07.01.09
Posted at 2:45 pm by rueyn
300 pages. 57,500 words. Seven chapters left on the expansive, rough second draft edit. Then I’ll do a read-through, fixing any small things. After that it goes out to the test readers (looks like the week of the 13th right now). Should be on target for August 1st query letters, barring any major “your book sucks” feedback.
And, no, I still haven’t figured out about school or my trip to CA. I swear I’m working on it. I expected something to happen that would give me a definitive answer, but that something didn’t occur, so I’m floundering. Soon.
06.30.09
Posted at 9:11 am by rueyn
From Maire’s father, Barry…
“Compare your passion for writing to a passion for making cookies. You could just make cookies because you love to, because it’s therapeutic, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, if you don’t present them attractively and add your own touch, and if you don’t make them available to anyone else, then they’ll just get stale sitting in your kitchen, uneaten. You have to make people want to eat them. And to do that you must be creative.
“What is it that’s different about these cookies? They’re not just easily packaged and of uniform size, like Mother’s Cookies or something. But you have to make that clear to people immediately when you present them. What is their secret? Are they from an old recipe of your Grandma’s? What makes them special?
“And of course you could just keep baking them for yourself, your own way, and keep them to yourself. That’s okay too. Someone might come along and ask for one, you never know. But if you definitely want other people to eat your cookies then you have to make them particularly unique and appetizing — you have to actively sell them.”
The man is not only published, but also obviously intelligent.
06.28.09
Posted at 7:32 am by rueyn
Because e-publishing is NOT vanity press, and is therefor just as valid as traditional methods of publishing. Read the mission statement here and/or follow them on twitter via #rwachange.
06.27.09
Posted at 8:05 am by rueyn
Dame Lili at Deadline Dames wrote a great post about the what and how of taking your writing seriously. The article came at exactly the write time, and I had to share it.
06.26.09
Posted at 9:10 am by rueyn
Gluten-free Cinnamon Chex has nonfat milk as an ingredient. No wonder I can’t eat it! Sometimes I want to kick myself for not figuring out the obvious sooner.
06.24.09
Posted at 1:03 pm by rueyn
Still plowing forward on the second draft. I’m on chapter ten, and today I had to add in a scene. I thought that I was getting tired of the book, but writing a new scene was really fun, and I realized that it’s the editing I’m tired of. I can’t wait for this part to be finished so I can start on the next installment.
I found an agent I want to approach, and if she passes, I’m going to send this thing directly to Harlequin. That’s as far as I’ve gotten in that area.
Still undecided about school and vacation. I’m waiting on Mike to figure out a few things first.
06.19.09
Posted at 5:32 pm by rueyn
Our outside thermostat hit 103F today. In the shade. I didn’t know it could go that high. More than that I’ve never WANTED to see it go that high. -melt-
Posted at 1:57 pm by rueyn
It’s slow-going, to be sure. And painful. Line by line and minute by minute. I’m on chapter four and hope to be finished by the middle of July. But I WILL BE DONE at some point which is all that really matters, right?
06.18.09
Posted at 11:52 am by rueyn
About three minutes after eating a very small piece of kiwi today my throat and mouth started itching like I had allergies. That itch progressed to my eyes, and eventually to a very stuffy nose and sneezing. Was it the kiwi? I don’t know for sure, because it was mixed with strawberries and pineapple and could have had juice from either. But this is definitely the first and only time I’ve EVER had a reaction like this to something I ate.
When I got home I took a shower just in case it was something airborne, but that hasn’t helped, so I downed a Claritin. Oral allergy syndrome?
06.15.09
Posted at 12:47 pm by rueyn
I went in for my yearly thyroid check today. Levels were dandy (1.2), but the real surprise was that my blood pressure was normal for the first time since pregnancy! It was 122/70, whereas it’s normally around 105/60. YAY! 
And while I may be having endo trouble right now, I am still feeling better than I have in years. I go to bed around 10:00 p.m. and wake up most days around 6:00 a.m. with plenty of all-day energy. Still can’t believe how something as small as a dietary change can lead to such major differences.
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