Category: What I Love

Computers and Internet, My Own Personal Weirdness, Organizing, What I Love, Writing

NaNoWriMo 2021, Day One

I am doing NaNoWriMo as a rebel this year. I am working on adding about 35000 words to the second draft of my current novel, writing a 3500 word short story, and restarting what I’d quit working on during last year’s NaNoWriMo. You can find my profile for NaNoWriMo here.

Today I felt exhausted after a super busy weekend chaperoning my kids band at Area Marching Contest and the whole Halloween extravaganza. I didn’t think I’d get much done.

I only opened the first file for editing just to let myself stare at it while I finished my tea. Then I was going to get up and reheat my breakfast burrito. I noticed a couple things to fix, then a couple more. Next thing I knew, my tea was gone, so I took my burrito out to warm it up and when I glanced at the clock on the microwave it was three hours later.

I ate some lunch with my husband, who came home about five minutes later and told him about my magical morning. Then I told him about my plan to go to the gym in the afternoon. He left for work and I went back to the bedroom (which is also my office) to use the restroom. While in there, the computer made a weird noise, so I stopped to investigate for a moment before leaving for the gym.

Next thing I knew, it was 3:30pm and time to pick my kids up from school. So I stopped to do that and went back to writing while they were working on homework.

In all, I wrote 2,200 words on the current WIP. Of course, I also edited out about 1500 not so great ones. So I’m at 684 for the day. This is the last editing day this week, so I should still be able to make it up with just a hundred extra words a day this week.

It was a good start to National Novel Writing Month.

Computers and Internet, Speaking, What I Love, Writing

Today’s Speaking Engagement at the Wednesday Writers Whatchamacalit

I spoke today at the Wednesday Writers Whatchamacalit. I had gotten a slide show and topic prepared, but we got a little off topic, as sometimes happens with the WWW. Instead, I got to coach a group of ladies on Gender Identity, Personal Pronouns (and how we don’t say that anymore), and how language change can sneak up on you if you’re not paying attention. Eventually we got around to my topic, but we came at it sideways, so I never got around to my slides. We had a great time helping one of our writers figure out how to redraft parts of her novel, so the midpoint was really the midpoint and what to add that would carry the rest of the story on through with the theme she wanted. It was a really good experience and I still have this slide show in my back pocket for another speaking engagement. 🙂

Computers and Internet, Speaking, What I Love, Writing

Speaking Engagement at the Wednesday Writers Whatchamacalit on 10/20/21

I will be speaking at the Wednesday Writers Whatchamacalit on October 21st, 2021 on the topic of “Rewriting Your Nearly Finished Novel.” Come on over and join us!

What I Love, Writing

Writing Sprints, Day Two

I forgot to post a link yesterday. We (the Tyler Public Library Writing Club – aka Open Door Writing Group) are sprinting in the global sprint at myWriteClub. Today I sprinted off and on for another 8 hours and got 7,496 words. Caro’s Quest Chapter 7 rewrite got done yesterday and Chapter 8’s rewrite got done today. This has been fun!

What I Love, Writing

Writing Sprints with the TPLWC

This month at the TPLWC, we are doing writing sprints instead of writing lessons. We’re all tired and trying to rest up before NaNoWriMo starts. Today is my first day sprinting. Let’s see how it goes!

I spent pretty much all day sprinting, off and on, and I got 7,916 words in! Yay me!

Family Time, My Own Personal Weirdness, Speaking, The Past Comes Back to Haunt Me, What I Love, Writing

Today’s Speaking Engagement at TPLWC – Cancelled

I’m sorry, guys. I’m just not in the right headspace to teach anyone anything today. I asked the other leaders to post something, so someone should be there at the group doing just that today.

Family Time, What I Love

Devastated

My half-brother, Ray, passed away this morning. He was 48 years old and leaves behind a wife and two small children. Our birthmom has been stuck in Wisconsin, where she’d been visiting her other daughter, having had a series of small strokes. We are all really sad and scattered right now.

Computers and Internet, Speaking, What I Love, Writing

Today’s Speaking Engagement at TPLWC

Today I spoke about “Using Enneagram to Create Character Conflict” at the Tyler Public Library Writer’s Club Facebook Group. I thought it went really well. 🙂 Here’s a link to the video, which you can access if you are a member of the aforementioned Facebook Group.

Speaking, What I Love, Writing

Today’s Speaking Engagement at Unleashing the Next Chapter

Today would have been my parents 53rd wedding anniversary and instead of being sad, I got to be awesome today. I spoke at Kathryn McClatchy’s Unleashing the Next Chapter writing group on Zoom. My topic was “Using the Enneagram to Create Character Conflict.” It went so well, y’all! I had an audience that was already pretty well versed in the Enneagram, so there were a lot of interesting questions and tangents into things I had wanted to put in the talk, but thought it was too much. Always overprepare! I love this group so much. Thanks for inviting me, Kathryn! Here’s a link to the video (which you can only view if you are a member of that group, but it is free to join.)

Computers and Internet, Speaking, What I Love, Writing

Speaking Engagement at TPLWC on 08.25.20

On August 25, 2020 at noon at the Tyler Public Library’s Writer’s Club Facebook Group, I will present a lesson on “Using the Enneagram to Create Character Conflict.” It is mostly the same as the one I presented to a more private group a week or so ago, but this one is in a more public group.