How was your holiday?

Wow, I haven’t written in a while!  I was, admittedly, extremely busy with Christmas preparations and freelancing.  Still, I didn’t realize how much time had gone by.  Here’s my update:

I have done three very time-consuming freelance assignments.  They were good experience, but not necessarily something I’d like to do long term.  At this point in my “career” I feel like writing is writing, as long as I’m doing it.

Christmas was great.  I had the two older kids (we always have M.), and we all went to my in-laws for dinner.  It was very nice.  My mother-in-law is a great cook, so dinner at her place is always a treat.

M. moved into a “big girl” bed yesterday.  It’s actually a toddler bed, not a twin, but I like toddler beds even though they don’t last long.  I know she’ll outgrow it a lot faster than she would a twin, and Chris thinks it’s a waste of money, but they’re lower to the ground and my kids have a tendency to fall out of bed.  This morning M. fell asleep on the couch, and fell off.  S. used to fall off ALL the time.  Even H., who is usually pretty coordinated, used to fall out of bed.  So I like having them a little closer to the ground until they get the hang of beds.

And, the highlight of my week, M. got sick last night and threw up all over the couch.  Bad enough, but we have a couch that’s made in three separate sections and screwed together.  She managed to throw up in between two sections, so it was all the way through the couch and onto the floor.   There is just no good way to clean it completely except by taking the whole thing apart, but the couch is old and taking it apart would cause it to basically disintegrate.  I spent 45 minutes or so cleaning is (and the floor underneath), but it still isn’t clean enough.  I think we need a new couch.

So, if you haven’t guessed, my life ROCKS.

 

My First Assignment!

I just finished my first freelance assignment, and the customer accepted it, so I’ll be getting more from them.  I’m so excited.  I didn’t get this one through Elance, it came from Freelancer.com.  I’m holding off bidding on any more until I see what this one entails and how it fits in to my schedule, but I think I’ll be able to take on more than one at a time.  It depends on how demanding the writing schedule is once I get started.  Luckily, I’m available all day.  I have responsibilities, I’m a mom, but I can work in writing at any time.  Now that M. is nearly three it’s rare that she needs to interrupt me much if I’m working.  Maybe to get a drink or snack for her, but she mainly keeps herself busy with her shows or her books or her toys.  She likes playing with her kitchen set a lot lately.

Don’t get me wrong, I spend plenty of time with the kids too.  M. and I are doing some preschool work and potty training, and I make sure I have time for the older two, even if it’s just to snuggle up on the couch and watch Glee with S. or (horrors) the Disney Channel with H.  The part that generally suffers the most is the house, but I’m trying to get a handle on that too.

In any case, I have my first paying freelance job and I’m hoping it will be the first of many.  In January, I’ll start editing my NaNoWriMo book, and I’ll decide if that’s worth continuing to work on or if it deserves a place in the trunk.  I’m hoping it still seems good when I read it, but I honestly have no idea now.  Enjoy your writing time today!

 

Tired Tuesday

My new article is up on Yahoo/Associated Content.  It’s about a local museum that I love, the William Benton Museum here in Storrs.  You can see the article here: http://bit.ly/dLfEs0.

I am EXHAUSTED today.  Admittedly, I got to sleep very late, but I also dozed off through two Disney movies this morning while M. watched them, so you’d think that would have counted for something.  Apparently not, given my current state of half-awake bleariness.  I wrote anyway though.  Nothing to be published, just a dialogue piece for the Promptly prompt to use “guitar, scar and your hometown” in a piece.   But it gave me my 750 words for today, so I’m happy with it.

Is anyone else out there using 750 words for their writing?  I’ve been a big fan of Write or Die, but I just recently heard about 750 Words on another blog and started trying it out.  It’s a fun site that reminds you every day by email to write 750 words, then tracks your statistics and awards badges and such depending on what you’re doing.  I’m liking it so far, although I’ve only been using it for five days and haven’t earned any badges yet.  I’ve also just signed up for the January One Month Challenge, which scares me because, while I definitely am up for the idea of being added to anything called the Wall of Amazingness, I do not want to end up on the Wall of Shame.

Just a reminder to any fellow Nano participants who are reading this, there is a survey up so you can give your opinion of this year’s event.  Be sure to answer the email if you got it, or you can find it write on the NaNoWriMo site.

 

Monday Writing Update

I had another story published on Associated Content over the weekend on my worst exercise mishap ever.  If you’re interested, you can link to it here:  http://bit.ly/fUwWHI.  It is a prime example of why I didn’t participate in sports when I was growing up.

I submitted another story today and am waiting to hear whether or not they accept it.  If they do, I’ll link to it in my next post.

I’ve been looking for jobs on Elance, and I’ve submitted two proposals, but I haven’t really found a lot there that is suitable.  I have heard from other freelancers that they are able to make some money there, but I’m holding my opinion until I have spent a little more time working with the site.

Starting out as a freelance writer is not easy!  Not that I thought it would be, but it’s really hard to know where to start.  Right now, I’m just trying to keep writing ever day and keep researching.  I’m reading other freelancers’ blogs, looking for where people are publishing, and generally just trying to learn as much as I can.

I’m always open for suggestions, however, so if anyone knows of any good freelance markets and would like to share, feel free to comment or email me.

 

Book Review: Jack the Kitten is Very Brave

The Adventures of Jack and Machu:

Jack the Kitten is Very Brave

By Tabitha Grace Smith

Illustrated by Mindy Lou Hagan

Jack the Kitten wants to be a pirate.

The one problem is that he is afraid of water.

This book deals with a common fear in children, the fear of water, in a gentle and reassuring way. The story is well-written and easy to follow, but not so simplistic as to be boring for children. As the mother of three children, ages 2 1/2 , 10 and 14, I know that when a book becomes a child’s favorite, parents are asked to read it again and again. I like that this book lacks the overly-sugary tone that so many books for small children use, and which tends to make them torturous for parents to have to read repeatedly. It is written in a simple, straightforward manner that makes it both easy to understand, and engaging.

The illustrations are wonderfully rendered. The colors are both eye-catching and welcoming. There is a distinction between the real life scenes and the scenes in Jack’s imaginations that is made even more profound by the use of color changes in the background.

As I’ve mentioned, I have a daughter in the right age range for this book, and she liked it when I first read it to her. She asked me to read it again a few hours later. When I was too slow to respond, she demanded, “Mama, I want Machu again!” I guess that tells you who her favorite character is. I’m always happy to find new books for her that we can both enjoy.

Tabitha Grace Smith is the founder and producer of Between the Lines Studios, which began with the Buffy Between the Lines podcast. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing, and with this book she’s off to a great start.

As a bonus for my readers, Ms. Smith has offered a 10% discount on the book if you order it through CreateSpace’s store. Just use code D9Z8XUZU at checkout. CreateSpace ships both in the US and Internationally. You can find the page for Jack the Kitten  https://www.createspace.com/3509191.

The main site for Jack and Machu is http://machuandjack.com/ and they can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jack-the-Kitten-is-Very-Brave/163694490332402?ref=ts so be sure to check them out.

 

Getting back on track

I’ve (mostly) recovered from NaNoWriMo. I’ve put my novel away until after the new year so I don’t have to think about it for a while. I hear it sometimes at night, calling “Please edit me! Right now!” but I know that I would lack perspective and distance enough to really do any good.

I’m getting back into writing shorter pieces.  I’m working on reviewing books for a few people, so look forward to seeing some of those here.  I’m trying to write here more often, and be on Twitter more too so I can keep up with what’s going on.

Mostly, I’m trying to spend time with my family and get my house back in order.  It needs it!

 

Wordle Word Cloud

My book on Wordle.

 

Nanowrimo 2010

I finished.  I “won” Nanowrimo.  At the start, I didn’t see how I’d ever reach 10,000 words, much less 50,000.  I started out the first week well, trying for 2,000 words a day.  Week two I didn’t have time to write at all.  I tried to play catch up on week three, but only got to write a few days out of the seven.  The final week, I wanted to write as much as I could, but I didn’t think I’d finish in time.  I hit 30,000 words late the 28th, and decided to at least get as close as I could.  I reached just under 37,000 on the 29th, although it was after midnight so some of those words counted toward the 30th.  I was looking at having nearly 14,000 words to write on the last day before reaching 50,000.  I also had a 2 1/2-year-old with a cold, and my son (age 14) got sick after dinner.  My husband was working late, so by eight o’clock I would have all three kids home and depending on me.  The older two were great though, they wanted to see me finish.  I wrote all day long, and all evening long, with many interruptions.  I write about 1000 words per half hour, so I knew I had a little over 6 1/2 hours of writing to do.  I finished at 11:30 p.m.

The first thing both of my older kids did when they woke up in the morning was ask me if I finished.  I was so happy that they cared so much, it was probably the best part of winning.  My son got up early and knocked on my bedroom door to ask and gave me a high-five, then went back to bed since he was staying home from school.  I woke my daughter up for school, and before she was even fully awake she sleepily asked me if I’d finished.  I told her I had, and she cheered for me.

I have never done anything like this in my life.  I’ve never stuck with anything long enough to do this much, especially in this short a time.  I am proud of myself for doing it, and I don’t mind saying so.

I’ve set aside the entire thing until after the new year.  I’m not going to look at it or think about it for a while.  I know it needs A LOT of editing.  I didn’t  even try to keep track of  things that needed fixing, and I noticed some serious errors in consistency.  I’m not worried about it, and I’m excited to have time to work on some other things for a while.

The funniest thing for me was that after you finish and verify your word count on the Nanowrimo site, there is a congratulatory video which is basically the staff members cheering for you, as a winner.  What was funny about it was how much it meant to me, as if it were something they had done personally for me instead of for everyone.  Maybe it was the late hour, maybe it was the burnout from writing so many words in one day, but it really meant a lot.

My kids asked if I’d be doing it again next year, and I said that I didn’t know, it depended on if I had an idea again next year at that time.  If I do, then I’d do it again in a heartbeat.  I loved participating, and only wished I could have written more consistently.

If you have the opportunity to participate  next November, don’t pass it up.