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Monday, March 29, 2010
New Magic Number - 30
I, like many of you, have set deadlines in the past. I have been determined to meet these deadlines. I have sworn to them, sworn at them, and sworn at myself. Yet, I have never met a writing deadline.
But this time, I mean it.
Why is this time different, you ask? (And not that I blame you for your skepticism.) Because there’s money on the line.
Okay, before you get all riled up thinking I’ve sold something I’ve yet to write, that is not the case. However, I have signed up for a revisions class that runs six weeks through the summer. And is not cheap. And I’ve registered for my third RWA National conference, also not cheap, having not pitched at either of the two I’ve already attended.
Therefore, I have a deadline induced by that greatest of all motivators, the almighty dollar. With a dash of the usual humiliation thrown in for good measure.
So, I’m currently sitting around 100 pages. (Hopefully closer to 110 as I’m writing this on Sunday and today is Tuesday.) I’d like to have at least 270 more to round out the first draft. Since my first draft is rough to the point of having almost no description or layering, I figure this is a good number. Not too high. Not too low.
The class starts June 6, which leaves me essentially two months to finish the first draft. 270 pages divided roughly into nine weeks means I need to write 30 pages a week from here on out.
Hence, the New Magic Number.
I am not going to focus on my past failures. Not going to dwell on the fact I failed miserably at NaNoWriMo. Not even going to mention….well, typing it here would be mentioning, so never mind.
I spent most of my weekend re-creating and re-working my post-its storyboard. Turns out, the spreadsheet didn’t work for me. (Gotta love that learning curve, don’t you?) This means I have a map and a plan and by throwing in a wing and a prayer, I’m as prepared for this challenge as I can be.
What I ask of you today is this. What would it take, were you in my shoes, to push you to reach this goal? Would money be enough of a motivator? Would the humiliation do it? Or would you need something more substantial? More…tangible?
Bonus question: Anyone willing to run this gamut with me?
But this time, I mean it.
Why is this time different, you ask? (And not that I blame you for your skepticism.) Because there’s money on the line.
Okay, before you get all riled up thinking I’ve sold something I’ve yet to write, that is not the case. However, I have signed up for a revisions class that runs six weeks through the summer. And is not cheap. And I’ve registered for my third RWA National conference, also not cheap, having not pitched at either of the two I’ve already attended.
Therefore, I have a deadline induced by that greatest of all motivators, the almighty dollar. With a dash of the usual humiliation thrown in for good measure.
So, I’m currently sitting around 100 pages. (Hopefully closer to 110 as I’m writing this on Sunday and today is Tuesday.) I’d like to have at least 270 more to round out the first draft. Since my first draft is rough to the point of having almost no description or layering, I figure this is a good number. Not too high. Not too low.
The class starts June 6, which leaves me essentially two months to finish the first draft. 270 pages divided roughly into nine weeks means I need to write 30 pages a week from here on out.
Hence, the New Magic Number.
I am not going to focus on my past failures. Not going to dwell on the fact I failed miserably at NaNoWriMo. Not even going to mention….well, typing it here would be mentioning, so never mind.
I spent most of my weekend re-creating and re-working my post-its storyboard. Turns out, the spreadsheet didn’t work for me. (Gotta love that learning curve, don’t you?) This means I have a map and a plan and by throwing in a wing and a prayer, I’m as prepared for this challenge as I can be.
What I ask of you today is this. What would it take, were you in my shoes, to push you to reach this goal? Would money be enough of a motivator? Would the humiliation do it? Or would you need something more substantial? More…tangible?
Bonus question: Anyone willing to run this gamut with me?
Labels:
Bo'sun's Babblings (Terri),
challenge,
goal,
revisions,
writing,
Writing for Rum
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94 comments:
Usually it's humiliation. My new RWA Chapter president has initiated a new monthly goal thing. We have to tell her in front of the group, she writes in a white board. That comes to each meeting. And she asks if you did it...at each meeting. (There's a drawing, so there is reward for making the goal.)
Amazingly, this has worked so far at getting me to scramble and meet the goal every bloody month!
Also when I give my word to Jenna that I'll get something to her...though that isn't working as well since it takes so long to hear back from her... Losing some steam there.
And the trick with the local group is to set a goal that is almost, but not quite, impossible to make. Since I'm missing May's meeting, I gotta figure out ... You know, I bet she'll require me to e-mail her.
Goal for April? Pitch, at RT! Get a request, at RT! Send out requests will likely be May's goal.
Yup, I'm confident. They usually request...
This summer? Revise A Caribbean Spell.
BTW...I'll take your challenge. I will revise A Caribbean Spell by RWA. Not sure I want to pitch it there, but I'll revise it.
Tell me more about this revision class... ;)
I am so not the person to ask. I've been losing the same 20 pounds (oh, hell, my magic number is 30 too) for the past two years. When I set a deadline, I immediately get squirmy and subversive. So far I'm good with publishers' deadlines--I even turn stuff in early--but I can't make myself obey myself on anything else. I'm such a self-defeating rebel.;)
And good for you with classes and story boards. The very idea of both make me twitch.
Happy to report, I'm sitting at 112 pages!
Chance - Humiliation is a big one, but it seems I can live with humiliation. Disappointment is another matter. Kiddo stays on me and says things like "I don't want you to give up." How am I supposed to stand up to that?!
Go you on the pitching and the requesting (I have every faith you'll get lots of requests) and the submitting. And your chapter president sounds like a slave-driver, but in a good way.
Oh, and click on the link up there (the words "revision class") to get more details. I've gotten to now the instructor a bit through her blog and I love her writing. The timing of the class worked perfectly and gave me the motivation I needed to make this dang first draft a reality.
In other words, I couldn't pass it up. :)
Maggie - I'd kill to lose 20lbs right now. But if I lost 40, I'd throw a killer celebration.
You have the answer right there - get a publisher declared deadline! Which is the goal for all of us I think.
Is it down to four weeks yet? Almost? I can't wait to walk in the bookstore and hold your book in my grubby little hands. The fact I can do this over and over again for the rest of the year, a different book everytime, is even more exciting. LOL!
I clicked on the link and poked around the website, and I nearly fell down when I saw a blog post titled "The Glittery HooHa of Christmas Past". LOL
I don't LIKE deadlines, but they are definitely motivators. Otherwise I keep fussing around, and changing my mind, etc.
It's a tricky balance though. If I set the deadlines, they can end up being a bit elastic. LOL But if someone else sets them for me, well, then I often feel resistant.
I'm rooting for you Bo'sun! It sounds like the things you're working toward are going to be fun, as well as productive.
Ter, this is a great goal. I'll take your challenge with you. My goal is to finish my current book's first draft by end of May too. My self-induced deadline? My kid's going to be born beginning of June. I'd like to have this draft done by then.
I don't write by pages though, I write by word count. Let's see... I'm around 26K right now. If I write 6K every week, I'll be right around 80K at end of May. Which would be fine. I'd imagine I'll be about done with my first draft about then. Then I can flounder and do revisions and write a query and whatever in June/July Or June/July/August or whatever, while I'm trying to get my grip on having two kids and breastfeeding again and remembering what it's like not to sleep.
So, I'll set a goal of 6K a week. Try to keep up with you. Good luck, Ter! We'll cheer for each other. :)
What does it take to keep me going? I don't know.
Donna - We stole the Glittery HooHa from Jenny Crusie who happens to be Lani's best friend and roommate. So they had the HooHa first. :)
I've never disliked deadlines. Technically, I hit one once. Samhain had an open call for stories in a heat wave summer anthology. The deadline was the first week of January, I believe. I, of course, waited until the last minute and wrote most of the story over Christmas. Then, the week it was due, spent every free moment in my room writing.
Thankfully, kiddo was great about this as I think she had sandwiches or cereal every night for dinner. LOL! But I made the midnight deadline (okay, over by 25 mins) and was so excited to turn it in.
The rejection came a couple of days later, but so did some positive feedback. I really need to fix up that story and shop it around.
Yay Marn! We can do this. And I see the need to finish during the incubation time instead of the after incubation time. LOL!
My current game plan is to write 6 pages a night during the week, then take the weekends off with kiddo. Of course, the next two weekends I'll be on the road so getting the pages in during the week are a must.
Averaged out, that puts you around 24 pages a week. Not so intimidating, right? I really don't have trouble churning out pages. I only have trouble getting my butt in the chair. And technically, this is a deadline set by someone else, so I have more than just me to answer to.
This is a great goal, Terri! The motivation of having a rough draft to work with for the class I think will work for you.
For some reason, money doesn't do it for me. It should, but I've spent money before on things and just wound up well...without money!
I've got a big goal for May to be my personal month to finish my book because it's my break between this spring semester and a couple of summer classes. I really need something tangible too that is outside my self-imposed goal.
Good luck!
Hey there, Melissa! How's school going? Still reading the classics (and not so classic)?
This end of May goal seems to be a common thread here. How much farther do you have to go? And are you talking finished draft or just the end. You were already into revision, right?
I used to love that week or two between quarters. One week when my brain wasn't always thinking about reading chapters or taking a quiz. My brain rarely shuts off, so it was nice to have the rest.
That Glittery HooHa gets around! LOL
And I am in awe of you writers with kids (or about to have ANOTHER one!)
Seriously. It takes a village to take care of just me (or it would, if I could find a village willing to take on the job!)
And then I see how much the writer moms do in addition to writing. . .
Blows me away.
LOL Donna. Seriously, I can't speak for the other writer moms, because I honestly don't know how I get anything done. Especially now. But somehow it works out. I'm not sure about this second baby thing though. We'll see how much that holds me up.
I'll take you up on that challenge. I need the push. Most of my writing is done on Tuesday before my critique group. (Ha! Guess what I'm supposed to be doing right now?) I can usually crank out 5-9 pages a day, I just can't seem to get my butt in the chair everyday.
Donna-a belated welcome! I enjoyed your first blog and am looking forward to more.
Di
Donna - It's so funny you say that since after reading Marn's first comment, I just kept thinking, "How in the world do you handle more than one kid at a time?!" LOL!
My kiddo is heading to middle school next year (HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!?!) so she's lower maintenance than what Marn is dealing with. And the day job is easy, mostly. Laid back environment and mostly low stress. That helps.
Once she starts volleyball, which should be any time now, the schedule will get a little tougher. But I suppose the motto will become, "Have laptop, will travel."
Another taker!
Join in the fun, Di. And that is exactly my problem. Churning out six or seven pages is not hard. (Not that all those pages will stay or are worth anything, but still.) It's making myself do it that is my problem.
So, time to take this seriously. Just think of how much progress you'd make if you did five pages every morning!
30 pages a week? Take me out and shoot me now.
Hmm, humiliation probably wouldn't cut it. Disappointment from loved ones MIGHT though. I hate disappointing loved ones.
Yes, we probably need to reference the Glittery Hooha more. It's not ours. *LOL* I think in the original hooha blog we had, we referenced the blog from Jenny's site. They're the clever ones. (We just recognize cleverness. *LOL*)
I find that I have the most luck when I have "scheduled" writing times. I usually write for a little in the morning, then again after dinner while DH entertains the kid. And then I make up the difference after kiddo's in bed. It'd be more ideal if I could just sit and do it in one lump sum, but well, I don't have that luxury yet. Maybe someday. :)
Marn, sometimes lump sums are more intimidating. You probably get more done with small chunks of time.
Marn - I do tend to do snippets some nights. Like write a little while the pork chops are cooking. Then eat and clean up. Then write some more. Then watch two dances on DWTS. Then go back and write some more. It all depends on what's going on the page.
I'm guessing if you wrote all day with no breaks, it would get to be too much. And I have to ruminated between scenes. It's like it marinates in my brain, some dialogue shows up, maybe one realy good line, then I can sit down and write it.
This requires breaks in between sessions.
Hellie - You could do this. We're not talking 30 perfect pages. We're talking 30 pages of dreck. But I'm finally realizing I can do a lot more with something than I can with nothing.
I know, I'm slow.
Maybe you're right. I never thought of it that way. Most of the times I'm half distracted when I'm writing too. Now that I think about it, that probably works in my benefit too. I'm not thinking too hard about it. LOL!
Now I have to run to the store, but I'll be back shortly.
The background noise drowns out the negative nellies! Me, I can't work with noise. But last night I managed. Oddly enough.
Hi Di! Thanks for the welcome.
And I'm glad to know the provenance of the Glittery HooHa -- I was all up in arms thinking it had been stolen from the pirates! LOL
I think having all day to write often results in me spending most of that time "getting ready" to write. I did accomplish a lot more writing yesterday by closing out my web browsers, and only checking email once every hour. I know! Pure genius. The crazy part -- I didn't miss out on anything while the internet was closed! Who knew?
Also, my brain does a lot of writing while I'm washing dishes, taking a shower, etc. So then it's a matter of sitting down and cranking out the pages.
My brain turns on while I'm cleaning too. When I'm at a road block in my story, that's when I have the cleanest house. LOL!
Good for you, Ter! I can't join you (you can put me next to Hellie on the firing squad line), but I'll send you all my positive vibes!
Have you read anything by Lani Diane Rich? I've never heard of her. If she writes anything like her Jenny, I'd gobble up her backlist in a heartbeat.
And I seriously don't know what it would take to get my butt in the chair. Money has never worked for me. Humiliation or disappointing loved ones might - that's probably why no one knows I write :) This is definitely one of those things that I do for fun when I want with no shoulds put on it. It is probably the ONLY thing in my life in that category!
You amaze me too, Marn. Where do you get your energy? I mean, I can see where you can grab little snippets of time, but when I had those snippets I headed straight for bed and caught up on sleep. I still do that. Cleaning my house was/is my last priority! My perfectionistic tendencies took a real nose dive within the past 10 or so years.
Go Terri! I'll take you up on that challenge, though I don't think I can keep up with you. I'm floundering at the moment, and I mean *floundering*! I think I've been so swamped at work that there's just nothing creative left when I get home. I try to write in the mornings, but lately, I've just been staring bleary-eyed at the screen.
Although, when I was whining, I got some awesome advice from a professor at school: When you can't think of what to write next, write a scene that CANNOT possibly be the next scene. Something absurd and funny. Your muse will get so pissed off she'll tell what actually should be coming next :)
My goal is to get these major work projects off my desk this week, plot this weekend, and get back on track. 1,000 words a day, every morning. That puts me at about 20 pages a week, rather than 30, but if I can at least keep up that much, it will be MAJOR progress!
*LOL* I love that advice: the scene that cannot possibly be the next scene. (What if you write absurd and funny--should you go for tragic and suspenseful instead? *LOL*)
Maybe you get absurder? LOL!
Sorry, just got back. Let me catch up.
Donna- No way! You mean the world didn't end because you closed your web browser? I'm not sure I'm willing to take that chance. LOL!
Yep, Crusie is the creator of the Glittery Hooha. Or rather, coining the term. LOL! I only wish we were that flipping brilliant.
My plotting happens mostly while I'm driving or trying to fall asleep. Since doing the dishes means pushing ON on my dishwasher, not so much thinking going on then. :)
Irish! It's okay, I'm glad you have writing as your "Want to" task. I know all about the "Have to"'s. Way too many of those in my life!
I finished Lani's book COMEBACK KISS last night and I can't recommend it highly enough. Her style is very similar to Jenny's. Some of the funniest lines in this book. And at one point, I went from laughing out loud to all hot and bothered to crying in the span of two pages. TWO PAGES!
Her backlist consists of romantic comedies and some women's fiction and she'll be releasing a new book later this year called A LITTLE NIGHT MAGIC under the name Lucy March. Highly recommend checking out her new site and blog. (I'm a regular and wouldn't skip a day.)
www.lucymarch.com
Irish - I do have to fight back the urge to head for bed. Especially recently. This trimester is killing me. And seriously, don't be amazed. I pretty much just race around (ok, plod along this month), feeling like I'm completely behind all the time and playing catch up.
At the end of the day, I notice stuff has happened in my home, my kid and husband are fed and wearing clean clothes, and there are groceries in the refrigerator. I have vague recollections of working on those tasks, but that's about it.
I lose entire weeks. Seriously. Gone. My DH reminds me of stuff that happens and I go, Oh, right. But half the time I don't remember. I just don't want him to think he leaves his children alone with a crazy person.
Hal - I love the idea of writing what absolutely can't happen. I might try that next time. Aliens in my straight Regency, anyone? LOL!
And we have another for the cause!
You can do it, Hal. It's helping immensely to have this storyboard up on the wall in front of me. I can see the whole book in one pretty, colorful, and mostly organized picture. And I'm going to add a bunch more stuff to "the wall" when I get back from the next couple weekends of driving.
Pictures of characters (Nate is kind of Patrick Dempsey and Emma is a little Rita Hayworth), character summaries and anything else I can find. Pictures of the settings, you name it. I don't get company anyway, so who needs a dining room or regular artwork on the walls?!
So, 20 pages a week. That's still not back. That's four pages a morning, then you have your weekends free. That's only half a scene. You can do that easy!
I'm loving this "write a crazy scene" advice. Though I've yet to try it, that's definitely going in the arsenal for when I hit a sticking point.
Oh, and the vomit it out thing is applied now more than ever. I mean, it's all getting revised, right? Just get it out there! Nothing has to be pretty. I'm thinking of it as this is the dress form. I can't put the dress together or add the fringe or find the accessories until I have the form. (I may be watching too much Project Runway.)
In the immortal words of Tim Gunn - MAKE IT WORK!
I love the idea of vomit it out. It just didn't work for me. At least not for the whole book. I vomit a scene, then I revise before I move on. Just smooth out words or add in things if I feel they're missing. It works better for me, so I have this false sense of security moving forward.
Marn - You are not crazy. LOL! You have baby making crazy, but that goes away. To be replaced by baby raising crazy. Just wait until L'il Pirate Ford gets to 5th grade and the boyfriend/girlfriend stuff starts. I'm having so much trouble not rolling my eyes on a daily basis.
I have to keep telling myself, "This is important to her. This is important to her."
But I fully admit, I must have said the words, "But you're all 10!" at least a dozen times in the last week. (For the record, kiddo does not have a boyfriend. But her best friend goes through them like I go through brownies.)
I don’t get company anyway, so who needs a dining room or regular artwork on the walls?!
That's a great idea, Ter. The DH has been bugging me to figure out what to put up on one of our office walls. I'll just plop up a storyboard. He's actually love it. When I explained to him what you were doing he wanted to go out to Staples and get all the supplies needed.
Yeah, Marn, I have days like that. Everyone is in bed safe and sound, having been fed and carted to and fro and I can't remember the previous 24 hours. Sometimes I think mommy's are built with an auto-pilot mechanism.
I'm terrified of him starting to get involved in "dating". I have no idea how boys deal with that sort of stuff. And I fear my DH is going to be no help. He was too busy playing sports. I hope my boys are like that. I can handle sports and video games. Girls? *shudder*
Marn - There's no way I can revise as I go. Not to say I don't fix anything. If there's a scene I know I need to add, I'll add it. And if that changes several scenes that come later (I've added TWO new secondary characters. And a cat. That tends to change things...LOL!), then I'll do that.
But I couldn't polish it up and layer and do all those things. In fact, I've gotten to where I'll type something, think, "That's not going to work", and then repeat sternly, "It can be dealt with later."
Seems to be working...for now.
Sometimes I think mommy’s are built with an auto-pilot mechanism.
LOL! And folks share the road with the lot of us. Scary.
Irish - Do you watch Castle? Last night, I started thinking of the wall as that white board they use to put all their clues up to figure out the case. So my wall is my white board and I need to put everything up there I can. I know I learned by visual clues (which made online classes very hard to get used to), so I should have thought of this sooner.
It's frightening how slowly I'm figuring this process stuff out. LOL!
And I like your DH more and more everyday. LOL! Posterboard, colorful post-its, fine point sharpie (in colors too if you want.) Something to stick it on the wall, a ruler to draw the boxes, and you're off and running.
So far, I've been lucky because she towers over the boys. Way over. This little kid that knocked on my door on Sunday looking for her BFF might come to my elbow. Kiddo and I are almost eye to eye. And she wears my clothes. And she wears shoes two sizes bigger than mine.
Never have I been so thankful she got her father's size!
The more I listen to you talk about your process the more enlightening my own becomes! LOL I am such a visual person it is not funny. And I'm thinking that all of the stuff you are doing would benefit me tremendously.
It's to the point where my daughter asks for help with a word in her English class and I have to have her write it down and use it in a sentence (on paper) to look at it before I can help her figure out the meaning. And then it comes to me instantly. I'm also rotten at doing math in my head - can't do it. I have to have tons of scrap paper to figure anything out.
I was also at my son's volleyball parent's meeting last week and his coach is exactly what I imagine my hero looking like. It is hysterical. Now I'm scanning school yearbooks and websites to get a pix of this guy! The problem is posting him on my storyboard and fielding questions from my kids. Could seem a little stalkerish!!! This visual thing I have going just becomes more and more evident the deeper I get into this process.
I've seen Castle a couple of times but didn't catch it last night. I do know what you're talking about though. I've always loved those big white boards - it's the visual in me coming out again!
I don't want the whiteboard on CASTLE. I want that system where they plug in things and it vomits up results for them to work with. That's bitchin'! *LOL*
Is this a fantasy system of yours, Hellie, or is there actually a program that does that?
Irish - The last two episodes of Castle have included an FBI lady with all kinds of gadgets. They have this killer board that is like a giant touch screen computer monitor and all sorts of things come up on it.
But I just need a board to hold everything in place. That fancy thing is too much for me. LOL! But it looks cool!
And oddly enough about the visual stuff, I've always been able to do math in my head. I'm telling you, I'm a walking ball of contradictions!
But having this stuff in front of me is still helping more than anything. You ever check out Crusie's collages on her site? Amazing stuff. Interesting with lots of details. That I couldn't do. Too artsy. There is nothing artsy about the stuff I'm putting up. Unless you call pink, purple, and yellow post its artsy. LOL!
I just need to see it.
Don't get me wrong. I'd dig the whiteboard too, but the fancy gadget was COOL!
Okay, I have one alpha male, a stubborn funny female and a lost cat...GO! Tell me the possible plot sequences!
Okay, maybe it's only fun to me. *LOL*
Yeah, Ter, it is amazing that I can read a story about a guy and a girl without any definite idea of what they look like, but I'm realizing that I just cannot write one that way. I have to have a picture of everyone in front of me otherwise they all morph together.
Change "alpha male" to "beta male" and you'd have BET ME. LOL!
And that would be cool. When one project is finished and you don't know what to do next, this tool would be priceless!
I think I need the pics to get the details. It would never occur to me to mention "those little laugh lines around his eyes" or "that barely noticable freckle to the left of her mouth". Looking at real people makes me see things I wouldn't see in my minds eye.
My minds eye tends to skim.
I never thought of Cal as a beta.
He's a definite mix, but there's no way I'd call him an alpha.
But that's my own prejudice. :)
That's because you think alphas don't come with any brains whatsover; and my prejudice is I don't think betas come with backbones or killer instincts.
I'll go with a mix. He's a hybrid.
Using *my* definition, that is. ;)
Ain't perceptions grand? LOL!
I'll be interested if *ahem* when I ever get a book published to see what people call my heroes. *I* would call them Betas, but I certainly think they have backbones. And Nate is very determined, so I'll call that a killer instinct.
Would you be offended if I said I think of Adam as a Beta?
I think I'd label Cal a gamma--tough and tender. Now C. L. Sturgis in Tell Me Lies is definitely a beta.
Terri, I know you can meet your goal. You've already accomplished much tougher things. I won't join you in the 30-pages-a-day journey, but I will commit to emailing you the fully revised TLWH by the date you start your class.
I won't be around as much as usual here or other web hangouts for the next few weeks. I'm frantically writing about Sarah Brady, Carla Bruni Sarkozy, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, and a couple dozen others, trying to meet a mid-April deadline. I'm insane!
Tell Me Lies is on my TBR Crusie stack. It just moved up.
Thanks for your belief, Janga. And I can't wait to read TLWH. This marks the "diving into submitting" phase then?
You are crazy to take on these articles, but I bet doing the research for them is so interesting. Even for me, Miss Hate-to-Research. Please be sure to tell us where we can get our hands on these articles when they are published.
And we'll miss you, but if you ever need some extra Glitter in your sweet tea, be sure to drop by for a refresher. :)
Yeah, I'd agree that Adam is beta. But he's a blue-collar beta. I think of betas as the ones who are accountants.
Adam thinks a lot, so I'd say he's more beta. *LOL* I'm sure he's a piece of jewelry away from staring out windows and wondering what if. I mean, he stares out windows a lot, so it's really a matter of just hooking him up with the QVC channel.
Plus the real determining factor is that Sin doesn't care for Adam. Pretty sure she thinks he's a wussy. She prefers Lucy. And Lillith. She's a real fan of Lillith, who is apparently alpha female.
I agree with the Cal gamma thing. Although he leans a little bit farther to beta than alpha.
Wow, Janga! Busy, busy, busy. Sending you along some good vibes, too. That is awesome that you'll have TLWH completely revised by June. Hopefully, you can pull a laptop outside for the next month or so and aren't going to be cooped up inside!
Too artsy. There is nothing artsy about the stuff I’m putting up. Unless you call pink, purple, and yellow post its artsy. LOL!
It's Easter on Bo'sun's wall!
I envy those who are visual. I think I'm visual. On the inside. I find the outside pictures distract from the inside visuals.
No, this isn't gross. It just means I have a very active interior whiteboard!
And if the DH agrees, I'll take the class with ya, Bo'sun. No writing goals right now aside from the polishing, synopisizyzing and perfecting pitches.
*Scapegoat here peeking in and waving hi*
Just de-lurking for a bit to cheer on Terri and the others who've taken up the challenge! You can do it, just find your motivation. :)
I do best when I know I have others who are keeping track of how much I write. I don't want to let them down.
Good luck everyone!
Hey, Scape! I was just asking Chance the other day where you've been hiding. Thanks for the cheerleading, it is much needed and appreciated.
And I'd think letting others down would help me, but I've posted enough blogs/comments with the words "I WILL" and never "DO" that I'm guessing it doesn't work for me.
Since I don't color Easter eggs anymore, I might as well have the pastels somewhere. An interior Whiteboard. I think that's what I was trying to use before, found it doesn't work for me.
That is the trick to this stuff, it's all searching and trying and tossing ideas until you find the ones that work for you. Definitely no one-size-fits-all in writing. Or in life either, but that's a rant for another day.
We shall take on revisions together!
I want to color some easter eggs.
And I want some more Cadbury creme eggs.
Good, color some for me too. (Kiddo leaves Friday for a week. Seems silly to color them just for me and the feline.)
Though I've been craving hard-boiled eggs. I may make some just to eat.
Well, ya can get pastels inta yer life with flowers... Tulips are nice...
I haven't colored eggs in decades. But yeah, some hard boiled eggs sound really good.
Damn...I hope I'm typing what I think I'm typing. Saw the eye doctor earlier and my eyes are still dilated...
That's funny, because your typing looks better than usual. ;)
BURN! *best Kelso voice*
'Cause I'm being super careful...with my squinty eyed self...
Well, it's more piratical!
The squint.
Hey, anyone know when Bones starts up new episodes again!?
This week!
Squinty.
I am so mixed up about that show. They moved it to a different day and I swear, I lost it. I really need to replace my DVR and get one that doesn't just record, but actually lets me watch the programs without getting stuck on pause.
Bloody Comcast.
I saw the eye doctor Saturday and was amazed at how some devices they use to check your eyes with do not change. Or change much.
She had this device that was like holding a lit candle to my retinas to check to see if they looked right. Hilarious.
I did squint when I left the eye doctor but only because it was very sunshiny and I'd been in a dark office and stepped out in sunlight.
I've been watching Bones for like three years and it's always been on Thursday. Wait, I think the first year it might have been Wednesday. But it's been at 8 on Thursdays for a while now.
This week we're back to the new stuff. Now go call the cable company!
I went to the eye doctor a couple weeks ago and those devices are so strange, I don't really believe they do anything. "Look at the farm house in the distance and press this button when a squiggle appears somewhere around it."
And it's like a Sesame Street little red farmhouse. I think it's bogus to get that extra $15 out of us.
Hel - Didn't put in the eyedrops to make your eyes all dilated? And yeah, some of the equipment is sorta funny... I love the little stick with the eyechart on it they attach to the thingy you rest your chin on and look through. Like...wow. So hi-tech!
Yes, Bo'sun, need to just disconnect box and take it in. They have this happen all the time.
I swear, Bones used to be on Tuesday's... No, wait, that is NCIS... I really need to get that DRV replaced!
They did not let me press any buttons. *pouts* They did all the button pressing. But the farmhouse was there. I guess it's so you have something "real" to focus on instead of a square or something. Who cares if a square is fuzzy? But a farmhouse is like looking at a photograph or TV. That, you notice.
OH, you did the Field Test. I did not do that. I opted out. I figure they were getting enough of my money on Saturday.
Nope, no eyedrops for my eyeballs. Why would they do that?
My brother does the eyedrop thing, but I thought it was because he's got bifocals and has diabetes.
They just said I'm nearsighted. Really? What gave it away?
I have been drunk enough to have my eyes dilate themselves. But only that once.
Yeah, I think the fact I can't see the "E" on the eye chart is enough for me to diagnose myself.
There was button pushing. In fact, it was a hand held thing like you see the contestants use on Jeopardy.
No eyedrops. I had that years ago, but I can't remember why.
The dilating lets the doc get a good look at the back of the eyeballs. Like she told me I have calcium deposits where the nerves from the brain attach to the eyeball. A good thing to know is basically normal for me. Because if I ended up in the hospital with a suspected stroke I can make sure they know about it and don't think it's part of a stroke problem...
I didn't get to look at a farmhouse! I just got the lines of letters and some squiggly lines... And new glasses.
My far sight has gotten better. My near sight has gone to hell...
Geez, now I'm wondering if I have calcium deposits. Wouldn't surprise me a bit. Actually, it's more likely I have FAT on my eyeballs. LOL!
I have no far sight to speak of.
*LOL* Me neither.
And with as much soda as I drink (carbonated beverages leeches calcium) and as little milk as I consume (ice cream doesn't count), I don't think I need to fear about calcium deposits on the backs of my eyeballs.
I admire your determination, Ter. You can do it and if you start slowing down, the rest of us can kick you in the ass to keep you going. *grin*
I dunno what would motivate me. Money doesn't really do it. Embarrassing me doesn't either. Not even the expensive car I like to daydream about doesn't even motivate me. I think I'm the only one who can motivate me and I like to do that in secret. I tend to be more motivate when no one knows what I'm doing. Has to be the ninja in me.
Sin, the only thing I've seen determine you is someone telling you you can't do something. The moment someone says, "You can't get married!" or "You can't write a book!" or "You can't sex with an imaginary character like Ranger"--you say, "The hell you say!" and go out and do it.
Which is incidentally the thing that most encourages me to do anything.
I can list at least three things I've done simply because someone else said, "You can't do it. You cannot do it."
Watch me.
And the kick in the butt will be much appreciated. Thought there was going to be a kink thrown into the plan tonight, but kiddo doesn't want to go to this school function, so no kink after all.
Yes, Hells, but that has nothing to do with my writing. How many times has Mattycakes said I'll not finish and I'll not do this and I'm still floundering around? Exactly.
I think it would take Kim Harrison telling me to my face that I'll not finish and I'll not succeed. Then I can imagine my face would get bright red and I'd say, "The hell you say."
See! Writing time!
So, it just takes the right person getting your dander up... Love it!
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