think on these things

Yesterday at church, the pastor spoke on Philippians 4 and the mind. He said you are what you think.

I just started Weight Watchers, and it seems the moment "diet" becomes a part of my active vocabulary every high-calorie thing begins to dance through my mind. I'm not talking about a flitter-flutter by, I'm talking pizza doing the Dougie, ice cream doing some line dancing, and Reeses' doing the wobble-baby-uh.

I'm guessing the pastors words would explain the one pound weight gain this week. I suppose I should start thinking about skinny people food. Have I stumbled across a dieting secret hidden in the book of Philippians?

Whatsoever things are lean. Whatsoever things are leafy. Whatsoever things are bland. Whatsoever things are healthy. Think on these things. 

I'm bored already.

Anyways, in recent news...

I've got nothing. Just the weight gain :) 

I am making some serious progress on my latest manuscript! Yay! Which explains why WW at this time is such a bad idea. See diagram to the left for details.

And just for the fun of it...Here's an instructional video for all of you who are curious as to how one would combine line dancing with the wobble baby :) Enjoy.

characters

I can vividly remember the night Friends came to an end. My mom wouldn't let me watch it, so I had to sneak it when she wasn't watching. I also played major catch up once I went to college. The night of the finale, it was just mom and I, and I looked at her and said "tonight I'm watching it no matter what." She shrugged and let me explain why I loved the show and just what all she had missed out on during the ten years it was on.

I remember crying at the end and telling my mom "it's like saying goodbye to my best friends." I know I'm not the only one who felt that way! For ten years, Ross and Rachel took us on an emotional roller coaster with their relationship, Joey and Chandler made us laugh until we though we would wet our pants, Phoebe created songs we just couldn't escape, and well Monica was Monica and we still loved her.

The creators of the show created such believable characters, that they truly became a part of our lives. Characters you never forget. Characters that you know so well that you can guess what they would do before they even did it. Characters that you grow to love and cherish long after they've gone.

I've been working on characterization this week. There was a guest author that took part in a forum this week that I participate in. She shared with us some lessons on creating believable characters. I agreed with a lot of what she said, but some of it sounded foreign to me.

At one point she suggested I have a conversation with my characters and let them tell me what they are like and why they do what they do. I do catch myself conversing with myself from time to time, but I don't know if I'm ready to have conversations with people I've imagined and created. But it's obviously worked for her, so what can I say.

Outside of talking with my characters, I've begun to get to know them. I've used character worksheets that detail a character's history and background, likes and dislikes, regrets, dreams, home life, etc. It's amazing watching your characters come to life before your eyes. Who knows...I may become even more eccentric and take my character to Starbucks for a conversation...Nope, still not happening.

Wonder if David Crane and Marta Kauffman ever had conversations with their Friends. I bet Joey was a blast to converse with!

this is me

For years, I've tried to plot and plan my way to a writing career. I thought if I just finished college and stored up enough information, I would feel qualified to write. Then I graduated and still felt inadequate. I struggled and warred with this vision of what I thought I wanted to write. I had such lofty goals and aspirations. No wonder I felt so unable to accomplish them.

I figured I needed to start somewhere. I needed to get my feet wet. I wanted to begin with something I felt comfortable writing. I grew up with my grandma telling me "dream and dream BIG!" I took her literally and started penning my dreams at a young age. I decided this would be a good way for me to learn more about my writing style, the techniques, the tricks, etc.

So two years ago, I began the story of Calla and Max, a dream that had began when I was a little girl. I remember being so enamored by the story of Princess Anastasia of Russia. The idea of a lost princess struck a chord with me then. I would dream that I was a lost princess! I decided it was time to give her the happy ending she deserved through the story of Calla.

Sheepishly, I kept details of what I was writing a secret for a long time. To be honest, I was a little embarrassed. I was writing a novel about a princess, a far cry from those lofty goals I had fooled myself into believing I wanted. But the more I wrote, the more I realized this is me.

I write fiction. I write romance. And it makes me happy. Maybe someday I'll graduate to something that has a deeper message, something that has a grander impact on the world. But I have decided not to push it. My stories are mindless fun, meant only to entertain, and provide an escape from the harshness of everyday life.

I know this isn't for everyone, and I've come to terms that most of the people I have listed as FB "friends" will never read my book...if it's ever published. I've also realized that many who do, will be surprised by what I've written. I'm writing for me now. Writing what makes me happy. No longer pressuring myself to be something I'm not. Just trying to be me and write my dreams.

NaNoWriMo

As many of you already know from my facebook status, I have finally completed the rough draft stage of my first novel. I don't even want to calculate just how long I have been working on this one. I started it in Georgia. Did a little here, a little there, a lot in Idaho, some more in Massachusetts, but most of it in Florida. (I like to think of my travels as research).

It has been a long, long, long process so far, and from what I hear its only just getting good. I have a couple close friends and family members looking it over for me before I begin the editing process. I'm hoping, if I work really hard, I can have it submitted to publishers by April.

Just because I've finally finished this book that I took way too long to write, doesn't mean I get a break. No, no, no. You've gotta strike while the iron is hot! There's this website/community called NaNoWriMo...National Novel Writing Month. Every November they challenge people to write a 50k word novel in 30 days. That's 1,667 words a day.

Well, they have these "camps" throughout the year that prepare for the main event in November and well, I'm going to participate. Starting April 1st, I'm going to try and write a novel in a month.

So if any of you out there have any interest in writing, join me. Take the challenge. It doesn't have to be a work of fiction. It's more about setting a goal and surrounding yourself with the support needed to reach your goal.