The Thief of Time

I was going to write this post last night.

Then, I was going to write it first thing this morning.

It's now just after lunch, and I'm finally getting around to it.

Where does all the time go?

The answer to that question leads us to this week's writing quote:

"Procrastination is the thief of time."

- Joseph Heller

Oh, that's it. Procrastination took my time away. The thief!

I never used to be good at procrastination, but I'm learning!

And I hate it.

I hate how I feel when it's the night before a big event, and I'm scrambling.

I hate the sleepless nights, or even worse - the nightmares of being unprepared if I do actually manage to sleep.

Each time I promise myself that I'll be more on top of it next time.

Like I always used to be.

What happened to me?

Kids?

Church service?

Work?

Housework?

Friends?

Television?

Books?

General laziness?

Writing?

Okay, so it's probably all of the above. Plus a few other things.  Like trying to find a picture for this:

Today's writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, my day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here

That Explains It!

A couple of years ago I began feeling nauseous.  You know, pregnancy-type queazy.  The problem was, I had an almost two year old, a not quite six month old, and nearly panicked with the idea of having another one added on to that.

It just couldn't be possible! Could it?

After a week or so of serious anxiety, an idea occurred to me. I had started taking a new multivitamin about the same time I began feeling "sick".

Could it really be that easy?

To my great relief, it was.

I stopped with the vitamins an voila!

They made a two-point shot, strait into the garbage!

Fast forward to two weeks ago.

Once again I decided to start taking a multivitamin. I chose a different brand, and hoped for the best.

The queasiness came back the first day!

Ugh! Could it really be so hard to add extra vitamins to my diet?

I had a new idea. I had been taking the vitamins in the morning, with breakfast. I changed to taking them at dinner. Maybe if I took them with more food I would be okay.

Guess what? It worked! No more pregnancy-like sick feeling. Hooray!

About a week into my new routine I was up late, unable to fall asleep - again! I needed to sleep. I needed to get up early. I had barely been able to stay away during the mid afternoon. Why couldn't I sleep now?

On a whim I headed toward the pantry. (Okay, it was probably more of a "search for a late night snack", but...)

While staring at the shelves, wishing for some zero-calorie chocolate to magically appear, I saw my vitamin bottle. Picking it up I read the following:

This product contains about as much caffeine as a cup of coffee.

Seriously??!!

No wonder I couldn't sleep at night. I'd just taken a caffeine pill with dinner!

Now I've moved onto option number three, taking it with lunch. If this doesn't work I'm swearing off vitamins forever!

Lasterday: Made-up Words

My daughter, who is almost four, has her own little collection of made up words. Most of the time she's speaks the same dialect as the rest of us, but every now and then the Made-Up-Words come out.

Member - This one's just short for Remember, but it's still cute.

• "You said I could have a treat after I ate all my lunch, member?"

Yabecause - This is said all as one word. She uses it when she's looking for an excuse to get out of something. Not only that, but it's usually used in the completely wrong way. (Is there actually a wrong way to use made-up words?)

• me: "It's time for bed."
• her: "Yabecause, I want to watch a movie."
• me: "You already watched one. Now it's time for bed."
• her: "Yabecause..... (thinking really hard, looking around her room for something, anything, to ask for...) I want another drink."
• me: "Okay, one more drink.... (gets another drink, tucks her in - again) Go to sleep!"
• her: (two minutes later) "Mom!"
• me: "Go to sleep!" (trying to maintain the sweet voice, despite my desire to duck tape her to the bed)
• her: "Yabecause, I can't fall asleep..."

Begot - It's amazing how many times she can use this one.

• "Mom, we begot to have a vitamin."
• "Mom, we begot to have a treat."
• "Mom, we begot to play the game."

           Then, of course, I like to point out how she "begot" to say "forgot".

Lasterday - This is her most recent word, and one I thought was pretty unique. Until I looked it up on the good old web. It's not actually a word, but it's used a lot. Urban Dictionary has several:

• A word used to describe an indefinite time in the past (e.g. last week, last month, last year)
       Remember lasterday when we went to the beach?
• The time peroid that falls between yesterday and last week. Excelent for college students who don't have the capacity to remember what day it is. 
       Jess: Yell lost her phone lasterday.
• The day or days before today, any day before the current day with no exact date in mind.

                I did that at school lasterday.

Hmmm... I wonder if I can use them all in a sentence...

"Yabecause you begot to paint my fingernails lasterday, member?"

Whether in real life or in the world of fiction - I'd love to hear about the made-up words in your world.

The Best Fruit

This week's writing quote is,

"The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit."

- Moliere

Okay, so you can really apply that to any aspect of your life. But I find particular comfort in applying it to my writing. Because let me tell you - it is extremely slow growing!

My first book was easy. I wrote most of it in a three month block. It was exciting to see it all show up on the screen. It was a learning experience. It was Terrible!

Really. But it's okay.

I moved on to my second book. The idea was fun. I dove right in. And nearly drowned in the tide.

It proved to hold many more challenges than the first book I wrote.

Historical fiction's kind of like that.

I loved doing the research, but it was still hard to get myself to do it.

Then I put it aside so I could focus on my writing planners.

Now I'm in limbo. I think the slowest thing to develop in my writing is actually deciding what genre to write! I feel like that just comes naturally to most writers. But I'm really struggling with it. The more I read, and the more I learn about what I actually like, the more I wonder.

I'm not giving up on my current historical fiction, but it may take a vacation on my bookshelf while I explore a new idea I've got, in a new genre.

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Today's writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, my day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here

I Can Relate...Sometimes!

This week's writing quote is:

"I have made this [letter] longer, because I have not had the time to make it shorter."

- Blaise Pascal

Sometimes it's so easy to get carried away with our writing, that we've written three chapters that have nothing to do with the plot. Sometimes our characters take a detour, and we want to see where it leads so we follow, only to get lost down a dead-end street.

But that's okay. That's what drafting is for. We experiment. We explore.

Eventually we have to go back. Edit. Revise. Thus begins the process of shortening. Taking out all the unnecessary stuff. Oh yeah, and adding those most important details that somehow we missed! It takes time. But the end result is so much better.

Thank goodness we have computers. Thank goodness we're not dealing with typewriters or worse, hand writing. (Although I know a few writers who still prefer that method!)

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If you (or anyone you know) could benefit from a day planner that's geared toward writers, my sale price is still available for The Write Planner. Right now it's only $12, which come to $1 per month!! Check out my website for more details.

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Today's writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, a day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here

The Parts To Leave Out

This week's writing quote is:

"I try to leave out the parts that people skip."
- Elmore Leonard

Such simple words. Well Duh! Right? But most of us are guilty of skipping over passages, even when we really love the book. As a writer, that's one of my biggest fears. Will I bore the reader? Will they skip this part?

So ask yourself: Is this really necessary? Does it move the plot along? Does it create conflict? Does it develop the character? Would the reader miss anything if you took it out?

No?

Then get rid of it!

(Is anyone still reading this post?)

Have I bored you yet?

Well, if you're still with me, go check out my website. I've got a special offer for The Write Planner going on now.

For the next two weeks they are on sale for just $12. 


That's only $1 per month to keep you focused on your writing!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Today's writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, a day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here.

Writing Is An Adventure

This week's writing quote is:

"Writing is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement. Then it becomes a mistress, then it becomes a master, then it becomes a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster and fling him to the public."

- Winston Churchill

This writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, a day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here.

A Time To Write

This week's Writing Quote:

"Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, 

I don't feel I should be doing something else."

- Gloria Steinem

Is that how you feel about writing?

For me: Not usually.

I always feel like I should be doing something else. Even when I'm working on the very thing I should be doing. There is just so much to do!

Unfortunately, writing usually falls pretty far down on the priority list. I hope to change that soon. (You know - New Years Resolutions and all....)  ;)

But one thing is for sure. When I do actually write, I feel successful. Even if I've only written garbage, I wrote!

I love the feeling of creation that comes with writing. I love the sense of accomplishment.

I love writing!  So why don't I do it more often?


This writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, a day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here.

Talent or Guts?

Today's Quote of the Week is:

"Talent is helpful in writing, 

but guts are absolutely necessary."

- Jessamyn West

So many of us are held back by our own feelings of inadequacy. We think, "We're not smart enough. We're not good enough. We're not talented enough." And we may not be. Yet.

But that's not all that matters!

Sure, it's helpful.

But having guts in this business is a necessity. It's a tough world. To quote Sarah M. Eden (from my interview on her blog last Friday) "I decided to become a writer because ninja was just too easy."


First, you have to have guts to put your thoughts on paper. Next, it takes guts to let anyone actually read what you've written. Then when you're ready, you have to face the world of rejection from agents, editors, and publishers. And after all that, when you've finally made it in the writing world, when you finally have that New York Times' Bestselling Novel, you have to face the criticism of your beloved readers. Because lets face it, not everyone will love your book. And that's okay. More people will love it!

So go ahead. Put yourself out there. Prepare to be rejected. It takes guts.

Do you have guts?

This writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, a day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here.

I Need Friends Friday - My Interview

Today I am featured on Sarah M. Eden's weekly interview: I Need Friends Friday.

Go check it out!

I Smell Bacon. Still.

Last night I used a new recipe for Potato Soup. One of the ingredients was freshly cooked bacon. So I bought bacon, which I don't do very often.

And now I remember why.

I hate cooking it. Don't get me wrong, I love eating it, but cooking it is another story.

The smoke. The splatters. The smell.

After the bacon was done I used some of the reserved grease to cook the chopped onions in. Let me just tell you, those two ingredients together nearly did me in. I'm surprised I still have paint on my walls.

When I came downstairs this morning I could still smell bacon. And when I smelled my hands, I could still smell onions. I think I've finally got rid of the onion smell, but even this afternoon, almost 24 hours later, my house still wreaks of bacon.

I've heard before that eating too much bacon can clog your arteries. Is it possible that the smell of bacon can clog your sinus's? Because I think that's what happened here.

At least the soup was good. But I may reconsider the recipe next time, and use pre-cooked bacon and minced onion instead.

Quote of the Week

Today's writing quote of the week is:

"A writer is someone who can make a riddle out of an answer."

- Karl Kraus

Some writers know how their book will end before they even write the beginning. Some figure it out as they go. But one thing is for sure. It's not nearly as exciting to know that "Sally" did it, if we don't get to read the how, why and when. The riddle is the good part. The answer is just the perk at the end.

I just finished re-reading The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. This is a great example of making a riddle out of an answer. We know very early that Edmond Dantes was wrongly imprisoned, and that he wants vengeance. But watching the story unfold and discovering his complicated means of achieving that vengeance is the exciting part.

I know how my work in progress will end, but I'm still not sure how the middle of the story will go. I get to discover it as I go. Hopefully sooner than later!

This writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, a day planner designed for writers. Learn more about The Write Planner here.