My father is visiting from Hawaii

My father sails a 40 foot sloop called the Cirrus. His page all about his travels is here.

He has raced in the Pacific Cup several times.

Managing My Diabetes Through the Holidays

I admit it, when I learned I had diabetes I had to change my eating habits. I like my carbs, a lot. I'm a gravy and mashed potatoes girl. I also love my breads and biscuits. Changing has been a challenge. However, over the last several months, due to doctors orders I have faithfully followed a diabetic diet. (with two exceptions....Thanksgiving and Christmas)
Now I am not saying I went hog wild. I didn't have a bunch of gooey pies or anything like that. I merely allowed myself to eat the normal fixins.

At my doctors appointment around 10 days ago I still managed to weigh in 22 pounds lighter. Wooo Hooo. Discipline goes a long way. I want to cheat. I just tell myself that the candy and sugars could seriously hurt me. (as in death)
Works miracles. Suddenly the urge to put said candies etc in ones mouth lessens. Amazing eh?

It also helps to join a supportive Diabetes group. I have several diabetes informational links and groups listed to the right. Check them out. I added Diabetes Files today. Take a peek.

Welcome to the New Year

I watched a Harpo and Chico Marx Marathon last night to ring in the new year. I'm not one to make resolutions but I did make one this year. It has nothing to do with diet or any of the usual stuff. I need to do things to keep my concentration from getting any worse.
I have started playing word games and puzzles to help with my concentration and short term memory problems.

It took me 65 minutes to get through a Mahjong puzzle the first time. Yikes!!! The second time through it only took 48 minutes. I hope it improves each time. Real arcade has great games. I don't care for the rock 'em sock 'em type, but I do like the word puzzles and mind games. They give away free trials and about every six weeks they give away full games. Try them out.

I'm taking a break from short stories and my novel until all the holidays are over and my family visits are done. Too many breaks make concentration difficult.
My father arrives on the 9th. We had a bit of snow yesterday.... I hope he is ready for cold weather. (he is coming from Hawaii)

After Christmas exhaustion

I'm so tired. Christmas wore me out. I've been reading a few books, spending time with family and catching up on rest. I know I have neglected this blog...what can I say. My son was here, I've been loading a bunch of stuff on my new laptop and just generally trying to get recharged.
My father is coming from Hawaii on the 8th. I'm ready.

My Christmas was TODAY

Stayed up till 2 am putting together a train for a toddler. Needless to say my eyes have been begging to close all day. The look on my grandson's face was priceless. His eyes were HUGE and his mouth dropped open as he said, "Oh choo choo" He didn't even want to open most of the rest of the presents. He played with the train set until the train started to slow down. Then he got out his adorable blow up punching gloves and proceeded to go around "bopping everyone" as they started drifting off in their chairs.

My son loved his sweaters and PSP handheld game with case and games. My daughter got hand made jewelry, scrapbooks of the babies, and clothes for job interviews. I got a new laptop from Dell. (woooooooooo hoooooooooooooo), a fabulous sweater and jeans which are 2 sizes smaller than last year due to my dieting.

I also got some great software and graphics manipulation software and a new thesaurus. Dana got porcelain clay, a new laptop, a world radio and tee shirts.

I cannot believe I didn't get a clock radio (even though I begged for one) I didn't get the new Holly Lisle book and the writing program I wanted. Oh well. No such thing as a perfect holiday.

I took a tumble.

Yep, I'm a klutz. I fell down and couldn't get up. It wasn't funny. I'll be out of commission for a while. (picture me right now with an ankle the size of a cantaloupe) I'm sitting in my recliner with my foot propped on two pillows, in complete agony. Pain pills are NOT HELPING!!!

The only bright side to the picture is that my son is home for Christmas so I am one very happy camper. He flew in last night. Apparently Unlce Sam can only spare him for one measly week so he has to go back before Christmas day but I'll take what I can get. In the meantime, we are laughing at old jokes and he loves the babies. (I'm not sure he likes the noise level)
Jaden just adores him. He bounced up onto his lap and shouted ---Unlce Maffyoooooooo.
I've been showing him the pictures of Matthew on the walls for a couple of months now getting him prepared for the visit.

Matthew came home with gifts for everyone. He even had a fuzzy bone for the dog. The crazy thing... it didn't have a squeaky in it. Instead, it barked when you squeezed it. Boo Boo has been carrying it around the house all afternoon.
That's my son for ya! He even got a present for the dog. (smile)

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HUMBUG To BLOGGER BETA!!!!


Okay I have had it!!!
I'm switchin for real this time. Blogger and Blogger Beta cannot even leave comments for each other. If you want to leave me a comment and you get stuck go to my newly created wordpress blog and leave comments there.

Busy day today.... defrag needs done, hair is so shaggy a cut is long overdue, and my house needs a maid.... (not me) unfortunately I cannot afford a maid so I have to clean it!
Getting the Christmas decorations out of storage too. I'll post a picture as soon as I get the tree up.

10 Things Every Aspiring Writer Should Know

10 Things Every Aspiring Writer Needs to Know

1. Your equipment is key. Keep it in good working order. Never be without a pen and paper. Keep a journal by your bed for notes about dreams. Try using a small tape recorder if you don’t want to have to jot things down in public. For people with arthritis this is a great alternative. They are very reasonable at Walmart and Best Buy these days, you can pick one up for less than $30.

2. Make time to write on a schedule. I write every day. If you treat your writing like a hobby it will stay a hobby. Treat it with respect. Write when you feel energized. Don’t squeeze in a few minutes every once in a while or you won’t be happy with your results.

3. Everyone experiences writers block at some time or another. Don’t allow yourself to stay stuck. Walk away from the project for a while. Introduce your character to a comic book character and have them go out to lunch. Do something to stimulate your mind instead of giving up or wallowing in pity. Ask critique groups for help. Do not allow yourself to be distracted for days and weeks by time wasters on the Internet. Find a new place to start the story and return to your problem area at a later time.

4. Never think you’ve learned enough. Keep reading about writing. Keep reading books in the genre in which you intend to publish. Every good author will tell you that practice is what it is all about. Even after having written four or five good books keep up the skills, keep reading and learning.

5. Find your own voice. Nobody wants to read a copycat book. You may love certain authors and even a particular genre. Make sure you adopt your own style. Give your writing your own recognizable flair.

6. Learn to proofread your work. Spell checking your writing is not enough. We all know how many errors get through both the spelling and grammar programs. Learn to recognize simple mistakes. There are tons of books, which can be quite helpful and should be kept within arms reach. Among these should be: a good dictionary or use an online version, of course the standard Strunk and White, a thesaurus to start. I also use some great tools at Reference Desk online and Library Spot.

7. Learn how and where to use commas. I know I struggle with this one. There are tons of resources available for learning proper comma usage. Begin by doing a Google search. I also have some links in my editing section. The old “put a comma in where you would take a breath” rule is not always the best policy. Read up on the issue. Decide for yourself. Remember that readers pause with every comma you insert into your writing.

8. Less is more. While wordiness might serve you well in descriptions it could lose you valued readers if they become bored. Simplify at all times. Most writers who suffer from wordiness actually have trouble with passive voice. If you don’t know this term it is time to look it up. OWL has the best handouts I’ve seen for explaining passive voice and active voice. One online course I took showed me how much I overused passive voice. I’m not cured yet. Try here for more information.

9. Keep your characters straight. Nothing says new writer louder than a story where the protagonist has blonde hair in the first chapter and is a brunette in chapter fourteen. Use note cards or a writing software program to keep track of all the little details. Make out character sheets on all characters. It will help later. Trust me on this one. As for the best software program; each person is different. I have tried several. Many I did not like at all. None of them write for you, however some are quite good at organizing notes, plot and characters along with other options.

10. Know where to begin. The hook is the most important part of your story. If an editor doesn’t like the first few sentences he/she will not keep reading. This is the same with many readers. Some readers ignore prologues. Get your reader involved immediately. Make them feel sorry for your character or hate them right away. Do not start with scenery. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I put a book down because it went on for six pages about how cold it was in Detroit. No kidding. I never would have guessed that without reading the book, NOT!

Most of these tips may be things you already know. Keep them in mind while you write. When I first started out I printed out advice. I had helpful tidbits taped all over my desktop monitor. I had a longer version of the rules every writer should know. Now, I look back and laugh at how little I knew.

Technorati Tags:Ten Tips+ Aspiring Writers, guidelines for newbies, writewize suggests, fiction advice

Did I mention being in print?

Several months ago a little mouse friend of mine told me about Cats Meow, an ezine for writers and readers. I sent off a few short stories and poems. Getting an email saying your story will be in an upcoming newsletter is a great feeling. Actually having the issue come out and seeing your name and story printed on the web page feels like heaven. So, today the issue is out. Check out my two poems and my Lupus story here.
Naturally, you are looking for the stories by Kay/writewize. I cannot believe there is a slight problem with the web address on the ezine but I'm still thrilled.
I'm nearly finished with an ebook I've been working on in secret as well. More details soon. It is for aspiring writers.
Bring on the comments. I'm so happy!!!!!

Oh, I actually risked germs and illness to go to Walmart today. Yes me.... (the one with a compromised immune system) I bought a few Christmas gifts and some address label stickers so I could reprint new ones for a project I am working on. Also picked up "The Devil Wears Prada". I've heard it is very good.

Technorati Tags:writing, personal, in print

Workshop generating fantastic ideas

Wowsers, the muse is awake. Thanks to the lessons in the workshop ebook I bought. Did I mention how cool it is? My fingers are getting numb from typing so much. I need more programs to keep track of my notecards and ideas.

I had NO IDEA there was a formula for determining how many scenes you should have per book, per chapter and per character. Thanks Holly. Read the section about Book math.

I ventured further into the book and checked out Lazettes information on short stories. She really breaks it down and lets me know WHY my short stories have not done well in contests and have been rejected lately. Yep, apparently I stray from the topic a bit too much. In a novel it is okay to explore the idiosyncracies of the character. In a short story there just isn't time to stray. I have no trouble with obstacles. My problem is pulling away from those obstacles and travelling down the path to ideas that aren't necessary for a short story. Danger is necessary. Thanks. I tend to forget that! It seems so simple. I get tied up and lost in all the details. I guess I'm really a novel writer. Short stories make me feel limited. Yet I want to write a few and feel successful.

The more of the workshop I read the more I realize I am doing things right. I have been all along. I think writers doubt themselves more than people in other fields. We work alone. We sit facing a computer screen or writing on paper and we have relatively little feedback until our project is finished or nearly finished.

If you were raised like me you thrive on feedback. What do I do? I meet with other authors. I go to workshops when I am able to schedule it and afford it. I read a lot of books and author blogs. Holly Lisle has an entire site devoted to helpful articles and information for aspiring authors. There are hundreds of other places to find people and resources if you are just starting out. I have some resources listed in my Links sections and Resources sections and several other authors in my Writers Blogroll. Check them out.

Technorati Tags:resources, Holly Lisle workshop, writing ideas, short stories