July 22, 2009

Holy crap, I actually did it! I got some writing done last night - several pages, in fact. I was feeling inspired on the way home and I'd forgotten to print out the 3rd paranormal chicklit entry that I agreed to judge (vollunteered several times in fact, what's WRONG WITH ME!). But I did get a great amount of work done and am pleased with the choice I made for the prologue (it was one of two ways and I picked the one that I do believe is the stronger choice, though, of course, we'll see).

I got a bit stuck on the intro of Grace, though, and that took a bit of extra time and then when I got home I fell back into that deep rut....watching TV w/ my dinner.

Went to bed timely, though and slept well and so I am thankfully feeling a bit more rested and less gloomy than Monday morning, for example when I really was down in the dumps.

I wish at timees like this that I did have a serious writing friend to talk with. One who desires to keep writing, and is excited by the prospect rather than daunted and depressed. It makes for a sort of loneliness that, while not debilitating, is more wistful?

Ready to greet my day and continue to fight the good fight. Get the responsibilities out of the way and then, LOOK OUT WORLD, HERE I COME! I've already got a great game plan in place.

You just watch me!

Sunday, July 18, 2009

The 2nd half of my weekend is here and I'm feeling a bit worn, down, and overwhelmed. Yesterday's weather was pretty warm (mid-80's). I am always so exhausted on Saturday that I end up just trying to relax and regain some strength following my work week. I didn't sleep all that well last night, so this morning - though I got up at 6:30 - I'm still tired.

Have to get chores done, though. Yard work, esp. but also food store and laundry. Today's to be less warm and very dry so I can anticipate not dropping while doing yard work. But I have a lot to do.

I will have to work in the AMs and PMs to get stuff done unless I always want to have it looming over me on the weekend.

The upshot of all this rambling is that it means less time for my writing that I had hoped today. I'm sitting inside right now, though it is lovely outside, because I am watering (it really needs it). Once it is 10 Am I'll turn to doing laundry, instead. Four or five loads. In between, food store, yard work and then once I've done a few hours of that, THEN I can sit down and start my writing. I've got to enhance my plot outline and do some characterization work on my hero and heroine. I'm very clear on my heroine and her background, and her primary motivation: anger (with a side order of guilt). Hero is less clear, but he is also less conflicted. His motivation is his search for justice.

I wont' be sitting inside at my computer, though, I'll take my notebook and sit outside. I finished Karin Slaughter's latest book yesterday (excellent and gruesome) but while I started the new James Lee Burke Texas-set book, I'm not going to pick it up again today because I fall into the habit of reading too often when I should be writing.

I'm excited about my current project and am looking forward to getting into the process and really feeling the heat!

July 15, 2009

It's Wednesday, HUMP DAY, and it's a bit warmer, a bit more humid, but hey, we've had a purely perfect summer so far and I'm not complaining. As long as it doesn't last long...

I've got 1 chore down (the BDSM article for NYC Keynotes). GothRom got 2 entries now and I have to do the reminder announcements. Not going to bother looking for a 2nd judge since I doubt we'll even get ten entries, much less 20. NYC's chapter presentation - dialogue, well I can do that in my sleep having already covered dialogue in my voice presentation AND my senses presentation (and having thought about it alot as well). GR membership is the big bugaboo right now, then a Bd. meeting. Mr. Texas is getting quieter and quieter - he didn't even respond to my naughty little email last night, even though he knew I was sending it - it should just go away, really. It's silly and not real anymore and a waste of both our time and effort putting on this face. Ah, well.

As for my writing - I wrote just a few lines last night but had a wonderful idea for a brief, taut prologue that will set up the heroine and the adversary quite nicely. And I have the motivation for my heroine: ANGER. Anger at everything, including being left when her father died, abandoned emotionally by her mother and forced to take on the responsibilities, and ultimately anger at her mother's betrayal and her abusive stepfather. And when our story starts anger at her stepsister for refusing to help herself, and anger, lastly, at herself for not succeeding in helping her stepsister. The anger, coupled with the sense of abandonment, loneliness and the fact that all her life she's been forced to be in charge, to be in command, to take care of everything = she's ripe to be cared for, commanded - in short, dominated by our hero. I think I'll make him Francisco - no, Master Cisco just doesn't have agood ring to it.

But I'll get there. I must eschew the Damians, Lucians, etc. that I like so much. Nick? Hmmm.

July 11, 2009

Woo Hoo! It's Saturday. Mild, balmy, breezy and not too hot. A tad more humid than I would like, but there's rain coming later so it will get even more humid then. I am excited by my plans, and the work I've done recently on my new project. I plan on having it complete and ready to pitch at the NJ Put Your Heart In A Book Conference, although there aren't any editors or agents listed yet to get appointments with, so I'm not sure it will prove productive. Besides, if NJ has cut out all the e-pub editors, then there's going to be a real dearth of folks to accomodate all the appointments. It's going to be say, 10 editors instead of 20 or whatever the break down will be. I intend to get an appointment come hell or high water ("first come first served" is the rule, but my request got lost last year and I never got to see the folks I wanted). This year I'm hoping for an Avon Red or Kensington Aphrodesia or NAL or Grand Central pitch editor. Because EXTREME is going to be ready, great and eminently sexxxxxxxy.

I've got a lot of irons in the fire, I know. But I am also looking forward with great relish to the end of December when all of my RWA commitments draw to a close and I can finally get out from under the sense of responsibility for making sure chapter members get their money's worth. Can't do it all, as they say.

Come December I'm going to really wail on my projects, and in the meantime I'm not going to let this bout of cold and exhaustion get me down. I'll need to do some yard and house work, but I'll also get lots of time for myself. And instead of sitting in a chair and reading today, I'll be sitting outside in the breeze and writing!

I've got tons of plans, too, for website, blog, and yahoo groups, as well as newsletters and such.

For now, I've got to deal with my first "guest" on the Writing Love American Style yahoo group. Set some things up, and get it started.

March 25, 2009. Energetic (sort of).

I woke up this morning feeling a bit recharged. I'd read my own cards and was reassured that I was making good choices. I've been drained by demands on me and unpleasant twists of fate, but after a long stretch of bullshit have managed to claw my way back to the surface.

I have a game plan (what else is new, said the list-writing fool). I have tried to focus on what I am most enamored of - really, hot, sexy romance, from sexy sexy to erotica - and calculate what I can do to evolve.

Branding, of course, comes to mind, as does focusing on the actual writing of stuff (always something I forget!!?!?!).

I got yelled at a bunch of times today by the boss man (no matter how hard I try I get the big rasberry). Mom was, well, as has been the case the last couple of weeks, a bit in the bag. That's depressing, of course, and I feel anxious trying to focus on what she might be missing, overlooking, etc.

OK, so on from there I have LOTS of ideas (as per usual) and hope that my skills won't desert me even if the fates are spitting in my eye.

Now, though, it's time for beddy by. (How do you spell that?)

I've got a couple more days of slogging through the day job but I'm going to be signing off now only to write!

Yeah, like for ten minutes.

Oy.

Welcome to my mad, mad, mad, mad world!

Want to see inside the mind - and experience the world - of an easily-distracted, list-obsessed, pre-published, fiendishly blogging, Bud Lite drinking, bibliomaniacal, snarky, fierce, overly-sensitive, loud, compulsive singing, legal secretary, LIRR commuter, Long Island-living, greyhound adopting, gardening, writer of romance, women's fiction, paranormal, erotica, historical fiction?

This is the place!'

I'm Lise and I'm a writer.

Be afraid.

Be VERY AFRAID.