I'm Moving

I'm moving the blog, that is. Over to Wordpress. I want to keep my blogs in one place. My current events/political blog "Statesmen Not Politicians" is there, as well as a new regular writer blog, "Lara McGill."

I've tried to figure out a way to move everything over there intact, but I'm just not that technically savvy. I'm going to set up Fiendish Serendipity over there sometime today.

For those of you kind enough to follow me, I'll post again when you can go over and see the new site. It shouldn't be more than a day or two, as I'd like to have it done before my next scheduled post on Sunday!

Have a great day everyone.

Dogpaddling to Nowhere

Hi everyone! It's been a heckuva few days since Wednesday. I've been helping students and trying to catch up on some accounting work for a client. Sadly, I've not done much writing.  But I'm still working on my planning, which is the only goal I think I put up for this round of ROW80.

One of the things I've been trying to get done is migrating Fiendish Serendipity from Blogger to Wordpress. I just can't figure out a way to do it.

Any input would be welcome!

I hope to have more to report on Wednesday.

Until then, happy creating...

I Forgot the Fun!

Before I wander into the forest of my own blog, I take time to appreciate others who have gone before me. Today, that was the best thing I could have done.

After reading AmyBeth Inverness's offering, my eyes were caught by her "SyFy Question of the Day." Being a huge fan, I took another detour.

Wow! Now, keep in mind I did this at work. In a math class. With lots of students. Lots of suppressed chuckles and snorts coming from my desk. Lots of amazed glances coming from my students, who were just trying to get their work done in peace.

Oops. Sorry, all.

I'm posting a link here for everyone to enjoy. And, if you're at work, spread the love. If it's allowable, of course.

http://amybethinverness.com/2013/05/31/scifi-question-of-the-day-your-lightsaber-is-actually-a-sonic-screwdriver/

This reminds me that I'm free to have fun with my work. Indeed, for it to be successful, I've got to have fun with it.

A big shout-out to you, AmyBeth, for reminding me that this is a joy as well as a job.

See you all Sunday!

I Took Advice!

Normally, I'm as stubborn as a box of rocks. Advice? Not generally. And not only am I as stubborn as a box of rocks, I think my head's made of up rock, too. After all, I can pound it against a problem for it feels like forever, and not see any progress. Yet, I'll keep going at it.

Isn't the definition of stupid the act of doing the same thing, but expecting different results?

So...I decided to do something different. I listened to all the great advice that came to me after my Sunday Lament.

You know what? It worked. I walked away from my problem child WIP until yesterday afternoon. All of a sudden, while I was doing something else entirely, the problems were fixed in a cascade of information that just tumbled into my brain. It was amazing.

For anyone out there that's had a spinal adjustment, it felt just like all the vertebrae in my spine rippling into place. (That makes me giggle uncontrollably, but my osteopath says that's a normal reaction. Not crazy. Whew!)

So, I want to shout out a big "THANK YOU!" to everyone that helped me, especially Bear, because, like any good bear, he's always got warm and fuzzy hugs when you need them most and he gave good meditation advice. Irene and Elizabeth, I would have thought I was crazy, walking away from a problem until you two urged me to do it.

I feel like this was a real group effort.

We Did It!!!

My Brain Hurts!

Actually, it doesn't hurt - it feels like an electrified ball of barbed wire. How's that for an image?

I'm not in pain, but I've been dissecting my WIP so much, twisting bits here and there, that I'm completely lost. I have no idea what I'm doing with my story right now.

Quite frankly, I'm in a moderate state of panic.

Has anyone else been in this situation? Do you have any advice for me?

I've not been able to write a word, and I can't see my way clear.

Aaaarrrggghhhh....

Laugh Out Loud Funny!

My writing partner Olivia decided to gift me with an email attachment of Daffy Duck. What she DIDN'T know about was all the other cute bits attached to it.

Now, Daffy and I have never been more than polite acquaintences; I always got on better with Bugs and Marvin. But this...this you have to see for yourself...


Sorry I couldn't get that to align properly or get it up higher. I've never inserted a picture into a blog post before. But I thought this was absolutely gut-busting funny.

The most amusing part is that it really applies to a character of mine, although I haven't really brought that out in her. Time to make a few personality cuts and let the psycho dribble!

See everyone on Sunday!

Flesh and Heat Don't Go Together

It's harder having an epiphany before you wake up. At least, before you wake up and have caffeine. I discovered this yesterday, the hard way.

Some background is necessary here. It's pretty evident that I like coffee. So does one of my roommates. We have a 12 cup coffee pot. It was an ancient beast, and it finally decided to die. I gave it a decent and heartfelt burial.

About 7 years ago I had yet to be hooked on that lovely little bean. My dad came down for my college graduation. He loves coffee too, so I rushed out to get a little 4 cup pot just for him. It was one of the things I took with me when I got divorced. Jon didn't drink coffee.

So, since the big one crapped out, I dragged the little one out for emergency purposes. Freshly ground beans - the fragrance of a good morning.

Yeah, right.

In my eagerness to pour this lovely little elixir of life, I pulled out the carafe at an angle. Now, it's a small pot, right? It doesn't weigh very much. Neither does the actual machine. Consequently, the whole damn thing started to move.

Naturally, I decided to hold it down to keep it steady. Not a good idea. Because I didn't grab the plastic with my fingertips. No, not me. Why would I do anything smart?

I grabbed the hot plate with my fingertips. Every single one on my left hand. Just before I had to go teach my first Saturday class this semester.

Ouch isn't the word. I sat for half an hour with my fingertips in a glass of ice. It's not the way I thought I'd wake up yesterday.

But just think what a great scene it will make for something!

Between fixing computers and my shift linkage breaking, I haven't done any writing for the past few days. But sitting here, watching Iron Man, I think I'm going to shake things up by blowing up something. Should be fun.

I'll let you know on Wednesday.

Happy writing, all!

The Innate Viciousness of Inanimate Objects

Yeah, the title pretty much says it all.

Now, you all remember what was happening with my computer a couple of days ago, right? (Interject here: "But wait, there's more!") While I was working with my writing partner at Starbucks yesterday, iTunes started to grey out my songs. You know, where they put an exclamation point inside a circle and it says you don't have access because it can't find the song. Yeah. That one. Randomly and not all at once.

And I have playlists that go along with different things/major characters for the book I'm working on. Grrr.

Guess what I can't access right now?

The only good news is that once I delete a song (if it's a purchased song through iTunes) I can download it again from the cloud. Then it becomes operative again. Usually. I think there was one last night that failed.

Anyway...

So, I pack up my stuff and run home to try to fix said computer. This was around 1:30. First, I ran a malware program. Didn't find a thing. Then I ran AVG Free edition. Found the usual complement of cookie stuff, and those were fixed/quarantined. Then I ran an iTunes diagnostic. This didn't end until around 9:00 last night, as the AVG portion was still scanning when I went to go do some accounting work until 8:00.

The major bummer about this entire thing is not the time it would take to delete and reload from the cloud. Nope. The problem is the stuff that I uploaded from CDs - CDs I no longer can find.

I really need my John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band stuff, because that music is really tied in to a particular character for Immortal Blood. I may have to  open up my very thin metaphorical wallet and spend some more almost nonexistent money.

There's the best reason I've thought of so far today for NOT getting a venti, skinny caramel latte.

How's your day going?

Cinco de Mayo

Yup, here it is the 5th of May, so I'm kicking it in with mariachi music in the background. It's also my very sweet ex-sister-in-law's birthday. Happy birthday, Tracey!

My computer's been redlining for the past couple of weeks, so I've been doing some backups and deletions over the past couple of days. I'm down to 41 gigs free, but that's still not enough room. In the process, though, I've found some book notes that I thought I'd lost, so I've spent the past few days incorporating them into Immortal Blood. It's been fun. The dialogue still strikes me as good after getting some distance. I also found a scene were a shapeshifting wolf tries to convince a mundane that she's real while explaining about "real" furry conventions.

It made me chuckle, and gave me some impetus for the next few days. I love having a direction.

Right now, though, my direction's heading out to the kitchen to make some pico de gallo for tonight.

Hasta Miercoles (I think that means Wednesday...) Regardless, everyone have a great time with the parties tonight!

So Much T, So Little Time

There's lots of words I like that begin with T - like "twit", "truculent", and yes, "time."

When people really piss me off, I usually call them ignominious twits. Most people have no idea what that means, so they don't know they're being insulted. (Gosh, in print, that sounds terribly mean. I think I might have to modify my behavior.)

"Truculent" was suggested by my roommate. Probably because he generally is. And he prefers it that way.

"Time" is probably my favorite, though.

I have a theory about time - I think it's subjective. I know from experience it doesn't flow smoothly. For instance, when I flipped my car down a ravine during a snowstorm, all the stuff flying across my car went in slow motion. I just said, "Aw, shit" as the car started to tumble. The flipping was quick, but the stuff rolling around in the car went super slowly.

I also think we experience it in a linear fashion because we have a linear nervous system. Think about it for just a moment - nerve impulses jump from synapse to synapse, really quickly, sure, but in a domino-like progression. There is no other way we could experience time. At least, I'm not sure we could. I'm not sure our minds could make sense of impressions that didn't seem to have any kind of logical, predictable order.

What do you think?

See you tomorrow!

"O" - Obstinate

That's me. In spades. Stubborn as a box of rocks. I've always been that way, too.

From the time I could talk, my favorite word was "why." It drove my parents crazy. And then, if I felt they didn't give me a complete answer, or if their answer led to something else, I kept hammering away at it.

This was probably my earliest manifestation of the disease commonly called "insatiable curiosity." I've pretty much got a terminal case -- which is a really good thing.

Writers need to be inveterate snoops. In any and all directions. The more the better, for your plot, your characters, and your conflict.

So be obstinate. Don't worry about the negative connotations. We know it's a good thing. Snoop, spy, watch, analyze and pick things apart to your heart's content, all you creative people out there!

Your stories will improve, your fan base will grow, and your satisfaction level will go through the roof.

Now that I've got my first coffee in my hand, I'm going off to do some creating of my own.

Have a productive day!

Sorry!!!

I don't have anything to report. I think I've written maybe a thousand words, but I've gotten really caught up in accounting work before the 15th.

I probably won't be able to check in until after that. In fact, I've got to dash out right now to do some more work tonight.

See you after tax season!

An Interesting Week...Oops!

It really has been an "oops!" week. Final exams are coming up quicker than I thought - I hadn't really looked at my calendar for anything, and the date just wacked me upside the head. I've only got two more weeks with my students before finals, so I've been scrambling to make sure everything is ready for them, and they are ready for finals!

My words have suffered. At least, in quantity. I think I've only written about 1,000 words this week. My goals might be a bit lofty; readjusting might be in order. Not sure. Yet.

I also (during a momentary lapse of brain function) decided to take up the A-Z blogging challenge for the month of April. So far, it's turned out to be rather fun. And I've even gotten a few more followers! Yay!

So, it's been kind of a chaotic week. Hopefully everything will calm down by Wednesday and I'll have more production to report.

See y'all then!

Round 2 Goals

My goals are simple again - even though I'm also doing Camp Nano this month, with a goal of 50,000 words.

Once April is over, I'm going to attempt to keep up my momentum by continuing the 1,667 words per day. That, and continue planning far enough in advance that I'll always have something to write.

It sounds simple, but I have to do everything on my terrabyte drive and take it with me everywhere I go. Scrivener is on that drive, as well as my projects, so I can work anywhere there is a computer. My laptop is on its way out, so I made everything portable to use the computers at work instead.

Hmm. Maybe it doesn't sound so simple after all.

Looking forward to jumping back into ROW80!

I Beat the Spider!

I've been away for a while, both from my writing and from my computer. This week my eye is finally back to normal, so I've been able to get back to the keyboard.

Unfortunately, I didn't finish my goal - I wanted to have this entire book plotted out so I could find the problems, fix them in outline form, and then continue to write.

Didn't happen.

But, I'm not deterred. I've transferred my Scrivener program and files onto a portable terrabyte drive. It comes with me everywhere, so I can write as often as possible. Beginning tomorrow, it's going to work with me. I often have time between students when I can do my own thing, so every spare minute will be dedicated to this project.

I will accomplish this!

Happy creating!

Spider Bite Over Left Eye

Just a quick note to mention that I might not be posting for the next week or so. I've got a spider bite - at least, I think it's a spider bite - just over my left eyebrow. The left side of my face is swollen, and a huge area above my eyebrow is a combination of painful and itchy. My eye is swollen almost shut. I had to get a ride in to work this morning. It looks like I've been attacked by an alien insect of some sort, or mutating into a creature that needs a third eye.

Either way, not a pretty picture. On the upside, I've not seen any necrotic (dead) tissue. So, there's hope.

But the computer is hurting my eyes right now, so I don't think I'll be looking at it much.

If it doesn't start to feel better by tomorrow, I'll be headed to the walk-in clinic.

Issuing an Invitation

So, my writing partner Olivia and I just got an invitation to Camp Nano. For those who don't know, it's another opportunity to make yourself crazy for a month trying to deliver on what most would consider impossible goals. (We know better, don't we?)

She and I both write paranormal/paranormal suspense/paranormal romances. We're going to get a "cabin" during April for this craziness. We need two more people to share the lunacy with, because the cabins hold four people.

Any takers? We'll have virtual everything, from favorite snacks to favorite alcohol. The conversation will be good, the writing will be sparkling, and goals will be met and then exceeded.

Speaking of goals...

Regarding my ROW goals, I'm off my back, breathing, and back at Starbucks working. Of course, I left my TB drive at home, so everything I'm doing today is in Word, and I'll transfer it when I get home, which will be about 11 hours from now. I'm thinking I should be making a checklist before I pack my stuff.

Have a wonderfully productive week. See y'all on Sunday!

Long Slog Back

It's amazing how hard a combination of the flu and allergies can whack you upside the head. I'm not immune. For the past 10 days or so, I've been pulling myself up through the quicksand-like morass of my lethargy and attempting to pull myself together. It's a process, and I think I'm still stuck in up to my left shin.

That's why I've not been around.

But, I'm on vacation this week, and my goal is to rest and write. That's it. Nothing else.

It sounds like a good plan to me.

Hopefully, I'll have something more impressive to tell you all about on Wednesday.

Up and Down

Writing started going really well, then I got slammed with the flu. 102 fever yesterday. I've pulled all my intercostal muscles coughing. My throat is raw. I'm sore and full of snot.

I'll see you all Wednesday.

Gotta Remember My Mantra!

Hi everybody. It's been one wild week -- and not because I've been having a great writing week. In fact, I haven't done much of anything, writing wise.

I've been dealing with several financial crises, most minor, but added together became a bit more problematic. To deal with them, by the grace of God, I've been able to pick up a few more tutoring students. Paying the rent today, in full, was nothing short of a small miracle. My pantry is stocked well enough to get us through next week until I bring in some more cash. And, I've ended up in the black, even though it's by a very small amount.

Whew!

Kaylee was right - everything really is shiny, and I shouldn't fret.

I've been staying away from the grocery store, and all the processed food. Snacking has been on clementines, before they go out of season again. I love those! No chips!

Okay, now that I've taken care of urgent stuff, time to get back to the creative stuff. See y'all Wednesday!

Happy writing...