Looking at today a little differently ...

Those who can laugh without cause have either found the true meaning of happiness or have gone stark raving mad.
-- Norm Papernick

I always like to attribute the quotes I find to the person who said them by giving a little information about who that person is. I had to do a little digging to find out that Norm Papernick is a genius (literally), a software engineer at the Robotics Institute, part of Carnegie Mellon University. This guy has written (as in, invented) computer languages. And, his personal webpage has the lyrics to "They're Coming to Take Me Away" on it. I like the way dude thinks.

Spook Day. Yes, it's Halloween. Yes, there will be trick-or-treaters at my house tonight. No one believes me when I say this, but we'll probably have anywhere from 200 to 300 of the little buggers ring our bell (if it doesn't rain, which is predicted). Our subdivision is a pretty popular place to beg for candy in our little town. It's a "safe" neighborhood, because there's only one entrance. One way in, the same way out - no back streets or cut-offs or throughways. You come in off the main road, you leave on the main road. We moved into this house three years ago, right before Halloween, and quickly discovered that we were ill-prepared for the onslaught of ghouls, ghosts and fairies that we were subjected to. It was later that night that one of the long-time locals told us, "You can't afford to live there if you can't afford the Halloween candy."

Lesson learned. Since the WGH works for a GROCERY store, we stockpile every year now.

But I'm looking at today a little differently. It's Tuesday, which means I have to work, and it's Halloween, which means I need to get my work finished in time for trick-or-treat, but it's also the day before ... November 1st.

November 1st has become an important day in my life. The day NaNoWriMo begins. I bought a new dry-erase calendar/memo board so I could keep track of the things I have to do - deadlines and such - and I put it up next to my desk Sunday night. It already has four things written on it that I have to do that involve writing in some shape, form or fashion. Make that five. And tomorrow I start writing - fresh, new things, polish and edits (which technically isn't what NaNo is about, but I'm invoking the Zokutou Clause).

But tomorrow is also the day we have to have some of The Tall One's college applications in. The beginning of the next chapter of her life - and ours. And it's still seven months until graduation, which I refuse to think about right now.

So, enjoy your day today, and tomorrow, think of me - holed up in the study in my standard writing attire, pecking away furiously and consuming large quantities of caffeine, all the while thinking, "Am I insane, or have I found the true meaning of happiness?"

In the meantime, check out my buddy PC's list of happy little things. And read a book!

=) JB

Moments of Clarity

Any place that anyone can learn something useful from someone with experience is an educational institution.
-- Al Capp, US cartoonist (1909-1979)

That, in brilliantly simplified terms, is why writers read. Why we must read. To learn from those who have gone before. The lessons aren't always, "Here's what you should do." Sometimes, sadly, they are, "Here's what you shouldn't do."

In the past couple of weeks I've read a sample of both. While I struggled for two weeks to get through one book, it took me a mere two days to devour the next one. And what I learned (again) was that I need to write the kind of book that I enjoy reading. That's one of those "duh" statements that most of my writer friends will roll their eyes at me for. The author of the book I struggled with didn't have me in mind while he was writing, of course. It's geared toward a specific audience, a demographic of which I am not a part, i.e. males, sailors and spies. (Hmmm ... now, there's a question - do spies read spy thrillers like they're how-to books?)

I write romantic suspense. Pure and simple, if there is such a thing. No bodice ripping hot sex or anything, but yeah, there's some man-meets-woman stuff going on. And I'm dropping a few dead bodies along the way, which makes life a little more interesting for said man and woman.

In the current WIP, I've been fighting with focal points and whether to reveal certain secrets earlier rather than later. The book has a fairly large cast of characters, and defining two of them as my "focus" characters helped gel the story a bit. Once JT came up with the new (and bloody brilliant) title, the whole thing took on a completely new identity. It's that identity that is shaping how I'm looking at one of my focal characters, and deciding whether to reveal his "secret" from the beginning and not make it a secret at all.

In the book I just finished reading, the two main characters (it was a romance) were both writers - one a novelist and one a journalist. The journalist was struggling with the opening of an article he was writing, and the novelist told him that when she had that problem, she knew it was her story telling her she was starting in the wrong place - much like JT's notion that "writer's block" is our story's way of telling us there's something wrong. When the journalist approached his story from a different angle and started it in a different place, it flowed like water from a broken dam and he was able to write it without further difficulty.

In diving back into this rewrite, I'm going to take the advice of this fictional novelist - more appropriately, albeit vicariously, from the author herself (who is now one of my new favorites) - together with JT's added insight, and approach this character and his story from a different starting point. Maybe I can find the same spark that the journalist did and get excited about this book again.

So, as Bizet's Farandole reverberates through the study, I am going to focus on a guy named Vitrelli, whom very few of you have met but hopefully most of you will someday. In the meantime, there are lots of other books out there, just waiting to be read.

=) JB

Early-Thirty at the DMV

It's official - I feel old.

The Boy and I got up at the crack of dawn and spent a lovely rainy morning at the Driver Testing Center, and he now has his learner's permit. Oy. I've already told the WGH that he will be the one teaching The Boy to drive. I just can't handle it.

That'll hold up for ... oh, maybe a day. We'll see.

The whole process actually went very smoothly, in spite of there being 15 people in line at 7:30 this morning when the place opened a half hour earlier, and my son, being ... well, my son, passed the "knowledge test" with flying colors - in fact, he didn't miss a single question. Since you're allowed to miss 6 and still pass, the machine shuts down if you get the first 24 right. The nice ladies at the DMV were quite impressed with The Boy. And, his father is happy because we finally got The Boy's hair cut last night and it's actually out of his eyes. (He looked something or other like a sheepdog previously - he has my hair gene, which is thick and curly, and he likes it long. It's been an ongoing argument for about four months. His father finally told him he would not get his permit until he could see to drive.)

So with that under my belt, I am diving back into my secret identity as a writer. Made some progress yesterday on a plot hole I've been struggling with, so I'm pleased. It's still a work in process ... er, progress.

Read a book. I started a new one last night (finally) and it's terrific so far. This is J.B., doing the happy dance, until tomorrow.

=)

One off the list ...

I made myself stay out of the study this morning until I finished the latest RTE book I was reading - no email, no blog, no nothing until it was done. Now it's done, I'm caught up on email, and here I am.

Now I just have to write the review.

And move on to the next thing on the list.

Today the plan is to make some serious progress on the WIP. We're at another crucial point, and the temptation is to step away from it and regroup, but I'm making myself dive in and get a handle on things. There's much to do, and little time to do it.

It's hard to put aside the distractions when you have a lot going on in your little world. Writers are people just like everyone else, and we have lives outside of our books, despite what the general public thinks. But for short stretches of time, all that matters is getting those words on the page to come alive, meld together and make a story that will knock a reader's socks off.

That's what's #1 on my to-do list at the moment.

Read a book. Big Brother Brett has one he recommends (a sentiment which I wholeheartedly second).

=) JB

Bright and Early

The twisted circumstances under which we live is grist for the writing mill, the loving, hating and discovering, finding new handles for old pitchers ...
-- Alice Childress, US writer (1920-1994)

The time change is coming up this weekend. Right now when McCartney and I get up to roust the kids, the sun is just starting to come up. Sunday morning it will be good and light by the time we get up. My worry is that McCartney will wake up at 5:30 instead of 6:30 - he's not going to know he's supposed to sleep an extra hour. When the sun comes up, McCartney gets up. Oy.

I'm a morning person, and I enjoy getting up when the house is quiet and I have a little time to myself. I get more accomplished if I get an early start. Which is what I'm trying to do today. I have a few more chapters to finish in the book I'm reading to review, plus the WIP to dive back into. JT, the WMVR and I have been hashing out the fate of one of the characters - whether to reveal his "secret" earlier in the book or save it for the "big reveal" at the end. There's a fine line in my mind between surprising and tricking the reader. I don't like to trick my readers, I like to surprise them. It's only fair.

The other day I joined an online "magazine" that publishes articles, reviews, editorials, informational pieces, instructional videos, and all kinds of other media things. You might have noticed over to the right a new section called "published articles" - that's where you can read what I've written and published, and the list should grow in the future.

In the meantime, I'm still working on the book, still looking for an agent, and still doing interviews as well as book and movie reviews. Among the fun and busy-ness of being a Mom. Ahhh, life is good.

Read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB

The Critic's Corner #3

As promised, The Critic's Corner is back. This is one we borrowed on DVD recently.

Sky High
Walt Disney Pictures, 2005
PG
100 minutes
available on DVD

Michael Angarano, Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston

Young Will Stronghold (Angarano), son of legendary heroes The Commander (Russell) and Jetstream (Preston), carries lofty expectations as he enters Sky High, a secret high-tech high school in the clouds where the students have super-human powers, arrive at school on a flying bus, and are divided into Heroes and Sidekicks. Unfortunately, Will’s own superpowers have yet to make themselves known, and he finds himself relegated to being a mere Sidekick, something his ultra-Hero father has a hard time accepting.

Trying to find a balance between being a normal teenager and an extraordinary being, Will must somehow survive his freshman year while dealing with an overbearing gym coach, a bully with super speed and a rebel with a grudge – and the ability to shoot fire from his hands. And of course, there’s the usual angst, parental expectations and girl problems that accompany teenage life. When an evil villain threatens his family, friends and the very sanctity of Sky High, Will must use his newfound superpowers to save the day and prove himself a Hero worthy of the family tradition.

Sky High is one of those special effects bonanzas that lives up to the expectations associated with the family films of Disney. There’s something for everyone – teenage romance, dramatic fight sequences and the classic coming of age backdrop as our young hero discovers his true strengths.

Being classified a Sidekick doesn’t start Will’s high school career quite as he anticipated, but the friends he makes in the “Hero Support” class turn out to have powers that, of course, become quite useful in the film’s final scenes, the ultimate confrontation between good and evil. Will learns that it takes loyalty and teamwork to truly become a hero, and his Sidekick friends learn that it doesn’t take super strength or heat vision to overcome a villain.

Disney Channel regular and current Shark (James Woods, CBS Fridays) costar Danielle Panabaker is Will’s loyal, label-eschewing best friend Layla, who can make plants grow telepathically. At “Power Placement” on the first day of school, Layla refuses to demonstrate her heroic ability and is unceremoniously dumped into the Sidekick class. Panabaker’s sweet, smart-girl charm is appealing, and a nice balance for Angarano’s goofy albeit puppy-dog cute character.

For Russell and Preston, the film is a nice change of pace – low-key and cheesey, and chock full of the family value “life lessons” so prevalent in most Disney flicks. The story is your typical hero-versus-villain fare, but with its clever gadgetry, special effects and quirky alternative superpowers possessed by its characters, Sky High is cute enough for the rental and worth spending a couple of hours with the kids and a bowl of popcorn.

=) JB

Weather Window

Beneath the crisp and wintry carpet hid
A million buds but stay their blossoming
And trustful birds have built their nests amid
The shuddering boughs, and only wait to sing
Till one soft shower from the south shall bid
And hither tempt the pilgrim steps of Spring.
-- Robert Bridges, English writer (1844-1930)

Yes, the poem is about winter. But it's so stinkin' cold this morning that it feels like winter is a lot closer than the calendar would indicate. Perfect weather for staying inside and getting some work done, although I will be looking out the weather window every so often just to enjoy the colors I'm seeing - in my back yard alone there are more shades of yellow and orange than I can find synonyms for. I've said before that autumn is probably my favorite season.

Butt in Chair. Words of wisdom from one of my buddies over at the Writing Playground - Angel has come up with a fabulous new tool to help writers stay in their seats and work.

I have a lot of goals for this week. At the moment, there is nothing written for this week on my daytimer until Saturday, when I'll be spending some time with a couple of old friends I haven't seen in a while. Good quality girl time, enjoying the positively gorgeous fall weather and colors. (Here's another look at the Brown County leaf cam. You can just see that splash of orange and red starting in the middle of the flood of green. Beautiful.)

Countdown to Deadline. 8 days. 9 if I count today. The To-Do List includes getting a couple of reviews written and making some serious progress toward completing the WIP. I'm hoping that with the absence of ink on my calendar this week I'll be able to get something accomplished. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, I'm putting Angel's suggestion to use.

Read a book. It's good for you. Trust me, wouldja?

=) JB

Insight

"When you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, something inside always reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about."
-- Albert Einstein

"I think that somehow, we learn who we really are and then live with that decision."
-- Eleanor Roosevelt

I like to do the Universal Crossword from ArcaMax every morning. It stimulates my brain, especially when the clues are play-on-words. (I'm a sucker for good word play. That's why I love Shakespeare so much.) This morning, 33-Across was a three-letter word for "It may be called on account of rain". The answer? C-A-B. It made me smile. Some of them make me groan, others I appreciate because they're just so darn clever.

Today is the WGH's birthday, and next month we will have known each other for 21 years. That's exactly half his life, but I'm sure he won't think of it that way. Do men think in those terms? It's been said that women are usually more insightful as far as emotional or sentimental things. It's just that we think about it, whereas all men want to do is make sure they remember their wives' birthdays and their anniversaries so as not to incur the wrath of their beloved. I'm one of those lucky women whose husband remembers all the "important stuff". He used to send me flowers at work for no reason. From the comic sense, it could be argued that he did that to make sure he didn't miss anything. But he always remembers the anniversary and birthday. One year he had to be out of town on our anniversary and he still managed to send me roses at the office that day. Let's pause for a moment for the collective, "Awwwww."

Yesterday I was talking about getting lost in the midst of writing. Sometimes I find myself doing that in other areas of my life. Have you ever been so wrapped up in something that you suddenly "wake up" and realize you're doing it without thinking about it? Every so often I have those little moments of insight. This morning I was making turtle brownies for our church's drama ministry coffeehouse tonight, and at one point I looked down and I was drying the mixing bowl, and for an instant it didn't feel like it was me doing it. It's a really weird feeling, and I've had it before. It's like the normalcy of doing things like that just pulls me out of myself so that it doesn't seem real. Is this a writer's curse? We get so involved in our characters' lives and the story they're embroiled in, whether it's a mystery or a romance or some life-or-death thriller situation, and because a writer's mind works 24/7, we forget we're real people with real lives, who have to do mundane, simple things like bake brownies and wash dishes.

Okay, maybe I'm the only one who's had this experience or even thinks this way. I talk to myself, too, which causes people around me to look at me with concern. But sometimes I'm playing out a scene that I'm having trouble getting my head around enough to get it on paper, and talking things out - yes, even carrying on full-blown conversations with myself - helps me pull it together.

You can call it batty. I call it creative. My daughter calls it evil genius.

Whatever works.

Countdown to deadline. 11 days. This afternoon I'm going to work hard on the WIP. We still have issues, but it's coming along.

Music of the Moment: The Sea and Sinbad's Ship, Nicolai Rimsky Korsakov, from Scheherazade, Symphonic Suite op. 35

Oooh, dark and scary. Perfect for writing about murder.

Book of the Week: Dark Pacific by David E. Meadows. I'm reserving judgment until I finish it - review will be posted to RTE in the near future.

If you're looking for something to read, check out some of the great titles in the Reading Room to the right. I have to go take brownies to church now.

Enjoy the day!

=) JB

Getting Lost

"The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory."
-- Paul Fix, American actor (1901-1983)

The WMVR once told me she wanted to take a walk through my brain, but she refused to go in there without a guide. The WGH says I am a walking encyclopedia, especially when it comes to anything to do with books or movies.

Guilty as charged. Can I help it if I have a mental Rolodex?

I'm not retaining as much these days as I used to, though. This does not bode well for someone who's supposed to read books and review them. Or, for that matter, for someone who's supposed to be writing a book. I know my story, but I still have to go back and fact-check every so often. Did I mention a few chapters back that this character wore glasses? That kind of stuff. It's the little things I tend to lose.

Which is why the character profiles I did in the spring seemed to really help me get to know these people. Sadly, I probably know more about them than I do about my real-life friends and family (and for that, loved ones, I apologize).

Sometimes getting lost is a good thing - as a writer you have to be in your story so that you can pull your reader in with you. If you're not there, they won't be there, either - that's logical, isn't it? Other times I get lost and when I come back to Earth, hours have passed. That can be a good thing, too, as long as those hours were productive. You know, thousands of words' worth.

I've decided I'm going to dive into NaNoWriMo again this year. Haven't quite decided how I'm going to manage it, but I have faith it'll all work out. The way I see it, I have until October 31st at midnight to get the WIP in some semblance of marketable shape. That's 12 days. It's doable, especially since volleyball is over and I'll be back to my regular schedule for at least the next four weeks. Then, I have the entire month of November to add another 40,000 words to the NaNo novel I wrote last November (invoking the Zokutou Clause). When I did this last year I felt like I accomplished something, and I had the support and encouragement of my family. I need to get into that happy place again, only this time we're going to come out on the other side with something I can send out to agents. November is going to be my month!

At least, that's my goal. I know I'll have support, and I'm going to rely on those people (you know who you are) to keep up the encouragement and the virtual seat-kicking until I get something done. I didn't give up my gainful employment to sit on my keister and peck aimlessly away at this computer. I am a writer!

Starting tomorrow afternoon. Over the next couple of days I need to wear a few of my other hats - church member/ministry supporter, basketball booster/parent, wife (the WGH's birthday is tomorrow), band booster/parent ... again, as always, real life intervenes. Then I'll get back to being a writer/reviewer. I have a stack of six waiting for my critique and opinion, including the new Elizabeth George, which I am tres excited about getting to read.

Off to the races ...

Read a book. It's good for you!

=) JB

Pizza Sauce and Cold Coffee

On the way home from the tournament last night we decided pizza was in order. I'll readily admit I have a weakness for pizza, and invariably eat too much of it. Of course, in my humble but accurate opinion (a quote stolen from our pastor), pizza is arguably the world's most perfect food. I mean, really, it has something from all four food groups - crust (bread/carbs), pepperoni (meats/proteins), cheese (dairy), and sauce (fruits/vegetables). Hello? What could be more perfect than that? Yeah, I know - I forgot to mention it's loaded with calories and fat. The way I look at it, no food that offers a food-group balance and makes you feel better at the same time (ever hear of "comfort food"?) could possibly be bad for you.

As you've probably noticed, I've been playing with the blog template a little bit - I kinda like the new look. Clean and classy. In the midst of transferring all the HTML code over so that all those links I had on the old template would appear on the new one, my coffee has grown stone cold. I normally only drink one cup of coffee in the mornings, because I have this really great (as in GREAT BIG) mug that JT gave to all the BMWs for Christmas last year. This morning that one is in the dishwasher so I pulled a different mug out of the cabinet, this one a lovely plug for my SinC-sister Sallie Bissell and her Mary Crow series (terrific books, by the way). But it's small, so I'm actually on my second cup. It's still half full, but it's cold, so I'm thinking microwave warm-up and I'm good to go.

Send some good healing vibes JT's way this morning, if you will. She has a nasty cold and is (I hope) all tucked up and getting some much needed rest. I'll be doing BMWs tonight without my twin sister, it seems. Feel better, Sis!

Music of the Moment: How's this for a switch? Rush, The Spirit of Radio (I forgot to hit the function button after The Big Show signed off).

Begin the day
With a friendly voice
A companion, unobtrusive
Plays that song that's so elusive
And the magic music makes your morning mood

The thing I love most about Rush is that all the lyrics to their songs are grammatically correct. This I learned from the WGH. Geddy Lee was an English teacher. Writers of novels share muses with songwriters sometimes.

We're going to hit the button and soar off into The Planets now, and I'm off to tackle the day. After I warm up my coffee.

Read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB

One and Done

Well, the bad news is, we're done with volleyball. The good news is, we're done with volleyball. Actually, the good news is that The Tall One was honored with selection to the All-Region team, she played well even though her team didn't, and, better than that, our first basketball game is in four weeks.

I'm anticipating a return to normal. For at least the next four weeks. We'll see how it goes.

I have been working on the WIP:

83,253 / 90,000 (92.5%)

I also wrote a 3,600-word short that has been getting some fairly positive responses from my critique partners. At JT's urging I'm taking it to BMWs tomorrow night to see what they think of it. She wants me to submit it, thinks it's a "payable market" story. Talk about inflating my ego. I used to say I couldn't write anything less than 90,000 words. Hmm. Maybe I was wrong about that ...

More tomorrow morning, when I'm alone in the house, have had my coffee, done the crossword puzzle and can think straight.

Read a book (something I should be doing, as I'm still woefully behind).

=) JB

Looking for Brain Cells

I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow.
-- Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of US (1856 - 1924)

They're around here somewhere. Probably in the pile of papers scattered about my study floor.

I didn't get any cleaning done this weekend, except for a little laundry (ah, the comforts of Mundania). I did manage to get a little writing done. And some reading. Most importantly, I got the third of my three Spinetingler interviews put together and sent off to my lovely subject. More on that later.

Today is one of those rare days that I get pleasantly surprised with every so often - there is nothing written in today's little square in my daytimer. It is, however, National Boss's Day. So, if you have a boss, go tell that person exactly what you think of them. Oops, wait, no ... no, wait! Come back! Let me rephrase that ...

I have a new boss now. She's very nice and understanding - she actually sent me an email the other day that made me tear up a little. In a good way. And being new to me, she doesn't know yet about my secret life. She just knows I have kids who demand my time more than my job does.

I think today I'll enlighten her as I wish her a Happy Boss's Day ...

I'm going to try to find those brain cells now. Maybe I can channel them into something productive.

Read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB

I'm surrounded by geniuses

"Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see."
-- Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (1788 - 1860)

"In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts; they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist & poet (1803 - 1882)

There are days when I'm really glad I've read all my must-read blogs before I post to my own, and other days when I wish I had. I subscribe to Bloglines, which is a very handy way for me to keep track of everyone without having to go through each and every blog each and every day to see what's new - Bloglines does it for you. Some of you know about this already. The trouble with Bloglines is that sometimes the feeds don't come in right away, and I miss posts until the next morning, when I check the list again. When I read brilliance of the caliber I'm about to share with you, I don't always look to see when it was posted, so if you've seen these already, then I apologize. If you haven't, then I hope I've enriched your day a little.

Most of these are completely unrelated to a specific topic, but all of them spoke to me on some level - a resounding hear, hear! to the thoughtfulness that went into these essays. My brain is scattered in a thousand different directions today and I'm having focus issues, so I'm going to let these fine writers speak for me while I try to get my act together:

M.J. Rose, buzzing about ... well, buzzing.

Donna Andrews on down time.

Mary Anna Evans, on an issue I struggle with in my own writing. There is, of course, a much deeper undercurrent that we could get into on the den of iniquity our society has become, but on the surface I'll just say that in my mind, this is not justification, it's reality.

And finally, my twin sister JT Ellison on fawning in fangirldom. I do it all the time, too, JT.

Volleyball. For those of you I haven't spoken to since yesterday, it's because we didn't get home until somewhere around 10:30 last night. The Tall One and her team advanced to the championship round of the district tournament and then lost in four games (the last being a very tight one, 26-24) in the final match. They played well - my child was on fire (please excuse the proud mother moment) - and she made both the season All-District Team and the All-Tournament Team. She would've been the tournament MVP if they'd won (and I'm not just saying that - that came from both her coach and the coach of the team we defeated in the semis). The good news is, placing second still gets us into the Regional tournament, which starts next week.

Which means next week is going to be something similar to this one - only the kids will be back in school and I might actually get something accomplished.

Today I am going to sit on my child with every ounce of strength I can muster and get some college applications filled out. I'm not sure she understands the meaning of the word "deadline". Of course, she's planning to sleep until noon, which gives me time to work on the book. We have a new word meter:

82,857 / 90,000 (92.1%)

It's more spit and polish now, a little revamping of one of the plot lines which will make it stronger, and new chapters to fill in the holes. We're getting there.

The weekend. This is going to be another one of those weekends with little to do but get caught up on all the stuff I've been "meaning to do" for a while. I may not get as ambitious as Donna about cleaning out things, but some of those other things on her list as well as JT's pretty closely match mine - shorts, interviews, reading a few books. As you can see from the Reading Room list, I'm way behind on my New Year's resolution. Still, it's just October, and there are more on the list than I really thought there would be.

Now, if I could just get caught up on everything else. One day at a time, Mama, one day at a time.

Have a great weekend. Read a book. Enjoy the changing season. Which reminds me, I gotta go check the leaf cam.

=) JB

Hamlet, Revisited

What was sleep, after all, but the process by which we dumped our insanity into a dark subconscious pit and came out on the other side ready to eat cereal instead of the neighbor's children?
-- Dexter Morgan (Jeff Lindsay, Darkly Dreaming Dexter)

"Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives."
-- William Dement, in Newsweek, 1959

"To sleep, perchance to dream, ay there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil
Must give us pause - there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life:"
-- Hamlet (The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act 3, Scene I, William Shakespeare)

When I was a kid I had a recurring nightmare. Thinking back, I think it was probably triggered by headlights shining in through my window. We lived on a circle of sorts on one of the USAF bases where my Dad was stationed, and our house was situated so that when cars drove by on the street, their headlights would shine right into my bedroom. Once I saw a pair of those lights float across my wall so slowly I swore I'd seen a ghost. Scared the pee-willies out of me. Hey, I was seven. Gimme a break.

In my nightmare, there was a giant game wheel on my wall, one of those spinning things with lights, and it would spin and the lights would flash and there were bells and whistles and alarms and people screaming. I think it was the screaming that scared me. Or maybe the lights and alarms scared me and it was me who was screaming.

That dream recurred on me for about a week. I was afraid to go to bed at night. I really can't remember how my Mom dealt with it, but I'm sure she probably offered me some kind of logical explanation for the lights on my wall. Maybe that's when I learned about headlights and reflections. Funny how I remember the nightmare but not how I managed to stop having it.

Dreams are intriguing things. Some are good, some bad - some give us definable goals, some can even change the world. (Remember? "I have a dream ...") We always dream in our sleep, did you know that? We just don't always remember the dream. So why is it that I can remember the essence of a nightmare I had when I was seven but not the really great plot twist I thought of as I was going to bed? Maybe it's not our dreams that are the problem, but our subconscious minds and the need to suppress things that would do harm to our psyche. Or what won't work in the grand scheme of things.

Whoa. That's going just a little too deep, isn't it?

When I was writing my very first book (that is, when I really got serious about it), the WMVR and I had a shopping date with some friends from work. When I picked her up, the first thing she said when she got in my car was, "I woke up dreaming about the book!" From her dream, I twisted out a whole new plot element, which lives within that book today.

I've been inspired to write by daydreams before, too. The fourth manuscript's opening scene was based on one.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is, when you have a dream that makes sense to you or has special meaning, regardless of what it is - something out of your sleeping subconscious or a conscious goal that you've set for yourself - if it sticks with you, then there's a reason for that. Hang onto it. Pursue it. Write it down if you have to (trust me, sometimes I have to).

My dream is to find a new publisher. And I'm pursuing that dream. One step at a time.

Read a book. Get lost in a dream, just for a while. It's good for you.

=) JB

I wanna write like that ...

That question of why we do this crops up yet again. Billy is obviously enjoying his book. My goal is to write a book that a reader won't be able to put down. I've been told I can do that. I've also been told I can twist a plot like a pretzel. High accolades, and my head swells just thinking about praise like that.

But it's hard work. It takes time. Perseverance. Perhaps, at times, a little bit of psychotic frenzy (hence my quote from yesterday). I hear tell that one lovely writer I know locks herself in a room for six weeks and does nothing but write until the book is finished. I can lose track of time when I'm writing, but since I don't have the ... we'll call it luxury ... of not having other obligations pressing upon me, like the J-O-B that I actually get paid for, and a house full of people who like me to cook every so often, I've never had the glorious experience (and it most certainly must be glorious) of shutting out the world for extended stretches of time. The longest I think I've ever gone is a day (one of my "weekend" days off, of course). Hours, I can do. Weeks? Oh, if only ...

As we were settling in last night, the WGH was setting his alarm and asked me what time I needed to get up this morning. With a lovely feeling of total freedom I said, "I don't!" Actually, what I said was I'll let McCartney wake me up. Which he did, at six a.m. I'm starting to fudge with him a little - going downstairs and getting him calmed down before trudging back up to bed - because he's waking up before the sun, and I refuse to put him outside in the dark. The good thing about the dog waking up early is that I'm not so tempted to go back to bed and lose half my day. This morning I cheated a little. I've been feeling a bit run down the past couple days, and today seemed a good day to get in a bit of extra rest. Of course, I'm up and going and it's only 8:30. Little Bit just dragged herself upstairs, looked at me through sleepy, half-open eyes and said, "You've got to be a morning person."

Yes, baby, I am. The earlier I get started, the more I get done.

Off to revamp the to-do list yet again ...

Read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB

I missed Monday!

"There's a fine line between genius and insanity."

For some reason, this quote popped into my head this morning, but for the life of me I can't remember where I've heard it. I'm pretty sure it's from a movie, in which case most of you are thinking, so why doesn't she know it? If anyone out there can find the card that has apparently fallen out of my mental Rolodex, I would appreciate getting it back.

Yesterday I hit the ground running. I'm not even sure I saw my computer - if I did, it wasn't for very long.

Today was more of the same. I actually started this post at around 8:00 this morning, when I had a little down time in the work schedule. Once that picked up, I was off and running again. It's now 4:30 in the afternoon and we're just getting in from the first match of the volleyball district tournament. We won (yay), but I'm whipped (no, I didn't play, but it's been a long day, darnit - sue me), so I'm taking the rest of the night off. Just going to kick back, relax and read. Got four RTE books in the mail today - yeah, no problem, just add it to the other 70 books in my TBR pile!

Tomorrow is going to be a mucho productive day. I can feel it.

Read a book (or five). It's good for you!

=) JB

Us 19, Them 17

Generally, when the opposing team returns the opening kickoff for a touchdown, this is not a good way to start a football game. However, after that debacle and the ensuing flag fest that was our first drive, our young men finally got their act together, held their opponents to a field goal and then scored two touchdowns. There were a few tense moments in the fourth quarter when the other team scored another TD, making the score 17-13 with just under seven minutes left.

The Tall One has a buddy at school, a terrific kid we'll call Mr. SHS. They've gone to school together since the first grade. He's the football team's quarterback, co-captain of the basketball team, runs track and plays tennis - in other words, an all-around outstanding athlete. When he's playing, he is something to watch. And, I might add, he's a very nice young man to boot. Last night, Mr. SHS took his team from a not-so-decent field position somewhere around the 10 or 15 yard line and drove them all the way down the field in the last six minutes of the game and then took the ball in himself for the winning touchdown with :16 left on the clock.

Now, 16 seconds doesn't sound like a lot of time, but take it in context. The team we were playing managed to get three plays off in those 16 seconds. Three plays. They could easily have thrown three 30-yard passes and been in the endzone again, and we would have lost. I've seen pro football teams go the full length of the field in less time. It's all about time management.

Obviously, you can tell from the title of this post that we did manage to hold them off and win the game. And it was an exciting 48 minutes of football, not to mention the Sweetheart presentation (pre-game), the crowning of the Homecoming Queen (halftime) and the band's terrific, totally new show (post-game), which all made for one pretty cool family night. When we finally dragged ourselves home at 11:30, we were all pretty much wiped out. And cold. It was already somewhere around 45 degrees by the time the game got started, and my poor child in her strapless dress was a popsicle by halftime (yes, she was smart enough to bring jeans and a longsleeve shirt to change into after the presentations were over).

I love fall. You've probably figured that out by now. The leaves are finally starting to turn, the air is crisp and light, and we're promised abundant sunshine again today. And what am I going to do? Hole myself up in the JBTAuthor Study and write like a madwoman.

You can bet your sweet bippy my windows will be open, though.

Enjoy the day. Do good for you things.

=) JB

Friday Funnies & Other Frivolity

Greetings from Spit-Take Central.

Put down all beverages and step away from the computer before reading this. Don't say I didn't warn you.

The Weather Channel actually used the phrase "abundant sunshine" in today's forecast. High of 69. I love this weather. Just about every window in the house is open. Air the place out, yeah! But it's also kind of cold this morning, so I'm doing the bundle-up thing - sweats, comfy socks, sweater over nightshirt. I could get dressed, but that would mean I'd have to take a shower, which I'm not in the mood for right now. Too much other crap to do.

The shopping trip. Work yesterday was horrific. Abysmal. I told JT I couldn't think of enough appropriate swear words to use, so I just wasn't going to talk about it. And I'm not. But, I finished my shift right about the time The Boy got home from band practice, so we loaded up the car and went in search of shoes. First, we hit Wal-Mart. Now, sometimes Wal-Mart has really cute shoes. And they did last night. Just not in size 11, which is what The Tall One wears. She has little feet for someone her height, but sled-runners compared to the rest of us, right? So it's hard to find shoes for her, especially when said shoes must be black, flat, strappy, comfortable and cute all at the same time. We did find one pair of really cute little princess looking shoes (I hear you laughing, those of you who know my daughter know she is not a princess by any stretch of the imagination), but they were size 10. She says, "I can wear them for an hour." Um, no, kid. You're not going to cram your toes into these little instruments of torture and expect to walk across a football field and then stand there for 20 minutes while everyone else walks across the football field. No. Not happening.

One very helpful young salesperson, a local, thank goodness, told us there was a Shoe Show up around the corner on the main highway. Halle-flippin'-luia. We walked in 10 minutes before they were supposed to close and walked out 10 minutes later with four pair of the cutest little slipper-shoes, three black, one navy, two in size 11 and two in size 9 (Little Bit needed some, too). For 18 bucks. Total. I wish I could do justice to the hilarious imitation of Liberace my son did when we saw the "Buy One Pair, Get One 1/2 Off" signs in the window - "OH!" he gushed, "I just LOVE sales!" He didn't do Liberace on purpose, really. He was kidding around. I just nearly fell over laughing to see my very masculine son doing the dance of joy a la Carson Kressley. Guess you had to be there.

Festivities. Tonight is Homecoming. There's a parade this afternoon (first in the school's 9-year history), so The Tall One gets to ride in a convertible with her escort and The Boy will be marching in the band. Short and sweet (we hope). Then it's off to the game and all the fun there, and before we know it we'll be packing up and heading home again. These little moments go by too fast, especially as we get older - I'm waxing nostalgic again, remembering my child's birth and then picturing her in that dress and those shoes and on the arm of a guy in a suit as she's introduced as the Basketball Sweetheart. They grow up too fast. If you have kids, enjoy them.

Today I'm devoting some time to my other baby - the current WIP. I made myself a promise to not work on it this week until today, and I lived up to that promise. All the other things I had to do, I did, and now it's time to get down to some serious work. I found a perfect quote today:

"Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else."
-- James M. Barrie, Scottish dramatist & novelist (1860 - 1937), author of Peter Pan

[I discovered just then that the font works better when you type it correctly into the HTML code. There doesn't seem to be a font called "times new woman".]

I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing right now. Can you?

Do good for you things today. Enjoy the abundant sunshine if you have it where you are. Watch a parade. Read a book.

=) JB

Don'tcha hate it when that happens?

Last night as I was crawling into bed I had a great idea for today's blog. I made the mistake of not writing it down. And of course, by the time I got up this morning, it was gone.

Last night's BMWs meeting was one of the most constructive and productive for me. My fellow Beemers lavished me with praise on my progress as a writer overall, and specifically on certain aspects of the current WIP. They also helped me work out some of the major issues I've been having with the plot and focus of the book, and I'm psyched up again, knowing it's going to make it that much better. Thanks, ladies. I couldn't do this without you.

We're into Day Four of the work week and I've been able to cross a few things off my to-do list. One of the three Spinetingler profiles is done and emailed off to Sister Sandra, and another is in the works, with the list of questions for the next victim ... er, subject ... sent off this morning. The SinC chapter newsletter is almost finished, just needs a few last-minute touches. (The meeting's Tuesday. I'm a little behind.)

I really wish I could remember what it was I thought of last night. I figure it will hit me eventually - probably at the exact moment I don't have access to either a pen or something to write on, and it will be lost yet again. Sigh. Maybe I should invest in a bottle of ginkgo biloba tablets. Wonder if that's what that lady was taking that she couldn't remember the name of?

Music of the Moment: J.S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5

There are selections from 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 on my two-disc set. So, what happened to No. 1?

Read a book. It's good for you. I'm going to go play writer for a while.

=) JB

You know it's time to quit when ...

I've probably mentioned this before, but I have a part-time job doing medical transcription. Four hours a day, five days a week. I enjoy the work for the most part, but bless their hearts, for all their schooling and training, sometimes doctors can be real idiots. Sorry, Phil - I should rephrase that. Some of them can be real idiots.

I know what the problem is. They have so many other more important things on their minds that dictation gets pushed way down on the priority list. It's a necessary evil, something they just have to do, and most of the time they just want to get through it as quickly as possible. Usually without thinking that there's someone like me - intelligent and capable as I am ;) - listening on the other end, trying to figure out what in the world you meant when you said the patient had previously received "two farts injections" and they didn't help. Well, I should think not.

I've been thinking about this since yesterday and I still don't know what this doctor meant when she dictated that. Yes, it was a woman, but men are just as bad. It's not a gender thing. It's an "I'm in a hurry and I really don't want to be doing this in the first place" thing. I had a doctor tell me once that the patient weighed 64 inches. Umm ... how much does an inch weigh?

Here are a few other notable bloopers I've come across in my 16+ years of experience:

"The patient smoked one pack of cigarettes for 40 years." (Dang, that's what I call making something last as long as possible.)

"The patient's ankle ulcers are reported to be healing at the Wound Care Center." (You mean, he just dropped them off and is going to pick them up when they're ready?)

"The patient's mother may have had heart disease, but she lived until she died very quietly at 93." (I can't even begin to explain all the things that are funny with that one.)

And my absolute all time favorite - it's not really a blooper, it's just hilarious:

"The patient takes a memory pill, the name of which she does not know."

If you recognize any of these statements, it means I have worked for you at some point in my life - but don't worry, I still love you. The WMVR and I used to work in the same office, and we dubbed ourselves the "Department of Image Control". The WMVR's definition of a good transcriptionist? We listen to what the doctor says, and then we type what he meant. I actually had a former production supervisor tell me to "please make them not sound stupid." You know, we try, but sometimes it's hard. Like the "farts injections" yesterday. If anyone (Phil?) has any idea what she meant by that, please let me know. And to put your minds at ease, no, I did not type it that way - I put in a QA marker. Maybe someone else can figure out what she really said.

The illustrious BMWs meet tonight, and I'm expecting it to be a really great session. I have pages (the last two chapters of the WIP - which now has a TITLE, thanks to the brilliant and talented JT Ellison), JT has pages, and a couple of the others might bring in what they've been working on (we hope). Now, if I can just remember how to set the VCR to tape Criminal Minds and CSI:NY I'll be a happy camper.

Music of the Moment: Gustav Holst, The Planets, Op. 32: Mars, the Bringer of War

That piece is in 5/4 time. Talk about challenging - to direct and to play. But man, with all the brass and thundering percussion ... great stuff.

I'm off to conquer day three now ...

Read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB

One Down, Four to Go

If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.
-- Laurence J. Peter, US educator & writer (1919 - 1988)

So last night after the volleyball match (yes, Senior Night was a lovely, blissfully brief affair) - and we did win - we hightailed it out to the other side of town for the college fair. The Tall One came home with a trick-or-treat bag (as her father dubbed it) full of college pamphlets and brochures. We're a step closer. She knows what she wants to do but she doesn't know where she wants to do it.

This was a heck of a setup - to put it in terms my writing buddies might understand, in case they've never been to one of these things (which I hadn't - I pretty much knew where I was going to school from the time I was in 7th grade), I'm thinking mystery fan conference on a much, much smaller scale. Bigger than Birmingham, smaller than Bouchercon. There were something like 80 colleges and universities represented, and they set up tables all in a row, up and down the sides of this long walkway in a shopping mall. Some of the tables were manned by local alumni (like the Dad of one of the gals The Tall One played AAU basketball with this summer); others actually had reps from the Admissions offices. It was kind of fun to watch the reactions of folks as we walked by with a kid 6'4" in tow. She was wearing the really spiffy sweatshirt she received for Senior Night - her name and jersey number (in a big volleyball) with "Volleyball Senior" underneath. Kind of a dead giveaway as to her athletic endeavors. No, don't ask how tall she is. Yes, she plays volleyball. Basketball, too. You'll tell your Athletic Director? Thank you.

No, it didn't go exactly like that. The WGH asked appropriate questions about how we should go about setting up "unofficial" visits and so forth. We collected as much information on the schools she's interested in as possible and tucked it into the bag, to be perused in the very near future. Application deadlines are fast approaching.

The best part of the rather rushed trip was that we covered the whole stretch (stopping along the way on the right side, not worrying about what we missed on the left) and got everything we needed in the 45 minutes we had between the time we got there and the time they started packing everything up. Which means, we don't have to go back tonight. Thank God.

So today I settle in to work on the Spinetingler profiles (see, Sandra, I'm working - really), finish the SinC-MidTN chapter newsletter, and start calling basketball parents about the fall volunteer schedule for concessions and hospitality (oh, yeah, forgot to add that to the list yesterday). Plus I have a couple books to review.

I love my life.

I've heard lots of great stories coming out of this past weekend's Bouchercon, and all our friends have landed safely back home, so it's back to life as usual for us writers. Right, guys? Deadlines, anyone?

Read a book. And enjoy the day. It's good for you.

=) JB

Humble Pie

"Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor."
-- Truman Capote (1924-1984), US writer

JT Ellison is an amazing woman. I sent her the manuscript Saturday night. She had it read and back to me by Sunday afternoon. Overall, she liked it, but there are a few issues that need to be addressed, ones that I couldn't see because I was too close to it. I'm just honored and humbled by her support and encouragement, by the fact that she cares enough about me and my burgeoning career (such as it is) to take the time to help me. We're critique partners. We do that for each other.

I'm stepping away from it for a few days. I'm going to let things gel a bit, then read through the thing with a fresh and critical eye, and work on resolving some of the problems she unearthed that are, of course, very clear to me now. Sometimes you just have to do that.

I have a few other things on my plate this week. Tonight is Senior Night for The Tall One's volleyball team - their last regular season home match. Tomorrow is their last regular season match, period. Tonight and tomorrow there is a college fair at one of the local malls in town and we're planning to zip out there as soon as her matches are over. District tournament is next week, as is Fall Break, that lovely time of year when my schedule goes to heck in a handbasket. Fortunately, my children are at that self-sufficient age where it doesn't require a lot of effort on my part to keep them occupied and/or entertained. That's what books and DVDs are for. Mom will be in the study, guys, and the Red, White & Blue Rule applies. You know what the Red, White & Blue Rule is, don't you? That's the one that says someone better be bleeding, unconscious or not breathing before you bother me. Oh, and then there's the Orange Clause, which provides the exception that you may also bother me if the house is on fire.

I have three profile-interviews to put together for Sister Sandra and Spinetingler Magazine's Winter 2006 issue and will be concentrating on those this week as well.

I also have the October edition of The Crime Scene, our local Sisters in Crime chapter's newsletter, to put together.

And the BMWs meet on Wednesday, so I have to fix up the last two chapters of the book and get those copies printed.

Friday night is Homecoming. The Boy is in the band, of course, and The Tall One will be part of the festivities as the Basketball Sweetheart.

It's gonna be a busy week.

Fall can't decide whether it wants to stick around for October. It was 80 degrees yesterday and is supposed to be the same today. Praise God for the sunshine, but I do wish He'd turn down the heat a little. The mornings are still fairly cool, as it has been getting down into the 50s overnight, but still. We're supposed to be seeing color changes soon, and I'm not sure what we're going to get if the temps don't start coming down again. Last week was great - 60s. Fall weather. Football weather! Let's have some more of that, shall we, please?

Music of the Moment: Symphony No. 5 in D Major, Ralph Vaughan Williams

I love that guy!

Read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB