Yikes! I'd better get busy if the world is scheduled to end in December. :)

I'm not sure how I could get any busier.

In the last month I've picked up a couple of new editing clients. Great news, but it does cut into my writing time a bit.

Starting three weeks ago, I'm taking a class in Revision. It's a great class focusing on structure, which is what I need. Also, I am reading The Plot Whisperer, which piggybacks on the class very well. It's so funny that I can see the issues in what I edit, but have a blind spot when it comes to my own storytelling. Does anyone else have that problem?

Next, in writerly news, I started my own little small real life critique group. It is composed of a couple clients and a couple other friends. It is without all the political stuff that happened in the official writing group in our community. So I guess you could call us the underground writer's movement. ;)We have five members and I think that's what we'd like to keep it. Any more people and it's too many to be effective.

In this time my significant other has completed a new film and submitted it to the Neuro Film Festival. You can see it here

If you watched the first video we did with David (also on YouTube) you can see a definite difference in both his confidence level and comfort in front of the camera.

Next week is the Dam Short Film Festival, and this year we aren't doing the tickets and volunteering as we have in years past. We are part of the official film team, meaning we'll be conducting interviews with the filmmakers and doing our own thing recording different events of the festival so they can the video on their website. Sort of cool, since we don't have a film in the festival this year, at least we'll be very involved.

In among all those activities, I'm trying to reread The Poisonwood Bible and participate in the Letter Month Challenge. If you haven't heard of it, it's a challenge to handwrite a letter each mail day (no Sundays) for the month of February. I've got two done already and it's the second. Yay! Not sure I'll make this all month, but it's not a bad start.

That's the update for Groundhog Day 2012!

This from Keith Publications:

Are you a romance writer?

Keith Publications wants you to celebrate Valentine's Month with us. (Feb 1-29).

We are looking for bloggers, and give aways for this event.

Whether you are a team writer, critique group, reviewer, author of any romance genre, or just love romance books ... Join us for a fun-filled month.

If you wish to blog, send an email to: blog@keithpublications.com and put V-day Blog in the subject area. I will send a blog form for you to fill out and return.

Have you published a romance e-book or print? Would you like to gain readership? If so, consider giving away a copy during the blog month.

It's a great way to get your name and your product out there.

Spread the word and mark your calendars. Please repost on your blog or groups you belong to. If you blog for this event, please post the date on your blog.

E-books can be sent to mary@keithpublications.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Please put V-Day Blog in the subject area. I will need the e-book in .PDF format. NO COUPONS.

Print and promo items - please send an email to: mary@keithpublications.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for the address.


Let's make this a Valentine Month
filled with romance and promote romance writing.

Check out http://keithpublications.com

Any questions ask, and I'll try to find out answers or you can email Mary.

You can find my flash story The King is Dead--Long Live the King over at Apollo's Lyre. http://apollos-lyre.tripod.com/id351.html

This story started life over at Liberty Hall Flash Challenge, then I polished it up at the Muse Online Writers Conference and this is the result. Enjoy!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

We had a mini staycation over at a casino for a couple nights last week, which was lotso fun. We got home yesterday and went back for dinner because I was already homesick-for the hotel.

Tonight we are joining friends over at the casino lounge for cocktails, entertainment and social interaction. After being homebodies for so long, it's great to get out for a while.

If you haven't checked out my blog for a while over at http://tamaraeatoneditingservices.weebly.com/blog.html please do so. I'm trying to post a link a week. Simple help for writers and my clients. While your writing may be beyond the basic help offered here, feel free to pass along the hints to beginners.

I received a free revision class through Nano facebook drawing. It starts in January so I have to finish my draft begun during Nano. I'd put it away and concentrated on some editing over the last few weeks. I'm excited to head back to my own writing for a little while.

Happy Holidays-remembering that Holiday comes from Holy Day. :) (It always makes me smile when people object to Happy Holidays)

It was a struggle this year, but I won. Not sure where my story went, or even if it was a story. It needs loads more research and sundry, but I liked a few parts of it so I'll put it away for a while and work on other stuff before going back to it.

Congrats to any and all participants, winners all-even if you didn't hit the 50K mark.

In other news: The sig. other and I went to a casino for a mini vacation last weekend (well Sunday) and saw the comedienne, Kathleen Madigan, who put on a hilarious show. I recommend you checking her out if you get a chance. She tours sometimes with Lewis Black, so if you like him, you'll like her, though she doesn't do the angry thing like he does. 

We went to the movies (a rare thing for us) and saw Hugo - Martin Scorsese's foray into family films. It's getting rave reviews and I can understand why, but what I liked about it was the back story and I think it almost got lost with the family story. I wanted more on the filmmaker and early films of Georges Melies one of the pioneer filmmakers. Hugo (the MC) and his orphan story did not pull me in. The whole idea of orphans (especially British ones) gives me the willies. I'm not sure where that comes from, but it's been with me for a long time-since I was a child. I must have seen something that affected me strongly. Either that or it's my repressed WWII memories (just kidding folks-I'm old but not THAT old).


Hope all my friends in the US had a Happy Thanksgiving and now it's on to the last month of the year.  

We have a couple more mini vacations planned for the month of Dec. which should be fun. I'm starting my resolutions early (or maybe just getting back on track). Trying to get organized and get into a schedule of writing, editing and the mundane housework etc. as well as being more regular in posting.

Things are going slow this year in Nanoland for me. I'm at a little over 12,000 words and I keep thinking of where I SHOULD be. If I don't get too down on myself I know I will make the deadline. Even at this rate, if I could get about 2000 words a day (which I should be doing each and every day Nano or not) I'll finish a winner. I'm afraid I'll be sprinting through some heavier word count days now and then and days where I have very few. That is less consistent that I'd like to be, but sometimes life isn't consistent.

I'm going to strive to be at at least 20K by Monday night. Yikes, that's a lot of writing, so I'd better get back to it.

Nano madness begins. I was really excited this year to get started. Even did some planning, for the FIRST time. This is my fourth year joining the challenge and I've won each year, but still have yet to complete a draft though Nano 08 is getting closer.


Today was a slow start, but once I get into this story, (a Post American Civil war historical) I think I'll zoom right along. The topic is one I find fascinating.

If you wish to buddy me over at Nanowrimo, just look for zenderella. :)

Good luck to all who plan to write their brains out this November.

On the novel front, thanks to my beta reader and friend, RoseAnn I know Weeping Women Springs' basic story works. She's a reader (not a writer) and she said it was GREAT, and the writing was as good as the books she buys. That alone makes me feel pretty good. Yes, I know, she's a friend, but letting the baby out on her own is a big step for me. I trust that she's not just being "nice." She told me several times that it's a page turner and says she's told her friends the same. I'm not floating in air, but it's a good start.

Yesterday, I sent it to my editor and friend, who will rip it apart gently. She's read a draft before, so this isn't her first time through, but it is a major revision and she hasn't read the new stuff. I'm a little anxious to hear what she thinks of the changes.

In the meantime, I'm struggling through the query letter. I still don't have one that works for me, but a new friend at my r/l writers group is a serious writer with public relations experience. She's offered to help me with it, so I'm meeting her Tuesday to go over things with her.

I flashed over at Showmeyourlits.comlast week for the first time in a long time and it felt good to do a new story.

I'm in that space where too many nexts are on my list and I have to choose. A new story is calling me to research and write, and I have two novels that need major revisions. So which to work on first? My Waning Muses (Nano 09) is a humorous story about the Muses deciding to retire in a desert retirement community and all their antics. Dionysius makes a big appearance, wanting to start up his cult again.

The second story is Clandestine Clouds (Nano 10) which needs finishing. It's a paranormal historical romance set in WWII. 

The brand new project will remain a secret for a little while until I get my head wrapped around it, but the genre is historical. I've thought of putting off starting until Nano, but not sure. If I start it beforehand, I may not do Nano this year, but I haven't decided for sure either way.

That's about it for the moment. I hope everyone is ending their summer on a high note.


 

Okay after several weeks of struggling to write the end of Weeping Women Springs, I finally just pushed through yesterday and the third revision (and the most major) is now complete. Sent it off to a beta reader this evening. Whew! I know at the very least, the last chapters will need reworking, but it feels so good to have gotten this far. Since I now have the draft, I can really start tweaking it for the final.


Yesterday was definitely a red letter day. I received my copies of the anthology and it looks pretty good. I've read a couple of the stories and I must say, I'm happy to be in such good company. It's available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Nightmares-James-Dorr/dp/098372041X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313985883&sr=1-1 My story, "The Red Blanket" is on page 109.


Needless to say I'm just a tad jazzed today.


Oh, and the boyfriend is buying me a new computer. It'll be pretty snazzy. :)



Life is good.