Skip to main content

Mt. Hermon cough

Captain’s Log, Stardate 03.30.2005

Mt. Hermon gave me a COLD. This racking cough just won’t go away, and I feel exhausted even though I had nine hours of sleep last night. Luckily, I don’t have a fever or congestion. I came home early from work today because I have to go in on Thursday and Friday to set up a big study.

I printed off almost all of my ACFW Noble Theme Contest entry. I forgot until today that the deadline is tomorrow. I’ll finish it tonight and get it in the mail tomorrow afternoon.

Wrote a kickin’ fight scene yesterday, helped by my “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” DVD. Hehe. I love the fight scenes--both watching and writing them. Maybe Chicklit/suspense/action is the right place for me.

I’m still revising the manuscript, almost done. When I’ve gotten to the point where I haven’t finished writing, I’ll send it to be critiqued while I finish the last few chapters. Efficient use of my time, yes?

I’ve been writing down all my tips and tricks for writing while working full time. I’d love to do a workshop on the subject someday. I think there would be lots of writers who would want to pick up ideas on how to juggle the Dreaded Day Job.

I finally knuckled down and cleaned up my office (Sharon, those stacks of books are GONE!). I can now see the carpet. My desk is clear, sort of. I have bills neatly stacked. I am so proud of myself. I now can put my relaxing candle right next to my monitor and allow the soothing flickering flame to ignite my creativity.

Hahahahahahahahaha.

Actually, having the candle nearby is quite nice. I’m glad I finally cleared the crap from my desk. The lack of clutter allows me to feel better about writing--I’m not distracted by the mess and guilty over cleaning. It was as if the stuff all around me was actually making my brain feel cluttered, too, just by being there.

Diet: Ugh, I feel like a pig. I have been trying to go no starch for a few days and it’s impossible. I’m okay for lunch, usually, but once I’m home I pig out on veggie chips. Which are low fat, but still. I feel like Bridget Jones with this obsession with calories. Am I that neurotic? Don’t answer that.

Comments

Popular Posts

Brainstorm - character occupation

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility ...

Lavender hand lotion

Captain's Log, Stardate 11.05.2009 I have to tell you, I LOVE Etsy.com ! Etsy is dedicated to providing a marketplace for people who like to make handmade products and people who appreciate them (and buy them). It has everything from handmade gifts (like my mom’s Bucilla Christmas stockings and ornaments and tree skirts and wall hangings and … well, just click here to see what she has! ) to soaps and lotions and jewelry and knitted items and hand-painted yarn and ... I could surf that website for DAYS. Anyway, lately I’ve been concerned about the lead content in my lotions, especially since I’m using them more now that it’s turned colder and drier here in California. I have to use lotion on my hands everytime after I wash them. So I went onto Etsy and searched for organic hand lotions, and bought this lavender lotion from Lue Cosmetics . What was really nice is that the owner, Jane, sent me a direct message via Etsy right after I made the purchase to ask if I’d received it yet and ...

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci...

I got my cover!

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. Eyes of Elisha by Brandilyn Collins Tangerine by Marilynn Griffith I GOT MY COVER!!!! What do you guys think?