Character Development and More

I just read one of the most well-written and thought provoking blog posts on character development and how it drives your story. I've never seen it so plainly put out there. If you are a writer, be sure to check it out:

Goal, Motivation, Tension, Conflict @ Adventures in Children's Publishing

This post on creating lists is really thought provoking as well, as it helps you think outside the box.

Lists for Inspiration @ Mystery Writing is Murder

And now after reading these two great posts, I'm trying to decide whether this re-write is going as well as I thought it was... Maybe I need a bulletin board and cute little thumbtacks with different colored note cards and then do all these exercises and oh! then I can get my sister to sketch my characters for me based on my descriptions to put beside their note card...and then! I can get back to my second draft....

Or, I could shut up, get off blogger, and actually get back to work.

Le sigh.

TTT: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Today's topic on Table Topics Tuesday:

what is your favorite work of art?

In college, I had two posters on my wall - Van Gogh and Dali - one to put me at ease and the other to wind me up.

These days I have another favorite artist - Shana R. Faesy - my sister. My favorite piece of hers has a place in my hallway:

Here's a few others of hers that I love...

And she is also hard at work creating a HUGE mural in the multi-purpose room of the daycare she works in.  For pictures of that, go to her blog here:   Mankind's Fascination with Self-Expression. 

It's so nice to know (and be related to) talented people  :)

Join the fun!

Nice, new pretty home

After four weeks and two days, my boys and I finally got to move back home Saturday. We have new drywall in laundry room, new paint, and new flooring. And I have to say, it feels like a brand new house.

Especially the moving back in part.

In order to get all this "new" stuff, I basically had to move all our stuff into the kitchen and bathrooms. There was no time for boxes. Everything was piled up as high and as tight as I could get it in there. Therefore, the unpacking part was a pain in the tuccas. And this weekend, was spent putting it all back together.

and what a lovely together it is. I even bought myself a new bookshelf since my other was getting a big overstuffed. The boys have also decided to part ways with some toys and stuff they out-grew long ago. Yard sale in a few weeks will take care of all that! 

And I did my part and went through my four 18 gallon totes of teacher supplies, deciding which of them to give up as well.  I can say that a few tears were shed.  Why?  I never got to use them.

I graduated with my Master's in Elementary Education in December of 2008 and I've been buying books for my potential classroom library since the summer of 2007.  Three 18 gallon totes worth to be exact. And many more that my son kept. The fourth tote was teacher books and supplies. And I have to say, it's really hard to part with these things. I never landed that teaching job and in a few months, it'll be two years from graduation which makes it even harder to get that teaching job. I have a decent job now its something I can retire from in the same number of years, but teaching is where my heart lies. I miss it, but not enough to continue to store books and supplies that I may never use.  Luckily, I bought all of these at yard sales, so re-selling them in the same manner won't be too much of a wallet cruncher.

While going through them, my oldest son picked out the books he wanted and I kept some out for him that I told him he has to read even if he doesn't want to right now (i.e. Where the Red Fern Grows, Because of Winn-Dixie, A Wrinkle In Time, So B. It, and many other greats).  In this process, I discovered he has developed a fascination with dragons.  He pulled out Chris D'Lacey's The Last Dragon Chronicles, Book One - The Fire Within.  I really thought it was above his reading level since he's never read anything over a 100 pages, but he's really enjoying it so far. I think he may be providing his first book recommendation to me, instead of the other way around!

So, we're finally back home and life is settling back to normal.  Now writing can get back on a normal pace, blogging can get back on track, and my sleep schedule won't feel so cramped all the time.

But first...I've got to find my shoes!

I know you were wondering...

....and yes, I'm still alive.

No. I'm not back yet.  This blog is on an unplanned and unexpected vacation. Not a fun vacation, one of those so-busy-that-I'm-stressed-by-multiple-factors-that-the-last-thing-on-my-mind-is-a-blog-post kind of vacation.

In the meantime, maybe this will keep you busy?

TTT: Welcome to Reality

Today's topic on Table Topic Tuesdays....

What reality TV game show would you most like to be a contestant on?

Confession: I used to be a reality show junkie. I wanted to be on Survivor, Amazing Race, The Bachelor...I even tried out for The Real World 2 years in a row (I was obviously too boring). Now, there is only one show I would ever go on and its the same one that I still watch to this day:

They live in a house for 3 months. No job to go to. No bedtimes or alarm clocks. Only 2 or 3 competitions a week and then they lay around all day, basking in the sun or working out or simply acting like goofballs and/or crying about how its so hard to be stuck in there.  I have to admit...the loss of music and books and my children would be astronomically hard, but it would be temporary and the potential prize money is too good pass up.

My all time favorite Big Brother player....Crazy James Zinkand!  he was a brilliant player. I kept up with him some after it was over.  He blew through his winnings and was broke again within 6 months. Wonder what he's up to now...

What reality TV show would you be on? Join the fun at the Nuthouse!

Stop YELLING Across the Room!!

It's been 2 weeks and 5 days that we've been temporarily living my with dad while my house is still be repaired from the water damage issue. His house is about 1400 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and has a 2 car garage. It's a nice house, but the layout, not so much. His bedroom is smack dab in the middle of the living room and the spare bedroom. He's self-employed, therefore his wake-up time is usually 8am or later. On the other hand, my boys and I have to leave by 7:15 every morning to get to school/daycare/work. And for the last two weeks, the main issue every morning has been their voice levels. They get louder...and louder...and louder...until finally they yell from the living room to the spare bedroom and it cuts right past my dad's bedroom. I cringe every time (my dad's the kind that growls in the morning; I remember my childhood days well. Unless you come bearing coffee, you back away).


Anyhow...so...when I got this email at work today, I couldn't help but laugh. Knowing my luck, this will happen to me...it's only a matter of time.

Writers' Blok

A friend just sent me the link to this video. 
I can't believe I hadn't seen it before. So funny!

Frantic Friday

I only have about 10 minutes to spare but here's a few things for Friday:

1. My to-do list is growing as fast as my to-read list. I'm not sure I'll ever catch up. I have 11 blog posts planned, but not written, and many small things that keep getting pushed off to the side. Not sure how to handle this.
2. Resident Evil 4 comes out today. I must go see this movie before the weekend is out. MUST I tell you. By the way, I heart zombies. 
3. My 8 yo came home with his first progress report of the year. He's in third grade and for the first time in his life, he has a mark on his behavior area. Teacher says he talks and plays in the hallways and the cafeteria line. He has NEVER had an issue in the classroom before and frankly, two of his three former teachers said he was their favorite. What has happened? should I be concerned? (and to be honest, I'm kind of glad at the same time because it means he has friends to talk to...is that wrong of me?)
4. It's been 2 weeks and 2 days since I finished Mockingjay. I've been waiting before I post my opinion to give my brain time to process what I really thought. Powerful books require that and powerful it was.
5. I'm now editing/rewriting for the first time ever. It's an amazing process. You take the hack piece of an original draft and recreate it into something readable. You know the for sure ending of your story and can now build a layer of knowledge (secretively of course) into every scene and know exactly how it fits. You can tell when something isn't needed and can be deleted. You can find those confusing areas and make them work and redo them. HARD, but amazing.
6. I have also gained a great critiquing partner in the last several weeks. This has been super beneficial to learning process. I can gage in advance what I think she will have questions about and try to address it before I send it and then she'll point out stuff that I never caught in the first place. I also love reading and gauging other writing and then applying that lesson to my own writing.

And now I have to make myself look pretty for tonight's festivities. Tootles!

Wordless Wednesday: the oops edition

My hometown movie theater 
(the same one who gave me my very first job in high school) 
is brilliant.

TTT: Top 5 Hotties

I tried to come up with a catchy title for this post. Figured there wasn't much point as it could never compete with the actual content. So with that, I'll get right to it.

School is back in session and that means Table Topics Tuesday at the Nut House is back!  Today's topic:

Who's in your Top 5?  As in Eye Candy.

(I heart this topic)

So, I'm limited to five and first I think...how can I possibly only list five!?! Then, when I actually start to write this post, I come up short. Anyhow...

I know this bad boy is at top to my list. Wentworth Miller gets two pictures. Nuff said. Can't wait to see him in Resident Evil this Friday!

Next up..how about a little familiar vampirish face, Mr. Yummy Ian Somerhalder?

This die hard action star was my first older man crush. I was 16 and Bruce Willis was H.O.T. and you know what...he's still H.O.T.!

For those of you who don't know, I have a thing for musicians. This one made my list twelve years ago and he never left it. I give you, Gavin Rossdale of BUSH.

and finally...I can only have one more. Wait...didn't I say this was going to be hard? Crap! I need more room...I have more than one left to mention. Ugh...okay, I have to show some love to the Brits. and no...it won't be RPattz so how about some Jude Law?!

Okay ladies. There's my top 5 in eye candy. For today at least. ;) You can almost see a pattern there, huh?

Who would your top 5 be?

Testing the -ality of my person

One of my favorite bloggers to read is Marissa over at Elegant Bloggery. She took a personality test a few weeks ago and her results were interesting. I hadn't taken a personality test in many years, and I wondered where I stood now. My personality has changed quite a bit in the last 10 years. College sorority girl to married house/working wife and mom to divorce single mom on the prowl to tired single mom avoiding the prowl to whomever I am now. I needed that personality test...and it confirmed what I thought I had already come to know about my most recent self, but was still interesting to see put in a category.

I am an INFP...which means I am:

• distinctively expressed introvert (67%)      (**except when drinking alcohol of course)
• moderately expressed intuitive personality (25%)       (**meaning I think WAY too much)
• moderately expressed feeling personality (25%)        (**I have feelings?)
• slightly expressed perceiving personality (11%)       (**huh?)

And because I am still confused by these percentages and results and Marissa is AWESOME, she provided this link that tells me more what this personality type is like....and here's what it says about INFP's:

Quiet, reflective, and idealistic. Interested in serving humanity. Well-developed value system, which they strive to live in accordance with. Extremely loyal. Adaptable and laid-back unless a strongly-held value is threatened. Usually talented writers. Mentally quick, and able to see possibilities. Interested in understanding and helping people.

More specifically, I'm considered an idealist. Here's a few of the high points I thought were interesting (and my thoughts):

• "INFPs are highly intuitive about people. They rely heavily on their intuitions to guide them, and use their discoveries to constantly search for value in life." ---- Sounds like a philosopher or something.
• "Generally thoughtful and considerate, INFPs are good listeners and put people at ease." ---- I try, but I can only handle so much drama at one time before my head explodes. So when I give you that look, back off.
• "INFPs do not like conflict, and go to great lengths to avoid it." AGREED! I do not take sides nor do I claim to. Me and debates were never the best of friends.
• "INFPs do not like to deal with hard facts and logic." ----- Nope, I have to disagree with this one. You can't ignore logic...if it makes sense, of course.
• "INFPs have very high standards and are perfectionists. Consequently, they are usually hard on themselves, and don't give themselves enough credit." ---- DUDE! *me pointing at myself*
• "INFPs are usually talented writers. They may be awkward and uncomfortable with expressing themselves verbally, but have a wonderful ability to define and express what they're feeling on paper." ---- Um, maybe with a little more experience I can make this one come true ;)
• "INFPs also appear frequently in social service professions, such as counseling or teaching. They are at their best in situations where they're working towards the public good.." ---- Huh. Maybe that's why I loved teaching so much.

Its an interesting little test, so take 5-10 minutes of your time and see where you fit!