You know... there's only so much 'feeling like a moron' that a smart person can take before I just want to end it all.

What now? you ask, being exceedingly kind and hiding the snide laughter that is threatening to burst forth, because Jackie is known for being a bit of a know-it-all.

Well, I say, you know my little problem I'm having editing this *&$@$ manuscript? Well, um, you see, I had lunch yesterday with a friend, and as usual, I was ranting about this edit. And, typical of this friend, he goes into fix-it mode and tries to pin me down as to what the problem might be. And guess what the first words out of my mouth were? I really can't get into my heroine's head because I really don't like her.

And the really stupid thing is now long it took me to realize the significance of what I said!!

If I don't like her... how can anybody else like her?!?!?!

Yes, now you can laugh. <grumble, grumble> (Read more)

 This is turning into a DucKon week, rather than just a day, which you'd think I'd remember after doing this for 4 years, but every year it surprises me. I got a preliminary panel list put together, and sent out to my panelists. And got stuff back from most of them. (Thanks!!) Tomorrow I'll start nagging the others.

Then the last couple days I've been working on my presentations that'll happen Friday night. "Formatting Yourself Out Of The Slush Pile" and "Editing Yourself Out Of The Slush Pile". I tried to do the 2nd one last year, but bad preparation on my part turned it into the first one. So, I'm aiming to havethem both done before the Con starts, so I can make sure I'm giving the right talk. (Read more)

 Today was a DucKon day. I spent the morning working on the progress report, which should be going into tomorrow's mail. And I spent the evening working on the presentation I have to give Friday evening.

This year I am determined to be more organized than last year. Last year, the talk I ended up giving didn't match the description in the program book in the least. Which is the pit-fall of doing it at the last minute and discovering that most laptops no longer have floppy drives. Live and learn.

And tomorrow, more DucKon work. I need to create panel descriptions for my track and get them into the mail. I'm late, but since I'm doing the program book, by definition I can't be late. :-)

 Feeling better today, and actually got some done on the edit. The 1st chapter is done, except where I'll be adding in backstory that comes out when I rip out the next three scenes. So, I have a little momentum going, we'll see if I can keep it up. (Read more)

I spent Tuesday attempting to get down on paper all the things that needed to get said in the first page and a half... the hook... of the proposal that got lost in the mail. Then I spent yesterday re-writing. Yesterday evening I took the brand new first scene and the slightly edited second scene into my RWA chapter's critique session, and got rave reviews. The two gals who had read it before said it was vastly improved, and the two gals who hadn't seen it before had only some minor wording thoughts... in other words, the first scene is now good to go. Yah!!

And... I trimmed 872 words off the first chapter... which is only a dent in the 30k+ that need to go, but it's a start.
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Kids are still home, haven't gotten a word written since Thursday.

Then yesterday it hit me that the buying editor, at the publishing house I desperately what to sell my completed manuscript to, has said she'll keep an eye out for my revised submission and read it when it comes, because she's sorry it took so long for me to find out it never made it. Aaarrrrggghhh!!! I don't know how to fix it!!! And now I'm in a tizzy... what I do here, with this first sentence, first paragraph, could mean the difference between selling this thing and not. This is the house I aimed it at from the very first word I wrote 5 years ago. Aaarrrgghhh!!
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Discovered another little fact about myself today: I can't write erotica when the kids are home... even if my office doors are closed, my kids have been threatened with their life if they interrupt me, my headphones are on and there isn't any way in the world they have a clue what I'm writing... I still can't do it. :-)

So, I spent the day doing much needed DucKon stuff. I invited a bunch of new faces to participate in my writer's track. Then I harassed our web mistress, but didn't get far because her computer is in the shop. And, in general, got myself caught up. The only thing left is tomorrow I need to have a long chat with the conchair and see what threats I can use to get content for the web site. What fun.
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