Write on! Plans & Probs with Publication (Book) http://www.Writing.Com/main/books.php/item_id/812129/action/archive So, it's been ages since I've written, or even logged onto the site. The reason is because...I've been working! Well, that's not the entire reason, but it's part of it. As of October, I have been writing a nonfiction astrophysics research blog for a major museum. I've also been freelancing at Space.com, which is a website for a...[Read Full Post] Mon, 02 May 2011 20:46:01 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/723415 Alright, while I'm in a good spot for the novel, I have to admit I'm a little back-and-forth on my plans. Real, concrete work versus following my dreams.... There is a lot to be said for both at this point. Frankly, I really want to do the novel, and the situation is more ideal for it now than it ever will be, but I also have to be practical. So,...[Read Full Post] Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:53:32 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/706812 I don't know what the deal is.I am yet again exhausted. I think I have my depression under control, I'm doing good as far as emotional stability, I'm not upset about anything. I've been exercising and drinking more water. I went to bed at 10 last night and actually fell asleep. And yet, here it is 1.30 and I'm exhausted. I think I ...[Read Full Post] Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:39:49 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/706625 I've come to a life realization, and I'll share what part affects my writing. I am tired of moping over what could have been, and I am done with it. It would be nice if things had worked out with my ex-husband, it would be nice if the current emotional crisis could have been resolved the way I wanted it to, but it didn't. I am through with letting other...[Read Full Post] Thu, 16 Sep 2010 14:04:16 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/706244 I don't know what is going on with me, but I just feel exhausted all of the time. And this with constant exercising, which is supposed to make me feel like I have more energy! I tried waving it off to physical exhaustion, but the truth is, I feel emotionally wrung out. I know all the 'why's, it's not like it's confusing. But. It's...[Read Full Post] Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:03:51 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/706065 I know. It is a mystery how I can be such a slacker. The whole week, gone. I really did do some thinking but, honestly, I probably could have managed it all by sitting down and...thinking. And maybe writing my way thru it in my other book. /sigh I slacked off. That said, I did manage to work my way through my good excuse, some personal issues. I feel mor...[Read Full Post] Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:25:56 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/705948 Had a good walk today. I've spent the last few days really letting things simmer. One of the problems I've been dwelling on was fitting this new villain in. I mean, in some ways, he's very much like the problem I had with Alex. That is, Alex comes in at the beginning and the end, but not so much in the middle. This guy is the solution, but h...[Read Full Post] Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:07:14 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/705476 When I went out Wednesday, and spent five hours at the pool, I wound up massively sunburned. Like, everything hurts sunburned. So I haven't done a lot of work. Also, I went out Weds night and spent a couple hours talking to friends; I was out til like 4. Between what I put together from that trip, real life, and my new subplot, I have mostly just been letting ...[Read Full Post] Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:41:11 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/705267 Every elementary creative writing student is taught, "Write what you know." Writing comes the best when it comes from your experiences, when you've touched, and tasted, and felt. At that point, you can invest your entire self into the prose. And yet, this seems oxymoronic, because there are a whole generation of science fiction writers who h...[Read Full Post] Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:33:43 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/705189 Yesterday's Word Count: ~2,000 Total Word Count: ~18,650 Now I know that someone I know in real life is reading my blog. Well. That doesn't make me self-conscious. Not at all. Um. Yeah. So, I mentioned in the last post that I didn't get a lot written yesterday but I was okay with it. Today was similarly unproductive, but ...[Read Full Post] Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:56:24 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/705128 So I went ahead and created a brand new entry for today to describe the problem I encountered when I started writing tonight. You see, I realized that the middle of my novel is...boring. I lack subplots. Sometimes this is acceptable, but not so much when said novel is...boring. I've wanted to do subplots before. I've considered some middle gro...[Read Full Post] Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:03:34 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/705040 Yesterday's Word Count: ~ 5,000 Total Word Count: ~ 16,650 Okay. I like the whole walking thing. In fact, I like the two walk idea. There are a zillion good points to it. Not just writing-wise, either. Also a huge plus: I crave water. Soda becomes less tasty to me. Chocolate, also less appealing. Fruits and veggies, yum yum. In short, w...[Read Full Post] Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:19:10 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/704997 Seriously? How many times can I recommit to the same thing? I know the technical answer is "a lot" but anyway. I did know going in that last week was going to be tough, based on a handful of RL personal things. Still. On the plus side, I did a recount of my words per page. I have been calculating that I get 250 words on each side of a notebook page, but app...[Read Full Post] Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:08:38 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/704921 Yesterday's Word Count: ~ 2,000 words I don't know what that puts the total word count at, I forgot to update it. So, yesterday was a good day in terms of productivity. I managed to get out the 2k words in about 2 hours, give or take. Then I allowed myself to be distracted - my mechanic friend told me that the transmission on my car was shot and I was probab...[Read Full Post] Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:42:09 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/704622 If there is one thing I am good at, apparently, it is making excuses. And especially at making excuses for not writing. Bah. So. Having given the whole thing some thought, I am going to stop doing that. Also, 3-4 hours is not a realistic amount of time, not if this is what I want to do, seriously. So I've decided instead to break it up and write twi...[Read Full Post] Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:25:53 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/704542 You would think it would be easier for me to maintain focus, given the recent change in events. I am fortunate enough that my lifestyle does not have to change at the moment, and that is probably what is messing me up, honestly. Intellectually, I know what the results of failure will be, but realistically, I don't grasp it. So it becomes easier to pu...[Read Full Post] Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:08:08 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/703739 Yesterday's word count: ~2,000 words Total word count: ~4,500 words I don't like the fact that the handwriting produces less words than typing, even if it makes it more possible to write in various locales. Like, yesterday, I managed to write at the park. Last night, I was literally laying in bed writing, which was awesome. Even if I write...[Read Full Post] Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:29:19 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/703664 The positive side of the notebook made itself shown today. My two oldest had piano lessons, so I took the younger two to the park, and then, when they complained about the heat, to the library. In that time, I managed to write out one and a half pages, in about an hour. Given the fact that I was traveling and distracted, and that I couldn't really...[Read Full Post] Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:00:54 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/703584 Wow, writing.com has massively upgraded the site. The shineys are distracting me! So, things have more or less settled out. It's Monday. My mind is essentially straight. My kids are essentially dealing with real life okay. So, I'm going to imitate Piers Anthony's writing method, I think. One of the things I have always loved, as a writer, is read...[Read Full Post] Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:38:24 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/703508 Well, I went through a period where I was sick for several days and once again I lost steam. On top of that, my divorce will be finalized at some point this week, and I'm trying to sort through what I want to do in the next couple of months. Do I stay in PA or move to Atlanta? I'm trying to figure out what is going to be best for myself and for m...[Read Full Post] Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:51:24 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/701023 Yesterday's Word Count: 672 Total Word Count: 8,177 Yeah, I wound up deleting a huge segment yesterday, and then I didn't get a lot written to replace it. Sad. But, I know exactly what I want to write. What distracted me yesterday was a side-story. But I'm going to blame it on the fact that it was the first day my kids were ...[Read Full Post] Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:11:20 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/700386 Yesterday's Word Count: 4,475 Total Word Count: 9,109 Alright, that's kind of ficticious because I took Sunday off, as usual, but it keeps it straight. I seem to be good on 4.5k/day, give or take. Of course, today will be the exception, but that's okay. In addition to writing again, I have also taken up running again. There&...[Read Full Post] Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:25:26 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/700292 Yesterday's Word Count: 4,652 Strange, I know, but I'm actually coming back two days in a row. There seems to be some kind of kick going on here. I woke up this morning at 6:45 - me, the late riser - and couldn't fall back asleep, so I decided to go for a run. The theory was that I could clear my head and think about my novel. The r...[Read Full Post] Sat, 26 Jun 2010 08:57:32 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/700130 Alright, well, I keep saying "I'll start writing my novel on a Monday." Well, pfooey to that, I say. I'm ready to get started now. Last time I did it by word count, but in one of the books - The War of Art, very good - the point was made to do it by time. I like that idea, so that is what I am going to do. Four hours a day of stead...[Read Full Post] Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:33:59 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/700097 I am on a road trip again this year! Woohoo! So anyway, nothing has been done since before Memorial Day. Actually, that's a lie. The best part about a road trip is all of the time I get to think while I am driving. And I have done a lot of thinking, and some of it has even been about my novel. So, first, if you love to write, pick up Th...[Read Full Post] Wed, 09 Jun 2010 14:18:16 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/698691 So...yeah, I failed. I don't know what's going on over here but I cannot seem to motivate myself to write. I have basically the entire novel scripted in my head, but when it comes to sitting down to do it, I have the blahs. Probably a side effect of real life. I am working on changing my attitude, being more positive, etc. We also got our new hom...[Read Full Post] Sat, 24 Apr 2010 14:47:46 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/694121 I don't know what the deal is, but I'm off to a slow start. Maybe it's because I skipped my warmup, or maybe it's because I'm essentially rewriting a beginning that I already liked. Actually, it's probably the second one, and what I really need to do is basically restructure what I wrote in December that was already from Jonathan&...[Read Full Post] Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:50:38 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/692975 Well, I was going to actually go to bed before 11 - I turned the comp off already - but I realized that if I wait to blog this tomorrow, I'll spend too much time on the wrong focus. Instead, I figure I will write a bit tonight, and then tomorrow will begin my regular pre-writing exercises. First, let me tell you about my weekend. I went to a writing workshop, which all by itself is just a cool thing. This particular workshop, however, was headed by one of my f...[Read Full Post] Sun, 11 Apr 2010 23:29:17 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/692927 Yeah, so, it's been awhile. And it will continue to be awhile. Real life is being a monstrous pain and I am doing as little thinking as possible. I have lost motivation and, quite honestly, I'm really depressed at the moment. Here is a sure sign of my depression: I lay in bed at night, and I see scenes from my novel in my head. And I carefully ch...[Read Full Post] Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:58:44 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/691412 Still trying to get the RL stuff sorted out, which of course is distracting me. But along the way I've been thinking about my novel. I've been trying to figure out a few structural issues, and I realized something tonight. I have been making Jonathan act out of character. First off, I planned to write one whole section of trust building. In the f...[Read Full Post] Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:03:49 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/688575 So, yeah, it's been awhile, and it will probably be a bit longer, what with all the real-life stuff going on. Which is mostly a mass of confusion, and when I get down time, I'm using it to engage in something that takes essentially no brainpower, ie playing Warcraft. All of that said, I have still been thinking about various parts of my novel, an...[Read Full Post] Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:48:49 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/687052 So last night I went to bed with my novel running through my head, which actually is the first time in the last two weeks that has happened (and a pleasant change, I might add). In addition to coming up with quite a few solutions to some problems that have been plaguing me, I also realized what is holding me back at the moment. I've been blaming ...[Read Full Post] Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:11:03 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/684262 Yeah, so obviously, I took some time off. I'm not sure if I'm reinvesting. Haven't said anything to the kids yet, everything is changing, real life is too confusing, fiction is usually better and I probably would've wrapped myself up in it but for a couple of things. Not the least of which being a total devistation at the idea of writing ...[Read Full Post] Mon, 18 Jan 2010 01:07:52 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/684204 Yesterday's Word Count: 3,020 Total Word Count: 4,804 Wow. I don't even know what to say. I seem to be losing my drive. I don't know what the deal is. Granted, I got a late start yesterday, btu I allowed myself to get distracted by inconsequentials and never finished the writing. Part of the problem is that I am struggling t...[Read Full Post] Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:16:56 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/681432 Well, everything seems to change around here faster than anyone can predict. My husband generally never has work the last week of the year, simply because most places are closed, so he decided to take the kids and go to Georgia to visit his family. Well, actually, it was my idea. I thought it would be good for the kids, and not so bad for him, either. We haven&#39...[Read Full Post] Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:16:20 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/681299 I spent a lot of time juggling out details, so my Friday start wound up minimal - 1,784 words. I should have written Friday night, should have written Saturday, but I didn't. So I'm writing today, we'll see how it goes. Interestingly, I'm not having as difficult a time writing as Jonathan as I would have thought I would. I don't kn...[Read Full Post] Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:41:02 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/680520 Well, here it is, December 18th, novel completion day. <sigh> I'm kinda blechy now. But that's okay. I'm going to write. I didn't write anything yesterday, I admit it. I spent a little more time brainstorming, and then I just went ahead and gave myself the rest of the night off. I didn't even play my dumb game. I read a bo...[Read Full Post] Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:13:45 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/680319 Yesterday's Word Count: 3,957 Total Word Count: 60,598 This is where I'm at. Yesterday afternoon, I came, what, 43 words from hitting my daily goal? I decided to go ahead and spend last night writing. I was so close to the end, and I thought I could probably make it if I just persisted. However, I spent two hours and couldn'...[Read Full Post] Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:14:58 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/680207 Yesterday's Word Count: 5,026 Total Word Count: 56,641 Wow. That is all I have to say about last night. Wow. So, I logged in to find that my friends didn't need me, so I logged out. I did some housework - shock - and made a few phone calls that I needed to make, and then around 9 or 9:30 I sat down to write. By 11, I had ...[Read Full Post] Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:35:02 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/680099 So, this is what I did after my utter failure to write today. I went over to my input blog and just sort of wrote random question ideas trying to figure out what was stopping me. Part of my problem, I realized, came from the fact that I had no idea about what to do about a specific problem. So I decided to try the age old method of problem-solving: I took a nap. Ok...[Read Full Post] Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:15:00 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/680013 Yesterday's Word Count: 1,265 (Fail) Total Word Count: 51,630 So, yesterday was a fail day. Not just when it comes to writing. The whole day sucked. In fact, I'm trying to decide whether or not to just delete the whole whoppping 1000 words and start again. Most of it will be deleted, there's no reason for it, I can see it co...[Read Full Post] Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:09:38 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/679973 ...except that I did go ahead and plot the last section on Saturday. Seriously, the idea of being almost finished is kinda freaking me out. I get this deer-in-the-headlights feeling. But I'll get past it. Today is going to be rough: it's 1:30 and I just got the kids into bed. My husband is out of town, so I'm doing the bedtime routine (he&#39...[Read Full Post] Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:56:33 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/679850 Well, technically this is a Saturday post, right? So my friend Adam, who I mentioned waaaaay back when as the person who bullied me incessantly into sitting down and writing my novel, wants to read my first draft. I'm torn. My knee-jerk, gut reaction is "no freaking way!". I told him that my first draft is, by definition, crap, especially with this n...[Read Full Post] Sat, 12 Dec 2009 01:27:55 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/679615 Alright, I know I'm posting today's stuff, and I might even maybe (probably not) write more today, but I felt like sharing. Today's Word Count: 5,185 Total Word Count: 50,366 Yup! Passed the 50k mark! 180 double spaced type pages. Wow. I'll be at 200 pages soon, that's hard to believe. Next week I am going to start the last section, t...[Read Full Post] Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:19:09 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/679583 Wednesday's Word Count: 3,910 Total Word Count: 45,182 Very fail, I didn't write at all yesterday. I took a nap. Um, I was worn out? I'm gonna go with "personal issues" as my excuse. I was intending to write last night, but...I didn't. Considered doing some editing...failed. Yeah. Well, there you go. Anyway, I&#...[Read Full Post] Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:51:06 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/679549 Yesterday's Word Count: 4,127 Total Word Count: 41,271 Yes, I have a novel-length manuscript. It doesn't have an ending, so um, it's not a novel, but I finally cracked the 40k mark! Woot! I'm really excited about this. Yesterday, I had another stick-it-out day. I wrapped up the section and I was at around 3,700 words, so...[Read Full Post] Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:59:37 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/679316 Did I just say 'woot'?! Yesterday's word count: 5,386 Total Word Count: 37,164 ^ Look at yesterday's word count! Over 5,000 words! So...I was writing and checking my word count, and for some reason I was thinking my goal was 5k a day instead of 4k. I have no clue exactly how that happened. I wrote up the flashback, an...[Read Full Post] Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:37:02 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/679107 First, the excuses. I didn't get anything written on Thursday or Friday. Thursday I told you about. Friday was just terrible - I had to drive my oldest an hour to pick up the nuts for her Girl Scout fundraiser, the ones she sold. (Brag: she hit her goals, she sold 50 nuts, 9 magazine subscriptions, and over $400 worth of stuff, picking up all the incentives s...[Read Full Post] Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:38:42 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/678999 Yesterday's Word Count: 3,849 Total Word Count: 31,778 Well, today is going to be a test of my stick-to-itiveness. I am having the blahs and just don't feel like writing, and actually I'm less than thrilled on the content of what is to be covered today. You can see that I didn't make 4k yesterday. I logged back in last night and ...[Read Full Post] Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:14:23 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/678545 So here I am, insanely frustrated by this whole proposal scene. Needless to say, I'm not in much of a romantic, lovey-dovey mood at the present. So I've been struggling through the whole thing. I mean, okay, I'm kind of cheating with the idea that they've been developing a relationship over FIFTY YEARS, so they don't need to date. I&#...[Read Full Post] Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:10:56 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/678429 Yesterday's Word Count: 2,039 Total Word Count: 28,001 Ugh. So, as you can tell, I totally wimped out yesterday and only made it halfway to my goal. But I have an excuse. I had a monster headache after getting the whole issue of paradox FINALLY sorted out. Okay, lame excuse, I know. But it was a serious, monster headache! I'm no...[Read Full Post] Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:32:04 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/678401 Yesterday's Word Count: 4,298 Total Word Count: 27,176 Okay, it's really not braggable. Yesterday, I got down to about 3,700 of my 4k words and couldn't come up with anything else to write. And I was ready to call it a day. After all (I argued), the idea is to get the range, right? I don't stop exactly at 4,000. So it's okay i...[Read Full Post] Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:24:57 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/678295 Saturday's Word Count: 2,895 Total Word Count: 22,878 Well, I failed on Saturday to finish, but it's because, as I stated earlier, I think I'm basically finished with the section. I'll start with the next section today; that should be interesting. I have a few details to work out that will make 4k words during nap time a...[Read Full Post] Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:50:26 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/678147 Well, I didn't go on to write on Wednesday, and I failed to follow up Thursday. I would like to say that this is because it was Thanksgiving and I was hanging out with my family, but I'm afraid not. No one came up, we didn't go anywhere, it was just Michael & the kids & I. We decided this would be our last Thanksgiving and Christmas together,...[Read Full Post] Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:11:05 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/677806 Yesterday's Word Count: 3,975 Total Word Count: 19,977 Well, I came in 25 words shy yesterday; I thought about writing a little more but I finished the section and I figured I was okay. But today has been a scheduling nightmare. Usually the kids are down by 1:30 at the latest, and closer to 1, but here it is 2:39 and they are just g...[Read Full Post] Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:30:27 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/677627 Yesterday's word count: 4,624 Total Word Count: 15,999 I should have written one more word yesterday, LOL. So, I really like using my blog for warmups. I get Cross Country images in my head, of stretching, etc, before going the distance. Yesterday, I was coming up short and, as you'll remember (if you read the entry), was considering leavi...[Read Full Post] Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:43:26 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/677455 Yesterday's Word Count: 0 Saturday's Word Count: 2,020 Total Word Count: 11,345 Hmm. So yesterday was Sunday, so I didn't write. Between that and Friday, things are looking a little sloppy. Saturday's word count was minimal, but as I think I said in my last post, I got a *lot* of replotting done; I did 1,200 words over i...[Read Full Post] Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:15:42 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/677334 Yesterday's Word Count: 0 Total Word Count: 9,326 Well, I am just going to add my excuse for yesterday. The short version is that I had a huge personal crisis - ugh, so not gonna be a divorce blog, I know I keep saying that - and basically did nothing. Not just no-writing nothing, but nothing at all. Well, I almost did something; I ...[Read Full Post] Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:16:09 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/677108 Today's word count: 3,240 Total word count: 9,326 Don't ask me why I'm writing over here. It's strange, because I have everything plotted out but I get to this stopping point and then...I stop. I don't know what it is. So today was productive. Okay, it was only about five pages (3,240 words) productive, BUT: I...[Read Full Post] Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:10:01 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/676934 Does it count as Day Three, if Day One was only, like, an hour long? Well, whatever. So I finally finished the first section of my novel, the set-up to everything else. Now I have to take a break from writing and really plan out the intricacies of time travel. This book is a headache to plot, much less to write. And I know I'm going to have to go bac...[Read Full Post] Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:00:18 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/676874 Wow. So last night was painful. Actually, it wasn't. I can't believe how quickly and easily it is coming together. After I wrote two pages last night, I forced myself to put down the laptop and go to bed. I didn't have a chance until about 1:30 or 2 to start writing today, but I'm writing now. I'm on page 7. Okay, so five pages in an ...[Read Full Post] Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:03:36 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/676729 Well, I have been offline for close to forever. I promise, I sent in the children's book, but I didn't even get a rejection letter...then I got distracted. Life is very chaotic right now, so I don't know why I'm here, except that I have been reinfected with a desire to work on my novel again. I put together several ideas and characters, if you remem...[Read Full Post] Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:20:51 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/676633 Well, this month has been full of plans as well as probs, so I guess that was an apt title for my blog. I am sort of disgusted with myself as to how little I have written. I haven't had a significant amount of free time, but the truth is that I have wiled it away in stupid mind-numbing things like playing on the computer. Mind you, in between everyon...[Read Full Post] Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:56:38 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/632504 Well, it's been a long two and a half weeks. We keep passing around whatever bug we have, from one kid to another kid to me to another. Michael was gone for one week and now he's gone again, so I'm doing battle on my own. Suffice it to say that I haven't gotten any writing done. I've looked, here and there, at my Eratosthenes book, and I&#39...[Read Full Post] Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:04:30 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/631072 After a great start to the new year, I fizzled out last week, when all four of my kids - AND ME - got sick, with my husband out of town. So basically, nothing got done last week. I intended to get back on the ball this week, but I totally forgot that Saturday is my son's birthday party, and my MIL is flying in on Thursday night. So it is highly doubt...[Read Full Post] Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:17:52 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/629331 Yesterday, I kept my posted vow and made a schedule for January. And then...last night, I was up until almost four in the morning (and I had to get up early for church today, mind you), laying in bed, thinking. I'm glad for what I thought of, but I would have preferred to have received it in dream form. Maybe. Maybe not. So, Santa brought my 7 year old a cir...[Read Full Post] Sun, 04 Jan 2009 14:16:10 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/627759 Okay, I did it! I packaged the first five pages (per publisher's request) of my first chapter book, along with a query letter, and mailed it to Arthur Levine publishing company. They are a subsidiary of Scholastic books. Now, the down side is that it is a large publishing house, but the upside is that they quote their response time in Writer's Market as 2 w...[Read Full Post] Sat, 03 Jan 2009 13:57:59 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/627586 [Link To User enga] asked in the comments section what a chapter book is. I thought, hmm, maybe Kare isn't the only one who doesn't know, so I figured I would just elaborate here. Kids who are learning to read hit several stages. They start off with your basic cvc (consonant-vowel-consonant) books, with sentences like "Bob sat." &#3...[Read Full Post] Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:26:26 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/627398 Hard to believe it is a brand new year. I hope you enjoyed the first day thereof! I've been a little slack in my actual writing due to the holidays, but I'm sure you've been slack in your reading, as well. I've also been trying to determine goals, etc, and discussing them with my husband. For instance, we've been working on saving up money to pa...[Read Full Post] Thu, 01 Jan 2009 16:00:17 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/627272 Well, I'm actually having a good Christmas holiday (hope you are/did, too!), but I'm in a funky mood for a bizarre reason. While scanning the descriptions for upcoming Christmas movies on my Tivo, I came across one that sounded a little familiar. So I set the Tivo to record and moved on. I started watching it tonight. Suspicions confirmed. No...[Read Full Post] Sat, 27 Dec 2008 22:45:57 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/626388 I've been really struggling for a little bit about finances. In this staggering economy, we are blessed to have few of the struggles so often featured in the news. A big part of that, of course, came from paying off our debts last year, but we still have the motorhome to go. That thing is a permanent pain in my side. Anyway, I ran some numbers, and i...[Read Full Post] Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:16:46 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/625504 So I've filed today's word count, which is pretty pathetic, but there you go. I spent probably 45 minutes writing today; it would've been longer but my husband came home after being out of town all week, so I thought I should maybe see him for a few minutes. I think part of my problem when it comes to writing a novel is pacing. I have been looking ...[Read Full Post] Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:15:05 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/625242 Well, as you can see, I changed the top format of my blog so that I am more accountable for my goals. Now you guys can pick on me if I miss them. I've been spending part of my free time (where I can find it) researching children's markets. It's actually really fun, because as part of my market research, I am requesting books from the library ...[Read Full Post] Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:20:46 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/625015 Went to bed last night with this problem for my (grup) novel on my mind. I woke up today with a clear idea of how to solve it. I'm not sure it gets it all the way there, but it brings it very close. It is becoming obvious to me that I should give up on everything but eating, sleeping, and writing... Okay, I'm kidding, but if my sole and primary goal was to...[Read Full Post] Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:34:21 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/624774 I had a sudden realization that I never signed up for the free year online when I purchased the 2007 Writer's Market. I tried to, but had some weird computer glitch, and then we moved into the motorhome. So I used the code, and now I've got Writer's Market online! Woohoo! I made up a list of four or five publishers that I think will work, so far (I only have four mor...[Read Full Post] Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:24:00 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/624690 I had another one of those 'oh cool' homeschooling moments. One of the premises of a Thomas Jefferson Education is that the parents should be modeling a love of learning in order for a child to love learning. So I have been reading less "fun" stuff and more thought-provoking and historical items. The kids learned a (stupid) song by the Animaniacs that lists all of the US...[Read Full Post] Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:30:08 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/624666 Yay! I finished the kids book. I have to edit and re-edit, oh yes, and then I have to figure out how to go about getting a children's book published. That is going to be the difficult part. I'll look up publishers of books that are similarly based, since I know that they are already looking for books in that market. And we'll go from there. I also have to talk to my illustrator frien...[Read Full Post] Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:53:31 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/623830 Yesterday, I wrote because I was on a roll. Today, I am writing to gripe about that roll. It has been a long time since I have really sat down to write, and especially long since I last wrote fiction. I did some content writing for $4/blog. Those were 15 minute bits that I didn't so much have to stress over, although I always did a quick R&R on them. Before tha...[Read Full Post] Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:03:28 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/623779 I just wanted to let you know that apparently I have been bitten by the writing bug. It is interesting, because I never really thought of myself as a kids' writer, but I've been having some great ideas. I had the one I mentioned in my last post, although I'm not sure I've got that one polished. I wrote it out, but the problem is, I am ess...[Read Full Post] Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:21:24 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/623576 Okay, I know this is my third post today, but I have to confess, I lied. I laid down at naptime with my 3 yo and kept thinking, hmm, what kind of kids' book would I want to write? Then I had an idea for...three! It's actually very "duh", because I always said I wanted to write about astronomy, since my college double major was Creative Wr...[Read Full Post] Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:11:56 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/622024 I actually went to bed stinking early last night - lights out before 10, a miracle for me. I still couldn't convince myself to wake up at four o'clock in the morning. But it was more laziness than exhaustion so I'll try again tomorrow. Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:58:01 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/621956 If I was going to write a children's story, what would it be about? I was doing some thinking. One of my new-ish friends (abt 6 mos new) is a very talented artist, so I proposed the idea (via email, since when it comes to writing I am dreadfully shy) of children's books to her. I have always wanted to write children's books, but lack the abil...[Read Full Post] Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:55:23 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/621955 I am trying to get things sorted out and juggled through, as usual. I am attempting to figure out where my priorities lie, and how to best organize them. Around August, as we "officially" started the school year, I decided that my #1 priority in things to do was my children's education, since, after all, I am homeschooling them. So I've b...[Read Full Post] Sat, 29 Nov 2008 22:18:14 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/621242 I know, I am a sporadic writer, but I am processing now, so I may be back more often. We left for our long-heralded vacation to DisneyWorld October 30th and returned home November 9th. We had so much fun! While on vacation, we stopped to visit Michael's aunt and uncle. His aunt has recently decided to homeschool. I really wish we lived closer to them, becau...[Read Full Post] Sat, 22 Nov 2008 11:56:52 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/619922 Okay, this is totally random, but seriously, that was, I think, the funniest episode of Supernatural yet! I don't know if it was the hysterical cat-scream from the fearless Dean or the "Eye of the Tiger" at the end, but I was rolling through the whole thing. I think I rewound the Tivo or paused it due to insane laughter even more than I did with Hysterica...[Read Full Post] Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:16:05 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/614442 I just wanted to share the joy of this beautiful day. Today, we listened to two sessions of General Conference, broadcast to the entire church via satellite from Salt Lake City. This is one of the two semi-annual meetins of the church, where we as members (and any nonmembers who listen as well, LOL; I actually did listen to one session prior to joining the church) are counseled by a living prophet and apostles, and other leaders of the church. Today's talks were very inspirationa...[Read Full Post] Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:45:58 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/611016 Just thought I'd drop a few lines here. I can't believe it is October! In less than a month, we will be on our way to Disneyworld for our get-out-of-debt vacation! Okay, we still have the motorhome, but I'm not waiting for that stupid thing to sell...for some reason, they are rather slow-moving at present. <sigh> So we have been fa...[Read Full Post] Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:26:01 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/610519 Just thought I'd put a random post in here. Random! Things are going fairly well. We're mostly easing into our homeschooling schedule. Since DD is only 7, she doens't have to be registered with the state (and have accompanying paperwork) until next year, so we are doing a "dry run" of keeping track of everything with the hope of f...[Read Full Post] Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:57:21 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/607749 Ha ha, I just noticed, my title is well put for what I am doing. I picked it because I wanted to just sort of let my thoughts wander about homeschooling, but I am really focusing on is thinking about how I want my kids to think. It is really too easy for me to find myself amusing. So, it has been awhile since I've hit the blog. This is because...[Read Full Post] Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:46:07 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/606970 Just wanted to say - I should trust my instincts. Re: "staunch family". Although her parents were sure that she would not want to increase the time spent in class, they were mistaken. She apparently is very excited about the "new" option. Which, incidentally, we chose to persue - two classes instead of one. I have been on cloud 9 for 99.87% of the d...[Read Full Post] Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:52:13 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/603553 Alright, sorry to have checked out so long after the last breakdown. I've been trying to reorganize, recatagorize, and sort things through. Hit some more dumps before getting better. I'm off to whine a bit more about people in general, since I don't want to be too specific. Although I may end up specific by the time I finish. I am just feeling frust...[Read Full Post] Sat, 23 Aug 2008 22:39:54 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/603444 This is a dh gripe, so men, be warned! DH has been out of town basically Sun-Sat night for the last 2-3 months. I've been getting more and more stressed out; yesterday, I literally fell apart in church. Now, mind you, I am generally a very private person and pretty much no one realizes that I am seriously going crazy; I *did* try to tell two wome...[Read Full Post] Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:02:22 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/597764 Dropping a line. I've been thinking, over the last few days, that I need to stop in and blog, but things are ludicrously hectic around here (par for the course, I know). I've been trying to do things like get to bed around 10 (as opposed to 12 or 1), which cuts out on my computer time. I've also been getting up stinking early (and I am not a morning person...[Read Full Post] Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:43:25 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/597347 Well, I'm having a bookselling slump. I bought two large lot purchases, and they are both somewhat duds. Both because I was too ignorant to ask more detailed questions, and too - what's the word? people pleaser? didn't want to walk away? - to walk away based on the info I had. Lot A was $300 for about 550 books, or about .55 each. It turns out that th...[Read Full Post] Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:45:53 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/593205 Yes, yes, after my fanciful trip to the moon, I have finally returned. No, seriously, I wish I could say I've been super-busy with the book-selling part of the biz. I've just been busy. Let's see, the quick rundown was: my bro graduated the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend, so we drove down to GA from PA on Tuesday/Wednesday (with a V...[Read Full Post] Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:51:36 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/591392 This day rocks! After a week of no - none - zilch -zero sales, I made 3 THREE sales today, with a total profit of $39. Sold one $29.99 book, one $19.99 books, and one $4.99 book. (Profit = selling price - initial payment - FEES which will *kill* you!) Before today, the most expensive book sold was $9.99, and the biggest transaction was $15 for a bunch of &#3...[Read Full Post] Thu, 08 May 2008 23:39:42 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/584062 I'm on a hiatus, but I thought I'd let you know. I think I mentioned earlier that I'm one of the judges for the monthly WDC contest, so I'm trying to get all the judging done for it. I'm only about halfway through. Add to that the fact that, today I and um, at least one (out of four) of our kids are sick, and blech. (I'm not sure ...[Read Full Post] Sun, 04 May 2008 14:34:46 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/583258 I'm not going to expand, just going to do the whole writing-out-of-the-funk thing. I was trying to help someone today, and it turned around and bit me in the backside. I don't want to go into the how or why, except to say I was trying to be helpful and apparently I wasn't. Actually, that is not true. I still feel like I said what needed to be...[Read Full Post] Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:21:59 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/582317 This is the story of my life. My husband just told me that he knows how hard it is to stay home with four kids all day. No, I said, you do not. You've never done it. He says, I did it last Saturday, when you had something for church and didn't get home until 4:45. (As a side note, the house was trashed and dinner wasn't even a dream.) Y...[Read Full Post] Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:19:40 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/580514 Finally got Excel to work on this computer (my laptop is still virused and is desperately awaiting for DH to wipe and reload it, ha ha ha). Thus far, since starting, I have spent $153 on books. After shipping and packaging costs (and excluding gas costs), I have made (hold your breath)...$7.74 on the 7 books I have sold (went negative on that one I told you about t...[Read Full Post] Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:45:58 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/579997