One of my favorite authors, Diana Gabaldon, wrote on her website that she's keeping a pace of writing 2,000 words a day. For those that don't know what that translates into, it's about 7 pages, size 12 Time New Romans font, double-spaced. I find that mighty impressive. The last time I sat down and wrote a new scene in my book, I got to about 875 words and it took me about 3 hours to do so. I've written 140k + words towards my first book and the story has only been half told. I've still got a war to get down on paper.
While I should be focused on getting my unwritten content written, I've found myself reviewing and editing the work I've already played with several times over. Reading other books really helps. It gives good perspective as to what is entertaining, and what is just too much. While rewriting, I've discovered I've told more than I've showed, and I've given details that really don't add to the story. The reader doesn't need a full description about all the freak accidents. It's better to let the imagination build up the chaos inside the person's mind.
So far, I've gotten through my prologue and 5 chapters. They're posted in the X-cerpts portion of my book site if you'd like to read them. I have my husband's assurance that the post-editing versions are better. He reviewed chapter 1 for me. I saw him smile in a couple parts. That pleases me. I like it when I can entertain.
Inspired by Diana Gabaldon, I've decided I'm going to set my goal at 2,000 words a week. I figure that's a reasonable goal as a full-time working mother. Feel free to hold me accountable, but know hat my first draft is usually not the best one.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Six pack, and I'm not talking soda and beer
On my never ending quest for fabulous abs, I am forever searching for the best way to burn the fat off my midsection. This has included reading numerous web pages, subscribing to the blogs of fitness professionals, and consulting the advice of boot campers and co-workers. I've compiled most of what I've learned here in this blog post.
Burn more calories than you consume.
Don't live on a low carb diet. Your body needs carbs for energy. If it doesn't get enough energy, it thinks it's starving and then starts storing fat instead of burning it. At least once a week, perhaps twice, make carbs a major part of your diet otherwise you'll platue.
Don't over indulge on the wrong carbs. If it says enriched, it means that the good stuff was originally taken out and the manufactures thought that they had to put stuff back in to make it have some semblence of nutritional value. Sugar isn't the right route to go for carbs. Aim for fiber, but make sure you drink your water.
There are good fats and bad fats. Don't think you have to live without fat, because that's unhealthy. When you eat fat, which you should just in limited amounts, aim to get it in the form of avocados, raw nuts, and olive or coconut oil. Omega 3's are fatty acids.
Keep the carbs to the earlier parts of the day and eat for what you're going to be doing. When you sleep, you'll be burning calories, but not as much as when you're up walking around and moving. Like I said under the carb-free section, carbs are for energy. Dinner shouldn't be the biggest meal of the day, breakfast should be.
Weight train. The more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you'll burn. If you lose muscle mass, then that means you'll have more fat.
Don't drink your calories. If you have the choice between eating fruit and drinking fruit juice, choose the whole fruit. And avoid high fructose corn syrup. It's just not good for you.
That's all the advice I have for you at the moment. Until next time...
Burn more calories than you consume.
Don't live on a low carb diet. Your body needs carbs for energy. If it doesn't get enough energy, it thinks it's starving and then starts storing fat instead of burning it. At least once a week, perhaps twice, make carbs a major part of your diet otherwise you'll platue.
Don't over indulge on the wrong carbs. If it says enriched, it means that the good stuff was originally taken out and the manufactures thought that they had to put stuff back in to make it have some semblence of nutritional value. Sugar isn't the right route to go for carbs. Aim for fiber, but make sure you drink your water.
There are good fats and bad fats. Don't think you have to live without fat, because that's unhealthy. When you eat fat, which you should just in limited amounts, aim to get it in the form of avocados, raw nuts, and olive or coconut oil. Omega 3's are fatty acids.
Keep the carbs to the earlier parts of the day and eat for what you're going to be doing. When you sleep, you'll be burning calories, but not as much as when you're up walking around and moving. Like I said under the carb-free section, carbs are for energy. Dinner shouldn't be the biggest meal of the day, breakfast should be.
Weight train. The more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you'll burn. If you lose muscle mass, then that means you'll have more fat.
Don't drink your calories. If you have the choice between eating fruit and drinking fruit juice, choose the whole fruit. And avoid high fructose corn syrup. It's just not good for you.
That's all the advice I have for you at the moment. Until next time...
Thursday, July 7, 2011
A half year in reflection - Ob La Di...
Time, amazingly, doesn't stop and wait for you to catch up.
In as little as six months, my life has seen changes. My baby girl now clings to my leg, giggling up at me with a full faced grin. She can stand on her own now, though hasn't the courage to take any steps yet. I applied and was the top candidate for a Java programming job with the Idaho State Police. I started, stopped, started, and stopped WoW yet again. My best friend suffered through a month of 5:30 AM boot camp with me and I think we're both physically stronger from the experience. SharePoint has reared its ugly head and CSS reminded me of how beautiful web design can be. I learned how to ride and failed my motorcycle test.
As some things change, others stay the same. My book still consumes my creative thoughts. I even made a website to help keep myself organized! Risu the Author I'm still a health and fitness nut, even if I don't put my knowledge to use. Paranormal fantasy and romance still top my book list. I prefer regular Red Bull to sugar free.
My scale of house-wifeliness has upped itself by several degrees. I bought a vacuum and I use it on a regular basis. Dinner is ready by 6. I even use the oven. Don't worry (or maybe, Sorry), I don't intend on baking any apple pies.
Though this post really said nothing, life will go on.
In as little as six months, my life has seen changes. My baby girl now clings to my leg, giggling up at me with a full faced grin. She can stand on her own now, though hasn't the courage to take any steps yet. I applied and was the top candidate for a Java programming job with the Idaho State Police. I started, stopped, started, and stopped WoW yet again. My best friend suffered through a month of 5:30 AM boot camp with me and I think we're both physically stronger from the experience. SharePoint has reared its ugly head and CSS reminded me of how beautiful web design can be. I learned how to ride and failed my motorcycle test.
As some things change, others stay the same. My book still consumes my creative thoughts. I even made a website to help keep myself organized! Risu the Author I'm still a health and fitness nut, even if I don't put my knowledge to use. Paranormal fantasy and romance still top my book list. I prefer regular Red Bull to sugar free.
My scale of house-wifeliness has upped itself by several degrees. I bought a vacuum and I use it on a regular basis. Dinner is ready by 6. I even use the oven. Don't worry (or maybe, Sorry), I don't intend on baking any apple pies.
Though this post really said nothing, life will go on.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Why, oh why do I keep listening?
Romance novels are frankly boring and predictable. At least this series that I'm going through is. I'm tempted to skip to the last book to see if her writing style gets any better. Some authors get better with experience. I'm hoping I'll be one of those. A good example is Karen Marie Moning. I started with her Fever series since that's the one that caught my interest and then took a look at her romance books which had been written first. Alright, so the men and women fit the stereotypes. I had been extremely critical when I read Beyond the Highland Mist. I had gotten used to a single perspective way of writing and suddenly this book has the point of view jumping from one character to another. It gets darn right confusing at times. Ah, but I continued, sucked into the need to finish what I started, including series that can be predictable. By the MacKelter books, I was hooked and I noticed the clear improvement in writing style, in my opinion. Now I eagerly await her fifth and final book of the Fever series which gets released in stores January 18th. (She even has a count down on her website and some pretty "interesting" music)
Given that I know it's possible that people get better with practice, I'm thinking that jumping ahead will give me a glimpse of whether or not the Christine Feehan series gets better. I've never been a vampire fan to begin with and as most romance novels go, each book is stand alone in plot. Skipping ahead will likely only make me miss tidbits of background on characters. I skipped ahead to book 4 since I found Gregori interesting in the first book, but alas, it was the almost the exact same. Same game, different players. Maybe book 19 will be different.
Don't worry, my books aren't going to be like that. I have a clear progressive plot in my head. It spans 4 books, but I have other stories in my head, enough to write 4 additional books with my main hero still taking lead before he reaches his final resting place and his children take up the legacy. Actually, it'd really only be his youngest son. And then I was thinking about doing a spin off series with that son's sons. But that is far, far in the future.
The progressive plot:
Book 1 - My hero deals with his situation and learns who he really is, only to act out blindly in vengeance and endangering everyone around him
Book 2 - My hero has to deal with the consequences of the first book while his beloved struggles to unite the people under her rule
Book 3 - Just as things were settling down, the instigator to the problem that set the precedence for my books arrives with a foe from the first book and imprisons my hero. With the help of his daughter, he manages to set things right, the way they had been intended from the start, but not without paying a price
Book 4 - My hero is recovering and struggling with the trauma from the third book. His son is taken and his daughters fight to get him back, making life even more difficult for my hero since he is very protective of his family and yet he's helpless to do anything while he recovers
That's the arc. The arc ends happily. I could end the series right there. After that, I don't have any other arcs, just stories that are more fun. My thought is that book 5 will pertain to my hero's granddaughter causing problems due to his doting on her every whim. In book 6, it's my world meets traditional fantasy. Yes, Michelle, in this book, there will actually be fairies! And goblins. And gnomes. And dragons. And wizards. And you get the point. This book is a fun book in my mind. And it heals my hero completely as it's in this book that his fourth and final child is conceived, a formidable power that exceeds his own. There's a thought of a book 7 where the boy has to defeat some sort of evil to save his parents. And then in book 8, my hero makes the choice to allow his body to be destroyed rather than live in what he views as imprisonment. With his overwhelming power, he creates a world of second chances, giving those that died unfairly in the series a chance to find happiness in a safe environment. My hero lures his grieving widow to this world and helps her to learn how to love and live again with human part of him that died. The boy is full grown by this book and feels obligated to care for his mother as that was his father's parting request. Per his mother's request, he helps her rid herself of her immortal nature and allows her to grow old and die a natural death along with her new family. Though part of my hero still exists as pure, raw power and energy, his story is over with.
I haven't really thought much on the son's story except that in that eighth book, he had been with the Queen of the Fairies when his father died so he feels guilty for that, and the Queen surprises him with triplets. She keeps the girl and raises her among the fairies but drops off the boys to be raised by their father who had just barely come of age himself and is unprepared for the responsibility. Due to their fairy heritage, the boys are shape shifters and a rather wild pair, rivals in all things and constantly at each others' throats. It is my thought that at the end of the eighth book, after his mother has passed on, the son goes to return to his siblings, only to disappear. That's the spin-off series I was thinking about. Blake and Brandon, the boys, are battling an evil force on our world, gets an unsuspecting woman mixed up in all of it, and she has to deal with the reality of magic users existing in a very destructive way. I figure I can come up with a few books and near the end, their father can make a come back.
Of course, the story will eventually end up back on my created world.
I was also thinking about writing a collection of short stories called the Cera Chronicles. Cera is my hero's oldest daughter and she spends a number of years searching other worlds for a way to help her father. I thought it'd be interesting to see what weird and exotic lands she visits. And there's one where the world parallels her own, except for one decision that completely changed how events play out.
Wow, how did I get veered off? I guess listening to romance novels really gets my book thinking in gear.
Given that I know it's possible that people get better with practice, I'm thinking that jumping ahead will give me a glimpse of whether or not the Christine Feehan series gets better. I've never been a vampire fan to begin with and as most romance novels go, each book is stand alone in plot. Skipping ahead will likely only make me miss tidbits of background on characters. I skipped ahead to book 4 since I found Gregori interesting in the first book, but alas, it was the almost the exact same. Same game, different players. Maybe book 19 will be different.
Don't worry, my books aren't going to be like that. I have a clear progressive plot in my head. It spans 4 books, but I have other stories in my head, enough to write 4 additional books with my main hero still taking lead before he reaches his final resting place and his children take up the legacy. Actually, it'd really only be his youngest son. And then I was thinking about doing a spin off series with that son's sons. But that is far, far in the future.
The progressive plot:
Book 1 - My hero deals with his situation and learns who he really is, only to act out blindly in vengeance and endangering everyone around him
Book 2 - My hero has to deal with the consequences of the first book while his beloved struggles to unite the people under her rule
Book 3 - Just as things were settling down, the instigator to the problem that set the precedence for my books arrives with a foe from the first book and imprisons my hero. With the help of his daughter, he manages to set things right, the way they had been intended from the start, but not without paying a price
Book 4 - My hero is recovering and struggling with the trauma from the third book. His son is taken and his daughters fight to get him back, making life even more difficult for my hero since he is very protective of his family and yet he's helpless to do anything while he recovers
That's the arc. The arc ends happily. I could end the series right there. After that, I don't have any other arcs, just stories that are more fun. My thought is that book 5 will pertain to my hero's granddaughter causing problems due to his doting on her every whim. In book 6, it's my world meets traditional fantasy. Yes, Michelle, in this book, there will actually be fairies! And goblins. And gnomes. And dragons. And wizards. And you get the point. This book is a fun book in my mind. And it heals my hero completely as it's in this book that his fourth and final child is conceived, a formidable power that exceeds his own. There's a thought of a book 7 where the boy has to defeat some sort of evil to save his parents. And then in book 8, my hero makes the choice to allow his body to be destroyed rather than live in what he views as imprisonment. With his overwhelming power, he creates a world of second chances, giving those that died unfairly in the series a chance to find happiness in a safe environment. My hero lures his grieving widow to this world and helps her to learn how to love and live again with human part of him that died. The boy is full grown by this book and feels obligated to care for his mother as that was his father's parting request. Per his mother's request, he helps her rid herself of her immortal nature and allows her to grow old and die a natural death along with her new family. Though part of my hero still exists as pure, raw power and energy, his story is over with.
I haven't really thought much on the son's story except that in that eighth book, he had been with the Queen of the Fairies when his father died so he feels guilty for that, and the Queen surprises him with triplets. She keeps the girl and raises her among the fairies but drops off the boys to be raised by their father who had just barely come of age himself and is unprepared for the responsibility. Due to their fairy heritage, the boys are shape shifters and a rather wild pair, rivals in all things and constantly at each others' throats. It is my thought that at the end of the eighth book, after his mother has passed on, the son goes to return to his siblings, only to disappear. That's the spin-off series I was thinking about. Blake and Brandon, the boys, are battling an evil force on our world, gets an unsuspecting woman mixed up in all of it, and she has to deal with the reality of magic users existing in a very destructive way. I figure I can come up with a few books and near the end, their father can make a come back.
Of course, the story will eventually end up back on my created world.
I was also thinking about writing a collection of short stories called the Cera Chronicles. Cera is my hero's oldest daughter and she spends a number of years searching other worlds for a way to help her father. I thought it'd be interesting to see what weird and exotic lands she visits. And there's one where the world parallels her own, except for one decision that completely changed how events play out.
Wow, how did I get veered off? I guess listening to romance novels really gets my book thinking in gear.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Not enough hours in a day
Each day consists of 24 hours. Ideally, I would spend 8 hours sleeping and 8 hours working. That leaves me with 8 hours to accomplish my life's goals. Eight hours minus the 2-3 hours spent feeding Kimi a day. And the 2-3 hours to change, comfort, entertain, and teach Kimi. And minus the hour it takes to prepare dinner. And the half hour to eat it. And the hour commuting to and from work. And the half hour lunch. Alright, I'm at negative 1 hour so far to use towards accomplishing my life's goals.
You perhaps know of my intense liking for Japanese if you've known me for very long. I took the plunge and invested in Rosetta Stone so that I can make my goal of learning Japanese a reality. I need to make the investment worth it. So add to my list an hour every day spent studying with my software.
I also want to lose 10 lbs in body fat and tone my midsection. That's not going to happen on its own. I need to work out. That's another hour out of my day.
I have a piano now. I want to learn how to play it so that Kimi will be inspired to play when she gets older. Check off another hour of practice.
And my passion, my books. To get my books written, I need to sit down and do some diligent typing. At least an hour a day for that.
I'm at a negative five hours a day so far. And that leaves no time to shower, brush my teeth, do chores, or even spend loving time with my husband. /sigh
Someday, I'll find a way to accomplish all of my goals. I'll just have to quit my job to do so. :)
You perhaps know of my intense liking for Japanese if you've known me for very long. I took the plunge and invested in Rosetta Stone so that I can make my goal of learning Japanese a reality. I need to make the investment worth it. So add to my list an hour every day spent studying with my software.
I also want to lose 10 lbs in body fat and tone my midsection. That's not going to happen on its own. I need to work out. That's another hour out of my day.
I have a piano now. I want to learn how to play it so that Kimi will be inspired to play when she gets older. Check off another hour of practice.
And my passion, my books. To get my books written, I need to sit down and do some diligent typing. At least an hour a day for that.
I'm at a negative five hours a day so far. And that leaves no time to shower, brush my teeth, do chores, or even spend loving time with my husband. /sigh
Someday, I'll find a way to accomplish all of my goals. I'll just have to quit my job to do so. :)
Friday, December 3, 2010
The book strikes again
So I just finished listening to a romance novel by Christine Feehan. I think it's safe to say that my writing style is not that of romance though romantic undertones do appear within the book. From my review of romance novels, they all seem to have a similar thread. The man is very... masculine. Not to say that my hero isn't masculine, but he's not exceedingly tall or overbearing. In fact, due to his heritage, he's rather short and slender for a guy. He doesn't have manly chest hair or that sexy five o'clock shadow. He is an artist and was raised to care for plants as a garden's keeper. Definitely not romance novel material.
Don't get me wrong. My hero isn't effeminate. Derek is as hotheaded of a fighter as any guy, perhaps even more so since he's been picked on by the jocks who do fit the stereotypical romance male. But he has the personality of a playboy. He's spent his life charming women with his winsome smile.
Another thing I've noticed in romance novels is that the man is exceptional in bed having gained knowledge of how to please women from practice. Go figure. You'd think that Derek would fall into the same category. I mean, he knows all the right words to make a woman fall willingly into his arms. Flirting has great benefits with the ladies. Only Derek has a secret. He's a virgin. Not of his own accord, he insists. He's been as eager as the next man to explore his curiosity. But Derek finds that his attempts are unfruitful as odd accidents keep him from getting close enough to doing the deed. He flirts and teases to gain kisses, but he's given up hope of ever getting past first base.
There is one similarity between my hero and a romance novel guy. It's his desire to have kids and start a family. Romance guys have the trait to want to get the romance heroine fat with their romance babies. Derek may not be thinking that far ahead, but he hopes to someday find a woman who can be happy staying with him, knowing his accident induced abstinence, and possibly adopt. He's an orphan and only child. He knows how the system works. He knows what it's like to want a family.
That's my rundown of the comparison between my hero and a romance novel male. Hope it doesn't destroy your hopes and dreams of a hero.
Don't get me wrong. My hero isn't effeminate. Derek is as hotheaded of a fighter as any guy, perhaps even more so since he's been picked on by the jocks who do fit the stereotypical romance male. But he has the personality of a playboy. He's spent his life charming women with his winsome smile.
Another thing I've noticed in romance novels is that the man is exceptional in bed having gained knowledge of how to please women from practice. Go figure. You'd think that Derek would fall into the same category. I mean, he knows all the right words to make a woman fall willingly into his arms. Flirting has great benefits with the ladies. Only Derek has a secret. He's a virgin. Not of his own accord, he insists. He's been as eager as the next man to explore his curiosity. But Derek finds that his attempts are unfruitful as odd accidents keep him from getting close enough to doing the deed. He flirts and teases to gain kisses, but he's given up hope of ever getting past first base.
There is one similarity between my hero and a romance novel guy. It's his desire to have kids and start a family. Romance guys have the trait to want to get the romance heroine fat with their romance babies. Derek may not be thinking that far ahead, but he hopes to someday find a woman who can be happy staying with him, knowing his accident induced abstinence, and possibly adopt. He's an orphan and only child. He knows how the system works. He knows what it's like to want a family.
That's my rundown of the comparison between my hero and a romance novel male. Hope it doesn't destroy your hopes and dreams of a hero.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Holy Snowflakes Batman!
Have I ever mentioned how wonderful my sister-in-law is? Abigail Townsend is one month younger than me, notoriously accident prone, and has a sense of humor that I don't always follow. I have to admit that I love the girl.
The snow is piled so deep that it is up to the dogs' shoulders. Three black figures bound through the powdery goodness. They leap like gazelles through the banks and over the hole designated to be the future pond. Their furry pointed ears are speckled with white and their muzzles are wet from snacking on the snow. And still the flakes fall.
On the opposite side of the house, Abi diligently shovels her way down the walk to clear a path for those who dare brave this weather. Had I known she was doing so, I would have gone out to help her much sooner than I did. I didn't know what she was up to until Chris opened the door to start his car for work and called down the stairs to me, asking if I had shoveled. She was almost finished by that time.
I've observed on many occasions how alike Abi and I are. She and I have similar tastes in music, TV, and movies (save for that whole alien/predator selection). We both wear the same shoe size. We like to watch anime, we have the same taste in books, and we enjoy drawing and writing. I have a liking for bottles and she is a fantastic supplier of cool looking glass containers.
There was once where I was looking for a song that I liked in high school. I couldn't remember the lyrics, the artist, or the title. So I looked at Abi, said "it's something about not being able to get back home, but they don't care". She thought a moment and said "Oh, Fastball." Fastball, The Way, was the song I was looking for. Chris just stared at us with dumbfounded amazement and asked "how the he** did you get that out of what she said?"
When Abi first moved in, she had said "I'm only staying until Amber and Laura get a new place." Three years later, I'm guessing she changed her mind. We thought the introduction of a screaming child might drive her away. Thankfully, the floor/ceiling is thick enough to muffle Kimi's demands of my attention at 3 AM. We'll see if toddler-hood will change the auntie's mind.
Hmm, I looked at my iPod weather and it said current temp was 32 degrees with a high of 38 and a low of 34... That just doesn't make sense.
The snow is piled so deep that it is up to the dogs' shoulders. Three black figures bound through the powdery goodness. They leap like gazelles through the banks and over the hole designated to be the future pond. Their furry pointed ears are speckled with white and their muzzles are wet from snacking on the snow. And still the flakes fall.
On the opposite side of the house, Abi diligently shovels her way down the walk to clear a path for those who dare brave this weather. Had I known she was doing so, I would have gone out to help her much sooner than I did. I didn't know what she was up to until Chris opened the door to start his car for work and called down the stairs to me, asking if I had shoveled. She was almost finished by that time.
I've observed on many occasions how alike Abi and I are. She and I have similar tastes in music, TV, and movies (save for that whole alien/predator selection). We both wear the same shoe size. We like to watch anime, we have the same taste in books, and we enjoy drawing and writing. I have a liking for bottles and she is a fantastic supplier of cool looking glass containers.
There was once where I was looking for a song that I liked in high school. I couldn't remember the lyrics, the artist, or the title. So I looked at Abi, said "it's something about not being able to get back home, but they don't care". She thought a moment and said "Oh, Fastball." Fastball, The Way, was the song I was looking for. Chris just stared at us with dumbfounded amazement and asked "how the he** did you get that out of what she said?"
When Abi first moved in, she had said "I'm only staying until Amber and Laura get a new place." Three years later, I'm guessing she changed her mind. We thought the introduction of a screaming child might drive her away. Thankfully, the floor/ceiling is thick enough to muffle Kimi's demands of my attention at 3 AM. We'll see if toddler-hood will change the auntie's mind.
Hmm, I looked at my iPod weather and it said current temp was 32 degrees with a high of 38 and a low of 34... That just doesn't make sense.
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