Sunday, January 2, 2011
Startin' the New Year Off Right!
I know it’s the start of the new year and we should start off with something purposeful and writing-inspired, but they say you should start off a new year with how you want the year to be like. Therefore, with that in mind, I believe we should kick off the first blog of the year with a party.HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BO’SUN.
Now, yes, Bo’sun’s birthday was the last day of 2010 and therefore last year; however, as anyone with a December birthday knows, one’s birthday gets disregarded in comparison to the other parties and holidays. Seriously how can your birthday compare to Jesus’, am I right? My Dad also has an end of the year birthday, and though it’s nice to have fireworks and lots of yelling on your birthday every year, it sucks to try to throw a party when everyone else wants to go out and party in the streets rather than be sensible and stay inside and eat cake. Who passes up cake?
So let’s start off this year right with a party—and drink up to the best Bo’sun this ship could ever have!
All right, so it’s a new year: what do you want to do this year? What do you want to do for your birthday this year and who would like there? And what drink would you like to make for the Bo’sun’s Birthday Drink?
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68 comments:
Happy b-day, Terri! A Triple Bosun Burner with chocolate covered chocolate brownies! No calories and good for you!
And what do I want to do this year? I really want to be free to travel. Go spend a week with Terri, go to every convention and conference my whimsy strikes...take a real vacation with the husband to somewhere restful...
Be in demand as a blog guest to toot about my book(s)... Find my campaign to put the word Piratepunk on everyone's lips (in a good way) succeed!
Bwah ha ha!
I want to crawl into bed and wake up in 2012. LOL! Is that possible?!
I'm JUST getting home from my quick Saturday trip to get kiddo. Chance, it's a good thing you said coming over here because you're not going to get me on an airplane again before Nationals.
I can't believe you're throwing me a party and I'm probably going to be late. Because I'm sleeping in once I finally get to bed. Or am I just really early? Hell if I know, I left my brain somewhere over Tennessee many hours ago.
I do love my little presents up there. Exactly what I wanted!!!
Oh, the drink. How about a rich hot chocolate with a shot of Amaretto? That doesn't look like I spelled it right, but who cares.
I don't think I can face another drink!
Though a Bosun Burner does sound very tempting.
OK you convinced me...... Fill her up Chance.
*gazes suspiciously at a strange frothing elixir with gigantic bursting bubbles sending spray up nose.*
Here's to the Bosun on her 21st year
She was a beautiful baby and now she can purr.
Her gorgeous prose with the poetic lilt
sends my mind into raptures off axis with tilt
Her posts on the ship leave me stunned and agog
Time and space warp when she's loose on the blog
What a fabulous person. What a wonderful girl.
We wish her God speed in her chosen creative whirl
She'd better finish that book before her 22nd yearl!
Drink up Pirates
*cough* *splutter* *hick*
What the hell is in this Bosun Burner!?*
Chance, gimee a rich hot chocolate with a shot of Amaretto.
Jump to it Lass .... please. :D
I haven't heard of a Bo'sun Burner, but after Q's sputtering, I'm not sure I want to know what's in it. Although, it did inspire a lovely poem. :)
Terri, since you had travel complications for your birthday, I think you should take January as your birthday month. It's only fair.
As for what I want to do this year. . . I want to have more fun, more travel, more laughter. More forward progress in my career. :) I think that pretty much covers it!
Happy Birthday, Ter!!!
Sorry you had a rough trip :( Hope you had fun celebrating with the rest of the world Friday night!
This year I would like to get healthier, de-clutter just about everything in my life (simplify) and spend as much time with family and friends as possible. Right now I'm thinking a few days here and there in a really warm climate wouldn't hurt either :)
I love your reasoning for a party, Hellie *g*
Ter, Happy Birthday!!!! Hope you had an awesome day!
For the New Year?? More time writing, less time working. Or perhaps, being more efficient at work so that I have more writing time. But mostly, WRITE *g*
Happy birthday Bo'sun!
Ugh, must get on an airplane Thursday. Not looking forward to my TSA cop-a-feel.
Happy Birthday, Ter! Hope you had a great day! That sucks about the travel. I hope you can get some good rest today. :)
Drinks.... My go to New Years drink is a champagne mixer. Half champagne (I like the cheap stuff - Verdi) and half Hpnotiq. Hpnotiq, in case you're like me and had to be introduced, is a mix of vodka, cognac and juice in a lovely blue color. But it makes a very fruity, yummy, champagne cocktail.
Goals this year? (I do goals, not resolutions) I'd like to finish a book. And then I'd like to spend a LOT of time revising it. My tentative plan is to try to finish the first draft by end of May. That's five months. That's about 4000 words a week. If it takes me until the end of June, I could do it at a little over 3250 a week. That probably is going to be closer to reality as finding writing time is a little more difficult these days.
I didn't write a book last year and that's a little frustrating to me. I know I had other stuff going on, but I don't want it to become a habit. :)
Good luck to everyone else on your goals!
Sin, have a safe trip. Thought I'd tell you know before the week gets away from me.
I'm with you Marn. I'd like to finish up the first Kiki book and finish a second one by mid year. That's going to take quite a bit of dedication but I don't want to start editing on either of them until the latter part of the year. I'd also like to start work on Tory's first book, Killer Instinct, by the end of the year. Goals, plans, mostly dreaming. Isn't that what the new year is for? LOL
2nd: I'm definitely on board with the restful vacation--and I'm sure Piratepunk will be THE buzzword of 2011. Like "muggle" was for whatever year it made the dictionary.
Bo'sun: I'm just sorry you're no more alert for your birthday party now than you would have been on the day of. *LOL* We're throwing you a party! The year is bound to turn around for you!
Donna, never look too closely into the ingredients in anything on this ship.
More fun! Exactly!! See, this is the type of pirate thinking I'm looking for here!! This year should be about MORE FUN!
Q, that's what I love about you Brits. You take your drinking very seriously. Wonderful poem/toast!!! We need to give you a nautical name as honorary crew member. You're like our visiting bard...well, you are British, maybe that can be your name: Q, the Visiting Bard. :)
Irish, I admire your practical approach: getting healthier and decluttering one's life does leave oneself more open to having MORE FUN, which I think should be the unofficial New Year's Resolution for the whole ship.
Hal, dude, if you knew the list of superstitions I followed on Jan 1 to sway my luck towards having a great year, you'd laugh your ass off. But I'm hopeful. *LOL* And one of those superstitions was about doing on the first day what you want to be doing all year. :)
I probably should have written more with that in mind. *LOL*
Marn, I have the same goals--finish a book and finish it by May (May 20th specifically). Not finishing my manuscripts have been very frustrating for me. :(
But it's a new year and there's writing to be done!!!
Sin, my good woman, now THOSE are some goals, but if anyone can do it, it's the pirate with the bionic hand! Hop to it!!
Let's see...if you should do on the 1st what you want to do every day all year....I played a 5 hour game of Risk with the hubby (which I lost), cleaned the house, and went to bed at 9:00. lol. Yikes - I should have thought that through better!
*tsking* You really should have. *LOL* I spent the day with loved ones, watching movies that made me laugh, and eating great food that everyone raved about because I cooked it. I was also rocking a great hairstyle (new cut on Friday) and had glammed up a bit (for me who never wears makeup).
Really should have written more though. *LOL*
Oh, I hope that the first isn't any indication of the coming year or I'm going to be one LAZY human this year.
Hells, you're right. It's a new year; there's writing to be done!!
Hell, we're pirates. I say we extend the 1st day all year long policy to first WEEK all year long. Hal, you've got a few more days to work in a busy-bee writing bit...and so do I. *LOL*
I don't think there's anything bad about going to bed at 9 pm though. That's just smart. *LOL* You need to sleep now while you can.
Marn, you say LAZY as if it were a bad thing. *confused look*
Excellent plan Hellie! I snuck my laptop into work today so I could maybe get a bit of revising done.....what a pirate *g*
Marn, I also thought lazy sounded really, really nice :)
LOL! It was a long week. I had a LOT of company. By the first, after they left, I pretty much parked it on the couch and passed out.
Though I did de-holiday. So, maybe that's a sign. Out with the old, if you will.
Go go go revisions!
I've managed to pry myself out of bed and I'm so happy to see you didn't need the birthday girl to keep the party going. LOL! Not that I ever doubted you all for a minute.
After a great lunch Friday afternoon, I did nothing to ring in the new year. Then all hell broke loose Sat morning. The hell wrapped up last night around 12:30am with Delta losing one of kiddo's suitcases. I don't think anyone would blame me for feeling less than friendly about this year so far.
Q - Thanks for the awesome toast and that birthday email. I read it while stranded in Memphis and it was one of the few pleasant moments of my weekend. :)
Wow, my caps made Wordpress just end that comment right there. LOL! WTH? But maybe it was for the best.
I need coffee.
Hellie - I should have put you in charge of how my new year would start. Can we switch? I want an awesome new hair cut, to spend time laughing with family, and to feel a bit more glamorous. *sigh* Right now I feel like I have a hangover and I HAVEN'T HAD A DRINK IN MORE THAN A YEAR
Sin - I didn't get scanned or felt up. No idea what all the fuss is about.
Speaking of caffeine, one of my faculty told me about Swiss Miss Cocoa WITH CAFFEINE! That's like the best of both worlds! I'm so looking that up ASAP.
I don't know how great my hair looks. NONE of my coworkers have commented on it. And I had to point it out to my friends who then hastily agreed. *LOL* Though Holly did say she liked it better Saturday when I just scrunched it and let the waves take over. I loved what she did Friday, even if I'm unable to do that. *LOL* I tried this morning. Apparently my efforts were for naught.
But the faculty member who pointed out the hot cocoa also noticed the hair. Actually he's funny...he's like this huge thuggish looking Italian guy--I swear he looks like he fell off the Sopranos set--and yet he's the most chatty, beta guy you'll ever meet. Completely whipped by his wife. Hence why I think he noticed my hair. I do find it funny he was the one who set me on the cocoa. "I hate the taste of coffee."
I saw Bo'sun got all the crap out of way for the year and now it's all sunshine, roses and offers!
Hey, the Bo'sun Burner was a drink afore I boarded, they just give me a mix so I don't know what's in it. But I may ammend it to hot chocolate with Amaretto in it! ;-)
Hey, pirates! I'm visiting a desert island over at http://dikladiesrule.blogspot.com/ and so far, I'm the only one there!
Come on by and let's take this island from the ladies...we can populate it with everything we delight in!
Wait, is the haircut you have on FB your new cut? It looks so pretty. I love it.
Terri, I thought you had a drink at RWA? Not that I'm keeping track or anything -- and not that it matters -- LOL. God, why can I keep things like THAT in my mind but I can't remember whether I took my BP medicine this morning? LOL
Yes, I think we all should get "More Fun, Dammit!" tattooed somewhere. :) It's going to be my goal, and my motto, every year in the future. I don't want to be accused of being a slacker.
Is it the BP meds? For me it's the thyroid meds, I ran out a few days ago and waiting for a refill...I'm dragging ass big time.
I'm all for more fun! And yes, Terri tried a chocolate martini, but she didn't drink it all...
Marn: *preening* Yes, it is the cut I'm showing off on Facebook. Thank you!
Donna: I can think of a place to tattoo "More Fun, Dammit!" but I think Deerhunter would burst out laughing every time he saw it.
Well, that might depend on where you tattooed it, right? ;-)
How 'bout buttons? I can do buttons!
Happy Birthday Terri! A rich hot chocolate with a shot of Amaretto sounds like an awesome drink. YUM!
I did have a drink in Orlando. Two even. I totally forgot. *sigh* Thanks for the reminder, Donna. I'd tell you if you took your meds, but I have no idea.
I need to check out this new haircut on Facebook. I think I saw that you'd changed your pic last night, but it didn't sink in to look closer.
The mini-notebook computer kiddo got for Christmas is a piece of crap. And the year continues....
The mini-notebook computer kiddo got for Christmas is a piece of crap. And the year continues….
Yeah, but that's not a bad thing considering how much trouble she's been in with her iPod. Why actually give her technology that works if she's only going to use it for evil?
Well, two reasons. One, it would keep off my laptop. And two, she was excited to get something she really wanted. But she didn't.
She did get the Eclipse DVD and that's keeping her busy right now. By no means was this Christmas a bust for her. LOL! She seriously made out!
Food Network is having a Healthy Resolutions weekend all next weekend. For those of us looking to eat better, perhaps we should tune in!
I think a tattoo will work better than a button. I can't lose a tattoo.
Right?
I'm for it! Only I've checked out some of those "healthy" recipes before and they're still usually over 500 calories a serving. (Except for Ellie's...she's pretty good. *LOL* And realistic. But still even she can be a bit calorie laden.)
Again, depends on where you put it. A tramp stamp that reads More Fun, Dammit! not only could you not lose, but would make a great conversation starter.
Not a face to face conversation, but still...
Not a face to face conversation, but still…
This made me laugh out loud. I can just see saying to someone, "Just a minute. Let me turn around so you can read something."
Of course, you've got to figure out if they're a slow reader or a speed reader before you turn back around.
Well, you can weed out a lot of people who can't read that way....
I don't know, it might be more fun for him to find it by accident. LOL! Like a bonus.
Happy, Happy Birthday, Terri!
Hope this is your best year, yet.
Di
Somewhere on my body is a bonus! Find it and you'll win...!
I'm thinking of making this tattoo look like a sticky note.
It'll make things REALLY fun. :)
Or even better -- make it look like one of those bulletin board announcements where you tear off a phone number at the bottom edge. LOL That oughta make things exciting.
Or painful!
"No! That doesn't really tear! Let go!"
I think that would weigh heavily on how many of the little tear off pieces appear to be gone. If there's only one left, you might give off the wrong signal. LOL!
"Might" being the operative word there.
That's tricky. Too few torn off and it appears no one wants it. *LOL*
Tricky, very tricky.
*pauses* Great, now I have Gollum's voice in my head.
Maybe our new year's resolution should be "Everyone gets a tattoo". *LOL*
I think we can just put that in the "not a good idea after all" pile. LOL
Clearly my brain is just warming up. It'll be raring to go. . .soon. Hopefully. Maybe I need another Bo'sun Burner.
Ha! I already have a tattoo. I'm finally ahead on something.
I have two tattoos, but they are very faded... Like how I feel at the moment... Maybe I need to break for lunch...
I have a synopsis in my future...so, if the story is a short (like 20k), how long does the synopsis have to be?
I have a synopsis in my future…so, if the story is a short (like 20k), how long does the synopsis have to be?
Uh, less than 20k? LOL Sorry -- I'm feeling wicked drowsy. Not enough sleep last night. (If only it were because of my non-existent tattoo of fun. LOL)
According to my Nazi Handbook of Arbitrary Writing Rules, your synopsis should be 1-2% of your wordcount. So if you have a 100,000 word novel, your synopsis should be between 4-8 pages. If your book is 20,000 words, the synopsis should be no longer than 400 words or about 2 pages (double-spaced).
Synopses are always single-spaced, aren't they? I always forget. Okay, then it's 1 page. Written in Aramaic, of course.
For GH the synopsis had to be double spaced. I think it changed depending on who/what it's for.
*LOL* I think that's the key. Ask the people asking for the synopsis how many pages a synopsis should be.
Good rule of thumb: if your synopsis is as long as your entire novel/la, you're probably going to need to tighten it up.
Another rule about a synopsis:
It's always longer than it should be, but it always feels shorter than you need it to be. LOL
Hel - what a great and useful sounding book of arbitrary rules! I must look for this!
;-)
Donna, I'd like to get away with a big blurb, but evidently I still need a synopsis. I mean, it's a short...the blurb is half a page, double spaced!
Chance, I think you need the same info as for a bigger book: the hero, the heroine, their conflicts, how they resolve them, HEA.
So stretch them out a little bit more to fill a page or two! LOL
I may be sneaky...write a shorter blurb and take the one I have and s-t-r-e-a-t-c-h it!
And I think that should have been s-t-r-e-t-c-h... Long day!
Kiddo's lost suitcase just arrived! I had no idea they'd deliver at 8:30 at night. LOL! But the really good news is, it held my Christmas present.
Keith Urban's latest CD! Whoot! Now I have the music to go with these pics. LOL!
And I kind of like the word "streatch". LOL!
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