M.I.A....

So, I went all week without posting. Well, since Monday. Which is abnormal for me and I apologize. It seems that when I had strep throat last month, I developed mono. So, I have developed a bad habit of taking naps in the evening. Naps that last 14 hours. Yeah, going to sleep at 7PM is something new for me.

But tonight I have managed to stay awake and am happy to be posting. Although I can't guarantee the merit of this post. I promise to add eyecandy at the end so you at least get something out of it :-).

I'm getting ready to team up with another member of my RWA chapter in taking over the running of our online courses. This makes me nervous, because I have no clue what I'm doing. Hmm... not the best advertisement for our courses huh? Well, she has all the classes for this year scheduled. So, it's up to me and my partner to run them.

We have our duties all divided up, so I think it'll go okay. I hope. But we were talking about online courses and our experiences. Then I realized I haven't taken many. And so I thought I'd pose a question or two to you all. Have you taken any online courses? Are there any that were so good, they stick out in your memory? And, what did you like most and least about taking them?

Thanks for the input! Now here's your treat:



April

Sensuality...

Sensuality was the topic of the presentation at my chapter meeting this past Saturday. It was presented by one of our member authors who is known for writing particularly "hot" books. So, everyone expected her presentation on sensuality to apply to sex. But it didn't.

What we learned was that sensuality reaches beyond sex. It is found in every aspect of writing. Even genres other than romance. Sensuality is what pulls the reader into a story. It's what elicits the responses of the reader's senses.

She used Rudolph Steiner's Twelve Senses to describe how sensuality is used to pull in a reader and make a story more rich. Here's a link to a list of the senses.

I found the discussion really enlightening. I had always thought of the five senses. I hadn't taken the time to consider others such as "Life or well-being" which refers to the characters state of mind, happiness, sadness, etc... Or "Ego and the other" which is a person's sense of self and how they perceive others. This after all indicates if a character will immediately like or vilify someone.

Our presenter also pointed out recognizing the importance of certain senses. For instance, smell is something that illicits strong recollections in people. Smell can bring back an immediate memory. If you say, "the room smelled like old gym socks..." most people can immeditely identify with that and this pulls a reader in.

There are other senses that illicit strong responses. I point this one out because it is very strong for me. Sometimes when I'm in a store, I'll pass a woman wearing the same perfume of my first grade teacer, Ms. Dale. I LOVED her. She was an amazing teacher and person. And it sends me back to a very comfortable and happy place. So, I find the smell comforting. I also smell the same cologne my dad used to wear and I get nostalgic. Just smelling it, will take me back to a memory I thought long forgotten. Everytime we smell fresh cut grass, my hubby says, "reminds me of living in Arkansas..."

For some, taste does this, for others it's sounds or some other sense. This is why it's important to incorporate more than one into your writing. But don't flood it with ALL, because then you have a serious case of sensory overload!

So, what is it for you that grips you and can snap up a memory immediately? Smell? Taste? Hearing? Something else?

April

Fixed...

The computer is fixed, the printer is miraculously fixed, I'm fixed... wait, I wasn't broken, was I. Well, you get the gist. All is well in my computer world right now. Hmmm... I hope my saying it doesn't cause all hell to break loose. Maybe the printer will start spouting out pages like a vampid demon. But I hope not. I really hope not.

My computer guy told me what he did to fix it. It had to do with uninstalling the spooler and reinstalling it and then doing stuff with my registry. I can't remember what he did or what a registry is or why it fixed it, but it did and that's what's important.

So now I can print out my own hard copies of all those yummy pictures I post. See, the word yummy works well there.

Now that one technical problem is fixed, I think I shall tackle another. A website redo. I'm not so happy with it anymore. So, I think I'll take a look at fixing it. But it may be a while before any results are available for viewing!

Did you miss me? How did your weekend go?

April

Out of Touch...

I guess it's my turn to have technical difficulties. When I leave work today, I will be out of touch of a computer for the WHOLE weekend!

You see, that printer problem I talked about a few weeks ago... It never got resolved. So, yesterday, my handy dandy computer tech came to my house and tried to install the printer correctly. Because apparently installing a simple printer driver is too hard for this goof ball. After spending nearly 4 hours trying to get it installed, he finally decided to take my laptop and printer home with him to work on it.

He called today... After spending several more hours trying to fix it, he had called Epson, the manufacturer of the printer. And then he spent several hours on the phone with them, trying to fix it. In the end, Epson decided I needed to uninstall and reinstall windows. Not gonna happen.

I mean, I've used the computer with 4 seperate printers none of which have I had a problem with. Whey should I do something so drastic for this stupid printer?

The computer tech agreed with me. He asked if he could still hold it over the weekend and try unistalling and reinstalling just the spooler portion of windows. I said, sure. Because I'm willing to put off the fight I'm going to have with the store over taking the printer back. But if it doesn't work, that baby is going BACK!

You know what's sweeter? The computer tech is only charging me for an hour of labor. And he's spent countless hours on it already. Isn't he sweet? I send him a lot of business, cause I know a lot techno-num-nuts. I like him because he never treats me like I'm stupid. Even if I've done something really stupid. Like not ever made a backup of my system... :-). So, he's making me a backup before he does any work :-). See, isn't he a peach.

Am I the only one with technical problems? Boy... I'm sure going to go through internet withdrawl! Not to mention writing withdrawl. I guess this is a good time to read Ms. Crusie's new book!

April

Post edited to add:
PS Did anyone else get that 80's song "I'm Outta Touch..." in their head when they read that title? I can't get rid of it!!

My Wonderful Hubby...

I've always thought I have a wonderful hubby. And now, it's been confirmed by Jennifer Crusie!

You see, I had to work extra late today, thanks to "Mr. Unprofessional" (see previous post). And this afternoon, Jenny and Bob were in town doing a talk and signing. I have been planning for weeks to go to the signing. But when time came, I couldn't get away. I was too busy doing someone else's work.

When my hubby found out, he took immediate action. He went to the signing, purchased a book and had it autographed. When he explained why it was to be made out to "April" and he didn't look like an April, Jenny wrote, "To April, You have a wonderful husband. Best Wishes, Jenny Cursie". And so, I think that just confirms it. My hubby saved the day and even braved a book store of romance fans to do it. He's my hero!

April

Head Banging...

I got 500 words written tonight. Not a lot by most measures, but it's a bunch for me right this second and it's a little scary, because I'm not sure I have an idea of what I wrote. Guess that means lots of editing tomorrow.

Today has been a very trying day. And it has led me to ask a very BIG question. Why do some people refuse to be professionals? When I think of a "professional" in general, I think of the following characteristics:

1. Responsible
2. Capable
3. Congenial
and...
4. RESPONSIVE!

It's always a surprise to me that some people can't manage to be responsive. When you're working on a project or deal with someone and you're called and asked a question, call back and answer it for goodness sake. When you don't, you imply the following:

1. You don't care
2. You aren't doing what you SHOULD do and therefore don't know the answer
3. You're lazy and lack responsibility and respect for others
4. You're a complete jerk

Ok, that last one was personal, but it's how I feel. Obviously I've been dealing with a very unresponsive person today and it has made me feel like banging my head against the wall. The person in question refuses to return a single phone call to me. I tricked him this evening by calling him from my home phone (he didn't know the number). And surprise, surprise, he answered. Of course, he had to call me back... In just two minutes, he said. Yeah, that was four and a half hours ago. I have left him six messages today. And what's worse, he could take care of the issue in less than five minutes by simply faxing a simple form to another company. But instead he avoids me. Like the plague.

So, tonight I went over his head. I emailed the people in charge and asked if they could assist me with the matter since he has not been able to.

I'm not taking it personal. Another person in our office is having a similar problem with him. They went and sat at his office, waiting for him to come in so they could catch him. He tried to run by, but they caught him. Of course he said he'd call them within an hour with an answer. Did he? Hahahahahahaha, no.

If you can't guess it by now, he won't be getting our business anymore. If we weren't so close to finishing this deal, I'd get someone else to help. But we are and this will be the last one he gets.

This started me thinking though, this situation applies to all professions. If I were an editor and he was a writer, would I bother to publish his book if he couldn't get back to me? No.

Have you had to deal with someone who is totally non-responsive and wondered wtf?

And just to help me relax, here's this:



April

HAPPY EASTER!

I took the weekend off from writing. It wasn't intentional, it just ended up that way.

I spent Friday at our local zoo with my sister, my seven year-old nephew, and his seven year-old friend. Apparently, since it was the last day of public school spring break, here, it was the busiest day of the year. Wish someone had warned us. We spent the day in a swarm of munchkins and 95 degree heat. But we had fun and we played and got to see neat animals, so I'm not complaining.

Then Saturday I did some of my "day work". Then I took the evening off and had dinner with some of my girlfriends. It's been a long time since we did that. Everyone's gotten married or involved with a boyfriend and we've all been busy. It was a nice evening. It ended early so everyone could get to bed early. Some got up for sunrise service.

We didn't go to sunrise service. But we did make it to noon service. You have to love a church with a noon time service! We spent the rest of the day with my family and hubby's family (they live a block apart... Guess how we met:-)). It was really nice. Now I'm full and still unable to resist the thought of eating another piece of Easter chocolate. Mmmmm... Chocolate...



How was your Easter?

April

Hold Me Back...

Ok, I'm officially loosing my mind. It's been nearly 5 months since I received notification that harlequin received my submission. And I've been very patiently waiting. I've found a ton of things to occupy myself.

But over the past few days, I'm finding my nutty tendencies are stronger than ever. My latest worry: that the email addy I sent may get erroneously input and they'll send an email to the wrong address. You see apparently my name is popular. So the yahoo address for my name was taken. So I used my middle initial. Which is L. So, my addy is Aprill... And the other night, my eyes flew open when I thought... What if they send me an email and they don't pick up on the "L".

Crazy? I told you I was loosing my mind, what did you expect. So, I'm going to sit back and do a little distracting "research" to get my mind off my worries... Here's a sample for having to read my dribble :-)


(Did I post this one before? I can't recall. But I doubt you'll have a problem seeing it a second time if I did :-))

Am I the only person loosing their mind?

April

Movable Goals...

So I was plodding along the other day with my writing. And something smacked me right in the head. No, it wasn't Buckley's stuffed reindeer, I made him take that downstairs because he kept knocking over lamps when he slung it across the room. It was a brain storm.

I'm working on this ms and I've been thinking it's going to be a single title, so I've been aiming for right around 100,000 words. And you know what I realized, it's not. It's not a single title. There's not much of any secondary story line (no secondary characters have shouted for their story to be told) and the plot line itself has progressed faster than it should for me to reach the length of a single title. I think it's a Modern Extra. So I have adjusted my goals appropriately. And I feel not nearly as lost. I feel like I know exactly where I'm headed here. And I even think it fits there.

So I guess the lesson here is that you have to be flexible and your goals have to be movable!

What about you? Ever been writing something you thought was one thing and it turned out to be something different?

April

Talking Tunes...

Stealing from Emma who stole from Shannon...

Put your iTunes/iPod on shuffle.
Say the following questions aloud, and press play.
Use the song title as the answer to the question.
NO CHEATING.

1. How does the word see you? When I Dream -Willie Nelson
That's a little creepy... People watching me when I sleep...

2. Will I have a happy life? I Hate Myself For Loving You -Joan Jett
Um... Does that mean no? I don't want to hate myself!

3. What do my friends think of me? The Trouble With Love Is -Kelly Clarkson
At least they love me :-)

4. Do people secretly lust after me? Whip It -Devo
I'm confused... Is this a yes or a no?

5. How can I make myself happy? Obvious Heart -Finger Eleven
Apparently there's a remedy close. Which I will take as a yes.

6. What should I do with my life? Girls Just Wanna Have Fun -Cyndi Lauper
That works for me.

7. Will I ever have children? I Melt -Rascall Flatts
I'm not sure if this is a yes or no. But it certainly speaks for a lot of attempts :-)

8. What is some good advice for me? Wish You Were Here -Pink Floyd
Funny, hubby called a bit ago to say just that. At least he'll see me when he gets home a little later!

9. How will I be remembered? The Peter Pan Overture -Jan A.P. Kaczmarek
As whimsical and filled with flighty fun. Or as someone who never grew up. I'm ok with those, I think.

10. What's my signature dancing song? Heat of the Moment -Asia
Funny. Really funny. But hey, at least I can dance to it.

11. What's my current theme song? Near You Always -Jewel
Apparently I'm being a little clingy and protective. I am still technically a newlywed, so I guess that's all right.

12. What do others think is my current theme song? You Don't Know Me -Michael Buble
Ah, so I'm the mysterious type. I'm cool with that...

13. What shall they play at my funeral? Because of You -Kelly Clarkson
Hmm... The title is great, but according to the lyrics, I really messed up some people! (How did it get back to a Kelly Clarkson with over 150 other songs?)

14. What type of men do I like? Time After Time -Sarah McLachlan & Cyndi Lauper
Great duet. So I guess I like them strong and dependable! Yup!

15. How's my love life? Underneath Your Clothes -Shakira
That works for me.

What about you?

April

Funny Terms...

A good friend of mine recently begged to read the first chapter of my wip. I have a harder time allowing my friends to read it, because in my vivid imagination, they're talking to each other behind my back and saying, "Have you read the crap April's writing? Gee, take a writing course and get clue." But that's not really the point of this post.

She was reading it and there's a part where my heroine thinks the hero is "yummy". She's in a food setting and it just seemed like an appropriate thought. My friend said, "I don't think I like that term in that context." And I thought... how many times have we been out and seen an attractive guy and said, "Yum!" But I said I'd give it some thought. When people give me criticism, I try not to react immediately, but to mull it over. That way I don't make any emotional decisions.

Then I started thinking about all the quirky phrases and terms I've read, used, and said over the years. Here are a few off the top of my head:

1. Brain Fart (you know when you're brain takes a break on you)
2. Yummy (apparently this is quirky;-))
3. I'm such a boob
4. Frickle Frat
5. Got my goose (ok, this one may be a southern thing)

And I wondered if these were terms that were particular to me. And I then I wondered if I used them in my writing would readers think... "huh?" So, I'm curious... Do you have any wierd phrases or terms you use and if so, would you use them in your writing?

April

Mud Slinging...

No, not that type of mud slinging. The literal kind.

I'm finally getting some writing done. And it feels great. I had left off in the middle of something, so I would be able to start back easy without having to come up with a fresh idea. I had even made notes about what would happen next.

Then, as I'm writing along, minding my own business, my heroine starts mud slinging. Literally. Apparently she needed to blow off a little steam and since she was ankle deep in the stuff already, she figured she'd toss a little in the hero's direction. And I thought... What in the world are you doing? You're gonna have to ride all the way back to town smelling like bog and now so is he. And then I thought, Hmm... this could be good.

So I let her sling all the mud she wanted. And it felt great. At least I'm getting some writing done. Right?

Of course I don't recall ever being in a mud fight as a kid. I remember one failed attempt at a food fight in the second grade (not my doing). But other than that, the only thing I did with mud was make mud pies. But I didn't eat them. A kid in my class had two doctors as parents. I learned about tape worms really early. Yuck!



What about you? Ever sling some mud? Literally or figuratively?

Caught!

Well, good news here... The fire bug has been captured. She lived just a few miles from me, in the heart of a large middle class neighborhood. And she was caught because someone saw her try to start a fire at a neighbor's house while she was walking her dog. Sick!

The sad part is that she's married with two teenage children. I'm sure that her family will feel some of the repercussions of her actions. That's always a sad thing. The police have charged her with over 20 counts of arson. Yikes! I'll let you all know if I hear any interesting details about WHY she did it.

The good news is that I feel safer leaving Buckley at home. Who, by the way seems to be doing well. He hasn't experienced any ill effects from the bite last month so hopefully the meds got everything! We gave him a hair cut this weekend because it's getting so warm here. He seems to be enjoying it, but he looks so little without all of his fluff!

I'm attempting to get some writing done. But I spent the last 3 hours trying to install our new printer driver. I had to install and uninstall it over and over. But it works now, so I'm ready to go!

What about you? Gotten any writing done?

April

Voila...

Here I am again, back from the depths of Strepp Throat! My medicine made me woozie, so I didn't get much writing or reading done. Hard to do that when the letters move around in front of your eyes!

But I did get to stay home, cuddle with Buckley and watch the tube for a few days. Which means some of my brain may have leaked out ;-). I caught a few shows I hadn't seen before. Like Texas Swat. Interesting cop show... And for some reason I can't recall the rest right now. Residual effects from the meds I'm sure.

Today I am breaking out of the house. Hubby and I are going to run errands. Because even though I worked Thurs. & Fri. I didn't get out of the house the whole week except for that and I have a major case of cabin fever. Plus the weather turned beautiful here. Today is supposed to be mid-80's.

So even though I didn't get any writing done this week, I'm not stressing. I just can't do what I just can't do. I'll crunch next week and make up for some of it.

On the fire bug note: The authorities have apparently decided it IS a woman. And they have a FBI profile of her. It seems something dramatic must have happened recently in her life. Big surprise there. They don't think she knows the victims. They think it is is random selection. And they have now connected her to 17 fires in my area. But the suspect there may be as many as 30... I think Buckley will come along with us on our outings today.

What are your weekend plans?

April