It's been a crazy time for me. On one hand, I'm still verra, verra excited to be a Golden Heart® finalist, and on the other, life goes on. Laundry still needs doing, work needs to get done and I've got to get some serious revisions done on my current work in progress or I'm going to get really, really cranky.

While all this is going on, I took a quick trip out to visit a good friends and their sons. One is ten months and the other is eight. As a woman with five houseplants and a cat, I don't realize how truly busy life can be with mouths to feed, diapers to change and interesting questions to answer.

During my visit, I sat back and absorbed what my friends most likely consider normal life. Me? I found everything fascinatingly overwhelming. Like how a smile can change the world. Or how an eight-year-old boy knows way more about acceptance than I ever will.

Instead of worrying about what to wear, we put on comfy grub clothes and hung out in the yard. Instead of worrying about what to eat, we grabbed some leftovers from the fridge and made a wrap buffet. We laughed, shared opinions and stories, and didn't worry too much about anything.

We all need to do more of that.

How about you? How do you stay in the moment?

Labels: adventures, ideas

This isn't anything new. It's something I tend to forget when I'm working on the first draft of a project until I'm gently reminded of it as I work through the mess of words I'd thought were brilliant and original as I typed them.

Can you tell I'm in editing mode? Thought so.

What I find most challenging, though, is the number of ways a writer can revise. And no, I'm not talking about revising while listening to music, or drinking hefty amounts of alcohol, or while wearing tin foil wrapped around your head with the hope that aliens will send inspiration your way.

Here are the different revision hats I end up wearing, sometimes simultaneously, which can lead to snickers from curious onlookers:

Revising for clarity
This is finding those sentences or plot holes that make you go "Huh?" Those lapses in logic where your heroine appears in a Parisian cafe in one scene and then on a beach in the next sentence. Or, something I'm really good at doing, having a character react to something that hasn't happened yet.

Revising out the repetition
Yes, I'll admit it. I don't trust myself or my readers during my first drafts. If something really important happens, I'll mention it a few times. In fact, when I mention something a few times, I know readers will understand its importance. Of course, repeating important information can also bog things down and make a reader feel like you don't trust them enough to "get it" the first time around.

Revising for tightening
I was lucky enough to spend an afternoon with a published mentor (Kate Freiman) who, sentence by sentence, showed me how to tighten my writing so that every word counted. I ended up trimming nearly 1,000 words from the first 20 pages! Although some of those edits hurt a little (and I might have arm-wrestled her over some of them, but she won each time), what words remained were stronger and told a better story.

Revising for believability
I know that fiction is made up, but readers know when a character does something completely out of character. And if you don't have a good reason for them to do that, or even have your character admit that it's something they wouldn't normally do, you lose your reader. The spell is broken. They no longer believe.

Revising for voice
I'm not talking about your writing voice here; this type of revision refers to the voice of your characters in dialogue. Do they sound different? If you took away the dialogue tags, could you tell who said what? In one manuscript I had three, THREE, characters all use the same catch phrases. If they were triplets, I'd understand, but they weren't. And one was an old man. ;)

Revising for emotion
This is probably the most challenging of them all for me because its so easy to feel like you're going over the top. But, as someone wise (who I can't remember) said: "It's better to have too much than nothing at all." And he/she was talking about putting emotions on the page rather than cupcakes at a buffet table. At least I think so.

Revising for typos and grammar stuff
This is relatively easy for me to do, which makes it hard for me to revise in other ways. When you focus solely on the grammar, you can lose a sense of the information being conveyed and the voices of the characters. That's why I try to leave this revision step until the very end.

That about covers it, I think. Are there other types of revising that you do? Please share!

Labels: ideas, skills, writing

Happy New Year!

Thanks to Joan Leacott, a talented writer of contemporary romance filled with Canadian charm, I've been invited to participate in The Next Big Thing in which I answer ten questions about my current work in progress.

This is a big thing for me, since I feel that posting stuff about a WIP jinxes things. ;)

But it's a new year, a time for doing things differently, right? :::gulps:::

1. What is the working title of your book?

Rats. That's one question I don't want to answer, so let's call it The Book That Will Launch Bonnie's Novel-writing Career. No pressure.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

I've always wanted to write a story where a girl has to rescue a boy, and suddenly the idea of a boy getting trapped inside a daisy because of a magic spell gone wrong popped into my head. And no, I wasn't consuming alcohol or playing Twister at the time.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

Young adult romance with really bizarre elements. That's a genre, right?

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

All the actors that come to mind are way too old to play my 16 and 17-year-old characters. And that might reveal that I'm not 16, even though I act that way. So there.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

In a twisted take on Beauty and the Beast, a girl discovers that the boy who broke her heart has been magically turned into a daisy, and she's the only one who can rescue him before he turns into compost.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I'd rather focus on writing (and revising), so I'd prefer to take the agency route.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

For-e-ver. Joan's 107 days put me to shame. Then again, I do work by day writing copy and magazine articles. Shoot, if I posted how long it took, people will point at me and laugh.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Oh my goodness, these questions are hard! Although my novel covers some serious subject matter, it's done with humour. And I can't think of any other books where the hero is stuck in a plant. ;)

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I'm lucky to have a lot of great friends and family members who are very encouraging and urged me to write something "more fun and zany" than my last novel, which kind of veered onto the dark side. Of course, my dark side is more like a light grey one, but it took me to a sad place when I wrote that way.

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Petals drop! Romance blossoms! And there's a healthy dose of redemption.

Is there anything else you'd like to know?
Send money now and I'll answer your questions! Operators are standing by!

This is the point where I invite others to post their own answers to the same questions, but I'm going to leave that up to you. If you do decide to participate, please link back to this page and let us know where to find your answers.

Thanks for reading!

Labels: adventures, ideas, writing

I stumbled upon the blog post 14 tips for writing a book in 29 days...and then doing it again the next month  by Johnny B. Truant, expecting to be sold some new software program that would spit out a novel for me. Instead, I received some advice that resonated with me so much that I knew I had to share it:

In the first draft, your job is to tell yourself the story, and in the second draft, your job is to tell others the story.

It's so freaking true that I almost cried when I read it.

Now I must book my tattoo parlour appointment.

Labels: goals, ideas, writing

...has me confused, terrified and kind of excited at the same time.

When I first started learning about the publishing industry, I compared it to the ball in Cinderella. Getting that invitation was like being offered a contract: the chance of a lifetime. Once you entered the grand ballroom, dreams would come true. Sure, you might lose a shoe, have your carriage turn back into a pumpkin and go home and hang out with your dreaded stepsisters for a while, but once your book came out, the prince (book sales) would arrive and propel you into a new, fantabulous life.

Yeah, everything I knew fit on a pinhead.

Then I learned a little more, thanks to joining the Romance Writers of America and the Toronto Romance Writers and attending some workshops. Hey, I had to go, they have raffles at meetings!

Forget Cinderella -- I then compared the publishing industry to the Finding Nemo, where fears could become a reality despite the opportunities out there. Finding the right agent or editor for your manuscript would lead an author through schools of sharks, angry fisherman, rough coral, etc. And once you discovered your agent/editor/book deal, you could find yourself trapped in a tank (contract), unable to pursue more comfortable or beneficial ponds.

Then I started hanging out with published authors -- ones who'd experienced all sorts of awesome and not-so-awesome situations and had pretty colourful comparisons of their own -- and asked them about what a new author should be aware of in this ever-changing industry. Drinks may have been involved. And cupcakes.

The result? At the end of the day, it's all about writing the best story you can. Yes, it's good to be aware of your options and what to be aware of when it comes time to negotiate a contract, but without that great novel to sell, self-publish or whatever, you're no further ahead.

So now, I compare the publishing industry to The Princess Bride -- full of common themes, new twists and the opportunity to have your own version of a happy ending. Sword fighting optional.

How about you? What film would you compare the publishing industry to?

Labels: adventures, ideas, writing

...not to have resolutions this year, only solutions.

Of course, that makes it sound like there's only one right answer out there for whatever is bothering me or needs fixin'. But that's not the case.

Goals, old and new
As part of my new year festivities, I decided to take a look back at the goals I've set for myself over the years and evaluated the success I've achieved. Overall, I did well. Things got crossed off, tossed, improved and, sadly, completely abandoned after I decided I'd completed it.

And for some stuff, that's okay. For other goals, however, you need to pay some attention to them or they won't survive, or grow into something biggah and bettah.

Too many plates, not enough cutlery
Although you can probably tell from my utter lack of blog posts, I must admit that the latter half of 2011 had me spinning too many plates at once. Personally and professionally. Yes, I'd taken care to not sign up for too much, or agree to do things I had no interest in doing, but life, like a cat, isn't always content sleeping in a sunbeam. Sometimes stuff happens that we have to find a way to work around.

Time is another four letter word
And the huge workaround for me is time management (says the woman writing this post at an ungodly hour on New Year's Day). My ability to do five million things at the speed of light has abandoned me, along with the unfortunate hair colour choices I made back in the '80s. And that's OK. There are plenty of other people out there who can take on that challenge, whether they're armed with a case of Red Bull or not.

What I can do, however, is take a good look at my schedule and ensure that I get some time in for things that I truly enjoy. Good times with family, friends and the kitten of mass destruction. Reading. Really bad TV. And maybe, just maybe, that endorphin rush I used to get while doing that dreaded thing called exercise.

Le sigh.

Why the sudden navel gazing and sense of dissatisfaction? 'Tis the season. ;)

A new reality
A new year, to a lot of people, means a new start. For me, I'd like to look at it as a new reality.

Maybe relying on a Magic 8 ball to make my decisions isn't the best way to approach things. Go figure.

So my plan is to land here once in a while to share ideas and make note of my progress. Where this will all lead, who knows, but I hope to have fun along the way. And I hope you will too.

May 2012 be a blast for us all!

Labels: adventures, blahs, goals, ideas

There. I said it. So no one can accuse me of lying when they're staring at a blank page wondering why the words aren't flowing like they should. ;)

Yes, it's been that kind of week. You know, when doing laundry or -- heaven forbid -- exercising is more tempting than staring at the work in progress. Le sigh.

At least I'm not moping about it. Too much. There are way too many things keeping me bizay.

Cat time! The kitten of mass destruction got some outside time over the weekend. Hooray! Only now it's gotten all cold again and he won't let us dress him up in a coat and booties. (It's way easier to do with dogs or cats that have been declawed.)

Article writing! Here's a link to a fun quiz on clutter I created: Got Junk?

Squats! Okay, call me crazy, but I do squats while I brush my teeth. I use a Sonicare toothbrush, which takes 2 full minutes to complete its cycle. And I can almost hold a squat for 1:30. The goal is to hit 2:00 without falling over or drooling on myself.

Not entering writing contests! You think this would be easy for me, but it's not. It's hard not to have perfect strangers telling you what they like (and don't like) about the first chapter of my manuscript. But the time not spent entering writing contests I can spend on, you know, actually writing. You know, when I'm not doing laundry or exercising while brushing my teeth. ;)

Paying gigs! I'm fortunate to have clients who keep on wanting me to do more stuff for them, even when I'm having a bad hair day.

Workshops and classes! Now, I will admit that sometimes it can be a hit-and-miss with some of them, but there's something to take away from every learning experience. Even if it's an updated chequebook and to-do list. ;)

Reading! There are way too many books on my to-be-read pile still, but I will get to them all somehow. It's been a good year so far: I've read 7 novels already. (And yes, I'm a slow reader, so don't go telling me how you read that many in a week.)

What about you? What keeps you bizay when the words aren't going your way?

Labels: ideas, writing

The past few days I've been doing a lot of catching up. With friends. With books. With movies.

Some call it filling the well. I can see why. It's hard to come up with new ideas or feel motivated or have the courage to put words on the page when the well is dry. Especially the inkwell.

Yes, I have a fantabulous new novel I'm working on. Yes, I even have what could be called an outline, if you want to get all technical about it. Still, I need more than the voices in my head to make me feel prepared enough to sit at the computer and get the words out.

Sometimes they don't want to play. And that usually means they're not cooked yet.

Raw words aren't as tasty as the well done ones. ;)

So what's a person with an empty well to do?

1. Read. Even when the books you're reading are so much better than anything you could ever dream to write. Even when you try to study the words to see what you can learn from them and instead you find yourself on the floor in a fetal position.

2. Watch movies. I've watched three in the past four days: I Am Number Four, Easy A and The King's Speech. Yes, a wild mix. All good (or excellent) for their own reasons, such as use of hairography in action scenes; clever dialogue; and showing goal, motivation and conflict so well that it makes me weep just thinking about it.

3. Hang out with friends. Laughter is essential to a healthy lifestyle, even more so than chocolate. Being able to compare notes on our lives, our loves and the whole "is this where we should be at in our master plan" discussion helps open up the world for me. People have hobbies besides reading and seeing movies? Who knew?

But filling the well shouldn't be a once-in-a-while occurrence. For it to be really effective, we should practise it often. Like on days that end with "day".

How 'bout you? How do you fill the well?

Labels: blahs, ideas, writing

She's the one who said, "Elegance is refusal."

Of course, Coco was talking about resisting the urge to take on the style of a magpie and grab at everything and try to wear it all at once. Or at least a feather boa with a pillbox hat and platform shoes.

Not that that wouldn't work for someone. On a reality show.

As part of my newfound "I have no resolutions, only solutions" way of doing things, I've been decluttering the chaos known as Casa Staring one drawer or shelf at a time. Yes, the process will probably take me until 2012 to complete, but then I can start all over again. ;)

What have I discovered so far? I have a lot of the same things. Books. White socks. Notepads. Packets of cutlery from take-out places. All useful but hardly interchangeable.

And that's when I start hearing Peter Walsh in my head. Accent and all.

I blame Oprah.

You see, I first met Peter when he was on Clean Sweep, a cute little program on TLC where a team of experts (a designer, a hunky carpenter and Peter) would clear out the crap in two rooms of a family's home and then make the rooms look nice and... spacious. They'd sell all the unwanted stuff in a big yard sale and everyone would be happy.

But then Peter started delving into the psyche of clutterers. And, in each show, he'd chip away at all those reasons we all hang on to the stuff.

He's written books about it. I've got them. Somewhere. I even went to one of his book signings, told him about my aunt who had an extension put on her house to store all her stuff and then got all tongue-tied when it came time to talk about me.

My aunt got the nice personalized note in her copy of the book. I got something more generic. I'll get over it one day.

Then time passed. The need to weed the junk waned with every episode of Hoarders I watched. I mean, come on, those people have issues with clutter. Compared to them, my home was tidy. Almost barren.

Then I started watching the Oprah Winfrey Network previews.

Wouldn't you know it? Peter Walsh has a show on OWN. It's called Enough Already.

Next thing you know, I start looking at all the stuff gathered in the corners and drawers, taking up physical and mental space.

Yes, the cat is nervous. The DH is too, but that's only when my gaze lingers on the concert programs and airplane model kits. ;)

Not that I think clearing out one drawer at a time will turn me into Coco Chanel or anything, but it's a start. At least I'd be able to find the boas, hats and shoes without all the plastic cutlery in the way.

How about you? How do you conquer clutter?

Labels: blahs, ideas

I won't lie; the last few months of 2010 were really hard on me. You know, the fame, the fortune, the Rocky Horror episode of Glee...

There's a lot to be said about making things hard for your characters when you write a novel. What people forgot to say was that sometimes, when you're really into your story, you might take it personally. Feeling crushed when the hero does something completely unheroic. Wanting to smack the heroine upside the head when she does something really, really dumb -- but only because you know what's going to happen to her next. Le sigh.

After swimming in the deep end of revisions, I was able to spend most of January filling the well. With mini cupcakes and salted licorice (not at the same time, mind you, that would be gross).

It's funny how things work out. Once I started submitting my latest novel, I peeked into my Shiny New Idea box -- the box where I stick all those ideas that come out to distract me when I'm about to make a breakthrough or complete something incredibly hard, such as a semicolon placement. ;)

So I looked inside. Called out hello a few times and everything. A few of the ideas waved at me, but they were in an intense game of Texas Hold 'Em. So I gave them some space and wrote a magazine article or two. Then some ad copy.

A week later, I popped open the lid again.

BAM! An idea shot out of the box so fast I got a paper cut on my forehead.

The story has changed about a gazillion times since I picked the paper up off the floor, but I haven't had this much fun since, you know, when I started writing that last book. ;)

We'll see how I feel when I get to the middle.

Labels: goals, ideas, writing

There's been a lot going on around Casa Staring lately. Revisions being made, to-do's being checked off the never-ending list, vet appointments...

The kitten of mass destruction is healthy, don't you worry. He's currently under the bed, refusing to speak to anyone about what happened during his physical. Poor Zaphod!

And I've also been judging some writing contests. It's a great way to learn about the craft of writing when you see writers do it well and not so well.

No, I'm not naming names (or titles). And I'm not going to get up on a soapbox and say that heroes who play the accordion while channelling the spirits of dead aliens aren't intriguing (and that's just off the top of my head, feel free to use it if you want to), I just want to point out one thing:

When you tell your story, let a reader know why she/he should care.

I'm not trying to be facetious or mean-spirited here. It's just that, sometimes, a writer gets so involved with putting those words on the page, she/he can forget to add those little glimpses into a character's psyche that reveal what makes them special.

You know, like the villain who hates lime Jell-O. Or the heroine who brings dental floss to a gunfight. Or something a little deeper than the water left on the counter at a public restroom.

It's kind of like why I'm happily watching this season of Glee despite the lack of plot. All the characters are quirky, fun and have their fair share of teen angst struggles, and I care about what happens to them. Would I feel the same way if Season 1 never happened? I'm not sure.

How about you? What's a must-have for you to keep reading past page one?

Labels: contests, ideas, kitten, writing

That was one of the expressions a former advertising colleague used to describe campaigns that didn't work for him. His other was "all zip and no vinegar." They both meant the same thing: nothing for a consumer to connect with.

And that happens in novels sometimes. There may be a lot of stuff happening, but if you don't care about the characters involved, it becomes sort of a "so what" situation. And that's never a good thing.

But don't "they" want us to start a novel at an exciting, engaging point? You know, the one where all the action grabs the reader by the collar and drags her along for the ride?

Add some gin.

Give us a peek into your character's inner workings. No, that's not an invitation to fill the page with oodles of introspection, but add in a little bit about her fears or flaws or favourites -- something that makes her more real to a reader.

The fizz/gin rule can work wonders on a query letter, too. By focusing on the meat of your story, you can resist the temptation to "dress it up" with too many distracting side dishes.

Of course, some folks may prefer to have a veritable buffet of a query letter. You just never know until they respond... or simply ignore you. ;)

Wow, all these mentions of food is making me hungry. Hungry to finish my revisions. ;)

Labels: ideas, writing

No, this is not about a certain retail chain changing locations. ;)

The more I learn about publishing, the more I realize that the easiest part of the publishing process is the novel writing itself.

Everything else is a moving target. Genres heat up, genres cool down. Some publishers are fine with your name, others have a pen name in mind for you already. Agents retire, new agents start out. One day everyone is selling novel series, the other day stand-alone sales are it. Contracts are iron-clad, contracts are revised. And let's not get started on the covers. Le sigh.

So what's a writer to do? Write.

Sure, that's easy for me to say, especially when getting words on a page can feel like trying to tweeze my eyebrows with a plunger at the best of times.

For all I know, novels about narcoleptic accordion players could be totally out by the time I'm shopping my manuscript around. But then I can just change him into a guitarist. Without the beret.

How about you? How do you keep tabs on what's in, what's out and what to write?

Labels: blahs, ideas, writing

I had such awesome plans for today's post. This would be my chance to wax poetic about the scent of fall, the cool breezes tugging at my shirt collar and all that fall crispiness. But with the heat and humidity making everything, including the Kitten of Mass Destruction, all lethargic and blah, I thought I'd save that for a more fall-like day.

August was a blur with family gatherings, a visit to the parent's cottage and a lovely wedding in Ottawa. The weather was perfect, the couple were tipsy during the speeches and there was a pool on site at the reception. Very cool. If only I left the chiffon at home. ;)

But the real reason I'm writing today (and coming out of hiding) is because I discovered something while I took a wee break from novel writing: I missed doing it.

Not right away, of course. Right before the separation, I considered never coming back. Why? Lots of reasons: writing a novel is hard, getting published is even harder, staying published drives people to drink and then... Amazon reviews.

Yeah, I'd let all the darkness get to me. It wore me down so much that parts of me were shiny. And no, I don't have pictures.

After a while, I imagined not writing. Snap! Suddenly I'd have all that time I spent staring at the computer, attending workshops, reading books on the craft of writing, going to my RWA chapter meetings, taking part in fun brainstorming sessions... wow, it would have been like when I quit smoking: I'd have an extra three or four hours a day.

So I gave myself the month of July to think about it. And July turned into August.

And then the first YA manuscript started poking at me in the dark, whispering about how I could make it better. Then the second YA manuscript threw a hissy fit and told me she needed a simpler storyline so the hawt hero could spend more time with her.

Le sigh. It's hard to sit on a dock at the cottage and enjoy the scenery when you've got two teenaged girls cat-fighting in your head. So I promised them I'd think about it if they'd shut up already.

But I lied to them. I was enjoying my non-novel-writing life. Heck, I even read a few books without pulling them apart or looking at character arcs and motivation...

That's when a scene popped into my head. And another. And another after that.

Problem was, these were scenes from both of the novels--and the third one I hadn't thought about in months. Suddenly, out in the middle of nowhere, all I needed was a good pen and some paper. I cursed myself for not loading the manuscripts onto my 400-pound laptop, but at least I could either write longhand or just tap away without worrying about missing anything during the rainy days.

So even though I'm back to writing, I'm really back to rewriting. And that's okay. The time apart on both manuscripts gave me some needed perspective on which darlings can stay and which ones I'll have to kill.

When do I expect to have the revisions done? No idea. Let's just see how September goes with getting some words on the page every day.

How about you? Has stepping away from a project ever helped you?

Labels: blahs, ideas, writing

Waving hello to all the attendees headed to RWA National. Le sigh. Couldn't make it down there this year, but plan on attending in 2011.

Before I joined the Romance Writers of America, I had no idea about how authors got other authors to give quotes about a novel, let alone paid much attention to the ones that appeared on the cover or on the inside front and back pages.

A conversation with Michelle Rowen got me thinking about what happens to the cover quotes that publishers would never use. You know, the ones like:

"Couldn't put this book down -- it was covered in crazy glue."

"Stuff happened. Then it ended."

"I loved it, okay? Now put the gun down."

"Everyone died. Kidding!"

"This got printed?"

"I loved it. Oh, hang on, I think that was the other ARC I read."

"If this makes it to the NYT list, I'll eat my socks."

Of course, we'll never know if any of these really ever happened, but it's fun to imagine. ;)

My WIP is at a standstill while I allow the rewrite to simmer and I work through the TBR pile.

How about you? Read any fantabulous books lately?

Labels: fun, ideas, RWA

June swept in, grabbed hold of the nachos and disappeared around the corner. Whew! Now July has settled in around the inflatable pool and I'm running low on paper umbrellas.

Not that I have much to celebrate for this goal check, my friends.

Let's see where things are at:

1. Go for it
STATUS: Needs more work.
An object at rest, stays at rest. That's all I can say about this. Time to find my chutzpah, crack the whip and every other cliche out there to get back on the bandwagon. I will give myself points for running off to San Fran for a wild girls' getaway in early June. That's something I would have talked myself out of last year.

2. Finish what you start
STATUS: Do you smell something burning?
Ugh. The project that should be done is not. It requires a rewrite of epic proportions and I need to step away from it for a while. Right now we're not on the most friendly of terms. Yes, words have been exchanged and my heroine might be threatening to sue, but this too shall pass. Like a kidney stone.

3. Think before taking on new things
STATUS: It's working!
This is one area where I've experienced success. Yes, I've taken on some new things, but for reasons that work for me, my family and my schedule. The other stuff, someone else can do.

4. Pay it forward
STATUS: Ongoing
This one is challenging some days, easy breezy on others. It could be that when I'm working from home I tend to be completely unaware of anything or anyone except the kitten of mass destruction. But I'm making progress. Or at least I think so.

5. Clear out the clutter
STATUS: Ongoing
It amazing how stuff can pile up when I'm not looking. Thankfully, I haven't taken on a whole bunch of new things so I've had time to root around the physical and emotional stuff and toss some things out -- or drag them out onto the driveway so DH can run over them. No animals have been hurt in the decluttering process. All of Zaphod's toys, including the twig and bottle cap, are still present and accounted for.

So, am I satisfied with my progress. No, but that's okay. Some progress is better than none, and there's still six months left, right?

How about you? How are your goals for 2010 shaping up?

Labels: blahs, goals, ideas

June has been a month filled with ups and downs. And I'm not just talking about elevators or my recent girls' getaway to San Francisco. ;)

I've been quiet because you really didn't need to know what was going on in Bonnieland. One day I'll look back upon late May/early June as a time when I needed to "shop at the perspective store," as DH so lovingly told me.

Yes, he's still alive.

What really helped was a tour of Alcatraz, truth be told. I stood and peered into each small cell and thought about how good I had it. Sure, the inmates had a bed and three square meals a day, but they had little else.

Not even a kitten of mass destruction (who greeted me with poop at the door upon my return).

And while last week I'd been fully prepared to peel the face off a perfect stranger because she couldn't put her shopping cart to the side like you're supposed to, now I'm feeling less dangerous.

Here's why:

1. I spent four days being a tourist in an incredibly fun city with Laura, my incredibly fun friend from college. Rode the hop-on/hop-off tour bus as if it were the best thing since Jell-O. Then we switched to the trolley cars. My arms and legs still hurt from all the hanging on for dear life.

2. I attended a local writer's group meeting (not one that I belong to) and instead of being treated like a welcome guest, my friends and I got the stink eye, a few shushes, and discontented murmur's when a few of us won raffle items. Little did we know we weren't their type of people. It's okay; the feeling is mutual. ;) Made me appreciate my writing group a whole lot more.

3. As much as it drives me nuts, I actually enjoy what I do for a living. There are a lot of people who can't say that, so I count myself lucky. And no, I'm not talking about my go-go dancing career. :)

4. The notes from my beta reader on the novel that almost killed me aren't that bad. Yeah, I have a ton of work to do, but it'll make for a much stronger story. Looks like I'll have to pick up more index cards. Maybe colourful ones! I heart shopping for office supplies!

5. I have the best husband in the world. Even if he snores louder than my grandmother.

What about you? What makes you appreciate what you have?

Labels: adventures, ideas, kitten, writing

I don't need to have an iPhone or iPad to have a good time.

Instead of being attached to a phone playing games, figuring out who performs that song on the radio or using something productive like a GPS or weather-forecasting app, I do things differently.

There's a nap for that.

Shazam Nap
This usually happens once I finally figure out the name and artist of a song I couldn't get out of my head and then play it on YouTube about forty times. Sometimes dancing is involved.

Transit Nap
When I get a seat on the subway, I close my eyes and magically wake up one stop before my station.

GeoCatch Nap
While taking the kitten of mass destruction outside for walkies, we both find a cool place in the shade and catch some z's.

Reality Nap
Sometimes the auditions on So You Think You Can Dance or the horrors of Hoarders and The Real Housewives of Anywhere just aren't worthy of my consciousness.

Pocket Cocktails Nap
This should go without saying, but after imbibing on a few cocktails, whether or not they came from my pocket, I usually need to catch a few winks.

Lightsaber Nap
After playing Star Wars with the kitten of mass destruction, which usually involves the two of us fighting over a cardboard tube and then me talking into it and telling him I'm his father, both of us need a nap. And an oxygen tank.

Sure, the App Store may have 200,000 apps, but I've had 200,000 naps. Beat that, Steve Jobs!

Don't call me; it's time for my Post-Blog Post Nap.

Labels: fun, ideas, kitten

WMBS. It's an acronym my friend JJLB came up with the other day. It stands for Well Meaning But Stupid people.

We all have them in our lives, and sometimes (gasp!) we are them. Not sure if your actions cross over from well meaning to WMBS? Take this wee test:

1. Your friend is on a diet and having a bad day. You:
A) Send her videos of cute kittens, knowing that she likes them.
B) Send over your friend Raphael, your next-door neighbour who just happens to be a massage artist.
C) Bring over four-dozen chocolate cupcakes.

2. You've been bad about responding to a friend's emails and she asks which method is the best way to contact you. You:
A) Tell her to call you instead -- that way she can talk to your kitten, too!
B) Pick up the phone and call her, and apologize for being such a sloth when it comes to emailing.
C) Insist that email is the best way.

3. A friend asks you for help. You:
A) Ask what she needs, and ask if the kitten can help, too.
B) Tell her you'll do anything for her. And so will Raphael.
C) Offer to do something that's already been done.

4. You see a person approaching a door who has her hands full. You:
A) Hold back your kitten so he doesn't accidently chew the woman's legs off.
B) Hold open the door and offer to puch the elevator button for her.
C) Ask her if she'd like to purchase a box of Girl Scout cookies.

5. You see a homeless person on the street. You:
A) Give him some spare change and tell him about your pet kitten.
B) Buy him a sandwich or a coffee.
C) Ask if he has change for a twenty.

Okay, now tally up your scores.

Mostly As
You are a crazy cat person. Stop forwarding all the cute kitten videos to people who don't have cats -- they don't deserve it or understand it. Save it for your other cat-crazy friends. And don't volunteer your kitten to assist with anything. Your purrfect loved one is way too bizay to help a human.

Mostly Bs
You are a well-meaning person who goes that extra mile or volunteers other well-meaning people who happen to be masseurs to assist when things get bent out of shape.

Mostly Cs
I'm afraid you may be suffering from a case of WMBS. And that's okay. It happens to the best of us. You've got good intentions, but they get lost in the delivery. Now that you're aware of the problem, you can take the three cupcakes left over to the homeless guy. And throw in a box of Girl Scout cookies. ;)

And, for some strange reason, I've been listening to Weird Al's "I Bought It On eBay" while I wrote this. Here's the link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKtlK7sn0JQ

Labels: fun, ideas, kitten, parodies

I love it when I can make a connection while killing things.

DH and I finally caved and plucked out all the pesky dandelions, raked up the five gazillion maple keys, and ran the mower over what remained of the grass. The kitten was quite impressed, as his favourite cement patch was still where he left it despite all the noise and fuss the humans made.

And all that yanking and pulling got me thinking.

First, that I was out of shape again. But we know that already, so I'll move on.

Then there are those who actually cultivate dandelions to make wine or eat the leaves in fancy chichi salads. They even brag about how organic they are, using natural ingredients from within that oh-so-righteous 100-mile radius.

I could get all the dandelions I want in a ten-yard radius. Huh.

And that made me feel like maybe I shouldn't have been so hasty with my destruction of the dandelions. Maybe I should have rented out my yards for organic dandelion farming. Zaphod the kitten could be the Chief Inspector.

Actually, he already has that title. You should see his business cards.

Then I thought about the things I do that act like weeds on my productivity: watching retro '80s videos on YouTube, cute kitten pics and vids, reality TV, chocolate, pondering my existence, writing things I've already done onto my to-do list so I can cross them off, etc., etc.

All these thoughts about weeding these things from my garden of to-dos takes all the fun out of everything. It turns me into Little Miss Crankipants. Or Little Miss Big Crankipants since I haven't been working out. ;)

But maybe, just maybe, everyone needs some weeds in amongst the plants. You know, just to keep things interesting and give us something to do when we don't feel like being perfect.

Is this starting to sound like an ad for medicinal marijuana? LOL Yep, there goes Bonnie, promoting de herb again...

All I know is I need to feed my mental garden with the good, the bad and the ugly or else I get bored.

How about you? Do you need "weeds"?

Labels: blahs, ideas, kitten