Day 10 photo

Well, yesterday was supposed to be younger you and today I missed the even little bits of one. So, I'll give you one of a younger me...okay, two LOL these are not my pics, but ones taken of me my senior year.

I'm the girl with the cheeky grin on her face and curly hair. The guy giving bunny ears to one of my fav teachers, was also one of my fav boys at the time, James Martin. He was boy cheerleader. He's now a chef. My parents were sure he must be gay... LOL (he wasn't and isn't) I had the biggest crush on him. I must have known even then he'd turn out to be a damn good chef. He made some delicious pastry thingies (if he reads this he's probably going to roll his eyes that I don't know the names! lol) cuz it seems most of the guys I dated seriously were either good cooks/chefs or firemen or both...apparently I like things hot in and out of the kitchen!!  Anyways, my smile was all for him that day! He was also in my french class...how convenient... :D:D (I was a little outspoken then as well...)

By graduation, I'd all but forgot about ol' what's his name lol (jk James, you're a terrific guy...well, for a boy cheerleader ;p) Was I ever glad to graduate. I loved school but my senior year was a rough one! Even if I was voted teacher's pet after not having been in public school for three years...

I'm the one about to walk out of the picture in this one. Seventeen years old and feeling like forty. If only I'd known how I'd feel by the time I was nearly forty... would you look at those dos! Who can guess what year I graduated?

On a side note, I was able to get my thyroid meds today, so focus should slowly come back for me over next few days/week. Watch out!! My house, my writing, and my art are going to squeak in fear of my wrath and my rag! LOL I'm at 16,900 ish on Midwife's Moon (not sure where I was last night, with more time ahead. I didn't get much done last night. I went to bed hoping to get up early with fresh eyes. Well, instead, I laid awake all night. Sigh. One my other short, which I think I'll call Hickory, Rick, and the Doc, I also wrote a bit on and am at 3200. (yes, it's an Erotica).

I also picked up first round of edits from the shifter anthology, my story being Barely There. Good things I got my meds!!! Tomorrow, is probably going to be spent doing more cleaning than anything because I need my space back! I was nearly finished with main living areas (still need to do bedrooms) when all the boys got sick and I crashed. It took the last of my energy. I started cleaning again and painting. It was awesome. But I'm having trouble focusing on cleaning. Since I'd started spring cleaning, I'm not just in a do chore spot. I have to THINK and organize. Especially if doc's right about Edward being High Functioning Autistic because it'll need to stay as much the same as possible...

So how are the rest of y'all?

New installment

So the third installment in Dangerous Journey is up on Splintered Lands. I'm having so much fun with this. It makes me grin from ear to ear. I don't worry about them thinking I'm crazy-they already do. soemthing about my love of editing or something lol I do like editing from constructive criticism. Hate editing for change of POV though *frowns and growls at remembering that I still have some to go*

Anyways, thanks for the comments on posts. I'm still having trouble with blogger. Something with my cookies. Even though I cleared my cache memory, it won't let me leave comments. I wish, they'd called those stupid memory helps something besides cookies. I LIKE cookies. I don't like this kind of problem...

Anyway, got news that my commissioned painting arrived safely, which made me very happy :D I like it when things go well. She really likes it, which makes me even happier LOL

I'm on an insane challenge to write 25k by this day next week (start word count is actually 21753), so must get on with it! Wish me luck!

Ta-ta for now!

Here Come Summer

MY muse and my mojo are back, but I'm stunting my way through the word count. It's there, but just under 1k the days I write. Sundays have turned into semi forced days off...but that's okay. AS I've said previously, you have to take time off or your body will do it for you.

I started to do a new blog Sat, Sun, Mon and it didn't happen for a variety of reasons. So this morning I woke up and said I'm going to Borders to get some time in. I'm drinking a Mint Chocolate Javakula and eating a browning. *pauses while jealousy infuses your mind*

My house is superbly rearranged and we may have solved an issue with our woodstove. Now just need to figure out where to keep it for the summer. I love the way the house is arranged with it out of the house though. We'll see what happens there. I'm feeling pretty optimistic about the future, which has been a rare commodity of late. I had a commission for artwork, bookmarks sold, and someone else who's thinking of commissioning artwork. I have writing that's wanted, a check, albeit a small one, coming sometime in the future for a short in an anthology, and another small one coming in the fall for another contribution to an anthology. Small things but it all helps me to feel good about myself.

I'm about at 22k on the sort that used to be 12,600 so I'm getting somewhere with my little bits, but want to go faster. Tomorrow, if it's not windy, I'm going to be burning and weeding, but as of Thursday, I think I need to have another NANO :D With the way the house is gettting organized, it might even be possible. Just the thought of doing that makes me feel good :D

So I think I'll call up my partner and start up another writing thing for the two of us since the last one was short circuited by life. My kids have been given their instructions for summer school. Because of my daughters stuff, we got a little behind (not too far as I'm not afraid to make them work later or on weekends when emergencies happen) so I've given them their insturctions for what they have to get done if they want a month off for the summer. Yep, I'm mean. Only giving them a month off... partly because of the family upset that happened. Plus, their are more ways of teaching than sitting in a classroom and they're more fun in the summer :D

I'm working with the boys on art but my older one wants something different, so Nate's teaching him beading techniques (which I know enough of to backhim up) and I'm going to work with both of them on design and compostition. Shhhhh....they don't know that's part of the schooling :D I told them we could set up a lemonade stand at the end of our drive and they can sell their art stuff as well. Course this is happening on their month "off" lol I know, devious I am, but it's a lot easier to get their cooperation and a lot more fun for them if they don't know it's happening as part of school.

Also, I'm going to be starting a medeival section for the boys. Think it'll roll right into the next school year. We can do everything from music (which I need to bone up on) to sewing, history, geography, politics, and for breaks? Math by way of monolpoly...

Anyway, my summer looks to be full and exciting. With the school stuff, writing and hopefully camping/day trips to mountains, I plan on giving my boys a fun summer, even if they learn something along the way. Hope you all have summer plans that work for you.

BTW, I plan on blogging all through the summer as well. So if you need some company because it seems everyone and their brother is off on wonderful momnth long summer trips, come see me and we can have our own fun together :D

Gal Friday Noir

That's the working title of the new series I've started. I still don't even have a working title for this story! But it has to be written! 2500 words already, despite kids and auditions! Good start for how raw it is. I love it when this happens... Although, I'm not sure it's ever happened exactly like this before with me.

The closest I usually have is when I have dreams that stick with me and stories grow out of them. This time, it was some dark days, and I created an alter-ego to deal with it...This darkness translated inot an awesome story. I love being a writer!

Days 21-25

If you 're my nano buddy, You will notice very little word count change. I have discovered that I do not write well when I am very cold. A little cold is invigorating! But we got extremely cold here.

I'm not sure why it's so bad. My MIL lived here before us. Everytime we visited, it was WAY too hot. I finally picked up two space heaters--one for each bathroom. I'm warming up. Our pipes froze to the laundry room and one bathroom. Today, in middle of Thanksgiving turkey dinner cooking and giving boys baths (it was finally warm enough!), the water quit working. Just like that. I went to wash off eggs I had peeled, and in the time it took to peel 2 eggs, BAMN the water was gone.

My husband managed to reroute the water. We have water back in kitchen, 1 bathroom (thank god!) and the laundry. Will have to have pumpkin pie tomorrow since the water going off put me behind. I'm thankful we didn't take our friends up on the offer to go to their house. It would have been dark when we got home and NO WATER> Instead, it was a minor inconvenience that will repeat tomorrow, but hopefully be over then.

Word wise, I've gotten about 100 or so. I was going to write a lot yesterday, and I tried. I was able to work a couple of things out in my mind, but I was too cold to do more than a little bit. Warmer today, so maybe tonight will get a chance to write. I've already warned everyone, that I am doing very little over next three days but write. Maybe five days.

My husband had to stay home yesterday to try and deal with the frozen pipes and his car didn't start in morning. Result? He lost 12 hours of work, and the paid holiday. If you don't work the day before and the day after, you don't get the holiday pay.

Result of that? total loss of 28 hours of paid time. Result of that? I don't get to go to Ocean and paint. My MIL was going to take me to ocean next weekend (after Nano ended) so I could spend 5 days painting. Instead, sigh. Oh well. Maybe another time.

I'm really bummed about it. :((((((

Okay, pity party over. At least until day I was supposed to leave. So, I managed to make two more hats for baby (two I already made are somewhere...) one for busband, and one for my other two boys, scarf for husband, hats and scarfs for friend's kid's birthday. Need to make hats and scarfs for nieces for Christmas, and re-make me some. I don't know if I have enough yarn because the mice took over myart room. I'm taking it back, but I lost more yarn :(

In some ways, a very trying week. However, it should help me to go fresh at the writing tomorrow while it was swirling in my mind these last fiew days. I will make the 50k. I will be struggling to make the 70k. It's possible. I've written that much in a week before. Let's hope life cooperates!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

days 19-20

I'm at 42,598 Word word count :D Did about 2k last night. And was apparently wrong on ending word count or something, idk because I did over 2k yesterday. Of course, I did have low day on Friday, so maybe it's right.

I'm writing a love scene which is helping my word count, but sounds silly to me. I have found that while I don't mind readingt he love scenes, that writing is a much harder task.

How do you make it sound sincere, not crass. Loving yet hot. Sensual and sexual yet not crude. All of these things and more keep running through my head. They are psychic, one more than the other, and Soulmates. So there's the paranormal aspect that should be blended it. It slowed me down considerably.

Of course, having a 6 and 9 yo buggin me for computer time every 5 secs did not help. Also, in between writing times, I clean, play with kids, etc. One of my clean times I found evidence of long term mice STUFF.

I have barely had my art/craf room set up for maybe six weeks. Yet, the mice have made new hole in wall, nested in three yarn cubes and ruined a ton of my string yarn and squatted on other stuff on top of the cubes. I mean hard core.

One of my costume tubs in my closet popped its lid and the mice have been using it for a luxury spa I think. I swear, if I had not seen this cat eat three mice with my own eyes, I would think he wasn't even trying!

Good part is that the mice are no longer sauntering across my living room and kitchen like they own it. I caught one mouse that used to walk between TV stand and next bit of hide out space. It would stop and look at whoever was sitting on couch and chatter at them. I kid you not.

Now, it stops at end of TV stand and sits and shakes before trotting itself out. I'm afraid to look in my paper stash after what I found in my yarn stash, though. They are eating through everything to make quick escape routes, even my lacquered drawers made out of real wood. Pine dressers. And the mice are ruining them! UGH LOL. I'm thinking I may have to right a farce about my micecapades :D

Day 18

I posted yesterday, really I did. However, my internet card over heated. Anyhow, My word count end for last night is 39,770! Yehaw and all that jazz. I'm terribly excited. I was so far behind this time last week (for personal goal. I don't beilve I've ever fell behind Nano's suggested numbers) and now, I will make it to 70k if I do 3k a day everyday. So that means I need a couple of 5k days to make up for Thanksgiving! lol

Also, saw a few of my Nano buddies do some awesome catch up. A few more are on their way to the goal, and a couple have finished! Funny thing is, one is a buddy from last year who had not finished at all, much less early!

I love our group of writers :D Have a great weekend. I plan on blogging this weekend, but I will be sans husband and teenager to help! Wish me luck in my writing and craft endeavors!

day 16

It's easier for me in the morning, so I may be blogging the day before's info every morning. Please note that that is MY morning. Which today is 1015 only because my husband can't be awake by himself apparently. LOL He says I simply woke up but...

Any hoot, despite many attempts at sabatoge by my 6 yo and quite a few by my other children, minor emergency of my teen (I'm all set to go, I just need my ASB. 25 bucks. Cash.), my husbands bad day at work which meant I needed to spend some extra time letting him vent, and the regular household chores, I passed my daily quota and moved into make up time.

New word count is 34,694! Can I get a big Hell yeah! (That's Word word count. Nano is about 20 words shorter. Which is weird because last year it gave me ten words more than my count. Go figure.)

Wish me luck today. Also, feel free to share your writing experiences here as each day goes by--even if you are struggling or doing Nano. Like exercising, writing is better with a buddy.

Day 15

Wow, what a day! My 2 yo is quite the handful. He has to dump out everything and anything he can get his hands on. Drinks are the worst problem. But lately, he's been having a go at the litter box. Whatever it is that gets him into the most trouble, that is what he repeats the most often.

I know, kid wants attention right? Well, sort of. He wants to get you playing with him with whatever he's not supposed to be doing (Ie turning on off TV/VCR/game system) and make you laugh. Problem is, he is so darn cute that it is hard not to!

Anyways, we played and wore him out. He's asleep right now. I'm afraid he will wake up soon :(

In the meantime, I am up past 29,600! yeah. Did a little catch up anyway. Now I'm only down 5,400 from my personal goal. Which is good! I don't remember where I was at last year, but I ended with 64k, so I'm slightly behind the pace set last year. However, this year, the story has given me fits and I'm having trouble turning my inner editor off. Means less problems editing later, but my word count is starting to suffer.

One thing that is good though, I put in a short chapter introducing the villian about four chapters sooner to up the ante a little bit. I mean, there's a murder in the first chapter, but we don't get much of a glimpse of the bad guy until later. I realised that would not do, so I put in a little voyeurism at the murder scene, and sent her off to have sex with her cohort in crime.

Here's a small excerpt from the last few days...


She felt that burning now, and touched herself quickly despite the public venue. She needed relief. She took one more look at all the faces, their fear and panic, the emergency workers who looked sickened.

Power hummed in her blood. She went around the back way and went home. He was there waiting, hard, wanting her as much as she wanted him. He was in it up to his eyeballs.

What was that called? She had seen it on television. Oh, yes, she remembered. Accessory after the fact. Same penalty. She smiled a pouty sexy smile at him. But, not as much fun.

She grabbed his hair and kissed him hard, then lost herself in the moment.

She had no idea how many witnesses were there. How many other world creatures rode the high with her.

If she had known there was a demon riding her as hard as she was riding her lust companion, that he had control over her, she would not have believed it. The power blinded her to all but her own needs and feelings.

She loved the kill. She was in control. She knew it.

The demonic laughter floating around the room was not heard by her or him. They didn't know it, but their time was up. Soon, very soon.

Day 11

I didn't get far yesterday. I only did about another 500 words before having to stop and take care of baby :) I did get over 2k done today. So from last nights 20900 I am at 24153! Most of which I wrote today. I'm going to try again real quick, but I have 2yo complaining mightily already!

My word count is behind my personal goal, but I am days ahead of the rest of Nano's goals...
According to my stats, despite 3 days of virtually nothing, I still average over 2k a day and only need 1362 a day to finish. Well, as everyone knows, I have a family. I heartily doubt I will get to write everyday. So here's me, off to snag a few extra words before my other life rushes in!

How are you all doing??

Day 8 and 9

As I said in yesterday morning's blog, my son burned his hand. If you've ever gotten a cut or sore on your hands, particularly the forefinger and thumb, then you know that it makes it difficult to impossible to snap/button jeans. What did that mean to me/us?

It meant my 9yo couldn't do his own pants anymore, so I spent day sewing yesterday. I made him two pairs of pants with elastic waist and pockets. I now have orders for plenty more for rest of fam who are a bit jealous lol

Today, I wrote 2k words. Then went grocery shopping, made dinner, etc. I came back to do a bit more work, but uploaded my nanowrimo. When I got there, is saw my word count was over 18k!! I almost cried. My WIP is now a little over 19...

Sigh. Oh well. Maybe I accidently erased more than I thought... Or maybe I'm crazy and can't remember. After all, it has been 2 days o.o.

As of this time, my word count is at 19528. I'm ahead of nanowrimo schedule, but way behind my personal schedule. I need at least 21k to be on track of the 3k a day, 5 days a week. More if I want to make the 70k mark. Sigh.

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There, I feel better. Thank you. I have like thirty funny stories I thought to tell then forgot. Maybe I'll remember them soon :) Well, off to write some more. How is everyone else's week going?

Day 5.

I almost forgot to post this! Day five did not go quite as well as planned, so I incorporated the writing I've done on many projects today. I realized that I was hurting myself by spreading my words so thin. So, after the end, I am keeping track of other things I write, as of yesterday.

It's more to help my morale than anything. I am also querying and editing on two other books as I undertake this nano project. Today, I passed over 3k on other projects and decided I needed to track it better.

Start totals: 10865
Day end: 12230
Total words written on projects: 16772

You can see why I needed to start tracking it together. So, if I remember, I will be posting these three totals from now on.

In other news, I guest blogged on the Peevish Penman. It's great and re Nano. I love the linked post. After all, I'm married to a Native... LOL Go read. I'll post address tomorrow. However, I've had two hours of sleep and the baby has woken up after only being down an hour!!!!


TTFN wish me well tonight.

Day 3

Day 3 rocked for me. As I posted earlier, I finished my other assignment. I received news as to when my "guest blog" will be posting (Friday, I will post a link here :) and heard feedback on my Forever Nocturne story and artwork. I had a good writing day and it isn't over.

I pulled what I'd like to call reverse psychology on my characters and this story. The paranormal I've been trying to pin down for year? It's here and it rocks. Only thing is I wrote the last chapter before finishing the first chapter. Turned out to be the second to the last chapter. 5-6k words in a little over 24 hours (some last night, some this morning/afternoon) and I wrote the end. Now my characters know I'm not going to hurt them-much. And there is kissing involved. Maybe they'll get it together and tell me how they want to handle the rest of the first chapter?

See, I don't have the middle-slog problem a lot of writers seem to have. My problem is the beginning. I end up telling too much too soon. Or too much backstory that I then have to cut and add in by bits and pieces later. Nope, for me it is not the middle that perplexes me. It's how to keep the story interesting and give out the right amount of facts and backstory from the first.

I need to get back to it while I have the impetuous. So without further ado, here are my up -to-the-minute stats.

Starting count: 6112
Right this minute count: 8756
Chapters finished: 2 the LAST 2 lol.

If you haven't been following along, then you might not realize that I am well aware that my start numbers are NOT the same as my end numbers. I don't quit writing after I post. I write and write and write... you get the picture.

Oh, and in case you missed it, (or I didn't post this?) the working title for the book is Ghost of Kristen's Past :D I know I want to read it. Now, to get the words down on paper so that I can print, print, print.

PS My goal is to do a MINIMUM of 3k a day, 5 days a week. However, my long term goal is to have more than 70k written by the end of the month. This book has had many false starts and lots of research. The only thing stopping me has been this silly mental block because of a sillier outline. Now, muse, drink up and taste the Pepsi. It's time to roll out the words!

bonus post

I ended yesterday with over 6k words. I've started today by writing 800 words on other assignment. It's finished now and needs only to be emailed :) Yeah me!

Also, the chest pain has abated, so must have been a bad asthma issue. Usually, I have more warning than that. It's possible I've been to busy to pay attention to those warning signs. You think so? :P

Wish me luck on today's word count (no I'm not counting the assignment!) and go read my horror short story I linked to in the last post! TTFN

weekend update

Wow, so after the first day of this, I was in a panic. It was one of those days. Things like 20 minute drives taking 2 hours, baby on a terror, rehearsal, teenage daughter not exactly panicking, but going on a drama tear, headaches, spills, losing Internet, you name it, I had it happen that first day. Squeaked out close to 1k (had to estimate because I forgot to mark my stopping point).

Yesterday, though, I wrote my little bum off *fine you caught me: my bum is NOT little* and it's still there, unfortunately.

I'm at 5200+ few for the two days. Will make up the other 800 while trying to keep to the 1kaday for the weekend. That made about 4200 for yesterday and I finished my fantasy! Well, still have 5 chapters of edits coming in, but still. Can we say wow O.O? I had to. With five kids and playing mom's taxi, 3k is a trick.

To help me with my word count, I'm taking a notebook since my laptop is out of commission *sobs* and I always get the best ideas when I'm out and about.

Everyone be sure to work on their 1kaday and enjoy their writing as much as their fourth -- or more if you are not having a big bang of a party. I know, I know, cheesy, but my family is chomping in my ears because we are going horseback riding as soon as we are ready to leave. :D

Happy Fourth of July everyone! How are you going to spend it? I am going to paint the largest flag in the county. I've already warned my husband. He said, "Wait. Let me get this straight. You are going to the larges flag in the county, on the fourth of July, and think you are going to set up easel and paint?" "No," I said. I'm going to Taco Bell across the street which has picnic tables and park area that I can see it from. I WAMT those people at the park so I can paint them in if I want." He simiply shook his head. He knows I will. I don't often take off to paint. Even though I want to. So when I say I'm going, he knows I mean it.

Off to the fun and the Fourth.

:D