Thunder

Where's my thunder storm? This is the second time I've been promised a storm and it passed me by. I thought for sure tonight we were going to get one. It started to get really windy, the clouds started rolling in, and then . . .
. . . nothing.

Not only do we need the rain, we need the relief from the heat. It's okay during the day when I'm at work, but it's just a tad warm at home lately. And I'm starting to notice when the air quality is bad - as in I sometimes have a bit of trouble breathing.

My writing right now is kind of like the weather. All good intentions and little action. In my head I get a build up of actually getting some work done, but then I don't get right on it and the feeling goes away.

Hopefully I'm going to start making headway on the re-writes of Driving Into Forever next week while I'm on holidays.

Holidays. What a beautiful word! Maybe if there's a break in my writing there'll be a break in the weather. Or vice versa. If not, that's the beauty of a lap top. I can just take it downstairs where it's cooler. Or outside. Or to the Mall if I have to!

Shoot

So, it appears I have found something besides heat that is not conducive to writing, re-writing or editing - jello shooters.

Had a party last night with some friends from work. It was supposed to be a pool party, but since no one ended up going swimming it was more of a B.B.Q. Anyway, it was a pot luck and one of the girls brought a tray of very colourful little cups of jello. These innocent little cups of childhood treats packed quite a kick - especially the orange ones.

Is is just me or is the sun unnaturally bright today?

I've been working on the editing a bit, but at this point I seem to be deleting more words that I'm adding. It's all for the good, however. My opening is much better the way it reads now, I think. Once I'm sure I'll move on to the next chapter and take my time until it's right. And so on, and so on. . .

Is it just me or is it shaping up to be a long summer?

Summer

Happy Solstice!

Although the calendar marks today as the first day of summer, when you think about it, this is the mid point of summer. It's the longest day and the shortest night of the year. When dawn breaks tomorrow the days will begin to get shorter again.

How sad.

Heat

Heat does not seem to be conducive to writing or re-writing or editing even.

Heat seems conducive to many many games of spider solitaire, reading and crocheting.

It has been very hot out (and in!) lately.

I have had enough of summer, even though technically summer doesn't start until tomorrow.

I have five cats piled up on the bookcase just under the window. Three of them are sleeping, one is washing his brother's head, and the other one is looking out the window plotting his escape.

Mental note. Ignore the Bulk Barn right beside the vet's office where you have to go to buy cat chow. And if you can't ignore it, then don't buy $10.00 worth of gummi bears and corn nuts and then chow down on them until you only have half a bag left. They will make you feel sick.

New and Improved

Here they are folks, my new and improved methods of procrastination.

First we have: Sand Pictures
This has four colours of sand falling from the sky and you can build walls to contain it, add plants, water, water spouts or more sand. Hours of mindless fun.

And now we have: Snow Days
When you get tired of creating your own snow flakes you can spend hours and hours looking at the snowflakes other people have created. Some of them are truly amazing!

How Hot Is It?

It is so hot, I even contemplated trying out the pool last night. And the water temperature is only 65F.

To be fair, I did try to get some writing done, but it was too hot to concentrate, especially using the lap top. So, after checking my e-mail last night I did some crocheting. Very relaxing.

I have finally finished the first draft of Driving Into Forever, but there's still a lot of stuff I have to go back and add. Like fleshing out the characters; including the villain in some of the action other than kidnapping the woman at the end (the way it reads now he kinda lacks a motive. I know why he's kidnapping her, but the reader won't); and the whole espionage story line. I also have to settle on the ins and outs of my setting. The rules kind of change between DIF and L&F.

I hope it doesn't take me a long to edit as it did to write the first draft, but I'm not holding my breath.

Unnamed

I feel so sucked dry of creative inspiration that I can't even think of a title for my post. How's that for pathetic?

It's a slippery slope folks, and I'm sliding backwards. At least that's the way it feels right now.

The weekend was perfect for writing. The weather was beautiful and I had no other obligations to fill. TLC wasn't even running Clean Sweep to distract me. I put on a pot of coffee and sat at my nice clean desk in my nice clean office and . . .
Nothing.

Hopefully this is just a temporary situation.

The last few weeks the writing came so fast and easy that I think I fell into a trap of thinking it would always be that way. Well, like the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Time for me to buckle down and actually work at the writing.

The Poem Says It All

How do I procrastinate? Let me count the ways.
I procrastinate to the depth and breath and height
My soul can reach, when feeling lethargic
For the ends of Boredom and ideal Laziness.
I procrastinate to the level of everyday’s
Most quiet need, by neon and halogen-light.
I procrastinate freely, as men strive for Progress;
I procrastinate purely, as the turn from Television.
I procrastinate with a passion put to use
In my old excuses, and with my childhood’s justification.
I procrastinate with an energy I seemed to lose
When faced with work, – I procrastinate with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! – and, if the Muse choose,
I shall continue to procrastinate until death.

Paying Never Slacks

You know, I'm getting just a little tired of being broke.

I got paid Friday and between the car payment, the cable bill and a few groceries, I was tapped out by Monday. I have just enough left for Chinese food for lunch tomorrow (it's a group thing). Next pay goes to the credit cards. *Sigh* It never ends.

Took a month's worth of lottery tickets to cash in and not one winner. Right behind me in line was a girl from work - she won $2,000.00. Can we say not fair?

Yeah, I know. Since when is life fair? Okay, end of the whine-fest.

The writing is progressing. The villain has kidnapped the girl and it's up to the hero to save her. I don't know how he's going to save her, but I can't end the book until he does.

Slacking Never Pays

Okay, I admit it. I was a slacker on the weekend. Didn't get a whole lot of writing done.

The problem was I lost my momentum. Friday I slacked off, then Saturday I futzed around all day. Sunday I had one of those wonderful weather predicting headaches that are becoming more and more common.

I got a late start tonight, but I finally got going. I hereby swear to get at least an hours worth of writing done every day. No matter how I'm feeling.

I haven't already sworn this, have I?

Missed My Window

It appears that there is a very small window of opportunity between writing while sitting inside gazing at the cold outside and writing while sitting inside gazing at how hot it is outside.

What happened to my vision of relaxing on the deck sipping a wine spritzer while using my lap top, running on its battery of course, to write? I'll tell you what happened. Global warming. That's what happened.

Please note my latest form of procrastination at the top of the page. I think it came out pretty well if I do say so myself. Especially since I can't remember the last time I tried to design a graphic.

Okay, back to the writing.

Peeved

Okay, I know that pedestrians don't like the roller-bladers on the sidewalks so they really don't have much choice other than using the road . . . however I do have a problem with someone pushing an umbrella stroller with a child in it in front of them while they whiz down a busy street.

Which brings me to another pet peeve of mine, people who take their dogs for a "walk" while riding their bike. This is dangerous for everyone involved. And if the dog decides to take off after a squirrel and just happens to yank it's owner off the bike, then it serves the SOB right!

Happy first day of June, by the way.