bookmark_borderBeta Readers Rock!

I got Simple Sarah back from D and R. They did an awesome job of reading it, doing some proofing, and giving quality feedback. Exactly what I needed them to do.

I went over the printed manuscript. D had squished it from 365 pages w/ 12pt font and double space lines to 95 pages w/ itty bitty font and single space lines. Eeegads, I need new glasses! Oh, anyway, I went over it last night, glancing at their notes, mainly. They knew it was a rough draft so they didn’t feel the need to truly proof it, but they did note where errors were startling or oh so obvious. They made comments about how they felt about a scene, what lines they liked, where they got confused, etc. I laughed at some of the errors they found. Like, in the beginning, they go to a pub called The Cracked Mug. Later, I must have forgotten its name and thought it was The Broken Mug. One of them noted “Did the mug break from its crack?” In another place, the recruits are on a force jog/march and at their first break, their packs are inspected. I said “Three recruits were found to have not all the required contents.” Snort. What were they missing? A kidney or perhaps part of a liver? D and R just underlined it and put a question mark. No snide remark on that one.

Their biggest problem was the name of the nation. In its beginning as a nation, it starts out as “Einthobia” then later, the nation changes its name as “Thobia” to signify an important part of their history. Both D and R hated it. Absolutely cannot stand it. R disliked it the most and had a hard time with it throughout the book.

So I need to rename it, you reckon?

The other nations on this continent are:

Nations of the Coalition:

    Thobia – southwest
    Freehold – north central
    Algeanda – east of Thobia
    Confederacy of Domains – east of Algeanda
    Wain
    Venial Commonwealth – north of Wain, east of Freehold
    Frore
    Bohome – northwestern most

Suggestions? I could really use some help.

bookmark_borderTwelve Steps, Part Two

I’ve not gotten much done, at least not anything to take a photo of. Went through the mail, though. Found a $10.57 “rewards” card from Office Depot that is only good for a few more days. I tossed a lot, really. Put more in the “to-be-filed” box which is still full ’cause of that “to-be” part.

Professionalism is important in any job, even one where you sit at home and never see anyone. It is not just physical, tangible things like cleaning off a desk. It is a mind-set, too. I need to see myself as a professional, not someone who writes for a hobby. I will never get rich writing in the niche market. I accept that fact and don’t have that much of a problem with it. My friend Jill Myles will probably get paid more in the advance for her debut novel than I will ever get for all the books I write. I accept that fact. Mainstream publishing/writing is a cut-throat market with a LOT of competition.

I need to sit here with the idea that I am going to write something, anything, everyday. I’m considering starting back up the freewriting exercises again. Or perhaps a journal of sorts but not use any dates. (Else I get depressed when I see its been umpteen days/months since I last wrote in it.) By writing each day, I keep writing in the forefront of my mind. It starts to get more weight on the priority list.

bookmark_borderTwelve Steps

Not sure what those steps are, yet. But it seemed like an appropriate title.

Yesterday I said I would work on that one section of my desk and try to organize it some. Make some sense out of it. My implied goal was to make it so it can’t get like that again.

I had already gotten some bins to put stuff in. I lined them up on the recliner and started tossing stuff in.

My mail
Writer stuff
Lorna’s mail
Bills
To-Be-Filed
Cables and Doohickeys

My mail was easy. Most of it I will open then chuck. But I didn’t want to spend the time doing that now. First, I needed to see what was in there.

A LOT of to-be-filed stuff. A lot. Bunches. That bin’s lid won’t shut.

Into my Writer Stuff bin went my new business cards, my new return labels, some official correspondence from my publisher (I have files for that somewhere…) and then I put in some of my official ham radio stuff such as membership cards and a certificate. I have a box for those somewhere….

I tossed catalogs I knew I’d never get around to looking at. I found an issue to “Poets & Writers” that I don’t even remember getting.

Oh, and I found a LOT of “Hershey’s Really Nuts! Milk Chocolate Cocoa Peanuts” packages. Empty, of course. I also found several handfuls of soda bottle lids, some aquaria rec’ts, and ATM rec’ts from, like six months ago. And no, it was not just from that one section. I pulled papers out from under the monitor and from the shelf above it. My keyboard tray is raised (resting on Animal Wise by Ted Andrews) and underneath on both sides were bottle caps, twist-ties, and mutilated metal paper clips from when I needed to insert something into the router reset switch.

As a reminder, this is the before:

and this is the now:

The two bins in the crate are the Writer Stuff and the Cables and Doohickeys. The one in front is my mail that I am going to go through in the morning. I had Lorna empty my trash can so it has plenty of room. Also tomorrow, Part B of Step One, is to finish clearing out stuff from between the crate and the monitor and to do something with those cables!

For those of you who are now convinced I haven’t the ability to not only organize the professional part of my life, but certainly not capable of maintaining it, I present Exhibit A.

This is the stand for the 25 gallon fish tank. We added boards to the bottom and made a shelf. I then took all of my fish stuff and put them into the bins. The only fish stuff out (other than the tanks and fish, of course) are the wet cleaning things, the food, and a few meds that will spill if laid down. This organization has worked well for both me (where’d I put the….) and for Lorna (your fish crap is everywhere). This is basically what I will do to the desk space. Only it won’t smell like fish.

bookmark_borderProfessionalism

I’ve been reading a series of articles over at Georganna Hancock’s website, A Writer’s Edge. The posts have dealt with professional writers, or, rather, professionalism in writers.Those posts have gotten me to thinking and have created a wave in me that I hope continues to expand into a tsunami.

The posts are:
Are You a Professional Writer?
Paid Professional Writer Signs
Good Writers Get Organized

The first one is what really got me to thinking. In it, she says:

A general description of professionalism I once heard was that a professional does not let his or her emotions interfere with getting the job done. Being a pretty emotional person, that gave me pause! Here are some signs I look for to determine if a writer is professional:

* works regularly
* keeps records
* has business cards
* continues education
* progresses in quality of work
* interrupts schedule only for emergencies
* gets dressed daily
* designates a work space
* builds a network of professionals

Gets dressed daily and designates a work space were the two that jumped out the most. Perhaps this list should be looked at like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. What are the basics that need to be in place before the rest can happen? Removing talent and ability from the equation is a good place to start. Breathing and heartbeat are not included on Maslow’s chart. Thinking this over, I decided I needed to first designate a work space. The rest fall into place from there. Can’t keep records or work regularly if there’s no place to do either.

Taking a step back now for a second. One of the first things that must happen when a problem exists is to first admit that it exists. No elephants in the room or gorillas on the couch. Most addiction support groups have members start by admitting who they are. So, here goes.

Hello. I’m Paula. And I’m an unorganized pack rat who feels clutter is not a problem.

Hello, Paula.

To demonstrate this problem, and to not just SAY it, but to SHOW it so that I (and you) can see how far I have fallen. It will also serve to show how far (or how little) I have climbed up.

WARNING! Do not click “read more” if you have OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) or feel that dust is a sign of the devil. The following images are not pretty. Hell, they border on unsanitary.

Continue reading “Professionalism”

bookmark_borderBlue Ridge Parkway

Lorna decided we needed to spend money on gasoline so we headed up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Wonderful drive and scenery! We took the camera, three PB&Js, Sam, Joella, water for the dogs and a bug jug o’ tea for us. We grabbed chips when we got gas.

We got on at about mile marker 382 and stopped by the Folk Art Center for a map and a newsletter. We continue north to the Craggy Gardens (MP 364). We get out to stretch a bit and take some photos as well as get information about the hikes in that area.

The Craggy Visitors Center is right on the side of the road, unlike most other places on the Parkway. Lorna crossed the road to take some photos of that side.

You can see the effects of the drought from the low water line of the lake below.

These are trees just beyond the parking area. They are twisted and leaning from the wind. It is around 5000 foot there, I think.

This is the view beyond them:

Continue reading “Blue Ridge Parkway”

bookmark_borderWhat I Did Thursday

I was scheduled for my first colonoscopy. The specialist (AKA Gut Doc) wanted to do it to see if he could find any diverticula or any other abnormalities to explain my problems.

I had to drink this foul drink called “Colyte” the night before and the morning of. I managed to drink the first half (of four liters) Wednesday night. However, Thursday morning all plans were tossed out the window. I awoke at 5:00 (Lorna woke me to get started on the drink) to a roaring migraine. I was also nauseous which doesn’t happen too often during my migraines, thank God.

Continue reading “What I Did Thursday”

bookmark_borderSaving Energy

From TreeHugger:

All-Nighter PCs Cost U.S. Businesses $1.7 Billion
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 07. 6.07

Forcing your PC to pull another pointless all-nighter isn’t just polluting, it’s also a waste of money. Make that a lot of money. Nearly half of all corporate computers in the United States don’t get turned off at night, costing U.S. businesses $1.72 billion in annual energy costs and spewing 14.4 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per year, according to a new report.

Let’s give those numbers some context: A midsize company with around 10,000 PCs wastes more than $165,000 per year in electricity costs for computers left on overnight, while contributing 1,381 tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Giving those same computers a breather every night would have roughly the same effect as taking 2.58 million cars off the road, which is more than the number of autos zipping around the entire state of Maryland.

full article

Halifax to Vancouver in a Smart Car
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 9.07

6,158 kilometres or 3826 miles, from coast to coast, on only 337 litres or 89 gallons of gas in nine days. John Leblanc and his 14 year old daughter Olivia drove it across prairies and over the Rockies. “I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I was a little anxious about how the Smart’s minimal power was going to handle crossing the Rockies’ higher elevations.” and he was originally nervous about the big trucks and SUV’s on the highways,”but instead of counting on the vehicle’s crashworthiness to get us to the West Coast in one piece, I drove the Smart like I drive any car that’s not mine: look as far down the road as possible and give everyone else lots of room.” He concludes “Yet, other than crossing steep mountain passes, or keeping up with the reality of fast highway traffic, the 40 hp Smart never felt overwhelmed. For Olivia and myself, and a week’s worth of luggage, the ForTwo was more than capable as a way to travel the country economically.”

This just demonstrates the silliness of the American car manufacturers and their Washington poodles who can’t hit an average of 35 MPG in twelve years. Imagine: 89 gallons of gas to cross the entire country and you can do that right now in comfort and style

link to article

Note: that’s “only” 42MPG. The Toyota Echo (and other similar cars) gets about the same, if not more.

bookmark_borderSay What?

Got this from an email list:

We’ll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;
but the plural of ox became oxen not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
yet the plural of moose should never be meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice;
yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
why shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen?

If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet,
and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
why shouldn’t the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
and the plural of cat is cats, not cose.

We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
but though we say mother we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
but imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim.

##

Some reasons to be grateful if you grew up speaking English:

The bandage was wound around the wound.
The farm was used to produce produce.
The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
We must polish the Polish furniture. He could lead if he would get the lead out.
The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
There is no time like the present, he said it was time to present the present.
At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a bass drum.

When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
I did not object to the object.
The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
They were too close to the door to close it.
The buck does funny things when the does are present.
A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number.
Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
I spent last evening evening out a pile of dirt.

##

Let’s face it – English is a crazy language.

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren’t invented in England.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quick sand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce and hammers don’t ham? Doesn’t it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?

If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?

Have noses that run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wiseguy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

If Dad is Pop, how come, Mom isn’t Mop?
GO FIGURE! That’s American English.

bookmark_borderSpirit Guide

Your Score: The Deer

Here’s your results! Your spirit animal has a Nobility ranking of 10 out of 18.

Your spirit animal is the deer. They are a respectable and beautiful animal. They are fearful and timid at times and are considered as having only slightly above average nobility and wisdom. The deer is a fairly common guardian, and you can feel proud knowing it will serve you well.

***Wondering how this animal was chosen for you? These questions were carefully thought out to see how important you hold certain virtues such as: humanism, self-knowledge, rationalism, the love of freedom and other somewhat Hellenic ideals. Some of the questions were very subtle. Your score was then matched with an animal of corresponding nobility. However, you shouldn’t think this was a right/wrong sort of test, but more of an idealistic values test. It’s ok to not hold these values, you’ll just get an animal spirit of lower stature if you do!***

Link: The What is Your Spirit Animal Test written by FindingEros