Yes We Are

One topic that hasn't been talked to death in the election aftermath is our new first lady. Particularly, that this lovely, intelligent, educated woman is the new face of beauty, grace and welcome to the world. And she's black.

I was so touched to see Michelle and the two young girls on stage with the new President-elect. I was overcome by the fact that we now have this new image of womanhood and motherhood to look up to as a role model where previously, all such role models in the upper echelons of power have been white.

Now black women young and old can look at the first couple and see themselves in this woman. They can see themselves achieving educational and career goals. After all, Michelle is herself a lawyer. They can see themselves as proud mothers and wives and they can see themselves as beautiful and glamorous!

Yes We Are!

We women of color have had so very few images like this to cherish. I look forward to seeing this family grow. I look forward to seeing what a positive impact this new role model will have for young girls and women across the country.

I VOTED!

I waited for 45 minutes but I wouldn't have cared if it was 4-5 hours. I was determined to get my vote in!

Highs and Lows

Ok ~ so I got a form rejection on my novella. I was crushed. I was at my day job when I checked email and saw it there. I wanted to cry but just knowing that I work in an open, studio environment made me pause and keep my shit together. I don't even think I have words to describe what a blow it was for me though I'm sure that everyone who has ever received the form rejection knows exactly what I mean.

I felt a combination kick to the stomach and slap to the ego. I'm better now. Mostly. I'm determined to forge ahead. I have a new story that I love but I have been so crazed that I have barely spent any time on it.

This is my life: day job that I have to commute an hour and a half every day to get to. A freelance writing job that is heating up. I usually get home around 7pm and work on my freelance until 10pm. I also started work as an Editorial Assistant!!!! I love that part of my day so I don't want to give that up. It's eating time but I love it.

I am also trying to finish my second MS. And spent time with my Sig Other and my dog.

I'm considering giving up the freelance stuff. It's pretty soulless, corporate marketing writing. I took it more to maintain a relationship with my old contacts than for the money. But it's kicking my butt now.

I really have to start looking more long-term when I consider how I spend my time now. Which of these activities is going to get me to my goal of working as a writer?? Unfortunately, it's not the day job but that's how I pay for my Internet connection. LOLs all around!

Busy. Busy.

I have been insanely busy with my new job, freelancing and another side project (more on that later if it takes off). Funny thing is, I’ve been getting more done than ever. I’ve been sleeping less and I don’t really mind it all that much. Around Wednesday, I crash. I have to sleep around 8:30 or 9.

I’m learning that the more I have to do, the more I get done. I have to squeeze every inch of productivity out of my days. For example, I’m sitting in Starbucks with a coffee. I started a synopsis for a new idea I have and I am writing this blog entry.

Of course, I’ll have to wait until I am on the Internet to post it. Starbucks makes me so mad by limiting Internet access in their stores. I am of the mind to find a new, independent coffee joint to haunt in the mornings before work so I don’t have to deal with their BS.

Ok ~ rant over. I actually have to get moving to my Day Job right now.

Started My New Day Job...

...and I hate it. It's ok actually but the commute is killer. I'm also so sad because I have to leave my poor little doggie for 12 hour stretches. I know that many people do this but for some reason, I am having serious separation issues over it. I just think that I am going to have to find something closer to home so I can come back and check on him mid-day.

I must confess that I have a dog walker who comes twice a day so it's not like he's completely shut-in. But still, I feel major stress over this. I don't have kids and can't begin to imagine how I'd feel to have to leave them every morning. Maybe I'd like it; maybe they'd like it. But I don't think so. I think I'd be verging on suicidal. I'm not making any judgments about what anyone has to do to make ends meet in this crazy world. I grew up the product of a full-time working mother. She worked because she couldn't afford to not work. I totally understand. But I know it made her sad and I know she wishes things had been different. Maybe that's colored how I see myself. I just know I want to cry.

Ok ~ it's 9:40 pm and I have to sit down and write. I did some writing this morning but only like 50 words. I did get to re-think a key scene so I have a direction... at least. But I need words...

Still writing...

... and struggling through. I'm not getting that same, mad rush of words that I had a few weeks ago. This time, it's like pulling teeth. Ugh.

And, I start my Day Job tomorrow. I'm so unhappy with having to go back to 9-5 office work. But it's my fault. I've been home for a year and didn't light a fire under my butt until recently to really get any writing submitted for publication. So, I feel like I'm going back to "working for the man" with no end in sight. I'm feeling really sorry for myself. I need the income and the economy is so bad right now that I shouldn't complain. I am fortunate to have found this job and to be able to bring in a steady paycheck to keep a roof over our heads here.

I will have to be way more disciplined when I sit down to write so I may not blog as much. Well, what I should say is that I may not read other blogs as much. That's the real time suck for me after all.

Stumped and Stuff

My new WIP has me handcuffed. Sounds like fun? Not so much. I ad a kernel of a good idea and loved my first 1000 words then my plot died. It just decided to stop breathing despite my best efforts.

So, I've been working on resuscitation techniques for the last few days and I think I have a pulse. It's fragile still and I'm not sure who the hell to even submit this one to. With my first completed novella, I knew right away who I wanted to send it to. (And, of course I'm having major self doubt around now.) But this one is really different for me.

We'll see. It's my new child and I love her.

On the job front, I officially start my new Day Job on Monday. I am so sad that I won't be working from home anymore. I also picked up a freelance writing gig so I'm concerned about my WIP. The freelance stuff should be easy. I'm used to writing for this particular industry and I really could use the extra money.

My life is going to get really complicated.

Lessons Learned

It's been a long few weeks. I learned that just because I "finished" my MS, that doesn't mean it's ready to roll out the door. I finished the first draft weeks ago. But guess what? I just sent it off TODAY! That's crazy to me. Now I'm in the long, slow tortuous death phase of waiting for word, any kind of word that: a) it's been received, b) it's been read or c) it's been accepted/rejected.

I'm a first-timer so I'm in considerable angst with this one. I'm trying valiantly to concentrate on my next project.

A New Day

I started my new project today. I'm so psyched about it. I absolutely love it. Well, so far. I'm doing the classic "panster" thing on it so I'm sre I'll get to the hate stage pretty soon since I'll write myself into a corner.

Anyway ~ I noticed that I bounce from amazing heights of unfounded optimism to crashes of self doubt and toilet bowl levels of confidence. So it goes.

I think that's the life I'm trying to sign up for as a writer because I don't think those feelings are ever really going to go away, especially when I'm pushing myself into unknown territory.

Going Crazy

I just finished the fourth round of edits on my novella and I feel like my brain is going to ooze out onto the floor. The feedback that I received has been immensely helpful in many ways. First, it as great to get different opinions on what worked and what didn't before I send it away. Second, I also got to really think about the story in new ways based on the feedback.

I also learned that there is no such thing as perfect. Do I still love my idea, my characters, my story? I do and that is why I am going to send it off through the submission process. I can't control the outcome but I am proud of the part that I could control. That's really all any writer can do. The rest will unravel as it will.

Quote for Today

"This morning I took out a comma and this afternoon I put it back again."

~Oscar Wilde

Interruptions

I'm in the middle of pretty major changes and this is what I look up to ~ a seriously ticked off doggie. I've been slightly ignoring him over the last several days. Today is going to be more of the same for him. I am halfway through combing through another round of revisions. But I think my story is getting close to final.

I'm going to finish it up today and start on another idea that I have.

Still editing...

I'm having a tough time of it. I thought I was all done with my edits then I let it sit for a bit and realized that I had to significantly change the opening scene. I didn't start close enough to the action. I really liked my old opening but I couldn't let myself love the words so much that it slowed the pace of everything.

So I'm slogging through, praying I don't lose what I loved about my story.

I also realized today that I have some pretty bad work habits. I get up. I pace. I play with my hair. I eat. I eat. I eat. All this takes time away from writing. I don't think it's procrastination. I think I do it to calm down ~ because I'm too nervous to commit to the writing. I'm not sure if that makes sense but it's different than my procrastination mode. That goes something more like: Let's see what's on Tivo. I need to walk the dog. Gotta clean the kitchen.

But I'm getting to know myself as a writer even more than I did before. I'm going to sumbit my novella and keep my fingers crossed. My confidence is very low but I won't get anywhere if I don't even try...

Date with Destiny

Carlos Zambrano's no-hitter has been eagerly anticipated by Cubs' fans like myself. I knew he could do it. It was just a matter of when. So when it did happen last night, it felt destined but he worked so hard over so many years and put in hours upon hours of blood sweat and tears to achieve it.

As Zambrano took the mound for the bottom of the ninth inning, I thought to myself, this is his date with destiny, to write his own history. It doesn't matter if you're a baseball fan or even a sports fan but just to be able to see someone achieve their dream, knowing the work that went into that achievement is a sight to behold. Ultimately, we all want to position ourselves for the ultimate achievement in our chosen pursuits.

EDITS FINISHED

I finished my first round of edits on my novella just this morning. Wow. Editing is not fun... at least it's not fun editing my own work. I wanted to be free, start something else, not edit. But, the devil's in the details and I had to sit down with the MS and work it over.

I'm going to give it to a few people to read today. I've got my fingers crossed that they like it.

My next struggle is to come up with a title for this. I haven't been able to come up with something that ties the story together, something that when you read the last line of the book, you go, "a-ha!"

I also have to write a synopsis. I've never written one before and I'm scared to death. I have a tendency to sell myself short; I've done it on resumes and job interview. And this synopsis is the mother of all cover letters for the dream job that I don't want to see slip away.

That's what I'm going to do today...

FINISHED

I finished the first draft of my novella yesterday. This is a really great feeling. I love the story. I love the dialog. I hope this story finds a publisher because I feel so strongly about the characters and the world I created for them.

Today is edit day. I did a complete read-through last night and made notes. I do some polishing and tweaking before handing it off to other people to read.

I guess the reason I'm so excited is that I finally feel like I've had my 'a-ha' moment with my work. All the lessons that I learned from reading about writing, from following authors who blog about writing, just clicked together for me on this one.

I'll keep blogging as I go through my first time writing a synopsis and submitting this officially. I haven't really decided where I'm sending this off to but I have an idea. I really wish I could get some advice.

I'll figure it out...the hard way. LOL!

A Day of Firsts

I have had such a good couple days of writing. Well, yesterday was better than today. I put in 7,000 words yesterday before I went to bed completely exhausted. I had one of those days where I didn't even want to stop to eat, shower, walk the dog or take a phone call.

It felt good. That kind of day was truly a first for me. When I woke up this morning, my elbow really hurt from my time at the computer. But in a strange way, I didn't mind the hurt. I finally felt like a put in an honest day's work.

I also shared my work with my Sig Other. He was very enthusiastic and gave me some great tips on areas that needed cleanup. I am going to focus on the edits just as soon as I have gotten through my last 2,000 words that I need to write today. I believe that I will have a complete first draft by the time I close up shop for the day.

This truly is a day of firsts!

I bought my first eBook today

Yeah, I'm a little behind the times. Everyone's got their readers and consumes content voraciously. I'm a bit slower on the uptake on this one but I'm looking forward to trying. I bought a Nocturne Bites title ~ Dreamcatcher by Anna Leonard. I woke up in the middle of the night and wrote this spooky paranormal story that I am going to submit to that line so I thought I'd better read what's actually getting published before I send in my MS.

And ~ if I want to be pubb'ed and sell ebooks, I had better know what they're like to read. I'll let you know. I like the premise for Dreamcatcher so I'm going to read it tonight.

Here's my quandary. I'm not sure if I should submit my MS to the publisher or find an agent for a short novella. I want to just send it away to the publisher because they give a nice little blurb on their site about how they're accepting unsolicited material for the line. But would that be a mistake? Here's the thing, I really love my story. I know that doesn't equal a hill of beans on the adding machines of business-oriented agents and publishers. But I love it and I want to package it up and send it off without have ing to first wait to see if an agent loves it too.

Any advice? Also the publisher says to send the entire MS and not to query but does this mean that I shouldn't write any kind of intro for the piece? I gots some serious questions before I run off halfcocked and get myself rejected.

It's Not About the Word Count

It's about calming that inner voice, that inner liar that is constantly inventing, weaving, fantasizing... Writing is about feeding the muse. She doesn't feed me. She doesn't have to. She would exist no matter what just to make me crazy. Writing is the only way I can put her to bed, shut her up, wrestle her down and get some peace for myself.

So I give her the page or she takes over my thoughts and doesn't let me focus on anything else. It's 2:35 am and I'm sitting at my desk. Couldn't sleep because the muse wanted to chat with me. Usually, I just listen and think, yeah, good one. Now let me get back to sleep and we can take this up at a more decent hour. But tonight, I gave in to her wishes and banged out 6 pages so far. It's now 4:15 am. I think I'll go back to bed now...

Bridge to Nowhere

Have you ever made pretty substantial plot changes and then tried to tie scenes together? I've been working like this for the past couple of weeks and I feel like I'm building a bridge to nowhere. I know, suddenly, all my posts are about Sarah Palin...

But that's exactly how I've been feeling. I've been working on this bridge and I'm not sure how I'm going to get to the other side. I have a vague idea and I keep writing and writing but I'm in uncharted territory here. I hope this works. If not, I have a whole lot of pages that won't stick together. The good news is that I like the changes that I made and I like these bridge pages but if they don't help the story along then I've wasted a lot of time and effort. But I guess that even failed writing experiments are valuable learning lessons for new writers.

It's worth it in the end because I'm starting to have more of a feel for the process and for how stories come together. Now when I read a book or watch a movie, I'm more conscious of the craft behind the writing and I enjoy stories so much more now.

A Romance Hero in the Unlikeliest Place

This is not a political blog at all. I have opinions but I'll keep them to myself.

To me, what has totally been underplayed in all the hoopla over Sarah Palin is her dashing romance hero, the "first dude," Todd Palin. Just from the few tidbits weve learned about his past, I'm already getting the rough sketches for a fantasy romance hero: hunter, oil worker, commercial fisherman, snowmobile racer who marries a beauty queen. This is something straight out of a Diana Palmer novel, reset in Alaska. He's been called a "true Alaskan," part Yupik Eskimo.

He must be that rarest mix of alpha male (all frontiersman, survivalist, manliness) and sensitive male. After all, I've read that he helps take care of their children and cooks!

Yes, there are the ups and downs on the way to love and I'd like to airbrush a few details about these two people but I like the outline so far.

I know one thing, they've got my vote for sexiest backstory of the campaign. We'll see about the rest.

How Can I Thank You?

Putting together a well-written thank you note is a tall order to fill. I mean, those two little words already accomplish so much: thank you.

What remains is the blank inside of a 5x7 note card, or rather, a whole lot of space for me to ramble and go off message. I'm one of those foolish sorts who likes to say only what is necessary and only what I really feel. So, I agonize over every little word.

Here's the scenario: I have to write five personalized thank you notes as a follow up to a marathon two and half hour interview I had yesterday. I've written three and I'm exhausted. I don't want to say the same thing over and over. What if they compare what I've written? I don't want to write something generic. These peeps are really picky and it's for a writing position so I feel like I've got to put forth the effort to win the job. It's a great job, btw. Well, I mean, as far as day jobs go.

I'm wiped. This may be all the writing I get to do today. Yikes!

First Dinner, Then Dessert

I was never any good at abiding by this rule set by most parents. In fact, as soon as I became an adult (which is still debatable), I broke this one all the time. Unfortunately, there is a reason that dinner comes before dessert or that work comes before play... to instill discipline, establish routine. I'm so bad at that still. I want to web surf before writing. I want to eat, check what's on TV. I even go so far as saying that I need to have all the dishes clean before I can get started!

I'm not a neat freak by any stretch.

I'm a born procrastinator and it's become so obvious now that I have long periods of uninterrupted time. I have to fight myself to get things done, to get motivated.

Today's big distractions (in no particular order, of course) have been: returning phone/email for my job search, blog reading/writing, dog walking/vet/dog park, daydreaming up new stories I'd like to write, laundry, eating/thinking about eating.

So ~ I have decided to keep to a more rigorous schedule over the next few days to see if that helps. I am going to try to set time allowances for each of my activities so I can still do everything... just within limits.

I have a big chunk of edits done but I just keep fiddling with it. I'm driving myself slightly insane with this project. I need to read some of the wonderful author blogs on how to edit efficiently... but I have to fit that into my new schedule!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

Well, I'm back from our road trip vacay. We follow the Cubs to different ballparks on the east coast. This time, we went back to see our Cubbies play the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was a great trip mostly because we swept the series. But we really enjoy visiting PNC Park for the friendliness of the of the Pittsburgh fans and the great food at the ballpark!

We both ordered sandwiches overstuffed with french fries and cabbage and split a big dill pickle and a cold mountain dew. It was gastronomical heaven... until we got back to the hotel room.

I did a little writing, very little but I thought myself out of a writing corner I got myself tucked into. I think I'll be able to complete the scene I was working on with the notes that I jotted down while I awaited my Sig Other's return from the lobby where he was hanging out talking to the players.

Well, vacay is over and we're back home to watch the rest of our games on TV, unless the Cubs make it to the World Series and then 'll be back on the road again!

On Vacay

Be back soon...

Odds and Ends and Thoughts

I cracked open my wallet and bought a new book instead of sticking to my TBR pile. Well, I bought the book a couple of months ago before I was really committed to tearing through my TBR. I bought the book because it was a new novel by one of my favorite romance authors.

I discovered this authors books when I was about 13 years old in a box of books my mother's best friend gave to her. The cover was purple and embossed and shiny with a dashing rogue and a striking heroine on the cover. The title was in gold, scipty, serify font ~ like ice cream for a teenage mind. I'll never forget this book. I've since replaced that copy with a newer version so I could have it for posterity.

Well... so I'm reading the book... and I'm not loving it. Truth be told, this is the second time that I feel like I've been left at the altar by this author's most recent work. I'm so sad. Maybe I've grown up and yesterday's flavor of romance no longer appeals or maybe something has changed. I don't know. I was just really sad. The hero isn't as dark and dangerous and I don't feel connected to the internal struggles of the heroine.

I am not going to give the author's name because I will always love her for her early work but I'm crying on the inside. I know that author's can't/don't want to write the same thing over and over. I totally get that. Actually, I want to get to that point where I'm screwing with reader expectations. I really want to love the work every time though.

In other news, I went for a job interview today. Keep your fingers crossed. I think I could be really happy with the position in terms of the work that I would get to do, the level of responsibility and... I would get to spend a lot of time writing. That's always a plus. I guess it's a double-edged sword because writing insurance or healthcare or mortgage copy can really drain your soul. But, I would be writing for a living.

Be careful what you wish for!

When it All Clicks

I'm going to have to tear up a bunch of what I wrote but I now know what needs to happen. I know what was missing from my draft. I'm so happy. I thought I would fear having to discard so many painstakingly written words. But, maybe that was the problem. They were each torn from me. The words didn't flow and now I see the way...

Life Lessons from a Stray Cat

I was just settling myself in for a writing session when the phone rang... my old boss. They may be able to hire me back!!!! I need to chill because it's not 100% approved and I should know next week but I'm so elated.

This is when yoga or tai chi would really come in handy. Too bad I dropped those classes at the beginning stages!

Now my concentration is shot. I just want to eat cake and watch TV.

I need to chill out like the stray cat who's stealing a nap on my deck. Now there's a dude who knows a thing or two about taking it easy and our lives are eerily similar. We're both jobless. Our next meals are in question... but do you see it worrying him?

Good Times in My TBR Pile

Like many folks, I've but the brakes on discretionary spending. This has affected everything from vacations to gasp ... book purchases! So I'm taking time out to read the items that I purchased in the past year. And I'm having a pretty good time of it. What I'm reading and how I've liked those selections are posted on Good Reads.

It's a pretty cool site that lets you organize and display your "bookshelf" on the web for all your friends to see. You can write reviews, see who's reading what and just generally be geeked out by books. I love it. And, I now have my TBR pile all accounted for and in front of me so I can see if I really need to buy more books. Not likely!!

I also reacquainted myself with the local library. They have a rather large selection of romance novels. I was really surprised to see this. The building looks like a dingy 70's special but it's so inviting inside. I was instantly comfortable... except that I've totally forgotten how to find anything on the shelves. the whole dewey decimal system is just an empty phrase to me. I will try to channel my 5th grade library skills or humble myself and ask for assistance because I have a feeling this is going to be my home away from home for a while.

Ok ~ I am going to slog through my stupid edits on my hated WIP. It's actually the process that I'm hating and the fact that I still have nothing but a pile of paper to show for my efforts. I think that my Sig Other has totally abandoned faith that this will ever lead to anything concrete. I'm losing faith too but I refuse to admit defeat.

My Crazy Summer

A LOT has happened this summer. Mostly of the not-so-good variety of happenings. The kind of stuff you don't want to blog about as it's going on but can list out objectively, without the pain of being so close up on it anymore.

Lost My Day Job for the second time this year. I should see this as a freeing experience but I'm so preoccupied with replacing that income stream that it's been hard to enjoy anything about this time off. I need to take advantage of all this time for my writing. I want to have something concrete to show for this time off. But I feel catatonic, listless.

Dad Has a Brain Tumor and is majorly depressed. He had a major seizure and when he was hospitalized, the doctors discovered the tumor. The question now is whether he should have surgery or follow a wait-and-see approach. Wait to see if it turns aggressive. Wait to see if it turns malignant. It's been a grueling ordeal for him and the family.

Health Issues of My Own. I have had my own health scare and hospitalization this summer. And coupled with the job loss, I soon won't have health insurance. I'm not so much worried about the state of my health moving forward. My doctor was fantastic. I'm just going through some residual head trauma.

And there are the edits to my WIP. I am sooo hating my work right now. I just want to throw it out and start on something new.

Edit Hell

I'm editing my MS and it's weirdly enjoyable. It's like I'm back in grade school and been gifted with the teacher's red pen. Yes, I always tried to be the teacher's pet.

I am getting to some scary sections that really need to be rewritten. But I knew this was coming. I needed to have thrown whole scenes out months ago bit I was a coward. I didn't want to waste a single word but bad writing is not worth keeping ~ even when it inflates one's word count and ego.

I guess that's a newbie mistake ~ clinging to writing that is no good.

Well ~ as soon as the day job let's out for the day, I'm back over to the red pen!

First Time for Everything!

I printed out a my complete WIP today ~ all 278 pages! That's amazing to me. I can hardly believe it. Now ~ it's not that I'm done but rather, I need to get my hands on the pages to actually do some editing. Yikes ~ the pages are coming out and I realized that I don't have numbers at the bottom. Crap. I gotta keep this thing in order or at least hand number.

That's the quick check-in. I've been dreading this moment for a long time but I really need to edit!

When Insults Had Class...

I received one of those pesky forwarded messages but this one was very "writerly" so I decided to share. And if, like me, you have a finely tuned sense of schadenfreude, you should enjoy these...

The exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor: She said, "If you were my
husband I'd give you poison," and he said, "If you were my wife, I'd
drink it."

A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the
gallows or of some unspeakable disease." "That depends, Sir," said
Disraeli, "whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."

"He had delusions of adequacy." - Walter Kerr

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." -
Winston Churchill

"A modest little person, with much to be modest about." - Winston
Churchill

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great
pleasure." Clarence Darrow

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the
dictionary." - William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).

"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"
- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time
reading it." - Moses Hadas

"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I
know." - Abraham Lincoln

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I
approved of it." - Mark Twain

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." - Oscar
Wilde

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a
friend.... if you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill


"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is
one." - Winston Churchill, in response.

"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here." -
Stephen Bishop

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator." - John Bright

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial."
- Irvin S. Cobb


"He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others." -
Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." - Paul Keating

"There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure." Jack E.
Leonard

"He has the attention span of a lightning bolt." - Robert Redford

"They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human
knowledge." - Thomas Brackett Reed

"In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily." -
Charles, Count Talleyrand

"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him." - Forrest Tucker

"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on
it?" - Mark Twain

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." - Mae West


"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." -
Oscar Wilde

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support
rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

"He has Van Gogh's ear for music." - Billy Wilder

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it." - Groucho
Marx

Teenage Angst Continued...

My life is under a cloud. Have you ever had to live with a long-term house guest? Well, that's what we've been going through since the day before Easter. I think at first, we thought it was going to be a great adventure, maybe even our own sitcom plopped right down in the middle of our mundane, suburban lives.

But well, it's more like two urban, childless yuppies have an insto-presto teenager moping about playing video games and constantly complaining and whining about his life.

So, the hardworking, young urban hipster couple are now parents to one recalcitrant teenager and all the attending angst and hormones.Punchline though ~ he's nearly 30!

Ok ~ comedy is not my thing and the novel is more dark than comedic.

In Love with Twilight

Let me start out by saying that I am a ridiculously slow reader. Not because I have reading comprehension issues or anything like that. But rather, I really like to savor my books. I like to read a few pages, then sit and let it sink in, spend time with the characters in my head. Continue the story. Develop plot lines for them on my own. Then I'll read a bit more.

But not with Twilight. I barely wanted to turn the light off at night. I read it in record time and now I'm *dying* for Book 2. I've sent my Sig Other to the bookstore to pick it up. He better come back with the right thing or else... or else I'll have to go get it myself.

It's been quite a while since I've read a book that's left me breathless for more. Oh, I've like the books that I've been reaing but this was love... love like Bella has for Edward: amped up, hyper-hormoned, achey teen stuff.

To read it is to love it!

Penelope

A friend invited me to see Penelope with her the other evening. I was tempted to stay home. It's cold. I'm a homebody and, well, I should be writing, as another blogger so aptly puts it. But this movie was so adorably cute that I was glad that I went.

For all of us romance readers, it was a neat little twist on a classic story of finding true love ~ despite everything. Add a dash of James McAvoy and you've got a nice little movie indeed.

Desert Island Books

I was thinking recently about the old "Desert Island Discs" concept but applied to books instead. What I discovered kind of surprised me. Here I was thinking that I was an infinitely practical person. But my choices revealed something altogether different. I discovered that I am really an idealist. My choices, slim volumes mostly, really affected my life for better or for worse. The practical person, who revealed herself in the person of one of my friends, would choose, say: The Holy Bible, the Encyclopedia Britanica, The Oxford English Dictionary.

Those are great practical choices but they didn't come immediately to mind. If I truly found myself stranded on a desert island with the few hundred pages below, I'd probably be suicidal.

In no particular order:

A Room of One's Own. I still feel very strongly about this book and cling to my writing freedom, and my right to it, like it's my own personal manifesto. I know that I have been slightly selfish about my personal time and activities and sometimes this takes a toll on my personal relationships. I can only apologize; I can't change. Well, I don't think I want to.


The Awakening. This book, in its exploration of marriage, identity and motherhood put its indelible stamp on me in high school and (many, many) years later, I still wrestle with these same issues and don't know that much has changed for women. I still feel bound by expectations, both societal and biological, that I'll become a mother. What am I waiting for? Read this book and you'll see... well, maybe don't read it so you can go blissfully ignorant into various life stages.


Breakfast at Tiffany's. I recently saw the movie again. Not as lovely as the book but it was a treat to find it on in the afternoon. Holly Golightly is the quintessential floater. There is something that tugs at my soul about her approach to life, not having really felt a sense of belonging to anyone or any place.

Anna Karenina. I'll simply say that I went through a dark, Russian period. I mean: Crime and Punishment, Notes from Underground, etc. I think I spent pretty much an entire week in college reading this book. I skipped classes, barely showered, camped out in my BF's room and read while he wrote German essays in a little, perfect bound, college rule, old school, black and white classic notebook. While I don't recommend bailing on life for a week, it was Boston in the dead of winter...

Oh ~ and I would definitely sneak some romance novels into my life raft because I'm a lifelong romance reader. I'd take some Rosemary Rogers. Surrender to Love was the first romance I ever read. I found it in a box of books that were going out for donation. I was 12 years old and it totally rocked my world!

On the Chopping Block

I cut 8 pages today. That's a pretty scary number for someone who has struggled for every word, paragraph and page. But I just wanted my scene to go in a different direction and felt that I could really set the stage for some action later on in the story if I cut those pages.

I have a good outline for what I think needs to happen now with my characters.

It still didn't feel particularly good. I'm going back to it now. I'm determined to make up the pages that I cut so I have to hustle so I don't feel like I've made negative progress.

I'm ALIVE

Not that it was ever in question. But I kinda had a resolution that I wasn't going to blog anymore until I was at least done with my current WIP. But ~ that didn't go as planned. Yes, I"m still writing. Still struggling. It's just so damn hard.

And here's the rub... I've put myself on the line to finish this thing. Ego. I've told so many people that I'm oh so close that I now really have to finish. And I kinda like what I have so far.. and I kiinda don't as well. But I'm in the deep end and I've got to get to the other side.