Eep!

Holy July! So another month has flown by and what do you know? School started! It seems like May was yesterday, and I'm afraid Christmas is tomorrow. But in the meantime, I spent the morning writing.

Hallelujah!

I've had a bit of an up and down year with my writing. Then I took the summer off. So now that it's back to school for Thing 1 and Thing 2, it's time for me to put the bottom in the chair and crank the words out. Helps that it's still hot as Hades outside. I have ZERO motivation to work in the yard. The plants are as wilted as I feel when I step out there. So hang tough my pretty little planties, I'll get to you in a couple months. Hopefully by then I'll have a big chunk of this here rewrite under my belt.

Now if Starbucks would just bring back the Pumpkin Spice Latte, I'd be all set. Somehow each of my stories has it own signature drink. While an expensive habit, it does help get in the mindset of the story, so no complaints here. Bring on Autumn!

Home Run Derby

The fam and I are heading to the Home Run Derby in a bit. HOME RUN DERBY!!! Having the All Star Game in town has been an awesome experience. The things my kids get to do blows my mind. The hubs and I talk about this a lot. I cannot even imagine what it would have been like as a child to experience the things they have. Lucky little stinkers.

Anyway, I'm off to don the gear. In just a few hours we'll all be hoarse from screaming, "Go, Big Papi!!!"

Photo source: AP

Target doo-doo

I tweeted this the other day, but can't get it out of my head. Maybe a blog rant will help.

So I went to Target with Thing 1 and Thing 2. Bear in mind I'm there for perscription nose spray (worst freaking thing ever!) to try to remedy the fact that my ears STILL feel like I'm on an airplane (though I haven't been in years--yes, I'm have been freakishly ground-bound of late). And...back to the story.

We get a cart, enter the main aisle, and I almost fall on my booty. Sliiiiiip.

What the...???

I stepped in crap. Poop. Doodie. Freaking feces. INSIDE TARGET.

Thing 2 said, "Is that poop?"

Yes. Yes it is.

I'm still totally grossed out. I actually went back today and everywhere I went, I was on poop alert. How sad is that?

On blogging

So blogging. Yeah. I'm the first to admit I've fallen off the wagon. It's been a strange progression for me. I used to spend hours, sometimes full days, reading and commenting and planning posts. And I loved it. But it took a lot. More than I had. It took writing time (of which I had precious little), and I finally came to the realization that I needed to really focus on my craft.

Should doing so have meant I completely abandoned the blog? No. But I did. I felt guilty at first, but then I just pushed all that crap aside. Because really, there's enough to worry about. You know?

The one thing I've come to realize is that I miss this. I miss being here on a regular basis. I miss connecting with people, with other writers. I've made some amazing friends through blogging. Amazing.

I used to feel such pressure to come up with meaningful/insightful/funny posts. But you know what? I'm over the pressure. hahaha

It all boils down to this:
I'm back.
Only different.
I'm just going to say what I want to say. Whatever's on my mind. It might relate to writing. It might not. It'll just be me blabbing on about whatever. I'm kind of loving the idea, and I think that's what blogging's all about. Finding your voice and sharing it.

Love.

End of the year...what???

I have been wanting to blog for weeks now, but every time the thought entered my head I would cringe. It's been so LONG! It's a crazy conundrum. I have things I want to share, but am so out of practice the process seems impossibly foreign.

To catch up, I did get a shiny new laptop. He's still shiny, amazingly. No coffee spills (please don't let me jinx myself) to mar his beauty. Writing has been a crazy thing for me this year. I revised the hell out of Skinwalkers. Then did it again. Another round is forthcoming, but I'm on break. And yet ideas trickle into my head. I need to write them down. For now, I'm just pushing them aside and thinking through the new story that is waiting to be written. And yet Skinwalkers issues plague me.

I feel somewhat crippled. As though the issues of one story will carry through to the next. Mainly: characterization. I need to work on it. I know this. And knowing this, and knowing the work it's going to take to fix it in Skinwalkers, has caused a brain freeze for the new story. I'm afraid to start because I KNOW I don't have a clear enough picture of the characters. I can't just throw myself in it like usual. Can I?

These are the thoughts that rush through my head and keep me from doing much of anything except online shopping.

I wanted to get a good chunk of the new story written before heading back to revise again. But the time has slipped away and for some reason I always feel like I have to hurry. "Hurry," my brain says. "Hurry and finish and send it out." But that defies the attitude I have worked so hard to cultivate this year. I WILL NOT RUSH THE STORY. So I'm slow. Come January, we'll see what words come out.

I hope you all are well out there in blog world. I will try to swing by. Until then, happy holidays and happy writing!

Quick update

All right, real quick. My computer croaked. I'm stealing time here and there, but it has seriously limited my internet time. As if the summer wasn't busy enough.

I'm editing on paper and studying a few things (i.e. characters' feelings, etc).

And I'm going on vacation. Yay. Escape from the heat, that's the plan.

So...I'll be back mid August. Hopefully with a shiny happy computer. Until then, hope you're all having a happy summer!

And I do see your comments on my phone, so thanks for all the cheers. :)

Write on, my friends!

Character emotions

I come back to this topic a lot. Probably because it's on my mind constantly, and I struggle with it. I struggle with the right way show my characters' emotions, with the right words to use to convey that perfect emotional note.

Emotions are the hardest part of writing for me. Showing vs. telling. Finding the truth at the heart of my characters' actions. I know the emotion is there, buried deep within these people I've created. The ultimate task for me is drawing it out.

So I'm reading, studying, learning. I am in search of emotion.

How about you? What do you struggle with in your writing journey?

Farewell, World Cup. Hello, revisions...again

Dear Wesley Sneijder and company,

Thanks for the good times. You rocked South Africa, and your fans did too. I wish it could have ended differently, but alas...2nd place.

See you in 4.

Still-wearing-orange Anissa

Hello friends!

Today I reopened the WIP and cracked the whip. Ha! I crack myself up sometimes. You may all laugh at me now...

Finished?

OK! Seriously, I've been a slacker. Postless. Without topic. But then I realized...when's that ever stopped me before? Fo-shizzle (I have SO always wanted to use that word, but well, in real life it never comes out).

So I'm declaring that I'm back. My posts may not always be about writing (as if they ever were), but they'll be about something. Hopefully.

Chapter 1 currently lives in the dog house. The words just won't find their way to the page. But chapter 2, oh beautiful thing that it is (someday), is cooperating nicely. At least the first three paragraphs. Cara's finding her voice.

So I'm heading back to it. I can only hope that by the time I get through to the end chapter 1 will have decided to bend itself into the fluid scene I know it can be. If I can only find the words.

Write on, my friends, it's only 108 degrees outside.

P.S. I've discovered the time suck joy that is Twitter. Won't you come and tweet with me? http://twitter.com/anissaaz

Hup, Holland, Hup!

I have spent the last couple weeks engrossed in World Cup, with a tiny bit of editing mixed in. *snort*

We root for the US (of course!), Italy (poor Azuri), and the Netherlands (the home country). So now we are left with only the Oranje. Hence the title. But of course Holland must face Brazil on Friday. So any of you newly converted soccer fans looking for someone to cheer for. Join me in ORANGE Friday. Please!

In writing news...I have spent countless hours trying to rewrite/perfect my opening chapter. Well really I'm still on the first page. But I had a breakthrough today. I thought my prior opening was perfect (except for the annoying detail of being too vague), so in rewriting it, I've been killing myself to get the flow right. Unsuccessfully, I might add. So this morning, upon returning to the grind, I reread the old opening.

SO NOT PERFECT! Ah...what an enlightening moment. I'm not perfect. hahahahaha!

Now it's time to get back to work. I have three days before soccer takes over my life again. *wink*

HELLO!

Hey there, dear friends. I'm alive!

Quick apology for those of you whose comments got lost in moderation. I had to turn on the mod for posts older than 30 days to cut off the spammers. Never in a million years did I imagine it would take me more that 30 days to write another post. Yikes! Totally lazy blogger. Or totally busy life. You choose.

Anyway. School's out! Hooray! And with summer comes 110+ temps, which should translate to lots of computer time. I'm such a wuss when it comes to heat.

We spent the last 5 days at Disneyland. Thing 1 and Thing 2 had SO much fun. Us adults too. ;) But to see their excited little faces...very very cool. They cried yesterday morning when it was time to leave. Poor little guys.

Now my feet are in recovery and I need to eat a few extra salads. All in all, it's been a crazy busy month or so.

On the writing front, I'm going to go ahead and whisper, "My draft is finished." It's not near perfect, or submission ready, but it's complete. And it's getting closer. Now to tighten it up and smooth it into shiny goodness. I can't wait. Actually, I'm just ready to have it finished and out the door. But I REFUSE to rush it. I've put in this much time, I'm determined to get it just right.

How about you? What's going on in your world. I'm so very out of the loop!

Once a week

I seem to have become a once-a-week blogger. Not by any conscious decision or anything. I think that's about the length of time when the guilt really sets in and I tell myself I cannot neglect the poor blog any longer. But with absence comes lack of topics. I am a firm believer in the writing muscle. Work it and it gets stronger, more refined. Let it languish and it deteriorates and has to be rebuilt.

I think the same goes for blogging. It is writing after all. I've discovered that the more I blog, the more ideas I have. And vice versa. Hence the lack of posts lately.

I'm convinced my schedule will not ease until school's out, but I'm hoping to recover a bit of blogging time where I can.

The writing continues. I opened the Word document again today. For the past 5 weeks I've been marking up the pages I'd printed, but now it was time to crank through the end. I'm almost there. I got through the scene that has been plaguing me for months. I actually edited the entire manuscript to delay having to tackle this scene. But it's finished! Yay! Onward to the end. I can feel the words churning in me, ready to flow from my fingers onto the page. Now I just need to stop sleeping in order to accomplish it. ;)

Happy Friday, all. I'm off!

Checking things off the list

Taxes in the mail...check
Kindergarten yearbook complete...check
Edits...check (well, check through page 305)

Condition of home...don't even ask

I miss you guys. I'm trying to get around with some comments, but I'm so behind. You all are doing exciting things. I don't want to miss any of it!

I've been cooking a lot, which tends to happen when the house is in shambles. Thing 2 requested crab rangoon. Well, he really requested Chinese takeout, but I told him we'd make our own. Not bad. The collard greens on the other hand...not so good. I guess I'm just a swiss chard girl.

If any of this is making sense, I will be eternally surprised.

Better posts soon. I promise.

Taxes and yearbooks and edits...

OMG. Back from Spring Break and Easter only to discover I am beyond behind in all the things I have to accomplish over the next week.

Taxes. Ick.

Yearbook pages for Kindergarten classes. Um, OK.

Mass quantities of forms for school registration...gee, thanks.

Which leaves my poor revisions down at the bottom of the list. :( I'm hoping to burn through the yearbook stuff quickly then tackle the taxes. The thought of it makes me want to nap, though it's only 9:52 in the morning.

Make that 9:57. Apparently I just zoned out for 5 minutes. Must. Get. To. Work. Hope life isn't quite so crazy in your world.

Hot vampire boys...

As much as DL would like me to profess my love for hot vampire boys...(ha!) alas, Vamps aren't my thing. All that blood. Yick. I figured it'd make a good title though, since I am a bit challenged when it comes to titling anything I write.

So it's spring break in my neck of the woods, which translates to lazy mornings (hooray!) and lots of sun. We just returned from a 3-hr excursion to the park. Three hours! Holy playground patrol. Would love a nap, but the "n" word is blasphemous to the Things. Boundless energy, I'm telling you! Still have an hour of 3-year-old soccer practice to look forward to. Shoot me now...

On the writing front, I'm itching for a new idea. I need something to look forward to so I'll crank out what remains of my revisions. But wouldn't you know, the ideas all hide when you're looking for them. We shall see. I did mark up 26 pages of the manuscript yesterday. Almost dried out a green pen even!

Finally, at the request of Mystery Robin...Puppy! AKA The little digger! This was from like a month ago. He's getting big. Must take more pics.

And another week goes by...

I find that any sort of break from blogging ends up blocking me big time. I start to feel like I have nothing to say. Not much going on. No updates on the revising front. Pretty much, I'm here and that's it.

So yeah, I've got blog block. Any cures out there?

I may need to motivate myself with another goal or something. Or, you know, just blog...

Vader and the Stormtroopers...

As promised, here are pics of the birthday treats that took up a good chunk of my time away. Apparently I wasn't thinking clearly enough to take them out of their travel containers to take the pictures. I'm just glad I didn't forget entirely. It's happened...

As I was drawing my very first stormtropper on the homemade marshmallow fondant, I asked Thing 2 how it looked. "Well, Mama, it kind of looks like a stormtrooper monkey." They're nothing if not honest. I think they turned out OK. Though one dad at the party thought they were bugs...sheesh.

And to Lindsay who said 2 1/2 weeks of company is a long time...Amen, sister!

I'm back

So I ended up taking an unexpected unplug last week. Life, in all its crazy goodness, finally caught up to me. 2 1/2 weeks of company coupled with a birthday party (and Darth Vader cake) pulled me away. It was definitely an interesting week. But now the company is gone, the cake is eaten (mostly) and the house is in shambles. Hey...life's pretty much back to normal!

How have you all been? I feel so out of touch. Any fabulous news I missed out on?

In other news, I got a Droid phone and now have email with me all the time. And Pandora. And the internet. Can you imagine? I'm never going to get anything done!

I'll post a pic of the Vader cake and Stormtrooper cupcakes later. Haven't downloaded them yet. Honestly, the only time I opened my computer was to find a recipe for dinner. And none of them included beans. ;)

So yeah...I'm back. Whee!

Nothing much

I've been staring at this blank post screen for the past 44 minutes. It's worse than a blank Word document. At least then I can just start making up a story. Here I feel like I need some sort of inspiration. A topic at the very least. But I've got nothing today. Lack of sleep has wiped out my brain zombie-style.

How long until bedtime?

Seeing Green

I'm sitting here trying to decide whether it's a good thing that my manuscript pages appear to be bleeding green ink. Could it be I'm trying to rewrite the darned thing a third time?

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In other words, I'm editing my way through the new box of green pens. See, all I needed was for March to show up. Have a fantabulous weekend, my friends!

Pressure's off and I'm still here.

I woke up this morning and immediately thought, "What am I going to blog about today?" Then I realized February was over. But I still wanted to blog. Hooray! The pressure is off, but the desire is still there. I guess what they say is true. You can develop good habits. Though it's not like I have a ton to say today. I just didn't want to lose touch with the fabulousity that is my blogging buddies.

On the writing front, the green pen is seeing some action. At last. I'm not sure if it's just that I'm getting burned out on the project or what, but I'm being to fear it has no voice. No narrative voice to be specific. Ugh. I hope it's just me because trying to instill voice in an already-written project is next to impossible. At least for me. So I will continue to plug away. I'll let my CP break the news to me if need be.

How goes the writing on your end? What are you working on these days?