THE PROJECT is finished...

Thank God. At least the rough draft is done and sent to my friend who is editing the first draft. It's odd to know it's done. My first question to myself is, Okay, what next? But I'm going to save that for tomorrow. Tonight, I'm going to take a break.

Progress report...

I intend to finish THE PROJECT by the end of the month, at least the rough draft anyway. I'm well on my way to exactly that. I also worked on my completed manuscript and sent the first 300 words for a drawing to be critiqued. Whether or not it will be picked is anyone's guess, but the important thing is that I screwed my courage to the sticking place and sent it in. Interesting to realize that I think it's now much better because of the need to keep the entry so short. The manuscript needs a good overhaul, but THE PROJECT needs to be finished first.

I'm also reading books for the Golden Quill Contest, offered by Desert Rose, a chapter of Romance Writers of America. I've discovered some wonderful writers that I've added to my yes list, but it's tough with the stories I don't really like. I can't simply stop after the first chapter. I can only judge it fairly if I read the whole thing. I have several reward books lined up for finishing. :-)

THE PROJECT... what it is...

THE PROJECT is a self-help book, gathering in one place all the tools I wish I'd known about when I decided it was time to learn how to be healthy, instead of continuing the insanity I grew up in. I think I have all the chapters outlined now, and more than half of them are written, including the end. It's been a struggle deciding how much information to share. I hope to have this whole thing done by the end of the month.

Okay, God, now what....

Over the last few days, I've added several thousand words to THE PROJECT. I'm using the time being given me by my lack of PTBW. I'm now more than half way through, and I've written the end.

Accepting the opportunity...

With the PTBW changes, I decided to take advantage of the essentially free day. I read and worked on THE PROJECT. It's now half finished. I don't think I would have accomplished all that I did any other way. We'll see what the next little while brings.

Life is an adventure...

...and it's been a bit more adventurous than usual of late. PTBW has taken an unexpected turn. Where I'm headed, now, I do not know. I am taking it one day at a time. Everything, ultimately, is in God's capable Hands. I'm endeavoring to trust Him. In truth, I should have known this was coming.

My Christmas Gifts to myself, this coming year:
1. Physical Health
~more fresh foods
~fewer frozen dinners
~walk/move 30 minutes 5x a week
2. Writing
~finish the self-help book
~publish
~finish two novels (this isn't as spectacular as it sounds, since I have a completed manuscript that needs editing and a dozen other stories in varying stages of completeness)
3. God's Plan
~endeavor to trust and follow Him
4. Forgive myself
5. End negative tapes
~replace with counting my blessings
6. Continue Just-Because-It's Tuesday Presents
7. Use food storage.

So far, so good. I knew I was setting myself up for a bumpy ride with #3, but it's a non-negotiable. The only way to affect positive change is to allow God in, as all good things come from God.

Happy New Year!

Time to review the past year, reflecting on what was accomplished, and consider my plans for the coming year. Then, remind myself that God plans are always better than mine, and turn my life over to Him.

Merry Christmas...

And in the words of Charles Dickens, "God bless us, every one."

Life is a struggle...

Clearly, I wasn't handling my counselors departure as well as I thought, but I seem to have finally come through, I think, in large part, because of Christmas. There is much I do not understand about love, especially God's perfect love, but I do know that Christmas is an expression of that love, as is Easter. I'm baffled by a world that demands Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. Is there any greater lie than denying the reason for the season? How is it possible to be happy if one lies to one's self? So, Merry CHRISTmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ, God's only Begotten Son. Christ is the reason for the season, and I am daily grateful for that gift given to each of us; we decide if we will accept or reject it, but it was given just the same. Praying for the peace that only Christ may give.

Slowly settling again...

After the slow death of my modem, and the tension of intermittent internet service, all is back to normal. It's taken a few days, but I'm re-establishing my routines. I worked on The Project, and made notes for another book. That is one of the frustrating things: Keeping my focus on one thing at a time, but if I don't write down the other ideas, I find myself unable to think about anything else. Maddening.

Breath in, breath out...

I did it. I cut the scene the judges all said seemed out of place. I saved it to another document. It might be useful in another story, or later in the trilogy. I don't know. The joy of cut and paste: I don't have to say goodbye to things I love for ever. Keep breathing. A part of me reasons that I'm being silly. It's not a critical scene. If it were, the judges wouldn't have wanted it axed. I like the scene, but then I remind myself that it doesn't actually move the story along. It's done. Now, onward to more editing.

How did so much time slip away?

Life turned upside down, for a while, but seems to have found its way right side up again. Today, I worked on THE PROJECT, the WIP, and the completed historical novel that needs serious editing. Not a bad bit of work.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I thank God for the gift of words. I thank God for all those who share their gifts with me, enriching my life, inspiring me in my journey back to God. I thank God He is in control, and no matter what happens that truth never changes. And what an immeasurable blessing to know that God is good.

The brain went on vacation...

...without me. However, it seems to be back, and working. I didn't take a break from writing, only from posting here. I've been working only sporadically on THE PROJECT, but I've thought about it a great deal, sorting things in my head. The first four chapters are done, and the next two are well on their way to being finished. All the chapters are set and in varying stages of being completed.

God's unexpected reassurances...

The computer is working beautifully, today, so is the internet. What I thought was a problem with my computer wasn't. Someone else mentioned that they had trouble with their internet connection, yesterday. It wasn't only me, which means it wasn't my computer! It was the carrier! Whew. :-) Back to work. Not a lot of writing is being accomplished as PTBW is a bit heavy, and there's a snag I haven't quite figured out how to use, yet.

Maddening...

I update the security on my computer, just as I ought, and suddenly it kicks me off the internet every time I go to a new site. Bah! Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how things are working, my computer is my lifeline to friends far away and research that would be impossible to do without it. Please, God, bless my computer; my friends are reached here and my work is held hostage... held safely here. :-)

Not forgotten, but yes, ignored...

I didn't tackle this blog, last night, as I sent the first three chapters of THE PROJECT to my counselor. No feed back, but not worried about that either. It's always unsettling to sending out your "baby" to be critiqued. I have already sent and received feedback from a dear friend. It was very encouraging, and yet I feel no less fear sending it out again. One never knows how others will receive what you have lovingly crafted. And yet this, I feel, is something I must do, something I have always been meant to do. But only with God's help.

More sorting...

Sorted through more notes that I thought I would use, but have now decided not to do so. I've created a separate document for all those notes. They may or may not ever be used, but I worry less knowing they are there if I need them. It was a busy work day. The PTBW was a bit discouraging, taking much longer than it should have, but it happens that way, sometimes.

Outline complete...

The outline appears to be complete. I wrote the first four chapters, building the foundation pretty much in a linear manner. Now, with the chapters outlined, I'm finding myself jumping between them as ideas pop into my mind. I actually prefer writing this way. Maybe that was part of the trouble with my WIPs: I was writing them mostly in a linear fashion. So, I need to learn how to write outlines for my WIPs... hmmm...

THE PROJECT...

...is now completely outlined, in that ever chapter is ready for fleshing out, with the first four chapters already done. Notes were re-arranged, lots of deleting, and an important chapter added to the list. There's always room to add, and I already know that it's important to be able to cut, but I feel like the framework is now complete. Wow. Praise be to God. Laus Deo.