Fay has come and gone...

..and it wasn't much. Wind and rain and VERY wet mail, but other than that, it was just a weird day.

Tropical Storm Fay...

Just when you thought it was safe not to close the hurricaine shutters... :-)

We're under a "hurricane wind watch" at the moment.

It doesn't look bad out there but I've seen the weather change quickly. At this point we're just figuring on a lot of rain and some wind, nothing to freak out about.

So meanwhile life goes on...

The birds have flown!

John and James left for college today.

I'd say more, but I'm a little cranky.

Anyone have some chocolate?

Can't believe I didn't mention this!

My short story LAST HEIR was published in the November 2007 issue of Leading Edge Magazine. (#54)



You have to order the issue through the mail. Their website is http://www.leadingedgemagazine.com/

In Orlando yet again...

Husband Don is attending a medical conference at a very nice hotel in Orlando and invited me to come along. While he listens to lectures, I'm planning to use the time to catch up on some work. A mini-writing retreat, if you will.

Turning on the lights, frowning at the mess...

I haven't posted in a while. I will be honest, the future of this blog is uncertain at the moment. I am having to consider the pros/cons of keeping it up.

A blog requires a commitment of time. The problem at the moment is I have other demands on my time, including the writing which I hope to devote more attention to.

Will ponder this while I research. Thanks to those who've checked out the blog and posted comments. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

A blog worth looking at

A fellow writer named Scott William Carter has put up a blog profiling first time novelists. You can check it out at this link: http://thefirstbook.wordpress.com

Back from a writer's conference.

I just got back home from a writer's conference in Cocoa Beach. It was a wonderful opportunity to talk to other writers, get ideas for making my writing better, and pitching a novel of mine to an editor and 3 agents.

I got the chance to meet some fellow writers I met through Strange New Worlds. We had a great hanging out together and picking on a friend of mine who was asked to submit a proposal to an agent a year ago and hasn't done it yet.

I also got to see my friends Dean Wesley Smith and his wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch, who have been generous to me in their advice. They were keynote speakers at the conference, and as usual they had things to share that I needed to hear.

The editor I spoke with and one of the agents asked me to send the entire manuscript of "Dead Hypocrites," I novel I wrote as my Nano project in 2006. Two agents asked for the first 3 chapters. I am excited about the interest and will work to get the material in their hands as soon as possible.

Now, home and tired. :-)

Laugh, cry, and/or shake your head...

Whether you're a writer or a reader, you will probably enjoy this satire:

Eccentric reads an entire book

Merry Christmas!!

A Merry Christmas to all, and hopes for a great (and more active when it comes to my blog) new year!

Republicans acting stupidly?

I am getting real tired of the Republican Party telling conservatives, "you must support whoever we tell you to support, or else."

I left the party a while ago because whatever they were once, they are barely giving more than lip service to conservative values. Someone try to tell me that Rudy Giuliani is a conservative. Go ahead. Try.

People say a third party candidate can't win. The Republicans weren't always a major party. With that attitude, it's possible the Whigs would still be a party. And we wouldn't have gotten Abraham Lincoln.

I'm tired of the two major parties doing all they can to bar others from participating. I'm fed up with Republicans who are willing to jettison social conservative values as long as a candidate says he/she will cut their taxes.

I'm watching. And waiting. Let's see who the two parties try to shove down our throats.

Teenagers...

I have an 18 year old. I love him to death, but today I wanted to sell him.

In his English class, they are having a Chaucer day. On Tuesday.

Today we went in search of a costume. He wanted a robe and a beard.

No problem, I thought. I mean, it's Halloween, right? How hard can it be to find this stuff?

Well, where I live, pretty hard.

Okay, we can whip together a robe. But finding a fake beard? Might as well try to find a snowball here in Central Florida.

My son even dragged me to Walmart - and I am certain it's written in the Geneva Convention that dragging your mother to Walmart on a Saturday afternoon falls under the category of "cruel and unusual punishment."

He will be a beardless franklin on Tuesday.

Latest computer time waster...

The game Fate.

It's easy to learn, cheap to buy, totally addictive.

In other words, dangerous.

Here's the link - check it out at your own risk:


http://games.wildtangent.com/fate/

Six years ago...

I've thought some about today. Yes, I remember where I was six years ago...I was home, getting ready for Ladies Bible Class, when I got the news.

Some think we're making a huge fuss. I asked myself why. I think I know.

Things like this don't happen every day in our country. We don't normally have people bombing our buildings and killing thousands of our citizens.

If the Lord is willing, I hope it stays that way.

This blog is rated....

"G," according to this link: http://mingle2.com/blog-rating

See? I'm harmless!

What a month!

So what's going on?

- First draft of my latest novel, "The Silent Witness" finally finished. Will go back to it soon - still have to go over another novel, "Dead Hypocrites," and I'm sketching out my next attempt at publication. (None of these have been published yet - still working on them).
- My father in law had surgery to fix a shunt in his head. He is doing better.
- College kid goes back to college tomorrow (sob).
- We have a houseguest for the week - a friend of one of my sons.
- My old laptop has started making ominous grinding sounds, so I have a new one which I have to configure while I get used to Windows Vista.

So any wonder I'm not blogging? '-)

Catch up...

Well, I guess the best thing to do to let you know what I've been up to lately is just a list...

What I'm reading: "Beka Cooper Book One: Terrier" by Tamora Pierce (Already read Deathly Hallows. No, I won't spoil it on the web.)

What I'm watching: The last part of Season 2 of "24". Fox News when I think about it.

What I'm listening to: Talk radio still. My Ipod feels neglected lately. :-)

What I'm playing: Civilization 4. Yup, still.

What about you?

WARNING!

Some idiots are sending false ecards using bluemountain.com as part of their address. They send you to some website and may try to install some malicious virus.

If you get a card and doubt whether it's valid, DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK!! Check this real page on bluemountain.com to verify it:
http://www.bluemountain.com/customer/trouble.pd#validecard

Some people need a life...

Back from Shore Leave...

Wow. That was great!

I got to meet writers I've admired for a long time, such as Keith R. A. DeCandido and Peter David. I hooked up with fellow Strange New Worlds writers. Ran through the dealer room several times.

Oh yeah, I got to sign books too. That was fantastic!

Might post pictures later after I get them. But it was great, great fun.

Shore Leave

I'm in Baltimore, MD this weekend for Shore Leave, a sci-fi convention. Here I will be signing copies of Strange New Worlds 10, a Star Trek anthology which contains my first published fiction, "Adjustments."

If I did this right you should be able to see the cover here:



I'll keep you posted on things.

Repairs update

AC unit, security system and dryer are all functioning.

Still no word on 2 computers. :-)

My brain is as crazy as ever.

Why 4 year olds shouldn't have cell phones...

There's a short story in here....

4 Year Old Calls 911 Nearly 300 Times

Breakdowns

Okay, the latest technology isn't working count goes something like this:

-- 2 computers in the shop after refusing to turn on.
-- an AC unit that is making ominous rattling sounds
-- Security system that got hit by lightning
-- Dryer that won't dry

Hopefully everything will be fixed by the end of this week!

Star Trek Magazine

The July/August issue of Star Trek Magizine is out.

If you see it, check pages 60-61. There's a blurb about Strange New Worlds 10.

And you might recognize one of the names. :-)

Civilization 4

Civilization 4 is an engrossing, fascinating, addictive game in which you try to build the best civilization of them all.

In other words, it is evil.

I am embarassed to tell you how many hours I've spent playing this game. Many of them have been with my oldest, who has quickly mastered the subtleties of the game and is excellent at it.

If you buy it (and if you like games like this, you should) make sure you have a caring spouse or parent to yank you off the computer from time to time. Or commit yourself to not playing until the house is clean, your homework is done, or your pages are written. :-)

Otherwise, we may never hear from you again...

2 reasons for writers to be cranky this year...

First, Miss Snark retires from blogging (though the posts are still up for all to see).

Now Dean Wesley Smith is shutting down the forum part of his website.

Two great writing resources, lost. Check Dean's forum this week (link on the right there) - lots of good stuff there if you are thinking about writing as a career.

Sigh.

Yet something else to keep me from blogging...

http://games.atari.com/

I'm bookwormlady if you want to play a game with me...

I'm two oppressed minorites!!

At least according to this...

Massachusetts wants rights for people who are short and fat

I am being spoiled rotten...

As I type this, I am sitting in a fabulous room in the Embassy Suites Hotel in the Seattle area. I'm here to attend a novel workshop which starts this evening and goes through Sunday.

The rooms are HUGE. I have a sitting area and a bedroom all to myself. The furniture is dark wood, very nice. When I got here they called the room to see if everything was okay.

I had breakfast (complimentary with the room). I got a cooked to order omelet with mushrooms, tomatoes, ham, onions and cheese. While there I was asked - again - if everything was okay. The staff is very attentive.

I am feeling very spoiled. When I travel, I usually stay at places like La Quinta or Days Inn, which are decent places more often than not, but not like this.

It's nice for now. I'll enjoy it while I can.

Happy Day after Mother's Day!

Hope your Mother's Day was nice!

Mine was sweet. We went through a drive thru after church and got lunch. Then Don and I watched "Deja Vu" on DVD. (Not the best movie in the world but interesting).

John wrote me an extension of a poem he started two Christmases ago. I got lovely cards from James and Don. And I was permitted to bring forbidden food into the house - a chocolate fudge torte.

All in all, a nice day. :-)

Useless but fun bit of information for today...

At three minutes and four seconds after 2 AM on the 6th of May this year, the time and date will be

02:03:04****05/06/07****

This will never happen again.

Whoops...forgot to mention...

Sometime the week before last I wrote my 100,000th word for the year 2007.

I now have 23 short stories making the rounds of different publications.

I am still working on a novel I started back in January. Trying to market another novel to publishers.

And a third one will be critiqued by fellow writers later this month.

So far, no new sales or encouraging words. Welcome to the writer's life. :-)

Yet another way to waste time on the Internet...

www.nationstates.net lets you create your own nation and direct or abuse it as you choose.
Check out my 2 nations:

http://www.nationstates.net/mothers_of_squirrels
http://www.nationstates.net/bookaholics

Miss Snark, the literary agent: Yea, this works

This is absolutely too funny - and if you're a writer, you will love it!

Miss Snark, the literary agent: Yea, this works

The Virginia Tech Massacre

I just made myself turn off the news coverage. Words like "tragic" don't even begin to describe it.

Today I called my college kid, knowing he was okay, just to hear his voice. Bless him, he understood and kept his smart remarks to a minimum.

Pray for the familes and friends of those poor victims

A thought on perseverance

I was thinking about this from a post on Dean Wesley Smith's page, about a writer who kept submitting and then gave up just before he might have broken through.

It reminded me of a poem, "Don't Quit." I submit it to you as food for thought:

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will.

When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill.

When funds are low and the debts are high.

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.

When care is pressing you down a bit.

Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns

.As everyone of us sometimes learns.

And many a failure turns about.

When he might have won had he stuck it out:

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow –

You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out –

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt

And you never can tell how close you are.

It may be near when it seems so far:

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –

It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown

Too Late to Learn?

I am a nerd. I have built computers. I play computer games. As a writer, Microsoft Word is probably the program I use most often. (World of Warcraft once held that distinction, but that's another story...)

Anyway, I am now facing a task that is driving me nuts. I was hoping to avoid it, but as luck would have it I am probably going to have to bite the bullet.

What is this fear-inspiring chore I have set up for myself?

Learning Microsoft Excel.

If you never hear from me again, you know what happened...

More pet food recalled

http://www.hillspet.com/menu_foods/Menu_Foods_03302007_en_US.htm

Hills Pet Nutrition, Inc. Voluntarily Recalls Single Product, Prescription Diet™ m/d™ Feline Dry Food, Only Product Containing Wheat GlutenTopeka, KS (March 30, 2007) - In accordance with its over-riding commitment to pet health and well-being, Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. is voluntarily recalling Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food from the market. Hill's is taking this precautionary action because during a two-month period in early 2007, wheat gluten for this product was provided by a company that also supplied wheat gluten to Menu Foods. U.S. Food and Drug Administration tests of wheat gluten samples from this period show the presence of a small amount of melamine. Prescription Diet m/d Feline Dry represents less than one half of one percent of all Hill's products.

Dobson vs. Thompson

Let me start this post by saying I like Dr. James Dobson. His books on marriage and raising kids are usually first rate. I remember buying "Parenting Isn't for Cowards" simply because I loved the title.

But Dr. Dobson was wrong, in my opinion, when he first implied that former Senator Fred Thompson wasn't a Christian, and on finding that he was a believer, then said pretty much he wasn't "evangelical" enough for most Christians.

Dobson's recent public remarks seem to show him leaning towards Newt Gingrich, though as far as I know Newt isn't an evangelical Christian either.

I understand that as head of Focus on the Family Dr. Dobson carries a lot of weight with people. And there are those who would say he has the pulse of the "evangelical Christians."

I have to disagree on this. I think Dr. Dobson stepped over a line when he publically suggested that the wrong kind of Christian (i.e., not a James Dobson kind of Christian) would fail to get Christian's votes.

I wish I could vote for someone who totally shared by beliefs. Sadly, no one like that ever seems to be running. So I try to vote for the person who I think will do the best job.

In my opinion, Dr. Dobson owes Fred Thompson a public apology. It would be the Christian thing to do.

Donatella Versace's daughter.

Donatella Versace is a fashion designer. She creates styles that women like me are supposed to want to wear (I say supposed to but I'm not a huge fashion maven - anyone who's seen my wardrobe will testify to this).

Anyway, it turns out that her daughter has been diagnosed is undergoing treatment for anorexia.

It gets my attention because so many fashion models that are used by designers like Versace are little more than skin and bones. I mean, people are talking about having to create sub-zero sizes now! And it is truly unrealistic to expect women to maintain their health and these terribly low weights.

Will the fashion industry take Versace's daughter's condition as a warning?

Writing - week 12

Total words for the week: 6,220

Total words for the year: 84,458

Still working on the novel I started in January. Started a short story last week, but it's longer than I expected so I didn't finish it yet. :-)

Oh yeah, if you want to know what I look like...

http://www.shore-leave.com/guests/laura_ware.htm

John Edwards, his wife, cancer, and running for President

Today John Edwards announced that his wife Elizabeth's cancer had returned. (You may remember that Mrs. Edwards was diagnosed with cancer around the end of the 2004 presidential election). He also announced that he would continue his run for President.

I'm sure he's going to catch flak for this. He should make his wife the priority, etc. etc.. Some might even see his decision as cold.

I probably won't vote for Edwards. But I don't think he's a monster for continuing what he is doing.

What is he supposed to do? Bring his life to a screeching halt? I get the impression his wife doesn't want him to do that. She wants him to continue his avocation. And she will support him as much as he is able.

He stated that he will be with her when he needs to be. It seems to me he will put her before the campaign. That is right. But it doesn't mean he must abandon it entirely.

John Edwards will probably get criticized by me at some point. But not for this.

My prayers are with the Edwards family.

And you thought the interstate was dangerous!

Man gets run over while in bed

Catchup on the writing status...

It's been a while, but I've been really tired and trying to catch up on my sleep.

Anyway, while in Oregon I did write 30, 547 words. That was 2 short stories and a lot done on my current novel. All in all a successful time.

This past week I wrote only 2,425 words. But I was tired, in and out of town, and college kid came home for Spring Break, so it's understandable. I did make a massive push to get stuff out in the mail.

This week I need to get some more queries out on my novels and try to get caught up on paperwork.

And the blog. I promise.

Are you a conspiracy buff?

Here's a chance to make your own!

Write your own conspiracy theory

Back in town...

Was out in Oregon from the third until today for a writers retreat. At the moment I'm exhausted, tired, jet-lagged, whatever you want to call it.

Will spend the next day or two catching up on the home front, including this blog.

Writing - week 8

A little behind in posting this week...

Total words written this week: 6036
Total for year: 42,813

Also got a short story written. Had a couple come back that need to go out again and need to get the short story in the mail.

Still working on this writing thing. :-)

Oh, ick...

Rats run wild in a NYC fast food restaurant

Writing - week 7

Words for week - 6208

Words for year - 36,777

Total words out - 218,100

Did get a new short story done and mailed out.

Nothing really new this week - just maintaining.

Tired of it...

Am I the only one tired of the coverage of the aftermath of Anna Nicole Smith's death?

Don't get me wrong. I'm sorry she died. I'm also sorry for her baby daughter - it is crazy how this child has been thrown into such a questionable state while several men play "I'm the daddy."

But is it really breaking news? Is it really something we need to follow every second of? Something to be treated as hard news?

Or am I crazy?

The squirrel had to fly

Stowaway squirrel grounds jet.

Okay, this is totally worth a laugh...

You have the right to shut up...

Writing - week 6

Week 6 – 6,015 words

Had to fight to get that much and did it on a very strong medication (which is scary because I don't remember writing some of it - it's not bad, but I'm wondering where it came from).

Total words for 2007 - 30,569

Broke the 30,000 word mark this week. Happy about that.

Total words out: 214,700 Finished a short story and it's out in the mail today.

Sold a short story to Leading Edge last week, my second fiction sale. So a nice week overall.

Writing - week 5

Words this week: 2789

Total words for 2007: 24,554

No new short stories out this past week. A lot of real life stuff kept me away from the keyboard.

On the plus side, I got some queries out for two novels I am shopping around.

Back to work...

Hmmm....

Rush Limbaugh nominated for 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

January's Writing

Word count for January: 22,878

That comes to an average of 738 words/day. About half of what I wanted to be doing.

I wrote 4 short stories in that time - happy about that.

Here's looking at improving some of those numbers in February.

New meaning for "coffee and doughnuts...

Scientist develops caffeinated doughnut...

Someone got crazy with the "bleep" button...

Overzealous censor edits "God" out of "Queen"

My first fiction sale!!

Click this link:
http://www.simonsays.com/content/feature.cfm?sid=44&feature_id=5768&tab=24

Life juggles

Sometimes I feel as if I'm juggling a ton of glass balls.

There's the Christian ball.
There's the wife ball.
There's the mom ball.
There's the daughter-in-law ball (inlaws live with us).
There's the writer ball.

And there are countless other ones as well.

My problem is balancing all of these without losing my mind. Sometimes I feel I'm doing great in one area but two other balls are crashing to the floor. Sometimes I want to drop ALL the balls and run away from them.

It would be nice if I could be Superwoman, and cover all the areas of my life without a hitch - but it never seems to work out that way.

Am I the only one to feel this way?

Writing goals for 2007

I already posted these on Dean Wesley Smith's site, but thought I'd put them here as well. I'll try to keep you up to date on how I'm doing with these goals throughout the year.

1) Write 10,000 words/week (weekly column counts towards this total)
2) Write at least 1 new short story/week
3) Complete 4 new novels in 2007 (cheating slightly on this one - counting a novel I finished the first draft on in December but will be working on 2nd draft next week).

So last week I got 6,012 words done (not quite 10,000 but a nice start) and 2 new short stories out.

Will keep you posted. :-)

Why people question bank security...

Bank issues credit card to cat.

Happy New Year!!

And happy blogging for 2007!!

Merry Christmas!!

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. {taxed: or, enrolled} (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. {taxed: or, inrolled} And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. {taxed: or, inrolled} And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. {watch: or, the night watches} And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
(Luke 2:1-14 KJV)

Okay, this is just wrong...

I mean, if you don't like fast food, don't go there...

http://my.earthlink.net/article/str?guid=20061221/458a14d0_3ca6_1552620061221-367676292

Mt. Hood Rescue

I have been riveted to Fox News watching updates about this. At this point, they have found the body of one of the climbers and they are continuing to search for the other 2, though hope is fading.

No one could mistake me for a mountain climber. I am, though, fascinated with those who do it and the risks they willingly take. I've read "Into Thin Air," and realize it is a sport that fascinates those who indulge in it.

My prayers go out to the familes of the hikers. For the family who lost a family member, and the others still waiting for hopefully good news.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

I have to find a way (besides Tina nagging me) to remember to update this thing on a more regular basis!

So what have I been doing?

Writing and (this week at least) getting over a virus. Preparing to send queries out for a novel - a first for me.

And if you go to misssnark.blogspot.com, you'll see my first ever query get critiqued (and chewed up, but it's my first!) Mine is #24.

Finished Nano...

With 3 and 1/2 hours to spare on November 30th, I got my 50,000 words verified.
Whew!

A dangerous balloon

About 11:30 pm Thanksgiving night I was sitting on the couch typing my Nano novel and John was working on something on HIS laptop.

Then the power went off.

My poor mother-in-law was stuck in a very dark dining room. John and I still had the lights of our laptops to see by (let's hear it for batteries). James grabbed a flashlight and rescued his grandma.

Turns out a wayward balloon hit a power line and you know the rest of the story.

Power came back around 3 AM.

So is this the start of the holiday season?

Happy Thanksgiving!!

May your turkey be moist,
Your mashed potatoes at the perfect consistency,
Your cranberry sauce come out of the can,
Your pies be flakey,
And your dishes washed by someone else!

Writers beware

Check this link out - if you are serious about being a published writer and/or are participating in National Novel Writing Month this is important!

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2006/11/ac-crispin-66-nanowrimo-write-in.html#links

Ok, I can't make stuff like this up...

I hope this link works. If it doesn't, let me know and I'll find a way to print this...

http://my.earthlink.net/article/str?guid=20061116/455bf050_3421_1334520061116873820706

Adjusting to all kinds of things...

I upgraded to the new Blogger beta and am having to adjust to the new stuff. Fun, fun, fun.

On Saturday we moved my in-laws into our home (if you think that's a bad idea please keep it to yourself - the deed is done). That also takes adjustment as we get used to two more people living with us and adjusting to blending our families. An adjustment, but a necessary one.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to catch up with my writing, having lost several days due to being in Vegas and moving in the folks. Got a little over 2300 words in today - not bad.

And next week college kid will be home! :-)

Lost in Las Vegas

All I wanted was a sandwich.

So far today I spent a lot of time resting - allergies were flaring and my body was tired.

I decided around 1 o'clock to go get a quick bite to eat. I knew there was a Subway somewhere in the casino.

I found the Subway and got my six-inch meatball sub. I remembered near the lobby was a dessert shop that had something they called Chocolate Decadence. Sounds good, right?

I couldn't find the way back to the lobby.

I wandered around the casino. I wandered OUTSIDE the casino. I wandered back into the casino.

The direction signs were less than helpful.

I finally stumbled across a familiar path and got to the lobby and my dessert.

Maybe I need breadcrumbs to leave when I go get food!

I'm in Vegas....

I am spending a few days in Las Vegas to attend a writers and firearms seminar (yes, you read that correctly).

I got here a day early and I am glad I did, for jet lag is in full force here. There is a three hour time difference between Vegas and Florida - which means by the time I staggered into my hotel room last night I was exhausted.

Plus, all the restaurants, etc., are in the casino area, where there is a lot of smoking going on. My allergies are not fond of cigarrete smoke.

BUT, I am looking forward to meeting up with some fellow writers and attending the seminar. Plus today I'm going to take some time to work on a new novel.

The insanity that is Nano...

...otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month, officially began yesterday. 50,000 words in 30 days. Sanity not only not required, but could hinder you. :-)

Anyone who is curious about it can click here. Warning: thing loads slowly.

Message you do NOT want to get from your printer...

"Parts inside your printer are near the end of their service life"
Sigh...
Time to go shopping!

Back from Vulkon...

Well, honestly, I got back Saturday night, totally exhausted. But it was a blast.

First off, hanging out with fellow Trek fans is always a blast. Though Nat has promised to smack me good for not letting her know I got back in one piece...did I mention what a fine human being Nat is? (grovel grovel)

I had my picture taken with Tim Russ and Armin Shimerman, who is slightly taller than me. I was kicking myself because I forgot my camera - Maria took pics for me and she and Nat have both promised to send me copies. Lucky me!

At the moment I am printing the first draft of a novel I've written so I can go over it. Want to be amazed? Print out the 100,000 word novel you spent the last 5 months writing. That's a LOT of paper

Vulkon

Well, a friend of mine commented that I don't update this blog enough (hi Nat!) so here is a quick post.

I'm attending Vulkon today, a Star Trek/sci fi convention in Orlando. Part of the reason I'm here is to hang out with some friends I haven't seen in a while (hi Nat again! Hi Maria!) and that's always a treat.

Plus, cons can be fun. Wandering around the dealer room, actually meeting actors from your favorite shows...pretty cool.

I shook hands with Tim Russ last night (Tuvok, "Voyager") who is also an excellent musician. He had a concert last night which included dessert (yum!).

I also saw Armin Shimerman (Quark, "DS9", Snyder, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"). He is shorter than I thought - I might be able to look him in the eye at my 5' 2". I'll check.

Anyway, they are gonna throw me out of the breakfast area in my hotel so I'll update later (SOON, Nat, I promise!)

I have a Myspace page!

Don't ask me why - I'm not sure myself. :-)

But you can click on the link if you like...www.myspace.com/lauraslook

Christmas came early....

Don let me get a 30 GB Ipod as an early Christmas present! I'm enjoying my new toy and trying to figure out everything I can do with it - pictures, music, etc...

Am I a geek?

Electronic destruction

Today our local recycling center was taking what they called "e-waste" - or end of life electronics. We had several, after building several computers this summer and breaking some parts in the process.

One of the computers still had the hard drive in it. I didn't want to turn it in with an intact hard drive so my original plan was to remove it before we turned in the tower.

James asked if he could have some fun. In a moment of insanity I said yes.

After a few fun-filled minutes with a baseball bat and James' rather large shoes, the tower was dented and the hard drive was in such shape that the data on it is lost forever.

Then we had to pick up all the little pieces that resulted from the carnage but it was quite entertaining. Killing a hard drive isn't as easy as it looks, but we managed it.

A new era occured this weekend...

James, my 17 year old, discovered that he can pick me up this weekend.

I am shorter than he is, and he has been working out. He can lift me right off my feet.

Can't carry me very far yet, but that's coming...

Eek.

Which party?

When I first became eligible to vote, I registered as an independent. I figured I didn't know enough abut either party to decide which one to join.

Later, I became a Republican, because at the time, I thought we were going somewhat in the same direction.

These days I am not so sure.

I believe in a limited federal government and fiscal responsibility. I believe that judges should interpret the law and not pull new ones out of thin air. On most social issues, I would be considered conservative.

Yet the Republicans lately seem no more fiscally responsible than the Democrats. Nor do they object to bloated and ineffective government programs. They pay lip service to these things, but when you get right down to it, they don't practice what they preach.

Because I am pro-life I can't bring myself to go to the Democratic Party (yeah, tell me about their big tent. Pro-lifers are lepers in the tent). I am looking seriously at returning to my independent beginnings. Only reason I haven't done it yet is the whole issue of primaries, and I find that being a member of a party just so I can vote in that party's primary isn't a strong enough reason anymore.

Who left? Me or my party?

Thoughts?

The problem of being out of town a few days...

...is the fact that when you get back there is a ton of stuff to catch up on and often you aren't motivated enough to do it the first couple of days back.

Today I am finally trying to deal with stuff - dishwasher, laundry, and finding the floor in my office (long story on the last one).

I also have a checkbook to balance, and stories to mail out, and stories to FINISH.

Time to get busy!

Nice rejection

Rejection is part of the deal of being a writer. You send stuff out, and a lot of times you'll get your self-addressed stamped envelope back with a "thanks, but no thanks" form letter.

You learn to take your encouragement where you can get it. I got a chance to do that last week, when The New Yorker sent a rejection email for a short story I sent them.

In the email, they said the story had "evident merit."

I checked with fellow writers and they assured me this was indeed a positive rejection.

So the story is out to another magazine, and I have hope someone might buy it at some point.

A lotta words.

I have said that I my goal for August was to write 30,000 words.
My total on my novel came to 26,932. That does not count my column or any work I did on short stories.
I have written at least 1,000 words/day since August 6th.
So I figure if I didn't hit 30,000 I came pretty close.

Also, for the Labor Day weekend, a group of us writers challenged ourselves to a high goal - 30,000 words from Saturday (or Friday night) to Monday bedtime. Some people set different goals, being at different points in their careers.
I shot for 30,000. It was hard work. You might not think that sitting at a keyboard making stuff up is hard, but I was whipped today.
And my novel was 24,003 words longer.
It wasn't my goal, but close enough to make me pleased.

Gotta admit that's a LOT of words...

Much ado about nothing

Ernesto came, and really wasn't any worse than a moderate thunderstorm. Everyone panicked over THIS?

Worse thing today wasn't the storm - it was a headache that was impervious to rest or Motrin. I think I did something to my neck that my head doesn't like.

Still on my 1,000 words/day. Will total August up very soon.

Writng update

Well, I'd said I wanted to write 30,000 words in August.

As of today, I have written 11,118 this month.

Now I feel as if I'm getting in the habit of writing every day - it bothers me if I don't. At this point I have written every day since August 6th. And I have written 1,000 words each of those days.

It adds up...

New Computers, writng, and school starts next week!

John and I have spent the last couple of weeks trying to get 3 computers built. That's one for Don, one for John, and one for James. (Me? I took possession of John's, which is a year old and the one we built last year).

At this point all computers are up and running except for Don's. We had to reorder a motherboard for his (this is the second motherboard we've had hassles with). I put a new hard drive into the one I got from John so I would have more space and of course THAT has meant reinstalling stuff and the associated headaches. Not done with that yet but working on it.

I'm aiming to write AT LEAST 30,000 words in August. so far I have 4800 words in - will have to work a little harder to make the goal, but I'm going to give it a shot. Novel is almost at 30,000 words and I am bound and determined to finish the short stories on my hard drive.

James starts 11th grade next week. Hard to believe it! It seems like summer just started and here we are in August!

The past 20 days...

Just an update on what's been going on here. (Happy now, Tina? )

We got back from Guyana late Sunday afternoon, after being there since the previous Saturday. The trip went well - two doctors saw 557 patients, and 17 people were baptized.

Only thing was that a bug went through about 1/3 of the team. Yep, I was one of the 1/3.

Was sick on Thursday and became dehydrated, causing Don to force fluids into me. Felt a little better Friday, relapsed on Saturday, got on the plane Sunday feeling woozy. Was GLAD to get back to the US - glad I went to Guyana but was ready to be home.

Took yesterday to rest and recuperate. Now I'm trying to catch up on stuff before going out of town (again!) Thursday for a couple of days.

I sat down and figured out we are out of the house at almost 1/2 of the month of July.

No wonder this blog isn't being updated!

Where do you want to be in 10 years?

This is a question writer/editor Dean Wesley Smith asked recently. Where did we, as writers, want to be 10 years from now?

If we didn't want anything to change, then we shouldn't change anything.

If we wanted to be best selling authors, then we should begin to make changes towards that now.

I am still working towards that. But every now and then I need to be reminded of this stuff.

10 years from now I want to be a best selling author.

What am I doing now to make that happen?

Time flies...

Some writing done this week, not as much as I would have liked. A trip to visit family (and to beat my older sister's computer into submission), a light attack of a bug that ran through my family, and a trip to help out my in-laws all cut into the writing time.

Except for the bug, I don't feel bad about those reasons. I do wish I hadn't goofed around so much as well - had a bad case of the "I don't want to work" a day or two.

But I can't believe 2/3 of June is already gone! It doesn't feel like it should be so late in the month...

Three

Well, that's the number of unfinished stories STILL on my laptop. I got two finished and some readers gave their opinions on them - they go out in the mail sometime this week.

The other three will take a little longer to finish...they were not as far along as the first 2.

Also working on Chapter 6 of my novel now. Got very bogged down with it, then realized what I needed this chapter to do and have some decent ideas for it.

Also watching a bunch of rain fall as Alberto plays in the gulf...it isn't too bad, we really need the wet stuff given the drought we've been going through here in Central Florida!

:-) It all goes well...

Five

Five is the number of unfinished stories on my hard drive at the moment. One is a potential entry to Strange New Worlds, the other 4 are of various genres. Actually, I may have MORE than 5 unfinished stories, but I think one of THOSE is just going to be torn up and restarted - it's a Strange New Worlds Story that I just think won't work in its present condition.

But the five in question bother me. I'm pretty sure I can finish them, not sure why I haven't. Well, I just started the Strange New Worlds one. But why do I keep starting stories and not finishing them?

Well, I set a goal. By the end of this week I plan to have all these unfinished stories done. Hopefully setting a goal will give me the motivation I haven't had to finish them.

Doing Writing Stuff Without Much Writing...

Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but it sums today up.

I did not do a lot of writing today. Instead, I finally finished a binder that contained markets I have submitted to. I also researched markets for 4 manuscripts that had come back and needed to be sent to new markets.

All this took a couple of hours. When I was finished I hadn't written much but was much better organized. I also have stuff ready to mail.

I'm wrestling with a couple of short stories that are resisting finishing. I have Chapter 4 of my novel planned out in my head and I have to figure where it goes after that.

Well, back to the keyboard...

Lazy Days of Summer

Things are settling down to the laid back slow days of summer. School is out for the boys, Ladies Class is over until the fall, and my schedule gets a little lighter.

Lighter is fortunate, too, since John is working in Human Resources at the hospital Don is at staff at. This means he needs a car, and so I am doing without wheels for now.

I've been working on Novel #2 and have 3 chapters done. I'm also working on some short stories. In June I will begin to crank out Star Trek stories to submit to the Strange New Worlds contest (curious? Check out http://www.simonsays.com/content/feature.cfm?sid=44&feature_id=5261 for details).

We'll be getting ready for our mission trip to Guyana that will take place in July. I intend to try to write some while there as well. I went there last year - readers of this blog might remember that.

Anyway, summer will hopefully be filled with writing and time with my sons. :-)

Back from Oregon

Got back Wednesday from the 2 writing workshops in Oregon. Still recovering from that ugly condition known as "jet lag."

John got home from college yesterday. It's good to have him back for the summer. Our dog thinks so too.

Soon things will settle into the leisurely pace of summer. I plan to be busy writing and studying writing during that time. And maybe even keeping up this blog, which will no doubt delight some of you. :-)

The blessing of a good writing workshop

One of my problems as a writer is an issue of self-confidence. Yes, I have a well received weekly column in a newspaper. Yes, I have been a contributing writer on a reference work (The International Book of Days). Yes, I am currently working on short stories and finished a novel.

But sometimes, I wonder: do I have what it takes? Can my fiction stuff get PUBLISHED????

That's why writing workshops like the one I am currently attending in Oregon are so important.

First off, Dean Wesley Smith (remember that name!) is not only a great writer and editor, he is a fantastic teacher. He has no problem with just hanging out with us and answering our questions. He emphasizes that while we have to tell our fellow writers what they did wrong with their novels, we also have to tell them what they did right. And when people are telling us what we did right, we'd better be writing it down!

This workshop (and the one right before it - I have been here since Friday, fueled by coffee, chocolate, Diet Dr. Pepper and bagels with cream cheese) has been an encouragement to me because the people here are WRITERS. Most of them are farther along the writing path than I am. Yet none of them see me as anything less than a writer. Like them. They take me seriously and urge me to get past the whole self-confidence issue and WRITE!

And I get a glimpse of the future and realize I can.

That alone is worth the price of admission.