Pre-winter storm update

As I was typing the title I realized that y'all are further west than I am, and that you might be in the midst of the winter storm! Here we just have freezing rain so far. The ice and snow are supposed to be here tomorrow, but I'm ready. I just thought maybe I'd better pop in here in case we lose power. If I disappear from Facebook for a few days, don't worry. We could have an inch of ice with snow on top, and then high winds, so it's possible that power lines will go down. Already our modem has had to be reset. Twice.

I have gotten some words in since I got home. The total for the month is 12,136. I'm hoping next month will be more consistent, but I can't complain about my lost days since I didn't have my computer in Florida with me.

I meant to go to the gym today and didn't, but I suspect I'll get my exercise this week shoveling snow. Woo!

Other than that, I'm playing with my Mac and trying figure out the idiosyncrasies. I've already gone back to my old keyboard and mouse. It came with wireless ones, but the mouse won't right click, and the keyboard is teensy. Of course, the computer is recognizing my keyboard shortcuts, which is going to chap my hide.

That's about it here. The challenge for the rest of the week will be to keep moving. It will be more difficult as the week goes on, what with no sunshine for at least two more days. Let the games begin.

The State of M

Revisions are going well, with notes, comments, tweaks and whatnot keyed in through Chapter 4, including a total rewrite of the scene where M talks to the cops for the first time. I think the layering is tighter and the reasoning behind M's issues a bit clearer.

So far so good. I'll be tweaking the introduction of the love interest (and, with luck, the dog) tonight.

Btw, caffeine helps. Mood's much better with the application of a Diet Coke. ;)

Week 4

Yes!  Four weeks into the year. A whole month.  How are we doing for staying on track?  For me, it's a mixed bag.  Here's my status update for the week:

Fooling Mother Nature (First Draft):  No progress.

Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel):  I've been working on Lesson 7, but I've also skipped a few days this week. 

750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words each day and have a current streak of 229 days.  I've written 23505 words so far this month.  My next badge to earn is the Double Flock -- 250,000 words.  I'm currently at 223,077 words.

Internet Responsibilities:
- Two blog posts this one, one was the philosophical blog post for the month -- not the one I had in draft and was working on but another one.
- I've done a little work on the FM project and added another small project to the list. Not enough progress, but at least some.
- I did an update on the writing blog, which is my goal.  It's kind of cheating -- I copy and paste the part of this post that's above Internet Responsibilities in this entry and post it on NatRogers.com as the week's writing entry.

Pets:
- I put the new tags we got for the dogs last week onto their collars this week.
- Dazzle is going through a spry period right now where she's reasonably active and nimble.  I'm pretty sure she can't see for beans, so I have to watch her closely when we go for our nightly walk to make sure she doesn't walk into anything that will hurt her.

Property:
- Hubby's lift is assembled
- We picked up another shop vac for the shop as well as a water heater blanket for the house today.  Our water heater is in the attic, and in the winter, I think a blanket will help it work more efficiently.  Hey!  If you were forced to live and work in an unheated attic, you'd appreciate a blanket, wouldn't you?

- I helped hubby assemble the scaffolding on the front of the house so he could putty the cracks in the wood we primered I don't know how many months ago.

Health:
- I rode the recumbent bike two days this week for ten minutes each time. (Yeah, I might just be getting carried away with this.)   Max heart rate was 151 both times (down from 161 last time and 169 the time before).

Revisioning

I allowed myself a couple of days to mope, but revisions on M have officially begun and I'm almost 1/4 of the way through. While I obviously won't get it to my agent by the end of January (a personal goal, not an official deadline), I should finish the revision and polish by mid February, at the latest.

So that's all good.

What's not, is me and my moping. I've done major revisions many, many times before and it's always been a case of 'deep breath, then leap in and get it done.' But not this time, and part of my mope was wondering why. Why didn't I just do the job? Why mope at all? It's not like I disagreed with any of the comments - everyone was totally spot on, especially for the big stuff - and I know I'm not afraid of the work. I've also scrapped most of a book before and written fresh from scratch. While there are a several specific parts of M that need rewritten, mostly it's just tweaks to characters and cranking up the tension. A little change here, new scene there, nothing for pages, then a flurry of line edits. Tedious and extensive, yes. Massive overhaul... Not so much.

So why mope? Why feel frustrated and out of sorts?

I'm still not sure, but I think that maybe my mind had convinced itself that, for once, I wrote a pretty clean first draft. Or that I should have enough skill and practice to not have to rip a whole book apart again just to make it right. Or that I ought to be able to tell by now what works in a story and what's over-blown hyperbole (or flat, floppy crap) without it being pointed out to me. And it's certainly not fair - or right - to expect my writing friends to clean up my messes. I should not need this much hand holding, baby sitting, and attention. It's just a freaking book! Lots of people write them with no help at all!

I keep telling myself that I've had a really long hiatus and I'm out of practice, that first drafts always suck, that just because I can write doesn't mean that I am immune to my own blind spots or quirks.

Then I feel guilty bad that my pre-readers had to endure such a mess (that I had thought was pretty decent, shows what I know, eh?). That I've been wasting everyone's time. That I should do better, must be better, must do the dang job and do it right for a change or just go back to weeping over my quilts.

I intend to sell this book and, with luck, others. If I can't find a better, happier, cleaner way to compose, this is going to be a hard road for me. My brain's already broken once, I can't let it happen again.

Writers' Journal

Picked up a copy of Writers' Journal at my local bookstore. The issue (Jan/Feb) I read reminded me of the now defunct Byline Magazine. I thought it had good articles and seemed like a friendly, approachable magazine, unlike say Writer's Digest which has never seen an MFA that it didn't love. You can visit them online at http://www.writersjournal.com. See what you think. I give them points for having a moose on the current issue's cover.

The Winter of Our Discontent

I've always loved the title of John Steinbeck's last novel published while he was alive. The Winter of Our Discontent. The tile comes from a line from Richard III by William Shakespeare: "Now is the winter of our discontent discontent made glorious summer by this son of York."

I read the novel years ago. Came away from it depressed. Not a book that I ever want to read again, but I do love the title.

Particularly these days.

I started 2011 with such high goals and hopes. Instead I got sick right off and lost nearly three weeks to the flu. Since then I've floundered. Still not over the effects of my illness, I'm tired all the time. The days are gray and long. I watch too much TV and read as many books as I can. Escapism in its purest form. I meander from one project to another, not making true progress on any of them. Too much of this could bring me down to the point that I couldn't make my way back up.

However, this week has been better. I was able to walk at the gym Monday and today and hope to walk tomorrow. I've slowly cleared my desk of my bills and sorted out my budget. I'm in the muddle of Murder by the Acre, but have faith my subconscious is working furiously to write our way out. The job situation is unchanged, but I know -- I KNOW -- that each rejection is one step closer to a job. Or self employment. (Or starvation. Except I won't starve. I'll move with one of my friends and leech off them. Don't tell them.)

And today the sun gave us a wonderful taste of spring. Not that winter is done with us yet -- there's an Arctic blast heading our way and should hit Monday -- but I appreciate the sunshine now.

I guess the weather is as good a metaphor for the creative life as any. Sometimes the skies are bright and the words flow and the projects sing, and other times you have to stumble away through the fog and survive the storms. It's not easy, and we lose our way occasionally. I do know, however, that if we keep on working at it, if we continue to pursue our artistic vision, eventually we will step out into the sunshine again. Or is that too hokey?

I don't think so. I like it. It works for me. What works for you?

Thursday!

I'm trudging along, still working on Lesson Seven for revising Polar Bear on the Loose.

I've ridden the recumbent bike two days this week.  Both times, the max heart rate was 151 and average heart rate was around 141.

Where things is

I have been blog-avoidant for about a week now and I apologize. It's one of those things I do in almost all aspects of my life - I actively participate and relish the activity in my over the top, gung-ho kind of way, then, finding myself overwhelmed, I withdraw and hide away in a dark place to mutter and twitch until I get lonely and restless, then I start the cycle over again.

I'm still in hide-and-twitch mode, but I promised to be active in the quest for creative satisfaction - and to keep a journal of such exploits - so here goes a rather lengthy recap for this past week or so. (my ramble is below the cut)

Great quote

"When we read, we start at the beginning and continue to the end. When we write, we start in the middle and fight our way out." -- Vickie Karp

Week 3

We're now three weeks into the  year.  Here's my status update for the week:

Fooling Mother Nature (First Draft):  No progress.

Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel):  I've started Lesson Seven.  This lesson is going to be fun.  It's where I have to explore head on an area I know I have a problem with in the book, and I'm looking forward to seeing if the work I have to do in this lesson will help me sort through the problem.  I may wind up spending a few weeks with this lesson.

750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words each day and have a current streak of 222 days.  I've written 18195 words so far this month.  My next badge to earn is the Double Flock -- 250,000 words.  I'm currently at 217,767 words.

Internet Responsibilities:
- I've blogged reasonably regularly this week.
- I've done a little work on the FM project and added another small project to the list.
- I did an update on the writing blog, which is my goal.

Pets:
- We got new dog tags for the dogs.  These tags have their name on the front and both home and both cell phone numbers.

Property:
- We bought wood we'll need to replace the front steps.
- We bought a replacement light/fan/heater for the master bath -- hubby thought the old one sounded like it's dying.
- We have hubby's four post auto lift one-third assembled.  Our next task will be to lift the ramps approximately 3 1/2 feet off the floor so we can bolt them to the cross-beams.  Each ramp weighs about 500 lbs., so we'll be bracing them on pallets as we raise them a little at a time until they're safely at the height we need them to be.

Health:
- I rode the recumbent bike one day this week for ten minutes.  Max heart rate was 161 (down from 169 last time).

Timely Verse

Periodically, Wendy posts on her blog when a Bible Verse of the Day she subscribes to hits home.  I asked her about where to subscribe, because I was finding value in some of her posts.  She provided the information, and I registered to get a verse a day.  I figured it wouldn't hurt.

Tuesday was my day to prepare for my colonoscopy, which meant I could only consume "clear liquids" all day.  Here was my verse of the day:

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

I found this valuable not only for the day I needed to go without eating (I can't tell you how many times that day my mind was thinking, "You should eat something."), but it reminds me that this applies for a lot of other situations where I tend not to "do what I should."

My temptations are overeating, not doing chores around the house, spending too much time lallygagging on the computer, not putting in my writing/revising time.   Which reminds me, I've skipped a couple of days revision on Polar Bear on the Loose, and I haven't been doing the work on Fooling Mother Nature this week.  The time has slipped by.  I have done a little work on the FM project, and I did spend ten minutes on the recumbent bike (with max heart rate down to 161 -- that should inspire me to ride more).  So it's been a mixed bag, but this verse reminds me that I can do these things. Perhaps I need to remember to look for the way to do so.

What are your temptations? Are you handling them?  Remember that you can.  For me, I think believe that's the first step.

MBTA: 3?

Some time back, I entered Murder by the Acre in a contest. Today in the mail, I received MBTA's score card. Here's what the nameless judge said:

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning "poor" and 5 meaning "excellent," please evaluate the following:

Plot: 3
Grammar: 3
Character development: 3
Production quality and cover design: 2

Judge's commentary:

What did you like best about this book?

I'm a big fan of mysteries, and Stephen B Bagley's Murder by the Acre is, for the most part, a very effective one. The characters are solid and convincing, and the plot, while occasionally getting bogged down, is believable. What's perhaps best about the book is the way in which Bagley utilizes the setting, which is almost a character in and of itself. I know very little about Oklahoma, despite having grown up in Texas, and Bagley paints a convincing picture of the place and its people. I would guess he has first-hand knowledge of the place because the writing paints a vivid picture.

How can the author improve this book?

I sometimes felt as though I was missing something, and this might be due to the fact that Murder by the Acre is the second book in the series, and I've not seen the first book. Occasionally I suspected that there might have been material in that first book that I would've needed in order to follow along with this one, though that's a fairly minor complaint. The plot does, as I mentioned above, often get bogged down in details, and the pace sometimes slows. I would encourage Bagley in the future to work on pacing and plotting, bearing in mind that the key to successful mystery thriller is never letting the pace lag.

So I guess MBTM is a 3, which means the judge thought it was average. Sigh. Oh well. The judge gave a 2 to the cover, and I'd have to agree to that. Floozy & Other Stories is the first of my books that I really liked the cover, although I thought the cover EndlesS was good, too.

Here's the cover for Murder by the Acre:

Here's Floozy:

Here's EndlesS:


How do I feel about what the judge said. Well, I feel rotten. But that's okay. I've felt rotten before. Will again. Doesn't make me want to give up my dream. I'll just hunker down and keep plugging. That's what I think writers do. They keep going even when it's tough.

How was your day? Was it tough? I hope not. I hope it was excellent. Talk to you later.

Almost there

Woohoo! I finished inputting the corrections into Floozy & Other Stories today. Just one more read through (in which I hope to find no more corrections) and a minor change on the cover, and I can submit to Lulu to submit to online retailers. I'm excited about finally getting this off my TO DO list. If everything goes well, I should have it sent off tomorrow.

Next up will be Murder by the Mile. Philip Larkin once said that books have "a beginning, a muddle, and an end." Well, I'm in the muddle of MBTM. I'm looking forward to writing my way out.

Otherwise, I did laundry, washed dishes, worked on filing, cleaned my work area, etc. Still not feeling great, but so much better that I know I'm on the way to 100 percent. I'm hoping to go walking tomorrow. Wish me luck!

How was your day? Were you able to pursue your creative satisfaction?

Monday monday

So far, I've finished and hung a quilt, have completed some errands, and have had lunch with the family. For the remainder of the day, I shall do laundry, clean the kitchen, work on the opening for Stain of Corruption, exercise, cook supper, and clean my desk. I think that's enough.

Formatting victory

I finally solved a formatting problem on Floozy & Other Stories that had baffled the folks at Lulu and Amazon. Between pages 60 and 61, I had four or five BLANK spaces that were coded for a different font.

Yeah, that's what the problem was. I was amazed that little bit of coding caused all those problems. Of course, it caused those problems because the coded font wasn't embedded -- and it wasn't embedded because I wasn't intending on using it.

Nine or ten people looked at Floozy and attempted to solve the problem, and none of them caught it. And they format books for a living. I guess I was the first one to go line by line through the book. I'm very lucky I found it.

Anyway, things should go faster on Floozy now. I'm looking forward to it finally showing up on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. And that's what I've been doing, besides the regular housework, putting up Christmas decorations, job searching, maintaining all my blogs, keeping up on Twitter and Facebook. Oh, I added a copyright statement and legal stuff in the column to the right. Read when you get a chance.

Speaking of Twitter, I'm thinking I may drop it. I don't think it's serving any productive purpose so far. Not taking up much time, but still.

Anyway, that's it for today. Talk to you tomorrow.

Satur is just another day

I had intended to post something here daily. So far, I'm not doing so well - y'all can come over and kick me in the tookus - and it's due in part to me and my wacky-busy life.

Yesterday was the third Saturday of the month, which, to most people, is a day to get chores done around the house or catch a game on TV. For me, it's a day in the car. These Satur-driving-days are at least seven hours long, by the time I attend the Sisters In Crime meeting then sit around and visit afterward. Plus my daughter works in the opposite direction and needs to be dropped off, and picked up, on both ends of my longish road trip. So add another 20 minutes or more. Twice.

So, normally, I take her to work, then drive right past my house to go to the meeting. Yesterday, though, my husband - bless him - volunteered to take the kid to work, which saved me a little time in the car. Our extended families live in the city where the SinC meeting is held and I try - but don't always succeed - to see someone while I'm in town, if it's possible, which it often isn't. Plus there are great quilt shops in the area. ;)

Since Bill was taking the kid to work, I left about half an hour earlier (10:30 instead of 11) and hit the quilt shop (12:25) before going to my mom's (12:50) and taking her to lunch (1:20 - 2:35), then I rushed across town to the meeting (3:00), enjoyed meeting (5:00), talked with the girls for a bit (intended for 6pm), then - oh, shit, I'm LATE! (6:10) - sped hurried back up north, drove right past my house (7:59) and up the highway to get the kid from work (8:25) - who ended up working about 20 minutes late (8:45) (headsmack) and stopped by gas station (8:55), rushed home (9:17) to make supper (by 9:45) so hubby could eat before he had to leave for work at 10:30.

Then I sat on the couch and watched mindless TV. Because I was cranky.

I also have drive-all-day days on the first and third Tuesday of each month because of my writing group that, while not quite as far away (only and hour and a half) is more fun and takes just as long and includes just as much rushing around.

Today I have nowhere to be until it's time to pick up the kid at 8:30 or so, but I do have a lot of laundry to do, and a house to tidy up, and a hubby to smooch.

Maybe I can squeeze in some writing. Or sewing. Or both.

Week 2

We're now two weeks into the new year.  Here's my status update for the week:

Fooling Mother Nature (First Draft):  865 words -- I don't know where this story is going.  It's dead for me right now.  I'm rereading the entire thing, and then I'll read each scene in Scrivener and make notes as I go.  My plan is to either find a thread to pick up -- I had ideas for areas to flesh out while I was writing NaNo, but I lost track of them.  I hope reading will jog my memory.  If that doesn't work, I may need to do some planning/plotting -- maybe even some world-building to get it back on track.  Also, POV may be a problem, but I think that's right.  It's entirely possible this isn't a novel idea and might be better suited to a shorter form -- novella or short story.  I'll rethink that as well and adjust if needed.

Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel):  I'm through Lesson 6 as far as identifying my minor characters.  I need to finish filling out the worksheet entries for each of them. I've worked on the project every day for at least thirty minutes each day.

750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words each day and have a current streak of 215 days.  I've written 12723 words so far this month.  My next badge to earn is the Double Flock -- 250,000 words.  I'm currently at 212,295 words, so I have a little ways to go.

Internet Responsibilities:
- I've blogged reasonably regularly this week.
- I need to resume work on an FM project (still).
- I'm also working on a more philosophical topic.  I worked a little bit on this post.
- I want to learn some WordPress CMS techniques, and my goal is to learn one thing a month.  I installed a Contact Plug-In on my primary blog.
- I did an update on the writing blog, which is my goal.

Pets:
- I brushed Dazzle

Property:
- I did most of the kitchen missions for FlyLady this week. 
- Hubby and I hung a mirror in the entry hall that has been waiting for our attention for a couple of years.  It looks great.  I think the entry hall has all it's furnishings and hangings completed with the exception of getting the lace curtain my mom made for it installed on the front door.  Hubby won't let me do it (he's certain I'll destroy the whole door by drilling holes wrong -- sigh), so it's waiting for him.
- We're getting measurements for supplies we'll need to replace the front steps.
- Sorted 1.5 boxes of grad school papers and old correspondence.  Threw away about one-third and reboxed the rest with an expiration date for storage in the garage.

Health:
- My colonoscopy is set for Wednesday, Jan 19.  I think that will be enough fun for two weeks.  The joys of being 50.  I do love it!

Sticking a fork in it

It's been a week. Not a hard week, especially, just busier than usual.

Good news first: I'm as packed as I can be for my trip. My laundry is done. I'm taking Alex back to school tomorrow, which means a long day in the car, hauling his stuff up a flight of stairs, and shopping for perishables to stock his kitchen. I'll come home tired and crash (hopefully), which means getting up for my 6:30 a.m. flight on Sunday might not be as tortuous as it usually is.

Bad news: I only wrote 3,705 words this week. It's way, way down from what I wanted. I'm nearly 2,800 words short of my word count goal, not that I'm going to let it stop me from leaving town and having fun. They'll still be here when I get home, but part of my brain is self-flagellating in a corner because I'm trying to develop the habits of a professional writer, and these ain't them. I keep having to remind myself that it's not about word count this month, it's about getting in the habit of writing regularly. I really am trying hard not to beat myself up about that fact that I should have written in two days max what I wrote all this week.

So that's where I am as of now. I may get a second wind tomorrow and write more. It's happened before. I'll have a good three hour drive by myself on the way home, so I might figure out what I need to do to finish this horrific first draft so I can turn it into something (hopefully) sellable. I'm resisting the temptation to delete the whole thing and start over.

Enough whining. Time to go spend some quality time with the hubby, maybe curl up and read for a while, and head to bed early. Tomorrow will be a lot brighter.

Interesting discussion on ebooks, self-pub

Found this on Lulu.com and thought I'd share it.

Lulu at the New York Public Library

Last Tuesday, Lulu attended the “Future of Book Publishing” roundtable at the New York Public Library, hosted by Kodak. Lulu’s own Paul M., along with Lulu author Melinda Roberts, were there to discuss the top technological and economic challenges facing the publishing industry today.

The panel provided a unique opportunity to gain first hand insights and perspectives from publishing insiders including authors, printers, and traditional publishers.

Read the rest of the article here.

A Tale of Two Books. Well three. Er... Four.

I took some time away from writing professionally and now, about four years later, I'm trying to get back on the horse. It's a bit more difficult than I remember, or at least difficult in a different way. Not only are my words now rusty and stiff, slowly loosening and breaking free, I'm writing something totally different. Women's Fiction.

I think it's cool. Fun. Exciting. I'd like to just focus on writing them.

But my fans want more Dubric.

Now that the new book is essentially done (arrgh, to finish the polish and send it to my agent so I can get it out of my head!), I've been struggling to get back into the old series. I have a lot left to talk about there, and I still love - or, in some cases, despise - the characters, but my original plans don't seem to be working. They're not angsty enough. And, frankly, they're a bit trite and safe. Totally unacceptable.

For the next few days I'm going to work on getting a solid, functioning concept for Dubric #4 that scrambles forward instead of languishing on the page like a deflated pool toy.

Plus I have four paper-pieced blocks for my sewing class to finish, one closet to empty out, and all of the normal house-wifey things to do.

It's going to be a busy weekend! :)

Please welcome, Tammy!

We have a new author and contributor here at Createslate -- Tammy, aka Tamara Siler Jones.

Tammy has written the darkly wonderful, Ghosts in the Snow, Threads of Malice, and Valley of the Soul.  Check her About Tammy page for a brief bio and more personal information.

Floozy finally

Between bouts of sickness these past few days, I've been working on finally getting Floozy & Other Stories ready for Amazon and Barnes & Noble and other online dealers. Back when Floozy was first published, I submitted it for Expanded Distribution (which is what Lulu.com, my publisher, calls being available for online retailers). Unfortunately there was a formatting problem that no one could ever figure out.

Finally it was apparent to me that I'd have to reformat the book from the very first page. Since I already couldn't make the deadline to have it available this Christmas, I put it aside. Now I'm working on it. And although it's taking a lot of time, it's finally coming together.

To fix the formatting problem, I changed the book into a text only file. Now I'm reformatting it a page at a time. I'm also putting in corrections (thank you, Jean!) and making a few minor changes to punch up a few jokes. I'm also making a minor change to the cover. I should have it finished by Tuesday or Wednesday next week if things continue to go as it's going now.

So no new words on Murder by the Mile. That's okay. Floozy needs my attention, and I'm certainly learning a lot about formatting that I didn't know before. Knowledge that will be useful for my future projects. And I do have several projects planned. Are you as excited about that as I am?

Anyway, that's what I'm doing. What are you doing?

My Wednesday

Taking a "weekend" day on writing -- tomorrow may be as well.  I'm not seeing where Fooling Mother Nature is going, and I need to read what I have so far to to to catch a thread -- or two.

I have a doctor appointment tomorrow to schedule the dreaded "Now you're 50 we have to check a few things out" appointment.  Yes, this is the appointment to schedule the appointment.  I presume the doc will tell me what to expect.  Not sure what else.  Also have to meander over to Ft Hood and pick up prescription renewals.  It'll take most of the day to run those errands.  Hubby needs plywood.  All the usual stuff a trip to Temple/Killeen brings about.

I did get my time in on Lesson 6 for revising Polar Bear on the Loose.  I also got my words over at 750words.com, so the day hasn't been a total loss.

Wednesday, Wednesday

My day caught up with me in the middle of a scene. It was chugging right along, and then it stopped in the middle of a conversation. I did get 909 words in, which is better than I usually do on a Wednesday. Usually by the time I get home from work I'm not good for anything requiring concentration. If I can keep this momentum going, I'll be in good shape to fly out Sunday morning. Even if I don't keep it up, I'm flying out. Darn it.

Tuesday, Tuesday.

Yes, I need repetitive reminders.  All week, I've had the sense we're near the end of the week instead of the beginning.  Sigh.  Yes, it is Tuesday.  Not Friday.  That's been happening to me a lot more lately.  I completely lose track of where we are in the week.

Fortunately, despite not knowing what day it is, I have still been writing my 750words.com entries, revising on Polar Bear on the Loose, and scratching away at my 250 words per day on Fooling Mother Nature.  I'm not fooling her with the quality of this story, yet.  Fortunately, first drafts are made for revision, so I'll have a chance to redeem myself.  Maybe.

I accomplished something else today that I hadn't anticipated.  One of my other goals is to do one thing a month to better understand how to use WordPress as a Content Management System (CMS).  Today, I found and installed a plug in to enable what appears to be a nice Contact form for my primary blog.  One goal for the month knocked out earlier than anticipated.

1-11-11

I had an unexpected day off today. The meeting/gathering I was supposed to work canceled because of the snow. Not that we got much, maybe 3", but they're mostly retired ladies who don't go out in weather unless they have to. I'm good with that; it gave me a few extra hours to get some stuff done. Most of it was boring domestic stuff, but I did get 1,300 words in, and I did go to the gym. Eric gets credit for the gym part; he called to say he was going to swim and asked if I wanted to meet him there, which is good, because it was the best day this week for me to go, but it wouldn't have crossed my mind until I was making dinner. I really need to put the gym on my calendar with an alarm. That might increase the odds that I'll go.

Time to go brew some Get Some Zzzzz's tea.

Got my words, baby!

I started the day at 5000 words behind. I am now 3745 words behind for the year. Tomorrow I will start at 4245 words behind and nibble, nibble, nibble away. (My total gains 500 a day if you're wondering why it's increasing.)

How are you doing? Yes, I mean you. Jean, Wendy, and I love to hear from other writers and artists who are attempting to achieve creative satisfaction and accountability.

Anyway, I feel like I've finally started 2011. Now if I could finally get completely over this cold and get back to exercising, we'd be running full steam!

Talk to you later. And Happy New Year!

Monday, Monday...

I wrote today. 1,307 words. I wanted to do more, but there were too many distractions (i.e.: four kids, three cats and a homework assignment). I also spent $240 at Sam's picking up a few things for home and stocking my son's soon-to-be kitchen. And I almost missed my acupuncture appointment, but I looked at my calendar just in time and was only late.

Yup, big excitement. It's not even snowing yet, and I've been waiting for it all afternoon. About the only exciting news is that I slept through the night, two nights in a row. A couple more and I should feel human again, instead of like, well, a flattened Tribble. (Sorry, there was a Star Trek movie marathon on BBC America yesterday.)

Brush Up

Here's an article from Writer's Digest.com that I thought had a lot of good advice.

Brush Up on Your Writing Style in 10 Minutes or Less
December 15, 2010
by Brandon Royal

Everyone can benefit from the occasional reminder of the principles of strong writing. Below are 10 tips and exercises designed to make your writing more clear and concise. Think of them as a 10-minute refresher course.

1. USE STRAIGHTFORWARD LANGUAGE.
The most fundamental way to simplify writing is to use simpler words. Simple words—whether verbs, nouns or adjectives—tend to have broader connotations, while complicated words have more specific meanings. Thus, you have a lower margin for error when using simpler words. Substitute a less familiar word with a more readily understandable one.

Rewrite the following sentences by expressing the ideas more simply:

The hurricane destroyed almost all structures along the coastline. Most homes were destroyed when water and wind joined forces to rip off roofs and collapse walls.

Read the rest of the article here.

Shh ...

Shh ... Don't tell Jean or Wendy I posted. They did so well this week, and I did nothing other than endure the flu. I don't want them to laugh or call me names or keep me from joining in their writers games ... Wait, I think I'm confusing me with Rudolph. Again. Need to dial these meds back a bit, I think.

Anyway, what a way to start the new year. There are some writers apparently who are capable of dragging their fevered bodies to the keyboard and pounding out masterpieces even during delirium. Delirium to me is simply delirium.

I intended on writing today, but instead, slept, slept, slept. Now, of course, I'm wide awake when I should be sleeping. Humana nocturnal as it were. At night the writer rises from his crypt and seeks out an unsuspecting plot ...

Yes, I'm a bit discouraged about losing so many days at the beginning of the year, but I did build in those extra days for sickness, emergencies, etc., so my plan is still intact, although perhaps under the weather a bit. Just because I got off to a slow start doesn't mean the whole year will be slow. We're never defeated as long as we get back up after we're knocked down.

So, starting tomorrow, I will be getting back up as long as my health permits. And if not tomorrow, then Monday. But I will be getting back up, one way or another. And then I'll let Jean and Wendy know.

Week 1 Status

Fooling Mother Nature (First Draft):  2103 words plus a few mingled in with earlier scenes

Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel):  I finished Lesson Five -- the lesson that stopped me in my tracks early last year.  I'm midway through Lesson 6.  I've worked on the project every day for at least thirty minutes each day.

750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words each day and have a current streak of 208 days.  I've written 7171 words so far this month.  My next badge to earn is the Double Flock -- 250,000 words.  I'm currently at 206,743 words, so I have a little ways to go yet.

Internet Responsibilities:
- I've blogged reasonably regularly this week.
- I need to resume work on an FM project.
- I'm also working on a more philosophical topic.  I did an opening paragraph, and I haven't returned to it.
- I want to learn some WordPress CMS techniques, and my goal is to learn one thing a month.  I did not do anything on that this week.
- I did an update on the writing blog, which is my goal.

Pets:
- I have not trapped the kittens in the freezer
- I brushed Dazzle

Property:
- I set up the weight bench and unpacked the weights
- I set some trash out at the shop
- I organized the bedroom closets

Health:
- I rode the recumbent bike for ten minutes, on custom 1 setting, which increases resistance one level until it maxes out then it decreases the same way and tapers off to a light load to finish out program.  I call it the peak setting.  Max heart rate was 169 (calculated max heart rate for me is 170).  Average heart rate was 143.  When the max heart rate gets down to 153, I'll increase time.

End of week tally

I got 4,398 words in this week. I'm actually 738 behind, but I think I can make it up next week. If not, it's not the end of the world. I'll have a blank book with me when I go on vacation and can scribble some words while I'm there. At this point I'm too tired to care much if I have all my words in before I go. I haven't been sleeping well, and I'm not sure why.

In non-writing stuff, I got to the gym, and I finally got Alex to clean out the closet in my office (his former bedroom) so I could put away Christmas stuff. His stuff is all consolidated in the guest room. Well, mostly; his dresser is still in my office, but it makes a great credenza, and I don't need the drawers for storage yet, so I'm not complaining. It looks like we'll have a Good Will load together next week.

How are you guys doing? Feeling better, Stephen? Keeping the kittens out of the freezer, Jean?

Word count, in two acts

I got my words plus a few extras, and I'm still not quite sure how. I wrote this afternoon, and then came back to finish this evening. Other than that, I ran a few errands, went to the doctor for a check up, and did a half hour on the treadmill at the gym. Too much excitement.

Deadlines

Been quite sick, but somewhat better today. I'm hoping I'm on the downside of this cold/flu. I have used three of my "days off" for the year. Don't want to use any more.

Anyway, Jean and Wendy have kept things going. They're both doing well on their commitments for the year. I will have to catch up. Oh well, I always work best under pressure.

Deadlines spur me on. Must be a leftover from my days working on the newspapers. Nothing like approaching printing to get my heart racing and my brain buzzing.

I have been telling folks that my next book will be out in April so that I have a deadline, admittedly self-imposed, but a deadline nonetheless. I work better with one than without.

What about you? Do deadlines help or hinder your creativity?

Tuesday, January 4

Got my words and revision work done yesterday and today.  I have no idea what's going on with Fooling Mother Nature.  I'm "scribbling" some words in, trying to prime the pump.  Eventually, something will come of it, and I'll get the story going again.

I'm done with Lesson Five on How To Revise Your Novel and will be moving on to Lesson Six tomorrow.

750words.com is still rolling along.  I have a 204 day streak going and have written 202, 647 words there.

Tuesday

I got 935 words in, and my sugar intake was limited to two chocolate cookies. I need to do the same thing every day for the next two weeks. Tomorrow it's back to work, which means Thursday will be gym day.

Sick day

Had to burn one of my 14 vacation/sick days today. Really unhappy that I'm ill to start the year off. Maybe tomorrow will be better. And CONGRATS TO WENDY! Who got her words today!

Missions accomplished

I'm not sure how, but I managed to write 749 story words, plus 751 for 750 Words. I also finished my petticoat, so my sewing is officially done nearly two weeks ahead of schedule. Not that I had much to do this time around. I even managed some domestic stuff. Considering how lousy I've been sleeping, I'd say it's not a bad day.

Today's Goals Met

I got 257 words in an addition that I don't know what's going to happen with Fooling Mother Nature.  I did the conflict on ten cards for Polar Bear on the Loose in thirty minute.  Met my 750words.com goal for the day.

Also First Day

I just finished my words. It was much faster than yesterday but I got a late start. I got in 542 for today. I need to bump my word counts up for a couple of weeks so I have 11.500 finished in two weeks. That way I don't have to count my days off when I go on vacation. I figure if I have my work done ahead of time, I get free days to go play. What's the point of self-employment otherwise?

Today I also got the Christmas tree down, went to church and lunch with my hubby (the kids were both working), and read the third chapter of Matthew. I rewarded myself with knitting. Now I think maybe I'll go start the petticoat I need to make for my vacation.

First day

Got my words! 513 words. Tomorrow I will get them earlier.

Even More 1-1-11

It's been a pretty busy day.  I don't have new words on Fooling Mother Nature, but I did finish summarizing the scenes from NaNo.  I need to review and figure out where to go from here.

I pulled out the index cards for Polar Bear on the Loose and began documenting the conflict in each scene -- Lesson Five from How to Revise Your Novel.  I spent half an hour working on it and completed eight cards.

I worked out a blogging schedule for my various blogs.

I did some moderator work for Forward Motion.  We have some great new moderators over there and a new Indie Publishing board -- Stephen, if you haven't checked it out yet, you might want to head on over.

Spent some pretty good quality time with hubby.  All the "kids" have their monthly medications administered.

More on 1-1-11

I haven't got my words yet, but I will. Things have been going slowly today. I got sick yesterday afternoon and got sicker as the night went on. Nasty cold kept me awake with coughing and sinus headache. Finally started feeling better around noon. Got up and started to straighten my house up and do some chores that had been neglected. Kept thinking about my words and my goals and finally decided to write about them.

If you came late to Createslate, it's where I, Jean, and Wendy are stating out goals and using each other for support and accountability. we'd like a few more authors/artists/crafters/etc. to join us. If you're interested in that sort of commitment, contact Jean or me. (Jean is the admin for the site so she can set you up easily.)

I'm intending to write 500-1000 words a day in 2010, only taking 14 days off for vacation/illness.

For January, most of my words will be on Murder by the Mile, the third entry in my Measurements of Murder(tm) series. I need another 20,000 or so to finish the story.

Then in February, I will be editing MBTM and working on a few more stories for Tales from Bethlehem, which I hope to sell to a publisher of Christian books.

In March, more editing and rewriting on MBTM, TFB, and a new project. Don't know what the new project will be yet. Maybe finish Ghosts, a horror adventure story that I started a year or so back.

In April, I hope to publish MBTM and send TFB off to agents/publishers. Of course, I'll be busy with the publicity and promotion for MBTM for several months after its publication date.

For the moment, that's as far as I can go. There's a possibility I might participate in Script Frenzy in April, where the participants write 100 pages on a play, movie, TV show, etc. It's the companion to National Novel Writing Month, which is in November.

November, of course, will be NaNoWriMo. Wrote 50,000 words in one month. That's an awesome time. I plan on participating again.

Anyway, that's all I can see forward on my writing goals. What do you see in the coming year? Good things? Bad things? Happy? Sad? I don't know if we will succeed with our goals, but I do know we won't if we don't try.

Happy 1-1-11!

I am taking a break from trying to be productive to wish you the happiest (so far) of New Years. I can credit a whopping 32 words to the new year so far, but I have set up my new tracking sheet and finished a couple of Powerpoints for church. From here I shall go undaunted back into the world of fiction, having liberally dowsed my diffuser with peppermint oil. Only 468 words left to go!

I do hope your year has started off well.