Countdown To NaNoWriMo

It's almost here!

As always, NaNoWriMo comes at the worst possible time to sit down and write. And as always, I say screw it, I'm doing this.

And this time, I WILL be a winner darn it. You see, I have a secret weapon up my sleeve this time. Its a plan.

 Literally.

This time, I am going to plan out what my novel will be BEFORE I sit down to write. I will figure out it's structure. The plot points, the pinch points, the beginning and the end.

Now, you may be thinking, what is all this will? If she hasn't done it by now, odds are it aint gonna happen.

You have good reason for your doubts my friends, but keep in mind, I have two more days. I will get the planning done, as soon as I quit blogging. I swear!

Good luck fellow NaNoWrimo-ers. And if you need a buddy to cheer you on, look me up. My handle is MerissaJ.

Change is Hard

I know. Profound, right?
Change is Hard.
I imagine you're thinking, "tell me something I don't know, Captain Obvious."

But I think acknowledging that change is hard takes away some of the power of that adverisity. As in--yes, change is hard, but sometimes we have to change.  Sometimes we have to grow. To break bad habits and replace them with better ones. To let go, and live in the now.  Maybe to not let go quite so much, and to be more responsible.

I don't know what it is about the Fall, but it always seems to make me want to be better. To lose weight, to be more concientous about my exercise, my sleep, my health, my writing, my work. It makes me want to be this shining, ideal of a person.

Unfortunately, by the time Christmas rolls around, I'm back to enjoying the pecan pie on the couch, thinking about exercising/working/writing. Because--say it with me--"Change is Hard."

So how to make changes stick? You got me. I haven't managed yet.

What am I trying this year?
The stick of peer pressure and the carrot of loose clothing.
Bring it on baby!

Check back with me around Christmas. Maybe this time, by Christmas I'll be the shining ideal of a person I keep seeing evey Fall. And if not--well, at least there'll be Pecan Pie.

And a couch. Come on over and have a seat.

NANOWRIMO Prep?

So I signed up for NANOWRIMO 2011 today. I signed up for NANOWRIMO 2010 last year and was a total loser. But this year, this year will be different my friends! I will be a winner, no, a champion of NANOWRIMO!

No seriously. I will.

Quit laughing. I can hear you, you know.

You see, I have a plan.
     Step One: Sign Up.
     Completed!! See--I'm suceeding already!

     Step Two: Plan out my novel.
     I'm totally going to do this. Stop laughing. You'll see.

     Step Three: Write. A lot.
     Again, I'm Totally going to do this.

     Step Four: Win, and flaunt my amazing winningness to all.
     That's right. You'll be sorry you doubted me. This is my year to win, and I'm not going to be sparing with the I told you so-s.

My NANOWRIMO handle is MerissaJ for all you fellow NANOWRIMOers who want another writing buddy this year. A winning writing buddy that is.

Books On Writing

I was looking for an i pad charger yesterday evening. I didn't find the charger, which surprised me not one bit.  I never find what I'm looking for, but often I find something else that I've mislaid.
(pic borrowed from Amazon)

That's right--I found my lost copy of On Writing by Stephen King.

I love this book. I've read and re-read it, but thought I'd lost in in one of our moves. I can't tell you how excited I was to discover it tucked away in our guest room closet.

Do you guys have a favorite book on writing? My favorties would be Stephen King's On Writing, and Donald Maass' Fire in the Fiction. Both are just wonderful.

Guess what I'll be doing this weekend?

Kindle--3rd Time's a Charm

So I had a birthday a week or two ago.

I've hit the age where birthdays are to be celebrated only when they belong to my kids.  I feel old and decrepit enough--I don't need any more birthdays thank you. Of course, as it has been pointed out to me, the alternative isn't so great either. So, for the past couple years I've done my best to ignore the birthday on the assumption that if I don't bother it, it won't bother me.

But this birthday I got a Kindle. It came from my mother in law. I had no idea she even knew what a Kindle was. But apparently she knew that I knew what a Kindle was, and that I liked them. So the sweet lady went to best buy and had them sell her one, along with a wonderful cover with a built-in light.

If you read my blog, you'll know that this is my third kindle.  My first I dropped and broke the screen. Amazon said it was covered by warranty (really?? okay!!) and replaced it with my second kindle. Which I ran over. With my car.  I was too shamefaced to call and see whether that too, by some insane reason, was covered by warranty. Instead I decided to go back to paper as the only thing I could be trusted with.

So, I'm sure you can guess that I was pretty happy about the Kindle #3.  I stroked it lovingly, placed it snug in its cover, and tested the really amazing built-in light.

My new kindle doesn't have 3g. My other two did. Its not really a problem--but I have to connect to a wireless hotspot to download. Anywhere other than Del Rio or the back side of Alaska, I doubt this would make a significant difference. For me it does, but I can live without the instant connectivity. I'm just excited to have my kindle format books back and available to me again.

Thanks mother in law--it was a wonderful gift and I love it and I use it every day. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

For anyone out there is looking to buy a Kindle, I've had both kinds now, and I think its worth it to spring for the 3g version, unless you live somewhere where the entire town is a hotspot.

Agree? Disagree? That's what the comments are for.

First Day of School--Fall is Coming!

It's still sweltering here in Del Rio Texas. The temps regularly hit 102, or 103. I step outside the airconditioned building and immediately break out in a sweat. Its so hot that if I hop in the car wearing a skirt or shorts and I sit on the leather seats, I have to put a towel down or literally risk burning my legs. Blister burning--not, ouch--that's uncomfortable burning. Trust me--you don't want blisters on the back of your thighs. Not cool--excuse the pun.

But I feel fine. Because today is the first day of school. My oldest just went to her first day of kindergarten. My second just went to his first day of pre-k. They were adorable in their matching uniforms, scrubbed clean with shiny, excited faces; my little girl in pigtails.

I'm as excited as they are that school has begun. It means Fall is coming, with bright crisp days and cool evenings when I can open the window and not need to have the airconditioner run all night long. When I can step outside and not break into an immediate sweat. When I can put my anti-burn car towel away until next summer.

Can you tell that Fall is my favorite season? I'm anticipating its coming--not patiently, but with all the excitement cool evenings, Halloween, and Thanksgiving can bring.

Bring it on--I'm ready.

Procrastination, and Simplifying Life

Well, its Thursday and I haven't posted my blog yet. 

Yes, I am a procrastinator.

I make excuses for the trait:

I'm super busy, I have too many responsibilities, there isn't enough time in the day.

It's actually true, but everyone else faces these same things. They manage to get their stuff done, and do it without scrambling right before the deadline. Their cars are clean, they don't pay late fees on their movies or utility bills. Their kids are shiny clean, hair brushed, shoelaces tied. They plan stuff in advance, and get ready for it all before hand. They decide to do stuff, and then, they ACTUALLY DO IT.
They don't procrastinate.

I want that to be me, but it never is. I always end up leaving the house late, and if my kids are shiny clean with brushed hair you can bet I'm lucky to have brushed teeth and two matching shoes. Makeup? Ha! Don't make me laugh. Breakfast? Maybe, at my desk at work--if I get to sit down before I have to be in court.

So. I want to be a nonprocrastinator.

I want to be that person who interviews her police officers on the upcoming trial way BEFORE the Friday before trial. Who has her voir dire mapped out weeks in advance. Who has a case theory weeks before that.

I want to be that person who pays her bills BEFORE time, not right before the deadline, while muttering to herself about the mailbox rule's application to utility bills.

I want to be that person who gets to bed on time, and gets up early enough to actually apply makeup before dragging the kids out of bed, getting them ready and leaving the house.

I want to be that person who gets to work on time, and leaves work on time, instead of getting caught up in whatever she's working on and then rushing to pick up her kids before the daycare gives them away.

I want to be that person who finishes the edits she's been promising herself she will do instead of letting them slide because she has more to do than she can ever hope to get done.

So how? How do those people, those nonprocrastinators do it? Were they born that way? How do I sign up for that?

I really don't know, but I'd like to. I think I'll have to research it and see. But it's gonna have to be the week after next--I have a trial to prepare for today. And the deadline is looming--Monday is showtime.

Sigh. If anyone out there is a successfully reformed procrastinator, help me out.
Give me a good place to start.
I'd be eternally grateful.