A Wandering Writer

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

2009-11-26T20:13:03Z

I'm in Phoenix with the family. It's over 80 degrees here. It just seems wrong (to this Idaho chick) there is no snow, palm trees have Christmas lights, and we can stroll down the street in shorts and tank tops. But it is nice to be by my sister's pool visiting with everyone. The kids are playing Guitar Hero. The house smells wonderful.

My husband and I went to Chandler last night and met up with an old school buddy of his and his wife. It was a good time. Scott and Anne are very nice, and it was a pleasure to meet them.

We also got to go to the Lego Store, which I think has been the highlight of the whole trip!

Have a great turkey day, everyone!

Why, why, why?!

2009-11-20T22:34:20Z

Why does our mere existence create red tape? Why did our forefathers think government would be a good idea? Did they have any idea that by creating a Constitution, that document would be the Adam of all paperwork processing, phone trees, red tape, and other hoopla that has come since? Of course, electricity wasn't exactly a factor in their thinking when they created this monster.

Now whoa, wait a second. I'm a big fan of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. Loads of good stuff in there. But where does "inalienable rights" mean the same thing as "your call will be answered in the order it was received" or that lovely phone tree: "Please say 'track a package.' I'm sorry, I didn't understand you. Please restate the request." ARRGGHHH!

Or when you have a child, who is a miracle of existence. Why do you have to prove their identity and existence when they are clearly in front of you, breathing oxygen, enlarging the ozone layer hole with their farts, increasing the carbon footprint with disposable diapers, and screaming in your ear? What part of that existence is a mystery? Why oh why do we need birth certificates, social security numbers, shot records, footprints on paper? Their spit up on your shoulder should be enough evidence to their presence! Just let us on the damn plane, please!!!

Yes, I love traveling during the holidays! Please sir can I have another!

Oh my God, I'm writing!

2009-11-05T06:02:14Z

Okay, weird stuff is going on. I don't know how it happened, but I started another story. It's been bouncing around, almost to the point where I could feel it start dying in my head. But I somehow managed to get the opening scene down on paper during a quiet moment at work! I don't know if I'll ever finish it, but at least it's nice to START something again.

On another writing front, my husband is a student at the Art Institute Online of Pittsburgh. He graduates in March. YEEEAAAAHHH!!! Trust me, y'all are invited to the graduation party. You might even be able to see it from space! ;P One of his final projects is a website for landlords/property managers, and a running blog, that he asked me to contribute some articles to! So I've actually been writing non-fiction stuff, which is new territory for me. I don't think I've written anything non-fiction unless it was work related. But I agreed to do the posts, because I am so starved for anything to do with writing...I won't give the link yet, because the site is still under development. But when it does go live, I'll let you know.

I've been debating about how honest to be about something. It's rather personal, but at the same time, honesty is what writing is about. Sharing information and experience. I've developed late onset post partum depression. I didn't really know that's what it was. All I knew was I was really cranky for a month. Every little thing pissed me off! I have a great husband and great kids, and everything else was crap! Well, when I got pulled over by the cops twice in a week due to some rather aggressive driving, that was my clue something was a bit different about this crank session. So I am taking some meds on a low dosage. I've only taken it for two days, but you can tell when it hits. My energy level spikes. I start twitching, I can't sit still, I've gotta be up and moving around. I think when I've taken it for a few more days I'll mellow out and get used to it. I doubt it will improve some of the crappy situations in my life, but it makes it easier to be nice about them!

I just re-read that last paragraph. Let's clear up something. No, I was not driving in a 'road rage' fashion. I just speed and run red lights some times, okay? Nobody was hurt, nobody got any tickets. It's all good.

So I can be thankful that I had the energy and strength to recognize I needed help with something. I am also grateful to be writing again, so grateful that I don't care what the topic or genre is!

Speaking of great husband and kids: my oldest has a four day weekend starting Thursday! I haven't made any plans for how to entertain him. If he has his way, he'll eat through his Halloween candy while playing on the computer. Yeah, I don't think so. The baby is absolutely awesome! He has one tooth on the bottom front, and he's not walking yet, but tries to climb everything in range! Even on my crankiest days, I would love to go in his room in the morning when he woke up to get the first smile of the day. That helped make everything 'more better', know what I mean?

May everyone have a good night. Good luck to those doing NanoWriMo, may you make your goal for the day. I hope to someday be able to join you!

The latest Hitchhiker Novel?

2009-11-02T05:16:52Z

My DH was wondering if anyone has ready the latest in the Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy series that just came out, and what they thought of it. I told him I would ask around.

Wish me luck tonight. I have to work graveyard shift. No matter how many years I do it, it still seems wrong. Sunday nights are for staying home, catching up on laundry, being with family, and eating Sunday dinner. Yet for some reason it still seems to be one of the most hectic nights for us! Of course, the daylight savings change did NOT help!

Also wish me luck at my dr. appt tomorrow. I get to tell the doctor I've been cranky all the time, and hope and pray for chemical intervention!

So far, not likin' it

2009-10-30T16:47:47Z

I went from a PC to a Mac. So far, not so good. I downloaded some free writer software for Mac, and now can't find it. My desktop links for them have vanished, and when I go into Finder to pull them up, they don't! Why does this happen? Granted, I've been on a PC for the better part of 15 years. And while the Mythbusters may have proved it is possible to teach old dogs new tricks, this old bee-yatch may have to disagree! Thank God I'm not doing NanoWriMo!

I feel like it will take forever to learn this new system! Grrr! Painting (apartments, not pictures), housework, laundry, Halloween parties, work...But I know I need to spend as much time as possible on this thing to get it figured out. Wish me luck.

Re-learning my office

2009-10-29T18:28:50Z

I have a pretty new monitor, an Apple Mini, an extremal drive, and my desk is clean. My ironing board behind me isn't. The floor is covered in what is supposed to be a temporary black outdoor carpet. In my corner of the room, the paneling has been ripped off the walls due to mold from the flood at the beginning of the year, showing exposed beams and styrofoam insulation. The bird cage is to my right, and the bird is on my shoulder, because he's not used to me being down here. So he caws and makes a ruckus until I put him on my shoulder. On my left is a small bookcase filled with my husband's computer books. Farther to my left is my husband's corner of the office. He still has paneling on his side of the room.

I told my husband we need to get together and have a planning session on how to design this communal workspace. What to put on the walls and floor. How many of my bookcases can we fit down here? I need to get my writing resources organized. I have something to play with now, and I should use it. But do I want to put much effort into it before getting the walls and floor sorted out? Part of me is very tired of waiting. I've put it all off long enough.

So what does YOUR writing space look like? What kind of paint is on the walls? Pictures? Cork boards with story lines? What's the floor like? Carpet, concrete, wood, tile, what? Is it an apartment, spare bedroom, basement (like mine)? Does the space inspire you and make you happy?

I shudder at the admission, but I Twitter. Check me out, I'm mehub on Twitter, too. Until recently that's all I've had time for!

Wish me luck as I try to get it all together, and learn my new computer!

Quick update

2009-10-28T17:48:50Z

Okay, where to start? The baby is motoring right along, should be walking any day now. Oldest kid has his costume picked out. I got to go to my writer's group last night for the first time in about three months. I think not writing may be contributing to some late-onset PPD. I wouldn't say I'm depressed, but everything pisses me off pretty quickly, and any time I drive, I swear the person in front of me is on the way to a bridge club meeting. Tells you something about my state of mind when I'm driving!

I wrote several months ago about switching from a PC to a Mac. It's finally going to happen today. Hubby has a free moment and is helping with that. He's on an Office Depot run right now. I think he was suffering from withdrawal, tell ya the truth! We are hoping for a mild winter so we can finally remodel the basement/office to our liking. I need my space back! Except where I am right now, I have my back to the stairs. Not good. And in cleaning off the desk to get ready for the new monitor, I found a burn mark on the table top I'm using as a desk, which my hubby made a few years back. He is not going to be pleased. The burn mark came from a candle holder that had nothing under it, sorry to say.

I've been fantasizing about writing a lot lately. Not being able to do so has really been bothering me. Seeing all the to-do about Nanowrimo ain't helping, either. I'm not signed up, but I do like seeing all the energy being generated by it. And speaking of, my buddy Ken McConnell is having a signing event in Boise in Friday, where he will be giving away a copy of Barren Worlds, signed by the both of us. Check him out!

My hubby is a few short months away from getting his degree in web design. We are so excited and ready for school to be over!! If he can find a good enough job, I may just be able to enter the human race again, instead of working vampire hours!

Well, I must go. The bird is trying very hard to wake up the baby. Have a great Halloween, everyone!

Writer's Block: What if calories didn't count?

2009-09-18T17:30:36Z

If a magic genie told you your calories wouldn't count for 24 hours, would it change what and how much you ate that day?

View 1264 Answers

I probably wouldn't eat at all. The calories wouldn't count, but I bet the cholesterol and fat count would mysteriously triple!

Life in a Hyperbaric chamber

2009-09-09T22:46:05Z

A little tongue in cheek note to my family. The above title has an AKA of "The Family Thanksgiving Dinner" or "What happens when PMS meets Menopause"!!! My sisters are probably going to flip over that last sentence, but I thought it was kinda funny. They are going to get me back, though. When we visit the family in Arizona in November, one sister is promising to take us to the Heart Attack Grill. The cooks are dressed like doctors, the waitresses are dressed like candy stripers from Hooters, you get the idea. Not too thrilled about flying with a baby, but such is life! One of my nephews is getting married the day after Thanksgiving, so it promises to be a very busy trip. As busy and hectic as it will be, I'm kind of looking forward to it, in a masochistic kind of way. :P

If anyone recalls, I went into some detail last winter about how my basement flooded from a massive amount of snow and a sudden warm streak, and the ensuing pre-term labor I enjoyed for about three hours. At the moment, there is this huge backhoe in my back yard, which crushed the old metal swing set like a beer can, and large trenches snaking around my yard as workers lay drain tile, hopefully to prevent any more flooding. One of them coughs a lot. I don't think it's smoker's hack!

I need to take the dog in to the vet. She's been favoring her left rear leg lately, and we're suspecting arthritis. The kid needs glasses, and very likely braces in the next couple of years. The hubby's new job is going well, but the part time paycheck is gone faster than a glass of water in the Sahara! The baby's appetite has really taken off, and I'm beginning to wonder if baby food is sold by the gallon jug! I avoided Twitter for so long, and now I think I'm addicted to it. One sister has been pressuring me to join Facebook. Trying to avoid that one too, but I feel it may be a losing battle. Who knew a six month old baby could be my salvation in this tech heavy inter-connected world we live in? As you can tell, I barely have time to update my blog! Some writing resume this turned out to be!

Today has been rather busy, so I had to take some down time, and updating the blog seemed like just the thing. Laundry, vacuuming, walking the dog several times (we have to keep her inside while the trenches are being created), etc. The oldest son wants to do soccer AND Cub Scouts. I'm really hoping we can swing that. It sounds very time consuming, and time is hard to come by! If money grew on trees, maybe time could be bought in a store...

Happy birthday to Ken McConnell, an excellent writer and fellow Phineas and Ferb-aholic. Congrats to fellow writers who have sold submissions, made submissions, or merely wrote something! I'll follow along vicariously until Kindergarten, if you don't mind!

We have begun full teething mode. We know this because the baby has begun waking up every hour, all night, and has been very congested lately. I'd like to know the fool-I mean person who wrote that now is the time to help them sleep through the night by not picking them up WHEN THE BABY IS GOING THROUGH ONE OF THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE TIMES IN HIS LIFE next to the common cold? Doesnt' that seem kind of oxymoronic to anyone? It didn't strike me as such when the older one was a baby, we just went through it. But now that I'm a bit less overwhelmed by the whole parenting thing, the confluence of events just seems a bit odd. When babies get about this age, they should be encouraged to sleep through the night. Sounds great, if they weren't in so much pain!! I'm sorry, I guess I'm just wimpy, but I can't just listen to him scream, pat him on the back, make shushing sounds, walk away, and hope he'll "cry it out". He's a bit too tenacious for that!

I can be grateful that he's never had colic. There's a plus.

Sigh. Time to go to the store. Then picking up the kids, dinner, and the first soccer meeting. I know I'm going to get the hang of this, I just know it.

The expanding waistline

2009-08-24T20:16:37Z

In-I believe it's Skeleton Crew-Stephen King wrote, "I write like fat ladies diet." Still dealing with the physical aftermath from baby #2, I feel pretty comfortable sharing the quote. He was referring to writing short stories, and how they tend to become longer and longer the more time you spend on them. I have several writing projects on my to-do list, but because of life circumstances, I can't get the time to work on them all. So I've started one project that I began in January 2008. I put it down, and have recently taken it up again. I get to work on it maybe once a week, and the rest of the week it sits in my subconscious, considering plot and character factors while I do the domestic stuff and deal with other life stuff (job, upcoming school for kids, etc.). I shared it with a couple of first readers. One graciously rode the fence, saying it could be longer, but was great just the way it was, too. The other reader was a bit more thorough, and asked a lot of questions about the character; details I did not include on purpose.

It has been so long since I've blogged, I really can't keep up any more. This has the feel of familiarity. Perhaps I've blogged about it before, or maybe the concept has just been bouncing around in my head so long it just seems like I've blogged about it. This isn't the first short story that I've written where my first readers ask a ton of questions, and say they feel "unfulfilled" by the story, and that they were left hanging. This is difficult for me, because I write what I believe is a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. I try to leave some to the imagination, yes. The people who make the comments, however, don't seem to want to leave it to their imagination. They want everything mapped out and detailed, with no loose ends. I like loose ends. Where do sequels come from anyway? Am I just being lazy?

Screw it. Pass me the pen and a box of Twinkies.

Live and in Techincolor!

2009-08-11T12:53:10Z

It's 5:30 AM. The older one crawled into bed at I don't know when, and now I have no place to sleep! The baby is back down after an early morning snack. We've started him on "real" food that comes in jars and pretty colors. Carrots, beans, peas, squash, and sweet potatoes. Yep, we've entered that wonderful new phase of ...DIAPERS IN TECHNICOLOR!!! No blowouts yet, but that's because we're using the smaller jars...

My oldest came home one day from a sleepover and began ranting about some movie they watched, that the friend's older brother picked out. It apparently had "lots of swear words." We cautioned our son that yes, many movies do, but please don't repeat what you hear. I left it at that, since he couldn't remember the name of the movie, but just that his friend fell asleep in the middle of it.

So when said friend came over to play, and my oldest began telling him what he missed in this movie, this is what I heard:

"So yeah, when uh, when the guy got his arm ripped off, yeah, it was ripped off, and then Murphy blows this other guys head off..." I asked the friend what movie he was talking about.

"Oh, we saw Robocop!"

Great. Just great. School starts soon. The ensuing drawings and movie talk this will inspire is sure to bring MANY phone conversations and teacher conferences for weeks to come. I'm just trying to ignore it, treating it like a phase that will pass. I don't know which Robocop movie it was, but does it really matter? Not when we're totally blowing the lid off of a second grader's innocence! Maybe next week we'll have a "Matrix" marathon! Sheesh.

The hubby got a job!!! Part time, working on a website. He's still doing the online school thing as well. So his plate is pretty full until February, when he graduates. But it's been interesting listening to him talk about his job. Remember, he's been in a man cave, studying online, for three years, only coming out for food. But he's now adjusted to playing with others, and seems to really enjoy the job. He's getting to know his coworkers, and they sound like a neat bunch of people. We've had dinner with the boss and his family before, and they are also a fun bunch. The kids go to school together, so that makes it easy.

Let's see, what else is going on...still working more hours than I'd like at work. We are pretty shorthanded right now, so my schedule will be pretty yucky until we get some people hired. Some family were here in July for a visit. It wasn't dull, let's put it that way!. We are planning a trip to Phoenix to see the family again for Thanksgiving, to steep ourselves in alcohol and menopausal conversation. Good times! :)

I think I hear pitter patters of not so tiny feet. Have a great day, everyone!

Writer's Block: All-Nighter

2009-06-26T03:14:05Z

When was the last time you stayed up all night? What were you doing?

View 504 Answers

I was up last night, and the night previous, and will be for the next two nights. I work! Graveyard shift in the summer sucks!!!

Day care drama

2009-06-23T17:48:24Z

Being a working mom sucks. It really does. Some people really enjoy being a working mom. I used to enjoy being a working mom. But then came baby, and the whole new world of finding day care. Got the baby in daycare, yay, us. But now, my shift changed, so I needed to change the days my kid was in daycare (on the part time plan). Sorry, you can't do that. You're locked in. But you could go full time, if you want...at a $200 increase in my bill!! Thank God my dad was cremated. He'd be rolling in his grave right now. He was a BIG believer in moms staying home, etc. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't a sexist pig or anything, but just had some traditional ideals that modern day life no longer accomodates for a majority of people. Many families have moms that stay home and do it very well. My husband keeps promising me "Someday..."

So my hours at work have increased. My duties at home have increased. And my imagination has increased. I was creatively blocked my entire pregnancy. So now, nine months of ideas are cramming around in my head, wanting an outlet that I cannot provide. When my head blows up, you'll be able to hear it miles away!

And speaking of exciting new frontiers in parenthood, just exactly what is the difference between fifth disease and sixth disease? The rash is the same for both....stupid daycare contagious crap! ;P

The fine art of cursing

2009-06-17T04:51:01Z

Like being able to answer the questions of where you were when Kennedy was shot or when 9/11 happened, or how old you were when you started smoking or had sex the first time. I was about six when I began my high-brow education of cussing. My best friend at the time (who had the unfortunate nickname that most people reserve for their pets) had cable. Specifically, Showtime. Yeah, baby! By the time I was in fourth grade, I had learned enough to earn an hour after school with the teacher. Apparently, imitating Bette Midler from The Rose was not appropriate behavior! I didn't know any sailors, wasn't related to any, but I sure could talk like them! Fast forward several years, when I began working in law enforcement. I learned new and inventive ways of cussing there!

So now we come to that grand moment in parenthood when we hear our children say something "colorful." As parents, we can only blame ourselves. We try not to cuss in front of our son, but that doesn't stop us from letting him watch shows on the Discovery Channel that unfortunately includes some language education along with the science and adventure. He hasn't actually crossed the line yet, but he's oh-so-close. In the car one day, something surprised him enough to make him blurt, "What the freaky heck?!" I almost wrecked the car from laughing so hard!

And despite our best efforts not to curse in front of the kids, even when you mutter them under your breath, they can still hear you. This is why some people turn red in the face when they are angry: they are trying very hard not to cuss in front of the kids. Of course, children look at you with almost telepathic understanding when you reach that point, and just blurt the words out later so you don't explode from the build up of pressure.

It should really be no surprise to anyone how red my face got when my son called me upstairs on bath night. He had that look on his face. You know the one I mean. The gleeful look that usually results in either a very expensive repair bill or some extraordinary cleanup job. I entered the bathroom to hear water running in the tub, which was not empty...

"No, you may NOT take a bath with the guinea pig!!"

The rodent lived. So did my son, barely. My red face was a combination of trying not to cuss, and to keep the laughter in!

He's with a cousin this week. I wonder what bad words he will learn from him?

They're okay!!

2009-06-01T03:56:12Z

I got a call from one of my sisters tonight, who had been vacationing in Belize with nine other people (including my other sister and her husband). They are fine! She said most of the people in the house slept through the whole earthquake, with only one or two people waking up and noticing the windows and other things rattling. She also said houses that had been on ten-feet stilts were lowered to three-feet levels. Other than the power being out, they had a great time! My brother-in-law even forwarded some pictures of the fish they caught and other "venues" they visited while there. mostly the beach and bar, from the sounds of things!

I'm just grateful my family and their friends made it back to the States okay. In other news, my oldest lost his front tooth, and caught a snake today that he wants to keep and name "Duke". Duke the Snake. Lord, give me strength!

Full head, hopeful heart

2009-05-29T16:14:41Z

My sisters, their families, and a few friends are on vacation in Belize, which was part of the area struck by a 7.1 earthquake yesterday, and seventeen aftershocks all above magnitude 4. Naturally, I haven't heard from them. Power seems to still be out in the region, and cell towers aren't working, apparently. I'm sure they were NOT killed, but the lack of information is disconcerting. Are they injured? Trapped? Trapped by the pool with no choice but to continue sipping drinks with umbrellas? The suspense is killing me.

I think if they plan on taking any more trips together, I may put in my vote to nix that. If anything were to happen, I'd lose both of my sisters in one event. I don't THINK so!

I'm also feeling rather odd. I wrote a story, published by Hadley Rille Books in 2008 (Barren Worlds) called "Tiger's Eye View". Basically, I blew up the planet volcanically (is that a word?). This morning while perusing the news, I found an article at foxnews.com about a volcanic event 260 million years ago that may have resulted in a massive worldwide extinction. According to the article, scientists at Britain's University of Leeds published an article in Friday's issue of the journal Science that talks about a volcano in what is now China that blew, sending lava into a shallow ocean that caused an enormous steam cloud to form over the earth and create acid rain, killing a great deal of animal and marine life. Pretty bizarre.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,522691,00.html

Hope that address works. I will let others read the article. I think I've been watching Discovery Channel way too much, which is where I got the idea for the story in the first place!

Well, I'm off to paint, do grocery shopping, finish laundry, all the mommy stuff before kids get home from school. I go back to work on Monday. Work is going to be tough. We're essentially down two people, and I'm going to be working a lot of hours, away from my family and baby. I think I need coffee. I need to keep busy, stay out of my head, if you get my drift. Have a great day, everyone!

Aaaagggghh!!!

2009-05-22T20:28:04Z

Help! Save me! (Waving arms in the air) I'm switching to a MAC!! (More frantic arm waving) Help! I'm drowing! Please! Hel-glub, glub, glub. (Waving arms vanish below the water line).

Writer's Block: There Can Be Only One

2009-05-22T20:09:53Z

Yes, I believe in monogamy. So there! Eleven years with the same guy, not too shabby!

These are fun!

2009-05-19T21:14:04Z

You are Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)

Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)		90%
Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)		80%
Derrial Book (Shepherd)		80%
Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)		75%
Wash (Ship Pilot)		75%
Inara Serra (Companion)		60%
Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic)		35%
Alliance		35%
A Reaver (Cannibal)		30%
Jayne Cobb (Mercenary)		25%
River (Stowaway)		20%

Dependable and trustworthy.
You love your significant other and
you are a tough cookie when in a conflict.

Click here to take the "Which Serenity character are you?" quiz...

I'm Anna Wu?!

2009-05-19T21:09:31Z

Your results:
You are Anna Wu

Anna Wu		65%
Morgan Grimes		55%
Chuck Bartowski		52%
Ellie Bartowski		50%
Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb		50%
Big Mike		45%
Sarah Walker		41%
Lester Patel		40%
Jeff Barnes		30%
Major John Casey		25%

You would rather be somewhere else than at work, but at least you can make the best of it by having the team spirit and helping bale your fellow employees out of tough spots.

Click here to take the "Which Chuck character are you?" quiz...

Coming of age?

2009-05-19T20:44:23Z

I believe I have blogged before about my refusal to join Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc. Don't really see the point. If I did join them, I'd spend more time on the computer contacting my "contacts" than actually getting anything done.

I caved. I logged onto Twitter. I'm only following a couple of people (my husband and a lady who invited us over for dinner), and it has actually turned out to be kind of useful. I didn't have the cell phone or email of the lady who invited us to dinner, and I wanted to communicate with her. I was able to 'Twit' her directly, and voila! Within seconds of my post, she had called me with details for the dinner. I could also directly 'Twit' to my husband, which seems very dumb, since he is currently sitting about eight feet away from me right now.

I'm old fashioned. Sorry to say, since I'm only 38, but I guess I am. When I write stories, I have to print them out to revise and edit. I just have a harder time seeing mistakes on the computer screen. I don't use the computer for about 90% of the things it can be used for. I reach for an old fashioned heavy print dictionary before I think to look up a word online. I reach for a cookbook instead of looking up a recipe online. You get the idea. Maybe I have too much of my dad in me. It was like pulling teeth to get him to agree to buy a new TV set whenever the old one began giving out on him.

What started this whole discussion is the fact that I need a new computer. I have a laptop that is also rather old and heavy, but it works. I have a desktop that is finally kicking the bucket. I don't like to buy a computer every 18 months. I'll run it down into the ground, like a car. I'm like that with pretty much everything. I'll wait until it breaks. So I was asking my hubby about whether it was possible to print several files I wanted before getting rid of the old computer. He asked why not just burn everything to a CD? Oh, didn't think of that. Too futuristic, I guess. I think I may also have an OC disorder when it comes to having more than one form of things. Have a copy of a story on my desktop, my laptop, and a hard copy in a file cabinet. Along with all incarnations and evolutions of said story.

I caved on the new computer aspect as well, and let my hubby order a Mac mini. But I can put Windows on it. So when it comes, I will again be offline trying to figure out the new computer. I suppose I could have just updated the crap out of my laptop, souped it up with new versions of everything and mega security. Didn't think about that until after the Mac was already ordered. Oops.

I wonder how long it will be before I begin watching reruns of Lawrence Welk on TV?

On Invisibility

2009-05-14T05:40:41Z

I posted my blog earlier and went about my day, going to writing group, thinking about the lunch I had with a friend from out of town, etc. I grew up with this friend. I remember stories my mom used to tell me about adventures with her and her best childhood friend, "Bunny". Well, this girl is my "Bunny". Meaning she was my best friend in school, we always manage to spend some time together when she comes to town, and we know each other pretty well, despite the changes and challenges we've gone through in adulthood.

She read part of my short story "Tiger's Eye View" from Barren Worlds, published by Hadley Rille Books. "I can tell that's you! That sounds like something you'd say!" She commented. I think she meant it as a complement, but in thinking, I've begun to wonder. I thought invisibility was the goal of the writer. What was expected of children a hundred years ago (and even today in some families)? Seen, not heard? Isn't that supposed to be my goal? To write a story that grabs the reader and makes them forget who they are reading?

Is being invisible a constant goal? Or do some authors get off the hook due to their long standing careers? I ask, because one author in particular is no longer invisible to me. I've been reading his work since I was eleven, and his literary style hasn't changed much in the past twenty years or so. So when he puts a certain phrase in one of his books that is similar to something in another of his books, the invisibility cloak is gone, disabled. I know instantly who I'm reading, and the spell of the story is broken.

How successful can a writer be at invisibility? Is it too much to expect to have friends and family not know it's you when you hand them that story to read? Is anonymity only achieved with strangers? Does fame and fortune give you a hall pass on that skill? Do you get a freebie when you reach a certain stage in your writing career, when everyone knows what you write and demands more? When hiding behind the story is no longer possible, what becomes the new goal of an author?

I write because the ideas in my head will explode if I don't get them out. The secondary goal is to entertain, possibly educate. And if I get rich and famous along the way, that's okay, too. It's a trade off, I suppose. Writing for popularity may pay the bills and get you recognition, but when the author eclipses the story, then the story, and the reader, lose.

Okay, going to sleep now.

Getting back into it

2009-05-13T23:46:30Z

Okay, new vent. Not about the baby (man are my arms tired!) or anything like that. Just the "usual" about inconsistent paragraph length, my husband's suggestions on vernacular usage ('Sugar pie' vs. 'Honey') and how to keep tension and emotion flowing in my story. And where to try to find a home for it. Unfortunately, I doubt the word count can be cut and still save the feel of the story. It's over 2K right now, and I now a lot of places only want 900 words or less for this particular theme. More research is needed!

On a sad note, my earlier blog about Freelance Switch seems to be a bust. I created my login, and the site refused to accept it. I reset my password, tried to log in again, and was still refused! As much as I HATE Twitter, I Twitted (is that really a word?) to see if some action will happen. So I Twitted and protested in the same day. Two firsts for me.

I have also been doing very well avoiding other blog or networking sites. However, it seems that I may have to cave and get a networking site that is common with many of my friends. I'll stay on LJ, no worries there.

Tonight is writing group. Hopefully my hubby can keep the house from exploding while I'm gone! Have a good night, everyone!

I did it!

2009-05-12T20:59:25Z

I wrote something today! Well, edited and rewrote something. But it was a story that hadn't seen me since January 2008! Some mistakes were easy to spot, others were more of a struggle. Now is the time to find someone to look over the story and see what is missing.

A question I have for fellow writers, (and perhaps I'm overthinking this) is who do you allow to look over your stories when getting critiques? Target audience, or do you give it out to friends with different interests to get different takes on the story in question? When I published my first story, I gave it to friends into sci-fi. It was a sci-fi story. Never thought twice about who should look at it. Very specific target audience.

The story I'm working on now is definitely NOT sci-fi. It also has a specific target audience. I trust the opinion of who I imagine would read it, but also trust the opinion of my sci-fi friends who are experienced writers. But I don't think this is a story my sci-fi/fantasy writer friends would be interested in. Would they even give me the time of day for "jumping the shark"?

So excited to be writing again!

Needing input

2009-05-11T20:37:26Z

Okay, I'm a bit upset. I honestly can't tell if it's hormonally driven or just stress. I put my baby in daycare half days three days a week this month with the intention of getting something done around the house. I tied my shoes this morning, and suddenly two hours had gone by, with nothing done! Then my husband says, "Let's get some coffee!" Crap!!! So nothing has been done, again, and I have a rather large to-do list that I would like to finish before I go back to work in June.

We brought the baby home from daycare, and he fell asleep. Okay, nap time. Great time to get something done. So here I am, on the computer. My husband started talking this morning about freelance stuff. Well, he's been talking about freelancing in his career for some time. But it was never something I was interested in. Chalk it up to pregnancy. I wasn't interested in writing. Fast forward several months and one c-section, and now, I REALLY want to write. Very little time, same complaint many writers have to also have a day job and families. My friend Ken McConnell has written to me about how he manages his time and still finds writing time, after juggling family and job.

So like an idiot, I start looking at www.freelanceswitch.com, and there are several writing jobs I am interested in. I still want to write creatively and want to focus on fiction, but my writing group meets only twice a month. Maybe I'm in massive withdrawal, but that isn't enough! I doubt I could make enough money on the freelance stuff to even have to report it on taxes, but it would be writing, and I would be getting my name out there.

Then I see the pile of clean but wrinkled laundry that needs to be folded, and the myriad of other things around the house that still need to be done. Sometimes being the mom sucks! I wish I were an organizational monster like Ken. Or my friend Erica, who is a SAHM, runs a business, and deals with children who have health issues. She is an organizational machine, too. I can see now why some moms are in treatment programs for meth addiction! How else would we get it all done?

Looking at that last paragraph, I do NOT imply that any of my friends are meth users! Just clarifying.

Okay. Deep breath. So I think I've put the freelance question out there before, but doing it again. Has anyone been happy doing the freelance thing? I hear you can make a living at it, if you do it aggressively enough, and charge enough for your work. Right now I'm just looking at some article review type jobs and such. Perhaps some content writing, I don't know.

The other side of the coin is, is it something I can keep up once I start my other job again? Am I just blathering on because subconsciously I'm bored with maternity leave, and looking for something to do?

I need chocolate. My brain hurts.