An Illustration of the Insane Pace of my Life

As of lately, my life has taken on, well... a life of its own... that is to say, without me. And it's very irritating, to say the least. I have been moving at the speed of light since Jan 1 and have not had a break. It's been one thing after another. A car accident, a heavy schedule, a stomach virus... ... ...

The reasons this annoys me...

1. I haven't written a single new page the whole month of Jan. (OK, let's back up... actually I didn't write a single new page the whole month of Dec either. (I might as well be honest.))
2. I feel like I have no control over my day and what I want to do with it. Before I know it, my day is over, my To DO list is still two pages long, and again, no writing got done

As, I've posted before, I write for real estate. The winter is the time I get my own personal writing done as it is usually a very slow time for the market. People don't usually list their homes now. They wait for the spring when for sale signs pop up like daisies. BUT... I've actually been busy this winter and the momentum is building. I can feel it.

To be honest, I can't even really explain what exactly is making me so hurried, but I feel I can't catch my breath. Here's a typical day of the week, for example.

1. wake up at 7, get the kids and myself ready for the day
2. kids missed the bus, now I have to add driving them to school to my list
3. drive them to school, pick up my coffee (this is a MUST)
4. go to work
5. 12:30 see a house or two for copy review
6. pick up kids from school
7. drive number one to flute lessons
8. grab dinner on the go
9. go to the library for my writer's group meeting
10. finally come home at 10:00 pm

Today, my planner was a beautiful thing. See, under the date, Friday, January 30th, 2009, it was blank! NOTHING - that's right, nada, bupkus, empty. Plus, I don't have a car - it's being serviced, so I can't go anywhere. It's not only a beautiful thing, it's a RARE thing, as well. I couldn't WAIT for today. All week I just kept thinking of Friday. I'll get through today and it will almost be Friday. Two more days and it will be Friday. Go to bed and when I wake up, it will be Friday.

My plans for today...

1. write copy
2. work on novel
3. do laundry
4. pack (child number 2 and I are going away this weekend)

I woke up my normal time. Got my kids off to school AND on the bus - sorry, no exceptions today - Mommy doesn't have a car! *insert maniacal laughter* Read a ton of work emails, answered all of them. That's when I started to veer... Hmm, I thought, I have some time. I haven't read or commented on any of my friend's blogs in a while.... a few hours later... I felt the whiz and whir of life speed up again. With hurry in my heart, I jumped in the shower, rushed to get dressed and ready, ran down stairs, made lunch, ate so fast, I barely tasted it when all of a sudden...

...lunch wasn't agreeing with me. My stomach didn't feel so hot. Oh, no. I couldn't have caught the stomach virus... I gazed up at the clock -

10:30 AM????

THIS is my point! I have become so accustomed to rushing and time flying by, that I assumed it was lunch time! I just can't seem to slow myself down even when life has given me the chance. I am THAT used to the rush.

So, how do you slow down your life when it wheels out of control?

2009 Newbery Award Winner

Did you hear that the American Library Association just announced their 2009 children's literature award winners? And among them was Neil Gaiman, author of “The Graveyard Book,” illustrated by Dave McKean and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books. Gaiman won the coveted 2009 John Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to children’s literature.

Have any of you read this book yet?

I have read only the first few pages. I am confused. A book written for children... begins with a man and a sharp knife who has broken into a house and has killed the mother, father, and oldest child. And so the youngest child, is the only survivor and I'm not sure why at this point, but he must live in a graveyard.

Like I said, I have not read this book. It strikes me as inappropriate for this young age group and so I want to hear from those of you whom have read it. Please fill us in. Would you have given it your vote for a Newbery? Is it less gruesome than its beginning? Is it gruesome in an appropriate way - seems an oxymoron to me... Very paradoxical - writing a tale of a heinous murder for kids. At first glance, I put the book down, deciding I didn't want my kids to read it, but clearly I have missed something very huge! And now I am intrigued and filled with wonder...



Have you read it? What do you think? And let's share our views on when we think we've gone too far and have crossed that line that maybe we shouldn't cross in children's literature... Or maybe we have to cross - to make big, bold choices - in order to say something just as big and as bold...

Jason Tagged Me!

Jason tagged me and I'm grateful for a fun and lighthearted topic to write about.

In the words of Jason, the rules are to:
1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Write down six things that make you happy
3. Post these rules
4. Tag six others
5. Notify me that you've tagged six others--or that you're not in a happy place right now...

Happy Things

1. The feel of the warm summer sun on my skin
2. tickling my kids
3. a long, loving hug from my family
4. being outside in nature, among the trees, or by water
5. (hasn't happened yet but...) hearing the words "We'd like to buy your book and we'd like to also offer you a movie deal" (it can happen...)
6. being with fellow writers who inspire me and I inspire in return

Now I tag...

Well, instead of making it specific... if you're looking for a topic to write about, consider yourself TAGGED. Let us know you are going to play along in the comment section... of just answer your happy 6 in the comment section.

Thanks Jason!

A Strange Predicament

I find myself in a rather strange predicament; I have nothing to say lately.

Now, some philosophers might argue that saying "I have nothing to say" is technically saying something. And I suppose I'd have to agree. But, even with that said, I find myself rather subdued these days and with nothing fascinating or interesting to report.

I am in a very quiet and contemplative place. But that quiet contemplation is not describable with words. It's just quiet. This is not an easy feeling for a writer who, as I've said in the past, flies on wordy wings - the wordiest of all, most times.

I have been wondering though lately... do you think the classics would be successful if written today? I don't think they would. I don't mean written today with today's style. I mean if they were written as they were then but tried to be sold today.

I recently saw Charles Dickens' David Copperfield and although I know watching a movie and reading a book are often more dissimilar than similar, I found David a boring character. It was all the periphery characters that were most interesting, flawed, and grew/changed. Even though David had a horrible childhood, as many of Dickens' child character do, he grew up well, despite his horrors and never showed any sign of being affected.

Secondly, he didn't even bring about or solve the battle scene. He was just simply the sun of some strange universe filled with other more remarkable planets.

So, I reflect on what sells today... what sold yesterday... and how they are different.

Today, readers expect or anticipate that your main character will be the most flawed or unique and will go through the most change, there-by changing those around him/her. Was that always true of the classics? No. Yet, they've survived the test of time. Is that always true of today's characters? No. Look at Twilight. Bella didn't really "change" until the last book. And I would argue that her "change" wasn't even really a "change?" She was still the same character but stronger, more balanced, and prettier. (Of course I still have about 100 pages to go before I am done, so perhaps I am premature in my conclusion...)

Well, look at that! I guess, I had something to talk about after all. But even still... in this very wintry of winters... my mind seems to be hibernating. Quiet and contemplative, like the snow, once again falling outside my window....

Do you think the classics would sell in today's market? Why or why not?

Writer's Resolutions 2009

Hope 2009 is treating you all well. And if it started out rough, like it did for me, I hope you are in a better place mentally now. I began my new year by angrily questioning the Universe, "Why THIS lesson again? WHY??????? I thought I learned it already!"

Once I calmed down, I was able to see that it is not the lesson that shows us what we've learned, but how we deal with the trials and tribulations of life that REALLY illustrate what we've mastered. And so, now that I am in a proper frame of mind once again, I want to talk about resolutions.

But I am not speaking about resolutions to lose weight or exercise more… Those are important goals too. After all, your health IS important. I am speaking about my favorite kind of resolutions - Writer's Resolutions of course!

Whether it be to sell a magazine article, finish three dummies in the year, or polish your manuscript, setting goals is the first step to obtaining them. Without setting a goal in writing, it is too easy to forget or forgo. Something magical happens when you put something in writing. We all know this - after all, we're all writers! But when you put something in writing, you automatically become accountable. Don't know where to start? Start small and obtainable.

Feel free to borrow any of these goals if you can't come up with your own…

1. Make a space that is just for you and your writing. A place where you and only you go to write.
2. Decide on an amount of time you will try to write each day or each week. For example…. I will write two hours five days a week, rain or shine. Or… I will write ten hours a week.
3. Some novelists like to work with word count instead of time. So maybe your goal could be… This year I will strive to write 5,000 a week. (Believe me, that goes fast! Take it from a past NaNoWriMo contestant!)
4. Maybe you've had a novel (harrumph!) you've been working on for quite sometime so your goal is to (once and for all, for crying out loud, G-d willing) finish the (darn!) thing.
5. Maybe it's to read more books in your sub-genre… This year I will read 20 books in my field.
6. Maybe it's to test your book to a live audience… This year I will reach out to schools or libraries to see if I can read my books to a classroom and test it out on a live audience.
7. Or here's my favorite… I will treat my writing like a business and be present each day, ready to work as if my livelihood depends on it.

Whatever your dreams are, turn them into goals. And then watch your goals become reality!

Happy Writing!

Start at the End

The secret is to start a story near the ending. — Chris Offut

I really like this quote from Chris Offut.

It's like my screenwriting professor once told me, "Come in a scene late and leave early." I think it's the same mentality. Start so the reader has to think - No. WANTS to think - wants to figure it out. And end the story so the reader feels s/he has done so successfully, and yet is satisfied, perhaps, by the things s/he couldn't figure out that you, the writer explained.

Makes it sound so simple, doesn't it? But we all know it's not. Maybe that's the secret - start near the end - but I wonder where the blueprints are? It's one thing to KNOW something but another entirely to be able to do it.

But as grandiose as it sound, this is what I will strive for in my novel. I don't know at what point I'll accomplish this tall task or if I ever will, but this is my goal. I'm not there yet. I'm a long way from being there. Somehow I feel when I write the ending of my novel, I will know the beginning.

What do you all think about Chris Offut's quote? What ideal do you strive to reach in your craft?

*2009*

I have to say, 2009 has me a bit worried, a bit scared, a bit... well, ill at ease.

So far, 2009 is off to a rough start for me...
I've been in a minor fender bender and have heard just a lot of sad news this first week of the year. I won't go into details because I don't want to be a total downer, but have any of you had a rough start to the New Year?

Here's a funny video to cheer me up and anyone else out there having a rough start to 2009...



Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!!!

Favorite Holiday Recipes

It's that time of year when we are all cleaning and cooking and baking and preparing our holiday meals for friends and family.

I host Hanukkah each year and every other year New Year's. This year is my year for New Year's too, so, I am not out of the woods yet. Since we are all pretty much in the same boat, I thought we could do a Holiday Recipe Game of Open Tag.

Here are my rules:

1. Please no tagging! Everyone is very busy now, so this is purely optional.
2. If you WANT to play, leave a comment here on my blog that you intend on joining in and then just post a recipe on your blog by December 31st.
3. Once you've posted your recipe and the rules for the readers of your blog, then send some linky love, but only to other bloggers who have already posted their favorite recipe. (remember, because it is such a busy time for everyone, no tagging, please. OK?)

Latkes (AKA Potato Pancakes)

Latkes are a traditional food to eat on Hanukkah. Why??? Because they are so darn oily (and yummy) and they remind us of the oil that burned for eight nights. But you don't have to be Jewish to enjoy this tasty treat.

Ingredients:

• six medium russet or Yukon gold potatoes
• 1 medium or large onion
• 1/2 cup matzo meal (if you can't find matzo meal, you can substitute with flour, but it won't have that je ne sais quoi)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• vegetable oil
• cheese cloth
• brown paper bags, ripped open so they can lay flat

Directions:

• First, fill a large bowl with cold water.
• Peel the potatoes and place in bowl of water immediately after peeled. (Potatoes will turn a reddish brown when exposed to the air. Keeping them submerged in cold water, will keep them white.
• Grate each potato (there is debate about grating by hand or using a food processor. I say if your food processor has a grating setting, use it!)
• Oh, you'll need another bowl for the grated potatoes. No water this time.
• Grate or finely chop your onions. (Try this... chop while running the water in your tap, or burn a candle to reduce the tears that onion fumes can bring...)
• Next, cut your cheese cloth into large sections.
• Have another large bowl at your ready or re-use the one that once had the cold water in it...
• Put a handful of the grated potato into the center of one of your cheese cloth pieces. Make sure it is well wrapped and then squeeze all the water from the grated potato. Potatoes naturally contain a large amount of water. This water will get in the way of your mixture, making it too wet when it fries. Squeezing out the natural water with the cheese cloth is the secret to perfect latkes. If you do not have cheese cloth, you can just squeeze it out in your hands. But cheese cloth works best.
• Once you've squeezed out all the excess water, out the grated potatoes into a bowl, (you use a lot of bowls when making latkes. Sorry...)
• Add all the other ingredients and mix well. You can use a spoon, or your hands.
• You want the potato mixture to be able to stick together, like meatballs. So, if it is still too wet, you can add a dash more matzo meal or flour. But you don't want it to be too dry either. So, be careful.
• In a large, flat pan, heat up the vegetable oil. You want to fry, so you will need a lot of oil.
• Once the oil is hot, take about about a palmful of potato mixture and place it in the hot oil. Use a spatula to flatten it out.
• Once the latke is a deep brown on one side, flip it until it is the same deep brown on the other side.
• Latkes are greasy. One tried and true way to rid some of that unwanted oil, is to take the fried latkes and place them on brown paper. Paper towels work well too, but not as well.

Latkes are eaten with apple sauce or sour cream (think baked potato and sour cream...) This is a another long-lived debate... Is it better with apple sauce or sour cream? I prefer sour cream... but my kids prefer apple sauce. My DH is an equal opportunist, eating some with apple sauce, and some with sour cream. Both are delicious.

Latkes are best eaten right away! But if you have to make them ahead of time then keep them in a warm oven until ready to eat, but they often loose their crispiness when sitting in an oven. Also, if you want to make them well in advance... you can flash freeze them. Let them cool a bit and then lay them on cookie sheets lined with brown paper and cover with tin foil and then freeze them right away. When ready to use, broil them until hot and crispy. The heat will release all the oil, so no need to add more.

Enjoy!

Oh, just one more tip... make mini versions of these and serve as an appetizer with a tiny dollop of apple sauce or sour cream. These are perfect when made and frozen ahead of time and then just broiled to heat up. Your guests will love the pop of flavor each little mini morsel will provide!

Teriyak Salmon

This is perfect for any holiday meal or a regular family meal. I am making it
for New Year's this year. Don't like salmon? That's OK. This marinade is terrific on any meat - steak, chicken, pork, shrimp... You name it. Just substitute with your favorite meat and enjoy!

Ingredients:

• a half a pound of salmon per adult, less for children (unless they're my children! They love salmon!)
• 1/2 cup teriyaki
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 tsp brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 tsp pepper (optional)

Directions:

• If possible, marinade over night. Make sure you coat the top and bottom of the salmon.
• Cover and put in the fridge over night, or at least for a few hours.
• In a preheated oven, bake at 350* until center of salmon is no longer translucent. Depending upon the thickness, that's usually about 30 - 40 minutes.
• I baste about every 15 minutes and then when I think it's done, I cut into the center with a butter knife to separate the meat to check that the color has become opaque.
• Another way to tell when salmon is done, is if it's flaky to a fork or knife. It should pull apart easily.

This meal is great with rice and fresh veggies. I also love to make a green salad with apples or pears and some kind of nuts... walnuts, almonds, pecans... those flavors compliment the teriyaki perfectly.

So, what about it? Have any great recipes you'd like to share? Anyone have excellent dessert recipes?

Have a happy holiday everyone! Stay warm. Stay dry. Love and be loved!

See you in 2009!

Is it THAT Time Again... (insert whining if you must...)

Oh, boy, here we go! It's New Year's Resolution Time...

Out with the old, in with the new, but first we must reflect back on our year's progress with our goals. I wasn't even sure if I remembered all of mine, so I had to look back here to remind myself of 2008's goals.

Let's see I said I would...

1. Make revisions to a particular picture book.
   
2. Polish pages 1 - 30 in my WIP (MG low fantasy novel)
   
3. FINISH my WIP (the one and the same MG low fantasy novel)
   
4. Save, save, save (for the SCBWI Bologna Children's Fair)
   

So, how did I fare...

I did make those revisions to that particular picture book, showed it to two editors and then pulled it underground, wanting to focus all my attention on my MG novel. This decision came after one editor in particular said, "When I saw your name, I thought this can't be the same Sheri Perl-Oshins (knowing I write novels) and that's when I stopped and asked myself, do I really want to be pulled in two directions, or focus on one? My answer was, focus on one. No matter what led to my decision, the goal was still reached. Check.

Yes, I did polish pages 1 - 30, but this seems like a silly goal to have had since I hadn't even finished writing the darn thing. Looking back, I know why I had that as a goal - an SCBWI conference. So, check to #2.

Finish my WIP. Well, there's still time and with NaNo I did pump out close to 40,000 new words all in one month - more than I've ever done. I've since cut a lot of the dribble and my word count is back down to 34,599, but still, it was a feat that I am proud of and although I have not reached this goal, I know I will. So, let's say half a check.

And what about saving up for Bologna? I can sum that up in one word; Recession. I had to give up that goal - but no hard feeling about it - reality is reality, even if it's not the reality you'd hoped for. So, no check there.

Even though 2008 seems to have come and gone in the blink of an eye, and looking back, I do feel a measure of success, it is time to look ahead to 2009. This year's goals will be easy to define. (Hey, I made a rhyme... must be a poet and I don't even know it!)

1. Finish my novel!
   
2. Polish my novel!
   
3. Maybe the later half of the year, if it's ready, begin looking for an agent.
   

And that's it! Three very good goals. How about you? Did you meet your 2008 goals? What goals will you set for 2009?

Daniel Radcliffe all Grown-Up and the Trickle after NaNo

Well, he might not get the same type of cheers as co-star Robert Pattinson - which is more akin to Beatles hysteria. However, Daniel Radcliffe (AKA Harry Potter) is still my favorite.

Did you get to see his interview on Inside the Actor's Studio? Here's part one (above) and part four (below). You can catch parts 2 and 3 on You Tube..



Are you a real fan of Daniel's? Well, if so, you can catch him on Broadway in Equus, a controversial play, where the young Radcliffe appears nude for a long and dramatic scene. Not the Harry Potter we've come to know and love. But I suppose they all have to grow up... the actors and the fictional characters they portray.

So... Life After NaNoWriMo...

I have been sputtering to a slow start to continue my book since NaNo. I took the first week of December off. 1) I had a stomach virus and 2) I was seriously burnt out. I think I used up all the words in my head and I needed to grow new ones. So today, I wrote, maybe 50 new words... It's amazing how a week off creates such space and distance between you and your story. I needed to re-read the last few chapters, study my outline, and do some quick research to get back into it. It really IS like exercising!

But still, I love my idea and I am still going forward, hopefully now with a bit more of a serious flow than this painful trickle. There is something to be said about a fake deadline. Self imposed deadlines don't seem to have the same affect on me as NaNo did. But I've got to make mine work the same because I do really want to finish and begin revisions.

Anyone else having a slow time after NaNo?

Casting Call

Have you ever done this... pictured well known actors/actresses as the characters in your story? I've noticed the characters I've done this for, have more distinct voices and mannerisms and are more clearly defined.

So, after the harrowing writing month of November, I decided to take a creative break by casting my characters.

It wasn't as easy as I thought. I don't think my main character exists - or at least, I don't think she's been discovered yet. But if I could turn back the hands of time I would cast Jena Malone as my MC. Check out the rest of my cast of characters...





Tom Sturrbridge -- my MC's bff (and not to bad to look at either - again, I would have to rewind the hands of time by about 10 years.)


Kevin McKidd -- my MC's father -- He was on Journeyman last year, but the show was cancelled. Now, he is the new doctor on Grey's Anatomy. He just has my MC's father's mannerisms down to the T that it really helps me to think about him when I write this character.


Patricia Clarkson -- I'm not sure yet, but I just love her and would love her as either my MC's mom (but too much of an age difference between Patricia and Kevin) or maybe as one of my fantasy characters.

Cate Blanchett... Well who wouldn't love Cate Blanchett to be cast in their book? I'd love her as my antagonist. I think she plays great villains, but she's awesome in any roll.

I still don't have some key characters. But that's a search to continue another day...

So, how about you? Who would you cast as your leading lady and leading man? Who would be your antagonist? And how do you go about discovering them? Have any good links for head shots we can all use?

FINAL WORD COUNT FOR NANOWRIMO

Drum roll please........

If I count all words in this draft at this point, the total count is......

40,829

However, about 7,000 of those words are from a few chapters from my last version that I need to rewrite, but have now run out of time. So, if I only count all the words written from Nov 1 - 30 and don't count those two or three chapters I haven't rewritten yet, than my final word count is......

33,016

But, I am not upset at all that I didn't reach the goal of 50,000 words. I never thought I would meet that goal, although there was a moment when I did believe it was attainable. I have learned far too much to feel sad. I have learned I can...

...write through fatigue
...write through pain
...write through a cold
...write through sick children
...write through sleepless nights
...write after working with 3 year olds
...write while my family is home and doing loud activities
...write in the car with the radio on and the kids in the back seat watching a movie (My husband was driving... Oh and I cannot, however, write while my DH sings. Sorry, THAT is too much of a distraction for me!)

~But most of all, I have learned that I can finish this book and that I will finish this book.
~I have learned that 50,000 words is reachable and that my story will probably wind up being longer than 50,000 words.

I have learned a good set of earphones do a lot more than block out sound. They also work like blinders on a horse and help me to zero in my focus.

I have also learned not to share your story before it is finished and never, never, EVER revise until YOU ARE DONE! Repeat after me.... NEVER, EVER, EVER REVISE UNTIL YOU ARE DONE!

Writing my first novel has been a real up hill battle, learning simultaneously about my novel as I am learning how to write one! Not an easy task at all. But I love what I do. I can't not (double negative, I know...) do what I do. And one day I will make money doing what I do. I believe in my story and I believe in my dedication.

I would recommend NaNo to everyone and anyone who will listen. My suggestions are...

1. write an outline before Nov 1. Write several. A long, detailed one and a short one. My long one was 31 pages full of detail - what characters were in that chapter, what props, what's foreshadowed, what was the mini conflict, mini resolution, and "disaster" that kept forever pulling my MC to that point of no return, or what I like to call the journey... My short outline was 2 pages long and basically was a few short words - no more than 3 - just sighting he crux of each chapter.
2. Do your research before November 1
3. Tell members of your writing group, you will not be sharing pages for the month of November

I want to thank all of you for following my journey and for cheering me on through this process. It was such a thrill to know you were all there behind me and I was behind all of my fellow NaNo writers as well.

My story will not reach The End at word 50,000. And although NaNoWriMo is over, many of us are not done. So, join me in setting a new goal - to reach 50,000 words or the end of your story by December 31st. Let's ring in the New Year with new MSs. So, whose with me?

Again, from the bottom of this writer's heart... thank you! December 31st, here we come!

NaNo Day 25

NaNoWriMo Day 25 Word Count

I know, I haven't posted in a while. It feels like forever, but even though I haven't been blogging, I have still been writing. It was a real difficult process breaking 30,000. I was really burned out. I needed to take two days off from writing, catch up on sleep and life outside my fantasy world, in order to be able to come back to my desk ready and able. It was the best thing I could have done.

Today, I wrote my first scene where the antagonist first appears to my MC. I was nervous to write it at first, wondering if I could get in touch with a mean side. It was soooooooo much fun writing this scene! I love writing about this person readers will love to hate. Oooo, she's so wicked and evil. And my poor MC - she didn't even really know what to do. I felt scared for her. I literally held my breath the whole time I was writing.

So, where does this lead me...

Goal: I don't have any real word count goal right now, because I know I will not reach 50,000 words by Nov 1, so I just told myself to fix the previous chapter, update my outline, re-familiarize myself with where I was going, and write the next chapter. And those goals were completed.

Actual: And with that said, putting the numbers out of my head, I wrote 2,389 in one day, AND on a day when I worked in the morning with the little-uns.

Total Word Count: 31, 502

Downside: None, really... except I am trying to research information I desperately need for my antagonist and just can't seem to find what I need on the Internet. Not a huge deal - I'll just have to make it up (imagine that) until I can find what I need to support my theory. (I like to write so that my ideas are actually supported - that makes my fantasy world seem all the more possible...

Highlight: Hitting 31,502! Writing about my antagonist and really enjoying it. Still loving my book and my idea. Still feeling positive even though I won't reach 50,000 by the 30th, I still know I am forever changed by NaNo and that I WILL finish, that I CAN finish. So, I've set a new goal...

My new goal is to finish my book (50,000 words or more...) by December 31st. I want to ring in the new year with my first novel complete! (Of course I use that term loosely. I know once I am finished, my work has only just begun... but still, it will feel so darn amazing to write that last page, tears rolling down my cheek, doing a happy gig, kind of good.

Anyone want to join me in cheering each other on to the finish line by the new goal of Dec 31st? Let me know in the comments section and we can try to set something up on our own...

NaNoWriMo take II in December.

Good luck everyone! And have a happy Thanksgiving!

A Break from NaNo - When Characters Speak to you in Dreams and Meyer's New Moon

This posting will be a break from all my NaNo posting...

First, I wanted to share a really strange dream I had.

So, today I became bleary-eyed from all my writing and I really needed a nap. Twenty minutes tops, I told myself. (They say a twenty minute nap is all your need. Any longer and you wake up groggy.) So, I climbed under my fluffy down comforter (it's winter cold here in NJ this week) and settled in for a twenty-minute nap. I looked at the clock through one-eye (the other was already asleep) 2:40. I told myself, OK, you'll wake up in twenty minutes.

I had been wondering about this one character for the past few days. She always sounds British to me, but her being British really makes no sense at all. So, as soon as I fell asleep, she came to me and said, "But I am British and this is why..." and proceeded to tell me exactly how this came to be and it made PERFECT sense! Then, in my dream, a buzzer sounded, literally making my eyes pop open. I looked at the clock and it said 3:00. So, not only did she tell me how it was that she is from Great Britain, but woke me up on time too. Strange, right...

Now for the second book of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer - NEW MOON. I finished reading this book maybe a week or two ago, but NaNo has kept me so busy, I haven't had a moment to write about it. I am already pretty well into the third book ECLIPSE, so I am not so sure how much I'll remember about NEW MOON, but I promised I would share my thoughts.

So, who was it, Beth, who had said the series is a modern day fairytale and not a hero's journey??? And I said she was brilliant and so right. Well, book two is no exception to that paradigm. I will be honest even though I usually aggravate a lot of you Twilight fanatics. I thought it was boring. Really ho-hum boring. *SPOILER ALERT* highlight to read... It was all about Jacob and Bella's silly obsession with hearing Edward's voice in her head when she did life-threatening stunts, which for the way this character has been set up, crossing a padded room could be life threatening to Bella.

I kept waiting for something to happen and for Edward to come back. For some how that voice in her head to actually be his voice, even though it was established early in the first book that he could not read her mind. I missed Edward! I liked Jacob and I felt badly for Bella, but I just didn't get into it the same way. Also, it occurred to me, there was no real final battle scene at all. Again - not a hero's journey, but it was over and I was like, what? What'd I miss? I mean, yeah Edward comes back and they see the Vulturi, but there wasn't a battle scene. Just "will you let us go?" ... "Ah.. OK, but we'll be back." I felt let down.

So, why did I run out and buy the third book before even finishing the second one??? I DON'T KNOW!!! I am smitten. I am totally in love with the world, maybe not the paradigm, maybe not some of the plot, but I am completely caught up in a world where vampires could co-exist peacefully with humans and werewolves could be their mortal enemy. I couldn't wait to read the third book even though I was ho-hum about book two.

So, in short, not much of a thrilling, captivating review, but my honest impression, as I will always give. Don't hate me. I still love the series, I don't know why. And I have great respect for Stephenie Meyer. But I must be truthful about the way I feel. Read a cliff note of book two and just go right on to book three. Kind of like in Harry Potter's book five was painful for me and a lot of my friends. It seems to be the one where a lot of people lose interest. But you HAVE to read it in order to get to books 6 and 7. However, book five, although a tedious read, was necessary. You did learn A LOT and someone tragic dies... But book two of Twilight didn't even have that going for it in my opinion. I think she could have shortened book two to 50 pages and combined it with book three. I don't think it was enough to stand alone. Again, just my personal opinion...



OH and Robert Pattinson - Edward Cullen - in the movie, was just at the King of Prussia Mall signing autographs to Beatle-type mania fans. Girls fainting and screaming... Hot Topics has been having him tour their stores in key locations to sign autographs and talk to the crowd, who apparently couldn't even hear him over all the crying and screaming. Ay-yi-yi, his life will never be the same!

NaNo Day 19

NaNoWriMo Day 19 Word Count

Goal: 2500 words

Actual: 2696 words

Total Word Count: 26,690

Downside: So far not liking my chapter 15 at all. might delete it tomorrow

Highlight: LOVE my chapters 13 and 14. AND... I'm over the mid-way hump and now on the other side of the novel mountain!!!