Scrooge Level: 5

Every year, millions of Americans suffer the stress and emotional hangovers that go along with everything December: Christmas/Holiday shopping and spending, end of the year realizations that goals have not been met, hot buttons being pushed by family members and friends, and everything else. It's like all our issues and flaws are amplified in December. 

Like a lot of people, I celebrate Christmas as a strictly secular holiday. I don't have children, and I live thousands of miles away from my own family, so I have managed to minimize a lot of the triggers in my life. Yet, every year I am faced with my own inefficiencies as a human being. I have many good intentions, but rarely follow through. There just never seems to be enough Time and/or Money!

1. I intend to show my love and appreciation for the people in my life by rewarding them with something I know that they want, need, or like, and making homemade gifts like art and cookies. 
2. I intend to carry on my Italian heritage tradition of making a homemade lasagna for Christmas Day. Perhaps even biscotti, and ambitiously, cannoli.
3. I intend to clear my home, tidy up for the end of the year to make room for the new one, and decorate- SPARSELY- for the season. (A wreath, a few sprigs of mistletoe or holly, a small display of cards and stockings, etc. So far, I only ever get the cards pinned up on the wall each year.)
4. I intend to send holiday cards to all my friends and family, well in advance of the 25th. In reality, some years I don't get cards out at all, and others, like this one, I am sure they are going to arrive Dec. 26th or later, if I'm lucky.

My job is busy. I'm not sure that it is busier now than any month of the year, but it is busy. And I'm still struggling with keeping my finances in some semblance of an order, but the timing is still never quite right. When I have time to shop or make things, I don't have the dough, and when I do, there's not enough time. I'm working on changing that; I am constantly reminding myself of Einstein's Theory of Relativity, which I interpret thus: Time is relative, so there is always enough time. There is enough time to do what needs to be done, to do it well, and to enjoy it. I suppose it is a bit more of an affirmation than a reminder, at that.

So what were my goals this year? I had seventeen of them. (I prefer the term "goals" to "resolutions".) 

1. Finish Revisions (3rd/4th draft) on How I Spent My Zombie Apocalypse novel.
2. Take HISMZA to the PNWA Conference - buy tickets in March.
3. Send out Query Letters for HISMZA.
4. Send out 12 Short Story Sumbissions.
5. Enter 3 writing contests.
6. Get a kitten!
7. Organize Home...Bedroom, closets, bookshelves, desk, kitchen...
8. The Spare Room.
9. Put together under-the-sink caddy.
10. Get new regional DVD player.
11. Get regular with the workouts.
12. Find a damn dance class that I want to take (Could someone in Seattle please start a Broadway class or an Angie Dickinson 60's Style Jazz class?!?)
13. Continue Language Skills... Brushing up on French & Japanese
14. Start Italian lessons.
15. Start using Juicer again.
16. Work on Non-Fic Massage Manual Book.
17. Submit two articles on Massage/IFR.

Six of those pertain to writing. I did finish the 3rd draft of my novel, How I Spent My Zombie Apocalypse (#1) and take it to the PNWA conference (#2), but haven't sent out my query letters, because I've discovered I need to do yet another draft of the novel to improve upon what I've got. Okay, well, this is my first time going through this process, with a 'finished' novel, so I'm learning as I go. No biggie. Sometimes I want to kick myself, but I continue to try to remember to be nice to myself, instead, and allow myself the space and time (it's all relative!) to create the best novel I can create.

As far as short work submissions go, I thought I might be behind, since I have been focusing on my novels most of the year. But, a quick check at my page on Duotrope.com (the best website for writers ever), told me differently- I have actually sent out 12 submissions the past 12 months! Just the right number. I believe I've only entered one contest, not the three I had planned, but that's okay. It's not like I've been slacking!

I haven't touched goals #16 or #17, unfortunately. I will have to transfer them onto 2014's list. 

As far as the non-writing goals go, I did okay: #6 Yep! Frankie Fourpaws was adopted in January; #7/8 Some effort was made, but no major progress; #9 Yes; #10 No; #11 Inconsistent efforts and results; #12 Nope; #13/14 I downloaded some apps... does that count? #15 Another inconsistent effort. 

Sleepytime Now...

Hey. It's twenty minutes from midnight on Nov. 30th, the end of NaNoWriMo. I just validated my novel, at 50,006 words, on the website. Whew?

Why Whew? and not Whew! you ask? Hm... let me tell you how tired I am. I am so tired that despite cranking out nearly fifteen thousand words in a little over a day, I am still updating this blog. What is wrong with me?!? Hahaha... I'm going to go bed now. SNL is a rerun, I have a full day of massage work tomorrow, and I'm literally writing half mys stuff with my eyes closed this evening.

Good night, and congratulations to my NaNo writing buddies who are also winners! Yay, us!

Nearing the End of NaNoWriMo 2013

WHAT?!? 18 hours to go before the ind of NaNoWriMo?!? 

Uh... I've gotten off track. Several days I wrote under par, and many days I didn't write at all. I'm at 30,702 words - which leaves 19,298 to go. That's over a thousand words an hour - if I don't do anything else. Crap! What was I thinking? I didn't set an alarm today, and ended up sleeping in till nearly two pm. Lolling about lazily, long bath and a bit of a read, and now I'm finally at Starbucks, my Writing Office.

And my story? All over the place. I've written scenes that ultimately will be out of order, and changed my victims and villains several times. Ugh, this will be result in one hell of a rewriting challenge!

Okay, back to my (probably) futile effort to hit my goal of 50,000 words. Wish me luck! 

NaNoWriMo 2013. Am I crazy??

Yup.

Still revising both the synopsis and the manuscript of How I Spent My Zombie Apocalypse, I am yet embarking on the madcap adventure that is NaNoWriMo: an international project filled with writers of all types attempting to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. November 1st (midnight) through November 30th (midnight) drives writers to dark corners of bedrooms, basements, and coffee shops with their laptops, ipads, and notebooks. Forget dates. Forget housework. Forget phone calls. There is only The Page.

There is only The Page... and my blog, my Facebook, my Twitter... I tend to get overly wordy during November. I write my words for the day, then I blog about it, post about it, research it, and other stuff. My netbook gets a workout each November, that is for sure!

I am a "pantser" - I write by the seat of my pants. No outlines, no plot points, no storyboards. I pick a topic, a place, a person and GO.

This year, I have been focussed on the many steps of revision and publication for my 2011 NaNo project, so I had no idea if I was even going to do it again this year. But, I can't resist the challenge. I love the international (and strong local!) atmosphere of furious writing and hearty competition. Also, Mercury is in Retrograde, which is Astrological-ese for "your life will be filled with dumb-fuckery for the next three weeks". Computers crash, credit cards don't work, appointments are missed, arguments are made from misunderstandings, etc., etc. I've spent the last week in Los Angeles, NOT doing anything I planned. Called it quits a week early, and here I sit, unprepared for my favorite Halloween, handing out candy to half-assed Trick-or-Treaters and watching a Ghost Adventures marathon on Travel Channel.

And lo, and behold, the new two-hour special episode is set in Romania, aka Transylvania, centered around Vlad "The Impaler" Tepes/Count Dracula, and this crazy haunted woods called the Hoia Baciu Forest, where paranormal is normal. Ghosts, orbs, disappearances, UFOs, voices, illnesses, you name it. My interest is piqued.

For the moment, my story is called The Sound of Sorrow's Sleep. We'll see where it takes me!

My Head Is Swimming With Plot Points...

,,,and character arcs. Salient story lines and pertinent details; what makes make my main character (MC) tick? What drives her to do what she does? What is at stake for her? Who, of the other cast of characters, deserves to be pulled forth and presented in my two-page novel synopsis?

A lot of these questions are ones that a good writer addresses BEFORE starting the manuscript. But, I've never been one for planning! I'm a 'pantser', through-and-through: I pick a place and a couple of names and let 'em go.

This being my first foray into this part of the publishing process, I'm learning as I go. And, as those around me are wont to point out, I'm coming across as a bit "negative" / "too hard on myself" / "perfectionist" / "obsessive". Now, other than the last one, these are not labels usually attributed to me. I can laugh at myself, and the crazy, while simultaneously pulling my hair out.

I brought a two-page version to my writers group on Monday evening, and after reading it aloud, I was instantly struck by the places it still had left to go. Feedback was clear and useful from the group, but it made me realize that the page is about 40% of what I want it to be.

I am going on a trip in a week, and was hoping to have this done by then, but I'm not holding my breath. Upon the advice of several friends, I am getting out my head about it; I've been on new walks, dancing, singing, sitting at the beach listening to the waves... anything to turn me around and give me some new perspective, free of the pressure and meticulousness of my mind and open to the heart-space that can provide me with the proper words and efforts. The heart of writing - the heart of my love for writing - the heart of my story - the heart of my audience - the heart of it all.

Still working on the Book Synopsis? Yup.

We're nearing the two-month mark since I attended the PNWA conference. That's four times as long as I wanted it to be before I got my letters and pages sent off. Everything is taking much longer than I expected it to.  Here's a few things I've learned so far:

• Before writing your synopsis, check the webpages of the editors and agents you are querying to find out how long of a synopsis they actually expect and want from you.
  I made the mistake of writing plot points first, which came to ten pages. THEN I found out that I should've only written one to two pages worth! A good learning experience for me, but unnecessary for this time. Sigh.
• The best way to write a synopsis is to start short, and add as you go.
  The opposite of what I did, to start with. Instead, Do this: Write one sentence summarizing the entirety of your novel (The Elevator Pitch works well, here). The summarize your beginning: Who, what, where, when, how...Who is your main character(s), what  is their objective/goal/driving force and what is their obstacle? Next, summarize the ending. How is the objective met, obstacles overcome, and conflicts resolved? Save these three sentences as your starting point, and build from there.
  Read more about this process from author Beth Anderson, here. It's extremely useful!

I'm really, truly, definitely, hoping to get everything emailed out THIS week!

Writing a Synopsis?!

Alrighty then. No sweat; I'll just condense the main plot points, character arcs, conflicts and resolution into a one-page version. Sure!

Here's some links I'm using for resource:

• Back To Basics: Writing a Novel Synopsis By Jane Friedman  A quick and dirty guide.
• Book Synopsis Tips By Holly Robinson This is good advice and a step-by-step guide from one writer who learned on the go.
• 6 Steps For Writing a Book Synopsis By Marissa Meyer With examples and good tips.