I'm Going to Summer Camp!

Camp NaNoWriMo starts tomorrow!  I'm planning on another 50K and since July has 31 days, I only need 1613 words each day to be a winner!  November was a bust for me last year--I was a "pantser" rather than a "plotter"--and so when the wonderful people at The Office of Letters and Light decided to have a summer camp program, I jumped at the chance to escape from the Texas heat and spend time in 1862 Louisiana (yeah, I'm still writing about the Civil War).

Not that I expect July to be an easy road of writing.  I have a working outline (no more being a "pantser" for me, LOL), but July holds its own set of writing challenges--the new Stampin' Up! 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog debuts tomorrow!  It's the yummiest one I have ever seen!  And of course, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II debuts on July 15...even though I know the ending, I have to see this one on the big screen as I have all the prior seven. 

However, I have a wonderful inspiration piece to keep me motivated.  My dear friend Beverly over at GottHeartArt is a published artist in several card making magazines and has recently branched out into mixed media.  She decided to gift me with a beautiful piece for my writing area:

Isn't this the most awesome gift ever?  The acorn idea came from reading Sage Cohen's The Productive Writer and I encourage any creative soul to read this book, as all the tips and techniques are inspiring for anyone who wants to pursue a dream.

So--even though my idea of camping out usually means a cheap hotel room without cable (I used to say with a black and white TV but that would really prove how old I am LOL), I am headed to writing camp!  I'll try to check in here more often than I have been (which would really be ironic given the scarcity of posts the past few months), but I will surely post my win come July 31 (nothing like the power of positive thinking LOL).

For any Canadian readers, Happy Canada Day on July 1 and for the Americans, Happy Independence Day on July 4!  If you are visiting from anywhere else--welcome and I hope to get to know you better ;-)

Thanks for Serving Our Country

Standing in the grassy sod bordering row upon row of white crosses in an American cemetery, two dungaree-clad Coast Guardsmen pay silent homage to the memory of a fellow Coast Guardsman who lost his life in action in the Ryukyu Islands., ca. 1945 ARC Identifier 513229

I chose this photo (courtesy of this site) in honor of my late father who served in the Coast Guard during WWII in the Pacific.  Thank you, Dad.

And thank you to all the other veterans of all the other conflicts and wars we seem to get enmeshed in...you protect our freedom and deserve our accolades.  May the Creator Bless you and your families today and always.

"If You Can't Say Something Nice..."

Anybody old enough to be able to finish that phrase as it came out of your mother/grandmother's mouth?  If you wonder where I've been, life threw some curve balls recently. 

Because I understand the word "responsibility" to mean that I adjust my work schedule to help the company that pays my bills and buys my groceries, I just spent several weeks working odder than normal hours.  Blogging took a back seat, especially as I don't want to be known for ranting incessantly and recent American political events have certainly been rant-worthy in my eyes (although I did get quite a few laughs when Donald Trump attempted to make me take him seriously as a Presidential candidate).

I did get some enjoyment while away from the blogosphere--the Royal Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was absolutely breathtaking.  It was a real treat and so very different from the weddings of Prince Charles and Prince Andrew.  Yes, I'm a Royal watcher and not ashamed of it and feel that "The Firm" has learned much this past decade or so--the young Royals will serve Great Britain well (as long as Princess Beatrice picks a new designer for any future hats LOL).

And, I slipped in some historical fiction between work shifts--three wonderful novels set in the South during the American Revolution:  Paper Woman, The Blacksmith's Daughter, and Camp Follower.  All by Suzanne Adair, they can be read as stand-alone stories, but as they share characters, they work best read in order.  I loved them and can hardly wait for the next volume--without giving too much of a spoiler, she has created a villain that you absolutely love to hate.

My schedule at work may be returning to a sense of normalcy, so I hope to get back to regular posts--the Stampin' Up! catalog transition begins June 1st when the Last Chance Lists post in preparation for the July 1st launch of the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog.  NaNoWriMo is holding summer camp this year--they'll be announcing more details on May 25...

Finally, I want to get back into my studio and participate in card challenges again (plus let's not even mention all the great movies coming out this summer), so I am quite grateful my job is allowing some time for some fun for the next few weeks.  Let's see if I can post some fun stuff here this summer ;-)

Facebook Phobia--Unnecessary Fear?

I love being "wired to the world".  Technology powers my day job in multiple ways, not the least of which being the cable modem that allows me to telecommute (a fantastic perk for someone who no longer drives a car).  I can barely remember a time without e-mail and web-surfing.  Shopping online and having items delivered is a fantastic option in saving time and effort.  I also love running my Stampin' Up! business online because it is a sideline job.  And let's just think for a moment about how much easier historical research is in the internet age ;-)

But social networking like Facebook scares me.  I have a lot of friends and family of all ages scattered across the country and most are on Facebook.  I know the value of Facebook as a tool to market products, so I know as a writer that I will probably need to set up a FB account for my writing sooner or later.  The scary part is the lack of control I may have over my personal privacy.

Many of us have made life choices that have caused consequences that were not what we had planned (and life seldom offers do-overs).  I love my life and who I am, but after having been abused, robbed, and stalked at different times in my life, I jealously guard my freedom and my ability to live without fear of those criminals finding me once more.

On the other hand, there are people from my past I would love to find..as an adoptee, I've often wondered about my biological roots, and Facebook would be a wonderful way to reconnect with school friends and far-flung relatives.

So, there is my conundrum.  Do I trust the privacy controls that Facebook states are in effect, or do I continue to isolate myself in a cocoon of my own making and risk falling further and further out of touch with people who mean a lot to me?

For now, I will do what I always do when making a major decision...I'll do more research.  And who knows?  We may meet on Facebook soon after all ;-)

Putting My Butt in My Writing Chair

Found this over at Confessions of the Un-Published! today.  Great "tough love" for writers!




It has been a really strange day for me.  My schedule change threw me for a bigger loop than I expected, because I am a creature of habit--I've worked a lot of jobs and worked weekends on many of them, but it has been years since my days off have not been consecutive...so today was spent doing housework, laundry, grocery shopping (aka general living), and I just looked up to realize a full day has gone without getting to write or create :-(

Jackson's great video reminds me that I will never have a finished novel if I don't write the danged thing LOL...similarly, I won't have any more cards made for OWH or challenges if I don't sit at my studio table and create them.  So, even though my TBR mountain has been calling my name, and there are many new Blu-Ray/DVD movies out that I want to watch, and I want badly to blog-surf to see what new inspiration is out there (like Jackson's video for instance), I am signing off the Internet for the rest of the night...TGAN and writing chair, here I come!