~Sigh~

In less than twenty-four hours, National Novel Writing Month will come to a close, and for the first time in four years, I didn't hit the 50K mark. I blogged a couple weeks ago about my struggles. I've been doing just what I said I would -- reading books in various short contemporary lines to get back into the feel of a short contemporary romance.

Back when I used to read four to six of them a month, I could feel how the story should go. I knew to drop backstory in a little at a time, to use all five senses, to show and not tell. Or maybe I was fooling myself into believing I was doing all that. At any rate, I was putting words on paper.

If I was a Tweeter or a Twitterer or whatever a person who uses Twitter is called, I could come up with a lot of hashtags for how I'm feeling now:

#nanofail
#nanononono
#nanoloser
#can'twrite
#thevoicesinmyheadquittalking
#18Kandnotcounting

You get the picture. And that brings me to something I realized a few days ago.

I wasn't sure who my characters were. I mean, WHO they were, as in I needed pictures of them so I could look at a photo and remember to describe the hero's blue eyes and the heroine's brown hair. I learned a few years ago that I'm a visual learner, and pictures help me cement things in my mind.

In the past, I've done a story board -- or at least had some things printed out and taped around my office for reference. Hugh Jackman was the hero of my 2008 NaNo book. Lucky Vanous was last year's hero. And who is the hero of Seduction with Style?



I swear I had him picked out to be Max Brown before the People magazine thing. The outdoorsy clothes and hat, the whiskers, the too-long hair -- they all fit with a guy who 's been doing his own thing in the great outdoors for the past seven years and whose mother thinks he needs an makeover so he'll fit into the corporate image of his father's empire. But he was really the only character I had a clear picture of. So I went on a hunt and I think maybe this is the rest of the cast.

I originally had this woman (found on the Max Talent site) as my heroine, Victoria Sharpe. She's an image consultant and I felt this woman had the right look for that.



But then I came across this photo of Ashley Judd and thought maybe she's Victoria.



Max's mother, Julia, plays a part in getting him and Victoria together. And I needed to know who she was too. She's in her late 60's or early 70's, stylish and proper but with some mischief in her too. For a while I was picturing English actress Helen Mirren.



And then it hit me! Who better than another actress who actually portrayed a TV character named Julia -- the late Dixie Carter.



Another character who has a small but relevant part is Victoria's business partner, Sophia. She's fun and quirky. I was getting nowhere finding her until I stumbled across this photo. It's self-explanatory.



She's fun and quirky, right?

I still have to cast Victoria's brother, Nick. It's important to get him right because I think he could be the hero in another book. He's in his early to mid thirties and he's an attorney. He was an associate in a firm until, with the help of information obtained by a private investigator, he won a high-profile divorce case for his client. It was the case no one thought he could win. Now he's the golden boy. And the female PI is going to be his heroine but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Who is Nick?

Help me out here. My knowledge of today's actors and actresses is very limited. All my heroes would be Hugh Jackman if I was left to my own devices. Help me find Nick. And if you have suggestions for the others, tell me those too. Oh, and Max has a younger sister, Kate. She has an MBA from an Ivy League school and would love to work in the family business, but Father is old fashioned and thinks she doesn't belong there. She's sharp as a tack, adores her older brother and is frustrated as all heck that her father is such an old fuddy-duddy. She has a cute scene with Max where Victoria thinks she's his woman du jour. Any idea who she might be?

Because this is all about looks, I'll pick one commenter at random to receive a nifty make-up collection in a zipper bag.

#nanofail?

Sixteen days ago I began my 4th NaNoWriMo adventure. I had an idea. I spent countless hours thinking about the characters and the story. My awesome friend Kristi Gold and I brainstormed one night until about 2:00 a.m. I had copious notes about goal, motivation and conflict. As I headed into November 1st, I felt very good about this book, which I have been calling Seduction with Style.

However (isn't there always a however?), as I've struggled through the past two weeks, I came to realize something was very wrong with the 18K words I'd written. I finally pinpointed the problem. The words are a mere recounting of the characters' actions. There’s no emotion, no sizzle, no passion, no tingle, no secksi. Just oodles of blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

And why? I believe I've figured that out too. I haven’t read enough romance in the past two years to stay in touch. I used to read 4 to 6 books a month. In the past year, I've only read 9 romances. NINE! It's not from lack of desire to read them; it's been from inability to focus and concentrate. But that's been getting better lately. Last Saturday I picked up a category romance that I had begun a few months ago and started reading it again. As I read I would see things and think, "I didn't do that in my book and it's a basic element." Things that used to come naturally when I wrote are just not there. I even took a couple pages of notes to remind myself what was missing (like the fact my hero has shockingly blue eyes). The novel-writing part of my brain just isn't firing on all cylinders.

So I’m taking a short break from writing. Last Sunday I bought two category romances and an anthology and have begun reading them with hopes of refilling the well and jumping back into NaNo this weekend. If I catch up and hit 50K by November 30, that’s great. If not, that’s great too. Okay, maybe not. I’ll be upset and feel like I failed. But I will have given it my best shot and that’s all anyone can do. It’s just very difficult to write about happily ever after when your own had a stop date (and FYI, my divorce papers were signed a year ago tomorrow, but who’s keeping track???).

It’s been a difficult time (and do not dare say to me, "You need to just get over it" because until you've walked in these shoes, you have no clue about the devastation to your self-esteem and trust). But I’ve also learned a lot about myself over the past two years. I’m in a better place, I have a strength I never knew I possessed, I am blessed beyond measure with great friends and a supportive family. Yes, I whine from time to time. If you have been divorced, you understand. If not, I hope you never have to go through it. But every time I think I have the crappiest life on earth, I see something that makes me realize I don’t.

Once I hit the publish button for this, I'm going to pile up on the sofa with one of my new books and immerse myself in it.

Writers, do you think it's important to read to keep your writing at its best? And readers, does reading enhance your life?

Yikes! Where's My Brain?

Do you ever have those days when you feel brain dead? Boy, I am SO there! I can’t begin to count all the things I’ve forgotten this week alone – because I’ve forgotten them again! My thoughts are just slogging through some kind of resistance that feels like thick mud.

I thought it was just all the pressure – I work, I have kids, I’m doing NaNo, plus arguing with the phone company every couple of days because they’ve messed up our phone – that’ll take a lot out of ya. And writing so fast! I don’t see how authors who write books in less than two months do it! That is really not something I’m capable of and still able to have a life – and a brain. I can fast draft for a bit, but I can’t maintain the pace.

Last night, I took a nice hot bath, shut down the computer, and piled up in the bed with my Kindle to read. I needed that break. But this morning, I still don’t want to get back into the swing of things. Sometimes I wonder if I should just power through, but then when I finally DO rest, it can be difficult to pry me out of bed (or off the couch) for days. Ugh!

But today, its back to the grindstone. Gotta make up for the words I didn’t write yesterday! And I might just reward myself with more of the book I was reading. What are you rewarding yourself with today?

Angel

Coming Soon!

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!! The Playground is celebrating its 6th birthday this Friday! Drop by for the cyber-party and comment to win one of two “birthday presents”. See you then!

Guest Blogger: Tomorrow we welcome Editor Emily Rodwell, who works with Harlequin Love Inspired!

Oh Christmas Tree

A week ago I blogged about how much I dreaded Christmas last year. This year it’s much different. I’ve been ready to get going with Christmas since Thanksgiving, but I’d told myself I couldn’t do anything Christmas related until I finished my 50000 words for NaNoWriMo.

I finished Monday night. Well before midnight even. I didn’t have quite the sense of elation I had two years ago when I finished my first book, but it was close. Plus I knew that now I could save the still-needs-to-be-finished WIP on the external hard drive, pack away all the notes, store away my magical, mystical mojo beads, blow out my salt candle and get started with my Christmas decorating.


A tree is an important part of Christmas for me. I remember as a small child going with my daddy and sister out to woods somewhere and cutting a cedar tree. It would make the house smell so fresh. When my boys were young, we’d make an annual trek to the Christmas tree farm and chop our own. We learned the hard way to not only take exterior looks into consideration, but to make sure the trunk was straight. We had one Christmas where the tree was tied to a closet door knob to hold it upright.

Then the boys got older, headed off to college and I entered the artificial tree era. They have really nice ones now – lush and looking darned near real. Burn an evergreen candle and you’d think it WAS real. Now they even come with lights already on them. Now how cool is that?

Last year my Christmas tree was a little on the “Charlie Brown” side. It was only four feet tall and I’d bought it from a thrift store. One branch had broken where it attached to the trunk, so I had to wire it in place with floral wire. But I put that side against the wall and no one was the wiser. I decorated it with a few things I’d brought from my house plus some new dollar store decorations. It served its purpose but I knew I wanted a full size tree for this year. I even budgeted for one and figured I’d start looking early and hope for a good sale.

At Labor Day a group of girlfriends and I went to the beach to visit another friend, and when she was showing us around her apartment, she pointed to a large box in the hall closet and said, “I really need to take that to the thrift store.”

“What is it?” I asked, being nosy.

“It’s a Christmas tree.”

“Oh? How tall?”

It turns out it was a 7 ½ foot slim pre-lit tree which was EXACTLY what I’d planned to buy.

Someone had given it to her the year before and she’d decided to downsize. I offered to buy the tree from her, but she said she was planning to give it away anyway, so I could have it for nothing. We had one problem though: our car was full, so how would I get it to Huntsville?

“Easy,” she said. “I’m coming up in a few weeks and I’ll bring it then.”

Christmas tree situation solved!

This episode is now fondly referred to as the Sisterhood of the Traveling Christmas Tree.

I’m planning to pull out my boxes of decorations plus a collection of new ornaments I got earlier this year thanks to several dear friends who gave me a generous gift card to a Christmas shop right when they had everything at clearance prices.

When I get the tree up and decorated and have the rest of my place done, I’ll post pictures. Maybe I can even find some photos of the Charlie Brown tree for a before and after comparison.

So, are you a real or artificial tree person? And when do you put your tree up? I remember another real tree episode where the tree died. And I mean DIED. When you’d shut a door or even walk across the hardwood floor, you could hear needles fall. Two weeks before Christmas, every brown, dry needle was on the floor. So we undecorated it, took it to the dumpster and bought another tree. ~sigh~

NaNoWriMo Trivia Time - Volume 2

It's week two of NaNoWriMo, and last week I promised if you'd bear with me through four weeks of trivia, I'd reward you in December with books and chocolate. So far, I'm on task, and actually 182 words ahead. Our local library had a write-in for us Monday night, complete with coffee and cookies. I went and wrote 1557 words (and felt like I was everyone's mother, but age is just a number, right?). I have yoga class tonight and will follow that (barring something interfering) with a write-in at Atlanta Bread Company. Oddly enough, after finally getting to the point where I can write on the computer again, I'm back to writing longhand. The 1557 tonight was longhand. But I ain't complaining.



So... here's your trivia for today.



Uses for baby oil:



Remove latex paint from your skin by scrubbing with a cotton ball dipped in baby oil.

Untangles necklace chains. Put a dab of oil on the tangle, then use straight pins to pull apart the knot.

Rub baby oil over and around a Band-Aid to help pull if off less painfully.

Slather your finger in baby oil to remove a stuck ring.



Uses for dental floss:



Unstick a photograph from an album by sliding tightly stretched floss between the photo and the page.

If you need to hang a lightweight work of art and don't have picture wire, use dental floss.

String popcorn for the Christmas tree on dental floss.

Slice a cake using a length of taughtly pulled dental floss.



Uses for antacid tablets:



Put two fizzy antacid tablets in the toilet. Wait twenty minutes and then brush clean.

Drop a fizzy antacid tablet in a stained vase and let it sit for several minutes. This will remove stains.

Put one in your mouth, drink a little water and pretend to foam at the mouth. This works great at murder mystery parties when you are the intended victim. (Just ask Smarty Pants)



Uses for cotton swabs:



Use as a "paint brush" to touch up paint on walls. Or use to apply stain to scratches on furniture or floors.

Use a swab dipped in alcohol to clean battery contacts on cell phones, cordless phones or laptops. This helps keep good connections so the device can hold a charge longer.

Use the same thing to clean the heads on your ink jet printer.

Use to polish intricately designed silver pieces.



Uses for toothpaste:



Use nongel toothpaste as a jewelry polish. Rub on with a soft cloth or your fingers, let dry and buff with a soft cloth.

Clean dirty computer keyboard keys with a baking-soda based white toothpaste. Rub it on, let dry and wipe with a damp cloth.

Coat both sides of swim goggles with nongel toothpaste and rinse. This helps prevent fogging.

Rub some toothpaste on your hands after peeling onions or garlic to get rid of the smell.

Massage whitening toothpaste onto your fingernails to remove stains and yellowing.

Put a dab of plain, white toothpaste on a pimple to dry it up.



Have you ever used any of these tips? If so, let us know how they worked. I've used a lot of the alcohol and cotton swab tips and used toothpaste to polish silver jewelry. And just a few weeks ago I used toothpaste on an emerging pimple. Worked like a charm! I need to look into using fizzy antacid in the toilet bowl. Sounds easy and quick.

NaNoWriMo Trivia Time

And since the words I write here don't count toward my required 1667 per day that's necessary to meet my NaNoWriMo goal, you're going to get a month's worth of useful trivia gleaned from the internet. It's good stuff, really. And as a reward for putting up with it during November, I'll be doing a contest every week in December and offering up some books and chocolate.

So what's on tap for today? Why, it's how to use vinegar for your health and beauty needs. I use vinegar when a recipe calls for it but beyond that, it just sits in my pantry. Now I know all sorts of things I can use it for AND save myself some dollars because vinegar is pretty cheap. Here goes:

Mix one-half cup or vinegar and two cups of warm water and apply to your head after shampooing to help with dandruff. A mixture of half water and half vinegar will help with oily hair. Mix one tablespoon of vinegar into a gallon of warm water and work into your hair after the final rinse. It'll help cover gray hair.

Add two or three cups of vinegar to your bath as a soak to relieve aching muscles.

Wipe age or liver spots every day with a mixture of two teaspoons of vinegar and one teaspoon of onion juice. This will fade them. This combination is supposed to work for corns too, only you take a piece of onion, soak it in vinegar and bind it overnight to the corn.

Mix one teaspoon of vinegar with eight ounces of water, add a little honey for flavor and drink as an appetite suppressant.

Sunburned? Rub vinegar on your skin to soothe the burn.

Soak smelly feet for ten minutes nightly in a gallon of water with an ounce of vinegar added. You can also wipe your armpits with a vinegar as a natural (and inexpensive) deodorant.

You can help avoid bladder infections by drinking a small amount of vinegar daily. I've heard cranberry juice works for this too, and I have to admit the cranberry juice is a lot tastier than vinegar.

Got hiccups? Slowly sip a glass of warm water with a teaspoon of vinegar. For faster relief, drink from the far side of the glass. (I've done this with just plain water and it seems to work.)

Dab vinegar on a cold sore to help relieve the pain and dry it up.

Clean your nails with vinegar before applying nail polish. This helps the polish last longer.

Apply full strength vinegar to a jellyfish sting to soothe it. And in case you don't have a jelly fish problem in your area, you can use it for bee stings too. A fifty-fifty mix of vinegar and water will help dry up a poison ivy rash too. And if, God forbid, you should get ringworm, apply vinegar five to six times a day to the affected area.

Vinegar can be used to prevent and get rid of facial blemishes. Add a quarter cup of vinegar to a quart of water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, drape a towel over your head and hold your face over the steaming pan of liquid. BE CAREFUL since steam can cause bad burns. This will open your pores. Then wipe your skin with a cotton ball soaked in vinegar to remove dirt and oil loosened by the steam. End this routine by splashing your face with a mix of cold water and vinegar. to close your pores.

Mix one tablespoon each of honey and vinegar into a glass of warm water and drink to settle an upset stomach and/or relieve gas. This may also help with nighttime leg cramping.

All this sounds cheap and environmentally friendly too. But I just wonder how it's going to smell when you go to bed with your feet wrapped in vinegar-soaked onions and your hair, body and armpits rinsed with vinegar?

Has anyone tried any of these? If so, tell us how they worked. I'm very interested in the part about covering up gray hair.

November is...

National Novel Writing Month and there are only 5 more days after today. I know lots of you are doing NaNo WriMo too, so please comment and let us know about your progress. I hope all of you win because it's extremely neat to paste in those words and see things come alive with the winner's screen. I know because at 11:45 last night I got this:

So because my brains are totally fried after writing 50205 words in 24 days, I'm posting today about bizarre November holidays. Did you know that...

November 1 is . . . . . Plan Your Epitaph Day
November 2 is . . . . . National Deviled Egg Day
November 3 is . . . . . Sandwich Day and Housewife's Day
November 4 is . . . . . Waiting For The Barbarians Day
November 5 is . . . . . Gunpowder Day
November 6 is . . . . . Saxophone Day and Marooned Without A Compass Day
November 7 is . . . . . National Bittersweet Chocolate With Almonds Day
November 8 is . . . . . Dunce Day
November 9 is . . . . . Chaos Never Dies Day
November 10 is . . . . Forget-Me-Not Day
November 11 is . . . . Air Day
November 12 is . . . . National Pizza With The Works Except Anchovies Day
November 13 is . . . . National Indian Pudding Day
November 14 is . . . . Operation Room Nurse Day
November 15 is . . . . National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day
November 16 is . . . . Button Day
November 17 is . . . . Take A Hike Day
November 18 is . . . . Occult Day
November 19 is . . . . Have A Bad Day Day
November 20 is . . . . Absurdity Day
November 21 is . . . . World Hello Day and False Confessions Day
November 22 is . . . . Start Your Own Country Day
November 23 is . . . . National Cashew Day
November 24 is . . . . Use Even If Seal Is Broken Day
November 25 is . . . . National Parfait Day
November 26 is . . . . Shopping Reminder Day
November 27 is . . . . Pins And Needles Day
November 28 is . . . . Make Your Own Head Day
November 29 is . . . . Square Dance Day
November 30 is . . . . Stay At Home Because You're Well Day


So let's all have a parfait today as we get ready for Thanksgiving.

If you could adopt one of these holidays as your special cause and raise money for it, which would it be? Would you knock on doors to raise cash for Square Dancing? Increase public awareness of forget-me-knots? Organize a 5K race for Gunpowder Day? (Can we say starting pistol?)

Writing During The Holidays

This week is Thanksgiving, something I’m sure none of you have forgotten. As women, we are usually the ones responsible for the planning and plotting that goes into holidays, even if they aren’t being held at our house. The same is true at our home—I do the planning, my hubby does the inviting (usually without telling me until the last minute). But it all works out in the end. In the past few years, we’ve ended up with a house full of family and friends who eat, talk, laugh, and play games all day. Something I enjoy with a heart full of gratitude.

But all this partying makes it tough to get any writing done. First there is the cleaning, then purchasing supplies, then cooking… the list can extend to infinity sometimes (or at least feel like it). Since I’m also in the middle of NaNoWriMo, all this extra party planning can really cramp my writing style. I’m sure even you non-writers find time short during this busy season. So what’s a wanna-be author to do?

Here are a few tips:

1. Up your NaNo word count.

I know this sounds counter-productive, but for those of you trying to write during the month of November (NaNo or Not) do your best to up the amount of words you pull out on the days you do write. For success in NaNo, the goal for each day is 1667. But I always make my goal 2000. This way, I can manage a few days off during the month without guilt or getting really behind. So push yourself to do more, and enjoy your reward later.

2. Take it One Small Step at a Time

It can be overwhelming to sit down and face a 2000 word goal, but how about 500 words? Oftentimes, I don’t write my whole goal in one sitting. I do a large portion of it in the morning, when the house is quiet and empty. Then I do the rest in much smaller chunks. Thirty minutes while the kids do homework or clean their rooms. 30 minutes while the hubby watches a television show. Just 30 more minute before bedtime, then I can sleep. You’d be surprised how much easier it is to tackle any large project in smaller steps.

3. Be Prepared

For plotters, this is much easier. But it is also doable for pantsters too. Before putting down your pen for the day, take a few moments to write out the first few sentences of your next scene. Make sure your notes on the coming pages are complete and you have a decent map for where you are heading. This will make jumping into the next session much easier (no staring at a blank page wondering what the heck you were thinking to have them break into the warehouse so soon…) and your writing will flow more quickly from the start.

I find a To Do list essential for big projects and my writing is no different. This way, I can see how much time I have, then jump into whatever task I have time for, without worrying I’ll forget what else needs to be done.

4. Utilize the Buddy System

Find a writing friend who needs to accomplish as much as you do at this time. Vow to keep each other accountable. Daily emails require you to send in those totals, even if the sum is 0 (and embarrassing enough to force your hands to the keyboard). Set up times for write ins (getting together for the sole purpose of writing—bookstores are great for this).

And don’t forget a reward. Plan an outing to get your nails painted or a massage when all the hard work is done. A night out to dinner with some girlfriends. Or form an accountability group where everyone pitches in $10, and the top three performers during the holiday season get to split the pot for After Christmas shopping! This will give you a tangible reward, other than the relief you’ll feel when you see all those words on the page.

My hope is that you’ll be able to be as productive as I hope to be this holiday season. We’re all busy. I know that. But you can still manage something (this is me giving ME a peptalk here). So tell me your best advice for getting writing (and other holiday tasks) done during this busy time.

Angel

I'm also blogging today at The Ruby Slippered Sisterhood. I'd love for you to stop by and say hi!

Coming Soon!

Join us next week for Guest Blogger Week!

NaNoWriMo (or What The H*ll Have I Signed Up For?)

Yep, it is that time of the year again. November is National Novel Writing Month, and some of the Playfriends are participating at various levels. Keep a watch on the sidebar to see our totals as they grow.

For myself, I’m wondering what the hell I was thinking when I signed up. I’ve been struggling at the computer for about 6 months now, the motivation to get words on the page having hightailed it into the darkness of the night. Motivation is a huge part of being a writer. We start writing because we are moved to create something outside ourselves from the voices and stories overrunning our brains. We get to the page every day because that same drive pushes us to do so. Even when our internal motivation runs low, we can still be driven by external motivators, like deadlines or requests. For myself, all of these have been singularly lacking in strength recently. I’m not sure if it is burnout or what, but the emptiness is still there.

Now, that is not to say that I haven’t been writing. That’s one of the wonderful things about being part of the romance writing community, is that opportunities for encouragement and motivation abound. Even without being published, there are contest deadlines, accountability groups, critique partners, and such. I joined a Novel Push Initiative challenge in October with my sister, where the goal was to write 250 words per day. Now, compared to the 2000 per day I must write for NaNo, that doesn’t seem like much. But it helped me return to some form of enthusiasm for my stories that had been lacking.

And the more time I spend with them, the more I remember why I wanted to do this. NaNo is an opportunity to completely immerse yourself in your story. To not come up for breath before diving into the next scene. You basically live in a tiny, one bedroom apartment with your characters for a month, listening to the story as it unfolds. It is aggravating, tiring, stressful… and inspirational. I’ll be completely sick of these people by December 1st, but I’ll know them inside out and be grateful for the journey.

Until I collapse from exhaustion. :)

Are any of you NaNo-ing? Have you ever had a project that both drained and uplifted you?

Angel

Coming Soon!

Join us on Wednesday, Nov. 11, for guest author Donna Alward.

And don't miss the Playground's 4th Birthday Extravaganza on Friday the 13th! There will be a big prize given out by the cabana boys!!!

Winners of the Not So Scary Halloween Contest Grand Prize winner are Chris Jones of Texas. Runner up prize goes to Laura McIntyre of Oregon. Tune in January 1st for our next contest in 2010.

Back in the Saddle Again

You may remember that I participated in National Novel Writing Month back in November. And on November 29, I hit the 50,000 word mark. NaNoWriMo was one of the most rewarding things I've ever taken part in (I think labor and delivery rates a little higher). It was also intense and exhausting (kinda like L&D too).

After I hit that 50K mark, I shut down my laptop, put it in my car and walked through the shopping center where the Barnes and Noble was. They'd decorated for Christmas and the air was clean and crisp. I looked down and my feet were on the ground but it sure felt like I was floating.

Then came December 1st and I woke up sick with a cold. It took me a good ten days to recuperate from that. And then of course I had to do some serious Christmas shopping, wrapping and mailing. The house needed to be decorated and I had a couple parties to attend. And somewhere along the way, the WIP fell by the wayside.

"I'll get back to it in January," I said. But first I had to un-deck the halls. Then I had my yearly physical. My hair needed a cut and I made a visit to the orthopedic surgeon who operated on my foot last year. And because the DH and I were taking a vacation the last week of the month, I had to get ready for that. And there went January.

"February 1st," I said. "I'm going back into NaNo mode on February 1st. Well, on the 1st we were still flying back from Curacao because the airline changed their schedule. And on February 2nd I woke up with another cold. With my head and chest full of congestion, I could barely think, much less create.


But on Monday of this week, I pulled out the manuscript, opened the files on my computer and made all the corrections my sister had noted when she read the chapters back in November. That got me back into the story and I'm happy to say I'm back in the NaNo saddle again. It's not always smooth riding. Sometimes the characters buck like the horse in the photo above. I hang on for dear life and see where they take me. Sometimes I end up on my arse in the dust, but other times I hear the eight-second buzzer and know I've survived the ride.

This writing rodeo is not a moment too soon because eHarlequin is having an editor pitch session for the line I'd planned to submit this book to. I have to have a finished manuscript by March 4th. That's the deadline for sending in my one-page single-spaced synopsis to enter the contest. On March 9th they'll announce five finalists, and those five will chat with the editor in the eHarlequin chat room on March 12. Keep your fingers crossed for me, pardners.

Motivation -- that's what drove me to write 50,000 words during November and that's what's driving me to finish the damn book. Lord only knows how many other folks I'll be competing against, but I know one thing for sure: if I don't enter, I stand absolutely no chance of finaling.

I'll keep you posted on my progress, and y'all keep nagging me to write. You, our readers, will be my accountability partners. I certainly don't want to disappoint you, and I know you'll be wonderful with your nagging encouragement.

What motivates you to do whatever it is you do? In case I get tired of being thrown on my fanny, I could use some good ideas.

Life After NaNoWriMo

For twenty-nine days in November, I ate, drank, thought and slept writing. And somewhere around 6 PM on November 29, I hit 50,000 words and became a NaNoWriMo winner. I walked around the shopping center where I'd been writing all day at Barnes and Noble and I don't think my feet touched the ground at all.

It was a surreal feeling. I'd actually done it. I'd written 50,000 words. And I had no idea it would feel so damn good. At 50K, the book wasn't finished though. I still have two chapters to write, and once I do that, I will have to edit and polish.

I actually skipped a chapter on that last day. It was an addition to the book during the pre-NaNo organizing days and when I got to that chapter and was still short of 50K, I just skipped it because I knew I would dither my time away and accomplish zip. I knew what happened in the next chapter so I wrote that instead.

On November 30, I just enjoyed the last day of having #2 son home for the holidays and goofed off around the house. On December 1, I came down with some horrendous virus and/or cold and spent the next six days in bed or on the sofa watching countless episodes of Law and Order, a couple movies and some Food Network shows I'd never seen before.

The NaNo gods held off the sickness until I'd hit 50K, or at least I like to believe that. If I'd had a week like last week during November, I'd have never made my goal.

Of course, now I'm back amongst the living, the Christmas shopping is almost complete (anybody know where I can get a Mario Kart Wii with Wheel at a reasonable price?) and I've even started on a few things due in January. But I feel like an absolute slacker because I'm not working on the novel. I didn't feel like it last week, but I have no excuse now, especially after the Playfriends helped me brainstorm the missing chapter over the weekend.

We'd all gone to the NaNo TGIO (Thank God It's Over) party and went by the coffee shop afterwards because we just don't get to spend enough time together. When there was a lull in the conversation I said, "I need some plotting help with my book, and I'm sure that's a question you never thought you'd hear from me." Well, they jumped right in and gave me some great ideas and I believe I have a handle on chapter 10 now. I just need to put on my mystical muse beads, light my special candle, put the creativity CD on with the stereo headphones and write, write, write.

Have you ever gone after something really big and then felt a big letdown after you achieved it?

P.S. Here's a little Playfriend fun. Y'all didn't know we were so talented, did you?

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Random Tuesday Ramblings -- and a SQUEE!!

I have a book to write and I’m so behind on Christmas preparations it’s not even funny. Coherent, logical, interesting blog posts may be more than I can manage at the moment. Bear with me.

COUNSELOR SHELLEY UPDATE: You may remember this blog post, and my total amusement at Counselor Shelley’s decision to repeat dorm life after the age of 30. We were taking bets on how long she’d last. Well, if you put your money on one term or less, you’re a winner! I gotta give her props, though. She survived middle of the night fire alarms (where she had to go outside in the hurricanes), the college-kid parties, RAs who didn’t appreciate the fact that she had a good ten years on them and therefore wasn’t going to obey their silly edicts (like evacuating the building for the third friggin’ time that night to go stand in the rain), a mold problem that had her running dehumidifiers 24/7, and living with thin, perky people who still run up the steps. However, the cockroach infestation did her in. The proverbial straw, so to speak. (Not that I blame her. Roaches would send me over the edge as well.) Counselor Shelley is no longer a dorm dweller.

(But otherwise, she’s doing very well. Good grades, good research, and the respect of her professors. PhD, here she comes!)

PC’s NaNo UPDATE: I suck. That’s about all there is to say. Okay, so maybe not completely, as I did get some words on paper, but it wasn’t nearly as much as I’d hoped for. Darn people who insist on being fed… My status meter now shows progress on the book as a whole. I’ve got to get this thing finished.

SQUEE MOMENT: The Secret Mistress Arrangement is on sale now on the Mills and Boon website!! It’s real!! It’s official!! It’s time for lots of exclamation points!! Look over there in the sidebar – I have a cute little widget where you can read the first chapter. This is very exciting, and a real time-suck as I spend too much time on Amazon UK looking at my ranking on the Pre-Order lists.
(I’ll be on sale in the US in a couple of more months, and we’ll have a release party on the blog in April.)

PC

PS: AmyS is the winner from Maven LJ's blog. Send your smail mail to smartypants@writingplayground.com to claim your prize. Remember, you have seven days to claim or we have to give the prize to someone else!

PPS: KimmyL – today is your last chance to contact me to claim your prize from Christie Craig. We’ll have to pick another winner if I don’t hear from you! (problemchild@writingplayground.com)

A Paranormal Christmas

After busting my brain for NaNoWriMo, I told myself I’d take the month of December off to relax and recharge. Actually, I’ve been really churning out the work this year, so the rest is fully deserved.

I also plan on refilling my creative well by scrapbooking and reading lots and lots. Oddly, about 90% of the books I’ve set aside to read this month are paranormal romances. Here’s what’s in the stack:




All I want for Christmas is a Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks
Insatiable Desire by Rita Herron
Dance with the Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Kiss of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Entire Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown (this isn’t a paranormal, but I thought the title was a funny coincidence)

Also included were a few Christmas Blazes, because I love a Christmas themed book during December:

Yule Be Mine by Jennifer LaBrecque
Come Toy with Me by Cara Summers



I’ve been on a reading frenzy since December 1st and I’m LOVING it. This week, I plan to completely immerse myself in the Twilight books, so I can see what Smarty Pants, Instigator, and Queen Rhonda are raving over. Smarty Pants and I already have a date to go see the movie next Monday.

What are you reading right now? Any recommendations to add to my wish list?

Angel

Coming Soon!
Thursday, December 11th, we’ll be visited by author Juliet Burns
Next Monday, I’ll be replaced by historical author Anna Campbell

MOANday-Jason Cameron

When I was looking for a blond hottie to star in the hero role of my latest book, I ran across this fellow. Jason Cameron is the host of DIY network’s Desperate Landscapes. Unfortunately, I don’t have DIY, so I can’t check out the show—who doesn’t want a hot guy to work in their yard. It’s right up there with cabana boys, isn’t it? ;) Sure would come in handy trimming the tree and putting up the lights this month, wouldn't it?







Oh, yeah!



Seen any other do-it-yourself hotties? Chefs, home improvement, landscapers, carpenters, or general, all-around handymen? Are you lucky enough to have one at home? I consider my husband a hottie, but he’s not the most handy. :) What are you doing to prepare for Christmas?

Angel

National Novel Writing Update:
As many of you know, we've been participating in NaNoWriMo here on the Playground. As you can see from our sidebar results, we've added a winner to our midst! Squeeeeee!!!!
For myself, I didn't hit my NaNo goal, but I made a heck of a lot of progress and I'm very proud of that. I want to thank all of you who encouraged us along the way. It really meant a lot and I look forward to doing this again next year.
Now I must go collapse before beginning all my Christmas preparations. :)


Coming Soon!
Author Christie Craig revisits us on December 3rd.

Lessons from NaNoWriMo Or...

...How writing 30,067 words in 18 days makes the little voices in your head seem pale in comparison.

For several years I’ve been hearing about something called NaNoWriMo and for the most part I ignored it. For several years I’ve had the opening to a book on my hard drive and for the most part I ignored it. For several years I’ve made a New Year’s resolution to “finish the damn book” and for the most part I ignored it.

In October, Angel did a short presentation at our RWA meeting about NaNoWriMo and I listened and for the most part ignored it. Are we sensing a trend here? Then something began to whirl in the back of my mind. Normally, I worry that things whirling in the back of my mind are signs of old age and should possibly be attended to by a physician.

This time, however, I knew what the whirling was and I could either ignore it AGAIN or finally do something about it.

I looked at my October calendar (because that’s when I’d have to do NaNo prep and explain the program to your family) and then the November calendar (because this is the month you wave bye-bye to most of your friends and family and descend into the writing cave). I had the usual “stuff” going on in November, but did the NaNo folks not remember there’s a big holiday involving turkey and green bean casserole and pumpkin pie in there? Yeah, NaNo isn’t just a US thing, but come on. How about a month when the only holiday is National Potato Day?

Somewhere about the middle of the second week of October I began to seriously consider the program and even threw my book idea out for discussion at our retreat’s brainstorming and plotting session. When nobody rolled their eyes, and when the epilogue made Smarty Pants cry, I thought maybe it wasn’t as sucky as I thought and at some point during that weekend, I made the decision to be an official participant.

I signed up on the NaNoWriMo website. Angel and I attended the Kick-Off meeting and I’ve been to a couple of the local group write-ins along with the one Angel hosted at her home. I made myself a plotting board, and I pulled out the very thick folder of notes – snippets of dialogue I’d written down, characterization bits, even one whole section of a scene where the hero tells the heroine that he won’t allow himself pleasure until he’s sure she’s been pleasured, and that insisting she enjoy sex isn’t blackmail. I took ALL those bits of paper and separated them into piles corresponding to a loose chapter by chapter outline I’d made.

I can already see the pantsters growing faint, and I’m not sure any future books would be written this way, but you see, this particular one has been around for about 4-5 years. Lots of folks have told me I should toss it and start something new. But the characters wouldn’t let me abandon them. They’d talk to me when my head hit the pillow at night. That’s the reason for so many little pieces of paper.

Sooooo, on November 1, armed with a plotting board, folders with all the pieces of paper taped inside and a driving desire to FINALLY finish a book, I began the NaNoWriMo process. About ten pages in, I started getting this sick feeling in my stomach, but for the most part I ignored it.

The originator of NaNo says most people don’t finish a novel because they don’t have a deadline. That may be true. Self-motivation is difficult. Writers with contracts have no choice (hi PC! hi Instigator!) but the rest of us? Deadlines and word count competitions with rewards attached are often the key. NaNo had a deadline and it’s the ultimate word count competition. But there’s no reward.

Or is there?

Why on earth am I busting my butt to write 1667 words every day and hole up in my office looking like Joan Wilder in the opening scene of “Romancing the Stone?” (Just as an aside, one of my writing soundtracks is the music from that movie, minus the “How the West Was Won” theme cause I can’t find it.) Why have I lived on sweet iced tea and stale sandwiches for lunch? Why is my DVR filled with programs I can’t watch til I’ve met my daily word count? Why?

Bragging rights.

I don’t care if this book sells. Okay, that’s a lie. But I want to be able to put that little NaNoWriMo winner graphic on the blog and be able to say “I finished the damn book” and I did it before I was eligible to draw Social Security. (That was an honest concern at one point.)

I’m not a hugely competitive person and I have no idea where this drive came from, but for right now, I’m not arguing with it. The DH has been superbly supportive. He even went to the campground last weekend when there was no volleyball planned just so I’d have the house quiet to write. He’s been great about the not-so-fancy dinners he’s had all month. My mom emails to ask about my word count, and my sister has been a sounding board. My book is set in Atlanta and my nephew went to college at Georgia Tech so sis has a pretty good feel for the town. She’s made some terrific suggestions that are now part of the story, but her best suggestion was that we meet in Atlanta the middle of next month, stay at the hotel where my hero and heroine spend their honeymoon and have a “She Finished the Book” trip. She even emailed yesterday to say “I had my monthly lunch with my girlfriends today and told them about you and your story. They're behind you all the way! The general consensus was ‘You go, girl!’"

So what have been my lessons from NaNoWriMo? I’ve learned I can do something if I want to do it badly enough and that the reward that motivates me might be something I never imagined. I’ve learned that while 1667 words doesn’t sound like much, it can feel like having 1667 root canals when you’re trying to pull those words out of your arse. I know NaNo is supposed to be an exercise in writing minus the internal editor and the search for the perfect word. But it’s frustrating when even the imperfect word eludes you. I’ve learned there’s a whole world of people out there ready to pat you on the back and encourage you. There’s also a world of people who don’t “get” it, so you avoid them.

But my #1 lesson from National Novel Writing Month involves a little carved wooden 1¼ x 1½ inch box off the top of my desk. On January 1st of this year I wrote “Finish the damn book” on a little slip of paper and I put it inside. On December 1st I can write “DONE” on that paper and put it in my validation file. And the next time someone asks me “What is your book about?” I don’t have to shrug and explain I only write short stories. I can tell them that my book is about mail-order sperm and a marriage of convenience but the true story is about the little voice in my head that finally said “Don’t ignore it.”

What big life lessons have you learned? If you’re participating in NaNoWriMo, tell us about your experience.

Write Ins

Believe it or not, writers can sometimes have a difficult struggle to get words on the page, especially within a reasonable amount of time. Let me rephrase that: It isn't the words that are the problem, usually it is just the time. Finding the time, that is. As many of you are aware, each of the Playfriends is participating in some form in National Novel Writing Month during November. But getting 50,000 words written, even in daily increments, isn’t easy. So the people over at NaNo suggested having group write-ins.

Yes, it is sort of like a sit in, but much more fun and definitely productive. Writers descend on their place of choice, loaded down with laptops, alphies, pen, storyboards, and plot notes. Then we write. Sometimes it is a coffee shop, restaurant, pub, or, in my case, my house. Yes, there are lots of distractions there, but there are also lots of toys and computers to occupy my preschool age child. Also plenty of plugs, a refrigerator to keep drinks cold, and no one will complain when the timer goes off.

That’s right, timer. Because we aren’t silly enough to think we’ll write the entire time we’re there, I set up a schedule. 45 minutes on, 15 off. For those who don't mind a task master, we’d do a 45 minute stint of writing, then stop for snacks and to discuss any problems. Then back to the grind stone.

Sound weird? Maybe. But does it work? Definitely. With a little self-control, and lots of sugar and caffeine. Besides, you knew writers weren’t normal, didn’t you? :)

Have you ever tried anything of this sort?

Angel


P.S. Check out our current totals in the blog sidebar. We need all the encouragement we can get!!!!

Another Chapter in the Animal Saga

So, things have been rather quiet on the animal front here lately. In fact, I've been the only one to bring home a new animal in months. I actually like the donkey now and I was starting to get complacent. Which is why I was blindsided last Saturday when I can home from a wonderful trip to Birmingham after attending the Southern Magic reader's luncheon only to find TWO new animals. Not one but TWO.

Admittedly, it was late when I got home. Dark out and after the girl's bedtime although they were both still up watching TV. The first words out of Sweet Pea's mouth when I walked in the door were, "Don't be mad at daddy," which of course meant that there was obviously a reason to be mad at Zilla.

She proceeded to tell me (in a cute and rambling way) that a goat had somehow found it's way inside our fence. The ugliest, silliest, most hideous goat I've ever seen. It has half of one horn missing and its tongue is too big for it's mouth - it lolls out the side constantly. She stands barely halfway up the shoulders of our two males.

This, however, is more funny than concerning. What's one more goat? And besides, I think it irks Zilla just a little bit that his premium goat bloodlines are being diluted. The best we can figure one of the neighbors saw it wandering the area, mistook it for one of ours and since we weren't home decided to help us by putting it back inside our fence. We've had animals escape the fence before but never break their way in.

What's more concerning that funny (at least to me) is that the second addition to our family is Freddy - the frog - who at the moment is living in my good Pampered Chef mixing bowl topped with tin foil. He is an interesting little thing though. Apparently he changes color based on his surroundings. Although what I really want is my bowl back...after a good swishing with bleach of course.

So, the brood increases. I'm wondering what will appear the next time I go out of town for the day. At least the HOD Luncheon isn't until May. I have a few months to prepare.

Instigator

P.S. As you probably already know, we're all participating in NaNoWriMo this month. However, my daily totals are going to stay put for a little while as I just got copy edits in today. I knew as soon as I started working on something else I'd get interrupted. Should have started writing earlier :-)

WIP's and Chains

NaNoWriMo

If you travel in the blogosphere you’ve probably seen this word on writers’ blogs and wondered “What in the heck is that?”

It stands for National Novel Writing Month and it’s a novel (no pun intended) approach to writing a novel. Participants began writing on November 1 and the goal is to write a 50,000-word book by midnight November 30.

The internal editor is tossed out with the trash and your biggest goal is not quality but quantity. Write, write, write and get to that 50K mark so you can have bragging rights. You can edit in December. By creating a thirty-day window, writers must be persistent in order to meet their goal. That means writing 1667 words every day (or double that if you take a day off). When they picked November, did they forget about Thanksgiving and my son coming home from grad school to visit? And maybe the grandbaby being here for a day or two?

NaNoWriMo is a worldwide effort, so all around the globe writers are chained to their desks, bichok-ing (butt in chair, hands on keyboard) and maybe doing a little griping and screaming too.

The Playfriends are all participating (you will be able to monitor our WIPs -- works in progress -- with the word meters in the sidebar). Angel and I are each writing a book from scratch (though to be legal I had to re-write the first chapter I wrote a couple years ago). We (along with some of our other RWA chapter mates) have worked on plotting boards to guide us along the way.

Here's my plotting board. It's divided into chapters with sticky notes containing the key elements for each chapter, both from the hero's and heroine's point of view. If one of the secondary characters appears in that chapter, she gets a sticky note too. Hearts indicate S-E-X.

This is my hero and the woman who is his office manager. You can see the key elements of chapter one. Are you hooked yet?



This is my heroine and her best friend/co-worker. Can you tell I've been on a Law and Order SVU kick since February. Guess SVU can be my Tuesday reward if I've met my word count, huh?



Here's the first of those heart notes. You'll have to wait til Chapter 6 for them to do the horizontal mambo, but they'll be plenty of sexual tension before.


We had our first "write-in" on Monday at Angel's house. Four of us attended the four-hour session. It. Was. Awesome! I had my best daily word count to date. I'm convinced your own home or office is the worst place to write, though eventually I need to overcome this. I can't always escape to the library or Starbucks or someone else's house.

We had all the necessary tools available as evidenced by this photo. Here's Mary at the table with the laptops, notes, incense, magical mystical mojo beads (how's that for a mouthful -- NaNoWriMo Mojo) and caffeine. It seemed to work well because I wrote more in four hours on Monday than I wrote all day Saturday or Sunday. I can't wait to schedule the next one.

Of course, others have their own writing poses. Witness Angel in her recliner with the Alphasmart. She has some sort of holder with a gel wrist rest (she can probably tell everyone what it is) and when she was reclined, she was rocking and rolling on her Alphie. Sorry I didn't get a photo of Kathy on the sofa with her lap desk and uber-small laptop.

Instigator is working on the sequel to her debut novel from Blaze. Problem Child is working on her next book for Modern Heat. And Smarty Pants is writing 25K on a book that’s been requested and 25K on a new project.

Be warned that we may all write blogs that don’t make sense or even forget altogether until someone emails and says, “Hey stupid! Where’s your blog?”

Have you ever undertaken an intensive project like this? Anyone else participating in NaNo? Tell us about your book and keep us updated on YOUR progress too.

For more info on plotting boards, check out Angel's article on the Writing Playground website.

P.S. The following commenters have won books from Michelle from Monday's blog: MV Freeman, Sherry Werth, Kammie, Cheri2628, Rebekah E and Virginia. Please send your name and snail mail information to the Playground Monitor ASAP and she will forward it to Michelle.

P.P.S. Liza is Lori's winner from yesterday. Please email Smarty Pants with your name and snail mail info.