recap

This week has flown by and sad to say I didn't increase my word count. It just wasn't that sort of week. But, I am ready to roll on Monday.

Logged in over 15 hours of volunteer time at the library.
Met a retired newspaper editor who offered to help me edit my WIP.
Scored a bag of books for ten bucks at the sale.
Exercised every day...and have lost 5 pounds this week!
Figured out which character is the evil villain.
Grilled chicken and didn't burn it.
Read two books.
Got a wonderful b-day gift from my buddy in Texas...for all of you over 40 ladies, check out the MORE magazine. What a great piece.


That is it, rather slim doings, but it was an odd week. Enjoy the weekend!

book sale

Since I've left my position at the library, I joined the Friends group. The Friends run four book sales a year to raise funds to support collection and program development for the library. Made up of mostly retirees, these ladies and gentlemen have a true devotion to our local library. They give of their time and money to make sure our town has the best library we can have.

I helped yesterday as they began to unload the storage closets and set out the books. I ended up in one of the small meeting rooms unpacking boxes filled with science fiction and magazines. As I sorted and organized those hardback sci fi/fantasy novels, several names popped out at me. Names like Card, Asimov, Donaldson, Marillier, Brin, Kurtz took up quite a bit of shelf space. However, the vast majority of the books were written by authors I had never heard of...and I like to think I am fairly well read in this genre. You wonder what happened to those authors. Were they a one hit wonder? Do they have other books? What happened to their writing career?

I'm sure the percentages are out there.....how many authors go on to have a second and then third book published and how many don't ever publish again?

So many writers dream of seeing their name on the spine/cover of a book. It is my dream too, but I hope that once I achieve that goal, I continue on and see my name again and again and again. I bet it never gets old.

I once had an author tell me that when she saw her name on her first book she licked the cover....I wonder if she still does that!?

endings

I wrote a bit yesterday about how I was having some difficulty resolving the ending of my WIP. I think, after much thought, I have it figured out. Once I settled that issue, I spent the rest of the day reading the new Kim Harrison book. Talk about a tough ending. Geez. I'm still not sure it worked for me, and I wonder if she lost any sleep over the plot twist at the end. The plot device she used seemed a bit contrived. I'd be interested to hear other readers thoughts on the subject.

This week has turned into a non writing week as my volunteer obligations for the book sale are demanding more time than I anticipated. Stepping away for a bit might be a good thing as I am within spitting distance of the end. It should give me plenty of time to ponder just how I will wrap things up, how I want to edit the draft and what I do after that is completed.

I've started to toy with the dreaded, hive inducing query letter. I've never queried my fiction before, this will be a brand new adventure. I'm soaking up as much info as I can from various blogs and websites. I need to devote a day to targeting agents and doing that research.

So much more to writing than the actual writing, at least if you intend to put your 'baby' out there for consideration.

the unexpected

I didn't write yesterday because after I got home from running my two errands, I was too ticked off to sit down and create. I probably should have harnessed that anger and churned out a fantastic fight scene, I was in a kick butt mood, but it didn't happen.

I'm not going to dwell on the details today. After venting, I've come to realize I don't have any control over this situation. Being upset will do nothing to resolve the issue. It is all out of my hands. It sucks, but that is the reality.

Perhaps I should have expected the unexpected. It's happening in my WIP too. The character I decided would be the murdering demon summoner isn't cooperating. Instead a different character has stepped in and frantically waved a big sign that said, "I did it, it was me, I'm the evil doer." Funny how stuff happens.

Now, unlike my real life situation, I do have control over my own story. Or at least I like to think I do.....my muse apparently has another thought in mind about that. Do I fight the way the story is coming out or do I go with the flow? I've even thought about writing two endings, one for each character. I'm still not sure what direction I'm taking with this, but I've only had two cups of coffee so far.

I will resolve this unexpected twist by noon today. It is important to know what is within your sphere of influence and what isn't.

a reading frenzy

I finished the Gleason book late last week and never posted my final thoughts on it. It is a fun read, but I would not consider the book a romance. Not sure why they marketed it as such. It is a historical paranormal with romanntic elements, but not your typical romance novel. A few of the paranormal elements were a bit odd, but in a fun way. The weakest part of the book for me was the lack of character development in the supporting cast. Both Max and Sebastian deserve more in depth attention. I'd buy the next one just to see if M and S are given their fair share of plot space.

I also read a book out of Australia called "Undine"...the author escapes me right now. Very good and unusual YA fantasy. It is basically a self discovery journey tale, but has some neat twists and some down right beautiful writing. I've read a few YA books from Australia, and they just have a neat and quirky way to them. Almost like they see the world in a very different way and as a result can comment on details that escape other writers.

Now, I visited B&N this weekend and bought the new Kim Harrison book. Yippee...been waiting for this one. I love the world she has created in the Hallows. This is her hardback debut. Run and get this one, it will be worth every dollar. Any spare time I have this week will be spent with this book..."For a Few Demons More."


That's it folks....busy week ahead...library book sale and
guess who is in charge of keeping those hardworking volunteers fed? Yep, yours truly has to make sure food and drink are available Wednesday through Saturday. Wish me luck, short lines at Wally World (I hate that store), and nice weather.

the recap

I think on Fridays I will recap my week, take stock of what I did and what I didn't so I can set goals for the upcoming one.

Wrote this week, new words, new scenes and even a prologue for the current WIP. Yeah!
I didn't make my word count goal. Boo!

Celebrated turning 42 and was treated to lunch twice and got 2 dozen roses from my hubby.

No more lunches out for a while, the capris are getting snug. Free donuts don't help.

The kids won their soccer game and played really well, heck the one who is a goalie got to come out of the goal and scored. Yippee!

Allergy season is in full swing and I'm already tired of handing out Patanol and Benadryl.

I started this blog.

One of my writing buddies and crit. partners found out she's expecting her first baby. Yeah!

My flower beds are in good shape, but if we don't get them mulched, the weeds are threatening to invade my territory.

I must start to exercise, I hate it with a passion, but I also hate the extra few pounds mid life is depositing in certain areas. Next week, I promise I will haul my posterior out of the bed and walk.

My publicity efforts for the library had a banner week. Front page photo with nice caption in one paper. Two articles in another paper. Hope the new contract/budget submitted by the director is approved. I want my old/new job back.

Hope your week was filled with good things, and if not, that is what next week is for! It will be rare that I post on the weekends. Too busy with soccer and other family stuff.

See ya'll on Monday:)

fresh starts

We had surprise house guests last night. My hubby's aunt and uncle stopped in on their way home after a month long excursion out west. After everyone left for school and work we had a few moments to sit and chat before they started out. This was their first visit to our home. We've lived here for almost four years now and absolutely love our new 'home town.'

Aunt C commented that we seemed to be doing better than ever. Good marriage, good kids, success at work, everything is just right. We are in a good place, in many ways, but it didn't come easy. We work at it every day. The only reason we are in the mid south is because of a big leap of faith. Opportunities sometimes come at very dark moments in our lives. The key is to be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and go for it. That is what we did when my hubby changed jobs and we moved 600 miles from our original home town. He'd never lived anywhere else and I'd moved there as a young girl.

A fresh start is an exciting thing, but it isn't always easy. Like most good things, it takes effort, you have to stretch yourself.

It is a lot like writing. Each new WIP is a fresh start, but in many ways, each new page is one. Writing isn't easy. It stretches us to be better, to try harder, to work and work at something that may never be perfect.

And often you don't get praised for it. It was really nice to hear that praise today.