So spank me--I didn't get it done

I didn't get my writing done yesterday. I got two sentences out, but forcing myself to write doesn't always work. I've had this happen to me before and I wouldn't call it writers block exactly. I sometimes have trouble when I don't agree with what's happening in the story or about to happen in this case.

In Blood Ties, I got hung up on the torture scene. It was necessary to the story, but I had to squeak out every page in the beginning.

Now, I have written a few m/m scenes so I don't think that's my hold up. I feel like I am fighting with the writing because of the forced sex scene. It's not a captive love scene and not rape but neither of my characters want to do it, so having me force them feels wrong.

Well, I plan to take the day off and spend it with my family today. I'll try again on Monday.

Day 5 of my 30 days of Pain

Oh geez, so today is day 5 of my promised blog a thon. I can hear a steady chant in my head "You're not gonna make it." over and over again. I am trying to shut it up so I can just focus and write. I usually start out my day by getting coffee, getting my daughter settled, and then catching up on email and a few favorite blogs. There's one that was really good to share.

On the Gen Reality blog a NYT bestseller shows her royalty statement for the whole world to see. I can't tell you how excellent this information is. No one will break it down for you so simply. You have to go see for yourself and when you are done support her by buying the book.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Twilight-Fall/Lynn-Viehl/e/9780451412591/?itm=6

Today's to do list means writing a m/m scene. (Somebody hold me!) I am not good at those. I will probably write it in three layers. Writing out the dialogue first, then the tag lines and the physical and environment characteristics last. Yeah, it takes me forever to get through these scenes but I am not very good at the gay sex scenes yet. Maybe I need to read a few more.

Good news! My writing partner has a Revise and resubmit request from our publisher, and I'm so excited and proud of her. Hopefully she will get a contract soon and I can tell you more about it later.

By the way, Romance writers rock! Some of the sweetest and most supportive friends I have are romance writers. I can't tell you how proud I am to be a part of this industry!

What was I thinking?

30 days of blogging solid? What was I thinking? Nothing I have to say can be that important that you'd want to listen to me everyday and yet here I am blathering.

I'm tired, cranky, and probably catching what my daughter had last week so excuse my grumpiness. Coffee should fix my mood, but the self doubt can only be changed by success.

Today, I hope to do a number of things. Top of the list is to change the kitty litter. I have to wait for a store to open to buy new kitty litter. What I won't do for my family.


There was a lice outbreak at my daughters school, so I also want to buy some hairbands to make putting her up a little more fun. Today she was in tears because of the way I did her hair in pigtails. Tears! It wasn't fashionable--wasn't the way she wanted it.

I have to ask myself was I this difficult? All I want is to reduce the chances of getting lice from another child. Having your hair up helps. This wasn't meant to be a battle of wills or an educational blip on nasty critters that live in your hair, but it turned out to be both. She is at the age where she is full of questions. Why don't boys have to put up their hair? What happens to me if I don't wear my hair in a ponytail? What if...



Time to forget it all and just write.

Todays scene is in Elvis Makes Three. Kurt is helping Lynne to set up her classroom for when she goes back from Winter Break.

To blog or not to blog?

I can't tell you how much I think I should be blogging more. It instills a habit of writing regularly and often. It's good to reach out to other people and sometimes writing about an issue in life or your story helps you work through that tough point, but I have been slacking lately.

For the month of November, I am going to try to change my lazy self indulgent ways and post something every day.

It may not be good, or even worth reading, but it will help me get back in the zone.

For now I have a major to do list that is ever growing, both in my writing world and the real world:

1.Write dinner scene in Gold Fever II
2.Write angry confrontation between Kurt and Lynne
3.Catch up on dishes
4.Fold laundry
5.Unstinkify the cat litter (for which kitty would be most grateful)
6.Change first chapter in Hellbent to describe how girl got taken to cult. I think she's going to be a romance writer.
7.Get back to Timeswept

Tuesday afternoon

You know it's funny, even when I mean to blog, sometimes I don't always get around to it. I think, yeah this event was cool in my life, but is it blogworthy.

Sure it's the superbowl, but does that make it blogworthy? Not everyone is into sports. Not everyone is into once a year opportunities. Not everyone will even bother to read this but here I go to waste my time to write about it. When I could be spending time with my family or better yet writing mroe stories. It's tough to make time and to use it wisely in this business. Especially when you have so many hats you are expected to wear as a writer. You have to write, blog, market, mysepace and blast your books on all the social media outlets. Then show up to booksigings, conventions, and other special events.

Agh.

Multi-tasking can lead to things not getting done, or done well.

It's frustrating to say the least but then I think I need to put my loyalty and my time in the one thing I can control. My writing. I can write more and put out more stories or better quality stories and ultimately perhaps increase my readership.

How do you find a great book? Videos anyone?

Well tonight I made a great discovery! I found a place where I can look at books on video! Check it out here:

www.watchthebook.com

Forget looking at the cover, or reading through a lengthy blurb, you can now watch a video to figure out if that book is worth buying.

Very cool stuff!

I created a video tonight for Cowboys Don't Dance and you can see it here:

If it weren't for bad luck

I would probably have no luck at all. My children seemed to inherit my luck.

Some people don't believe in luck. Some people say they make their own luck. I believe in magic and little things like fate or destiny. So yeah, call me superstitious, but I give heed to little things that might not bother someone else.

Yesterday could have been better, but then again isn't it the 31st? and when I think about it, isn't 31 the reverse of 13? A very unlucky number according to many superstitious people.

Let me start of with the beginning of my day. First the dogs got let out by my older child. Now, let me remind you that it has been raining on and off for the last two weeks. Our backyard is a mudpit. Which the dogs have been playing in true calabunga style. Mudwhomping and rolling and running to produce ten foot high splash zones.

I went downstairs to look at them through the glass doors and made an instantaneous decision that they would not be coming inside today. Covered in mud from head to toe, they looked like little aliens with dreadlocks matted with mud as thick around as a 45 calibur bullet. Ugh. They would have to stay outside until I had the opportunity to deal with them.

I had to prioritize and right then it was more important to take my daughter trick or treating and spend time with family. So off to gandma's house we went. After dressing both girls up in their costumes, we prepared to leave, but my oldest daughter was complaining of a headache.

She never complains. So I had the suspicion she might be getting sick, but she didn't have a fever and didn't look awful. We could deal with a headache. I gave her some aspirin. When that didn't work, I bought some caffeinated soda just in case she was going through a caffeine withdrawal. It didn't work, so I made her take a nap, hoping to sleep it off.

I had a hard time leaving her alone, but knew sleep was probably the best thing for her. None of my little remedies worked. Worse, when she woke up she had a fever. Her headache was worse than ever. She was sensitive to light and sounds, coughing, nauseous, and just plain miserable.

So because a few hours had passed, I dosed her with Ibuprofin this time and we headed off to the ER. No trick or treating for this little girl. By the time we got home, it was all over. That also meant for the baby's first Halloween she had to sit this one out.

I feel badly that she had to sit out on one of the few nights a year dedicated to children and it seems when she gets sick, its more likely to happen on the weekend, or during a holiday, or a spring break. Last year for Christmas morning she was throwing up. We didn't get to play with her toys for several days, she just had to rest and get better.

Well, you'd think that was bad enough, but when we got home our night of fun was not over. As soon as I opened my car door, I was greeted by a cold wet dog nose.

Apparently, our dogs were busy assaulting trick or treaters in our neighborhood while we were gone. The lock wasn't on the gate, so they opened it. You would think the kids were bad enough, but there was also a really rancid skunk odor, that was lasting proof the dogs were too stupid to live. Somehow, they managed to get sprayed by a skunk! I will have to send an apology letter to each and every one of my neighbors now.

Agh! Stinky stupid dogs. I rounded them back up in the backyard and put off the bath till tomorrow. I still had kids to put to bed and no patience to deal with stinky stupid dogs.

The next day I dealt with them and it was no easy task. The dogs are a lot smarter than I give them credit for. I had it all organized, hoping to limit the mess, but none of my plans worked. I was outwitted from the start. It's two against one, you understand. They escaped from the dog kennel. Twice. Each time, they had to run upstairs and then shake off their wet doggy fur all over my house. Evemtually I gave up and stuck them in the bathroom. About ten minutes later they decided they had enough, opened the door and came in to greet us. Finally my hubby intervened and used zip ties to keep the kennel doors shut.

Whew. What a morning.

Do any of you know a way to change a person's luck? I am willing to try anything short of voo-doo magic and bathing myself in chicken blood.