Lots of no!

Quick and dirty ROW80 rundown:

1. Write 500 words per day on any project.
I don't know what happened. I said Wednesday was more sneaky and the universe must have read that as a challenge for Sunday. I have gotten nothing new done and feel like I am write-blocked, which is different from having writers block, every time I sit down at the computer. I can't even point to one thing because it has been a constant barrage of everything. I know they say if it is important you will get it done, but there are things that are more important to me. Which is probably why the first draft isn't done yet.

2. Blog at least every Wednesday and Sunday.
As I start again it it 9pm on Sunday so I am racing the clock.

3. Check out at least 10 posts from each new ROW80 linky before the next one comes out.
I only managed to get to 3. Which is not surprising considering how crazy the last few days have been.

4. Use Twitter at least once per day.
I accomplished this at least and have not spent the huge amount of time I was spending there.

5. Post on my author Facebook page at least 3 times per week.
I was able to make another post one my FB page on Friday, but it was only seen by 3 people and no one interacted with it. Oh well, that wasn't the goal, but I would like to have more engaging content.

6. Read 1 book per week.
I am reading, but not at the rate I want to be. I am now reading 3 books and haven't finished additional.

CONCLUSION: My rundown looks and makes me feel sad this check-in. Let me know in the comments what do you do when you get blocked by people or situations to make things flow smoothly again?

photo credit: 2003_06_10_077 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)

WIP, Education and ROW80 Check-in

Maybe throwing a tantrum on my blog was a bad idea or maybe it was just what I needed. The overwhelmingly kind response to my frustration and disappointment was humbling. I appreciate my Lake Writers and ROW80 families even more now.

I wanted to take a break from my WIP and try writing something else for a while, but it is haunting me. My dear writer friend Elise VanCise has been telling me for a long time to try Hiveword to keep my writing organized and safer so I have been entering characters and settings as background info. That way I am still working on the story, but not as intensely. For the purposes of ROW80 I will be counting any work on Hiveword towards my writing goals.

Photographer Keven Roberts was at the Renaissance Faire and he took a ton of pictures. None of me, because who wants a chick in garb answering questions when they can have knights and squires beating the heck out of each other. I have permission to share them so I figured that I would include the one I liked best. Sir Geoffrey Maynard The Great Turtle educating Squire Ampersan.


ROW80 rundown:

1. Write 500 words per day on any project.
Thursday - 292 words on the beginning of this post. Yes, I felt the impact of your writerly love that soon. 100 words in Hivemind. For a total of 392 which is still short, but much better than I had been doing.
Friday - 1,063 words on WIP and Hivemind due to Crazy Weekend of Writing which started out as a comment on the Facebook NaNoWriMo group and turned into some CRAZY people writing together. Maybe if we do it again we can make it a thing and see how many more crazy people out there would like to join us.
Saturday - 406 on WIP and Hivemind
Sunday - 291 words on this post, but at the time of this posting the day is still so young I haven't slept yet. I will get crazy when I wake up.

2. Blog at least every Wednesday and Sunday.
Much success. I started the bones of this post way before it was due and that really helped. I will try to do that more often.

3. Check out at least 20 posts from each new ROW80 linky before the next one comes out.
I made it to 16. Still not quite there, but I am not ready to reevaluate the goal yet. I have been missing it regularly so that might be something I have to do in the future.

4. Use Twitter at least once per day.
My Twitter addiction is still going strong. I stumbled upon a nifty sight called Tagboard. It puts out a display of cross platform posts that include a specific hashtag you search for. There is also information about how often it is used and if the posts were positive, negative or neutral. They also have other similar hashtags to search. I have found it very helpful in my quest to locate content that I want to share quickly. Which is something I have been having a problem achieving. The best part is I can respond and retweet right from their display.

5. Post on my author Facebook page at least 3 times per week.
For the first time since I jumped in this is a happy yes! The third post wasn't amazing, but it was there. I will work on content soon enough. Baby steps.

6. Read 1 book per week.

Not so much. I have made little progress on the book I was reading. I did however start reading A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for my mystery. I can read it on my phone after the lights go out and not bother my hubby as much.

Hard Feels and ROW80 Check In

I am so mad or upset or frustrated or something like that. I was working my fist NaNo from years ago, but I can't do it anymore. I lost what I had already written when the computer crashed. Take this as a lesson and BACK UP YOUR FILES! This did not just happen, but it is still upsetting. I pulled back out what I have left in paper notes and it was a huge mess. Then I was thinking about it and am thinking that it is a lot like The Last Air Bender, which I had NEVER seen when I had the idea. Now I wonder if it is worth creating because it is so much like another product which is probably better. I am not sure that all of that came out right or even remotely intelligible. The emotions I am wrestling with are kinda undefined, but still very powerful. **Insert screaming here**

ROW80 rundown:

1. Write 500 words per day on any project.
Monday - 343 on late post + 50 on WIP
Tuesday - 379 on WIP
Wednesday - 100 on WIP + 332 on this post

2. Blog at least every Wednesday and Sunday.
This post is done so there's that.

3. Check out at least 20 posts from each new ROW80 linky before the next one comes out.
I was only able to get to 15.

4. Use Twitter at least once per day.
I have definitely been on more than once a day.

5. Post on my author Facebook page at least 3 times per week.
This one is eluding me. Must try harder. I think I will look for writing related memes to share.

6. Read 1 book per week.
I have until the end of the day to finish a book or I'm officially behind. So of course there's no pressure.

What do you do when you just feel like throwing up your hands and screaming?

photo credit: Amy McTigue via photopin cc

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.


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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