It's Been a Whole Week

It's interesting how time can fly. Between work, writing, family, and church, I can fill a week up pretty good.

I received honorable mention in intermediate for the challenge that ended this past Thursday. I'm getting encouraging comments on the one that can be read now. I'm not much of a short term and short worded writer, but these challenges are helping a lot on both counts. I still need to write up what I plan on posting before this coming Thursday for this week's challenge of "Actions Speak Louder than Words".

I signed up for NaNoEdMo which starts this Saturday, March 1st. The goal is to take a novel you have written and see if you can manage to spend 50 hours working on editing it for the month. I decided to try this for two reasons: I have this sci fi novel I really like, but needs work, and it would be interesting to actually log the time used for editing to see how much time things really do take. So maybe by the end of March I'll have those things I need to change figured out and I'll also know how much time I can put into editing a novel in a month around other writing things. I still have a few more lessons to complete for the apprenticeship course. I have to critique at least one thing a week while I have my inspirational article up for critiquing. I plan on revising it and reposting the revised version to have it complete by the end of March, as well.

To make life more interesting, a project I am assisting with at work has me changing shifts randomly. Not for the worse, mind you. I actually can come to work when my husband does during the project. On the downside it winds up going into weekends a lot. So an attempt at a three day weekend this coming weekend has been cancelled. I know I'll definitely have to work Friday night, but I'm hoping if things don't have the same bumps in the road as last time I may not have to come in Saturday or Sunday. Time will tell on this.

All this project means is readjusting the times I do my writing, plus working it around when the husband is doing something. Usually I am home alone during the week and so is he. We wind up like ships passing in the night though he does get up to have breakfast with me before napping a bit to get all his sleep.

A young adult adventure novel I have started will get attention through my fiction writing homework for the apprenticeship course. However, it isn't going to see extra time while I try to edit the sci fi novel in March. I'll have one of the main character sketches done and an outline by the end of this week for an assignment. I've never done an outline for anything, but I'm going to be doing one for the YA novel for homework. I'm thinking of doing one for the sci fi novel as well so I can figure out how to tweak the plot and character arc so they work better. Both will be an interesting test for me and my writing.

To top things off, my lethargic self (I'm on a computer at work and at home with what I do) needs to eat less and move more. So its time to push through the getting lazy bit to exercise some and I need to eat less. I'm eating far too many calories. At this rate I'll be having to buy bigger clothes and I don't want to. I actually have some clothes I used to fit in before I was disabled last winter. Exercise will help the physical problem that remains to. Even so, I'm not finding it easy to get started and keep going even if once I do get going, I love it.

So throw in the exercise of at least half an hour five days a week to the list at the beginning. I'm really not sure how this will all work out, but I do need to put the exercise stuff in the schedule better.

Off and Running

It's been busy since last Wednesday.

The husband took Thursday off so we could spend some time together since we don't work the same hours. We went out to dinner, it was both good and bad. I should have stopped with the fritters and skipped the steak. One piece was good, but one definitely was not. We were home fairly early where we just lounged for a bit, but we were both pretty tired. He fell asleep trying to read and I wound up chatting with Julie over at Christian Writers Forum for the usual Thursday night book chat. It wound up being just the two of us, but we chatted away most of the hour.

Somewhere over the weekend I managed to pull off completion of another scene in young adult novel idea I have started. I feel more comfortable working on this rather than trying to edit a sci fi thing I pulled out from six years ago. I am using it for my fiction writing assignments that I am now working on in the Christian Writers Guild apprenticeship even if the sci fi was used in the recent screenwriting assignments.

Of course, the first fiction assignment was a letter to a reader who views things way different than you do and then a parable. I found that letter hard even if at one time I was on a way different path that did not agree with where I am now. We'll see what my mentor has to say about it. At least the next assignment is going to be way easier even if it will take a lot longer to complete.

My current entry that is posted for the FaithWriters weekly challenge about "spilt milk" has received several great comments and was selected a jewel by this weeks jewelers. Of course, I have to wait until Thursday to see where I really placed. In the mean time I actually cranked out a rough draft for "Don't bite off your nose to spite your face" challenge. It actually uses the MC (main character for those who don't know) from a previous challenge entry. It stands alone, but it follows right along with where the MC wound up next. I left the rough draft for the husband to read when he gets home. He at least gives me an honest opinion and can point out general things, like wording he don't understand.

I've had two people give me some great ideas to play with for the article they critiqued for me. I like most of the ideas given and knew there would be some wording and grammar mistakes I missed. I'll be leaving it a bit longer for any further critiques people may do before editing and posting with edits for a final review. I'm hoping to submit it by the end of March.

Now it is almost bed time, so I can be ready for another day of work. If only it could seem as productive as my writing lately. I've got a lot done, but not feeling like it really is geting me anywhere or that it matters. I actually have to make people fix things tomorrow because they can't even fill out paperwork consistantly so it actually agrees on all forms.

So It's Wednesday Already

...and I still don't have my weekly challenge written for FW.

It's one of those weird weather days, ending in fun snow to drive home in after a downpouring rain. I give up figuring out the weather for this winter. I'm just wanting to hybernate for another 6 weeks or so.

I actually like playing online video games, but I killed my subscription in order to make sure I did writing instead. Probably a good thing since I really want to be doing that now instead of writing. Of course, I can't. So instead I caught up on some message board stuff at FaithWriters, killed my email, and checked out the boards and blog at the Christian Writers Forum.

So it's an hour later and now I'm typing here instead of typing my challenge entry. Funny thing is my entries I wind up doing at work in little snipets seem to do the best. One won 3rd place and another was in 8th place. I'll know tomorrow how the one I finally did from home placed. It did get some great comments and some good red ink fixes, too.

It's just a jumbled brain day. However, I was really focused at work. I did data entry for some measurements obtained from testing, edited two reports so that all I have to do is enter information in as I get the rest of it, and reviewed this 461 page factory exceptance test for an assembly line. Maybe I wore the brain out with all that geeky engineer stuff. =)

I'm really beginning to believe that due to all the technical like writing I have to do at work, this is one reason I really love fiction when I work on my writing at home. It's a productive escape from reality while the computer games were simply an escape. I honestly prefer the productive kind of escapes and change of paces.

Now to convince my cat he is not supposed to be sitting on my arm that has all the issues and has the continually tingly/semi-numb hand attached. It actually hurts. Silly cuddle muffin. He has always been the infamous lap cat and computer helper since he was a kitten.

Patience Test

I get plenty of tests on patience. I learn a little. I slip some. I get better. Then I blow it.

Now the great thing about all these little tests is that I try my patience more than anybody else does. A lot of things that used to annoy me that others did do not have the same affect. Most of these I can blow off and go on now. However, when I'm trying to do something and it just keeps getting messed up, I get ornery. Not a good thing at all.

Latest example:

I'm trying to post a critique over at the Christian Writers Forum which I belong to. After the fourth try of my numb hands messing up and making the post disappear, I got angry and yelled at my computer. Does this help? Absolutely not. Did it make it harder to accomplish? Absolutely.

How did this wind up harder even if I did get it on the next (fifth) try? Well, I had to go reassure all the pets that mommy was not yelling at them. I got the fraidy cat all huggled up first. Found the alpha male kitty just thinking I'm loco as usual. I could NOT find the 120 pound dog. There are not many places for a 120 pound dog to hide. Actually there really is only one in the whole house where he might feel like he is closed in and safe: the bathtub! So I had to convince the big, ole puppy I was not yelling at him either and he did come out of the bathroom. He did nervously look for his daddy who was at work, but then finally calmed down because I had calmed down.

So even if you are utterly alone and fly off the handle due to a lack of patience with your own efforts, it still messes with your whole world and you will need to sort it out before moving on.

Run Down But Not Run Out

I'm definitely run down by a crazy work schedule and the fight against a cold. However, I've learned a lot of cool stuff at work and I've definitely not run out of ideas for writing.

I received 8th place in intermediate at Faithwriters for the challenge of "All that glitters is not gold" and I have an entry in for "A man is known by the company he keeps" or at least that is my close paraphrasing to the exact topic. Now to wrap my brain around the idea that it isn't worth crying over spilt milk. I love these challenges that invigorate the brain and really don't take long to write. The good thing is they keep me writing even on weeks I don't get much else cranked out.

I do have an article I would love to have my critiquing buddies check out before I submit it. After checking out three different types of articles on the same topic for various course assignments, I found that one needed little editing to make a nice inspirational article. It also had great comments by my mentor about it. However, it was originally written as an exposition instead of inspirational. Sad thing is, she really liked the article, but I didn't quite cut the grade of exposition thus leaving it more inspirational. Well, it appears to have been in the form it was truly met to be. I just need a few more eyes and opinions to make sure its truly tweaked to its fullest potential. This will be the first thing I'll submit for a serious publishing attempt. Gotta start somewhere!

On the long winded side of things, I have this novel I've been toying with which I pulled out a few weeks ago. I used the story to do some screenplay assignments in my writing course. This has led to an interesting observation. I already knew that part of the book was written before I even thought of becoming a Christian and the rest came out in that first year as I learned who Jesus really was. That definitely shows, but even more than I thought. There is so much worldly stuff, including sex (not explicit, but obvious enough), in that first part.

So I'm actually finding myself wanting to tone some of this down, but not wanting to totally delete either. The whole character arc will get skewed otherwise. It mirrors how many people really are before they really accept Christ and then how their views change step by step as they learn to walk with Him.

It even mirrors my change. Some things hit like a ton of bricks and you have to change them immediately. Others take little steps over time only to reveal there is something underneath to work on next. I equate my walk with Christ and getting to know Him better with an onion. The outer layers are bigger and come off easier. As you go deeper they seem to not peel as easy and your eyes water with the effort. Our trials will peel our onions. Somewhere under all our selfish layers there will be the true center of what God intended us to be. I'm still peeling and crying both tears of heartache and joy as I learn.

So never stop peeling your onion. There are some cool things deep in there waiting to come out. God does not make junk. =D

Day off for what?

I have been fighting a cold the past couple days and was overly glad I had today off. However, I had to take naps during the day in order to function. I spent time just playing on message boards. I finished reading a book. I continued my Bible reading and studies. I had no idea what to write or how to fix an article I had in mind.

Finally at around eight after waking up from a three hour nap, I got an idea at least for the faithwriters.com writing challenge this week. I'm never sure how to feel about the writing on these challenges. Sometimes it feels right on and others entirely off. I submit whatever I have done and see what comments I get. I love the comments I've gotten for both my failures and my successes. It keeps me writing even as I aspire to make it to master level there.

God confirmed once again about how my life would progress little by little. That's the best way to do anything because it allows time to even change patterns and habits in order to succeed. We should never forget the tiny successes even as we aim for the huge goals. We can't just jump up to that great success if we haven't done some work first to know how to get there and stay there. It's so interesting how God leads us through many things and its always little by little.

I need to work two longer days, but I'm hoping some inspiration for my article editing happens. I would like to submit it soon. Hopefully the ideas come and I can work on it during my three day weekend around what we already have planned.

Time to get some sleep. Tomorrow is another day for some writing.

The Intro

There are the little blurbs to the right to give you some hint about me. Maybe it has made you curious already. If it has, I'm sorry to disappoint you already. The story is very long and several years. As I blog here you will get a mixture of my past, present and future of my life as an aspiring writer. Someday that will be continuing life of a published writer.

I've always wanted to become published, even as a teen, but somehow I'm almost forty and not there yet. Far too much procrastination and just letting life get in the way. Some times life will cause a delay, but it shouldn't stop us entirely. Every day a little bit of writing or research into the how-to's should be accomplished even if it may only be an hour. Let's say even if that is an hour interrupted many times that takes all day. I've actually written ideas at work during breaks just to make sure I didn't lose them or researched something on the internet.

The best thing that has happened in the past year is that I did get remarried and to a man that loves to encourage me to write as much as he loves to work with wood and cook. I actually feel guilty because I actually let him do most of the cooking, but I truly believe that is one of the ways he loves to serve me. The hard part is that normal working hours do not match at all, but we've found our ways around this. We are quite independent and use the time for our favorite pursuits: I write and he builds things or cooks. Of course, if we tag team the kitchen, I can be cleaning up behind him and that allows for us to possibly crank out three different things in a couple hours that we can eat for several days to come.

I even have minor disabilities which used to be major. You try being a writer with one hand when you are normally a touch typist. So the worst part of the last year was healing while fully out of work for over four months. Somehow I did not get overly far behind on my course work for the Christian Writers Guild Apprenticeship program I started in 2006. I think I fell behind faster due to house remodeling/addition building, wedding planning, and moving last fall than I did due to my disability. I know why, too. I had plenty of time to type with one finger while on disability.

So there is the intro in a nutshell and the story will unfold from here. Be sure of it. I love to blog! I have the gift of gab fully inherited directly from mom. Thanks, Mom!