Shower Time

Some of my best "book" time is spent in the shower while hubby is home to watch baby. I really prefer to have a good idea of the scenes that I'm about to write before I actually sit down to write them. That means the shower time is very important to me and my book. Another good time for me is as I'm laying in bed trying to fall asleep. Granted, I don't usually come up with new ideas but I'm able to play out scenes in my head over and over again so that I have them "just right."
Oh yeah,
HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I will be going to sleep in aproximately 45 minutes, so the new year will be ringing in while I'm asleep. That's ok, I really like my sleep. So since resolutions seem to always be the theme this time of year, I'll mention mine. It's one I've already commited to though. I will finish my current WIP in 2010 and have it queried out to agents too. And since looking back and looking forward are also a big part, here goes:
My favorite part of 2009? My baby being born! The next best thing of 2009 was being able to move back home to be near our family.
What am I looking forward to? My baby growing up and walking and playing with him and doing all the things I've always done, but with my baby. You know, like swim, play with the horses, sit in the sun, go camping.... Ok, onward, onward!

A downward spiral

The word count on my chapters is shrinking from chapter to chapter. I think I know how to fix it, but that won't happen until, you got it, editing time. I think that it's a matter of trying to cram a whole bunch of vital information in the first couple chapters and now I'm getting on with the story. There's also another possible reason but that has to do with how I'm structuring the book and I'm not confident with it, anyways. I'm thinking some of the information may be able to wait until later in the book to come out and possible I will divide the first few chapters. That would mess with the structure I'm talking about though. These are all problems that I will deal with at editing time. Oh, I foresee a headache coming on!
Another downer: New Years plans were ruined by hubby having to unexpectedly work :( Oh well, for all that, I'm really not in a bad mood, just a little bored :) Onward, Onward!

Progress

I figured out a couple days ago something that was niggling at me in my story. It just wasn't quite right but I wasn't sure what 'it' was. Once I figured it out I decided that the first few chapters will survive until editing time before I fix it in them. From here on out the detail will be correctly modified to fit the story. I thought at first it would bother me to not go back and fix it, but other than my one quick change(a few paragraphs from where I had stopped writing before figuring 'it' out) it doesn't bother me at all. I know there are so many things that will change and be tweaked later but all I'm focused on now is writing this first draft into completion.
Baby has been doing pretty darn good at night :) He falls asleep around 7 or 8 and usually wakes up before 9 for his last bottle. Then he sleeps until about 430 or 5 am. This makes me quite happy! On the other hand I know that this isn't neccesarily normal, nor is it guarenteed to continue. According to babycenter.com, some 1 out of 6, 6 month olds sleep all the way through the night. Many parents are getting up, up to 6-8 times a night(even if it's just to insert binky.) So don't feel bad if your baby isn't sleeping so long. It seems that's the norm! lol
557 words were written yesterday! It was basically another rare scene from the pov of the mmc(main male character). Ok, onward to facebook and then writing :)

Progress

I managed to write a little over 900 words last night. I'm not sure if where I stopped was a good end of the scene. I was so tired that my eyelids felt like they were made of lead. Quite possibly that could be a sign of a crappy scene :( Hopefully not. How sad is it that at 9 pm I'm done for? lol at myself.
I am planning on breaking out the pack 'n play today. My son is too fast and inquisitive for me to do anything anymore. There was a point in time before now that I thought a play pen was cruel and lazy. I can not spend all day sitting behind him to catch him when he pulls up on the couch, the tv stand, the highchair, etc... when there are dished to do, a floor to sweep, etc... The problem right now is a Christmas tree and the very small apartment we live in. I'm hoping to get the PNP out first and have that safety net for taking down the tree. Speaking of the tree, I was going to leave it up until after New Years, but "Why?" I ask myself. It is only in the way and blocked off from baby. The PNP will be taking it's spot, hopefully soon :)
Ok, enough rambling, enjoy your day!

Merry Christmas

Ok, so it's a bit late, but I still mean it. Merry Christmas! I had a wonderful holiday and I am looking forward to New Years and getting together with friends I haven't seen in a while. Baby had a good first Christmas and a bad night. :( I think it was all the stimulation and running around that day. I was up at 10(awake, but hubby inserted the binky), 11, 12, 1, 2, and 430. I also had major sinus congestion. Baby loved all of his new toys and is still having a blast with them. Surprisingly I didn't get one book,hardback version of Twilight doesn't count since I've read it more than twice :) So now I'm going to have to buy my own books :)
I haven't done any writing since my last post. I did come up with an idea that will fix something that has been niggling at me about being not quite right for the book. With hubby having a 4 day wknd and the holiday, I've been too exhausted to write by the end of the day. And to be truthful, I wasn't quite feeling it. I wonder, do other authors ever hit a time when they feel 'bla' about writing? I don't know if it's the writing itself or something else. *shrugs* But after slacking for so long, I feel the need to "man up" and write. Ok, off to type for a few minutes :) NO facebook, no facebook, no facebook... :)

Caution! I Tend to Ramble.

I love the Deadline Dames blog. It is a simple fact of life, of my life that is. They have been such a huge influence on my attempt at writing a book. While sometimes they depress me (see last post), they then lift me up! The latest blog, Just One More Page, talks about how a book goes from idea, to clay on the table(first draft), shaping the clay (2nd draft), making it beautiful(Final draft) and then adding the glaze(edits and proofs.) Now, I realize I will probably be doing more than 3 drafts, that still doesn't ruin how this blog made me feel much better.
Most things don't just become instantly beautiful and good, they require lot's of hard work! But if there's nothing there to work on(aka that 1st draft), then there is nothing there to make beautiful and good. Thinking about this in horse-terms, if you're training a horse to be rideable, the first draft corelation would be establishing a good relationship with the horse. No relationship=no foundation.
Now, I haven't written much since the last post, but I have: went to 2 nieces basketball games, finished my Christmas shopping, cleaned the bathroom, fed another round bale to the constantly eating beasties out in the field, had quiet time with my hubby... So obviously I have somewhat twisted priorities, but that's ok. I am where I am, aka in a position to have some spare time to write, because of wanting all of that stuff that I've done the past few days. I didn't know that having a baby and moving back to be near family would also free me up to write. I'll consider it a bonus :) And I won't be disappointed that it's not like all those executives at the banks bonuses :)
Anyways, since the last depressed blog, I've written 1,375 words. I wrote a scene with my top girl's top guy and I'm feeling like I've gotten to know him a little bit better. On top of that, I've realized that while I've gotten short bio's on all my characters, I still don't know them all that well. I feel like that by the end of the first draft, I should know them well enough that I could flesh out a better bio if I wanted to, but more importantly, I'll be able to edit better by then because I'll know the characters better. I've seen a lot of blogs and comments where other writers do extensive bio's first. I'm sure that works for them, but for me, right now, I don't mind how I'm going at it. Hopefully I'll be published one day and then I'll be required to be a bit more organized to get other books bought before they're written. For right now I'm using this first book as a "get to know me" phase. I'll figure out what worked and what didn't and go from there. Ok, now I've rambled enough, I'm off to... well who knows!

Model

I am considering making my baby a model. LOL, my ultimate goal would be to make enough money off of him that my hubby can stay at home too. Ok, seriously, I just got the pictures that I had taken of baby for his being six months. My baby is adorable! No, really, he is! When I saw the pictures, I thought to myself(and almost said out loud to the secretary at the photograper's business), "My baby is freaking cute!" I managed to restrain myself though.
Ok, onto bigger, better, longer things: 1, 132 words were wrote yesterday.
Now, just so you know, I'm depressed. I was reading some blogs written over at the Deadline Dames and have realized that I am going to have so much editing to do. Just the thought of it all almost makes me want to quit. I know that first drafts should be crap; that's just how it is. But still, it is depressing me. Anyways, now that I've given myself my much needed interenet time, I'm off to see if I can write some more crap...*scrunching face* not crap, just first draft quality words. Ok, see ya!