My Own Little World

It's a rainy writing day. Hubster is playing Bad Company on the Xbox while I write so to drown out the sounds of gunfire and explosions behind me, I have put in my earbuds and am listening to music while I write.
I've spent the last few days trying to edit a couple of stories that have been sitting on my desk in hard copy for awhile. Today, I'm taking it slow since the words don't seem to be making sense. I've had this problem before and learned that all I need to do is keep going but avoid cutting things that need to stay. I also have my supply of chocolate handy just in case.
I think I've said before that I wasn't going to start anything new for awhile. Which is proving to be easier than I thought it would be since I've had absolutely no new ideas at all. *laughs*
On the personal front, I'm debating getting my hair cut. I've been letting it grow for quite a few years now with only the occasional trim. It's now about the middle of my back. It's hard to deal with. I totally understand why Stevie Nicks says "Perms are easy, this is hard." in reference to long, straight hair.
School is almost in full swing and the child seems to be adjusting well to high school. It's only been a week and a half and I already have to spend a good chunk of change for something he needs. Next week, they start the full days (his school lets out an hour early from the first day of school until Labor Day because of the possibility of extreme heat) and I'm going to love having a whole hour and a half to myself. LOL
I guess it isn't a rainy day after all since I see sunshine through my south window. So much for that. LOL
I've wasted enough time and need to get back to work.

Enjoy your extended weekend!

Today's playlist: Anything that comes up on the iPod, including: Styx, Rockapella, Stevie Nicks, Nelson, Meat Loaf, Damn Yankees, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Ricky Nelson, Tommy Shaw (solo), etc.

A Work In Progress

Sometimes I sit and stare at the screen in front of me trying to figure out if an alliteration I just wrote should stay or go. Nine times out of ten, it goes.
You just had to know that didn't you?
For the past week, I've done nothing but give into my procrastinating ways. I've played games, watched TV, cleaned, did laundry, and just stared off into space. The writing: minimal. Why? Because I felt like it. I know, I know, I should be writing but I have so much to do and so little time to do it all, I'm feeling overwhelmed and when that happens, the writing suffers. But today, I've been good. I've written a decent number of words and then wrote myself into a corner. I got out of it but it did stump me for over an hour.
The child seems to be adjusting to high school well. So far I haven't any reasons to complain though I haven't gotten the password to the website where I can check his grades and make sure he's doing his homework. I should ask him about it because he needs to stay on top of things if he wants to be an MP in the Army in four years.
Other than that, I haven't done a single thing because I want to be lazy. I think after while, I'm going to do a few crosswords before I dive back into the WIP. I haven't done a crossword puzzle in quite sometime. That sounds like fun. I think I'll do that while I listen to Lightning Strikes Twice by Nelson

Have a good evening!

So...

What do you know, another blog post. Surprised?
Today I haven't done much, except get up at SEVEN A.M. to enjoy the quiet that was my house until hubby got out of bed at eleven to get ready to leave for work at two. It was very nice. The first day of school is like Mother's day. Seriously. It's the only day that mom can really enjoy having the house to herself (for me it's only just for a few hours but hey, it works).
Of course, I haven't done much of anything except one load of laundry. WIP is still closed though just not feeling the words today. I did validate what I have written and again another NaNo won. Yay.
I have decided not to spend so much time on Facebook too. Too difficult for me to keep up with Twitter AND FB both. There are other reasons but I'm not going to go into them on any public forum.
I think the rest of the day, I'm going to get lost in some music by these artists Nelson, Rockapella, and Stevie Nicks. First song will be You're All I Need Tonight by Nelson.

And again....

I fell behind on blog posts again. Figures. Life has been crazy around here...between kids and a broken refrigerator (and had to call repair man today on the new one), and everything else, I haven't been writing as much as I would like. My novels have tanked (totally MY fault) and my TBR pile is steadily growing with books I've bought. There are quite a few more coming out that I have to get this week, next week and the week after. Plus my poor computer is having major issues and I'm just barely keeping it alive so I can write. (What's that they say? "If it's not one thing, it's another"?)
School starts the day after tomorrow (can you hear me singing Celebration from Kool and the Gang?). For the first time in YEARS, the school supply list and registration fees didn't break the bank!!!
 August CampNaNoWriMo will be a win but it took me longer with this story than any other story in the past to get to the 50,000 words. Hopefully in November, I'll do better. Maybe. I don't know what I'm going to write yet.
I really do though, need to get my head straight. I have a TERRIBLE case of cabin fever. Maybe this weekend I'll try to get out of the house away from other people and just sit and read or write. Who knows? I did get out of the house last weekened but only briefly. I got to see my cousins who I haven't seen in years. One cousin and I are only five years apart. When we were younger, the age gap was like a canyon. Today, the canyon is now like a teeny tiny crack because we're both OLDer and just slightly more mature.
Now I have to focus on getting the house ready and the spare room fixed up for a guest next month (SO EXCITED). I said SPARE ROOM!!! I have a spare room now! Isn't that exciting?? Amazing how much more room I have now with only one child left at home. LOL I'm sure all of you will remind me that I said this when the youngest one is out of the house in a few years and I'm whining about the empty nest. LOL I'm sure I'll find something to do with myself.
I'm ready for football season now thank you very much. School is starting and fall is coming so it's football time. Can't wait to pull out my favorite sweatshirts and eat junky sort of snack foods all day on Sundays. I don't think I'll be cooking much this season. LOL
Now I have to get back to the writing because I swore I'd have a decent amount of pages written before I head to bed tonight.

Killer Research...

. For my next CampNaNoWriMo project this summer, I am writing a Thriller. Not my typical genre, right? Well, it's a dare and tonight I'm doing a bit of research in between writing sessions. Some of the research is quite frightening. Reading about murder and murderers isn't fun. I still find it disturbing reading about people who can do such things to other people.


Tonight is Ted Bundy, Anthony Sowell, Gary Ridgeway, Mike DeBardeleben, Ed Gein, and Jerry Brudos.

I watch true crime stories on television and sometimes read true crime novels (M. William Phelps is my favorite true crime author). I don’t do this often because of the subject matter of the stories.

But then again, novels by Clive Barker do not bother me at all. Why? Because I know they’re fictional. It’s the true stories that bug me.

I hear someone saying, “Then maybe you shouldn’t write that kind of story if the research disturbs you.”

True.

But.

This story is a means to get me out of my comfort zone (fantasy/paranormal and contemporary romance) and give me a challenge. I know the story isn’t going to ever be seen by any eyes but mine and the person who issued the challenge. Sorry folks.

And with that, I have to get back to work.



Have a good night and sleep well...

Words Do Have Power...

As you may know, I worked on CampNaNoWriMo this month and will be working again on it in August. I validated at 1:30 AM CT this morning. I won:

When I re-opened my WIP, I deleted 64,088 words from my CampNaNo story and left only 400 words. Yes, 400 words. Why? Because this story was going nowhere. Most of the novel was write so many words and then, "No, this isn't working."
So, ~enter~, ~enter~ ~restart~.
I finally found a plot for the story and it worked. So I'm going to run with that, at least for the next week anyway and then, come August 1st, I start a new story.
I give myself twelve days. I know I can finish in ten but I do have school registration for the youngest child on the first and that will cut into quite a bit of my writing time. My baby is starting high school this year. Wow! Now do I feel old.
Tonight, I'm still trying to catch up on programs on the DVR. I have a killer headache and I've decided not to push things.

Have a good evening...

Recharged...

The day off yesterday did wonders. I opened my WIP and looked at it with fresh eyes. Today, the words are really flying onto the page.
But I also realized this particular story is flat on plot. I'll worry about that later. What I do have is great tension between the Hero and Heroine.
Trouble is, I have a lot of interruptions today. I don't mind distractions but interruptions really bug me. Yes, there is a difference. Distractions help me think about what I'm going to do next. Interruptions happen when I'm actually writing and have to stop to take care of whatever it is.
So today, I'm going to write as much as my little heart desires.

Today's music: After The Rain by Nelson

Another Day, Another Day.

Another scorcher. Okay so it's a bit cooler than it has been the past couple days but still...phew! I can hear the folks at the power company laughing as they mentally hear the "Cha Ching" of their bank account with all the people running air conditioners (including us).
I really don't mind the heat. Truly. I'd rather be too hot than too cold. Watch my blog when the temps dip below freezing here and then I'll really complain!
I'm having a lazy day today. My to-do list goes as follows:
1) Do laundry.
2) Read something other than own words.
3) Catch up on programs on DVR.
4) Make dinner.
5) Watch TV.

So I'm going to go do that.

Have a good day and if you're in a place where it's hot, stay cool...

A Bout of Random...

It’s flippin’ hot outside!!! With no sign of relief for quite some time. I think I will spend as much time as I possibly can inside out of the heat and humidity.


I tend to write better on cold days than I do on hot days. Why? Because I like coffee too much. I don’t want to drink coffee on days like this. But today, the words are coming easily for me. Why? Because I’m not planning anything, I’m just writing. I’m writing anything that comes into my head. I will sort it out at a later date.

Someone once asked me why I write so much. I couldn’t think of an answer. I think no matter what I said wouldn’t be a satisfying answer for this person either. My answer to him was something I heard somewhere: “I’d rather be a failure at something I love, rather than a success at something I hate.”

Even if I don’t ever get published, I’m happy with what I do. Why? Because I don’t write for publication but for myself. It’s my escape from the stresses of every day life. Ask my hubby, I get very cranky when I’m not writing!

And write I do. My husband works an eight hour day with two hours travel time both ways. So he’s gone for ten hours. I open whatever I’m working on before he goes to work and most of the time, I write until after he comes home. One day, I kept track of the times I wrote. It was equal to two shifts at hubby’s job. Sixteen hours. I write when I don’t feel well unless I can’t get out of bed. I write when I’m happy and I write when I’m sad. Sometimes the words reflect my feelings, other times you can’t tell how I feel. I write until I can no longer stand the sight of my own words. I write because it’s just what I do. Maybe the people around me don’t understand the reasons why but they do understand that it’s a part of me. Now if I can just get them to understand that when I’m writing, I’m working and don’t want to be interrupted. Which brings me back to the heat…my desk is in the living room right in front of the A/C. There’s also the TV and the family’s noise. I can tune it out and still work but maybe I should think about moving to another room to keep them from interrupting me. LOL

Something for me to think about, right?

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day…

Reasons, I Have None...

I'm neglecting my blog. Right? I also seem to remember making a promise to myself to keep my blog up-to-date. Why I wonder is why I broke that promise? I think part of it is because I really don’t like talking about myself.

So here I am, six months after my last post and nothing has changed. I’m still writing (or at least trying) every day. I’m in the process of creating new characters while editing old stories. On my desk right now, I have a hard copy of Love Is Dangerous waiting for the pen to finish slicing it apart. On my desktop, I have three other stories in various stages to finish or edit. I also have one story here for CampNaNoWriMo, which is an offshoot of NaNoWriMo. This one is proving to be a large headache. For some of you who’ve followed my blog since I first began know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. For those of you new to the blog, let me explain. NaNoWriMo usually takes place in November, where starting at Midnight on November 1st, you do your best to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I find it fun and you don’t think about whether your words are good or bad, you just write. I need that once in awhile because like I said before, I tend to pick apart every word as I’m writing it. NaNoWriMo prevents me from doing that.

Why am I not writing now? I’ve decided to turn over a new leaf, so to speak. So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to write every day (which I usually do) and update my blog every week, maybe more often.

I may not say the most brilliant things in the world but I promise to try to give you a little insight on how my journey through this writing venture affects me. You may also from time to time catch snippets of what I'm listening to. Today it's Lightning Strikes Twice from Nelson


Until next time ….

The Light That Shines Through the Shining Night

It is 12:12 AM local time as I write this post. Not exactly daily but at least it's a prompt post. Right?
Today, I started the day opening a new file to restart the current project. Luckily for me I didn't have to change too much. Can you imagine working along and getting 17,000 words into a novel and realizing that you're going to run out of story before you even get to the nitty-gritty (meaning here, the relationship between the hero and heroine)?
So, I closed that file (saving each and every horrible word) and opened new and started over. I think I've mentioned before that I have a friend who calls this "obssessing". Yes, I admit I do obssess. I want everything to be just so in my writing. If it's not, it bothers me to no end.
But there's always a light in that depressing darkness when I learn that what I've just spent the past few days working on is garbage. I learn that the next attempt is even better. Why is this better? Because my heroine is much stronger and more sure of herself. She isn't going to do anything she doesn't want to do. She's also not going to cower when the antagonist challenges her. She's going to go in headlong with both guns blazing, so to speak.
My hero is less troubled. In the scrapped story, he was so troubled he was a prime candidate for a rubber room. This time he's only under a lot of pressure. But nothing a man like him can't handle.
But alas, it's time to close so I can write a little while longer before I head off to dreamland.

Some Say Illusions Are Her Game

Almost a month since my last post. Gee, so much for posting often, right?
Here it is a new year and a new look. What do you think?
My year got off to a bad start. I'm not going into details here but it's not been "happy".
My writing on the other hand is going very well. I've been a good girl and have been writing every day, all day. I can't honestly say the words are good words but they are words on the page which more than makes up for it. I can't edit an empty page. I like my characters, they're a lot of fun to write. It's the plot and the story I'm suffering through. I'll get through this draft and then put it away for awhile to work on something else. I have a lot of projects to work on so that'll keep me fairly busy throughout 2011.
I look at my writing as an illusion. I'm painting a world in which someone can let go of reality and live someone else's life for awhile. Or at least, that's what I hope to accomplish.
Along with the writing projects, I have quite a few novels in my to-be-read pile (at last count: 12) and still more I need to purchase. "Need", yes that's what I said. Novels are a necessity in my life. I can't do without something to read. Let's face it, I'd rather read someone else's work than my own. I can't help but compare myself to the authors I read on a regular basis. I find myself saying, "Am I this good?", "I wish I'd thought of that." and, "Wow, have I really been reading this for the past four hours?"
If you write, reading is important. After I read a very good novel, I find myself inspired in my own writing. I also don't just read novels in the genre I prefer to write in. I read a lot of genres, including non-fiction.
And now I must close, I have a novel to write.