It's A Question of Weight Ratio...

Oh, come on. You knew I would do this. Last Saturday, a group of us got tickets to see Spamalot here in town. I was the only one who had seen it (see prior post) and was very excited to drag everyone down there, including DB. Monty Python is not his thing. Even remotely. They start bantering about sparrows and he leaves the room. This time, he was a captive audience member. (Mwhahaha!) I was pleased. He only squirmed a little, but in the end, I think he enjoyed it. First and last musical, he said, so he was glad it was a good one.

Everyone seemed to have a good time, actually. I don't know how someone couldn't like it, to be honest. It's silly, yes, but a good silly. Sometimes I just need something like this to get my overanalyzing brain to rest for a while.

In the last post, I did this big goal oriented take based off of finding your "grail." Very motivational. This time... not so much. I'm going to talk about coconuts. Yes, coconuts. For those of you unfamiliar, they play a fairly large role in the movie and the play. At the show, they had a booth of items for sale. In NYC, I picked up a grail shirt and magnet, so this time, I wanted something different. I was tempted by the cow catapult set, but settled on coconuts. I paid $15 for two hollowed out coconut halves so I could click them together and dance around like I'm riding a horse. I know... but I did it in Scotland and I just needed them.

So now, my coconuts are going on my desk with all my other toys and motivational whatnot. (Are my coconuts a tax deduction if I use them to brainstorm?) My desk is covered with things. I have the "CREATE" sign Queen Rhonda bought me. The salt lamp and votives the Playfriends got me for my birthday. Picture frames and a motivational sign from Angel. My pirate ears from Disneyworld. A lava lamp. A chocolate RITA from the Reno conference that is probably very gross inside the silver foil. A vampire rubber duck. A couple plastic figures - Stewie from Family Guy, Pinky from Animaniacs, Strawberry Shortcake, Wish Bear... My office is a pop culture explosion. One day it will be clean enough for me to post a picture of it. Today is not that day.

So, do you keep special items on your desk? To motivate? To entertain? To procrastinate? I'm curious what you surround yourself with in your work or home office, if anything? Also interested in those of you who have to keep a clean desk to work. Baffling concept, but I hear some visual learners can't think with the clutter. As a kinestheic learner, I do better with toys...

SP

Playing Catch Up

The past two days, I’ve been trying to catch up from Christmas and the accelerated pace of the holidays. Unfortunately, I’d rather be curled up in the bed with a good book. Did I mention I’m in the middle of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series… Lovin’ ‘em. And I have spent some quality time with my new iPhone.

Anyway, I finally told myself on Sunday that there was no more time to waste laying around. I had to start taking down the Christmas decorations and making some sense of the disaster area our house had become. Besides, if I wanted to finish some of those projects I’d like to work on before the kids go back to school, I’d better move it.

Well, I’ve made a little progress. The tree is down and tomorrow I’ll start packing up the rest of the decorations. I motivated the kids to clean their rooms and put away the dishes in the dishwasher so I can clean tomorrow. I also did a boatload of laundry today and some general cleaning. You can now walk in the house without stepping on toys or various items the kids have dropped where they stood. :) Oh well. Martha Stewart, I ain’t.

If only I could fight this general malaise I’ve had hanging over me all month. Inertia at its finest. I have no desire to accomplish much or even start it, though once I do I’m usually good. Jeesh! What’s wrong with me?

Anyway, enough of my psychological hiccups. Have you got your decorations down yet? What will your first New Year’s project be?

Angel


P.S. Our own Playground Monitor is guest blogging at Romance B(u)y the Book on Lifetime today and I know she'd love to see you all over there. You have to register to comment, but it only takes a minute and they don't send you any spam. We love Michelle and the Bellas over there!

The Icing on the Cake

Back before I spent all my free time involved in the writing community, I did a lot of personal art. I drew, painted, scrapbooked, sculpted... whatever inspired me at the time. I also did some cooking and floral arrangement as part of a side catering business. It still crops up from time to time, but writing trumps it all. I just have a good eye for that sort of thing. I don't spend too much time on any of this stuff unless an event comes up that gets my brain whipped into a frenzy.

I like parties. I like the planning, the details, the decorating. I like it going off without a hitch. I like people to be really impressed by what I've put together. When I'm not in the mood to write, I plan parties. I've been planning a wedding for years. When it does happen, it should be the event of the century. Or maybe next century at this rate. Either way, its what I enjoy. If I wasn't a writer, I'd try to be a wedding coordinator or party planner. Maybe do wedding cakes or open a bakery.

A couple years back, when one of my books stalled, I decided to throw my mom a big party for her 50th birthday. It's at the beginning of October, so it's really starting to ramp up. It will be a 50's sock hop with all the trimmings: Fifites era costumes, a jukebox, hula hoops, crepe paper...if I could find a milkshake machine, I'd have it, too. The gym of a local church will be all done up, serving root beer floats and hamburgers to a hungry crowd.

Since it's a birthday party, there has to be a cake, too. The original plan was to make a birthday cake that looked like a record. Maybe a jukebox. Easy. No problem. I watch enough Food Network to be dangerous. My boss's wife used to teach the Wilton classes at Hobby Lobby, so she offered to help and turned me onto a website with ideas and recipes. Oh dear. That was a dangerous place. Now the cake is, uh, a bit grander. A three tier turquoise and pink wedding cake, when you get down to it. This one is pushing my skill level, so his wife and I are camping out at my house all day tomorrow to teach me how to decorate cakes. Crash course. If I can pull it off, I'll be a hero.

Here's a picture of the inspiration cake by Cakes by Allison. We're only doing the top 3 tiers since we don't have that large of a crowd. I have to admit I might cheat and have Publix make the cakes and I'll decorate them. Their cakes are so tasty, plus I can mix and match the flavors. We'll see. Baking those darn things when they're that size and making sure they're level and whatnot, can be a nightmare.

So, what's your favorite flavors of cake and icing? I'm still trying to decide what kind of cake this will be. If you could throw any kind of theme party, what would you like to have? We had friends who had a luau once and it was awesome. Next year for my 30th birthday, I'm thinking 80's flashback party. And yeah, I already have the cake picked out.

SP

Guest Blogger: Sherry Werth

One lucky commenter will be chosen to win a Keep Angel Company prize. All winners will be announced on Saturday, so don’t forget to check back in! And click on the Barbara Vey link in the sidebar to check out some RWA-San Francisco happenings. Yesterday she posted a picture of the Mavens!

Today I’m proud to welcome a fellow Heart of Dixie chapter member who all the Playfriends have enjoyed getting to know. She’s seems quiet at first, until you loosen her up. :) And she’s always willing to lend a helping hand. We like that. So give a big welcome to our friend, Sherry Werth.



Pushing Past Procrastination

Could it be possible to be this stuck? My procrastination has hit an all time high at this point.

Oh, maybe I should introduce myself. Hi, my name is Sherry and I am a procrastinator. And at this very moment I am wondering who or what alien being invaded my body and responded in a voluntary affirmative manner to do this guest blog. What ever made me think I could fill a pair of Playfriend shoes for one day while they are away having a wonderful time in San Francisco? All I can think about right now is hiding under the couch. I have finally lost it.

So, here I sit staring at this stupid little blinking cursor and cursing. See, cursor – cursing, it looks like it belongs in the same word family. I’ve had a week to get this together but as usual I wait until the last minute to ‘Get er’ done’. Oh Lord, I’m starting to talk like Larry the Cable Guy. Next I’ll be cutting the sleeves out of all my shirts! I knew this was a bad idea.

I could blame my lack of productivity on starting a new job this week. Between the information overload from that and the expected nightly feeding frenzy of my family, time just got away from me. Or I could fault past generations for blessing me with the blasted procrastination gene. Procrastinate. Who invented the stupid word anyway? More than likely some idiot like me trying to do something they know nothing about and with the expediency of a slug. Come to think of it, slugs move faster than my fingers on this keyboard. Slugs are such nasty little creatures, don’t you think?

A muse, that’s it. I need to call in the powers of a muse. I wonder if you can buy one on EBay? I would like mine to be tall, dark and handsome or tall, blond and brawny. I’m not picky. Just like one of those guys on the covers of Blaze. Where do they find those guys anyway? You just don’t see men like that walking around in WalMart. Oh yeah, I need to make a WalMart list. We are out of toilet tissue and Diet Coke. Can’t live without either one of those.

Ok, time to settle down and turn something in. They say to write about what you know. Right now I don’t know squat. And who are ‘they’? You always hear people saying ‘they said this’ or ‘they said that’. Is it group of people of just a few? Is it like the group that follows the guy around in the cell phone commercial? Would they be considered a ‘they’? And speaking of cell phones, I need to program my new one. Only I will have to read the book first to figure out how and I don’t know where I left my reading glasses. Reading glasses…that hurts my feelings. Makes me feel old. Maybe if I get some really cool looking ones it will make me feel better about it. Put that on the WalMart list.

Whoops! Sorry, I went off on a tangent there. But that’s how my life goes. One thing just seems to lead to another and another. I want to stop this merry go round and get off.

So, are you a procrastinator like me or a go-getter that I want to become? How do you push past procrastination to get things accomplished? Do you jump in with both feet and 'Just Do it' to overcome the avoidance issues? Are there time management tools you have incorporated into your lifestyle that assist you in being more organized? Do you set goals for yourself with a time frame to achieve them? I am open for suggestions!

Sherry

Sherry Werth makes her home in northern Alabama with her husband, two beautiful children and two very lazy dogs. Her life revolves around taking care of her family, working full time and squeezing in a bit of time for herself to pursue her dream of a writing career in romance.

The Playlist of My Life

Music has always been an important part of my life, and when I listen to music, I especially pay attention to the lyrics. So when I saw Playlist on someone else's blog I decided to do a short list that would be appropos for my life today.

Track 1: Hot, Hot, Hot by Buster Poindexter

It's a bazillion degrees outside and the humidity is like a gazillion percent.

In other words, it's summer in Alabama, but it's more like August than our usual June. What's up with that, Mother Nature? Are you going to give us another drought summer? What's the weather like where you are? Are you hot, hot, hot? Or maybe you're in a part of the country that's wet, wet, wet.

Track 2: Hot Stuff by Donna Summer

The DH and I were young and mostly childless during the disco era and have danced our share of dances under the sparkling disco ball. I especially love the music of Donna Summer and "Hot Stuff" is what I am right now. And I don't mean in any sort of sexy-outfit-with-high-heels way either. It's not simply a matter of the temperature and humidity; I stopped taking my hormone pills about two weeks ago (yeah, TMI, but guess what? One of these days YOUR ovaries will stop producing estrogen and you'll be making these decisions too. ;-) ) and I can't decide if (1) I'm really having hot flashes, (2) I'm sick or (3) if it's just my reaction to the ninety-degree weather. I'm hoping for #3.

Track 3: Taking Care of Business by Bachman-Turner Overdrive

I wake up every morning to my alarm clock's warning and instead of taking the 8:15 into the city, I head first to the kitchen for a cup of hot tea and then hit my office to check my calendar for the day. Lately it's been filled with stuff like haircuts, family doctor appointment, mammogram appointment, take the DH to his oral surgery, go to exercise, take the DH to the airport, pick up the tiller from the shop, eye doctor appointment, go exercise again, go back to pick up my new prescription sunglasses (and they are SO cool!), exercise some more, pick the DH up at the airport, shop for groceries, feel like I've been robbed when I put gas in my car, attend Homeowners' Association meeting and weasel my way out of being the newsletter editor (don't ever let them know you're a writer because they'll use it against you).

Between all the "stuff" and the heat (internal and external), I just haven't been in the mood to do much of anything but stretch out on the couch, turn the ceiling fan to high, sip a tall glass of sweet iced tea and either read, watch TV or nap. On the plus side, I've read some good books. On the down side, I've written absolutely zip since about this time last month. I re-did the outline for a story over the weekend and that's as far as I got. Right now I could care less if Undercover Mom helps the FBI or not.

What songs would be on the playlist of your life now?

P.S. Be sure to come back tomorrow when Natalie Anderson, another of Kimberly's new friends from Mills & Boon, visits to guest blog.

A Quickie Before Bed

No, you dirty minded people. A quick blog post - it's 10:30 and I don't have a blog written yet. I usually write it the day before, faithfully. Tonight, I went to yoga with PC and closed down the Starbucks, so here I am, blog topic free, and wanting to go to bed. But I can't until this is written.

Now that my completed manuscript is out into the world, I should be working on the next one. Alas, aside from a random book idea that popped into my head (for a new story, of course) my brain is elsewhere. I've thrown myself head first into planning my mother's 50th birthday party. We're doing a sock hop, complete with jukeboxes and poodle skirts. So what, its in October? At least it isn't as pathetic as my perpetual wedding planning (I'm not engaged) which I've also been doing the last two days. I'm sick. I like planning parties. If I could make any money at it, I'd do it for a living.

Anyway, I've gotten myself immersed in the details of this 50's sock hop. I've got the music, the invitations, the menu, the centerpieces...every detail mapped out from the retro candy station to the drive-in photo op. I won't bore you with all of it, because there's a ton of it, but just know I've taken it practically to the level of some people's weddings. Yeah, its 8 months away and just a birthday party. Whatever. Every birthday party need a 100 slide powerpoint presentation with baby pictures and 50's trivia.

Some people scrub showers when they don't want to write. Alas, I cannot be bothered to do something as productive as clean - I plan parties. I'm sick that way. So what do you do when you don't want to something you know you should (write, work, etc.)?

SP

Circle of 5 Status:
4 Agent Queries Still Pending, 2 Rejected
1 Contest Entry Submitted to Lauries
1 Short Story Submitted to Trues

Harvey the Wonder Hamster

I don’t know if it’s my pesky cold, the dreary weather, or just life in general, but I’m feeling pretty bleh about things lately. About my writing in particular. This is usually the time of year I get a rejection letter, so I have a reason to feel this way. So far, I've heard nothing from the agent I queried, but I still feel bleh.


I’m just tired. Like a hamster on a wheel, running, but never seeming to get anywhere. I'm tired of forcing a story that won’t flow. I'm tired of feeling guilty for not wanting to write. I'm tired of revising books that no one is asking for. I'm tired of rewriting lines with passive voice because I can't seem to get it into my head not to write that way. I'm tired of worrying about my character arcs or lack there of. I'm tired of query letters and synopses. I'm tired of entering and agonizing over contests that mean nothing in the long run. I'm tired of judging contests. I'm tired of submissions and self addressed stamped envelopes. I'm tired of waiting to hear back from someone who is so unethusiastic about my work they haven't bothered to write and tell me so. I'm tired of rejections, even the good ones. It never ends.


Like that hamster, it’s always on to the next book, next submission, next idea...running, running, running, yet still just spinning on some little plastic wheel. Being published is not a magical cure either. I know if I sold a book, it wouldn’t be any better. Yeah, I’d get paid, but I’d also have the pressure to deliver, even if I was tired. But maybe, just maybe, I’d feel like I had leapt off my little wheel and actually had something to show for all the spinning. I feel like I’ve accomplished a big nothing. I haven't even earned activity points for all the aggravation.

I’ve been writing, seriously, since 2003. That’s five years and 4 completed manuscripts. Five years of plotting and writing and submitting and failing and writing some more. And I've been halfheartedly working longer than that. I started piddling around with my first book in 1997, finishing sometime in 2000, then started fudging around with the sequel for a while until I got serious. If you count that, you've got 11 years at writing. And what to show for it? A flash drive full of rejected manuscripts and a couple lovely conference tote bags. At least it feels that way.


And yes, before you say it, I do stop to fill the well. I have plenty of fun, watch plenty of movies and read books and whatnot. I go on vacations and have other hobbies outside of writing. I know I've made strides in the industry, meeting people, making a name for myself. I know I'm making progress, even if I feel like I haven't. If I got my butt in gear, I could very well be on the verge, or I'd like to think I could be. I'm just tired. I feel as though I'm a marathon runner on mile 23 of 26. I'm vomiting on the roadside, every muscle screaming in me to stop. I'm close and yet, today at least, those last three miles might as well be thirty. I mean, given that agent turns me down today and I query a new one tomorrow, say, it takes them three months to request a partial. Then another three months to read that and request a full. Then six months with that before they ask to represent me. Then a year of shopping the book around until they find a house that wants it. Then a year of revisions, etc. Then a year before the book actually hits the shelves. Best case scenario, that makes me a published author in oh...2012 or so. And that's if I work quickly.


I’m not giving up, so don’t jump on me. I’m just feeling wore down. Mentally fatigued, I guess. Anyone else feel this way or are you all hyped up on that New Year's Rush of enthusiasm? Maybe I'm just one of those winter depression people. Pity I can't get in a tanning booth for some 'sun therapy.'


SP

Battle Cry of the Procrastinators

A little battle music to get us started...

"Dum...dum, dum, dum...dum, dum, dum...dum, dum, dum! Rising up, back on the street. Did my time, took my chances. Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet. Just a man and his will to survive! So many times, it happens too fast. You trade your passion for glory. Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past. You must fight just to keep them alive! It's the eye of the tiger, its the cream of the fight. Rising up to the challenge of our rivals! And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night and he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger..." (Survivor, Eye of the Tiger)

So we're four days into the SP/PC writing challenge. No timelimits, no minimums, just a race to 140 pages. This could take a week if one of us buckles down or six months if we creep along at our current pace. Who knows what will happen?? So far, it hasn't been too painful, at least for me. I had to psych myself into it, though. I took the last few weeks leading up to the challenge to prepare. I looked at my outline and made a list of major scenes that need to be written. Sure, there will be scenes that come along as I go, but I captured the high plot points to move the story along. I went back and edited what I'd already written so I had a better idea of how many pages I really need to write to be finished. (The goal is 140, but if one of us completes our book at say, 125 pages, the contest will end there and the person with the most pages at that point, even if not done, will win.)

I've also started going to bed about twenty minutes earlier. I choose a scene and lie in the dark, thinking out how it would go. I fall asleep with the scene in my mind and wake up ready to write it the next morning. Instigator has always written her scenes out of sequence as they come to her. The thought of this has always made me crazy, but I'm trying it now. I'm writing the scenes that seem the most alive to me at the time. I'll go back and string them together later. This may not be the best method, but I'm getting words and scenes written, so I say don't knock it till you try it. I have to go back and layer a bunch anyway, so it doesn't matter. The pages don't have to be perfectly revised and submittable to win, but they do have to be clean without gaps, etc., so I'll have to do all that before the race is done.

Of course, it takes the threat of public shame and financial burden of losing to movitate me, but that's ok. I say whatever works at this point. I haven't quite gotten my method down as a writer, so challenges like this force me to work through my issues and get books written. That's the whole point, right? Someone said you have to write a million words before you get to the level that you should be published. That comes out to 12.5 80k books for me. So far, I've cranked out 5, so I still have a way to go.

As of Thursday night, our numbers stand at:

SP:6,500 / 35,000 (18.6%)
PC: 3,750 / 35,000 (10.7%)

There's a long way to go until the mani-pedi is awarded, but I think we're both off to a good start. Is there something in your life you could use a little movitvation to start or finish? Share with us and maybe we can give you a boost to get going.

SP

A Dose of Reality

I must say I’m relieved that my competition with PC has been pushed off. Yes, I have plenty to do around the house – a new desk to assemble, walls to paint, things to unpack – but really, I’m just glad that I can sit, semi-guilt-free, in front of the TV each night and watch episodes of America’s Next Top Model and Top Chef off my Tivo. You all know I love my Tivo, but at times it can be a major time suck. Yes, I don’t waste hours channel surfing or trying to find out what some strange movie on LMN is, but I also don’t miss a single show I want to see. Its there, waiting for me when I get home. Every single episode.

I have half a season of House waiting for me to catch up before the fall season kicks off. I haven’t seen a single episode of this season’s 4400. Or Monk. Or Psych. I recorded a couple movies from a free Showtime weekend that I haven’t watched. Come September there will be new episodes of Nip/Tuck. And Rescue Me. And CSI. And for some reason, I joined Netflicks, so there's a red envelope sitting on the coffeetable for me to ignore too.

Then of course, my reality shows stack up. I came in late on a couple of them, so even though there’s no new shows running at the moment, I missed seasons 1 & 2 of ANTM, so its like a brand new round that I’ve never seen. Add to it that it’s played back to back on MTV and I’m just in heaven - no stress waiting to see what happens next week! I’m not sure when the next new season starts, although the last one only ended a few months ago, I think.

My minor (ahem) obsession with weddings glues me to the TV every time Platinum Weddings come on WE. I’m amazed by people who spend $600,000+ on their wedding. I could never do it, even if I had the money, but it’s interesting to see the kind of things people with that much money and that little sense do. Then I try to figure out how to adapt the high dollar elegance to a smaller budget. Maybe one day I can stun everyone with the most fabulous $5k wedding ever thrown. We'll see. I also watch shows on Disney weddings and others that aren't quite that high $$, but I refuse to watch Bridezillas because those women are insane and I can’t imagine the men who actually want to marry them. I feel ashamed just watching the commercials for it.

Now I’m nervously awaiting season 4 of Project Runway. I LOVE Tim Gunn. I’m paralyzed every Wednesday night waiting to see who gets “Auf’d.” I can't sew a hem, much less a dress, but I just love seeing what they come up with.

All this while my WIP rots of my flash drive and Harry Potter sits, half read, on my nightstand. No wonder I need a writing challenge to get motivated! What TV shows are you obsessed with right now? Looking forward to any starting up in the fall?

SP