Something Fishy...

Sometimes the best laid plans go awry...

Everything was good to go when I left. The corn was shucked. The grouper was thawed. I also had a pork chop for hubby -who once told me he'd divorce me if I ever cooked fish in the house. When he was a teen he spent a summer working for the City of St. Joe, MI. His job? Aside from mowing and emptying trash, cleaning up the dead chad on the beach. Ew.

I left to spend the afternoon with my critique partner and friend. We like to meet for lunch, and today we chose Applebee's. I called about 10 minutes before I reached the restaurant to make sure we were heading to the same place. She assured me she was on her way. When I arrived at the restaurant the hostess seated me and said she'd keep an eye out for my friend. Five, ten, fifteen minutes pass. No crit partner. I began to worry, so I called her again.

"Did you fall into a hole?" I asked when she answered.

"No, I've been sitting here at the table waiting for you."

We'd been seated on opposite sides of the dining room. We found each other, had a good laugh and got down to business. What does that mean? Fifteen minutes reviewing chapters and the next three hours talking about everything else. As always, we had fun.

I arrived back at the house ready to fix dinner. I turned on the grill and got the pork chop started, and I pulled out the blackened seasoning and dredged the grouper. The first sign of trouble occurred when I went to check on the pork chop. The propane had run out. Not a problem, I thought. I always have a backup propane tank just for these kinds of emergencies. Except, I found, I was already using the backup tank. Frying was my quick alternative. The chop was about halfway cooked so it didn't take long. I fried the fish as well. Hubby was so happy to come home to that smell, but he hasn't mentioned the "D" word yet. Table set, food cooked, mission accomplished.

I took the first bite of grouper. It was awful! So salty it nearly turned me inside out. I drained my glass of water.

"What's the matter, Mom?" My son threw a suspicious glance at his plate.

"Don't eat that!" was all I could manage.

I needed more water, so I headed to the sink. That's when I noticed the spice bottle on the counter. It wasn't blackened seasoning. No. It was Lawry's seasoned salt - which is fine in very small doses, but certainly not meant to be used to dredge seafood. Ugh! I threw two more pork chops in the skillet for dinner and tossed the fish. What a waste. I love grouper.

I've decided it would be a good idea to keep the blackened seasoning on a different shelf. Oh, and I think it's high time I replaced my glasses.

The Last Hurrah...

Tomorrow is my last free day to play this summer.

School starts the 24th. I spent the first few days this week setting up classroom number one. It's pretty much good to go. Translation - It'll look good for open house. Appearances count, you know. Next week I get to set up my second classroom - traveling teachers are lucky that way. I'll need to write lesson plans, create math lab activities, and come up with journal topics, too. I've an email newsletter to send to parents and welcome postcards to the kids. But that's next week.

Tomorrow I play. I've a date with my manuscript in the morning, then a lunch date with my critique partner and good friend. Our lunch date topics run the gamut from literature to politics, family and the daily doings - whatever hits us at the moment. We talk for hours. I love it. I might have to hit the dollar cinema to watch Star Trek one last time. Yes, I'm a fan. A big fan.

Friday I hit the road to go get daughter in Michigan. She hasn't missed me one bit. Uncle has kept her BUSY! I'll be glad to get her back. Two weeks gone is a long time for this mama.

I'll try not to think about tomorrow as the last hurrah. It begins to feel a bit desperate if I do. I'll take the day as it comes. Maybe next week, if I'm efficient and lucky, I can squeak in another play day before the opening bell!

Ahhhhh.... Solitude

For the first time in a very long time I have the house completely to myself. All day. Daughter is in Michigan. Son just left to register for classes. Husband is at work. It's just me and the cats.

I could get a lot done today, if I felt so inclined. I could clean house or do the never-ending laundry. I could be a good little writer and knock off another chapter of my WIP. But it's raining outside and the house is quiet. The day whispers for the simple pleasures - a good read.

I'm going to throw a pan of sweet corn bread in the oven to slice with a cucumber and tomato for lunch. The rest of the morning will be spent on the couch reading about Bartimaeus and Nathaniel. I can't wait to find out how their story unfolds.

I love solitude.

Playlists

Okay. Every now and then I like to try something new with my writing. I regularly peruse author websites and blogs to see what's up. One thing I keep seeing, especially from YA authors, is a playlist - songs to set the mood while you're writing. "So," think I, "Maybe I'll try that."

Big mistake.

I spent a crazy amount of time searching iTunes for songs that carried specific themes (time I could have spent writing). When I finally got to work, I found the words of the music got in the way of my creativity, and my brain chose to analyze the chord structure of the music instead of the flow of my story. When I realized playlists didn't work for me, it was too late. The damage was done. Every time I sat to write, the songs STILL got in the way - even though I didn't play the music any more.

My next thought was to find a way to "cleanse the palate" and clear my head. What would be the musical equivalent of lemon and water?

Mozart.

Thank you, Amadeus! I found that if I played the music low enough, hardly there really, I could write without distraction. It was just enough to keep the lyrics of the other songs out of my way. I could think again!

I've learned my lesson. I know my learning and working styles. I don't need to delve into other people's modus operandi to improve my focus.

Moral of the story: Don't fix what ain't broke.

When Characters Have a Mind of Their Own

My characters have a mind of their own. Not a bad thing at all, really, except when they want to take off on a detour that doesn't support the plot. I did extensive character interviews before beginning this novel, so each of their personalities are well-defined in my head. It makes the conversations fun and easy to write - most of the time.

Every now and then a character has their own idea - one I hadn't planned on including. The strange thing is, I'm finding they are usually right, and I'm not. When I'm stuck or confused, I pull out their character sheet, and sure enough, their needs, flaws, desires and worldview support the words and action they wish to take. My job is to make sure it supports the logline and sticks to the plot. It's a puzzle, and I love creative problem solving.

I've looked at quite a few character interviews and worksheets. Some are intricate and others are bare-boned. I keep mine simple by using the following format:

• Character name and physical description
• 5 important facts
• List of hobbies
• Personality traits
• Character Flaw
• Needs of character
• Desires of character
• Worldview before inciting incident
• Worldview after inciting incident

I like this format because it usually fits on one page and is easy to read. A necessary thing for this easily-distracted brain! What tools do you use for character plans? I'd love to know!

Nervous Wreck!!!

My daughter has finally been released from physical therapy and went back to gymnastics tonight for the first time. She was sooooo excited to get back! I was a nervous wreck... She made fabulous progress getting her arm straightened again (after a total dislocation and broken elbow). It only took two months. But the doctor made it clear she's not completely healed. "Go back to the gym, but no impact activities. You WILL dislocate it again if you don't follow my directions!"

I watched her tonight. She worked hard and had a ball. I held my breath for nearly the entire two hour workout. She has permission to work on the beam and the bars. No Vault, and only the dance routine for floor. She has to mark the tumbling runs. I worried about her hanging from the bars. I worried about her falling off the beam. I watched her climb a 30 foot rope to the top in no time flat, and worried that her arm would be too tired to come down. I was sure she'd fall, and we'd be back at square one. When it was all said and done, she was fine. I didn't need to worry.

I was like that in the beginning with her therapy too. I was so upset because I thought she was going to hurt. She was a trooper. Never shed a tear, but I did.

Friday is her next practice. I'm going to drop her off at the door and leave. I'll pick her up when it's over. She'll be better off. I'll be better off. We live less than ten minutes from the gym. I can get there fast if I need to.

I say that now. We'll see...

Back in the Saddle Again - First Drafts

Whew! Back in the writer's saddle again. Thanks Adrianne, for the 5 minute writing block suggestion. I sat down with intention of writing whatever came to mind on the page for 5 minutes. Next thing I know, it's and hour and half later, and I've completed an entire chapter. The thoughts that have been simmering have come to a boil and burst through the surface. What a relief to get my thoughts on paper again!

First drafts are so much fun to do. People have lots of names for it. I called it the vomit draft. Sorry. Not a pretty picture, but it's true. You get it all out, then you come back and clean it up. I throw everything extreme I can think of into the story when I'm mining ideas. Later, when I'm finished with the 1st draft, I weed out the extra and do my best to make the rest believable. I have an excellent critique partner. She reads everything - even the vomit drafts, bless her. That's a true friend. Later, when I'm preparing for submission, I present at my writer's group. They are a varied lot, highly opinionated, and extremely helpful. I can't imagine sending out a submission without my critique partner's discriminating eyes!

I'm heading back to my WIP progress now before I lose steam. Carpe diem!