I work in a building that houses a warehouse. Our offices are in the front of the building and we have very little interaction with the people in the back most days. There’s only two people who work back there, one is a cankerous elderly man who I get total hoot out of, he’s very old school in some of his ways but in others he’s just downright male. Then there is a young guy, maybe out of high school a year or two, he’s new, replacing the last one a month ago. That job never carries someone more than a year or two at most.

Well this new guy I didn’t even know his name until I had to write his cheek a week ago. He doesn’t speak unless he has too and I’ve discovered he has another strange compulsion. He replaces the bags in the trashcans every time there is something in them. Seriously. I mean yesterday we ate Subway in the front office and no sooner had we finished eating, he was there changing the bags. Today? I had a sandwich from home I ate it on a paper plate with some fruit, tossed it in the garbage can and next time I went to get water the bag had been changed. He eats his lunch outside, so he must toss his ‘food garbage’ into the dumpster. I had to make copies last week and some didn’t come out right, so I chucked the crumpled pages in the trashcan, same thing, it was changed immediately, so it’s not just food he’s getting rid of oh and he’s always fooling with the coffee pot and he always talks with his cell phone on speaker and it makes me nuts because it carries all over the warehouse.

Okay, I feel better now J

12,250 / 60,000 (20.4%)

Seems like the blog has turned into a counter thread for now. But I guess that’s not such a bad thing. I’m focused on my WIP completely. I really like where it’s going and where it’s been. I’m having fun with this one, letting the characters have their way – for now.

My friend Shannon posted a question that basically boiled down to give an original, one line piece of writing advice.

Mine was… Finish what you start and fix what you finish. I guess that pretty much sums up where I am writing wise right now J

You can find the other’s words of wisdom here.

10,250 / 60,000 (17.1%)

Sunday Sven check in.... so far so good :)

8,750 / 60,000 (14.6%)

Saturday Sven check in - I acutally skipped Friday, because I have a horrible headcold, but I did include todays pages. So If I get a good burst of energy later I might make up for Friday this weekend anyway!

4,750 / 60,000 (7.9%)

Quick post for progess! Have a Happy Wednesday!

I was home today with a sick kiddo. But I just could not get in the writing groove. Nothing doing. My morning had been going good until I get the call (text really!) that the oldest was sick. So I guess it just threw me off my game.

I had stuff to do (of course) around the house, but I was determined to get my word count in early, so I could do other stuff later!

I was sweating it… trying to get the words out and they were fighting me. I finally gave in and just started typing. I ended up getting some great stuff from the villain – who until today was not a planned POV. But now I have to use her. A few plotting issues worked out with her help to boot!

A reminder to Thank all those who serve, have served and will serve our country.

Another note... Sven, I made it through day one (with 5 pages) and even wrote one page this morning. Oh and uh, I've chosen to take the whole sweating thing literally and started back on an exercise routine yesterday too. I figure I'll need the extra strength to make my word count :)

Edited. Monday  5 pages. Yay it's a decent start :)

1)      S&M In the Morning

2)      Shepard Stein, Radio DJ

3)      Lucy, Bakery Owner

4)      New Orleans

5)      90-95K – need 65K

Today I'm doing a little prep work getting ready for daily writing again I'm going for 5 pages a day which should get me the 65K in the 77 days! Keeping my fingers crossed and putting my faith in this WIP through the end of the year. I want it finished. At that point, I will make up my mind where to put my focus. Once this is finshed I can take some time and polish up it and my last WIP and get back to the very serious business of queries and submissions.

Making list, staying focused and reaching goals. It’s already November. It’s so hard to believe how fast time seems to fly at different periods of your life. Lately I find it amazing how much the little one now knows. Sure we read to her and she goes to a daycare that has a fantastic pre-school program, but it seems she’s all of a sudden a font of information. And at time a very opinioned font… like with her Christmas list.

Make list is about the only way I can stay focused on what needs to be done, and when. I have lots of goals to reach before the end of 2008. I think I’ll be doing the 77 days of sweat with Sven even though I haven’t actually registered, hey I have until 11/10 to do that. I chose not to do http://www.nanowrimo.org/ because I need more focus and plan to do some editing along the way besides, I’ve never done nano and it just doesn’t seem like the right fit for me right now. I want to finish my current WIP because I believe it is something I could successfully query and I want it ready to go for the beginning of the year.

Other list… well my brother is getting married at the end of December. Weddings take some planning and well my SIL to be is a full-time student and works and is currently applying to pharmacy school on top of that. And her mother speaks very little English and is out of town. My brother works full time and well, he’s a guy. So I think I sort of volunteered to help over the weekend and of course I’m happy to do what I can since I’m very excited for both of them and look forward to having a new member in our family. The wedding is December 28 and that is really close. It’s taking place at a local (okay not exactly local, 1 ½ hour away) castle where lots of the little details are being handled by the venue, so that certainly helps.

Happy Monday. Happy November!

We are well into the forth quarter of the year. I tend to break the year down into quarters because when my husband was in business for himself I did his bookwork. I have keep up the habit but now it’s more a way to look back each quarter and see what I accomplished. In January I said 2008 was going to be my year of determination writing wise. It’s been a whole lot harder than I ever thought to remain focused, but I feel like I’m doing pretty okay. Honestly I needed the focus this year, it’s been good for me. And I do feel like I have made some headway. I might not be where I want to be – yet, but at least I know what I have done and what I have not done to help accomplish that goal.

Saturday I drove with my writing friend, Jo, to the SOLA meeting (Southern Louisiana Chapter of RWA, New Orleans group). Jo was scheduled to speak. Like me she works full time, she works for an accounting office, group of CPAs to be exact. So she’s the queen of spreadsheets and she’s devised a spreadsheet plotting system, so that was her topic. She did a good presentation and made it into a hands on workshop – my favorite kind J

I’m not a plotter. I’m write by the seat of my pants for the most part, but the more I write the more I’ve come to realize I plot, it’s just by the seat of my pants too. I gleamed a few things from Jo’s workshop, as did everyone in attendance. It’s was a very nice way to spend my Saturday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Happy Monday!  

Wide range topics yes, but things that have been on my mind a lot lately as I worked on my current WIP while something older and totally different from what I tend to work on writing regularly stirs in the recesses of my mind. I’m sure I will be posting more on each of these as I continue to ponder, but for now I just wanted to say…

In my opinion voice can pull a reader out of their reading comfort zone and draw them into a genre the might not have considered before – or into a different spectrum of a genre they never have thought they would enjoy. And on that cryptic note I will add I am currently reading about a blue-haired dragon shifter, not anything I would have picked up to read on my own, although I read paranormals.

It happens to be in the same anthology Everlasting Bad Boys - as the lovely Cynthia Eden’s rockin’ “Spellbound” – which I highly recommend and will post a review for the book once I finish the other two stories J I have to say I discovered Cynthia’s unique style/voice while reading a Secret’s Volume. One more reason I always read all the stories within an anthology. You can find wonderful new voices and genres and expand your comfort zone all at the same time.

I love when something unexpected happens in a WIP. That’s not it exactly. What I mean is -  I love when something I really, truly didn’t see coming spurts onto the page AND fits in perfectly, adding depth and plot progression.

One simple flippant question from the hero to his best friend “Who kicked your f*ing dog?” and progress. Lots and lots of progress. Where there was a minor stumbling block is now the perfect fit for the story to move forward! Yay!

Getting to the Post Office is my main goal for today. I’d even like to make it before the tropical storm force winds hit. Schools are being let out at noon. Ike is one HUGE storm. I guess with Gustav so fresh in everyone’s mind even the thought of a little high winds has people more frantic than normal. Sigh. Well hopefully the street I work on won’t flood and I and I won’t get soaked. I’d really like to leave early, mail my bundle of stuff and get home before the rain even starts! Wish me luck J

I really don’t like the term, but it is the phase our whole area seems to be in. The stores and restaurants are starting to re-open, but most are not fully supplied yet. Trying to find fresh produce is hopeless at this point. I even broke down and gave into the little one yesterday only to find out even McDonald’s is in ‘recovery mode’ and uh, they didn’t have burgers right now. Which was fine with little one, they had nuggets, lol but the oldest wasn’t exactly happy.

Professionally, the recovery mode started with a slew of re-inspections (must verify houses with open loans are still standing before the lender will actually close the loans). And then you have the ‘hurricane forms’ (as we dubbed them in our office) which some lenders are already starting to order, but hey at least we’ll have a little work, since not many people are not concerned with refinancing or buying houses right now.

It seems I’m even in recovery mode writing wise, or at least something close to it, lol. I have one manuscript to reprint and send due to a lost in the mail issue. I have a few things to polish and submit. Oh and the printer needs to be refreshed as in it would like toner, but um, well office suppliers are not high on the list of places to reopen I’ve tried two with no luck, but my hunt will continue.

It’s been a week. During the ‘clean-up’ phase of the aftermath of Gustav a pretty large limb fell on me. I’m fine, a little black and blue, and a few scratches, but in reality I was very lucky!

Then Monday morning I decide it’s time to get my rear back in the writing gear, after my week of hurricane issues. So I get up the nerve send out an email for information, get a very quick response, still a little unclear I picked up the phone and called New York. Call it after hurricane induced ‘guts’, lol. I had a lovely phone call with a very nice editor and got clarification I needed and a little direction as to what to do next (re-submit the lost in the mail manuscript for starters) and send out something else, so I was very happy I made the call, got the information I needed and can move forward. I also have two more requests from agents, so that’s in my plans for this week too.

Next I go to my office after a week off and wham, bam, don’t make it in the parking lot before I am hit broad side, in the passenger side of my van. It’s driveable and I’m okay other than a horrible headache from the whole ordeal. We called the police and I have his insurance information, but with all the current hurricane claims I don’t know when I will actually be able to get someone on the phone about the van and the door is leaking!

So I have a plan and plenty to do this week :)