Scattered

I can't help but sit here feeling like my brain is running in too many directions.  Work, weight loss, writing, kids, home remodeling.  I'm sure there are more, but those are the main ones right now.  I'm such a scatter brain.  Am I the only one who has a hard time just completing a thought before racing off on a different one? What the heck is wrong with me. If I didn't know better, I'd call it adult ADD!

I plan on doing a little writing today. So far I've managed to re-enter 90 pages. Only 180 to go! I'm just taking it a chapter at a time, and I'll worry about the editing after I've got it in, printed, and can sit on my couch and reread it, and make notes in the chapter.  I've been brainstorming the new book, which just isnt flowing well.  Seems I need to really start retraining myself to daydream. My creative process has been dulled by years of ignoring it. Time to kick it in the pants. So this weekend I will start writing the new book. Just write, and see where it takes me.  As I've so often heard lately, "You can't edit a blank page!"

The weight issue, well, thats STILL an issue. One that has me so overwhelmed that I've decided that it is the one area of my life that I am going to put in someone elses hands. Not entirely of course, but I need help.  So that plan is to get my butt up bright and early on Saturday and make my first appearance at a Weight Watchers Meeting. In addition, I will re-up at the gym (one of my favorite places -once I'm there. No, really), and see about finding a personal trainer. My biggest complaint/excuse/issue is that I hate working out alone. I'm a competitive spirit, and solo work outs bore me to death.  And since I'm a bit of a loner anyway, there isn't a large pool of friends to draw from for support. My solution will be to hire a physical trainer. Someone to keep me accountable and motivate me. Costly, maybe, but no more so than my current habits.  My goal is not to add to them, but to replace them.  God Willing!

I HAVE managed to play guitar this week, learning "Already Gone," by Kelly Clarkson. Would you believe that until last night, I didnt realize how much better it would be for me to transpose it down by 2 steps. Now, not only in my range, but it uses and follows the same chord progressions of half of my favorite songs! Duh! lol  Still haven't gotten that broken string fixed on my blue baby, but had forgotten my other guitar is home now.  (Note to self: Buy strings.)

Starting Fresh

I've spent the last few days retyping several chapters of my book so that I can go back and begin editing. Now I feel as though my brain has been mixed in a blender. In one sense, I feel like I've forgotten everything I learned from my first writer's group (on iVillage, all those years ago!). But then as I read over those early chapters, I'm stricken by how horrible they are! 

I mean really! I can only hope that as I continue to type later chapters I will begin to see the growth I thought I'd experienced during that time. Somehow, in school, I never had a proper grammar class. Tenses, punctuation. Everything I know, I've learned by reading. But let's face it, writing instinctively, and knowing the rules are very different things. I really need to go back to middle school and LEARN the things my teachers assumed I already knew. 

I also pulled out some books I'd purchased years ago. "The Complete Guide to Editing Your Fiction," "No More Rejections-50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript That Sells," "45 Master Characters - Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters," and "20 Master Plots - And How to Build Them."  My goal is to start reading more on the craft.  And in addition to doing and reading crits on my romance writers group, and re-entering the rest of the chapters on my wip, I am going to start a NEW WIP, something that will allow me to freely create without worrying about the rules.. I'm so NOT a rules girl! 

Well, I'm off to Florida, where my next adventure begins!
 

Another winter storm.... and Off to a slow start.

 My daughter with an icicle from the eaves

What a month it has been.  What a WINTER it has been. I'm truly not used to this much snow and ice in one year.  But I have to admit it's been nice.  This is the third storm this year that has given me good cause to hibernate and relax. I will not, however, deny that spring is ever more anticipated with each storm.  Below is a picture from my front door this morning.

Seems I cannot seem to fit in all the things that I've wanted to, so I'm still juggling with my schedule. Exercise has been the most difficult, though there is no reason, only excuses.  Seems I've been spending more time just trying to get my life in order. All organization and no moving forward.... yet.  I spent yesterday with my novel, and finally got it all organized. The hard copy who's pages had gotten a bit shuffled. The few different typed versions of Chapter one. The folder of research.  I spent the day getting it all organized, then put together a new Chapter One, a compilation of the other versions, so that now I have a version I think I am happy with. I THINK.  I find that no matter how many times I revise, it's just never good enough. UGH.

I now realize that my hope to accomplish so much every day was just unreasonable. So now I'm working on prioritizing. I reconnected with my romance writers crit group. I realize writing is the one thing I expect to do a minimum of 5 days a week.  First I plan on finished getting the hard copy of my WIP (I'll refer to it as Flight for now on) retyped, submit a chapter a week to the group until its done, and finally join RWA (Romance Writer's of America).  I plan to submit to at least on contest this year, and get a feel for them. I hope to have Flight completed by the time school lets out this summer. I also want to start a new WIP to get the creative juices flowing. Editing is so energy draining for me.

The music is something I do for pleasure, but it will come second to my writing.  I plan to learn a new song each week (and commit it to memory). Now that doesnt mean I'll perfect it, but I will learn it and play it a couple times each day, I will also print it and add it to my songbook. This weeks song is "Already Gone" by Kelly Clarkson.  (This song will most likely extend into next week, since a moment ago I broke a string while tuning.  ACK! well, at least I have to pay a speeding ticket in Stillwater this week. I can buy new strings while I'm there!.)

The weight loss part of this metamorphosis hasn't proceeded as I'd hoped.  I'm finding that I am really struggling with emotional eating.  Under the right circumstances, I find I binge eat. I can do wonderful for a week, and spoil the whole week with one day!  I'm still trying to figure out how to approach this. I don't really feel like I need to go to counseling to deal with it. Just voicing how I feel, or journaling should do it. (Those will go on other blog, don't worry *chuckles*)  needless to say, I still need to fit in the exercise part.

I suppose my biggest challenge is working around a demanding job when my office is in my home. It's so easy to just keep working at the end of the day.  I think I really need to put a clock on my desk and set the alarm for 4:30.  And make myself stop.  If I don't I'll NEVER take care of ME!  I truly need to schedule my day. And setting boundaries on my work hours is the first step. So I will work from 8:00 to 4:30. I will make those hours productive so that I dont feel the need to work later. Now that those are set, I will make the agreement with myself to fit one hour of exercise in during the morning.  And one hour of 'get ready' time. Which means I will need to get up at 6:00 on weekdays. Ugh. 

Now the question is, where do I fit in the time for writing and crits, while still making time for my family. I will certainly have to just start with something arbitrary and then tweak it as I need to. For now I think I will try to do one critique a day at the end of my workday or during a lunch break. The writing I will do in the evening after the kids go to bed. Will 1 hour a night be enough? I just don't know, but we shall find out. When I get on a roll, sometimes it's near impossible to stop. (This particular blog post is case in point!)

The music I'll probably reserve for weekends and maybe one or two evenings during the week.  When I need break from the writing.

Tweaks will most definately follow!

Happy New Year!... okay so Im a week late!

Sorry I have been absent for the past week.  After the holidays I took a little me time to get organized and to be honest, lazy! lol.  But now it's time to get back on track!

We had a wonderful time on New Years Eve.  I had a small get together here at the house, just a few friends and their children. I spent two days preparing food (not an ENTIRE two days),  but since I had such a picky bunch, it was a challenge. One friend is a vegetarian (but will eat seafood). Another wont eat veggies.  In the end I prepared a shrimp cocktail platter, meat and cheese platter, crab stuffed mushrooms, spinach dip in a sourdough bowl, a veggie platter, deviled eggs, mini bbq chicken and pineapple kabobs, fiesta rollups, baked potato skins, and lil smokies wrapped in crescent dough and baked.  Everyone found food they liked and chowed down.  Then we settled in for a good game of mad gab. I'd never played it before, but what a hoot! Guess thats the next family game to buy.

The Feast

 Dearest Friends

And more

And more... Im blessed.

Since my birthday was Sunday, the 3rd, we decided to celebrate on Saturday, and headed to the Looney Bin Comedy Club in Tulsa. What a great, and inexpensive way to celebrate.  Note to self: Go to the comedy club more often!

Of course, over the course of that weekend, I gained back the few pounds I'd lost the week before, but I got back on track Monday, and have lost all of them again, plus another.  And I haven't started exercising again yet.  Which brings me to my next decision... what do I do with the the money I received for christmas.  I'm torn  between a body bugg or an eliptical machine for my home. Guess I'll go price the machine today and put some thought into it.  I would like to get a gym membership as well, but I know me.  And I'll be more likely to get that workout in EVERY day if I have the machine at home. I've got hand weights and videos, and the eliptical would be a great addition, since I could use it and watch my shows at the same time! (DVR is wonderful.) 

I have been struggling with a sore throat and severe headaches this week. Not sure what that is about. I don't feel ill.  So I'll just keep taking my vitamins and resting a little more, and see what happens I guess. In the mean time, I'm trying to figure out if I need to turn down the offer to play a set at the songwriters showcase this Friday night.  I'm kind of starting to lean that direction, but I'll wait it out just a little longer. I hope everyone is having a wonderful New Year! (And am I the only one who hasn't taken down the tree yet?)