Joining the writer's groups has helped me ALOT more than I thought it would. And it wasn't the group challenges that have helped me either. It's listening (fine, reading) to what other people have set themselves as goals. One woman was keeping track of her writing--and she is a 'published writer' :-) --her goal is to write 1000 words a day. At first I was thinking, wow, 1000 words, huh. That could be tough. I have email readings where 500 words kills me trying to draw out something I could say in 5 words and be done, but work requires the added verbiage. I have been at it for three days now. The first day I wrote over 900 words and thought I was good. That is 900+ words for the intro to a story--not counting the vast amount of email I typed and sent during that 30-45 minute period I was 'writing'. Yesterday it was over 1500 words. Today it was over 1700 words. It takes me less than an hour, without the added help of email, to write that much. I go to bed planning what I will get up and work on.
I am no longer afraid of November or NanoWrite. I've started a novel several Novembers. I jsut never really went anywhere with anything. Worse, it's all the same novel. :-)
I am not holding myself to working 'just' on the novel right now. Right now I am just trying to train myself to write, every morning, and then we can flow into other things. Even though the majority of what I have written is novel-bound.
I am also slowly working my way back into the swing of the writer's group I was in last year that I just sort of abandoned after the move. At least I am keeping up with posts. I am working on a squidoo presence--I am still leery of appearing like an idiot. Although give me a couple more weeks and I will start pimping out my best friend since he will need a new girlfriend.
Plus, I have been doing research here and there on other sources for my writing as well. As much as I want the novel to be written and published--I want to move back into the non-fiction field again. There are even more fears attached to that one, mostly having to do with the people I used to associate with--and the x. I hate writing knowing he could use it against me--but then-- he never really did get me. Between the non-fiction work I do and the erotica I write and what I prefer--he missed alot about me. His loss--because he is definitely not my loss.
Anyway....I have to write in private for awhile to get over that part. And even now I feel that tug of, no I must hide this, quivering in my breast about things that I need to write about and need to publish. The other fear I have is not that what I write will be used against me in a court of law (x), but that my personal truths and purposes will be used against me in other ways--but I won't get into that--because deep down I know--it can't. As silly as it seems. The weird things I learned--like how to ensure no one can use your own hair against you. Very simple things that the majority of people just miss or don't believe. Pity them. I don't, but you can. I guess someone has to, but it won't be me anymore.
Who knows Maybe the ex was right all those years ago and I will be the Leader of my own Cult. Can you see it? Another Farm --I can see it--and I can relish the thought. It takes alot of work though. But that is something I can do.
No real knitting news. Other than I threw my lovely purple hat in the wash to felt it and shrink it a little. I did not throw it in the dryer. It's alpaca as the base of it, so it did tame down a little. We'll see how much later on this morning when I head towards doing laundry again.
Do you know what was wrong with my washing machine? My daughter. She sat on the washer--or climbed on it to get to the stuff on the shelves--and knocked the spin cycle pin (you know, you close the door and the spin works; you open the door and the spin stops for safety's sake) loose. Our resident Macgyver came over and fixed it with a piece from a curtain rod hanger thingy. Works great now--and I have been washing blankets and towels ever since. Haven't folded a thing, but plan to get to that--some time today--if I have to. I hate to fold clothes--I really do.
Have to work on the laundry. Have to get the dishes done. We have a curling iron now and I was so preoccupied yesterday (with just not being near cartoons or anything else) that I didn't curl E's hair--even though I did mean to. I kinda hope I can do it. I don't know much about curling irons. I never used one myself as a teen-ager--I had curly hair. Plus, I learned quick if I want my hair to look good the less I touch it the better. It still stands that way today as well. The less I do, the better I look. Period. :-) Have to make cheese cake today, because I was in a mood yesterday and not about to do anything that would create more havoc in the kitchen. Since the washer died we've had the needing to be washed blankets on the floor by the washer--which is on the other side of the refrigerator--which means most of my kitchen was under laundry. Not a good place for me. My sink is small, even though it has 2 sides to it--which means if you put 1 dish in it it looks full. I am planning to replace the double sink with one great big one without dividers or anything. I am not planning to replace the cabinets though--them I want to strip and paint more than anything. But we'll get to that.
I have all my plants ready to be ordered for the landscaping party I am planning. That means me--I am planning to landscape. I found a place that will get me alot more than I originally wanted for alot less--we were going to order through the arbor day foundation--but when I can get 5 plants elsewhere for the price of one through the arbor day foundation--guess where I am going. I am planning to order several different kinds of roses too--I think at least three kinds. But only one is going in front of the house's front windows. The other ones--I have to think about a bit.
I can't wait. This is the stuff I love. Planting and growing things. And I am ordering castor beans--because I am buying tiger lilly bulbs--I love tiger lilies -- and should a mole try to eat my lilies I think I might just eat the mole (figuratively of course).
Ok, girl fell back to sleep now--she's been tossing and turning a bit because she was too warm--I turned the heater down and cracked the door. If I let it get too chilly I can't sleep--and neither can she. But in the mornings it works to my benefit to keep her warm because she sleeps longer and deeper--both kids when both are here. And they so dearly need good solid sleep. N always looks as if he is about to fall over the bags under his eyes are so huge, between sleep deprivation and allergies that T just says N has to learn to live with just like everyone else does. Now, as he says that, keep in mind this is the man who would lecture me relentlessly on how young children need their sleep and lots of it and why and yadayadayada--come to find out they only need sleep when he wants them asleep so he can get laid. The man who made the porn star hate sex--yep--that's him. That should say alot right there.
And before this degenerates into a bash the ex party--for which I have no time nor stomach today--I am going off to do some other things.
Oh wait. Twitter and I have issues. I know I have the right user name and password--I wrote them out in big block letters more than once now--but any time I go to log in I have to request a new password because the system won't let me in--not only does it not like the password--it doesn't like the user name. So if I let twitter twit on by, that would be why. It's too much of a hassle most of the time.
Ciao.
