Site is under construction. I changed my theme and like a dumbass I lost my content…Thanks for your patience!
Down below is a picture of my sweet Missy America to hold you over! Although truthfully, she would bite your face off for any perceived slight. LOL She crossed the rainbow bridge last year at the ripe old age of sixteen. I still see her around the house, curled up on my feet, and hear her nails on the kitchen floor.
But – that’s impossible, isn’t it?
Not if you’re me.
AND yes, I know the picture is 10 years old… JC , I blinked and that was all she wrote for how incredibly fast time has passed. I posted it because both Missy and I were in our prime… LOL
What a dumbass – no instructions for me – I know how to do this!
The books tab is working – the most important. So does the blog and other fun stuff which currently has 2 messed up invalid pages that I have to figure out…
Newsflash Yvonne: This month is a short one – check the calendar to remember your posting date. (And so, date checked – it’s today and my turn to post ) It’s very late in afternoon – but post I will nonetheless. I didn’t have anything planned in concrete yet and so in order to expedite the blog – I shall post what was…
I was on Twitter earlier this month and found out February is Women in Horror Month. Well, that’s right up my alley and I started posting about it.
Right up my alley – but….
You should see the scenes cut OUT of my books! For various reasons but usually because of the graphic nature – and not the romance kind. You get to read the cleaned up – shiny versions. 🙂
I made myself a magazine cover! From Scratch. And…
And why wouldn’t football be watched Heaven? I’ve heard there were Angels in the outfield and when Kevin Costner built it, they came. *snicker*
I do wonder though – do they watch it knowing in advance who was going to win?
Or do they just kick it and watch for the entertainment value with whatever snack they loved in this life – but without calories – I’m sure there aren’t any calories in Heaven. Or indigestion.
Hey, it’s my version.
Many of you know I’m a huge Hawks fan. It was hard not to be when my wife had lived in the area for her entire life. Then add my very best friend who also grew up there and the air was thick with loyalty and instant adrenaline. Bremerton knew how to throw a football party!
But – I digress. (and you knew that would happen…)
Head on over to Jae’s website for an awesome contest! Solve crosswords and win books. The great thing is that this runs all year long! How freaking cool is that? AND (yay!) Some of my books are going to be up for you to win. Spread the word – there are a HUGE amount of authors involved this year. So, what are you waiting for? Go now. Come play!
Keep scrolling to read what they’re saying about Meet Me in the Middle…
*Lorraine R. has won Tuesday’s drawing. Fear not – LOL the rest of your names are still in the drawing all week! It would be very cool if you could repost tomorrow – thank you!
*BOASIE8- up for Weds! Cora & Jenny – you’re up for Thursday and Friday. Jeanne * you have an honorary win for engaging!
Here’s the skinny: I’d been cruising the internet and saw a link to my series of blog posts written during the crazy a** Nano month. It made me laugh and that’s when I decided to start the Hall of Fame. Why mess with something good, right? Ha-ha! No, seriously. With no further chit chat – and a commentary to nod at the present whenever possible – here we go into the Hall of Fame. Though originally written on Day 11 of the NaNo – today is officially Day 13 – so I’m late, hush.
NaNoWriMo and the ADD Author
Well, it’s Day 11 in the National Novel Writing Month journey. The frantic “Write 50,000 words in 30 days” challenge. Last time I wrote about plugging into the collective energy so to speak – and aspiring writers and authors around the world are sitting in front of their keyboards, tablets, laptops, and notebooks – in a creative frenzy to answer the challenge.
I see only one problem with this, and it’s a Universal Law: What goes up – must come down.
Down, down, down.
I’m at that point when I’m asking myself why the hell I thought I should do this again. It’s kind of like childbirth, if you remembered how much it hurt, you’d never, ever – do it again.
Because that would be crazy, right?
I was riding high, writing in a frenzy, pulling ahead of the daily par, and entering my word count faithfully – up to five times a day. (Hey, I’m obsessive like that.) I also write things I’ve already done on a list so I can cross them off and feel accomplished.
That’s just me.
Anyway, here comes the hard part.
Staying plugged in.
For me, writing is very emotional. I dive right into my character’s heads while ripping out experiences from my soul. It’s exhausting for me. I can write a scene that lays me flat for the rest of the day – Jello-brained.
But I can’t let that stop me, oh no. I peel myself off the couch and do it again the next day.
Hell, let’s be honest here. My back hurts, my butt is asleep, and I have a wife whom I love very much (and get to see very little.) We have different schedules. Any experienced NaNo’er will tell you, having a life during this month is hard. I’m obsessed on the word count. My mind races constantly in order to keep up with it. I’m trying to structure a novel that’s worth reading, juggling wifely duties, and at this point, it seems that everything else in the world is in cahoots to distract me from my goal.
Mostly me.
This last week, I was sitting in my recliner, and my mind would not shut off. My muse was agitated and screaming at me to draw. I have made a couple of gifts over the last few years to give to members of my family, but it was art I’d already done. Not any new stuff.
Macy, the muse, (named such because it rhymes with-racy :)) revved her engines – then screeched out of “writing” gear, burning rubber before popping into “artist” mode.
“No!” I tell her. “I have a word count to keep. I must keep you focused.” (Hey, I tried.)
Macy loves to argue with me, and she usually wins, but that’s because I like to keep her happy, she sticks around that way. Anyone who has ever spent any time in front of a blank page knows the deal. I don’t even want to tell you what I’ve had to bribe her with in the past.
We go into the office, and then begin the near-futile search for drawing supplies. If you saw my office – where everything in the rest of the house comes to die – you would totally understand my dilemma. Not only have we made a cross country trip move from Washington to Alabama, we also moved from Alabama to Texas. Before each trip, I tried to organize, and each trip, I gave away more of my personal belongings – including craft supplies. Space over function, that’s what they tell me – but everyone knows that she who dies with the most craft supplies – wins.
I had reluctantly gave up my place in that contest and parted with my paints, pencils, watercolors, art books, tubs of various paper, and other assorted stuff which took up at least four purple tubs. At this point, I can’t find my existing work either.
While I’m in the closet with my head down and my ass in the air, I realize – man, I have to clean this stuff out. Clothes start flying out, shoes, boxes, and… OH LOOK what I found! I forgot I had this pretty, glass-antiquey thing hiding in here. What was I thinking? This needs to go in the living room where I can appreciate it!
I step over the clothes, around the boxes, and took it into the kitchen to clean it up. I put said thingy on the counter – but wait – there’s the dinner dishes. I have to wash those first because the shiny thing is too big to fit in the sink. I need a dishtowel, but there’s none in the drawer. I have to go into the garage and see if I even put them in the dryer, or forgot them (again) in the washer – at which point, I have to wash them again.
Wait.
I was talking about the NaNo.
Do you SEE how easy it is to distract the ADD author?
I’ll get to my point.
The big difference between last year and this – is that I have author buddies now. They are priceless to me as they help keep me sane.
On paper anyway.
There’s a whole to be said about camaraderie.
This month, we have writing blitzes on FB wherein we race to see who can make the word count for the day. It helps keeps us accountable, and give (or take) encouragement as it’s needed.
I’m also crazy lucky to have Jove Belle in my life, because she totally rocks. If I’m off and running on a tangent (who me?) she brings me back to earth (kinda) and helps me redirect my focus. She’s also a great brainstorming partner.
And what’s with the people who say they’ve finished already? Really? What is their secret? They must be far more disciplined than I. The thought of writing over ten thousand words a day – gives me an instant headache and would leave me in an emotionally wrecked puddle on the floor.
Anyway, back to the point – which I’ve totally forgotten.
Oh yes, word count – and surviving the NaNo.
Hell with it, my mind went blank and I’m flying by the seat of my pants – again.
Damn it, Macy has run off. If you see her, don’t let her in. She’s been known to be a little dangerous at times, has a little sadistic streak, and a tendency to take you places you really don’t want to go.
Trust me on this.
Send her home.
TODAY: November 13th, 2019 – Unfortunately – I dropped out of NaNo this year. I have lots of excuses but no real justification other than I’m still like a gnat on crack and it’s been hectic and difficult. I could keep going but why ruin the fun of the NaNo high? 🙂
Happy Samhain! Or close enough anyway. I don’t have a lot to say about it other than I’ll set a place for Dezi at the table on the 31st 🙂 Not my favorite holiday. The veil is thin and I’m usually confronted by something or other in more ways than one.
(Its ok… I’ll go and sage and put up my protection after I post this. )
So, we’ll postpone the writing prompt party for this month and post about the NaNoWriMo instead! This tidbit was originally published in 2013 but I find it still applicable:
It’s ALMOST November, and the National Novel Writing Month, also known as The NaNo, is upon us.
Ready to plug in?
Across the vast internet, social networking sites, and personal blogs, you will find encouragement, advice, and inspiration. You can almost hear the screams of frustration, see the overflowing ashtrays, empty coffee cups, snack wrappers, and feel the ripping sensation of authors round the world staring at an empty page and tearing at the hair.
I have a great imagination:)
Oh yeah, I’m also an Empath.
For me, The NanoWriMo is so much more than a contest, or gimmick, or mere momentary connection.
I enjoy the pull of anticipation of people coming together, plugging in, to accomplish a common goal: Write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.
The first time I joined in on the challenge, I hadn’t been published yet – it was just a faraway dream for “someday.” But my muse woke up, plugged herself into the manic energy, and brought me hope. Could this event be the motivation for that elusive day?
1667 words a day, for 30 days. Sounds simple doesn’t it?
Ha!
My first year, I wrote a story about six women stranded on an island. Each of them had a detailed background, and a point-of-view which I expertly wove throughout the entire story.
Believe that?
Sucker.
I sat on the back screened porch and wrote furiously on yellow tablets throughout the day, and entered them into a document faithfully the next morning. Some nights I would have twenty two pages to put in.
I was proud of myself, and updating that word count was instant gratification for me. Here was something that I could point to and say “See? I can do this!” Maybe, writing a book is not such an unattainable goal.
I liked being accountable – to myself. Here was something I was good at – and at that point in my life, I needed to know I was good at something. I needed some new goals and achievements I could be proud of. The NaNo gave me permission to unleash the stuff going on in my head – to give a voice to the characters I’d created through the years, and then chained the dungeon of “someday.”
See? This is how the Universe works for me. I talked last week about how circumstances and fate kept putting me in the same places as Sandy. If we missed one opportunity, looking back – I can see where another one was offered in its place.
So, the NaNo gave me a short term goal, with quick results – not something for next year, or maybe five years from now. It allowed me to create something out of the chaos.
I reached for and exceeded, the 50,000 word challenge that year. It gave me a profound feeling of accomplishment, one I hadn’t experienced since I was a young girl. One I truly and desperately needed in order to come out of the dark.
I guess my point in this: I couldn’t see the forest through the trees most times. I was taught to look at life through a negative lens – look at the obstacles and the crisis – rather than the progress and solutions. List the reason why you can’t – rather than list the reasons you can. Life is a struggle rather than a journey. Find your flaws, rather than your creativity.
You get the point.
So, in a way – The NaNo has taught me how to look at things differently. Hundreds of people writing in around the world tell me – and hundreds of thousands of additional writers:
Keep going! You can! You will!
There are hundreds of blogs, emails, and prompts to help keep you going. The forums are full of suggestions and advice to help you achieve the goal – with good and stellar intentions.
Now, think of this multitude of positive reinforcement going out as energy high into into the world’s magnetic atmosphere. It’s awesomely tangible for me; I can literally feel it – even as I sit alone at my desk in my corner of the world.
So, if you find my posts a little manic and disjointed this month (well, more than usual) – it’s because I’m high on the energy
Good luck! And remember – my books are the best for Halloween chills and thrills… LOL
It might be a cop out – but I’m also blocking out a project to join in the fun myself.
Yvonne Heidt 