Right & Left Brain Writer's Meeting

You didn't?

I did!

No!

Yes, in the last 24 hours I wrote 520 words! In The Dream Stealer. Admittedly, it is what I'm currently calling "the back story" because it takes place 10 or 15 yrs before what I thought was the main story. However, as I continue to fill in this information, I came to realize that it might actually BE the story. Well, at least part of it. I can't decide what is happening with this mess but it feels right.

I just can't believe this is happening. I want to jump up and down and squeal. 

Feel free to do so but I just cut the yard and would rather sit here and contemplate the success.

So, now what?

No idea. I kind of hit a block and just walked away to paint the porch table.

You're kidding, right?

No. It is going to be lime green. The bench on the porch is an aqua. I think the chair will be hot pink. What do you think?

..... I think you should back up and regroup. This is a momentous occasion. And I really think you should reconsider those colors. Bit striking, aren't they? 

They are but I'm tired of bland stuff. I need color. Lots of colors. I love colors.

We can buy a box of Crayolas. Now about the story. What...

I have some of those but I want to be surrounded by color. The winters are cold and gray and I hurt. The colors are uplifting. I think my porch needs those colors. You know, I think I'm hungry. I need a sandwich.

You need to get back to the story. You're on a roll. You can't stop now. Really, the painting will wait. And you could stand to lose a few pounds if you know what I mean.

{GASP} Are you serious? I don't believe you just said that.

Yeah, well, the truth shall set you free.

I have to get that table done and on the porch before it rains. I...

NO! NO! NO!

Well, you don't have to shout.

I do because you're not listening. You do this all the time. You get started and then you stop and move to something else. You have to STOP IT!

I'm going to write more later. I just need to get up and move around. You know I have pain in my neck from sitting too long and the numbness in my hand gets worse when that happens. So, I am not just moving from one chair to another. I got up and moved around. Painting the table.

.....

You do know you're blood pressure is going up and that steam coming out your ears is just overkill.

I don't believe you'll write any more this week. 

Considering this is Saturday,  you might be right. I wrote those 520 words between midnight and 2 a.m. this morning. Technically, I wrote today and it is the last day of the week. So, tomorrow starts another week.

You know, you're not as smart as you think you are. 

Maybe not, but I'm pretty smart. And about that diet, you might want to think about that, too.

Review of Broken Girls

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Impressive, brilliant, intense

A mystery, a murder, a derelict school for throwaway girls, and an unknown horror. St. James has covered all the bases. From the first page a growing sense of fear permeates the story and a sense of horror grows as the events unfold. This is not a bedtime story but I couldn't put it down.

View all my reviews

Review of Mortal Arts

Mortal Arts by Anna Lee Huber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

a truly enjoying read

This is book 2 in the series and I enjoyed it just as much as the previous book. Mrs. Huber writes well and keeps the suspense at a comfortable level . I did find the ending of this a bit more intense. I have one complaint with the books so far . The " had I but known " style of writing went out with Mary Roberts Rinehart . It seems Miss Huber has resurrected it . However the stories are so good that I can overlook this fault .

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Finding Time

I know they say travel broadens the mind but it also rips a hole in your soul. The first trip I took was a vacation with my Aunt and Uncle. I read 5 books on that trip and it was awesome. I swam a little and was able to just site on a quiet patio and read. I do not require lots of entertainment on vacation.

I was home only three weeks when my brother died and I had to leave and go home for the funeral. I was gone only three days but let's face it, it was not a pleasant trip. My whole family is still reeling from this death and I don't know why we'll ever feel that it has really happened.

The next trip was exactly one week later. We went to Arkansas to pick up my granddaughter. She's been visiting her dad for the last six weeks. I'm glad she's home. I'm glad I'm home! This is the longest trip I take. It takes 12 hours. The map says 9 but if you really have to go to the bathroom and eat, you can just add more. If there is construction or car accidents... and there are... you can add even more. We experienced it all. We left both times at 6 a.m. and arrived home at 5 p.m. We limited out stops to the shortest possible time. This helped. Leaving extremely early also seemed to make a difference is how we felt. The fact that I didn't have to do the driving certainly helped me. I'm much less tired than I was after that first trip.

Somewhere in all that I managed to scrounge up 1354 thus far in July in one of my WIP. I'd hoped for more but unfortunately, travel got in the way. Now, despite all that, I don't think 1354 is anything to sneeze at. I'm amazed that I got that much writing done. Admittedly, that's only over the course of two days but I consider myself lucky to have had two days where I could function. I will thank God for small favors.

School starts on the 7th so things will be busy the next few weeks but I've pretty excited that I don't have anywhere I have to go and I might just get some more writing accomplished.

I'm going to set up my calendar in the next few days with my writing times and I'm trying to make sure I get enough rest factored in. That seems to be my biggest need. I am always tired due to the RA and the fibromyalgia. Factoring in rest when you have an autoimmune disease is so important, particularly if you want to write. In the past, I've always neglected it and this last year has really revealed that to me. Once I started making rest a priority, above everything else, and setting aside days for specific chores I found that I functioned better and actually felt like I could do other things like writing or working on a home improvement project.

I'm going to try to hang on to the optimism and structure my time more stringently. Pray for me. I need it.