Yet More Revision Headaches

I'm really not doing great with my revision on my Nanowrimo book. I've become crazy busy but I hear that is normal for this time of year so I'm really not beating myself up too badly about it. In the back of my mind, though, there is the niggling suspicion that I'm just putting it off because it is such a dreaded chore. Why is it that when you're writing you think what is going down on the paper is so wonderful and just too precious to be believed. You are just sure that if everyone had your level of brilliancy the world would be inundated with really good books. Then, you go back and read the poor thing and you wonder just who in the hell went back over your beautiful creation with a crayon and yucked it up. You read it with tears of horror in your eyes and you lay your head down on your arms and you weep for the dream of the great story that has once again eluded you. But then, and this is where I have my problem, then you have to pick yourself up and look at the poor pathetic thing objectively and ... fix it. What?! Fix it? Are you kidding me? A mercy killing would be a better fit for this miserable pile of words. What con are you trying to pull? There is no way this piece of literary crap could ever be anything worth sharing with one other soul let alone a whole world of little people who are impressionable and might actually read it. Sigh. But then someone like my really good friend in KS reads a snippet of it and thinks it has merit. My eyes narrow and I examine every word of her reply. I hear her voice in my head and I try to catch every nuance of her praise and thoughtful changes. I tear her reply to pieces looking for the words junk, trash and crap. They aren't there. She thinks it has merit. I frown. Could it be that this heap of ... something ... could maybe be decent or ... gulp ... good? Is there something there no matter how small that could become beautiful and shining and interesting? Hm. It's a thought. Darn it all, now I have to revise the thing. Sigh. Back to work.

A Happy Drive Through The Mountains

Those of you who know me well know that I have no patience with idiocy when driving a car. Having just returned from taking my geniuses to be with their dad for the holidays I must report that idiocy is unfortunately all over our roads. Hypothetically speaking, if you see what you think is ice on the road you do not, I repeat, do not slam on your brakes so you can creep across it at 5-7 mph. The people behind you who are cruising along at 70-90 mph cannot stop so quickly and you are an idiot. Check the temperature and make sure it is ice and not just water from melting ice that is shining in the bright sunshine. I swear I need new break pads due to idiocy over the weekend. Another thing, if an ambulance is coming, move to the right. I don't care if you are on an interstate, the ambulance should not have to drive around you. If you stubbornly stay in your lane even though the right lane is empty for ten miles in each direction you are an idiot. One more thing, there is no need to slow down to 12-14 mph because you are entering a tunnel whose speed limit is 55. To do so is a real hazard to anyone who is driving in excess of 80 mph behind you. The darkness in the tunnel will not swallow you whole so that you will never see the light of day again. It is not a black hole in the universe and it is not dark matter. It is simply a tunnel through a mountain and you will come out the other side if you don't act like an idiot during your travel through the tunnel. When you get close to the other end of the tunnel and see the light, don't slow down. Keep going. You are not a moth. The light will not hurt you. Heaven forbid you come out into open air and breath something other than car fumes. Don't be an idiot. Ahem ... yes well, all the above is purely hypothetical, you know. I don't personally know anyone who travels at the speeds mentioned and I would not imagine you do either. Okay, rant over, back to life as I know it.

Revision Procrastination

I have a bad case of procrastination. I have two books to revise and I'm not looking at the poor things. They are sitting on a shelf in full view which is my way of shaming myself into doing something with them. Instead, I pile things on top and in front of them so I don't have to see them. Sort of self-defeating, don't you think? I agree. I can't even say I have a great new project I'm working on so I don't have the mental stamina to work on the revisions. No, I'm just ignoring them and hoping they'll magically revise themselves so I won't have to. I hate revisions. I am so glad my kids don't read this blog because I can just hear their whiny little genius voices in my mind. "You always tell us that everything is attitude. If you just adjust your attitude, you can do anything no matter how much you may not enjoy the task." That's like nails down the chalkboard. I can't really sound so pompous, can I? Naw, surely not. Besides, when I say it I'm encouraging them to get their homework done or clean the toilet. Those are truly onerous but necessary chores. Revisions fall into a whole different category altogether. Revisions are like picking the remaining meat off a dead carcass. Too graphic? Oh, well, how about revisions are the stuff you flush down the dirty toilet? Can you tell I hate revisions? I figure I'd have read and a few pages and be thinking about plot and story line while fixing punctuation and typos by now. Why oh why do I put this stuff off? When I figure it out, I'll let you know. For now, I've got revisions to do. Ugh.

One Mystery Of The Universe Answered

Have you ever wondered why there are empty cartons left in the refrigerator, pantry, under the bathroom sink or really anywhere you might find a teenager using anything that comes in a container? I finally have the answer and it was provided by my 13 year old daughter. The scenario: Bugs like to take this time of year to come into the house since evidently they wish to be warm like me inside my house. My mom, lovely person that she is, sprayed my bathroom so there would be no nasty spiders or whatever there to surprise me when my eyes are only half open at 4:30 in the morning when I get up. Thank you, Mom! The bottle of spray was left in the bathroom in the corner and I thought she just was interrupted and hadn't gotten back to finishing. The bottle stayed there for, oh, a week and a half or so. This morning we were talking about bugs and Mom said we needed more bug spray. That just begged the question: Why is there an empty container marked bug spray on my bathroom floor. The answer was promptly given by my daughter who was eating breakfast at the time. The answer is: Promotional Purposes. After all these years of wondering, now I know. The teenage son leaves the empty milk jug in the refrigerator for: Promotional Purposes. The empty toothpaste tube and shampoo bottles: Promotional Purposes. All the empty hot chocolate containers, cereal boxes and coffee tins: Promotional Purposes. My only question now is: Am I being paid for any of this?

Family Update And Cry For Help

Gosh, I just noticed I have comments on my blogs. Holy cow! I missed that somehow and I apologize to those who have left comments. I am really sorry. Thanks for visiting, I appreciate it. On another note, I've cleaned up my site a bit and changed the look of it, as you can see. I've been blogging mostly about my writing lately and not about my family so much. Therefore, maybe it's time to update the family end. My mom is doing great. She finished her schooling and is jumping into the job market at the worst possible moment. People just aren't hiring here in Charlotte. She has her application in at several places and I'm hoping she hears soon because she is driving herself crazy at home alone with nothing to do all day long every day. She needs a hobby or an eharmony account. I'm not sure which one. As for the lovely little geniuses of mine, well ... what can I say. They are ... teenagers. One is doing quite well in school and the other is holding her own which is pretty good for her. Audition time has come for her to be able to stay in the school she's in. She's scrambling to get her sketch pad up to date and figure out what projects she's going to present as her 'best' work. It will be interesting to see what she comes up with. The other genius is a slacker. No really, he is. He makes really good grades but he doesn't try. Imagine what he could do if he cared. (Rolling my eyes.) Here he is with opportunities galore and he just piddles it away. (Banging my head on the desk at the waste of youth.) What the heck anyway? As for my writing, let's just say revisions have to happen in a big way for the story to hang together and I really, really hate revisions. I would pay someone to do them for me if I had the money. I also need to find someone who writes and has a kind nature to read the darn thing and give me a fresh viewpoint on it. I'm up to my eyeballs in the sludge and I am almost out of breath. So, if anyone out there is reading this and interested in reading a rough draft to help me with direction and basic story plot, please, please let me know.

Revision Time And Tweetdeck

Nano is officially over as of yesterday and I finished. I've revised one chapter of my nano book and am getting ready to start on the second. I am excited about this book and I hope it will do well for me. There is always hope even for the idiots. Hmph. I'm at work and I should be working at work instead I'm web surfing at work. I discovered tweetdeck and have been playing around with it to the detriment of almost everything else. I also discovered googlewave but it isn't working very well yet due to the early stages of development it is in. In other news, Em's face is swollen from her dental appointment a week ago. I'm thinking the swelling should have gone down by now but alas she is fat faced on one side. It is like looking at skinny Em/chunky Em. Very odd. They say she is having a bad reaction to the anesthesia and that it will slowly dissipate but in the meantime she can barely open her mouth. She may go from a size one to a size zero in the time it will take to heal. I don't think that will be a good look on her. People might think she has an eating disorder, which would be true since she can't open her mouth to eat. That's a disorder, right? But, anyhoo, I finished my novel and I'm ready to get it revised and polished and shiny and ready to send out to collect brand spanking new rejection letters. Cheers.