October PSA

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. (I realize I'm a day early.) I wanted to take a moment and ask everyone who is 40 years old or older or has a history of breast cancer in their family to please schedule their mammogram.

Even if you don't have a history of it in your family, it's important that you get screened. One of my older sisters went for her first mammogram and it was discovered that she had breast cancer. Luckily it was stage one so she just had to have a lumpectomy and radiation treatments. Prior to my sister's diagnosis, there was no incidence of breast cancer in my family. Just because there's no current history, doesn't mean it can't happen to you.

Please take a moment and schedule your screening. It's well worth the fifteen minutes or so of discomfort once a year.

This I know for sure...

As I mentioned in previous posts, I've been having trouble writing new scenes for the book I'm currently revising/editing for a section that I forgot I skipped over when I wrote the original draft.

In an effort to get ideas and words flowing again, I've started building puzzles on end of the dining room table we don't use for meals. Working on jigsaw puzzles keeps me busy, but allows my brain to wander.

I put on music and work on the puzzle. It's helped me come up with two new scenes and a general outline of what still needs to be written to fill the missing section. I think I might continue to work on puzzles even after I finish the revisions/edits on this manuscript. It's a good way to brainstorm when I'm stuck.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work in Progress): I revised about 20 pages that I received back from my critique partner and wrote 8 pages of new material to start filling in the missing pages space. I feel like I've got a good handle on what needs to be written. I just need to write it.

Quote of the Week: "Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great." ~ John D. Rockefeller

What I'm Reading: I started reading "Fatal Chaos" by Marie Force on Monday night. This is the 12th book in the Fatal series. 

Random Thoughts:  It's only the first week of fall and my front yard is already littered with leaves. The tree in my neighbor's yard across the street is still completely green and I don't think has lost a single leaf yet.

Random Photo of the Week:

                      Mrs. Green thinks she's a human and need to drink out of a cup.

A Change in Routine

I've been really struggling to write the pages to fill in the section I realized I'd skipped over when I wrote the first draft of the current manuscript I'm revising. It was almost like I had a mental block about what needed to happen to get me from the end of the last chapter before the missing section and where the next chapter picked up.

I'd read somewhere that a change of scenery or a change in the time of day that you write can help get words flowing. I don't really have the option of changing the time that I have free to write. The change of scenery didn't seem very feasible either. I can't write at a cafe or similar establishment because I'm easily distracted by the comings and goings of the other patrons and their conversations.

I decided to try writing longhand in a spiral one subject notebook instead of typing new pages right into the manuscript. It took me a few minutes to get in the flow, but soon the words were pouring out of my pen. I ended up writing 5 pages in about 50 minutes. The pages will need to be refined, but I plan on doing that when I type the new pages into the manuscript.

I still have a ways to go to fill in that missing gap, but it's nice to know that I've found a way to get ideas/words flowing when I'm stuck.

This I know for sure...

We've been having beautiful September weather with bright and sunny days in the 70's and nightly lows around 50 degrees or so. While I'm not complaining (well, maybe I am a little), I'm eagerly looking forward to the days when it'll be a bit cooler.

I have a bunch of new recipes that I want to try, but I don't like to put the oven on when it's warm outside because it heats up the house into the 80's. Our kitchen faces west so it gets the late afternoon sun which warms up the room naturally. Adding a 400 degree or so oven that's pumping out heat can make the room unbearably hot.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...


My Current WIP (Work in Progress): I didn't get very much accomplished last week. I'm really struggling to write the missing section pages. 

Quote of the Week: "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection which is the noblest; second by imitation which is the easiest; and third by experience which is the bitterest." ~ Confucius

What I'm Reading: "I'm currently reading "You Will Suffer" by Alexandra Ivy. It's a romantic suspense novel.

Random Thoughts: I've started building jigsaw puzzles again. I find that working on puzzles allows my brain to wander which sometimes helps me figure out plot issues I'm having in my writing. I'm hoping doing puzzles again will help me with the pages I'm struggling to write now.

Random Photo of the Week:

                                            Mrs. Green loves her catnip fish toy.