Back in the Saddle

Well. Here I am. A cube dweller once more.

Am I happy about that?

Well, let's see. On the one hand, me being at work means I'm actually feeling halfway decent. On the other hand, I work in a cube.

Enough said.

I'm still congested, have a wicked cough upon occasion, but I actually managed to drag myself out of bed this morning.

Thanks so much for all your great get well wishes. I read and appreciated each and every one.

Waiting for the Inspiration

I'm still at home. The flu has dug its claws in and refuses to leave without a fight. Heavy artillery fire of Vitamin C should hopefully weaken its defenses, but it has counterattacked with a splintering round of chest congestion and stuffy nose. I sent in a squadron of sleep agents this morning, sleeping until almost noon. But then...then the evil empire struck the stepson with a horrendous sneeze attack, runny nose, and congestion.

But I shall not give up the good fight! As Walter Matthau says to Sophia Lauren on Grumpier Old Men, "Ristorante? Never!!!"

I fully intend to go to work tomorrow. Three days off work is long enough. When you combine that with the two days of the weekend, well, this being sick has got to stop. Will try to get to your blogs today...I'm so tired of sitting on the couch watching movies that I want to scream.

But while I've been sick, I've also been mulling over my next project. I have a lot of ideas, but none has really grabbed me yet. In a sense, you could say I'm waiting for inspiration as to which idea to do. It could be that my brain is just not excited about anything other than sleep and staring mindlessly at the t.v. right now, but it could also be that the right idea has not yet presented itself.

Did anyone watch the Hallmark Channel presentation on Sunday night, The Valley of Light with Chris Klein? I did. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. A very simple story, yet full of human emotion. And I got to thinking...a story doesn't have to be "woman and man try to save the world" to be powerful. Of course I knew that, but since I tend to write WW2 stuff, that sort of scenario naturally presents itself a lot of times. But after watching that movie, that's when I decided to dig a little deeper, look to the human face of war, the very small, miniscule parts that people played in that war. And there are millions of these types of stories that have nothing to do with the major battles of the day. That's what I want to focus on - little-known stories of true heroes that never earned a medal or got their picture in the local paper.

Still Under the Weather

Apologies if I haven't been by your blog yet. I am still very much under the weather. I'm pretty sure I'm a victim of the nasty influenza virus. I feel a bit stronger today, but routine activities yesterday (like taking a shower) wore me out so completely that I had to take a nap.

But even though the body is sick, the mind is searching for ways to cope with being on the couch 24-7. I've watched Where Eagles Dare, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Indiana Jonesa and the Last Crusade, Notting Hill, Grumpier Old Men, the Star Trek movie with the whales (forget the name), and on tap for today is Out to Sea and whatever else I can stomach (I love Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon). Last night I couldn't take it anymore and had hubby give me my laptop. No matter that it was agony to even move my hands and fingers over the keyboard, my mind screamed for something to do besides watch movies and read Nora Roberts (I'm on the last of the Jewels Trilogy and enjoying it, but still...). I changed a few words here and there before hubby literally told me that I'd worked long enough and took it away from me. I let him (after I saved it, of course) and surrendered to his better judgment.

Today the flu bug has moved into my lungs and head. My chest has been hurting ever since this started which makes me worry that I might have pneumonia, but I only cough occasionally, so perhaps I am ok. Right now I'm full of snot (sorry for the visual) and have probably used an entire box of Kleenex in the past 48 hours. Work doesn't look good tomorrow, but a trip to the doctor does. With a $10 co-pay, I can afford to make sure that it's NOT pneumonia or something equally as dire. Energy level still low, strength improving, and the constant urge to sleep improving somewhat. Hubby just took the kids to the store and will be making me his homemade chicken noodle soup which, ironically, was what he made me the first week we met when I came down with a nasty cold.

Another of life's little ironies - I am still keeping track of what I eat. I broke down and wanted pizza the other night and didn't care about the calories. My appetite has not suffered during this entire thing with the exception of the first day. I'm now on day four and haven't been out of the house. I told hubby I want to take a drive this Sunday afternoon if for nothing more than to get out of the house. The length of this post (and the wandering thoughts) should be some indication of just how starved I am for something to do. I continue to try and think of ideas for future books - I have tons of ideas, but they are like great lumps of clay that need to be shaped. So instead of worrying about my aching head or my sniveling, watery eyes and nose, I toss around ideas, reject them, then calmly grab another Kleenex. And to add insult to injury, I cannot indulge in orange juice because it's full of sugar and thus, not a good idea for my diabetes. But I instructed hubby to get me some light cranberry juice at the store and some apples. Hopefully I can get some nutrients out of that instead of orange juice.

Even when sick, I still think about writing. I don't know whether to smile or shake my head in complete befuddlement over that statement.

Must return to the couch...

A Sitting Duck

Yesterday at about 4:15 p.m., I felt it. Chills. Body aches. Horrible headache. And I thought, here it comes.

I haven't been sick since last February. I kid you not. Yes, I've been sidelined by my tension headaches which sometimes inevitably affect my stomach. But as far as colds or anything of that sort, I've been blessed to stay healthy. I credit that to my lifestyle change - eating good and exercising. But I knew it wouldn't last forever.

Last night I barely made it home. I trudged into the house, made myself some soup, ate it, and promptly crawled under a blanket on the couch. I can't believe how fast this stuff hit me.

So today, I'm at home. I've already taken a long nap which wasn't very restful seeing as how I had very weird dreams and felt like I was awake the entire time. Very strange. I also watched Captain Correlli's Mandolin, which I'd never seen before, and really enjoyed it. Hubby brought me lunch and my dog has been keeping me company.

But I tell ya - I still feel like I've been hit by a truck. My body aches, my throat hurts, I'm sneezing, and my stomach isn't all that interested in settling down. I'm also feeling quite week. A trip downstairs is a major effort.

Anyway, no editing done last night. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Progress

After yesterday's moaning about the lack of writing time, I made a point to dive into the manuscript last night.

Thankfully, hubby had the day off yesterday and so I didn't have any household chores to do. That helped tremendously! (yes, I have an awesome hubby - he does laundry, dishes, and even vacuums.)

I had a good two hours of editing time and it was sheer bliss. And let's hope I have the same opportunity tonight. :-)

Family Time vs. Writing

Around 9 p.m. last night, I finally had time to open my laptop and get to work editing the novel. Don't ask me why it took me so long - I'm still trying to figure out where my time went last evening. Hubby decided to play a game of UNO with the kids and asked me if I wanted to play.

"No," I said, "I've got to work on this."

"Aw, take a break," he replied.

"But I just started!"

And here is where the guilt set in. Hubby did not mean to make me feel guilty, but as I watched the game from the corner of my eye (I was still sitting at the table with them, working) I thought, "Family or writing?"

It's a classic question of all writers. Sacrificing time with the family is inevitable. But since my family is usually so scattered - hubby works odd hours, my stepson is a teenager (enough said!) and it's rare that we're all in the house at the same time - I decided that I would sacrifice the writing to play a few rounds of UNO. Did I regret it? No. My kids are only going to be kids for so long and games of UNO gathered around the dining room table should be precious moments spent together.

Does that mean I'm not dedicated enough to my writing? Absolutely not. There has to be a balance. I plan to enjoy time with my kids. Lord willing, I will have enough time to work on my writing when they're off to college. But I won't neglect it now - I just have to squeeze time out wherever and whenever I can without sacrificing family time.

Mondays Are Not for Writing

I tried to write yesterday. Tried is the operative word.

I've come to the conclusion that in future, Mondays are to be avoided in terms of writing. If I could avoid them altogether, well, that would be great, too, but I've got to be somewhat realistic.

Even work was a struggle. The words didn't flow. They were stuck somewhere on a turnpike next to a jackknifed semi. And they weren't arriving anytime soon.

When I tried to work on my novel last evening, I had more of the same. Finally, after forcing myself time and time again to look at the computer screen and do something, I had to just shut the laptop and surrender to the inevitable: Mondays are not for writing.

The Importance of a Clean Desk

Hubby finally got tired of looking at my stacks of stuff. Since we were putting a ceiling up over my office in the basement, I had to take everything off my desk and put it wherever I could. Well, the ceiling has been done for almost two weeks now, and I had yet to put my office back to the way it was.

Hubby gently suggested that I work on it Sunday and even though I wasn't in the mood, I did it anyway. He's been pretty darn patient, so the least I could do was get rid of all my stacks of stuff. It took me most of the afternoon, but I have to say that I'm very glad I did it. Things look much better now and I feel like I have my cozy spot back. I have my own little corner of the house that is all mine - and even though I don't have a door to shut out the world, this will do just fine.

We had more snow over the weekend - six inches of the white stuff. Hubby and I also went on a date Saturday night - went to a local blues club and listened to some great jazz. Fun to get out once in awhile. I did edit some on Saturday, but not nearly as much as I wanted to. But now that the desk is clean and organized, that is one less thing I need to worry about.

Do you need to have a clean desk to focus?

It's Friday!

Friday, Friday, Friday!

I love Fridays. I love the lure of two days of relaxation. I'm sure I'll get in a bit of relaxation, but for the most part, I'm going to be sitting on my couch, laptop in my, well, lap, and editing the novel. I think I need to pick up the pace a little bit.

Last night I finished up my two page synopsis. Yes - it is entirely possible to write a two-page synopsis of a 100,000 word novel. It's not easy, but it is possible. And writing it helped me to really dive back into the story. I edited a bit more last night before bedtime and I also got a submission packet ready to go to an agent.

Happy Friday!

Words from a Master

I'm reading the latest issue of The Writer magazine. They have been in the business for 120 years - which is amazing in itself - and to celebrate that anniversary, they are digging into their archives for some of their best writing advice.

This month's advice is from Phyllis A. Whitney who, at 103 years old, is one of the world's most beloved authors. She has been writing for more than 80 years. Stop and read that again. 80 years. I'm quite willing to listen to any advice she has to give.
And here's some from a letter she wrote to a young writer that appeared in the November 1961 issue:

"I am faced now with writing a book about Istanbul, and I haven't the faintest notion of how to go about it. The idea scares me to pieces. The one advantage I have over you is that I have been through this so many times before that I know I can do it. You can, too, but you won't know that until you buckle down and write a book. Believe me, you have what it takes. You are a writer..."

Now if a multi-published, bestselling author still gets nervous about attempting to write a book, then it's certainly ok if we do. But learning how to get past that nervousness is the key - it's what separates the writer from the wannabe.

The Pitfalls (And Perks) of Writing All Day

Monday was a writing day. All day. Not just for a few hours here and there, but all day.

Part of me loved it. The part of me that didn't love it so much was my back. I guess that's my own fault for sitting in a chair all day. I did get up quite a few times to check on the kids, make lunch, and feed myself, but there were pretty long stretches when I just sat. And sat.

After the normal work day ended, I had to finish writing my article for the eycylopedia which, incidently, is on American espionage. The article did is on MI5 and its relationship to the United States. An interesting subject, but a complicated one.

I have a rather weird writing style when I write nonfiction and I'm not sure it's the best. I like to research as I write. This probably takes me longer than it should instead of me sitting down and taking lots of notes, and then transposing it onto the page. To me, I get everything done at once - research and writing. It's a system that has worked so far.

After yesterday, though, I think I need to change my style. At the end of the day, my back was kiling me (mostly from me sitting in my computer chair cross-legged with a book on my lap) and I was exhausted. I know better than this. I know the proper posture needed to sit at a computer, I have an ergonomic keyboard to keep my carpal tunnel at bay, and I even had my dog laying at my feet to keep me warm (since my office is in the basement, it's COLD).

On the positive side, I wrote all day. I finished up the article around 10 p.m. (nope, not kidding) . And boy, was I relieved. While I enjoy doing these articles, I find that I'd much rather work on my novel. :-) And that's on tap for tonight. I can't wait to get back to it.

But it just emphasized to me what it's like to have deadlines. I had to get this article done yesterday, no excuses. And someday, that will be what it's like when I have a deadline for an editor. My body will undoubtedly go through the same sorry routine of aches and pains. I guess that's why I have a reminder on my email program at work that tells me when to take stretching breaks. I need to put that on my email program at home.