On your mark. Get set. Not this time...

Today is November 1st. To the normal folk, it's just the day after Halloween in which we are all now suffering from an enormous sugar high.

To us writers, today was the start of National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo.

The goal is to start a fresh novel, write 50,000 words in just 30 days. The contest ends November 30th @ midnight. The thing is, you are in competition with yourself. Almost 160,000 contestants and the only person you have to beat to win is, well… You.

The other 159,000 writers doing this is your support group, aka cheerleaders.

Some say it is invigorating. Other’s daunting. Me, I wouldn’t know, I haven’t tried it yet.

I just found out about it last year. The problem is, every time November comes around, I am knee- shoulder-eyes deep in another project.

Currently I am in the revisions process of my latest WIP and it just wasn’t in the cards for me to try it out this year. But I am cheering from the sidelines for all of you who have signed up for NaNoWriMo and are writing away at this very moment.

"Dialogue"

Who would have thought that one of the most natural things we do in life is going to be what drives me mad as a writer.

Dialogue… Ugh!

The human is race is constantly speaking to one another, even if in the simplest fashion as a “Hi, how are you?”

So why is it that I seem to be having the most brutal time having two of my characters talk to each other? I stare at the computer screen just wishing that my Fairy Godmother will pop in and beat me over the head, hopefully knocking me unconscious, with her magic wand. Then use a little of that magic to write the dialogue for me.

Is that really too much to ask?

Well since it hasn’t happened yet, I have had to resort to finding assistance in other ways. I had a BPL meeting on Sunday, the first one I have been to in a month. Boy life gets busy. Anyways, so I brought my personal mountain size obstacle to the table for discussion and received some pretty sound advice.

Take a tape recorder and go to a few high school football games or go to the mall food court and people watch/listen to.

Luckily for me school has just started which means football games are just around the corner. I am going to tackle that one first to see what I can come up with and maybe, just maybe I can get out of going to the mall. Even saying that word gives me small goose pimples.

I just hope no one notices me carrying around a tape recorder, eavesdropping in on their conversations. That would definitely make for an awkward exchange in itself.

Go Back!

It has been almost a month since my last post. And here I had promised myself to be more on top of my blog and writing. Am I allowed to be mad at myself for breaking my own promise?
Um, that would be a negative. People might think I am loony, well more so than normal.

My day to day life has been so hectic; it felt as though my head was spinning like in the Exorcist. But for the present time, the chaotic has reached a plateau and I have attempted to write again. Yay!

Except for one small, itty bitty problem…

I jumped all the way to the ending of my WIP. I am only 2/3rd’s done with this piece and I just skipped ahead. (oops!) Okay, well since I wrote the ending, technically I am now 3/4th’s done now… Right?

Anyways, I was lying in bed the other night and my thoughts were reeling trying to jump back into Mady’s life and it hit me square in the brain. I had the perfect ending twist to my story. It has been screaming at me from day one, why hadn’t I thought of it sooner?

All of the final scenes came to life and acted out in the exhausted movie screen of my mind. It all played out so perfectly in my head I had to get it out. I powered up my laptop and of course it took a sick day and shut back down on me. (Maybe I should look into replacing the darn thing.) So I went back to basics.

I grabbed a pen and my notebook then wrote until my wrist ached and I couldn’t form another legible word on the paper.

Then the next day, I was hit in the brain with another almost brilliant idea.

There is this one scene that I have now caused a fork in Mady’s road. The only problem is… I already went left and right now my brain is screaming Go back! Take a right instead!

So what do I do? Do I leave it how it is written and trudge through as is and make drastic changes later. Do I go back and reroute her decision on that one night causing a six chapter rewrite up to the present (where I left off before jumping ahead to the very end.). Or option three, leave it as is?

Oh decisions, decisions.

A Parody

I am a member of an Author’s online writer’s workshop. Every so often she gives us challenges and assignments to keep us on our toes in our writing and try pushing us to do more than we normally would.

Well the newest challenge starts today. We are to step out of our comfort zone; i.e. writing, reading, read something we normally wouldn’t or write something we wouldn’t normally. Then for the next five weeks, write 500 words a day, five days a week.

I think I can handle this challenge, it seems manageable enough for me. I hope.

I started off by getting a book that is definitely out of my norm. It's a Parody of a popular Young Adult series. When I picked it up and read the back I knew it was going to be silly, that is the whole point right? But I assumed it would be a funny stupid.

This book is not a funny stupid. It is, by far, a ridiculous stupid. 151 pages of absolutely painful ludicrous words, and I am only 77 pages into it. The price of this book is $13.95 and I am just thankful that I borrowed it instead of spending actual money on this absurd waste of a tree. Poor tree. I would be pissed if I would have even wasted Monopoly money on this thing.

I get that Parody’s are meant to be mocking. But being a published item, it should have at least been edited to a better degree. Missing punctuation, ill grammar, sentences that jump to and fro that make you go what the heck just happened?

Okay, Okay, enough gripping about it, sorry. So my first shot of stepping out of my box was a failure, but I will not let it deter me in continuing out of my comfort area.

Now I’m off to my 500 words, till next time.

Back Up Plan

The rule of thumb is to have back up to your writing. Do not just keep one copy of anything.

I have had a near heart stopping experience when my laptop went out on me and I thought I had lost EVERYTHING because I had only saved my work on the laptop. (You might remember that posting labeled Not So Funny posted on 01-27-10)

After that night I made sure I had several back up plans to anything I was working on. I went out and purchased my very first flash drive (Yes I have been behind in the times, I have been told that I need to join the new millennium.) and I saved everything I had onto this flash drive.

Then to back up THAT plan I started emailing myself at work and keeping a file there, just in case. On top of that I opened a strictly writing email account, one that only holds emailed copies of my work as I finish each writing night.

So I thought I was good to go, I took ALL precautions possible. Right?

Well what in the world do you do when your flash drive crashes in the midst of writing and you hadn’t had a chance to go through your twenty minute saving process?
I’ll tell you what you do… You call your husband crying in the hopes he can whip out some magic over the phone powers for you.

After he tells you to calm down – Don’t you hate it when someone says “Calm down, it will be okay” when in fact it is not okay? – You hang up and curse him to the pits of Hell. Even though you know it is not his fault your electronics hate you so much.

Then you growl at the blasted computer and go take a nice long bath and read a good book. Well, this is what I did last night.

Luckily for me, my husband is a freaking genius and managed to pull apart my newest enemy, saving everything onto his own laptop. So I didn’t lose anything this time.

But how do we solve major/minor problems such as these? Am I going to have to stop every few minutes and save my WIP in ten different areas so I won’t have to feel the gripping fear of losing anything again? At what point am I spending more time fretting over if it is saved or not than I am writing the actual story? Even now writing this post I have saved it seven times…

Maybe the real problem is me, appliances and electronics just do not care for my presence.

Achilles heel

Hope everyone one had a great 4th of July. I know I did, I love fireworks!!!

What I do not love is when life sometimes feels like everything is crashing down around you. And that is how I have felt lately. I need a break, or a vacation, whichever came first I'd take it for sure.

So we all know I have my ups and downs when it comes to my writing. Well right now I am at a DOWN... way down there at the bottom of the hill to the point of I am not sure if I will ever see light again.

I have finished very few projects. It is my Achilles heel, finishing a WIP.

I had been so determined to finish this one, I am sitting at around 50,000 words and I can't seem to make myself sit down and go forward. I am 2/3 done, I mainly just need to finish the story and then go back through it to edit like hell and add filler. But I just don't seem to be in the mood. For anything, not just writing. I know what my issue is, I just do not seem to know how to get over it and move on.

Again, back to that dire need of a vacation is in order. Too bad I do not see one in my close future. Instead, I see even less time for myself or writing for the next few months. And I think that just depresses me right out of doing the things I enjoy.

What can I do to jump back on my wagon? My original goal had been to finish Mady's story by the end of June, then I pushed it back to the end of summer. Well folks, the end of my summer is July 31st and my hopes of being finished with the first draft are not high, not even in the middle...

If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them.
Till next time...

Birthday's

Here is it is folks! The cake that I decorated. I think it turned out fairly decent for my first cake. Now remember, I do not eat cake OR icing, so I can't tell you how it turned out taste wise!

My husband thought it was sad that I made my own birthday cake. Yesterday was my birthday and I took the cake to work to try and push it off onto my co-workers to devour. It worked. But in explaining that I made it in class, everyone thought I was going to school to be a cake decorator.

No, No, No.
I am trying to be a writer, not a cake decorator. Okay, I am a writer, I have just never had anything published. But at this moment, I spend more time writing than I do at my paying job.

As I mentioned yesterday was my birthday, woo hoo, and I did zero writing. So I am feeling like I am lagging behind. For my Candy Havens writer's workshop, my Agenda for this week is to have 5000 words written, and I am officially behind. I hate that, but I did have an awesome birthday. Oh well, I will just have to write more the remainder of this week.

In my last post I discussed maybe a new idea involving my newly honed cake decorating skills, well I laid in bed all night dreaming up my new characters life and troubles.

Now I need to jot everything down and stick my head back into Mady's world so that I can get her story out there. In fact I just recently finished writing about her 18th birthday. I'll be honest with you, her's was a tad more eventful, but I think mine ended on a happier note.

It has been a fascinating whirlwind, and I am enjoying the roller coaster. The race to finish has been an emotional ride for me.
The end will be a breathtaking reward.

Icing on the Cake

I am brain dead tired. Pure and simple.

It seems this past week that I have been pushing myself as far as I can when it comes to writing. I am damned and determined to finish Mady's story before the end of Summer... But wait, Summer hasn't even began yet. What is wrong with me?

Well that is a discussion for another time and place!

On top of writing anywhere from 1000 - 2500 words a day this past week, I have also had the bright idea to take cake decorating classes with my mom.

I don't even like cake - or icing. (But I do enjoy the time with my mom.)

In preparation for tomorrow's class, my mom and I had to make 4 - that is FOUR - pounds of icing today. I am thinking after this is all said and done, my next character is going to own a cake shop or something. I need some sort of reason for taking these classes especially since as I said a few lines up, I do not eat cake or icing, and neither do my husband or son. My daughter, well she will eat anything with the label contents of sweet. However, being a year old, I limit her sugar intake to about barely any.

Speaking of my next character, I had a BPL meeting on Saturday, the 12th. It was alright. My dialogue in my chapter 6/7 seems to be awkward when reading. Yuck. When revision time comes, I will worry about awkward scenes then. Until then, I am typing as fast as my mind can think.

But at the meeting I was asked what my next project was about.
I just looked at her with a stupid look on my face. Next project??? I am still working on THIS project. I don't have time to think about a new one. Then she proceeded to fill me in on her workload. I about choked on my water, that would have been embarrassing.
She obviously doesn't sleep, ever.

So I came home and started thinking about her question and advice.
Then my thoughts collided with several other thoughts.

Hmmm, maybe I do have an idea. A cake decorator from Colorado or Texas. (I like to keep my setting in places I am most comfortable with.)
Okay it is a very small one, but an idea none the less. Right?
Maybe I'll just keep working on it.

In the mean time, I will keep on writing.

Just a Quickie

This past weekend proved to be beneficial to my WIP. I finished two full chapters and am in the midst of the third. Pretty good in my opinion. I mostly have taken a break from the writing world today, my daughter has a stomach virus and vomiting trumps writing.

I did however get 5 pages, while I was at work, ready for revisions. Not revised, ready to be revised. (Meaning I marked my mistakes on paper but have not corrected the computer version.)I will attempt to actually get it finished tomorrow, on break of course, so that I can upload the chapter for this weekend's BPL meeting.

It has been an exhausting night, but maybe I can still fit in a few extra words in Chapter Seventeen... So, good night for now.

Personal Deadlines

It has been officially a month since my last post, guess I never did find that Mental Drano I was hoping for.

Well guys, I missed my own deadline on my current WIP. It was set for May 31st, and I am here to say I Failed with a capital F.

But that is okay, I refuse to beat myself up over it. I will gather my wits and jump back into it. It isn't like I have been twiddling my thumbs and humming a sleepy tune. I have revised the first five chapters and slowly but steadily kept up a snail pace at the actual writing bit.

I have a BPL writer’s meeting this Sunday so maybe that will help kick me in gear. It didn’t last time, though I did meet a published Author, Sarah Hoyt. I have never read anything by her, but she was extremely nice and gave helpful advice, sharing experiences of her own hurdles she has had to overcome. Maybe I will pick up a book by her and see how her imagination works.

In the mean time, I am going to go back to staring blankly at my computer screen. Hey at least I have had a chance to catch up on some really good music…

My new deadline, finish WIP by the time summer is over.
Can I accomplish my objective and overcome my own personal hell? Maybe you should wish me luck and cross your fingers with me!

Mental Drano

Technically Ugh isn’t truly a word, just a sound. But today, it is my word of choice.
Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!

I’ve got nothing. My writing has hit a major lag in every aspect possible. I haven’t been able to get 20 words out on my WIP in six days. SIX! I can’t seem to get words out of my head. I even tried doing revisions on two chapters already written. That didn’t help what so ever getting words down on paper, but it did get the chapters ready for my BPL group meeting today. I am telling myself to think positive, but one word just keeps popping into my head and I think I have already typed it enough in today’s post.

Speaking of posts, this has been my first one in how many days? Too many. I have nothing to write here either.

What is wrong with me? Wait, don’t answer that...

Something has blocked the connection between my imagination and my fingers. I am in serious need of some mental Drano.

Natures Inspiration

I was once asked what inspires me.

At the time I was unsure of the correct answer. I had never really put much thought into it. When an idea struck, or a feeling came over me, I just wrote.

Today my best friend and I took my daughter to the Botanical Gardens here in Fort Worth. We use my daughter as an excuse to go, (she needs the fresh air, she will love the pretty colors...). In reality, we are the ones giddy over getting to see the many arrays of flowers, wishing we had been given green thumbs. (We’d manage to kill dirt trying to plant something.)

During our visit, we were walking around the turtle pond when we noticed a shady looking building, almost hidden by trees and growth, with a sign in front posted Restricted. So of course we looked around to see if anyone was looking and quickly pushed the stroller, holding my daughter of course, and got as close as we could to take pictures. It was after the snapshots had been taken when we realized that the sign posted on the old stone building did not read Restricted… but in fact read Restrooms. (Maybe it is time for the both of us to visit the eye doctor.)

After a bout of laughing at ourselves, we looked around this wooded area set back far away from the pretty gardens and a scene played out in front of me. It was like writing magic.

I could see the character skulking in the murky darkness, watching his chosen victims as they walked hand in hand down the moonlit path.

Then I saw the teenage couple climbing over the fence, after hours, to have a midnight rendezvous in the fragrant flower beds. Then a storm blows in and they run for cover to this mysterious building only to find a killers lair where he keeps his trophy parts of his victims.

Hmmm, the possibilities.

The question was… Where do I get my inspiration from?
Well, I am beginning to think nature is what does it for me.

A Pseudonym

Emily Brontë had Wuthering Heights originally published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. She had two other sisters that also had books published during that time period; Agnes Grey written by Anne Brontë (pseudonym Acton Bell); Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Brontë (pseudonym Currer Bell)
These books were published 160 years ago and are still in circulation today, they must have been talented.

But since each one had a pseudonym it goes to show how different our worlds are from then to now. I couldn’t imagine living in a world where a female writer had to publish her writings under a male name just to be put in ink. I would like to think that in today's world it is different, but only by a mere fraction. I read on J.K Rowlings website that they gave her the J.K. pseudonym because she was a female writing about a young boy’s adventures. I never would have thought that made a difference. I love the Harry Potter books, I own all seven of them. It never once occurred to me as strange that she was a she.

There are several authors out there that chose to use a pen name. Some use their own name and then when trying their hand at a different genre or audience, they use an alias.

I have never been published, though I do hope someday I will be, but I wonder if and when that time comes if I will use my real name or use a pseudonym name.

British Literature

Again it has been a few days... or a week, which ever way you prefer to look at it, since I have posted last.

My WIP has not received the attention that it deserves, but some days writing is shoved to the side. Lately, many days.
I had my BPL writers group meeting last Sunday, there were only three of us that were able to attend... The other two weren't able to read any of the entries submitted, I only read one. So needless to say it was less than a productive critique session. However, it was still a great meeting. We discussed each others techniques in characterization, and what helps us come up with our ideas and plots. My secret of daydreaming while driving was uncovered... My advice for the day, don't be personal friends with someone in your group. Just an FYI, they tell on you.

Since our meeting was held at the local Barnes and Noble, my friend and I picked up a few books that peaked our interest., three of them being from the 19th century, Mansfield Park, The Scarlett Letter and Wuthering Heights. I have started Wuthering Heights and everyone I have spoken with about this book has said that they read it in high school. Now I assure you that I did attend high school, but for the life of me I do not remember ever reading this book.
The beginning was hard to get into, but by the fifth chapter, I think I have finally become hooked and intrigued by these characters. Mind you, I still do not understand some of the language being read, and at times I feel incompetent.

But I will read to the end.

Needless to day, I do not think I would be very successful at writing historical British fiction.

Production

Boy, it sure has been a while since I have posted anything. Life gets busy, busy some times.
With his past weekend being Easter weekend, I spent very little time writing on my WIP. Now it is time to pick back up where I left off... This being easier said than done. Taking a hiatus, from my make-believe world for my real world, slows me down until I get back into the swing of my own imagination.

On a productive note, I registered yesterday to attend an all day long event of writers workshops in Weatherford. It is called Books 'n Authors 'n All That Jazz. This will be my first real workshop. Now I just hope I don't get sleepy during this event. I have this bad habit when I am put in a class like setting, within ten minutes my eyelids start to droop and I can't help but yawn constantly. I find it terribly rude, but it isn't something I know how to prevent.

Even now thinking about it, I am yawning and my eyes want to close. Oh wait, that could be because it is 11:40 pm.

The Disturbed Miss. Woods

I found myself having a conversation, with a friend from work, about a fictional story her daughter wrote for school. Of course my weakness for reading all things readable had me asking to see her paper.

Let me just say…
Miss. Woods, I can see why your teacher was perturbed and wanted to send you to the counselor.

However, it was excellent for a piece that dialogue was not allowed, descriptive, disturbing, and roughly realistic. Ever think about being a writer?
I hadn’t at her age, but I never let anyone even know that I took pleasure in writing, let alone see what I had written.

Goals

I set a goal for myself on this WIP, and so far I am ahead of my own game. A quick writer would not describe me in any form. But this currant WIP, I have averaged 1500 words a day and given that I have a limited amount of time to sit down and concentrate, that is an excellent number for me. Being as I still have a long way to go, here is hoping my goal is achieved through out till the end.

I think I have become entirely too wrapped up in this character in the short time since I have created her. There have been moments where I cried for her and had to call a friend to make fun of myself. The character's life is sad, hard, unhappy with very little to give her hope to get through each day. What does that say about me since I am the one who made her who she is. Maybe I am that good! Or that crazy!
I submitted my first chapter to my BPL group last week and I received satisfying reviews, so it gives me hope at least.
That is it for now, hopefully I will have better posts when my mind slags for a bit.

Courage

I have a BPL meeting tomorrow afternoon and the work I submitted has me nervous.

You hear that some of the best writings are from a writers personal experience of a situation.
I took a personal experience from my past and knitted it into a story outline. I am not very far into it, only 6000 words, but I have only just begun writing four days ago. It is the best work I have done so far and I only hope I have the courage to finish this one. Though I am not feeling very courageous. In fact this one has been straining emotionally. Just last night writing a scene I found myself weeping for my main character, Mady. How scary is that? She is only make believe. Right?

I have started ten different projects in the past 2 years and have yet to complete any of them. In fact, even this one has been attempted two times prior.

They say third times a charm... Maybe this is my charm.

Accomplishments

Today I started a new WIP, putting my supernatural WIP on hold for right now. I need a step back from it. I need to come at it with a fresh point of view.
Last night before bed an idea came to me and played out in my head until I drifted off to sleep.
This morning I wrote down as much as I could and doing the same during breaks today at work. When I got home I wrote frantically before going to the gym, even writing during dinner one handed. How sad...
After I put the kids to bed, I was right back on my laptop typing away.
My goal was to write 2500 words today, to finish the first chapter and stop it from playing over and over in my head like a repetitive movie reel.

I am excited to say, I accomplished my goal. I finished up with 2522 words to count and the first chapter completed and ready for critique.

Emerson

I love bookmarks...
I came across a book mark today that caught my attention.

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” - Emerson

Tonight I looked up this quote to learn more about this Emerson.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
He was a very insightful man. Look him, see what he had to say.

Critiquing

I am a member of a small critique group, I refer to them as the BPL group. We meet on average twice a month and I look forward to these meetings with a mixture of excitement and anxiety.
Will they enjoy what I have written? Or will they hate it?
Each meeting ends with a sigh of relief when I leave with positive feedback, not once have they said my work has stunk, even when myself thinks that I could have done better.

But there are two sides to being a member of a critique group...

Not only do I have MY work read by others-- but I have to read others work as well. I do not enjoy this by any means. Don't get me wrong, I like the reading part, seeing what others have imagined, others who want to be published like me, and others who have been published as well.
No. I hate the critiquing part.I despise having to go into that meeting and face to face tell that person what mistakes I have found with what I have read.

I am a confident person, cocky even at times. But some how when it comes to these moments, I become a stuttering, naive, daft little girl.
One day I will walk in there being myself.
Outspoken and courageous.

Dr. Suess and His Wisdom

Reading is one of my favorite pastimes, I can get lost for hours in a good book. A good book has me disappointed that I have reached the end. I will read just about anything as long as it isn't too sad. But there have been those rare moments that I find myself reading the same first two pages over and over, and it just doesn't hold my interest. BUT then I feel horrible guilty because the Author put time and effort into making their dream come true and here I can't even get through the first chapter... I know, I am probably nuts for these moments.
Oh well.

My favorite thing to come across are those books that hold my attention and then finding out that the Author is from Texas. Just the other day I came across a link for a YA called The Stolen One by Suzanne Crowley and she is from right here close by. I think I am going to pick it up this weekend, it sounds like a good book.

Speaking of Authors,

Yesterday was the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss. At my my sons school they were told to bring in their own Seuss books this week. We dug out one that I bought him when he was less than a year old, Oh The Places You'll Go! This book has been hidden away on the bookshelf for years. I have always HATED this book from the one and only time I have ever read it to him. Oh how I remember the fit I threw to my husband over this being a children's book, 7 years ago...

Boy was I stupid.
We read the book together tonight, and this is a book that we should ALL have a copy of. Keep it by our nightstand even and read it once a week, some of us nightly.

Yes, the message is a bit advanced for a baby, even tonight there were a lot of explanations as to why, or what a passage meant. But overall, we should all keep in mind that life isn't easy, but you can do anything, be anything and we must always remember to enjoy the ride no matter how many times we fall down, get lost or enter scary places. In the end, you have to make your dreams come true. We are responsible as to what kind of journey we took in this one life we have been given.

Oh The Places We Can Go!!!!

Strengthening the Brain

It has been a while. Sometimes life is hectic, and I do not see it slowing down anytime during the month of March. This is alright with me, I enjoy a busy life. It leaves less time for the mind to go sour!

I do wish for additional time to write further some days. Though I am not sure if this week's lack of words on paper is more of being too busy or tired, or of me being intimidated by my own thoughts. I seem to struggle more with key points in my book that I know need to be in my WIP. This is what slows me down, these moments I almost call it quits, forget writing, it is just too hard for me. But I enjoy this, I feel invigorated when the words are no longer visual scenes floating around in my head.
For years I thought I was crazy. I'd drive, daydream, shower and have these strangers act out parts in my head. I wish I had thought to put it all on paper sooner. There are days that I feel like I have wasted a big chunk of my life because I never thought to pursue my imagination. So no I can't quit just because it becomes difficult.

As the saying goes, What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger.

The Importance of a Name

Who knew that searching for names could be mind boggling.
In the beginning of the process for my WIP, I spent weeks finding, using and discarding, until I found the perfect names for each of my characters.
While writing earlier today I realized that for my story plot to even be workable, each of the four important characters would not only need to keep their names that they have today, but they will each need a name for four different centuries. I continued my stride just putting in (new name) when I came upon a point where the name was needed.
Tonight I have spent the majority of my writing time researching the ideal names from the 17th Century, 18th Century, and 19th Century. Did you know that Bacon was a popular name during the 17th Century Ireland Era?
Me neither...
Needless to say, I have my glorious names and I am back on track once again.

Writing vs. Snow

Last week we reached a record for snow fall here in Texas. My diving board held around eight inches if not more. It was a beautiful sight here at my house. For Texas, this was considered practically snowed in.
Perfect time for hard core writing, right? I wish.
I carried my laptop around with me for three solid days only to revise three pages. Story flow seem to have had clog because I stared at the same paragraph for four days moving no farther. I took Valentine's Day off from any sort of writing thoughts.(I would have written even on Valentines if I would have had something to write.) Then come Monday night when I have to get up early for work the next morning, my mental Drano kicked in and I moved right along getting as far as I possibly could until my husband reminded me that it was a work night and I should call it a night. I work two and a half days a week, why couldn't the words pour out of me on any of the previous five days?
Oh well, though it was bad timing, I did manage to get through a difficult spot. That makes it all worth it in the end.

Strangers

This has been a busy weekend in the "writing" compartment of my life.
Yesterday I attended the book signing for Candace Havens new book "Take Me if You Dare". She is extremely nice! But I am going to have to seriously work on my fear of speaking out loud to strangers. I am a member of her writer's workshop so I receive emails from her on assignments to do, so I feel as though I know her. Then face to face with her, it felt as though it was my first day at a new school and I checked my voice at the front door... I would have been handed back my new book, still wet with ink, and turned and walked right out that door with out a mutter to Candace if it hadn't been for my mother, who doesn't believe in the word stranger,who practically yelled out "She writes too!!!"
So I was then asked by awesome Candace, What do you write?
My response... this was my shining moment, and I said, "Uhh...I uh... "
After about a full minute of stuttering, I did finally find that wretched voice of mine and answer her, AFTER I looked foolish.
I am seriously going to have to figure out a way to overcome my fear of actually speaking to a stranger. It isn't like it was ingrained into my head as a young child not to speak to strangers, remember that was not a word in my home.

Moving on...
Today was my BPL meeting. It was one of those love it/hate it moments.
They are critiquing a book that I have already completed the first draft on and need to start doing the revisions. The hate it part came into play today because the chapter that I submitted, I found so many mistakes that I shouldn't have made. Not even minor but major ones. Oh well, that is the writing process. Learning from your mistakes and growing from them. Reviewing this piece while continuing to write on my WIP has also helped me realize that I prefer to write in first person. I love being inside my main characters head and making her thoughts real instead of just being the third person telling a story.

Speaking of my WIP...
I am happy to say that I did complete my latest chapter and I seem to be moving along fairly well in the one progressing at the moment.

Productivity

It has been a productive day for my WIP.
I have managed to outline the next three chapters, then I brainstormed some crucial details to my story line that will be important in later chapters, and now I am in the process of finishing up the chapter that I am in right now. If Iwork like mad tonight, I think I can finish it before time for bed.
I wish days could always be this rewarding. Less banging my head against the keyboard when stumped, would mean less bruising the next day.

Ideas

Today has been a gratifying day. While at the gym I managed to brainstorm a key plot to my current WIP (work in progress). Something that I have been struggling with for a while now.
Normally I keep a notebook with me at all times in case I have any valuable ideas pop into my thoughts at random times during my day. (Yes, even at the gym.)
But no, not today. Where was my notebook?
At home on the couch. Lot of good that did me, mid stride on the elliptical.
As soon as I put my son to bed, I hurriedly jotted all of my new found thoughts down as quick as I could (while trying to keep my ten month old off of the stairs).
So major hurdle overcome, now to just bring it to life...
It will take me a few days to throw it around in my head, but I have faith. Derek (my main male character) has been itching to get his side of the story heard and at long last, he will have his moment of glory.

Not so Funny

Okay I just swallowed my heart back down my throat and it is securely back in it's rightful place now.
My laptop decided to play a practical joke on me. I was sitting here looking up the legend of St. Elmo's in CO when all of a sudden everything went dead. DEAD, not even that electric blue battery charging light was smiling up at me.
This entire months writings have not been saved on a flash drive, and only choppily saved elsewhere.
I hit the start button, nothing. By the third time I picked up my phone to call my husband at work. I won't deny, I had full intentions of ranting and freaking out, fully expecting him to fix the computer over the phone, 45 minutes away all while smiling lovingly at me...
Luckily (not sure if for my husband or myself) the trickster booted right back up just like nothing ever happened, in fact I felt a little as though it was mocking me, making sure I knew who was really in control here.
Needless to say I will not let a day go by, let alone a month, with out saving my days work in every possible way that i know how!

I am all for a funny joke, however I did not find the humor in this one.

Check out Candace Haven's new book "Take Me If You Dare". She is awesome, and she is from Texas too!

10 Words

I am a member of the Write_Workshop and today my mission is to go through the Dictionary and fine ten words that I have never seen before and use them in my prose. To be honest I am not real sure what a prose is, so I am just going to assume she is meaning my WIP (work in progress).

This is what my list tooks like:
Conflagration: a large and destructive fire
Plenipotentiary: invested with full power
Conurbation: an aggregation or continuous network of urban communities
Tetchy: peevish; testy; irritable
Blackgaurd: a scoundrel
Cabal: a group that seeks power usually through intrigue
Plangent: beating with a loud or deep sound; also, expressing sadness
Laudable: worthy of praise; commendable
Obdurate: hardened in feelings or in wrongdoing; unyielding
Chthonic: dwelling in or under the earth; also, pertaining to the underworld

Thank goodness for Dictionary.com and their WORD OF THE DAY catalogue.
Wish me luck!!!

Day One

Today I created my own Blog. Why?
Because yesterday at my BPL meeting I was advised on ways to Self Promote myself. Why do I need to self promote?
Because I am an unknown writer who aspires to be published writer. SO here I am, sitting in the dark on my lap top with a needy kitten asleep on my chest, listening to the snores of my ten month old daughter, trying desperately to come up with something interesting to say...

To be honest, I am a little nervous doing anything like this. I have been writing for years and except for my husband and a select few others, it has been my deep dark secret. Stupid right?
My family and I took a trip to CO a week before school started back up and something inside of me just clicked. An idea for an awesome story came to life in my head on the drive home and hasn't hushed since. Along with non stop wheel turning in my head came the dire need to share my urging desire to write with any one and everyone. Hence how I found myself sitting in that little white room at the library, with my most supportive friend, introducing my children like characters to strangers to be critiqued by the BPL group. (Such a fantastic group of people.) And so now, here I am folks... Self Promoting!!!!!