Yellow Brick Road

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!! Are you eating turkey tomorrow? I am and I'm not. Where I'm going, they are having cabbage rolls. Don't even ask. But it's okay, because I'm making a turkey and ham and sweet potatoes to come home to that night to get my traditional meal. Because it's just not right if you don't have turkey leftovers for sandwiches. It may not even be legal.

ANYWAY!!! I have started reading a book today, that gives me mixed feelings. It's fun and witty and it is laid out well... but my writerly voice keeps poking me. Without naming names...this is a very well known and trendy author, that receives alot of buzz. I've never read anything by this author till now, and I was excited to start one. Like I said, the writing is witty and enjoyable and right up my alley. But the writer in me keeps pointing and saying, "What the heck? You'd get slammed for that!"

What I'm talking about is massive info dumping. Huge. The kind of huge that if we as unknown writers did this and submitted to a critique group, the red pens would fly. A prologue and first chapter that is so laden with it, that you almost cringe.

I'm reading this thinking... this is a major author, so I'm going to keep reading, and the story is great and I'm hooked, but my lord I know of some people who would rake this over the coals if this was submitted anonomously.

Which makes me think, why did the rules not apply? I think that with some movies too. I watch every TV show and movie with the writing in mind. I'll watch movies and immediately think about the people writing it. Either it's brilliant writing or I'll think wow, someone wrote that and sold it? How?

Do you ever think of this? Are there any books you read and wonder how they got in "the club" doing the same no-no's we are constantly told not to do? Just curious.

Not that it changes anything. I'll still keep plugging away, always working to better my craft, trying to find the yellow brick road! LOL!

Just a peck away...

I know I've been awol. I'm sorry. I can only share this.





Enough said.

Love yall.

A perfect writerly world, it's not...

It's Friday!! And in a perfect writerly world, that would mean two upcoming days of solid writing. Well, to be honest, in a perfect writerly world, I wouldn't have to go to work today, I'd be writing all day today as well!

But it isn't that perfect writerly situation for me, or for most people I would guess. Unless you're Stephen King or Nora Roberts or JK Rowling. And if you're those people, I doubt you're reading my blog! Or maybe you are? Now, wouldn't THAT be cool?

Anyway... since my real life world consists of a day job, Friday night football game to watch my daughter march, Saturday morning fishing (yes!!!!!! SO excited), and then painting ornaments for the dance studio's annual Christmas production, Sunday morning church, and more painting ornaments... and probably some undesirable chores throughout...and bathing the dog... all that put aside, I'm hoping to get some quality writing in. Or editing actually, since I'm revisiting the old right now.

But you know....that's okay. Because if I didn't have all those things to do, that would mean I didn't have a wonderful family to take care of, and a roof over my head (okay maybe I'd still have a roof, just a maid) and a life to live in addition to this writing thing I love. That would be pretty lonely. So I'll embrace my crazy schedule, and continue to plug writing into the empty slots I can find.

So what are YOUR plans this weekend...writerly or otherwise?

No--NaNoWriMo and tunnel vision

Haven't blogged in a week....so sorry! Real life has been nuts, writing life has been tunnel visioned, and basically I evidently don't multi-task well.

I've found that I either hit up AW message boards or blog, but rarely do both. For some reason, the two don't mix. And lately I've really been hitting the AW boards, working on improving my query letter and synopsis, and critting others. And going through my first novel again, just to see if it can get better.

I learned last year about December through mid-Jan pretty much being a wash on submissions because agents are wrapping up for the year, so I'm focusing on getting submissions out there before they close up shop.

And last year I told myself I'd do NaNoWriMo this year, but with refocusing on the old novel and still dedicated to the new one, I just couldn't see spreading myself that thin starting a third right now. And I have to say to all who ARE doing it...Kudos to you! November is a crazy time of year for most people with the holidays coming...at least for me it's insane without writing even entering the picture. My hat is off to those who can do it!!

I know this is a bunch of rambling blabber, but guilt over not blogging does that to me! Now I need to get back to work for the people that pay me, because unfortunately my bank account requires it.

C'ya!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

It's a beautiful non-muggy day here in Southeast Texas, and I'm having a heck of a time staying indoors! So I've had my laptop outside with me, and I've been working diligently on my first-book query. Since I've pulled that book out of the archives and been tweaking it, I realized my query needed alot of work. I cringe now to read my old one, knowing I sent it out to 40+ agents and no WONDER it received such lukewarm response.

I don't know what I was thinking last year when I thought it was good enough. And right now I'm pretty happy with it, so I'm hoping a year from now I won't be saying that again!! LOL!

If you're interested, I have my query out for critting at AW here. Stop by and gnaw on it a little!

So I'm back to digging out my old agency list and adding some new names, and throwing my baby out there to the wolves again. Oh, and I need to pull up that ....ahem ...cough ...synopsis... whew that was tough. Need some water now.

Yeah, I need to get that back out and update it too.

I'd almost rather go dust.

Are you treading or do you need a snorkel??

What are you writing about right now?

Okay maybe not right now since you're here and not there...but currently. What's your genre, how far into it are you, and at what stage of swimming are you?

1 = Just beginning, your toes touching the water with that exhilarating rush of "this is so AWESOME!"

2 = In up to the knees, wading and breathing hard and not wanting to leave.

3 = Up to the waist, realizing you have started and can't turn back, loving your story but not sure how to continue.

4 = Chest deep, breathing hard again but for a different reason. Back on focus but stressed about getting to the end.

5 = Over your head but so immersed you're giddy... could be the lack of oxygen...

6 = Breaking the surface! Yay! You're at the finish line! But hey...revision time...that's why the shore is so far away.

7 = The long swim back, plodding through those edits.

8 = Flopping onto the beach, covered in sand, stung by jellyfish, too tired to move, baking in unrelenting sun and waiting....waiting... otherwise known as Query Hell.

Personally, I'm between plodding and flopping on one, and waist deep on the other.

Now for something completely unrelated and fun and because the holidays are approaching I'm reposting my praline recipe. Enjoy!

PECAN PRALINES

MICROWAVABLE!

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 cups sugar

1/8 tsp salt

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups pecan halves

Use 3-4 qt microwavable dish (it looks too big but it grows). Stir buttermilk, sugar, salt and butter until mixed. Add pecans and stir together. Cook on high for 12 min, stirring every 4 min. Stir in baking soda (kids love this because it foams up and grows) until foamy and consistent. Cook on high for 1 min. Beat or stir briskly (I stir, it's easier with the pecans) until thick. It will thicken as it cools. Drop on foil before gets too thick. Cools within a half hour. Yum!

Welcome to my brain...take a number

I'm feeling a bit like this guy right now... that keeps going and going and going...
except without the perky energy. Or the cool drum and sunglasses. Pretty much just set in motion without any hint of stopping on the horizon.

Since I stalled on my new wip, and blew the dust off the old one, I've managed to rework the entire first and second chapter to hopefully (crossing fingers and toes) pull off a better hook. I learned alot of what not to do from that Secret Agent contest. Now I just wish I could resubmit and say "Here, is this better? Can I get feedback again?" Yeah. Doesn't work like that.

But I'm trying to fit time in around also reading "The Hunger Games" before bed and somehow fitting in whatever is DVR'd and then there is the rest of my internal monologue.....

My daughter has marching contests
and Friday night football games and dance classes on Mondays and Tuesdays and band practices every day and when I get home from work and on the weekends, my house looks at me and says "You suck at this."

And it's right. I do.

My housecleaning has fallen right down the toilet....the one thing I have managed to clean lately. Everything else has that nice soft cushiony layer of dust, and the corners of the floor could probably create their own dog.

Speaking of the dog...she needs a bath. But she's not jumping in the tub to remind me.

But that does remind me that the tub needs scrubbing and really my stove does too, since my husband jumped in there and fried us eggs and bacon the other night which was divine but of course cleaning up wasn't part of the deal.

I'm trying to think what to cook tonight that doesn't involve having to clean the stove first since we have dancing and then helping my daughter study for a Biology test (do you know what a polymer is? Or a macromolecule? Or what habitat fragmentation is? HA! I do!!! See that tear? That's insanity creeping in!) that she has to ace to bring up a particularly nasty grade.

And I'm thinking I'm out of pepper and onions and fruit for lunches and I should go to the store so maybe picking up Popeye's chicken fits the bill for supper tonight. Which leads me to wonder what the state of my checkbook is, since I really have gotten way too used to online banking and haven't balanced it lately, and it's four days till payday so it's probably teetering on humorous.

And I'm not in the mood for the Popeye's people to laugh at me. Maybe I'll just suggest cereal. Oh crap, I'm out of milk.