Happy Dance Time ... a new reason!

I got a laptop! Yippee!!

It's a refurbished Sony VAIO that Gizmo Guy (herebefore known as Dear Hubby) found at Best Buy for a remarkably affordable price even before the salesman threw in a three year warranty at no charge. Its case is a bit scratched up but everything works fine, and the screen is wonderfully bright and clear for my poor old trifocalled eyes.

It means I've not done any editing since last night though because I've spent a whole bunch of time downloading updates. It has XP Home on it, but only service pack 1, so that had to get updated, and then I had to update Windows Media Player from version 9 to version 11, plus download two years worth of Norton AntiVirus updates (it came preloaded), and am currently downloading 450 MEG!!! of updates for the Sony software itself. I've added Adobe and Yahoo Messenger, and Quicktime, and am transferring over my Firefox favourites. And I still have to load Word onto it, as well as my documents, and copy over my music and some games. So there's still more work to be done but now I can sit in my family room in my big comfy lazy-boy and enjoy the sun instead of being in my lightless, airless, freezing-cold office.

I'm in heaven!

A drabble from old

I was in the middle of setting up my gmail on my outlook express so I can download/organize my email. A huge job! And one of the things I noticed that it downloaded ever so slowly was an email I'd sent back in 2005 to a friend who wrote the Grammar Girl columns for the eharlequin site. She had written a webpage article about the top ten most overused euphemisms in sex scenes.

So during a conversation with another friend, BlueSue, I found myself challenged to write a drabble using all ten of those terms. Now for those uninitiated to the drabble art form, a drabble is a story - with a beginning, middle and end - told using exactly 100 words. No more, no less, though hyphenated words are debatable. (The title is not included and may contain up to 16 words). I laughed and said sure, and then Sue added the real challenge - use the terms without writing about sex! Well, I couldn't pass that up now, could I?

The 10 ten most overused euphemisms are:

10. Her heaving breasts
9. His punishing kiss
8. Her liquid center
7. Like silk over steel
6. Her sensitive bud
5. Her honeyed sweetness
4. A dance as old as time
3. His throbbing manhood
2. Her pebbled nubbins
1. An intimate kiss (I must admit I changed this to intimately kissed…)

Yes, I cringe at its 'purpleness' but it also makes me chuckle, as it did Grammar Girl who requested a copy when I told her about it a few months later -- she asked me to send it to her and we had a good laugh over it. And hence we're back to the email I was now downloading.

So here it is in all its purple splendour, dug out from its obscurity beneath the gigs of email I've received in the years since:

"Evening Splendor"

In a dance as old as time, the sun gave his punishing kiss to those that watched the honeyed sweetness of sunset. The brilliant star blazed a scorching red against the clouds then settled to a passionate purple mantle floating above the heaving breasts of the ocean beneath, quickly fading to grey. Like a throbbing manhood, the incandescent beacon plunged into the liquid centre of the sea beyond.

Darkness thrust itself upon the cosmos until the sensitive bud of the full moon intimately kissed the pebbled nubbins at the ocean's edge, reflecting as silk over steel on the calm waters.

Stuck in Neutral

I'm stuck. I got through to page 118 while editing my MS and then it just stopped. Dead. The change to paranormal doesn't seem to be what's bothering me, I think it's more a crisis of confidence. Again. I 'think' the more I learn from the RWA, the less worthy I feel as a writer. Does that make sense?

So I did what I normally do when I get stuck. I bury myself in reading other people's efforts. In this case, Klaudia Z from TRW recommended I read Sherrilyn Kenyon, one of her favourite writers. So I picked up one of her novels at the library. Hmm, sounds like it's about vampires. Over the past year, I wrote up a list of why I would stop reading an author (mistakes, storylines I dislike, etc.) At the bottom I made a list of genres I probably wouldn't read just because I've never found them interesting. At the top of the list was 'vampires.' I have read some Anne Rice and wasn't sucked into her world, and I've read some Maggie Shayne. Nor was I ever a fan of Buffy or Spike. I just don't find the idea of biting someone's neck sexy. But I trusted Klaudia and picked up the book. And got sucked into the Dark Hunter series.

Sherrilyn has created an amazing world based upon Greek mythology. While her Dark Hunters aren't vampires, they are immortal to a point, and given special powers in order to protect mankind and hunt the Daimons that prey upon humans. The Daimons are her version of vampires - only these guys aren't just seeking human's for their blood but their soul so they can live longer since in their regular form, Apollites, they're doomed to die a horrible death on their 27th birthday thanks to a curse by Apollo. She has also created a species called WereHunters of humans who can take animal form (and vice versa) called Arcadians and Katagarians but they're not the typical, 'I got bitten by a wolf and now I change on the full moon' werewolves. They are born wolf and upon puberty can change into human form, or are born human and upon puberty can take dependent upon which race they're from originally animal form. Wolf, bear, leopard, hawk, well, you get the picture. I think one of my favourite of the DH series involves Vane, an extremely alpha Arcadian wolf (human who takes wolf shape - who was raised amongst wolves and had to deny his human side) who finds himself 'mated' by the Fates to a human female.

Sherrilyn has created a wonderfully layered world that exists amidst modern day New Orleans (and Seattle, and Minneapolis and Alaska) that now has me hooked. So I guess I should change that blog about what genres I wouldn't read - and remember to 'never say never.'

And that leads me right back in a circular method to my own writing which makes me bang my head on the desk. Creative world-building. And mine seems so ... blah. Yes, I know everyone has to start someplace but sheesh! What the h*ll am I thinking? BlueSue! Remember that lecture I gave you a week ago when you said you were stuck? I think I need it sent right back at me.

Well, Hell

We own a house with aluminum wiring. So we are constantly blowing light bulbs, not to mention having to check outlets that start melting down (we've have 5 in 4 years). Last summer our kids called us to the basement and reported a horrid smell like the place was burning down. We discovered that a flourescent bulb we had put in one of the overhead fixtures had melted down. Yes, the bulb melted! so it looked similar to the one at the right here.

We automatically assumed it was the wiring's fault - see above about the outlets that have melted their plastic covers and sent sparks shooting from the walls. So we pulled the fuse from the downstairs, and moved the kids (and their playstation and tv and computer) up into the living room. Much to their disgust and ours. (Although it's had the added benefit of my eldest not wanting to bring his girlfriend over because he doesn't like having to 'date' her in full view of everyone. Eeewww, my eyes hurt just thinking about what they do! I REALLY don't want to know about that.)

However, this morning Hubby pointed me to this article that tells how others are having exactly the same problem. Apparently it's not the wiring's fault but the light bulb itself. Now the warning is for how the bulbs 'expire' at the end of their lifespan. Except the packaging says that they should last 5,000 to 10,000 hours. Or several years. The lightbulb we had lasted less than six weeks.

So now we have to decide should we tear the basement apart and have it professionally rewired the way we'd planned - at a cost of several thousand dollars that we can't afford. Or blame the bulbs and plug the damned fuse back in?

Good time to visit Toronto

Harlequin apparently is not happy with the male models it's being sent, so it's sent out a casting call for this weekend in Toronto. Although I must admit I'm rather disappointed that they specifically say they're looking for 'average men' I want six packs!

The story is in a few places, including the National Post Hubby laughing commented that perhaps he should go into town on Saturday ...

War Amps are Tops!

I have a key ring that detaches in the middle as I often discover once I've started the car that one of the kids has to run back into the house which is locked. So I detach the keys and off they run. The trouble is, sometimes it detaches without me noticing.

About three weeks ago, I arrived home from doing errands and realized I didn't have my house keys with me any longer. (We won't mention the kicking on the door or screaming under the bedroom window I had to do to try to wake up my son who works nights and was slumbering peacefully inside oblivious to his freezing cold and irate mother.)

The trouble was I couldn't remember where I lost them. It had been almost week since I'd needed them and I couldn't remember if I'd had them when I went out or if I'd detached them to give to my son when we were taking him to work one night as he often forgets his own keys and I lend him mine.

We searched the house. And my purse (which is the Bermuda triangle for anything that's put into it.) We searched through everyone's coat pockets. And my purse. We searched underneath the seats of the car in case they're fallen out of my purse. And my purse. Nothing. Nada. Zip.

I went to the stores that I'd stopped at that day and asked if anyone had turned them in. Nope, no joy there, either. So hubby went to a locksmith and had copies of his keys made for me (we have two locks on the front door and one lock requires a special key that the usual lock cutting people in the mall can't handle).

Today a courier arrived, package in hand. I open it up, wondering what on earth would be sent to us by Purolator, and find a small padded envelope inside containing -- tada! -- my house keys!

Thanks to an old 2005 war amps tag I'd kept on the ring, some kind soul must have found them and dropped them in the mail box. The War Amps people then returned them to me!

For those unfamiliar with the service, the group - The War Amps - are a Canadian charitable organization that originated in 1918 after World War One to provide for war veterans who suffered amputations. They've continued through the various wars in helping our veterans, but now they also look after child amputees as well. One of their fund raising services is to provide Canadians with tags that you add to your key ring. If you lose your keys, the finder merely has to drop the key ring into the post box (they don't even need an envelope or anything) and the post office will deliver the keys to the War Amp office who will match the tag with your name and return them to you. All free of charge.

They're definitely getting another donation this year!

Aaak! It's booked! There's no turning back now!

Right on the heels of those posts about travel, I booked my flight to Dallas AND registered for July's RWA conference. May I say ... or perhaps scream in excitement: OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG! Followed by a panicked howl of: What the h*ll am I doing?

I don't have a polished manuscript yet to try to sell (though I'm working hard on that.) I do have manuscripts, just not ones I'm willing to show anyone else at this stage. After all, it's not like this is the first time I've ever written a story. I have even won a contest for Best Romance. It's more that after seeing the quality of the writing at the TRW critique group, I realize I have a LONG way to go to attain the quality of writing of the authors at the TRW who are being rejected by publishers/agents. So what hubris made me think of going to a national writers' conference?

All right, in truth, I really want to meet BlueSue who has nudged me and pushed me and nagged me and taught me and mentored me into getting serious about my writing for about three years now. (By the way, go over to her page and meet her latest foal - he's a cutie!) And I'd love to meet Terri who BlueSue introduced me to last fall during a FastDraft course - they're in the same Dallas area writers' group. I wouldn't have considered going to the conference if not for them, especially after Terri so graciously offered to house both Sue and I instead of us having to pay for a hotel room. And just meeting them, and Sue's beautiful Arabian horses, is actually exciting all on its own.

And yes, I've read posts of authors who say there are wonderful courses/lectures at these conventions that help you improve your writing.

And BlueSue and Terri have both said I need to start taking things seriously and get my feet wet and ... well, you get the gist.

So yes, I'm excited by the idea of going. But I'm also terrified at jumping into such a DEEP pool - which may have sharks! Or at least snarks!

Which means I'm still having a massive 'WTF was I thinking?' moment right now!

Travelling

Yesterday I posted a lot of pictures - boy is that fiddly in blogspot! And looking at it, I realized it looked as if we'd travelled a lot. I guess we have, but then again, that covered 28 years of our married life. Hubby and I travelled a lot pre-kids - it was one of the things we'd promised ourselves before we 'settled down' as parents - but once we had them, it stopped until the last ten years because frankly it's just too darned expensive.

Both Hubby and I have been to England, but not together *pout*, I went with my parents in 2000 and spent a lot of time staying with relatives (it's cheaper that way), and Hubby was sent there for work in 2002 (?). Plus he's been to Germany and got to stay at a castle (He had a turret room!) for a week's training in what would have been East Germany but a few years ago.

In yesterday's post, I didn't have a chance to include our trip to Jamaica in 1979 - where I wouldn't go again. Nor did I include our trip to New Orleans in 2000 - not because I didn't like it but because I literally ran out of numbers. I would visit there again, but if I did, it wouldn't be between May and September, it would be in February or March, when it's not so hot. Until I went there, I'd never had my glasses steam up upon going outside because it was so hot and steamy. I'd only ever had that happen going from the cold wintry outside into a warm house.

And before you start thinking we're rich, we got lucky for some of those trips and travelled, for the most part, on someone else's dime.

My husband travelled a great deal as part of his job. So if it was during the summer when the kids were out of school, he'd ask if he could drive down instead of flying. Usually the company said yes, because their cost for gas/mileage would be less than the cost of a plane ticket. Knowing our gas would be covered, and we'd all share his hotel room which would also be paid for, we took advantage of it as often as we could and drove a lot of places.

That's how we ended up in New Orleans in 2000. We actually took the kids out of school for ten days for that trip figuring there's nothing as educational as travel - we went to the amazing Aquarium there, and took a swamp tour where our guide called an alligator to the boat - yes, called it like a puppy dog - and fed it marshmallows. We went through the D-Day Museum, rode on the Streetcars (no, it wasn't one named Desire), and took a tour of the city and saw the above-ground cemeteries there as well as the Garden district. (Nora Roberts captured the New Orleans essence perfectly in her Midnight in the Bayou, as did Sherrilynn Kenyon in The Fantasy Lover - it's so neat to read a story and say 'I've been there!) What I found interesting five years later was that during the tour of the city, the tourguide stopped the bus at a point in one of the dykes and said 'there was a study a few years back that said if there was any point going to breach, it's right there.' When Hurricane Katrina hit, I looked up some of the overhead photos of the breaches, and what do you know, one of them was at exactly that spot.

The trip to Washington in 2003 was also a company paid trip. Which meant that hubby was off working conventions or on courses, while the kids and I got to tour around - in 104 degree heat -- we went to Arlington cemetery, and stopped outside the Pentagon which had just been repaired after 9/11. We went to the Air and Space Museum twice, and the Natural History Museum of the Smithsonian. We walked past the Washington Monument, and visited the Vietnam Memorial, as well as the one nearby for Korea while we sweated buckets. And if you're ever in downtown Washington, you have to stop off for lunch at Fudruckers! The best burgers around!

And we'd often stop off at places on the way too and from our destination. Places like the Hershey factory in Pennsylvania, and the nearby Indian Caves (which I think of whenever I read of the Glittering Caves in Tolkien's The Two Towers.) We've stopped at Neil Armstrong's museum in Ohio, and the original Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Kentucky - where they served a 'home made apple pie' made in Ontario! We've taken a ferry across Lake Champlain, and accidentally discovered a gorgeous stop called Ausable Chasm on the way to Lake Placid - another gorgeous place by the way.

The numerous trips to Montreal and Ottawa too were usually paid by his company - where I got to indulge my embroidery hobby, Ottawa had a wonderful shop that carried the linens and special threads I needed that I couldn't get locally, but only online. To actually pick them up, finger them and decide upon just the right colour was heaven!

So far we've visited:

Canadian Provinces:
Ontario - d'uh we live here, Quebec from the western border through to Quebec City, New Brunswick, British Columbia (including Vancouver Island), Alberta, and Saskatchewan. (Hubby has also been to Manitoba and Nova Scotia.)

US States:
(Not alphabetical, or in order we went through them, just the crazy way my brain remembered them)
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC (yes, I know that's technically not a state), North Carolina, Georgia (where the waitresses would have an exquisite southern drawl which impressed us until one admitted she was originally from New York as were a couple of her compatriots), Florida (had to decide yesterday whether Disneyworld or the Kennedy Space Centre was our favourite place), Kentucky, Tennessee (should I mention we met a man who talked exactly like Boomhauer on King of the Hill here?), Ohio, Michigan, Alabama, Missisippi, Louisiana. (I think I'm missing one somewhere in there) Hubby and I have both been to California, but that was pre-kids (See #13 from yesterday's post) Hubby has also been to Illinois (Chicago), Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Missouri and Massachusetts. I've also been to Illinois and Texas but they were mere stopovers as I changed planes at the airports, but that still counts, doesn't it? (Plus I should have more exposure to Texas later this summer.) There, I think that's them all. Does the US Virgin Islands belong here, considering it's not a state but a territory?


And I should mention that my eldest went on a school trip in grade twelve and has been to Italy, Greece and Germany.

So our kids are well travelled and have been exposed to all sorts of adventures and people. But now hubby works for the provincial government so our days of travelling are numbered. We took one fling on the last of his lay-off pay-off money, and flew to Vancouver last year then drove back through the Rockies to Calgary. Considering a civil servant's salary, I doubt our youngest will be treated to a school trip unless he earns it himself.

I am planning a trip to Dallas this summer - I need to do that soon as the flights are already going up in price daily. But that'll probably be the last of it, and we'll be back to camping in the backyard as we used to when the kids were little. But I'd still love to go back to England, and I would love to see Italy as long as I had a guide. Come to think of it I'd love a guide in England rather than relying on sights from trains and buses. I LOVED England. Perhaps it's because my family is originally from there, but it's absolutely amazing to stand somewhere and know it's been there for several thousand years and the natives shrug and think nothing of it, when a building here is considered historical if it's 100 years old.

I really need to win that lottery one of these days.

Thursday Thirteen #2

Forgot to do this last week! Oops. So here's one for this week:

13 of my favourites vacations!

Though not in order of preference except for England but the pictures were just too hard to fiddle with to get them into place!

#1: London, England




I always thought Peter Jackson used Windsor Castle as his inspiration for Gondor.

October 2004



#2: York, England -- Aaak! I don't have any scanned pics!

#3: Virgin Islands

A view from our hotel room balcony, overlooking Sugar Bay
I LOVED the snorkelling there, but my skin hated the sun.

April 2004



#4. Washington DC



Take a look at the little guy here -- then look at him in the Stanley Park pic where only four years later he now towers over his Dad!

August 2002



#5. Quebec City
Taken from the Citadel.
If you've never been to Europe, here's your chance without leaving the continent.

July 2000


#6. Banff, Alberta



I want to to BAAAACK!

August 2006



#7. Stanley Park, Vancouver (though it was decimated during severe storms last fall)

My youngest son and hubby by the Hollow Tree.
August 2006


#8. St. Andrews by the Bay, New Brunswick (Again, no scanned pics - Sorry) but it was July 2000

#9. China Beach, Vancouver Island, British Columbia


A huge old growth forest. Amazingly enough I saw and heard no birds there!

August 2006



#10. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada




Skating on the Rideau Canal one February.

Too many times to mention in the last ten years.





#11. Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Hmm, no scanned pictures -- I really need to update this!

#12. Disneyworld, Florida, USA



Yup, look at youngest son here -- he's four! Even my eldest is little here!


March 1996





#13. San Francisco, California, USA


This is in Ghirardelli Square
(Me and hubby way back in the early 80's)
And we won't mention that hubby's hair was still dark here... will we?

Doggone Adventures

We were sitting in our family room tonight when something black streaked past the patio door. "WTF was that?" said my husband. It was a lovely little four month old black lab pup. Once it got into the back yard it couldn't figure out how to get out - thank goodness.

But I've never seen such an absolutely terrified dog that has not been socialized. It's not leash trained, it won't come when called, it trusts absolutely no one. We managed to corral it in the corner and snap a leather leash left over from our own black lab cross who died almost two years ago. (That's her above) But it refused to move, instead burying itself into the muddy morass that is our backyard now that the snow is melting. Jim ended up having to pick the poor thing up, liberally coating himself in that mud as well.

We spent the next two hours - one of us with the dog on the leash in the driveway, in case someone drove by looking for their puppy, the other walking through the neighbourhood hoping to come across someone calling. No joy. So we extended the search. We loaded the puppy in to the car - who settled down immediately and fell asleep - and drove further afield. Still no joy.

By now, it's dark, it's getting cold, we haven't had dinner and we don't know what else to do. Animal services closed at 5, the police (who AS said you should call if you found or lost a dog) took our name but other than that it was up to us to either keep her for the night or set her loose. No choice to that - we dug out the old crate Storm used to use and put down a thick blanket and she curled right up and settled down, quite happily.

A half hour later, Jim looks out the patio window again and sees a car crawling slowly in the parking lot behind our house. "Hey," he says, "I think someone's finally looking."

Yup, turned out the puppy came from a house three doors up - something I'd predicted at the outset.

The owners only acquired her last week, and said to the breeder that wasn't the type of puppy they wanted but for some reason he didn't give them a choice - now I can only go with what they say on this. They called him later in the week to say that the dog won't eat from a bowl, won't socialize with them, is scared stiff -- well, basically everything I've already noticed. He says "put the dog outside and leave it until it'll come to you."

May I say ... BULLSH*T! That is the worst possible advice to give for a dog that needs socializing.

So I talk some more to the owner and I realize, it's not a reputable breeder she's got it from, it's a puppy mill up in Peterborough that I know of. My parents bred and showed English Springer Spaniels. My sister breeds English Cockers. I know whereof I speak. A respectable breeder of the CKC will force you to sign an agreement, that if you don't want the dog you'll take it back to them -- that's because they don't want their dogs abandoned. And if there's something wrong with a dog they want you to bring it back too - because no reputable breeder wants someone to identify a sick or bad tempered dog with their kennel.

These owners. They're SOL. I hope that dog turns out all right.

I also hope they put a damned tag on the dog's collar with their phone number so whoever finds Kendra next time can call them.

Fallen Gargoyles

OY! I think I'm going to follow Eve Silver's suggestion.

I'm going to write Fallen Gargoyles as a paranormal. As she said, so many of the elements are already in place. The trouble is that the plot will have to significantly change since the paranormal elements will actually become a secondary character (Blue Sue knows what that means, and Klaudia Z too, and Wylie and the other ladies at the table on Saturday - if they understood my ramblings - but the rest of you will have to 'wait and see' )

So I've been sitting looking at the storyline this morning trying to determine if I should start with a completely fresh story/different characters or whether to try to incorporate it into this one. I think the hero can stay though he needs more fleshing out - which I already knew I needed to do - but I'll have to change his internal conflicts. The heroine I'm not so sure about - that's going to be more of a challenge to figure her out in this new aspect, although I think her internal conflicts will be easier to work into the paranormal elements.

The main problem I am encountering is the external conflict. What draws the H/H together? Yes, Amelia's betrothed has just died and they have to solve that mystery but what do they have to unite against to ultimately battle, or at least what type of external conflict do they have to overcome before they eventually come together? And is that type of conflict necessary? I'm probably over-analyzing at this point.

*sigh* I had hoped to have something completed (even if it was still needing some tweaks) for the RWA conference in July, but I'm not sure I can smooth everything out in the less than four months I have left.

But I like the idea of being able to play back in the fantasy realm again. It's much more fun to use your imagination like that.

Oh, and I just checked my horoscope, and found this: The 12th and 13th, if you have a creative urge, give in to it. You won't be sorry!

After the critique

It's over, and though I'm exhausted I'm happy - and inspired. Eve Silver was the PAN author who critiqued our group's submissions. The other authors included a writer of YA, another historical writer, and a contemporary romantic suspense author. So we had a wide range of styles/voices. Eve offered her advice calmly and gently - and it was all constructive. Thank you, Eve!

Now for her critique of my first pages ... where to begin ... she thought I had a strong voice and that I should be sending things out for submissions. She also was intrigued by one of the elements in my storyline. She'd never seen it in a story before and thought I should use that to turn the story from a straight historical romance into an historical paranormal romance.

Whoa! What was that? Paranormal? Where the heck did that come from?

And more ... make it a bit darker and it would be a great Gothic!

Now, two things occurred to me at that time

1. Eve writes Gothic paranormals - so does she see everyone's writing as potential Gothic paranormal? Hmm. Had to think about that for a bit -- well, there was another historical author and she didn't suggest that lady turn her story into a paranormal, so probably not, but she may be more sensitive to potential paranormals than others.
   
2. Previously I've written mainly historical fantasies -- which, yes, may fall into a paranormal realm. So when I read those 5 pages, I found at least three elements that could very easily become paranormal. Maybe I did find it hard to leave my old genre behind and subconsciously added those elements.

Which leads me to ask myself (as she asked me) ... why did I decide to try NOT writing in the fantasy realm and go straight historical?

Hmm. Another good question. I think it was because I didn't think there were many publishing opportunities for paranormal romance. However Eve, and the other authors at the table, have set me straight on that.

So now I have to ask myself -- what genre DO I want to write? Do I want to continue to write straight historical? Or do I want to go back into the fantasy market? Hmm.

And if I decide to change Fallen Gargoyles into a paranormal, just how big a job is that going to be to rewrite it ... again?! Fairly large. Ouch!

When she suggested it, I must admit it surprised me but immediately ideas crowded into my head and I began seeing all sorts of possibilities for driving Nathaniel and Amelia both nuts and together as they try to figure out just what the heck is going on.

And on the plus side, it gives me a chance to cut back on some of the angst and get into some fairly fun (for me) scary stuff. And it shouldn't be too much of a stretch for me - after all I've lived in haunted houses.

Major Happy Dance Time

Ring the bells, honk the horns, blow the kazoos! It's DONE!

Today I actually typed those two little words:

The End

I still have some scenes to edit/add, and there are probably sagging points that'll have to be cut, but Hallelujah, the first draft is finished. And one day before the two-month deadline I'd set myself for writing a first draft.

Now I can concentrated on editing. Which will be a whole new adventure.

Procrastinating

I'm stuck. I'm in the final climactic scene of my first, and still untitled, draft. (Does it still count as a first draft considering the massive rewrite I did on the first part? Yes, I guess it does since this part hasn't been written yet) I know what has to happen - it's all plotted out. I've got the characters all in place but I'm having trouble moving forward. Why does that happen? It's very annoying!

As a way of trying to distract myself (I will use the excuse that I often find stepping away from the story clears my mind and that's when I get epiphanies ... yeah, that sounds good), I've been reading other people's blogs. Kristin Nelson's blog has had a couple interesting entries over yesterday and today . Yesterday she wrote about the difference between 'literary' fiction and 'commercial' fiction. What's interesting is not just her column, but the comments it's inspired -- from the 'yeah, I totally agree' to vicious, venomous attacks. For stating her opinion.

Just reinforces the fact that you can't please everyone - that no matter what position you take, someone is gonna disagree with you. Occasionally at the top of their lungs.

You'd think I'd remember that simple adage given my father's penchant for forcing his opinion on others, but for some reason I always find it surprising that people get so hot under the collar that someone might have a differing opinion than theirs. Silly me.

Critiques

I had a minor meltdown today. Why? I signed up for TRW's critique session on Saturday so I thought I'd better pull up my first chapter that I haven't looked at since I wrote it, just to ensure I wouldn't totally embarrass myself.

Hmm, I don't think it's a good idea, Leah, to have an opening scene with blood dripping into a bowl unless you're writing a vampire novel. So I chopped this section and then another, and moved that scene in front of the other one, found redundancies and then sat back and read it through. And said...

"EEEWWWWW this sucks"

I was getting so frustrated with how wooden it sounded, how it didn't flow, that I wanted to pitch not just the chapter but the entire story.

Shoot forward a couple hours, and my two writing buddies from Texas, Terri and Blue Sue offered to look it over for me. Thank you, ladies! Because they came back with some very valid, and heartening critiques. Yes, I'd missed a few points, and left in some stuff from a previous version that I've got to either add to or chop, and yes, there were still a couple of redundancies (which I've since removed), but on the whole they liked it. Phew!

I think I was looking at it too much - that I needed to take a step back from it because I'd overworked it. At least that's my excuse for today.

So I'm feeling a lot better about Saturday now. At least I think I am.

Imagine getting hit by this icicle!

Just read this or this about huge sheets of ice the size of a dining room table falling off the CN Tower:

The basic laws of physics say that the thick sheets of ice falling from near the top of the 553-metre structure could reach startling speeds before they hit bottom, said Carl Kumadaras, a physics professor at Ryerson University in Toronto.

"In the worst-case scenario, the ice can reach speeds up to 360 kilometres an hour, if it falls from 400 metres and if you don't account for wind resistance," he said.

Ouch! Proves it's not just my house that's had a problem with sheets of ice on the roof!

Protagonists and Antagonists - who needs 'em?

When I started this blog I wanted to try to keep it 'writing related.' I have deviated a few times - the first time I wrote about my roof leaking I justified it because the day before I'd written a scene where my character awakes to discover the roof over his bed leaking. The coincidence struck me. And I find coincidences very intriguing.

Well, I had another coincidence happen last night that had me sitting thinking into the early hours this morning.

My family sat down last night and watched The Prestige starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bales and Michael Caine. And may I say ... WOW! An intelligent movie about the world of magicians that makes you pay attention to every frame from the very beginning. It jumps back and forth using flashbacks, and my husband said he found it a bit disconcerting when he saw it the first time (he'd seen it before while I hadn't), but I didn't find it difficult to follow. The plot twists and turns and at several points, I'd announce "I've got it, I know who Lord Caldlow is" or "I know how they did that; I know what happened" and my husband would chuckle and say "keep watching." I love movies that keep me guessing. (Yes, I was right about Lord Caldlow. No I wasn't right about what happened. Well, not the first time anyway.) I did finally figure it out toward the end, and then had to applaud the writer and screenwriters because they followed the tenets of magic. The movie even opens with Michael Caine's character saying: "Are you watching closely?" The audience sees what is happening from the very first frame, but they have to be paying attention and not allow themselves to be distracted. I was paying close attention, and I almost missed it and it gave me a great "OH MY GOD! They told you right there in the--"(no, I'm not going to spoil it - watch the movie and figure it out yourself) moment when I finally solved not 'who did it' but how.

But one thing that made me sit up and take notice was a comment my youngest son made: "I've never seen a movie that has no protagonist."

He's right. By the time the movie ends, you realize that Hugh Jackman's and Christian Bales' characters are obsessed to insanity with having the 'best trick.' Neither can be viewed as the protagonist - you really can root for neither, which is my definition of a protagonist - a good guy. (And there's a hint/spoiler in this paragraph *G*)

Now here's the coincidence. I go back to my computer after the movie to check my email and find my writing buddy/mentor, Blue Sue, has sent me an email about something she'd seen on another group saying that stories don't have to have antagonists. Talk about a coincidence! I've just had a discussion about whether a story needs a protagonist and here she's emailing me about not needing an antagonist to tell a story. I love coincidences like that - talk about spice of life.

The article Sue quotes mentions one of my all-time favourite short stories "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry. For those not familiar with the classic - that story tells about how a woman wants to buy her husband a Christmas gift, but she only has $1.87, so she sells her hair, which falls almost to her knees, in order to buy him a chain for his pocketwatch. He comes home and reveals that he has pawned his pocketwatch in order to buy her ivory combs for her to put in her hair that he is so proud of. No antagonist, no anger, no complex plots, just a story of selfless love.

So a story doesn't have to have an antagonist. Yes, it's got to have one or the other, but not both. Wow! But would that type of story sell in today's market? Or have we been so programmed to want action/adventure that a quiet story of love and devotion wouldn't be looked at? I hope not.

As I lay in bed last night, I thought about antagonists. Did Sleepless in Seattle, one of my favourite romances, have an antagonist? I don't think so. The Lake House? Can't think of one. Yeah, stories don't have to have an antagonist. I know that's no surprise to most, but it confirms my faith in a story I wrote a few years back about a couple who marry hastily and then discover there are a lot of differences they'd not considered, both cultural and in their expectations, that they have to overcome for their marriage to survive. I'd love to redo that story now without feeling I have to put in an antagonist in order to create a good story.

(As a sidenote, I remember listening to The Gift of the Magi being read over the radio one Christmas Eve when I was about 8 -- the narrator had a deep resonant voice like James Earl Jones, and I was listening on an old 1950's style radio that was as big as a wardrobe, so the bass really resounded through me. Probably another of the reasons I love that story - what better way to spend an evening when the snow is falling softly outside muffling all other sounds, than having a story read by a professional while you're snuggled up in bed.)

And Happy 16th, Curly! I can't believe you're old enough to drive already, my lovely little boy.

Drip Drip Drip

Houston, we have a problem. Again.

Woke up at three a.m. - have no idea why - but decided to get a drink and discovered a puddle on the counter and floor and heard that telltale 'plink plink' sound. It's not behind the light fixture; it's mainly in the corner this time, but the drywall is feeling suspiciously soggy all around.

We had a huge snowstorm last night, that changed to freezing rain. So I'm guessing there's ice there again and the rain has no where to go. So much for my plans on getting a good night's sleep and writing a lot in the morning.

Edited/Addition:
It's now 11:30 a.m. and the water is still dripping through the roof, including behind the light fixture too. The snow is melting and there's a constant stream pouring off the roof - at least some of the water is not coming into the house.

It's not like the roof needs replacing - it was completely replaced with new boards, a rubber membrane to stop leaks (fat lot of good that did!), and new shingles in 2003.

Hubby's going to get the ladder and try to clear off as much ice as he can in a few minutes - hopefully that will help. So much for my 'Spring has Sprung' post. That poor birdie - he's probably buried under the snow and ice now.

Happy Dance Time

After nearly two weeks of massive editing, I finally got my storyline the way I wanted it. And I've started moving forward again. Phew!

In fact I've managed to make it - finally - to 70,000 words today! And I'm in the middle of the 'black moment.' Which means it's picking up momentum! Yay me!





Thursday Thirteen #1

Thirteen Books I’ve Read that made an impression on me (in no particular order of preference) 1. Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien: This book took me forever to read - I cannot tell you the number of times I put it down and gave up. But my eldest son convinced me that if I could just get past Elrond's council I'd enjoy it. He was right! I became a die-hard fan and even read the Silmarillion after that. Loved the movies too - but where are the Rangers who became so real in my imagination? It's spawned tons of fanfiction stories, and other authors have obviously been heavily influenced - Terry Pratchett and Terry Goodkind, even Christopher Paolini with his Eragon. Because his world is so rich, and so involved that it's as if you're reading an actual history. Even though editors/publishers admit his book wouldn't be published today as it is, the Professor set the bar very high for the rest of us writers with his character and world building, not to mention his storytelling. 2. Harry Potter by JK Rowling. Kudos to Ms. Rowling for writing a book that made my youngest son read. He hated reading, wouldn't sit still to listen to anyone read to him, but this book made him stop and listen. Even lunch hour, while he was eating, I'd read the next chapter and soon he began reading them himself. (He was 10 when he began the series and had trouble reading before that.) 3. Shogun by James Clavell - This book at first caused fights in my marriage - my husband, a non-reader at the time, couldn't understand why I'd go into the tub and read for an hour. He'd think I was angry with him and was sulking. I wasn't, he didn't understand that a reader loves to read. Things came to a head when I buried myself in this massive tome. I got so involved in it, I even dreamed that everyone around me was speaking Japanese and couldn't understand me. But then he picked it up and he got hooked on reading and now he patronizes one of the six book stores in the block where he works and brings home books that he thinks I might like to read. What a treasure! 4. The Man by Irving Wallace. I read this when I was 13 and I think it still stands up today. And when you consider the book is about the first black man becoming President of the United States and covered all sorts of political and social issues, and I was a 13 year old white Canadian girl - you realize he wrote an incredibly interesting novel to hold my attention and make it a favourite. 5. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I just picked up this series last year, and promptly sent hubby out on a mission to find the rest - which he snagged at a used book shop. And I've since worn out the original Outlander and Drums of Autumn and had to replace them. I love Jamie, and the premise/world Gabaldon has created ... although I must admit that I didn't like Dragonfly in Amber as much, I don't like Brianna, and by the time I got to the end of Breath of Snow and Ashes, I don't like Claire anymore either. Such a pity. But this first one is great and will stay on my 'keeper' shelf. 6. Hard Truth by Nevada Barr. A recent discovery recommended by a friend who knew I like Sue Grafton novels. Hard Truth is the latest of Nevada's Anna Pigeon novels. I've gone back and read the first two in the series and they're equally spectacular -- intriguing plot, quirky characters who are ALL suspects. As soon as I'm done the first draft of my story, I've promised myself time to read Nevada's third novel in the series. 7. Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. They seek him here, they seek him there, those Frenchies seek him everywhere ... I adored the Scarlet Pimpernel from the moment I picked up the book on the bus. It was a 'required reading' novel in a different English program than the one I was taking, but I was bored on the hour long bus ride home and picked up a friend's copy and started reading it. Finished it on the way to school the next day. A few years later I saw the 1930's film version with Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon. And fell in love again! It, and Victoria Holt novels, began my lifelong love of historical romances. 8. Chrysalids by John Wyndham A required reading novel from my grade nine English class, but it really introduced me to a love of fantasy and sci-fi. The ultimate what-if novel, along with a consistent theme with my writing about social interactions with people who are 'different' from the norm. I loved it so much when my kids were old enough to read it, I went out and found a copy at the 'Half Price Books' store and it's now on my keeper shelf. 9. Richard III by Shakespeare. Great grade 11 required reading that really inspired my love of Shakespeare. Don't get me wrong, I like the others I'd read before too, but Richard III introduced the concept to me that 'History is written by the victor'. I got so inspired by the story that I actually approached my English teacher and asked for extra assignments. Ok, I was a geek, but I loved that tale and all its intrigue. 10. Rising Tides by Nora Roberts. This hasn't influenced as such, but it's one of those memorable tales because Nora's character Ethan could be my hubby! Seriously! I love Nora and how she brings her characters to life and gives them such depth without making them too stereotypical. (Ok, most of her characters, there have been a few duds in her day) But Ethan is so accurate! and sensitive and I just want to hug him. And I like that he's not a big rich successful ad exec like Philip, he's a humble fisherman who falls in love with a single mother. In other words, normal despite his horrific background. And yes, they do exist. I have proof. 11. Flame and the Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss. My first historical romance that I didn't have to hide -- because I was married and had my own apartment so my mother couldn't criticize what I read. I can't say I've read many romances that begin with a rape and wanted to continue to read (I did a rant on this subject in an earlier blog). But these characters caught my imagination. I look at her style in her later books and I shudder a bit at how florid they are, but then again this was written in the 70's and purple prose was in. But I still love this story and these characters. I also like her A Rose in Winter, and Shanna ... the others, not so much. 12. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis. My favourite book as a child - I SO wanted to find a secret world in a wardrobe. I hated Edmund and wished I could meet Aslan. My parents even had a wardrobe in their bedroom - which was a house called Cherry Cottage built in 1877. I love the opening because my mother has often described how she and her family would have to run to the shelter when the air raid sirens sounded - and how her mother fell into theirs one dark night and broke a vertebrae. I thought, well, if it's written the same as my mother lived, then the rest must be true too! But their wardrobe never had a secret world as far as I ever found. What a pity! 13. This is a tie -- between two non-fiction books. When I was in high school, a girl I thought was a friend spread what she thought was a joke about how whenever she visited me she found me reading the encyclopaedia. It spread like wildfire and I was ostracized for the rest of the year. Unfortunately, as much as I denied it, it was true. I love the encyclopaedia. I love reading about exotic lands and looking at the pictures - remember this is pre-internet days, and where I lived we only got two TV channels, so we were pretty limited for entertainment. So that's one, the other one that I couldn't decide from is Stephen King's On Writing. Which basically made me sit my butt in the chair and write to a specific number of words a day. By the way, I can't figure out how to get a list of other 'Thirteen' participants here the way I've seen on other people's lists. If anyone can tell me how to do it, or tell me where to find the code, please let me know.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants