December 28, 2011

With coffee in hand (that's a given I suppose), it's time to begin.

I  confess. I took more time away from writing during the holiday than I had intended. The kids wanted a dose of mom, and they got just that. I think it's safe to say that they're ready for me to get back to work. Just as well, I'm ready to get back to my characters. Their lives were suspended in time as I shopped, ate, and hung out with the kids. It's a good thing they're fictional!

As I post this, I'm a 1/3 of the way into book 2.  I can't begin to tell you how much the characters have changed since they were first created. The twists and bumps they've experienced have been pure delight. Even though I know how things will go for them, it's so much different when it makes it to paper and I'm pretty sure there are a few unexpected surprises for the readers.

Without further adieu..  "To the bat cave..."  There's work to be done!

2nd goal reached

Whoo hoo. I hit the 30,000 word mark on book 2 today and set a personal record of 4400 + words for one day. I'm so excited about where my characters are headed, that I might make it a late night typing them closer to their final destination.

The best laid plans

The plan for today was rather simple: wake up and write. That's what I do almost every day anyway. So, today was scheduled for just the two of us...me and the keyboard. We've been seeing a lot of each other lately. Don't tell my husband, but I think it might be love.

After warming up my fingers to a knuckle crack and a few quick Pilate moves, it's time to begin. But first I need to grab some coffee. How did I make into my writing space without coffee? This is clearly not a sign of logical thinking. (As I said before, it must be love. Only love could cause you to forget something like coffee! Right?)

Much better, now I'm set. Coffee in hand...fingers on the keyboard, I'm ready to light my screen on fire. What's that ridiculous sounds? Oh crap. I left the cell phone on and apparently it's ringing. Not a problem. It shouldn't take but a second.

The call to help a family in need, is not one I take lightly. Tossing on the coat and wrangling up my youngest daughter, we head off to fulfill our newest mission. The rewards of helping someone in dire need is something everyone should experience.

Five hours later, I run like a mad woman to see if my computer is still where I left it. It would break my heart if it left me for another writer. Eureka! It's still there and doesn't say a word about me running out on it earlier. (Maybe the relationship is more serious than I thought. Lucky me!) 

Finger workout repeated. "It's do or die. You and me baby." OK, so talking to my laptop sounds a little crazy, but ...well never mind. It's an excepted truth that creative people are partially crazy anyway, so I should fit right in.

In the rush to see that the computer hadn't abandoned me, I forgot all about dinner. With two kids at home and friends over, that's not something I should do. Quickly tossing the apron around my waist, dinner makes it to the table. Chew. Swallow. Eat. Eat. Yum. Yum. All done. I can finally get back to work. First I must feed the dogs and cats,  check the mail,  take out the trash,  do the laundry, and make a quick phone call.

All in all it's been a productive day in the field of writing. My computer hasn't left me and my kids still know my name. Making an honest attempt is half of the effort. I can finish the other half after life in MY house slows down for the night. I don't require much sleep. Not when I can enjoy life and still have my love affair with writing.

The Perfect Clone 2, is 1/3 of the way complete.  This is such an exciting time. The characters are growing, learning, manipulating, and loving their way through life.
I've spent the night breaking in a new computer, so it's the first night in a long time that I haven't written, but Christmas is just 4 days away so I'll allow myself the excuse. :)
Stay tuned. I will post excerpts from The Perfect Clone 1 soon.