Monday. Again?

Monday is my day to schedule my week and compile my "to do" list.For some reason it never seems to get any shorter. And this time of year it's even worse. First priority is to get my project finished for my online ebusiness course, due by the end of the week. It's a website for my web design business. And I've been working on my author website as well.

My crit group meets Thursday and I want to have my first chapter completed for them to review. I had a few logic problems in the first scene. I've figured out a solution so now I have to rewrite that scene. My hero and heroine work together and I want them to have that kind of quick, witty banter you see in the old movies - or in a Susan Mallery or Susan Elizabeth Phillips book. Hard work to be clever on every page. This is the short contemporary I plan to pitch to Desire for their online pitch in March. Don't have all the details so that date might change. But, I have a book to complete in the next three months.

And, the bathroom needs to be cleaned and the Christmas shopping needs to be done. I've picked up a few minor things but I need to go on a power shopping expedition and not come home until it's completed. And if all else fails, gift cards - or books.

I also have a 50th surprise birthday party to attend and a funeral. On the same day. And my nephew's girlfriend is pregnant and due a couple of days ago. So hopefully we'll have another bundle of joy in the family to celebrate. The circle of life.

Committment

NANO was a big fat bust for me this year. And it's really no surprise. I wasn't committed. Oh sure, I wanted to have the 50,000 short contemporary completed by today but I really didn't want to eat, breath and sleep my story. Not when I have a dozen other things that are important and have to get done this month. Like a university course I'm taking that requires assignments and a major term project.

So, why did I half-heartedly decide that I was going to do NANO-lite? Committing to half the words should've been a clue in itself that I wasn't feeling the joy. Why did I feel I had to participate in something that is so opposite of the way I write? I'm a slow and steady kind of girl.

The worse thing is that I got frustrated with myself and just stopped writing all together. What's up with that?

Anyway, that was then. This is now.

Back to the writing every day. Critique meetings start up next week so that should get me back on track.

My HEA is Broken

Harlequin has started a vanity press.

They will be adding the website to the bottom of their rejection letters. Because rejection doesn't hurt enough already.

I didn't write today. Somehow, my romance aimed at one of the Harlequin lines lost it's appeal. I keep imagining what it will feel like to read that letter.

A Little Breather

I wrote a little over 10,000 words on my half-nano story. But, I was starting to meander all over the place yesterday and needed to take a little step back.

I know the external plot points but I haven't "lived" with my characters long enough to know how they'll react to them. Should my hero be sorry he slept with the heroine - his PA and best friend? Does he think it's a mistake? Or does he want to continue the affair? And what about the heroine? She's in love with the hero so does she want whatever she can get from him? Or is it too painful to even be around him any more? Does she resign? or try to make him love her?

What character traits are the most dominant in each of them? Pride? Compassion? Anger? Fear? I need to answer these questions first before I can continue.

How are you doing with Nano?

Lest We Forget...