I reactivated my Weight Watchers online account yesterday. I last used it from 2003 to 2004. For the brief time I participated in the program, it worked well. Then, I slipped away, weighing more than when I started, but I don't blame Weight Watchers for that. I was responsible for my failure.
When I saw my doctor in December, he suggested I do something -- he wasn't particular about what, but he recommended Weight Watchers and one other popular system -- I think it was one of the low carb advocates. I wasn't quite ready, but I was getting there. The beauty of Weight Watchers is you can incorporate any popular philosophy into it (short of gorging oneself, and you can do that, too, but don't expect Weight Watchers to produce results). No foods are off limits. And my inner child is particularly sensitive to being deprived. She refuses to be deprived. (The inner child is the Mouth Trap augmentation -- but we all have that inner child who gets us in trouble when we ignore him or her. Mine is named Natalie or Nat, by the way.)
For my journey, it's very important that I can eat what I want. This means I may not be able to eat as much as I think I want. I've been spending a lot of time working through these things lately, and for me, these are the important things:
- Eat what I want
- Regain a sense of portion sizes (break everything down into a single portion, eat that, and, if I want more, get another portion)
- Record everything (WW helps with that, but the site is still slow. Mouth Trap has the Consumer Report, which I am also using.)
- Another Mouth Trap inovation; record what I resist eating. So often, I may eat too much, but maybe I've resisted eating even more? Natalie wants credit for when she does something right. I tried to figure out how to do this easily, and this morning I established a recurring task in Things titled, "What I didn't eat today." I'll record what I really wanted but decided not to eat there, check it off at the end of the day, and get a new task the next day.
- Establish a fresh understanding of what I really want and an awareness of the emotional and habitual triggers that cause me to munch (The Mouth Trap is walking me through this process).
- Don't eat after 8pm. I am not a midnight snacker per se, but I do have a habit of waiting for hubby to go to bed and eating half a can of mixed nuts and drinking a Pepsi Max or two.
- Continue to try to take the smallest bite possible and chew as long as possible before swallowing -- makes a HUGE difference.
With the Points Plus program, Weight Watchers has changed since I was last involved. This change appears to be for the good, because by registering all fruits and most vegetables at 0 points, it encourages us to snack on fruits and veggies. It's a subtle way to encourage us to get our "five a day." I thought it was interesting that they recommend nine a day if you weigh over 350 pounds. How cool is that? (No, I don't weigh over 350 pounds, but I could see it coming up behind me in the mirror. I don't want to go there, but if I did, Weight Watchers is there for me.)
Much of weight loss is common sense, but the techniques to implement what you know are a challenge. So is, for me, working through the emotional causes of overeating. I think I'm finally ready to address this issue (and the related issues) in my life.
Now, I need to get back to Polar Bear on the Loose for a little while more, then I'll head over to help hubby at the shop.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
8 Weeks -- Yep, That's Two Months
We're eight weeks into the year. Two whole months. Looking back and forward.
Fooling Mother Nature (First Draft): I'm going to drop this for now. I'm not doing anything with it. I'm not even thinking about it.
Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel): Still working on Lesson 7.
750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words each day and have a current streak of 257 days. I've written 20,967 words so far this month. I'm still working toward my next badge, the Double Flock -- 250,00 words. I'm currently at 245,743 words. I don't think I'll roll over this month, but I anticipate very early in March.
Internet Responsibilities:
- I bloggedtwice four times this week.
- I've released my first FM project into the wild -- new error messages that are a little friendlier (we hope), than the default ones that came with the forum software. I've also posted a couple of newcomer tutorials to the FAQ.
- I want to learn some WordPress CMS techniques, and my goal is to learn one thing a month. After I posted last week, I did a little playing around with the WordPress.com site for Createslate (Stephen and I are the only ones who can see that site). I made a default, static home page that talks about what Createslate's goals are as well as covering the legal information. The second page is the blog entries (there are two test entries on the site -- I'm documenting what I'm doing withe a blog post in case it ever becomes a matter of interest). I also changed the template. I was looking for something slate-like, but the only template I found seemed too dark (slate has than effect on things). So, for now, it has a notebook theme. For the record, there are two WordPress.com sites I'm working with -- Stephen's Createslate site and my Anthropomorphic Bears site. Both are private for now, so I can play. This is all very basic stuff so far. I need to do more reading to see what else can be done.
Pets:
- Everyone is doing fine.
Fooling Mother Nature (First Draft): I'm going to drop this for now. I'm not doing anything with it. I'm not even thinking about it.
Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel): Still working on Lesson 7.
750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words each day and have a current streak of 257 days. I've written 20,967 words so far this month. I'm still working toward my next badge, the Double Flock -- 250,00 words. I'm currently at 245,743 words. I don't think I'll roll over this month, but I anticipate very early in March.
Internet Responsibilities:
- I blogged
- I've released my first FM project into the wild -- new error messages that are a little friendlier (we hope), than the default ones that came with the forum software. I've also posted a couple of newcomer tutorials to the FAQ.
- I want to learn some WordPress CMS techniques, and my goal is to learn one thing a month. After I posted last week, I did a little playing around with the WordPress.com site for Createslate (Stephen and I are the only ones who can see that site). I made a default, static home page that talks about what Createslate's goals are as well as covering the legal information. The second page is the blog entries (there are two test entries on the site -- I'm documenting what I'm doing withe a blog post in case it ever becomes a matter of interest). I also changed the template. I was looking for something slate-like, but the only template I found seemed too dark (slate has than effect on things). So, for now, it has a notebook theme. For the record, there are two WordPress.com sites I'm working with -- Stephen's Createslate site and my Anthropomorphic Bears site. Both are private for now, so I can play. This is all very basic stuff so far. I need to do more reading to see what else can be done.
Pets:
- Everyone is doing fine.
- Ajax got his shots this week, we restocked Revolution for everyone, and scheduled the kittens for spaying/neutering at the end of March.
Property:
- Hubby got some lights working in the long bay at the shop, so I went over yesterday and cleaned up the back quarter of the bay.
- Still need to do my weekly review -- something I've gotten out of the habit of doing, and it's important for the overall success of GTD to do one.
- I dug dandelions twice this week. I need to check the weather to find when we're likely to get rain and spread some fertilizer on the lawn.
Health:
- I rode the recumbent bike, 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. I rode for minutes, and max heart rate was only 151 (calculated max heart rate for me is 170). Average heart rate was 143. That's a good thing, but my knees were killing me for the next three days.
- Reading through The Mouth Trap: The Butt Stops Here by Pam Young. I'm on Chapter 4. It's meant as a guide. I don't have to implement everything she suggests (but, like most things, the more you buy into it, probably the better it's supposed to work). I am doing a good job of taking smaller bites and chewing more times per bite. I'm trying to compete with myself to see how small I can make the bite. This does help. I'm getting better flavor from food (well, duh!). I think I'm still eating almost as much, but I think I'll get a handle on that. My goals for this week in this regard are not to eat after 8PM, and to eat one serving size at a time. I'm also planning to use the two worksheets that go with the book -- The Consumer Report (a fancy name for a food diary sheet) and a progress report. I'm not wild about these things, but I'm going to give them a go. I'm also contemplating the idea of activating my Weight Watchers membership again. My doctor did suggest it. Will talk with hubby about this when he gets home from seeing the kids tomorrow afternoon -- it affects him in some ways, and we need to see how we can best make it work.
Health:
- I rode the recumbent bike, 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. I rode for minutes, and max heart rate was only 151 (calculated max heart rate for me is 170). Average heart rate was 143. That's a good thing, but my knees were killing me for the next three days.
- Reading through The Mouth Trap: The Butt Stops Here by Pam Young. I'm on Chapter 4. It's meant as a guide. I don't have to implement everything she suggests (but, like most things, the more you buy into it, probably the better it's supposed to work). I am doing a good job of taking smaller bites and chewing more times per bite. I'm trying to compete with myself to see how small I can make the bite. This does help. I'm getting better flavor from food (well, duh!). I think I'm still eating almost as much, but I think I'll get a handle on that. My goals for this week in this regard are not to eat after 8PM, and to eat one serving size at a time. I'm also planning to use the two worksheets that go with the book -- The Consumer Report (a fancy name for a food diary sheet) and a progress report. I'm not wild about these things, but I'm going to give them a go. I'm also contemplating the idea of activating my Weight Watchers membership again. My doctor did suggest it. Will talk with hubby about this when he gets home from seeing the kids tomorrow afternoon -- it affects him in some ways, and we need to see how we can best make it work.
- I signed up for Walk Across Texas (http://walkacrosstexas.tamu.edu). It's just a place to record activity, but the goal is to do a virtual walk across Texas in a year. Anyone can sign up, so if you're interested, head on over.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Update
I saw the doctor yesterday. She adjusted my meds and sent me for bloodwork. It all came back normal except my vitamin D level, which was about half of normal. I'll be on a weekly megadose of vitamin D for three months, and then I get to have my blood tested again. I also discovered my bathroom scale has been lying to me. It says I weigh five pounds less than the doctor's. At my current weight, I have about one pound before I go from a healthy body mass index to overweight. It's not a huge deal (no pun intended) but it is something I need to start getting serious about. It's not going to get better on its own, and obesity runs in my family.
I have adjusted my exercise goal. Adding a day of exercise once a quarter will not be enough, so the new goal is at least ten minutes a day, 5 days a week, either at home or at the gym. I have a new Pilates DVD which will help with that. The core workout is right at ten minutes, and there are more that I can add to it. I'll start with that and see what happens.
I have adjusted my exercise goal. Adding a day of exercise once a quarter will not be enough, so the new goal is at least ten minutes a day, 5 days a week, either at home or at the gym. I have a new Pilates DVD which will help with that. The core workout is right at ten minutes, and there are more that I can add to it. I'll start with that and see what happens.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Fueling Your Writing
10 Ways to Fuel Your Writing
Writer's Digest
February 22, 2011
by Bill O’Hanlon
If you’ve ever found yourself feeling cynical, downtrodden or frustrated (and what writer hasn’t?), take heart: Here are 10 ways writers can—and do—turn “negative” experiences into writing fuel.
It takes a lot of energy to write a book and stay with it through drafts, revisions, submissions, rejections, sales and marketing. Many writers find the energy in the sheer joy of writing. But others draw on darker impulses and feelings to carry them through the process. Sorrow, anger and hurt can be the writer’s fodder and fuel. I should know.
Read the rest of the article here.
Writer's Digest
February 22, 2011
by Bill O’Hanlon
If you’ve ever found yourself feeling cynical, downtrodden or frustrated (and what writer hasn’t?), take heart: Here are 10 ways writers can—and do—turn “negative” experiences into writing fuel.
It takes a lot of energy to write a book and stay with it through drafts, revisions, submissions, rejections, sales and marketing. Many writers find the energy in the sheer joy of writing. But others draw on darker impulses and feelings to carry them through the process. Sorrow, anger and hurt can be the writer’s fodder and fuel. I should know.
Read the rest of the article here.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Floozy goes
Floozy & Other Stories has been approved for retail distribution! This means it will show up at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and others within 6-8 weeks.
Finally it's off my desk. It's been a long hard haul, and I'm glad to send it on. Although ... for some reason ... I feel a bit shaky. Go figure.
Now to devote all my attention to Murder by the Mile. I wonder who actually killed all those people. I guess I'd better get writing and find out.
Finally it's off my desk. It's been a long hard haul, and I'm glad to send it on. Although ... for some reason ... I feel a bit shaky. Go figure.
Now to devote all my attention to Murder by the Mile. I wonder who actually killed all those people. I guess I'd better get writing and find out.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Covering
This is a rough-up of the cover for Murder by the Mile. Why would I be working on the cover when the book is in the throes of an exhausting and battering rewrite?
Well, because I wanted to do something productive. Working on the cover was it.
Well, because I wanted to do something productive. Working on the cover was it.
Health Month
I began playing Health Month back in October. The whole idea is to make healthy living into a social game. In some ways, it's kind of dorky -- I almost quit back in November, then Tammy signed up for December and asked for help. I couldn't turn my back on her, could I? No. So, I reluctantly signed up for the game in December. Just to keep Tammy company. But something funny happened. Health Month was working for me in small ways -- minuscule ways, really. But minuscule is better than none.
I haven't tackled big goals or big rules yet. I've done extreme rules -- read every day, floss every day, but those are things that I either want to do, aren't hard to do, or both. But, really, anything can be easy if you break it down into a small enough task, can't it?
The same guy who developed 750words.com developed Health Month. Yes, he wants to make money at it. After about four months at 750words.com, I decided to support him financially but sending him a couple years of patronage -- I don't like paying things in nitnoid ways anymore unless I have to. I plan to use the site for a couple of years. I get personal value from it. You want this much per month? OK. We're good for a couple years now. I can play.
The free game for Health Month allows a player three rules per month. That's what I've been playing since October -- three rules per month. If you're interested, you can see which ones on my profile here.
I choose my rules carefully each month. I want them to make a difference, and I want to succeed in following them. The hardest one? Think of one little thing I could do to improve my health each day. I didn't even have to do it -- just think of it. For the first ten days or so, it was pretty easy. Then it got downright difficult.
You'll notice I came back to a couple of the rules after not doing them for a month. That's because I thought I had the habit down, but when I wasn't tracking it, I wasn't doing as well as I wanted to be doing. So I put the rule back in for the next couple of months. I'm not tracking it formally this month, but I'm doing it. I have a little program on the iPad where I can check things off, but I find myself doing the habit, so studious attention for three months seems to have an impact. I thought that was interesting. Your mileage may vary, but I'm going to see if that holds true for other things I want to do regularly.
I haven't decided if I want to financially support Health Month yet. I almost committed to it, but I'm holding off for at least another month. But one feature he's added that makes it better for me is the option to only see the people you're following on the game wall -- when the only option was to see everyone, the game wall became meaningless to me. What that means to us is, if anyone else wants to play, if we follow each other on the game, even the free game, we can cheer one another like a team without having to pay the money or get the sponsorship to form a team.
Sign up for March is underway. If anyone wants to play, I'll be there to cheer you on -- either let me know your name on the site or follow me at my profile page (so I can follow back). Take baby steps. Have a little fun -- you can make a custom rule to write each day, too, so it's not just physical health and fitness.
I haven't tackled big goals or big rules yet. I've done extreme rules -- read every day, floss every day, but those are things that I either want to do, aren't hard to do, or both. But, really, anything can be easy if you break it down into a small enough task, can't it?
The same guy who developed 750words.com developed Health Month. Yes, he wants to make money at it. After about four months at 750words.com, I decided to support him financially but sending him a couple years of patronage -- I don't like paying things in nitnoid ways anymore unless I have to. I plan to use the site for a couple of years. I get personal value from it. You want this much per month? OK. We're good for a couple years now. I can play.
The free game for Health Month allows a player three rules per month. That's what I've been playing since October -- three rules per month. If you're interested, you can see which ones on my profile here.
I choose my rules carefully each month. I want them to make a difference, and I want to succeed in following them. The hardest one? Think of one little thing I could do to improve my health each day. I didn't even have to do it -- just think of it. For the first ten days or so, it was pretty easy. Then it got downright difficult.
You'll notice I came back to a couple of the rules after not doing them for a month. That's because I thought I had the habit down, but when I wasn't tracking it, I wasn't doing as well as I wanted to be doing. So I put the rule back in for the next couple of months. I'm not tracking it formally this month, but I'm doing it. I have a little program on the iPad where I can check things off, but I find myself doing the habit, so studious attention for three months seems to have an impact. I thought that was interesting. Your mileage may vary, but I'm going to see if that holds true for other things I want to do regularly.
I haven't decided if I want to financially support Health Month yet. I almost committed to it, but I'm holding off for at least another month. But one feature he's added that makes it better for me is the option to only see the people you're following on the game wall -- when the only option was to see everyone, the game wall became meaningless to me. What that means to us is, if anyone else wants to play, if we follow each other on the game, even the free game, we can cheer one another like a team without having to pay the money or get the sponsorship to form a team.
Sign up for March is underway. If anyone wants to play, I'll be there to cheer you on -- either let me know your name on the site or follow me at my profile page (so I can follow back). Take baby steps. Have a little fun -- you can make a custom rule to write each day, too, so it's not just physical health and fitness.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
7 Weeks into 2011
We're seven weeks into the year. Next week will be two whole months -- one-sixth of the way. How'd things go this week?
Fooling Mother Nature (First Draft): Nada
Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel): I have spent some time working on this one.
750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words each day and have a current streak of 250 days. I've written 15,556 words so far this month. I'm still working toward my next badge, the Double Flock -- 250,000 words. I'm currently at 240,332 words, so I'm creeping up on it.
Internet Responsibilities:
- I blogged twice this week -- doubling my output for last week.
- I've worked on an FM project.
- 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. Only one week left. I guess I'll do something this week, won't I?
Pets:
- Everyone is doing fine. I have some empty boxes that need to go to the garage, but the kittens think I've left them here for them to use as a playhouse. Who am I to argue with them?
Property:
- I spent fifteen minutes each day in the blue room (a back bedroom named such for it's blue wallpaper) pulling boxes of my stuff out to take to the store for storage and sorting. I have six more boxes of my stuff to pull from the room.
- The boxes from the blue room are in the parlor. I'm giving them a cursory look through and redoing a few things in preparation for taking them to the store. I've managed to throw a few things out. Yay.
- I have my Today area of Things down to virtually nothing. I've done a great job over the last two weeks of clearing out tasks I was procrastinating on. What a relief to have some of those things done. Unfortunately, I also broke a globe from one of the ceiling fan lights while I was cleaning it. We may be able to get a replacement at Lowe's.
- Did a weekly review -- something I've gotten out of the habit of doing, and it's important for the overall success of GTD to do one.
Health:
- I rode the recumbent bike twice, 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. I increased my time to 12 minutes, but max heart rate was still only 140 (calculated max heart rate for me is 170). Average heart rate was 119. Since I said at the beginning of the year, "When the max heart rate gets down to 153, I'll increase time," I increased time to 15 minutes, and that got the max heart rate back up to 161 and the average up to 140.
- I bought and downloaded the book FlyLady has been pushing for the last couple weeks -- The Mouth Trap: The Butt Stops Here by Pam Young. I don't like the title, and I don't like the picture on the cover, but the content appears to be something I might be able to use. I cannot imagine buying 23 bags of flour to store somewhere until I can donate them to the food bank as I lose the weight. I don't have room on my counters or anyplace else to display that number. I'm trying to think of something we have that weighs 115 pounds to use as an example, and I'm drawing a blank. I came up with two fifty pound bags of dog food, and a smaller bag of dog food. The thought of carrying those with me everywhere I go is just stunning, but that's what I'm doing. Every. Single. Day. I'm still trying to get my mind around it.
Fooling Mother Nature (First Draft): Nada
Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel): I have spent some time working on this one.
750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words each day and have a current streak of 250 days. I've written 15,556 words so far this month. I'm still working toward my next badge, the Double Flock -- 250,000 words. I'm currently at 240,332 words, so I'm creeping up on it.
Internet Responsibilities:
- I blogged twice this week -- doubling my output for last week.
- I've worked on an FM project.
- 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. Only one week left. I guess I'll do something this week, won't I?
Pets:
- Everyone is doing fine. I have some empty boxes that need to go to the garage, but the kittens think I've left them here for them to use as a playhouse. Who am I to argue with them?
Property:
- I spent fifteen minutes each day in the blue room (a back bedroom named such for it's blue wallpaper) pulling boxes of my stuff out to take to the store for storage and sorting. I have six more boxes of my stuff to pull from the room.
- The boxes from the blue room are in the parlor. I'm giving them a cursory look through and redoing a few things in preparation for taking them to the store. I've managed to throw a few things out. Yay.
- I have my Today area of Things down to virtually nothing. I've done a great job over the last two weeks of clearing out tasks I was procrastinating on. What a relief to have some of those things done. Unfortunately, I also broke a globe from one of the ceiling fan lights while I was cleaning it. We may be able to get a replacement at Lowe's.
- Did a weekly review -- something I've gotten out of the habit of doing, and it's important for the overall success of GTD to do one.
Health:
- I rode the recumbent bike twice, 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. I increased my time to 12 minutes, but max heart rate was still only 140 (calculated max heart rate for me is 170). Average heart rate was 119. Since I said at the beginning of the year, "When the max heart rate gets down to 153, I'll increase time," I increased time to 15 minutes, and that got the max heart rate back up to 161 and the average up to 140.
- I bought and downloaded the book FlyLady has been pushing for the last couple weeks -- The Mouth Trap: The Butt Stops Here by Pam Young. I don't like the title, and I don't like the picture on the cover, but the content appears to be something I might be able to use. I cannot imagine buying 23 bags of flour to store somewhere until I can donate them to the food bank as I lose the weight. I don't have room on my counters or anyplace else to display that number. I'm trying to think of something we have that weighs 115 pounds to use as an example, and I'm drawing a blank. I came up with two fifty pound bags of dog food, and a smaller bag of dog food. The thought of carrying those with me everywhere I go is just stunning, but that's what I'm doing. Every. Single. Day. I'm still trying to get my mind around it.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Fresh out of Give A Crap
I don't know quite what to make of this, but I know this is a safe place and if nothing else I can get virtual hugs here. If I put it on Facebook or my blog, I might get some insight, but I'll worry people. It's not that there is anything wrong specifically. I'm just blah in the extreme. I feel like a length of gray wool. Serviceable, coordinates with anything, but not fun. Some days I'm tweed, on a good day I can manage a houndstooth, but it's still all gray wool. I'm having a hard time mustering the energy to do anything, even fun stuff. My loom came in the mail yesterday, and I played with it a little last night, but I haven't touched it today. My spinning wheel should be here today and I don't really care that it's late, even though I looked forward to getting it when I ordered it. I want to nap, even when I sleep ten hours a night.
I don't want you guys to worry. I'm not anywhere close to hurting myself or someone else. I have an appointment Tuesday with my doctor to see about getting my ADD meds adjusted or changed, and hopefully that will help. Eric has noticed and probably would have made the appointment for me if I hadn't. I think he's more concerned than he's letting on; he keeps asking if I'm all right, and what else can I say except I'm tired and fresh out of give a crap? I think the thing that worries me a little is that this could be the new normal. I don't know how to face the next 30+ years as gray wool. Maybe I need a spiritual retreat, or an aggressive exercise regimen. Maybe I just need a good cry. What I want is to figure it out so I can get back to be my usual funky self.
I don't want you guys to worry. I'm not anywhere close to hurting myself or someone else. I have an appointment Tuesday with my doctor to see about getting my ADD meds adjusted or changed, and hopefully that will help. Eric has noticed and probably would have made the appointment for me if I hadn't. I think he's more concerned than he's letting on; he keeps asking if I'm all right, and what else can I say except I'm tired and fresh out of give a crap? I think the thing that worries me a little is that this could be the new normal. I don't know how to face the next 30+ years as gray wool. Maybe I need a spiritual retreat, or an aggressive exercise regimen. Maybe I just need a good cry. What I want is to figure it out so I can get back to be my usual funky self.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Don't Tell Us About It. Do It!
This is what I find myself thinking as I go through Polar Bear on the Loose trying to capture setting. There is no setting because Inuit is just thinking about what she's done or is going to do. So, even though I'm supposed to be capturing setting, I find myself scribbling where to make the thought into action in the margins.
St. Francis de Sales Day proposal
Since everyone is so interested in celebrating St. Valentine's saint day, I would like to propose that we begin celebrating St. Francis de Sales Day on January 24. (That's a Tuesday next year.) He is the patron saint of writers and journalists, and looking over his page at Catholic.org, I can see why he was chosen for us.
First, He was a master procrastinator. He knew for 13 years that he had a vocation in the church, but he didn't act on it because he wanted it to be in God's time. It took three clue-by-fours before he finally gave in.
Second, he wasn't a great preacher. The people thought he was making fun of them.
Third, he was stubborn. He decided leave France for Switzerland to convert the Calvinists back to Catholicism. He went door to door every day for three years (once even sleeping in a tree to avoid wolves) and never converted anyone. He kept trying, though; he wrote his sermons and made dozens of copies, and then pushed them under doors (the first known use of a religious tract). Between that and being kind to the children to get the parents to talk to him, he converted 40,000 people. Better luck with the written word and goofing off with the kids. Who better for our patron saint?
I propose that for St. Francis de Sales day, people everywhere should show their appreciation for the writers in their lives by giving chocolate, massages, housecleaning, and a freezer full of dinners. Then leave us alone for a week. We have work to do.
How does that sound to y'all?
First, He was a master procrastinator. He knew for 13 years that he had a vocation in the church, but he didn't act on it because he wanted it to be in God's time. It took three clue-by-fours before he finally gave in.
Second, he wasn't a great preacher. The people thought he was making fun of them.
Third, he was stubborn. He decided leave France for Switzerland to convert the Calvinists back to Catholicism. He went door to door every day for three years (once even sleeping in a tree to avoid wolves) and never converted anyone. He kept trying, though; he wrote his sermons and made dozens of copies, and then pushed them under doors (the first known use of a religious tract). Between that and being kind to the children to get the parents to talk to him, he converted 40,000 people. Better luck with the written word and goofing off with the kids. Who better for our patron saint?
I propose that for St. Francis de Sales day, people everywhere should show their appreciation for the writers in their lives by giving chocolate, massages, housecleaning, and a freezer full of dinners. Then leave us alone for a week. We have work to do.
How does that sound to y'all?
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Heavy Sigh
I'm looking at Polar Bear on the Loose. Lesson 7 from How to Revise Your Novel requires me to analyze setting. Who would have ever believed that looking at your setting would reveal so many horrendous problems in a novel? I wouldn't have until I started doing it.
The last two scenes have been nothing. Make that three scenes. This last one spends a whole "scene" telling the reader what's going to happen several scenes from now. How stupid is that? The rationale was to show the MC's expectations so they could contrast with the reality that happens several scenes later. I don't think it's very effective.
I'm thinking a more effective method would be to show in real time how the MC responds to the situation when confronted with something that wasn't quite in alignment with her expectations.
The last two scenes have been nothing. Make that three scenes. This last one spends a whole "scene" telling the reader what's going to happen several scenes from now. How stupid is that? The rationale was to show the MC's expectations so they could contrast with the reality that happens several scenes later. I don't think it's very effective.
I'm thinking a more effective method would be to show in real time how the MC responds to the situation when confronted with something that wasn't quite in alignment with her expectations.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Week 6 Status Update
We're six weeks into the year. How's the week in review?
Fooling Mother Nature (First Draft): I confess, I didn't even think about it.
Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel): Still working in Lesson 7, but I confess I haven't worked on it this week -- maybe a little later tonight I'll get some time in on it.
750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words each day and have a current streak of 243 days. I've written 10,135 words so far this month. I'm still working toward my next badge, the Double Flock -- 250,000 words. I'm currently at 234,911 words, so I'm creeping up on it.
Internet Responsibilities:
- I blogged once this week
- I've neglected an FM project.
- 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.
Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel): Still working in Lesson 7, but I confess I haven't worked on it this week -- maybe a little later tonight I'll get some time in on it.
750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words each day and have a current streak of 243 days. I've written 10,135 words so far this month. I'm still working toward my next badge, the Double Flock -- 250,000 words. I'm currently at 234,911 words, so I'm creeping up on it.
Internet Responsibilities:
- I blogged once this week
- I've neglected an FM project.
- 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 installed Time Out Free from the Mac App Store. It grays out my screen after 50 minutes on the computer, strongly encouraging me to go do something else for at least ten minutes. I can delay or skip the break if I want to, but, mostly, I've been getting up and doing something else. Much appreciated! It's one of the best apps I've gotten from the app store, and it's free.
Pets:
- Everyone survived the cold weather
Pets:
- Everyone survived the cold weather
- Dazzle is still amazingly spry for her age. Trying to turn quickly drops her on her hindquarters though, poor girl.
- Kittens are at that stage you can't wait for them to grow out of but you miss after they do.
Property:
- I defrosted the freezer at the shop.
Property:
- I defrosted the freezer at the shop.
- I swept some dirt from a corner that gets seepage. I figure when it gets wet, it will make mud, so it's best to get it off the floor while it's dry.
- I spent fifteen minutes each day in the blue room (a back bedroom named such for it's blue wallpaper) pulling boxes of my stuff out to take to the store for storage and sorting. My goal this week is to get all my stuff out of that room so hubby can sort his stuff -- or tell me to take it to the store.
- I worked on my Things Today list, which has routinely had 40+ items on it, many just waiting for me to do them. The list is currently carrying 13 items -- several of which can't be done (mowing lawn, pulling weeds, trimming and edging)
- We took a trailer load of 5 gallon buckets filled with rocks, tree shreddings, and torn linoleum out to the ranch. We haven't been out there in some time, so naturally, several trees have fallen across the road. Chain saws come in very handy; we had to use it four times. We flushed five deer at one point -- nice, large, healthy looking deer. We noted several areas where the fence is down, and we'll have to spend at least a day pulling barbed wire soon. Right before we got up to the motor home site, we noticed a large tree down across the road. That, too, will be a job for another day. Inside the motor home, a critter, probably a rat, has been busy trashing the place. Sigh. The motor home was slated for renovation anyway. Now it's mandatory.
- I pressed and rehung the drapes on the front window in the living room. My mom only made them for us two years ago. We have one of the four windows hung -- finally. Only three more to go.
Health:
- I rode the recumbent bike for ten minutes (twice) , 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 140 (calculated max heart rate for me is 170). Average heart rate was 120. Since I said at the beginning of the year, "When the max heart rate gets down to 153, I'll increase time," I guess it's time to add more minutes to my workout. Yay!
- I pressed and rehung the drapes on the front window in the living room. My mom only made them for us two years ago. We have one of the four windows hung -- finally. Only three more to go.
Health:
- I rode the recumbent bike for ten minutes (twice) , 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 140 (calculated max heart rate for me is 170). Average heart rate was 120. Since I said at the beginning of the year, "When the max heart rate gets down to 153, I'll increase time," I guess it's time to add more minutes to my workout. Yay!
- I counted the ranch work as exercise, since my step count for that day was over 10,000.
- In summary, I worked out for three days this week. I'm pleased with that and that my heart rate is plummeting while riding the bike. I don't feel any healthier, but I do like a lower heart rate. Resting heart rate is the same -- 72. A few years ago, I was below 60. It'd be nice to get back to that again. Step by step.
Friday, February 11, 2011
It's a tambo life
I haven't been online much the past few days, I just have so many things going on, plus I'm in 'withdrawal mode' wherein I pull away from most everything but my inner self and, well, hide. But I shouldn't do that, there's too much to get done, so, in an effort to be friendly and chipper and shit, here goes my list of how things are.
First - because she's here pestering me - Miss Princess Malaysia Stinky Butt has fully recovered from her surgery and its after effects and is doing so well she's taken to stealing things from my desk and running off with them or simply knocking them to the floor. Thankfully she only does this while I'm within 'chase her' range, because I have yet to find anything on the floor when I get up or come home. It's a great fun game and she suggests that everyone's cat give it a try to keep their humans entertained.
Bill finished the new floor in the spare bedroom, and it's been freshly painted and turned into a tv room/video game room/guest room. New rug, new curtains, artwork on the walls... It looks really nice. And I can play Fable again on the XBox, which is also nice. If a time suck.
I've been trying to get caught up with housework, but the creepy crud keeps clogging up my pipes. I'd rather nap, but napping doesn't get much done. Today, since Bill and Laura are out of town, I'm vacuuming, dusing, and mopping. Whee!
Sewing is going great. I've finished Sammie's baby quilt and have cut the fabric for a one block wonder quilt, plus I'm about halfway through a sewing class for a very complicated quilt called a diamond jubilee, and it's looking fantastic! I might post some pics on my tambocreates blog or facebook.
Writing isn't going so well. I'd kind of like to work on Stain - I have a great scene in mind where Jess freaks out over her men getting hurt - but I need to get M finished. Only it's such a mess, a daunting, overwhelming task. And I've been creepy-cruddy and would prefer to nap. Or watch mindless TV. Or eat junk food. But after I get today's cleaning tasks finished, I'm back to work on a complete rewrite from scratch for the second half of chapter seven. Only 25 chapters to go. ;)
I won't even talk about exercise. Or dieting. Or that kind of stuff.
Aw crap, I just did. ;)
Thursday, February 10, 2011
If a post posts in a forest ...
If a post posts in a forest and there's no one around to read it, does it still post?
Just wondering if y'all have been swallowed by the sea or snow or maybe The Monster of Mexico like in that Scooby-Doo adventure, which is the best Scooby-Doo movie in my opinion.
Anyway, just checking in to tell you that I'm still struggling with Floozy, but I've got the upper hand and soon she will be winging her way to Amazon and other online retailers. I'm excited about it.
Warmer today, but still too much snow. Hoping that we see lots of melt-off tomorrow.
So how are things going with y'all?
Just wondering if y'all have been swallowed by the sea or snow or maybe The Monster of Mexico like in that Scooby-Doo adventure, which is the best Scooby-Doo movie in my opinion.
Anyway, just checking in to tell you that I'm still struggling with Floozy, but I've got the upper hand and soon she will be winging her way to Amazon and other online retailers. I'm excited about it.
Warmer today, but still too much snow. Hoping that we see lots of melt-off tomorrow.
So how are things going with y'all?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
On Writing
By Stephen B. Bagley
"If you would be a reader, read; if a writer, write.” -- Epictetus
The first thing I have to say about writing is this: it is hard. This always seems to come as a shock to people. Many times I meet people who, upon learning that I write, will say, “Oh, I intend to write a book as soon as I have the time.” I wonder if they go up to heart surgeons and say, “Oh, I intend to transplant a heart as soon as I have the time.”
The implication is writing is easy. That, as soon as they have a few minutes to themselves, they will dash off a bestseller. This is not to say writing requires the same skill as heart surgery – it certainly doesn’t pay as well, dang it – but it does take effort and time.
I particularly like (dislike) the people who say they would like to be a writer but when you ask them what they write, they confess (actually, they state, because they don’t seem to be ashamed of it) they haven’t ever written anything. These same people will watch wrestling and reality shows. Avoid them.
Not that I really want everyone trying to be a writer; I have enough competition as it is. Still, more should try if only for the things they would learn.
For instance, you would learn that the editors who reject your work are evil. And the ones who haven’t sold their souls to darkness suffer from terminal stupidity. That probably sounds like a harsh judgment, but listen. At first, you’ll try to be reasonable about your rejections and tell yourself the editor simply had a bad day or perhaps your work didn’t meet his needs. I will tell you now those thoughts will not help you recover from rejection. Say to yourself that the rejecting editor has all the intelligence of gravel and the personal hygiene of a jungle pig, and you will immediately feel better. (Of course, keep this opinion to yourself. You will probably send work to him again because there aren’t that many editors out there in the first place, and they gossip about authors in the second place.)
You will also learn the only entities that profit from everything you write are paper mills and the post office. Every now and then, I toy with a conspiracy theory involving lumberjacks, paper mills, and editors. Think about it. I’ll wait.
In midst of all these frustrations, you will begin to question why you write in the first place. I have occasionally thought I would have been a happier person if the desire to write hadn’t taken hold and if I hadn’t fallen in love with sweets and fattening food.
I blame a monkey for starting me down the path of a writer. Curious George introduced me to the joy of the written word in the third grade. I remember closing the book about that mischievous monkey and thinking, “I want to be a writer.”
Of course, there were a few career detours as astronaut, international spy, and scientist crossed the mind of my younger self, but those other choices had no staying power. Writing was always waiting impatiently for me to return. I don’t know why. I may have been dropped on my head as a baby, a theory advanced by my older siblings – who could actually have dropped me now that I think about it. They have always been jealous of my magnificence.
I do know I write to bring order to my thoughts and to the world in which I live. Most of the time I don’t know what I think about a hard issue until I write it down where I can examine it – and then decide I don’t know what I am talking about.
And some ego is involved. When you write, you are saying your words are worth reading, your thoughts have merit – and that you want to be paid for them. You want to be paid a lot.
Writing a story is also a brain engaging activity, a difficult pastime like puzzles or crosswords. How to use words to paint pictures in the minds of your readers – and those pictures be the ones you imagined – can consume your life. The majority of it is a drive to put words on paper. I don’t understand it. I complain about it some, but I wouldn’t be me without it, and I wouldn’t get rid of it for anything.
Excerpted from Floozy & Other Stories. Copyright 2010 by Stephen B. Bagley. No copying without express written permission from the publisher and author.
"If you would be a reader, read; if a writer, write.” -- Epictetus
The first thing I have to say about writing is this: it is hard. This always seems to come as a shock to people. Many times I meet people who, upon learning that I write, will say, “Oh, I intend to write a book as soon as I have the time.” I wonder if they go up to heart surgeons and say, “Oh, I intend to transplant a heart as soon as I have the time.”
The implication is writing is easy. That, as soon as they have a few minutes to themselves, they will dash off a bestseller. This is not to say writing requires the same skill as heart surgery – it certainly doesn’t pay as well, dang it – but it does take effort and time.
I particularly like (dislike) the people who say they would like to be a writer but when you ask them what they write, they confess (actually, they state, because they don’t seem to be ashamed of it) they haven’t ever written anything. These same people will watch wrestling and reality shows. Avoid them.
Not that I really want everyone trying to be a writer; I have enough competition as it is. Still, more should try if only for the things they would learn.
For instance, you would learn that the editors who reject your work are evil. And the ones who haven’t sold their souls to darkness suffer from terminal stupidity. That probably sounds like a harsh judgment, but listen. At first, you’ll try to be reasonable about your rejections and tell yourself the editor simply had a bad day or perhaps your work didn’t meet his needs. I will tell you now those thoughts will not help you recover from rejection. Say to yourself that the rejecting editor has all the intelligence of gravel and the personal hygiene of a jungle pig, and you will immediately feel better. (Of course, keep this opinion to yourself. You will probably send work to him again because there aren’t that many editors out there in the first place, and they gossip about authors in the second place.)
You will also learn the only entities that profit from everything you write are paper mills and the post office. Every now and then, I toy with a conspiracy theory involving lumberjacks, paper mills, and editors. Think about it. I’ll wait.
In midst of all these frustrations, you will begin to question why you write in the first place. I have occasionally thought I would have been a happier person if the desire to write hadn’t taken hold and if I hadn’t fallen in love with sweets and fattening food.
I blame a monkey for starting me down the path of a writer. Curious George introduced me to the joy of the written word in the third grade. I remember closing the book about that mischievous monkey and thinking, “I want to be a writer.”
Of course, there were a few career detours as astronaut, international spy, and scientist crossed the mind of my younger self, but those other choices had no staying power. Writing was always waiting impatiently for me to return. I don’t know why. I may have been dropped on my head as a baby, a theory advanced by my older siblings – who could actually have dropped me now that I think about it. They have always been jealous of my magnificence.
I do know I write to bring order to my thoughts and to the world in which I live. Most of the time I don’t know what I think about a hard issue until I write it down where I can examine it – and then decide I don’t know what I am talking about.
And some ego is involved. When you write, you are saying your words are worth reading, your thoughts have merit – and that you want to be paid for them. You want to be paid a lot.
Writing a story is also a brain engaging activity, a difficult pastime like puzzles or crosswords. How to use words to paint pictures in the minds of your readers – and those pictures be the ones you imagined – can consume your life. The majority of it is a drive to put words on paper. I don’t understand it. I complain about it some, but I wouldn’t be me without it, and I wouldn’t get rid of it for anything.
Excerpted from Floozy & Other Stories. Copyright 2010 by Stephen B. Bagley. No copying without express written permission from the publisher and author.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Catching up
I feel like I've been swimming upstream since January when I consider my goals. It seems ages ago that I brightly shared my plans for 2011. Little did I know that illness would kick me and my goals in the teeth (although it felt like it aimed somewhat lower).
Still, I'm recovering. Not as fast as I'd like, but I've had more good days than bad lately so things are getting better. Still have this hacking cough and am tired more than I'd like.
I got peppermint oil as suggested by Wendy and have been using it as a "pick me up." No, I don't drink it. I have a diffuser candle and use it in that. I really think it works. Maybe it only works because I think it does, but not going to argue with anything that helps.
I finally have the first 100 pages of Floozy & Other Stories uploaded to Lulu.com for the eventual posting on the online retailers and intend on uploading the rest Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Then I'm done with it. Well, except for formatting it for Kindle and the Nook. Sigh. New projects that I will learn from, right? Right.
Tons of snow here. Will sure be glad when spring arrives. I function better with warmth and sunlight.
Anyway, next week I will be starting the real work on Murder by the Mile. I'm hoping my subconscious has been busy writing us out of the difficulties the book posed. We'll see then.
How are things going for y'all? I hope you're reaching your goals, but if not, remember that old cliché about today being the first day of the rest of your life. As hoary as it is, it's also true. You can always start again fresh. I'm believing and acting on that myself.
Still, I'm recovering. Not as fast as I'd like, but I've had more good days than bad lately so things are getting better. Still have this hacking cough and am tired more than I'd like.
I got peppermint oil as suggested by Wendy and have been using it as a "pick me up." No, I don't drink it. I have a diffuser candle and use it in that. I really think it works. Maybe it only works because I think it does, but not going to argue with anything that helps.
I finally have the first 100 pages of Floozy & Other Stories uploaded to Lulu.com for the eventual posting on the online retailers and intend on uploading the rest Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Then I'm done with it. Well, except for formatting it for Kindle and the Nook. Sigh. New projects that I will learn from, right? Right.
Tons of snow here. Will sure be glad when spring arrives. I function better with warmth and sunlight.
Anyway, next week I will be starting the real work on Murder by the Mile. I'm hoping my subconscious has been busy writing us out of the difficulties the book posed. We'll see then.
How are things going for y'all? I hope you're reaching your goals, but if not, remember that old cliché about today being the first day of the rest of your life. As hoary as it is, it's also true. You can always start again fresh. I'm believing and acting on that myself.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Good quote
“Writing is a form of personal freedom. It frees us from the mass identity we see in the making all around us. In the end, writers will write not to be outlaw heroes of some underculture but mainly to save themselves, to survive as individuals.”
-- Don Delillo
-- Don Delillo
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Writing for yourself
No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money.
- Samuel Johnson
Just read an interview of a famous author in which she said that she wrote only for herself. She said that if she had never been published, that would have been fine. The story was all to her, and she had to please herself, not her readers.
I was unable to read past that point.
Really? So it was merely by chance that her book ended up in the hands of an agent who auctioned it to a publisher who then sent her on a seventeen city tour? And the blog and tweets and her online efforts to sell her book were only an afterthought?
I've read and heard other authors claim that same thing or variations thereof. I've noticed they never say it until they're famous and have made a lot of money. And then it's expected that they deny they're commercial writers. No, they write for the love of writing and not for the money. Then why not just keep a diary? Why not give the book away for free? (Ebooks make that possible now.) I think it's easy to turn your nose up at that filthy money when you have plenty of it.
Well, I'm not ashamed to say I want to be paid. I write books so they can be sold. If I thought no one would ever read Murder by the Mile and never buy it, I wouldn't write it. Well, I might, but I would take my time and probably throw in a few flying robot monkeys. But I figure I'd write other things. I've always written something, be it poetry, plays, articles, whatever. Kept a journal since I was 10 and read that writers were supposed to. Later, I wrote in it to complain about how terrible my parents were and then how wonderful my college years were and then how not-so-terrible my parents had become over the years and so on until now. My journal will never be published -- in fact, I would be horrified if anyone else ever read it. My point is that I understand only writing for yourself; what I don't understand is why authors lie about wanting to paid for their work.
It's like writing isn't serious if it's written for a commercial purpose. Not arty enough.
Well, whatever. People lie to themselves all the time. If they want to consider that they're writing only for art's sake, fine, but it sure doesn't explain the number of vampire cyborg books out there right now.
Writing for money: it's a good thing.
- Samuel Johnson
Just read an interview of a famous author in which she said that she wrote only for herself. She said that if she had never been published, that would have been fine. The story was all to her, and she had to please herself, not her readers.
I was unable to read past that point.
Really? So it was merely by chance that her book ended up in the hands of an agent who auctioned it to a publisher who then sent her on a seventeen city tour? And the blog and tweets and her online efforts to sell her book were only an afterthought?
I've read and heard other authors claim that same thing or variations thereof. I've noticed they never say it until they're famous and have made a lot of money. And then it's expected that they deny they're commercial writers. No, they write for the love of writing and not for the money. Then why not just keep a diary? Why not give the book away for free? (Ebooks make that possible now.) I think it's easy to turn your nose up at that filthy money when you have plenty of it.
Well, I'm not ashamed to say I want to be paid. I write books so they can be sold. If I thought no one would ever read Murder by the Mile and never buy it, I wouldn't write it. Well, I might, but I would take my time and probably throw in a few flying robot monkeys. But I figure I'd write other things. I've always written something, be it poetry, plays, articles, whatever. Kept a journal since I was 10 and read that writers were supposed to. Later, I wrote in it to complain about how terrible my parents were and then how wonderful my college years were and then how not-so-terrible my parents had become over the years and so on until now. My journal will never be published -- in fact, I would be horrified if anyone else ever read it. My point is that I understand only writing for yourself; what I don't understand is why authors lie about wanting to paid for their work.
It's like writing isn't serious if it's written for a commercial purpose. Not arty enough.
Well, whatever. People lie to themselves all the time. If they want to consider that they're writing only for art's sake, fine, but it sure doesn't explain the number of vampire cyborg books out there right now.
Writing for money: it's a good thing.
Week 5
Week 5. 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 235 days. I've written 4342 words so far this month. My next badge to earn is the Double Flock -- 250,000 words. I'm currently at 229,118 words.
Internet Responsibilities:
- Blog posts are little light, but they've been done.
- No work on the FM project this week.
- Will paste the first portion of this entry to the writing blog, but nobody reads it, so that's ok..
Pets:
- With the cold snap this week, it was all about keeping them safe and warm
Property:
- Frozen pipes this week. They seem to be ok now.
Health:
- I guess I didn't get the bike ridden yet.
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 235 days. I've written 4342 words so far this month. My next badge to earn is the Double Flock -- 250,000 words. I'm currently at 229,118 words.
Internet Responsibilities:
- Blog posts are little light, but they've been done.
- No work on the FM project this week.
- Will paste the first portion of this entry to the writing blog, but nobody reads it, so that's ok..
Pets:
- With the cold snap this week, it was all about keeping them safe and warm
Property:
- Frozen pipes this week. They seem to be ok now.
Health:
- I guess I didn't get the bike ridden yet.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Shoots with the weeds
It's late. Or early depending on how you look at it. I'm about to go to bed, but I was reminded a few minutes ago by an on-line acquaintance about the importance of having supportive people in your life. This particular on-line acquaintance is a great critic in an writing circle I participate in. In fact, he can point out all the shortcomings of your latest novel. Or of any published novel. He knows all, he shares all, he tears down all.
This is not to say he's wrong. He often is right. But he is unable to be right and still support a person's dream. He's only capable of finding faults. Every compliment has a "but" attached. "Your plot moves fast, but your characters aren't real." "The setting is realistic, but you put too much detail and not enough action." "Your plot doesn't make any sense, but I like the way your characters talk." Every criticism is delivered with an authority that Moses would envy.
He's never read any of my work, and I don't intend for him to do so. I've watched him criticize people out of writing. In fact, that's what happened a few minutes ago. He delivered his clever, funny, no-holds-barred critique of another writer's romance novel. Everyone jumped on the band wagon; some were quite gentle, but wolves at a feast nonetheless. She abruptly left the group.
Since I know her, I got in touch, and what I feared would happen, happened. She had decided to give up. Of course, I gave her a pep talk -- that's what I do, God help me -- but his words had taken the wind out of her sails and sank the boat as well.
Of course, it's easy to say that she didn't have what it takes to be a writer. Maybe so. We have to able to take a lot of abuse. My training is mostly from the various newspapers I worked at, and I got used to abrupt editors. We were always under a deadline, and sometimes -- and this is wrong, I realized years later -- there wasn't time to be polite. Anyway, I developed a thicker skin than most. I also have a lot of faith in me. So I survive drubbings intact for the most part.
Here's the thing: Supportive can be more important than critical. It's almost much rarer. You can find critical people everywhere, but finding supportive people is much harder.
What I find most interesting is that he hasn't ever written a book. Oh, he talks about one all the time, but he tears it apart as soon as he writes. In his quest for perfection, he never completes anything. Or maybe that's just his excuse. Maybe he lacks the strength to stick it out, to put your words out to a hostile -- or worse -- indifferent world. Takes a lot of faith to do that.
Maybe he lacks faith. Maybe she does, too. I don't know.
I do know that dreams are fragile. They need faith and nourishment at first. They can be stronger than the greatest armies, but they need time to grow.
Some people, though, pull up the tender shoots with the weeds. And that's simply and totally wrong.
This is not to say he's wrong. He often is right. But he is unable to be right and still support a person's dream. He's only capable of finding faults. Every compliment has a "but" attached. "Your plot moves fast, but your characters aren't real." "The setting is realistic, but you put too much detail and not enough action." "Your plot doesn't make any sense, but I like the way your characters talk." Every criticism is delivered with an authority that Moses would envy.
He's never read any of my work, and I don't intend for him to do so. I've watched him criticize people out of writing. In fact, that's what happened a few minutes ago. He delivered his clever, funny, no-holds-barred critique of another writer's romance novel. Everyone jumped on the band wagon; some were quite gentle, but wolves at a feast nonetheless. She abruptly left the group.
Since I know her, I got in touch, and what I feared would happen, happened. She had decided to give up. Of course, I gave her a pep talk -- that's what I do, God help me -- but his words had taken the wind out of her sails and sank the boat as well.
Of course, it's easy to say that she didn't have what it takes to be a writer. Maybe so. We have to able to take a lot of abuse. My training is mostly from the various newspapers I worked at, and I got used to abrupt editors. We were always under a deadline, and sometimes -- and this is wrong, I realized years later -- there wasn't time to be polite. Anyway, I developed a thicker skin than most. I also have a lot of faith in me. So I survive drubbings intact for the most part.
Here's the thing: Supportive can be more important than critical. It's almost much rarer. You can find critical people everywhere, but finding supportive people is much harder.
What I find most interesting is that he hasn't ever written a book. Oh, he talks about one all the time, but he tears it apart as soon as he writes. In his quest for perfection, he never completes anything. Or maybe that's just his excuse. Maybe he lacks the strength to stick it out, to put your words out to a hostile -- or worse -- indifferent world. Takes a lot of faith to do that.
Maybe he lacks faith. Maybe she does, too. I don't know.
I do know that dreams are fragile. They need faith and nourishment at first. They can be stronger than the greatest armies, but they need time to grow.
Some people, though, pull up the tender shoots with the weeds. And that's simply and totally wrong.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Checking in on M
"M" is proofed, polished and tweaked trough Chapter 6. Some fairly extensive rewrites in Chapter 7 - When M first meets the detectives - but so far so good. :)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
*crickets chirping*
Wow, y'all have been so quiet lately! I guess we've all been hunkered down, trying to stay warm, except for Jean, of course, who has been fixing broken pipes.
I'd love to say I've had my nose to the grindstone lately, but I can't. I've tried to work, but I'm stalled. I don't know whether to print the story and read it to see if I can find where I went wrong or just scrap the whole thing. Okay, I don't really want to scrap it. I'm doing the love/hate thing with it right now. Right now my MC's transition from scared to confident and happy has been too easy. I've thrown illness, death, angst, cajoling, and all manner of annoyances at her, but it's not enough. She's living with a handful of people in an isolated area. I've even gotten her stuck outside in a freak snow storm in late October. Not sure what the problem is. It's almost like she's seeing the light all at once, and she's going, "Oh! That's what I missed! All right, it makes perfect sense now. I think I can marry you after all." Pleh. Pleh, I say. If I was reading it, I'd donate it to the library without finishing it, and I'd be hard pressed to buy anything else by me.
I know the first draft is supposed to stink. It's supposed to be full of holes and inconsistencies. All of the ones I've finished to this point have been that way. Unfortunately, I have a whole string of unfinished stories under my belt since the last finished one. Part of me wants to just scrap the whole writer gig and knit for the rest of my life, but I have to write or I get cranky, and I don't think blog posts are going to cut it in the long term.
Anyway.
On a positive note, while I haven't been to the gym this week, I have gotten a workout scraping ice and shoveling snow. I finally got my creche put away. I've cleaned the kitchen twice in two days and almost have a handle on laundry, and I've stopped clenching my jaw every time I try to minimize a window on the right side of the screen instead of the left. (The screen, by the way, still seems ginormous. It's only a couple of inches bigger than my laptop, but it feels like it goes so much further across my desk.) In short, I've pulled up my big girl panties (sorry, Stephen) and started channeling my self-loathing into useful things.
I do have another visit to the Apple store to look forward to this weekend because Eric's iMac died two days after we brought it home and refuses to turn back on. Both the Apple Care people and the Apple store people have told him to bring it back and they'll replace it. Drat. More shopping. ;-)
So I guess I'll go curl up with a book tonight and troubleshoot my story tomorrow when I'm fresh.
I'd love to say I've had my nose to the grindstone lately, but I can't. I've tried to work, but I'm stalled. I don't know whether to print the story and read it to see if I can find where I went wrong or just scrap the whole thing. Okay, I don't really want to scrap it. I'm doing the love/hate thing with it right now. Right now my MC's transition from scared to confident and happy has been too easy. I've thrown illness, death, angst, cajoling, and all manner of annoyances at her, but it's not enough. She's living with a handful of people in an isolated area. I've even gotten her stuck outside in a freak snow storm in late October. Not sure what the problem is. It's almost like she's seeing the light all at once, and she's going, "Oh! That's what I missed! All right, it makes perfect sense now. I think I can marry you after all." Pleh. Pleh, I say. If I was reading it, I'd donate it to the library without finishing it, and I'd be hard pressed to buy anything else by me.
I know the first draft is supposed to stink. It's supposed to be full of holes and inconsistencies. All of the ones I've finished to this point have been that way. Unfortunately, I have a whole string of unfinished stories under my belt since the last finished one. Part of me wants to just scrap the whole writer gig and knit for the rest of my life, but I have to write or I get cranky, and I don't think blog posts are going to cut it in the long term.
Anyway.
On a positive note, while I haven't been to the gym this week, I have gotten a workout scraping ice and shoveling snow. I finally got my creche put away. I've cleaned the kitchen twice in two days and almost have a handle on laundry, and I've stopped clenching my jaw every time I try to minimize a window on the right side of the screen instead of the left. (The screen, by the way, still seems ginormous. It's only a couple of inches bigger than my laptop, but it feels like it goes so much further across my desk.) In short, I've pulled up my big girl panties (sorry, Stephen) and started channeling my self-loathing into useful things.
I do have another visit to the Apple store to look forward to this weekend because Eric's iMac died two days after we brought it home and refuses to turn back on. Both the Apple Care people and the Apple store people have told him to bring it back and they'll replace it. Drat. More shopping. ;-)
So I guess I'll go curl up with a book tonight and troubleshoot my story tomorrow when I'm fresh.