Getting My Mind Back...

Things have been NUTS lately. Between work and personal things, my brain has been beyond scrambled. I don't know if I'm coming, going, or gone already.

Where used to I could multi-task five things at once, I'm down to handling only two. Possibly as little as one at once. That's not a stellar performance for a woman, you know.

But I think I'm getting my mind back. Sort of. I at least see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think. It could be a neon sign advertising ice cold margaritas, but my mind sees it as a reassurance either way.

Business has been... well, busy. And then early in May I was diagnosed with a... disorder? It's not a disease, it's called a type of "syndrome". Gee, all those words make me sound contagious. It's nothing like that and it's certainly not fatal. Although I won't go into all of the details here, it's something I was apparently born with, just never diagnosed and I promise not to get on my soap box about that. But thanks to my wonderful CURRENT doctor, I now know what's going on. Problem is it means I have to go on meds. For now at least. And they aren't doing much for the "lost mind" problem. But in the end, we're hopeful they will bring about wonderful things, so it's worth the temporary issues.

What I'm getting at... Yes, I do have a point, I promise... Is that the reason I haven't been around as much lately is because outside stuff has been keeping me away. And while that outside stuff isn't over yet, I am still around and I'm doing well--despite the lost mind issue--and I promise I'm popping in every once in a while, even if I don't have time to leave comments.

I'm also writing still. YAY! And one day, maybe even this year I will have my poor cp's ms back to her. Cole is such a sweetie to not bop me in the head for not getting it wrapped up sooner. My wip is doing well, I'm revising what I've written because thanks to Julie's post at Word Flirts, I realized EXACTLY what was bothering me about it. Thanks, Julie!

So that's me, what's up with you?

April

PS the picture is from a trip hubby and I took to Gatlinburg, TN recently. It was taken at Clingman's dome, the highest point in TN and in it you can see Mtn peaks 70 miles away!

I'm Dishing...

Out some rather delicious Nachos at Word Flirts, so visit me there!

Finding Time...

Well, much like everyone else, things have been nuts for me lately. Business got busy, life got busy, hubby and I are celebrating our two year anniversary and of course, my writing suffers.

I'm at 18,250 words on my wip. Which isn't bad. But it isn't great either for as long as I've been working on it. But something really funny happened last night. Hubby used to groan when I would skip watching tv with him to go write. But last night as we sat eating dinner on the second anniversary of our wedding, he asked, "So where are you at with the book?"

I replied, "I'm at 18,000 words."

He rolled his eyes, "I mean where as in what part of the story."

"Oh, they're on the date from hell."

His forehead wrinkled with confusion. "That's where you were over a week ago when I asked."

I sipped on my margarita before replying. "I know. I asked you how I can totally ruin the date and you said you'd get back to me, but you didn't, so I'm still there." Okay, that wasn't totally truthful. I did ask, he did say that, but I have worked on it since then. I just haven't made it through the scene. I have thankfully gotten them to quit acting like they're in heat. Well, sort of. But hubby didn't need to know that.

He of course rolled his eyes again. Men are so predictable sometimes. "Well, why didn't you ask again?"

"You were busy... And so was I. Can we go to Barnes and Noble after dinner?" I have a triple track mind and we're going away for the weekend, so it wasn't a real anniversary celebration.

He grunted. His usual reply to going to Barnes and Noble.

"Thanks!"

"Why don't you work on writing when we get home, so you can finish that book and buy it at Barnes and Noble?"

"Oh, I'd never do that. Do you know what sort of mark up they have? I could get my own book much cheaper."

Exasperated over my attempt at humor, he replied, "Not if you don't finish it."

He had me there. So here I am tonight typing away and working on finishing my wip. I doubt hubby would be taking such an interest in my finishing the story if he hadn't helped with the plotting. But whatever gets me excused from the couch is fine by me!

How about you? Anyone ever get exasperated with how much time you spend writing?

April

I Got Tagged...

Several fellow bloggers tagged me recently, so here it is:

8 Random Things About Me:

1. After several miscarriages between having my sister and me, I was considered the "miracle" baby. I'm now considered simply stubborn.

2. I'm married to my high school sweetheart, but we hated each other's guts when we were 11. Isn't puppy love grand?

3. I'm distantly related to: Marla Maples, June Carter Cash, and Ronald Regan. But not so distant that it's in the "we're-all-related-someway" way.

4. I have a bad habit of breaking into random song when I "think" I'm alone. Wouldn't be a problem if I was really alone each time.

5. I get hiccups. But they're not over and over. It's just one really loud, really painful hiccup. Poor hubby thinks I'm costing him his hearing. I think it has more to do with the rock and roll.

6. I did TERRIBLE on my SAT's. As in: I couldn't get into the university I attended according to their current requirements... Which aren't all THAT stringent. But I've tested with an IQ of 147.

7. I have a hard time with these things because each time I think about writing something about myself I think... That's terribly self-centered. Then I realize that's the point. But I still feel weird.

8. My mom is my biggest hero.

In case I tag you, here are the rules:
1) Each player starts with 8 random facts or habits about themselves.
2) People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their 8 things with a copy of these rules.
3) At the end of your blog you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names.
4) Don't forget to leave them a note saying they've been tagged.

Ok, I don't think I know anyone who hasn't been tagged. If you read this and you haven't been, consider yourself now tagged! If you want :o)

April

Help me...

with some problem characters over at Word Flirts!

April

Show and Tell...

We all remember show and tell at school right? You'd take some object from home, or maybe a picture to school and then you'd show it to the class and then you'd tell them about it and why it was special enough to you to be brought to school.

I remember taking my "Little Pillow" once. It's this pillow measuring maybe 11X11 made out of the silky blue fabric of my mother's maternity night gown, with practically no stuffing in it. So it's sort of a pillow/blanket/cloth scrap. I enjoyed a very friendly kindergarten class and we were all pretty close.

The day I took it to school I had my mother place it in a sealed plastic jumbo bag before placing it safely into my backpack. Then I guarded it all day until it was time to take out show and tell. Even then, I kept it in the bag until the very last moment. Relunctantly, I withdrew it from the bag. When I held it up, a look of fascination came across the faces of most of my classmates... Some were nose pickers and couldn't get fascinated with anything further than three inches from their face.

I shook a little. It's difficult to expose a weakness for an object to other people. But I held the pillow close and rubbed it between my fingers as I explained to the class what it was and how I had come about getting it.

Later on during the day when I was at the building block station a little boy got irritated with me because I wouldn't hang my backpack on the rack and he felt it was in his way. Boys. He was one of the nose pickers. When he went to reach for it, a friend of mine pushed him. An inevitable argument broke out with my friend yelling at him that I had something special in there.

I read the recent article in the RWR about showing, not telling. And for some odd reason it brought this memory to mind. After thinking about it for a while, I realize the words I said about the pillow that day were pretty remote. It's fabric and my mom sewed it for me. What kid doesn't have something their mom made for them?

But the reason my friend reacted so strongly was because she had SEEN what the object was to me. My inability to let it go for fear it would disappear (obviously there were other issues at play which wouldn't come to light until much later), the way I had subconsciously used it for comfort when I started my showing and telling. All of these non-verbal cues told my classmates a lot more than what I said. Maybe that's why booger boy made the mistake he made. He hadn't been paying attention to anything other than what I said well and the obvious.

In my writing I find I often do a LOT of telling in the first draft. It's just faster. I can say. "She was nervous." in 3 words. But showing can sometimes take a bit more thought and writing. So this go round my word goal is shorter than my ultimate goal so I have plenty of room to erase all of those 3 word telling sentences.

Oh yeah... Booger boy got sent to the corner for touching something that wasn't his. And thankfully my friend didn't get in trouble. I still have "Little Pillow" actually, it's "Little Pillow II". The first one got ragged from my rubbing it and sleeping with it. The second one had been made at the same time but had too much stuffing for my small hands. So my mom just took stuffing out of it. But it's tucked in a drawer where it's safe and sound. My hubby thinks it's an abomination. But he's too sweet to suggest I get rid of it.

What about you? Any trouble showing or telling? Or have you found a way it relates to everyday life?

April