Got time?

It's going to be a busy Friday.  I guess I mean just as busy as the rest of the week but more so.  I've been filling most of my time at work keeping up with everything that has been going on.  There has been quite a bit going on.  Then early mornings and after work I've been trying to get going on my second draft of my fiction book.  It's funny how I will tell myself that I'll spend 30 minutes working on it and then an hour and a half later I'll get to a stopping point.  That has happened consistently this week.
I am on chapter five of the second draft which is chapter three of the first draft.  I've been trying to find the spots where I can break the chapters since I thought they were too long.  I've also had a change in the action since the main character went and did something I was trying to prevent her from doing since it was a stupid thing to do.  Fortunately, I think it's helped make the story more interesting and I guess I'll let her be stupid if it works for the book.  I can't protect them.
I didn't get any time to write last night or this morning since I am trying to set up a shopping cart on my cookie website.  I've got most of it figured out but somehow the buttons I created with a drop down pricing isn't giving that option on the site.  It only shows one price option and that's not right.  I'll have to spend more time trying to figure it out or call the company and ask...why isn't this working?!
So...busy.  With things that are taking some time.  And with the weekend rolling around...sounds like that is what I will have.
TT

Walking weather

The weekend went too quickly.  It came and went in one of those flashes before my eyes. What the heck?!  How can I be sitting here again on a Monday morning so soon?  But the thought for the day is, "it will be what it will be."
All the past is now fact that I can't change.  I only have the present and future to work on.  So stop the belly aching and get on with it.  It's as good as I want it to be and as fine as I make it.
The past facts for the weekend were that I managed to get out and run both mornings.  Jay even asked me yesterday afternoon if I wanted to go out to walk.  That statement had me missing a beat for a moment.  He absolutely never takes me up on that suggestion.  Never.  So he had me thoroughly surprised when he asked. 
There was a lull during the day with both of us sitting around and out of the blue he said, "Do you want to go take a walk? Oh, nevermind...you already ran this morning."
"Yes!"
"But you already did early.  I forgot."
I said, "I was already thinking to suggest that but every time I mention us going to walk you shoot me down.  I really was thinking it would be nice to go out."
"Okay.  Put on your shoes."
And we did go for a walk.  We drove out to a really small park and took a short stroll.  It was a very short stroll but it wasn't me suggesting it or pushing it.  It was pretty fine.
So even though the weekend went too quickly I cannot discount the fine things about it.  It was what it was.  And it was pretty good.
TT

Tiny bit of magic

Running in the rain last Sunday was what I needed to get the day started.  I had gotten up early as usual and was able to sit and take it easy while watching the rain come down.  It was about the time I needed to get up and do something else besides sit and drink coffee that there was a break in the rain and it stopped.  That was when I decided to head out for a run. 
I was going along fine when it started to sprinkle.  That happens all the time and I don't give it a second thought because it usually stops.  I kept going and so did the rain except it went from sprinkling to coming down hard.  It felt pretty good and I figured it would stop once I turned a corner because that is when it usually stops.  I kept running.  The rain kept coming down.  I was soaked  but I usually am and not with something as fresh as rain.  It felt pretty good and I got home and felt even better.
Monday morning rolled around and I was up early enough to head to the gym.  I got there, set up the treadmill and punched my iPod and got nothing.  I punched the iPod again and again.  No go.  Black screen, wouldn't come on.  Then I thought, drat!  I ran in the rain yesterday with this thing clipped to my shorts pocket and, well, it got wet, soaked, liquid damaged.  Electronics of these types do not like liquid damage and the people that make them won't replace or do anything about it if that's the case.  Drat!  I used my phone (yeah - I had stuck my phone in a ziplock bag in my other pocket when I ran in the rain-didn't think about the device clipped to my shorts pocket) with the sensor appl to run at the gym and then came home.  I got my magic bag of rice and stuck the iPod into it. 
I kept my iPod in the magic bag of rice for a day and it still wouldn't turn on.  I found my invoice and called Apple.  I thought if I needed to replace it I might as well get it over with.
The tech guy on the phone had me try a couple of things but it was no good.  He said to leave it for 24 hours.  Sometimes it needed to drain the battery before trying again.  So on Thursday, after days in the magic rice bag, it still wasn't coming on so I drove to the Apple store to see if I needed to replace my iPod.  This time the tech guy that helped me held my tiny device and shone a tiny flashlight at the tiny black screen.  Uh-oh, I thought.  That must be the magic liquid damage detector.  Any minute now he will look up and shake his head and tell me, "sorry lady, you got this wet."  I'll have to say, "I know" and hang my head.
He didn't say that.  He turned off his tiny flashlight and said, "Let me hook this up to the computer in the back and see what I can do."  I thought, Uh-oh, I bet the tiny computer in the back will detect the liquid damage.  I waited patiently.   I waited a little nervously.  He finally came back.  He said, "I can't get it to work but let me get the serial number and he punched that into his tiny handheld device.  He found my original invoice and said, "Oh, you are still under warranty.  Would you mind a switch?"
Mind?!  Please!  "I wouldn't mind," I said.
"Oh, great.  That's easy," he said.  He went to the back again and came out with an exact replica of my tiny iPod.  I signed his tiny handheld device (with my finger-weird but it worked) and he emailed me the paperwork.  I now have a fully functioning tiny iPod nano 6th generation again (16G) and it still tracks my Nike+ runs that I have been using for over 2 years.  I don't know if it really was the rain that knocked out my tiny device or not.  Maybe it was something else since the invoice that the tech guy emailed to me said, no liquid damage, twice!
Or maybe the magic rice bag sucked it all out.
TT

Sometimes, you just need to get yourself up and run in the rain.
TT

Back to the beginning

I have been doing a fair share of reading and researching on writing subjects.  I've tried to keep them as close to information about first drafts and their immediate revisions as I can.  If I venture out on too broad a variety of subjects about writing in general I will overwhelm myself with too much information.  I know I want to understand it all right this minute but it isn't a good approach.  I may try to understand it all but I know I will get impatient since I can't retain everything at once.  I know I need to narrow it down and focus on the issue at hand.
I think I have a better understanding of how the entire process might work.  I didn't get it when I started.  I didn't see the entire progression in my head so I fought things when they didn't make sense to me.  Everyone told me to just write the entire story first.  I struggled with that.  I didn't get the idea of just writing the story as a first draft.  I couldn't see it.  I had the idea that it was supposed to be 'the' story in as good a shape and form as it possibly could be. I had a million notes because I was trying to remember revisions and reworks as I was just trying to get the story down.  There was no way I could have incorporated them all at that time but I didn't know that.  People have crazy dreams that they are going to sit down and write a story and it's going to be this perfectly told tome in that one first sweep.  That's probably why so many people might attempt at writing but never finish. I know I could have stopped and quit many times.  It's probably why there are congratulations for finishing a first draft since there are so many that might start but never keep going.  At least it seems that way from what I have been reading.
And that is when I started to realize the entire progression.  It was tough getting through the first draft thinking it had to be good, better, best in that one writing.  There was a lot of disappointment in reading it back after finally finishing and seeing gaping holes in the story and characters.  I didn't want it to be like that but I can see how it happened. 
I have just gone back to start revisions and realized that here is my next opportunity to bridge the gaps and fill in the holes.  I can see how this turn in the process is supposed to go from here and I know it might take another turn and then maybe even another before it can be called done.  That is quite a different idea from the one of doing it all on point the first time around.  Thank goodness!  I get another opportunity I somehow didn't think I might have.  It's a wonder I didn't quit a long time ago. 
I know when I started out with this idea of writing a story it was a challenge to myself that I just wanted to write it.  Completing that first draft was what I thought the challenge was about.  Maybe it was.  Maybe I completed my own challenge.  Maybe I did it, but even so...I'm not done.
TT

Give it some thought

I'm taking today off but I have an appointment at 10:00 across town.  It means I need to leave the house at about 9:00 to get there 15 minutes early to fill out their forms.  It doesn't leave me enough time to go out for a run.  Actually, it might if I got it in gear and hustled but then I don't want to be rushing through the morning because that is what it will turn into.  I would be hurrying through the run and then rushing to get ready in time and then I always get lost driving everywhere so that would be a problem.  And it's supposed to be a day off. 
So, with the rain we got yesterday it seems the temperatures are supposed to stay very low.  I think the predicted high is only 83.  If that is true, I can run anytime today.  And I will.  I've had thoughts of doing the half marathon again this year.  I have enough time to gear up by November.  I just can't decide if I want to officially register yet.  It seems most recently I love to run but don't run to race.
I'll give it some thought while I'm running.
TT
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8:08am - Ahhh, what the heck.  I went out and did a quick three miles anyway.  Now it's rush to get ready!!!

Cut

I started reading through my last post and realized I was starting to edit and correct things I had written.  It reminded me of the reason I started writing this blog.  It was to use it as a tool to stop me from continually editing as I was writing.  The rule here was once it was posted I couldn't go back and "fix" it.  I had to go on to the next one.  The editing was holding me up and not allowing me to write because I couldn't get past a few sentences without going back and correcting.
I've come a long way from that.  I needed to do that back then.  I would have never ventured past a few paragraphs if I had continued that way.  A few paragraphs, no matter how good and polished, doesn't make for very good reading.  It doesn't matter how good a few paragraphs are if it doesn't tell the story. 
I've started in on some planning to revision my now finished first draft.  I've managed to write the entire story through and didn't stop to edit.  That is hard to believe considering the few paragraphs I couldn't get past a long while back.  They were very nice, very polished paragraphs but a story they didn't make.  This little spot here for me has been a trememdous help.  And those wonderfully polished paragraphs at the beginning?  They didn't make the first round.  I've cut the entire portion and pulled it out of the story.  It isn't that they aren't very good paragraphs.  Just not for this book.
TT

Get started

I booted up my laptop this morning and it must be the day for all automatic updates.  I was inundated with pop-up windows reminding me that this application and that all needed to refresh and download newer, more improved versions of themselves.  I clicked through and soon had a multitude of windows grinding away with various progression bars showing completion or how much more until they should be finished.  If those bars keep moving I seem to be fine but when I see them stop or slow down it can be frustrating.  Why do they seem to stop completely just when there are only one or two bars from finishing?  I must have waited a good 15 minutes this morning waiting for all this technology to wake up.  I was already awake and waiting to get to the things I wanted to get to.  But I was waiting instead.  It can put a damper on momentum.
But then it can also provide a moment to take a deep breath and not feel as if I need to hit the ground running full out.  Even if I had wanted to I couldn't do it that way this morning.  So I've waited and now everything is newly updated and ready to go.  So now I can get started. 
TT

Kitchen duty

Yesterday, I put writing aside and took my turn in the kitchen.  I had an idea to test a new cookie idea and that is where I started.  I wanted to make a rocky road cookie with all of those ingredients, like almonds, chocolate and marshmellows.  Yes - I was not sure about baking marshmellows but it was a test cookie and if it worked that would have been great. 

  Unfortunately, they lost all the integrity of the marshmellow when cooked and that just didn't work.  They taste pretty good but they looked better as a batter and not the baked product.  It would need to be as recognizable as rocky road the way it does as a batter in the finished cookie.  Test cookie first try - back to the drawing board.

I went on from there to make up a Spinach Lasagne which I've done before and can't ever remember what I put into it.  I cooked up my lasagna noodles, made up a thin bechemel sauce with a little added pecorino cheese in it.  I used some ricotta, browned Italian sausage, fresh spinach and provolone layered up.  It was topped off with a final layer of noodles and sprinkled with more pecorino.

It turned out pretty good.  And in the meantime I broke down a cantelope and got some ironing done.

 

Not such a bad way to spend a Sunday. 



TT

 

Cooler

It seems darker than usual this morning at this time.  I know the temperature is much less than it has been and I'm looking forward to heading out for another run this morning after yesterdays great 6 miler.  Unfortunately, weekends seem to have been the only time I have been able to get myself out.  I've only clocked up 20 miles for this month so far and it's been due to my lack to running during the week and leaving it all to early mornings on weekends.
I think that might be about to change.  The afternoon temperatures might actually start getting tolerable enough to head out after work.  I'm hoping for that.  I'm afraid 96-98 is just a little too high to get very far and I've put no effort in trying to make it to the gym.  It just isn't the same.
But now I can see the sky starting to lighten up and that's my cue to grab my running shoes.  Can't wait to see how it feels out there this morning!
TT 

Finished reading

Oh gawd.  I've finished reading through my first draft of this fiction story I wrote.  I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to respond about what I think.  Maybe no one will ask me and I won't have to say.  I've never been known to hold back on my opinions about things I've read.  I've been known to have some pretty strong opinions about the things I read.  I guess the question right now would be if I can do the same with my own work.  But really now.  Do you really have any doubt?  Reading is what I do best.
Where do I start?  The beginning was poor and it went on to become worse.  Then it got boring and then worse than that it got boringly confusing.  The main character kept messing with her hair so much I wanted to cut her hand off.  The characters abruptly stopped at places where they should have gone on.  There was way too much internalizing and too much repetition and then too much more internalizing.  The ending was the only saving grace (well, yeah, it ended)! but besides that it seemed the consistent day after day writing sessions that were going on at the time proved to produce better writing than the whole of the rest of the book.  At least I feel a little better since that part was done most recently and maybe from that I have some kind of direction of where it should be at the beginning.
It's going to take a lot of revisioning.  It's going to take a lot of reworking and editing and changing.  A lot.  Lots.  I wonder if there is really a story in there somewhere.  Maybe so.  But who ever started at the end and went back to make the beginning better?  Usually people start strong and run out of steam at the end.  Leave it to me to be the first to do it backwards.
TT

Lots to do

Thank goodness for Fridays!  Short week, long week, longishly short week...it all becomes better on a Friday when it's the end of it.  One more day seems so much easier to face than a whole week of work staring you in the face.  Time needing to be accounted for, time filled with priorities that are constantly interrupted by more work and other things that become priority for the moment, and then the time it takes to get back to the original priority.  I'm told that is why they call it work.  I listen and I understand.  It doesn't make it go any faster.  But then I don't want too much momentum to build up that might spill into my free time and weekend.  I don't want that to go too fast.  I want to have every single moment of that free time.  As much as I can.  I've got a lot to do and looking forward to it.
Thank goodness for Fridays!
TT

Read it

I started reading my own first draft.  It will be my first time reading it from beginning to end.  I couldn't do that before because, well, because I had never had it finished before.  I did take time in-between to just leave it alone, put it aside, and, in fact, not even wanting to touch it.  That finally past and I decided it was time to give it a look.
I'm not allowed any pencils or index cards or any means of note-taking.  The whole purpose of this go-around is to merely read it which is something I've never done.  I couldn't before and now that I can, I think this first time it has to be just a reading as opposed to starting to re-work it.  That will come later...after.
I've got a feeling I'm going to be reading it quite a few times so this one time will be different.
TT

Getting away

It's 6:30am and the middle of the week.  I'm looking forward to the weekend but that pushes me quite a way into September.  I'm having a hard time realizing it's already this late in the year.  What a lot of things I still need to do.  When do I have the time?
It doesn't seem to me that I'm doing all that much.  Maybe the things I'm doing just take a lot of time.  If I'm at work I think about what I could be doing somewhere else. I don't ever think the other way around.  If I had my way, I'd spend more time doing those things that take up those larger portions of time.  The ones that I would rather be doing.  But who wouldn't? 
I guess I'm finally at a spot that I know I would actually do them and not idle the time away.  I've turned into a true weekend warrior.  Managing as much, packing and doing as many things during my free time that I possibly can.  And still I feel like it's getting away from me.
TT   

Labor Day Weekend

It was a really nice Labor Day Weekend.  That extra day off was just a wonderful thing to have. Waking up Monday morning with already two morning runs and ready for another to make three in a row was almost too much to ask for.  I was already up and had my running shoes laced up when I checked my e-mail and found I had an order for cookies!  What perfect timing for me to bake when I had the extra day off.  I headed out and ran feeling really good.  It wasn't long before I was cleaned up and baking.  I finished with the packaging and called the customer to set up delivery and then went on with the rest of the free time.
I haven't gotten to my draft yet but re-worked another short scenario I had been thinking about.  I tried to keep reading a book I am in the middle of but my attentions seem to be elsewhere.  I did marinate some ribs for yesterdays dinner that turned out well.
It was a really nice long weekend.  I got to run, I baked some cookies, I wrote and tried to read.  I cooked a bit and it turned out well.  Pretty spendid.

TT