Where do you want to be?

Where do you want to be five years from now?  No, this isn't a job interview.  It's a career question.  Where do you want your writing career to be five years from now?  Three years?  One?  Next month?  On one of the big lists?  Looking at your astronomically large bank statement?  Or simply getting great feedback from your critique partner/group?  Big or small, grand or humble, dreams can be reached by a) making a plan and b) taking incremental steps forward.  Man did not step on the moon the day after President Kennedy issued the challenge to be there by the end of the decade (the 60's.)  It took over eight years, and many, many small steps.  The first men in space didn't even circle the globe.  With each mission, more data was collected and the goals grew larger.

What was your first writing goal?  To finish a book?  A scene?  A sentence?  Mine was to write the end of the book.  I woke from a dream and had a the ending scene in my head.  I didn't know these people, I had no idea what their beginning was, but I vowed to get them to the climatic end.  (I learned about big, black moments later.)

After awhile, I realized I needed help, so I took a gigantic, courageous step and found a writing group.  Then a critique group.  I finished a book.  And another.  A contest was entered.  A query letter was written.  A writing conference was put on the calendar.  Individual goals, but each was a step on the path to publication.

Were they part of a plan?  Nothing I'd consciously put on paper.  Do you want to leave your career to chance, or do you want concrete, constructive input?  Get out a piece of paper, open a new Word file, uncap that dry-erase marker.  Go ahead, I'll wait.  (insert Jeopardy theme song)  Ready?  At the top, write your goal.  Make it a big goal.  Now write the thing that has to happen just before the goal becomes a reality.  Write the action before that.  And the one before that.  Keep working backward until you are at where you are now.  Guess what?  You wrote a plan.   Add some target dates for each mini-goal and you have a workable plan.

Now go out and make it a reality.  I will. 

Did you vote?

Did you vote today?  From start to finish, including voting time, my wait was an hour.  It was beautiful weather outside of the polling place, and I used the time wisely.  No, not reading, but filling out character charts for my current WIP.  The activity filled in a few holes in their personalities and exposed others.

It's always good to have a plan B, whether your wait is planned (voting) or not (traffic backups).  

Whatever the outcome of today's election, take pride in exercising your rights.  Don't take it for granted.  At the risk of sounding schmalzy, God Bless America!

I gots to get me some BBC

Aaargh!  Unfair.  There ought to be a way to get original BBC programming here in the States.  Not BBC America.  Plain old BBC.

I'm talking about the series "Spooks" now in its seventh season.  The cast is awash in man candy:

Rupert Penry-Jones, aka Captain Wentworth in Persuasion (the kiss at the end - oh, wow)

Or - Richard Armitage, aka John Thornton in North and South ("Turn back.  Turn back to me."  heartwrenching scene)

Or - Matthew Macfadyen, aka Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice

Did I mention the guest list?

Hugh Laurie

Ian McDiarmid

Anthony Head

To name a few

Did I mention it's a spy show?

So unfair.

And totally unavailable as a download.

Le sigh.

Who are these people?

I've spent almost a hundred pages with Ian and Sophie, they're in the middle of angry sex, and I don't know who they are.  To remedy that, I took out some old notes on the best story I've ever written (you will weep at the fragility of their relationship) and have applied them to the two strangers in my WIP. 

* What is his/her external goal?

* What is his/her external motivation?

* What is his/her external conflict

(yep, GMC)

* What is his/her internal goal?

* What is his/her internal motivation?

* What is his/her internal conflict?

* What would he/she never do?

* What is he/she afraid of?

* What is he/she really afraid of?

* What is his/her bone deep "the world will end if anyone knows" fear?

* What is his/her strength?

* What is his/her flaw?

* What was the worse decision he/she ever made?

* How does he/she see himself/herself?

This has helped enormously.  I knew Sophie was a "fixer", but her "world will end" fear?  She doesn't want anyone to know she doesn't know what she's doing.

And her internal motivation?  If I can fix everyone else's problems, then I don't have any.

I still have a few holes to plug, and some plotting (gasp!) to do, but now that I know how their traits affect each other - it sets up more conflict.  And that's a good thing.

Writing is easy

The story is already written, it's my job to find it.

With my new story (started Aug. 1, 86 pages complete) I'm uncovering it layer by layer.  Like all things layered (cabbages, lettuce) not every leaf is perfect.  Sometimes, there are holes.  Sometimes, a nasty surprise.  Sometimes, perfection.

I usually write clean first drafts.  But, as they say, each story is different, and this one is messy.  My heroine is reactive, my hero doesn't have enough motivation.  Until this weekend, which I spent with most of my writing group at a wonderful retreat, I didn't see these flaws.  Or the non-mention of eye & hair color of my two main protagonists.  Or. . .well, you get the idea.  So now I'm regrouping, beefing up the weak areas and thinking whole picture instead of what the next scene will be.  It will be better, stronger and tighter.  I even found the perfect place for the first sex scene, which has been a problem in the past.

And I was reminded of an old story, which, after a cursory read-through last night, reminded me of how good it is.  It's time for it to make the rounds again.  It's time for a good, old pirate/virgin mother story to be heard.

Writing is easy.

Getting out of Dodge and the Real skinny on raw diet

Getting out of Dodge.  City, that is.  That's where we are today, my friends, in the heartland of feedlots and meat packing plants.  Not a great place for two gals who just spent three days avoiding the taste of slaughtered animals.

From what I gathered, and bear in mind I attended less than 5% of the six hundred workshops given (somewhat) raw food is the tip of the iceberg.  It is a portal to a healthier lifestyle.  There are many thoughts on the raw diet, from supplements to dehydration to raw only to colon cleanses.   The main idea is that anything cooked destroys the natural enzymes and nutrition of the food.  Which makes great sense.  The further from the soil the food is eaten, the more it is stripped of its nutrients.

Example stories I heard but cannot confirm:

One vegetarian meal a week saves 1160 miles of driving

Beef is considered protein, but nutritionally has only 15% protein, 85% fat

Seeds and nuts are considered fat, but have only 15% fat

Blue-green algae is one of the most nutritious foods around (I cannot tolerate it by itself by it's great in a protein bar)

Going raw is difficult for some people because of they use food as an emotional crutch.  If they can't find comfort in the refrigerator, they're forced to look inward, and to many that is scary beyond belief.  So going raw is not just the food choices, but coming to terms with old demons and vanquishing them.

As for curing common and uncommon ills, check out just one website for inspiration:

 www.mycrazysexylife.com

Off the soapbox.  I'm going to start incorporating some of this stuff when I get home, and have even now, on the road.  I can't promise I'll never eat cooked again (rice!  bread!) but life is a journey.

Road Trip Day ? Somewhere in the Southwest

Ha, ha, kidding about that last part. We're in Santa Fe after having spent five wonderful days in Sedona. I'm moving there. For real.  Just not this year.  2009?  What the heck.

Raw Fest was and wasn't what I had thought.  Like any sub-cultural, it has its kooks and fanatics.  And serious, funny, wonderful, warm people who want to do right with their lives and bodies.  I can't judge any of them.  Nor should anyone else.  I mean, really, the people not on this lifestyle?  Sick.  Overweight.  Tired.  Blimpy.  Barely able to drag themselves out of bed and exist every day.  The raw fooders?  From what I've seen - thin.  Healthy.  Energetic.  Able to cure cancer, heart disease, diabetes and asthma with nothing but what grows in the ground.  Hoo-rah for them.

Road Trip Day 4

We're in the Colorado Rockies, having put almost five hundred miles on today.  Two touristy stops - a buffalo made of barbed wire, and the Cathedral Rocks in Kansas, which were the highlight of the day.  Not very touristy, as we had to wind down a dirt road for seven miles before we found them.  Nothing around for miles.  No other cars, no people, just the wind and some cows.  

Then across some lonely roads in dark, dreary Kansas, not meeting another car for miles and alternating between flat, flat lands and long, low hills.  The minute we hit Colorado, the sun came out and we started climbing.  And climbing.  Fifty miles away, we saw Pike's Peak.  Dinner was in Colorado Springs inside a beached fighter jet turned restaurant.  Pretty cool.  So that makes three touristy things, though I'm not going to count the rocks.

Tomorrow, the Grand Canyon then Sedona.

Road Trip Day 2

Abilene, Kansas, the end of the Chisholm Trail and the home of our 34th president, Dwight "I Like Ike" Eisenhower.  

We spent last night east of St. Louis, rose, took our walk  then drove to the waterfront to ride to the top of the Gateway Arch.  Picture five people knee to knee in a giant egg rocking back and forth.  Four minutes up, three down.  Ten at the top.

Tomorrow we explore the finer points of the sunflower state (giant ball of twine, a buffalo made of barbed wire, etc) before meeting a friend of my daughter's who now lives in Garden City in the west side of the state.  Tuesday is her birthday, so she gets a birthday dinner from familiar people.

Off now to plot the big adventure.

More signs

Spotted license plate:  GOIN2AZ

check out this website: www.roadsideamerica.com

5 in 2, I get the picture

Sedona messages keep wandering into my life.  On Wednesday and Thursday, I talked to five people who have visited Sedona.  One man went there for the first time in 1959.  I received advice to a) ride a hot air balloon b) take a train ride c) go to the airport for a fabulous view.  For a little town of 11,00, it sure has a lot of visitors, at least within my sphere.

My daughter is temporarily home, and we've touched on different aspects of the trip.  St. Louis for sure, Santa Fe (which was featured on Rachel Ray less than ten minutes after she mentioned it - did I mention the psychic powers floating around here?)

On a secondary note, I am waaaay too dependent on the internet.  We lost it Saturday and I was forced to call Comcast and schedule a tech visit.  Fortunately, DH wiggled some cables, and we're back in business.  

Writing wise, I've super-duper cleaned Tall, Dark and Slayer, and it is finished.  I've started The Princess Rescuer, which has been renamed  The Dark Ages Detective Agency.  The rule is - there are no rules.  It is a total medieval farce, and I'm enjoying the first few pages written - a talk between two minions, one of whom is pushing the other to join the henchmen's union.  See?  No rules.

2,400 miles down, 4,000 to go

Between July 4th and 11th, DH (and various members of the Sterling family) piled 2,400 miles on to our trusty Malibu.  (three adults do not fit well in the back seat.)  First up-Traverse City.  Best part of the weekend?  A toss up between the Blue Angels airshow and the New Age bookstore we found.

Monday-all day on the road to Pennsylvania, taking Libby home as she packs 

up four years of college life (most of which returned with us Tuesday and Wednesday

)  The best part?  Tooling around the back roads Tuesda

y morning to Ringing Rocks Park.

Thursday-Lake Michigan beach.  A fabulous place that we tend to take for granted.  Best part? The hot pink plastic shovel that washed up, allowing me to repair a moat left by previous visitors.

Friday-the casino.  Best part?  Coming home with only $5 less than I started

Saturday-our local RWA meeting, connecting with fellow writers.

What's next?  What about that 4,000 miles in the title?  Huh?  Our graduation present to Libby was fairly open ended - a trip.  Somehow, it morphed into a trip with Mom, similar to our European romp of 2003.  After much debate, delay and consideration, the possibilities of Iceland, Ireland and Morocco were discarded for (drumroll, please) Sedona, AZ.  At Raw Spirit Fest 2008 www.rawspiritfest.com.   Go figure.  I'm going to spend three days in September not eating cooked food.  Do not talk to me for at least two weeks afterward, or ten Big Macs, whichever comes first.

The best part is, it's going to be a roadtrip.  Why?  With the price of gas climbing every week?  Well, is it going to go down in price?  The cost and hassle of a plane ride for the two of us will probably equal the gas we'll buy.  Which leaves cheap hotels and eating out of a cooler.  The cost of spending two weeks with my daughter:priceless.

Look for more blogs as we map the great American west for awesome things to see.

Look out, giant ball of twine (it's in Kansas)

Feedback

Not too long ago, a member of my Toastmasters club gave a speech on evaluating speeches.  At the end of the speech, he passed out handouts of what he'd covered.  Handouts are cool.  Remember that the next time you give a presentation.  But, I digress.  With a little word substitution, I've borrowed from his speech to give you the rules for effective writing critiquing. Thank you, Bruce.

1.  Give positive reinforcement

2. Help the writer stay motivated

3. Evaluate the writing - not the person

4. Nourish self esteem

5. Show the writer how to improve

6. Show that you care

7.  Suit your evaluation to the writer

8. Learn the writer's objectives

9. Personalize your critique

It's easy to forget we were not always experienced writers and there are tender writers just starting out who should not be treated roughly - as we might have been.  On the other hand, we don't need to sugarcoat bad writing, either.  Use the above guidelines to give an honest, constructive evaluation.   One of the responsibilities earned by our experience is to teach.  Do it in a good way. 

Why writing is like remodeling

It started with a gallon of paint. Luminary was the color. For various reasons, it took almost two months from purchase to application. The results - shocking! A nice, rich gold morphed into school bus yellow. In my bathroom!

A day later, my perspective has changed. Why have a safe gold color when you can have a HAPPY Bathroom? A Cinco de Mayo explosion of color? The start of a bright and expressive place to live?

With the shift of thought, we've begun a complete remodel of our condo. No more boring neutrals (maybe the carpet, which needs replacing.) No more safe choices. Today, we started with a new kitchen table. Wednesday, we pick up my new craft table, which replaces a boring desk I don't use. A large worksurface with shelves underneath equals more opportunities for creativity, which should spill into my writing. If you look closely, you'll see the top has a seam down the middle. It folds onto itself, but unfolded, the worksurface is twice as deep. Notice the shelves, perfect for baskets. I could go on and on.

But wait, you say. What does this have to do with writing? Simple, oh young one. One simple spark, an idea, a twist in the plot, can lead you and your characters on a wonderous journey. Sally isn't the girl next door that you envisioned. Instead, she's a space pirate. The hero's best friend is the real father of his daughter. The heroine's boring backstory suddenly becomes the catalyst of terrible problems. Or choices she has to make, each one suckier than the last. Your characters will go on a school bus ride of epic proportions, with ruts in the road and dead ends, mudslides and terrorist attacks. But somewhere in the adventure, they'll find a new side of themselves. Better. Colorful. And maybe, if they're lucky, they'll find what they didn't know they'd been searching for.

Home again, home again, jiggedy jig

Pittsburgh was great. The Hilton was not. All my flights left and arrived on time. I'm back to the real world with three dozen new books (could have had more) most of them free. It was a feeding frenzy an hour into the Dorch party. The two book limit disintegrated when people realized they could get back in line. I saw women taking them out in boxes. I'm sorry, but let's not be piggy. I only took books that looked interesting, not as a means of financial support once I listed them on E-Bay. As it was, I had to bribe the airport guy to put a "heavy load" sticker on my suitcase instead of charging me extra for the weight.

Now I can concentrate on writing again instead of trawling Goodwill for one more accessory for my costumes. As soon as someone (hint, hint) emails the pictures they took of me, I'll post them. And send them pictures I took of them. The other shots are of the city itself. Was I the only one to venture out more than once?

The little store where I had Pelmeni (meat-filled dough) with a big scoop of sour cream. Yum. You can see one of the three tables in the store. The owner tried to get me to eat Halva, which is a nut/honey/mystery ingredient so sweet the half-teaspoon sample put me into a diabetic coma for a few minutes.

Walking downtown, looking for a place to eat (try Costanza's chicken marsala) I passed this chain link fence. Someone had cut out the pages of three very old books and wired them to the fence. This one had a map glued in it, with a star and the words "You are here." It was so cool, I had to take a picture.

RT Day 700, 982

This is a typical RT conference. (RWA too) Nothing works the way you want it to. I must admit, this hotel is different in that it's under construction. We are woken by hammers, saws and lots of noise. The rooms that are finished aren't. Ceiling fixtures in the halls are missing. The elevators are busy - wait! That's normal. I can't wait until tomorrow at check out time. Imagine 1,500 women, each with four suitcases, cramming five elevators. It's like the Great American Race on estrogen. Whoo-ee!
Now the only big complaint I have is the timing. Why, oh, why does it have to be during hockey play-off season? Thank God for Versus and their coverage. Which meant I missed Heather Graham's fantastic vampire ball last night. So sad. I missed losing a decade of my life.
I'd post pictures (I did bring my USB cable) but I haven't taken pictures of anything fantastic.
Off for breakfast and to prepare for the book fair.

RT Day 4

Romantic Times conference, Day 4
There are different ways to work a conference. Socially/networking; for the workshops; for the experience of being in another city. I usually opt for reason 3. Not that I don’t enjoy meeting new people and learning new things at workshop, but I love finding out new things about the city I’m visiting for several days.
Pittsburgh:Working people, a tough, gritty city with pockets of really cool places like the Strip, which is more Little Europe than any place I’ve seen outside of Europe.
The Cheesecake Factory (no lines, contrary to what I’ve heard) which is universal, but not in my part of the world. I enjoyed the architecture of my salad (really, I think there were support beams in place that dissolved as I plowed my way through it) and the wonderful cheesecake, and especially the tender care of my waiter, Paul, whom I think I have fallen in love with a tiny bit. He called me dear and wanted to take care of me. It’s probably in his waiter handbook on how to get a 25% tip from women traveling alone, but it worked, so kudos to him.
The internet connection in our room is spotty, so I’ve resorted to hanging out in the lobby to get any work done. Lots of opportunities to people-watch.
Only one workshop for me this afternoon, and maybe the opportunity to write before it starts.
Later!

There's no need to sew

There's no need to sew as long as there's a Goodwill nearby.

Here is a preview (sort of) of my costume for the Under the Sea Faery Ball at RT. The easy thing to do would be to go for the mermaid look. Tsk. So predictable. Be creative, people! We are writers, after all. With that in mind, I decided to be (ta da) the Tourist With Bad Taste Who Fell Off The Tour Boat. Think clash. Loud. Tacky. Seaweed. An anchor if I can find one. That's me, or will be.

As for the Golden Age of Hollywood Ball, first thought would be to get an extravagant ball gown and a string of pearls. But Hollywood is more than glamor, there are fringe players - like the talent scout. Exaggerated. Me, again. An oversized pair of glasses, the right hat and a sleazy attitude - does that shout Hollywood, or what?

See you there. Can't wait.

I think I'll dress up as the six of pentacles

I'm starting to think about RT. Yes, I know it's two weeks away. I have no costumes. Nothing I can make or buy will outshine the totally professional zealotry of some attendees. I'm thinking of going outside the box and dressing up as a fringe player to the different themes.

Who's going, and what are you doing for costumes?

In writing news, I hunkered down over the weekend and pounded out some pages. Plus, I did a tarot reading for my characters, which was dead on. Try it for yourself at http://www.osho.com/.

What is this mess?

Mr. Why-aren't-you-writing sometimes accuses me of being a puppy - everywhere I go, I leave puddles. In my case, paper. Piles of it. Stacks of it. Receipts, notes, articles to be files, newspaper clippings, etc. Within reach I have a receipt to Perkins that must be entered in the checkbook, my new health card, a partly finished synopsis, a spreadsheet for the last 150 pages of my WIP, a page from my Book-of-the-day calendar (I want to read most of them) and a report from the Denver Chief of Police regarding an officer-involved shooting this past January (I was doing research on non-lethal 9mm wounds.) Some of this stuff gets filed, some tossed and some of it breeds and takes over the futon.

What system do you have (if any) of controlling your paperwork?

Okay, I lied

The phrase, "the book is done" really should include the addendum "except for the synopsis." Yes, ladies and gents, I forgot one of the most important selling tools of a novel, the synopsis. Basically, boiling every fifty pages down to one. Not an easy task. And here I'm supposed to be starting on TDS again. Jeez.
While I'm at it, I'll craft one for TDS while I'm in the mood. Then, when it's done, it will be DONE.
What part of the writing process is your favorite? The thing you dread the most?

Home again

Back from Pennsylvania, where I had the dual delight of seeing my daughter and attending a workshop graciously given by the Poconos Lehigh RWA. Thanks, ladies, for a warm welcome.
I have tons of notes to decipher and lots of research to do on the three vacation spots my daughter and I (kind of) agreed on for a trip later this year.
Richard and Lissa's story is done. It's time to return to my vampire story. I had the character's voice dead on (pun intended) and have reread all two hundred and forty two pages. I know where I want the characters to go, but am open to surprises. Let the games begin!

T-3

T minus three days until I leave for the weekend.
Professionally, I'm attending a Bob Mayer workshop on Saturday. I hope when I
return, I'm all charged up and ready to plunge into TDS. I'm done with my edits for The Spell Breaker and have too much happening during the next three nights to tackle anything new, writing related.

Personally, I'm visiting my daughter (shown with not-Bob Mayer) in the same city as the workshop. Hey, it's a free sleep, and I haven't seen her since the holiday. Maybe not free, I tend to slip her a few dollars. And buy her meals. And somehow, a trip to Burlington Coat Factory always creeps into the itinerary. I know
she's busy with school and she's worried about entertaining me, but as long as I have a book to read or paper and pen, I'm set.

Griffin is home after a two day absence to be declawed. He's sleeping on the bed. Can cats get migraines? He closes his eyes whenever the lights go on, like he has a kitty headache. Poor baby. Missed him.

Cat on loan and IKEA

Meet Griffin. He's on loan from my son and DIL. They're moving to a larger apartment and decided to give him up for adoption. Mr. Why-aren't-you-writing wasn't keen on the idea of us taking him, but I'm a cat person and insisted. As you can see, he's a very ambitious cat. Right now, he's curled up beside me. He's awfully skittish, so everytime I move or there's a noise, he's looking around. I'm hoping it's temporary and he'll start to feel more at home.

Yesterday, we went to IKEA near Detroit. It was a good day, (no snow) we all four had the day off, and we were ready to rumble. This was the third trip we've made there, so you'd think the glamor had worn off. We were in there for five hours. Unless you've been there, it's hard to imagine how one store can keep you captive for that long. The trick is a very winding pathway, with more delights just around the corner. I'm sure I walked ten miles. Son and DIL debated then bought then returned a kitchen table and chairs. My major purchase was wicker baskets and some round, stacking boxes and candles that match a poster I'm using to base my color scheme from. Good times.

In writing news, I've completed filling in all the holes in The Spell Breaker, and restructured a lot of sentences to end with a strong punch. Next? One more pass to add more non-verbal communication and the five sentences, then this puppy is done and I can move on (back?) to Tall, Dark and Slayer. It's very weird not having a word count goal every day.

Major vacation warning

Mr. Why-aren't-you-writing has given his tentative approval (like I need it, but it's good to keep him happy cause he's a peach. Really. Red Haven. No, we will not discuss plums.) for me and our daughter to take a college graduation trip this summer. We have some ideas, but she's stressed with her last few months of school, so we're dipping our toes in the water about destinations. Knowing LB, it will be someplace unconventional.
If you could take the trip of your dreams, where would it be? Tell me your first and second choices and why.

Backload not backhoe (or back story)

Writers know the importance of back story, the story behind the story. We try not to abuse it, like info-dumping it in the first chapter. But do you know how to backload?

Backloading a sentence, paragraph or scene puts the "punch" at its end. It gives your words power. Take, for example, this sentence from The Spell Breaker:

Immediately, she drew back, shock numbing her.

Not bad, but it could be stronger. Immediately, she drew back, numb with shock. Isn't "shock" have more punch than "her"? Or, take this example, Mahogany, (table edge) she noted as her eyesight left her. Could we empower it more? ...as her eyesight dimmed.

It's little substitutions like this that make your work stronger. Go through your work and rearrange. Substitute. Play with the sentence structure to add power. Every sentence doesn't have to end with a wow factor, but you should strive for paragraph and scene endings.

BTW, none of this is my idea. I took an online workshop three years ago from Margie Lawson www.margielawson.com She'll be offering the same course "Empowering Character's Emotions" for the Kiss of Death online chapter next month. (www.rwamysterysuspense.org) <--shameless plug. I'm doing a read-through of The Spell Breaker, backloading, and am pleasantly surprised some of it was done unconsciously. The sign of a good teacher, yes?

112 days

Start to finish, 112 days. Yes, ladies and gents, I finished the Spell Breaker. At least, the first draft, which, as all who know me, is pretty clean. I still have to fix stuff. Like (insert wedding scene here) but the bones are there. Time to celebrate!
Yes, the car is running, good for another 97,000 miles. I think I'll take every other Wednesday off. Two weeks ago, it was the weather that kept me home. Next month? We'll see. Official March-is-finally-here party?
On to heavy edits.

Trapped at home or a day off?

The weather killed my car. Or, it was terrorists. I blissfully opened the door this morning, threw my stuff on the passenger seat and turned the key. Nothing. Not even a whine or whimper. Dead air. My trusty little car had bit the dust. Or snowpile. As we are a one car family, and Mr. Why-Aren't-You-Writing had left in his company van for the day, I was stuck. I'm currently waiting for him to appear with a new battery, the favored CPR for D.O.A. vehicles. Do you know you can pick up the phone and order a car battery as easily as Chinese take-out? No deliveries, though.

So, a day at home with no schedule. The possibilities are endless, and the list in my mind keeps growing. Unlike other free days, I'll not squander this one (I am trapped, which takes away unnecessary diversions like shopping.)

Number one priority? Finish the first draft of The Spell Breaker. All but one of the Big, Black Moments have passed, it's on to the resolution and HEA. Gonna miss these guys. Especially Richard, because he's so damn hot.

The next step? Merging the four acts, breaking it into chapters and reading it through for logistical errors and unity. By next Friday, my self-imposed deadline to restart Tall, Dark and Slayer. Another case for CPR.

Here's Richard, in case you forgot:

Yum, yum, yum.

Geek Yoga

While scouring the bookstores/craftstores/local all-in-one grocery store for a specific craft magazine I had to have, I stumbled upon the bargain book pile. On top, a collection of >50 6" x 8" cards showing different yoga poses and how to accomplish them. Hmm, I say. And look, it's on sale! I plunk down my $4.99 and trot home.

Now, I've done yoga before, but it was in a class situation, and no poses lasted longer than 30 seconds. It was a keep-'em-moving class. Actually, the attendance was so low, they threw in belly-dancing at the end.

I followed the cards for mental fatigue and exhaustion and it seemed to work. I took a nap afterward.

As for the magazine, I finally found it after looking in four places. "Cloth Paper Scissors" which has some awesome cool stuff in it, none of which I'll probably do because it looks like rocket science collaging to me. I mean, jello for rubber stamps? And what is heavy gel medium? I think it's glue, but it's hard to say. Plus, I'd have to start collecting more stuff, and I have no room for the stuff I have now and don't use. Doesn't mean I won't go to a few more garage sales come spring. . .

Happy Birthday, Mr. President

Happy 199th birthday, Abe. You don't look a day over 80. Har. Because of you, my husband doesn't have to work next Monday. I do, however. Here's my beef. If you were the president of equality, how come we all don't have President's Day off? Just asking. Anyway, have a good one, and don't let Mary talk you into a movie.

Page count update -366. That's thirty-six over the weekend. Wowzers! I didn't write yesterday because my villain had a bad case of the wimps. I think she was ready to sit down and swap recipes with the heroine, so I have to go back and find out where she lost her moxie. Then there's the rest of the smack-down and loose ends. Second draft should take a couple of weeks.

Last week, I went back and re-read TDS, which is damn good and hot! I have a March 1 deadline to start in on it again. Hellllo Gabe!

A writing weekend

I spent this weekend with a majority of my RWA chapter at a writing retreat. Lovely facilities, good food, a little booze, lots of laughs and much writing. Friday night was socializing, as we yabbered at each other and pretty much ignored our laptops (I did anyway.) Saturday was better. I cranked up the music, plopped on my headphones and knuckled down to write sex.
SEX, I tell you. Try to creatively put tab A in slot B while enhancing the relationship when a dozen or so fellow writers are shrieking with laughter in the next room. So unfair, she said, shaking her head. But imagine the understanding looks when I later announced, "I'm done with sex." (for this book) They've all been there. (And I know it wasn't all laughs, I saw lots of concentration. Could have been web surfing. . .nah.)
Except for a wickedly huge bag of M & M's, I pretty much stuck to the diet.
I am so close to finishing the Spell Breaker! Everyone is in tremendous trouble. I love it. I love writing short scenes, jumping from Lissa to Richard to Rue and making sure they have equal angst. They don't call it the Big Black Moment for nothing.
Now to get them all out and wrap up the loose ends.

Brrr!

The winds of January are about to bow out as we slide (literally, on ice) into the balmier month of February. Yesterday, I didn't go to work because the roads were so wicked the state police warned everyone to stay home. Plus, we'd lost electricity for a couple of hours, so I didn't know what appliances were on/off and which would come on when the power returned. We are woefully unprepared for a disaster of any sort, which makes me want to join a intentional community. Think updated commune. Sustainability. (the new buzzword) At least I'd be able to throw wood on the fire and keep warm. Something to think about for my next house move which should occur mmmm, let me see, in about five years if things stay on schedule.

Next- a grammatical rant. Today, I received a note about some changes in the personnel at the area office of an international organization (not RWA.) This organization's main objective is communication. Apparently, not the written kind. In a two-page note, I counted at least seven errors. I can forgive an occasional misplaced comma, heck, I've done it myself, but a missing period? "As" instead of "has"? - The board as been working on . . .And the topper (hold onto your collective hats) the invention of the (possessive) word its'. Yes. I. T. S. apostrophe.
No excuse. They need to hire me to proof all of their correspondence.

Greyhounds in wigs

I know a lot of my writer friends scrapbook or collage their stories/characters to generate inspiration. I've got a 2" binder full of pictures, notes, reference material, etc on my current WIP. I have folders of things I've ripped out of magazines. There's a folder of women, men, couples, settings, odd stuff and (more recently) sayings that might end up on a scrapbook page. ("Dark and sparkly" is the latest. It's originally from a page on metallic makeup, but it's going to fit a future character beautifully.)

Mr. Why-Aren't-You-Writing recently came home with a nine inch stack of old magazines. I've been having a field day ripping out stuff. My favorite, by far, is a two page ad from Juicy Couture (Juicy Crittoure) of two adorable greyhounds in wigs (one blonde, one pink,) pearls, ribbons and lockets. I don't know where I'll use it. I've never written a story with a dog in it, but somehow, sometime, these lovely ladies are going to make it into a contemporary with lots and lots of dog humor. It may be six books from now, but they deserve a supporting role. If I have a dog at the time, I'll buy it a cashmere hoodie with my advance. (from Juicy Couture, of course.)

What's the oddest thing that triggered a story idea for you?

Duck! Incoming! (Ideas, that is)

Here's the problem. I'm 3/4 done with my WIP, which was November's NaNo (see glossary for decoding). Probably more like 13/16 done. It's hard to tell because I've skipped over chapter breaks this time around, but we're nearing the end.

I'd like to go back and finish my pseudo-vampire story, which stands at around 250 pages. I dropped it to start and finish The Apprentice Fairy Godmother (currently at an agency). Why drop a sexy, sizzling book about a vampire slayer and their purchasing agent? (artificial blood, anyone? Chocolate? Tanning lotion?) Because I was persuaded (influenced) last spring that vampire stories are (pardon the pun) dead. The market is oversaturated, etc. Ho hum.

Really? That's not what I'm seeing on the bookshelves, but maybe I'm not as smart as the people in the industry. Aren't we (writers) always told to write something different, fresh? I think a vampire story without a vampire as either the hero or heroine is pretty damned fresh. Which is why I'm going to return to it in about a month.

In the meantime, while cleaning out vast amounts of writing debris, I found a title I'd scratched down eons ago. Immediately, characters and plots started churning in my brain and a next comedy is taking shape. I'm going to write it. After I finish my dark fantasy. After the vampire story. It may be May (cute!) before I start.

What say you all? How do you keep the next WIP at bay while maintaining interest in what needs to be finished?

And forgive the parathesis, there was a buy one get one free sale at Target.

Here's a treat for you

I've been remiss in updating my progress on "The Spell Breaker." I am on pg 291 (from zero on Nov. 1. No chapter breaks, so it's somewhere over 300.) As with the last two books, I have no idea what is going to happen when I start writing every night. Frustrating? Indeed. This I do know:

Character arcs are arcing

One of the villains will die and one will live

A secondary character will die

The heroine will find what she's been looking for all this time

There's a battle comin'

This picture is Rue, by the way. She's got spunk. And awesome hair. And a baby on the way, but I didn't know that when I started writing. Oh, those surprises. Don't you love 'em?

Jump, jump!

The visit of an energy healer to our RWA group today, and her talk of making a leap of faith reminded me of this passage, which I read last night:
"Come to the edge."
"We can't. We are afraid."
"Come to the edge."
"We can't. We will fall."
"Come to the edge."
And they came.
And he pushed them.
And they flew.
-Guillame Apollinaire

Keep track of the coincidences in your life. If you write them down, you'll be amazed at how often they occur.
Just saying.

Okay, God, I get it.

Cryptic, God, very cryptic. I ask for signs and I get 1111 and cash registers. But, Sunday, the first day without a wakeup chime, I finally got it. 1111 = One. You know the rest.

Nice job, by the way.

Hello, I'm here

Cosmic forces are trying to contact me, but they punk out after one ring. For four out of the last five mornings, I've woken up to either a phantom cell phone ring or the doorbell. Not my regular cell chime, and no footprints in the snow outside the door. This morning, the image was my husband opening a cash register drawer. Now, either lots of angels are getting their wings, or something cosmic is in the works.

Come on, fate, knock harder. I'm listening.