I rarely do this because I choose to keep my private life segregated from my blog beyond generalizations, but I’m so VERY proud of my husband that I have to share.
Working out (yes, I’m going to talk exercise, so go grab the chocolate and pull up a seat;) has always been a struggle for us. Not because of being physically incapable of doing it, but because we hate it. LOL! I know some people thrive on exercise…we are not them. That was the impetus behind dh developing this product. He wanted to create an exercise program that even ‘we’d’ use. A tall order to fill, let me tell you. *g*
Prime Condition was a way for us to create our own workouts. The site is currently in Beta mode. You can sign up…now, and once the site goes live you’ll receive more info on how to get started. Easy.
I signed up to motivate myself. I’m currently going (forcing myself) to the gym three days a week, but I need that extra push to make it more interesting. (I get bored easily and I’ve already passed from bored to coma at the gym.) If you like what you see at Prime Condition, I’d appreciate it if you’d pass the info/link on. 
Archive for February, 2006
Some of you may have already seen this blog entry, but I thought it was worth pointing out again. Anna Genoese, an editor for Tor, wrote about pitching to an editor. If you’ve ever considered doing so or plan to do so soon, you may want to check it out. There is a lot of good advice within the entry. I know a few things she said really caught my attention and has made me reconsider a few projects.
I had such big plans for the day. I was going to get out a couple of my novellas and tweak them, brainstorm to see if I could turn one into a ST, workout, get my car fueled and cleaned, and go to the grocery store. I only managed the last four on that list. For some reason, I was moving slow today. I didn’t accomplish anything on the writing front. Sigh. I hate it when that happens. I think I’m going to take the weekend off and regroup.
On a completely different subject, have you ever read a book by an author and absolutely hated it, only to revisit the author’s work later and love it? That just happened to me.
I’ve tried to read Laurell K. Hamilton a few times and could never really get into her work (The Fae or the Necromancer.). I decided to give her one more try and I’m glad that I did. This time I started with her first Anita Blake book. (I’d just grabbed one of her books the last time and didn’t pay attention where it was in the series.) Now I get why so many readers like her. This is the only time that I can think of that this has occurred. Most of the time if I don’t care for an author’s work I avoid their books. It makes me wonder how many good writers I’ve missed out on.
When I first started writing and trying to get published, I had several friends in the same position. We all worked our butts off, and then one by one we landed book deals. The whole process reminded me so much of high school. There were rivalries, disappointments, recognitions, and then finally graduations. We weren’t all exactly the class of 2002, but we all ‘graduated’ within a year of each other.
It was the pinnacle of our struggles…or so we thought. No one had a clue that the second you graduate you’re immediately tossed into higher learning. This is where things change dramatically with your ‘class’. Some of you go onto Harvard, while others are stuck at the community college. Now, there’s nothing wrong with community college. Sometimes it’s actually a good thing. You get a chance to bring your grades up without bankrupting your checking account. 
That said, it does tend to change the dynamics of your ‘class’. Just like peers who leave their hometown to attend school in another state, it’s hard to keep up with class members as the chasm between you grows. It’s one of those things as a writer that you never hear about. The other thing you never hear about is that this chasm is actually fluid. It’s constantly narrowing and widening, depending on the environment. So if you find yourself on the ‘wrong’ bank, be patient. It won’t be long before the chasm shifts.
On a completely bizarre note, I got this link on MALE PREGNANCY from Maili. Don’t know if it’s real, but I find it a tad disturbing. What do you all think? ***Quick update (thanks to Eve:)*** Apparently, it’s a hoax. Whew!
So the theme ‘7 things’…Here you go:
Seven things to do before I die:
1. hit a bestseller list(s)
2. travel all around the world
3. learn to speak fluent Spanish and Japanese
4. get my college degree
5. live in Europe
6. learn to snowboard & scuba dive
7. become a gourmet level cook
Seven things I cannot do:
1. be patient
2. stop obsessing
3. quit worrying
4. whistle loud without my fingers
5. tap dance
6. paint
7. sew
Seven things that attract me to my mate:
1- his brilliant mind
2- his wry sense of humor
3- his sexy eyes
4- his height
5- his kiss
6- his love for me
7- I’ll leave this last one to your imagination. (wg)
Seven things I say:
1. F*ck!
2. That’s interesting.
3. Excuse me?
4. Bloody bastard.
5. Schmuck.
6. What a prat.
7. Wow.
Seven books I love:
1. Master of the Night by Angela Knight
2. Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens
3. Desired by Virginia Henley
4. Dark Series by Christine Feehan
5. A Rose in Winter by Kathleen Woodiwiss
6. Tempting the Beast by Lora Leigh
7. Love’s Prisoner by MaryJanice Davidson
Seven movies that I’ve loved:
1. LOTR (all of them)
2. The Matrix
3. Singing in the Rain
4. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
5. Close Encounters
6. The Mummy
7. Pirates of the Caribbean
Seven people to tag:
I’m going to be nice and not tag anyone. Hear that Vivi. (wg)
Today, I’m going to brunch with a girlfriend I haven’t seen in a while. She still works at the airline, so I get the latest dish on the people I used to fly with. No, actually we just catch up on each other’s lives and laugh a lot. It’s great fun.
Dh is off to the dentist again today. The poor guy has been battling a bad tooth for over five months now. It’s REALLY getting ridiculous. I’m praying the dentist does something proactive or we’re going to have to seek outside assistance. There’s no reason that a patient should be in pain that long. (shaking head)
I suppose that’s all the excitement happening here. The galley came in for Somewhere in Time, the anthology Julia Templeton and I have coming out next month from Ellora’s Cave. I have to read through it one last time to make sure the changes I sent in were incorporated. Other than that, I have nothing. I hope your day is more exciting.
Saskia’s blog entry on dialogue and the changes in her writing got me thinking about how I approached writing the Blaze last year and how it differed from the way I’ve written other stories.
I’m the first to admit that I don’t tend to write to formula. I write the story I want and hope that other people like it. The Blaze took my writing in a completely new direction. I’ve never approached a story with a plan. Now, I have plotted books and written by the seat of my pants plenty of times, but the Blaze was different. Not only did I plot the book, but I changed how I created my characters.
I know I mentioned this before, but asking the characters to tell me the story from start to finish was a remarkable revelation. The details that came out in the he said/she said enriched the story on many levels. It helped deepen my understanding of the hero and heroine. It also helped me realize their agendas. It was funny hearing each characters’ take on what really happened. (You know how much that can differ, when you talk to people who witness the same event.)
It was so effective that I plan to use the technique on every book from here on out. Have you discovered an exercise or technique that you couldn’t write a book without? If so, what is it?
Today is my father-in-law’s birthday. He’s a spry 71. We are sending all our love and best wishes across the pond to Scotland. May he celebrate many, many, many more. We miss you, dad.
Tonight we’re going out with friends to a restaurant that is fast becoming our favorite. It has amazing steaks and terrific salads. Yum! I can’t wait.
Yesterday, dh and I went out to look at flat screen televisions. We’ve been pricing these things for at least three years. (We don’t move fast.) For those new to my blog, we are HUGE movie fans. We like to go the theater and we have a ton of DVD’s.
Anyway, we’ve had our eye on a 50 inch flat panel. We wanted to experience movie-like viewing at home. So we take our 10% off coupon to Best Buy and start browsing. The TV’s are all lined up side by side for easy comparison. The longer we stared at our 50 inch screen, the more concerned we got over picture quality. Everytime something darted across screen or the color became too vivid, the picture seemed to break into chunky squares. It didn’t seem to happen on the 42 inch.
Now, let me say right away that I’m a size girl. The bigger the better. (wg) That said, I couldn’t justify paying five hundred dollars more for less quality…even if that meant I had to give up eight inches of screen. Sob. So our new 42 inch flat panel will be delivered on Wednesday. Yah! I will have Pirates of the Caribbean and LOTR waiting. *g*
The other day I went to Jaid’s blog for a visit. She talked about seeing an acupuncturist and how much it’s helped her. I’ve had friends who’ve had wonderful success with acupuncture and I truly believe there’s something to Chinese medicine. That said, I’m REALLY not good with needles.
Why am I bringing this up? Because I think it’s interesting. (wg) In a writing class I took in California a long time ago, my instructor had us do an exercise where we had to write down all our fears. (Talk about scary.) You were supposed to create a list, and then try to incorporate some of them into a story you were writing. We also did a similar exercise with ten random words. (The latter turned out a pretty interesting story.)
Anyway, I came up with my list, but I have to say that other than that exercise, those particular fears/phobias have never made it into one of my stories. Actually, I take that back. I do have an unpublished piece that addresses fear of heights.
Looking back, I think the point of the exercise was to get your creative juices flowing. So it got me thinking, have any of you been taught something similar? If so, what? Did it help kick start your creative mind? Or did you find it disturbing? If you’ve never heard of this particular exercise, why don’t you try it and let us know what happens.
Sorry I haven’t checked in until now. It’s been a strangely busy day. I managed to finish the edits, so the novella is good to go. Yah!!! Right now I’m waiting for my dh to return. He’s been in Washington at the Microsoft compound since Sunday. I’m looking so forward to seeing him.
I’ve been thinking about friends today and how big a part they play in our lives. I only have a few close friends in the writing business, but the ones I do have, I wouldn’t trade for gold. I hope you’re lucky enough to find your own posses. They’re indispensable when the slings and arrows start flying.
