Carrying On

So, less is more, right? Yeah, sometimes it is when you only have limited time to write or get something else important done. It all adds up in the end. Those day of 105, 160, 116, and 114 words all put together create a scene. And the more scenes that appear make a chapter, and chapters turn into completed manuscripts. That's the idea anyway.

NaNoWriMo is coming up in November. If you're not familiar, it's when writerly folks put pen/pencil to paper or fingers to keyboards and create like crazy for 30 days straight toward a goal of 200 pages. It's actually a bit over 6 pages per day if you work it out. Not a problem for most folks who are used to a daily job of turning out pages. Not so much for us folks who work and have extra life obligations. However, a great challenge is to focus and discipline yourself in order to achieve those 200 pages. Taken a little at a time, plus having a plan and outline to guide and work with, it's not as daunting as first thought.

I usually do NaNo and get it done, but last year I fell short. Next month I'm doing it again and hopefully will make that 50k goal. I also have holiday baking to organize and schedule and a bird to tackle right after the big spooky rush of Halloween. And after I finish our costumes and contemplate a couple of calls for submission I think I might attempt.

Let the fun begin!

~R

The Balance of Dharma

It's Sunday night, and I haven't finished everything I wanted to do this weekend. It really doesn't matter, because all the stuff that needs doing and that I'd love to devote a bit of attention to will still be there tomorrow and the next day. Rushing around too much causes headaches I don't need, so I'm going to try and keep on an even course. For the next month I'm going to pick one thing in the house that needs taking care of, one thing for work, one for family (not counting meals), and one thing for me.

This, rather than a dozen items on my daily to-do list, hopefully will keep my body, mind and spirit in balance. And this along with the joy of my family will help me to better write when I have those precious minutes ticking away. And now time for a little peace and quiet.


~R

Where Did Sumemr Go?

Not the usual season. I'm talking about all this #$%^* heat that has pushed away what should've been an enjoyable 2-1/2 months. I know it will end eventually and we'll be off water rationing. I just hope rain comes soon! Exhaustion preempted several 'field trips' this summer though I made it out to a few places before the heat got to me. I'm really thinking positive thoughts for all the local farmers and their crops.

Yesterday I attended a great lecture about publishing given by a local RWA chapter I rejoined after being away since '96. Lots of questions and insightful answers were give by Karen Whiddon, Shayla Black and Sophie Oak. These ladies were knowledgeable and more than willing to give information and direction regarding their take on trad and e-pubbing and self pubbing. I was hoping I'd connect with another writers in the group and be able to talk about the industy and our work. Though it was very obvious there were circles of friends that only wanted to stay within their circles (myself and several others who were new to the group sat off to one sit of the room), the lecture was definitely a benefit to pre-published and published authors alike, and I'm very glad I went.

This month editing has been slow, and I'm contemplating a title change on one story along with some refining of the plot. Reworking two other first drafts and writing one new story will be my goal the rest of this year. Teaching is going well too. I just finished another online 'World Building' workshop and will start another in a week at Savvy Authors ('Feng Shui for Characters') in about a week. Head on over and check it out if you're interested.

So, today is family day and rest time before another busy week begins. And school starts tomorrow for my very excited kiddo! Okay, on to catch up with more reading.

~R

The Long Wait Is Over ... for now

After nearly two months of wilting heat and weeks of triple digits we finally have rain today. I stood in the slowly falling drops for about five minutes early this morning, just soaking up the relief of not having to face another day with winds that burned my face every time I went outside.

Yes, it's raining. Hopefully it'll stay awhile. I'm so doing the happy dance because it's finally RAINING!!!!

~R

Ready, Set ...

Getting ready for tomorrow (Monday). So much to do like laundry, pre-make lunches, get my music together for my classes, make sure the week's dinner menu is done, and watch the new Netflix movie we've been procrastinating about for several days. Oh yes, and our SciFi club is having a crew dinner in costume. Now, what to go as ...

~R

Fun Was Had By All

Busy day starting with one of my RWA chapter writer's meeting, then on to a visit by another group we're with to another group's meeting then socializing, and home.

The afternoon meeting was a sedate, interesting group, and we found many friends we already knew. I was fortunate to also reconnect with a dance partner (Les) from waaay back when we were with the same belly dance group. She's still lovely as ever, and I was so glad to see her again. Turns out we have common interests, and we also talked about dancing together again in the future. Yeah!

Next week after out SciFi meeting another group is meeting at the same location ... so all I have to do is hang out then maybe Les and I do a bit of dancing again. She told me of several functions and we connected on a forum where I hang and do research for my SP stories. This is going to definitely be fun.

Writer's meeting means no writing today. Will try tomorrow for a few pages.

~R

Life & Stuff

I really don't like arrogant people. I mean, what reason can they possible have for narrow opinions and risking someone's safety?

Yep, I had a difference of opinion with someone, and I'm in process of checking out the facts. My day job entails a lot of watch dogging, and my #1 concern is my student's safety and good health. Exercise can be dangerous if not done correctly, and instructors should always keep preventative measures in place. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Fun can come with a price, and I gladly keep watch over my classes.

The reunion and dad's memorial went well. Stories were told and family members reminisced. There was a table laid out with my dad's photo, flowers, his favorite candies to share, a memorial book to sign, and extra stationary for anyone who wanted to write to dad because hey didn't get to say goodbye. After dark and our weenie roast supper, we burned the letters and the smoke rose to heaven and messages went to dad. Everyone cheered, and we waved to the night stars and dad. It was good and brought some closure.

Subbing several additional classes over the next two weeks, so I might only be able to post a line or two in my entries.

~R

Oh. My. Goodness.

Exhausted isn't the word for the whirlwind that is 'the beginning of school.' Day one was as expected: lots of parents escorting their spawn onto the grounds, lots of vehicles parked where they shouldn't be, lots of confusion because some families couldn't be at meet-the-teacher night last week.

I am so glad we parked up the street and walked.

My kiddo is excited to be back in school and to see friends. I am ready for my schedule to settle back down. My day job is still going well, and I think I've figured out my writing time. I don't have nearly as much as before, but the few hours per day will be put to good use. Now I'm looking forward to a little quiet time and maybe a chick-flick before school lets out.

Still need to do a bit of shopping for the family reunion and my dad's mini memorial tomorrow. Maybe that movie will have to wait a few days. (sigh)

Page count ... 7 new ones.

~R

The Day Job

A couple weeks ago I took on more hours during the day and even signed up for additional training classes. In two days I'll be jumping, skipping, moving and smiling like crazy in Zumba training to be 'official' and be able to teach under that name (rather than the usual 'Latin Dance Aerobics' class). I'm excited and very ready to get through this training. After talking to several other instructors about how vigorous it is, I've already packed my protein bars, nuts, and dried mangoes.

I am so ready to do this!

And school is about to begin, so tonight we get to meet the teacher and unload all the supplies. Yeah!

~R

Heat Wave

In Texas, air conditioning is NOT an option, and I'm always reminded of this fact every August when the Mercury rises over the century line. It's everything we can do sometimes to stay cool or even to keep our home livable, much less comfortable in 107-degrees. Yes it's not the desert, but a heat bubble always forms over the metroplex that dissipates any chance of precipitation.

Swimming is sometimes an option, though not always. Lots of ice gets made, lots of water is consumed. Forget turning on the stove (much less the oven) to make a meal! I've even taken to writing with pen on paper to cut even the tiniest heat from my computer. We will survive this year as we always do. Just don't pack my freezer with ice cream!

~R

PS: kiddo is coming home tonight! I can hardly wait to see him again!! :-)

Sweet Relief

Not exactly relief from the great Texas heat (though that will arrive in few weeks with Autumn), my son is still visiting grandma. Don't get me wrong, I love my child dearly. I an glad for a little quiet time to straighten my home, write a little more, and get inventive in the kitchen with chocolate, which I haven't had time to do in months. I suppose this can be termed 'stress relief.'

Chocolate is calling, and I must answer ... but not too much or I'll blow the beginning of my new exercise and diet changes.

~R

Thursday Recommendations

It's been too busy this summer, and getting a little down time - even a few hours - sounds heavenly! After reading Christie Craig's newest release "Shut Up And Kiss Me," I bought her book "Gotcha!" which came out last year. I'm not too far into the story, however it's proving to be just as entertaining as the other book.

I'm starting a "recommendation" post on Thursdays, and today my advice to relieve stress is to escape by reading something your enjoy. Go hide for 30 minutes, turn off your cell phone, take a bubble bath, visit your favorite coffee shop, or go get an mani-pedi and take your book and read. The time you spend on yourself will do you good.

Now it's my turn to do a little reading for stress relief. :)


~R

Did It Again

In my defense, I haven't judged too much over the past year, so I answered a "call" to help judge a non-RWA writing contest. Not too many pages for the entries plus an easy-to-understand-and-fill-out judging form. I know I'm side tracking. Giving back is something I do, because I've had some great help from contest judges in the distant past.

Editing is still slow, but I have hopes to get back on track within the next few days. I'm mulling over 2 new scenes I need to add and how to not make the additional character a total jerk. Redemption is the key here, making him somehow a lovable jerk. He's an alpha, so there's potential conflict with my main hero (always a good thing). And I have more than one shrubbery for them to beat on, lol.

For the next couple of weeks I'm hoping for a lot of quiet to get this story completed. I just have to limit my Internet time. I still have high hopes, though interruptions are the rule of the day sometimes. Thinking positive = I will persevere instead of procrastinate.

Wish me luck!


~R

More Fun

Well maybe. Editing is going slower than I planned. I'm supposed to be participating in a BIAW challenge, but yesterday I didn't make my quota. Three hours a day is a comfortable amount of work, any more and I get a little overwhelmed in the summer. It's different during regular school months. Not so when my kiddo NEEDS this, that and other stuff NOW.

I'm doing okay keeping distractions to a minimum. Routine has helped me a lot plus getting back to my daily exercise. I haven't had much luck finding someone to redo my website, so I'm back to square one trying to redo it myself. I spent a few hours Monday designing and figuring out what would work best, load fast and be easy to upkeep. I still haven't reconstructed my old site with all the particulars. Yahoo archives still don't have copies, and the way-back thingie isn't working for me. I'll just have to keep working on it a few minutes here and there.

Editing. Yeah, I'm behind where I want to be. I thought by now I'd be happily in the middle of the story. I really need to quit that, because it never happens that way. I'm hoping after I check on my class today to enter all the edits for the last two chapters I reworked. That's my goal ... besides redoing the music for my class this evening.

So, yeah, life goes on. Still have my fingers crossed this story will be out the door by the end of this month.


~R

Another Day

I figured I'd better post in case anyone was wondering (does anyone ever read this??).

It's been ten days now since D-day, and I'm trying to get back into my daily routine. But it's difficult. I look around I see something that reminds me of dad, and the moment comes where I just have to stop and remember to breathe until the tunnel vision and inner pain subsides enough for me to try and deal again.

I've made breakfast, lunch, and dinner for my family for the past two days, a duty I usually share with my DH. I watered my orchids yesterday and this morning. I fed the cat. I watched a movie with my kiddo. I taught my workshop and went to my evening job.

Mundane simple things make life easier to cope with. I know it will eventually get easier to deal with the loss. I even negotiated with my offspring for a few hours of quiet time yesterday and edited an entire chapter. I have to add several new scenes, and I'm almost to the point where I can't continue editing without them. I'm so emo right now I'm not sure how they'll turn out. Or if they even will. I guess I can always save them for a different story if it doesn't fit the plot.

I have a personal goal to submit this story by the end of this month. Cross your fingers or toes or light a good luck candle for me.

On to editing another chapter today.

~R

Sad Day

My dad died today.

~R

Life Update

I know it's been a long time since I posted. The last several months, life has become complicated. Family comes first before all else, even writing. Last November (same time I broke my wrist and had surgery) my dad was diagnosed with non-Hadgkin's Lymphoma stage 4. I won't bore you with details, but here's a basic rundown.

In March my dad started having problems with his chemotherapy and went into the hospital for several days due to bleeding. He got out but had to go right back in a week later. April was the same, and then he stayed with my sister after he got out (sort of like a mini vacation from his, ahem, "wife" - don't go there, trust me). Early May dad went back in the hospital for the same problem but for a longer time. The doctors determined dad needed rehab to help him regain the strength he'd lost and help him recover. On Memorial Day he went into a good facility. Nine days later he started having trouble again.

A brief visit to his doctor put dad back into the hospital for testing. This revealed an ugly truth we were unprepared for: dad had two new massive tumors that has started and grown to the size of grapefruits over three weeks. These were inoperable and unresponsive to all treatment.

On June 11, dad went into Hospice care. My sister and I are sharing as much of the basic comforts as possible (translation = we happily do lots of "go-for"s) and being his "cheery" squad. We tell him stories about our kids (his grandkids) and remind him of all the good things that happened when we were growing up. Family and friends have driven and flown in from all over the USA to see dad. I gladly spend a lot of road time five days a week to get to the hospital over an hour away.

My dad is an amazing individual. He's got his quirks and faults, and he's made his share of mistakes. He's human. He also learned and grew into a better person.

He's survived car accidents, a plane crash, multiple surgeries, started several thriving businesses, went back to school after marriage and kids and got two degrees, built several houses, rebuilt several cars, and has lived all over the world. He use to sing little songs like "Dirty Bill" and "Alice" instead of reading regular bedtime stories. He's also a US Army Veteran, a tenor, gourmet chef, an avid reader, and a writer. He's lived joyfully, loved with all his heart, and laughed a lot. He also raised my sister and I.

I always had the feeling my dad could do anything he wanted. That's how he raised us too. But he's not going to be around much longer. I love my dad, and I'll stay with him as long a I can.


~Raquel

What was the best job you've ever had?

I'm very lucky to be able to have varied interests like writing, costuming, teaching, performing. I love doing them all! And the best is being a mom, though I don't really consider that a job. :-)

Ask me anything

Actions That Really Speak ...

Every writer’s heard the phrase “it’s all about the story,” and, well, in romantic fiction it seems doubly so. Actions can speak loud and clear, especially when there’s a lack of it through the plot. Heroes and heroines have a purpose to meet and fall in love just as readers have expectations of a happy ending. It’s the journey through the plot, all the little ups and downs, all the conflicts those two characters must face and eventually overcome, and all the actions those characters take that add a touch of magic and make the reader come back for more stories.

But sometimes that doesn’t happen, which was one of the reason ...


(visit here to finish reading ... http://ffnp.blogspot.com/)


~R

Accountability Rant

I really despise it when people take credit for someone else's work or don't mention that they were taught a certain noteworthy thing thus completely ousting the individual who kindly passed on their knowledge when they didn't have to. This is one of my pet peeves, and it's unfortunately happened before. It really bothers me that some folk don't own up and just say it like it is. Why not admit it when a thought or deed or skill was first done by another? There's no harm in it, no shame, and the individual will still get the glory because they are in the spotlight at the moment. Not only is unfair to the originator, it's down right mean.

If an idea was mentioned by someone else but not listened to, then was brought back up at a later date by someone else who happened upon a fairly lucrative deal and then was praised by those same people who practically ignored the individual who first mentioned it, that is so not right. Taking credit for someone else's ideas or work is wrong. Why? Why when the second individual already has all the glory and attention don't they pass on "oh, yeah, I got this idea from so-and-so..." The originator of the idea or thing probably worked hard to come up with whatever it was that was taught to or adopted by someone else.

I suppose blame should be distributed equally, especially if the original audience poo-pooers where so narrow minded they couldn't see their way to compromise so that everyone would benefit. But I think the first individual should be at least mentioned rather than ignored.

Just saying.

~R