Showing posts with label down time. Show all posts
Showing posts with label down time. Show all posts

Monday, December 16, 2019

Holiday Down Time...


Not that there's always much of it and the late Thanksgiving is really biting into time in general. We are down to a week and a day until Christmas Eve Day. And we do celebrate Christmas Eve at my mother-in-law's house, so theoretically, I'll only have until noon-ish that day to finish any sort of shopping.

Hopefully, it won't come to that...I despise having to go out the last few days before Christmas and deal with all the crazy people and crowded stores. To that end, I have completed my shopping except for Sonshine. I can buy him stuff later since he won't be here in town with us.

But the title says "down time" so let's talk down time. My down time consists mostly of reading, but I do occasionally watch something other than my handful of regular TV shows.

When I sit and wrap, I usually watch something I've watched before, many times. That way I can listen more than watch and I don't miss things because my eyes are on the wrapping, not the TV.


My go-to for many years has been Penelope, a live-action fairy tale type movie. Not sure what I'm going to watch on Saturday, but probably Penelope and maybe some Harry Potter thrown in too.

Do you have any must-watch films of the season?

I love the old "A Charlie Brown Christmas" as well as "The Little Drummer Boy."
 



Apologies for missing last Wednesday and Friday, but time just got away from me...

Have a great week.

Friday, April 28, 2017

Time Keeps On Slippin' Into the Future...


I guess that reference might show my age, although to be fair, I remember it from the movie Space Jam (released in 1996), which my kids loved. I was actually eight years old when the Steve Miller Band released the single in 1976...

But I digress.

My point is that it's almost May and where the heck has the time gone? This year has been a haze of running my writer's group's contest, hockey fan girling, and lots and lots of writing and revising--mostly revising until now.

I finally got to start a new book and I've been so excited to finally get these guys on the page.

But now I'm struggling. Things aren't gelling. I thought I knew them, I do know them--but maybe I don't know the things I need to. I can't seem to pull the threads together. I'm missing some key nugget.

I'm writing scenes and I'm making my minimum daily word count, which is good, but the scenes have no meaning at this point... There's gonna be some heavy-duty thinking in my future. I have a deadline--end of June for this to be written and ready for the proofreader.

Better get to work. I know what I'm going to be doing this weekend.

How about you? Big plans??


Monday, March 11, 2013

After how many months?


After seven months I finally went back and re-read my 15K word novella, A Snowball's Chance in Texas. I submitted it at the end of August and waited and waited and waited to hear back from the publisher. Finally, in November, maybe even December, I heard back from them. They didn't want it. But, sheesh, they sat on it long enough.

Even though I wrote it specifically for the particular line, I was told it didn't fit. Huh. But by that time, the holidays were upon us and while I thought I knew there was something wrong with it, that it wasn't as ready as I'd thought it was, I wasn't ready, didn't want, to go back and try to figure it out.

So what changed? I don't really know. What I do know is that because of an online class I'm taking, I've been in and out of the story that follows Snowball: Children With a Chance of Marriage. And despite my hiatus from writing, I love to write and I guess I just needed a break. I gave myself permission to take a break and I took it. And now the words, the stories, are teasing me again. Still, there's no pressure. If I want to write, I will. If I don't, I won't.

As for these two stories, well, I want them to be published together, so that means figuring out what if anything is wrong with book one and finishing book two.

To that end, I'm looking for several beta readers. I'd prefer folks who read only. I've got one offer already, so I'm looking forward to hearing what a stranger thinks of my work.

Anyway, last night, I read Snowball. And you know what, it wasn't half bad. I think there's one place I need to add a scene, but otherwise...I think it's okay. And hopefully, this beta reader will know her romance. I guess I need to figure out what I want to know from her.

My weekend was nice and relaxing, though not as productive house/yard-work wise as I would have liked, but that's okay. After last week, I really just needed to relax and regroup, which I did.

How about your weekend??

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Countdown to Christmas


Only TWO days to go. I don't have access to my number icon/graphic today, though, so it's just all words.

Today's countdown tradition is baking. I used to bake up a storm. Mainly sugar cookies with colored sugar sprinkles and mini-loaves of banana bread to hand out as gifts to close friends. I'd start in September and October and put it in the freezer for safe-keeping until December. I've gotten far away from that, sad to say. These days, I make pumpkin cake and probably only because I love it so much.

Yesterday, I spent the day with four wonderful women. My critique partners. Each of us unique and brings something special to the group. We assembled at one's home and spent the afternoon talking and laughing and sharing and having fun. In addition, we did a few little Christmas crafts and exchanged ornaments. I wish I had a picture. We were going to take one, but then we all decided it was time to head home and we just plain forgot. :(

The important part there was to take some time to spend with those you truly treasure and enjoy being with. It was a nice break from the craziness of the holiday season. No malls and no crowds to fight with or traffic to navigate. Just a day for friends.

My Christmas song for today--in anticipation of snow on Tuesday afternoon here in northern Texas--is I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas by the one and only Frank Sinatra.


Are you a baker? If so, what are your favorite treats to make at the holidays? If not, is there a favorite treat someone else always made/makes for you?