Tag Archives: writing

music to my ears

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It used to be that I hated mornings. It was physically painful to open an eye and pull off the covers. Just five more minutes was my mantra. Sometimes, if I had to pee bad enough, I’d run to the bathroom, take care of business and jump back into bed.

I’ve discovered lately that this is my favorite time of the day. It’s hauntingly quiet, which is very unusual for this house–and a very welcome sound. Lately I’ve been rolling out of bed somewhere between 4 AM and 6 AM. And sure, I struggle at first to wake up, but once I do, Sally bar the door. (Okay, does anyone know who this Sally person is and why she was picked to bar the door in that cliche? Just curious)

After coffee is ready, I’ll sit down to blog. Pop onto Facebook and Twitter. Check email. Check my overnight stats (there are some naughty googlers out there late at night. And loads of people looking to become a MILF. That’s my goal. Y’all need to just stay away. There’s only room for one future MILF in the blogosphere, and that bitch is me. Just sayin’.) Anyway, I take care of the incidentals before I start working. I plug in my headphones, pick out the music for the day, or for the moment, or for the scene and get going.

Speaking of music, I received 3 CDs in the mail yesterday. I have a friend who is a huge Bruce Springsteen fan and I’ve honestly never cared one way or another for the Boss. There were a couple of songs of his that I always liked, but he was never an artist that I followed. Well, I suppose that must’ve been blasphemous to the Boss Addict so he sent me 3 CDs with 46 songs on them. (that’s a lot of songs btw. And he says he has 250! Holy Crapoly! THAT’s a lot of songs by one artist.)

I listened all day as I wrote. There were a couple of songs that really grabbed me. That were very powerful. Some that left me feeling very sad. Some that were just okay. But over all, the CDs were a big Win in my book. Except for the song That. Would. Not. End. 16 minutes was just a little much for me. (Sorry, A. Just too much for my busy little brain.)It was a live performance and Springsteen did a little preaching to the audience. Sure it was about Sexual Healing and possibly even a Naughty River, but let me tell ya, it still felt like a tent revival. But the first 5 minutes of the song was good. You know, the part where he was actually singing? Yeah, I liked that part.

Today, I’m going to have another listen to the songs I really liked. (I do that. I’m totally a Repeat Offender. I have no trouble listening to 1 song for hours. I know, you want to shoot me. Sorry.) There are a couple I think will fit nicely into my LOVE SUCKS! playlist. Which is good, since today is all about the writing.

Happy Saturday! You got plans?

ETA:
Today’s card from the Universe

finding your way

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When I was 18, I wanted to become an actress. I wanted to follow in Meg Ryan’s footsteps and go to NY first and land a role on a Soap Opera, where I could kiss all those hot actors (of course, I would’ve probably been cast as the maid LOL), get famous for being so cute and land a great movie role.

I daydreamed that a lot, but I didn’t go for it because I was too scared. As oppositional as I was (okay, still am) in nature, hearing my mother explain to me in practical terms why it was a bad idea and I would never find the success I was looking for seeped into my brain. I went to college and got a job delivering pizzas instead. (Still one of my favorite all time jobs to this day.)

It took me a long time to find my way to writing. I worked in Daycare for 10 years off and on, thinking one day I would become a teacher. I managed a Bath and Body works for a couple of years, I was a fraud analyst at a telecommunications company where I caught bad guys who cloned phones (this is before digital) I’ve served enough food and drink as a waitress to feed a 3rd world country. We moved to Oxford and I fell into a job doing HR and Travel, and that eventually led me to a job in Accounting. (Yes, accounting. Stop laughing. Seriously. Stop.)

By the time we moved to Oxford, I was writing. I had started 2 books, both that should and will remain unfinished. Very. Bad. Stuff. But writing them gave me the fever. Because of the way I write, I see the books as movies, so I’m kinda getting my acting fix. And I get to daydream all day. Which I’ve always done anyway. Bonus!

This was the first time in my life that I pursued something I wanted to do. On my own–with no real idea if I would be successful. Fishdog would work long hours and I would write after the kids were in bed. I wrote on the weekends a lot. It became a passion. I got better at it. And in 2007 I sold my first book. (BITE ME! hits the shelves Oct. 2009. Don’t forget!)

It took me a long time to find my path. I was 29 years old when I started writing. I have no idea if I should’ve gone to NY and pursued my acting career. Maybe my insecurities then were in place to keep me searching until I could find my confidence and find my path. I’m glad I finally did. If you haven’t found yours yet, the good news is, it’s never too late to start looking.

BTW: The Universe was deep again today:

Melissa, nothing is ever lost. Not time; for what seems to have passed, lives on in the wisdom of future decisions. Not money; for what seems to have been spent, was only invested. And not love; for what seems to have vanished, has only moved so close you must look within your heart to see it.

Here and now, Melissa, whether or not it’s obvious, you are the best you’ve ever been.

So proud,
The Universe

words

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My friend Becky aka hellohahanarf posted a link to this site yesterday on her blog. I’ve spent a good deal of time today reading through the cards and marveling at the power of words.

We all know that words can be moving, touching, heart-wrenching, maddening, and powerful. Those of us who are writers, strive to evoke emotion from our readers. We want to touch them (and I’m not even being naughty when I say that). We want to affect them.

I’ll post a few of my favorites from Bone Sigh Arts here. But take some time and go look for yourself. Prepare to be affected.

her beauty
“i look at her and see beauty, and yet, she’s been told she’s not beautiful. I watch her and see love, and yet, she’s been told she’s not lovely. i want to shout to her “you are precious beyond words!” yet i know she can’t hear me. and so i won’t shout. i will just keep believing in her and reminding her. and wait for her to see it, to hear it, and to know it as deeply as i do.”

holding you close
“holding you close, my heart whispered to yours, i”ll help you thru this. i am with you. you are not alone.”

finger tip

“finger tip to finger tip, i long to reach out to you. to put the palm of my hand against your skin. i close my eyes and imagine you here. and i wait for your return.”

Which were your favorites? I’m seeing a few new posters or cards in my future…

things that make me happy

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The holidays are always full of cheer, but I decided to make a list of things that make me happy year around. In no particular order:

  • Hot coffee first thing in the morning.
  • ABBA, Bee Gees, and Donna Summer
  • Dragonflies
  • My boys’ goofy laughs
  • Fishdog’s sense of humor.
  • The number 897
  • Phone calls from my BFFs
  • Emails from long-lost friends
  • Ruby (see picture. How could that face not make you happy?)
  • Boston Legal (Why is this the last season??), Patrick Jane, How I Met Your Mother
  • Maker’s Mark
  • Diamond Bear Beer
  • The Beach
  • The smell of fresh honeysuckle, new money, and puppy breath.
  • Dirty Dancing (the movie, not the activity. Though I don’t mind a good dirty dance every once in a while.) The Replacements, American President, Robin Hood Men in Tights.

Of course, that’s not a complete list, but it’s a good start. What about you? What can you think of, turn on, or look at that instantly lifts your spirits?

Writing update:
Yesterday was a writing bust because I spent the majority of the day deciphering my son’s microscopic handwriting and then last night, I taught him how to properly edit his research paper. I was cross-eyed by the time it was over. Today will be a different story.

maniacal monday

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I’m at Ficitonistas this morning, talking about research papers.

The weekend was busy. I finished my copy edits. It was a whirlwind process since I didn’t receive them until Thursday and editor needed them on her desk by Tuesday. But I did it. I had some difficulty with a few of the edits. Like marking the ‘s’ off of backwards, making it backward. Both uses of the word are correct–but here in the south, backwards is how we say it–so that’s how the character says it. I didn’t STET it because it could just be house style and I felt like there were more important things for me to STET.

My good friend and big time author stud, Ace Atkins, advised me to make color copies of my copy edits and then use them as a reference when I get my first pass pages. So I made copies (just not color. Holy cow! Money is a little tight to be spending that kinda cash on copies, even if it is a write off) The color wasn’t really necessary because the copy edits were in Track Changes in the doc, so my hand-written changes will be easy to find.

So now it’s back to writing LOVE SUCKS! I’m going to power through a rough draft and spend the last half of December and first part of January revising. Wish me luck!

Love Sucks!

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Not really…but writing it sometimes does. UGH.

Goal today is 2 chapters. Keep your fingers crossed I make it. I’m making headway, but for some reason it feels slow.

Rader is home with a fever. He missed his first basketball game last night. 😦 He feels great when the Advil is working, but boy does he crash when the Advil wears off. So I kept him home today.

Nemo has 3 big school projects due within a week of each other. I really hate when that happens. It’s frustrating, especially since my child is the spawn of a procrastinator. I really hope they can prove that procrastination is an inherited trait. Nature vs. Nurture…what do you think? Is procrastination a product of genetics or mimicry?

In the world of good news, I got a sneak peek at a rough cover concept for BITE ME! and I’m totally stoked with the direction the HarperCollins design team is going in. I ♥ it. I can’t wait until it’s ready so I can post it everywhere and brag. LOL

Today I have to fit the gym into my schedule. It’s just too damn cold for me to do the outside running thing. I’m a wuss.

What’s on your agenda today?

I’ve got nuttin…

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See me over at Fictionistas today. I’m talking about Too Much Family…

We didn’t decorate this weekend we were too tired from all that eating on Thursday.

I did some writing–which I will be doing a whole lot of over the next few weeks. Deadline is end of January so I need to get moving.

Hope y’all had a great holiday and a relaxing weekend. Did you decorate? Overeat? Get lots of sleep?

Talk amongst yourselves while I’m busy making stuff up today.

Thanksgiving week: Tuesday

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I’m working on LOVE SUCKS! the follow up to BITE ME! I’ve been having a terrible time getting my little 17 year old vampire girl to cooperate. She wasn’t being witty, or funny, or anything. This morning, I woke up at 5 a.m. saying “That’s what’s wrong!” Yes, I figured out why the scene wasn’t working in my sleep. I am going to fix it today.

Then I’m going shopping for Thanksgiving. I do the turkey, mashed potatoes and pies every year. I soak my turkey overnight in a brine (it’s Alton Brown’s recipe if you want to try it. Honestly, best turkey ever.)

Tomorrow, we’re going to start our cleaning and decorating.

What are your plans?

the house is quiet

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Fishdog is headed to Oxford for the week. It’s weird having the house all quiet like during the day. Even though I don’t see him, I know he’s downstairs, working away. Plus I always hear his music. I’m thinking about going downstairs and turning on the radio…

I’m writing again today. Got lots to do and not much time to do it. Yesterday was a semi-success. Didn’t meet my goal pages, but I got through a difficult to write scene, so that’s something.

I posted at FatChicksRunning today about starting back after an 8 day hiatus. Check it out.

Anything going on with you guys?