Friday Hodge Podge

Been a while since I used that, eh, but it seems appropriate this week. Why?

You win some, you lose some, yeah? I've had a couple victories this week... Part of it just making up for lost ground...


Back to Writing

Progress on the Cozy Mystery took a little bit to get under way after the WriMo (speaking of which, anyone interested in a summary of the WriMo, please check out this post) It is the first for the Burrow's new blog (which has launched fabulously, thanks to a ton of YOU GUYS!)

Anyway... switching projects can take on several faces... sometimes a new project is nagging at you and you can't wait to get to it, and when you FINALLY give in, it FLIES. THIS one though, I wrote four chapters for the audition, then polished and polished and polished. I had written the next chapter, but I STILL have no clue where THAT is. In June (during the WriMo) I managed to REwrite chapter 5... but somehow I couldn't do both. I have at times done two projects, but it wasn't working this time—maybe because the stakes are higher on this.

And then chapter 6 took AGES to force out... but 7 and 8 have flowed... (the ones since the story board... funny, that... maybe it works) I am definitely outlining more closely, but that doesn't mean I don't get beautiful moments, like the Boxers versus Briefs argument Cam and Annie just had *cough*

It seems to be coming together well though—I'm pleased with it and plan to send the first two chapters out on Saturday to the Burrowers who are reading the Chapter By version.

What the heck is a Chapter By, you ask? I have 3 Burrowers reading weekly what I produce, and another 2 reading the whole thing when I'm done. It is backward from how I think editing is IDEAL, but under deadline, it is most logical to me. I CAN'T share the whole thing until it's DONE, and if I wait until after THAT edit to fix the smaller stuff, then I am rushing. If I do it this way, I shouldn't be too stressed over the timing.



Back to WORK

Not that I've been vacationing or anything profound, but I've been distracted and inefficient for a while, but it seems to me that mojo is in line again. So that's something.

My Insanity Where Bills and Bureaucracy Are Concerned.

I also gave in and ordered the blasted unnecessary marriage certificate. You know what? The phone people at the state records in Oregon are a heck of a lot more pleasant than ANY OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE EVIL BLUE CROSS, THE COMPLACENT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN OR KELLY FREAKING AUDITING BASTARDS. Erm... sorry. Had to get that out of my system. It STILL rankles me (and I DO plan to send a bill for my cost of $32.50 to order the UNNECESSARY document. I can get carried away with making my point, but it makes me feel better)

I also send my monthly power bill to the DTE Mafia (seriously—that is who I make the check out to) and have been known to write checks to 'The Crooks at AT&T. Funny thing... they still cash them. I HAVE though, given in to Chase taking over the world.



And then... because I'm helpful... some stuff you may not want to miss...

Interesting Chance to Help

Wednesday Arleebird posted a couple links to a blog that was being posted by the sister of a man who was writing posts from prison. He is a writer who admits to mistakes but wants very much to turn his life around, yet WRITING requires access to a computer, and NETWORKING requires access to the internet. His sister is therefore helping him out I encourage you to go see what Dan has to say. http://thesagaoftheconcretejungle.blogspot.com/

I think he offers a very interesting perspective on prisons, which I think we could ALL use some awareness of, and I also think maybe we all have a little chance to keep him determined to make this life change.

Fellow Blogger could use help

Lisa, a friend I met through Amazon, has a novel that has made it all the way to the TOP 2 in the Fresh Blood Writing Contest. What I am asking is that you go LOOK AT THE ENTRIES and vote. I believe in her work strongly enough that I know I don't even need to tell you who to vote for... just vote.


http://chizine.com/freshblood/

The prize is a writing contract, and she is SO CLOSE! The deadline is next week, so do it soon!



Super Supportive Buddy Having a Contest

Go http://ericaspickard.blogspot.com/2010/06/wolves-and-seahorses-and-contest-oh-my.html and read and enter—Erica is doing a follower drive with giving away SEVERAL books in honor or her hubby's pending return from Afghanistan.

And finally: A note on widgets and followers and visitors... I LOVE my flag counter—I am at 91 countries (This is the latest—though I am vaguely curious why Guernsey gets a flag and Wales and Scotland don't...) and have had visitors from ALL 50 states—how cool is that? I also followed a link yesterday to a search engine and found a Swedish fashion designer who seems to follow me... how cool is THAT? It is really a strange experience to trace backward and find all this stuff about your blog in a language you can't read. There is this surreal feel to it that is both big and small at the same time.

So that is what I have today...

I hope you all have a really fabulous weekend!