I hope you all had a wonderful Thanskgiving, survived Black Friday with no injuries and all the items you were hunting on your list intact, and are ready for Cyber-Monday.
Our Thanksgiving was very nice, the only Black Friday-ing I did was to the pharmacy (for some cold meds) and to Home Depot followed by the small Wal-Mart in our area for Christmas lights for the outside of the house.
Across Friday and Saturday we Christmased (yes, I know that is not a real word) the house, but without any snow it still feels like Christmas is a long way off.
Our son had his final skating lesson yesterday and was very pleased to have gone from Hockey Level 1 to Hockey Level 4 in five weeks time (we see a huge improvement in his skating, as do his coaches!) He is looking forward to his first game this coming Sunday.
Have a great week! I'll be back Thursday with my final NaNo count.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!
I love Thanksgiving. It is a wonderful time to sit and reflect on what I have to be grateful for. So here are some things I am thankful for this year.
My family and friends.
The men and women in the military who give up so much so I can have what I have.
The men and women in law enforcement who serve and protect here at home.
A job I enjoy with co-workers I look forward to seeing everyday.
The support I receive from the writing community.
These are just a few things I wanted to share. What are you thankful for????
My family and friends.
The men and women in the military who give up so much so I can have what I have.
The men and women in law enforcement who serve and protect here at home.
A job I enjoy with co-workers I look forward to seeing everyday.
The support I receive from the writing community.
These are just a few things I wanted to share. What are you thankful for????
Monday, November 21, 2011
Revision or Draft
Today I have a couple questions for you. Say you have a WIP you have been working on for a long time, and while the plot remains the same, the characters have changed as has the POV's you are writing from. I fact, you are creating brand new chapters at the beginning with the hopes of merging them later on into the drafts you already have.
The questions: Are you revising or drafting? And does it really matter what we call it?
The questions: Are you revising or drafting? And does it really matter what we call it?
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
What a Crazy Week
Sorry I missed you all on Monday-- it was the start of a busy week after a busy weekend.
Friday, with all of us off for Veteran's Day, we headed to New Jersey for the Devil's Capitol's hockey game. And what an experience it was. We had planned to go to the Liberty Science Museum, but traffic delays had us arriving almost an hour later than planned, so it will have to be on a different trip.
We did spend time in the Ironbound district (learning afterward that this is known as Little Portugal). It was fun walking around the shops and eating there.
Then came the game. We had seats 11 rows up from the ice, near the goalie. I love hockey, we go to a few (more now that dear son is playing) AHL games a year, but none of us had ever been to an NHL game before. I cannot tell you how amazing it was. The speed of the game, the agility of the players. I had always known Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitol's Left winger) was an awesome player, but seeing it in person put it in perspective. The speed, the effortless look to his skating, and the stick handling were so much more impressive in person.
Being Veteran's Day, they had several times they honored the men and women who sacrifice and serve to allow us the freedoms we have today. It was so wonderful to see the applause and standing ovations from the crowd.
So, how was your long weekend/week? Share below.
NaNo Update:
11/11- 0
11/12- 1241
11/13- 4781
11/14- 309
11/15- 739 (finished TLP!!! YAY!!!!)
11/16- 1913 (Started Quest!)
Total so far: 16351 (Hmm-- if I keep it up, I might just make that goal after all!)
BTW- thanks for all the support in the comments last week. I really appreciated it. Just want you all to know, I am happy with what happens, no matter the word count. The story is my real goal!
Friday, with all of us off for Veteran's Day, we headed to New Jersey for the Devil's Capitol's hockey game. And what an experience it was. We had planned to go to the Liberty Science Museum, but traffic delays had us arriving almost an hour later than planned, so it will have to be on a different trip.
We did spend time in the Ironbound district (learning afterward that this is known as Little Portugal). It was fun walking around the shops and eating there.
Then came the game. We had seats 11 rows up from the ice, near the goalie. I love hockey, we go to a few (more now that dear son is playing) AHL games a year, but none of us had ever been to an NHL game before. I cannot tell you how amazing it was. The speed of the game, the agility of the players. I had always known Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitol's Left winger) was an awesome player, but seeing it in person put it in perspective. The speed, the effortless look to his skating, and the stick handling were so much more impressive in person.
Being Veteran's Day, they had several times they honored the men and women who sacrifice and serve to allow us the freedoms we have today. It was so wonderful to see the applause and standing ovations from the crowd.
So, how was your long weekend/week? Share below.
NaNo Update:
11/11- 0
11/12- 1241
11/13- 4781
11/14- 309
11/15- 739 (finished TLP!!! YAY!!!!)
11/16- 1913 (Started Quest!)
Total so far: 16351 (Hmm-- if I keep it up, I might just make that goal after all!)
BTW- thanks for all the support in the comments last week. I really appreciated it. Just want you all to know, I am happy with what happens, no matter the word count. The story is my real goal!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Procrastination and NaNo Update
I had hoped to have my current WIP finished before the beginning of November. Due to a series of events, that didn't happen. So, I figured I could finish it up the first week of NaNo and dive into the WIP I want to work on. That didn't happen either.
On Sunday, I told my CP's (for probably the third time) I hoped to have it finished by Wednesday at the latest, then I would send it to them after a quick read through. Yesterday was Wednesday, and you guessed it. It didn't happen. I am closer-- just three chapters away from the end, in fact. But three chapters that need more overhauling than I had thought.
It was bothering me this week that I was behind, and I found myself pushing off sitting down to write. It made me wonder if I was procrastinating because I didn't want to end working on this particular story, or if my mind was telling me I needed more time to work out where these changes were taking me ending. I think it was both, and have learned something in the process. Sometimes it is good to wait for that knot to unravel, but other times, you just need to sit down and write.
NaNo Update:
11/3- 538
11/4- 0 (Yup- but I got to see Jeff Dunham live!)
11/5- 500
11/6- 2007
11/7- 0
11/8- 1540
11/9- 591
For a total of 5176 (as you can see, I am far behind the 1667 words a day and approximately 14000 words a week needed to reach 50,000 words. But, I am OK with that.)
On Sunday, I told my CP's (for probably the third time) I hoped to have it finished by Wednesday at the latest, then I would send it to them after a quick read through. Yesterday was Wednesday, and you guessed it. It didn't happen. I am closer-- just three chapters away from the end, in fact. But three chapters that need more overhauling than I had thought.
It was bothering me this week that I was behind, and I found myself pushing off sitting down to write. It made me wonder if I was procrastinating because I didn't want to end working on this particular story, or if my mind was telling me I needed more time to work out where these changes were taking me ending. I think it was both, and have learned something in the process. Sometimes it is good to wait for that knot to unravel, but other times, you just need to sit down and write.
NaNo Update:
11/3- 538
11/4- 0 (Yup- but I got to see Jeff Dunham live!)
11/5- 500
11/6- 2007
11/7- 0
11/8- 1540
11/9- 591
For a total of 5176 (as you can see, I am far behind the 1667 words a day and approximately 14000 words a week needed to reach 50,000 words. But, I am OK with that.)
Monday, November 7, 2011
What I've Learned About the Query Process So Far
1) Patience. Good things take time.
2) Rejection can be a good thing. You never know what you are going to learn from it.
3) A synopsis is best written before you start your novel, to highlight the major events, or after a few months away when what you call to mind are the major events (at least for me!)
4) Critique Partners are worth their weight in gold.
5) Support from friends in the writing community is amazing.
So, thank you to all my CP's and those of you out there in the writing community cheering me on as I practice patience and work on more stories.
2) Rejection can be a good thing. You never know what you are going to learn from it.
3) A synopsis is best written before you start your novel, to highlight the major events, or after a few months away when what you call to mind are the major events (at least for me!)
4) Critique Partners are worth their weight in gold.
5) Support from friends in the writing community is amazing.
So, thank you to all my CP's and those of you out there in the writing community cheering me on as I practice patience and work on more stories.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Postal Irritation and NaNo Update
Due to the flooding in our area, the post office I usually mail packages from was closed. Yesterday, I needed to send out a package to Jana, winner of one of the random Platform Building Campaign prizes from Rachel Harrie's blogfest.
I went to the larger post office in my area, got a box that would fit the book I was mailing, closed the book up in it and stood in line, only to be told at the counter I needed to buy tape as they don't tape packages (something the smaller office did do.)
Irritated at what I saw as a money making scheme (box is free, but we charge for tape), I went home, taped up the box and deliberated how to tell Jana it was going to be another day late as I didn't have time left on lunch to go back and wait in line.
Then I remembered a packaging company nearby. I went there. The staff was friendly (and the tape for free), there was barely a line, and they offer special discounts during the months. This is where I will be shipping from in the future.
Have you had experiences like this with your post office? Share below.
NaNo Update:
Day 1: 909 words
Day 2: 719 words
How are you doing with NaNo?
I went to the larger post office in my area, got a box that would fit the book I was mailing, closed the book up in it and stood in line, only to be told at the counter I needed to buy tape as they don't tape packages (something the smaller office did do.)
Irritated at what I saw as a money making scheme (box is free, but we charge for tape), I went home, taped up the box and deliberated how to tell Jana it was going to be another day late as I didn't have time left on lunch to go back and wait in line.
Then I remembered a packaging company nearby. I went there. The staff was friendly (and the tape for free), there was barely a line, and they offer special discounts during the months. This is where I will be shipping from in the future.
Have you had experiences like this with your post office? Share below.
NaNo Update:
Day 1: 909 words
Day 2: 719 words
How are you doing with NaNo?
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