Please Don't Ask

So, I know in the past I've always done a wrap-up post for the year -- talking about what books I've read/loved... what I accomplished/didn't accomplish with my own writing..., possibly followed by a post talking about what I hope to accomplish during the new year.

Well, I'm not doing that this year.

I'm just not.

There are a few more things I won't be talking about, and I hope you'll indulge me in this request.

I started working earnestly on FI again yesterday. (Okay, so I'm sort of a sucker for the romantic idea of starting afresh with the new year. I also have two full days to do whatever I want, which is rare... and they just so happen to fall on New Year's. Interpret this however you like. (g))

It was weird... working on this book again. But at the same time, it felt like home. I know these characters, I know this story and where I want to take it. It really just boils down to sitting my butt down in a damn chair and doing the work necessary to get it there. Only thing is, I've been in this very same spot for a veeeeeeery long time now. So what's different now?

You could say I have the eye of the tiger this go 'round, but no, I don't think that's it.

You could say I'm giving myself a big ole' kick in the ass to finish -- for whatever reason you could possibly imagine. Hopes of publication, need of moolah that comes with said publication, dreams of moving on to the next story...blah blah blah yada yada yada.

I'll tell you what. I don't think it's any of those things.

It's just time. Time to finish this story. If for nothing else, but for ME to be able to read it from start to finish...to know how the hell it ends. It deserves that opportunity. And I deserve to know that I can get it onto the page in the best way I know how.

The past couple of years, I haven't allowed myself to do that. I've hit roadblock after roadblock that I've allowed--yes allowed--to stop me. And I've figured out why that is..

A very well meaning friend and I were chatting on IM last night. I was talking about FI, how it felt so good to get back on the horse...how I really hoped to just put my head down and finish this time. We chit chatted about this and that and then whammo, she hit me with a question I wasn't prepared to answer:

What do you plan to do with it once you finish?

I'll tell you what, folks. Two days ago this question wouldn't have given me the slightest pause. I would've rattled off the same ole' spiel I've been telling people forever. i.e. Well, of course I have to send it to DA... maybe that other agent who showed interest... but yeah, I'll have to give DA first crack... blah blah blah yada yada yada.

And I sort of did just that. The only thing is that as I was typing my response, I could literally--and I do mean literally--feel panic start to set in. I physically started tensing up, and the joy of having written over 2500 words that day slowly started seeping out of me as I contemplated the answer.

Hello, epiphany!

What I realized is that my answer should've been a very polite, "I'm not going to talk about that."

And I won't from here on out. Not to anyone--not to myself.

So, new ground rules:

1. I will not be talking about what I plan to do with this book when it's finished. Period.

2. I will not be talking about when I think it will be finished.

3. And finally, I will not be talking about when I think I'll have it ready for betas or what project I plan to work on next...

Please. Don't. Ask.

I promise that this is nothing personal against you. This time it's ALL about me and what I need at this particular point in time. And that's a stress-free writing experience during which I'm NOT thinking about the end game. All I want to think about is this story -- how to make it the best story that I possibly can -- without all of that other baggage attached at the end, weighing me down into immobility. I've done that for far too long. And last night's experience is the perfect testimony to it.

And really...if you boil it down, I don't NEED to think about any of that stuff now because none of it matters until I have a completed manuscript in hand. So why do it?? Yes, easier said than done, but this time... I'm making every effort.

Please indulge me in this request. Thank you. :)

Jen Comes Into This Century

Hey All!

*waves*

Well, I know I've been quiet. Busybusybusy. Nano turned out to be a really great experience, but I didn't even come close to that 50K. Oh well. I did my best and still produced about 16000 words for WALKING IN SHADOW. It gave me some great direction on just where I think the book will go, and for that I'm very pleased. It was great getting back in the trenches and digging for those words. They hurt, yes, but there's nothing like coming out the other end with some actual pages to show for all that frustration. Some of them are even good. :)

A couple of very big things on my horizon:

1. I've officially started to move all of my FAKING IT files into Scrivener. Yes, that means it is officially back on the front burner. YAY. It's proving a little difficult because my filing system is a complete mess, but along the way I'm looking at bits here and there, thinking about things I might like to change, etc. I feel like this is a really good thing--using Scrivener. It isn't so much that I want to use it for its plotting capabilities, etc... it's that it will help keep me organized. (I hope) Having all of my scenes, etc in one centralized place where I won't get various versions confused (again, I hope) will be one huge step in the right direction.

2. My sister has sent me a Kindle for Christmas. It's winging its way toward me as we speak; should be here on Tuesday. I have to admit I was a bit hesitant about the idea at first, but then I thought...OMG, I'll be able to download like a bazillion free classics that I want to reread or have never read, and dude...they're FREE. lol. I actually went on Amazon today, picking through the titles to see what I might want to peruse first. Dude. DUDE. There's a book called THE BOOK OF WERE-WOLVES. (Has anyone read it??) It's supposed to have some really interesting stories about various werewolf myths and what not. I am SO getting it. I can't believe I didn't know about it before, actually. But yeah, I want, I want, I want!!

Another great thing is that I'll be able to do beta reads, or readthroughs of my own MS's with it. OMG. I can't wait. My sister said I couldn't open it until Christmas day. Cough. Yeah, I won't. *big wink*

This year has been a HUGE year for me on the techy front. Last May I got a Droid, which introduced me to the exciting world of texting. I used to say I would NEVER be a texter... uh yeah, I was wrong. Granted, I still think it's _extremely_ rude...as in the _UMPTEENTH_ degree kind of rude, to be whip out your phone and text while in the middle of a conversation with someone (or dinner, or in a movie theatre), so I try to never do that. SO RUDE, YO. Also, what's up with the texting while driving?? Dangerous, people! At least wait for a light. LOLOL.

So yeah, I'm all kinds of tech.

I'm really hoping to keep up with this blog a lot better than I have. I know I keep saying that and disappearing for months at a time, but I DO have the best of intentions. :) I miss all of my long lost peeps!! If you see this, drop in and let me know how you're doing, okay?

Jen

Notecards...Post-It's...Flowcharts...OH MY!

Well, I haven't been successful at the blogging every day thing, but I will give myself props for blogging three times in the past week. That's like...a record for me these days. (g) Especially given that I haven't blogged since MAY. :)

The title of this post says it all. I am in...outlining...flowchart...don't know what you call it exactly...hell. I realized very quickly this week that the problems I've often complained about in the middle of FI were NEVER fixed, and that essentially I had to address them now or I'd be forever rowing in circles with this book. It's so funny! I can't tell you the number of times I've looked at this section, the number of times I thought I had it JUST RIGHT...and yeah, it was NEVER right. I simply kept skating over the issue. In essence, hoping the dang book would fix itself as I went through pass after pass.

Uh yeah...not quite.

So instead of the writing I was hoping to get in, I've had to put the brakes on and head back to the basics.

But but but...I think I've finally had a breakthrough! Sadly, it means cutting a couple of scenes I absolutely love. :( The good news is that with the changes I'm making -- some basic reordering of scenes -- the tension level should get a nice little boost.

I'm trying to see the positives.

1. Essentially the first 1/3rd of the book is set in stone and won't see any of the ripples these changes will send out.

2. I have four scenes on the chopping block right now--and they may not all remain there. If I can salvage them, you bet your bottom I will.

3. Character motivations are much clearer with scenes laid out in this new order. It may cause them to be a bit less sympathetic, but they're definitely true to who they are and what forces drive them to act. And yeah, maybe readers will finish this book a little ambivalent about who they're cheering for, but alas, don't you love a comeback story? Yeah, me too. :)

4. I'm THAT much closer to getting to some actual writing, which I'm now itching to do in a major way.

So yes...progress, though not the kind I had intended to have by now.

That said -- tomorrow I'm going to go back through my proposed changes...write up a chart of just what I want to happen, and basically see if it all still makes sense in the light of day. Cross your fingers for me! Hopefully I'll keep working in my dreams and wake up ready to pound this puppy out. :)

A Lightbulb Moment

I'm doing this and I may regret it later, but...

I'm officially declaring the First Draft of FAKING IT COMPLETE. Yes, yes I am.

Nothing has really changed since yesterday, but I realized I've been thinking of the book in terms of rewrites/revisions for a very long time now. But with the new completed outline/synopsis (YAY), there's been a switch in my head. I'm not rewriting/revising the original book...I'm rewriting/revising THIS draft. My first draft. Dang it, it's a DRAFT*, even if all the little holes aren't neatly filled, or if there are whole scenes that need to be changed. It's 85K (probably more...I'm not really sure anymore) of First Draft.

And to go along with my post over at ATWOP today, it DOESN'T ALL SUCK. Some of it does...some of it will be tossed...but it's DONE.

YAY.

I feel better.

*You must remember that I haven't really been in this place before. I queried my first draft of the original Faking It. And when I "revised" I added....didn't do much of that subtracting business...and polished, polished, polished. Drafts??

Productive Weekend

So, I'm super busy right now, but I vowed I would keep working as much as I can. And dangit, one of these days, I'm going to announce that FI is finished. Whether that will be SOON is another thing. I'm literally scraping the bottom of the time barrel to get any work accomplished, but it is moving FORWARD. At a glacial pace, yes, but forward nonetheless.

I spent a good chunk of this weekend going through and figuring out any changes I want to make to the MS. Yes, I did a summary of sorts...not really an outline, but a verbatim telling of the story as I see it at this point. It's running close to 10 pages right now, will probably end up with 2-3 more by time I'm finished. It's been a good exercise, though much hair loss has occurred at regular intervals. Especially when I'm at a loss for what should/would come next...or when I realize that a very large chunk of the book doesn't quite make sense with my "new vision." That said, it's all coming together regardless. I may lose a few things if I can't pound them in, but that's okay. Gotta do what's best for the book. The good news is that there are VERY large chunks that will stay pretty much as they are...with minor tweaks. For that I'm very grateful.

So...progress. YAY. Now if I could just find more time... LOL.

Happy writing, all. And good luck to any Nano participants!

Rough Waters

Okay, after regrouping to work on FI again, I had to face the fact that I had one very serious plot point that was throwing the whole works topsy-turvy. One little piece that could sent my sad little house of cards a tumblin' down. I had to fix it. I had to brainstorm. I had to come up with SOMETHING to explain why certain events go down the way they do. Cuz, frankly, if I couldn't, I wasn't sure I could make the book believable in the end. And let's face it, I've had a hard time doing that to begin with! LOL.

I digress.

Anyway, I've known about this particular issue for a LOOOOOOONG time. And I've switched this or that...tried to look at things from different character POV's...squinted really hard at the screen and jumped up and down like a kangaroo on crack.. I've done it all to try and figure some way around this roadblock. And I've continuously hit the same brick wall. Over and over and over and over again.

Eventually I just kinda said to heck with it. It will work itself out eventually. HA. It never did. :)

But....EUREKA!! I've had a breakthrough. And I owe it all to Tricia and her inquisitive nature. :) Seriously, all it took was for her to ask just the right question at the right time and my little synapses were firing like mad. She seriously solved a problem that has plagued me for months on end! How awesome is that?

Now, I'm not guaranteeing it will be smooth sailing from here on out, but things are definitely going in the right direction.

So, thank you, Tricia! You rock! (And you have MORE than redeemed yourself!) Thanks.

The Attitude I'm Trying To Adopt!

Man, could they make videos back then, or what??

Changing Of The Hat!

In Superman fashion, Jen ducks into the closet, emerging a moment later wearing her FI cap.

Shazaam.

Dealing With Crits

Being as I just woke up (whatta slack!) I figured I'd start the day by trying to confuse everyone with a crafty type post. Better to get this fuzziness out of my head HERE instead of when I start poking at FI, right? (g)

I thought it sounded like a good idea.

Okay, so crits. Who needs 'em? What do you do with them once you have them? and What if _all_ of them disagree? WHAT THE HECK DO YOU DO??

Well, let me start out by saying that critiques of your work are very personal things. No matter how much you try to distance yourself from the experience, and no matter how much you say you won't take things too personally, you DO. On some level, you always do. Sure, you get better at it as times goes by, but I don't think any of us can say that a completely negative crit is a fun thing to receive. I think most of us probably close the email and declare, "That person just doesn't get my work!"

Well, I'm telling you, those feelings are natural, and probably healthy in the long run.. BUT, when you simmer down, open up that email again, and open yourself up to the possibility that the critter may have some legit concerns. It's likely that there's something there you can use to make your work better.

As an illustration, I'd like to use my recent experience with my first three chapters. If you think you've received crits all over the board, wait until you hear about this.

I sent it to six readers total -- here's what I received back:

1. This person loved it. Couldn't think of a single thing to change other than minor cleanups.

2. This person felt it was good throughout, but that maybe I should cut chapter one and start with chapter two.

3. This person also felt it was good throughout, but that maybe I should cut chapter TWO and start with chapter ONE. *brows hitting the back of my neck at this point*

4. This person loved it -- hasn't offered any ideas for major changes. She also said the chemistry between my main characters was "smokin'" and that she was so connected to my MC by the end that she felt like she WAS my MC.

5. This person said the writing was good, but that she didn't feel any connection with my MC OR any connection/chemistry between my main characters. Overall, didn't sound like she liked the tone of the chapters either.

6. This person loved it.


Someone pour the vodka! I need a drink!

I have to admit. Even just two years ago, I would have been freaking out by now, thinking my book sucked. But having wizened with experience (heh, right) I had to take a step back and really break this all down.

My first step was to look at the two readers who suggested I cut full chapters. Why such opposing viewpoints? Well, after much thought, hair-pulling, and wallowing in buckets of my own tears (kidding), I think I've come up with an answer.

My book really starts out with a lot of background information. I TRIED not to do a huge info-dump right from the get-go, but I also wanted to make sure readers understood who/what Madison does for a living. My solution was to illustrate it, and make sure I got in the information in the least "info dumpy" sort of way I could manage. The end result? Two good chapters, but two chapters that basically illustrated the same things.

Solution: I'm keeping chapter one and dumping a good portion of chapter 2.

Now, I know as soon as I do this, readers will come back saying they don't understand this or that. It's a complicated business this writing thing is, and I have no doubt that many, many readers will cry foul. The thing is, though, I have to do what's best for the pace of the story. I don't want to confuse readers, but at the same time, I don't want to spoon feed them every answer either. And I certainly don't want to bog down the story by giving them the same stuff twice. I have faith my readers will figure it out. And if not, I'll go back in and make sure they'll get it. That's my job.

Now, on to the chemistry comments. This is by far the harder issue. I don't want anyone to feel a disconnect between my characters, and/or my characters and him/herself. That just sucks, and quite frankly, is my biggest nightmare. (Right after not being able to tell a good story. (G))

What do I do in this situation? Well, naturally you want everyone to LOVE your characters, to LOVE your characters together, and to LOVE reading your book. But is that a reasonable goal?

My answer: NO. It isn't. And it ain't gonna happen. Deal with that now.

There isn't a writer out there who hasn't been criticized for one thing or another. I've read many, many books...and I'm often shocked by the lack of connection I feel for a character and/or story which others have RAVED about, claiming it's their favorite book/character of all time! And I'm quite certain people feel the same way about some of the books _I_ love.

That's OKAY. That's why there are shelves and shelves of books for us to read. You can't please all of the people all of the time.

Learn it. Live it. Love it.

It doesn't make you any less of a writer. Promise.

That said, there does come a turning point where you NEED to listen to these people. If everyone comes back, saying you aren't connecting when you thought you had connected the heck out of your characters...well, Houston, you may have a problem.

You always have to weigh the criticism you receive. But if more people love it than hate it, dude, you're on the right track. Don't let the negative ones bring you down. And I say this fully as a person *cough* who has _given_ negative reviews from time to time. I'm only one voice out of MANY, and just because something didn't float my boat, doesn't mean the world is crazy for loving it. Or that you haven't done your job well. (Wait a minute? Did I just say I might be wrong in my view? Holy hell. Is there a new world order? Nah, I did say MIGHT. (g))

The flipside -- if you receive a round of crits from people saying your work is PERFECT as is? Well, send it out to some more people. Just to play it safe. In my opinion, there is always something you can work on to make even better. Ask any published author who wishes he/she could go back and change this or that. There's ALWAYS room for improvement.

Oh...and the critters who loved FAKING IT as is? OF COURSE THEY'RE RIGHT. Yay to the two of you for getting the right answer!!!!

*Lotsa Confetti!!!*

KIDDING. :)

Happy writing everyone!

First Three...

...chapters of FI are out with betas. O.M.G. It's like I've never been through this before, I'm THAT nervous. And it's only 40 pages! Just wait until the whole MS goes shooting out across email. I'll need medication.

Houston, We Have Progress!

I finished my rewrite of the opening chapters. It's been a long struggle, but I THINK I have it just the right way. All it needs is a spit-shine. Then off to readers it goes!

I really hope people enjoy it. It has a real shocker of an ending that I LOVE.

Whew... what a relief. Now on to the next section. Should get a little easier...SHOULD. (g)


YAY.

Music choice tonight?

Soundtracks for Chocolat, Wyatt Earp, Gettysburg, and Waterworld. Random, right? I find orchestral is best. I don't know the music well enough to hum or sing along. (g)

Signed, Sealed, Delivered!

I put my overview and pages in the mail today. (squeeeeee)

It's such a load off.

Now...about the rest of my book...

Inspiration Anyone?

I'm on a roll with FI. The beginning is shaping up nicely and my advance reader (Jenna) has been pretty happy with the results so far. That said, I still have a ways to go before I'm satisfied. Of course, once the beginning is addressed, I'll need to tuck into the last 3/4ths of the book. It's not going to be pretty, but at least I feel rejeuvenated. Maybe this high will carry me through to the end.

I've set a quasi-deadline for the opening chapters. Next week. LOL. Who knows, it could happen. I have readers waiting, so I better get crackin'.

I'm still putting together my playlist. It's coming along...slowly. LOL. I find that I'm not necessarily "inspired" by certain songs -- as least not in regards to a specific scene. That whole "hear a song and write a scene" thing just doesn't seem to be my bag. What I do find is that certain songs start my brain churning and ideas seem to come more readily when I'm listening to them. I have no idea why. My brain is weird. This has been established by now, yes?

The latest additions, and don't you DARE laugh! They show my age.

The first is 'Mercenary' by the Go-Go's. *blink*

I have no idea why, but when this song cranks through my iPod, story ideas start flowing. The lyrics don't necessarily pertain to the book itself...well, maybe in a distant way...but the fact that it's helping is just plain ole' weird.

And don't you dare make fun of me for liking the Go-Go's! You know you wanted to have The Beat when you were a kid. We all did.



Oh...love the clothes, love the dancing...love the solos. MMMM, the 80's. Alas, no Mercenary...but just as good.

The second is 'Hook' by Blues Traveler.

I've always loved this song and it seems to be sparking ideas. That's doubly awesome for me. :)


Know what's made of even more awesome? The fact that I recognize the guy on the couch -- he hosted Remote Control. Good Gawd, I'm old.

In celebration, I think it's time for a little teaser... hmm. The first page perhaps?

Excerpt from FAKING IT (c) 2009

I’ve always known my boobs would be my downfall. There hasn’t been a day since my mom returned home with my first training bra—a size B, when I was 11!—that I haven’t wished the damn things would just fall off. But I must admit, some days they do have their advantages.

Others? Not so much.

On this particular day, I wanted nothing more than to get off work so I could lounge on my couch with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. To say it had been a sh!t day would be an understatement. I was tired, sweaty, and not a little pissed off at life in general. Color me happy when John McCormick picked that day, of all days, to sidle up to me out of the shadows and ask me to go for a little ride. I wanted to tell him no. Hell, I wanted to tell him to f@ck off, but when duty called, I answered. I’m a professional after all, albeit a grumpy one.

My problems began when I slipped back inside the locker room, using the excuse that I had forgotten my cigarettes, and discovered my pants didn’t have any pockets. I stood in a stinking bathroom stall, mini-recorder in hand, and cursed at myself for being unprepared.

Regardless, I knew I couldn’t use this little snafu as an excuse.

Left with no other option, I did the only thing I could do. I jammed the recorder into the hollow between my breasts and prayed like hell that my bra would hold the small device in place. When I returned to McCormick, the weight and chill of the recorder against my skin, I immediately regretted my hasty decision. The man’s eyes began to drill holes into my chest at a distance of fifty feet, and they hadn’t strayed since.

“You drive,” he said, flicking his glance up to my face before dropping them back down to my chest.

I stifled my knee-jerk response and brushed past him without a word. When I was sure he couldn’t see, I rubbed the heel of my hand between my breasts, making sure the recorder was nice and snug in its hidey hole. It appeared secure enough, and I relaxed a notch—still on alert, but feeling more in control and prepared.

I’m such an idiot.

Not a minute after I parked my car down a deserted dirt road a few miles from the plant, the damn thing began to inch its way upward. It looked and felt like I was growing a third boob in the center of my chest.

Sh!t.

{end snip}

Happy writing everyone!

Encouraging News!

I'm getting some positive feedback on the new opening stuff. I've been concentrating on two major sections, and the bits I've shown around are going over well.

Then, last night Jenna was kind enough to read through everything I have. She said some very encouraging things and it looks like I'm definitely going in the right direction with these changes.

It'll be a while before I finish everything and smooth it out, but hopefully it will be soon. I'd love to send out the opening chapters to see what people think. I'm feeling really good about everything right now, and the gaps are slowly filling in. If I can get through this opening -- with all the cuts and losses -- I think I can definitely make it through anything. It was hard to let this stuff go, but in the end, it was likely for the best.

YAY.

Whoot Whoo!

Just wanted to pop in to share my excitement.

As I've mentioned earlier, I'm rewriting the beginning of FI. It's a decision that was hard to come to -- as I love my beginning. But inevitably, I had to face the fact that it just wasn't working as is. The writing isn't at the level the later stuff is, and it just didn't match the rest of the book quite the way I wanted it to.

So, begrudingly, I began a rewrite. I still wasn't 100% convinced I could let go of some of the original scenes. Some of them I LOVE...some of them are, let's face it...my darlings. And I didn't want to kill them.

When I was on my morning walk, that all changed. I started flipping through the possibilities and eventually I started seeing how the current scene I'm working on could play out...how it would affect this and this scene and make THIS scene fit better... How I could plant the seeds for some later stuff and, in the end, everything would tie together SO much better.

Why didn't I think of all this before??

Simple. My brain was. I just wasn't listening. :)

So yay. Here's to taking the leap even when you don't want to.

Kill your darlings. Kill 'em.

Beginnings

Well, it's been a while since I've looked at FI. I haven't really hashed over all of the stuff going on in real life -- it's too long of a story and frankly, a lot of it now runs my life and I'm grasping for some semblance of normal right now. Writing is my normal and I want more of it. That said, it's surprising and weird to go over FI -- some I love. Some I just hate. All of it has me completely excited to pull it out and finish, with some changes of course.

The main thing I want to change is the beginning chapters. I now see some of the problems others have brought up (hey, it's only taken a long absence to do it!). I'm basically planning to hack off the first 2-3 chapters and completely rework them. So far, I've decided to start at a different place, changed my mind back, changed it again -- etc etc -- about a bazillion times. It's frustrating, but fun. I've found myself losing my train of thought mid-conversation, mid-crisis-work-problem, mid-whatever, and I'll end up thinking about FI. That's a GOOD thing.

And wait for it....wait for it...

I'm putting together an *cough*outline*cough* -- which, in all honesty isn't really an outline. Well, okay, maybe it is, but being as 9/10ths of the book is finished, it's really just a cheat sheet to make sure I've got the timeline, etc. correct. *right* But it's something I've been meaning to do for a while -- I'll need one anyway so I can turn it into DA with The Book. Whooot whoo... That last bit got me rather excited. :) Yes, the end is there -- it's in sight. I just need to rush out to meet it!

No more excuses. And no more letting life get in the way. *firm nod*

*Says she who needs to put it into gear lest she be late for work!* LOL.

Toodles.

Hunting For My Muse

I'm working on FI. Yes, I am working on FI.

*confetti*

I've been trying any method to break back into a writing routine. One way I read about is to create a "playlist" for my books. Erm, I'm not sure this will work, as I can't usually listen to music while I write, but if I come up with a good song, I'll be sure to jot it down and add it to the list.

For the first, we have WALKING AFTER YOU by the Foo Fighters. While Gabe and Maddy will have their own songs, this one is for Maddy and Drew. It sums up their relationship, though they may not realize it just yet.

Okay.

I'm beginning to shake this cold finally. How do I know? I actually feel motivated (and have the energy) to do something besides napping. The good thing is that I have all day to work on FI.

Let's hope I have a productive go at it! :)

Jen's-Pledge-To-Finish-FI-Or-Die-Trying

I've made a pledge to myself to finish FI. Not only have I promised myself that this IS it...that the end is drawing near, but I've also taken measures to insure it all happens.

So, in order to finish FI or die trying, I'm taking vacation from both jobs, starting this Friday, 5PM. I will be off work for--count 'em--NINE days, during which I will do none of the following.

1) Blog

2) Read

3) Post/read/cyber-watch any threads over at compu

4) Watch TV

5) Any stupid "I must clean my room" or "organize my CD's" type procrastination things. If showering starts taking too much time, by God I will put an end to it all and cope with my own stink.

My mission is to do one thing, and one thing only -- write. Write. WRITE. WRITE!!!

No sleeping in -- I will wake at my usual time and get dressed for work. If my dogs or the fam become too much of a nuisance, I will cut-out and head to a coffee house. No IM'ing -- no phone calls -- nothing but FI. Oh, and food and sugar. I'm human.

I feel like I'm heading into bootcamp. (g)

So, when I disappear, at least y'all know what I'm doing. If you're willing, send positive thoughts my way. Help me by envisioning a stack of pages that will be FAKING IT...completed! Ahh...Must keep that picture in mind when I grow weak. (g)

Success!

I've got a new scene -- about 1100 words. It's much better than the previous one, though I probably need to tweak it some more before I'm fully satisfied. That said, it's 2 in the morning and I'm heading to bed. Tomorrow I plan on working on revisions the entire day. I've cleared my schedule for it and everything. :)

Hopefully I'll get a lot more accomplished than I did today. LOL.