it's just a matter of when.
*WARNING: Animal bodily functions blog*
I'm talking pets today. We have a small menagerie and most of them are geriatric, but I think the first to die will probably be Blinky, our beta fish.
Blinky is relatively new to our house; I think we bought him about six months ago. He'll be the first to die since he's been laying on his side for the past week. I've lost count of how many times I've tapped the glass only to have him swim away. He'd probably thinking, 'just leave me @#$@#$ alone!', but I tap and he moves . . . and lives.
Kato kitty is our oldest pet. He's outlived hamsters, guinea pigs and rabbits. Kato is my pre-marriage cat, and almost twenty years old. Todd calls him the cat who would not die. :-) He lives a pretty good life. When we carpeted the house about two years ago, we moved him to the laundry room. 1) it's one of the warmest places in the house, 2) it's large, 3) I can feed him and keep his litter box in the same room--about five feet apart, 4) he sleeps on the dryer. Yeah, kitty heaven when I'm doing laundry--warm vibrations.
Kato pukes A LOT--even for a cat. He pukes when he drinks water, when he eats too much and then drinks water, when he's in bed, when he's using the kitty litter box--he pukes, it's what he does. If a day goes by and he doesn't puke, I'm wondering what's going on. He used to puke in our closest, until we recarpeted. Now he throws up in the tile laundry room--I Fantastic the floor and wash the extra towels and bedding I have to keep him warm.
--Speaking of which, I need to take his stuff out of the washing machine.
Some mornings I don't want to look in his little room. Today, I had to gird my loins with a stout cup of joe before I thought about cleaning up his latest mess. It wasn't totally his fault--the kidlet decided to put a bell around his neck last night and forgot to remove it. Kato decided to eat the bell. I thought he had swallowed the ribbon, but luckily not. So he puked up the bell--and to show his displeasure he decided to poop on a towel I have covering the washing machine.
*sigh* Long live the kitty that wouldn't die!
Katie is our geriatric sheep dog. I think she's turning thirteen this year. For the most part she's a good dog, though she's gotten grumpier with age. She hates having her ears plucked or her coat brushed, but suffers through it. For years she's been on thyroid meds and doing well. Two summers ago we had some issues with anal glands, subsequently removing them.
Well, about four months ago--the puking started. And it isn't hairball puke--it's disgusting!
--Yes, I have two puking geriatric pets. I thought when the kidlet got past the puking and pooping in a diaper stage, life would be smooth sailing. Uh, WRONGO!
Anyhoo, I've started feeding Katie in smaller, more frequent meals, leaving a little in her bowl--PROBLEM: the cat will eat the dog's food and then PUKE it up.
Katie's on vomiting medication and we've just increased it, but she throws up every couple of days--the toughest when we are sound asleep and we hear her starting to ralph. 1) I leap out of bed, trying to figure out where the dog is, 2) grab her by the collar to lead her to tile floor in bathroom, 3) dog uncooperative--she's trying to puke for gosh sakes!--and growly, 4) dog pukes, 5) Sheepdogs have long fur--I try to clean her mouth and try to keep her from stepping in it--dog growls, 6) dog pukes again, 7) I get the joy of cleaning up since I don't have to go to work and my dear hubster does. *sigh* Isn't the life of a stay-at-home mom just glamorous??
And our last pet, Rocky, a guinea pig. If he pukes, I don't know or care. Rocky lives in a nice sawdust-filled home. It's a large glass snake cage with a screen top. Rocky is really cute and he's my buddy. So, of course, I'm highly allergic to guinea pigs, every time I pet him, I have to scrub down.
We were looking at some old pictures the other day--getting them ready for our digital photo frames--and we found pictures of Rocky when he was a whelp, pup, or whatever baby GP's are called. Rocky is now five, almost six. Old for a guinea pig. Harry (Harriette) our last GP was seven when she died. So Rocky is a geriatric GP.
I love all my animals and it will break my heart when they die. Life keeps moving on and until they die, I'll be loving, petting . . . and cleaning up puke.
Write on!
1/11/10
1/8/10
Ticked Off!
I'm seriously steamed! And I may be ruffling some feathers with this blog, but so be it. I need to vent.
Yesterday and today, the powers that be decided they should shut school down--the kids have been back for all of three days and they shut school down?? Are they trying to make parents crazy??
Why?
Because it is too cold for the little darlings. Give me a break.
Okay, here's the story. As we are all aware 2/3 of this country is under the deep freeze--and abnormally cold deep freeze temps. They predicted a dusting to two inches of snow, but serious windchills in the negative zone. So the school board decided that the little darlings would suffer hypothermia waiting for the school busses, so they closed school. Well, I should say that the Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) shut down, therefore the other public schools followed suit.
Anyhoo, we belong to the Union School district, not TPS. They had a plan--a pretty good one, until they had to follow the idiots at TPS. The plan was to allow children into the school at 8:15 instead of 8:45 and they would keep the kids inside at the end of the day, using a walkie-talkie to indicate which car is ready to pick up which kid. This is how they handle rainy days. It's slow, but it works.
But they had to follow the dubious lead of TPS.
Granted, I'm a stay-at-home mom and it's no skin off my nose if my kid stays home. Yeah, it puts a kink in my plans, but it's no big deal. But for parents where both parties work, someone has to lose a day of pay OR find some other baby-sitting alternative. I don't know about you all, but I think parents would rather lose an hour or two of work by 1)waiting with their kid at a bus stop, or 2) driving their kid to school and be tardy for work, instead of losing TWO WHOLE DAYS of pay!
But here's the kicker--we didn't get any precip snow or otherwise, but the local government in their supreme intelligence decided to salt the roads . . . There was NO PRECIPITATION, PEOPLE!! Zero. Zilch. Nada. Not even frost on the roads. Now, after our huge blizzard that took 2/3 of our winter salt supply and they had to dig into other funds to buy more salt.
Here's another kicker, taken from HOW STUFF WORKS:
--if the temperature of the roadway is lower than 15 F or so, then the salt really won't have any effect -- the solid salt cannot get into the structure of the solid water to start the dissolving process.
--guess what the temperature was? Just guess. Okay I'll tell you, less than 15 degrees.
--uh, they are talking about laying off 100+ policemen and firemen, and some MORON decides it's a smart idea to salt the roads when there was NO PRECIPITATION! Someone needs to get fired and it ain't the cops or firemen!
Okay, I'm done. Still ticked, but finished for the moment.
Please chime in with your thoughts--either way.
Until later, 'cause I won't be able to Write On! until next Monday when the little darling goes back to school. Oh, and then they have a four day weekend next week. Yeah, I think there needs to be some upheaval in the school boards.
Yesterday and today, the powers that be decided they should shut school down--the kids have been back for all of three days and they shut school down?? Are they trying to make parents crazy??
Why?
Because it is too cold for the little darlings. Give me a break.
Okay, here's the story. As we are all aware 2/3 of this country is under the deep freeze--and abnormally cold deep freeze temps. They predicted a dusting to two inches of snow, but serious windchills in the negative zone. So the school board decided that the little darlings would suffer hypothermia waiting for the school busses, so they closed school. Well, I should say that the Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) shut down, therefore the other public schools followed suit.
Anyhoo, we belong to the Union School district, not TPS. They had a plan--a pretty good one, until they had to follow the idiots at TPS. The plan was to allow children into the school at 8:15 instead of 8:45 and they would keep the kids inside at the end of the day, using a walkie-talkie to indicate which car is ready to pick up which kid. This is how they handle rainy days. It's slow, but it works.
But they had to follow the dubious lead of TPS.
Granted, I'm a stay-at-home mom and it's no skin off my nose if my kid stays home. Yeah, it puts a kink in my plans, but it's no big deal. But for parents where both parties work, someone has to lose a day of pay OR find some other baby-sitting alternative. I don't know about you all, but I think parents would rather lose an hour or two of work by 1)waiting with their kid at a bus stop, or 2) driving their kid to school and be tardy for work, instead of losing TWO WHOLE DAYS of pay!
But here's the kicker--we didn't get any precip snow or otherwise, but the local government in their supreme intelligence decided to salt the roads . . . There was NO PRECIPITATION, PEOPLE!! Zero. Zilch. Nada. Not even frost on the roads. Now, after our huge blizzard that took 2/3 of our winter salt supply and they had to dig into other funds to buy more salt.
Here's another kicker, taken from HOW STUFF WORKS:
--if the temperature of the roadway is lower than 15 F or so, then the salt really won't have any effect -- the solid salt cannot get into the structure of the solid water to start the dissolving process.
--guess what the temperature was? Just guess. Okay I'll tell you, less than 15 degrees.
--uh, they are talking about laying off 100+ policemen and firemen, and some MORON decides it's a smart idea to salt the roads when there was NO PRECIPITATION! Someone needs to get fired and it ain't the cops or firemen!
Okay, I'm done. Still ticked, but finished for the moment.
Please chime in with your thoughts--either way.
Until later, 'cause I won't be able to Write On! until next Monday when the little darling goes back to school. Oh, and then they have a four day weekend next week. Yeah, I think there needs to be some upheaval in the school boards.
1/6/10
Oldies, but Goodies
I'm talking middle-grade books here.
About six months ago, I bought THE MOUSE AND THE MOTORCYCLE by Beverly Cleary for my kidlet. She wasn't quite ready to read it yet and so it gathered dust on her bookshelf next to Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books (which BTW she says she doesn't need to read because the movie will be out next summer. Mom's response: "nah-uh, youse reading it, kidlet, or no movie!").
On a side note: Of course, I've read all the Percy Jackson books except THE LAST OLYMPIAN--so I bought it for ME for Christmas. Yes, you heard me--I bought it for myself. I want to know how the 'series' ends. Well, I haven't read it yet, but I cheated and read the last two pages. . . there's a lead-in for another set of stories. SURPRISE!!
Anyhoo, back to the kidlet and the mouse book, she started reading it in November and finished it in about ten days. So I bought the next one . . . and the third one. She's disappointed that there will be no more Ralph books (shoot, they were written before I was even born! Hey, no jokes about the stone age. . .). But to get past her disappointment, she's had me reading a chapter to her every night before bed. I know it won't last forever since she's nine and will soon enter the "I hate you" stage, but for right now I enjoy our togetherness time.
The one thing that surprised me about the mouse story was how selfish Ralph was. I didn't remember that as a kid, and I don't think the kidlet even noticed it, but of course, Ralph grew as a little mouse when he realized his human friend was really sick and needed medicine {Aspirin--which opened up a HUGE discussion with the kidlet, since children are NOT allowed to take aspirin now days due to Reyes syndrome!}, but the medicine could kill Ralph if he touched it.
We finished the book last night and she wants me to start on Runaway Ralph next. I don't know if I want to read that one or another book, 'cause the kidlet raked in the books for Christmas, too! No surprise considering I'm her mother! I chose a variety of stories, plus a few she requested, THE WIMPY KID DIARIES, so I think she'll have enough to read in the coming year.
And if she doesn't read them, I will. As a middle-grade writer it's smart to keep up with what is out there, old and new.
It's kinda like shoes. My kidlet's feet are almost as big as mine (size 7) so I won't let her buy ugly shoes, 'cause when she outgrows them guess who inherits them?? :-) And no, I won't let her wear my stilettos (yes, when I wear heels, I wear 4-5 inch high ones)--she's too young, and when she's old enough, her feet will be too big. WooHoo! *high fives myself*
Time for me to get down to writing FF again. I'd like to have the first draft finished by the end of this month. Why? I don't know. I don't think I'll query any story this year. I'm just tired of receiving Rejections. I know it's a part of this biz, but it gets me down and I want to enjoy writing again.
Anyhoo, Write on!
About six months ago, I bought THE MOUSE AND THE MOTORCYCLE by Beverly Cleary for my kidlet. She wasn't quite ready to read it yet and so it gathered dust on her bookshelf next to Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books (which BTW she says she doesn't need to read because the movie will be out next summer. Mom's response: "nah-uh, youse reading it, kidlet, or no movie!").
On a side note: Of course, I've read all the Percy Jackson books except THE LAST OLYMPIAN--so I bought it for ME for Christmas. Yes, you heard me--I bought it for myself. I want to know how the 'series' ends. Well, I haven't read it yet, but I cheated and read the last two pages. . . there's a lead-in for another set of stories. SURPRISE!!
Anyhoo, back to the kidlet and the mouse book, she started reading it in November and finished it in about ten days. So I bought the next one . . . and the third one. She's disappointed that there will be no more Ralph books (shoot, they were written before I was even born! Hey, no jokes about the stone age. . .). But to get past her disappointment, she's had me reading a chapter to her every night before bed. I know it won't last forever since she's nine and will soon enter the "I hate you" stage, but for right now I enjoy our togetherness time.
The one thing that surprised me about the mouse story was how selfish Ralph was. I didn't remember that as a kid, and I don't think the kidlet even noticed it, but of course, Ralph grew as a little mouse when he realized his human friend was really sick and needed medicine {Aspirin--which opened up a HUGE discussion with the kidlet, since children are NOT allowed to take aspirin now days due to Reyes syndrome!}, but the medicine could kill Ralph if he touched it.
We finished the book last night and she wants me to start on Runaway Ralph next. I don't know if I want to read that one or another book, 'cause the kidlet raked in the books for Christmas, too! No surprise considering I'm her mother! I chose a variety of stories, plus a few she requested, THE WIMPY KID DIARIES, so I think she'll have enough to read in the coming year.
And if she doesn't read them, I will. As a middle-grade writer it's smart to keep up with what is out there, old and new.
It's kinda like shoes. My kidlet's feet are almost as big as mine (size 7) so I won't let her buy ugly shoes, 'cause when she outgrows them guess who inherits them?? :-) And no, I won't let her wear my stilettos (yes, when I wear heels, I wear 4-5 inch high ones)--she's too young, and when she's old enough, her feet will be too big. WooHoo! *high fives myself*
Time for me to get down to writing FF again. I'd like to have the first draft finished by the end of this month. Why? I don't know. I don't think I'll query any story this year. I'm just tired of receiving Rejections. I know it's a part of this biz, but it gets me down and I want to enjoy writing again.
Anyhoo, Write on!
1/4/10
Back on Track
A couple of weeks ago, I blathered on and on about goals.
I set mine.
Did you?
Here are my 2010 goals, and remember everything is subject to change:
• Write middle grade story FAST AND THE FAERIEOUS, synopsis and query
• Plot out middle grade book #3, synopsis and query
• Plot and write THE DEMON CONNECTION, synopsis and query
• Judge three unpublished writing contests (online only), plus Golden Heart
• Crit when needed
• Return to healthy lifestyle, eat smaller portions, eat healthier, and workout 3-5X per week (Wii Fit, jogging, or SKY health club)
• Use online calendar to record Tarot draw, reading/writing goals
• Attend at least one conference
• Have fun with kidlet over summer break (writing is icing)
• Wrote SUGAR PLUM DISASTER for blog serial—5241 words—finished 1/1/09 Check it out! It starts on 12/21/09. Enjoy!
• Read 50 books (keep log at bottom of goals) --One down
--Oh, I also have to get the first 10 pages of DC ready for a crit that I won on Candace Haven's blog. I need to finish that in the next day or two.
And I have personal goals along with writing goals to provide balance in my life.
Remember any writing is good, so to that end I joined a 100 X 100 goals group. Write at least 100 words for 100 days. I started on January 1 and almost forgot Sunday, but remembered in time. Blogs, comments on facebook, or emails do not count. It has to be real writing or 30 minutes of revision. During the week this is no problem, but the weekend it will be so I need to get it out of the way early in the day.
*raising my champagne flute* Here's to a healthy and happy New Year!
Did everyone eat their black-eyed peas and collard greens? I did.
Write on!
I set mine.
Did you?
Here are my 2010 goals, and remember everything is subject to change:
• Write middle grade story FAST AND THE FAERIEOUS, synopsis and query
• Plot out middle grade book #3, synopsis and query
• Plot and write THE DEMON CONNECTION, synopsis and query
• Judge three unpublished writing contests (online only), plus Golden Heart
• Crit when needed
• Return to healthy lifestyle, eat smaller portions, eat healthier, and workout 3-5X per week (Wii Fit, jogging, or SKY health club)
• Use online calendar to record Tarot draw, reading/writing goals
• Attend at least one conference
• Have fun with kidlet over summer break (writing is icing)
• Wrote SUGAR PLUM DISASTER for blog serial—5241 words—finished 1/1/09 Check it out! It starts on 12/21/09. Enjoy!
• Read 50 books (keep log at bottom of goals) --One down
--Oh, I also have to get the first 10 pages of DC ready for a crit that I won on Candace Haven's blog. I need to finish that in the next day or two.
And I have personal goals along with writing goals to provide balance in my life.
Remember any writing is good, so to that end I joined a 100 X 100 goals group. Write at least 100 words for 100 days. I started on January 1 and almost forgot Sunday, but remembered in time. Blogs, comments on facebook, or emails do not count. It has to be real writing or 30 minutes of revision. During the week this is no problem, but the weekend it will be so I need to get it out of the way early in the day.
*raising my champagne flute* Here's to a healthy and happy New Year!
Did everyone eat their black-eyed peas and collard greens? I did.
Write on!
12/18/09
The Kidlet Surprises Me Once Again
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! :-)
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!
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