What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work In Progress): I didn't get a single word written or revised last week. I had appointments every day after work last week which left no time for writing. I'm working hard to get back on track this week.

Quote of the Week:  “Practice positive thinking. A sunny attitude will reduce your overall stress level and help you stay focused on your to priorities.” ~ Unknown

What I'm Reading:  I started Call to Honor by Tawny Weber this past weekend. 

Random Thoughts:  I can't believe we're already at the end of May. While I'm really glad we're out of the winter months, this year seems to be flying by already.

Random Photo of the Week:  

                                 I bought a few ChapSticks. I hope I bought enough. 😉

Happy Memorial Day

As we celebrate the Memorial Day holiday, please take a moment to remember the fallen.

This I know for sure...

It's strange how we can get attached to inanimate objects. I bought my current vehicle brand new in 2004. Fourteen years later my car is showing its age. It needs a nearly $1,400 repair and there's no guarantee the repair will solve the problem and no guarantee it will pass the required state inspection in September. Rather than have the repairs done that may or may not solve the problem. I decided it was time to trade it in and get a new vehicle.

There are a lot of memories tied to the old car. There's the trip I took with my mom, niece, and nephew to Universal Studios in 2006. I taught my nephew how to drive in that car. There's the time my at the time 3 year old niece warned me she was going to throw up in the car. I pulled off to the side of the road, whipped open the back door just in time to catch the vomit in my cupped hands because I didn't want it to get on the seats. Before you get too grossed out, the vomit consisted of just mucus. She had a really bad cold at the time. Thankfully her 5 year old sister was with us so after I wiped my hands off on the grass on the side of the road, I had her pour bottled water over my hands to try and wash them. There's the time my mom and I drove to North Carolina to visit my aunt and uncle and I drove over one of the small solar lamps lining their driveway. Boy, was that embarrassing since we'd just had a conversation about the stereotype of women being bad drivers. I could go on and on about all the great memories I have associated with the car.

While I'm looking forward to having a car with all the new technology my old car doesn't have, I'm also sad that I'll be getting rid of the car I've had for so long.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work In Progress): I wrote 15 pages of new material for Honor Bound last week to help smooth transitions and clarify a few plot points. This week I have appointments every day after work so I'm not sure how much writing I'll be able to get done.

Quote of the Week: "The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do." ~ Unknown

What I'm reading:  I just finished reading The Enforcer by HelenKay Dimon last night. I haven't decided what book to read next.

Random Thoughts: I've started writing short stories using assigned writing prompts, doing one per month. I'm finding doing this really helps my creativity.

Random Photo of the Month: 

                               Mrs. Green gazing out the window watching the birds.

Where There's a Will...

Being a writer takes a lot of perseverance. You have to persevere in your writing or you will never finish a manuscript. You have to be willing to slog through that terrible first draft editing it, revising it, massaging it to make it better. Then you'll have to do it again. And maybe again once more to ensure your manuscript is as perfect as it's possible to get.

Now that you have a completed, "perfect" manuscript, it's time to send out those query letters to various agents and editors, unless you plan on self publishing. (I put perfect in quotes, because we all know there's no such thing as perfect. There is always room for improvement.) You have to find a way to keep your spirits up, not to feel defeated with each rejection letter that comes into your inbox. Believe me, that takes a lot of perseverance.

Whenever I'm feeling like I'm hitting my head against a brick wall, I look out my living room window. There's a tree in my front yard that reminds me to persevere, that anything is possible if you just try hard enough. The city I live in has come through the last couple of years and removed any branches on trees they deem dangerous or are too close to overhead wires or block street lamps. My poor tree has had all of it's lower limbs chopped off, much to my dismay. The lowest branches are now almost level with my second story window. Except for one.

Late last summer a tiny branch sprouted out of the side of the tree about four feet off the ground. It was a puny little thing and probably couldn't even be considered a branch. This summer it's grown a little bigger, it has a few leaves and is strong enough to support the weight of a couple of birds that have started to perch on it. Next summer, I imagine it will be even bigger and stronger. Perseverance. It's amazing what it can help you accomplish.

This I know for sure...

I'm finally on a roll with the revisions/edits for my novel Honor Bound so I don't want to give up my designated writing time, but my twin nieces' birthday is coming and I need to make their birthday cards. Factoring in mailing time to ensure they receive the cards on their birthday, I need to get them started asap.

I'm going to try and carve some time out of this weekend even though it's already going to be a busy one to get the cards at least started. I usually meet with my critique partner on Mondays, but she's out of town this coming Monday, so I'm going to use the time to hopefully get both cards completed.

I don't want this post to seem like a complaint. I love making cards and find the creating part a lot of fun and it can be relaxing so it's a great way to get rid of stress too.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work In Progress):  I revised/edited the last 60 pages before the big transitional scene I have to write that will tie the middle end of the book to the end of the story for Honor Bound. I feel like I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Quote of the Week: "Success will depend on creating smaller goals. That big aim happens in thousands of little moves." ~ Unknown.

What I'm Reading:  I finally finished Silent in the Grave. It was a good book, but at 509 pages, a bit too long. I felt there were a lot of scenes that weren't necessary to the story, but added to the page count. I've picked The Enforcer by HelenKay Dimon back up and hope to finish it by the end of this week.

Random Thoughts: I've decided to do a bit of container gardening after all. I'm going to plant some sunflower seeds I received. I'm planning on going to our local farmer's market next weekend to buy some flowers to put into my garden. The farmer's market holds "Flower Days" specials on plants and such the last two weekends in May.

Random Photo of the Week:

Here's a picture of a sunflower I grew a couple of years ago. It was one of two that survived the squirrel attacks.

To Join or Not to Join, That is the Question

In the past I belonged to a local writers' group for a number of years. At first it was fun getting together with other people who had characters in their head who spoke to them and kept them awake at night. The group was supportive and helpful to anyone from the newest of beginning writers to the two authors who had hit the best seller list.

And then it wasn't. Some of the authors who ran the group moved on to other things/groups and new people took over the group. The new people in charge made changes that left new writers feeling not quite so welcome. Cliques formed as people began to want changes that not everyone agreed with. Soon the group imploded due to infighting regarding how the group should be run, who would be "allowed" to be a member or continue to be one, if being published should be a requirement and so on.

Since that time I've stayed away from any local writing groups. I do belong to Romance Writers of America. This is nonprofit organization that works to advance the professional and business interests of career focused romance writers. They do a great deal of advocacy and work hard to increase the public's awareness of the romance genre. Here's a link to their website if you want to check them out. www.rwa.org

In March I was invited to join a small group of writers who meet once a month. They don't discuss the business of writing, how to get published, or anything else. Each month, a writing prompt is emailed out and you write 2 to 4 pages or so based on the writing prompt and bring it with you to the meeting. Each person reads their work aloud. There's no critiquing per se. People just say if they liked it and why. After everyone reads their pages, the meeting wraps up and we leave. I've only gone to the March meeting. (I had a previous engagement the same day as the meeting in April.) I'm looking forward to the meeting this month. I like meeting with other writers and seeing how everyone comes up with such completely different pieces based on the same writing prompt.

I guess I'll see how things go before I decide to formally join or not. I definitely don't miss the drama the first group seemed to thrive on.

This I know for sure...

The fall season of television shows are wrapping up for the summer. While I don't watch a lot of television, there are a few shows I do make sure I don't miss. I have started watching a new program that started a few weeks ago, Instinct, based on a book by James Patterson. I'm not sure if it will stay on through the summer or if it will end soon.

I don't usually watch any series type shows during the summer. I did watch Six last summer on the History Channel, but that's it. It was a short series consisting of about 8 episodes. I've heard there will be a second season this summer. If that happens, I'll definitely watch it.

One thing I am looking forward to once the few shows I watch go off for the summer is having more time to read in the evening. My To Be Read list is growing by leaps and bounds. At the current rate, I'll never make even a slight dent in it. 

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work In Progress):  I did 60 more pages of edits/revisions on Honor Bound last week. I also worked on different versions of my two paragraph summary of the story. 

Quote of the Week:  “Getting things done leads to confidence. Confidence leads to decisiveness. Decisiveness leads to action. Action leads to momentum. Momentum leads to success so start getting things done." ~ Unknown

What I'm Reading: I started Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn last weekend. This is the first in the Lady Julia Grey historical mystery series. I set aside The Enforcer by HelenKay Dimon because the Deanna Raybourn novel is a library book and since it has over 500 pages, I want to make sure I have it read before it has to be returned. 

Random Thoughts:  Spring has finally come to my area. The tree in my front yard has tiny leaf buds and my daffodils are starting to blossom. Monday we had a high of 60 degrees and it's gotten warmer each day so far.

Random Photo of the Week:

                                              Mrs. Green enjoying a patch of sun.