December 4, 2005 | Tennis

Well, this has been a good day so far. First, my tennis team won three out of five matches, which means we beat the other team. Their captain, a cool woman, wasn’t very happy about it. Gee, Trudy, tell us how you really felt. It’s all in fun, but when you’ve been down so long, it feels good to win. The other two matches were close. I think other teams now think of us as a force to be reckoned with. I didn’t play. I actually got some writing in. I stayed focused, and worked. Well, my brain did keep wondering how my team mates were doing. I skimmed the Nordstrom website, looking at evening gowns that would excite Stephen, my hero. Who says research can’t be fun? I’m working on the scene when Stephen sees Elizabeth dressed to go out and he wants to stay in, and make love. It’s told from his point of view. Naturally, I had to go ask hubby this chicken or the egg question. When excited, what does the brain, if anything say, does it tell you, you’re aroused or does the physically reaction register it first, and then yell to the brain? He gave me this weird look, and asked, “Has this got something to do with your book?” He returned to watching the Bears game.
Goal Number Two for 2006. Outline my paranormal Wicca series and finish the first book by June. I’m looking forward to working on this one. I’m determined to make it multicultural, funny, and dark.

December 3, 2005 | Tennis,Writing

Ok, so my son played tennis last night and won. Now, he plays again tonight. The hour drive isn’t so bad. He was very proud of his win, and should be. For several years, he’d go out in the first round and be miserable. Just like writing. Think about entering writing contests, and not even achieving a repeatable score. We keep entering more and danged if our scores don’t keep getting better, which means our writing is improving, and we final in a contest. Ya hear me Sloane! My son keeps working on his serve, improving his footwork, and keep a positive attitude about his overall game, even when some powerhouse beats him. He returns to the court, works with his pro, critique partners in our case, and looks for another tournament to enter. I keep telling him to push, improve his weaknesses, use his strengths, and keep trying. Yep, the same applies to writing. Tomorrow, I’ll post Goal Number Two for 2006.

December 2, 2005 | Tennis,Writing

Well, I wish I could report that today I spent at least five hours working on my December goal of editing my manuscript. Nope, goal number one fell to the wayside. I played tennis. A singles drill that left me exhausted after an hour and a half. I had to focus on playing against Karen, who runs every ball down and returns it. It was just the two of us, normally it’s three or four, so there was more running than normal, and the pro, Kathy moves us around. Now, it’s time to take my son to a tennis tournament about ninety minutes from home. Could someone explain to me how Chicago tennis tournaments take place in every northern suburb but not Chicago? I did make some notes about how my hero, Stephen, reacts when he sees Elizabeth in her formal gown. He admires her in it, and then mentally undresses her. I will be working on this chapter Saturday and Sunday. Responses to my last post, by Jenna, Sherrill, and Sloane were great. We’re all experiencing completion performance issues. There’s no pill for to solve this, so hussies, suck it up, strap it down in your chair and write. I’ve been listening to way too much sports talk radio. I read an article in the November issue of The Writer, by Chuck Leddy, describing the jobs of four famous writers. Tell me if this reminds you of any of your co-workers. William Faulkner was a postmaster in Oxford, Mississippi. He was the worse one the town ever had. He sat around, writing, drinking, playing cards, and neglecting his job. He would read magazines he was suppose to deliver, then throw them out. He lasted three years. Today, he’d be promoted to Postmaster General and retire with a full pension.

November 30, 2005 | Writing

Well fellow writers, today is the first day of the last month of 2005. This year has gone very fast and there have been events in my life, that have rocked me to my very core. My mother died suddenly in February, fifteen months after the death of my father. I was just coming to terms with the death of Daddy when she passed. To say I’m still in the shock and denial phase of mourning is an understatement. Sloane and Beth have been pillars of support, and the Brazen hussies and other writers were too. So, I’ve thought about and written my goals for 2006, and there’s not one diet goal around.
What are your writing goals for next year? In fact, why wait until January, cheat and get started now. I just finished participating in my first Big Book In A Quarter, sponsored by FF&P. Now the group wants to continue into next year. Works for me.
So, I’m going to post one of my goals each day. I’ve created a spreadsheet with my goals and time lines. I’ve included, the family vacation in June. My goal is survive five days at sea with my husband, 22 year old daughter and 15 year old son, without throwing them all overboard. However, if I went to jail I’d have at least fifteen hours to write on a daily basis without any interruptions. Goal Number One – finish line editing my interracial romance and send to Triskelion by December 12th. In order to meet this goal, I can not play tennis this weekend. I am captain of a women’s team, and we are determined to win our division this year. If I played, I have to dedicate four hours on Sunday to the match, instead of working on the book. I won’t even go and watch. We provide refreshments for both teams after each match. I’m going to set everything up and spend about half an hour with everyone afterwards. If we lose, I’m going to be pissed, but there are more matches. Our season doesn’t end until April, so I’ll have ample time to play.