Sheila's Guests and Reviews

I tried to take Phillip Margolin’s advice. I wrote a paragraph for each part of the book, and felt like it was really taking shape. But then I tried to expand my paragraphs and found the story dissolving into lists of facts. “This happened. Then that.” I tried to ask all the questions to help it grow. When did this happen? How did it make you feel? But it really wasn’t working. My characters squirmed in the interview chair and looked at me like I was crazy. “Come on. Who cares?” Then the phone rang and I went outside to take my friend’s dog for a walk. My friend is very nice and has a very nice dog; a beagle that stops the smell the flowers, the dandelions, and every blade of grass. Then she runs, and we laugh, and my characters chase after me. “Hey, did I tell you about…” When I came home I started writing chapters again.

I think I used up most of Thursday's excuses yesterday. Headache - yes. Housework - tons of it. Laundry - well I emptied the dryer, but I didn't get round to the washing; maybe tomorrow. Yardwork - I cut the grass, which is growing too fast; ran out of time before I could weed the flower beds. Shopping - forgot the bread. Internet - I posted day 48 of my Revelation drabbles; posted 49 today. Family - that's what distracted me from yardwork. Dog - she's a wonderful exercise machine, so of course I took her for a walk. I didn't get to the editing. But I made lots of lists while working out how much I might complete by the end of the day. And reading - that's what I did at the end of the day. (An excellent book, that I found through Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem while wandering the blogosphere a little while ago.) Today we saw Star Trek. It was great. So maybe I'll find more time to write tomorrow.

1. Headache 2. Housework 3. Laundry 4. Yardwork 5. Shopping 6. Internet 7. Family 8. Dog 9. Editing, and 10. Making lists Oh, and 11: Putting the things in the list into the right order. I could start on that now if I hadn't got such a headache. But the laundry basket's overflowing on the floor; we're running out of juice; the grass is too long; it's time to change the sheets but the son's still in bed; and my best friend's dog really is a perfectly wonderful exercise machine. They tell me walking's good for headaches - good for inspiration too - and it's much more fun than lists. So maybe it's time to phone my friend, or her dog, and enjoy the sunshine before I tell the son to rise'n shine for lunch. P.S. Reading's my top excuse for delaying all the items on the list.