Friday, May 29, 2009

In Spurts

I've been working on revisions in spurts recently. A sentence here, a paragraph there...a 1/2 a chapter one day, removal of something that didn't make sense the next. I'm getting there. Slowly, but surely.

Tuesday I push mowed most of the lawn and trimmed rose bushes and forsynthias back that were getting out of control. Been doing the Gazelle everyday this week (started on it Tuesday as well) and in between, I've been working on revisions.

Yesterday was the kids' last day of school and so my daughter is moving on to 1st grade and stepson is moving on to 5th come the fall of the year. Time surely flies. So far this year doesn't feel nearly as productive as last year where my writing is concerned, but there's been a lot of health and family and personal issues crop up since the start of 2009 that needed attention and well....it seemed my inability to get back to writing or revisions came at an appropriate time.

But now we're settling into the middle of the year...Summer's nearly upon us and I'm starting to feel "more settled" too. At least where writing is concerned. My brain's been off in La-La-Land for a while now- just not the RIGHT La-La-Land! LOL

Speaking of which- I now have two lovely fairy companions at the computer. I've realized I'm actually quite fond of fairies the way I am butterflies...in my mind they are basically butterflies with human characteristics and bodies. Anyway- they are my new writing totems and I have a feeling they will be just the first 2 of my new hobby to collect.

They had no names when I got them- simply the purple fairy and the coral fairy. We couldn't have them going around nameless here though, so let me introduce them-
Destiny is the "purple" fairy. She's dark and goth and made me think of a fortune teller with her crystal ball and the guiding star on her forehead. The future is unknown and dark- like her- and well- I don't know- I just feel that "Destiny" is here to guide me into those unknowns with my writing and whatever may lay around the next bend for me.
The "coral" fairy is Variel. She carries with her a very autumnal feeling, the orangish/brown leaves that grace her arms and hair along with the feathers symbolized to me the changing of the seasons- the changing in life- to alter, transform, adjust and adapt- which led me to edits and revision...etc...you see where I'm going...
Variel means change. I would assume it's derived from vary, various, variation and it's pretty...so it fit her perfectly.
So I now have with me as guides on my writing journey a fairy of change and a fairy of the unforeseen future that lays ahead. That's pretty significant to me.

Friday, May 15, 2009

A Bit of Progress

I'm still trying to settle down after what felt like a very busy week.

Wednesday I found myself in the deep in to- can you guess?? WRITING!

LOL

I had been slowly inching my way into revisions, but something hit Wednesday that I almost couldn't control. I knew I had accidently eliminated one of my chapters during revisions and so I decided I'd "add" it back rather than continue working through the revisions and having to try to find another place to put it. Can't be jumping from Chapter 10 to 12. LOL

Well, I ended up writing 3,723 words that day. Something clicked and began to flow.

Of course, yesterday I didn't get an opportunity to work on it at all because I went to the oral surgeon's office for my post-op check up. That didn't take but 2 minutes. One of her assistants took me back to a room, flushed the socket with a funky syringe and said that it looked like it was healing up perfectly fine. She gave me the syringe to bring home to flush food particles out of there with and said that was it. Boom! Boom! Boom!

Came home and waited around till it was time for my daughter's kindergarten graduation. Of course, Momma lost it- I was bawling through most of it. My baby's moving on to 1st grade. Wow!

Came home and watched some of my soap opera but then washed up dishes and started supper and just never got around to writing or working on revisions. Hoping to fit some in today and over the weekend though. Sinuses/allergies are giving me fits and I feel like I could use a nap- which might not be a bad idea. Might help refresh me after a restless night's sleep.

Have a wonderful Friday and a great weekend!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Keeping the Portal Open

Most writers know that it's best to write a little something every day in order to "keep the portal open."

I haven't really been doing that much recently. I put the revisions off to the side and for a while wrote nothing other than the menu and grocery list each week. I slacked on the blogs as well, but more recently I've taken to heart the idea that using a journal always kept me "open," so I found a blank notebook (as if I don't have bunch of them anyway) and have been jotting personal thoughts and emotions in it. It's like opening the floodgates because I have a lot on my mind and a lot on my heart.

I'm of the belief that there are just some things that are too personal and private to share in any instance~ Things you wouldn't even share with your mother or your spouse, let alone perfect strangers or online acquaintances and friends. LOL

I've been "clogged" up, so I figured it was time to run a snake through the pipes and clear the lines so that everything flows more smoothly. It seems to be helping, though I think I've still got a way to go because I'm not fully "back" to working on my novels by any means.

I'm still feeling the residual effects of yesterday's sensitivity. I've always been sensitive- tuned in to things- nature, emotions, things I can't explain.

I'm now 3 days off the patches. A week recovered from the 3 dental extractions- I go Thursday to have my gums checked to make sure they're healing up good, etc. My daughter had a viral infection last week and now my husband is sick. He started feeling bad Saturday night with his sinuses, sore throat and running a fever. He went to the doctor yesterday afternoon and they said it's not in his lungs- yet, but it was headed there and he could have ended up with pneumonia again. They've given him antibiotics and some Claritin and he's been trying to get his temp down. I'm starting to feel a bit of a sore throat coming on and hoping warm tea and whatnot will ward it off for me. We can't afford to keep going to the doctor every time we turn around. It's been a crazy year so far.

Knock on wood- Here's hoping we all start feeling better soon!

Monday, May 11, 2009

Undercurrents of Change

Can you feel that? It's like movement and urgency and helplessness....

Maybe it's just me...maybe it's just my imagination....

Today I've been overwhelmed with this sense of change--- Something big is afoot, but I'm not sure what it is- I just FEEL it. I felt it as I went to put the bills out in the mail and as I bagged up the garbage and put it out in the trash can. There's a rumbling, a vibration of something strange and distant calling to me.

Perhaps it was the very bizarre dreams I had last night that made NO sense to me but still filled me with a niggling- a worry- about things beyond my control~ emotionally and physically.

It feels like the earth is shifting beneath me, that whatever it is will impact me in a way I'm not expecting. Maybe I'm too sensitive to things around me. The sensation and emotion has nearly brought me to tears though a few times this morning. I can't explain where it's coming from or pinpoint the cause of this anxiousness.

I just know that it's coming....

Perhaps it's a fresh wave of writing inspiration- I have been feeling the pull to gravitate back toward my revisions and added almost 200 words to the revisions I was last working on- but I think it's more than that. It feels as though the floodgates are about to open and the waves are going to force me into the next phase- the next chapter of my life, whether I'm ready or not.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Like Pulling Teeth....

Okay, I must first and foremost apologize for not having been around much lately and it's been what now, nearly 2 weeks since my last post?

During that time I've rested, played around online, but not much else. Been feeling lethargic.

Monday my daughter was sick and had to come home from school. Went to the doc and they gave her amoxicillin and cough medicine. Still wasn't better today. Coughing, complaining of a headache and sore throat and had a fever, so hubby took her back to the doctor like they told him to if she wasn't doing better. She got blood taken, and they said that was fine but they gave her a shot in her tush. She didn't like that. Hubby has gone to pick up more medicine that's been prescribed for her.

Yesterday, after a long wait since the oral surgeon was running about 2 hours or more behind from other surgeries that morning, she got me sedated and got those teeth out in a flash. Got home and rested in the recliner for the most part. Hubby made his cavatini and he and the kids had that for supper. I ate a baked potato when we first got back so I could take my Motrin and then later a little bit of chicken soup with mushed up crackers in it so I could take my Motrin again.

Trying to follow my instructions to the T. Been doing the warm salt water swish today and just taking it easy. Tossed and turned all night, wanting to turn over on the side where the teeth were extracted and had to fight that.

The other day I actually thought about my writing a lot and I can almost feel the "need" to write and work on it starting to come back to me. That's hopefully a good sign...right? Maybe I've just needed time off...a break in all the work I've been doing. A mini-vay-cay for my brain. I'm thinking that it won't be long before I find myself elbow deep in writing and revising again.

Just thought I'd better post a little about what's been going on. I will be back to posting before too long. Have a great Hump Day!