The End of 2006

So, the car is dead. When Russ came in to tell me this tonight, I laughed. It went right along with that check we were supposed to get today that didn't show up (and now, of course, can't get here before Tuesday). And then there's the storm and snow we're supposed to get tonight. Dead car? Of course it's dead. This is still 2006.

Russ got a ride to the place he had to be to work tonight, and a friend will be by tomorrow to get the car jumpstarted... then off to find a battery for it with what little money we have on hand.

When I told Russ tonight that I thought 2006 was our cursed year, he laughed and said it would be real hard to argue with that one.

I have hopes for 2007. I don't know why, but I do.

I have finished my writing for the year, which came in at a little over one million words. It was a hard fought year as far as writing went, but I have some nice stuff out of it. I have some packages ready to go out, and just about everything is cleared to start 2007. I have an idea for what I want to write on the first, and I'm going to 'fly without a net' with it, which I haven't let myself do for a while. No outline or anything -- just talking with Russ about the story and seeing where it goes when I get there.

I have a bit of work to do at FM still, but mostly I'm done with everything. So, for the next 22.5 hours I'm free of writing. It's probably about the longest I'm ever likely to go. (grin)

It's nice when you love something that much, even on the years when it does not go as well as you like.

And now I'm off to bed for a few hours. And hoping that the last day of 2006 doesn't bring yet another disaster. 

So, it's still 2006, right?

My left knee hurts. A lot. I'm not sure what I did to it, but it started giving me problems yesterday and it's worse today. I'm doing my best to ignore it and just play with pictures and stuff.

My art-related site (zettesworld.com) is down. I can't upload my regular journal.

I am only about 450 words short of reaching one million for the year, so that's good. I'll probably have it before I go to bed. I'm also down to the last three chapters to outline for Mirrors 2, which is also good. Besides finishing it, there's only the rewrite of Joey Mousekin's Tale that I started just the other day and is going very well.

Can I get together another three or four submissions before the end of 2006? Maybe so. I should have done one today, but I just couldn't seem to get focused enough on something like that. I did get some art done, though. And that was fun.

Other than that? It's almost 2007 and I haven't a clue what story I'm going to start writing on the first. I also don't have Vision put together because my poor copyeditor is having connection problems and hasn't gotten the material back to me yet.

Ack. 2006, right?

But we'll get there.

Edited to add:

Russ has a job tonight out at the comedy club where he announces for them. Just enough money to get us through the weekend, so it was quite welcome.

The car won't start.

Paint Shop Pro XI

The program arrived today. Yay! And then it wouldn't load. Of course it wouldn't. This is still 2006, right?

We eventually figured out the problem and loaded it up tonight. I love this program. I had the trial download back in October, and I've missed it ever since. But now it's back, and I can do silly things like this picture... and some pretty serious stuff, too. I can play with it all I want. And Painter, which I love. It's nice to finally have a couple fun things to end the year out.

It would be nice if the email now worked. I can't get Outlook to open. I figure a restart on the computer is probably in order.

So, I now have more graphic programs than a writer should own. I really didn't need a second adiction, but you know... it's been pretty fun so far. It's not helping me with some much needed words the last few days, but I'll get there.

I am having horrible connection problems, too. We think they might be on our end this timea nd we're working on the problem... but Russ is working a lot of hours this week, so it might be a while before we get it cleared up.

But hey, I have my graphics programs, and I have my writing. I'll keep busy. 

So...

We drove up to pick up Russ's check yesterday... only to be told they'd put it in the mail, despite Russ talking to them twice (once that morning) saying be sure not to do that. That was a 140 mile round trip for nothing. And not only that, it meant no money whatsoever for Christmas. I was annoyed, but really, it's not all that bad.

The check did show up in the mail today... three hours after all the banks closed. So it did us no good anyway.

It's been that kind of year.

I'm mostly annoyed because I didn't get a chance to get Russ anything. He's bought me a couple things already -- Season 3 of Starsky and Hutch (which we've already been watching) and Painter! Yes, the big, expensive program that he got at a great deal because he's teaching at a community college!

I, wisely, decided I was not going to open and upload it right away. I'm waiting for Christmas so that I'll have a gift to play with on that day. Oh, and I found Paint Shop Pro 11 very cheap on Ebay and ordered it as well. It should be here by the end of the week. So there -- I have the two programs I really, really wanted and I can't complain about that!

In the mean time, I've been writing away. I got Oak and Ash done, plus a story I started a couple days ago -- based loosely on an earlier story, and much better in the new version. I am almost done with the Workshop for Vision and I still have another article to write there.

And -- this really shocks me -- I have only 15,522 words to go and I'll have written one million words again this year. It's been a rough year for it, and I didn't think I was going to make it until a few days ago when I finally felt like I could write without a fear of disaster striking again! Getting the 2YNY2 book done really helped. I didn't realize how much I hated having that thing hanging over me until it was done and gone. (grin)

I don't have enough writing stuff left on my list to write 15,000 words, though, so I'm going to start a new story, probably tomorrow.

And I might even write another teddy bear story this year. That's good for 1000 words. I just have to come up with... an idea.

I did not decorate this year. I haven't baked at all... though maybe I'll make a batch of cookies tomorrow. You know, I used to really like holidays, but lately I've been dreading them. It's like they're an invitation for something to go wrong and ruin any fun.

But I intend to have a good time anyway. And at least it will be a day off with Russ. Maybe we can pull out some of the old games and just do silly stuff like that for the day.

Before I load in Painter, because after that I'm not going to be good for anything but staring at the computer. (grin)

Oh, and we're having horrible connection problems here. So I might not be around for the next few days. (Can anything else go wrong to annoy us? Oh, I'm sure something could. After all, we still don't have heat in the car, either.)

Happy Holidays everyone! Have fun!

Oh, and don't forget to read my Christmas Story (grin): http://zettestorybook.blogspot.com/ 

Not the kind of thing you see everyday

I took this picture a few months ago, but I haven't sorted through the zoo pictures for that trip yet. I'm so far behind!

Anyway, that's a spider monkey riding on the back of a baird's tapir. I happened to be standing there when he leapt down and caught the ride while the tapir walked along munching on the food. It was wonderful!

You never know what you're going to see at the zoo. I'm just grateful that I'm always readywith the camera. It's not a great shot, but it's not the kind of shot you get many chances at.

I might yet a chance to sort through the pictures yet this year. Who knows. I'd love to update the zoo blog.

And I have another new blog. Go check out Zette's Storybook. I have a holiday story up! (grin)

And, in even more amazing news, the 2YNY2 book is for sale at HolyShop

Yes, it's done. It's there. I have my life back.

Well, except that there are around 50 people signed up to the new class so far, but that's all right. I have everything ready for it. That's about the only thing I can say for the upcoming year. I don't know what I'm going to start writing on January 1 yet. I better start thinking about it, right?

Anyway, enjoy the picture and enjoy the story on the other blog. 

There ought to be choirs singing

I should be hearing 'halleluiah' from somewhere about now.

The 2YNY2 book is done. Done and in Holly's hands. Out of my hands. Done.

I have never been so happy to get something completed in my life. I had started dreading every time I began to work on it because something in real life would go wrong. It is the first book I ever had trouble getting to the publisher. It won't be the last one, I'm sure.

But now I'm done. Really.

In other news, we still have a car without a heater. I suspect it's going to be a very long, cold winter in that respect.

I still have several more things to get done from my list. But this was the worst of them, and it's done.

Time to move on! 

Winter is back

Last night we had freezing drizzle and icy stuff. Today it's just below freezing. You could hear the sand and salt trucks out last night, trying to make certain the cars stay on the road this morning.

The heater in the car went out last night.

It's been that kind of year. With luck, it will just be a fuse. But we all know that Russ and I don't have that kind of luck, especially this year, right? If Russ wasn't driving 140 miles round trip to his job teaching math, I don't think it would even matter much. We don't have the money to go anywhere, after all. (grin)

But, on the good side, I only have 7.5 more chapters to do for the 2YNY2 book. If I really sit down and work, I could have it done today, except for one example that I need to go to a bookstore to do.

Cold car. Hmmmm.....

So.... there's a plan. If not today, then tomorrow. But It will be done, and then I can move on with my life! Yay! 

A Little Magic

I did this picture last night of a little elf adding magic to the Christmas toys. I might try to do a set of them for the holidays. It's about all I'll be doing for the holidays this year, but it is, at least, diverting. And time consuming.

I've been jabbing at my story, Ash and Oak, and the 2YNY2 book for a couple days now and not getting much of anywhere. I know, just relax. But not doing anything at all is worse. And Russ is in New York. And when I don't write much, I get in really bad moods. I'm running out of time and excuses not to get the 2YNY2 book done, at the very least.

I would really like to just sit back and have some fun. Well, okay -- what I would really like is about $100 so I can go to the Daz site and buy some really neat stuff to play with. Yeah, I know. Don't waste money on stuff like that when you know there are other things you should be worried about. (Goes and looks at PayPal account. Goes and looks at sales at Holly's site...) (Reminds self that it's the holidays and really shouldn't be looking at things for myself.) (slaps fingers)

Oh, and as long as I'm thinking 'art' stuff... Corel Paint Shop Pro XI would be wonderful. I played with the free download for a month and loved it. and Corel Painter 9.5 (yeah, right). The last is way out of even my 'pretend going to buy it' league -- although, since Russ is teaching part time at a community college, I think we can get the educator version.

You know, writing is so much less expensive, especially since I already have basically everything that I want for it. Good thing I already have a good digital camera, since the other one did die. Oh! And some of my stuff is showing up on the Animal Diversity Web now. My resource page there:

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/lazette_gifford/index.html

Soon they'll be showing up with the proper animals, too. They're just putting stuff into the database now.

Really, I can't complain. We are holding on here, and while it's sometimes annoying and unpleasant, we are still doing all right. There is food for us and the kitties. We have heat in this house, and although I still owe money to sff.net and some damned Vision payments, we are mostly caught up on everything else for the moment. You know, that's not bad since Russ hasn't had a full time job in a couple years. We are living on part time work and writing -- and there aren't a lot of people who can do that, even at the basic level we're at.

And I am grateful to Holly Lisle and the people who have been buying my books at her store. Since I get paid for those each month, it's helped keep things going and helped me from going crazy. I know that if I can just get the 2YNY2 book done, it will help. It's just that every time I get moving on it something bad happens and knocks me back out of it again.

I don't want to think about that right now. I want to do something fun.

I've opened the 2YNY2 book and I'm going to make another couple jabs at it. I'm well over half way through it -- though some of the pieces are not in the right order yet. It's not as long as the previous book, either. So I can do this, right?

And it will keep me away from the Daz site. 

We lost Kwi

Kwi, the sweetest cat I've ever known, died. He was also nearly 18.

I really hate this year. Between the deaths of Kwi, Zelda, Cricket and Gracie and the lack of money that meant selling off things I really hated to see go (but I should be grateful we had them, I suppose), and the fact that nothing is going right.... I just wish I could believe 2007 will be any better.

Survived NaNo!

NaNo was great this year, and just the thing I needed to take my mind off of the depressing stuff in life. I got two good novels out of it, and some stuff on the end of the second novel that will probably eventually go on to a new novel... I do tend to write too far past the real ending sometimes, and NaNo kind of encourages me to do it. However, I wrote 200,000 words in a joyous rush of creativity. It was great and fun, but I'm still glad it only happens once a year!

There were far fewer rude people this year than in any of the previous five years. Oh sure, there were a couple of the usual 'you're not doing what we're doing, you shouldn't be allowed here!' people whining over the fact that I wrote more than they did. Get over it. Someone is always going to write more than you, especially if you spend so much time complaining about what other people are doing. It doesn’t mean we can't enjoy the fun of NaNo. And if you aren't enjoying it, maybe it's just not for you after all.

But those people were really off-set by the large number of people who wrote to say how much the little NaNo book helped them out. That was great! And nice to hear, since this was something I did just in hopes that it would help them. If I'd done it for any other reason, I'd have charged for it. (grin) (And the sudden realization of how much of the current real life problems that would have solved is kind of overwhelming. Ah well. Things usually work out anyway!)

But now it's back to the real world and real work. So far since midnight, I've updated the Forward Motion site, done a bunch of DTF work, and I'm about to do some writing and then head into Vision work. I need to get the writing done. I would like to get Paid in Gold and Blood completed and maybe even sent off. I'm within a hundred pages of finishing it, and I think it's a really good book. I could, of course, be entirely wrong. Writers can fool themselves very easily sometimes.

And, yes, I am working on 2YNY2 as well. It's going well. I have an outline and one other shorter story to finish this month... and something else. There should be five things, but I can't think what the other might be. Not a good sign, I'm sure. Oh! Another outline, but for a nonfiction work. Okay. I can get this stuff done, right? 

Almost there!

Here it is, the last two days of NaNo already! There were times during this month when I didn't think November would ever end. I also didn't think I'd get the novels done, but I'm actually down to the last few thousand words and I want to finish tomorrow, so I'm not rushing through it today. I'll wait until after midnight and then finish the novel.

I will have 200,000 words. A little behind the 210,000 of last year -- and no, I'm not complaining.

It's cold here today! We're sitting at a high of 18f right now, it's cold here by the computer. I'm going to move back into my office in December, I think. The heat is better back there.

It's going to be an interesting December, trying to get things done. I'm working on the 2YNY2 book again -- have been for the last couple days -- and I think it's going alright. I fear the idea of the final edit, though. I'm going cross-eyed just trying to get this part done. I don't know what my problem is with this book, but I'll get there.

I still have to finish the edits on Paid in Gold and Blood as well. That shouldn't be too bad. I look forward to having it done and sending it off. Somewhere.

I got a story back from F&SF the other day and I have to remember to send it back out, too. Russ was surprised. He really liked this one. I wasn't surprised. (grin) I still have a few more things out, and a few things to get out before the end of the year.

I am having a hard time dealing with the fact that 2007 is nearly upon us.

Ack!

Must go work! 

Sailing toward the end of NaNo....

We're almost there! I keep counting, just to make certain I'm right... and I am! Only five more days to the end of NaNo this year.

It has gone quickly. Despite the loss of poor Zelda and the continued poor health of Kwi, I managed to keep my focus mostly on the writing. But, as always happens from about the 20th on, I start feeling really happy that the end of the madness is drawing near. I love NaNo, but by this time I realize that I have other things to get back to, and only one month to finish up a lot of work, and....

I manage to get it all done every year, but it's tough!

I'm just over 180,000 words and I plan to have 200,000 and a few by the end. So about 4k a day between now and the end isn't so bad. I even managed to do some serious work on the 2YNY2 book last night. Yay!

I am still thinking about rudeness, and at what point I stop considering it funny or entertaining, and if I ever consider it a helpful teaching aid. But, again, that's me. People have different tastes in things, after all. And maybe this really is something associated more with literary fiction because some people on NaNo are mentioning how abusive some of the people in the lit fic forum are. Maybe it's part of a pattern? A different mindset that I'm just not used to?

But, anyway... Dancer is nearly done. It is already nearly 20k longer than the last version (the one I hated so much), and the character emotions are a little stronger this time. I've cut out excess days (and still made the novel longer without them), and kept the action moving. I'm heading towad the finaly scenes and really looking forward to them.

Almost there! Yay! 

The Cult of Rudeness

I've been thinking about this for most of the day -- how it's become acceptable to be rude to people, especially on the Internet where you will not have to look them in the face. We all see it in 'real life' as well -- the snobbish woman ranting to the person serving her food, the man berating a service rep for something that person has absolutely no control over. I blame a lot of it on the fact that rudeness has become a part of entertainment -- Seinfeld, American Idol, Rush Limbaugh, etc. They've helped to make it acceptable to be rude. It's funny! We can all be impolite to someone else and laugh about it now! Isn't this fun?We are all rude at some time in our lives. Things push up over our walls and we snap. It happens. People have seen me go over the edge more than once.But why do some people choose to be rude as a first choice, rather than a last?I've been reading Miss Snark's blog off and on since the first time someone posted a link at Forward Motion. She has occasional good advice, some that I shake my head at in wonder... but the entire attitude that she creates -- that it's fun to ridicule and be rude to people who come asking for her help -- absolutely amazes me -- and more so that others seem to find this a wonderful way to treat people.I suppose I'm one of those people who just doesn't get it. I've always considered rudeness to be a legal form of cruelty. You can't go up and slap someone in the face, but you can do it verbally and make them feel like shit without even getting a slap on the wrists. At Forward Motion one of the most important site rules is that you have to be polite to people. It's kept FM in generally good shape for nine years now, so I think we're doing all right. I'm glad the site has always been that way -- since long before I took over -- because it would be harder these days to keep it under control. It's becoming acceptable Internet Behavior.

And now a professional is making it even more acceptable.
I cannot imagine having someone ask me for help or information and ridiculing them for it, and encouraging others to be equally rude. Okay, maybe people who contact Miss Snark should, seriously, take time to find out more about her, and maybe most of them even expect this behavior. However.... how about the people she hunts out on the Internet so that she has more to ridicule and be rude about?I don't get it. I don't find it funny. I don't even find it particularly enlightening because I feel the rudeness overwhelms anything helpful she might be saying.

The Internet is a perfect place for rudeness. You don't have to deal face-to-face with the person on the other side of the blog, email or post. You don't have to be polite because there's no payment for being rude, and rude is more fun. Rude makes a person feel superior to all the people proclaimed nitwits or clueless. That's one of the reasons the big rule on Forward Motion is that you can discuss the writing, but not the person. It's easier to be rude than to be helpful.

I don't think rude is funny. I obviously don't think it's particularly helpful, either.

Entertaining? Yes, for some people. But all-in-all, if I had a question, I'd go to someone offering helpful pointers than to someone making fun of others. 

Some days they are just odd....

That's Edmond asleep on top of Zaphod, who looks like he's gone crazed. They're just odd little guys some times.

I've had three really good writing days. I admit that I had them at the expense of getting virtually anything else done, but I'm still happy about them. I might even take a day or two more, though I will try to get a few things cleared away first thing tomorrow. Tonight, though, I'm battling with the 'too tired to care' problem. I keep opening emails I should answer and closing them again because anything I would say right now wouldn't be particularly helpful to the people asking me questions.

It's been a long few days. As usual, about this time, I look forward to the end of November. It's fun, but it's tiring. And I have other things I really, really need to do.

But as long as I have a NaNo novel going, it will draw my attention. I can't help it. I enjoy it too much.

Even when I am this tired.... 

The Half Way Point

It's the 15th. We're half way through NaNo. I'm at 116,940 this afternoon, and should have more before the day is out.

I am also getting some work done for DTF today, so that's slowed me up a bit. And a bit of Vision stuff, as well.

But the writing is going well. The Servant Girl came in at 102,085 words. The rest of my word count is now Dancer which, so far, I am really enjoying. I wish I could just throw myself into it, in fact. Which I might just do, so there.

It's cold today. And I think I'm going to have to move my computer back to my office, because it's warmer in that part of the house. I've been cold all day sitting here, and it isn't helping.

Of course, first I had to really clean up my office again, and we all know how soon that's going to happen.

I really enjoy NaNo, but about this time each year I really start looking forward to it being over, too. Maybe I shouldn't be wasting time writing this, though, right? I still have most of a novel to finish!

One book done, on to number two

I finished The Servant Girl this afternoon. Tonight I started Dancer. The second book is sf, and I'm enjoying it so far. I'm about 3,000 words into it. I should have 5,000 for the day.

Hmmm... I think Zaphod just rolled over and fell off the table, poor little guy. I think he was really tired.

Anway, back to the writing. It's going well. Dancer appears to be moving along quite nicely. It's an sf novel, too. I write a lot of fantasy lately, so moving over to an sf novel is kind of fun. Maybe I should have started with this one.

But I have not complaints about The Servant Girl. It moved along very well, and I think it's a good first draft. I am thinking about some major changes in the setting and background for the book, but that will come later. Now it's time to turn my attention to the new book.

I did get the 2YN classes posted, though. Stuff like that can slip right past me when I start working like I have been this month.

I'm not sure if I've said how much I like NaNo. I really do enjoy it, even this year with everything else giving me problems and being annoyed and in a bad mood. But I can write a novel or two in November, and enjoy the process of just writing for the joy of writing for a few weeks. I'm already past the 'NaNo and nothing else' days at the start of November, but I'm still fitting a lot of NaNo writing in. Russ thinks it' s great. He's made me several meals and cleaned up and handled all sorts of things for me while I made it through The Servant Girl and started Dancer.

But now, alas, it's time to start slipping back into the real world. I'm probably a little late already.

It's been fun, though. And I intend for it to continue to be fun, too.

So now I'm heading back into the world of Dancer and continue with the first meeting between Cha and Devlin. 

I went to the zoo today

And then I came home and wrote over 5000 words on The Servant Girl. So, all in all, it was a good day. I'm getting tired now, but I think I'm going to try for another 1000 or so.

I might have the novel done this weekend. It's very close to the end section now. That's good. And I've come to like the novel better again. Obviously, a lot of this is about my personal mood and has little to do with whether the novel is any good or not.

I had fun at the zoo. It was a short day there, and very cold. I rushed from one building to the next. There were too many loud school kids, too, but over all, I think I did all right. I just hope that at some point I get the time to sort out the pictures from the last few trips and post some of them in my zoo blog.

Now is not the time to think about that, though. Now is the time to get back to work on the NaNo book and get a few more words in before midnight. Then decide whether to go on with it or go sleep for a few hours. 

More Sadness....

We lost Zelda today. She was nearly 17 -- old for a cat, I know -- and a wonderful little tough cat who could bully any of the others in the house. She was ill this last weekend, and when she went to the vet on Monday, he didn't think there was much that could be done. She died this afternoon.

It's hard to lose so many furry friends in one year. That makes four cats and the dog, plus the two little orphan kittens who didn't make it.

It's not been a good year.

Into the heart of NaNo

This is day 3. I've done all right, despite a horrible cold and feeling lousy. I've just plugged away at the writing, a little at a time, and still managed to average 11k a day so far. Outlines are wondrous things that can get you through just about anything. It might not be the most inspired writing off the start, but I'm beginning to feel better about the story. Oddly, it's coming in way over the expected word count so far. If it keeps going like this, it's going to be over 120k.

I am keeping up on my NaNo blog -- link is to the right, isn't it? -- with little snippets of the rather uninspired writing for this year. I'm not getting a lot else done right now, but I don't care. I try to take a week or so for NaNo and just have fun. Granted, the cold has made it less fun than usual, but at least I'm writing fiction. (grin)

I'm finally starting to get into the feel for NaNo. The joy of leaping into a story and only coming up for air because you have to. I miss that sometimes. It's good to find it again. So...

Back to work. It's part way through day three. I have 27,100 words. It's looking good! 

NaNo is almost upon us!

I have plenty of plot bunnies ready, as you can see. I even have an outline. What I don't have is time, of course, but I'm leaping in anyway.

I'm going to be updating the Forward Motion site in a few minutes. That's one thing I can get done and off the list. Vision is nearly there, as well.

Some personal stuff fell by the side, as usual, but I don't care. I'll get to it.

As of this morning, I had sent out 1047 copies of the NaNo Book. Plus, I know a few people have downloaded it from my site (http://lazette.net), and a few others said they were passing it on to others. So... I guess quite a few copies of it are out there now.

The things I still need to get done:

Update FM site

Finish Vision 36

Finish PDF of Vision 35 and 36

Fix Excel outline sheets

Print outlines

That's really not too bad of a list. I have about 10.5 hours to do it. I'm sure I'm forgetting things, like the music stuff I wanted to do, and getting some pictures lined up for my regular journal, but I don't care.

In fact, I'm going to go take a nice, relaxing bath before I do any more. Oh, and take blood pressure meds before I forget. (grin)

 

A picture from the zoo

I love this shot. What a wonderful look on the little one's face!

It's going to be a while before I get all of those zoo pictures sorted out. I'm now three trips behind on my zoo blog, which really annoys me. But I just don't have the time.

Which brings me to something Russ and I discussed tonight.

He thinks I need to step back from some of the things I'm trying to get done. He thinks I should go do NaNo and enjoy myself, and not worry that I don't have the 2YNY2 book done. He thinks, in fact, that I'm driving myself crazy trying to get all the things done.

I think he's right. I'll get the 2YNY2 book done. Just not right now. I'm over half way through it. There are problems that I didn't expect, some of them just with my inability to focus on the book for long. Part of that is a stress issue. The more I worry over it, the harder it is to get done.

So I am going to go into NaNo without worrying. I'll get Vision done. I'll have the FM site updated. I'll do whatever else absolutely has to be done. But I'm also going to start working in more time for myself again. That means zoo blog pictures, Daz/Bryce pictures, and writing stuff just because I want to write.

I never intended to be a nonfiction writer and I don't think I have the real mentality for it. So constantly working on nonficition this year has really added a stress level that I hadn't really considered until I was talking with Russ.

I need to have more fun again, especially with writing -- or else everything else I do, from DTF to the 2YN classes to Vision to even Forward Motion starts looking like more trouble than they are worth to me. When I'm in a bad mood, even stuff I nominally like can start looking like trouble.

So, more fun. More writing and editing (because, yeah, I like editing), more pictures and more 3d art.

I plan to start a story blog in December. I am going to be blogging a set of holiday stories over the next year -- The Don't Go Home for the Holidays anthology that I had offered as a free book for a short while. It features too sisters who thought they were working for a division of NATO and found out they were actually working for aliens. It's a fun set of stories, and I'm looking forward to it.

Don't Go Home for the Holidays: A Story of Spies, Aliens and Really Bad Timing

This should be fun! 

Well, yes, of course I've been busy

It's the last week before NaNo. It's the last week before Vision is due out. Between the two and various real-life dramas, I'm kind of feeling overwhelmved here. I at least have part of Vision done already, so I think things will go all right there. And I have outlines for NaNo.

I've been sending out copies of NaNo for the New and the Insane and that's gone well, at least. Oh, and I have been working on the 2YNY2 book and it's moving quite nicely, though still not fast enough.

Part of me would like to just abandon everything and write for a while. Just write. So I guess that it's a good thing NaNo is coming soon. That will be my chance.

If I get enough of the other work done, of course.

I think I am going to the zoo tomorrow. It will be my last chance this month, and even though it's supposed to rain, it still looks like the best hope for a nice day. I thnk a few hours away from the computer and the house will be nice, too.

Why couldn't it have been today, when the weather was still not bad? It's turning already, though. Clouded up and looks like rain. At least they're not saying snow instead, which was what they were saying a few days ago.

Snarl.

Time to get back to work. 

Still working....

The outline for The Servant Girl is finally coming together. This is a wonderful relief because I really, really didn't think I could come up with another full novel this late in the game.

I've been getting some work done on 2YNY2 as well, though not as much as I should. But still... I'm happy to find it moving as well.

I have a great deal of work done on the next Vision issue, though there are two big problems that I'm not sure how I'm going to cover... but we'll see.

I was going to go to the zoo tomorrow while Russ taught a class.. but it snowed today, and it's just going to be even colder tomorrow morning. I am sniffing now. My ear hurts. It just doesn't sound like a good plan. Russ says he'll get me to the zoo yet this month, and he does have one more class. I'm getting antsy. I'd really like to go tomorrow, but it is just not a good plan.

But other things...

I have two free downloads at my site now. One is a science fiction story called PSI and the other is a free book for people who are either doing NaNoWriMo this year or who might be interested in doing it. You can find them both on http://lazette.net .

I've been having strange thoughts about the huge accumulation of material that I have. I think quite a bit of it is going to end up as free downloads over the next few years -- but only because I have so much stuff. I'm still going to be sending a few choice pieces out to publishers, though, of course. But I figure something on my site every few months won't hurt.

We'll see how I do. I still haven't gotten to the edits of Touched by the Wild, though it will likely be one of the pieces. I just need more time.

Like that's going to happen.

I've been very busy the last few weeks, but now that the outline is falling together, I don't feel quite as much stress. I still have a horrible amount of work to get done on all kinds of things... but I'll get there.

And at some point I'll get to go to the zoo as well. 

Am I getting caught up?

Well, you'd think -- given the amount of work I've done in the last couple days -- that I'd be caught up on something. It doesn't really look that way from my side, but maybe I'm just annoyed.

Okay, I have two weeks to finish up everything and do the outline for NaNo before the madness begins. I'm looking forward to NaNo. I could use that 'vacation from reality' about now. I don't think I'll be as ready for it as I want, but that's life. I'll manage.

I hope to go to the zoo on Thursady. It might not work out because Russ has some things going on that may mean it would be impossible to do. But it would be nice. (Goes to check weather.) Ah... except possibly for that snow the day before. Well, if it warms back up (say 50 or above), I'll be happy.

What else?

Nothing. Really. I'm working on the 2YNY2 book. I'm trying to add bits and pieces to my outline. I'm starting to look at putting the next Vision together, which means contracts should go out tomorrow.

Oh! And I will be a guest at SoonerCon next June! Yay! I have every intention of going, too. Life has to be better than it has been this year!

Okay, off to open something I should be doing rather than complaining here! 

No Zoo

It was just too cold to go today. Cold and damp, and with an hour and a half wait outside until they opened, it didn't seem like a good idea. Russ says he'll get me down there on one of his days off . (He has those?)

I really wanted to go today. I need out of the house and to have some fun, and the zoo is the best idea because it doesn't cost me anything. I might ride with Russ up to his teaching job on Thursday, though, just for the ride.

I am looking at lists of things to get done again, and starting to get the feeling that I'm not going to make it. Especially on days like today when one of the things I want to work on isn't anywhere to be found. I need to hunt down some back up disks from some time ago (like 1999) and see if I can find the story.

I told myself that since I wasn't going to be home today that I ought to just do fun stuff. Somehow it's not going that way yet.

Okay, off to hunt down a missing story.... (Like I don't have enough others that I can find!) 

So the list....

I wrote it up. I printed it out. Then, on the second day, I turned it over and used it for scratch paper.

No, it didn't quite work well.

The second 2YN book is not going to be done before December. I just can't get it all and stay sane. Or sane as I am already. I'm going to back up, work on it a little more slowly, and see if I can't get it done in a reasonable amount of time. I am not, as I thought I might, skip NaNo to do it. I'm already annoyed enough with life. Skipping NaNo would not be a good plan this year, even if I'm not ready for it.

And I'm going to the zoo tomorrow. So there.

I had to sit back and apply some of my own 'words of wisdom ' to my work. I tell people not to worry, if things don't get done in time (at FM for instance) that no one is going to die of it. Don't drive yourself crazy over this stuff. And when you are already under stress, don't add to it. I've not been paying attention to my own words, and I've been driving myself crazy this last year. Sure, a lot of things have not gone right on a personal level, but it's all right. We're getting there. And as long as I don't go pounding my head against the wall much, I think I'll be fine.

Besides, I get to go to the zoo tomorrow. Sure, it's going to be cold. (But not as cold as Wednesday, when we are apparently going to get snow!), and I'll have to sit outside the zoo or about an hour or so before it opens... but I don't care! I'm going to go and have a good time.

But right now... well, better get some work done! 

Not Catching up

This is bad. I seem to be falling farther behind rather than catching up. So, I've made up a chart with odd lists of numbers (1,2, 3 in one list, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in a couple of others). They represent what I want to get done on certain projects each day. They go back to first of this month, and a couple will be filled in late, but I will get them.

The projects are 2YNY2, NaNo outline, ADW pics, Paid in Gold and Blood.

I do well with lists like this where I can see where I stand, and where I want to mark something off. So, let's hope that it works well for me this month, or else I'm in a lot of trouble.

Okay, I'm already in a lot of trouble. Let's hope this brings me out of it.

Part of the problem is that I want the second 2YN book to be longer, and it just isn't there. I realize a lot of the first book was worldbuilding, and there is no equivalent material for the second book -- just as well, probably. I think I need to stop worrying about the length and just work on getting it done to the best of my ability. If it's shorter, so what? As long as it has what it needs.

Yes, that's the attitude I need. Let's see how long I can hold on to it.

Okay, I've printed out my little sheet of paper with all the names and numbers to cross off. Time, I think, to get to work!