Thursday Thoughts: Turkey day, and stuff.

So, one week until we here in the USA gorge ourselves with turkey and all the fixings. Oh, I can't wait! Some people will roast (or fry) a bird throughout the year, but I really only like to do it during the holidays.

I'm going to put up the recipe for the dressing I make on Monday, in case someone wants to try it this year. It's pretty simple to make, and doesn't need a bunch of stuff. It's a savory dressing, and it's not stuffing -- I don't like stuffing cooked in the bird. But I don't judge!

I'll also talk about the other stuff we like to have, which I'm warning you is so simple and boring it's insane. I make cranberry sauce from whole berries, very easy and so good! Another thing we do is get the turkey a bit tipsy before he goes in the oven. Yep, a little white wine does amazing things for that old tom.

I'm stunned at how fast the year is coming to an end, and how little writing I'm managing to get done. I feel better about my whole family situation, and I do get in a few word now and again. As I mentioned in the last post, I wrote a short piece to submit to an anthology for charity. Still waiting to here if they accept it. Cross your fingers. :)

I've got some story ideas for some shorts set in a fictional North Carolina town, in the horror genre, that I hope to get to work on soon. Not a zombie in sight so far! And I love writing zombies.

I really want to finish the novel I've got going, and the rewrite on the previously published book, so I can get them out before the end of the year. I just really needed to stop stressing out over stuff so I could get my mojo back. It's coming, but slower than I like.

There you have it, Gentle Readers, another installment on ye olde blogge. Take care, and rest up for T-day!

Thursday Thoughts: Gosh, I'm so disorganized.

And distractable! It seems I can't keep my mind on one thing for any length of time lately. I plan to do something, and then I'm off doing something else, usually something of the wasting time variety. Argh!

It's affecting my desire to get my writing back on track, which is really annoying. I'd planned to unofficially do the NaNoWriMo thing, and I'm already more than seven thousand words behind. Yikes. I've got so much I want to write, stuff that needs revision, covers, editing or proofreading, that I get depressed just thinking about it.

So, I don't think about it, and run off to do something else. That's not helping me go for my dream of being a selling, professional writer. I just finished reading Kris Rusch's blog post for today, and I'm somewhat inspired to get back to work. She makes some good points about new writers and their expectations.

I don't consider myself a new writer in most respects, as I've been writing one thing or another since I was nine years old. I even wrote for a local newspaper for a while. But getting the routine down, getting the writing done, has been a problem. I do great for a while, and then it's off again.

For too many years things got in the way, and the writing went by the wayside -- life issues, marriage problems, child-rearing responsibilities.But, I always start writing again.

I love writing, it's what I've always wanted to do, and I believe I'm good at it, when I'm not second-guessing myself. I think my problem lies with a lack of self-confidence, which I've suffered from my entire life.

Maybe I should just write, and not worry about the selling part of it. Maybe I should let that stuff take care of itself, and accept whatever happens. Get a decent cover and publish, and get onto the next thing.

Anyway, Gentle Readers, that's what's on my mind this lovely Thursday, which is also Sis1's birthday. Take care, and have some cake.

Thursday Thoughts: Random Stuff and Retrospection

Well, here we are again, facing the end of another week. October is nearly done, only two more months until it's 2014. I swear, the older I get, the faster the years go.

I remember when I was 14 or 15, and thought I'd never be 18 and be a grown up. Now I look back, and wish I could knock about 25 years off and start over. Maybe I could be smart enough to listen to my inner self and make fewer mistakes.

Yeah, probably not.

It would be nice to kick my earlier self in the butt and at least try to get some of my writing published. Or at least tell her to not let other things in her life stop her from writing. I wasted a lot of years when things were going bad, not writing.

I don't have any idea why I'm so introspective today. Maybe it's the rain. Seems like we've gotten stuck under a wet mop here in beautiful North Carolina. I've got so much stuff to do that can't be done in the rain -- there's two outbuildings that need clearing out badly, and tons of leaves that need to be raked up and put on the compost pile, just to mention a couple.

I could be pecking away at the computer and writing (again, with the putting things off!) but I've got some other things I'm working on. I pulled out my polymer clays and started making some Barbie-scale items that I'll be sending off to some folks who have been especially nice to me.

I'm also doing some sewing, trying to get the hang of sewing Barbie clothes. Wow, those pieces are tiny! I can handle bigger things -- after all, I did sew Sis1's wedding dress -- but it's taking some effort to get the hang of the small hems and seams. But, I soldier on, because there are naked vinyl ladies and gents to be dressed.

Anyway, Gentle Readers, there you have another post filled with exciting news and adventures. Hope you haven't fallen off your seats from the thrills! Take care, and ramble on.

Thursday Thoughts: On writing. Or not.

Okay, so I had a very nice post here, and accidentally deleted it. As you can imagine, I've been saying some very naughty words. Very naughty.

Yeah. That sucketh to the the maximum.

Anyway, short version:  I had started writing again, after a long stretch of writer's block. Arrival of a puppy, and subsequent agreement to take care of said pup while Sk8monkey is in school put the kebosh on that.

I'd forgotten how much work small baby creatures are. I'm exhausted (which could explain why I deleted the post), and going through a spell of waking in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep. I hate that.

Anyway, still working on plotting and other writer-ly tasks, hoping to get back to the keyboard over the weekend while the boy and his dog are away. Isn't she a doll? Her name is Nina, and she's about eight weeks old now.

So, there you have it, Gentle Readers, a brief recap of a much more exciting post. Take care, and indulge in some puppy kisses (or kitty, we aren't picky, are we?).