Hobbling Toward Z

I think I'm so far behind I can't catch up, there just aren't enough days left in the month. April is an unfriendly month for me health wise. I did too much and ended up pretty much unable to walk more than a few minutes. Sleep is too important for me to be staying up till 4 am trying to get a post out. People keep telling me if I really want to be a writer I'll make the time, but I really enjoy doing the walking thing so yes it is a greater priority.

ROW80 Rundown

Make the check-ins on Sundays and Wednesdays - Success, goal 1 accomplished.

Visit 5 fellow ROW80 bloggers each check-in - I didn't get around at all this time. Going down instead of up makes me sad.

Write 667 words every day to keep up with my Camp NaNo goal - I wrote on Wednesday, but haven't since. I'm not sure I'll make my Camp NaNo finish. I would look and see how far behind I am, but I don't wanna know right now.

Post every day in April for ROW80, A to Z or both - Yep, no writing equals no posting.

Visit the other ROW80 bloggers here.

Blogging 

From A to Z

I don't really know how it works and if they remove you from the list after you go a few days without posting, but I am going to try and write more of the flash for the letters. I'm not going to try and catch up, but jump back in where everyone else is. I will not combine them next year. I plan to write those posts ahead of time and schedule.


What do you find gets on the way of your writing goals most often? Let me know in the comments.

Pics by Pixabay.

D WAS for Dystopian Fiction

Now D is for Dreadful Doughnut Drive

Oh yes, I think this will take a bit of explaining. I was visiting 2 hours from my home when I had a flat tire. Luckily I was near my brother’s house and he was able to come and change it because no matter how much I jumped on the tire iron I couldn’t get my nuts off. By the time he was able to get there and change it for me it was rush hour and I was NOT in the mood to try and get home through that. I stopped at another friend’s house and stayed for dinner before I headed home. The trip that would normally, over highways, take 2 hours took much longer. My doughnut is only rated for 40 MPH and the straight shot roads have a minimum speed of 55. So the long way it was. I can’t actually tell you how long it took because if I looked I am sure I would start crying. Needless to say I was unable to get my D post out because of my Dreadful Doughnut Drive.

Blogging From A to Z

The plan to save my A to Z is to add an extra day, probably on sunday or if one of the flash fictions are particularly short. I really want to share my dystopian fiction with you so I am not skipping it. Even though it made me uncomfortable to write and reread.

Dystopian Flash Fiction

“Emily are you excited to participate in Black Friday this year?” Asked her mother Alexandra.

“Yes mama, I like to stay up late and I want to go to the mall,” said Emily as she got out of the car.

“Now dear, don't get her all worked up. Black Friday can be intense,” said her father. “I'll go grab a cart.”

“Oh, I'm so glad they have carts at the mall now. It makes moving the stuff so much easier,” said Alexandra.

“Come on, let's get in line fast. I wanna be through the gate first,” Emily said pulling her father's arm.

“Alright, alright, we're coming,” he said as they walked through the empty parking garage toward the mall entrance.

The family lined up behind the roped off area outside the mall and settled in to wait for the doors to open and the pandemonium to begin. They talked, laughed and joked as the hours ticked away. It seemed like a wonderful bonding experience, but Emily knew they would have their work cut out for them when the doors were thrown open.

Opening time of five a.m. was almost at hand. The line was around the corner and out of Emily’s sight. People who had been lounging on the ground or leaning against walls a mere half hour before were now standing tall as they looked over each other's heads and scooched as close to the threshold of the mall as they could. They were all enthralled in a frenzy that was building and seeking the maelstrom that is Black Friday.

An employee clicked the lock and it seemed unusually loud, almost like a starting gun had been fired. Two other employees pushed open the doors while trying to scurry out of the way with frightened, but determined faces. This was it, we are first. Emily and her mother ran for the woman’s department. The news reports had been saying all week it was supposed to have the most action this year and it had always been her mother’s favorite anyway.

Emily pushed her cart around the corner and stopped by the edge of the counter. She excitedly looked back at her mother as she pulled an exquisite cashmere coat out and held it up. She looked down into the pit. The woman waiting there were already shoving each other and jockeying for position under the hanging coat. Emily shook it and they responded like ravenous dogs. The lady directly in front of Emily punched the lady to her left in the face causing blood to pour from her nose, but not stopping the bloody woman from jumping for the coat. Emily tossed the coat into the bedlam and was delighted at the squealing and screaming her trinket had brought.

Emily turned back to her mother who was smiling and handed her a pair of Gucci heels and said, “We have spared no expense here on your first Black Friday. I want you to really enjoy what this event means. Make sure you throw them way into the center so the poor girls who got here later have a chance to enter the fray and get some goodies as well.”

“Yes mama,” Emily said as she took the beautiful shoes.


Dystopian fiction is a very popular genre at the moment, but I remember reading George Orwell's 1984 in high school so it has been around a long time. Let me just say that book scared the crap out of me. Are you a fan of Dystopian fiction? What books would you recommend in this genre?

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

I am worried I bit off WAY more than I can chew. Though perhaps if I stop chewing on the computer it would work better. I LOVE writing challenges, but rarely get through to the end with a victory. I need to figure out how to set better priorities and stick to goals. I am also having a bit of a problem with that life thing getting in the way constantly, but it seems to happen often to me. I am not entirely sure if it just happens to everyone a lot and I am busy putting out proverbial fires and don’t notice or if the Fates have placed some sort of kick me sign on my back. Hey, be a friend and pull it off my back if you see it there, thanks. I also worry about the quality of my work. I read so many awesome blog posts, excerpts and flash fictions during these writing challenges that I feel woefully inadequate. What do you do to stay on task? How do you feel when you share your work?

ROW80 Rundown

I missed stating my round 2 goals on Monday the 4th so I am playing catch up here, too. My goals are mostly the same as last round. Wish me luck.

To make the check-ins on Sundays and Wednesdays - This is the first Wednesday so YAY I made it.
To visit 5 fellow ROW80 bloggers each check-in - Didn’t manage to visit anyone since Monday.
To write 667 words every day to keep up with my Camp NaNo goal - I hit this goal on Monday, but not on Tuesday. I fell short by less than 200 words on my flash.
To post every additional day in April for A to Z - I barely made it Monday and missed Tuesday, but have high hopes for the next check in period.

Orange Prompt Type Winner

Orange prompt: Sensory Prompt a prompt that makes you use one of your five senses. A smell, a taste, a sound, touch, something visual

Thanks to those who helped me by participating. I like this suggestion, there were 4 really good choices and I am happy to start making new prompts. The first Orange Sensory Prompt was created by my daughter. I really need to do a LOT more research before I try another contest because I didn’t get much participation, but that is a post that will need to wait until April is over. Do you have any tips for running contests to get me started thinking about what to do better next time?

What do you do when you have bitten off too much? Do you spit some of it out or try and choke it down even though it may cause the quality of tasks accomplished to diminish?

For some reason I couldn't find the ROW80 code to add the linky list to my post so click here to see the others who posted today.

Photos by Pixabay.

Shooting In the Dark

Since I am not really sure what I want to do with the characters that have been bombarding me I am focusing on other things at the moment to keep me writing. I was talking to my friend and Municipal Liaison, Elise, about helping out with content on the Lake Writers Blog and she recommended trying some things I haven't attempted or stuff that made me uncomfortable. She said something like lots of bad writing is practice for better writing, but much more elegantly I'm sure. So I decided to practice writing in first person. I wrote it and that took a long time. I edited it the first time and that took a long time. Then I tried to talk myself into sharing it looking for feedback and that took a long time. (Convincing myself to share not the feedback.) I am not completely thrilled with the middle, but like the beginning and LOVE the end. 

ROW80 Rundown

1. Make the check-ins on Sundays and Wednesdays - This is my first check in since I started so I am at 100%! YAY! (Though I am pushing it at after 11:30pm on getting the post finished.)
2. Visit 5 fellow ROW80 bloggers each check-in - I visited 5 ROW80 friends posts and commented on 3.
3. Write 500 words every day - I wrote almost 800 words in a flash fiction on Monday that will appear on the Lake Writer's Blog on Wednesday the 24th. It is in need of some new love because 2015 was a rough year and things fall to the wayside. Tuesday I didn't write anything because I had to drive like 200 miles round trip with 3 kids in tow. Today I worked on this blog so not enough words. This section originally ended with I have some time before the kids are done playing and I am planning to get some writing done, but that so did not happen. 

What do you work on if you find yourself between projects or if you need a break from a project that is confounding you? Please leave me a comment to say hello. Don't forget to let me know where you are visiting from so I can follow you back and see what you're up to.

Photos by Pixabay.

Trying Not to Die is Hard Work

So I am surprised to find myself here again. Not the part where I am trying to figure out what happened to months on end, but the part where I am trying to write again. I don't think I officially said what the conclusion to the fun week long hospital stay in early April 2015 was, but the diagnosis is Multiple Sclerosis. I have been working hard on taking care of myself and for the most part am doing significantly better. There is still a long way to go and it is a forever battle with no cure, but I am managing much more efficiently than I was before the diagnosis. However, as the title stated trying not to die has been a lot of hard work. I hope you all have been well since I last checked on you and I am looking forward to connecting with you again and finding out what you are up to.

I am going well enough now that I am missing writing again. Sadly, my laptop is out of commision at the moment and I no longer have a geek to help me. I know after the million times (OK, like 2, but still.) I have posted about backing up all the things all the time I would have a recent backup, but no. Insert something about if you don't learn from history you are doomed to repeat it, shed a tear and move on. A long while back I realized I had based the antagonist of Most Magical Place on a combination of Alan Rickman's performance of Colonel Brandon and Severus Snape as far as mannerisms and looks. With his death I am sad everytime I look at my printed outline so I am thinking that it is time to work on something else for a bit.

Conveniently enough I have a character that is basically poking my brain with a freaking 6 foot sharpened stick pretty much constantly. I have him largely fleshed out (because he showed up that way) on Hiveword, but I have no idea what to do with him. I have 2 scenes in my head, but where they are going to or what lead to them I have no idea. There's a girl and her best friend that came barreling along shortly after him, but still no idea what they are planning. Yes, I have been told that they aren't real and I am the one planning, but it really does feel like I am watching these people and they are doing whatever the heck they please. I would think something like wouldn't it be nice if she stopped to talk to him. Then she would stop in her tracks as she is walking away, look at me and say, "Whatever, I am busy storming away right now and if he gets in my way I'm going to run him down." What is that about?

I am hopping on the ROW80 bandwagon again. It is a great place to find support and help as well as people to cheer when you have successes. I am only starting with 3 goals and planning to stay with them for the rest of this round. My goals are:

1. To make the check-ins on Sundays and Wednesdays
2. To visit 5 fellow ROW80 bloggers each check-in
3. To write 500 words every day 

What do you do when you have a character or several, but no story to put them in? Where are the best places you have found prompts to help jump start a story idea? Please leave me a comment to say hello. Don't forget to let me know where you are visiting from so I can follow you back and see what you're up to.

Photos by Pixabay.
photo credit: Distaste for Photography via photopin (license)

Wait, What Day Is It?

It's moving right along day. I gotta make this quick because I am at 22,764 of a 25,000 goal for this Camp NaNo and I would like to make it to bed before the sun comes up today.

Do you speed up or slow down when you are getting near your goal? Does the pressure of a challenge help or over stress you? Make sure you leave a comment to say hello. Don't forget to let me know where you are visiting from so I can follow you back and see what you're up to.

ROW80 July Goals Rundown

1. Write at least 800 words per day on my Camp NaNo novel The Most Magical Place.
I should have edited this goal because I fell behind and needed a minimum of 1,248 words to make it across that finish line. I am doing it! Not just the 800 I originally intended, but I am almost there. This is me not breaking into a happy dance yet because I have too much to do. So moving right along.

2. Post for every ROW80 check-in.
Yes, so far so good. I didn't even realize it was Wednesday until my husband asked me if I was planning to skip my post because I got a late start on writing tonight. I have been writing until late and crashing, but wanted to take a minute to say I am getting close and make sure someone has the champagne, cake and sparklers ready.

Today's Mascot Nosey Dog

3. Spend 1 Pom per day visiting ROW80 friends.
Oh crap guys. I totally flaked. I wanna know how you all are doing and I will get to see you before next check-in.

4. Tweet about my post on check-in days.
I know this is not exactly how Twitter works and I am still reading and favoriting people's tweets, but finding and checking out possible links to retweet just had to go. I guess if I am telling you again I must be feeling guilty, but can't worry about that now. But onward, upward, till the goal ye win.

PS: I am fairly sure Blogger is possessed and is trying to make sure I don't get to writing so pictures may or may not be screwed up and there is nothing I can do.

Photos by Pixabay.

Turtles, Dogs, Plot Holes and Goals

Oh my!

Why do I put an "E" in the word slowly? It didn't just happen once, but every time I wrote it. I tell you, the red squiggly lines are my nemesis. Also, I think my characters are moving in slow motion for all the times I added slowly to my prose. Time to speed those people up.

Other than the fact that my story is populated by turtles who are obviously not of the ninja variety my Camp NaNo is going well. My average is about 1400 words per day so far and I'm excited because I was originally aiming for just over 800. I stumbled a bit over my hooking moment. I guess I'm going to have to work on my hooking tonight. Take that how ever you want.

Today there was a giant plot hole that opened up and was threatening to eat my entire story, but a long hot shower complete with a constant stream of muttering seems to have plugged it up. I got on my own nerves asking over and over again, "But why?" However, it did make me nostalgic for when my kids were smaller and full of the whys. I was also able to flesh out a scene that was feeling flat and outline 2 more.

Like a dog who has been home alone all day, I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU! The times between ROW80 rounds are lonely around here. Luckily the always amazing Insecure Writers Support Group stopped by to say hello. They always talk me out of my writing neurosis.

My goals for the third round of ROW80

*July*
1. Write at least 800 words per day on my Camp NaNo novel The Most Magical Place.
2. Post for every ROW80 check-in.
3. Spend 1 Pom per day visiting ROW80 friends.
4. Post to Twitter every day.

*August - September*
1. Write 2 Poms every day.
2. Post for every ROW80 check-in.
3. Spend 1 Pom per day visiting ROW80 friends.
4. Post to Twitter every day.

I'm very pleased with how this Camp NaNo is going and excited to jump into ROW80 round 3. I hope you are all having productive weeks.

Do you ignore the squiggly red lines and other editing things while you create your first draft? What do you do when a giant plot hole opens up? Leave me a comment and don't forget to let me know where you're from so I can follow you back and see what you're up to.

Also, please stop by and visit some of my ROW80 friends.

Photos by Pixabay.

Camp NaNo Makes Me Insecure

It's the first Wednesday of the month and that means it's time for this month's edition of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. They are a great group of very supportive people who are working hard to make it in the writer world or who have and are sharing their success to inspire. It's a place writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. So glad to have you join me and feel free to hop over to their link and see what other's have going on.

The thing I am most insecure about today are my fears about Camp NaNo. That's not to say I don't have a lot of other things chasing it down, but it is firmly in the lead. I have been planing to write The Most Magical Place story for a while. Other things came between us and I even lost a huge amount of previous work from my first ever NaNoWriMo attempt back in January. (Same old PSA always remember to back up your writing often.) I thought about just moving on and tried to make that happen, but I kept thinking about those characters and wondering what they would be doing next. So here I am back with them. I was aiming for about 55 scenes total, but only have 34 planned in detail and it is almost go time. The other thing about Camp NaNo that is worrying me is that I have not yet made it across a NaNo finish line. I always have the best of intentions, but follow though is not my strong suit. There is a huge drawer and several closets stuffed full with half finished craft projects that will attest to this fact.

I am still working deciding what my ROW80 goals will be for the upcoming 3rd round. I should have put more effort into them by now, but I have been so distracted. Of course I always feel distracted. I saw a post today that said something like: I was trying to get my ducks in a row, but then I realized that I have too many ducks. This is me dead on. I need to decide what to cull from the flock and what to nurture, This means also deciding what is most important to me. Nuclear family and homeschooling are top on the list, but I want to put writing very closely after and have let things other people want push it further down the list. Now to figure out how to eliminate or at least reduce the guilt of telling people and things NO.

Well, I am off to start my Camp NaNo. Wish me luck.

Rounded Down Already

Today is the ROW80 goal reveal day for round 2 of 2015. ROW80, A Round of Words in 80 Days, is the writing challenge that knows you have a life. The goal set challenging yet attainable goals and cheer each other toward achieving them.

This post has been rounded down before the round even began. I wrote a post I really loved, but in light of my recent health problems I know I can't make the rigorous 12 goal schedule happen. I will be lucky to get to half of what I had planned.

Looking over my new and improved goals I'm wondering if I should have cut more deeply. However, I gutted my lofty goals and ended up with 8 categories. Of course 2 only apply to April's Blogging From A to Z Challenge and that leaves 6 which is exactly what I was originally planning.


ROW80 Round 2 Master Plan:

1. Blog every day in April. (A to Z and ROW80 there are NO brakes.)

2. Check out at least 3 A to Z posts per day.

3. Write 500 words per day on any project May - June.

4. Blog at least every Wednesday and Sunday May - June.

5. Check out at least 5 posts from each new ROW80 linky before the next one comes out.

6. Use Twitter at least once per day.

7. Post on my author Facebook page at least 2 times per week May - June.

8. Read 5 books in round 2.

Photos from Pixabay

Procrastination is NOT a Friend

I have 2 more days until the madness starts and what do you think I am doing? Yes, that's right I am procrastinating! I spent a lot of time finding a background I liked more than the plane old purple that used to be on the sides. I do think it looks nice, but probably the time could have been better spent working on the A to Z posts that are kind of refusing to take shape. I could also be plotting the rest of the Camp NaNo novel, but no here I am playing with the settings. There are a ton of settings to play with by the way and they all do something cool. Of course there were a few that I didn't notice a difference, but I am sure they still did something.

Not that I have only been slacking off. I managed to make the A to Z thing a lot more complicated by planning to add some flash fiction into the mix. It's been a while since I've flashed someone. I, uh mean, participated in Friday Flash. I am actually really excited about adding this because I am having trouble finding writing topics for all the letters and I can always use a name is I have to with a flash fiction.

I am jumping all over the place trying to get things in order and making plans for the things I can do in advance. The problem is there isn't much cohesion and I am not really sure exactly where this crazy train is headed. Hopefully off the rails is not the  final destination. I find if I try stick with one thing I get distracted by an idea that pops up and then I have 2 choices. I can interupt what I am doing and try to hop over jotting down the idea somewhere hoping I can find it again and remember where I was before the idea hit. Then there's choice number 2, I can try to put the new idea on the back burner and continue what I was doing risking loosing it forever. I've been using the Evernote app on my phone to take down the note without switching tabs. It seems to help me remember what I was doing if I don't change what's on the monitor.


My post feels a little naked without my check-ins. I still have to work on deciding what my round 2 goals will be. I know I want to stick to the 6 goals thing and they will probably be tweaked versions of round 1, but still I worry about making them the right amount of challenging and achievable. I wonder if anyone ever adjusts their goals up because they are doing so well?

What are you working on?

photo credit: Self, 2013 via photopin (license)

What's in a Name and ROW80

Monday night after meeting my word goal and making some effort to brain storm a place where I was a little stuck I was getting a frustrated. At this point I gave myself permission to watch some TV. We don't have cable and don't watch TV often, but when we do we turn to Netflix. I was flipping through the suggestions not feeling too thrilled about the offerings. I had almost decided to rewatch Charmed for the hundredth time (which I would happily do) when I stumbled across Sabrina with Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. I had never seen it or the remake from 1995, but remembered it had been mentioned in another of my favorite shows, The Gilmore Girls, so I decided to give it a try. I really liked it, but Oliver Larrabee's character said something like who gave Thomas Fairchild the right to name his daughter Sabrina which got me thinking why would he "not have the right" to choose that specific name and what does the name of a character say about it?

I am having trouble naming some of my characters. The FMC and MMC had their first names almost immediately, but I haven't even thought about last names. While I was writing I got tired of writing "the father", but told myself just to keep moving and then the MMC's parents were in the same seen with the FMC's father which made things a little confusing and now I am thinking it may be time to give those poor characters names. I stand behind my decision even if I have no idea how or what to name them.

My first move is to Google it and there are like a billion pieces of advice on tons of posts. There are standard things that many people do when naming a baby like check out a what is the most popular baby name site and what does a name mean site. You also have the Social Security Administration site that lists most popular first names in any given year or decade after 1879. Though remember to look about however many years before your story begins your character is old.

My story is taking place in the United States, but these characters would be much more likely to choose English, Welsh, Scottish and such names. It is an urban fantasy, current setting with a magical overlay so I have some other choices as well. New Age names could be interesting and a fantasy name generator which I used often in my roll as DM during my extreme D&D time. (Other generators)

My daughter is OBSESSED with Homestuck and I have heard more than enough about it today, but for some reason during my research I ran across a reference to it. In this universe humans have 4 letter first names and 6 or 7 letter last names. This is interesting because he has found a way that works for him and it provides something unifying for the characters which can be comforting for readers.

These are some tips and tricks I have found that I thought would be most helpful. So now all that's left is get down to the business of actually naming them. What do you do to give your characters that prefect name?

ROW80 Rundown:

1. Write 500 words per day on any project.

Monday - 527 on my WIP. On a side note I am really tired of calling it WIP. Technically I already posted it's working title in the Hiveword graphic, but I wanted to share it in a more digestible form. I feel like I need a drum roll, but it could be nerves making me stall. I have taken to calling it "The Most Magical Place". What do you think? What does it make you think of? I would love to know what images and concepts the title brings up in your mind.

Tuesday - 300 words typed on The Most Magical Place and many others scrawled in a notebook while my husband was driving so I wouldn't scream, wet my pants or criticize him while he was driving.

Wednesday - 1,134 on this post

2. Blog at least every Wednesday and Sunday.

Still going strong on this one. I almost forgot that it was time to write another check-in, for some reason Wednesday seems to sneak up on me more often than Sunday. I was saved by my amazing daughter asking me if I was going to work on it. I am trying to convince them that if I am working on my laptop they should ask for my attention and then wait until I acknowledge them. I am having varying degrees of success, but the process is just beginning. I feel it is also important for me not to wait too long to get to them. So many things to remember I kinda feel like my head is going to crash.

3. Check out at least 20 posts from each new ROW80 linky before the next one comes out.

Not great here, I was only able to get to 10. I think I am going to have to revise this and aim for 10 with comments because I have been commenting on most anyway. No shame or pressure just a readjustment which is the best part of ROW80.

4. Use Twitter at least once per day.

Hitting Twitter once isn't a problem, but there are so many things that I want to look at that I am loosing significant chunks of what could otherwise be productive time.

5. Post on my author Facebook page at least 3 times per week.

Not so far, but there is still time because I am measuring this from Sunday to Sunday for this goal.

6. Read 1 book per week.

Things and stuff have come between me and my reading. I started the Sherlock book but didn't read the description well when I downloaded and it was just a sample. Which is really irritating, but what you get for not reading things thoroughly. I went to Project Gutenberg and found a free copy there, but my Kindle app won't open it. So I went to the Google Play Store, as a dear friend suggested, and they only had a sample as well. So back to Project Gutenberg and download another file type. Now it is opening in a program I don't know, but it is uploading and downloading repeatedly. So the possibility that I have a virus or something of the sort is creeping up on me, but there is also the real possibility that my technology has simply outstripped me.

Jaume Plensa, See No Evil via photopin (license)

A Renaissance Faire Kicked My Rear!

So in case you don't own a calendar and because I feel the need to state the obvious, it's freaking Monday. I am sitting in  tag agency writing this on my phone. (I finished on my computer so I could add links and stuff.) Last weekend I worked a Renaissance faire and I am still trying to recover, but it was awesome. Of course I have no pictures because I was too busy to take any.

ROW80 goals rundown:

1. Write 500 words per day on any projects.
Thursday - 605 on current WIP
Friday - 275 on current WIP
Saturday - Nothing
Sunday - More nada

2. Blog at least every Wednesday and Sunday.
The Baroness Michelle hath failed.

3. Check out at least 20 posts from each new ROW80 linky before the next one comes out.
I got to 14 out of 20 so that is 70%. Still not a win, but not a loss either.

4. Use Twitter at least once per day.
So the Twitter thing is turning out to be slightly addictive. I have been checking out new people when they follow me when someone retweets something interesting. I have been retweeting things I find, but have not had a lot of original content.

5. Post on my author Facebook page at least 3 times per week.
I was able to post on Wed, but haven't posted since then. I need to work on remembering to add some content there that isn't just "Hey, go look at my blog!"

6. Read 1 book per week.
I am almost done with Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson, better known as The Bloggess. I know, I know I am talking about her AGAIN. I swear it was already on my reading list before my last post. (Don't judge me.)

Rereading this post is making me sad. I need to work harder. Where do you find the motivation when you're feeling flat? Also, still looking for ideas on where to find more writing type content to share on my Facebook page and Twitter.

Games, Nostalgia and Goals

What's Been Going On:

The Royal Game of Goose

The theme for the last few days has been board games. We, and by we I mean my husband mostly, are working on making period (1066-1603) game boards for an upcoming Renaissance Faire. He made 9 Men's Morris, Fox and Geese and The Royal Game of Goose. They are interesting to me and mostly easy to learn to play, but the research and creation of these games has taken over. Then yesterday I was reading The Bloggess, because who doesn't (If you don't you should because she is beyond hilarious) and she was talking about a game her family developed or at least improved. It is called CrapScrabble and I just had to play it. Go read the rules, I'll wait right here till you get back. Ok glad you came back, because that other guy said he would and left me sitting here. My daughter and I wanted to play, but we don't have a cat, ferret or an angry bird (I told you to go read the rules.) so I Tweeted to The Bloggess to see if using a calm chicken every 15 minutes as a substitute would be acceptable and I was so excited to see that she responded.

@InkDippedMoon Only if you sprinkle birdseed on the table first.
— TheBloggess (@TheBloggess) January 21, 2015

Of course my phone didn't go off so I missed the opportunity to have a conversation with her, but it was still pretty awesome.

Another exciting thing that has been going on for the last few days is that I have been getting to bed at a reasonable time and consequently getting up at a decent time for me. Ok, most people may not think that 9:30 is a decent time to get up on a week day, but since we homeschool we don't have the same pressures that force us to get up at the crack of dawn. Consequently, I have molded and sculpted my children into late sleepers.

I also discovered that making coleslaw makes me miss my mommy and I'm not afraid to admit it. So I called her and my phone refused to cooperate. I am pretty sure it is possessed. Well, that or you shouldn't drop a tiny computer pretending to be a phone repeatedly. Though I am putting my money on the former.

ROW80 Goals:

1. Write 500 words per day on any project. - By any project  of course I meant specific things...
Sun - Last blog post - 743 words
Mon - Yea, no
Tues - Lotsa more no
Wed - This post - 917 words

2. Blog at least every Wednesday and Sunday. - Getting this one out makes for a check. Yay!

3. Check out at least 20 posts from each new ROW80 linky before the next one comes out. - Another yes! I didn't put that I would leave a comment in the goal, but I felt compelled to in most cases because I know how much comments mean to the authors. Most of the posts were so engaging that I wanted to put in my two cents or ask a question and am hoping to hear back from some people. I forgot what a pleasure it is to interact with my fellow ROW80 participants. I can't call them ROWers because in my world that just means something else.

4. Use Twitter at least once per day. - This is a big yes. I have actually spent a lot of time, maybe too much, on Twitter and researching it. Things that happened or I learned - First, don't say thank you on Twitter a lot, instead add to the conversation. There were a lot of posts about this, but I think this one was the best. Second, I found this list funny enough to share on Twitter and here again. Lastly, oh my gosh, did I mention that The Bloggess responded to me? I did, well I am just so freaking excited! Have you ever had a response from a public figure that made you really excited?

5. Post on my author Facebook page at least 3 times per week. - Um, I posted on Sunday and I will be cross posting this today so to stay on target I should probably post something else on my page in the next few days. I would like to find something helpful to post. I must look into this. Do you guys have any ideas?

6. Read 1 book per week. - More yes! I have completed 4 books and we are just now ending week 3. Being ahead of the game is nice for a change because I always seem to be playing catch up. I just finished A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I was surprised how close The Muppets version, which is my favorite, was to the book. I really enjoyed it, but my kids found out I was consuming something Christmas related not during specified times and they were a little upset. In our house we save all Christmas songs, movies and stuff for the time from the end of Thanksgiving till January first. The only exception is a two week stent in July, thanks to Crazy Eddie and my husband's faulty childhood memory. Mostly, it keeps the kids from playing the Christmas music constantly throughout the year.

What are your tips to reaching your word count goals?

Check out other ROW80 participants below.


Powered by Linky Tools
Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list...

Jumping In Late and Running Like Hell!

Yea, so hi. It's been a long time. How long has it been? Well, I was wondering that same thing and would you believe it has been 514 days? That is a really long time. Well, it is for a blog. In my personal life there have been so many changes it's like riding the freaking Kingda Ka! Though I really hate roller coasters, (Don't judge me!) so yea, that would NEVER happen.

As far as writing I have basically skipped ahead to this time without doing much. I am still working on the same stories, none of them are remotely close to being finished. I even skipped NaNoWriMo last year because of health problems and other commitments. Which I realized a few days into November that I was really pissed with myself for not participating. It isn't that I get so much done with that challenge or that I have ever won, but the NaNo community is just so helpful and I didn't even try to pursue writing until I heard of NaNoWriMo.

The past is in the past and there isn't anything I can do about it. So now it's time to focus on the future and setting my goals for ROW80. If you don't know what ROW80 is, I am honestly wondering how you got here, it's the writing challenge that knows you have a life.

1. Write 500 words per day on any project.

I am including this blogs posts, flash fiction and going back to my work in progress. I am not including words written while on social media or leaving and responding to comments.

2. Blog at least every Wednesday and Sunday.

I am sure you all know why I chose those days, yay check-in days. I would love to post 3 or more times a week, but that commitment will have to wait until I am steadily posting 2 times a week for an extended period of time.

3. Check out at least 20 posts from each new ROW80 linky before the next one comes out.

The ROW80 community is a very supportive one. I want to make sure I am an active part of that community and that means visiting other blogs not just putting mine out there. I have learned so much from hopping from you guys and I am excited to get back to cheering you on as we all strive to meet our goals.

4. Use Twitter at least once per day.

I am sure in this day and age you will be shocked to find a relatively young person (The fact that I had to use that kind of modifier for the word young makes me mournful.) who doesn't know more than the very basics of Twitter, but yes that is me. I have an account and have posted before, but have never used this "HASHTAG" thingy to join a conversation. Though I have read several posts recently assuring me this thing I seek can happen.

5. Post on my author Facebook page at least 3 times per week.

I have been just as neglectful of my Facebook page as my poor blog and I plan to rectify these grievous oversights. I will post when I publish a blog post, but I don't want it to just be a look at my blog thing. So part of this goal is to post helpful and entertaining links and hopefully a few contests on my Facebook page as well.

6. Read 1 book per week.

I am not just reading random books. I have joined the 2015 Reading Challenge. It is simple, kind of, there are 50 categories and you read a book that fits each category. One of the categories is read a trilogy so you end up with 52 books, which breaks down to 1 book per week. This is a lot for me because I don't read fast and have a tendency to reread the same books repeatedly. I was drawn to the 2015 Reading Challenge because it is supposed to help you move out of your comfort zone and discover books that you may not have ever found. There are also people who are using one book to cover several categories, but I feel it would be more of a challenge to read 1 per requirement.

What steps have you taken to reach your goals? Do you have any tips to help me reach my goals for this round?

photo credit: sean dreilinger via photopin cc