What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work in Progress): I made a good amount of progress last week - 21 pages of new material. I'm hoping I won't have too much more to write to fill in the gap I found. After that's completed, I can finish the last bit of revising the rest of the pages I have written.

Quote of the Week: "Don't be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart." ~ Roy Bennett (I'm repeating last week's quote because I like it so much. It really speaks to me.)

What I'm Reading: I'm still reading Outfox by Sandra Brown. I haven't had a lot of time to read lately.

Random Thoughts: We didn't have any trick or treaters last year so I decided not to purchase any candy. I don't usually eat it myself and I didn't want to have it left over sitting around. Guess what I'm craving now? Yep, mini chocolate candy bars. I'm resisting so far.

Random Photo of the Week: 

Somebody received a clean bill of health on Friday at his appointment. He wasn't happy to go, but he was thrilled to come back home.

Happy Halloween

I know I'm a few days early, but I didn't want to forget to wish you all a Happy Halloween.

This I know for sure...

I'll be taking my cat to the vet later this afternoon for his annual check up. He doesn't like to ride in the car. The veterinary office is only ten minutes from my house, but he usually meows the entire time. I talk to him, telling him that he's okay and that we almost there (or on our way home). Sometimes he'll quiet down with only the occasional, pitiful meow emanating from the carrier.

Trying to get him into the carrier is a feat in and of itself. I have to set it on end vertically with the opening facing up and "pour" him into it, quickly latch the opening, and can then turn it back to its correct horizontal position. Of course, he can't wait to get back into the carrier when his appointment is concluded and we can leave.

Thankfully he usually only has to go to the vet once a year because it's a process getting him into the carrier and out of the carrier at the vet's office. I feel like the whole ordeal is a bit stressful for both of us.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work in Progress): Due to the flu-like illness I suffered from most of last week, I didn't get much done. I'm working hard this week to get some forward progress.

Quote of the Week: "Don't be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart." ~ Roy Bennett

What I'm Reading: I started Outfox by Sandra Brown on Sunday. I'm not very far into it yet. 

Random Thoughts: One thing I love about the colder weather is that I can start baking bread again. I rarely bake in the summer due to the heat and humidity. I have a number of new bread recipes I want to try. I made herbed focaccia rolls this past Sunday that came out pretty well. 

Random Photo of the Week:

                                  The herbed focaccia rolls I mentioned above.


  

On The Road Again

I am finally feeling back to my normal self after days of migraine type headaches, horrible vertigo, and waves of nausea.

Needless to say, I didn't get much writing done last week. I didn't get much of anything done last week. I spent most of my time doing the bare minimum that had to be done each day and trying to sleep as much as I could (and taking copious amounts of Tylenol and drinking ginger tea). I always felt better when I was able to lay down.

I spent yesterday figuring out many pages I need to write each day until the end of the year (except for the holidays of course) to meet my goals. It's very doable so I'm back on track with my writing and have restarted my exercise routine after not doing any exercise last week.

This I know for sure...

No post today. Still down with the flu type illness.

What's Up Wednesday

No post this week. I am suffering through a bout with the flu.

Celebrating!

I had a breakthrough with the story problem I was having (filling in a gap in the story I found while revising it). I thought I'd had the problem solved before, but once I started working with the idea I'd had, it quickly became apparent my great idea wasn't so great.

A new idea came to me last Tuesday morning while I was brushing my teeth. I contemplated the idea all that day before writing a word. I was worried I'd have another false start so I jotted some notes, checked back to scenes earlier in the story, and even sketched out a few buildings, streets, and such in my imaginary town on paper. I wrote a few pages on Wednesday and everything started to come together.

Eureka! Problem solved. Finally. Finally! I'm working hard on filling in those missing pages so I can get back to revising the remainder of the book.

This I know for sure...

Sunday is the only day of the week I can sleep in. (Not that I sleep in late, I'm always up between 7:00 and 7:15am.) It is also the only day of the week where I don't have to be up and out of the house by a certain time. It's the only day of the week where my time is my own to spend on things I want to do.

I absolutely hate having to give up the one day that's my own to go do something I'd rather not have to do because it's expected that I attend because it's a family related event, however remotely.

Anyone want to guess what I'll be doing this Sunday?

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work in Progress): Last week wasn't as productive as I had hoped. I'm working hard to fill in the missing gap and getting on with the story.

Quote of the Week:  "Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later." ~ Og Mandino

What I'm Reading: I started "Her Other Secret" by HelenKay Dimon last night. This the first in the Whitaker Island suspense series. 

Random Thoughts:  We've been having a lot of rainy days lately. I'm telling myself rain is better than snow, but I'd rather have it be sunny.

Random Photo of the Week:

                    My first attempt at homemade cinnamon swirl bread. It came out really well.

Sisyphus and Me

Not much of a post today. I'm feeling a bit like Sisyphus forever rolling the boulder up the hill only to have it roll back down again and again.

I'm still, yes still, struggling to fill in the gap I found in the current manuscript I'm in the process of revising. I thought I'd figured what needed to be written to fill in the space, but it turns out the idea wasn't as feasible as I'd originally thought.

I've asked my critique partner for help brainstorming ideas that will get the gap filled and the story flowing again. We'll see how that goes.

I've definitely learned one thing from this whole thing -- I will never skip over a section of a story where I'm not sure how I'll get from point A to point B to continue writing the rest of  the book.

This I know for sure...

Am I the only person who thinks pumpkin flavored everything this time of the year is getting out of hand?

I love the flavor of pumpkin and indulge in pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin butter, pumpkin pancakes, waffles, and muffins throughout October and into the holidays.

But pumpkin flavored hummus, pretzels, Oreos, cereal (Special K, Cheerios, and Frosted Mini Wheats immediately come to mind), and candy bars (Kit Kat for example) are a bit much.

And thought of pumpkin flavored Spam and pumpkin flavored peanut butter. Ick! Definitely not something I will ever try.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work in Progress):  A number of unexpected things popped up last week that took over my writing time. I should have a much more productive week this week.

Quote of the Week: "The most glorious moments in your life are not the so-called days of success, but rather those days when out of dejection and despair you feel rise in you a challenge to life, and the promise of future accomplishments." ~ Gustave Flaubert

What I'm Reading: I started reading "How to Love a Duke in Ten Days" by Kerrigan Byrne last weekend. It's the first book in the new Devil You Know series. 

Random Thoughts: Like most females, I'm not a fan of bugs. The picture below is of a bug on the door of my office building last week. It was all I could do to open the door and scoot inside.

Random Photo of the Week:

                                     I was afraid it would fly off at me if I moved the door.