Realms of the Raven

Start = 238
Today = 236.5
To Go = 73.5

Down 1/2 lb this week - not too bad considering I had ice cream yesterday and I’m stress eating a bit at work as I try to wind down from current day job so I can start new day job. Trying to not let it be excessive.

Still need to drink more water - I get distracted and don’t get more when my glass is empty.

Well, I didn’t get as much done today as I had hoped but, hey, I rarely get as much done as I hope. Definitely a case of the mind is weak and the flesh is weaker. I spent most of the day with The Morganator because C was participating in a protest (read stand on streetcorner and wave signs) against the building of a motocross track in our area. There are a lot of issues, not just a case of NIMBY - including things like it being unknown what wastes have been dumped at the site and the fact this is not an area even zoned for that type of use. But I’ll not bore you too much - you can read more here if you want to - but suffice it to say that took C away for part of the day.

Then there’s a Barleywine festival he wanted to go to with friends. I’m decidedly no fun because I rarely drink and hops give me hives (literally) so I opted for the gentle company of The Morganator for that, too.

On the other hand, once he had collapsed (just prior to bedtime so he could be nicely whiney when I’m trying to get him into pajamas), I got our taxes done. One thing of my time-critical list. We get money back, too, which is always good. If I start making a decent amount of money writing, I’ll need to pay estimated taxes, I can tell.

Now on to RWH while I’m alone and before I get bogged down in some procrastination technique or the others….

In the process of conducting the archeaological experiment required prior to moving to a new office at my day job, I found my handwritten book of older poetry. In the same spirit of “I have to do something with it” that has caused me problems in the past, I’ve put up some of it on my website.

This, of course, required a bit of a revamp of the website.

Between that and some photoshop mucking about for a friend, I managed to waste the whole night and only get the editing done on the latest parts of Raven’s White Hart.

Hopefully tonight will be more productive!

I saw this terrific blog post by Deanna Hoak, a freelance copyeditor, in which she gives a summary of what things you can do in the formatting of your manuscript to make your copyeditor happy.

Well written and a few things I’d not really noticed before. Give it a read here..

Well, I got that new day job that I was jonesing for and went to their team meeting yesterday. What a hoot. I don’t think I’ve ever been made to feel more welcome or wanted, honestly. I liked the personalities, I liked the senses of humor. I think I’m going to like it here.

The only downside might be that more work hours… but I’ll cope!

Ever have one of THOSE days. I woke up crabby today and it shows no signs of getting better. I was already annoyed that when trying to work on my last chapter edits of RWH, I was literally falling asleep. I did stop and go to bed because I know I do crappy work when half asleep anyway and I’d only have to fix things again later.

I have cramps from hell today. The only thing I miss about pregnancy was not having cramps - well, not until those hugely killer ones at 9.5 months (yes - .5 - I was ready to throw myself in front of a bus).

Right now I’m wishing desperately for some cosmis OFF button. I’ll sign 100 waivers. I’ll swear that the factory is closed…. Can’t it just STOP already? Unfortunately I’m most likely doomed to about 12 more years of it, if my mother is anything to judge by.

So I’m pissy. Very pissy. In pain. Chugging Advil. I really really want about 20 pieces of chocolate but I can’t have them and they actually don’t help. I know that. But I still want them NOW.

The co-workers have already been snarled at once. I shut my door and locked it after that. I really wanted to BITE someone - and not in any good way. Except they’re geeks and probably would taste awful and I’d lose my dayjob for some sort of harassment. But I think it would make me feel better - at least for a while. Instead I just locked them out.

By the end of the day, I might start seeing chocolate being shoved under the door….

Sigh

Raven’s White Hart is now 1/3 done! Yay!

One of my terrific (I think) new ideas has taken on a life of its own as well. It’s working name right now is “Berserker” but that may or may not change in the future. Right now I’m trying to just write down notes but I may surrender and plot it out if I keep picturing scenes for it. This is one I may use for agent submission because I think it’s more suited to full length single title that RWH is. But, as with all plans, things may change without warning.

Trying to resist, honest!

I got brave and went ahead and put up a blurb for Raven’s White Hart on my website. The very first thing in the Books page! LOL.

No excerpt yet because:
1) It’s not done
2) It’s not sold

You can read it here, if you are so inclined!

Week 1

Start = 238
Today = 237
ToGo = 74

I’m recovered, wounds licked to my satisfaction and now it’s back to writing. I still really want to finish the first draft of Raven’s White Hart by 3/30. Part of me wants to laze about and think I can get a huge amount of work done on the three days I have off work in two weeks but I know at least part of that time will be spent sleeping or lazing about the house. So I’d better get cracking again now….

Got some fun new ideas while I was sulking but I settled for writing them down - no new stories until this one is DONE.