The Tall One is officially at college. We moved her in Tuesday, and except for one minor bump (they didn't have her name on the list), everything went fairly smoothly. We got her moved in and settled, got her books and just about everything else she needed - snacks to tide her over until today, mostly, because the dorms don't officially open until noon and she's kind of on her own for meals until tonight.
And of course I didn't cry ... you've all been feeling sorry for me and sent sympathies, which I appreciate greatly, but the pity party's over. She's honestly not that far away (only 55 miles, just over an hour if Nashville traffic cooperates), and she's coming home Labor Day weekend anyway because they don't have classes on Monday. We're all good here.
So, we're still gelling on the manuscript, although things are starting to bubble and simmer just a bit. JT and I had a great brainstorming session on Wednesday and then ran the ideas by one of our fellow BMWs at group that night. We've come up with something that might just make the whole thing. Now it's just a matter of logistics.
It's going to be 105 around here today. Having grown up in Indiana, I'm used to school being closed for weather - snow, that is. You've heard me complain before that down here they close school if "the S-word" is in the forecast. Today, we're closed because of the heat. Why they start school at the beginning of August is beyond me - why not wait until after Labor Day like sensible people?
So, I'm going to - once again - have a houseful of teenagers. The Boy is big on "movie night". Today will actually be "movie day" because we have a football game tonight, our first home game, and yes, as of last report they're still playing even though school is closed. You can't see it, but I'm biting my tongue right now.
I've been ensconced in the study, working on a bunch of things while not writing. That's not to say I'm not writing - I do have a stack of books clamoring for my attention that I need to write reviews on. I've told myself I'm not allowed to work on the book again until these other things are done, so if I want to be able to work on the book again this decade I need to get on the stick.
My Wonder Twin gave me a plug today, and as it hadn't occurred to me before now to make this announcement here - for those of you Sisters in Crime members who might be frequent (or even infrequent) visitors to the Lunch Room, please peruse the following and let me know if you're interested:
SISTERS IN CRIME – MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT SOUTHERN FESTIVAL OF BOOKS
When: October 12-14, 2007
Where: Legislative Plaza, Nashville, TN
Details: Sisters in Crime – Middle Tennessee will host a booth at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, Tennessee, October 12-14, 2007. In addition to promoting Sisters in Crime, the booth will be utilized as a signing venue for up to 20 SinC authors, with one-hour time slots assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Travel expenses are the responsibility of the author. Book sales will be handled through the Middle Tennessee chapter on a consignment basis (details available upon request).
The Southern Festival of Books is a free, three-day book festival held in alternating years between Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee and is attended by thousands of book lovers from all over the country each year. For more information on the Festival, visit the Festival website.
Contact SinC-MidTN chapter president J.B. Thompson (that's me) to request a signing time slot assignment and for additional information regarding book sale arrangements. SinC authors who are unable to appear in person are invited to send bookmarks, postcards, or other promotional materials for distribution to Festival attendees (limit 100 pieces, please).
=) JB
P.S. - Read a book!
8.24.2007
8.19.2007
Done Again
Thursday night I sent the "finished" manuscript to JT and the WMVR.
Is this a burden lifted? Almost. Knowing that I've edited the story enough that it's in a fairly readable state is a step in the right direction. I think there are probably still holes to fill ... things I didn't catch as I was reading through it, changes I made that might not have carried through from beginning to end. We'll see. I have an initial reaction from the WMVR. After the first chapter, she called me and told me I was a sick puppy. I took that as a compliment. ;)
I'm glad I have these two. I value their opinions so much, mostly because I know they want me to succeed. They're not the only ones, of course, but they're the two who have their fingers on my pulse, so to speak. They're the ones who will be absolutely frank about whether what I've written works, and because they're judging it from two different perspectives - one from the market and one from the target audience - they're the ones I have to "sell" it to first. They're also the ones who know me best, know how I work, encourage me along the way when I get down on myself and lose my enthusiasm, the ones who kick me in the tail and motivate me to keep plugging away, keep working, keep writing when it's the last thing I want to do. So thank you, ladies, for ... well, everything.
I told them to take their time with it, mainly because I have a laundry list of things that need my attention, most of which I have been putting off until I got the manuscript finished. Do you other writers do that? Do you not do anything else until you complete that manuscript? I was talking the other day about being able to multitask, and I'm not recanting what I said, but when I'm working on a book and get so close to the end point, I have a tendency to let everything else slide for a while until it's finished. Well, now it's finished, and I have to start working my way down the list again. The good news is that over the past couple of days I actually have marked off a few things. Yay, me.
Now that we're in that holding pattern, though, I find myself sort of pacing the virtual waiting room. There's a lot of emotion going on here - nervous anticipation, insecurity, anxiety ... and fear. Fear of failure - or fear of success. I have finally admitted to having a bit of both. Will they love it or will they think it sucks? Either way, I know they'll be honest with me, but it's the not knowing, the waiting, and then ... the next step. Whatever it is I have to do after they send it back to me, whether it's edit more or get ready to submit, the whole process of pacing is my chance to get my act together so that whatever that next step is, I'll be ready for it.
Two Days. One of the things I have to do while I wait is get emotionally prepared for sending The Tall One off to college. She's excited and ready to go. And I'm pretty sure I'm ready to let her. I'm a little worried about her father, though - he's been on vacation the last week and hasn't been involved in the "final preparations". When he gets home this morning it will be to find that she's cleaned her room and packed already. It might freak him out a little, even though I did warn him that it was done. Then he gets two days with her - on one of which he has to work - and then she's off. I know you're thinking I'm being a little dramatic here. But she's Daddy's Girl, always has been, and I know it's going to be hard on him. So I'd just ask that you all send some good vibes his way, some virtual pats on the back and a couple of "it's going to be all right"'s, and I'll share them with him. For those of you who have already sent me notes of encouragement, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Enjoy your Sunday. Read a book. Hug somebody you love. It's all good for you.
=) JB
Is this a burden lifted? Almost. Knowing that I've edited the story enough that it's in a fairly readable state is a step in the right direction. I think there are probably still holes to fill ... things I didn't catch as I was reading through it, changes I made that might not have carried through from beginning to end. We'll see. I have an initial reaction from the WMVR. After the first chapter, she called me and told me I was a sick puppy. I took that as a compliment. ;)
I'm glad I have these two. I value their opinions so much, mostly because I know they want me to succeed. They're not the only ones, of course, but they're the two who have their fingers on my pulse, so to speak. They're the ones who will be absolutely frank about whether what I've written works, and because they're judging it from two different perspectives - one from the market and one from the target audience - they're the ones I have to "sell" it to first. They're also the ones who know me best, know how I work, encourage me along the way when I get down on myself and lose my enthusiasm, the ones who kick me in the tail and motivate me to keep plugging away, keep working, keep writing when it's the last thing I want to do. So thank you, ladies, for ... well, everything.
I told them to take their time with it, mainly because I have a laundry list of things that need my attention, most of which I have been putting off until I got the manuscript finished. Do you other writers do that? Do you not do anything else until you complete that manuscript? I was talking the other day about being able to multitask, and I'm not recanting what I said, but when I'm working on a book and get so close to the end point, I have a tendency to let everything else slide for a while until it's finished. Well, now it's finished, and I have to start working my way down the list again. The good news is that over the past couple of days I actually have marked off a few things. Yay, me.
Now that we're in that holding pattern, though, I find myself sort of pacing the virtual waiting room. There's a lot of emotion going on here - nervous anticipation, insecurity, anxiety ... and fear. Fear of failure - or fear of success. I have finally admitted to having a bit of both. Will they love it or will they think it sucks? Either way, I know they'll be honest with me, but it's the not knowing, the waiting, and then ... the next step. Whatever it is I have to do after they send it back to me, whether it's edit more or get ready to submit, the whole process of pacing is my chance to get my act together so that whatever that next step is, I'll be ready for it.
Two Days. One of the things I have to do while I wait is get emotionally prepared for sending The Tall One off to college. She's excited and ready to go. And I'm pretty sure I'm ready to let her. I'm a little worried about her father, though - he's been on vacation the last week and hasn't been involved in the "final preparations". When he gets home this morning it will be to find that she's cleaned her room and packed already. It might freak him out a little, even though I did warn him that it was done. Then he gets two days with her - on one of which he has to work - and then she's off. I know you're thinking I'm being a little dramatic here. But she's Daddy's Girl, always has been, and I know it's going to be hard on him. So I'd just ask that you all send some good vibes his way, some virtual pats on the back and a couple of "it's going to be all right"'s, and I'll share them with him. For those of you who have already sent me notes of encouragement, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Enjoy your Sunday. Read a book. Hug somebody you love. It's all good for you.
=) JB
8.14.2007
Coming Up for Air
Here I am again - kicking up to the surface of this ocean of books in which I've immersed myself, both the one I'm writing and the ones I'm reading and editing - and battling some kind of bug. Nothing major, just that sort of icky, achy, all I want to do is sleep kind of thing. Rest and fluids and I'll be good as new in no time, right?
Do you ever feel like your life is just a series of events that you spend days and weeks preparing for, and then once one event is here and done, you move on to the next one? I have a bazillion things to do, and all of them have deadlines, but I can only focus on one at a time. We're down to just a week left before The Tall One goes off to college. It's like this major milestone we're facing, but beyond that I'm picturing myself saying things like, "Now that she's gone, I have to do this ... and once that's done, I have to do that ..."
It's not that I can't multitask. In my old job, I was an expert at multitasking. But I did learn to focus on projects so that they were completed on time, regardless of how much I had to do, even if it meant working on several all at the same time but not all at once. Wait, what? That didn't sound right, did it? What I mean is that I can work on something for a day or two, then work on something else, then come back to the first thing, so that a little gets done on a lot of things over a period of time until everything's done. It's like chipping away at two or three huge blocks of marble, working on one for a while, then the next and the next, then coming back to the first, and so on, until you reach the end of your day or week or whatever and you have two or three beautiful sculptures standing in front of you.
To some that might be a little crazy, quite possibly disturbing and unhealthy, but that's how I roll, capice? I work best under pressure, and when I have a lot to do. Especially now that my thyroid levels are evening out and I actually give a darn again.
I'm putting the finishing touches on this manuscript. JT is off in cooler climes on a short vacation, and when she gets back she's expecting to have a book to read, so I'm working feverishly toward that moment. I'm at the point now where I'm well and truly buried in it so far that I can't decide whether I'm ecstatic about it or completely sick of it. She's very encouraging, my Wonder Twin, and is confident she's going to love it and it will be brilliant. The WMVR gets it at the same time as JT, so I have two perspectives on it, and she's excited about it, too, knowing it will be good. Me? I have insecurity issues. Sigh.
Before I dive back into my little pool of paper, I'll share these various and sundry tidbits with you. Enjoy. And read a book - it's good for you!
=) JB
Quotable Quotes:
Beauty isn't worth thinking about; what's important is your mind. You don't want a fifty-dollar haircut on a fifty-cent head.
-- Garrison Keillor (1942- ) US radio show host and writer
A remarkable thing about Shakespeare is that he is really very good in spite of all the people who say he is very good.
-- Robert Graves (1895-1985) English writer
A story to me means a plot where there is some surprise. Because that is how life is - full of surprises.
-- Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991) Polish writer
Today's Word: disquisition \dis-kwuh-ZISH-uhn\ (noun) - A formal discourse on a subject. Example: The new book club member was partial to eye-glazing disquisitions on 'new wave' authors from the 1960's.
Do you ever feel like your life is just a series of events that you spend days and weeks preparing for, and then once one event is here and done, you move on to the next one? I have a bazillion things to do, and all of them have deadlines, but I can only focus on one at a time. We're down to just a week left before The Tall One goes off to college. It's like this major milestone we're facing, but beyond that I'm picturing myself saying things like, "Now that she's gone, I have to do this ... and once that's done, I have to do that ..."
It's not that I can't multitask. In my old job, I was an expert at multitasking. But I did learn to focus on projects so that they were completed on time, regardless of how much I had to do, even if it meant working on several all at the same time but not all at once. Wait, what? That didn't sound right, did it? What I mean is that I can work on something for a day or two, then work on something else, then come back to the first thing, so that a little gets done on a lot of things over a period of time until everything's done. It's like chipping away at two or three huge blocks of marble, working on one for a while, then the next and the next, then coming back to the first, and so on, until you reach the end of your day or week or whatever and you have two or three beautiful sculptures standing in front of you.
To some that might be a little crazy, quite possibly disturbing and unhealthy, but that's how I roll, capice? I work best under pressure, and when I have a lot to do. Especially now that my thyroid levels are evening out and I actually give a darn again.
I'm putting the finishing touches on this manuscript. JT is off in cooler climes on a short vacation, and when she gets back she's expecting to have a book to read, so I'm working feverishly toward that moment. I'm at the point now where I'm well and truly buried in it so far that I can't decide whether I'm ecstatic about it or completely sick of it. She's very encouraging, my Wonder Twin, and is confident she's going to love it and it will be brilliant. The WMVR gets it at the same time as JT, so I have two perspectives on it, and she's excited about it, too, knowing it will be good. Me? I have insecurity issues. Sigh.
Before I dive back into my little pool of paper, I'll share these various and sundry tidbits with you. Enjoy. And read a book - it's good for you!
=) JB
Quotable Quotes:
Beauty isn't worth thinking about; what's important is your mind. You don't want a fifty-dollar haircut on a fifty-cent head.
-- Garrison Keillor (1942- ) US radio show host and writer
A remarkable thing about Shakespeare is that he is really very good in spite of all the people who say he is very good.
-- Robert Graves (1895-1985) English writer
A story to me means a plot where there is some surprise. Because that is how life is - full of surprises.
-- Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991) Polish writer
Today's Word: disquisition \dis-kwuh-ZISH-uhn\ (noun) - A formal discourse on a subject. Example: The new book club member was partial to eye-glazing disquisitions on 'new wave' authors from the 1960's.
8.07.2007
Back to School
If you can give your child only one gift, let it be enthusiasm.
-- Bruce Barton (1886-1967) US congressman, ad man
(invented "Betty Crocker")
On the one hand, I've been looking forward to it. The kids going back to school means I have my mornings back - peace and quiet and nothing to do but read, write, and maybe a few loads of laundry. A few hours of blissful solitude where I can concentrate without the distractions of "Mom! I need ..." every five minutes.
You see the down side to this, don't you? The kids going back to school also means they're growing up, probably a whole lot faster than I can grasp. The Tall One will be starting college in less than three weeks. The Boy is driving - Little Bit piled into the car with him this morning without a second thought. It's a little unnerving when I stop and really think about it. It'll take a few days to get used to. After a while, I'll probably even miss the "Mom! I need ..." and maybe even feel a little bit lonely.
Not that I don't have six thousand other things to keep my mind occupied.
I'm at that point now - this being the beginning of August - when my to-do list is reaching the critically full stage. So, having my mornings free to get my act together is probably the best thing I could ask for right now.
I still can't help but think about what it's costing me. I will not, however, allow myself to wallow in misery. I have too much to do to let that happen.
It would be nice, though, and maybe not too much to ask? If you guys could just check on me every once in a while, make sure I haven't fallen into my little pit without making sure I have the rope ladder handy.
Thanks.
Oh, and read a book. It's good for you.
=) JB
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