End of the month TT

EotF Status

One query out.

 

T.C. Status

word count: 5,772

 

FwM Status

word count: 2,387

 

Color Poems

complete: 8

min needed for chapbook: 20

 

Previous Goals:

• work more on synopsis, so I can send out next batch of queries - not ready, but getting whittled down
• finish color poems in progress (green and violet) 
• submit a batch of poems
• get extra rest so I get better (awful sore throat, aching body, etc) 

 

Goals for this week:

• more work on synopsis. don't want to rush it, or do too much in one sitting (gives me a headache)
• write another color poem
• revise 2 poems
• write Anti-Ubduk poem 

 

Why I am getting discouraged with poetry submissions:

147 poems submitted to various markets since 2002.

47 last year alone.

only 3 accepted (from the same submission), and to a non-paying, online publication.

I'm not really surprised that my early poems didn't have success. I was young, and feel my poetry has matured and improved. So if we only count those starting in 2006, that's 119 poems sent. That's not even a 3% success rate. And only a handful of those rejections were personalized, two saying they were on the fence but ended up declining. I don't know how much is my poems, how much finding the right fit (if it even exists). I'm the guru, the experienced one in my poetry submission group (I'm the founder). I have all this experience in submitting poetry. But maybe I'm doing something wrong. Then there's my poetry critique group, where I'm the young one, the unpublished one. Ah well. I'll keep writing, polishing, and submitting. Maybe my numbers will look better in another five years.

 

((I'm just so afraid my queries will have the same success rate.....))

Procrastinating...

5,000 Questions... My answers so far...

556. What do you need advice about? writing a synopsis. I'm pulling my hair out on this one. (And obviously procrastinating.)

557. Have you been half-asleep and have you heard voices? yes. it's very odd being awake enough to hear people talking, yet asleep enough that you can't move even a finger. I wonder if that is what being in a coma is like?

558. Do you have a good luck charm? My graduation necklace, a silver '01'. I used to wear a necklace more often. I had forgotten how many I own. They give me a focus for my fiddling. Which reminds me of the downside. My son also likes to fiddle with them... which is why I stopped wearing them regularly.

559. Should animals have the same right to life as people? ooh, this is a toughie. I'd have to say no. there are animals designated (by God and man) for use as food. And at times it is needed to put an animal down because it is a danger to humans. Do they deserve to be tortured, or killed needlessly? Absolutely not. But Man comes first.

560. What is your least favorite body part? My legs. I hate having to shave them. Yet when I don't, they itch and feel ugly. When I do, I tend to nick myself; and next thing you know, they are prickly again. Ick. There is no winning.

561. Do you enjoy British comedy? I haven't seen enough to give a general yes or no. Most of what I've seen I haven't cared for, but I've recently been introduced to Dr. Who. I've only seen one episode so far, so am currently undecided. But it wasn't an immediate 'no'.

562. Are there ever happy endings or does nothing end? there are happy endings, but they do not end a person's life, merely a part of their story. like a book. the characters lives go on after the end, but they can have a "happy ending" for this event or storyline.

563. What is your worst trait? My initial instinctive answer is procrastination. but I think the root trait is deeper than that. Worrying. Worrying what people will think, if I'll get it right, if any of it matters, if anyone is reading, if I'm good enough. Worry, worry, worry. Sometimes my brain won't shut it off.

564. Is the world more beautiful because of love? yes. we see so much more when we love and feel loved. our senses are opened to new things. it's easier to be optimistic, and thus everything is beautiful.

565. What is the essence of you? dandelion seeds. I could explain, but I'll let you interpret that. ;-)

566. What really inspires you? music, stories - both the true and the fanciful, soaking in sunlight while lying on the grass listening to the sounds of the world

567. Have you met your soul mate? yes. but I also believe there are multiple soul mates, perfect matches, out there for each person. It's a matter of proximity and timing.

568. Is everyday a special occasion? every day should be, but no. Sunday, when B was sick and threw up in his ramen... not so special an occasion. Unless you look at it in the way that it's special because it doesn't happen frequently. Hmm. Back to point of view.

569. What sound would you rather hear than any sound in the world? rain. it's a soothing backdrop. I could live without hearing my loved ones, as long as I feel them. Relates to my love languages being quality time and physical touch, not words of affirmation.

570. Of the following which word best describes you:
natural: this is me! my hair dries naturally, I only wear make-up on special occasions, and I'm myself - what you see is what you get.
outgoing: definitely not
polite: I try, but sometimes I do or say things without thinking
quick thinking: sadly, no

571. Do any commercials make you want to break your TV? yes!! The Ikea commercial for their sales. Crazy lady, thinking she's getting a steal of a deal, running out to the husband and parked car... "Start the car! Start the car!" Kill the crazy high-pitched lady!

572. Have you ever lost your religion? no. even when I wasn't following it, I never discarded it. make sense?

573. Do you want to share your life with someone? yes! I AM sharing my life with someone (well, two someone's). One of my fears is being alone.

574. Where ARE the wild things? hiding, but their space is slowly being invaded, leaving little undiscovered.

575. Would you rather have a child genetically related to you or an adopted child? either. both deserve unconditional love and welcoming arms. If I hadn't been able to have children, I would definitely have adopted. Though getting a child genetically is cheaper, and the process is a bit more enjoyable. However, I don't want to go through the being pregnant again (see previous question) and would definitely adopt if we decide we want another child (yes, this is something my husband and I have discussed). For now, very happy with just one.

576. If I had a birthday party would you come? "I" being the person who created this list of questions? No, I do not know you. I rarely go to birthday parties of people I do know.

577. What seemingly impossible thing is POSSIBLE? the flight of a bumblebee.

578. What song do you love to sing out loud? The Ballad of Eleuteria. It's one I wrote myself. I'll often sing it in the shower, or while waiting for the bus to drop off my son.

579. Have you ever run through the woods naked and played in a stream (you should)? Nope

580. Have you ever taken long solitary night walks? yes. see number 413 for a specific memory.

Plea for a rewrite

This paragraph has remained fairly unchanged since its conception in draft one. I've been through five more drafts and still can't find a better way to word this. I like the sentiment and attitude, but have to admit that the flow is far from ideal.

 

As Jex left the assembly hall, he realized he had no idea where in Dashevona was this Monderay. However, on no account would he turn around and ask Zalandar. He may be a thief, but that didn't mean he had no pride.

 

It probably doesn't need pointing out, but Monderay is a village in the realm of Dashevona. Any suggestions on rewriting the above paragraph?

Tuesday Tally and random stuff

EotF Status

total words to date: 94,435

pages: 423

chapters revised: 11/27 (draft 6)

 

T.C. Status

word count: 2,947

 

MiB Status

word count: 550

 

Goals for December

• write a prompted poem for contest - "If Atlas Had a Tantrum..." 
• submit a batch of poems  
• mail off Blazing Princess again 
• get through EotF draft 6

 

It's snowing. Very cold, 24 degrees, today. Wishing I was in Phoenix (54 degrees).

 

Recent Distraction: Cake Wrecks

 

Crazy Contest I entered MiB opening into: First Paragraph Challenge

 

Last Book I Read: The Black Tattoo. Was a birthday present from my husband. Enjoyed it a lot.

 

Recent Embarrassment: Wrote the wrong name on an envelope for a Christmas Card. At least the envelope is white, so white-out saves the day... Why did I write the name I did? That is a mystery. I don't even know anyone of the name I wrote. *sigh*

 

Currently behind on: Crits for poetry group.

 

Yesterday's accomplishments: Exercised. Rearranged scenes in two chapters of EotF to move an events timetable by two moons, and adjusting all scenes that got affected. Got B's presents wrapped and under the tree.

 

**Update! Even newer embarrassment: Somehow managed to save this post over my December Tally, rather than simply copying the template. *bangs head on wall*

"New" December Tuesday Tally

Mostly-recovered post after blogging snafu:

 

It's December! Time to decorate for Christmas. Only, I haven't decided where or if to put up the tree this year. Once we get a house, I'm leaving the darn thing put together. I can decorate it with the seasons (hearts for Valentine's, and such) or cover it and leave it in the garage. But I'm tired of pulling it out of the box, building, and reshaping each year. Anyway, tree or not, time for some Christmas music. We're almost done with our Christmas shopping - one card to send, and one present left to order. We're keeping it simple this year.

Breakdown of poetry writing last month. One new poem (anywhere from 3 to 42 lines) every day Nov 1 through Nov 21. Then only one more poem the rest of the month, on the 24. That's 22 poems in one month, which is by far a record for me.

PAD final verdict:
gems: 8
have potential: 8
duds: 6

 

With all the injuries and casualties I've been reading about dealing with Black Friday, I fully agree that It is Time to Outlaw Black Friday. Is trading a guy's life for saving $200 on a TV suddenly a small price to pay? What is it about having something NOW, rather than waiting for a still good but not cutthroat deal, or ordering online? And why wait hours in the cold in the wee hours of the morning for the mayhem? There are so many things wrong with this "tradition". And stores still cater to it, moving their sales earlier and earlier. Open at midnight? Or Thanksgiving itself? Just crazy. I really feel sorry for anyone having to work during these shifts, or be the ones to clean up after. *soapbox speech over*

My Own Worst Enemy

This Fall the new show I anticipated most was "My Own Worst Enemy", a drama starring Christian Slater. When I saw the premiere, I wasn't disappointed. This show had intense action, intrigue, and a unique premise. I was on the edge of my seat, riveted to the screen each week. The only exception was last Monday, when (due to bad weather) the channel was freezing so we couldn't watch it. Today I go online and find out the show has been canceled! The website lists it as a People's Choice nominee, yet they're shutting it down after only four episodes?? I hope they show the other nine they have filmed. This was one of the best shows on. Christian Slater really showed his acting talents. I hope NBC changes their mind. If it wasn't for their high expectations of retaining more viewers from the preceding "Heroes", perhaps they wouldn't be judging the ratings so harshly. It's so baffling and frustrating.

Tuesday Tally: What I learned last week

EotF Update

total words to date: 94,627

pages: 417

chapters revised: 27/27 (draft 5)

 

T.C. Status

word count: 1471

 

This Months' Goals:

Finish uploading the recent version of EotF to WDC at one or two chapters a day, including the elusive chapter 26, by Oct 11

have a poetry chapbook outlined and other assignments ready for Muse Conf, which starts Oct 13

use latter part of month (20-31) to put all that aside and make progress on TC

to accomplish all of the above, spend at least two hours daily (at least M-F) on writing related activities

 

The Muse Online Writers Conference was a brain-load of information, and a boost in creativity. I didn't keep up with all the workshops I signed up for initially, but the forums will be open for another month so I can go in and copy any information I want to save. The workshops I put the most time in were both poetry related.

 

The Creative Block Buster for Poetry workshop had a one-hour chat every morning Monday through Friday in addition to the forum. The chats were very enlightening. We brainstormed, discussed, and learned techniques to free our stuck poems. I learned how to listen to my poetry. I workshopped two poems during the week, and am very happy with the end results for both. Lisa Gentile, the presenter, had a power outage and was not able to make the Friday chat. I think it was a blessing in disguise for the rest of us. We talked about what we had learned, and by the end of the hour we had decided to put together an anthology of poems improved by the course, and meet again for future chats. Essentially, we formed a Poetry Group. Yay! We'll be meeting once a month to chat. Very exciting.

 

The other one I focused on was How to Turn Your Poetry Into a Saleable Chapbook. Yes, a mouthful, but an educating one. With encouragement, I went with the dark theme. Even my husband had once commented that a lot of my writing had the thread of darker emotion. The title I chose is Chiaroscuro. What, exactly, is my chapbook about? Exploring the darkness, bringing the monsters of death and abuse into the light. Thanks to the workshop, I have a completed chapbook, all formatted, and the tools to either submit or self-publish. I traded in-depth critiques with another member. Thanks to her feedback, I'm polishing/tightening the individual poems. My acknowledgements section is rather bare, so here's the plan:

1. Polish poems (mostly tweaking, no major revamps; I'm not in the same place I was when I wrote them)
2. Submit the best to various markets.
3. Once I get some publishing credits, submit the chapbook as a whole to poetry chapbook publishers.

 

(warning: rambling thoughts ahead)

Another Authoress Secret Agent contest recently ended. I made changes after the last one, and submitted a revised opening. The general consensus this time - opening much improved. However, my ratio of yes/no hooked didn't really go up. Out of 11 comments, 3 were definitely hooked, 4 definitely not, 2 said it was improved but still not quite hooked, 1 would read on for the genre though not quite hooked, and 1 would need to read the blurb first. Due to the tightened opening, an issue appeared on this first page that used to come up on a later page (see comments on opening, or skip to agent comment below to name that issue). I had received a couple comments prior saying it might turn off readers, or be a tough sell, but now that an agent and a couple more readers have expressed the same thing... and my husband admitted to not liking it as well... Gosh, tough stuff.

 

The event in question shapes my MC and though nothing is ever shown (trauma occurring before story opens), it does trigger some events and conversations in the first five or so chapters. No one seems to be bothered by the physical abuse, just the other kind. My husband did make the point that the issue is probably more that it appears so soon in the book, before the reader has a chance to really care about the characters. A backfired attempt to create reader sympathy (more a side effect, as the issue isn't there just for reader sympathy, but for character shaping and those aforementioned event triggers). I don't want to narrow my audience too far, or kill my chances to get an agent or publisher, if it really is that big of an Issue. So, in my next read-through and revisions, I will see if it is plausible to take out the problematic content. *sigh* Much work ahead.

 

Analyzing the agent's comment:

I do like how this adds some backstory detail in without being obvious, but I'm just not feeling enchanted. I'm not a reader of this kind of YA, but what hooks me regardless is character. Work on making your characters deeper, even on first glance; if you're writing a fairy story, there's a temptation to mimic fairy tale language, and that keeps your characters flat. Add details that make them seem real and full of life. I also balked at the suggestion of sexual abuse ahead, it didn't seem to fit with the tone.

On a plus note, no one complained that my opening had "telling dialogue", instead I got complimented from the agent. One problem fixed at least. Another issue in that comment. She refers to it as YA. My story is not Young Adult. The MC does start out as a teenager, but that alone doesn't make a YA. Would the confusion be cleared up with merely the introductory query letter or back blurb? Most likely. The question is, does the opening voice imply YA? Any opinions on that matter are welcome.

 

... Well, that was quite an entry. Probably could have been broken into three parts. Kudos and thanks to all those who made it this far. Don't be shy about sharing your opinion on anything in this post. I need to hear it straight.

 

Additional question for any who might help: Today, whilst using Windows Live Writer to compose this post, pressing enter is frequently creating a bullet point rather than simply starting a new paragraph or line break. How do I make it stop?? I'm pretty sure all my list html is closed, yet it keeps spawning new ones... This post is a mess...

 

Going to take a nap while B is still at school.

Chicken Noodle Soup - good for the soul, confusing for the brain

Last Friday we bought a can labeled as Kroger Condensed Tomato soup. I wanted it for a new recipe. Tonight I opened the can to add to the hamburger... and inside was Chicken Noodle Soup! I did a double take on the label. Apparently someone had tampered, switching the labels at the store. Grr. Hubby is now buying a new can so I can finish dinner. I don't want to have to check labels every time I buy a can of anything to make sure it's not tampered. I sent in a customer comment to Kroger. I will put up a picture of the deceitful can after I upload it tomorrow.

 

Update: apparently there were more taped labels at the store, so my husband spent a little more money to get a guaranteed tomato soup of Campbell's brand instead of buying another Kroger. This was not one instance of some kid playing a prank, but something else resulting in very carefully reapplied labels. And, as promised, pictures.

 

Chicken soup in disguise:

 

A very carefully taped label:

(tape circled for your convenience)

*pulls out hair*

Warning: long, ranting post with no breaks.


Today is a really sucky day. B (see new abbreviations on the sidebar) started off by not leaving P alone - pushing, hitting, pulling his face, etc. I tried warnings, firm admonitions, spankings, attempted time out where he wouldn't stay put in his room for even two minutes, and finally resorted to keeping P on my lap where he would be safe until B moved on to other things. At least he's not always like this, just goes through these moods. He wasn't mad this morning, just seemed to see how I would react. I don't know. Anyway, once the boys were playing nicely, they moved into B's room. They were making normal playing noises, I would hear an occasional slam and assumed it was B's wooden bench, as usual. Eventually they came back in here (Master Bedroom/media room) and B started watching a show. P got cranky, so I picked him up to put him down in the crib for a nap. I went into B's room and about cried. One or both boys (assuming B, as he's taller) had emptied the drawers of B's dresser, and the backs had been broken off two of three. His plastic table was pulled apart, but that's typical when P is here. P had taken all the outlet covers out (aren't those supposed to be uninteresting and child deterrent? why is he so fascinated in them?? just plain plastic covers). *gah* Then, of course, as I haul the two broken drawers over the gate so they can't play with them, I gouge my foot with a broken edge. No blood, but a lot of scraped skin. And now B is interrupting the finally quieted P by banging on his door!!! *cries* And this is a long babysitting day, too. Not even 11am and I watch him 'til about 4pm... Hopefully everyone will survive this day...


On a positive note, my husband bought me flowers on Tuesday. Beautiful cream and violet roses. Once P is sleeping safely, I'm going to go bask in their presence and eat a brownie. In need of comfort food.

Fox did it again

Why do I put myself up for these falls? Once again I got caught up in a FOX TV show that has been canceled. What show this time? Drive. After only four episodes (in two weeks), FOX has canceled Drive! They have two more episodes filmed, to "air this summer". Why can't they show the two before deciding ratings aren't good enough? I enjoyed this one. The characters were intriguing, good action and drama, engaging plot, lots at risk, good actors. I want to find out what happens next, but now we'll never know if Alex Tully gets his wife back (or find out why she was kidnapped), or get any answers for Corinna Wiles. And if those two episodes somehow manage to finish the race, well, that would be anticlimatic. This wasn't supposed to be a miniseries!

I suppose I set myself up. I know FOX has a bad track record for canceling good show. Which is why many people have stopped watching, which then results in low ratings, which is enough reason for the network to cancel the yet another show. Vicious cycle.

Other shows I loved that FOX has canceled:

• Firefly - (don't get me started on how the network doomed it from the start) great characters, Joss Whedon humor and witty dialogue. at least we eventually got a movie
  
• John Doe - (season one finished, but with a major cliffhanger) loved the mystery, characters, and story idea. wanted to keep watching and find out what really happened to John Doe, and why he knew everything except who he was. at least the secret to his knowledge has been revealed.
  
• Tru Calling - Another that ended with a big cliffhanger with season one, but they did eventually air the six episodes filmed of season two (well, five of the six. last one was a Christmas theme they didn't want to air in Spring).
  

All these shows had good stories, characters, and no reliance on sex and soap opera relationships to carry it (maybe that's why they didn't stay... the irony). Currently, I admit to watching American Idol. Once you get down the final ten it's usually pretty good. There's some talent, and the show has turned out some great artists - Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood... I'll be watching The Loop and Hell's Kitchen when they start up again in June. 'Til Death is awesome - hilarious and so true to married life. They better bring that back for another season. I don't know what they expect of their shows. I'm sure American Idol didn't do awesome in season one. Fox isn't all bad. But they can sure be frustrating.