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

Let's Talk About....

The beast with two backs?

Whatever happened to the use of the good old word... Sex? And how in the world did "the beast with two backs" become a euphemism for sex? Can anyone explain that one?

I've seen a lot of creative words for sex and for different body parts. At times they've been so ridiculous they're hilarious. I won't use any examples out of books because this isn't about knocking anyone's writing. It's a simple discussion of a simple matter.

I needed to find a saying earlier. A cliche if you will. Because... well, we've discussed my cliche issues in prior posts. And I couldn't think of the word ciche so I googled euphemism. I know, cliche is much simpler, but sometimes my brain doesn't work that way. What I found were several websites with euphemisms for sex. And I thought... I write about that, let's see what they have.

I found the typical stuff we've all heard countless times. "Doing it" "Bumping uglies" which still confuses me. Guys use this phrase, but heaven help someone if they something disparaging about said guy's "little guy".

But then I found phrases I had never heard of. Some I couldn't even figure out. If I had heard them in conversation I would have no clue the person was referring to sex. Phrases like, "Waxing the giraffe" I get it, but I wouldn't have without thought. And "The beast with two backs" I have no clue. Maybe I'm naive, but it completely escapes me.

Then there was "Coitus" which I see where it relates, but it sounds more like an STD than something pleasurable. Maybe in a historical? Though I can't say I've seen it.

Here's the website where I found these little gems so you know I didn't make them up. I'm creative, but no that creative!

I also found this funny story about a guy who couldn't apparently say the word sex to his wife. I'm sure it's fiction, but funny none the less.

What's the funniest euphemism for sex you've ever heard?

April

PS I'm sure this post should garner some interesting google search returns! :o)

It's

Hunk O'Hero day over at Word Flirts. Join me there!

April

Working for the weekend...

or not. So it's Sunday, well Monday morning now I guess. And I have only now gotten any work done on my wip. But I got 2000 words done tonight, so I guess I won't complain too much.

We got a new bed on Friday. It's a king size where our old bed was a queen and to be frank, while it's beautiful, it's also hilarious. Our bedroom was not made for a king size bed, that much I'm fairly sure of. But it fits. Just. And while our new mattress is very comfortable, it's a little more than hip high off the ground. We even ordered the low profile box springs so it wouldn't be so high, but when they got it set up I just burst out laughing. Maybe I'll loose weight faster since I have to literally 'climb' into bed now.

I'll try to post a picture this week. I would tonight, but it seems the batteries in the camera are dead and the little fairies who steal away with the matches to my socks when I'm not looking have also gotten into the AA batteries. Bad fairies.

But I had a good weekend even without the writing. Friday night we went to see a good friend of ours play (music) and Saturday I spent time with my friend who is pregnant. It's the first time she's felt like actually doing anything, so we goofed off. Then I spent time with my sweet brother-in-law and his girlfriend, whom I love to death, while we hid out from the violent storms which swept through town.

What was your weekend like?

April

Come Visit Me

at Word Flirts where we're discussing creative flow.

April

Husbandly Advice...

I hope you all had a delightful weekend.

Saturday I helped out my friend and then shared a nice evening with the hubby. Sunday proved quiet too. Until dinner that is.

Hubby and I had a casual dinner and I was thinking of my hero's motivations for going along with the scheme that is going to bring he and the heroine together. So I decided to do something I haven't ever done before... Ask my hubby what he thought. My hero is an athlete and I wanted his opinion on if it made sense from a man's sporting stand point.

He listened-actually first he got a glazed look in his eyes, but then I assured him it was a quick question and then he listened-and asked questions and we ended up discussing the whole plot despite my assurances otherwise.

THEN, he dropped the bomb. He said he thought my hero's motivation to get involved wasn't very strong or realistic. I of course got defensive. I said it's romantic FICTION, it doesn't have to be perfectly realistic! Then, he did something I will admit still has my head spinning. He said, "What about this instead..." And he proceeded to not completely rip my plot to shreds, but to twist it into a similar, but altered story.

I sat there, asking questions, wishing his words would sound like dribble, refusing to admit that my HUSBAND had just come up with a stronger plot than me. Then, I finally gave in and smiled.

Presuming the worst of me, he said, "Let me guess... You think I'm an idiot and you're going to do it your way. That's fine. You asked, I shared that's all I can do."

So I called him a Turkey and said, very begrudgingly, "actually, I really like it."

He then of course demanded 50% of the profit if I sell it. I reminded him we're married and what's mine is his and his mine.

I have no idea how that happened. But I'll tell you what. I'm really impressed.

Who would have guessed?

I would say he even surprised himself, but he's too busy thinking he's "da bomb" so it would be a lie.

Either way, he didn't act like he was going to collapse due to boredom from listening to me talk about my story and he actually took the time to hear what I said and do something way beyond my expectations.

Of course, the last thing he said was, "This doesn't mean you're going to tell me EVERY idea you get does it?"

Men.

So I'm wondering... Was this an aberration or do other hubbies help out on the writing front?

April

PS Thanks to my hubby's insight, I erased 1200 words, but added another 3500 or so. Now I'm at 5750! Woo Hoo!!

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