, now I've switched to Farmville and Cafe World. *sigh* if it's not one thing, it's another.
So what does a typical Margaret week look like?
Here's this last week's goals:
--Jog/walk or Wii Fit 4X this week--nope, bunged up knee--Aleve helps
--read--yep, Soul Magic by Jen Lyon
--work on baby afghan for goddaughter--Yep on the weekend
--Christmas candy--YES!! I made over 11 pounds of fudge (4 varieties), 3 lbs. peanut brittle, 3 lbs turtles, 2 lbs English toffee, and over 25 lbs of filled candies (16 different fillings) It took me over 4 10-hour days to make all this! Whew!
--Christmas cards--done, hubster did most of the work. :-)
--Christmas shopping
My goals are in black and what I did is in red. True, there are no writing goals, but if I showed you my monthly goal you would see:
--NO WRITING RELATED GOALS
I knew I wouldn't get any writing accomplished, so I'm not even attempting it. From about mid-November until the family goes back to work and school, I don't plan to write. I have critiqued for a friend, judged contests, and edited previously written material, but no new stuff as I have too much on my mind and can't concentrate.
Documenting weekly goals. Since I have my goals group to help me, I send my bullet pointed (notice the bullet point pattern?? It's the way I function best, but you need to figure out what works for you.) recap and goals to my group, then I cut and paste this week's goals in a new email document and save it under drafts. I know it's there as it taunts me every time I open my email program.
On Wednesday, I'll discuss daily writing goals . . . uh, it might be a VERY short list since I stink at daily goals. Sorry, but it is what it is.
Write on!
12/11/09
Yearly Wrap-Up (Part 4) Monthly goals
Grr. . . Okay, I think I'm ready to finally sit down and write this blog. It's been one thing after another this morning. And I thought spending four days making candy was hard!
In my previous blogs I discussed in excruciating detail about yearly goals, now I will change it up a little to talk about monthly, weekly, and *gulp* daily goals. I gulp because I'm pathetic at daily goals, so I just might need your help to get me through it!
So the first thing I do is head on over to the free calendars on the Microsoft website. There are a lot of calendars with 'stuff' all over them, but I like the clean and basic calendar for this purpose. Sorry, I have to do links, I don't know how to embed the pictures in my blog. I know there's away, I just don't know how to do it--so there. And since I was there, I downloaded it for next year.
Most months have blank days, since this calendar is on a grid. Click the cells, and merge them. Once merged, you can add GOALS: to the cell. I like bold and dark red as it stands out. Then I arrow down and start bullet pointing my goals for the month. Sometimes I have to tweak and make two columns, depending how extensive my goals are for that month. You can pull and squish the columns and rows as much as needed depending on the month.
For January 2010, I took the large merged area and split them into two to give me enough room for goals without having to put them in an itty-bitty font. Small is good, but sometimes these old eyes have issues with it. Then press enter, and hit your bullet point button and you are ready to set monthly goals. But before you enter January's goals, copy and paste this on every month of the year and save. Now, your months are set up and all you have to do is fill in your goals.
--FYI: in my other merged cell space I put my Tarot card information. This is how remember to go to the calendar every day as I post my Tarot card that I drew. The purpose is to remind me to go to my calendar. Most of the time I forgot to type what I had done the previous day, so this is the perfect opportunity to write it down. And yes, if you spent all day doing errands--put it down. The only way you'll figure out where you waste time is if you document what you did do.
WANDS--Fire/passion
CUPS--Water/moods/emotions
SWORDS--Air/mentality
PENTACLES--Earth/growth/nature/money
MAJOR ARCANA-Spirituality/higher purpose
And no, I don't really believe it, usually because the cards are so very wrong, IE. I tend to have my crappiest days when I'm supposed to be on top of the world. I simply use this technique to remember to enter WHAT I did, just like I type in the books I've read on my yearly goals to remember to look at them and update them as needed.
Onward to setting monthly goals. Tailor your goals to your life. If you work forty to eighty hours a week, you might not get the same goals accomplished that someone who doesn't work outside the home can accomplish. Or even the other way around, because sometimes not having a job gives you more time to goof off, do laundry, clean house, eat, and find excuses NOT to write. Been there, done that, and still doing that--considering blogging isn't 'writing'. When I worked full time and had to be at work at 5 AM. I got up at 3:30 AM, showered and got ready for work. At 4 AM I went downstairs, fed the critters, made coffee and wrote for 40 minutes. Some days I would write a paragraph or two, and other days I'd write three pages.
Figure out what works for you. BUT if something unexpected happens document it on the day on your calendar.
I'll use two months from my 2009 calendar as examples.
January 2009 goals:
--send partial of Demon Spawn to Deb Dixon at Belle Bridge Books--Done
--judge Golden Hear--Done--6 paranormals
--Crit when needed--Done--4 crits
--Start DS1 from scratch--Done 17 pages, 5127 words
MLK Holiday: 1/19/09--kidlet out of school. any writing should be considered icing
Ice storm: 1/27-29/09--kidlet out of school for three days
June 2009 goals:
--Judge WHRWA Lone Star contest--Started
--Edit, edit, edit MOGG--Done
Summer vacation--kidlet out of school, therefore I lighten my monthly goals as I do stuff with her.
Mac Soccer camp 8:30-4:30--one week she was in soccer camp, minus travel time, I had six hours a day back for writing
6/30/09 Delacorte Yearling contest deadline highlighted--which is why I spent all month editing MOGG
I'm tired of writing about monthly goals. I'll hit weekly and daily goals next week.
If you have any questions or comments, ask away.
And if you know how I can take a calendar and put it on this silly blog let me know, 'cause it's ticking me off.
Write on!
In my previous blogs I discussed in excruciating detail about yearly goals, now I will change it up a little to talk about monthly, weekly, and *gulp* daily goals. I gulp because I'm pathetic at daily goals, so I just might need your help to get me through it!
So the first thing I do is head on over to the free calendars on the Microsoft website. There are a lot of calendars with 'stuff' all over them, but I like the clean and basic calendar for this purpose. Sorry, I have to do links, I don't know how to embed the pictures in my blog. I know there's away, I just don't know how to do it--so there. And since I was there, I downloaded it for next year.
Most months have blank days, since this calendar is on a grid. Click the cells, and merge them. Once merged, you can add GOALS: to the cell. I like bold and dark red as it stands out. Then I arrow down and start bullet pointing my goals for the month. Sometimes I have to tweak and make two columns, depending how extensive my goals are for that month. You can pull and squish the columns and rows as much as needed depending on the month.
For January 2010, I took the large merged area and split them into two to give me enough room for goals without having to put them in an itty-bitty font. Small is good, but sometimes these old eyes have issues with it. Then press enter, and hit your bullet point button and you are ready to set monthly goals. But before you enter January's goals, copy and paste this on every month of the year and save. Now, your months are set up and all you have to do is fill in your goals.
--FYI: in my other merged cell space I put my Tarot card information. This is how remember to go to the calendar every day as I post my Tarot card that I drew. The purpose is to remind me to go to my calendar. Most of the time I forgot to type what I had done the previous day, so this is the perfect opportunity to write it down. And yes, if you spent all day doing errands--put it down. The only way you'll figure out where you waste time is if you document what you did do.
WANDS--Fire/passion
CUPS--Water/moods/emotions
SWORDS--Air/mentality
PENTACLES--Earth/growth/nature/money
MAJOR ARCANA-Spirituality/higher purpose
And no, I don't really believe it, usually because the cards are so very wrong, IE. I tend to have my crappiest days when I'm supposed to be on top of the world. I simply use this technique to remember to enter WHAT I did, just like I type in the books I've read on my yearly goals to remember to look at them and update them as needed.
Onward to setting monthly goals. Tailor your goals to your life. If you work forty to eighty hours a week, you might not get the same goals accomplished that someone who doesn't work outside the home can accomplish. Or even the other way around, because sometimes not having a job gives you more time to goof off, do laundry, clean house, eat, and find excuses NOT to write. Been there, done that, and still doing that--considering blogging isn't 'writing'. When I worked full time and had to be at work at 5 AM. I got up at 3:30 AM, showered and got ready for work. At 4 AM I went downstairs, fed the critters, made coffee and wrote for 40 minutes. Some days I would write a paragraph or two, and other days I'd write three pages.
Figure out what works for you. BUT if something unexpected happens document it on the day on your calendar.
I'll use two months from my 2009 calendar as examples.
January 2009 goals:
--send partial of Demon Spawn to Deb Dixon at Belle Bridge Books--Done
--judge Golden Hear--Done--6 paranormals
--Crit when needed--Done--4 crits
--Start DS1 from scratch--Done 17 pages, 5127 words
MLK Holiday: 1/19/09--kidlet out of school. any writing should be considered icing
Ice storm: 1/27-29/09--kidlet out of school for three days
June 2009 goals:
--Judge WHRWA Lone Star contest--Started
--Edit, edit, edit MOGG--Done
Summer vacation--kidlet out of school, therefore I lighten my monthly goals as I do stuff with her.
Mac Soccer camp 8:30-4:30--one week she was in soccer camp, minus travel time, I had six hours a day back for writing
6/30/09 Delacorte Yearling contest deadline highlighted--which is why I spent all month editing MOGG
I'm tired of writing about monthly goals. I'll hit weekly and daily goals next week.
If you have any questions or comments, ask away.
And if you know how I can take a calendar and put it on this silly blog let me know, 'cause it's ticking me off.
Write on!
12/9/09
Blog Delayed
Sorry--
but today's blog will be delayed. I'm right in the middle of making massive amounts of candy and I want to get it finished! I'm shooting to have a blog about Monthly, Weekly and Daily goals up on Friday!
Thanks for your patience!
Write on! Or in my case--Make Candy!
. . . today's chores: make three kinds of fudge, make six different types of filled candies {(fillings already made) Filling candy molds takes a special kind of patience--trust me}, trimming aforementioned candies and putting in little paper wrappers that LOVE to stick together!
but today's blog will be delayed. I'm right in the middle of making massive amounts of candy and I want to get it finished! I'm shooting to have a blog about Monthly, Weekly and Daily goals up on Friday!
Thanks for your patience!
Write on! Or in my case--Make Candy!
. . . today's chores: make three kinds of fudge, make six different types of filled candies {(fillings already made) Filling candy molds takes a special kind of patience--trust me}, trimming aforementioned candies and putting in little paper wrappers that LOVE to stick together!
12/8/09
Delacorte Yearling Rejection
Well, I got my Delacorte Yearling rejection in the mail yesterday. Though I expected it, I'm still bummed about it. It feels like I've done all I can with my gnome story. *sigh*
Guess I'll make Christmas candy to cheer myself up.
Guess I'll make Christmas candy to cheer myself up.
12/7/09
Yearly Wrap-Up (Part 3)
Alrighty then, we covered reading goals and how to keep on top of your yearly writing goals by jotting down the books you've read ON your goal sheet.
And we covered writing goals, knowing full well that they could change at the drop of a contract. *hint, hint* Hey, I'll try for all the karma I can get. :-)
So what other goals can you put down on your yearly list? Remember, this is a list that you will be referring to every time you put a book you read on the list--skim the goals.
Here are a couple of my 'other' type of goals:
--Attend one conference--I went to a local SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) conference in town. Next spring, it will be in Oklahoma City
--Return to a healthy lifestyle: eat smaller, eat healthier, and kick the kidlet's butt on the Wii Fit exercises! And exercise 3-5 days a week. --I did all of this, but not consistently. I was exercising on the Wii Fit until the kidlet got out of school for summer vacation, and then, PFFTT! After that, the Wii console was exchanged and I just started unlocking the levels again when I started jogging.
--Critique when needed--I don't belong to a critique group any longer, but if one of my online friends needs a quick crit, then I'm available.
--Judge three unpublished writing contests (online only) and the Golden Heart--I judged eight contests, plus the Golden Heart, plus one published one.
--The Golden Heart is RWA's contest for unpublished writers. I love this contest as all you do is read the submission (roughly 50 pages & a synopsis) and award the entry a number between 1 and 9. I really enjoy judging the GH because I can sit down and expect to be wowed!
--The published contest is harder because you have to read the entire book, though it is a simple numerical score.
--The eight unpubbed contests take the most time as you have to read the submission and judge it according to the criteria set up by the contest committee for each particular chapter. The submissions run the gauntlet of publishable to newbie writer just starting out, but I've always come away from the judging experience learning something. Try it you might enjoy it, too!
--Use online calendar to record Tarot daily draws, chores, reading and writing goals --A couple of years ago I bought a Tarot deck and book. One of my characters used the Tarot in her plans of revenge--I never finished that story, but I keep drawing my daily Tarot card. One--it's just fun, Two--it forces me to go to my online calendar to record my card. . . and I have a list of my monthly goals posted on this calendar. Plus it reminds me to document what I have been doing with my day if I haven't been writing. It forces you to be accountable for your writing or lack of.
On Wednesday, I'll post how I deal with monthly and weekly goals.
Until then . . .
Write on!
And we covered writing goals, knowing full well that they could change at the drop of a contract. *hint, hint* Hey, I'll try for all the karma I can get. :-)
So what other goals can you put down on your yearly list? Remember, this is a list that you will be referring to every time you put a book you read on the list--skim the goals.
Here are a couple of my 'other' type of goals:
--Attend one conference--I went to a local SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) conference in town. Next spring, it will be in Oklahoma City
--Return to a healthy lifestyle: eat smaller, eat healthier, and kick the kidlet's butt on the Wii Fit exercises! And exercise 3-5 days a week. --I did all of this, but not consistently. I was exercising on the Wii Fit until the kidlet got out of school for summer vacation, and then, PFFTT! After that, the Wii console was exchanged and I just started unlocking the levels again when I started jogging.
--Critique when needed--I don't belong to a critique group any longer, but if one of my online friends needs a quick crit, then I'm available.
--Judge three unpublished writing contests (online only) and the Golden Heart--I judged eight contests, plus the Golden Heart, plus one published one.
--The Golden Heart is RWA's contest for unpublished writers. I love this contest as all you do is read the submission (roughly 50 pages & a synopsis) and award the entry a number between 1 and 9. I really enjoy judging the GH because I can sit down and expect to be wowed!
--The published contest is harder because you have to read the entire book, though it is a simple numerical score.
--The eight unpubbed contests take the most time as you have to read the submission and judge it according to the criteria set up by the contest committee for each particular chapter. The submissions run the gauntlet of publishable to newbie writer just starting out, but I've always come away from the judging experience learning something. Try it you might enjoy it, too!
--Use online calendar to record Tarot daily draws, chores, reading and writing goals --A couple of years ago I bought a Tarot deck and book. One of my characters used the Tarot in her plans of revenge--I never finished that story, but I keep drawing my daily Tarot card. One--it's just fun, Two--it forces me to go to my online calendar to record my card. . . and I have a list of my monthly goals posted on this calendar. Plus it reminds me to document what I have been doing with my day if I haven't been writing. It forces you to be accountable for your writing or lack of.
On Wednesday, I'll post how I deal with monthly and weekly goals.
Until then . . .
Write on!
12/4/09
Yearly Wrap-Up (Part 2)
Okey-dokey pokey, onward to the setting of writing goals.
One thing you need to remember is that goals change, goals evolve, so don't feel frustrated or upset if you didn't meet your original goals. Adjust your goals as your writing needs change.
A year ago, I was at a writing retreat with Deb Dixon-yes, THAT Deb Dixon, the Queen of GMC, Goal, Motivation and Conflict-and she pointed out that your character doesn't necessarily have to have the same goal by the end of the story as the character did at the beginning of the story. It's okay for them to change goals. Therefore, I feel the same way about writing goals.
This is your yearly goals list, not anyone else's goals so don't get nit-picky.
For example, I wouldn't do this:
--write every day
I hate it when writers put this down as a yearly goal as it's unrealistic, life tends to get in the way so I use this sort of goal in a week-by-week basis or as a 100-words a day challenge. I can look at my weekly calendar and figure out what a realistic goal is for that week. I can add or delete the amount accordingly. In the summer months my kiddo is out of school, and if I get any writing accomplished then that's just icing. But I do know that I can edit. For me, I need quiet, uninterrupted time to write, but I can take innumerable interruptions while editing. It's what works for me--go figure.
So, here is an example of my writing goals. The dashes (--) are really bullet points since I can't seem to make them work on the blog.
--Send partial of Demon Spawn to DD at BelleBridgeBooks (Jan.)--Done 1/24/09--dumped it and started over--decided to write younger
--Finish @#$%^& manuscript (Yes, I cursed on my yearly goal list), Demon Spawn, including synopsis & query--NOPE
--Broadly plot UF 7-book series idea (Demon Manifesto)--NOPE
--Write a few Peter stories (easy readers) and pimp the ones already written--1 DONE
Farther down the list were new goals that I accomplished:
--Wrote middle grade story--Missing: One Garden Gnome 5/29/09 (date finished) 47000 words--query written 7/15, synopsis written 7/16, submitted to Delacorte Yearling contest 6/30/09
--Wrote chapter book story, The Faerie Who Lost His Wings 5/13/09 --1742 words
--Started writing The Fast and The Faerieous--MG novel
And, of course, there were a few false starts on a couple of paranormal suspense's that I didn't include on this list.
So I didn't end up finishing the goal that I had in January, but that's okay because I revised my list according to where I was with my writing.
I know writers who simply put: Write X number of books. And that's okay as it is a goal that works for them. I like a little more detail in my goals.
I have one more goal oriented post before I start working on my list for 2010. I hope you'll join me, but until then . . .
Write on!
One thing you need to remember is that goals change, goals evolve, so don't feel frustrated or upset if you didn't meet your original goals. Adjust your goals as your writing needs change.
A year ago, I was at a writing retreat with Deb Dixon-yes, THAT Deb Dixon, the Queen of GMC, Goal, Motivation and Conflict-and she pointed out that your character doesn't necessarily have to have the same goal by the end of the story as the character did at the beginning of the story. It's okay for them to change goals. Therefore, I feel the same way about writing goals.
This is your yearly goals list, not anyone else's goals so don't get nit-picky.
For example, I wouldn't do this:
--write every day
I hate it when writers put this down as a yearly goal as it's unrealistic, life tends to get in the way so I use this sort of goal in a week-by-week basis or as a 100-words a day challenge. I can look at my weekly calendar and figure out what a realistic goal is for that week. I can add or delete the amount accordingly. In the summer months my kiddo is out of school, and if I get any writing accomplished then that's just icing. But I do know that I can edit. For me, I need quiet, uninterrupted time to write, but I can take innumerable interruptions while editing. It's what works for me--go figure.
So, here is an example of my writing goals. The dashes (--) are really bullet points since I can't seem to make them work on the blog.
--Send partial of Demon Spawn to DD at BelleBridgeBooks (Jan.)--Done 1/24/09--dumped it and started over--decided to write younger
--Finish @#$%^& manuscript (Yes, I cursed on my yearly goal list), Demon Spawn, including synopsis & query--NOPE
--Broadly plot UF 7-book series idea (Demon Manifesto)--NOPE
--Write a few Peter stories (easy readers) and pimp the ones already written--1 DONE
Farther down the list were new goals that I accomplished:
--Wrote middle grade story--Missing: One Garden Gnome 5/29/09 (date finished) 47000 words--query written 7/15, synopsis written 7/16, submitted to Delacorte Yearling contest 6/30/09
--Wrote chapter book story, The Faerie Who Lost His Wings 5/13/09 --1742 words
--Started writing The Fast and The Faerieous--MG novel
And, of course, there were a few false starts on a couple of paranormal suspense's that I didn't include on this list.
So I didn't end up finishing the goal that I had in January, but that's okay because I revised my list according to where I was with my writing.
I know writers who simply put: Write X number of books. And that's okay as it is a goal that works for them. I like a little more detail in my goals.
I have one more goal oriented post before I start working on my list for 2010. I hope you'll join me, but until then . . .
Write on!
12/2/09
Yearly Wrap-Up (Part I)
What did you accomplish this year? Writing-wise, that is. Though I do tend to include exercise and eating healthy on my list--it doesn't always happen, but it's a good reminder.
I know that it's only the beginning of December, but when January blows around the corner we need to know where we are with our writing, and where we intend to be at the beginning of the year so we can start off with confidence. Wow, that sentence was a mouthful, wasn't it?
The first question that I'll pose to y'all is this, have you even LOOKED at your goals from last year? I know it's hard to remember to open that document . . . uh, I'm going to assume everyone uses a computer for their goals--don't waste paper on this, because that's just silly.
My list of bullet-pointed goals, including add-ons and deletions, covers a couple of pages. This sounds like a lot of goals, but considering my goals changed mid-year I simply added to them.
One of my tricks, that I'll share today, is keeping track of the books I've read throughout the year ON MY GOAL SHEET.
Why?
Because it forces me to glance at my goals as I add each book to the bottom of the list. I've read from various sources--therefore I couldn't quote or credit it if my life depended on it--that to keep your goals fresh in your mind is to periodically go over them. It doesn't do you any good if you make goals in January, but don't look at them until December. Sometimes we go off on a tangent, such as veering off in totally unexpected way. For example: writing a middle grade novel. Ooops. :-)
So back to my list of books that I've read. This was my goal:
--Read 35 books, including craft books (keep log on this page)--DONE
I made this goal at the end of August, and I'm in the middle of reading book #48. I usually put the title, author's name, and date I finished the book. But I also added MG novel if I was reading a middle grade book--gotta keep up with the current trends, especially in the genre you write! I also highlighted the books that I couldn't finish, or if they were excruciatingly boring, but felt compelled to finish reading it.
I didn't read any craft books this year as I seemed to have exhausted the interesting ones. Now, I just skim the information to figure out what I need to know and then move on with life. The same goes for research books. Either I thumb through the books, or simply look up the information online.
So for my 2010 goals, I'll up my reading goal to 50 books.
I'll deal with writing goals on Friday. Remember to be flexible with your goals adjusting them accordingly.
Until later. . .
Write On!
I know that it's only the beginning of December, but when January blows around the corner we need to know where we are with our writing, and where we intend to be at the beginning of the year so we can start off with confidence. Wow, that sentence was a mouthful, wasn't it?
The first question that I'll pose to y'all is this, have you even LOOKED at your goals from last year? I know it's hard to remember to open that document . . . uh, I'm going to assume everyone uses a computer for their goals--don't waste paper on this, because that's just silly.
My list of bullet-pointed goals, including add-ons and deletions, covers a couple of pages. This sounds like a lot of goals, but considering my goals changed mid-year I simply added to them.
One of my tricks, that I'll share today, is keeping track of the books I've read throughout the year ON MY GOAL SHEET.
Why?
Because it forces me to glance at my goals as I add each book to the bottom of the list. I've read from various sources--therefore I couldn't quote or credit it if my life depended on it--that to keep your goals fresh in your mind is to periodically go over them. It doesn't do you any good if you make goals in January, but don't look at them until December. Sometimes we go off on a tangent, such as veering off in totally unexpected way. For example: writing a middle grade novel. Ooops. :-)
So back to my list of books that I've read. This was my goal:
--Read 35 books, including craft books (keep log on this page)--DONE
I made this goal at the end of August, and I'm in the middle of reading book #48. I usually put the title, author's name, and date I finished the book. But I also added MG novel if I was reading a middle grade book--gotta keep up with the current trends, especially in the genre you write! I also highlighted the books that I couldn't finish, or if they were excruciatingly boring, but felt compelled to finish reading it.
I didn't read any craft books this year as I seemed to have exhausted the interesting ones. Now, I just skim the information to figure out what I need to know and then move on with life. The same goes for research books. Either I thumb through the books, or simply look up the information online.
So for my 2010 goals, I'll up my reading goal to 50 books.
I'll deal with writing goals on Friday. Remember to be flexible with your goals adjusting them accordingly.
Until later. . .
Write On!
11/30/09
December is almost here! ACK!
Wowzers. . . this time of year just zips by, doesn't it? It starts with my kidlet's birthday right befor Thanksgiving and it won't stop until we take down the Christmas stuff on or near New Year's day.
Y'all have already heard about the sleepover so I won't bore you again with my rendition. We missed a large portion of the normal family contingent for Thanksgiving this year. Our house was suspiciously quiet. The GA group had come to town for my niece's wedding in September so it wasn't in the cards or the funds for double air fares this year. WE MISSED Y'ALL!! Thanksgiving was a smaller group this year, only about 19 of us, instead of the 25-30 we normally have, which means I only made two desserts: Toffee Crunch Cheesecake and Lemon Curd Layer Cake.
--hubster has requested the lemon cake for his work party on Thursday, maybe this time I won't forget to put the grated lemon peel into the cake! I had it grated, but just forgot. Ooopsie. Uh, I don't think anyone noticed. :-)
So last week we . . .
--Outside Christmas lights put up--CHECK (unusually warm weather so hubs took advantage of it)
--Christmas tree put up and decorated--CHECK
--Other Christmas stuff out--CHECK
--Exercised (jog/walk) four days last week--CHECK
--Went to one Light's On ceremony--CHECK
--Visited Rhema Bible College--CHECK (way impressive light display!)
--Oh, yeah, I read two books last week
This week, I'm . . .
--looking for Advent calendar presents
--regular present buying
--finish baby afghan
--thaw chocolate and decide what I'm making this year
--make lemon layer cake
--exercise four days this week--cold fronts are moving in, so it will be right nippy!
--read
--SET WRITING GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR!!
I'm sure I missed something.
I hope you all had a wonderful start to your holiday season!
Remember to spend as much time with your loved ones, or not so loved ones, because you never know when it might be your last chance. Presents are just stuff, so be sure to give of yourself and your time. It may not seem like much, but it can mean the world to those little ones, those that are very old, and all of us inbetween!
Write on!
Y'all have already heard about the sleepover so I won't bore you again with my rendition. We missed a large portion of the normal family contingent for Thanksgiving this year. Our house was suspiciously quiet. The GA group had come to town for my niece's wedding in September so it wasn't in the cards or the funds for double air fares this year. WE MISSED Y'ALL!! Thanksgiving was a smaller group this year, only about 19 of us, instead of the 25-30 we normally have, which means I only made two desserts: Toffee Crunch Cheesecake and Lemon Curd Layer Cake.
--hubster has requested the lemon cake for his work party on Thursday, maybe this time I won't forget to put the grated lemon peel into the cake! I had it grated, but just forgot. Ooopsie. Uh, I don't think anyone noticed. :-)
So last week we . . .
--Outside Christmas lights put up--CHECK (unusually warm weather so hubs took advantage of it)
--Christmas tree put up and decorated--CHECK
--Other Christmas stuff out--CHECK
--Exercised (jog/walk) four days last week--CHECK
--Went to one Light's On ceremony--CHECK
--Visited Rhema Bible College--CHECK (way impressive light display!)
--Oh, yeah, I read two books last week
This week, I'm . . .
--looking for Advent calendar presents
--regular present buying
--finish baby afghan
--thaw chocolate and decide what I'm making this year
--make lemon layer cake
--exercise four days this week--cold fronts are moving in, so it will be right nippy!
--read
--SET WRITING GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR!!
I'm sure I missed something.
I hope you all had a wonderful start to your holiday season!
Remember to spend as much time with your loved ones, or not so loved ones, because you never know when it might be your last chance. Presents are just stuff, so be sure to give of yourself and your time. It may not seem like much, but it can mean the world to those little ones, those that are very old, and all of us inbetween!
Write on!
11/25/09
Oi . . . Oy . . . OW!!!
Yes, people, I hurt. . . a lot. :-)
If you read my Monday blog you would know that I started jogging with a neighborhood friend. She was very gentle as we warmed up and started jogging, allowing me to make the choices for how far we jogged.
In total we jog/walked about an hour and, roughly guessing, four miles. We went along the route that I'd been walking, partly in a neighborhood to a main road to get to a walking trail that snakes around a bog area under a major expressway intersection. It's really pretty through there. A bridge crosses a creek where beaver live--yep, smack-dab in the middle of the city. I haven't seen deer near the walking trail, but have seen them less than 0.5 mile away crossing a four-lane road.
Anyhoo, I was pretty happy with what I managed on Monday. I have asthma, so I was concerned about my lungs/lung capacity, but V is a nurse, plus her kiddos have asthma, so she coached me in the appropriate way to breath. I got home and my muscles started talkin' to me. Not bad, just reminding me that there were there. It wasn't until I ate lunch with hubster and we sat at Logan's for an hour did I realize how much my muscles were seizing. I knew my legs would hurt, but I didn't count on abs and ribs. V said it was due to the core muscles stabilizing the body during the bouncing of jogging--and those poor muscles had a LOT to stabilize!
--and cravings! Man, I craved PROTEIN! I ate about three of those little baby Goudas and some cooked bacon.
I insisted we do our family walk that night, to start rebuilding the muscle and flush the lactic acid out of my system as I'd been guzzling water all day.
Tuesday dawns brightly and it wasn't until I tried to stand that "Uh-Oh" ran through my mind. I could barely walk down the stairs and V expected me to jog, AGAIN?!
Well, there was a lot less jogging, and a lot more stretching, as we power walked the same trail, but since we didn't jog--genius here, suggested we take the left fork in the trail to add some distance to our walk. We were gone about 75 minutes. No clue as to how many miles we walked.
By Tuesday afternoon, I felt HORRIBLE!! Oh, some of it was due to 'female' stuff, but my thighs were screaming for mercy. The last time I hurt that much was at a two-day horseback riding clinic--and that was when I was in my twenties and in shape. Now, I'm in my forties and so out of shape it ain't even funny.
But you know what?
I can't wait until V is back in town to go jogging again on Monday. The holidays will throw a small curve in my plans, but I have every intention to power walk at least two or three days over the holidays. And though I'm having a difficult time going up and down (down is worse) stairs, I'm okay with it because I know I'm getting into shape and that I'll feel better in the long run.
I'm sending a Write On! shoutout to my NaNo friend! Keep on writing! Who cares if it's dreck? Get it down and then you can fix it!
I'm taking a small writing sabbatical until January as I can't seem to find the motivation to work on any of my stories. Christmas is coming fast and I have enough to think about without adding the pressure of self-imposed writing deadlines.
Don't forget to start thinking about what you have accomplished this year and setting new goals for next year.
If you read my Monday blog you would know that I started jogging with a neighborhood friend. She was very gentle as we warmed up and started jogging, allowing me to make the choices for how far we jogged.
In total we jog/walked about an hour and, roughly guessing, four miles. We went along the route that I'd been walking, partly in a neighborhood to a main road to get to a walking trail that snakes around a bog area under a major expressway intersection. It's really pretty through there. A bridge crosses a creek where beaver live--yep, smack-dab in the middle of the city. I haven't seen deer near the walking trail, but have seen them less than 0.5 mile away crossing a four-lane road.
Anyhoo, I was pretty happy with what I managed on Monday. I have asthma, so I was concerned about my lungs/lung capacity, but V is a nurse, plus her kiddos have asthma, so she coached me in the appropriate way to breath. I got home and my muscles started talkin' to me. Not bad, just reminding me that there were there. It wasn't until I ate lunch with hubster and we sat at Logan's for an hour did I realize how much my muscles were seizing. I knew my legs would hurt, but I didn't count on abs and ribs. V said it was due to the core muscles stabilizing the body during the bouncing of jogging--and those poor muscles had a LOT to stabilize!
--and cravings! Man, I craved PROTEIN! I ate about three of those little baby Goudas and some cooked bacon.
I insisted we do our family walk that night, to start rebuilding the muscle and flush the lactic acid out of my system as I'd been guzzling water all day.
Tuesday dawns brightly and it wasn't until I tried to stand that "Uh-Oh" ran through my mind. I could barely walk down the stairs and V expected me to jog, AGAIN?!
Well, there was a lot less jogging, and a lot more stretching, as we power walked the same trail, but since we didn't jog--genius here, suggested we take the left fork in the trail to add some distance to our walk. We were gone about 75 minutes. No clue as to how many miles we walked.
By Tuesday afternoon, I felt HORRIBLE!! Oh, some of it was due to 'female' stuff, but my thighs were screaming for mercy. The last time I hurt that much was at a two-day horseback riding clinic--and that was when I was in my twenties and in shape. Now, I'm in my forties and so out of shape it ain't even funny.
But you know what?
I can't wait until V is back in town to go jogging again on Monday. The holidays will throw a small curve in my plans, but I have every intention to power walk at least two or three days over the holidays. And though I'm having a difficult time going up and down (down is worse) stairs, I'm okay with it because I know I'm getting into shape and that I'll feel better in the long run.
I'm sending a Write On! shoutout to my NaNo friend! Keep on writing! Who cares if it's dreck? Get it down and then you can fix it!
I'm taking a small writing sabbatical until January as I can't seem to find the motivation to work on any of my stories. Christmas is coming fast and I have enough to think about without adding the pressure of self-imposed writing deadlines.
Don't forget to start thinking about what you have accomplished this year and setting new goals for next year.
11/23/09
I SURVIVED!!! (Looooonnnnnggggg . . . .)
--my kiddo's ninth birthday party and sleepover. YAY!
--oh, and this is my reminder to never do it again! YAY!
--And I didn't even have to resort to drinking to get through it! Double YAY!
Wow. The last few days have been nutso! All I have to show for it is a new batch of pimples and a dirty house! Yes, Virginia, you still get pimples even when you are pushing the big 5 0. Everything worked out pretty well if I do say so myself. :-)
--HINT: have plenty of craft projects to do.
I wanted to limit the number of kids so I put the cap at five girls--five eight- and nine-year-olds--so, of course, we invited seven.
--What is it with parents these days? Do they not know what RSVP means? Out of seven kids, we had only THREE parents who actually told me their kid was coming. The one decline, which I wouldn't have expected a call from, but heard about from my daughter. That left three unknowns. Now, my kiddo came home and told me that her friends were coming, but I didn't have positive confirmation. *sigh* I know this is the 'new' trend, but still the invite had RSVP, Not Regrets Only.
We had a total of six kidlets and only room enough for four in my car and that's if I left the hubster at home, so we roped in Grandma and Grandpa to help chauffeur the kiddos to the movie theater--about a mile away. We split the kidlets up and arrive at the movies about fifteen minutes prior to show time, only to discover one pimply teenager issuing tickets and a line of people heading out the door.
--What's a parent to do? Well, you leave the hubster in line and crash through the non-existent ticket takers and find seats in the theater. Luckily--most of the people in line were heading to NEW MOON and not PLANET 51.
--found out later that the weaselly manager kept poking his head out asking the kid selling tickets if he needed help, and then he would disappear back into his little room, leaving the kid alone to sell tickets. What a jerk wad manager.
--Now, my job, and the grandparents, was to contain six giggly girls to their seats without tying them down AND keeping their feet off the chairs in front of them. Oh, and they managed to scare away one family in the process who moved down about five rows. I wonder why??
The movie was good. The kids liked it. It was a tribute to a TON of movies: STAR WARS, ALIEN, BACK TO THE FUTURE, THE RIGHT STUFF, blah, blah, blah.
We arrived home. Grandma and Grandpa drove away as soon as the coast was clear. The kidlets went nutso. And hubster went for pizza.
Kids ate. We gained another kidlet. Sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Opened prezzies. Did craft. I went ballistic during the gazillionth blood-curdling, ear-piercing scream. Yes, I lost it.
--But you have to give me credit: 1) I didn't hit anyone, including my own kid, 2) I didn't resort to drinking. :-)
--I KNOW kidlets are loud and when you get a gaggle of them, especially girls, there is a lot of screaming, but even I have my limits. Uh, the kidlets kept the noise to a normal dull roar--for a gaggle of girls.
One kidlet left, not the same one who arrived late, but another one who had to go out of town early the next day. Of course, since this kidlet's mom was my kidlet's teacher, the gaggle had to show her around and introduce her to our fat guinea pig, Rocky, the cat, Kato, the dog, Katie, the koi living in the pond in the back yard, and Blinky our beta. Yeah, no secrets from the teacher, I'm surprised they didn't show her my laundry basket, but I digress.
We got the kidlets into their jammies and made them brush their teeth, but honestly didn't expect them to sleep until midnight or so.
Fast foreword: Make that three AM when I when ballistic (again) and told them to SHUT IT. Of course it was my kid and a neighbor kid. My kid asked if they could laugh. "NO!" I growled. Silence and peace reigned until eight AM. Out of the six remaining kidlets, I think a couple would sleep while the others chattered, and then it rotated around the group, with them periodically coming into our room to complain that 'so-and-so was talking and keeping her awake.
--Of course, my butt was out of bed at six, but that's my quiet time: coffee, paper, Farmville.
--It was a successful sleepover because two of the kidlets have had some issues in the past with sleeping overnight, and they successfully managed it. YAY!
Next morning, hubster made pancakes. The kids got dressed. We did another craft. We painted Christmas ornaments with stained glass paint. It's pretty cool . . . until the first one shatters on the tile kitchen floor. Two more of my practice ones bit the dust when hubster vacuumed up the glass and he bumped his butt into the foam holder. Oh, well there's plenty of paint.
The kidlets played upstairs and went home one by one, until we were left with our little peanut. We had a short downtime until the kidlet had to play a soccer game. Last game of the season and we figure out she is a GREAT defensive player! Oh, well, there's spring season.
We had to leave the game early to attend my niece's baby shower. So we trundle over to Grandma Sullivan's house to change and pick Grams up. The shower was at another niece's house, so we got the grand tour. My kidlet spent the entire shower taking pictures. Not bad for a nine year old, huh? We brought her Nintendo DS, just in case, but didn't need it. When we got home it was time for our presents: an angel afghan she wanted me to make, two Beverly Cleary books, and a CAMERA!! She was ecstatic!
Needless to say, we were in bed at eight. They others slept until 8:30, but I was up at 6:20. Hey, it's what I do.
--We only ended up with one extra pair of socks. Not too bad.
So during our soccer game, a friend set up a morning exercise get-together on Monday. She jogs . . . like a lot . . . and I don't. Over the years, exercise has become a bad word. It's sad really because I used to TEACH aerobics in the 80's and rode my horse for over twenty years until I sold him about five years ago.
So this will be my first foray into the walk/jog program.
I survived a gaggle of girls, but the next question is . . . can I survive jogging?
Until Wednesday, Write On!
--oh, and this is my reminder to never do it again! YAY!
--And I didn't even have to resort to drinking to get through it! Double YAY!
Wow. The last few days have been nutso! All I have to show for it is a new batch of pimples and a dirty house! Yes, Virginia, you still get pimples even when you are pushing the big 5 0. Everything worked out pretty well if I do say so myself. :-)
--HINT: have plenty of craft projects to do.
I wanted to limit the number of kids so I put the cap at five girls--five eight- and nine-year-olds--so, of course, we invited seven.
--What is it with parents these days? Do they not know what RSVP means? Out of seven kids, we had only THREE parents who actually told me their kid was coming. The one decline, which I wouldn't have expected a call from, but heard about from my daughter. That left three unknowns. Now, my kiddo came home and told me that her friends were coming, but I didn't have positive confirmation. *sigh* I know this is the 'new' trend, but still the invite had RSVP, Not Regrets Only.
We had a total of six kidlets and only room enough for four in my car and that's if I left the hubster at home, so we roped in Grandma and Grandpa to help chauffeur the kiddos to the movie theater--about a mile away. We split the kidlets up and arrive at the movies about fifteen minutes prior to show time, only to discover one pimply teenager issuing tickets and a line of people heading out the door.
--What's a parent to do? Well, you leave the hubster in line and crash through the non-existent ticket takers and find seats in the theater. Luckily--most of the people in line were heading to NEW MOON and not PLANET 51.
--found out later that the weaselly manager kept poking his head out asking the kid selling tickets if he needed help, and then he would disappear back into his little room, leaving the kid alone to sell tickets. What a jerk wad manager.
--Now, my job, and the grandparents, was to contain six giggly girls to their seats without tying them down AND keeping their feet off the chairs in front of them. Oh, and they managed to scare away one family in the process who moved down about five rows. I wonder why??
The movie was good. The kids liked it. It was a tribute to a TON of movies: STAR WARS, ALIEN, BACK TO THE FUTURE, THE RIGHT STUFF, blah, blah, blah.
We arrived home. Grandma and Grandpa drove away as soon as the coast was clear. The kidlets went nutso. And hubster went for pizza.
Kids ate. We gained another kidlet. Sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Opened prezzies. Did craft. I went ballistic during the gazillionth blood-curdling, ear-piercing scream. Yes, I lost it.
--But you have to give me credit: 1) I didn't hit anyone, including my own kid, 2) I didn't resort to drinking. :-)
--I KNOW kidlets are loud and when you get a gaggle of them, especially girls, there is a lot of screaming, but even I have my limits. Uh, the kidlets kept the noise to a normal dull roar--for a gaggle of girls.
One kidlet left, not the same one who arrived late, but another one who had to go out of town early the next day. Of course, since this kidlet's mom was my kidlet's teacher, the gaggle had to show her around and introduce her to our fat guinea pig, Rocky, the cat, Kato, the dog, Katie, the koi living in the pond in the back yard, and Blinky our beta. Yeah, no secrets from the teacher, I'm surprised they didn't show her my laundry basket, but I digress.
We got the kidlets into their jammies and made them brush their teeth, but honestly didn't expect them to sleep until midnight or so.
Fast foreword: Make that three AM when I when ballistic (again) and told them to SHUT IT. Of course it was my kid and a neighbor kid. My kid asked if they could laugh. "NO!" I growled. Silence and peace reigned until eight AM. Out of the six remaining kidlets, I think a couple would sleep while the others chattered, and then it rotated around the group, with them periodically coming into our room to complain that 'so-and-so was talking and keeping her awake.
--Of course, my butt was out of bed at six, but that's my quiet time: coffee, paper, Farmville.
--It was a successful sleepover because two of the kidlets have had some issues in the past with sleeping overnight, and they successfully managed it. YAY!
Next morning, hubster made pancakes. The kids got dressed. We did another craft. We painted Christmas ornaments with stained glass paint. It's pretty cool . . . until the first one shatters on the tile kitchen floor. Two more of my practice ones bit the dust when hubster vacuumed up the glass and he bumped his butt into the foam holder. Oh, well there's plenty of paint.
The kidlets played upstairs and went home one by one, until we were left with our little peanut. We had a short downtime until the kidlet had to play a soccer game. Last game of the season and we figure out she is a GREAT defensive player! Oh, well, there's spring season.
We had to leave the game early to attend my niece's baby shower. So we trundle over to Grandma Sullivan's house to change and pick Grams up. The shower was at another niece's house, so we got the grand tour. My kidlet spent the entire shower taking pictures. Not bad for a nine year old, huh? We brought her Nintendo DS, just in case, but didn't need it. When we got home it was time for our presents: an angel afghan she wanted me to make, two Beverly Cleary books, and a CAMERA!! She was ecstatic!
Needless to say, we were in bed at eight. They others slept until 8:30, but I was up at 6:20. Hey, it's what I do.
--We only ended up with one extra pair of socks. Not too bad.
So during our soccer game, a friend set up a morning exercise get-together on Monday. She jogs . . . like a lot . . . and I don't. Over the years, exercise has become a bad word. It's sad really because I used to TEACH aerobics in the 80's and rode my horse for over twenty years until I sold him about five years ago.
So this will be my first foray into the walk/jog program.
I survived a gaggle of girls, but the next question is . . . can I survive jogging?
Until Wednesday, Write On!
11/20/09
Double, double, toil and trouble. . .
DAMN! Shakespeare certainly knew his stuff--and it was almost as if he knew about the Harlequin brouhaha before anyone else! Uhm, basically HQ went to bed with AuthorSolutions(self-publishing) and managed to catch a roaring case of crabs. Within a short period of time RWA pulled their support of ALL HQ imprints, which means their HQ authors are NOT allowed to sign at any RWA venue and they will not be able to submit their books for the Rita's (romance's answer to the Oscars), and I'm certain there are all sorts of other ramifications that I'm blissfully unaware.
And as I'm supremely NOT qualified nor do I have an immediate interest in the outcome, I will leave it for others to give their input.
--And I'm sure virtually every agent and author who has ANY connection to Harlequin--and even some that don't--has had something to say about the situation. (sorry, no links--find your own. Okay, I'll provide some if you ask nicely)
I feel sorry for all the authors caught in this mess. They did nothing wrong. It is simply a case of management seeing guaranteed dollar signs with frustrated writers willing to do anything to publish their tomes--even handing over $600+ for the privilege of HQ/AH to publish it.
Uh, Remember--money moves toward the author. I can also see it from the business side of the issue. HQ saw a huge leap in the self-publishing industry and didn't see any reason NOT to get a piece of the market. They already had the set up, so it was a simple decision to add gravy to their taters.
But honestly, some books have no biz EVER getting published. Oh, there are exceptions: granny's rambling memoirs about the Oklahoma land run or a cookbook with all the recipes handed down over the generations to share with family.
But most self-pubbed books could stand a heavy editing hand. Shoot, just judge a contest and you know what I mean!
In the meantime, I'm popping some popcorn and sitting back to watch the show. It'll be interesting to see how it all boils down.
As I said before, I feel so sorry for those HQ authors, especially the debut authors, who are caught in the middle of the crap hitting the fan.
Thanks a lot, HQ!
But while we wait to see what happens . . . Write On!
And as I'm supremely NOT qualified nor do I have an immediate interest in the outcome, I will leave it for others to give their input.
--And I'm sure virtually every agent and author who has ANY connection to Harlequin--and even some that don't--has had something to say about the situation. (sorry, no links--find your own. Okay, I'll provide some if you ask nicely)
I feel sorry for all the authors caught in this mess. They did nothing wrong. It is simply a case of management seeing guaranteed dollar signs with frustrated writers willing to do anything to publish their tomes--even handing over $600+ for the privilege of HQ/AH to publish it.
Uh, Remember--money moves toward the author. I can also see it from the business side of the issue. HQ saw a huge leap in the self-publishing industry and didn't see any reason NOT to get a piece of the market. They already had the set up, so it was a simple decision to add gravy to their taters.
But honestly, some books have no biz EVER getting published. Oh, there are exceptions: granny's rambling memoirs about the Oklahoma land run or a cookbook with all the recipes handed down over the generations to share with family.
But most self-pubbed books could stand a heavy editing hand. Shoot, just judge a contest and you know what I mean!
In the meantime, I'm popping some popcorn and sitting back to watch the show. It'll be interesting to see how it all boils down.
As I said before, I feel so sorry for those HQ authors, especially the debut authors, who are caught in the middle of the crap hitting the fan.
Thanks a lot, HQ!
But while we wait to see what happens . . . Write On!
11/18/09
The Craziness has Started
Puttering around again. . .
Though my mojo is back, life has once again gotten in the way. As I mentioned to my lovely SIL, the craziness is starting and I won't have a life to call my own until I punt the children (yes, even the big 6'3'' child) out the door in January. But I have stuff to keep me occupied:
1) An SOS went out on my goals loop for judges--turns out a coordinator for an RWA contest had a few judges flake out on her--this has so happened to me when I coordinated--so I have two entries in my in box to judge. I glanced at them. They don't look hideous, but first paragraphs can be deceiving. I'll get to them this afternoon.
2) My kiddo's birthday is this weekend. A screaming, giggling horde of little girls are spending the night Friday. Saturday morning is craft time. Noonish is a make-up soccer game. 1:30 we have to pick up Grandma to attend my Godchild/niece's baby shower at 2:00. Then we have to have a private birthday celebration for the kiddo. She gets to chose the restaurant--of course, we will give her a 'helpful' selection to choose from. :-)
3) Uh, I forgot to mention that I haven't ordered the kiddo's cake yet (she wants a cookie cake), or figured out all the craft projects or cleaned the house. Yeah, I know, I know, clean the house so kids can mess it up. Hey! It's what we Gollas do.
4) A friend lent me a book about Down Syndrome siblings--I need to read it for research--one of the characters in my next middle-grade book is dealing with a sib and I want to get her actions/reactions right. I glanced inside and I really like the format of the book--one of my big pet peeves are books that make it difficult for the reader--I even gave away an unused Racheal Ray cookbook because I couldn't stand the blue font!
5) Thanksgiving is around the corner. Time to figure out what I want to make this year. Oh, I love baking, but it won't be as much fun without my SIL drinking and dancing with me as we have a two day long cooking fest. I miss my Margie!! And her kiddos, too! They make the chore fun!
6) and a blog topic. I need to come up with something to natter on and on about for Friday. And I'll take suggestions!
Gotta go...
And good luck to my NaNo friends!!
Write On, Peeps!
Though my mojo is back, life has once again gotten in the way. As I mentioned to my lovely SIL, the craziness is starting and I won't have a life to call my own until I punt the children (yes, even the big 6'3'' child) out the door in January. But I have stuff to keep me occupied:
1) An SOS went out on my goals loop for judges--turns out a coordinator for an RWA contest had a few judges flake out on her--this has so happened to me when I coordinated--so I have two entries in my in box to judge. I glanced at them. They don't look hideous, but first paragraphs can be deceiving. I'll get to them this afternoon.
2) My kiddo's birthday is this weekend. A screaming, giggling horde of little girls are spending the night Friday. Saturday morning is craft time. Noonish is a make-up soccer game. 1:30 we have to pick up Grandma to attend my Godchild/niece's baby shower at 2:00. Then we have to have a private birthday celebration for the kiddo. She gets to chose the restaurant--of course, we will give her a 'helpful' selection to choose from. :-)
3) Uh, I forgot to mention that I haven't ordered the kiddo's cake yet (she wants a cookie cake), or figured out all the craft projects or cleaned the house. Yeah, I know, I know, clean the house so kids can mess it up. Hey! It's what we Gollas do.
4) A friend lent me a book about Down Syndrome siblings--I need to read it for research--one of the characters in my next middle-grade book is dealing with a sib and I want to get her actions/reactions right. I glanced inside and I really like the format of the book--one of my big pet peeves are books that make it difficult for the reader--I even gave away an unused Racheal Ray cookbook because I couldn't stand the blue font!
5) Thanksgiving is around the corner. Time to figure out what I want to make this year. Oh, I love baking, but it won't be as much fun without my SIL drinking and dancing with me as we have a two day long cooking fest. I miss my Margie!! And her kiddos, too! They make the chore fun!
6) and a blog topic. I need to come up with something to natter on and on about for Friday. And I'll take suggestions!
Gotta go...
And good luck to my NaNo friends!!
Write On, Peeps!
11/16/09
Welcome back, Mojo!
Well, I'm busy putzing around this morning on the blogosphere.
But I'm excited to announce that I got my mojo back! YAY!
Last week, I didn't know what to do with my writing self so I called my friend Cyndi. I wanted to get back into my second middle-grade novel, but was stuck. I needed brainstorming help. For my story, I wanted a human element of growth along with the fantasy adventure story. I wanted Rhee's antagonist (popular kid) to have a secret, a secret she would be embarrassed for her friends in the 'cool kid' group to find out. I thought about having her dad lose his job. I thought about him being an alcoholic. I thought about him hitting her--but I really didn't want to open that particular can of worms. Just talking it out with Cyndi helped me come up with the right answer for this story. And no, I'm not telling you what it was! Only Cyndi knows the concept. :-)
I love having someone to brainstorm with. I tried it once with my hubby, but he got upset when I didn't take his suggestion. Uh, the key to brainstorming is to offer all sorts of solutions--including the stupid ones--to get the writer's mind open to all sorts of possibilities. When I was writing Leprechaun I needed some way to kill a manticore (part man, part lion, part scorpion). I wanted a solution that would work for my story in the setting I had written. We did this brainstorming session in our goals chat room. Donna gave me a ton of suggestions: hit by car, steam roller, guillotine, etc. BUT just by suggesting ridiculous solutions, I came up with the one I was happy with. It pithed itself :-) but there was the excitement of the fight before that it tried to kill my hero when he sat on it's neck.
So, I'm back, and I'm off to reread what I've written on FF, deleting the part that I KNEW was wrong. Ugh, I don't want to even think about how many pages are going bye-bye!
I hope everyone is having a happy and productive Monday! And keep going NaNo friends. BTW: Dale from my goals group crossed the 50,000 word mark last night!! WheeWhoo! 50K in 15 days! FANTABULOUS!!
Write on!
But I'm excited to announce that I got my mojo back! YAY!
Last week, I didn't know what to do with my writing self so I called my friend Cyndi. I wanted to get back into my second middle-grade novel, but was stuck. I needed brainstorming help. For my story, I wanted a human element of growth along with the fantasy adventure story. I wanted Rhee's antagonist (popular kid) to have a secret, a secret she would be embarrassed for her friends in the 'cool kid' group to find out. I thought about having her dad lose his job. I thought about him being an alcoholic. I thought about him hitting her--but I really didn't want to open that particular can of worms. Just talking it out with Cyndi helped me come up with the right answer for this story. And no, I'm not telling you what it was! Only Cyndi knows the concept. :-)
I love having someone to brainstorm with. I tried it once with my hubby, but he got upset when I didn't take his suggestion. Uh, the key to brainstorming is to offer all sorts of solutions--including the stupid ones--to get the writer's mind open to all sorts of possibilities. When I was writing Leprechaun I needed some way to kill a manticore (part man, part lion, part scorpion). I wanted a solution that would work for my story in the setting I had written. We did this brainstorming session in our goals chat room. Donna gave me a ton of suggestions: hit by car, steam roller, guillotine, etc. BUT just by suggesting ridiculous solutions, I came up with the one I was happy with. It pithed itself :-) but there was the excitement of the fight before that it tried to kill my hero when he sat on it's neck.
So, I'm back, and I'm off to reread what I've written on FF, deleting the part that I KNEW was wrong. Ugh, I don't want to even think about how many pages are going bye-bye!
I hope everyone is having a happy and productive Monday! And keep going NaNo friends. BTW: Dale from my goals group crossed the 50,000 word mark last night!! WheeWhoo! 50K in 15 days! FANTABULOUS!!
Write on!
11/13/09
The Calm before the Holidays
This has been a weird week for me, the inhalation of breathe as I wait--wait for what, I don't have a clue! I've been at odds with what to do with myself. I stopped writing on one story because I was trying to make it something it wasn't. I started revamping another story for a contest, but didn't make the next round. About half the queries I sent to agents over the summer for MOGG still haven't had a response and, as they have hit the three month mark, I don't expect any sort of positive vibes.
And I still haven't received my rejection from the Delacorte Yearling contest. But that doesn't surprise me. One, I sent MOGG in on the very last possible day. And two, I heard through a couple of loops that they had more entries than expected and have pushed their announcement back until mid-December.
So what's a girl to do?
Exercise. Yep, I started exercising again on the Wii Fit and walking with the family . . . in the dark . . . at night (Spongebob inside joke). Hey, you take what you can get. I'm hoping that once I get my tolerance. . . oops, endurance, level up, I can start mini-jogging. One day at a time.
Playing MarioKart. Yep, I'm not a gamer, but when we exchanged our Wii for a new one, we lost EVERYTHING. I must get back into gaming shape.
Read. Ya'll saw my reading list from Wednesday and that doesn't even cover the books I've been waiting to buy or the ones sitting in my To Be Read box in the closet. Which means I need to clean out my read books and either sell or donate them.
Crochet. Something about this season brings out the crocheter in me. I think it's a comfort thing of crocheting and keeping myself warm with the blankie I'm making while watching TV or a movie.
Plus I'm making a baby blanket for my goddaughter niece--Family members who are reading this DO NOT TELL HER!! And for goodness sakes--DON'T TELL GRANDMA!
Query. Yes, I have about twenty more agents that I plan to query with MOGG. I'll revamp my query and double check my submission packet (anywhere from a page or two to three chapters and a synopsis) I might get a bite, but at least I'll feel as if I did everything possible for that story. Already queried XX and received one rejection. Trust me, I prefer the quick and relatively painless R to never knowing.
Get ready for holidays. And it starts with my kiddo's birthday sleepover a week from today, which means the prep starts right after her last soccer game of the season THIS Saturday. After her birthday is cooking desserts for Thanksgiving, but this year there'll be a smaller crowd at my bro's house with just the local clan--13-18 people, depending. Normally, I'd start my Christmas candy this year, but I'm toning that down and will NOT be making my truffles and filled candies. Partly due to the cost of chocolate and the back breaking effort that doesn't really get the appreciation and thanks it should. And shopping--the largest time consuming task around.
Write. I might start writing again, but I think I need the mental break. I've been beating my head against the publishing door for so long that I've wondered if it's all worth it. I'm tired of the negativity. Oh, I know that I can write a good story, but from what I've seen it's just NOT good enough. Heck, I can't even get my eight-year-old kid to read my middle-grade novel! Yeah, that's depressing!
So that's my game plan. Of course, everything is subject to change depending on whim and circumstances.
What about you? Do you have any plans for the rest of the year?
Write on!
And I still haven't received my rejection from the Delacorte Yearling contest. But that doesn't surprise me. One, I sent MOGG in on the very last possible day. And two, I heard through a couple of loops that they had more entries than expected and have pushed their announcement back until mid-December.
So what's a girl to do?
Exercise. Yep, I started exercising again on the Wii Fit and walking with the family . . . in the dark . . . at night (Spongebob inside joke). Hey, you take what you can get. I'm hoping that once I get my tolerance. . . oops, endurance, level up, I can start mini-jogging. One day at a time.
Playing MarioKart. Yep, I'm not a gamer, but when we exchanged our Wii for a new one, we lost EVERYTHING. I must get back into gaming shape.
Read. Ya'll saw my reading list from Wednesday and that doesn't even cover the books I've been waiting to buy or the ones sitting in my To Be Read box in the closet. Which means I need to clean out my read books and either sell or donate them.
Crochet. Something about this season brings out the crocheter in me. I think it's a comfort thing of crocheting and keeping myself warm with the blankie I'm making while watching TV or a movie.
Plus I'm making a baby blanket for my goddaughter niece--Family members who are reading this DO NOT TELL HER!! And for goodness sakes--DON'T TELL GRANDMA!
Query. Yes, I have about twenty more agents that I plan to query with MOGG. I'll revamp my query and double check my submission packet (anywhere from a page or two to three chapters and a synopsis) I might get a bite, but at least I'll feel as if I did everything possible for that story. Already queried XX and received one rejection. Trust me, I prefer the quick and relatively painless R to never knowing.
Get ready for holidays. And it starts with my kiddo's birthday sleepover a week from today, which means the prep starts right after her last soccer game of the season THIS Saturday. After her birthday is cooking desserts for Thanksgiving, but this year there'll be a smaller crowd at my bro's house with just the local clan--13-18 people, depending. Normally, I'd start my Christmas candy this year, but I'm toning that down and will NOT be making my truffles and filled candies. Partly due to the cost of chocolate and the back breaking effort that doesn't really get the appreciation and thanks it should. And shopping--the largest time consuming task around.
Write. I might start writing again, but I think I need the mental break. I've been beating my head against the publishing door for so long that I've wondered if it's all worth it. I'm tired of the negativity. Oh, I know that I can write a good story, but from what I've seen it's just NOT good enough. Heck, I can't even get my eight-year-old kid to read my middle-grade novel! Yeah, that's depressing!
So that's my game plan. Of course, everything is subject to change depending on whim and circumstances.
What about you? Do you have any plans for the rest of the year?
Write on!
11/11/09
Not a Book Review, but . . .
just my thoughts about a book I bought.
**I didn't make the next round in Lori Brighton's blog--Bummer--good luck to all the next rounders!**
I started reading this book a couple of weeks ago, and yes, it took this long for it to get interesting. No, this isn't a book by a debut author (I doubt if I would have stuck around!). It's DARK CURSE by Christine Feehan. Now, Feehan is a new-to-me author and I have serious doubts if I'll buy another book by her.
Why?
THE GOOD: First off, I'll say the back cover blurb did it's job, and the cover art was pretty decent, too, so I thought I'd take the chance. It was about an ancient race, Carpathian's and their fight against evil, along with a heroine who was part Carpathian, part mage, and part Dragonseeker, but belongs to no race. Okay, it was the dragon part that got me.
THE BAD: It starts off with a LOOONG prologue involving a child being abused, drained of blood/spirit and terrorized. YUCK. Then it pops to the present where the heroine stupidly involves her friends because she's too focused on discovering her past (yep, she's the abused child) to be concerned for her friends who she pretty much killed--they lived, but at what price? Then a Carpathian shows up and sucks her blood, marking her as his 'soulmate'. Uh, WTH? Don't tell me this is just some glorified vampire novel??!! Well, CRAP!
The Ugly: OMG--talk about back story dumps . . . and dumps . . . AND detailed exposition about the history of the Carpathian's AND their stupid language. I had Tolkien flashbacks. Ya, know the elven language is sexy in the movies, but reading it? Boring. And then add a pile of Russian/Romanian/ uh, Carpathian names. Oh, sure, CF did a lot of research, but I didn't really give a rat's a$$ about it! 145 pages later, the author finally gets into the 'real' story.
I'm still hesitant about this novel. Call them what you want a Carpathian still sucks blood, still can't go in the daylight, still gets incredible strength, etc, the only thing a Carpatian isn't is UNDEAD. And I hate to say it, but that isn't enough to keep my interest.
I read to escape. I don't really like reading dark and this is a very dark book.
--If this is an example of the stories that publishers are buying, then I'm NEVER going to sell my stuff, I don't write dark and I like it that way.
So what books are sitting on my desk, waiting to be read?
--The Heart of Christmas--historical romance novellas
--The Christmas Ball--historical romance novellas
Yep, Sam's Club has had a shipment of Christmas Books!
--Timeline by Michael Crichton--time travel--a reread
--The Hob's Bargain by Patricia Briggs--fantasy
--Because Your Vampire Said So by Michelle Bardsley--paranormal vamp romance, but has fun feel to it
--Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg by Gail Levine--Tinkerbelle middle grade novel
--Inkheart by Cornelia Funke--middle grade novel
What do you have in your pile to read??
Write on! After I finish crocheting a baby blanket for my niece. . .
FYI: I STOPPED reading this book on page 234, third page into chapter twelve. I rolled my eyes one too many times. The romance part of it is suffocating! And ya'll know how much I love my romance, but give me some freakin' plot to move this boring story forward! Aarrgghh!
**I didn't make the next round in Lori Brighton's blog--Bummer--good luck to all the next rounders!**
I started reading this book a couple of weeks ago, and yes, it took this long for it to get interesting. No, this isn't a book by a debut author (I doubt if I would have stuck around!). It's DARK CURSE by Christine Feehan. Now, Feehan is a new-to-me author and I have serious doubts if I'll buy another book by her.
Why?
THE GOOD: First off, I'll say the back cover blurb did it's job, and the cover art was pretty decent, too, so I thought I'd take the chance. It was about an ancient race, Carpathian's and their fight against evil, along with a heroine who was part Carpathian, part mage, and part Dragonseeker, but belongs to no race. Okay, it was the dragon part that got me.
THE BAD: It starts off with a LOOONG prologue involving a child being abused, drained of blood/spirit and terrorized. YUCK. Then it pops to the present where the heroine stupidly involves her friends because she's too focused on discovering her past (yep, she's the abused child) to be concerned for her friends who she pretty much killed--they lived, but at what price? Then a Carpathian shows up and sucks her blood, marking her as his 'soulmate'. Uh, WTH? Don't tell me this is just some glorified vampire novel??!! Well, CRAP!
The Ugly: OMG--talk about back story dumps . . . and dumps . . . AND detailed exposition about the history of the Carpathian's AND their stupid language. I had Tolkien flashbacks. Ya, know the elven language is sexy in the movies, but reading it? Boring. And then add a pile of Russian/Romanian/ uh, Carpathian names. Oh, sure, CF did a lot of research, but I didn't really give a rat's a$$ about it! 145 pages later, the author finally gets into the 'real' story.
I'm still hesitant about this novel. Call them what you want a Carpathian still sucks blood, still can't go in the daylight, still gets incredible strength, etc, the only thing a Carpatian isn't is UNDEAD. And I hate to say it, but that isn't enough to keep my interest.
I read to escape. I don't really like reading dark and this is a very dark book.
--If this is an example of the stories that publishers are buying, then I'm NEVER going to sell my stuff, I don't write dark and I like it that way.
So what books are sitting on my desk, waiting to be read?
--The Heart of Christmas--historical romance novellas
--The Christmas Ball--historical romance novellas
Yep, Sam's Club has had a shipment of Christmas Books!
--Timeline by Michael Crichton--time travel--a reread
--The Hob's Bargain by Patricia Briggs--fantasy
--Because Your Vampire Said So by Michelle Bardsley--paranormal vamp romance, but has fun feel to it
--Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg by Gail Levine--Tinkerbelle middle grade novel
--Inkheart by Cornelia Funke--middle grade novel
What do you have in your pile to read??
Write on! After I finish crocheting a baby blanket for my niece. . .
FYI: I STOPPED reading this book on page 234, third page into chapter twelve. I rolled my eyes one too many times. The romance part of it is suffocating! And ya'll know how much I love my romance, but give me some freakin' plot to move this boring story forward! Aarrgghh!
11/9/09
The Misplaced Comma . . .
drives writers nutso, at least it does this writer. Oh, I'm not talking the grammatical comma or the serial comma or any one of the thousand of comma uses available.
I'm talking about the 'troll' comma. The one that appears from nowhere and lands somewhere in your sentence. Troll commas make no sense. They are just THERE.
As I mentioned, I made it through to the second round of Lori Brighton's first paragraph contest being judged by her Kensington editor, Megan Records. YAY!!
Anyhoo, those of us who made the next round were to send the first page, including the submitted paragraph, to Lori. Once I finally FOUND the stupid manuscript, I read/tweaked/edited my first page and copied it to Lori. A couple of days later, I thought, 'Well, if by some freakin' miracle I make the next round then I'd better clean up the rest of chapter one."
And guess what?
Yep, I found a troll comma. In the very last sentence of my submission. Place right after 'would' and before 'poof'. Aaaarrrggghhh! I HATE troll commas. They make absolutely zero sense, but they happen.
Now, do I get totally freaked about this?
No. . . well, maybe . . . naw, not really.
Because what can I do about it? NOTHING. It is out of my hands and in the hands of the editor judge. But I like to think that the troll comma won't make or break my submission. I hope it's my words and how they are used that would be the selling point of my page.
Who knows? I don't. But when I come across a troll comma in contest entries or in CP's work, I highlight them and go about my biz. I'm not going to count it against the writer--unless the submission is riddled with erroneous commas, then there's a problem to deal with--I like to read, envisioning the big picture and how the author tells the story.
How do you deal with 'troll' commas? Do you go ballistic? Roll your eyes? Heave a sigh and think, "Crap, I just sent that to twenty agents."?
Well, I fixed the comma and moved on.
Now, it's time to . . . Write On!
I'm talking about the 'troll' comma. The one that appears from nowhere and lands somewhere in your sentence. Troll commas make no sense. They are just THERE.
As I mentioned, I made it through to the second round of Lori Brighton's first paragraph contest being judged by her Kensington editor, Megan Records. YAY!!
Anyhoo, those of us who made the next round were to send the first page, including the submitted paragraph, to Lori. Once I finally FOUND the stupid manuscript, I read/tweaked/edited my first page and copied it to Lori. A couple of days later, I thought, 'Well, if by some freakin' miracle I make the next round then I'd better clean up the rest of chapter one."
And guess what?
Yep, I found a troll comma. In the very last sentence of my submission. Place right after 'would' and before 'poof'. Aaaarrrggghhh! I HATE troll commas. They make absolutely zero sense, but they happen.
Now, do I get totally freaked about this?
No. . . well, maybe . . . naw, not really.
Because what can I do about it? NOTHING. It is out of my hands and in the hands of the editor judge. But I like to think that the troll comma won't make or break my submission. I hope it's my words and how they are used that would be the selling point of my page.
Who knows? I don't. But when I come across a troll comma in contest entries or in CP's work, I highlight them and go about my biz. I'm not going to count it against the writer--unless the submission is riddled with erroneous commas, then there's a problem to deal with--I like to read, envisioning the big picture and how the author tells the story.
How do you deal with 'troll' commas? Do you go ballistic? Roll your eyes? Heave a sigh and think, "Crap, I just sent that to twenty agents."?
Well, I fixed the comma and moved on.
Now, it's time to . . . Write On!
11/6/09
Why Count Words?
My buddy Jody had a mini-rant in the comments of my last post. (Aside: I HATE blogger!! It won't let me cut and paste--I had to retype the darn quote!! Aaarrrggghhh!) It bothered her that I tried to set a daily word count.
". . . you've GOT to just drop the whole "word count" beeswax. Word count means NOTHING. You can write 5000 word and they can all be CRAP. Or you can write one absolutely stellar passage."
". . . I set a goal to work out a particular section, chapter, passage, scene, whatever."
Of course, Jody thought I'd get pissed at this, but I just chuckled. Why? Because there is no one way that works for everyone, in every circumstance. If I had a short article to write, I might approach it in a different manner than I would a 100K novel. But I doubt it.
I've tried the tweak until it's perfect route, BUT I get so bogged down in the immediate that I tend to lose sight of the big picture. For something short, it doesn't matter. Because it's finished in a couple of pages, giving the writer plenty of time to tweak. In other words, writing a 500 word picture book is vastly different than a 25K word novella or a 100K novel. Yes, I have done them all. Each style has it's own challenges and requirements, but they all have to have pacing, plot, character arc, etc.
For my novels, I've recently discovered the 'puke it out' method, otherwise known as the Karin Tabke method. I used it for my middle grade story, MISSING: One Garden Gnome. I don't plot, which means I figure out the story AND characters as I write. I started this story in the mother's third person point of view, but finished it in the eleven-year-old Rhee's point of view. I had to go back and delete the first two chapters. There was no tweaking involved. Trust me, a kid does NOT think like an adult. Oh, the scenes were technically the same, as in the same location, but that's it.
--If I had tweaked this scene until it was perfect, I still would have had to delete my 'perfect words'. They wouldn't have fit my story.
BUT, an online friend sent this question and answer for Dean Koontz link to my goals group. Mr. Koontz is a tweak each page as you go type of writer, sometimes diddling with it for 20-40 PASSES! It works for his process.
So I count words. Jody perfects her scenes. When I still worked at a hospital , I wrote from 4:00-4:45 AM. The only way to find out what works for you is to try different things.
Write on!
". . . you've GOT to just drop the whole "word count" beeswax. Word count means NOTHING. You can write 5000 word and they can all be CRAP. Or you can write one absolutely stellar passage."
". . . I set a goal to work out a particular section, chapter, passage, scene, whatever."
Of course, Jody thought I'd get pissed at this, but I just chuckled. Why? Because there is no one way that works for everyone, in every circumstance. If I had a short article to write, I might approach it in a different manner than I would a 100K novel. But I doubt it.
I've tried the tweak until it's perfect route, BUT I get so bogged down in the immediate that I tend to lose sight of the big picture. For something short, it doesn't matter. Because it's finished in a couple of pages, giving the writer plenty of time to tweak. In other words, writing a 500 word picture book is vastly different than a 25K word novella or a 100K novel. Yes, I have done them all. Each style has it's own challenges and requirements, but they all have to have pacing, plot, character arc, etc.
For my novels, I've recently discovered the 'puke it out' method, otherwise known as the Karin Tabke method. I used it for my middle grade story, MISSING: One Garden Gnome. I don't plot, which means I figure out the story AND characters as I write. I started this story in the mother's third person point of view, but finished it in the eleven-year-old Rhee's point of view. I had to go back and delete the first two chapters. There was no tweaking involved. Trust me, a kid does NOT think like an adult. Oh, the scenes were technically the same, as in the same location, but that's it.
--If I had tweaked this scene until it was perfect, I still would have had to delete my 'perfect words'. They wouldn't have fit my story.
BUT, an online friend sent this question and answer for Dean Koontz link to my goals group. Mr. Koontz is a tweak each page as you go type of writer, sometimes diddling with it for 20-40 PASSES! It works for his process.
So I count words. Jody perfects her scenes. When I still worked at a hospital , I wrote from 4:00-4:45 AM. The only way to find out what works for you is to try different things.
Write on!
11/4/09
Crisis of Faith
--writing faith, that is.
For some reason, this week has been rough for me. I think it's because so many of you are doing NaNo and producing some truly impressive word counts--one online friend wrote over 11K in 3 DAYS! I must say my fingers would be bloody stumps if I had written that many words. But more power to her, and all you NaNo over-achievers!
I was putzing around with my suspense and managed to get stuck. . . again. I knew where I wanted the story to go, but I just couldn't get it there. So, I started looking at my books about writing craft--trust me, I have a lot--but one caught my eye. It isn't a craft book, but I stuck it there because of the impressive bibliography, it's Michael Crichton's TIMELINE. I opened it and read the first page. Love the story, it's on my desk for another read. And this morning, I was doing my usual blog-hopping and read Donald Maass's post on Writer Unboxed. Wow! What an eye-opener!
THIS was why I was stuck writing Rosewood Manor (RM). RM has the potential to be a HUGE conspiracy book, BUT I'm not at the point in my writing career to write it to it's full potential! I keep wanting to shove it into a romance, but it isn't. So, for the moment, RM is shelved. I still love the story--and the ghost--she is my Aunt Mary, so I have to like her! I'll return to this story when the time is ripe and I'm a better writer.
Onward to some better news!
Last week, Lori Brighton, held a first paragraph contest with her Kensington editor as the contest judge. I found out that one of my good friends didn't final, so I figured why bother looking if she didn't final. Well, when I hit the 'L's in my blogroll, I pulled up Lori's post. What do you know?!?
DEMON CONNECTION was listed as a finalist, #7 on the list! Whee!
I don't suck as a writer!!
So I had to send in my first page to Lori. Uh, I looked in my file--Nada. I looked in my sub files--Nada. I checked my recycle trashcan that I always forget to empty--Nada. At this point I was having a major freakage attack, but finally found it! Yay! So, with minor tweaks, I sent it on it's way.
Now, my mission is clear: tweak Demon Connection so it will be ready if needed. And if it doesn't make the next round, then it will be ready to query.
Write On!
For some reason, this week has been rough for me. I think it's because so many of you are doing NaNo and producing some truly impressive word counts--one online friend wrote over 11K in 3 DAYS! I must say my fingers would be bloody stumps if I had written that many words. But more power to her, and all you NaNo over-achievers!
I was putzing around with my suspense and managed to get stuck. . . again. I knew where I wanted the story to go, but I just couldn't get it there. So, I started looking at my books about writing craft--trust me, I have a lot--but one caught my eye. It isn't a craft book, but I stuck it there because of the impressive bibliography, it's Michael Crichton's TIMELINE. I opened it and read the first page. Love the story, it's on my desk for another read. And this morning, I was doing my usual blog-hopping and read Donald Maass's post on Writer Unboxed. Wow! What an eye-opener!
THIS was why I was stuck writing Rosewood Manor (RM). RM has the potential to be a HUGE conspiracy book, BUT I'm not at the point in my writing career to write it to it's full potential! I keep wanting to shove it into a romance, but it isn't. So, for the moment, RM is shelved. I still love the story--and the ghost--she is my Aunt Mary, so I have to like her! I'll return to this story when the time is ripe and I'm a better writer.
Onward to some better news!
Last week, Lori Brighton, held a first paragraph contest with her Kensington editor as the contest judge. I found out that one of my good friends didn't final, so I figured why bother looking if she didn't final. Well, when I hit the 'L's in my blogroll, I pulled up Lori's post. What do you know?!?
DEMON CONNECTION was listed as a finalist, #7 on the list! Whee!
I don't suck as a writer!!
So I had to send in my first page to Lori. Uh, I looked in my file--Nada. I looked in my sub files--Nada. I checked my recycle trashcan that I always forget to empty--Nada. At this point I was having a major freakage attack, but finally found it! Yay! So, with minor tweaks, I sent it on it's way.
Now, my mission is clear: tweak Demon Connection so it will be ready if needed. And if it doesn't make the next round, then it will be ready to query.
Write On!
11/2/09
Dis and Dat
I need to buckle down to Candace Havens' Writing Game challenge. I sent her note asking about where to link her--and got NADA. True, she's busy pimping her own books, but still . . .
--Speaking of which, I'm already a day behind and a day late. 632 words in the hole that I need to write on top of the new count for today.
Food for thought, peeps: No matter where you are in your writing career, DO NOT alienate your readers, and potential purchasers, of your novel. True, you are only one voice, but many single voices add up to substantial numbers. Think about it.
I HATE cleaning house, but I like the end product--A CLEAN HOUSE
My family claims to eat leftovers, but they DON'T.
--And they complain that I don't cook enough. At the time of this blog post, I have in my fridge from last week: Beef Enchiladas, Homemade spaghetti sauce, pizza--two kinds, and yes, I make my own crust, chicken tortilla soup, a big vat of chili, and a smidgen of homemade marinara sauce. Feel free to come over and chow down!
Let your writing sit for a couple of months, if you can, prior to your final polish. For some reason, I pulled up a picture book story that I wrote earlier this year. My comment, "Oooohhh.....crap!" Now this isn't to say that it was a rough draft, it wasn't. This story had been through about six edits--four of them documented into a new word document. I read three sentences and my fingers itched to rework it!
--I guess it is a good thing I never queried this particular story! :-)
Today is laundry day. Laundry day is usually a good writing day. Why? Because of the built in breaks. Don't look at laundry as a chore. Look at it as an opportunity to take those much needed walkabouts from writing!
AND GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE NANO PARTICIPANTS!!
Write on!
--Speaking of which, I'm already a day behind and a day late. 632 words in the hole that I need to write on top of the new count for today.
Food for thought, peeps: No matter where you are in your writing career, DO NOT alienate your readers, and potential purchasers, of your novel. True, you are only one voice, but many single voices add up to substantial numbers. Think about it.
I HATE cleaning house, but I like the end product--A CLEAN HOUSE
My family claims to eat leftovers, but they DON'T.
--And they complain that I don't cook enough. At the time of this blog post, I have in my fridge from last week: Beef Enchiladas, Homemade spaghetti sauce, pizza--two kinds, and yes, I make my own crust, chicken tortilla soup, a big vat of chili, and a smidgen of homemade marinara sauce. Feel free to come over and chow down!
Let your writing sit for a couple of months, if you can, prior to your final polish. For some reason, I pulled up a picture book story that I wrote earlier this year. My comment, "Oooohhh.....crap!" Now this isn't to say that it was a rough draft, it wasn't. This story had been through about six edits--four of them documented into a new word document. I read three sentences and my fingers itched to rework it!
--I guess it is a good thing I never queried this particular story! :-)
Today is laundry day. Laundry day is usually a good writing day. Why? Because of the built in breaks. Don't look at laundry as a chore. Look at it as an opportunity to take those much needed walkabouts from writing!
AND GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE NANO PARTICIPANTS!!
Write on!
10/31/09
Recap of this week
Uh, not good, peeps!
But my kid won her soccer game today! WhooHoo!
Yeah, on the writing front not so good, BUT tomorrow starts NaNoWriMo! Now, I haven't signed up because I'm in the middle of writing my current novel, but it doesn't mean I can't play along! I have many friends playing the game and I intend to be there to cheer them on! AND one of my nieces sent me an email yesterday telling me that she wants to write a book! Yay! She has wanted to write a novel since high school and decided she would regret it if she never tried--so she's doing NaNo! Go, Jen!!
AND Candace Havens is having her Writing Game challenge starting tomorrow! I love this challenge! She randomly picks a number between 100 and 2500 words and that is your goal for the day, BUT you can bank your points for those days when you can't meet the goal--this is the weight watchers of writing! :-) Now, if you aren't writing new stuff, but are editing instead, she has goal pages posted.
I don't like the format I used this week, so I'm ditching it for my next week challenges. I'll try something new. Don't know what, but I'll pull it out of my a$$ and figure it out. I DO think accountability is a big thing.
Speaking of which, here are my totals for this week:
Margaret: 5449/15000 words written, 5 contest entries judged, scores, and commented--will verify scores and send back today
Jody: wrote some, tuned air guitar, partied hard on her birthday weekend
Karin: MIA, but anxiously awaiting grandbaby, did write 2000 words via FB contact and tried to unplug to write more
But my kid won her soccer game today! WhooHoo!
Yeah, on the writing front not so good, BUT tomorrow starts NaNoWriMo! Now, I haven't signed up because I'm in the middle of writing my current novel, but it doesn't mean I can't play along! I have many friends playing the game and I intend to be there to cheer them on! AND one of my nieces sent me an email yesterday telling me that she wants to write a book! Yay! She has wanted to write a novel since high school and decided she would regret it if she never tried--so she's doing NaNo! Go, Jen!!
AND Candace Havens is having her Writing Game challenge starting tomorrow! I love this challenge! She randomly picks a number between 100 and 2500 words and that is your goal for the day, BUT you can bank your points for those days when you can't meet the goal--this is the weight watchers of writing! :-) Now, if you aren't writing new stuff, but are editing instead, she has goal pages posted.
I don't like the format I used this week, so I'm ditching it for my next week challenges. I'll try something new. Don't know what, but I'll pull it out of my a$$ and figure it out. I DO think accountability is a big thing.
Speaking of which, here are my totals for this week:
Margaret: 5449/15000 words written, 5 contest entries judged, scores, and commented--will verify scores and send back today
Jody: wrote some, tuned air guitar, partied hard on her birthday weekend
Karin: MIA, but anxiously awaiting grandbaby, did write 2000 words via FB contact and tried to unplug to write more
10/30/09
Day Five
What a sucktastic week! I don't know what went wrong with my plan, but something sure flew out the window!
I had every intention of writing 15K this week. I know I could do it, as I have done it before, but I only have a little over four thousand words. Me thinks I'll need to find writing time this weekend.
Oh, and I believe I'll mention this again--What's up with giving my kid a day off?? Union is the only school in the county that seems to have done this. For goodness sakes, we just had fall break two weeks ago--then all last week my kid was sick, and on Monday she throws up! *sigh* the stars are aligned against me! Or is it a Halloween trick? Just for letting her out of the zoo, I'm taking her to her pediatrician for her H1N1 shot--BWAHAHAHA!
Margaret: 4544/15000 words written & 5 contest entries read, judged and commented on This was what I did yesterday! Entries were anywhere from 18-28 pages long. The scoring system had some redundancy, but rule-follower that I am, I followed. None of the entries stunk, but none of them really stood out. The ones that had a great voice, did poorly with dialogue, plot, conflict. And, of course, the ones that had a great plot fell flat in the voice and characterization department. One of those entries really stuck with me. No it wasn't the highest scoring one, but one that had a wicked WHAMMY! on page 18, the end of the entry. I'm going to go back to this one and offer some additional comments and suggestions. It was loaded with world building that needs to be cut to the minimum so the WHAMMY! is placed between 3-5 pages. Why? Because many agents will request a couple of pages with a query--send them your best stuff!
Jody: air guitar tuned and she even wrote a little. Resting up for a weekend of partying!
Karin: MIA but I found out via FB she intends to unplug this weekend and write, but I fear her grandbaby girl will have other ideas. Wouldn't it be cool to have a Halloween baby?
I plan to continue my writing challenge next week as I follow Candace Haven's challenge, beginning on Sunday. I want to get this stupid story down so I can start fixing it!!
Write on, peeps!!
I had every intention of writing 15K this week. I know I could do it, as I have done it before, but I only have a little over four thousand words. Me thinks I'll need to find writing time this weekend.
Oh, and I believe I'll mention this again--What's up with giving my kid a day off?? Union is the only school in the county that seems to have done this. For goodness sakes, we just had fall break two weeks ago--then all last week my kid was sick, and on Monday she throws up! *sigh* the stars are aligned against me! Or is it a Halloween trick? Just for letting her out of the zoo, I'm taking her to her pediatrician for her H1N1 shot--BWAHAHAHA!
Margaret: 4544/15000 words written & 5 contest entries read, judged and commented on This was what I did yesterday! Entries were anywhere from 18-28 pages long. The scoring system had some redundancy, but rule-follower that I am, I followed. None of the entries stunk, but none of them really stood out. The ones that had a great voice, did poorly with dialogue, plot, conflict. And, of course, the ones that had a great plot fell flat in the voice and characterization department. One of those entries really stuck with me. No it wasn't the highest scoring one, but one that had a wicked WHAMMY! on page 18, the end of the entry. I'm going to go back to this one and offer some additional comments and suggestions. It was loaded with world building that needs to be cut to the minimum so the WHAMMY! is placed between 3-5 pages. Why? Because many agents will request a couple of pages with a query--send them your best stuff!
Jody: air guitar tuned and she even wrote a little. Resting up for a weekend of partying!
Karin: MIA but I found out via FB she intends to unplug this weekend and write, but I fear her grandbaby girl will have other ideas. Wouldn't it be cool to have a Halloween baby?
I plan to continue my writing challenge next week as I follow Candace Haven's challenge, beginning on Sunday. I want to get this stupid story down so I can start fixing it!!
Write on, peeps!!
10/29/09
Day Four
Another non-productive day! :-( Again, no real reason except that it was chopped up and I couldn't get my mind around my story. My day is actually longer than posted, but in theory this is my writing time. No, I don't function AT ALL after dinner, so no late night writing for me!
8:15 submitted two first paragraphs (DC and RM) to Lori Brighton's contest to bejudged by Kensington editor. Both are in first person POV, not holding my breath. At least the top 20 will know that it 'fits' Kensington's lines.
8:35 walked kiddo to school
8:45-9:45 goofing off and blog hopping. Erica Orloff did an impromptu pitch feedback session. Subbed MOGG. Good feedback, needs a little more to make it better.
9:45-11:00 hubster called, meeting early for lunch, tried to get back to computer, but cat had vomitus ups issues, did laundry, cleaned up cat room--only to have to clean it again due to him using the litter box and sprinkling crunchies around the laundry room.
11:00-1:10 Lunch, shopping at fabric store, back to his work to get flu shot
1:10-2:00 Shopping at new Target. Of course, the layout is freaking different. And why the hell are the light bulbs near the baby clothes???? Okay, they are near the automotive and furniture area, too. But still across the freaking store?
2:00-3:15 put up groceries, stared at computer, updated FB status--felt like crap. Due to shot or front moving in?
3:20 got child from school
3:30-4:15 helped child with homework
4:15-6:00 started Chicken Tortilla soup while kiddo watched new Tinkerbelle movie, worked on my farm in Farmville
There you have it, my non-productive day broken down into segments.
Arm still hurts from shot, but my Tylenol PM did the trick and I 'feel' better, except for my shot arm.
Margaret: 4,504/15,000 completed--no new words. Okay, a few words, but I'm saving them for today's total.
Jody: No new words. Day job stuff. Tuning air guitar for Halloween/birthday weekend
Karin: MIA
I HAVE to get it together today. I just found out the kiddo is out of school tomorrow.
What's up with that Union School District???
Write on!
8:15 submitted two first paragraphs (DC and RM) to Lori Brighton's contest to bejudged by Kensington editor. Both are in first person POV, not holding my breath. At least the top 20 will know that it 'fits' Kensington's lines.
8:35 walked kiddo to school
8:45-9:45 goofing off and blog hopping. Erica Orloff did an impromptu pitch feedback session. Subbed MOGG. Good feedback, needs a little more to make it better.
9:45-11:00 hubster called, meeting early for lunch, tried to get back to computer, but cat had vomitus ups issues, did laundry, cleaned up cat room--only to have to clean it again due to him using the litter box and sprinkling crunchies around the laundry room.
11:00-1:10 Lunch, shopping at fabric store, back to his work to get flu shot
1:10-2:00 Shopping at new Target. Of course, the layout is freaking different. And why the hell are the light bulbs near the baby clothes???? Okay, they are near the automotive and furniture area, too. But still across the freaking store?
2:00-3:15 put up groceries, stared at computer, updated FB status--felt like crap. Due to shot or front moving in?
3:20 got child from school
3:30-4:15 helped child with homework
4:15-6:00 started Chicken Tortilla soup while kiddo watched new Tinkerbelle movie, worked on my farm in Farmville
There you have it, my non-productive day broken down into segments.
Arm still hurts from shot, but my Tylenol PM did the trick and I 'feel' better, except for my shot arm.
Margaret: 4,504/15,000 completed--no new words. Okay, a few words, but I'm saving them for today's total.
Jody: No new words. Day job stuff. Tuning air guitar for Halloween/birthday weekend
Karin: MIA
I HAVE to get it together today. I just found out the kiddo is out of school tomorrow.
What's up with that Union School District???
Write on!
10/28/09
Day Three
Grr . . . .
Yesterday wasn't a good writing day. No excuses. Just couldn't get into the story. I needed to put a little backstory in to explain what happened to my character that tossed her into her current mess. Talk about bland and boring! Ugh!
About 4:15, I gave up on writing and decided to start editing from page one.
Margaret (goal 15ooo words): M+T: 4,544 words. 2 pages edited GRRRRR!
Jody: wrote and illustrated for two hours.
Karin: MIA probably due to killing her son, but that's just my opinion.
About 4 AM I woke up and figured what was missing--the Suspense! Yes, I need to go into the bad guys POV and get the ball rolling!
Eating lunch with hubster and getting flu shot, plus grocery shopping. Will throw a crimp in my day, but if I'm cranking this AM then it should be good.
I know a few of you have been sending me nice comments, Kira, Edie and Susan come to mind, I'm not answering any this week, but I do appreciate all your support!
Write on!
Yesterday wasn't a good writing day. No excuses. Just couldn't get into the story. I needed to put a little backstory in to explain what happened to my character that tossed her into her current mess. Talk about bland and boring! Ugh!
About 4:15, I gave up on writing and decided to start editing from page one.
Margaret (goal 15ooo words): M+T: 4,544 words. 2 pages edited GRRRRR!
Jody: wrote and illustrated for two hours.
Karin: MIA probably due to killing her son, but that's just my opinion.
About 4 AM I woke up and figured what was missing--the Suspense! Yes, I need to go into the bad guys POV and get the ball rolling!
Eating lunch with hubster and getting flu shot, plus grocery shopping. Will throw a crimp in my day, but if I'm cranking this AM then it should be good.
I know a few of you have been sending me nice comments, Kira, Edie and Susan come to mind, I'm not answering any this week, but I do appreciate all your support!
Write on!
10/27/09
Day Two
Wow! I was off and running yesterday! I skimmed the last few pages of RM and it wasn't too bad. Interpretation: not total dreck. And I started writing--and this WAS total dreck, but I can fix dreck.
I had finished roughly 2000 words (6 pages) when I got a call from the school nurse. The kiddo threw up at lunch and they have to send her home. Well, crap.
After I picked her up and grilled her about it, it turns out she may have thrown up, but she really wasn't sick. My child is a puker. She always has been. When she was a wee one, I knew she would never choke on anything--she'd puke it up. Anyhoo, they had science today and were dissecting owl 'pellets'. Owls eat their prey whole and regurge the lefties (fur and bones) after all the yummy stuff is digested. After science, the child went to lunch and had a chicken sandwich, she bit into something crunchy . . . and you guessed it, puked up her lunch. Ah, the thrill of being a mother!
She came home and read. I wrote.
Margaret (goal 15,000 words): Mon.--3171 words!
Jody: wrote
Karin: I know she wrote, but this Grandma-to-be is thinking about the pending birth of her Grandbaby!
I'm ready to go again! It's nice to be progressing on something again.
Write on!
I had finished roughly 2000 words (6 pages) when I got a call from the school nurse. The kiddo threw up at lunch and they have to send her home. Well, crap.
After I picked her up and grilled her about it, it turns out she may have thrown up, but she really wasn't sick. My child is a puker. She always has been. When she was a wee one, I knew she would never choke on anything--she'd puke it up. Anyhoo, they had science today and were dissecting owl 'pellets'. Owls eat their prey whole and regurge the lefties (fur and bones) after all the yummy stuff is digested. After science, the child went to lunch and had a chicken sandwich, she bit into something crunchy . . . and you guessed it, puked up her lunch. Ah, the thrill of being a mother!
She came home and read. I wrote.
Margaret (goal 15,000 words): Mon.--3171 words!
Jody: wrote
Karin: I know she wrote, but this Grandma-to-be is thinking about the pending birth of her Grandbaby!
I'm ready to go again! It's nice to be progressing on something again.
Write on!
10/26/09
Day One
Today's the first day of my FCS writing challenge! Yay!
I only had three peeps, including myself who responded, BUT will welcome anyone up for the challenge no matter when you hop in to play the game!
This will be a tough week for me because I didn't accomplish yesterday's goals. :-(
--But I decided to rework only one or two pages prior to walking the kiddo to school. Once she's in school, it's new words only until I finish my word count for the day, then I can diddle with editing.
--my buddy Jody got back to me with comments on my synopsis. Definitely food for thought, though easy fixes. Jods didn't understand why my character buys a Civic Hybrid when she's in such a high-powered type of job. Hmm, I need my character financing some sort of money pit. . . me thinks she should own a horse . . .
--Just got a judging packet for the Linda Howard contest. Five paranormals with a due date of November 29. I HATE putting judging off, but I can't judge until I get my daily word count in. I'll post calender appointments for the weekends, reminding me. Doing one or two every weekend or after my daily writing will finish them in a reasonably timely fashion.
--I haven't heard from this week's recapper for my GIAM loop. Hell, it looks like I might have to get that together, too! Karin doesn't seem to be the only one who thrives on stress!!
On to FCS challenge taker-uppers!
Margaret: goal 15000
Jody: no word count goal
Karin: 2000 words a day
We may be small, but we are a mighty group of players! Come join the fun!
Write on!
I only had three peeps, including myself who responded, BUT will welcome anyone up for the challenge no matter when you hop in to play the game!
This will be a tough week for me because I didn't accomplish yesterday's goals. :-(
--But I decided to rework only one or two pages prior to walking the kiddo to school. Once she's in school, it's new words only until I finish my word count for the day, then I can diddle with editing.
--my buddy Jody got back to me with comments on my synopsis. Definitely food for thought, though easy fixes. Jods didn't understand why my character buys a Civic Hybrid when she's in such a high-powered type of job. Hmm, I need my character financing some sort of money pit. . . me thinks she should own a horse . . .
--Just got a judging packet for the Linda Howard contest. Five paranormals with a due date of November 29. I HATE putting judging off, but I can't judge until I get my daily word count in. I'll post calender appointments for the weekends, reminding me. Doing one or two every weekend or after my daily writing will finish them in a reasonably timely fashion.
--I haven't heard from this week's recapper for my GIAM loop. Hell, it looks like I might have to get that together, too! Karin doesn't seem to be the only one who thrives on stress!!
On to FCS challenge taker-uppers!
Margaret: goal 15000
Jody: no word count goal
Karin: 2000 words a day
We may be small, but we are a mighty group of players! Come join the fun!
Write on!
10/25/09
Writing Grind!
Okay, Ya'll!
I have been such a freakin' slacker in the writing department recently! Vacation and illness have taken their toll on my motivation and I HAVE TO WRITE!
--not because of some stupid voice in my head, but because I need to get roughtly 60K words written by November 16--Golden Heart deadline for registration and entry fees! I'll still have ten days to add wordage after that deadline, but to justify the financial expenditure I need to have a substantial amount written.
That's three weeks, people! I have 18K, but it needs to be tweaked/edited/tightened by the end of TODAY (tomorrow at the latest plus my Monday goal of 3000 words), so I can start fresh tomorrow. And I can't forget to fit in my walk or Wii Fit time!
Which means I want to write 15 K this week to get to my goal--Monday thru Friday ONLY--my weekends are for family.
I know some of you have been side-tracked with life, work and other stuff so this is a good chance to get your butt in the chair and start writing again, be it 100 words a day or 3000 words a day. Send me a note in a comment on this blog, a note on my facebook wall, or in an email magolla@cox.net and I'll post your name and goal for the week along with your culmative page or word count. I'll be posting the totals from the previous day between 6-7 AM CST.
Margaret: goal 15,000 words--M, T, and W: XXXX words.
And if I'm doing it alone I'm okay with it, but this could be the refresher you need prior to starting NaNo if that is your goal.
So are you with me???!!
Write on!
I have been such a freakin' slacker in the writing department recently! Vacation and illness have taken their toll on my motivation and I HAVE TO WRITE!
--not because of some stupid voice in my head, but because I need to get roughtly 60K words written by November 16--Golden Heart deadline for registration and entry fees! I'll still have ten days to add wordage after that deadline, but to justify the financial expenditure I need to have a substantial amount written.
That's three weeks, people! I have 18K, but it needs to be tweaked/edited/tightened by the end of TODAY (tomorrow at the latest plus my Monday goal of 3000 words), so I can start fresh tomorrow. And I can't forget to fit in my walk or Wii Fit time!
Which means I want to write 15 K this week to get to my goal--Monday thru Friday ONLY--my weekends are for family.
I know some of you have been side-tracked with life, work and other stuff so this is a good chance to get your butt in the chair and start writing again, be it 100 words a day or 3000 words a day. Send me a note in a comment on this blog, a note on my facebook wall, or in an email magolla@cox.net and I'll post your name and goal for the week along with your culmative page or word count. I'll be posting the totals from the previous day between 6-7 AM CST.
Margaret: goal 15,000 words--M, T, and W: XXXX words.
And if I'm doing it alone I'm okay with it, but this could be the refresher you need prior to starting NaNo if that is your goal.
So are you with me???!!
Write on!
10/23/09
I'm Home
I CAN'T HANDLE IT ANY MORE!!!
Sorry, but I have to blog. It's not like I have anything to say, but blogging helps me get my writing juices flowing. I think reading Erica Orloff's blog for today helped me put it all into perspective.
I darkened my blog for two reasons: 1) to get humping on my Golden Heart entry, 2) to go on vacation. Yes, I went to Florida, Disney World and Universal, for nine days. If you ever want to visit Universal and Islands of Adventure stay in one of the Universal parks (we stayed at the Portofino). Why? Because of the super-duper cut-in-front-of-everyone-else in line perk! Talk about awesome! We jumped (legally) so many lines it wasn't even funny. Riding The Hulk back to back about four times before moving on to Dueling Dragons, etc. It was awesome! Way better than the Disney Fast Pass system. This was our first year at the Universal parks. We wanted to wait until the kiddo was tall enough for the roller coasters and she had a great time.
On Tuesday, we moved into our Disney hotel, Wilderness Lodge, and started hitting the Disney parks. The crowds at Disney were three-fold what they were at Universal with a multitude of languages being spoken (yes, I'm chalking the Brits into this category, 'cause you have to tune your ear to their dialect).
EPCOT was having it's Wine and Food around the World thing. Interesting, but I'll NEVER do it again. In case I haven't stated it before, I'll repeat: I don't do crowds. I hate crowds with a passion and these crowds rivaled the ones that are at Disney during the summer. UGH!! And the heat! Florida was having a heat wave for October. Yes, the temps were between 93-95 with high humidity. Double ugh!
By Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the water park, Typhoon Lagoon, I was starting to get a tickle in my throat. Thursday, I wanted to curl up and die. Every time I coughed it felt like my ribs were going to explode. Thursday night, I went to the hotel while the hubster and kiddo went to the Magic Kingdom to watch the SpectroMagic parade (twice), the fireworks, and ride a gazillion rides. I watched America's Next Top Model. Yeah . . .
I started feeling better by the time we left on Sunday, which means the kiddo started getting sick. She's been home with me all week, spiking 103 degree temperature. Took her to the doc on Monday and she's positive for Influenza A. Turns out 81% of positive Flu A patients are positive for H1N1. It's settled in her chest, so I'm calling the doc again. Pneumonia is one of the hazards of the flu, along with dehydration. Hubster was home on Wednesday and Thursday. He still feels like crap, but he went to work today--probably to infect the rest of his employees.
I'm still planning to finish Rosewood Manor in time for the Golden Heart. If I can read my pathetic synopsis and first fifty pages this weekend then I'm good to go on Monday.
Here's hoping!
Write on!
Sorry, but I have to blog. It's not like I have anything to say, but blogging helps me get my writing juices flowing. I think reading Erica Orloff's blog for today helped me put it all into perspective.
I darkened my blog for two reasons: 1) to get humping on my Golden Heart entry, 2) to go on vacation. Yes, I went to Florida, Disney World and Universal, for nine days. If you ever want to visit Universal and Islands of Adventure stay in one of the Universal parks (we stayed at the Portofino). Why? Because of the super-duper cut-in-front-of-everyone-else in line perk! Talk about awesome! We jumped (legally) so many lines it wasn't even funny. Riding The Hulk back to back about four times before moving on to Dueling Dragons, etc. It was awesome! Way better than the Disney Fast Pass system. This was our first year at the Universal parks. We wanted to wait until the kiddo was tall enough for the roller coasters and she had a great time.
On Tuesday, we moved into our Disney hotel, Wilderness Lodge, and started hitting the Disney parks. The crowds at Disney were three-fold what they were at Universal with a multitude of languages being spoken (yes, I'm chalking the Brits into this category, 'cause you have to tune your ear to their dialect).
EPCOT was having it's Wine and Food around the World thing. Interesting, but I'll NEVER do it again. In case I haven't stated it before, I'll repeat: I don't do crowds. I hate crowds with a passion and these crowds rivaled the ones that are at Disney during the summer. UGH!! And the heat! Florida was having a heat wave for October. Yes, the temps were between 93-95 with high humidity. Double ugh!
By Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the water park, Typhoon Lagoon, I was starting to get a tickle in my throat. Thursday, I wanted to curl up and die. Every time I coughed it felt like my ribs were going to explode. Thursday night, I went to the hotel while the hubster and kiddo went to the Magic Kingdom to watch the SpectroMagic parade (twice), the fireworks, and ride a gazillion rides. I watched America's Next Top Model. Yeah . . .
I started feeling better by the time we left on Sunday, which means the kiddo started getting sick. She's been home with me all week, spiking 103 degree temperature. Took her to the doc on Monday and she's positive for Influenza A. Turns out 81% of positive Flu A patients are positive for H1N1. It's settled in her chest, so I'm calling the doc again. Pneumonia is one of the hazards of the flu, along with dehydration. Hubster was home on Wednesday and Thursday. He still feels like crap, but he went to work today--probably to infect the rest of his employees.
I'm still planning to finish Rosewood Manor in time for the Golden Heart. If I can read my pathetic synopsis and first fifty pages this weekend then I'm good to go on Monday.
Here's hoping!
Write on!
10/9/09
Blog Going Dark
Hey all!
Since I'm seriously trying to write an entire novel in time for the 11/16/09 entry cut-off for the Golden Heart, I'm going to let this blog go dark. I might post sporadically, but if I can buckle down and finish this draft then I need to do it. I'll post if something interesting happens, but other than that I'm going to try to write roughly 5000-words five days a week for at least three weeks.
Ciao! and Write On!
BICHOK! (butt in chair, hands on keyboard)
Since I'm seriously trying to write an entire novel in time for the 11/16/09 entry cut-off for the Golden Heart, I'm going to let this blog go dark. I might post sporadically, but if I can buckle down and finish this draft then I need to do it. I'll post if something interesting happens, but other than that I'm going to try to write roughly 5000-words five days a week for at least three weeks.
Ciao! and Write On!
BICHOK! (butt in chair, hands on keyboard)
10/7/09
Golden Heart
My mind has been a sieve lately. I don't know why, but it could be one of two things: allergies or I decided to enter RWA's Golden Heart contest.
Okay, it's actually both those things. Allergies tend to cause an influx of snot and inflammation making it hard to concentrate. The GH tends to send one into a spasms of 'what the hell was I thinking?'
Now, entering the contest isn't a done deal for a couple of reasons.
1) I don't have a finished manuscript to enter,
2) I haven't plunked down my $50 bucks yet--due date to enter the contest is Nov. 16th.
As I have mentioned before, I like a challenge. The manuscript I'm thinking of entering--provided I finish it!--I started writing in February 2007. It finaled in a contest, but I lost interest in it, probably due to the numerous twists and turns in the prospective plot and I was afraid. Yes, me, a scaredy cat. It's still complicated, BUT I've had over two years of writing growth with other stories and I've been working out the plot in my subconscious. I think I'm ready to write. I have 18,000-words fresh words written--same plot points, but rewritten from scratch. BUT I'll have to cut the last chapter I wrote--it's in the wrong POV.
Anyhoo, I have five weeks to write a synopsis (this week's goal) and roughly 60-70K. Can it be done? Sure it can! Will it be clean? Uh, I'll have to get back with you on that one!
But if I can get close enough to THE END, then I'm going to enter the contest. I'll have roughly ten days to clean it up as the hardcopies must be in Houston by 5:00 PM Dec. 2nd.
So what is your goal for the end of the year?
Enter the Golden Heart?
Join NaNo to pound out a 50K story?
Sit on your butt and eat bonbons?
The holidays will soon be upon us, making time to write harder to find. Now is the time to strike!
Anyone care to join me in the Golden Heart challenge?
Now I must get this synopsis written, so . . .
Write on!
Okay, it's actually both those things. Allergies tend to cause an influx of snot and inflammation making it hard to concentrate. The GH tends to send one into a spasms of 'what the hell was I thinking?'
Now, entering the contest isn't a done deal for a couple of reasons.
1) I don't have a finished manuscript to enter,
2) I haven't plunked down my $50 bucks yet--due date to enter the contest is Nov. 16th.
As I have mentioned before, I like a challenge. The manuscript I'm thinking of entering--provided I finish it!--I started writing in February 2007. It finaled in a contest, but I lost interest in it, probably due to the numerous twists and turns in the prospective plot and I was afraid. Yes, me, a scaredy cat. It's still complicated, BUT I've had over two years of writing growth with other stories and I've been working out the plot in my subconscious. I think I'm ready to write. I have 18,000-words fresh words written--same plot points, but rewritten from scratch. BUT I'll have to cut the last chapter I wrote--it's in the wrong POV.
Anyhoo, I have five weeks to write a synopsis (this week's goal) and roughly 60-70K. Can it be done? Sure it can! Will it be clean? Uh, I'll have to get back with you on that one!
But if I can get close enough to THE END, then I'm going to enter the contest. I'll have roughly ten days to clean it up as the hardcopies must be in Houston by 5:00 PM Dec. 2nd.
So what is your goal for the end of the year?
Enter the Golden Heart?
Join NaNo to pound out a 50K story?
Sit on your butt and eat bonbons?
The holidays will soon be upon us, making time to write harder to find. Now is the time to strike!
Anyone care to join me in the Golden Heart challenge?
Now I must get this synopsis written, so . . .
Write on!
10/5/09
Banff Retreat 2009
Banff Springs hotel, view from Bow Falls.Originally, I called this a 'writing retreat', but it ended up just being a 'me' retreat instead. But I'm okay with that. Who would want to sit inside writing when you could be outdoors enjoying the wonderful Canadian air? I sure didn't.
And mega-kudos to Grandma for stepping up, and watching, not only the dog, cat, guinea pig, Blinky the Beta, and a gazillion Koi, but also the eight year old munchkin for SIX days!! Woo-Hoo! What a woman!
On Friday (9/25) we took the kiddo lunch and said our good-byes. The entire trip to Canada went smoothly (reading material: Toni McGee Causy's When a Man Loves a Weapon)with the exception of one minor detail--neither one of us had a pen to fill out the customs form. Ooopsie! And Canada didn't seem to feel they should provide the impliment. Double oopsie! After begging a pen from a nice gentleman, I happened to get into the quickest damn line in the place and scribbled my info onto the slip. We were in Calgary Canada.
We stayed at a hotel instead of hubster's sister's house because they have a very large family and a relatively small house, so we stayed in a hotel--a Hampton Inn, BTW--they have the BEST freaking beds! Check out the revamped ones!
On Saturday (9/26) we spent time with the family. Walking, talking, hanging out and go-carting. Yeah, notice the two idiots who didn't have their helmets on? Yeah, that's the hubster and me. Little did we know that the go-carts were kamikazee go-carts, complete with sticky gas petals and stiff steering wheels. M
ore than one kid zoomed up the old tire embankments and had to be pushed off. Luckily no one flipped theirs . . . at least, none that I saw.
ore than one kid zoomed up the old tire embankments and had to be pushed off. Luckily no one flipped theirs . . . at least, none that I saw. On Sunday (9/27) we visited with the family some more. Hubster fixed his sister's computer and I chatted. His sister showed me her portfolio of metal garden art--she's really doing some awesome Objects! We had to leave to pick up one of Todd's employee's at the airport and then drove to Banff. I crashed the welcome reception and imbibed a couple of beers. We had a pretty nice room, but it didn't have the best views so I never bothered to take a picture.
Monday (9/28) Hubster went to his meetings and I took my time getting up. :-) Once moving around, I explored the castle . . . oops, hotel.
Checked out the mega expensive shops and decided to go see Bow Falls.
Going down to the falls was easy. It was coming back up the stairs that I had my doubts, so I decided to walk to town. Banff is a quaint little town that is in the middle of a Canadian National forest, so they aren't allowed to build without special permits and hotels are not allowed. If you don't want to stay at the big hotel or a B & B, you have to drive back to Canmore (@ 20-30 minute drive) to find a hotel. Anyhoo, once I walked back to the hotel I was beat and laid on the couch to read (Jayne Castle's Obsidian Prey). Dinner was at Castello Ristorante, an Italian restaurant. Very nice.
Hoodoos are next to my right shoulder.
Checked out the mega expensive shops and decided to go see Bow Falls.
Going down to the falls was easy. It was coming back up the stairs that I had my doubts, so I decided to walk to town. Banff is a quaint little town that is in the middle of a Canadian National forest, so they aren't allowed to build without special permits and hotels are not allowed. If you don't want to stay at the big hotel or a B & B, you have to drive back to Canmore (@ 20-30 minute drive) to find a hotel. Anyhoo, once I walked back to the hotel I was beat and laid on the couch to read (Jayne Castle's Obsidian Prey). Dinner was at Castello Ristorante, an Italian restaurant. Very nice.
Tuesday (9/29) I actually took my computer and sat down to write. Remember me mentioning that all I needed was a plug, a view and a beer? Well, I got two out of the three. For some reason, they don't serve beer at ten in the morning. . . go figure. Anyhoo, I wrote for awhile and managed to get 500 words written. 
Left: My view from Rundle Hall.
Left: My view from Rundle Hall.
It's not much, but it was better than the previous week! More wandering around and then hubster cut his afternoon classes. :-) 
Right: Hubster and me at Bow Falls
Right: Hubster and me at Bow Falls
We walked to Bow Falls and to town. This time we bought prezzies for our kiddo and hubster got a few things, too. Me, I got nuthin'. We walked back to the hotel to get the car to drive to see the hoodoos. 
Originally, I planned to walk to them--uh, did you know maps lie? Yeah, the hoodoo's were like MILES away! We came, we saw, we took a picture. This is our motto. Went back to town and ate at a pub and called it an early night.
Originally, I planned to walk to them--uh, did you know maps lie? Yeah, the hoodoo's were like MILES away! We came, we saw, we took a picture. This is our motto. Went back to town and ate at a pub and called it an early night.Hoodoos are next to my right shoulder.
Wednesday (9/30) Hubster went to two meetings while I packed and read. By mid-morning we were on our way to the Calgary airport--THIS time with pen in hand. The trip home was uneventful again (Tracy Anne Warren's Seduced By His Touch) I read the entire trip.
Home to our cutie-patootie kiddo and a ton of laundry and chores.
It was a nice break, but it's time to . . .
Write on!
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