Caught in the act or why cats and crafts don't mix.
I believe I had a real break through yesterday. Not as dramatic as a tiger bursting through the front door, but ya know, similar in a mental sort of way.
1. My novella - I'm stressing about it too much. Over-thinking it. I need to stop trying to write the Great American Novella of Fabulousness and just write the freaking thing.
2. Responsibility - Just because I've been a part of an organization for a really long time and contributed a lot too it, doesn't mean I have to stay a part of that organization - especially when it now causes me mental anguish. Sometimes quitters really do win. Especially when it means leaving poison people behind. Life's too short for that kind of crap.
3. Friends - Friends trump all. And you don't need many to enrich your life. Just a few good ones.
Had any break throughs of your own lately? Care to share?
Is it just me or is everyone you know sick? Hotrod's been fighting a bug, one of CP's husbands is sick, lots of people on twitter have been tweeting about their sickness...it seems to be everywhere!
I do not want to get sick, so I'm upping my vitamin C intake and keeping the hand-sanitizer close. What do you do to keep from getting sick?
My letter to the editor is in the Romance Writer's Report this month, currently in mailboxes or about to be.
I'm really curious what the response (if any) will be.
In other news, I'm really getting into Twitter. If you're on there, check me out at: http://twitter.com/Kristen_Painter I'm pretty good at following those who follow me, so add me and I'll come check you out!
Lastly, I need to write today. I say that every day, but the novella I'm working on is trying to kill me and I'm doing my best to resist it. Today I need to bite the bullet and get some pages done. If it's crap when I'm finished, it's crap, but at least it will be done, right? Have you ever written a story like that? One you didn't have a lot of faith in but wanted to finish anyway?
Thanks to Hotrod's inability to let go of his long-passed youth (he's 9 years older than me, have I mentioned that?), he played basketball with the guys after church last night - and by guys, I mean those male humans who probably just started shaving a few years ago and think retirement planning is something only their parents should be doing.
He seemed fine when he came home, although fine is relative because at any given moment he can start gimping around due to his 130 year old knees. Anyway, about 2 AM I was awoken to the sounds of...well, let's just put it out there: whimpering. Seems his back decided the knees were getting too much attention.
Long story short, I refused to take him to the emergency room (aren't I a sympathetic wife?), doped him up with some pain meds left over from something or other and stayed with him until 4 AM when he finally fell asleep on the couch. He's still sleeping. Meds, I love you!
Anywho, I have a crap load to do today, including getting my hair some much needed attention, but all I really want to do is nap. Cranky, thy name is Kristen.
How did you sleep last night?
For today's Caturday, I'm using a pic one of my CP's sent me. Apparently, her cats are as judgmental as mine are. This is Zonya, judging her mother's work. Could you get anything done under that golden glare?
A few weekends ago, one of my writer friends, Arkansas Cyndi, threw a little get-together at her place so that all her writer friends' husbands could meet her husband. And so the female half of that equation could sit around and jaw. Fabulous! She then proceeded to surprise me with an ice cream cake in celebration of my sale to Samhain of my book, All Fired up. 
Wasn't that amazingly nice? Of course, being that I'm really trying to stick to my diet, I didn't actually eat any. I know, a lot of you are probably thinking what a big doody head I am, but Cyndi didn't seem to mind. And trust me, plenty of that cake got eaten even without my maw in action. That didn't stop me from posing with the cake. Sheesh. I am such a ham (dork/goofball/insert whatever name works for you). From the excessive expression on my face, you'd think I was snuggling up to a new car.
All in all, it was one of the nicest writing-related experiences I've had. How about you? What's one of your favorite writing-related experiences?
I have been tagged by Moxylyn to play a little game called 6 by 6. "The mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find the sixth image in your sixth image folder, and then tag another six people to do the same."
So here's the 6th image from my 6th image folder: Sam looking slightly concerned that there are so many wires and cables on my desk. Poor kitten. He worries about a lot of things.
I'm tagging:
1. Louisa
2. Lara
3. Kwana
4. Maria
5. Jax
6. Maureen
I'm over at Fictionistas today talking about bullies and how to deal with them. Stop by and share your experiences.
Hotrod and I never made it to the movies on Friday like we planned, so today is well and truly movie day. In fact, we're going to two in an effort to catch up. Since his birthday was Saturday, he gets to pick the movies. Probably Taken with Liam Neeson and no idea on the second one. I don't care, I'm just happy to go. We have a great theater near us with stadium seating and most matinee's are pretty empty. Usually it's us and one other couple. You can't beat that!
Have you been to any movies lately? What did you see? Was it good? Should we go see it?
Today is a very special Caturday featuring my sweet little boy, Sam. And thanks to friend and fellow Etsy shop owner, Moxylyn, Sam's been photoshopped into this really cool picture! Not only is Moxylyn talented with photos like this, she also makes the most amazing handmade writing journals. Go check them out here!
Happy Valentine's Day, too! And Happy Birthday Hotrod!
The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia. If you can say that, you really have no reason to be afraid.
When it comes to phobias, I really only have two: spiders and the fear of being buried alive. Weird, I know. What phobias do you have? (See a list of every named phobia known to man here.)
In other news, I finally managed to spend 20 minutes on the elliptical yesterday! So much accomplished, although I still have a contest entry sitting on my desk, waiting to be judged. That's first on my list of things to do today (and I'd like to write a page or two). Then I think Hotrod and I are going to play hooky and head for the movies. He's been traveling so much lately I've barely seen him! Plus, tomorrow is his birthday.
I got my edits done yesterday, all 215 pages of them! And while that is a major accomplishment, getting it done meant not doing other things. I'll be doing those other things today.
I have 2 contest entries to judge (longish ones) and a long chapter to critique for one of my RL CP's. After that, I hope to write a few pages on the novella I thought I'd be finishing this week. I won't be, but I'm not complaining. Getting that partial done was paramount.
In other news, my second attempt to read 50 books in a year isn't going so well. I've read one and a half. I'm not going to fret about it, though. There's just a lot more writing being done this year and that's a good thing!
Also, the new season of Survivor starts tonight! You know, because I need to watch more tv. *insert eye roll here* What are you doing today?
Today is a major work day for me. I'm prepping a partial, which means I've got about 200 pages to make clean and cohesive.
I'd entertain you with some random goofiness, but let's be honest. You should be writing too.
That's right, I went there. Now get to work!
I'm late to blog this morning. See, I've been fighting this cold that wants to take over my body and after downing some meds before bed last night, I overslept. You know how cold medicine can be - that druggy feeling that adds about 1000 mental pounds to you? Nearly impossible to get up and get functioning like a normal human.
Anyway, that's how my Monday started, but I'm determined it's not how my Monday is going to end. I've got too much to do.
1. Write 6 pages in my novella, Blood Of The Maker.
2. Judge 2 of the 5 contest entries sitting on my desk.
3. Go for 45 min. walk.
4. Fold one basket of laundry.
That's enough for one day. This needs to be a BIG productive writing week for me. My weekly goal is to finish the novella, which means at least 30 pages of new writing, then layering, editing and polishing the thing so I can get it sent to my agent. I've also got broad edits to do on the book I sold to Samhain, ALL FIRED UP.
Busy, busy week. What about you?
A friend of Ilona Andrew's, C.C. Finley, is giving away a free download of his book. Check it out here.
You're welcome. Let it never be said that Kristen Painter doesn't hook her friends up. Happy Friday!
Yes, as I indicated yesterday, I'm growing my own sprouts. Lentils and quinoa at the moment. Lentils for salads and wraps, quinoa for homemade raw crackers. I love sprouts! They're tasty, nutritious and cheap. You also don't need a fancy set up to grow them. Here's what I did:
I bought some mason jars at Michael's, because that was the only source I had:
Also at Michael's, I bought some of that plastic needlepoint canvas:
Using the metal flat, I traced out a circle of plastic. That became the new flat, to be held on by the metal ring. Now you've got a way to drain the sprouts and allow them to breathe.
Take about 1/4 cup of lentils, wash them and soak them overnight. You can do this right in the jar. The next day (they may already have begun to sprout!), rinse them, drain them well then tuck them somewhere out of direct sunlight. I actually put a towel over mine (careful not to block the open end so they can breathe!). You'll need to rise them one more time before you go to bed. Do this for about three days. At the end of the third day, stick the well-drained jar and sprouts into the sun for a few hours to let them green up a bit. That extra bit of chlorophyll does wonders for their nutrional value.
Afterwards, keep them in the fridge. I actually keep mine in one of those clear plastic containers that salad greens in - if you do that, keep a folded paper towel in the bottom to soak up any excess moisture. That's it! If you're so inclined to try this, I'd love to hear about it.
Yesterday was a great day. I hope today is just as good! Why was yesterday such a good day? I'm so glad you asked...
1. Ate a salad made from sprouts I grew.
2. Wrote 5 pages that I liked.
3. Twittered in earnest
4. Had some fun conversations with the members of my Yahoo Author group (anyone can join, readers, writers, anyone!)
5. Apparently ate really well, because I woke up 1.4 pounds lighter!
6. Exchanged some funny emails with my mom, who is made of awesome (which makes me the child of awesome by default)
7. Got to see my friend Mel's new FANTASTIC cover!
Now, I just need to do some of that again. Except maybe write more pages. It feels good to be back in the groove.
I'm over at Fictionistas today talking about my sale to Samhain. I know most of you know about that already, but did you know I have an author group? No? Sign up HERE. Yes, the promo whoring has begun already...
In a perfect world, all things would be equal...
