Full Circle

After putting together some tips together from my hero, Noah Lukeman, and allowing them to solidify in my mind, I have turned back to my writing. Again. (Page 63 of 240 with about 80 bazillion distractions ranging from more snow to computer breakdowns to treks to the snack cupboard. Sadly, not much in the way of email to keep me distracted.)

And so, I have discovered on this round of my never-ending edits that my paragraphs need help.

When it comes to nonfiction writing, I’ve got it down pat. Start with your statement, premise or fact, back it up and move on. (Basically.)

Well in fiction, I just popped the old ‘enter’ key whenever. Reckless abandon comes to mind as I look over my work. Okay, not that bad. But when the paragraphs would get long, sometimes I’d break it up before my thought was over.

So now I am going through with the focus on going full circle. I start a chapter with an idea and end a chapter echoing it (hopefully) or resolving it. But of course, with the all important hook to keep people reading on. I am also extending that idea to each chapter section, and each paragraph. And my paragraphs are getting a bit better, I think.

Plus, I am making sure that I am carrying my themes throughout my work. I got some advice from someone that isn’t fully sitting well. Yes, you have to carry the character through the story along with their quirks and characteristics, but I feel that there is a point where you have to let off for fear of insulting the reader. They don’t need to be constantly reminded on how the character frowns at everything or whatever their quirk is. That aside, it is fun trying to carry thoughts and ideas throughout the work. It is amazing where things pop up. No wonder it takes some writers so long to pump out their books. I finally understand. There are so many layers that it is impossible to add them all in on one or two sit downs.

This is the paragraph where I should be echoing the first paragraph, resolving it or coming full circle. But I’m not going to because this is a blog and I need to get back to applying the latest Lukeman tip to my never-ending round of edits before the glorious snow distracts me.

Best Day Ever!

Best day ever!

Decided to start the day by going to the book store, where once again we got a PILE of books for great discounts. For example, eleven books for under a hundred bucks–but worth over two hundred. You gotta like that. And so I’m in there cruising the tables, looking for a deal and the Starbucks lady comes up and asks if I’d like a free sample. And she is holding the largest drink I think I’ve ever seen and it has a pile of whipped cream. I’m thinking, ‘so, do I take a sip off the top? Can’t be.’ And as if reading my mind, she goes, “It’s a bit large. It’s a gingerbread Latte.”

And here was my momentary dilemma. It seems that coffee (as well as wheat) gives me a rash–nothing major though, just annoying. And this morning I was thinking, ‘to have a coffee today, or not?’

Anyway, there is this FREE, HUGE Gingerbread sprinkled, whipped cream covered coffee. Like I could say no.

Anyway, she totally made my day. Rash or no rash.

Then later, this other lady who works in the book store comes up with these coupons. She’s like, “Here, put this 20% off sticker on your most expensive book. All you have to do is spend over $35.” And she eyes my huge pile of books in my arms (eight) and almost (almost) smirks. As if $35 is a problem when I go in a bookstore. More like trying NOT to spend $35.

So, the day is pretty great. Then we find a geocache. And then, I don’t have to make lunch because we go out. And then we rent movies.

And then, ahhhh, we relax.

Ahhhh…what a great way to spend the day.

Come on Versa!

So, I was finally getting motivated to do all these things in the yard that I have been putting off. I planted the 50-60 bulbs I had bought (tulips and daffodils) and was moving on to mowing the lawn so it would look less scraggly over the winter. And guess what I did? I broke the mower. After, embarrassingly, having the neighbour come over and remind me that I had to prime the engine, (I hate looking that dumb), we got it going. But then it died and then it wouldn’t stay going at all. So something somewhere is screwed up. Or maybe I am just supposed to have a scraggly lawn all winter–just so we don’t start looking too uppity.

I voted for going out and buying an electric mower, but the idea was ixnayed.

Anyway, I was all motivated to mow and the mower broke. I was all motivated to build a wind screen trellis thing for our deck–and now I have an awful cold. I even finally bought the wood and have all our tools that I will need returned. And now I don’t know what to do. Other than watch a pile of TV. And read–except that my eyes burn.

I keep hoping my cold will go away if I do nothing.

But oh, I should be getting my call from Nissan today or tomorrow telling me that I won the Versa! Cross your fingers for me! The draw is today. Please, please, please! I need a new car. My exfoliating one is getting pretty wobbly!

I picked up a book at Chapters: ‘The Feminists Go Swimming’ (by Michael Collins) for something like two bucks. It isn’t what is sounds like. Not at all. It is a bunch of short stories by an Irish male writer. Basically, they are gloomy, hopeless stories and women tend to be these total downers. Does he hate women? Or is life really that oppressively gloomy in Ireland? What about the happy little leprechauns dancing around after rainbows? Is that all an American myth? Maybe leprechauns are really vicious little ankle biters. The stories are well-written but I’m not sure if I am going to finish reading the book. Unless he puts in some leprechauns.

I am also reading ’4Blondes’ (by Candace Bushnell, writer of Sex in the City–which I have never watched–only female on the planet that hasn’t, I am sure) which I got for 50 cents at the second hand store. It is about a bunch (4) of unhappy women who are big shots in New York. There seems to be a lot of unhappiness and anal fixations in all of their lives. Maybe if they knew that the Ps go in their Vs, they’d be happier.

Bits of Life

How the heck did I get a 14-year-old in the body of a 4-year-old? It is amazing really. I thought it would take years to perfect the tone of frustration and angst that one can inject into the word, ‘fine’. Apparently I have an over-achiever or is she just amazingly gifted? Dunno.

Pretty sure I didn’t win the Forrester.

Got my Harry P. It sure is dark. I’m only 80 pages in so far, but wow. Not really a kid’s book. Brilliant, though.

I missed the Farmer’s Market today. That is disappointing. At 8 I was ready. By 9 (when it started) I had already forgotten about it until 2 (ended an hour previous). DANG! No fresh green beans for me. You know, if I were incredibly rich (I’d have to be to justify the expense), I would have my own cook. I wouldn’t have to cook or grocery shop every again.

And I wouldn’t miss it.

And they could make me a coffee with chocolate and whipped cream–everyday!

And I would have acne for the rest of my wealthy little life.

See, coffee, it seems, gives me acne. Not really, fair, is it? I finally get a hankering for it, and it gives me zits. Okay, okay, not really a hankering for coffee per se, more like all the sugar and fat I put in it. Oh yes, yummy, yummy. Offer me a little coffee wit some chocolate in it and a little shipped cream and I’m like, “Let’s see…wonderful, warm, cozy drink that is sweet and yummy and delectable or…give me that damn drink already!”

I got a ‘gift’ card with my Harry P since I ordered it from Chapters. You can win $5-$1000 if you spend more than 50 bucks in store in August. I am such a sucker for contests lately. I even almost entered a contest for Coke. (That icoke thingy, and then I realized that more than likely, I would have to give out personal info that I am really not that interested in sharing and I wouldn’t win anyway.) But back to Chapters. I am a sucker for books. SUCKER! But, I hate to spend so much on them. But that card is so tantalizing. What if I won $1000! Could you imagine all the books I could buy! Oh my god! It would be heaven! I spent over $800 in Chapters in two hours one day. Okay, it was for work. But it was SO much fun!

Anyway, if I won that, I would buy all of Meg Cabot’s books (or at least the adult ones). I’d even buy hardcover. I love Meg’s blog. I’m not much of a blog reader, but I read hers. I’d love to meet her. She’s got a crazy cat, Gem, that she has dubbed, ‘Slutty McSlut A lot’. That is just too funny. That is something that we would do. I mean, we do have a cat named ‘M’. Not from James Bond, either. As in ‘LMNOP’. Yup, and they let us name a PERSON!

New Books!

Finally remembered to cancel the insurance on the Golf. We are getting lots of calls on the Golf from Auto Trader. They said they could mark it as sold–which obviously they haven’t. They even called last night to ask if we wanted to continue the ad. Crazy. At least it isn’t on their website.

We went to Chapters yesterday to buy a book for a friend for his birthday and we bought a ton of books. No wonder we are broke all the time! We spend! We did save a lot of money. I got four novels for the price I would pay for used ones. (And they are new. It was a buy three, get the fourth free. (And they averaged the prices of all four to give you money off instead of you getting the cheapest one for free.) Plus we got to use our Chapters coupon for $5 off, plus our irewards! So, basically, I paid about $6 a book instead of $10. I like that!

Here’s what I got:

The Nanny Diaries ~ Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Everyone Worth Knowing ~ Lauren Weisberger
Careful What You Wish For ~ Lucy Finn
Swapping Lives ~ Jane Green (I love her! I’m saving this one for the cottage!)

Let’s hope that today is Yaris pick up day! Cross your fingers for me!