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...2 more days before the kids go back to school. 2 Days!
We are ready.
New school supplies. Check.
New backpacks and lunchboxes. Check.
We even survived shopping for new school outfits and shoes, which is not an easy task with three girls. Though, I'll admit, I should count my blessings. Ninja Girl and Princess Rock Star are at an age where they like anything I choose. Another plus, they're really good about wearing hand-me-downs...for now. It shouldn't come as any surprise, my biggest challenge proved to be Spy Girl. The most trouble, believe it or not, was not over clothes, but over a certain type of boot...
"Come on, Mom! Everyone has these." Spy Girl threw me one of those sad puppy-eyed looks that she thinks will make me feel sorry for her. "You didn't let me have them for two whole years and I'm growing older and want nice things." She held on to these chestnut brown boots as the sales woman stood a few feet away, waiting to scoop in at any sign of weakness.
The other two girls were across the store, looking for the perfect footwear to start off the new year. When they heard Spy Girl's voice curl into a whine, they came over, checking out the boot.
"Oh, Mom," Ninja Girl said. "I want those, too!" She walked over to the table and picked up a black boot, waving it in front of my face.
The heavy fragrance of the sales woman drew closer.
Wouldn't you know this particular brand even carries pink boots--which Princess Rock Star spotted in a second. "H has these same ones! Can I have them?" She jumped up and down, her voice carried throughout the store. "They're my favorite color!"
Needless to say, I left the store fast, with as much dignity as I could muster--a difficult task with three whining girls and a hovering sales woman, who told the girls, for my benefit, "You can always order these on-line...here's my card."
Spy Girl smiled and took the card. We left the store.
Clearly, my child has been deprived of the coolness factor, since she's been without these
status
boots for the past two years. But, do they have to be so ugly? And expensive? Gah! After a bit of thought, I told her I'd buy them for her, if she paid for half. She put a bit of a fuss, but finally agreed.
$46 left to go.
Fifth grade will be interesting.
On the other extreme, my baby, Princess Rock Star, starts kindergarten! She can't wait. Me, on the other hand...all I can say is the first day of school is going to be tough. For me.
Though who knows what kindergarten will bring this year,
what with the push to test kindergarteners. Thanks,
Jen Robinson for the heads up! Our school only offers half day programs. In the beginning, I couldn't wait, because I kept dreaming of everything I could get done in this time. Think of all that could be done in a half day! Exercise, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, not to mention writing--this is the time I coveted for so long, since I don't have any help in taking care of the kids.
Of course reality soon hit when I received the letter from Princess Rock Star's teacher last week. A half day of kindergarten equals 2 1/2 hours--really about 2 hours of class time, when you count a half-hour buffer for dropping off and picking up from school. Ack!
Okay, 2 hours of free time. Need to reassess priorities and use this for writing.
No Internet.
No phone calls.
No housecleaning.
No grocery shopping.
No errand running.
No catching up with friends for coffee.
Only writing. Pure writing.
For 30 days. Because I feel like it.
Anyone in?
Words added -- 4,593
Words deleted -- 3,258
Chapters revised -- 2
Plot Moving Forward -- Yes!!
My writing view this past week -- Priceless
Well, in case you missed the news last week, I was punished by McKoala (long story) and forced to write 5000 words by Sunday evening. As you'll see from the post date, tonight is Sunday evening.
Here are my wordcounts for the past week:
MONDAY - ZERO
TUESDAY - ZERO
WEDNESDAY - ZERO
THURSDAY - ZERO
FRIDAY - ZERO
SATURDAY - 1449
Leaving one day in which to write 3551 words. As you can see, I wrote nothing over a five day period. Could I possibly write 3551 words in one day? Actually, one afternoon, since Sunday is a work day for me? Is Rosey up against the McKoala Claws of Doom? Did I misjudge and fatally procrastinate?
NO! I ACTUALLY MADE THE 3551 (okay, 3713) words this afternoon! And none of them were "watermelon"!
5000 WORDS IN A WEEK!
Now, were they good words? Not necessarily. But I've never written a book in my life, and I figured the birthing process this first time would be slow and painful. I write sermons pretty quickly, now, ten years after seminary, so I think it will get easier. In the meantime, I have a story unfolding that I didn't quite expect, and I'm pleased with that, at least.
I hope the process has amused you, especially Mr. Betty Nagel who pointed out I was spending an awful lot of time commenting on blogs. That was the first time I realized maybe I should get myself in gear. Thanks, B.
I am fawningly indebted to
McKoala for being mean. I truly felt the pressure to live up to her expectations (and avoid JJdeGoblin's toenail peelers) and think this whole group-accountability thing is an excellent idea.
Stay tuned this week - I have fifteen (yep, 15) reviews to write by the end of the month.
If you're new to In Search of Giants, you might not know that the one feature I manage weekly is "Amusing Monday" - attempts at light-hearted week-beginning-ness. Alas, you will need to wait another week to revel in a brand-new Amusing Monday post. There will be no amusement today.
For, you see, I
have been punished. By the Queen of Punishment herself,
McKoala. I seriously am going to try not to enjoy it too much. You know me and whips. Wait, you don't? Um....moving on.
Here is the first part of my punishment:
Dear All
I have failed the Mighty Koala. I said I would write 5000 words in a day. I didn't. Now she has generously offered me the opportunity to redeem myself by meeting that total in a week. She is all kindness and loving. I will post my start date here so that you can all follow my progress. And she says there had better be progress, or else...
Aerin
(The red is meant to represent the blood I will shed over the next seven days.)
So, my faithful and encouraging followers, I begin today, June 22, and march diligently toward Sunday June 28, at which time I will have completed an additional 5000 words. And in case you think the Koala is being too easy on me, keep in mind that prior to last weekend, my daily wordcount averaged 112.
Also, be on the lookout for JJdeGoblin. She's pulling people's toenails and I don't think she's going to care whose feet she gets.
Just when I thought I would shrivel up and die from withdrawal, Jason has announced the eleventh Clarity of Night Short Fiction contest.
The next contest is entitled In Vino Veritas (you expect lawyers to throw Latin around, don't you?) and opens on July 8, 2009. Yes, that's right. You have several weeks to prepare a 250-word flash fiction piece inspired by this picture:
Winning a CoN contest is like catching the bouquet at a wedding. It's practically a guarantee you'll be the next agented/published bride, or, er, author. My goal this contest is to keep my place in the Clarity of Night Forties Club, which is made up of all of us
who pay Jason $40.00 who score at least a 40/45 possible points.
I am particularly thankful that Jason chose to post
common issues that cause people points. Read it!
Not only do I expect all of my
RCWC participants to enter (as always, you get your full 1000 points for the month if you enter a 250-word story); I would like your help in
pressuring encouraging the
Co-Dictator of the Universe to enter.
For those of you who don't follow me on Twitter (hey, why don't you?), you might not know that I have strep. Again. Second time in four weeks. The Bug had it twice within a month, too, and Mr. Aerin had it worst of all, but only once. The Bear's the only one who hadn't had strep, but Mr. Aerin dragged him to the pediatrician anyway. Said the doctor: "Fastest positive I've ever seen." In other words, the Bear has had strep for at least a month. His heart is okay, thank goodness, but not only do I feel like crap, I feel like a crappy mom.
Mommies don't get a break (even when their spouses think they're giving the sick wifeys a break, they're still letting dishes pile up and kids jump into bed with the sleeping sicky). Still, I think the worst part of being sick is that my brain gets fuzzy. I can't read because reading gives me a headache; I can't write because the muse tends to get her uber-bitch on.
So. I'm trying to catch up, which means pointing out to you some places and people I think you might like. Or, as bethie (I nicknamed her bethie, poor thing) would say, linkspam!
- Inkygirl, aka Debbie Ridpath Ohi, has been running a fantastic series of posts about authors and their histories with rejection. Dr. Seuss was rejected 27 times before his first book was picked up; John Grisham was rejected 28 times before selling his first novel; Louis L'amour received over 200 rejections before his first sale.
Finally (and I have said this before) if you have not made the acquaintance of
Loren and
b., you really must do so. These guys are hilarious, intelligent, insightful, talented, and sort of frighteningly complementary to one another. They're like the little brothers I never had - wait, I do have little brothers - okay, they're the brothers I never had that it was okay for me to crush on.
I failed my birthday word count challenge, and Pete wrote:
My "punishment" for you is to write a poem of at least six lines and no more than 40 lines that describes the feeling of coming >this< close to a stretch goal but falling just short at the deadline.
Neither Pete or Janey was as harsh on me as McK is going to be, so I'm still in an okay place with my lack of word count. Perhaps I will rewrite the poem after I've received the sharp end of the Koala Klaws.
I chose to write a poem in the pattern of a Quatern, which, according to
Shadow Poetry,
is a sixteen line French form composed of four quatrains. It is similar to the Kyrielle
and the Retourne. It has a refrain that is in a different place in each quatrain. The first line of stanza one is the second line of stanza two, third line of stanza three, and fourth line of stanza four. A quatern has eight syllables per line. It does not have to be iambic or follow a set rhyme scheme.
line 1
line 2
line 3
line 4
line 5
line 6 (line 1)
line 7
line 8
line 9
line 10
line 11 (line 1)
line 12
line 13
line 14
line 15
line 16 (line 1)
Example #1:
True Love, Redefined
One day she hopes true love to find,
One soul, one mind, two hearts entwined;
Somewhere out there’s the perfect guy,
For Youth has set her standards high.
He must be rich, handsome, refined,
One day she hopes true love to find;
Yet no one seems to measure up
And disappointment fills her cup.
The years go by, her nights grow long,
Her aging voice sings sorrow’s song.
One day she hopes true love to find,
Her definition redefined;
Simply a plain and faithful friend
To see her to life’s journey’s end;
For though her face with age be lined,
One day she hopes true love to find.
Copyright © 2003 Linda Newman
Example #2:
The Master's Feet
Those who sat at the Master’s feet,
Brothers who fished in waters deep,
Threw down their nets and followed Him,
Forsaking all to fish for men.
The crowds pressed ‘round to hear Him speak,
Those who sat at the Master’s feet,
Those who he said would be a light,
For others lost in dark of night.
In the upper room hands were rung,
When told a traitor was among,
Those who sat at the Master’s feet,
With emblems of Himself to eat.
The Master’s mother held her breath,
When savage men cried for his death,
And vainly struggled to defeat,
Those who sat at the Master’s feet.
Copyright © 2006 James Dupy
Example #3:
Life’s Pulse - The Gypsies’ Song
As dark-haired beauties celebrate
while moving round the fire light,
their slender swirling hips gyrate,
and on they dance, into the night.
The flames dance too, beneath the moon.
As dark-haired beauties celebrate,
their fathers clap or play a tune
the merry clan perpetuate!
Then each young man takes hold a mate
he’s chosen in the ring of fire.
As dark-haired beauties celebrate,
their flashing eyes ignite desire.
The mothers sit and smile. They know
the music will not soon abate.
Life’s pulse is found by camp fire’s glow
as dark-haired beauties celebrate.
Copyright © 2006 Andrea Dietrich
All right, so I know you've been waiting with bated breath. Without further ado (or cliches), here is my original poem.
Wild WordsThe words themselves run high and wild,
seeking to be corralled and tamed.
This adverb is a willful child;
that noun’s impatient to be named.
By sunrise we must reach our home.
The words themselves run high and wild.
A question mark is bound to roam.
The “being” verbs have formed a pile.
Even the sun is not beguiled
as she dips closer to her bed.
The words themselves run high and wild,
resist the stories in my head.
Despite the claws, the whips, the threat,
my heart is calm, frustration’s mild.
I watch the beauty as I let
the words themselves run high and wild.
I failed my birthday word count challenge, and Jane set forth two punishment tasks for me.
I've completed the first. Incidentally, if anyone was wondering about what text I used to format the watermelons, it was this one.
The second task is to finish adding the 743 actual words to my WIP. I am happy to report that I have done so, thereby accomplishing my 5000 word count goal.
Summer vacation starts in a little less than 30 days. I need to focus and finish my FINAL revision so my children can have a summer worth remembering.
PB has been my life for the past 1 1/2 years and it's time to let her go. This manuscript has gone from first person to third person to alternate voices. The beginning has changed countless times. Darlings have been loved then killed, scenes rearranged, characters evolved, plots thickened, the story transformed and I couldn't be more pleased.
My fantastic critique group has seen these changes and their feedback ever encouraging. If you're not in a critique group, why not? It will help you in so many ways. Still shy? Check out my critique series. Want more in-depth information? Writer pal, Becky Levine, has a critique book coming out in January, that sounds perfect.
I am so grateful to my group. I just received their latest comments, and man, am I ever ready to finalize details.
So, it's time to get to work.
If you'd like to have a support group to help you through the month of June, come on and join in the Summer Revision Smackdown with organizers Holly and Jolie. Hey, if they can get me to write 5,000 words in a day, I KNOW I can finish my revision.
It's time to get serious and focus. You can do it!!
All right, my lovelies, I've been spending a lot of time on the book-part of my blog, so I'm going to be taking some time to work on my writing.
I have, however, managed my Koala Kounts for the past few days. I've written some really bad poetry and a really good sermon. If you are interested in reading (and/or listening, to the sermon, anyway), send me an email and I'll give you the link.
Otherwise, I've kept that site private since - well, you can never be too certain. You might get people like this hounding you.
Stay tuned - tomorrow, Mr. Gorgeous, Mr. Dreamy-Irish-Hunk himself, Stuart Neville!!
I'm declaring #@$$-fail. Yes, my ass is still attached.
I had a whole blather written about why this wasn't a good day, but really, isn't that what I do every time I don't get any writing done? I did do a solid hour and a half of research, which was helpful, and I acquainted myself with Scrivener (which I haven't purchased yet, am still on trial.)
I still appreciate the day, however. I got motivated simply reading JES's post; I'll be revisiting often.
Thanks to Moonrat for the heads-up!
Today is Write Your A** Off Day. Check out JES's post here for more information. The point is to commit just one day--7.5 hours, from 10 to 6 with a break for lunch--to your OWN writing. You don't have to finish a novel or commit a whole month (like NaNoWriMo), just one day, to whatever you want. Maybe to give you the kick-start on that project you've been meaning to get going.
I'm going to give this a whirl, despite having kidling duties, etc. See you all this evening!
"Come on, Mom! Everyone has these." Spy Girl threw me one of those sad puppy-eyed looks that she thinks will make me feel sorry for her. "You didn't let me have them for two whole years and I'm growing older and want nice things." She held on to these chestnut brown boots as the sales woman stood a few feet away, waiting to scoop in at any sign of weakness.
Okay, 2 hours of free time. Need to reassess priorities and use this for writing.
She gave the card to you, or to the girls?! Either way--pushy!
Sounds like you survived the back-to-school shopping extravaganza. Luckily my kids had what they needed for clothes - and 9 year old boys don't care if they have new stuff - and the middle school has a uniform, so no worries there!<br /><br />Devoting 2 hours a day to writing - no interruptions. For 30 days. Sounds wonderful. Not sure I can commit to it though. I'll give it a try.
Hee, hee. Sarah, the sales woman was pushy. She actually gave it to my daughter. I guess she figured my daughter would make the sale for her.<br /><br />Chris,<br />Uniforms are awesome. I miss those! <br /><br />I need to commit to the 2 hours to focus on my deadline, but join in for any bit of writing time. I'd love the company!
Vivian, you are a hero shopping with three girls. All I can say is: whoa, and wouldn't you know with a fashionista at the helm. LL Bean sells those boots for less, but maybe she's tied to the brand. On the bright side, they don't have heels. <br /><br />Good luck with your two pure writing dedicated hours! I'm happy to keep you company!<br /><br />best wishes for fall! Jeannine
If it's two hours, make them golden. It sounds like you have the right idea - write.<br />Thursday marks my free days again. My younger one will be in pre-K. So excited for the writing time. I think I will appreciate it even more.
Jeannine,<br />Oh, I tried to have her look at other boots, though I'll have to check out the LL Bean one. The girls in her school are all tied to the labels--didn't think it would happen so early.<br /><br />I'm glad you'll keep me company! Happy writing!<br /><br />PJ,<br />Yes, every bit of writing time is precious, isn't it? Good luck!
Two hours, 30 days, but weekends off? And Labor Day? I can do that =) <br /><br />I actually didn't go on the internet at all on Friday and I got a lot done. It's a good thing to avoid sometimes!
I AM GOING TO MISS YOU.<br />But boy do you deserve this.
Beth,<br />Thank you! I can't wait to see what I can accomplish with this time. And no worries--I'll still be hanging around... ;-)<br /><br />Sherrie,<br />Love your enthusiasm for this. Yes! 30 days, 2 hours a day for dedicated writing time, school days only. Glad you're going to join in!
I find UGGS to be entirely hideous and expensive. I figured school would be hard for you, but yay to the free time. Good luck with it.