See Merissa Write

Countdown To NaNoWriMo

2011-10-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-09-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-08-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

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.

The "Bad Guys"

2011-07-26T14:25:00.000-07:00

This has been a crazy couple weeks.

I work as a felony prosecutor in Texas.

So, I see a lot of "Bad Guys," as my kids call them.
With most defendants, I can look past the stuff they've done and see the person behind. I often still send the person behind to the pen, but even so, usually I can see the person behind, and sometimes I feel sorry for them.

But every once in a while you come across someone who has done something so terrible, so evil, it eclipses the person behind the act. They lose all status as a person who made a bad choice. They become, in the minds of anyone who knows what they've done, evil. Maybe it's a defense mechanisim we use to distance ourselves from someone who has done unspeakable things. Or who knows, maybe that act really does make a person so evil that there is nothing defining left about that person except the evil they chose.

This past week, I saw evil. I will not burden anyone else with details of that evil, even second hand. But, it wasn't bad choices, or acts of frustration, or lack of choice or insanity. It was pure, chosen, deliberate, uncomprehendable evil. And like evil does, it tortured and destroyed the helpless, the innocent.

Dealing with evil makes me exhausted, and somewhat hopeless. Every time I think surely there could not possibly be another living person as depraved. Then, I get proof that there is.

It makes me angry, and it makes me afraid for the children I have brought into this world, who are helpless and innocent right now. I desperately want to shield them from ever having to face evil. Always, even when they're grown, and no longer helpless or innocent.

So, to avoid dwelling on gruesome details, on the flashes of horror that play in my head after a brush with evil, I try to intellectualize it. Make it acedemic.

Which means I now have a debate going with myself. Which is more effective as an antagonist in fiction? The person who makes bad choices, who you can understand even when you disapprove of their acts? Or the person who has chosen to do such evil things that they are what they do--simply, incomprehendably, evil. The reader cannot identify with them as anything but the big bad.

And finally, is evil contagious? Does it spread? It doesn't usually in fiction. But in life? I'm not so sure.

Great YA

2011-07-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

Friday evening, after running a Grand Jury all day, I got home. My phone had died at some point during the day, and I was running late.

DH, who HATES it when I'm late and he cant reach me (mostly because he's decided about five minutes after i'm officially late that I have been run over, stabbed, shot, pepper sprayed and/or beaten by one of the defendants I sent to prison) was cranky when I got home.

I'll spare you the converation, but the upshot was: Please remember to plug in your phone dammit, and by the way, we are going to Houston.

I was at this point in my evening, collapsed on the bed, shoes and all, trying to decide if I had energy enough to drag myself to the shower. Houston, if you are wondering, is a good seven hour drive from the bed upon which I was collapsed.

I groaned. I summoned enough energy to snag the pillow beside me and put it on my head, the better with which to block out the insane travel plans DH was expounding on.

Then he pulled out the "well, you'd have known about this is you plugged in your phone once in a while."

Followed up with "And I booked a hotel in San Antonio on the riverwalk, so lets go. We can eat out and have some drinks and the kids are at my mom's so lets not waste a perfectly kid free evening."

Well folks, we don't live near family, so we don't often have babysitters. So I drug myself to a sitting position and mumbled feebly about packing. I was informed that he had already packed a bag for me (EEK!!) and all I needed to do was get back in the car.

A cup of coffee, and an hour later I was pulled together enough to yet again form a coherent sentence, and by the time we got to San Antonio, I was ready to have some fun.

We did (60oz margarita anyone?) and when we reached Houston the next day we did some work. Then we went to Barnes and Noble, where I finally picked up the Maze Runner. I'd heard about it and opened it to look at and never stopped reading. I had to have it. So I bought it. And read it through. Twice.

Which made me want to blog about dystopian-ish YA. I am a re-reader. I recently re-read the fabulous Harry Potter series for the 6th or 7th time. I've read the Hunger Games trilogy at least four times through. I recently read new author Elana Johnson's Possession, and have just devoured James Dasher's Maze Runner.

Each was a wonderful example of great writing, engaging storylines and characters to care about. I know I'll be re-reading these books for years to come. Finding some more wonderful YA to add to my re-reading roster always makes me feel like I've accomplished something great. Just not as great at the wonderful authors who wrote the books.

STUPOR MAN, the STUPOR HERO!

2011-07-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

So my youngest kiddo is three. And being three, he says a lot of things I think are funny, athough he often misses the joke.

For instance--he is very into super heroes right now. Super man, batman, spider man; these are Gods to my child. He worships them, along with the Super Why cast, and my husband (who he has also decided is a super hero because he fights bad guys and puts them in grown up time out--aka jail.)

I, of course, do the exact same thing as hubby, but am not classified in the super hero category, for reasons I haven't yet figured out.

Perhaps mommys are separate and apart from the rules that otherwise govern the classisfication of superheros. Or it could be that he's penalizing me for snorting with laughter every time he brings up his favorite subject--super heros.

I'd be sadder about this, except for one small factor.

The kid cannot say super.

So...Spiderman, Batman and hubby are all--wait for it--stupor heros.

Superman?

Not in my household. Thats right--we have Stupor man.

This probably shouldn't bring me joy. But it's just so funny. Every time I hear him say Stupor man, this is what I see:

Stupor man...missing criminal acts everywhere.

Snort.

He'd rescue folks--if he weren't in such a stupor.

Okay, I know I'm juvenile. But it cracks me up!

I think I'm good with not being a stupor hero. I'm addicted to caffine already. Who knows what I'd need to get me going if I was classified as stupor woman....

Mourning my Kindle--Again

2011-07-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

So, DH got me a shiny new Kindle some months ago.

So, so pretty.
And I loved it. I adored it. I wanted to pet it and call it George.

Did I mention how pretty it was?
And light?
That it fit in my purse?
And that I could get brand new books without getting out of my pajamas?

I could read it in court, while waiting for jury roll call, and in the hallway while waiting on grand jury deliberations, and in the car on my way to our outer counties (when I wasn't driving of course).

I could read it at lunch (Doritos from the vending machine) when we didn't have enough time between hearings to actually LEAVE the court house.

I could read it in bed, and (carefully) in the bathtub. I could hold a kid in my lap and peer round his/her head to read and change pages with my thumb.

I loved my Kindle.

Then I dropped it.
The screen broke.

I mourned.

Oh, how I mourned.

Then I went onto the facebook kindle page and posted a question on where to get a broken screen fixed. After sufferring through lots of catcalls and fun making--apparently a mourning kindle breaker is impossible to resist making fun of, a kind soul advised me to call Kindle and they'd take care of me.

So I did.

And you know what? They did.

They said dropping your Kindle was covered by the warranty. Yeah--I kid you not.

Amazon sent me a beautiful new Kindle, gratis.

I promptly named it Merissa's second Kindle, and transferred all my books, all the while feeling great love for Amazon and the new free replacement Kindle and praising both to anyone who would listen.

Kindle #2 and I got along very well. It was just as wonderful as Kindle #1, but with the added advantage of an unbroken screen.

But last week, while trying to get somewhere (home) I set my purse on top of my hood, and proceeded to get all three of my (under five) rugrats in their carseats as usual. I snapped them in, defended myself from accusations of making the five point harness too tight, handed them the appropriate toys and water bottles, hopped in my car and put it in drive.

The purse (with gasp--Kindle inside) came off the hood of the car and hit the street.

And I'm pretty sure that I ran over it, because my poor, poor kindle is broken again.

I'm not just talking a broken screen. Its bent, like a giant with its attendant giant behind sat on it. And yes--the screen doesn't work any more either.

I'm pretty sure the Kindle warranty doesn't cover what I've done to the poor thing.

So now I have to decide.

I've broken two kindles in 6 months.

Can I afford another?

At least when I drop a paper book into the bathtub (yes--that has happened more times than I care to count, but dang it--the best reading time I've ever had was in a bathtub) it's a five or six dollar hit. I drop the kindle (or run it over) and its a $190 hit.

So far I haven't replaced it. But I really want to.

When there isn't much to say:

2011-06-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

So here I sit, trying to decide what to blog about.

There's the mini family reunion I just went to this weekend. (Fabulous, but uninteresting for those of you not acquainted with our ummm--quirky? family.) So, no.

There's the simmering rant about (certain) cops who persist in send half ass (ie: lets not bother to actually show that we meet the elements of the FELONY offense we're arresting folks for before we send it to the DA's office) reports that I've been wading through today. Seriously people, your reports have to meet the elements of the offense before we can/will indict.

But no, I don't think I want to blog about that. Talk about a foolproof way to get stopped and ticketed for every traffic violation I might commit in the next year.
(Not my photo--thanks to http://todaypictures.blogspot.com/ for the pic.)

But guys, seriously, if you're a cop who writes crappy reports--they're important. They reflect on you, your department and what we (prosecutors) think of you, your department, and most importantly, your case.

I know the chase is the fun stuff, but without a proper report, your prosecutors are going to drop your cases. And if they do take them to trial, they're gonna lose, because the defense is going to use your crappy report to make you look like an absolute idiot. No jury will convict on your say-so once that happens. So just write the damn report right.

And also, before the haters strike, I don't hate cops in general. My hubby's a cop--but he writes wonderful reports and puts the toilet seat back down so he escapes my wrath. SO there.

Kidding. Just kidding guys.

So, what about writing? Well--I haven't done much this week. I did do some structure evaluation on my manuscript that I have been trying to save from mediocrity. (Yes, much like Charlie Sheen, so far mediocrity is winning.)

It was helpful, until my four year old found the papers I was mapping said structure on and ripped them to shreds. I think he may have chewed on the shredded stuff, judging from the leftover mess. (I'll spare the blogosphere that picture. Yes, you may thank me for that.)

So I'll be re-mapping the structure this week. I hope to have it done before next Friday. Yes, that is an arbitrary deadline pulled stright out of the air. Still, a girl's gotta have deadlines...

I guess what I really want to say is: It's Monday folks. Hang in there--Friday will be here if we just hang on.
I hope.

I'm Back...

2011-06-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! I'm back!
So if you look back at the various posts I made previously, you'll see that its been forever since I posted. I fell into the social media trap you see. I took on so much at once, on top of my demanding home life, and I burned out. Something had to go, so I stopped blogging and slowed way down on everything else, at least until I could get a handle on my life.

But now I'm back. And I'm excited to be back.
So, I guess an update is in order.

I closed my legal practice, and went back to being a prosecutor. Its far less lucrative, but so much more fulfilling. It was a good move for me.Speaking of moves--we moved our family to the Texas/Mexico border for said prosecution positions. Hubby and I are both prosecuting felony crimes on the border. It's good and important work, and we're happy to be able to do it.

The kiddos have settled, and are doing fabulously. My middle kid (who is now four) is on the autism spectrum--super smart, but with many of the behavioral, sensory and processing tics that come with being on the spectrum. For whatever reason, he has progressed amazingly since our move. It's been wonderful to watch him, and I've gone from being terrifed for his future to knowing he's going to be okay. I can't express the joy that brings to my life.

Writing wise, I have been working, but slowly, slowly, slowly. I've taken some wonderful classes (Larry Brooks Story Structure class is fabulous if anyone is looking for a class to take and can't decide.) I've been in the planning stage of a new urban fantasy series and am getting really excited about starting the actual writing soon.

My first few stories I was a pantser with, but I have had so much fixing to do by the end that I was desperate for a new way to do things. So the story structure class has been invaluable in helping me plan a lot more with this next set. I'm also in the process of going back to my previous efforts and looking at the structure and how I can use what I've learned to fix the deficiencies in those stories. So, I have a lot of work to do. I'm going to try to blog at least once a week, and will let you guys know how the restructuring of my already written manuscript goes.

Have any of you tries to completely restructure a completed manuscript to fix structural issues? How did it go? How long did it take? And were you happy with the results?

Learning Curves

2010-05-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

Learning curves.

We all have them.

In fact, we've spent a lot of time talking about them in the context of political races lately. But today I'd like to refocus a bit, onto learning curves in writing.

I don't know where you are in your journey to publication. Most days, I'm not sure where I am in my journey to publication. But I know I'm farther along than I was a month ago.

Its a great feeling to know that.

So, back to the point I was trying to discuss--simply writing is an opportunity to learn what does work, and what doesn't. But to be honest, I tend to learn a lot more from reading other people's work and discovering how they do things. Most of the time it's subconscious learning.

In my daily reading, I don't carefully look to see how an author accomplishes their goals. I read the memo, or the brief, or the treatise or the case and I try to digest and retain the needed information. When I read in bed for a half hour before lights out, I don't look carefully to see how the author has made their characters three dimensional, or how they've paced their story. I read to enjoy the story. To relax so I can sleep.

The beautiful thing is, I still learn from it. A week or two later, I might have an idea to try something else in my writing. Can I pinpoint where the growth comes from? Sometimes. Most times not. But regardless, I grow and learn in my writing. And getting farther along on my personal learning curve is a wonderful thing.

What about you guys?

Where do you learn about writing most from? Is it formal classes? Critiquing others? Simply reading? Or are you like me—every bit helps, but mostly you can’t pinpoint where you’ve picked up the extra knowledge—it’s just there for you to use?

Lesson Four AND Five

2010-04-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

Okay guys,

I'm a little behind here. The campaign is heating up, and early voting began yesterday. Also, I waited until pretty close to the last minute to finish judging for a writing contest I had agreed to judge for. I like to give each entry a good deal of time, and several read-throughs, so that I can give the best feedback and most help to each entrant as I can, so it took up most of the last few days of last week to do justice to each entry.

Not that I'm saying you guys aren't important. You SO are. But, let’s just say, there wasn't a fixed deadline for posting, and so it got shuffled back. Sorry. :-)

So, I've decided to skim over lesson four. After all, it's pretty self explanatory. A four year old, a three year old, and a two year old. Trying to keep that lot still, presentable, and from destroying the studio? Pretty much impossible. We spent about ten minutes trying, they got a five second shot of peaceful lull somewhere in the ten minutes, and I bundled the kids off. Everyone--the kids included, was happy to have that over and done with.

So, on to Lesson Five.

Wendy foreshadowed it a bit. Not everyone is nice, especially in small town politics. Some people are darn un-nice. (Yes, I'm pretty sure that isn't a word, but it's my blog and I like the un-word, so it stays.)

So, we started to get hate mail. But with a twist.

They sent it to all our neighbors.

Saying awful, evil, obviously untrue things about DH.

We have great neighbors. The first to bring over an envelope was our French neighbor from across the street. I was home alone, and he asked to see DH. He said he'd gotten some trash mail, and thought DH needed to see it, but it was so awful, he didn't show it to me.

Yep. It was bad enough that French neighbor wanted to protect me from it.

They kept coming. A string of neighbors, angry and disgusted for us, and that someone was sending this filth to them. An unintended effect is that as a whole, the neighbors (even the generally non-voting neighbors) have all said they're voting, and are going to tell everyone they know to vote for DH. Yep. The letters made them that mad.

We called the police.

Since DH is running for office, and on a strong law enforcement platform, they got right on it. Of course, we still have no idea who is sending the letters out. They are creative though, I'll give them that.

We haven't mentioned anything about it to anyone. I guess the lack of attention upset them, because they've gotten more creative with the letters by the day.

Then the creepy calls started this weekend.

Yep folks, we are now getting death threats. Over a local election! Seriously.

So, lesson five? If you're going to run public office, make sure you are prepared. Because not everyone is nice when politics are involved. Even local politics. Maybe especially local politics.

Lesson Three in A Cautionary Tale

2010-04-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

So ladies, (and gentlemen too if any of you out there are so inclined) a word of advice. Do not ever, ever, ever make the mistake of putting highlights in your own hair at home while your significant other is running a political campaign. Even if you think you're really good at it. Even if you've done your highlights at home before.

Trust me.

If it can go wrong, it will. And if you are anything like me, you'll end up with unnatural orange streaks in your hair.

Well, that's not so bad, right? I mean, I could wear a hat. Wait a couple weeks and see if the color tones down some?

Yeah, that's what I said.

Then I went swimming.

The color got even brighter and more unnatural. Im talking ORANGE. Yeah, that orange.

Still, there was always the hat option.

Then DH comes home Wednesday evening with some information. The guy who is helping him with his campaign has decided that he needs a TV commercial. He's set him up with a professional studio who will do it for practically nothing, because they owe the guy helping DH a favor.

I smile. "Thats a great idea honey. It sounds like a perfect way to get the word out."

I wiggle my toes, secretly thankful that with the advent of the commercial, handing out cards won't be nearly as important.

He grins. "Great! So we'll need to be at the studio Friday afternoon. Do you have any idea of what we ought to dress the kids in?"

I stare at him. "What? We? The Kids? What?"

My hands fly to my orange hair. "Friday afternoon? But, my hair!!"

He shifts his weight and looks past my head and out the window. "Yeah, well...you might need to fix it." His gaze flies back to mine. "I mean, I like it, but it's not very conservative..."

"Uh, Yeah, I have to fix it," I wail. "But do you have any idea how long it takes to get an appointment with a decent colorist??"

He frowns. "Well, you have till Friday. That should be plenty time."

I consider strangling him at this point. Then I realize that my hands won't fit completely around his neck. And then another thought occurs. "The kids are going to be in the commercial? The four, three, and two year old kids? Our Kids?"

He shifts again. "Yeah, that's what I thought. But helper guys says its okay if they don't stay still. We can have them playing in the background as I talk."

I snort, as I envision the kids ripping hundred thousand dollar cameras off shelves and crawling up the vertical section of the green screen. My snort obviously telegraphed the entirety of my misgivings, because DH nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "But we can give it a try and see, right?"

He looks earnest, and my heart does that little fillip it does when he looks particularly adorable.

"Okay, we can give it a try. But I'm not going to be in the office tomorrow, because I HAVE to get my hair fixed."

He looks relieved. "No problem. If you need me to cover any appointment you have, just tell me."

So, the next day, I call my hair stylist.

She's wonderful. Stylish, funny, engaging and always booked for months.

I throw myself on her mercy. I tell her my sad story, and she is appropriately horrified for me. She agrees that I can't possibly go on television with orange hair, and agrees to see me after her last appointment. Even if I DID try to color my hair without her help. I was abjectly greatful.

She stayed until 9:30 pm, and made my hair beautiful. I LOVE her.

And that is why you should never color your hair yourself if your husband is running for office.

Lesson Four involves not trying to use your toddlers in a TV commercial. Especially if there are three of them, four and under. Coming soon folks, coming soon!

A Cautionary Tale: Lesson #2, and a plug for Critique This WIP

2010-04-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

I'm back with Lesson #2 as promised.

So to bring you up to speed if any of you are joining us for the first time, Lesson #1 of the Cautionary Tale is that it's important to listen when your significant other speaks to you. Even if you're in the middle of working through a pivotal scene in your WIP. It's equally important NOT to answer any questions with mppphhh, or uh huh, or yes, unless you are aware of what has been asked of you. Trust me on this.

I didn't listen. And I did answer uh huh, mpppphhh, and yes. And a week and a half later I came home to a tower of campaign materials on my doorstep, and a hubby who is now running for town board.

So after moving the stack of materials, and after confronting hubby, who replayed the entire conversation for my edification, I shrugged, and asked myself, "Well how much work could it be?"

Okay. Second mistake.

LESSON NUMBER 2. If you ever become involved in a campaign for public office, no matter how lowly the position, it will be A LOT of work. When I say a lot, I don't mean you'll have to dress up, look pretty on DH's arm and smile adoringly as he gives his positions on the issues. I tend to be an introvert, but I could manage that, right? In the name of being a supportive spouse?

I wouldn't know. Because I haven't gotten a chance to do the above. What I have gotten to do is hand out said campaign materials. I'm not talking a couple hundred cards. Nope. He ordered 52,000 cards. And obviously he couldn't pass them all out himself, even if he was working hard on it. So, like any supportive spouse, I took a stack, put on my walking shoes and started campaigning. It was the least I could do for accidentally encouraging him to run, right? Besides, the stacks of boxes sitting in the living room made me feel guilty every time I walked by. Okay, so I'd hand out some cards.

In between handing out cards, it is also apparently important to write letters to the editor of the local paper. You see, it's an effective way to delineate the candidate's stances on the issues. Except that the candidate him/herself can't have their letters published. Candidates spouses however, can have their letters published. Oh well, I'm a writer, right? I can knock out a few letters to the editor and sound halfway intelligent. Right? Right. Ummm--it's actually harder than it sounds. The trick is to write in sound bites that can't be taken out of context and misconstrued. Ha. Ha, ha, ha, ha.

But that isn't all! As a candidate's spouse, you are subject to answering questions about DH's stance on the issues, including law enforcement. In the grocery store. At the zoo. At the children's school. Good thing I was listening when he told me what his stance was. Now, you may wonder how anyone recognized me as a candidate’s spouse.

Which brings us to LESSON 3: Do NOT, and I repeat, DO NOT, try to put highlights in your hair at home when your hubby is running for office.

Non-sequitur? Nope. Stay tuned, it'll make perfect sense.

I've Been a Bad, Bad Blogger/A Cautionary Tale

2010-04-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

Here it is Thursday, and I haven't updated my blog for the week.
I have excuses.
But they're just that, so I'm backing away from the temptation to share said excuses.

Instead, I'll share something interesting. Hmmmn.
((taps fingers on beautiful piano desk.))

Well, let's see....Oh, I know!!

I'll share a cautionary tale, as lived out by me.

PART ONE
So, the pretty little town I live in is experiencing an explosion of crime.
A big explosion. There were 12 bank robberies in our county this last year, and 11 of them were in our little town. Home invasions and robberies in our town have more than doubled in the last year. I could go on, but you get the idea, right?

So, I'm at my trusty laptop, when DH says to me, "Hun, I think I should run for town board."

"Mmmmfh," I say, trying to decide whether my hero has grinned, smiled, or merely quirked the corner of his mouth.

"We really need somone with law enforcement experience on the board. Look at our policing levels, and our exploding crime rate."

"Yes," I say, having decided that less is more--the quirk is what I need.

"Well, that was easy. I thought I'd really have to sell you on the idea. I'm off to order campaign materials."

"Uh, huh," I say, trying to figure out what my fiesty heroine's reaction will be to hero's quirk of the lips. Is she amused? Annoyed? Indifferent?

Fast forward a week and a half. I pull into my driveway, and before I get the keys to off position, I see it. A tower--and I do mean tower, of white boxes, stacked so high and wide, I can't get to my front door.

"What the--" I say, (slightly cranky about the mountain of boxes I have to move before I can enter my house.)

I reach up to about the five foot level and try to pluck a box from the top of the stack. It doesn't move. I try again, with more vim. Gosh, it's heavy. What is in here?

I cut the tape with my keys and open the box. Yup. Campaign materials. Cards to be specific, urging all and sundry to vote for DH.

Errrm??? Well crap. I'd better move some of these so I can get through the door.
I corner DH when he gets home. I'm tired, sweaty, and maybe a little cranky, seeing as I'm waving a campaign card wildy as I approach him.

He listens to my questions, fired like pellets from an airgun.

He waits for me to peter out.

"We had this conversation," he says patiently. Then DH replays the conversation word for word, and even attempting to duplicate my voice.

"Ooooh," I groan. Despite the fact that my husband always makes me sound like the queen of England when he mimics me, I do vaugely remember this conversation.

"Anyway," he finishes, "I have the cards now--I HAVE to run."

LESSON #1. Pay attention when your significant other speaks. Even if he/she speaks while you're in the middle of tweaking a pivotal scene. Trust me on this.

I berate myself silently for not paying better attention when DH speaks. Then I shrug. Oh well, he's running. How much work could that be??

Tune in next time, and I'll share LESSON #2 with you...

Critique This WIP

2010-04-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

Hi guys!
One of my critique groups has put together a blog. It's called Critique This WIP and I just posted my maiden blog on it!

I won't go on and on or repeat posts, but if you'd like to check it out, just click the link above.

Heather's comment from last time inspired me, so I wanted to share a few quotes on achieving your dreams. We'll get there, but it'll take work. I'm up for it. How about you?

"I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen." --Frank Lloyd Wright

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal: my strength lies solely in my tenacity." --Louis Pasteur

"Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go much further than people with vastly superior talent." --Sophia Loren

Apparently guys, persistence works regardless of your chosen profession. Let's get at it!

Rejection.

2010-04-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I got my first rejection this week.

It was kind, and personalized, and a rejection.

I'm very glad that the person who asked for the partial did so, and took the time to read my work. I'll keep tweaking, and getting better, and researching homes for the manuscript.

And just for today, I'll hug the rejection close, and revel in it. Because after finishing and polishing your manuscript, rejections are the next big step towards getting published. I just took that next step.

Onward and upward folks! Keep at it, and eventually we'll get there!

True or False? Plus...Congratulations to all the Golden Heart and Rita Finalists!

2010-03-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

As promised, I am revealing the very shocking Truths from my list today.
Okay, melodramatic much? Yep.

But first, congratulations to all the Golden Heart and Rita entrants who got the call today! What an amazing experience for you guys!

Secondly, I'm well aware that I tend to be longwinded. I'd like to say this post will be an exception, but it probably won't. Sorry. Now, to business:

1.) My favorite movie of all time is Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.
This is FALSE. While it amused me a great deal, I'd be lying to say I was laughing with the movie. Another shred of evidence that the book is usually better than the movie, right?

2.) I am a writer of FABULOUS poetry.
Ha. Ha, ha ha ha. Nope. Terrible poetry is all I've ever produced. Poetry even I had to admit was terrible. This is SO FALSE, it isn't even funny. Especially if you're forced to read said poetry.

3.) I have a tramp stamp.
(Shifty eyes.) Okay. This is embarrasing, but TRUE. But I never would have gotten a tattoo there if I'd known it would eventually be labelled a tramp stamp. But even now that it is, I still love it. Its sooooo pretty, you see. No, no visual aids there. I can't get the camera that far behind me and still take the pic. Yes, that IS the only reson you're not being subjected to the sight. :)

4.) The desk I use to write at is a converted piano.

Again, this is TRUE. And to prove it, here she is! Isn't she gorgeous?? I'm told it's an 18th century piano that was converted to a desk and that there were only 4 made. But that was by the antique dealer trying to sell me the thing, so who really knows? And who cares? Look at her!! Lovely. Even if she is a huge mess.

5.) I write absolutely all my work using Write or Die.

This is FALSE. But I do about 85% of my first drafts using write or die, so it's only a little false...

6.) In my spare time, I play the violin

Errrmmm... No. This is FALSE. I cannot play a single musical instrument, not even the recorder. I can however operate my Ipod, and that's good enough for me. I am fascinated by folks who can play musical instruments though.

7.) I do everything long before deadline because I don't like things hanging over my head waiting to be done.

This is SO FALSE. I wait until the night before, or the hour before or the 5 minutes before. I don't know why I do that to myself, but I always do.

One more pic of my lovely piano desk...

And there you have it folks! The Outrageous Truths about Merissa.

Creative Writer Award (Yes, it is the big fat liar award--but creative writer sounds so much better.)

2010-03-23T13:18:00.000-07:00

Courtney, at Courtney Reese gave me with this lovely Creative Writer Award. Thanks to Courtney, and I apologize for taking forever to come and claim it.
What can I say? Life got busy.

So Anyway, to business! I've co-opted Courtney's rules as follows:
Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who gave this to you.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the person who nominated you.

4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth.

5. Nominate seven “Creative Writers” who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies.

6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

Rather than go easy on you and only have 1 truth, I’ve changed the rules a bit. So, here are your 5 lies and 2 truths. Which is which? You’ll find out on my next post.

((DRUMROLL)) And here they are:

1.) My favorite movie of all time is Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

2.) I am a writer of FABULOUS poetry.

3.) I have a tramp stamp.

4.) The desk I use to write at is a converted piano.

5.) I write absolutely all my work using Write or Die.

6.) In my spare time, I play the violin

7.) I do everything long before deadline because I don't like things hanging over my head waiting to be done.

I'm passing the award on to:

1.) Wendy Marcus at Must Have Romance for being such a great commenter. Thanks Wendy--I love to read your comments.
2.)Kimberly Franklin at Kimberly Franklin--Confessions: Secret Life of a Writer because she has a great thumb photo (makes me want to be in a convertible driving along the Florida Keys every time I see it) and because her blog is ALL. ABOUT. THE. BLOG. AWARD right now.
3.)Hilary Wagner at Hilary Wagner because I love her blog. Who doesn't like a little white rat or three?
4.)Lindsey Brooks at Dangerous With a Pen because someone who give away so many wonderful prizes deserves a prize of her own.
5.)Anisa at Anisa Off the Record because anyone who makes such a rockin' Darth Vader cake has got to have some super creative lies and truths!
6.)Mia Hayson who has a wonderfully visual blog at My Literary Jam and Toast --check it out if you haven't yet.
7.)Jessilyn at Jessica's Vision. Her blog has an amazingly rich old world vampire feel. Love it! Check her out!

And there you have it Ladies and Gentlemen! The Creative Writer (aka big fat liar) awards!

Online Writing Communities--Do You Or Don't You?

2010-03-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

As y'all have probably figured out by now, I tend to post about whatever's on my mind when I sit down to blog. I don't usually plan out a list of blog posts, although perhaps I should.
So what's on my mind today is online writing communities. Specifically, the number of communities, the varied purposes of them, and the seven million dollar question--which ones are worth belonging to?
Here's the thing. Online communities (whether they are loops or sites or blogs or facebook or twitter) take up precious time. Lots of precious time.

Everybody's life is different, but I think that we all face the same issue with regard to time. There's never enough of it.

Writing must be done. Words put on the paper, regarded, revised, regarded again and revised again.

Almost all of us have to take time to work, to put food in our bellies and clothes on our kids. What a timesuck that tends to be.

So when it comes to online writing communities, the question is, do they help your writing, or do they suck up so much time that the writing never actually gets done?

I think the answer to this varies from person to person, and from community to community. I'm a member of multiple online writing communities. Some I can talk about, some have rules that forbid it. What I can say though, is that its important to pick those communities carefully. Here are my standards for whether I'll remain a part of the community:

1. Is it positive?
Some communities out there are negative. They allow flame wars and beating up on people who disagree with the community's alpha leaders. I've been lucky enough not to experience this, but have heard some horror stories. People, life is just too short to subject yourself to this kind of negative experience. Move on. There are tons of wonderful, supportive communities out there where you'll be welcomed and respected.

2. Does it help me on my journey to publication?
This one is important. We've all heard about how it's important to have an online presence for when you "get the call." But if your online presence sucks up all your writing time, guess what? You'll never finish anything to submit, and therefore, you'll never get the call. Sad, but true. Sigh.

But wait, it's not all gloom and doom! There are communites out there that can help you do both! At once! I know--it's great.

For instance, I'm a member of a writing goals community. In this community, we set yearly, weekly and monthly goals. We post weekly about what we've accomplished writing-wise that week, and we cheer each other on. Sounds simple. But I can't tell you how powerful a tool this is. Having that weekly accountability from a loop of committed writers who cheer for your successes, and commiserate with you when you feel like you've failed is SO helpful. It keeps me on track, knowing I need to have something to report on weekly.

I'm also a member of two critique loops. The one I am allowed to talk about is Critique This, and you can see our group blog at Critique This if you're interested. Critique groups are fantastic things, if you find the right ones. Having fresh eyes look at what you've worked and reworked until it seems dull, lifeless and pretty much awful is invaluable. The trick is finding people who will tell you the truth as they see it, but kindly and respectfully. And the other trick is to remember that you are the writer, and you need to take what works and toss the rest. If you can do this, your writing will grow immensely, especially if you're a new writer. I also find that critiquing other people's work helps me see where I fall short in mine. Funny the way things work.

3. Does it help you learn the craft of writing?
This is a more specific question than number two. Here, I'm talking about craft classes. Many local RWA groups offer classes online, where for a small fee you can learn about something you're having trouble with in your writing, or just want to learn more about. Let me caution you. Not all classes are created equal. And the cost of fees don't always correspond to the utility of the class. Some of the best classes I've had were free, and some of the least helpful I paid for. What it comes down to is research. Try to find out if anyone you know has taken a class you think you may be interested in. Ask them for their honest opinion. And go into realizing that just because that style of teaching worked for one person, doesn't mean it'll work for another. Overall though, you can learn something from every class, even if it isn't what you thought you'd learn.

4.Does it help you learn about the business of publication?
Here I'm talking Twitter. Okay. So when I first tried twitter I thought it was the most useless thing ever invented.

(Sorry Twitter--I've since converted!)

I thought it was an immense timesuck, and pretty much useless, other than keeping up with my writing friends.

Then I started following agents.

Okay guys, listen up. This is important.

Agents tell you what they're thinking on twitter. What they're looking for. What they HATE and you should never, under any circumstances do. Seriously. Its better than their blogs, and far less work to keep up with. And they post competitions from their blogs on twitter. Win a synopsis crit? A query crit? Query submissionsfest? All posted on twitter. So, I'm a convert. I've learned more about agents, their preferences and what they're looking for from Twitter in a month than I did in a year of sporadic blog reading. If you have a Twitter account and don't follow agents on it, consider doing so.

Okay, I realize that every time I post, it's incredibly long winded, so I am going to stop for now. Does anyone have something to add to the list that I've missed? Any comments on what I have on the list? Agree? Disagree?

Writers Block

2010-03-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has written regularly for a period of time has likely experienced it.

Writers Block.

That feeling of dread when you know you should be writing, and you are desperately looking for something else--anything else--to do instead. Laundry gets done, pots shine, and floors get mopped. Offices get organized, cars washed, vacuumed and waxed. Even toilets get cleaned, all while the manuscript you should be working on lies there, waiting unfazed. The guilt looms closer.

Why?

What causes writers block? Is it simple procrastination? Is it just a need to spend some time apart, only to come back and find writing effortless? Or is it something you can power through, if you just sit down and begin to type?

I think it depends.

On what? Well, I think it depends on why the writers block is well, blocking. I've identified a couple things that cause my writing to become blocked.

One, my story doesn't make sense, or my characters don't have motivation. This is a big one for me. If either of these things happens, everything grinds to a halt. I simply cannot power on through this type of block, until I identify the problem, and fix it. Once the story makes sense, or the characters have believable motivations, goals and conflicts, the writing comes easily again.

Two, I'm emotionally empty. I find that in order to write, I have to have at least a tiny bit of emotional energy left in me by the end of the day. Sometimes, that doesn't happen. This kind of block is short term, and is more exhaustion than block. Having a long bath and going to bed early goes very far towards making this kind of block go away. Sometimes we have to take care of ourselves. Sounds simple. But, with little kids, demanding day jobs and demanding characters, sometimes we don't take decent care of ourselves.

Those two reasons cover most writers block in my experience. Of course, there is simple procrastination. Sometimes writing is hard. Its work. Its hard work. Then, procrastination often plays a large part in my failing to sit down and write. This though, is the easy thing to deal with. It's essential then to sit down, and start typing. Power through. Commit to ten minutes. Likely, you'll look up an hour later, amazed at where you've gotten and want to continue on to.

What do you guys think? Have you ever had writer's block? Did you figure out what caused it? How do you overcome it?

Craft Classes

2010-03-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

Today I wanted to talk about craft classes briefly.
I take at least one a month, and often more. They have really helped my writing, and have helped me make intelligent (I hope) choices in the way I approach plot, scene structure and POV choices.
Have you ever taken a craft class, either online or in person? Did it make a difference in your writing? Do you have any MUST TAKE classes that you'd recommend?

Contests Part Three--Blog Contests

2010-02-28T21:29:00.000-08:00

Okay. I know my blog has been all contest, all the time lately. So this is the last contest blog for a little while--I promise.

But before I moved on from the topic of contests, I wanted to talk about blog contests.

We've probably all seen a few. Book giveaways. (Gotta love those.) Hat giveaways. (Again, gotta love those.)

But often you may come across giveaways that you couldn't get at the local bookstore. Things like agent query critiques. (Yes, I won one of those recently and the agent gave me some fantastic feedback.) Or things like agent synopsis critiques up for grabs. (Not to be greedy, but keeping my fingers crossed on that too.)

And if you follow agent blogs, they sometimes have query contests where they will invite people to enter for a certain time period. They read the queries and request more if they like what they see--with an added twist. The query doesn't count against you if they don't request more and you want to resubmit later. Pretty cool. I entered one of those recently (my first real query submission) and actually got a request for a partial! Exciting stuff. The reason I felt empowered to enter was that it didn't actually count against me if it bombed. Kinda took the pressure off a little, you know?

Anyway, there are tons of contests out there. And if you're lucky, you might find one that offers something priceless. A query crit without the public humiliation of submitting to the Query Shark. (Waves to Query Shark--love ya and the public humiliation, as long as it isn't me being bitten!)

Contests Part Two--Judging

2010-02-23T14:22:00.000-08:00

I recently a had conversation about what writing contest judges ought and ought not consider when assigning scores. It made me curious about how other folks judge both contests, but also the books they read for fun.

I generally don't focus on grammar or punctuation when scoring, but on the story. Of course, if there are many errors, that will get in the way of the story. It now occurs to me that pehaps many people don't approach judging the same way and do score down for format, typos and chioce of font.

My thought was that if your entry is perfectly formatted and your punctuation and grammar are perfect, then your story will flow more smoothly and your scores will be higher than the imperfect entry--unless, that is, your storytelling skills are weaker. In that case, no amount of perfect punctuation is going to save you.

What do you guys think? Have you ever judged a contest entry? How do you approach it? Do you have a personal checklist of things you look for, or do you just sink in and let the story sweep you away--if it can?

Prose and Contests

2010-02-20T21:28:00.000-08:00

Like many of the other prepublished writers out there working to be published, I take advantage of some of the craft courses available to help improve my writing. Some are very helpful, and others are not so much. I think that what a person gets out of these classes depends in large part on where they are in their understanding of what it takes to make a good story.

My first classes helped me grasp the broader strokes, and in later classes I was able to build upon some of the lessons I'd learned previously. One class I recently signed up for really stood out for me, and so I wanted to share it with you. Its called Prose and Contests, taught by Amy Atwell.

I signed up for Prose and Contests because I plan to enter several contests this year and thought it would help me prepare for the entries and get an idea of what to expect. And because I thought the name was clever--I admit it. It gave me what I'd expected, and much more. In addition to discussing the best ways to choose, evaluate and format contest entries, Amy helped me to evaluate my own manuscript through the eyes of a judge, looking for multiple things that can weaken an entry, and on a larger scale, can ruin your manuscipt.

So, in what seems to be a pattern, I'm going back to my work in revision, to use all the fantastic things Amy taught me to make it stronger and better than it is right now. Sometimes it feels like a never ending process, but I'm glad to have new tools to make it better, even if it does mean more work.

My recommendation for the month is below. (I'm not affiliated with Amy or lowcountry RWA in any way--I just took the class and thought it was fabulous enough to warrant a reccomendation.)

March 2010 — Prose And Contests: Everything You Wanted To Know About Writing Contests But Were Afraid To Ask, Presented by Amy Atwell. Dates: March 5-31, Deadline: March 2, Fee: $16.00
http://lowcountryrwa.com/online-workshops/#MAR
Read more about Amy at her website: http://www.amyatwell.com/

If you do sign up, I hope you get as much out of it as I have. And what about you guys? Anyone planning to enter contests this year? Anyone else taking craft classes? Anyone have a recommendation for a can't miss class? Do share--I'd love to hear from y'all.

Query Critique Contest Anyone?

2010-02-15T12:45:00.000-08:00

Elana Johnson at http://www.elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ is holding a query critique contest. If you enter and your name is drawn, will win a critique of your query from someone who reads multitudes of the things; someone who knows what does and doesn't work.
Yes, that's right--you could have your query critiqued by one of these top five literary agents!

1. Kate Testerman-Shafer of KT Literary (critique will be posted on her blog, Ask Daphne)

2. Michelle Andelman of Lynn C. Franklin Associates

3. Mary Kole of Andrea Brown Literary Agency

4. Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary Agency

5. Joanna Volpe of Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation

If you're interested (and if you're anywhere near drafting a query you will be,) stop by her blog and sign up. I did.

Picasso Award, and Seven Random Things

2010-02-11T15:16:00.000-08:00

The lovely Kelly at http://kellyr1187.blogspot.com/ has given me my very first award--the Picasso Award. Now, as I understand it, the recipient of the award must tell seven random things about his or herself and pass the award on to seven deserving bloggers. Why seven, I wonder? But if the rules say seven, then seven is what you'll get.

So, for the Seven random facts:

1) I was born and raised in Swaziland, Africa. I was a bit of a tomboy, and spent a great deal of time climbing trees and exploring the wilds. Not swimming though--see #4.

2) My favorite pet was a vervet monkey named Joanie, who my father bought for me from some guys on the side of the road one afternoon. She was one of many unusual pets--a woodpecker, a legavan (monitor lizard?), horses (okay, not that unusual), a donkey (technically my sister's), multiple cats, dogs and (for a few hours,) a snake I caught. Apparently it was poisonous, and I had to let it go upon threat of death. Sigh.

3) I am the queen of list making. If it isn't written down, I'm not likely to remember it. I don't know why my memory is so full of holes, but it is, and so I work around it with the lists. I have a list for everything. I have a yearly list of things I want to accomplish, a monthly list, a weekly list and a daily list. I have lists for my lists. They keep me organized, they keep me productive, and there's such a sense of satisfaction in marking something off the list.

4) I can't really swim, (does doggy paddle count?) but I want to learn how. There's an explanation--the nearest body of water to swim in was also home to a very large python who used to take ducks from the surface of the water. Now, I am fond of snakes. They're beautiful, and smooth, and lovely to look at and sometimes even to hold. But I'm not ALWAYS stupid. Not enough to share space with the huge python who hunted in out lake. (Yes the one in the pic is the same type, and he's eating a duck. And yes, That is what it really looks like.) Now these suckers don't confine themselves to ducks. They eat bigger things too, like gazelle. There was no way I wanted to take a chance that it ate kid. Especially when there had been stories of pythons eating kids floating around among the Swazis for years. Besides, we had a few crocodiles in the place too. Between the python and the crocodiles, I decided that discretion really was the better part of valor.

In the interest of full disclosure, I did once have the opportunity to swim in a real pool as a kid. I almost drowned. I mean, I (climbed on top of the person trying to save me and sunk us both) almost drowned. I never did get very far in swimming lessons after that. But this year will be the year. I just know it.

5) I'm the messiest person I know--if I'm not surrounded by stacks of paper at my desk or already worn clothes on my floor I feel like something is wrong. Luckily, my husband is as messy as I am, so it works for us. We skip spending money on cable and going out to eat and instead have someone in once a week to clean up after us. Hey--don't judge me--I know I need help. : ) I've decided to spare you the pics of the mess.

6) I work with my hubby. People always groan or seem sympathetic when I say that, but I actually love it. We have a law practice, and we get to talk about our cases, and cheer each other on, and commiserate when things don't go the way we thought they should. We get to bounce ideas off each other and have lunch together, and (shh--don't tell)sometimes we take a long lunch and go see a movie. Our movie lunch dates are about the only dates we get to have because we have a 4 year old, a 3 year old and a 1 1/2 year old. Let me tell you, no one offers to babysit that lot more than once.

7) I am a voracious reader. I read fiction mostly, and the kind of fiction depends on my mood and how desperate I am. We have four floor to ceiling bookcases in my garage, double-stacked with books I've read since we moved in a year and a half ago and may want to read again when there is nothing new to read. Some of the books are older than I am, some are new releases. If I enjoyed it, I'll stick it in the case to read it again, because I have a terrible memory and won't remember what happened the second time round anyway.

There you go! Seven random things you probably didn't really want to know about me in the first place. You're welcome!

Year In Fast Forward?

2010-02-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

So here it it, the second week of February (already!!) and I am sitting at my desk (an old piano converted into a wonderful work space) feeling completely overwhelmed.

I'm not sure where January went, much less the first week of February. I have tons of things to do, and they seem to be stacking up faster than I can do them all.

I have six contest entries to judge.

A couple contests to enter (which includes preparing and proofing the entries.)

I have stacks of chapters to critique from my two critique groups, and chapters to edit before I can put them up for critique.

I signed up for three workshops this month, because they all three dealt with things I need to work on in my writing and couldn't choose just one. So now I have three sets of lessons to pore through twice a week, pulling the gems out and trying to commit them to memory. I have three sets of homework to do.

I also signed up for my GIAM loop's Tour de Force, where we commit to writing 50,000 words in the month of February. I did this because my work in progress was progressing slower than a blind slug, and with about as much direction.

I have a multitude of legal work at the office that must be done, and three young kids when I get home, each trying to outdo the other at the game of Who Can Make The Biggest Mess by slinging frozen corn and dried cereal around the kitchen and living room. (No, I did not make that up. My kids played that game just yesterday, laughing like loons until they saw my face.)

As I sit here, going through these things, I see a pattern. I say to myself, "Self, you're an idiot. You do this to yourself. You signed up for all these things, and chose to do them all at once. 50,00 words in February? Really? And with everything else you've got going on? Idiot."

But here's the thing I've discovered, and it applies not just to writing but to life. If you don't strive, if you don't sign up, if you don't grab at knowledge with both hands and with no reservations, you get nowhere, you learn nothing and you achieve very little. If you wait until your schedule is clear, you'll be dead before it's done. Because life is busy. It serves to fill every waking moment you have, and if you don't chose to fill them with useful things, then life will fill them with things like watching when pets attack, or doing laundry or cleaning toilets. (All of a sudden the to do list seems far less terrible, doesn't it?)

I guess what I'm saying is that life is busy no matter what. You may as well choose to fill it with the things you love, the things that interest you. And if you can't meet every goal, or put 100 percent effort into every thing, that's okay. You still will get a lot out of it, and with writing--well, the beautiful thing there is you get to edit until it's as close to perfect as you can make it. Unlike life itself, or my blog.

How do you guys deal with all the stuff you have to do? What do your to do lists look like? (And if any of you is a toddler whisperer, please get me your info--I have some advice I'd like to get from you.)

Write or Die?

2010-02-03T07:30:00.000-08:00

I've been a very bad writer. I haven't updated my blog in a few weeks. Bad, Bad writer. I have been committed to writing a hundred new words a day on my work in progress, but haven't done much more than the minimum one hundred. Bad, bad writer.

It often seems that my time drains away, but quietly, without the lovely (Alert! I'm draining!) gurgles my tub makes as the water pours down the pipes.

This isn't a problem personal to me alone. I hear similar refrains on the same theme all the time. So what does a busy writer do?

Enter: WRITE OR DIE!! Yes, it is as dramatic as it sounds. One of the folks on my loop mentioned it and I thought I'd check it out. Now, I'm not generally a middle of the road kind of gal. I like my baths parboil-hot, my iced coffees in icecream form. So I set the thing to Kamikaze-Evil.

Gentle readers, you may want to start out slow. Something I found out when write or die began erasing words I had already written, because it thought I was writing too slowly. When they say Evil, they don't mean the Diet Coke of Evil, let me tell you.

But the end result, is that yesterday, I shot from doing a little over a hundred words as has been my custom since the beginning of January, to 2037 words. That's yesterday. In two hours. After a full day of writing motions and orders to the court, and grinch-like nasty letters to other deserving folks.

Write or die may be evil, but I love them with all my little writer heart.
http://writeordie.drwicked.com/
What about you guys? Have you ever tried it? What did you think? Did it work for you?

Golden Heart Judging!

2010-01-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

Hooray--My Contest Entries Are Here!

For those who aren't aware, Romance Writers of America (RWA) puts on the biggest published (RITA) and unpublished (Golden Heart) competition in the romance writing world every year. The deadline to enter for the 2010 awards ceremony was November 16, 2009 with materials due on December 2. The finalists will be announced in March, and the winners at the RWA National Conference, which will be held in Nashville, Tennessee this year.

Members of RWA can sign up to judge the preliminary round of the competition, and for the first time ever and with some trepidation, I signed up this year to judge the Golden Heart entries.

I've been waiting anxiously for my packet to arrive. Waiting to see what category I'd been assigned to judge. (I had signed up for either paranormal or historical romance.)

And today, I got my packet! I feel like a kid opening a Christmas gift. How exciting--getting to read the work of other writers, who've submitted their very best efforts, hoping to get it in front of editors and agents, to get the wonderful publicity afforded by making the finals in the Golden Heart. Judging these entries is a large responsibility, and I feel honored to have the opportunity.

Have you ever judged a writing competition? How did you approach it? What were you looking for? How did the experience affect the way you approach your writing or the way you approach entering competitions?

Anyone up for Another BlogFest? I am!

2010-01-05T21:27:00.000-08:00

Okay, so first there was the Kiss Blogfest. Then the No Kiss Blogfest.
I missed the first *sigh,* but made it for the second. I've gotta tell you--it was really fun! So fun, in fact, that my wonderful critique partners and me were mourning the loss of the great blogfest excitement.

When--wait for it--someone (who shall remain unnamed because I can't remember which of my amazingly insightful critique partners it was) had a wonderful thought. "What about a love at first sight blogfest?" she asked. Now, I don't like to brag (much, that is) but we know a fantastically amazing idea when we see one float scroll the screen. And so ((DRUMROLL....)) The Love At First Sight Blogfest was born.

Our Critique Group gets the credit for hosting, but Courtney has offered to to do all the actual work, (Thanks Courtney!) so if you're interested, visit her blog at http://courtneyreese86.blogspot.com/ and sign up to post your love at first sight scene. If you don't have a love at first sight scene, you can post the scene where your characters first realize they love each other. Ah, the love...

The blogfest will kick off on Valentine's day. Come on by and join the fun. You won't be sorry.

Merissa

2010--A year of firsts

2009-12-31T07:25:00.001-08:00

The new year is upon us again, and like everyone else, I've been looking back at what I accomplished through 2009, and setting goals for 2010.

2009 has been a difficult year for most of us, but we've made it through. And now we get a fresh start with 2010. Our very own new year in which to accomplish great things, make collosal mistakes, and through it all, learn.

This new year I've set some goals to do several things I've never done before.
In 2010 I will for the first time, submit my manuscript to a few dream agents. And in all likelihood, get rejections back from said dream agents. Then I'll pick out a few more dream agent, and send my work to them. Eventually, I find someone who identifies with my writing, someone who is excited to represent me. (Probably not in 2010, but a girl can dream, right?)

In 2010 I'll also qualify for PRO status. That status comes with the sting of my very first rejection. It'll help take some of the sting away, I hope.

In 2010 I plan to write and polish two books within the space of a year. I'm excited to have made this a goal, because it means I must make writing take priority over some other things in my life. I've made the decision and now I am freed to do the work.

In 2010 I plan to pitch an agent at a regional conference. Given that I'm an attorney and used to speaking in court, you might think this would be an easy experience for me. I think it'll be difficult. Speaking for someone else is much easier than speaking on your own behalf. But I will do it, as best I can.

In 2010 I hope to attend the national RWA conference, and meet some of the wonderful people I've gotten to talk with on the loops.

I have a list of other things that aren't firsts, that I'd like to reintroduce as habits in my life, but I won't go into those. What I want to know is, what firsts do you envision for your 2010?