It's Friday...It's Raining...It's a Good Day for Plotting

This is a perfect day to stay home from work, sit by a window and listen to the rain slashing the windows, and the wind whistling as it torments the branches in the trees. These are the things that tease the creative side of my brain. I can sit and type words that grow into an intriguing tale. But, alas, I must go to work, sit in my office far from any outside walls and windows. Perhaps this is the day I will plot the demise of...my boss. Especially after I have to walk outside in this mess and have my hair blown so hard and pelted with rain that it becomes the thing nightmares are made of...but wait! Isn't that another plot?

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Hero and Heroine...How Do I Name Thee?

When you sit down to write your book, how do you come up with names for your characters? Do you search the internet for names, scour the newspapers, read obituaries, think back through the names of everyone you've met over the years? Do you use A and B and then make changes in your ms when you are finished?

In I've always found names for my characters prior to writing out their character sketches. It's the way they become real for me. Their names are branded in my mind and I just have to tell their story. Sometimes I have to abandon the story because it doesn't seem strong enough, but if I try to start another, those names keep drawing me back like a magnet. It's the one thing that stops me from abandoning a work in progress.

The biggest problem I have is finding a name that is not one belonging to someone I know well. The first book I wrote in 2001, was subsequently published in 2006. One of the secondary characters was killed. Her name was Natalie. One of my dear friends at my current place of employment read the book and commented that I'd killed her daughter! I started working here in the middle of 2002, one year after completing that novel...I didn't know any Natalie's at that time.

So...how do you name your characters?

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A Great Resource for Fiction Writers

In order to make this next book I'm working on be THE BEST ONE, I wanted to ensure that I did a better job with plotting. I googled plotting and stumbled across this great resource for writers that I thought I'd share with you. HollyLisle.com Not only is it a great site for writers, but also for readers and anyone interested in books. The links are at the top of the page for Writers, Readers, and lots more. But while you are there, why not take her test to learn your writing strengths and weaknesses?

I'm going to try her Notecarding: Plotting Under Pressure method. If you check it out, let me know what you think!

PERSONALThe shower is still...an unusable shower. Hubby is putting the frame around the window. Yeah, our house is one that still has a window in the tub/shower. Worst part is it faces the front of the house. I've sprayed some stuff that makes the window look like it has been sitting on a vacant cabin for 100 years gathering dirt and cobwebs. I still have to find a way to cover that window. No one makes window shower curtains any longer. Guess I'll buy a shower liner and make my own.

I'm doing well on my blood sugar "diet" regime. I'm adding more complex carbs and cutting down on both sodium and sugar. Been doing well with staying within my diet foot counts. I've been exercising five days a week, usually walking on the treadmill while I watch an evening show. I'm giving myself the weekends off on the exercising though. Too much to do. But, I did learn that vacuuming for a half hour burns more calories than walking. How about that!

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I'm Getting Used to Being A Pioneer Woman

Well, it's been we are into the third week of bathroom restoration. Poor hubby has a bad case of bronchitis. **sigh** I know he feels bad about not being able to do as much as he'd like to finish this project off. He did tell me last week that he isn't going to do any more large projects. I wanted to contract this one, but he wanted to save money.

Right!

Actually, I've kind of gotten used to walking downstairs to use the half bath to get ready for work. It saves time. Where I used to take a nice ten or fifteen minute shower, now I strip wash and dress in less than five minutes. It's cold down there! Have you ever stood in the cold in your birthday suit and washed your body. The water on your skin cools real quick. I told hubby I was getting used to being a pioneer woman and not to worry about how long it takes to finish. I love having a toilet sitting in my bedroom.

It's a crazy world at my house, but it's teaching me a lesson in patience.

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Coming Soon....

Author Interviews in the Blog Studio!

The first interviews will begin in March. On March 5, I'll be interviewing Sharon Donovan, and on March 12, Pamela Thibodeaux will be in the studio with me.

For those who are interested...I still don't have a shower!

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

What? We Have to Pay the City for the "Right" to Operate an Alarm System?

I am on my soapbox today. In our alarm monitoring bill this month is a license application. We need to have a license from the City of Columbus in order to have our home alarm system. What's with this?

We paid to have our system installed twenty years ago and we pay each month to have it monitored. Now we learn that we also have to pay the City of Columbus a licensing fee of $35.00 every two years in order to be able to use it! I'm really angry. BUT, if we don't pay it, then we cannot have the alarm system. We could go to court if we don't register.

So, what's a person to do? Our taxes pay for the police and fire personnel, we pay for our alarm system, we pay a monitoring system, and now we also have to pay the city for the "right" to use it?

Argh! It's not the amount of money involved, it's the principle. I'm ticked. Especially since our mayor wants to tear down the city center mall and build a park. In light of the economy, WHY? Is this why they are now trying to collect license fees for alarm systems that have been installed for over twenty years? The lady at the bureau said that the law has been in effect since 1987. So, why is this the first we've heard of it?

I'm ticked...really ticked.

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High Blood Sugar

I went to the doctor last Wednesday for my six month checkup. He told me my cholesterol was fantastic, my blood pressure was fantastic, and I was doing a great job with my exercise and weight loss regime...but...

My blood sugar is high. If I don't get it down, I'll become diabetic. I've been concerned about the numbers for over a year, and they aren't getting any lower. My last count was 118, and 125 is considered diabetic.

I'm making a change to my diet and hoping that, combined with exercise, will help to bring it back in line.

Do any of you have any suggestions?

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Also, I've reopened my Keeping Hope Alive blog. You'll find the link on my website (click here). I've issued a challenge that I hope everyone will accept. Stop by and check it out.

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A Suspicious Encounter...

My friend and I were so delighted that the yesterday and today we had such mild weather here in Ohio that we were able to walk outside on our breaks. Today, we decided to walk on the last half of our lunch hour. Our walk takes us around the back of our warehouse, and we never know what we might see there. Today, we saw a police car parked at one of the empty buildings, nearly hidden. As we drew closer, but not close enough to see the car number, the driver started the car and pulled away. He drove over a rope meant to keep cars from coming through and cruised through the upper parking lot where we couldn't really see him. When we turned our backs and started down the far side of the building, he cruised out of the upper parking lot and went back over the rope toward where he'd been parked earlier. By the time we returned he was nowhere to be seen. Suspicious in my eyes. Wonder what he was hiding?

I started working on a new manuscript today. I'd been struggling on how to start it. I have the entire book outlined, but those opening paragraphs are always a challenge. Well, our skies were very overcast today and the more thought I put into the opening, the more certain I became that it should begin with a tornado. What fun!

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What to Do When You are Addicted to Email

I have for a couple of years been unable to write anything beyond this blog when I'm sitting at my home computer. Even when I've finished everything that needs to be done, emails, blogs, and research, I stare at a blank screen and cannot write a single word. It's been a mystery I've been unable to unravel...until now.

I realized the main reason is that I'm addicted to email. When I'm on my laptop, I have no problems at all writing. My laptop is not hooked to the internet. I use it strictly for writing on my lunch hours at work or when we are camping.

So, I've decided when I move my office downstairs, I'm going to set up two stations. One will be my big desk where I conduct all my business and the business aspects of writing. The other will be set up for writing. No internet. No email. Nothing but me and my laptop.

If any of you writers might be having a similar problem to mine, you might want to give it a try.

Have a wonderful day, and thanks for stopping by!

Mundane Monday

What happened to the weekend? I woke up this morning and couldn't believe it was back to work Monday already. Let's see I vaguely remember figuring taxes on Saturday and then everything is a blur until church yesterday morning. That is vivid and clear and a happy memory...then all I remember is hammering, pounding, the whining of saws, and pieces of drywall everywhere...in the office, the hallway, the living room, and the stairs. And this morning there is the bottom half of a shower in my living room and a box with shower walls in the family room.

And, now I'm heading to the kitchen with a bathtowel and soap. I guess I'll have to stand in the sink, one foot on either side, and use the spray hose to take my shower...oh wait. Maybe I better not try that...

I think I'll just go back to bed and try again.

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My Hubby Is Stepping On My Last Nerve

We purchased the shower enclosure tonight. It's the beginning of the end for me...end of patience, that is. I become a snarky witch at the first sign of remodeling.

So, yesterday, hubby tells me that he cracked the first floor tile trying to remove it. He knows how I get. I think he's trying to kill me off. Here's what he said:

"So after I busted the tile and realized we didn't have any left downstairs, I went to Lowe's to see if they still carried our style. They didn't. So I purchased some maroon ones. I think that will look nice along that row next to the shower."

Okay, so my blood pressure zipped from 110 over 70 to 220 over 100. I mean, after all we have this pretty tile with blue, gray and cream marble like texture. Maroon? One row!!! I said a few choice words which I won't repeat here. And then...he laughed! He actually had the nerve to laugh after nearly giving me "the big one."

Okay, so he was able to match the tiles. One hurdle down. I'm trying to psyche myself into staying calm during the storm. Then tonight he tells me that he's going to start tearing apart the bathroom this weekend! The tub comes out, the toilet comes out and the new shower enclosure goes in. But we will have no toilet upstairs, nor anyplace to shower for at least a week. When he says one week, I can count on at least two. At least we have a half bath downstairs, but even that will give me a pounding headache. He'll have to take out the ceiling tiles and saw through a floor joist to move the drain from the front of the "now tub" to the middle of the "new shower". **sigh**

And...to top things off, he'll have to cut a big hole in the wall of my office to access the pipe fixtures for the bathroom upstairs.

I'm trying to stay calm. I really am.



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My Husband Should be a Writer...NOT!

Have you ever known someone who could take one simple tiny little action and turn it into a long drawn out story? I live with that someone. For instance:

He says: "When I take an Alka Seltzer Plus, I break it up in tiny little pieces and then it dissolves real fast that way."

She says: "Ah."

He says: "First I break it in half. Then I break it into smaller pieces. It works great that way."

She says: "Ah."

He says: "Yep. Just break it in half and then into smaller pieces."

She ??: Oh, wait. She's asleep.

You should hear him tell a story about someone pulling in front of him while he's driving. It goes something like this:

He says: "You won't believe what happened to me today."

She says: "Really? What?"

He says: "I was driving to Anderson's to get that shut off valve. I found a neat one that all you have to do is just tighten the bolt on and it's done."

She says: "That's what happened to you?"

He says: "No. Anyway, I was driving to Anderson's this morning. Right after I finished eating breakfast. I had driven past the gas station and was waiting at the light. There was a lot of traffic this morning. I'm not sure if there was an accident or not."

She says: "What happened to you this morning?"

He says: "I'm getting to that. So, anyway, I pulled through the light and after I made the turn this gal next to me...in one of those SUVs...I think it was a Toyota something. Not the biggest one, but the smaller one. I can't remember what that model is."

She thinks: "Is he ever going to get to the actual story of what happened to him?"

He says: "So she pulls right over in front of me, no turn signal, nothing. Just like she owned the road. I blasted my horn and rode right up on her bumper."

She says: "Ah."

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Preparing for Construction Mess

I love my ideas for remodeling and the end results. What I don't like is the mess in between. **sigh**

Since Mom is coming to live with us, we need to provide her a way to shower. We found a great shower insert which will fit exactly in the area where our now combo tub/shower is in the full bathroom upstairs. So, that means, hubby must take out one row of ceramic floor tiles, put shut-off valves on the pipes, reroute the drain system (which means work in the lower half-bath), and then he can take out the old and put in the new. Then he'll have to relay the tile. Ugh! He told me he'll have to make the bathroom access wall to the pipes (which is in my office) larger. Oh, no!

He's trying to prepare me...but I'm already freaking out. LOL!

We also have to move my office from upstairs to the downstairs spare bedroom and move that furniture upstairs. What was I thinking?

Oh, and I want to replace the ancient rod iron bannister with a wooden one. Hmm. That means we'll have to replace the carpet, too. It's time since it is over 20 years old. Not only am I going to have a big hole in my wallet, but I must have a hole in my head as well.

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Feather Boas for Inspiration

There's just something you gotta love about a soft feather boa! Our writing group participates in a monthly Power Draft where we put aside everything we can and concentrate on our writing for eight days. Our reward for participating was a beautiful, soft, feathery boa. Woo hoo! Now that's inspiration to tickle a writer's imagination.

Mary Buckham Workshop

On Saturday I attended a conference our local RWA chapter hosted on Pacing, Power Openings, Power Endings, and Plot Points presented by Mary Buckham. Mary is a powerful presenter, witty, funny, and "spot on" at pinpointing problems with manuscripts. I've had problems with my current manuscript and Mary's presentation clearly pinpointed my mistakes. I needed a stronger opening and deeper conflict between my main characters. Mary explained why power openings are so important, and believe me it was an eye-opener.

Using her templates, I've been able to redefine the conflict and give my story a more powerful opening, some great twist points, and a powerful ending. If you haven't taken a Mary Buckham course, I highly recommend doing so. She will motivate you and open your eyes to mistakes you might be making.

Two other fellow chapter members and I met Mary for dinner on Friday evening before the conference. We shared stories about writing, our goals, our fears, and a lot of humorous stories about our "real lives." Mary is gracious, down-to-earth, and sincere. I mean, how many famous people would share one piece of carrot cake on a plate with three other ladies wielding forks? There is nothing like bonding over dessert, even it it isn't chocolate.

If you'd like to learn more about Mary Buckham, her books, and her workshops, please go to www.marybuckham.com

Thanks for stopping by!

A Writer's Take on Sublimina Media

Have you ever listened to subliminal messages? I've been an interested follower for a few years. I first began listening to cassettes on my walkman when I was walking about five miles a day. I had several of them. The music was great to walk with and I did feel more energized and motivated. Eventually, I stopped using them when I fell off the exercise kick.

Once I purchased a self-hypnosis weight loss CD at the fair after watching an entertaining program where members of the audience went on stage and were hypnotized to do some funny stuff. I always fell asleep listening to it, and gave it up after a few weeks, though I could feel a difference in my thinking about dieting. Ugh, hate that word.

Last weekend I purchased Paul McKenna's book "I Can Make You Thin" and included was a self-hypnosis CD. I've been using it faithfully since last Saturday. It is working. I like it because I still can eat what I want, I just eat less. The subliminal messages must be working because I really eat about half what I used to. I guess I'll learn how effective after another week when I weigh myself.

But, here's the best CD I have ever purchased. I'm not sure if you'd call it subliminal messages, but it definitely works for me. It's called "Creative Mind System" by Dr. Jeffrey Thompson. There are two CDs in the set. These CDs were developed around the CREATIVE MIND PATTERN which is present in great artists, inventors, business visionaries, breakthrough thinksrs, advanced meditators, and other highly creative people. The music is soft and soothing and I have started using it when I write and also while I am at work. When I'm writing it helps to put me in that "dream state" which writers crave to live and create the world their characters live in. And at work, it keeps me calm and focused on my projects. I purchased mine through Writer's Digest, but you can learn more by clicking here.

Thanks for stopping by and have a relaxing and productive weekend!

To Shovel or Not to Shovel....

In my city, there is a law that every homeowner must shovel their walks clear of snow and ice on a daily basis. One of the reasons our city schools are closed tomorrow is that there is so much snow and ice and the sidewalks are not clear so it is too dangerous for children to walk to school. Hmmm. Most of the kids I know are bussed...and usually across town. (But that's another gripe for another day).

Tonight on our local news, a discussion ensured about the liability of the homeowner for not keeping their sidewalks cleared. The newscaster said that a homeowner wouldn't be liable if someone were to be injured because of snow or ice covering their sidewalk...but they could be liable if they did shovel and did a poor job. Now what's with that?

So, the question is whether to shovel or not to shovel. Geesh. Can't anything be easy?

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Economic Stimulus Plan--One Writer's Opinion

I'm really tired of looking at one more so-called economic stimulus plan. Come on, people. Remember, if it seems too good to be true...then it is too good to be true. Our government is already deeply in debt, just as the rest of most Americans are. Debt has become our downfall. I'm not a Republican, and I'm not a Democrat. I'm an American, who believes in working for what I want. I don't want anyone to hand it to me. But...if I have a loaf of bread and my neighbor is hungry...I will give half a loaf to my neighbor.

In my opinion it is time to get back to basics. Back to where we "cared" about our friends, our neighbors, our communities. When did we become so greedy? One of the ten commandments says we shouldn't covet our neighbor's house, wife, servant, ox, donkey or anything else that belongs to our neighbor. But then the devil dangled a credit card in our faces, and we learned that we didn't have to have funds to purchase what we wanted. We could have something bigger and better than our neighbors. Easy! We could charge it. Our country backed the idea and more and more Americans fell into the trap. The more we had, the more we craved. And the debt kept piling higher and higher. Eventually, it had to catch up with us...and now it has.

Why should we expect government to "bail us out?" If they do, that means the government goes even deeper into debt. So, are we expecting government to hand us our lives back on a silver platter while our country plunges deeper and deeper into the mire? How much more before it collapses?

Economic stimulus package - who pays for this ultimately? Aren't we just adding one more charge on our already overextended credit?

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Honey, Are You Awake? Honey? HONEY!

So, I bought the Paul McKenna book, "I Can Make You Thin." I read it and I've been trying to apply the principles. Inside the back cover was a self-guided hypnosis CD. For these to be effective, you need to have total quiet with no distractions. So I bought myself a portable CD player for a mere pittance...no frills...runs on batteries...and has earbuds. I showed it to hubby and told him this way I could listen when I go to bed just before I go to sleep. I explained that it would be best because I needed no distractions while I listened. Stage set?

10PM In bedroom looking for outfit to wear to work. Hubby comes in.

ME: "Are you coming to bed now?" Thinking...this is unusual. He usually watches tv until midnight.

HE: "Yes."

ME: "Oh. I was going to turn on the news, but I won't do that."

HE: "Are you going to watch it on this TV? Cause I wanted to watch it, too."

ME: "Yes." I hang outfit on closet door and turn on television. Hubby is nowhere to be found. I go to brush teeth and hear the television playing downstairs. Weird because it's loud and the one in my bedroom and the one downstairs, tuned to the same station, are playing in several seconds delay stereo. He must be watching the news on the HD channel, which I do not have in the bedroom. I go to bed and watch the weather, then turn off the tv. I can still hear his, but I figure I'll tune it out with the self-hypnosis CD.

I settle down, insert earbuds which don't seem to want to stay put. How does one use these things anyway? Finally, relaxed, I turn off the light and turn on the CD. I've listened to about two minutes and in my mind I'm counting backwards from 300.

HE: "Honey? Are you asleep?"

ME: Thinking...he'll go away. Just keep quiet.

HE: Louder..."Honey? Hey, are you ASLEEP?"

ME: Surely, he'll leave now.

HE: Closer and louder. "HONEY?"

ME: Popping up out of bed and yanking earbuds from ears, "What? What's wrong?"

HE: "Oh, I thought you had fallen asleep with your glasses on. I'm sorry."

ME: Turn on light, turn off cd. Watch while he goes back to kitchen, turns off light, turns off hall light and then comes into the bedroom and crawls into bed.

HE: "I won't bother you anymore." He pulls up covers.

ME: Kiss, kiss. "Goodnight." Off with the light, in with the resistant ear buds. On with the cd.

HE: Cough, cough. Moan, moan.

ME: Silently counting down from 300.

HE: Coungh, cough, sit up in bed. Moan again. Get up. Turn on hall light. Go to kitchen. Open and close refrigerator door.

ME: Out with the earbuds, off with the cd. No way can I relax. Wait, wait, wait.

HE: Not coming to bed.

ME: Once again, in with the earbuds, on with the cd. Count down from 300. Listen to the cd, wiggle, wiggle, toss turn.

I finally made it through the cd, but I doubt if it did any good at all. And then, I opened my office door this morning, and poor Wilbur came running out. Yeah, I locked the cat into my office all night long. Poor baby.

Now, I'm trying to get ready for work while hubby...he's sleeping soundly. Maybe I'll just go in and turn on the light and say..."HONEY?"

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SAD? Maybe...

I've heard people talk about SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), but I've never experienced it...maybe.

The depression that hit me on Friday came so fast and so swift that I had no idea what happened. It continued through Friday night, into and through Saturday and even into Sunday. I kept going through the motions of life, doing what I knew was expected of me, but miserable inside...and I didn't know why.

The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that I was possessed. Someone else had taken over my body completely. I didn't like the person at all! And then it dawned on me. The devil was working on me. Where he came from and how he managed to grab such control of my life is beyond me. In fact, if someone were to tell me that the devil could do this, I would have been skeptical. Trust me, it's real. When things are going great, the devil will try and destroy. He took away my desire to write, my desire to love, my desire to exist.

Oh, I prayed and asked God why this was happening to me. I asked for His help. I wondered why I wasn't receiving any answers. I realize this started several weeks ago, a slow take-over that culminated on Friday. It wasn't a sudden thing. It had been subtle and slow and devastating. Then I spoke with my daughter, who has also suffered from depression, and I knew she would understand. See, she is one of those stones I spoke about last week. And she told me something I needed to hear. She reminded me that the devil doesn't hear our thoughts, only God. So I needed to say the words out loud. Cast the devil from my body. Tell him there was no room for him. And I did. And I prayed.

Today, tears are gone. I know I can face life and my optimistic self has returned. Oh, the devil is still here. He's still trying to chip away at me. But he's losing ground. And I will continue to take a stand against him, for I know with God all things are possible.

Just plain depression? NO. SAD? Maybe. "Sneaky Attack by Devil"