Check In- What Are You Doing?

Finally home from that three-day-trip that turned in to five days. Van is still in the shop. The new engine arrives Thursday; they'll get it installed by close of business Friday and "run it in" and test-drive it. Monday, I'm heading back to Terre Haute to pick it up.

On the brighter side, I got a short story outlined.

Got the website updated for the month, so that's done.

Haven't done anything else except make dinner and wash dishes, though.

I'm also a bit disturbed; shopping his way home after his blood test, Dad apparently couldn't find the car in the grocery store parking lot for some time. It's got a pink tape flag on the antenna and several bumper stickers, so it shouldn't take half an hour to find it. (I'm still not convinced there's not an underlying UI infection going on with him, remembering how that messed with my grandfather's head, but it's still not great. And I apparently somehow ended up wearing the wrong glasses sometime over the past three years, so I suppose I'm not in a position to argue about one's mental faculties.) So we're wondering if it's time to take the keys, little as he drives anyway. He was already iffy if he hadn't gotten enough sleep, but this may be the line. Not my call to make, though.

Went outside to mow the lawn and within moments it started to rain. So much for that plan.

Finished mapping out all my chapters and now working on my character profiles.

Jan74:

I find that interesting, that you map out all your chapters first, and then do the character profiles.

I find that technique interesting, though it is not something that would work for me.

I know that everyone writes differently, and use different techniques...but let me ask: how do you know, ahead of time, that the characters' actions will follow that particular plot?

In my case, I have only a vague idea of the plot, then I let the character personalities forge ahead and determine the outcome.

As a result, I usually have no idea how things are going to turn out.

Thursday, and the weather's wavering between sunny and cloudy and sprinkly.

Work existed.

Didn't have to shop my way home, at least. So that's something. I got chicken salad made for dinner, so I don't have to deal with that until it's time to eat. So right now I'm trying to write a couple book reviews (finished one last night, and read one at work) and avoid depression over current events, watching my own country's leaders gleefully and maliciously take a giant step backwards, followed by another, and another...

Jan74 said:

Finished mapping out all my chapters and now working on my character profiles.

Click to expand...

I planned out a good idea of my main characters and almost simultaneously the main plots, writing a few lines about each. Then I started planning chapters - and added subplots.

Oh but I do envy you - I want to get to planning the next book rather than going through my current MS for the 400th time!

My monitor kept going black, so I checked the GPU temperature: 71 degrees (178 F) on startup. That'e enough to make the graphics card shut down.

So time again to take it to pieces and hoover up all the fluff etc from inside. Done that before, but I'm scared I'll break something.

And now it's 45 degrees (113 F). No meltdown today. Phew.

Friday morning, and saw a bit of sun through the window a while back. Still not quite warm enough for cutoffs, I don't think, which sucks because we're in that humid,gray area that makes work especially sweaty, yet not enough so to justify getting chilled on the way in.

Dang it.

Got my book reviews written, watched a couple more segments of a quick Lynda course (on "moodboards," which seem to be yet another iteration of the old "treasure map" visualization idea), and right now I'm getting ready to head out the door to sling more books. I think I'm good on dinner options, so fingers crossed I shouldn't need to shop my way home. Which is just as well as I haven't been comped for the last grocery trip so I'm down to the wallet dregs.

Off I drift...

Browsing Absolute Write and listening to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in its fiftieth anniversary celebration.

(And thinking about what the heck my next novel is gonna be about, of course...)

Been wanting to generate a story from a Jimmy Buffett song, and it suddenly gelled for me today, so I outlined that. I've got an even dozen story ideas right now. I should probably start writing.

It's later, and I lost much of the afternoon and evening. A Kindle title sucked me in, but unfortunately the story disintegrated, as did character agency, not to mention the plot. So now I need to write my review to justify the time I spent reading it. Dang it - hate it when they start with potential but fall apart. At least if they were up-front about things I wouldn't get my hopes high, and might be able to bail out in time.

And it cost me my nightly writing time, too. Double dang it.

Away I go.

Getting very close to finishing my 4th draft.

Saturday winds down, with late sunshine slowly vanishing across the valley. Cloudy most of the day.

As with most Saturdays, I got little done, but that's what Saturday is for: sweeping the room and slacking off. Also had to drive out on an errand run, and may have to go again tomorrow. (Prescription issues... meh.)

And I finally heard back from the second day camp. As usual, a bunch of nitpicky changes that will eat at least a day - the person in charge is the definition of micromanager. There's a reason I don't do graphic design for a living... or anything else that involves dealing with people. But I'll fool with that tomorrow. Or Monday.

On the plus side, I started reading a new Kindle title that's rather fun so far. (Every Heart a Doorway, by Seanan McGuire, which won a Nebula for Best Novella, IIRC. It's about a boarding school for children and teens who have been to other worlds - fairylands, realms of the dead, etc. - and returned, and are dealing with the psychological trauma. A couple chapters in, and I'm enjoying it so far.)

I'd just finished writing a gaming session about an hour and a half ago and now I'm winding down. I've been browsing the Absolute Write forums for a few minutes, still new here, saying hello and posting.

The session today went all right but not many players showed up. I felt like I might have used too much dialogue, and look forward to receiving critiques once I'm able to post my work here. Even if not here, my players sometimes will offer me critiques and advice, and their input counts the most as it's for their enjoyment, as well as my own, that I'm writing.

Relaxing... after a bit of hanging up washing and then making some lunch.

Sunday, and I need to get going on my List of Things To Do before other people try to eat my day. I'll probably start with that logo fix, get that out of the way. By the time I'm done (or, most likely, before I'm done), relatives will probably be dropping hints about wanting me to drive them somewhere. (Why can't they just say they need to go out? Why do they have to dance around, asking if I need to go anywhere, asking if I'm doing anything, refusing to say just when they want to go so I'm stuck in limbo all day?)

Nothing much to report, otherwise.

Just put up a made-to-measure roller blind only to find it's too short (!)

Monday, and it looks like a pleasant day. Wonder if we'll get out to do anything...

Well, on the plus side, I got the logo revisions done yesterday and sent them out this morning. (I fully expect at least one more round of this, each one making it duller. Eh, well - nobody at this camp really seems to care.) On the minus side, I lost much of yesterday to reading. (But the plus side of the minus is that it was a really good book, so I guess that cancels out to a neutral.) So I have many leftovers penciled in today. Right now, I'm debating whether I want to mow the lawn now, before it gets too warm, or wait to see if we end up going somewhere to enjoy the weather, in which case I'll mow this evening or tomorrow.

Away I dawdle.

Spending some time here on the forums while I wait for the caffeine to kick in so I can start writing. The perpetual cloudiness we've had for the past few days is starting to wear on me; I don't want to do anything but sit around and be lazy. But I told myself I have to get at least a little bit of writing done today, and then I can go be lazy before I have to go to work this evening.

Headed up to Terre Haute to pick up our van.

Made it as far as Joplin when the shop called me and said there had been a miscommunication, and it wouldn't be ready until Thursday.

250 miles, $5 in tolls, and I get to do it again Wednesday.....

Currently at a four day conference for work and we're up in Tustin, Michigan (look it up on maps...I'm in the middle NOWHEREEEE) to learn about nonprofit and low income real estate development. Every day is 8am to 8pm. Caffeine is the only thing saving me.

sockycat:

I guess there is a LOT of real estate, out in the middle of nowhere.

RLGreenleaf said:

sockycat:

I guess there a LOT of real estate, out in the middle of nowhere.

Click to expand...

Ba dum tsssss.

Yeah apparently they sent us up here to "get us away" from the office. It was a three hour drive from my house. The nearest target is sixty miles away. They don't even have a lock on their wifi. I feel like I'm a pioneer lol

Swingin' through on a sunny Tuesday morning.

The grass pollen's bad today, bad enough to best my house-brand Allegra. (Of course, it didn't help that I was an idiot and went for a walk in the park last evening, among the fields of blooming grass.) May see if I can dredge up some eye drops, but either way it's probably not a good idea to mow the lawn (as I'd planned) or wash the car (another tentative plan.) Dang it.

Nothin' else worth noting has occurred, nor will it occur until I actually do something with my day.