Random reason this is late: There's an older lady in our neighborhood who watches all the latch-key children until the working parents get home. Well, she went on vacation. So today, and part of next week, I'm the official Keeper of the Kids for the block. I was so busy chasing babies I forgot it was Friday! It's not almost Friday night... but you'll all survive.
Random Stories I've started this week: Finn Genesis, about the human exodus from Earth and the start of human hybridization. And Nearly Normal Nan, a story about a woman raising three fairy godmothers but who doesn't have magic herself.
Random Decision of the Week: There are three months left in the year. My family is coming at the end of December. And I want to be in shape when they get here. That means no more excuses for skipping my daily walks and yoga. I hate being out of shape. I hate my pants getting tight. So I woke up early this morning (which kills me- I love sleeping) and worked out. Then walked a mile. And I'm going to keep doing that. Feel free to nag me. I will be in shape when my family shows up for the holidays.
Random Thing That Needs Doing Before Bed: I need to write another chapter of Genesis and finish the Federation short so I can get it edited and ready for submission November 1st.
Random Thing I'm Not Happy With: DoJ and my January deadline. I really wanted to have this story ready to query by January, and I'm not sure it's going to happen. There's a lot of DL, and not much background. And that would work if it were a character driven book. But it's not. I'm rewriting human history and the universe and that means I need to include the culture and the history without info-dumps. More rewriting. And more editing, is needed.
Random Question for my Readers: Writing aside, there's been a lot going in my world this week. I won't bog you down with details, but things have been hectic and I've spent a lot of time reflecting on what makes people happy and whats brings them peace. Some people focus on wealth, or power, or accolades, and it's been agreed on by the general populace that those things don't actually bring happiness or peace. Other people talk about religion, exercise, meditation, or being one with nature.
So, what is it for you? What makes you happy? What do you do to find peace? And how is that reflected in your writing, or is it reflected at all?
So............What's your random?
I hate my pants getting tight, too. I think the worst was when I was pregnant. There was nothing I could do about it - no matter how many miles I walked . . .
ReplyDeleteChasing babies - wow you're nice to do that. It's a lot of work. I don't babysit people's kids unless it's an emergency or I know the kids really, really well. I'm a wimp.
You must be a serious writer. I can only work on one project at a time. Is that normal?
Have you published anything yet? My first novel is still in its final stages. I think I keep editing because I'm just too nervous to seriously try and get it published.
Other peoples kids... for as long as I can remember, even in middle school, I was the go-to girl for watching kids. I'm always happy to have them go home, but I'm at the point where an extra kid doesn't phase me.
ReplyDeleteWriting multiple books at once.... I think this is me being weird. I know a few people who juggle multiple projects but most are like you, they write one and focus on it until query time. I haven't learned that trick. I go nutty trying to do one story. Every author is different, so don't worry about it.
Am I published? Technically, yes. You can google my name (real name, not my pen name) and lots of pretty newspaper articles come up from a number of years ago. Mostly about sporting events. I've never published any fiction work. I'm trying to fix that as fast as I can, but it's still an in-progress type of thing. :o)
Ha! I finally fixed the comments box so it's not a tiny box anymore. This makes navigating to other people's blogs from the comment box 100 times easier :o)
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot to finish my comment and answer your question!
ReplyDeleteWhat makes me happy? How do I find peace. Several things - my religion, my friends and family, and my hobbies (writing the main one at the moment).
How do I focus on what makes me happy in my writing? Well, my first novel's them is pretty much on what makes my main character happy (specifically, how our choices affect our happiness). So, in a way, my writing (my current novel, anyway)is very focused on what makes me happy: finding the faith and strength to make the right decision, no matter how hard it is.