Knitting A Life

Little bit by little bit. It's like I'm coming out of my shell. Getting back to work.

Should I do it?

An agent liked my hook during a pitch session at our conference. I guess the book is worth the struggle to write. Now if I could only get past the second chapter...

I've been reading all sorts of self-help stuff from the Net (especially Kristi Holl's blog, http://writers-first-aid.blogspot.com. I think she knows my soul.)

One productivity suggestion was to set an egg timer for 33 1/2 minutes at a time. Then you would write in intervals taking breaks in between.

Considering my complete lack of discipline, leading to complete lack of writing, I bought an egg timer and used it yesterday.

I only did one 33 1/2 minute session but you know, I think it worked. My focus tried to stray but with the tick tick tick, I didn't allow myself to look at yarn online or play Scrabulous. I started to write.

I hope I can keep it up. Because friends, I really would like to complete a draft of a novel by the end of the year. There I've said it. Maybe I'll mean it.

The little something of a pb I wrote about in the last post, I finally submitted it to publishers.

Progress.

I wrote a new pb today. Woke up with the whole idea. That's something that hasn't happened in like, over a year. Wow.

2008 is starting off better than expected.

For my dear hubby. I persuaded him to start a blog for his sci-fi series: Akiesha

www.akiesha.blogspot.com

He's still (we're still) waiting and waiting for certain foreign publishers to get us into print. But who knows what will happen?

I'm like hey, the story's available now, online, in PDF. Does the Kindle do PDF? I don't know but maybe readers would be interested in a blog. He has a lot to say.

I think it's a neat idea and I'm happy that ZeMial, the artist on the series, has graciously allowed us to use his work on the blog.

Enjoy!

Once upon a time I started a blog. Then I forgot about it. Well, not totally, because I got some friends that let me read their blogs.

But I kind of forgot about writing anything. Well, not totally, but mostly. Writer's block can be like that.

But I've been thinking about starting another blog, a knitting blog, if I can get myself to it. I'm still reading more than writing.

I've collected up all the rejections I'm going to get this year. I have sent those stories out anew. But if I'm going to call myself a writer I need to write again. Hopefully next year. If my kids let me.

Summer always seems to be over when the kids go back to school.

But for my oldest, it's definitely time! :-)

I wish it wasn't 90-100 degrees here. I like remembering the cool crisp air of first day of school when I grew up a little north of here and school started after Labor Day. Ah well.

What have I been doing this summer? Hanging out in our little rubber pool on the deck (or more like watching the kids hang out in the pool.) Helping my in-laws with their massive garden - more like being on the receiving end of tons of veggies!

I've also been knitting my fingers off. I'm in the final stages of the collection I'm going to sell at our church bazaar coming up fast on Sept. 8th. Wow.

No word on the writing submissions front, which actually is good news - in a way. Hope turns to anxiety and I try hard not to think about it.

This summer finds me knitting like a fiend, preparing for our September church Family Day Craft Fair. The kids are underfoot and we are just back from vacation at the beach. (We are very blessed.)

This is the week my oldest goes to "Grandma Camp" but the corn is coming in.
This is urgent! So we are all going to drive the 200 miles out into the country this weekend to help my sweet M-I-L (Grandma) bring in the harvest.

Fortunately it's only a quarter of an acre. Tee hee! Or we, soft suburban people, would be in a bad fix.

I'm having a good time not writing. I'm still waiting on a harvest of four responses on four different pieces. I'm praying for one and hopeful for two. I'm grateful that I haven't recieved any whiplash rejects, although one house takes a minimum of 8 months to open the slush. So life must go on.

My friends, I hope your harvest comes in plentiful.

Yesterday I taught my first class in knitting. I actually had three students!

I don't think I did too badly. Whew.

I'm still a doofus in the retail setting though, because I think I screwed up swiping in my timecard. Ugh. But I did get my paperwork right (thanks to the sweet managers who KNOW I need help.) Overall not too bad for my second two hours in retail...ever. HA ha ha ha!

And maybe there will be stories in this experience. First I need to figure out how to teach an eight year old Girl Scout how to knit, minimizing the frustration. Happily nobody left crying, so I think I did okay.

Shocking, stunning, I know. I wasn't even looking for one. But I was shopping and saw a sign that said "Openings for Craft Instructors." I was like, I can do that. Lo and behold, I've become a knitting instructor at our local Michael's! It's the perfect gig; I just do a few classes in the evenings every month.

Only problem is: I've never taught anything formally. Oh well, I'll cross that bridge if I get any students. (Yipes!)

It's been a goodly number of years since I was at my alma mater.

I am truly saddened that one person can stain a place.

In answer to a question, yes, the campus is that beautiful. You should see it in the Fall.

Need to get back to blogging so I'll do Melissa Wyatt's meme:

Go to page 123 of your own WIP (and if you're not there, go to page 23.) Count down four sentences and write the next paragraph.

From page 23 of a WIP that has been abandoned for awhile:

The soup was cold. The lobster was rubber. Toni was bored until the arguing started.

***

Maybe I should breathe life back into the old thing. A new complication to merge into it is tickling my brain. But I think I'll have to let it simmer more.

At least that's what my good friend and crit buddy says. I have a hard time believing that of course. But I must have faith, because my brain has turned to jello.

I can't read the thing anymore. I don't know what it says.

I must let go and send it back to the editor and see what happens. Sigh.

Next week.

I'm back and our computer is safely backed up. I'm here procrastinating from my book writing and revisions. Sigh. It's amazing how many deviations I can find to avoid actual work. I've started working on crafts and knitting again, thinking maybe I'll have a table at a crafts fair this year. This would be an adventure for me, as if I don't have enough in my own head!

Well I have no idea where I'm going with this post, so I titled it appropriately. Just stopped by to say hello. Now I have to get some work done before naptime ends...

This week was a mess because my computer software decided to crash. My firewall and Internet software collided causing XP to veer off the road and go somewhere else. I think that was XP's self-healing mechanism. Unfortunately while XP still ran, all of my programs became disconnected and disgruntled. It's been a configuration nightmare.

Before I became a stay-at-home-mommy, I worked in software quality assurance. (Stop laughing!) It's been a while, but I still have party tricks and some competence to deal with my computer system. But it makes me wonder how regular folk get along with their PCs. I think I need to do a survey; how broken is your computer?

My system is not fully recovered but is doing much better at least 95%. I going to finally pony up the cash and purchase either Ghost or DriveImage so I'll have a complete backup of my system.

No writing files were harmed in the crash because those have been and are easily backed up. It's the rebuilding and reconfiguring of all the programs that takes hours away from your writing time. UGH!

It's going to be an interesting year.

Make it a good one!

I'm behind again! I have a couple more posts to catch up with Fall stuff but we were overwhelmed in November with my daughter catching the flu. Yuck! Fortunately everyone is well now. I am grateful.

I read in the paper some researchers found that to create happiness all you have to do is write down three things you are grateful for before you go to bed. They say that also helps you get a good night's sleep.

So I'm going to try that as a new habit. I've changed my whiny paper journal into a daily gratitude list for the last couple of days. I haven't quite done it at bedtime (usually at baby's naptime) but I think it's already having an effect.

Right now I'm grateful that:

1. My lj friend pamm has a contract for a book coming to her!

2. The weather has been 73 degrees. (Okay it's turning cold tomorrow but I'm grateful for today!)

3. I've started revising an old favorite picture book of mine. I think I have some new ideas for it. It's fabulous to come unstuck for awhile.

Yes, I think the gratitude journal is helping.

In October, the Monet in Normandy exhibit opened at our local art museum. The Friday before the official opening that weekend, the newspaper announced that the art director decided to let people preview the show for free that very day from 9am-6pm. This was a spur-of-the-moment last minute decision so I thought, hey I've got a chance. And saving $15 a head was a deal for this mommy. I packed up my littlest squirt and headed out to the museum. We got there by 9:45am and the line was moderate. My only problem was that no strollers were allowed! Ooops. That's 20 lbs on my shoulders. Oh well we weren't going to stay too long.

The paintings were marvelous! I've always loved the Impressionists. This was a treat for an artist's soul. My words fail me to describe them.

Another bonus was that everybody had to stand back to really take in the paintings so that left room for short people in front. Hurrah!

When we left by 11am the place was packed and the lines were waaaaay out the door!

Awesome!

I'm playing catch up with my new blog because there've been some interesting moments for me this past year.

Last April, I went with a friend to the Southern Women's Show. That is a fun show that comes every year to our convention center. It's filled with fashion and freebies galore, everything to entice women to shop! Our local radio station sponsored a bingo game for charity. Surprise surprise, I got BINGO!! My prize was a makeover at the JC Penney salon.

I've never had haircolor. The one thing I've always been happy with is my hair. I'm a no fuss girl. I've been blessed. But I always said I'd consider color when I was forty. Well I'm coming closer to forty every day now and the gray hair is coming too. But with my makeover, I got a full brown color and then golden highlights. It was beautiful. It lasted sooo long! But I'm a little sad today because it's finally grown out and the grays are popping back.

I'll have to find another way to get my color back. I don't want to think about how much that salon job might have cost. I can't afford to do that again right now with Christmas coming. Maybe next year... Ah that was a prize.