Some Linky Love and Other News

Take these stairs to the Blog-o-Sphere!

I must spread some linky love to my good friend and top-notch critiquer, Laurie Wallmark. She has just joined the blog-o-sphere. Welcome, Laurie! She also has a great new website (- well, it's new to me! Is it new, Laurie? Come to think of it, maybe I have seen it before...)

What can I say about my writing buddy, Laurie... Well, she is amazing! With so many balls to juggle, she does it so well. Not only is she a writer in my writer's group, one of the facilitators of the Hunterdon County Children's Writer's Group, but she is also Assistant Regional Advisor of the NJ chapter for SCBWI. When I say she is a wealth of information, I meant it! And boy does she give a great critique. I used to think I was Queen of Grammar until I met Laurie. I promptly took off my false crown and donned Laurie's head instead. (Besides, she looks so much cuter in it!) So, check her out folks! And be sure to do it at least weekly as she has information on editors, agents, and the ins and outs of writing for children.

Is that Light at the End of the Tunnel I see?

Or do I see dead people... No, no, no, that's a different blog article altogether.... It's definitely light.

Since I went from being a student to a teacher, I have always had summers off, so to me, a new year begins in the fall, not in January. I often confuse people - OK my husband in particular - when I say 'this year' and I am including this past fall... To me, that's still THIS YEAR. So, now that we've come to an understanding about my wacky perception, let's move on, shall we?

THIS YEAR, I thought I would NEVER make it to June! I was teaching preschool two mornings a week, writing a blog on greenifying your home, writing real estate copy (as I've done for three years now), substitute teaching, writing my WIP middle grade novel, being a mom, house keeper, yada, yada, yada.... So, understandably, I had my doubts.

Well, I gave up the substitute teaching pretty soon in the SCHOOL YEAR. And sadly, my blog on greening come to an end (hopefully temporarily) due to this economy. (That was an excellent monthly gig for a freelance writer!) And so I was left with preschool, real estate copy, writing my WIP, and all the rest of motherly/womanly responsibilities.

At times I thought I would buckle under the pressure. I spent many nights up until 2 am so I could meet my real estate copy deadlines and still go to the preschool job early the next morning. Several tearful nights with hubby, I claimed I would quit one job or the other. But each new day I talked myself out of it seeing the pros each job had to offer - preschool - a steady paycheck and camaraderie with other adults, real estate copy - keeping my writing skills sharpened and meeting deadlines.

And now here I am at the home stretch! I can actually see light at the end of the tunnel. Summer's just around the corner, school's almost done for the YEAR, my copy writing is coming to a simmer, and I am filled with so many emotions.

1. PROUD - Is it OK to say you're proud of yourself? Well, I am. Seriously, I never thought I could get through this year. True, I didn't finish my novel (YET!) and I had that deadline set and moved several times, but still, I accomplished an insane schedule and survived. Plus, on top of all of that, I participated in NANOWRIMO and reached something like 43,000 - 45,000 words in one month.
2. MOTIVATED - the summer's coming, my preschool job will be on summer break, my kids are eager and excited to start their various summer camps and I VOW I WILL finish my novel THIS SUMMER!
3. TIRED - OK, I am exhausted but it's a good kind of exhaustion. The kind that says you're alive and able to do something you didn't think you could.

Let's discuss... Was there some tough obstacle THIS YEAR you didn't think you could survive but did?