Progress?

So I haven't done much actual writing this week. Between killing my hand with icing the ninja and spending all day every day at work staring at the computer screen, I haven't had much desire to type or handwrite. I did write my Tuesday prompt, though, which is good.

I have done some writing-related stuff... sort of. I bought myself a new notebook. This is the notebook that I'll be using while editing HEA. It's a thing with me, the need to have a new notebook for a new project (or portion of a project). There's just something about opening up a fresh page, having a fresh start. I know that there are a lot of people out there who are intimidated by a blank page. It's empty, and YOU have to fill it. For me, though, it's an opportunity. I get to fill the page with whatever I want. Sometimes, I find myself staring at the blank page for a while before I start. Usually, it's not because I have no idea what to write, but because I'm trying to figure out what story feels write for this particular notebook. If I've had a story brewing inside for a week or two (or more), I'll often go out shopping for the perfect notebook for that story, because I want it to be just right. This editing notebook is a bit smaller than 8.5x11, it's got a black outer cover with gears printed on it, an inner grey cover with gears decorating it, and a rule slightly narrower than college rule. That's the thing that's most important to me - I write small, so I hate having standard ruled notebooks. My writing looks tiny in those, and it feels like a waste of paper.

So, now that I've got the notebook and a set of good red pens, I'm ready to edit. Mostly. The plan is to read HEA through once by the end of this weekend, so I can start tearing it to bits next week. *whimper*

In addition to getting ready to edit, I've been reading. I'm re-reading Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. I love those books, but I have this habit of skipping over stuff occasionally. I've made a point of forcing myself to go back and read those parts that I would normally skip. I'm trying to figure out what it is about those sections that make them feel boring or unimportant to me, so that I can recognize those things in my own writing.

Finally, I've sent copies of FRI to a couple of readers, and am waiting for feedback. I could use a few more opinions, though, so if you would like to read for me, just let me know!

End of the World

This week's prompt is from The Imagination Prompt Generator: "On the way to work today, I noticed..."

It was a normal day. Well, it seemed like a normal day when I woke up. I hit the snooze button a few times, then dragged myself into the shower. The smell of citrus helped me join the land of the living, one of the few promises my shampoo kept. By the time I got out of the shower, I had to rush to get dressed so I wouldn't be late.

I grabbed a breakfast bar on the way out, figuring I could probably manage to eat it and drive at the same time. I pulled out of my driveway and took the back roads that lead to the interstate. I managed to miss the usual traffic jam at the on-ramp, and for a moment, thought that I might actually make it to work on time!

Then I noticed something odd. Very odd. Extremely odd.

I was the only person on the interstate.

I checked the clock - 8:12 am. It was definitely the middle of the morning rush hour, but there was not another vehicle to be found. I slowed down and glanced over the guard rail. The streets below were deserted, too. I had no idea what to do next - should I keep going? Should I turn around? I was in the middle of the highway, and despite the fact that there was no one else around, I couldn't bring myself to just turn around. After all, what if suddenly traffic reappeared?

By the time I reached my office, I was in a panic. The parking lot was empty, and I still had not seen another car. My heart pounded and my hands were shaking as I unlocked the front door. I reached to turn on the lights, half-expecting them to be out. They came on, though, illuminating the reception area. I made a beeline for the computer, switching it on. I pulled up my internet browser, but I got an error message telling me that the page could not be displayed. I tried a dozen different websites, but got the same message every time.

I felt sick to my stomach. What was going on? I hurried back to the staff room and flipped on the television. Nothing. The thing turned on, but every station I tried was just a black screen. I wiped the sweat from my forehead, even as I felt a shiver run down my spine. Did I miss the memo about the end of the world?

Suddenly, I heard a familiar song. My cell phone was ringing in the front part of the office. I ran back up front, praying that whoever it was would not hang up before I could get there. The phone was wedged into the bottom of my purse, and I scrambled to free it, finally upending the entire thing, the contents scattering across the floor.

"Hello? Hello!" I cried out as I flipped it open. I heard nothing. I looked at the phone and saw "1 Missed Call" displayed on the screen. Hot tears slid down my cheeks as I sank to the floor. Sitting among the lipglosses and tissues, there was nothing else to do. I pressed a few buttons, trying to see who had called me, but it was listed as 'Restricted.'

So I cried, because what else do you do when you can't seem to find another human being?

As I took a deep breath, I realized what I should do next. Flipping my phone open again, I dialed a familiar number.

"You've reached John and Maria. We can't make it to the phone right now, but if you'll wait for the beep, you can leave your name, number, and any messages that you want to, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Thank you."

The sound of my mom's familiar voice nearly made me dissolve into tears again, but I managed to get myself under control enough to leave a message.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad. It's Sarah. I just wanted to hear your voices. I love you. Bye."

With a shuddering sigh, I hung up the phone and looked around. I had no idea what else to do.

I write like
Stephen King

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Crafting Update

I know, it's late... but I had to wait until we gave Lizzie her cake! It was a surprise, so I didn't want photos online until she had seen it. Look what I made:

She loved her ninja cake! Yay! This was my first attempt at a 3-D cake, and I don't think it turned out too badly at all.

In other crafting, I finished a water-bottle holder for Zoe's mom (modeled here by Lizzie):

And I finished my mom's scarf (modeled by Sleepy Bear):

I'm finished 35 squares for my picnic blanket. I need 96 squares of the light colour, 97 of the dark colour, and 14 each of two bi-coloured squares. So there's still a lot to go...

In non-photographed crafting, I did 15 rows on the sleeve of my spring/summer sweater, and I assembled a bed (with help from Zoe). I also made a crapload (or about a dozen) earrings, which I will be taking to work tomorrow to sell (I hope). I've made some earring/necklace sets lately, too. Two were for my mom, two for Zoe's mom, and one for Zoe's grandma. I'll try to get photos of them in their jewelry for the blog soon... but no guarantees! I also made a card for Lizzie's birthday.

So what's coming up for me craft-wise? More work on the picnic blanket, and more work on the sweater, for sure. I've got cake leftover from the ninja, so I'll probably do another cake. And I'm always working on earrings. I'm hoping to have enough dice-related earrings that I can sell them somewhere in the late summer or fall - they would be awesome for Dragon*Con, and there's a local fair in October that might be a possibility.

Can't wait for next week!

Writing Progress

Well...

I've printed out HEA, and I've got to head up to an office supply store to get a good red pen. Or twelve. Once I've got that, I'll be hacking and slashing my way through to revise this puppy!

I've started revising Partners. I'm through Act I, but I need to do a lot of re-writing for Act II. Unfortunately, I'm a bit blocked, so I'm setting it aside for now. Usually, once I start to ignore something, I start getting more ideas for it.

I came up with an idea for a sequel to 2009's NaNovel: Thurman G. Woodfin and the Case of the Reposing Rival. I've written a blurb in my NaNotebook, and a little bit of an outline. It's going to rest, though, until November rolls around again.

I'm looking for readers for a short story that I'll be submitting in May - any volunteers? I've got two, and I'd like a few more. If you do volunteer, be prepared to offer constructive feedback (i.e. something more than "this sucks").

You know, I thought I would be pretty down about the state of my writing progress, but this isn't half bad!

Prompted Piece: The First Line

Prompt from http://www.thefirstline.com/ - use the first line! This is a literary magazine, but I don't plan to submit this piece... I don't really like it, but hey, it got me writing. If I worked a little more on it, I might be able to do something with it.

Paul and Miriam Kaufman met the old-fashioned way. Drunk.

In November, Paul had gone out with his buddies for a bachelor party. As could be expected, there was alcohol involved. A lot of alcohol.

Miriam, meanwhile, was trying to sympathize with a recently-dumped friend. She had spent the first part of the night sober, patting her friend on the shoulder and telling her that men were scum. As the night progressed, however, Miriam began to get bored with listening to her friend sob. She ordered one drink, then another. Then another. After a little while, her friend didn't seem nearly as irritating.

"Dude, she's hot!" Paul tried to whisper to one of his friends as he spotted Miriam sitting at the bar. Unfortunately, with the amount of alcohol he had consumed, his attempt at a whisper came out as more of a shout. Miriam looked around, trying to see where the voice was coming from. Paul, showing the kind of brilliance that can only come with the death of too many brain cells, dropped to a crouch beside his friend. Then, showing the kind of coordination that comes along with that sort of brilliance, he continued to drop, landing on the floor and spilling beer on himself.

"He fell over!" Miriam exclaimed, trying to stand up to see what had happened. In the process, she knocked over her own drink, finally making her friend laugh. Mumbling something about drying off, Miriam stumbled off towards the restrooms.

"You're hot!"

Miriam turned around when she heard the comment, but her momentum carried her a bit too far and she fell against Paul. He caught her, although not without stumbling a bit. "Hi," he said, smiling at her.

"Hi," she replied, smiling back up at him. That was all it took.

I write like
Dan Brown

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

New Format?

So I've sucked at blogging lately. I've thought about it. I've had dreams where I blogged. Unfortunately, I just haven't actually blogged.

But I have been reading a lot of blogs lately. I've been following about 12 different ones, on a daily basis. I've discovered that the blogs that keep my attention are ones that have a definite format. Certain topics are covered on certain days, and I like having something to look forward to. Of course, the ones that update daily are also favourites, because there's always something new to read.

I've read a lot of advice about blogs, too. One thing that I'm seeing a lot is the recommendation that your blog reflect the type of writing you do. That's problematic for me, because HEA is YA, Thurman is mystery, Shoes is romance, and everything else in my head is sci-fi/fantasy. Of all of those, HEA actually probably has the best chance of being published. I've actually printed it all up, and I'm about to start revisions... I just need to buy a new set of pens. ;)

So why am I telling you all of this? I think I'm going to make some changes around here. I've already changed up the look of my blog - it feels like the content needs a change too!

Here's the plan:

Tuesday - Prompted Pieces (like the old 'five-minute fiction', based on prompts I find online)

Thursday - Writing Progress (updates on submissions, revisions, and new projects)

Sunday - Project Progress (updates on the other crafty things I do in my 'spare' time, probably with photos)

This is not to say that I won't be posting other things on the other days. It just means that I'll definitely be posting about these things on these days. And if it doesn't work, it doesn't work, and I can go back to just posting whatever, whenever. :)

Happy reading!

Betrayed!

Okay, so the title's a bit of overkill. But still...

I just got a pile of evidence that a person I had considered a friend was probably lying about ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING. Seriously. His education, his theatrical experience, his past relationships and friendships... everything.

I'm feeling very displeased with this. Displeased is, of course, not the right word. Trouble is, I'm not sure what the word is. Betrayed may not be so far off. This person was not at all who he led me to believe he was. I trusted him, I liked him, I spent a lot of time with him, and now I find out that none of it was necessarily real. Sure, he probably enjoyed some of the things we all did together, but... it just feels creepy.

Not cool with this.

It seemed like a good idea...

I opened my trusty web browser and navigated to my blog, certain that I was going to write something tonight. I got to the page, clicked on "New Post," looked at the blank screen and -

Nothing.

I thought I wanted to write, but apparently I have nothing to say tonight.

Sorry folks.