Is There An Echo in Here?

Oops. I realize I've been absent from the blogosphere recently. Maybe you noticed, maybe you didn't. I almost didn't notice because I've been so busy.

I complete a short story and sent it off for possible publication.

I started and then stopped and then restarted A Darkness Forged in Fire. I like it, despite not devouring it like I normally do with books that I like. I think I'm a bit burnt out.

But the real reason I've been absent is because it's SPRING. It's, like, warm outside. It's pretty. There are FLOWERS! And I can go outside barefoot again! And start a garden! And SQUEE!

So, sorry for my absence, but I just need more SUNSHINE!

So Many Things...

A lot has been going on through my head lately...and I honestly haven't been able to organize my thoughts into coherency, so I'll just summarize what I've been up to.

1. Thinking about sex in YA novels: why it's there and why it isn't, and what that means. I read some really awesome articles about this debate, but, unfortunately, I cannot find them to link them to you. Argh. If you know what I'm talking about, please feel free to send me the links. :)

2. Pruning the FURY synopsis. It is now down to five pages and shrinking. I'm also improving the diction, so it's a more enjoyable read.

3. Polishing the final draft of FURY. This basically means that I'm quickly reading through it and correcting any glaring errors or poor syntax. I'm also making sure that the characters are coming off exactly as I intend. Since I have revised Caden's opening chapters, there will need to be some tweaking on his parts, especially toward the end of the story.

4. Researching and writing on ONE THOUSAND. Yes, I know. I'm supposed to be focusing on ELVES, but Achlys is a lot more demanding than poor Minalea, who still hasn't learned to stand up for herself. While Achlys really wants to start killing people again. ;)

5. Compiling my list of agents and making notes on why I want that agent specifically. This is very time consuming, but in the end I think it will pay off.

6. Setting goals. By the end of March I will have FURY glittering like a diamond and have sent out at least 10-15 queries. (Hopefully, more.) And, wow, my heart starts pounding just thinking about it. :)

7. Finished reading Patricia Briggs' Bone-Crossed, which was good (but I'm too scatter-brained to write a review) and have moved on to J.R.R. Tolkein's The Hobbit. (I'm still waiting to get Shalador's Lady and Shiver from Amazon.)

So...what have you been up to?

Options

So, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about the future . . . and I'm trying not to drive myself and others nuts by spouting off a bunch of "what ifs". But here's the thing.

I've been thinking about jobs. Jobs are important, but they're not careers. I already have a career goal (to be a published author), but I'm reevaluating the job goal. The main reason for this is that *ahem* I don't make much money where I'm at. Granted, it's a lot more money than I've made previously, but if I ever want to buy a house or have kids, I'm going to need to be bringing in a tad more to live comfortably.

So, on to job search. And I start humming "What can you do with a B.A. in English?" Answer: nothing. Actually, the answer that usually pops up is SALES. If I'd wanted to be a salesperson I would have gone to school for it, mmkay? I honestly loathe trying to sell people things (even if I am good at it--I was a successful tele-marketer at one time). Plus, I REALLY want to do something with my degree. That's why I got it, people!

So what do you do with a B.A. in English? Go back to school and get an MAT (Masters of Art in Teaching). This thought actually makes me panic a little. Why? Number 1: Graduate school is HARD. Number 2: Graduate school is EXPENSIVE. Number 3: Graduate school is TIME CONSUMING.

1 and 2 I can deal with, but it's the time consuming part that I'm worried about. Sometimes I feel like there's never enough time in a day to do everything I want, so if I heaped a pile of school work on top of that . . .I probably wouldn't get to sleep. And I like to sleep. Really.

And then, there is no way I could quit my job and still afford the bills. Even if I worked part time somewhere else. I could always just go to school part time, but I've heard that part time in Grad School is the same as full time.

Sigh. The scales are pretty even right now, though. It's not tipping one way or the other. I shall marinate on this (and other worrisome details in my life) for a while. :)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had an excellent New Year's Eve! I know I did. ;)

This is what I'm up to now:

I've enlisted in Sparkpeople's Fitness Bootcamp. It started yesterday with a jumping exercise. Needless to say, my calves are sore.

I'm ALMOST DONE with the FINAL revision of FURY. I'm aiming for completion at the end of the month.

I've written the query for FURY, now I have to do the synopsis. Something I'm not looking forward to, but must be done.

And...

I'm making wedding plans! That's right. Jake proposed on New Year's at midnight and I said YES. So, yay! It still hasn't quite sunk in yet, and I'm all a-flutter. :) We're aiming for a late summer/early fall wedding, but that's the only thing we've decided on yet.

Remodeling

I've had a rotten attitude lately. I have tried (likely unsuccessfully) to hide it. But I've never been a good pretender, so I've let the mean, the nasty and the jealous take over my writing life. Result: major unhappiness and crappy writing.

So, I'm remodeling myself and this blog. I'm going to take a more positive approach on my writing and the writing of others, and smile through this downturn. I'm going to be optimistic. Woo!

I'm not even going to wait for the new year. I shall begin now. And, on that note, happy remodeling, everyone. :)

Interference!

Not been able to write or edit much lately. Due to, well, life. I know. It's a pesky little thing, isn't it?

Fury is coming along slowly--and in a completely different direction. The ending has changed, and since I've given it free reign to be a romance novel, all those elements want to come to the forefront. But this novel is like a carefully made lasagna. Layers after layers of yummy goodness (har.har.) that begs every brain cell possible. This is not a story I can write without actually THINKING. Which is probably why it irritates me so much. I don't really like to think a lot.

Last night I went to bed musing on a different first chapter for Dragon Queen. Something with a little more oomph. No worries, it shouldn't change the story much if at all.

I've also been eyeballing Last of the Elves. It's about time I kept my promise to a dearly departed friend and write the damn book and dedicate it to her.

But, in the meantime, there is life. When it stops being so clingy (har.har.), I'll get back into my writing groove.

A little bit of an update

I'm exhausted today. Winter decided to sweep in and give us temperatures in the teens, which causes my legs to ache. So, I'm in pain. Combining those two makes for a very cruddy mood.

Dragon Queen is done, but it is already petulantly demanding my attention for revisions. (No, damn it! Go play by yourself for a while!)

Fury has reached an uncomfortable point for me, and so I'm struggling with it. Since I've rearranged the ending, the reunion with her father is coming up sooner (and differently). Shadow is not a nice person, but he's redeemable . . .but since I recently got back in contact with MY father, that experience is trying to manifest on the story WHICH IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! You hear me? ::mutters::

This weekend will be completely manuscript free, however. I'm heading up to Missouri to visit my aunt and uncle. I haven't seen them since my uncle was in a motorcycle wreck and broke his neck. Now he is paralyzed from the neck down, but he has regained some mobility in his legs and arms. (Thank God). The doctors say he might be able to walk again one day. So, if you haven't guessed, I'm getting all emotional about it.

It also means that Jake will be left alone with Gyspy (my chihuahua). Which is fine, but since he claims he's going hunting most of the weekend, that means she'll be ALONE for the majority of the time. And penned up. So when I get home she will probably go into convulsions of excitement and destroy whatever pair of shoes I'm wearing at the time. LOL.

::sigh:: I'm just too tired to even think about it anymore.