Bucket List Blogfest Entry

1) Hike the PCT. What is the Pacific Crest Trail you ask? It stretches out over 2,650 miles from the Mexican to the Canadian border. It's a hard fought journey of 20 miles a day. But it's worth it, I hear. The hubster and I plan to do it before we die. Sooner, rather than later. Because you have to be able to WALK to do the trail. Here are journals: PCT journals. Just so you can get an idea of the punishment and the beauty we're in for. You have to take six months off from work.

2) Run a marathon. I hate to run. But I want to do this just to show myself that I can!

3) Pit Bull Rescue. I want my own. I'm in no position now with the non-profit I just started gathering steam, but I figure that's a good goal for my retirement years. Love the breed. I won't own any other. I put together a section for the website here. This is the organization I want to be like - BAD RAP. Donna Reynolds and Tim Racer are my heroes.

4) And speaking of heroes...I want to meet LaDanian Tomlinson before I die. More than meet him. I want to have dinner with him. NOT a date. I want to tell him what a wonderful human being he is, how many lives he has influenced and how honored I was to watch him play. How mad I was that he didn't get a SuperBowl ring in San Diego. Just stuff. He's a cool guy. Great man, running back, husband, father, mentor.

5) Get published. I want to see my book on a shelf.

6) Leave a legacy. I always said, "When my father dies, people will say Man, he made a lot of money. But when I die? People are going to say Man, she really made a difference." I may not know how many lives I have touched - human and animal, but I want to do it anyway. I want to leave this place a little bit better because I was here.
I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again.

7) Give my mom at least one grandchild. My mom. Sigh. She was a mom at 22. That meant my grandmother, her mother, was a grandma at 40. I threw a whole monkey wrench in her system, let me tell you. I was career girl. Television production. 60 hour weeks. No time for a marriage or a family. She wanted me to get married, then have kids. By the time I was 25 (and she 47), she was willing to get one any way she could. She became like that gambler in Vegas who starts out sure they're going to win big, but now they're down two grand and are so desperate they just want to break even.

I came home to this on my answering machine one night, "Hi Jen, it's Mom. (Big sigh. - now you see where I get it) I just got my latest People magazine. You know, Rosie O'Donnell just adopted a kid. Rosie's single. They're letting single women adopt. You could do that."
It used to be she wanted biological grandkids. Then she decided she'd take them any way she could them. Besides, our genes aren't THAT great that we need to be passing them on. It didn't help that she worked at the high school I graduated from. In the records office. That means everyone came back to see when they needed transcripts. And I got to hear about it.

"So and so was in today. You know, they have FIVE kids now. FIVE. I'd be happy with ONE."
"So adopt one."
"Noooo. I meant ONE grandchild."
"Have you talked to Drew?" (my younger brother)
"Oh, like that's ever happening!"

Drew gave her a grandson four and a half years ago.

"But I want one from you and Erik," she whines now.

Before Drew had Dillon (well, his wife because obviously my brother didn't birth the boy), my grandfather died and left my mother a sizeable inheritance. She had a family meeting and offered $10,000 to the couple who gave her a grandchild first.
I'm ashamed to admit we did get hung up in the race for a few months. It's not like we didn't want one. But we weren't married yet. C.R.A.Z.Y.

So we waited too long and three years later it's just not going to happen. We'll be adopting because I do so want to be a mother. And she is a wonderful grandmother. She deserves more. Many more.


That's my Bucket List at the moment. Or the parts that I'm oversharing with you in an attempt to make you laugh.

What's on YOUR Bucket List? Pop on over to Liz's blog and hop around to read the others!




P.S. - Abby has finished her first novel! And in celebration, she's having a fantastic giveaway! Hop on over here to enter.

AND

Colene is having a contest that ends on December 2nd HERE.

Monday NaNo Musing

I am sprinting towards the finish line, cold and all. I'm only at 45,000 words. Will I make it? I don't know. It's okay if I don't. This is my second cold and I broke a tooth last week. Fun times. Through it all, I've tried to stay on track and keep plugging away. Here is what I do know:

Even if I reach 50,000, my book is not finished. There is still too much that is unfolding to wrap it up in the next 5,000 words!

Once I'm done, this is going to need a massive makeover.

I can both pants and plot...the same piece of work.

If you follow the writing, it takes you crazy places! I've been shocked at things that have happened and characters I wasn't expecting to show up!

You can do NaNo and still have a life if you manage your time well. Yes, I work part time but I did not miss out on a dinner out with friends or family this month. I didn't skip a hike that I felt well enough to do. Laundry still got done twice a week. Grocery store still happened. I made dinner from scratch four to five nights a week. My house might actually be cleaner than it was pre-NaNo (amazing what trying to think things through can do for your house!).

NaNo has been fun - precisely because I refused to stress out or take it too seriously. I got my family time in. I did a massive cleaning of the house on Friday (even though I was sick, maybe why I'm more sick) and still wrote 2,000+ words!

I won't be able to upload my 50,000 words by the deadline because I will be in San Diego getting ready for some dental fun. But I will certainly post it here (the number count) whether I reach that number or not. I have some fun visits planned for Tuesday, but that doesn't mean that I can't fit in at least three hours of writing that evening.

NaNo has shown me that I wasn't making the most of my writing time before November. So I will go into December knowing that I can be more productive if I simply manage my time better! And I'm so looking forward to blog hopping and Christmas decorating this next month!

How about you - how is NaNo going? If you didn't NaNo, how is your writing going? Do you have Christmas decorations up yet?


P.S. - Liz is doing a FUN Blogfest - Bucket List!! So pop on over here and join in!

Thanksgiving NaNo Interview

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

I hope your day is full of family, friends and FUN!

I bring you my interview with Liz at 8 Bit Words. Liz started NaNo, but had to drop out. You can read her post here explaining why.

I felt it was important to include an interview with someone who started the journey but didn't finish on time for several reasons. The most important reason - I think as writers, we can be extremely hard on ourselves. We are our worst critics and we all have that awful voice that tries to fill us with doubt. People need to know that it's okay not to finish. We all have those moments where life gets in the way.

Without more of my rambling, here is my interview with the Lovely Liz:


Is this your first NaNo?
Nope! This will be my 3rd NaNo. Can't stay away!

How did you prepare?
Once I got the idea, I rounded up some characters and planned it out from beginning to end. This way, I'd have a clear picture of the beginning, middle, and end, and everything in-between.

Do you have an outline or are you flying by the seat of your pants?
I learned from past NaNo's that I am simply not a pantser! This year, I prepared an outline to prevent those "oh crap, what do I write next?" moments. Time is at a premium this month, so the outline will be a big help.

Can you give us a brief synop of your story idea?
A noblewoman and the man she loves struggles at the hands of a fallen angel bent on destroying humankind.

How soon before NaNo did you get your idea?
About 10 months ago. Since I was busy revising another novel, I shelved it for NaNo. Fortunately, the idea is still pretty "fresh" and I'm looking forward to writing the story!

Where is the strangest place you've found yourself writing?
Hrm, maybe not strange, but different. I wrote part of my 2009 NaNo in a hotel in Göteborg, Sweden while on a business trip. Despite my jet-lagged state, I managed to get a lot done during the evenings! (How COOL is that!?!)

What has been the snack that has fueled your writing most?
Oreos are my favorite snack. I also enjoy crunching on RiceWorks Sweet Chili Brown Rice Crisps. (I'm actually making The Hubster stop at Ralphs so that I can pick these up on our way to the in-laws tomorrow. They sound so yummy and just what I need to finish!)

Are you pulling out hair or biting your fingernails?
I'm a lifelong nail biter, so I can promise those nails will stay short this month!

Any new habits you've developed as a result of NaNo?
Maybe not a habit, but my first NaNo really taught me how to shut off my internal editor when I need to focus on "just writing". I also track my daily word counts throughout the year to measure and monitor my writing activity.

What is your word count?
I stopped at 25,883, just beyond the halfway point.

Any parting words of wisdom, encouragement or insane babbling?
Write, don't look back, and have fun! Oh, and backup your work!

What will you give yourself for finishing?
A marathon game of Civilization V!


I hope you enjoyed the interview as much as I did!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday Wishes

This is Wednesday leaning out of her cat tree. She may look like just your average gray tabby cat, but she has many skills. Most of these skills, she uses for The Good. Okay, 'most' might be a slight exaggeration. Wednesday is a good little kitty, though, at heart. She loves her family, loves her sisters, loves annoying those sisters and she also loves to grant wishes. Every Wednesday morning, I will rub the side of the cat house and summon our magic cat!

My Wednesday Wishes for the week:

1) Someone else's TEETH! I broke another tooth today. No big deal except that the dentist is my worst fear. So I spent an hour crying. Yep. At my age. How pathetic! But I hate the way the shots make my heart race. My pulse shot up to 200 last time. That was WITH an anti-anxiety on board. The rest of the visit is no big deal. I don't mind the pain. In fact, if they would just do it without giving me anything? No fear. I'm fine in the chair. I don't mind the sound of the drill. I just don't like the feeling I get from those shots. So I'm shuffling my schedule around next week so I can go to San Diego to get this tooth fixed. My reward to myself? HARRY (yes, again! so what?)! And a visit with a close friend's mom who haven't seen in far too long.


2) A week away. This may become permanent on my list, but I'll switch it up every week! Somewhere with a cabin! Can we make it a place where the mountains meet the ocean? With Lily and the hubster. Throw in a chef that makes yummy vegan healthy food (and desserts!). That would really recharge my battery! A week of hiking every day! Beach walks in the morning and at night!


3) Christmas Music and Christmas Trees and Wrapping Paper, oh my! I have nothing to wrap yet. No tree to decorate. But I'm already in the spirit! I'm trying to find a weekend night for my Wrapping Party - everyone brings gifts, two rolls (minimum) of wrapping paper, bows, ribbons, etc. and we wrap to Christmas music while drinking Hot Chocolate (or a Hot Toddy!) and laughing. It's fun to use each other's wrapping paper! But I'm sad because it may not happen this year due to scheduling. We'll see. Is it too early to decorate for Christmas on Friday?


What about you? What are your wishes for Wednesday this week?

Monday NaNo Interview

Today I am interviewing the lovely Lola from Sharp Pen/Dull Sword. For those of you who aren't familiar with Lola (I'll be shocked if you all aren't), she is cake and shoes and hot pictures and oh my! As you can see, she's one of the blogs I follow and I check in whenever she has a new post up because I know it will be full of the following: inspiration and fairy dust. With a bunch of other stuff thrown in.

Let the interviewing commence...



Is this your first NaNo?
Nope. I did it officially last year and 'won'. It was a blast.

How did you prepare?
I am not a plotter at all. Last year it was the evening of Nov. 1st when I finally sat down with my laptop. I had NO CLUE what I was going to write. Not even a 'feeling'. Zip. But when I sat down with my laptop a female character came to me and away we went. This year isn't looking to be much different. I've been focused on revisions on another project and haven't had much (any) time to think about Nano. But, yesterday, while in the shower, a seed of an idea I've had niggling for months began to sprout. I haven't written anything down (I'm still trying to focus on those revisions). It's just the smallest bit of a sprout, the smallest sign of life peeking out of the seed. That's more than I had last year, and it's not even Nov. 1st. Score! I do make other preparations the days leading into Nano: a big grocery shop, letting friends and family know I'm going to be sequestered for the month of Nov., and a major preemptive cleaning of the house.

How did your family prepare?
My husband and daughter know how I work, and they've been through Nano with me before. They are good about shoving food, quietly, under my cave door and fending for themselves. I make a point to come out of my cave and give them my full attention once in a while. (note: my daughter is in high school now, so this is easier. But, strangely, she does still want me. And Husband wants me too. They are very supportive, but when I sense they want/need me, I come out and spend quality time with them.)

Did you pants or plot?
I'm definitely winging it.


What is the oddest place you've found yourself writing so far?
Well my MacBook is happy to let me play with it anywhere. I write out by the pool frequently in the summertime. I've written entire scenes on the backs of receipts on the side of highways before, because way too often I have writing breakthroughs while driving. I once got out of the shower with shampoo still in my hair and wrote on the side of a tissue box a solution to a plot problem. I've written many chapters in a (paper) notebook while soaking in a bathtub...many times. But my favorite place to write (in the winter) is in my bed. I don't know why, but writing late at night while under the comforter puts me in a zone.

What has been your can't-write-for-NaNo-without-it snack?
I snack all the time, year round. I'm a snacker. Lately it has been 2-alarm Doritos and Halloween candy (Reese's).

Are you consuming mass quantities of the following: coffee, tea, soda or energy drinks?
Coffee. Always. With cream and sugar. Keep it coming.

How many hours of sleep are you averaging a night?
I normally average around 5 hours/night year round. That remains my average during Nano.
(Um, WOW! I wish I could go on that little sleep and still be functional - how much does she ROCK!?!)

What is your word count?
I make it my goal to write a minimum of 2,000/day 5 days/week on all my first drafts, but for Nano I do that number 6 days/week. I try to do more than 2,000 when I can, especially early in the month, to 'bank' extra word count for any emergencies that may pop up. (Her current word count is 51,021!).

When you finish, what is your reward?
Husband always buys me good champagne, takes me to dinner, and buys me little goodies. He's the best. But I usually reward myself when I finish any major writing goal with a trip to the book store and buying an armload of yummy books while sucking down a caramel frappe.

Any parting words of wisdom, encouragement or insane babbling?
Have fun! Because it IS fun. I hope you attend some of the meet-ups in your area and make some new local writing friends.

And really, if you are planning on being a career writer, putting out a book a year-ish, you need to get used to writing 2,000 words/ day 5 days/week , so this is a good exercise on writing daily.


So there you have it, my friends! We will have another interview on Thursday with Liz at 8-Bit Words. That will conclude our NaNo interviews!

How is everyone's writing coming - NaNo and non-NaNo? Did you have a great weekend??

NaNo Word Count (me): 36,012

Feral cats trapped count: 4 out of 6 (and only because I ran out of traps!)

I'd say a very productive weekend culminating in a very productive Sunday night!

FUN Friday

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

Or should I say...HAPPY DEATHLY HALLOWS PART ONE DAY!!


This is my friend Jess' 4 year old, Eli. How cute is he? Talented too. He LOVES to beatbox. Both mom and dad are musicians so it's in his blood.


And another version (notice the BIG breath he takes before he starts):


How FUN is that!?! Love him so much. So does Lily. Here's a pic of the two of them when they were both a bit younger.














The Hubster is taking me out to dinner and we have reserved seating for a 7pm showing of Deathly Hallows! He's so NOT into these movies and has never read the books, but he takes me anyway because he loves to see the joy I get out of it. This year, I promised NOT to dress up. First year. I figure it's the least I can do since it's just the two of us.



So no spoilers, my friends!! Simply tell me how much you LOVED it (and if you didn't, LIE TO ME and say that you did).

Any big plans for the weekend? Another viewing of Deathly Hallows on hand?

Thursday Award

This is what I feel like at the moment. I've had a really busy day and only got 1,000 words written. My head is pounding. My back aches from dragging presentation materials up and down stairs today, then carrying large cat traps from a clinic to my car (four trips). My bed calls my name. I can hear it.

So...1,000 words short of my goal today. You know what? Too bad. Not beating myself up over it. Okay, I already did. DONE beating myself up over it. I can make it up. I WILL make it up. I teach tomorrow, but Lily has a playdate in the evening which means she will resemble the above picture and give me plenty of writing time. I will hit my word goal tomorrow PLUS an extra 250. That extra 250 over the next four days will catch me up!

On to FUN things like...An AWARD!


Thanks to Abby for this. I am passing it along to:









Nutschell at The Writing Nut - If you haven't seen her blog yet, you must check it out. Fun AND informative. You can't beat that. What does she blog about? What doesn't she blog about?
Signings (sometimes she includes videos of the authors offering advice!)
Books to improve our craft
Retreats (GREAT, detailed coverage)
Martial Arts Training (The girl doesn't just write about a characters who can defend themselves, she LIVES it!)

Her pictures are always FABULOUS.

She's doing Harry Potter week - interviews, trailers, her recent trip to The Wizarding World!

She's absolutely amazing and her blog is irresistible! Check it out!

IT'S ALMOST FRIDAY PEOPLE!!!

Who has their tickets?

Who is going TONIGHT??

Who has NO IDEA what I'm talking about??