I had a Great Post. . .

But then my computer screwed the whole thing up.
That is why I’m posting this late in the evening.
I need help with my novel.
Does anyone have any suggestions?

Also, I’m reading this book called I Am J. Has anyone read it? I have a couple copies. Maybe you guys can trade me groceries for a copy. . . .hahah just kidding.

I’m sorry, Mom. I failed you. I’m determined to figure out how to fix the video so I can post it tomorrow.

Okbye.

Three things Wednesday, One Day Late

Number One

JOHANNESBURG –  A South African health official says a man awoke to find himself in a morgue fridge — nearly a day after his family thought he had died.
Health department spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said Monday that the man awoke Sunday afternoon, 21 hours after his family called in an undertaker who sent him to the morgue after an asthma attack.
Kupelo says the man started yelling, prompting morgue workers to run away in fear. They eventually returned and removed him from the fridge. He was then taken to a nearby hospital and later discharged by doctors who deemed him stable.
The mortuary owner says his family is very happy to have him home.
Kupelo urged South Africans to call on health officials to confirm that their relatives are really dead.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/07/25/south-african-man-wakes-after-21-hours-in-morgue-fridge/#ixzz1TDnEyBjU

Best line by far in that piece? Kupelo urged South Africans to call on health officials to confirm that their relatives are really dead.

Number Two
In less than five minutes, write your own newspaper (or web) article that has to deal with a bit of your book.
Make sure there is at least ONE good line.
Share if you’d like to.

Number Three
Set the timer for fifteen minutes. Now, look for headlines that spark ideas for you. For sure, keep a log of titles that make you want to write a new book or add something to your existing piece. Don’t look for just dark ideas, but ideas that could add something funny or light to your writing. For example, what if your main character was the kid who was sent up in that balloon fraud case in CO, but in your story the kid really did make that ride.
Feel free to share.

A Week with Claudia Mills by Cheryl Bago

When Carol Lynch Williams tells you that you will be the assistant to a college professor with a doctorate in philosophy from Princeton who has published over 40 books, there is only one appropriate response:

Pure panic.

Suddenly the grammar of even the most basic housekeeping emails was worthy of hours of debate. Did I sound intelligent? Did I sound like I was trying too hard to sound intelligent, which would make me sound unintelligent? And then there was the issue of the manuscript. It was a first draft, which is what you’re supposed to bring to a workshop, right? But what would she think? What would the other members of the class think?

But Claudia’s sweet personality and calm demeanor could put even the most neurotic (i.e. ME!) writer at ease. She told us about her start as a writer, then took the time to get to know us…not only as writers, but as people.

Then we came to the actual workshopping. However, no matter how much trepidation we each might have brought in, we left with nothing but hope and inspiration. Claudia managed, time and again, to find the beauty in each manuscript. She would first prove to us that we were brilliant writers, showing examples of our genius. Then she’d point out where our manuscripts were flawed. The manuscripts were flawed, but not the writers. That small clarification made the difference between a workshop that tears you down and one that builds you up.

Every member of the class left knowing two things: Good writing takes work. A ridiculous amount of work. An astonishing amount of work. So much work that if you don’t have the deepest passion for writing, you shouldn’t even try. And the second thing? We were talented. We were capable. Every single one of us could and would be published, if we were willing to put in the work.

Here’s an interview of Claudia. http://cherylynne.blogspot.com/2011/03/author-interview-claudia-mills.html

And read this: http://artsandsciences.colorado.edu/magazine/2009/09/philosopher-wins-colorado-book-award/

Insanity

So Cam and I, bless our hearts, decided to do the Insanity fitness test.  Unfortunately, I failed. Very much. And now I can’t walk or sit or sleep.

I have been frustrated with my body and what it looks like and what it can and can’t do lately. I know I just had a baby and I should be patient. I know that but it’s hard. I see people running down the street and everything stays in place  and they are all happy and they have cute little clothes and sometimes they yell to my kids, hi boys! Ugh.

You know how you are in one place maybe physically, or mentally, or emotionally, or spiritually, and you know you could be doing so much better. Like the real you is stuck inside and you can feel it but it will so much work to carve that person out. To be the person that is only barely showing up every now and then?

That’s how I feel about myself these days. It’s also how I feel about my book. I’ll be writing and toiling and writing and every now and then I’ll get a glimpse of how the book could really be. How if I could just get out of myself, and really write, if I could clear all the mud in my head and dig down to the essence of the story, the book could be something beautiful. The problem is I don’t know if I can get there. Do I have the patience? Do I have the work ethic? Do I have the time? Do i have the desire? Do I have the brain power?

Right now the book is sad. And things are out of order and the characters are not full and I hope that I can do them justice. I hope I can figure out what this thing is really supposed to be about.

Like the insanity workout which I will probably never do again (but maybe I will? Will I?). It was truly awful yesterday. I wonder what would happen if I did keep doing it. If every day I was committed to it and I got better and better and better and by the end, I could do a plank ab kick. Maybe even two of them. The problem is it hurts. And it hurts. And it takes time. And it hurts.

Am i willing to make this book the book it could be?

*One More Thing

Here are some pictures of my sister:

She has a pretty amazing story to tell and it’s not  just about losing weight but more about figuring things out about herself. I think this directly relates to writing, getting published, dealing with hard things, etc.  I might have her guest blog next week if you guys are curious . . . .