The editing begins...

So Dear Husband has agreed to give me Thursdays from 4-8 as 'Mom Time' in which I can do whatever I want at home without the children hanging off my legs.  Can you say Bliss?

Mom time is like coffee, but better.

So I dove in feet first with the editing.  And I gatta tell you.  I make a LOT of 'I' statements.  It's in the first person, so avoiding the word altogether is impossible.  But seriously, I thought I was going to have to punch myself at how many sentences I started with "I."  Somehow, I've managed to block out the overuse of the word.  But fear not!  I am on the case.

It's done, it's done...tra, la, la, it's done...sort of

I have typed the final words of my FIRST draft of my FIRST novel:  THE END.  I'm not going to keep the words 'THE END' in the final book, but it was something that I needed to type in order to wrap my brain around the idea that it was finished.  And as I was typing those two words I realized how fun it is.  Come on, try it with me:

THE END

Didn't that feel good (lie to me if it didn't).

The bigger issue, of course, is if I got to have my cheese cake or not.  Drum roll please....

No.  I did NOT get the coveted cheese cake, primarily because my bank account at the moment would allow either for a cheesecake (which I would not share) or buy dinner for my family.   *sigh*  I went with food for the entire family.   See how selfless I am?  Perhaps when I've finished the FINAL draft I'll get to have my cheesecake and eat it too.

In the meantime, I have to edit.  I've given copies to a few readers to help with editing, but I know what I need to do.  I need to rent a hotel room for a night and just edit.  No distractions, no noise.  Just typing.  It actually sounds so good that I might just give that to myself as my 35th Birthday present next week?  Which has inspired another poll.  See side bar and VOTE on what I should do for my birthday.

Is that a light I see?

A friend of mine just finished her first draft of her much anticipated second novel (Go RJ!) and it got me to thinking how far away from I from reaching that goal.  I'm guessing I'm about 3-5 chapters away at this point.  Which could be a month or a year, depending on what my characters shout in my ears.  But the thought of finishing it is titillating.  Perhaps even motivational?  Nah!

And what, you ask, will I do when that day happens?

The details have yet to be worked out as to what this party will entail, but I'm hoping it includes a trip to Olive Garden and their raspberry cheese cake  Yup, I'm an addict. 

Their food may be the motivation I need to get writing.  Whatever it takes, right?

Writer's Block no more

I did it!  I did it!  I used the time that my kiddos were visiting the grandparents to write and guess what??  I got past the part in my novel that wasn't working AT ALL.  I'd been stuck there for weeks and you wanna know how I got past it?   Come closer, it's a surprise. 




okay, you're close enough now. 

I hit
THE DELETE BUTTON OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!!!! until all of the bad stuff went away.  And I wasn't even sad that 3 pages went out the door, because in their place several more (and far better pages) came forth.  It made me realise, once again, that I am not in charge of this story.  My characters are in the driver's seat, and it was as though one of them was saying "I SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO wouldn't do that, so I'm not gonna give you anything else til you change that crap!"  Once I did, the block was gone and I've been writing ever since.  Well, I've been writing when the kiddos aren't crawling all over me, but it's still progress!!!

While the kids are away, mom will play!

Ahhhh, bliss!

So I've guilted my parents into taking the kiddos tonight so hubby and I can go to dinner and see a movie but more importantly so I can have more than one minute of thinking time!  Oh, the things I have planned!  I'm dropping them off at noon, and it'll take me an hour to get back, so from 1-6 (before we need to leave for dinner) I am going to be uber productive.  Honest.  So before drop off happens, I need to clean the house (cause nothing distracts me as much as waiting dishes) and get some 'paid' work time in.  Then, it's writing time, baby!

This will be me.  I SWEAR!

My hope is that tomorrow I don't post some pathetic excuse as to why I didn't use my quiet time wisely.  Keep those fingers crossed.

The Blank Stare

That was me. Staring blankly at my computer screen as I realized I had just closed out of my novel without saving. Crap’ola!

I didn't save it??? WHAT??

Instead of freaking out, I just sat calmly in front of the screen (this may, or may not have had anything to do with the fact that DD was sleeping in the next room). My brain scrambled as I tried to recall the last words I had written…but nothing. Not a single moment of recall. To be fair, I had ‘stepped away’ from the novel to do a little ‘research’ which ended up as checking e-mail and Facebook.

See?  Research.

After I stepped away from the machine (and had a big cup of coffee to calm my nerves) I realized that it didn’t matter.  That my fingers will find the words again with no help from my brain.  Because, this story, so far, has been writing itself with no conscious effort on my part. It’s as if my fingers are possessed sometimes. I often will go back and read over older chapters in my book and have NO memory of writing it and find myself getting hooked into the story and forget that I’m meant to be editing not reading!

What I want to know, is this normal? For a story to overtake you like this? Has anyone else experienced this? Or is a trip to the looney bin in order?

Help me.

When "Quiet Hour" turns into "Nap time for Mama"

Guilty.  Totally guilty.  Instead of using my well thought out quiet hour for writting, I took a nap.  Dude, I was tired.  DS had me awake several times during the night with 'bad dreams' which is just code for 'mom, I just want you to sleep beside me.'   So productivity for the day was a wash, right?  Wrong!!!  Nap time became:

I had been at a standstill with my novel, not sure where it wanted to take me next, and as I was drifting off to la la land, it came to me.   I now have some direction and will have a much more productive quiet hour today.  I promise.

And thanks to the two people who voted on my poll...you know who you are!

FIX THIS MESS

"FIX THIS MESS"  That was the message that awaited me when I opened word up to work on my novel today.  There was, apparently, a section of it where I wrote the same scene in two different ways and then thought they'd make perfect sense if I put them back to back.  Whoops.  Trying to think with kiddos running around is apparently harder than it seems.   Harder still?  Typing with a damn wrist brace on.   Unbearably difficult?  Writing in this heat.  Seriously, this is not cool.  I need me some FALL and I need it now.  There.  Venting over.  You may go about your business.

p.s. Don't forget to vote on Monday's poll.  Your voice matters!

Quiet Hour-Genius or Guilt Worthy?

Today was the first day of school for most of us (home schoolers included).  So in an effort to preserve my own sanity AND allow for me to get some writing done, I've instituted 'quiet hour' where my children are separated from each other (or else the bickering would defeat the purpose of 'quiet' hour) and where I am separate from them (giving me some much needed alone time to form a coherent thought).  This is the first day I've done it and already have conflicting emotions.  On the one hand I was THRILLED to have the time to write (I got 2 pages down, and some other revisions), but then I felt guilty that I was, in a sense, sending them into solitary confinement.

So, I've set up a poll on the side bar...Is Quiet Hour Genius or Guilt Worthy?  Rock the vote!

The journey begins

My professor made me do it; made me create this blog as a way to force my hand at learning digital writing.  It is a feeble attempt to get me to blog, but alas, I do as I'm told.  Ever the good student.

Since I'm not sure what this blog is 'supposed' to be about at this time, I'm going to use it as I wish, (so there).  I am going to use it to try and motivate myself to write daily (and not monthly).  I am currently working on a novel--and have been for over a year...the end is in sight, but I just can't seem to find the time.  It is my hope this blog will give me the guilt factor I need to kick it into high gear.

Today I wrote for 3.5 minutes.  Hey, it's a start, right?