Memories, Mayhem & Motivation

It's been a while since I've blogged. Frankly, I've been so busy this summer that my head is about to spin off my neck and what free time I've had has been spent doing the most important thing: writing. I've considered writing about my RWA National Conference experience, but there's no way to truly encapsulate how incredible that experience was for me.

Why? First I got to see so many friends and was inspired to go above and beyond my personal strengths as a writer. Second, I got to see friends who came all the way to see me and meet the writers. They had a blast and I really enjoyed spending time with them. Third, I sat at Lucky Table #55 where Eloisa James sat (and I was unable to speak to her because I was having a serious fan girl heart attack) and she won her first RITA. Fourth, I got to be a Golden Heart date with the awesome writer Gail Hart and we cheered on two RITA winners and two Golden Heart winners. Fifth, I was a Daphne date with Sharon Wray who won a Daphne and achieved highest overall score. Sixth, I was able to share in the best news ever:

My Critique Partner Pam Mantovani sold her first book to Belle Books at the National Conference.

Okay, that meant major screaming, a bit of crying, and lots of wine drinking to celebrate afterward. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was for her. We both sold within six weeks of each other. And we're both in the same boat. This is a dream come true and a great way to start the writing year.

But the writing has taken a serious hit because we've been so busy. The Conference definitely ate up a lot of time. The College Kid has been underfoot and quite frankly, if she's up and wants to spend time with me, I do. The Physicist has also been home more often and that has taken up time and impacted my ability to concentrate. Finally, the mayhem continues because we're gearing up to move the CK back to her college. There's a mattress set, a futon, a bookshelf, and an office chair in my bedroom. Her wing looks like a disaster area and needs serious gutting out. And there's a boatload of stuff stored in my attic and garage that we're moving to down south.

T-5 days till we hit the road. Loading the moving truck up on one day, driving down to the school the next, praying the key works on the condo door (don't ask), and moving her in. The following day we head to Hotlanta where we'll buy two chairs to replace the old love seat she's taking with her as well as to spend time with my CP and the Craftsman.

Then it's turnaround and head home again.

So all this stuff has impacted my motivation. I have to force myself to write a little every day on a story that I've pretty much vacillated between loving, hating, wanting to toss it away, wanting to save it for no other reason than for myself, and then I go through it all over again. Why am I revising this story? I have a request for it. I don't know if it will fly through the backdoor and succeed where others have failed. I don't know if it's going to pass the strict guidelines of this particular publisher's house and I have another set of stories to write that I know have to be written for the contract I signed in May. Still, this story is easier to deal with than writing a series prequel and a sequel, so I persist in writing it.

Bit by bit. There isn't a lot of time. Just a little. But I keep telling myself that if I only get a half an hour logged, it's better than nothing. So blogging? Well that has taken a nosedive, but I've decided to try to get one blog in a week and I'm shooting for a Wednesday Weekly blog.

Let's see if I stay on track.

How do you cope through the busy days of summer when you have projects that must be completed?

When I am Published I Want to Be Like...

When I am published, I want to be like the authors I admire and like many of the authors I met at the 2011 RWA Conference in New York City. Here are the qualities I admire in the authors I want to be like when I am published:

Generous
Fun
Giving
Excited
Humble
Eager
Open
Gifted
Understanding

These authors also want to share how to get through the publishing door. They want to give advice about how to get published. They aren't afraid of the competition. They welcome more people at the table. They believe there is room for everyone. They want to see you succeed. They want to help you attain your dream goal.

How did these authors show me these qualities? By speaking at the luncheons, by giving inspiring thank you speeches, and by teaching workshops. They also shared their love of writing, craft, and storytelling during random meetings. I met several authors during the literacy signing, the luncheons, and in the workshops who eagerly shared information with me about the craft, the industry, the genres, and their experiences. They even offered to help me by reading my pages, by answering my questions via email.

Authors were once writers struggling to get published. They know how hard it is to beat down that door. They get where we unpublished writers are sitting, and they want us to succeed. While I was at the conference I met many generous authors who took the time to encourage me.

And that is why going to a conference is money well-spent. You learn who you want to be like when you cross over to the published world. Keep these qualities in mind if you aren't published. Write them down. Live them now. Pay it forward when you reach your dream.

Surviving Pre-travel Jitters

I'm heading to NYC on Tuesday and I'm starting to get my usual pre-travel jitters. I love to visit new places and friends, but I always get nervous before I go on a trip. I'm especially bad when I have to rely on transportation other than my own vehicle. It's not that I hate to fly or go by bus or hit the rails but I do hate to be out-of-control of the wheel. I just worry about  more things going wrong than right. I'm also terrified I'll forget something important like my brain or a boarding pass. And I'm sure something terrible will happen between here and my future destination.

I've come by this ultra-tense state genetically. My father was the same way. Despite years of traveling to foreign countries, he became increasingly nervous right before each trip. As he got older, he'd arrive at the airport earlier and earlier until it was almost better to drop him off at the terminal the night before his flight.

Here is my current list of pre-travel jitters:

1) What if my ride bails on me? I need to have an alternate plan just in case and I do.

2) What if I miss my bus? How will I get to NYC?

3) Will there be ample time to get refreshed after I arrive at the Marriott Marquis?

4) Will I forget my strapless bra? If I do, I can buy one on Times Square.

5) What if they lose my luggage (less likely by bus, but it could happen!)?

6) What if I get sick? This is a big concern for me as I am not 100% right now.

7) What if my klutzy gene kicks in and I trip and break a limb or get a concussion?

8) What if I'm stuck next to the bathroom on the bus (gross!)?

9) What if I forget my chargers for all my electronic equipment? (OK replaceable, but a pain!)

10) Where will I find a store to buy wine and will people frown upon my search?

So that's my list of concerns regarding Tuesday's trip. I'm sure there will be other ones. I tend to roll that way. The only good part about this particular travel plan is I don't have to worry about getting lost because I'm on a bus with a driver that knows the way.

Wait! What if the bus driver falls asleep at the wheel and we suffer a horrific crash and I don't get to go to Nationals?

I should write dark, suspenseful stories, right? Do you suffer from pre-travel jitters? How do you cope? Share your concerns with me. I will understand!

:-)

When Little Girls Grow Up

I've spent the past month getting ready for the RWA National Conference.... wait.... stop... Nope. Wish I could say I have been diligently planning for this very important trip. After all, I've got an editor and an agent to pitch, workshops to attend, people to meet, and celebrating to anticipate.

However, I've been distracted by a very important thing: my teenager! She's graduating in a year. This means touring colleges, narrowing down pros and cons of attending the colleges she's most interested in, and discussing various majors/minors of study whilst realizing that old dreams must be set aside to make room for new dreams and a new journey.

My daughter is at the cusp of her adult life. She's getting ready to explore her future, her world, her life as a citizen of the world. We've had her with us for almost 17 years (18 if you count the 9 month pregnancy) and now a very important part of my world is changing, morphing into a new direction. And right now, as we go through this transition, I want to be available to my daughter. I also want to be with my daughter. I know this next year will fly all too fast. After all, the past 16 have been a mere blink in my eye.

Here's a brief overview:

*from infertile to carrying a precious child
*her sweet, bubbly personality shining through from day one
*her first steps in a onesie after tearing through a pile of newspapers
*my best friend from Holland and I folding clothes in the kitchen while dreaming about who our daughters will be in 15 years. Those years have flown.
*singing Disney tunes, playing with dolls, stuffed animals, puppet shows, dancing, singing, laughing
*bumps, scary hospital visits, bones needing mending, emotions bursting
*school, Kindergarten, friends, world expanding, traveling, seeing much, doing more
*tall, gorgeous, self-driven, long legged and somewhat klutzy despite her years of dance teenager
*smart, funny, giving, empathetic, gifted, goofy, lovable human being

Why? Why do we have to raise our children to let them leave us? I just want to enjoy her. So yes, I haven't been a 100% focused on my "desperately seeking publication" goals. I admit it freely. I've written. I've written a lot. For it is in writing that I find solace, an escape from the reality I must accept as a mom.

And I've been shopping. Bought lots of clothes. With my teen at my side helping me squeeze into dresses for the gala events. I've been building more memories, making more time for laughter with my girl amidst preparing for my travels. Sure, I've stolen moments to work out my schedule for the conference, my pitches are "done" enough, and I'm excited about meeting all my friends in NYC. The conference will be great.

But underlying all my little plans for my world, there is a band pulling around my heart and squeezing ever so tight as I anticipate the very real and necessary goodbye I will face in a year. Sending my daughter into the world will be the greatest, most difficult thing I have ever done.

However, the pain of letting her go is lessened by the joy of seeing her soar. And in learning how to send my very real baby into the world, I have gained the added lesson of having the strength to send my fictional babies out into the world, too.

And I hope that my example of perseverance and diligence will be the flame that my daughter carries into her adult life.

4 Hour Body Check In-Skinny for NYC Final Week PROS & CONS

Well I've been on this plan for about 3 months. I've had some successes and I feel good about the effort I made to lose some of my winter fluff. My stats haven't changed much since last week, and I'm still miffed about the extra inches around the bust line (argh), but I did manage to lose 1 inch off that area this week so I think it's because of my hormones/thyroid issues, not the plan. So now that the three months are up I am going to list the Pros and Cons of this plan.

PROS:
*no counting calories
*wine allowed
*cheat day
*energy levels up

CONS:
*expensive due to meat consumption
*miss my fruit
*a lot of cooking
*not easy to implement during travel or sickness

I had three hurdles to jump while on the plan: the tornadoes forcing us to leave our home and take refuge at a friend's house in Nashville, my seriously icky sinus infection, and travel. These three events did not make it easy to stick to the plan. Frankly, when one is driving 400 miles in a day, a burger IN A BUN is necessary. Also easier to eat!! And when one is sick, soup is nice, not beans. And when one is on the run from tornado fallout/debris, a friend's home cooking is a comfort and a blessing.

Despite the hurdles, I did manage to maintain my precious inch losses, but I feel that the diet didn't give me the results I wanted despite adding exercise into my lifestyle. That could be a function of the hurdles and my thyroid being pesky again.

Speaking of exercise. I did ZUMBA twice a week, worked out with Jillian Michaels Shred program, and I walked on a regular basis. I also tried some other BOOT CAMP classes, but to be honest, the instructor was a drill sergeant and when she had us do crab crawls across the Y's gym floor, I quit. I hated gym class when I was in high school. I don't have to do it as an adult.  ZUMBA is amazing. I love the workout and the people in my class. Jillian Michaels Shred workout is great, but I hurt my shoulder doing it so I quit that one. Yesterday, I went to the Y and got set up on the Link system of weight machines. I have a program set up and I am excited to incorporate it into my routine. The best part is that I can input all my workouts at the kiosk or online so I can incorporate stuff I do right when I am traveling. Woohoo!

My biggest problem right now is I'm sluggish and tired, feel frustrated about the bust line issue, and I have some other pesky thyroid symptoms which have me wondering if I am battling the bulge with a boulder on my back (the thyroid going whacko). Yesterday I went to the doctor's office and had my blood drawn so she can check my thyroid numbers, my B12 and Vitamin D numbers before I go to Nationals. I just want to be my best when I am there. I have a doctor appointment scheduled for July 21, but this thyroid thing is so sensitive to any changes that I felt it was important to troubleshoot it before I hit the road next week. I'm certain I need to adjust my medication.

I've had decent results with the 4 Hour Body and I think it is good for me in general, but I am modifying this diet in two ways:

1) Adding fruit and low fat Greek yogurt
2) I'm counting calories/being more flexible with carbs when I travel

I need fruit. I need to count calories because I think the nuts I can eat on this diet are too easy to eat and super fattening. I'm basically tweaking the diet and modifying it to be a mini-weight watcher's/high protein/calorie counting diet. Basically fresh fruits and veggies are 0 cals/points just like WW's plan. I'm emphasizing protein like meat, but I'm counting calories to hold myself accountable. I'm continuing with my workouts, whenever I am in town, and I'm double checking my hormones to make sure I'm not fighting an uphill battle. I'd like the score to be even.

One thing that I have learned is that my mindset is important. Yes, my body is changing and I don't have total control over the changes, but I can dress nicely and use healthy self-talk to encourage myself to continue doing my best to be my best. No. I'm not perfect and I don't have the body I lived in when I was in my twenties. But I feel good about myself at this age. There is a lot to be said for a healthy attitude. The goal here is to be strong and fit at any size. I can't change the effects of gravity and aging (unless I go under the knife which is NOT an option) completely, but I can be my best at this age and any age if I incorporate healthy habits.

So this is the end of the 4 Hour Body journey. Now I embark on a new way of living, eating, and being healthy. Next week I'll be traveling north to the DC/VA area with my Darling Teen. We're visiting with friends before I take the VAMOOSE bus line to NYC for the RWA National Conference. I can't wait to see everyone and to celebrate the wonderful successes of my friends. 

I'll blog sporadically, and I'll try to keep you all posted on my adventures. Meanwhile, I'd love to learn about your diet journey, what has worked and what hasn't and how you have adjusted your diets. Here's to a job well-done to all of us who have tried to make positive, healthy changes in our lifestyles!!

Cheers!

Crossroads, Forks and Detours: Goals Reevaluated

I'm approaching another end of a quarter and am reevaluating my priorities. I do so every 3 months. I've decided to work up a mini-fix for the month of June because this quarter has been a wild one. I'm only 2 months into the quarter and it feels like it has lasted 6 months! I must step back and regroup so I can strengthen my focus. Basically, I'm de-cluttering my mind of useless stuff so I can tackle the important events coming up this month.

This quarter I started strong with an R&R out the door and the rest of the story to revise. It's been about 2 months since I sent the R&R out and I am in "wait mode." So much of this business is about waiting and being patient, but while writers wait we must do only one thing: write some more. So I finished the rest of the revision, sent it off to my CP, and tackled her critique 3 chapters at a time. I have three more chapters to go and I'm finished this round. That's on the table for the first part of this week.

While I revised this book, I entered another contest (which still requires an entry LOL), learned I finaled in the Fab Five, and attended a great workshop. I returned home in mid-April ready to work my tail off. Then the first detour in my road occurred. Sick kid. Mono. She's been home for about a month and a half now. I've got to admit, it's put a cramp in my writing style. You see, I am a bit spoiled. She's a teenager who drives so I was used to the days being mine to do my work. I had to work around her doctor appointments, caring for her, organizing school work, and canceling a lot of her "life" till she got well.

But as Nora Roberts says, glass balls are more important than rubber ones. My daughter's health, my daughter period, is glass. Fragile, precious glass I cherish. Writing will always come second to my child. Always. She needed me. I was there for her. I still am. I managed to revise a bit more, but a week after my child's diagnosis, the skies opened up and all he!! broke loose in Alabama. 28 tornadoes in 1 day. The most terrifying day ever. I don't think I'll ever forget the sirens, the dark skies, the sudden pop above my head after an eerie silence, or the complete sense of helplessness.

We were lucky. We didn't suffer any damage or injuries and I'm so grateful. But my writing did suffer a setback. Not just because of the time lost, but because my heart was aching. I was sore. Sad. I just wanted to reconnect with my friends. Talk. Sleep. Be still. Pray. And so I did. I gave myself permission to take a bit of a break.

I took a look at the crossroad in front of me and went left instead of right. I enjoyed the journey. I played with a new story idea, came up with plot points, index cards, and just had fun. I ignored the revision for a bit. And that was great. I reevaluated my future writing projects. I relaxed. Well, I relaxed for me. Anyone who knows me knows I am not a "relaxed" kind of gal. In the midst of all of this there was still the sick kid, still the doctor visits, still the desire to create, still the household to keep up, still the new diet to cook dozens of meals for......... and so the relaxation was more of a pit stop here and there punctuated with bursts of work.

Of course, my part of my idea of relaxing was to take a break from revisions and plan a new story. In the midst of story boarding my next novel, I managed to snag a couple of great editor and agent appointments at the RWA National Conference. Usually Nationals are in July, but this year the conference is June 28-July 2. I have very little time to prepare for it because of, oh, the above paragraphs. But that's okay. I can pull it off. I plan on pulling this off after I finish the first draft of my next book, and after I tour two more colleges with my darling teen (who is slowly mending despite another minor health setback).

See, this post is just a rambling thing about LIFE. Life is happening. All The Time. And somehow, we writers, we must continue to write despite the many distractions. And the only way I know how to do that is to have a plan. A map. Of course, the map can't prepare us for every detour and crossroad that comes our way, but it can give us a place to refer to when we get a little lost. And sometimes a new map needs to take the place of the old map.

That is what I am doing this week. I'm gearing up to make a new road map. I'm reevaluating my goals, my priorities, my ongoing "to-do" list.

How often do you reevaluate your goals? Do you tweak them regularly or only change them once a year?

4 Hour Body: Operation Skinny for RWA Nationals--Check In Time

I've been following the 4 Hour Body diet pretty religiously for three weeks now. I can say I totally look forward to "Cheat Day." Last Saturday I had cookies, cheese (my all time favorite), extra drinks, ketchup on my eggs, and my favorite Trader Joes Meal MANDARIN ORANGE Chicken with rice and broccoli. Sigh. Sooooo yummy. By the end of the day, I was ready to go back to the plan.

Two possible problems arose this week due to travel and company coming for dinner. While I was on the road, I didn't have access to my usual egg dish. I chose to eat a protein bar for breakfast and had small packages of South Beach style nuts to nibble on. I must say it wasn't fun going to one of my favorite restaurants for dinner, THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY, and not being able to order what I wanted. I ended up getting chicken medallions, extra veggies, no rice and edamame for an appetizer. My dinner companions could eat bread and tortillas, but I valiantly abstained. Not going to lie. It was tough.

On Monday I had to host a dinner for one of my darling hubby's colleagues. No problem. I had a lovely pork loin which I rolled into Herbs de Provence, seared, then popped into the oven for approximately 50 minutes at 400 degrees. The aroma was divine. I also had nuts on hand for an appetizer to munch on, but not the usual cheeses etc. because why tempt myself? Or hubby for that matter? I made two different veggies thinking this would suffice, explained that we were on a low carb diet and the man's face literally fell. He lives for carbs as he is of Italian descent. Sheesh. Thankfully, I had some frozen french rolls in the freezer, so I bopped three into the oven and baked them alongside the pork toward the end of the cooking time. Noted this issue to myself and picked up another bag of  mini rolls while at the grocery store just in case another carbaholic shows up at my place for dinner.

Due to my travels, I didn't hit the grocery store till Tuesday. I bought tons of fresh salads, beans, meat, salmon, the works. We had the chili lime grilled on the cedar plank Salmon last night over a bed of lettuce drizzled with white balsamic vinegar and fresh asparagus spears. Yummy. The week was very busy with Darling Daughter performing in her high school musical, GUYS AND DOLLS. I prepped a shredded beef dish which I served with lettuce wraps and "allowed for" condiments. Thursday we had a grilled flank steak with veggies and beans. And today I plan to serve balsamic chicken breasts, scallopini style with the usual beans/veggies. Usually by Friday I am over beans and meat. I can't wait till Saturday so I can eat bread, pasta, anything but meat and salad and veggies.

I'm not just trying to change my diet, I'm also working out. This week proved challenging because of my travels and a dentist appointment on Tuesday (yuck--can we say crown and total pain? Yes!). However, I managed to get to my favorite Zumba class again on Thursday and I used Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD on Wednesday. I was going to punt working out today, but after I took my measurements, I was motivated again. So I'll do another Jillian Michaels' Shred workout this morning.

And now, drum roll please, here are my stats:

Total Inches Lost this Week: 1.5 (half an inch off my waist! Hallelujah!!)
Total Inches Lost to Date: 6
Favorite Go-To Food: Sugar Free Jello and Kale Chips for the crunch
Favorite New Dish: Mexican Beef Lettuce Wraps

I blogged about my technological challenged at Petit Fours & Hot Tamales today. Come read all about my trials and tribulations with all things technological here. And today is a special day. This is my 500th blog post since I first started Digging Out of Distraction!! I'm celebrating the next 500 on Monday. Come join me for a trip down memory lane.

So how are you doing on your plans? Did you stick to it? What were your challenges to your will-power? Did you work out? Is your energy higher or lower? What are your favorite foods to keep you going when you are struggling to stay away from cookies and sweets?

Spring Cleaning the Veranda

It's spring! Trees are budding, flowers are blooming, tornadoes are looming, and I'm making some changes. I'm switching my blog days to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I'll start this change tomorrow.

Wanting to look fit and trim for the summer? Me, too! As many of you know, I've embarked on a lifestyle change called Operation Skinny for NYC. You can read about it here and here. I'll be posting about my "lifestyle change" journey every Fridays. If you want to join in the fun, come visit the veranda on Fridays and let me know how you're doing.

I'm also blogging for Petit Fours and Hot Tamales on Fridays so I'll give you a link to one of my infamous confessions--stay tuned for Confessions of A Wannabe Techno Geek and Confessions of Teenage Drama Queen's Mother. I am working up those blogs for PFHT this week.

Need a little inspiration? I do, too! I'll be blogging about how I stay focused and on task throughout the month. And I'll also be sharing Debut Authors with you on Break out the Bubbly and Dark Chocolate. Lots of my friends are debuting their first novels this year. I can't wait to celebrate with all of them.

The RWA National Conference is in New York City this year, so I think I need to get my travelogues out and start planning my trip. An occasional blog about shopping for fun clothes for the event might pop up as well. And I hope that some of my Golden Heart and Rita Finaling friends pop in and say hello to us.

Want to read some other fun blogs? I'll be sharing some of my favorites with you on Mondays. Some of them might surprise you.

What are your spring plans? Making any changes to your blogs, your houses, your gardens, and your wardrobes?

RWA Conference Confessions

I'm back from the 2010 RWA National Conference held in Orlando, Florida. The four day conference was amazing and a big congratulations goes out to the organizers and volunteers who helped make our conference happen despite the loss of our venue in Nashville. To pull of a conference of this magnitude in less than 3 months is nothing short of tremendous.

Rather than go into great detail about my conference experience, I thought I'd give you all a few tidbit confessions. After all, confession is good for the soul.

Christine's 2010 RWA Conference Confessions:

*I did not attend every workshop or spotlight on a publisher. I couldn't despite trying to duplicate myself in the copier room. There were too many wonderful events to attend occurring at the same time.
*I enjoyed my solitary walks around the Boardwalk at Disney's resort. Quiet time was necessary as a rejuvenator for my soul. I also enjoyed stopping at the Yacht Club and buying a cold glass of Pinot Grigio.
*I did have a lot of inner Fan Girl moments when I saw any of my favorite authors out and about. Breathing the same air as Nora Roberts, Eloisa James, Jayne Ann Krentz, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Linda Howard and the list goes on and on gave me continuous inner happy dances.
*Nora Roberts is a super generous person who is patient and kind, but she expects writers to write, not whine. My new motto is: Don't whine, just write.
*It's kind of cool hearing multi-published authors confess that they also have no idea what they're going to write when they reach the dreaded middle.
*No, Virginia, there is not just one way to write a book. Develop your own process and keep going.
*The synopsis is dreaded by all.
*That woman running across between the Swan and the Dolphin in her pajamas with emergency Benadryl in her hands for her CP was me.
*I finished all my wine.
*I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to see, but I saw some of the same people all the time.
*I have a crush on Donald Maass. Who doesn't? Now I want to find the Silhouette books he wrote under his pseudonym.
*Spanx are a horrible invention, but a necessary evil.
*Chicken? Who wants some chicken?
*The Golden Heart/Rita Ceremony was extra special this year because my dear friend Sharon Wray was a finalist. She glowed.

*And last, but not least.... trying to explain that a Romance Writer's National Conference is a lot different than a Scientist's conference to one's husband is impossible because I've never seen darling hubby come home from a conference with blisters upon blisters due to wearing sassy shoes, nor has he ever suffered from "conference voice."

Thanks to RWA again for my fabulous conference. I'm honored and proud to be member and a romance writer. Happily Ever Afters are attainable if we keep believing in our dreams.

Voice: Not a Song, but Your Heart on the Page

I've been haphazardly plowing through my MAASS book, WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL as I work on my huge revision. I tend to revise in pieces: write a little, read a little about craft, ruminate a lot, read through my pages in advance, generate ideas (occasionally brilliant, often not) and write some more.

Some of my writing/blogging friends like Martha and Gwen have a more scheduled way of blogging about their writing and craft work and prompts (read the daily squirrel or prompt). I do not. I blog the way I write and I write the way I think. Basically, I am a bipolar writer/or left to right brain to left again writer. I cross the lateral a lot.

I can be logical and organized, making my neat little Scrivener scene cards, or I can be a musical mess of a jumble of hand written index cards flying around the house. I've got charts, graphs, hard copies, soft copies and a bundle of in-between stuff as I work.

Reading through the Maass book this week, I generated a lot of cool ideas or thoughts about my current WIP in Revision and I also revisited the core of my writing: voice.

What is voice? Is it style? Is it a unique way of writing that sets you apart? Is it tone? What is the elusive quality of "voice" that people are talking about when they talk about a writer's voice? I think Maass covers it very well in his book:

... voice is a natural attribute. You can no more control it than you can control the color of your eyes--nor would you want to. Plenty of breakout authors have a distinctive voice.


To set your voice free, set your words free. Set your characters free. Most important, set your heart free. It is from the unknowing shadows of your subconscious that your stories will find their drive and from which they will draw their meaning. No one can loan you or teach you that. Your voice is your self in the story.


POWERFUL!

Eloisa James said the same thing in a very eloquent way during her Keynote Luncheon speech during the 2009 RWA National Conference. Pour your soul onto the pages. Pour your heart into your writing. Mine your feelings.

You have a story to tell. It's YOUR story. Whether you write romance, gothic literature, vampire YA novels or mysteries, YOU HAVE A STORY.

How we approach writing the story might very well reveal our writing voices. Just as no two writers approach their writing the same way, no two writers have the same writing voice. They can't. They're different people.

Yes. Read other amazing authors' books. But be sure to remember that as much as you may admire their work, only YOU can write a book with YOUR voice in it.

Practice-Phone-Practice-Pack-Practice

Wednesday I devoted all my time and energy to chasing down health insurance issues and helping my daughter pack for her five day overnight camp. I managed to get through my entire in-box without going insane. And I only had to make one run to the compounding pharmacy to get a second set of claim forms for the drug company's needs. The best part about all of my effort was the good news I received from the billing department for my emergency cyst removal--I only owe $70 instead of $384! Yeah!

This year has been a banner year for health costs--a first for us. Moving out of our company's network is costing us. I'm used to a copay and this 20% of fees is daunting. However, I also feel I am receiving better care and better testing because the insurance PPO's can't dictate what tests I need to have and now I am so much better than I was up north when I didn't have to pay as much. It's truly a Catch-22 situation. Sure, I'd rather spend $285 on clothes for the RWA National Conference, but reality meant spending it on 20% toward my labs which led to my diagnosis.

Choices.

Packing up DD for her camp was very painful. First we had to pack a framed backpack for the first night at the camp for older girls. Our family doesn't camp. At all. I was forced into it as a child (blech blech blech) in Canada. I've used wood seated toilets, washed my hair in cold lakes, and slept on top of barely concealed tree roots in pup tents.

I don't need to experience the delights of camping again.

Darling Husband camped with Boy Scouts. Once. In Texas. A scorpion crawled into his sleeping bag. His only advice to DD was "bang your sleeping bag hard with a heavy stick to make sure snakes and bugs are dead before you slip inside it."

His idea of camping is staying at the Holiday Inn.

We did "camp" in Europe when DD was 6 years old. Camping in France means staying in a house with a small kitchen, sleeping on real beds, and having amenities like hot croissants, fresh baked bread, swimming pools, discos and more. This like staying at a cool Holiday Inn where people are stunned and amazed by discovering the only Americans at their campground.

I could do that again.

Any rate, as a girl scout leader, I did try the camping thing again when DD was a second grader. She wanted to stay in the cabin till the bugs crawled out and prevented her from shining her flashlight onto her book.

Thankfully, I had plenty of backup. We went home at midnight. I was ever so happy to drink my big glass of red wine when we arrived home.

No more GS camping for us. We arranged for things like staying at themed places for our troop.

But now that we've moved south, my rising 10th Grader decided to revisit the idea of staying in cabins, sleeping on the ground, not being able to bath easily because her friends invited her to go to camp. Well, that's fine. We spent almost $200 on camp supplies, modest clothing (cause it's a religious camp--can't even wrap my brain around that one), and bins to protect all her stuff.

But we borrowed the framed backpack.

And we had to pack it for one night.

Who knew the sleeping bag and the bedroll were to go OUTSIDE the pack? *Sigh* Four hours later, we had the bin packed with 4 days of clothing, two squashed towels, two squashed washcloths, a bikini to wear UNDER the clothes, a pair of tennis shoes, a pair of water shoes, a pair of flip flops, a tarp, an air mattress, a cooling water fan, batteries, a small sewing kit, a bible (the only reading material allowed--at what point will she cave??), a journal, a bin filled with snacks (supposed to last five days--might last two), and an air mattress with a pump!

The pack, with sleeping bag on outside in waterproof bag, bedroll, set of clothes, pajamas, mess kit, first aid kit (she might need it), snacks, camp manual (let's train now!), and a pair of socks tucked in when remembered after the pack was well, packed.

Wednesday was a bust for practicing pitching.

Thursday I worked on my pitch a bit, then went to the mall to meet a friend. I had to shop for little things to put into a shoebox for my DD to receive when she is at camp. I brought my pitch with me, and after we finished shopping, I pitched my first book pitch to my friend. She liked it. And her eyes lit up when I asked the final question. Whew. At least SHE wants to read my book.

After we parted, I went to the women's center to get a mammogram. Blah.

Returned home, got call from DH telling me he was bringing over a person to see our house--AACK--quickly cleaned. Then grabbed DD and went to a cool subdivision to check out their houses, and then to two car dealerships to check out cars. Eventually, she'll need one. Why not check them out now?

Somehow, in-between all this running round, I looked up some information about my agent and editor, added what I found to my index cards, and reread my pitch.

I practiced my pitches this morning, checked my favorite blog sites out, made a grocery list, checked online for coupons, gave up on trying to be a smart coupon shopper, and now I am preparing to head to the grocery store. Meanwhile, DD has walked into my office, informed me she needs to shop for secret sister items for her camp experience, and she wants to go to the outdoor mall to shop for a bit.

Now, what to do about clothes for the conference? At some point, I will have to cull through my closet and figure out what I really need to buy with my meager budget. After all, most of my moola goes to camping supplies and secret sister shopping.

I've managed to blog, dig up info for the pitch, write the pitches, but I haven't managed to do more than move my 4th MS over to the Scrivener program to ready it for revision.

Doubt much will happen with it until after the conference.

Summertime is not an easy time to prepare for anything. But I muddle along.