Monthly Archives: November 2009

Kindergarten Writing

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My kindergartners are making a Thanksgiving recipe book to share over the holiday. Their writing at this point is picture-heavy, with strings of random letters, and some of the letter sounds they hear (most can write ‘trke’ for ‘turkey’). I had them write their recipes, but here is what two of them dictated to me. The kids crack me up, and it is fun to watch them grow as writers.

Recipe for: Turkey

Temperature: Hot

Cooking Time: 12 minutes

I put milk and sugar in it. it makes it so yummy. I eat it with potatoes. Yummy.

Recipe for: Chicken

Temperature: 9 degrees

Cooking Time: 8 minutes

You get a thing and you put it with the chicken. Then you seal it with happiness. Put it in the microwave 8 minutes. Then you open it and then you get a knife and try to cut the chicken. Then you eat!

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Christmas creeps in

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I swore last year I wouldn’t let the stores and commercials bring Christmas into my house too early this year.

I swore the decorations would stay in the basement until after Thanksgiving.  But when I went down there to do laundry the other day, I forced myself through the creepy part of the basement, just to look and say ‘hi’ to our 20 bins of decor. And…one of the musical ornaments was playing.  That spooked me a little, because I was in the creepy part of the basement.  But needless to say, I have that Christmas itch already.

When I visited Hallmark the other day, I was so excited about one ornament I saw.  So excited, you’d have thought I got an agent!  It was from one of our family’s (the adult’s) favorite Christmas movies-Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase.  The ornament is the nasty, rusted motorhome that the cousins show up in to celebrate Christmas with the Griswolds.  It even plays a line from the movie, although not our favorite line, which would be really inappropriate for a Hallmark shop.

I am going to go buy it today, and then take my kids to see Disney’s Christmas Carol.

Tuesday

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Woo-woo, I am back on the query track!  After cinching my story ending to a better close, and hacking off another 6,000 words, I am back to querying!  Well, after I re-write the dang thing.  I decided my revised story must have a sparkly new query to go along.  So, who wants to write it for me?  Ha ha 🙂

Friday

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ShaNoWriMo word count: Zero, its over, kaput, deleted.  My heart wasn’t into the sequel for my story.  Instead, after stewing over the ending of my story for months, I finally thought of a better way to end it.

I feel so relieved!  Now I’m going back through the story to shave off more words, and stitch in threads to pull the story to a proper close.

Excited to start on the next story whispering in my ear.  Happy weekend!

Criticism

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ShaNoWriMo word count: same as yesterday.  Unmotivated today.  It was nice out   (nice here means not raining) and I wanted to take a walk.  Love the crunchy leaves and smoky air.

Plus I spent time reading all the entries from Miss Snark’s Secret Agent contest.  Peeking at the comments on my entry with one eye opened and teeth clenched-yikes!  No, it wasn’t that bad, but criticism is hard, and good.  Throws me right back to art school days when each assignment we created had to be critiqued by the whole class, in front of the whole class.

It’s funny how you think of something to write, and you think you are so clear with your words, and then people don’t get it.  Oh well, I guess that’s why I should be in a critique group.  Anyway, kind of having one of those days where I feel like I need to toss the story in the trash because it must suck.  Tomorrow I’ll feel different.

Today I did get a very personal rejection that made me smile and feel hopeful.

Tuesday

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ShaNoWriMo word count: 2,941

Tuesday night, and only a little while before V starts.  That’s a new show on abc, if you didn’t know.  I loved the original show in the 80’s and watched it faithfully in high school/junior high, I can’t remember.  I am not a real sci fi fanatic, but I’m always intrigued by movies and shows where people are on the menu. (JAWS is one of my favorite movies)  I remember the original V where a girl discovered a giant fridge, full of dead bodies, hung up like salamis.  Sorry to gross everyone out.

Back to writing.  I’m trying hard to not get bogged into editing, and just writing fast.  My characters were very entertaining today, making me laugh my fool head off.  Also trying to avoid my inbox and forget about the queries I’m waiting on.

My kids’ Halloween candy is in the pantry, a foot away from my computer.  I have been a pretty good girl-only stole a few pieces today!

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ShaNoWriMo word count: 2,095

Half of those done today, and probably half of those will be deleted or re-worded.  I am trying to be about speed right now and then go back and edit rather then edit each paragraph twenty times before I move on.

Me and my sis entered Miss Snark’s First Victim’s Secret Agent contest.  Kind of scary to have your stuff posted for the world to see and brutalize!  Oh well, only the first 250 words!

Dark too early!  I just want to crawl in bed and read!  I have no books, Amazon didn’t deliver today 😦

Have a great week!

Happy Sunday

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First day of ShaNoWriMo (my version since I can’t commit) = no words tallied yet.  if I get any writing done tonight I’ll post tomorrow.

But today I did manage to make beef stew (Yes! Dinner for at least three nights!), take down the Halloween decorations, run to Target to see if I wanted any of their 50% off Halloween decor (I bought a set of pumpkin lights), and query another agent.

Productive day so far.

Have fun, all of you NaNoWriMo-ers!