I'm like a kid when it comes to cleaning my house. I dig in my heels and holler, "I don't wanna!!" I'd be a lot farther along if I hadn't gotten a call from my son around lunch time saying, "Mom, I don't have any lunch money." Doh! My bad. So, I grab his brothers and run out the door. Luckily, the school isn't very far away since hubby has the car. Run in and give them a slew of money so this doesn't happen again. Not only that, but it turns out I can send that with my son and he just gives it to his teacher. She then stands by the lunch lady and hands the money to her as they come through line.

This was funny though. My son is 10 and should probably be in 5th grade. However, I held him back a year. He was NOT ready to go into Kindergarten when he was 5. He's so tall though. LOL He is almost 5 feet tall already. Needless to say, he's taller than EVERYONE in his class. I saw that today when I ran the money over. I got there just as they were coming through line. How's that for cutting it close? LOL Looking down the line, there was my son, towering above everyone. No wonder the girls were all ga-ga over him when he first came into the class. LMAO

Okay, so that set me back on my schedule, but he should be set for the rest of the year. Not that there's much time left. He only has 2 weeks of school left. ANYWAY!! Geez. Focus goofball.

I at least got the living room swept, mopped, and the rug beaten. LOL That was fun. I hung it over the fence and attacked it with one of the boys' baseball bats. Well, getting it up there wasn't fun as it's a big rug, but attacking it was fun. I also swept and mopped the bathroom floor while I had that all out. Not that mopping is hard. I have one of those cool Shark steam mops. That thing rocks! With 3 kids and 3 animals in the house, I don't like having wet floors for long nor using chemicals. Whoo wee, but my more environmental friendly friends gave me a hard time over that. LOL I'm not one for using organic, earth-friendly anything. In the yard though? I'll use whatever it takes to kill those dang fire ants. Evil creatures.

So, I'm procrastinating. I just need to fold 2 loads of laundry, put one more in the dryer, and clean the downstairs bathroom. Then voila! I can "play" for the rest of the day. Well, minus doing a few dishes and cooking dinner, but still! Ugh. Okay, I'm cutting into my scheduled play time. LOL If I want to make that cute little bag today, I'd better get my other chores finished. Bleh. "I don't wanna!!"
 

Good morning, everyone! When I put my son into public school, my days started a lot earlier than I'm used to. We're talking anywhere from 2-3 hours earlier! I get up to make sure my son is dressed properly (uniforms and all that jazz), eats breakfast, and has his homework in his backpack. When he leaves, I sit and enjoy the quiet of the house before my other 2 kids wake up.

However, last night apparently was more of a medium length nap. Wow, my brain and my fingers are not on the same page yet this morning.

Last night, before going to bed, I decided to scan a few areas of WDC and see what was happening. I came across the short story contest for Images in Ink, a group I belong to here. I'm surprised I remember what groups I belong to! The prompt was to create a short story on a true life experience that you find embarrassing. I guess what I wrote wasn't really embarrassing, but I still remember it and it's something that continues to be told in the family today. It's amusing. LOL It's "Invalid Item"  if you're interested. It's a very short story, so it's a quick read.

I'm thinking of heading off into WDC later today and reacquainting myself with my various haunts. Unfortunately, I think I tossed my review templates that I used to use. Then again, my review style might have changed. My run-in with NaNo took and skewed my grammar training. I'm not sure I'll ever find it again. LOL However, I would like to do a few reviews just to get back into the swing of things. I think I'm still part of Helping Hands. I know that group has been having 'trouble' the past few months in keeping up with the review packages. I'd like to chip in now and then to help. Wow! Not right now though. I'm pretty sure I'm using my backspace key more often than any other key this morning.

I do believe I will go drink some more coffee and see about planning my day. Now that NaNoWriMo is over, it's time to find my life and see if I can't fit everything into a nice little schedule. I want to start editing my book, write on a new one, maybe do a few reviews here on WDC, start quilting, keep the house clean, and make sure my 2 younger kids get their schooling time in. Naw, I'm not busy, am I? Definitely need a schedule. LOL

That does it! Where's my coffee?
 

Okay, the hiccups aren't important except I got them just as I came to a decision and came in to blog. Since we all know how annoying hiccups can be, I thought I'd share. LOL My problem with them is that once I've gotten them during a day, they'll come and go for the rest of the day.

Now, on to the editing portion of my blog. I realized, in reading a book on how to edit yourself, that I already know how to edit myself. LOL I don't need to read a book to tell me what I already know. Also, in thinking about the NaNo novel I just finished, and already knew I wanted to edit by the time I finished the last sentence, it was silly of me to be pushing it off because other people tell me I should create "distance."

The program I used to write my book is called yWriter. It automatically helps keep a distance between you and your book because it's written in parts. You can set it up however it makes sense to you. By scenes, by chapters, whatever. I started out with scenes, but realized I blended them together as I wrote them. After awhile, I deleted the scenes as I wrote them in the chapter. LOL It worked for me. Throw in the use of Write or Die where I wrote small segments in 10-30 minute spans of time, and I never saw my work in a single file at any time until I copied the full thing into the NaNo counter.

As I wrote, I will admit that I printed out each chapter as I completed it. Mainly as a backup measure than anything else. The pages went into a 3-ring binder as soon as they came out of the printer and then it went on to a shelf. I only ever saw it off the shelf when my husband "stole" it to read what I'd written so far or when it came time to add more pages.

Though I realized something when I tried to read it earlier tonight. Since I already know I want to edit it, it was pointless for me to read it as a coherent whole. Want to know why? It's because I cut out details as I was working on it in the first place so that I'd have a "complete" book when I finished NaNo. Reading my first "vision" scene, I realized that it was horrible. LOL Two people, as far as I know, have read it as I wrote it. They both loved the scenes, but both said the same thing, "Wow, that was short." Exactly! That's where I cut out the detail. So, when I read my first 'vision' scene that I'd written, it drove me nuts. I couldn't read it because I knew that wasn't what it was truly meant to be! The scene I had in mind was generally recorded in a hurry and then I dashed on. NOW is the time to go back to each vision and write it as it was meant to be. Not perfect, of course, but better than it is now. Once that is done, I think I'll be able to read it as a whole and see how it's working. In my opinion, it's missing the 'zing' that's meant to hold the book together. Without it, all I can think is, "That's boring..." LOL

However... Hiccups. The editing will definitely have to wait until the hiccups are finished. I hate hiccups and they make me mad. LOL NOT a good attitude to take into my precious book to start an edit.

Tomorrow I will begin. I'll grab on to the saying of "Don't let too much time come between you and your project because then you'll get distracted and move on to something else. You won't return to it." That one I know by heart because it happens to me all the time. So, before the joy of completing a book wears completely off, I'm going to ride that wave for a bit longer and begin editing.
 

Well, while I'm waiting for pay day so I can buy another black ink cartridge, and while I'm waiting to get more distance from my book so I can read it like a "normal" book, I went and reacquainted myself with my sewing machine. I feel "sorry" for it. I haven't sewn in over a year! I went from avid quilter to avid writer to an avid... I don't know what. LOL

Anyway, I thought I'd attempt to make a small gift for our Municipal Liaison from NaNo. I created 2 different covers for a mini composition book. Both of them were failures, but I almost have it! The second one was very close, but needs a few more tweaks. Considering I've never done something like this before, and there's definitely no pattern to make a cute cover for a mini composition book, I'm fairly happy with what I've turned out. Besides, I haven't worked with fabric in over a year! I'm doing great.

My sewing machine and I had to have an argument first, but it's all good now. We're coming to an understanding. LOL Now, I think I'll make one more prototype of the cover before I go all nuts and make it fancy. Everyone have a marvelous evening!
 

I started reading my book from NaNo, and my thought when I reached page 14 of my print out was, "Boring..." LOL Whoops! Guess I don't have enough time away from it yet. I want to take up my pen and rewrite entire sections already. Of course, the last book I read was "Mystic and the Rider" by Sharon Shinn, one of my all-time favorite authors. Never do that before reading a rough draft of something you've written. It's not a good idea. It's depressing in its own way. So, I've decided to give my poor little book some more time to sit and collect dust. LOL Then, when I haven't just finished reading a book from one of my favorite authors, I'll read mine. Maybe I'll like it better then. However, I don't know if I'll be able to read it without wanting to mark it up and start changing it right away.

According to my "The Artful Edit" book, I created distance as I wrote my novel. In not reading it while I was writing it, the beginning of it is a mystery to me. I have a clear view of what needs to be changed already. By the time I make it to the end of the book from editing the first part, it will have had the distance it needs for me to see it clearly. I just was hoping to read it all at once to see if it's worth the time to edit it. I personally think that the story idea itself is okay. It could be polished and made "pretty." Though a bestseller? I doubt that greatly. LOL

As usual, I'm confused. I'm starting to think that I live here perpetually. Perhaps I'm being thrown by the fact that this is a book. It's not a "simple" short story that I can have tweaked in a week, if even that long. Perhaps I'll shove my book in a drawer, or back on its shelf, for awhile and work on my husband's instead. Well, that is if he ever finishes writing it. In my little world, you can't force anyone to write. He might only have a chapter left, but it's going to take him awhile.

Not sure what I'm going to do right now. I think... I'll go make a cover for this cute mini composition book to give to our Municipal Liaison at our TGIO party on Dec. 2. Or... I could make one for a larger composition book and just pick up a new book to slip into it. I have composition books around here to use for the "model." Yes. I think I want to go play with fabric now. LOL
 

All day yesterday, I sat around and did nothing. I walked around like I was lost and confused. Actually, I was lost and confused. NaNo for me is over. That massive rush of excitement is over. What's interesting is that I was more excited when I passed the various marks of 35K, 40K, and 45K, than I was when I passed 50K. Isn't that weird? Maybe it's because 50K signaled the "end." It caused me to consider not doing NaNo next year. I mean... That move from such a high level of excitement to nothing is harsh, especially for someone like me who's bipolar. We try so hard to keep our emotional levels calm and on an even keel so that we don't spin out of control. So, I kept trying to think of other things to do, other things I could work on creating to help ease that "pain" of loss from finishing my book. Unfortunately, that mad rush of almost 10,000 words the other day did a number on my hands, especially the right one. Everything else I enjoy doing and creating requires my hands.

You should have heard the "conversation" I had with myself yesterday. It was amusing in a weird way. Basically I was just having a long argument with my hand. LOL I'm right-handed, so I'm sure you can understand that when it's hurting, everything else I enjoy doing is out of the picture. No quilting, no writing, no typing, no knitting, no beading.... Needless to say, I was even more depressed yesterday. To top it off, the only book in this house that I haven't read is the one I just wrote. LOL

I did pick up "The Artful Edit" to get ready to edit my NaNo book. Well, that is if I decide it's worth editing after I read it. You know, NaNo is over for me. I didn't read any of it except to pick up where I left off and get moving again. That was usually to the tune of a paragraph or a sentence. I haven't read it in its entirety at all. To heck with it. I have enough distance. I'm going to go read it!

I'll be back later with my opinion on it.
 

According to the program I was using for my NaNo novel, it said that I wrote 9,945 words today to pull off my win. LOL I just HAD to have that purple winner's bar. I wanted the star by my name on the Nano'er list saying "Winner!" I wanted that sense of pride and accomplishment that would come from finishing. And it's a complete finish, too. It's not one of those, well, I did the 50K, but my book's not finished yet. You see, I sacrificed detail in the middle of the book to get it all down. I knew I could go back to it in the edit process and add it. Of course, that caused me tremendous anxiety there near the end thinking that I'd left out too much detail. As it is, I finished that last chapter with 52,511 words according to the NaNo Validater program.

While I was happy and excited by the win, it didn't seem to last very long. Since I wrote almost 10,000 words today, I'm walking around feeling very empty and lost. After my win, I took a shower. Then, I sat on my bed and played with my cat for a few minutes. The next thing I know, my husband was herding the boys off to bed. LOL Guess I was tired.

I was just talking to my husband about this whole thing. I always thought he'd finish his book before I ever wrote one. He was so close to finishing, but he hasn't written on it since he returned from Korea. He says that he's only a chapter away from finishing. I think he needs to get on that and get it done. He gave me the time to write, so it's only fair that I turn around and give him the same consideration.

In the spirit of writing books, I have one that's been languishing for some time now. It lurks in my profile under the title of "The Dark Rider." I'm too lazy to go off and find it to link to it. LOL Now that I know I CAN write a book, I've decided that the time has come to finish it. Not at the speed I did this last one. Even though I did crank out just over 25K words in a single week. That's why I feel so weird about the whole thing. However, that also shows you how much "free" time I actually have. I can easily crank out 1,000 - 2,000 words in an hour or so. It's not that difficult for me when I'm in "my groove." So, I think I'll make a pact with myself. If I want to be a writer, I have to write. So, I'm going to try and write at least 1,000 words a day. Thanks to Write or Die, I can make that a very fast reality. I love that program. "The Dark Rider" will have a finished rough draft before I know it. Not in a month by any means, but definitely 2-3 months.

It feels good to have a new goal in sight. However, I'll also have to remember to start editing my finished works. Perhaps I should start setting aside an hour or two every day to edit and then an hour or so to write on something else. Then, that leaves a lot of time open to work on other things, such as keeping the house clean, teaching my children, and even quilting and bead work. Time to throw the computer games out on their ear and do something else for awhile. That's how my NaNo novel almost got completely derailed. Silly games.

With all of that, my hand is reminding me that I have typed a lot today, thank you very much. I guess it's time to go back to sleep. That sounds like a good idea.
 

For some odd reason, I got a serious urge to write last night. We're talking 1:30 am urge to write. LOL At about 3:30-4 am this morning, I wrapped up my writing session with just over 45,000 words. Oh, my gosh! When I saw that, I was thrilled, excited and about to dance around the room. I sat and stared at the number for awhile. I happen to know for sure that my word count in my program is behind the NaNo verifier by a few words, so it's cool. Then, it kicked in that I was going to win, baring any major disasters. When I realized that, I backed up EVERYTHING to several areas. Two on my hard drive, my thumb drive, and then emailed it to a special email I created online just for this reason. I also emailed the last finished chapter to my mother. Yeah, I'm seriously backing this critter up.

Then, when it really started to kick in that I was at 45K words, I almost started crying. I'm serious. I walked into Nano with the thought that I couldn't do it. Not the best attitude to walk into it. If you read my other blog entries, you can follow my panicked trail through Nano. LOL Well, the tone now is of excitement and knowing that I can do this. I'm nearing the end of WHY everything is happening. My MC is learning what happened to all the others and will then learn the why of it all. Then, the conclusion. The awesome thing is that my mind already knows what's going to happen. Over the past week, it's slowly "fixed" itself in my head. It's lining itself up for the conclusion right now. Definitely over 5K worth. So, here in a few minutes, I'm going to grab a fresh cup of coffee, grab my newly charged iPod from its cradle, and get rockin'. If you're nearby, you'll hear me jump around like a crazy woman when I win.

First NaNo, First win. I can't wait for next year already. LOL Well, time to get back to work. I have a NaNoWriMo hoodie to earn. LOL
 

Wee hausers! I'm currently only 10,812 words away from a win (give or take a few due to disagreeing word counters). I've put in several 4,000 word days and that put the goal within reach. I hope to go out with a bang by keeping up those word counts. My character is still at the beginning of her research so I have more than enough words left to finish this up. Even after I hit 50K, and it's validated, I will continue until the end. I know how I'm going to end it, so I'm well on my way. It's a "happy" ending where everything works out. Albeit in a weird sort of way.

I'm so jazzed this evening. I'm about to go spinning off into outer space. Now, to pull it off for real. Oh, yeah. I'm going for my first ever NaNo win on my very first NaNo. This is way too thrilling. I can't wait.

Dancing, dancing, dancing...
 

I find this amusing. See, where we live, most people's last names are written on plates that are on the outside of the houses. I personally think it's weird, but hey, whatever. So, when I needed last names for my characters, I went on a stroll around the neighborhood with a notebook and a pen. Needless to say, I got stopped and asked what in the world I was doing. LOL So, I showed the lady the list of last names, no ranks, no first names, no addresses. Just the last names. One had a star by it, and of course it was the last name of the guy she was apparently talking to. LOL I told her that we lived in the area and I was writing a book. I needed last names for my characters, but didn't have access to a phone book. Since the plates were on the houses, it was a good way to get exercise and names. When she asked why the guy's name was starred, I said that I liked it and was planning on using it. LOL Needless to say, he appeared to be happy with the idea and that was the end of that. If he'd known who I was going to use it for, I'm sure he'd have been thrilled. I'm going to use it for my 1920s Prohibition gangster. Army guy, gangster from the past... it's cool.

I just thought that real life story was darn amusing. Now, back to work!