Now that A to Z is over and I've taken a little time to catch my blogging breath, it's time to get back into the weekly routine. Weekly should be easier to manage that daily, right? Right. In theory.
Let's start with where things are in my writing world... because that's what I need to cover for some self accountability this week.
Waiting on developmental edits on A Broken Race. Meeting on these has been pushed to early June, which works for me because I still have to...
Finish The Unmaking of Dennis Gilroy for an anthology submission that is due by the end of May. I'd meant to have it done two weeks ago, but time keeps slipping through my fingers. And I'm not even talking about procrastinating or having fun rather than writing. I'm talking days like yesterday when I worked from 8:30am to 10pm with breaks for running kids to appointments and to school. At least I got to watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones before collapsing into bed.
I spent what little writing time I did have last week editing Sipper down from 5,900 words to 5,000 words for another anthology that asked for a tighter version to fit their word limit. The first 600 words weren't that bad, but the second pass to find those last 300 was tough. Talk about making the remaining words work hard to hold everything together. Whew! We'll see how the story works at the shorter length when that fateful email comes in.
Goal for this week: Finish the Dennis story.
Extra credit: Edit and submit it.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Pretty things
Never have I considered myself a girly girl, but I do enjoy a few pretty things. Sometime around my late twenties I gave up my love for wild earrings, sparkly necklaces and multiple bracelets. That sometime probably coincided with having kids. Since then, you can find me wearing the same necklace for months in a row and the same earrings for years. Bracelets are an on occasion only because they really get in the way for typing and working. The one things that truly remains constant are my rings.
I've always been a little hard on rings, but I love them, and through children, gardening, messy jobs and all life throws at me, I refuse to give them up. I've worn this collection for the past seventeen or so years. Then, within a month, this all happened:
Not only did building a house take it's toll on my legs and back, my rings suffered. Other than when I was working with mortar or grout, which was really messy stuff, I wore my usual rings. As of this morning, I'm down to two undamaged rings and both of those are simple bands, though, one is hematite -which I've shattered several of in the past- and I wouldn't put it past this one to shatter at any moment.
I wore a hole in my pearl. I smashed my hand loading heavy stock onto equipment for work and ripped the sapphire out of the second ring. (My hand is fine, thanks for asking, and I found the stone.) I smashed my hand arranging tables in my new work space and lost the diamond from my wedding ring. Searches have not turned up the diamond. Please join me in a rousing chorus of "Doh!" The last one I caught on a table while setting up for my hopefully last ever annual garage sale and bent it so far out of shape that it now looks like a potato chip.
Someone has to keep the jewelry repair people busy.
If it's heavy, awkward or large, I'll lift it and I'll move it. I'll do it myself thank you very much. I hate asking for help and even more, I hate waiting for help.
And this is why I have a hard time writing female characters of the gentle, soft, and proper persuasion.
Friday, May 1, 2015
A to Z in review
Another year of April A to Z has come and gone. I'm happy to report that I'm still as sane as I was when the month began. Take that for what you will.
First off, I'd like to thank devoted word donors, Nick, David and Hillary. You left me lots of challenges to work with, and I appreciate the time you took to pop over from your own busy blogs to do so.
I'd also like to thank every one of you who dropped by throughout the month with word donations. Having such an array of words to work from each day made this challenge fun, even on my long and hectic days and inevitable Sunday catch up sessions.
Some days yielded a paragraph or two, others grew longer as I traveled where your words took me. Three of my favorites this month were:
D - became a short I titled Water.
R - was a popular post (according to visits) about roses
M - made me laugh, and I always enjoy when I can make myself laugh. It was a silly, exhausted laughter, but it still counts. Enjoy the many multiple M words in the Muffin Loving Moose
If you donated words, I have added each day's story start to the bottom of the post for that day. Please drop in and enjoy. Sometimes a story took a direction where that wasn't possible, but I did try to use them all when I could.
So what's next? Usually, I'd be jumping into A Story a Day In May, but I'm waiting on edits for A Broken Race, which should be in mid-month, and I have a short and a novella I'm in the middle of so I'm set on projects for the moment. And then, of course, there's all those story starts from April if, by some miracle, I happen to have some spare time and need something to work on.
Now that April is over, what will you be working on?
First off, I'd like to thank devoted word donors, Nick, David and Hillary. You left me lots of challenges to work with, and I appreciate the time you took to pop over from your own busy blogs to do so.
I'd also like to thank every one of you who dropped by throughout the month with word donations. Having such an array of words to work from each day made this challenge fun, even on my long and hectic days and inevitable Sunday catch up sessions.
Some days yielded a paragraph or two, others grew longer as I traveled where your words took me. Three of my favorites this month were:
D - became a short I titled Water.
R - was a popular post (according to visits) about roses
M - made me laugh, and I always enjoy when I can make myself laugh. It was a silly, exhausted laughter, but it still counts. Enjoy the many multiple M words in the Muffin Loving Moose
If you donated words, I have added each day's story start to the bottom of the post for that day. Please drop in and enjoy. Sometimes a story took a direction where that wasn't possible, but I did try to use them all when I could.
So what's next? Usually, I'd be jumping into A Story a Day In May, but I'm waiting on edits for A Broken Race, which should be in mid-month, and I have a short and a novella I'm in the middle of so I'm set on projects for the moment. And then, of course, there's all those story starts from April if, by some miracle, I happen to have some spare time and need something to work on.
Now that April is over, what will you be working on?
Thursday, April 30, 2015
A to Z: Beginnings Z
We've reached the end! Hooray!
THEME: Short Stories - at least the beginnings thereof.
YOUR PART: Throw out words from the letter of the day and I'll pick some of them to include in the opening paragraphs of a short story.
WHY: I'm most inspired when there's a little challenge involved. Usually that means an opening line or a theme. This month: your words.
Each evening I'll post the beginnings of a short story using some of the suggested words, As to when I'll end those stories...well, that's what the rest of the year is for.
So join in the comments with Z words. names, places, moods, genres, things, whatever you want to throw at me. My creative bucket awaits. If you're here later in the day and I've already posted the story start, feel free to leave words for the next day's letter.
Hank backed away from the lion. "A little help here, Stanley?"
"You're the one who wanted to be zoologist," said Stanley as he also made his way to the door of the enclosure. "You're supposed to know lions, right?"
"I read about them. I've never actually been this close to one."
"You might have mentioned that before we broke into the zoo."
The lion stalked forward, it's head low and eyes intent.
"Maybe it wants something to eat."
"I don't think the lion cares about the zucchini I stole from the vegetable stand on the way over. I told you, I got that for my mother."
Stanley laughed nervously, "You've told me zillions of things, like that you knew all about lions. You zany loser, you're going to get us both killed."
The lion sprang.
THEME: Short Stories - at least the beginnings thereof.
YOUR PART: Throw out words from the letter of the day and I'll pick some of them to include in the opening paragraphs of a short story.
WHY: I'm most inspired when there's a little challenge involved. Usually that means an opening line or a theme. This month: your words.
Each evening I'll post the beginnings of a short story using some of the suggested words, As to when I'll end those stories...well, that's what the rest of the year is for.
So join in the comments with Z words. names, places, moods, genres, things, whatever you want to throw at me. My creative bucket awaits. If you're here later in the day and I've already posted the story start, feel free to leave words for the next day's letter.
~*~
Hank backed away from the lion. "A little help here, Stanley?"
"You're the one who wanted to be zoologist," said Stanley as he also made his way to the door of the enclosure. "You're supposed to know lions, right?"
"I read about them. I've never actually been this close to one."
"You might have mentioned that before we broke into the zoo."
The lion stalked forward, it's head low and eyes intent.
"Maybe it wants something to eat."
"I don't think the lion cares about the zucchini I stole from the vegetable stand on the way over. I told you, I got that for my mother."
Stanley laughed nervously, "You've told me zillions of things, like that you knew all about lions. You zany loser, you're going to get us both killed."
The lion sprang.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
A to Z: Beginnings Y
THEME: Short Stories - at least the beginnings thereof.
YOUR PART: Throw out words from the letter of the day and I'll pick some of them to include in the opening paragraphs of a short story.
WHY: I'm most inspired when there's a little challenge involved. Usually that means an opening line or a theme. This month: your words.
Each evening I'll post the beginnings of a short story using some of the suggested words, As to when I'll end those stories...well, that's what the rest of the year is for.
So join in the comments with Y words. names, places, moods, genres, things, whatever you want to throw at me. My creative bucket awaits. If you're here later in the day and I've already posted the story start, feel free to leave words for the next day's letter.
Tamara pulled her yellow cloak tighter as she huddled in the field of yarrow. The distant yell of the yeti echoed through the surrounding mountains. Moments later the yodel of a female answered. Only the most daring of the gatherers dared ventured into the fields during mating season and Tarmara was determined to be counted as one of them.
YOUR PART: Throw out words from the letter of the day and I'll pick some of them to include in the opening paragraphs of a short story.
WHY: I'm most inspired when there's a little challenge involved. Usually that means an opening line or a theme. This month: your words.
Each evening I'll post the beginnings of a short story using some of the suggested words, As to when I'll end those stories...well, that's what the rest of the year is for.
So join in the comments with Y words. names, places, moods, genres, things, whatever you want to throw at me. My creative bucket awaits. If you're here later in the day and I've already posted the story start, feel free to leave words for the next day's letter.
~*~
Tamara pulled her yellow cloak tighter as she huddled in the field of yarrow. The distant yell of the yeti echoed through the surrounding mountains. Moments later the yodel of a female answered. Only the most daring of the gatherers dared ventured into the fields during mating season and Tarmara was determined to be counted as one of them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)