What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My current WIP (work in progress): Took some time to outline some much needed scenes to fill a couple of plot holes I found during the revision process.

Quote of the week:  "Be strong because things will get better. It may be stormy now, but it never rains forever." ~ Unknown. 

What I'm reading: Rescue Me by Catherine Mann. This is the second book in the Second Chance Ranch series.

Random things:  We had snow showers last Thursday or Friday. Not a lot of snow, but enough where you had to brush off your car in the morning. My hyacinths and daffodils are shivering in the 32 degree weather. You would think this close to May, we'd be done with the snow. 

Random Photo of the Week:

I've posted this picture before, but this is what the some of the plants in my garden have looked like the last few days. 

My apologies

I missed posting last Monday and didn't even realize it until this past weekend. I usually write my Monday posts the Friday before because the weekends are too hectic and I try to spend the weekends on family oriented things instead of being on the laptop.

As a way to apologize, I thought I'd share a great granola recipe a friend gave to me. It's great just by itself or with vanilla Greek yogurt and fruit. Personally, I like it with strawberries or blueberries.

Cassie's Homemade Granola

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (I used Quaker)
1/4 cup raw, unsalted, sunflower seed kernels
1/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1/4 cup walnuts or other nut of your choice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven broiler to high. Combine the first six ingredients (the oats through the salt) in a bowl, mixing well. Place on a baking sheet. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly toasted, be sure to stir after each minute.

Combine the melted butter, honey, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Drizzle over the oat mixture, toss to coat. Broil granola an additional 2 minutes or until it's well toasted, stirring again after each minute. Remove from oven and leave on baking sheet to cool, stirring occasionally as it cools.

Serving = 1/3 cup

This I know for sure...

Most writers write multiple drafts of their novels before declaring them ready to submit to an agent or editor. I've been working on edits and revisions of two manuscripts for a while now. After looking over the latest draft of one of them, I still feel like it needs work.

While I realize and accept writing is hard work, there are some days I feel like a lot like Sisyphus must have when the Gods condemned him to spend eternity pushing a rock up a mountain only to have it roll back down when he reached the top.  :o)

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My current WIP (work in progress): I had a couple of appointments after work this week so I only managed six pages of new material. Hoping for a better week next week.

Quote of the week: "...speak your mind even if your voice shakes." ~ Maggie Kuhn.  

What I'm reading: One in a Million by Jill Shalvis.  This is the latest book (I believe) in the Lucky Harbor series. If you haven't read any of them, I highly recommend them. 

Random things: We had a week of beautiful sunny weather in the 60's or higher. It has me itching to get out in the garden, but the weather forecast for next week is calling for night temperatures in the 30's so I'll have to wait a bit longer. 

Random Photo of the Week:

Never expected to see chicken feet on sale at the grocery store.

This I know for sure...

I always end up with more Easter candy left over than I expect to. Every year I say I'm going to buy less and actually think that I do until I'm doing the baskets up and realize I purchased more than I thought I did. My sister does the same thing. I told her it must be a family trait like brown hair and brown eyes. She laughed and said she always makes sure to buy extra jelly beans so she has some for herself. And then she always ends up with more than she should be eating, not that she doesn't eat them. She tells herself it's okay because she only eats them around Easter and not at any other time of the year.

My weakness is Robin eggs. Robin eggs are pink, white, yellow, and blue candy coated malted milk eggs. While I don't buy a separate package just for myself, I always make sure I set some aside when I'm dividing the candy among the Easter baskets.

Do you have a favorite Easter or other holiday candy that you only eat at that time of the year?

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My current WIP (work in progress): I worked on revisions and wrote a few pages to make a scene stronger. I hope to get more done in the coming week.

Quote of the week: 

The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to
keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how
badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the
people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”

~ Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

This quote speaks for itself. I have it printed out on fancy paper and recently put it in a nice frame so that I see it every day. It reminds me how much I want to achieve my goals. I hope it inspires you too.

What I'm reading: I'm not reading anything particular right now. I've been trying to catch up on other things, but have a trip to the library planned because I'm going through book withdrawal. :o)

Random things: There's a lady who comes into my place of work usually on Fridays to conduct business with one of my co-workers. The lady whom I'll call Miss M. is always full of good humor. Even though I have very little contact with her, she always brightens my day. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone gave bit of sunshine to everyone they met? 

Random Photo of the Week:

      A picture of a quail in the local floral conservatory. The birds run free throughout the conservatory.  

The Art of the Blog

There's definitely an art to writing an interesting and engaging blog. I've been blogging for almost 4 years now and I'm still trying to find my way in terms what to write about that would be of interest to you.

Sometimes I go off topic, but for the most part I try to keep the subject of Monday posts writing related whether it's a piece on research, my experiences doing hands on research, the mechanics of writing, promotion, or just writing in general.

My Wednesday posts have changed a few times. I was doing book reviews but wasn't always able to read a complete book and put together a review in time for the next Wednesday post. I started posting items and links to articles I found interesting. I've modified it a bit to include how my writing has gone the previous week, a random item that occurred or item that popped in my head during the week. I kept the motivational quote that I was posting before because I find them to be inspiring and hope you do too. The hardest part of the Wednesday post is the random photo of the week. I'm not a person who takes pictures on a regular basis. Even when I go on vacation, the last thing I think about is "I should be taking a photo of this." Sometimes coming up with a photo to post is harder than I thought it would be. I also still host guests on Wednesdays when I'm asked.

The "This I know for sure" posts on Fridays are my favorite to do. It could be because the subject of the posts can be about anything or nothing in particular at all.

When you visit a blog, what keeps you coming back or subscribing to have the post sent to your email?  I'm always looking for ways to change my blog and keep it interesting so I'd love to hear your thoughts.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My current WIP (work in progress): I managed to write about 10 new pages of material in a scene that desperately needed to be fleshed out.

Quote of the week: "She woke up one morning and threw away all her excuses." ~ Dr. Sherry Pagoto.  This quote can apply to so many things we want to change.

What I'm reading: I'm not reading anything right at the moment. I started a book my sister loaned me. It wasn't for me so I gave it back to her. Now I'm on the hunt for a good book. I might have to see if I can squeeze in a trip to the library sometime this weekend.

Random things: Working hard in my garden when the weather permits. I'm trying to get things in shape so when spring actually shows up, I might have some flowers this year unlike last year where I only had a few crocuses, daffodils, and tulips.

Random Photo of the Week: 

                             
                              Even the cat thinks my manuscript needs some work.

Easter Monday / Happy Spring

                           For those of you who celebrate it -- Happy Easter Monday!

                                       For those of you who don't, Happy Spring!

Easter

                   I hope you and your families enjoy the Good Friday and Easter holidays.