Do or Die

I'm in do or die mode at the moment. Earl Grey and Vivaldi are keeping me company and Dexter el Gato, the serial killer cat, is doing everything he can to distract me. However, I'll be posting a few conference countdown lists and tips in the upcoming week so tune in and check Write Chic for more goal setting posts.

In other news, my mother is a traitor:















Mother, would I ever send you a return address label with a... a... White Sox logo on it?! I think not. ;)

Astronomy Update

Since the heroine of my MS is an astronomer, I've been really interested in all news on related subjects. I saw an interesting tidbit about a new class of intermediate black holes today. Check it out, it's pretty neat!

My dad (astronomy enthusiast, inspiration for the astronomy aspect of my MS, and all-around smart dude) once explained to me how you measure distance of a star and mass of a star and its exoplanets. I won't go into an explanation here since I'm not an expert but you might be interested in reading up on this here and here.

Do you include science in your novels? And no...I'm not talking about physical chemistry! I love reading about heroines that are either botanists, chemists, or physicists in addition to a variety of other science-related professions. Do you?

Getting Creative

Here it is. The space where I choose to get creative. It's ever changing and it amuses me to document the change over time so behold writing space v3.



Note:

• Clock by lamp...I prefer to hear a ticking clock when writing and sleeping. Yes, I know this weirds people out.
  
• Blue Hippo of Wonder... was a gift to my by the talented Mary after she visited London in the spring. Lucky bast... ;)
  
• Deodorant... I'm really not sure why this is here.
  
• Churchill Taken from the Diaries of Lord Moran... is something I picked up for my dad at a neat vintage bookstore specializing in political pieces but have forgotten to take it home (for over 2 years now)
  
• Black thing on top of pile of books... mini markers and storyboard notebook. I like to get visually creative.
  
• Mirror... when I get a bought of writer's block I squint at the mirror and make various other frustrated faces.
  
• Orange squares on mirror... when you have a wall of mirrors you come up with creative things to do with it, like create giant outline of WIP with painter's tape and Post-It notes.
  
• Writing Basics by Writer's Digest... I'm trying out some of the writing prompts and reviewed their website guide. Pretty good, if you're interested.
  
• 221B box... another gift from the talented Mary. It's a Sherlockian lapel pin.
  
• Scarab beetle barrette... I'm into scarab beetle jewelry and I'm currently searching for the perfect pendant so if you know of anything, let me know!
  
• Various research/writing books... a few of these I've yet to delve into but I'm enjoying the process.
  
• Fountain pen... for when I need to take a break from the computer.
  
• Blue tape on computer... insanely annoyed that a sliver of plastic is breaking off of my computer. How?! Computer, I treat you like a god so what's the deal with the breaking?
  

What does your writing space look like? Send me a link if you have one!

Fresh Start

Last Saturday was the start of a new fitness and healthy eating routine for me. I'd almost mention that I missed the memo about getting in shape for bikini season but the truth is I'd rather be in bikini shape year round and not have to think about it. I want to be toned. I want to be lean. I want to have an overall fitness level that I'm proud of. Right now, I'm none of those. I used to have a little bit of that fitness level I was talking about but work and other things got in the way. To be cliche, I wasn't making myself a priority in my life.

I'm also no stranger to the struggle of self-discipline. If I buy sweets I am guaranteed to eat them in less than two days. Need I remind friends and family of the Klondike Bar Incident? I'm also not terribly disciplined when it comes to sticking to a daily workout routine. I find it difficult to drag myself out of bed early enough to workout before work and when the work day is over it's a struggle to drag my butt to the gym.

The plans is to incorporate weight training and cardio fitness into my daily routine along with my weekly soccer game. I'll mix-up my workouts with my tried and true favs (running, biking, stairs, jump rope) as well as new ones (swimming, kettle bells, plyometrics). And if I'm not feeling like the gym, then I'll get out and enjoy the TX weather with other fun activities like golfing, soccer, tennis, and more. I'm also prepared to admit that I need to start bringing my lunch to work rather than eating out every day but I know this particular aspect is going to take some work.

So far, I managed to get to the gym 3 times since last Saturday and had a soccer game on top of that but I was put out of commission after a nasty fall during the game (bruised ribs, twisted ankle, large bruises, scrapes, etc). Tomorrow I'm going to get back at it with some non-impact reclined cycling since I'm not sure what my swollen ankle or ribs can take. I'll let you know how it goes...

Look at this tasty lunch:



(I didn't have any meat on hand so I ate a spoonful of peanut butter for protein)

Does anyone else struggle with self-discipline like I do?

Sherlock Holmes

I just saw the trailer for the new Sherlock Holmes movie directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Robert Downey Jr. Conclusion? I'm oddly excited! I was that mix of skeptical yet curious when I heard Downey would be playing Holmes but now I'm more excited to see the portrayal, especially since it will be a departure from all of the past portrayals of Holmes. Have you seen the trailer? Thoughts?

Raise 'Em High!

Does anyone else think Twitter is much more fun than Facebook? Raise your hand!

Guilty!

[x-posted from First Edition]

Last Friday I got my wisdom teeth out and the one cruddy rule was to refrain from eating hard, crunchy foods. It was really difficult stuffing my face with pasta, shakes, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and ice cream all week on top of knowing that no matter how much of it I ate, I was not allowed to work out out. How does one deal with that guilt?



Um, or not. It was glorious! Aside from the whole, you know, pain thing. I could go on a rant here but I choose to be positive on a Friday, okay?

But guilt settled in me in other ways this week. I can't recall if I've mentioned it but I've decided that there's absolutely no way I'm showing up at RWA Nationals without a complete MS. I know it wouldn't matter to anyone else but I don't even want to think about the psychological set-back I'd having knowing that the same MS I was working on last time around still wasn't finished. So in the midst of my hydrocodine-induced euphoria over the weekend, I agreed to the Book in a Month challenge by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. Which is where the guilt started to set in -- I'd have to make time for writing and put other things on hold.

I'm not like a lot of you out there. Yes, I have a full-time job but I don't have a husband, I don't have kids, I don't have school, and I don't have commitment after commitment in the evenings. I thought this would be easier for me and boy was I wrong. There is no guilt in not turning the television on in the evenings and no guilt in cutting down my time checking emails or Facebook but it's hard to limit friend time and the few commitments that come my way. I'm open to catching dinner with people (writers must eat!) but I can't devote time to hours chitchatting at the apartment. I'm a very slow writer and I need a lot of time to make word count goals. Note that I'm not saying I'm meeting said goals but at least I'm making progress. Again the optimism!

Yes, I know that friends and family, if they're supportive of the dream, should be supportive of the time needed. We hear it over and over again but that doesn't always make it easier. I still feel bad when someone asks if I want to hang out and I tell them I have plans to write. I still feel bad when I don't want to attend that event that a friend invited me to because I'd rather write.

And hell, I'm not even to the end of the first week of the challenge!

Do you feel guilt when you write (even knowing you shouldn't feel it)? Is there anything you tell yourself to feel better about it?