If you saw my blog from yesterday I was talking about a writing challenge I’m in and how I’m keeping track daily of how many words I write.  Although I’ve been writing for a long time, I’ve never kept track of my output before.  I’m liking it!  Today, I did three times the goal I’d pledged to do.  (Always striving to be the over-achiever!)

I remember how the character James Caan played in the movie Misery had a cigarette and a bottle of wine (?) when he finished a book.  And Kathleen Turner’s character, in Romancing the Stone, fed her cat on china, and I believe she also had wine or champagne.

I’ve finished two books, but haven’t established any writing rituals.  I think the first ritual I’m going to employ will be documenting my output each day.

My question to you is: What are your writing rituals? 

If you’re not a writer, maybe you have some other task that you complete where you have a routine or ritual when you get the job done.  I’m curious…what do you do?

WHAT’S PLAYING ON MY IPOD RIGHT NOW:  Ain’t Nothin’ Like the Real Thing Baby by Michael McDonald

Until next time,

KMA367

I’m currently participating in a writing challenge sponsered by one of my Romance Writers of America chapters, LARA (Los Angeles Romance Authors).  This particular challenge is called Stop Procrastinating Everybody Write - or as it is more commonly known…SPEW.

The idea to SPEW is an off-shoot of another writing challenge - Book In A Week, aka: BIAW.  The idea behind Book In A Week is that you pick one week in your life where you schedule your life (as best you can) to do nothing but write.  Obviously, there are some commitments that you must honor - like feeding your family, going to work, etc.  But with BIAW you let everyone in your life know, that for this one week in time, every minute that isn’t consumed by mandatory obligations will be filled with writing.

Has anyone finished a book in a week?  I’m not sure.  I haven’t heard of them if they have.  If you’ve finished a book in a week, you’ve worked hard for your accomplishment…and you should probably be a little more diligent in letting the world know.  I know I’d be impressed.

Now, about SPEW.  As I understand it, LARA realized that writing a book in a week could be a tad daunting for most writers.  So they created SPEW.  This is my first experience with SPEW.  LARA is a pretty supportive group and in addition to the satisfaction of completing your goals, you get e-mail encouragement from other participants.  In addition to that, some of the participants e-mail photos of nice looking gentlemen to the participants.  (I’m still hoping someone will post a picture of Tom Selleck in a tux.) 

Even though I’m on vacation and should be able to SPEW pages and pages each day, I decided to not sabotage myself and only committed to one page a day.  (I know, I know, I’m a wimp!)  But the good news is that each day I’ve been able to exceed my mandated one page a day.  Not by vast amounts, but enough so that I’m currently one page “ahead of schedule”.

Probably the most important thing I’ve learned from SPEW is how much I like seeing those numbers on the tally sheet I keep.  In my writing career I’ve heard a lot of people say how helpful they’ve found it to keep track of how much they write each day.  I’ve even tried it a time or two.  But I was never successful.  This time, I think the results will be different.  I’m learning that it really doesn’t take that long to write one page.  And one page leads to two.  And two pages lead to three, and so on and so on.  And that my friends…makes me a writer.

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO ON MY IPOD RIGHT NOW:  Rockin’ Years by Dolly Parton and Ricky Van Shelton

Until Next Time…

KMA367

I’m going outside my writing realm today. I’m indulging on my reality TV thoughts.

I think the Bachelor, Jason, (on ABC) made a big mistake by sending Jillian home. I’m not sure what more he wants. She’s pretty, smart, has a good job, he got along so well with her family, and…she’s fun! Anyone who’s been married any time at all will tell you that a good sense of humor is paramount to having a good relationship. Ya gotta have the laughs when things get tough. Just ask my husband - we’re laughing all the time! I’m KIDDING! Giggle, giggle.

It appears that Jason is totally captivated by Melissa and he truly feels comfortable with her. However, it does speak volumes that her family wouldn’t meet him. Did Melissa and her parents not discuss this possibility before she went on the show? Jason also said that Melissa is the same “type” as his former wife and DeAnna (from the Bachelorette show where DeAnna broke Jason’s heart). I don’t think I’d be choosing her…just for those reasons.

And Molly…beautiful girl, but Jason has seen red flags with her too. I didn’t notice that her family sat on different ends of the couch when Jason came to visit…but what I noticed isn’t important. Jason noticed. When he asked Molly about it, she said her family isn’t that demonstrative. I don’t think that was the answer he was looking for.

Which brings me to the puzzlement of letting Jillian go. There was no red flag (unless you count her mother’s depression - which Jason seemed be fine with). I just don’t get it.

With my opinions boldly splashed across the page, I will say that Jason has/had a good group of women to choose from. I think he did whittle the group down to the ones that were the best choice for him.

The “tease” advertisments for next week show DeAnna coming back (after her failed engagement, I assume) and telling Jason she thinks she made a mistake. I predict he’ll send her packing. Then, I think he’ll choose…drum roll please…Melissa.

Meanwhile, I hope the producers are hitting up Jillian to be the next Bachelorette…

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO ON MY IPOD RIGHT NOW: City of New Orleans by Willie Nelson

Until next time…

KMA367

I’ve never been called trendy.  In fact, I usually catch on to the “latest” thing after it’s been popular for a year…just in time for it to be considered “out”.  So it should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me well to learn that although I’ve been signed up on Facebook for about six months, I really don’t know how to work it.

Today, someone sent me a message they wanted to be my friend.  So I replied.  Then, because I’d never taken the time to explore on Facebook I did just that.  Actually, it’s pretty easy to figure out how to post a comment, but many of my Facebook friends have numerous photos on their “wall”.  I’m not sure why the page is called a wall, but it is.  Worse yet, by telling me I can write on someone’s wall I feel like I’ve turned into a tagger and I’m writing graffiti. 

I did manage to get my photo on my wall, but I didn’t really intend to do so.  I was trying to just take a look to see if that was the photo I wanted on my Facebook page, but instead it loaded to the page.  It’s the same photo that’s up on this website, so at least it was a decent photo of me.

I think by the time I ended my day I had eighteen friends.  I wonder what the record is?

Anyway, I’m curious to know…do you use Facebook?  If so, for what purpose?

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO ON MY IPOD RIGHT NOW:  Urgent by Foreigner

Until next time;

KMA367

Two of my writing groups are currently struggling with postings to their writer’s “loops”.  Each group is trying to figure out a way to reduce the amount of posts while still holding true to the “core value” of of the loop…disseminating information.

One group is concerned with posts to the loop regarding member announcement’s of their blogs.  The other group wants to make it easier for loop members to wade through messages from other  writer’s organizations announcing online classes, contests, guest speakers etc.

I truly get the gist of this dilemma - I recently returned from a week’s vacation to four hundred e-mails.  It took me almost 3 hours to go through those e-mails.  That’s with a totally different group in digest form.  Oh, you’re probably thinking I have too many “groups”.  That may be true, but those loops are how I stay in touch with my writing peers.

I could put all my groups on digest, but I have the feeling I’m not seeing all the posts that way.  I find people talking about posts that I haven’t seen on previous digests.

Could the problem be that there is just too much information out there?  Has the “internet-highway” reached gridlock?  Is the problem that writers (romance writers in particular) are highly educated in the way to self-promote, therefore, they do a lot of promotion e-mails?

I don’t have an answer, but I do have a delete key.  And for right now, that’s going to be my answer.

WHAT I’M WATCHING ON TV RIGHT NOW:  Desperate Housewives

Until next time,

KMA367

Yes, I’m going to go out on a limb here.  For the past week or so, the media here in Los Angeles has been reporting daily, hourly, and sometimes it seems by the minute, about the octuplets that were born to a thirty-three year old woman here in the Southland. 

I don’t have any questions for the new mother, but boy, do I have one for her doctors…What were you thinking?  This woman already has six children under the age of seven and no father/spouse to help her…financially, physically, and mentally.  Don’t get me wrong - I’m not knocking being a single parent.  I was a single parent for a period in my life.  But…

I don’t understand how the doctor who “planted” those eggs could do so without thinking of the possible outcome.  If there were twenty embryos implanted, the thought should have crossed the doctor’s mind that maybe there might be twenty babies!  But apparetnly, they didn’t see this coming, so now there is a mother here in Southern California who has fourteen children under the age of seven!

I saw a news clip where the woman’s father thought the new additions were “great”, and was filmed carrying one package of disposable diapers into the house.  Pal, I’m here to tell you, you’re going to need a lot more diapers than that.  And I hope grandpa has about fourteen million dollars to raise those children…that is a “low-ball” figure an expert calculated would be needed to raise the children - and that’s just for the basics, food, clothing, shelter.  He didn’t figure in any soccer, band, cheerleading etc. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t deny a woman’s right to have children.  However, I do think there needs to be some responsibility of how those children are going to be cared for.  I sincerely hope this woman who reportedly, “loves babies”, truly does.  She brought those fourteen children into the world and each and every one of them are counting on HER for their care and well-being.

I wonder if all the doctors who were involved in this fiasco have given the new mom their cell phone numbers, so when the mother gets overwhelmed, she can call them to come over and change a diaper or two?

Until next time,

KMA367