Forget historical fiction

I've got to learn how to write contemporary fiction. So I can use everyday life events. Like when the toddler gives the dog a Skittle.

Or when I can't find the time to run with the dog so the Universe does it--the wind is blowing a basketball around the backyard and she is LOVING the game!

Wait! I'd bet they had both basketballs and backyards 100 years ago. I'll try to work that in! ;)

Back to regularly scheduled programming

The last month was filled with just a little too much real-life drama for me to focus on the other dramas playing out in my head. So as far as deadlines go, I've had to move to Plan B.
The big kids are back in school, the little guy starts going back to a "Mom's Time Out" program next week and I am back to my version of "normal."

Trying to catch up on revising and added two new pages today. If I could just stop myself from accessing the internet, I'd be done with this thing!

Here's hoping your September is off to a good start!

You knew it was coming

Well, my few loyal readers, I have let you down again. But if you're still here, reading, you aren't surprised.

The WIP is not quite there. I have so much done but can't wrap it up with a neat little bow, just yet.
Life has been surreal here, lately which would be great for composing but not so much for focusing and editing.

I have allowed myself a very brief extension.

The kids go back to school next week so my worst case scenario involves me finishing it up soon thereafter. Life certainly does not get any calmer or easier with them in school but we'll be back in a more structured routine.

8-9-10

When I first gave myself 30 days to revise my novel, I thought a blanket 30 days was reasonable. After NaNo, I thought revising in 30 days would at least be do-able.

I didn't realize until after I'd "set the date" that 30 days would be August 9, or 8-9-10. I like the logical order of that date!

For the record however, I'm giving myself until midnight tomorrow. Every time I start to organize, I write more. I've come up with a few good parts, I think, but the original draft is still in a shambles. I write pieces here and there, planning to put them in order later. Now that later has arrived, I'm still not quite there. But I still have 24 hours and 13 minutes.

So.

My deadline is approaching, the weather is beautiful but there is a fresh coat of paint on my deck railing. So. I can't sit out on the deck with the laptop and watch my kids play in the sprinkler. (I did request the non-magnetic paint with no tractor beams whatsoever but kids and dogs gravitate to it, regardless). So. I suggest a day at the local waterpark! Yeah! I rock, right? How fun?!
I have been told that it will be "the most crowded place on Earth today, Mom." So. They don't want to go. On this beautiful, sunny but finally, not TOO muggy day...they want to go to the video game store. No. So my daughter suggests "school shopping." What? Yes, she wants to go school shopping. I took them for uniforms last week (she was worried they'd run out of the grey sweatshirts--in July--so we got those). Now she wants to go get folders, paper, pens--instead of swimming. Because she doesn't swim, anymore. She does backflips in the pool.
We have all day today, you see, because gymnastics is closed this week. So she wants to go flip somewhere else or shop. The boys do not.
So. They are playing in their rooms and I am moving things around on my blog. (Though it's tempting to go sit out on the deck, alone. They might destroy the house but I wouldn't hear them out there, until the new, covered deck came crashing down on my head. Which would also ruin the fresh paint.)

We all have work to do!

My deadline is fast approaching--and I haven't made it very far, yet!
We taught the dog to "drop the ball" yesterday and she was great at it! Today, she is looking at me like I am speaking Dutch.
My son wants to watch an episode of a tv show AGAIN so I paused it and told him we can resume the show as soon as he can tell me what six times seven is. He left, to go play in his room.
It seems we all have a bit of work to do!

Maybe I just need patio furniture!

After I stayed up far too late (intending to write but not getting very far), I got up this morning to try again. I've been given some unanticipated quiet time as I am the only one up besides the dog but she wants to PLAY! A big dog biscuit/chew in exchange for a few undisturbed minutes on the computer isn't really SO wrong, is it? ;)

Otherwise, I considered sitting out on our newly covered deck with the laptop while I watch her run around the backyard. Option 2 is certainly better for her but I can't find my tv tables and can't figure out how to balance my coffee cup and my laptop in just a lawn chair!

It is time to pick out a table and chairs for our new pretty deck!

Deadlines and assistance

OK, I would love to have assistants but since I can't justify or afford even one of those, I will settle for some assistance.

It seems I am eternally working on the WIP but never making much progress, unless I have a deadline. (Self-imposed deadlines do not seem to work too well!)

I have decided to attend a writing conference this year, vowing to bring a polished MS with me, just to give me a deadline so I will have to get it done.

At this point, it is far from polished. At this point, it is still a mess. I should set an earlier deadline to make it somewhat coherent, at least. To that end, I am giving myself 30 days (a self-imposed deadline) but I am posting the deadline here to make me stick to it.

Y'all will hold me to it, right?

Mama Bear is Angry

It is not nice to call people names. (Tell me when I get something wrong.)

Took all three kids to an indoor bounce-house to play today. It is full of many inflatable bounce houses and obstacle courses. Kids climb, bounce and fall. Soft, inflatable, bouncy fun but when you have several kids in an enclosed space, kids will bounce into each other. I get it. I can't help it. I take my kids there, anyway.

The older two were in the same Spongebob bounce house today until my son came out, ran to me and began sobbing. I figured he'd bounced into someone else but asked him to calm down and tell me what happened.

"Someone called me an idiot!"

Oh. We have been through this any number of times and you have to ignore kids that say mean things.

"Did you bounce into someone?"

"Yes," he sobs. "I didn't mean to! We were bouncing and I accidentally kicked someone."

"Okay. Did you..." (I don't even get to finish asking if he apologized.)

"I said SORRY! I told him I was sorry and he said he was okay but his mom came in and called me an idiot. I want to go home."

What?
"What mom?"
"I don't know. I just want to go home."

Keeps sobbing. An employee comes over to see if my son is hurt and if he can help. I explain that only his feelings are hurt but many people are looking. Which makes him more embarrassed. "I just want to go home."

I tell him to go splash his face with cold water and as he turns, another kid looks at us, looks down and says, "I'm sorry."

I ask if this is the boy he kicked and my son nods. I ask the boy if he is okay (clearly, he is--he just sprinted by us) and he says yes and that he is sorry, again.

My son just keeps sobbing so I send him off to go splash his face with cold water.
My daughter comes running up and asks where he is. I tell her and she says, "yeah, some lady just came in and called him an idiot!"

"Did your brother kick the boy?"
"Yes, but it was an accident, Mom. We were all bouncing and well, he did not mean to."

Now I have confirmation. While she is his sister, she is his sister. She is THE FIRST ONE to give me every detail when he does something wrong. Occasionally, he does kick and she would tell me so. But she is also thrown by an adult calling him a name. And now I am angry. But I take a deep breath. We had storms ALL night last night, maybe she did not get any sleep. Maybe her son is recovering from something and she thinks he is fragile. But then, why bring him to a BOUNCE house?

I ask my daughter if she can point out the mom but she can't. I ask her to take her other brother on one more slide and then get their shoes. My son comes back from the bathroom and as we go to collect shoes, my daughter touches my arm. "I found her! I wasn't sure but then she called her son over. It's that lady--the one in the recliner, with the blanket."

My son grabs my other arm. "DON'T say anything, Mom! I just want to go home."
"I just want to talk to her for a second, honey."
"NO! Mom, PLEASE, can we just GO?"
He is distraught enough so I don't say anything but look back at mom, who has her feet up, blanket up, smiling and laughing with her husband and I realize that from where she is sitting, she has just watched our whole minor episode. She has seen how upset my son is, she has seen her son apologize, she has seen other people check on my son and she has sat there, snuggled up in her blanket and is having a grand time. I still don't say anything but as another employee cuts our bracelets off, I glare. Her husband looks up for a second but nothing from either one of them.
I am sure they've forgotten but my son was still whimpering the whole ride home. I explain that even grown-ups make mistakes but that the mother should have known better. I explain though that sometimes parents get upset quickly if they beleive their child is hurt. I offer any number of excuses but my son was still whimpering when we made it into the house. "I am not an idiot."

No. He isn't. But I have my doubts about this lady.

Rewriting

Writing without rewriting is the literary equivalent of waltzing gaily out of the house in your underwear. ~Patricia Fuller

Of course, the above quote is true. We all know it is true. And yet, editing/rewriting the WIP is not easy, not fun, not how I was going to spend a Sunday, though I was excited to have the chance. I had some unexpected alone (quiet!) time this afternoon and pulled the draft out. I grabbed a red pen and the pages are bleeding. The good news is, I was very happy to find a few good lines in there!

(I took out entire paragraphs, even a page or two but there were a few really nice words and ideas!)
Rewriting can be productive. In addition to thinning out the pages, I came up with at least forty or fifty new ideas! (One or two might actually pertain to the novel at hand!)

Fun or not, productive or not, it has to be done. Because this mess, as is, is much uglier than me dancing out of my front door in my underwear. (Which would not be pretty, just in case you were curious).

Summer!

The kids are out of school, the pup is a bundle of energy...I don't think I will be very successful at posting more often than I did during the school year! We'll see...might get to sleep in a little more so maybe that'll be enough!

I still have a few books that I have started reading but need to get in gear! I am going to get the kids going on a summer reading list and I want to start one, too! What are you reading?

Enjoy your summer!

Advice from a slacker mom

Things happen.

You may, for instance, have a puppy who might still be small enough to fit through your picket fence. You might even embark upon a home improvement project during this puppy stage and decide to have work done on your deck, which would leave small nails and pieces of lumber lying in the grass, attracting said puppy like a tractor beam. In such cases, you may find it easier to walk the dog in the front yard.

If you have begun such a project, you can guess that rainy weather is on the way. If you have a toddler who loves to run (who doesn't?) and who loves puddles (who doesn't?) at home during this reconstruction phase, you can absolutely guarantee that it will rain. You will want to plan ahead and make sure said toddler is dressed early, ready to just slip on rain boots so he can come along to walk the dog.

If however, you have not planned far enough ahead and said toddler is already tiring and approaching naptime, you might start to consider alternative plans. You may assume it would be easier to just leave the child inside, where it is warm and dry. You think about doing something that you know in your heart is wrong. You may be tempted to sit that toddler down at the table with a snack and allow Dora the Explorer to babysit while you run the dog outside for a few minutes. I can't say what works for your family.

Just a word of advice: if you are tempted to attempt such a maneuver, I suggest checking to ensure you have not left a carton of eggs on the kitchen counter before you run outside.

And so it goes...

"Hey, Mom! That sign says STOP!"
"Yes, Honey! You're getting so big--you can read!"
"Mmm-hmmm. Just like Daddy."

"MOMMY!! My fingers are STUCK!"
Mom takes a deep breath but does not move the pocket door. She tells the two-year-old to take a deep breath, too, which he does--and then slides his own fingers out, by himself.
"WOW! YAY! Honey, you did that all by yourself! What a big boy!"
"Uh-huh!" (Smiles) "Just like Daddy!"

When it is time to get dressed, he puts his arms in the sleeves of his shirt, he holds on to Mom's shoulders as he steps into his pants, one leg at a time.
"I did it! I got dressed ALL BY MYSELF!"
"You are such a big boy!"
"I KNOW! Just like Daddy!"

Unfortunately, those jeans are a little too big. They keep sliding off. A moment ago, he ran right out of them! But he picked them back up and put them on--all by himself.
"Wow! Son, you put those pants on with no help! You did a great job! You got them on, but they are backwards."
"I did it! Just like Mommy!"

Nature vs. nuture

No matter how you raise them, little boys are genetically predisposed to act like little boys. (Especially my youngest--he is ALL boy!)

Puppy dogs, no matter how much you treat them like toddlers, will still behave like animals. I cannot blame a pup for trying to bury a bone (even if the "bone" is an edible dog biscuit.) I can't blame a dog for trying--until she tries to bury it in the leather couch!

A Room of One's Own (Or, How to have the Perfect Vacation without leaving town!)

If taking the road less traveled really makes a difference, it must, at some point lead to a room of one's own. At least for a night! That is what makes all of the difference, at least in my world!

I talk about attending writer's conferences, I envy writers who leave for a week or a weekend to draft their novel but I plan to just hide in my basement. Which never works. Someone always finds me!

A few weeks ago, I took all three kids plus the pup on a road trip, leaving my husband home alone for a few days. He was working and was on call that weekend, so he assured me that he did not get a chance to relax while we were gone. (These seems impossible to me, as we left him in an empty, quiet house!) In any case, when we returned, he suggested I take another night off at a hotel to write, or sleep, or whatever it is that I do.

This past weekend was it! After a week of griping and yelling, I told him I would not go. I did not deserve it. (I needed it but I should have been nicer, first!) Whether he disagreed or just wanted a break from the yelling, he booked the room for me and sent me on my way. I took a draft, the laptop and off I went.

I decided I could make much progress in one night if I just stayed up and fixed it. After I spent far too much time staring at the comfortable bed full of way too many pillows, I amended my plan. I decided I would be a much better writer and mother if I fell into that bed! (Revised plans--much like revised drafts--make much more sense!)

So my book is better but not done. I still did not sleep eight hours but I SLEPT! And the family? They're better, too. They all got a break from my stressed-out behaviour and rather than cringing when I came back in, they were happy to see me. The husband even shook his head and admitted, "I didn't get it. Now I understand why you are so stressed."

Thus ends The Perfect Vacation.

I get my best ideas in the shower

I know you've heard it before but I came up with THE End. Well, the concept for the end. Typed up the idea but now to wrap it all up.
This book WILL be done THIS year.

One month later

A day late

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.
~ Don Marquis

(I'm still behind but I can laugh about it, now!) ;)

Freud's Dad???

I should not be posting after an argument so this will set here...at least, for a little bit.

Eventually though--I want other parent's opinions. I KNOW I get touchy--OK, a little bitchy--or WAY bitchy--about a few things but when it comes down to it, no one ever goes into therapy and blames their dad.

Or do they? If you know of ONE person who actually goes into a therapist and says "If only my DAD had done this...(or hadn't)," please tell me. You will be my favorite person. Evah.

After answering a question about grammar, then offering an explanation on punctuation--I announced that this summer, I will be conducting English Boot Camp for my kids.

"English POOP camp?"
"NO. BOOT."
"Bwahaa ha!!! Mom said Poop!"
"No, boot."
"Hey, Mom? Are we having English poop camp?"
"HA!!HA!!HA!!!"

Does that word EVER get old?