Greetings and Salutations from the world of pizza. It has been quite an interesting evening. I wrote my author bio, my dedication, and my acknowledgment tonight. I tweaked with my blurb and sent out another revision of it for my compatriots to poke holes in. I didn’t socialize much. I felt I had a lot to handle. And for once I was motivated to stay on target.
The big news however….drum roll please…..
FRIDAY OCTOBER 9TH will be an extra Fun Friday….
My novel will launch.
Woot!
I stayed home. I just didn’t have it tonight. I’m still fighting my way back from that delightful concussion I gave myself at the end of last week. Between de-cluttering, which I do every fall, preparing for guests to arrive tomorrow, preparing for a party I am having on Sunday, and staying up late with hubby to get through my novel reading….there s just nothing left in the tank. I’m actually running a low grade fever, I’m so exhausted.
So without further ado, I go to bed.
woohoo, I actually made it to writer’s cafe this morning. Did I get any work done? laughing…not really. I wrote three blog posts. I had vague hopes of getting all my weekend workshops for the next two months written and scheduled. I wasn’t crazy enough to think I would get the exercises done as well but at least the summary posts right? shrug, oh well.
So where am I with my novels.
Fun life stuff:
In a week my cuz and his wife are coming to visit for a few days. I haven’t seen them in years. So super excited about that.
Then I have an anniversary party, 10 years, which I am catering as well as enjoying.
Then my friend Patty comes for a few days.
Then I am running away for the weekend.
Then I am launching my romance on the world.
Then a cruise with the hubby and kiddo.
Then NANO.
So not rushing this fall. I plan to enjoy every moment of it. I can’t ever get some of these experiences back again. Time to savor them. What are you looking forward to this fall? What are you writing at Nano?
The restaurant where we meet on Wednesday night was doing some renovations this week and closed on Wednesday. Hrmph. Who do they think they are? The owners or something? LOL
So some of us, met at my house, had dinner, and watched Gosford Park.
Yes, the movie night we discussed last week came to be already.
I love Gosford Park. It is so incredibly subtle in the way it was written and then filmed. You have to really watch and listen to everything. I’ve seen it at least a dozen times and I still caught something new last night. It is such a brilliant mix of carefully crafted words that blend with tiny actions to give things the whole meaning. For example….
The maid has been fired. The daughter of the house is asking if she is in any difficulty. The maid says apart from having no home and no job. The daughter repeats with particular difficulty. The maid placing a hand on her stomach says no. To which the daughter says you were always much clever than I was.
This scene reveals so much if you catch it all. The daughter is asking if the maid is knocked up. At the same time it reveals just what the daughter is being blackmailed about. It’s a short 20 seconds but man does it answer so many questions.
What do you think of Gosford Park? Have you seen it? Did you understand it? Did you catch all the undercurrents? Do you think Midi and Parks will meet back up at the funeral or will Parks immediately change his position? Enquiring minds want to know. Alright, this enquiring mind wants to know.
I got so much work done tonight. Seriously. I edited from Chapter 33 to 42. That means only five chapters to go. Yip! So close. So close. I wanted to get it all combined by the weekend so I can spend the weekend reading it out loud to my husband. I know, I’m a freak. LOL But we have all these points where he has made suggestions in his line edits and I want to argue with him about them. Sometimes what he says is perfect. I know immediately he is right and I need to adjust. Sometimes I know he’s full of it. But then there’s that middle ground and I want to put on my gloves and step into the ring so we can hash it out.
Of course, all this work means I barely participated in the conversations. Whimper.
My poor friends. So neglected.
Of course we did agree to have a Wednesday Cafe field trip to watch Gosford Park. laughing. That’s what writers do. Field trips to watch 15 year old movies that were brilliantly done.
I have to share the most amusing thing I heard this week. Style is merely self plagiarism. Bless you Hitchcock. You were a brilliant man.
It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring, he went to bed and bumped his head and he didn’t get up in the morning….
“That’s not funny. mommy.” Said with a frown by my kiddo when I tried to sing this to him outside the library. Children today. LOL
By (dubious) virtue of not walking the dog, doing yoga, or showering, I made it to the Friday write in today. It was just Alex and I. That is dangerous. Because Alex and I can talk about everything under the sun, twice, and still come up with something entertaining to say to each other. I edited one chapter. Just one. It was a long one though, does that help in any way? laughing.
We did however discuss our book covers, nano this year, World Con, how stunningly unbelievable it is that his wife just turned an age number I won’t repeat, but actually thought she must be lying – she looks so flipping young I thought she was my age, possibly a little less.
So some writing related work was done.
All those other conversations will help in some way I am sure, some day. LOL.
If you’re keeping track, that’s 5 chapters edited. Thirty odd to go.
Greetings and Salutations from our Cafe, we have internet again!
Writers cafe seems to be suffering from summer-itis. You know when the great outdoors is so exciting no one can tear themselves away from the thrill of the mountains, rivers, outdoors concerts, brew-fests, etc to come indoors and write.
That’s ok. It just means those of us that show up actually get a little work done in between our excessive chatting.
I edited four chapters of my novel. Combining four sets of serious beta feedback is no mean feat. But it’s working.
I had a little chat with my cover artist and we agreed on a date for completion.
I’m actually nervous as I type this. It’s looking like early October. Jibber Jabber Holy cow man. (picture that sound with a grown woman spinning in circles, flapping her arms.)
Yep, that’s me, the picture of a cool, calm, professional authoress. ROFL. Or not.
I was a naughty girl tonight. I didn’t even take a laptop to write in. I took Fluxx.
I hadn’t been in soooo long, there was so much catching up to. And I didn’t have a sitter so I brought kiddo. I knew I wouldn’t get any work done, what was the point in pretending.
L and I had delightful chats about both recent trips we took and the one she has coming up. J and I talked about my book, when it’s coming out, and why I am going straight to self publishing rather than wasting time with traditional. (My words.)
Then everyone else left, my hubby picked up my kiddo (thanks love), and S, V, and I got down to it. Fluxx and words. I love these women. Really. We just never run out of things to say. There’s always a funny story to tell about ourselves or someone else. Always a little love and affection to share. I won’t bore you with the details but simply say, life, love, and the pursuit of a healthy writing career. The End.
I had the hardest time writing at cafe tonight. But really I can’t blame it on cafe. I didn’t make it last week which meant much chatting needed to happen. And really I haven’t felt much like writing at all these days. I’m just frustrated with my spy novel. This happens a lot with my spy novel. I get into a groove, it last a few thousand words, and then I’m done. I just want to throw it on the fire and toast a marshmallow.
sigh.
So far this week I’ve written 430 words. That’s since Saturday. Yep. That’s less than 100 words a day. Bleh.
On the plus side I think I talked D into reading a book I really liked. LOL. Glad I could help someone else to get their book out there.
I’m not sure the spy novel will ever see the light of day which is a little sad to me because it was my first. And there are parts of it, that I think are really, really high quality, especially for an action novel. LOL. But I’m not sure there’s enough meat on this carcass to give it legs.
Talk to me? Do you abandon a novel that is resisting being written? Or do you bang it out no matter how painful the process is?
I missed it. My father in law came into town a day early. I spent the day unloading antique furniture he was giving to us and evening getting drunk with him. I can think of worse ways to spend a Wednesday.
But alas no cafe, no nano.
T.A. Henry 