Friday, March 30, 2007

Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah

That's how I feel about the past two days. They've been full of people who seem to know just enough about a subject that they don't know how much they don't know. Does that sentence make sense to anyone but me?

At least it's Friday! Tomorrow I am helping my best friend who is now in her second trimester clean out the room that will be the nursery. She's had a really rough time starting a week after she found out she's pregnant up till now. She hasn't kept anything down and has actually lost seven pounds, but the second drug the doctor tried seems to be working and she's had two days of normal food. Woo Hoo! Hopefully she'll get a little of her energy back now that she's getting some actual nutrition. Since this is the first weekend in three months she's felt half decent we figured we should grab the opportunity.

Other than that, it should be quiet and I should get to do some reading, critiquing, and writing! WOO HOO! I've added another thousand words to my wip. Which makes me terribly pleased. It's moving at a snail's pace, but it's moving.

What are your plans for the weekend?

April

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Join Me...

Over at Word Flirts where I'm discussing the hero for my newest WIP!

April

Monday, March 26, 2007

I'm Writing I Promise...

Well, it happened just as I knew it would. My cp cracked the whip and got me writing again! Thanks, Cole!

Since she got home from her vacation, I was able to procrastinate another day or two, but by the third she had my number and was laying down the law.

Cole: What are you doing today?

Me: Oh, I'm extraordinarily busy.

Cole: With what?

Me: Oh, I have work... and then I've been SO tired so I need to go to bed early and... well, just all sorts of stuff. (Obviously I'm not very good at fudging)

Cole: Wow, that sounds really busy (she's not that gret at fudging either)

Me: Oh, it is! (Yeah, I'm not quick on the uptake either)

Cole: Just a quick question. Have you thought maybe, just maybe you're... procrastinating?

Me: What!?! No way! I'm just SO busy. Really! But I'm not procrastinating. I've been "thinking" about the story and working on "plot problems."

Cole: Why don't we discuss them and maybe that will help.

Me: *grumble grumble grumle* Sure, that would be great!

And then something great happened. I realized... *gasp* I HAD been procrastinating. I know, who would have thought that? But more importantly I figured out WHY I had been doing it. There *gasp again* really was a plot problem which was holding me back and being the wonderful cp she is, Cole helped me to straighten out my issues. Well, not MY issues... That's a job no sane person would take on, but she helped me steer my way through my plot issues and I'm back on track! Woo Hoo!!!

Now I'm going to go reward myself by critiquing the next chapter she sent me.

So has your cp ever had to get your butt in gear?

April

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Minding Your P's & Q's

Thought I would share a wonderful online course my RWA chapter is putting on in April.

Lowcountry RWA presents their April Online Course:

April 2007 — Minding Your P’s & Q’s. Writing Queries and Pitches
Presented by: Robin Matheson
Dates: April 5-26
Deadline: April 1


Course description: Build pitches and query letters from the ground up!
Discover the 4 components that keep you focused on the big picture and save you time when it comes to writing a pitch or query letter. Learn the 4 pre-writing exercises to presenting characters; the 3 pre-writing exercises to synthesizing your plot; and the 3 story issues that will help you identify the unique features of your story. Review a fail-proof method for creating pitches that sell. Finally master the “ABC Formula” that allows you to compose any business letter in 3 easy steps. Honest! This is an intense workshop composed of a series of lectures and hands on exercises. “In class” critiques of the exercises will be made available by the instructor. In addition to the course material, students will also have an opportunity to receive a critique of either a pitch or a query letter.

Instructor bio: Robin Matheson’s debut release became a 2005 EPPIE Award Finalist. She since sold five more books. Robin holds a B.A.H. in Civilization and English from McMaster University and a Master of Education from the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. She’s taught Marketing, Business Writing, and English as a Second Language at college, overseas and, more recently, online courses on writing. One of Robin’s greatest passions is traveling. In addition to their home base, she and her family have also lived in South East Asia and South Africa.

For more information or to sign up, visit LRWA online at www.lowcountryrwa.com.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Help me!

Check me out over at Word Flirts where I am begging for your advice!

April

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

It's Been Forever...

Well, it has been forever since I posted. Except for my brief PSA at Word Flirts. You know what they say... When the cp is away, the writer will play. Well, I haven't been playing per se... But I haven't been writing either. And now Nicole is back and I have to get on the ball!

In my defense things were nuts while she was gone. Really! But one really great thing did happen, Nicole and family made a pit stop on their trip and we got to go to dinner together. We had a terrific time and it was really wonderful to finally see in person, the person who has helped bring my writing further than I could have imagined. Plus she has the sweetest most adorable family around! :-)

So now I need to get back at it. I'm working on shifting over some of the online class duties I do for my chapter. That will be a BIG load off. And I'm so thankful for the volunteers we have to help! This month is a transition month, so I've had a bit more to do there. But hopefully once our new volunteer has everything figured out, I will have a bit more time to write.

I did come up with a name for my heroine. I know that seems trivial, but I wasn't happy with it and her name just struck me one night. So see, I have been THINKING about writing :-D.

How about you? How much writing have you gotten done?

April