Chapter 17 of The Night Is A Harsh Mistress, featuring Rachel Carmichael, is up on the Writer's Retreat Blog. Enjoy!
Palette Cleanser
Monday, February 8, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Thursday 13, February 4, 2010: Bootcamp
A lot of people I talk to feel that 2010 is the year to get shit done, myself included. (Not that I talk to myself.) (Nevermind, forget I said that.) ANYWAY…
So, with the “Get Shit Done” theme in mind, here are 13 suggestions from the bossy to the downright drill sergeant. I channeled my inner domme people, so be warned… LET’S GIT OFF OUR ASSES! To quote Larry the Cable Guy, GIT R DONE!
1. Go away, stop reading this, and write for 30 minutes by hand on a clean piece of paper or notebook. Then come back and read #2.
2. Get up, put shoes and socks on (and clothes, yeh slob!) and go walk around the block for 30 minutes. Yes, it’s cold. No, you won’t die of ice poisoning.
3. You still paying rent at the gym? You’re not subsidizing their employment. Go look up the exercise class schedule and schedule one – ONE – class this week. Tell me in the comments which one you pick, when it is, and then come back and tell me you did it.
4. What is the title of your WIP (work in progress)? Your original work, not any derivative works. Go away, set the timer for 15 minutes, and write on it. If you can’t figure out what to do next in the plot, then interview your main character. Tell me in the comments how it went – and if you want, share the interview.
5. Check out Julia Cameron’s website. Consider this year might be the year to try it. If so, let me know in comments; I’m forming new Clusters for late Feb or early March if you’re interested.
6. My focus for 2010 is “Body, Mind, Spirit, Space.” My mantra is “Get my shit together.” As part of Body, I’ve been working out and making different choices about food. I am not paying attention to the weight, because the number started upsetting me since it wouldn’t move quickly. Accordingly, what I’m focusing on is stuff I can control – like movement and food choices. Today I plan to go to the gym at lunch and do some weights for upper body. What is your plan for today, no matter how small?
7. Don’t underestimate your own knowledge. Repeat after me: “I know what I know.”
8. No, #7 isn’t optional. Go back and do it again.
9. You know what thing you are avoiding admitting you know? It may be a writing-related thing (should write my WIP today), exercise (should go to the gym), food (should buy a vegetable), space (should wash that pile of laundry before it sues for separate maintenance)… Pick one. ONE. (Yes, I said one. Can’t you count?) What small step toward that one can you take before 9:00 P.M. local time today?
10. Tell me what your one thing is for #9.
11. Then do it.
12. Stop. Breathe. No, really. In…two…three… Out…two…three… In…two…three… Out…two…three… Notice the shift in your thinking from the beginning of this list to now. If you are feeling conflicted between panic (Oh shit, I have stuff to do) and resolve (Yeah, yeah, I know what I gotta do), you’re doing it right. Part of getting shit done is the ‘want to.’ But another part is the relaxing and centering. No one can get stuff done when they’re going a million miles an hour in seventeen different directions. Breathe. Deep. Two… Three…
13. JUST DO IT! Pick one thing, any one thing, and do it. You have a lunch break, an evening, maybe even a whole day off today. Today, now, is the only time we own. We don’t own tomorrow, it’s not given to us yet. We don’t own yesterday, it’s gone and won’t return. But now… now is where your power is. Own it. Live it.
Do it.
HOO-RAH!
So, with the “Get Shit Done” theme in mind, here are 13 suggestions from the bossy to the downright drill sergeant. I channeled my inner domme people, so be warned… LET’S GIT OFF OUR ASSES! To quote Larry the Cable Guy, GIT R DONE!
1. Go away, stop reading this, and write for 30 minutes by hand on a clean piece of paper or notebook. Then come back and read #2.
2. Get up, put shoes and socks on (and clothes, yeh slob!) and go walk around the block for 30 minutes. Yes, it’s cold. No, you won’t die of ice poisoning.
3. You still paying rent at the gym? You’re not subsidizing their employment. Go look up the exercise class schedule and schedule one – ONE – class this week. Tell me in the comments which one you pick, when it is, and then come back and tell me you did it.
4. What is the title of your WIP (work in progress)? Your original work, not any derivative works. Go away, set the timer for 15 minutes, and write on it. If you can’t figure out what to do next in the plot, then interview your main character. Tell me in the comments how it went – and if you want, share the interview.
5. Check out Julia Cameron’s website. Consider this year might be the year to try it. If so, let me know in comments; I’m forming new Clusters for late Feb or early March if you’re interested.
6. My focus for 2010 is “Body, Mind, Spirit, Space.” My mantra is “Get my shit together.” As part of Body, I’ve been working out and making different choices about food. I am not paying attention to the weight, because the number started upsetting me since it wouldn’t move quickly. Accordingly, what I’m focusing on is stuff I can control – like movement and food choices. Today I plan to go to the gym at lunch and do some weights for upper body. What is your plan for today, no matter how small?
7. Don’t underestimate your own knowledge. Repeat after me: “I know what I know.”
8. No, #7 isn’t optional. Go back and do it again.
9. You know what thing you are avoiding admitting you know? It may be a writing-related thing (should write my WIP today), exercise (should go to the gym), food (should buy a vegetable), space (should wash that pile of laundry before it sues for separate maintenance)… Pick one. ONE. (Yes, I said one. Can’t you count?) What small step toward that one can you take before 9:00 P.M. local time today?
10. Tell me what your one thing is for #9.
11. Then do it.
12. Stop. Breathe. No, really. In…two…three… Out…two…three… In…two…three… Out…two…three… Notice the shift in your thinking from the beginning of this list to now. If you are feeling conflicted between panic (Oh shit, I have stuff to do) and resolve (Yeah, yeah, I know what I gotta do), you’re doing it right. Part of getting shit done is the ‘want to.’ But another part is the relaxing and centering. No one can get stuff done when they’re going a million miles an hour in seventeen different directions. Breathe. Deep. Two… Three…
13. JUST DO IT! Pick one thing, any one thing, and do it. You have a lunch break, an evening, maybe even a whole day off today. Today, now, is the only time we own. We don’t own tomorrow, it’s not given to us yet. We don’t own yesterday, it’s gone and won’t return. But now… now is where your power is. Own it. Live it.
Do it.
HOO-RAH!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Wiley Wednesday: Mind Mapping
Come join me at the Writer's Retreat Blog today, where I share my thoughts on Mind Mapping.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Thursday 13 for January 14th!
Thirteen Places I Want to Visit
I love to travel, but in the last couple years have been limited by graduate school and the fact my stepson is in private school that we pay for. I’ve gotten away from grandiose travel plans in favor of staycations, but I thought I’d ruminate on where I’d like to go – both ‘if money were no object’ but also in the sense of, you can’t go anywhere if you don’t know where you want to go…
1. Las Vegas! I used to live there, actually, back in the dark ages. You think I’m kidding, perhaps, but it was a very dark time for me. I’m not really the ‘Vegas’ type, if there is such a type. I found it lonely and devoid of intellectual culture (which probably makes me a snob, but so be it). It’s a fun place to visit, and I had a great apartment, but I sure didn’t enjoy living there.
Of course, the natural question is, if you hated it so much, why go back?
Well, it’s a nice place to visit? ~sheepish grin~ Actually, a friend of mind lives there and I’m going to visit her. I’m really excited!
2. Salt Lake City! I’ve only driven through, and a good friend lives there. I want to visit her and her family!
3. Melbourne, Australia! Same reason!
4. Alabamalama… Sensing a theme here, aren’t you?
5. Antarctica! Ha! No, seriously, I do want to go there. Don’t know anyone there, just want to see the place. It’s got me curious!
6. England. I have friends in London, Manchester, and Scotland (yes, I know Scotland isn’t in England, but she’s English and I don’t know if she’ll BE in Scotland when I get there, so…)… You’re right, that didn’t make sense. Let’s just say England, Ireland, Scotland, and leave it at that.
7. Toronto, Canada. I have a friend there I want to visit, and it’s an amazing place! I’ve done a lot of research and really want to explore it!
8. Madison, Wisconsin. One of my novels is set there, and I’d like to go back for more research. Besides; it’s a beautiful town!
9. Chicago. Oh, wait. I live here.
10. I’d like to visit Europe, all over the place. I can’t do that in only one visit, so… I guess I’ll just spend my life exploring it!
11. St. Petersburg, Russia. I want to see Tsarskoe Selo and the Hermitage, walk the canals, and shake my fist at the statue of Peter the Great… o.O
12. Kiev. It’s the seat of Slavic culture on earth and I wanna go!
13. China. Big place, I know, but I’d love to toodle around the whole thing. The south farm country is gorgeous, and I’d love to see Beijing, Shanghai… I even want to visit Hong Kong.
I ran out of TT, but there’s more places I wanna go! ~jumps up and down~
Happy TT!
I love to travel, but in the last couple years have been limited by graduate school and the fact my stepson is in private school that we pay for. I’ve gotten away from grandiose travel plans in favor of staycations, but I thought I’d ruminate on where I’d like to go – both ‘if money were no object’ but also in the sense of, you can’t go anywhere if you don’t know where you want to go…
1. Las Vegas! I used to live there, actually, back in the dark ages. You think I’m kidding, perhaps, but it was a very dark time for me. I’m not really the ‘Vegas’ type, if there is such a type. I found it lonely and devoid of intellectual culture (which probably makes me a snob, but so be it). It’s a fun place to visit, and I had a great apartment, but I sure didn’t enjoy living there.
Of course, the natural question is, if you hated it so much, why go back?
Well, it’s a nice place to visit? ~sheepish grin~ Actually, a friend of mind lives there and I’m going to visit her. I’m really excited!
2. Salt Lake City! I’ve only driven through, and a good friend lives there. I want to visit her and her family!
3. Melbourne, Australia! Same reason!
4. Alabamalama… Sensing a theme here, aren’t you?
5. Antarctica! Ha! No, seriously, I do want to go there. Don’t know anyone there, just want to see the place. It’s got me curious!
6. England. I have friends in London, Manchester, and Scotland (yes, I know Scotland isn’t in England, but she’s English and I don’t know if she’ll BE in Scotland when I get there, so…)… You’re right, that didn’t make sense. Let’s just say England, Ireland, Scotland, and leave it at that.
7. Toronto, Canada. I have a friend there I want to visit, and it’s an amazing place! I’ve done a lot of research and really want to explore it!
8. Madison, Wisconsin. One of my novels is set there, and I’d like to go back for more research. Besides; it’s a beautiful town!
9. Chicago. Oh, wait. I live here.
10. I’d like to visit Europe, all over the place. I can’t do that in only one visit, so… I guess I’ll just spend my life exploring it!
11. St. Petersburg, Russia. I want to see Tsarskoe Selo and the Hermitage, walk the canals, and shake my fist at the statue of Peter the Great… o.O
12. Kiev. It’s the seat of Slavic culture on earth and I wanna go!
13. China. Big place, I know, but I’d love to toodle around the whole thing. The south farm country is gorgeous, and I’d love to see Beijing, Shanghai… I even want to visit Hong Kong.
I ran out of TT, but there’s more places I wanna go! ~jumps up and down~
Happy TT!
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Night Is A Harsh Mistress, Chapter 16
Chapter 16 of The Night Is A Harsh Mistress, featuring Rachel Carmichael, is up on the Writer's Retreat Blog. Enjoy!
Chapter 16: You Know That Saying, ‘Don’t Poke the Bear’?
Chapter 16: You Know That Saying, ‘Don’t Poke the Bear’?
Friday, January 8, 2010
Wiggins: A Cop Tale
What do writers do when we’re bored or seeking inspiration? We do what any self-respecting sports fan would understand: we challenge each other to duels!
Originally posted on the Romance Divas forum, one of the top writing-related forums on the internet, this challenge came about because I failed to step backward fast enough when the Captain asked for volunteers.
That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it!
Well, okay, this is my story, but hope you enjoy!
Original Challenge, issued by Jess Granger, Thursday, January 07, 2010:
“Thank you for calling Chicago 311 Emergency Response. Please state the nature of your emergency.” Calysta, the nametag read, sounded heartily bored.
I resisted rolling my eyes. First week on the job and it didn’t do to make waves, particularly about employee attitudes.
“A what, ma’am?” Calysta blurted, interrupting my train of thought.
I met her eyes and she moved the gum in her mouth over to one cheek, like I wouldn’t be able to tell she had it in her mouth.
“Jessup! In here!” my lieutenant shouted from her office.
“Yessir!” I answered automatically.
Crap. ‘Sir.’ I called her sir! Nothing for it. Just getcher ass in there, Jessup, but sweet butter on a biscuit was the Lieutenant sensitive about her rank and place in a male-dominated department. Even if I was female, I’d cut no points for calling her ‘sir.’
I felt the presence the minute I stepped in the room and froze in the doorway.
“Della Jessup, this is your new partner. Wiggins, say hello to Della.”
“Hello…” The voice whispered and hissed through the room like a nineteen fifties bad monster movie ghost voice, eerie in all the right places. I felt a shiver travel up my back, around my neck, and down my front, tightening both nipples on its way by.
Gods I hate that!
“I want you to take Wiggins to the meetup, Jessup.”
“Lieutenant, there’s nothing here!”
“Oh?” a voice asked. And it wasn’t the Lieutenant.
Frickin’ ghosts. Never should have allowed them on the force. Damned ADA regulations stipulated no discrimination on account of any disability, including the bodily challenged.
“All right, Wiggins. Come with me. We have to meet –” I broke off, mid-sentence, because I saw it again. The same black-haired waif I’d been seeing everywhere since yesterday, following me in Trader Joes, following me to LA Fitness, following me to my carport, following me!
“Jessup?” Wiggins murmured.
“Do you see it?” I realized the second it left my mouth, how is a ghost supposed to ‘see’ without any eyes, but I let it stand.
“What?”
“The kid, there…” I pointed, but of course, poof, no black hair. No waif. No stinkin’ kid! “Come on,” I snarled instead, leading the way back out to my cruiser, first stopping to pick up my sidearm from the security lockup.
“Sign here, Della,” Sergeant Whiska ordered.
“Sergeant, when did you get an earring?” I scratched my nose. Earrings were non-regulation on duty, just like gum, but…
The feline grin that appeared after my question startled me and I had to resist the urge to step back. His teeth looked sharp! “Like it?”
“Um…”
“Beautiful,” Wiggins susurrated.
Whiska flicked all of his fur in a wave down his back. The glossy reddish brown flashed in the light and I had to physically put my hands in my pockets to avoid petting him. After the evolutionary jump that let cats speak, they now had equal status with humans. One did not pet a fully accredited Sergeant of the Chicago Police Department.
Not if one wanted to keep their hand, anyway.
Whiska handed through another piece of paper and I took it automatically. Then I looked at it; the loopy calligraphy beautiful. And pink. Pink? “What’s this?”
His grin widened. “Jezebel agreed to marry me! That’s your wedding invitation!”
“When’s the shower?” I asked curiously, eyes on the invitation.
He hissed. “I don’t like water.”
“No, silly. The wedding shower?”
“Oh. I don’t know yet.”
“Maybe we’ll throw one for you,” Wiggins put in.
On that note… “I have to run, Sergeant. Thank you for this. I’ll see you later!”
My car had chilled to ice in the hour it sat in the lot, thankfully free of the snowstorm. First Blizzard of the New Decade, the news called it. I rolled my eyes.
“Where are we going?” Wiggins asked once we sat down.
Uh, once I sat down. Wiggins… wafted, I guess. “National City Bank, then the Bank of Ireland. Seems the regulators want some police presence. We’re close to an indictment.”
“On what?”
“Money laundering.”
“Mmm.” Wiggins sounded thoughtful, though I still couldn’t see anything in the car with me. “Perhaps you should not tell them of my presence.”
“How come?” I asked.
“I could be of some use, perhaps.”
“Sounds good.” I shivered as I pulled onto the main street, clogged with new snow. Here’s hoping Wiggins didn’t give the bankers the… well. What was I supposed to say now? Willies?
Yeah, I did that, and Lieutenant would find me a trained ape by that name for a partner.
Nevermind. Forget I thought it.
We turned onto Columbus Drive, both lost in thought.
Originally posted on the Romance Divas forum, one of the top writing-related forums on the internet, this challenge came about because I failed to step backward fast enough when the Captain asked for volunteers.
That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it!
Well, okay, this is my story, but hope you enjoy!
Original Challenge, issued by Jess Granger, Thursday, January 07, 2010:
“Your hero/heroine just got a job working in supernatural law enforcement. Lately they've been having some trouble with Leprechauns running a money laundering scheme for a bunch of investment bankers/vampires. Your hero/heroine is just about to meet with a new partner for the undercover operations when she/he suspects someone is following...
Please include a feral cat with a notch in his ear, a wedding invitation, and the phrase ‘sweet butter on a biscuit.’”
“Thank you for calling Chicago 311 Emergency Response. Please state the nature of your emergency.” Calysta, the nametag read, sounded heartily bored.
I resisted rolling my eyes. First week on the job and it didn’t do to make waves, particularly about employee attitudes.
“A what, ma’am?” Calysta blurted, interrupting my train of thought.
I met her eyes and she moved the gum in her mouth over to one cheek, like I wouldn’t be able to tell she had it in her mouth.
“Jessup! In here!” my lieutenant shouted from her office.
“Yessir!” I answered automatically.
Crap. ‘Sir.’ I called her sir! Nothing for it. Just getcher ass in there, Jessup, but sweet butter on a biscuit was the Lieutenant sensitive about her rank and place in a male-dominated department. Even if I was female, I’d cut no points for calling her ‘sir.’
I felt the presence the minute I stepped in the room and froze in the doorway.
“Della Jessup, this is your new partner. Wiggins, say hello to Della.”
“Hello…” The voice whispered and hissed through the room like a nineteen fifties bad monster movie ghost voice, eerie in all the right places. I felt a shiver travel up my back, around my neck, and down my front, tightening both nipples on its way by.
Gods I hate that!
“I want you to take Wiggins to the meetup, Jessup.”
“Lieutenant, there’s nothing here!”
“Oh?” a voice asked. And it wasn’t the Lieutenant.
Frickin’ ghosts. Never should have allowed them on the force. Damned ADA regulations stipulated no discrimination on account of any disability, including the bodily challenged.
“All right, Wiggins. Come with me. We have to meet –” I broke off, mid-sentence, because I saw it again. The same black-haired waif I’d been seeing everywhere since yesterday, following me in Trader Joes, following me to LA Fitness, following me to my carport, following me!
“Jessup?” Wiggins murmured.
“Do you see it?” I realized the second it left my mouth, how is a ghost supposed to ‘see’ without any eyes, but I let it stand.
“What?”
“The kid, there…” I pointed, but of course, poof, no black hair. No waif. No stinkin’ kid! “Come on,” I snarled instead, leading the way back out to my cruiser, first stopping to pick up my sidearm from the security lockup.
“Sign here, Della,” Sergeant Whiska ordered.
“Sergeant, when did you get an earring?” I scratched my nose. Earrings were non-regulation on duty, just like gum, but…
The feline grin that appeared after my question startled me and I had to resist the urge to step back. His teeth looked sharp! “Like it?”
“Um…”
“Beautiful,” Wiggins susurrated.
Whiska flicked all of his fur in a wave down his back. The glossy reddish brown flashed in the light and I had to physically put my hands in my pockets to avoid petting him. After the evolutionary jump that let cats speak, they now had equal status with humans. One did not pet a fully accredited Sergeant of the Chicago Police Department.
Not if one wanted to keep their hand, anyway.
Whiska handed through another piece of paper and I took it automatically. Then I looked at it; the loopy calligraphy beautiful. And pink. Pink? “What’s this?”
His grin widened. “Jezebel agreed to marry me! That’s your wedding invitation!”
“When’s the shower?” I asked curiously, eyes on the invitation.
He hissed. “I don’t like water.”
“No, silly. The wedding shower?”
“Oh. I don’t know yet.”
“Maybe we’ll throw one for you,” Wiggins put in.
On that note… “I have to run, Sergeant. Thank you for this. I’ll see you later!”
My car had chilled to ice in the hour it sat in the lot, thankfully free of the snowstorm. First Blizzard of the New Decade, the news called it. I rolled my eyes.
“Where are we going?” Wiggins asked once we sat down.
Uh, once I sat down. Wiggins… wafted, I guess. “National City Bank, then the Bank of Ireland. Seems the regulators want some police presence. We’re close to an indictment.”
“On what?”
“Money laundering.”
“Mmm.” Wiggins sounded thoughtful, though I still couldn’t see anything in the car with me. “Perhaps you should not tell them of my presence.”
“How come?” I asked.
“I could be of some use, perhaps.”
“Sounds good.” I shivered as I pulled onto the main street, clogged with new snow. Here’s hoping Wiggins didn’t give the bankers the… well. What was I supposed to say now? Willies?
Yeah, I did that, and Lieutenant would find me a trained ape by that name for a partner.
Nevermind. Forget I thought it.
We turned onto Columbus Drive, both lost in thought.
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