Decision!

Last Friday I was wrestling with the question, to NaNo or not to NaNo.  I offered up my quandry and asked for your advice.  My sincere thanks to all who responded.

As is so often the case, hearing opinions on both side helped me figure out what I really wanted and needed to do.  This is what I came up with:

• I would like to do NaNo.  It would be fun just to be part of it and challenges are very helpful for me.
• It's more important that I stay focused on my WIP until I finish the final polishing and start actively querying.
• None of the projects I have pending are at the "start writing" point.

And a biggie I hadn't really considered:

• November is a ridiculous month to devote to a major writing challenge. (Remember, I admitted last week that the other thing that always sneaks up on me is Christmas.)

So, I've decided not to do NaNo. 

BUT -

I don't seem to be the only one who isn't quite ready for NaNo and/or who can't give up a month in the middle of the holiday season for a writing challenge.  So here's what I propose:

In November, instead of donig NaNo, I'll figure out the details on setting up a writing challenge, which will take place in January - after the holidays, when we need a little spark.    If you're interested, you've got two months to pull that new project together so you're ready to go with the New Year.  We won't be quite as ambitious in our goals as NaNo and if you want to start writing your story before we start, that's fine, too.  This will just be a support and encouragement challenge.  With maybe a little added incentive thrown in (give me time to see what I can come up with).

I'll post the details of the New Year Challenge around the beginning of December and if you're interested, or know someone who might be, perhaps you would help spread the word.

What do you think?  Sound like a plan?




This picture has nothing whatsoever to do with today's post.  I just thought it was funny.


Groaner of the Day:  Two robins were sitting in a tree.

"I'm really hungry," said the first one. "Let's fly down and find some lunch."

They flew down to the ground and found a nice plot of newly plowed ground that was full of worms. They ate and ate and ate till they could eat no more.

"I'm so full, I don't think I can fly back up into the tree," said the first one.

"Let's just lay back here and bask in the warm sun," said the second.

So they plopped down, basking in the sun. No sooner than they had fallen asleep, when a big fat tomcat came by and gobbled them up.

As the cat sat washing his face after his meal, he thought...

"I JUST LOVE BASKIN ROBINS."

Decisions, Decisions

It snuck up on me.  The way Christmas sneaks up on me every year.  Even though I know the date.  Even though I'm surrounded by signs of its coming.  When it gets here, I'm still not ready. 

NaNoWriMo.

I want to do it.  I've planned to do it. 

I thought my current book would be at query stage now and I'd be ready to move on.  But I'm still getting feedback from my beta-readers and crit partner so there's work yet to be done.

And the novel-to-be isn't exactly ready to go.  I've got one story with a plot that's coming together nicely but the characters are still pretty sketchy.  I've got another one with most of the characters ready to go but the plot isn't there.  (No, the two wouldn't merge at all.)  And then there's a decades old 85% complete sci fi I found recently with a decent plot and some characters that are probably worth a total re-write.

NaNo would be good for me.   I've been a bit unfocused in my writing lately and I reponse well to challenges.  But with the prep work I still need to do - I'm a total plotter, not a panster - there's not much chance I can get a 50K complete story done in November.

Do I sign up for NaNo and set myself up for failure?  Or maybe take on a modified challenge, i.e. I will get the plot/character design finished and the first 30K written.  Or do I just pass on the whole thing and work on getting the WIP polished and start querying.

What do you think?  Door number one, two, or three?  If you think I should go for it, which story should I tackle: good plot with sketchy characters, definite characters with unformed plot, or old resurrected sci fi?

Looking for your good advice here.  Help me out.

Groaner of the Day: The Lone Ranger and Tonto walked into a bar and sat down to drink a beer. After a few minutes, a big tall cowboy walked in and said "Who owns the big white horse outside?"

The Lone Ranger said, "I do, Why?"

The cowboy said, "I just thought you'd like to know that your horse is about dead out there."

The Lone Ranger and Tonto rushed outside and sure enough, Silver was down from heat exhaustion.

The Lone Ranger got water and soon Silver was starting to feel a little better but the heat was still oppressive.

The Lone Ranger turns to Tonto and says, "I want you to run around Silver and see if you can create enough of a breeze to help cool him down".

Tonto agrees and begins running circles around Silver. Unable to do anything except wait, the Lone Ranger returns to the bar to finish his drink.

A few minutes later, another cowboy struts into the bar and asks, "Who owns that big white horse outside?

The Lone Ranger says, "I do, what's wrong with him this time?"

The cowboy looks him in the eye and says, "Nothing, but you left your Injun running."

Another Happy Hump Day

Here it is again - another Hump Day.  And here's a little something to boost you over.  Got some chuckles and some aw's and maybe even an eke.

Enjoy.

Odd.  It's usually the ladies room that has the long line.

You said aw.  I know you did.

Remember the cat from last week?  This guy had to come off the same assembly line.

Last week we met the "Significant Otter", this week - the significant result.

I'm not sure what to say about this face.

Now before you scroll down - disclaimer time. 

This is my son and my grandson. 

I am NOT responsibile for their appearance.

I am not a violent person.

But sometimes...you know how aggravating boys can be.

I may have gotten out of hand.

Just a little.

(Okay, they were participating in the local "Zombie Walk" for charity.)

Anything tickle your funny bone or tug a heartstring?


Groaner of the Day: Two brooms were hanging in the closet and after a while they got to know each other so well, they decided to get married.

One broom was, of course, the bride broom, the other the groom broom.

The bride broom looked very beautiful in her white dress.

The groom broom was handsome and suave in his tuxedo.

The wedding was lovely.

After the wedding, at the wedding dinner, the bride-broom leaned over and said to the groom-broom, "I think I am going to have a little broom."

"Impossible!" said the groom broom. "We haven't even swept together!"

A Must Read - Chain of Souls

Special day today.  My friend Maria Zannini's latest, Chain of Souls, is live and waiting for you.  Chain of Souls is Book Two in Maria's Second Chance series and is really a must read. 

Shannon McKee is caught between Michael, the angel from Hell who took her soul, and Liam, the fallen angel she loves. Now Ziva, the Angel of Death, is offering Liam deal. Do the unthinkable and she will get him reinstated into Heaven.  Refuse and she will destroy those he loves, including Shannon. 

This novella is fast paced (I'll admit I read it in one sitting) with fascinating characters and some twists you will not see coming.  A great romance that will have you thinking about the afterlife a whole new way.

Chain of Souls is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords

I also recommend the first book in this series, The Devil to Pay.  Seriously, wouldn't you like to know how Shannon managed to lose her soul and end up caught between two Angels who want her...in every way. 

The Devil to Pay is available on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords.

And check out Maria's new contest, Mention Chain of Souls and Get Eaten.

It would be great to give Maria a big launch day so if you're thinking about buying Chain of Souls (and why wouldn't you?), do it today. Helping to spread the word would be nice, too.

Groaner of the Day:  An angel went to see St. Peter.

"All I do," the angel said, "is play the harp endlessly, and I'm getting bored."

St. Peter asked, "What would you rather do?"

The angel answered, "I like to dance."

"We don't allow dancing here in heaven," St. Peter said, "but I can see you need a change so I will allow you to take advantage of a once-in-an-eternal-lifetime offer. I will allow you 24 hours leave to return to earth and dance."

"I'm gone," the angel said and in a trice the angel was in California and quickly found a dance hall run by Samuel Frank. Checking the harp and wings, the angel boogied and danced and had a great time until just seconds remained of the leave.

The angel grabbed up the wings and immediately was in heaven again. Returning to St. Peter, the angel said, "I'm back and I am so happy. I'll never feel bored again."

St. Peter said, "That's wonderful, but where is your musical instrument?"

"Oh, no," the angel said, "I left my harp in Sam Frank's Disco."

But I Want To ...

Ellipsis: (plural ellipses; from the Ancient Greek: ἔλλειψις, élleipsis, "omission" or "falling short") is a series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence or whole section from the original text being quoted. An ellipsis can also be used to indicate a pause in speech, an unfinished thought, or, at the end of a sentence, a trailing off into silence (aposiopesis). When placed at the beginning or end of a sentence, the ellipsis can also inspire a feeling of melancholy longing. The ellipsis calls for a slight pause in speech or any other form of text.  {credit Wilipedia}

Our local writing group had a crit session last night, focused on short stories we're writing for a specific project.  I had finished a first draft and offered it up for review.  On the plus side, the story, pacing and characterization were well received.  But I had my hand slapped repeatedly for my overuse of...ellipses.
The problems was in my dialog.  The crit conversations went something like this.

Helpful Critiquer:  "Use a comma here, or even a semicolon."

Me: "Um, okay.  But I don't think that gives me enough of a pause."

HC: "Then use a period.  Break it up into one word sentences to show the emphasis on each word."

Me: "Uh huh, I've used that method.  But I don't want emphasis here.  I want hesitation.  Uncertainty.  In my head I hear it like this: 'I don't think...maybe we shouldn't...are you sure we can do this?'"

HC: "Hmm.  Okay.  I see your point.  But you still can't have this many ellipses.  You need to figure out another way to write it."

Argh!

This isn't a new one for me.  I know I have a tendency to overuse this form of punctuation.  But it gives me exactly the dialog pacing I'm looking for.  Who decided we had to limit the use of ellipses anyway?  Such a nice, harmless little collection of dots to incur such wrath.  I once had a writer friend threaten to pull the ellipses from my WIP and beat me with them.  (You know who you are.  *waves*)

How about you?  Do you have a favorite form of punctuation, or maybe a word or a phrase, that does exactly what you want it to do, so that you tend to overuse it.  Even when the rules say you can't.  How do you work around it?

Special note:  Be sure to visit me on Monday when I'll have a special announcement on an exciting new release.

Have a fabulous...uh...weekend.  *winks*

Groaner of the Day: A young man put himself through law school as a semi-professional prizefighter.  He was actually a very good a boxer and was being urged to stay with it instead of becoming a lawyer.  As he prepared to take the bar exam, he knew it was time to make the big decision but he was havng a terrible time.  He just couldn't decide between boxers or briefs.

Happy Hump Day - Just Plain Silly

Happy Hump Day.  Here's your weekly dose of silliness to get you over that mid-week hump and on the downhill coast to the weekend.

Know what's cool?  When you get an e-mail on Tuesday full of great pictures just begging to be included in a Hump Day post.  Here are a few.  Some will make you laugh.  Some will make you go, "awwww".  Hopefully all will make your day a little brighter.

(You just said, "aw", didn't you?  Come on, admit it.)

(Betcha laughed at this one.)

(Said "aw" again, huh?)

(Oh dear. That's what I look like when I try to run.)

(Yeah, I've felt like this.)

(Can I get a third "aw"?)

Okay, did any of those strike your fancy?

Groaner of the Day:  Something I've never done before - a cartoon groaner:

In the Blink of an Eye

I was sick last week.  Bad cold, touch of flu, whatever.  Felt lousy all week, so I didn't get a lot of work done.  I saved my energy for the important things.  Like football games.

A friend of mine scolded me for dragging myself out to a football game on Thursday (I didn't mention to her I'd already done a game on Tuesday).  And I was out there again on Sunday.  Why?  Well, my elder grandson's newly formed 7th grade Spirit Band (we used to call it Pep Band) played for the first time at the game on Tuesday and my elder granddaughter's 7th grade cheerleader squad was doing their game on Thursday (different schools) and my younger grandson's 5th grade team had their first playoff game on Sunday - he's a linebacker.

But that still doesn't answer why.  As my friend pointed out, the kids would forgive me for missing their games if I was sick.  They truly would.  But I know something at this point in my life I didn't know when my own kids were young.  I understand about "in the blink of an eye" and "it's the little moments" and "building memories". 

If we hadn't been at Tuesday game, we couldn't have offered to bring him home so his dad could leave early to get our younger granddaughter to bed.  And we would have missed this:

"That was so awesome. How did we sound, Nana?  Did we sound okay?"
"You sounded great."
"Really?  Thanks.  And thanks for being there."

If we hadn't been at the Thursday game, we would have missed the opportunity to stay with her for the evening while my son and his wife went out, and I would have missed our "girl talk" at bedtime, about life and love and all those things that are important to a young woman just entering her teens.

If we hadn't been at Sunday's game we would have missed seeing him get his first two quarterback sacks and having him race over to me after the game, helmet in hand, all excited...

"Two sacks! I got two sacks. Did you see them, Nana?"

"Of course, I saw them.  You played great.  I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Nana."



That's my boy - number 21, with his shoulder to the turf.



My younger granddaughter - the only one who wasn't involved in a football game last week - has a choir concert this evening.  I'm really behind on everything, tons of work to do.  Guess where I'll be tonight.

So, what are the things you won't miss, and why?

Groaner of the Day:  There was this guy and he had a girlfriend called Lorraine who was very pretty and he liked her a lot.

One day he went to work to find that a new girl had started. Her name was Clearly and she was absolutely gorgeous. He became quite besotted with her and after a while it became obvious that she was interested in him too.

But this guy was a loyal man and he wouldn't get involved with Clearly while he was still going out with Lorraine.

He decided that there was nothing for it but to break up with her and get it on with the new girl.

He planned several times to tell Lorraine but he couldn't bring himself to do it. One day they went for a walk along the river bank when Lorraine slipped and fell in to the river. The current carried her off and she drowned.

For a moment the guy was devastated.  Then he ran off smiling and singing: "I can see Clearly now Lorraine has gone."

(oh that's so bad)