265 in… 100 to go

My diary informs me that today is the 265th day of 2013. There are 100 days until another year bites the dust. Its enough to make my head split in half.

I’ve been scarce here, I know. I do poke my nose in to check up on you every so often. Quietly, like a mouse. Or a stalker. Just kidding. 🙂

So what have I been up to… I finished Finding Mia in the first half of the year. It’s with a publisher and I should get the thumbs up or down by the middle of October. The second half of the year was taken up with putting on a stage show UnHinged. That all went down last week and I’ve slowly been finding my brain since.

Here are some pics of the action on stage, taken by the legendary WolfWorx. The mastermind behind WolfWorx is Brian – a photographic artist. He also blogs right here on WordPress so pop over and say hi..

2013 also saw my first words in print in a book rather than a magazine. Not Your Mothers Book on Home Improvement is a fun anthology all about misadventures in DIY. My contribution is 1 tiny story out of 65! Haha! But I love small beginnings, because they have a tendency to grow into bigger things.

For some even bigger news – I actually read a book this week. From start to finish, in a day. It was glorious! The kidlets were a little shell-shocked at having to make their own lunch, but I called it tough love and moved on.

It’s a New Dawn, it’s a New Day!

It's a New Dawn, it's a New Day!

Too nice to be a writer?

Hi! Hope 2013 is being kind to you and those you love.

Today, I’m blogging over on the amwriting blog. Pop on over and let me know if you’re a gleeful hand rubber, or if flinging challenges makes your heart ache.

Or you might want to read about how real life makes you a better writer.

On the subject of real life, indulge me and take a moment to vote…

[polldaddy poll=6813231]

Pulling weeds

We had to let our gardener go. We just couldn’t afford him – he kept breaking things. Like the lawnmower and the edge cutter. And the mower’s power cable. And more rakes than I have fingers… Need I go on?

The point is – this weekend found me in the garden, up to my elbows in mud and earthworm bits. I won’t lie – it was really tough going. The weeds had been left to their own devices for way too long. As all good villains should, they had worked themselves in amongst the flowers, wrapping around and through and over and under.

We all know to effectively remove a weed, it has to come out roots and all. Easier said than done though, when good and bad are all entangled and anchored into ground so hard and dry, it would do for bricks. So I soaked it, then went to work with a fork. I dug it in deep at the roots of each bush and loosened the hard earth.

If I could speak plant, I would have leaned in close and said, don’t worry little bush – you are precious to me, I’m not here to harm you or take you out. I’m after the weeds that are choking the life out of you.

As soon as the weeds were out, I patted the soil around each plant down firmly – securing them in place once more. I thought about life. I’ve been through times when everything I thought I knew was shaken. Things I put my trust and hope in crumbled and vanished. The funny thing is – those situations are long gone and I’m still here.

If I was listening, I would have heard my Heavenly Daddy lean in close and whisper – don’t worry my little girl, I’m not here to harm you or take you out. I’m after the weeds that are choking the life out of you.

Our Gardener is good. Even if everything around you is shaking, you can trust Him to keep you because you are His. Your life is precious to Him.

Can 20 minutes change your life?

A few weeks back I would have laughed and said no ways! Now, I know that it can.

Just to be clear – I’m not talking about car smashes or connecting with God for the first time. I’m talking about the humdrum of normal life. You know – the parts that never make it into novels… feeding the dogs and shaving your armpits, that kind of thing. Not convinced? Check out these scenario’s and then we’ll talk again.

Scenario # 1:

5:25 I get woken up with tea. I sit semi-comatose in the dark, sipping the warm liquid. It helps to wake me a shade beyond snoring.

5:40 a stagger zombie-like to the kitchen to slap together lunch for the small people, help them find a ridiculous number of lost things and help the smallest, grumpiest person in the house to get dressed and ready.

6:20 usher them all out the door with much hugging and love you’s and 0h-poop-I-forgot-my-sports bag/homework/to kiss the cat.

Note: at this point I am still pretty much asleep.

After that follows brekkies and all the stuff that ladies do to make themselves feel acceptable for human company.

7:30 I finally sit down to write a few words before heading out the door.

Scenario # 2:

5:00 My cellphone sings me an irritating ditty and I try not to smash it.

5:01 I stumble zombie-like down the passage to the shower. This actually transfers me into the state of compos mentis.

5:20 I find clothes and brush hair. My hubby brings me tea. Thanks to the above-mentioned shower, I’m actually awake enough to read my Bible while I sip my tea (with the lights on).

5:40 I make lunch and find lost stuff and get the short-grumpy person dressed and moving.

6:25 Wave them all off feeling awake enough to actually mean it when I yell out “Love you!” Put the washing and the dishwasher on to do their thing.

6:30 I sit down to write.

A whole HOUR earlier. Isn’t that amazing? 20 minutes of sacrificed sleep buys me an extra HOUR of writing time. Isn’t that just insane? The loopy part is, it actually works. I’m 1/3 of the way through my current novel after spending months whinging about not having the time to write.

Small shifts can make a huge difference. 20 minutes a day have changed my life.

How crazy is that?

Is there anything you can rearrange in your life today that will make such a dramatic difference?

I’d love to hear your story.

Pssssst! Just between you and me, I fell over this article by Barbara O’Neal today called The 20 Minute Win which totally proves my theory.

Pop the waterbed! Do it!

This post is really about passion. In fact, it’s not even my post, but it was so profound I got goosebumps. Serious goosebumps.

So if you have every wondered what God wants you to do with you life, this post is for you. Head on over here and check it out.

Let me know if it goosebumps you too.

Hope!

My 5 yo was invited to a party the other day. Her little friend came up, tossed an invitation at her chest and declared, “You’re coming to my party!” Then she skipped off. At the time I laughed, but for some reason, that little exchange tickled something inside of me. I made sure my kiddo went to the party, present and all.

Isn’t that what hope does? Tosses invitations at the chest of the One who can do all things.

If I could bottle one thing for you today, it would be hope. Proverbs tell us “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” I’ve been there. The verse doesn’t stop there though, it goes on to say, “but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” You can find it here.

It’s really not about what we hope for, but rather Who we hope in. When we get around Jesus, He injects into us a living hope that isn’t deterred by reality, but rather instills in us courage to face it.

Some of the challenges life tosses our way are ugly brutes, others seem thoroughly impossible to beat. Does that mean its hopeless? Might seem like it at the time. The truth is, impossible situations are His specialty.

You’ve been given a ringside seat to His miracles.

Grab hold of His hand and don’t give up hope.

There’s an elephant in the room

This past week I revisited the first three chapters of my first novel ~~for the sake of querying~~ just for fun. I’ve been around the block with this one, each time they were requested, those three chapters would dust themselves off and play ambassador for the chapters waiting in the wings, hoping for their turn. Which didn’t always happen.

So this time, before hitting send, I thought it would be good to actually read through one more time. You must understand, if I’ve edited those pages once, I’ve edited them 50 times. Seriously. It has also been through the hands of a number of other people who worked it over. It has been changed, refined, perfected. I honestly believed my novel was the best it could be.

I sat down for what I thought would be a quick read-through and was horrified. Every time my characters moved, they did it quickly, if they frowned, they did it crossly, when they laughed, it was uproariously… Spot the problem. I was a regular adverb addict and nobody had said a word. There’s an elephant in the room. Shhhhhhhhhhh!

Now for some bouquet tossing to the one lady who did speak up and has changed my writing. Jen Owenby – I owe you, I owe you big time. Jen and I met right here in WordPress land. We have connected as well outside of WP and for some reason, she offered to read through my new WIP (which was only about 5K words long at that stage.) She came back with some encouraging comments, but also two big flaws – passive voice and ADVERBS. Those little crutches that make any strong, healthy verb look like a shuffling granny.

I never knew that I was supposed to avoid them. Seriously. I didn’t know. Now I do. Thank you Jen.

So I’ve kicked the crutches and sent my ambassadors back out there. Who knows. 🙂 For now its back to my crutch-less WIP and I’m loving it.

What elephant lives in your room? Have you kicked him out yet?

Amazing in utero photo for writers

You know when your friends get preggy and suddenly facebook is littered with murky scan pics that could just as easily be elephants or aliens? Well I’m proud to share MY latest in utero pic with you …

Everyone… meet Finding Mia…

She is 1/8th of the size she’ll be when fully grown. Much development has to happen before she can be born, but the potential to make readers laugh and cry… it’s all in there. 🙂

Pregnancy analogies aside – this is book #2’s plotting box. I wrote book #1 as a pantser. I literally made it up as I went along. Since then, I’ve added a third child (real flesh & blood person-child) to my brood and life is a whole lot more complicated. This means that the luxury of sitting down to write for a few hours without interuption is a fondly remembered fantasy. Now? I snatch half hours if and when I can.

This plotting box came about as the result of sheer frustration at my lack of progress. In a typical half hour gap, I would have to reread the last section I wrote to orientate myself in the story. Then I would need to think about what should be happening next. THEN I would be able to start writing. For the last five minutes. At which point I would generally think why bother? and go make tea. Not exactly a recipe for success.

I fell over this blog post by Rachel Aaron, author of the Eli Monpress novels, in which she explains how she went from writing 2000 to 10 000 words a day. Just a teensy bit mind-blowing, wouldn’t you say? I am nowhere near that yet, but she is incredibly inspiring. One of the basics is knowing what you are going to write before you actually sit down to do it. This box is my key to that.

So now I have a plan. It is by no-means complete. I’ve left a lot of room for my characters to do their own thing, as all good characters should. But I have a backbone, a spine on which to build and grow my beautiful story. So now, when I get a gap, I grab the next card and within seconds I’m ready to write. Isn’t it great?

Tell me about your process? What works for you?

Landsick…

Brian3 — Photo courtesy WolfWorx photography

Have you ever been on a boat long enough to get your sea-legs, only to feel thoroughly sick when you get back on land?

This is probably the best way I can describe how I’m feeling at the moment – though it has nothing to do with boats, land or throwing up. Shhh! Let me explain. I’ve just been through a non-stop series of deadlines and events that had me averaging 5 hours sleep a night for months. (Many nights were far less than 5 hours.) I don’t think I can remember how to knit, if I sit still for any length of time doing nothing I simply fall asleep. Lights out. History. My 5 yo tucked me in the other night, because I couldn’t last till past her bedtime. I vaguely remember her soft kiss on my cheek. Apparently she told the rest of the family, “Don’t go in there! Mommy’s sleeping.”

I think I’ve made it through to the other side of the stomachulcerinviting hecticness – yay me!

I’ve had to learn to say the ‘N’ word to some things. Aaah c’mon, do I really have to say it out loud? Okay, okay… NO. There. I’ve said it. This is not easy for me, but I’ve realized if I truly believe in my dream, my passion – I need to make space in my life for it to grow. It simply cannot remain at the bottom of my priority list for incase there is anything left of me at the end of the day. (Sincere apologies to you if you are one of those on the receiving end of a no from me.)

So thats all good, but now that the pace is slightly less pressured, I don’t know how to manage it. Going to bed at 10:30 (as much as my body desperately needs the sleep – and sleep I do!) feels completely weird. Today, I met a deadline on time, without staying up beyond midnight. I worked while the sun was shining. How weird is that? I nearly got through my entire To Do list-thingy for the day. Nearly. That NEVER happens. It is thoroughly unsettling.

But in all that, you know what I’ve realized? Landsick is good. It means that I’m in recovery. I’m on my way out of life pattterns that are not sustainable and are driving me further away from what I am built to be doing.

How about you? Is your life beyond managing, or could you teach me some stuff?