And good riddance to you as well. As I stare down the barrel of 2010, I pray it doesn't blow my head off like this year did.

Hi all; I hope you're having a great New Year's Eve. So far, so good for me. Like everybody else, I've spent the day pondering what I'd like to accomplish in the new year, and coming up with plans to "make it so," as my favorite Star Trek captain (Jean Luc Picard) would say. I think the reason why so many New Year's Resolutions fail is because we start out high on emotion and potential, but we don't go in with a plan. So today I not only make resolutions, but come up with a road map as well.

I detailed my New Year's Resolutions a few weeks ago, but I feel today is a good time to really get it together and start the journey. I've already started on some of those resolutions. The first 6 chapters of my new novel, "Invalid Item"  are already written. I've had some outstanding ideas for this story lately, and I think it's really coming together. I think that if I can get 2-3 chapters a week written (minimum), then I can finish a rough draft by early spring. I'm very excited about this and in reality, I believe it will take off - but let's not set the bar too high. I've been doing 1-2 chapters a week up until now, so let's push it up to something that's attainable for the new year.

I got a copy of the 2010 Novel and Short Story Writer's Market the weekend before Christmas and sent out several submissions. I've also bookmarked several sites for publishers that are opening to submissions in the coming weeks. I need to keep up with those queries and keep sending them out, so I need to sit down at least once every 4-6 weeks and make sure I'm staying on top of submissions, contest entries, etc. This is an area where I've always struggled and it's time for me to take control of it and make sure I always have current submissions out there.

Today I started another blog offsite at Open Salon. I've been eyeing that for a while and figured what the heck? I'm willing to give op-ed a try. Check me out at http://opensalon.com/blog/sherrithewriter . I'm not sure how often I'll have a chance to update it, but I'll certainly try. I need to get my writing more "out there" and draw in more readers across a variety of places on-line. I think that my presence here, at Authonomy, and at Open Salon should be a good cross section of readers and places to have my work. I know it's a lot, but I'll have to divide and conquer.

2010 is my "on" year for reading The Bible. This year, I want to keep a journal/blog of my thoughts, interpretations and impressions of this journey. That's a bit more intensive than I usually do, so I'll have to put this project on hold until I finish the rough draft of "Invalid Item" . I don't want to overwhelm myself.

Speaking of which, I'm holding to the "Rule of Two" with my hobbies. No more than two active at a time. Right now, it's writing and cross stitching. That's room for a major and minor hobby at a time and it seems to work. Frankly, I've been doing a lot with my writing lately and barely any cross stitching. In fact, I've only stitched once since I gave that registration exam three weeks ago. Oops. Oh well, that's why it's a minor hobby - I can enjoy it when there's time for it and there's no stress. That's the whole point.

I need to get back on the treadmill. I've barely been on it the past few months, between those sinus infections and the busy holiday season. I felt like I was getting a cold earlier this week, but Zicam has helped with that. I really do need to make exercise part of my daily routine again. I think I would feel better and perhaps my health would improve. Plus, I seem to have very good writing ideas while I'm on it, so it's good for my muse as well!

There are many other things I'd like to accomplish this year, but I think I need to take it easy and see how these things work out first. For now, the plan is to finish the rough draft of "Invalid Item"  and complete the Jesus cross stitch. Once those things are done, I'll start the Bible Reading project and consider what's next.

And there you have it - my plan for 2010, or at least starting it out on the right foot. Time will tell if I keep my resolve.

In other news, today is my parrot's birthday. He's 10! I can't believe my baby bird is 10! He's having a good day. Lots of toys and snacks.

My time off work is going by way too fast. I know keeping my resolve in the face of going back to work and the demands of my normal day to day life will be a challenge because it always is. I'll have to take one day at a time. That's all any of us can do.

Well, that's all folks. I hope you have a good New Year's Eve and a Happy New Year!

Bye!
 

Hi folks, I hope you're having a good day and week. I know, I haven't been around much this week. Truth is, I'm off work so my schedule is a bit more relaxed for now. This time between Christmas and New Year is some of the only time I have during the year when I can just hang out at home and do things that I WANT to do - all day, every day. Sure, we take our vacation in the spring and that's great, but having time at home? Nothing quite like it!

And yes, it is going well and passing way too fast. We got money and gift cards so we've been shopping some this week, thanks to the generosity of our family members. I even managed to get the oil changed in my car and drop off my jewelry for repairs today.

Truth is, I have been online this week, just not here. My brother and sister-in-law were kind enough to give me an iTunes card, so I've been there downloading more tunes for my iPod. I'm starting to wish I had bought the higher model iPod now and didn't cheap out, but oh well. I've also been doing some reading over at Authonomy this week, since I've had the time. I've neglected that website so long and I really need to find a way to make time to check in there at least a couple of times a week if I want to get my ranking up. But not to worry, because I'll still be around here since I love it so much!

So Zack's birthday is tomorrow. I can't believe my bird is going to be 10 years old! I know that sounds old, but it isn't for a bird. He can live to be 30. We got him some toys and bird snacks so I hope he'll be our happy little feathered friend tomorrow.

And speaking of tomorrow, can you believe it's going to be New Year's Eve? I can't. Where did 2009 go? Well, it wasn't a great year for me anyway, so I'm glad to kick it on outta here. Here's hoping I'm on the right path and 2010 will find me making progress! I'm serious about putting more into my writing next year. I have some great ideas for my novel. In fact, I think taking some time off did me good. I know exactly how I want it to unfold now - it's just a matter of figuring out the specifics of getting it where I want it to go. I'm very excited about it and eager to see how the rough draft comes together. Somehow, I KNEW this was going to take off in 2010 and it looks like it might do just that - which is fine with me. I love writing novels!

Well, that's all for tonight. I think I'll puruse some of your blogs and just hang around the site for a while. Have a great evening and I'll see you later.

Bye!



 

And just like that, Christmas 2009 is over.

Hi folks; I hope you had a very Merry Christmas. Christmas went well for me - got to see both families and now we're settled back into life. We even took down and packed up the Christmas decorations today. That was a bit depressing, but in another way it's kind of good to see the house looking like normal again.

So here we are in that zone between Christmas and New Year. I kind of like this time of year too. You've just had a chance to celebrate with family and friends, and now it's time to settle down and enjoy some time without the stress and hulabaloo. I have the week off from work and I definitely plan to make the most of it!

I'm really just dropping in, as it's Bowl Week and I'm off to watch the Music City Bowl - Kentucky versus Clemson. Hey, what can I say? This is the last chance to enjoy college football until next September!

Here's hoping you've had a Happy Holiday and a good weekend. I'll see you later.

Bye!
 

Hi all, I wanted to stop in and wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas! I wish you the peace and joy of Christ's birth and a safe and happy holiday.

See you on the other side of the holiday hullabaloo -

Merry Christmas!
 

Hi folks; I hope you're having a wonderful Wednesday. Well, it's December 23 which means that Christmas is pretty much here for me. Just get through my half day of work today and my eye appointment (annual checkup) and IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've got to be honest and say I haven't been that excited about it this year. I don't know what my problem it, but it seems to be a widespread one. I've heard a lot of people saying that - I've even seen it in a lot of blogs here. We barely got any Christmas cards in the mail until yesterday - talk about last minute! The holiday spirit doesn't seem to be very strong this year.

I know that for me at least, it's been a challenging year. Not necessarily bad, but I've had a lot of letdowns and disappointments in 2009. I was drinking my coffee this morning and thinking that it seems everything I've put my hand to this year has fizzled or failed. Here's the only thing I managed to finish this year that wasn't a complete flop:



But it was still a challenge to finish and didn't win squat in the State Fair. Then again, everybody failed to mention one small detail to me - you pretty much have to know a judge, a fair worker, or have a very strong connection to a judge to even be seriously considered for a ribbon. Thanks for NOT mentioning that, jerks. But still, it's done and will proudly hang over my mantle henseforth so anyway ...

I've hit a lot of brick walls. A failed book contract, no short story contracts, work move fell through and was ultimately postponed, sick a lot, and to top it all off even the vegetable garden didn't do well this year. My roses did fair. Thanks goodness I didn't manage to screw that up. But the cats left. I suppose I didn't appreciate them enough and now they're gone. They went back to my brother's house and I don't see them around anymore. It's been over a month since any have graced our yard. I'm sad about that. Maybe they'll come back in the spring, maybe not. I guess we'll see. If they return, I'll endeavor to be a better steward. If not, I've learned a lesson about appreciating unexpected blessings and will carry it with me in the future. Actually, I'll carry that lesson forward whether they return or not.

So maybe the holiday spirit is lacking in me because I feel I have very little to show for my efforts in 2009. Then again, I have learned a lot. I learned that if I really want to keep getting my work published then I need to make writing a top priority in my life and not let other "little things" get in the way. I learned to stand firm in my dedication to my writing and refuse to let other hobbies or projects push it aside.

I learned that I need to modify my approach to querying fiction work and did a lot of research into writing stronger query letters, proposals, and synopses. I also learned that research is absolutely necessary not only in doing your writing, but in checking out publishers as well.

I learned not to stretch myself too thin. I learned to finish what I'm doing before starting new things. I learned that you can't be in a million directions at once and expect to accomplish anything in a way that yields maximum results. I learned the importance of balance.

I learned that down doesn't mean out. I learned HOW to learn from failure and disappointment. I learned how to find my faith, get back on my feet, and find the path again. I learned that feeling lost doesn't make me a lost cause. It means I need time to figure out where I am and where I want to go. But in contrast, that's not a place where you need to stay for a long time. It's a temporary state. Prayer, pondering, and reflection are productive. Stagnation and wallowing in self pity is not.

I learned that while you can't control everything, you can control how you react and manage what happens to you. In fact, hard work and taking advantage of opportunity is a personal responsibility and imperitive to making your dreams come true.

I learned that life is a series of ups and downs and what you learn on the journey is just as important as what you accomplish on it - maybe more so. We are whole human beings and everything we experience makes us who we are.

So perhaps the year wasn't a waste. I might not have accomplished a lot, but I learned a lot. I've grown as a person, and there's no substitute for that. So this Christmas, I will give thanks for what I've learned and how I've grown. I think that maybe, growth is necessary for accomplishment. Obviously, I needed some work done on myself before I could move forward and conquer my world.

The next few days are going to be a whirlwind of family activity for the holidays and I don't know if I'll be able to stop in long enough to do a blog entry, so I'll go ahead and wish you well. I hope you have a blessed and Merry Christmas. May the peace and joy of Christ's birth fill your life this holiday season. Enjoy time with friends and family and always be greatful for your blessings. I wish each and every one of you, my dear on-line friends, a safe, joyful and happy holiday.

Merry Christmas!
 

We're at that time folks - the hustle and bustle is over and now we wait for Christmas.

I'm at work with nothing to do. Things have really slowed down. A lot of people are out so that means no work coming in. But I'll take it. I've been able to catch up on a lot of stuff and get some things that have been a problem out of here - thank God. Plus, I know it will be off to the races in January. The start of the new year is always my busiest time at work, so I'll take this lull and be very thankful for it. It makes for slow days, but I'll survive.

I'm not super excited about Christmas this year. I don't know why. I'm happy it's here, but I'm not bursting over it. I don't know why. It has been a somewhat tough year for me. Not bad, but a lot of letdowns and things I hoped for fell through. Overall things are looking better. I've found my resolve and I'm back on my feet. I tell you, making those few modifications to "Invalid Item"  and sending out those queries over the weekend made me feel so much better. I feel like I'm back in the game again (with my writing) and that feels good.

I haven't worked on the Jesus cross stitch in a week. Same old excuse - too busy with housekeeping and holiday preparations. I'm not going to fret over it. It progresses well when I do work on it, and I know I'll finish it. No worries. I'm focusing on my writing now and this will come along in due time.

That's all for today. Sorry there's nothing exciting, but we're in the pre-holiday snore zone where we are ready and wait for Christmas to get here. And it will, all too soon.

Here's hoping you have a good day and I'll see you later.

Bye!
 

Christmas, that is. Do you feel it creeping up on you? Santa will be coming down the chimney soon!

Hi folks; I hope you're having a good day. So far, so good for me. I thought I was ahead of the curve after a busy weekend of housecleaning and working on writing submissions, but I logged in just now and found out that nope, I've still got my head in the clouds a wee bit too much.

"Carolina Blue" passed away over the weekend. I hate to hear that. I really thought he'd pull through but alas, the Lord had a different plan from our wishes. I hope Heaven's gates swing open to him in glory and splendor, and I pray for his family and friends. It's always tough to lose a loved one, but somehow it's worse during the holidays. Everybody is singing, laughing and celebrating and you feel like, well, smacking some sense into them. But really, it's not their fault that life throws you random crappy curveballs like this. Rick and I lost grandmothers that we were very close to near Christmas and it was tough. In fact, it caused me to have an aversion to poinsettas that I'm just now getting over 22 years later. But anyway, I ramble. Farewell, Carolina Blue! We'll miss you! Enjoy Heaven and give Jesus a hug for me until I get there (but hopefully not TOO soon).

In other news, things are rolling along fairly well. I mailed those writing submissions that I prepared Saturday. We actually stopped by the post office on the way to church yesterday so I could drop them off - they have one of those automated postal tellers, so I was able to get that done. I love those things! It's SO much more convenient than standing in line, and you can do it anytime. I also got groceries, cleaned house, and even cleaned out our file cabinet by shredding our outdated stuff and putting together our tax papers. So far, so good. Heck, I even got a few thorny problems off my desk at work this morning. That was a tremendous relief. It was amazing. I struggled with these for days up until Friday afternoon and got nowhere. Came in this morning and they went right through - no problems, no errors, no nothing. I was very grateful.

So now it should be small stuff to keep rolling through the holidays. Random chores and errands: Laundry, cage cleaning, meals, an eye appointment Wednesday and then ... IT'S CHRISTMAS!!! Busy yes, but I pray that everything will go smoothly because it shouldn't take too many acrobatics from here, since all seems to be prepared and in motion.

Well, that's all for now. I hope your holiday preparations are going smoothly. Have a great day and I'll see you later.

Bye!
 

Hi all; I hope you're having a good Saturday. So far, my day is going pretty good.

In building on yesterday's entry, I decided that today is a good day for me to take action with my writing. Rick wanted to get up early to get an oil change in his truck, so we went out to breakfast and then to get a few little last minute things for Christmas. In addition, I swung by the bookstore and picked up the 2010 Novel & Short Story Writer's Market. Much to my surprise, it came with a free 1 year genre specific subscription to their website. Sweet!

I've spent this afternoon setting up my free membership, checking out the guide and getting submissions together. I have 4 submissions ready to mail out on Monday, E-mailed another one today, and have websites bookmarked for a couple of markets opening in 2010.

I figured why not? I have the resources and the time. That thing about not submitting during the holiday season is just a lame holdover from my non-fiction days, and it's time to get over it. So today, I did. No more excuses. No more holding myself back. It's time to be bold and start taking action if I want to make my dream of getting published again come true. I love writing and I'm putting it in it's right place in my life.

That's all for now. I hope you're having a good weekend. See you later.

Bye!
 

Hi folks; I hope you're having a Happy Friday. So far, so good for me. The weather is crappy in my corner of the world today: Cold, windy, and rainy, but it's not bothering me. Quite the contrary, I feel better emotionally today than I have in a few days. I think it's because I've been praying and thinking a lot lately, and I'm finally getting myself together. This week, I've come to some decisions.

First, I've decided that I'm not going to spend my mental energy thinking or worrying about stupid things. Seriously, I don't know why but recently it occurred to me that I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking and/or worrying about things that are just plain stupid. From now on, I'm not going to waste my precious brain cells on who said this, who did that, how people might react to whatever, or what others are complaining about. Enough already! We're all adults and we need to start acting that way. Well, that doesn't mean that people will, but it certainly doesn't stop ME from doing it.

I think the reason why my life has stalled out so badly over the last year is that I've been spending too much time focused on things that were taking me into nonsense and away from where I should be focusing. Now I look around and it seems that everybody else is moving forward and I'm the one stuck in a rut. Well, no more. It's time to get off my butt and back on my feet. It's time to quit bemoaning my lousy luck of the past year and start moving forward again. I have some good New Year's Resolutions that I detailed earlier this week, and I believe they define the path I need to take from here. Time to quit worrying about what other people want me to do and start doing what I want to do. Heck, time to stop CARING what other people want me to do and start that journey anew right now!

That's not to say I have no regard for other people at all. I do care. I want everybody to be the best they can be and to live a happy life. I'm glad to help others, to be there for them and to support them any way I can. But the truth is that where the overlap ends, so does my business - and I'm at a point right now where I really need to be attentive to my own business. I have big dreams for getting published again and I've allowed myself to get diverted from pursuing that goal way too much over the past couple of years. Despite the changes that may be coming next year, there's absolutely no reason why my writing can't be my #1 goal and nothing to stop me from pursuing it.

I've also decided that it's time for me to be really honest and true to myself. I've been rolling through life with no clear goal or purpose for a couple of years. I of all people should know that the winds of fate are not a good life path. It's time to put my feet back on the ground and start putting one foot in front of the other to propel me to where I want to be. Sure, there are times when drifting along is fine. It can be fun and it worked for a little while. That time is over. Time to take the reigns and steer myself again. I need to make sure that I stop every now and then and ask myself two questions:

1. Am I being true to myself?

2. Am I doing all I can to make sure I'm on the path I really want to be on?

Heck, I need to ask myself those things every day because if the answer is "no," then adjustments need to be made very quickly before I wander off again!

Sure, you can't control everything. The Lord is really in control. But we are also responsible for ourselves. If you want to live life to the fullest, you have to do three things: Keep you eye on the goal, work hard to reach it, and take advantage of opportunities that bring you closer to it. Hense, my two questions above. My first question is about keeping my focus. My second question is about taking action. It's all about my favorite Bible verse, Phillipians 3:13-14. Forget what's behind, keep your eyes on what's ahead, and reach for the goal through Christ. Or as I like to sum it up: Eyes on the goal ahead of you; not on the garbage around you!

I don't need to get bogged down in the minutae of life. Sure it can be fun, and often times life is made up of those small things. But they're small for a reason: They're there to add flavor to life, not to drain you of precious energy.

Ok, perhaps this is deeper than we should delve on a slow Friday afternoon but why not? It's the season of celebration and resolve. Anytime is a good time to get on the right path. I've been wandering on it lately, and now I'm here to stay.

Here's hoping you have a Happy Friday and a great weekend. See you later.

Bye!
 

Hi all; I hope you're having a good day. It's another day in a week that seems to be dragging on F O R E V E R! Is it really only Thursday, December 17th? Seems it should be a week later now. Oh well.

Things are quiet in the office today. Turns out a lot of people went to one of our field offices. Nobody knows why, but it's unlikely they'll be back until the end of the day. The good news is that I broke down and brought my Christmas gifts for everybody at work yesterday, so they all got their goodies before this impromptu road trip. I think it has something to do with this new human resource system they're putting us on next year. It's a module of the accounting system we went on last year so naturally, it's a chaotic mess. I'm so glad I'm not a supervisor. I'd be a bad supervisor. I don't pay a lot of attention to what other people are doing around here. I pretty much keep to myself and that works well for me.

I find myself feeling a bit displaced since I put "Invalid Item"  on break for the holidays. I have been busier with things at home in preparation for the holidays, so I know there's no way I would have done any more work on it this week. Truthfully, I'm a bit stuck with the plot anyway. I've finished what I would consider the first section of the story and I'm trying to figure out how to work out the next part. I have general ideas, but nothing is really grabbing me as an exciting introduction to more conflict in poor Jana's life. I suppose you could say this break serves the dual purpose of giving me time for holiday activities/festivities and to ponder where to go from here with the plot.

It's interesting - "Blurry" (the last novel I wrote in 2008, still seeking publication) flowed so well it went into a frenzy stage. I wrote the entire rough draft in 7 weeks. No kidding. I was writing all the time, in every spare minute, and it was always on my mind. "Invalid Item"  is much different. I've been writing for over a month, I've only written 6 chapters, and I've barely delved into the plot. Plus, I spent a good two months doing research before I started writing. This one is more WORK. And yet I still enjoy it, even though it's not that fun frenzy that I experienced the last time. I don't know how to explain it. It's a different experience. Then again, it's like Aslan said in The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspain: "Things never happen the same way twice." That's the truth. The experience of writing this novel is vastly different from writing "Blurry," or even "Invalid Item"  and "Invalid Item" . Those three were similar writing experiences. They were also pieces for children and young adults. "Invalid Item"  is definitely an adult work and a very different experience, but I'm still loving it.

I was reading an article in Writer's Digest last week about how the writing flows like magic sometimes and you sweat out the whole story others. I'm sweating this one out. I think the very nature of this novel requires more research, plot development, and work than I've done on other pieces. And yet, I'm still thrilled to be in the novel writing game again. Plus, the more you put in, the happier you usually are with the end result. I know it will pay off when the manuscript is done.

Non-fiction, on the other hand, really is a different game. I enjoyed working on "Battleground Earth" in a much different way. It was still research and considering how to say what I wanted to say, but on the whole I felt that writing it was more of a learning experience than anything else. Definitely a lot of self discovery and personal growth in the process. I'd call it a different kind of fun. And yes, it was more work.

You know, I think the whole point is loving it. Writing should be fun and you should love the projects you work on. That doesn't mean you'll feel the same way about them all, but you should find merit and enjoy the process of creating new written works, be it poetry, stories, screenplays, or novels. If you don't love it, there's no point in it.

Ok, that's my musing for the day. I best be off. I hope you have a great day and I'll see you later.

Bye!