And we're off!

Well, friends, thanks for all the input on my dilemma of the week. I'm pulling out all the notes from various readers so far and going over what I have with the notes. That's my goal for the weekend. Figure out where we are and what the next step is. I'm still really excited about the possibilities of this WIP, so I'm going to try to stay with it at least for now.

We had a really interesting couple of days. (This is the reason for the lateness of the Friday post.) The kids had dentist appointments and check-ups back in Cedar. That meant an overnight trip with all three of them, BY MYSELF! I wouldn't have thought about it as being a hassle, but all three of them have had colds and all three of them got car sick on the drive over. And middle boy fell of a chair and got a serious goose-egg ON HIS EAR! (I didn't know you get swell like that on an ear, but you can.) And there were other minor things that would have been less pleasant to deal with, but there you have it.

Here's the thing. We spent basically two days on our own with lots of difficult or horrible things going on, and it was okay. I didn't lose it. I didn't fall apart. I didn't even crack a little. And this is how I know I'm making progress in my life. Even just a few months ago, this would have been the end of the world. I would have been forlornly crying in the corner, unable to cope with all the stuff that went wrong over the course of our trip. But, I didn't. And I feel better about myself and my abilities.

The same thing happens in our writing, I think. We have to go through a bunch of junk. That's just the nature of it. There's negativity and criticism and critique and rejection. Over time, we learn to cope with it better. And when we're in the badlands, we can look back at what used to be the badlands and see how far we've come. Even though taking a break wasn't on the list at the time, I'll go back to the writing and be better at it, handle the negative better, and just rock it all over the place.

How about you, friends? Are you in the "rock it" place or the badlands? How have you seen progress in your life or writing?

Where do we go from here?

Did anybody watch the movie version of Evita with Madonna and Antonio Banderas? Yeah. That's my favorite song from the show. (And if it's now stuck in your head, you're welcome.)

This is the position I find myself in. I was in the middle of a major redrafting/revision/rewrite of my WIP when we moved and got sick and general craziness ensued. Now, I'm going back to that major redraft/revision/rewrite. And I've lost my momentum. And a little of my direction. I'd put in a lot of time on the rewrite and made a lot of progress. So, now, where do I go from here? Do I start over? Do I try to recover from the time off and move forward from where I'm at?

So, friends, have any of you been in this position? What did you do? What would you recommend?

And we're back!

So, it's been a while. I've missed the blogging world. And the writing world.

We've finally settled in to our new place. It's been better than I could have hoped. Things are going really well with hubby's job. The kids love living at Grandma's house. Oldest boy loves his preschool class. Little Girl started crawling. And I'm feeling like there is financial hope at the end of the tunnel. (Stupid economy.)

I'm still working on my daily schedule so that I can get back to writing. I was right in the middle of a draft that was looking pretty promising. I want to finish it in time to write a Nano-Novel. I've got some good new ideas to play with and I don't want to get into them until I've got Sleep out to betas.

In other news, I am reading. And not just reading, but reading new stuff. Usually, my reading material is almost exclusively YA or MG, with the occasional adult fantasy. I'm branching out. There's Memoirs of a Geisha, The Pelican Brief, Bourne Identity and maybe another one down the pipes. It's been good so far. I don't know that I will ever really love adult books. I'm just too big a kid at heart. I just want to be a little more diverse in my reading.

How about you, friends? What are you reading? What have you been up to since we last chatted? Hope to see you around!

Terry Tibke's Upgrader Blog Tour

Hello again, every body. I promise to get back to regular blogging again soon. Before then, however, I'm participating in the blog tour for Terry Tibke. He's a writing ninja at the Dojo where I hone my writing skills and I am pleased to tell you about his book, Upgrader: Re-engineered.

A dimensional rift has opened, and now a headstrong young man must learn to use an ancient power before the Earth is enslaved.
Dylan Kent is exposed to a mysterious energy from another dimension! Transformed into an ever-changing warrior, Dylan must harness these new powers in order to keep our world free from intradimensional invaders. These invaders have come to our world in search of the power Dylan now possesses. If Dylan is unsuccessful in repelling them, not only will he die but our world will die with him!

This book was a fun, quick read. There's lots of action from the very first words. If you like graphic novels, the feel is very similar. There's interdimensional travel, tentacled creatures, and a sentient power source that could protect or destroy the world--depending on who gets their hands on it. Fortunately for us, average teenager Dylan finds it. He's got the usual concerns about being on the team and looking cool for his girlfriend. It just takes a little nudge to make him into an extraordinary hero, ready for a fight that will save the world.

I enjoyed Upgrader. Dylan is easy to relate to as a character. The story has a fast pace and is easy to follow. It would be enjoyable for middle grade readers, as well as the young adult market it was intended for. It's the perfect read for a reluctant reader. And, in the highest praise I can give a book, I'll be loaning my copy to my 14 year old brother. He'll have a good time with it.

You can check out more about Terry Tibke and his book by clicking on the button in the sidebar or by following the link.